Anti-Bone Scarlet Song

Chapitre 18

In that instant, Young Master Ye An pieced together the entire plan.

He ordered her to say another completely unrelated place name, Qingchuan River. Afterwards, he disguised himself and headed to Qingchuan River. He traveled very slowly along the way, but secretly arranged for the Jun Mansion's secret guards to set up a huge net at Qingchuan River, just waiting for Tian Gang to appear so that they could capture them all.

"Your men may be dead or suffering a fate worse than death. In any case, you'd better give up hope. However, I want you to know that I came to this Little Mirror Lake alone. Whether you can kill me depends on your abilities," the young master said calmly. "Assassin Tian Gang, I've been trying to lure you out of your cave for a long time."

After listening, He Butuo smiled sinisterly: "I've heard rumors in the martial arts world that your Yuyang Sword is the best in the world. But I wonder how it compares to Master Huifeng of Shaolin Temple back then?"

The young master frowned slightly: "So, the death of Master Huifeng back then was also your doing?"

“Not bad.” He Butuo waved his hand, and twelve people formed a sword formation. “The sword formation armor has been used only four times since the creation of Tiangang. You are the fifth one, young master.”

“Great Chief, only those who are about to die would flaunt their past glories.” The young master had a five-foot-long sword in his hand at some point, and smiled slightly. “I only let that girl count to one hundred. If she keeps going on like this, she will hate me even more.”

Without another word, he leaped up like a cloud, unleashing a move from the Jun family's Xiangyang swordsmanship called "Sun Rolls Over the Curtain." The sword light obscured the clouds and the moon; though aimed at one person, its imposing aura was overwhelming, sending chills down everyone's spines.

The "Armor" sword formation, as its name suggests, is defensive. Each person strictly guards their position, yet it is like a huge steel plate, slowly forcing the opponent into a desperate situation and crushing them to death.

The young master launched several powerful attacks, but failed to penetrate the sword formation, and his movements slowed down slightly. He knew that although his aggressive attacks could slow down his opponent's progress, he was exhausted, while his opponent had twelve people complementing each other. In the long run, he would inevitably be unable to hold on.

Upon closer inspection, he saw the moon's shadow flickering, and a slight gap appeared among the four people in front. His mind lit up, and his sword technique instantly transformed into the extremely agile Clear Stream Sword. His body moved like a whirlwind, and in the blink of an eye, he darted into the group of twelve.

Why not take a proper position at the rear? He shouted, "Change formation!"

The sword formation suddenly stretched out, and under the moonlight, one could see fine, crisscrossing lines on the ground, forming a dense net, taut and sharp as blades. Anyone who stepped into it would likely be torn to pieces.

Only now did the young master realize that his previous actions were to lure him into the trap, and that these threads, besides being able to tear people to pieces, probably also served to keep the twelve people breathing and speaking. However, he was not panicked. He slashed horizontally with his Yuyang Sword, but he could not cut through those seemingly transparent threads.

He Butuo chuckled deeply, "Back then, the old monk from Shaolin also died under this Heavenly Silkworm Silk. Jun Ye'an, you might as well try it too."

The young master pursed his thin lips and did not answer, but his body quickly lowered, sticking to the ground, and he emerged as smoothly as a fish.

Once they were out of the sword formation, he saw that Chu Xia had already opened her eyes and was staring blankly at him, timidly saying, "I've finished counting to one hundred."

Ignoring the approaching sword formation behind him, the young master smiled apologetically: "Then don't close your eyes, watch me break the formation."

He unleashed three consecutive attacks—"Before the Dawn Breaks in the Brahma Forest, the Zen Mountain grows even more desolate, and the Long Forest is shrouded in twilight"—each move possessing the power to shatter heaven and earth. The four people in front were forced to retreat a step, while those to the left, right, and rear, unaffected by the direct impact, remained motionless.

This was the moment he had been waiting for. A brief moment of disharmony, a fleeting flaw.

The once taut silk thread now loosened slightly, and without the infusion of true energy, it softened. The Young Master Yuyang Sword, imbued with ten parts of its inner strength, cleaved through even boulders with its power; how much less could the silkworm silk?

Once the silk thread breaks, the sword formation collapses.

The twelve people lost their internal strength to support each other, and several of them were immediately struck by the young master's internal strength and fell to the ground, unable to move.

Gongzi Yuyang pointed his sword diagonally at He Butuo's throat and said calmly, "Can this be considered a break?"

He Butuo was pale-faced, clutching his chest and remaining silent.

The young master did not want to say more and was about to deliver a finishing blow when he suddenly heard a scream from behind.

In early summer, a steel knife was held to her neck. The person holding the knife was the same one who had stayed in the leopard's den to deal with the mother leopard. Now, she jumped down, her upper body bare and covered in bloody wounds.

