I’m Competing With The Male Lead For A Woman[Gl] Chapter 101: If you tell me, maybe you’ll die a little more gracefully

The bright moon hung high in the sky, and the silver light that was pouring down illuminated Shen Lang’s facial features even more clearly.

Empress Ning looked at Shen Lang and a hoarse and intermittent laughter echoed in her throat. “Shen Lang, do you really want to avenge Shen Ronglian, or do you just want to console yourself a little so that you can sleep peacefully at night?”

Shen Lang held the nameless sword and coldly stared at Empress Ning’s face. “What I think has nothing to do with you. You will be dead soon, and saying more won’t make a difference.”

Empress Ning met Shen Lang’s gaze without any sign of weakness.

She grabbed Bai Zhu’s shoulder and laughed until her whole body shook. “Yes, you’re right. I’m dying soon. But even if I’m dead, it’s still better than you, Shen Lang, living happily.”

“Why didn’t Shen Ronglian leave with you back then? It was because your ability was limited, and you were being chased by your enemies from the past. Even self-preservation was a problem for you.”

“Yes, you doted on your sister, even giving her your own name, and were willing to let her become the first disciple of Tianya Sect…but what was the use of all that? She didn’t want to burden you, and you couldn’t save her. In the end, it was because you were powerless. You couldn’t protect Shen Jia, you couldn’t protect Shen Ronglian, you couldn’t do anything!”

“Shut up!” Shen Lang tightened his grip on the nameless sword, almost roaring in anger. “You poisonous woman! You harmed my sister and ruined Yao Country. Even if I chop you into a thousand pieces today, I still can’t relieve the hatred in my heart!”

Xiao Jin couldn’t believe that Empress Ning, who seemed to be on the brink of death, could still confront Shen Lang for so long.

As expected, before the villain died, there were countless things to do and countless words to say.

Thinking this way, Xiao Jin’s fingers quietly moved to her waist and touched the cold metal texture.

On the other side, Shen Lang was provoked by Empress Ning and no longer had the same cold attitude as before. He raised his sword and thrust it towards Bai Zhu.

Bai Zhu was skilled in tracking and lurking, but he was far behind Shen Lang in swordsmanship.

However, Bai Zhu knew that Xiao Jin was determined to protect Empress Ning’s life today.

Although he wasn’t clear about the specific reason, his master had given the order, so he had to put down Empress Ning and engage in a fight.

But after exchanging a few moves, their sword blades clashed, and Bai Zhu was at a disadvantage.

Shen Lang had no intention of engaging in a prolonged battle with Bai Zhu and attacked relentlessly without showing any mercy.

“Clang!”

The sword blades clashed once again.

However, Bai Zhu did not catch Shen Lang’s next strike.

Sweat dripped from his forehead and a sharp pain cut into his arm as the skin was sliced open by Shen Lang’s sword, leaving a deep and long gash.

He couldn’t help but grunt and quickly stepped back, but Shen Lang’s attacks did not retreat.

Shen Lang was determined to defeat Bai Zhu and kill Empress Ning, and his strikes became more fierce and unrelenting.

As Bai Zhu’s clothes were soaked in blood and his face turned pale with fear, he was pushed towards the cliff’s edge.

However, Xiao Jin remained motionless throughout the entire fight.

In fact, from the beginning until now, Xiao Jin had been sitting in her wheelchair, quietly watching the two men fight.

Her expression was calm, and she seemed to have no intention of intervening.

Shen Lang had a clear target and did not see Xiao Jin, who had lost the use of her legs, as a threat.

Even if Xiao Jin wanted to intervene, what could she do?

Although she was once the fearsome Prince Yan on the battlefield, now that she had lost the use of her legs, she was ultimately powerless.

However, Shen Lang had only guessed half of Xiao Jin’s intentions.

Xiao Jin did indeed want to intervene, but Shen Lang’s speed was too fast, and her movements were unpredictable, changing direction with each strike.

If she were to use her sleeve arrows against the enemy, she might accidentally injure Bai Zhu and harm her own teammate.

