Volume 4 Chapter 13: Soldier In the Darkness

Lin Xi was no saint.

Even though Gao Yanan and Yuhua Tianji were both fellow students, if he was told only one could live and was forced to choose which one, he would choose Gao Yanan without any hesitation.

However, darkness was going to descend soon. Even if he used all of his strength, there was no way he could enter the region where Gao Yanan was before midnight. Moreover, in the heavy darkness, not only would he not be able to find Gao Yanan, both he and Bian Linghan might instead suffer an assassination from that Thunder Academy student with excellent night vision.

He already used the ten halts rewind ability today. Even if he didn't cherish his own life, he still had to worry about Bian Linghan.

He discovered that no matter what he did, he couldn't help Gao Yanan. In the endless darkness of night, she could only rely on herself.

The words Principal Zhang left him with really were spot on. Even if they had this unique ability, they still weren't invincible in this world. They would still bleed, still had to understand that there are many developments they were helpless to alter.

Because they knew what would happen, yet were powerless to change anything, together with the fact that even though he used the ten halts rewind ability, Wanyan Muye's spear really did stab through his flesh before, blood pouring out from his body, the feeling of death also real, this added a tremendous amount of pressure. As such, his face became more and more pale, his hands unknowingly starting to tremble slightly.

"Lin Xi, what's wrong?" Bian Linghan sensed Lin Xi's strangeness. She couldn't help but quietly ask him.

Lin Xi didn't immediately reply, only turning around to give the direction Gao Yanan might be in a look, staring at the diamond-like ice shards fluttering through the air.

"Let's bring him with us."

Lin Xi took a deep breath, and then turned around towards Bian Linghan, saying, "They treat us like prey, setting up so many traps, waiting for us, so we'll use him as bait, use him to draw Helan Yuexi to us."

"Don't tell me that your Green Luan Academy is formidable to this degree... actually even knowing Brother Helan's origins and traits?" When he heard Lin Xi's words, Wanyan Muye's body shook intensely, saying this while looking at Lin Xi in disbelief.

However, soon afterwards, he couldn't speak anymore.

Lin Xi jammed a clump of medicinal grass into his mouth in a rough manner, the bitter medicinal liquid making Wanyan Muye sense that it was beneficial to his injuries, but it also completely made his throat numb, tongue stiff, unable to say anything.

...

The sky became darker and darker, darkness once again descending over Heaven Ascension Mountain Range, descending over this diamond dust scattered wasteland.

A prisoner dressed in shabby gray clothes was sitting on a chunk of limestone.

In front of him was a hot spring that released a bit of heat, around him a mountain cavity that blocked the wind.

This mountain cavity that was starting to be covered under the curtain of night almost seemed like an entirely different world from this snowy wasteland. The light blue hot spring was only a bit warm, fish visible inside, dark green plants growing within.

The grass at the side of the spring was extremely supple, to the extent where there were a dozen or so willow trees growing here that couldn't be seen anywhere else in this wasteland. It wasn't like a highland near the snow line at all, instead more like a spring in a southern city.

Even though this prisoner was thin, his frame was rather big, giving one a tall and sturdy feeling, his fingers' joints also thick. The full beard and messy hair on his head completely covered all of his facial features. This was a middle-aged man who had experienced many things, clearly not an impersonating Thunder Academy student.

At his side was a small bonfire, scattered to the side were some snow-white fish bones that had all the meat cleaned out. In his hands were two willow branches that reached into the pond. He actually didn't seem interested in hiding himself at all, not wishing to flee, just quietly fishing here.

There was no fish hook on the willow branch, but as it moved lightly up and down, producing soft ripples, these fish that didn't understand danger would swim over out of curiosity.

A white-scaled fish that was over half a jin in weight swam over. This tall and sturdy full bearded prisoner removed the willow branch in his hands from the water, and then sent it whipping down with extreme speed.

A pa noise sounded.

Water splashed in all directions, a string of bloody traces appearing on the shallow light blue pond water. The white-scaled fish rose to the surface, belly up. The prisoner grabbed it with two fingers, removed the scales and inner organs, and then propped it up over the flame.

Gao Yanan's figure appeared over this mountain cavity.

"Your luck isn't bad." This middle-aged prisoner with the full beard and messy hair calmly looked at Gao Yanan who appeared in his line of sight. With a light chuckle, he quietly said, "I just caught a fish. If you kill me, this fish is yours."

Gao Yanan frowned slightly. This middle-aged prisoner's appearance was quite shabby. From his bone structure and thick joints, she could tell that this definitely used to be a tall and sturdy individual, yet now, he was all skin and bones. However, the opponent's calmness and expression immediately made her feel a strange feeling of danger... the first impression she received from him was that this full bearded middle-aged man was a lion that had already been hungry for a long time.

