Free Web NovelChapter 216: Chapter 190: Flying Under the Moonlight, Blade Gleaming Like Snow
Let me analyze the text:
## Step 1: Contextual Analysis
Literary genre: This appears to be a Chinese wuxia/xianxia web novel (martial arts fantasy). The text describes a conflict between martial artists in a city setting with action sequences.
Language style: The language is descriptive with a focus on action and character reactions. It contains both narration and dialogue, with some internal thoughts.
Tone: Tense, dramatic, with elements of violence and martial arts combat.
Plot keywords: ambush, martial artists, archery, night attack, organized resistance, city battle
Characters (based on this Chapter alone):
- Pan Wei (潘威): Male, appears to be a leader of the mountain bandits occupying Dinghai City
- Wu Liangchen (武良辰): Male, the main antagonist from the perspective of Pan Wei’s forces, seems to be a skilled archer and martial artist leading the local resistance
- Sun Lingchen/Fourth Village Chief (孙凌/四寨主): Male, the fourth chief from Cyan Cloud Mountain, a skilled Third Realm martial artist
- Jiang Aotian (蒋傲天): Male, appears to be one of the mountain bandits, shows cowardice
- Chen Bamei (陈八妹): Female, referred to as "Eighth Sister," observes the situation coldly
- Liu Liu (刘鎏): Male, the Sixth Village Chief who was killed previously
- Huang Longhai (黄龙海): Male, the Second Village Chief mentioned as having trained elite troops
## Step 2: Translation and Polishing
Now I’ll translate the text, following all the provided guidelines and rules.
I’ll be especially careful about the glossary terms, ensuring I use all the specified translations consistently. I’ll also ensure I handle word/character count references correctly and format internal thoughts with single quotes.
Let me begin the translation:
"What?" Pan Wei, who had been leisurely sipping tea in his chair, suddenly leaped to his feet, oblivious to the scalding tea soaking his chest.
"When did this happen?" Pan Wei asked coldly.
"Just now!" the messenger reported, his voice trembling.
"Who’s responsible?"
"We don’t know, but they were quite skilled. They must be local Martial Artists from Dinghai City."
Pan Wei’s expression instantly turned uglier than if his own father had died.
Without a doubt, someone was pulling strings behind the scenes.
Since the day they had entered the city, the local Martial Artists of Dinghai City had never stopped resisting.
But because they fought independently without unified leadership, their resistance had always been scattered and sporadic, posing little threat to Cyan Cloud Mountain.
Pan Wei had never taken them seriously.
Now, however, things were different. From his subordinate’s report, he could tell that this time, the local Martial Artists of Dinghai City had launched their counterattack almost simultaneously. Not only was it organized and premeditated, but it showed clear tactical structure—some attacking while others provided support, and even their retreats were methodical.
All this indicated that the previously scattered local Martial Artists had now been united by a powerful hand.
This made Pan Wei feel as uncomfortable as if he’d swallowed a fly.
Throughout their campaign, his forces had encountered no meaningful resistance, capturing Dinghai City practically without shedding blood.
This had made Pan Wei quite smug, even giving him the delusion that he was a great military commander of his time.
But reality had now slapped him in the face.
Though they had captured Dinghai City, resistance everywhere was intensifying, and now they had even lost a Sixth Village Chief.
The instigator behind all this was Wu Liangchen.
At this thought, Pan Wei felt a bone-deep hatred for Wu Liangchen and said through gritted teeth:
"Number Four, Number Five, Bamei!"
"Present!" All three saluted with clasped hands.
"Lead our elite forces and search the entire city. You must kill this Wu Liangchen!"
Pan Wei was truly determined, directly assigning the elite Zhongping Guards to Fourth Village Chief Sun Lingchen.
This was a force personally trained by Second Village Chief Huang Longhai. Unlike the other bandit groups who had mostly come from outlaw backgrounds, these soldiers were from respectable families. Combined with their rigorous training, their combat capabilities were formidable.
Sun Lingchen felt the weight of responsibility and dared not be negligent. He immediately led his men out.
In an instant, Dinghai City, already in chaos, became even more tumultuous.
Sun Lingchen led the Zhongping Guards charging through Dinghai City, conducting extensive searches, all to find a trace of Wu Liangchen.
But after a full day of commotion, they hadn’t seen a single local Martial Artist, let alone Wu Liangchen.
This left Sun Lingchen feeling dejected.
"Fourth Brother, it’s getting dark now. Operating at night is too dangerous. Why don’t we head back and continue the search tomorrow?" Jiang Aotian said anxiously, looking at the city shrouded in darkness.
He deeply regretted coming down the mountain.
He had thought it would be an easy and pleasant "hunting" trip, but now the tables had turned, and he seemed to have become the prey.
Every time Jiang Aotian closed his eyes, the gruesome image of Sixth Village Chief Liu Liu appeared in his mind.
This had stripped away all his arrogance. He just wanted to leave this dangerous city and return to the mountain as quickly as possible.
Sun Lingchen felt much the same way.
Despite calling each other brothers, he had no intention of avenging Liu Liu.
He even followed Pan Wei’s orders only superficially, doing as little as possible whenever he could.
After all, no matter how hard he worked, Pan Wei would take most of the credit.
So why should he do the hard work only for someone else to reap the rewards?
That’s why this city-wide search, although impressive in scale, was carried out half-heartedly.
Now, hearing Jiang Aotian’s words, Sun Lingchen immediately nodded.
"Good, we’ve been busy all day, and the men are tired. Let’s go back and rest."
At this, Chen Bamei, who had been coldly observing without expressing any opinion, inwardly sneered.
