A leaf fell, the autumn wind gradually rose, and chill began to spread, shrouding the entire land in desolation.
By evening, a black curtain slowly enveloped the heavens, seeking to swallow the last trace of light in the world. A breeze carried the drizzling rain, adding a touch more chill. Rows of streetlamps stretched along the winding path, stubbornly and unyieldingly offering their faint light.
The night was quiet. The chirping of insects gradually faded away, eventually drowned out by the patter of fine rain, leaving the world even more silent.
Suddenly, two sets of footsteps shattered the silence. Looking toward the sound, a young man and woman emerged from the night.
On closer inspection, both were dressed in black. The man was around twenty-six or twenty-seven, tall and slender, standing as straight as a spear. His face was stern, his swordlike brows reached into his temples, and he bore a dashing air. Especially his eyes, brilliant as stars—whenever his gaze shifted, a few sharp glints flashed within them, inspiring involuntary awe.
Yet his handsome face was now steeped in sorrow. A few days' worth of stubble and his disheveled hair only added to his bleakness.
In the chilly autumn drizzle, the man wore neither raincoat nor held an umbrella. His black suit had grown even darker from the rain, making the white flower on his chest especially conspicuous. Yet it told only a sorrowful tale.
Black clothes and a white flower—such attire was worn only at funerals. There was no need to guess where the man had been, and the grief on his face showed that the deceased had meant far more to him than most.
Now look at the girl. She was around fifteen or sixteen, petite and a head shorter than the man. Her features were lovely, still carrying a trace of a young girl's innocence. In the autumn rain, her lashes trembled lightly, her dark eyes resembled stars, and she gently bit her cherry lips, her expression touched with sorrow.
As though recalling something, the girl's delicate nose twitched slightly. Her eyes reddened, tears gleamed within them, and she looked all the more pitiful.
Like the man, the girl wore black, with a white flower pinned to her black dress. In the night rain, she appeared so frail and forlorn. Unlike him, she wore a black raincoat, its oversized form wrapping around her slender body and making her seem even more delicate.
The two continued walking, utterly lost, as though they had no destination.
"Brother Ye, Sister..." At the mention of that word, the tears in the girl's eyes finally spilled over.
"Yue Er, you..." A somewhat weathered, hoarse voice sounded, but before the man could finish, several sharp braking noises interrupted him.
The man looked toward the source of the sound, his expression turning vigilant. But after apparently determining that those people posed no immediate danger, his guard eased slightly, though his face darkened considerably.
Five or six sedans stopped more than a hundred meters behind the pair. Over a dozen men dressed in black rushed out and headed straight for them.
All of them wore black. Their movements were coordinated, uniform, and orderly, clearly showing rigorous training. They moved swiftly like a black tide. Though there were only a dozen or so of them, they gave the impression of a vast army.
The men quickly surrounded the pair, but did not attack at once. A leader-like figure stepped forward slightly and spoke with a trace of respect. "Mr. Ye Luo, by the family head's orders, we have come to bring the Second Miss back to the family. We hope that..."
"Hmph. Tell Father I'm not going back." The girl interrupted him. Her voice was soft and carried a hint of tears, yet her words were firm and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
"Miss Zhi Yue, the family head's orders are mandatory. Please cooperate, or else..."
Hearing that, Ye Luo frowned slightly, his face turning colder. "Or else what? Are you planning to take Yue Er away by force? With the likes of you?"
"Kid, don't get too arrogant. If it weren't for the Eldest Miss's sake, we brothers wouldn't even waste words on you." One of the men in black spoke as he stepped forward, making it clear that he was not merely talking.
At the words "Eldest Miss," a gentleness flashed through Ye Luo's eyes, only to swiftly turn to sorrow, then icy coldness. "Then stop wasting words. Make your move."
"Kid, you asked for it. Don't blame us for being rude!" The man flew into a rage, then sprang forward. A flash of cold light appeared as he drew a foot-long blade and thrust it straight at Ye Luo.
From the speed and angle of his attack, it was obvious that he had some skill with short blades. An ordinary person would have found this strike extremely difficult to evade.
At first, the leader frowned slightly when he saw the man attack. But recalling Ye Luo's earlier words, his brows relaxed, and he did not stop him.