Therefore, she chose another approach: to wait.

Xiao Jin watched the wounds crisscrossing Bai Zhu’s body and felt a chill run down her fingertips, feeling somewhat reluctant to act.

However, she remained still, still waiting for an opportunity to strike. 

….

A rock fell from the edge of the cliff  and immediately plummeted into the abyss, disappearing from sight.

At this moment, Bai Zhu was already at the end of his strength, and the sword in his hand had been knocked away by Shen Lang, with no more room to retreat.

The night wind howled as the bitter curses of Empress Ning lingered in Shen Lang’s ears.

However, now that Shen Lang had the upper hand, the murmurs of the weak could no longer enter his ears.

Shen Lang took a step forward and stared at Bai Zhu expressionlessly.

This person was a young boy whose facial features had yet to fully develop.

His fair face exuded a scholarly air, if one ignored the bloodstain on the side of his face, he would appear to be a young scholar studying at a private school.

Many years ago, Shen Lang was also such a person.

Before the downfall of the Shen family, although he had learned some martial arts, his biggest wish was to become the accountant of the village.

Every day, he would do the bookkeeping, count the accounts, and watch the young boys of the Shen family grow taller and become independent disciples.

He touched the old ledger and he would slowly grow old and become an old man.

Later on, the Shen family was no more.

The abacus Shen Lang secretly hid in the cabinet was also found by the men in black, who sneered and threw it to the ground, splattering it with blood.

At this moment, holding an nameless sword, Shen Lang said calmly to Bai Zhu, “You have no choice left.”

It’s unclear whether he was speaking to Bai Zhu or to himself.

Bai Zhu didn’t answer Shen Lang’s words, he just bent down and picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground.

Shen Lang looked at Bai Zhu, slightly frowned and said, “I don’t want to kill you. You can still stop now.”

Bai Zhu’s clothes were covered in blood, but his gaze was clear and determined. He picked up the sword, his face still pale, and shook his head. “Master Shen, I won’t back down.”

Shen Lang’s expression was hazy, seemingly moved by the young man’s tenacity and bloodiness. 

However, his patience had been worn out.

Before lifting the nameless sword, Shen Lang looked at Bai Zhu coldly and said, “What a pity.”

“Since you won’t retreat, then go die,”he added.

Without further words, Shen Lang pointed the tip of his sword at Bai Zhu and mercilessly thrust it forward.

He moved with lightness and agility, like a sea dragon.

However, just as he was about to pierce Bai Zhu’s chest, his sword was abruptly halted mid-strike.

This was because he felt a strong intent to kill from someone nearby.

The killing intent was so cold and grim that when he realized what was happening, he had no choice but to retract his attack and dodge to the side.

Nevertheless, he was still cut on the knee ligament by a sharp edge that was too close for him to evade in time.

Unable to stand, Shen Lang had to support his weight with the sword blade to keep from falling to the ground.

At the same time, he quickly drew a short sword from his waist and met the opponent’s soft sword.

“Ding!”

The two swords collided, producing a sonorous sound like that of ringing metal.

Shen Lang blocked the assailant’s sword move, but when he saw who was holding the soft sword, he shouted in disbelief, “How could it be?” 

Equally incredulous was Bai Zhu, who was holding a sword with a puzzled look on his face.

If he was not mistaken, the person who had just attacked Shen Lang was the prince, right?

But the prince’s legs… weren’t they crippled?

Bai Zhu was extremely puzzled.

He looked at those pale fingers wearing jade rings and knew they belonged to the prince without a doubt.

The prince’s face was as cold as a thin mist in the woods, but the curvature of her eyebrows and eyes could not hide her beauty, even when hidden in the darkness of the night.

She was like an exquisite long sword kept in a precious box, polished and treasured for a long time, waiting only to be unsheathed and displayed in a moment of splendor. 

But the prince, the prince… 

why did she suddenly stand up?

Even though Shen Lang was injured and receiving blows, he couldn’t help but ask the question that had shocked him too much: “You can stand up? Your legs aren’t useless?”

