9 Sweet Revenge (2/2)
But it wasn't the time to interrogate. Moreover, with Pei Yuan's identity, even Lin Xuan Yuan would have to think twice about lecturing her. The best he could do was to stay awake and accompany his guest.
The white-haired advisor was a reputable servant of the emperor but was more widely recognized as the prince's mentor. A man of his age shouldn't be this clear-headed, but it was also a fact that he was gabbling on, with his dark eye rings, amid the host's consecutive yawns.
”The 5 Regions; Qing, Yi, Heng, Ming, and Di are split into 7 Nations; Tiansha, Wuji, Fufeng, Qiongcang, Taiyuan, Xuanji and Xuanyuan. Tiansha likes war, Wuji has talents, Taiyuan spreads martial spirit, Xuanji has wisdom, Fufeng has ethics, Xuanyuan is an expert on ancient techniques, Qiongcang...”
Out of nowhere came a rush of wind that caused the candlelights to flicker. This stilled the advisor for a moment before he started laughing and sipping on his tea. As if recalling something, he exclaimed, ”Oh my, I've been too engrossed in our chat. Look at the time...”
Lin Xuanyuan shot up and answered enthusiastically, ”Yes, yes. Your valuable knowledge, Sir, has enthralled everyone here, so much that I've forgotten about inviting you to rest! My bad, my bad. Someone take this man to his room, quick...”
”Huu...” A wave of exhalation spread across the hall.
The old advisor swaggered away, and the disciples started dispersing. Lin Xuanyuan raised his hand and called out, with a gaze different from before, ”Fourth! Pei Yuan!”
The addressees, who were attempting to escape, stopped in their tracks and turned around stiffly. Pei Yuan lifted her eyes to meet Lin Xuanyuan's suspicious gaze before breaking into a smile.
All of a sudden, outside the windows, a bolt of lightning struck. The jarring light shone down upon her face and twisted her smile into a sinister smirk, effectively giving Lin Xuanyuan a fright.
He looked out of the windows and caught sight of the sudden downpour. ”It's raining...” he muttered in astonishment.
It was raining.
The midnight rain arrived so suddenly and ferociously, as if ready to tear down the sky and ocean. In no time, the crashing rain had formed countless streams on the ground.
Pei Yuan walked out from the hall as a servant, sheltering her with an oil-paper umbrella, escorted her back to the Lanting Residence. Another servant led the way with a paper lantern, which she carefully shielded with her own sleeves. Even then, the frail flame was quickly put out by the relentless wind and rain.
Before the servant could plead for forgiveness, Pei Yuan rewarded her a slap that left a fresh red cut on her face. Blood flowed down together with the raindrops, but the girl dared not let out a single cry.
”Fool! Can't even take care of a lantern!” Pei Yuan criticized while looking up at the blackened sky. A sudden wave of annoyance overtook her. With a frown on her face, she ran into her sheltered corridor, protecting her face from the rain.
”Don't come over and dirty my ground,” Pei Yuan ordered. She hated to be disturbed and suffered from mysophobia, so it was no wonder that she had chosen to live in the cleanest and most refined residence. Being aware of her habits, the servants quickly lowered their head and withdrew.
The whipping rain outside was starkly juxtaposed with the still darkness indoors.
Pei Yuan pushed the door open.
It creaked, and Pei Yuan lowered her gaze automatically, spotting a faint water trail on the wooden floor.
Her heart jumped, and she reacted instantly by leaping backward.
But it was too late.
”Zzt!”
A white light flashed by, and a black figure jumped out with a long sword. He brandished it, fast but silent. All it took was a split second for him to reach Pei Yuan!
”Rip!”
The hair-raising sound of flesh tearing rang in Pei Yuan's ears as she felt a cold, painful sensation on the left side of her forehead. It did not take long for her eye to be covered in blood.
The fresh red stain obstructed her vision. She couldn't identify the assassin, but she knew that she had to save herself. Gritting her teeth, Pei Yuan retrieved her sword. With a sharp jolt, its tip lit up, as brightly as all the stars in the sky combined. It was an absolutely dazzling sight. In such an emergency, she had no choice but to utilize her rarely used technique, ”Sword of the Vast Sky”. It was a power move that her master had secretly imparted to her.
Her opponent understood the might of this move, so instead of fighting head-on, he slipped away from her side like a fish. In that brief moment of passing, however, he had managed to deal her with another blow, resulting in an additional slash on the right side of her forehead. Yet again, fresh blood streamed out like spring water. Her vision was now completely blocked by two red waterfalls.
The blade responsible for leaving a cross on Pei Yuan's face was as swift as lightning, and each slash contained deep-seated anger.
Face soaked in blood and unable to see anything, Pei Yuan's execution was hindered. The searing pain made her anxious. She wasn't aware of the actual state of her face but judging from the amount of blood, she knew she was disfigured. Such viciousness... that person must loathe her.
A woman's face was her life, and what Pei Yuan felt at this point wasn't merely physical but also emotional pain. Only by killing the perpetrator could she feel at ease. Determined, she dismissed all thoughts of her wounds, raised her weapon and wiped the blood off her face with it. In the dark, a red glow flowed eerily down her sword. Bubbling spots gradually appeared, as though countless poisonous spiders were crawling all around it. It was a spine-chilling sight.