"What? The Beiya Imperial Guard, Ma Xin, wants to see you?"
In the brass mirror, Queen Wu frowned. After a moment of silence, she raised her hand. The palace maid who was combing her hair immediately stopped.
"I'm washing up and I won't see him for the time being. Go and ask him what's the matter."
The eunuch stepped back. Everyone in the Shouchang Palace held their breaths. They could only hear the chirping of the parrot outside the window.
In less than five minutes, the eunuch stepped forward on tiptoe again. He bowed and said carefully, "Your Majesty, Ma Xin said that Commander Xie was summoned by His Majesty to the palace early in the morning. She went alone …"
Before he finished speaking, there was a loud bang. Queen Wu suddenly slammed the table and stood up, "What did you say?!"
The eunuch's legs went soft. Everyone knelt down reflexively. Queen Wu scolded, "Idiot!
Why did you only say this now?!
Guards! "
Queen Wu didn't even comb her hair. She strode out of the palace door and shouted, "Prepare the carriage for Shangyang Palace!"
·
Clang —
Swords and weapons rang in Shangyang Palace. Then the bricks cracked and the stone screen collapsed. Xie Yun shot out from the debris falling from the sky like a rainstorm. She was so fast that she narrowly avoided the Soul-Snatching Hook!
Jing Ling didn't pull back one hook. The other hook swept across with great force. Even if a person was made of steel and iron, he would be turned into a bloody pulp on the spot.
However, Xie Yun's breath was long and endless. She jumped up with the support of her toes on the huge hook. She was as light as a flying dragon. Not only did she block all the killing moves of the two hooks, she even twisted her body in the air and grabbed the spine of the Soul-Snatching Hook with one hand.
Xie Yun's hand was slender, white, and the knuckles were distinct. Anyone who saw it would think that it was a pair of gentle and pampered hands.
However, the hand was now shrouded in a layer of black light. It was not obvious in the dark hall, but Jing Ling immediately recognized it. "... Jianlong Zaitian?"
Jing Ling immediately retracted her hook and crossed it. Two huge blades that were half the height of a human flashed with cold light. In the blink of an eye, Xie Yun had already missed the opportunity and instantly brushed past Jing Ling!
In the blink of an eye, the two of them were so close that if Jing Ling raised his hand, the deadly hook would be able to cut open Xie Yun's entire back.
However, this didn't happen. Xie Yun's five fingers pressed down on Jing Ling's left arm. In the next moment, her entire body was moved several feet away!
"Senior, although you are old..." Jing Ling heavily smashed the Soul-Snatching Hook on the ground. The heavy black iron immediately cracked the gold bricks. He casually raised the corner of his mouth. "You haven't lost your martial arts. I thought that you had been drained by wine, women, and avarice."
Xie Yun's toes touched the ground and then she stood up steadily. She suppressed the heavy breathing in her chest.
It wasn't wine that had drained him. It was the layers of old injuries that had accumulated over the years and the excessive use of seals in his early years.
From Xie Yun's appearance, one couldn't tell that he had extremely strong physical skills. However, this didn't give him any advantage when fighting with Jing Ling. On the contrary, Jing Ling's young and strong physical fitness was enough to kill him in close combat.
What gave Xie Yun a chance of survival was the experience and instinct that had been given to her through countless life and death situations over the years.
Jing Ling also saw this point.
"Yun Shi," Jing Ling said faintly. Amidst the terrifying sound of metal friction, he lifted the Soul-Snatching Hook and pointed it at Xie Yun. "You can't hold on much longer. Admit defeat."
Xie Yun closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the blade was already in front of her eyelashes. Even her hair was blown up by the strong wind.
Then, in the light of the stone fire, Xie Yun's figure disappeared like a ghost. At the same time, she appeared in the air beside Jing Ling!
If the scene was frozen, all the chaotic changes happened at the same time.
Xie Yun used all her strength to stretch out her hand and pointed it at Jing Ling's left arm.
Jing Ling didn't have time to retract his left hook. His right hook swept out like lightning and attacked Xie Yun's chest.
Not far away, the Emperor's chair had been knocked over by himself. He sat on the ground paralyzed. He groped around in a daze in the secret compartment of the armrest behind him. Then, he grasped something.
The next moment.
Jing Ling's left arm ached for no reason. At the same time, the Soul-Snatching Hook in his right hand mercilessly slashed across Xie Yun's chest. Her clothes were torn and flew. Blood suddenly spurted out. Xie Yun covered her clothes and retreated quickly.
Bang!
Xie Yun's back hit the wall. She spat out a mouthful of blood. There was a shallow cut of half an arm's length on her chest. Blood gushed out from under the skin and dyed a large part of her clothes red.
"You lost," Jing Ling held his hooks tightly. "Yun Shi."
Not far away, Yin Kaiyang's expression was strange. His thin, knife-like lips were slightly pursed. Looking from the side, Xuanwu's tattoo seemed to have been given life. Suddenly, a light appeared on his neck and shoulders, ready to move.
