Chapter 81
“HE’S NOT COMING,” Duan Ling said.
Helan Jie fell silent, studying him as he hung there limply.
Duan Ling turned his gaze back to the brilliant stars above. He muttered, almost to himself, “I know he’s not.”
“I knew it. You do know him,” Helan Jie said.
“Once I’m dead, give something of mine to him. It’s in my robes,” Duan Ling said.
Helan Jie frowned, skeptical.
Though he was trying to appear guileless, the truth was Duan Ling had no idea who this Nameless Assassin was. His only thought was to trick Helan Jie into touching the golden centipede in his robes. One venomous bite from the creature and Helan Jie would be done for; Duan Ling would be saved.
Sure enough, Helan Jie bought his lie. The assassin slowly eased his way down the branch toward Duan Ling. Yet just as he neared the tip, he seemed to change his mind and drew back.
“What’s wrong?” Duan Ling asked.
Helan Jie snorted. “I nearly fell for it. If you’re Wu Du’s little lackey, you’re sure to carry some sort of device.”
Why are you so smart? Duan Ling grumbled to himself. Yet as he turned his head, ready to attempt further persuasion, he saw that a man in black wielding a glinting longsword had appeared soundlessly behind Helan Jie, blade pointed at his back.
Gaze locked on Duan Ling, Helan Jie edged backward toward the cliff, delivering himself, inch by inch, to the sharp tip of that sword. Duan Ling’s heart thundered in his chest. Is that the Nameless Assassin? Strike—strike now!
Helan Jie opened his mouth; before he could utter a word, the Nameless Assassin lunged, fast as lightning.
The longsword was a flash reflecting the wintry starlight above as it streaked toward Helan Jie’s back, only to flex into an arc as it failed to penetrate. Roaring in anger, Helan Jie whirled around and slashed his hook across the Nameless Assassin’s body, opening a gash from the man’s abdomen up to his chest. Blood sprayed through the air. Without missing a beat, Helan Jie leapt from the branch onto the main body of the pine and slashed at the Nameless Assassin again.
Though his ambush had failed, the Nameless Assassin swiftly recovered and lunged again with three feints targeting Helan Jie’s throat, heart, and waist. Helan Jie flipped backward, narrowly dodging the blade aiming for his throat. Duan Ling heard the faint clink of metal on metal.
The strike had missed Helan Jie’s neck, but in his next thrust, the Nameless Assassin’s sword swept across his torso and tore open his robes, revealing a flexible chainmail armor underneath. Helan Jie’s hook lashed out again and caught the Nameless Assassin across the arm. Blood ran from the deep gouge and splattered across the branches.
Praying with all his might for the Nameless Assassin to win, Duan Ling took advantage of his captor’s distraction to attempt to save himself. He swung his body back and forth, trying to generate enough momentum to flip up into the pine tree and catch the branch between his legs.
But before he could get a foot over, Helan Jie sprang back onto the branch. It jolted and bent under his weight, knocking Duan Ling off and leaving him once again twirling in the air. The Nameless Assassin closed the gap in a single bound and exchanged several more rapid blows with Helan Jie, their swords screaming against each other. Helan Jie was first to break away, dropping back to the ground in an effort to keep distance between them, but the Nameless Assassin was right on his heels, landing softly at the pine’s base. The already precariously leaning tree couldn’t take the abuse; clumps of soil crumbled away from the roots as they clung to the cliff’s edge, threatening to give way at any moment.
Helan Jie hopped back up into the tree’s branches, his face splitting in a sinister smile. “Come, what are you afraid of? Who is this brat to you?”
The trunk of the pine was beginning to crack. Duan Ling twisted in midair. Each time he nearly managed to hook his foot onto the branch, he was thrown off as the branch shook under the assassins’ back and forth.
Putrid blood rolled down the Nameless Assassin’s face—Helan Jie’s hook had been coated with poison. The man was visibly slowing; his failure on the first attack had lost him the initiative, and now he was poisoned. Yet despite the blood running from his many wounds, he didn’t retreat, instead using what remained of his strength to leap up into the tree and strike with his sword.
The pine’s trunk creaked ominously. At the sound of the wood snapping, Helan Jie somersaulted over the Nameless Assassin’s head. The second his feet touched the ground, he delivered a hard kick to the trunk. Duan Ling screamed. The Nameless Assassin whirled and barreled toward Helan Jie like a raging tempest with no regard for his own life.
Please don’t die! Duan Ling thought desperately as he finally caught hold of the branch and hauled himself up. He frantically untied the end of the rope tethered to the tree. The pine was ready to topple over the cliff at any moment; a debris of dirt and rocks broke from the cliff’s edge and tumbled down into what appeared to be an infinite abyss below.
