Free Web NovelChapter 918: Chapter 259: Parting Sorrow Amid the Snow, Righteousness Calls to Break the Wolf Stronghold (Part 6)
The crowd did not rush to attack the Old Wolf Stronghold, all because Xie Wen had already explained in detail to the assembled heroes: "Brothers, this Old Wolf Stronghold sits on perilous terrain, filled with mechanisms everywhere, and among them the Life and Death Gate is especially deadly. If one wishes to enter the Old Wolf Stronghold, one must possess Martial Arts as profound as that of the Grand Squad Leader. Otherwise, once you step into the Life and Death Gate, the slightest mistake will trigger the mechanisms, and then this force we have gathered here through countless hardships will surely be wiped out to the last man. So for now we must hold our troops in check and wait for the Grand Squad Leader to arrive; that is the best strategy."
After hearing this, everyone felt it deeply reasonable and nodded one after another.
Inside the Royal Palace of Wulang City, time itself seemed to congeal into a heavy lump of lead, and the atmosphere was so oppressive that it made one feel suffocated.
Yili, this foremost beauty of the Martial Arts world, now the Great Khan of the Naiman Tribe, was clad in a splendid sable cloak. The fur on that cloak shimmered with a gentle sheen in the dim light, like the countless brilliant yet faintly bitter days she had once lived through. Her hair fluttered lightly in the cold wind that came from who knows where, like her thoughts at this moment, tangled and chaotic, hopelessly entwined.
Yili slowly lifted her eyes; those once lively and bright pupils were now filled with deep reluctance and heavy worry, like a clear spring shrouded in gloom, bereft of its former radiance.
She parted her lips slightly and let out a soft sigh, a sigh laden with the weight of a thousand catties, bearing all the sorrow in her heart: "Shi Lang, ever since I took up this heavy burden as leader of the Naiman Tribe, I’ve been entangled every day by affairs piled as high as mountains. Those days when I could roam the world of the Jianghu at your side, swords in hand, seem like a distant, beautiful dream, gradually slipping away from me. And now you must once again go alone to that Old Wolf Stronghold teeming with crisis and peril; my heart feels as if it were being pierced densely by thousands of fine needles, in unbearable pain. We as husband and wife share deep affection, yet to this day we have not welcomed the fruit of our love, have not been able to continue for you that precious bloodline. Alas!"
As she spoke, tears uncontrollably welled in her eyes, crystal-clear, like strings of shattered pearls. She blinked hard, forcing herself not to let those tears fall.
Seeing this, Shi Feiyang felt a sharp twist of pain in his heart. He strode quickly forward and gently yet firmly took Yili’s hands in his own; those hands of his were broad and warm, conveying endless strength and comfort.
He gazed into Yili’s eyes, his look steady and full of deep feeling: "My lady, do you know that you have already become an indispensable pillar of the Naiman Tribe? The livelihood and safety of tens of thousands of people all rest upon you alone. The prosperity the tribe enjoys today is entirely thanks to your tireless toil day and night and your careful governance. As for children, that is all arranged by Heaven and has its own destined course; why should we add to our worries for this? The road of the Jianghu is by nature bristling with thorns and fraught with danger. Though you and I stand upon different battlefields, how could my concern for you, or your love for me, be diminished in the slightest by this distance and difference in station? You need only govern the tribe with an easy heart. As for my journey to the Old Wolf Stronghold, the sword in my hand will surely cut down all the evil in this world and return a peaceful and tranquil sky to this great grassland."
With that, Shi Feiyang gently drew Yili into his arms, holding her as tenderly as if he were cradling the most precious treasure in the world. He bent slightly and pressed a deep, gentle kiss upon Yili’s forehead, a kiss filled with a thousand strands of longing and ten thousand threads of reluctance.
Afterward, he slowly released Yili, then turned resolutely and strode toward the doors of the Royal Palace. Each step he took was firm and powerful, yet seemed to carry endless weight.
Yili’s heart felt as though it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand. Without a second thought she followed closely behind Shi Feiyang, accompanying him all the way, wishing to use this brief stretch of road to carve Shi Feiyang’s figure deep into her memory.
Unawares, they arrived at the city gate of Wulang City.
At this moment, heavy snow was falling from the sky; goose-feather flakes drifted down in profusion, as if Heaven itself had been touched by the parting of this loving couple, Shi Feiyang and Yili, and scattered this vast whiteness to lend a note of tragic beauty to their farewell.
