You're Strong But Now You're Mine-Chapter 555 - 553: Expertise

Boom!

The ear-piercing sound of steel colliding from the bumper cars shredded the tranquility of the night. As Le Yu glanced in the direction of the loud noise, a slight shift in his heart revealed that it must be trouble at the Patrol and Punishment Department or the Statistical Department.

Currently, in Yanjing, only four departments have the capability to intercept him: the Judges of the Ministry of Justice, the Statistical Department, the Patrol and Punishment Department, and the Imperial Guard. The Imperial Guard is stationed at the Imperial Court and doesn't need to drive; the Judges are scarce in number and prefer using Swift Blade Boots to travel in Yanjing, so any troops driving around at night must be the Patrol and Punishment Department or the Statistical Department.

Who is helping him intercept the Patrol and Punishment Department and the Statistical Department... For some reason, the first candidate that appeared in Le Yu's mind was Xie Chenyuan.

Even though there is an irreconcilable feud between them, and even though Xie Chenyuan has no reason to help him this time, Le Yu knows better. Xie Chenyuan is an extremely neurotic and emotional being. While he has the 'rational characteristics' of being forbearing and sadistic, bullying the good and fearing the evil, and playing with the weak, he also possesses the 'wild beast nature' of seeking pleasure, pathological inferiority, and battle craze. He truly fits the moniker - a Raccoon Slave, whose next move is forever unpredictable. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Anything that soothes him, like when Xie Chenyuan and Zhaoye Bai stroke him, he obediently follows commands; and anything that touches his nerves, even if he doesn't dare to explode immediately, will be repaid tenfold later!

Xie Chenyuan deliberately keeping the Raccoon Slave on ice has its reasons. He simply doesn't dare let the Raccoon Slave face things alone. Without a master's help to soothe him, Xie Chenyuan is like a packet of ready-to-explode Luminous Firepowder, constantly risking destroying the house.

Xie Chenyuan, the little cat, may have no need to help Le Yu, but he very likely has reasons to disrupt the house!

'If it really is Xie Chenyuan helping me, then I shall reconcile with him.' Le Yu thought, 'Once I'm in power, I'll punish him by making him build ten thousand toilets for the principal, as if nothing ever happened between us.'

Le Yu avoided all main roads, twisting and turning through alleyways. A Patrol and Punishment Department agent on night duty, upon sighting him, immediately sent up a signal flare and turned to flee. Le Yu had no time to chase this lone wild monster, but given his revealed location, he naturally could only stick to minor paths to avoid combat.

But this path to the Imperial Court seems destined to be full of thorns.

Tap.

A figure cloaked in black appeared on the alleyway road, walking head-on towards Le Yu. In this narrow path that only allowed two to walk shoulder to shoulder, there was no space to avoid; he would have to step over one of their corpses to pass.

Le Yu slowed his pace as they engaged in a showdown, needle to needle. The person in the black robe reached towards the back, seemingly drawing a weapon; Le Yu's hands dropped, radiance gathering at his fingertips, a light burst poised to explode.

At less than three meters apart, they both struck simultaneously, lunging at each other!

Boom!

The blade light shattered the night sky, and light bursts stunned the alley!

Two opportunistic Judge assailants were directly sent flying by a blade and a fist, crashing through walls and into nearby homes, unconscious!

"I heard you went mad before I was locked up." Le Yu said, "Now you actually use the back of the blade to hit people; it seems your insanity is indeed severe."

The person unveiled the black robe, revealing the Skyrim man's features with dreadlocks of ink-black hair and a full-length sword: "They received orders not to deal a fatal blow to you—rendering them combat-inept is sufficient. Unless necessary, please spare no lives."

"Words like that coming from you, a seasoned warrior, are inexplicably convincing, Niruo."

The visitor was none other than the mighty swordmaster Niruo!

"If you have climbed out from a pile of dead bodies, you'd know kindness is actually a survival necessity." Niruo said calmly, "Beastliness can destroy everything, but humanity can prevent self-annihilation... Those who cannot maintain their humanity are ultimately doomed to return to that familiar battlefield, becoming part of the pile of dead."

"Wearing the mask of madness for too long turns one into a philosopher?" Le Yu quipped as he continued out the alleyway, "How did you know I was here? Why are you helping me?"

"Shuangli Palace knows your students want to rescue you and meet Shuiyun Palace." Niruo followed closely, "She always feels guilty about Shuiyun Palace ascending the throne. She believes she should be the one on the throne today, and she should be the one wielding power... All this came about due to her inaction, forcing Shuiyun Palace into that position."

Though arrogant, this is indeed Ming Shuangli's style—she even feels guilty with such overflowing confidence.

"So she sent me to assist you, even if only to let you see Shuiyun Palace, it would bring her immense comfort," Niruo said, "Of course, she also hopes... hopes for a miracle."

The two dashed out of the alley, sprinting along the main road. Since the Judges already located Le Yu, battle was inevitable, and taking minor paths lost its purpose; better to stick to the main roads and tackle the troubles together!