"Young master, put down your sword," the man sneered. "Otherwise, it would be a waste to do this to your loyal maid."

A thousand thoughts flashed through the young master's mind: If he were to launch a swift attack, how far away would he be? How much force would he need? What would his position be? What were his chances of winning?

But even if he was 99% sure, she could still have her neck ripped open by that knife.

"Seventh Brother, make him cripple his right hand," He Butuo suddenly said from behind.

The man hurriedly replied, "Yes! Jun Ye'an, cripple your right hand, or I'll gouge out this wretch's left eye first!"

Chu Xia's face was as white as paper, and her clear black and white eyes stared straight at him without saying a word, yet a thousand words were conveyed there.

In the past, amidst a hail of bullets and swords, poisons and deadly weapons, Young Master Ye An had risked countless dangers and killed countless people. But now, he found himself in a dilemma. He even began to regret his overconfidence in not bringing his personal guards; after all, even the most meticulous plans can have flaws.

In early summer, I let you go once... This time, will it be the same again, just watching you be violated?

The young man gazed at the girl biting her lower lip, and saw that she seemed about to cry. Her delicate neck grazed the steel blade, her skin was cut, and a few drops of bright red blood fell instantly. But in the end, she slowly shook her head, signaling him not to do it.

The most famous longsword in the martial arts world fell to the ground, its sharpness surpassing even the brilliance of stars.

Young Master Ye An stretched out his right hand, saying expressionlessly, "If you want my right arm, then come and take it yourself."

Chapter Eighteen (Part Two)

"Young Master—" Chu Xia cried out in surprise, followed by a wild beast's roar that echoed through the mountains and forests. A huge black shadow pounced over and knocked the man to the ground.

The young master picked up the Yuyang sword again, only to see the mother leopard roar and bite off the man's throat, then pounce on Chuxia again.

He shouted, "Throw away the little leopard!"

The man's hot blood splattered all over Chu Xia's face. She was already terrified, but upon hearing this, she threw the little leopard in her hand. Then, her body felt light as she was pulled into the young master's arms and quickly darted away.

The mother leopard was originally fighting with the man inside her den, but because her cubs went missing, she escaped from behind the cave and searched for them extensively in the mountains and forests.

The man, covered in wounds, leaped down and subdued Chu Xia. However, the mother leopard, lurking in the shadows, saw Chu Xia holding her cub and pounced. The leopard's strength was ferocious, and her concern for her young allowed her to instantly throw the man to the ground, rescuing Chu Xia.

Having found her cubs, the mother leopard roared defiantly at the crowd several more times before turning and leaving. The Heavenly Gang assassins, however, were left behind, slumped on the ground, utterly powerless to resist.

The young master stopped letting go of Chu Xia, but quietly told her, "Close your eyes."

Seeing that she closed her eyes as instructed, he raised his sword and brought it down, leaving only He Butuo in the blink of an eye.

The Yuyang Sword was still dripping blood, soaking He Butuo's clothes. The young master looked at him and said softly, "Since the death of Master Huifeng twenty years ago, how many heroes in the martial world have lost their lives at the hands of you evil thieves of the Heavenly Gang. I spent more than five years collecting information on you, and only today have I succeeded."

He Butuo coughed up a mouthful of blood, then smiled bitterly: "The winner takes all, what's the use of your words!"

The young master said no more and thrust the tip of his sword into his chest.

He Butuo struggled a few times, spitting out blood from his mouth, but then chuckled softly for a long time. Just before he died, he whispered, "Jun Ye'an, do you know how your father died?"

The young master's expression changed slightly, for He Bu Tuo had already died.

When Chu Xia heard no more noise outside, she opened her eyes and found herself on the other side of Little Mirror Lake, where the carnage of the previous battle was no longer visible.

The young master gently placed her on the ground, and only then did she see that his white clothes were stained with blood.

The finest moonlight filtered down, and the starlight twinkled, making the lake incredibly beautiful.

The nightmare finally ended. In early summer, she sat alone, hugging her knees and burying her head between her legs, as if trying to calm herself down.

"Early summer..." came the young master's voice.

She seemed not to hear.

“Early summer, look at me.”

Chu Xia suddenly turned around, trembling all over, and snatched the bracelet from her hand, throwing it hard at the man: "Jun Ye'an! You lied to me!"

She didn't know martial arts and was injured, so her strength wasn't great. The young master didn't dodge, letting the bracelet hit his forehead without moving.

"You! You lied to me saying there was no danger! You son of a bitch! I almost—" Chu Xia wiped her eyes, but couldn't stop the tears, "You liar! Liar!"

Young Master Ye An's expression rippled slightly. He just stared at her, watching her wail and throw a tantrum, cursing incessantly, but he did not stop her.

