Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 34

Even from a great distance, Yu Jingqiu saw Nie Chan standing before the hall. She immediately turned, intending to head toward him.

Lang Ye caught her arm and stopped her.

“Senior Sister, City Lord Nie is facing this direction. A martial artist’s eyes and ears are keen—there is no possibility he failed to notice such a commotion.

“General Yang is his personal attendant. Without his orders, why would they attack us?

“He has already resolved to kill us. Even if we confront him face-to-face, once murderous intent has arisen, how could a few words from us make him change his mind?

“Our immediate priority is to escape.”

“We traveled thousands of li to reach this place, and two senior brothers even lost their lives along the way. Yet we failed to obtain the Dewdrop Emerald Pearl and instead ended up fighting our hosts.

“Even if we must die, I want to understand why.”

“Senior Sister, do not speak of dying!

“Our two senior brothers sacrificed their lives escorting us. That is even more reason for us to act cautiously.

“The Dewdrop Emerald Pearl is important, and so is the truth, but neither is more important than human life.

“Someone must return to report what happened to the sect. We cannot both die here for nothing.”

Yu Jingqiu remembered their two fellow disciples who had died unjustly and felt grief fill her heart.

She knew Lang Ye was correct.

But with guards surrounding them on every side, escaping would hardly be easy.

They took advantage of the brief interval while the soldiers changed arrows and broke through the weaker southeastern corner, charging directly into the crowd.

The people of Heavenly Star Palace hesitated to fire into their own ranks. As the rain of arrows ceased, the pressure upon Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye immediately lessened.

However, the short delay allowed General Yang and the man with the ring-pommel saber to catch up again.

From their first exchange, Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye had realized that their martial arts were roughly equal to those two men’s, perhaps even slightly inferior.

They had only managed to contend with them because the Qianyuan Sword Art was a superior martial art.

If the two generals entangled them while the other members of Heavenly Star Palace supported from the sides, they would never escape today.

Neither dared slow down.

Gathering their qi and lightening their bodies, they moved through the crowd like swimming dragons and flying swallows.

The two pursuing men possessed extremely powerful external martial arts, but their qinggong and footwork were somewhat weaker.

Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye were therefore able to open a short distance between them.

Yet many guards and palace attendants occupied the southeastern path.

When they saw the two fleeing toward them, they needed no command before rushing forward to assist in their capture.

Wolves stood before them and tigers pursued from behind.

Every step of their escape was difficult.

And they were still inside Heavenly Star Palace. Beyond its walls lay the city, which remained entirely within Heavenly Star Palace’s territory.

Nie Chan and his son, Nie Zhongyuan, continued observing the battle from the raised terrace before the hall.

When Nie Chan saw the two leap from the roof and heard the sounds of fighting moving farther away, he slowly walked in the direction they had fled.

“Summon Generals Jiang and Shen. Bring my Magpie-Painted Bow as well.”

“Father, those two possess some skill, but they are still young. Surely there is no need to send all four generals against them.”

“Zhongyuan, never underestimate an opponent.

“Even a lion uses all its strength when hunting a rabbit.

“Besides, those two are not rabbits. They are snow wolves.”

Nie Zhongyuan understood his father’s meaning and said no more.

He went to summon Generals Jiang and Shen.

Generals Jiang, Shen, Han, and Yang were the four foremost commanders among Heavenly Star Palace’s guards.

Their martial abilities required no explanation and would rank highly even within the Central Plains.

Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye were indeed extraordinarily talented, but they had only recently entered the martial world.

That was why Nie Zhongyuan had initially believed deploying all four generals was excessively cautious.

Once he returned with Generals Jiang and Shen, however, he had no choice but to admire his father’s foresight.

The two young disciples had forced their way through the encirclement and reached the southern gate.

Their movements were exceptionally nimble, making them as difficult to catch as slippery fish.

Generals Han and Yang might not be inferior to them in martial arts, but their qinggong was unquestionably weaker.

Generals Jiang and Shen, however, moved with tremendous speed and happened to be their natural counters.

As Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye fled, one observed the surrounding situation while the other searched for an escape route.

The moment Generals Jiang and Shen entered the battle, Yu Jingqiu noticed them.

