Chapter 358 I Will Die with My Master
A-Quan didn't expect this guy to be so fast. He had barely stepped into the gates of Taiyi Academy when he couldn't wait to kill someone.
But he had no choice but to call on his other brothers to follow and help cover him, forming a formation when Gongsun Qi made his move to prevent Taiyi's people from discovering them.
The patriarch had instructed that Gongsun Qi's safety was the top priority, and nothing else should be considered.
Ah Quan caught up with Gongsun Qi and cautiously asked, "Brother, can you tell us in advance what level of strength you'll be using?"
Gongsun Qi said, "Ten realms."
“Okay,” A-Quan said to his brothers behind him, “The blast barrier will be set up according to the Thirteen Realms.”
The mechanical sorcerers of the Murong family nodded confidently.
Yan Xiaochuan went to see his master, Mu Yong'an, with a grin on his face. As soon as he entered the building, he heard the man's cough, which he couldn't hide. He suppressed his smile and quickened his pace to go upstairs.
"Master!"
Yan Xiaochuan pushed open the door and quickly opened the various medicine bottles on the table, taking out the medicine and feeding it to the weak Mu Yong'an.
"Why didn't you call me back sooner? If you had told me you weren't feeling well, why would I have gone to the Taoist temple to join in the fun?" Yan Xiaochuan said this, but his eyes were full of self-reproach.
Mu Yong'an coughed up blood and couldn't speak. Yan Xiaochuan touched his wrist, which was cold and stiff, like a corpse.
Yan Xiaochuan dispelled the bad thoughts in his mind and said while feeding the medicine, "Master, I'm withdrawing from the Night Walk Trial. You don't need to worry about the Night Walk anymore. Let other instructors take over the duties. Your health isn't good to begin with. If it really doesn't work, I'll ask Dean Wu for help."
The disciple, who was usually childlike, showed an unusual maturity at this moment, speaking softly but with an unyielding tone.
Yan Xiaochuan grabbed Mu Yong'an's wrist and helped him up from the ground. Just as he helped his master sit down in a chair, he sensed someone downstairs.
He frowned and looked outside: "Master, did you invite anyone else?"
Mu Yong'an coughed, his face pale. Hearing this, he turned his head to look outside, but sensed the Five Elements Qi that the other party was deliberately releasing, and his pupils trembled.
"How could he be here..." Mu Yong'an couldn't believe it.
Yan Xiaochuan asked in confusion, "Who?"
"Get out of here." Mu Yong'an, with a strength that seemed to come from nowhere, shoved Yan Xiaochuan behind him, and stood up, supporting himself on the corner of the table. "Quick, go find Dean Wu."
Yan Xiaochuan's face paled slightly: "Master, you..."
"Go now!" Mu Yong'an shouted sternly.
"I'm not leaving!" Yan Xiaochuan gritted his teeth. "Look at yourself in the current state. How can I leave with peace of mind?"
"They were able to track me all the way here and attack, how am I supposed to get out?!"
Mu Yong'an was about to speak when he was interrupted by an uncontrollable cough, his sleeves soaked with blood.
Yan Xiaochuan was about to step forward to help his master, but as he took a step, he sensed a sword aura filled with killing intent bursting through the door. So he immediately changed his move and stood in front of Mu Yong'an.
The boy crossed his arms in front of him, silently uttering the words:
The Heavenly Mystery Black Tortoise Wall!
A deep blue tortoise shield appeared in front of Yan Xiaochuan, colliding with the deep red sword energy that burst through the door. The Xuanwu Wall only lasted for a moment before breaking through and disappearing.
The sword energy pierced Yan Xiaochuan's body, causing his soul to tremble. A mouthful of blood welled up in his throat, and as his body fell backward due to the shockwave, Mu Yong'an forcefully controlled his qi and reached out to protect Yan Xiaochuan's waist, allowing him to stabilize his body and resist the still-lingering sword energy.
Yan Xiaochuan held his breath amidst the two forces, his eyes darting around and catching sight of a figure emerging from the corner of the corridor. The bright red coat was truly eye-catching. He was originally a handsome man, but at this moment, all that could be noticed was the terrifying sword aura surrounding him, which easily slaughtered everything around him.
Compared to the tense and dangerous atmosphere inside the house, Gongsun Qi, who was strolling down the corridor, appeared calm and composed.
Gongsun Qi arrived at the front of the house and came into Mu Yong'an's sight. The man's heart was in turmoil, and an expression of disbelief appeared on his face.
Just as Mu Yong'an opened his mouth to speak, Gongsun Qi's hand on the hilt of his sword moved slightly, a clear sword sound rang out, and a flash of silver light and snow-white blade appeared. Two black and red sword shadows were already attacking the two people in the room.