Chu Xia was already exhausted, and after shouting for so long, the wound on the back of her head reopened, and she gradually looked listless.

The young master took a step forward, pulled her into his arms without any room for argument, and whispered in her ear, "Are you calm now?"

He held her tightly, his left hand gripping her waist, making her unable to move at all.

“Early summer…” He stroked her back with his other hand, following the gentle curve, and comforted her repeatedly, “Little girl, this time, I was careless.”

As early summer approached, the wailing gradually turned into sobbing, with the sobs continuing unabated.

"Early Summer, just like this, don't move," he said softly, his fingers gradually cupping the back of her head as he applied the ointment.

Upon hearing this, Chu Xia suddenly turned her head and bit down hard on the young master's neck, refusing to let go.

Despite the pain, the young master patiently patted her back without saying a word until a good half-cup of tea's time had passed before softly asking, "Do you still have the strength? Would you like to bite somewhere else?"

With her mouth full of the taste of blood, Chu Xia slowly released him, lowered her head, and whispered, "I want to wash myself in the lake."

The young master slowly released her, but gently advised her, "The lake water is very cold."

She didn't argue further, but simply walked step by step towards the tranquil lake. The young master stood behind her, gazing at her back for a long time before turning around, seemingly closing his eyes in resignation.

In early summer, they shed their torn clothes one by one and walked barefoot towards Little Mirror Lake.

When □'s body touched the lake water, it was still extremely cold, so cold that she shivered. But she was not afraid of the cold, and scooped up the lake water with her palms, slowly pouring it over herself.

She washed the thick blood, the stinging wounds, and the places that man had touched her very slowly, so slowly that her whole body trembled and her body temperature turned icy cold, yet she still rubbed them vigorously.

“Young master…that day in the study, you pointed to the map and told me about Xiaojing Lake in Qingchuan River. Was it because you had already foreseen that I would be kidnapped by the people of Tiangang?”

When I was taken away, I was not panicked. I threw down the bracelet and made a promise with you to meet again on the first day of the new moon. When I was beaten and scolded, I endured it with all my might, delaying day by day until I led them to Little Mirror Lake—I believed that you would definitely come to save me.

You did come, just as I predicted!

But could you have imagined that I would be abused, almost raped, and even attempt suicide time and again?

As the moonlight grew cooler on the horizon, Chu Xia stared blankly at her reflection in the water, wondering what else on her body could be burning hot. Her mind began to blur, and as she slid into the lake, the young man on the shore waded over and pulled her out of the water.

Chu Xia's face was already pale, and her whole body was frozen like ice. The young master held her on his lap with his left hand, took off his outer robe and draped it over her, while his right hand reached inside the robe and pressed against her back, rapidly circulating his inner energy. After a long while, when the inner energy he had channeled into her body had circulated several times, she coughed softly, as if she had woken up.

The young master was secretly pleased, but when he bent down to look, he was stunned.

This is his early summer, yet it feels like it isn't.

He knew Chu Xia well. The first time he saw her, he was attracted to her clear eyes. No one would praise her as stunningly beautiful; her appearance was merely delicate. He could even point out her flaws—her nose was slightly flat, her eyes weren't particularly large, and her cheekbones were slightly prominent.

At this moment, under the moonlight, Chu Xia's eyelashes were long and slightly curled, like the stamens between spring flower petals. Her nose was delicate and straight, and the corners of her lips were slightly upturned. Her originally pale lips had gained some color, making them look tender and dewy.

And slowly opened a pair of eyes—

These were perhaps the darkest and brightest eyes he had ever seen.

Its radiance is so dazzling that it can only be described as "beautiful".

Chu Xia's eyes were still somewhat unfocused, as if she couldn't distinguish between near and far. She opened them drowsily for a while, then gradually closed them again.

The young master's fingers traced the faint whip marks on her cheek, and he was momentarily lost in thought—this was indeed the early summer he had lost and regained.

Even though she had been careful to conceal her appearance, and even though he knew she wouldn't forgive him immediately.

When Chu Xia woke up in early summer, she discovered that the hillsides around the small Mirror Lake were covered in azaleas. Deep red, rose purple, pale yellow—it seemed as if the world had been transformed overnight. The sunlight warmed her, and Chu Xia touched the back of her head; the pain had lessened considerably, and the wound had even begun to scab over. She got up and looked around, but saw no one.

The white robe she wore told her that this was not a dream. He... must still be here. Chu Xia suddenly remembered everything from last night: her mouth full of blood, the icy lake water, and then... she fell into a deep sleep.

Chu Xia suddenly remembered something and hurriedly looked down. She saw that the inner garment under the white robe was still there, but... it didn't seem to be hers. Because it was too big, the cuffs had been folded several times, like the flowing sleeves on a theatrical stage.

Who changed my clothes? Whose clothes were they changed into?