Chapter 12 - Forsaken Phoenix, Shackled Phoenix
Fang Dingwu felt like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The convoy made it through Tiger Mouth Mountain relatively unscathed, but the incident weighed heavily on their minds. With two more days of travel left on the journey to Meizhou, the escort crew became preoccupied with an issue everyone knew, but no one dared to mention.
They had been betrayed.
That's right. There was sure to be a traitor within their escort agency. Only Master Wu and a few senior armed escort team leaders were aware of their secret escort mission. Of those who were part of the convoy, Fang Dingwu was sure that only he and Ye Beizhi were in the know. Even the person who entrusted the item to their agency didn’t know that it would be transported with this convoy.
This meant that the traitor could only be one of the senior armed escort team leaders. But who could it be? Fang Dingwu was at his wit’s end. It was entirely possible that some of his fellow armed escorts were moles who the traitor had planted.
He had considered Ye Beizhi. Ye Beizhi knew about the Transcendent Stone, but he had only been told the specifics of the mission at the last moment before departure. Furthermore, he single-handedly scared off the Mountain Wolf Bandits. Ye Beizhi could be eliminated from the list of suspects, but many names were still left.
They were ambushed by the Mountain Wolf Bandits just hours after leaving the city gates. With two more days ahead of them on the road to Meizhou, the coming days were unlikely to be peaceful.
Ye Beizhi had been deeply troubled by his own worries these two days as well. With distress, he would frequently take out the wooden food box Chi Nanwei gave him and examine the hole left by the crossbow bolt. Then, he'd turn to examine the bundle containing Chief Chen’s head. He was only soothed when he knew it was still securely tied to the horse.
Fang Dingwu observed all of this, feeling his frustration mount further, without knowing where to vent. He could tell that Ye Beizhi's mind wasn’t on this escort mission at all. He guessed that Ye Beizhi simply wasn’t worried about whether or not the mission could be completed safely.
"Team Leader Fang, Team Leader Fang." At that moment, an armed escort prevented Fang Dingwu from stewing further in frustration.
"Hmm? What is it?" Fang Dingwu, mounted atop his horse, looked down and asked the escort.
The escort just pointed ahead on the road.
Fang Dingwu’s gaze followed the guard’s finger and saw, not too far away, a woman standing in the middle of the road.
Fang Dingwu frowned and indicated for the armed escort to go and check it out.
The escort took out the knife strapped to his wrist and moved to investigate when someone suddenly stopped him in his tracks.
It was Ye Beizhi.
Fang Dingwu looked at Ye Beizhi in confusion. "Brother Ye, what are you—?" His curiosity cut off when he noticed Ye Beizhi’s rare change in expression. Seeing the figure intercepting the convoy, Ye Beizhi furrowed his brow tightly.
"Stay. I will go."
Ye Beizhi proceeded to shield the armed escort behind him and stared intently at the lone woman blocking the way.
"It's… very dangerous. Do not interfere."
Even if Fang Dingwu was an idiot, he could tell that there was something amiss about the situation. He drew his sword with a clang and shouted, "Stay alert!"
The armed escorts also drew their weapons, while the two managers went in the carriage to hide. Upon noticing that the woman ahead did not react to the commotion, Fang Dingwu couldn’t help but ask, "Who are you?"
There was no response.
Confronted with silence, Fang Dingwu wondered if he was overreacting and making a fool of himself for no reason. Suddenly, a man whose voice echoed from every which way asked, "Are you Fang Dingwu? From the Changfeng Escort Agency?"
Ye Beizhi braced himself, closing his eyes and steadying his breathing. Purposefully, he unsheathed his Tang blade from where it hung across his back. He held the blade in a two-handed grip and raised it horizontally before his eyes.
Fang Dingwu craned his head, trying to determine where the voice came from. When he could not find the source of the voice he replied, "I am indeed Fang Dingwu. Could you kindly show yourself?"
"Hehehe… Filthy thing, why should I do as you say?" the voice derided arrogantly.
Fang Dingwu's face turned red with anger. Before he could respond, the voice came again. "Let me ask you, do you have the Transcendence Stone?"
"Heh, how ridiculous. Even if I have it, what does it have to do with you?" Fang Dingwu folded his arms and sneered.
The voice vanished.
Fang Dingwu surreptitiously signaled for the people behind him to remain alert and turned towards Ye Beizhi.
Ye Beizhi, who had been standing still with his Tang blade ready, spontaneously shifted his legs and disappeared on the spot!
Swish! Clang!
It was as if the blade stirred up a whirlwind that stung at Fang Dinwu’s face and forced him back.
"You don't know what's good for you!" The voice resounded, filled with anger.
Fang Dingwu retreated a step and could finally take in what had happened.
Ye Beizhi had just defended him from a palm strike by the woman on the road. This attack was aimed at the top of his head, but he didn't even see it coming. He didn't want to imagine what would have happened to him if Ye Beizhi hadn't intercepted the blow.
Ye Beizhi raised his blade, meeting the woman's palm strike head-on. Instead of the expected sound of flesh and bone being pierced, the impact sounded more like metal striking metal.
Ye Beizhi's heart sank. His arms swelled as he made his next move, grunting as he forcefully pushed aside the woman's palm, drew back his blade, and seamlessly transitioned into an offensive stance!
Ye Beizhi narrowed his eyes in focus. Taking advantage of the woman's unstable balance from being rebuffed, he thrust toward the woman, blade intent gathering on the tip of his blade. The deadly strike pierced through the woman like a hot knife through butter!
