Chapter 120 I'm so smart, how could I be fooling a fool
Shen Jiansheng paused in her arms, then opened his eyes in confusion and looked at her, as if he couldn't understand what she said. Cold golden threads and scattered hair swayed around her neck as his body trembled.
The young man in black looked at her blankly, his lips slightly parted.
This reaction was so huge that Qing Guiyu didn't know whether to scold him first or comfort him.
"That's enough," she said, unable to take back her compliments. She patted him on the back, her voice low, afraid to be heard. "The fire's been set, the boat's burned. Stop acting like a little wife. If word gets out, how can you still be the mastermind of the heavenly secrets?"
The words were harsh, but the person in her arms seemed to be greatly comforted. Instead of being angry, he hugged her even tighter. It seemed like a long time passed before he slowly came to his senses.
As expected, his face, stained with cigarette ash, was covered with tear marks, and his eyes were very red, reflecting the firelight, making them glisten and beautiful.
Shen Juansheng looked at her, his lips finally closed and moved, as if he wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a violent cough.
"Internal injuries," she immediately reached out to touch his pulse, her brows furrowed, "Your cold skills, coming here to attract fire, forcing your internal energy, causing your Qi and blood to flow backwards. If you don't stop, you're really going to die here."
"...I'm not dead." He shook his head stubbornly, his eyes, washed by tears, shining frighteningly. He just stared at her, as if afraid that she would disappear in the next moment.
She was staring at him until her face turned red. Just as she was about to speak and say a few irrelevant words to cover up the critical situation, a speedboat broke through the flames and thick fog and came towards them.
When someone came, Qing Guiyu was so scared that the hair on his body stood on end, and he hurriedly pushed Chen Juanshengwang out.
A man in Tianji Pavilion attire stood at the bow. Upon seeing the two, he was startled at first, then shouted, "Pavilion Master! Urgent news from the Pavilion! There's a change in the situation with Master Lu!"
But the young man didn't let her push him away. Instead, he embraced her from behind and held her in his arms.
"Speak." He whispered without raising his head.
"It's a message from the Master of Fuxi Tower!" the man said anxiously, "He said that Young Master Lu was ambushed in the Broken Dragon Gorge area, and the old Pavilion Master... the old Pavilion Master is also there!"
Qing Guiyu's heart immediately rose to his throat, and the romantic thoughts just now were washed away by this news. Subconsciously, he wanted to break away from Chen Juansheng and jump towards the speedboat.
But just as she moved, the arms around her from behind suddenly tightened.
"etc."
A voice sounded from behind her neck, and Shen Engraving lowered his face towards her.
This brightly colored venomous snake held her tightly with a very tame attitude.
"Do I have to go?" he asked awkwardly.
"I'll go." Seeing Qing Guiyu's face change, the young man immediately changed his tone and said softly, "Miss Qing, you don't have to go."
Qing Guiyu was dizzy and so angry that he almost elbowed him on the spot.
"Chen Juansheng! Let go! That's my senior brother!"
"...It's my father." He replied softly, his voice filled with grievance. "He can't die. As long as I'm here, no one can die. You wait here for me."
"You're alone?" Qing Guiyu was so angry that he wanted to laugh. That was Chen Yan, the old madman who had been nearly deceived by him and collapsed. "Chen Yan is your father. You know his sinister tricks better than anyone else. You are weak now. How is it different from committing suicide by being alone?"
She struggled hard, but he held her tighter. Her body was still shaking slightly, obviously afraid that she would disappear again.
Qing Guiyu stopped struggling, turned around suddenly, and lay in his arms, facing him.
Look him up and down.
The eyes, shimmering in the firelight, were staring at her without blinking, revealing resolute fear and pleading.
She now knows how to cure diseases and save lives, prescribe the right medicine, and where the root of the disease lies.
I'd been so confused by the acupuncture that I'd misdiagnosed him many times. A temperament developed over twenty years couldn't be cured just by saying it would. It's like a venomous snake; the more you push it, the tighter it wraps around you.
Take a deep breath, force yourself to calm down, and quickly change your mind.
Got it.
She suddenly stopped moving and let him hug her from behind.
"Chen Yansheng," he softened his voice a little, "listen to me."
He didn't say anything, but just held her arms tighter.
"Who's that person over there?" Qing Guiyu cleared his throat. He felt that he had never been so conscienceless in his life, so he continued to make up the story.
"...My father." He answered sullenly.
"What about the other one?"
"..." Shen Juansheng was silent for a moment, then said reluctantly, "...Lu Guiyan."
"Yeah," Qing Guiyu nodded.
"Your father," she pointed upstream, her expression serious, "your brother."
The person behind him trembled violently.
"This is not my business." Qing Guiyu turned around and said in a gentle and persuasive tone, "This is your business. It's your family affair."
…
"...family matters?"
The young man tried to repeat it softly.
