Chapter 516
Chapter 516
Then, Bing'er and Jin Mucong entered, followed by two maids who stepped forward and bound Shen Lang with silk ropes.
"Bing'er, are you in on this too?"
Shen Lang asked in surprise. Bing'er replied tenderly.
"My lord, you are my sky, my very life. I could never let you go to your death."
Jin Mucong said.
"Brother-in-law, you can't even beat me. How do you expect to duel with Zhong Sisi? She'll defeat you in an instant."
It was true; Shen Lang couldn't even defeat Bing'er, let alone Jin Mucong. Jin Mucong's martial arts were worlds apart from Shen Shisan's, and Shen Shisan had been defeated by Mulan in a single breath. A few years ago, Mulan couldn't even withstand ten of Zhong Sisi's moves before being struck and coughing up blood. Due to her innate bloodline, Zhong Sisi's martial arts had advanced by leaps and bounds; she was likely even more formidable now than she was back then.
Bing'er kissed Shen Lang's face and said.
"Master, I know this is difficult, but please bear with it. We'll send you to Xuanwu City in the most comfortable carriage to lie low for a few days. The young mistress must be missing you terribly, and if she knew about this, she would never allow it."
Shen Lang shouted loudly.
"I will win. I will definitely win! Your Highness Ning Zheng, let me go at once!"
"I'm sorry. It's too dangerous. We can't let you take that risk."
Shen Lang was immediately shoved into a comfortable carriage. Gao Duhuan himself was leading a group of men to escort the carriage to Xuanwu City so Shen Lang could escape the impending disaster. Shen Lang was incredibly frustrated.
*‘You pig-headed, foolish comrades! You're all pig-headed! You've ruined my plans. You've stopped my revenge.’*
Unable to contain his anger, Shen Lang roared.
"Gao Duhuan, I command you. Release me at once."
"Young Master, just now, this humble slave captured you using less than a tenth of my strength, and you couldn't resist at all. Even ten of me couldn't defeat Zhong Sisi. How do you intend to fight her?"
With that, Gao Duhuan drove the carriage away from Ning Zheng's residence. He was kind enough to strike Shen Lang's pressure points, preventing him from struggling or making a sound. And so, Shen Lang was whisked away from the capital, heading back to Xuanwu City to escape disaster without any say in the matter. The duel agreement had been signed, but they would just pretend it never happened. Running away was, of course, a shameful and face-losing affair, but did Shen Lang ever have any shame to begin with? So, naturally, he had no face to lose. Since his debut in the world, Shen Lang had never been subdued, not by King Qiang Aru'tai, not by Su Nan. Yet, when Jin Mucong and Bing'er joined forces, he was instantly suppressed. How marvelous are the ways of the world!
* * *
Around midnight, Gao Duhuan had taken Shen Lang some two hundred li from the capital. The horses were exhausted, so Gao Duhuan decided to stop for a short rest. But he couldn't stop here for long; after resting for an hour at most, he planned to press on. Moreover, he felt that just going to Xuanwu City wasn't safe enough, so he intended to cross the sea and head straight for Raging Tide City. Since Zhong Sisi was said to be leaving the capital soon anyway, they only needed to be away on the day of the duel. As a master of martial arts, Gao Duhuan naturally knew Zhong Sisi's level. Not just Shen Lang, but even if he and Shen Shisan joined in, Zhong Sisi would defeat them all in a single breath.
They had been resting for barely fifteen minutes when Gao Duhuan's expression suddenly changed.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish.*
Dozens of figures appeared before him in an instant, followed by the sound of urgent, densely packed hoofbeats. Masters from the Zhong Clan and the Xue Clan instantly surrounded Gao Duhuan and his party. A moment later, Zhong Sisi and Xue Pan, the heir of the Xue Clan, appeared.
"You signed a duel agreement, and now you're trying to run? Dream on!"
Xue Pan, the heir of the Xue Clan, said with a look of utter scorn.
"Brother-in-law Shen, if you intended to flee from the start, why did you sign the death waiver?"
Without a word, Gao Duhuan immediately drew his sword and said.
"Protect the Young Master! Fight to the death!"
In an instant, the dozens of warriors under his command drew their swords with force. Both sides had drawn their swords and nocked their arrows, ready to fight at any moment. More warriors from the Xue and Zhong Clans continued to arrive until their numbers swelled to several hundred, outnumbering Gao Duhuan's men tenfold.
Xue Pan said.
"One who makes a bet must be willing to accept defeat. Since you signed the duel agreement, you must honor it. Gao Yizhen, you have two choices. Start a fight and all of you die, or return Shen Lang to the capital to proceed with the duel against Sisi."
Gao Duhuan's eyes were fierce as he said.
"Come. Let's see if I can take on a hundred of you!"
"Hiyah, hiyah!"
Just then, another group of cavalry swiftly arrived. They were the cavalry of the Central Commandery of Tianyue City—the Third Prince Ning Qi's men. With the Xue and Zhong Clans, plus Ning Qi's cavalry, their numbers now exceeded a thousand, dozens of times more than Gao Duhuan's forces.
"Attack!"
At Xue Pan's command, hundreds of warriors prepared to charge at Gao Duhuan. But a second later, one large and one small shadow appeared, swiftly stopping them. The two were Big Dummy and Li Qianqiu. These two had not spent much time in the capital recently. Big Dummy had to become the world's greatest master, so he couldn't afford to waste a single precious day. The Sword King Li Qianqiu glanced at Shen Lang in the carriage and couldn't help but burst out laughing. Then, he looked at Gao Duhuan and said.
