Legend of Fu Yao

Zhan Nancheng laughed heartily, looking much more at ease as he held Meng Fuyao’s elbow and said, “General Meng’s unparalleled strength would be better suited to beat up those wild beasts!” The two then mounted their respective horses.

Pulling his reigns, Zhan Nancheng said, “General Meng, there are fierce beasts towards the east of the hunting grounds, given your martial ability, you would be happier hunting those bastards, go ahead!”

“I think it is better to stick with Your Majesty.” Meng Fuyao smiled. “I was born from a hunter’s family in Taiyuan. With regards to hunting, the other lords and generals should enjoy more!”

Just then, the sound of cheering filled the air as the lords and generals took off on their horses and kicked up a cloud of dust in their wake, their hunting eagles soaring above them. Meng Fuyao remained obediently behind Zhan Nancheng as his bodyguard while they hunted some small beasts in the south of the hunting grounds and caught enough rabbits to fill up both sides of a horse. When the sun began to set, Zhan Nancheng turned around and said merrily, “Let’s go back, I’m tired.”

Meng Fuyao nodded and was about to pick up speed when she suddenly stopped motionless for a moment before returning to Zhan Nancheng’s side and said, “There is something off about the smell in the wind, Your Majesty, let’s move quickly, I’ll be behind you!”

“Why would it be dangerous here?” Zhan Nancheng smirked. “General Meng, you are too wary—”

His voice stopped abruptly.

A sudden gust of wind blew from behind him, carrying the stench of blood. The trees swayed violently, and they could see the smaller beasts fleeing in fright in all directions. Just when the sky glowed a brilliant orange, everyone’s horses began trembling and pawing the ground restlessly, and no amount of pulling at the reigns could appease them. Just then, the trees shook violently, and a yellow light flashed from within, and a deep, menacing growl could be heard from behind Zhan Nancheng.

“Roar—”

The metallic stench of blood intensified and the trees parted as a ferocious tiger leaped out, turning its menacing head and fixing its bloodthirsty eyes on Zhan Nancheng, who was the nearest to it.

With a thud, Zhan Nancheng’s horse collapsed on the ground, its knees having turned to jelly, and Zhan Nancheng fell off, still in shock as to why there would be a ferocious beast in the area, and rolled right towards the tiger’s jaws!

The sight of a bloody mouth filled with sharp canines greeted Zhan Nancheng’s eyes, and several drops of pungent saliva threatened to fall on his face. Terrified, Zhan Nancheng reached for his sword but was unable to unsheathe it as he was lying on it. He was so close to the tiger that he could see each individual tooth of the tiger. His vision blacking out, Zhan Nancheng let out a despairing howl.

“Protect the king!”

A crisp voice pierced the air like a knife as a shadow flew by, landing almost instantaneously in front of Zhan Nancheng. With actions as fast as light, there was a flash coming from the figure, and the tiger’s head was sliced open!

Blood burst forth from the cut and drenched Meng Fuyao as she shouted without turning around, “Idiots! Protect the king!”

The shellshocked guards came back to their senses and rushed forward, surrounding Zhan Nancheng. Zhan Nancheng recovered from his shock and watched with trepidation as Meng Fuyao pierced the tiger between the eyes as it howled with excruciating pain. The blade had pierced the tiger’s nose, through its passage and out its left eye!

The tiger roared again, shaking the forest grounds as it shook its head frantically, flecks of blood spraying everywhere. Zhan Nancheng stared at the tiger, a black knife protruding from its head, as he retreated slowly with the guards surrounding him, speaking as dignified as possible while giving a forced chuckle, “Many thanks to General Meng…”

Before he could finish speaking, however, an ear-splitting roar came from behind him as another orange and black silhouette jumped out of the forest, carrying with it the heavy stench of blood!

There was actually another tiger!

The tiger pounced mercilessly, getting past the wall that the guards had formed in an instant. With two swipes of its paw, it got rid of the last two guards and headed straight for Zhan Nancheng!

Zhan Nancheng’s vision went blank yet again as the stench of blood overwhelmed him!

This time, he had managed to unsheathe his sword and make a swing at it, cutting the tiger on the waist. However, the tiger merely twisted its body and floored him with its tail. Turning around, the tiger gave a great leap into the air.

Lying on the ground, Zhan Nancheng thought that he had met his end. It had been an extremely unfortunate circumstance since there had never been fierce beasts in the south of the hunting grounds, and yet it was not one but two that appeared today!

The only person that could save him was General Meng, and his weapon was still lodged between the other tiger’s eyes; there was simply no time!

“Your Majesty, don’t be afraid, I’m coming to save you!”

Upon saying that, she appeared, her shadow surfacing as she flashed past Zhan Nancheng like the wind and landed a punch in an instant!

Ping!

The dull sound of flesh violently contacting flesh resounded around them, the viciousness and power of the blow obvious to all who heard it. Thereafter, the tiger roared again, but this time, it was a stifled roar, as though it was choking on its own blood stuck in its throat.

Zhan Nancheng and the remaining guards turned to look only to unanimously exclaim in astonishment.

Meng Fuyao had actually punched right into the tiger’s mouth, using only her bare hands and bypassing the tiger’s sharp canines. She had not just stopped the tiger from biting down on Zhan Nancheng, but also destroyed its windpipe and created a hole at the back of its neck!

With a single punch, the tiger was killed!

