Midnight

Chu Qing briefly sensed the changes in the inner breath within his body, then rose to his feet.

He only felt the inner breath flowing through him, circulating endlessly.

It could no longer be mentioned in the same breath as before.

Practicing swordsmanship in the room was clearly not a good idea, so he moved the table aside and performed a set of Azure Void Palm.

But now, all his inner breath circulated according to the Purple Mist Ruoxu Scripture. Thus, when he used this palm technique, not only was its power many times greater than before, a faint layer of purple radiance also covered his palms.

Chu Qing suddenly recalled the original description of the Purple Mist Divine Skill and hurriedly found a bronze mirror.

Comparing his reflection as he circulated his power, he discovered that the fused Purple Mist Ruoxu Scripture did not cause purple qi to surface on his face when used.

But his eyes gleamed with purple light...

"Good, good..."

Chu Qing let out a small sigh of relief. Otherwise, every time he circulated his power, he would transform like some purple sweet potato monster. He could not quite accept that.

What was that saying again? Whether you were strong only mattered for a moment; whether you were handsome mattered for a lifetime.

Purple light in his eyes and a grand purple face—just from the description alone, they sounded like two entirely different species.

After performing a set of palm techniques in the room, he checked the time. Midnight was already not far off.

The rain outside was no longer as heavy as before. It was the perfect time to head out.

Previously, whether he should meet Wu Qianhuan had remained uncertain. But with Er Gou involved now, he had no choice but to see her.

He changed into night clothes, put on the mask without any pattern, and pushed open the window. With a flicker of his body, he was already outside. Then, with a tap of his foot, he rose into the air, flipped over, and landed atop the roof.

The entire sequence flowed in one breath, relying wholly on changes in inner strength. His hands had not exerted the slightest force.

With another tap of his foot, he sped toward Duhua Pavilion.

"This inner strength truly cannot be mentioned in the same breath as before."

As Chu Qing traveled, he sensed the changes brought by his inner breath. The subtleties of lightness skill that he had once been unable to bring out now became increasingly natural and effortless under the support of this inner strength.

As he ran, his inner breath flowed on without end. Without expending much inner strength, he could already leap a great distance.

Compared to before... he was faster by who knew how much.

The Star Chasing Moon Catching Steps were known for their speed, allowing him to move as swiftly as a galloping horse for a short time.

But his original inner strength had not been enough to sustain this lightness skill for long.

After every stretch of travel, he always had to rest for a while and meditate to restore his inner strength.

Nor could he exhaust it all. He always had to leave some behind in case of sudden trouble.

Now that he had the Purple Mist Ruoxu Scripture, with his current seventh-layer cultivation, he could force himself to run through an entire night without stopping.

Of course, that was only his own estimate. As for what his true limit was, no one would know until he reached it.

"If I'd had this kind of inner strength during the day, that girl wouldn't have caught me even if she rode a horse."

But when he thought of how he had obtained this Purple Mist Divine Skill because of her, Chu Qing did not feel regret for long.

Still, a thought inevitably surfaced in his heart:

"Since inner cultivation techniques can fuse, can lightness skills also draw on each other's strengths to make up for their weaknesses?

"However, the system helped with inner cultivation and saved me a great deal of effort. Lightness skills, on the other hand, require me to ponder them carefully myself. If they could be fused together...

"Would the Golden Goose Technique's aerial steps stop at merely thirty-seven?"

It sounded easy enough, but actually doing it would be exceedingly difficult.

He could calculate in his heart while traveling, but he did not dare try recklessly. If he carelessly sent his inner strength down the wrong meridians, a leg cramp would be the least of it. What he feared was causing internal injuries. That truly would not be beautiful.

Moreover, Chu Qing had the Golden Goose Technique fully in his grasp. He had comprehended all its mysteries.

He had practiced the Star Chasing Moon Catching Steps since childhood, but limited by his aptitude, he had never fully mastered them.

Given his current circumstances, trying to fuse these two lightness skills into one would likely not be easy.

"Since that's the case, I should focus on the Star Chasing Moon Catching Steps first. Once I have fully mastered them, even if I don't improve and fuse the two, I'll still be able to wield them as easily as an arm directs a finger."

With that thought, he cast aside the distractions in his heart. In but a moment, he had arrived at Duhua Pavilion.

It was raining tonight, and there were no pedestrians on the streets.

Within Duhua Pavilion was a lone blue lamp. Beneath it sat a beauty, and there was fine wine as well.

She had arrived a little earlier than their appointed time.

A cold wind carrying droplets of rain swept past, making the lamplight sway uncertainly. Wu Qianhuan only felt her vision blur, and someone had already appeared across from her.

Her pupils contracted slightly. Wu Qianhuan felt that the person before her seemed even more unfathomable than he had been during the day.

That made her thoughts waver even more.

After returning today, she had heard certain things. Recalling what Chu Qing had done that day, she could not connect him no matter how she tried with the Chu Family's third young master from her memories, the one who could neither master literature nor martial arts.

Especially that sword strike which had killed Xin Youhen... even now, merely thinking of it made her whole body turn cold.

Could she really have mistaken him?

Could this person before her simply be someone else whose eyes happened to resemble his?

But she was, after all, the Eldest Young Lady of Heavenly Dance City. Not a trace of her thoughts showed on her face.

She merely spoke softly:

"You're here."

"Eldest Young Lady, you do say pointless things."

Chu Qing was somewhat speechless.

"I'm sitting right here in front of you. Didn't I come?"

"..."

Wu Qianhuan gritted her teeth, suddenly feeling the atmosphere shatter all at once.

Shouldn't people of the martial world carry at least a little aloofness about them?

Especially assassins... could he not speak in such down-to-earth terms?

Taking a deep breath, Wu Qianhuan poured him a cup of wine.

"Immortal's Drunkenness from Zhiwei Restaurant, aged thirty years. Have a taste."

"I don't drink."

"Why not?"

"Assassins never drink outside."

"Then have something to eat?"

"...Must you force me to say that I don't want to take off my mask before you'll stop?"

Chu Qing was thoroughly speechless.

"Tell me, how am I supposed to eat or drink what you offer while wearing a mask?"

"By that reasoning, your life is truly not easy."

Wu Qianhuan curled her lips.

"I suggest you change to a mask that exposes your mouth. Otherwise, if you get trapped somewhere with someone, and there's food and drink but no way out... are you going to starve yourself to death?"

"I think I can kill the other person first, then eat and drink."

"But what if the other person is your closest friend, your beloved kin, and they don't know your true identity? You also don't want to expose who you are."

"...I can knock them out."

"You..."

Wu Qianhuan felt her heart growing restless and irritated again.

She forcibly swallowed the fire in her heart, only to hear Chu Qing say:

"You've said so much, offering me wine and food. Don't tell me you're... trying not to pay?"

She had wasted her effort!

The veins on Wu Qianhuan's forehead nearly began throbbing. She took out fifteen hundred taels' worth of banknotes from her sleeve and viciously flung them at Chu Qing.

From the look of it, she wished she could smash them into his face.

Chu Qing caught them casually. Only after examining them carefully and confirming they were correct did he nod with satisfaction.

"Young Miss Wu truly keeps her word...

"Since that is so, let's discuss something serious."

"You have serious business?"

Having successfully been angered, Wu Qianhuan's words were clearly tinged with emotion.

Chu Qing smiled.

"I want a deployment map of Falling Rain Hall."