Chapter Thirteen: Your Lady Will Take Care of You

It is often said that curiosity killed the cat, and this saying holds true. I was crouched under the table, right next to a severed sleeve that was bleeding profusely, yet I still had the presence of mind to look into the hall.

The so-called scholars were mostly dead or injured, and those who were lucky enough to remain unharmed were pale and trembling with fear. Feiyang calmly launched a signal arrow into the sky to alert the guards by the lake, then stood sword in hand, shielding Yuanxi, while coldly gazing at the black-clad figures on Xiaoyingzhou.

The black-clad figures didn't board the ship but instead launched another wave of arrows from afar, dense as clouds, leaving almost no gaps.

I was terribly frightened, but Xiaoyu, leaning close to me, remained calm and composed. The beads on her neck emitted a faint white glow, almost invisible in the moonlight, but I could clearly see how this glow formed a solid barrier around us, allowing me to relax and smile secretly at her. "Good fishy, it seems sister's Wind Pearl was not given to you in vain."

She sighed softly and whispered, "Xiaoyu has offended my benefactor; please forgive me, Sister Wen Li. Sister Wen Li, is my other benefactor the general Chen across the way?"

I was startled. Feiyang and Wujiao probably had nothing to do with each other, right? When I looked up, Feiyang was already standing at the bow of the ship, facing the rain of arrows. The sword aura surrounded him like the moonlight, blocking the entrance to the pleasure boat. Any arrow that entered that circle of moonlight never emerged again.

After a short while, the rain of arrows finally ceased, leaving Feiyang standing alone at the bow, surrounded by broken arrows. Only within a three-foot radius around him could one still see the redwood deck. The moonlight spilled over him like molten silver, and the cool autumn night breeze gently lifted his moon-white long robe. If not for the faint scent of blood, Feiyang indeed resembled the ethereal elegance of Wujiao, leaving me entranced.

The sound of the wind breaking heralded the arrival of a group of guards who swiftly surrounded Yuanxi. A man, evidently the leader of the guards, knelt down before Yuanxi and said, "Chen Nuo failed to identify the assassins and was late in protecting Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Yuanxi smiled indifferently, "With Feiyang here, no one in this world can harm me."

Before he finished speaking, another change occurred.

Another group of black-clad figures emerged from the water. The pleasure boat shook violently, as if someone had exploded it with great force. Water began to pour into the cabin, and cries of panic from the rear cabin were incessant.

This... I initially thought there would be a good show to watch tonight, perhaps of the monarch and ministers drinking and talking merrily, or even shedding tears as they looked at each other, or at least resolving military power over a cup of wine. Who would have thought it would be so dangerous? I didn't know if this fight was part of the play or if a new twist had emerged.

I then remembered that Feiyang had told me not to stay at home last night and to meet him at the post station outside the city after transforming. My heart turned cold with dread. Could this really be part of the play? I glanced at the severed sleeve sieve beside me, which was no longer bleeding, and felt a surge of anger. I was about to push the table over and rush out.

Wujiao once said, all living beings are born of the Dao, and virtue nourishes them. Even mortals, formed by heaven and earth, find it hard to attain human form in the six realms of reincarnation. How could they be so easily discarded by others?

Before I could flip the table, Xiaoyu held me tightly, her voice full of fear. "Sister, don't go out."

"There are still your sisters in the rear cabin! We have to help them escape."

"Sister Hongyu is in the rear cabin. This pleasure boat is her magical treasure. With her there, the sisters won't be in danger. Sister, don't go out, there are not only mortals outside today, but also..."

Before she could finish her sentence, I saw Feiyang already escorting Yuanxi out of the pleasure boat, heading towards the area with the most guards by the lake. Clearly, once they reached the shore, Yuanxi would be safe. Chen Nuo followed them, while the remaining dozens of guards formed a fan shape, using their swords to knock away the arrows shot from the surrounding waters. Those they couldn't deflect left bowl-sized bloody holes in their bodies, making me tremble with fear and pain.

What was even more terrifying was that several scimitars flew from the hands of the black-clad figures underwater, spinning viciously towards the three who had just leaped into the air.

