In the evening, Tong Zijing called in Ji Xuyao.
"Mr. Ji, I want to go to the capital."
"We're sure to go there, but I don't think this is the right time."
"When do you think is the right time?"
"First, when lord has the ability to defend yourself. Then, lord should try to control part of the Tong guards and other powers…"
Ji Xuyao left after telling him many stakes and concerns.
Tong Zijing pondered in his room for a long time, before he ordered Tong Zhan, "Call in the butler. Tell him I have something to discuss with him."
In old Tong's study.
Mr. Tong was copying when butler Tong pushed open the doors and walked in.
"Master, everything is arranged. This time, we'll be safe. The hitmen don't include the elite of the Tong guard. Instead, we gathered some unknown men of sacrifice and specially hired killers to deal with the Chill sword of eldest lord Ning."
"Good job! Hence, no trace will be left. Even if one day the Nings came to us, they can't find a reason to blame us." Mr. Tong concentrated on copying, not looking up, and then asked by the way, "Who did you hire?"
Bulter Tong replied respectfully, "The hitman is the famous Quicker. His name is Song Zhong and uses his sword so quick that since he became a hitman nobody escaped under his hunting, so that he got this nickname."
Now that master had made up his mind to do so, the butler could only obey. Since there was only one choice, then what the butler could do was to make it as perfect as possible.
Mr. Tong bowed his head, silent, and the butler continued, "I heard that this Song Zhong kills neatly and quick and never failed a mission. Besides, his killing is agile and elegant. One move, and the one being killed will die immediately without suffering. He's a good man to toll the bell."
"To toll the bell? Nice. To toll the bell for a gentleman like eldest lord Ning indeed needs an elegant killer." Old Tong looked up, "Butler, come and look at this new painting I recently got. How do you like it?"
As the copy paper was taken away to reveal the new painting below, what came in sight was a painting of hundred sons and grandsons.
**
Another day paased. Although a few robbers appeared on the way, they were easily cleared away by the shadow guard.
Having taken the carriage for four days, Mo Qianxue felt sore in every part of her body. She lifted up the curtain, seeing the it's a clear night, and requested to get off the carriage and ride a horse.
In view that the trip was smooth and that he was also tired of sitting in the carriage, Ning Shaoqing agreed with a smile.
He jumped off the carriage, let the shadow guard to pull over his horse and then let Asan prepared a horse for Mo Qianxue. Nanny was confused and reminded, "Lord, lady…isn't a rider."
Nanny then quickly explained that lady had been sick and frail since she was little, so that madam didn't allow her to ride a horse. Of course she wouldn't tell him that lady used to be too timid to jump onto the horseback.
"Um…" A daughter of a generous can't ride a horse. Ning Shaoqing was surprised, but he didn't want to let her down, so he jumped on the horseback and then reached out to pull Mo Qianxue onto his horse too.
In a flash, Mo Qianxue was sitting on the horseback. All others took a glance at her, quickly looked away, and then mount the horse to march forward slowly.
Tianqi wasn't too open, so it was rare that two people ridding on the same horse. Even if a couple wouldn't act intimately before others.
Even if they always joked and played in front of others, but to hug him publicly made her a little shy.
However, the horse started to move already, she couldn't sit steady if she didn't grab Ning Shaoqing, so she reached out and grabbed him by his clothes.
Yet, Ning Shaoqing said nothing and suddenly pulled her arm to place it around his waist. On the horseback, she didn't dare to struggle, so being pulled by him, she at once rushed forward and closely pressed her body against his body, her arms placing around his waist naturally.
As the horse galloped, their bodies rubbed against each other, in a gait that couldn't be more erotic.
Ning Shaoqing waved his whip, and the horse rushed out.
Mo Qianxue had never sat on a speedy horse and yelled instantly out of scare.
The coquettish and charming scream made both of them blushed to the tip of the ear and too shy to look at each other.
Afterwards, she heard Ning Shaoqing's muffled chuckle and understood that he had done it deliberately. Hence, she exerted strength and took a pinch at his waist. Ning Shaoqing behaved like he didn't feel it at all and focused on urging the horse.
Mo Qianxue pinched twice and felt embarrassed by herself, so she released her pinching fingers and obediently hugged him from behind, head putting on his back.
A smile spread in the corners of Ning Shaoqing's lips. The raising whip didn't fall, and the horse slowed down.
Fresh breeze blew on Ning Shaoqing's chest and couldn't touch Mo Qianxue's face at all. She only heard the rustling sound and watched the trees on the side receding, very satisfied.