They hadn't gone far when masked Judges emerged from alleyways all around. They did not immediately rush to intercept Le Yu but rather trailed at a distance, sealing off his escape routes and herding him towards the Imperial Court.

Soon, Le Yu and Niruo understood the Judges' intentions — at the end of the main road, they stacked debris to erect a simple blockade. Though easily breached, it would sufficiently slow Le Yu's steps, allowing the Judges to converge from both front and rear to encircle him!

Even if unable to harm Le Yu, they say that even the fiercest maiden fears a persistent suitor. Several burly men suffocatingly clutching Le Yu—would he be able to escape fully burdened?

Yet Le Yu did not hesitate upon seeing this, quickening his pace, hands glowing, evidently preparing to confront this head-on!

"Niruo." He suddenly asked, "Before seeking the sword and vying for the throne, there were Skyrim assassins targeting my family. Were they your men?"

"Yes."

"Not trying to argue?"

"Even if it wasn't my directive, the beneficiary is still me." Niruo said, "For someone who has crawled out of the dead, I really don't want to crawl back again... We are all members of the Skyrim Brotherhood, and my previous superior was the Dragon King Chen Storm."

"If Ming Shuangli ascends the throne, then the Storm Army—"

"Impossible, Shuangli Palace is merely the last option for the Storm Army. Given a chance to master their fate, Skyrim people won't place their future in Central Plains' hands."

"Then shouldn't you advise Ming Shuangli... "

"You might think I'm protecting Shuangli Palace, whereas it's actually Shuangli Palace that saved me. Although I'm a Skyrim person, I'm even more the sword sheath of Shuangli Palace."

Le Yu sighed, "Those assassins killed an elder who really cherished me."

"Rest assured, I'll repay you with my life."

As they spoke, the duo closed in on the Judges' barricade, with the chasing Judges rapidly catching up. Over a dozen martial artists gathered light bursts, causing all lights in the area to become dim and hazy!

Just then, the Judges behind the barricade suddenly shouted, destroying and flipping their own flimsy blockade. Amidst the debris storm, a row of rotating sharp spears formed a Liaoyuan spear formation, occupying every space on the street, advancing towards Le Yu and Niruo like a tidal wave!

These Judges turned out to be Liaoyuan martial artists!

Within organized martial artist troops, none are more comprehensive than those wielding swords, nor more ferocious than Liaoyuan! In the era before firearms, Liaoyuan martial artists served as the spear piercing through all armies, shredding all defenses!

Le Yu and Niruo's faces changed drastically, yet no space was left for them to maneuver, either retreat and get entangled by the Judges behind, or directly engage the spear formation to breakthrough the barricade!

On the brink of the clash, Niruo suddenly took a step forward, shielding Le Yu, striking the spear formation with his long blade, blade humming sharply, wind howling violently!

A long roar pierced the sky: "Do you think the Skyrim People would fear a few more holes in their bodies?!"

Boom!

At that moment, the wall beside the street exploded, and a massive rock engulfed in flames suddenly shot sideways like a cannonball into the Liaoyuan gun formation. The Judges couldn't react in time and were struck down one after another like wooden plaques!

A figure with Swift Blade Boots jumped out from the wall, beckoned to Le Yin and Niruo, and took the initiative to lead the way.

Le Yin and Niruo did not hesitate, immediately crossing the defensive line and continuing forward. The white-faced Judges behind them cursed fiercely, leaving only one person to tend to the wounded while the others did everything they could to pursue Le Yin!

"Catch."

Le Yin caught it casually and found it was the blade component of the Swift Blade Boots — attaching the blade component to his shoes could form a pair of crude counterfeit Swift Blade Boots.

Although not as effective as the original, and likely to break during intense combat, they were quite practical for just moving quickly, plus the original Swift Blade Boots took three to four minutes to assemble, while the blade component could be tied in just a few seconds.

Le Yin glanced at this divine rescue, smiled bitterly: "You're always so thoughtful... but with the pursuers so close behind, I don't have the leisure to stop and assemble."

Suddenly, it was revealed that the person who threw the flaming rock and shattered the Judges' Liaoyuan gun formation was none other than Qin Yueyang, the younger brother of Qin Leyin, the head of the Steam Chamber of Commerce, and the second master of the Qin Family!

Qin Yueyang slowed his Swift Blade speed and advanced side by side with Le Yin: "Some Judges are blocking ahead. If you don't swiftly wear the Swift Blade Boots and rush through, you'll surely be slowed down by the Judges... there's less than half an hour left until dawn."

"Which means, someone needs to hold the rear," Niruo said calmly, "this kind of dirty work seems like the job for the Skyrim People."

"Turn right after passing the next intersection, there's a narrow alley entrance, a place where one man can hold off a thousand." Qin Yueyang said, "I'll stay here with him and hold the rear."

A very complete plan, Le Yin found no fault in it, nodded and said: "Okay."

