Chapter 199 Trying to steal someone from my Nangong family?
The approaching sounds of the Changya cavalry were becoming increasingly clear; they were hidden in the shadows, surrounding the small wooden house.
The candlelight inside the house was bright, but it couldn't illuminate the figures of the iron cavalry outside the courtyard.
The man, carrying a sword, pushed open the door and came out. He was dressed in ordinary gray cloth clothes, tall and broad-shouldered, with a strong physique. He usually appeared as a rough and ruthless countryman, but occasionally he would act honest and simple.
The people of Cuilin Village often talked about this single man with his daughter, but because he was a good person and had helped the villagers a lot, they were willing to associate with him, giving him vegetables and fruits and helping him take care of the fields.
Gongsun Qi had been doing fairly well here for a while, but peaceful and happy days always come to an end.
The enemy was hiding in the Yin-Yang technique of swallowing shadows. Gongsun Qi looked at the thick darkness in front of him. He could not see the enemy's figure, but he could sense their location and power.
The smoke signals from the six kingdoms in the sky were brilliantly colored and adorned with fluorescent glows, making them quite beautiful. However, the messages they conveyed were extremely dangerous.
"Gongsun Qi," came the enemy's authoritative voice from the darkness, "traitor of Yan, if you obediently surrender today, you might be spared your life when you reach the general."
Gongsun Qi held a dull sword in his hand. The blade was gleaming, but it looked somewhat blunt and not very easy to use. Besides these features, it also had a strong sense of antiquity and age, as if it had been polished by time, leaving many poignant marks.
Such a sword, bearing the marks of time, doesn't seem particularly intimidating.
But when Gongsun Qi held it in his hand, it revealed its sharp edge and exuded a chilling aura.
Despite the threat posed by the Changya Iron Cavalry, Gongsun Qi remained unfazed. As he turned his wrist, pointing his sword at the enemy, a golden aura spread out with a faint whistling sound.
Upon hearing the sound of swords clashing, Alan excitedly jumped off the bed and peeked through the crack in the door to watch the battle.
She saw a dazzling golden light flash outside the house, which transformed into countless sword shadows that rose from the ground, forming a sword wall that could reach the sky and blocked Gongsun Qi's way. The sword wind was fierce but did not damage the wooden house in the slightest. It was clearly pursuing the enemy in front of it and forcefully breaking through the Shadow Devouring.
The simplest technique of controlling a sword with qi is also the most powerful.
Each sword shadow rising from the ground tore through the surrounding air, forcefully shattering it. The materialized Five Elements Qi of the Devouring Shadow couldn't withstand even a moment before being broken apart, exposing the eight Changya Iron Cavalry.
"Spread out and form ranks!"
The eight Changya Iron Cavalrymen initially managed to hold their ground. The first four drew their weapons, their swords flashing, and skeletal ghosts appeared, charging forward alongside their masters.
The four people behind are yin-yang masters and sorcerers, who are casting divination formations based on the current situation.
Countless sword shadows tore through the surrounding Five Elements Qi. The first four remained calm and collected, working together with their sword spirits to shatter the sword shadows blocking their path.
The skeletal ghosts were incredibly fast. Some wielded swords with both hands, forcefully and fiercely shattering the sword shadows. The shattering sword shadows made a crisp sound, like the sound of a mirror breaking, before transforming into countless golden fireflies.
Suddenly, a sharp sound rang in the ears of the Changya Iron Cavalry who were rushing past the fireflies. Those tiny fireflies, invisible to the naked eye, transformed into snow-white, sharp blades, piercing through their protective aura from all directions and instantly tearing them to pieces.
Before the four could even reach within ten paces of Gongsun Qi, they were already bleeding profusely and tumbling off their horses. The sword spirit at the forefront also disintegrated.
The warhorse neighed, sensing the pressure ahead, and fear arose. It braked sharply and reared up.
