Huancheng Shen Shen

Chapitre 18

The silvery-white blade gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting a bright light that made her eyes appear like glistening lake water. With a slight smile, she slashed her arm with a sharp sound, leaving a long, bloody gash.

Blood splattered and fell, landing in a patch of grass in front of them, staining the green grass with large patches of bright red.

"Sect Master!"

"Xiao Jing!"

Everyone was stunned. Even Mei Hua swallowed a gasp. Xuan Sheng rushed to her side and snatched the Heavenly Sword. Fearing she might do something even more insane, he was both shocked and furious: "Are you crazy?! What are you doing?! Your body is so weak, yet..."

"Ah! This one has absorbed blood!" Mei Hua suddenly shouted, pointing to the blood-stained patch of grass in front of her. She saw that the bloodstain on a Youying grass growing in the corner was slowly shrinking. She turned around and saw that Che Shui and Xuan Sheng were still standing there, and she was furious: "Hurry up and pick it!" Seeing that the two men were only looking at Shuang Jing with tense faces, she hurriedly drew her short knife, took a step forward, and immediately began to bend down and dig for the herb.

"Sect Master...!" Xuan Sheng, who was standing nearby, ignored the grass and only glanced at Mei Hua's words. Seeing that she had bent down to gather herbs, he immediately tore off a large piece of his sleeve and rushed forward to wrap it around her wound, anxiously saying, "We need to stop the bleeding as soon as possible..." After checking her over, he was slightly relieved: "Fortunately, the wound is not deep and has not hit any vital organs, otherwise she would have lost too much blood..." He frowned, realizing that he could hardly maintain his composure: "What are you thinking?!"

“Look…” Shuangjing calmly interrupted him at this moment: “Isn’t this much faster?”

She slowly turned her head and asked him.

Xuan Sheng suddenly didn't know what to say.

At that moment, sunlight streamed through the gaps in the leaves, casting a hazy glow on her fair face; a few petals were swept by the wind from a nearby pear tree, their snow-white petals stained with blood, drifting around in a rosy hue.

Her long, jet-black hair flowed in the air like silk, both tender and graceful. Her calm eyes contrasted sharply with the intense colors, much like her own personality—even after many years, she had not lost a trace of her bold and heroic spirit, her tenderness and chivalry, and she still forged ahead on such an uncertain path.

A woman of legendary status.

It was exactly the same as the rumors I had heard on the way to the Seven Stone Gate.

They say that Ye Shuangjing, the former leader of the Seven Stones Sect, was the bravest girl in the world.

"Well, from now on, I'll leave it to you." Shuangjing's eyes remained calm as she smiled slightly at him.

Xuan Sheng stared at her blankly, forgetting even his anger, and nodded involuntarily: "Okay."

Just then, a strong wind blew from all directions, causing the leaves and flowers in the forest to bend over.

Che Shui and Mei Hua immediately rushed to their side, forming a circle around Shuang Jing.

The white-haired girl standing not far away looked up at the sky, where green leaves and petals were fluttering wildly in the air. The wind lifted her wide robe, and the deep blue robe, as blue as the sea, was like a sail billowing in the green forest.

She looked around quietly, reached out and gathered her long, flowing hair, and stared expressionlessly at the four people in front of her:

"They're here."

Mountain Sounds - Rising Wind and Flooding Waters 3

Shake, shake, shake.

A crisis lurked subtly in the flow of the wind, and a sense of desolation began to emerge from the waves of the wind.

The air seemed to freeze.

Dozens of assassins, dressed in green and with bows drawn, pointed sharp arrows at the five people standing below.

The wind is strong, the horn bows sing, the general hunts at Weicheng.

The arrows from Flying Eagle Fortress are like eagles swooping down from the sky to snatch their prey, never missing a shot.

Xuan Sheng looked at the dozens of people staring at him intently, gripped his weapon tightly. Beside him, apart from Shuang Jing who was surrounded by three others, Che Shui and Mei Hua were already in a ready-to-go stance, drawing their swords and preparing to leap up and start a massacre at any moment.

The air was thick with tension, both sides scrutinizing each other, and even the slightest movement could escalate into an uncontrollable situation.

