At midnight, only the moon and stars were awake, but they were covered by thick clouds, indicating a heavy rainfall tomorrow morning.
It was quiet and peaceful in Leng Changxi’s military camp. On the high wooden lookout tower in the woods in the west of the camp stood a cautious sentry. He looked ahead and seemed to have not noticed people in the woods.
A group of people narrowly broke a path in the woods. At this dark night, they looked like ghosts.
The leading person was a robust young man. Young as he was, he was the most skilled one, but also the best protected one. Sudden dizziness made him tremble and almost fall down.
“Your Royal Highness,” said the guard near him who supported him at once, “Are you alright? They’re just a mob of rebels. You don’t have to lead the sneak attack in person. We can take care of this.”
“No.” “Your Royal Highness” the guard talked to referred to Sima Ray who was wildly arrogant on the wall today. After the inventory check, he found there were over half of the provisions left. However, this was his second time to fall into such a trap, so he couldn’t vent his anger, “I have to see all those 1,500 soldiers of the Leng Army die in person. They were good at burying explosive packages in the rock gates, right? Well, an eye for an eye. I’ll let Leng Changxi have a taste of the most powerful explosive and a sneak attack.”
“Your Royal Highness, something goes wrong.” A scout who led the way came back to report. “Neither of the two scouts we sent before had come back, so I traced them and found there were ambushed soldiers ahead.”
“Ambushed soldiers?” Sima Ray squinted, and his shining eyes really stood out against the dark night. “D*mn. Leng Changxi must have predicted that we will plan a sneak attack. Retreat!”
It seemed that Leng Changxi really got something. He should have prepared for this in advance. But right after Sima Ray ordered to retreat, he heard a shrill cry coming from behind and also a call for help.
Sima Ray stood up straight, and he became rigid without noticing it. The soldier in front reported that many traps popped out on the way they came. Soldiers who hurried to retreat accidentally fell into those traps which were deep enough to hold a man. Besides, there were full of sharp wooden spikes not only at the trap bottom but also around traps. Soldiers who fell into traps were pierced by spikes and looked like kebabs. Sima Ray gritted his teeth and beat his chest with his pupils dilated, after seeing how miserable those soldiers were.
“Leng Changxi, how cunning you are!”
Speak of the devil. Here came the clop, which sounded like the death knell for them at this dark night.
“Your Royal Highness, I can’t hold a candle to you in terms of being cunning.” Leng Changxi was in a piece of casual dark purple clothes and wore a four-finger-wide waistband. He looked neat and resolved. “Your Royal Highness, why didn’t you enjoy your night with your beauty at late night, but go for a walk to our small military camp? Sorry for my poor management and not training my traps to ‘recognize’ you. Your Royal Highness, I’m here to rescue you.”
The word “rescue” humiliated Sima Ray, and he looked angrier. However, Leng Changxi didn’t stop humiliating him. Sima Ray saw Leng Wu who stood behind Leng Changxi walked out while escorting two men, or the two missing scouts of his.
Tied up tight with strips of cloth in their mouths, they two were pushed to Sima Ray, but the latter kicked them away ruthlessly and said, “Useless.”
Leng Changxi didn’t get off the horse. Under the moonlight, he looked like the God of Moon, having a nearly perfect face, “Your Royal Highness, no need to kick them. Well, they two are just boors anyhow, so you can truly treat them in a rude way. But, I hope you won’t treat this person in the same way.”
When he was talking, Qin Yunuan led a long-hair beauty out from the darkness. The beauty had bright eyes and white teeth. Even in the plainest clothes, she still looked charming and delicate.
“Maner, take away the handkerchief in her mouth.”
Shuihan’s hair was down, and she saw Sima Ray and his men long ago. But at that time, she was tied to the tree and had a handkerchief in her mouth, so unable to talk or call for help. Seeing Sima Ray stood there up straight, she thought he was to save her and directly crawled to him to beg him. “Your Royal Highness, please save me. I really had a hard time in the water dungeon. It is so cold that I was completely freezing.”
“You don’t have to hurry to complain.” Qin Yunuan took a glance at Shuihan who fawned on Sima Ray with disdain. “You had merely stayed in the dungeon for half a day. Given that you can play good music with your hands, I already set you free earlier to prevent you from being hurt. So I think you don’t have to complain about this to His Royal Highness to earn his pity.”
