C76 Chosen 6
On Xuanwu Street, the men in black were ultimately no match, and Feng Tiange forced a bloody path through, leaving without a trace. Xie Jin stood there like a statue, his body slowly growing rigid. Despite his meticulous planning, Bai Yushuang had escaped...
In the dimly lit room, Feng Tiange sat indifferently at the table while Dao Wu helped Bai Yushuang to sit on the wooden bed against the wall. "Give me back my sword..." Bai Yushuang, still weak from the effects of the drug, began to recover but remained feeble.
Feng Tiange felt like laughing. After a brush with death, shouldn't you first ask who your savior is? "You said you weren't that attached to the Wind Slash Sword," Feng Tiange said, slowly removing her silver mask and casting a cold glance at Bai Yushuang.
Bai Yushuang looked slightly surprised, then self-mocking, "I obviously lied to you." Quite honest, indeed! "It's just a sword, and you knew Beiming Yuan would be full of traps!" Feng Tiange said angrily. If she hadn't been secretly prepared tonight, Bai Yushuang would have met a grim fate.
"It's just a sword, yet you hold it so tightly..." Bai Yushuang struggled to sit up with Dao Wu's help. "Can I make a request?"
Feng Tiange just looked at her without speaking.
"Could you come over here?" Bai Yushuang beckoned to her.
Feng Tiange thought for a moment, then released the Wind Slash Sword and walked toward the bed.
Without warning, Bai Yushuang suddenly jumped up, grabbing her cheeks with both hands and pulling hard enough to make her hair stand on end.
"General..."
"Bai Yushuang, are you out of your mind?" Feng Tiange pried Bai Yushuang's hands off, her eyes blazing with anger. "I'll hit you!"
Bai Yushuang gave a bitter laugh. "I actually thought you might be Dugu Yan. Am I really that foolish?"
No, you're not foolish.
The one who can't even be described with the intelligence of a pig is me.
"Is Dugu Yan really worth all this to you?" At that moment, Feng Tiange suddenly believed Rong Qi's words. This woman had developed feelings after being beaten.
How did I not notice Bai Yushuang had a tendency for this kind of self-torture before?
"How should I put it? There's nothing in this world more worth my concern than her." Bai Yushuang's gaze fell on the Wind Slash Sword, her smile tinged with helplessness. "I just want to preserve the only thing she left in this world. If even the Wind Slash Sword ceases to exist, over time, who will remember that a hero named Dugu Yan once walked this earth?"
Feng Tiange wanted to be moved, but she also wanted to tell Bai Yushuang that the poetic, sentimental style of writers really doesn't suit her. She should just stick to being a general.
"Let's talk about you. How can you wield the Wind Slash Sword so skillfully? It doesn't make any sense!" Bai Yushuang returned to the point, her sharp eyes filled with a cold intensity.
The Wind Slash Sword is single-edged, and most first-time users struggle with it. Yet, when Feng Tiange faced off against those men in black, there wasn't a hint of awkwardness.
"Must be fate," Feng Tiange mused, realizing her oversight. But in that situation, a slip-up was better than losing her life.
Bai Yushuang smirked, "Do you think I believe that?"
"I don't want to guess," Feng Tiange replied, turning back to the table. Her delicate hand brushed over the Wind Slash Sword, her eyes betraying an undeniable desire. "Maybe I'm just naturally suited for this unique single-edged sword."
Bai Yushuang didn't press further, slowly closing her eyes. "You should head back."
"What brought you here, anyway?" Feng Tiange asked, removing her hand from the sword and standing to face Bai Yushuang.
"Back then, she was so proud, and after her death, there wasn't even anyone to see her off... I wanted to pay my respects."
Indeed, she was once proud, the supreme commander of the land. Was there anyone who could rival her?
A general's lifelong pursuit is nothing more than this.
The past is hard to revisit; some things can never be undone.
Feng Tiange didn't ask Bai Yushuang how she planned to handle tonight's events. If she dared to take the sword, she must have already devised a plan.
In the dim room, the light flickered like a small flame.
Bai Yushuang instructed Dao Wu to bring her the Wind Slash Sword.
Gazing at the sword glinting in the candlelight, Bai Yushuang's eyes grew colder. "Dao Wu, I think I can already see Beiming Yuan's future retribution..."
That night, no one could sleep. Back at the Four-sea Merchant Alliance, Rong Qi sat at his desk, lost in thought, his hand resting on his forehead as he stared unblinkingly at the full moon in the night sky. The wind brushed against his face, but it couldn't clear the haze from his eyes. He had seen Dugu Yan again.
The night was so quiet, and the image of Dugu Yan, holding the Wind Slash Sword like a guardian, lingered in his mind, captivating him instantly.
"Leader?" Wen Ci entered the room.
"What is it?" Rong Qi remained in his position, gazing out the window at the moon, barely moving his lips.
"Lei Yi sent word from Zhao Country. The poison in the Zhao King's body has been completely removed, and pressure has been applied to make Ping King abandon the plan to assassinate Bai Yushuang. By now, Feng Yan should have received Zhou Ru's urgent message," Wen Ci reported.
This was what Rong Qi had been waiting for. Beiming Yuan wanted to assassinate Bai Yushuang, and it didn't have to happen in the capital. While he could ensure her safety within the city, he couldn't guarantee her safety once she left.
Indeed, he had influence beyond measure, and Bai Yushuang had an unparalleled knack for getting into trouble. To ensure her safe return to Zhao Country, the problem needed to be resolved at its root. Now, it was.
"There's more..." Wen Ci hesitated.
Rong Qi straightened up, slowly turning to look.
"The Third Princess said if you don't tell her where you hid the peach blossom brew, she won't let Lei Yi come back," Wen Ci said, handing over a note.
The note had a drawing of a person surrounded by a row of candles.
"Is the Third Princess planning to go all out on Lei Yi?" Wen Ci asked worriedly.
Candles are usually used for memorials.
Rong Qi ground his teeth. "Lei Yi is terrified of candle wax."
Wen Ci was taken aback, cold sweat starting to form on his aged face. "Lei Yi is one of the Third Princess's people. She wouldn't go that far against her own, would she?"
Rong Qi sneered, "When that woman loses it, she doesn't even spare herself..."
In the palace, the Imperial Study.
Xie Jin recounted the entire incident in detail, mentioning the sudden appearance of a likely Silver Mask assassin and a mysterious figure with unfathomable inner strength.
But no matter how he explained, Beiming Yuan focused on one thing.
He had failed.
Beiming Yuan didn't say a word, simply dismissing Xie Jin.
Though dismissed, Xie Jin didn't dare leave.
It wasn't until Feng Yan rushed in from outside the palace, quickly entering and exiting, that things moved forward.
In the carriage leaving the palace, Feng Yan looked at the worried Xie Jin. "To put it bluntly, it's a good thing you failed tonight. Word from Ping King’s side is that the Zhao King suddenly exerted pressure, forcing Ping King to abandon the plan to assassinate Bai Yushuang."
In other words, if anything were to happen to Bai Yushuang in Qi Country, there's a good chance King Ping would retaliate fiercely. Though meant to be reassuring, these words did nothing to lift Xie Jin's spirits. Canceling the plan was one thing, but failing to complete the mission was another entirely...