521-526
Chapter 521: Seeking Shelter In The Raging Sea
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
No one was watching him.
Fan Xian knew it was his own misperception. It was like last time at the Xi Mountain precipice outside Shangjing in Northern Qi. He had felt there was a pair of eyes watching him from the mountain woods behind him. It was probably the reaction of someone faced with a difficult situation and after they experienced a shakeup of their emotions. For an idealist like Fan Xian, this was a natural reaction.
A year ago, when he had sat on the white-sailed ship to visit family in Danzhou, he had once passed the great Dong Mountain that appeared to have been split open by a god's sword. At that time, he had looked at the smooth precipice and thought mockingly to himself, Surely, I won't have to climb this mountain one day, right?
He had never thought that all of this would become reality.
Mathematically, in the great dome above, were the heavens really just watching him the entire time?
The great Dong Mountain's precipice was much more dangerous, slipperier, and taller than that of Xi Mountain. By the time Fan Xian reached the ground, his body had already begun to shake. The internal consumption had already begun to affect his muscles.
He was stuck to the wall as fluidly as a bat. His fingers dug into difficult-to-find cracks. He rested for a moment. Raising his head, he had long lost sight of the fire at the top of the mountain. Turning his gaze back, he could see the ocean water coming closer and closer, as well as the few army boats rocking in the sea.
These were boats from the Jiaozhou Navy. They were on guard and would not be much use in the sudden attack by the rebel soldiers at the back of the mountain. It was clear they could get away and notify the local government.
From when the incident occurred to now, the navy boats had not moved. Although Fan Xian had not discussed this matter with the Emperor, both of them knew that something had also gone wrong with the Qin family.
A corner of the moon peaked out. Fan Xian did not move in a hurry. He stuck his cheek against the icy cold precipice and felt the threads of coldness. He thought, If the Qin family were counted… This was a gathering of all the powers in the world to participate in the mission at Dong Mountain. No wonder the Emperor could not have calculated for it.
For one person to be able to draw together all the enemies in the world and have them temporarily throw aside their differences and be tightly united, what kind of realm was this? This was the realm of the Qing Emperor.
Northern Qi had not struck. But, for Yan Xiaoyi's troops to reach the foot of Dong Mountain, it was clear that the Eldest Princess and Shang Shanhu had secretive arrangements. Fan Xian rubbed his face against the icy cold stone. For such a major matter, did Haitang know about this?"
Immediately after, he gently breathed a few times. In reality, the dangerous situation at hand was, in the end, the result of many years of plotting by Chen Pingping. He had also participated a little. Regardless of whether it was the Eldest princess, Qin family, or Ye family, they had all been carefully pushed by himself and the old cripple until they had no choice but to stand against the Emperor.
If Chen Pingping knew that matters had developed like this, would he think the same as himself, hanging on the cliff right now, and feel that matters of the world were truly very wondrous?
The wind on the precipice was very strong, but the force between his hand and slippery rock face was powerful. The Tyrannical zhenqi inside his body circulated through the thick meridians and gently opened and closed them. To prevent there not being enough internal strength, the soft and natural Tianyi Dao aura slowly repaired the instability in the meridians.
He swallowed and looked up at the pin straight rock face above his head by the faint light of the moon and couldn't help feeling a lingering fear. If he didn't stick to the rock face and fell down, he would fall into the ocean with raging waves and sharp rocks. His body would probably completely shatter.
The wind on the precipice facing the ocean was too strong. It billowed past his four limbs with an icy chill. He wasn't Wu Zhu and didn't have the miraculous ability to fall in a straight line down from the open air. Thus, he plastered himself even tighter to the precipice.
Why did the Emperor know that Uncle Wu Zhu was in Dong Mountain? This question, which he never had the chance to ask, surged in his mind. It looked like the Emperor probably had some secret connection to the temples. However, the unusual death of the Great Priest last year… These things did not make sense.
A layer of cloud once again covered the moonlight. Fan Xian began to move down the precipice. After sliding for an indeterminable time, he was getting closer and closer to the pool of black water. He became more and more cautious. He raised his skill to its peak condition, ready at any moment, to meet an unknown danger.
The closer he was to the ocean, the easier it would be for him to be discovered by the rebel soldiers on the navy boats. The closer he was to the ocean, the closer he was to the little boat on the ocean.
Perhaps the rebel soldiers on the navy boats would not be able to see the slowly moving dot on the precipice in the dark, but Ye Liuyun may be able to discover him.
His fists were tightly stuck to the smooth precipice. Suddenly, his pupils constricted. He felt a chilling murderous intention behind his body.
Who had such eyesight to discover him?
Fan Xian had no time to think. Unconsciously, he decisively cut off the zhenqi making its circulation around his body. The zhenqi between his fists and the rock face suddenly became ineffective. He began to slide down.
Thud! A black arrow shot into where he had just been. The metal arrowhead pierced deeply into the precipice of Dong Mountain and created dozens of shattered stones.
If Fan Xian's reaction had been slightly slower, he would certainly have been pinned to the rock face by this unexpected arrow. However, he was still in danger. His entire body was flattened against the rock face. He slid down at an astonishing speed.
Fan Xian gave a muffled grunt. The circulation of zhenqi he had just stopped was forced again into extreme circulation. His fists slapped gently against the rock face. He barely managed to stabilize his body.
Phew! A second black arrow shot ferociously into the right side of the precipice right below his foot. It was only half an inch away from the heel of his foot.
The situation was dangerous. It was clear that the person shooting had calculated ahead and knew the speed of Fan Xian's fall. If Fan Xian had tried earlier to fall naturally to avoid the suddenly attacking arrows, he would not have escaped it.
Sweat poured down Fan Xian's back. His right hand shook. It shook half his body away from the wall and drew a half-circle in the air before sticking anew to the rock face. Now he was facing the ocean. Without time to think, he slid down another meter completely without meaning to. Immediately after, his right hand slapped against the rock face again. His body bent strangely and twisted downward.
Inside the boat on the ocean, a dozen black arrows flew toward him coolly and without mercy. They passed by his body, piercing through his clothes, and thudding viciously into the rock face.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Fan Xian dodged them tenaciously on the precipice. Counting on the endless practice since his rebirth 20 years ago, as well as the foundation he had laid down with Wu Zhu as a child, he unconsciously dodged the mysteriously appearing arrows.
The situation was dangerous. The arrows came endlessly and did not give him any chance to react. Furthermore, they seemed calculated clearly to where he was going to be next. It made it so that he could fall from the cliff at any moment.
Miraculously, Fan Xian seemed to always be able to make a decision a split second before he was hit by the black arrows. The zhenqi in his body moved ferociously along the two circulations in his body, replenishing the zhenqi he used up. It managed to barely ensure that he always had one hand stopped on the rock face.
Every time it appeared that he was going to fall, the hand stuck to the rock face would move him. It forced his body to bounce up and fall down as if he could never leave the attractive forces of the rock face.
He was like a puppet made with black materials. His four limbs were controlled by the mysterious power inside Dong Mountain's rock face. It made him perform a rigid but funny dance.
The black arrows that followed tightly behind him valiantly brushed past his body and pierced into the rock face. They created careless lines on the rock face. The front of the lines followed him, filled with murderous intention. It could pin this puppet to death at any moment with a random arrow through his heart.
…
…
The navy's ships did not get too close to the foot of Dong Mountain because of submerged reefs. There was only one person in the world who could fire arrows into the rock face at this distance. It was only that person who would be able to find a concealed Fan Xian on the rock face in such a dark night: the Qing Northern Governor, Yan Xiaoyi.
After an endless amount of time, the arrows over the ocean stopped. There was no longer a trace of Fan Xian's shadow on the precipice. The ocean and precipice each recovered their own peace. Only the sound of waves lapping against the shore could be heard. Fan Xian had finally successfully avoided the endless arrows and landed among the reefs.
Phew! The last arrow seemed to have gone wide. It pierced more than an inch in the rock face. The end of the arrow vibrated endlessly and made a buzzing sound.
A few scraps of black cloth hung on the shaft.
The sound of the waves were deafening on the reef. Fan Xian half knelt on the wet rocks and coughed uncontrollably. Fortunately, the navy's ships were too far and the sound of the waves lapping against the rock was too loud. It covered up his series of coughs, so he didn't give away his position in the darkness.
His face was deathly pale. While he had climbed down a mountain that made humankind stop in wonder and avoided Yan Xiaoyi's repeated life-stealing seemingly godlike arrows on the precipice, he had already burned through a great deal of his zhenqi and energy. The puppet dance at the final portion of the rock face appeared easy, but it was a demonstration of his highest realm. In every second and moment, his psyche was tightly wound up and brushed against the impossible. The exchange speed of the zhenqi in his body was too quick and the rate was too high. Even with the valiant meridians in his body, he still found it difficult to control.
When the flow of zhenqi had reversed, it had damaged a meridian below his diaphragm. Thus, he had begun to cough and felt a sharp pain at the front of his chest.
Compared to this, the tragic injury on his right shoulder did not worry him too much. The injury had been split apart by a sharp arrowhead that cut through muscle and cartilage running with fresh blood. It was very painful, but there wasn't anything life-threatening.
It was night time, which was a disadvantage to Yan Xiaoyi. Fan Xian, on the precipice, had the advantage. Thus, this attack and escape was not fair. No matter how powerful Fan Xian was, he still did not dodge that last arrow.
Not very many people would be able to keep their lives under such difficult circumstances and protect their own lives from Yan Xiaoyi's endless arrows.
Fan Xian lowered his body as far as possible. The seawater wet his robes. He allowed the black outfit to be soaked in water. It blended perfectly with the submerged reefs into one body.
Fan Xian was not worried that there would be poison on Yan Xiaoyi's arrows. He knew Yan Xiaoyi was arrogant and proud and had never used poison. He had also taken out a medicinal pill from his clothes and swallowed it with his saliva. In terms of using poison, not many people were better than him.
The situation on the shore was still very tense. The boats were unable to come closer to the precipice, but it felt that the pair of eagle eyes was staring at movements under the precipice. They had to kill him before Fan Xian got onto the road.
Fan Xian narrowed his eyes and looked around. The moon in the sky was not bright, but the waves were getting larger and larger. On one hand, they protected him. On the other, it made it difficult for him to find a safe path. If he were to use his qinggong on the reefs to fly out, it would be the same as giving Yan Xiaoyi an opportunity to pick him off.
