Chapter 121

"I lost again!"

Su Yu stared at the board, his eyes almost popping out. He patted his head hard and whispered, "Strange, with only these few pieces, why did I clearly look very carefully, yet still didn't see that you had already connected four?"

Go had many pieces and took a long time to play, so it was inevitable to have moments of inattention, but this only had a few dozen pieces; how could he still be negligent after a quarter of an hour? Su Yu said anxiously and unwillingly, "One more game."

Su Ren found it amusing. It was already the third watch of the night, and he didn't want to keep playing with Yu. It wasn't that the game wasn't fun, but the opponent was too weak; it was completely meaningless. However, Yu, who had always had no interest in Go, was uniquely fond of this Five-in-a-Row. For four or five days now, he had been pestering him to play every day, only to be defeated every single time.

Su Ren stood up and stretched his waist, replying, "Let's stop here for tonight. You still have to train the troops tomorrow!"

Su Yu grabbed Su Ren's sleeve and urged, "Second Brother, one last game, just one!"

Helpless, Su Ren had to sit down again.

Su Yu was very serious this time, placing every piece with caution and full concentration.

This scene, in the eyes of Su Ling who had just returned from the palace banquet, was very strange. Since when did Yu become interested in Go? This made Su Ling feel a bit curious. Entering the study, Su Ling walked behind Su Yu and saw the dense, chaotic, and methodless game on the board, his brows knitting tightly together.

Su Ren had seen him long ago and said in a low voice, "Big Brother."

"Big Brother?" Su Yu looked up in confusion, glancing left and right, and finally discovered Su Ling's figure behind him. Su Yu asked in surprise, "Big Brother, why are you back?"

Su Ling carried a faint scent of alcohol. Su Ren, while nonchalantly placing another piece, smiled and said, "The Beiqi envoy is visiting, and the Emperor is hosting a banquet in the palace tonight. Big Brother returned for this, right?"

Su Ling did not answer yes or no, but only asked coldly, "Has something happened in the mansion?" Seeing them playing so leisurely, nothing should have happened in the mansion, but for decades, Bing Lian had rarely been so abnormal. What could be the reason?

Su Ling's serious expression made Su Yu's heart skip a beat. Could it be that Big Brother knew about his bet with that woman regarding troop training? Although this wasn't a bad thing, if Big Brother knew he was neglecting the formations to gamble with a group of new recruits, he would definitely be furious. Su Yu looked at Su Ren in trepidation, only to see him smile easily and reply with a calm face, "No, it's no different from usual."

Su Yu secretly admired him; as expected, Second Brother was the best at telling lies with his eyes open.

No different? Why did Yu have the look of a thief with a guilty conscience? Su Ling concluded that something had happened to Bing Lian. His sword-like brows tightened as he asked, "Who touched Bing Lian?"

Huh? Su Yu was stunned. So Big Brother was talking about Bing Lian! Relieved, Su Yu exclaimed, "Who would dare touch it?" That sword was extremely evil; he had tried to take it once when he was a child, and it had almost frozen him to death!

Bing Lian had indeed chosen Qing Mo; even the Red Blood Sword thousands of miles away had felt its intent! Thinking of the wonderful expression Big Brother would have when he found out, Su Ren was secretly delighted, but he didn't intend to say it clearly right now. It was more fun for Big Brother to discover such things himself.

Su Yu feigned ignorance and asked, "Is there something unusual about Bing Lian?"

"Nothing."

After walking a few steps, Su Ling suddenly stopped. The two of them stared at his back, thinking he was going to say something. A moment later, they only heard a cold male voice with a hint of disappointment say, "Ren, your chess skills are getting worse and worse."

"I—" Su Ren was left speechless and stiff there. How were his chess skills bad? They weren't even playing Go...

Unfortunately, Su Ling didn't intend to listen to his explanation, his tall figure already out of the courtyard.

"Ha..." Su Yu came back to his senses, and a burst of laughter erupted in the study. It was too funny; Second Brother finally had his day!

The crescent moon was like a hook, the stars were scattered, and the dense forest, which had been noisy for days, was exceptionally quiet tonight. Not a single ray of light could be seen in the pitch-black woods, let alone a human figure.

Behind a thick tree trunk, a black shadow leaned against the tree, eyes slightly closed, looking very comfortable. However, she had a long bow slung over her shoulder, a bundle of long arrows at her feet, and an exquisite little dagger tucked into her waist, looking fully armed.

Yes, Gu Yun was going hunting tonight!

There were three days left until the day of the competition, and she was quite satisfied with this group of young soldiers. As far as new recruits went, she could say with great confidence that in terms of endurance, explosive power, and mobility, this team was absolutely the most outstanding among this batch of Su Family Army recruits.

Tonight, she let them rest and not train. Firstly, it was to let them recharge their batteries in preparation for the training she would conduct tomorrow night; secondly—she was going to catch this big rat tonight.

It had been five days, and that feeling of being watched wouldn't go away. She was certain someone was monitoring her, and since she was free tonight, she might as well meet him.

The night grew deeper, and everything was silent.

Gu Yun's eyes, which had been slightly closed, suddenly opened. She restrained her breath, and a very faint smile rose on her lips. Her prey had arrived...

