Seeing its state, Xie Lian unconsciously reached out, wanting to pet it, "What's wrong..."
But Hua Cheng side stepped and turned his body slightly, avoiding Xie Lian's touch, and smacked hard on the hilt, "Nothing's wrong. Don't mind it."
After getting smacked soundly, the cursed blade scimitar E-Ming, feared by all in the heavens, shook even harder. Just then, Xie Lian heard Feng Xin again in the communication array: "How did Hua Cheng connect the Distance Shortening Array to the heavenly court?! How do we open this door?!"
Shi Qing Xuan cried, "General Nan Yang! Me, me, me! I think I know how! His Highness and I suffered this trick of Hua Cheng's when we were on our mission. Take two dice and toss them before the door, then push to see if it'll open."
Xie Lian remembered. Wasn't he casually tossing dice for fun earlier in the main hall?
He could still recall clearly having run pathetically for their lives in that earthworm cave and from those cannibal savages, if they really did open the doors, who knows what other calamities await them? He cried hurriedly, "Stop! Don't! Be careful!"
However, his voice never made it to the communication array. It seemed he didn't have the time to refill his spiritual power, and it had all but depleted, and could only listen without speaking. Even if he could speak, it might've been too late. Feng Xin seemed to do exactly what Shi Qing Xuan said without a second thought. How did he know?
Because the next second, Feng Xin suddenly screamed curses in the communication array. He cussed whenever he's agitated, and when he cursed the words were often too vulgar for the ear, and for censorship reasons the words shall not be repeated. Most of the officials were carefully following the situation, and asked immediately, "General, what's happened!"
Mu Qing's voice came and it also sounded quite dismayed, "What is this place???" It appeared that he entered through the doors with Feng Xin.
"Be careful, guys!" Shi Qing Xuan called out, "Different numbered rolls will bring you to different places. What number did you guys roll?"
"He rolled a four!" Mu Qing said.
Xie Lian could hear Feng Xin's voice also carried a trace of panic and terror, and was worried they might have run into an extremely dangerous place. His voice couldn't be heard in the communication array, but he remembered that the one who casted the spell in the first place was right next to him, so without thinking too much, he hurriedly asked, "San Lang, what does a roll of four open to?"
"Depends," Hua Cheng replied. "The door will open to whatever the roller fears the most."
Just as Hua Cheng answered, Mu Qing cooly said, "You fought to roll first and rolled out a women's bath! Give me the dice, I'll roll!"
Hearing "women's bath", Xie Lian covered his face with his hands.
Feng Xin had always kept his distance from women, and always stayed away from even speaking of them, as if the female sεﾒ were savage wild beasts. To him, a women's bath, really was the scariest place on earth, worse than the immeasurable depths of tiger caves or dragon lakes. It seemed Mu Qing had successfully taken the dice, and Xie Lian sighed a breath of relief. However, not a moment later, the two roared again.
Shi Qing Xuan woefully called: "Generals, what did you run into this time?"
There was no response, only odd burbling sounds, as if the two of them had sunken into water. Everyone held their breath, and after a moment, Feng Xin emerged, taking large breaths of air, sounding as if he broke through the water surface, and spitting out something. He yelled, "Black Marsh Crocodiles!"
Turns out, the two of them were barely two steps out of the women's bath in a frenzy, when Mu Qing took the dice by force and rolled, and their next step led them to fall into a muddling marsh. They were immediately submerged to past their waist in the muddy marsh, over their mouths, and after fighting to get out, over a dozen curiously long crocodile monsters swam over to surround them. Each of those monsters were over four meters in length, fed on human flesh, and grew human arms and legs from such evil practices. When they moved, the sight was terrifying and gross, making the two disgusted beyond belief. Half sunken in the black marsh, the two fought the crocs in fervour and madness, until Feng Xin finally had had enough, "Give me the dice, let me throw! You didn't roll anything good either!"
Mu Qing was one to never admit defeat, and shot a white spiritual blast, "Croc Monsters are still more decent than a women's bath! Who knows what you'll roll next. Give it to me!"
"Fuckin–" Feng Xin yelled angrily, "Didn't you already take the dice? Where are they?!"
The two had completely forgot their conscience were still connected to the communication array, and continued to fight each other, denouncing each other's luck in dice rolling; the whereabouts of the dice long lost and forgotten. The heavenly officials listened to their curses and shouts; a riot was the bigger the better – exciting! So exciting!! The two generals finally ripped through their masks and stopped caring about their faces! The officials held back their laughter, some even slamming their fists in their own seats, wishing desperately they could be watching this live and cheer the fight on.
Although Feng Xin and Mu Qing's luck didn't seem to be the best, they were still martial gods after all, and a little monster here and there were at most a nuisance, so there were nothing overly dangerous. Xie Lian prayed they would give up sooner and be released from that predicament. At the same time, he was thankful that he himself didn't roll out a number that called forth any horrors, and rolled out a Hua Cheng instead. He spoke as he walked, "I rolled snake eyes earlier. Does that mean every time snake eyes is rolled I'll be able to see you?"
The moment he ended his sentence he realized his words sounded a little weird, as if he really wanted to meet Hua Cheng, and thought it inappropriate. But Hua Cheng replied, "No."
Xie Lian felt a little awkward and scratched his cheek, "Oh. So that's not the case. I got it wrong."
Hua Cheng, walking in front of him, said, "If you wanted to see me, it won't matter what you roll. I will appear."
Hearing this, Xie Lian swallowed hard, and forgot everything else he wanted to say.
