Chapter 1174: To the Winner the Spoils
Proofreader: Papatonks
Bam!
A convict kicked a brawny man to the ground, mocking, “Ha-ha-ha, so this is what the mighty Sword King has come to, ha-ha-ha…”
“Stop! We surrendered. What are you trying to do?” Bali Yuyu glared at them, gnas.h.i.+ng her teeth.
The youth sneered, giving her a most unbecoming leer, “What, you ask? Weren’t the Sword Kings always acting so high and mighty? With the Invincible Sword dead, any kind of las.h.i.+ng out won’t do you any good. Surrendering is your only hope at living, so play along, or else…”
“Or else what?”
A steel grip had twisted his wrist. The man whipped his head with a scowl, only to pale hard, “Marshal Zhuo, we’ve got all the prisoners sorted out for you to handle.”
Bali Yuyu shook, observing the man she had been daydreaming about day and night for the past century, and her heart raced.
Zhuo Fan sneered, “You actually know they’re my prisoners? Others who didn’t might think it was you who got them. You must be so amazing taking down the central area’s Sword Kings.”
“I’d never, Marshal Zhuo, you’re our Grand Marshal of the four lands just as it was a hundred years ago. We’re doing it all for you!”
“Humph, what a pretentious excuse. You never did anything for me a hundred years ago, and now that I got the central area, you wanted to step in?”
Zhuo Fan flung the man into the air, vanis.h.i.+ng in the distance, “I’m fine without it.”
The rest acted oblivious, lowering their heads and clearing the area.
Ignoring the profiteers, Zhuo Fan turned to Bali Yuyu who never took her eyes off him. He snapped his fingers and her bounds came undone, “I saw how you never got a wound on you when you fought Qiao’er. How did those ants even catch you?”
“I sealed my own cultivation.”
“You did?”
“Yes, you’ve won and we lost. Those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds used brother Lei to threaten me, so what could I do? Or did you expect me to be as fearless as the Patriarch and have you cut me down?” Bali Yuyu glared.
Zhuo Fan shook his head, “My fight with him has been in the works for a century, an honorable duel bearing no grudge from either party. Along the way I took the empire for my own purposes, still nothing personal. Now that the empire is mine, I want nothing else. You’re free to go.”
“Free?”
Bali Yuyu started, “You’re letting us go free? What if we’ll take revenge?”
Zhuo Fan chuckled, “Can you really, with just that much strength? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Not now, but who’s to say later…”
“Neither later.”
Zhuo Fan cut her off, “Since I overcame all of you, I hold no fear for the future. If, by some miracle, you do succeed, that proves I’ve been idle and deserve to die. A real man isn’t afraid of any challenge. Moreover, I’m a challenger myself, challenging myself for my own goals is all the more reason I can’t let others catch up to me. Or I wouldn’t have needed him to step in and would’ve died at your hands instead.”
Bali Yuyu’s eyes grew hazy, “You’re just like Patriarch, no, stronger. Patriarch always yearned for the top, but feared being overtaken. You don’t have such fear, and that’s why you won.”
“You flatter me. What I fear is something you can never reach.”
Zhuo Fan waved, walking away, “Take them and go. We’ve had a nice run once, and this is my thanks for it.”
Bali Yuyu gave him a long look then pointed at the others to remove their binds. A sudden roar then shook the heavens as someone shot for Zhuo Fan, “Zhuo Fan!”
“What now?”
Whoosh~
Zhuo Fan clutched the neck of the attacker, Baili Jingtian.
“Revenge for the Invincible Sword, is that it? I told you that none of you have it in you. But since you challenged me, I’ll answer with the same coin.”
Zhuo Fan gripped harder, cutting his breath, “I’m a man of principles and can overlook the boiling hatred you all nurture, but the moment you try anything, you have to own up to your actions!”
“Wait!”
Baili Yulei shouted and rushed over, pleading, “Sir Zhuo, please let the Crown Prince go. If you must kill him, take me instead!”
