•••
Chapter 221:- Third Slap (3)
"My next strike, will take your life." Long Qi said with narrowed eyes, in provocation at the Qing Yun Clan disciple.
The man's face darkened, unable to believe he was wounded by Long Qi.
"It's time to stop playing games, we should not waste our time with these trash. We should accomplish the Eldest Miss' orders first before we take out time to amuse ourselves with them." Seeing his comrade wounded, another disciple of the Qing Yun Clan stepped up to interject.
They had spent quite some time fooling around, they did not have much more time to waste.
"Do not kill that miserable mongrel , I need him alive as a test subject for some drugs....." The wounded disciple said in a low voice, and shot Long Qi a venomous look.
"As you wish."
The next moment, the four disciples of the Qing Yun Clan rushed at Long Qi.
Suddenly, he found himself under the attack of four green leveled spirits and Long Qi could not even afford the time to breathe.
A shrill screech sounded from above them, the Bone Crushing White Owl swooped in from the gates of the Lin Palace, and a tall slender form trailed in its wake!
"Father, I can't hold back anymore." Jun Qing had said the moment he made his move.
Long Qi was like a brother to him, and that brother was fighting to protect him. It was impossible for him to watch on while his brother fought for him.
Jun Xian sighed, but a flame lit in his eyes.
"Let's not hold back! Rui Lin Army to arms! Kill them all!" At Jun Xian's roaring command, the Rui Lin Army soldiers rushed at the ten men of the Qing Yun Clan!
The battle among hundreds of men raged in seconds, and the six men who had watched on silently made their move!
Jun Xian's fears had materialised, the six men might have been elderly, but their prowess and skills were above the four disciples! Five blue streaks of spiritual energies shot across the sky, and among them, a lone indigo streak stood out!
Just a level shy of the purple spirit, the mighty indigo spirit!
The moment the indigo light appeared, all Rui Lin Army soldiers felt an immense pressure upon them!
The might of the indigo spirit, caused all whose spirits were below green to have difficulty breathing. They were robbed of their ability to battle, and some could not even walk.
The indigo spirit glow emanated from head to toe on an elderly man with a greyish white beard. He held his hands behind his back and stood behind everyone, his wise eyes surveying the battle, his brow slightly furrowed.
The Qing Yun Clan had mobilized two indigo spirit exponents. One of them had gone with Jiang Chen Qing and Qin Yu Yan to the Imperial Palace to settle their scores with Mo Qian Yuan, and the other one stood before the gates of the Lin Palace!
Under the indigo spirit's oppressive pressure, the Rui Lin Army soldiers were largely incapacitated. Only Long Qi, Jun Xian, Jun Qing and a few more struggled in defiance. But they faced four high leveled green spirits and five overwhelming blue spirits at the same time!
Things could not get any worse!
The Jun Family were in a very tough battle, big and small wounds started opening up all over their bodies. The heavy stench of blood pervaded the air, further stifling the resistance they put up.
Right at that moment, a ear splitting roar cracked through the air!
A massive black streak rushed out from the gates of the Lin Palace, and a tiny figure sat, perched high upon its back.
"Who dares harm my Grandfather and Uncle!!?" Her bitter cold voice shot right into the ears of the men still in the frenzy of battle, and they subconsciously turned to see the source of that voice.
They saw a majestic black beast, with a peerlessly beautiful girl perched upon it, and her eyes stood out, bitingly cold!
.
.
.
Chapter 222:- Third Slap (4)
Jun Wu Xie's frosty gaze surveyed the battlefield, her sight locked onto Jun Xian and Jun Qing and their wounds. An angry explosion went off in her mind.
She had intended to use the Qing Yun Clan's arrogance as a lesson for Mo Qian Yuan to learn how to be an Emperor, and was prepared to have Jun Wu Yao lend a hand to end the conflict with the Qing Yun Clan. She had not expected for her spirit breakthrough to come just then, and in the time that she had been unconscious, the Qing Yun Clan had brought their assault right up to their doors!
Jun Wu Yao had been preoccupied, with protecting her throughout her spirit breakthrough, and had no knowledge that the Lin Palace had been under siege.
And upon seeing the blood stained figures of Jun Xian and Jun Qing, Jun Wu Xie had only one single thought on her mind!
She wanted all within the Qing Yun Clan to die by a thousand cuts, and not a single one was to be spared!
The young girl and the black beast's sudden appearance had surprised the people of the Qing Yun Clan, and when they saw the youthful appearance of Jun Wu Xie, they heaved a sigh of relief.
It was just a lass that looked barely fifteen. Even Jun Xian and Jun Qing were wounded by them, what could the tiny young girl do to them?
Among the aggressors, only the exponent with the indigo spirit remained wary of Jun Wu Xie's sudden appearance.
He had released his oppressive pressure on the battlefield, and all with spirits below the green level should be greatly affected by it. But this little girl had maintained her cold gaze and did not seems to be affected in the least. What baffled him further was that he was not able to ascertain the level of the jet black beast contractual ring spirit whom she rode upon.
The indigo leveled exponent frowned in thought, with his powers, he was able to determine Jun Wu Xie's spirit level with one glance, but what he saw, shocked him more.
The little girl, at such a tender younger age, had achieved a level orange spirit!?
With her age, her spirit must have just awakened, and within such a ridiculously short period of time, she had broken through from her red spirit to orange!? That was absolutely incredible!
A fourteen year old who broke through to attain an orange spirit, and withstood his spirit's oppressive pressure completely. He looked at her in awe and disbelief.
"Little Black." Jun Wu Xie called chillingly.
"Kill!"
At the drop of her command, Jun Wu Xie had jumped off the black beast. She might have just attained her orange spirit. But the sight of her family members wounded drove her hatred for the attackers uncontrollably forward.
The massive black beast roared as it leapt towards the Qing Yun Clan disciples. Its first target was one Qing Yun Clan disciple who was currently tangled with Jun Xian.
The man saw the black beast as the young Jun Wu Xie's contractual ring spirit, and had not paid much attention to it. But at the moment the black beast pounced on him, he was stunned!
How was it so fast!?
Before he could react, as he realised he had completely underestimated the beast, his neck was broken off with a crunch in a single bite!
"ROAR ! ! !" The black beast swung its head and threw the head in its jaws into the air.
The dismembered head sailed in a smooth arc through the air as the blood flow trailed in its wake. The fresh warm blood splattered on the other Qing Yun Clan disciples.
It had happened too fast, and they did not expect, that a ring spirit that possessed an unascertained level was capable of such speeds in its attacks!
"Today, none of you will leave alive." Jun Wu Xie narrowed her eyes and released her newly attained orange spirit to its fullest extent.
.
.
.
Chapter 223:- Third Slap (5)
The orange spirit energy emanated from her body and spread out bathing her in a halo of light. The nine men of the Qing Yun Clan looked at Jun Wu Xie, shocked.
An orange level spirit user, was able to release her spirit energy to such an extent!?
Impossible!
The girl before them, had just a mere orange spirit. She was weaker than Jun Xian and many others. But for some unknown reason, when those bitingly cold eyes lock on you, you felt as if you had fallen into the depths of fiery hell.
An orange spirit that stretched its boundaries, a ring spirit of unascertained level, the combination was tad bit too much to believe.
Engaged in battle, Jun Qing stole a few glances at Jun Wu Xie, he distinctly remembered that Jun Wu Xie's contractual ring spirit had awoken merely months before, and she had already broken through to the orange level!?
The incredulous speed of her breakthrough had shocked Jun Qing as well!
Jun Wu Xie readied to make her move and had stepped towards the Qing Yun Clan disciples, when a white flash streaked past from behind.
"Leave the small fry to me, my Mistress. You should not dirty your hands." The youth's crisply clean voice reached Jun Wu Xie's ears, and the breeze brought a scent of fragrant wine wafting over, lingering under Jun Wu Xie's small pointed nose.
Jun Wu Xie stopped in her tracks, and stared after the white figure as he streaked into the chaos.
Drunk Lotus!
The youth's white flowy robes fanned out behind the handsome face that had been blessed with sharp features, his cheeks glowed, suspiciously pink, as he jumped right into the thick of battle. Where he passed, a hurricane seemed to trail. Many of them who were under attack, Jun Xian included, suddenly felt a brute force tug at their sleeves and before they knew it, they were flung out of the battlefield!
In moments, Long Qi and his comrades who had been surrounded found themselves flying through the air as well, having been thrown from the battlefield.
A lone youth dressed fully in white, stood within the circle formed by the people from the Qing Yun Clan. His loose robe was slightly open and it showed his clear and fair skin underneath. His slightly raised shoulder, propped up the his hand across his chest, and an intricate wine jar was held loosely in his fingers.
Drunk Lotus stepped upon the wet ground, his feet bare. The sticky blood had been smeared all over them. He raised his eyes, and his anger rose as he stared at the men from the Qing Yun Clan.
"Grandfather! Uncle!" When the Jun Family father and son had been thrown, Jun Wu Xie had extended her her spiritual energy and held them, and gently set them on the ground.
"Wu Xie, who is that youth?" Jun Qing was supporting Jun Xian, as they looked at the surrounded Drunk Lotus. He had not even noticed anyone approach before he suddenly found himself flung into the air earlier. Looking upon the battlefield now, it must have been the work of that youth.
"That is Drunk Lotus." Jun Wu Xie replied offhandedly, her face in a frown as she surveyed the father and son bodies, only after she did not find any mortal wounds, did she heaved a sigh of relief. But her anger was ignited and stoked as the sight of their blood stained clothes and numerous more smaller wounds were located, her anger raged into a scorching inferno!
Jun Wu Xie turned to Drunk Lotus and the black beast on the battlefield and threw out her command in a chilly voice.
"Spare not a single one."
