Mei Xilan remained calm and collected as she stepped onto the Skylark’s main deck, which was expansive, spanning the entire upper surface of the airship. It had been designed to accommodate a large number of passengers and crew comfortably. The deck was divided into several sections and each one served a specific purpose.
Made from a combination of polished hardwood and reinforced, lightweight metal, the deck’s aesthetic looked both ancient and modern. The hardwood provided durability and a touch of traditional elegance. The lightweight metal helped keep the ship’s overall weight manageable. She traced her hand along one of the guardrails, which ran along the edges of the deck, each one intricately crafted from wood. They featured ornate patterns and engravings of phoenixes that added to the ship’s grandeur.
There were already quite a few people on deck. All of them were cultivators, though most of them were not very strong. One young man she passed, who was blatantly staring at her, was at the Anima Realm. Another young woman several chih to her left was only at the Human Limit Realm. Travel via public transport like this was surprisingly affordable, so even people who weren’t from a major clan could use it.
She glanced at a pair of cultivators sitting before a table and playing a game of Xiangqi. She watched briefly was the young woman, a cultivator at the Anima Realm, moved a piece, then the other person, an older man at the Human Limit Realm, chuckled and moved his own piece. The woman furrowed her brow and groaned as she realized her predicament, but she stubbornly continued to seek victory even after it became hopeless.
“Youmei, can you hear me?” Mei Xilan muttered under her breath.
The shadow beneath her feet writhed. “Youmei hears you.”
“Are we being followed?”
“We are.”
How many people are following us?”
“Five. Three of them are to your left. Two of them are staring at you from an observation deck on your right.”
Mei Xilan resisted the urge to look at her followers. It was important not to let them know she knew about them. That would give her the element of surprise. She would be able to turn this situation around when they attacked--if they attacked. Would they attack in such a crowded space? She didn’t know, but she wouldn’t put it past them.
“Can you describe what they look like for me?”
As Mei Xilan walked toward one of the viewing platforms, Youmei described what each person looked like.
Viewing platforms were placed at various points along the deck, raised above the deck to offer a breathtaking panoramic view of the landscape below.
As she placed her hands on the intricate balustrade and affected a look of nonchalance, Youmei spoke. “The three coming closer are a well-dressed woman, an old guy who looks like a scholar, and someone wearing a wide hat. The two further away look like a couple? They’re all cuddly and stuff. They act like Master does with Big Sisters Mei, Jingshu, and Lili.”
Mei Xilan twitched at the mention of Youmei’s “big sisters.” She still felt regret over not being able to make Jian Wu hers.
Jian Wu’s exceptional martial talent and innate potential made him an ideal partner. She could use his strength to strengthen her own position. His cultivation prowess was also a valuable asset that could greatly aid in achieving her goals. While he had already agreed to help her, and she was grateful, his loyalty was not to her, which made him less valuable.
Of course, her ultimate objective was to restore the Sui Kingdom’s monarchy, which meant she required a strong and capable successor who could maintain the dynasty once it was reinstated. While Jian Wu came from a humble lineage, that meant little in the grand scheme of things. Power was paramount, superseding everything else, and he had that in spades. His offspring would all inherit that power and thus be well-equipped for the role of ruler, ensuring the continued stability of her reclaimed kingdom.
It was even more regrettable now that Jian Wu was a member of the Heavenly Sword Sect. If they married, she would have been able to secure a strong alliance with them. Such an alliance would have provided heer kingdom with invaluable resources, political leverage, and maybe even military support.
Above all that was her own desires. Mei Xilan might not have had any emotional or romantic feelings for him, but Jian Wu was a dedicated and kind young man. His personality, more than his strength, made him an ideal partner. Perhaps she would have even learned to love him in time… though such thoughts were useless now.
Shaking her head, Mei Xilan summoned a simple mirror from her storage ring. It was a hand carved mirror with intricate snowflake designs etched into the wood. The polished surface perfectly reflected her visage back to her, but she adjusted the angle, searching for the people whom Youmei had pointed out.
There they are.
She spotted the three eventually, though it was hard since they blended into the crowd so well. There was a young woman adorned in a stylish dress and fashionable hairstyle, a middle-aged man with a wide-brimmed hat who appeared to be a merchant, and an older gentleman who had the aura of a scholar. None of them were very strong individually. The woman was the strongest among them at the Human Limit Realm. The rest were at the Asura Realm.
However, that would not be an issue for them. Assassins operated differently from normal cultivators. They did not rely on just their cultivation to do their job, but also on the use of poisons and other nefarious means. There existed poisons that could kill cultivators at all realms, though some of them were quite rare.
Mei Xilan was still at the Human Limit Realm--the peak of the Human Limit Realm, but she still had not surpassed that boundary. Though hard to come by, plenty of poisons that could kill someone of her strength existed if you knew where to look. These people belonged to a dark sect and had come to kill her. That meant they likely had a poison that could do the job.
