Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play
Chapter 206 Mourn with Restraint

Chapter 206: Chapter 206 Mourn with Restraint

Xie Jue squinted his eyes while Fang Chuning raised a finger to his lips, signaling silence. Under the trees, Dugu Jing and the Beiman cursed as they walked past.

Everyone’s heart was in their throat. Fang Chuning gripped the sword hilt tightly, ready to strike at any moment.

Suddenly, a chilling glint sliced through the air, accompanied by a cold, ominous voice that echoed through the forest, "Second Young Master, the hunting hour has arrived. Time to show yourself!"

As the voice faded, the glint streaked skyward—three arrows, sharp and fierce, sped through the dense branches and leaves. Fang Chuning grabbed a tree branch with one hand, his longsword flashing as he cut down the arrows.

"So, you’ve been hiding here after all. Kill them!" The voice rang out again as the Jinyi Guard and Forbidden Army unsheathed their blades. Dugu Jing drew a curved blade and charged toward Fang Chuning.

Three Shadow Guards and Chen Lin quickly revealed themselves, clashing immediately with the Jinyi Guard and Forbidden Army. Xie Jue remained perched among the branches, alert to incoming hidden weapons.

It was a massacre!

The trio, perfectly synchronized, instantly killed four enemies amidst the chaotic flashes of blades and swords, blood misting the air. Watching from the heights, Xie Jue took in the scene clearly. His gaze tracked Fang Chuning, who intentionally drew Dugu Jing away. Around him, the sounds of blades clashing and muffled groans filled the air. The Beiman warriors chosen by Dugu Jing were agile, brutal, and clad in heavy red armor that could resist ordinary weapons.

The Jinyi Guard and Forbidden Army surrounded the trio and Chen Lin. All four suffered injuries to varying degrees. Fang Chuning appeared more battered, facing Dugu Jing and three Beiman warriors alone. Dugu Jing was overwhelming enough on his own, let alone with the addition of three Beiman warriors. Thankfully, this was Xiyanshan. In terms of terrain familiarity, Fang Chuning had the upper hand over Dugu Jing and the Beiman. He deftly navigated the forest, using the trees, thorns, and terrain to dismantle Dugu Jing’s offensive.

The Beiman warriors and Dugu Jing wore heavy red armor. While this armor provided strong defense against weapons, its bulkiness made it impractical for infantry, being more suited for cavalry. Fang Chuning, Xie Jue, and the Shadow Guards had opted for lightweight armor, knowing full well the forest would undoubtedly harbor traps equipped with blades and mechanisms.

Both sides were locked in chaotic battle. As Fang Chuning moved stealthily through the forest, he accidentally triggered a mechanism and whistled sharply. The Shadow Guards and Chen Lin immediately retreated. A burst of pear blossom needles rained down toward Dugu Jing and the others. Fang Chuning, along with the Shadow Guards and Chen Lin, deliberately lured everyone into the trap.

Pear blossom needles weren’t like conventional arrows—too thin and tightly packed to be deflected with blades, they killed silently. Dugu Jing and the Beiman warriors quickly responded, rolling to the ground to use the trees for cover, shielding their heads. Their armor blocked most of the pear blossom needles. The Jinyi Guard and Forbidden Army weren’t as fortunate.

Xie Jue followed suit, noting that the needles were laced with poison, though not lethal.

The Jinyi Guard and Forbidden Army hit by the hidden weapons lay unconscious on the ground. Only six of them remained. Xie Jue had effectively neutralized their main fighting strength.

The rest would be left to the trio and Chen Lin!

Fang Chuning whistled again. Dugu Jing and the Beiman warriors hid behind the trees, unwilling to reveal themselves. Fang Chuning smirked. "Prince, why hide? Cowardice isn’t the Beiman way."

Infuriated, Dugu Jing charged at Fang Chuning, blade swinging. Fang Chuning darted through the forest like a cat teasing a mouse. Dugu Jing and the Beiman warriors were hesitant, wary of traps but determined to catch him. Fang Chuning moved like a phantom, suddenly emerging from behind a tree to strike at Dugu Jing’s neck.

