Listening to the footsteps, the man closed his eyes.
Five people. Maybe six.
The wind in the forest died down, and the birds went silent.
An arrow grazed his ear and thudded into the tree trunk.
He moved.
His killing method was exceptionally clean and efficient.
He crushed the throat of the first assassin with an elbow strike; the second was stripped of his blade, which was then driven into his heart with a reverse thrust.
The third came quickly, the blade edge slicing across his waist. He twisted his body, contorting himself into an almost bone-breaking posture to drive the stolen blade into the side of the opponent’s neck.
Scalding blood splattered across his jaw.
The fourth turned to run.
He threw the captured blade, striking the man squarely in the center of his back.
Just as he was about to deal with the fifth assassin, he suddenly dropped to one knee, his face deathly pale.
It wasn't from his injuries, but from excessive blood loss.
The edges of his vision began to darken, like ink bleeding into rice paper.
Dozens of yards away, the canopy of an ancient tree spread out like a cloud.
Yun Shu sat on the highest horizontal branch, leaning against the main trunk with her eyes slightly closed. Her breathing was so long and steady it was as if she were in a deep meditative state.
Cool moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, plating her in a soft, dreamlike glow.
“Host, are we really not going to save him?” The little fox crouched on Yun Shu’s shoulder, its tail gently brushing past her ear. “The male lead looks a bit... dead.”
“No,” Yun Shu replied without even opening her eyes.
To make the surrounding land fertile, she had been walking around in this set from morning till night like some kind of power-walking champion.
She was exhausted and just wanted to sleep.
Besides, didn't male leads always have plot armor? Even if she didn't save him, he probably wouldn't die.
“But... Host...” the system said worriedly.
“If the male lead kicks the bucket, our mission fails, this world will collapse, and everyone will die.”
“What? Why didn't you say so earlier?!”
Yun Shu sat up abruptly, as if rising from a deathbed.
Beneath the tree, the sound of clashing weapons rang out again.
After a muffled groan, Shen Jue spat out a large mouthful of blood; he was clearly at the end of his rope.
The fifth assassin approached with his blade raised. “General Shen, if you must blame someone, blame yourself for offending someone you shouldn't have.”
“What exactly did Luo Daoqing give you? Is he worth risking your lives for?”
The assassin raised his sword, enduring his own injuries. “The State Preceptor is an immortal incarnate! He is naturally worth our lifelong devotion!”
Shen Jue let out a low chuckle, which aggravated his wounds and caused him to cough up more bloody foam.
“An immortal incarnate?” He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “Would an immortal order you to carry out such assassination plots?”
“Furthermore, that ‘immortal’ Luo Daoqing of yours extorts the people, sells official posts and titles, and imposes crushing taxes that force the commoners to sell their own children. Those occultists are clearly demons who bewitch the Emperor and throw the imperial court into chaos!”
“Shut up! Do not slander the State Preceptor!”
“You understand nothing!”
The assassin gritted his teeth, his voice muffled but resolute. “His Excellency said that one must destroy before one can rebuild. Only through great chaos can there be great order, returning a pure land to the world. What does the death of a few people matter?”
“General Shen, you may rest in peace now.”
He swung his blade without hesitation.
Shen Jue’s eyes darkened.
In the next instant, he used the last of his strength to drive a hidden short blade from his sleeve into the other man's abdomen.
He twisted the blade upward, shredding the internal organs.
As the assassin collapsed, the sword slipped from his hand.
Shen Jue fell as well, his back hitting the ground. The impact caused all his unhealed wounds to gush blood simultaneously.
His consciousness was fading away bit by bit.
Just then, he saw a figure descending from the sky through his blurred vision.
It was like a tapestry suddenly unfolding in the twilight.
Her skirt flared out and then gathered as she landed.
The fine gold chains on either side of her small gold crown swayed slightly with her movements.
Shen Jue’s heart skipped a beat.
Then, it accelerated uncontrollably, as if a reckless little white deer had crashed into his chest.
The woman passed by him.
She didn't look at the corpses on the ground, nor did she look at him.
The pale gold hem of her robe brushed against his limp fingers; the texture of the silk felt cool and smooth.
Shen Jue instinctively grabbed it, his fingers suddenly tightening as he crumpled the fabric into a ball.
The woman stopped in her tracks.
“Let go.” Her voice wasn't loud; it was flat and indifferent.
Shen Jue did not let go.
