Chapter 165: Two Swords Combine, Prejudices Take Root
The moon wheel emerged from the mountain’s outline, the night air clear and limpid.
The Qingfeng Sword hummed and vibrated, blood beads sliding down the blade to the tip, which gleamed with a clear, pure light. They dripped onto the grass, and the sword’s hum immediately ceased.
“Twenty-two, Big Brother is so formidable.”
“The real experts are still behind.”
“How many did you count this time?”
“I didn’t count this time.”
“I understand. Can we defeat the bad guys?”
“Yes.”
Zhou Yan’s voice was loud and full of confidence. Hearing him say this, Little Dragon Girl instantly felt at ease. Then she saw the surrounding trees rapidly receding. The rustling of Zhou Yan’s robes was as intense as red-hot iron plunged into ice and snow, filling her ears. She felt as if she were flying through the clouds.
…
Within the silhouette of the night, Li Mochou, her heart burning with anxiety, spoke again.
“Master, Junior Sister.”
The wind blew through the forest, and human voices suddenly came from the night.
“Long time no see, Young Lady.”
Li Mochou followed the sound and looked. To the side of her vision, a figure in white emerged. Wasn’t this the despicable man she encountered in Datong Prefecture? In an instant, another man in a green robe holding a spear, along with several swordsmen, appeared.
Concern can cloud judgment. Li Mochou had indeed lost her composure when she heard the screams, but in a sudden situation, her reaction was top-notch.
Ouyang Ke and Helian Chuncheng appeared. Knowing she was no match for them, she immediately flung the Jade Peak Needles she had been holding in her left hand. Her figure flickered, and she darted towards the mountain forest on the flank.
In the darkness, it was difficult to dodge the silent Jade Peak Needles. However, Ouyang Ke and Helian Chuncheng were already on guard, and their cultivation far surpassed Li Mochou’s, so it was not difficult for them.
Ouyang Ke used his internal force to propel his sleeves, sweeping both his sleeves and fan, scattering all the incoming Jade Peak Needles. Helian Chuncheng, meanwhile, tapped his toes on the ground, his figure suddenly leaping ten feet high. While dodging the Jade Peak Needles, he descended like a night owl behind Li Mochou.
Li Mochou was only a few dozen feet away from entering the dense mountain forest when suddenly a man in white cut across her path, saying, “Go back!”
A soft whip followed the man’s voice, coiling towards Li Mochou.
“I won’t!”
Li Mochou’s long sword slashed towards Yin Kexi’s soft whip. The whip tip suddenly reared up, like a feignedly dead poisonous snake suddenly counterattacking, whistling out and pointing towards her face. Before the whip tip even arrived, the force it carried struck Li Mochou’s cheek as if pricked by needles.
She was greatly alarmed. The long sword in her hand moved from top to bottom, slashing at the soft whip.
At this moment, Zhou Yan’s figure descended from the tree crowns behind Li Mochou like a roc spreading its wings. His gray robe seemed to surge like clouds, suddenly dancing and landing beside Li Mochou. His long sword transformed into a dense, brilliant spray of cold light, covering Yin Kexi from above.
Yin Kexi was greatly alarmed, retracted his whip, and retreated rapidly.
Though her cultivation was inferior to Yin Kexi’s, Li Mochou’s lightness skill surpassed his, and she was now at the same level as Zhou Yan. Seeing Zhou Yan form a sword seal with his left hand and point his sword diagonally at the opponent’s left waist, she didn’t hesitate. She gripped the sword hilt with both hands, raised her sword, and parried, using his own move against him. She unleashed a move from the Jade Maiden Swordplay, “Lifting the Case to the Brows,” and thrust it towards Yin Kexi’s brow.
Yin Kexi felt two sword lights flying like lightning within his sight, attacking him from all sides. How could he possibly dodge? He cried out “Ah!” and wildly swung his whip, retreating rapidly, completely losing his composure.
From a slightly further distance, Ouyang Ke threw out a silver shuttle.
Helian Chuncheng, who had landed, charged forward with his spear, thrusting it at Li Mochou.
Li Mochou, concerned for Zhou Yan’s safety, retracted her sword and swung it back, using the move “Clear Drink, Small Sip.” She accurately blocked the silver shuttle Ouyang Ke had thrown at Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan’s Qingfeng Sword swiftly touched Yin Kexi’s body, and he spun around with a swift wind returning snow motion. He raised his sword hilt, pointing the tip downwards, like pouring wine from a pot. The descending long sword struck Helian Chuncheng’s spear edge, which was thrusting at Li Mochou, with a clang.
