Chapter 169
Chapter 169: Hesitation
The young voice was neither loud nor soft, yet when it reached Baili Chang Feng’s ears, it struck like thunder from a clear sky, echoing through his mind.
Baili Chang Feng jerked his head up, staring intently at the carriage before him. But as his gaze swept past the Four Shadow Ravens standing nearby, his entire body suddenly froze in place.
In the next instant, fear visibly crept onto his sharply chiseled face, his pupils shrinking in terror.
His eyes were fixed upon the Four Shadow Ravens. Clearly, the four guards had remained perfectly still, positioned protectively around the carriage in a defensive formation. Yet, astonishingly, each of their foreheads now bore a horrifying wound—a bloodied hole piercing straight through their skulls.
The life within the Four Shadow Ravens had vanished long ago, each killed by a single strike. Even though they had been right beside him, Baili Chang Feng had felt nothing at all.
Suddenly, realization struck Baili Chang Feng with dreadful clarity. He turned toward the carriage, his face twisted in panic. The youthful voice still echoed in his mind, and though his mouth opened silently, he managed only a trembling whisper: “I…”
But before he could say another word, the carriage wheels began to roll, slowly moving down the quiet street once more.
From within the carriage, that youthful voice floated softly through the air again, whispering gently into his ear: “You hesitated.”
In an instant, Baili Chang Feng’s body froze, eyes glazing over as his life rapidly drained away. Behind him stood the hundred Black Armored Heavy Cavalry soldiers, frozen in shock, clearly seeing the hole that now ran through his head from front to back.
Rumble, rumble!
On the deserted street, silence reigned. Rows of black armor gleamed coldly as the heavy cavalry stood motionless. Only the rhythmic sound of the carriage wheels echoed clearly through the silence.
The lead black-maned warhorse nervously pawed at the ground. Immediately, the cavalry captain pulled tightly on the reins, pressing firmly down upon the horse’s head. His other hand hovered near the blade at his waist, his breath suddenly caught in his throat.
Clang!
In the next heartbeat, a hundred horizontal blades burst from their scabbards simultaneously. Cold, shimmering steel wove a glittering river of blades along the quiet street.
The blades hummed sharply, warhorses neighed loudly, and armor clattered like heavy rain beating upon iron roofs.
The calm of the long street shattered instantly, as an overwhelming killing intent erupted from the hundred Black Armored Heavy Cavalry soldiers. Beneath the thunder of iron hooves, the stone bricks shattered into dust and splinters.
Yet despite their fearsome display, the soldiers remained rooted like statues, not daring to move even one step forward. The carriage wheels rolled slowly away, unhindered.
An indescribable dread hovered over the hearts of the cavalry, like a shadow they could not shake. It felt as if a single step forward would surely spell their doom. Their horses shivered violently, whimpering in fright, their courage utterly broken.
“Commandant?” one cavalryman asked nervously, turning toward their leader with a shaking voice.
The commander himself felt deep dread gripping his heart, his expression grim. Taking a sharp breath, he pushed down his fear and immediately issued orders without hesitation:
“Send someone back to report this immediately. Everyone else, withdraw thirty feet!”
…
At the far end of the street, the carriage was about to vanish around a corner.
Ahead on horseback, Cao Gao Shan glanced back toward the retreating cavalry, then turned his gaze to the carriage behind. He exchanged knowing looks with Wu Shang seated in the coachman’s seat. Both saw the same astonishment reflected in each other’s eyes.
At that moment, they shared a similar thought:
[His Highness defeated his enemy effortlessly, killing in a single strike. Just how high is his martial dao cultivation?]
Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Hu Rui An and the others repeatedly glanced at Li Mu Sheng. Although they had known that his martial dao strength was profound beyond measure, seeing him so effortlessly kill Baili Chang Feng—the patriarch second only to the greatest martial dao family in Sheng Province—still filled them with shock.
More startlingly, even though Hu Rui An and the others had remained close by Li Mu Sheng’s side, none had seen him move at all. It was the same when he killed White-haired Yama and now, this time again, with Baili Chang Feng, who was far stronger than White-haired Yama.
For Hu Rui An and Shen An Ran, the only time they had actually seen Li Mu Sheng strike clearly was when he punched Shen Jue Sheng into the air.
