Xia Hou smiled and slowly walked out of the umbrella held by his subordinate. He walked into the wind and snow and his smile suddenly disappeared. He looked at Ning Que coldly and said, "Is this the Academy's choice?"
Ning Que also smiled and said, "You don't have to be afraid. This is my own choice. It has nothing to do with the Academy."
Xia Hou said indifferently, "If you want to die, then you will die."
Ning Que said, "I don't want to die. I only want you to die."
Xia Hou looked at him and said after a long silence, "You are a madman."
Ning Que replied, "Fifteen years ago, I escaped from Chang 'an. I used the determination and willpower to die to survive. It was just to go crazy. Is it not worth it?"
Xia Hou was silent for a moment and said, "It is indeed worth it."
The idea of returning good for evil had never been popular in the Tang Empire. People living in this land were used to being simple and direct. If you want to beat me, I will beat you. If you want to kill me, I will kill you. If you kill my father, I will kill your father and you. Therefore, everyone felt that it was reasonable for Ning Que to invite Xia Hou to a duel to the death.
Through the Academy, the imperial court had promised to cut off the past and let Xia Hou retire. It was because they did not want the complications of the past to affect the future of the empire. They did not want the West-Hill Divine Palace to meddle in Chang 'an. If Ning Que wanted to use tricks to deal with Xia Hou, it would affect the process of metabolism. But today, he chose the simplest, or perhaps the stupidest, method. It would not leave any repercussions. Because if the environment was fair, then the duel must be fair.
Fairness did not mean there were no problems. Everyone thought that Ning Que was courting death by challenging General Xia Hou. No one wanted to see Ning Que die because he was a disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy. But they could not stop this duel now and could only hope that Xia Hou would not accept Ning Que's invitation.
As a powerhouse at the Peak state of Martial Arts, it was indeed very humiliating to refuse the challenge of a Seethrough realm. Therefore, the prince looked at Xia Hou with a faint pleading expression.
Xia Hou didn't seem to notice the Prince's gaze. He squinted and said, "Since you want to die in my hands …"
Right at this moment, the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard outside the palace gate. A few high-ranking eunuchs were desperately running towards the door. Their official robes were in a mess and they looked extremely battered and exhausted. In the cold wind and snow, they were so hot that their foreheads were covered with sweat. It seemed like they had run all the way out of the palace.
Eunuch Lin, who was running at the very front of the group of eunuchs, heard Xia Hou's voice from a distance. A terrified expression appeared on his face. Like a goose whose throat had been grabbed, he shrieked in panic, "His Majesty has decreed that no one is to move!"
When the important figures of the outer palace heard this shout, their expressions suddenly relaxed. They thought that in this world, perhaps only the Emperor could stop this challenge.
However, Xia Hou didn't seem to hear the shrill voice coming from the palace gate behind him, nor did he hear the Emperor's decree. With an indifferent expression, he continued, "Then I will fulfill your wish."
After saying this, he took a knife from a bodyguard behind him. With a swish, he cut a large wound on his left palm. Compared to Ning Que's slow cutting of his palm earlier, this movement was exceptionally simple and powerful.
Xia Hou's face was expressionless. He slowly clenched his left hand into a fist. Thick blood flowed from the webbing between his thumb and index finger.
…
…
Eunuch Lin had never run so fast or so hard in his life. When he ran out of the palace gate, panting, he saw Xia Hou's bleeding palm. His face immediately turned extremely pale. His legs gave way and he sat down in the snow.
Prince Li Peiyan's face was as pale as snow.
Xu Shi's silver eyebrows were as calm as the snow on the willows by the lake. He looked at Xia Hou and said expressionlessly, "Withdraw it."
Xia Hou shook his head and said indifferently, "He can withdraw it, but I can't. Because I have my pride."
Hearing this, Ning Que began to clap.
His left palm was still bleeding. As he clapped, the blood scattered and splashed in all directions, landing on his black Academy uniform and on the white snow on the ground. The scene looked extremely bloody.
The clapping was also very bloody. The blood splashed, giving off a feeling that it was about to coagulate.
Ning Que said, "I am not disappointed. You are indeed still that arrogant and ruthless general. You are indeed arrogant to the point of stupidity. I hope that you will continue to be so arrogant. "
Xia Hou ignored his mockery and said expressionlessly, "When?"
The date column on the thin challenge document was blank.
Ning Que said, "As long as it is before you leave Chang 'an."
Xia Hou said, "I am leaving today."
Ning Que said, "Then today it is."
Xia Hou said, "Very good. I will set off after killing you. It shouldn't take too long."
Ning Que said, "Perhaps you won't set off again."
Xia Hou was still expressionless. He said indifferently, "I will decide the time and you decide the location."
"I have prepared the location for a long time."
Ning Que said, "I have bought many houses by the Yanming Lake. I don't need to worry about hurting innocent people when I fight there. Besides, I have made some preparations there. After all, I am a Talisman Master and know a little about tactical arrays. My state is not as good as yours, so I want to take advantage of you in this aspect."
When the two were talking, no one interrupted. They listened in shock and helplessness. Only when they heard the location Ning Que had chosen did their expressions change.
In fact, many bigwigs in Chang 'an knew that Ning Que had bought houses by the Yanming Lake. Bigwigs in the military like General Xu Shi knew that Ning Que had done something there. Therefore, they were not surprised that Ning Que had chosen this place. They were only surprised that he would tell Xia Hou about it.
