The man in black turned around, with no surprise or joy on his face.
He saw Chu Shao, shrouded in the pale moonlight, and seemed to be stunned for a moment.
Then the man in black said expressionlessly, “You shouldn’t have appeared here tonight.”
He had only met Chu Shao once before. However, her facial features and appearance were too similar to someone he knew, so he was able to deduce that she was Country based on a distant memory.
Chu Shao just lifted her eyes and looked at Qin Xueyi, who lay in a pool of blood.
Her gaze was gentle and focused, and no one knew what she was thinking.
After looking at the blood-stained figure for a while, Chu Shao held the bloodstained short blade and asked with a smile, “Why shouldn’t I appear here tonight?”
The man in black replied, “That’s what the intelligence suggested.”
After hearing the man in black’s words, Chu Shao smiled knowingly and said, “So your intelligence was probably wrong.”
The man in black had also considered this possibility. He furrowed his brows, as if trying to recall how the intelligence department of the Blood Rain Pavilion was infiltrated and led to their erroneous judgment.
However, even if they made a mistake, the man in black would not be too surprised.
Because even if Chu Shao appeared, she couldn’t change anything.
Moreover, he was only responsible for killing people for his employer, and he wouldn’t be foolish enough to make trouble for himself and go against the Qi Country or Yan Mansion court by killing the Prince or the Princess.
Chu Shao’s gaze was originally very calm.
But when she saw the bamboo leaves floating in the blood, she was stunned for a moment and suddenly remembered the boat on the lake.
Qin Xueyi had once played a tune with bamboo leaves.
She couldn’t remember the melody anymore, but she only remembered that when the music was playing, Xiao Jin told Qin Xueyi a story.
The story was about a princess named Snow White and seven dwarfs.
Now, looking at the blood everywhere and the wrists soaked in red, Chu Shao’s mood was far from pleasant.
After sensing this, she softly said to the black-clad person, “You killed her, so I should kill you.”
The black-clad person frowned, “You want to kill me for a stranger?”
His face was calm, but his tone was cold.
Chu Shao smiled in reply, “To me, perhaps you are more of a stranger than Qin Xueyi.”
The black-clad person didn’t care about Chu Shao’s words.
He held an unnamed sword in his hand and asked expressionlessly, “Do you think you can kill me?”
Chu Shao also held a sword in her hand.
A short blade stained with blood.
The tip of the short blade glistened like a cold moon, with one or two drops of crimson blood falling.
She smiled softly and said, “How would we know if we don’t try?”
In the next moment, the short blade struck, approaching the black-clad person’s throat.
The black-clad person’s face was indifferent. He picked up the long sword with silver-blue patterns engraved on it, collided with Chu Shao’s short blade, and blocked the sword in front of his own neck.
“Ding-“
When the swords clashed, silver light burst forth.
In just a moment, the two had already exchanged more than ten moves, and the sword flowers they weaved were all tangible and awe-inspiring.
In just a moment, the two had already exchanged dozens of moves, and the sword flowers they wielded were all sharp and visible.
They had attacked each other’s vital points several times, without showing any mercy.
Watching Chu Shao’s fluid movements, the black-clothed person realized something was off.
Blocking one of the attacks, he asked in a stern voice, “Where did you learn this sword technique?”
Chu Shao held her short blade with great elegance, but the falling sword shadows were deadly.
As if she had heard an interesting joke, she laughed even more joyfully, “What sword technique I use, don’t you already know?”
The black-clothed person, of course, knew.
Apart from the direct disciples of Shenjia Village, no one else in the world could use Feiliu Sword Technique.
In his opinion, Chu Shao was clearly not one of them.
Although Chu Shao was a pitiable child, she was not cut out for learning swordsmanship.
Even if she suddenly opened up her meridians and became a martial arts genius, it was impossible for her to develop such a strong sword technique in just a few years.
The black-clothed person was a little surprised, but only briefly.
Even if Chu Shao were here today, he and Shen Lan would still execute their mission. It’s just that he wouldn’t kill Chu Shao, out of consideration for her pitying circumstances.
The most important thing right now was to kill the two people in the room. Otherwise, when reinforcements from the Prince Yan and the Crown Prince arrived, things would undoubtedly become much more complicated.
Although the black-clothed person didn’t want to kill Chu Shao, he had the chance to do so several times before but ultimately refrained.