Dugu Jing leaped, using his heavy armor to block the strike. Fang Chuning stepped against a tree, launching upward to target Dugu Jing’s head once more. The two clashed head-on, with the Beiman warriors seizing the opportunity to join the fray. Fang Chuning faced all four at once, finally getting rammed to the ground by a Beiman in heavy armor, dizziness overtaking him.

That red armor... No wonder Xie Jue was desperate to obtain one!

While Fang Chuning and Dugu Jing were playing their deadly game, a figure suddenly evaded Chen Lin’s assault, firing a sleeve arrow that hooked onto a branch and vaulted upward.

The sleeve arrow struck Xie Jue’s hiding spot. Xie Jue leapt down, drawing his sword to slash the cord.

A single strike to the throat.

"Xie Jue, you’ve finally shown yourself!" Dugu Jing roared as he charged at Xie Jue. Fang Chuning burst in from the side, blocking Dugu Jing’s curved blade.

"Ting Feng, run!" Fang Chuning yelled fiercely while fighting Dugu Jing.

Stepping through a crimson-stained battlefield, Xie Jue rushed deeper into the mountains. The Beiman warriors, like ferocious beasts spotting prey, gave chase. Fang Chuning leapt to intercept them but was blocked by Dugu Jing. "General Fang, he’s alone; his death is all but certain!"

"Is that so?" Fang Chuning curved his lips into a sly smile. "Ting Feng, so frail and feeble, how did he survive two years in Beiman?"

A foreboding sense gripped Dugu Jing as Fang Chuning lunged, sword flashing, leaving him no time to think.

Xie Jue ran ahead alone. The biting wind whipped his face in the forest, thorns tearing at his skin, leaving tiny droplets of blood in their wake. His figure seemed to blur into the green wilderness around him.

Three Beiman warriors relentlessly pursued him, their heavy armor making them slower but no less determined. Their eyes, sharp and hungry like wolves, tracked Xie Jue, treating him as a beast to be hunted and toyed with across the mountain.

The forest brimmed with deadly traps. As the Beiman warriors chased Xie Jue, two unknowingly triggered a mechanism. Ropes suddenly snagged their left legs. Their shrieks pierced the air as they were hoisted into the treetops. Panicked, they tried cutting the ropes but found them exceptionally tough—impervious to weapons.

With two warriors trapped in the branches, Xie Jue used his longsword to activate a hidden mechanism within the thorns. A swarm of arrows shot out, overwhelming even their armor, skewering their necks. Struggling desperately, their blood poured out, staining the thorns and undergrowth crimson.

"Xie Jue, I’ll kill you!" The remaining Beiman warrior roared as he swung his curved blade, fury and vengeance carried by the mountain wind.

"My condolences." The voice of the Second Young Master was glacial, void of sincerity, like snow eternal atop a mountain peak.

"Die!" Enraged by the mockery, the Beiman’s strikes blazed with murderous intent. Xie Jue deftly evaded, weaving through the forest to keep his distance.

Beautiful yet resolute, Xie Jue’s dignified face was slick with light sweat after nearly a quarter-hour of running. Forced to the brink, he finally countered with his sword, the impact jarring his hand painfully, almost disarming him. The Beiman warrior kicked his sword away.

Xie Jue crashed into an ancient banyan tree, dislodging the birds and beasts nesting within. Rolling instinctively, he planted his longsword in the ground to steady himself.

Pain clawed at his insides as though a dagger twisted within. Kneeling on one knee, he couldn’t straighten, his body wracked with agony. Sensing an opportunity, the Beiman warrior lunged, saber poised to strike. A shadow loomed over Xie Jue, the curved blade nearing his face. Just as it came down, Xie Jue rolled, leaning backward, drawing his longsword to sever a rope embedded in the dirt. A massive iron cage plummeted from above, trapping the warrior. Blades within the cage skewered his neck and pinned him to the ground, breaking his bones in brutal succession. His death was gruesome.