Jiangnan Gaiden

Kapitel 71

My eyes narrowed, and I said, "If you say that, doesn't that mean you're also afraid of this Ju Xue sword?"

Lan Ye's gaze swept over me, then she suddenly burst into laughter, saying, "Little sister, do you really think this Ju Xue sword has become your talisman?" Lan Ye's eyes darted around, as if her pupils held a rainbow of colors, and she said softly, "Do you know that although the Ju Xue sword is one of the three most famous weapons in the world, it is also known by the martial arts world as the 'Demon Sword'?" Lan Ye lightly flicked her fingers on the golden soft sword, producing a melodious, tinkling sound, as if an indescribable melody was entering my ears, making me feel incredibly strange. Lan Ye's voice swirled in my ears, as if trying to drill into my brain: "If you cannot control the sword, you will be controlled by it. You have always wanted to control this sword, but you have always been powerless, haven't you? You must feel your hand holding the sword losing strength more and more, being sucked into this strange sword little by little..."

My brow furrowed, and I was about to reply when I felt an immense weight in my sword-wielding arm, as if I were carrying a thousand-pound boulder and couldn't move. My fingers, gripping the sword, trembled involuntarily as Lan Ye's sweet voice reached me. Lan Ye's voice was like a poison, slowly eroding my strength and will... A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: how wonderful it would be to have a bed to rest in right now—I watched as Lan Ye smiled, flicked her golden sword, and walked towards me step by step, her beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent. A thought flashed through my mind: "Oh no! If I don't dodge now, I'll surely die by her sword!" But my limbs were weak and unresponsive, as if Lan Ye's words possessed endless magic; I didn't want to listen, yet every word was absorbed into my ears. I managed to raise the sword to my chest, but I couldn't lift it any further. I watched helplessly as Lan Ye approached, the golden sword slowly rising in her hand—

Tick-tock, tick-tock...

A few drops of warm, moist water trickled down my fingertips and onto the grass, quickly seeping into the soil.

Lan Ye pointed her sword downwards, sighed softly, and a hint of admiration flashed in her eyes as she said, "I didn't expect you to escape my 'sonic attack.' Your skills are quite remarkable."

I couldn't even reply. I was panting heavily, a sharp pain shooting through my left arm, blood trickling from my fingertips. The Ju Xue sword I held in my right hand was already embedded a bit into my left arm. My body, hair, and face were covered in bits of grass and dirt, making me look even more wretched. Lan Ye said slowly, "I never imagined that a woman like you could be so ruthless to yourself."

I strained with my legs and shakily stood up. If I hadn't desperately stabbed my left arm with the Ju Xue Sword, using the pain in my body to resist the power of Lan Ye's demonic voice, I might already be a ghost under Lan Ye's sword. The coldness in my eyes grew stronger, and I said in a deep voice, "I am a man who has died once. What is this little bit of pain compared to living!"

"Survive?" Lan Ye clicked his tongue repeatedly, saying, "Do you think you can escape my grasp today? If Feng Shaoyi were here, he might be able to kill me, but you..." Lan Ye gently shook his head, slowly saying, "Seeing your state, I'll make an exception for you today and let you die without any pain—"

"Is that so..." I felt a sharp pain and numbness in my wound. The Ju Xue sword on my arm seemed to have a mind of its own, slowly absorbing the flowing blood into the blade. I clenched my teeth, ignoring the excruciating pain, and with a forceful pull of my right hand, I yanked the Ju Xue sword out! In just a moment, the oval blade of the Ju Xue sword was stained with blood. Strands of blood seeped into the dense, fine lines along the spine of the blade, a sight that sent chills down one's spine. This once pristine and immaculate sword seemed to have acquired a demonic power, becoming extremely bloodthirsty!

I said slowly, "Are you really that confident...?" It was midday, the sunlight blinding. I gently swayed the Ju Xue sword in my hand, the sunlight flickering on its blade. Lan Ye laughed, "Still trying to be so stubborn—" Before the word "stubborn" could be uttered, I suddenly flicked my wrist, and the sunlight reflected off the Ju Xue sword shot out like a beam of light straight into her eyes!