Because of pity and because Chu Shao had an injury on her hand and her weapon wasn’t well-suited.
However, continuing like this was not a solution.
They had to end it quickly.
The black-clothed person thought this way, and indeed acted on it.
In the next moment, his long sword swayed like a ribbon, like a white fish leaping out of the water.
More than ten sword shadows rushed towards Chu Shao’s face.
Chu Shao held a short blade, but due to the disadvantage of her weapon, she could only dodge most of the sword light for a moment.
At the same time, she lifted the short blade, leapt up in a step, and slashed out several residual images of flowing light to confront the white fish that leaped out of the water.
“Clang-“
The sword edges clashed again, and the black-clothed man quickly slashed down several times, but only cut Chu Shao’s sleeve.
Chu Shao’s sword was as fast as a white rainbow piercing through the sun. If she had been fighting against someone else, she would have poked a thousand holes in them long ago.
But her opponent was the black-clothed man, so she only managed to cut off a few strands of his hair.
Smoke and dust rose and then dissipated.
After crossing swords, the two of them simultaneously withdrew their swords and stood on opposite sides of the courtyard.
Looking at the situation, they had fought to a draw.
The black-clothed man fell silent.
He couldn’t believe this fact.
But the fact was as it was.
Although he was one of the top masters of the Blood Rain Pavilion, it seemed difficult to defeat Chu Shao without using fatal moves against her.
Chu Shao is so young, so this is completely unreasonable.
The black-clothed man doesn’t know when the opponent became so powerful.
He thinks that everything may be related to Rong Lian or the mad national teacher.
After a long silence, the black-clothed man looked at Chu Shao and said slowly, “Chu Shao, you are indeed Rong Lian’s daughter.”
“Rong Lian wants to help her enemies, and you want to help Yao Country’s enemies. You two are really… very similar.”
Hearing this, Chu Shao shook her head and said, “Even if there is no Qi country and no Xiao Jin, there will be other countries to attack Yao Country.
Yao Country will perish sooner or later.”
Then she seemed to think of something and smiled slightly, “Moreover, isn’t Shen Daxia also working for the enemy country now? I believe you know better than I do which country the Blood Rain Pavilion belongs to.”
The black-clothed man’s face changed slightly, seeming a bit angry.
After a moment, he said coldly, “If it weren’t for joining the Blood Rain Pavilion, the Shen family would have been destroyed long ago. No matter how you calculate it, you and your mother are both disasters. What right do you have to criticize my choice now?”
Chu Shao was not unfamiliar with the word “disaster,” so she just smiled slightly without answering him.
Her sleeves fluttered as she walked step by step towards the black-clothed man.
The black-clothed man still looked at her expressionlessly, but his left hand clenched the nameless sword tightly.
Unexpectedly, Chu Shao didn’t walk towards him, but passed by him and went to Qin Xueyi.
Then Chu Shao reached out her hand.
She took off the plain cloak draped over her body and gently covered the small body of the girl.
Chu Shao’s expression remained soft and gentle, a kind of inexplicable tenderness that was almost indifferent.
Seeing the plain cloak cover up the blood, she turned around and smiled at the black-clothed person, saying, “It’s still chilly in March, and if a little girl like her sleeps in the courtyard, she will catch a cold.”
The black-clothed person remained silent.
Chu Shao looked at the black-clothed person and sighed almost imperceptibly, “I don’t want to blame you for your choices, and I don’t care what choices you make. It’s none of my business who you want to kill.”
“But why do you want to kill Qin Xueyi?”
“If you kill her, the prince will be very sad. If the prince is sad, I will feel very troubled.”
Chu Shao smiled and spoke seriously to the black-clothed person, “I will want to kill you.”
…
After listening to Chu Shao’s words, the black-clothed person realized that this person wanted to fight him and even threatened to kill him just because of Prince Yan, Xiao Jin.
This reason did not convince the black-clothed person, so he asked indifferently, “If it’s just for the Prince Yan of Qi, why did you cover the girl’s body with a cloak?”
The black-clothed person would rather believe that Chu Shao had some compassion in her heart than believe that she truly cared for the Prince Yan.
Chu Shao frowned, “I’ve already explained it clearly. Don’t you understand?”
“If Xiao Jin knows that this little girl is dead, she will be sad. If she sees the girl’s body, she will also be sad, so I covered her with a cloak.”
