Chapter 735: Shadows

Han Wuxian knew the Waning Moon Hall just like how a mother knew her daughter. “It’s a trap.”

“Then why did we come?” Tie Linglong also used to be a member of the Waning Moon Hall for some time, but she was only cursorily familiar with the organization.

“There’s a bait set in the trap and hunters around it ready to pounce: I want them both.”

Tie Linglong, Chu Nanping, Nie Zeng, Shangguan Yun; there were four helpers in total. Han Wuxian jumped off of the rattan chair, and her eyes swept through them individually. By merely moving her eyes, she sent four different expressions to each of these four different helpers: amiability, appreciation, expectation, and charm, respectively.

Every one of them felt that they had been paid special attention to and because of it, decided that in no case should they disappoint the Hall Leader of the Waning Moon Hall.

“The best way to handle a trap is to lure the snake out of its hole, but I need someone to trigger the trap first.”

Four people stepped forward almost simultaneously.

Han Wuxian smiled. “I can’t risk putting any of you in danger. His Majesty would never forgive me for doing so – Cloud King, how about you do it?”

Shangguan Yun’s face was full with a bitter smile. “I’d be more than happy to.”

“Haha, actually, perhaps the son of the Unique King should be reserved for a more important issue.” Han Wuxian changed her mind yet again. “I’ll go trigger the trap. You guys lie in ambush on the periphery. Little sister, you stay with this handsome swordsman, standing by in the south. Cloud King, you take these killers that I taught myself, and prepare to ambush from the east. I’ve also prepared two satchels. Take them.”

The four people nodded. Chu Nanping and Shangguan Yun each took a satchel. They knew that it was a prop to lure the apprentices of Waning Moon Hall, but couldn’t smell anything from it.

Han Wuxian smiled even more brightly. “I’m really touched. If the apprentices of Waning Moon Hall were half as morally decent as you are all, then there wouldn’t be so many traitors. Yet there’s one thing I have to remind you of. The traitors of Waning Moon Hall all belong to me. You can take them alive. You can paralyze them. But if you kill any one of them, even if by accident, I will be very angry.”

With an ethereal laugh, Han Wuxian quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Tie Linglong pouted unhappily. “Was she threatening us?”

Nie Zeng said with a fit of cold smile. “It’s not her threats that are scary. Her smile is.”

“You have sharp eyes, little brother.” Shangguan Yun stood beside the three teenagers without any hint of awkwardness. “The Hall Leader is indeed not a woman who can be analyzed with common sense.”

Tie Linglong showed some more contempt. “You’re so willing to give her a piggyback ride. Is that because you want to see her ‘lethal smile’?” After disparaging Nie Zeng, she switched targets to Shangguan Yun. “And then there’s you. What was your reason for voluntarily following her here?”

The former blushed, turned around, and left without saying a word.

The latter smiled awkwardly. “Little sister, a man of genius and a woman of charm make a perfect couple. You do know this saying, right?” Then he followed Nie Zeng and left as well.

There were now only two people left. Tie Linglong complained coldly, “I hate it when people call me ‘little sister.’ I’m not a child.”

“Then tell them that.” Chu Nanping had been the first one to successfully master the Sumeru Mustard Divine Power, ridding himself of the influence of the Daoless Divine Power and the Essence of Perceiving Passion, but his personality was still as plain and bland as ever. Sometimes it seemed like that he was just being perfunctory.

“It’s not that simple.” Tie Linglong really wanted to poke him with her finger. Though she didn’t care that much, she still didn’t dare make any requests towards Han Wuxian; although Han Wuxian was neither her master nor her Hall Leader anymore, deep down in her heart, she was still very afraid of this woman.

“We should go to our assigned positions,” Chu Nanping suggested gently.

This was the southern area of the Royal Court, and its terrain was perfect for ambushes everywhere in the wilderness. Soon, the two took their positions, hiding in the grass with a distance of around ten steps from each other. Chu Nanping was monitoring the northwest direction while Tie Linglong was facing southeast.

