Chapter Sixteen: The Meeting That Changed History (Part Two)

"The Champion General's son? You actually transmigrated into the body of the Champion General's son?" Ming Tian's eyes bulged round with disbelief.

Cui Jue lifted his chin with pride, as if flaunting his thunderous jaw. "Hmph, what do you think? Are you scared now? Anyone who knows a bit about the history of the Northern and Southern Dynasties knows what an extraordinary figure the Champion General was."

"Oh," Ming Tian nodded repeatedly, then said, "Sorry, I have no idea."

That answer nearly sent Cui Jue stumbling to the ground.

"Then what the hell were you 'oh'-ing for?"

Ming Tian pouted innocently. "It sounded impressive, so I just played along."

His words made Cui Jue a bit angry and embarrassed.

In the Southern Qi, if you want to talk about famous figures, there are only a handful: Marquis Donghun Xiao Baojuan, Lord of Panyang Chen Xianda, and Champion General Cui Huijing.

Of course, for those who have transmigrated to this era, most would also know of another figure not recorded in the official history, the most beautiful woman of the age: Princess Jiangmen Xiao Xinzhui.

"Are you uncultured? You don't even know who my father is?" Cui Jue cursed, frustrated at failing to impress Ming Tian with his illustrious lineage.

"I used to be a mere office worker, not a history professor. How on earth would I know all that? And anyway, what does your background have to do with me?"

Ming Tian was helpless.

The bits of history he knew—like Emperor Ming of Qi dying in half a year, Marquis Donghun ascending, the chaos of the Five Barbarians—were all things Yin Chan had told him when they first met.

Is it a crime not to know history? Where's the law that says you must be a history expert to transmigrate?

"Fine, fine." Cui Jue waved him off, nodding furiously as if trying to keep his temper in check. "I won't argue with an idiot like you. Today, you've destroyed my stronghold—do you know who you've offended? Let me tell you, Yin Chan is someone our organization, the Chaos Rift, has set its sights on. Either surrender or die. If you know what's good for you, get lost! And I might just pretend today's events never happened."

Despite Cui Jue's fierce demeanor, Ming Tian noticed the uncertainty in his voice; his inner anxiety was clear, belying his outward calm.

But compared to that, Ming Tian found something else in Cui Jue's words intriguing.

"Chaos Rift? What kind of name is that?"

Cui Jue was about to speak, but the captive Yin Chan beat him to it. "It's an organization opposed to the Transmigrators' Alliance, also made up of transmigrators. Its scale is quite large—at least four times the size of the Alliance in both strength and numbers."

Quite large?

What an unremarkable name.

Ming Tian felt embarrassed just saying it, as if the very syllables caused him stomach pain.

"Seriously, your leader has no taste. What's with 'Chaos' and 'Rift'? Have you watched too much SCP? Why not call yourselves the 'Wonton Rippers'? Or the 'Bastard Fissures'?"

Cui Jue's face twisted into an expression of mockery, as if ridiculing Ming Tian's ignorance.

Yin Chan, meanwhile, sighed helplessly. "Ming Tian, you'd best leave quickly. They're not people you can mess with. If you get tangled up, you might lose your life."

Cui Jue, hearing this, became even more arrogant, laughing loudly.

"Did you hear that, kid? If you don't want to die, get lost! Yin Chan belongs to our organization."

Hey, shouldn't such lines be delivered with your henchmen backing you up? Right now, your back is surrounded by corpses, not followers. You have zero credibility!

Ming Tian shook his head in resignation. Clearly, despite Cui Jue's aggressive posturing, his inner anxiety was all too obvious.

"Enough with the banter—let's end this here."

Uncharacteristically, Ming Tian adopted a serious expression; a murderous gleam flashed in his eyes like a razor's edge.

"Sorry, but my brother is bleeding, my girlfriend is waiting for me two hundred sixty kilometers away, and I have no patience left. So you have two choices: let Yin Chan go and leave, or I'll castrate you, take Yin Chan back, and then kick you out myself."

Though Ming Tian was usually playful, when he became serious, he was deadly.

His sudden shift in demeanor made Cui Jue's body tremble; even the flesh on his cheeks quivered, fear plain on his face.

"Hmph, do you think you even have the right to negotiate with me?" Cui Jue pressed his blade closer to Yin Chan's throat.

On her swan-like neck, a bloody line appeared. With a bit more pressure, he could sever her artery and end her life.

"Is that so? Looks like I'll have to castrate you, then."

