Chapter 491: "Consecutive Slaps - Third Form (2)"
It was a massive black beast. It had used its head to push against Long Qi's body which had been about to crash onto the ground. The beast coiled its thick black tail around Long Qi's body and shifted him to rest on its back. The agile beast then spun in the air and landed on its feet and laid Long Qi down gently in a clear area on the ground.
Long Qi felt his back burning as though it was in flames. He bit back on the unimaginable pain and struggled to stand, as he stared at the beast that had saved him, which had sped right back into the battlefield with amazing speed. The beast darted and dodged nimbly and it managed to bring all the soldiers of the Rui Lin Army back.
When he finally saw the beast clearly up close, Long Qi immediately froze rigid!
That black beast was such a familiar sight to his eyes! How many had he followed behind that very same black beast, his eyes fixed on the tiny figure seated upon its back, watching the figure with her head held high, and her unyielding straight back!
"If you don't want to die, be good and stay back." A familiar voice sounded in his ears. That voice was cold, but it made a warmth like comforting warm spring water start to spread throughout his entire body!
Long Qi turned quickly at the sound of the voice, ignoring the pain that wrecked at him, and knelt down on one knee immediately towards the source of the voice! His proud head was lowered, and his voice was filled with reverence as he said: "Long Qi welcomes our Young Miss!"
His voice was tinged with a slight tremble!
It was due to his feelings of agitation, coupled with longing!
A tiny figure stood right before Long Qi. Although the figure was small in stature and looked to be weak, the appearance of that person however, gave Long Qi a greater sense of security than anyone else could!
That figure had a delicate countenance and his slightly unremarkable features were expressionless. But that cold and chilly presence stirred up feelings of awe in people!
Just as Long Qi's voice faded, the black beast had returned after retrieving all the other Rui Lin Army soldiers and it laid the men on the ground before it came to stand beside the figure.
The other Rui Lin Army soldiers who had been suddenly dragged away from the ferocious battle had still not recovered from the sudden appearance of the black beast. The black beast that had saved them shocked the men so badly they were all suddenly speechless!
As a member of the Rui Lin Army, they were often stationed at the Lin Palace to guard the safety of the three generations of the Jun Family. When the massacre within the Imperial City occurred, they had followed Long Qi partaken in the capture of the officials and witnessed a young lady's decisive and resolute actions that had won the day!
And in those memories, a formidable and majestic black beast had been present as well, just like the one before their eyes, looking exactly the same!
And at that moment, their general was kneeling before their eyes, at the petite figure that they all somehow find both familiar and strange at the same time.
They do not remember having encountered that face before, but the pair of eyes on it was another thing altogether. They suddenly felt the cold and chilly presence that the figure gave out and their minds all came to astounding realisation!
"Young Miss!" The Rui Lin Army soldiers ignored the pain from their injuries and trembled as they all fell down on one knee before the figure, their voices shaking in excitement!
Under the expansive skies, the only people that could make a Rui Lin Army soldier kneel down in reverence, numbered just three!
Duke Jun Xian, His Highness Jun Qing, and one other person. The Young Miss of the Lin Palace, Jun Wu Xie!
And she was the only person that was able to control that terrifying massive black beast!
The countenance of the face might have changed, the clothes might be different, but the men would never mistake the figure for anyone else. Standing before them, accompanied by the black beast, could only be the goddess in their hearts. Jun Wu Xie!
The one person who had, for the Lin Palace, and for the Rui Lin Army, created a miracle for single handedly!
However, the tiny figure did not acknowledge any of the genuflections shown to her nor grace them with a reply. Right before the eyes of all the men from the Rui Lin Army, she hopped onto the back of the black beast, threw down over ten bottles of medicine and elixirs, and loped off into the distance with the black beast, charging right at the Guardian grade Spirit Beast who had almost taken the lives of Long Qi and his men earlier!
Chapter 492: "Consecutive Slaps - Third Form (3)"
The hearts of Long Qi and his men jumped! And before they could even react, several figures suddenly appeared, having broken out through the trees!
Several good looking youths were seated upon the back of a humongous bear and they shot right past Long Qi and his men!
"Rolly! Hold the beast back! Brother Hua! Little Yan! Rong Ruo! Bring out your ring spirits!" Qiao Chu jumped off Rolly's back and bit down hard on the tip of his thumb. Blood flowed out from his thumb and he pressed it between his brows as he smeared the blood right between his eyes. A purple light flared out from his body the next moment!
A purple spirit!
Everyone else who had their eyes on the battlefield were all suddenly startled!
The purple spirit which had not been seen in the past century appeared right before their eyes at that moment! On top of that, it was a youth looking to be just sixteen or seventeen years old!
However, before any of them could recover from the shock.....
Three more blindingly glaring purple glows erupted in tandem! The other three youths who had appeared with the first one were all glowing with a blinding purple light emanating from their spiritual powers!
Four purple spirit users!
And they were all still so young!
All of it was just too unbelievable!
The immense double headed bone snake appeared in a torrential rush! Following right after, a silvery white Hell Butterfly fluttered in the air and a gigantic ape gave out a ear splitting roar!
All their eyes were fixed on the Guardian grade Spirit Beast!
