Chapter 419: 419. I can predict the future

Chapter 419: 419. I can predict the future

Translator: 549690339

Three breaths later, Qiu Jing turned his head, a cold, fierce gaze fell on Yan Shijiu’s face.

Yan Shijiu lowered his head, readily admitting he was in collusion with the newcomers, “Sorry, I too, am trying to survive.”

Siqi’s eyes were on alert, “Who are you all?”

“Gu Ling, have you made up your mind?” Completely ignoring Yan Shijiu or Siqi, the man in the straw cloak always kept his eyes on Qiu Jing.

In a swift movement, Qiu Jing drew out his Cold Moon Sword. Yan Shijiu lifted his gaze to see an exquisite sword technique employed at a rapid speed. Without even looking at him, Qiu Jing plunged his sword into Yan Shijiu’s chest!

Although Yan Shijiu was not without strength, he never expected that “Gu Ling” intended to kill him! He watched as Qiu Jing’s sword thrust changed its course abruptly from attacking the man to targeting him instead.

The Cold Moon Sword was already withdrawn, untouched by blood, returning to the scabbard at Qiu Jing’s waist. Yan Shijiu’s face turned deathly pale, clutching his chest, vibrant red blood seeped from the gaps between his fingers. In panic, he fled toward the outside, crying, “Master, save me!”

The next moment, a silvery gleam was released from beneath the straw cloak. Yan Shijiu stumbled to a halt, his eyes growing wide with shock. It was as if time had slowed to a crawl. Above his line of sight, there appeared a curved sliver- a silver coin. Then, like a half arched moon obscured by clouds, the portion of it he could see got smaller and smaller until finally, it completely disappeared... The silver coin entered his forehead, piercing through his brain, and flew out, no longer shining bright. The blood streaks added an unsettling brightness to the pattern on the coin. Speed undiminished, it nailed onto a pillar behind him!

Qiu Jing’s Cold Moon Sword ultimate move and the man’s brain-piercing coin were used in a silent skirmish with Yan Shijiu.

At the very moment Yan Shijiu toppled, exactly ten breaths had passed.

Qiu Jing spoke, “Don’t trouble them, I will go with you.”

“Very good.” The man nodded slightly, rainwater coalesced into thin lines down his straw hat. As he turned, the lines fragmented into dewdrops. “The Cold Moon Sword Technique, truly lives up to its reputation. Let’s go.”

Qiu Jing turned to look at Siqi. “You escort Yan Shiba back to the capital city with Yu Ru. Tell Su Liang that I have gone to Xingluo Island as a guest, there’s no cause for worry.”

“Yes, my prince.” Siqi nodded, removing her grass hat and handed it to Qiu Jing.

Qiu Jing caught it, donned it, and followed that man into the rain.

The troupe of black-clothed individuals followed behind Qiu Jing, closing him in with a tight formation.

After a moment, tranquility returned to the dilapidated temple, while Yan Shijiu’s blood painted a large patch of the ground red.

Yu Ru, the maid, lifted the carriage curtain, her face riddled with anxiety as she watched Siqi approach. “What do we do next?”

“You take her back to find Hu Er,” Siqi commanded once again.

Yu Ru’s eyes widened in shock because this was unmistakably Regent King Gu Ling’s voice!

But before Yu Ru could question further, the figure in front of her had vanished, leaving her momentarily wondering if it had been her imagination. It took her a moment to realize what had happened. Although she was still mystified, Yu Ru carried the body of Yan Shijiu onto the carriage. Then braving the rain, she navigated the carriage away from the dilapidated temple with Yan Shiba, taking a detour back to Bei’an County.

Qiu Jing followed the group in the rain. Instead of heading north, they were moving away from Bei’an County towards the south.

It wasn’t until dusk that the rain stopped. They arrived at a valley where the leader found a dry cave to halt and rest.

Qiu Jing watched as the man threw off his straw cloak outside the cave, revealing a tall and upright figure. But even after removing his straw hat, a mask remained, only his eyes, deep as a dead sea, were visible.

“Are you... Sheng Yue?” Qiu Jing asked. He heard from Min Rou that there was a man called Sheng Yue on Xingluo Island, a martial arts master who was immune to all poison, and a trusted aide of Mo Yan. Aside from Sheng Yue, the others causing trouble on Xingluo Island were all old timers.

“Min Rou told you.” Sheng Yue, by saying this, acknowledged the fact.

