Shen Mu – Volume 2 Chapter 10

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Volume 2 Chapter 10: Battle at the Imperial Capital

Early in the morning, when the first rays of sunlight shone into the room, Chen Nan opened his eyes. After washing up, he sat down inside of his room and began to meditate, regulating his breathing.

All the eccentrics of the Residence of Eccentrics had received the wedding invitations from the Sima Residence. After breakfast, they all hurried towards the Sima Residence one after another. Only when the Residence of Eccentrics became entirely vacant did Chen Nan finally leap up from his meditative state. He had already adjusted the circumstances to be as favourable to him as possible. On his back was Houyi Bow, and a long knife was slung at his waist. He strode away from the residence.

The capital of Chu was especially bustling. The streets were heavily congested by endless streams of pedestrians and horse-drawn carriages. Shops were packed onto both sides of the roads. The calls of buying and selling filled the air.

Today was the date of the marriage between the Mighty Great General Sima Changfeng’s son, Sima Lingkong, and the Minister of the Left Nalan Wencheng’s daughter, Nalan Ruoshui. The official positions of Sima Changfeng and Nalan Wencheng were as high as possible. Thus, they also invited the Emperor of Chu to participate in the wedding ceremony. Because of this, the number of soldiers policing all the avenues and alleyways was many times greater than usual.

Chen Nan didn’t walk down the clamouring avenue very far when he was stopped by a squad of soldiers wielding pikes.

“Halt! Who are you? Why have you brought a knife with you onto the streets?”

“I am Chen Nan.”

The interrogating soldier turned to his comrades and said, “Chen Nan… Why does it sound so familiar…?”

One of other soldiers replied, “Could it be the one who defeated the dragon riders, the Eccentric Protector of the Nation, Chen Nan?”

“That’s precisely it.” For the sake of going passed this squad of soldiers as soon as possible, he pointed his finger to the ground. With a ‘chi’ sound, a ray of golden sword qi shot out and immediately blasted a deep hole into the ground.

“Ah! The rumoured golden sword qi… It really is Eccentric Protector of the Nation-daren!” the squad cried out, surprised. They quickly saluted him.

Chen Nan waved his hand and said, “Rise. I must go participate in Sima Lingkong’s wedding ceremony. One of you stay behind and lead me, the rest can continue with patrolling.”

With a soldier leading the way, no one else stopped Chen Nan as he went on his way. After he arrived outside of the Sima Residence, Chen Nan waved the soldier off and sent him back on patrol.

The Sima Residence’s courtyard was tall and had an exceptional style. The word ‘happiness’ was pasted on top of the vermilion gate. Two mighty guardian lions carved from white marble were situated at either sides of the entrance. A heavy stream of traffic was currently heading inside of the residence with no end in sight. Everyone that was permitted to enter had a respected status. Over half of them were aristocrats from the imperial capital.

Not far from the Sima Residence, Chen Nan calmly surveyed the area. Right when the emperor arrived, he went around the corner and into a small alley at the side. All the officials participating in the wedding exited the residence to respectfully welcome the head of state Chu Han. The extravagance and ostentatiousness displayed could easily leave anyone speechless. The cries of “long live” echoed through the residence. It didn’t settle down for quite some time.

After approximately one hour, the sound of music soared to the sky. The procession escorting the bride had arrived. Sima Lingkong sat atop a tall horse. His body was draped in auspicious red clothing. With a delighted look, he seemed fully happy with his position.

The procession escorting the bride in the marriage sedan was incredibly sensational. There were no less than a hundred instrumental performers, let alone the other members of the procession. The accompanying protection personnel numbered no less than a thousand. The prestige was tremendous. Close to a hundred warriors were surrounding the marriage sedan of the bride, Nalan Ruoshui. Just one look told of the profound power that these people possessed. The security was extremely tight.

When they approached the Sima Residence, a dark green Flying Dragon suddenly soared out from within. The Flying Dragon circled overhead Sima Lingkong and let out a long cry. Afterwards, a red roll of paper suddenly descended down from the Flying Dragon’s body. Four words were written on the paper: Hundred Years of Happiness.

The crowd on the street immediately began raving.

