Chapter 201
A few days later, the warm sunshine of Shangyuan City, which had been sunny for days, disappeared. Dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the fierce wind blew all morning but failed to bring rain. It wasn't until noon that a few belated claps of spring thunder sounded.
“It hasn’t rained since the beginning of spring this year, but it should rain today,” Lu Huaiwei said to Man Jiangxue across from her as she brewed tea. “What does Uncle-Master want to discuss with me at this time?”
There weren't many people in Mingguang Hall. Man Jiangxue moved the incense burner on the table, brushed away the smoke, and said, "Where are the sect leader and Bai Ling?"
“I sent Bai Ling to keep watch in the city,” Lu Huaiwei said. “My martial aunt arrived late and doesn’t know yet. The sect leader has been working too hard lately and suddenly developed a high fever last night. He’s lying in his bedchamber.”
Man Jiangxue took a sip of tea, got up and went inside. Lifting the curtain, she saw Xie Yijun lying on the bed, her forehead covered with a handkerchief, fast asleep. She seemed to be talking in her sleep. Two disciples were guarding the bedside. When they saw Man Jiangxue appear, they stood up respectfully and bowed to her.
“The disciples from the Medical Pavilion have already come. They said that the sect leader was overworked and fell ill from worry. He collapsed as soon as the weather changed,” Lu Huaiwei said from behind. “He has taken the medicine, but there is no improvement. He still has a fever and probably won’t wake up today.”
Man Jiangxue hummed in agreement, then turned back to sit down in the outer hall and asked, "Have the letters I asked you to send to the major cities been delivered?"
Lu Huaiwei said, "Don't worry, Uncle-Master. This matter was taken care of two days ago. As long as there are no accidents on the way, and the messenger disciples are riding good horses, it should arrive in a few days."
Man Jiangxue said, "Wan Shu hasn't returned yet, and Bai Ling lacks experience, so you'll be in charge of Shangyuan City for now." She handed over a drawing, "This is what I drew this morning. It's very detailed. Use this to arrange the manpower and make sure there are no mistakes. Although you haven't fully recovered, you can move around freely and going down the mountain won't be a problem. You don't need to worry about this. Just do as I say and try to get it done in the next couple of days. If there are any issues, be sure to report them as soon as possible."
Lu Huaiwei took the blueprint and found that it not only arranged guards inside and outside the city, but also around Yunhua Mountain. It was as if the disciples were to completely surround Yunhua Palace. She couldn't help but ask in confusion, "Why did you suddenly decide to strengthen the defenses at this time? Is something going to happen?"
The thunder rumbled in the distance, but soon it was close by. Man Jiangxue said, "Prevention is better than cure. Meng Wugui has been silent since he took over Mingyue Tower, and there's been no news from Nangong Min either. Even the mastermind behind the secret guards hasn't caused any trouble lately. Don't you think these days have been too peaceful?"
Lu Huaiwei was taken aback and said, "That's right. On the surface, everything seems calm, but there must be undercurrents surging beneath the surface. Martial Uncle is indeed very thoughtful. We really have to prepare early." She paused and then added, "Speaking of which, this man really did unintentionally achieve his goal. He wanted to frame Junior Sister Fu to put Hall Master Meng at a disadvantage, but unexpectedly, Hall Master Meng simply killed Pavilion Master Fu and made Junior Sister Fu the official head of the family. Now that Mingyue Pavilion is under Hall Master Meng's control, he is helpless and has put himself in a passive position again. It's true that fortunes change."
“Because he didn’t have much of an advantage in his game with Meng Wugui,” Man Jiangxue said. “A person who has something on his hands and doesn’t know when the other party will reveal everything can only do some small things in secret. He doesn’t dare to confront Meng Wugui openly. But he can’t kill Meng Wugui, and he can’t deal with Mingyue Tower right now. If it weren’t for Xiao Qiu and Nangong Min interfering, making it difficult for Meng Wugui to act easily, this person would have been exposed long ago.”
Hearing her mention Yin Qiu, Lu Huaiwei naturally became worried and said, "Since his situation is already so dire, as soon as Master Meng arrives, he will inevitably reveal his true colors. What if he runs away one day after hearing the news? It's not a problem if he runs away, but I'm afraid that before he runs away, he will kidnap Xiao Qiu like Senior Sister Ye did back then. That would be bad."