Fan Xian disliked the feeling of being aimed at by a bow and unable to respond, particularly being aimed at by Yan Xiaoyi's bow.
Suddenly, a warning flashed across his mind. With a muffled grunt, his right hand slapped against the reefs. The Tyrannical zhenqi surged out with ferocious force and shattered one corner of the reef. His body followed the powerful counterforce and drew a half-circle in the air. He fell into the ocean at the quickest possible speed.
Spray bloomed up and was immediately swallowed by the increasingly larger waves. The white foam at the bottom of the precipice seemed to be incomparably angry that someone dared to underestimate their power and sink into the ocean filled with submerged reefs.
Now, Fan Xian had given away his location. Although he sunk into the ocean, he couldn't escape the chase of those eagle eyes. However, he had to jump into the ocean. He had to leave the reef that temporarily protected him at the quickest speed and with the most extreme posture. Even if the sea was in such a rage, he still had to seek shelter.
He would rather face the raging ocean and be shot to death by Yan Xiaoyi's arrow than stand on the reef and face the trembling in his heart.
A white line swept up from the ocean. It seemed to have some supernatural power. Despite the large waves, it was not disturbed by them. It silently and clearly came down Dong Mountain's precipice. It was as if a god's hand was holding a magical brush and was drawing a line in the inky and raging ocean.
The white line was actually a wave being split apart. An ancient sword was moving quickly about a meter above the line.
At the moment Fan Xian had flipped away from the reef, the white line had just touched the reef. The ancient sword and his body met in an instant then separated. No one knew whether they had touched or not.
The reef became chaotic. The sword did not stop. The intention of the sword shone through and easily split apart the reef where Fan Xian had rested earlier.
In front of this sword, reefs were just like black tofu.
The sword flew past the waves and air. It pierced into the smooth precipice of Dong Mountain. Despite the very hard rock face, the blade of the sword slid all the way in until only the hilt was left like a little round dot.
A moment later, the sword hilt shattered and round dot disappeared. From then on, the sword became one with the precipice of Dong Mountain, never to be separated again.
Chapter 522: The Heart on the Ship
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
He was surrounded by sea water. It pressed down heavily on him like a giant rock as black as ink. It poured into his mouth, nose, and ears, rendering him unable to breathe. His body swayed back and forth with the unseen currents like a dazed fish. At any moment, he could be smashed against the invisible reefs.
Suddenly, Fan Xian opened his eyes. His eyes were calm. His cheeks gradually swelled up. Using the air pressure inside his body, he managed to create a sort of equilibrium with the seawater outside. Stretching out his right hand, he made a line in the water and grabbed onto the corner of a reef at the bottom of the sea, stabilizing his body on the seafloor. He was a full meter and a half from the surface of the water.
The sword strike from the heavens earlier had not pierced his body, but the wave of sword intention had sunk into his heart meridian and caused him internal damage. This mark of damage was even more terrifying than Yan Xiaoyi's arrow.
The Tyrannical zhenqi in Fan Xian's body circulated quickly, resisting the might of nature, while Tianyi Dao's zhenqi flowed gently through his body. It slowly soothed the injury brought on by Ye Liuyun's surprising sword strike.
Being at the bottom of the ocean, he was unable to immediately heal himself. He could only suppress the injury for a while.
The rapid circulation of two different qualities of zhenqi in his body put a great deal of pressure on it. One wave of power welled up in his body. Gradually, two streams of blood flowed out of his nostrils. Disturbed by the hidden currents in the water, it immediately dispersed into a fog of blood and enveloped his face. The arrow injury on his shoulder also began to bleed heavily.
He was like a leather satchel filled with red paint that had been pricked with two little holes. It looked terrifying.
Fan Xian's cheeks were swollen. His eyes were round and bulging. His face had already changed shape. One hand held onto the hidden reefs while he looked up toward the surface of the ocean like a toad. The difference he was bleeding and didn't know when he would give up. He was unable to smile and didn't have the state of mind to smile. Thinking of the dangerous scene earlier, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.
The sea water untied his hair. It floated messily like seagrass. A complicated expression flashed through his eyes on his deathly pale face. Yan Xiaoyi's arrow was still waiting for him on the surface, so he couldn't immediately rise out of the water.
As for the Great Grandmaster speeding across the waves on the ship, after his first strike had no effect, presumably he had lost interest in attacking him.
Fan Xian didn't know how long he stayed in the water. The skin on the hand with which he held onto the reefs felt a bit strange. As he stared up at the flat surface of the ocean, he couldn't find any way to escape the danger. He felt a glimmer of regret. Yesterday, he should have brought the chest with him. If he had that chest at his side, he wouldn't be so suppressed right now by Yan Xiaoyi.
This proved that the person Fan Xian was most on guard against after his rebirth was still the Emperor of Qing Kingdom. Perhaps this was a remnant from history or an instinct of his subconscious mind, but he was unwilling to show his trump card to the Emperor.
Even in the current situation, in which he and the Emperor were tied tightly together and were about to welcome the strongest enemies in the world, he still did not want the Emperor to know that the chest was at his side.
He, like Chen Pingping, did not know the Emperor's trump card. He didn't know what reaction the Emperor would have after learning that he had such a killing machine.
This kind of thinking influenced Fan Xian's decision. Thus, he had sunk into his present dangerous situation. Fortunately, he had not died by the arrows or sword. If the story of the dance tonight below the precipice, black arrows, and swing of the sword spread under heaven, everyone's acknowledgement of Fan Xian would reach another level.
A Great Grandmaster and the most powerful ninth-level ace in the world were unable to kill Fan Xian. This was enough for him to be boastful.
The Tyrannical zhenqi in his body valiantly provided the necessary nutrients his body needed. Being unable to breathe air, he wouldn't be able to last too long. Fan Xian's nose was no longer bleeding or was the injury on his shoulder, which had already turned white in the sea water like the belly of a dead fish. A glimmer of unswerving determination flashed across his deathly pale face. His right hand went down again and picked up a large rock from the bottom of the ocean.
For now, he didn't float up. Instead, he chose a stupid method he had learned from watching Huo Yuanjia in his previous life.
At that time, Huo Yuanjia was walking across the bottom of a lake while, whereas Fan Xian was walking across the bottom of the ocean. Holding onto the large rock, he used the weight of the stone to steady his body so that it did not waver under the attack by the hidden currents at the bottom of the ocean. He walked determinedly forward along the sandy bottom but did not follow the shoreline to try and get onshore and break through the blockade.
There were aces blocking on both sides of Dong Mountain. He could not be sure that the remnants of his zhenqi could support him for very long walking underwater. So, he chose the closest path, which would allow him to rise out of the ocean.
He walked to a position below the ships of the Jiaozhou Navy. Raising his head, he opened his eyes and glanced calmly at the bottom of the boat, which was slightly darker than the color of the sea water. A powerful desire to escape danger heightened all his senses to the point that he could even see the lichen and barnacles on the bottom of the wooden ship clearly.
He let go of the heavy stone. The stone did not make much noise landing on the bottom of the ocean. It only stirred up some mud and sand. Fan Xian slowly drew two half circles and carried out one last adjustment to his breath before relaxing his body and rising up as naturally as possible with the buoyancy of the water. He was terrified of alerting Governor Yan, who had eyes like an eagle, ears like a shark, and a nose like a dog.
Maintaining the rigidity of driftwood and the sensation of deadwood, Fan Xian slowly floated to the bottom of the military boat. He carefully moved toward the outside of the bottom of the ship. He still didn't poke his head out of the water. He carefully watched for movement on this boat through 10 centimeters of water.
It was a gamble. The reason he had chosen this ship was because Yan Xiaoyi had not fired from this boat. However, if the helper he was looking for was not on this ship, Fan Xian could only dive again to try his luck on another boat. He didn't know if he would be able to make it to another boat at that time.
Fortunately, his luck was pretty good.
A wicked smile rose to Fan Xian's deathly pale face as he floated in the sea. He thought to himself that his luck in this lifetime was truly incomparable.
He saw a hand on the ship's railing. The hand hung very naturally outside of the railing and was lightly tapping without sound, maintaining a steady but strange rhythm.
…
…
There were five naval ships moving slowly on the surface of the sea. Under the light of the moon, these ships looked like demons looking for prey. Slicing across the water, they were prepared to pin a prey at the bottom of the ocean to death at any moment.
There were another three boats far away from this group. They maintained a relatively larger distance. They were responsible for taking over as well as keeping an eye on a larger area.
On one of the ships, the light in the middle cabin was very dim. The Jiaozhou Navy captain responsible for this ship was Xu Maocai. He was sitting coldly in a heavy chair. Two of his three trusted soldiers were outside the cabin on guard duty. One of them was responsible for making contact with the navy's flagship.
He only kept one of his trusted soldiers at his side. The face of this trusted soldier was in the darkness behind the light, so his features couldn't be seen clearly. One could faintly see that his face was deathly pale, like he had been scared by the largescale battle.
It was silent on the ship when that trusted soldier suddenly opened his mouth and said.
"Why did the Jiaozhou Navy also rebel?"
Xu Maocai was already the third-ranked figure in the Jiaozhou Navy with sufficient power in his hands. For such a major event as tonight, if he did not have inside information, he would not dare follow the navy's flagship and surrounded the sea around Dong Mountain.
He lowered his head and then slowly opened his mouth and said, "Young master, the situation right now is not that the Jiaozhou Navy has rebelled. Rather, it is you who rebelled.
That trusted soldier was the person with incredible luck who had quietly snuck onto the military ship, Fan Xian. Xu Maocai was originally someone from Quanzhou Navy. The hand that had lain outside of the railing proved that he had secretly anticipated that Fan Xian would be able to escape alive. Thus, Fan Xian had enough trust in him. However, after hearing these words, Fan Xian still furrowed his brows.
Fan Xian and the Emperor had long guessed what the Eldest Princess would do. For such a major action as surrounding Dong Mountain, the news could only be controlled for a few days. In the end, the Emperor would be assassinated and the Crown Prince would inherit. For the matter of the Emperor being assassinated, someone had to shoulder that.
That person must have the power to kill the Emperor and the motivation to take action. Only then would it be enough to convince the empress dowager and officials in court. Even if they couldn't convince them, they had to give people some kind of emotional explanation.
Among the people who went to Dong Mountain to worship heaven, the only person who had the power to kill the Emperor was the person who held 500 Black Knights in hand and secretly had countless aces under his command, Commissioner Fan Xian of the Overwatch Council.
