Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 31

On this side, the three of them—Yu Jingqiu, Lang Ye, and their senior—had taken their seats at the tavern. The food and wine were served, but after a long wait, the steam from the dishes had long since dissipated, yet there was still no sign of the senior who went for the horses.

As the golden sun sank in the west, the road was empty of travelers. The sunlight grew soft and warm, but Yu Jingqiu and her companions felt a bone-chilling cold. Outside the tavern, a murderous aura was palpable.

Suddenly, the roof of the tavern caved in. A massive mountain-splitting axe swung down toward Yu Jingqiu’s head with terrifying force. She kicked the table, using the counter-force to slide her stool back and dodge the blow. The attacker was a burly, hulking man; his axe struck nothing but air.

The brute’s attack served as a signal. The group lying in ambush outside the tavern swarmed in simultaneously. Lang Ye and the other senior disciple drew their swords to meet the enemies from two sides.

Yu Jingqiu did not wait for the axe-wielding man to recover his stance. She flipped the stool up with her foot and hurled it at him. The man swung his axe, shattering the stool into splinters, only to see a glint of swordlight emerge from behind the debris, flashing like the sun and moon as it lunged for his vitals. Unexpectedly, despite his massive build, the man’s movements were quite agile; he dodged Yu Jingqiu’s surprise attack, only suffering a minor graze on his cheek.

A sharp gust of wind whistled from her side. Yu Jingqiu raised her sword to block as a long whip lashed out like a lightning strike, coiling around her blade. The axe-wielding man took the opportunity to close in. Yu Jingqiu utilized the pulling force of the whip to leap forward, turning the tables by attacking the woman wielding the whip.

Her sword flashed like lightning, aiming straight for the woman’s wrist.

At that moment, a lean, powerful man thrust a black-gold spear between them, forcing Yu Jingqiu to pull back her sword to defend herself.

In an instant, the two men and one woman had Yu Jingqiu surrounded in the center.

Their fighting styles were a hodgepodge of techniques—a major characteristic of the Zhixing Sect. Lang Ye and the other senior recognized several familiar faces. Lang Ye couldn’t help but shout coldly, “Fellow practitioners of the Zhixing Sect! Our sects may not be the closest of friends, but we have always been on good terms. Where have we offended you that you would ambush us and launch such an attack?”

The axe-wielding brute stared at Yu Jingqiu and said, “If you must blame something, blame… your poor choice of birth.”

The attackers said no more, unleashing lethal moves. Among them, the three surrounding Yu Jingqiu possessed the highest cultivation. Lang Ye and the other disciple fought back those around them to come to her aid.

Yu Jingqiu said, “Senior Brother Hao went to rent horses and I fear he has met with misfortune. Senior Brother Zhao, A’Ye and I can hold them off here. Quickly, go find Brother Hao so we can break out of here together.”

Senior Brother Zhao obeyed, breaking away from the fight and dashing outside.

Lang Ye shouted, “Senior Sister, let’s try the sword formation!”

The Qian Yuan Sword Formation was evolved from their sword techniques, created by their legendary ancestor Lyu Keji, a peerless genius of the martial world. This formation could be used by anywhere from one to ten people, incorporating the principles of Taiji, the Two Extremes, the Three Talents, and the Four Images, all the way to the Eight Trigrams, Nine Palaces, and Ten Directions.

The two had known each other since childhood and shared a deep unspoken understanding. Though they didn’t use the sword formation often, they wielded it with ease even under pressure.

As the formation took shape, a “wall of swords” seemed to rise from the ground between them, dense and impenetrable, leaving the Zhixing Sect members with no opening to attack.

The two fought while retreating, searching for the traces of their two seniors along the way, only to hear a piercing scream. They rushed toward the sound, but what they found were the corpses of their two brothers.

Senior Brother Hao, who had gone to rent horses, was covered in blood that had already begun to dry; he had been dead for some time. Senior Brother Zhao, who had come to find him, was lying there with his eyes wide open—he had likely been distracted by the sight of the corpse and was stabbed through the heart. He had died without even being able to close his eyes.

