Chapter 109 The Final Battle (Part 1)

"The snow has stopped..."

Lin Chengye reached out and caught the last snowflake falling from the sky. The coldness instantly melted away as the boy's body temperature rose.

The two horses that had accompanied them on their travels were still the same, but the carriage they pulled was new, a gift from Tuoba Sui to her and Bian Yi.

She looked up, and the snowstorm that had obscured her vision had stopped, revealing a vast, clear blue sky. The road was now covered with melted snow, the water seeping into the earth and paving the way for the new green shoots that were about to sprout.

Perhaps spring had already arrived when they left Lai, but Lin Chengye only had the mood to look for traces of spring today—a spring breeze, or the shimmering waters of the Sushui River.

"Yes, it's spring."

Bian Yi sat down beside her and said softly.

Two months had passed since they last left. They had returned to Lai Kingdom once again. Lin Chengye was somewhat dazed when he suddenly heard a clear voice coming from his side and behind him.

"Excuse me, young hero... how do we get to Lin Su City? Are we on the main road?"

The girl, who appeared to be from a merchant family, was dressed in fine clothes but was rather unruly. She lifted the carriage curtain and called out to Lin Chengye.

I don't know where this came from; it's probably its first time in the capital.

"It's not the main road, but if you keep going straight, you'll merge onto the main road. Then just keep walking, and you'll see the city gate."

Lin Chengye raised his hand and waved it, saying.

"Thank you, young hero."

The girl's eyes lit up, and she asked the coachman to slow down so she could say one more thing.

"So, you two are also going to Linsu City? To attend that... Spring Festival Ceremony?"

Lin Chengye's arm suddenly stiffened, but she quickly nodded with a normal expression and replied.

"Yes, which person from Lai would not want to... participate in person?"

“That’s right. My mother said that the road to Linsu City is far, but I really want to see it. This is one of the most important events in the entire Lai Kingdom. It is said that... Her Highness the Princess and His Majesty will also be attending. My family has been in business for generations and has always lived in the south. No one in my family has ever seen the Emperor.”

The girl smiled, waved to Lin Chengye, and said...

"You guys are too slow, I'll go ahead first."

"Until we meet again."

Lin Chengye watched the carriage curtain close, nodded, and casually uttered a concluding remark. This caused Bian Yi, who had been listening quietly, to burst into laughter.

"What you said is just like what I often say. I say this every time we say goodbye, but we probably won't meet again."

"It's just to keep something as a memento; that kind of talk sounds so hopeful," Lin Chengye smiled.

She used to be stubborn and didn't like to say such things. But after traveling all over the country, Lin Chengye realized that these words were truly true.

Four words, each word is good.

Suddenly, the wind died down, but the sound of rustling leaves could be heard. Lin Chengye's eyes narrowed, and he pulled on the reins. The horse neighed, raised its front hooves high, and came to a stop.

A long arrow with fletching flew through the air, missing the horse's forelegs by mere millimeters.

"You've finally arrived."

Lin Chengye raised an eyebrow, offered his luck, leaped into the air, and landed steadily on the open ground in front of him, seemingly shouting towards the empty space ahead.

"Hurry up and come out, people are complaining that we're walking too slowly."

The rustling of the leaves stopped, and sure enough, a person dressed in black fell from the sky, decisively removing the hood that covered his face, revealing a pair of light brown eyes, and staring at Lin Chengye with a complicated expression.

"You...aren't surprised at all? You already guessed I would do that?"

Wei Jingchen took a step forward and stood ramrod straight.

"I took a gamble."

The last taut string in Lin Chengye's heart finally relaxed. She exhaled the stale air from her chest and looked directly into Wei Jingchen's eyes.

"I bet you won't let this opportunity slip by, and I also bet you're a wise ruler for the people, not a foolish filial son."

Prior to this, Wei Jingchen had not sent her any letters hinting at anything. Therefore, Lin Chengye knew that she might be facing Wei Jingchen alone, or perhaps Wei Jingchen and his elite troops from Lai Kingdom, which meant that her plan had been exposed.

Fortunately, she hadn't misjudged him. The strange tacit understanding between her and Wei Jingchen remained; even though they both felt they were not on the same path, they were still able to understand each other.

Lin Chengye gently bit the soft flesh on her cheek, closed her eyes, and seemed to hear the sound of a river rushing past her ears, but it also seemed to be washing over every bone in her body.