Bolts of light lit up the area as they were shot out in succession, and the blasts resonated as they exploded in the air!
The mammoth sized Guardian grade Spirit Beast suddenly found itself under a concentrated and coordinated attack and it let out another earth shattering roar!
Ye Sha leapt into the midst of the fray and shot out several rays aimed directly at the eyes of the Guardian grade Spirit Beast which exploded in quick succession on the Spirit Beast!
Jun Wu Xie and the black beast swerved and dodged, twisted and turned under the feet of the Spirit Beast, the black beast using its lightning quick reflexes to halt the advancing steps of the Guardian grade Spirit Beast!
Countless Hell Butterflies circled the Spirit Beast as they fluttered their wings endlessly. Bits of pollen that numbed and paralysed the nerves fell from those uncountable fluttering light wings as Rolly and the great ape rushed the Spirit Beast from the front. The two massive sized ring spirit who possessed overwhelming strength let out deafening roars as they dug in their hind limbs and pushed back at the front legs of the Spirit Beast, stopping it from advancing a single step more!
The double headed bone snake slid and slithered, as its sturdy bone frame tangled with the Spirit Beast's nine powerful tails!
Qiao Chu, Hua Yao, Fei Yan and Rong Ruo fired their spiritual energies bolts endlessly, all concentrated upon the Spirit Beast and the incessant explosions rocked the trees all around with its impact!
The battlefield was lit in a bright purple light as the spiritual power bolts continued to rain upon the Spirit Beast!
In a blink, the Guardian grade Spirit Beast that had driven everyone into despair was suddenly stopped in its tracks by the combined and well coordinated attacks of Jun Wu Xie and her teammates!
Long Qi and his men who had managed to gain a short breather suddenly all stood up, as they stared transfixed at the scene before their eyes, at a loss for words!
"General Long, who are all these people? Why would they help our Young Miss to resist against the Spirit Beast?" All the Rui Lin Army soldiers were stunned. They had just experienced first hand the overwhelming might and terror of the Guardian grade Spirit Beast and they wouldn't believe what they were seeing if they did not witness it themselves.
Sixteen or seventeen year old purple spirit users?
Ring spirits that were so powerful they could not tell their grades?
And the overwhelmingly powerful Spirit Beast that was being held down! ?
Everything was just like a dream. It made all the men feel they had walked into an illusionary realm.
Long Qi's heart was beating furiously and his breaths were coming in short gasps. He turned suddenly and picked up all the medicine bottles that Jun Wu Xie had thrown to them and moved as quickly as he could to distribute them among his men.
"Heal yourselves now! Our Young Miss is currently risking her life to save us! We cannot afford to dawdle here in inaction!" Long Qi shouted to his men!
Huddled on one side, Rong Heng and the other Cloud Treading Peak disciples were holding each other tightly as terror overtook them. At the sound of Long Qi's shout, they recovered enough to scramble over to help the Rui Lin Army soldiers with the medicine.
Chapter 493: "Consecutive Slaps - Third Form (4)"
Among the myriad bottles of medicines, there were salves for external use and elixirs to be ingested orally. Rong Heng and his fellow disciples moved hurriedly to dispense and apply the various medicines for the Rui Lin Army soldiers under Long Qi's orders with their hearts palpitating crazily in fear.
Rong Heng had not uttered a single sound but the undisguised terror that filled his eyes had not left his eyes for a single moment.
The other two Cloud Treading Peak disciples might not have noticed but he had seen it very clearly. Wasn't the youth that was riding on the back of that black beast the very same Jun Xie who was in the Qing Yun Clan then?
On the day that the Qing Yun Clan was obliterated, Mu Chen had led all the disciples from the Cloud Treading Peak off the mountain. Rong Heng and his fellow disciples had the deepest respect and utmost trust for Mu Chen and they did not question the sudden decision, not even once. They only knew on that day, something terrible had happened in the Cloudy Peaks, and except for the Cloud Treading Peak, all the disciples from the other peaks were all killed!
Rong Heng had searched all over the place for Jun Xie then, fearing deeply for the safety of that warm hearted but cold faced boy, who had produced medicine just for his condition. Fortunately, he had not been able to locate Jun Xie's body within the Cloudy Peaks. But neither had he seen Jun Xie and he could only pray fervently in his heart that the boy had left the Cloudy Peaks, a place where hidden and untold dangers laid.
Nevertheless, Rong Heng would never have imagined that he would see Jun Xie once again in the Battle Spirits Forest!
What shocked him even more was that Long Qi and the other men from the Rui Lin Army had unhesitatingly knelt before Jun Xie and he knew he had clearly heard them address Jun Xie as..... Young Miss.....
He was sure..... It was Young Miss.....
Having followed Mu Chen to temporarily serve under the Lin Palace, Rong Heng had naturally known that the Rui Lin Army only took orders from people who shared the same blood with the Jun Family. Jun Xian, Jun Qing, and one other who had still not appeared before them, their Young Miss, Jun Wu Xie.
And Long Qi and his men had just addressed Jun Xie as Young Miss.....
Jun Xie..... Jun Wu Xie.....
Could they be..... The one and the same?
