Beware Of Chicken Chapter 31: Fall of the Wu part 2

A hum emanated from her father’s desk. The compact transmission stone suddenly activated. Her father’s gaze sharpened, and Chanchou gulped in fear.

The link hissed and twisted, scarcely holding together.

“Lord Wu. The Governor demands your instant capture, along with the confiscation of all family properties.” The voice from the other side declared, obviously under duress.

“Understood.” That was her father’s only reply. He stood up steadily, grabbing another gem resting on his desk. He approached the window before hurling it upward into the air.

The gem ascended gracefully, free from the ground’s pull. It started to shine. Gently, initially, then with growing brilliance, until it formed a vivid green star suspended in the heavens.

Immediately, bursts of smoke and fire exploded from multiple structures. Alarm bells began to toll. Folks started yelling and crying out—but her father’s scowl deepened further.

“They’ve uncovered a few—no issue. We’re departing.” Her father announced, as armored attendants burst into the chamber. “We’ll divide into groups and reconvene at the stronghold. There, we can plan our comeback.”

His orders echoed, and chaos erupted in an instant. Her protectors hustled her away, and Chanchou simply followed, as they guided her underground. Events unfolded so rapidly that she lost sight of her spouse. At first, he was present, then abruptly, he vanished. Maybe he went to fetch their kids? Yes, that must be the case!

No sedan chair awaited this time. Chanchou had to jog and stumble forward, her pulse racing wildly. She advanced as if in a trance, tracing the path her father had drilled into her.

She was heaving and breathless when she hauled herself up the ladder emerging into a silent backstreet. They covered a few streets, and soon they’d reach the lake, where a vessel waited—

“My Lady, retreat!” The guard bellowed urgently, lunging to shield her. Every one of her escorts unsheathed their weapons, expressions twisted in despair.

Then, Chanchou spotted the figures blocking her escape toward liberty.

Impersonal crystal visors gazed coldly at her. Harsh breaths escaped from masks concealing their faces.

In their bulky, fabric-wrapped grips, they clutched batons and capture tools, while some aimed crossbows directly at her and her retinue. The quarrel tips sparkled with crystalline material.

Leading Mengde’s anonymous enforcers stood a massive brute. His weapon was a baton—more akin to a massive branch torn straight from the soil.

“Wu Chanchou. You must yield to us.” The giant boomed, his tone so profound it vibrated through her very frame.

Chanchou’s limbs trembled uncontrollably.

“How dare you obstruct the Wu Clan?” Her chief guard challenged.

The empty visors fixed unyieldingly on her guard. Perspiration slid down his nape.

“They’ve got us surrounded from behind as well.” One of her companions murmured.

The leader gave a curt nod.

“Charge through. Prepare to dash, My Lady.” He instructed.

With that, they rushed ahead. The pair bearing shields led the way, bellowing war cries as they advanced.

The crossbows unleashed their shots.

Rather than piercing or glancing away from the shields, Chanchou reeled from waves of chill that struck them. Her protectors wailed and collapsed; their barriers and arms abruptly sheathed in sharp ice formations. Two more behind had their boots fused to the earth.

Yet they fulfilled their role.

For an instant, hope surged within her. Her warriors moved swifter than the cowled foes, who handled cumbersome staffs meant for restraint. She watched a few of her allies evade the jabs effortlessly, then strike down those blocking her route. A blade sliced elegantly across the sky, poised for a fatal blow.

The Mengde warrior merely lifted his limb, and the sword clanged harmlessly against it, the protective gear unyielding without flaw.

The counter blow from the baton smashed into her guard’s abdomen, hurling him to the ground.

This pattern repeated quickly. Her escorts’ swords failed to breach the Crystal Emporium’s defenses, snagging on the thick fabric and rebounding from concealed reinforcements.

The crossbows loosed once more, this round targeting the soil entirely. The ground iced over, pinning everyone’s feet—except her adversaries, who with some effort tore loose from the frost.

The enormous figure seized a guard’s skull, hoisted him skyward, and crushed him against a barrier.

Chanchou dropped to her knees. Her legs quivered. The anonymous, impassive figures encircled her, their enormous palms descending to clasp her limbs.

Chanchou fought back, shrieking, with tears streaming down her face, scanning wildly for any salvation—

She stiffened, catching sight of ebony and ivory tresses flashing by.

Her sibling stood nearby, gazing at Chanchou. Her attendant hovered directly behind—and the attractive helper grinned. It was a narrow grin that stretched too broadly across her features, as if it strained her skin to the limit.

