Chapter 16

Chang'an said, "Do I look like him?" After hearing Liu Ruyan's story, not a trace of drunkenness remained in him.

Liu Ruyan said, "The moment I saw you, I thought you looked so much like him—so much! After you put on weight, you looked even more alike. He was a chubby boy back then too... After all these years, I still think of him often, my heart full of guilt. If he were still alive, he should only be a few years older than you!"

Chang'an sighed. "Meeting you, Sister, is the most unexpected blessing of my life!"

Liu Ruyan said, "What a pity you aren't afraid of the dark at all. You even like the starry sky at night!" Someone unafraid of darkness did not need company to fall asleep at night.

Chang'an said awkwardly, "I've grown up!"

Liu Ruyan said softly, "In the end, I have to find a place to belong. Chang'an, am I not good enough?" Suddenly, she no longer referred to herself as Sister. There was none of a sister's warmth in her voice, only a woman's tenderness.

Chang'an said, "Sister is wonderful."

Liu Ruyan said, "Call me Ruyan."

Chang'an was greatly startled. "Sister, you?!"

Liu Ruyan said, "Could you sacrifice everything for me?" Her voice was as soft and delicate as silk.

Chang'an said, "I... I could!"

Liu Ruyan gently caressed Chang'an's face and murmured as if in a dream, "Ruyan could too."

Panic surged through Chang'an's heart. His previous lingering intimacy with Sister Yueru had already left his thoughts tangled like a ball of hemp. Now that Liu Ruyan had laid bare her feelings, his scalp went numb and even his thoughts seemed to freeze.

In his confusion, Chang'an broke free from Liu Ruyan's embrace, burst through the door, and fled in utter disarray.

Liu Ruyan was both angry and amused. Holding her forehead, she snorted, "Fool! Blockhead!"

Chang'an ran all the way outside Spring Breeze Tower, then slowly walked along the long street.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse; the long street lay silent.

Whenever he thought of Liu Ruyan's dreamlike whispers, panic rose in Chang'an's heart.

He seemed to have forgotten that he should not have left Spring Breeze Tower at this hour. He still bore the vile name of a great demon, someone everyone in the martial world wanted to punish. Besides, after winning a smile from Liu Ruyan in public at Spring Breeze Tower today, who knew how many beasts had grown jealous enough to want his life?

Chang'an was wandering aimlessly when the sound of fluttering robes suddenly came from ahead.

A figure had already landed before him.

A straight-backed figure, a gleaming sword.

The sword bore the moonlight, cold radiance flowing over it.

The swordsman was a man around twenty, with sword-like brows, starry eyes, and a dignified bearing.

Chang'an abruptly stopped and looked at him. "A friend from the Qingcheng Sect?"

The man shook his head coldly. His eyes were like two frigid stars, glinting with icy light.

Chang'an sighed. "Then it seems you're an enemy."

The man said, "Listen carefully. My name is Zhao Chuan."

Chang'an said, "You are Zhao Chuan, the Floating Light Sword of the Qingcheng Sect, who surpassed his master in the way of the sword in only three years?"

Zhao Chuan said, "Good that you know. Go die in peace!"

Chang'an said, "Why do you want me dead?"

Zhao Chuan said, "Because killing you brings both fame and profit. And the proprietress actually smiled at someone like you. That makes me hate you very much, so you deserve to die!"

Chang'an smiled bitterly. "Then come kill me."

Zhao Chuan gave a cold snort and advanced with sword in hand. He suddenly thrust out three times, every strike leaving an afterimage, like rippling light. This was the marvel of Zhao Chuan's swordsmanship—fleeting light and passing shadows, unimaginably swift.

Chang'an suddenly shifted three feet sideways, evading Zhao Chuan's sword light even faster. Zhao Chuan was startled. He spun, his sword following his will, cold light rippling as it slashed toward Chang'an's throat.

But Chang'an suddenly stepped forward. Instead of retreating, he advanced and threw a punch.

Zhao Chuan's face changed drastically. Chang'an's fist struck his shoulder, while his sword barely skimmed past Chang'an's shoulder. Before he could withdraw his sword, Chang'an had already closed in. A barrage of fists rained down, sending Zhao Chuan flying backward from the beating.

Zhao Chuan said unwillingly, "How did you know the flaw in that move?"

Chang'an said, "Because the flaw was simply too obvious."

Zhao Chuan said nothing. He knew the flaw in that sword strike was not obvious in the slightest. Chang'an's eyes were simply too sharp. Slowly wiping away the blood at the corner of his mouth, he suddenly leaped up.

The instant Zhao Chuan leaped, the sound of something slicing through the air rang out.

Hearing it, Chang'an sneered. "Petty rat hiding above the beams! You dare ambush me with Iron Lotus Seeds—do you dare show yourself?!" Chang'an suddenly sprang up and reached out, catching two Iron Lotus Seeds in his hand. Then he shook his arm and flicked his wrist, and a piercing whistle rose.

After a sharp clang came a muffled groan.

Zhao Chuan looked alarmed as he glanced at the sword in his hand. The web between his thumb and forefinger had split open from the impact.

A pained voice suddenly rang out from a rooftop. "Zhao Chuan, we're no match for him! Run!"

At the shout, Zhao Chuan's expression changed. He knew his companion's ambush had failed and had instead gotten him injured. Fear appeared in his eyes as he looked at Chang'an. He slowly backed away three steps, leaped onto the roof, and fled after a few bounds.