They dared wound Jun Xian and Jun Qing!? They shall pay with their blood!
"Yes! Miss!" A sinister smile curled up from the corners of Drunk Lotus' mouth. He reveled in the effects of the wine as he delved into a maniacal frenzy!
"Who are you!?" The youth had suddenly interrupted their fight and messed up their momentum. The Qing Yun Clan disciples were furious as they stared at the youth with unveiled malevolence.
First, it had been the lightning quick black beast, and next came the sudden appearance of this youth, with the series of unexpected occurrences, they were getting cagey.
If they were to say the black beast was too quick, they could at least see it. But when did this youth get here?
None of them had noticed!
Even the indigo spirit user, only noticed the additional presence of a handsome young youth after Drunk Lotus had stopped and stood still.
Drunk Lotus swept his eyes over the men around him and swung the wine jar to his mouth. He took a mighty swig and wiped the back of his hand across his mouth, before he coldly exclaimed: "Remember this. Today, the one to send you all to hell, will be this Lord Drunk Lotus!!
.
.
.
Chapter 224:- Third Slap (6)
"Brag while you can! You don't know who you are up against kid....." The Qing Yun Clan disciples taunted at Drunk Lotus. They didn't know from where and from when the arrogant little scoundrel had appeared from all out of a sudden.
Drunk Lotus raised an eyebrow at the man who spoke, and with a twisted smile, his snow white clothes billowed out, and a white torrential hurricane blew as Drunk Lotus shot towards him.
The man stood stunned, unable to see Drunk Lotus at all!
His speed..... was even faster than that black beast!
The white flash appeared in front of the man, Drunk Lotus' face was devastatingly drunk, and he raised a fist and swung at the man!
The Qing Yun Clan disciple smiled in glee as he saw Drunk Lotus' attack was a simple punch, and he gathered all his spiritual energy onto the gloves covering his fists. Throughout the skirmishes in the past one day, his weapon series ring spirit which manifested itself as combat gloves had defeated countless full grown men of the Rui Lin Army, he thought he did not have to worry about his current opponent as he was just a skinny weak boy!
Extremely confident, the man threw his most explosive punch, right into the fist of Drunk Lotus'!
At that moment, the ear piercing sound of shattering bones cracked through the air, the black gloved hand, had upon contact with Drunk Lotus' clear pale fist, shattered under the crushing force and warped grotesquely and the shattering of bones inched on as Drunk Lotus' fist continued on its path!
Alas, that was not the end. Drunk Lotus' smile grew more twisted and pushed further into his punch. The dominating brute force shattered his fingers and broke the whole hand
The sharp cracking of bones pierced through the air. Drunk Lotus' single punch had pushed the bones of his opponent's forearm backwards, to pierce out through the elbow!
The whites of the bones stuck out awkwardly, and looked totally out of place. Blood flowed down the bone and pooled on the ground.
"Tsk, that's all you have?" Drunk Lotus jutted out his chin at the man howling in pain, as his mouth tsked in disdain.
The black beast who was engaged with another Qing Yun Clan disciple had seen the man's hand shatter and contempt showed on its furry face.
Even it was unable to withstand a punch from Drunk Lotus, and these men naively think they can?
"ARGHHHH !!" The Qing Yun Clan disciple lay in a pool of his own blood, losing all signs of his prior haughtiness and arrogance. His face pale, he lay trembling uncontrollable on the ground, howling endlessly.
His nightmare wasn't about to end and the white clothed youth squatted down next to the man howling and stared irritably at the disciple. Drunk Lotus' eyes were red and bloodshot from the wine and he held his fists up before he rained a flurry of punches upon the man.
Every punch, broke his bones and ripped open his flesh!
Fresh red blood splattered with his every punch, and they stained his clothes red. Warm blood flowed down his face, giving a devilish look to the handsome face.
In a blink of an eye, a living man, had under the fists of Drunk Lotus, been pounded to mash, and not a single bone in him was intact.
That gory scene, drove the Qing Yun Clan disciples to nausea, and even Jun Xian, who had seen countless deaths in his decades of killing and slaughter on the battlefields paled at the sight. He turned to Jun Wu Xie, his face in shock, but found Jun Wu Xie's expression cold, her clear eyes frigid, and she did not seem to be disturbed in the least.
"Grandfather, they deserve it." Jun Wu Xie seethed in anger. If she was strong enough, she would have broken their bones and scattered them as ashes herself.
Satisfied, Drunk Lotus stood up. The maniacal smile remained on his face as he cracked his knuckles. He stretched his neck and stared at the stupefied group from the Qing Yun Clan and his words made the men's skin crawl when he asked: "Next. Whose turn is it?"
.
.
.
Chapter 225:- Third Slap (7)
Drunk Lotus' words, had made the faces of the men from the Qing Yun Clan turn white as sheets. The disciple that was now a pile of mashed up flesh and bones on the ground might not have been their best fighter, but he had the most powerful fists among them. He had prided himself on his mighty fists but those very fists had been utterly crushed and his bones shattered by the youth with a single punch to them! They could not even imagine, just how incredibly strong the youth's punches were!
All of them possessed at least a green leveled spirit and none of them dared to face up to those fists.
But, Jun Wu Xie's command had been given. There was nowhere to hide, as Drunk Lotus would not allow that to happen!
Drunk Lotus had turned his eyes on another disciple of the Qing Yun Clan. A chill ran up his spine and he started screaming. "Kill him! Senior Wen! Make your move! NOW!!"
When that man shouted, the skilled indigo spirit user was feeling conflicted. He had no dealings with the Qing Yun Clan before this. He came here against his wishes as he had needed the help of the top clan throughout the lands. He had received an invitation to join the delegation to come to the Qi Kingdom and had been forced to accept. Hence, when they had faced the Rui Lin Army soldiers, he had not lifted a finger, and only when they were rushed by the Jun Family's father and son and the Rui Lin Army had he reluctantly made a move and only released his spirit's oppressive aura to stop an all out attack from their opponents. He had resisted from making a move against the Lin Palace till the last moment, and it was not because he couldn't, but because he wouldn't.
For anyone to attain the indigo spirit, they were usually people who were extraordinary in their gift and character.
Having lived close to a century, he had seen and heard much of the world. The righteous reputation of the Jun Family had not escaped his ears either, although their might did not take one's breath away, their upright and noble integrity had him respect them a lot, and he was extremely reluctant to raise his hand against them.
If the Qing Yun Clan disciples were able to handle the situation on their own, he would just remain a bystander to their atrocities, but the tide had turned, and faced with the joint assault of the black beast and Drunk Lotus, two of the Qing Yun Clan disciples had been killed in a blink. The other invited expert exponents had had to move in and begin their attack on Drunk Lotus and the black beast, but based on the capabilities displayed by the youth and the beast, the answer was clear how this would end.
To make a move, or to refrain?
But, remembering the wounds of a member of his family back home, he sighed in resignation, and turned his eyes on to Jun Wu Xie.
He could see that the one who had command over the youth and the black beast, was this little girl standing in the distance.
"Hand over the Soul Jade and this will end here." He said to Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie snorted coldly at him, and took a step forward: "You dare harm my family, and smear the Jun Family's name. This will not end that easily. Today, I proclaim the Qing Yun Clan as my enemies. Not only the Qing Yun Clan people in the Qi Kingdom will die, soon I will show up myself at the doors of the Qing Yun Clan! And none in Qing Yun Clan will live!"
The indigo spirit user looked in surprise at Jun Wu Xie. He saw her chilly gaze, her determined dominance and could not believe he was seeing all this coming from a little girl! Her proclamation was a mountainous task to undertake, was it even possible!?
Take down the top clan under the skies? The little girl was being rather arrogant!
"Ignorant junior, do you know what you are up against?" The indigo spirit user asked gently.
Jun Wu Xie said coldly: "You should ask that of the Qing Yun Clan. Do they know who they are up against?"
Jun Wu Xie continued: "I saw that you had not made any moves against us. If you leave now, I'll spare your life. But those who harmed my Grandfather and Uncle, shall leave their lives here."
The indigo spirit user was taken aback. Not even in his dreams, had he expected that he would one day be threatened by a little girl who had just broken through to the orange level.
While he stood in astonishment, Drunk Lotus had obliterated and mashed up another disciple of the Qing Yun Clan to a pulp of flesh and bones into the ground!
.
.
.
Chapter 226:- Only for a Gentleman (1)
That was when the indigo spirit user's face paled. Three of the Qing Yun Clan disciples had been slaughtered mercilessly before his eyes. The last remaining disciple was struggling under the black beast's lightning quick attacks. What was more frightening was that the white robed youth had already eyed Eunuch Wei, a blue spirit user. Drunk Lotus was not slowed down even against a blue spirit user, his attacks were as dominating and as tyrannical as when he had fought the green spirit users. Green or blue, it did not matter the slightest to Drunk Lotus!
Seeing the skills displayed by the youth, and the way he overwhelmed a blue spirit user, he was thinking maybe he himself with his indigo spirit might very well not be a match for him!
Where in the deepest levels of hell did this overpowered demon crawl out from!?
The indigo spirit user did not even classify Drunk Lotus as a contractual ring spirit.
In this world, only the weapons and beast type ring spirits were widely known. Who would have thought the handsome youth could actually belong to the plant based series of ring spirits? Moreover, Drunk Lotus was a plant based ring spirit that had the ability to morph into human form.
Based on Drunk Lotus' appearance, he would most probably be about seventeen years..... maybe eighteen. No release of spiritual energy was detected when he attacked, and it was impossible to even guess at the real strength behind that slender attractive figure of a boy.
Even under assault from several blue spirit users, he was handling the fight with ease. Was he an indigo spirit user as well?
Impossible!
Attaining the indigo level in his teens!? None exists!
