The night fell deep, ink staining the firmament. A waning moon was pressed by heavy layers of clouds, swallowed bit by bit, leaving only a few blurred, dismal halos at the edge of the horizon. The wind wailed through the profound forest canopy, swaying the vegetation and producing a continuous "huala" sound that made one's heart tremble and back turn cold. Night dew condensed on grass blades, reflecting the faint celestial light in tiny dots, like ghost fires or phosphorescence, adding a touch of eeriness to this darkness as heavy as iron.
All sounds were hushed, save for the whistling wind and the rustling canopy.
Suddenly—
"Buzz—!"
A clear sword hum, like the clashing of metal or the vibration of a jade chime, abruptly tore through the tranquility of the night. In mid-air, the flying sword beneath Diao Zeyi's feet trembled slightly, its spiritual light flowing like a cold star suddenly appearing.
Before the sword hum ceased, a sudden change occurred!
"Crack... Boom!"
The ground where Lin Dalu and Xiang'er stood cracked open, soil and stones splattered, and debris flew! Dozens of eerie long vines, as thick as a bowl and covered in black thorns, lunged out from the cracks like giant pythons awakening from underground! The vines twisted with gnarled roots, carrying the scent of damp, rotting earth, rapidly interweaving and tangling in the air. In an instant, they transformed into a grim cage bristling with thorns, trapping the two firmly in the center and blocking all paths of retreat.
Diao Zeyi's figure was ethereal, standing atop the flying sword, his wide earth-yellow Daoist robe fluttering fiercely in the night wind. The emerald radiance of the flying sword surrounded him, making him appear even more sinister and unpredictable. He did not rush to strike, instead treading the flying sword to approach slowly, inch by inch, bringing a heavy sense of oppression like a collapsing mountain. In his narrow eyes, cold light flickered, filled with frigid killing intent.
Lin Dalu suppressed the horror in his heart, held his breath, and looked up. By the faint halo emitted from the flying sword and the vines, he finally saw the visitor's face. This person was about seventy years old, his skin withered and deeply engraved with wrinkles, but his eyes were shockingly bright, radiating piercing light and revealing unconcealed greed and gloom. His white hair was sparse, dancing wildly in the wind. He wore a hideous Beast-Head Crown and a wide earth-yellow Daoist robe. On his chest, a dark pattern was embroidered with gold thread, appearing and disappearing with the flow of spiritual power. Slightly behind him, Diao Sandai and Zhuo Huan stood side by side, both wearing grim, cold smiles.
"Heh—" A low, hoarse cold laugh escaped Diao Zeyi's throat, sounding like the cry of a night owl. The sword light beneath his feet shook slightly, and the spiritual power vibrated, causing the surrounding air to emit slight pops, already poised for a killing move.
Seeing this, Xiang'er suddenly rushed forward, her sleeves fluttering like clouds, resolutely shielding Lin Dalu behind her. She glared directly at Diao Zeyi, her voice trembling with anger yet cold and decisive, each word like a falling ice bead, "Diao Zeyi! You despicable wretch! If you hadn't forcibly seized my father's Foundation Establishment Pill back then, how could you have achieved Foundation Establishment! You cannot escape responsibility for my father's death!"
Diao Zeyi's hand gesture paused slightly in mid-air, a hint of well-timed surprise appearing on his face, which then turned into a cold, slight laugh as he sighed unhurriedly, "Oh? So you, girl... after all these years, actually still recognize this old man? Quite a good memory."
Xiang'er's gaze shifted rapidly, casting a quick glance at Lin Dalu behind her, her voice urgent and earnest, "His target is me! If I am captured, do not act recklessly, find an opportunity to flee for your life, and leave quickly!"
Diao Zeyi narrowed his eyes, his smile deepening as he elongated his tone, his voice full of malicious playfulness, "Tsk, tsk, tsk... the girl has quite the spirit. Your mother did not hesitate to trade her life to help you escape to safety, and now whether she is alive or dead is still uncertain. You, as a daughter, do not think of saving your mother, but instead tangle with a mortal man in these wild mountains? Truly... showing no self-respect, not knowing what shame is!"
These words were like poisoned needles, stabbing ruthlessly into Xiang'er's heart. Her delicate body shook violently, and the color instantly drained from her pretty face, turning it as pale as paper.
Before Xiang'er could retort, Lin Dalu stepped forward abruptly, his sturdy arms spread wide, once again shielding Xiang'er behind him. He stood with a steady breath and cold gaze, his voice not high but forceful, "Cease your nonsense! Xiang'er is my lawfully wedded wife, with Heaven and Earth as witness—sun, moon, and stars alike! We two are bound in heart, sharing fortune and woe! Though I, Lin Dalu, am but a mortal, I know right from wrong and understand how to protect with my life! Your treacherous actions, seizing pills and taking lives first, then framing and coercing later—such conduct is what the people of the world truly despise!" Having finished, his feet were slightly apart, his back slightly hunched, and his fists slowly raised in front of him. Though there was no spiritual power fluctuation, the aura as solid as a mountain revealed a tenacity that brooked no insult.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/NGVDzwKf/Q0011B.jpg
Hearing this, Diao Zeyi laughed instead of getting angry, his voice like tearing silk, sounding particularly piercing in the night sky, "Hehe... heh... haha... haha! Girl, you've certainly found a good husband, so foolish and blunt. Which mountain hollow did you trick him from? Full of pedantic righteousness, yet unaware he has long been kept in the dark, truly pitiable!"