She felt as if the tension of fleeing had faded away with the wind, and now they seemed to be on a vacation.
She only hoped that this road would never have an end.
Mo Qianxue slowly closed her eyes, but Ning Shaoqing frowned.
"Someone is here." Ning Shaoqing grasped the horse reins and stroked Mo Qianxue's hand on his waisted with the other hand, saying softly, "Grab tight."
Hearing his words, Mo Qianxue looked around.
Except for the horses of the others approaching, there was nothing else.
But she didn't dare to be careless. Expect for the clanking horses, the place was abnormally quiet. It was unnatural.
Staying focused for a long time, and Mo Qianxue finally heard the sound hidden in the night.
It got closer and closer, as if a troop of thousands of riders was coming up.
The tranquil night suddenly boiled.
Nanny, Chuiyi and Shiwu caught up and stopped the horse. Mo Qianxue was so nervous and puzzled at the sound. What could it be to make such loud noise? In the wilderness like this, it sounded like millions of horses galloping together. Was this a battlefield?
As if reading her mind, Ning Shaoqing patted her hand and comforted, "Not so many people."
These people were merely creating sounds of horror in the purpose of freaking them out first before the actual fight started.
Ning Shaoqing squinted his eyes. What a childish trick! They really had underestimated him. After a while, Mo Qianxue gradually managed to see clearly, as he had told her, that there were around one hundred people hidden in the night.
The yellow sand was stirred up to fill the sky. Rumbling horse hoofs could be heard among the quaking murderousness. Even the moon light became dim by it.
However, those people hadn't approached them yet, when a group of men in black flooded over in all directions.
Ning Shaoqing turned around to hold Mo Qianxue, gently stamping the feet, and took her to fly onto a cliff nearby.
Settling down Mo Qianxue, Ning Shaoqing turned around on the cliff, upright as a pine tree, domineering as the scorching sun. The starring yet freezing eyes below the blade-shaped eyebrows are closely gazing at the battle below the cliff.
These people would come sooner or later. Fine! It was good that they came together so that he could deal with them without being attacked suddenly and unprepared.
He looked down upon the melee taking place below. The sunrays reflected on him as if edging him with a layer of golden halo, making him more imposing.
Mo Qianxue looked at him from the back and felt the change of air happening in him.
The first time she had met him, she thought that he was, without the overbearing manner, luxurious clothes and exalted identity, merely a sickly scholar.
After a few days living together, she then thought he was a bashful gentleman, with a touch of weakness that she disliked.
Later, he showed up and instantly drove the Zhao couple out of the village, let Wang Yushan compensate her, gave her various advices… All these made her feel that this man, though getting jealous from time to time, was also a little black-bellied.
Then, the factory was built, and he guarded her silently…
In addition to gentleness, there was also cunningness, wisdom, and decisiveness to him…
Just as this moment, below the cliff was people waving swords at each other like chopping vegetables, but he remained calm standing up high to observe the relations among those people, so that later, at a critical moment, he could give lethal blow to all the enemies and control over the entire situation.
He was an arbor, swinging in storm, so if she wanted to stand behind him, then she herself must become an arbor too.
Mo Qianxue stepped forward slowly, when Ning Shaoqing suddenly turned back and held her fly off the cliff.
All of a sudden, when Mo Qianxue looked back at the cliff, she found a man in black holding a sword in his arms were standing on it. He stood there, motionless, as if having melted with the cliff. After a moment of silence, that man talked, "You're first one who can escape my secret attack."
Ning Shaoqing hid Mo Qianxue behind him, deadpan, "I can only tell you that your former preys were too careless."
"Really?" That man sounded ironic and arrogant, gazing at Ning Shaoqing as if gazing at a dead man, "Even if you escaped the first blow, it doesn't mean you're able to escape the second one. Nobody can survive my three moves."
Ning Shaoqing snorted, "You really regard yourself as a top swordsman after killing some trash? Funny!" That man was irritated by his words, and with a 'clanking', drew out his sword from the sheath, dashing right at Ning Shaoqing.
Speedy!
Mo Qianxue's heart instantly squeezed. Ning Shaoqing pushed her away with the left hand and touched his waist with the right one.
Hurriedly, Mo Qianxue stepped back, and before she saw clearly, and only in a flash, the sword in Ning Shaoqing's hand had already penetrated through that man's throat.
Yet, the tip of that man's sword was still three inches away from Ning Shaoqing, and the man had no chance to push it further forward.
Because, the next moment, he opened his incredible eyes wide and fell to the ground.
In one splitting second?