"Can you handle it alone?" Qing Guiyu pressed on, firmly saying, "I'll help you. Let's go together and settle your family affairs."
Her beautiful eyes blinked blankly, as if the smartest brain in the world was struggling to decipher the disturbing meaning contained in these words.
"You're right." He whispered, his face flushed, as if something had been enlightened.
The gorgeous venomous snake that had just arched its body, spit out its tongue, and showed its fangs, at this moment, gently laid its head on her shoulder.
Qing Guiyu thought to himself, "Good fellow!" and struck while the iron was hot, grabbing his wrist. "So, let's go! If you delay any longer, your brother will be beaten to death by your father!"
She pulled him and was about to jump onto the ship, but he pulled her back with his hand and she was pulled back and fell heavily into his arms.
Before she could open her mouth to curse, a cold and soft kiss covered her lips.
It carried the smell of ash from the fire, the cool, clear fragrance of his body, and the salty taste of tears.
Qing Guiyu was completely stunned, his mind was blank, and he only felt the cold touch on his lips quickly getting hot.
"Miss Qing," he let go of her, resting his forehead against hers, breathing rapidly, his eyes filled with intense and bright emotions.
"You are so good. I like you so much, and you don't blame me."
Such frank and sincere admiration made Qing Guiyu feel uneasy. He felt that he was really bad. The pride of "I am so smart" in his heart was instantly overwhelmed by the guilt of "How could I deceive a fool?"
She looked at those eyes that were so clear that they seemed to reflect a person's soul, and the genuine joy and anxiety on his face, and felt her face burning.
Forget it, it’s not a big deal.
With a determined heart, she stood on tiptoe and quickly kissed him on the lips.
"Alright, alright, got it." She blushed and said fiercely, grabbing his hand and jumping towards the speedboat without looking back, "Let's go! Let's go!"
Shen Yansheng pulled her hand,
"Pass the order down," he turned and said to the visitor, "Baxia and Chaofeng Tower will provide support here. Chiwen, Fuxi, and Pulao Tower, gather your men immediately and seal off all land and water exits from Broken Dragon Gorge. Not a single bird is allowed to fly out."
"Yes!" The man didn't dare to look at this strange scene any longer and turned away.
Behind them was the elite scout boat of Chaofeng Tower. When they saw the two men jump on board, they immediately turned the boat around without asking any questions, broke through the thick fog and waves, and rowed upstream.
Shen Jiansheng sat quietly beside her, no longer speaking or making any inappropriate movements. However, his hand still stubbornly held hers tightly, their fingers intertwined, refusing to let go.
The boat moved at a rapid pace, leaving behind the flames and thick smoke on both sides of the river. The river water was murky with the wreckage of warships and floating corpses, and the pungent smell of burning mixed with the smell of blood lingered on the wind for a long time.
A carefully planned killing was destroyed.
Taking advantage of this moment of relaxation, Qing Guiyu placed her fingertips on his pulse. The pulse was still weak and scattered. She frowned, took out some pills from her bosom and stuffed them into his mouth.
She swallowed the sound obediently, and a faint blush appeared on her face again.
*
Broken Dragon Gorge is worthy of its name.
On either side were cliffs as sharp as knives and axes, and the river suddenly tightened here, roaring and rushing like a dragon's roar. The gorge was filled with jagged rocks and mist, making it a naturally dangerous place and the perfect place for ambushes.
The boat hit the shallow water and hidden rocks. Qing Guiyu stood up and took a breath, but a hand had already grasped her familiarly and pulled her into his arms.
Young Master Jin Sheng leaped up and carried her across the riverbank.
The firelight reflected his pale profile, with his golden and black hair rising behind him.
"You're crazy!" She wanted to scold him, but she didn't dare to struggle. "Your internal injuries haven't healed yet!"
"I won't die." Shen Juansheng's face flushed, but he answered decisively and happily, "Miss Qing is here."
Qing Guiyu had no way of convincing him, so he had to ignore him, stood still, and turned his head to look.
The scene before my eyes was truly horrific.
Dozens of corpses were lying in a disorderly manner on the mudflats at the entrance of the canyon. There were black-clad warriors of the Northern Frontier Guard, as well as some martial artists dressed in various kinds of tight-fitting clothes. They must have been the reinforcements brought by Lu Guiyan.
Broken weapons and shattered banners mingled in pools of blood and mud. Deep, crisscrossing scars carved by sword energy crisscrossed the mountain walls, demonstrating the ferocity of the battle.
"Junior Brother!" Qing Guiyu no longer cared about anything else and used his lightness skills to fly towards the depths of the canyon.
Shen Juansheng followed closely behind, only half a step behind her, but his eyes were scanning the surroundings with a sharp look.
The deeper the canyon, the heavier the bloody smell. Turning around a huge rock, the view before my eyes suddenly opened up.
