The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 25: The Three-Faced Yechacha

“Let’s surrender,” Nameless said, startling everyone. Shi Taifeng and everyone else in the hall couldn’t believe Nameless had said such a thing; they thought they must have misheard him. Shi Jingyu and Lei Ming, standing nearby, stared at Nameless in utter astonishment, convinced that this Nameless was not the person they knew. “What did you just say, nephew? I’m getting on in years—I didn’t catch that clearly,” Shi Taifeng asked again, feigning confusion. Nameless glanced at them and smiled. “I said, ‘Why don’t we just surrender? That way, we can save everyone.’ ” This time, everyone heard him clearly. A chorus of astonished exclamations filled the room, and some even huffed in frustration, clearly deeply dissatisfied. “Although our Iron Palm Sect isn’t a renowned major sect, we’ve built a legacy spanning a hundred years. How could we possibly surrender to the Demon Cult? Nephew, please don’t joke about such things.” This time, Shi Taifeng’s expression turned serious. “Senior, do you know if we can trust everyone in this hall?” Nameless asked again. “Of course they’re trustworthy. Our Iron Palm Sect is united as one; we’ve never had a traitor!” Shi Taifeng was getting a little angry. “Good. Then I’ll speak plainly: what I mean by ‘surrender’ isn’t a real surrender—it’s a feigned surrender.” Seeing that he’d made his point, Nameless hurried to explain. “A feigned surrender?” Shi Taifeng asked, puzzled. “That’s right—a feigned surrender. When the Tianmo Sect arrives tomorrow, we’ll pretend to surrender and set an ambush. Once they let their guard down, we’ll take them all out in one fell swoop—trapping them like fish in a barrel. Then, figures like the Yechacha Poison Sovereign will be no match for us.” Nameless had come up with a plan. “That’s quite an idea. How exactly should we carry it out?” Shi Taifeng was in favor of winning through strategy. “We’ll divide the Iron Palm Sect into three groups. First, we’ll lead the elderly, the weak, and the women and children to the back of the mountain to ensure their safety—Shi Jingyu will lead this group. The second group, led by Shi Lu, will be responsible for welcoming the Demon Cult members. Once they arrive, we’ll claim we’re ready to form an alliance and are willing to join the Demon Cult, then host them in the banquet hall. Ideally, we should prepare some potions that dispel martial arts power and slip them into the wine to weaken the Demon Cult’s combat strength. The third group, led by Lei Ming, will use a wine cup as a signal to ambush the Demon Cult outside the hall. Working in concert from the inside and outside, we’ll completely annihilate the Demon Cult, ensuring they never dare set foot on Mogan Peak again.” Nameless laid out the detailed plan. “That’s a good idea, but the Demon Cult is still demanding that we hand over my junior disciple and my daughter. What should we do about that?” Shi Taifeng was still a bit concerned. “That’s simple. We can’t possibly meet all their demands—if we did, they’d only grow suspicious. At that point, you simply need to pretend to tie me up and hand me over to the Demon Cult. As for Miss Shi, just tell them that my daughter is still young and doesn’t understand the situation. Express your hope to resolve the grudge through an alliance, and mention that you’ve prepared a modest banquet as an apology. Even if the Demon Cult sees your deep affection for your child, they shouldn’t cause any trouble.” Nameless elaborated on his plan. “Let’s give it a try, then. I’m sorry to put you through this, my dear nephew.” Unable to think of any other solution, Shi Taifeng had no choice but to agree. He then ordered his men to make preparations according to Nameless’s instructions. They laced the food with “Misu Powder,” a secret poison previously sent by Shouchuntang. Colorless and odorless, it rendered the victim completely weak and temporarily stripped them of their martial arts prowess. With everything in place, they waited quietly for the Tianmo Sect to arrive. At noon the next day, the members of the Tianmo Sect arrived at Mogan Peak as agreed. Shi Taifeng, accompanied by Shi Lu and other disciples, went out to greet them. Leading the delegation this time was Sanjue Yan Yechacha, one of the Tianmo Sect’s Eight