HCAW 115

Chapter 115: In the Face of Blades

Furious waves roared like thunder across a hundred li. Bound inside the cabin of Bai Huan Guard’s tower ship, Zheng Deli sat dazed with his eyes closed.

Suddenly, he heard a faint rustling. The cabin door creaked open, and a figure slipped inside—it was Chu Kuang, now dressed in a black guard’s uniform, having snuck aboard in disguise.

Seeing Chu Kuang, Zheng Deli was overjoyed. Chu Kuang made a silencing gesture, then drew the Heavenly Moutain gold dagger and swiftly cut his bindings. Zheng Deli noticed his pale face and labored breath and asked in surprise:

“Brother Chu, what are you doing here? Where’s Jingyu?”

“I’ll explain outside,” Chu Kuang replied.

The two of them crept out of the cabin. Chu Kuang pried up a patch of grass sandal sole on the floor; water gushed in. He handed Zheng Deli a gourd—it was filled with air and would let them breathe underwater. They exchanged a glance and dove into the sea.

No one knew how long they swam. Eventually they reached the shore, soaked through. They crept through shrubs to avoid detection by Gu Bi Guard and Bai Huan Guard’s men. At last they arrived at the mountain post Mule had once told them about. Chu Kuang had already retrieved the horse he’d left there and tied it to a post. By the post hung a black uniform—likely Fang Jingyu’s. Finding no one around, they finally relaxed, changed into dry clothes, and sat down to talk.

Chu Kuang recounted what had happened. Zheng Deli was astonished: “Jingyu ran off alone?” Chu Kuang gave a cold snort and said nothing, looking visibly displeased.

But Zheng Deli thought it over and couldn’t blame Fang Jingyu for his decision. Despite his frosty demeanor, Fang Jingyu was soft-hearted. He’d once used his spare coins to redeem slaves and set them free—how could he stand idly by while his comrades suffered torture?

When Chu Kuang spoke, his voice was calm, but his face was pale, and he had to stop and catch his breath from time to time. It was clear his injuries hadn’t healed. Zheng Deli hesitated. “Since he’s not here, w-what should we do now?”

“Go save him,” Chu Kuang said.

“Just the two of us?”

“Yes, just us two. We aren’t Emperor Bai of old, surrounded by elite troops.” Chu Kuang gave a wry smile, then his expression turned grim as he looked at Zheng Deli. “Young Master Zheng, why did you leave Penglai in the first place?”

Zheng Deli froze, confused by the question. He lowered his head and muttered after a while, “At the time… I just thought it’d be fun.” Chu Kuang asked, “And you were willing to risk your life just for fun?”

Zheng Deli fell silent. He had left Penglai on a whim, urged by his father, just to interpret the inscriptions on the bone piece. Somehow, he’d followed Fang Jingyu and Chu Kuang through mountains and rivers. He murmured, “I suppose… I had other reasons too…”

“I’ll ask you again,” Chu Kuang said seriously, “what are you willing to do for the sake of getting out of this city?”

Zheng Deli didn’t understand. Chu Kuang continued, “I swore to escort His Highness out of the pass. That is my sole purpose in life. For that I would be crushed to dust, scattered into smoke. But what about you?”

He must have seen Zheng Deli’s hesitation. “I’m not stupid. I know this mission is nearly hopeless. Just the two of us, against Gu Bi Guard, the entire population of Daiyu, and ten thousand troops—we’re unlikely to survive. If you’re not ready to die, I’ll go alone.”

Zheng Deli looked stunned. “You really mean to die?”

Chu Kuang met his eyes calmly. “And what about you? Do you have that resolve?”

Zheng Deli looked down, silent, struggling. Chu Kuang said, “I won’t force you. I’m heading to Daiyu’s gate. If you make up your mind before I get there, join me. If not, we part ways—you head to Yuanqiao or return to Yingzhou and live in peace.”

Zheng Deli suddenly raised his head. “If I hadn’t escaped with you, would you still come to save me?”