“LOOK OUT!”
The shadow at her feet suddenly sprang up, forming a claw that moved so quickly she almost missed it. Most of the people around them didn’t even see what happened, but she did. Mei Xilan had clearly seen the glint of steel before it was engulfed by the shadow.
“Show me what they threw,” Mei Xilan said.
A soft jingling sound caused Mei Xilan to look down. A small needle rolled against her boots. It glinted a dull silver and was coated in a nearly translucent liquid. She dared not touch it, for fear of what it might do. The liquid was obviously a poison of some kind, though she wasn’t knowledgeable enough about such things to figure out what.
Pretending not to have noticed the poison needle, Mei Xilan left the viewing platform and subtly made her way closer to one of her attackers. It was the older gentleman. She could sense their eyes on her, but she walked as if she didn’t notice. She pretended to be observing the decorations of the deck.
There were quite a few large, decorative pots filled with vibrant, exootic flowers and plants. They had been strategically placed around the deck to provide a relaxing atmosphere. Not only did they create a pleasant aesthetic, but they also exuded a comforting fragrance. The pots matched the comfortable seats, which were scattered across the deck, including cushioned benches and reclining chairs. Many passengers were enjoying relaxing on them
A single glance up revealed the canopy. It was retractable and could be unfurled to shield passengers from rain or strong sunlight. They were retracted right now, offering a picturesque view of the unending clear blue sky. Each canopy was adorned with elegant patterns that complemented the airship’s design.
The old man seemed completely relaxed, but not even he could stop the minute twitches in his muscles as he watched her. As she came closer, he moved through the crowd, closing the distance. Just as they passed each other, he tried to lash out with a knife coated in poison. His movements were smooth and fluid, the knife hidden beneath his robe, done in such a way that no one would be able to tell what he was doing.
[Snowflake Frost]
Mei Xilan had already prepared for that. Slipping her hand inside the man’s robe, she pressed her fingers against his wrist and injected cold chi into him. The man flinched and dropped the dagger, which she caught before it could fall out of his robes. She twirled it around in her hand, forced the poison to melt, and cut a small knick in his skin.
She stored the knife in her storage ring and walked away as though nothing happened. Meanwhile, the man swayed in place, then staggered backward, bumping into someone. The person was a young man with hair like fire and icy eyes. She would have mistaken him for a member of the Phoenix Clan if not for his eyes.
“What is your problem, old man?! Don’t you know it’s rude to bump into someone and not even offer an apology?! Hey! I’m talking to… you…?”
While the young man’s tirade started off strong, he ceased talking as the man slumped to the ground. His eyes went wide as the man’s body began twitching.
“Oi, oi! What is wrong with this guy?!”
Mei Xilan did not see the rest of what happened. The fashionable young woman was wandering her way. She was much warier than her counterpart. Had she seen what happened? No. She definitely knew something was up, but Mei Xilan had acted too fast for someone of her cultivation to follow.
As the woman brushed past her, she tried to stab her with a poison coated needle. Like the older man, she did so subtly. Anyone looking would have only seen a slight ruffling of her sleeves. Mei Xilan deflected the attack with her fingers. She was unable to do what she had done to the old man. This woman was stronger. However, her foe was unable to injure her and had no choice but to retreat.
Not that Mei Xilan would allow that.
Breathing out, Mei Xilan created a very tiny section of ice on the floor that the woman slipped on. Squawking in surprise, the woman tumbled backward, toward Mei Xilan, who very quickly struck her in the neck several times, injecting cold chi each time. It was impossible to see what was happening, but the woman’s esophagus quickly froze over. She dropped her needle and raised a hand to her throat, but Mei Xilan knocked her unconscious with a single thrust to the temple.
“Are you all right, Miss?” asked Mei Xilan as she held the unconscious and dying woman. “You seem exhausted. Let me move you to a seat.”
She gracefully walked over to an empty seat and placed the woman there. Her face was only slightly blue. She would live for a few more minutes before expiring. More than enough time for Mei Xilan to get away from her. The ice suffocating her would also melt once she was dead, so no one would be able to figure out how she died.
The three remaining assassins were keeping their eyes on her. They knew she was somehow responsible for what had happened to their companions, even if they couldn’t figure out what. She looked up and finally made eye contact with them, letting them know she knew what they wanted. Their eyes narrowed as she turned away from them and slipped out of the observation deck.
“Are they following us, Youmei?”
“Mmm. They are.”
“Excellent. Thank you.”
Now that their subtle approach had failed, they would attack in earnest, lest they risk more of them dying. That meant she would be fighting three on one. She did not like those odds, but there was little she could do except hope Jian Wu killed their leader and came to her rescue before it was too late.
Thanks for the chapters!