Chapter 630: Everyone Is Here
Chapter 630: Chapter 630: Everyone Is Here
Shen Ningning’s heart pounded with excitement.
No wonder the Crown Prince’s personal soldiers had entered the city so easily. With her father here, there was a chance to turn everything around.
’The city gates must have been breached by now, right?’
Governor Ren froze. He stared intently at the man’s face, scrutinizing it until he finally recognized him.
It was Xie Suzhi...
Xie Suzhi’s tone was icy. "Ren Pengyi, thirty years ago, you traveled to the capital for the imperial examinations. You ran out of silver and were on the verge of becoming a beggar. It was my wife who sponsored you. Have you forgotten?"
Ren Pengyi’s lips trembled as he pressed them into a thin line.
Taking the examinations had been the idea of a powerful figure who advised him from the shadows. That person had told him he would meet a kind woman on his journey.
Seeing his poverty and destitution, she would give him a sum of silver to support his continued studies for the examinations.
That woman was his destined benefactor. With her help, he was certain to pass. And just as that Demi Immortal had predicted, everything came true.
After Ren Pengyi succeeded in the examinations and earned a title, he schemed to get transferred to Ling Mountain City. Following the Demi Immortal’s instructions, he began to build his power base there.
As for the woman who had helped him back then, he had long since forgotten her name.
Now, with Xie Suzhi’s reappearance, Governor Ren was reminded of those difficult times, and he gritted his teeth.
"Out of consideration for the silver coins you gave me back then, I will not take your daughter’s life. However, I won’t be letting her go just yet."
The moment he finished speaking, his guards seized the opportunity, surging forward to restrain both Shen Ningning and Ren Si.
"Are you trying to stage a rebellion!?" Mo Lingwei roared.
Finally, Governor Ren dropped all pretense. "As the saying goes," he sneered, "even a mighty dragon must fear the local snake. It doesn’t matter if the Prime Minister or the Crown Prince himself is here today—no one is spoiling my plans! Men, attack!"
Countless soldiers instantly poured out from behind the government office. These men had all served under General Peng, but with the General now under Governor Ren’s control, they could only obey the governor’s commands.
The two sides clashed in a bloody melee, and the sounds of battle shook the heavens.
Swords in hand, Mo Lingwei and Xie Suzhi both fought their way toward Shen Ningning.
The guards held Shen Ningning fast, trying to drag her away.
Ren Si broke free first. She lunged forward and sank her teeth into a guard’s wrist. He let out a pained shriek, and Shen Ningning seized the moment to wrench herself free.
"Big Sister, run!" Even now, Ren Si called out to her as she always had.
Mo Lingwei immediately pulled Shen Ningning into his arms, but when she looked back, she saw Ren Si pinned to the ground by the guards.
Governor Ren, surrounded by his trusted men, saw this and barked, "Such a nuisance! Kill her!"
A guard’s blade was instantly pressed against Ren Si’s neck.
Shen Ningning’s eyes widened in horror. "Don’t!"
A sound split the air as a sharp arrow came flying.
Piercing through the raindrops, the sharp arrow sank into the web of the guard’s hand with a soft THUD.
A perfect shot.
The guard cried out and dropped his blade. Ren Si scrambled to her feet and ran to Shen Ningning, who quickly pulled her behind for protection.
Governor Ren frowned. ’This is bad,’ he thought, and looked in the direction the arrow had come from.
There, atop the wall, a nimble figure was already drawing another arrow.
It was Liang Yici.
Shen Ningning was surprised. ’She’s here too?’
’Does that mean General Fang brought his troops as well?’
Liang Yici took aim at Governor Ren. The instant the arrow flew, the governor frantically grabbed a nearby guard to use as a shield, then turned to flee.
But after the first arrow, a second one followed.
Then, as more soldiers began vaulting over the wall, Shen Ningning spotted another familiar figure.
Jiang Zhi, clad in armor, raised her longsword and rallied the troops. "Seize that damn governor! Don’t let them escape!"
With that, she vaulted into the courtyard and ran to Shen Ningning’s side. "Ningning, are you all right?"