On the ground behind him, where no one was paying attention, the Emperor trembled. He took out something from the secret compartment and held it in his hand.
Bang, bang, bang.
Following Jing Ling's footsteps, the Soul-Snatching Hook smashed on the ground. Fine stone powder burst out. Then, he raised it and aimed it in front of him. Xie Yun raised her head tiredly. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her fingers.
"It's over," Jing Ling said coldly. He leaped up and slashed his sword toward Xie Yun's head!
The Grim Reaper was reflected in Xie Yun's eyes. Just before the mountain collapsed and the earth cracked, Jing Ling's left arm suddenly sank. His internal energy was like a punctured balloon. It was drained from the point where Xie Yun had pointed three times!
The unforeseen event caught them off guard.
Jing Ling didn't even have time to make a sound. The heavy Soul-Snatching Hook had already left his hand. Xie Yun jumped up and caught the handle of the hook steadily from below. She was not afraid. She was still facing the tip of the hook and turned it around beautifully!
The timing, the angle, and the intersection of the weapons were simply the most perfect moment.
Xie Yun's waist was bent like a willow in the wind. Her upper body was almost parallel to the ground. The Soul-Snatching Hook spun in front of her eyelashes. Then, she used the enormous force generated by the turn of her wrist to sweep the blade horizontally at Jing Ling opposite her!
The astonishment on Jing Ling's face had not yet disappeared. He raised the Soul-Snatching Hook in his right hand, but it was already too late.
The tip of the hook flickered and stopped right in front of his eyebrows!
Everything suddenly froze, as if the power of ghosts and gods had stopped time.
In the cold light, Xie Yun's face was as clear as ice. She said each word clearly, "Not yet."
The soft sound of an arrow leaving the bowstring came from afar.
Everyone present heard it, but no one was in time to stop it.
The passage of time was slowed to the limit. The poisonous blue arrow tore through the air in front of everyone's eyes. It brought a line of black blood from Xie Yun's arm. Then, with a thud, it sank into the brick wall.
The Emperor trembled as he put down the arrow.
·
"Xie …"
"Xie Yun …"
Endless darkness enveloped all space. Shan Chao staggered forward. He did not remember how many times he fell down. He could not even feel the burning pain all over his body.
Suddenly, the sound of rushing water came from afar. Then, a scene gradually emerged from the darkness.
It was a long river with no end in sight. The winding rope bridge on the river led to the other side. Red flowers were blooming in the depths of the darkness.
A thin figure stood on the bridge. She was wearing a light fur coat and a white robe. Her clothes were swaying as she slowly walked to the other side.
Shan Chao rushed forward and slammed into an invisible barrier. He shouted in pain, "Xie Yun!
Stop! "
The figure stood still and turned around.
Xie Yun looked very young. She was no different from Shan Chao's childhood in the depths of the desert. Her clothes were as white as snow, her black hair was like a waterfall. Her face was as beautiful as a young girl's. There seemed to be a slight blush on her cheeks.
Shan Chao gasped and reached out his hand in despair.
"Don't leave me. I was wrong. Please come back …"
Xie Yun pursed her lips and smiled at him.
That smile was not pretentious or mean. On the contrary, it was very calm and even a little gentle and shy.
Then, she raised her hand and waved, as if she was bidding farewell at the end of the journey.
At that moment, Shan Chao finally realized something. An unprecedented pain and fear crawled all over his body, "Don't go, Xie Yun!"
"Come back — —!"
·
"General?!" "General!"
Shan Chao sat up straight and almost fell off the bed. In an instant, a group of people hurriedly held him up.
In the chaos, the vice-general's voice was the loudest and most urgent, "Doctor!
Doctor, our general is awake. Come and take a look … "
"Where's Xie Yun?"
The vice-general almost jumped up in shock. However, Shan Chao grabbed him and his eyes were bloodshot, "Where's Xie Yun?!"
"Commander Xie …" The vice-general was confused. He trembled and said, "Commander Xie should have … gone to the palace …"
"Gone to the palace?!"
"Yes. His Imperial Majesty has summoned Commander Xie to the palace to see His Imperial Majesty." After thinking for a moment, the vice-general added, "Alone."
Shan Chao's face was deathly pale.
Cries of alarm sounded from all around. They saw Shan Chao flip over and get off the bed. Ignoring everyone's attempts to stop him, he staggered out the door and grabbed the reins of his horse. Mounting the horse, he shouted, "Hyah!"
"General, what are you doing?!" The personal guards swarmed out. Seeing the situation, they looked at each other in shock, "Wait!
General! "
The black horse galloped away like an arrow. Amidst the billowing dust, Shan Chao's hoarse roar could be heard, "Open … the door!"
The personal guards guarding the door were dumbstruck. They hurriedly rushed forward. The vermillion door that had been sealed for many days finally opened with a rumble under the gloomy gray sky.