“His Highness would’ve gone for sure,” Chu Kuang said, looking into the distance with a moment’s wistfulness. “And wherever he goes, I will follow.”

“Then all the more reason for me to go save him. After all, we’ve already risked our lives so many times—one more won’t make a difference.” Zheng Deli grinned. A shadow of foreboding from the bone inscriptions flitted across his mind, but he shook it off.

Just then, hoofbeats thundered in the distance, cutting their conversation short. Chu Kuang listened, then frowned. “Run! Bai Huan Guard’s men are on our trail.”

“How can you tell? Couldn’t it be Gu Bi Guard’s troops?” Zheng Deli was shocked.

Chu Kuang didn’t explain. He leapt onto the thick-necked horse. In his eyes, the silver-faced figure of his master appeared, pointing the way forward. He said, “Master told me.”

The two of them mounted swiftly. Just as they were about to ride off, a voice called from behind:

“Zheng Deli—wait!”

Zheng Deli turned to see a large group approaching in tight ranks. At the front rode a white horse—it was Bai Huan Guard herself. Dressed in flowing white, ethereal and poised, she called out, “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Where I go is none of Your Excellency’s business anymore!”

For the first time, Bai Huan Guard showed a trace of confusion and panic. She said, “Nonsense. You’re the one named in the Heavenly Book. Your life is tied to the fate of Xian Moutains. How could it have nothing to do with me?”

“My lady,” Zheng Deli said, raising his voice with fire in his eyes, “I’ve thought it over. That bone inscription may not be true. ‘Destiny’—what a load of crap! Maybe it was just a guess by someone long dead. What’s this about ‘only I can cross the gate’? I’ll bring everyone out of Daiyu together!”

“Lady Bai Huan, farewell for now!” He bowed from horseback, smiling brightly. “We’ll meet again—outside of Daiyu!”

_____

Back in Daiyu, the streets were in chaos, the crowds like a sea of sparks.

People trembled with unease and fear scattered everywhere. In broad daylight, someone had silently slipped past the guards and stabbed Emperor Bai’s son in the chest.

At this moment, Fatty Ji was coughing blood, gasping:

“You… you!”

Fang Jingyu stood behind him, expressionless. “No need to panic, Your Highness. This sword missed your vitals. If treated promptly, you may still recover.”

He twisted the hilt. Fatty Ji groaned in agony. Fang Jingyu said, “But if Your Highness acts rashly, I will strike your body with my sword — and it would be disastrous if it were to hit the Shanzhong acupoint.” Midway between the nipples (in men), or on the midline at the level of the 4th rib

Fatty Ji trembled. “W-what do you want?”

“I want you to order all unrelated people to stand back!” Fang Jingyu’s voice suddenly rang out like a thunderclap. He yanked Fat Ji in front of him as a human shield and shouted to the guards, “Well? Prepare the palanquin! Take us to the city gate! Keep stalling, and your prince will bleed to death right here!”

He was using Fatty Ji as a hostage to force the guards to escort him to Guixu. The guards dared not disobey and hurriedly prepared the palanquin.

Fang Jingyu said coldly, “Too slow. Bring horses! Or do you want to watch your prince bleed out and become a dried corpse? And bring some rattan shields too!”

Several broad-chested, sure-hoofed warhorses were led forward, fitted with cloisonné saddles and silver bridles, lavishly adorned with pearls and jade—clearly intended for Fatty’s personal use. At that moment, the little nine-tentacled octopus took the opportunity to slip into the lock on the execution platform. Because its body was sticky and mud-like, capable of shifting into countless forms—even that of a key—it unlocked the iron cage in no time. The bindings on the sailors were bitten apart by it, and they instinctively picked up rattan shields and formed a barrier behind Fang Jingyu to defend against stray arrows.

“Your Highness, thank you for saving us!” The rescued soldiers, overjoyed to see the light of day, shouted loudly. Fang Jingyu shook his head. “I came too late. Too many brothers died in vain.”

“Your Highness, don’t think about how many pawns were lost—look at the pieces still left on the board. So long as we’re still alive, we’re your strength!”

