Chapter 12: The Waning Sun Leaves Only Emptiness

Now, in the field shrouded by yellow sand, only two massive torrents of sand remained, along with Mu Zhenshan, who was on the verge of collapse. All of Du Feiyang’s other spells had already faded, and he could only use the last dregs of his divine energy to maintain these final streams of sand.

Mu Zhenshan had confronted the earth dragons and the sand torrents one after another. Even with his indomitable body, he could not hold out much longer. Fortunately, though his mind was muddled, his instincts still urged him to dodge when he could not withstand the attacks. It was only by this that he had lasted so far.

By rights, Du Feiyang should not have been able to control the movement of these earth dragons and sand torrents. Yet Mu Zhenshan, like a lighthouse buffeted by a storm, could not shake them no matter how he leapt and dodged; the sand streams seemed to have eyes, always finding him with uncanny precision. Only Du Feiyang knew that the yellow crystal was guiding them—this was his trump card.

Annoyed and harried by the relentless pursuit of the sand torrents, Mu Zhenshan raised both arms and, with a furious roar, braced himself against the final two approaching streams.

A thunderous crash rang out, accompanied by Mu Zhenshan’s agonized howl. His right arm was gone, leaving only a blood-soaked, tattered sleeve. He now resembled a prisoner tormented in some wretched kiln, filthy and battered, his broken body exposing swathes of scarred skin.

A murderous glint flashed in Mu Zhenshan’s eyes as he looked at Du Feiyang, who was frozen in shock. Clutching his bleeding right side, he staggered toward him. The need to kill this man was still etched in his mind.

Du Feiyang, terrified, scrambled backward. He was utterly spent, as dry of power as parched earth turned to sand. He could not fathom how this man still had the strength to walk.

“Face my blade and meet your end!” came a cry.

Just then, Zhou Chen unleashed his flying swords. Dozens of swords whistled through the air, descending upon Mu Zhenshan like a storm.

Caught off guard, Mu Zhenshan roared furiously, swinging his remaining left fist to knock away more than a dozen swords with his bare hand amid a cacophony of clangs.

The remaining swords buzzed through the air like startled bees, slicing around him. The medicine in Mu Zhenshan’s body was nearly spent; his meridian energy was exhausted, barely enough to sustain his transformed state, and he could only defend himself with his left hand.

He was powerless to withstand the onslaught. In just a few breaths, his body was riddled with wounds. With a pair of silver flashes piercing from his eye sockets through to the back of his skull, Mu Zhenshan, who had endured until now, finally collapsed stiffly to the ground. Even in his last breath, he was filled with bitter reluctance—resentful that he had failed to kill Du Feiyang, his body falling toward him as if compelled by spite.

Meanwhile, An Rui, carrying Su Mu out of the villa, was still unaware of Mu Zhenshan’s death. Her only thought was to escape as quickly as possible. If she could just reach the main road, they could use the horse she and Mu Zhenshan had ridden here—she regretted deeply now that, out of embarrassment, she hadn’t ridden it all the way to the villa gate.

“Brother Zhou, had you delayed a moment longer, I would never have lasted—I’d have lost my life here for sure!” Du Feiyang, barely moving, lay on the ground, unable to lift even a finger.

Zhou Chen called out, “Wei Wenzheng, stop hiding and come out!”

A figure stumbled from the nearby pavilion, hurried over, and dropped to one knee before Zhou Chen in salute.

“Lord Zhou, it’s not that I fear death, only that I worried my clumsiness would hinder you.”

Zhou Chen snorted. “Save your breath. Go and bring those two girls back to me. If you fail, you’ll end up like that man back there.”

Wei Wenzheng cursed inwardly but dared not refuse, swiftly agreeing before running for the villa gates.

Zhou Chen thought for a moment, then called after him, “I only want the girl named An Rui—the other one, kill her.”

“What!?” Wei Wenzheng’s mouth dropped open in disbelief.

“Do as I’ve said—now go!” Zhou Chen waved him on impatiently.

Wei Wenzheng stamped his foot, muttered an assent, and ran off.

Only then did Zhou Chen stride over to Du Feiyang, clasp his hands, and smile. “Brother Du, you jest. Today I truly witnessed your divine might—those spells of yours crushed the villain utterly. Even if I hadn’t acted, you’d have subdued him without trouble. I only regret that in my recklessness, I snatched your prey and spoiled your enjoyment. I’ll make it up to you with a drink another day.”

Du Feiyang felt a surge of satisfaction. Zhou Chen was indeed a clever man. With no strength to rise and return the salute, he could only smile and reply, “Brother Zhou, don’t say that. I was evenly matched with that man, and your intervention was timely. I won’t forget this favor. Once I recover, we’ll have a proper drink together.”

Seeing that Du Feiyang understood his meaning, Zhou Chen was pleased and quickly helped him up. Du Feiyang thanked him, then with effort fished out a bottle of medicine, swallowed a few pills, and sat cross-legged to recover.

Meanwhile, An Rui and Xiaolan struggled to carry Su Mu, unable to move quickly. Every few dozen steps, they had to rest. The two girls, who were used only to grooming and dressing, had no strength to move an eighty-pound man.

At first, they were driven by fear and the urge to escape. Now, farther from the villa, they remained anxious but were nearly out of strength.

“Xiaolan, what time is it now?”

“Almost dusk.”

An Rui could only hope her father would arrive in time, but she dared not place all her hopes on him. “We’re moving too slowly. You don’t know where my horse is. You hide with Su Mu, and I’ll fetch the horse and come back for you.”