Shen Ningning was stunned. "You all came?"
"We’re here! General Chen and General Fang are holding off the bulk of their forces at the city gate. They sent us ahead to rescue you."
Shen Ningning caught a glimpse of movement behind the screen and suddenly remembered. "There’s someone sitting back there!"
She immediately lifted her skirts and ran, with Mo Lingwei and Jiang Zhi following close behind.
However, when they rounded the screen and looked into the back hall, there was no one in sight.
All that remained beside the chair was a cup of tea, now gone cold.
"He’s gone," Shen Ningning murmured, then her head snapped up. "No, that’s not it. He must have seen how things were turning and gone to Tianshan Mountain to get the Snow Lotus."
Just then, a massive black shadow swept across the sky and landed on the eaves of the government office.
Someone cried out, "The Hei Diao is here to eat people!"
Shen Ningning hurried out of the back hall and looked up at the roof.
The massive form of the Hei Diao folded its wings. Seeing Shen Ningning, it asked, "Are we going?"
The soldiers all froze, stunned by the talking Hei Diao.
Shen Ningning nodded. "What took you so long?"
"Oh, I’ve been here for a while. I was watching from nearby. But I have to make my entrance at the most dramatic moment. It’s a personal rule."
Shen Ningning nearly stamped her foot in frustration. ’What kind of stupid rule is that? He could have just flown me to Tianshan Mountain earlier!’
Mo Lingwei stood protectively in front of Shen Ningning. "Take both of us. You can grab onto me, that way you won’t hurt her."
The Hei Diao flapped its wings. "I can only carry one. The rain is terrible today; it took me some effort just to get here. If I take both of you, I won’t be able to fly."
Shen Ningning quickly pushed Mo Lingwei aside. "Take me! Big Brother, you wait for me at the foot of the mountain."
The Hei Diao gave them no chance for goodbyes. It spread its wings and dove, startling the surrounding soldiers so much that they stopped fighting and scrambled backward.
Shen Ningning felt her body being lifted sharply into the air. Before she could react, she was already encircled by the Hei Diao’s massive talons, soaring toward the heavens.
When she looked down again, the figures of her father, her Big Brother, and Jiang Zhi grew smaller and smaller, until they were nothing more than tiny black specks.
The Hei Diao carried Shen Ningning straight into the clouds, vanishing into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Although Xie Suzhi had heard about the plan from Mo Lingwei, he couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat as he watched his daughter being carried high into the sky by the Hei Diao.
"Let’s hurry to Tianshan Mountain and see how we can help."
...
Upon entering the domain of Tianshan Mountain, Shen Ningning’s most immediate sensation was the cold.
It was bone-chillingly cold.
The fierce wind made it almost impossible for her to open her eyes. The thunderclouds overhead seemed close enough to touch, and the Hei Diao only flew faster.
As it continued to climb, Shen Ningning grew so cold she could hardly stand it and began to shiver.
She looked down through wisps of dark, rain-filled clouds and saw the first signs of snow on Tianshan Mountain.
However, the Hei Diao said, "You’re shivering already? It’s still too early for that. By the time we reach the true summit, you’ll probably freeze to death. I told you, your kind isn’t suited for Tianshan Mountain."
Enduring the cold, Shen Ningning’s voice trembled as she replied, "I still won’t give up. I’ve come this far. I have to get it."
The Hei Diao fell silent for a moment.
"Then I can fly a bit slower."
"Just fly faster! The slower we go, the colder it gets," Shen Ningning urged.
The Hei Diao shot straight toward the sky, leaving Shen Ningning dizzy and disoriented from the buffeting.
But thankfully, by the time the Hei Diao brought her to the icy summit, Tian Xuezhen had not yet appeared.
"Where’s the Snow Lotus?" Shen Ningning asked, enduring the biting wind and cold rain as she scanned her surroundings—a vast expanse of white.
"Right there, at the edge of the cliff."
Shen Ningning looked and saw it. Sure enough, right at the very edge, a single flower lay partially covered by snow, swaying precariously as if it might be ripped from the ground at any moment.
She walked toward it without hesitation.