“Murong young lady, stop staring at me. Just pay attention to the road, or you might point us in the wrong direction,” Li Mu Sheng said, glancing at Murong Xiao Ya.
Murong Xiao Ya’s delicate face immediately flushed scarlet down to her neck. Quickly averting her eyes, she hurriedly lifted the carriage curtain and gazed outside.
Seeing her reaction, Li Mu Sheng turned to Shen An Ran beside him. She gazed back openly, eyes bright and unwavering. Li Mu Sheng coughed lightly, thinking privately:
[She’s hopelessly lovestruck. There’s no reasoning with her.]
Turning instead to Hu Rui An seated opposite, Li Mu Sheng watched as Hu Rui An hastily spoke up upon catching his gaze:
“Your Highness, were you wondering if there would be any consequences for killing Baili Chang Feng?”
“Your Highness need not worry. We already killed his son. Baili Chang Feng would have pursued us relentlessly anyway. Killing him doesn’t change much. Instead, it will intimidate the rest of the Baili Clan.”
“However, though we previously had little involvement with the Murong Family, after today, the martial dao families opposing Murong Family and their backer, Han Chui Yuan, may view us as enemies…”
Seeing Hu Rui An about to continue, Li Mu Sheng quickly raised a hand, interrupting him, eyebrows raised slightly.
“Are you sure that was what I wanted to ask?”
At this moment, hearing Hu Rui An’s words, Shen An Ran slightly frowned and asked,
“Your Highness is a prince of Great Li. Surely Han Chui Yuan wouldn’t dare openly oppose you?”
Hu Rui An shook his head. “It’s difficult to say. Although I don’t fully understand the hidden intricacies, judging by the current situation, the conflict between Murong Family and Han Chui Yuan appears irreconcilable.”
“If Han Chui Yuan concludes that Your Highness has sided with Murong Family, he may resort to desperate measures.”
Murong Xiao Ya, hearing these words, turned back around and glanced at Hu Rui An, before shifting her gaze nervously to Li Mu Sheng. After hesitating a moment, she softly spoke up:
“Your Highness and Lord Hu don’t actually need to concern yourselves with Murong Family. We have our own means to handle this situation.”
As she finished speaking, the other three within the carriage all turned toward her simultaneously.
Li Mu Sheng rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He didn’t recall ever saying he intended to help the Murong Family.
He had killed Baili Yu because the other had attacked first, blocking their path, and killed Baili Chang Feng because the latter sought revenge. Neither action had much to do with Murong Family directly. At most, it was simply lending Murong Xiao Ya a minor helping hand.
He had no intention at all of getting entangled in the struggles of these Martial World forces. But from how things appeared, reality was starting to stray from his wishes.
[Could this be what people mean when they say, “In the Martial World, one cannot always control one’s own fate”?]
Li Mu Sheng furrowed his brows lightly. Yet, after pondering a bit, he decided it didn’t really matter. After all, these trivial matters could hardly affect him.
Meanwhile, Hu Rui An glanced thoughtfully at Murong Xiao Ya and remarked, “It seems the Murong Family still has another hidden card. As the foremost martial family of Sheng Province, surely their depths run far deeper than we realize.”
Murong Xiao Ya did not deny this. She merely nodded her head gently.
The carriage continued onward without further hindrance, smoothly guided by Murong Xiao Ya, until they finally arrived at the gates of Sheng Province’s prefectural office.
……
At the very same moment, Baili Chang Feng’s uncle had already led two hundred Black Armored Heavy Cavalry and two thousand armored guards straight to Murong Manor.
With a wave of his hand, soldiers surged forward like a swift tide, quickly encircling the Murong estate until it became impenetrable, as solid as iron.
Soon afterward, troops from the Yuan, Zhu, and Cen families arrived in succession. For this siege against the Murong Family, even the patriarchs of these three families had personally appeared.
However, when they approached and noticed that only Baili Chang Feng’s uncle was present, with no sign of Baili Chang Feng himself, their expressions immediately darkened.
This preemptive siege against Murong Manor had largely been orchestrated by Baili Chang Feng. On one hand, Baili Clan was indeed the strongest among Sheng Province Prefecture City’s Four Great Martial Families after Murong Family, causing the other three to subtly regard them as leaders. On the other, seeing his grief at losing his son yesterday, the other families couldn’t refuse him out of respect, agreeing instead to combine forces and swiftly eliminate Murong Family in one strike.
