Chapter 446: What a man should do
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The demons had already withdrawn and he had Yun Qingwu as a hostage. If Fang Zhengzhi steeled himself and ignored Ping Yang...
Then...
He should be able to survive.
However, Fang Zhengzhi had no way to bring himself to do something so despicable. He was shameless, but he was not that vicious.
He had never truly considered leaving Ping Yang in the lurch.
The hostages had to be exchanged and Ping Yang had to be saved.
As for Yun Qingwu...
Even though Yun Qingwu was his opponent, he did not actually have any personal feud with her.
There was no clear right or wrong between the two of them.
The hostage exchange would be simple, and he would have to deliver Yun Qingwu safely.
Those were things that Canyang believed.
Fang Zhengzhi did not think that Canyang would hurt Ping Yang in the process, just like how Canyang expected that Fang Zhengzhi would save Ping Yang.
The key here was not the hostage exchange.
It was what came after.
Fang Zhengzhi frowned. His current position meant that he was slightly nearer to the demons. If he tried to break for the Iron Hill Settlement...
It was unlikely that he would be able to get very far.
Even though he had not clashed with Canyang, he was not that arrogant to think that Canyang would be slower than him.
So what was he going to do if he couldn't beat Canyang in speed?
Was he going to throw a bag of ashes at Canyang's eyes? Use some of his hidden weapons?
These were some of the most common attacks that Fang Zhengzhi had used against his opponents. And then, there was his flashbang...
It was a pity that...
None of these were effective against Canyang...
Canyang was blind. Throwing ashes, using secret weapons, or even activating a flashbang would only disadvantage himself.
A sneak attack...
Didn't seem very helpful here.
Beads of sweat began to form on Fang Zhengzhi's forehead. A sneak attack was his forte, but it was useless when going up against a blind man.
If he couldn't launch a sneak attack...
How was he going to find an opportunity to escape?
Was he supposed to go up against Canyang head on?
That would be impossible!
Fang Zhengzhi did not even want to consider this option. Canyang was a half sage who knew the Heavenly Rebirth Dao. Going up against him would be akin to suicide.
He couldn't sneak up on Canyang, neither could he face Canyang.
Fang Zhengzhi was in an extremely sticky situation. He had wanted to use Ping Yang as a meat shield, but Chi Guyan had decided to stay behind.
Ping Yang couldn't possibly block for both of them.
More importantly, Chi Guyan would never let him use Ping Yang as a shield.
Having Chi Guyan in the picture complicated things greatly.
What was he supposed to do now?
Fang Zhengzhi looked at Chi Guyan and evaluated his position. He concluded that he would die after the hostages were exchanged.
"Are you done? There is a limit to my patience." Canyang interrupted Fang Zhengzhi's train of thoughts.
"Why are you in such a hurry? My death is a foregone conclusion, but I would like to leave a will." Fang Zhengzhi replied.
"Okay." Canyang nodded.
"I am about to tell you my last words, come closer to me. I do not want this guy to hear it." Fang Zhengzhi whispered to Chi Guyan.
"It's no use. With Canyang's abilities, he would be able to hear you no matter how soft you are." Chi Guyan replied.
"Oh..." Fang Zhengzhi responded.
He had heard that the blind tend to have enhanced hearing. However, he did not expect Canyang's abilities to be augmented to such an extent.
That being said, Chi Guyan would never lie to him about something like this.
A will?
Fang Zhengzhi would never bother about something like that.
Actually, he wanted to discuss his plan with Chi Guyan. He couldn't possibly do that if Canyang could hear them.
That would be suicidal.
Just as he was thinking about it, a white, smooth hand appeared in front of him. It looked like the world's most exquisite art piece.
"You can't say, but you can write." Chi Guyan did not look at Fang Zhengzhi. Her expression was calm as she extended her hand.
"Ahem..." Fang Zhengzhi cleared his throat.
He had not thought of this method, but since Chi Guyan had proposed it, he could not turn her down.
He was a man after all.
He had to be decisive. Sometimes, he just had to suck it up and do what was right, even if it made him uncomfortable.
Furthermore...
In the face of the enemy, sometimes, 'sacrifices' needed to be made.
Fang Zhengzhi took Chi Guyan's hands in his and touched it, feeling its smoothness and warmth.
Chi Guyan's body trembled slightly.
However, she showed no intention of pulling her hand back. She looked extremely calm.
She had been raised in a military family and grew up amongst soldiers. Even though she was a lady, she carried herself like a soldier.
...
On the walls of the Iron Hill Settlement...
Countless pairs of eyes looked at the few figures at the gate. They were all looking at Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan.
The eyes of the Dragon Protection Squad widened.
The jaws of the Mountain Breaking Army dropped.
The Southern Region soldiers wanted to launch their spears at them. None of them saw this coming.
Fang Zhengzhi had not spoken loudly, as such, they could not possibly hear them. Naturally, they didn't understand what was happening below.
She was the pride of the country, Chi Guyan!
She was so beautiful that even the brightest stars and prettiest flowers paled in comparison. So why...