At this moment, the white-haired woman who had been standing quietly to the side spoke up. She smoothed her hair and sat down on a rock.

"Until we meet again."

"...?"

The four people stared at her wide-eyed, even Shuangjing had no idea what she was talking about.

Until we meet again... Does that mean we'll meet in another world? LOL.

"Let's go quickly," the woman said calmly, pointing behind her. "If you follow this path, you'll get out of the mountains."

"..."

So you'll get shot into a pincushion, huh? Shuang Jing thought speechlessly as she looked at the archers around her, who seemed to be saying, "If you dare to touch me, I'll wipe you out."

But Che Shui and Mei Hua seemed to have thought of something. They exchanged a glance, and the latter immediately turned around and shouted, "Xuan Sheng, carry Shuang Jing on your back, let's go!"

"What?!"

Before Xuan Sheng could answer, Che Shui pushed him: "Quick! Let's go!"

So he turned around and picked up the Seven Stones Sect Master in his arms, with Che Shui protecting them from behind. The group quickly headed in the direction the woman had pointed.

"...!!!" The archers in the tree were about to release their arrows when they all opened their eyes wide, and those who wanted to get up and chase after them were suddenly frozen in their leaping posture.

"You can't move!"

"What's going on!"

"It's that woman!" someone shouted, pointing at the woman who was slowly walking towards the pear tree. But she turned her head slightly, and in a moment she was right in front of him, her face less than a fist's distance away. "Ahhhhhh!!" He was so frightened that he wanted to back away but couldn't move. He could only shout loudly and look at the young woman with a full head of white hair in horror.

"The pipa strings sounded mournfully, and a thousand cranes could not bear to fly." What is the next line?

"Wh...what?!?!"

"The pipa strings sounded mournfully, and a thousand cranes could not bear to fly." What is the next line?

"How should I know! Let me go!" The man, pale-faced, roared at her, "We are from Flying Eagle Fortress..."

"There is no second chance on this path." The white-haired girl looked around, and seeing no one answer, she said calmly, "...Anyone who trespasses into this place to take it will die."

"What?!" the man exclaimed in terror, only to hear someone shout beside him, "You can move now!" He tried to back away, but immediately bumped into the person behind him; cries of pain rang out from all around, and those who had been about to leap high fell from the tree; the man, still shaken, stood up and looked at the white-haired woman, only to see her return to the spot under the tree, not even glancing at them, and gracefully disappear into the depths of the woods.

"Damn it! Get up, all of you! Chase them!" The leader, his face covered in mud, scrambled to his feet and roared angrily at the spot where Shuang Jing and the others had disappeared. "Chase them!"

Upon hearing this, the group of people scrambled forward in a panic.

Behind them stood a woman in a long, deep blue robe, her snow-white hair tangled with pear blossom petals in the wind: "There is no rebirth on this path. Anyone who trespasses here to take what is not theirs will die," she said calmly.

Then, everything returned to silence. Only the subtle sound of petals falling quietly to the ground after their graceful dance could be heard.

---

"Hurry! Hurry! They're catching up!" Mei Hua shouted as she sped forward behind Xuan Sheng and Shuang Jing.

"Let them catch up! So what! We can fight them!" Che Shui retorted loudly from behind, clearly unconvinced. He was joking; he could handle those people all by himself. There was no need for Mei Hua or Xuan Sheng to intervene; there was no point in running away.

“No,” Plum Blossom said firmly. “The wind direction and airflow in this forest are very strange, and the sounds are unpredictable. The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. It is not advisable to fight. We should hurry out of the mountains and solve the problem.”

“That makes sense.” Xuan Sheng, who had been silent all along, spoke up as he carried Shuang Jing on his back and moved forward quickly. “The terrain is not favorable. If we are to fight, it would be better to do it on flat ground!” In fact, he was more worried about Shuang Jing’s injuries. He didn’t have much confidence in his bandaging skills and wondered if she would lose too much blood or be left with scars. Hearing the Qi Shi Sect Master’s calm and slow breathing on his back, he knew that she was very weak and tired, so he quickened his pace even more.