Countless questions and shocking revelations swirled in Rong Heng's mind but he realised that now wasn't the best time to ask questions.
The Guardian grade Spirit Beast was right before them and he needed help the men from the Rui Lin Army recover every single bit of power in the shortest time possible.
However, just as Rong Heng was recovering from his shock and he noticed the bottles of medicine in his hands, his heart was in for another traumatic shock!
As a disciple of the Qing Yun Clan, he possessed quite a bit of knowledge in medicine. He had only given all the medicines a quick sweeping glance and he was able to identify that the all the bottles Jun Xie had carelessly thrown to the soldiers were without exception, all exceptionally rare and precious!
The gashes so deep that the bone was exposed, and when the cooling salve was applied on the wound, it immediately stopped the bleeding and closed the wound. The soldiers who had been vomiting blood suddenly found the blood stop surging up their throats after they swallowed the lightly fragrant elixirs!
What were all these medicines made from?
Its effects completely overshadowed and was more amazing than any medicine he had ever seen in the Qing Yun Clan!
He applied and fed the medicines to Long Qi and his men as was required as he forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart. Rong Heng found his head whirling as everything that was happening before his eyes was just so unbelievable.
Everything single thing about it rendered him speechless.
And, as for the people who found themselves speechlessly amazed, was not just limited to Rong Heng alone.
Hidden in the shadows, the youths had been patiently waiting for the battle to over before they could loot the bodies. And the shock that rocked their minds from what they were seeing at that moment shook them to their very cores!
Initially, as she had watched Long Qi and his men gradually losing ground in the battle, and seeing their lifeblood flow out from their bodies, the smile on Ning Xin's face had widened and her expression was one of arrogance. But just as she was thinking that Long Qi and his men would finally lose their lives for their disrespectful and spurious treatment of her, two dark figures had suddenly appeared, and shattered Ning Xin's dream to pieces!
And the smile on her face immediately froze and the expression on her face gradually turned into one of utter disbelief and shock!
Long Qi and his men were actually rescued!!
Chapter 494: "Consecutive Slaps - Third Form (5)"
If they had not seen it with their own eyes, none of them would have believed that anyone had the ability to save someone under attack by a Guardian grade Spirit Beast.
And that was exactly what happened right before the eyes of Ning Xin and her team!
When those two black shadows had appeared, Ning Xin and her team had not expected things to turn out this way.
The black beast had plucked the soldiers of the Rui Lin Army out from the battle in quick succession and the same highly arrogant man who had so coldly spurned Ning Xin and Lu Wei Jie had unhesitatingly knelt before a figure they had not been able to see!
That scene was what caused Ning Xin to stare in wide eyed disbelief!
When she managed to get a clear look at the face of the person, she had been so greatly shocked she stood dumbfounded for a long while!
That tiny figure she was seeing, wasn't that Jun Xie, whom she had used to disgrace and suppress Fan Jin's overly shining reputation!?
"Why is it him....." Ning Xin could not believe her eyes. And what happened after made Ning Xin's face pale immediately and she suddenly felt weak!
After Jun Xie snatched Long Qi and his men from the jaws of death, he rushed back at the Guardian grade Spirit Beast. Just as Ning Xin was still smiling in glee at Jun Xie having overestimated himself, more figures suddenly jumped into the fray one after another!
The successive streaks of purple light made her dizzy, and powerful ring spirits she had never seen almost made her eyes pop out in shock!
"Impossible..... It's not possible....." Ning Xin stared spellbound as the Guardian grade Spirit Beast's attack was held back by the skillfully executed and well coordinated attacks of Jun Xie and his teammates. She turned suddenly to stare at Yin Yan, who was staring mesmerised, and she screamed:
"Didn't you tell me Jun Xie's ring spirit was just an ordinary little black cat? So, what's with the massive black beast I am seeing here!? And where did those purple spirit users pop out from!?"
Yin Yan was just as horrified by what he was seeing with his eyes. Hearing Ning Xin's screaming voice, he recovered a little and he shivered as he felt a chill run up his spine before he stammered haltingly: "I..... I don't know..... I really saw it..... His ring spirit was..... was just a black cat..... That..... that black beast..... I've never..... seen it before..... Those..... those purple spirit users..... purple spirits..... I really..... do not know....."
Yin Yan felt like crying. How was he expected to explain how Jun Xie had so suddenly undergone such a heaven defying change?
And more terrifyingly, he had four purple spirit exponents with him!
Four purple spirits! What kind of an abomination was that!?
They had not seen the birth of a purple spirit for a century and even if there was one, in all instances, it would have been a hermit who had shut himself off from the world and be like a hundred years old! It was not possible for young youths in their teens!
But no matter how unbelievable that was, the fact was right before their eyes and the undeniable truth of the matter wrecked at their sensibilities.
All of what they were seeing, was really happening!
"Damn!" Ning Xin was chewing on her nails in anxiety and the inevitable feeling of doom. She could not blame Yin Yan entirely for it. Those other people whom she had sent to snoop on Jun Xie had come back with the same conclusions.
But from what they were seeing here in the Battle Spirits Forest, all the intelligence that they had gathered about Jun Xie, nothing could be further from the truth!
