Chapter 147 - Sword That Rules Heaven and Earth (Part Nine)

"

Mm

?!"

Chi Nanwei covered her mouth tightly, trying to hold back her sobs, but her tears were already flowing uncontrollably.

Ye Beizhi’s vision was starting to blur. He knew he was losing too much blood.

He could clearly feel his strength draining bit by bit. His hand, gripping his blade, was pinned underfoot and unable to move, yet he still instinctively clutched the handle. With a sinking feeling he thought that even if his hand wasn't pinned down, he might not have the strength to lift his blade anymore.

It felt as if he had struggled for long enough.

A large flag seemed to appear before his eyes, fluttering in the wind. The prominent character for "Mallard" was dyed a glaring red, as if stained with blood. Beneath the flag, his commander held the flagpole, looking over with a frown as if about to scold him again.

Ye Beizhi’s mouth opened slightly, wanting to explain that he had tried, that he had struggled, but... he had given his all, and now, he couldn’t even lift his blade.

His battalion commander shook his head, then turned and gradually walked away.

Ye Beizhi raised his hand, as if trying to grab onto something, but the image before him changed to Master Wu.

Master Wu lay slumped amid the ruins of the escort agency, his chest collapsed in a bloody mess, blood seeping from his mouth and nose. His coarse clothes were dyed a fresh, glaring red. He was also looking up toward Ye Beizhi, his mouth opening and closing as if saying something.

Ye Beizhi stared intently at Master Wu, wanting to hear what he was saying... but he just couldn't quite make it out.

"Stormqueller..."

Another voice came from above. Ye Beizhi looked up... it was Old Man Fu, pulling his Sun-Moon Blade from the ground and aiming it at his head.

"I’ll be taking your head..."

"Stop, stop!"

"DUMMY!!!"

Two voices shouted out nearly simultaneously.

Ye Beizhi suddenly jolted! He would recognize that voice anywhere. He turned sharply and saw a tear-streaked face, that delicate yet filled with sorrow. Her beautiful, reddened eyes gazed at him, lips trembling.

Ye Beizhi suddenly remembered what Master Wu had said to him that day...

"My granddaughter Nanwei... I entrust her to you."

After being interrupted, Old Man Fu turned and saw a man and a woman standing on the stone steps. They were both looking his way.

The first shout had come from the messy scholarly-looking man. His hair was disheveled, and he was covered in mud, looking more like a refugee fleeing disaster than an erudite scholar. The earlier shout seemed to have taken all his courage as he now stood on the path, legs trembling and seemed barely able to keep standing.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

On the other hand, the woman was peculiar... After an inexplicable emotional scream

,

she stayed silent and simply stared blankly at Stormqueller Ye Beizhi.

Old Man Fu glanced at the two, uninterested, and turned his gaze back to the man at his feet. But before he could raise his blade, the scholar said with a quavering tone, "I-I told you to stop!"

Old Man Fu turned his gaze, glaring at Su Yi. "And who are you?"

Under Old Man Fu’s glare, Su Yi’s heart went cold, but he still stammered out, "I-I... Put down the blade! We... we can talk—"

Old Man Fu pointed at Ye Behizhi as he asked Su Yi, "Do you two know each other?"

Ye Beizhi held his breath, remaining silent.

"That man... although he killed someone, the proper punishment should... should be left to the authorities," Su Yi stammered, "You, you can’t..." His voice grew quieter as Old Man Fu stared him down. Eventually, he lowered his head, falling silent.

"Who’s this foolish kid?" Old Man Fu muttered, slightly confused. He raised his blade again, resolved to ignore the two onlookers and finish off Stormqueller once and for all. Just as he was about to strike, he heard the young woman cry out, "Dummy! Are you going to leave me all alone too?!"

Bang!

Old Man Fu was momentarily stunned by the shout. His vision blurred, and suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen as he was sent flying into the air!

With Chi Nanwei's distraction, Ye Beizhi finally broke free. He planted his left hand on the ground, sweeping his right hand in a graceful arc with his Tang Blade, aiming at the airborne man!

Clang!

The Tang Blade struck the haft of the Sun-Moon Blade, sending sparks flying. Even though his first strike had been deflected, Ye Beizhi quickly reversed his grip, bringing the blade upward in a powerful slash aimed at Old Man Fu’s lower body!