Seeing their fellow disciples dead, Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye were deeply shaken, and a flaw appeared in their sword formation. The axe-wielding brute summoned all his strength and swung at Yu Jingqiu. Distracted, she was a step too slow to deflect the blow and was forced to take the hit head-on. The force was as fierce as a pouncing tiger.

Yu Jingqiu was sent flying, crashing through a door and falling into a civilian’s house.

Inside the house, a young child was bent over a water vat, ladling water. At that moment, the lean man outside thrust his spear toward her. Yu Jingqiu prepared to dodge but feared for the child’s life behind her, so she met the spear thrust head-on.

Unexpectedly, a chill ran down her spine as a sharp blade lunged for her back.

Because it was a child behind her, she was completely unguarded. By the time she sensed danger, it was too late to defend. Furthermore, with the spear thrusting at her from the front, she had lost the initiative. Unable to dodge both, she chose to launch a heavy attack against the spear in front, only managing to shift her body enough to keep the blade behind her from hitting a vital organ.

By the time she forced the spearman back, the blade had already sliced across her waist. Yu Jingqiu felt a sharp, stinging pain. Ignoring the wound, she executed a backward sword thrust—a tricky move called “Catching the Moon in the Water.” It forced the child to dodge, giving her a chance to retreat hurriedly.

She clutched her side, blood seeping through her fingers. With lips turning rapidly pale, she looked toward the child.

Though the child had the body of a youngling, the face was remarkably mature, like that of a middle-aged man. As it turned out, this was no child, but a person with dwarfism, their true age unknown.

Outside, Lang Ye was struggling to hold his ground alone, and inside, Yu Jingqiu was wounded. Just as it seemed the two would meet their end there, several cries of alarm erupted from the crowd.

At the village entrance, the sound of galloping hooves rang out. Two fast horses, their tails set on fire, charged madly into the crowd.

The horses scattered the mob, and those surrounding Lang Ye and Yu Jingqiu fell into chaos. Before they could restore order, a sparrow-feathered arrow whistled through the air. Fueled by incredible strength, it pierced through one man’s chest and, without losing momentum, drove straight into the back of another man in front of him.

One arrow, two deaths.

The arrows did not stop. The whistling sound of air being rent echoed repeatedly. The archer was a marksman; every shot hit its mark, and each arrow carried the fierce power to pierce the heavens. The mere sound of the feathers cutting the wind was enough to make hearts tremble with fear.

Several members of the Zhixing Sect were hit in succession, their wails of pain filling the air as they lost their footing. They never expected these two to have reinforcements, let alone be attacked from behind.

A young woman on a spirited horse, dressed in vibrant clothing, was drawing a large red-sandalwood bow.

The girl charged forward on her horse with two more steeds following behind her. She rode into the crowd with the momentum of a thousand-man cavalry charge.

Even before the girl fired her arrows, Lang Ye had recognized her. Amidst his joy, he didn’t dare waste this chance to escape. He rushed into the house to protect Yu Jingqiu.

The girl rode up to them and shouted, “Friends and brothers, get on the horses!”

Lang Ye helped Yu Jingqiu onto a horse first, then leaped onto his own with a light bound.

The people of the Zhixing Sect would not let them go so easily. The axe-wielding brute swung his axe, aiming to slice the horse’s legs.

In that moment of crisis, the girl drew an arrow and fired. It struck the flat of the brute’s axe with a resounding clang so loud it vibrated through the man’s arms and froze his movement—one could only imagine the sheer ferocity of the force.

In the moment the brute was stunned, the three horses had already galloped far away.

“Pursue them!”

The three of them sped along the road, not daring to slow down for fear of the pursuers. It wasn’t until nightfall, when no trace of the enemy could be seen, that they finally rested in a hidden spot within a forest.

This sudden catastrophe was beyond anyone’s expectations. Even having escaped the danger, Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye could not find peace.

They were heartbroken—first for their two tragically murdered brothers, and second for the sudden aggression of the Zhixing Sect.