Even though she said these words, Chu Shao did not feel that there was anything inappropriate about her actions.
Her face still carried a calm smile.
Because Chu Shao’s thinking intentionally or unintentionally stayed at this level.
She did not think that all her actions were actually rooted in not wanting Xiao Jin to be sad.
Chu Shao thinks her behavior is normal and faultless.
However, the man in black is angry now.
He should hate Rong Lian, but he can’t bring himself to. But he is disappointed in Chu Shao.
Because of Chu Shao, Rong Lian chose to stay in the palace and did not escape with him, ultimately dying in the palace.
Chu Shao is the child that Rong Lian risked her life to protect.
How could she be so foolish now, siding with the enemy who wants to destroy their country?
The man in black says to Chu Shao expressionlessly, “Since you side with the enemy, I have no reason to spare you today.”
With that, he leaps up and stabs Chu Shao with his sword.
It must be said that Chu Shao has completely led the man in black astray.
He has almost forgotten that his mission was to assassinate those three people.
At this moment, he only wants to kill Chu Shao, whether or not he completes his mission is irrelevant.
Chu Shao is very satisfied with this result.
She is so happy that she wields her sword even more swiftly than usual.
Moreover, the wound on her palm has not yet been treated.
As she strikes, the hilt of her sword repeatedly brushes against the wound, tearing it open again and oozing thick, warm blood.
She is just too happy.
Happy to the point where she knows that, in her current state, she absolutely cannot defeat the man in black, even if he’s using all his strength.
But Chu Shao’s sword is still getting faster, and she doesn’t even notice the scratch on her own neck as she slices open the man in black’s elbow with her sword.
Unfortunately, her short blade is a bit awkward to use.
After exchanging hundreds of moves, although the man in black is also struggling, he is still better off than Chu Shao, who is on her last legs.
Amidst the flashing swords, the man in black finds an opening in Chu Shao’s defense and flicks away her short blade with his sword.
As she realized her short blade had been flicked away by the black-clothed man, Chu Shao smiled as if unsurprised. She was not afraid of the impending death that awaited her.Â
As she watched the sword coming towards her, Chu Shao’s heart was beating violently. She stood still, eagerly awaiting the arrival of pain.
Unfortunately, her wish was not granted.
A feathered arrow cut through the night with lightning-fast speed and terrifying force, shooting towards the black-clad man.
The black-clad man furrowed his brows slightly.
It was too late to dodge, so he could only force himself to pull back his sword, change direction, and confront this formidable arrow.
If it were his prime, he wouldn’t worry about such an arrow.
But after fighting with Chu Shao for so long, his internal energy had also been depleted by her.
It was still a bit difficult for him to catch this incoming arrow.
The tip of the sword condensed the true meaning of the Feiliu Sword Technique, and the black-clad man picked off the feathered short blade that exposed Chu Shao’s flaw.
Just as he was catching his breath and preparing to attack again, another feathered arrow flew towards him.
There was actually a second arrow!
The black-clad man was somewhat surprised because he could tell that these two arrows could only be launched with a bow that could exert the power of around five stones.
Even a middle-aged general who could pull open a five-stone bow was already very impressive, let alone firing two arrows in a row.
As he was thinking about this, he barely dodged the second arrow, but the third arrow arrived in an instant.
The black-clad man had nowhere to hide from this arrow and could only turn his body sideways to protect his vital points.
He groaned as the arrowhead pierced his arm deeply.
The black-clad man covered his heavily bleeding wound and heard another sound of a bowstring being pulled. His face turned almost white.
If he was hit by another arrow, even if he didn’t die, he would be disabled.
However, that arrow was not coming.
…
Xiao Jin had already pulled the bow halfway.
Just as she was about to release the arrow, the crown prince beside her suddenly held her down.
She slowly turned her head to look at the crown prince, her eyes full of coldness.
The crown prince still had a smile on his face, but his attitude was unexpectedly firm. “Third brother, the bow you’re holding is a five-stone bow. If you shoot another arrow, your hand will be crippled.”
He was telling the truth.
The bow and arrows in Xiao Jin’s hand were used by the crown prince’s close guards for training recently.
Her archery skills were very accurate, but she never dared to pull the bowstring to its full extent on normal days, let alone shoot three arrows in a row.
After all, if she injured the muscles in her arm, it would be a loss that outweighed the gain.