Zhuo Fan squinted, “Baili Yulei, we were on better terms hundred years ago. Though it was to help another and thus you helped me, I still consider it a favor. But what is your deal with the Crown Prince, to go so far?”
“It’s about that time a hundred years ago as well. He knows I had let you go yet never revealed it. Holding his word for a hundred years, he earned my friends.h.i.+p.”
“Didn’t you stop to think that maybe he had his reasons?” Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow, “Your Highness, you’re no saint, I see, knowing to use grat.i.tude to your own means.”
Baili Jingtian said, “As the Crown Prince, I’ve learned how to rule. Grat.i.tude has nothing to do with it, just business. But yes, when you had your black flames on me, Thunder Sword King did save my life. He did right by cutting my arm off. I had the same thought but couldn’t do it because that would mean everything would be over, my throne would no longer be mine. Have you ever heard of a cripple sitting on the throne in humanity’s long history? So Thunder Sword King had solved my crisis and my life.
“But later, I helped them hide their connection with you, not really thinking over the implications. But without an arm, I was fated to be alone, so why then insist on making an enemy out of a Sword King? It’s all to protect myself due to what happened, and I had to keep it to myself.”
“See? He had it all figured out and didn’t do it for you. I bet you looked after him these years so you should be square.” Zhuo Fan snickered.
Baili Yulei’s brow shook, yet his voice was firm, “Regardless, I still feel friends.h.i.+p for him keeping it a secret for so long and ask that you stay your hand.”
“Sure, since you felt friends.h.i.+p for him, I felt the same for you. But only this once. At least wait until you have the strength before coming at me.”
Zhuo Fan smirked and let go, walking off, “A month later, I’ll be leaving this world, to where your Patriarch yearned to go. Anyone is welcome to come since I lack manpower, ha-ha-ha…”
Baili Jingtian squinted, “What’s his angle? Trying to get us on his side after killing the Patriarch? As if!”
“It’s hard to tell.”
With her heart already made up, Bali Yuyu muttered, “The Patriarch and Zhuo Fan fought an honorable battle with their lives on the line. When the Patriarch died, he held no hatred. Among cultivators, what grudges could there be among challengers? Your Highness, you’ll never grow strong without at least this much aspiration. Look at yourself. After a hundred years, you couldn’t even defeat the likes of Ye Lin and Ouyang Changqing, the same ones you once beat. A missing arm shouldn’t have affected your strength as much. Think back at what you’ve been doing this past century.”
The only thing that came to Baili Jingtian’s mind was hate.
He hated Zhuo Fan for taking his arm, losing his status, and everyone for mocking his deficiency. The hatred had taken over his mind to such extent he almost let the Sundering Sword Art waste away…
Baili Jingtian sighed long and hard, closing his eyes.
The first step to become stronger and defeat the man he hated all his life was to let go of the hate and set his eyes on the top.
Bali Yuyu glanced over and showed a sneaky smile.
[Let us all go then, to the world of the strong that the Patriarch wanted to see. At the very least, we’ll ease his spirit, right? Ha-ha-ha…]
[You just want to be at the kid’s side!]
Baili Yulei snapped his eyes on her, shaking his head…
In another part, following the ruckus, Baili Jings.h.i.+ and Baili Jingwei were shoved and sworn at. Bu Xingyun and the other spies were beaten black and blue.
Luo Yunhai’s brow shook, “They are still the Prime Minister and emperor. Even as captives, why must they be scorned so?”
“The winner gets the spoils, and they lost.”
Zhuo Fan walked by, “But aren’t I supposed to be the winner here? These people from the four lands were mere captives and now they think of themselves as the bosses?”
Luo Yunhai pleaded, “Big brother Zhuo, Baili Jingwei is vile, but never trounced our dignity. I hope you will let us handle him.”
“Yeah, I always pay back with the same coin. I may kill him, but never shame him.”
Zhuo Fan nodded, “You’re the Clan Head, so do what you will!”
Luo Yunhai perked up and rushed into the fray. Zhuo Fan shook his head, “See, this was my last lesson to you on good and evil, righteous and demonic. Now who here is right and who is wrong? Miss Murong…”