Ao Tian moved like a ghost, his figure extremely light and fast, appearing silently in the place where he usually hid. In the dense forest, apart from the low chirping of cicadas and insects, there was only the rustling whisper of leaves; there was no sign of that familiar, arrogant female voice.

Had she not come tonight?

His mood inexplicably turned a bit sour. Ao Tian couldn't say if it was because of disappointment or because no one was there to help him pass the time tonight.

Standing still for a moment, the tall figure was about to leave when that familiar female voice suddenly rang out coldly not far from him, "No good show to watch tonight. Since you've already come, why not show yourself!"

Ao Tian's footsteps faltered. She was actually here? And he hadn't sensed it at all. A trace of surprise flashed through his dark eyes, which had always been calm. He turned slightly to look in the direction of the voice.

Across the heavy trees, far away, a petite black shadow stood proudly in the forest. As she walked closer, she demanded, "Who are you? Why have you been peeping at my troop training?"

Gu Yun could only see a dark shadow in the distance and couldn't see the other person's appearance at all. She walked toward the shadow very quickly while making excuses to talk. Just as she almost reached his side, the black shadow suddenly leaped lightly, flashing seven or eight meters away!

"Trying to run!" Gu Yun chased from behind while raising her long bow, holding a sharp arrow, and shooting toward the black shadow. During the past few days when she had the soldiers practice archery, she had tried it herself. Arrows really couldn't compare to pistols, but at least it was a long-range killing weapon.

The long arrow whistled past under Ao Tian's ear. The fierce wind of the arrow showed the ruthlessness of the shooter; this woman actually fired arrows!

Ao Tian suddenly rushed toward the top of the tree. The leaves and branches in the canopy shook violently, and a moment later, everything returned to calm.

Gu Yun focused her mind and listened carefully, but there was no longer a trace of human presence.

He actually got away! What a pity; if she had an M92F pistol in her hand, he definitely wouldn't have been able to run!

Lingyun Pavilion.

One white and one red long sword lay quietly on the stone table. At first glance, there was nothing special about them. But looking closely, under the moonlight, the white sword was as cold as ice and snow, and the red sword was as red as molten lava. Placed side by side, a faint force flowed between the two swords.

Su Ling held Bing Lian in his hand, gently stroking the blade. A cold chill slowly traveled from his palm, no different from the past. Clearly, Bing Lian was not damaged. So why was it so restless that day, to the point that even Red Blood felt its abnormality! Su Ling was immersed in his own thoughts, but the Bing Lian in his hand suddenly turned cold. The biting chill was three parts colder than usual, and a flash of pearly white light flickered frequently, also showing its excitement.

What was wrong with Bing Lian?

Just as Su Ling was about to draw the long sword to see what was going on, it suddenly became quiet again. At the same time, Su Ling also felt someone approaching Lingyun Pavilion.

Entering the General's Mansion from the side of the drill ground, Gu Yun walked with her head down, thinking about who that person was tonight. It definitely wouldn't be Su Yu; he didn't have such good martial arts, nor would he do such a thing. So who in the General's Mansion would do such a thing?

Passing by Su Ling's Lingyun Pavilion, Gu Yun saw that his courtyard gate was only slightly ajar. Taking a few steps forward, Gu Yun stopped again. The last lesson told her that Su Ling's courtyard was often unlocked, and maybe there would be some vanguard or deputy general inside. She was very tired tonight and didn't want to get into another fight.

Gu Yun turned to leave, but a cold snort came from the courtyard, "Who?"

This voice—it was Su Ling! Had he really returned?

Gu Yun was still considering whether to answer him or just walk away; anyway, he didn't know who was outside.

"Come in." The cold and unquestionable voice sounded again. Gu Yun hesitated for a while but still walked in; there were some things that needed to be discussed with him.

Before long, a petite figure appeared in the courtyard. The visitor was dressed in black, with a long bow on her back. How could it be her? Seeing clearly who the visitor was, Su Ling's already cold and ruthless face darkened instantly, and he roared, "What are you here for?"

Gu Yun hadn't caught the peeper today, so she was already in a bad mood. Now that she was being scolded, her anger flared up even more, and she replied with a rather sharp tone, "General Su, if you don't have senile dementia, you should remember that it was you who told me to come in."

Sick! Why give her that stinking face? If it came to a black face, she wasn't bad either. Forget it, no more talking; she had no interest in playing with him today.

Gu Yun turned and left.

"Stop."

With the low roar mixed with anger and frost, no one in the entire General's Mansion dared to disobey. Unfortunately, Gu Yun didn't consider herself a person of the General's Mansion and continued to stride toward the outside.

Did he think he was calling a dog? Come when called, go when waved away?! If she were the type to stop obediently, she wouldn't be Gu Yun.

Su Ling's eagle eyes narrowed, and his sturdy figure flew over extremely quickly, blocking directly in front of Gu Yun.

A chest as solid as a mountain lay in front of Gu Yun. Gu Yun almost bumped into it. Damn it, having pectoral muscles is a big deal, huh!

Did he think she was still the weak woman from a month ago who could only lie straight on the ground unable to move? If he really wanted to fight, she would accompany him just the same!

Over there, the undercurrents were surging; here, the two precious swords placed side by side in white and red on the stone table seemed to suddenly feel their master's emotions and moved without wind. Under the moonlight, the two streams of white and red light collided with each other, emitting an eerie glow.

(End of chapter)