“S-sister?” she stammered.

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“Hmmm. It's rather odd that you took this path. I figured father would have altered it. Either he’s careless… or you were directed here deliberately.” Zei Qi pondered.

Chanchou shuddered. The grips on her arms forced her to remain kneeling, but they stepped aside, allowing her sister to glare down at her.

“B-big Sister. Big Sister, please, this isn’t amusing any longer.” Chanchou pleaded.

“Oh? And harming my son, harming my husband… that was amusing?” Zei Qi inquired.

“It was just—I didn’t intend any harm! It was merely a prank, like our old games!” Her voice broke. “Please, Big Sister. You’ve proven your point! I concede, you triumph! I’ll obey any command you give!”

Zei Qi grinned at her. She advanced, cradling Chanchou’s face as in days gone by, and whispered close. Her exhalation brushed Chanchou’s ear.

‘You scorched the land, poisoned the earth, and now you attempt to cultivate it.” Zei Qi’s tone oozed disdain. “Fear not, dear sister. As you have planted; so shall you harvest. This Wu Zeitian proclaims it.”

Chanchou gasped, her sister’s style name searing like a mark in her mind. She once thought it hilarious that the timid lout bore the same style name as the dreaded Torture Empress.

It held no humor now. Nothing did.

Her sister released her face and pivoted away.

“Big Sister?” Chanchou attempted once more.

Her sister refused to turn.

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Blazes raged across the metropolis—though they were promptly doused. Many of the set fires never ignited to begin with.

The moment the signal ascended, the Wu Clan faced relentless attacks. While official properties fell to Pale Moon Lake City enforcers, the illicit ones were rapidly quelled.

The Wu Clan’s rivals devoured their weaknesses while they still breathed.

Enforcers breached the Wu Clan estate— and upon shattering the entrance, they discovered the Treasury Head awaiting them, insisting he’d been held captive by the Wu Clan, and since he harbored no secrets, he’d gladly aid the Lord Governor.

The Wu Clan patriarch reached his vessel—only to be halted less than an hour later by craft from the Azure Jade Trading Company and Master Shiban’s North Passage Cargo Company. The blockade proved impenetrable.

Combat broke out, resulting in the loss of two chasing ships; but just as Lord Wu appeared poised to evade, misfortune struck when the rigging cords severed—cuts that seemed unnaturally precise, as if sliced by an extraordinarily keen edge. Some crew even claimed to spot a gleam of silver above, resembling a cicada’s wing.

Ultimately, Lord Wu surrendered.

To the Lord Governor, the casualties remained remarkably low—the Wu Clan subdued… and retribution poised to unfold.

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The Lord Magistrate of Verdant Hill lingered with his spouse on the wharves of Pale Moon Lake City. The whole metropolis buzzed with tales of the recent upheaval.

Naturally, the focus was the downfall of the Wu Clan. Citizens delighted in the probable upcoming beheadings. That they’d respond similarly to any other house was evident, yet… it carried a tinge of sorrow.

The ridiculous display of rebukes made him yearn for Verdant Hill’s tranquility. Most locals showed little concern.

“It’s truly poignant, but at times, I believe that cultivator’s injury was the best fortune I could’ve known,” his wife murmured. Her stare wandered far… and he pondered her well-being.

“Destiny operates in enigmatic fashions,” he responded at last.

“That’s sufficient of this. Let’s locate our cherished pupils and leave this wretched affair in the past.” She stated, facing him.

“...yes. A feast and fine companionship would surely uplift us,” the Lord Magistrate concurred.

They ventured into the streets, a gentle wind caressing their visages. Such a pleasant day shouldn’t be marred by these matters.

He wished this marked their final encounter with the Wus… though they braced for whatever consequences their actions might bring.

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Beneath the moon’s glow, Gao Yuze from Yellow Rock Plateau scowled. He’d heard tales of the Azure Hills, but never imagined it this dire. The Qi in this region was dreadful. It seemed to gnaw at his essence, this cursed wasteland.

He checked the scroll in his grasp once more, noting the bounty sum, and his annoyance began to dissipate. He’d just broken through to the Profound Realm… after exhausting his funds on cultivation resources. This reward would replenish it all, and more. Life as a lone cultivator was harsh, and such a task? It would propel him to at least the Third Layer of the Profound.

Thus, he descended from the heights to this forsaken realm. A swift strike and retreat. It’d prove worthwhile, despite the target’s few defenders.

…as evidenced when he perched on the roof. Qi presences. The atmosphere disrupted his Qi detection, but he recognized them as Initiate’s Realm.

