148 Tearstained Farewell (2/2)
Xue Wei understood that this man was trying to give them a way out. So he shrugged his shoulders. Although he was loath to swear Nine Tribulation Oaths, he could use it to his advantage this time.
”I swear on the Nine Heavenly Tribulations that I am not from this kingdom, I originate from somewhere else,” he said. The sky instantly turned into a black maelstrom, and a rumbling could be heard from way up in the sky, yet nothing happened beyond than that.
Xue Wei did not get hit by any lightning, which made the other guards no longer doubt his words. He had previously mentioned that he had come from the Flowing Blood Prairie, which made sense in the context of his oath.
In the Flowing Blood Prairie, one did not join an army to fight the Primordial and Fierce Beasts; one just fought together with one's tribe. It was not too unnatural for someone from the younger generation to appear like this.
The furious guard clenched his fists. He had long since decided that they were deserters. In truth, he was incredibly jealous of those from the Flowing Blood Prairie for not needing to join the army. He was still deeply traumatized from his time in the military, which made him wish for everyone to experience as harsh an environment as he had.
Seeing that things were not going as he had planned, the guard started gritting his teeth. He had never encountered Xue Wei and Hei Gou before the raid, and thus it should be impossible for him to have any real hostility towards them, but because they had not been forced to serve time in the army, he hated them more than anything else.
Seeing that his comrades were about to let them go, the guard was so upset that he, without realizing what he was doing, charged at Xue Wei and Hei Gou with his saber raised high into the air.
A cold gleam appeared in Hei Gou's eyes. He was about to take action when a large palm suddenly appeared in the sky above them, casting a shadow over them. This palm pressed down on the advancing guard like a hydraulic press and squashed him into the street. One could hear the sickening sound of bones breaking and wailing screams before it all died out.
The hand dissipated into thin air and the only thing that was left behind was a handprint on the pavement and a meaty paste that was evident in the hole.
The amount of guards had caused many a citizen to curiously crowd around and spectate the commotion, but the sight of the hand appearing out of the blue stunned them all, and when they saw the squished, meaty remains of the guard, a few even turned around and vomited.
”These two are under my protection,” an ancient voice said, reverberating through the entire capital. ”They are guests from outside of the nation. Do not question them. Do not try to implicate them. Or I might just have to get angry again!”
It was the voice of the monk from the temple. Xue Wei and Hei Gou knew that he was a talented cultivator, but seeing the result of his attack, they were shocked.
They had never before seen someone fight like this. Cold sweat appeared on both Hei Gou and Xue Wei's backs. If they had known that Knights commanded such strength, would they have had the guts to escape the tribe back in the Flowing Blood Prairie by themselves? They had indeed underestimated the Knight rank!
Sucking in a breath of cold air, both of them calmed down. Their escape had been a success, so there was no reason to regret their actions now, but they also knew that they had to be much more careful in the future.
At the same time, both of them cupped their fists and bowed towards the Western District. ”Thank you, brother monk,” they both said before turning towards the remaining guards.
All of the guards had ugly expressions on their faces, but they could say nothing. The reasonable one who had spoken up before politely gestured for them to pass through. Even if they wanted to stop them now, who would have the guts to step up? It was clearly suicide.
In the end, Xue Wei and Hei Gou left the capital in the same way they had entered. They were now one less person than they had been before, but that didn't change their eagerness to leave the Vermilion Forest Kingdom and head towards the center of the continent.
When they had first entered the capital, they had done so for the sake of realizing Jiang Fengmian's dream, and now that they were leaving, their hearts were at ease. Although they had no home and no family, they were now aware that they had found a place to return to – and a friend who would wait for them.
It was as if they had gained something important. Their solitary hearts were starting to fill with warmth.
Once they took their first step outside the gates of the capital, Xue Wei and Hei Gou looked at one another. They then broke out into smiles and grinned for a while without speaking. ”Our future is ahead of us!” Xue Wei eventually said with excitement. Hei Gou nodded his head with vigor.