Great Protectors, along with the Poison Sovereign and others. Upon arriving at Mogan Peak, Yechacha and her companions discovered that the Iron Palm Sect had indeed made no preparations to resist; on the contrary, they had agreed to form an alliance and had even captured Nameless. They were greatly surprised—they never expected this stubborn old stone to finally see the light. “Then bring Nameless forward,” Yechacha said with all her charm. Yechacha was renowned as one of the “Three Most Enchanting Beauties of the Martial Arts World”—meaning she was one of the three most beautiful women in the entire world. “Which one is the ‘Absolute’?” Yechacha glanced at the bound Nameless, then turned to the Poison Sovereign, her tone haughty; it seemed her status was higher than his. Nameless looked up at Yechacha. How beautiful she was—could there truly be such a stunning woman in the world? If Shi Jingyu was a delicate, demure beauty, then Yechacha was the epitome of radiant allure. Her crimson gown clung to her body so loosely it barely covered her, revealing most of her full bosom and her long, fair thighs. Her skin was as white as snow, her beauty unrivaled. With her tender grace, alluring speech, and delicate, melodious manner, she was a vision of unparalleled beauty. The crimson robe only served to highlight her skin, making it appear so tender it seemed ready to burst; her soul-stirring presence left one haunted by her image. Truly, such a beauty should only exist in heaven—it is rare to encounter her on earth. Upon seeing her, Nameless couldn’t help but feel his heart race and his mind spin, nearly losing control of himself. “It’s definitely him,” the Poison Sovereign said, her eyes flashing with a cold glint as she looked at Nameless. After confirming it was indeed him, she replied. “You’re quite the character, Nameless. Why don’t you come see me tonight?” Seeing how spellbound Nameless was, Yechacha couldn’t help but tease him. She’d seen men fall head over heels for her far too many times, but she never expected Nameless to be any different. “Take him away,” Yechacha waved her hand, and two members of the Tianmo Sect stepped forward, leading Nameless away. “Sect Leader Shi, since you’ve already handed over the Xiaoyao disciple, our Tianlong Sect will no longer claim your daughter. Consider this a gesture of goodwill toward our alliance. We hope you’ll serve faithfully under our banner in the future. One day, we will dominate the Martial Arts World, and we won’t forget the Iron Palm Sect.” Having captured Nameless, Yechacha no longer paid much attention to Shi Jingyu. In fact, the Tianmo Sect was originally known as the Tianlong Sect; “Heavenly Demon Sect” was a derogatory term used by the righteous factions of the Martial Arts World. “Thank you, Guardian, for your mercy. As an apology for injuring the Elder, our Iron Palm Sect has specially arranged a banquet. We look forward to the honor of hosting Yechacha Guardian and the Poison Sovereign.” Seeing that the other party had spared Shi Jingyu, Shi Taifeng breathed a sigh of relief and seized the opportunity to extend the invitation. “Very well, we’ll certainly enjoy a banquet. Please lead the way, Sect Leader Shi.” Yechacha was very gracious; he led the Heavenly Demon Cult’s followers to the banquet hall, where they began to feast. After three rounds of wine, Shi Taifeng and Yechacha were exchanging pleasantries when Yechacha suddenly seemed to remember something. With a rosy glow on his face, he said to Shi Taifeng, “Since the Iron Palm Sect is willing to form an alliance with our Tianlong Sect and has entrusted us with your Xiaoyao Disciple, how could we not reciprocate?” ” With that, he took a small box from his robe and handed it to Shi Taifeng. “Inside is the I Ching Leopard Fetus Pill, which can accelerate the cultivation of martial arts power. Please accept this, Sect Leader Shi, as a gift to mark our alliance.” Shi Taifeng was taken aback by the Demon Sect’s generosity and hurriedly accepted the small box with a sense of awe. “Thank you, Guardian, for bestowing this medicine.” Upon seeing Shi Taifeng accept the elixir, Yechacha smiled even more brightly, her smile as radiant as peach blossoms, and said to Shi Taifeng, “Sect Master Shi is indeed a straightforward man. Since that is the case, please take the elixir now.”