Eagle Attack

Dawn broke, and the gauzy mist gradually dispersed...

Xia Ruoxue slowly opened her bright eyes, her heart filled with joy.

Her husband was going to accompany her on an outing. During their trip, they would bring a new life into the world.

They had agreed not to travel far. They would go to Flowing Cloud Town, outside Divine Wood City, take a boat out on the river, and enjoy themselves for a few days...

Ever since returning to the Lineage, Li Shuidao had spent day and night studying the Dao. He needed to get out and relax, and this was the perfect chance to spend time with his wife...

Besides, now that he had mastered his Dao arts, he ought to make it up to his wife.

A carriage slowly rolled out of Divine Wood City.

Li Shuidao held Xia Ruoxue's delicate hand tightly. They sat side by side by the window, feeling the breeze gently caress their cheeks.

"Husband, did you know I grew up making a living on the great rivers of Cangzhou? The river back home is wider than the lakes around here..." Leaning against Li Shuidao's shoulder, Xia Ruoxue told him about her past.

Li Shuidao listened attentively. He lifted his gaze to the sky, where white clouds drifted by like a beautiful ink painting.

Before long, they arrived at Flowing Cloud Town, an ancient little town steeped in charm.

They quietly passed through the town gate and strolled along the narrow, stone-paved lanes.

"Husband, when I came to Flowing Cloud Town before, I stayed at that inn." Xia Ruoxue was as excited as a little sparrow.

"Then we'll stay there tonight," Li Shuidao said at once.

The following day.

The two of them came to the pier and took a boat out onto the river.

Though the Flowing Cloud River was nowhere near as grand as Cangzhou's great rivers, it was like a demure young lady, winding through green hills and fields.

The water flowed like silk, fine as a dream. A breeze passed over it, sending ripples of light dancing across the surface.

Li Shuidao held the oar, while his wife, Xia Ruoxue, smiled like a flower, fragrant as blossoms.

They drifted along the river, their reflections glowing red on the water, their love quietly seeping deep. The jade-green waves rippled, and their passion was far from spent.

The fragrance of osmanthus carried their longing; the boat moved slowly, the breeze murmured...

Suddenly.

A giant eagle swept across the sky.

A gale howled overhead. A sense of foreboding rose in Li Shuidao's heart, and he looked up.

A giant eagle plunged down from the sky, its sharp talons reaching for their little boat.

Li Shuidao reacted with lightning speed. He grabbed Xia Ruoxue and leaped into the river without a second thought.

The giant eagle plunged straight into the water and seized Xia Ruoxue as she sank beneath the surface.

It beat its wings and soared into the sky.

In that instant, Li Shuidao, who had nearly vanished beneath the water, suddenly burst out of the river with a sword already in his hand.

Without hesitation, he stabbed at the giant eagle. The blade's gleam tore through the air and ripped its wings, but did not stop it.

The giant eagle carried Xia Ruoxue away, flying toward the depths of the forested mountains.

Li Shuidao leaped onto the overturned wooden boat, his eyes fixed on the direction the eagle had vanished.

He looked at his sword. A trace of blood stained its tip.

That eagle couldn't have flown far.

In a vast forest, a giant eagle with a wingspan of four or five meters came crashing down toward the ground.

Tang Yindong, riding on its back, cried out in desperation, "Blackfeather! Blackfeather!"

But no matter how he called, the giant eagle kept plunging toward the ground.

Black blood poured from its beak. Its eyes rolled back, and its body went limp.

"Ah! Blackfeather!" Tears welled in Tang Yindong's eyes. He threw back his head and howled in anguish, stricken with grief.

This black-feathered falcon was not only his Spirit Companion, but also the most important member of his family.

They had relied on and accompanied each other through countless hardships.

Now Blackfeather had died from poison, and the grief that flooded Tang Yindong's heart twisted it like a knife.

"Help!" A woman's voice came from beneath the black-feathered giant eagle.