Alan, who was peeking from behind the door, covered her mouth with one hand and shielded her eyes with the large amount of splattered blood. Her heart was pounding. She saw a familiar figure through her fingers and immediately became excited, quickly withdrawing her hand from her eyes.
In the girl's dark, bright eyes, a strange shadow appeared from the void, and the temperature in the air suddenly rose, as if it were being scorched by the blazing sun, and the scenery was slightly distorted.
The Changya Iron Cavalry, still casting divination, looked up alertly, not even seeing how their comrades in front of them had died, when they were already decapitated the moment they looked up.
The longsword was half black and half white, just like its skeletal body, half charred black and half pale white. The sword spirit wielded the sword with both hands, like a walking sun, scorching and distorting everything in its path with its intense heat, and its sword speed was as fast as lightning, unmatched by anyone.
The high temperature emanating from the sword spirit easily melted the protective aura of the Changya Iron Cavalry. With a flash of sword light, the two were decapitated before they could make any move.
The blood splattered into the air and evaporated in the heat before it even hit the ground.
The eight tenth-realm Changya Iron Cavalrymen were all killed in an instant.
The half-black, half-white skeletal sword spirit was tall and slender, like the reflection of its master, yet it exuded arrogance. After beheading the enemy, the enemy's body was still standing stiffly before it kicked him down and stomped on the ground.
The warhorse collapsed to the ground, its legs giving way.
Seeing that the bad guys had all been defeated by his father and the sword spirit, Alan pushed open the door and ran out, his eyes fixed on the sword spirit, and shouted happily, "Jinghong!"
She had just run past Gongsun Qi when the man grabbed her by the back of her collar and lifted her up: "How many times do I have to tell you before you remember? Don't go near it, or it will burn you to death."
"Ouch!" Alan struggled for a moment, then looked up pitifully and said, "I want to hug it! It's so strong!"
Gongsun Qi said, "You can hold it after I die."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sword spirit vanished silently into the night.
"I don't want my father to die!" Alan was terrified when she heard this, and immediately hugged Gongsun Qi tightly.
Gongsun Qi was amused by her sudden change of expression. After sheathing his sword, he picked up the girl and placed her on his warhorse, which was too frightened to move.
"Hold on tight," Gongsun Qi said. "We're leaving here tonight."
"Are you leaving again?" Alan asked, a little reluctant. "But we're doing so well here."
“After we leave Yan, there are better places than here.” As Gongsun Qi said this, he glanced at the smoke signals from the six states in the sky. “Didn’t you want to see them? Look up.”
Alan looked up at the night sky, his attention drawn to the dazzling ribbons of light. He forgot about leaving and focused only on the six kingdoms' messages in the sky: "Father, what does that say? There are so many words I don't recognize."
"Some trivial matters." Gongsun Qi walked into the house. "Do you want to take those ugly things by your bedside with you?"
Alan: "Yes, yes, yes!"
"And that's not an ugly monster, it's a tiger doll that Brother Aniu made for me out of thin bamboo, it's a little tiger!"
Gongsun Qi said, "It's so ugly."
Alan said angrily, "Daddy, Brother Aniu is still young! When he grows up, his hair will become more and more beautiful. You can't say that Brother Aniu's little tiger is ugly!"
Gongsun Qi didn't even glance at the row of trinkets on her bedside table, and with a wave of his hand, he put them all into the mechanical box.
After he finished tidying up the house, Alan had already lost interest in the six kingdoms' incense smoke in the sky. Seeing the man come out, he asked, "Where's my little tiger?"
"Take it." Gongsun Qi turned his warhorse around by pulling on the reins, and without even glancing at the corpses scattered on the ground, walked straight out.
"Father." Alan glanced back at the still-lit wooden house, yawned, rubbed his eyes, and asked, "Where do we go next?"
Gongsun Qi did not answer immediately. He glanced back and saw the figures of the Changya Iron Cavalry, his expression thoughtful.
