Chapter 711: Everyone is an Actor

Chapter 711: All Actors

Zhao Changhe seemed oblivious to the shifting shadows behind him, and Yue Hongling felt nothing either. The two walked hand in hand for a stretch, and seeing the sun was already high, they mounted the horse together and flew southwest.

Even their flight was leisurely.

The advantage of the Dark Steed being able to fly on its own was that it allowed for... well, not that—it meant they didn’t have to steer, just sit back and enjoy the view, whispering sweet nothings.

Yue Hongling had never ridden a flying horse before. Curious and excited, she was held in front, facing the wind, her heart brimming with joy: “So comfortable, this feeling of flying.”

“Mm-hmm,” Zhao Changhe mumbled vaguely.

A cold wind swept by, sending her hair flying back. Zhao Changhe, seated behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, dodging her hair, and rested his chin on her shoulder, cheek to cheek.

He was too lazy to speak.

Yue Hongling said, “This is the first time I’ve realized that flying at high altitudes requires cultivation; otherwise, the wind and air currents are unbearable. The Dark Steed is flying slowly now—if it went faster, it would be even harder to withstand.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“But why don’t I feel you circulating your power to resist? Is your face made of iron?”

“Because the air currents avoid me.” As he spoke, Yue Hongling indeed felt the wind no longer battering her face, and her flying hair settled back down.

She was astonished: “What exactly can you do now?”

Zhao Changhe answered evasively: “Want me to bring back the wind? I think you liked being blown.”

Yue Hongling said, “You’re the one who likes being blown.”

“I do like it.”

“...Get lost. Go find Sisi. She’s the only one shameless enough.”

“Her... it’s hard to say if she’s still as clingy as before. We’re too far apart now; time can dilute many things.”

Yue Hongling squinted at the setting sun in the distance and said softly, “And you? Do you still like her as much as before? Or did you never really like her in the first place—was it just a conquest?”

Zhao Changhe shook his head: “When she saved me in the blood pool, that bond became unbreakable. As for conquest, that was between the Central Plains and the Spirit Clan—it had to be that way. The barbarians fear authority but not virtue; if we just play nice, trouble will come sooner or later. I had to make them fear me... but that’s not personal between her and me.”

Yue Hongling seemed amused: “Says the man who rarely thinks of her.”

“I have thought of her, though not often,” Zhao Changhe admitted honestly. “I don’t think much of anyone regularly... It’s not that I’m heartless, but things keep coming one after another, and I can barely catch my breath. I simply don’t have the energy for other thoughts. Of course, if you want to call me heartless, I’ll accept that...”

Yue Hongling smiled: “Who’s scolding you? Do as you please.”

Zhao Changhe felt her tone was odd—whether she was jealous or speaking on Sisi’s behalf, he couldn’t tell. Too lazy to dwell on it, he turned and kissed her cheek.

Yue Hongling shrank her neck and laughed, “Like a little dog.”

“Aren’t I a little dog?”

“How come I heard you were a pig?”

“Huh? Who told you that? Which of the Four Symbols Sect are you close with? That shouldn’t be...”

Yue Hongling doubled over with laughter: “You gave yourself away.”

Zhao Changhe’s neck reddened, and he reached out to tickle her. The two began wrestling in midair again.

Dark Steed: “...”

You two love to fight, but I’m just a horse—I can’t handle your antics.

The sun gradually set completely, leaving only a sliver of its upper half visible beyond the sky. On the other side, the crescent moon rose, and sun and moon shone together.

The Dark Steed arrived at a mountain peak ahead, its hooves only a few zhang above the summit. The shadow below was starkly clear. The mountaintop was thick with trees, their shadows dense and swaying in the wind.

As if tired from their play, the young couple seemed stirred by the scene of mountain forests and the night breeze. They sat on the horse, kissing gently, lost in each other.

The sky darkened further, shadows piling up layer upon layer, silently surrounding them. Yet the two seemed unaware—Yue Hongling’s sword hung at her waist, Zhao Changhe’s blade and saber all in his ring.

A shadow crept silently toward Zhao Changhe’s back, about to pierce them both through in one thrust.

But just as it struck, the two parted abruptly. The shadow shot through the gap, and the Dark Steed neighed and fled into the distance. With a clang, Yue Hongling’s longsword was in hand, Zhao Changhe gripped his broad blade, and they slashed left and right at the passing shadow.

