To the best of one's ability, Part 5
The desert is like a piece of golden silk that has been carefully kneaded, leaving many wrinkles. At first glance, it is undulating and gives the illusion that it can be smoothed out at any time.
The man ahead maintained a distance from Lee Na-kyung and the others. The three quickened their pace to follow the trail, but still lost sight of the man as noon approached. It seemed that, just as Lee Na-kyung had feared, the man was merely a phantom in the desert.
Even if it was just an illusion, it gave Lee Na-kyung tremendous encouragement. At least it showed that there was indeed hope in this desolate desert. Moreover, they were not without any gains; not far ahead, a special caravan came into their view.
The heat distorted the figures of the caravan members and camels, making them appear ethereal and unreal. However, it was certain that this was not a mirage; Lee Na-kyung could clearly hear the shouts of the caravan members. The lead camel of the caravan had the Blood Palace flag neatly planted on its saddle.
The leader was at the very front, with two sword-wielding guards in the middle of the procession, and several women and elderly people following at the rear.
Robbing the entire caravan was much easier than Lee Na-kyung had imagined; the guards accompanying the caravan were defeated in just a few moves. For guards, they were even somewhat too weak.
"Speak quickly," He Zi'an grabbed the leader by the collar and demanded, "What are you carrying, and where are you going?"
Li Letian and Li Najiong were in the middle of the group, each holding one of the guards hostage. The leader didn't answer immediately, but turned around and glanced in the direction where Li Letian and Li Najiong were.
He Zi'an shoved the leader down onto the sand dune beside him. "Don't try anything funny."
"Great hero, spare our lives! We," the leader stammered, "we need to return to the Blood Palace."
Just as the trio had predicted, this was indeed a group heading to the Blood Palace. Next, they could simply infiltrate the group as members and search for Xin Rui'en's whereabouts.
"The Palace Master's wedding is imminent." The leader stood with his legs crossed and twisted, not daring to move. He continued, "We were ordered to purchase some items from Lubo Town."
"A grand wedding? I heard the Blood Palace Master is nearing sixty, and you're telling me he's getting married?" He Zi'an coldly stared at the leader before him, increasing the pressure on his hand, causing the man to sink even deeper into the sand dune. "Was I being too polite to you?"
"I wouldn't dare!" the leader hurriedly said, but the more flustered he became, the more he stammered and emphasized his words. His words, though clearly an explanation, only added to the irritation of the listeners. "Everything I said is true, absolutely true. You're referring to the previous Lord Nangong, sir. He was indeed the Palace Master, but the one being married wasn't him!"
"You just said that it was your palace master who was getting married."
"Yes, it is the palace master who is getting married." The leader said earnestly, "He is the palace master. But the one getting married is not him, but another palace master."
"Another palace master?"
"It is Lord Nangong," the leader said. "Lord Nangong is now the Palace Master."
He Zi'an frowned and said in a deep voice, "Don't try to stall for time with all that nonsense. I'm not interested in your Blood Palace's 'East, West, South, North' stuff. Just tell me the name."
"Yes." The leader swallowed hard. "It's Lord Ling Guang. No," he observed He Zi'an's expression and immediately corrected himself, "No, it's Ling Guang. Ling Guang is going to marry a girl from the Central Plains."
All three felt a chill run down their spines; they had already secretly guessed who the girl the man was referring to was.
"What is the name of the girl you mentioned?" He Zian asked again.
"I don't know the girl's exact name," the leader replied. "I only know that her surname is Xin. Because I rarely encounter such a surname, I remember it quite clearly."
“Brother He, there’s no mistake.” Li Letian, who had been keeping a close eye on the situation ahead, said, “In any case, Miss Xin is at least safe.”
"Yes, yes." The man, unable to move from the quicksand, hurriedly replied, "Lord Lingguang, Lingguang, has arranged a personal maid for the young lady and instructed the servants to serve her well with good food and drink. There's nothing wrong, she's safe and comfortable."
When is the wedding date?
"There's still some time. The wedding day is in seven days," the leader replied. "The important things have been prepared long ago, but some small items are missing. That's why we've been sent out to collect them."
He Zi'an gestured with his chin toward the back of the line and asked, "Why are you bringing women and elderly people?"
"They are all craftsmen from Lubo Town, including cooks, paper cutters, and decorators. Lingguang is now the head of the palace, so his marriage will naturally be a grand affair," the leader said obsequiously, his eyes gleaming.
"Not only in Lubo Town, but also in other places, we have arranged for people to pick up the craftsmen. But don't worry, hero, we will not harm them. After the wedding, they will not only be able to return home safely, but also receive the reward money distributed by the Palace Master... Ling Guang."
How many days will it take to reach the Blood Palace?
"If we don't encounter a dust storm, one day is enough." The leader hesitated for a while before stammering, "Great heroes, are you also going to the Blood Palace?"
He Zian looked at him but did not answer.
"Are all three of you going?" the leader asked again to confirm. Upon hearing this, the two guards behind him also became restless.
Li Letian and Li Najiong simultaneously increased the pressure on their hands, scolding, "Behave yourself."
Hearing the commotion in the middle of the group, the leader turned his head to look. But soon, his gaze returned to He Zi'an.