I could no longer hold back, even as Xiaoyu pulled at me. I concealed myself and jumped out, heedless of the fact that I had no martial skills and couldn't really help Feiyang.

Fortunately, Feiyang was no ordinary mortal. Those who left scars on him probably didn't live to tell the tale. I stood in the hall, watching as he spun slightly in the air, tapping his toes a few times to kick those scimitars back to where they came from. West Lake, a place for scholars and beauties to recite poetry and linger in the moonlight, now churned with bloody waves, with the bodies of several black-clad figures floating to the surface.

Unfortunately, the three were hindered and could no longer head towards the shore.

I looked up just in time to see Yuanxi being launched towards the shore by Feiyang and Chen Nuo, as swift as a shooting star. In the moonlight, I could clearly see Yuanxi's expression, surprisingly the same as before, with a heavier sense of guilt but no hint of regret, let alone panic or fear from the assassination attempt.

After Feiyang and Chen Nuo propelled Yuanxi to safety on the shore, they exhausted their strength and fell back onto the pleasure boat. Luckily, I was hidden and quickly pulled Xiaoyu from under the table, concealing ourselves by the window.

The black-clad figures stopped shooting arrows and began leaping towards the pleasure boat from the shore and water, likely turning the boat into a new battlefield. The two men standing in the hall glanced at each other and began throwing the surviving scholars into the lake on the side of the boat, letting them swim to the shore to escape.

This situation was quite strange.

Weren't those black-clad figures supposed to be assassins targeting Yuanxi? Why weren't they pursuing him to the shore, but instead heading here?

Fear began to rise in me like spring bamboo on a rainy night, and my hand, holding Xiaoyu's, started to sweat slightly.

As expected, once the black-clad figures boarded the pleasure boat, they searched carefully as if under orders, and any not quite dead were given a few more stabs until their corpses were thoroughly dismembered. Even the gentleman with the severed sleeve wasn't spared; he lost not just his sleeve but also his head, becoming a headless sieve. Chen Nuo stood with his hand on his sword hilt, but turned his back on the black-clad figures, looking at Feiyang indifferently.

Finally, after the black-clad figures finished dealing with all the corpses, they formed several circles around Feiyang. Feiyang remained cold and composed, standing with his hands clasped behind him. His long sword remained sheathed at his side since the arrow rain at the bow.

Chen Nuo was silent, and the black-clad figures, seemingly well-trained, breathed so quietly it was barely audible.

After a long silence, Chen Nuo finally took out a box from his coat and opened it, releasing a fragrant scent throughout the boat.

In the moonlight, I could see clearly that it was a vermilion pill. The fragrance was familiar, like fairy herbs used to make wine, such as the Hundred-Day Drunk. This kind of thing could be used for medicine, but more often, it was used in the fairy world to infuse wine. When I was in the human world and insisted on drinking, Wujiao hadn't brought any wine, so he soaked this kind of pill in the cold spring of Longquan Mountain, adding a bit of fairy spirit, and it became a drinkable wine of medium quality.

I stared in a daze at the scene in the hall. How did this play develop into this? From Feiyang's expression, it seemed everything was within his calculations? However, Feiyang is ultimately a mortal, and this pill is not of the mortal world. There must be more to it.

I suddenly remembered another thing. I had been with Feiyang for several months and still hadn't asked him how he obtained the Harmony Pill. Every time I planned to ask, it was inconvenient, like now, and when it was convenient, I would forget. Thinking about it now, since Chen Nuo could produce a fairy pill for soaking wine, the Harmony Pill might have a similar origin. Xiaoyu's words were left unfinished, saying there were not only mortals here. Could it be that today's events were causing such a stir that even people from the fairy world were involved?

Yuanxi's departing gaze floated in my mind. My heart turned cold, and a sense of foreboding grew stronger.

"General Chen, His Majesty wants me to give this pill to you."

Feiyang was unsurprised, only coldly looking at him without speaking.

"This pill is called 'Drunken Fairy.' A mortal who takes one will be drunk for a hundred years. His Majesty's decree is that if the general is willing to take this pill, today's matter will end. Otherwise..."