In the present state of Yan, it is easy to come but difficult to leave.
The six kingdoms cooperated with Shui Zhou and made the news of the World Destroyer public. It seems that Shui Zhou has indeed made some useful research. Otherwise, they would not have been able to persuade the six kingdoms, who were busy fighting each other, to spare some manpower to find the World Destroyer.
When Alan didn't get a reply from the man, she urged him again, "Father, where are we going?"
“Go south,” Gongsun Qi replied.
"South of Yan?" Alan asked curiously. "What are we going there for? Are we staying in the countryside or going to the city? Is the south as quiet as here? Do you have Brother Aniu there who can make little tigers out of thin bamboo?"
Gongsun Qi said calmly, "Go and kill someone."
Alan covered his mouth with both hands: "Who are you going to kill?"
Gongsun Qi said, "Whoever wants to kill us, I will kill them."
The Changya Iron Cavalry, the most elite southern army of the Yan Kingdom.
Since when did even this bunch of good-for-nothings start to be considered the elite of the Yan Kingdom?
Gongsun Qi glanced south, and heard the girl's clear, childlike voice chattering in his ears. He tightened his grip on the reins, turned, and disappeared into the night.
In the quiet wooden house, the light flickered and in the blink of an eye transformed into a fire dragon, engulfing everything until only ashes remained, rising with the wind.
The border between the Zhou and Yan states was a territory inhabited by Legalists.
During the day, the mountains and forests are lush and green, with occasional glimpses of red maple leaves. At night, fireflies dance along the riverbank, stretching for miles.
In the land of Legalism, the Han clan was revered.
Besides the Han clan, there were also the Song, Zhao, and Sun clans. Because it was located at the border of the two countries and occupied a large area, equivalent to several capital cities, it was the land of the Legalists and was also known as the Capital of the Law.
In the Legalist territories, clans were the head, and they were not bound by the laws of the Zhou and Yan states. In fact, these two states welcomed members of the Legalist clans to serve them.
They could only choose between the Zhou and Yan states.
In Fadu, men were registered at the age of eighteen and women at the age of fourteen. They made their own decisions and had only one chance in their lives to choose between entering the Yan state or the Zhou state. This choice could not be changed until death.
Although it is the border between the two countries, it can also be said that the people here are all from the Zhou and Yan states.
However, in their hearts, clan always takes precedence over the nation.
The Han family possesses the bloodline power of the highest-ranking Legalist art, known as "Heavenly Punishment." Their ancestors were mostly prominent figures who held high positions in the Zhou and Yan states. The more chaotic the times, the more talented individuals the Han family produced.
Now that the Yan state is in decline, the six states are making every effort to find the fragments of the Pagoda of Buddha in preparation for breaking the oath of no war. The Legalist Han clan seems to have sensed the coming chaos in advance.
The "Heavenly Punishment" bloodline, which had not appeared for hundreds of years, awakened in this year.
Han Lian, the youngest daughter of a collateral branch of the Han family, was kidnapped by Han Ziyang, who had been expelled from the Han clan, on the night of her marriage to the Song family. In a fit of rage, Han Ziyang massacred the entire Song family, and many of the guests attending the banquet also died or were injured.
In the Legalist region, the clans and their power are deeply intertwined. Although this marriage was a matter for a collateral branch, the murderer was a direct descendant of the Han family.
Before the murder and kidnapping of the bride, Han Ziyang had already been expelled from the sect and banished from the Legalist school.
But this man was tenacious. After being tortured, he fought with many people and fell off a cliff but did not die. He returned with many injuries and kidnapped Han Lian on the day of her wedding.
The Song family was furious and demanded an explanation from the Han family. Currently, in the territory of the Legalist school, the clans are doing their best to search for Han Ziyang and Han Lian.
They haven't yet been able to leave the Legalist territory.
Tonight, the two were found.
Both Han Ziyang and Han Lian were seriously injured.