"I didn't come to kill you." Gao Yanan looked at him, shaking her head and then saying this.

"Let me take a look first... I don't want it getting burnt now, becoming inedible." The full bearded middle-aged prisoner shook his head, and then picked up a bowl of water, putting out the small fire next to him.

Following chi chi noises, this mountain cavity became completely pitch-black once more.

The two individuals in this mountain cavity suddenly became three people.

Right at this time, a shadow suddenly appeared from the side of the mountain forest like a ghost. Then, without making a single sound, it shot towards Gao Yanan.

When one was always in the darkness, their sight would make some adjustments, but if they were previously in a lit area, and then the light source suddenly went out, the instant they entered darkness again, one's vision wouldn't be able to immediately adjust, the surroundings the same as becoming pitch-black.

However, this third individual seemed to be able to see everything perfectly clearly, silently and quickly closing in on Gao Yanan. With a light hu sound, a shadow swept towards the back of Gao Yanan's head.

Dang!

A string of sparks erupted.

Gao Yanan turned around, the longsword in her hands landing on this shadow. It was actually a heavy Meteor Hammer.

The moment she blocked this Meteor Hammer with her sword, the third figure's left hand was raised, several black streaks that weren't easy to make out even in daylight suddenly shooting towards Gao Yanan.

Gao Yanan dodged, but her figure staggered a bit, a bit of warmth seemingly falling in the air.

The third person who appeared sent the Meteor Hammer smashing down fiercely again.

Dang!

However, Gao Yanan's originally staggering figure suddenly became extremely stable. The longsword in her hands swept out, actually firmly catching the Meteor Hammer's chains. Then, her entire body, while borrowing the third person's subconscious tug, flew into the air as if she lacked all weight.

The third person decisively abandoned the hammer, fiercely flinging the chains towards her. At the same time, a low growl was released, arms crossed before him.

Gao Yanan's toes pressed down, seemingly just gently stepping on this person's chest, but a muffled exploding sound rang out from where his arms intersected. This person's arms felt like he had been rammed into by a massive tree trunk, and then they smashed into his chest, releasing some light bone fracturing noises.

This wave of power made this person continuously slide out several dozen feet in the light snow ground. Then, without any hesitation, he began to frantically run.

Gao Yanan wanted to chase after him, but she suddenly frowned. It was because right at this time, the hot spring shone again, and a wave of heart raising aura was currently rising.

That prisoner who was skin and bones, but still gave others a tall and sturdy feeling stood up. He was holding several pieces of red hot charcoal, yet there were no signs of burning on his hands.

He grabbed several clumps of dry grass, another flame thus quickly starting.

"You are a Green Luan Academy student? ... to already reach mid stage Soul Expert level at your age, in the future, if there is a future... you will definitely become a formidable figure." The middle-aged prisoner stood perfectly straight like a blade, saying this while looking at Gao Yanan.

Gao Yanan's brows furrowed deeply. She looked at this middle-aged prisoner, repeating seriously, "I didn't come to kill you, I came to save you."

"I know. However, I am a soldier from Great Mang Dynasty." The middle-aged prisoner slowly walked towards Gao Yanan, saying with a serious and heavy voice, "You are someone from Yunqin, and I am someone from Great Mang. Regardless of what the current situation is like, the two of us will always be enemies."

After a slight pause, this middle-aged prisoner then said with a sunken voice, "In Thousand Sunset Mountain... there was a total of twenty-three Great Mang soldiers taken captive with me, but apart from me, they were already all killed when fighting your Yunqin academy's students. That is why no matter what, there is no way I can continue living, return to Great Mang's territory alone."

Gao Yanan took a deep breath, shaking her head. "However, the one who did these things wasn't our Green Luan Academy, but rather Thunder Academy."

"I am a soldier, my mission is precisely to kill enemies who would pose a greater threat in the future. Regardless of whether it is Thunder Academy's students or Green Luan Academy's students... long live my emperor!"

There was a strange radiance flickering in the middle-aged man's eyes, as if there were star-like tears scattering down. His feet began to step forcefully on this snowland, his entire body producing a light yellow radiance, air streams stirring about him. The heavy darkness of night seemed to have been forcibly torn through by a special type of power from his body.

While facing the strong winds that rushed at her face, so fierce her eyes couldn't even open, Gao Yanan instead gave a serious bow of respect, and then she also took a step out, letting go of the longsword that had the Meteor Hammer's chains wrapped around it. As if she was trying to chop a brick, she brought her right hand down towards the middle-aged prisoner.

The air between the two immediately froze.

Peng!

Everything immediately shook.

Gao Yanan's entire body didn't move from where she was originally standing, while the middle-aged prisoner who still maintained a punching stance took three steps back, every single step sinking a foot deeper into the ground.