A Clash of Gods - Chapter 170

Chapter 170 Something Frightening at Night

Duan Canghai was astonished and asked with a frown, “Marquis, you suddenly asked… Did the assassin’s arrival have something to do with His Lordship Beigong?”

“His Lordship?” Yang Ning was also stunned. Duan Canghai called Beigong Liancheng His Lordship, and it was unusual. Yang Ning asked in a hurry, “You know Beigong Liancheng as expected. Who on earth is he? I have heard that he has something to do with my family. What’s the matter?”

Chi Danmei had said that Beigong Liancheng was from the Qi family, and Yang Ning still didn’t understand what it meant.

Duan Canghai looked around and then reminded in a low voice, “Marquis, you shouldn’t call His Lordship’s name. He is your grandpa’s brother.”

“My grandpa’s…brother?” Yang Ning was shocked.

Duan Canghai explained, “The old marquis had three brothers. You have seen the third elder lord, while the fourth elder lord became a Buddhist monk for the old marquis that year and he is cultivating in the Temple of Great Light now. His Lordship Beigong is the second among the four brothers.”

Yang Ning finally knew that Beigong Liancheng, a great master in swordsmanship, was the second elder lord of the Qi family.

However, he furrowed his brows soon and asked in disbelief, “It’s not right. Our family name is Qi, but Beigong Liancheng’s is Beigong. Since he is…Grandpa’s brother, why did they have different family names in the same family?”

Duan Canghai sighed. “This is the old scores of the older generation. In fact…I don’t know much about it. When the old marquis was alive, nobody in the mansion dared to mention His Lordship Beigong.” Then his eyes lit up, and he asked, “Marquis, you talk about him. Is…he still alive?”

He stared at Yang Ning’s eyes, with expectancy.

“Alive?” Yang Ning asked in surprise. “Do you think that he has died?”

Duan Canghai smiled bitterly. “Marquis, you know what? When you were born, there was no news about His Lordship. The old marquis had sent people to look for him everywhere, but we hadn’t heard from him all the time. When the old marquis passed away, logically, if His Lordship was alive, he would come back to mourn, yet he didn’t show up that time.”

Yang Ning furrowed his brows slightly and thought, “Since they are brothers. The eldest brother is like the father. When the old marquis passed away, if Beigong Liancheng got the news, he wouldn’t refuse to attend his elder brother’s funeral. In this era, people attach much importance to human relations and etiquette. If Beigong Liancheng was alive but didn’t attend it, it was against the feudal ethics.”

“Since then, all people in the mansion doubted that His Lordship might have passed away.” Duan Canghai sighed. “After so many years, he has never returned, and there is no news about him in society. When General was alive, he had sent people to look for him, too, yet there was no result. When General passed away, His Lordship still didn’t show up. If nothing else, he must have gone to paradise.”

Yang Ning nodded slightly and then understood.

“Marquis, I have a question. I don’t know…if I should ask you.” Duan Canghai hesitated but still asked, “Was your martial skill to absorb others’ internal force…taught by His Lordship Beigong?”

Yang Ning thought, “It turns out that all of you always doubt that my martial skills were taught by Beigong Liancheng.”

He had learnt the Skills of Six Directions from God of Wood in the Jiutian Tower by accident, and he couldn’t explain the twists and turns to Duan Canghai. Otherwise, his real identity would be exposed.

“A great master taught me martial arts.” Yang Ning had prepared an answer and pretended to be mysterious. “He told me not to tell anybody else. A man should keep his promise, so I certainly can’t reveal it.”

Duan Canghai nodded. “Marquis, you are right.”

Yang Ning thought, “As Duan Canghai said, has Beigong Liancheng really died? In this case, did Chi Danmei come to the Chu State to inquire about whether he is alive?”

Chi Danmei had seen Yang Ning’s swordsmanship, so she obviously thought that Beigong Liancheng was still alive, but Yang Ning didn’t know if he was alive.

So were the pictures about swordsmanship in the old house left by Beigong Liancheng?

If Beigong Liancheng had died, who was the owner of the illusory voice tonight? That person was a top great master evidently. Why did he help Yang Ning out of the predicament?

Yang Ning was confused. The two got out of the pleasure boat and went into a small boat with flowers. He didn’t return to Pearl’s boat. As it was midnight, he went ashore directly.

They returned to the place where they went aboard, and the two attendants were still waiting for them there, sitting under a tree. Seeing Yang Ning come back, they hastily got up, and the carriage was parked next to them.

Yang Ning went into the carriage and then it moved. Although the curfew in the capital had been cancelled, it was later than midnight, so every street and alley was cheerless.

They passed two streets, and Yang Ning was still wondering why Beigong Liancheng was from the Qi family but his family name was different. Suddenly he heard a weird sound, and he lifted the curtain of the carriage, to find that they were on an empty street with nobody around. Duan Canghai urged his horse to come near the window of the carriage, looking seriously. “Marquis, have you heard a sound?”

Yang Ning nodded slightly and frowned. “What’s that sound?”

“It came from ahead…” Duan Canghai pointed forward and suddenly turned pale. “There is somebody.”

Yang Ning thought, “Why are you making a fuss about a person who appears on the street suddenly?” But Duan Canghai’s deep voice came again. “Protect Marquis!” He shook the rein and urged the horse to go away.