Lan Ye screamed, "You—" The sunlight, reflected by Ju Xue, was a hundred times more dazzling than ordinary sunlight! Even with her quick reflexes, her eyes involuntarily narrowed. Startled, Lan Ye swung her golden sword repeatedly, her feet shifting as she unleashed a series of kicks in mid-air. Seeing her eyes narrow, I gritted my teeth, my feet springing forward, executing the "Snow-Treading" move. She rose into the air, Ju Xue in her hand swiftly thrusting towards Lan Ye—

Gold and jade clashed, touched briefly, and then quickly separated.

While I was in mid-air, I heard a soft "crack" sound, and suddenly a powerful force struck my chest—Lan Ye had kicked me in the left side, sending me crashing heavily into the bamboo forest. My right hand involuntarily loosened its grip, and the Ju Xue sword slipped from my grasp, slowly tracing a half-arc in the air before falling to the ground. I tried to catch it, but it was too late. With a "snap," the jade sword struck a large rock beside me, making a crisp sound!

"don't want--"

I felt pain all over my body as I helplessly watched the Ju Xue sword shatter into pieces by a rock. Though the Ju Xue sword was a renowned weapon, it was ultimately made of jade, and jade is fragile. This weapon, which had dominated the hands of the Three Masters of Plum Valley, was destroyed by a single boulder! I struggled to my feet and reached out to the boulder, grasping a fragment of jade still attached to the hilt. The impact had completely shattered the blood-soaked jade body of the Ju Xue sword, leaving only a thin, elongated piece of jade less than a foot long. My heart ached with unbearable pain. The Ju Xue sword hadn't been with me long, but in several life-or-death battles, it had saved me from certain death. And today, it was destroyed because of me. How could I not feel heartbroken!

Lan Ye slowly approached, coldly looking me down. His smile was long gone. He said, "Even a centipede, though dead, doesn't fall down easily. It's already quite remarkable that you've held on this long. If you had studied under Feng Shaoyi for another year, today's battle would have been unpredictable. But now, you have no way out. I advise you to end your life painlessly at my hands—"

My chest heaved, and I barely managed to swallow a mouthful of blood. I forced a smile and whispered, "Lan Ye, Lan Ye, you're wrong again..." I gritted my teeth, struggled to sit up, and said, "No matter where I am, I, Bai Yi, have never thought of backing down!" Suddenly, I rolled over, falling to the ground along with the jade!

Lan Ye frowned and shouted, "Still trying to be tough—" Her right hand flashed with golden light as she swung her golden sword straight at my chest! Her calculations were precise; even with my rolling speed, I couldn't possibly outrun her sword! This strike would surely pierce my chest. But she hadn't anticipated that beneath me wasn't soil or rocks, but two bamboo stalks as thick as a child's arm! As I rose, the two bamboo stalks, like long whips, lashed out at Lan Ye with a whooshing sound. In a flash, I lightly touched a bamboo branch, using the momentum to leap seven or eight zhang high, instantly placing Lan Ye above me. My jade sword flashed like lightning, leaving a trail of snowy white, aimed straight at Lan Ye's neck—

Kunlun snow, a sword drawn as smooth as jade; a noble gentleman, elegant and refined...

Yi'er, do you believe that there is a spirit in all things?

Look at this plum valley, where green plum blossoms bloom in the snow, possessing a slow, vibrant life force. As you walk through the plum grove, don't you feel the plum blossoms breathing quietly in sync with you? When you play my Jiao Wei Qin (a type of zither), don't you feel the strings between your fingers trembling gently with your fingertips? This is because you have sensed the spirit within these things. If you can achieve this, even if you know nothing of martial arts, the legendary sword Ju Xue will be resurrected in your hands!

Ju Xue, Ju Xue who embodies my life, Ju Xue who has absorbed my blood.

I give you my life and blood, and ask that you be resurrected in my hands, even if it means my own destruction! As long as I can awaken your spirit once more in my hands!

For me.

And even more so for the young master Shang, whom I deeply love.

Ju Xue...

Lan Ye stammered, "You—you actually—" He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The shards of jade in my hand have already pierced her right breast.

My face was cold as I said, "I've said it before, I will never back down, and I've also told you—" I tightened my grip on Ju Xue, the tip of the sword piercing in another half inch, and said, "Never underestimate your enemy."