Ming Tian sighed calmly, then raised his hand and, with lightning speed, loosed an arrow at Cui Jue.

Cui Jue, inheriting the physical prowess of a warrior, dodged sharply.

But that was precisely what Ming Tian expected.

In a fight, sometimes brains trump brawn!

To dodge, Cui Jue moved his head behind Yin Chan's, creating a brief moment of visual obscurity.

Losing sight, Cui Jue cursed inwardly and tried to slide his blade to cut Yin Chan's throat.

Now!

Ming Tian pushed off with his legs, using every ounce of his body's strength, and lunged forward. He grabbed the blade pressed against Yin Chan's neck, using his palm as a shield to block the fatal strike.

A sickening sound—his palm split open, blood spraying in the torchlight like a blossoming lotus.

"Yin Chan, get clear!"

With a shouted command, Yin Chan seized the opportunity and twisted her body sideways. Though still held by Cui Jue, she managed to expose Cui Jue's head to Ming Tian's attack.

"You..." Realizing the situation was dire, Cui Jue released Yin Chan and tried to retreat.

But it was too late!

"There's a reason villains die from talking too much. Reflect on that when you meet the King of Hell!"

"If you have the guts, try it!" Even at this critical moment, Cui Jue managed a defiant laugh.

Ming Tian suddenly realized the sleeve arrow was on the hand he'd used to grab the blade; in his panic, he hadn't thought of that. Now, despite the perfect opening, he had nothing to kill Cui Jue with.

The nearest blade was An Luo's broken sword, but it was three steps away. He couldn't release his grip on Cui Jue's blade, or in that instant, the knife would take his life.

What to do?

"Kill me if you can! If you don't, I'll kill you!" Cui Jue laughed maniacally, drawing a hidden dagger from his belt with his free hand.

"Die, die, die!"

"Goldfish man, die laughing!"

In this moment of deadly tension, Ming Tian acted.

No weapon? Who says there's no weapon? Isn't the weapon right on him?

From his chest, Ming Tian pulled out the Spring Goose mushroom he'd used earlier against the bandits. He'd intended to keep it as a last resort—if his plan failed, he could eat it to die painlessly. Unexpectedly, it became his salvation.

With all his strength, Ming Tian smashed the mushroom onto Cui Jue's face.

How tender is a mushroom? How juicy is a roasted mushroom? At this moment, Cui Jue's face became a perfect demonstration.

The mushroom burst, turning to mush, its juices smeared all over his face.

Ming Tian lamented the waste—he'd wanted to stuff it into Cui Jue's mouth, but the man had closed it in panic.

But it was enough!

The venomous juice, mixed with pepper, seeped into Cui Jue's right eye, causing unimaginable agony.

Ming Tian never expected that, in this critical moment, a tiny poisonous mushroom would save his life.

"Ahhh! My eye!" Almost instantly, Cui Jue's right eye was blinded; his left eye likely got a bit as well, leaving him unable to open them from the pain.

"I'll kill you! I'm going to kill you!"

In a frenzy, blinded and enraged, Cui Jue slashed wildly with his dagger.

Ming Tian jumped aside, but was a moment too slow.

By sheer luck, Cui Jue's blade struck Ming Tian's thigh.

Agony shot through him as he collapsed, his thigh slashed open five centimeters deep and over ten centimeters long, a wound that sent pain lancing through his body.

"You nearly chopped off my manhood, bastard!" Ming Tian raised his hand and shot an arrow—his last—hitting Cui Jue's shoulder.

Cui Jue didn't know it was Ming Tian's final arrow; the pain in his shoulder made him lucid.

His right eye was useless, his left barely functional.

Ming Tian's thigh was wounded, making movement impossible.

But Yin Chan, now free, grabbed a blade. Seeing his advantage lost, Cui Jue was furious.

"You... you're gutsy!"

He rushed to the stables, slashing the ropes holding the doors, seized a swift horse, and prepared to flee.

"Ming Tian, is it? I'll remember you! You, Yin Chan, and that native—this grudge, the Chaos Rift will repay a hundredfold!"

With that, he whipped his horse, which neighed and charged into the forest, disappearing into the night.

Thus ended the battle.

As the dust settled, Ming Tian finally collapsed, exhausted.

Was this victory at last? It had certainly been a messy display.

Watching Cui Jue disappear into the distance, Yin Chan felt a creeping sense of unease.

We are in the past. We are transmigrators. Our actions will alter history.

Yin Chan's intuition told her that today's meeting between Ming Tian and Cui Jue would unleash a change in history too great to ever be undone.

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