Chapter 1572: Regret

This woman was, of course, Xie Daoyun, on her way to Purple Mountain. A few days ago, she was passing through the area. Because of her striking beauty, she drew much attention at an inn. Soon, several rough men began to whistle at her, approaching to flirt and harass her.

Although usually quiet, she showed no mercy to such ruffians who preyed on respectable women, and she taught them a harsh lesson.

Even in Bright Moon City, her cultivation level was far beyond what common thugs could handle, especially since she had become Yan Xiangu's personal disciple in the last two years.

However, being kind-hearted, she severely punished them but refrained from killing them.

Unbeknownst to her, this act left trouble in its wake. Before long, those men returned with more companions.

This time, their cultivation levels were significantly higher, but they were still no match for Xie Daoyun, who was a Rune Master.

She easily dispatched them. Though kind, she wasn't naive. Annoyed by their persistence, she intentionally used heavy force to break the arms or legs of a few ringleaders, yet she still couldn't bring herself to take their lives.

She initially thought that displaying her abilities as a Rune Master would be enough to deter these petty criminals. To her surprise, not long after, even more people arrived—or rather, an "army."

Coming from a family of officials, she quickly recognized, from their tattered clothes and disorganized weaponry, that this was not a government army but rather a rebel force that had emerged from various regions.

Although Xie Daoyun's cultivation was not low, she couldn't possibly fight an entire army alone.

So, she fought off the attackers while trying to escape. However, the army seemed to have skilled trackers, always finding her trail, making it impossible to shake them off.

One running, one chasing, the two sides unknowingly ended up in this vicinity.

Several days of high-intensity flight had exhausted Xie Daoyun. The rebel army seemed adept at this kind of pursuit, constantly rotating their forces to leverage their numerical advantage, but she was alone and had no opportunity to rest.

After several days of this grueling ordeal, Xie Daoyun's vital energy was almost depleted. More importantly, she was mentally and physically exhausted; she felt she could fall asleep the moment she closed her eyes. Yet, the rune formations she specialized in often required ample spiritual energy to unleash their full power.

She had barely rested under a tree for the time it takes an incense stick to burn when a small rebel squad caught up.

Xie Daoyun gritted her teeth, wondering what was wrong with the local government. How could such an army roam freely within their jurisdiction without anyone intervening?

But complaints aside, she was on her own now. Having grown up in an official family, she had heard countless tales of the rebels' brutality, and as a woman, the thought of falling into their hands sent shivers down her spine.

The surrounding rebels encircled her but did not immediately approach. Clearly, they had suffered considerably at her hands in recent days.

From a distance, the rebels drew their bows and shot arrows at her; some even directly threw their axes and spears.

Gritting her teeth, Xie Daoyun swiftly formed hand seals. A semi-transparent blue formation quickly appeared before her, blocking all the arrows and spears.

However, the formation in front of her soon began to flicker, and she herself swayed precariously.

"Her vital energy is almost depleted, everyone push harder!" exclaimed one of the rebels. Many among them were cultivators and immediately recognized her weakened state.

Xie Daoyun's face was deathly pale. She changed her hand seal and, with a flick of her wrist, sent the arrows she had just blocked back at the rebels.

Soon, screams erupted from the rebel side, as many were clearly injured by the unexpected return of the arrows.

Unfortunately, most of them managed to defend themselves, then roared and charged forward.

Their bloodshot eyes revealed their excitement; they could almost taste the capture of this beautiful young woman.

Xie Daoyun's fingers moved, forming another new seal, which she pressed to the ground. A light red formation spread across the area, and then everything around them began to explode, sending the rebels sprawling.

Xie Daoyun seized the opportunity, using the smoke and dust as cover to run for her life.

This only bought her a short delay. Among the rebels were many experts, and some even rode exotic beasts faster than many cultivators. How could Xie Daoyun, on the verge of collapse, outrun them?

As expected, after running just a few miles, a whistling sound came from behind, and countless spears were hurled, blocking her path.

Startled, Xie Daoyun stopped. In that brief moment of hesitation, the rebels completely surrounded her.

The surrounding rebels, mounted on various exotic beasts, circled her, whistling loudly. Clearly, they were thrilled that their long-pursued prey was finally within their grasp.

A flicker of despair crossed Xie Daoyun's eyes. She had virtually no vital energy left within her.

A determined glint appeared in her eyes; she would rather take her own life than fall into the hands of these rebels.

What a pity she would never see her parents or younger brother again, nor that person...