Obviously, Shen Lang began to doubt life and the world.

Xiao Jin, who benefited from the system, chose to keep quiet at this time.

She had no intention of explaining, nor could she explain it clearly.

When Xiao Jin chose a soft sword that was not suitable for thrusting and slashing, she only had one thought in her mind.

She wanted to use the advantages of the soft sword to cut Shen Lang’s trachea and kill him.

If she had drawn her sword and attacked recklessly from the beginning, Shen Lang would have been alert.

Therefore, Xiao Jin waited.

Waiting for Shen Lang to relax and give him an unexpected fatal blow.

After a long period of forbearance, Xiao Jin finally waited for the perfect opportunity.

Shen Lang was distracted and left his back exposed to her.

If she didn’t kill him now, then when?

However, Xiao Jin underestimated Shen Lang’s reaction ability.

Seeing the opponent dodge sideways, it was probably impossible for her to cut his trachea with this sword.

So she changed direction and slashed at his knee joint.

Shen Lang’s movements were restricted, and his strength was not as good as before.

But he was at least able to fight with Chu Shao, and naturally he would not be easily killed by Xiao Jin.

Moreover, the original owner was not particularly skilled in swordsmanship, but was better at using arrows.

If it weren’t for Xiao Jin observing Chu Shao and Shen Lang exchanging blows a few times after she crossed over, and secretly learning some sword moves, she might have fallen behind at this point.

Therefore, in the face of Xiao Jin’s attack, Shen Lang only used his short sword to defend himself and protect his vital organs, which was not too difficult.

After a brief moment of confusion, Bai Zhu picked up his sword and ran towards Shen Lang: “Your Highness, I’m here to help you!”

The posture was not quite willing, but rather like a puppet being pulled over by force. 

With Bai Zhu’s addition, Shen Lang was obviously not as relaxed as before.

While struggling to deal with both of them, he had also sustained some injuries.

Xiao Jin, however, did not dare to let her guard down.

Her sword strikes became even more swift and accurate, targeting Shen Lang’s vital points.

After all, it seemed that he had been holding back and intentionally not harming her.

Presumably, he had received instructions from someone at the Blood Rain Pavilion not to harm her easily.

But even a cornered rabbit will bite back.

So before this rabbit jumped over the wall, she decided to take the initiative.

In fact, Xiao Jin’s guess was correct.

Shen Lang had not harmed her because one-third of it was due to the orders from the Blood Rain Pavilion’s Master.

The other seven-tenths were because Shen Lan was still in Xiao Jin’s hands.

If it was only to kill Bai Zhu, it wouldn’t be a problem.

Afterwards, he could still catch Xiao Jin and use her as a hostage.

The Prince Yan Mansion would not dare to refuse to release the hostage.

However, Shen Lang did not expect the situation to develop to the current state.

Not only did he fail to capture the hostage, he was also being threatened by Xiao Jin’s sword. 

It was said that one can endure anything except contemptible treatment.

Shen Lang is a well-known master in the martial arts world.

How could he be willing to be controlled by others all the time?

Besides, if he continues to procrastinate, he will eventually be exhausted and the one who dies will only be him.

Thinking like this, Shen Lang is planning to take a chance.

Who knows, before he could draw out the sword from the ground, he was strangled by a cold and huge iron chain around his neck.

He widened his eyes, raised his sword, and attacked the assailant who was holding him.

The blade cut into the flesh and came out stained with blood.

However, the Empress Ning didn’t seem to feel any pain, and let Shen Lang strike without any movement.

She tightened the lock chain on her wrist, strangling Shen Lang’s neck, and laughed wildly: “Shen Lang, Shen Lang, when you made this iron chain for me, did you ever think that you would have today too? It’s cold on the road to the underworld, come down to hell with me!”

The Empress Ning caught Shen Lang off guard, but her martial arts were weak and she couldn’t hold him for long.

However, even a moment of restraint was a good opportunity.

Xiao Jin naturally wouldn’t let this chance pass.

