Minglong

Chapter 247 This kid probably won't... (revised)

Night falls.

After the towering flames subsided, the endless snowfield was shrouded in a blizzard, turning into a dark and lightless polar night.

Xie Jinhuan carried the light and graceful woman on his back, making his way quietly across the knee-deep snowfield in the dark. He would occasionally look back at the sky behind him. Only when they were far away from Jianchuan did his tense nerves relax a little.

After the earth-shattering explosion, Xie Jinhuan was almost knocked unconscious on the spot. After recovering, he picked up Qi Yuehua and hid her in the snow. After waiting for a moment, he discovered that Lü Yan had gone mad and suddenly chased after him to the south, so he quickly escaped.

Although Bu Yuehua seemed to have divine assistance, it couldn't change the fact that her soul was injured and she was still wounded. She had just been engaged in a high-intensity battle and was also hit by an explosion, almost causing her to faint. It was the 'power of the ancestors' that carried her afterward. At this moment, she was lying on his back in a daze. She didn't know how long it took before the howling wind suppressed the ringing in her ears and her thoughts gradually cleared up.

Looking around, she realized they were already on a snowy plain, far from the trouble. She breathed a sigh of relief, but the feeling of divine assistance she had felt was gone. The dual exhaustion of her limbs and spirit made it almost impossible for her to lift her head. She could only rest her chin on Xie Jinhuan's shoulder and ask softly:

"Phew...Are you alright?"

Xie Jinhuan had suffered numerous superficial wounds, and his robes were charred black by the flames, but he was still able to hold on and responded with a smile:

"I'm fine. Lu Yan also suffered a loss just now, so he shouldn't be able to catch up. You just need to rest. I'll take you to a safe place."

As an elder, Bu Yuehua's cultivation level was much higher. However, she had to rely on Xie Jinhuan to solve the Seven Star Nails problem and forge connections. Now, she had to rely on Xie Jinhuan's immortal arts to resolve this predicament and was even carried away to escape. She felt a little ashamed and wanted to express her gratitude, but then she realized something was wrong.

She only realized with a slight sense that she had a waist knife and a Listening Snow Sword hanging on her waist, her right hand was holding the Roaring Dragon Spear for Xie Jinhuan, and her left hand was holding a warm plaque.

The plaque feels like jade, but it's quite heavy. When you touch it with your fingers, you can feel the Vermilion Bird relief pattern...

Bu Yuehua was slightly taken aback. She picked up the plaque and examined it carefully. She found that it was indeed a family heirloom from Wuling Mountain, and her eyes widened slightly.
"How did the Imperial Fire Order end up in my hands?"

"what?"

Xie Jinhuan had been so busy escaping that he hadn't noticed these details, but when he saw the token in front of him, his eyes widened in surprise.

"How did you get your hands on it?"

"I?"

Bu Yuehua wondered if she had that kind of ability, but upon closer reflection—when she was blasted away, it seemed as if she had inexplicably raised her hand...

At this moment, Ye Hongshang also appeared, carrying a red umbrella and floating in front of him, his captivating eyes showing a hint of smugness:

"I just grabbed this on a whim, isn't that amazing?"

Xie Jinhuan hadn't even seen how A Piao made her move; her eyes widened in astonishment. She also understood why Lü Yan had chased after him south. She replied:
"awesome!"

Bu Yuehua clearly didn't understand that Xie Jinhuan was talking to his wife. At first, she was embarrassed by the praise, but she quickly realized that the situation was not good!
Stealing this thing would be worse than taking Lü Yan's life; Lü Yan would definitely go crazy searching for it.

That would have been one thing, the two were ambushed in Jianchuan, which was a case of being set up and defending themselves. But from the perspective of the Northern Zhou, the situation was completely different.

Xie Jinhuan, a prominent figure in the Southern Dynasty, secretly traveled to the Northern Zhou Dynasty. In the back garden of the Lishan Sword Pavilion, he killed the head of the Lishan Sword Pavilion, who was stationed in Lizhou. Afterwards, he refused to be arrested and injured the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices who came to handle the case.

The nature of this matter is no less than that of Lü Yan running to Daqian, killing Mu Yunling at Danyang Academy, and then injuring Lu Wuzhen who came to handle the case.