Han Lian was a mediocre person with no ability to protect herself. She spent most of the journey unconscious, only waking up occasionally.
The green grass along the mountain stream was trampled, and the fireflies that were playing in the grass fled in panic. The young man in green groaned, unable to hold on any longer, and knelt down. His knees pressed down more weeds, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood into the clear stream, shattering his reflection in the water.
A loud bang came from the sky, and Han Ziyang instantly became alert. He looked up and saw colorful ribbons fluttering in the air, and the words in the letters from the six kingdoms fell into his dark eyes one by one.
A moment later, Han Ziyang withdrew his gaze expressionlessly.
It has nothing to do with him.
He didn't care about the strange fire, the water boat, or what the six kingdoms wanted.
Han Ziyang tried to get up and continue walking, but a sharp pain shot through his body, causing him to fall back down and kneel on both knees, while firmly holding onto the woman in the fiery red wedding dress.
The golden hairpin on the woman's head seemed unable to withstand the swaying any longer and fell into the water with a splash.
Han Ziyang glanced at it coldly. The golden and red festive hairpin fell to the bottom of the stream and was quickly covered by blood.
The woman's cool hair fell onto his cheek, prompting him to glance at her.
"Put me down." Han Lian had woken up at some point. She pressed her face against Han Ziyang's shoulder and back, closed her eyes, and whispered, "I wasn't going to live much anyway, you don't need to go to such lengths for me."
They misunderstood you.
“I know you didn’t kill the clan chief.”
Do you want to know who he was killed?
Han Ziyang suppressed the metallic taste in his throat, frowned, and said in a rough voice, "Shut up."
Han Lian, however, did not do as he wished. Her voice was gentle, as she spoke softly as usual, "I killed him."
Han Ziyang was too weak to get up. He knelt down by the stream, his ears ringing.
"I killed the person you respected most, and the one who treated you the best in the world," Han Lian said.
The faint reflection of the smoke from the six kingdoms in the sky was visible in the stream. Han Ziyang took a deep breath, put the person on his back down, and gently pinched Han Lian's neck with one hand, making her look at him.
"Why?" Han Ziyang stared at her intently.
Han Lian has a gentle appearance and looks harmless. Her eyes are always gentle. At this moment, she looks at Han Ziyang, but her watery eyes are filled with a smile: "I really didn't expect... you would go to such lengths for me."
In the end, his words were tinged with an undisguised sigh of regret.
"If you didn't like me this much, I wouldn't have experienced what regret is."
Han Lian looked at Han Ziyang. At this moment, even the hand gripping her neck had no strength. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her voice was very soft: "People of the Legalist school have never had the option to stay out of things. You may want to stay out of the world, but the world will not go according to your wishes."
"The clan chief likes us very much. Because of you, I have the opportunity to practice calligraphy at his place every day. The clan chief is also very happy that someone appreciates his calligraphy. He will share the same ink with me. In that black ink, there is a kind of Gu poison from the farmer. Every time he writes a character, the Gu poison will devour a part of his life force."
Han Lian looked directly into Han Ziyang's eyes and said softly, "You seem to have no suspicion of the Ping Shu people."
“He wasn’t entirely without suspicion of Ping Shu,” Han Ziyang said coldly, suppressing his rage. “It was because he liked you that he gave you the opportunity.”
“He was indeed a very good elder,” Han Lian said with a smile. “It’s a pity that we were on opposing sides. If he hadn’t interfered in the affairs of Yan, he wouldn’t have died.”
"Han Lian." Han Ziyang's hand, which was gripping her neck, shifted to his grip on her shoulders. Countless emotions surged in his chest as he stared intently at the woman's smiling face.
He should have killed her, but he couldn't.
“I share the same ink with the clan leader, so naturally I will also be affected by the Gu.” Han Lian gradually frowned. The pain of the Gu poison made it impossible for her to maintain her calm demeanor. “You… don’t need to worry. I do deserve to die, and it will be soon. I will go down and apologize to him first. After they know the truth, they will no longer make things difficult for you.”