Hearing these words, Fang Jingyu felt a measure of comfort in his heavy heart. He said, “Very well. Let’s move slowly toward the city gate. I’ll take you to see Guixu.”

At that moment, a chilling voice suddenly came from beside him:

“Your Majesty, it’s still far too early to head to Guixu.”

Fang Jingyu shivered, every hair on his body standing on end. The voice had come from nowhere—there were only panicked civilians around—but the tone was eerily familiar. It clutched at his heart like a claw and said mockingly, “That Your Majesty doesn’t recognize me truly saddens me.”

Looking toward the sound, Fang Jingyu froze. A line of black blood crept up the groove of the sword that had pierced Fatty Ji, then gathered into a mass as if it possessed a consciousness. Fatty Ji body twisted violently, boils rising beneath his skin, as though his blood had turned to boiling water.

Suddenly, with a sound like tearing silk, the back of Fatty Ji’s purple ceremonial robe split open, revealing a slick, greasy white back. And on that back emerged a complete set of eyes, ears, nose, and mouth—clearly Gu Bi Guard’s features.

Fang Jingyu’s heart skipped a beat, a bucket of cold water pouring over him from head to toe. Gu Bi Guard, having consumed far too much “Immortal Elixir,” had already lost any trace of human form. He could hide in any person in Daiyu—this Xian Mountain was entirely his flesh and limbs!

Gu Bi Guard laughed. “Your Majesty remains too naive. Trying to slip past me and break through the gate? That’s just wishful thinking. So long as you’re in Daiyu, you cannot escape the palm of my hand.”

Fatty Ji’s flesh abruptly burst apart, and a black, viscous flood surged forth, splashing toward Fang Jingyu.

Several drops splashed onto Fang Jingyu’s hand, instantly corroding his skin to the bone. And with the wound exposed, Gu Bi Guard’s divine consciousness—previously suppressed by Xiao Jiao—once again began to take hold. Fatty Ji had long since become Gu Bi Guard’s puppet, his vessel. His eyes and mouth remained tightly shut, and his skin quickly shriveled into an empty husk.

From within the tide of black muck slowly emerged the form of a handsome young man—Gu Bi Guard, fully restored, wearing a green robe and feathered mantle, hair pinned with jade. But no one could mistake him for human now.

“Your Majesty, stay awhile. I’ve yet to properly play host.” Gu Bi Guard smiled brightly, his face like a blooming peach blossom.

Suddenly, all the commoners’ faces twisted in unison. Their gazes went dull as they turned together to face Fang Jingyu. In that instant, they lost all individual will, becoming walking corpses. The guards raised their blades to strike. Fang Jingyu fought with all his might, but against the overwhelming tide, he could not prevail. Beneath Gu Bi Guard’s fluttering sleeves extended several pitch-black tentacles, which pierced deep into Fang Jingyu’s flesh—everything repeating once again.

But just then, Gu Bi Guard’s expression abruptly changed. The moment the tentacles entered Fang Jingyu’s body, a sharp pain shot through him—as if something were biting down. He retracted the tentacles to find them shredded and bloodied, the blood not Fang Jingyu’s, but his own. In just a blink, the tentacles had been torn full of holes.

“What did you do?” Gu Bi Guard asked, tone still placid but now tinged with fury.

“Nothing much,” Fang Jingyu said with a faint smile. “Just let the Great Immortal Yonghe, hiding inside me, enjoy a good feast while you were inspecting my flesh.”

From within his ear, Xiao Jiao cheered gleefully. She had taken the chance to bite through the invading tentacles, absorb more power, and even send her own consciousness back into Gu Bi Guard’s body. Gu Bi Guard staggered but remained upright, and bellowed:

“No more mercy—surround him and kill him on the spot!”

The guards rushed in again, encircling Fang Jingyu. Axes, halberds, and spears all came at once. Even with the aid of the rescued soldiers, Fang Jingyu could feel the crushing disparity in numbers. The new wave of enemies surged, and even the crowd of onlookers—now reduced to mindless husks—joined the attack under Gu Bi Guard’s control.