That seemingly inconspicuous pint sized brat was way more complicated than what all of them could ever imagine.
The massive and powerful black beast always by his side notwithstanding, just the four purple spirit exponents before them would be able to cause unimaginable upheaval throughout the lands under the heavens!
Ning Xin's mind was whirling as countless thoughts raced through it. She tried her hardest to recall if she had gone against Jun Xie face to face in the Zephyr Academy. After seeing Jun Xie's true might and prowess in battle, she wouldn't have dared to even cast her shadow on Jun Xie no matter what she was offered.
She heaved a sigh of relief when she realised that she had always used Yin Yan to instigate Li Zi Mu to carry out those deeds, and she had never appeared before Jun Xie herself.
There's still a chance, a chance to win him over!
Chapter 495: "Consecutive Slaps - Third Form (6)"
Ning Xin had just heaved a sigh of relief when Yin Yan who was beside her suddenly gave out a high pitched scream.
"Shut up!" Ning Xin said with a cold stare but Yin Yan was pointing forward with his hand raised and his face pale. Ning Xin turned to look in the direction Yin Yan was pointing and what she saw made her feel as though a bolt of lightning had suddenly struck her and she stood there completely dumbstruck.
Another tall figure had just appeared beside Long Qi and the others!
"Fan Jin! It's Fan Jin..... He is still alive....." Yin Yan could not help it as his body trembled visibly. He suddenly grabbed at Ning Xin's shoulders and said fearfully: "Senior Ning, Fan Jin is still alive! And Jun Xie was in the same team as him!"
Those words caused Ning Xin's mind to explode in a big blast!
That's right! How could she had missed the possibility that Fan Jin could still have been with Jun Xie all this while! She had mindlessly taken other possibilities for granted when she had received the news that Fan Jin had fallen into the trap she had set!
Fan Jin was still very much alive! That would mean that her plan had failed utterly. Fan Jin had arrived just after Jun Xie and the others and that was telling her that they had been together all this time.....
That would mean that her whole scheme had been irrecoverably exposed!
Ning Xin who had still fully intended to win Jun Xie over to her side suddenly paled as all colour drained from her face.
Although she had fully delegated everything to Yin Yan for all the arrangements to be made for the scheme she had plotted to be carried out in the Battle Spirits Forest, the target that they wanted to kill was nevertheless the adopted son of the Headmaster and the target's prominence had inadvertently caused the disciples roped into the scheme to feel a certain unease. And to counter that, Ning Xin had allowed Yin Yan to hint that her father would grant them certain favours and advantages after the deed is done.
That plan had been foolproof and Ning Xin had never expected that she would fail.
But Fan Jin had suddenly appeared here alive and well!
Exceptionally powerful ring spirits, four purple spirit exponents!
When those realisations came crashing into Ning Xin's mind, the strength in her legs seeped out from her.
It's over, it's really over this time.....
She wasn't worried that Fan Jin would exact his revenge on her after finding out the truth, but she did not dare to imagine how she would even begin to stand up to Jun Xie's terrifying wrath!
"Let's go! We need to return immediately!" Ning Xin leaned heavily on the tree trunk, struggling to hold herself up. She could not afford to wait till Jun Xie and his team had taken down the Guardian grade Spirit Beast before she made her escape! If they were to wait till then, she wouldn't be able to leave this place alive.
"What! ?" Yin Yan could not believe what he heard.
Ning Xin raised a hand and slapped Yin Yan hard across the face before she screamed: "Are you an idiot! ? If we do not leave now, you want to wait till they defeat the Guardian grade Spirit Beast and free up their hands to come kill us! ? Fan Jin is still alive and our scheme is all exposed! Even if Fan Jin does nothing in retaliation, what about Jun Xie! ? Can you see it!? He has obviously broken through to the yellow spirit!! Can't you see how immensely powerful his ring spirit is!? Even if the purple spirit exponents with her do not raise a finger against us, just Jun Xie alone would be more than enough to claim both our lives!"
Yin Yan snapped back to his senses and held his hand to his burning cheek, staring helplessly at the raging and greatly flustered Ning Xin.
"We leave now! Back to the Zephyr Academy! My father is there and even if Jun Xie was to seek revenge against me, my father's men would still be able to stop him. If we stay here any longer, we would not see anything other than our doom." Ning Xin's face was now a deathly pallor. Never in her wildest dreams, would she expect that a pawn she had used to attack Fan Jin with, would one day turn out to be such a ferocious beast that could threaten her life so.
"Yes..... Yes....." Yin Yan nodded quickly as his body continued to tremble.
The two of them supported each other as they stumbled along through the dense forest to make their escape. Lu Wei Jie and the rest of the team who had been waiting all this time suddenly saw Ning Xin and the others return with extremely pale and flustered faces.
Chapter 496: "Consecutive Slaps - Third Form (7)"
"Ning Xin, what happened to all of you?" Lu Wei Jie went forward towards them, his face filled with concern, but he was pushed away by Ning Xin impatiently.
"I want to go back!" Ning Xin exclaimed determinedly and ignored all of Lu Wei Jie's anxious and worried questions, dragging Yin Yan behind her as she strode off.