Cold light flickered. The blade danced like a butterfly. With a muffled pfft, the blade fell and rose again, splashing blood into the air. Under the drizzle and streetlamps, it looked especially vivid and eerie.
"Ah!" After a long moment, a miserable cry rang through Tiandi. The man who had attacked first staggered backward, clutching his arm.
The one who attacked first had instead been injured. This bizarre sight made even the battle-hardened men suck in a breath as they stared in shock at Ye Luo in the distance.
Ye Luo still stood calmly, though he had taken half a step forward, faintly shielding Yue Er behind him. In his right hand was a white spike about a foot and a half long. The drops of blood rolling down its point proved that he had been the one to strike.
"What speed. What a blade!" The leader was slightly startled, his tone carrying admiration. "The spike pierced through his arm in an instant, yet avoided every major blood vessel and meridian. Such precision is practically supernatural. Mr. Ye Luo, thank you for showing mercy. But my earlier words still stand: we must carry out the family head's orders."
Ye Luo merely gave the leader a faint glance and raised the short blade in his hand. Its meaning was obvious.
"Hmph, Brother, stop talking nonsense with him. He's alone, while there are so many of us. If we attack together, I refuse to believe we can't take him down!" Another man in the group snorted, drawing a sharp blade as he spoke.
With an inward sigh, the leader nodded helplessly. A flash of cold light appeared as a short blade appeared in his hand, and he charged forward first. He was even faster, and his blade cut through the air with a faint whistle.
Seeing their leader attack, the others followed suit. More than ten black shadows closed in, more than ten coldly gleaming short blades shining beneath the streetlights in a scene of flashing steel.
Seeing more than ten men attack at once, Ye Luo merely frowned slightly. With a movement of his left hand, a foot-long short blade appeared.
Unlike the white spike in his right hand, this short blade was pitch-black, like ink, and was difficult to spot in the dim night.
But the leader had been watching Ye Luo closely. He saw the black short blade, and information flashed through his mind like lightning. He muttered, "A white spike in his right hand, a black short blade in his left, surname Ye... Could he be the legendary former captain of the National Security Bureau's Dragon Group First Squad, the Chinese Ye Yi, known as the Twin-Bladed Reaper...?"
At that thought, the leader's expression grew far more solemn. Even in his resolute eyes, a flash of respect and fear appeared. But everyone had already made their move; the arrow was on the string and had to be fired. He could only force down the awe in his heart and move even faster, though he bitterly laughed inwardly.
He was right earlier. With just us, there's no way we can take the Second Miss away. I only hope that, for the sake of the two young ladies, he'll show mercy...
For more than ten men facing one opponent to harbor such thoughts, Ye Luo's terror was clear.
As these thoughts passed through his mind, the two sides had already clashed. The imagined scene of Ye Luo being cut down by a flurry of blades did not occur. Under Zhi Yue's stunned gaze, Ye Luo moved. The white spike flickered repeatedly, dancing like a butterfly, light as thunder; it was like a dragonfly skimming the water, agile as lightning.
Yet every dance brought a spray of blood, and every skim pierced an arm. In only moments, three or four men had been injured and forced out of the fight. As Ye Luo wielded the spike, more men were wounded.
Ye Luo spun, tracing an arc through the air. The short blade in his right hand moved like a ghost, lightly blocking the others' blades.
A series of piercing sounds rang out. Most of the short blades in the black-clothed men's hands now bore chips, while the ink-black blade in Ye Luo's hand remained completely unscathed.
The black-clothed men's blades had all been specially forged, no less formidable than military combat knives. Yet they had been chipped so easily, showing just how sharp and resilient the ink-black short blade was.
The battle continued. Ye Luo's footwork was remarkably strange. His twin blades moved together: the Ink Sword in his left hand defended, while the spike in his right attacked. He remained composed under the assault of more than ten men. As the fight continued, the men in black gradually suffered wounds, though not one was seriously injured.
As for Ye Luo, amid their siege, his arm had merely been grazed. A shallow wound seeped a few drops of blood, and even that had only happened because he had been protecting Zhi Yue.
Just as only five or six of the men in black remained standing, a shout rang out. "Stop!"
The voice was somewhat hoarse, yet it carried an innate authority. At the shout, Ye Luo and the men in black all stopped and looked toward its source.
