Chapter 15

Riding a horse and running with lightness have similar speeds, but there is a clear difference. Among the differences, the most significant is that while horseback riding can make your buttocks and waist a bit sore after a long run, running with lightness makes your entire body tired. It seemed that the reason long-distance lightness techniques had not developed was due to this. Even Zhang Jian himself would rather ride a horse than run for a long time in such a tiring manner.

Zhang Jian regulated his breathing, which was about to become rough, and circulated his inner strength. The inner strength that swirled through his body, washing away fatigue, finally burst from his toes, propelling him far away. He looked like a bird flying low.

After running for a while, he stopped to look for the traces of Lady Yu and Cao Cao. After quickly finding the hoof prints and confirming the direction, he ran off again. The sun was already high in the sky, looking down at him.

“Cao Cao, that brat...”

He wasn’t worried that the usually cunning kid would cause trouble. He would probably manage to survive well enough wherever he went. However, Zhang Jian didn’t want to change horses yet. Cao Cao was still young and strong, and he could ride for over ten more years. It was hard to find such a smart kid.

While running through the forest, Zhang Jian pondered how to punish the kid once he caught him. Just as he stepped on a small rock and leaped, a white light, like a snake, shot towards his head.

Zhang Jian, taken aback by the sudden attack, kicked the air strongly, using the rebound from his muscles and inner strength to rotate his body. It was a skill so refined that it looked as if he was stepping on the air and changing direction. The light that grazed past him hit a pine tree, leaving a deep gash almost halfway through the trunk.

After spinning in the air, Zhang Jian landed and straightened his posture. Looking in the direction the light had come from, he saw a man in white martial robes holding a long whip, with a look of surprise that it had missed.

The light that had just flown was the whip. Considering the power that split the pine tree and the position it aimed for, the man intended to kill Zhang Jian. Zhang Jian gripped the hilt of the sword on his back. His body, invigorated by the lightness technique, was ready to move intensely again.

“Hold it!”

At that moment, Lady Yu’s voice stopped both the man in white and Zhang Jian. She appeared from behind a tree, sighed, and alternated her gaze between the man in white and Zhang Jian, finally focusing on Zhang Jian.

“...How did you follow us? I even brought the horse to stop you from coming.”

“I run pretty fast.”

Lady Yu chuckled, finding it amusing.

“Then why did you ride the horse all this time?”

“Running is tiring.”

“...That makes sense.”

At that moment, the man with the whip spoke.

“Is this the fool you wrote about in the letter?”

Lady Yu’s expression stiffened slightly at his harsh tone. It wasn’t the question itself but the man himself who made her uncomfortable.

“Yes, we met when we clashed with Jizhun two days ago, and he helped me deal with the assassins that night.”

“In exchange for a Huang Army martial technique?”

“I judged that he would be greedy for martial techniques since he doesn’t belong to any family or martial alliance.”

“But why is he still alive?”

Lady Yu glanced at Zhang Jian.

“...Jizhun’s pursuit was looser than expected. After confirming his skills through my warriors on the first day, there were no further attacks. It seems they are waiting for us to separate rather than deal with him together. From his lukewarm attitude, it doesn’t seem like my plan has been fully discovered—”

“So you just left him behind? It wasn’t necessary to deal with him?”

“...Yes. I thought he wouldn’t be able to follow if I brought the horse.”

The man in white chuckled, a sinister smile on his face due to his narrow, slanted eyes and thin lips.

“You’re too soft, Yelang. You should have brought him along. If you can’t handle him, we can help.”

He flicked his wrist, and the long whip in his hand wriggled like a living thing, leaving a deep mark on the ground. Lady Yu glanced at Zhang Jian again. He was in a low stance, one hand on the ground and the other gripping his sword, his eyes calm as usual.

“...I don’t know much about him, and I don’t know much about the plan, so I thought it would be fine—”

The whip wriggled and struck the ground again. Lady Yu flinched and fell silent.

“You’re overthinking, Yelang. Even if quick decisions are important in the field, this was a mistake. You’ll be disciplined when we return to the family.”

“...Yes, I understand.”

At that moment, Zhang Jian slowly stood up. As he straightened, the man in white spoke.

“Ah, what was your name? Zhang Kun? Zhang Jun?”

“Zhang Jian.”

The man in white chuckled at the short, low response.

“So, you chased Jizhun away without even crossing swords? That’s impressive, considering he’s not very skilled in martial arts, but still. You haven’t learned any Huang Army or family martial techniques, right?”

Zhang Jian began to untie the sword on his back slowly.

“I’m a bit of a genius.”

The man in white chuckled again, finding the answer somewhat amusing.

“You’re an interesting fellow. If we hadn’t met like this, I would have invited you to be a guest of our family. I’m Yan Yangji, a warrior of the Yan family. You probably have some idea of what you’re involved in, right?”

Yan family. An ancient family like Jizhun. Unlike Jizhun, which had been forced to move to the New Continent, the Yan family had deep roots in the Central Plains. This meant Zhang Jian was inadvertently caught in the sinister intrigue between two families spanning the New Continent and the Central Plains.

Zhang Jian fastened the sword to his waist again and looked at Lady Yu.