“That’s why I want you to get your manpower in place as soon as possible and control all the exits leading to the area outside Shangyuan City,” Man Jiangxue said. “Whether Meng Wugui is coming or he is trying to escape, as long as we take precautions beforehand, neither of them will be able to come or go quietly.”
Lu Huaiwei said, "In that case, we're the most passive ones. We have to guard against both Hall Master Meng and this person. If Hall Master Meng attacks the mountain and that person sees the situation is not good and takes advantage of the chaos to escape, even if we guard all the exits, if the fighting starts in the palace, we may not be able to stop him." After thinking for a moment, she added, "Furthermore, there aren't many disciples left in the palace. If Mingyue Tower and Jiuxian Hall come together, what if they really break through the palace gates?"
Man Jiangxue pondered for a moment and said, "This is precisely why I asked you to recall all the disciples from the post stations in the major cities. As long as they can arrive in time, and given that I sent messages to the other allied sects a couple of days ago, I think we shouldn't suffer a defeat when we fight Meng Wugui. But there is no absolutely perfect plan in this world, and this is not foolproof either. After you go down the mountain, you must focus on searching the city. Perhaps Meng Wugui has already sent people to infiltrate the city. If there are any suspicious people, investigate them thoroughly before detaining them. Remember not to harm the innocent."
Lu Huaiwei fell silent and said, "Has this day really come? Master Meng came prepared. Besides a direct attack, she must have other schemes. Even if we can foresee her coming and make corresponding preparations in advance, we still don't know what she will do."
"Now we just need to see if Wan Shu has found out anything. She should be back in the next couple of days," Man Jiangxue said. "There's no need to worry too much. We need to control this area so we can know about any disturbances immediately. Meng Wugui is coming with a lot of people, and she won't be able to do it quietly. Also, we need to start relocating the people in the city. We need to negotiate with the government and move them to a safe place outside the city. Although Meng Wugui wants revenge, she won't harm innocent civilians. It's much better to move them outside the city than to leave them in the city and be caught in the crossfire."
Lu Huaiwei agreed to everything, but before leaving, she asked, "By the way, where did Xiao Qiu go? It would be best if Martial Uncle stayed with her and didn't leave her alone."
Man Jiangxue said, "She went to Wenxin Peak to visit Meng Jing early this morning. I'll go find her. You go down the mountain first. I'll personally go into the city to inspect later."
Lu Huaiwei said "okay" and then led a group of disciples down the mountain. Man Jiangxue returned to her bedroom and checked on Xie Yijun. Seeing that she was delirious with fever and her forehead was burning hot, she instructed two disciples to take good care of her before heading to Wenxin Peak.
Meng Jing's residence was in Elder Xu's courtyard, not in the disciples' quarters with the other disciples. When Man Jiangxue arrived, according to etiquette, she should first greet Elder Xu, but before she could knock on the door, an unfamiliar female disciple came into the corridor and said, "Is Martial Aunt here to see Elder Xu? He took the senior brothers to the mountains to dig for medicinal herbs a long time ago, and he probably won't be back until dark."
Man Jiangxue pushed open the door and found it empty. Turning around, she saw no one else in the courtyard and asked, "Have you seen Meng Jing and Xiao Qiu?"
“I saw them, and the two of them went with him,” the female disciple said. “Senior Brother Meng’s heart ailment comes and goes quickly. He’s been much better these past two days. Elder Xu told him to go to the mountains more often to smell the fragrance of the grass and trees. Walking around in the spring is good for his health. When Senior Sister Yin heard this, she insisted on going to the mountains to catch two rabbits to play with, and Elder Xu allowed her to go with him.”
Man Jiangxue frowned slightly and looked up at the sky.
Following her gaze, the female disciple also looked up at the gloomy sky and smiled, "Uncle, don't worry. Elder Xu has spent most of his life digging for medicinal herbs in various spiritual mountains. He is very good at reading the weather. He said before he left that on days like this, when it only thunders but doesn't rain, it's easiest to have unexpected gains. Many of the rare medicinal herbs he dug up in the past were found in such weather. He also said that the rain won't fall until night."
Upon hearing this, Man Jiangxue's eyes flickered, and she turned her gaze to the female disciple, scrutinizing her for a moment before saying, "I've never seen you before."
“I was assigned to Wenxin Peak after the new disciple assembly last August,” the female disciple said. “I haven’t been in the palace long, so my master naturally doesn’t have much of an impression of me.”