She suddenly raised her hand, apparently preparing to shoot the hidden arrow in her sleeve to kill Shen Lang.

Shen Lang quickly broke free from the Empress Ning’s restraint and saw Xiao Jin raise her hand.

So he decisively raised his sword, intending to cut down the arrow that was about to be shot by the opponent.

However, what he cut down was not the hidden arrow but several broken small stones.

Shen Lang was stunned for a moment, and immediately met Xiao Jin’s eyes that had no emotional fluctuations.

For a moment, he felt that he had miscalculated something.

But it seemed too late.

Feeling the threat to his life, Shen Lang decisively raised his sword and struck Xiao Jin with his strongest attack.

However, Xiao Jin held the weapon in her hand and faced the earth-shattering blow without any hesitation.

Because of her agile eyes and quick hands, she blocked the sword and reduced most of Shen Lang’s attack.

After the move, her face turned pale and she spit out a mouthful of blood.

Shen Lang’s sword pierced Xiao Jin’s arm, but Xiao Jin’s weapon also stabbed into Shen Lang’s heart.

Blood spurted out, and it was almost impossible to tell whose it was.

Shen Lang widened his eyes, but he saw clearly the weapon that Xiao Jin had taken out of her sleeve and stabbed into his chest. 

It turned out not to be a sleeve arrow, but a dagger.

The dagger is very exquisite, with a sharp blade and delicate patterns engraved on the white blade.

Before leaving the inner room,

Chu Shao had taken off the dagger from her waist and handed it to Xiao Jin, holding the scabbard with her warm palm.

She still had a smile on her lips like a gentle breeze and her fingertips brushed against the icy jade ring on the other’s finger as she softly spoke, “Your Highness, you can use this dagger for self-defense.”

Xiao Jin was about to refuse, but when she looked up, she met her smiling, pitch-black eyes.

Chu Shao said, “Your Highness, I don’t want you to get hurt.”

With just a few words, Xiao Jin had no choice but to accept it.

However, in her eyes, anyone who was stared at with such a look – let alone a dagger – would be intimidated.

At this moment, Shen Lang was touching the blade that had been thrust into his chest, his hands covered in blood.

He looked down at the dagger and, after a brief moment of stunned silence, a rare smile appeared on his cold and stern face. “So, it was this dagger.”

Xiao Jin wasn’t in a good state either.

Just now, she had forcefully endured Shen Lang’s attack, and even though she had already pulled out the sword, Bai Zhu was still hurriedly stopping her bleeding, and her face was almost transparently white.

Now, hearing Shen Lang’s words, Xiao Jin couldn’t help but frown.

She felt like the other person was very familiar with this dagger.

But she had already stabbed him in the heart with the blade and had no worries, so there was no need to follow up with more attacks.

Shen Lang held the handle of the dagger and knew that his life was slowly flowing out of his body.

He was dying.

Before he died, he saw the moonlight shining on the tip of the blade, and suddenly remembered a day many years ago.

At that time, Tianya Sect was recruiting disciples.

Shen Lang had no interest in apprenticeship and did not pay attention to it.

Instead, he gave his name to his most beloved younger sister and crafted a delicate and slender dagger, which he gave to her.

Shen Ronglian held the dagger with a still-faint smile and spoke very seriously, “Thank you, elder brother.”

The thank you was not just for the dagger, but also for another thing that made her grateful.

Shen Lang was a silent person, but when he said goodbye to his younger sister, he talked endlessly.

Until the moonlight spread all over the Shen family’s estate, he stopped and told Shen Ronglian, “It’s getting late, you should go with father now.”

Shen Ronglian put the dagger in her bag and nodded. “The mountain is far away and the road is long. Elder brother need not see me off, I’ll take care of myself.”

Shen Lang didn’t say anything, just watched Shen Ronglian step by step move forward. 

Towards a darker but also wider world.

He looked at his younger sister’s back and suddenly asked, “Ronglian, when will you come back after you go to Tianya Sect?”

Shen Ronglian turned around and looked at her elder brother standing on the opposite bank.

