When the matriarch heard that the mistress would be the marshal's nemesis, she flew into a rage: "What an ungrateful wretch! The marshal has been so kind and devoted to her, and yet she repays him like this!"
"No, I must remind the Marshal that we cannot allow a tiger to grow up and cause further trouble!"
The matriarch then sent a letter to inform Madam Xie of this matter.
The Taoist priest in the deep mountains stopped her and reminded her, "The marshal is doomed, and the current fortunes of her Star Palace are intertwined with those of the princess."
"What does this mean?" The matriarch, leaning on her cane, paced anxiously near the altar.
"The marshal's fate has not changed. Although the disaster came first, the Ziwei star protected her star palace, which made her tainted with the aura of an emperor."
The Taoist priest in the deep mountains said, "When the emperor bestows blessings, misfortune precedes fortune; this is the interdependence of fortune and misfortune."
The matriarch didn't understand his meaning at first. After thinking for a while, she hesitated and said, "According to the Taoist priest, the marshal's calamity is actually a good thing?"
"Nonsense! What if something happens to the Marshal? How can we let her gamble with her life!"
She suddenly felt that the Taoist priest was fooling her, but they had been friends for decades, and he wouldn't deceive her. Perhaps the divination was too complicated.
Even the Taoist priest in the deep mountains couldn't be sure, so he could only advise, "Although the Purple Star is about to overshadow the Marshal, it is by no means a bad thing for the Marshal."
"In the past two years, I have heard that the Marshal's temperament has changed drastically. It is an undeniable fact that the Marshal has become kind and fair."
"The people of the south have been living in peace and prosperity for the past two years, and the land is thriving. All of this is thanks to the Marshal's efforts."
"I think that perhaps Heaven has a benevolent heart and, seeing that the Marshal has done so many things that benefit the country and the people, has sent down the Ziwei Star to protect her."
"It's just that the marshal's fate is ominous, she was born a lone star, and it's impossible for ordinary people to stay by her side and serve her. So she was destined to grow old alone, or die young."
At this point, the Taoist priest in the deep mountains gradually became more determined: "Perhaps Niliubei will be the last chance that Heaven gives her."
The matriarch, recalling how the marshal's killing of his father and relatives had become retribution, now befalling her, sighed, "I am guilty."
"If I hadn't supported her back then, she might not have made it."
The Taoist priest in the deep mountains said, "The old marshal was destined to die at the hands of his descendants; this is his retribution."
The old marshal rose to power through dishonest means, committing countless heinous acts. He must have violated at least six out of ten of them, and his current execution is a foreseeable retribution.
"Taoist Master, may we perform another ritual?" The head nun gripped her cane tightly, her fierce eyes fixed on the ten people she had brought to the door. All of them were born on the same day, month, and year as the Marshal. Perhaps the time was wrong, but most of them could be switched out to buy time.
The Taoist priest in the deep mountains originally wanted to perform a ritual for her, but now that he saw that the Marshal's palace was next to the Ziwei star, which was the emperor's star palace, he dared not touch the person chosen by heaven, no matter how great his Taoist skills were.
It was strange, though, that his divination had indicated the presence of another dangerous person, but they were too far away for him to pinpoint their location.
“No,” the Taoist priest in the deep mountains advised. “Defying fate is just a consolation; it can’t really change anything.”
"Besides, the Marshal still has a glimmer of hope. Why not see if she can save herself first? If she really can't, then there's only one option..." The Taoist priest looked at the innocent people, all of whom knelt uneasily with terrified eyes, awaiting their fate.
These people will become sacrifices.
The matriarch immediately understood the meaning and ordered that they be fed and cared for well, and that they be let go if the marshal had nothing else to do.
The people of their tribe took them away.
The Xie clan of the Southern Region soon spread the news privately that Marshal Kai was at Nilupo.
The matriarch asked the Taoist priest in the deep mountains if there were any other ways to alleviate the marshal's sins, especially to see if the old marshal could suffer less.