“What do you guys want me to do?” Qiu Jing asked. He knew that one of the primary purposes of the people on Xingluo Island all along was to capture Gu Ling.

It was evident that this time, everything about Yan Shiba was arranged by Sheng Yue. Yan Shijiu was a trusted aide of Yan Shiba, known for his close ties with Gu Ling and Su Liang. Hence they used a gravely injured Yan Shiba as a trap. Yan Shiba’s state was authentic, so was her severe illness, and Yan Shijiu missing an arm was also a reality. His story held no flaws. Additionally, the location was Su Village, home to many of Su Liang’s kins and friends. Even if they suspected something was amiss, Su Liang and Gu Ling couldn’t just sit by and do nothing.

Moreover, Sheng Yue would have certainly predicted that Gu Ling would be the one to show up, and he would come alone, without Su Liang. This was because Su Liang and Gu Ling wouldn’t take their daughter, who was less than a year old, on long journeys. Besides, the child couldn’t be without her mother, and Su Liang’s martial arts skills were her weakness.

If Gu Ling hadn’t made use of Hu Er’s acting, leading Yan Shiba away from Su Family Village, it would have been difficult to avoid Bai Xiaohu or Zhuzi being randomly grabbed by Sheng Yue as hostages to achieve the same goal. Choosing Su Family Village itself was a form of invisible threat to Gu Ling and Su Liang.

Qiao Jing was very wary of Sheng Yue, although they had met for the first time that day, and had a brief encounter that couldn’t be counted as a fight, this man gave him a very dangerous feeling. From a strength perspective, Qiao Jing suspected that his martial arts might not be far off from Gu Ling, but while Gu Ling looked cold, he didn’t emit the kind of fear-inspiring chill; this man, however, gave Qiao Jing the feeling that he was capable of anything.

In response to Qiao Jing’s question, Sheng Yue only answered after a pause, “You’ll know when we get there. Stay composed; if you dare to act rashly, innocent people may lose their lives because of you.”

The tone was very calm, but it caused chills. Qiao Jing realized Sheng Yue was not joking, but this man truly disgusted him.

However, for the moment, Qiao Jing was somewhat relieved that he had insisted on disguising himself as Gu Ling then. After all, they were cousins. Their physique and facial features were rather similar, and both were inheritors of the Cold Moon Sword Technique. Their martial arts were enough to confuse the enemy. At the time in the ruined temple, one of Qiao Jing’s aims in killing Yan Shijiu was to show off his Cold Moon Sword Technique.

At least for now, Sheng Yue hadn’t suspected at all that the person he captured was not Gu Ling.

As for the one who was captured, Qiao Jing felt it was quite good. Although when they swapped identities, it was said that if Qiao Jing was captured, Gu Ling could save him. But at this moment, he didn’t expect Gu Ling to come to his rescue immediately. This group of people was difficult to deal with. No matter how powerful Gu Ling was, it would be difficult to deal with them alone. If Sheng Yue wasn’t killed and he escaped, he would likely invite even more trouble.

In fact, Qiao Jing hoped that his act would last longer, preferably only being discovered after Sheng Yue took him back to the Xingluo Island. That way, it would give Gu Ling and Su Liang more time to understand Xingluo Island and deal with its power.

Something was thrown onto Qiao Jing. He caught it and found it was a mask.

“Put it on,” Sheng Yue said.

Qiao Jing shook his head, “I didn’t do anything.”

“Come out!” Sheng Yue ordered coldly. They weren’t far from the shore, but their boat was broken. They dared not to land immediately, fearing an ambush.

On the right bank was a large rock; a figure landed lightly upon it. Subsequently, Qiao Jing heard “his own” voice, “Release Gu Ling.”

“Situ Jing?” Sheng Yue recognized Qiao Jing.

“Qiao Jing.” Gu Ling corrected.

“How did you find us?” Sheng Yue squinted at her.

“I am clairvoyant.” Gu Ling stated.

Qiao Jing:...

Sheng Yue scoffed, “Ridiculous. If I can’t escape, Gu Ling will accompany me in death. Get out of the way.” As he finished speaking, he pulled out the pistol he had taken from Qiao Jing and aimed at Gu Ling.

The reason why Sheng Yue hadn’t immediately attacked Gu Ling was to understand how someone had found out about their whereabouts. This was essential, but he hadn’t yet got an answer.

“Okay.” As soon as Gu Ling finished his words, he disappeared completely.