Seeing how they advanced with the speed of rushing thunder, she immediately knew the situation was dire.

The gates of Heavenly Star Palace stood ahead.

Its blue walls rose thirty feet high, while the nearest gate tower remained dozens of steps away.

The main gate was tightly closed, and the guards stationed there were prepared for battle.

Forcing their way directly through the gate would require time.

Yet even the briefest delay would allow Generals Jiang and Shen to catch them.

But the wall was too distant to cross with qinggong, and there was nowhere in midair upon which to gain another foothold.

At such a critical moment, even the time required to consider a solution was a luxury.

Yet although they were young, both were extremely intelligent and quick to adapt.

Yu Jingqiu said, “Junior Brother, go first!”

She placed one hand upon Lang Ye’s back.

Lang Ye immediately understood her intention.

He did not want to leave Yu Jingqiu behind to hold off the enemy, but if he hesitated or argued at such a desperate moment, they would both be trapped.

Thus, when Yu Jingqiu released the force from her palm, Lang Ye was already prepared.

He tapped the ground with his toes and flew forward.

With his own excellent qinggong and Yu Jingqiu’s powerful push, he rose like a great hawk, crossed the dozens of steps through the air, and landed lightly atop the blue wall.

He did not know how Yu Jingqiu intended to follow.

When he turned around, his heart leaped into his throat.

General Jiang had already arrived.

He was lean and powerfully built, carrying a large golden-threaded nine-ring saber.

He flew onto the gate tower and brought the saber down toward Yu Jingqiu.

The strike descended like a thunderbolt capable of splitting mountains and dividing seas.

This was precisely what Yu Jingqiu had been waiting for.

She tapped one foot against the ground and floated lightly upward.

When the blade approached, she raised her sword to block it.

The tremendous force numbed both arms, nearly knocking the sword from her hands.

Yet she borrowed that power like a favorable wind, allowing herself to travel farther through the unsupported air.

As Lang Ye landed upon the blue wall and Yu Jingqiu met General Jiang’s saber, Nie Chan had already nocked two sparrow-feathered arrows.

His bow curved like the autumn moon, its arrowheads aimed directly at Yu Jingqiu.

Using General Jiang’s force, she broke away and appeared certain to reach the wall.

The bowstring abruptly released with a sharp snap.

Two sparrow-feathered arrows tore through the air like lightning, piercing toward the prey’s vital points.

Yu Jingqiu sensed deadly cold approaching, and her heartbeat seemed to stop.

Suspended in midair, she could scarcely evade, especially when the arrows were so fast and powerful.

She exerted force through her flexible waist and half-turned in the air, facing the direction from which the arrows came.

She had only managed to change her orientation when they arrived.

Yu Jingqiu placed her sword before her heart.

One arrow had been aimed directly at her chest.

Because she had turned sideways, its position shifted slightly. The arrow descended at an angle and struck the flat of her sword.

Its tremendous force left a deep dent in the blade.

She was not so fortunate with the second arrow.

One had targeted her upper body, while the other aimed below.

Nie Chan possessed great experience in battle, and none of his arrows were wasted.

When he fired, he had already calculated that even if Yu Jingqiu avoided one, she could not escape the other.

The second arrow pierced directly through her knee.

Yu Jingqiu felt as though something had bitten savagely into her left leg.

Sharp pain drilled deep inside.

For an instant, she seemed to hear the sound of bone splitting beside her ear.

The agony traveled through her bones and penetrated her heart and marrow.

Her face immediately turned deathly pale.

Unable to endure the pain, the qi within her dantian dispersed, and she fell from the air.

Yu Jingqiu had been only a single step from the blue wall.

Lang Ye leaped down and caught her by the collar.

He drove his sword into the wall, leaving both of them hanging there.

The flexible sword possessed extraordinary resilience.

After bending to its limit, it rebounded upward.

Lang Ye tapped the wall with one foot. His body shot upward like an arrow piercing the clouds, carrying Yu Jingqiu over the blue wall and out of Heavenly Star Palace.

Once outside, he did not dare stop.

Supporting Yu Jingqiu by the waist, he hurried toward the crowded streets.

Almost instantly, Generals Jiang, Shen, Han, and Yang emerged in pursuit, followed by many soldiers of Heavenly Star Palace.

