The Bludgeoning

A breathtakingly beautiful woman drew closer, bit by bit. The icy chill radiating from her made Xu Yuan feel as if he were standing in an ice cellar.

At this life-or-death moment, Xu Yuan's mind was crystal clear.

He'd already said what he'd said. Regretting it now wouldn't change a thing. Even if he was crying inside, he could only grit his teeth and keep acting.

Under Ran Qingmo's oppressive aura, Xu Yuan slowly let go of the wooden pillar beside him and steadied himself. Gritting his teeth, he met her gaze.

"Mr. Ran, you seem surprised?"

"." Ran Qingmo.

Xu Yuan smiled faintly under the pressure.

"That makes sense. How could my father tell a good-for-nothing like me a secret of this magnitude?"

As he spoke, Xu Yuan narrowed his long, phoenix-shaped eyes.

"But, Mr. Ran, compared with me, my father's third son, I'm more curious how a Sword Sect disciple like you learned such a secret."

"."

The air inside the temple fell dead silent.

Only the old man in this body and a handful of his most trusted confidants could know about this. The meaning behind Xu Yuan's words was unmistakable.

Ran Qingmo stared intently at the noble young man before her. The gloom of the rainy night did nothing to obscure her gaze as she spoke, each word deliberate.

"What do you mean by that?"

As she spoke, she stopped in her tracks, and the sword in her hand dipped slightly.

Xu Yuan felt the icy pressure bearing down on him like a mountain suddenly ease. Seeing this, he breathed a sigh of relief.

The brush with death had made him cast aside many of his misgivings. He absolutely couldn't back down now.

"What do I mean?"

He began to walk slowly, circling Ran Qingmo through the darkness with interest. His gaze roamed over her graceful figure as his tone grew heavier with every word.

"Publicly speaking, Great Yan has stood for more than thirteen hundred years. The Tianyuan Sword Sect was founded alongside the nation, and every generation of its Sect Master has served as Great Yan's State Preceptor. The current Sect Master is even the Crown Prince's martial arts mentor. The Sword Sect and Great Yan share the same fate: when one prospers, so does the other; when one falls, so does the other."

"Personally speaking, my father and Mr. Ran's master have been close friends for decades."

"And you, Mr. Ran, are a disciple of the Sword Sect Master. I'm curious what sort of person could convince you that my father would move against the Sword Sect. Is that really so hard to understand?"

"."

Listening to him, Ran Qingmo tightened her grip on her sword slightly.

She felt that something about the man before her had changed.

From the moment he'd passed out to the moment he'd just woken up, it was as if he'd become someone else.

Her keen sense of qi let her feel the heart of this calm-faced Third Young Master beating wildly. His thoughts were nowhere near as peaceful as his expression suggested.

But now that the rumors everyone knew could no longer be trusted, she couldn't tell how much Xu Yuan truly knew, or what trump cards he might have.

Watching Big Ice Block stand silently in place, Xu Yuan felt his nerves gradually settle.

Then he abruptly changed direction and walked straight toward the woman in black, meeting her gaze.

Under Ran Qingmo's watchful eyes, the man stopped a meter in front of her and looked down at her.

"Mr. Ran, put your sword away."

Ran Qingmo watched him with an indifferent gaze. She could feel that his heartbeat had gradually returned to normal.

And in the next instant,

she saw the man before her smile. He leaned toward her slightly, pinched the blade of her lowered sword between two fingers, and slowly lifted it, guiding it to his completely unguarded throat.

With the blade at his throat, he looked her in the eye.

"If you won't put it away, then go ahead and kill me, Mr. Ran."

Xu Yuan knew the story well enough to be certain the woman before him wouldn't kill him of her own accord.

As soon as he finished speaking, Ran Qingmo's hand tightened around the hilt. The blade at his throat suddenly gave a deep hum.

A vast killing intent swept over him.

In a daze, Xu Yuan saw his own head fly high into the air.

But the next instant, the vision vanished. The woman before him still stood with her sword in hand, and his head remained right where it belonged.

The brush with death made Xu Yuan's eyes widen slightly. Having grown up in peaceful times, he'd never seen anything like this. The aura of death she'd unleashed for that brief instant had also left his legs weak.

The fact that the woman before him could leave him in such a sorry state just by releasing her aura was one thing. But the fact that she'd only released her killing intent also proved she wouldn't kill him at this point in time.

Xu Yuan stared at her and repeated, each word deliberate.

"Mr. Ran, a threat you can't carry out is just a joke. Put your sword away. Let's talk. I can help you."

The cold wind howled. The sword blade pressed to his throat was truly cold.

Xu Yuan had no system, no old master living inside a ring. The body of this Third Young Master was that of an ordinary man, and his knowledge of the plot and characters of Cangyuan was his greatest advantage. Yet that very advantage was also a death warrant.

In Cangyuan's story, the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's household met a grisly end. In every worldline, his fate was death.

To survive, Xu Yuan had to act in advance. He had to take a few gambles.

Ran Qingmo lowered her eyes slightly, her thoughts unreadable, but she did put her sword away.

Her blade spun in a flourish. In the darkness, ripples of azure swordlight shimmered, and the sword slid into its scabbard.

Cool.

Xu Yuan instinctively felt his neck.

Mm. His head was still there. No gashes or anything like that.

Ran Qingmo shot Xu Yuan's movement a slightly puzzled glance.

Xu Yuan smiled at her and silently began preparing what to say.

But in the next instant,

Xu Yuan's smile stiffened.

After putting away her sword, Ran Qingmo silently picked up the long, thick wooden club from the ground and held it in her hand.

"." Xu Yuan.

His pupils shrank slightly. He hurriedly opened his mouth to say something.

"Wait—"

Thud!

With a dull thump, Xu Yuan, his words unfinished, toppled straight to the ground.