Continuing his relentless pursuit, the Nameless Assassin bounded across the rocky outcrop and met Helan Jie’s hook with his sword. Sparks flew from the scraping of metal against metal. His brutal strength forced Helan Jie back, every blow striking at the man’s vitals. Eyes bloodshot from rage, Helan Jie ignored the blade and threw himself bodily at the Nameless Assassin. His hook swung up and stabbed through his free hand.
The Nameless Assassin grunted from the impact but used their combined momentum to slam Helan Jie against the rock wall. Lashing out again, Helan Jie caught him by the back of his collar and dragged him down with him. Both men crashed back to lower ground. The Nameless Assassin, having lost his grip on his sword in the scuffle, grabbed a rock and smashed it against Helan Jie’s temple. Blood bloomed across his face. Mad as a cornered beast, Helan Jie slammed his head into the Nameless Assassin’s forehead with all his strength; it was impossible to tell whose blood was whose.
As Duan Ling inched his way down the tree, he saw the Nameless Assassin tilting his head in his direction—but before the man could turn to face him, Helan Jie had locked his hook around his throat. Arduously, the Nameless Assassin resisted the hook to gaze at Duan Ling. His eyes were filled with desperate worry, as if pleading for him to hurry and run away.
For a moment, Duan Ling’s heart stopped—then he sprinted full tilt across the snapping pine toward the cliff. Helan Jie immediately let go of the Nameless Assassin and aimed a whirling kick at Duan Ling, determined to kill him in front of this man.
Duan Ling only had one foot on solid ground when Helan Jie’s boot struck him square in the chest and sent him flying back into the tree dangling over the abyss. The impact snapped the pine at last. The tree plunged downward, its roots tearing mossy rocks from the cliff as it dragged Duan Ling down with it.
Duan Ling heard himself scream.
In that split second between life and death, Duan Ling heard the whinnying of a warhorse. A steed he couldn’t have been more familiar with seemed to swoop down from the brilliant Milky Way, rushing toward him carrying the stars on its back.
Skychaser!
“Dad,” Duan Ling breathed. He opened his arms wide as he plunged through the air. It’s finally over.
Skychaser rammed into Helan Jie and sent him flying, while the tall man astride him launched himself from the stirrups toward the falling Duan Ling as if he intended to die with him. Sweeping an arm around Duan Ling’s waist as they plummeted, Wu Du yanked him hard against his body.
“Don’t move!” he shouted.
With Duan Ling secure in his arms, he twisted in midair and planted his feet on the falling pine, then leapt lightly off the tree. His first bound propelled them upward; he pushed off a falling rock as it tumbled past, taking them up again. This was a qinggong technique called Climbing the Heavenly Ladder. Duan Ling’s eyes widened, his pupils contracting—it felt as if they were in flight beside the cliff face, walking on air a million feet above the ground.
With his final step, Wu Du touched down on another free-falling rock and pushed his toe against it, setting the rock spinning like a wheel. Borrowing the momentum of its rotation, he exerted every ounce of strength he’d cultivated in his life to kick off once more. He flipped through the air with Duan Ling still in his arms, their sleeves flaring, and landed at last on the solid earth at the top of the cliff.
The second Wu Du’s feet touched the ground, Helan Jie shook out a barrage of needles concealed within his damaged hand. Yanking Duan Ling behind him, Wu Du whipped out Flashblade with his right hand to cut the rope binding Duan Ling’s wrists while flipping his left palm outward to reveal the magnetic disc on his palm to the rain of steel needles. Metal clinked against metal as Helan Jie’s needles were sucked in.
“Release!” Wu Du bellowed.
The needles shot back at Helan Jie, catching in the fine chainmail without reaching his body. Forced on the back foot, Helan Jie ducked into the woods to make his escape.
Duan Ling was panting, trying to catch his breath; Wu Du, nerves strained taut, gazed in the direction Helan Jie had fled. It was silent for a slow breath before Wu Du finally turned around to gaze at Duan Ling. Their eyes locked. Neither spoke.
Wu Du grabbed Duan Ling’s arms and dragged him into a fierce hug.
The pair engulfed one another in a firm embrace upon the cliff’s precipice. Resting his head on Wu Du’s shoulder, Duan Ling once again heard his heartbeat. That strong, steady beat reminded him of the countless nights he’d spent falling asleep safely held in his father’s arms. He recalled the gentle rise and fall of Li Jianhong’s chest as he breathed; the ground rumbling beneath them as mighty armies marched outside Shangjing; riding with him together across the vast grasslands that the wild geese called home to the thunder of beating drums in the distance.