As for the motivation to kill the Emperor, presumably, given the Eldest Princess's cleverness, she would tie it to the Ye family whom the empress dowager was cautious against.
"You didn't make a response. I trust you didn't send a message to Wu Gei. You also haven't sent one to Hou Jichang."
Fan Xian stood behind Xu Maocai and stared coldly at the side of his face. In order to stop someone suddenly coming into the room, he had only roughly bandaged his injury in the back of the boat and disguised himself as Xu Maocai's trusted soldier, always standing behind him.
"I had you stay with the Jiaozhou Navy for such a day as this." Fan Xian's tone was calm, but there was a glimmer of anger contained in it. "In the end, you didn't do anything. The Overwatch Council wants to assassinate the Emperor. Perhaps this could convince some of the officers in the navy, but how could you believe it? Furthermore, why would Yan Xiaoyi be on the navy's ship? Do these navy officers not have questions in their mind? Why would they believe in your loyalty and have you come to Dong Mountain?"
Xu Maocai lowered his head and thought for a while. "Concerning the assassination matter, some people should believe it. After all, the Overwatch Council's reputation is not very good. Furthermore, we received message yesterday that 500 Black Knights had traveled through the night from the campsite in Jiangbei toward Xiao Mountain. In the Shangdong Road region, there was suddenly no more news. Thus, if someone said that the Black Knights were rushing here to assassinate the Emperor, it was believable."
Fan Xian's heart trembled slightly. He had moved the Black Knights, but they had not gotten close to Dong Mountain's area. If he was tricked again by the Jingdou people, if the Emperor really didn't escape this time, then it would really be quite difficult to explain. Fortunately, he still had a few trump cards.
Xu Maocai once again described the military situation in detail. The more Fan Xian listened, the more helpless he felt. He had only been on the summit for a day and half a night, yet the story being spread was very different to what he knew. Apparently, he had colluded with Dongyi's Sigu Jian to assassinate the Emperor? Sh*t…was this kind of framing not too childish?
Fan Xian knew that it was not important what tricks were used. As long as victory was decided through ability, no matter how childish the framing was from the Eldest Princess's side, it would all become firm truths in history books.
"Of course, most of the navy has doubts. I even think that some people actually know the truth about the incident this time at Dong Mountain," Xu Maocai said coldly. "Even if they know the truth, so what? If it was still Admiral Chang Kun, given he and those old generals' fear toward the Emperor, they would never have dared to participate in this matter. However, last year, you went on a killing spree in Jiaozhou. Many of the old generals have already been killed. Countless younger generals have begun to feel a chill in their hearts toward the court. Presently, the Jiaozhou Navy belongs to the Qin family. Even if they actually wanted to rebel, I believe the officers on these naval ships below Dong Mountain would be happy to do so."
Calmly, Fan Xian said, "You should know the truth. I had never doubted the change in the navy. The Emperor also understands the Qin family well. I trust that he has follow-up plans. That is why I find it strange that you have won the trust of the Eldest Princess's faction."
He suddenly furrowed his brows and said, "Feeling chilled toward the court, presumably there is your hard work in this matter. Maocai, I wanted you to remain in the Jiaozhou Navy, not to have you create a rebel army."
Xu Maocai was silent for a moment. He suddenly rose and bowed deeply toward Fan Xian. Sincerely, he said, "Young master, I am not talented. I have never been able to have complete control of the Jiaozhou Navy in my hand. Since the Eldest Princess is going to rebel, and the Qin family has also joined in, you should be able to see… There is also the Great Grandmaster on the sea. This opportunity is very rare."
He stared at Fan Xian's deathly pale face. A glimmer of staunch loyalty and heat flashed across his eyes. He gritted his teeth. "Young master, take the opportunity and rebel!"
Fan Xian stared into Xu Maocai's eyes and didn't speak for a long time. He knew of the loyalty this Captain had for him, or rather, for his mother. As for the treasonous suggestion he had just made, it was not that he had not guessed at it. He only shook his head gently.
"Why?" Xu Maocai lowered his voice. "Presently, all the truly powerful people in the world have been drawn to the great Dong Mountain. Jingdou is only an empty husk. Young master, you could go ashore and contact the Black Knights around the Xiao Mountain area, then bound across the thousand li to Jingdou and collaborate with Director Chen from the outside. With one move, you could control the Royal Palace. After both sides here have suffered heavy losses, you could, with your identity as a prince, raise your arm and call for action from up high in Jingdou. The great matter would be done!"
"Completely impossible." Fan Xian did his best to moderate his tone to prevent hurting the person in front of him. Gently, he said, "The Emperor has always been on guard against me and has never let me control the army. How could a mere 500 Black Knights enter Jingdou? There are 10,000 in the garrison outside Jingdou. There are the guards of the 13 gates inside Jingdou. Plus, the Imperial Army as 3,000. How could I defeat them?"
"The commander of the Jingdou Garrison is the Great Prince's trusted aide, while the Imperial Army is controlled by the Great Prince. The guards of the 13 city gates answer only to the Emperor. Once the Emperor is no longer here, they are like headless people." It was clear that Xu Maocai was well-prepared and reeled off each reason methodically. "Young master, since you dare to brave the risk of breaking through the blockade, you must be carrying items from the Emperor. It should be a personally written letter, the royal seal, or something like it. You can enter the Palace alone and win Yi Guipin's support. Outside the Palace, you can ask Director Chen to act. In one move, you could sweep away the Crown Prince and Second Prince's power…"
Fan Xian waved his hand to stop his words and said, "All of this is built on the condition that the Great Prince supports me."
Xu Maocai didn't wait for him to finish and admonished, "If the Emperor is dead, you hold the royal seals in your hand. You are good friends with the Great Prince. Who is he going to support other than you?"
"What about the Qin family?" Fan Xian stared into his eyes. "And the Ye family in Dingzhou? How many soldiers do they have together? The Ye family has already run the Jingdou garrison for 20 years. It is impossible for the Great Prince to control it completely."
"What about it?" Xu Maocai lowered his voice. "The Qing court has seven Roads of elite soldiers. Yan Xiaoyi is in Dong Mountain, so the Northern camp cannot be moved. The Ye family only controls two branches. And, there are still four roads of elite soldiers. As long as you can control the Palace, these four roads of elite soldiers belong to you. Even if it will be dangerous in Jingdou at first, in less than half a month, everything will turn around!"
"The reason you are hesitant is that you've never closely analyzed just how much power you can command." Xu Maocai stared into Fan Xian's eyes. "The Emperor is assassinated in Dong Mountain. You have the royal seal and Emperor's handwritten letter as evidence. The crime of assassination could easily be placed on the Eldest Princess, Crown Prince, and Second Prince. This gives you a nominal reason. In less than half a month, this would have been acknowledged by the four roads of elite troops. Although you have no one in court, Prime Minister Lin has probably left a number of people to you. As for the initial shock and instability of the situation in Jingdou, Director Chen is the best at dealing with these matters. Furthermore, don't forget Minister Fan, he is certain to support you."
Fan Xian was silent for a long time. He admitted that Xu Maocai had secretly put in a lot of effort and time for him into the matter of rebellion. If he could get away from the ocean, shake off Yan Xiaoyi's attack, and return to Jingdou, perhaps the power of Qing Kingdom might truly not be far from his hands.
Was this alluring? Fan Xian didn't know. His state of mind was clear, but he had not thought in that direction at all.
"First, I have to ensure that I can reach Jingdou alive," Fan Xian looked at Xu Maocai and said calmly. "The biggest problem is that your entire deduction is built on the foundation that the Emperor will be assassinated on Dong Mountain. But, who told you that the Emperor would certainly die this time?"
Chapter 523: Chase (1)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The sea wind swept through the boat. The waves moved the boat up and down. Although the lamp chained to the wall of the boat would not fall to the ground, the flame in the lantern was at times larger and other times smaller. The illumination left the two people's faces shadowed and unclear.
From outside, faint sounds of messages being delivered could be heard. A trusted soldier knocked and entered. He reported something to Xu Maocai and then hurried out of the cabin. Everyone within a 20 li radius of Dong Mountain had sunk into a tense and terrified atmosphere. Regardless of whether they knew the truth of the matter or not, they all felt fearful and uneasy.
"Expand the search area," Xu Maocai lowered his voice and said. His expression was complicated. Fan Xian's words earlier had directly upturned all his thoughts. If the Emperor didn't die… But, Xu Maocai did not believe Fan Xian's deduction. Although he didn't know everything about the Eldest Princess' plan, looking at the situation at hand, how could the Emperor come down alive from Dong Mountain?
While he was thinking, Fan Xian quietly watched from the side. It was clear that Xu Maocai had played a fairly important role in the rebellion of the Jiaozhou Navy. Otherwise, the Eldest Princess' faction would not have allowed him to come and carry out tasks. Fan Xian knew that Xu Maocai had never had any feelings of loyalty toward the Qing court. He only had were feelings of hate and a desire for revenge. The so-called rebellion was simply going with the flow. The person he was helping with the rebellion was himself.
That was why Xu Maocai had not followed Fan Xian's previous orders and contacted the Jiaozhou Zhizhou, Wu Gefei, or Hou Jichang at the first opportunity. Why he had not told the Overwatch Council about the Jiaozhou Navy's strange movements, creating the difficult situation of Dong Mountain being surrounded?
He was the deepest piece Fan Xian had buried in the Jiaozhou Navy. Because he now had his own thoughts, he completely lost his original use.
Fan Xian could not fly into a rage. His anger was light because he understood the man's heart.
Xu Maocai saw that there was no way to convince Fan Xian. His expression became a bit dim. A moment later, he said, "I had originally planned to order my men to carry out a counterattack on the sea at the last moment to destroy the navy's blockade, forcefully land ashore to get you down the mountain, and then head for Jingdou."
Fan Xian's heart leapt. Given the boats in Xu Maocai's hands and strength of about a thousand soldiers, if he wanted to land and get Fan Xian down the mountain, he presumably had the determination and courage to do so in the face of certain death.
"I didn't think that you would…" Xu Maocai shook his head and sighed. He couldn't stop a glimmer of respect and fear rising into his eyes. In the eyes of these people, someone who was able to escape down the sheer and jade-smooth precipice of Dong Mountain seemed to have already left the realm of mortals.
Xu Maocai continued speaking, "Your guess was right. The Qing family was one reason that the Jiaozhou Navy joined in on the Eldest Princess' plan. My participation was more important. if I had let you run into danger on the mountain, I would not be able to atone for it even with ten thousand deaths. However, it was fortunate that because of this reason, Governor Yan trusts me a great deal. I don't think he will think to search this boat. You can relax and stay here."
