"Crazy man, I still have one request from you, don't I?"
Before we entered the Jin royal palace, Shun Jin said, facing me. She looked at me seriously.
"Do you already have a request?"
Shun Jin nodded.
"If I succeed in killing King Fong. I want you to stay with me. No matter who you are, I want to be by your side, forever. Long Yi."
At that time, I didn't answer anything and ruffled her hair.
"So, what's your answer?" Shun Jin asked with hopeful eyes.
"I will give you the answer after you duel against the arrogant king."
Then we both entered the palace without saying anything else.
***
When Shun Jin was cornered by King Fong's rapid, continuous blows. Shun Jin only made a simple downward slash. But it was enough to sever King Fong's left hand.
He immediately jumped back to maintain distance from Shun Jin, who was bruised in several places. Her head was bleeding, her breath sounded hoarse mixed with blood, and she had difficulty standing upright. King Fong's continuous blows, using qi-infused bare-handed techniques, had certainly injured Shun Jin's internal organs.
But Shun Jin's attack far exceeded the expectations of everyone in the hall, including me. In this battle, Shun Jin successfully perfected the ordinary slash way of sword technique I taught her.
She took a deep breath from her mouth. Her hands, which had been trembling, became steady. Her eyes were focused. Her gaze was no longer filled with vengeance, but eyes that showed she would kill anyone in front of her. Her stance was mature, and her sword was drawn gallantly forward.
"Long Yi. You seem to have taken on an unusual student. That girl is still in the mid-stage Mortal Realm, isn't she? She... So beautiful." Rastella smiled broadly, interested in seeing Shun Jin, who was only focused on King Fong, who had lost his left hand.
King Fong growled, he used a body hardening technique to stop the bleeding in his left hand.
"Only one hand, so what? While you can even barely stand, Shun Jin. My next attack, I will pierce your heart! Just like I pierced your father's heart!"
King Fong stomped on the shiny hall floor until it cracked, then he jumped to the side of a blue jade pillar very quickly like a bouncing ball in all directions that couldn't be followed by the eye.
The sound of cracking stone was heard and King Fong was no longer visible except for his silhouette. He struck Shun Jin's back from behind then quickly jumped up again and bounced back and forth to make Shun Jin let her guard down. When Shun Jin let her guard down, he would target Shun Jin's exposed body parts, striking quickly before Shun Jin could react.
"Ara ara ara~ she's really going to die, Long Yi. That girl can only withstand every one of my king's fast attacks without retaliating."
"Is that so? Look closely at her eyes. Does she look like someone in cornered? Moreover, don't you recognize the robe Shun Jin is wearing?"
Rastella narrowed her eyes, then she opened her eyes wide along with her mouth. She even covered her mouth to look at the blue and white robe Shun Jin was wearing.
"She didn't open her eyes at all. You... You went to the bloody valley and killed the white snake? Ara, if so, Shun Jin actually didn't suffer serious injuries all this time. For her, King Fong's blows felt like ordinary fast blows. That's because the robe she's wearing is stronger than iron and soft like silk. It's quite cheating to wear such a good robe in a life-and-death duel like this."
I shrugged.
"In war, it's better to come fully equipped than not at all."
Rastella's words were true. Although King Fong used qi-infused blows that could knock down tall, sturdy pillars, but for Shun Jin, who wore a robe made of white snake skin that I got as a souvenir from the bloody valley, it was just an ordinary hard blow because the robe Shun Jin wore could dampen some of the Qi energy that King Fong launched when he struck.
For almost five minutes, Shun Jin had only been receiving continuous blows from various directions. King Fong became increasingly enraged because Shun Jin had only been coughing up blood without any part of her body appearing to be destroyed. When he aimed for her head, Shun Jin, who had her eyes closed, dodged, so he could only graze Shun Jin's shoulder.
King Fong landed five steps in front of Shun Jin, who still had her eyes closed.
"WHAT CHEATING TRICK ARE YOU USING, SHUN JIN!"
"None. It's just that your movements are so messy and I can easily read them. Compared to training with my master, you are nothing but a fly to me."
King Fong growled loudly. He clenched his right fist so tightly that his fingers pressed into his palm until it bled. All the muscles and veins in his body tensed with anger.
Shun Jin in front of him stood weakly in a regular sword stance. Her mouth was spitting blood, as was her nose, but she did not flinch and remained standing tall like a mountain. Her eyes were still closed, focused, sharpening her sense of hearing.
King Fong began to use his ultimate technique. Gathering all the Qi energy he had into his right hand.
"YOU WILL DIE, SHUN JIN! YOU WILL DIE BY ONE OF MY BLOWS!"
Shun Jin was currently experiencing an enlightenment. In her life-or-death battle, she experienced sword enlightenment at a speed that even amazed me.
The girl opened her eyes. Her blue pupils glowed brightly.
"DIE!!!"
"Fong! Your death is my deepest desire. But this very second, I will let it go."
