Chapter 1358
Chapter 1358: [10Year] Disparity
Seeing the woman before her, Han Xiang was wary. After all, anyone who appeared at this juncture couldn't be simple.
"I don't recognize you. Who are you?" Han Xiang asked.
"Who am I? It's not important." The white-robed female chuckled. "What's important is I know everything about Long Feiye and Han Yunxi."
Han Xiang fell into thought. "You, you're…"
"I'm the woman that the He Clan head dotes on most." Although the white-robed female was wearing a mask, she still raised a hand to cover her face when she laughed, so pretentious that Han Xiang couldn't keep looking anymore. While she was still puzzling it out, the woman went on, "Many years ago I was expelled from Celestial Mountain Sword Sect. The He Clan Head saved from from Celestial Mountain and in return for his kindness, I told him all I knew."
Celestial Mountain?
Han Xiang finally knew the woman's identity. She sucked in a cold breath, never expecting the He Clan to hide so deeply! They had their sights on Cloud Realm Continent so early on! Even more unbelievable was the fact that the He Clan Head had hidden a person who knew Long Feiye and Han Yunxi so thoroughly!
No wonder!
No wonder Han Yunxi's secret Phoenix power was all known to the He Clan Head! She had investigated Han Yunxi herself over the past few years, but her intel was limited.
"What do you want to do?" Han Xiang asked.
"Me, ah." The woman seemed to be in high spirits as she laughed again. "I just thought you looked pathetic, so I'm here to point out a way."
Han Xiang's eyes flashed with ice. She was very clear that her current situation was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Since the He Clan Head had schemed this up, there was no way they were going to work together with her. It'd be harder to explain things on Han Chen's sde.
"Capture those two…young ones!" the white-robed maiden murmured. "And the He Clan Clan will definitely be happy. If he's glad, you'll naturally benefit."
Han Xiang's eyes lit up. She realized that was a solution! With Han Chen's temper, she wouldn't survive his displeasure. Moreover, there was no guarantee that Han Chen and Long Feiye would win their current bout. Thus, her best choice was to lower her presence and go flatter the He Clan.
"Why are you helping me?" Han Xiang asked.
The white-robed maiden stopped smiling as she fell silent. After a while, she declared frostily, "I'm not helping you, but myself…to avenge my hatred!"
Her last four words were spoken between gnashing teeth. After that, she ignored Han Xiang and turned to fly onto her sled and head for the Ice Sea. Han Xiang seemed to understand something and chortled coldly before starting her pursuit southward.
At this time, Gu Qishao had already taken little Rui'er and Yan'er to the top of a small mountain. Both he and Rui'er had noticed Yan'er's abnormal state by now and the latter tried to pry open her clenched fists in vain.
"Good little sister, don't scare me, all right?"
"Say something! Yan'er, speak. Big brother will listen to anything you say, hurry and talk!"
Rui'er had never felt so frightened in his life. He orginally wanted his godfather to take Yan'er away so he could go back and help his father. But now there was no time for any of that. He looked at Gu Qishao and said hoarsely, "Godfather, Yan'er…what's wrong with Yan'er?"
Gu Qishao looked calm but was more anxious than Rui'er inside. He too, tried to pry open Yan'er's fists without success. Who knew where the girl got such strength to keep them clenched. Abruptly, Rui'er cried out.
"Godfather, I felt…" he stopped to look at Yan'er's fists, but didn't finish his sentence.
"What?" Gu Qishao asked urgently.
"A source of energy, very strong. It's really similar…to my mother's!" Rui'er couldn't believe it.
Gu Qishao gave a start and cried out in alarm, "It couldn't really be A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix, right?"
When Yan'er was born, a miraculous appearance of one hundred birds had seemingly appeared to welcome her birth. Because the time was winter when most of the swallows migrated south, she was given the name Xuanyuan Yan (轩辕燕), or swallow. Long Feiye and Han Yunxi suspected that the incident was related to Han Yunxi's Phoenix powers, but it looked like Yan'er herself was born with Phoenix power! This wasn't something cultivated through effort, but inherently latent in the body. In other words, Han Yunxi's Phoenix power was also an innate existence. However, her birth had no miraculous phenomenon of a hundred birds arriving in celebration. Instead, Mu Xin died from a difficult labor.
Why was this?
Everyone assumed that Mu Xin's death in childbirth came from manmade causes. However, after the truth of Bai Yanqing was revealed, they believed that she had truly died from a difficult labor. Why did Mu Xin die during childbirth when she possessed the Phoenix power? Why did Han Yunxi birthing Yan'er yield a miracle instead? There had to be a reason!
Gu Qishao had no time to think. He was completely clueless when it came to Yan'er's condition, so all he could do was wait. If anything happened to her, at least Long Feiye and the rest could rush back in time to take care of it. Admittedly, he was worried. Yan'er was so young and didn't really train in martial arts. Suppose the Phoenix power flared up? Could she bear it? While he was fretting, Han Xiang tracked them down.
