Chapter 41

As if startled awake by the words, Yunwu abruptly wiped away the tears blurring her vision. She frantically rummaged through her bundle, her fingers trembling but unusually swift as she pulled out a bundle of thick rope. She stumbled to the shore and, with all her might, threw one end of the rope into the breeze.

The speed at which Qingfeng sank increased dramatically due to the weight of the two of them. The mud had already reached his chest, and the immense pressure made it difficult for him to breathe, as if his internal organs were being squeezed and displaced. Yet, he still held Xi Yu tightly with one arm, lifting her as high as possible, just to make it easier for the clouds to pull him along.

The rope landed precisely in his hand, and with astonishing perseverance, Qingfeng quickly wrapped and knotted it under Xi Yu's armpit, while shouting to the clouds, "Pull!"

Yunwu dared not delay for a moment and immediately gritted her teeth and pulled hard on the rope. Xi Yu's body was slowly dragged out of the mud and moved towards the shore.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Xi Yu was quickly dragged ashore, and the arrow wound in his chest bled even more from the dragging.

However, the moment Xi Yu stepped ashore, due to the pulling force of the clouds, Qingfeng's sinking speed suddenly increased, and the mud instantly submerged his shoulders, reaching right up to his chin.

He struggled to lift his head, looking at his sister frantically untying the rope on the shore. His vision was already blurring, and a strong feeling of suffocation washed over him. With his last ounce of strength, he moved his lips very slightly, uttering a barely audible murmur: "Sister..."

When Yunwu finally untied the rope from Xiyu and frantically turned her gaze back to the swamp, all that remained was a patch of gently rippling mud with a few lonely bubbles rising to the surface. Soon, even the bubbles disappeared.

A deathly silence.

Yunwu looked around blankly. The empty swamp swallowed up all traces. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed heavily onto the cold, muddy bank. Looking at the place where her beloved brother had died, she felt as if her soul had been ripped away, and she could no longer stand up.

Just as she was heartbroken, a pair of horribly mangled hands suddenly emerged from the abyss at the edge of the swamp not far from her, clinging tightly to the hard soil on the bank that had not yet collapsed.

Those arms trembled violently, showing that their owner was enduring unimaginable pain. His hands were covered in thick mud, and with a fierce, brute force, he dragged his incredibly heavy body out of the swamp little by little.

His face was also covered with a thick layer of mud, making it impossible to see his original appearance. Only his eyes burned with extreme resentment and ferocity.

He withdrew his gaze without the slightest hesitation or lingering affection, not even sparing a glance at the dejected mist beside him. He straightened his frail body and walked out of the swamp without looking back.

*

"Boom—!"

A deep, deafening roar suddenly erupted from the depths of the earth, as if a colossal beast were violently slamming against the base of the mountain. The entire Qilin Mountain shook violently, rocks tumbled down, and the people standing on the summit staggered, nearly losing their footing.

Wu Huan's expression changed slightly. He subconsciously looked down at his feet. The ground, which had just been dry and cracked, suddenly widened to about an inch wide with a "crack" sound. From the depths of the dark crack, it seemed as if a cold wind was blowing out.

Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he was about to speak when Wei Xiao beside him slowly took a puff of his pipe, then casually waved his hand. The flickering light from his pipe reflected on his calm, round face, and his tone carried a hint of elder-like teasing and indifference: "Master Wu, calm down. This mountain is located at the intersection of several geological faults, so occasional tremors are normal. There's no need to panic."

Not long after he finished speaking, the terrifying tremor gradually subsided, and the mountain returned to its deathly silence, as if the earth-shattering sound and the jagged cracks beneath their feet were merely a collective illusion. The tense atmosphere around them eased slightly.

However, this brief calm did not last even a moment.

"It's terrible! Your Majesty! It's terrible!"

A piercing, distorted scream suddenly erupted from behind the bushes in the direction of the swamp! A soldier dressed in a tattered Defender's uniform, his face covered in mud, tumbled out. His helmet was missing, his hair was disheveled, and his eyes were wide open, almost popping out of their sockets, as if he had just escaped from a living hell.

He staggered to Wei Xiao's side, gasping for breath, his outstretched finger trembling uncontrollably as it pointed straight into the depths of the swamp of death. His voice was shrill and piercing: "Your Majesty! Inside... inside... the general risked his life to get me out... to give the order... to order Your Majesty to run... run! Run..."

Before he could finish speaking, as if all his strength had been drained, or as if he could not bear the terrifying scene in his mind, a mouthful of blood suddenly surged up in his throat, and he fell straight backward.

Wei Xiao's kind smile vanished instantly, replaced by an almost ferocious urgency. He abruptly crouched down, grabbed the unconscious soldier's collar tightly, and shouted sharply and urgently, "Where's the Ice Jade Powder?! Where is the Ice Jade Powder?!"