The snowy region produced many rare beasts and medicinal treasures and maintained trade routes with the Central Plains.

At this time of year, merchants frequently traveled through the region, filling the streets with carriages, horses, and pedestrians.

To avoid injuring civilians, the people of Heavenly Star Palace could not freely use their bows.

Yu Jingqiu’s left leg was injured, and Lang Ye had to support her, slowing them considerably.

Generals Jiang and Shen possessed extremely swift movement techniques and soon caught up.

General Shen was tall and slender. He wielded a black-gold infantry lance, a weapon designed on the battlefield to pierce soldiers, break armor, and sweep through armies.

When its long blade came crashing down, a chilling wind arose.

Lang Ye and Yu Jingqiu raised their swords together and blocked it.

General Jiang immediately leaped forward and slashed horizontally at their waists.

If they failed to evade, they would be cut in half on the spot.

Yet Yu Jingqiu’s injured leg made movement difficult.

Lang Ye had Yu Jingqiu beside him, General Jiang on the other side, and General Shen directly ahead.

If he retreated, Yu Jingqiu would be caught between both attacks.

At this desperate moment, an idea flashed through Lang Ye’s mind.

He sank his qi into his dantian and stamped his foot, releasing inner force downward.

The roof tiles shattered, and the supporting beams broke apart.

The rooftop beneath all four of them collapsed, sending them falling together.

A chorus of startled screams arose from below.

The place beneath them was hot and filled with white mist.

It was a bathhouse, and pale bodies filled the area.

The broken roof opened like a skylight.

Tiles fell, water splashed, and curses rang out without pause.

It was a women’s bathing pool.

Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye landed beside the hot spring, while Generals Jiang and Shen fell directly into the water.

The women of the snowy region possessed fierce temperaments.

Seeing two grown men fall from the sky, they showed no shyness and did not care who the intruders were.

They merely covered themselves with bathing cloths and pointed furiously at the men.

“You are grown men! Are there no women in your own homes? You have come all the way to the bathhouse to spy upon us! Have you no shame?”

Generals Jiang and Shen were so embarrassed that they resembled tigers with their teeth removed.

Despite all their martial ability, they did not dare attack.

They awkwardly attempted to explain.

“Ladies, Heavenly Star Palace is pursuing criminals. We did not intend—”

“You still want to claim you did not intend it?

“Even if you serve Heavenly Star Palace—even if City Lord Nie himself were here—there would still be no justification for barging into a women’s bathhouse!”

“…”

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lang Ye helped Yu Jingqiu into a side room, where they could finally catch their breath.

When he examined the injury to her knee, he saw that the arrow had completely penetrated it. The cross-shaped arrowhead protruded from behind the joint.

Such an arrow created a large wound and possessed backward-facing barbs, making it impossible to pull out from the direction it had entered.

Lang Ye decisively cut off the arrowhead.

“Senior Sister, grit your teeth.”

Yu Jingqiu clenched her jaw and braced one hand against the wall.

Lang Ye gave her little time to prepare before pulling the broken shaft out in one motion.

Yu Jingqiu released a muffled groan.

She suppressed the cry between her lips and teeth as dizziness swept through her head and all color vanished from her mouth.

The broken arrow dragged a trail of blood behind it.

Red rapidly spread across her pure white clothing.

Lang Ye struck several acupoints to stop the bleeding, tore strips from her clothes, and hastily bound the wound.

“We cannot remain here. We must find a way out.”

“Ah-Ye…”

Yu Jingqiu opened her eyes.

Pain had filled them with a layer of mist, leaving her gaze hazy as she looked at him.

Lang Ye clenched his teeth so hard that the muscles along his cheek tightened.

“Senior Sister, do not say such things. I will not leave you here alone.”

Yu Jingqiu lowered her eyes and released an almost inaudible sigh.

Lang Ye stepped forward and helped her stand.

After leaving the bathhouse, they saw many people from Heavenly Star Palace searching the main road.

Lang Ye therefore chose a narrow side street.

But he did not know the city’s paths.

Before they had gone far, guards discovered them and released a signal.

Within moments, Generals Jiang, Shen, Han, and Yang arrived.

The two were like turtles trapped inside a jar.

There was nowhere left to flee.