THE BLUE WHISPER 驭鲛记

Chapter 56: Meeting Again

The battle with Princess Shunde was not an easy win for Ji Yunhe.

        After being imprisoned for almost six years, her hands and feet were no longer as flexible and quick as before

        Princess Shunde was the Grand Master's favorite disciple, and she had the skills to back up her pride. With the help of demon masters from the side, Ji Yunhe suffered numerous cuts and bled profusely. Fortunately, she had grown so accustomed to pain over the years that these wounds did not faze her a bit. She went full offense and did not bother defending at all, focusing only on her end goal.

        Finally, all of the demon masters were defeated, and Princess Shunde was exhausted. Ji Yunhe found an opportunity and went for the kill. Unexpectedly, Princess Shunde pulled a demon master to her front and used him as a meatshield. Ji Yunhe's sword pierced into his shoulder as he yelled out in shock, "Princess…!"

        Princess Shunde ignored his call and flung her whip over, tying him together with Ji Yunhe.

        She then grabbed a long sword and stabbed it into the back of the demon master.

        The blade passed through his body and into Ji Yunhe's chest.

        With a muffled grunt, Ji Yunhe immediately cut the whip trapping her and took three steps back to avoid the fatal blow.

        Seeing that Ji Yunhe was still alive, Princess Shunde kicked the fallen body of the demon master and hissed, "Useless!" He was already dead.

        The other demon masters watched in horror and shock.

        Ji Yunhe covered her wounds with  black gas and started to heal herself while Princess Shunde was too exhausted to lift her sword. 

        "Everyone, go kill her!" Shunde shouted.

        But nobody moved. The demon masters stood there silently, their spiritual powers depleted and their bodies covered in wounds. After seeing what Princess Shunde had done to their comrade, they all looked at her with fear. Eventually, someone opened the door of the cell, staggered out and ran away.

        Then a second, a third... Aside from the demon master dead on the ground, the rest all stumbled off one after another.

        The crowded prison cell emptied out again.

        Only Ji Yunhe and Princess Shunde remained.

        The two of them were both covered in blood.

        Ji Yunhe's black gas had stopped the bleeding on her chest. She grabbed her sword and took a step toward Princess Shunde.

        The princess walked back a step.

        When Ji Yunhe took another step forward, Princess Shunde staggered backwards until she tripped on a sword and fell.

        Ji Yunhe walked over and sat down on her stomach. She grabbed a hold of the princess's neck with one hand, and the other hand stabbed the sword into the ground next to her ear.

        "Your master said he won't let anyone kill you. But see? This world's so unpredictable. Even his words cannot be counted on."

        Ji Yunhe smiled with a blood stained face, sending chills down Princess Shunde's spine.

        "Do you still remember our bet?"

        Ji Yunhe pressed her sword against Princess Shunde's ear and swayed it back and forth, accidentally making a cut on her earlobe. A little more blood was spilled.

        And the princess who had wanted to trample the world's beauty under her feet, was now scared stiff. Her lips quivered and her ear bled, drop by drop, onto the cell floor that had held Ji Yunhe for nearly six years.

        "I have seen every inch of this floor over the years, but it looks most beautiful today." Ji Yunhe laughed. "Because it will be painted with your blood."

        Princess Shunde's teeth clattered uncontrollably.

        "Scared? How does it feel to be scared?" Ji Yunhe stared into her eyes. "But a bet is a bet. Since you can't suppress the rebellion in the north, I have to cut away your flesh inch by inch."

        Ji Yunhe raised her blade and aimed down. But with a sudden hollar, Ji Yunhe's body was violently pushed off of Princess Shunde.

        The blade in her hand still slashed into Princess Shunde's face.

        It sliced through her cheek, over the bridge of her nose, and into the other cheek, leaving a long gash across her entire face.

        Princess Shunde let out a heart wrenching scream and immediately sat up on her knees. She covered her face with her hands and blood seeped through her fingers. "My face! My face!" she cried out in pain.

        And Ji Yunhe was now completely drained of her power.

        She sat up and shook her head as her vision blurred. 

        Black iron armor… It was the young general Zhu Ling, now grown up...

        "Princess!" Zhu Ling looked at the disfigured Princess Shunde, then turned his head in anger and glared at Ji Yunhe. "Demon slaver! I should have killed you at the Demon Valley gate years ago!"

        He pulled out the big saber hanging at his waist and viciously slashed at Ji Yunhe.

        Ji Yunhe summoned her black gas into a shield to defend, but Zhu Ling had not been idle over the years. His saber sliced through her protective aura and headed straight for her.

        Then, like the first break of daylight, or water drops landing into a mountain spring, a fresh breeze blew past Ji Yunhe ear and a strand of silver hair swept across her face.

        Her dull pupils lit up under this glimmer of light, and she slowly opened her eyes. As if a divine force in her soul gave her the strength, she lifted her head.

        A hand as flawless as white jade, clean and untainted, had caught the blade in midair.

        The person who came did not move, but with a sound of morning bells and evening drums, Zhu Ling was thrown against the back of the cell. He passed out before he even had a chance to spit blood.

        Princess Shunde parted the fingers on her face and stammered, "Jiao… jiaoren..."

        "Changyi..."

        Silver hair, blue eyes, and bitterly cold. He was the only immaculate existence inside this filthy, blood-stained prison.

        He had always been like this, always...

        And the only difference for Ji Yunhe...

        … was the impact of seeing him now felt much more significant than when they had first met.