Tan Hua - Chapter 88: Just Let Him Die

Chapter 88: Just Let Him Die

Prince Xiao’s narrow eyes narrowed as he surveyed the young man standing firm like a mountain, holding a knife in his right hand.

“This little brat… How did he do it?”

Prince Xiao ground his teeth. The death warriors he had trained were all top-notch experts, yet despite the fact that Jun Qiyu was blind, how could he precisely determine the direction of the ambush? And even kill with one strike?

But Prince Xiao was confident of his victory. He had made thorough preparations today. After all, Jun Qiyu was alone and could only hold out for so long.

“Keep attacking!” Prince Xiao gave the order, his eyes more vicious. “Jun Qiyu, you treasonous son, you better surrender quickly, or you’ll end up with arrows through your heart!”

Jun Qiyu didn’t bother responding to him. Surrounded by enemies, he was too busy defending himself. Though he had the upper hand for the moment, these death warriors were all carefully selected killers. When one ambush failed, they no longer rushed recklessly, but instead formed a formation, advancing and retreating. If their attack failed, they quickly retreated. Jun Qiyu, even with his exceptional martial arts, couldn’t break through.

“Hahaha!”

Prince Xiao noticed his distress.

“Jun Qiyu, I heard you’re famous for your fierce reputation on the Western Front? But I don’t believe it. Everyone has their limits, and you’re no different. Don’t waste your strength struggling.”

“Annoying.”

Jun Qiyu used the tip of his knife to pick up another blade from the ground, then hurled it toward Prince Xiao. Startled, Prince Xiao dodged, the flying knife embedding itself in the trunk of a poplar tree.

“Hmm?”

Jun Qiyu tilted his head slightly, realizing his strike had missed.

Prince Xiao, still shaken, shouted, “You think this small trick will harm me? I, Prince Xiao, am a natural-born genius, practicing martial arts for twenty years. Since I dare to stand here in front of you, I fear nothing!”

The moment his words fell, the cold gleam of Jun Qiyu’s knife flickered in the darkness as he spun it into a flurry of strikes. His aura was fierce as he surrounded himself with the death warriors, each one spraying blood, but his reckless, death-defying style also caused him to suffer injuries.

“I can’t let them wear me down…”

Jun Qiyu focused, knowing that with so many enemies, even the elite guards of the Kingdom of Jing would be useless. With each clash, the number of guards dwindled, and the more time passed, the more unfavorable it became for him.

Just as he broke through one group of enemies, another swarmed around him, trapping him, leaving him unable to move.

“Jun Qiyu, you’re now a fish in a barrel! Today, I will use your blood, the blood of this traitor’s son, to comfort my father’s soul!”

Prince Xiao’s voice pierced the night sky.

—

Inside the Loulan Palace, a guard on horseback rushed to the side of Pei Xingxu.

“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince of Jing is under attack in the outskirts and is in grave danger.”

Pei Xingxu glanced at Song Liqing beside him. Song Liqing didn’t understand their Loulan language, and seemed unfazed.

Pei Xingxu asked, “Oh? Who dares to ambush the Crown Prince of Jing?”

The guard replied, “There are many of them, and their identities are unknown… but they seem to be from the Central Plains.”

Pei Xingxu waved his hand.

“Go find out more… cough cough…”

Pei Xingxu began coughing again, now wiping away the blood without much reaction.

“Liqing.” Pei Xingxu gently stroked Song Liqing’s cheek and softly asked, “With assassins attacking Jun Qiyu, should we go rescue him?”

“Kill him?”

Song Liqing’s lips parted slightly, whispering.

His eyes were still not fully healed, covered by a plain cloth, so Pei Xingxu could not see his expression.

“He…” Song Liqing lowered his head, murmuring, “He’s so fierce, he won’t be killed by anyone.”

That ruthless demon only kills others—why would he need to worry about him?

Song Liqing thought this to himself, but unconsciously began fidgeting with his fingers.

Pei Xingxu noticed the subtle motion.

“But there are so many of them, and two fists can’t fight four hands. He… won’t be able to escape.”

Song Liqing’s fingers froze for a moment, and he lowered his head.

“Are you worried about him?” Pei Xingxu asked gently.

“No!” Song Liqing hurriedly denied. “I hate him. Why would I worry about him?”

“Alright.” Pei Xingxu said coldly. “Then let him die.”

Song Liqing stiffened, his heart inexplicably tightening.

It wasn’t inexplicable… it came from instinct.

Song Liqing couldn’t make sense of everything right now. He acted based on his feelings. Jun Qiyu was indeed despicable and terrifying, and he deserved to die a thousand times, but… it seemed like he didn’t want him to die that much.

Song Liqing didn’t understand.

“He should die, just let him die… but I owe him a favor… I… I don’t know anymore… I really don’t know!”

The more Song Liqing spoke, the more agitated he became, his voice cracking.

His head throbbed with pain, and the more he tried to make sense of things, the worse the pain got. Song Liqing pressed his forehead, squeezing and rubbing but nothing helped.

Pei Xingxu, seeing his suffering, pulled him into an embrace.

“Enough, Liqing, don’t think about it if it’s too painful.”

Pei Xingxu was heartbroken, but his heart, like his blood, was growing thinner and colder.

Jun Qiyu was Song Liqing’s first ray of light. Whether the sun brought warmth or burned fiercely, it left a deep mark on him.

As for Pei Xingxu, he could only be the late-coming star. No matter how hard he tried, with the sun ahead of him, he would always live in its shadow.

It was all because of that damned Jun Qiyu…

If not for him, everything would be different.

“If you want him alive, I’ll send people to save him. Is that alright?”

Song Liqing tightly gripped Pei Xingxu’s hand, struggling for a moment before nodding.

And with that, Pei Xingxu lost his final hold.

“Wait here, I’ll send a guard.”

Pei Xingxu’s voice was as gentle as ever, patting Song Liqing’s back. But as he let Song Liqing lean on his shoulder, his gaze was filled only with endless sadness and numbness.

On the killing fields of the Gobi, over a hundred bodies lay scattered. Half of Prince Xiao’s death warriors were dead, and none of the guards of Jing survived. They gave their last breath, protecting the Qi family father and son, while the rest of Jing’s envoys and servants lay dead on the ground.

Prince Xiao’s eyes were cold as he stared at the scene. He gaped in disbelief at the bloodstained yellow sand, the air filled with the stench of death.

Half of his death warriors had died at Jun Qiyu’s hands!

At this moment, only Jun Qiyu remained standing among the corpses. His body was covered in injuries, his clothes tattered, and his hair disheveled, with dark blood sticking to his black hair—hard to distinguish whether it was his own or the enemy’s.

His knives were full of nicks, stabbed into the sand to support his battered body.

He exuded an overwhelming killing intent, colder than the frozen hell, fiercer than any demon.

“Come again.”

Jun Qiyu’s hoarse voice whispered two words.

—

Author’s Note:

Sorry for the wait.

I’ve sorted out the upcoming plot and will start uploading more chapters next week until the end.