Lu Wei Jie and the other disciples were all confused and perplexed, not knowing what was actually happening.
A few youths among them were saying: "What's wrong with Senior Ning? The Spirit Hunt is not over yet, why is she in such a hurry to leave? Didn't she tell us to wait here for those men to be killed and we'll go loot the their bodies?"
One of the corners of Lu Wei Jie's mouth twitched. He felt rather insulted that Ning Xin had pushed him aside without any consideration for his feelings.
"Let her leave if she wants to. We'll continue to wait here." Lu Wei Jie murmured softly, in obvious dissatisfaction.
On the other side of the trees, the Guardian grade Spirit Beast was being attacked by Jun Wu Xie aand her teammates.
It possessed an extremely thick hide and its thick fur and hide blocked most of the attacks but it was not able to ward off all the concentrated attacks from all directions. Its explosive rage was slowly being replaced by the tiredness brought by the pain inflicted upon it. When it finally decided that it was getting too troublesome for its taste, the Guardian grade Spirit Beast suddenly turned around and ran off in the opposite direction of where Long Qi and his men were standing.....
The Guardian grade Spirit Beast's sudden "escape" surprised Qiao Chu and the others who had been prepared to lay down their lives in this battle. They stared in wide eyed surprise as the Spirit Beast suddenly turned tail and whizzed off into the trees, the purple light from their spiritual powers still glowing brightly in their palms.
"Why did it suddenly run....." Qiao Chu scratched his head, unable to understand the Guardian grade Spirit Beast's logic.
"A Guardian grade Spirit Beast possesses a certain level of intelligence and they will not carry out a fight to the death with its opponent. Unless there was no other way out, Spirit Beasts of such a level would size up the situation and take an alternative course." The last one to join into the fray, Fan Jin explained as he panted heavily. However, his eyes were still staring incredulous at Qiao Chu and the others as the purple light from their spiritual powers continued to glow, his mind still unable to fully accept what he was seeing.
How could he accept the fact that he had been living the past few days with four unbelievable purple spirit exponents right beside him! ?
They are legendary purple spirit exponents, the pinnacle of power!
The Guardian grade Spirit Beast's sudden retreat made Jun Wu Xie wary and her senses were still all heightened as she warned: "Beware."
Ye Sha shimmered and disappeared right before their eyes.
Jun Wu Xie rode upon the black beast's back and came to where Long Qi and his men were gathered.
Long Qi and the soldiers saw Jun Wu Xie approaching and they knelt on one knee immediately. Their wounds had mainly been treated and taken care of. They were almost going to join in the battle when the fight suddenly ended.
Rong Heng and his two other fellow disciples stood respectfully on one side. Afterall, they had a very good idea of the identity of the youth before them.
Jun Wu Xie ignored the kneeling soldiers and walked right past them to come stand beside the soldier whose arm was almost fully cut off. She jumped off the back of the black beast and squatted down beside the man to check the wound.
The soldier immediately attempted to straighten his tired and limp body when he saw Jun Wu Xie approach and struggled to get up.
"Your subordinate greets Young Miss. I beg your forgiveness for my tardiness in paying my respects!"
'Clunk!' A clatter sounded.
The sword in Fan Jin's hand dropped to the ground beside him.
Qiao Chu and Fei Yan stood frozen. Their mouths were wide open. Their eyes did not blink. They stood still as statues in their spots. Their minds were suddenly blank as they stared at the calm and composed Jun Xie.
"Y..... Young..... Young Miss..... O..... of the..... The..... Rui Lin Army..... The..... Young Miss....." Fan Jin's mind swam with those words as they repeated themselves over and over endlessly. His mind was not able to function at that moment.
'Jun Xie's a girl! ?'
'Jun Xie is a GIRL! !'
'She is the Young Miss of the RUI LIN ARMY! ! ?'
'Lin Palace..... Jun Family..... Jun Xie.....'
Fan Jin's body trembled involuntarily at the BIG revelation that had just exploded in his mind!
Chapter 497: "Consecutive Slaps - Third Form (8)"
Qiao Chu and Fei Yan reacted in the exact same way and even Hua Yao's and Rong Ruo's faces were filled with shock.
These two had always had a naggy and sneaking suspicion that Jun Xie was a girl over the time they had spent together.
But not for a single moment would they ever have imagined that she would be the Young Miss of the most ferocious strike force across the lands!
"Little Xie..... you are their..... erm....." Qiao Chu raised a hand, and pointed a finger which was shaking so badly as he turned it towards Long Qi and his men, his eyes clearly still not fully focused.
Jun Wu Xie shot Qiao Chu a glance but did not give him a reaction. She did not understand why Qiao Chu and the others were acting so shocked.
Did her real identity matter that much?
To Jun Wu Xie, she did not care about a person's status or background. What concerned her was getting to know the person as an individual and that's all that mattered.
So, she had naturally assumed that everyone else thought the same way.
It's not that complicated!
"I am deeply grateful for the assistance rendered to us. Allow my humble self to extend my thanks as the general of the Rui Lin Army, Long Qi." Long Qi stood up at that moment, his tall frame towering over the youths before him.