The three sat around a campfire. Lang Ye turned his back to them as the girl helped Yu Jingqiu apply medicinal salve. “This is a special medicine from my home. If it’s a flesh wound, it will be healed within three days of application.”

Lang Ye said, “We must thank you today for saving our lives. If you hadn’t helped, I don’t know what would have become of us.”

The girl laughed. “Since we are friends and brothers, those words are far too formal.”

Lang Ye was startled, a surge of warmth filling his heart.

This girl was none other than the woman they had rescued at the inn.

Once the girl finished applying the medicine, Lang Ye turned back and asked, “I thought you went to pursue the bandits. How did you end up at Zhixing Village?”

The girl replied, “I tracked those bandits to their lair. Those dogs only know dirty tricks and don’t have much real skill; it didn’t take much effort to deal with them. I heard you talking the other day and knew you had no horses and were going to Zhixing Village to rent some. Those bandits had several fine horses in their lair that they no longer needed, so I thought since I had nothing to do, I might as well bring them to you. Instead, I found you surrounded. What grievance do you have with them that they fought so fiercely?”

Lang Ye gave a bitter smile. “We’d like to know that ourselves.”

The girl poked the fire to make it burn brighter and pondered, “I don’t know if they will continue to pursue you. If you still intend to head to the Celestial Star Palace, I can escort you. I know the road there better than anyone.”

Lang Ye and Yu Jingqiu suddenly recalled that the girl had called herself Nie. They couldn’t help but ask, “We have yet to ask your name, miss.”

The girl said frankly, “Nie Yunlan.”

The two were stunned. Yu Jingqiu asked, “May I ask what your relationship is to City Lord Nie of the Celestial Star Palace?”

Nie Yunlan grinned. “That’s my old man.”

Lang Ye blurted out, “So you are the City Lord’s daughter!”

No wonder she was so unrestrained and heroic, and so skilled in riding and archery.

The people of the Celestial Star Palace were originally nomadic tribes from beyond the border who later migrated to the Snowy Region. People from beyond the border are naturally proficient in riding and archery. In a land of extreme cold and harsh conditions, those who can take root and carve out a territory are naturally resilient, hot-blooded heroes whose passion can melt ice and snow.

“What are you going to the Celestial Star Palace for?”

“We are members of the Qian Yuan Sect. An elder in our sect is injured and needs the Emerald Drop Pearl for treatment. We have come to request the medicine…”

Before Yu Jingqiu could finish, Nie Yunlan stood up excitedly and said, “You are from the Qian Yuan Sect?!”

Lang Ye said, “Miss Nie…”

Nie Yunlan’s eyes reflected the fire, dancing with passion. “I left home specifically to travel the martial world, and my first goal was to see the Qian Yuan Sect for myself!”

Seeing her undisguised admiration and longing for their sect, Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye felt even more fondly toward her, feeling they were of like mind.

Lang Ye asked, “I wonder what Miss Nie wants to see at our Qian Yuan Sect?”

Nie Yunlan stood up and suddenly looked to the sky with emotion. “Drinking the blood of wolves when thirsty, I dare to laugh at men who are not true heroes!”

Lang Ye and Yu Jingqiu were stunned. What Nie Yunlan recited was a poem by their Mistress (Jiao Lan).

Nie Yunlan’s blood was pumping as she said, “I heard of the deeds of the heroine Jiao Lan and have admired her since I was a child. To think such a heroic woman existed in the world! The character ‘Lan’ in my name was taken after her. I made up my mind long ago that when I traveled the martial world, I would definitely visit the sect she belonged to.”

Lang Ye’s memory of his Mistress was not deep, so he didn’t know what to say. Yu Jingqiu had learned of Jiao Lan from Lou Xuanzhi, and hearing Nie Yunlan’s words, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.

Her Mistress was indeed a heroic woman who stood equal to any man; it was a pity she perished so young.

“How about this: I’ll take you to the Celestial Star Palace first, and once your business is done, you can take me to the Qian Yuan Sect. How does that sound?”

The two were overjoyed. Yu Jingqiu said, “If that can be done, nothing could be better.”