“Look, a dragon!”

“Hundred years of happiness.”

“I pray that Dragon Rider Sima-gongzi and Learned Woman Nalan-xiaojie may have a hundred years of happiness.”

…

The bursts of firecrackers sounded simultaneously. The traditional instruments cried together.

Sima Lingkong was glowing with happiness. With a gesture of his hand towards the sky, the Flying Dragon descended back into the residence.

The wedding ceremony still hadn’t officially started, yet the day had already started with a tremendous bang.

After the bride’s procession entered the Sima Residence, the area in front of the entrance was no longer as active and boisterous as it had just been a moment ago.

Chen Nan came out of the small alleyway. Hearing the beating music and the bursts of joyful cheers, he coldly smiled in his heart.

The words that Sima Lingkong had said to him two days ago continuously resounded through his ears: “Two days from now, Ruoshui and I will get married. The groom isn’t you, heihei… In two days, you definitely have to come to my wedding ceremony. En, at that time, you can come play pranks on us newlyweds, heihei.”

“Since I’ve already decided to cause a ruckus, what use is it for me to still hesitate?” When he thought of this, Chen Nan took Houyi Bow off of his back.

At this time, the guards stationed outside of the Sima Residence already noticed him. They shouted, “Who are you? Why have you brought a weapon to this place?”

Chen Nan ignored them as he fetched a plumed arrow out of his quiver and nocked it to the bowstring. Just before the guards advanced towards Chen Nan, a dazzling golden light suddenly erupted from the pitch-black Houyi Bow. An imposingness that struck fear into one’s heart and soul sprang forth from his body. The guards prostrated in fear and couldn’t resist retreating over ten steps back.

Within the Sima Residence, Sima Lingkong and Nalan Ruoshui were in the hall preparing to kneel to heaven and earth. But at that moment, nearly everyone felt an intense apprehension well up in their hearts.

“Kneel to heaven and earth—”

“Longlong!”

The hosts of the wedding ceremony were abruptly cut short by the sound of thundering wind. Everyone within the reception hall was greatly alarmed.

Chen Nan lightly drew back the bowstring. The plumed arrow shot by Houyi Bow transformed into a golden ray as it flew forwards. The lofty gated entrance of the Sima Residence was pierced through by the golden arrow. With a rumble, it collapsed.

The golden arrow was five or six meters from the ground. It wasn’t in a position to harm anyone, but the buildings and structures that it pierced through were left devastated. It seemed like a golden dragon burrowing its way through the residence. Dragging behind a long, golden trail of light, it penetrated through various buildings. Everywhere the golden light passed was left in ruins. The voids left behind in the walls of the buildings resembled ‘dragon gates’.

When the golden arrow pierced into the reception hall of the Sima Residence, everyone was left utterly stupefied. The golden arrow blew open the wall above the emperor’s head, leaving behind a terrifying ‘dragon gate’ in its place.

“Protect His Majesty!”

The reception hall was in chaos.

Emperor Chu Han was truly deeply frightened. His complexion was a deathly white. The empress clutched onto his hand, also terrified.

The Eldest Princess Chu Yue shouted, “Everyone, do not panic.” With that, she took up a protective position in front of the emperor.

The Little Princess Chu Yu said, “It’s Chen Nan, it must be that degenerate Chen Nan.”

Everyone who had seen the battle at the imperial palace all came to the same realization: this godly arrow was definitely fired by Houyi Bow. It was without a doubt Chen Nan’s doing.

“Haha…” A long laugh rang from outside the Sima Residence.

“Where is Sima Lingkong? I, Chen Nan, have come to play a prank on him and the newlywed bride in celebration of his marriage.” The rolling sound wave surged through the Sima Residence.

Emperor Chu Han’s and the Eldest Princess Chu Yue’s expressions soured. The thing that they had been endlessly mulling over had finally become reality. Chen Nan really was revolting against the Empire of Chu. This caused them to feel regretful and hateful.

Everyone taking part in the wedding ceremony were aristocrats of the imperial capital. They had already heard about the secret affair; they were well aware of the reasons Chen Nan had to come disturb the wedding ceremony. In addition, it was possible he might revolt against the Empire of Chu.