Sima Ray only wanted to take advantage of the Qiu Family. But now, Qiu Murong betrayed him and turned to Wanyan Su, which Qiu Shuihan didn’t know. Therefore, Sima Ray was so sick of her.
“Get away.” Sima Ray kicked her away. She was astounded and suddenly devoured by hatred. Her family had long worked for Sima Ray, but now she was reduced to a hostage. How would she be willing to accept this? She was untied so intended to do something. Suddenly, she took out a crested hairpin hidden in her sleeve and pointed it at Sima Ray’s throat. However, she lost her strength for no reason, even unable to lift a finger.
“I thought you really got something,” Sima Ray said while grasped Qiu Shuihan’s wrist which was so thin that Sima Ray could break it by simply exerting some strength. “But you turn out to be so useless.”
Although Qiu Shuihan looked blank, she was clear-minded. She clearly remembered that nothing went wrong with her breath and meridians, but why did she become weak now? It was Qin Yunuan and her maid that escorted her. She looked at Qin Yunuan who remained calm with resentment. Qin Yunuan looked ordinary but was unexpectedly shrewd.
When holding Qiu Shuihan’s thin wrist, Sima Ray found her pulse was strange. Before sending her to spy on Leng Changxi, Sima Ray had asked people to check her up and only found she had better internal skills. But unexpectedly, she had acquired the coldest attribute that was described in a legendary before. Maybe it was because she had stayed in the cold water dungeon for half a day, as Qin Yunuan mentioned before.
Qiu Shuihan had the coldest attribute while Sima Ray had the warmest one. She seemed to be the most suitable to practice martial arts with Sima Ray and help him enhance. If so, Shangguan Yuen was worthless now.
“Your Royal Highness, if you finish catching up, could you allow me to have some words with you?” Leng Changxi coughed. There were burning torches around them, and the Leng Army already got ready. The outermost layer of the march stood soldiers in black armor. “Your Royal Highness, I actually know you have led 500,000 soldiers to fight with me. As for how I got this news, I just found a way to do so.”
Leng Changxi had sent people to burn Sima Ray’s provisions at dusk. These soldiers already entered the Luguan, so they naturally knew how many soldiers Sima Ray had.
“You are threatening me?
“I dare not,” Leng Changxi said while pointing at the Leng Army, who encircled them, and Sima Ray’s men, most of whom were injured. “Your Royal Highness, please take a look. Under such circumstances, do you think I still need to threaten you?”
Leng Changxi meant that it was a piece of cake for him to kill Sima Ray now.
“Don’t forget I have 500,000 soldiers in the Luguan,” Sima Ray said fearlessly with his head titled. “If I am killed, my lieutenant will take place of me to lead my soldiers to ruin this tiny military camp.”
“I, of course, remember,” Leng Changxi replied with a smile. “I have been to the Luguan. How could I not know you have many soldiers?”
Leng Changxi words made Sima Ray speechless again.
He was clearly telling Sima Ray that he could get in and out of his camp easily now.
“Your Royal Highness, my 200,000 soldiers in black armor are as worthy as you.” Leng Changxi turned his head a bit to look at Sima Ray. “So, Your Royal Highness, give me the great seal, and I will set you free. Otherwise,” Leng Changxi paused and hacked the 50-year-old pine tree with his spear, whose spearhead completely penetrated the branch. “You will end up like this pine tree.”
Sima Ray felt as if he was the one penetrated by the spear. “How dare you!”
“I can do anything to you except for killing you.”
Sima Ray remained silent for a while and said, “I didn’t take it with me. So even if I want to give it to you, I can’t.”
“I know you won’t take such an important thing with you everywhere.” Leng Changxi signaled the soldier near him to pull the spear out of the pine tree. The soldier had exerted all his strength but only pulled the spear a bit out. How did Leng Changxi easily stab it into the branch? The soldier called his partner to help him. Finally, they pulled it out together and handed it over to Leng Changxi who took it over and put it behind his back. “Your Royal Highness, I will go back to the Luguan with you to take the great seal. I hope you will keep your promise.”
Sima Ray refused again, “I haven’t agreed to give it to you yet.”
Leng Changxi looked around with disdain and asked, “Under such circumstances, you should refuse?”
Sima Ray said nothing. But Leng Changxi cupped his hands and ordered, “Set off to take the great seal.”
