CH 51

Make way! Otherwise, you will die (Battle against Xiao Tai)

“Sister.”

The greeting was uttered with a cold and sticky tone, reminiscent of a venomous serpent, while the soft rustling of sleeves sliding against each other sounded like the slithering of snake scales.

Murong Yan fixed her gaze upon the man standing before her – someone she believed she would never lay eyes on again. Although her complexion was pallid, her voice remained composed as she inquired, “How did you get here?”

“Why am I forbidden from visiting my own sister?”

In present times, Murong Xiao’s garments were far from their once luxurious state. Instead, they consisted solely of black clothing and robes that contributed to the intimidating aura surrounding him. “It appears that even the powerful Prince Yu’s Mansion is not invincible,” he remarked.

Surely, someone must have leaked information?

This would explain how he had managed to escape despite being heavily surrounded, and why the guards remained absent despite Murong Yan’s persistent calls for their aid.

Moreover, Hu’er, her trusted servant, had also been taken.

Who could it be?”

Murong Yan pondered in silence, striving to maintain her composure by taking a deep breath.

“You, who are scorned by society and pursued throughout the city, have the nerve to appear before me. Your courage is certainly impressive,” the woman declared, her grip on a tea needle concealed within her sleeve tightening.

Murong Xiao responded with a sinister grin, “I would do anything for my sister, even if it means facing certain execution mere seconds later. Fear is not a factor for me.”

He made his way towards the woman whom he had not laid eyes on for an extended period, conveying a blend of affection and a thirst for her demise.

Abruptly, he recollected something and chuckled.

“Xiao Tai informed me of something quite amusing,” he murmured as he drew nearer to Murong Yan.

“It appears he killed one of your shadow guards who referred to you by a rather affectionate nickname… ‘Yan Yan’?”

The sudden sound of air being rent apart reverberated as Murong Yan thrust the sharp object in her grasp ferociously towards the man’s neck.

Yet, it seemed that the other party had anticipated this, firmly grasping the tea needle, disregarding the piercing of his palm. Blood dripped from the needle, staining the woman’s hand.

“Why did you forsake me for someone of lower status? Why won’t you be with me?” Murong Xiao ranted, snatching the needle from his palm and hurling it forcefully to the ground. His countenance was wild with madness.

“Perhaps, I should also address you as ‘Yan Yan’, shouldn’t I?” he suddenly moderated his tone and spoke in a sugary manner.

“Silence!”

Murong Yan’s typically composed voice now held a note of aggression. She raised her head without fear and stared intently at the man before her. “I forbid you to utter that name with your filthy tongue.”

“So, my sister prefers being addressed as Yan Yan?”

Murong Xiao observed the rare display of fervor in the woman and the intense fury in her gaze. Instead of becoming infuriated, he smiled and extended his hand to caress her face. “If I called you Yan Yan, would you appreciate it, sister?”

With her teeth clenched, Murong Yan gazed fearlessly at the man before her and declared resolutely, “Whether in this life or the next, I shall never harbor any affection towards you.”

“Why…”

The man’s arrogant demeanor vanished instantly at the sound of her words. “Why… why… why?” he repeated like a lunatic.

Raising her head, Murong Xiao seized the woman’s delicate neck with his blood-stained hand, struggling to regulate his breathing. “Why? I have given you so many opportunities. Why do you persist on pushing me?”

“Since I cannot possess you, sister, I am left with no choice,” the man muttered as he drew out a gourd bottle from his sleeve with his other hand and tipped out several black pills.

“Then, sister, let us depart for the afterlife together.”

His countenance twisted into a cruel expression.

“What I cannot possess shall not be coveted by anyone else either…”

Using brute force, he shoved the pills into Murong Yan’s tightly clenched teeth. Murong Xiao used one hand to pin down her nose and mouth, compelling her to swallow the pills. Even as her mouth was still full, she screamed frantically, “Wait for me in the underworld, sister. Wait for me and let us make a vow for the next life!”

Within the tower, the sound of the man’s maniacal laughter echoed along with the woman’s desperate wheezing due to suffocation.

“Xiao Tai!”

On the dark and deserted street, Ming Qin’s eyes were fixed on the man standing before her, her mind racing with possibilities.

Xiao Tai’s presence at the Hidden Moon Tower could only mean one thing – the Crown Prince was also there.

And Yan Yan…

No good!

In that moment, Ming Qin acted without hesitation, drawing her sword and lunging towards Xiao Tai, who stood before her like an old enemy.

