Chapter 33: Chapter 31: You Have Reserved the Worst Way to Die
"Let’s not worry about a traitor for now. That’s something we can only investigate once we’re back. Governor, if the situation looks dire, I must ask you to prioritize the greater good!" Mr. Si’s voice was as though his vocal cords had been slashed, as grating as a grinding wheel scraping against metal.
His meaning was perfectly clear.
If their assailants proved too powerful, he hoped Yang Wenwan would choose to escape alone. He and Du Youqian would hold them off to buy time.
Yang Wenwan shook his head. "To feel fear before the battle is even fought is to hand your life over to the enemy. No matter how strong they are, I will meet them in battle!"
He didn’t deliberately raise his voice, but the moment the words left his lips, his aura surged dramatically.
Before, he had seemed like a rather plain-looking but very affable, middle-aged man.
But now, with his hair and beard bristling, he stood as tall and firm as a mountain—a majestic hegemon, poised to burn an unforgettable image onto the retinas of all who beheld him.
"Hahaha, Governor Yang, you are as mighty and heroic as they say! But one man’s hero is another’s mortal foe. Though I admire you, Governor, our allegiances differ. We can only serve our respective masters, and there is nothing more to be said. Today, we are honored to be the ones to send you on your way. Governor Yang, may your journey be a peaceful one!"
As he spoke, the man emerged from the forest.
He looked remarkably young, not even thirty by the feel of him, still in the flower of his youth.
He had a slender build, and his smile was gentle and refined, exuding a scholarly air.
Dressed in an elaborate, moon-white robe, he looked less like he was here to kill and more like he was out for a pleasant spring walk.
"Why are you wasting words on him? Let’s just kill him, take his head back, and offer it in sacrifice for the million soldiers and civilians of my Southern County!" A burly man with a thick, curly beard and clanking armor appeared, his eyes cold and his voice booming like a great bell.
A Yanling Saber hung at his waist, reeking of the countless souls it had claimed. The killing intent rolling off him was suffocating.
Yang Wenwan and Du Youqian, however, looked in another direction.
On that patch of snowy ground stood a handsome young man, flamboyantly waving a folding fan.
He wore a nearly pink robe embroidered with golden flowers, and his shoes were adorned with two enormous Dongzhu pearls.
A thick, cloying perfume wafted from his body, causing a hardened warrior like Yang Wenwan to frown instinctively.
These three were, without a doubt, all Innate Grandmasters, each having been famous for at least a decade.
The youngest among them was already in his forties, while the Military General was over ninety years old. It was only his profound ability as an Innate Grandmaster to lock in his vitality that allowed him to maintain the appearance of a man in his prime.
"’Smiling Scholar’ Lin Lisan, Ghost Cavalry Camp’s Marshal Du Gubian, and Dingzhou’s ’Sick Young Master’ Chen Tonggui? Just the three of you? I’m afraid that won’t be enough to stop me. Du Gubian, your life force is already in decline, yet you dare to emulate the likes of Nie Zheng and Yu Rang? Aren’t you afraid I’ll crush those old bones of yours?" Yang Wenwan’s left hand rested on his sword scabbard, but he remained calm and composed, not drawing his blade immediately.
Du Gubian, dressed as a Military General, didn’t engage in a war of words. He simply began to slowly and silently draw the Yanling Saber from his waist.
Instantly, a grim, murderous aura swept over the area.
The slender Smiling Scholar, Lin Lisan, chuckled. "We didn’t know beforehand that this Young Master Qiu, so highly regarded by the Lord Governor despite his obscurity, had already reached the Innate realm at such a young age. Truly terrifying, and what a pity. For such a genius to fall here today... alas!"
Du Youqian smiled. "Are you planning to tell a joke and make me die of laughter? Or will you have that old man try to scam me? Or perhaps you’ll let that Human-Demon over there disgust me to death?"
"Junior, you’re courting death!"
