He Xi heard Jiang Ling’s cry and leapt forward, dodging the arrows before meeting Na Cuo for another round of battle. The twin blades struck at once, but Na Cuo deflected the strike, and the twin blades flew toward the ground, losing their striking force.
Na Cuo gripped the dagger in his left hand, plunging it toward He Xi’s neck. He Xi released the blade in her right hand and blocked Na Cuo’s wrist, preventing the dagger from advancing any further. He Xi struck out with her leg, looking to kick Na Cuo in the face. He retreated, retrieving his blade that trapped He Xi’s twin sabers. With a nimble twist of her wrist, the right blade spun in two circles around her left blade before returning to her right hand.
Jiang Ling dispatched the followers circling them, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. Jiang Ling was forced back to He Xi’s side. After several rounds, there was no clear victor between He Xi and Na Cuo as they fought against the cliff face. If it had just been Na Cuo, they might have been able to escape with their lives, but there was still that hidden archer to contend with who may draw their attention away at a crucial moment. Now, all they could do was fight for their lives.
“Lord Protector Na Cuo, these two individuals are this humble one’s[1]在下, a humble self-address friends. Please let them off for this humble one.” Shen Xiuqi’s deep, powerful voice called down from the top of the cliff. Jiang Ling was overjoyed, seeing a ray of hope, “Shen-shixiong!”
“A Ling!” Shangguan Qing’s voice also sounded soon after.
Shen Xiuqi had brought many disciples of the Yueluo sect with him. As they appeared on the top of the cliff, they clearly outnumbered the others.
Off in the distance, Wu Ji was stunned, “So the Saintess has a connection to the Longxi Yueluo Sect, too?”
“Shen Xiuqi, you and I should each stick to our own affairs. Do not interfere in my capture of these Cult of Light traitors.” Longxi had frequent contact with Xiyu, so Shen Xiuqi and Na Cuo had spoken with each other several times previously.
“From what I can see, these two are from the central plains. How could they be traitors of your Cult of Light? This is clearly a case of the Cult of Light humiliating people of my central plains.” Shangguan Qing retorted, propelling herself down the cliff and landing before Jiang Ling and He Xi.
He Xi’s eye color was special. To avoid trouble, she had long disguised herself with a darker eye color and wore clothing of the central plains. She indeed looked like a fair-skinned person of the central plains.
With her current appearance, this did appear to be the Cult of Light bullying a person of the central plains. Na Cuo pointed at He Xi: “Miss Shangguan, there is something you do not know. This woman is the Saintess of the Cult of Light, He Xi. She recently betrayed her sect and the leader has ordered me to retrieve her.”
“I heard that the Cult of Light Saintess is entirely of Xiyu and has an unusual eye color. Lord Protector Na Cuo, are you perhaps vision impaired?” Shangguan Qing said glibbly.
“She has altered her appearance to cheat you.”
“Why should I put my trust in you? You might be the one cheating me!” Shangguan Qing was not one to be duped.
Na Cuo was so irritated, blue veins popped out on his forehead.
“And if I insist?”
“You can try.” Shen Xiuqi also leapt down and landed in front of them.
Wu Ji saw the two groups nearly at each other’s throats and rushed over to Na Cuo.
Shen Xiuqi lifted an eyebrow, having not expected the Cult of Light’s Guardian King to appear here as well, “Lord Guardian King Wu Ji, you and your sect have gone too far today.”
“Shen-xiandi[2]贤弟, a respectful form of ‘younger brother’, can be used to refer to any man younger than one’s self exaggerates. We did, indeed, come to apprehend a pair of traitors.” Wu Ji had no desire to engage with the Yueluo Sect. Even though he was on orders by Zhu Li to eliminate traitors, there was also some tumult within the sect. Some in Luo Zhu’s faction still did not believe that Luo Zhu could have acted in such a treasonous and heretical manner, and many in the sect were discontented. If the Cult of Light were to now clash with the Yueluo Sect, they would certainly be weakened, “We shall leave the Yumen Pass as soon as the traitors are captured.”
“She’s obviously my cousin.” Jiang Ling saw that this was the only way to protect He Xi. Even if talks went south, the Yueluo Sect would not be implicated, and at worst, they would be brought back together.
