Upon hearing Tang Yun's words, Situ Jingyan's smile grew even more arrogant. He glanced at Tang Yun, his obsidian-like eyes icy cold. "Are you saying this because you're relying on the military strength of Linwei?"
Tang Yun, upon hearing that Situ Jingyan had hit the nail on the head, did not hide anything and disregarded the Tang Clan members who had fallen behind him. He smiled sinisterly and said, "The 100,000 troops of Linwei are just outside Qishan City."
"Tianmo's 500,000-strong army has already reached the gates of Linwei City. Yan Xiuling should understand the gravity of the situation." Situ Jingyan seemed to have anticipated Tang Yun's offer long ago. A wicked smile still lingered on his lips, and his dark eyes remained unchanged as he calmly looked at Tang Yun.
But Tang Yun's expression changed completely at that moment. Qishan City was the closest city to the border of Linwei. If Tianmo's army really besieged the city, then the troops near Qishan City would inevitably have to defend it, leaving him isolated and helpless!
Situ Jingyan glanced at Tang Yun's ashen face, then at the numerous Tang Clan members and Blood Demon assassins behind him who had already perished. He lightly released his grip on Shen Qianmo, and his folding fan flew out, striking Tang Yun directly in the face.
Tang Yun dared to poison Shen Qianmo; we should have settled this score long ago.
The folding fan flew through the air in a tricky arc, striking towards Tang Yun. It seemed like a casual strike, but it actually blocked Tang Yun's escape routes, forcing him to take the hit head-on.
However, Tang Yun had been seriously injured by Shen Qianmo's Heavenly Sword Technique. Even with proper treatment, he had only recovered seventy or eighty percent of his strength. How could he possibly withstand Situ Jingyan's full-force attack?!
With a "pfft," Tang Yun was forced to cough up blood by Situ Jingyan's powerful internal force in just one move. Only the suppression of his internal force prevented him from flying backward.
He had originally thought that Shen Qianmo's kung fu was already at its peak, but he hadn't expected that Situ Jingyan's kung fu was even better. Looking up, he saw Situ Jingyan's black hair fluttering gently in the wind, his red clothes making him look like a demon from hell, and his beautiful yet bewitching face carrying a ruthless and murderous look.
With lightning speed, giving Tang Yun no chance to breathe, Situ Jingyan's fan seemed to have a spirit, constantly circling Tang Yun's face, each move ruthless and imbued with internal force; a moment's carelessness would result in a fatal blow.
Tang Yun was exhausted from dealing with the situation, and soon beads of sweat appeared on his face. It was just too dangerous. If he hadn't been careful, he would have become a dead man under the fan. On the other hand, Situ Jingyan had a casual smile on his face. Apart from the murderous intent in his eyes, it was almost as if he was just playing with the fan.
Tang Yun watched helplessly as the fan hurtled towards him, unsure how to dodge. His previous attempt to dodge had left him with momentum, making it impossible to avoid this attack at such a short distance. Was he going to die like this?! Tang Yun looked at the flying fan, that fan that resembled the blade of death, with a sense of despair.
The jade flute suddenly caught the fan. The fan spun in the air and flew back into Situ Jingyan's hand. To be able to catch his fan and force it back, the newcomer's skill was probably not much inferior to his own. There weren't many people like that in the whole world.
Before his gaze even touched the person, Situ Jingyan had already spoken, "Yan Xiuling."
"How could Jingyan be so violent? He actually sent troops to press the border?" Yan Xiuling still had a smiling expression, the jade flute in his hand twirling in the air before landing in his hand. Only he knew that he had actually been at a disadvantage in that attack. When the jade flute returned to his hand, it felt numb, almost making his tiger's mouth hurt. It seemed that Situ Jingyan's skills had improved quite a bit.
After retracting his fan, Situ Jingyan simply picked it up and started fanning himself. His stunning red robes, paired with the eerie blood-red fan, made him even more alluring. His thin lips were slightly pursed. "Why ask a question you already know the answer to! You don't need to stop me. The Tang Clan must be destroyed today."
Seeing the ruthlessness on Situ Jingyan's face, Yan Xiuling's smile slowly faded. She looked at Tang Yun, then at Situ Jingyan, and asked with a smile, "Jingyan, do you really intend to do this?"
"He hurt Mo'er! I will never tolerate him." Situ Jingyan's face showed no sign of negotiation, his whole demeanor was cold and stern, but his words contained a hint of tenderness. Shen Qianmo looked at Situ Jingyan's red back and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
"Alright." A smile slowly bloomed on Yan Xiuling's doll-like face, but a ruthless glint flashed in his harmless eyes. Without warning, the jade flute attacked Tang Yun. Tang Yun was pierced in the heart by the jade flute, and looked at his master in disbelief as he slowly fell down.
"I wonder if Jingyan is satisfied with this?" Yan Xiuling looked at the bloodstains on the jade flute, but there was no pity in his eyes, as if he had only killed someone who deserved to die.
Yan Xiuling looked at Situ Jingyan. He understood that Situ Jingyan would never let Tang Yun go, and it was better for him to take matters into his own hands than to die at Situ Jingyan's hands. As for the Tang Clan, it was a force he had painstakingly built up, and it wasn't something that could be destroyed so easily.
He killed Tang Yun as an apology to Situ Jingyan. As for the Tang Clan, he had to protect it. He also hoped that Situ Jingyan could see his sincerity and let the matter drop.