Li Mochou acted with Zhou Yan in mind. Zhou Yan knew how to combine his Quanzhen Swordplay with hers. As if telepathically connected, they both used “Clear Drink, Small Sip,” their two swords combining to greatly increase their power and avert danger.
Behind Zhou Yan, a drop of crimson spread on Yin Kexi’s white satin robe at his waist and ribs. If not for the timely assistance of Ouyang Ke and Helian Chuncheng, he would have been killed by Zhou Yan’s sword.
Li Mochou thrust her sword at Helian Chuncheng and urgently asked Zhou Yan, “Why are you here? How are Master and Junior Sister?”
Before Zhou Yan could reply, Little Dragon Girl emerged from her satchel, “Older Sister, Master is injured in the Ancient Tomb. Big Brother saved me.”
Li Mochou was truly startled.
“It’s a long story. Let’s deal with the enemies first.”
“Alright!”
Li Mochou unleashed the Jade Maiden Swordplay, and Zhou Yan combined it with the Quanzhen Swordplay.
Their two swords attacked Helian Chuncheng from the left and right. Zhou Yan’s Qingfeng Sword, halfway through its trajectory, suddenly formed an arc and slashed horizontally at his waist.
The Young Master of the Changfeng Escort Agency retreated in panic. Ouyang Ke rushed to his aid. Zhou Yan and Li Mochou’s sword stances suddenly changed. One sword was like a celestial river gathering snow, the other like a meteor’s tail. They supported each other, advancing and attacking in coordination, drawing the Young Master of White Camel Mountain into their assault as well.
Ouyang Ke had thought that by joining forces with Helian Chuncheng, they could at least stabilize the situation. He never expected that before he could even fully unleash his martial arts, Li Mochou’s sword struck downwards like a moon disk across the sky, spreading clear light across the ground. Zhou Yan’s three-foot Qingfeng Sword trembled incessantly, like flowers swaying in the wind, slashing back and forth, dazzling Ouyang Ke so much that he had no idea where Zhou Yan’s next move would come from. He retreated rapidly, and with two hisses, he was struck twice on his body.
Fortunately, Ouyang Ke possessed the White Camel Mountain’s “Instant Thousand Li” advanced lightness skill, allowing him to dodge effectively. The sword edge grazed his sides, only tearing his clothes, but it had already scared him into a cold sweat.
From a slightly further distance in the night, Ni Mo Xing, in a frenzy, rushed over. The three of them joined forces to resist the combined might of Zhou Yan and Li Mochou’s swords.
This was only their first time combining their swords. Although Li Mochou had a good impression of Zhou Yan, they were not truly lovers, and it was difficult for her to fully grasp many of the subtle points. They were unable to unleash their full power.
Furthermore, the “Jade Maiden Swordplay” was originally created by Lin Chaoying for her own amusement and expression, with no intention of harming others. Therefore, although the swordplay was formidable, not a single move was designed to kill. Otherwise, before Ni Mo Xing arrived, Ouyang Ke and Helian Chuncheng would have been severely injured, if not killed.
However, even so, as Zhou Yan and Li Mochou’s combined swordplay became more proficient, the power of their swordplay rapidly increased. “Small Garden Cultivating Chrysanthemums,” “West Window Night Talk,” “Willow Shade Joint Verse”… move after move was unleashed. It was clearly a two-on-three situation. Ouyang Ke, Helian Chuncheng, and Ni Mo Xing all had superior martial arts cultivation to Li Mochou, yet they were still being driven into a frenzy, unable to attend to both offense and defense.
Yin Kexi hastily bandaged his sword wounds. Seeing Ouyang Ke and the others at a disadvantage, he wielded his soft whip and said to several escort guards, “When you find an opportunity, use your hidden weapons.”
“You got it.”
Yin Kexi swung his long whip, his figure roaming, and the whip descended upon Li Mochou like a storm.
The soft whip could attack from a distance. Yin Kexi also knew that Li Mochou’s martial arts were significantly inferior to Zhou Yan’s. Therefore, after he joined the fight, he focused his attacks on Li Mochou, effectively helping Ouyang Ke and the others. The situation reached a stalemate.
Helian Chuncheng, seeing that the battle was dragging on and the opponent’s sword moves were becoming increasingly unpredictable, said to the escorts on the periphery, “Attack the young girl.”
“How shameless!” Li Mochou was greatly alarmed.