Diao Sandai, standing aside, grinned and echoed with a grim smile, "Uncle is exactly right! Seeing this man traveling with this girl earlier, with that dunderheaded and death-defying look, I knew he was a useless piece of work."
Zhuo Huan also smiled shadowily and waved his hand, his tone caustic and biting, "This man, well, he does have one talent—he loves picking up things others have dropped and can even treat them as a heaven-sent opportunity. Hehe, if we speak of this luck for picking up scraps, if he claims to be second, I fear no one in the world would dare vie for first."
The three of them spoke one after another, their boisterous laughter rising like countless cold wind blades scraping through the silent mountain forest, making ears ache and hearts turn cold.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/dQX6xKhh/Q0011E.jpg
"You... you are beyond shameless!" Xiang'er trembled all over, her pearly teeth biting her lower lip so hard it almost bled.
Lin Dalu took a deep breath of the freezing night air, suppressing the surging anger in his heart. His gaze was like two bolts of cold lightning, shooting straight at Diao Zeyi, "Lin says it once more, stop using your tongue to stain my wife's reputation! If you want my life, then come at me! I, Lin, was born between heaven and earth; if I die, I die, what is there to fear! But if you wish to insult Xiang'er in the slightest, even if I must endure the shattering of my soul, I will make you pay the price!"
Diao Zeyi's laughter stopped abruptly, his withered white eyebrows twitching slightly. He looked sideways at Xiang'er, his eyes like needles, yet his tone carried a few parts of biting banter, "Xiang'er?... Heh. Fang Yun, you dare not even utter a word of your true name, yet you are willing to entrust yourself to a mortal man? The Pavilion Master once treated you with no small favor, and the position of a concubine was yours. You, however, chose to wallow in the mud, willing to sink this low?"
—The air seemed to be strangled.
Lin Dalu felt the anger in his chest like a fire, rushing from his heart to the top of his head. His blood surged, and his eyes slowly turned red. He stepped forward, his voice exploding, "Old wretch, shut up! If you dare stain my wife's reputation with another half-sentence—I, Lin, even if I must splash blood within five steps and return as a vengeful ghost, will certainly fight you to the death!"
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/8k340V7j/Q0011D.jpg
Zhuo Huan's cold laugh followed. He took a half-step forward and sideways, his eyes full of disdain, "A mere ant of a mortal, with bones unopened and apertures unblocked, dares to shout in front of a cultivator? That you can stand here alive is already a supreme stroke of luck!"
—The atmosphere tightened.
Diao Zeyi raised his hand, the movement extremely light, yet it was like cutting off the mountain wind.
"Enough." His voice was faint, yet so heavy it made one unable to move.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/bYMgBjZY/Q0011A.jpg
Zhuo Huan immediately bowed and retreated ten feet, arching his hands and lowering his head, "The disciple spoke too much, please forgive me, Outer Pavilion Elder."
Diao Zeyi did not look at him again, only slowly pressing his sinister gaze back onto Lin Dalu. On that withered face, a cold smile pulled at his features, his tone light, yet every word was like a knife, " Young Master Lin, I can see you are a man of passion... unfortunately, you are kept completely in the dark, yet you still think yourself deep in love." He paused, as if deliberately leaving an inch of a gap to make one's heart turn cold.
"Do you know? This beautiful wife by your side—her heart-state has long been clouded." His voice grew lower. "She was originally a concubine under the Pavilion Master. If you truly believe her life has been without blemish, it only makes you appear too naive; she is but someone's temporarily discarded object."
These heart-stabbing words were like a bolt from the blue, exploding loudly!
Xiang'er's face instantly turned as white as snow, without a trace of blood. Her lips trembled violently as she wanted to defend herself, yet it felt as if a thousand-pound weight was pressing on her throat, making it impossible to utter a single word. She could only turn her head abruptly, her gaze full of humiliation, guilt, and endless desolation, looking at Lin Dalu as if about to weep, her slender fingers gripping the hem of her clothes so hard her knuckles turned white from the force.
However, Lin Dalu's expression only froze for a moment before returning to normal. There was not a hint of doubt or wavering in his brows; instead, he became even more steadfast. He said in a deep voice, "Wicked words to delude the masses, attempting to disturb my mind! Xiang'er's character is something I have my own judgment of from being with her day and night. How could I be moved by a few slandering words from the likes of you? Your hearts are not upright, your mouths full of foul language. What you say is not to be believed, nor is it fit for the ear!"
"Heh—whether it is true or false, right or wrong, if you are husband and wife, you will naturally find out for yourself in the future." Diao Zeyi gave a cold laugh, his voice suddenly turning low and sinister, "However—Young Master Lin, you must first have the life to live until that day."
Before his voice finished, the interwoven thorny vines in the air shook violently! Black light flowed over the surface, and countless sharp thorns stood up like living things, then began to coil and tighten frantically!
"Chichi-chi—!" The continuous, teeth-grinding sound of friction began as that vine cage instantly transformed into countless death-dealing chains covered in thorns, strangling inward with force!
"Ugh!"
"Ah!"
——(To be continued)