Following the shout, a middle-aged man stepped out of a car. With a glance, he stopped a subordinate from holding an umbrella over him, then waved the men attacking Ye Luo away. Without even looking at Ye Luo, he fixed his gaze on Zhi Yue and said deeply, "Yue Er, are you truly not coming back with me?!"
The middle-aged man was broad and imposing, carrying a stern dignity. Yet he seemed to have suffered some terrible blow. His complexion was somewhat ashen, his tiger-like eyes red, giving him an air of weathered loneliness.
"Father, I..." Seeing the man's hair, already streaked with gray despite his prime, Zhi Yue hesitated slightly. But after glancing at Ye Luo beside her, her expression became resolute. "Father, Sister told me to stay with Brother Ye. He can protect me..."
"Qiu Er told you this before she died..." The middle-aged man murmured. His body trembled faintly, but he forced himself steady. Looking at Ye Luo, sharp light flashed in his eyes. "Qiu Er entrusted Yue Er to you?"
"Yes." Ye Luo answered calmly. A trace of resentment passed over his face, and his tone held a hint of mockery. "Yue Er is better off with me. At the very least, she won't be affected by your so-called family interests anymore, nor will she be forced like Sister Qiu was..."
At this point, Ye Luo's face filled with deep sorrow. The middle-aged man's expression also darkened before turning to anger, hatred, regret, helplessness, and countless other complicated emotions.
After a long while, the middle-aged man calmed himself. Looking at Zhi Yue, his expression softened greatly. "Perhaps this is for the best. At least Yue Er will be happier with you."
Before Ye Luo or Zhi Yue could say anything, he stared at Ye Luo and continued, "I only recognized your identity after seeing your earlier moves. I can rest easy with Yue Er following you. But can you truly guarantee her safety? From the rumors I've heard about you, you won't let this go. If Yue Er stays by your side..."
A fierce light flashed through Ye Luo's eyes, and his voice became much colder. "Those who harmed Sister Qiu must die, even if he is a member of the Dongfang Family, the so-called second-ranked family!"
"Though you are strong, and I believe you can kill that beast, you should also understand the Dongfang Family's power." The middle-aged man looked even more solemn. "If you kill him, you will lose your life as well. I know you are prepared to die and do not care, but what about Yue Er? What about Qiu Er's final request? Are you going to disregard all of that?"
Hearing this, Ye Luo hesitated, his face full of agony. After a long while, he looked at Zhi Yue and murmured, "Sister Qiu, I finally understand why you entrusted Yue Er to me. But your vengeance..."
"Qiu Er's vengeance must be avenged, but that does not necessarily mean killing him." The middle-aged man interrupted Ye Luo, his expression growing more resolute and his entire bearing becoming more imposing. "You know that the Dongfang Family is the second-largest gaming family in our country. Before long, 'Heavenly Tribulation' will launch. It will be the largest game in the world. The Dongfang Family will certainly invest most of its manpower and resources into it. This is our opportunity."
Ye Luo's eyes lit up, and his expression became more determined. "When the time comes, I will enter the game and destroy everything the Dongfang Family has, avenging Sister Qiu!"
"Come here. I have a few things to tell you..." the middle-aged man said. When the two approached, he lowered his voice. No one knew what he told them, but Ye Luo and Zhi Yue listened carefully and occasionally nodded.
Half an hour later, the middle-aged man finished his instructions, and the three moved apart again.
"Alright, leave now. Don't let the Dongfang Family find Yue Er." The middle-aged man waved his hand, then looked at Zhi Yue fondly and added, "Take good care of Yue Er. Let me know if you need help with anything."
Ye Luo nodded, took Zhi Yue's hand, and continued down the path.
"Alas, destroying the Dongfang Family will not be easy. After all, it is the second-largest gaming family in our country, and international forces stand behind it as well."
"But people must have hope to live, mustn't they? Besides, Ye Luo is no ordinary man. Perhaps he really can do it."
After saying that, the middle-aged man straightened up. He gave Zhi Yue one last look before returning to the car. The engines started, and the convoy sped away.
The autumn wind continued to blow, but at some point the autumn rain had stopped. The last dark cloud drifted away, and a full moon hung in the heavens, bringing more light and hope to the world.
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