There was already no way for the wedding ceremony to proceed. Now that Chen Nan had already forced his way through the Sima Residence’s gate and brought about destruction on his way to the reception hall, any hope for a peaceful resolution was dashed. He held in his hands a long knife. The blade of the knife emitted a bright, golden glow. A tangible, golden edge of light surrounded the blade. Spears and halberds were crushed underneath its power. Their broken shards flew away. Knife qi raged unrestrained. A powerful force erupted out in crashing waves throughout the residence with him at the center. The warriors within the residence were like duckweed being pushed by vigorous waves and were left staggering. Row after row of people were flipped onto the ground. Within the residence, there was unexpectedly not a single soul who was capable of opposing this attack.

Sima Lingkong furiously ground his teeth. He wanted to swallow Chen Nan whole. He tore off the red wedding bow off of his chest and strode outside.

The guests inside the reception hall, including Emperor Chu Han, all arrived outside in the courtyard. Nalan Ruoshui’s delicate body was quivering. She hesitated for a moment before ultimately throwing off her red head covering. She also arrived in the courtyard.

Chu Yue had already ordered others to seal off the Sima Residence. Innumerable imperial guards surrounded the Sima Residence in a tight circle. All the eccentrics from the Residence of Eccentrics were positioned protectively around the emperor. The Little Princess Chu Yu was pulled by the empress to her side. They all stood beside Chu Han.

Sima Lingkong pointed at Chen Nan and said, “Why have you disturbed my wedding?”

Chen Nan said, “Don’t give me that bullshit argument. You ought to know why!”

Sima Lingkong’s expression was ashen. “What are you doing?”

Just then, a tall, middle-aged man stepped forward from the others and said, “Chen Nan, what are you doing? Since my daughter has already been married to someone else, you shouldn’t trouble her any longer.”

Hearing these words, Chen Nan learned that the man before him was Nalan Ruoshui’s father, the Chu’s Minister of the Left, Nalan Wencheng. He cupped his fists together respectfully and said, “Ruoshui simply does not like Sima Lingkong. If she really were wed to him, the only thing she’d obtain is a lifetime of suffering. Do you have the heart to have her jump into a pit of fire?”

Chen Nan had yet to finish speaking when another man interrupted him. A domineering, middle-aged man broke away from the crowd and said, “Eccentric Protector of the Nation, you must understand what you are currently doing. My son’s marriage has been blessed by His Majesty. Are you not in agreement with His Majesty?”

“So it’s Great General Sima—a great title to bear, heihei. Why don’t you straightforwardly talk about how I have already taken action right in front of the emperor? Are you already afraid?” With that said, Chen Nan turned to face Chu Han. With a booming voice, he said, “That day in the practice arena, if not for I, Chen Nan, battling the dragon riders, I’m afraid the Empire of Chu would have been greatly defeated and would have become the laughingstock of the vassal states. I, Chen Nan, risked myself without any regard for my life in exchange for what? Why has His Majesty blessed the marriage between Nalan-xiaojie and Sima Lingkong? Why have you treated me like so?”

At the side, a court minister admonished, “Audacious! Chen Nan, for you to be bold enough to challenge His Majesty like this, you have already committed an act of treason.”

“Treason? Heihei, when someone offers me one chi, I offer them one zhang. If someone offends me, when my patience finally thins, I would still need to drag him before me even if he were the emperor of heaven!” When he said this, he pointed the long knife towards the sky. A resplendent knife edge of light soared to the sky. The dazzling knife edge illuminated the entire courtyard like a bolt of lightning. The thick, cold air was harrowing. Everyone present sensed the impulsive pressure. Everyone’s faces discoloured.

Chu Han said, “Chen Nan, we know you are very resentful in your heart, but before the Sima Family proposed—“

Chen Nan interrupted his sentence and coldly laughed, “Heihei. Does one need to queue up to be married?”

The Eldest Princess Chu Yue saw how utterly disrespectful Chen Nan was acting towards the emperor and furiously said, “Chen Nan, you’re too excessive! Don’t forget you are a subject of my Chu! Should subjects treat their monarch like this?”

