The effect of the massacre of the Ye Residence was huge. On the second day, Ximen Nu ferociously opened an investigation in order to flush out the culprit. It seemed as though he wanted to take revenge for Ye Wufeng, who had served him for so many years. Although it seemed to be a fair investigation, Ximen Nu’s spear was directly pointed at the dark forces behind Long Zhan.
The allies of the Ximen Clan were enraged by such an act. In order to not become the next Ye Wufeng, after the massacre of Ye Residence, their alliance become closer and more solid compared to before. Other clans which were still sitting on the fence became more determined. They thought that Long Zhan’s means were too bloody and that there was nothing to be sorry about even if they betrayed him.
On the other hand, it was complete chaos on Long Zhan’s side. Due to the issue of the hidden spies, there was friction between many parties. The heart of the people wasn’t in unison, and the entire group was about to crumble.
One had to say that Ye Wufeng was an extremely intelligent person. He used all sorts of ways to transmit the news of a spy hidden within Long Zhan’s ranks, and ruthlessly exterminated his bloodline. He also left behind an ambiguous relation between the purge and the Dark Church. This led to the current situation. Ximen Nu might be endlessly enraged at the fact that such a loyal and steadfast subordinate was sent to his death. However, the rage further strengthened him. Although he was the one who sent his subordinate to his death.
Ximen Nu had no regrets with the decision he made. If he was given the chance to choose again, he would still have made the cruel decision of sacrificing his subordinate. Pain was something the leader must bear. He had to be cruel to others, and at the same time, he had to be cruel to himself.
Since the ancient times, there wasn’t a leader which managed to climb up the ranks without stepping on tens of thousands of corpses. Among the corpses, there would likely be the loved ones and many of the leaders’ friends.
………………..
The moment of parting arrived. In life, there were moments of meeting, and there were also moments where friends would leave one another.
Long Yi looked at Bertha, Shui Ruoyan, Ximen Wuhen and Long Ling’er who stood in front of him. He was surprised in his heart as none of them had tears in their eyes when they looked at him. On the contrary, they smiled broadly and bid farewell to Long Yi and the others.
“Second brother, it’s already late. You should be setting off soon.” Ximen Wuhen said to Long Yi. As she stared at Long Yi with her big beautiful eyes, there wasn’t a single trace of sadness as she blinked at him.
“Yes, my husband, hurry up and go. It is important that you arrive before the war starts.” Long Ling’er also added. She appeared as though she couldn’t wait to be rid of Long Yi.
Long Yi was stunned and made a wry smile on his face. He touched his nose as he didn’t know what was going on. As a matter of fact, he originally intended to allow Long Ling’er and Ximen Wuhen follow him on his journey. However, he threw that thought to the back of his head after receiving Yin Jian’s intelligence. Pulling the two of them closer to him, he ordered them to follow Shui Ruoyan closely if they realized that there was something suspicious going on.
Initially, the two of them disagreed with Long Yi. However, after some discussion, they were more than happy to agree with whatever Long Yi had to say. This contrast was so great that Long Yi was unable to accept the outcome for a period of time.
He had doubts in his mind, but Long Yi didn’t have the time to ask any more questions. In any case, he had instructed the Skynet Intelligence Organization to keep out an eye on the whereabouts of these women.
Long Yi looked at Bertha. She was the only one who seemed normal. Although she was also smiling, anyone could see the reluctance and sadness in her eyes. As the only person in the Fox Clan to have the bloodline of the Silver Fox, it was impossible for her to wander everywhere with Long Yi. Not to mention that this time, her aunt, Mea Empress, said that she was going into seclusion. Mea Empress left everything to Bertha and asked her to discuss the matter about the Fox Clan with Yin Jian.
“Let’s go……” Long Yi waved his hand. Bringing along Nalan Ruyue and Wushuang, they flew into the sky. In an instant, all three of them disappeared into the distance. In everyone’s eyes, they became three small black dots as they flew into the distance.
Finally, Bertha could no longer hold her feelings back and her tears burst out of her eyes. Ximen Wuhen, Shui Ruoyan, and Long Ling’er were also dejected but they consoled Bertha in succession.
When Long Yi and the two women reached the edge of the Hengduan Mountains, Long Yi stopped in his tracks. Flying above the Hengduan Mountains, he slowly descended.
It was a piece of verdant bamboo forest beneath them. There was a clear brook flowing around the bamboo forest, and along with the gurgling sound of water, there was the sound of flowing water hitting the multi-colored cobblestones at the bottom of the brook. It was really an enjoyable moment for everyone’s spirit.
At this time, a clear and melodious singing voice drifted along with flowing water. Long Yi and others were unable to understand the meaning of that song, but they were able to enter a special state of mind.
“This voice appears to be familiar. Long Yi, don’t you feel so too?” Wushuang asked.
“Yes, this song feels extremely familiar!” Nalan Ruyue nodded her head and agreed with Wushuang.
With a light smile on his lips, Long Yi held Wushuang and Nalan Ruyue with his left and right hand respectively. He held onto their hand as he led them towards the source of the beautiful voice.
A thick bamboo pole slanted towards the center of the brook. A peerless beauty could be seen sitting elegantly on top of this bamboo pole. On her body, she was wrapped up in a coarse cloth, and a layer of hemp garment. Her pants were rolled up to her calf, and her feet kicked against the surface of the water as she sang. To everyone’s surprise, the woman had a bushy snow-white fox tail hanging behind her. She was clearly a woman from the Fox Clan.
Nalan Ruyue and Wushuang were stunned for a good while before shouting in unison. “Mea Empress!”
Long Yi wasn’t surprised at all. He looked at Mea Empress who was singing like a cheerful village girl with a smile. Currently, she had the appearance of a simple girl, but she was obviously extremely refined in her actions. Compared to her previous dignified appearance in the city, this was much better.
