“Retreat!”
River Monster didn’t take too much damage from Shen Yiren’s elbow to the face since she used her qinggong to move away from the latter’s strike at the last moment, abating the damage. Alas, Shen Yiren immediately used her foot to seal River Monster’s meridian before River Monster could retaliate upon landing. Physically and technically, the two could go tit for tat, but Shen Yiren’s richer experience outshone River Monster’s. Shen Yiren’s mind operated a beat ahead of River Monster during their fight.
Yes, Ming Feizhen’s true qi saved Shen Yiren’s life when she scrapped with Abels. That being said, it was her daredevil character, quick thinking, wealth of experience and decisiveness that got her through the exchanges with him. Plus, the new style Shen Yiren learnt contributed more than she was aware.
Using her foot to seal meridians was a technique Shen Yiren picked up from Abels. Had it been any earlier in the past, she would’ve only managed to land her elbow and then restrain her target. The reason she was able to perform an extra move without breaking a sweat was attributed to the potent true qi now flowing through her expeditiously. She found it was akin to her clone, acting in concert with her thoughts without requiring nearly as much conscious effort as in the past.
I don’t know what style this is, but training in my dreams worked a treat.
“Hahaha, Miss Shen, you dazzle once again. I suppose my concern was for naught.”
“Long Zaitian?” Shen Yiren regarded Long Zaitian with a bob of her head. “Are all Qilin Guards here?”
Long Zaitian smiled proudly: “Look.”
The three thousand Qilin Guards Emperor Yuansheng arranged to protect him from the escorts emerged from the woods, squashing Evil Spirits’ morale with their numbers and presence.
“Well done, Yiren,” commented Emperor Yuansheng.
“Your M-, Uncle, I am glad to see you are well.” Shen Yiren’s joy was written all over her face.
The tigress’ voice sounds so nice when she isn’t aggressing someone in her deep voice.
This wench must’ve revealed who she was when I returned her to Luo Siming and sought his help.
River Monster got that right but didn’t realise it was “Elder Zhong Ning”, who devised the ruse to lure out all of Evil Spirits’ forces so that they could wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop.
When Shen Yiren first heard Ming Feizhen’s strategy from him, she questioned, “What are you going to do? I don’t recall you mentioning your role in the plan whatsoever.”
Ming Feizhen answered, “Getting the hell out of there as fast as I can, obviously! My fighting skills are sheet. I don’t want to be crushed in the crossover. What would I stick around for?”
“I hope he’s safe,” Shen Yiren muttered under her breath as she eyed the battlefield for Ming Feizhen. “Abels, you crossed the border without permission, robbed an imperial escort, colluded with Luo Yan and assembled people to incite chaos in Jiangnan. You will answer to those crimes today.” Shen Yiren whipped her sword and continued, “Everyone, he is the man behind the recent spate of events since arriving in the Central Plain. Please join forces with me to apprehend him.”
The Qilin Guards, brought along to combat Abels in the first place, reduced the enemies’ movement area without a second word from Shen Yiren.
Yi Wangyou said, “Thinking you can run amok in the home of a White Prince is equivalent to making light of all of us. Let’s find out if Evil Eminence Scripture can handle all of us.”
Abels, remaining on horseback and showing no desire to fight, slighted, “You weaklings want to kill me? I’d squash all of you even if you could clone yourselves.”
“Your stalling tactic isn’t going to work.” Wearing victory on his lips, Dugu added, “Your friend from Nanjiang has already headed for the hills. You won’t be so lucky.”
“You make it sound like I need any help.”
If they didn’t outnumber Abels, a lot of them would’ve already showed a clean pair of heels.
As Shen Yiren prepared to speak, Green Prince cried, “Don’t drag me into this. You think it’ll be fun if you fail to capture him, and he comes back for me? You guys can fight. I’m out of here.”
Shen Yiren and Emperor Yuansheng’s right legs twitched, itching to kick Green Prince.
“We will finish him today, Brother,” Luo Siming promised.
“What makes you so confident?!”
“Because I told you a lie before.”
“Oh, I see. I totally don’t know what you’re talking about! What does that have anything to do with beating one of the Supreme Ten Saints?!”
“Everything. We haven’t just been counting down the days.” Amused with Green Prince’s blinking and head shaking reaction, Luo Siming chuckled. “Please come out to prove my point.”
Everyone on Shen Yiren’s side braced themselves upon seeing objects rise into the air from within Evil Spirits’ group because few men wouldn’t be afraid of Beijiang’s hidden projectiles. Whatever they were, though, they never came back down.
“Those are human heads!” exclaimed Elder Shou.
Those words would never be forgotten as twenty-odd blood columns rose into the ether from Evil Spirits’ side.
“Who is it?! Show yours-”
More heads soared into the firmament, blood flow taking seconds to spray after they were decapitated. This was a man capable of murdering a hundred men within seconds without leaving a trace of his appearance behind.
“Master, run for it!”
“Master, you have not fully recovered yet. We will hold him back while you run!”
There was no holding him back. Speaking was akin to some mechanism that triggered their executions.
“Show yourself!” roared Abels, pulling out his bow only for it to be cleaved in two before he could load it up. What made no sense was that the individual who halved the iron bow was nowhere to be seen.
“It’s him,” commented Emperor Yuansheng, triumphantly.
“Sharp eyes, Brother Li.”
At the same time Abels iron bow hit the ground, a man appeared in a vacant space, yet nobody could look straight at him.
“Eclipse,” Yi Wangyou enunciated in a low voice.
“Hahaha, you have reached a new level since we last met, Brother Luo,” applauded Emperor Yuansheng.
“We do not need pleasantries between us, Brother Li,” the man replied.
There was only one man in Jiangnan carrying the Luo surname who could be that deadly with a sword.
“Abels, it’s time you surrender. You are no longer facing only Qilin Guards, Kunlun’s patriarch and an elder of Wudang.” Conveying deference in his tone, Emperor Yuansheng declared, “You are also facing Jiangnan’s best swordsman, Luo Sword Flying God, Heavenly Swordsman Luo Ming!”