Yet, unexpectedly, the patriarchs themselves had personally arrived, while Baili Chang Feng, the instigator, was nowhere to be seen. This was truly unacceptable!
“Where is Patriarch Baili? Why isn’t he here?”
Yuan Shan Biao, patriarch of the Yuan Clan, a straightforward and hot-tempered man, urged his horse forward, scanning the crowd before loudly addressing Baili Chang Feng’s uncle.
Noticing the displeasure on their faces, Baili Chang Feng’s uncle quickly responded, “Patriarchs, please calm yourselves. Chang Feng learned the whereabouts of his nephew’s killer and has already set out to ambush him. I believe he will soon return victorious.”
Upon hearing this, the patriarchs of the Yuan, Zhu, and Cen clans exchanged glances, their expressions easing somewhat.
“Ah, I see. With Brother Chang Feng personally leading, surely the culprit has no chance of escaping alive. This revenge will certainly be fulfilled,” Yuan Shan Biao proclaimed solemnly.
Patriarchs Zhu and Cen nodded, echoing his words in agreement.
But at this moment, the sound of hurried hooves suddenly echoed from the street behind them.
Shortly afterward, a black-armored cavalryman from the Baili Clan galloped into view. He pulled the reins hard, causing the horse to rear sharply and halt. Quickly dismounting, the armored guard rushed over, knelt swiftly before Baili Chang Feng’s uncle, and reported urgently:
“A disaster has occurred! Patriarch Baili is in trouble!”
Hearing this, Baili Chang Feng’s uncle’s expression changed drastically, a dreadful foreboding rising in his heart. He asked in a harsh voice, “What happened exactly?”
At the same time, the other three patriarchs nearby, witnessing this scene, cast puzzled and wary looks toward them.
The armored guard, his face pale, swallowed nervously and lowered his head, replying, “Patriarch Baili and four martial masters ambushed that murderer, but the opponent’s strength was too formidable. Patriarch Baili and his men… have all perished!”
At these words, a profound silence fell upon the area.
Recovering from his shock, Baili Chang Feng’s uncle instantly moved from atop his horse, arriving before the guard in the blink of an eye. The terrifying aura of his martial prowess pressed upon the guard as he demanded:
“Repeat your words clearly! Exactly what happened?”
Not daring to disobey, the armored guard quickly recounted everything he had witnessed in detail.
After hearing the guard’s story, the other three martial family patriarchs, now standing close by, simultaneously exclaimed in disbelief, “How could this be possible!”
Evidently, they were struggling deeply with this revelation—that Baili Chang Feng, accompanied by four martial masters, had been entirely wiped out.
After all, they knew well the extent of Baili Chang Feng’s martial strength. Among all the martial families in Prefecture City, except for a few secluded old ancestors, his power was only slightly inferior to Murong Hong, patriarch of the Murong Family. Yet, someone unknown had effortlessly exterminated him and his men. This was utterly inconceivable.
“Take me there immediately! I must confirm this myself!”
Baili Chang Feng’s uncle’s expression fluctuated drastically, suppressing the panic within his heart, his voice tense and grave. Deep inside, he knew the guard would never dare lie about this matter, yet he had to confirm it himself to accept such grim news.
Shortly afterward, Baili Chang Feng’s uncle hastily followed the armored guard away.
Watching their retreating figures, the three remaining patriarchs exchanged uneasy glances.
Their faces were equally troubled. Though difficult to believe, the present situation made it appear increasingly likely the guard’s words were indeed true.
“Brother Yuan, if this is true, what should we do?” Patriarch Zhu anxiously asked Patriarch Yuan Shan Biao.
Yuan Shan Biao pondered briefly, beckoned over a trusted subordinate, and swiftly relayed several commands before sending him off at once. Turning back to his fellow patriarchs, he stated solemnly:
“I have already sent word to General Han. Surely he will provide guidance on how we should proceed.”
Before long, Baili Chang Feng’s death was confirmed by his uncle, and the Baili Clan made no attempt to conceal it, immediately informing the other three great martial families.
Upon learning of this, the three patriarchs were not only shocked but also confronted with a serious dilemma—should the siege against the Murong Family proceed as planned, or should it now be abandoned?