Just then, a sound approached. Everyone looked up and saw several flaming arrows falling through the air. With a whoosh, another wave of flaming arrows rained down from all directions. The trees around them and in front of them burst into flames, and red light filled the air as connected groves of trees were engulfed in flames.

"!" Xuan Sheng, who was charging ahead, suddenly stopped in his tracks. Just as he was turning back, a thick, heavy tree branch fell to the ground with a thud, and flames spread across the not-so-damp ground, stopping him in his tracks.

"Hmph!" The second young master of Half Moon City snorted coldly, his eyes instantly turning icy. He raised an eyebrow disdainfully, surveyed the surroundings, and said indifferently to the two people who were also standing behind him, "Please step back a few steps."

"Huh? What are you going to do?" Che Shui was taken aback, but obediently took a few steps back and took the drowsy Shuang Jing from his hands and asked.

Xuan Sheng gave a cold laugh, and his usually gentle eyes curved into a charming smile, revealing a dashing and debonair air. His indifferent eyes also held a tempting and playful allure, like a poppy, and shone with a cold blue light.

Che Shui and Tao Hua were both horrified.

"Drink!" He gripped his night sword in reverse, tip pointing downwards, and with a low shout, leaped high into the air. He swung it upwards with force, a white light cleaving through the blazing fire. A fierce wind instantly arose, swirling thousands of sparks, leaves, and flowers in the direction he had flung, like a torrent breaking through layers of heat. Even heavy tree branches snapped and shattered instantly. Xuan Sheng seized the opportunity to clear a path, saying to the two stunned men behind him, "Go!"

"Oh, okay!" Meihua and Cheshui hurriedly replied. With a light tap of their toes, they all leaped forward at the same time. In a few leaps, they were far away from the fire.

But just as Che Shui was in the air marveling that they had finally left the mountain and would soon reach the village, where they could stay overnight and take a bath, he stepped on a hollow tree trunk as he fell.

With a crisp snap, his right foot got stuck between the trees, and then, because they were running downhill... the tree trunk began to slide down at an incredible speed. TAT

"Huh? Eh? Hey—!!" The Lord of Chongchonglou yelled, trying to kick himself, but his robes and trouser legs got stuck inside. The scenery around him blurred and rushed past at breakneck speed; the trees flew by, the wind howled. He didn't care about anything else, only pulling Shuangjing on his back to his chest, shielding her with his entire body, and shouting back, "Xuansheng—! Plum Blossom—!"

"Master!" Xuan Sheng exclaimed in surprise and immediately rushed to his side, but he couldn't touch Che Shui's clothes even a little bit when he reached out. On the other side, Mei Hua was also trying to pull back or stop the two people who were sliding down.

"Xuansheng! Come up!" Seeing that the slope was getting steeper and steeper, Meihua knew that it was only a matter of time before the tree trunk was smashed or overturned. She quickly looked up and saw that the front was shrouded in smoke, a white blur, and she could not see anything. She was startled and knew that something was wrong. She jumped down behind Cheshui and shouted to Xuansheng, "Give me the Night Sword!"

Seeing this, Xuan Sheng also jumped onto the tree trunk. The two looked at each other, then simultaneously shouted, each on one side, raised their long swords high, and thrust them into the ground with all their might!

The mountain road was bumpy and uneven, and Xuan Sheng and Mei Hua's swords kicked up a lot of dust and dirt. The two gritted their teeth and persevered, but it was too late. As soon as Che Shui turned his head to look ahead, he saw that the road ahead had ended. A cloud of white mist rose straight up from the edge of the hillside. Turning his head to look to the side, he saw a huge waterfall, hundreds of feet long, surging and flowing down!

"Xuansheng! Meihua!" Cheshui's face turned pale instantly: "Draw your sword, ahead is...!" But before he could finish speaking, they were thrown into the air and plummeted straight down into the river that plunged three thousand feet!

Shuang Jing groggily opened her eyes and turned her head to see Xuan Sheng and Mei Hua lightly touching the tree trunk in mid-air. The two of them rushed towards the riverbed like shooting stars. Only then did she realize that it was Che Shui holding her. Turning her head, she saw the Lord of Chongchonglou smilingly saying to her, "Little Jing, hold on tight!"

