At the edge of the wheat field.
Yang Tuyan held his saber across his chest and a seven-inch dagger in his left hand. His breathing rumbled like thunder, and his straining legs were even trembling slightly.
Although his body was under considerable strain, Yang Tuyan was uninjured, while his opponent had been wounded in the torso. Clearly holding the advantage, he had originally intended to press the attack.
After all, the Ravine-Leaping Tiger was his only means of taking revenge. Once it came to light, not only would the River-Spanning Pavilion come out in full force, but the imperial court would also be on guard. He would never get another chance in his lifetime.
That was why he could not reveal the dagger lightly. If he used it, he had to silence the witness.
But he clearly had not expected the mad dog opposite him to survive a slash to the torso, let alone show no intention of fleeing.
Seeing his opponent reach into his robes with his right hand, Yang Tuyan watched with a tight frown. Then the man pulled a brownish-yellow strip from his clothes.
Judging by its shape, it clearly was not a weapon. Yang Tuyan thought it was something like a signal flare, but his whole body soon jolted, and his pupils abruptly widened!
Crack-
A crisp whip crack suddenly rang out over the golden fields.
Ye Xingge snapped his right hand, and a flexible whip over two zhang long appeared out of thin air. It swept across the wheat field to his side, the force it stirred up even raising a ripple through the wheat!
Swish~~
The whip was dark gold from end to end, with patterns on its surface like snakeskin. Though it had no edge, it gave off a nakedly sharp impression, and its tip resembled a claw that could tear through metal and stone!
Thud, thud...
As the whip flew out, Ye Xingge strode forward, swinging it in a circle above his head.
Then he lashed the six-meter whip forward. A wave spread along it in a half-arc, like a yellow dragon lying across the fields, and crashed toward the ground ahead.
Crack-
"The Filth-Severing Whip?!"
The instant Yang Tuyan saw it, a bone-chilling dread seized his heart.
A whip that had appeared in the Four Counties of Hexi and could materialize out of thin air-anyone in the jianghu would know what it was!
At that moment, he also suddenly understood why the man in the bamboo hat was risking his life to hunt him down.
There was no deep-seated grudge between them. They were both guilty only of possessing treasures!
Seeing the whip come at him, Yang Tuyan flew backward without hesitation, raising the saber in his right hand to block. The result was:
Clang-
Sparks flew over the wheat field, and a sonic boom exploded as though right beside his ears!
The saber in Yang Tuyan's hand shuddered violently. The whip tip curled around the blade and struck his martial robes, splitting the black cloth across his chest and leaving a bloody welt on his flesh.
The whip then swung around with its momentum and coiled six or seven times around the blade.
"Hah-"
Ye Xingge pulled the whip back hard, forcibly wrenching the saber from Yang Tuyan's hand and sending it flying into the field to the side. Then he snapped his right hand forward!
Crack-
Before the whip had fully returned, another half-arc rippled along it, tearing through a broad swath of wheat ahead.
A sharp pain shot through Yang Tuyan's chest as he rapidly pulled back, but no matter how fast he ran, he could not outrun a weapon. He immediately raised his left arm to block!
Crack-
With an explosive report, Yang Tuyan's left sleeve was shredded, revealing a bracer on his forearm with a texture like cowhide.
The bracer was remarkably tough and bore no mark from the blow, but the whip still wound around his forearm.
Seeing this, Yang Tuyan seized the opportunity and reached for the whip, trying to restrain his opponent's weapon so he could close in with his dagger for a surprise attack.
A flexible whip was an unconventional long weapon, unbeatable at a distance but as good as useless up close. His thinking was indeed sound.
Unfortunately, the Filth-Severing Whip was a divine weapon. It could strike as close as three feet in front of its wielder or as far as several zhang away, greatly extending the range of its tip.
Before Yang Tuyan could grab the whip, he saw the length wound around his bracer turn into a slithering snake and contract several feet on its own.
When Ye Xingge saw the bracer, he too broke out in a cold sweat.
After all, it was not Yang Tuyan's protective gear, but his!
Worried about damaging his life-saving talisman, Ye Xingge turned the whip into a dragon's tail and switched to a succession of lashes from side to side, striking at Yang Tuyan's lower body.
Crack, crack, crack-
A string of firecrackers burst over the golden fields. Heads of wheat flew, blades of grass danced wildly in the wind, and the severed stalks looked as though they had been cut with a knife.
Yang Tuyan dodged with his dagger held in a reverse grip, also looking for an opening to rush in and attack.