"If you're all going, then kill them both," the leader said mercilessly. "You can impersonate them, girls can go with women. I also hold a minor official position in the Blood Palace, and if I disappear, the people in the palace will definitely become suspicious. Besides, I can guide you and guarantee you'll enter the palace smoothly. They're just hired swordsmen; no one will care."
The two guards struggled to their feet. One of them cursed, "Bastard, I should have killed you with one sword long ago!"
The leader suddenly started yelling and cursing.
"Behave yourself!" He Zian ordered.
The man who had been so meek just moments before now completely ignored his warnings, bursting out in an exaggeratedly high-pitched voice. The guards, too, began to twist and turn recklessly, as if to charge at their leader. The guards displayed a sudden burst of strength, and Lee Na-kyung almost managed to break free.
Lee Na-kyung shoved the man into the sand, kneeling with one foot to pin his knees down and using the other hand to restrain his elbows. She increased the pressure until the man gave up struggling. Under the blazing sun, her clothes were soaked with sweat after the ordeal. The sweat beads deepened the color of the yellow sand as they fell, before quickly returning it to its original golden hue.
Water cannot exist on this land. At this moment, the sun is moving towards the center of the sky.
"careful!"
Lee Na-kyung turned around at the sound. The next moment, a powerful impact forced her to end her control over the man. The scenery before her changed, from scorching yellow sand to a blinding sun. The round, dazzling sun remained motionless, and she felt as if she herself hadn't moved an inch.
In the distance, He Zi'an's eyes widened. He abandoned his restraint of the leader, picked up the fallen longsword, and clashed it with the longsword in his hand, shattering it into countless sharp blades.
His two companions flew off in completely different directions. Beside the guard stood the old man who had been sitting silently at the back of the line.
The old man, with one hand supporting his round belly and the other holding a sword, stood calmly in the sunlight.
*
Crimson flowers bloomed in the air. For a moment, He Zi'an couldn't tell if they came from Li Letian, or Li Najiong? Or perhaps both.
"I'm fine!" Lee Na-kyung fell to the ground, sliding quite a distance. Dust swirled, obscuring her figure, but her voice could be heard. She said, "Protect Lee Letian!"
Silver specks of light flew swiftly across the desert. At first glance, they resembled raindrops traversing the boundless yellow sand. These specks of light gathered in front of Li Letian, piecing together a solemn beast face.
The old man's sword intent arrived suddenly.
The first layer, the ferocious beast Taotie, shattered; the second layer, the fish-dragon Chiwen, shattered. He Zian caught Li Letian at that moment. Blood quickly soaked Li Letian's clothes; he had already fainted and lost consciousness. With another crisp sound, the third layer, the Angry Lion Beast Mask, shattered.
He Zian coughed up blood, staring intently at the final layer of the beast mask before him. Cracks appeared in the beast mask, and every shard of blade trembled and collided.
The shattered blades, knocked away by the sword intent, couldn't reassemble in time. He Zi'an placed his hand on the back of the last Jiao Tu beast mask, making a final attempt.
After a chilling tinkling sound, Jiao Tu finally managed to maintain her form.
"Not bad," the old man said calmly. "It has made great progress compared to Black Mountain."
In the distance, Lee Na-kyung also stood up. She also had a sword wound on her waist. That sword was meant to kill her; if Li Letian hadn't risked his life to save her, she would already be dead.
"Who are you?" All the shattered blades hovered behind He Zi'an, emitting a slight hum, ready to strike.
"Who am I?" The old man laughed loudly, saying shamelessly, "If we're really talking about it, I'm your grandmaster. The reason you use swords today is all because of me. All swordsmen in the world should call me their patriarch."
"Nonsense." He Zian sneered, "You call yourself a grandmaster, yet you resort to such despicable acts as a sneak attack."
"So you're all still too young," the old man said dismissively. "In this world, winning and losing are the most important things. After I kill you, I can simply say you ambushed me. Who would know?"
"It's no wonder that someone who can say such things is associated with the Blood Palace," He Zian sneered.
“You seem to have misunderstood.” The old man shook his head and said with a smile, “I came here just like you, following the Blood Palace brat.”
“Senior,” Lee Na-kyung forced a smile and said, “Is there some misunderstanding? We came to rescue the girl who was kidnapped by the Blood Palace. Since we are all here for the Blood Palace, we can put away our swords and talk things over. There’s no need to draw our blades.”
“This young lady is much more composed than you,” the old man chuckled. He turned his gaze to Li Najing, looked her up and down, and said, “Interesting, you do have the air of an old friend about you.”
“My daughter is the daughter of Li Zizhan, the ‘Sword Immortal’ of Canghai Sword Manor,” Lee Na-kyung replied.
"Oh, so it's Zizhan's child. That's not surprising." The old man stroked his beard and said, "In that case, it wouldn't be right for me to push you too hard. I'll give you two choices."
"Please speak, senior."
“This lad has nothing to do with me, except for some grudges with my third brother. If I had known he was here, I would have sent my brother here on his own.” The old man said, “Kill him, and I will let you leave.”
“I can’t do that,” Lee Na-kyung replied directly. “Young Master Lee was injured because of me.”
"It's alright if you can't bring yourself to do it. There's another option." The old man smiled kindly, looking nothing like the man who had just drawn his sword to kill them. "You stay, and I can let the He family boy take the Li boy away. As for my third brother's own affairs, let him handle them himself in the future."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