Xiaolan nodded, clutching Su Mu helplessly. “Miss, please be careful. I’m scared when you’re not here. Come back quickly. I’ll hide with Su Mu in the woods nearby. When I hear hoofbeats, I’ll come out.”

An Rui patted her head, glanced at the barely-breathing Su Mu, and instructed, “Take care of him. Make sure he’s still alive when I return.”

Just as An Rui was about to set off alone, a sigh sounded by her ear.

“Don’t go anywhere. Come back with me.”

Wei Wenzheng, a grown man with some skill, caught up to the two girls in no time. Hearing their plan to split up, he hesitated but finally stepped out.

His sudden appearance startled the girls. An Rui, furious, demanded, “So Zhou Chen’s promise was worthless after all?”

Wei Wenzheng shook his head. “Lord Zhou sent me. I know nothing of any promise he made you.”

An Rui pressed on, “Sir Wei, you don’t understand. Lord Zhou already agreed to let us go. Ask him, you’ll see.”

Wei Wenzheng sighed. “We’re both from Jiangnan Town. I grew up here, and though I joined Pinglong Fort, I still have feelings for the people of this town. If I could, I’d let you go.”

An Rui was overjoyed and said quickly, “Exactly! We’re all townsfolk. Su Mu grew up here—perhaps you’ve even met him. Brother Wei, you seem a kind man. Please let us go. Su Mu is dying, and we don’t even know what’s become of Uncle Mu.”

Wei Wenzheng’s face twisted with regret. After a moment’s hesitation, he told An Rui, “The Uncle Mu you mentioned—Lord Zhou killed him with a swarm of swords. As for this Su boy, he won’t last much longer. I have to take you back. The other girl—Lord Zhou ordered me to kill her. She should run while she can.”

Xiaolan cried out, “No, I won’t go anywhere without my mistress! Brother Wei, please, be merciful—we’ll never forget your kindness!”

Wei Wenzheng lowered his head, gritting his teeth. “Letting you go is my final limit. If I don’t bring your mistress back, I’ll die too. I can’t sacrifice myself for you.”

Xiaolan burst into tears, dropped to her knees, and begged, “Brother Wei, spare my mistress. I’ll go back with you instead.”

An Rui yanked Xiaolan up, scolding, “Xiaolan! My safety is in your hands now. Find my horse and go to my father. Tell him to rescue Su Mu first, then come for me.”

Xiaolan hesitated, but understanding this was the only way, nodded fiercely.

“How moving. Wei Wenzheng, are you a son of Pinglong Fort or this girl’s lapdog? Two words from her, and your heart melts?”

A calm, unremarkable voice rang from above, yet it struck like thunder. The group looked up in alarm to see Zhou Chen and Du Feiyang standing atop a tree not far off, gazing down at them.

Zhou Chen, seeing Du Feiyang had recovered some strength from his medicine, said, “I am bound by my promise and cannot act. I’ll trouble you, Brother Du, to handle this for me.”

Du Feiyang laughed. “A small matter—I’ll see it done for you.”

With that, he formed a spell with his left hand, traced the air with his right, and pointed at the three below. Instantly, yellow light flashed at their feet and dozens of earthen tendrils shot from the ground, ensnaring the three. In moments, they were cocooned in earth, only their heads exposed.

Wei Wenzheng, trembling, begged, “Lord Du, Lord Zhou, I’ll never disobey again! I swear I’m useful—I know every corner of Jiangnan Town, I can find where Jiang Yingying is hiding!”

Half-conscious, Su Mu stirred at the mention of Jiang Yingying, his mind clearing a little, though he still could not open his eyes—his whole body ached, his eyelids heavy as lead.

Du Feiyang shouted, “Traitor, still spouting nonsense? We can’t let you live!” With a gesture, the earth binding Wei Wenzheng began to tighten. His pleas for mercy faded as he gasped for breath, his eyes reddening, mouth agape, until, suffocating, he died.

An Rui shuddered with rage and screamed at Du Feiyang, “You beast! You even kill your own! He only showed a little kindness for his hometown, and you murder him for it!”

Du Feiyang was unmoved. “I need no lecture from a brat like you. Anger me, and I’ll kill you all.”

Zhou Chen lowered his voice to Du Feiyang, “I want this girl. Wei Wenzheng already let slip some information. The other one—deal with her afterward.”

Du Feiyang replied, “I intended to anyway. Don’t worry.”

Not knowing what they discussed, An Rui felt only despair. She said to Zhou Chen, “Let Xiaolan go. I’ll serve you faithfully, without a second thought.”

In truth, Zhou Chen had lost most of his interest in An Rui, but her repeated defiance still irked him.

“If only you’d agreed sooner, things wouldn’t have come to this. Now you offer yourself—I haven’t broken my word. Whatever Brother Du does is not my concern. Very well, come with me, and I’ll plead for her life.”

With a flick of Du Feiyang’s hand, the earth around the two girls crumbled, and they dropped to the ground, free.

Du Feiyang and Zhou Chen floated down. Du Feiyang stretched out his hand with a smile. “Come, let’s go.”

An Rui nodded at Xiaolan, and, humiliated, reached out to Zhou Chen. But halfway, she stopped. “Let Xiaolan go first.”

Zhou Chen seized her, pulled her close, and let out a triumphant laugh. Ignoring her struggles, he leapt away into the forest, vanishing toward the villa in a few bounds.

Du Feiyang watched Zhou Chen disappear, then turned toward Xiaolan with a sinister grin.