Chapter 117: Gu Lingfeng

“We’ll first enter a dense forest from this mountaintop,” Zhan Beiye pointed from the grass hut window. “There are all kinds of beasts in there, and some could just bite you without any warning. After the forest comes a swamp, which some say is in the forest while others claim it to be outside. No one knows its exact location so we must proceed cautiously. If we don’t bump into any soldiers, we can go straight into a cave partially concealed by vines. In there is a path going down and… I don’t know anymore.”

“Ah?” Meng Fuyao opened her mouth wide. ‘Isn’t he being too irresponsible?’

“The sponger, also the headman of Gun ¹ Tribe, located in the southwestern part of Tiansha, had thrown himself at Grandfather’s door after losing his family property. In his records, Changhan mountain range was known as the mountain of death because of this path. It is known to be so dangerous that even he himself had had to travel on it. He only copied some information from the tribal accounts, which stated that the land beyond the karst cave was one with thousands of souls die. I suspect that that is where the ancient Gun Nation leader had died, either alone or with a bunch of men.”

Hiccuping, Meng Fuyao rubbed her fists together in excitement. “I can finally use the things I’ve learned in ‘Candle-Blowing Ghosts.'”

“What nonsense,” Zhan Beiye cut in, amused by her brazenness. “Gun Tribe is a mysterious tribe of Tiansha. It has many taboos, and even more when it comes to tombs. You must be careful when following me.”

He raised his head and looked toward the Tiansha soldiers, dressed in yellow, who were closing in slowly, his eyes turning darker. He pulled off a few animal skins from the wall, picked up an old pot and scoop us the pile of fire Meng Fuyao had generated. He then kicked the door open and threw the pot full of burning charcoal out.

A soldier screamed upon getting hit, and the rest started dodging and scattering. The path that was once sealed tight had a gap now, and Zhan Beiye hurriedly pulled Meng Fuyao with him. “Let’s go.”

They moved nimbly, almost like falcons, stepping on the heads of the enemy and dashing toward the dense forest. More started making chase but kept slipping on the muddy ground. Someone was ordering the soldiers from above, and they revealed themselves from behind the layers of trees. They pulled their bows and created yet another arrow rain.

Zhan Beiye covered Meng Fuyao with the animal hide as he dragged her along in the end. Because of the pliability of the animal skin, it was hard for the arrows to cut deep. Either way, the arrows weren’t able to catch up with the duo, eventually dropping into the puddles.

Meng Fuyao caught the arrows while running, and after gathering a handful she casually tossed them. Her inner energy wasn’t something these ordinary soldiers could match up to, and whenever she attacked a large batch of men collapsed. Toward the end, whenever she made the gesture of sword tossing the soldiers would start running away.

“I’m tossing loneliness, not arrows!” Meng Fuyao laughed out loud.

Lord Yuan Bao tried his best to drill his head before looking up at her with disdain.

“Be careful!” Zhan Beiye let out a low growl, reaching out to press Meng Fuyao downward and causing her to stumble a little and slip three steps behind. The next moment arrows broke the air, sounding extremely fierce and heavy, reaching the spot she would have reached if not for Zhan Beiye’s intervention.

Meng Fuyao’s eyes flashed, and she turned around.

On the mountain top located laterally stood a man in a golden robe, holding up a bow. He stood afar but she could still feel his grin.

A group of people was gathered behind him, a row of them on their knees while another standing up. They had a golden longbow in their hands and some oddly shaped weapon sacks behind their backs. From their dressing to their expression and posture, it was clear that they were of a different caliber as compared to the soldiers from behind–they were calm, steady and deadly.

Meng Fuyao’s eyes narrowed slowly. “What precise vision and powerful calculation.”

Not only did the arrows contain extraordinary power, but they were also able to calculate her speed and aim at the spot she was about to reach. If not for Zhan Beiye’s vigilance, she would’ve been injured even after attempting to dodge.

“The golden force of Tiansha,” Zhan Beiye noted gravely. “Eldest brother’s troop, also the cream of the crop. Experts in pursuing and attacking, assassinating and single battles. Members must have entered the finals in the True Martial Arts Meet, and leaders are all within top 50 in previous meets. And the chief, Gu Lingfeng…” he pouted his mouth to direct her attention to the man in a golden robe before continuing, “7th place in the last meet.”

Meng Fuyao laughed, “If he’s lucky enough to see me in this upcoming meet, I’ll show him how it feels to have his teeth all broken and on the floor.”

“Xiu!”

Countless golden arrows whizzed through the air, forming a golden arc that broke the rain curtain before landing behind their feet in a neat row.

Gu Lingfeng hoisted his bow up and mouthed the words “quick death”.