After Mea Empress finished singing, she turned around and looked towards Long Yi’s trio. Although her hair was tied into two simple braids at the moment, she appeared especially moving.
“Mea Empress, Bertha said that you were in a seclusion. How are you able to appear here?” Nalan Ruyue asked in confusion.
Mea Empress smiled as she replied Nalan Ruyue, “Why don’t you ask your dear husband? He is the reason why I am here. Also, you don’t have to call me Mea Empress any longer. From now on, you can just address me by my name, Lianxin. Call me big sister Lianxin.”
When Wushuang and Nalan Ruyue heard Mea Empress’ words, they instantly turned their heads towards Long Yi.
With a shrug of his shoulders, he told them about what happened with Mea Empress. The two women were shocked. They had no idea that the Mea Empress who looked so healthy in front of them was affected by such a condition. She was actually at death’s door when they saw her the other day.
“Long Yi, do you have a method to cure big sister Lianxin?” Wushaung asked.
“I am powerless about this. The meridians in her entire body and her internal organs have already begun to wither. Even if someone used the forbidden light magic spell on her, I’m afraid that it would be unable to save her. The only thing it could do was to prolong the time she has left in this world. There is almost no way to completely cure her.” Long Yi shook his head and sighed.
“Then, what are we going to do?” Nalan Ruyue nervously asked Long Yi. She was unable to believe the fact that Mea Empress was actually dying.
“Wushuang, I need your help for this. I hope that you can make a trip down to Origin Ice. Bring Lianxin with you.” Long Yi looked at Wushuang and sincerely requested.
Wushuang was startled and she suddenly thought of something, “Long Yi, you want to use the crystal coffin to suppress big sister Lianxin’s condition?”
Long Yi nodded his head. Apart from this, he couldn’t think of any other way. The only thing he could do now was to delay Mea Empress’ death. In order to do that, he wanted to let her sleep inside the crystal coffin. He would slowly think of a way to cure her.
There wasn’t much time left, and the four of them quickly resumed their journey. With great haste, they rushed towards the border of the Proud Moon Empire.
After two days, the four of them were able to reach the border of the Proud Moon Empire. It was just like they had expected. A huge part of the snow had already melted. The water produced from the melted snow had flowed everywhere, and it even went as far as to submerge villages and cities which were situated in low-lying areas. Right after the calamity with the snow, the Proud Moon Empire was hit with a series of floods. The Proud Moon Empire was truly plagued with misfortunes.
Wushuang didn’t speak much, but she turned and gave Long Yi a deep stare. The love she had for this man closed the gap of thousands of years between them. She was unable to cry and act like a spoiled child in front of him. Although she was reluctant to part with him, one look from her was all it took for Long Yi to know what she was thinking. Sometimes, words were not needed when a couple wanted to express their emotions. The communication through each other’s soul was enough to let each other know what the other party was thinking.
Wushuang took Mea Empress and flew away. ‘Parting is for a better reunion’, This sentence was etched deep into Wushuang’s memory.
“Let’s go! What are you looking at? They are long gone.” Nalan Ruyue said with a smile.
Long Yi turned his head and stared at Nalan Ruyue. He stared deep into her eyes as he looked at her smiling face. There was a trace of pity in his gaze.
“My husband, what is going on? Why on earth are you looking at me like this? It’s making me feel uneasy. Are you hiding something from me?” Seeing the trace of pity in Long Yi’s eyes, the heart of Nalan Ruyue suddenly jumped. She couldn’t control herself as she asked him with worry in her voice.
“Don’t let your imagination run wild. Let’s go! We have to continue with our journey. Don’t you see that the ice and snow is almost completely melted? Our army might have already started clashing with the Proud Moon Empire.” Long Yi smiled and pinched Nalan Ruyue’s beautiful face. He gave her his cheeky smile and grabbed her hand.
Nalan Ruyue suspiciously looked at Long Yi and nodded her head. Tightening her grip on Long Yi’s hand, they began to advance towards the Yatesianna defense line.
Throughout their journey, Nalan Ruyue rested on Long Yi’s back occasionally when she felt tired. However, Long Yi never stopped for a rest and completed the entire journey in one go.
Currently, the military camps were situated side by side. They stretched as far as the eye could see. All kinds of flags were fluttering in the wind, and the stern atmosphere could be felt from afar. The troops of the Nalan Empire and Violent Dragon Empire were impatient as they had been hibernating all winter. Their blood was boiling and their morale had reached its highest point.
Without attracting much attention, Long Yi and Nalan Ruyue made their way towards the Unparalleled Battalion. It was an independent battalion which was situated in the midst of the Violent Dragon Legion.
When Beitang Yu saw that Long Yi had returned, excitement flashed in her eyes. However, she quickly calmed down as she summoned Tyrant Bear and the other high-ranking military officers. Since Long Yi had arrived, they could begin the military conference.
Looking at Beitang Yu who developed the air of a peerless general around here, Long Yi secretly praised her in his heart. This female general had obtained unimaginable glory in the battlefield. He was also proud of himself. After all, she was trained by him.
Eventually, all the high-ranking military officers were gathered. Long Yi sat on the commander’s chair as he felt their feverish gazes on his face.
“Vice Legion Commander Ximen Tian, is he still in the legion?” Long Yi asked slowly.
“Replying to general, two days ago, Vice Legion Commander received Patriarch Ximen’s transfer order. He is currently en route, returning to Soaring Dragon City.” Beitang Yu answered.
Long Yi nodded his head. The absence of Ximen Tian had something to do with him as well. After thinking for a little bit, Long Yi loudly declared, “Tonight, all of you will follow me. We’ll enter the legion together. I want complete control over the entire Violent Dragon Legion.”