The first time Chen Nan had seen Chu Yue, his breath had been taken away. After Chu Yue had pampered him on their way to the imperial capital as if bathing him in the spring breeze, he had held Chu Yue in even higher regard. But due to the series of events that have recently unfolded, Chu Yue’s position in his mind had dipped straight down. This was a deceitful woman who would do anything, fair or foul, if it benefited the imperial family. Her scheming was profound, and somewhat fearful.

“This subject of Chu renounces his title!”

“Y-you were born as a citizen of Chu. Are you rebelling against your own nation? Hereafter, will your heart be peaceful?”

“I do not belong to any country. I am merely a wanderer currently passing through the Empire of Chu, nothing more! In my heart, the Empire of Chu has not ascended to the height of being my ancestral home, so I bear no qualms.” When Chen Nan finished these words, Chen Nan considered himself a man from ten thousand years past. Everyone present who heard these words could not make head or tail of what he meant. “I’m just not sure if others can have a clear conscience. For the sake of political gain, they have even thrown their own good friend into a nightmare of a marriage.”

Chu Yue’s expression turned. She reproved, “Even if you have a thousand reasons, you shouldn’t betray Chu!”

Chen Nan had been searching through the crowd the entire time. He now finally discovered Nalan Ruoshui dressed in red marriage attire. Her normally elegant and exquisite complexion was now kind of pale, and incomparably haggard. He threw the long knife into his left hand. With a wave of his right hand, a fierce wind erupted. A golden brilliance exploded out from him, and a gigantic golden palm appeared. The golden palm swept towards Nalan Ruoshui. It wrapped itself around Nalan Ruoshui and blew up a fierce wind while bringing her towards Chen Nan. The officials that didn’t understand practitioner ways were blown to the ground.

The practitioners at the scene with profound cultivation couldn’t help but utter, “Capturing Dragon Hand… it’s truly the lost skill Capturing Dragon Hand!” All the practitioners were dumbfounded. A lost unique skill had unexpectedly re-emerged in Chen Nan’s possession.

Nalan Ruoshui arrived in front of Chen Nan. She suddenly felt a strange feeling. The difference between the Chen Nan of the past and the Chen Nan of the present was growing larger and larger.

Chen Nan gazed into Nalan Ruoshui’s eyes and said, “Ruoshui, I’m bringing you away.”

“No. I can’t go with you.” Nalan Ruoshui shook her head.

Chen Nan asked, “Why not?”

Nalan Ruoshui cried out, “Careful!”

Although Sima Lingkong was truly a bit startled at Chen Nan’s recent display of remarkable ability, his anger was still boiling. The guy before him had not only disturbed his wedding, but for him to take his bride away right before his face, he was also regarding him as nothing. This simply made him insane with anger. He seized a longsword from a guard adjacent to him and chopped down at Chen Nan. Emerald battle qi produced a ‘chichi’ sound as it severed the air.

Chen Nan pulled Nalan Ruoshui behind him. The long knife in his left hand returned the attack. A blazing knife edge of light shot forward. A tremendous wave of energy erupted from the resplendent brilliance. With an accompanying violent wind, it produced a peculiar hiss.

“Haha! If you want to fight, then let’s fight. Today, I, Chen Nan, must cause chaos in the imperial capital!”

Knife qi and battle qi collided. The sound of the air tearing roared. Chen Nan didn’t move from his original position, while Sima Lingkong was pushed back five steps, causing his blood and qi to reel and his face to flush red. But he didn’t cower. With a cold flicker in his eyes, he raised his sword to rush forward and attack again.

In the air, knife qi and battle qi raged freely. After sending out a dazzling knife blade of light with a slash, Chen Nan vaulted into the empty space of the sky. A vigorous, golden light surrounded his body, like raging flames. It seemed like his body was draped in battle armour made of gold essence. He jumped overhead Sima Lingkong. An immense pressure pushed down against Sima Lingkong. The matchless, critical pressure left him unable to even breathe, but in the faces of all the imperial capital aristocrats, Sima Lingkong refused to cower, not wanting to lose face. He braced himself and raised his sword in welcome. Bright battle qi directly flew up in counterattack.