The shadow was severed, and the controller’s qi connection was traced instantly. With two gusts of wind, the ambushing Snow Owl had no time to understand what happened before the couple had him surrounded in the void, one in front, one behind.

Meanwhile, the myriad shadows from the mountaintop shot upward into the air, but they pierced nothing—the horse and riders were no longer there.

Snow Owl was briefly stunned, then shook his head with a sigh: “You’ve been acting all along. From visiting your subordinates to your intimate moments on horseback, you pretended to be completely unaware of being watched—for four or five hours straight.”

Zhao Changhe smiled: “After all, you’ve been an assassin your whole life, with unmatched patience. If we had stayed vigilant, you might not have made a move without absolute certainty... And if you didn’t strike but kept watching in the shadows, how could I live my life? Always on edge, guarding against thieves every day? I couldn’t even get serious with my wife by my side... I can’t live like that, so I had to lure you out and settle it once and for all. Otherwise, do you really think I’m so desperate that I have to nibble on horseback?”

Yue Hongling: “...”

Blind: “...”

Aren’t you? Do you even know yourself?

Snow Owl didn’t comment on that, only said: “It’s easy to tell if someone is fully on guard from their muscles and qi flow. To me, you two truly seemed unguarded. How did you know when I would strike?”

“Guess?” The Eye Behind was incredibly useful—it gave a full view of everything within several li, like watching everything unfold with one’s own eyes. It wasn’t a matter of mental alertness or sensing, so of course, there was no sign of tension.

Everything Snow Owl did was like an old general on a stage, putting on a show so earnestly that Zhao Changhe almost wanted to tip him. Of course, the young couple themselves were like actors on the same stage—Zhao Changhe wondered if Snow Owl felt like tipping them.

He didn’t answer, and Snow Owl didn’t press, instead asking from another angle: “Then how did you know I was plotting against you?”

Zhao Changhe answered this time: “The so-called spatial closure easily gives the impression that you’ve all withdrawn completely, making one focus on when the space will reconnect, and thus overlook other possibilities... But what does lurking have to do with that? You could have stayed on this side, couldn’t you? You and Annihilation are both skilled at hiding—you might have been right there on the secret realm’s mountaintop, watching the monks’ bald heads perform like geckos. And I was eighty to ninety percent sure you were there, otherwise, everything you did before would have been meaningless.”

Yue Hongling stood stiffly behind him, feeling a bit embarrassed. At the time, she had also been misled into thinking about the space, and it hadn’t occurred to her that someone could stay behind. Fortunately, Zhao Changhe’s reaction reminded her, and she soon figured it out.

“If someone was lurking, there were only two targets: either control the Buddha in the temple, or kill me directly,” Zhao Changhe continued on his own. “I went to visit my old brothers, drinking and chatting, far from the temple outside the city. That was to separate the two targets and see your choice. If something had happened at the temple, it would have already changed... But it didn’t, so the target was me.”

Snow Owl finally said: “Indeed. The Buddha can be dealt with anytime, but the chance to encounter the Prince of Zhao by chance is rare. And since the Prince of Zhao didn’t consider himself the main target, he was likely unprepared—it was the perfect opportunity. Weighing the options, the Buddha could wait.”

Zhao Changhe sighed: “It seems I’ve saved the Buddha from another calamity.”

Snow Owl said indifferently: “Not necessarily. Killing the Prince of Zhao first and then turning back would have been the same.”

Zhao Changhe said in surprise: “Hey, you usually only ambush, never fight head-on. Letting you break your virginity and gain some masculinity—looks like you really went for it?”

Snow Owl’s face was expressionless: “It’s just that the Prince of Zhao made me think it might be worth a try.”

“Ding!” Yue Hongling suddenly swung her sword to block a silent, shadowy strike. The force was immense, and she couldn’t hold her ground, drifting back several zhang to land on a treetop below.

At the same time, Snow Owl’s form flickered, and his sword tip was already at Zhao Changhe’s throat.

Zhao Changhe tried to sidestep, but found himself a beat too slow.

When Snow Owl struck, he seemed to move at his usual speed, but halfway through, his speed inexplicably increased, and his aura suddenly exploded—everyone was playing the fool; his strength was far beyond the Third Layer of the Secret Vault!

With just this one miscalculation, Snow Owl’s sword mercilessly slashed across Zhao Changhe’s throat!