Zhan Beiye let out a cold laugh, kicking a leg backward to send the golden arrows back into the sky.

Gu Lingfeng swung his bow upward, diverting the arrows onto a tree. Leaves and fruits fell all over his head.

Zhan Beiye erupted in laughter, pulling Meng Fuyao along with him as he pounced forward.

It was a dense forest.

The trees in this forest were ancient, and their jade green leaves were so closely packed that the sky was completely covered.

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It was almost day time but still dark in the forest. The air carried the smell of dead leaves and rotting animal flesh. The moment they stepped in they could feel the coldness and stillness pressing down on them.

Zhan Beiye waved his sword, slicing off thorny branches. In the dark forest, his sword twinkled, its red gem glowing exceptionally brightly, like the eye of a god.

A crack sounded beneath Meng Fuyao’s feet. Startled, she raised her foot to see a decaying bone. “I thought it was a ghost…”

She paused, studying the bone closely. “It is a ghost.”

Zhan Beiye glanced over at the bone, explaining, “People came in to hunt, and many had died a violent death. Probably belongs to a hunter. There might be more traps along the way, so be extremely careful.”

He sliced off another section of thorny vines. “Who is it!” He shouted suddenly.

A figure flashed before their eyes and he pulled Meng Fuyao behind him. “Your Highness,” the figure called out.

“It’s you,” Zhan Beiye released a sigh of relief, frowning as he looked at Ji Yu. “Did I not tell you to bring the men back to Pandu? Who is to handle the situation if you’re here..?”

“Xiaoqi is the assistant leader of Dark Wind Horses. He can manage it,” Ji Yu answered. “Let this ten selected soldiers and I walk with Your Highness on this path.”

Zhan Beiye sighed after some time, pointing to Meng Fuyao. “Protect this lady and I’ll allow you to stay.”

“Yes!”

Meng Fuyao smiled softly, hugging her chest and looking up at the sky. There was no point in arguing, and it was still too early to say who needed the protection.

“The soldiers will not follow us in, but Gu Lingfeng will,” Zhan Beiye informed. “He has been after me for a long time. Looks like I’ll need to gift him something special.”

He squatted and started to dig a few shallow holes, only enough for a person to put the tip of his shoes in. The holes were made at random, and he covered them with vines before tying them to the trees. He then ordered Ji Yu to dig a few bigger holes behind those and to stick tree stumps in them. He chopped a few stumps and turned them into wooden plants to fit above the holes, before covering them with topsoil and more vines.

As they were doing that Meng Fuyao retrieved the bottles and jars she had gotten from Zong Yue’s place, opening them up and sprinkling the contents all over the vines.

They then climbed up different trees and waited, leaving Zhan Beiye standing in place with a sword in hand.

A short while later a golden robe flickered. Gu Lingfeng had entered the forest with his men. They were all extremely cautious and kept casting stones before advancing, to ensure that there weren’t any traps.

Gu Lingfeng moved ahead of everyone else as he could rely on his powerful inner energy to not set a foot on the ground at all. He spotted a sword and look up to see Zhan Beiye, face toward the sky.

Shocked, he wondered why Zhan Beiye wasn’t escaping. Before he could answer Zhan Beiye swung his sword downward.

His move contained enough power to split a mountain. It was like that of a thousand lightning bolts but without any fanciness. Enormous wind gust rose from the ground, rolling the branches and leaves into the air. A faint red light surfaced on the sword, reflecting its glow onto Gu Lingfeng’s features, highlighting the murderous look on his face.

In response to such a powerful launch, Gu Lingfeng dared not receive it directly. Instead, he hardened his body and bent it backward, face toward the sky, in an attempt to dodge Zhan Beiye’s attack.

As he tried to do so without retreating too far, he had no choice but to shift half a step.

“Whip, whip.”

Gu Lingfeng felt his mind clenching along with the sound and also felt his feet being bound. Looking down he noticed the vines around his feet. Shocked he staggered half a step backward, his foot falling into yet another trap, which was the small hole created by Zhan Beiye.

Astonished but not panicking, he sliced the vines off with his sword. “These are not going to stop me…”

He stopped suddenly, staring at a cloud of fog before him. It was above the vines and had risen from the moment he sliced them off. Some of it had even stained his armor.

His eyes reddened, and he immediately felt suffocated. Without thinking he leaped up, and upon seeing him in danger a subordinate pounced forward without hesitation.

One jumped forward while the other jumped backward

“Withdraw!”

Amid his crisp voice, slight rustling sounds could be heard from the ground. The wooden planks were pulled open together with the vines, revealing the black holes, which embraced the two colliding individuals with open arms.