Why would Chi Guyan let Fang Zhengzhi hold her hand?
The Dragon Protection Squad and Mountain Breaking Army knew that there was a special relationship between Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan. However, the Southern Region soldiers did not.
They only knew that Chi Guyan was the lady meant to fulfill the Heavenly Prophecy. She was above everyone...
She may even make her way into the royal family in the future.
"Am I going blind?"
"I don't think so... I saw it too..."
"Even though Fang Zhengzhi is immensely talented, Chi Guyan is special! Most importantly, they aren't even married yet!"
All of the Southern Region soldiers were in disbelief.
Princess Shan Yu clenched her fists and bit her lips. She seemed slightly shocked, but there were also traces of other emotions amidst the shock.
Nangong Hao was also looking at Fang Zhengzhi and Chi Guyan.
He looked at Chi Guyan's hand which was being held by Fang Zhengzhi. His expression was complicated, but he didn't seem very surprised.
The night sky continued to darken.
Not much time had passed since the battle stopped and the demons withdrew. However, the sun had yet to rise.
Chi Guyan looked at Fang Zhengzhi, slightly confused.
"Why haven't you written anything?"
"Write? Oh... yes, I should write, but... what should I write?" Fang Zhengzhi asked as he began to think.
"Shameless!" Chi Guyan knew Fang Zhengzhi's character, but she could not help but berate him.
Canyang heard the exchange.
"Let's not waste any more time. Let's get on with the exchange." Even though Canyang could not see what was happening, he could tell based on the conversation he heard.
"I haven't even written my will! Humans shouldn't break promises!" Fang Zhengzhi shook his head, showing his disapproval at a suggestion of breaking the deal.
"Haha, I am a demon, not a human." Canyang smiled. He knew that Fang Zhengzhi was trying to stall for time.
The longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for the demons.
"Give me two hours." Fang Zhengzhi offered.
"I will count to 10. If we don't exchange the hostages by then, I will kill her." Canyang was in no mood to negotiate.
"Okay okay okay, what the f*ck. Where are you rushing off to? An abortion?" Fang Zhengzhi replied in exasperation as he began 'writing'.
"10..."
"Nine..."
"..."
"One."
"Just give me a moment, I'm not done yet. Why don't you start over." Fang Zhengzhi replied anxiously.
"Hmph!" Canyang snorted icily, having expected that Fang Zhengzhi would pull such a stunt.
He...
Moved his finger slightly.
"Ah!" Ping Yang screamed in pain. She looked like she was being suffocated, "Fang Zhengzhi... you... you shameless fella, I... I am about... about to die... I will haunt... haunt you... forever!"
"Wait, wait! If you want to exchange hostages, we should find a safer way to do it!" Fang Zhengzhi replied anxiously when he heard the screams.
In fact...
He had already made a decision.
Since no attack would work out against Canyang, his only option was to stall...
If he could stall until the reinforcements arrived, then he would have a chance of survival. The longer he stalled, the greater his chances. That being said, his chances were still slim.
He made up his mind.
He would reject Canyang's proposal, regardless of what it was.
Then, he would propose an unreasonable method, like asking Canyang to release Ping Yang first.
Who would agree to it?
That was what Fang Zhengzhi thought.
However, Canyang had already seen through his plan. He ignored Fang Zhengzhi as his finger moved once again.
"Ah... I... I... I..." Ping Yang's face turned as red as a tomato as her lips turned purple. She was about to be strangled.
"Okay, we will swap now!" Fang Zhengzhi was truly worried.
"Mm." Canyang nodded and stopped.
"Ahem... ahem... Fang Zhengzhi, you shameless b*stard. I will definitely let you try what this feels like when I get back." Ping Yang was furious.
Fang Zhengzhi was bitter.
He was willing to try out how it felt, but the issue was that after the hostage exchange was successful, he would be killed.
What was he to do now?
He couldn't stall any longer.
But, if he didn't stall, he couldn't possibly survive.
He had to continue to stall.
The hostage exchange must happen, but it can only happen after reinforcements arrive. Right now, Yun Qingwu could not be handed over to Canyang. She was his trump card.
"Watch Yun Qingwu!" Fang Zhengzhi grit his teeth as he looked at Chi Guyan. He let go of her hand and walked towards Canyang.
Chi Guyan's expression changed slightly as she felt Fang Zhengzhi release his grip.
"Shameless fella, come back. Canyang's target is you. I would be a better person to hand Yun Qingwu over!" Chi Guyan knew what Fang Zhengzhi was doing.
However, Fang Zhengzhi was too quick for her.
She wanted to stop Fang Zhengzhi, but Fang Zhengzhi was already walking over. She could not give chase.
Because...
She couldn't leave Yun Qingwu alone.
"You? Haha... do you know the Heavenly Dao?" Fang Zhengzhi hesitated as he turned around and smirked scornfully.
He knew that Canyang was targeting him.
However, he could not possibly let Chi Guyan risk her life to save his.
Furthermore, Ping Yang was only captured because she was trying to save him.