Situ Jingyan glanced at Yan Xiuling. He remained silent for a long time. He naturally understood Yan Xiuling's meaning. However, the Tang Clan had truly offended him. They dared to harm Shen Qianmo; this was absolutely unforgivable. Therefore, he would never let the Tang Clan off the hook.
"I have already said that the Tang Clan must be destroyed." Situ Jingyan looked at Yan Xiuling, his dark eyes revealing no emotion, and spoke slowly with a hint of solemnity in his tone.
Upon hearing Situ Jingyan's words, Yan Xiuling's smile froze, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes. She said calmly, "Then, our war is about to begin."
Yes. They all knew that even if they were best friends, one day they would become enemies. Because neither of them was willing to share the world; they were both ambitious people who wanted the world to be completely theirs.
His black robes left a helpless arc in the wind. Yan Xiuling left the crowd's sight alone, without looking back at the Tang Clan members and the people from the Enchanting Blood Tower who were still fighting.
Situ Jingyan simply watched Yan Xiuling's retreating figure in silence. Yan Xiuling, is our war truly about to begin?
With a fan thrust imbued with his full inner strength, Tang Yun's already injured body could not withstand such an attack. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and slowly collapsed.
"Jingyan." Shen Qianmo squeezed Situ Jingyan's hand. She understood that Situ Jingyan didn't actually want to be enemies with Yan Xiuling, but the friendship between two powerful individuals was inherently a matter of necessity. Situ Jingyan and Yan Xiuling were ultimately destined to be on opposite sides, because neither of them could abandon the world.
“Let’s go. Let’s go back to Tianmo.” Situ Jingyan reached out and touched Shen Qianmo’s cheek. He didn’t want his Mo’er to risk her life alone again. He could no longer face the danger of losing Shen Qianmo. He couldn’t bear it anymore.
That time, Shen Qianmo was poisoned by the Silent Poison. If he hadn't arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Now that Shen Qianmo has seen through his identity, it means he can no longer secretly protect her. He simply cannot leave Shen Qianmo here alone.
Shen Qianmo reached out and grasped Situ Jingyan's hand. His knuckles were distinct, carrying the unique warmth that belonged to him. So comforting. Shen Qianmo smiled confidently and warmly. "Jingyan, believe me, I will go back. I will stand proudly by your side and tell the people of Tianmo, tell the world, that I, Shen Qianmo, can stand beside you, and only I can!"
“But Mo’er.” How could Situ Jingyan not understand Shen Qianmo’s thoughts? But using the power of the martial arts world to deal with the Li Kingdom was far too dangerous. Not to mention that using unorganized martial arts forces to deal with a country was inherently risky, the martial arts world was full of cunning schemes, and someone might take this opportunity to assassinate Shen Qianmo. There were too many unpredictable dangers involved, and he couldn’t gamble with Shen Qianmo’s safety.
Shen Qianmo gently pressed her fingers on Situ Jingyan's hand, a gentle smile playing on her lips. "Jingyan, trust me. Besides, I'm not alone in the martial world. Xuanlou will help me, and there are weapons from the Seven Absolutes Manor."
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo mention him, Xuan Lou immediately smiled gently at Situ Jingyan and said, "I will take good care of her."
Situ Jingyan glanced at Xuan Lou. Xuan Lou was indeed a good person; his intelligence, strategy, and martial arts skills were all quite impressive. With him around, he did feel more at ease. However, why should his woman, Situ Jingyan's woman, need someone else to protect her, especially this man who clearly harbored ill intentions towards Shen Qianmo!
Situ Jingyan gave a cold snort, glanced at Xuanlou with little appreciation, then looked at Shen Qianmo. He knew that Shen Qianmo would never want him to stay any longer. He understood that his Mo'er had her own pride and did not want to always rely on his wing. She wanted to rely on her own strength to persuade the ministers of Tianmo. Since that was the case, he would agree to his Mo'er's request.
"If even a single hair on my woman's head is missing, I will wipe out the entire Seven Absolutes Manor!" Situ Jingyan said coldly to Xuanlou.
Shen Qianmo smiled contentedly. This Situ Jingyan, still so domineering. But she loved his domineering yet genuine love.
"Do you know how many body hairs Sister Qianmo has?" The assassins from the Enchanting Blood Tower had almost wiped out the Tang Clan's assassins, and Xuanming walked over with his big eyes wide open.
“Exactly! I don’t even know how many hairs Miss has! Did the young master count them? Impossible!” Qianqian also walked to Xuanming’s side and joined the nonsense.
Shen Qianmo's face instantly turned red. Xuanming and Qianqian were truly a pair of clowns; how could they say such things? If it were anyone else, she would definitely think they were deliberately playing a prank on Situ Jingyan and her, but coming from Qianqian and Xuanming, it left her both amused and exasperated.
Situ Jingyan was clearly not expected that Xuanming and Qianqian would ask such a nonsensical question, and for a moment he did not know how to answer.
"Xuanming, don't be silly." Xuanlou looked at Situ Jingyan and Shen Qianmo's embarrassed expressions, smiled gently and said to Xuanming.
Shen Qianmo gave Xuan Lou a faint smile, as a way of thanking him for helping her out of the predicament.
Seeing Shen Qianmo smiling at Xuan Lou only made Situ Jingyan more displeased. His Mo'er was actually smiling at another man! He was growing increasingly disgusted with Xuan Lou!
"Brother, I'm not being silly." Xuanming seemed quite aggrieved after hearing Xuanlou's words, and looked at Xuanlou with her big, watery eyes.
Situ Jingyan glanced at Xuanming and said coldly, "In short, my woman must not be harmed in the slightest."