Two escort guards seized an opportunity and threw flying darts towards Little Dragon Girl behind Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan didn’t even turn his head. He swung his sword back with his arm, and with two clangs, the flying knives were struck down. The combined swordplay, however, showed a clear opening. Ouyang Ke seized the initiative and attacked. Suddenly, silver light shone in his vision, and sword lights bloomed one after another, indistinguishable in their sequence, like a pear tree suddenly in full bloom.
He shouted and retreated rapidly. Zhou Yan, who had repelled Ouyang Ke with “One Sword, Seven Stars,” once again combined his Quanzhen Swordplay with Li Mochou’s, stabilizing the situation.
“Shoot! Attack them to death!” Helian Chuncheng, seeing that it was effective, thrust his spear several times and shouted for the escort guards to use hidden weapons.
…
In the moonlight, something seemed to be moving silently and slowly through the forest.
Suddenly, a figure near the area where the few people were clashing lunged out. She raised her right hand, and a faint light flashed as countless Jade Peak Needles rained down on the escort guards who were using hidden weapons against Zhou Yan and Li Mochou.
The Jade Peak Needles thrown by the figure were dense, and the attack was sudden. How could the Changfeng Escort Agency’s guards dodge? All that could be heard were cries of “Aiya!” and “Ah!” as several guards fell to the ground.
Two Hu People escort guards were hit by Jade Peak Needles, but it wasn’t fatal. They fiercely attacked the figure with their sabers.
Ouyang Ke was greatly alarmed. At this point, he could no longer concern himself with beauty; it was imperative to act.
He recognized the person as the old woman he had fought with during the day and hurriedly said, “Retreat!”
Helian Chuncheng dragged his spear and retreated, thinking that if Zhou Yan and Li Mochou pursued, he would use the “Returning Spear” killing move. Ni Mo Xing, Ouyang Ke, and Yin Kexi shouted and scattered in all directions, then exerted their strength upon landing and fled.
Zhou Yan was about to pursue Yin Kexi, who was the easiest to catch, when he suddenly heard Li Mochou’s urgent cry.
He turned around. A woman of about fifty and two escort guards were intermingling. The moonlight outlined their fighting silhouettes. Sabers and swords clashed rapidly several times. One escort guard spun and flew out with a whoosh. Another escort guard retreated, holding his neck. The woman seemed about to pursue, but her body swayed, and she fell like a log into the grass.
Li Mochou rushed over, embraced the woman, and asked, “Master, how are you?”
“Master…” Little Dragon Girl cried loudly.
Zhou Yan quickly crouched down, put Little Dragon Girl down, and hurried forward. He first used his sword to kill the escort guards who had been hit by Jade Peak Needles, and only then did he reach Li Mochou’s side.
Zhou Yan’s gaze fell on the woman’s pale complexion and unsteady breathing. He guessed she must be Lin Chaoying’s maid. He quickly took out a porcelain bottle from his embrace and poured out two “Nine Flowers Jade Dew Pills.”
“Senior, please take these pills. I will help you heal.”
Lin Chaoying’s maid’s eyes fixed on Zhou Yan: “Are you a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect?”
Zhou Yan’s mind flashed, and he suddenly thought of the love-hate relationship between Wang Chongyang and Lin Chaoying.
He recalled that in the world of the Divine Condor, before Yang Guo entered the Ancient Tomb and Little Dragon Girl taught him martial arts, she had asked him to spit on Wang Chongyang’s portrait.
“Something’s going to happen,” Zhou Yan thought.
Thinking this, he said aloud, “I am not a Quanzhen disciple.”
“Then how do you know the Quanzhen Swordplay?”
“I have a considerable connection with Taoist Master Ma, Taoist Master Wang, and Taoist Priest Sun, which is why I learned the Quanzhen Swordplay.”
Lin Chaoying’s maid no longer paid attention to Zhou Yan and said to Li Mochou, “Take me back.”
“Master…”
“Aren’t you leaving yet?”
Li Mochou looked at Zhou Yan with a wronged expression.
He said, “Take your senior back first. I’ll search around to see if the enemies have left.”
Lin Chaoying’s maid had long held authority over Li Mochou. She didn’t dare to thank him directly, but expressed her gratitude with her eyes. She then helped the woman up and they walked towards the Ancient Tomb.
Little Dragon Girl took Zhou Yan’s hand: “Thank you, Big Brother.”
“Hurry back.”
“You haven’t pinky-promised me yet.”
“I’m not leaving for now.”
“Okay, then Dragon Girl will go back first. Goodbye, Big Brother.” Little Dragon Girl waved and chased after Li Mochou.
The three from the sect gradually moved further away, disappearing into the night.
Zhou Yan muttered to himself:
“Prejudice in people’s hearts is like a mountain.”