Not singly, not doubly, but three women dropped before him.

“Declare your purpose,” the tiniest commanded. She was an adorable sight, with hair in pigtails, faint freckles sprinkling her face, clad in a verdant robe.

“He’s clearly up to no good. Let’s simply slay him and move on,” the second, loftier one proclaimed haughtily. A genuine arrogant stunner, this, brandishing a lance, she eyed him alluringly. She donned a azure and ivory gown, her locks flowing like satin.

The last was a nomadic lass. An alluring figure with bronzed complexion, a patterned kerchief bound around her brow, and deep sapphire eyes. Her raven hair formed dual plaits, and a marking began at her right palm, trailing up her wrist to halfway along her forearm. A cord-bound knife dangled casually in her hold.

Yuze unleashed his own Qi, smirking as they all tensed.

“My affairs are private, lovely sisters. Allow my passage, and afterward, I’ll reveal the wonders of my dwelling atop the plateau. The finest panorama is from my chamber’s pane,” he remarked, grinning at the captivating group. Against a Yellow Rock Plateau native, they’d undoubtedly yield; rumors said locals rarely surpassed the First or Second stage here—

“Never,” the diminutive charmer refused.

“Repulsive,” the lofty one scoffed.

“He’s somewhat deranged, right?” The nomadic wildling remarked, mangling the refined speech with her dialect.

Yuze laughed, though a pulse throbbed on his brow. “Fine then, I’ll entertain you lot first,” he countered, unsheathing his blade.

The trio hurled themselves toward him, and he lifted his weapon assuredly to clash—when abruptly a cord snared his ankle and

His eyes bulged at the unexpected yank that toppled his stance. A fourth?! He glimpsed another silhouette—the nomadic woman tugged at him, yet one remained ahead—no. Not that nomadic. An identical duplicate.

The women’s Qi surged stronger, and he gauged it clearer; that wasn’t First or Second Stage, these fighters reached the Fourth or Fifth of the Initiate’s Realm!

And now four against one.

[The Harmony of Silk and Steel, First Form!]

The smallest fighter’s sword divided into twelve replicas—and one morphed into a folding fan. It flickered and faltered, the edges not fully solid.

[Coursing River, Shattering Waves!] The lance transformed into a roaring torrent, aiming at every critical spot.

[Binding the Clouds!] Twin voices cried in unison. The cord knives spun a web, encircling his extremities.

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An Ran from the Verdant Blade Sect breathed heavily, cleaning blood from her blade in the early morning dimness. Shui Xinlai of the White Water Sect limped on one foot. Oyun Sarantuya and Oyun Narantuya, identical siblings from the Grand Ravine, secured the latest attacker’s hands tightly.

“You lasses weren’t exaggerating! The Magistrate draws plenty of pests!” Sarantuya laughed, rising and fixing her sweat-soaked bandana. Her gaze swept the skyline, vigilant for further dangers. “That’s the second intruder tonight!”

“Must weigh on him! We ought to offer a rubdown for relief!” Narantuya chimed in with a sly grin, yet equally watchful. Her arm wound was newly wrapped.

Both An Ran and Xinlai flinched at the overt jesting. After the Interim Lord Magistrate shielded several Grand Ravine households from a riot, the Grand Ravine repaid the favor by sending these two to “guard a Grand Ravine ally and support the Azure Hills’ Grand Marshal.”

An Ran regretted they weren’t males, but rather these two striking nomadic charms, who promptly chose to meddle for fun.

At first, neither An Ran nor Xinlai discerned their sincerity. Now, both suspected they’d gained a duo of ruinous, boldly flirtatious competitors who relished tormenting all in reach.

“Fortunately, Rags alerted us,” An Ran noted gratefully, as the man monitored transmission stone channels. They’d concealed this bounty, but the disheveled cultivator justified his mentor’s faith in An Ran. “A public reward, and for such coin…?”

“I’ll end whoever issued it,” Xinlai vowed. “They’ll suffer endlessly for this.”

“Oh! I’ve got a fine method! Slice their spine, snap the ribs, then rip the lungs through the gap!” Narantuya suggested, a savage smile spreading.

“Leaves ‘em resembling a plump, hideous fowl,” Sarantuya added.

“...that idea has promise,” Xinlai affirmed.

“Let’s prepare for the subsequent foe,” An Ran urged, holstering her sword.

They needed to defend this position—and rely on Rags to uncover the source.

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Edited By: Brandon “Philosophysics” Zhang-Leong, BargleNawdleZouss,