Master!
At this moment, Yan Xiaochuan was only thinking about saving his master, but Mu Yong'an was faster than him. He turned around and shielded the boy behind him, with his back to the doorway. Two sword shadows struck him, one piercing through his chest and cutting the Five Elements Light Core in two.
Mu Yong'an and the boy fell to the ground together, both coughing up blood.
Although Yan Xiaochuan was not hit by the sword shadow, he was still impacted. His internal organs shifted momentarily, and the back of his head slammed hard against the ground. He heard a buzzing sound in his ears and his consciousness went blank for a moment.
"Cough..." Mu Yong'an's vision went black and blurred, and he could no longer see the boy's face. He touched the boy's cheek with trembling hands to check his body temperature.
He told Yan Xiaochuan to leave in a hoarse voice. His hands were covered in blood. He dipped them in the thick blood and lightly touched the ground to write a word. Just as the word was about to activate, it was crushed by the man who stepped forward.
"Where do you plan to take this little bastard this time?" Gongsun Qi tilted his head slightly, looking at Mu Yong'an with a puzzled expression.
Mu Yong'an's frail body looked particularly pitiful in his presence.
"You...let him go." Mu Yong'an moved his fingers, trying to grasp the red hem of the dress in front of him, his voice weak and silent. "I know...I've failed the princess...If I could take her with me..."
"You actually thought I came here for something like this?" Gongsun Qi chuckled, turning his gaze to Yan Xiaochuan. "He is Yu Ji's son, and Yu Ji is a pawn of the Nangong family. You are a subject of Yan, yet you risk your life for the child of a traitor."
Mu Yong'an felt his blood rushing to his head, and forced himself to speak: "Her mother... was bewitched, and later..."
"Master!" Yan Xiaochuan finally woke up from his brief dizziness and was terrified when he saw the person in front of him.
Mu Yong'an pressed down on his shoulder, preventing the boy from getting up, and turned to look at Gongsun Qi, tears of blood welling in his eyes: "Do you really want to kill him?"
“What you’re trying to say is meaningless.” Gongsun Qi sized up Yan Xiaochuan. “My sister wants him dead, so he must die.”
Mu Yong'an didn't even have time to give a wry smile, nor did he notice any difference in Gongsun Qi compared to before; his attention was solely focused on how to save Yan Xiaochuan.
When Gongsun Qi gripped his sword to kill, he seemed to sense something, and a moment of mockery flashed in his eyes.
A burst of crimson sword shadows erupted, shattering like sparks. The incantation Mu Yong'an had secretly written on the ground flashed, activating the array and teleporting the two of them out of the house.
The sword light destroyed the small building, shattering the doors and windows into pieces.
Gongsun Qi emerged from the ruins, where A-Quan was waiting. Upon seeing him, A-Quan immediately went to greet him: "How was it, brother? Is it over?"
“They ran away,” Gongsun Qi said.
"Should we chase after them?" A-Quan clapped his hands. "A teleportation array has been set up in this building long ago. The purpose of setting up such an array in advance is so that we can escape one day."
Gongsun Qi looked at him: "Then why didn't you say so sooner?"
“Brother, if you want to chase after them, we can estimate the location for you. We’re experts at dealing with formations like those of the Ming family, it’s as easy as an eagle catching a chick. It’s in the outer city. To set up a formation in the academy and then move it to the outer city, there must be a Saint’s approval.” A-Quan lowered his voice and said, “I’ll give you a little sneaky peek, brother, the person you’re going to kill is someone Dean Wu of the Yin Yang family wants to protect. Once our barrier is removed, Dean Wu will know something’s happened here.”
After saying that, A-Quan raised his head and puffed out his chest, saying, "But our barrier can hold until tomorrow!"
Over the past few days, Gongsun Qi had gotten used to Aquan constantly showing off his mechanical skills to him, both openly and secretly.
"Don't bother looking for him, he'll die." Gongsun Qi lowered his head and pushed the half-drawn sword back into place.
With the sword poison piercing his heart, Mu Yong'an would not survive.
As for Princess Rain's son...
Since they can live peacefully under the protection of the sages in Taiyi, there must be people secretly helping to monitor them. It doesn't matter; we can take this opportunity to find those people and kill them one by one.
Gongsun Qi asked Aquan, "Where is Mei Liangyu?"
"The latest news is that they've gone to the Abyss of No Return." A-Quan scratched his head. "That's a forbidden area of the Ghost Dao Clan; only students undergoing trials can enter."
"Where is it?" Gongsun Qi asked.