“Did you think I would die in the middle?”

Lady Yu, who had a stern expression, sighed deeply when she saw Zhang Jian’s eyes.

“...Jizhun is not well-known outside, but among the families, he is famous for his ability to gather information, deduce situations, and find solutions. Of course, his martial skills are also above average, but it’s hard to think of you as a world-class expert. How great can a wandering knight be, after all?”

Lady Yu glanced at Yan Yangji. He was stroking his chin, seemingly amused, with no intention of stopping their conversation. Lady Yu met Zhang Jian’s eyes again and said,

“But Jizhun didn’t attack after the first time, which suggests he might have discovered something with his famous deductive skills.”

“You must have been confused.”

“Of course. There was no real Huang Army martial technique to give you.”

Zhang Jian, adjusting his belt, asked,

“What about the story of the Jizhun family’s young master? Was that a lie too?”

“...That was part of my plan. I lured the young master to steal Jizhun’s secret documents and make him realize what he had done, so he would turn himself in. I thought it would be difficult, but the kid was more naive and afraid of his father, so it worked out.”

“So the engagement to Sim Zhenying was true.”

Lady Yu smiled bitterly.

“I’ve done similar things a few times, but I didn’t expect to be caught by a seventeen-year-old girl. She had a good sense. Or maybe it’s time for me to quit.”

Zhang Jian tightened his belt and gripped the scabbard with his left hand. Yan Yangji, who had been watching, spoke.

“Why is Yelang telling you all this, Zhang Jian?”

“Maybe to give me a reason to kill him.”

Yan Yangji’s smile deepened.

“You’re sharp. I thought you were just a cripple when I heard you were a wandering knight, but you’re not as stupid as I thought.”

Zhang Jian didn’t respond. He put on the hood he had been wearing, which covered half his face, leaving only his bearded chin visible. Yan Yangji, recognizing the stance as one ready for a fight, chuckled.

“Isn’t it too arrogant to chase away a friend of the desert and challenge a warrior of the Yan family?”

“Do I have any other choice?”

Yan Yangji shouted,

“Of course you do! Be grateful for the brief glimpse of our Hebei Yan family’s martial techniques and offer your neck without resistance!”

“...You’re insane.”

Zhang Jian, finding it amusing, adjusted the scabbard in his left hand. He planned to defeat the man and ask Lady Yu where Cao Cao was. However, he had to stop. Another man in white martial robes appeared behind him, holding a short spear and smiling similarly to Yan Yangji.

“There’s no point in resisting, Zhang Jian. Just consider it the price of a foolish knight’s game and go quietly.”

Realizing he was surrounded, Zhang Jian felt a smile creeping onto his face. Two ancient family warriors, one in front and one behind. In the world of martial arts, where a single move can decide the outcome, this situation was like being cornered. Even if he could defeat one, he couldn’t block the other coming from a completely different direction. It was a crisis.

“...So, you’re ganging up on me?”

“No, no. We’re not competing in martial arts; we’re executing you. Jizhun, who will follow the trail, will only find your decapitated body. He’ll rack his brain trying to deduce the situation, which will buy us more time.”

Yan Yangji flicked his whip, striking the ground, and said,

“Not only did you bring Yelang back safely, but you also led Jizhun to us. On behalf of the family, I thank you. Thank you, Zhang Jian. Well done.”

Zhang Jian, determined to twist that smug face, turned to Lady Yu. She stood with a slightly melancholic expression, then smiled apologetically when she met Zhang Jian’s eyes.

“I’m really sorry. I even stole the horse to stop you from following... It’s a shame things turned out this way.”

“That’s right. It’s a shame.”

She hesitated, unsure what else to say, and finally turned away.

Zhang Jian looked up at the sky. A fluffy cloud slowly covered the sun, casting a large shadow. The forest, now in shadow, became darker and a cool breeze blew.

If the trees had broad leaves, they would have rustled in the light breeze, making the forest’s sound. However, the conifers only swayed slightly, letting the breeze pass through their thin needles without a sound.

The four people standing there were equally silent. Yan Yangji and the other warrior, who had been smirking, were now expressionless, focusing all their senses on Zhang Jian. Even Lady Yu, with her complex expression, was watching Zhang Jian, who was still looking up at the sky.

He spoke.

“After all... it would have been better to be reborn as a cloud.”

The cloud that had covered the sun slowly revealed the sunlight again. Just as the forest, which had been dark, was about to be illuminated by the sun,

Yan Yangji’s white whip extended like a streak of light, aiming for Zhang Jian’s head. At the same time, the warrior behind him leaped, becoming a flash of light, aiming for Zhang Jian’s back. The warrior’s speed was so fast that the whip and the spear would hit Zhang Jian simultaneously.

As they moved, Zhang Jian also moved. He spun like lightning, throwing off his hood at the spear-wielding warrior and lunging towards Yan Yangji’s whip.

The warrior, still thrusting, tried to tear the hood flying towards him. However, he was momentarily stunned by the powerful force he felt when the spear tip met the hood.

In that moment, Zhang Jian, using his inner strength, drew his sword. The blade, glowing blue, cut off the tip of the flying white whip. However, when Yan Yangji twisted his wrist, the whip, like