But the Ravine-Leaping Tiger's maximum surprise-attack range was four and a half meters, while his opponent's whip was over six meters long. Even if he could strike, he would have to take two lashes first, not to mention that his opponent still held a saber in his left hand to guard against a rush.
After only five such successive lashes, Yang Tuyan, at a disadvantage while retreating backward, was finally struck on the lower leg!
Crack-
Amid the sharp explosive report, his trouser leg burst apart, and the whip wrapped around his ankle.
Seeing this, Ye Xingge pulled with all his might. Yang Tuyan, who was still flying backward, was yanked off his feet, his body arching back as he rose into the air.
Swish-
Ye Xingge seized the chance and stomped down with both feet without hesitation, launching himself forward with the saber in his left hand. The three-foot blade traced a line of cold light beneath the moon!
The instant Yang Tuyan lost his balance, the hairs on his body stood on end. His seven-inch dagger could offer no protection now, so he could only throw it like a flying knife at the figure bearing down on him.
The next instant came:
Clink!
Slash-
Ye Xingge swept the flying blade aside as he rushed in. Once close, he dropped to his knees and slid forward, flattening a broad swath of wheat as he passed beneath Yang Tuyan. The saber in his left hand left a line of blood behind him.
Yang Tuyan had been yanked into the air on his back. After the blade passed, he fell into the wheat field and tried to spring back up with a carp's flip.
But the three-foot saber had torn a two-foot-long gash in his back, deep enough to expose bone, with blood gushing like a spring. As soon as he exerted himself, he fell back to the ground with a muffled groan:
"Ugh..."
Thud~
Swish-
Ye Xingge slid nearly five meters on his knees. By the time he came to a stop, his chest had already been stained red with blood.
"Hah... hah..."
Breathing heavily, Ye Xingge did not even turn around. He planted the bloodstained saber in the ground, tore the hem of his robe, and wrapped the strip of cloth around his chest.
Rustle~
The cloth made a faint sound as he pulled it tight. A breeze swept across the fields, smoothing away the flashes of blades.
A short distance behind him.
Yang Tuyan had fallen in the wheat field. The wheat crushed beneath him was already dyed red with blood. He rolled over and tried to rise again.
But with his spine exposed to the moonlight, how could he get up?
His eyes were scarlet as he stared at the back of the man kneeling and bandaging his wound. He coughed up blood and gritted out:
"You... cough... how did the Filth-Severing Whip end up in your hands?"
Shing-
After tightening the bandage over his chest wound, Ye Xingge pulled the saber from the ground beside him, braced one hand against the earth, and rose. He turned to look at the fallen figure:
"I'm with the Mountains and Rivers Association. You killed hundreds of officials and civilians back then. By now, I suppose you've gotten your money's worth. Can you tell me where the dagger came from?"
"Cough... cough..."
Yang Tuyan had lost a great deal of blood, and his life was rapidly slipping away. His eyes were filled with resentment and unwillingness.
But when he heard "Mountains and Rivers Association," Yang Tuyan's gaze shifted. After several gasps, he spoke hoarsely through bloody froth:
"I picked it up at the Wuning Pass black market a few months ago. But I thought there was something strange about it, so, in case it was a trap, I hurried to the capital to take my revenge..."
Picked it up...
Ye Xingge also thought it was quite strange. After all, the Fate-Robbing Saber's owner, the Gold-Chasing Gentleman, was a thief renowned throughout the jianghu. How could he have carelessly lost such a valuable, famous weapon?
Still, Yang Tuyan was dying, and it did not sound like a lie. Seeing that he was nearly out of breath, Ye Xingge carried his saber forward, intending to give him a quick end.
But when Yang Tuyan saw this, he raised a hand.
"Wait..."
Ye Xingge stopped in front of him. "Anything else to say?"
With his mouth full of blood, Yang Tuyan said hoarsely:
"All these years, I've gathered quite a lot of information for the sake of revenge. Emperor Huai's bizarre death back then was definitely Emperor Ai's doing, and the Eight Pillar States of Hezhong were involved behind the scenes. I suspect it was the Xiao Clan secretly plotting to seize the realm...
"Also, Emperor Huai had a son who apparently wasn't killed in the assassination. Someone took him away...
"If you investigate and establish the truth, then the Xiao Clan's claim to the throne is illegitimate. The Xiao Clan drew its stipend from Zhou and acted under the banner of purging the emperor's court of evil. Only because Emperor Huai had no heir was the throne formally abdicated to them..."
Over the years, Ye Xingge had heard idle people gossiping in inns and knew something of these matters.
