Chapter 491 - 295: Where Do You Get the Confidence to Kill Me?
Chapter 491: Chapter 295: Where Do You Get the Confidence to Kill Me?
"Could it be... Could it be the Barbarian Race kidnapped me to force Grandfather into submission?"
Xiao Wan’er bit her lip. "If that’s the case, I... I will never let them have their way!"
But even in her defiance, a figure quietly emerged in her mind’s eye.
A handsome young man in brocade robes, holding a calligraphy brush and a book, gazing at her with a gentle smile.
She could almost hear his voice in her ear, comforting her:
"Sister, don’t be anxious. Perhaps things will take a turn for the better soon."
’A turn for the better...’
Xiao Wan’er lowered her head, the look on her beautiful face gradually firming with resolve.
’If my brother-in-law were here, he wouldn’t just do nothing, like I am.’
At this thought, Xiao Wan’er took a deep breath, composed herself, and spoke:
"Who... who are you? Why did you bring me here?"
Hearing her voice, Du Cang glanced back, a sneer appearing on his face, which was as gaunt and withered as tree bark.
"Patience, Eldest Miss Xiao. You’ll find out soon enough."
With that, he ignored Xiao Wan’er and turned to the two Barbarians at the door—Asutai and Yuan Jingxuan.
"Legend has it that Puyin Temple was built before the chaos of the Qianyang Dynasty, back when your Barbarian Race still ruled the lands of Shu State."
"Now, ’returning to your old home,’ what are your thoughts?"
Yuan Jingxuan was a head taller than Asutai, his rugged face marred by a hideous scar that cut across one cheek.
He wore a heavy, oversized fur coat, its collar gaping open at the chest to reveal half of a bear’s head tattoo.
At these words, he looked down at Du Cang and spoke in a rough, gravelly voice, his Great Wei official speech broken and halting.
"Our people... will... return. Sooner or later."
"Of course, of course. With the Left King’s ambition, he is certain to conquer Mengshui Pass one day."
After offering his smiling flattery, Du Cang turned to Asutai, bowed with cupped hands, and said, "I have caused some offense previously. I hope you will not hold it against me, Young Master."
Asutai shot him a look but ignored him, turning his head to continue staring at Xiao Wan’er with a strange expression.
Having been here for a while, he had naturally learned of Xiao Wan’er’s identity and noticed her resemblance to a certain Mr. Fu from his tribe.
He wanted to strike up a conversation, but with Yuan Jingxuan at his side, he didn’t dare say a word.
Du Cang, having been snubbed, was secretly annoyed, but there was nothing he could do about Asutai.
Yuan Jingxuan’s arrival on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road represented, to a certain extent, the official stance of the Barbarian Race.
If he failed to take the hint, he feared the Peacock King Banner and the other horse bandit factions would face total annihilation.
The Barbarian Race wouldn’t even need to send a great army; a few Grandmasters from Wen Kela’s line alone would be enough to obliterate everyone on the Ancient Tea-Horse Road.
Xiao Wan’er looked between the men, her gaze finally settling on Asutai. She gritted her teeth and spoke again.
"Are you using me to threaten the Xiao Family?"
"I’d advise you to give up on that idea!"
Asutai glanced at the silent Yuan Jingxuan, then said stiffly,
"We of the Barbarian Race would never stoop to using ’threats,’ not even against Duke Dingyuan!"
A flicker of approval crossed Yuan Jingxuan’s cold, menacing face. "Well said."
Du Cang looked at the two Barbarians and cursed them in his heart. ’Fools. She tricked them into talking, and they’re pleased with themselves.’
He then approached Xiao Wan’er and said with a sinister smile, "Since Miss Wan’er is in such a hurry, I won’t beat around the bush."
"The two envoys from the Barbarian Race are correct. I abduc— *invited* you here not to threaten Xiao Yuan, but to deal with someone else from your Xiao Family."
Xiao Wan’er froze. "Someone else?"
"’Dragon Spear’ Liu Wu. Or, to put it another way, your brother-in-law—Chen Yi!"
The familiar name, spoken by Du Cang, struck Xiao Wan’er like a thunderclap, leaving her in a daze.
She stared blankly at Du Cang. "Who... who did you say? Chen Yi?"
She grew frantic. "My brother-in-law... how could he possibly be this ’Dragon Spear’ Liu Wu?"
"He... he’s just a scholar! He only has a rudimentary knowledge of Fist and Foot. You... you must be mistaken."
"Mistaken?"
Du Cang snorted. "If that weren’t the case, why would I have bothered with a sickly thing like you?"
He paused, then added mockingly, "But I can understand why you wouldn’t know the truth."
"With Xiao Yuan still around, why would he let you in on his arrangements?"
"Don’t worry. When he gets here, you’ll understand everything. Heh heh heh..."
Xiao Wan’er still refused to believe it, but hearing his certainty, she couldn’t help but recall her time with Chen Yi over the past few months.
Every little moment.
Moments of happiness, sadness, gratitude, and affection.
’Were all those moments a lie? All part of Grandfather’s plan?’
’No, impossible!’
Before Xiao Wan’er could speak again, Yuan Jingxuan glanced at the sky and said,
"The boat is here."
"We go."
Asutai glanced at the downcast Xiao Wan’er, nodded, and said something in the Barbarian tongue.
Du Cang stopped paying attention to Xiao Wan’er and followed them with a smile. "Take care, you two. When you return, please send regards to Lord Left King on behalf of my King."
Without breaking stride, Yuan Jingxuan grabbed Asutai with one hand and pointed southeast with the other.
"You. Deal with them."
"I don’t want... to be followed."
Du Cang looked where he was pointing. Beneath the gloomy, overcast sky, two figures were rapidly approaching. He snorted coldly.
"Rest assured, my lord. I’ve made preparations."
Yuan Jingxuan gave a slight nod, took a few quick steps to hoist Asutai onto his back, and then leaped powerfully into the air.
An instant later, he had landed at the foot of the mountain and was sprinting toward the distant Chishui River.
His speed wasn’t as fast as a true Martial Arts Body Technique, but it possessed a brutish, unstoppable momentum.
Asutai clung obediently to his back, turning his head to look at the figures hurtling toward them from a distance. He recognized one of them—Lv Jiunan.