Man Jiangxue genuinely had no recollection of her. Of course, the palace received new disciples every year, and the number of people from various peaks and lineages totaled at least eight hundred, if not a thousand; no one could remember every face after a single glance. Man Jiangxue observed that her demeanor was poised and confident, unlike the timid demeanor of a new disciple meeting her, and thus took a second look. But upon closer inspection, Man Jiangxue noticed that the waist badge hanging on her waist was not from Wenxin Peak, but from Liuli Peak.
"Where did you get this waist tag?" Man Jiangxue asked casually as she walked into the courtyard.
"It was given by Senior Sister Bai Ling," the female disciple replied, following Man Jiangxue's footsteps. "She came to our place early this morning, asking Elder Xu to borrow some people to do odd jobs at Liuli Peak. We newcomers naturally volunteered. After we got to Liuli Peak, Senior Sister Bai Ling gave us this waist token so we could move around more freely. When I came back, I heard that she had gone down the mountain, so I can only wait for her to come back before returning it to her."
Man Jiangxue pushed open Meng Jing's door, but there was no one inside. She turned her head slightly, and the female disciple met her gaze with a faint smile, saying, "Don't you believe me, Martial Aunt? Everyone's gone. There are only a few disciples left in the backyard. We just returned from Liuli Peak not long ago. If Senior Sister Bai Ling hadn't come looking for us, we should have gone with Elder Xu to the mountains to learn more about medicinal herbs."
Man Jiangxue asked, "Which mountain did they go to?"
The female disciple said, "They said they were going to Xiaohe Mountain, but they stopped whenever they wanted to dig for medicinal herbs. I don't know where they are now, but judging from the current situation, they should still be at Xiaohe Mountain."
Xiaohe Mountain and Yunhua Mountain are adjacent, without any river separating them. You can reach them by descending from the back of the mountain and following the path. Man Jiangxue immediately descended the steps, but after taking a few steps, she turned and went to the back courtyard. Sure enough, several female disciples were there. Man Jiangxue asked a few questions, and what these female disciples said matched what the female disciple from before had said. Man Jiangxue then turned around and said, "Lead the way."
The female disciple nodded and said "yes," then led the way for Man Jiangxue. The two left Wenxin Peak and went to the back mountain, descending along a secluded path and ascending the mountain. After walking for about half an hour, they saw Elder Xu leading a group of disciples, squatting in the forest digging for something.
Man Jiangxue saw Meng Jing, but not Yin Qiu.
"Hey...? What brings Martial Aunt here!" Someone with sharp eyes spotted Man Jiangxue from afar, and the disciples immediately stood up and rushed towards her.
Man Jiangxue narrowed her eyes, about to speak, when she saw the female disciple standing to her side suddenly roll her eyes and fall to the ground. She then foamed at the mouth, convulsed, and lost consciousness in no time. Her face turned ashen.
"Oh dear, what's wrong with this child?" Elder Xu quickly took the child's pulse, but his expression changed drastically. "How... how could he be dead?"
The disciples were all shocked upon hearing this, completely unprepared for the scene before them. Man Jiangxue's expression turned cold as she looked at Meng Jing and asked, "Where is Xiao Qiu?"
Meng Jing looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "Yin Qiu? Wasn't she summoned to Shangyuan City by Bai Ling on your orders?"
Upon hearing what she said, Man Jiangxue felt a chill run down her spine. Almost as soon as Meng Jing finished speaking, she took flight and returned the way she came. When she arrived at Wenxin Peak, she found that the female disciples in the backyard had all disappeared without a trace, as if they had never existed.
Without a moment's hesitation, Man Jiangxue took out her dagger, drew her longsword, and, gripping Ning Shuang, prepared to descend the mountain. However, just as she reached the palace gate, she suddenly stopped abruptly, turned around, and leaped over the palace wall into the Mingguang Hall.
Man Jiangxue charged straight in, using the tip of her sword to lift the curtain. Xie Yijun was still lying on the bed. The two disciples inside, seeing her carrying a sword with a fierce aura and a face as cold as ice, as if she were about to kill someone, were stunned and speechless.
Seeing that Xie Yijun was still there, Man Jiangxue ran outside again. She alarmed many people along the way. The disciples, unaware of the situation, could only follow her.
