Remember when I sent Han for some "important work" prior to entering the palace? It was to send him straight to the town's main gates and direct Master Juechen towards us when he inevitably arrived. I know, I know, it took us almost a full week to reach Ironbell from Longyao, but Master Juechen is... well, he's a master after all. I knew he'd arrive within twenty-four hours maximum.
The wonderful sound of robes fluttering dramatically in the wind was like melodious music to my ears.
Feichen stopped his strike mid-motion and just stared at the sky in complete disbelief. His concentration was probably wiped off clean, so even the domain technique disappeared instantly.
I wanted to get a look too, so I turned around smiling widely, knowing that the fight was going to be done and dusted in just a few more seconds. I could see it clearly. A figure floating in the sky, positioned right in front of the rising sun, forming a perfect silhouette. It was such a relieving moment to be honest. We'd actually survived.
My smile stayed plastered on my face for exactly five seconds before I started to wonder why Master Juechen was just floating mid-air and not entering the fight to help me. Certainly he wasn't the one to, what do the kids call it, aura farm?
I squinted my eyes a little harder and that's when I noticed something was definitely off. The robes sure were fluttering dramatically in the wind, but his beard was missing. He had a really long one, reaching all the way down to his belly button. Surely, it should be fluttering too, right? I thought maybe he'd shaved his beard for some reason. But you see, he was way too fond of it. He'd never shaved it in centuries!
In that moment of dawning confusion, I turned back around to Feichen and he was looking at the sky, shaking like he was watching the literal grim reaper here for his life!
I just blinked once, and there he was standing directly behind Feichen with a wide grin.
LONGWEI!
I'm telling you, even Feichen's terrifying technique didn't make me freeze as much as his sudden presence did! I just stood there completely paralyzed, trying to process if what was happening was even real or if I was having some kind of near-death hallucination.
"There you are," Longwei muttered casually as he took a hold of Feichen's collar and lifted him effortlessly into the sky.
He stopped mid-air and asked Feichen in a cold voice, "Where is it?"
Feichen didn't even stutter or try to act tough. He just started singing like a damn canary! "It's in my necklace! But the guy down there took it away from me! I don't have it now, I swear!! Please spare me!!"
"If only you'd shown me this kind of honesty a few weeks ago, Feichen," Longwei said with a genuinely disappointed look. "Would've really saved me a lot of trouble and effort."
Longwei then simply let go of Feichen as he fell towards the ground below. Longwei didn't let him hit the ground though. Halfway through the fall, I blinked my eyes and Longwei was somehow behind Feichen, and he kicked him violently back towards the sky as he said a single name, "Haoran." I blinked again and another devastating kick, while saying "Yuxuan." Then another. Then another. Each time with a different name I didn't recognize.
He kept this brutal play going for a good forty kicks before he finally held Feichen by his back collar and threw him to the ground. He then dragged him through the dirt all around the entire battlefield in circles. I couldn't even hear Feichen screaming anymore. I just looked at all the chaos around me, wondering if I'd be next on his list.
By the time Longwei was done with him, Feichen's two arms had been completely severed from his body, half his leg was missing, and there was absolutely no flesh left on his face. I could only see it from afar but the sight scared me to death.
Longwei then let go of Feichen's mangled dead body with a final throw. He then slowly turned and looked directly at me and stared for a few long moments. I thought it was done for me. No way to escape now. Gotta just accept death.
Guess what I did next? That's right. I blinked. Again. And he was standing right in front of me now. There was tense silence for a good few seconds before I spoke. "Please make it painless."
He chuckled lightly, "Don't worry, kiddo. I'm not here to kill you."
"What... what do you want then?"
"Hmm. I've seen you before," Longwei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Were you one of those guys who discovered that Spirit Pearl a while back?"
"Yes," I answered plainly, not seeing any point in lying.
"Haha! Knew it! I recognized your face!" He smiled. "What's your name by the way?"
"Ziyang."
"Alright, Ziyang. Let's talk for a bit," he said casually. "Did you take some kind of necklace from the guy I just shredded to pieces?"
"Yup. It's gotta be somewhere outside the palace. My bird has it. It's all yours." I then looked at the lifeless body of Feichen. "Just... don't do me like him."
"Ugh, just chill, Ziyang! I'm a man of my word! I won't kill you," Longwei said as he gestured for me to start walking. "Let's walk and talk, shall we?"
My legs wouldn't move for a moment. But I forced them to start walking.
"So, Ziyang," Longwei continued conversationally, "how long have you been able to perform that little qi sharing technique?"
"The wha- how long have you been here watching?" I asked, shocked.
"You don't answer a question with a question. Just say it."
"Maybe more than ten years. We don't do it too often though."
"Juechen taught you that technique?"
"Huh? Yes. He did, why?"
"Hmm. Interesting. Now answer this carefully," he said. "Did your body lose the ability to generate qi, or were you born without it?"
He looked at me with intense focus while asking me that. Like he was genuinely curious about it and not just making casual conversation.
"I was... born without it," I replied hesitantly.
His eyes lit up! "Isn't that fucking FANTASTIC, Ziyang! Haha! Nice!"
"Um, why would that be nice?"
He didn't answer that question. But he did keep the conversation alive. He just kept asking me more questions, like about my childhood, my parents, my school life at Tianlan, my plans for the future. It was like a damn job interview and I just recited every answer without questioning. Honestly, what else could I even have done? I couldn't even lie to him. He'd kill me instantly if he found out.
We walked for a solid while until we finally reached the palace entrance where my friends, the king, and his soldiers were all waiting for me.
The gates were open and I could see them from a distance.
Longwei stopped me for a second and said with a smile, "You go first. I'll follow you from behind. It'll be a surprise, haha."
"Yeah, why not? Let me just surprise my friends by tagging along with the biggest villain of Shouyuan," I muttered.
I then walked slowly towards the gate and all of them looked at me. Their faces became bright with relief. My friends smiled widely knowing I was safe and they were about to come running towards me.
That's when Longwei made his dramatic entrance behind me with a wide grin.
Everybody's smile vanished in an instant.