He hadn't had the chance to dissect the meaning of those words before the voice of another said in a sunken tone within the communication array: "Let me!"
It wasn't long after that person had spoken that there was a flash of white light drew across the sky and a crashing sound. Suddenly, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian's path was blocked.
When the white light cooled and slowly cleared away, Xie Lian saw that the thing that flew from the sky and blocking them now was a sword.
The sword was long and slender, half entombed into the ground on a slant, the body of the sword itself still quivering. The sword was dark like black jade, deep and foreboding, smoother than a mirror, and if anyone were to go near, they could see their own reflection on the blade. Only the thin, silver white line of the heart of the sword cut across the blade in half.
The name of this sword was 'Fang Xin'¹.
A shadow landed in front of the sword and said, "This is your sword."
After the death of the Guoshi Fang Xin, the sword he carried was kept by the Crown Prince of YongAn. The one who had thrown the sword Fang Xin and blocked their path was none other than Lang Qian Qiu.
It looked like Feng Xin and Mu Qing failed, but Lang Qian Qiu was able to roll the right numbers. It really couldn't be said whether if it was because of his luck or if it was Xie Lian's misfortune. The only thing that could be said with certainty was of the two Crown Princes, Lang Qian Qiu had always been more fortunate than Xie Lian.
Hua Cheng stood with his hands behind his back, his expression unchanged, only, his body made a small movement. The moment he moved, Xie Lian immediately stretched out a hand to stop him and said in a small voice, "Let me."
Right in the middle of the valley, Lang Qian Qiu blocked the only road, his hand holding that oversized longsword, and said, "I only want to duel with you with all my might. It doesn't matter how this ends. Even if I die in your hands, I won't ask for any compensation. I don't need you to ask the Great Lord for banishment. You taught me the art of swordsmanship; it's not like you can't win, so why won't you fight me?"
Xie Lian knew even without Lang Qian Qiu saying it that he would fight with everything he's got. But, if he didn't hold back, then Xie Lian must also fight seriously. If that was the case, none of the scenarios would be what Xie Lian would want to see. But if he didn't fight him, he wouldn't relent.
After a long while, Xie Lian finally nodded his head slowly, "Fine."
He took a few steps forward and approached that sword, pulled it from the ground, and said softly, "You asked for this."
After hundreds of years, Fang Xin finally returned to the hands of its master.
It moaned softly in Xie Lian's hands. Closeby, Hua Cheng's eyes also shone from hearing the euphoric cries of that sword.
With the sword in hand, Xie Lian swung and pointed it to the ground before saying cooly, "However this duel ends, do not regret it."
"I WILL NEVER!" Lang Qian Qiu shouted.
Lang Qian Qiu felt like his head was going to split; both his hands held the longsword tightly, his eyes focused, his breath held, his sight locked onto Fang Xin, the sword that was black as jade, not daring to be careless for even a moment.
Xie Lian jolted the sword, and suddenly dashed like an arrow. Lang Qian Qiu's eyes cemented, ready to strike, when suddenly his body froze, as if something had him wrapped tightly, and he fell heavily to the ground.
He lowered his head to see and found he really was bound! A snow white silk band was wrapped multiple times around his body like a poisonous snake!
Lang Qian Qiu was taught swordsmanship by the Guoshi Fang Xin ever since he was young, and held fear and reverence for the Guoshi; even after blood spilt like rivers at the Gilded Banquet, that awe had never ceased. The moment Xie Lian touched the sword, he spent his entire focus on the other's movement, and never noticed that there was a white silk band that snuck behind to ambush him the moment he was ready to attack. How could there be such a shameless thing???
Seeing that RuoYe succeeded, Xie Lian instantly relaxed his tense expression and heart.
He threw Fang Xin aside and took in a long breath, thinking, 'Whew, that was close.'
Lang Qian Qiu laid on the ground struggling to break free. He didn't know how vicious the white silk band could be, and the more he struggled the tighter it bound. He cried angrily, "Guoshi, what is this?! Let me go and let's fight to the death!"
Xie Lian wiped sweat from his forehead and replied, "We already fought to the death. The thing that's binding you is one of my spiritual devices. You already lost."
"..."
"How can this count?" Lang Qian Qiu shouted, "When I said fight to death, obviously I meant using a sword to fight! Use a sword if you're a man! Ambushing with a white ribbon? How cunning!"
He really thought the sword was the best of all weapons and didn't think much of his words, but it totally sounded like he was a male official who was prejudiced against using white silk bands. But Xie Lian didn't care whether if he acted like a man or not.
He'd even crossdressed before, and hung the words 'I can't get erect' around his lips.
Nothing could get to him.
Xie Lian knelt down next to Lang Qian Qiu, "You didn't think things through and never said I had to use a sword. I used your loophole, so who're you gonna tell?"
After a pause, he continued in a serious tone, "That's right, I ambushed you. So what? I succeeded. Yes, I was cunning, but so what? I won. If your opponent was anyone other than me, you would already be dead."
Hua Cheng stood not far from the two, and laughed soundlessly. He crossed his arms and looked away. Lang Qian Qiu was shocked to the core.
When that person was still the Guoshi of YongAn, all of his teachings were honourable and conscientious, straightforward and genuine. He'd never thought there'd be a day when he'd hear from the lips of his once teacher something like "Yes, I ambushed, but so what? I succeeded; yes I was cunning, but so what? I won". He was stunned.
After saying his fill, Xie Lian stood up, "Think about it on your own. Next time, don't get
in others' way."
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Translator Notes:
¹Fang Xin means "Affection of a young woman."