Chapter 208: Consequences too ghastly to contemplate
Chapter 208: Consequences too ghastly to contemplate
Murong Wanru and Grand Concubine Yi were startled by the sight of Han Yunxi rolling in. Only then did they sense the commotion going on outside. Quickly, Murong Wanru removed her hands from Grand Concubine Yi’s neck.
Heavens, had Han Yunxi saw what had happened?
Grand Concubine Yi was frightened as well. Heavens, had Han Yunxi overhear anything?
Han Yunxi had seen and heard everything, but right now she didn’t care whose daughter was whom’s, who wanted to kill whom or who wanted to frame whom! She didn’t even have time to catch her breath as she tightly gripped the assassination weapon around her wrist and stared out the curtains, on guard against Jun Yixie.
Suddenly, the carriage was violently struck and keeled to the left. Who knew what had happened? Grand Concubine Yi and Murong Wanru gaved startled cries, while Han Yunxi was caught off-guard and fell sharply onto her back. So painful! She was going to get up when Murong Wanru and Grand Concubine Yi both fell clumsily on top of her like a human pyramid.
Dammit! It hurts! Her organs were crushed to the point that she wanted to throw up. Han Yunxi dearly wanted to curse someone, but it was then that a foot stepped in through the carriage window on the left. It kicked aside the window curtains and rested atop the pile of bodies on Murong Wanru’s back.
“Ah…!” Murong Wanru screamed, while Han Yunxi recognized the foot as Jun Yixie. The black boot with gold stitching and slight arch in the toes were typical symbols of Northern Li royalty.
Her chance had come!
Ignoring the pain, Han Yunxi reached out a hand and aimed precisely for an acupoint on the foot. But before she could even shoot, the foot immediately withdrew from the carriage. Through the tiny carriage window, Han Yunxi spotted Long Feiye and Jun Yixie currently standing on the carriage together as they engaged in close combat. Their steps fluctuated irregularly as their forms flashed constantly past the window. It made it impossible for Han Yunxi to make her move. With the detox system still undergoing upgrades and herself buried in place, she had no idea if Jun Yixie was using poisons, and thus had no way to warn Long Feiye. If Jun Yixie wasn’t using poisons, then Long Feiye would be more than sufficient to take care of him. But if Jun Yixie was using poisons, she wasn’t sure how long Long Feiye could last. She decided to risk everything anyways. Casting aside her stray thoughts, she focused her stare on that window and waited for Jun Yixie to appear.
Soon enough, Jun Yixie’s feet stepped on the window frame again. Cough, truthfully speaking, it wasn’t very elegant to look at someone from below, but Han Yunxi had to admit that it was an intoxicating scene. Giant Drug Trafficker, is it? Have a taste of this lady’s modern-day super strength narcosis poison.
She hadn’t wasted her days shut up in the study with the Pear Blossom Teardrop Rain. Her 39 needle slots were filled with various needles that were either non-toxic or divided into various poisons. Narrowing her eyes, Han Yunxi pressed the trigger without hesitation, sending out multiple needles shooting at Jun Yixie. She was looking forward to the results!
But!
Of all things, Murong Wanru turned over and fell at the same time Han Yunxi launched her needles. Her body conveniently blocked all the weapons.
“Your sister!” Han Yunxi swore explosively. By now, the figure by the window had disappeared. Jun Yixie and Long Feiye had both left the carriage to continue their battle elsewhere. Han Yunxi felt like turning Murong Wanru into a human porcupine right now, but the girl only laid on one side unmoving, as if she’d fainted away.
Fine, five needles of super-strength narcosis poison had all found their marks in her body. If she hadn’t fainted with all that, Han Yunxi would cry. With Murong Wanru out of the way, Han Yunxi pushed Grand Concubine Yi aside. The woman had long passed out from fright and was now slumped in a corner with her daughter. Han Yunxi’s gaze seemed to hesitate as she looked at Murong Wanru, before quickly looking away. She only heard the intense clamor of fighting outside and carefully peeked her head past the curtains. As it turned out, most of the people there had already been slaughtered.
All things considered, she had hidden weapons on hand and should be able to help out. But Han Yunxi couldn’t recognize anyone in the mass of black-robed, fighting figures besides Chu Xifeng. It was impossible to tell friend from foe. Up in the skies beyond them, Long Feiye and Jun Yixie were fighting in mid-air. Once again, Han Yunxi focused her sights on Jun Yixie. He must have used poison, because Long Feiye was trying to avoid him. Otherwise, his fighting style would be a direct strike swiftly and fiercely. Long Feiye kept trying to keep his distance, while Jun Yixie kept narrowing their gap. Currently, they seemed matched in strength, but if this continued, Long Feiye would be at a disadvantage. Jun Yixie’s poison skills held the upper hand. If Long Feiye was even a little careless, he’d be a goner.
Accursed poison arts!
Han Yunxi watched quietly as she analyzed things on the side. As a waste in martial arts, she felt that coming to such conclusions was already a pretty good feat. If she had the Pear Blossom Rain Needles on hand, she wouldn’t hesitate at all against Jun Yixie, but the Pear Blossom Teardrop Rain in her arsenal only held one-third its strength. She had to find the best position for herself. Seeing that no one else was paying attention, she withdrew her head, bent her waist, and crept silently out of the window like a little mouse before tumbling to the ground. There, she played dead until she was sure no one had noticed. Then, she began to crawl forward, stopping intermittently to observe her surroundings.