Fan Xian coughed and shook his head. "I have to get back to Jingdou." After he got on the boat, he had asked Xu Maocai, at the first moment, about the situation of the blockade on the ocean and on land. He learned that the blockade involved countless powerful people in addition to the terrifying ninth-level assassins from Dongyi. If he wanted to break the blockade on land, it would be difficult.
"Can you have the boat go north for 3 li?" He furrowed his brows. "Three li away, those people will be unable to control a wider area. I should be able to find an opportunity."
"Too many eyes watching. We'll have to wait." Xu Maocai glanced at him worriedly and sighed. In his opinion, returning to Jingdou right now was not the most urgent matter. The wisest decision would be first to think of some way to make contact with the Black Knights and the people in Jingdou, and then watch the tigers do battle.
If Fan Xian could get back to Jiangnan, inform Xue Qing, and then head back to Jingdou though Wu Zhou, he would have a follow-up ready. This was the cleverest action. However, such a decision was, without question, was not one that normal people could make. There were too many people that needed his care in Jingdou. In Fan Xian's position, he had to think deeply about the existence of the Qing Kingdom and whether or not a war would arise.
"I can't wait too long," Fan Xian lowered his voice and said straightforwardly. The flame in the lamp brightened and dimmed with the waves outside the cabin. It gave his face a rarely seen expression of worry.
He could throw aside Dong Mountain because Uncle Wu Zhu, whom he was most worried about, had a definite advantage in the environment of Dong Mountain compared to Ye Liuyun, Sigu Jian, and even old Eunuch Hong. No one would be able to keep him. While Jingdou needed him to return urgently, they needed the royal seal hidden in his clothes and the Emperor's personal letter to the empress dowager.
"Outside the Danzhou port, you're on the boat?" Fan Xian asked in a low voice as he continued to stand behind Xu Maocai in the outfit of a trusted soldier.
"Yes."
Having received a definitive response, Fan Xian immediately asked, "When did Yan Xiaoyi board the ship?"
"Not sure," Xu Maocai answered. "It should be on the way from Danzhou to Dong Mountain."
Fan Xian's brows furrowed. It seemed the alliance with the Eldest Princess' faction had received each other's acknowledgment. There were not many internal clues that could be used. "While in Danzhou, you should have seen a white-sailed ship."
Xu Maocai tilted his head in confusion and said, "That was the boat you were on. Of course, I noticed."
"I want to get onto the boat." Fan Xian's eyes narrowed slightly. His tone gave a sense of certainty and that he would brook no disobedience. "At this time, Yan Xiaoyi's eyes had probably already risen from the bottom of the ocean. I want to go ashore, but it is too difficult. Is there any way to move slightly north on the ocean?"
Xu Maocai furrowed his brows and said, "We might as well take the boat directly to Danzhou. However, that will depend on luck."
Fan Xian thought for a while and then nodded. "My luck has always been extraordinarily good."
…
…
On the dark ocean, the boat closest to Dong Mountain had its lanterns lit. It was doing its best to maintain contact with the other ships nearby. The ship was massive. Compared to Dong Mountain, which stretched between the heaven and earth, it was pathetically small. It was like a green pea in front of a piece of white paper.
The soldiers on the ships watched the surface of the ocean anxiously, as if they could find some clue from among the sea water. Occasionally, someone would call something out. Many of the soldiers had bows in their hands ready to fire into the ocean at any moment.
A long time had passed since the shadowy figure on the precipice had disappeared into the ocean waves. Countless people were looking for a trace of Fan Xian between the sea to the land on either side of the great Dong Mountain. No one thought Fan Xian would be hiding on their own boat.
Yan Xiaoyi stood at the head of the boat in light archery armor. The trusted soldier beside him helped him carry the heavy gold bow. He picked up a cup of strong liquor from the wooden table next to him and swallowed all of it in one gulp. He continued to look coldly at the waves below the precipice. Although a lot of time had passed, he still believed that Fan Xian had not died.
Although Fan Xian had been hit by one of his arrows and intimidated by a wave-breaking sword strike, Yan Xiaoyi still did not think Fan Xian was dead. He gave out the order for officers and soldiers on the sea to increase efforts to track him down.
Yan Xiaoyi knew that Fan Xian was injured, but he unconsciously hoped he was still alive. It would be best if he could come before him still alive so he could viciously fire an arrow straight into his throat. He hated Fan Xian. He loathed that pretty boy. He knew the death of his only son had to be related to Fan Xian. Additionally, that night in the Jingdou alley he had held a hard bow in his hand but had completely lost in the confrontation with Fan Xian through the fog. This was a humiliation he couldn't endure.
Fan Xian had to die by his hands to wash clean this humiliation.
"You won't have such good luck this time." A vicious light flashed through his eyes. He stared without moving at Dong Mountain's precipice but began to the think of the scene he saw earlier, which had shocked him.
Unbelievably, that pretty boy was able to slide down from such a tall, steep, and slippery slope.
If Yan Xiaoyi's realm had not been so extraordinary with such astonishing eyesight, the naval officers on the sea would not have discovered any trace of Fan Xian. He could probably have escaped a thousand li away through the water and all the rebel soldiers would still have thought that the young Commissioner was trapped on the mountain.
This was not an issue of luck. This was an issue of strength. Yan Xiaoyi's heart felt slightly chilled. He was shocked by the power Fan Xian had demonstrated. Because this ship was too far from the precipice, his 13 arrows had not been able to pin Fan Xian to the precipice. He only managed to injure him. This reality made it difficult for Yan Xiaoyi to suppress the emotion on his face.
How could he allow such a powerful enemy to escape tonight's deadly setup?
"How is the search going on each ship?" Yan Xiaoyi asked with a cold expression. When no trace of Fan Xian was found in the water, the first thing he thought of was that the kid must have climbed up one of his boats from the water. The Jiaozhou Navy people that come this time were all deeply aware of the true situation, so Yan Xiaoyi did not suspect them.
Admiral Qin Yi of the Jiaozhou Navy glanced at him and said in a low voice, "He's not on the boat."
He was a second generation figure of the Qin family, a cousin of Qin Heng, and Deputy in the Bureau of Military Affairs. Because of Fan Xian's investigation of Jiaozhou, it gave him the opportunity to take over the position of Jiaozhou Navy Admiral. Since he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Yan Xiaoyi at the head of the boat, the Qin family's stance was clear.
"Be careful. He is very cunning. Since he has come down from the mountain, he must have very important things with him. If he is allowed to return to Jingdou, it will probably greatly affect the Eldest Princess's and old Qin master's plan," Yan Xiaoyi said heavily.
Qin Yi agreed. Although he was a first-rank naval admiral, in front of Yan Xiaoyi, this super-Governor, he didn't have any right to be strong-willed. Each side looked after the other, but the person with true speaking power was Yan Xiaoyi.
Yan Xiaoyi looked at the ocean in front of him and suddenly furrowed his brows. "I'm worried that Fan Xian has already gone ashore from the bottom of the ocean."
"No one can hold their breath at the bottom of the ocean for so long." Qin Yi shook his head. "There are your trusted soldiers camped on the shore and those aces from Dongyi. They shouldn't give him any opportunities."
A strange smile rose on the corners of Yan Xiaoyi's lips. He thought to himself that the pretty boy was able to slide down a sheer precipice of hundreds of meters tall, how could he be judged by common logic?
Seeing Yan Xiaoyi's worry, Qin Yi calmly said, "Tomorrow or, at the latest, the day after tomorrow, the plan will begin to roll into action in each of the provinces bordering the road. Although we are unable to use the name of the Overwatch Council, once we send out a message out that Fan Xian has assassinated the Emperor and is the most wanted criminal in the world, how can he run?"
Yan Xiaoyi glanced at him mockingly and didn't say anything. He thought to himself that a normal martial artist could not understand the power of a ninth-level ace. If Fan Xian was allowed to go ashore and dive into the sea of people, even if the court was swayed by the Eldest Princess and pinned the crime of rebellion on him, no one could promise that Fan Xian would not be able to enter the capital.
"If Fan Xian managed to escape and got ashore, he will certainly find the closest branch of the Overwatch Council and send a message to Jingdou," Yan Xiaoyi said coldly. "Although there are Overwatch Council secret agents in every province and place, the ones he trusts the most and are the closest to him are, without question, are the people he left in Danzhou."
Qin Yi replied, "I'll immediately have someone go to Danzhou."
If Fan Xian was on the boat at this moment and heard these words, he would surely have loved to hold and kiss Yan Xiaoyi. On Xu Maocai's ship, he had been thinking hard about how he could return to his boat in Danzhou. Unexpectedly, Governor Yan had given him an opportunity.
However, why did he want to go to Danzhou?
…
…
Yan Xiaoyi arranged everything and then slowly raised is head. His right index finger and middle finger unconsciously bent together. This was a habitual motion from many years of living with a bow. With the bending of his fingers, his gaze had already landed on the distant and dark summit of Dong Mountain.
He knew the Emperor was there and what the Emperor would face. Even though the rebellion had progressed to such a stage, as a military man, he still felt one part admiration, three parts fear and respect, and five parts unease toward him.
If his only son had not died and made him clearly understand that his son would never be as precious as the Emperor's son, perhaps Yan Xiaoyi would have chosen another method and not be where he was tonight.
Fortunately, he didn't need to personally interfere in the events on the summit of the mountain. Yan Xiaoyi thought to himself, The soldiers from in front of the mountain gate had been handed to that person. It was part of the deal. It also smoothed his emotions.
He bowed respectfully toward the sea, hoping that the elder on the boat about to ascend Dong Mountain would take his greetings to the Emperor.
Chapter 524: Chase (2)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
A white milk-like fog lay on the surface of the ocean. It was silent all around. Only the faint sound of water lapping at the side of boats came through. The sound became clearer and clearer as three black ships gradually emerged like spirits through the fog and revealed their entirety.
Xu Maocai stood at the head of the boat. He was conveying something in a low voice to a subordinate officer. The group of three boats were following orders as they went north along the seashore. Before too long, they had reached the designated location. From there, it were still about 20 li to Danzhou. The Overwatch Council's white-sail ship was stopped on the dock in the south of Danzhou.
