Lady Ning, Spare My Life

Moonlit night.

South pine forest at the foot of Mount Heng.

"Put down your knife."

"Kick the knife further away."

"Even further!"

With the blade at his throat, Zhang Yu had no choice but to kick the iron saber twenty to thirty feet away.

The sword tip spun, and the person moved in front of him.

Under the moonlight, Zhang Yu saw a girl with a pretty face, a graceful figure, and a pair of clear, bright eyes full of spirit. She looked only fifteen or sixteen but already possessed the makings of stunning beauty.

"I've caught a remnant of the Demonic Cult with my own hands. Let's see what Father says when we get back."

Zhang Yu glanced at the green sword still resting on his shoulder. The coldness seeped through his cloth clothes, chilling his skin. However, the wielder of the sword seemed like a rookie fresh to the martial world, and Zhang Yu began to formulate a plan.

"Heroine, you... you've misunderstood."

"Misunderstood?"

Zhang Yu said with a mournful face, "I'm a farmer, not a seller of konjac. If you want konjac, Heroine, you should go to the small town below the mountain and find Wang the peddler. His konjac tofu is smooth and refreshing, truly the best."

The girl chuckled, "Hmph, you're still trying to trick me! Aren't those the clothes of the Demonic Cult's Cloud Water Hall you're wearing?"

"People in the wilderness are incredibly poor. It's common to wear clothes from dead people. I heard there was a battle on Mount Heng, so I came to try my luck. I saw many dead people, and I really shouldn't have let greed get the better of me."

"And the knife?"

"The knife was for taking down the mountain to sell for money. I have an eighty-year-old mother at home waiting for rice to be bought so I can support her."

The girl sized up Zhang Yu. She saw that he stood tall and slender. Despite the detestable Demonic Cult attire, he had phoenix eyes and crescent eyebrows. If his skin weren't a bit dark, he would have been even more handsome than a dan actor on stage.

Their eyes met, and she flusteredly looked away.

"You... you're only seventeen or eighteen, how can you have an eighty-year-old mother? You're clearly making things up."

"My mother had me late in life and cherished me like a treasure since I was young," Zhang Yu thought to himself. This girl seemed like a rookie, but her mind was quite sharp. He quickly covered up, "Heroine, you also have parents. If you were killed while out, wouldn't they be heartbroken at home, waiting and longing for your return?"

"What you say... does have some truth to it."

Zhang Yu breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to find an opportunity to escape.

The girl chuckled, "However, for me to believe you completely, you must raise your right fist and shout three times at the moon, 'Dongfang Bubai is the most shameless scoundrel in the world!'"

Zhang Yu said with a fawning smile, "Not just three times, three hundred times is fine. I just don't know who Dongfang Bubai is? How did he offend you, Heroine? And how is he shameless?"

The girl straightened her sword, "So verbose! Are you going to shout or not?"

"I'll shout!"

Zhang Yu raised his right fist and shouted loudly at the full moon in the sky.

"Dongfang Bubai is the most shameless scoundrel in the world!"

"Dongfang Bubai is the most shameless scoundrel in the world!"

"Dongfang Bubai is the most shameless scoundrel in the world!"

Two crows flew up from the woods.

Zhang Yu turned around and saw the girl's face filled with a mischievous smile. He knew something was wrong. Had he revealed a flaw somewhere?

"Hahaha, what a cunning rogue, what a glib tongue! I can hardly bear to take you to the Mountain God Temple to see Father now."

Zhang Yu asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The girl sneered, "The followers of the Demonic Cult all have a black scorpion mark on their right arm. Did you think I didn't see it? Do you think the black scorpion on your right arm was also tattooed by some peddler named Wang? Do you have anything else to argue?"

Zhang Yu sighed, "Since things have come to this, what more is there to say."

The moonlight was like frost, covering the forest path.

The girl held a sword in one hand and a rope in the other.

The man's hands were tied behind his back.

"Where are you taking me?"

"To the Mountain God Temple to see my father. Whether you live or die depends on your luck."

"Who is your father?"

"Listen carefully, my father is the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, known in the martial world as the 'Gentleman Sword'!"

Zhang Yu exclaimed, "Yue Buqun?"

He sighed inwardly, Is this fate? I tried so hard to hide, yet I still fell into the hands of his daughter, Yue Lingshan.

"How dare you! My father is a top-tier hero in the martial world, and you dare to call him by his name so casually."

As Yue Lingshan spoke, she swung her scabbard, hitting Zhang Yu's shoulder. The pain made him inwardly furious.

If I fall into the hands of that hypocrite Yue Buqun, what good end can I expect? To expect mercy from an enemy is to be cruel to oneself. I absolutely cannot go to the Mountain God Temple; I must find a way to escape immediately.

"Lady Yue, you misunderstand. How could I dare disrespect your father!"

"Mr. Yue, the Gentleman Sword, is renowned throughout the jianghu. Even our Eastern Cult Master shows him respect."

"He often warns our disciples that when traveling the jianghu, it's fine to encounter others, but they must retreat three she if they see Mr. Yue of the Mount Hua sect."

Yue Lingshan deliberately asked, "Why would Dongfang Bubai say that?"

"The Eastern Cult Master says Mr. Yue's Purple Cloud Divine Skill is profound and unfathomable; one palm strike can sever the Yangtze River. And his Mount Hua Swordplay is exquisite. I fear even our ten elders joining forces would be defeated."

