Chapter 1033

After DuoJi was killed, Xiong Tianba instantly broke free of control, his mind quickly regained clarity, he blankly gazed around, seeing the blood‑stained great hammer, for a moment he could not recall what he had done.

Hu Xiaotian cleaved a black‑clad warrior with one stroke, dodged the reins, leapt onto his horse, and saw more than ten riders charging from the breach of LiuJiaoCheng into the city's ruins; he immediately realized they were heading toward the direction the flute sound came from, intending to eliminate the flutist.

Hu Xiaotian roared, "You bear‑child, kill that bowl‑beating wretch, leave none!" He had been thoroughly enraged.

Xiong Tianba then reacted, swinging his great hammer as he charged into the enemy camp.

Under the moonlight, Wei Sa stood on the earthen platform, holding a jade flute, like a lily quietly blossoming in the dark night; she quietly played the melody. Yang Lingqi held a blue‑steel sword, trembling, guarding beside her. Having just heard that strange chanting, Yang Lingqi, following Wei Sa's guidance, plugged his ears, yet the sound still continuously seeped into his ears. Taking advantage of Wei Sa holding the jade flute, she walked out of the hiding place and played the melody on the earthen platform. Strangely, as soon as Wei Sa's flute sounded, it immediately dispelled the influence of that chanting, and her restless heart gradually calmed. Yang Lingqi worried she might come to harm alone, so he drew his blue‑steel sword to protect her.

A rider, having heard the sound, galloped up to the earthen platform; Yang Lingqi fearlessly raised his blue‑steel sword to thrust, but as soon as he lifted it, the opponent's sabre blocked it, shaking his arm numb and sending his sword flying from his hand.

That rider's cold eyes fixed on Wei Sa; he lifted the reins, ready to charge and cut her down from his horse, but suddenly he saw Wei Sa's gaze shift, as if thousands of threads wrapped around his heart, and he felt unable to control himself. At that moment another rider charged onto the platform; the saber‑wielding rider suddenly turned, brought his saber down hard on his companion's waist. This ambush came without warning; the companion never imagined he would be attacked by his ally, and even as he died he thrust his long sword fiercely into the other's chest.

Hu Xiaotian also rushed in afterward. Seeing the scene, his heart jumped; although he had earlier guessed the flutist might be Wei Sa, confirmation still shocked him—Wei Sa also knew soul‑seizing art, and judging from her earlier countering the enemy chanters, her cultivation ought not be low. Yet if so, how could she have fallen under DuoJi's control?

Behind them the earthen wall collapsed, crushing a just‑passed Shajia rider beneath wall, man and horse; Liang Yinghao crawled out of the pit, thrust his spear into the rider's throat, ending his life.

Hu Xiaotian told Liang Yinghao, "Take them to a safe place!" He turned his horse's head, then rode outward again, worried Xiong Tianba might meet mishap, and went to reinforce him promptly.

After DuoJi was slain, the opposing side's other soul‑seizer was completely suppressed by Wei Sa's flute. Moreover, they had already suffered over half casualties; the remaining warriors had no will to fight. Xiong Tianba's killing fury was aroused; he charged into the enemy formation, his two great hammers flying up and down as if entering an empty land. Soon another dozen fell under his hammers; the survivors, seeing the tide turn, no one wished to stay and die, and they scattered like birds and beasts.

When Hu Xiaotian hurried back, the surviving twenty‑plus riders had already fled far; Xiong Tianba had seized a horse and was preparing to pursue, but Hu Xiaotian called him off, saying "Do not chase a desperate foe"; we have already shattered their main force, there is no need to expend energy in relentless pursuit.

At that moment Tang Tiexin also returned riding his little gray; he was still shaken, for earlier, while harassing the enemy from the rear, he had encountered the Blade Demon FengXingyun; Tang Tiexin swung his blade, but the demon simply reached out and seized his sword, throwing Tang Tiexin from his mount; the little gray fled in fright, fortunately the Blade Demon's mind was not on him, so he did not slaughter Tang Tiexin utterly.

Dawn arrived unnoticed; in the eastern sky a red sun quietly peeked over the horizon, the ruins of LiuJiaoCheng were suffused with a roseate hue, and this desolate ancient city gained a touch of charm.

Wei Sa stood beside the dry riverbed, gazing at that red sun; her ice‑blue eyes showed a hint of sorrow. The cool morning breeze blew in her face, and she could not help but sneeze.

Hu Xiaotian stepped slowly behind her and draped a Lan‑colored cloak over Wei Sa.

Wei Sa trembled, turned, and said somewhat anxiously, "Master!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed and said, "Are you very afraid of me?"

Wei Sa shook her head: "Wei Sa does not fear the master; in Wei Sa's heart the master is most worthy of trust."