Before she had only been paying attention to Long Feiye, but now she noticed Gu Qishao. His looks were enough to raise one's envy. When Gu Qishao and Rui'er saw her approach, they tensed up. Rui'er could clearly see the extent of her strength.
"Godfather, it'd be nice if little Shadow was here," Rui'er muttered while moving to shield Yan'er behind him.
"If you know that, why not escape? Take your sister and go to the Ice Sea, I'll hold her back." As Gu Qishao spoke, he stood in front of Rui'er to protect both children.
Han Xiang came here alone, so Poison lass and the rest must be already busy fighting against the He Clan. Since Han Xiang tracked them down, she wouldn't let the two children off easy. If they kept heading south, they wouldn't get far before she caught up. Thus, even knowing the north was dangerous and that they'd interfere with Poison lass and the rest, it was their only escape route.
This was a solution where none other existed.
"Godfather, flee with us." Although unwilling, Rui'er still said the word "flee." At this moment, he dearly missed little Shadow. If he was here, then he could take Yan'er away.
"Rui'er, you should know how to listen by now. Stop wasting words and leave!" Gu Qishao's voice was heavy.
Rui'er gritted his teeth before picking up the wooden Yan'er to escape north.
Han Xiang was about to give chase when Gu Qishao flew over and blocked her with his back.
"Seeing as how you're good-looking, I'll give you one chance. Get lost! Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless!" Han Xiang said loftily.
Gu Qishao grinned back stylishly. His smile almost turned Han Xiang's heart drunk. She really was a nymphomaniac who wanted a taste of every good-looking man she saw. Otherwise, she wouldn't have the habit of keeping male pets.
"Eldest Miss Han is so pretty, who cares if I die just to see you a few more times?" Gu Qishao teased.
Han Xiang knew he was doing it on purpose, but she really couldn't resist such a tempting compliment. Chuckling coldly back, she said, "Are you going to get lost or not? Otherwise, die!"
Gu Qishao strode over step by step as his smile grew wicked. "As the saying goes, it's distinguished if one dies beneath a peony and turns into a ghost. Since Eldest Miss Han wants to kill me so much, why not make me into an elegant ghost?"
Han Xiang's face was cold, but she couldn't help laughing at Gu Qishao's words. Even so, she darted a look towards the right where the two children were still within sight and felt at ease. She started to probe Gu Qishao instead. "If you want to dart beneath this lady's pomegranate skirts, how about doing me a favor?"
Gu Qishao's gaze grew shrewd as he kept walking closer. "What is it?"
"Help me kill the Great Qin princess and capture its crown prince." As Han Xiang spoke, she observed Gu Qishao's gaze. She didn't see any sign of anger in his pupils, only laughter. But now that Gu Qishao was near her, his hand suddenly waved an arc in the arc before he retreated after the children. Han Xiang was guarded enough to expect this and quickly held her breath to withdraw! She was afraid that Gu Qishao had used poison, but she'd hardly landed when thorny vines suddenly flew up from the ground to completely surround her. Soon enough, she was all tied up. That was beyond her expectations.
She gave a start, but Gu Qishao had already caught up to Rui'er and Yan'er and was now heading to the Ice Sea with them. Han Xiang quickly recovered her wits and struggled free of the vines. However, as soon as she broke out, another vine leaped up to entangle her and trap her thoroughly.
Gu Qishao didn't have much blood vine seeds left. Heaven knows how much he used up here. Han Xiang was tied up by them for quite some time while he brought the two children smoothly past the Ice Sea coastline. However, here he discovered the golden-eyed mastiffs had long fled the scene while the coastline of the sea was in chopped up pieces that exposed dense, bottomless gullies.
"Rui'er, break through!"
"Godfather, I'll give it my all!"
Gu Qishao and Rui'er cried out at the same time. The former only hoped that Poison lass and the others hadn't gone too far. You didn't have to use snow mastiffs to cross the Ice Sea. Rui'er's true qi could keep himself warm while he and Yan'er would just have to hold on. He glanced back and saw Han Xiang was catching up. He decisively wrapped up Yan'er in his outer robes before cradling her tightly in his arms.
"Rui'er, let's go!" Gu Qishao brought the two children to cross the various ice gullies and flee north while Han Xiang came closer and closer.
At the same time, Han Chen, Han Yunxi, and Long Feiye were in a tight spot! They had been completely surrounded. This was all part of a larger scheme! It not only involved the He Clan, but Mysterious Continent's three great clans!
Han Xiang had misjudged the situation. The He Clan didn't have the ambition to dominate Cloud Realm Continent at all. This time, they had joined forces with the of the north and Su Clan (苏) of the east to act in tandem! In other words, the three great clans of the east, west, and north Mysterious Continent had long set their sights on Cloud Realm Continent. Only the southern region's Wolf Sect and Shangguan Clan remained oblivious to it all.
The He Clan Head's He Xiaotian was present, as was the Qi Clan's Qi Lianjue (祁连诀) and the Su Clan Head's Su Qicheng (苏齐成). Currently, they had hemmed in Han Chen, Long Feiye, and Han Yunxi…