Edict of Peace 5

Chapter 5: Accomplices!

2024-07-31

Chapter 5: Accomplices!

Whum!

The sound of bowstrings snapping echoed through the pitch-black night, a continuous barrage.

Countless arrows, coated in oil, rained down from all directions towards the mountain shrine. These were arrows from the Northern Xuan Kingdom—slender with barbs, exceptionally adept at piercing armor and breaking through energy defenses. A single arrow cost three ounces of silver, and the sheer number of arrows launched could instantly turn a hundred-man armored squad into a hedgehog.

But the next moment, the relentless volley of Blue Wolf arrows froze mid-air, as if space itself had solidified.

These arrows were fired from thirty-dan hard bows (a unit of measurement for bow strength) by martial artists at the Qi Condensation Realm, arranged in three ranks for continuous firing. Their Blue Wolf arrows could pierce three layers of armor instantly, yet now they hung suspended in the void, only their tips trembling violently.

Even the archers’ faces paled.

Instantly, they frantically drew and loosed more arrows, the tearing sounds of air blending into a single, continuous roar.

The specially designed Blue Wolf arrows, meant to pierce energy defenses, could not even approach the mountain shrine within ten feet.

As they drew their arrows, a sudden, violent whistling sound arose. Countless arrows were fixed in mid-air, their tips vibrating with increasing frequency. Amidst this buzzing, like a swarm of bees, a calm, measured footstep sound approached.

A large man walked slowly forward. His curly black hair danced in the night wind, his clothes stained, his back straight, his limbs thick. His brow was calm, like a tiger on the hunt.

The arrows suspended in mid-air slowly twisted backward.

He raised a hand and casually brushed aside the arrows in front of him. They fell to the ground, turning to dust.

The archers in front each held their last special arrow.

Their backs were drenched in cold sweat.

Ahead, twelve men in dark armor stood ramrod straight, their right hands already resting on their sword hilts. Intricate cloud patterns adorned their drooping sleeves, exuding a chilling killing intent. Their leader spoke slowly: “General Yue Qianfeng of Great Chen, it’s been a long time.”

Yue Qianfeng’s eyes were cold: “Just you few? Xiao Wuliang, Zhao Mannu—they’re not here. How long do you think you’ll live in my hands?”

The leader responded confidently and calmly: “General Yue possesses extraordinary strength, but your Law Physique was shattered by the Grand General. You’ll be unable to utilize its full power for three months. Relying only on your body and inner energy, how much stronger are you than us mere martial artists?”

Yue Qianfeng sneered: “How much stronger? Why don’t you come and try?”

The leader of the Night Chasing Cavalry said, “You shouldn’t have saved him.”

“You’ve wasted your brilliant future!”

Yue Qianfeng erupted in rage: “Marshal Yue protected the country, yet was wrongly accused! Twelve imperial edicts summoned him back to court, only to have his Law Physique sealed! What kind of future is there in such a court?!”

The surrounding atmosphere grew tense, each side probing for openings in the other’s energy flow. The heavy humidity of the night, intensified by the clashing killing intent, condensed into rain, falling in a light drizzle. The rain splattered against the armor, creating a shower of tiny droplets.

A faint clinking of blades.

The cloud-patterned Night Chasing Cavalry drew their swords in perfect unison.

Their swords were long and sharp, slowly sliding free from their scabbards, seeming to melt into the darkness of the night. The atmosphere instantly grew colder. The next moment, the Night Chasing Cavalry surged forward!

A thunderous roar!

They blurred into shadows, instantly scattering before each finding their position, unleashing complementary moves. In the rainy night, beams of light flashed down. Yue Qianfeng suddenly laughed loudly, his wrists flicking. The arrows previously suspended in mid-air suddenly reversed their direction in the void.

Countless arrows instantly targeted the Night Chasing Cavalry and archers in front.

In the void, they formed a soaring azure dragon!

“Night Chasing Cavalry, you underestimated me!”

Yue Qianfeng laughed, his wrists moving again. The whistling of the arrows in the void merged into a booming sound, like a dragon’s roar. In an instant, they pierced through the archers, spraying blood and gore. Blood flowed instantly across the ground. The Night Chasing Cavalry’s blades had arrived, yet they couldn’t cleave Yue Qianfeng’s skin. The massive man suddenly spun, grabbing a Night Chasing Cavalryman’s head and pressing it against the wall of the mountain shrine. He then spun again, leaving a bloody smear on the wall.