"Wen Xin Han! What are you waiting for!? If we are to die, you would not be able to answer to the Qing Yun Clan! Don't you want to save your grandson anymore!?" The several blue spirit users who were being pushed back by a lone Drunk Lotus grew desperate and shouted out to Wen Xin Han, the only indigo spirit user and the strongest among them. Never in their lives had they seen a teenager this powerful who forced five blue spirit users into throwing all their spiritual energies into defence, just to ward off his attacks.
The only indigo spirit user, Wen Xin Han, among them, still had not made a move.
"He is Wen Xin Han?" From behind, Jun Xian who had been tending to his wounds was shocked when he heard that name, and he looked wide eyed, at the conflicted expression on the expert blue leveled spirit exponent.
"Father, you know him?" Jun Qing asked in query.
Jun Xian frowned: "Yes, I know of him. He is from the Yan Kingdom, and he was widely revered as a prodigy who attained a breakthrough to the level yellow spirit when he was just twenty years old. His father was an official in the Yan Kingdom, but a massacre of his whole family was ordered in secret by the reigning Emperor. His whole family was killed and only he alone managed to escape. He disappeared from the face of the world thereafter, and I did not expect him to be still alive. The Wen Family were fiercely loyal to the crown, and in no way were they inferior to our Jun Family. I had heard much about the Wen Family when I was younger."
When he finished relating the story of Wen Xin Han, Jun Xian turned to Jun Wu Xie: "Wu Xie, if possible, do not harm Wen Xin Han. He had not attacked us, and I think his sense of conscience is still sound. I believe in members of the Wen Family, they would never be an accomplice to evildoers."
In this battle, Wen Xin Han had not participated in the attacks. If the indigo spirit user had attacked, the Jun Family father and son would have been dead before Jun Wu Xie arrived.
Jun Wu Xie looked up at her grandfather. She had not been blind to Wen Xin Han's internal conflict, but it was that it didn't matter to her. If Wen Xin Han remained as a spectator, she would spare his life. If he continues to be party to the Qing Yun Clan's evildoing, she would not let him off.
But Jun Xian had spoken, and she did not want to defy him.
If Grandfather wants her to stay her hand, she will comply.
Just when Wen Xin Han was about the jump into the fray, Jun Wu Xie said suddenly: "Senior Wen, since you were forced to dirty your hands only because of a desperate need for the help of the Qing Yun Clan, then allow me to offer you an alternative now."
Wen Xin Han held himself back and looked at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie raised her hand and threw out a bottle of elixirs to Wen Xin Han who caught it deftly.
"As long as the person you want to save is still alive, this medicine will let him live on. But if you choose to attack today, not only the person you want to save, but even you will die here." Jun Wu Xie offered with her eyes narrowed.
.
.
.
Chapter 227:- Only for a Gentleman (2)
Wen Xin Han looked at Jun Wu Xie in consternation and stared at the bottle in his hand.
What is this little girl saying?
He had seen Drunk Lotus in action, and Wen Xin Han was not completely confident to come out of a fight with him unscathe. He knew exactly what Jun Wu Xie had meant when she had said he will die here, and knew deep in his heart it was not just an empty threat.
And she had also said..... her elixir would save a life..... was that really the truth?
They saw that Wen Xin Han had been about to make his move when Jun Wu Xie's bottle of elixirs had confused him back into inaction. The aggressors turned helpless defenders under the overwhelming assault from Drunk Lotus and the black beast grew desperate.
"Wen Xin Han! Do not fall under the spell of that witch! Even the Qing Yun Clan Sovereign was not completely confident of treating your grandson, how capable can a little lass like her be? She's just dragging for time to kill us before she can consolidate her forces to take you on! Do not fall for her scheme!"
Wen Xin Han stood staring in wonder at Jun Wu Xie. He would not even have given it a thought if he had only considered her age, but something about her when he saw her calm and completely confident eyes clicked in his mind, and he felt a sense of unhurried certainty from her.
'To fight with his life at stake, or leave cradling this last hope in his arms?'
'If he were to die, his grandson would have no way to live either. He knew the callousness of the Qing Yun Clan too well, even if he were to die here in battle today for their cause, they would not waste their time on his grandson whom they had no use for without his grandfather.'
'If that was the case, why should he risk his life?'
"Your name is Jun Wu Xie?" Wen Xin Han raised his head and looked at Jun Wu Xie.
"Yes."
"I'll remember you. I will not further involve myself here today. If this elixir really works, Wen Xin Han will henceforth owe you his life. But if you were to deceive me, I will do everything I can to bring down the Jun Family, even at the cost of these old bones." Wen Xin Han had decided to take a gamble, he was not confident of surviving a battle with Drunk Lotus, and if he died, his grandson would have no chance to live either.
'Accepting Jun Wu Xie suggestion was an alternative, it would be the best scenario if it could save his grandson. If it could not, he would make Jun Wu Xie pay in blood.'
"I don't want your life." Jun Wu Xie rejected coldly, and it answered the unspoken question in Wen Xin Han's mind.
Wen Xin Han suddenly roared in laughter, faced with such a confident and arrogant little girl, he couldn't find it in his heart to dislike her.
"Fine! If it works, I will make it my duty to protect the Jun Family till the day I die, how's that?"
"You think I can't protect it myself?"
'That arrogance!'
This was a first for Wen Xin Han. He had never come across a kid as unruly and rebellious as Jun Wu Xie was. If not for the wrong timing and circumstances, he would have liked to see, what this young girl who broke through to attain an orange spirit at such a young age, was capable of.
"I have caused disturbance today, we'll meet again" Wen Xin Han did not want to be associated with the Qing Yun Clan any further. If not for his grandson, whose life hung by a thread, he would not have agreed to partake in such acts of tyranny with the highly regarded Qing Yun Clan.
With those words, Wen Xin Han dispelled his spirit's oppressive pressure and with a flick of his voluminous sleeves, he soared into the air, leaving the shouts and curses of the blue spirit users far behind.
"Is he really gone?" Jun Qing had watched the scene play out with incredulity, not understanding how Wen Xin Han had been so easily coaxed to leave with a few words from Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie explained: "Drunk Lotus' strength was glaringly obvious, and he knew he would not escape unscathed. If he dies, the Qing Yun Clan will not save the person he wants to save. Rather than to work to the bone to do the Qing Yun Clan bidding, why not take a gamble." It must be said, Jun Wu Xie had clearly read Wen Xin Han heart and mind, and cornered him into make the most logical choice.
For one who survived the Yan Kingdom's Emperor's deadly persecution till today, and managed to breakthrough to attain a rare indigo spirit, Jun Wu Xie had very good reason to believe, Wen Xin Han knew how to choose.
.
.
.
Chapter 228:- Only for a Gentleman (3)
A Drunk Lotus who was powerful enough to cause consternation to the indigo spirit user, and Jun Wu Xie's generous offer of a tempting alternative, had naturally made the strongest among the group, who did not like the Qing Yun Clan anyway, choose to leave.
With both might and strategy, Jun Wu Xie was bringing them down fast.
With the oppressive pressure lifted, the Rui Lin Army who had been rendered immobile rose back on their feet. They encircled the delegates of the Qing Yun Clan and forced them close into the range of the snapping jaws and mauling claws of the fearsome black beast, and the merciless tyrannical and unseen fists of the maniacal Drunk Lotus.
Drunk Lotus went on a terrifying rampage as he did not have to watch his back anymore.
In less than an hour, the four Qing Yun Clan disciples, and the five experts who joined the convoy were dead, pulverized and torn to shreds.
A glaringly red pool of blood on the ground surrounded Drunk Lotus' feet, and his white clothes were now red. His exceedingly handsome face did not show any disgust or abhorrence, but it instead shone with the exhilaration of the gruesome massacre he had just executed!
"YEAHHH!" Drunk Lotus gave out a low roar of exhilaration as he held his blood smeared fists to his chest and clasped them hidden within his voluminous sleeves. With a light leap, his slender form drew a graceful arc and he landed right in front of Jun Wu Xie.
"Miss, all dead." Drunk Lotus beamed at her.
Jun Wu Xie nodded slightly. The threat against the Lin Palace had been diffused, but it was far from over. Jun Wu Xie had the injured soldiers carried in to be tended to. As long as they were still breathing, she was confident of saving them.
Jun Xian and Jun Qing's injuries had not been serious, but Long Qi, who had three ribs broken, and sustained various wounds, had gritted his teeth and had been silent throughout the ordeal.
She then ordered for medicine to stabilize the condition of the wounded to be distributed but did not go back into the Lin Palace herself. She stood at the gates, staring at the bodies of the men of the Qing Yun Clan, her eyes chill as ever.
"Little darling, what's on your mind?" Jun Wu Yao who had been absent all this while suddenly stood beside Jun Wu Xie.
"You were the one who released Drunk Lotus?" Jun Wu Xie asked.
Jun Wu Xie smiled and surveyed the piles of 'ground meat' littered across the ground, and his smile widened. "Have you not always wanted to know how strong Drunk Lotus is?" Hence, he had given Drunk Lotus the opportunity.
It seemed, Drunk Lotus' methods of slaughter, were just right up his alley.
"I am going to the Imperial Palace." Jun Wu Xie said.
The smile on Jun Wu Yao's face stiffened.
"That was not all the people from the Qing Yun Clan. Without getting their hands on the Soul Jade, they will not give up. I expect the rest of them, to have confronted Mo Qian Yuan." Jun Wu Xie reasoned as she narrowed her eyes. From what she gathered from Long Qi, the Qing Yun Clan had attacked yesterday. It would seem that Mo Qian Yuan had fallen into the hands of the Qing Yun Clan for a day now.
What would the naive little Emperor have learnt of the ways of the Qing Yun Clan?
"You want to save him?" Jun Wu Yao raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
Jun Wu Yao's smile faded.....