Passing by a public restroom, Qin Yueyang casually lit a small packet of powder and threw it inside. This was near a residential area in Yanjing, and the restroom had accumulated a day's worth of waste from nearby residents. When the powder exploded, the area turned into a Golden Butterfly Amusement Park.

The white-faced Judges behind cursed, though their minds told them to dash through the golden rain, their bodies still evaded left and right, buying precious time for Le Yin and the others.

Arriving at the alley entrance Qin Yueyang mentioned, not only was it extremely narrow, but flanked by tall buildings which made it impossible to go around, and there weren't even streetlights found here, truly an easy-to-defend-hard-to-attack place. Niruo stopped, planting his sword, nurturing the blade's momentum.

Le Yin directly sat down and began tying the blade to his steel-soled boots, Qin Yueyang also crouched to help him with the other foot. The blade component perfectly fit Le Yin's steel-bottomed boots, seemingly custom-tailored.

"Yueyang."

"Mm."

"Did you sense my change long ago?"

As Qing Lan said, how could those closest often in contact not detect the anomaly in Le Yin's death substitution? If Qin Yueshi hadn't actively distanced herself from Le Yin back then, she definitely would have noticed Le Yin's weirdness quickly.

Moreover, Qin Yueyang was not only Qin Leyin's immediate kin but also his intimate comrade, close subordinate, and indispensable tool man. No one in the world understood Qin Leyin better than Qin Yueyang, even extending Qin Leyin's bath time would seem strange to him, while Le Yin was full of flaws, how could Qin Yueyang not notice?

"Mm."

Le Yin originally wanted to ask why he still followed Qin Leyin's orders as usual, but the words got stuck, leaving him silent. Instead, Qin Yueyang suddenly pulled out a very old notebook from his chest, handed it to Le Yin to read quickly.

Le Yin opened it, found it scarcely filled, mostly setting details for a novel. It was a legendary story about the Flame Emperor Qin Yueyang, Blood Emperor Qin Leyin, and Sword Emperor Qin Yueshi. Qin Yueyang's weapon was called "Anger Chains," outwardly looking like handcuffs, which suppressed his usual rage, but once unlocked, his anger would turn tangible and burn all; Qin Leyin's weapon was "Crimson Embrace," a luxurious red coat (the glowing kind), which formed blood weapons to kill enemies; Qin Yueshi's weapon was "Scattered Flower Yaksha," an illuminated glass long sword... The siblings aimed to defy heaven, though what heaven did to rile them was unknown, the aim was to defy heaven and become savior heroes.

However, the emperor's path was not smooth, they all would understand their mission after suffering tribulations. Qin Yueyang, in childhood, gained 'Fire of Fury' through tribulations, yet when he planned to burn all, Qin Leyin shielded him, allowing Qin Yueyang to transform from the first form 'Flame Demon' to 'Flame Emperor.'

Now, Qin Leyin and Qin Yueshi still remain in their first forms 'Blood Child' and 'Sword Slave,' making them villains, but once they undergo their respective tribulations, they'll transform to second forms, mastering true abilities through Seven Emotions Combat Techniques...

The notebook was merely a few pages, other than background, even the first chapter was missing, showing Qin Leyin as a writer who excelled at setting up scenarios but struggled to write a coherent narrative.

However, Le Yin already understood his thoughts.

"Do you believe my drastic change stems from experiencing the 'Emotional Tribulation' of Seven Emotions Combat Techniques?"

Qin Yueyang nodded.

Le Yin smiled bitterly: "I'm afraid I disappoint, for I haven't undergone Emotional Tribulation, nor acquired divine abilities derived from Seven Emotions Combat Techniques... I'm not the Blood Emperor you hoped."

Qin Yueyang pondered and asked: "So you've just simply become a good person?"

"Mm."

Qin Yueyang stood up, reaching out to pull Le Yin upright as well. Le Yin returned the notebook to Qin Yueyang, whose stiff face showed a tiny, almost imperceptible smile at his creation.

"That's nice."

Then Qin Yueyang reached out to gently push, and Le Yin, wearing the Swift Blade Boots, slipped smoothly away. Le Yin glanced back, seeing Qin Yueyang waving at him.

"Brother, my hero, welcome back."

Qin Yueyang moved to the mouth of the alley, looking at the approaching Judge troops, his fingertip emitted a faint flame, burning the notebook in his hand to ashes.

Niruo watched him: "Wasn't it something important?"

"It was important, so I chose to bury it with my own hands," Qin Yueyang replied, "since the dream has realized, there's no need to dwell on it."

"Besides," he whispered, "I'm really not good at writing."

"You brothers are truly puzzling, one fights desperately for a hopeless cause, the other fights desperately to make better."

"But aren't you the same?"

"True." Niruo gripped his long blade, marking a sword scar on the right wall: "Right side is mine, left is yours, any issues?"

"No issues."

Qin Yueyang's fists glowed with intense flames: "I'm always good at holding the rear."