Chapter 92 The Enemy is at the Gates (Part 1)
Qingyao City never received any reinforcements.
No one slept well on the night the appointed day arrived. Just as dawn was breaking, Lin Mumu went out and looked up to see a person sitting on the roof.
"What are you doing here instead of sleeping?" Lin Mumu shouted up.
"Let's drink!" Ji Shi called back, asking her, "Want to join?"
Lin Mumu built a ladder and climbed up, not forgetting to tease him halfway up: "You seem to have a knack for climbing my roof."
Ji Shi smiled and said, "Other people's roofs may not be suitable, but this one is definitely convenient."
Lin Mumu walked over to him and finally saw what kind of wine he was drinking. She was immediately furious and kicked him, saying, "You! You've dug up all my treasured wines!"
Ji Shi hissed and pulled his foot back in pain. "You're so boring. You might not even get to drink it again in the future. You might as well drink it now."
Lin Mumu sat down next to him: "What, weren't we going to make a bet? You're giving up so quickly?"
"I won't admit defeat, but life is unpredictable, so it's always good to be prepared."
Ji Shi leaned back, supporting himself with his hands, and looked at the sparse stars in the sky. He asked her, "Why does time pass so quickly?"
Lin Mumu answered truthfully, "I can't answer this question. Please choose another one."
Ji Shi pouted, "Then let's change it. What should we change it to..."
He remained silent for a moment, as if considering whether he should speak: "Back then... why were you unwilling to save my master's wife?"
Lin Mumu froze for a moment before tentatively asking, "Are you blaming me?"
Ji Shi shook his head: "No, I know you're telling the truth, but what makes you so sure you can't save her? I want to hear the reason."
He leaned forward, getting even closer to Lin Mumu, his emotions obscured in the darkness.
Lin Mumu looked at him, seemingly hesitant. But as the evening breeze dispelled the smell of alcohol, she suddenly lowered her eyes and smiled gently, as if relieved.
"When I was little, I accidentally discovered my ability and thought I could save everyone from then on."
She was silent for a moment, then continued, "When I was sixteen, my whole family was murdered. My father died, and my mother was stabbed in the heart while protecting me. I dragged her along, hiding all the way, desperately using all my spiritual power to save her, but she told me to give up, saying it was useless."
I didn't believe it. I used almost all my spiritual power to keep her alive, but after three days, she finally died in my arms. It was then that I suddenly realized my spiritual power had only prolonged her suffering for three more days; it had been utterly useless.
“Ji Shi,” she turned to look at the person next to her, “sometimes when people are too stubborn, they will only hurt others.”
Ji Shi was somewhat surprised: "You've never told me these things before."
Lin Mumu laughed and said, "These are all old stories, they only add to our troubles. People should always look forward, shouldn't they?"
"Yes, we should look forward." Ji Shi looked up and took a big gulp of wine, coughing repeatedly from the spiciness.
"Do you have any questions you want to ask? I promise I'll answer them to the best of my ability," Ji Shi asked again.
"have."
"What?"
"do you like me?"
With a "pfft," the wine that hadn't even gone down his throat was all sprayed out.
Ji Shi stared at Lin Mumu in shock, asking again in disbelief, "You... what did you say?"
Lin Mumu remained calm, supporting herself with her hands as she slowly approached him, saying each word clearly, "I said, I like you."
"You...you you you," Ji Shi stammered, clearly somewhat incoherent, "This kind of joke isn't funny."
Lin Mumu raised an eyebrow: "Who said I was joking? Didn't you say that we might not be able to wait until tomorrow? I insisted on saying it tonight."
She recalled, "When I first met you, I felt that you were an extraordinary person. Your heart was so pure that it was almost pitiful, and I couldn't help but want to tease you. Later, when I saw what you went through, I couldn't help but feel sorry for you. That's when I realized that my heart had already been taken by you. Ji Shi, don't you really like me at all?"
Lin Mumu looked at him, her eyes clear and bright even in the darkness, as if she could see into people's hearts.