"I'll go with you." A damsel rescuing a distressed dog, what a thankless task.
Jun Wu Xie nodded and issued her orders to the black beast and Drunk Lotus to proceed to the Imperial Palace. When she was done, she was carried up by Jun Wu Yao within his arms and they soared towards the Imperial Palace.
In front of the Lin Palace, the black beast looked in distress at the blood covered Drunk Lotus and the corner of its jaws twitched.
Drunk Lotus looked at the black beast with one eyebrow raised and jumped right onto its back and grabbed a handful of its flesh and fur in his hand. He then laughed coldly: "Dumb kitty! Take me there! Move!"
".........." The black beast almost teared, feeling so sorry for itself.
Its mistress must never abandon it to this extreme and maniacal flower again!
.
.
.
Chapter 229:- Torture (1)
The acrid smell of blood permeated the air in the Imperial Palace's main hall. Qin Yu Yan sat upright upon the throne which was symbolic to the Emperor. Her beautiful and graceful face had her usual gentle smile on, but the smile did not reach her eyes.
Below the throne in the hall, a group of Qing Yun Clan disciples led by Jiang Chen Qing sat around, their mouths sneering, as they all looked at the curled up figure of a man, lying upon the floor, in the middle of the hall.
The man's splendid clothes were now tattered, his hair a mess, and countless wounds big and small covered his huddled body. Bright red blood dripped from glaring wounds and spilled on the cold marble floors and his usual upright and straight poise had been reduced to become a tightly curled up ball, trembling in agony.
The palace maids and eunuchs huddled in a corner, forced to witness the horror before them, for never in their dreams, had they thought they would witness such atrocities.
"Your Majesty still refuses to divulge the locations of the Soul Jade? Why do you choose to suffer such torment? Qing Yun Clan and the Qi Kingdom had always been friends, why do you choose to cause us such annoyance?" Qin Yu Yan sat imposingly upon the Emperor's throne and sighed in mock exasperation, looking aggrieved, her eyes on the figure sprawled upon the cold floor.
Mo Qian Yuan, the newly crowned Emperor of the Qi Kingdom, was slated to enjoy the celebrations and the great admiration his people had for him, but he was being tortured cruelly instead, in the same main hall of the Imperial Palace, by the people from the Qing Yun Clan.
He no longer possessed the strength to struggle, and can only gasp weakly with his face upon the cold hard floor. The good looking face, had had two deep gashes, and they opened from his left and right temples and crossed upon his face to his jaws. The blood was still flowing unabated and the pain had been forgotten by Mo Qian Yuan, as the pain of his flesh, was overshadowed by the excruciating agony felt inside his body. It felt like everything inside was being churned, with blades and he was supposed to pass out from the agony.
Mo Qian Yuan knew though, the sweet comfort of unconsciousness would not come.
He did not know how long he had been suffering under the torment, he had only remembered that it had been early in the morning when the Qing Yun Clan had barged into the Imperial Palace, and drove out all the court officials, and slammed the doors to the main hall shut. They had then dragged the ruler of the kingdom down from his throne and forced unknown poison down his throat.
The pain had begun from then.....
They had cut the tendons of his hands and feet and broken his spine. He could not even count the number of slashes and cuts he had been put through. The pain should have been too much for the mind to take, but the Qing Yun Clan disciples had forced fed him a medicine that kept him conscious. No matter how much of the excruciating pain and agony he felt, he could never fall into a dead faint, and under feel every single heart rending ounce of torment the pain brought.
Mo Qian Yuan felt like laughing, to laugh at his own naivety, to laugh at his own foolishness. All the suffering he was put through, was brought about by his very own naive compassion.....
If he had listened to Jun Wu Xie, and struck at them first, he wouldn't have fallen into the hands of the Qing Yun Clan.
But he had never imagined that the top clan under the skies, a clan known for their healing knowledge of Medicine, were capable of employing such malevolent and cruel means against their enemies. Refusing them the sweet embrace of death, only to suffer further under torment.
He had thought that Jun Wu Xie was vicious, but what the Qing Yun Clan had put him under, made Jun Wu Xie look like an angel.
At the very least, Jun Wu Xie would never raise her hand against the innocent.
This was the wager he agreed to make with her?
Whether the Qing Yun Clan would uphold their reputation as the most revered clan throughout the lands? And whether Qin Yu Yan would be as understanding and accommodating as he had imagined her to be?
Mo Qian Yuan swallowed the blood that trickled up his throat, and his mouth curled in derision at himself with much difficulty, and the last traces of magnanimity in him was snuffed out, as he drowned in the agonising torment that washed over him.
"You still refuse to tell?" Qin Yu Yan propped her chin onto her hand, as she looked on in impatience at the mute Mo Qian Yuan. She had not expected that, a weak Emperor of such a tiny kingdom, had the audacity to lie to her.
.
.
.
Chapter 230:- Torture (2)
She had been to the Royal Tomb and the Jun Family's graveyard. She had turned the places upside down and still did not manage to locate any sign of the Soul Jade.
Qin Yu Yan had decided that Mo Qian Yuan had lied to her.
The price for having deceived the Qing Yun Clan, was not something everyone could bear up under.
She would not kill Mo Qian Yuan, but keep him within an inch of his life. After she manages to force Mo Qian Yuan to divulge the location of the Soul Jade, she would personally bring him back to the Qing Yun Clan, dismember his limbs and leave him soaked in her medicinal urns, which were filled with devastating poison, and make him suffer unspeakable torment, while keeping him alive.
This was the price for deceiving the Qing Yun Clan.
"Yun Xian." Qin Yu Yan called out suddenly. Bai Yun Xian, who had been standing quietly at the side snapped to her senses, and paled visibly, as she fell to her knees in a panic before Qin Yu Yan who sat high up upon the Emperor's throne.
"Senior! I have wronged you! I will never create such mischief again!" Beads of sweat rolled down the side of her face. People were usually charmed by the gentle facade that Qin Yu Yan portrays, but as a disciple of the Qing Yun Clan who knew the inner workings within well, she knew the terror that hid behind the mask that Qin Yu Yan presented to the outside world.
The Eldest Miss of the Qing Yun Clan who always appeared gentle and affable, was actually a demoness in disguise.
Qin Yu Yan's area of expertise was not medicine, but the development of poisons!
In Qin Yu Yan's backyard, tens of enormous medicinal urns were kept. In every urn, it was filled with various brews made from myriad poisons. She would then dismember the limbs, gouge out the eyes and cut off the tongues of people who displeased her and dump them into the urns to conduct her research into her study of poison. These people used for her research were all kept alive and refused death to suffer under their painful existence.
Even the disciples of the Qing Yun Clan were terrified of Qin Yu Yan.
The woman had never been benevolent in her ways, even when their own Qing Yun Clan disciples caused her to be annoyed, they were not let off easy either.
Qin Yu Yan looked smilingly at Bai Yun Xian who was sweating profusely and waved her hand slightly. A Qing Yun Clan disciple appeared from the back of the hall pushing a wheelchair. And seated upon the wheelchair, was the hideous and gruesome Mo Xuan Fei.
"Since you admit to your mistake, you would know what to do. You are my junior, and my father harboured high hopes for you. Being hopelessly tangled with a duke, would not be something my father would like to hear about." Having said that, Qin Yu Yan threw a dagger at the feet of Bai Yun Xian. "Kill him, and go back with me to receive your punishment."
Bai Yun Xian was stunned as she stared at the dagger at her feet. She hesitated a moment before she bent to gingerly pick it up. She trembled as she straightened herself and walked unsteadily towards the obviously delirious Mo Xuan Fei.
He had been a suave and charming guy, and he had been reduced to such a sorry state. He lost his good looks, and his elegant charm was missing. He was now just a nauseating pile of rot that smelled just as bad as he looked.
"Can't bear to?" Qin Yu Yan asked, observing Bai Yun Xian.
"It's not that." Bai Yun Xian calmed herself. If it was Mo Xuan Fei in the past, she might have considered herself to have some feelings for him. But after he was reduced to such a state, Bai Yun Xian had given up on any thoughts of that.
'Kill him and my senior will spare me.'
Without much of a hesitation, Bai Yun Xian drove the dagger in her hands deep into the chest of Mo Xuan Fei. Mo Xuan Fei who had been muddled and delirious for a time seemed to wake up and regain his consciousness at that moment. The distant look in his eyes lifted and he stared befuddled at the hands holding the dagger hilt that stuck out from his chest and turned to look at Bai Yun Xian with his eyes in disbelief and grudging resentment.
"I had no other choice. Having you dead is better than getting myself killed." Bai Yun Xian whispered through her teeth as she watched the light fade from Mo Xuan Fei's eyes. And when he breathed his last, Bai Yun Xian turned and knelt before Qin Yu Yan.
"My senior, he is dead."
.
.
.
Chapter 231:- Torture (3)
Qin Yu Yan nodded, satisfied. Bai Yun Xian hurried in retreat to the side as she was relieved from her burden. Qin Yu Yan gestured to another Qing Yun Clan disciple and he walked over to the curled up figure of Mo Qian Yuan who was still upon the floor and pulled his head up by the hair, to let him see Mo Xuan Fei on the wheelchair, motionless in death.
"Your Majesty, your brother is dead. If you do not want to be like him, then tell us what we want to know." Qin Yu Yan said indifferently to Mo Qian Yuan, who had held his mouth longer than she had expected. The poison that he had been forced to take was no ordinary poison. Its potency was not enough to immediately claim his life, but it would have caused untold damage to his internal organs, and brought enough pain to make him want to end his own life.
Even after having gone through all that, Mo Qian Yuan still refused to spill the beans.
This was what really frustrated Qin Yu Yan.