“There, my friend says that she’s her cousin, not some sort of Cult of Light traitor.” Shangguan Qing pushed.
“They’re clearly a pair of illicit…” Na Cuo felt as if a fish bone was caught in his throat. He did not know how to explain their relationship. If he were to say the rest of his words, they would just think he was speaking out of turn. Besides, he was only bringing up such ‘personal’ matters out of spite. He Xi’s calmness made him believe most of it, so he almost spit out the words ‘illicit lovers’.
Shangguan Qing saw his stunted effort at speech and asked with a strange expression on her face, “Illicit what?”
“…” Na Cuo was speechless for a moment.
Wu Ji wanted to take a step back from the situation, “Should He Xi swear to withdraw from the Cult of Light today, to not set foot within Xiyu again, I can consider her dead from now on.”
“…” He Xi was silent. Jiang Ling reached out to tug on her hand, leaning in and whispering: “So long as there is life, there is hope.”
He Xi lifted her gaze to meet Jiang Ling’s eyes. She did not want to let her down.
He Xi nodded.
“Then hand me the Blades of Light.” Na Cuo was dissatisfied but could only heed Wu Ji’s proposal. He Xi holding onto the Blades of Light was entirely unallowable, even if they were merely the weapons of the previous leader.
“You don’t deserve them.” This was Luo Zhu’s legacy to her. She would never hand them over to them.
Seeing that He Xi was not giving them the Blades of Light, Na Cuo advanced to pressure her. He Xi did not back down, and the two of them were about to face off again.
Shen Xiuqi and Wu Ji went forward and separated them. Wu Ji thought that the Blades of Light were unnecessary for the sect. They had been left behind for over ten years and were only differentiated from the rest by being the leader’s weapons. They could not go to war for this damned thing.
Seeing Wu Ji step forward, Na Cuo turned it over in his mind, looking for a way to extricate himself, “To respect the Yueluo Sect and the Guardian King, I will regard the Saintess as dead.” He retreated, breaking the tension between the two groups. Wu Ji raised a hand, and the Cult of Light followers slowly withdrew.
“Then I thank you both.” Shen Xiuqi cupped his hands toward them in salute.
With the Cult of Light followers leaving, Shangguan Qing released a sigh of relief, affectionately linking arms with Jiang Ling, “A Ling, that was so dangerous ah.”
Having been saved from a desperate situation, she was greatly joyed, “A Qing, why are you all here.”
“Your little brother Zhuo Zhuo said you’d be here soon. We had some of our shidi wait for your arrival. Those shidi came to tell us that you had been obstructed in the Yumen Pass and we rushed over.”
“So it was Zhuo Zhuo. How has he been?”
“Quite well. He’s inseparable from the horse trader caravans as of late.”
…
“Guardian King, with us letting He Xi go like this, the leader will surely place blame.” Na Cuo was still unwilling to quit.
“The leader has yet to ascend to his position. He cannot afford to be embroiled in conflict with other sects at present.” Wu Ji’s hand had also been forced.
“Hmph. I don’t believe He Xi can escape now, either.” Na Cuo narrowed his eyes, hatching a plan once again.
…
He Xi stood behind them, her brows knitted together and her face frosty. Jiang Ling felt a chill down her back. Turning her head, she was met with He Xi’s cold expression. She realized she had neglected He Xi and extricated her arm from Shangguan Qing’s and pulled He Xi over, “A Qing, this is my friend, He Xi. She’s the one who rescued me in the desert.”
Upon finding out that He Xi had rescued Jiang Ling, Shangguan Qing treated He Xi with abounding warmth, “Thank you for rescuing A Ling.”
As if she did not hear, then walked directly over to Little Donkey. Little Donkey had already lost too much blood and stopped breathing. He Xi stroked its mane, closing her eyes and reciting a few lines of scripture. She gathered her things and walked into the Yumen Pass.
Jiang Ling laughed awkwardly and explained to Shangguan Qing, “She just fled from Xiyu. She must be in a bad mood.”
Shangguan Qing’s curiosity rose again. She leaned toward Jiang Ling and whispered into her ear, “Is she really the Cult of Light’s Saintess?”
“…”
Shen Xiuqi, seeing that He Xi had already walked away and the two of them were still whispering to each other, said helplessly: “Let’s talk after we go back.”