When the emerald battle qi met the sword qi underneath Chen Nan’s feet, it was smashed into smithereens. Its radiance dissipated in an instant and Chen Nan’s external golden sword qi flew down.

Sima Lingkong was greatly startled. As he was retreating, he raised his sword and chopped down. A mirage appeared before everyone’s eyes. In a flash, Chen Nan stomped down thirteen footsteps, breaking through the defense of the emerald battle qi. Layer and layer of the sword qi slammed against Sima Lingkong’s longsword. Sima Lingkong clenched the sword with both hands and resisted it, but the tremendous pressure was too much for him to bear. Both of his feet sunk into the marble floor, pushing underground.

When Chen Nan stamped the eleventh footstep downwards, the longsword was completely shattered, exploding into many bits of metal and flying onto the ground. Sima Lingkong spat out a mouthful of blood. He was knee-deep into the ground. Just before Chen Nan’s twelfth and thirteenth footsteps were about to arrive, Sima Lingkong began to feel incredibly remorseful. He inwardly hated himself for trying to save face. Without any alternatives, he raised both his palms to welcome Chen Nan’s feet.

“Hong!”, “Hong!” With two explosive booms, a blinding light exploded and waves of qi erupted outward as Sima Lingkong was kicked away. The people present with profound cultivation could all hear the two crisp crunches. After a careful examination, they discovered that Sima Lingkong who had been kicked away had had both of his hands snapped. They were limp, drooping at his wrists.

Meanwhile, Chen Nan chopped down with his mighty, matchless knife. A resplendently dazzling edge of light, like a long rainbow, cut through the sky like lightning. Tremendous energy followed the coursing power as it surged onward.

If that gorgeous knife edge of light were to have hit Sima Lingkong, he definitely would have been obliterated in an instant. Instead, just before the attack hit its target, several of the emperor’s guards that had flown out from the imperial palace had just arrived. Those guards were high ranked martial artists. They quickly rushed forward and received the power of the tremendous knife.

“Hong!”

The swords of the six experts who received the blow were shattered, their shards impaling the ground. The power of the knife attack unexpectedly nearly wounded those six experts. Chen Nan and Sima Lingkong landed on the ground at opposite directions. The former raised his long knife to the sky, a golden glow coiling around his body. His fighting spirit was high. The latter looked deathly pale. Blood endlessly poured from his mouth as he looked on with an ashamed and indignant expression.

This confrontation had been too fast; it had all happened in an instant. If those high ranked marital artists hadn’t quickly responded at the final juncture, Sima Lingkong’s corpse would have been blown all over the place in pieces.

Many of the onlookers had already seen Chen Nan take action before, but at this moment, they still displayed astonished expressions.

Sima Changfeng shook his head and sighed. “This boy is too hot-headed. How could he try to resist that power?”

The onlookers all began to discuss what had just happened in succession:

“Third ranked eastern martial artists who have reached the level of Sword Qi Beyond the Body are truly terrifying!”

“He can slash out knife edges of light, and he also possesses the lost skill Capturing Dragon Hand…”

…

The Little Princess looked on, extremely joyful. She quietly said, “The story of a hero saving a beautiful woman is happening right in front of me, wow! It’s too cool! If during my wedding ceremony there was an awe-inspiring man with unrivalled power that could defeat every expert, and he arrived before me, then that’d be amazing!”

With a ‘dong!’, the empress smacked her head and chided, “What garbage are you spouting?”

The Little Princess felt incredibly wrong and said, “Why the hell did you hit me?”

The empress looked right and looked left before saying with a low voice, “If you don’t stop looking for trouble while we’re currently in this predicament, I’ll punish you. No leaving the palace for a month.”

“Hehe,” giggled the Little Princess. “I didn’t think this degenerate could become even more awesome.”

Chu Yue said to everyone from the Residence of Eccentrics, “Chen Nan is currently going on a rampage. In the presence of the monarch, he is revolting against Chu. All eccentrics, please cooperate and seize him.”

Alarmed cries erupted from among the eccentrics:

“Heavens, why can’t I accumulate any magical elements?”

“Why has my cultivation suddenly faded away?”

…

The alarmed cries continued unceasingly.

