No matter how tough a bird’s body was, its eyes would always be its weakness.
Blood splashed amidst the pained shriek of the bird and, in doing so, it had released Number Two which it was holding in its beak. Number Two fell towards the lake like a shooting star!
Ning Xuemo was not slow either. After making her move, she immediately jumped off the bird’s head and plummeted downwards.
Two splashes sounded one after the other. Two waves were created on the surface of the lake as their bodies heavily plunged into the water.
Although the falcon had slightly lowered its altitude under Ning Xuemo’s control, it was still more than a hundred meters in the air.
Falling from such a height, even if they were landing in water, the impact could be life-threatening.
Although Ning Xuemo had adjusted her body into a diving position as she fell, the force of impact with the lake’s surface still rendered her dizzy as her body sank uncontrollably towards the lake bed…
Fortunately, the lake was deep enough. Ning Xuemo descended a few tens of meters yet still could not see the bottom.
When she finally managed to get rid of the dizziness, albeit with some difficulty, and desperately made her way to the surface, half a minute had passed.
Just when she made it to the surface, a ferocious wind kicked up from above her head without even letting her have time to take a breath. A large shadow covered her as a pair of sharp claws were about to grab her head!
“XUEMO!” Her ear picked up a loud shout near her as a person rushed over and pushed her head beneath the water…
“Splash!” The noise of water sounded as Ning Xuemo suddenly felt the pressure on her head disappear.
She jerked her head upwards and saw Number Two being carried away in the bird’s claws.
“NUMBER TWO!” Ning Xuemo quickly emerged from the water and yelled. However, she could only watch helplessly as he was carried into the sky…
“My name is Shitou. Xuemo, the happiest thing that happened to me was meeting you, even dying is worth it! If there is a next life, I wish to serve you and guard you…”
Number Two’s chest was already crushed by the claws of the falcon and his innards were utterly destroyed. He knew that this time he had no chance of survival. ‘Instead of being brought back to this bird’s nest and dying from being eaten, I might as well just end it here!’
This way he could at least destroy Ning Xuemo’s thoughts of charging into danger to rescue him.
After he yelled these words out, he tightly gripped the handle of his sword and plunged it into his neck. Fresh blood sprayed out of his body along with his life…
Blood trickled out like a stream and fell into the water, creating small crimson ripples.
A few drops of fresh blood dripped onto Ning Xuemo’s face, still carrying a bit of what was left of his warmth.
She brushed against them and saw droplets of blood sliding down her fingertips. She closed her eyes slightly.
She was aware of his death. She had not managed to save him, but instead he saved her twice.
He was her first comrade in this world who shared life and death with her. She never thought that he would die just like that in this place.
She did not even know he possessed a name, a real name for the individual who was Number Two, the imperial bodyguard with a baby face and stubborn features…
She knew that when a prince of the imperial family wanted to train a batch of imperial bodyguards for their protection, there was a specialised training camp and the children there had been brought there through various means.
They did not know their own origins and did not know about their birth parents. They did not even know their own names. Every day was just about learning, learning to fight, learning to kill…
During the rounds of harsh elimination, the majority of the children would die. Only the best could survive and become a prince’s imperial bodyguard…
They lived for the sole purpose of faithfully protecting their master. They were the sharpest blades in the hands of the princes and, at the same time, their staunchest shields. They did not have their own names, only a code name.
Shitou was undoubtedly one of the best.
Comments