Across the long river, she said to Shen Lang, “Elder brother, when the moon shines on Shenjiazhuang, I will come back.”

“But I don’t know when the moon will shine on Shenjiazhuang.” Shen Lang frowned.

He was good at accounting but couldn’t calculate the moon.

Shen Ronglian smiled lightly, pointing to the moon in the sky with her hand. “Elder Brother, it’s always there.”

….

Shen Lang raised his head and looked at the bright moon in the sky, falling off the cliff.

His body was brushed by the clear and soft moonlight.

The bloody clothes seemed to have a layer of silver veil.

Seeing that the other party was dead, Xiao Jin’s face was very pale, but she still thoughtfully took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped the dagger clean before putting it back in its sheath.

After all, this was Chu Shao’s thing, and she didn’t want to get it dirty.

As for why there was a relieved smile on Shen Lang’s face when he died, it was not within her consideration.

Bai Zhu tore off a piece of cloth from his clothes.

He didn’t ask why Xiao Jin suddenly stood up, but kept silent and made a simple bandage for her.

After bandaging, Bai Zhu looked at Shen Lang who was lying in a pool of blood, a little worried. “Your Highness, you killed Shen Lang. I’m afraid it will cause some trouble.”

Although he was young, Bai Zhu was not an inexperienced youth who didn’t know what sorrow was.

He naturally understood that once Shen Lang died, his loyalists would come for revenge.

“I’m not afraid of trouble.”

Xiao Jin’s words were very arrogant, but her tone was extremely calm. “Moreover, Shen Lang should have died a long time ago.”

She remembered that a little girl had died under Shen Lang’s sword.

Several months had passed, but she still hadn’t forgotten.

It’s just that this sword…

Xiao Jin looked at the nameless sword that fell to the ground, wanting to pick it up, but it was picked up by the seemingly insane Empress Ning, who hugged it in her arms.

Not only did she pick it up, but she also climbed to Shen Lang’s corpse and laughed heartily, “Good death, good death! How dare you take this sword!”

“…”

Both had their legs useless, but why did Empress Ning feel so much more agile and flexible than herself?

Xiao Jin didn’t have time to investigate further, listening to the rustling of leaves in the forest, she said in a low voice, “If you want to kill me, don’t hesitate, come out all of you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, several black-clothed figures wearing blood-red masks emerged from the woods.

Seeing Shen Lang’s body lying in a pool of blood, they were filled with grief and anger, and rushed towards the corpse, shouting, “Master!”

Hearing this title, Xiao Jin immediately understood. The people who came should be disciples of the Shen family village. It seems that the information obtained by Nan Jin was also wrong. There were survivors from the Shen family village, who managed to escape.

After trying to feed Shen Lang some medicine, the black-clothed figures realized that it was too late.

With a swish, they drew their swords and pointed them at Xiao Jin, angrily saying, “Kill her and avenge the Master!”

“Yes! Kill her!”

Facing the shining white blades of the black-clothed figures, even though they were fierce, Xiao Jin did not panic. She just asked the system, “What are my chances of winning?”

The system replied, “Based on the current state of the host and Bai Zhu’s abilities, the chances of winning are probably close to zero.”

“… ” Xiao Jin asked sincerely, “Can I use the golden finger?”

If she didn’t get some kind of boost now, it would be really disappointing.

However, the system really disappointed her. “Although the system is not quite sure what the host means by ‘golden finger’, it can add a layer of protagonist aura for you.”

Hearing the words “protagonist aura”, Xiao Jin immediately understood. “What aura?”

She was thinking whether to go for a cross-tier kill or to consume a big Huan Dan and max out her martial power.

The mechanical voice of the system was very friendly, revealing the answer, “It’s the protagonist aura of the ‘Surviving a Cliff Fall’ skill.”

“… ” Xiao Jin fell silent.

“And,” the system continued, “the range of the host’s aura is very large, it can cover two to three people around her and keep them from harm.”

“It’s still somewhat useful.” Xiao Jin gave her evaluation.

