What a damn fine sword. Blood just wouldn't stick to it. It slid smoothly down the blade and dripped off the tip in rhythm, pattering onto the ground with a strange, almost musical beat.
Just a few paces away, He Mulan was staring at him, eyes locked, his expression frozen in place; it hadn't changed a bit since the start.
Did he get scared stupid too? Li Xun was a little surprised, but mostly felt justified. So you're just a coward too. Killing you won't be unjust, then.
Flicking off the last drop of blood from his blade, Li Xun let out a low growl and stepped forward sharply. His longsword swept out, casting a dazzling arc of light under the candlelight.
"Ah!"
A sudden, sharp cry rang out from the bed. A woman's voice, filled with shame and fury. The restriction on Gu Piner's body had been lifted. And no one knew what part of her the Yin Wanderer had touched to provoke that scream.
The sound hit their ears, and both Li Xun and He Mulan jolted.
"Not good!"
How could Li Xun not sense what was happening? He forcefully cut off his sword's momentum and leaped to the side. At the same moment, an explosion of energy burst to his left, so intense it could've scorched the air. He Mulan, who had slumped to the floor moments ago, shot forward like a lightning bolt, hurling himself straight at Li Xun.
He's trying to take me down with him!
Li Xun understood immediately. But knowing was one thing, stopping it was another. The gap in cultivation between them was just too vast. Even if He Mulan was at the end of his rope, a last-ditch strike from someone at his level still carried a crushing force.
A thousand thoughts flashed through Li Xun's mind in an instant, but not a single one was about how to block it.
But his body didn't wait for orders from his mind.
Moving on instinct alone, it responded faster and more effectively than conscious thought ever could. The longsword in his hand suddenly rose, erupting a dazzling burst of sword light in front of his chest. A shhh sound as the sword qi condensed into a sharp cone, shooting forcefully into the air.
Then, with the smallest flick of his arm, the sword shifted again, and in the air, it released more than ten sword shadows faintly glowing with blue light.
Each one stirred subtle currents of qi, weaving and twisting into a shimmering screen of light as they collided, linking together like the strands of a bamboo curtain.
"Azure Smoke Bamboo Barrier!"
The cone of sword qi struck He Mulan square in the chest, only to bounce harmlessly off the defensive qi around him. It barely made him flinch.
But that tiny flinch was all Li Xun needed.
That one momentary pause broke the momentum of He Mulan's suicidal charge and caused the angle of his strike to shift; just slightly, but enough.
Li Xun had been betting everything on that tiny shift.
In an instant, the Azure Smoke Bamboo Barrier clashed head-on with He Mulan's vast-righteous qi. Countless sword-like flashes of energy danced and flickered across the glowing wall, sparking wave after wave of smoky bursts—gradually wearing down that seemingly invincible vast-righteous qi bit by bit.
But no matter how refined the technique, skill alone couldn't make up for the sheer gap in cultivation. The barrier only held for the span of half a breath before it shattered under the full brunt of He Mulan's powerful true breath.
The vast-righteous qi rushed in like a flood, but in the end, it still veered a little off course.
Li Xun rode the sword's momentum, darting like a fish through the roaring tidal wave of energy. His body shook violently, blood spraying from his mouth. But the shift in angle gave his sword just enough leverage. It slashed out diagonally, riding the momentum.
Amid the buzzing rumble, piercing through the raging true breath, sliced through the fabric of He Mulan's robe at the stomach. But once again, it was deflected by his fierce aura.
As the blade bounced upward, the light on it surged. With a sudden twist, it struck again, like a venomous snake lunging straight back at the same spot.
This time, the sword tip drove in like it was slicing through rotten wood, scraping with a sound that made your teeth ache. It plunged nearly half a foot into He Mulan's belly. Caught off guard, Li Xun staggered forward, barely keeping his balance as he stumbled ahead.
Shit.
He tried to pull back, to let go and retreat, suddenly felt a sharp grip on his shoulder. He Mulan had him. Tight. And he couldn't move an inch. And He Mulan's terrifying palm, strong enough to smash him into pulp, was already swinging down toward his head.
He cried out, raising a hand in a futile attempt to block it. But his arm had barely reached his chest before He Mulan's palm touched the top of his head.
…And that was it.
A sickening sound came from He Mulan's throat; the wet, gurgling rasp of blood and air tangled together. His eyes were going dull, that taut, ready-to-spring body beginning to waver.
Li Xun's scalp tingled.
It wasn't until now that he truly felt fear. Bone-deep fear, skin-crawling fear. It was like a million ants crawling through his body, wringing sweat from every pore.
He forced himself to look up, meeting He Mulan's strange, crumbling expression. And suddenly, he understood.
Then he roared:
"You wanted to kill me? Kill me?! Kill me?! YOU wanted to kill ME?!"