"Hmm." She yawned with relief, found a comfortable spot on his shoulder, and gripped his sleeve tightly.

Xuan Sheng and Mei Hua touched the tree trunk that was suspended in mid-air, and the two rushed towards the riverbed like shooting stars. Almost simultaneously, two shouts were heard, and they touched the water and bounced back up, each holding onto the falling tree trunk on one side.

Unexpectedly, the back of the tree had been rotten for a long time. When Mei Hua held it up, it cracked and the crack spread from the back to the front. Che Shui's hooked foot did not stand firmly, his body trembled, and Shuang Jing slipped out of his hand.

"Xiao Jing!" The Lord of Chongchonglou, his face drained of color, was so shocked that he immediately reached out to grab her, but only managed to tear off a piece of her sleeve.

"Sect Master!" Xuan Sheng saw her fall into the water and, without thinking, kicked the tree trunk in shock and anger. Before he could even check if it had landed safely on the water, he plunged into the river and dived in to find Shuang Jing.

The river was turbulent, and Xuan Sheng struggled for a long time before finally grabbing her wrist and helping her to the surface. He saw that she was pale, so he immediately placed a hand on her back to stabilize her pulse. However, he found that the water was becoming more and more turbulent, and their bodies were being pushed forward forcefully. It was impossible to keep his distance from Shuang Jing and protect her safety, so he put one arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest, whispering, "Hold me tight!" After saying that, he slapped the water hard, using the force to rush out of the riverbed. After a few leaps, he landed on the tree trunk where Che Shui and Mei Hua were.

Unexpectedly, he suddenly heard the sound of wind tearing towards him.

He dodged the arrow that was shot at him, but it went astray and fell straight into the tree trunk!

Just as he was about to crash into the tree, Xuan Sheng struck the trunk with his palm, causing the wood to crack instantly. The branches that Mei Hua and Che Shui were clinging to separated to the left and right. Before falling into the water, he lifted Shuang Jing's head, grabbed a thicker branch, and drifted with the current.

The banks of the river rushed past them, the trees and rocks turning into straight lines of color. Xuan Sheng first lifted Shuang Jing's body towards the water's surface, and just as he was about to leap up with her, he heard the sound of arrows flying. Before he could even look up, he felt a gust of wind, a force like a tornado, sweeping the arrows that were falling towards them back. Several screams came from the shore, and then people fell into the water.

Looking up, one sees Che Shui gliding across the water like an eagle, a flash of silver light on his right hand revealing an exquisite white fan already unfolded.

Then, blood splattered on both banks of the river.

Du Cheshui, the master of Chongchonglou, is world-renowned for his fast, accurate, sharp, and fierce movements. His elegant, light, and silent skills are admired by people in the martial arts world. It is said that when he gets angry, people will definitely back down. But if you fight against him, you will at least get a quick death. Compared with those who like to torture their enemies, he is much more merciful.

"Give me Shuangjing!" While Cheshui was dealing with the enemy, Meihua quickly rushed to the other two, reached out and picked up Shuangjing, then gripped Xuansheng's wrist and pulled them out of the water.

At that moment, a loud rumbling sound came from ahead.

Xuan Sheng and Mei Hua turned around at the same time and saw the mist rising sharply, white smoke swirling around, and the river flowing forward faster and faster. They knew that there was also a cliff and waterfall ahead. The two hurriedly grabbed Shuang Jing from the left and right sides and were about to jump to the shore when they heard a whoosh! A flaming arrow shot out and hit Shuang Jing's sleeve, which immediately burst into flames.

"!!" The two were shocked and reached out to extinguish the fire at the same time. Mei Hua simply dipped her clean hands into the water, forgetting that the wooden pole beneath her feet was heading towards the waterfall. Before Xuan Sheng could finish saying "Hurry up," the wooden pole completely lost control, and the three of them were immediately pulled into the enormous white waterfall.

"Plum Blossom! Xuan Sheng, Xiao Jing!" Che Shui turned around and was shocked. His face turned pale. Ignoring the countless archers behind him, he turned and rushed towards the waterfall. After a few leaps, he fell into the raging torrent like a shooting star.