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Helpless Truth

Lan Ye stammered, "You—you actually—" He opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The shards of jade in my hand have already pierced her right breast.

My face was cold as I said, "I've said it before, I will never back down, and I've also told you—" I tightened my grip on Ju Xue, the tip of the sword piercing in another half inch, and said, "Never underestimate your enemy."

Lan Ye stared blankly for a long time, then suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, her voice trembling as she said, "No...no...impossible!! How could you—how could you—" Her arms went limp and fell down. I slashed across her shoulders with my sword, and although I didn't kill her, I pierced through her shoulder blades.

Lan Ye gasped for breath, her voice trembling as she said, "You...you were so ruthless..."

I said coldly, "If I weren't ruthless, it wouldn't be you falling today, it would be me." My eyes narrowed, and I said, "It's either you or me who dies; this experience is what you taught me."

"I've said it before, everything about you has given me the urge to kill!"

Lan Ye suddenly burst into laughter, her disheveled hair mixed with the blood and grime on her face, making her appear ghostly in the sunlight: "If you were to kill me with your own hands, what would Young Master Shang think? He always hoped your hands would be as clean as a sheet of paper, but you, his beloved, have been so ruthless! Your hands are stained with blood too—"

I gripped the Ju Xue sword tightly in my right hand, remaining motionless. I slowly raised my head, looking directly into her bloodshot eyes, and said calmly, "Don't you know? For him, I would do anything..."

"If he goes to hell, I will jump down with him!"

Lan Ye's eyes widened, staring intently at me as if she had seen the most terrifying thing. She screamed, "No, no—you must be trying to scare me—you wouldn't dare! How could you dare kill someone! You definitely wouldn't…ah—" I pulled my sword out suddenly, causing blood to splatter from her wound. With a scream, the sword in my hand was already against her neck. I gritted my teeth and said, "Because—you are the least human thing I've ever seen!" I tightened my grip, the sharp jade blade slowly cutting into her white neck. My eyes narrowed, and I slowly said, "Tell me—what did you say to Young Master Shang? How did you orchestrate his so-called fate?"

Lan Ye stammered, her body trembling uncontrollably, her teeth chattering, as she stammered, "I...I..."

I said coldly, "You must have told him, and reminded him, that the people he loves, and the people who love him, will ultimately not stay by his side, right? First it was his mother, then his friends, and finally me, this 'weak woman,' right? To fulfill this shameful curse, you also wanted to kill me, didn't you? Young Master Shang was afraid my life would be in danger, so he also wanted me to leave him, didn't he?" With each question, the Ju Xue sword pierced deeper, drops of blood trickling down the blade onto my hand, forming a small puddle on the ground. Lan Ye suddenly screamed, "Yes!—Yes!! It's all my fault!! I've been reminding him constantly! He's a man living in darkness, once an assassin, forever and ever living in loneliness and pain! I want him under my control, forever and ever—"

A slow smile appeared on my lips as I said gently, "Is that so..."

Lan Ye smiled as she looked at my face, stained with mud and blood. Her eyes widened, and she suddenly screamed, "No—you—you're a devil! You—you—you're a devil!! You're not human!!"

Suddenly, I extended my left hand, my fingers like wheels, and swiftly struck Lan Ye's lower abdomen, specifically her "Qi Hai" point. My right hand then withdrew, and my right foot kicked out, sending her tumbling. Lan Ye cried out, spitting out a mouthful of blood as my finger struck her. Completely drained of strength, she collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud, gasping for breath.

I slowly said, "I've only been learning kung fu for a few months, so I really don't know what other good methods there are for treating cripples. But my master said that this method is the simplest, yet also the most practical, isn't that right?"

I first pierced Lan Ye's collarbone with my sword, then forcefully shattered her "Qi Sea," leaving her completely powerless and practically a cripple. She lay sprawled on the ground, her eyes filled with resentment and venom, but even more so with hatred and fear, and dared not utter a word. One moment she was a peerless beauty, the next she was utterly wretched.

I chuckled and said, "Now that I've let you go, why aren't you running away?"

Lan Ye's eyes lit up, and she whispered, "You...you actually..."