With the cover of the thick fog, these three boats were able to come near the Overwatch Council ship. However, this added unknown troubles to their search. The naval soldiers knew that the black-clothed man who had escaped in the night from Dong Mountain was their current target, Fan Xian. They were unsure why their superiors had sent them to the south of Danzhou. They didn't know that Yan Xiaoyi had determined that after Fan Xian escaped, he would, at the first possible moment, make contact with his trusted aides on this white-sail ship.
Fan Xian wore a slightly loose uniform of a trusted soldier. He bundled up the black night walking clothes and his equipment. He hid in the front cabin of the battleship and was not worried that he would be discovered by someone on the boat. He peeked through the gap in the window toward the outside with slightly narrowed eyes. In his heart, he was worried about the boat on the other side of the fog.
Three boats sailed north on the ocean, maintaining the optimal distance from the seashore. Xu Maocai once again tried to get closer to the shore but worried that too large a movement would raise the suspicions of the seekers. Thus, during this hour, Fan Xian had no way to escape ashore.
Fan Xian had thought about escaping alone, but he couldn't let go of his subordinates in the south of Danzhou. There was still a small group of the Qinian Unit on the boat and Hong Changqing, whom he liked very much, was still on the boat handling affairs. At this moment, the three battleships giving chase had surrounded them. If he ran now, what would he do about his subordinates' deaths?
He didn't know whether or not Yan Xiaoyi was on these three boats. A wave of anger and helplessness surged in his heart. He had always thought his luck was extremely good. He had only discovered now that such a thing as luck was a double-edged sword.
If he didn't show himself, the Overwatch Council boat would certainly become the navy's main target. No one on the boat would be able to survive.
If the three boats were all controlled by Xu Maocai, Fan Xian would, of course, have a much better way of dealing with it. The problem was that Admiral Qin Yi did not make such a mistake. The three ships were all transferred over from three different officers.
Fan Xian did not think that Yan Xiaoyi would be so neglectful. If he thought that after Fan Xian had escaped he would go in search of the Overwatch Council branch in the south of Danzhou, why would he not follow him?
He sat in a chair by the window and adjusted his breathing. He knew he was about to face a difficult dilemma. Yan Xiaoyi moving troops to attack the south of Danzhou was using his subordinates' lives to force him to show himself. Yan Xiaoyi probably already guessed that he was hiding on a boat. He just didn't know which one and couldn't make the Jiaozhou Navy lose face by coming to do a search.
Fan Xian also did not know which boat Yan Xiaoyi was on. It would be good if he knew.
The white fog grew thicker. The ocean wind also grew stronger, gradually dispersing the white cloud-like fog to either side. Through the window, one could faintly see the cliff and green trees on the shore. Stopped quietly on the seaside, the white-sail ship, which was as beautiful and lovable as a virgin and had accompanied Fan Xian for so long, also gradually came into view.
Fan Xian's heart tightened. The cliff and trees on the shore were tempting to him. If he abandoned ship and directly ascended the cliff, even if Yan Xiaoyi was on the ship right now and gave chase, he was 60 percent confident that he could escape, mingle into the sea of humanity, and head straight to Jingdou.
The allure of the ship was even stronger. The lives and deaths of the subordinates on that boat were very important to Fan Xian. When all was said and done, as a person of two lives, he still had not achieved Chen Pingping's realm. He had to board that ship and warn his still deeply asleep subordinates before the rebel army began their attack.
On the three naval battleships, the sound of tightly strung rope began to ring out. No matter how tight Fan Xian's heart was, he knew the catapults on the ships were being prepared. The people on the white-sail ship in front had clearly relaxed their guard because they were deep within Qing territory. They had no important figures to protect, so they did not notice the unusual movements on the sea.
Fan Xian's pupil's contracted slightly. He flicked his fingertips, calling Xu Maocai back into the cabin. In a low voice, he got ready to gamble.
…
…
The three ships proceeded along the shore in a line, slowly surrounding the Overwatch Council's ship. When they were still some distance away, Xu Maocai's battleship was suddenly struck by a wave. Problems appeared with the helmsman's control, so the angle of the head of the ship veered a little.
The rebel officers on the other two boats furrowed their brows slightly, thinking, Captain Xu had long experience with battle situations, yet he had made such a mistake. Seeing that it had not alerted the target beside the shore, they didn't think too much about it.
It was the negligence of a moment.
A muffled clapping sound rang out, like the movement of heavy machinery. Immediately after, a severe and piercing cry rang out from seashore covered by white fog.
A number of sharp rocks flew out from the catapult on Xu Maocai's ship. The massive weight flew across the sky above the water with terrifying speed. Enveloped by soft threads of cloth, the smashed toward the battleship closest to the seashore without any warning. A few giant booms rang out.
One piece of rock smashed into the side of the battleship right on the water line, leaving a gaping dark hole. Another piece smashed into the main mast on the battleship. With a sharp crack, the thick main mast snapped in half leaving a sharp and towering splinter. The large sail fell down with a crash and knocked down countless naval officers. The knots on the sailcloth became aimless ropes in an instant and were swept across the ship by the mast. Ripping through the air, it swept past the dazed naval officers and broke them at their waist.
It could only be said that this rock had amazing luck. In just an instant, it caused heavy injuries and death on that battleship. Countless pieces of bloody flesh and red water sprayed out.
…
…
Since these boats preparing for a secret attack, when they were secretly attacked by their own people, everything seemed sudden. There was no time to put up defenses. Seemingly in that instant, the three battleships stopped at the same time and slowed. Only the terrifying sound of enormous stones falling through the air could be heard.
"Release the arrows!" Xu Maocai yelled in a low voice with an ashen expression. Following his orders, countless flaming arrows flew out at the same time toward the already heavily damaged ship.
The flaming arrows fell like drops of rain. It was unknown whether the captain on the boat was dead or alive. There was absolutely no one organizing a counterstrike much less providing aid. In just that instant, the entire ship burst into flames. The sails above the ship became the greatest support for the flames.
Xu Maocai's expression was complicated. The people on the battleship were all his colleagues. If it had not reached the most dangerous moment, he would not have chosen this method of a sneak attack. If he had not been part of the Jiaozhou Navy for 20 years and all the officers on this ship had not all been his trusted aides, he would not have been able to organize the entire ship to attack within a short amount of time nor think the results would be so good.
He watched the white-sail ship near the shore with furrowed brows. From the unusual movements on the ship, he knew the Overwatch Council people had already reacted. He had completed the task he promised the young master.
He slightly clenched his right fist and made a gesture behind him.
…
…
On the right of the battleship that had suddenly made a despicable sneak attack, the crossbow used for close distance attacks on the ocean was suddenly activated. With a muffled sound, the entire battleship shook slightly. The crossbow with a hook sped out and struck directly on the Overwatch Council ship by the shore.
The distance between the two ships was bridged by the rope behind this enormous crossbow.
The Qinian Unit members of the Overwatch Council ran bravely to the side of the boat and tried to chop through the rope. However, they heard the sound of an arrow banner of command from within the sea fog and turned and ran. With incredible speed, they abandoned the ship and ran down the gangway that faced away from the water like countless shadows. They disappeared into the fog on the shore. They moved quickly and left one dumb-founded.
This was the reason the Overwatch Council was so powerful. All of the secret agents of the eight bureaus had the same reaction to the sound of an arrow banner of command deeply ingrained in their hearts. There was no need to ask anything. They only needed to follow the order.
The ship on the ocean burned hotly. Occasionally, a wretched cry rang out. The ship that made the sneak attack stopped on the ocean and was connected to the white-sail ship beside the shore. After the people on the Overwatch Council's ship ran away with startling speed, they left behind a dead boat. While the ship at the back increased speed.
A glimmer of fear flashed through Xu Maocai's pupils. He watched as the completely undamaged naval battleship suddenly put on speed. With astounding speed, it charged forward from the lower left corner directly into the territory of the Pin family, putting itself between his own ship and the shoreline. He could also clearly see that the ship was already making preparations for an attack.
Earlier, Xu Maocai had tossed out all the rocks and flaming arrows in exchange for such a battle result. Seeing the other party preparing to make an attack now, his first reaction was…
"Turn back! Reverse…"
Before the words "reverse the oars" had left his mouth, Xu Maocai stood with his mouth open unable to utter a single word. A gust of wind had forced itself between his lips and rendered him mute. It was wind from arrows.
…
…
A foot kicked squarely and viciously against Xu Maocai's hip bone. The powerful strength sent him flying. He crashed into the ship railing and rattled free a few planks of wood. It was because of this that he, fortunately, escaped the rain of arrows that fell down.
Just as Xu Maocai's body was kicked slightly askew, the wave of arrows brushed by his cheek. The wind on the arrows was as powerful as the wind through the mountain woods, but there was not much sound. It was all sinisterly quiet.
A faint whistling sound rang out.
Xu Maocai lay on the shattered wooden panels and looked in a daze at the scene in front of his eyes. He was so terrified, his body began to tremble.
Five naval officers bore dainty little holes on their bodies. They maintained their final expression before death, standing with their mouths open in shock. Blood flowed rapidly out of their throats, chests, and heads.
A delicate black arrow was pinned to the wooden board of the battleship. The feather vibrated at a high speed and made a buzzing sound. Blood dyed the feather. With a dripping sound, a drop of blood fell down.
A single drop of blood. A ground full of dead people. What kind of arrow was this?
Taking back the foot he had used to kick Xu Maocai, Fan Xian knew that he had lost his gamble. Yan Xiaoyi was indeed on the ship, but not on the one on fire that Xu Maocai had put everything into attacking. He knew his location was already known to Yan Xiaoyi. There was no use in continuing to hide.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the battleship that maintained its high speed as it headed toward the official ship by the shore. Looking at Governor Yan in light-black armor holding the bow silently like a god, he flipped his hand and put the light side of the Overwatch Council robe on.
He turned his head to glance at Xu Maocai, who had already lost an ear and had half his face drenched in blood. His right foot wearing calf-skin boots was already stepping on the rope connecting the two ships.
With a shake of his body, the disguised Fan Xian followed the rope in the fog and slid toward that direction. His body was slightly bowed, like a leopard cat. Soundlessly, he entered into the white fog.
With a whistling sound, an arrow did not fly toward Fan Xian body as it disappeared in the fog. Instead, it shot toward the robe from the crossbow on the right side of the ship. In a flash, the sharp tip of the arrow cut through the knot in the rope.
The rope between the two boats fell weakly into the water, but there was no sound of a person falling into the water.