Listening to Sheng Yue’s coarse breath, which showed he was obviously enraged, Qiao Jing suddenly found it somewhat amusing... He didn’t know what Gu Ling was planning to do, but it was bound to be interesting. The boat was already damaged, and even if they cleared the obstacles in their path, they could not use it. They would have to get ashore as soon as possible, but there might be some “surprises” waiting for them on the shore.

Water was already pouring into the boat, and it wouldn’t be long before it sank, as it had reached Qiao Jing’s feet.

Sheng Yue looked at two of the four elderly men and said, “You two, go check out the path over there.” He was referring to the left bank.

The two elderly men leapt ashore swiftly. The shore was covered with dense trees. They had weapons in their hands, and they were about to walk into the forest when they heard Sheng Yue say, “Walk along the bank.”

It was a smart approach. After getting ashore, there was no necessary need to hide in the forest. The conditions within the forest were unclear and potentially more dangerous. With a hostage in hand, all they needed was a clear path.

Next, Qiao Jing witnessed a scene of a “hunting” scenario.

An arrow flew out from the forest on the opposite bank at an extreme speed and hit one of the elderly men, who toppled into the water.

The other elderly man quickly hid in the forest, but soon after, an explosion sounded, and the entire river surface started to vibrate.

Qiao Jing understood clearly. Gu Ling either had a lot of mines buried in the forest, or he had calculated every step of theirs. The latter seemed more likely. Gu Ling had been following them all this while, and he probably didn’t have time to prepare much.

Qiao Jing was held hostage by Sheng Yue, who positioned him in front of his own body.

At this point, the boat began to tilt. Sheng Yue knew that sending someone ashore to explore the path meant sending them to their death. Even if the other party was alone, they were stuck in the river, clearly exposed, while the other party was hidden in the darkness.

“How the hell did he find us?” Sheng Yue’s voice was no longer as monotonous as before, but was filled with anger. Obviously, he was a person with a strong desire to control, and he initially thought he had everything under control. However, a major mishap caught him off guard.

“Master, we should move in the water,” one of the elderly men suggested.

Just then, something fell towards the stern of the boat and hit the wooden rail.

Sheng Yue’s face turned pale instantly, “Jump!” As soon as the word fell, he dragged Qiao Jing and jumped into the river.

The moment they left the boat, there was a loud boom. The entire boat exploded, and thick smoke rose accompanied by flames.

An elderly man who was slow to react and was near the stern was left with his upper body intact when he entered the water.

But Qiao Jing had seized the opportunity, the moment they plunged into the water, to wriggle free from Sheng Yue’s grip. As he was pondering which direction to swim in, he suddenly felt a strong tug on his arm. He was pushed forcefully and quickly found himself by the shore and hurried ashore.

“Be careful, he has a gun!” Qiao Jing shouted back, knowing that Gu Ling was in the water.

Sheng Yue, however, did not see Gu Ling and swim as fast as possible towards the right bank.

The water around him suddenly began to ripple disturbingly. Sensing something was not right, Sheng Yue subconsciously evaded, but by the next moment, he saw his right hand severed from his wrist, floating away with the current.

Turning around, Sheng Yue saw the last of his subordinates grappling with a person.

Seizing this opportunity, Sheng Yue ignored his severed hand, reached the shore quickly, and saw the elderly man who rescued him earlier had already floated up, dead.

Sheng Yue shot a chilling look at Qiao Jing on the opposite bank and dashed into the forest.

Immediately afterwards, Gu Ling emerged from the water, pursuing Sheng Yue.

“Hey ...,” Qiao Jing, standing at the opposite bank, began to say but the figure had disappeared from his line of vision.

Looking around, Qiao Jing was the only living person left. The river was filled with debris from the destroyed boat as well as dead bodies.

Qiao Jing’s poison hadn’t been cured yet, so he sat down on the spot, waiting for Gu Ling to return. Thinking back on the horrifying experience, he was impressed by Gu Ling’s meticulous plan to take on many by himself but couldn’t help muttering: if Sheng Yue hadn’t reacted so quickly, they would all have been blown up on the boat...

From another perspective, Gu Ling calculated even Sheng Yue’s responses accurately—they were flawless. No wonder Su Liang always called him Great God. Only such tactics could possibly deal with enemies like Sheng Yue. Even if Sheng Yue was lucky enough to escape this night, this time, in his encounter with Gu Ling, he was completely defeated.