Regardless of the reason, the mere fact that it gets out is enough to enrage the entire Northern Zhou court and public. Allowing them to leave the country alive would be nothing short of a humiliation for Northern Zhou!
Xie Jinhuan's explanation that he acted in self-defense was not something the Northern Zhou people would believe!

With such a commotion just now, once the news gets out, I'm afraid a large number of angry Dengs will soon rush from all directions to surround and arrest them.

Thinking of this, Bu Yuehua couldn't help but feel nervous:

"Let's hurry back to Daqian, kill Li Huaichuan, and wound Lü Yan. The Northern Zhou people definitely won't believe our explanation. If we don't run now, it'll be too late..."

Xie Jinhuan was aware of the current situation, but he was not afraid. After all, in the Southern Dynasty, he could only fight on his own, but in the Northern Zhou, he really had someone above him!
However, the premise for not being afraid is that he must first escape to Yanjing alive. If he is blocked by the Divination Sect or the sorcerers on the way, he will still have a slim chance of survival.

Therefore, Xie Jinhuan dared not delay and quickly sped towards Yanjing:

“If I go south now, I will definitely be blocked by many obstacles, but going to Yanjing will be smooth sailing. They will never expect me to go there.”

Bu Yuehua frowned: "Lü Yan is the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. The capital is his territory. He can't rely solely on his status as a military officer in an envoy..."

"Don't worry, I have a plan."

"..."

Bu Yuehua felt that going to the capital now would be fine, unless Xie Jinhuan was really Empress Dowager Guo's secret boyfriend. Although the possibility was slim, she still trusted Xie Jinhuan's judgment and didn't ask any more questions. She just lay on his back, closed her eyes, and circulated her internal energy to recover her strength...
-
As night deepened, the wind and snow intensified.

Jiang Xian, dressed in a blue constable's robe, stuck his horse-slaying sword into the snow, used a light bead to illuminate the area of ​​about ten feet around him, examined the footprints on the ground that were gradually being covered by the wind and snow, and then looked ahead.

The footprints were over ten feet long with each step, and judging from their size, they belonged to a man, roughly the same height as the male bandit from before. The depth of the footprints indicated that someone was being carried, suggesting that the female bandit had been seriously injured in the fight. The unsteady gait indicated that she herself was also in bad shape…

Two bandits, exhausted from their fierce battle, had one rendered incapacitated and made him easy to capture...

However, the two were extremely cautious, avoiding snowy terrain whenever possible, and deliberately traversing complex environments such as trees, rivers, and small villages to avoid being tracked...

After frowning and pondering for a moment, Jiang Xian pulled out a small booklet, about the size of a palm, from her bulging clothes.

The booklet is titled "Xian'er's Diary," and it records her past in Jiangjiabao, her background, and her various goals for this trip to the capital. Several of her goals have been crossed out, and the latest goal is "enter the Fengyi Division," followed by "become Empress Dowager Guo's right-hand man."

Once she successfully resolves the case in Baihua County, she can enter the Fengyi Division, but becoming the right-hand woman of the Empress Dowager of Northern Zhou is still a long way off.

Capturing these two formidable thieves, a male and female, would obviously be a shortcut to instant wealth... But how exactly do we capture them...?

After carefully reading through the diary, Jiang Xian put it back in her bosom, stood up beside the horse-slaying sword, and chanted incantations while making hand seals:

"The Three Pure Ones borrowed the power to see through the vast emptiness..."

As Jiang Xian used his Qi Observation technique, golden light emanated from both temples, converging in his eyes.

Then, the dark snowfield, which had been shrouded in a blizzard, suddenly became colorful, and various colors of energy could be seen drifting between heaven and earth.

Jiang Xian surveyed the endless snowfield, searching for clues amidst the turbulent, colorful expanse. After a long while, she withdrew her supernatural powers, drew her horse-slaying sword, and pursued the trail in one direction.

However, before they had gone far, they heard the sound of wind breaking and calls coming from behind:

"Xiao Biao!"

"You run so fast, just like a rabbit..."