She suddenly found it quite amusing to see these previously arrogant village chiefs become considerate of their subordinates and exceedingly polite when faced with Wu Liangchen.
For instance, right now, Jiang Aotian and Sun Lingchen claimed they were going back to rest because it was late, when in truth, they were simply afraid.
But this had nothing to do with her, and Chen Bamei wouldn’t express any opinion.
Today was the middle of the lunar month, typically when the moon was brightest, but clouds obscured its light, leaving the earth in darkness.
Dinghai City, ravaged by days of warfare, resembled a dead giant, without a trace of light to be found.
They left East City, which they had been searching, and headed toward North City.
The path ahead led through what had once been a bustling commercial district. Now, of course, it was more desolate than a haunted wasteland, with not a soul on the wide streets.
When they set foot on the street and had covered about half the distance, Sun Lingchen, walking in the middle, suddenly sensed danger.
It was a vague premonition, a unique ability of high-level Martial Artists to sense danger.
As the fourth-ranked fighter of Cyan Cloud Mountain, Sun Lingchen was naturally stronger than others, and his premonition abilities far exceeded those of ordinary Martial Artists.
His reaction was swift; he instantly dodged to the side.
The next moment, an arrow shot out of the darkness, passing through the spot where he had just been standing and piercing through two thugs behind him.
Sun Lingchen felt his hair stand on end and immediately realized Wu Liangchen had arrived.
So he dared not remain stationary and began running at an extremely fast pace to avoid being targeted.
At the same time, he vigilantly observed his surroundings, trying to locate Wu Liangchen.
But there was nothing around except the empty street.
Yet the pitch-black alleys seemed like gaping maws, waiting for any living creature to enter.
"Charge out with me!" Sun Lingchen shouted, intending to blend into the crowd during the rush.
He didn’t want to be singled out.
But while his plan was sound, the others weren’t fools either.
Everyone had witnessed the arrow pierce through two thugs.
Even the Zhongping Guards hesitated, with no one daring to step forward.
Just then, countless flames suddenly appeared from the rear and sides, followed by many figures charging forward with coordinated precision.
These attackers moved extremely fast. Though few in number, each charge resulted in casualties.
They never lingered in combat, retreating immediately after engagement, allowing the next wave to take over.
Under these circumstances, the elite guard lost thirty percent of their men in the blink of an eye.
Left with no choice, they began rushing forward like a long dragon.
Sun Lingchen grew increasingly alarmed and didn’t dare reveal himself among them.
He feared that if he rushed to the front, he might be taken out by another arrow.
After all, his danger premonition couldn’t be relied upon every time.
Better a friend’s death than his own—as long as he could escape alive, that was all that mattered.
Without realizing it, this Third Realm Martial Artist, the Fourth Village Chief of Cyan Cloud Mountain, had been reduced to just wanting to survive.
Jiang Aotian shared his mindset.
He didn’t even dare display his true abilities, hiding and ducking among the crowd, hoping to quickly leave this dangerous area.
’When I get back, I’ll never come down the mountain again. If they force me, I’ll return to the Capital City!’ Jiang Aotian inwardly resolved.
Just then, he suddenly heard a subtle whistling sound cutting through the air.
THUD!
A thug to his left front had his throat pierced by an arrow, warm blood splashing onto Jiang Aotian’s face.
Not only that, but Jiang Aotian also heard a painful groan from behind.
It was Fourth Village Chief Sun Lingchen’s voice!
He was wounded too!
This thought sent a chill down Jiang Aotian’s spine, and he couldn’t help but look back.
Sure enough, Sun Lingchen was covering his left ear with his hand, blood streaming between his fingers, his face as white as paper.
He had barely managed to tilt his head at the last possible moment, avoiding a fatal hit, but his left ear had been shot through.
In this dark night, arrows appeared like ghosts, materializing out of nowhere and devouring lives.
This pressure became unbearable for many.
Soon, some men desperately rushed toward the nearby alleys, only to fall silent immediately.
At that moment, the clouds in the sky finally drifted away, revealing a bright full moon.
Under the brilliant moonlight, Jiang Aotian, Sun Lingchen, and everyone present sensed something and looked up.
There, on the eaves of a tall building in the distance, stood a figure.
A young man in black clothing, his garments fluttering in the wind.
He held a longbow, with a full moon behind him, looking like a deity descended from heaven.
Wu Liangchen!
Although they had never met, Jiang Aotian instantly recognized this figure, his spirit almost seized with terror.
Sun Lingchen was no different.
But he recovered from the momentary shock better than Jiang Aotian and, sensing danger, turned to flee.
Just then, Wu Liangchen tapped his toe on the eaves and vanished into the vast moonlight.
Jiang Aotian suddenly felt overwhelming terror.
Extreme fear drove him to hysteria, and he recklessly drew the sword from his waist, slashing wildly.
"Aaaaah come on, I’m not afraid..."
A blade flash brighter than moonlight suddenly erupted, and the shouting abruptly ceased.
Jiang Aotian’s sword clattered to the ground, and his eyes gradually lost focus as he murmured softly:
"What a fine blade!"
The next moment, a line of blood appeared on his neck, then blood gushed forth, and he collapsed dead.
Sun Lingchen, who had fled to a distance, felt his scalp tingle, desperately wishing he could grow wings and fly out of Dinghai City.
But it was too late now. He suddenly heard a faint breath near his ear, and in his great alarm, his vision was filled with the bright gleam of a blade.
Then he felt his entire body lighten, and he saw his own back.
’So that’s what my back looks like...’