The Taoist priest in the deep mountains offered a solution: "Adoption! Find someone in the Xie clan with a strong destiny and have the marshal join her lineage. This way, we can use these people to suppress her destiny."
The Taoist priest in the deep mountains made a move, and the matriarch of the clan did as she was told. She gathered the birth dates and times of everyone in the clan and found that none of them matched, except for herself.
The matriarch lost her husband early in life and was secretly called a "black widow" for a while. But she dealt with those people thoroughly, silencing them completely.
Now, the only one in the clan with a tough life is myself.
The matriarch decided, "I'll use my own to suppress it. If that doesn't work, my son, daughter-in-law, and grandson will all do."
The Taoist priest in the deep mountains looked worried. He continued to search for other Xie family members with strong destinies, until he found Xie Ying and a birth chart of the mistress.
It was discovered that Si Xitong was also a "lone star" (a star associated with misfortune), but strangely, her younger brother's life was not in danger. It seemed something had changed? The Taoist priest in the deep mountains, having made a new discovery, immediately asked the Grand Master to give him some time so he could set up an altar again and transfer the Marshal's lineage to her. At least that would suppress the situation for a while.
At the same time, the Xie family of Xin Tianjing discovered that the matriarch was collecting birth dates and times from clan members everywhere, specifically choosing those with strong birth dates and times to put on the list.
Xie Guang was deeply shocked to hear that the matriarch planned to pass the marshal to her and use her birth chart to ward off evil spirits.
Could it be that the marshal, like him, has reached the end of his life?
Xie Xia, standing nearby, cursed, "You stinking dog! I think the matriarch is taking advantage of the situation, planning to make the marshal her granddaughter!?"
Xie Guang was at a loss for words.
These events all occurred before Xie Lanzhi arrived at Niliupei.
A light drizzle was falling from the sky, seemingly determined to fill the entire landscape.
Rainwater streamed down Artur's body from the grooves of his silver armor.
Xie Lanzhi held her halberd and distanced herself from him. Rainwater, which was not clearly visible, kept dripping from her knees onto the tips of her black boots.
The toes of those black boots touched the ground, the legs bent slightly, and the speed of the sprint was like thunder in a storm, leaving a trail of accidental discharge.
The shadowy figure blurred due to her high speed. Xie Lanzhi mobilized all her inner strength, unleashing a powerful and deadly strike.
Artur held the long hilt of the sword across his chest, feeling the vibration of the hilt. With his sharp ears, he could even hear a faint buzzing sound.
As he flew three meters away, he slung the knife behind his back, the long halberd piercing the blade. Xie Lanzhi had somehow already impaled herself on his body. When he landed, she slapped his face with her hand.
Artur nimbly turned and grabbed her right wrist. He remembered that he had deliberately struck there to break her right hand, which was her strongest point. Now, with a twist, her right wrist proved to be very fragile. It was dislocated.
It seems your injury hasn't fully healed!
Xie Lanzhi didn't care at all; she even mocked, "Wasn't this all planned in advance?"
She has discovered that Artur's injuries are healing extremely quickly, something that ordinary people cannot achieve.
She delivered a swift elbow strike to Artur's chest with her right hand, causing him to stumble back a few steps. She then seized the opportunity to get up and realign the dislocated shoulder.
This playing style is similar to hers.
Xie Lanzhi did not continue fighting him. Her purpose in coming here was not just to fight, but also to figure out how to break the calamity at Nilubei. If simply killing Artu could break the calamity, then the answer was obvious and readily available.
But it's not that simple!
Artur was deceived into believing that Aqina was the chosen one, which must have been because Aqina had impressed him in front of him, thus convincing him to accept the decree.
Xie Lanzhi symbolically swung her long halberd at Artu's vital points several times, but Artu blocked them all. He defended silently without attacking, only striking her wrist once, as if waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Xie Lanzhi and he were locked in a stalemate. They brushed past each other's right shoulders, narrowly escaping death. They turned around and wrapped one arm around the other's neck, determined to strangle each other until they could no longer breathe.
