Chapter 777
Chapter 777
Xue Che had miscalculated. He didn't know that entering the forest would amplify Mulan's senses several times over. Furthermore, Xue Che had doused himself in various medicines, giving him a scent distinct from the woods. As he ran like a madman, using his lightness skill, his internal energy was constantly being depleted. Mulan, on the other hand, was running on her own agility and stamina, expending no more effort than if she were walking normally. On flat ground, Xue Che's martial arts were formidable, making him faster than Mulan. But in the forest, he couldn't match her speed. As Mulan pursued him relentlessly, the distance between them grew shorter and shorter. Without even looking back, Xue Che could feel a fatal danger approaching. But then, suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks.
‘Why am I running? That’s right! Why should I run? It’s just Jin Mulan chasing me alone. No matter how skilled she is, could she be stronger than a Grandmaster? And she’s even carrying that nuisance, Shen Lang. I, Xue Che, am a Grandmaster-level expert. There’s no need to run. In fact, this might be a chance to kill both Shen Lang and Jin Mulan.’
Having stopped, Xue Che spun around in an instant and drew his sword. In the blink of an eye, Jin Mulan, carrying Shen Lang on her back, appeared. She halted, then leaped onto a large tree over twenty meters tall and placed Shen Lang on a high branch. Her actions were identical to those of a mother monkey placing her young in a high place before a fight. Only then did she feel it was relatively safe. With one arm severed, it would be quite difficult for Xue Che to climb the tree and kill Shen Lang. All Mulan had to do was protect the tree from being cut down. Besides, the tree was over a meter in diameter; even if Xue Che tried to cut it with his sword, it wouldn't be easy. And protecting this tree was far easier than protecting her scoundrel of a husband.
* * *
Xue Che slowly circled, keeping Jin Mulan at the center. He didn't have much time, as Big Dummy and Li Qianqiu could arrive at any moment.
"Jin Mulan, it must be so hard for you, having such a useless husband."
Xue Che sneered, and Mulan replied.
"It's not hard at all. It’s so enjoyable, in fact, that it’s a problem. My husband is the greatest in the world."
Ugh! Mulan, let's not say things that go against our true feelings. Of course, you are mostly joyful and happy, but there are surely times when it's hard. For example, when you have to be careful and find just the right measure during *that* act, otherwise your husband would instantly crumble and question his life. And yet, that scoundrel of a husband, oblivious to his own limits, thinks he’s strong and pesters her every day.
"Jin Mulan, why don't you just give up here? With your talent and beauty, you could align yourself with Mount Fu, His Majesty the Emperor, or even the Crown Prince of the Great Yan Dynasty. I can recommend you. Then, not just Raging Tide City, but the entire Tiannan Province would belong to your Jin Clan, wouldn't it?"
Jin Mulan didn't answer Xue Che's proposal, still glaring at him with killing intent. Having his right arm severed would have affected Xue Che's sense of balance, and having to use his left hand instead of his right for the sword would surely have reduced his combat power.
"Jin Mulan, there's a secret you'll want to know. An astonishing secret. Do you know your husband's true identity?"
"What is it?"
*Swoosh.*
As Mulan asked, Xue Che lunged forward like lightning, his left-handed sword stabbing mercilessly toward her. Xue Che was an expert who had reached the realm of a Grandmaster. In truth, Mulan's absolute advantage lay in her agility. Her internal energy was not particularly high to begin with, and while her agility could evade the surprise attacks of most high-level experts, it was a bit difficult to dodge when the opponent was a Grandmaster, no matter how agile she was or how well she could predict danger.
*Swish.*
Xue Che's sword grazed Mulan's neck, but it was half an inch short. His surprise attack had failed. The loss of balance was one problem, but he had also expended a great deal of internal energy while frantically running for dozens of miles just moments before, so his strike ultimately failed to reach Mulan. Xue Che took a deep breath. He had enough internal energy left for a few more strikes, but he had poured all his remaining strength into that last one. To follow up with a second or third strike now, they would be weaker than the first. He would have to resort to schemes and trickery.
Xue Che took a deep breath, gathering internal energy for a second attack. He coiled his entire body like a bow, puffing himself up to his limit like a cobra, and then unleashed his second strike.
*Swoosh.*
Xue Che's second strike was astonishing. His entire sword instantly shattered, turning into countless fragments that shot toward Mulan's entire body.
*Shuk.*
To evade the sharp sword fragments, Mulan instantly leaped back more than ten meters. This was her advantage in the forest. Suddenly, a green mist shot out from Xue Che's broken sword, and Mulan leaped again to avoid the smoke. She instantly dodged to the left; she couldn't go right, as that would take her too far from her husband. If she moved too far away and Xue Che tried to harm him, she might not be able to save him in time.
But as she leaped about ten meters to the left, a single bead was waiting for her on the ground at that exact spot. Xue Che had precisely predicted she would dodge there and had placed a poison bead at that location in advance. Just as he anticipated, Mulan moved right into it.