Chu Yue appeared to come to a realization and her face drastically turned. She angrily shouted at Chen Nan, “You actually incited Senior Old Poison Devil into poisoning all the eccentrics! You’re… very savage. How many people must you sacrifice?” Chu Yue was truly a bit anxious. If all the eccentrics were poisoned to death, it would be an incomprehensible loss to the Empire of Chu.

Chen Nan coldly snorted. “You best not measure me with your own standards. They have only temporarily lost their power.”

In the end, Chen Nan still did not have enough experience under his belt in regards to humanity. He was still much too young and not at all hateful enough to poison to death all the eccentrics from Chu. Even though he was nearing combat, he still didn’t act unscrupulously.

In a moment, Chu Yue’s expression turned ashen. She shouted, “All high level warriors from the imperial palace heed my order: kill this traitor at all costs!”

Ten warriors with profound cultivation from the imperial palace entered the scene. A forceful pressure exploded out from their bodies.

Chen Nan loudly shouted, “Who dares take action? I’ll immediately seize their life!” He brought Houyi Bow out. A plumed arrow was already nocked to the bowstring.

Among the warriors that had arrived from the imperial palace, a man who seemed to be their leader loudly said, “Don’t be scared, we’ll attack together. One arrow can only shoot down one ma—“

“Honglonglong!”

The weather turned and the world paled! With the rumbling of thunder, the Godly Houyi Bow’s bowstring lightly quivered. A golden arrow shot out like lightning.

The cultivation of the current Chen Nan was incomparable to that of the Chen Nan of the past. The power of this golden arrow was many times greater than that of the arrow he had shot at the western borders of Chu. That lustre that seized the eyes left everyone’s heart palpitating fearfully. The arrow seemed like a tyrannical dragon leaving the sea. The power expanded into every direction. The greatest, strongest pressure left everyone in a several li circumference unable to breathe. In the blink of an eye, the golden arrow plunged into the chest of the leader of the warriors. In an instant, the warrior burst into pieces. The only thing left of him was a mist of his blood in the air. The prickling, bloody scent was nauseating.

The remaining power and momentum of this arrow was vast. A tremendous wave of energy, like an explosive, wild tsunami, spread throughout the Sima Residence. The terrifying wave of energy pushed back all the onlookers. They were unable to remain on their feet and were blown to the ground.

If not for the Eldest Princess Chu Yue timely supporting him up, the Emperor of Chu would have tumbled straight onto his back. For the sake of supporting the empress up, the Little Princess was blown to the ground. She angrily cursed, “Damn degenerate, aiyah~!”

Because the eccentrics from the Residence of Eccentrics had had their power temporarily restrained, they were also blown to the ground.

Only a few experts were unaffected and stood in their original positions. They angrily stared at Chen Nan.

The guests of the Sima Residence were all aristocrats from the imperial capital. The power of the golden arrow had left them utterly beaten. It could be said that, today, they have lost face. The cries from those wealthy aristocrats and their ladies unceasingly rang out. The scene was entirely chaotic.

If news of this event spread to other countries, the Empire of Chu would lose face. They would definitely be laughed at.

When everyone got up off the ground and settled down, they all angrily fixed their sights on Chen Nan.

At this instant, there was not a sound to be heard—the crows and sparrows were silent. Everyone was trying to catch their breaths. The recent development made those warriors from the imperial palace, who were just about to advance forward, stop in their tracks.

Chen Nan nocked a second arrow to the bowstring. Wherever it aimed, everyone would pale. Finally, he moved his aim from Sima Lingkong to the emperor.

From behind, Nalan Ruoshui anxiously cried out, “Chen Nan, what are you doing?”

Chen Nan didn’t respond to her. Instead, he said to Chu Han, “Let me and Ruoshui leave.”

Chu Han nodded. “I didn’t think something like this would happen. Fine, you two may leave. Everyone, move aside.”

Sima Lingkong’s fury reached new heights. His eyes were bloodshot. Just now, he had received severe internal injuries. Those injures, in tandem with his anger, caused him to vomit three mouthfuls of blood in quick succession with a “Wa!” The people supporting him brought him away.