"Uncle-Master! What happened?"
Amidst her busy schedule, Man Jiangxue replied, "No need to follow me. The sect leader is unwell. Guard the Mingguang Hall well!"
After saying that, she didn't give her disciples a chance to react and hurriedly went down the mountain, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
·
An hour and a half ago, at Wenxin Peak.
"Master is going to take us to Xiaohe Mountain to dig for medicinal herbs later," Meng Jing said to Yin Qiu, who was pouring medicine for her outside, after adding a thick coat in the inner room. "Do you want to go? Consider it a spring outing."
Yin Qiu put down the medicine pot, took a small bamboo fan to cool down the medicine, and thought for a moment before saying, "Going is fine, but I have to inform my martial aunt first, so she won't worry if she can't find me."
Meng Jing said, "Then I'll go with you..."
Before she could finish speaking, there was a sudden knock on the door, and Bai Ling's voice rang out from outside, calling out, "Meng Jing! Is Xiao Qiu here with you?"
Yin Qiu immediately opened the door and said with a smile, "I'm here. What can I do for you?"
Bai Ling said, "I just received an order from Senior Sister Lu. Senior Sister Ji is not here, and there is no one to guard Shangyuan City. She asked me to go and keep an eye on things. I was about to leave the palace when my Martial Uncle sent someone to find me. He said that I should call you along too. After she and Senior Sister Lu finish discussing things, they will go to the city to meet us."
Yin Qiu asked, "Is my martial aunt also going down the mountain? Did she say what she was going to do in the city?"
“They say Meng Wugui is going to attack Yunhua soon, so they need to strengthen the defenses around Shangyuan City and Yunhua Mountain,” Bai Ling said. “Didn’t Uncle ask Senior Sister Lu to bring back the disciples from the major cities a couple of days ago? I guess they’re planning a strategy. You used to guard the city with Senior Sister Ji and Senior Sister Lu, but I’ve never done it. Uncle probably wants you to mentor me.”
Yin Qiu said "Oh" and readily agreed, "Alright then, I'll go with you."
The two nodded to Meng Jing in turn and left Wenxin Peak together. When they were about to step down the mountain after leaving the palace gate, Yin Qiu looked back and thought that Mingguang Palace was not far away. He thought he might as well go and inform Man Jiangxue before leaving. So he said to Bai Ling, "Wait for me. I still need to go and say hello to my uncle."
Bai Ling teased, "Go away, go away, you really can't even bear to look away for a second."
Yin Qiu smiled and immediately dismounted. Just then, a female disciple wearing a Liuli Peak waist tag came out of the palace gate, carrying a brocade robe with the words "Manjiangxue" draped over her hand. The female disciple said, "Senior Sister Yin, this was sent to me by my martial aunt. She said the weather is getting colder today, and she wants you to wear this to keep warm so you don't catch a cold."
Yin Qiu's eyes lit up, and she happily sniffed the fragrance on the brocade robe. The female disciple continued, "Master Uncle also said that it might rain at night, and that you and Senior Sister Bai Ling should finish your patrol as soon as possible so that she won't have to patrol anymore once she gets to the city. Senior Sister Lu still has a lot of things to discuss with Master Uncle to come up with a concrete plan, so it will probably take a while longer. However, by the time you get to the city, Master Uncle will probably be able to set off."
Yin Qiu put on the robe, and since Man Jiangxue had specially sent someone to deliver the message, he gave up the idea of going to Mingguang Hall and replied, "Alright, we'll go now. Thank you for your trouble."
The female disciple smiled slightly and said, "You're welcome." Yin Qiu then remounted his horse and went to Shangyuan City with Bai Ling.
Upon arriving at their destination, the two inspected various parts of the city and then visited each of the outposts in the mountains and forests. After confirming that there was nothing unusual, they returned to the city together.
Thunder rumbled intermittently, but the rain remained slow to fall. The two chatted idly on the city wall for a while, and Bai Ling asked, "Didn't you say you were going to some perfume shop? Go on, but I can't go with you; I'm on duty and can't leave."
Yin Qiu leaped off the city wall and landed on the ground, turning back as she said, "Then wait for me, I'll be right back!"
Bai Ling responded from above, and Yin Qiu followed the route she remembered towards Lotus Street. There were signs of a change in the weather today; there were far fewer pedestrians than usual, and many shops were closed. Yin Qiu turned the corner and entered the perfume shop with practiced ease. Several girls greeted her warmly and asked with smiles, "What would you like to buy, miss? You can try out the perfumes in our shop; you can just look without buying."