…
…
Yan Xiaoyi silently put away his longbow. He looked at the ship beneath his feet as it moved at a startling speed toward the Overwatch Council's official ship.
On the other end of the fog, Fan Xian had already climbed up the broken robe like a spirit and floated into a cabin he was familiar with. He didn't have time to check whether his subordinates were injured and couldn't care about the fact that less than an arrow's flight toward him, the giant naval battleship was heading straight for him.
He ruthlessly kicked the chest in the cabin. With a snap, the solid and strong wooden chest was broken into wood shards by the endless Tyrannical zhenqi in his body. Silvery light shot in every direction.
One-hundred and thirty-thousand liang of snow-white silver poured out from the chest like a ripe pomegranate being split open.
It revealed a corner of the long and narrow black chest.
Chapter 525: Chase (3)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Fan Xian extended his arm and grabbed the black chest from among the silver ingots scattered on the floor.
A slightly rough but textured sensation came from his finger. This familiar and marvelous feeling seemed to pour an endless amount of courage and zhenqi in his body. In an instant, it made him throw off all his timidity and shock. Full of confidence, he didn't care at all about the ship that was about to crash into him.
He leapt into the cabin. This series of actions were so quick that he didn't realize there was someone beside him.
As he carried the black chest with 100 times his courage and prepared to charge out of the cabin onto the mainland to terrorize the world, he abruptly found a person wearing Overwatch Council robes next to him and involuntarily paused.
He only paused for a moment because it was Hong Changqing, his trusted aide in the Qinian Unit that he had given a heavy responsibility. There was no time to talk about anything. Fan Xian only gave him a meaningful glance. Its meaning was very clear: I fired the arrow banner of command, so why are you not running?
Hong Changqing returned his looked dazedly. The meaning in his eyes was also clear. How could he leave 130,000 liang of silver and run? Surely he has to watch it a bit longer for him?
Their gazes met and immediately separated. Hong Changqing moved with incredible speed to stand behind him. While Fan Xian's dragon-like hand left hand, which was difficult to escape from, ruthlessly grasped the back of Hong Changqing's neck.
With a zing, an arrow pierced with unerring accuracy into Hong Changqing's waist, spraying out countless blossoms of blood. Hong Changqing's face immediately became pale. Although a step earlier he had been courageously stepping in front of Fan Xian to block the arrow, he never thought that the arrow would so easily break through his knife wind and pierce his body.
The movement of the arrow did not stop. It ruthlessly plunged into the silver ingots scattered on the floor. Coincidentally, it pierced into an ingot and looked like it was wearing a bun-shaped iron label. It was cute and terrifying.
With the chest in one hand and a grasp on the back of Hong Changqing's neck with the other, Fan Xian dashed toward the tail of the boat. Behind him, arrows fell like rain as it followed his footsteps and chased after his spirit. It didn't trip him up or slow him one bit.
"Find the Black Knights and then regroup!"
Fan Xian stepped onto the railing at the tail end of the ship. He slapped one palm against the chest of the weak and unable to speak Hong Changqing. Injecting a sliver of Tianyi Dao's gentle zhenqi, he temporarily helped him seal the blood meridian. However, he had borrowed the energy from this slap and rose into the air like a big bird.
In the next instant, he had landed on the shore. He didn't turn his head to glance at Hong Changqing, who tragically fell into the ocean. Although he didn't know what degree of injury that arrow had brought, he persisted in believing that Hong Changqing would not die. Since he was able to make it out alive from the island that was hell on earth, he would certainly survive this time.
Perhaps this was a kind of psychological self-comfort, a kind of blessing, or maybe Fan Xian truly believed in Qing Wa's ability to play dead on the sea.
Xu Maocai covered the half of his face that was bleeding and said in a sinister and ruthless voice, "Reverse the oars!" The navy battleship beneath his body began to turn with great agility, leaving behind the massacre on the shoreline. At this moment, there was a layer of thick smoke on the surface of the ocean. Combined with the white fog, it made one's line of sight even worse. Xu Maocai knew he had to treasure this opportunity and leave this forsaken place far behind. He had to follow the young master's plan and begin to wander on the ocean. When it was necessary, he would rush back to Jiaozhou.
The boat reversed quickly in the water. Xu Maocai stared at the white-sail ship beside the shore. His pupils constricted slightly. He was no longer able to help Fan Xian. He worried in his heart that Fan Xian would not able to escape this.
A giant boom rang out.
The only completely undamaged ship of the three had charged onto the shore like a killer whale catching a sea lion. Ferociously and unstoppable, it crashed into the Overwatch Council's boat.
Affected by the powerful crash, the water at the shore seemed to roll. Waves half the height of a person rose up. With the shore as the center, it spread powerfully in all directions. A series of snapping sounds rang out. It seemed the Overwatch Council's official boat was falling apart from the attack.
In the moment of the collision, six or seven shadows leapt into the air from the naval battleship using the great power of the crash. In the air, they maintained their perfect postures. With barely a whisper, they landed on the tail of the strongly shaking Overwatch Council official ship.
Of the six or seven people, the most soul-assimilating one was the person in the middle. Yan Xiaoyi in light-black armor. Like a respected god, he was up high above and steadily landed as steadily on the deck at the rear of the ship as a rock. After landing, he didn't move at all.
At his side were five ace personal guards from the Northern expedition camp.
Yan Xiaoyi arrived quickly. However, Fan Xian and his subordinates in the Qinian Unit ran even faster. At this moment on the ship, other than the ground full of silver ingots and wood shavings, there was not a single person.
Yan Xiaoyi stood at the tail of the ship. Coldly watching the shore, he stared at the black dot rapidly moving away. Turning his wrist back, his right hand shook.
At some unknown time, the gold wrapped soul-stealing bow appeared in his hand. He nocked an arrow and adjusted the string. The whole series of movements were done in a single breath, as smooth as flowing water.
The distance between the tail end of the ship and Fan Xian's body was not too far or too close. It was the perfect distance to make the best use of the longbow's ability to kill. The black arrow flew from the string. Its power exceeded that of lightning and thunder.
The arrow had already condensed Yan Xiaoyi's peak spirit and power. It seemed to have secretly broken through the so-called speed limit and traveled through the barrier of space like a ghost-like enemy. In the previous moment, it was still on the bowstring. In the next, it had arrived behind Fan Xian.
Fan Xian did not have the time to turn his head and could not turn it. Even though under Wu Zhu's training he had become the person with the quickest dodge technique in the world, after going through a night of killing and escaping, he still did not have a way to dodge it.
…
…
The point of the arrow ruthlessly pierced into Fan Xian's back without mishap. No, it should have shot into the black chest Fan Xian carried on his back.
A muffled huff came from the fog on the shore. The black dot seemed to stagger and was almost pushed to the ground by this shot. For some reason, he immediately pushed up from the ground and rapidly ran into the distance.
He didn't die? He didn't die!
With the cover of the thick fog, the people on the boat could only faintly see Fan Xian's figure. Even with Yan Xiaoyi's powerful eyesight, he didn't see clearly the details of the arrow piercing the other person. A glimmer of fear and doubt appeared on the faces of Yan Xiaoyi's five trusted aides and aces. Having spent a night chasing after Fan Xian, everyone's confidence had gradually ebbed away.
There was actually someone in this world who could slide down from a smooth precipice hundreds of meters tall! There was actually someone in this world who could be shot, full strength, by the Governor and only stumble slightly!
The trusted soldiers and aces suddenly thought of the origin of the person they were chasing after. They thought of the legendary Tianmai Being and many stories related to Fan Xian.
It was inevitable that surging emotions would rise in Yan Xiaoyi's heart. However, he wore a cold expression. The change in his heart could not be seen.
He slapped the railing of the ship. The person was already floating on the shore. The faint sound of cavalry came from the woods near the shore.
The five trusted aides and aces at the tail of the ship met each other's eyes. They swept onto the shore with unswerving determination on their faces.
In a moment, a group of riders came through the woods and gave up their steeds to Yan Xiaoyi and his group.
It could not be said that Yan Xiaoyi's preparation was not sufficient. When carrying out the Danzhou killing, he used both the sea and land. How could Fan Xian escape?
The sound of hooves rang out as the group chasing after Commissioner disappeared into the fog on the shore. After the white-sail ship was heavily attacked, it began to slowly sink into the icy cold sea. Bodies and debris floated on the surface of the water.
Hong Changqing jumped down. Fan Xian jumped down. Yan Xiaoyi and his trusted aides also jumped off. One-hundred and thirty-thousand liang of silver also sank down.
The chase continued.
…
…
A day later, behind a large tree amidst the dense primitive forest north of Danzhou, Fan Xian, in black clothing, was sitting on the moss and breathing heavily. Periodically, he stretched out to wipe the blood leaking from the corner of his lips.
He gently stroked the little dot on the surface of the chest in his arms with a chill in his heart. Ever since he was young, he knew how strong that chest was. He wasn't even able to leave any marks with the black dagger that Sir Fei had given to him. Who would have thought that Yan Xiaoyi's arrow could be able to leave a mark on the chest.
From this, one could see just how powerful Yan Xiaoyi's shot was.
Presumably, they had not expected him to meet that shot directly. A small smile rose to the corner of Fan Xian's lips. With such a chest as this, he would be stupid to not use it as a bulletproof vest.
However, he knew that although the chest had stopped the tip of the arrow piercing into his body, it was not able to stop the powerful force of the arrow. Thus, he had received additional internal injuries. There were signs of his Genuine Qi becoming unstable.
That was why he would be trapped in a circle with a 10 li radius in the dense woods to the north of Danzhou by Yan Xiaoyi's group.
However, Fan Xian was not worried. On the contrary, a faint excitement welled deep in his heart. He forcefully subdued his slightly panting breaths. Lifting his fingers lightly, he opened the long and narrow chest.
The plain and unadorned metal shaped objects in the chest appeared to be simple. Fan Xian knew that this object, which could not compare in beauty with the gold wire longbow in Yan Xiaoyi's hands, was actually the most terrifying weapon in this world.
He closed his eyes and rested for a moment. Then, his hands began to move quickly in the chest. With a series of simple and beautiful clicks, a weapon that originally did not belong to this world had calmly appeared in his hands.
The last time this weapon had appeared in this world, it had directly caused the strange deaths of two of Qing Kingdom's Princes and allowed Prince Cheng to take the throne. It gave the present Qing Emperor a chance to sit on the dragon chair. In some ways, it could be said that the destruction of Wei Kingdom, the great changes under heaven, power of Qing Kingdom… The origin of all of this was the assault rifle in Fan Xian's hands right now.
