117 Gu Lingfeng (2/2)
Zhan Beiye waved his sword, slicing off thorny branches. In the dark forest, his sword twinkled, its red gem glowing exceptionally brightly, like the eye of a god.
A crack sounded beneath Meng Fuyao's feet. Startled, she raised her foot to see a decaying bone. ”I thought it was a ghost…”
She paused, studying the bone closely. ”It is a ghost.”
Zhan Beiye glanced over at the bone, explaining, ”People came in to hunt, and many had died a violent death. Probably belongs to a hunter. There might be more traps along the way, so be extremely careful.”
He sliced off another section of thorny vines. ”Who is it!” He shouted suddenly.
A figure flashed before their eyes and he pulled Meng Fuyao behind him. ”Your Highness,” the figure called out.
”It's you,” Zhan Beiye released a sigh of relief, frowning as he looked at Ji Yu. ”Did I not tell you to bring the men back to Pandu? Who is to handle the situation if you're here..?”
”Xiaoqi is the assistant leader of Dark Wind Horses. He can manage it,” Ji Yu answered. ”Let this ten selected soldiers and I walk with Your Highness on this path.”
Zhan Beiye sighed after some time, pointing to Meng Fuyao. ”Protect this lady and I'll allow you to stay.”
”Yes!”
Meng Fuyao smiled softly, hugging her chest and looking up at the sky. There was no point in arguing, and it was still too early to say who needed the protection.
”The soldiers will not follow us in, but Gu Lingfeng will,” Zhan Beiye informed. ”He has been after me for a long time. Looks like I'll need to gift him something special.”
He squatted and started to dig a few shallow holes, only enough for a person to put the tip of his shoes in. The holes were made at random, and he covered them with vines before tying them to the trees. He then ordered Ji Yu to dig a few bigger holes behind those and to stick tree stumps in them. He chopped a few stumps and turned them into wooden plants to fit above the holes, before covering them with topsoil and more vines.
As they were doing that Meng Fuyao retrieved the bottles and jars she had gotten from Zong Yue's place, opening them up and sprinkling the contents all over the vines.
They then climbed up different trees and waited, leaving Zhan Beiye standing in place with a sword in hand.
A short while later a golden robe flickered. Gu Lingfeng had entered the forest with his men. They were all extremely cautious and kept casting stones before advancing, to ensure that there weren't any traps.
Gu Lingfeng moved ahead of everyone else as he could rely on his powerful inner energy to not set a foot on the ground at all. He spotted a sword and look up to see Zhan Beiye, face toward the sky.
Shocked, he wondered why Zhan Beiye wasn't escaping. Before he could answer Zhan Beiye swung his sword downward.
His move contained enough power to split a mountain. It was like that of a thousand lightning bolts but without any fanciness. Enormous wind gust rose from the ground, rolling the branches and leaves into the air. A faint red light surfaced on the sword, reflecting its glow onto Gu Lingfeng's features, highlighting the murderous look on his face.
In response to such a powerful launch, Gu Lingfeng dared not receive it directly. Instead, he hardened his body and bent it backward, face toward the sky, in an attempt to dodge Zhan Beiye's attack.
As he tried to do so without retreating too far, he had no choice but to shift half a step.
”Whip, whip.”
Gu Lingfeng felt his mind clenching along with the sound and also felt his feet being bound. Looking down he noticed the vines around his feet. Shocked he staggered half a step backward, his foot falling into yet another trap, which was the small hole created by Zhan Beiye.
Astonished but not panicking, he sliced the vines off with his sword. ”These are not going to stop me…”
He stopped suddenly, staring at a cloud of fog before him. It was above the vines and had risen from the moment he sliced them off. Some of it had even stained his armor.
His eyes reddened, and he immediately felt suffocated. Without thinking he leaped up, and upon seeing him in danger a subordinate pounced forward without hesitation.
One jumped forward while the other jumped backward
”Withdraw!”
Amid his crisp voice, slight rustling sounds could be heard from the ground. The wooden planks were pulled open together with the vines, revealing the black holes, which embraced the two colliding individuals with open arms.Gǔn, Count of Chóng was a figure in Chinese mythology, sometimes noted as the father of Yu the Great, the founder of the Xia dynasty.