Yin Qiu glanced at them a few times and noticed that the girl who had greeted her last time didn't seem to be among them. So she calmly told a lie and said, "Every time I come here, a girl greets me. She knows me well and knows what I like. It seems she's not here today. Is it her turn to rest?"
Hearing her words, the girls seemed to understand her meaning. One of them asked, "May I ask if you are a disciple of Yunhua? And is your surname Yin?"
Yin Qiu observed the other person discreetly and said, "Exactly."
The girls exchanged glances and immediately signaled to the servant standing outside the door to close the door.
“Then Miss Yin, please come upstairs with me. Our Senior Brother Shen is upstairs. He has been back for a few days, but your Yunhua Palace has suddenly increased its guard these past two days. He hasn’t been able to find a suitable opportunity to see you. He has been waiting for many days, and he is finally looking forward to your arrival.”
As she spoke, she went up the stairs first, gesturing for Yin Qiu to follow. For some reason, Yin Qiu felt that the atmosphere in the store was different from when she last came. Looking around, she realized that the people today all seemed unfamiliar, unlike the group she had met last time.
What's even stranger is that there wasn't a single other customer in the entire store besides her.
Yin Qiu couldn't help but feel a little wary. He calmly followed the girl up two steps of the wooden stairs. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the servant at the door still swaying. Yin Qiu sensed something and looked back. He found that the servant had not only closed the door, but also bolted it.
Yin Qiu paused in her steps.
The girl who was leading the way saw that she was staring at that spot, so she explained, "This is what Senior Brother Shen instructed. He said he has something important to discuss with you. If you come, it would be best to close the shop temporarily to prevent anyone from following you and coming in pretending to be a customer to eavesdrop."
Yin Qiu lowered her eyes slightly, her gaze shifting, and then suddenly looked up and smiled, "Since Young Master Shen is upstairs and the door is closed, why don't you ask him to come down and see me?" As she spoke, she turned and walked to the shelf where rouge and face powder were displayed. "I happen to be missing some things and want to pick out two boxes of rouge. Young Master Shen and I are on good terms, so having him come down and give me two boxes will save me some money."
The girl stood on the stairs and looked down at the group of people. Without changing her expression, she said, "I'm afraid that won't work. Miss, you don't know, but our Senior Brother Shen is injured and can't get out of bed. I'll take care of the rouge you need. You can choose as much as you want when you leave. But for now, please come upstairs with me."
"What do you think is written on my face?" Yin Qiu suddenly asked a seemingly random question.
"Words?" The girl was puzzled, but still maintained her smile and said, "Does the young lady like to joke? Your face is clean, how could there be any words written on it?"
“I’m afraid that’s not the case,” Yin Qiu said. “I think in your eyes, I should have the word ‘stupid’ written on my face.”
The girl looked at her and smiled somewhat reluctantly: "Miss Yin, do you want to see Senior Brother Chen or not? It's rare for you to come down the mountain, and you've been out alone for too long. It will arouse suspicion. If the people who are following you find their way here, it will not only cause trouble, but also implicate us."
Yin Qiu said, "I came here specifically to see him, but before I do, I have to show you something."
The girl frowned almost imperceptibly and asked cooperatively, "What is it?"
Next to the shelf stood a half-person-high dressing table with inward-curving hoof-shaped feet, used by guests to look in the mirror while trying on rouge. The table looked very sturdy, clearly made of high-quality wood. Yin Qiu walked to the dressing table, tapped the surface with her knuckles, and said, listening to the sound, "Not bad, this table is solid."
After speaking, under the watchful eyes of the people in the room, he suddenly raised his hand and slammed it on the table, instantly shattering the dressing table into pieces. All the bottles and jars on it were destroyed, and the bronze mirror also broke into pieces all over the floor.
"What are you doing?" The girl remained calm and composed, showing no surprise at Yin Qiu's actions, and simply asked.
Yin Qiu stopped, rotated her slender wrist, and smiled gently, "I wanted to tell you that I can smash this table and I can smash that door, so closing the door is useless and can't trap me."
Upon hearing this, the girl on the stairs let out a snort of laughter.
"Capture alive!"
