Chapter 29.1 : White Wind Master; Swirling Sandstorm

Well, what would you like to eat then, Hua Cheng?

Xie Lian shifted to face Fu Yao and, intentionally or otherwise, when he took a step forwards, he shielded San Lang from view. “There is no need to remind me of who I am. On this, I am most clear.”

“Then why the hell are you still standing there by his side?” Fu Yao seethed.

Xie Lian’s reply was frank. “Because…… I won’t be bitten by the snakes if I stand next to him.”

“……”

San Lang choked a little at his answer, then burst into laughter. Fu Yao’s expression was thunderous. “You……”

His face grew steadily darker, then suddenly turned entirely black. Not just his face, Xie Lian’s entire view also bathed in pure darkness.

Turns out that the protective barrier of flames that Fu Yao had put up earlier, as well as the ring of fire he had drawn on the ground, have suddenly gone out!

In the darkness, Xie Lian heard San Lang snicker as he said, “Pathetic!” He felt an arm loop over his shoulders. Immediately after, Xie Lian heard something slamming hard and fast right above them in quick succession. Bang bang! It sounded like a torrential rainstorm striking and bouncing off a parasol.

Needless to say, now that the protective barrier has vanished, the purplish-red snakes had begun raining down on them in a veritable deluge again. And there is a parasol propped above them, deflecting the snakes!

Xie Lian caught a whiff of a heavy scent of blood. He was about to make a move, but San Lang said, “Don’t move. Nothing would dare come over here, if it knows what’s best for them.”

His tone was calm and confident. The first part of his sentence was spoken gently, his voice mellow, but the later part was laced with arrogance. Xie Lian had not been worried to begin with, but then he heard Fu Yao bellowing angrily somewhere ahead. It seems that the rain of snakes had poured all over his head. Xie Lian urged, “San Lang!”

San Lang immediately said, “No.”

Xie Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or tear at his hair. “Do you know what I was about to say?”

San Lang replied, “Don’t worry yourself. He won’t die.”

At this moment, a shriek sounded from somewhere laterally ahead of them. “BAN YUE! If you want me dead just let them bite me and get it over with. What the hell are you playing at?”

Ban Yue protested, “It wasn’t me!” In all likelihood, Ke Mo had been battered awake by the snakes, found himself buried in a seething mass of slippery bodies, and immediately determined this to be Ban Yue’s way of tormenting him.

Xie Lian said, “Fu Yao, can you still light up a fire? Cast another flame spell!”

Fu Yao was gnashing his teeth. “That thing by your side is suppressing my magic, I can’t light any fires!”

Xie Lian’s heart sank, but San Lang said, “I didn’t.”

“I know you didn’t,” Xie Lian said. “And that’s precisely why this is strange. Ban Yue and Ke Mo are bound by the Immortal Binding ropes so their powers are restricted, I’ve run out of spiritual energy, and you’re not suppressing Fu Yao. Does that not mean that there is a sixth person in this pit?!”

Fu Yao was incensed. “Are you possessed! There’s no damned sixth person here, no one else has come down from up there!”

At this moment, they heard Ban Yue’s startled voice. “Who’s there?!”

Xie Lian said, “What’s wrong Ban Yue? Is there someone by your side?”

Ban Yue replied, “There’s a……” Her sentence ended here and her voice faded away. Xie Lian exclaimed in alarm, “Ban Yue?!”

Fu Yao was still thrashing about within the nest of snakes. For a brief moment, a white light shone like a beacon within the pitch darkness accompanied by a ripple of explosions. He warned, “Be careful, she may be luring you over to her!”

Xie Lian said, “Not necessarily. Let’s save her first!” He was about to dash into the rain of snakes, but then he heard San Lang’s voice by his ear. “Alright!”

Xie Lian felt a hand fasten on his shoulder, and then they were suddenly whirling out together. He realized with a start that the youth was actually handling a parasol with masterful skill. With one arm fastening Xie Lian to his side, San Lang surged forward in an attack. Within the inky darkness, sparks of silver flickered, accompanied by clear, ringing chimes. Suddenly, there was an ear-piercing screech of metal on metal which split everyone’s eardrums.

“Oh?” San Lang said. “So there really is a sixth person. How interesting.”

Xie Lian could not tell how the youth handled his weapons, nor what his weapons even were. But right now, it was clear that his weapons have been met with someone else’s attack!

The other person was silent. Xie Lian could hear the whistling sound of blades cleaving the air, and deduced that another attack has been launched. From time to time, sparks burst out in brief flashes, shining stark within the darkness, but winked out just as quickly as they came. It did not suffice to illuminate the enemy’s face. Xie Lian trained an ear on the ongoing battle, and at the same time he called out, “Ban Yue, are you there? Can you answer me?”

There was no reply. Fu Yao huffed. “Mayhap the person you’re both fighting with is her!”

Xie Lian said, “No, this is definitely not Ban Yue!”

Just like how they had beat Ke Mo in the dark earlier, San Lang moved around languidly like he was merely humouring his opponent, except that he was a little more attentive this time. Their opponent had explosively powerful martial skills, and they handled their weapon smoothly and skillfully. Ban Yue’s build is petite. The brief flashes of light had illuminated a powerful looking arm, and the strength with which it wielded their weapon was clearly beyond Ban Yue’s capability. Hence it is impossible for their opponent to be her. But who could this sixth person be? And when did they even turn up to begin with?!

{T/N: I used ‘they’ to be gender neutral, but really it’s referring to only one person.}

“This sort of traitor who sells out her country is no different from that female ghost, Xuan Ji,” Fu Yao retorted “Why are you so insistent on trusting her?”

{T/N: Reminder, Xuan Ji was the ghost who murdered the brides and broke her own legs to get her former lover Pei Ming (aka General Pei) to see her again.}

Xie Lian said, “Fu Yao, can you stop being so irritable? You…… wait wait, what did you just say?”

Fu Yao crossly slapped at several Scorpion-Tailed snakes and sent them flying away with an explosive blast. “I said, why do you trust her so much? Just like how you trust that thing by your side!”

But Xie Lian said, “No, I wasn’t talking about this—– you said Xuan Ji. You mentioned Xuan Ji didn’t you?!”

“What of it?! What’s that got to do with anything!”

But Xie Lian held his breath for a moment, then suddenly said, “You can stop now! There’s no need for you to hide, I already know who you are!”

The sound of clashing blades did not waver. Their opponent paid no heed to him, but Xie Lian wasn’t overly concerned. “You think my words are only meant to trick you? General Pei Junior?”

{T/N: Previously translated as Little General Pei by Sakhyulations. Not to be confused with General Pei.}