Feiyang remained silent, only coldly looking at him, probably making Chen Nuo uneasy, forcing him to continue, "Otherwise... Chen Nuo will have to be disrespectful to General Chen."

Feiyang smiled calmly, "Does His Majesty want me to be drunk for a hundred years? Such brotherly affection."

Chen Nuo knelt on one knee, sincerely saying, "General Chen's righteousness has long been known. I, Chen Nuo, am an old minister of the previous dynasty, and naturally understand the principle of a bird being killed when the bow is put away, or a rabbit being cooked after the hounds have done their work. His Majesty not only spares General Chen but also goes to great lengths to set up this plan to preserve General Chen's reputation for loyalty and righteousness, which is already considered sentimental among past emperors."

Feiyang nodded, "That's right. Big brother indeed values sentiment. By being drunk for a hundred years, he can blame my death on some non-existent assassin and grant me a title like Loyal Marquis, announcing it to the world. However, Chen Nuo, you needn't say more. I knew long ago that big brother would arrange this, and I also planned to retire to the world. I know why big brother wants me drunk for a hundred years, but for the same reason, I absolutely cannot leave my lady and be drunk for a hundred years. Enough said, it's better we meet in battle."

Chen Nuo was still unwilling to give up, continuing to persuade, "His Majesty said, your lady will take care of you, General Chen, rest assured. A hundred years later, although things will have changed, General Chen's martial arts will only be more profound, and you can still unify the martial world."

Yuanxi will take care of me?

I bit my lip, recalling how Feiyang had said his brother had never been so kind to anyone except me, and he had even allowed me to call him Yuanxi when no one else was allowed to. At the time, I didn't understand, but now I do. It turns out Feiyang wasn't judging his brother by his own standards; Feiyang is a gentleman, but Yuanxi is the villain!

But... I still don't quite understand. Yuanxi has never seen my true form. What does he want to take from Feiyang? I think of Yuanxi's guilt-ridden gaze, and I suspect he still has some brotherly feelings for Feiyang. Wujiao once said, mortals often say brothers are like limbs, and women are like clothes. Why would one break a limb for a piece of clothing?

These foolish mortal thoughts, I really can't understand.

While I was lost in thought, Feiyang had already begun to fight.

Chen Nuo retreated, and the black-clad figures immediately advanced, over a hundred of them attacking my Feiyang, making me grit my teeth in anger. From my position, I couldn't see Feiyang's figure at all, only the disciplined attack and defense of the black-clad figures, as if they had trained for a long time.

My Feiyang once said, against three or more, every move is deadly. He also reassured me, saying there aren't many in this world who can trap him. Indeed, every time a wave of attackers went in, they mostly came out unable to move, seemingly struck down in one blow, or having their acupoints sealed.

I clung tightly to Xiaoyu, who remained silent. The hall was very quiet, with only the sound of weapons clashing. Though it sounded quite nice, it was truly dangerous. When the black-clad figures retreated, Feiyang still stood in the hall, but his moon-white long robe was already dotted with blood stains. I knew most were from the black-clad figures, but I also saw a long wound on his left shoulder, almost down to the bone, staining that part of his robe completely red.

Chen Nuo feigned concern, advising, "General Chen, since you know His Majesty has been planning for today for a long time, you understand that our ambush doesn't just consist of my personal guards." He took out the box again. "If you fall here in West Lake, you won't be able to see your lady again. Why not accept His Majesty's good intention, and be drunk for a hundred years?"

Feiyang's expression remained unchanged, smiling faintly, "The immortal once said, it's best not to force fate. Even immortals can't control destiny, let alone a small grass-roots man like me. Although big brother is the emperor, he should still go with the flow regarding the Bright Moon Jade Bi."

With Feiyang's words, I finally understood what Yuanxi wanted. My smile at this moment must be incredibly bitter. It turns out all this effort, a hundred lives, was again for my Wujiao's Wujiao Bi? These mortals, do they really believe that possessing the Wujiao Bi allows them to ascend to Kunlun and become immortals in one step?

Even if they become immortals, so what? Fate toys with people; my Wujiao is a wandering immortal who can travel between the four realms, and where is he now? And I, a mighty little fox who gives headaches to celestial lords and princes, can only hide here and watch helplessly as my husband suffers?