Ning Que looked at Xia Hou and said, "Do you mind?"
Xia Hou said, "Since you are arrogant, even if you are stupid, you still have to be arrogant."
Ning Que shook his head and said, "Arrogance kills."
Xia Hou said, "If an eagle is not arrogant in front of an ant, it will be punished by God."
"Enough! You are two crazy people! "
Prince Li Peiyan's face was pale and his eyes were full of fire. He looked at Xia Hou and scolded, "Have you ever thought about how you will explain it to the Headmaster if you kill this person? How will the imperial court explain it to the Headmaster? "
"This king will use this crown to exchange for two hours of time."
After saying this, he resolutely took off the crown on his head and put it on the snow between Ning Que and Xia Hou. He looked back at the civil and military officials and said coldly, "What are you waiting for? Get to work! "
The officials of the imperial court came to their senses. With the help of their subordinates, they scattered as fast as they could to find a way to stop this duel. Grand Secretary Zeng Jing wanted to go to Ning Que and persuade him, but when he saw his bleeding palms, he could only sigh and retreat to the back.
Xu Shi's eyelids drooped slightly. He seemed to be looking at Xia Hou and Ning Que, and also at the wind and snow in the sky. He said indifferently, "It will happen in more than ten years. Why do you care about waiting for two hours?"
After saying this, he turned and left the palace gate. No one knew where he was going.
…
…
In front of the gate of the Snow Palace, the officials of the imperial court left one by one. Only Grand Secretary Zeng Jing and a few other onlookers were left.
In the silence, Xia Hou suddenly said, "Bring the flag."
On the other side of the jade bridge in the distance, there was a guard of honor for the General's glorious return. Hundreds of people had been waiting for a long time. Hearing these two words, a bodyguard sprinted over and took a large flag from the guard of honor. Then, he stood solemnly behind General Xiahou's army. The cold wind howled with the snow and immediately fluttered the large flag.
It was the flag of the Tang Empire. It was blood-red, as if it was dyed with the blood of tens of thousands of enemies. It whistled and danced in the wind and snow. In front of the palace gate, it suddenly became very solemn.
Ning Que looked at the blood flag behind Xia Hou and his face that was reflected by the flag. He said, "It seems that you are really afraid to use the flag to help you."
Xia Hou looked at the blood indifferently, with no other eyes.
Ning Que smiled and said, "Umbrella."
With a bang, Sangsang opened the big black umbrella again to block the falling snow above her head.
In the wind and snow, a blood flag and a black umbrella faced each other.
…
…
Mr. Thirteen of the Academy, Ning Que, had issued a life-and-death challenge to General Xia Hou. This news spread to every mansion in Chang 'an in the shortest time possible.
No one thought that Ning Que could win, so no one was willing to watch General Xia Hou kill him. Because no one knew what the Headmaster of the Academy would do because of Ning Que's death.
The Headmaster of the Academy had not spoken for many years and had even been forgotten by the common people. But for the bigwigs in the imperial court, it did not mean that the Headmaster of the Academy's voice had lost its power. It was because every word he said was like a thunder above the clouds to the Tang Empire.
This was a fair challenge initiated by Ning Que. Maybe even if Ning Que died, the Headmaster of the Academy would still abide by the law of the Tang Empire and remain silent. But no one dared to take such a risk, even if it was a small one. If the Headmaster of the Academy was angry after Ning Que's death, the entire Chang 'an would probably be destroyed.
When the Nation Master Li Qingshan appeared in front of the Cloud Gate array, he had been thinking about these things. So when he heard the reply from Mr. First of the Academy, he was stunned for a long time.
"This is Youngest Brother's personal matter. The Academy will not stop him according to the rules of the Academy."
Li Qingshan frowned and said, "But Ning Que is seeking his own death."
Eldest Brother said gently, "Since he is seeking his own death, who can stop him?"
Li Qingshan could not suppress the shock in his heart and said, "If Mr. Thirteen really dies in the hands of General Xia Hou, what … will the Academy do?"
Eldest Brother smiled and said, "We will miss him."
…
…
There was the Yulin Royal Guards in Chang 'an.
This powerful army was responsible for guarding the imperial city and possessed unimaginable power. It had powerful cultivators from the Imperial Center Administration and the Southern Gate Temple. Most importantly, it had strong willpower and determination.
According to the law of the Tang Empire, the Yulin Royal Guards only listened to the orders of two people, the Tang Emperor and General Xu Shi.
Against the cold wind and snow, the Yulin Royal Guards began to form up and prepare to leave the camp. However, they had to stop in front of the jade bridge outside the camp because there was a person on the bridge.
That person was wearing a tall hat and a robe. He sat cross-legged in the snow on the bridge with his head slightly lowered.
Xu Shi looked at the person on the bridge and could no longer suppress the anger in his heart. His voice burst out like thunder at the bridge and shook the flying snow. "Jun Mo, those who stand in our way will die!"
The person on the bridge was naturally Second Brother of the Academy, Jun Mo.
"Those who stand in our way will die? This has never been mentioned in the law of the Tang Empire. "
Second Brother raised his head and looked at the military leader of the Tang Empire under the bridge. He said calmly, "If so, if you want me to die, you must die first."
…
(To be continued … If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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