Chapter 111

Chapter 111

Chapter 111: Pursuit

“Ding-ling—ding-ling—”

As an item Cheng Yaoniang had worn in her childhood, the safety lock Madam Cheng took out was only about a quarter the size of a normal adult’s palm. Now flying forward, if one’s eyesight were slightly off, it might vanish from sight in an instant.

Fortunately, neither the swordsman nor the knife warrior fell into the “slightly off” category.

They moved silently through the night, their speed swift as swallows, light as the wind. The night watchman walking on the street only heard a faint ringing, followed by a subtle tickle on his cheek as his hair was lifted by the breeze. But when he looked toward the source of the sound and wind, all he saw was the ordinary night, no different from the surroundings.

A lantern swayed; the watchman scratched his head in confusion, muttering to himself, “What’s going on? Did I hear wrong?”

The man shook his head, ultimately not thinking too deeply. Just like the shop clerks Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan had encountered entering the city, their line of work had rules: do more, think less. That was the foundation.

“Bang, bang, bang—”

Beating the bamboo clapper, the watchman’s voice echoed again in the street: “Dry weather, beware of fire!”

By this time, Bai and Mei had already reached a place far from him, only able to hear faint human sounds drifting from behind.

The safety lock continued moving forward.

It crossed the towering city walls, passed the tea stall at the gate, and then disappeared into the night.

Two figures, one in dark, one in white, tightly followed behind, trailing the safety lock into the woods.

Bai and Mei could still hear the “ding-ling, ding-ling,” but now the trees directly in front of them were real obstacles. Their movements slowed slightly, but their keen ears allowed them to keep up.

Until the bell stopped ringing.

Their pupils constricted. Instantly, they realized: the safety lock had found its owner!

They looked toward the direction from which the sound had last come.

What they saw was still a field of darkness.

The knife warrior and the swordsman were enveloped by this boundless shadow. They exchanged a glance, showing no fear, and slowly raised their weapons from their waists.

One sword, one knife, drawn simultaneously.

Spiritual light coiled around the blade and knife.

As Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan raised their weapons, the glow grew brighter and more intense. Bai Zhengliu felt as if he once again saw the snow of Tianshan, the icy flakes brushing his cheeks. Yet in the blink of an eye, everything around him returned to his mind.He slashed through the air!

Clearly, it was only darkness and air before him. Yet wherever the blade of the Twenty-Eight Generals passed, the darkness split apart as if it were soft tofu!

Brighter than ever before—ten times, a hundred times stronger—the light burst from the blade. Anyone looking from above would see an incredible sight: like a point of light suddenly appearing in the night, growing bigger and brighter, spreading outward like ripples on water. The trees swayed as if touched by those ripples, and at the center of all the light were Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan, holding blade and sword.

—As Bai Zhengliu slashed the darkness before him, Mei Yinghan mirrored the motion in another direction. The spiritual lights from the Twenty-Eight Generals and Zhenxing interlocked perfectly, revealing everything in the forest to the eyes of the knife warrior and the swordsman.

They saw everything.

The fresh green sprouting at the tips of the trees in early late spring;

Birds in the nests, “chirping and fluttering,” brushing their feathers against the spiritual light;

Below the roots, earth snakes stirring, stiffened over the entire winter…

And three zhang away, hiding in the treetops, the patch of yin energy forced out by the spiritual light!

Without exchanging a word, the moment the yin energy appeared, Bai and Mei leapt toward the treetops.

As they closed in, they saw its true form more clearly. If the wandering spirits they had encountered before at least had some semblance of a human body, this one was incomplete, showing only a grotesque face faintly visible in the swirling black shadows.

Bai Zhengliu saw it and curled his mouth in disdain.

This was the “handsome and captivating immortal gentleman” that Cheng Yaoniang had spoken of?

Although he knew its current form was damaged by the lack of yin energy and a weakened soul, even if “Song Lang”’s facial features were restored to their original places, he still could not compare to his own Mei Lang in the slightest.

One was like a calm pond, reflecting stars and moon; the other was Tianshan snow, pure and dazzling, untouched by dust.

Thinking this, Bai Zhengliu felt a little better. Then, the young man solemnly raised his blade and slashed toward the ghostly figure!

He was a knife warrior. His weapon was called “Courage of a Hundred Arms.” Unlike the long sword, which avoids the real and strikes the false, or the staff, which sweeps entire armies, the knife emphasized bold, direct strikes at the heart!

Under the sweep of the great blade and spiritual light, “Song Lang”’s face became even more unreal and grotesque. In pain and rage, he glared at Bai Zhengliu and retreated swiftly—but there was nowhere to go.

Earlier at the Cheng residence, the mysterious talisman that had appeared greatly weakened him. Thinking of what Master Cheng had said—that the family had likely summoned experts, and if he didn’t take Yaoniang now, he would never succeed—he forced himself to fight. But unexpectedly, the two “Tianshan disciples” had chased him down, cornering him so completely.