Shooting four consecutive arrows with a five-stone bow would definitely disable Xiao Jin’s arms if she had an existing injury.
However, Xiao Jin’s killing intent towards the black-clothed man was too strong just now.
It wasn’t until she met the crown prince’s gaze for a moment and slowly put down the bow and arrow in her hand that she realized the tearing pain in her arms afterwards.
Her arms suddenly stiffened.
The muscles in both arms felt as if they were being gnawed by worms, sore and painful, and a numbing sensation from deep within almost made her gasp in cold air.
In order to maintain her composure in front of the enemy, Xiao Jin still did not show any pain on her face.
However, her face was a little pale, and the long bow that fell to the ground made a crisp sound.
“Bang–“
Xiao Jin thought that such a small accident would not be enough to lose face.
However, when she raised her head and looked towards where Chu Shao was, she found her staring at her in a daze.
In the hazy moonlight, Chu Shao was covered in blood, and only the emotions in her eyes were very pure.
It was also very intriguing.
Meeting her blank stare, Xiao Jin’s already painful arm suddenly became even more painful.
Xiao Jin regretted it now, very much.
If she had known that the crown prince’s guard was using a five-stone bow, she would not have been so impulsive to snatch the bow and start showing off.
The consequences of pretending to be cool were severe.
This meant that Xiao Jin’s future would be greatly affected.
Not only was she disabled in her legs, but she could also add the bonus of disabled arms.
In the future, she wouldn’t just be a disabled person with a leg disability, but she would also gain the added disability of her arms.
“Too extreme.”
…
Chu Shao was unaware of Xiao Jin’s thoughts.
But when she heard the sound of feathered arrows slicing through the night sky, she turned around.
She saw the cold expression on the person’s face in the wheelchair.
With one hand holding a bow and the other holding an arrow, the fair and slender fingers pulled the feathered arrow to its limit and shot three arrows one after another.
So ruthless and fierce.
Although her appearance was like that of an emotionless immortal, she was not like an immortal because she was not a compassionate person.
Instead, she was a demon on the battlefield.
In that moment, Chu Shao felt that the pleasure brought by blood and pain suddenly became insignificant.
The desire for death didn’t seem so strong anymore.
If living meant being able to see someone like this, she sincerely wanted to live.
The allure of death diminished.
Surviving in the world became an interesting thing.
Chu Shao’s heart was beating fast, but it was the first time it had quickened because of someone else’s rescue.
She was so focused on the experience that she didn’t even notice when the black-clothed person covered her wound and hurriedly ran away, frowning.
On the other hand, Xiao Jin did notice.
However, the black-clad man’s light skills were very good, and he disappeared into the deep night with a flick of his finger.
Seeing that the other party had already left, she couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief in the darkness.
Because Xiao Jin saw the sword in the black-clad man’s hand.
The sword was completely white, with a pattern of ice and diamond flowers engraved on the blade–which indicated that the other party was most likely Shen Lang.
The reason why it was only possible, rather than certain, was mainly because the assassin who came this time was from the Blood Rain Pavilion.
If the black-clad man was really Shen Lang, it seemed a little strange.
After all, Shen Lang was the first swordsman in Yao Country, how could he serve the Blood Rain Pavilion? Although the original work did not make it clear who the master behind the Blood Rain Pavilion was, the master of the Blood Rain Pavilion seemed to be from Qi Country.
Thinking of this, Xiao Jin still felt a little scared.
It was too reckless to let Chu Shao face Shen Lang alone, especially since her weapon was only a short blade.
But human life was at stake, and the best candidate to save Xia Sanniang and the Qin sisters was Chu Shao, who had excellent light skills.
Only by having Chu Shao rush to that villa could they have a chance of survival.
A moment later, Xiao Jin came back to her senses.
She first apologized to the crown prince next to her, then let the guards escort him out of the mansion.
Then, Xiao Jin instructed Yin Zhu to push the wheelchair forward to check on Chu Shao’s injuries and to ask about Xia Sanniang and the Qin sisters’ situation.
So naturally, she didn’t notice the crown prince looking down at the bow and arrows that fell to the ground, raising his head and gazing thoughtfully at the black-clad man’s disappearing figure.
Before leaving, he instructed Xiao Jin to take care of herself and then left with a smile.