Qiao Chu shook his head and waved his hands in a hurry.
"Don't think anything about it. It was your..... Y..... Young Miss who brought us to you. It's little wonder now when I was thinking earlier why she would rush in without a thought, to come here once she heard that someone was trying to con several men from the Rui Lin Army. So, it's because they were family....." Qiao Chu said, but the last sentence was said in a barely audible whisper.
Long Qi nodded slightly in acknowledgement, striking a debonair figure.
"Do you need help?" Rong Heng, who had been standing quietly on one side tried to get closer to Jun Wu Xie. And the closer he got to her, the more certain he was that the youth before him was the same Jun Xie that had been at the Qing Yun Clan.
Jun Wu Xie nodded. "Lift his arm up, and push the wound together."
Rong Heng did as he was told.
The soldier who was being treated was feeling rather overwhelmed by the Young Miss treating his wound personally and his pale and colourless face was suddenly flushed pink. He tried his best to straighten his back and for his face to remain composed, attempting to not look as wretched as he felt.
The arm was cut cleanly and the neater the cut, the easier it was for her to reattach the limb.
"That Spirit Beast's skill with its blades isn't too shabby." Those words suddenly just came out of Jun Wu Xie's mouth.
The pink glow on the soldier's face faded.
All the others around looked at Jun Wu Xie, speechless, not knowing how to reply to that.
Did she know what she just said?
After she had dealt with the soldier's wounds, Jun Wu Xie raised her hands, and wiped her two blood filled tiny hands clean on the soldier's clothes. After her hands were cleaned, she finally stood up satisfied.
The expressions on the faces of all the people there cannot be described as merely shocked at that moment.....
Ye Sha returned at that moment and based on his observations, that Guardian grade Spirit Beast would not be returning to resume their battle. The Spirit Beast had gone off in a westerly direction and had not turned its head back once.
With that report, Long Qi finally relaxed his tensed up nerves.
"Find me the location of Ning Xin and her group." Jun Wu Xie commanded Ye Sha, her eyes narrowed dangerously.
She had initially relented and agreed to Fan Jin's request to spare Ning Xin and Yin Yan just that once. But they had insisted on seeking their own deaths and laid their scheming claws on the Rui Lin Army's men.
Since they refused to take the easy broad avenues of the Heavens, she might as well send them down into the fiery dark depths of Hell.
The command of the Rui Lin Army had already been given to her and these men were hers to protect.
Ning Xin had dared lay her hands on her men, and she shall pay for it with her life!
Jun Wu Xie's words sent a chill up Fan Jin's entire body and he had wanted to say something till he saw the blood soaked clothes on Long Qi and his men. That sight shut him up properly, well and good.
If Jun Wu and Xie and the others had not made it here in time, what they would be seeing here now would be several lifeless bodies!
The men of the Rui Lin Army were well respected everywhere. And Jun Wu Xie was the Young Miss of the Lin Palace itself. If she intended to seek revenge for the harm inflicted to her men, Fan Jin would not be able to find any reason to even plead against it.
Chapter 498："Consecutive Slaps - Homesickness (1)"
After waiting for a while, Ye Sha returned. And the news he brought back made Jun Wu Xie's brow furrow.
No one knew the reason why Ning Xin and Yin Yan had suddenly decided to withdraw themselves from the Spirit Hunt. The two of them had hurried their way out and released their distress signal flare. When Ye Sha got to where the two of them were, they had already been retrieved by the teachers that had hurried over to escort them out.
"They have escaped rather quickly." Jun Wu Xie said chillingly.
"As the saying goes, even if the monk escapes, the monastery remains in place. They will still have to come back to the Zephyr Academy in any case, isn't that right?" Hua Yao said, his face a sea of calm.
Jun Wu Xie smiled, a little coldly. "They have nowhere else to run."
Those two had might have been lucky and bought themselves some time by withdrawing and leaving the Battle Spirits Forest suddenly. But when the Spirit Hunt ends and all the disciples return to the Zephyr Academy, would Ning Xin and Yin Yan still be able to hide? She had no intentions of letting those two off so easily. Since they dared scheme against the Rui Lin Army, they must be prepared to accept the consequences.
"Do we carry on with the Spirit Hunt or do we go back as well?" Qiao Chu was feeling rather eager and edgy. Following Jun Wu Xie always provided him with unparalleled thrills and endless excitement.
First, it had been the Qing Yun Clan, then it had been to fight a Guardian grade Spirit Beast. He was really filled with anticipation to see what other earth shaking things Jun Wu Xie would be able to come up with after this.
"Continue. We'll deal with them when we get back." Jun Wu Xie was in no rush. It was a good thing that Ning Xin had escaped today. If she had gotten herself caught in the Battle Spirits Forest today and she was forced to just kill her easily, wouldn't that make things too dull and boring?
Since Ning Xin chose to escape, she must realise that the clock had started ticking.
When they get back to the Zephyr Academy, she would make Ning Xin fully regret ever having made her escape today, as she would have died a much cleaner and less painful death here in the Battle Spirits Forest if she had stayed to answer for her folly!