Yue Lingshan felt pleased. Although Dongfang Bubai was from the Demonic Cult, he was undeniably the top expert in the martial arts world today. To receive his affirmation in martial arts, even if they belonged to different factions, was something to be happy about.

"This Great Hero Yue..."

Zhang Yu endured his nausea and lavished praise on Yue Buqun. He secretly glanced at Yue Lingshan and saw her beaming with joy, knowing he was on the right track.

Young boys and girls at this age were blindly idolizing their parents. Moreover, Yue Buqun truly had an excellent reputation in the jianghu as a great hero.

The smile on Yue Lingshan's lips was hard to conceal. "What else do you know? Tell me everything."

Zhang Yu continued, "I also heard that besides Mr. Yue's extraordinary martial arts, his character is also impeccable. The jianghu says Mr. Yue is benevolent, and Lady Ning is simple, often wearing patched trousers herself while still helping the poor."

Yue Lingshan chuckled, "This... this is a bit exaggerated, but it's true that my parents are kind and generous."

Zhang Yu's heart grew anxious. They were about to leave this pine forest, and he didn't know how far they were from the Lishan Shrine.

If he fell into Yue Buqun's hands, or if they encountered other disciples of the Mount Hua sect along the way, he would have no hope of escaping.

Zhang Yu looked at the dense forest by the roadside, suddenly stopped, and his expression turned pained, sweat beading on his forehead.

Yue Lingshan asked, "What's wrong?"

"My stomach hurts. I need to relieve myself."

"You may not."

"Then I'll have to soil myself."

"Don't!"

Yue Lingshan stared at his face, seeing he didn't seem to be faking. She cautiously asked, "You're not planning to escape, are you?"

Zhang Yu lowered his head as if resigned. "With Lady Yue's martial arts, where could I possibly escape to?"

Yue Lingshan chuckled lightly. "I suppose you don't have the ability."

The sword blade was drawn, severing the ropes on his hands.

"Don't go too far, you must stay where I can see you. Hold the rope, with this end in my hand. If I tug and there's no response from your end, this lady will immediately draw her sword and charge in, piercing you through."

As the earliest disciple to enter the Mount Hua sect, Yue Lingshan had been trained from a young age. She had learned much about the jianghu from her parents and fellow disciples, but she had little personal experience, and her skills were still lacking.

"Thank you, Lady Yue."

Zhang Yu deliberately walked a few steps, then impatiently began to unfasten his trousers.

"Go a few steps further."

Zhang Yu walked into the woods as she said, stopping where he could still be vaguely seen.

Yue Lingshan held her sword and turned away. She looked at the moon in the sky, as beautiful as a white jade plate. Within the plate were some black, wispy objects – the cassia tree, the moon palace, and Chang'e, the immortal who stole the elixir and left her beloved.

"I wonder where Senior Disciple Brother has gone drinking again, making Father so angry he grinds his teeth. Once I capture this little thief, I'll make Father happy, and hopefully, his punishment will be lighter. Last month, he spanked Senior Disciple Brother's bottom hard, and it hasn't fully healed yet."

"However, although this little thief is from the Demonic Cult, he doesn't look like a villain. Perhaps he's just gone astray. I could ask Father to spare his life."

Yue Lingshan glanced back from time to time. That splash of blue was still there. But after a long silence from the woods, she quickly tugged the rope, which didn't budge at all.

"Not good, the little thief has escaped! Senior Disciple Brother's bottom will be sore again!"

She charged into the dense forest with her sword, following the rope, only to see his blue garment hanging from a treetop. The person must have run far away.

"What a cunning little thief."

Yue Lingshan dejectedly lowered her sword.

In the darkness, a stone flew and hit the young girl's shoulder. Caught off guard, her long sword slipped from her grasp.

In an instant, a sharp object pressed against her.

"What are you pressing against my lower back?"

"An iron spear! Don't move, or you'll be pierced through." Zhang Yu smiled, returning her words.

She raised her chin. "Kill me if you dare. The female xia of Mount Hua, Yue Lingshan, does not fear death."

"Very well. After you die, I'll strip you naked, write 'Mount Hua Sect's Lady Yue Lingshan' on you, and throw you into the street for all the Five Great Sword Sects to see the splendor of a Mount Hua lady."

Tears welled up in Yue Lingshan's eyes. She said hatefully, "As expected of a wicked disciple of the Demonic Cult! I even planned to beg Father to spare your life, yet you are so cruel!"

Zhang Yu smiled triumphantly. "I'm merely returning your kindness in kind."

He used the rope to tie the young girl's hands behind her back as before, discarded the branch, picked up the fallen sword, and drew it. It was named 'Azure Water,' its cold gleam far superior to his own common iron saber.

Yue Lingshan was only fifteen or sixteen years old and was somewhat frightened. "Little thief, let me go?"

"If I let you go, what will you do if you find people to come after me?"

"I won't. I swear."

"Didn't Mr. Yue tell you that in the martial world, oaths are like farts?"

"That's your Demonic Cult. My father is a righteous hero whose word is his bond. How could he say such a thing?"

"That's true. You righteous folk can't say it, but you can do it."

Under the moonlight, Zhang Yu held a sword in one hand and a rope in the other.

The tide of battle has turned.