"My lord, wait for this old man!"
Huang Tingyu stepped on a flying sword in mid-air and followed Chu Huaixi.
In the small town, Chen Yu suddenly pulled on the reins and shouted, "Death Squad, follow me to see what's going on! Qian Hai, you immediately lead a hundred riders to Baiyuxi, find Lin Zhao, Lin Zhao must be alive!"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
...
In the air, Chu Huaixi had almost pushed the speed of a ten-realm martial artist's wind-riding flight to its limit. He was like a thunderclap, so much so that Huang Yueran, who had just been repelled by the sword formation in the wind, hadn't had time to react. Chu Huaixi, enveloped in intense fist intent, appeared in the air ahead, his cloak flying, radiating killing intent.
"Is it you?"
Chu Huaixi raised an eyebrow, "Killed Lin Zhao?"
Huang Yueran frowned, "Commander Chu, have you forgotten me? I am Huang Yueran of the Huang family..."
"Son of Huang Yan?"
"Exactly!"
Huang Yueran said, "I left the small town at the age of fourteen and went to Liuyun Mountain to cultivate. Now I have awakened a Jianhu Reservoir and become a six-realm sword cultivator."
"Get to the point!"
Chu Huaixi said angrily, "Did you kill Lin Zhao?"
"Commander Chu..."
Huang Yueran frowned, "Commander Chu, can you please listen to me patiently? Lin Zhao shattered my brother Huang Lin's arm, making it almost impossible for him to advance in martial arts. Moreover, this person is ferocious and even wants to harm Huang Lin's family in secret. Please, Commander Chu, clarify. I returned to Tianchi Town this time only to clean up the family..."
"Enough!"
Chu Huaixi said lightly, "You just need to answer, did you kill Lin Zhao, that's all!"
"Yes..."
"That's enough."
Chu Huaixi's expression turned cold, and killing intent surged all around him.
Just then, a wisp of breeze arrived, transforming into the deputy commander of the Tianchi Army, the elderly sword cultivator Huang Tingyu, who stood beside Chu Huaixi. He frowned, "My lord, do you really want to kill him? This young man... is the son of Huang Yan. Many brothers in our army are from the Huang family. The Huang clan is deeply rooted, with at least two to three hundred people..."
"So what?"
Chu Huaixi sneered, "The day I led the remnants of the Great Chen Dynasty to Xueyu Tianchi, I issued a clear decree that disciples of the Great Chen Dynasty were not allowed to kill each other. Now that you, Huang Yueran, have left the small town and dared to return to kill people, you should know your fate."
"Commander Chu!"
Huang Yueran was a little agitated, "Lin Zhao is just a second-realm martial artist. If I, Huang Yueran, cultivate for a few more years and return to the Tianchi Army, I will be at least an eighth-realm Golden Core sword cultivator, or even a Star River realm sword cultivator. Commander Chu can't even figure this out? Are you willing to kill me, Huang Yueran, for the sake of Lin Zhao, and offend our Huang clan for the sake of a bastard? Moreover, Commander Chu, have you considered that if you kill me, you will not only offend the Huang clan but also Liuyun Mountain? My sect will definitely not let this go!"
Chu Huaixi raised an eyebrow, "The Huang clan are my subordinates. If they harbor ill intentions, they will be wiped out. If Liuyun Mountain dares to come to Xueyu Tianchi to seek retribution, I, Chu Huaixi, will bear it alone!"
He then said, his fist intent surging, "Huang Yueran, I'll give you a chance. You only throw one punch. If you can withstand it and survive, this matter will be dropped. If you can't, then no one can blame anyone!"
Huang Yueran's eyes lit up, "Does Commander Chu mean it?"
"My word is as good as gold!"
"Good, Commander Chu, please throw your punch!"
Huang Yueran was eager to try. Chu Huaixi sent out a punch, and the gust of wind almost made the surrounding world change color.
...
"Bang!"
After one punch, the sword energy was instantly obliterated. A fist imprint landed on Huang Yueran's chest, piercing it directly. He disintegrated into a rain of blood behind him. The next moment, Chu Huaixi grabbed one of Huang Yueran's legs, held his corpse in his hand, and looked at Deputy Commander Huang Tingyu with a faint expression.
Huang Tingyu slapped his forehead, "It's over. The Huang clan will probably hold a grudge now. When Huang Yueran was sent away, he was considered the most potential young prodigy of the Huang clan. At the age of fifteen, he opened a Jianhu Reservoir. He was a potential sword immortal, and his future achievements might have given the Great Chen Dynasty a ten-realm Star River realm sword cultivator. Now, you've destroyed him with one punch!"
"Stop the nonsense."
Chu Huaixi raised his hand and threw Huang Yueran's corpse to Huang Tingyu, saying, "One character 'Huang' cannot be written twice. Since you are all surnamed Huang, I will leave this matter to you. Take Huang Yueran's body to the Huang clan and tell them directly the reason why I killed Huang Yueran!"
Huang Tingyu looked helpless, "My surname Huang is not their surname Huang. They cannot be confused. Besides, Commander Chu easily kills people with his fist, but why is the unpleasant task always mine?"
"Who told you to be the deputy commander?"
Chu Huaixi turned and said, "Go to Baiyuxi and see if Lin Zhao can be saved."
"Yes!"