Ji Shi swallowed hard, then lowered her eyes guiltily and said, "You're a young lady."
"What's wrong with being a young lady?" Lin Mumu interrupted, "Don't tell me young ladies should be reserved. That's not a concept for me. If I like you, I'll say it! I like you! I like you—!"
"Okay, okay! Okay!" Ji Shi quickly went over and covered her mouth, looking down helplessly: "I... I know."
Lin Mumu made two muffled sounds, her words somewhat indistinct, but it was probably something like, "So you just know?"
The words made Ji Shi's palms go numb. He slowly released his grip and said to her earnestly, "...Once all of this is over, I will tell you my feelings."
Lin Mumu smiled and said, "Okay, it's settled then."
Ji Shi laughed along with him, and looked up to see the first rays of dawn.
...
The enemy was punctual; almost at dawn, the drums on the city wall began to beat, their resounding beat sending shivers down one's spine.
Ji Shi took Lin Mumu up to the city wall, but the fog was too thick, and they couldn't see the people in the distance.
Ji Shi said, "Give the order to prepare bows and arrows, boulders, and boiling water. If the enemy launches a strong attack, do not hold back."
Lin Mumu hesitated for a moment and asked him, "These are all old methods. They might work on ordinary people, but they are all cultivators, so they might not be feasible."
Ji Shi smiled and looked at her: "After following Senior Brother Bai for so long, I should have learned something by now."
Lin Mumu: "What do you mean?"
Ji Shi said directly, "The enemy outnumbers us, so a direct attack is definitely not an option. I have already set up an array outside the city. However, once the array is activated, the cultivation of both sides will be temporarily sealed. These old methods are actually more useful."
Lin Mumu understood. These cultivators all possessed spiritual power, making flying on swords a piece of cake. If they were to launch a direct attack, even the highest city walls would be useless. Only by suppressing their cultivation levels could the city walls stop them, and the gap between the two sides could be minimized as much as possible.
She looked back and saw many people from the city running out to help set up pots to boil water and move stones. Most of them had lost loved ones and now only wanted revenge; they were unwilling to sit idly by and wait to die.
Suddenly, a sharp sound rang out, and an arrow flew towards them. Ji Shi caught it with his bare hands and threw it back. Without a doubt, at this distance, the enemy was already at the city wall.
The leader below began to shout, "Who's standing on the city wall! Why don't you come down and let me have a good look?"
Ji Shi frowned deeply: "That voice?"
A bad feeling crept into his mind, and he immediately turned around and went down the city wall.
"Hey?" Lin Mumu hurried after him, "Ji Shihui, wait for me!"
The city gate opened and closed again. Ji Shi and his entourage stood in front of the city gate, and only then could they see the people in front of them clearly.
The man was riding on horseback, but his posture was sluggish and unsteady.
“Mei Haoshi?” Ji Shi read out his name, feeling utterly incredulous.
"When...did you become complicit with the corrupt Linyi Sect?"
Mei Haoshi scoffed, "Colluding with the enemy? Just because you're on different sides doesn't mean you're colluding with the enemy. What kind of righteous sect are you then?"
Ji Shiyan looked at him with a stern expression and said, "It was one thing for you to act arrogantly and domineeringly in Changjin Mountain before, and I won't hold it against you now that you've joined Linyi Sect, but why are you making things difficult for these people!"
Mei Haoshi swept his cold gaze over the people behind him, his nonchalant expression as if he were looking at a group of ants.
"These people's lives aren't worth much, they're killed and that's it, why are you getting so worked up?"
"You!" Ji Shi almost rushed forward with his sword, but was pulled back in time by Lin Mumu beside him.
Lin Mumu sensed something was wrong. She had met Mei Haoshi before. Although he was indeed a scoundrel, the massacre of a city was not something he could have come up with on his own. There must be someone behind him directing him.
This person had previously been following Jiang Yan.