Ah Quan patiently explained, "The location is easy to find, but we can't get in."
Gongsun Qi just watched him quietly.
Ah Quan felt a chill run down his spine: "Brother, please listen to my explanation first. That place is a forbidden area of the Ghost Daoist Clan, where disciples are undergoing trials, so others cannot enter. Moreover, there are no traps inside, so it's hard to find an excuse... Okay, okay, brother, don't be impulsive. Why don't you find two more people to kill first? I'll ask Young Master Situ for you. He's a student of Taiyi, and he'll definitely have a way to get us in."
As he spoke, he gestured to the others, indicating that they should contact Situ Jin.
Gongsun Qi pondered for a moment, nodded, and agreed with A-Quan's statement. Then he asked, "Where is Dean Wu, who is responsible for protecting Mu Yong'an?"
Ah Quan: "...But we can't kill a saint! Can't we do something else, bro?"
Gongsun Qi said calmly, "It seems that the strength of the mechanical family still needs to be improved. Why can't they do it when they reach the Saint level? If they could have restricted the Saint level back then, they wouldn't have been forced to hide in Taiyi by the six kingdoms."
A-Quan: "..."
Trying to provoke me? I won't fall for that!
Taiyi Outer City.
Deep in the bamboo forest on the outskirts of the city, there is a small building that is exactly the same as the one used by the famous tutor.
The room was empty, without any tables, chairs or decorations. Yan Xiaochuan was teleported into the room by the formation and found himself in the same spot. He quickly got up and helped the pale-faced Mu Yong'an.
"Master!"
“Xiao Chuan, listen to me.” Mu Yong’an grasped his hand in return, all his remaining energy concentrated in those bright eyes. “You must leave Taiyi and return to where you belong.”
"I..." Yan Xiaochuan was about to refuse, but was intimidated by his master's sharp and bright eyes.
“You are the son of the King of Yan, and the blood of the Yan Kingdom has flowed in your veins for thousands of years. All the princes are dead, and now only you remain in the Yan Kingdom.” After Mu Yong’an finished speaking, he coughed violently, spitting out a large amount of black blood, and the light in his eyes dimmed a little.
The sword poison was burning and corroding his flesh from the inside out.
“Didn’t we agree not to worry about any of that?” Yan Xiaochuan’s eyes and nose stung with tears. “It was Mother who first exposed Sixth Brother’s location, which led to him being captured by the Zhou people, severely injured, and rendered mentally impaired… That night, she was discovered by the Princess, and that’s why…”
Princess Wangshu discovered the Nangong family's pawn hidden in the palace. In the midst of the chaotic battle, she used her military formation to capture the pawn but let Yan Xiaochuan go.
“Your mother has long since repented. She never knew that the Sixth Prince would end up like this. She only wanted to take you with her…” Mu Yong’an paused here, coughed again, and gripped Yan Xiaochuan’s hand so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.
"Now it's just you left, Xiao Chuan." Mu Yong'an looked at Yan Xiao Chuan with complicated emotions. "Master can no longer... stay with you."
"Master, please stop talking now. Please calm your breathing. I'll go find Dean Wu and Senior Brother Liangyu. We'll leave Taiyi together. You can decide what to do then, okay? I'll listen to whatever you say, but you have to leave with me. I really only have you, Master. I don't care about anyone else. Master, you..." Yan Xiaochuan said incoherently.
“You are different from him. More and more people will come to you. You have had enough of these few years of peace and stability.”
“Xiao Chuan, you’ve always known that running away won’t solve anything. The bloodline of Yan cannot be allowed to disappear. You must resolve all of this.”
"This was also your mother's wish."
"I..." Mu Yong'an's throat was already blocked by blood.
“Master…” Yan Xiaochuan stared at him blankly.
Mu Yong'an grasped his hand: "If you don't want to... then stay here with me and leave together. I can't bear to leave you alone..."
The boy's vision was blurred with tears, and he couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Mu Yong'an wanted Mei Liangyu to take Yan Xiaochuan away, hoping to use the power of the mechanical family to protect the child, but he did not expect that Gongsun Qi would suddenly come to Taiyi.
Over the years, he has been teaching young people to recognize people: people from the capital of Yan, people from the border regions, and people from the six states.
Mu Yong'an never gave up on getting Yan Xiaochuan back to the Yan Kingdom.
When the boy stayed by his side listening to his schemes and ambitions, he was always quiet. Only when he was in the academy did he become lively and childlike, forgetting everything from the past.
Mu Yong'an saw it all, and although he hesitated at times, he never stopped.
He could not bear to see the Yan state perish.