"It seems Your Majesty still does not understand your predicament." Qin Yu Yan said softly, as she gestured for the disciple to lift Mo Qian Yuan up. "Perhaps we have been too lenient, and we need to do more to make you talk. Uncle Jiang, can you do us the honour please?"
Jiang Chen Qing walked over and grabbed the limp right hand of Mo Qian Yuan. He then held the tip of Mo Qian Yuan's little finger and released his spiritual energy.....
"ARGHHHH!!!" A pitiful howl filled the main hall.
Mo Qian Yuan's little finger was crushed bit by bit starting from the tip by Jiang Chen Qing. More blood splattered on the floor and the palace maids and eunuchs shrank back even further into their corner as the horrible scene played out before them.
"Is that pain enough for you?" Qin Yu Yan laughed aloud, the tinkle of her laughter was filled with malice and cruelty.
Mo Qian Yuan had been utterly decimated, the pain had driven deep into heart as he howled in agony. He did not know how much more of this unrelenting torment he would have to take before the end comes.
If only he had listened to Jun Wu Xie..... If he had gone along with what Jun Wu Xie wanted, all these would not have happened.....
"Carry on." Qin Yu Yan laughed as she uttered those words of venom.
Jiang Chen Qing readied himself to continue his torture of Mo Qian Yuan when suddenly, the tightly shut doors of the main hall burst open, hit by a powerful force!
A handsome youth with his clothes splattered with blood rode upon a magnificent black beast charged into the main hall!
"ROAARRR!!" The black beast gave out a earth shattering roar!
After the black beast devoured the Golden Lion, he acquired the ability to roar like the Golden Lion. The roar sounded so much more dominating than its meek meows!
"Who are you!" Jiang Chen Qing threw down the hand of Mo Qian Yuan and straightened up to face the intruders, as he stared at the duo of flower and beast.
"That question, should be from me, and directed at all of you." The cold chilly voice rang out suddenly outside the open doors. The cold expression on her face showed at the door after those words and she stood, her frosty eyes surveying everyone within the main hall, as Jun Wu Yao stood silently behind her, a hint of a curl at the corners of his mouth.
"Who and what kind of people would dare come to the Qi Kingdom to commit such atrocities!?" Jun Wu Xie's eyes fell upon the crumpled form of Mo Qian Yuan on the floor in the middle of the hall and her brow wrinkled intensely as she frowned deeply.
Before you beat a dog, you have to know who its master is..... She had wanted Mo Qian Yuan to learn his lesson from this, but she had underestimated the cruelty of the most revered Qing Yun Clan, worshipped throughout the lands.
"Wu..... Xie....." He barely whispered, his face white with weakness. When he saw Jun Wu Xie appear before the doors, the excruciating agony that tormented him had lifted for that moment and he summoned everything he had left within to move his mouth sporadically to form a slight lift at the ends of his mouth in relief.
'She's here..... finally.....'
.
.
.
Chapter 232:- Torture (4)
Mo Qian Yuan voice was barely a whisper but the faint sound had burned into her ears when he had looked up at the figure of Jun Wu Xie standing at the entrance to the main hall.
'Wu Xie?'
'If her memory served her correctly, the Eldest Miss of the Jun Family seemed to have been named Jun Wu Xie.'
'But they had sent their men to the Lin Palace, why would Jun Wu Xie be here?'
However, when Qin Yu Yan noticed the fabulously good looking Jun Wu Yao who stood behind Jun Wu Xie, her smile had widened and she could not take her eyes off him.
'What a unbelievably handsome man!'
She had not known that such a attractive man existed in this world.
"I shall teach that mouth of yours some manners! If you choose to seek death, I am only too glad to grant you your wish!" Jiang Chen Qing did not care who she was, and what she looked like. He only knew that whoever dared to mock the Qing Yun Clan like that must die to atone for the unforgivable affront!
Jiang Chen Qing leaped directly at Jun Wu Xie, choosing to ignore Drunk Lotus completely to be beneath his notice. Among the three people and a beast that had suddenly appeared, only the black beast seemed to possess a little ability to battle. They three humans were too young, with the oldest among them to be just over twenty years of age. No matter how prodigious they might be, they were not a match for him!
However, before Jiang Chen Qing could even touch a corner of Jun Wu Xie's robe, a blood coloured streaked flashed to appear right before his eyes.
The dashing youth threw a lightning quick punch at the face of Jiang Chen Qing. His speedy movements had surprised Jiang Chen Qing and he raised his arms hurriedly to block off the blow, and Drunk Lotus' punch hit him squarely on his forearms. A searing pain tore through his arms that shot throughout his entire body with its impact!
In a blink, Jiang Chen Qing had been driven back. The arm that blocked the blow from Drunk Lotus had blood running freely down its length, and its bone broken and sticking out of his flesh, visibly exposed.
'What kind of a monstrous strength was that!?'
Jiang Chen Qing stared at Drunk Lotus, his mouth agape, his mind reeling in shock.
He, a respectably powerful blue spirit user, just had his arm broken by a fledging young youth in his teens, with a single punch? If word of this got around, nobody would have believed it!
Drunk Lotus' domineering attack, had not only shocked Jiang Chen Qing himself, but had made all the others from the Qing Yun Clan stand up in surprise!
They knew very well, the prowess Jiang Chen Qing possessed. Even if the kid had successfully sneaked an attack on him, it was impossible that Jiang Chen Qing would lose so horribly in a single pass!
Drunk Lotus raised his fists up to his chest and his knuckles made a crackling sound as he clenched his fists. The fresh blood that had just smeared his fist dripped from his fingers. He might be extremely arrogant, but there was one common aspect among all contractual ring spirits. They were fiercely protective of their masters. That obnoxious old man dared to attack Jun Wu Xie before his eyes!? He must have lived too long and was getting tired of living!
"Who in the world are you?" Jiang Chen Qing asked as he gripped his blood covered arm and stared at Drunk Lotus. He could not believe the young teenager before him possessed such power!
"You are not fit to know that." Drunk Lotus spurned, with a laugh filled with scorn.
Qin Yu Yan watched from atop the throne with her eyes narrowed after she averted her eyes away from Jun Wu Yao's good looks. Jiang Chen Qing had attained a blue leveled spirit and ordinary people were not a match for him. Moreover, he was skilled in poison as well. Unless the opponent was an indigo spirit user, no one should be able to dominate over Jiang Chen Qing like this.
But the youth was obviously very young, how did a single punch from him reduce an Elder of the Qing Yun Clan to such a state!?
Qin Yu Yan changed her tact and stood up suddenly. She smiled gently at the annoyingly arrogant Drunk Lotus and said: "I ponder for a reason why a respected individual such as you would grace us with your presence here today. Could it be that some sort of a misunderstanding had mistakenly been formed with the Qing Yun Clan? The Qing Yun Clan are currently handling some private matters and I would humbly request for you gracious acquiescence to make way for us to conclude them, and the Qing Yun Clan will not forget the favour shown to us today."
No matter who this youth was, Qin Yu Yan did not want to make an enemy of him. She brought up Qing Yun Clan's name into this to lend her credibility to encourage the youth to accede to her request. As for Mo Qian Yuan and Jun Wu Xie, she will bide her time to decide on their punishments.
.
.
.
Chapter 233:- Fourth Slap (1)
Qin Yu Yan's guess was that the youth was probably external help that Jun Wu Xie had employed from foreign powers.
But she was thinking what Jun Wu Xie, a mere Young Miss of a miserly Lin Palace, had to offer to those foreign powers? Whatever Jun Wu Xie could offer, the Qing Yun Clan can easily double the offer.
There were no such thing such as unshakable alliances. When people stick to so called loyalty and determination, it was just that the offer was not tempting enough.
Qin Yu Yan strongly believed, that if it was a choice between the Lin Palace and the Qing Yun Clan, any dolt would know to choose the latter.
Drunk Lotus gave a look of disdain as he turned to the pretentious woman before him, clicking his mouth in disgust.
"Are you done with your drivel? If you are done, sit down, shut your trap and await your death! Qing Yun Clan? You're not even fit to carry my shoes!" Using a clan of humans to bait a ring spirit!? Was she of unsound mind?
Qin Yu Yan's face froze in an expression of shock. Nobody had ever rejected the favour of the almighty Qing Yun Clan. Ever. Qin Yu Yan fumed and sputtered, but did not manage to get a word out in her rage.
Qing Yun Clan, these three words had never failed to impress before. This was the first time they were spurned so completely, and it felt just like a big slap on her face!
"Drunk Lotus." Jun Wu Xie called out.
"Here!"
"Cut the chatter, obliterate." Jun Wu Xie frowned. She had neither interest nor the patience for conversation with the Qing Yun Clan. When they had made their move against the Jun Family father and son, they had their fates sealed, and were destined to die.
Why should she listen to people who are dead, and their senseless pratter?
"Yes, Miss!" Drunk Lotus' mouth curled up at the corners when Jun Wu Xie gave her orders. The murder in his eyes shone unbridled and the bloodied figure rushed, a blur of movements, right at Jiang Chen Qing.
"Little Black."
"MEOW... ROARRR!!"
"Fetch him." Jun Wu Xie ordered calmly.
The black beast's mind was linked to her mistress and naturally knew what Jun Wu Xie meant. It could be none other than Mo Qian Yuan who was at death's door!
The black beast zoomed towards the middle of the hall, making a beeline towards Mo Qian Yuan.
Qin Yu Yan could only watch on in amazement as the tide radically changed against her. She did not expect the powerful youth to submit to Jun Wu Xie's instructions so eagerly and Jun Wu Xie had taken her by surprise further when she had not tried to negotiate and went right for the kill immediately!
Her domineering methods were not sparing the Qing Yun Clan the tiniest bit of deference to the reverence of their name!