Yang Ning was surprised and didn’t know what the hell Duan Canghai was doing.

The horse’s hooves could be heard, and Duan Canghai seemed to have gone away. After a while, Duan Canghai still didn’t return. Yang Ning frowned and got out of the carriage. It was silent around, and the two attendants grabbed the sabers in their hands. They got off the horses and approached him, whispering, “Marquis, please return to the carriage.”

Yang Ning looked ahead and asked, “What did Duan Canghai see? Why did he chase it?”

“Some…somebody flew away on the street like a bird.” One attendant’s eyes looked frightened. “He moved quickly, as if…he had wings.” He raised his hand and pointed ahead. “Brother Duan went into that alley to chase him.”

“He is a busybody,” Yang Ning said crossly. “How did you know that it is a person? Can’t it be merely a bird?”

The attendant answered at once, “Marquis, that man looks as if he had wings, but…he runs on his feet on the ground with an excellent flying skill and seems to be flying.”

“I see.” Yang Ning nodded and suddenly thought of something, so he asked with a frown, “You said that he has wings? Is…he like a bat?”

“A bat?” The two attendants looked at each other and nodded almost at the same time. “Right. Marquis, you can foretell with miraculous accuracy. That person…looks like a bat indeed.”

Yang Ning’s heart sank, and he instantly thought of what had happened in the tavern on the official road that day.

After he left Huize county seat, he had wanted to chase the escort team and find Xiaodie, yet there was an accident on the way, and he met Xiao Guang and his disciple in a tavern, who were attacked by a group of Mysterious Flying Cicada Ninjas. Yang Ning still remembered clearly that the head of the Ninjas was a batman dressed like a bat.

That batman was dressed too weirdly, so it was still vivid in Yang Ning’s memory.

Hearing that the man Duan Canghai chased was like a bat, Yang Ning naturally thought of the head of the Mysterious Flying Cicada Ninjas. He was shocked in secret and wondered if that group of Ninjas had come to the capital city.

When he was pondering, he suddenly heard a weird sound and then a fast horse’s sad hiss.

“Oh no!” Yang Ning frowned and quickly ran to the sound source. The two attendants had grabbed the sabers and followed him closely.

The three ran to the entrance to the alley and looked at it. It was dark inside, and Yang Ning grabbed the Cold Blade, groping his way into it slowly.

He complained in secret as Duan Canghai had no sense of priorities but chased that person. However, on second thought, he believed that Duan Canghai was experienced and calm when something happened although he was careless at ordinary times. With Duan Canghai’s character, he wouldn’t chase a mysterious person randomly after seeing him, so Yang Ning thought that there must be something wrong.

The alley was narrow and dark. The people with poor eyesight couldn’t see anything clearly.

Yang Ning had sharp eyes, yet he could only see something in the front a few steps away. After that sound appeared, it was deadly silent in the alley.

“Marquis, please…look. Over there…” an attendant suddenly said in surprise and raised his hand, pointing ahead.

It was the exit of the alley in the front, while Yang Ning saw that a fast horse was lying at the exit and still struggling slightly. Strong smell of blood greeted them.

Yang Ning was astonished. The three approached it and found that the fast horse was the one that Duan Canghai rode. It was lying in a pool of blood and tried to raise its head seemingly, but it was feeble. Soon, the fast horse’s head fell and it didn’t move anymore. An attendant was alert all the way and protected Yang Ning next to him. The other one walked forward quickly and checked it. Then he said in shock, “Marquis, this horse’s throat is broken.”

“Its throat is broken?” Yang Ning moved closer. Under the dim light, he saw that there was blood on the horse’s throat still flowing out. He frowned and asked, “What weapon hurt it? Can you see?”

The attendant checked carefully and then replied in a low voice, “Marquis, it seems that…it has been torn up by a sharp claw, but…it’s weird. The wound caused by a claw must be regular and orderly, while the wound here is messy, and it is not caused by a sharp claw seemingly. It looks like…a person split it with hands forcefully…”

Yang Ning trembled and the attendant next to him asked involuntarily, “How…is it possible? Who can tear a horse’s neck with bare hands? How much strength should he put forth?”

Yang Ning ordered with a frown, “Leave the horse there. Look for Duan Canghai. Where is he?”

The two attendants instantly realized in surprise that Duan Canghai rode a horse to chase something, but the horse was lying on the ground, while he was nowhere to be found. It was odd.

The three went out of the alley and looked around. It was a small empty street, and all the houses on both sides were closed. There was no light or person.

“Where has Brother Duan gone?” An attendant looked around and frowned.

Yang Ning pondered for a moment and then said to an attendant, “Go there to look for Duan Canghai. I and he will go there. Remember not to fight against the comer directly if you find him as he is from nowhere. Your safety is the most important.”

The attendant cupped his hands and then hunched before leaving.

Yang Ning looked for Duan Canghai with the other attendant in another direction. The long street was cheerless at midnight. After they walked for quite a while, they didn’t find anybody. Suddenly they found that there was another alley next to them. Yang Ning stopped and looked at it. He heard weird sounds from the alley all of a sudden, so he whispered, “There is something wrong inside. Be careful and alert.” He grasped the Cold Blade and groped his way near the wall into the alley.