However, it was completely unrelated to “boosting”. At best, it was better than nothing.

In the face of the attack of the black-clothed men, before the system could finish its last sentence, Xiao Jin decisively grabbed Bai Zhu, who was about to draw his sword.

As soon as he spoke, he left the other party completely confused: “Bai Zhu, do you believe me?”

Seeing the sword almost coming down on his head, Bai Zhu panicked.

Why was the prince asking such a question at this time?!

Considering that Xiao Jin was still his master, he nodded symbolically while drawing his sword: “Of course, Your Highness, I believe you.”

Unexpectedly, the next moment, to the stunned gaze of the black-clothed men and Bai Zhu, Xiao Jin grabbed Bai Zhu and pulled Empress Ning who was still laughing beside Shen Lang’s body.

Then, swiftly and neatly, she leaped off the cliff.

Leaving behind a group of disordered black-clothed men and the purple bamboo wheelchair stained with blood. 

This… Did she just jump off?

“Jumped down?” One of the black-clothed men took a step forward and looked at the abyss below, which seemed to have no end.

He sighed, “No wonder he is the Prince of Yan. He is really ruthless.”

Another person silently shifted his gaze to the leader, “Boss, Prince Yan has already jumped off the cliff. Should we still take a detour to chase after him at the bottom?”

The leader of the black-clothed men was silent for a moment and said slowly, “No need.”

“Prince Yan is not an immortal, and jumping off the cliff undoubtedly means certain death. Instead of looking for Prince Yan, we should find a stretcher and carry the master back.”

A subordinate asked cautiously, “Boss, do we need to carry the master back to the Blood Rain Pavilion now?”

“The Blood Rain Pavilion doesn’t care about the life and death of the master. We cannot stay here,” the leader said with a hint of viciousness in his tone.

However, due to his overwhelming emotions, he didn’t notice the slow and deliberate footsteps in the woods.

The subordinates were about to lift Shen Lang’s body when a gentle voice floated in with the night wind, “Wait.”

The leader of the black-clothed men frowned slightly and turned his head, but was stunned.

Because that person was dressed in white with blood stains, holding a sword with a gleaming tip and a few drops of blood dripping from it. 

The person was elegant and graceful.

Graceful and elegant, her clothes fluttered in the wind.

Her lips curved into a faint smile, as beautiful as a demon who had absorbed vital energy.

As she walked slowly under the moonlight, this woman undoubtedly gave people a sense of unease.

At first, her steps were extremely slow and leisurely.

But when she saw the lone wheelchair on the edge of the cliff, her feet suddenly stopped.

For a moment, the leader of the black-clothed men felt that a naive confusion appeared on the woman’s face.

Then, the smile on her lips disintegrated and disappeared into the snowy moonlight.

The leader of the black-clothed men did not see how Chu Shao moved.

In an instant, a sense of hovering and suffocation overwhelmed him.

He flailed his legs in the air, his eyes widened in an attempt to scream, but to no avail.

Chu Shao’s fingers were as soft as boneless.

When she smiled and grabbed the black-clothed leader’s neck, it seemed as if she only lightly stretched out her hand and brushed away the willow branches blocking her vision.

However, the black-clothed men struggled in terror like a drowning man.

His mask fell to the ground, revealing his red and bulging face, as well as the veins that bulged on his neck.

The remaining black-clothed men panicked and clenched their swords with trembling voices, shouting, “Put down our leader!”

Chu Shao’s clothes were cut with many bloody wounds by the sword blades, making her look like a shattered porcelain vessel that had been salvaged from a bamboo basket soaked in blood.

Her face was pale and sickly, but her lips still curled into a gentle smile.

She softly asked the black-clothed men, who was hanging in the air by his feet, “Where did you hide her?”

“If you tell me, maybe you’ll die a little more gracefully.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator’s note: Wa! Wa! Wa! Finally, Xiao Jin walked~ 🤧 That’s really awesome! Ahem… Chu Shao will go crazy again.

TO BE CONTINUE…