Artur's physique was like that of a Titan, making Xie Lanzhi appear tiny and frail in comparison. But after feeling the pain in his arms, Artur dared not underestimate this seemingly frail woman.
I cannot, and I dare not.
The two were so exhausted that their bones were cracking and popping, as if they could twist each other's necks off at any moment, but neither of them did so. Instead, they just kept at it.
Artur's face turned red from being strangled, and Xie Lanzhi's face was also flushed. Because there was not enough air, the two of them had to conserve their breath.
She had assumed that fighting a master would involve leaping across rooftops, displaying formidable sword energy, and having a single qi blast capable of shattering a person—more lethal than firearms.
But now, when facing an evenly matched opponent, let alone qigong, both sides are wielding battlefield weapons, and their strength is evenly matched. What matters in the end is endurance.
In today's world of absolute strength, any fancy moves seem weak and ineffective; true power usually comes from hand-to-hand combat.
Xie Lanzhi was momentarily distracted, and the long halberd in her hand fell to the ground. Artu was also momentarily distracted, and the long sword fell to the ground. Just as the two were about to be strangled into shock by each other, they immediately released each other.
Artur immediately rolled around a few times, grabbed his long sword, and moved away from her. Xie Lanzhi picked up her halberd and also distanced herself. But when the two of them stood up again, their voices were almost hoarse.
It felt like being rubbed by a high-decibel noise. Actually, it was from being squeezed too tightly.
Xie Lanzhi coughed a few times, feeling that Artur's strength was now on par with hers, and his stamina was excellent, unlike last time.
Artur was performing exceptionally well. He coughed a few times and said in a hoarse voice, "This is where you will die."
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:33:37 on January 12, 2022 and 18:52:40 on January 13, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: y 1;
Thank you to the little angels who watered with nutrient solution: Ye (2 bottles); slowly (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 140 Marshal Xie Dies in Battle
"Put yourself in a desperate situation and you will survive." Xie Lanzhi gasped for breath: "General, haven't you heard this saying before?"
No sooner had they finished speaking than, in a flash, the longsword and halberd suddenly retracted and thrust at their opponent, the halberd's tip slicing off and the longsword shattering into two pieces.
Xie Lanzhi looked at the long halberd in her hand. It had been through war with her, and never before had it broken so easily. And there was Artu's sword; she couldn't see anything special about it. Then what about her long halberd...?
Just as she was feeling incredulous, Artur, who was standing opposite her, suddenly raised his head and burst into laughter: "Marshal Xie, don't you have any self-awareness at all!"
"Today is your biggest mistake!"
Xie Lanzhi stared silently at the broken halberd on the ground, wondering if it had broken at an angle or been smashed by Artur at its weakest point.
Artur traded her exquisite halberd for a mere ordinary knife.
Could it really be a stroke of bad luck?
Xie Lanzhi was full of suspicion.
Seeing that she still didn't believe him, Artur immediately pointed to the sky: "Look again, how long has this dark cloud been with you?"
Xie Lanzhi looked up slightly and saw a thick, dark cloud overhead. As she stepped back, the cloud expanded, as if the place where she stood would only be shrouded in shadow. The only dim light that Artur gave was to him.
The stark contrast between light and darkness caused Xie Lanzhi's face to darken. Even she, who only believed in science, seemed to waver, after all, she could even travel into the world of books...
A world of books? No, this is a real world, and ordinary humans simply do not have the power to construct such a real world.
Xie Lanzhi opened up a lingering doubt in her heart.
Seeing that she had some self-awareness, Artur offered a suggestion: "Marshal Xie, if you obediently accept your death, I might still leave you with a whole corpse."
"Okay." Xie Lanzhi looked up at him. "If you answer whatever I ask and satisfy me, maybe I'll consider it."
Before she died, she said again, "Before I die."
He seemed to appreciate this, and Artur readily agreed: "The words of a dying man are often wise; ask away!"
Xie Lanzhi gently placed the broken piece of the halberd on the lush, relatively clean grass beside her. Rain pattered down, dripping from the blades of grass into the soil. The damp air made the surrounding temperature seem to drop.