Old Man Fu hadn’t expected Ye Beizhi to be so aggressive even though the young man's body was at its limits. Seeing the blade approaching at a terrifying rate, Old Man Fu gasped, snapping his legs together as he twisted his body midair to dodge, landing on the ground a short distance away.

Seeing Ye Beizhi drive back Old Man Fu, Chi Nanwei hurried over to support him. Ye Beizhi subtly avoided her hand. Without turning around, he said, "Leave."

Chi Nanwei’s hand paused midair. She stared at Ye Beizhi’s back in shock, and deliberately said, "I won’t."

Ye Beizhi’s body stiffened. He turned to look at Chi Nanwei, his gaze filled with a complicated emotion as he said, "Go up and wait for me."

Chi Nanwei bit her lip, finally nodding in agreement.

"Hurry."

Ye Beizhi turned back, seeing that Old Man Fu was already looking their way.

"You're nothing but a cornered rat fighting back, Stormqueller! Why don’t you just surrender!"

Old Man Fu’s anger surged, he had thought he had settled things, yet he’d been thwarted at the last second. He brought his Sun-Moon Blade around to bear, preparing to engage again.

Chi Nanwei had only just started to walk away. Ye Beizhi wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, lifted his Tang Blade, and charged toward Old Man Fu. In an instant, the two were locked in combat again.

Knowing she couldn’t help by staying, Chi Nanwei quickly returned to the mountain path. Looking up, she saw Su Yi still standing there, blankly admiring the fight. Irritated, she gave him a push.

"Run! Are you just going to stand here and wait for him to kill you?!"

"

Huh... huh

?" Su Yi seemed still in a daze. He turned to look at Chi Nanwei, his expression blank. "W-what?"

Chi Nanwei raised her eyebrows, glaring at him.

"Do you, a scholar, think you can join in? A blade can cut anyone. If you’re not careful, you’ll lose your life any minute now. I’m going... I won’t look after you."

With that, she lifted her skirt and began running up the mountain.

"A blade can cut anyone..."

Su Yi shuddered, as if only now realizing he was watching two ruthless killers fight to the death. Hastily, he chased after Chi Nanwei and hollered, "W-wait for me!"

They were close to the mountaintop by now, and after jogging a little further, they could see the end of the path at the summit. Chi Nanwei glanced back with some concern, hoping to see her companion on the path behind, but there was no one in sight.

"

Hah... hah

... We finally... finally made it."

Su Yi sat down on the stone steps as soon as he saw the end of the path, planning to rest a bit. He looked at Chi Nanwei and then smacked his forehead.

"How foolish of me! Why did I follow you? I should’ve gone down the mountain to report a crime to the authorities!"

Chi Nanwei, still panting, rolled her eyes at Su Yi and said, "Report to the authorities? You? Look at how you were just now, trembling like a leaf. I’m afraid you would lose your nerve before you even made it down the mountain!"

Su Yi’s face flushed red, and he closed his mouth, staying silent. He was well aware of how embarrassing his previous behavior had been, so he had no way to refute Chi Nanwei.

Chi Nanwei dusted down her skirt. "Alright, let’s head up the rest of the way once you’ve rested enough."

Su Yi looked up at her, a little puzzled, and asked, "Aren’t you... worried about him?"

Chi Nanwei, who had just stepped onto the stone steps, paused upon hearing his question. She stayed silent for a moment.

Su Yi realized he might have said the wrong thing. He stood up, intending to comfort her, but Chi Nanwei suddenly said, "There’s nothing to worry about. He told me to wait at the summit, so... he’ll definitely come."

Su Yi’s hand stopped midair, unsure of what to say. After witnessing how badly Ye Beizhi had been beaten, he couldn’t understand where Ye Beizhi’s confidence came from, nor did he understand where Chi Nanwei's faith came from.

Boom!

A loud crash exploded in the forest. Chi Nanwei and Su Yi quickly turned to look, only to see a figure streaking rapidly over their heads.

When Chi Nanwei turned back, she instantly recognized the figure... It was Ye Beizhi.

"Dummy..."

Ye Beizhi lay at the end of the mountain path’s stone steps, propping himself up with his blade to try to get up.