Xiao Tai unsheathed his own sword, but instead of using his usual left hand, he stood his ground with his right hand gripping the hilt. He stood in front of the building, ready to meet Ming Qin’s attack.

The sound of their clashing swords echoed through the dark street, sparks flying in all directions.

“Get out of the way!”

Ming Qin shouted and deflected the opponent’s blade with force before pivoting on her right leg to stab towards the man’s neck, “Otherwise, you’ll die.”

Xiao Tai remained stationary in front of the building, looking somewhat surprised. His left hand, which had been cut off, hurt faintly and hung limply at his side.

“I didn’t expect you to be alive.” His voice was cold as he tilted his head and performed a side roll, attempting to kick her unsuspecting stomach from behind.

Without dodging, Ming Qin grabbed his incoming leg with one hand and lifted her sword with the other, ready to sever the tendons and veins. With a matter-of-fact tone, she stated, “This time, I will kill you.”

“Why don’t you take a look at your face?” he sneered, his body sinking down.

He shoved her away with both hands and raised his sword to strike again. “It looks like you’re eager to have a few more scars courtesy of me.”

“Just a bandit who works for a tiger,” Ming Qin leaped into the night sky, backlit by the moon, deftly dodging the attack with a swift roll. “Don’t be arrogant,” she added as she swooped down, hand first.

“You’re also a dog of Princess Chongwen, aren’t you?” sneered Xiao He, bending his knees to stand firm. “Hmph…before I chop off your head this time, I’ll make sure to cut off your left ear as well.”

The blades clashed again, and the two masters were evenly matched, exchanging blows for fifty or sixty rounds without being able to determine who was stronger.

Both of them were tense, and under the bright moonlight, there was an eerie calmness, as if a gentle breeze blowing on one side of the scales would shatter the false harmony maintained with great difficulty, tilting the balance towards one of them.

Ming Qin did not want a prolonged battle, feeling anxious and eager for a quick decision. Her sword strikes became faster and faster, as if she was back in the forest, fighting for her life and hoping to burn the jade and stones.

Just as Ming Qin wished the person in front of her would cut her abdomen to attempt to sever the man’s neck…

“Whoosh!”

A sharp and cold sound pierced the air, followed by a slight rustling that sounded like a long needle piercing flesh.

Xiao Tai, who had been in the midst of a fierce battle, suddenly felt his face stiffen as he was hit with a wave of soreness in his thigh, causing him to involuntarily lean forward.

Ming Qin saw the opportunity and seized it, quickly closing in on Xiao Tai. With ruthless precision, she plunged her sword deep into his abdomen, causing him to look at her with disbelief. Without hesitation, she dragged the blade upwards, cutting open his chest and spilling his organs onto the ground.

Only then did Ming Qin stop and wipe her hands on the fallen man’s sleeve.

“You’re too impatient, Ming Qin. You should have exercised more patience,” said Song Shu Qing, emerging from the shadows. Her long hair was tangled and disheveled by the night breeze, and her smiling face, while eerie and cold, betrayed a hint of amusement.

“Isn’t it because you’re too slow, senior sister,” Ming Qin retorted, as she withdrew her weapon with a blank expression.

“You moved too quickly, leaving me with few opportunities,” replied Song Shu Qing, revealing her hand from behind her back, which held several long needles made of black iron between her fingers.

With a tilt of her head, she addressed the person lying on the ground, “However… it was a splendid match. It’s a shame that you had to face more than one opponent.”

Slightly conscious, Xiao Tai spat blood and weakly muttered with a resentful tone, “It’s… unfair.”

“‘Unfair’?” Song Shu Qing, who overheard these words, squatted down, as if she had heard something amusing, a suppressed smile playing on her lips. She toyed with the long needle in her hand and teasingly poked the man’s face, “You’re quite adorable.”

Ming Qin coolly sheathed her weapon and addressed Xiao Tai, “You were a worthy opponent.”

A pause followed.

“But as someone who assassinated Yan Yan’s mother, I will make sure to end your life…” She glanced at the man on the ground, her tone devoid of emotion. “By any means necessary.”

“After all, I am her dog.”

Retracting her gaze, Ming Qin shifted her focus to the window that emitted a faint light. Without any hesitation, she swiftly leapt and climbed up to the elevated position in a matter of seconds.

Meanwhile, on the ground, Song Shu Qing observed the man with widened eyes, checked his breathing, and confirmed that he had already taken his last breath before standing up.

Gazing at her junior sister’s back, which had vanished from her sight, she let out a helpless sigh, “Qin Qin, have you forgotten that my light steps are not as good as yours…”

Resigned to her fate, she began to climb the stairs in search of the entrance.