The man showed up in such an overstated way died so hastily?
Mo Qianxue stunned. Meanwhile, Ning Shaoqing had taken back the sword and murmured, "I thought the Tong could find a master. Shame! It seems that the Tong family really should select a new master!" Having dealt with it, Ning Shaoqing walked to Mo Qianxue, held her again to fly onto the cliff to watch the battle below.
The battle involved nearly two hundred people was gradually coming to an end. In less than a quarter, those people would all die. The few that wanted to escape were also killed by the miraculously wicked sword of the shadow guard.
It would be lying to say that she wasn't scared or stunned at all when hundreds of people dying before her in a moment. But to watch with her own eyes gave her more restlessness than scare.
Mo Qianxue didn't know why she was so restless.
Seeing she wasn't as frightened and disgusted as last time, Ning Shaoqing whispered softly to her, "Don't think too much. Even if we don't kill these people, others will. Besides, this is only the first batch." Mo Qianxue raised her brow, "Will there be more people coming and trying to kill us?"
"It doesn't lie in the number but the ability!" Ning Shaoqing pondered and quickly had an answer, "I suppose it's because butler Tong didn't want to make enemies with the Ning family, so he has deliberately found this useless swordsman and those weak men of sacrifice."
Ning Shaoqing's meaningful words made Mo Qianxue's expression slightly changed and she forced a smile, "How do you know?"
Ning Shaoqing answered coldly, "If this is the real power of the Tong family, then it has long vanished. Its achievement and prestige today wouldn't have existed."
Seeing Mo Qianxue was silent, Ning Shaoqing added, "Old Tong wishes my death but didn't want to employ the Tong guards. Therefore, he entrusted butler Tong to do it. If any incidents were aroused in the future, he could either stay clear of it or push all the blame on butler Tong."
Mo Qianxue's heart missed a beat, but her expression remained calm. Indeed, it sounded like a thing that old Tong would do. However, why did butler Tong help them? It was…betrayal! Butler Tong had already been loyal to old Tong. Such a thing should be impossible!
Yet, she couldn't find a reason to refute it.
Ning Shaoqing said again, "In this light, Tong Zijing will soon become the master of the Tong family. Don't worry."
Mo Qianxue wanted to say more when the shadow guards came to report, "Lord, everything is done."
Ning Shaoqing was indifferent, "What's the casualty?"
The shadow guard replied, "The other party had 103 people and all died. We have seventeen people died and ten injured."
"Pass down my words. The ten injured people stay where they are to recover. They don't have to follow us."
"Yes." The shadow guard took the order and said again, "Lord, please get into the carriage now. It'd be better to reach the next destination and find a place to live in as soon as possible."
Mo Qianxue glanced over. The place below took on a new scene. Although it was still chaotic, there wasn't corpses or blood.
She never knew that the ancients had such great wisdom to cover up the traces so utterly. She really admired it even though she had witnessed for many times.
The grassland, forest didn't look as dense as before, yet no traces of fight was detectable. Instead, the messy shapes of the grass and trees looked like having been tramped by wild animals chasing one after another.
After this battle, the sky was dark. Mo Qianxue gazed the sunset in the west, where the skyline was rendered with layers of colored clouds in orange, pink, red, purple, blue, pretty as the blusher on the cheeks of a girl, beautiful as the most expensive brocade. Who would know that a moment ago, over a hundred people died and were buried here?
She only hoped that in the next life, they could live a happy life other than becoming a knife of others.
From this day, she should be less soft-hearted and try to become an arbor that formed a shelter for others.
Taking a final glance, Mo Qianxue, all her restlessness disappeared, eyes firm, turned around and got onto the carriage with Ning Shaoqing.
The group of people galloped for a long while and finally stopped at the foot of a mountain.
**
It was midnight. Ever since the last attack, they had been setting off before dawn and stopped until midnight.
They sat on the grassland to take a rest, exhausted from the consecutive dashing on the way.
Nanny brought water to Mo Qianxue, and Chuyi and Shiwu massaged for her. She drank some water, handed to Chuyi and told them to take a rest and ignored her.
They rode horses on their own, much tiring then her, especially when Chuyi had injured last time. Luckily it wasn't too serious.
Ning Shaoqing leaned on the rafter of the carriage, playing a jade plate in his left hand and said loudly, "Tomorrow, we'll be traveling by water to circumvent Yunqi county. We can't be more cautious." Only after passing this obstacle could they be safe in real terms.
The lingered depressed air and the tail that hadn't been shaken off for a few times gave him an ominous feeling that tomorrow there would be a tough battle.