Chapter 198, 70,000th Place... (1/2)

"How could I possibly... let their dirty schemes succeed?"

An Sanchuan's voice was very soft, barely a whisper, yet it carried a calmness that came after everything had been burned away.

“Those bastards from Japan discovered more than 30 years ago that the dragon vein energy of this land was declining. They still have ulterior motives and are always thinking about coming here to get a share of the pie.”

“But those old fogies who know Yin-Yang magic are all afraid of death, and none of them are willing to do it themselves. The next generation are all useless. So, they came up with the most vicious method—to raise us 'orphans' who were abandoned in Yan Kingdom.”

"I... was tricked away from Huizhou by a beast named Ogawa Saburo."

He paused for a moment, as if just mentioning that name made him feel nauseous.

"Who knew that when they investigated, they found out that my biological mother was actually an illegitimate daughter of a collateral branch of the Abe family."

"It's because of this damn 'noble' bloodline that I was qualified to learn Yin-Yang arts, and also became their number one choice to scout ahead and die."

As he spoke, a deathly aura, a mixture of self-mockery and sorrow, appeared on his face.

"Because I was the fastest and strongest learner among that batch."

"Because of my impure bloodline, in their eyes I will always be a tool that can be discarded at any time."

After An Sanchuan finished speaking, the room became so quiet that only the crackling sound of firewood burning in the stove could be heard.

Ruan Tang huddled in Yan Yu's arms, her small hands instinctively clenching the thick fabric of his chest, her knuckles turning white from the force.

She tilted her small, palm-sized face up, and in her large, almond-shaped eyes there was no sympathy, only a chilling clarity.

"Don't talk about that yet. Why did you reinforce the outer formation first instead of destroying the inner one?"

This is what Ruan Tang can't understand the most.

To catch the thief, first catch the king; wouldn't it be more straightforward to just take down the stronghold?

An Sanchuan knew he couldn't hide a single word from them today; the abilities of this man and woman were beyond his wildest imagination.

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace and shook his head.

"The thing inside... can't move."

Ruan Tang blinked curiously and asked, "Why?"

An Sanchuan glanced at them, his eyes darkening, and finally gave up struggling completely.

"You should have a map of the formation on the mountain, right?"

Ruan Tang nodded, not denying it.

"Then do you know what this formation is for?" An Sanchuan asked, his voice filled with a morbid excitement, as if he had grasped at the last straw.

"Absorbing the nation's fortune and transferring it to the land of cherry blossoms."

Yan Yu replied coldly, each word sounding as if it had been pulled from an ice cellar.

"Yes, but you haven't been to that godforsaken place, you don't know..."

An Sanchuan nodded, a twisted curve appearing on his ashen face.

He took a deep breath, as if gathering the strength to say that number, and his voice suddenly rose, hoarse and filled with a frantic despair.

"Such a small country as Japan has laid out a total of 70,000 such marrow-draining formations! And they're connected to this one here! Attacking only our side is completely useless!"

70,000 places!

These two words, like two red-hot awls, pierced Ruan Tang's ears.

The room fell into a deathly silence.

The flames burning brightly in the stove seemed to be shrunk by the chill.

Ruan Tang felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, as if half of her blood had turned cold.

Her small hand gripping Yan Yu's clothes tightened suddenly, her nails almost digging into his firm chest muscles.

Yan Yu didn't speak, but the arms around her waist suddenly tightened, pressing her deeper into his embrace, using his burning body heat and steady heartbeat to soothe her.