A sharp crack rang out.
Li Ping'an suddenly spat a streak of cold light from his mouth, driving it into Wu Shishun's brow like lightning.
It was a broken fragment of the Azure Heaven Saber.
Wu Shishun stiffened, his eyes going blank for an instant.
Old Ox seized the chance to climb to his feet and knock him over.
Then he slammed his massive body down on Wu Shishun, only stopping once he had crushed him beyond any semblance of a human form.
Li Ping'an clutched the empty space where his left arm had been and quickly staunched the bleeding.
Liu Yun glanced around, then tore her clothes open with her teeth.
She took some medicinal powder from her pocket and applied it.
Then she deftly bandaged Li Ping'an's wound.
"It's all right. Don't cry." Li Ping'an smiled faintly.
Liu Yun bit her lip, her voice a little hoarse. "Don't worry. Once we get back,
I'll find the best cultivator to heal you. Regrowing a limb isn't impossible."
Li Ping'an drew a deep breath and stood up. "Let's keep going."
Outside the city.
Dozens of men in blue stood silently amid the heavy snow.
The demon-headed sabers in their hands gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
Just like their expressions, icy and rigid.
These men were known as death sworn, primarily assigned to assaults and assassinations.
And in the Wind-Rain Pavilion behind them,
a man wearing a demon mask calmly sipped his tea.
As though he was not about to change the future of Great Sui, but merely carry out an unremarkable assassination.
"Ah, the princess of Great Sui, the greatest beauty on the Rouge Ranking. What a pity."
The masked man sighed softly.
"If... if before she dies... I could..."
The masked man rubbed his hands together, clicking his tongue.
Suddenly, his eyelid twitched.
He jerked his head up, sensing an aura that sent his heart pounding with dread.
It shook him to his core.
At some unknown moment, a man in his forties had appeared right in front of him.
He wore a long beard and carried a treasured sword on his back.
"...You..."
The masked man blanched in shock.
He had no idea how the other man had appeared before him without a sound.
A terrifying killing intent shone in the middle-aged man's eyes.
His longsword left its sheath with a low hum.
"Kill him!" the masked man roared.
Figures flashed past them, gleaming longswords thrusting at them again and again!
Under the moonlight.
The middle-aged man wore blue robes and held a flexible sword.
Crimson drops of blood dripped from its tip, and the treasured sword gave off a faint red glow in the night.
The sight made the heart pound with dread.
A great crack had split the mask on the masked man's face, and he knelt on the ground.
He stared blankly at the half-moon in the sky.
Sweat streamed down his face, and his hands trembled without cease.
"You're... the Confucian sword..."
The middle-aged man said calmly, "Safe travels to the other side!"
The snow finally stopped, and the night watchman's call rang out.
It was almost the midnight hour. Once that hour passed,
a new year would begin.
Still uneasy, Liu Yun checked Li Ping'an's wound. Only after confirming his life was in no immediate danger did she relax.
Holding his sword in one hand, the middle-aged man stood in the Wind-Rain Pavilion, looking toward the city gate, and gave Liu Yun a slight nod.
"Don't be nervous. He's the one who came to fetch me. He arrived... just in time, more or less."
Li Ping'an wiped the blood from his cheek.
The many corpses beside the Wind-Rain Pavilion were proof enough of the man's strength.
Yet Li Ping'an could not sense how powerful his aura was.
That could only mean the man's strength far surpassed his own.
"Then I can rest easy. Have a safe journey."
Liu Yun froze, turning to stare blankly at Li Ping'an.
"...You... you're not coming with me?"
"No."
"Why?" Liu Yun asked instinctively.
"I still have my own road to walk."
"They won't let you go."
"Don't worry. Once they realize you're no longer with me, they naturally won't keep hounding me."
After a long silence, Liu Yun nodded and said softly,
"...Come back with me. That way, I can... make it up to you."
Li Ping'an smiled. "Life there probably wouldn't suit me."
"How would you know without going to see?"
Liu Yun lowered her head and muttered in displeasure.
Li Ping'an was silent for a while before saying, "My task is done. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
Bang, bang, bang-!!
Huge fireworks blossomed in the sky.
Their petals fell like rain.
A multicolored cloud of smoke spread in an instant.
Illuminated by the stars and moon, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
Liu Yun lifted her head and gazed dazedly at the beautiful sight.
She had escaped death, yet a strange sense of loss suddenly filled her heart.
Liu Yun noticed that Li Ping'an was also looking up at the fireworks overhead.
"Can you see them?"
"I can make things out very vaguely within about half a meter, but I can sense them."
Before his words had faded, a sudden rush of warm breath brushed his face.
He felt pressure against his forehead.
Li Ping'an froze slightly, and Liu Yun's blurred face appeared in his vision.
"Mm~"
"Can you see clearly like this?"
Liu Yun spoke softly.
"...It's a little blurry."
"What about now?"
Liu Yun moved a little closer.
Li Ping'an suddenly smiled.
"What are you laughing at?"
Liu Yun chided him coyly.
Li Ping'an smiled. "Nothing. You're very pretty."
"Mm, then you'd better remember me. If you don't recognize me the next time we meet, I won't let you off."
"All right."
"Hmm, what's this?" Liu Yun arched her delicate brows.
Li Ping'an slipped the hairpin in his hand into Liu Yun's hair.
"I wanted to give you a New Year's gift, but I couldn't afford anything too expensive.
So I could only make one out of wood myself. Happy New Year!"
An unprecedented tenderness filled Liu Yun's eyes, carrying a love as gentle as flowing water.
"...Happy New Year."
The fireworks lingered in the sky without dispersing, giving off their last light and warmth.
A familiar sound suddenly rang out.
The melody of The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring echoed through the warm night.
Liu Yun suddenly looked back and smiled gently.
Her smile carried a faint sadness.
Li Ping'an held his erhu, his surging true qi plucking its strings.
[Ding-dong! The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring LV2 (10000/10000)] [Congratulations, host. The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring successfully leveled up] [The Moon's Reflection on the Second Spring LV3 (0/10000)] [Congratulations, host. Lifespan gained: 30 years] [Congratulations, host. Wind-Listening Saber Technique: increased by 10%] [Saber-Drawing Technique * Diagonal Rising Draw: increased by 10%] [Turtle Breath Technique: increased by 2%] [Aura Lock: increased by 10%] [Congratulations, host. New technique acquired: Swallow Piercing the Clouds] [Lightness technique: graceful and nimble, with countless variations. Cross a river on a single reed, fly over eaves and scale walls, changing movements at will] [Current progress: 10%]
Li Ping'an stroked Old Ox's head. "Old Ox, it's just the two of us again."
"Moo~"
Li Ping'an smiled.
Before you continue