Section 50: Aftermath (Part II)

Even in flight, she remained suppressed by Wei Wuji, for he too could ascend into the high sky by tapping into the power of his Golden Core. However, Taoist Qi practitioners generally relied on flying swords for aerial combat. Two conditions were indispensable for this: the flying sword had to be at least of the fifth rank, and the practitioner had to have achieved the state of "Unity of Body and Sword" to carry a passenger. When flying at extreme speeds, a sword below the fifth rank would be subjected to immense physical forces that could tear it apart. In this state, the practitioner temporarily etherealized their form to merge with the blade; if the sword were damaged while they were joined, the practitioner would be destroyed along with it.

Beyond this, those who had formed a Golden Core could use its internal energy to ascend and fly. Yet, this method was far slower and less agile than using a flying sword. It required the practitioner to manifest an energy barrier using the power of the Golden Core to mitigate the earth’s gravitational pull and shield them from the aerodynamic shock of high-speed flight. Not every practitioner possessed a physique as formidable as Wei Wuji’s. Moreover, this spherical barrier significantly compromised aerial speed and maneuverability.

Thus, Wei Wuji could still pursue the female Smyrne knight, Indira, in the air. However, she belonged to a race naturally gifted with flight, whereas Wei Wuji usually relied on a flying sword—a tool recently destroyed, forcing him to resort to his Golden Core. Since using the Golden Core for flight both depleted his internal True Qi and lacked the convenience of a sword, most practitioners rarely used it for flight if they had another option. While Wei Wuji could barely manage aerial combat without a sword, he was far less adept at it than he was on the ground.

For a time, he maintained the upper hand. Though Indira was suppressed in direct exchanges, she consistently utilized her natural flight to evade his attacks, occasionally seizing opportunities to counter. If the fight continued this way, Wei Wuji remained effectively invincible; Indira could not overcome his frontal assaults, and even if Wei Wuji were to exhaust his energy, he would simply land, where she still could not best him. But if Wei Wuji’s flight duration exceeded Indira’s, she would surely be defeated. Once forced to the ground, even Broca, the patriarch of the House clan, would be beaten to a pulp by him.

Fortunately, the outcome did not need to be decided, and Indira did not have to suffer that humiliation. As they chased and grappled in the sky, rising and falling, Cecily below pleaded with them to stop, her voice choked with tears.

"Please, stop! I don't want either of you to be hurt. Mr. Wei, please fly down and listen to me, won't you?"

Wei Wuji cast a bitter glance at the distant Smyrne woman, who would always flee whenever she could no longer hold her ground. If his flying sword were still intact, he would have won long ago.

Wei Wuji landed before Cecily, while Indira cautiously touched down ten meters away, ready to take flight instantly should Wei Wuji resume his attack.

"Mr. Wei, the reason I never wanted to tell Amango was because I did not wish to hurt him." Silent tears traced paths down Cecily’s cheeks. "If you must have an answer, very well, I will tell you: it is because I can no longer love him, and I am no longer a chaste woman."

"What?!" Wei Wuji’s rage flared. Ordinarily, he did not particularly care whether Cecily was a virgin. While the Far East placed greater emphasis on such things than this continent—where only certain religious sects demanded premarital chastity from their female followers—a Taoist practitioner like him was not typically bound by such rigidities.

What mattered to Wei Wuji was that, by her own admission, she no longer loved Amango and had given herself to another. Her lack of virginity was merely a symbol—a symbol of betrayal. Had Cecily lost her virtue after parting ways with Amango, Wei Wuji would not have cared, but for her to be with someone else while Amango had set sail specifically to marry her, Wei Wuji naturally felt compelled to stand up for his friend.

His anger erupted, and he gathered immense force in his hand, ready to strike. Fortunately, a gust of sword wind stopped him; the female Smyrne had struck in time.

"You cannot hurt her. Even if she has done wrong, this remains a matter between her and that boy, Amango. You have no right to punish her!" Indira defended her friend fiercely.

Wei Wuji hesitated. If he truly wanted to kill Cecily, Indira could not stop him. However, he recalled that his friend had only asked him to ensure the safety of Cecily’s family until they reached the Revolutionary Group, and to find out why she had broken things off—he had never asked him to vent his anger for him. Recalling those days on the ship, where that innocent fellow would mention his goddess at least once a day, he wondered how heartbroken the lad would be to learn what she had become. Yet, striking this woman dead here and now would be just as difficult to account for; Wei Wuji did not know how his friend would truly face such a reality.

Unconsciously, Wei Wuji slowly withdrew his hand. He even felt a flicker of sympathy for the girl weeping before him—not of a romantic nature, but rooted in the impression she had made upon their first meeting. Privately, he had hoped to reconcile the two, both to fulfill this karmic connection and to grant his friend’s wish.

"I will not hurt you. Tell me, who is that man?" Wei Wuji asked in a deep voice.

Cecily merely closed her eyes and shook her head in agony, refusing to speak. This reignited Wei Wuji’s anger. "Do you love him so much that you won't even tell Amango his name?"

In his frustration, he raised his hand again. Sensing his murderous intent, Cecily clutched her head in pain. "No, I don't know... I love Amango, and I love him too. They are both the people I love most..."

He could not kill her without a clear understanding of the situation. Deflated, Wei Wuji lowered his hand, his anger curdling into a bitter laugh. "Fine, fine. I am truly curious as to who is so remarkable that he could make you cast aside Amango, your childhood sweetheart."

Wei Wuji mused that this must have occurred after Amango left Valencia to go to sea. It had to be someone from Cecily’s immediate circle. If there were no suspicious candidates there, only one possibility remained: someone from the Revolutionary Group. Who could it be? Grant? Leonardo? It couldn't possibly be that directionally-challenged mage or the dim-witted half-orc swordsman, could it?

Cecily remained silent. After venting for a long while, Wei Wuji heaved a long sigh. "Very well, I will ask no more. I promised Amango I would protect you until you reached the Revolutionary Group, and I will keep my word. Rest for a moment, then we shall continue on our way."

"Thank you," Cecily finally managed to whisper.

Wei Wuji looked back at her once. "No need to thank me. If you must thank someone, thank Amango. But to be honest, you have disappointed me greatly."

With that, Wei Wuji did not look at her again. Behind him, the faint sound of sobbing continued, accompanied by the comforting voice of the Smyrne woman.