"Utter brazen insolence! Jun Wu Xie! Do not be too arrogant! You dare show such contempt to the Qing Yun Clan! Everyone! I hereby lay my terms to you. Anyone who takes the heads of Jun Wu Xie and Drunk Lotus in this hall shall have Qing Yun Clan owe them a debt of gratitude, and we will fulfill a request of yours in the future. I will endorse this agreement on behalf of my father here now!" QIn Yu Yan was livid and filled with so much rage that she threw out an irrefusable and tempting offer!
There were only a few Qing Yun Clan disciples present, and the remaining people consisted of more than ten expert exponents who were here by Qing Yun Clan's invitation and have of them had accepted due to their various urgent needs for Qing Yun Clan's assistance. With Qin Yu Yan's commitment and promise, all of them did not hesitate to jump into the fray!
In a flash, more than ten of the invited exponents who had remained seated all this time made their move. All of them possessed at least a blue spirit but one. He was the same and Wen Xin Han, who broke through to the indigo level!
Qin Yu Yan continued to stare at Jun Wu Xie with her jaw tightly clenched. When she had thrown out her offer of the bounty, she had consciously excluded the gorgeous man standing behind Jun Wu Xie.
He had remained silent throughout, and she did not have a clue on his identity. If he knew what was good for him, she would bring him back to the Qing Yun Clan after Jun Wu Xie was taken down. If he was oblivious to his good fortune.....
Qin Yu Yan's eyes gleamed coldly, she had many medicinal urns waiting for him in her backyard!
.
.
.
Chapter 234:- Fourth Slap (2)
Utter chaos ensued in the main hall of the Imperial Palace the next moment. The palace maids and eunuchs hiding in the corner started screaming shrilly when they found that they had no other space to retreat into.
"Hmm? You are coming at me all at once? Fantastic!" In face of more than ten attackers rushing towards him at once, Drunk Lotus did not back off one bit. The frenzy had instead made his adrenaline start pumping. He downed the rest of the wine in the jar at once, glugging down the fragrant and one of the finest of wine before he threw the jar out to smash against the wall. The intoxicating wine worked through Drunk Lotus' body and his cheeks flushed red as he shouted in satisfaction: "WHOA! Your Lord Drunk Lotus am going to enjoy this massacre!"
"I'll see how long your arrogance lasts! Everyone! Take his head!" Jiang Chen Qing stared darkly at Drunk Lotus with his jaw clenched. He had never been so humiliated throughout the years he had lived. He could not wait to crush his bones and scatter his ashes!
The disciples of the Qing Yun Clan joined forces with the blue spirit users to attack Drunk Lotus. The black beast took the opportunity to slip through the crowd, but was spotted by two blue spirit users who tried to block its path. The massive black beast proved to be too fast for them as it zigzagged it way past without them realising the beast had already gone past them.
[You fools enjoy your bout with Drunk Lotus! I have specific orders!]
The black beast slunk itself low on the ground, having no intention to engage the enemy as he neared his target.
The lone mighty indigo spirit user set his eyes on Jun Wu Xie and roped in three of the blue spirit users and charged at Jun Wu Xie. They could clearly see that this young sapling of a girl was the commander of the group. To kill a snake, you need to strike at its head. As long as they kill the little lass, the youth and the black beast will crumble.
However, they had completely overlooked the tall and handsome man standing behind Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Yao had been smiling all this while. Watching the screaming foursome who leapt at Jun Wu Xie, his eyebrow twitched slightly. Just when the indigo spirit user was about to touch Jun Wu Xie, he wrapped an arm around Jun Wu Xie and his tall frame soared into the air, his movements both elegant and graceful.
"Do not dirty my little darling's dress with your filthy hands." Jun Wu Yao said cheekily with a smile, but the smile did not show within his eyes.
The indigo spirit user leapt in pursuit, his eyes locked on the attractive face of Jun Wu Yao.
Jun Wu Yao flicked his finger slightly and several dark streaks shot lightning quick towards the four pursuers' faces!
Once upon their faces, the black streaks took on a physical form. They were actually black snakes about the width of a finger! The scales on their bodies protruded slightly, and were razor sharp just like blades and they were lined with potent poison. The tiny black snakes slit deep red gashes on the faces of the four pursuers and a dark fog continued to permeate from above them and screams of agony escaped from the four highly respected expert exponents!
The flesh on their faces seared as though a red hot iron bar was pressed against their faces, and the pain was unbearable. They then realised in horror that the pain was spreading throughout their bodies!
"These snakes are poisonous! Protect your bodies with your spiritual energies!" The indigo spirit user reacted under the dire circumstances and immediately released his spiritual energy from his body and an indigo glow enveloped his body. The other three had followed suit.
"That bit of spiritual energy and you want to rid yourselves of my Snakes of Ink?" Jun Wu Yao gave out a low laugh.
The four men had released their spiritual energies and covered their bodies in it to protect themselves from the attacks of the Ink Snakes. But their spiritual energies had no effect on the little creatures, and they were extremely quick and agile. The snakes then slipped under their collars and where they passed, a trail of searing pain followed tearing up the flesh!
Their spiritual energies had not helped them the tiniest bit!
Not only the blue spirit experts, even the mightiest among them, the indigo spirit expert had been helpless against the agony from the Ink Snakes.
The Snakes of Ink were small in size and extremely quick and agile. Before they could catch hold of it, they had slipped under their clothes and in the next moment, the clothes turned a bright shade of red, and they fell to the ground in pain.
The man who had released the Ink Snakes looked on, with Jun Wu Xie in his arms, a wide smile on his face, as he reveled in his own work.
.
.
.
Chapter 235:- Fourth Slap (3)
Within moments, the four expert exponents fell under the Ink Snakes' furious attack, lying on the ground twitching in convulsions.
Qin Yu Yan who stood before the throne watched in dismay at all that was happening. She could not believe her eyes! That gorgeous specimen of a man had such heaven defying abilities!
He had just wriggled his finger and several of the snakes he released had taken down four highly skilled blue spirit experts and even the mightiest among them, the indigo spirit user, in just mere moments with a single attack!
Where did his overpowering might come from!?
Her adoration quickly turned to fear, and the ever present gentle smile on Qin Yu Yan's face faded as the fear grew.
Jun Wu Yao landed gently with Jun Wu Xie within his arms, and his attention was on Jun Wu Xie as he fussed around her to make sure that not a single drop of blood had stained his little darling, not sparing the convulsing foursome a single glance.
Within the Imperial main hall, Drunk Lotus was totally immersed into the heat of battle, his beautiful eyes were aflame in battle rage, teetering on the edge of madness. His lightning quick punches were too fast to be seen and every single one of them brought renewed agony to his multitude of opponents.
Encasing your body in a spiritual energy shield?
Highly skilled blue spirit experts?
They were felled one after another under Drunk Lotus' ferocious and tyrannical endless flurry of punches and all their feeble attempts at resistance looked like a joke.
A lone punch had blasted a Qing Yun Clan disciple's head open and the blood had soaked through Drunk Lotus' already blood covered once white robes. The heavy stench of blood drove Drunk Lotus deeper into his frenzy and his body emitted a thick murderous aura as his attacks intensified. Jiang Chen Qing who had screamed for Drunk Lotus' head had both his arms broken and had been twisted in grotesque angles as well as his vertebrae. He was lying in a sorry heap as he watched on in horror at the descent of Death onto the mortal realm!
Jiang Chen Qing understood now, how Jun Wu Xie, as a member of the targeted Jun Family, could make her way here to the Imperial Palace.
Judging from Drunk Lotus' prowess, the force dispatched to the Lin Palace had undoubtedly been annihilated!
Jiang Chen Qing never would have imagined, he, who had lived half his life, dominating over most people, would trip up and meet his end in a tiny kingdom like Qi, which had been founded less than a hundred years.
Though, no one would have expected, that such a terrifying youth existed in the miniscule Qi Kingdom.
With his devastating strength, an indigo spirit exponent was not his match, even the non existent topmost legendary purple spirit might just be able to combat on equal footing with him.
All traces of arrogance and haughty superiority had been obliterated along with his body under Drunk Lotus' punches. He could only lie upon the ground in futility as he saw the others massacred under Drunk Lotus' insane onslaught.
The black beast carried the barely alive Mo Qian Yuan through the chaos upon its back. Mo Qian Yuan had already been tortured to within an inch of his life, and with the black beast's jolting dash through the main hall, his insides had threatened to come out through his mouth when he clenched his jaw tight to last the nightmarish journey.
He had held on with everything he had and more, and he must not give up now.
[He's in rather bad shape, really bad.] The black beast stopped in front of Jun Wu Xie and swished its long furry tail.
It knew it was no doctor, but having tottered behind Jun Wu Xie all this while, from all it had seen and had heard, it could see that Mo Qian Yuan had not long to live. The only reason Mo Qian Yuan was still alive was only because the Qing Yun Clan had wanted to know from him the location of the Soul Jade. But his organs had started to fail, the tendons on his limbs were cut, and his veins and arteries blocked. Death was not far away for him.
Jun Wu Xie's eyes narrowed when she saw Mo Qian Yuan. She was used to seeing blood, but the sight of the pitiful state Mo Qian Yuan was in made Jun Wu Xie frown unconsciously.
These people were not just ordinarily cruel.
Mo Qian Yuan was almost just an empty shell, and he lived only through the subsistence of medicine fed to force his consciousness. Hanging on in his last breathes, his lips were tightly pressed together. But the glaringly red blood, continued to seep out from the corner of his mouth.
Jun Wu Xie breathed in deeply and looked at Drunk Lotus who was happily engrossed in his killing, and she said chillingly: "Finish it up quick."
She can wait, but Mo Qian Yuan's injuries, could not afford to.
.
.
.
Chapter 236:- Fourth Slap (4)
Drunk Lotus was enjoying himself immensely and had been caught up with battle lust when he heard Jun Wu Xie's orders which caused him to paused mid battle, momentarily.