M82A1, a simple code name, a black chest, and a legendary weapon.
After dealing with everything, Fan Xian closed the chest properly. Holding the gun in his arms, he rested for a bit. It was impossible for him to enter a true meditative state. Yan Xiaoyi was like a crazed tiger in the woods behind him, bound to him tightly. Plus, the metal texture in his arms caused his attention to be a bit scattered.
He felt that he was not in Qing Kingdom, not in this world. It was as if he was in the old world he had left many years ago, in the woods in Yunnan, fighting to the death with the evil mercenaries.
This absurd feeling twisted his entire state of mind. It was only extreme exhaustion and an excited anticipation of the future that stopped him from throwing down this gun.
Escaping from the seaside to here, Fan Xian never had the chance to counterattack. Perhaps it was his innate sense of cautiousness taking hold again, but he only carried the chest and wormed into the dense woods. When he passed Danzhou, he was afraid of bringing unknown disaster to his grandmother and the people in the city. So, he could not go ask for help. He drew a distant arc and lured Yan Xiaoyi and his people to the woods behind the precipice.
The earlier scene when he assembled the gun already proved that Fan Xian had not lost his training after all these years. Remembering when he was first married in Cang Mountain, he had practiced every night with this assault rifle on the snowy mountain. Thus, he was full of confidence.
If Yan Xiaoyi was a warrior who exploited the power of physics-based long-distance weapons to their limit, then Fan Xian was an amateur who trained hard and was about to attempt his first long-distance kill.
This was a duel between the peak of weapons and the culture of fire powder. From the beginning, this kind of comparison was not fair.
…
…
Thud!
An arrow ruthlessly thudded into the large tree Fan Xian was leaning again.
His eyes didn't even open. He also didn't make any defensive actions. He knew the people Yan Xiaoyi had brought were also master archers. Listening to the sound of the arrow, he knew that Yan Xiaoyi was midway up the mountain opposite, staring fixedly for any movements. The two places were separated by a large distance.
He was not stupid enough to reveal himself because of this little test.
After adjusting his breathing for an indeterminable amount of time, Fan Xian opened his eyes. He knew that his body would not be able to receive sufficient rest in this complicated and dangerous woodland attack. It would be very difficult to recover his essential energy. He could not waste too much time here.
He re-tied the black rests on his body and used his dagger to cut down some branches as a disguise. Then, he carefully checked the five small traps he had left around the tree. With his right hand holding the heavy assault rifle and using the large trees as cover, he carefully headed up the mountain.
Thinking of the people who had died tonight, Fan Xian licked his dry lips as he climbed.
Chapter 526: A Breathtaking Shot
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
If he hadn't been forced into a corner, Fan Xian would not have thought to use the chest. When he followed the Emperor to Dong Mountain to worship heaven, he had thought the Emperor had set up a ploy to play with people. Thus, he had left the chest on the boat.
The chest had always been surrounded by the 130,000 liang of silver. It had been lying exposed in the main fall in the Hua Garden in Suzhou, welcoming the gazes of all those who passed by. The Emperor and Chen Pingping lost a great deal of sleep thinking about this chest. No one had expected that Fan Xian would so boldly choose such a position. The most dangerous place was the safest place.
Currently, he was headed up the mountain. He knew that in this unfair battle, his biggest advantage was that Yan Xiaoyi had no idea what kind of weapon he was using and no knowledge of terrifying fire-powder weapons.
At a distance of 500 meters, Yan Xiaoyi could only wait to be shot by him. Once Yan Xiaoyi had come within 300 meters, given his speed and expertise with the bow, Fan Xian probably wouldn't be able to raise his head in the attack much less take aim. Thus, he had to increase the distance between them and, at the same time, wait for Yan Xiaoyi to appear in his sights.
Fan Xian did not immediately mount a counter-attack after grabbing the chest from the boat because he knew Yan Xiaoyi did not need to aim. He could fire 13 arrows in one second. Fan Xian had to take aim for a long time before he could barely manage to make a shot. If he randomly fired on the shore, he would probably become the stupidest time traveler in history.
The assault rifle was not easy to use. This was something Uncle Wu Zhu reminded him when he taught him how to use a gun. Wind speed, air temperature, the refraction of light, and the so-called "off by a millimeter, miss by a thousand li," were all discussed.
Fan Xian didn't want to randomly take aim and fire a shot into the tree 50 meters beside Yan Xiaoyi.
Once a warrior as powerful as Yan Xiaoyi experienced the might of a bullet and knew that he had such a terrifying long distance weapon, he would certainly have a way to come closer and decrease the power of the assault rifle. Thus, Fan Xian only gave himself permission to fire once.
Fan Xian had his own reasons for being careful and taking Yan Xiaoyi seriously. Ever since his youth, he had studied under Fei Jie. Before he was 16, he had learned all the Overwatch Council methods for tracking, hiding, and assassinating. When he had killed Xiao En beside the North Sea, he had already proved his ability.
After entering the woods to the north of Danzhou, Fan Xian left traps along the way and obliterated his tracks. With the help of the dense mountain wood and steep, thickly carpeted ground, Fan Xian attempted to throw off Yan Xiaoyi's tracking. However, he was not successful. Yan Xiaoyi and his group of people continued to maintain a distance of about three hundred meters from him.
It was not until the end that Fan Xian suddenly understood. In the past, Yan Xiaoyi had been a hunter in a large mountain. It seemed that he was innately equipped with a sensitivity toward his prey. Since Fan Xian was his prey, it was difficult for him to waylay his tracking. As for those traps, they were probably nothing in Yan Xiaoyi's eyes.
While Fan Xian was high in the mountain admiring Yan Xiaoyi, a few tragic cries came from the direction of the large tree he had temporarily rested against earlier.
…
…
Yan Xiaoyi watched coldly as the soldiers were pierced to death by the wooden nails. There was not a glimmer of sorrow in his eyes. On the contrary, a wild fire began to burn brightly in his eyes. Riding from the north of Danzhou to here, three of his five trusted soldiers had died to Fan Xian's tricks and traps. The person who died in front of him just now was the fourth.
Having chased him to here, the powerful ninth-level official who was very close to the realm of the Great Grandmasters, was thinking the same as Fan Xian. Each developed a sense of admiration for each other.
Yan Xiaoyi knew clearly the kind of injury his shot on the precipice and Ye Liuyun's attack had caused Fan Xian. If Fan Xian previously hovered at the ninth-level, after receiving such heavy injuries and having run all night, he was, at most, now an eighth-level ace.
He had originally thought coming out personally to chase after a heavily injured Fan Xian would be a simple matter. Despite being heavily injured, Fan Xian was still able to lay out a number of traps in the mountain. Even Yan Xiaoyi couldn't completely discover all of the traps and triggers. Thus, they killed his subordinates and prevented his movement.
A rotten air pervaded the mountain woods. No one went into the thousand li of primitive forest to the north of Danzhou. Wetlands neighbored the mountain. Wild beasts fought with slowly extending vines. On the side facing the sea, the wet wind blew across the densest vegetation in this world. The denser it was, the more danger was hidden within.
It was unknown whether this rotting scent was from the bodies of animals or a scent released by the blazing sunshine on many years of accumulated fallen leaves. In any case, it smelled terrible and was very pungent.
Yan Xiaoyi's sniffed and slowly circulated the zhenqi in his body. With great difficulty, he smelled out a scent that had been well hidden by the rotting stench.
The traps and triggers all had this scent. The deaths of Yan Xiaoyi's capable soldiers had been because of them. If he hadn't checked carefully just now, he would probably not have smelled it either.
Yan Xiaoyi did not forget that Fan Xian was Fei Jie's student and was one of the best users of poison in this world.
No one knew where else Fan Xian had put down poison in the mountain woods.
…
…
Yan Xiaoyi gazed up the mountain and narrowed his eyes slightly. He couldn't understand where Fan Xian's body obtained all this energy and courage that enabled him able to hold out.
A thought flashed through his mind. A confident smile appeared on the corners of his lips. The stronger the opponent, perhaps the more fun they were to kill.
"Governor…" the only surviving trusted soldier swallowed and said in a trembling voice. "Once someone enters the dense forests, it is difficult for them to walk out alive. After all, unlike you, Fan Xian doesn't know the secret passages in this group of mountains."
Yan Xiaoyi glanced coldly at the soldier and didn't say anything. The group of mountains to the north of Danzhou and primitive forest within the mountain was precisely what prevented land travel between Qing Kingdom and Dongyi. If it wasn't for that secret passage, it would have been impossible for the siege around Dong Mountain to succeed. For six months, Yan Xiaoyi had put all his attention on the matter of moving soldiers through the secret passage. He had a particular understanding of the horrors around this secret passage and the mountain woods around it.
It was because of this that he felt a glimmer of respect for Fan Xian.
"There are 5,000 brothers at the foot of Dong Mountain waiting for you to return. Are you really comfortable allowing that outsider to be in command?" It was clear that this soldier had been stunned by the deaths of his four brothers and Fan Xian's poison that killed the moment it touched blood. He didn't notice the expression in Yan Xiaoyi's gaze. He said, with his head down, "Even if Fan Xian could get out alive, there is the Eldest Princess holding the fort in Jingdou. Why bother with him?"
Yan Xiaoyi was silent for a moment. He then waved his hand as if indicating for the soldier to stop talking. His hand happened to swing into the soldier's face.
With a crisp crack, it was as if the soldier's head was a flattened watermelon. It twisted out of shape. His facial features had been squished to one side with the slap. Without even a muffled grunt, the soldier fell rigidly to the ground.
Yan Xiaoyi glanced coldly at the body on the ground and then walked behind the large tree. He crouched down and gently pressed on the grass that had been flattened by Fan Xian sitting on it. After confirming that Fan Xian hadn't left too long ago and direction he had left, he silently followed.
…
…
Taking aim through the optical lens at the intermittently visible figure, Fan Xian sucked in a breath of cold air. It pulled on the injury the arrow had caused on his back. He coughed in a low voice. He didn't have the thought to admire the miraculous nature of the black chest to protect the assault rifle so well and keep the optical lens so clear. He only had time to admire Yan Xiaoyi's strength of movement and powerful sixth sense.
Having hid in the bushes for a while, he kept a close eye on the region where someone would ascend the mountain. A few times he had almost locked onto Yan Xiaoyi's figure. However, he seemed to have an innate ability to sense this kind of danger. After being still for half a second, he would begin to move again. Using the large tree and dense branches as cover, he slowly neared the summit of the mountain.