With that shout, his fist smashed into He Mulan's chest. There was a series of sharp cracks as bones shattered, and a mouthful of blood sprayed from He Mulan's throat.
Li Xun didn't stop.
He threw punch after punch, slamming each one into He Mulan's chest and stomach. By the time the final blow landed, that whole area had been reduced to a pulpy mess of flesh and bone.
He Mulan's body flew backward. Li Xun followed through, yanking his sword out of the man's abdomen and slashing in midair. The swordlight flared, and in a burst of qi, He Mulan's body was cleaved clean in two, blood and organs splattering across the room.
Li Xun stood there, eyes wide, staring at the brutal scene. And yet… a strange thrill shot up from the base of his spine straight to his head, making his whole body tremble uncontrollably.
"Kill me? No… it's me who killed you."
He let out a low, eerie laugh. Then suddenly, his hand went slack. With a metallic clang, the sword dropped to the floor.
He staggered a few steps, his feet like jelly, slipping through the blood pooling beneath him. The reek of blood filled his lungs.
He slowly closed his eyes and took a deep breath…
…But never exhaled.
Then, he turned toward the bed, step by step, and bowed deeply to Yin Wanderer.
"Many thanks, Master Aunt, for your timely aid."
This was a thank-you she definitely owed; if Yin Wanderer hadn't struck He Mulan from behind at the last moment, his own head would've been nothing but a pile of mush by now.
But Yin Wanderer didn't even glance his way. His eyes were fixed on Gu Piner's delicate, pretty face, his hand idly roaming her body almost absentmindedly. Her gaze shimmered with shifting lights, filled with strange, flickering brilliance.
Ever since He Mulan had been sliced in half, Gu Piner had gone completely blank. Now, even while Yin Wanderer kept molesting her, she didn't react at all. Just sat there like a puppet with its strings cut.
Li Xun figured his part here was done. He glanced at Gu Piner one last time, lips pressing into a thin line, and was just about to bow and take his leave.
But Yin Wanderer suddenly spoke up.
"There's quite a strong scent of blood in this room… but even stronger is the spiritual energy. If you follow the Six Sovereign Yin-Yang Transformation method and engage in intercourse while surrounded by this fresh blood mixed with abundant spiritual energy, especially since the partner is a pure, unblemished virgin with refined cultivation, it can do wonders for your own cultivation. Interested?"
Li Xun froze, stunned for a second before it sank in what Yin Wanderer was actually suggesting. He cleared his throat. "Disciple wouldn't dare steal what Master Aunt loves…"
"Love? What Love?" Yin Wanderer stood up slowly, sounding tired and uninterested. "This girl may have good raw potential, but she's of no use to me. If it were someone like Qingyin or Mingji, maybe then I'd care..."
He gave Li Xun a sideways look. "What's with that face? Not feeling well?"
"No!" Li Xun broke out in a cold sweat, frantically shaking his head. "Master Aunt's kindness, I absolutely understand!"
He said the words quickly, but his eyes flicked toward Gu Piner.
At first, he just meant to shift focus, anything to change the mood. But the moment he saw the dead look in the girl's eyes, like all hope and will had been drained from her, his heart suddenly pounded hard in his chest.
Right then, Yin Wanderer gave him a firm shove on the shoulder, sending him toppling onto Gu Piner.
Li Xun had absolutely no desire for any of this. He turned his head, about to say something, but the sight before him stopped him cold.
Yin Wanderer had just unfastened the silk sash from her waist. The outer gauze robe slipped to one side, revealing part of her tender, pale chest. The moment that sight hit Li Xun's eyes, they burned red with heat. But his body stiffened like stone.
It wasn't until Yin Wanderer climbed onto the bed and wrapped an arm around his neck that Li Xun finally snapped out of his daze. A strange sound caught in his throat; he wanted to say something, anything, but in the end, all the tension left him, and he simply gave in.
He felt her fingers glide down his back, then brush lightly over a sensitive spot below. It was just just a small touch, and he couldn't help but cry out.
Instinctively, he reached back…. and found himself clutching a warm, soft round of flesh. The silky feel beneath his hand was every bit as tempting as Consort Qin's.
Yin Wanderer's breathing grew a little heavier, and a soft moan slipped from her lips. She chuckled. "Ah… it's been a long time since I've felt like this...how wrong of me!"
Li Xun's whole body started to tremble, but he didn't dare look back. He simply reached out with his other hand and began unfastening the buttons on Gu Piner's clothes.
Yin Wanderer's fingers moved with an almost unbelievable skill. Every flick seemed to hit his most sensitive spots, slowly stoking the fire burning inside him—building and building until he couldn't hold back anymore.
He let out a low growl and fiercely tore open Gu Piner's collar.
The scent of her virginity mixed with the soft, bewitching aura behind him; it was like a pot of boiling oil poured straight onto open flames, and in that instant, it engulfed him completely.