"General Gao, let's go to the capital."
Gao Duhuan replied.
"But..."
The words he left unsaid were very clear. Returning to the capital meant Shen Lang was walking to his death.
The Sword King Li Qianqiu said.
"Go back."
Gao Duhuan had no choice but to give the order, and they escorted Shen Lang's carriage back to the capital. With this, the duel agreement could proceed.
* * *
By the time they returned to the capital, day had already broken. In the secret underground chamber, Shen Lang looked at the Sword King Li Qianqiu and said gruffly.
"Senior Sword King, if you want to laugh, just laugh."
The Sword King Li Qianqiu could no longer hold it in and burst into a loud laugh. He had never in his life seen Shen Lang in such a predicament. In front of the doting Bing'er, and the extremely concerned Jin Mucong and Ning Zheng, Shen Lang's sweet words and demonic wisdom were all useless; he was immediately suppressed by force.
Li Qianqiu said.
"Don't blame them. They did it because they were genuinely worried about you. They don't understand these kinds of things, and they don't know you have a one-hundred-percent, perfect certainty of winning."
Shen Lang said with a sense of helplessness.
"How could I blame those two fools?"
Shen Lang certainly didn't blame them. People lose their reason when it comes to those they love. In the past, when Shen Lang took risks, he had masters by his side to protect him, so his personal safety was never an issue. But this time, Shen Lang had to duel Zhong Sisi himself. Bing'er naturally couldn't stand it, and no matter how much he told her he would win, it was useless. If there wasn't a one-hundred-percent chance of Shen Lang's safety, nothing else mattered to her.
Li Qianqiu asked Shen Lang.
"That thing you have is extremely precious. Are you really going to use it on Zhong Sisi?"
That thing was indeed precious. It was more than a hundred times more valuable than extracting the world's most potent hallucinogen, and it was non-renewable. It was that incredible—something that could defeat an opponent in an instant.
* * *
The next day, rumors that Shen Lang had fled spread throughout the capital. This was a complete and utter disgrace. Everyone was now convinced that Shen Lang's bag of tricks had run empty. They believed that in the face of an absolute difference in martial power, Shen Lang could no longer create miracles. Otherwise, why would he have tried to run? Furthermore, since the Xue and Zhong Clans had mobilized a large force to stop his escape and bring him back, it was obvious that Shen Lang would undoubtedly meet his end this time. Even if the seas were to flow backward and the mountains and rivers were to be overturned, there would be no other outcome for Shen Lang. The only possible result was his instant defeat.
* * *
Time flew by, and finally, the day of the promised duel between Shen Lang and Zhong Sisi arrived. Countless powerful figures left the capital and flocked endlessly to the Northern Plains Hunting Grounds, eager to witness a good show. This wasn't just any show; it was the grand spectacle of Shen Lang's instant defeat. Things had reached a point where even the King could no longer feign ignorance, so he immediately issued a royal decree.
Upon receiving the decree, Zhong Sisi sneered and said.
"Rest assured. I will absolutely not kill Shen Lang. At most, I'll just castrate him."
Shen Lang also sneered after receiving the decree.
"Rest assured. I will absolutely not kill Zhong Sisi. At most, I'll just kick her, break her bones, and make her cough up blood."
Afterward, the two led their respective entourages out of the capital and headed for the Northern Plains Hunting Grounds to engage in the most absurd duel in history.
* * *
Not many were qualified to witness this grand spectacle, so the venue was filled entirely with the scions of nobility. Zhong Sisi was the legitimate daughter of the time-honored noble, the Marquis of Zhenxi's Estate, while Shen Lang was the son-in-law of the equally time-honored noble, the Marquis of Xuanwu's Estate. Alright. To be honest, everyone mocked Shen Lang daily for being a live-in son-in-law and never truly considered him a member of the nobility. Nevertheless, everyone knew in their hearts that the decision-maker of the Marquis of Xuanwu's Estate was Shen Lang, and that the heir, Jin Mucong, couldn't care less about family affairs. Therefore, the duel between Zhong Sisi and Shen Lang was entirely a spectacle for the nobles.
Anyone from a family below the rank of a count's clan dared not come to watch. It didn't matter what official your grandfather or father was; whether they held the post of Prefect or even a high-ranking third-grade official in the court, they were not qualified to be here. Naturally, the true titans at the apex of power did not attend, including the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. The Admiralty and Central Commandery of Tianyue City sent hundreds of warriors to maintain order, and the King sent a young eunuch. Among the King's sons, the Fourth Prince Ning Jin, the Fifth Prince Ning Zheng, and the Sixth Prince Ning Jing came.
After the extermination of the Su Clan, Consort Su did not face the fatal crisis she had imagined, nor was she confined to the Cold Palace. The King treated her as if nothing had happened, neither showing her special favor nor disfavor. He would occasionally visit and bestow his favor upon her. The King's actions made Consort Su feel as though she had survived a great calamity, and she became even more gentle and virtuous.
In truth, she had even prepared poison to commit suicide, believing she would surely die. But having survived this ordeal, Consort Su gained a new understanding of her husband. However, compared to Consort Su, the Sixth Prince Ning Jing was having a difficult time. Having lost the backing of the Su Clan, his influence plummeted instantly, and now he spent his days currying favor with the Crown Prince. The Fourth Prince Ning Jin was the Crown Prince's vanguard, and now Ning Jing was following his lead as well.