Only then did Tang Yindong remember that Xia Ruoxue was still trapped under it.

"Miss Xia, I'll get you out." Fighting back his grief, Tang Yindong dragged Xia Ruoxue from beneath the eagle's talons.

"Come with me. Young Master Lin is waiting for us."

"Lin Yunzhi?" Xia Ruoxue asked.

"That's right, Young Master Lin."

"I'm not going! I'm already married. There's no future between Young Master Lin and me. Please go back and tell Lin Yunzhi that from now on, we'll each go our separate ways and never meet again." Xia Ruoxue's voice was filled with anguish and resolve.

"You! What did you say? Was my Blackfeather's death for nothing, then?!" Tang Yindong's voice brimmed with anger and resentment.

His gaze suddenly turned ferocious. He struck Xia Ruoxue unconscious, swept her into his arms, and sprang away, vanishing into the forest.

A moment later.

A figure came hurtling through the forest. It was Li Shuidao. With just one glance at where the eagle's head had fallen, he determined which way to pursue.

Deep in the woods, Tang Yindong raced between the trees with an unconscious woman on his back.

He didn't notice the dark blood slowly trickling from the woman, falling to the ground.

Drop by drop, dark blood fell to the ground...

Looking at the blood, Li Shuidao knew he was on the right track.

With the long, steady breaths granted by three internal cultivation arts—Jade Toad Qi Cultivation Art, Golden Toad Qi Locking Method, and Water Moon Flowing Pearl—

Li Shuidao pursued them without tiring. Especially after Golden Toad Qi Locking Method had reached the "Essence Locking" stage, he could pursue them at full speed for three days and three nights without feeling the slightest fatigue.

At last, in a quiet mountain valley, he spotted a middle-aged man racing along with his wife slung over his shoulder.

He shouted, "Put Xue'er down!"

Tang Yindong put Xia Ruoxue down and drew his saber with haughty defiance. He snarled, "You poisoned my Spirit Companion to death, and you still dare come after me? Perfect. I'll take your life!"

He slowly stepped forward, his eyes blazing with an irreconcilable hatred.

Li Shuidao gripped his sword in both hands, but did not rush in to fight. Instead, he asked coldly, "My wife and I only left two days ago. How were you able to find us so precisely? Who betrayed the Li Family?"

"Tell me who the traitor is!" Li Shuidao roared.

"The dead don't need to know!" Tang Yindong swung his saber. His face looked fierce, but his movements were incredibly nimble. He bounded between the branches like a monkey, his blade slashing straight for vital points.

"Die—"

Li Shuidao swept his sword through a sudden arc.

Clang!

Tang Yindong raised his short blade to block. With a loud thud, his body pitched backward, and he nearly toppled to the ground.

What tremendous strength!

The two traded blows, blade against sword. After several exchanges, Tang Yindong realized his saber had been knocked from his grasp.

While he was still reeling in shock, Li Shuidao closed in and kicked toward his lower abdomen.

Tang Yindong hurriedly raised both arms to block.

He stopped the kick, but not the sharp sword that followed close behind.

The keen blade severed both his hands. The searing pain made Tang Yindong howl.

"You're a worthless piece of trash!" Li Shuidao raised his sword and hacked off Tang Yindong's limbs. In an instant, he had turned him into a human stump.

The agony of his severed limbs and the toad's deadly poison made Tang Yindong pass out. The poison had already entered his meridians; his life hung by a thread.

After dealing with the enemy, Li Shuidao hurried to Xia Ruoxue's side.

Dao art: Water Moon Flowing Pearl.

A clear orb of water gathered in his palm, its light flickering softly.

Guided by his will, the orb floated up and drifted toward Xia Ruoxue, gently touching her forehead.

The orb's light, gentle energy passed through the point of contact and softly seeped into Xia Ruoxue's body. A cool energy spread through her...

Xia Ruoxue slowly opened her eyes and stared at Li Shuidao before her.