The soldier half-opened his eyes, his breath even weaker than before, and repeated the devastating news intermittently: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... the general... the general is gone..."

"I'm asking about the Ice Jade Powder!!" Wei Xiao interrupted him rudely, his face showing only anger and greed at his failed attempt, without a trace of sorrow for Wei Zhibai's demise.

Just then, with a soft "thud," an intact plant slipped out of the soldier's loosened collar and fell onto the muddy ground.

Wei Xiao's gaze was instantly drawn to it. He abruptly released the soldier, scooped up the Ice Jade Powder, and carefully cradled it in his palm. The short, stout body trembled slightly with excitement, and a triumphant smile spread across his face, as if he had already grasped the key to immortality.

He abruptly stood up, carefully placed this sole "trophy" into a jade box that had been prepared beforehand, closed the lid, and then mounted his horse. His tone instantly turned icy as he waved to his trusted guard beside him: "Clean it up."

Wu Huan, standing to the side, narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze lingering on the soldier whose face was covered in mud for a long time. It wasn't until Wei Xiao's confidant received the order and approached the soldier with his hand on the hilt of his sword that Wu Huan spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of feigned pity: "Your Majesty, why go to such lengths? This soldier risked his life to bring out the Ice Jade Powder. Even if he didn't achieve anything, he still deserves credit for his hard work."

Wei Xiao sat high on his horse, snorted coldly, and said in a chilling tone: "Hiding a priceless treasure is a crime deserving of death. His entire clan should be exterminated!" He was clearly determined to leave and gave his confidant another order: "You stay here to clean up the mess. Once this is over, search for the remaining Ice Jade Powder and return to the palace to report back immediately." With that, he pulled on the reins, intending to leave this dangerous place first.

Wu Huan remained silent as he watched Wei Xiao's retreating figure. His gaze slowly shifted to the "soldier" on the ground, and his tone was light and casual, as if both a reminder and a mockery: "What a pity... even a general like him perished here."

The only response he received was the impatient snort of Wei Xiao's mount and a cold, final command: "...Get rid of it."

However, before he could finish speaking...

"laugh--!"

A muffled thud, extremely faint yet incredibly clear, as a sharp blade precisely pierced flesh, abruptly tore through the air.

Immediately afterward, to everyone's disbelief, Wei Xiao, who was sitting upright on his horse, suddenly stiffened. His eyes widened in disbelief, his eyeballs almost bulging out of their sockets, and his mouth opened and closed in vain, but he could not make a sound.

Immediately, his short, stout body slid slowly off the saddle like a puppet with its strings cut, crashing onto the cold ground with a "thud," kicking up a cloud of dust.

In an instant, all was silent. All the attendants were frozen in place, staring in shock at this sudden and horrifying scene, so stunned that they forgot to breathe.

In the deathly silence, the "soldier" who had been lying on the ground slowly stood up. He raised his hand and forcefully wiped the thick mud off his face, revealing a young face filled with madness and despair—it was none other than Wei Zhibai.

His voice was as soft as a dream, yet as cold as the wind on an icy plain, “Father… when I fell into that swampy hell and was about to suffocate, the spy you planted by my side, the one you used to save him… before he died, he told me that it was you… it was you who plotted to kill my father… and that you brought me here only to use me to obtain the Ice Jade Powder, and then… you would make me die an ‘accident’…”

He continued talking to himself, as if he were not making an accusation, but simply stating a fact that he himself could not believe, completely unaware that Wei Xiao had already died.

The servants and attendants around him finally reacted, bursting into terrified cries and screams that drowned out his cold voice.

"Why?" His eyes were bloodshot and he stared intently at the lifeless corpse on the ground, as if trying to find the answer.

"Sizzle! Sizzle!"

Several more muffled thuds of sharp blades piercing flesh were heard. The trusted guard whom Wei Xiao had entrusted to him on his deathbed was incredibly loyal and brave. Seeing his master being killed, his eyes turned bloodshot, and he drew his short sword and pounced on Wei Zhibai madly, the blade plunging into his body.

Wei Zhibai shuddered violently, large patches of dark red blood quickly seeping into his muddy military uniform. Yet, he seemed oblivious to the pain, staring blankly at Wei Xiao's corpse, neither flinching nor flinching, enduring several more stabs. Finally, he could no longer hold on, slowly collapsing backward, the last light in his eyes extinguished, and he slowly closed his eyes.

Wu Huan stared intently at the earth-shattering events that unfolded in the blink of an eye, unable to look away for a long time. The princes of Wu behind him were also stunned by this patricide and revenge drama.

After everything settled down and the initial shock subsided, the princes exchanged glances, their lips curving upwards in uncontrollable smiles. The mighty ruler of Wei and his sharpest henchmen had perished together in this way. Wei... was utterly finished!

However, the smiles lasted only a moment before vanishing, and everyone's eyes immediately became unfathomable as they began to make new calculations.