*Bang!*
The bead suddenly exploded, and an endless swarm of Gu worms spread out, enveloping Jin Mulan. Like a still frame, Jin Mulan froze all movement. Seeing this, Xue Che was overjoyed.
‘Jin Mulan, you are very strong, but you are still too soft. Today, you have finally fallen into my hands. My dear niece! Although I always tell others not to mess with you for fear of offending the great powers… in a place like this, not even a ghost would know what happened.
But do you think I will approach you, strip off your clothes, and do that beastly thing? No, no! First, I will sever the tendons in your hands and feet to make sure you can't resist in the slightest. Then, I will grab that useless Shen Lang from the tree and cut off his limbs. After that, I will make him watch with his eyes wide open as everything unfolds.’
Xue Che slowly walked forward. His sword was already mostly broken, with only a few inches remaining. He intended to slash Jin Mulan's wrist with the broken sword in his hand. But just then!
Countless poison needles shot out forcefully from Mulan's body. Like a startled bird, Xue Che retreated with all his might, trying to blast away all the needles with a palm strike. But in the next moment, his vision blurred. Mulan's beautiful form shot forward like an arrow, the sharp sword in her hand striking like a viper, as swift as a flash of lightning.
*Stab, stab, stab.*
Mulan's sword pierced Xue Che's body more than a dozen times in succession.
*Swish, swish, swish, swish.*
Next, Mulan swung her sword and severed Xue Che's remaining hand and both his legs. In an instant, Xue Che was left with only a head and a torso. But as if that wasn't enough to feel secure, she used the sharp sword in her hand to knock out all of Xue Che's teeth. Still thinking he could harm someone with a hidden weapon, she swung her sword twice more, slicing off his lips.
‘Hoo! This should be safe enough, right? I can bring my husband down now.’
Mulan quickly leaped up the tree and brought Shen Lang down.
‘Husband, I've disabled Xue Che, so he's not dangerous anymore. I'll leave the final blow to you.’
She was a good wife, giving her husband the chance to show off at the end.
* * *
Xue Che was in utter shock.
‘How did this happen? I can't believe Shen Lang has an antidote to these Gu worms. These aren't even the same kind I used on Xue Yin. How on earth can Jin Mulan move after being hit with Gu poison?’
Indeed, how could she? Could it be that Mulan had taken an antidote? No. It was simply that Shen Lang's blood was immune to all Gu worms. Then did Mulan have Shen Lang's blood in her system? No! But after being husband and wife for so long, many of Shen Lang's… things… had long since fused into her body. After all, Mulan wanted to have a daughter with her husband every day. (In the view of traditional medicine, among a person's bodily fluids, semen is considered more potent than blood. Perhaps Shen Lang's potent bodily fluids had fully fused within Mulan's body, killing the Gu worms.)
* * *
Shen Lang walked up to Xue Che.
‘Hmm, wife. You've disabled him quite thoroughly, but it's still not perfect. He still has one weapon left.’
Shen Lang drew his sword, and Mulan instinctively looked away. She knew what her scoundrel of a husband was about to do. Shen Lang lightly swung his sword and subjected Xue Che to castration. He truly felt nothing, so not even a scream escaped him. This was not the treatment befitting a major figure. Most major figures eliminated by Shen Lang met a grand end. Only Xue Che was being treated like a novice by him.
"Uncle Xue, can you still speak?"
Shen Lang asked. Xue Che gasped desperately for air. Shen Lang was standing so close to him now that he could crush him with a single finger. But now, he couldn't even extend a finger, let alone spit. Jin Mulan had knocked out all his teeth and cut off his lips.
"Uncle Xue, do you have any last words?"
Xue Che desperately opened his mouth to speak, but with wind leaking from all sides, he couldn't form proper words.
"Shen Lang, let's make a deal. I will tell you a great secret. You… come here! If you let me live, I will show you a way to live. Let's make a deal…"
Xue Che endured the terrible pain and tried his best to speak, but no coherent sound came out.
"You want to make a deal? Very well."
Shen Lang leaned his ear closer. Xue Che harbored sinister thoughts but feigned a look of fear.
‘Shen Lang, you wretched thing. Come closer. Closer. I can still kill you. I can kill you with the strength of my tongue alone. Shen Lang, you wretched thing. Let's die together.’
However, Shen Lang did not get any closer to Xue Che. Instead, he took out a bottle of liquid and poured it on Xue Che's face.
"Aaargh!"
Xue Che's face practically melted away.
"Uncle Xue, can you still kill me? Still? I'll get closer. Closer."
Shen Lang really did bring his face right in front of Xue Che's.
"Uncle Xue, kill me. Bite me."
Xue Che cursed wildly in his mind.
‘Damn you! You will never die a good death!’
"Uncle Xue, you're not going to kill me?"
‘Damn it, of course I want to kill you even in death. But can I kill you now? Can I?’
Even if looks could kill, Xue Che couldn't kill Shen Lang, because he no longer had eyes to glare with.
"Still not going to kill me? Then I'll kill you!"
Shen Lang's hand rose, and with the fall of his blade, Xue Che's head separated from his body. It was a gruesome death.