44 Advantageous

Liu Bai pressed his hand against the hilt at his waist and leaned down to scoop up a palmful of stream water, but suddenly, the sound of rustling grass rose behind him.

"Who is it?!"

The long sword in the scabbard at his waist rang as it was drawn, slicing a circle through the air. He executed the opening stance of the Flying Fish Sword technique, "Soaring Dragon Rising Phoenix," and under the moonlight reflected in the stream, the cyan-hued tip of his Cyan Steel Sword pointed steadily at the figure emerging from the grass.

"Senior Brother Liu, it's us!"

Several fellow disciples dressed in the garb of the Flying Fish Sect stepped out.

Chi Ling Daoist of the Flying Fish Sect was a man of the Dao, and his disciples were always dressed as Daoists, making them quite conspicuous among the groups searching Four Peaks Mountain. Seeing that the newcomers were all wearing Daoist topknots, grey robes, and ten-direction shoes, they were naturally his fellow sect members.

Liu Bai hurriedly lowered his sword, but suddenly, a glance from the corner of his eye caught two others behind them carrying a woman.

"Who is this woman?"

As the seventh-ranked initiate under Chi Ling Daoist, Liu Bai frowned, filled with suspicion as he looked at his fellow disciples.

"Seventh Senior Brother, we were preparing to fetch some water to drink by the stream when we saw this woman lying motionless between two rocks, so we brought her back."

The disciple speaking was holding a strange, long copper case. By the moonlight refracting off the stream, one could see the head of a mythical beast carved into the end of the case, which was also etched with cloud-and-thunder patterns.

"She is injured and seems to be unconscious. Senior Brother, this person appears to be sent by Prefect Sheng. How should we dispose of her?"

A junior brother holding a torch asked.

"Sent by Prefect Sheng?"

Liu Bai stared at the woman. He noticed her beautiful eyes were closed and her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were trapped in a nightmare.

(This black iron armor... could she be one of the so-called Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders?)

Liu Bai's eyes darted around; suddenly, his eyes widened, his mouth fell open, and he let out a sharp shout.

"Oh no! Behind you—behind you all..."

The junior disciples instinctively turned their heads. A streak of sword light flashed in an instant. It was Liu Bai who had suddenly struck. With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed the most ferocious killing move of the Flying Fish Sword technique, "Silver Scale Dance." With full force, the tip of his blade traced arcs of silver light, piercing the throats of his fellow disciples.

"My apologies, junior brothers."

Liu Bai retracted his blade and watched as the struck men clutched their spurting throats, their faces frozen in astonishment. Only then did he sigh.

"Since ancient times, loyalty and righteousness have been hard to reconcile. I had no choice."

He had practiced this sword strike diligently for many years; once drawn, there was no turning back. His decisive strike just now had been overflowing with murderous intent.

The wounds inflicted upon the Flying Fish Sect disciples were deep and bled profusely, leaving no chance for survival. Within moments, they collapsed to the ground one after another.

Liu Bai had no intention of delivering a finishing blow. His gaze remained locked on the unconscious Qi Huiying, his murderous intent surging, and he slowly raised his sword again.

"This woman must die here today."

Just as he was about to strike to end her life, Qi Huiying's eyelashes fluttered. Her eyes snapped open, and she kicked her right toe against the ground. The torch that had fallen nearby flew up with a "whoosh," narrowly missing Liu Bai's forehead.

He tilted his head to avoid it as the torch flew toward the stream. He thrust his sword toward the prone Qi Huiying with his right hand, but she, from somewhere, had grabbed a sword and swung it out, scabbard and all.

Her swordsmanship was clearly a cut above Liu Bai's. Despite being at a disadvantage, she seized the initiative, launching a series of strikes in rapid succession.

The two traded blows, exchanging several moves. Feeling he was no match, Liu Bai retreated several steps to avoid her fierce swordplay.

"You... you were clearly injured, yet you still have the strength to wield a sword."

He had not expected that the enemy, despite being severely wounded, would remain so troublesome. Cold sweat beaded on the palm holding his sword.

"I understand now. You were feigning sleep the whole time; you weren't unconscious at all. How despicable."

"Despicable?"

Qi Huiying thrust several times before pausing, her footsteps faltering. A massive wave of exhaustion surged over her. Her hair clung to her forehead, and droplets of water fell from the tip of her high nose onto the ground.

"You, who would slaughter your own sect members for selfish gain, have the nerve to call others despicable?"

"I did indeed slaughter my sect members, but it was for my benefactor, not for any selfish desire. If I am to enter the underworld in the future, I shall gladly endure a thousand cuts to repay this debt."

Liu Bai breathed in short, ragged gasps to recover his strength, answering with a sense of frankness.

"I advise you not to try and goad me with words. I will not let you leave here alive today."

"That is assuming you are capable of it."

Qi Huiying held her sword in her right hand and wiped it against the scabbard. With a metallic "clang," the scabbard flew through the air like a bolt of lightning.

Liu Bai swung his sword, shattering the scabbard in mid-air. He countered with a flash of cold light, the tip of his blade suddenly blooming into points of starlight.

Qi Huiying stepped back, but her foot caught on something, and she fell backward. Liu Bai was overjoyed and lunged forward with a thrust.