The night sky was bright with the moon and some sparse stars. Tonight was perfect for observing distant, mobile targets.

Yet neither of them were qualified killers, and in less than a quarter’s time, Tie Linglong became the first one to be unable to bear the monotony any longer. “Chu, it’s too boring. Chat with me.”

“About what?”

“Stupid. Say something like… like what you’ve said before… that you would kill for me or something like that. I’d like to hear something like that.”

“I’ve said that already. Do I have to say it again?”

“Well, never mind.” Tie Linglong felt that the moment was now long gone. “It’s so weird. You’ve always been such a nerd. Why were you so… so good at talking in that moment? Did someone teach you that?”

“No. Those words naturally came to my mouth by themselves. I didn’t have to think them up or be taught them. I think… I’ve had feelings for you this whole time.”

“Hee-Hee, you moron. This is what I wanted to hear.”

“Eeh? Isn’t that something you already knew?”

“No, I know nothing. You know what, I’m…”

“Shh, someone’s coming.”

Tie Linglong turned over immediately.

Indeed, a vague shadow was flying right above the grass; if it weren’t for the fact that they’d prepared the ground beforehand, they would never have been able to distinguish it from the darkness of night.

Like a hound with a good sense of smell, the black shadow was moving sporadically in fits and starts. And from time to time, it would take a roundabout route back to where it started. Its movements somewhat resembled that of an animal that fed on rotten meat, searching for delicious food in the ruins.

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The shadow stayed for the longest when it was about a dozen steps away from the two teenagers. It seemed to have smelled danger, but at the same time was unwilling to give up on the “prey” right here under its nose.

Tie Linglong held her hilt tightly, her heart becoming callous. She still had many of the habits and training remnants leftover from her time at the Waning Moon Hall, and one of them was the yearning for death and blood.

“One stab, as easy as that.” Dragon King used to say similar words.

The shadow stood still, but Chu Nanping lost his patience first.

The teen swordsman jumped out of the grass, his sword stabbing towards someone behind Tie Linglong – the shadow had also brought helpers.

Tie Linglong was annoyed by her careless negligence and she wouldn’t allow it to happen a second time, so she ignored the sneak attacker behind her and rushed straight ahead towards the shadow who was standing still.

Before the tip of her saber could even touch her target, Tie Linglong realized that she’d been fooled again; it wasn’t a human. The black shadow had left a cloth doll as his substitute and escaped right in front of them.

Tie Linglong draw her saber back just in time. Her instincts told her that it wouldn’t be a good idea to stab the doll.

‘Maybe she had been wrong to have left the Waning Moon Hall that early,’ Tie Linglong mused to herself. After turning around, she saw that Chu Nanping was fighting the true shadow.

Both of them were moving at lightning-fast speeds and the fighting had entered a tangled state. Tie Linglong was shocked as she yelled out, “Hold your breath!”

It happened in a blink of eye, but Tie Linglong’s signal still came a moment too late.

Chu Nanping’s sword suddenly drooped, his body began shaking and fallings backwards; clearly, he’d been hit.

Tie Linglong blocked the shadow’s advance. With every three or four moves, she had to retreat to a tailwind position, take a breath and then launch another attack. She couldn’t find any chances to check on Chu Nanping’s situation.

The black shadow was a little surprised and began striking out even faster. Although its hands were empty and both tangible and intangible, the hidden weapons it threw out seemed endless.

Chu Nanping felt his internal energy rapidly draining away, and his vision was growing increasingly hazy. Yet he didn’t fall, and the sword remained tightly gripped in his hand.

The familiar figure was fighting hard, yet gradually losing momentum. After recalling his commitments, he bit the tip of his tongue as hard as he could and his sword struck forward.

The teenage swordsman could still fight! Shocked, the shadow stretched out its palm and tried to grab the sword blade.

Tie Linglong had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. With the narrow saber in her right hand as a distraction, the fingers of her left hand poked at the vital points of the shadow.