Chen Nuo said no more. With a whistle, followed by ten heavy shocks from under the boat, over a hundred more black-clad figures emerged from the water, and the pleasure boat, which had been leaking since the beginning, was once again being tampered with by the black-clad figures. Evidently, Xiaoyu's magic had bought us some time, but now she could no longer hold the boat steady. The water had already soaked my silk shoes, and the water level was rising, reaching knee height.

I dislike water the most, but there was nothing I could do. Xiaoyu seemed to understand my feelings. I don't know what magic she used, but the water beneath our feet receded. However, Feiyang was in big trouble; his long robe was not suited for fighting in water, unlike the water armor worn by the black-clad figures.

Feiyang seemed to have finally made up his mind. All I saw was a sky full of silver light, the sword humming like a melancholy tune, the sword aura growing so intense it was almost blinding. If not for the timely silver glow from the Wind Pearl on Xiaoyu's neck, we might not have survived.

When I opened my eyes again, not one black-clad figure survived. Even Chen Nuo was left with only a breath, standing rigidly aside, blood streaming from his eyes.

Feiyang sighed, "Since I promised my lady to go pick her up, I naturally won't break my word. Brother Chen, if you take that Drunken Fairy Pill now, a hundred years later when your vitality is restored, you might escape this calamity."

With that, Feiyang leaped towards Xiaoyingzhou.

Before he could reach the shore, a sudden thunderclap sounded. A golden-armored deity descended from the sky, blocking his path, pointing with fingers that carried the sound of wind and thunder towards his abdomen. At the same time, a vajra pestle, incredibly vicious, silently aimed at his back.

I could no longer worry about concealing myself. I threw Xiaoyu into the water and revealed my true form, rushing towards Feiyang.

At this point, warning him was useless. As long as Feiyang didn't die, even if I had to crawl, I would crawl back to Kunlun to ask the Lady for an elixir of immortality to save him.

Feiyang, after all, had spent many years living a life of licking blood from the tip of a knife in the martial world. Even though the descending vajra pestle made no sound, he managed to tilt his body slightly as it approached, avoiding a direct hit on his back. But that vajra pestle was a celestial weapon, far beyond what a mortal could withstand. With just one strike, I heard the sound of bones breaking and tendons snapping, and Feiyang fell into the lake like a kite with a broken string.

The golden-armored deity was relentless, standing expressionlessly in front, the vajra pestle spinning in the air, continuing to smash down on Feiyang. Fortunately, by then, I had already reached him, embracing Feiyang and gritting my teeth to take the blow from the vajra pestle.

My meager cultivation could only withstand mortal weapons. Even though I seemed to have made some progress in my cultivation over the past few months, it merely meant I could endure longer. How could I withstand the full force of a celestial weapon? That vajra pestle came down, shattering the Yi Yun belt into light particles, and I felt as if I were being struck by lightning, blood spurting like arrows from my mouth as I was pressed into the lake with Feiyang.

Thankfully, this golden-armored deity was not the real body but seemed like a divine consciousness summoned by a mortal cultivator. Even so, the golden-armored deity, seeing the Kunlun Xi Mo's form, held back a bit; otherwise, today West Lake might have become Feiyang's and my burial ground.

As we sank to the lakebed, I struggled to hold Feiyang and move towards the center of the lake. Whether the golden-armored deity had withdrawn, I didn't know, but I feared Yuanxi wouldn't rest without seeing Feiyang, so we couldn't surface again. However, even when I was a fox, I hadn't cultivated to the innate realm, and no matter how slow my breathing, I still needed to breathe, not to mention Feiyang, who was just a mortal.

I forced myself to endure the turmoil in my consciousness and glanced at Feiyang, only to be terrified to the point of almost crying.

Feiyang's face was ashen, and I could barely detect any heartbeat.

When I tried to probe his meridians with some celestial energy, I felt a chill sweeping through me.

I'd always been on good terms with the celestial generals, mingling, feasting, and drinking, but I never realized how ruthless they could be in battle. The first strike of that vajra pestle had shattered all of Feiyang's meridians.