“Song Lang” had no choice; he could only roar in anger and tear Cheng Yaoniang from behind.The young woman’s eyes were tightly shut, and the faint flush on her face was once again shrouded in darkness. The blade descended, and its sharp edge brushed across her face, gently sweeping down the strands of hair on Cheng Yaoniang’s forehead.

It stopped there.

Bai Zhengliu did not hold back when striking, yet pulling back the blade now was effortless. In just a single breath, all the threats that “Song Lang” had sensed vanished abruptly, causing his thoughts to stir again. He tried to coil the yin energy around Cheng Yaoniang’s legs to escape once more.

This time, however, Mei Yinghan would not give him the chance.

His sword thrust toward her brow; “Song Lang” faced the gaze of Tianshan’s senior apprentice head-on. Unlike the gentle regard shown toward sect members, and unlike the tender affection shown to his lover, the ghost faced the coldest side of Mei Yinghan’s nature. He gave “Song Lang” no time to react—the sword already swung down, aiming to split the yin energy in two.

“Song Lang” was both terrified and startled, emotions mixed with regret and frustration. He muttered vaguely, “If I had known… I surely—”

Surely what?

Before he could finish, the two masses of yin energy in front of Mei Yinghan were separated and scattered, unable to reform. One half tried to flee into the forest again, while the other shot straight toward Bai Zhengliu’s back!

At that moment, Bai Zhengliu was supporting Cheng Yaoniang’s body, carefully lowering her near a tree. A gust of cold wind hit from behind; sensing it, he turned abruptly. Before the spiritual light of the Twenty-Eight Generals could flare again, the wind had already vanished.

Bai Zhengliu saw Mei Yinghan sheathe his sword.

His lover’s expression was complex; he looked at him briefly, then turned toward the nearby forest and sighed, “A part of ‘Song Lang’ still managed to escape.”

Bai Zhengliu blinked and instantly understood what had just happened.

Seeing the disappointment and regret in his lover’s eyes, Bai Zhengliu comforted him, “He’d rather give up half his body to escape; he’s ruthless… a cruel ghost. You wanted to help me save her, so I should be thanking you.”

Mei Yinghan looked at him silently.

Bai Zhengliu smiled faintly. “But your care for me was only natural, so there’s no need for thanks.” He glanced down at the young woman beside him. “If Lady Cheng wakes up, let her tell you herself.”

After a few words, Mei Yinghan exhaled slowly and half-squatted beside Cheng Yaoniang, joining Bai Zhengliu to check on her condition.

They discussed, “We just dispelled yin energy from her once earlier, and now there’s more. This batch is weaker than before, but encountering it twice in a row… I’m not sure if Lady Cheng’s body can endure it.”

Bai Zhengliu considered this and murmured, “Yinghan, the nourishing method you mentioned earlier seems good. Unfortunately, we don’t have any food items with spiritual energy on hand. Lady Cheng might still have to endure some suffering.”

At his words, Mei Yinghan paused for a fraction of a second and said, “We do.”

Bai Zhengliu looked at him, puzzled.

Mei Yinghan explained, “Tianshan snow lotuses can be sold everywhere. Though they are usually carried by Master Lingxiaozi’s trade caravan, it’s not just for the caravan’s sake. Whenever we go out, we usually carry one or two. If we encounter a suitable buyer, we can show them the quality. If they agree, it’s another business. All Tianshan disciples do this. I had already used the snow lotuses I carried before we went to Guang’an Prefecture, so they didn’t come into play at places like the Chang residence or Tan family estate.”Hearing his lover’s words, Bai Zhengliu felt both enlightened and amused. He glanced down at the young woman before him, sighed, and finally suppressed his smile: “In that case, let’s take Lady Cheng home first.”

Mei Yinghan nodded naturally.

…

…

The Cheng couple had barely slept through the night. From the moon high in the sky until it set in the west, and the dawn light appeared, they finally received one piece of good news and one piece of bad news.

The good news: their daughter had been brought home. Although her body was weak, the Tianshan heroes surely had methods to nurture and care for her. A genuine Tianshan snow lotus, normally worth a fortune in gold, was now directly handed to Master Cheng, leaving the couple both astonished and grateful.

The bad news: “Song Lang” was not dead, and in the days to come, they did not know how he might continue to haunt their family. Just thinking about it sent chills through the Cheng couple.

Fortunately, the Tianshan heroes had no intention of leaving immediately. They first went to Lady Cheng’s room, picking up some tiles from her roof—only then did the Cheng couple realize how long their daughter had endured life under the evil formation. The heroes also inquired about the Le Shan troupe that had previously performed at their home, apparently searching for clues.

Seeing all this, the Cheng couple’s hearts calmed slightly, and they began to recount events in detail.

Author’s note:

Here I am!

Up early today… because I’m going out with friends this afternoon =v=

So I got up bright and early to write the update, now full of energy (well, not really).