·
At this command, several blinding sword lights flashed in the room in an instant, and the people opposite immediately drew their swords from their waists and attacked Yin Qiu together.
The sword's edge gleamed with a cold light, like stars in the night sky, dazzling the eyes, and came straight for his face. Yin Qiu stepped aside, leaped up using the shelf as a springboard, and landed on the counter. Calmly, he wielded Zhu Bing's longsword and parried with a backhand.
With a clang, several swords clashed, sparks flew, and the swords hummed. Yin Qiu's wrist trembled, the sword tilted, the thin blade quivered violently, forcing the men back two steps.
Before the other party could entangle her again, Yin Qiu had already taken the initiative to fall into the crowd, raising her sword to slash and thrust left and right, responding flexibly. In a short time, she deflected several of the tyrannical moves, and then squatted down and swept her sword, kicking one of the men so hard that he staggered and lost his footing.
Fortunately, his companions helped him up in time, and he immediately assumed a defensive stance. However, Yin Qiu did not press his advantage. Instead, he turned his back to the people behind him and fell to the ground, sliding quickly out of the outer circle.
Several people joined forces, sending longswords flying to close the distance. Yin Qiu glided without stopping, Zhu Bing twirling a tricky sword flower in his hand, deflecting the chilling sword energy coming straight at him. As he stood up, a sword came horizontally from his waist. Yin Qiu leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding it, but before he landed, another sword came from the side. Yin Qiu immediately flipped backward, simultaneously flicking two fingers together against the blade. The swordsman felt a numbness in his arm, as if he had been struck hard by a heavy object. A sharp pain instantly spread from his fingertips to his shoulder, causing him to groan and drop his sword.
Yin Qiu landed lightly, her lower body extremely stable. She kicked the sword with the tip of her shoe before it fell to the ground, then channeled her true energy into the tip of the sword and slashed down with Zhu Bing. The sword was instantly cut in half with a crisp sound.
The entire sequence of actions was incredibly fluid, with each counterattack and defense perfectly timed. The girl on the stairs hadn't moved an inch throughout, but finally couldn't help but speak up: "Where did you learn this skill? Your finger technique isn't the style of Yunhua Palace!"
A smile flickered in Yin Qiu's eyes as she darted backward, then stopped and replied, "That's hilarious. You don't even know our sect's martial arts?"
After she finished speaking, she stomped her leg hard on the ground, and shards of broken mirror and porcelain flew up and hung in mid-air, all under the control of Yin Qiu's two fingers. Then Yin Qiu lightly twisted her wrist and pointed her fingertips into the air, and the fragments of bronze mirror and porcelain transformed into sharp weapons, shooting out suddenly like a storm.
The group raised their swords to block, a flurry of blows and clashes ensued. The man who had been the first to react, now unarmed, could only hide behind his companions. The fragments, varying in size and shape, were extremely difficult to dodge; even when they managed to avoid one, another would immediately follow, leaving them overwhelmed and unable to defend themselves. The man, however, was clever. He quickly removed his outer garment and used his palm strike to move in front of the group, attempting to wrest the fragments away. But he clearly underestimated Yin Qiu's skill. Not to mention the flimsy fabric of his garment, even a board as thick as the dressing table would be driven several inches into it, leaving it pitted and splintered with flying wood chips.
Yin Qiu remained calm and silent, refraining from further attacks. Sure enough, the fragments pierced through the fabric, densely packed like shooting stars, and before the men could even react, they had already penetrated their flesh and sunk deep into their skin.
The next moment, several screams of different voices rang out simultaneously.
Their clothes fell off, revealing the scene opposite them. The men all threw down their swords at the same time, covered their eyes with their hands, and wailed hysterically, attracting the attention of passersby outside the shop.
Seeing that her subordinates, despite outnumbering her, still couldn't subdue Yin Qiu, and that after a series of exchanges they hadn't even managed to injure him in the slightest, the girl on the stairs cursed, "Idiot!" Then, with a fierce glint in her eyes, she looked at Yin Qiu and said, "I really underestimated you. I thought you had someone else to help you escape death in Wei City, but I didn't expect you to actually have some skills."
The truth was not as she claimed. Although Yin Qiu had broken through the formation and secured her survival in Wei City, the people she fought today were not much weaker than the Dark Guard disciples. However, Yin Qiu had acquired Gongzi Fan's skills, and with the rare and precious sword Zhu Bing, her improved skills and the perfect weapon made her a completely different person. This was also her first life-or-death struggle since recovering from her injuries, and even Yin Qiu herself was surprised by her own performance.