The breather that his highly skilled opponents received from Drunk Lotus' sudden pause only made their heart cringe further.
'Did she say finish it up quick!?'
'This monster was holding back!?'
The group of skilled experts had jumped at the chance to gain the favour of the Qing Yun Clan by just killing a few perceived young and therefore weak hot headed youths, had by now deeply regretted their earlier decision, but it was too late.
Having broken through their ring spirits to the blue level had made them extraordinary figures, and every single one of them had held sway over in their own countries.
If not for the highly regarded and revered Qing Yun Clan's invitation, they would never have made their way to such a distant and tiny kingdom like Qi. None of them had expected this trip to be the last one of their lives.
The young Qi Kingdom, less than a century since its founding, was seen as totally insignificant among the various mighty powers. Bigger countries thought it beneath their notice to attack, smaller kingdoms lamented the distance making it impossible to invade and their immediate neighbours evenly matched them in might. This had enabled the Qi Kingdom to prosper and build their nation in these tumultuous and chaotic times.
In the eyes of the expert exponents, a tiny kingdom like this, could not even compare with the region and districts under their jurisdiction.
But, it was right in this tiny, insignificant, and despised kingdom that such a terrifying and unstoppable demon had appeared!
Just in his teens, and he could easily kill a blue spirit user. Even surrounded and under the simultaneous assault of more than ten highly skilled experts, he was holding up very well!
'Was this guy even human!?'
Drunk Lotus was no human, but a pity, these arrogant and shallow experts, would never ever know that.
"Spare us! As for whatever damage we have caused, the Qing Yun Clan will repay you tenfold! Whatever you ask for, we will agree to it! I am an Elder of the Qing Yun Clan! I have countless precious and rare elixirs and pills!" Jun Wu Xie's 'Finish it up quick' had driven his mind to near madness as he knew it better than anyone, the power the youth possessed, and he obeyed Jun Wu Xie's every single command.
He believed, whatever Jun Wu Xie ordered, the youth would deliver!
The youth obviously did not care about any repercussions of vengeance by the Qing Yun Clan!
Death had never felt so close, the haughty Jiang Chen Qing finally learnt fear.
Drunk Lotus frowned and looked at Jiang Chen Qing, and turned in query to Jun Wu Xie. He did not know anything about these deals that humans made between themselves. To kill or to leave alive, was entirely up to his Mistress.
Jiang Chen Qing saw that his words had an effect, as the youth had turned to Jun Wu Xie for instructions. He hurriedly continued, "Miss Jun, if you let us go today, I will get our Sovereign to treat your uncle's legs!" He vaguely remembered, the Jun Family seemed to have a crippled young lord.
Jun Wu Xie had opened her mouth to reply, but Jiang Chen Qing's words had stopped her. Her eyes then narrowed.
"My uncle's legs, were previously treated by your Sovereign."
Jiang Chen Qing said hastily: "It would be different this time! The Sovereign had not really wanted to treat him that time. I guarantee that this time, if you are to let us go, I will ask the Sovereign to treat your uncle's legs for sure!"
Jun Wu Xie's face darkened and her eyes grew frosty. The icy stare bore into Jiang Chen Qing's bloodied face.
"Drunk Lotus."
"Here!"
"Silence that trap."
Jiang Chen Qing's eyes widened in shock, and he stared in disbelief at Jun Wu Xie. Why did she suddenly decide to kill him!?
He was totally clueless, that his own words had just just sealed his fate further.....
If he had only kept his silence, he might have outlived the others, although it had been decided, all of them were to die here, today.
.
.
.
Chapter 237:- Fourth Slap (5)
Before Jiang Chen Qing had recovered from Jun Wu Xie's shocking command, Drunk Lotus suddenly appeared in front of him. With his vertebrae snapped, he hung like a limp rag doll as Drunk Lotus picked him up. The others watched on in horror and only cringed in silence as they had grown fearful of Drunk Lotus' prowess while Jiang Chen Qing's face grew pale and was helpless to offer any resistance.
"You brought doom upon yourself, if you had remained silent, I had intended to kill you last. But you had to displease my mistress didn't you? That sealed your fate." Drunk Lotus laughed mockingly at Jiang Chen Qing. Jun Wu Xie had always been cold and unfeeling, and very few things in the world can incite her to anger.
But anything that involved the members of the Jun Family, easily ignited the dormant murderous intent that within her.
This dolt actually openly admitted that the Qing Yun Clan Sovereign had not been serious in treating Jun Qing previously.
They let Jun Qing stay crippled for ten long years, there was no way Jun Wu Xie would show the tiniest bit of mercy to them.
They had repeatedly harmed the Jun Family, the scoundrel truly deserved it.
"Don't....." Jiang Chen Qing was trembling in fright. He had lost all the cockiness that had been so prevalent when he first arrived in Qi and started pleading for his life.
"I might as well tell you. My Mistress' knowledge and skills in medicine overshadows your beloved quack Sovereign's by leaps and bounds and she has already healed her uncle's legs." Drunk Lotus enjoyed seeing the expressions on Jiang Chen Qing's face switching between fear and shock when he could have killed him with a single blow, but that would have been too easy for him. For someone who caused displeasure to his Mistress, Drunk Lotus wanted him to feel and languish in horror as the fingers of fear creep in and gripped the heart before he dies.
Jiang Chen Qing's face had turned deathly white, and he has accomplished what he wanted, and there was no reason to prolong it.
His blood smeared fist raised and smashed right into the face of Jiang Chen Qing. His head exploded with the impact and blood, bone and brain covered Drunk Lotus. There was no disgust, but the gore only brightened the flame that was in his eyes.
The taste of slaughter, was heavenly sweet!
Releasing his grip, he dropped the headless body of Jiang Chen Qing on the floor, and rushed straight at his next target.
Agonized screams sounded out from the main hall, and the highly skilled aggressors that had thrashed the Qi Kingdom's Imperial authority and trampled over the Jun Family's dignity had now been reduced to be like animals awaiting their slaughter, resisting in futility against the fists of Drunk Lotus, and only resulting in a more painful death.
He had looked to be such a charming and glamorous youth, but his method of killing was many times more bloody and gory than anything they had ever seen!
In just a short while, ravaged and broken bodies lay scattered around Drunk Lotus.
The smell of blood grew thick within the main hall and almost all of the people from the Qing Yun Clan had been disposed off, except for a lone Qin Yu Yan and a visibly shaking Bai Yun Xian who had hid in a corner.
Qin Yu Yan was speechless as she stared upon the bloody sight within the main hall, as fear and shock were reflected in her eyes.
Jiang Chen Qing was dead, the Qing Yun Clan disciples were dead, and even the invited highly skilled experts, were all dead.....
She raised her head as the blood drained from her face and she looked at Jun Wu Xie standing before the doors of the main hall. She had been the one who had issued the orders for everything that had transpired here today. Jun Wu Xie had only been a Young Miss of a tiny unnoticed Qi Kingdom's, Lin Palace. What did she have to offer to employ such overly powerful allies to her cause?
"Mistress, that one over there..... kill?" Drunk Lotus strode over to stand before Jun Wu Xie, his face beaming in content, as he pointed his slender finger at Qin Yu Yan who was standing before the throne.
That finger, pointed in her direction, had made Qin Yu Yan's blood turn to ice, as she staggered backwards in a panic and fell awkwardly back onto the throne.
The glittering throne had blood splattered all over it in the earlier chaos and slaughter, and the contrasting dark red blood against the bright glittery gold make it a ghastly sight to see.
.
.
.
Chapter 238:- Fourth Slap (6)
"You cannot kill me, I am the eldest daughter of the Qing Yun Clan's Sovereign. If you dare to kill me, my father will spare none of you, and the Qing Yun Clan will obliterate the whole of your Qi Kingdom!" Forcefully squeezing out the last remaining vestiges of arrogance within her, Qin Yu Yan stared at Jun Wu Xie, as she forced down the fear that threatened to overcome her but her hand betrayed her false bravado as her knuckles turned white from the tight grip she exerted upon the arm of the throne.
Jun Wu Xie raised an eyebrow. She had not had any direct contact with Qin Yu Yan before this, but her threat had sounded exactly like what Bai Yun Xian had thrown at her before.
Recalling the scene, Jun Wu Xie turned to look at Bai Yun Xian who was hiding silently in the corner, trying her best not to be noticed. Jun Wu Xie's stare was enough to bring Bai Yun Xian to her knees as her knees buckled and she fell heavily with a loud thud onto the ground.
Besides Qing Yun Clan, couldn't they say something new?
"Bring her." Jun Wu Xie said softly.
Drunk Lotus leapt up to the throne and a scream erupted from Qin Yu Yan's throat.
The pampered and spoilt Qin Yu Yan was no match for Drunk Lotus and almost immediately, Qin Yu Yan was dragged unceremoniously by the hair off the throne to come before Jun Wu Xie.
The Eldest Miss of the Qing Yun Clan, was handled roughly by the abrasive Drunk Lotus, who did not even see her as human.
"The poison in him, was given by you?" Jun Wu Xie pointed at Mo Qian Yuan upon the black beast's back.
Qin Yu Yan's lips trembled and thought to push the blame only the deceased Jiang Chen Qing, but the cold frosty eyes before her made her change her mind in a hurry and swallowed back the lie that was at her throat.
"I have the antidote!" Qin Yu Yan offered hurriedly.
A mocking laugh sounded from the corner where Bai Yun Xian had fallen. She had not been close to Qin Yu Yan and when she saw the always haughty and arrogant Eldest Miss falling into the same pit as she had before, her heart lit with twisted glee.
Antidote?
With Jun Wu Xie's knowledge in medicine, she wouldn't care for Qin Yu Yan's antidote.