Chen Nan rested Houyi Bow and gestured to Nalan Ruoshui to leave.

When they arrived outside of the Sima Residence, Nalan Ruoshui said, “Chen Nan, I truly can’t leave with you.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t just walk away from my problems. After I leave, what will happen to my father? What will happen to my family? They will all lose face.”

“They are only sacrificing some face, that’s all. Do you wish to sacrifice a lifetime of happiness instead?”

Nalan Ruoshui shook her head. “This marriage can already no longer proceed. You don’t have to worry about me any longer.”

Chen Nan said, “Why aren’t you willing to leave with me?”

Nalan Ruoshui seemed to be at a bit of a loss. “You and the ordinary Chen Nan from the past are so far apart, I am somewhat scared. I can’t see a future between us… Besides, I cannot only consider myself, I also have my parents and my family…”

“Chen Nan, be careful!” cried Nalan Ruoshui.

The splendid flash of a shimmering sword that seemed to be perfectly forged chopped towards Chen Nan. In a flash, it snapped the plumed arrow nocked to the bowstring. Chen Nan’s pupils contracted. He already saw that it was a Daoist’s flying sword. The master of the flying sword was the Eldest Princess Chu Yue. Leaving behind an afterimage, Chen Nan moved like lightning and dashed one zhang horizontally. Afterwards, he quickly unsheathed his long knife, hacking towards that flying sword.

All the onlookers cried out:

“Flying sword!”

“The most mysterious practitioner of them all, a Daoist!”

“It’s Her Highness the Eldest Princess!”

…

The cold light flickering off the glorious flying sword was oppressive.

Chen Nan slashed his knife forward, but his blade of light was unexpectedly unable to resist the power of the flying sword. He ultimately brandished the long knife to directly defend against the flying sword directly.

“Dingdingdangdang!”

After the cry of metal meeting metal, the long knife was actually crushed into various fragments. Only the bare handle of the knife remained in his hand. Chen Nan was inwardly fearful. He secretly sighed, “Daoists truly are out of the ordinary.” He dodged the edge of the sword. With his palms, he swatted the spine of the sword. When the flesh of his palm touched the flying sword, an unexpected ‘kengqiang’ sounded.

This serious of movements were as fast as lightning. Onlookers could only see a sword edge interweaving with the afterimages of palm strikes. A bright flash accompanied the ‘kengqiang’ sounds of the collisions. Tremendous waves of energy wildly blasted around.

When the high ranked warriors responded to the situation and readied themselves to rush forward, the Eldest Princess already no longer had the same tenacity as before. Her face was pale, and she unwillingly withdrew her flying sword.

When Chen Nan wanted to pursue her, the group of high ranked warriors hindered him. He quickly stopped in his tracks and once again took out Houyi Bow. He aimed the plumed arrow straight at the Emperor of Chu. Everyone was dumbstruck and was forced to a halt.

“Ruoshui, come with me.”

“No, I…” Nalan Ruoshui shook her head. “Chen Nan, I sincerely thank you for everything you have done for me today. You needn’t worry about me. Perhaps in the future, we can meet again one day…” Nalan Ruoshui didn’t continue speaking. She quickly sprinted into the crowd and disappeared from his vision in an instant.

Chen Nan was momentarily stunned, before angrily confronting the Eldest Princess Chu Yue. He pulled back the bowstring in preparation and aimed Houyi Bow at her. “You have the impertinence to sneak attack me, today, I will—”

Suddenly, an aged sigh echoed at his ear side. “Ai, youngster, don’t be so emotional. She is my great-great-grandson’s daughter.”

Chen Nan was startled, but soon sobered up. He was all too familiar with this voice. It was unexpectedly the voice of the emperor’s great-great-grandfather, that old monster over a hundred and seventy years old. He knew that old monster had just used a profound martial skill to transmit his voice to him.

The old monster sighed. “In a lifetime, you’re bound to encounter many matters that do not live up to your expectations. Actually, there is no eternal happiness in this world, nor is there eternal regret. Eternity is no more than the blink of an eye. When your pretentiousness lessens and you turn old, you’ll realize that the most important thing in life is a placid mindset.”