"Hmph!"
"Brat, if I don’t peel every single inch of your skin off slowly and meticulously today, then my name isn’t Chen!"
"Worthy Brother," Yang Wenwan said, waving a hand. "They are Innate Grandmasters, after all. You shouldn’t insult them so lightly. I know you’re trying to draw their attention so I can escape, but I’m afraid today, our only option is to fight to the death."
"Oh, so you noticed too, Big Brother?"
Yang Wenwan gave a wry smile. "Of course."
The Smiling Scholar, Lin Lisan, laughed. "To die at the hands of an Immortal Master... you could say it’s a worthy end for you. We respectfully welcome the Master!"
Du Gubian, his eyes cold, no longer dared to put on airs. He bowed deeply. "We respectfully welcome the Immortal Master!"
The Sick Young Master, Chen Tonggui, had eyes gleaming like a sycophant who’d just seen his goddess. He bowed so low he almost touched the ground. "We respectfully welcome the Immortal Master!"
The Immortal Master was a woman. A black veil concealed her face from her fine nose down, obscuring her features but for a pair of large eyes that held a hidden, alluring gleam.
Though her gaze was ice-cold, one could still feel that beneath the frost, hot lava was boiling, and a captivating charm was brewing.
It was utterly intoxicating.
Her figure swayed like a slender willow. She wore an intricate, high-collared, tight-fitting black top, and a black skirt woven with dark gold thread into complex, mysterious patterns, wrapping her entire body up tightly.
Even her neck and wrists were completely covered, not revealing a hint of skin.
Only her bare feet, as small and delicate as lotuses, rested upon the snow.
Upon seeing her bare feet, so white they put the frost and snow to shame, even a great hero like Yang Wenwan felt a sudden blaze of heat in his heart. For a moment, he was utterly captivated, nearly making a fool of himself.
After a brief moment of distraction, the silent Mr. Si tightened his grip on his pair of Water-Splitting Needles. Beads of sweat trickled down his temples as despair filled his heart.
As for Du Youqian, he had long since smelled the familiar fragrance on her. Seeing her appear now, he was not the least bit surprised.
’But seeing how, despite being dressed so plainly and with extreme modesty, she could make even someone like him, a man of supreme self-control, feel as if his heart were about to explode with excitement—to the point where he just wanted to rip off her elaborate dress to see what lay beneath—he knew her Charm Skill must have had a major breakthrough.’
Du Youqian smiled and nodded. "I never expected to meet such a beautiful Immortal Master. To die by your fair hand would be an elegant affair indeed."
"Facing death, and you’re still trying to be a smart-mouth," the Smiling Scholar sneered. "There are many ways to die. You’ve just reserved the most miserable one."
Du Gubian, who had been expressionless until now, also began to sneer, waiting to watch Du Youqian make a fool of himself.
Only Yang Wenwan stared at Du Youqian in astonishment. ’He knew Du Youqian wasn’t a womanizer, and he certainly shouldn’t be so witless as to flirt with an Immortal Master.’
’What in the world is going on?’
"Are you not going to make your move? Don’t tell me you’re treating me as your hired muscle?" a bone-chillingly cold female voice rang out.
Her icy voice and extremely conservative attire stood in stark contrast to her bewitching figure and her eyes, which seemed to cast alluring glances.
Lin Lisan and the others didn’t dare to argue.
The Imperial Family’s Immortal Master Tributors would not take the initiative to strike at ordinary people.
The Emperor of the Jin Kingdom had gone through that Tributor, paying a great price and pulling many strings, to request the aid of this Immortal Master.
It had been agreed beforehand that this Immortal Master was only here to hold the line and ensure Yang Wenwan could not escape.
Unless they were on the verge of defeat, the Immortal Master would only watch from the sidelines.
"Yes, we will move to capture them now. We ask that the Immortal Master hold the line for us!"
With that, the three of them attacked as one.