Immediately afterwards, the black horse transformed into a bolt of lightning and rushed down the high threshold.
·
Clang!
The door to Shangyang Palace opened wide, and light poured in. The Emperor, Jing Ling, and Yin Kaiyang all turned their heads at the same time, only to see a large flock of black crows roll into the main hall like a tide. In a thousandth of a second, they caught Xie Yun's limp body.
"Ming, Chong, Yan," Yin Kaiyang softly said.
Xie Yun's hand loosened, and the Soul Seizing Hook fell to the ground with a clang. Immediately after, the black crows circled around and lifted her up. Amidst the flapping of countless wings, she flew out of the main hall.
"Halt!"
Jing Ling subconsciously wanted to chase after her, but just as he raised his foot, he felt an enormous force press down on his shoulder, forcibly blocking his steps. Yin Kaiyang coldly said, "Let them go."
The Emperor, however, found strength from who knows where. He forced himself to crawl up from the ground and staggered out, loudly shouting, "Guards!"
In the distance, the imperial bodyguards who were stunned by the strange scene finally came back to their senses. They saw the Emperor standing in the wind, and a sickly scarlet color appeared on his gray and weak face.
"The Commander of the Imperial Army, Xie Yun, has committed treason. She is to be arrested and beheaded on the spot!"
·
The black crows transformed into Ming Chongyan, who was wearing a green robe and a feather fan. He grabbed Xie Yun and hurriedly rushed forward along the small path hidden by the bushes.
"Stop … stop," Xie Yun struggled. Her knees went soft, and she knelt on the ground. She panted violently and pulled up her sleeves.
Ming Chongyan's face changed color, but Xie Yun's weak eyes could not be resisted.
After a long while, he had no other choice but to pull out a shining dagger from behind his waist and handed it over while trembling.
Xie Yun used the dagger to draw a line on her arm. She saw that the skin that was cut by the dagger was purplish black, and the poison had spread all the way to her shoulder. It seemed that it was useless.
"Dance of the gods," Xie Yun silently exhaled and threw the dagger back. She smiled and said, "It seems that you have miscalculated your fate again."
When the Golden Dragon ascends to the throne, that is when the Green Dragon dies. Ming Chongyan was speechless. He only felt a kind of dull pain rise from the bottom of his heart to his throat. It hurt so much that every word he spoke was hoarse and unsteady. "Commander Xie, I …"
Xie Yun waved her hand to indicate that there was no harm. She leaned against the rockery, her face as pale as snow. She did not even have the strength to speak.
He closed his eyes and panted for a while, as if he was accumulating what little strength he had left. After a moment, he finally spoke softly with a hint of pleading.
"… I want to … again …"
"Go to the Prince of Yong's residence one more time …"
Ming Chongyan was immediately moved.
From outside the garden came the sound of running imperial bodyguards shouting. It seemed that someone had caught up. The sound of dogs barking could be heard from afar.
"… No, forget it."
Xie Yun changed her mind. Revealing a trace of weariness and self-mockery, she said, "Mr Ming, you should leave quickly."
This was the first time that she had called out Mr Ming without any mockery or ridicule. If one listened carefully, there seemed to be some kind of gratitude. However, for some reason, every word was like a handful of tiny needles, stabbing back and forth into his nerve endings. It hurt so much that Ming Chongyan clenched his teeth.
"Who is there?!"
"Someone come, search for me!"
In that instant, Ming Chongyan seemed to have made up his mind. He hurriedly threw out a sentence, "I cannot be seen here." Immediately afterwards, he transformed into countless black crows, sweeping up Xie Yun's weak and limp body. With a crash, they rushed forward.
"Over there!"
"Quick, quick, quick!
Don't let them escape! "
Shouts rose and fell. One by one, the imperial bodyguards stopped in their tracks and drew their bows. Arrows shot from all directions.
Within the flock of crows, Xie Yun weakly raised her eyes. The rapidly approaching arrows were reflected in the depths of her eyes.
At this moment.
"Boom!"
The black warhorse descended from the sky, stirring up a large cloud of dust as it landed. Then, it raised its front hooves high. Shan Chao clamped the horse's abdomen with his knees and carried Xie Yun by her waist with one hand. With the other hand, he unsheathed his sword. The Golden Dragon's clear roar reverberated through the earth.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The Sword Aura transformed into a furious dragon. With a silver flame trailing behind it, it madly rushed towards the surrounding arrows, turning them all into fine powder that filled the air.
With a muffled thud, the ground shook. The warhorse's front hooves stomped heavily on the ground. With trembling hands, Shan Chao gently wiped away the half-dried black blood on Xie Yun's chin.
"Look at me, Xie Yun …" His voice was very gentle, but because he was choking too much, it was strangely mournful and hoarse.
"I'm coming, Xie Yun. Open your eyes and look at me …"