At this point, all the hidden and revealed pieces on the chessboard have been placed.

We eagerly await tomorrow's Spring Festival celebration.

...

Lin Chengye looked up at the moon tonight, which was so thin it looked like a crack had appeared in the sky.

She hadn't expected Wei Jingchen to suggest speaking to Bian Yi alone at this time. Lin Chengye gazed into the distance; the two stood under the tree by the inn, quite a distance apart, and they only spoke for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Wei Jingchen left.

When Bian Yi returned, Lin Chengye went straight to the point and asked.

"What did she want to talk to you about alone?"

"Didn't she find out about her origins? That's why she asked about things related to her master... After all, she was her birth mother."

Bian Yi was taken aback for a moment, then immediately replied.

This answer was too reasonable; it was the most likely one of the several questions Lin Chengye had considered.

But Lin Chengye still frowned.

"No matter what Wei Jingchen says, don't listen to him or agree to anything." Lin Chengye couldn't think of anything else the two of them could say, and he felt rather shameless for saying it.

But she had no other choice. Lin Chengye couldn't help but think of Huang Qindong; their circumstances were so similar. But the difference was that she could now fully understand Huang Qindong's choice to give up at the last moment. It was all because the pain was too great, and even if revenge were successful, it wouldn't lessen the pain, it would only make it more prolonged.

Is it really worthwhile to use the people who are with you now to seek justice for the dead?

But this wasn't a transaction; there was no gold or silver to measure it. Lin Chengye couldn't remember if he had heard the person's reply at that moment, but he could still recall that night, that person, and that scene many years later.

...

They offered sacrifices to Heaven in the south and to Earth in the north.

On the fourth day of the fourth month, the trees were still and the wind had ceased, making it a rare fine day. The entire city of Linsu was bustling with activity from the early morning before the fog had lifted, with people waiting early on both sides of the street, gazing at the imperial road.

Soon, an imperial carriage, whose identity is unknown, emerged from the south gate of the imperial city and proceeded along the central axis of the imperial road.

Wu Ma Yi wore a black and gold robe embroidered with the sun, moon, and stars. She rode with Wei Yun'e, whose face was even paler, as if he were about to be crushed by the weight of his black robe. Only Liu Yue served them.

The imperial guards stood at attention along the way, and countless people knelt and watched. Some of the bolder ones secretly raised their eyes, but could only see the golden mask worn by the princess behind the carriage curtain.

At first, they weren't used to seeing the mask either. But whenever Her Highness the Princess stood side by side with His Majesty, His Majesty's face was too thin and pale, making Her Highness the Princess's mask seem much more imposing.

Inside the jade carriage, Wuma Yi frowned and tapped his knee lightly with his fingers.

Why is she so... flustered?

Since replacing Wei Yunmo and taking the high position of Princess of Lai for more than twenty years, she has never had such a strong feeling, as if something has been beyond her control.

But where does Bian Yi have any trump cards left to fight against her? She almost tore her heart apart to forcefully break free from the control of the Mother Worm. Even if she could survive by using the Spring Breeze and Rain, she would never be able to recover her former strength as a half-immortal in just two months.

And she… Wuma Yi slowly clenched her fist, then suddenly released it. The next moment, screams erupted from the crowd, a commotion broke out, people shouted that the exterior walls of the houses along the street had cracked and collapsed, and that the ground had also cracked, wondering if ghosts or gods had come.

"Yes," Wuma Yi narrowed his eyes and suddenly chuckled.

Regardless, she is a true demigod. Bian Yi, on the other hand, is merely a man with a broken sword and a crippled body; what is there to fear? He is no longer the number one in the world he once was.

Even if she wanted to fight to the death and disrupt the Spring Festival ceremony today, it would only become a stepping stone for her to establish her authority, and a dead soul on her path to becoming the ruler of the world.

If today were the perfect day, and if she dared to come, she could display her majestic presence to the world. Wuma Yi's gaze slowly turned cold, and the inexplicable unease in his heart vanished without a trace.

Soon, the convoy had exited from the south gate of Linsu City. Wuma Yi didn't need to ask or peek into the distance; she could sense the location of the Spring Altar simply by spreading her inner strength. She then rested her forehead on her knuckles, closed her eyes slightly, and breathed evenly, as if taking a short rest.

