In the courtyard, a number of old hags shouted furiously. Some urged their golden cores to kill Chen Shi, while others flipped up, their bodies nimble, and though old, they remained vigorous as they prepared to vault over the wall.
Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!
A hairpin flew through the air, chiming merrily as it pierced through one old hag's body after another, moving with a speed that left the eyes struggling to keep up.
The old hags who had charged forward collapsed to the ground, tumbling and rolling, and by the time they stopped, they were already corpses.
An old hag who had just vaulted the wall and leaped up suddenly sprouted a streak of blood across the brickwork. The hairpin had consecutively pierced her heart several times, draining all her strength in an instant, and her corpse hung limply from the wall.
Others had rushed into the rooms. Accompanied by the crisp ding of a copper bead, booming sounds of impact echoed from inside, followed immediately by a miserable shriek.
Plop!
One old hag tumbled into the water, crawling facedown on the surface. After struggling with a couple of wet plops, she went completely still.
Soon, the pond was dyed a vibrant crimson by her blood.
The deep-set manor grew quiet, save for the chiming sound of the flying hairpin.
The sound came drifting from the street outside, moving at blinding speed and accompanied by one miserable shriek after another.
The young maidens in the courtyard stopped their training and lifted their heads one by one to listen to the ringing outside.
This ringing seemed capable of touching their already-numb souls.
They had been trained for far too long—so long that this training was deeply embedded in their very bone marrow.
They had endured too many beatings and no longer