The voice gradually disappeared. Chen Nan looked around, but he couldn’t see a trace of the old monster. Although he had Houyi Bow at hand, he still was deeply concerned over this incredibly mysterious old man and wanted to avoid him. If the old man were to launch a sneak attack on him, there would be no way he would be able to resist.

Chen Nan had already drawn back Houyi Bow, but due to his misgivings towards the old monster, he was forced to aim Houyi Bow back towards the ground. With a thundering of the wind, the golden arrow plunged deep into the ground. The earth violently quaked. Over half of the buildings in the Sima Residence collapsed with a rumble. Dust and smoke pervaded the sky. Soil was shot every which way.

No one knew that this arrow that was shot underground was gradually changing in trajectory. The golden arrow fired off towards the nearby imperial palace. Then, it shot to that ancient tomb underneath the imperial library’s room of ancient texts. The golden arrow seemed to be attracted to the accumulated original vital qi from the world—it flew directly towards that passed away peerless expert in the tomb. Three chi away from the inextinguishable body, the arrow abruptly exploded into bountiful specks of golden light that forced their way into the inextinguishable body. Afterwards, the ancient tomb regained its peacefulness. It seemed like nothing had happened.

As everyone was in disarray, Chen Nan used the Capturing Dragon Hand again. The golden palm brought about a violent gust of wind out of nothing and swept towards the Little Princess Chu Yu beside the empress, pulling her towards him. He instantly hit several of the Little Princess’s acupoints and held her against his chest. With Houyi Bow in his right hand, he gripped the Little Princess’s throat with his left.

Sima father and son nearly went mad. Chen Nan had not only ruined the wedding, but he had also laid waste to the entire Sima Residence.

“Degenerate, smelly thief, let go of me~!”

The expressions of the emperor, empress, and others all turned terrible. The Eldest Princess said, “Chen Nan, release my meimei. I’ll guarantee you can safely leave.”

Chen Nan remained unmoving. He didn’t do anything at all. Actually, he was seeing whether or not that hidden old monster would come out from the shadows and take action. After waiting for a long while, there still wasn’t any news of that old monster, so his worrying heart eased a smidgen.

The Little Princess cried out, “Smelly thief, take your hands off me! It’s unbearably putrid.”

The Eldest Princess Chu Yue said, “Chen Nan, did you hear what I said? Release my meimei, and I’ll allow you to leave.”

Chen Nan coldly laughed, “Hmph. I don’t want to talk too much bullshit. Have everyone get the hell out of my way. Don’t send anyone after me.”

Chu Yue’s enraged face took another, and another, drastic turn as she considered this request. Finally, she said, “Fine, I agree to your request.”

At the side, the empress was exceedingly anxious. She wanted to speak up, but Chu Han stopped her and said, “Trust Yue’er. Let her handle this.”

The officials of the court were as dazed as stupid chickens. The things that had happened today were beyond their imaginations.

Although Chen Nan was not too familiar with Chu, he had scouted out a clear escape route outside of the city long ago. He seized the Little Princess and they fled from the imperial capital.

The Little Princess was seething. “Degenerate, you’ve already gotten away. Why haven’t you released me yet?”

“Life truly is fantastic! Originally, it was you who captured me and brought me to the imperial capital. Now, it’s you who will send me off from the imperial capital. I don’t think you’ll forget about the events that have happened in this period of time, right? You’ll remain by my side, obediently serving as my maid!”

“What? Having I, a princess, to serve as a degenerate’s maid? You’re dreaming!”

Chen Nan did something he had wanted to do for a long time, but he had not the opportunity to do so until now. With strength, he pinched the Little Princess’s delicate, smooth cheeks. He pinched them fiercely!

The Little Princess painfully shouted, “Aiyah~! Degenerate, you bastard! Let me go! You dare treat me like this?”

“You little demon, I know how especially devious you are. Don’t play any tricks on me. Be good on our journey.”

“You bastard, where are you bringing me?”

“The City of Crime.”

“Ah~!”

“I truly did not expect you, the little demon, to once again fall into my clutches.”

Chen Nan’s heart was slightly at a loss. With the Little Princess Chu Yu in his possession, he departed from the capital city of the Empire of Chu.

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