When the two saw this tragic scene, their hearts sank.
Lu Guiyan and Madam Wei were confronting each other.
The mudflats were littered with corpses and blood flowed like a river. Lu Guiyan's white clothes had long been soaked in blood, layer upon layer, a deep crimson.
The tip of the Wuwang sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and drops of blood fell as the sword light shone. Although his breath was a little disordered, the lonely and resolute sword intent still radiated awe and power like a blade unsheathed.
Opposite him, Lady Wei from the Northern Dynasty was also at the end of her strength.
It seemed that all her elite warriors had been killed, leaving only her, holding a broken dagger, standing alone in a sea of blood and corpses. Her body was covered in wounds, and her gorgeous palace dress was torn to shreds, but she still stood straight, her expression expressionless.
There were corpses all over the ground between the two men, and it was obvious that they had been through a fierce battle.
"Senior Brother!" Qing Guiyu felt relieved to see that he was fine and immediately stepped forward.
When Lu Guiyan heard her voice, his eyes moved slightly, but he did not turn back. He just lowered the edge of the Wuwang sword by two points.
Madam Wei also came here following the voices. She first saw Qing Guiyu, then saw the young man in black clothes with golden threads behind her. The last trace of blood on her face disappeared immediately, and she asked miserably:
"Are all the warships...destroyed?"
"Not a single piece of armor will be left." Chen Juansheng responded coldly, walked to Qing Guiyu's side, and covered her behind him.
Upon hearing this, Madam Wei's face grew even more desolate, yet she didn't show any anger. Instead, she seemed to have lifted a heavy burden. She remained silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice:
"Three days ago, a carrier pigeon arrived with a message... The Queen Mother has passed away."
When these words were spoken, even Lu Guiyan's eyes flashed with surprise.
"The Empress Dowager," Madam Wei's voice was eerily flat, "has spent her entire life striving for the throne, all she ever wanted was for the young Crown Prince to reign supreme."
She slowly bent down and used her only remaining clean sleeve to carefully wipe away the blood and mud on the broken sword.
"I am an orphan from the south, and I have received great kindness from the Queen Mother. I have no way to repay her in this lifetime. Now that the Queen Mother is gone, I do not want to witness the ugly scenes of the kings fighting for power and killing each other on her behalf."
She lowered her head, glanced at the broken sword in her hand, then raised her eyes again, sweeping across the corpses scattered across the ground, across Qing Guiyu, and then across Chen Jiansheng, finally looking at Lu Guiyan. "Mr. Lu's swordsmanship is supreme, and Wei Qiong will learn from him today." She bowed slightly to Lu Guiyan, performing a polite gesture of fellow martial artists. "This time, while traveling south to seek a doctor, the bloodshed was so severe, and it's all Wei Qiong's fault. It has nothing to do with the Queen Mother, nor with the Northern Dynasty kings."
"Human life can be extremely precious," she said slowly, as if describing her own life, "but it can also be extremely light."
Before she finished speaking, she turned her wrist and the broken dagger flashed with a cold light across her neck.
Blood spurted out.
Madam Wei's body swayed slightly, but a peaceful smile, as if relieved, appeared on her face. She knelt down in the distance, facing north, as if paying a distant homage to her former master. After that, she remained silent.
A great leader of the Northern Dynasty ended his life just like that.
Heroes, emperors, generals, all must die.
In the tragic canyon, only the howling wind remained.
Qing Guiyu hated to see such disrespect for life, but looking at the expression on Madam Wei's face, he could not feel any blame in his heart.
Lu Guiyan looked at her corpse silently for a long time before he slowly put the Wuwang Sword back into its sheath, as a final tribute to his opponent.
"Where's Shen Yan?" Shen Yan's voice seemed to be completely unconcerned. He looked around, frowning slightly, "Where's my father?"
After his reminder, Qing Guiyu suddenly realized.
Yes, where is Chen Yan?
This murderous plot at Broken Dragon Gorge was clearly a joint effort between him and Madam Wei. Now that Madam Wei was dead and the Northern Frontier Guards were wiped out, he, the mastermind, had never shown his face from beginning to end.
"After setting the ambush, he disappeared." Lu Guiyan sheathed his sword and stood up, his voice a little weak due to internal injuries. "Only Madam Wei and Gou Ji Li were left to cover their retreat."
"My father is gone." Shen Juansheng said thoughtfully. He squatted down and picked up a small whistle carved out of animal bones on the ground.
The young man in black clothes stood up and held the whistle between his fingers. "Or maybe he wasn't here from the beginning."
Chen Juansheng pulled Qing Guiyu back into his arms and swept his eyes across the battlefield littered with corpses.
"What if all this... is just a cover?"
A raging fire and a brutal ambush.
Everyone's attention was drawn here, but the real killer move had already been quietly launched in the dark, unknown to anyone.
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