The two turned into two rays of light and flew directly towards Baiyuxi. The sword formation in the sky gradually dispersed. Each activation of the sword formation consumed a lot of energy, and the Tianchi Army was already weak in resources, so they couldn't afford to waste more.
...
Baiyuxi.
Chen Yu galloped her horse along the bank, continuously shouting Lin Zhao's name, but received no response.
A group of iron cavalry followed, but everyone was helpless.
Chu Huaixi swept over and stood in the air above Baiyuxi, looking down. "What should we do? Lin Zhao's aura... it seems like there's no trace of him at all."
"It's not just an adult who thinks so."
Huang Tingyu pouted, "I feel the same way. I can't sense Lin Zhao's aura at all. It seems... he's in grave danger."
"No way!"
On the bank, Chen Yu gritted her teeth, "Lin Zhao wouldn't be killed so easily. Old Huang, don't talk nonsense!"
"I was wrong!"
Huang Tingyu immediately slapped himself hard, the sound echoing. He chuckled, "Your Highness, don't be angry..."
Chen Yu had no choice but to deal with this sycophantic fellow. She immediately waded into the water herself, using her fist qi to shake off the water splashes, wanting to see more clearly. Chu Huaixi frowned, "Issue an order, everyone in the town who can swim, and all fishermen, come here. Use fishing nets to drag... Lin Zhao has the foundation of a martial artist's cultivation, he should be able to hold his breath for a while without dying."
Huang Tingyu shook his head, "Does my lord know Lin Zhao's current realm?"
Chu Huaixi shook his head.
Huang Tingyu held up two fingers, "A second-realm martial artist. A second-realm martial artist encountering a sixth-realm sword cultivator with such strong killing intent. How high do you think Lin Zhao's chances of survival are? To put it bluntly, if Lin Zhao can really survive, then I, an old man who has lived to this age, have lived in vain."
Chu Huaixi sneered, "Is it interesting to play word games with me like this? With this effort, why don't you go into the water and look for Lin Zhao?"
"Yes!"
Huang Tingyu immediately threw Huang Yueran's corpse to a soldier and then plunged into the water. He didn't emerge for a long time.
...
"Lin Zhao..."
Chen Yu's voice was almost hoarse from shouting.
By the stream, Zhang Liucheng and Su Qingjiu, who had finished school, also arrived. They were greatly shocked upon hearing the news and also shouted Lin Zhao's name loudly by Baiyuxi. Together with Xiao Shititou, their voices were almost choked with sobs.
Not long after, a head emerged from the water, it was Deputy Commander Huang Tingyu.
He leaped out of the water and shook himself, his body instantly dry. He came to Chu Huaixi's side and said, "I didn't find him."
"Alive or dead, we must see him!"
Chu Huaixi frowned, "If Lin Zhao is truly gone, all of us in Tianchi Ridge will have failed him."
"What do you mean?"
Huang Tingyu looked blank.
"Hmph!"
Chu Huaixi said lightly, "Old Huang, do you know who was the first Sky Yuan realm martial artist of our Great Chen Dynasty in the past hundred years?"
"Naturally, it is the wise and mighty Commander Chu."
"Nonsense, I am only at the Sea Crossing realm, far from the Sky Yuan realm."
"That's impossible."
Huang Tingyu laughed heartily, "After all, in terms of martial arts talent, who in the entire Great Chen Dynasty can compare to Chu Huaixi? If it weren't for this, I, Old Huang, wouldn't have sincerely followed Commander Chu..."
"You should... just shut up."
Chu Huaixi suddenly lost the desire to speak.
...
Baiyuxi, downstream.
A middle-aged scholar in a gray and white scholar's robe appeared by the stream. He frowned, his cloth shoes stepping on the water surface. He looked down at the clear stream and smooth pebbles, and sighed, "He has indeed suffered... However, to have such a will, it is indeed good..."
Saying that, he gently stepped on the river, and the entire downstream instantly stopped flowing. Looking at the gradually drying riverbed, Qin Suihan said lightly, "How long do you plan to hide? Do you really want to take Lin Zhao as your subordinate water ghost? Are you worthy?"
In the river water, the stream gradually turned into silk threads, and a person with an old woman's face slowly emerged from the water. Her eyes were faintly golden. She looked at Qin Suihan, trembling, "River Granny Xu, greetings, Sage Qin..."
Qin Suihan frowned, "Hand over Lin Zhao? For so many years, you haven't done your job properly. I can't be bothered to pursue these trivial matters. After all, these are family matters of the military, and it's not my place to interfere. However, I must intervene in Lin Zhao's matter. Don't tell me you've already taken Lin Zhao's soul. Hand him over quickly, and I'll spare your life."
The River Granny's expression was tragic. "As you command, Sage Qin, I will return him now."
She gently raised her hand, and the water waves parted. Lin Zhao's severely injured body appeared. Although he was badly wounded, he still had a breath. After emerging from the water, he coughed violently, spitting out a lot of water, and then fainted again.
...
The scholar picked up the young man, disregarding his wet clothes. With one step, he arrived at the stone bridge and then walked in front of Chen Yu. "He trusts you very much, so I will temporarily entrust him to you."
Chen Yu was overjoyed, "Thank... thank you, Mr. Qin!"
"Yes, I will visit him again later. Thank you for your trouble, Miss Chen."
"Yes, leave it to me!"