……

Jiang Xian glanced back, perhaps afraid of being stopped by the elderly man leading the group, and immediately sped up and began to run, calling out to him from afar:
"Hurry, hurry! I've found their trail!"

"what?!"

Shen Cang, sword in hand, charged forward. Upon hearing the sound, his expression changed drastically, and he quickly said:
"Come back! If we find their whereabouts, we'll report to the experts. If we really run into them, the three of us can't beat them..."

"Fortune favors the bold, and if the report doesn't credit us, we'd better hurry..."

"Ugh……"

……
-
As night deepened, in a small town in northeastern Lizhou.

Xie Jinhuan carried Bu Yuehua on his back and quietly leaped into the deserted house. After making sure that no one noticed, he pushed open the old door.

squeak~
The coal ball, which had been overseeing the battle from afar and then caught up halfway, now obediently landed on the rooftop to act as a sentry, keeping an eye on the movements in all directions.

Although Xie Jinhuan wanted to rush to Yanjing in one go, Lizhou was still far from Yanjing, and the battle had taken a heavy toll on him. He couldn't possibly go without rest. Only after entering the room and placing the magnanimous Sister Bu on the empty bed did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"call……"

After resting, Bu Yuehua had recovered somewhat, but she still had a headache and felt extremely weak. Seeing Xie Jinhuan sit down beside her, she took out a handkerchief from her bosom and helped wipe her hair and eyebrows, which were covered in frost.

"You should rest for a while too. Does your injury hurt?"

"I am fine."

Xie Jinhuan was not seriously injured, but he had quite a few burns on his skin. However, they did not affect him much. After taking a closer look, he tore off the charred and tattered robe.

Seeing that Bu Yuehua was also stained with blood and her dress was torn, he turned around and went outside to find two sets of robes at a nearby house. Of course, he didn't forget to leave some silver there. Then he returned to the house and placed the robes in front of him.
"Do you need your sword wound in the chest re-bandaged?"

"Hmm... I'll do it myself."

Bu Yuehua picked up the floral dress she had found, then, remembering what she had done, got up and, supporting herself against the wall, went to the next room.

rustling~
Xie Jinhuan didn't want to follow Xuezi and stare at her, so he sat on the bed to regulate his breathing and picked up the Fire Control Token and the Snow Listening Sword to admire his spoils of war.

Outside the window, the wind and snow continued, but inside the room, it was so quiet that only the soft breathing of the two people could be heard.

Bu Yuehua stood in the cubicle, took off her tattered dress, revealing her voluptuous waist and the shapely hips beneath the loose dress, which were no less impressive than her obedient disciple's. Her front was also like a steamed bun, exuding the plumpness befitting a wealthy family.

Raising her hand, she lifted the soft armor again, revealing the bandages binding her side. Bu Yuehua bit her lower lip and untied the bandages. Perhaps it was too quiet, but she couldn't help but recall the two of them in the tree hollow earlier, when she lifted her close-fitting soft armor to let the child see it so close to her face, and even leaned forward to get closer...

Thinking of that scene, Bu Yuehua felt extremely embarrassed, and her serene cheeks flushed slightly. But what was even more awkward was that she had lost her mind and said she wanted to come out alive so that someone could kiss her...

How could I say such utter nonsense?

Isn't this disrespectful act of incest? If Wanyi knew, she'd glare at her teacher to death...

(←_←)!!
Bu Yuehua shrank her neck, pondering to herself, and leaned back slightly, wanting to see if Xie Jinhuan was also thinking about this.

They discovered that Xie Jinhuan had changed into a yellow cloth robe, holding a three-foot-long Listening Snow Sword in his hand, observing it. His profile was as cold as a spring, solemn and focused. The rustic clothes could not conceal his pure and untainted temperament, just like a true gentleman who would remain unmoved even if his mature junior sister-in-law were lying beside him...

Such an upright child probably wouldn't take what he just said seriously...

Whether Xie Jinhuan accepts it or not is her business; whether she keeps her word is her problem...

If she doesn't mention what she said afterward, she'll be seen as a heartless and untrustworthy vixen...

Should we mention it? Xie Jinhuan probably wouldn't accept it... right...?

If I actually agree, then I've brought this upon myself, and at least I can face my conscience...

(End of this chapter)