As the jade carriage stopped, Wuma Yi stood up, brushing aside the servants' hands that tried to support him. His back was straight, his eyes fixed straight ahead on the circular, three-tiered open-air stone altar before him.

Surrounded by low walls on all four sides, each with a white marble gate, and a "Heavenly Heart Stone" standing in the center, the whole structure is simple and solemn.

Those who ascend to the top seem to have the sky as their ceiling and can directly communicate with the heavens.

Wuma Yi's expression immediately relaxed. She stepped forward with her hands behind her back, actually half a step ahead of Wei Yun'e. But none of the officials and commoners seemed to dare to say anything wrong. They only dared to bow their heads respectfully and wait for the appointed time.

When Wuma Yi arrived at the altar, the musicians played spring-welcoming music and lit the piled-up firewood. The smoke rose and reached the heavens, inviting the gods to descend to earth.

The people knelt and prayed, some praying for good weather and abundant harvests, others for freedom from illness and disaster...

But whether it was a deity descending from heaven or a prince in golden robes amidst the smoke, it seemed there was little difference.

Immortals are hard to find, and so is Your Highness. Immortals are hard to come by, and so is Your Highness.

Wuma Yi's peripheral vision swept past the masses, like crawling weeds; the faces of the old and the young could hardly leave any mark on her heart. But she loved these sacrificial rites the most, when she felt so close to the gods.

The Spring Festival is a grand ceremony, and strictly adhering to the Three Offerings ritual is the most important part of this grand spring welcoming ceremony.

With everyone looking up, Wuma Yi naturally picked up the wine cup, but just as he was about to tilt it, he heard a "crack" sound.

Cracks appeared on the wine vessel, just like a wall that had suddenly split open.

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

In an instant, a murmur arose from the crowd below the stage, their expressions filled with panic. The whispers spread rapidly, but no one dared to cause any trouble.

But then, someone shouted something.

"A bad omen, a bad omen... This is a bad omen! An ominous sign!"

These words were like a spark falling into a haystack, instantly igniting a dam. The previously contained outcry burst forth, and the people were thrown into chaos, their faces ashen. Some kowtowed in prayer, while others tried to sneak away, as if the spring altar had become an ominous place.

"This thief is not Her Highness the Princess!"

Another voice rang out, this time as loud as a thunderclap, its immense internal force resounding throughout a radius of ten miles, and everyone could hear it clearly.

A woman in white swept past the crowd and stood directly on the altar. She drew a sheathless sword from her waist, the sword seemingly forged from black iron. However, there were red patterns on the blade, like blazing flames.

It seems as if it intends to extinguish this entire world in one fell swoop.

"The evil man presumptuously invoked the immortals, thus offending the wrath of Heaven, causing the universe to tremble and bringing calamity upon the human world!"

Then someone shouted again from below the stage, their voice steady.

"There's an assassin!"

The people who were stunned on the spot seemed to understand something and cried out in anguish.

"Run!"

"Run! Run!"

Some servants were concerned for their masters, some mothers were protecting their daughters, and so on... Everyone was like headless flies, running in all directions, not knowing whose elbow struck whose face, whose foot stepped on whose back. Even those who wanted to watch the excitement were terrified by the words "Assassin!" and desperately got up from under the crowd's feet and continued running.

"Mom...what happened?"

On the way, they encountered a merchant's daughter who was terrified and being dragged away by her own mother.

"Hey, that person...the one we asked for directions! Why isn't she moving?"

"Miss, Miss, there's an assassin!" The old woman was sweating profusely, not understanding why she had stopped.

Closest to the altar stood a figure, unmoved. Dressed in black, she stood at the very front, occasionally reaching out to support people who were about to fall, her expression solemn.

When the woman in black turned around, she seemed to see her and waved to her, as if to tell her to leave.

The girl from the shop wanted to say something, but she was swept away by the crowd and moved further and further away from the man until all she could see were terrified faces.

Why doesn't that person leave?

...

"It really was you..."

Wuma Yi turned around, the veins on the back of her hand bulging, and crushed the wine cup in one clenched fist, letting the spring breeze carry away the fragments. She looked at Bian Yi with a sorrowful gaze, as if she were looking at a dead man.

"Why bother, junior sister? It really is..."

She sighed, shook her head, and then sneered.

"I won't shed a tear until I see the coffin!"

Author's note: I'm off work now... There should be another chapter later, if not, I'll update twice tomorrow since it's my day off... Anyway, it'll be finished tomorrow!