At this moment, Xiao Jin saw the wounds on Chu Shao’s body and couldn’t help but frown.
Although the other party’s clothes were already reddish-brown and it was difficult to see the color of the blood, she could still smell a strong smell of blood.
Xiao Jin frowned and asked Zi Ling to find a folk doctor.
She took Chu Shao’s hand and wiped the blood stains off her palm before asking in a gentle voice, “Are Xia Sanniang and the Qin sisters okay? The others don’t matter as much, but Qin Xueyi is still young, just a little girl. She must have been scared after this ordeal…”
As she spoke, Xiao Jin suddenly stopped.
Because she sensed that the smile on Chu Shao’s lips seemed to have faded a little.
Some terrible thoughts slowly rose from the bottom of her heart.
Xiao Jin’s arm hurt and her face was pale, but she still forced a smile at this moment.
She really wanted to ask Chu Shao some questions.
However, when the words reached her lips, she didn’t know how to say them.
So she just smiled.
But the smile was very weak and fake.
Before Xiao Jin could even pretend to be genuine, her thoughts were interrupted by a scream.
Although the voice was loud, she knew it was Xia Sanniang’s voice.
Xia Sanniang was a shy person and spoke softly to avoid disturbing others.
Those mischievous maids often teased her, and she would only shyly smile and say, “I’m used to it. Even if I want to speak louder now, I’m afraid my voice won’t be as pleasant as the young ladies’.”
After Xia Sanniang’s screams echoed in the courtyard, there were panicked footsteps and then Qin Xueting’s sobbing.
Listening to the cries in her ears, Xiao Jin didn’t even need to look to know what had happened.
Her fingers were cold, and her whole body seemed to have turned cold as well.
Xiao Jin leaned back in her wheelchair and closed her eyes.
After a moment, she opened her eyes again and said to Chu Shao, “Princess, push me over to take a look.”
Chu Shao looked at Xiao Jin and then nodded, doing as she asked.
The wheelchair moved slowly.
Finally, it stopped at the spot where the noise was loudest.
Xiao Jin sat in her wheelchair and didn’t look at Xia Sanniang and Qin Xueting, who were squatting and crying beside her.
She just silently watched the flowing pool of blood and the plain cape stained with blood.
She felt like the cape, clean and covering Qin Xueting’s body, was a little too big.
The clean cape covered the small, soft body, and the bright red spots in between looked like plum blossoms falling in a mountain stream.
Xiao Jin’s expression was a little absent-minded. No matter how she looked, it was all blood, all dazzling red.
It wasn’t until she saw the patch of green bamboo leaves that she snapped out of it.
The thin, paper-like leaves were floating in the blood.
On the cold corpse, the little girl had her eyes wide open.
Xiao Jin remembered a boat.
And some words that floated on the boat.
The girl said that this kind of leaf could play music, and that her father had taught her how to play music with bamboo leaves.
The girl said, “This kind of leaf can be used to play music. My father taught me how to play music with bamboo leaves.”
She asked, “Elder sister, do you want to play too?”
But the elder sister played so poorly. But it didn’t matter because the elder sister and father played just as poorly.
The little girl would sometimes wipe away tears in sadness, and she would also giggle.
The little girl was sometimes sad. She said she wanted to hear her father play music and wanted her mother and sister to take her to pick the branches hanging down from the willow tree.
The little girl, the little girl had not yet grown up.
And then when she was ten years old, the little girl died.
Xiao Jing took out the sachet.
After opening it, she took out a bamboo leaf from inside.
It was given to her by Qin Xueyi.
Xiao Jing looked quietly at the little girl and played a song for her with the bamboo leaf.
After playing, she put down the bamboo leaf.
She leaned over and touched Qin Xueyi’s hair, then reached out and gently closed her eyes.
In the end, Xiao Jing smiled gently at Qin Xueyi.
She seemed to want to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
When she turned her head, Xiao Jing’s expression returned to its usual indifference.
She whispered to Chu Shao, “Let’s go.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author’s note: Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or irrigated me with nutrient solution between 23:59:31 on March 24, 2022 and 00:00:05 on March 27, 2022.
Translator’s note: Why?!, Why?!!, Why?!!! Do you have to write that ending!?!!. It’s makes brust into tears!!.
Rest in Peace, little angel, Qin Xueyi! ðŸ˜.
TO BE CONTINUE…
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