Chapter 27: The Yin-Yang Clan Concedes

Xuan Jian smiled faintly and sighed, knowing that he would eventually be killed, though he had not expected his death to be so powerless. Yet when he thought of the girl still waiting for him, the indifferent Xuan Jian revealed a trace of sorrow.

“No—how could it be—how is this possible—”

Who was the enemy, who struck, these were questions Yan Ri could not comprehend. At this moment, the hundred Luo Net assassins remained frozen in their previous stances, some even floating closer to the carriage.

“All right, Shao Shao, let’s go back inside,” Moon Goddess said, thinking of what was about to happen, feeling the chill deepen.

Shao Shao’s eyes were even more curious, but she obediently entered the carriage, secretly opening the small window just a crack.

Moon Goddess shook her head and smiled, saying nothing.

“Haha, Jing Ni, you’ve won, but you will never return. You will be trapped in this wild land forever,” Yan Ri sneered at Jing Ni, now only wishing for a swift death.

Though his hands and feet had exploded, Lin Shu kindly staunched his bleeding, otherwise he would not have had the leisure to speak further.

Jing Ni was too lazy to respond to Yan Ri; a dead man could curse as much as he liked.

“Well, since you wish for death so badly, I’ll grant it,” the commander spoke. Yan Ri’s mouth was sealed, and his body was laid across the dragon horse’s back.

Ah—no—no—Yan Ri trembled, his veins bursting, trying to scream but unable to make a sound.

His despair and agony were palpable to all the assassins.

Lying on the horse’s back, Yan Ri’s body, once over a hundred pounds and more than a meter long, slowly shrank to twenty pounds and forty centimeters, transforming into a skeletal figure. Even his thighs faded away, and finally, the pair of floating eyes disappeared completely.

Gone, truly gone—no trace remained, not even a speck of bone ash.

Death now seemed a mercy—some assassins were near tears, others even lost control of their bowels.

“My king asks you: will you submit, or watch yourselves die slowly?” As the pressure eased from their mouths, the assassins shouted instantly.

“I submit, I submit—”

“North King, spare me, I surrender—”

“My lord, I vow to serve you unto death.”

All kinds of responses, expressions of loyalty, but they truly deserved their fate; it was a vent for Jing Ni’s anger.

Lin Shu sighed softly, then broke the necks of each assassin in turn. In the next moment, a hundred assassins vanished as if they had never existed in this world.

“Why didn’t you strike?” Fear overcame Xuan Jian; he had to admit, in the end, he was afraid.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Shu spoke: “Black and White Xuan Jian, one to kill, one to protect—you are a useful man! I hope you will serve under Lady Jing Ni.”

Lin Shu no longer looked at him; in the next moment, the man might disappear completely, leaving only two swords behind.

“Xuan Jian is willing to submit! But may I return to Wei to handle one last matter?” Forced north by Luo Net, Xuan Jian had never wanted to come.

Lin Shu frowned, recalling Xuan Jian’s affairs—perhaps the woman he loved in Wei was not yet dead.

“Very well! Go and bring your woman back. But if you do not return within a month, you know what awaits you both.”

“Thank you, my lord!” Xuan Jian bowed deeply and departed.

Gone? All gone! Shao Si Ming leapt atop the carriage to look around, but now not even a speck of bone ash remained from the hundred assassins.

“My lord—sister, I’m going back to my room!” Seeing the stern uncle turn away, Shao Shao quickly retreated.

Jing Ni sighed lightly, “Husband, you frightened her.”

…

After a hurried journey, Chu Nan Gong returned to the Yin-Yang School headquarters.

“Nan Gong, what kind of power does he truly wield?”

Chu Nan Gong sighed in guilt; he knew nothing, only grateful he had escaped quickly.

“Master, I do not know! But if I approach such power, I would surely vanish.”

Dong Huang Tai Yi suppressed his shock and replied calmly, “Hmm, let’s leave it at that for now. You’ve worked hard, Nan Gong.”