“Miss...” he began, his voice as raspy as if it had been ground by sand. “Save me... Shen will surely reward you handsomely...”
Before he could finish, he lost consciousness.
Yun Shu: “...”
She had originally intended to earn some Shock Value.
Now that the person was unconscious, who was she supposed to show off for?
For a moment, she even considered waking Shen Jue up first before saving him in a dramatic fashion.
Unfortunately, Shen Jue’s injuries were far too severe.
She sighed silently, then swapped the Nine-Ear Grain in her hand for the Orchid of the Blue Void.
The jade-white orchid petals glowed faintly. With a gentle turn of her wrist, her fingertips brushed the stem, and speckles of gold light shook loose from the tips of the petals, fluttering down into the blood-stained body on the ground.
The moment the gold light entered his body, Shen Jue’s wounds closed at a rate visible to the naked eye.
The torn flesh knit back together.
The deathly gray pallor on Shen Jue’s face gradually faded, and his weak breathing grew steady.
Yun Shu withdrew her hand.
The Orchid of the Blue Void vanished from between her fingers.
Just as she was about to stand up, her ears suddenly twitched.
Footsteps.
Very light, very far away.
They were approaching this location.
System: “Host, it’s Shen Er. He found his way here.”
Yun Shu’s expression immediately relaxed. With a flick of her sleeves, she turned and left this place of trouble.
“Host, why aren't you staying? If you leave like this, the male lead won't even know it was you who saved him,” the system asked, puzzled.
Yun Shu only said one thing: “The time isn't right.”
In reality, she was incredibly sleepy.
She had to go to sleep. There was a big show waiting for her to perform tomorrow, and she didn't want to show up with dark circles under her eyes.
“By the way.”
“System, sweetheart, I have a task for you.” She handed the sweet potato planting manuscript to the system. “Follow what’s written here and turn it into a simple instructional video.”
“For a top-tier artificial intelligence like you, this little thing shouldn't be difficult, right?” She looked at it expectantly.
The system couldn't refuse at all.
“Host, don't you worry. Leave it to me!”
Having secured the system’s guarantee, Yun Shu went off to find a place to sleep with a clear conscience.
She left the system to work through the night, grinding away at the video.
Meanwhile.
In the forest, Shen Er walked over and immediately saw Shen Jue leaning against the tree root, slumped there covered in blood.
His expression changed drastically. “Eldest Young Master!”
He rushed forward in three steps, dropped to one knee, and reached out to check Shen Jue’s breath.
Only when his fingertips felt that trace of warmth from the nose did his racing heart finally settle halfway.
...
The news of the Divine Lady descending to grant porridge spread like it had grown wings, reaching every village within ten miles of Xindu City.
Before dawn, while the mountain mist had yet to dissipate, the open space in front of the Divine Lady Temple was already packed with people kneeling in a dark mass.
A rough glance suggested nearly three hundred people.
Most were refugees who had come from all directions, dressed in rags, their expressions pious and humble.
A flash of daylight appeared.
In the distant horizon, a figure came piercing through the clouds.
Clad in white like snow with sleeves fluttering, the Divine Lady glided down from the eastern hilltop on a ray of morning light.
The mist scattered around Her, then was swept up by the wind, trailing behind like a long wake.
A celestial being descending to the world.
No matter how many times one saw it, it was still breathtaking.
A moment later, She landed on the stone steps in front of the Divine Lady Temple, Her toes touching down lightly without stirring any dust.
Her sleeves slowly fell. The morning light happened to pierce through the thin mist, plating Her entire being in a pale gold aura.
Her face was cold, Her eyes lowered, and a faint, subtle hint of compassion flowed from the depths of Her gaze.
“Divine Lady...”
“The Divine Lady has appeared...”
“The Divine Lady is merciful...”
The people bowed one after another, their foreheads hitting the ground with heavy thuds. Various prayers and muffled sounds rose and fell in succession.
Yun Shu didn't dawdle. As usual, she used the unlimited white porridge skill of the Scent of Plain Snow Set.
【Sun Tieshan Shock Value +100】
【Zhao Erniang Shock Value +100】
【Wu Mazi Shock Value +100】
【...】
【Current Shock Value: 3550】
Glancing at the semi-transparent system panel and seeing that the Shock Value was half of what it was yesterday, Yun Shu wasn't surprised. Performing the porridge miracle every day made them desensitized; it was only natural.
It was time to give them some new shock.
Rate on N.U.