Ye Beizhi gripped the Tang blade with both hands and pulled it sideways, opening a large but bloodless gash across the woman's abdomen. Instead of flesh and blood, intricate mechanisms lay beneath the torn clothes.
"Stormqueller!!… It’s you?!"
Now the source of the voice was clear; it came from above. Ye Beizhi looked up at the incredulous figure holding a pipe and emerging from the foliage above. The man stared at Ye Beizhi with a pained expression.
Ye Beizhi kicked away the puppet that had fallen by his leg as he confirmed the identity of the puppet master. "Forsaken Phoenix… Tang Jinnian."
Tang Jinnian jumped down from the canopy. Brushing off the leaves on his shoulder, he playfully looked at Ye Beizhi from head to toe. "Heh, countless people want your life, and here you are, hiding as an armed escort. I'm curious how many more days you can happily live for." His gaze rested upon the puppet lying at Ye Beizhi's feet. "This is the third puppet you've destroyed now. Mute Ye, how will you compensate me?"
Ye Beizhi looked at Tang Jinnian without saying anything.
Tang Jinnian seemed to have expected this and continued, "Let's make a deal. Why don't you give me the Transcendence Stone and I’ll let this slide?."
Ye Beizhi still didn't speak. He merely raised his Tang blade and pointed it straight at Tang Jinnian in clear dissent.
Tang Jinnian had a cold smile on his lips as he stared fixedly at Ye Beizhi.
From the two of them, battle intent surged like a tsunami!
Bang!
The air exploded as Ye Beizhi made the first move!
The transition from stillness to motion was instantaneous. In a flash, Ye Beizhi appeared in front of Tang Jinnian. His Tang blade slashed at Tang Jinnian's neck, aiming to behead him in one stroke!
Tang Jinnian unhurriedly used the jade pipe in his left hand to deflect the incoming blade and retreated. While stepping back, his right hand made a grasping motion in the air. Three puppets descended from above, their hands clasped to form metallic maces smashing down towards Ye Beizhi!
Ba-da-boom!
The powerful blows pulverized the ground and blasted fine dirt all around and into the air.
Standing in the distance, Tang Jinnian masked his mouth and nose with his sleeve as he squinted, warily searching the area.
Fang Dingwu and the others were even more clueless about what was going on. Their anxiety was reaching a breaking point when a flash of blade light burst out from the dust cloud.
Sching
A slash forced the three puppets away, knocking them into the air!
Ye Beizhi's figure sprang out from the dust cloud, darting straight towards Tang Jinnian!
"You came just in time!"
Tang Jinnian retreated half a step, taking his right hand out of the glove. He performed a sword-like gesture, extending his index and middle fingers close together while curling his other fingers inward to resemble a sword. He then jabbed directly at the incoming blade!
Ding!
Time seemed to freeze momentarily before the crisp collision punctured the dusty air. Billowing dust clouds swept outward from where the fingers and blade met.
Ye Beizhi was sent back flying for more than ten zhang, while Tang Jinnian stumbled back several steps until his back was up against a tree.
Ye Beizhi knelt on one knee, supporting himself with his Tang Blade as a crutch. After suppressing the chaotic qi in his chest, he exhaled fully and finally said, "River Severing Finger … Forsaken Phoenix, you have gotten better."
Tang Jinnian took a deep drag from his pipe, and then slowly exhaled a plume of smoke. He hid his right hand behind his back to conceal his trembling fingers. "From now on, I must check my lucky almanac before going out… I thought I would succeed for sure, but I ran into a jinx like you… Consider yourselves lucky today.
"Mute Ye… I wonder if you can really guard the Transcendence Stone forever."
After saying his piece, Tang Jinnian turned and disappeared into the forest without a trace.
Ye Beizhi stood back up, sheathed his blade, and hung it back on his waist.
Fang Dingwu approached and asked, "Brother Ye, are you alright?"
Ye Beizhi nodded and said to Fang Dingwu, "Let’s go, he will not come back."
Fang Dingwu nodded back and urged everyone to continue the journey.
Inside the carriage, Ye Beizhi was regulating his breathing to settle the disorderly qi in his body. Fang Dingwu sat beside him, patiently keeping watch. When Ye Beizhi finally opened his eyes, Fang Dingwu couldn’t help but inquire, "Brother Ye, who was that person? Are you two old acquaintances?"
Ye Beizhi looked at Fang Dingwu, thought for a moment, then nodded saying, "Yes, I know him… Forsaken Phoenix, Tang Jinnian. Very strong."
"So who won just now? Between the two of you, who is stronger?" Fang Dingwu immediately followed up .
"… In that exchange, he had the upper hand. Once he creates some distance between us, it is hard for me to get close again. As for who is stronger…" Ye Beizhi thought for a moment. "We are both in the same rank. In the few times we’ve fought, I have come out on top in some; him in others. But in terms of killing prowess, he is far more formidable."
"Oh? Why is that?" Fang Dingwu asked eagerly, "Is he very skilled at killing?"
"Rather than saying he is skilled at killing, it’s more accurate to say he doesn’t value human life to begin with." Ye Beizhi shook his head. "In his eyes, people are weak and fragile things. In his world, there is only himself and his puppets.
"He is a person trapped in his own world."
Fang Dingwu became even more curious. This was the first time he had heard Ye Beizhi say so much at once. He talked about this Forsaken Phoenix in far more detail than he did when he first introduced himself. It was clear that Ye Beizhi was actually very familiar with that puppet master.
Ye Beizhi lifted the carriage curtain and gazed upon the darkening sky. Touching the wooden box by his bosom, he wondered how he would explain everything to Chi Nanwei when he returned. In his mind, he could already see Chi Nanwei’s pouting, concerned face.
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