This chapter has been brought to you by me, and larkspur.
** Chapter Forty Six Escape**
The Wuzhi existed on the plains, and lived relatively well. In the eyes of outsiders, they primarily relied on sheep, cattle and horses. Yet the Wuzhi people knew that their ancestors were able to survive mainly by hunting. The deer of the plains were once their primary food source, and the wolves their greatest enemies thus becoming the most important holy animals among their totems.
The Wuzhi challenged their difficult environment, and then challenged all powerful beings that threatened them. One tribe managed to conquer the strongest wolf pack on the steppes, before unifying all the tribes on the steppes and becoming the royal Wuzhi Clan.
That strongest wolf pack were true grey wolves. Their fur was grey, and they were enormous, having astounding power and agility, and endurance equal to horses. Only royal Wuzhi members would possess such a grey wolf as a steed.
Before the last light of dusk had faded, Li Xixing had seen the owner of the five crescent moons. He had seen that the man wearing the tiger-skull mask was the commander of the three thousand cavalry, yet he had not imagined that this person was one of the royal Wuzhi family.
“I had not thought the commander of this three thousand army would be of the royal Wuzhi family.” Li Xixing slowly looked up to face the gaze within the tiger skull mask. He said slowly, “I had not thought a person like you would dare to leave the army and pursue us.”
The grey wolf landed, and as it panted furiously, wind gusts seemed to form in front of it.
The Wuzhi commander sitting on its saddle remained motionless, not in a hurry to move. He looked at Li Xixing and Hu Jingjing. He said in pure Guanzhong tongue, “You have many things you did not think of, so you suffered such a defeat.”
“The war has just started, you have all come out, yet we are only the vanguard.” Li Xixing shook his head coldly. “Regardless of how you put hopes on other dynasties, the Wuzhi will not have a good outcome.”
“So what if we destroy good and bad alike?” The Wuzhi commander looked at Li Xixing and sneered. “Even if our Wuzhi only have a few thousand people left, we are still Wuzhi. In a thousand years, the steppes will still have Wuzhi. But if you pay a heavy price, maybe there will be no more Qin in a century.”
Li Xixing was silent for a moment and said, “So I do not want to fight either.”
The Wuzhi commander laughed coldly. “Are these words not laughable coming from Fang?”
Li Xixing looked at him and said slowly, “I only killed some of the Wuzhi people robbing the border merchants.”
The Wuzhi commander sneered. “If the Qin did not deliberately make friends of distant countries and attack the ones nearby, why would the Wuzhi go rob the merchant caravans passing through our borders.”
Hu Jingjing looked at Li Xixing from behind his back. The shock and reverence in her eyes grew stronger. Listening to the conversation, she started to understand how Li Xixing, this youth abandoned by Changling, had done here, and possessed what kind of reputation. But these people who Wuzhi knew were ones who most people in Changling did not know.
“This kind of question cannot be answered.” Li Xixing looked coldly at the Wuzhi commander. “I am just an insignificant cultivator. All I can do is protect those merchant caravans, and not let them be slaughtered casually like sheep by wolf.”
“Actually, I respect you very much, especially when I pursued you and discovered the two of you managed to lure my cavalry into retreat.” The Wuzhi commander did not argue and said directly after a few moments, “So I must give you the courtesy of a true warrior. I am Wu Lianzi, the fifth prince of Wuzhi. I want to have a fair battle with you and then take your head.”
“I agree.” Li Xixing looked at this prince and said, “If you first dissipate half of the vital energy in your body.”
Wu Lianzi looked up and saw Li Xixing’s disdainful expression. His eyes held some anger but he did not speak, and suppressed half of his vital energy through his fingertips. His hands started to shine. Red vital energy, carrying indescribable fragrance, fell to the yellow grass on the two sides of his body. In the darkness, it seemed like pretty spirit flowers were blooming on the grass.
Hu Jingjing looked in disbelief at this scene. She had not expected the other really would do this. At this time, she sensed slightly tingling from her arm.
Some of Li Xixing’s hairs seemed to be blown by the wind and stabbed into her arm. Yet these hair strands could use the slight pain to remind this was not the wind. She could sense the characters the hair strand were carving on her face. She sensed more disbelief and even some shame.
“Nearly.”
Wu Lianzi was focused, his gaze akin to two sharp swords. His slow and determined tone showing his strong confidence and pride. He was slightly shorter than Li Xixing, yet he felt taller and imposing.
“Nearly.” Li Xixing repeated and then held his sword across his chest.
The pale white longsword he held now had three slanted seal scripts which irregularly stretched to the sword tip. The night wind suddenly grew wild and roared terrifyingly in front of him.
Li Xixing was recognized as strong in the young generation of Changling cultivators, yet in this life and death battle, his body was filled with an indescribable cold-blooded presence. A fang-like pale sword light shone. It created an unpredictable crescent in the air across almost a hundred feet and cut towards Wu Lianzi.
When this sword light shone, Wu Lianzi started to sprint. The tips of his feet tapped lightly on the yellow leaves as he passed through the air like the wind. The five curved blades on his black flew out, and five crescent moons danced around him.
The sword light fell on the blood moons. Pale white sword light splashed, and the tiger-skull mask he wore showed countless spiderweb cracks. But his gaze was still extremely confident and proud.
He let out a domineering shout, and caused the skull pieces around his mouth to spray out.
The five blood moons stood in front of him in a line like soldiers, and gradually merged together into a large and thick bloody long blade! He gripped this obviously heavy and thick long blade. Vital energy poured wildly out of his body. The air was compressed and immediately gave thunderous noises.
Facing this terrifying blade, Li Xixing’s expression grew colder. His sword did not move, but the vital energy coming out of his body caused an enormous wall to appear in the sky above him.
Then he smashed the wall in front of him!
Wu Lianzi’s tiger-skull mask fell down like porcelain pieces. The long blade in his hand did not swing forward, and shoved upwards like a pole.
A great boom!
He seemed to poke a hole in the sky.
A hole was created in the invisible wall. The enormous power dropped to the ground, but he was right in the hole. The ground shook. On both sides of his body, a deep wall-like mark appeared, about ten feet.
He defeated this attack like this, yet in the next moment, the unwounded Wu Lianzi screamed in fury. The moment after he poked a hole in the giant wall, Hu Jingjing had attacked from behind Li Xixing.
A candle-like light sword light did not fall towards his body and brushed against his side and the ground.
The sword light fell onto the giant grey wolf not far behind him.
This blow was not strong for cultivators, especially after Hu Jingjing became seriously injured. To Wu Lianzi, this was extremely weak. Even so, he had not expected after Li Xixing agreed to a fair battle, Hu Jingjing would attack.
This weak attack was enough against a giant wolf.
As he screamed furiously, the giant grey wolf furiously leapt in the air as it sensed danger. Yet the yellow sword still struck its two rear legs.
His hind-limbs were cut off and blood spewed.
Li Xixing had retreated. He grabbed Hu Jingjing and threw her onto his back like a bag. Then he quickly bent down and moved through the grass behind.
“Apologies.” As Wu Lianzi furiously screamed, Li Xixing bowed his head as he ran furiously and said softly to himself, “This is a war, and not grievances between two people.”