Shun Jin raised her sword parallel to her neck. Then she made a soft and straight thrust forward, to the place where King Fong had just lunged as fast as an arrow, launching a qi blow that exploded when it touched Shun Jin's chest.
But that blow was first split by Shun Jin's very soft sword thrust. Splitting his outstretched right hand that struck, then piercing directly into his heart. Penetrating the golden wild boar's mouth on the front of his robe. Penetrating all the way to his back.
Blood, spilled profusely onto the hall floor.
Shun Jin and King Fong stood with their backs to the throne. Below the stairs leading to the place where the crowned one ruled. The king was pierced by the sword of the princess, the rightful owner of the royal throne.
"Hah... Hah... How could you do that... Ugh! Ugh... The sword enlightenment your father sought... Why could you find it...?"
King Fong asked, his mouth spitting blood. His breath was already labored, and his heart was pierced by Shun Jin's slender sword.
"I just decided to forgive you. I just decided to let go of this grudge. I'm sure my father never wanted this, this was just my selfish desire. And this is my respect for my father's friend from long ago."
Shun Jin said softly and pulled her slender sword from King Fong's chest. His crown fell, and he knelt before Shun Jin.
Blood pooled more and more on the floor. But King Fong still tried to maintain his consciousness in his dying moments.
He tried to laugh but stopped because of the blood in his throat.
"Hah.. hah.. I don't know when it became like this... Your father, we used to be friends and fought on the same battlefield... Then he married, married the woman I loved who rejected me... Cough! Cough!... Since then our relationship changed and I started to hate your father... Especially when I heard you were born, Shun Jin.. your mother died giving birth to you... When I heard you grew up as beautiful as your mother... I couldn't stand it anymore, I wanted to have you... I thought... If I had you... She would finally accept my love... I love you... Shanxia... Jin..."
King Fong died kneeling. His head rested on his one bent knee. Meanwhile, under his feet, red blood pooled.
I wanted to applaud this fantastic drama, but unfortunately, Rastella and I have no feelings, so I stood up, and it was my turn to act and capture Rastella.
Seeing me stand, Rastella chuckled.
"You really want to take me somewhere, don't you? But what a pity~"
Rastella clapped her hands softly before my sword touched her body. She then disappeared into the shadows.
"See you in Nanjing, my dear~ We'll settle our past affairs there~"
Rastella's voice echoed in the hall. But her presence was gone.
Meanwhile, Shun Jin was still standing, catching her breath. Her head was bleeding, several internal organs were injured, and she coughed up blood several times, but otherwise, she was fine.
After wiping the blood from her nose and mouth, the girl smiled at me. I returned a thumbs-up with a flat expression.
"Well, it's all over now. You got your kingdom back. I should go, I have to catch Rastella before she go farther."
I walked towards the exit, and at that moment, Shun Jin coughed, trying to say something to me.
"Ah! Wait—cough! Cough! Crazy man! Don't—cough! Cough! Go! You... Cough! Promised me! Cough! Cough! Cough!"
The sound of a body falling was heard. I glanced back to see Shun Jin dragging her body on the blood-soaked floor, trying to catch up to me. She had just tried to walk after me, but it seemed her body was at its limit. So she dragged her body on the floor, leaving her sword uncared for. Her hand tried to reach for me, who was already at the exit.
"Long Yi! Cough! Cough! You promised! You promised to grant my wish! Cough! Cough! I will become stronger to stand by your side! Therefore! Cough! Cough! Please don't go..."
Shun Jin winced in silence. She cried. I heard sobs and sniffles. Shun Jin cried. Just like when I stopped her from committing suicide. She cried loudly seeing me disappear from behind the door.
"You're mean, Long Yi... You're so mean! You promised to grant my wish... Am I not a girl worthy of standing by your side? I will try my whole life to keep getting stronger so I can stand by your side... Please... come back... Don't leave me alone again... I don't want to be separated from you..."
As if getting an idea. Shun Jin took her sword and was about to slit her own throat.
"Please come back, Long Yi... If not... I will really kill myself..."
Shun Jin said with a trembling mouth and hands. Closing her eyes, in a sitting position, she began to press the blood-stained sword blade to her own neck.
"You."
I lifted Shun Jin's blood-soaked body with both hands.
"So whiny."
Shun Jin opened her eyes upon hearing my voice. Then she immediately hugged my neck tightly, not caring that her sword fell to the floor. Burying her face in my chest while crying loudly.
"Idiot! Idiot! Cough! Idiot! You're really an evil demon! I hate you! Hate you!"
Shun Jin kept crying on my chest while hugging my neck tightly. Actually, I had just walked behind her. Intending to tease her a little, but I didn't expect Shun Jin to be so angry and sad. She was still the spoiled and whiny girl I knew.
We both exited the hall. Leaving King Fong's kneeling corpse alone.
With this, Shun Jin's story of avenging her father was complete.
And a new tale begin.
***