This kind of tiger-killing technique, this kind of ferocity and power, had never been seen or heard before!

And what Zhan Nancheng was most touched and astonished about was the bravery and selflessness that Meng Fuyao had shown at such a critical time.

Meng Fuyao retracted her hand only to see several streaks of deep cuts along her forearm. Due to the speed of her actions, she had torn her sleeves and grazed her arm against the tiger’s teeth. However, she acted as if nothing was wrong and adjusted her robes, cleaning the blood off her forearm on the tiger’s corpse before heading to the other tiger to claim her sword. Finally, she turned to face a pallid Zhan Nancheng and bowed. “Your Majesty must have had a fright.”

“General, General Meng… Many thanks to you…” Zhan Nancheng’s gaze fell on the two tiger corpses before moving to Meng Fuyao’s bloody arm, his tone filled with utmost gratitude.

“Your Majesty is too kind, I am merely performing my duties.” Meng Fuyao smiled, glad that the Gold of Tiansha were not present but instead patrolling the outskirts of the hunting grounds and the main tentage. She was also pleased as the group of guards accompanying Zhan Nancheng had been a bunch of spineless and inexperienced nobodies. Hence, she was able to have the chance to show her mettle in front of him.

After successfully gaining Zhan Nancheng’s gratitude, Meng Fuyao made use of her wounds as a reason to excuse herself. Flaunting her arm to the admiring and jealous stares of everyone as she returned to her manor, she waved her arm as she shouted, “Vicious doctor, vicious doctor, thanks in advance—”

In a flash of white, a round object flew past her, and the vicious doctor appeared, his robes floating gracefully around him. His expression was calm, but his eyes carried hostility, looking nothing like a virtuous doctor and more like an assassin.

Meng Fuyao let out an “ah” and immediately remembered what she had done before she left earlier, grabbing Lord Yuan Bao and running for their lives. As she ran, she asked Lord Yuan Bao, “What have you done that the vicious doctor wants to kill you?”

Signaling frantically, Lord Yuan Bao replied, “Eep! Eep!”

Meng Fuyao was stumped, and she contemplated whether she should learn Yuanbao language from its owner. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached over and wrapped themselves around her shoulder as a voice said, “Meng Fuyao, when will the time finally come when you can leave and return in one piece?”

Meng Fuyao scanned herself in alarm before raising her head defiantly, saying, “What did I lose? What did I lose?”

Smiling at her reaction, Zhangsun Wuji sighed and indicated for her to sit down before heading to a chest of drawers and retrieving a medicine box. From her angle, Meng Fuyao could see his long lashes as he bent his head to look for the appropriate medication. His eyes carried a hint of melancholic softness and darkness, his expression gentle and calm with a hint of sorrow. No matter how she looked, she couldn’t see the famous and invincible Crown Prince Wuji; instead, she saw a peaceful and quiet boy next door.

That kind of boy next door—was desirable deep down in everyone’s heart, his smile evoking a chorus of spring colors with the vibrancy of flowers blooming in spring that could touch all who saw it.

Meng Fuyao’s heart stirred as she watched Zhangsun Wuji, his features half in the light and half covered by shadows. Immediately, she felt an aching pain in her heart, and at the same time, she felt a coolness on her arm. She sucked in her breath softly, and Zhangsun Wuji instantly looked up at her. “Does it hurt?”

‘It hurts, but it hurts not where your hand is pressing, but rather at the root of where all my veins connect, my heart.’

Meng Fuyao lowered her eyes with a bitter smile on her lips as she said, “You’re horrible, are you here to treat my wounds or are you taking the chance to exact revenge? Look at how hard you’re pressing!”

“This skin regenerating cream has to be massaged into the skin for it to be effective so that there won’t be any scars in the future.” Ignoring her, Zhangsun Wuji continued massaging her arm gently.

Meng Fuyao felt as though his fingertips were mini stoves, burning wherever they massaged and she felt extremely uncomfortable. Finally, she couldn’t tolerate it anymore and blurted, “Enough, enough, don’t massage anymore, this general of yours doesn’t have anything but scars anyway. I’ll probably have even more next time, you can’t heal them all.”

“Is that so?” Zhangsun Wuji suddenly looked up and smiled.

Meng Fuyao stared at his smile suspiciously, thinking that there was something off about it, and jumped to her feet hastily. Unfortunately, she was too late. Her arm was still in someone’s hands, and Zhangsun Wuji flipped her arm, his fingers following the flow of her pulse. As he pressed down, she felt her entire body slacken while falling towards the ground. But, Zhangsun Wuji had already flipped her onto the bed.

Meng Fuyao gasped in shock and screamed, “Yuan Bao, Yuan Bao, come here quickly, if you don’t come sooner you won’t have the chance to take his first time anymore—”

Lord Yuan Bao sprinted over as Zhangsun Wuji turned to smile at it, immediately. “Yuan Bao, the more time you spend with a certain someone, the more your intelligence level is dropping, and your mind is dulling.”

Lord Yuan Bao dipped its head in shame… Cultivation required a thousand years, but it only took a single moment of impulsiveness to lose everything and stray down the irreversible path.

Having successfully destroyed his beloved pet with a single sentence, Zhangsun Wuji watched as it prepared to bite Meng Fuyao. Smilingly, he said, “I heard that your Excellency was valiant and formidable, braver than a thousand soldiers.”