Jiang Ling jogged to follow He Xi, and Shen Xiuqi brought everyone back to Zhangye.
It was nighttime by the time everyone made it back to Zhangye. Shangguan Qing had been staying in an inn while she waited for Jiang Ling. She originally wanted to pay for Jiang Ling’s room, but He Xi refused, “We have money. No need to trouble you, Miss Shangguan.”
“I apologize, but our small inn only has one empty room.” The innkeeper said embarrassedly.
Shangguan Qing said magnanimously, “Then A Ling can sleep in my…”
“Jiang Ling and I will stay in one room.” He Xi interrupted Shangguan Qing.
Jiang Ling did not know what was wrong with He Xi. For the whole day, it was like she had eaten gunpowder. She had always acted with utmost courtesy before.
Jiang Ling smiled appeasingly at Shangguan Qing, “Her and I always slept in the same room before.”
Shangguan Qing could likewise not make heads or tails of the inexplicable hostility from He Xi. She was utterly different from the Cult of Light’s Saintess she had heard of. Could Jiang Ling have been deceived?”
Shangguan Qing tugged on Jiang Ling, wanted to say something, but saw the daggers in He Xi’s eyes and released Jiang Ling’s hand in a huff. She let out a couple of dry laughs, “Have a good rest.”
Jiang Ling said goodnight to Shangguan Qing and went to her room. He Xi was sitting at the head of the beed, her eyes tracking Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling felt uncomfortable under her stare. She picked up the cup of tea on the table and took two sips, “What’s going on with you today?”
“Nothing.” He Xi retracted her gaze. She took off her outer layer on her own and laid down.
Jiang Ling was dumbfounded, “Where am I sleeping.” He Xi had not asked the attendant for an extra bed.
He Xi shifted and patted the spot next to her.
“…”
Jiang Ling looked at the part of the bed He Xi had left for her and felt conflicted, but they had not gotten proper rest over these past several days in the desert. “It’s not like we haven’t before.” Jiang Ling mumbled. She made up her mind, took off her outer layer, and laid down next to He Xi.
He Xi laid there very properly, but Jiang Ling’s heart was not nearly as proper. A soft warmth radiated at Jiang Ling’s side, stirring the waves in her heart. Recalling how He Xi had admitted their relationship so straightforwardly, Jiang Ling’s heart thumped in her chest. Her thoughts gradually trailed off, and her instinctive desire to be closer to He Xi grew stronger and stronger. Jiang Ling’s mind kept shouting “No, we’re already even,” but she could not stop her hand from covering He Xi’s.
He Xi turned her hand over and grabbed her Jiang Ling’s. She rolled over and stuck close to Jiang Ling’s arm. Her warm breath brushed against Jiang Ling’s ear, “Don’t even think about it.” Jiang Ling felt a warmth in the pit of her stomach. Discomfited, she separated herself a little bit.
“I…wasn’t…” Thinking about it. He Xi was clearly leading her on.
He Xi chuckled with a trace of drowsiness, “I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”
He Xi’s cheek rested on Jiang Ling’s shoulder, and in no time, her breaths evened out. She really had been tired. Jiang Ling let out two breaths. Her own heart calmed and she soon drifted off to sleep.
The next day, Jiang Ling woke up first. He Xi’s face was still buried in Jiang Ling’s shoulder. The gentle morning sunlight slanted into their room. Jiang Ling turned her head toward it and He Xi’s sleeping countenance came into view. She could even see the fine hairs on He Xi’s face, the delicate fluttering of her eyelashes, the wisps of black hair on her cheek. So pretty, Jiang Ling let out a heartfelt sigh. She had always known He Xi’s beauty, but this was the first time she had seen her while she was asleep.
Jiang Ling gently brushed aside the wisps of hair on He Xi’s face, hoping to see her more clearly, but her small action disturbed her sleep. Like a cat, He Xi furrowed her beautiful brow and opened her amber-colored eyes. He Xi blinked her eyes, adjusting to the light. She asked, her voice indolent, “Awake?”
Jiang Ling retracted her hand and gulped, “Mhm.” She lifted the blanket and went to wash up for the day.
Jiang Ling splashed some cold water on her face, trying to calm herself down.
“sorry my girlfriend is just jealous”