He then tossed the cavalryman away, sending him crashing to the ground. His right hand already grasped the cavalryman’s waist knife, deflecting the incoming blade strikes. With a flick of his wrist, the blade slid along the edge of another Night Chasing Cavalryman’s blade, severing half of the man’s arm.

Flesh flew.

His towering figure, wielding the waist knife, crashed into the fray. This long and slender knife was primarily designed for stabbing, but he wielded it with heavy, cleaving strokes, unleashing a terrifying dance of bladelight in the night, like a lion standing proudly among wolves.

Even without the power of his Law Physique, Yue Qianfeng was still far stronger than these Night Chasing Cavalrymen.

It was a slaughter. He cut down the dismounted cavalrymen, one by one. These Night Chasing soldiers, to prevent Yue Qianfeng from hearing their horses, had abandoned their mounts, thus weakening their fighting ability. They had underestimated Yue Qianfeng’s prowess and the terrifying reputation he’d earned on the battlefield.

All twelve Night Chasing Cavalrymen fell in the rainy night.

Yue Qianfeng, bearing several new wounds, raised a hand to caress the waist knife, now pitted with slashes, murmuring, “It’s a fast blade, a pity. Like men, without a spine, it’s merely a killing tool, not a true treasure.”

The Night Chasing Cavalryman whose blade he had taken was still alive, his face a gruesome mess, struggling to crawl forward. Yue Qianfeng was about to finish him off, when he sensed another faint presence.

His tiger eyes swept across the scene, spotting a small, huddled figure in a narrow alleyway on the side of the street.

Li Guanyi.

Both sides had been so focused on each other that they had unconsciously overlooked the small child. Now, with the battle concluded, Li Guanyi’s presence could no longer be hidden. He had come here to practice martial arts, only to witness the slaughter between the Night Chasing Cavalry—eight hundred riders capable of dominating the world—and this formidable man.

The dismembered Night Chasing Cavalryman instinctively crawled toward Li Guanyi, his body a bloody mess.

Under the moonlight and rain, the tall Yue Qianfeng, his body splattered with blood, looked at Li Guanyi. He immediately thought of the most likely scenario—was Li Guanyi here with others? But then he dismissed the idea, a hint of killing intent rising in his heart.

Compassion has no place on the battlefield. His hands were stained with countless killings. While valiant, he was far from kind.

His massacre of the Night Chasing Cavalry, combined with the cavalryman revealing the Marshal Yue matter, overheard by this child, could be detrimental to his plans. Yue Qianfeng’s tiger eyes dropped, the rain intensified, his aura growing terrifying. The Night Chasing Cavalryman struggled to reach Li Guanyi, gasping for air.

Li Guanyi looked at Yue Qianfeng in the rain, at the Night Chasing Cavalryman before him and the cloud-patterned sleeves. He recognized the cavalryman as the arrogant young man from earlier. The Bronze Tripod cultivation energy flowed, allowing him to see the faintly bloodshot eyes of the fire dragon, understanding that he had heard and seen things he should not have. This triggered the large man’s killing intent.

Yue Qianfeng raised his broadsword, saying, “You saw, and you heard.”

“Indeed, I’m a heinous criminal.”

The young man nodded.

Yue Qianfeng’s killing intent rose steadily, unwavering.

Looking at the pale-faced child with dark eyes, he sighed inwardly.

Such a weak child.

The Night Chasing Cavalryman, realizing Li Guanyi’s connection to Yue Qianfeng, grasped at a last straw of survival.

He grabbed Li Guanyi’s clothes, intending to seize him. The fabric moved, revealing a poisonous tattoo on his chest.

The Night Chasing Cavalryman’s pupils constricted.

This poison!

Then he saw the seemingly weak child reach for his waist. A flash of blue light appeared, Li Guanyi holding a short sword, plunging it into the cavalryman’s throat. He swiftly withdrew it and thrust it into his heart.

Hesitating briefly, Li Guanyi pulled out the short sword again and drove it into his right chest, delivering the finishing blow.

Warm blood spurted forth, mingling with the cold rain, wetting the cloud pattern. The rainy night ten years ago seemed to overlap with the present. Yue Qianfeng froze, his killing intent dissipating. He saw the delicate boy gasping for breath, then looking up, blood splattered across his face, offering a pale smile:

“Now, we’re accomplices.”
(End of Chapter)

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