Unexpectedly, she rolled across the ground. Liu Bai's strike hit nothing but air. Qi Huiying rolled to the side and snatched the long copper case from beside a corpse.

"Stop!"

A loud shout rang out from the side. A figure in a Daoist robe leaped over, throwing several cold stars while still in mid-air.

Qi Huiying, thinking they were hidden weapons, hurriedly dodged. With a few "thuds," it turned out they were merely pebbles, which struck the copper case with a dull metallic sound.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Chi Ling Daoist, dressed in his robes, was struck with horror. By the moonlight, he looked down at the bloody scene by the stream, where his disciples lay scattered across the ground. A trace of fury burned in his eyes.

"Who did this—"

"Master!"

Liu Bai scrambled over, knelt on the ground, and began to wail loudly.

"It was this woman who suddenly lashed out and turned violent. My junior brothers were caught off guard and were killed by her blade... My poor brothers, they died such miserable deaths! Master, you must seek justice for them!"

"Liu Bai, is this the truth?"

Chi Ling Daoist was known for being fiercely protective of his own. Upon hearing Liu Bai's words, his brows furrowed, and a surge of anger ignited within him. With a sharp clang, he drew his long sword, the tip pointing directly at Qi Huiying.

"I care not who you are; today, you must give me an explanation."

As his voice fell, torches suddenly lit up the sky amidst the sparse, rustling grass of the wilderness behind him, and a large crowd of figures rushed over.

"Daoist, what has happened?"

The Heavy Axe Gang, the Bamboo Flower Society, the Cold Clothes Hall, and various other large and small factions that had entered the mountain arrived, their torchlight flickering against a sea of grim, dust-covered faces.

"I, too, would like to know what has happened."

Chi Ling Daoist sneered, his sword still leveled at Qi Huiying, who remained kneeling on one knee.

"I remember you. You are a retainer or a guest of Prefect Sheng. Why have you murdered the disciples of my Flying Fish Sect? If you do not give me an account today, do not think you will escape the Flying Fish Sword in my hand!"

(I've fallen into a trap... Four Peaks Mountain itself is a snare. The Long Wind Society and this Liu Bai are merely pawns for the mastermind weaving this conspiracy. The Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders, Lord Sheng, and I—we have all fallen into this person's calculations...)

Qi Huiying knitted her delicate brows, lost in thought.

—Then, who could this person possibly be?

She knew well that merely perceiving the conspiracy was useless; the key lay in uncovering the opponent's true identity.

(Wait, if I consider who stands to gain the most from this trip to Four Peaks Mountain, the true face of the conspirator becomes clear...)

Her mind raced, a flash of insight struck her, and everything suddenly became crystal clear.

"Sect Leader Chi Ling, I am the fifth seat of the Thirteen Flying Cloud Riders..."

Qi Huiying slowly stood up, determined to reveal the truth—but at that very moment, a scream erupted from the crowd behind Chi Ling Daoist, followed by a familiar, bestial roar that cut her words short.

"Run! The Mountain Demon... that Mountain Demon is here!"

Someone in the crowd bellowed with all their might, but the warning came too late. A massive black shadow lunged into the crowd, crushing everything in its path, leaving a trail of mangled flesh and blood in its wake...

By the time He Ping arrived, the banks of the stream, once covered in desolate grass, had been transformed into a hellish landscape of corpses and gore, thick with the stench of blood.

He stepped out of his sedan chair, scanned his surroundings, and spotted Liu Bai, who was clinging to his final breath.

"Pa-Patron."

Liu Bai's chest had been struck by a massive force, his ribs shattered and piercing his lungs; every time he opened his mouth, blood bubbled out.

"...He... went that way... the woman is not yet... dead..."

Straining to finish his final words, his head lolled to the side, his eyes wide open as he drew his last breath.

He Ping bent down, used his fingertips to close Liu Bai's eyelids, and whispered, "My thanks."

With a whoosh, Chixinzi swept through the air, his green robes spread wide like the wings of a giant roc, a pair of iron-feathered wings protruding from his back.

He glided to the ground, glanced at Liu Bai's corpse, and chuckled.

"Is this, by any chance, an acquaintance of yours, Junior Brother?"

"He was my death-sworn."

He Ping's tone was calm.

"Aside from him, I have cultivated many other death-sworn in secret, infiltrating the Long Wind Society, the Flying Fish Sect, and various factions within Suian City. They hide among the ranks as disciples, servants, cooks, and stable hands. On one hand, they provide me with intelligence; on the other, they are ready to sacrifice their lives for me at the critical moment. It is nothing more than that."

"Can these mortals actually be of any help?"

Chixinzi looked somewhat skeptical.

"I am, of course, referring to dealing with that Mountain Demon. You don't actually believe that a group of martial artists and your death-sworn could kill a three-hundred-year-old Mountain Demon that carries an inner core in its belly, do you?"

"Naturally, they have their uses."

He Ping kicked the corpse of a Heavy Axe Gang member lying nearby, whose body had been bitten in half.

"Everyone who enters Four Peaks Mountain, without exception, is a potential prey for the Mountain Demon. To me, this is a benefit that can be factored into my calculations... The more people that Mountain Demon eats, the more advantageous it is for me."