Fan Xian took in a deep breath. He was worried that his coughing earlier would give away his position. Forcefully suppressing the pain on his back, he wormed out of the bush and climbed a few hundred meters up the mountain. He found another tree that needed at least five people to surround and leaned against it, breathing heavily.
The air quickly rushed into his throat. The hot temperature and greed of his body for oxygen meant that each of his breaths came in quickly. His throat felt stabs of dryness and pain. A tearing sensation began to rise in his chest.
Fan Xian loosened the fastenings at his beck and forced himself to close his mouth and use his nose to breath. Silently, he cursed in his heart. He wondered to himself why he still had no confidence despite having an assault rifle. The recoil was not very large, so why didn't he preemptively attack.
Suddenly, he heard a light thud. The giant tree behind him seemed to shake slightly. It was an arrow.
At first, Fan Xian didn't have any reaction. He immediately remembered that all of the soldiers had died. This arrow had been fired by Yan Xiaoyi. Thinking of this, his pupils immediately constricted.
He slightly bent his legs, relaxed his knees, and leaned his body slightly forward. This was all the change in posture he could do in an instant.
This posture could mitigate the power by having the powerful force move along his back and push his entire body forward. If he met it head on, the consequences could be tragic.
With a muffled buzzing sound, Fan Xian was rocked forward. A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out of his mouth. He fell into the thick grass and trees. His face and hands were covered in countless fine scratches.
On the large tree behind him, palm-sized pieces of bark fell off the tree revealing the white tree stem inside. An elegant arrow, which was like a long-hidden venomous snake, extended a black arrow tip. With the tip of the arrow as the center, the white tree stem was shattered inch by inch by the powerful zhenqi in the arrow.
Fan Xian didn't have time to see the strange sight of the tree behind him. He didn't have time to congratulate himself for not putting down the chest on his back or wipe away the blood at the corners of his lips. He was already escaping once again. Relying on his Tyrannical zhenqi to support his exhausted body, he bounded toward the summit of the mountain.
Yan Xiaoyi had only disappeared for less than five seconds from his scope, yet he had managed to get within a few hundred meters of him. This kind of technique and terrifying movement power truly made Fan Xian's heart chill.
A moment later, a light armored god-like Yan Xiaoyi appeared behind the large tree. He was completely covered with mud and also appeared wretched.
Yan Xiaoyi looked around coldly and once again gave chase. As his foot moved, he, once again, unconsciously sprawled into the bushes. He had felt a heart-chilling danger that had almost locked onto him earlier.
He had felt this kind of aura before the night when the alley in Jingdou was filled with white fog. What confused him was that to be able to lock onto him at such a distance, Fan Xian had either already reached the realm of a Great Grandmaster or, like him, had the support of a godly bow.
He continued to crouch carefully in the bush.
Fan Xian, half kneeling and taking aim from higher ground, found his was still hidden in his blind spot. He couldn't help but secretly curse. Taking back the assault rifle, he swallowed the fresh blood welling into his mouth and charged toward the summit of the mountain.
…
…
To the north of Danzhou, there were a number of tall mountains. Probably no one knew that at the peak of the mountain, where Yan Xiaoyi and Fan Xian were hunting each other down, there was a flat piece of land. The summit of the mountain was flat as grassy plains. There wasn't even a single tree. There was only knee-deep grass like a green carpet stretching all the way out.
The strange meadow at the summit stretched all the way to the side of the precipice.
In the bushes beside the precipice, Fan Xian set up the frame and calmly placed the black chest at his side. The expression on his face had already sunk into calmness. He knew he had no escape path. Even if he shouldered the chest and climbed down along the precipice, it was daytime. If Yan Xiaoyi fired downward with his bow, his only path would be death.
Furthermore, he didn't want to run anymore. He felt great shame as a gun-wielding man who was reborn into this world to be hunted down by a primitive man with a bow. If he died like this, he would certainly be laughed at by those who died earlier, particularly the one surnamed Ye.
The optical lens still could not capture Yan Xiaoyi's figure. Cold sweat began to bead on Fan Xian's forehead. Although his figure was well hidden, the general area was already known to Yan Xiaoyi. There was only so much space at the end of the meadow near the precipice. Yan Xiaoyi would eventually close in on him.
The closer Yan Xiaoyi was to him, the smaller his chances of victory.
…
…
Yan Xiaoyi finally revealed himself. He moved forward along a strange path in the grass like an eagle. It was clear that although he didn't know what Fan Xian had in his hands, he knew it was something that could be a threat to him.
The opening of Fan Xian's gun was extended into the grass and moved endlessly from side to side. He was still unable to lock onto the rapidly moving figure.
Although the other person was moving forward and then retreating back, as if he was drawing a spiral, Fan Xian knew be that a spiral eventually had to rise. Yan Xiaoyi was gradually reducing the distance between them.
Five hundred meters.
The sweat formed faster and faster on his forehead and gradually seeped into his eyes.
Four hundred meters.
Fan Xian felt a glimmer of helplessness. It was an emptiness at first thinking the world was within in his hands and then discovering that everything was just an illusion. He had no way of hitting Yan Xiaoyi in one shot. If Yan Xiaoyi came a bit closer, he would certainly be able to use the bow in his hands and turn him into a hedgehog.
Three hundred and fifty meters.
If he actually let Yan Xiaoyi get closer to him, given Fan Xian's current condition, it would be impossible for him to escape from a ninth-level ace.
It was not until this moment that Fan Xian finally understood the meaning of the assault rifle in his hand. There was no meaning. No matter how powerful a weapon was, it ultimately depended on who was holding it. It was nothing more than a fool's nonsense to try and sweep through the world relying on an assault rifle.
He couldn't even kill Yan Xiaoyi. What chance did he have against the strange old creatures at the summit of Dong Mountain?
Sweat dripped painfully down the small scratches the grass and leaves left earlier. Fan Xian's heart became gradually calmer and calmer. He knew that he couldn't allow Yan Xiaoyi to continue coming closer, but he could not accurately aim at the quickly moving figure. At such a crucial juncture, it seemed that he needed some luck.
Other than luck, he also needed courage and decisiveness.
"Yan Xiaoyi!"
A loud cry came from the meadow at the top of the mountain. Wearing all black, Fan Xian suddenly stood up from the bushes and raised the assault rifle in his hands, taking aim at the not so far away Yan Xiaoyi.
This loud cry startled the confused and ignorant creatures in the meadow. A cunning rabbit got ready to race to its nearest burrow. A vole munching on grassroots stopped its movements. Its two front paws lowered slightly as it prepared to run away at any moment. Countless birds hiding in the meadows spread their wings in preparation of flying away from this dangerous area.
Following that cry, in an instant, Yan Xiaoyi made a decision that he would regret for the rest of his life, or perhaps not have the time to regret.
He stopped and took off the gold wire bow from his back as quickly as he could. Standing steadily on the meadow with one foot in the front and one in the back, he used his full strength to stretch the bow into a full moon. An icy arrow was aimed directly at Fan Xian, who had revealed himself.
At that moment, Yan Xiaoyi saw clearly the thing Fan Xian held in his hands. He didn't recognize it. Perhaps it was the Overwatch Council's newest crossbow?
Since Fan Xian had already shown himself and was using courage that he had not shown in a day and a night to carry out a direct confrontation with him, Yan Xiaoyi gave Fan Xian this opportunity.
It was not that Governor Yan was arrogant. He knew that if he maintained a high speed of advancement and fired at the same time, it may not harm the pretty boy who was more cunning than a rabbit, more cowardly than a vole, and better at escaping than a flying bird.
At a distance of 300 meters, as long as he stood steadily, he would be able to kill Fan Xian. Even if he couldn't kill him, he wouldn't give Fan Xian any chance to retaliate.
As for the strangely shaped thing Fan Xian held in his hands…
…
…
A person's psychology often resulted in a fear of the unknown toward a mysterious object. That was why Yan Xiaoyi showed caution earlier. After he saw clearly the "plaything" made of metal, he naturally thought it was some powerful weapon newly created by the Third Bureau of the Overwatch Council.
Once one knew what something was, there was no need to fear it, particularly an extraordinary warrior who was as arrogant and conceited as Yan Xiaoyi. Dozens of years of being immersed in the way of the arrow and his natural talents gave him sufficient foundation for his self-confidence. He had always thought that no matter how fast his opponent's arrows were, they could not be faster than his reaction.
Even if he dodged after hearing the sound of the arrow or the sound of the mechanical lock, he would still be completely unharmed. Could there be an arrow faster than sound in this world?
Yan Xiaoyi didn't believe that, so he stood in his place silently. Pulling open his longbow, he aimed at Fan Xian and released his finger.
The arrow flew out.
All of this happened in a brief moment. From when Fan Xian stood up bravely from the grass, to when Yan Xiaoyi steadied his figure, and then to when Yan Xiaoyi released his hand, it happened in no more than a blink of an eye to a normal person.
Fan Xian's speed was clearly not as fast as Yan Xiaoyi's. It was only when he clearly saw the arrow rapidly spinning closer and closer toward him did he forcefully pull the trigger.
Brilliant parks flew out of the opening of the gun.
The longbow in Yan Xiaoyi's hand was making a buzzing sound. His posture remained as heroic as a god firing at the sun. Then, his pupils constricted. He had seen the flash of sparks. He had also heard the clear shot. However, he had no way of dodging it.
The other person's "arrow" was truly faster than sound.
The pop was like a paper bag being popped by a child. It was like the water bucket used in the old Danzhou manor's baths being split open by a rock.
Half of Yan Xiaoyi's body was split open in an instant. His powerful muscles and strong flesh all became a flower in an instant—a flower dyed with the color of blood, spraying onto the green meadow.
Without any surprise, he fell heavily to the ground. In this instant, he finally remembered the legend from before.
At the same instant, the arrow Yan Xiaoyi fired also pierced ruthlessly into Fan Xian's body, sending out a spray of blood. It pinned Fan Xian's body firmly against the slightly raised meadow at the side of the precipice.
Time once again began to flow. The rabbit burrowed into the narrow hole. The vole put down its front paws and began to run wildly in the dark. The birds in the grass flew up, becoming a large cloud of white feathers that danced in confusion in the air above the meadow at the top of the mountain.
At the two ends of the meadow lay two irreconcilable adversaries.