Chapter 1041 - 283: Farewell with a Cold Blade, Blood Tears in the Setting Moon

Shi Feiyang gazed at the enemies strewn across the ground, his spine, taut as a bowstring, finally relaxed a bit. On the Celestial Frost Blade, ice crystals mixed with beads of blood refracted a cold yet dazzling light under the setting sun, as if the light were the reflection of all the bloody battles he had fought to reach this point.

Xie Wen descended lightly to the ground like a feather, wrapped in the Celestial Silkworm Silk Net. Guo Xiangyu within the net could no longer hold back; her skirt fluttered like a young swallow eager to return to its nest, as she plunged straight into Shi Feiyang’s arms.

The subtle jasmine scent from her hair entwined with the pungent smell of blood on the ground, forming the most heart-stirring fragrance in the world at that moment.

"Young Master!" Guo Xiangyu raised her face, with tears still lingering on her eyelashes, glistening under the setting sun like tiny stars, crystal clear. Her voice carried the tremor and joy of surviving a calamity, "I stood in the sky, my heart gripping tight, counting each strike you made. When I counted to thirty-seven, my heart nearly leaped out from my throat..."

Her hands trembled softly, as if handling a precious treasure, gently caressing the blood-stained lapels of Shi Feiyang’s robe.

As her fingertips brushed over every tear, her eyes were full of pain: "Look at this sleeve, it’s torn to pieces, was it scratched by those Poison Scorpion Hooks? And the bloodstain on the shoulder..."

As she spoke, her voice gradually choked up, as if the one injured was herself.

Shi Xiong slid down from Xie Wen’s back and sensibly turned around. But Guo Xiangyu had already cast everything aside, standing on tiptoe, burying her small face into Shi Feiyang’s chest, her voice as soft as if soaked in honey: "When you executed the ultimate move of the Hundred Victories Saber Technique, ’Red Dust Slash,’ the blade’s light soared into the sky, dyeing the whole sky red. At that moment, Xiangyu had only one thought in her heart — the most dazzling and moving thing in the world is not the morning sun nor the night stars, but the strike you wield for the peace of all beings!"

She suddenly lifted her head, her almond eyes sparkling as if hiding a sky full of stars. Shi Feiyang lowered his head to look, only to see salt grains from the fierce battle still clinging to Guo Xiangyu’s hair, glistening under the setting sun and more captivating than any pearl.

He reached out, his movement gentle as if touching a fragile dream, softly wiping away the tear marks on her cheek.

His fingertips touched her skin, heated from anxiety, and he softly said, "Silly girl, if it weren’t for you, if it weren’t for the thought of safely returning to your side, where would I find the courage to sever the myriad phantoms of this world?"

These words, like a gentle breeze, lightly caressed Guo Xiangyu’s heart lake, stirring ripples.

Her cheeks instantly flushed, like the evening glow at the horizon, and she nestled deeper into Shi Feiyang’s embrace, wanting to embed her whole being into Shi Feiyang’s life.

The north wind swept salt grains across the Ningxia Salt Field, with hundreds of disciples from the Northwest Salt Gang surging like black clouds overwhelming the city.

Xue Hong Mountain’s white hair flew wildly, the iron staff heavily struck the ground, causing dirt to fall: "Grand Squad Leader Shi! Who is responsible for this mess on the ground?"

Shi Feiyang stood steadfast in the pool of blood, his black cloak stained with blood yet more imposing.

He cupped his hands in salute, his voice like a bell: "Elder Xue, the bustling world seeks profit, and the bustling world is for profit. Some cannot stand you using salt to aid the world and saving the people, nor tolerate the Heroic Sakura Association and the Salt Gang joining hands to protect peace in the Northwest!"

Having said that, he waved his hand pointing to the bodies on the ground, crooked and askew, bearing the tiger head tattoos of the Northwest Iron Gang and the cyan snake waist tokens of the Five Poison Sect, gleaming under the moonlight.

Xue Tielong squatted down, dipped his fingertips in black blood, and furrowed his brows deeply: "Father, these wounds are plum blossom-shaped and clearly caused by the Five Poison Sect’s ’Bone-Piercing Nail.’ But the Iron Gang... how could they collude with the Demon Sect?"

The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the salt field into a poignant picture.

Xue Qiuchun, lifting the hem of her moon-glow satin skirt, stumbled and rushed over, her hair ornaments with pearls making a delicate and chaotic sound with her hurried steps. From afar, seeing that tall figure in black stand proudly among the corpses, her beautiful eyes suddenly brightened, like sparks of fire ignited in the cold night, and her pale cheeks flushed with a captivating glow.

It was the joy of rain after a long drought, the shyness of finally seeing the one deeply missed.

"Young Master Shi!" Xue Qiuchun’s call carried the breathless charm unique to young girls, her voice echoing in the howling north wind, yet so clear and urgent, filled with endless care and yearning.

However, when her gaze landed on the delicate figure nestled in Shi Feiyang’s arms, her steps suddenly halted, as if shackled by an invisible lock. Guo Xiangyu looked up, her hair disheveled yet unable to hide her captivating charm, like a flower in spring bloom.

Her hands tightly wrapped around Shi Feiyang’s neck, with a sweet smile of survival lingering at her mouth, so bright, so blissful, that it pierced Xue Qiuchun’s heart with spasms of pain.

Xue Qiuchun felt a constriction in her throat, the "Young Master" she was about to say stuck hard in her throat, transformed into a broken and bitter sigh. The pearls at her temples seemed as heavy as a thousand pounds, pressing her so she could barely lift her head, feeling as though she had lost all strength.

The fierce wind swept salt grains mercilessly over her rigid body, yet she seemed utterly unaware.

Xue Qiuchun stared intently at Guo Xiangyu nestled against Shi Feiyang’s lapel, her nails deeply digging into her palms, leaving streaks of bright red blood, yet the pain in her heart surpassed it by far. "Guo Xiangyu, that miserable woman, why is she always with Young Master Shi? She’s merely Young Master Shi’s maid!" Xue Qiuchun murmured to herself, her voice so light it could be blown away by the wind, filled with jealousy and resentment, the anguish and anger of unrequited love.