"If that's the case, why don't we just stay around here and hunt down some prey." Qiao Chu rubbed his fists and cracked his knuckles, preparing himself to haul in a big one. If they could even resist against a Guardian grade Spirit Beast, any other Spirit Beasts would not even pose a challenge to him.
Jun Wu Xie turned to Long Qi and his men and asked: "What are all of you doing here?"
When she was still at the Lin Palace, she had not heard that the Rui Lin Army had any intentions of coming into the Battle Spirits Forest.
"Reporting to Young Miss, the reason your subordinate came here is to locate the Aqua Spirit Grass." Long Qi answered respectfully.
"Aqua Spirit Grass?" Jun Wu Xie raised an eyebrow and she glanced at Rong Heng and his fellow disciples. "It seems that Mu Chen has found a way to further develop the veins and arteries for all of you."
"Yes. Exactly."
Rong Heng stared at Jun Wu Xie with shock in his eyes. Jun Wu Xie had only heard Long Qi mention Aqua Spirit Grass and she knew exactly what Mu Chen wanted to do with it. Her exceptional knowledge of herbs really astounded him greatly.
"I'll come too." Jun Wu Xie had previously toyed with the idea of using Aqua Spirit Grass. But she had been in the Lin Palace then and she did not have adequate herbs for her research. When she went to the Qing Yun Clan, she found quite a bit of Aqua Spirit Grass in the Hidden Cloud Peak and she had cultivated some elixirs from them.
If they had Aqua Spirit Grass here, it would not hurt if she could stock up a little on it.
When Jun Wu Xie obliterated the Qing Yun Clan, her biggest regret was that she had not been able to bring all those rare and precious herbs in the Hidden Cloud Peak back with her. And after hearing Long Qi's report on the current situation in the Lin Palace, she was able to conclude that Mu Chen had brought the whole stock of all the herbs in the Hidden Cloud Peak with him to the Lin Palace, and had generously splurged and indulged the Rui Lin Army's soldiers with them, and that made her felt decidedly better.
When she had lured Mu Chen to go to the Lin Palace, Jun Wu Xie had not thought that he would give it his all. She had thought that Mu Chen had some understanding on the intricacies of veins and arteries and he would be able to help enhance and develop the Rui Lin Army's condition while she was not around. But from what Long Qi was telling her, Mu Chen had not only kept his promise and gone to the Lin Palace, but had given everything he had to develop suitable medicine tailored to the Rui Lin Army's specific needs. That had pleasantly been out of Jun Wu Xie's expectations.
Chapter 499："Homesickness (2)"
"Master Mu is extremely concerned for our bodies' condition and the Duke has approved for him to deploy up to ten members of the Rui Lin Army any way he deems fit to assist him in developing elixirs for us." Long Qi's tone was calm, but it was not hard to see that he held great respect for Mu Chen.
Jun Wu Xie's eyebrow raised suddenly.
The Rui Lin Army was Jun Xian's pride and joy. Every single soldier was highly prized. Even the original owner of her body had not been allowed to move a single soldier in the Rui Lin Army which showed just how much Jun Xian did not allow just anyone to give orders to his prized army. And by allowing Mu Chen to freely deploy up to ten soldiers in the Rui Lin Army, it told of the trust Jun Xian had for Mu Chen.
Based on Jun Xian's reaction, Jun Wu Xie knew that Mu Chen had been really sincere in keeping his promise to Jun Wu Xie in the Cloudy Peaks.
Mu Chen was indeed a man of his words.
"Grandfather and Uncle..... How are they?" The one question that had been suppressed in her heart, and one that she had hesitated so long to ask. Jun Wu Xie had been silent a long while before she could not help herself but to ask.
She had never experienced nor known about what homesickness was, and it was only after she had left the Lin Palace that gave her her first taste of it.
She missed Jun Xian's kind and benevolent smile, missed Jun Qing's jovial laughter. Even when she tried not to go think about it, it would still always surface in her mind.
Long Qi looked at Jun Wu Xie, his eyes suddenly softening. A faint smile appeared on his lips but he lowered his head to hide it. "The Duke and His Highness are fine. Except that they both..... miss you a lot."
She could suddenly hear her heartbeat clearly.
Jun Wu Xie lowered her eyes, to wipe away the disappointment filling up in her eyes.
She missed Grandfather and Uncle a lot too..... But she couldn't go back yet.
She was afraid. Afraid that if she went back, she would become greedy for the warmth brought by her family, and soften her heart and will.
The bitter lesson with the Qing Yun Clan had taught her that even if she did not go out to provoke anybody, others would target and hunt her down as she possessed the rare Snow Lotus.
Although the Water of Heaven's Spring in the Heaven's Flask allowed her to hide the Snow Lotus' presence and others would not be able to find it, she did not want to live her life like a fugitive, hiding and living without purpose.
As long as the Snow Lotus remained to be her ring spirit, and as long as she still lived in this world, danger could be hiding just around the next corner anytime. She was currently still too weak and vulnerable and was not able to take on the Twelve Palaces. If any of the Twelve Palaces were to find out about her real identity, she would not be the only one, but the whole Jun Family and the Rui Lin Army would surely be implicated.