The source of the present chaos under heaven lay in Emperor Huai of Zhou's sudden death and Emperor Ai's accession more than forty years ago.
Emperor Ai was temperamental, arrogant, extravagant, and debauched. In just a few years, he had filled the populace with grievances. In the west, the Dragon Flower Cult rose in rebellion; in the south, a Zong Clan vassal prince declared independence; and in the north, the Yang Clan brought foreign enemies through the pass. All this directly plunged the realm into chaos.
The eight great meritorious ministers enfeoffed at Great Zhou's founding, the Eight Pillar States of Hezhong, were ordered to come to the throne's aid. Although they put down the rebellions across the land, it was easy to invite a god in but hard to send him away.
At their head was the Duke of Yan. Once the fighting was over, he stayed, and he also uncovered Emperor Ai of Zhou's murder of his sovereign and usurpation of the throne. He then placed Emperor Ai under house arrest.
Some ministers had guessed at the Xiao Family's wolfish ambitions. Sensing that the situation was turning bad, they took Emperor Ai's son and fled south.
The Duke of Yan led troops after them, but amid the warfare, he was assassinated by a mysterious figure.
Though the Duke of Yan was ambitious, he was no less capable. During his lifetime, he had kept the Eight Pillars of the State too cowed to raise their heads. Once he died, his son Xiao Cang, the present Emperor of Yan, could not keep that pack of old wolves in check.
Then came infighting among the Eight Pillars of the State. The Cao Clan and Wang Clan threw their support behind the Xiao Clan, while the other five clans rebelled.
The great clans of the Central Plains, such as the Zhang Clan to which the Sky-Watching Commissioner belonged and the Li Clan to which Chancellor Li belonged, feared the situation would spiral completely out of control and sided with the Xiao Clan and its formidable army.
In the end, the Zhou empress dowager issued an edict stating that Emperor Ai had murdered his sovereign and Emperor Huai had no heir. She abdicated the throne to Grand General Xiao Cang, who changed the dynasty's name to "Yan."
Although the Xiao Clan ultimately took the throne, the infighting had dealt it a grievous blow, leaving it no time to attend to the rebellions across the land.
Emperor Ai's son, who had been taken away, seized the chance to gather the scattered southern troops. After establishing a foothold, he ascended the throne, naturally keeping the dynasty's name as "Zhou."
The people called it "Later Zhou" because, during Emperor Ai's reign, a Zong Clan vassal prince had declared independence in the south, establishing what was commonly called "Southern Zhou." The Eight Pillars of the State had destroyed it, so, to distinguish the two, the people called the present Zhou regime Later Zhou. Great Yan's officials, however, generally called it "False Zhou" and its ruler the "false emperor."
Meanwhile, the Dragon Flower Cult rebels in Western Shu rose from the ashes amid the infighting and established a regime deep in the mountains of Shu, naming it "Shu."
Thus the realm was divided into three, and so it remained to this day.
Seeing Yang Tuyan speak of these things before his death, Ye Xingge frowned.
"The Xiao Family became emperors because of its formidable army, not because the Zhou empress dowager abdicated. Who under heaven doesn't know the Xiao Family usurped the throne? But what can anyone do about it? Besides, Emperor Huai has been dead for decades. What use would finding his son be? Who under heaven would acknowledge a crown prince like that?"
Yang Tuyan lay on the ground, his breathing growing weaker as he looked at Ye Xingge from the corner of his eye.
"I'm a villainous bandit at the end of his road, blinded by hatred. The Cloud and Rain Tower is different.
"If the Xiao Clan's claim to the throne is illegitimate, the realm cannot be at peace; if the realm is not at peace, war will never cease. That's why the Cloud and Rain Tower has never acknowledged Great Yan as legitimate...
"You'll investigate. Otherwise, this whip wouldn't have ended up in your hands... cough...
"I may misjudge someone, but the Cloud and Rain Tower won't... hhh..."
His voice grew fainter, his body gradually fell still, and blood slowly seeped into the black earth beneath him.
In the boundless golden fields, all that remained now was the rustling night wind and the waves of wheat.
Ye Xingge stood between heaven and earth with his saber in hand, looking down at the corpse without moving for a long time.
Only after a long while did the whip in his palm begin to change.
Rustle~
Soon, a woman in a red dress appeared amid the golden fields.
Her skirt and long hair stirred in the wind. Her shapely figure exuded unparalleled tautness and sensual fullness, like a flaming rose on a blood-red battlefield...
Just finished writing. There are quite a few typos, or2