Chu Nanping’s sword was grabbed by the enemy. Between the strength of the two in that clash, the blade of the sword snapped. At the same time, Tie Linglong had succeeded. She had been told that the Jueyin Finger Techniques she learned from Han Wuxian would be particularly effective in fights against Waning Moon Hall apprentices. This was her first trial.

She had only reached the second level of mastery with the skill, and couldn’t unleash its full potential, but the shadow seemed to be grievously wounded. With a cry, it backed up several consecutive steps as it shrieked out, “How could you…”

But Tie Linglong was not in the mood to talk: Chu Nanping had lost his weapon and could fall at any moment, which made her the only person who could finish off the enemy.

It was at this time that Han Wuxian showed up out of blue and landed on the shadow like a giant bird catching its prey. The shadow screeched with pain.

Han Wuxian turned over to reveal the blood on her lips, which intensified the enigmatic air of her smile. “It seems like I didn’t teach you the finger techniques in vain, little sister.”

Tie Linglong stopped chasing and turned around to assist Chu Nanping who was shaking. “He inhaled some knockout powder.”

“He’ll live,” Han Wuxian said as she could barely hide her excitement, hands grabbing the shadow’s shoulders. “Han Qin, it’s been so long. I missed you so much.”

Han Qin was a middle-aged women. Her left cheek was covered by blood, and her head drooping. Her voice was very weak at this point as well, barely being able to whisper, “I wanted to see you, too. I want to see you die.”

“Haha, you’re just as lovely as you were in the past.” Han Wuxian sank her ten fingers into Han Qin’s shoulders. “So many people have betrayed me yet I never cared. But you, your betrayal was the most surprising. I have thought of all the possible explanations I could think of, yet still can’t find a reason for why. Unlike those semi-finished products, you’re one of the elites of our hall. Exactly what did Lotus promise you?”

“You’re just an crazy Jianghu woman whose ambition goes no further than taking back the Stone Castle, while Master Commander cares about the well-being of all human beings. This was her promise to me.” Han Qin was clearly suffering great pain, yet it only helped sharpen her mind.

“Well, then. I guess I didn’t have an ambition that great – what about my daughter? Where’s Lotus hiding her?”

“A place you’ll never find. You don’t stand a chance against the Master Commander. Not with your average capabilities…”

Han Wuxian released her grip on Han Qin’s shoulders and hugged her tightly. In a tender tone, she said, “Don’t be too rude to me. You know that I like you, and that I won’t let you die quickly or cleanly. I’ll bring you back to the camp. There are so many men there. You won’t be disappointed at all.”

Han Qin’s throat rattled with vague groans.

Trying hard to subdue her anger, Tie Linglong let go of Chu Nanping. “Make her hand over the antidote. Chu is dying.”

Chu Nanping’s face looked paler than even the moon. Although he was still holding onto his snapped sword, his eyes had lost their luster, which made him seem like he was already a dead man. He had inhaled more than one kind of knockout powder, and the symptoms had compounded and catalyzed each other, immediately sending him into a catatonic state.

Han Wuxian didn’t turn her head over. Her left hand stroked across Han Qin’s face lightly, stopped on the wound, and pressed down harshly.

Han Qin screeched again, but suddenly the screech turned into laughter- extreme and hysterical laughter, crazy and obsessed. “No! Spare me, please.” With her laughter, she could barely breath, and her voice became as sentimental as that of Han Wuxian’s.

“Antidote!” Tie Linglong couldn’t stand the laughter, and the worsening look of Chu Nanping’s face made her even more anxious.

Han Wuxian turned over Han Qin’s upper body and stretched out her left arm, blood still on the fingers. “Take it. This is the antidote.”

Tie Linglong nearly vomited.

Han Qin knew that her cruel punishment had just began. In a brief moment of consciousness, she said, “The Dragon King’s going to die tonight. Your backer will be gone. Han Wuxian, Master Commander won’t let you get away with this.”