And then Fang Jingyu saw two familiar faces in the crowd.

It was Mule and his old housemaid, pale-faced, tongues lolling—clearly corpses—yet they now picked up kitchen knives and iron shovels and lunged at him. Fang Jingyu’s heart seized. He couldn’t dodge in time, and a blade slashed a wide gash across his arm, blood gushing out. Seizing the moment, Gu Bi Guard plunged another tentacle into the open wound.

In an instant, the poison previously suppressed by Xiao Jiao flared up once more. Sweat poured down his face. Whispers surged in his ears like the clamor of galloping horses. Still more enemies closed in.

Xiao Jiao burst from his ear, shouting:

“Stop!”

She was still the Great Immortal Yonghe. At her command, the guards and civilians who had consumed the “Immortal Elixir” clearly hesitated for a moment. Xiao Jiao shouted again:

“Drop your weapons!”

For a moment, a cacophony of clattering metal filled the air. Fang Jingyu seized the opportunity and pushed forward.

But it did not last. Gu Bi Guard quickly regained control. He murmured a chant, and a new wave of unbearable resonance surged into Fang Jingyu’s head. The enthralled civilians recovered their weapons and once again advanced.

But the opening had been enough.

Fang Jingyu shot forward like an arrow. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Gu Bi Guard.

And then—he sheathed Hanguang Sword.

Reaching behind him, the wound in his arm blazing with pain, he gripped the hilt of his other blade.

A piercing howl rang out—he had drawn the Vipashiyin Blade.

A mighty wind rose. The blade surged with force like a raging river breaching its banks, a jade dragon leaping from the sea. Gu Bi Guard flinched. Fang Jingyu stepped in. His obsidian eyes surged with killing intent.

“Y-Your Majesty…” Gu Bi Guard gasped.

Indeed, he looked very much like Emperor Bai. In that vast, murky moment, it was as though he saw a silver-armored sovereign stepping across fields of bleached bone, rising amid a sky drenched in blood.

Two inches. One inch. The Vipashiyin Blade neared Gu Bi Guard’s chest. Fang Jingyu clenched his teeth.

He had never expected to reach Guixu so easily. What mattered most was luring Gu Bi Guard out. He had killed the Yu Ji Guard—there was no reason he couldn’t kill this one too.

But just as the blade was about to strike, Gu Bi Guard’s form suddenly scattered like mud, then slowly reformed—into four bodies.

The four Gu Bi Guards smiled at him and said:

“Your Majesty, I too am no longer what I once was. You once stood unmatched, but now I surpass you.”

His lips moved again, and a chant stronger than before surged forth, baking Fang Jingyu’s mind like a blazing furnace. His limbs buckled, and he collapsed. The voice roared in his ears:

“Kneel!”

It was an absolute command. Fang Jingyu felt a searing pain in his left arm. The tentacle that had pierced him—this command came through it. It was as if a mountain had fallen on his back. He was now Gu Bi Guard’s puppet, his body no longer his own.

Grinding his teeth, Fang Jingyu gripped Hanguang Sword and stabbed it into his arm. The noise in his ears dimmed.

Gu Bi Guard shouted again: “Kneel!”

The pressure intensified. Cold overtook his whole body, like being wrapped in icy wind. His arm was no longer his.

The walking corpses closed in, shouting in unison:

“Kneel!”

Countless soulless eyes locked onto him, as oppressive as a sky full of stars. Fang Jingyu sweated profusely, gasping:

“Xiao Jiao!”

From his ear, Xiao Jiao cried in panic: “Tight-lipped gourd! I’ve done everything I can—I can’t suppress the poison anymore!”

Fang Jingyu said:

“Stop the bleeding!”

In the next instant, Hanguang Sword flashed—

He severed his own left arm.

Blood gushed. Before Xiao Jiao could even scream, he leapt forward, sword gleaming like frost. The light of the blade surged like snow erupting from a great whale.

And all of Gu Bi Guard’s forms—

Were cleaved in two.