Hu Xiaotian felt a warm surge; being trusted is also a happiness, yet recalling Wei Sa's astonishing performance last night, his confidence wavered—every girl he had met was never simple, and he did not know what secret lay hidden in Wei Sa's heart; his gaze fell on the jade flute she carried at her waist.

Wei Sa blinked her ice‑blue eyes, sensed something from Hu Xiaotian's look, and whispered, "Wei Sa did not intend to hide it from the master; in fact, Wei Sa's father is also a soul‑seizer."

Hu Xiaotian nodded: "If your father is a soul‑seizer, why have you ended up like this?" This was exactly what puzzled Hu Xiaotian most—Wei Sa possesses such outstanding soul‑seizing art; why not use it to change her fate? Instead she resigns herself to servitude, letting others push her around. Yet Hu Xiaotian also noticed a fatal flaw in soul‑seizers: they seem never to be true masters; if he is not mistaken, Wei Sa might not even know martial arts.

Wei Sa said: "In our clan only men may be soul‑seizers; although my father dotes on me, he dare not lightly break the family's rules, and besides I have no interest in this—my passion lies in song, dance, and music. When the Yinghao Kingdom suffered annihilation, my family too was forced to flee; during the exile my father gave me the soul‑seizing canon, hoping to preserve the art and for me to learn it for self‑defense. Later I was separated from my parents, but before that I had already memorized the family's soul‑seizing treasure tome; my father had warned me, before mastering it I must never reveal it lightly, or I would invite deadly disaster."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "How long have you cultivated soul‑seizing art?"

Wei Sa replied: "Three years; I have been practicing in secret. Soul‑seizing art has three types: one uses sound rhythm—today you heard the chanting and my flute; two uses gaze; three uses posture and movement. DuoJi likely suspected me; he wanted to control my mind. After noticing, I used my family's secret method to seal my heart, but my cultivation cannot compare with his, so in the end he still dominated me."

Hu Xiaotian said: "This person truly deserves death more than enough!"

Wei Sa said: "Master, you won't be angry with me, will you?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed heartily: "Why would I be angry with you? If it weren't for your help this time, we'd likely have been wiped out."

Wei Sa said: "I am adept at sound rhythm and dance, but my cultivation in gaze‑based soul‑seizing is still shallow." In fact she was being modest; last night she used her gaze to make two warriors slaughter each other, proving she already has some ability in gaze soul‑seizing.

Hu Xiaotian secretly sighed that soul‑seizing art ought to be hypnosis, using various suggestions to manipulate others' consciousness; he had several times nearly fallen for the opponent's tricks, and looking back it was truly perilous.

Wei Sa said: "Actually the effect of soul‑seizing cannot last; if a soul‑seizer wishes to control someone long‑term, he must intermittently reinforce the technique; if too much time passes, or if the target flees a certain distance, the effect fades; of course the most thorough way is to kill the soul‑seizer."

Hu Xiaotian had already deeply understood this; Xiong Tianba regained consciousness immediately after he slew DuoJi.

Wei Sa said: "Master, do not worry; the soul‑seizing treasury contains methods for calming the spirit, but only those with an inner‑strength foundation can cultivate them; I will tell you later."

Hu Xiaotian was overjoyed inside, yet on the surface he feigned reluctance, shaking his head and saying, "How could that work? Your family's treasury cannot be passed to an outsider like me."

Wei Sa's pretty face flushed slightly as she said, "You are my master; all I have belongs to you—let alone a treasury."

Hu Xiaotian felt as refreshed as gulping iced plum juice in the dog days; every pore exuded a great sense of satisfaction—this foreign maiden is truly thoughtful! One reason is her concern for him; another is that if he truly masters the spirit‑calming art, he will no longer need to fear soul‑seizers: he could kill one for one, cut down two for a pair, as easy as slicing melons and vegetables.

Xiong Tianba and company counted the dead, totalling seventy‑nine slain; inspecting the victims' belongings showed some were Shajia warriors, also some Han among them. They were too lazy to bury the corpses; with so many dead, it would not be long before the local authorities were alerted, the matter reported upward, and Li Tianheng would easily deduce the cause and effect—if he thus grew resentful and hostile toward the Shajia, that would not be a bad thing either.

Hu Xiaotian recalled the Blade Demon's appearance last night; it was no surprise that the demon wanted to kill him, but it was strange that he had joined forces with the Shajia; Hu Xiaotian still remembered that they had used rockets as signals to respond to each other—could the Blade Demon be a man of Xue Shengjing? After thinking, this seemed the most plausible explanation; Heg and Xue Shengjing, fearing their plot would be exposed, decided to join hands to assassinate him and silence him. These two were his sworn brothers, yet at the crucial moment they struck without mercy; Hu Xiaotian secretly lamented that in the face of political interests there is indeed no shred of loyalty to speak of, and his thoughts turned to his father—he did not know what role his father played in this; recalling this Luo‑Song journey, his heart could not help but be overshadowed by a heavy gloom. (To be continued~^~)