"Poisons and antidotes, hand over all that you have." Jun Wu Xie ordered dismissively.
Qin Yu Yan hurriedly took out all the poison and antidote bottles she had on her, but Jun Wu Xie simply said: "All."
Qin Yu Yan was stunned for a moment and in the next second, a sharp pain on her scalp shot through her entire body that brought unstoppable tears to her eyes and she looked pitifully at the gorgeous man standing behind Jun Wu Xie, pleading for help.
And Jun Wu Yao only smiled devilishly.
"Do you not understand? Take out all the poisons and antidotes you have on you!" Drunk Lotus pulled impatiently on Qin Yu Yan's hair again but he exerted too much of his strength and found that he held a bunch of hair in his hands.
Having a bunch of her hair pulled out forcefully, she howled in pain at that moment and Drunk Lotus grabbed at another bunch before she could recover.
"Hurry it up or I'll pull out all your hair." Jun Wu Xie did not give him orders to kill her, but torture should be all right!
Drunk Lotus' ominous warning terrified Qin Yu Yan greatly and she flurried in haste to take out every single bottle of elixir, medicine and every last bottle she had on her to put them all before Jun Wu Xie.
More than ten bottles were displayed before Jun Wu Xie as she stared at the pale faced Qin Yu Yan, and turned to look at the bottles. She picked them up one by one and sniffed at them.
"If you would spare me, I can give you however much elixirs or medicines that you want! My father will give them to you, anything that you want!" Drunk Lotus' brutality had scared the wits out of Qin Yu Yan and she was bawling her eyes out in pain. The graceful and beautiful face had lost all its former glory and with the way she looked now, no one would be able to picture her to be one and the same person of the cruel, vicious and venomously scheming Eldest Miss of the greatly feared and revered Qing Yun Clan.
.
.
.
Chapter 239:- All For You (1)
Jun Wu Xie ignored the crying Qin Yu Yan and picked out a few bottles before she threw the rest on the floor.
The elixirs that had many people fight tooth and nail for were thrashed and scattered on the ground. A fragrant aroma emitted from the open bottles that were lying on the floor.
Qin Yu Yan's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the bottles that Jun Wu Xie threw away, knowing very well what they had contained.
Jun Wu Xie had thrown all the elixirs and medicines with healing properties, including the antidotes! What she held in her hand were all poison!
"Pry open her mouth." Jun Wu Xie told Drunk Lotus.
Qin Yu Yan went ballistic as she struggled fiercely with all her might. But her strength was no match for Drunk Lotus'.
Drunk Lotus held Qin Yu Yan mouth open easily. She was helpless and could only stare wide eyed in fear as tears ran freely down her face and pleading sounds came out of her mouth as Drunk Lotus held her mouth open.
"Scared?" Jun Wu Xie looked at Qin Yu Yan and asked coldly.
Qin Yu Yan blinked her eyes rapidly. Not just plain scared, but absolutely terrified!
Qin Yu Yan had never met anyone insane like Jun Wu Xie, who actions went beyond reason. Even after knowing she was the Eldest Miss of the all powerful Qing Yun Clan, Jun Wu Xie was just as vicious!
Jun Wu Xie's eyes narrowed as she looked upon the tear streaked face of Qin Yu Yan and asked: "When you set your hands upon Mo Qian Yuan, you had been fearless then." The bottles of poison that Jun Wu Xie held within her hands, were exactly what Qin Yu Yan had forced into Mo Qian Yuan's body. Qin Yu Yan felt the cold fingers of fear creep up on her, when she had forced fed the poisons into Mo Qian Yuan and saw him thrash and writhe in agony, she had watched on in satisfaction.
Without hesitation, Jun Wu Xie poured everything within those bottles into the wide open mouth of Qin Yu Yan. Drunk Lotus clamped Qin Yu Yan's mouth shut and held it closed, forcing her to swallow the lethal poisons down her throat.
"Release her." Jun Wu Xie then commanded.
Drunk Lotus tossed her aside and wiped his hands in disgust as if he had been holding something extremely filthy.
In moments, the poison in her stomach started to take effect. The mussed up Qin Yu Yan felt the sudden surge of agonizing pain throughout her body and curled up tightly on the floor and starting trembling violently. She wailed and howled through the pain, interjected with piercing screams, reduced to a sorry sight to behold.
Jun Wu Xie watched on coldly at Qin Yu Yan, her eyes devoid of any compassion or pity.
Magnanimity to your enemies equates to cruelty to yourself.
When the Qing Yun Clan had raised their hand against the Jun Family and Mo Qian Yuan, they had not shown a shred of compassion, the current situation had no place for unwanted and unneeded saintly benevolence.
When people take an inch, she reciprocates by taking a yard.
These people have caused harm to her family and her ally, and she was just returning the favour, tenfold!
"Since the Qing Yun Clan are as omnipotent as you put it, I shall leave you here in the main hall to save yourself. I will leave all those antidotes behind, all for you." Jun Wu Xie told Qin Yu Yan.
As she said those words, Drunk Lotus and the one hiding in the corner, Bai Yun Xian, were stunned for the moment.
What was Jun Wu Xie saying? Did she just say she would leave Qin Yu Yan the antidote? Wouldn't that allow Qin Yu Yan to escape her fate?
Even Qin Yu Yan who was still under unbearable torment, struggle to sit up at those words. Her eyes which had dimmed in resignation sparked with a glimmer of hope and her heart soared.
Jun Wu Xie would not kill her!
Jun Wu Xie observed Qin Yu Yan and raised her hand the next moment. An orange ball of spiritual energy formed out of her open palm, and streaked straight at the pile of antidotes on the ground and blasted them into fine powder. The highly prized antidotes and elixirs mixed in a heap, reduced to ash. Broken porcelain bits were mixed hopelessly among the charred black powder, impossible to separate.
"It's all for you."
.
.
.
Chapter 240:- All For You (2)
As promised, Jun Wu Xie had left the antidotes behind for Qin Yu Yan. The only catch was to identify and separate the antidote from the pile of charred powder and porcelain bits.
Even if Qin Yu Yan was not under torment from the agonizing pain from the poison, it was still impossible to pick out the antidote from the pile of trash.
The glimmer of hope that had shone through, was mercilessly extinguished and robbed from her the next moment, throwing Qin Yu Yan deeper down into the depths of despair.
Falling from the high clouds and into the mud low on the ground, feeling the disparity and futility of the situation, Qin Yu Yan was utterly devastated and she lay curled up, resigned.
The agony brought about by the poison, wrecked at her body, and Jun Wu Xie's mockery by raising her hopes and then shattering it completely broke the will of Qin Yu Yan.
Jun Wu Xie to offer a lifeline?
In your dreams.....
After seeing Mo Qian Yuan's condition, Jun Wu Xie had wanted to skin her alive.
Jun Wu Xie had spent so much time and effort to nurse and enable the recuperation of Mo Qian Yuan into such a healthy specimen, yet Qin Yu Yan had come and erased all that in one stroke. It was all back to square one!
Qin Yu Yan did not dare harbour the tiniest sliver of anticipation anymore, and had sunk deep into despair as the pain continue to wreck her body. The agony brought about convulsions and her bones felt like millions of ants were slowing biting and chipping away at them.
All these poisons with their malicious effects were made by her own hands. Qin Yu Yan had used them on countless people before to inflict the unspeakable torment upon her enemies. She had never thought that the poisons of her own device, would one day be turned around to be used to give her a taste of it herself!
"Everyone is to get out of here and leave the main hall to allow our Miss Qin to find the antidote in peace." Jun Wu Xie ordered tonelessly. But her words were music to the many ears huddled in the corner as palace maids and eunuchs held back their tears of joy as they rushed out in escape from the bloody and gory main hall, filled with mutilated corpses strewn all over.
Bai Yun Xian remained in her corner, left with nowhere to go, and stood woodenly where she was, looking with dread at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie turned towards her and Bai Yun Xian hurried to kneel before Jun Wu Xie before she could say anything and rambled on ashen faced: "I did not tell them anything! I swear! Qin Yu Yan forced me to kill Mo Xuan Fei! I..... I..... really never said anything! Not a single word!"
Jun Wu Xie raised an eyebrow. She did not know, that Bai Yun Xian had been so afraid of her to this extent.
But.....
Mo Xuan Fei is dead? He got off too easy.
"Stand up." Jun Wu Xie said coldly. Bai Yun Xian was still of use, and she will allow her to live, for now.
If Bai Yun Xian had revealed anything to Qin Yu Yan, she would have outlived her usefulness. But it seemed that, she was not that dumb.
Bai Yun Xian's body shook as she stood up, as she knew she had just managed to keep herself alive this time.
"You stay here, and make sure she does not kill herself." said Jun Wu Xie as she gestured at Qin Yu Yan.
Bai Yun Xian nodded her head furiously, not daring to comment.
With all said and done here, Jun Wu Xie turned to leave and Jun Wu Yao walked with her. The black beast carried Mo Qian Yuan on its back and followed after. Drunk Lotus, who brought up the rear, hooked his hands on the doors as he stepped out, and pulled the doors of the Imperial main hall shut tightly behind him, shutting out the gory scene within.
In the main hall, only Qin Yu Yan, who was trembling violently, and Bai Yun Xian, who heaved a huge sigh of relief, were left.
A bright red trickle ran down the corner of Qin Yu Yan's mouth. Her eyes were venomous as she stared at Bai Yun Xian. She had realised from Bai Yun Xian's pleading that the slut, Bai Yun Xian, had conspired with Jun Wu Xie all this while.
Bai Yun Xian was put off by Qin Yu Yan's stare and said with a frown: "Senior, you can't blame me for this. Haven't both you and Master always taught me, the wise must bend according to changing circumstances?"
•••