Thud—

Behind Chi Nanwei, Su Yi fell back onto the ground in shock.

"H-h-he..." Su Yi stammered, grabbing Chi Nanwei’s skirt in terror and pointing back in the direction they had come from. "H-he’s coming!"

Ignoring Su Yi, Chi Nanwei stepped forward, wiping her tears as she ran toward Ye Beizhi.

On the mountain path behind them, a hunched old man climbed up step by step, holding the Sun-Moon Blade ready. Blood leaked from a wound on his abdomen, and his eyes were filled with bloodthirsty madness and killing intent, like a wounded wolf.

Using a blade for support, Ye Beizhi tried to stand up several times, but he couldn’t quite manage it. His vision blurred, and he saw a familiar outline running toward him.

Soon after, he felt a familiar, soothing touch on his wounds, and his gaze cleared a bit. Chi Nanwei’s tear-filled eyes met his hazy eyes. She was biting on her lips so hard that they were bleeding, and her tears dripped onto his bloodstained chest.

Seeing Ye Beizhi open his eyes and look at her, Chi Nanwei finally broke down, sobbing, "Dummy... I told you I didn’t want revenge anymore... Why... why did you still come... Why didn’t you listen to me?"

Ye Beizhi, lying on the ground, slowly raised his hand as if to reach out and stroke her hair. Chi Nanwei took his hand and placed it against her face, but then she saw a change in his expression. In the next instant, she was pushed away!

Clang!

After Ye Beizhi pushed aside Chi Nanwei, he struggled to hold off the descending Qiankun Sun-Moon Blade, the veins in his right hand bulging with the strain.

"Stormqueller!" Old Man Fu’s eyes were wide open, and the earlier warmth in his smile was gone, replaced by a ferocious expression. Blood from a large wound in his abdomen stained half of his clothing.

He glared at Ye Beizhi and said, "That last strike you made was quite something. Care to try again?"

Ye Beizhi gritted his teeth, struggling to hold on as he refused to reply.

Old Man Fu's arm muscles bulged, almost tearing through his sleeves. as he slowly pressed the Sun-Moon Blade down toward Ye Beizhi, the blade inching close enough to touch Ye Beizhi's nose.

"Stormqueller, what are you struggling for? Do you think you can leave this mountain alive?" Fu shouted again, applying more and more force with his weapon.

Ye Beizhi’s eyes suddenly widened. He kicked at Old Man Fu’s ankle, swung his Tang Blade to the left, and quickly rolled aside.

Bang!

Sun-Moon Blade slammed onto the stone step near Ye Beizhi’s head, sending shards of stone that sliced bloody streaks across his face.

"A futile struggle!" Old Man Fu roared, stepping toward Ye Beizhi before he could get up. Ye Beizhi had no choice but to roll aside once more, seizing an opening to slice at Old Man Fu’s legs!

Old Man Fu leaped to dodge, swinging his Sun-Moon Blade down toward Ye Beizhi. Ye Beizhi quickly ducked, braced his hand on the ground, and leapt up. In his exhaustion, he stumbled as soon as he landed.

Noticing an opportunity, Old Man Fu gripped one end of the seven-chi Qiankun Sun-Moon Blade with one hand and thrust it straight at Ye Beizhi!

In desperation, Ye Beizhi hurriedly raised his Tang Blade in front of him. With a loud clang, the force of the thrust sent Ye Beizhi flying off the end of the narrow path!

Ye Beizhi struggled to regain his footing. Feeling a heaviness in his chest, he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Looking around, he saw that his surroundings had suddenly opened up, as if he had entered an open plaza. In the center stood a seven-story solitary building... the Heavenly Divination Shrine.

"Hm?"

Ye Beizhi’s eyes suddenly showed a look of confusion and surprise. He saw three people fighting on the other side of the square. A man with snowy-white hair was barely holding up under the other two’s assault, narrowly avoiding danger.

That figure looked very familiar... Upon second glance, Ye Beizhi realized that it was Impending Sword Baili Gucheng, who was supposed to be a thousand miles away in the desert!

Baili Gucheng looked over at the same time. When he saw Ye Beizhi, his expression fluctuated before he suddenly shouted, "Stormqueller! Lend me your blade!"