He wanted to place his hopes on these young people.
Looking at the increasingly weak man, Yan Xiaochuan choked out, "Okay."
"I will die with my master."
The reason he was willing to stay in Taiyi was because he had people he knew there.
With Mu Yong'an and Mei Liangyu by his side, he felt so at ease.
Those who had always been by his side remained, never leaving.
With his mother dead and the princess dead, Yan Xiaochuan revealed his most genuine and vulnerable side as a young man. He was afraid, and he didn't want to live alone.
He was willing to die with his master.
Mu Yong'an looked at the boy's crying face but remained silent for a long time.
Blackbeard had been busy all day and was about to rest after dark when someone suddenly knocked on his door, demanding that he send reinforcements.
He touched his head, got up, and while getting dressed, walked to the door to ask what kind of support was needed.
The subordinates nervously reported that the people from the Nangong Second Division had discovered the target they had been staking out and were intercepted on their way to capture him alive.
This target is very important; it's someone the prince ordered to be captured.
Blackbeard immediately tensed up and asked, "Who is the target?"
The subordinate replied, "I heard it's someone connected to the Yan Kingdom. The people from the Second Division are always so arrogant, but when asked, they claim to know nothing!"
"Let's go, take the men over there!" Blackbeard strode out.
He was in charge of most of the Nangong family's businesses in Taiyi. To put it bluntly, his position was at most that of the Nangong family's financial manager in Taiyi.
Blackbeard has had little experience with matters involving murder, arson, Rakshasa sorcerers, or the core affairs of the Six Kingdoms' struggle. He has mostly worked from the sidelines, following orders from the second and third divisions of the Nangong family.
While traveling, Blackbeard recalled that when the eldest son, Han Bing, was still in Taiyi, the people of the Second and Third Divisions were quite respectful of him.
Now the capital has another "Princess Nangong".
Blackbeard was worried for his princess.
He picked up the Wind Listening Ruler to send a message to Yu Sui, but then put it down. The Wind Listening Ruler was unreliable, and the academy was currently in its trial period. He decided to wait and see what happened tonight, and then send someone directly to the academy to deliver the message tomorrow.
When Blackbeard and his men arrived at the small building in the bamboo forest on the outskirts of the city, they saw wounded people all over the ground, and the building was in ruins from the battle between the two sides.
The Rakshasa sorcerers of the Nangong Second Division wore platinum tiger masks and exuded the murderous aura of white tigers.
Blackbeard stepped forward to find out what was going on, and upon hearing that the person had been taken away, he couldn't help but raise his hand to touch the back of his neck.
"Where are these people from?" the sorcerer from the second division asked, pointing to another group of people who had been captured.
Blackbeard stepped forward to take a look but couldn't tell. However, one of his men said, "They're from Star Moon Island."
The sorcerer from the Nangong Second Division added, "The one who took the people away was a young man from the Yin-Yang School, and he also brought the people from Xingyue Island."
Blackbeard understood and nodded, saying, "I'll go and have Star Moon Island hand over the man."
The night was deep and foggy, the sea was surging and the waves were crashing.
In front of the abandoned, empty ferry crossing on the coast, one can vaguely see a boy kneeling on the ground, his back bent, his head buried in the body of a person lying flat.
The boy standing in the flower bushes behind frowned as he answered the telepathic message: "Didn't you say you would hand over Star Moon Island to me after you died? Then I'll be the young master of Star Moon Island, and they'll all have to listen to me!"
"Hey old man, you're the one who said I'd do anything! I just took the gang out for a walk, and they were walking around nearby. I was the one who saved them. How can you blame me for that?"
"I didn't know they were from the Nangong family! They didn't have it written on their faces!"
"No, you can't hand him over! I'm injured! I got beaten up! I can't let this happen for nothing!"
"Fine, they want their bodies. Let them step over your corpse before they come back to me!"
"No! We just won't give it to you!"
After loudly blabbering on, Zou Yexi turned back and shouted at the boy who was wailing on the shore, "Hey, don't cry! I can't hear what that old man is saying anymore!"
I'll say it again! No way! I'd rather die than give it to you!
Zou Yexi held the Wind Listening Ruler in his left hand and argued with the Star Moon Island Master, while taking out a second Wind Listening Ruler with his right hand to contact the mysterious lady, but there was no response to his telepathic communication.
Oh no! The Lord of Star Moon Island is unreliable, and this young lady is unreliable at crucial moments. He's really going to be wandering around Taiyi!
Zou Yexi's mood worsened, and he cursed even more fiercely.
...
The wind howled, the waves crashed, and cries and curses mingled together, lingering for a long time.
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