Dong Huang Tai Yi appeared composed, but inwardly he was bewildered. If even Nan Gong dared not act, he feared his own intervention would be useless, perhaps even fatal.

A few days later, Lord Yun and Lady Yan Fei returned first to the Yin-Yang School headquarters.

After Xu Fu spat out a useless torrent of words, Dong Huang Tai Yi left only Yan Fei behind.

“Why did you return, Lady Yan? Do you know that even the Yin-Yang School may not be able to change anything this time?”

Dong Huang’s silhouette was as tall and mysterious as ever; Yan Fei couldn’t help but compare him to that slightly plump, ordinary figure—an infuriating man impossible to truly hate.

“The Yin-Yang School is my birthplace, and my final home. May I ask, Master Dong Huang, how do you intend to deal with her?”

Lady Yan did not name her, but Dong Huang Tai Yi instantly thought of that Moon Goddess, who had always pleased her.

Who would have expected that the usually obedient Moon Goddess would betray him without hesitation given the chance!

“This matter is not yours to concern. Take time to recuperate before descending the mountain.”

What else could he do? Nan Gong would never go again unless Dong Huang Tai Yi himself went north, but he truly dared not risk it. If he failed, it would cost him not only his reputation but his life.

Seeking immortality and invincibility, he had survived countless years—how could he risk it for this matter?

“Yes, Master Dong Huang.” Lady Yan bowed and withdrew.

Dong Huang said nothing more, which only shocked her further—even he was unwilling to provoke that man! It seemed she would never have a chance to teach him a lesson; this lifetime, she could only count herself as having been bullied by him once in vain.

…

It was not until Xuan Jian had bloodily purged a Luo Net headquarters in Wei that Luo Net realized their mission had utterly failed.

“Report to Prime Minister Lu; Luo Net must hide for a while now,” the shadow cast by the window in the room spoke, then vanished, leaving only moonlight behind, as though the shadow had never existed.

Now, Lü Bu Wei had reached the peak of his life, wielding the sharpest sword among the seven kingdoms.

Heaven’s Net, inescapable and all-pervasive.

“Hmph! Very well, Jing Ni, Xuan Jian, you are set on opposing me! Order all divisions in Yan and Zhao: if they return to the seven kingdoms, kill them with all your might.”

“As you command.”

Upon receiving the order, several swordsmen departed swiftly; they were shadows, rarely showing themselves.

Luo Net was powerful, but lacked the strength to oppose tens of thousands of troops; with the loss of three grandmasters, they dared not venture north again.

The three hidden Sword Masters and their factions could not risk exposure for two traitors.

Even the newly formed Six Sword Slaves might not succeed in assassinating Xuan Jian and Jing Ni, let alone face Lin, North King’s hundreds of thousands of soldiers and wild tribesmen, who were like packs of ferocious wolves.

After scouting the mine, the carriage halted to begin extraction. Lin Shu and Jing Ni returned to the carriage.

Leaning back on the comfortable sofa, Moon Goddess watched them hold hands and snuggle together.

“Sister King, will Xuan Jian return? He’s truly strong!” Before Xuan Jian drew his sword, Moon Goddess had sensed nothing from him; she knew she would lose without a fight.

Jing Ni did not understand Xuan Jian either; she shook her head. “It’s hard to say! If he comes back, he might bring a Luo Net mission with him.”

“If he doesn’t return, so be it—just three thousand units of energy. We can deal with him later. But if he returns with his wife, he will surely no longer obey Luo Net.”

Lin Shu feared nothing from hidden submission; no one could escape the master mind’s full-spectrum probe. Those who did not truly submit could be exposed with a single mental transmission.

“Yes, let’s hope he brings his wife back.” Jing Ni hoped for Xuan Jian’s return—the service of a grandmaster was coveted even by the rulers of the seven kingdoms; besides, their own experts were far too few and weak.

The mining capability of the Tier-3 spaceship carriage was immense; entire stretches of rock and earth were overturned like earthquakes, and vast amounts of coal, iron, and metals were stored in a ten-kilometer space.

Unhurriedly, the carriage returned to the camp at sunset.