"Stop wasting your breath on me," Mei Haoshi shouted at him again. "I don't want to hear your lectures. I'll give you two choices! Either abandon the city and flee, and I'll spare your life for the sake of our former comrades; or die with these people!"
Seeing that Ji Shi remained unmoved, Mei Haoshi became even more smug, smiling as he leaned forward and asked, "So, Senior Brother Ji, which one do you choose?"
"I choose to die!" Ji Shi suddenly rushed forward.
Mei Haoshi raised his hand to signal the people behind him not to move; he wanted to have a fair and square competition with Ji Shi.
The horse's hooves kicked up clouds of dust, and amidst the swirling dust, Ji Shi suddenly appeared before Mei Haoshi.
He didn't confront him head-on, but instead braced himself with one hand on the ground, circled around, and used the momentum to stab the nameless sword into the horse's leg.
The black horse neighed and collapsed instantly.
Mei Haoshi landed, rolled twice, and quickly picked up his sword, running towards Ji Shi. Ji Shi drew his sword and parried his first attack.
The two men pressed their swords together, their eyes locked, silently vying for supremacy.
Mei Haoshi curled his lips and said, "You, Ji Shi, dare to kill even the thousand-mile horse that Master bestowed upon me? Aren't you afraid I'll really kill you!"
Ji Shi countered, "Does Master know about what you've done?"
Mei Haoshi: "So what if you know or don't? It's none of your business! Do you really think he cares about you? He's never taken you seriously!"
Mei Haoshi raised his sword, sending Ji Shi flying. Ji Shi used his sword to steady himself and caught the vicious attack.
It must be said that although Mei Haoshi may seem unscrupulous, his cultivation has never faltered. Ji Shi cannot completely suppress him and can only proceed slowly.
The two exchanged blows for a while, when Mei Haoshi seemed to realize something and suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking at Ji Shi.
"Fine, I've been tricked by you," Mei Haoshi slowly backed away, "Trying to buy time, huh? I won't let you have your way!"
Seeing that this move was ineffective, Ji Shi didn't hold back and ran up to block his path.
"What are you doing!" Mei Haoshi shouted.
Ji Shi grabbed his right hand, pulled him back with a sudden force, and threw him to the ground.
Before Mei Haoshi could even get up, he saw the cold glint of the sword already before him. He rolled away, dodging the fatal blow, and then, without a second thought, scrambled back to his own group.
"You're insane!" Mei Haoshi shouted, "Kill! Kill them all! Leave no one alive!"
This group of people accepted their orders and left. Ji Shiweiran stood opposite them, appearing incredibly small compared to the vast and imposing group.
"Mumu, catch!" He suddenly threw the nameless sword to the person behind him.
Lin Mumu immediately understood. Before the enemy troops could fly over the city wall, he inserted his sword into the center of the formation and activated the formation with his hands forming a hand seal.
A sharp sound rang out, accompanied by a howling wind, and countless cultivators flying on swords fell like raindrops, crashing down in front of the city gate.
The guards of Qingyao City seized the opportunity to advance. With neither side possessing any spiritual power, they could only engage in close combat, with the sounds of swords clashing constantly filling the air.
"You...!" Mei Haoshi's eyes widened: "What kind of sorcery is this?!"
Ji Shi casually picked up a sword from the ground and stared intently at Mei Haoshi in the crowd; he wanted to kill this man.
"Someone...someone!" Mei Haoshi was so frightened that his legs went weak and he sat down on the ground. He grabbed the people on either side of him and shouted, "Stop him!"
Using his agility, Ji Shi overcame numerous obstacles and arrived in front of Mei Haoshi, forcefully thrusting his sword at him.
A resistance came from the hilt of the sword, mixed with the smell of blood; the sword had indeed pierced through a person's body.
But when he opened his eyes, he saw Mei Haoshi completely unharmed, and a cultivator he had grabbed to shield him from a sword.
Ji Shi drew his sword, intending to stab again, but then heard a soft voice in his ear: "Senior Brother."
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