This vast, boundless world.
For anyone, the easiest thing to obtain is ti; likewise, the easiest thing to lose is also ti.
She hadn't felt that way before.
But now…
Gu Zhiqing felt it keenly. She could clearly sense that her life had already entered its countdown, every bit and drop she could count.
"Your future is filled with a thousand colors, but I…"
Looking at the sky gradually shrouded by night, Gu Zhiqing grinned. "I'll watch you from the heavens, watch you turn into a dragon amidst these storms and soar through the nine skies."
Back then, how much resolve had it taken to leave without saying goodbye?
And now, she was preparing to go alone, to flee deep into the mountains, not to burden anyone, to let herself live or die as fate pleased—how much courage did that take?
Outsiders had no way of knowing.
"Cough, cough."
Another mouthful of blood was coughed up. Perhaps she was used to it by now; Gu Zhiqing didn't even glance at it. She put away her handkerchief, propped her chin with one hand, a faint smile at her lips, quietly staring out the window.
Listening to the sound of wind and rain.
The rain had been falling the whole day.
The air was damp and cold, the wind lashing the face like a knife.
But so people's hearts were still warm, simply because they knew the one they loved was getting better and better, with a bright future ahead.
As for herself, it no longer mattered.
Not far away.
Four young n sat around a table, all dressed in fine clothes, none older than thirty. At first they drank and joked, the atmosphere lively, but soon their gazes were drawn to Gu Zhiqing.
A face refined to flawless perfection, a perfect figure, and on top of that, a slightly sickly look, carrying a trace of frailty that tugged hard at their nerves.
"Tsk, tsk, since when did such a great beauty show up in Shisu Town?" One young man with crafty eyes—clearly a petty, scheming sort—raised his cup and drawled.
"She's holding a sword. She might be a Fist Master too."
"Didn't you see her coughing blood? I'd say this woman's probably badly injured. In that case, we might as well go test the waters."
"I'll go!!"
A young man with a scar at the corner of his mouth, thin as a stick, volunteered himself, grinning. "But let's make it clear first—once it's done, I get first go."
"Hahaha, go on then, nobody's fighting you for first."
The crafty-eyed young man—Cao Cong—waved and cursed with a smile.
The scrawny young man said no more nonsense. He grabbed a cup of wine off the table, loosened his shirt buttons, stuck one hand in his pocket, and sauntered toward Gu Zhiqing, thinking he looked dashing and suave.
This scene naturally quickly caught the notice of the other guests in the hall, who all cast asuring glances over.
While marveling at Gu Zhiqing's beauty, they could only shake their heads and sigh.
Those who often moved around this area knew that this pack of rich young masters were always running wild, to a degree that could only be called deserving of heaven's wrath and people's rage.
But because Cao Cong ca from the Cao Family, one of Shisu Town's native Royal Family clans, everyone could only fu in silence.
Sigh.
A perfectly good girl; today she probably wouldn't escape their clutches.
Sighs were sighs, but no one dared to step forward.
Who dared to head-on challenge the might of the Royal Family?
"Miss, you don't look well, burdened with worries. How about a drink together?" The scrawny young man stood in front of Gu Zhiqing, wearing a gentle smile. "I've got a bit of pull in Shisu Town. Whatever trouble you're in, you can just tell …"
Clang!
Before he finished, a slender sword suddenly flashed from its sheath, pressing against his throat.
"Get lost!"
Gu Zhiqing kept her pose, chin propped on one hand, eyes on the window, and spat out a cold single word.
Clatter.
The suddenness of it left everyone stunned.
Who would've thought that this seemingly weak woman would have such a violent temper, acting swift and ruthless, drawing her sword at the slightest disagreent?
That one "get lost" was as simple as it was blunt.
The young man nad Jian Yang's expression shifted, then he forced a chuckle. "Miss, I can tell you're in a bad mood, and I'm best at cheering people up. Why don't you co sit with us?"
The next instant.
Sword-light flashed.
Schhk!!
Completely unprepared, Jian Yang had his windpipe pierced by a single thrust, blood gushing out in a flood.
"Help, hel…"
Jian Yang's pupils constricted, then slowly unfocused. Clutching his neck with both hands, he still couldn't stop the blood surging out. He staggered a few steps and finally pitched forward to the floor.
He twitched twice, then life left his body.
Cao Cong: "…"
Everyone: "…"
Who…who could've seen this coming??
Just a weak woman, yet she killed the man as soon as she decided to, face utterly unchanged, not even blinking.
This…
In an instant, the spacious restaurant hall fell utterly silent.
Gu Zhiqing remained unmoved, still staring out the window, but the faint smile at the corner of her lips had long vanished.
"Huh?"
In a private room on the second floor, a girl with twin ponytails stuck her head out. When she saw Gu Zhiqing, the girl, who had been sulking, suddenly had a spark of light shoot from her bright, lively eyes.
"Gu Zhiqing?!"
The girl was none other than Mu Ling'er. She froze for a mont, then broke into ecstatic joy. "She—she's actually still alive? Does that an that damned bastard Chen Yang isn't dead either?"
"How could that be?"
Mu Gang ca over at the shout, frowning deeply. "Then again, it might actually be possible."
"Co on, let's go ask." Mu Ling'er turned on her heel without another word.
Bang.
After a brief shock, Cao Cong slamd the table and sprang up. "You bitch, you even dare kill a friend of mine, Cao Cong? I think you're tired of living!"
He spoke fierce words, but inside Cao Cong was overjoyed. Now he had more than enough reason to forcefully take Gu Zhiqing away.
As for Jian Yang, dead was dead.
n like that—even if ten of them died—Cao Cong wouldn't so much as frown.
Gu Zhiqing said nothing. She picked up her Longsword and turned to leave.
"Heh!"
Cao Cong laughed in his fury. "Trying to leave? Did I say you could go?"
"Killing soone right in front of , Cao Cong, and thinking you can walk away without paying a price—do you think that's possible?"
"Hmph!"
A cold snort cut into the scene. "From what you're saying, you're the Heavenly King now? Without your permission, no one can co or go, huh?"
"But of course!"
Cao Cong blurted it out, but when he turned his head and saw the twin-ponytailed girl and the Silver Armored Guards coming down from upstairs, his face changed drastically, and he nearly collapsed to the floor.
Silver Armored Guards—people from the City Lord's Mansion.
In that case, the girl's identity spoke for itself.
"P-Princess Ling'er!" Cao Cong stamred a greeting, cold sweat pouring down his forehead in sheets.
Scrape.
With chairs scraping back, everyone in the hall stood up and respectfully saluted.
"So you're the Heavenly King? Hm?!" Mu Ling'er demanded.
"I, I…" Cao Cong was tongue-tied, his face ashen. Not even in his dreams had he imagined he'd run into this willful princess here, and that she would actually step into a trivial matter like this.
"Co here." Mu Ling'er pointed her lollipop at Cao Cong.
Cao Cong shivered like a cicada in winter. He didn't dare delay, and forced himself to walk over.
Clang!
Mu Ling'er drew a blade from the waist of one of the Silver Armored Guards and tossed it at Cao Cong's feet, then ordered Mu Gang, "Castrate him."
Cao Cong: "…"
Everyone: "…"
"…"
User Comments
0 comments from readers