While Long Feiye and Jun Yixie were fighting fiercely, both had kept their thoughts on the carriage below. They’d already noticed when Han Yunxi first stuck her head out the window. Long Feiye’s icy eyes caught a glimpse of Han Yunxi crawling on the ground and couldn’t fathom what she was doing. Running away? Didn’t she know that the safest choice was to stay put inside the carriage? Jun Yixie’s lips twisted up into an amused arc. He was puzzled over this woman’s actions, too.
Suddenly, Long Feiye turned sideways and swept his sword forwards, forcing Jun Yixie to retreat. Long Feiye took the chance to leave and fly towards Han Yunxi. With that woman by his side, he wouldn’t need to worry about Jun Yixie’s poisons. Jun Yixie saw through his intentions right away and hastily gave chase. Originally, he’d wanted to kidnap Han Yunxi out of curiosity and interest in her skills. Now there was another reason; namely, he couldn’t allow Long Feiye to keep a poisons master whose skills matched his own! Long Feiye and Jun Yixie’s speeds were completely indescribable. It took them not minutes, but seconds, to reach Han Yunxi. Meanwhile, she was curled up on the ground with her head bowed, secretly restocking her Pear Blossom Teardrop Rain. How could she know that they were getting closer?
Just look, she had a fright as soon as she lifted her head and saw the two figures speeding her way. Suddenly, the lagging Jun Yixie threw out a poisoned dart that left white powder in its wake.
“Poison! Venomous Wasp Pollen!” Han Yunxi shouted. She wasn’t just the operator of the detox system, but a professional poisons doctor. Without the detox system on hand, she could recognize plenty of poisons on her own. Faced with such poison, Long Feiye was forced to dodge. This too, was the method that Jun Yixie had used to keep him constantly on his toes.
Long Feiye gave Han Yunxi an unhappy glance before turning his body to swerve out of the way. Jun Yixie smiled coldly as he pressed on towards Han Yunxi. Even so, Long Feiye countered with a vicious sword strike that forced Jun Yixie to turn sideways. When he tried to get closer, Long Feiye’s sword qi blocked his way again. His movements with the sword grew faster and faster until Jun Yixie was inexplicably forced onto a complete defensive position. Once again, the two of them fell into a locked struggled before Han Yunxi.
Han Yunxi didn’t know why Long Feiye had glared at her. But as she lay on the ground with her head upraised, her lips gradually curved into a smug snigger. With both of them so close, another chance had come! She silently turned around to lie on her back, narrowing her eyes to approximate the target. Without either Long Feiye or Jun Yixie noticing a thing, she lightly brushed against her wrist. In a flash, the newly reloaded Pear Blossom Teardrop Rain unleashed 39 poison needles that rained like a whirlwind upon Jun Yixie. He was currently preoccupied with Long Feiye and hadn’t thought to guard against Han Yunxi. Though he knew Han Yunxi’s poison skills were formidable, her ability to poison others were dregs compared to the rest!
The needles landed in his flesh without warning, while a few more flew straight past his face. Jun Yixie seized up in alarm, never expecting Han Yunxi to be so quick and potent with her needles. Long Feiye’s sword took this chance to sweep over and cut towards his waist. With the poison needles in his body, then a fatal strike like that, Jun Yixie was thrown directly into a grove of trees and plummeted to the ground. The large commotion attracted the attention of the assassins, who saw their injured master and retreated as one. They formed a barrier in front of Jun Yixie to protect him, while the man himself hastily got to his feet and turned to flee. Chu Xifeng immediately led the black-robed guards over to continue their slaughter. Long Feiye’s lips curved into a cold smile as he lifted his sword to give chase, but it was then that Han Yunxi hastily grabbed his hand.
“What?” Long Feiye asked coldly.
“Don’t give chase,” Han Yunxi was very serious. She had hesitated over the matter before, but now there was no time.
“Let go!” Long Feiye didn’t even bother to ask her the reason, but violently shook Han Yunxi’s hand aside. There was no time to lose. He’d been waiting for Jun Yixie for ages. This time he wouldn’t let him escape!
But Han Yunxi ran in front of him. “I have something very important to discuss with you. I have to say it now!”
For the first time, Long Feiye felt that this woman was different from other females. She couldn’t be reasoned with and caused him inconveniences! Casting her a cold glare, he prepared to leave. Since Han Yunxi couldn’t hold him back, she grew anxious and blurted, “Did you know that Murong Wanru is Grand Concubine Yi’s real daughter and that you’re adopted?”
Abruptly, Long Feiye stopped in place, spinning back to look at Han Yunxi. For a split second, killing intent flashed in his eyes. Why would this woman know that secret?
Han Yunxi knew by his reaction that she’d successfully stopped him. She didn’t notice the killing intent in Long Feiye’s eyes, but hastened to explain. “They were in the carriage. Murong Wanru wanted to kill Grand Concubine Yi to frame me, but Grand Concubine Yi said those words herself. I didn’t mean to overhear. Just then, I accidentally injured Murong Wanru with narcosis poison. If it’s not treated in time, she’ll be comatose for the rest of her life. The choice is up to you!”
Murong Wanru wasn’t easy to deal with. Once she knew she wasn’t an adoptive daughter, but a proper princess, would the Duke of Qin’s estate have it easy? The consequences were too ghastly to contemplate if the secret got out!