Han Lian managed to grab Han Ziyang's hand, but quickly let go because she couldn't exert any force.
She leaned against Han Ziyang, her head resting on his shoulder, and Han Ziyang did not push her away.
"I know...you contacted...that person, go with him." Han Lian, being a practitioner of sorcery, couldn't bear the pain of the poison's onset. Her gentle face and voice quickly became distorted with agony. "You must try your best...to live one more day...cough cough..."
She vomited blood all over Han Ziyang's body. Her blood rushed to her head, and blood kept gushing from her throat. Her words became slurred: "Don't go... to Yan..."
A golden arrow pierced the air. Despite his injuries, Han Ziyang carried Han Lian and tumbled into the stream. The water splashed, but the arrow still grazed his neck, leaving a bloody mark.
In the darkness, a dense mass of figures suddenly appeared. The Song clan members shouted angrily at the young man lying in the stream, "Han Ziyang!"
"Tonight I will make you pay for this in blood!"
The Han clan members hesitated, their expressions serious. "Ziyang, come back with us first. The matter of the clan leader..."
"Why are you still wasting your breath talking to him!" a member of the Song clan shouted angrily. "You weren't the one whose entire family was slaughtered, and the hundreds of people who died in Song Family Village weren't from your Han family. Now you still think you can save his life in front of me? Don't even think about it!"
"Kill him! Han Ziyang must die today!"
Han Ziyang didn't hear what anyone else was saying at the moment. He sat up awkwardly from the stream and saw that the person in his arms was emaciated. The once clear stream was now full of blood, and the woman had closed her eyes and was lifeless.
All his emotions paused at that moment.
The Legalist Judgment Technique's wind blades of slow slicing attacked from all directions, mixed with hatred and killing intent. The entire stream was covered with invisible wind blades that cut through the air currents. Even faster than the wind blades was the Judgment Technique's decapitation sword.
Han Ziyang gazed at the woman in his arms, the strange fire deep within his consciousness flickering.
The bronze giant sword descended from the sky, determined to cleave Han Ziyang, who was sitting in the stream, in two. Its momentum was unstoppable. Just as the tip of the sword was about to touch Han Ziyang, the man's deep and cold voice rang out in the night: "One word, shatter."
Famous sayings on words.
Another, even stronger wave of energy enveloped the bronze greatsword, instantly shredding it.
A dark bird flew down from the sky, looking no bigger than the palm of your hand. As it got closer and closer to the ground, its figure grew larger and larger, until it was like a giant black curtain that silently swallowed up all the Lingchi Wind Blades.
More than ten figures in black robes landed on the bank of the stream within the black giant screen using wind manipulation, blocking Han Ziyang's path. On the jade pendants worn at their waists were engraved the ancient characters "Nangong".
The man standing at the front was younger than the sorcerers from the Nangong family behind him. He did not wear a jade pendant at his waist. His posture was upright, and he exuded a cold and ruthless aura despite wearing gentle white clothes.
Han Bing's expression was calm and composed, his dark eyes sweeping over the people in the land of the Legalists.
The inkbird's clear chirping awakened the others. It then shrank to a tiny size, circled once above Han Bing, and flew back, landing beside the man in brocade robes on the opposite bank.
The man stretched out his hand, letting the inkbird perch on his finger, and looked at Han Ziyang with a smile in his eyes: "Young Master Han is a guest of my Nangong family. I have traveled a thousand miles to welcome you. Do you all want to compete with me?"
Before he could finish speaking, the people opposite him had already changed their expressions.
The Legalist territory is located on the border between the Zhou and Yan states, and there are many Yan people there who are very familiar with the head of the Nangong family.
If Nangong Ming wanted Han Ziyang's life, no one in the Legalist school would dare to compete with him.
[Author's Note]
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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