The might of the Middle Realm was something Jun Wu Xie had seen and experienced herself. That overwhelming and unbelievable strength was enough to drive people to despair and was able to smash everything she held dear to her heart in a blink.
Her home, her family.
She must not go back!
No matter how much she missed home, she could not return. At the moment she realised that she must stay, Jun Wu Xie decided that she would accompany Qiao Chu and the others to find the Dark Emperor's tomb, to gain the treasures and inherit its strength and power, to fully eradicate all the enemies who were eyeing the Snow Lotus!
She wanted to become stronger, strong enough to make people not dare to covet any of her possessions, strong enough to prevent anyone from hurting a single hair on the people she dearly loved.
That was Jun Wu Xie's resolution. She would use the longing she had to see Jun Xian, the longing she had to see Jun Qing, and turn it into endless motivation for her to seek strength.
Only after she had erased all the threats in this world, would she be able to return to the Lin Palace without worry. To return to her most cherished home, as she did not want to bring any of the dangers following her anywhere close to her family.
"Young Miss, are you..... really not going to return?" Long Qi saw Jun Wu Xie lower her eyes, and he suddenly felt his heart wince.
The Lin Palace without Jun Wu Xie, had suddenly felt to be greatly lacking, and everyone in there, still felt a great sense of loss.
Chapter 500："Homesickness (3)"
The Duke and His Highness might not have shown their grief, but Long Qi who knew the two men from the Jun Family very well knew that they missed Jun Wu Xie terribly.
"Not for now." Jun Wu Xie shook her head.
Long Qi opened his mouth as if to say something but decided to remain silent in the end.
Qiao Chu, Hua Yao and the rest looked at Jun Wu Xie silently, theirs hearts going out for Jun Wu Xie.
Long Qi and his men did not know the reason why Jun Wu Xie was refusing to return home.
But Jun Wu Xie's comrades knew the reason very well. It was because of the Snow Lotus within her. She could be found out by the Twelve Palaces anytime and once that happened, the nightmare would begin.
The rarity of a plant type ring spirit was reason enough to alarm the monstrous entities from the Twelve Palaces. And once they moved to descend onto the Lower Realm to seize it, Jun Wu Xie would not stand a chance to be able to live through it, even with the protection of the powerful Rui Lin Army. The Twelve Palaces would completely exterminate Jun Wu Xie, her family members, and the whole Rui Lin Army.
Having personally experienced the merciless cruelty of the Twelve Palaces, Qiao Chu and the others did not believe for a moment that the Twelve Palaces would show any mercy.
Jun Wu Xie's choice, was made with an intention to protect the Lin Palace and the Rui Lin Army from harm.
"Alright, we should start moving. Aren't we supposed to look for Aqua Spirit Grass? Let's hurry before that fumbling Spirit Beast decides to come back here." Qiao Chu could not bear to see Jun Wu Xie's sad eyes any longer and he bolstered himself and tried to disperse the gloomy atmosphere with a laugh.
"Let's go." Long Qi realised that the words he had said might bring some measure of discomfort to Jun Wu Xie and he agreed to Qiao Chu's suggestions quickly.
Everyone in that convoy seems to have come to an unspoken consensus and no one spoke another word about it as they made their way towards the Spirit Moon Lake. The wounded soldiers were all feeling much better after receiving treatment except for the soldiers who had gotten his arm reattached, who needed his comrades to help him as they moved out.
With Qiao Chu frivolous and funny antics lightening up the mood, the journey was filled with smiles and sounds of laughter. Fei Yan joined in and formed a duet with Qiao Chu which warmed the hearts of everybody.
Jun Wu Xie carried the little black cat who had shrunk its form and walked in the middle of the group. The pangs of longing still tugged at her heart, a feeling still unfamiliar to her, and allowing Jun Wu Xie to experience clearly, what longing felt like.
Would Grandfather and Uncle be angry with her for not bidding goodbye?
"We will definitely find the Dark Emperor's tomb." Hua Yao had suddenly appeared beside Jun Wu Xie unnoticed and said in a whisper that only the two of them could hear.
Jun Wu Xie raised her head, her calm eyes showing a slight tinge of surprise.
Hua Yao's handsome features broke into a genuine and heartfelt smile. He looked at Jun Wu Xie and rubbed on Jun Wu Xie's head a little before he said: "After we all become strong, shall we all go back together with you?"
Jun Wu Xie appeared to be surprised. The dull ache in her chest seemed to be getting slowly displaced by a soft spreading warmth. The ache was gradually fading and replaced by a feeling that was both sour and numbing.
"What? Are we not welcome?" Hua Yao cracked a rare joke, taking a gentle swipe at Jun Wu Xie, the tear shaped mole at the edge of his eye making his face look more alluring as he smiled.
"Not that." Jun Wu Xie shook her head, the cold expression on her face cracking a little as the faintest of smiles curled her lips ever so slightly. "Grandfather and Uncle would like all of you."
"I'll assume that's a deal." Hua Yao heaved a sigh of relief. Jun Wu Xie was always so independent and strong willed but they had seen today that that stone cold heart had a soft side to it as well. She was still human and that revelation made the companions begin to want to show tenderness and concern for their little devilish companion.