She was more surprised than the others.
“You guys secretly followed me when I came to this place last time,” Yin Qiu said. “You were the ones who pretended to be guests and eavesdropped on my conversation with that girl. However, although you have heard of Young Master Shen’s name, you do not know where he came from. Otherwise, you would have known my finger technique when you saw it.”
The girl sneered, "I don't care which school of martial arts you secretly learned behind Yunhua Palace's back. I know my skills are inferior to yours, and I'm too lazy to get entangled with you." She said meaningfully, "Anyway, my master said that it would be best to capture you alive, but it doesn't matter if we fail. Now that you've been lured down the mountain, once Man Jiangxue realizes you're not in the palace, she will definitely come to the city to look for you. Once she leaves, my master can take the opportunity to escape, and it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven for you to catch him in the future. Even if you win this battle, what will you do then?"
Yin Qiu appeared unconcerned upon hearing her words, but her heart sank.
So her martial uncle didn't send a message telling her to come down the mountain? Then Bai Ling and that female disciple with the Liuli Peak waist tag...
Seeing that the girl had finished speaking and then leaped up and went straight to the second floor, Yin Qiu quickly chased after her, climbed up in a few steps, and threw Zhu Bing to stop her.
"Trying to run? Not so easy!"
The girl sidestepped, not engaging Yin Qiu in combat. She calmly watched Yin Qiu approach, then pursed her lips and forcefully flicked her sleeve, instantly scattering a cloud of powder onto Yin Qiu's face.
Yin Qiu hurriedly held her breath and closed her eyes. As she did so, she felt a heavy killing intent rising before her. She dodged the attack by instinct, remembering that she had glanced around the west corner when she went upstairs and noticed a shelf. Yin Qiu immediately flew diagonally towards that spot, her sword tip precisely catching a handkerchief and dipping it into a basin of water on the shelf. She then quickly wiped her face haphazardly. When she opened her eyes, the girl had just escaped through the window, leaving only a fleeting afterimage.
Without thinking, Yin Qiu leaped up, but before she could land, she suddenly heard the deafening sound of horses' hooves from the other end of the street. Three figures galloping on horseback appeared in the wind, their speed astonishing, and they arrived at the entrance of the perfume shop in an instant.
Yin Qiu didn't have time to dodge, and the girl in front of her did the same. Yin Qiu thought she couldn't let this person escape, so she ignored the three galloping horses and reached out to grab the girl's skirt. However, the moment her fingertips touched the fabric, the girl was knocked away by a horse and crashed to the ground with a thud.
Just as Yin Qiu was about to be hit, someone suddenly grabbed her by the back of her collar. This person, with a powerful jerk, lifted her up just a hair's breadth from the horse's head. After a dizzying spin, Yin Qiu fell into a soft, alcohol-smelling embrace. The person used only one hand to lift her onto the horse's back, then spurred the horse to a stop, all in one swift motion.
Yin Qiu's throat tightened, and he immediately began to dry heave.
"Why are you throwing up? You can't even handle being shaken like that?" Wen Chaoyu loosened her grip on Yin Qiu's collar, flipped her over like a pancake, and laughed loudly at Yin Qiu, "Oh, little kitten!"
Yin Qiu gagged twice more. Upon seeing Wen Chaoyu, she had no time to feel joy. She clutched her neck, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "You almost strangled me to death!"
“Strangling is better than running over!” Wen Chaoyu pulled Yin Qiu up and saw that Ji Wanshu had dismounted and helped the girl who had been knocked away to sit down by the wall. He then asked, “Who is this person? What are you two doing chasing each other?”
Before Yin Qiu could explain, the horse that had hit the person and was charging forward without stopping turned back with the person on its back.
Duan Ning yelled from horseback, "My God! I'm not going to kill someone!"
Author's Note: I've lost count of how many times I've chased after my wife with my sword—Master Uncle
Meow meow meow! Meow meow! Meow...meow? —Qiuqiu
When it comes to catching cats, I'm second to none. —Old Wen
Okay, I admit I didn't even pass my driving test (Part 1) – Duan Ning
I won't know until the next chapter that the person I helped wasn't a good person—Xiao Ji
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