Off to Kill Some People!

After leaving the village, Song Xuan and Song Qian headed toward Langlang Mountain.

"Brother, are we really going to wipe out the bandits in their stronghold?"

Song Qian was rather excited. She had always heard that murder and arson earned you a golden belt; this time, her brother was taking her along for a big score.

"You have to keep your word. I already announced it back in the village. If I said I'd wipe out the bandits, then I'm going to wipe out the bandits!"

After cutting down those lackeys at the village entrance with one stroke apiece, killing them as easily as little chicks, Song Xuan had gained a clear understanding of his own fighting strength.

As long as he didn't run into any renowned martial experts, killing mountain bandits and mounted brigands would be no trouble at all.

With strength like that, why hold back?

Nothing on the agenda today-let's listen to songs at a pleasure house. Pah, no, first I'll wipe out a bandit stronghold and stretch my muscles!

Riding his Blue-Maned Horse and humming a little tune, Song Xuan leisurely followed the mountain village trail.

Song Qian rode beside him, but as the path grew narrower, the girl gradually fell behind.

Gazing at the vast green mountains, Song Xuan felt a stirring of inspiration and casually recited, "Ten years of lamplight through the rivers and lakes' night rain; a cup of wine amid peach and plum blossoms in the spring breeze. With a scene like this, if only I had a jug of wine, this journey through life would truly have been worthwhile."

When he finished, he heard no reply from his sister and turned around in puzzlement.

There was Song Qian, holding the reins in one hand and a little booklet in the other, utterly immersed in its literary atmosphere. She hadn't heard a word he had just said.

Song Xuan reined in his horse, sprang up, and landed beside Song Qian.

"Enjoying the read?"

Completely engrossed, Song Qian gave an absentminded hum of agreement. Then she turned and saw her brother's thunderous expression. Flustered, she immediately snapped the booklet shut and tried to stuff it into her clothes.

"Hand it over!"

With an Azure Dragon Claw, Song Xuan snatched the booklet away, then fixed Song Qian with a scrutinizing stare.

"Didn't I throw this thing on the ground? When did you pick it up?"

Song Qian's cheeks flushed. Not daring to meet her brother's eyes, she said guiltily, "While you were giving the villagers instructions, I secretly picked it up when nobody was looking."

Then she added sheepishly, "Well, um, I see you reading these all the time at home, so... so I was curious..."

Song Xuan put the booklet away without batting an eye. Rather than tease her, he spoke earnestly. "Although we martial folk usually marry later than ordinary people, eighteen isn't that young anymore. You're old enough to marry.

"If you meet a man you like..."

Before Song Xuan could finish, Song Qian interrupted irritably. "You're twenty and you're not in any hurry. I'm only eighteen-what's the rush?

"Besides, how can a younger sister marry before her elder brother has even taken a wife?"

She patted the sword at her waist and declared proudly, "I, Song Qian, am going to become a peerless heroine whose name shakes the martial world! If I find myself a man, how am I supposed to make my way through it?"

"Suit yourself!"

Song Xuan couldn't be bothered to say any more.

His sister had followed him around since childhood, and through his subtle influence, she had picked up many of her ideas and attitudes from him.

Although he was a slacker in the Black Robe Guard who spent every workday shirking, deep down, didn't he also dream of roaming the martial world unfettered?

Over time, that yearning had rubbed off on Song Qian, until she longed for the legendary martial world even more than her elder brother did.

Song Qian had always been carefree. Although getting caught reading an erotic booklet had initially flustered her, she soon put it out of her mind and was laughing and joking beside Song Xuan again.

"Brother, people call you the Little Prince of Pleasure Houses. Have you slept with all the girls there?"

"No!"

"Huh? You haven't slept with all of them, or you haven't slept with any of them?"

"Sleep, sleep, sleep-is that all you know? What goes on in that head of yours all day?"

Song Qian studied him for a long moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "Judging by your reaction, you probably haven't slept with any of them. I knew it. Someone with your obsession with cleanliness couldn't possibly fancy a woman another man has touched."

Song Xuan said nothing. In truth, he wanted to tell her that he really wasn't obsessed with cleanliness.

He simply practiced a child skill, and until he fully mastered it, certain things were off-limits.

But the Pure Yang Limitless Child Skill was his deepest secret. He had never mentioned it even to his family, so he remained silent in the face of Song Qian's speculation, tacitly accepting it.

Let her call it an obsession with cleanliness. Better that than having this girl make wild guesses.

"Brother, Dad said he'd arrange a marriage for you after this year. What are you going to do about that?"

"What else can I do? Stall!"

Song Xuan sighed. Until he cultivated a martial dao primordial spirit and entered the martial dao grandmaster realm, he couldn't indulge in women. Surely he couldn't marry a wife only to leave her a widow with a living husband?

"I knew it. You still can't forget Lu Xiaoliu's eldest sister, can you?"

Song Xuan remained silent.

"Come on, Brother. She's been gone for five years. What is there left to cling to? Personally, I think Xiaoliu's second sister, Lu Qingshuang, is pretty good too. She's so gentle and delicate, she looks easy to push around.

"Besides, we all grew up playing together, so you and she are childhood sweethearts, more or less. If you marry her, I certainly won't have any sister-in-law disputes with her. Wouldn't that be great?"

"Brother, what exactly are you thinking? Don't tell me you can't see how Lu Qingshuang feels about you.

"She's eighteen, just like me. Matchmakers keep coming to her house in wave after wave, but she refuses every proposal. Don't tell me you don't know who she's waiting for!"

Song Xuan coughed, unwilling to discuss the subject. The trouble was that what he had done to Lu Qingxue, the eldest daughter of the Lu family, back then was rather hard to admit. Telling anyone would be social suicide.

He waved a hand. "We'll talk about it later. I don't want to discuss the Lu sisters right now!"

Song Qian opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't dare say anything more.

Her brother had always been composed and even-tempered. Only the mention of the Lu sisters made him impatient.

Looking at her brother's furrowed brow, Song Qian couldn't help secretly resenting Lu Xiaoliu's eldest sister, who had left five years ago without a word since.

It was all Lu Qingxue's fucking fault!

Near the foot of Langlang Mountain, Song Xuan and Song Qian dismounted. Looking up at the stronghold built halfway up the mountainside, they both drew their swords.

"Stay behind me once we go in. Whatever happens, don't stray more than ten zhang from me. Got it?"

"Got it!"

Song Qian wasn't the least bit nervous. Killing was the sort of thing where, once you'd done it once, you could do it again. She felt she had quite a talent for slaughter.

At the thought of delivering dozens, perhaps even hundreds of lives to the King of Hell and boosting his tally, she felt the blood in her veins begin to boil.