Just then, the rebel closest to her collapsed with an arrow embedded in his temple. Everyone around was startled, turning their heads to look. The sound of hooves resonated, and a troop of gleaming golden-armored cavalry galloped towards them.

"What kind of troops are these?" the rebels wondered, forming a defensive line. Their equipment was too good; ordinary county soldiers wouldn't possess such finely crafted standard armor and weapons.

Not even the most elite royal guards could compare!

Xie Daoyun, however, was overjoyed. As a lady from an official family who had spent a considerable time in the capital, she recognized them as the Imperial Feathered Forest Army!

Furthermore, Elder Brother Zu was a Feathered Forest Cavalry Commander. She couldn't believe it was him who appeared to save her when her life hung by a thread. Could this be fate?

As a refined young lady who enjoyed literature, she was very fond of tales about scholars and beauties. She had heard countless similar stories but never expected one to unfold in her own life. In that moment, she felt so happy she wanted to cry.

The cavalry troop quickly charged in, armed with military crossbows enhanced by formations. With a raise of their hands, a volley of arrows rained down. The shields of the rebel squad nearby were useless against them, and the rebels screamed as they were pierced and fell to the ground.

"Run for it, quickly notify the First and Second Chiefs!" The rebels had no will to resist and immediately scattered, fleeing in every direction.

The Feathered Forest Army, meanwhile, pursued them relentlessly. The two leading generals, in particular, were like tigers unleashed, their cultivation levels clearly far superior to everyone else's.

They seemed to be competing with each other, afraid of killing fewer rebels than the other, so they vied for kills, practically annihilating the rebel squad in an instant.

Seeing only scattered remnants of rebels, the two generals still seemed unsatisfied. However, respecting their status, they refrained from snatching kills from their subordinates and instead approached Xie Daoyun.

"Lady, where are you from, and why are you fighting these rebels?" the red-faced man leading them asked, a hint of admiration in his voice. He knew that armies, with their formation enhancements, were usually beyond what individual cultivators could contend with. Yet, this quiet young woman had managed to hold out against this rebel force for so long—she was truly remarkable. What a pity she wasn't a man; otherwise, he would have sworn brotherhood with her.

At that moment, the pale-faced general beside him uttered a surprised sound. "Are you a disciple from the Academy's back mountain?"

Being meticulous, he recognized the Academy's style from her somewhat bloodstained and torn clothing.

"Thank you, Generals, for saving me. I am Xie Daoyun, a disciple of Master Yan from the Academy..." she replied, glancing around. To her disappointment, she didn't see the familiar figure she hoped for, and her heart sank. It seemed storybooks were just storybooks; reality was rarely so coincidental.

Upon hearing she was Yan Xiangu's disciple, Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang were overjoyed. Innumerable military formations were devised by the Academy, with Yan Xiangu contributing the most. Only the highest-ranking generals in the army typically had the chance to use talismans and artifacts created by Yan Xiangu. What kind of favor was it to save his most esteemed pupil?

Moreover, they had vaguely heard of Xie Daoyun's name. It was rumored that Yan Xiangu had recently taken on a final disciple whose talent was exceptional, and it was widely believed she would fully inherit his mantle in the future.

What kind of reward awaited them for extending aid to such a figure in her time of peril?

While the two generals were immensely excited, Xie Daoyun felt a little downcast. "Generals, why are you here?"

The Feathered Forest Army was one of the emperor's personal forces, and they typically did not leave the capital.

"We are under orders to go to Purple Mountain..." Knowing her identity, their attitude became quite amiable.

Xie Daoyun was about to speak when her gaze swept to the side, and her expression drastically changed. "Why did you only bring so few people? This is bad!"

As Yan Xiangu's esteemed final disciple, if it had only been that small squad, how could they have pursued her so relentlessly, leaving her with nowhere to run?

What she had faced before was truly an army, particularly with its highly cultivated leader, which had ultimately depleted her vital and spiritual energy. The group they had just encountered was merely a small detachment sent to track and find her; the main force would soon arrive once they received the information.

Just as she finished speaking, a ground-shaking sound of marching echoed. Countless rebels emerged from every direction of the forest, completely surrounding the group.

Wang Bolin and Zhang Zijiang's faces changed. There were at least two to three thousand rebels, and they only had a hundred men. How could they possibly fight this?

They had initially believed it was just a disorganized rabble, which was why they had eagerly come to claim credit.

They never expected such a large-scale rebel army. Was the local government incompetent? How could they allow such a force to exist?