Chang'an merely watched quietly, with no intention of pursuing. Shaking his head, he sighed. "When first stepping out into the world, one never knows how high the sky is or how deep the earth! Fame truly harms people."

Clang!

The moment Chang'an finished speaking, an iron staff suddenly appeared a foot in front of him—a smooth, gleaming iron staff. It had been driven diagonally into the hard street.

He was no stranger to this iron staff. He had seen it more than once.

This was the third time he had seen it.

It was Little Brother's iron staff.

Why was Little Brother's iron staff here? Where was Little Brother? A shadow fell over Chang'an's heart, and he immediately thought of Little Brother's lively, dark face.

Yet Chang'an had not noticed who had thrown the iron staff.

It was as though the iron staff had flown out of thin air.

This was too mysterious.

The newcomer was certainly no ordinary person. Their control over strength had reached the point of perfection, every movement utterly soundless. They had to be a first-rate master, hiding in the darkness and waiting for an opportunity—the best possible moment to strike.

Chang'an reached out and gripped the iron staff, intending to pull it free. He had already decided to return it to Little Brother with his own hands.

The iron staff was buried three feet deep in the ground, and the ground was hard.

The instant Chang'an exerted force, the hidden person moved. Like a black bat, the newcomer swept down from the rooftop, tracing a perfect arc as he rushed straight at Chang'an.

Chang'an saw only a black dagger in the newcomer's hand, cold and sharp.

The dagger reflected no light. Pure black, it stabbed straight for Chang'an's heart.

Chang'an shook his shoulder, wrenching the iron staff free with a violent pull. He swung it sharply, and the tremendous force made the staff vibrate ceaselessly with a deep hum.

Crack!

A heavy impact rang out, sparks flying. The man in black retreated and said coldly, "What tremendous strength!"

Chang'an said, "You shouldn't have given me a weapon, especially one so much like a sword!"

Chang'an looked at the iron staff in his hand. Not a single mark had been left on it.

The man in black was also staring at the iron staff, astonishment rising in his eyes. He exclaimed, "What an iron staff! My dagger cuts iron like mud, yet it cannot harm it at all. I misjudged it." He looked again at the dagger in his hand. Its edge had already curled. The man in black sighed repeatedly.

Chang'an suddenly took a step forward, using the staff as a sword. He thrust ahead—the cold gleam arrived first, then the sword emerged like a dragon.

The man in black sharply twisted aside. Like a nimble ape crossing a stream, he deftly dodged Chang'an's strike. Then his body flickered as he closed in, throwing himself into Chang'an's embrace. The dagger in his hand was like a poisonous snake's flickering tongue as it swept toward Chang'an's throat.

He had seen that Chang'an had been building power for this move for a long time. With such an old and committed strike, Chang'an surely could not pull back his strength.

Unfortunately, he was wrong.

Chang'an suddenly spun. The iron staff's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, then swept sideways.

The man in black heard a howl like the roar of dragons and tigers and knew trouble had come. He was also exceptionally seasoned. As he shifted sideways, he suddenly sprang away and thrust out a palm, sending a palm imprint at Chang'an's chest.

Externalized True Qi!

Chang'an gave a cold snort. Without even looking at the palm imprint, he swept the iron staff through the air. The man in black raised his dagger to block. Crack, crack! The moment he exerted force with both hands, the webs between his thumbs and forefingers split open, and the dagger was sent flying. The iron staff's force had not yet faded. It struck the man in black across the waist, folding his body in half and sending him flying three yards before he rolled across the ground, unable to rise again.

Only then did Chang'an take the palm imprint. His chest tightened, and he staggered back three steps.

As the man in black tried to get up again, Chang'an was already before him. The iron staff trembled and stabbed down. The man in black screamed as his ankle bone shattered, leaving him unable to rise again. But though he knew death was at hand, his desire to survive still drove him onward. He screamed as he crawled forward.

Chang'an's face darkened as he stepped on the man in black's other foot.

The man in black could crawl no farther. He raised his head and looked at Chang'an.

Chang'an said, "Speak. I know you have something to say!"

The man in black snarled, "You'll die a miserable death."

Chang'an said, "You know, I like assassins best, because no matter what one does to them, it can never be wrong. When facing an assassin, it is either your death or mine. A person may be as cruel as a beast. Speak. I know you must have something to say. You were originally just a messenger, yet you insisted on attacking me! Assassins do not wish for fame. You must have come for that bounty, right? My head isn't so easy to take."

Chang'an narrowed his eyes.

When others wanted to kill him, he would not be soft-hearted either.

A martial world without bloodshed was no martial world at all. Gratitude, grudges, love, and hatred were its colors.

Suddenly, a sigh drifted over. "Let him go in peace."

Another man in black appeared, walking slowly from one end of the street. His night clothes were identical to those of the injured man lying on the ground. The difference was that he had not wrapped his entire head and face. Only his mouth and nose were covered, while his eyes and forehead remained exposed.

The masked man in black walked closer step by step. Chang'an had already lifted his foot. The injured man in black kept crawling toward the newcomer, blood spreading across the ground, its stench sharp and pungent.

The injured man in black looked pitifully at the veiled man in black and begged, "Save me! I can still be saved!"

A blade suddenly appeared in the masked man in black's hand—a terrifying black blade.

The masked man in black kept his gaze on Chang'an and said slowly, "You're crippled now. You're useless!"

The injured man in black let out a hysterical scream. His head suddenly fell to the ground and rolled without stopping.

Chang'an's eyelid twitched. "What a fast blade!"

The masked man in black said, "This is how I earn my living."

Chang'an said, "You want to kill me too?"