Meister der Mehrdeutigkeit

Kapitel 20

"Now you can praise my unparalleled martial arts skills," he said with a smile, holding the wooden box in one hand.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but laugh, "Yes, yes, Grandpa Yin, you're really amazing!"

Yin Xiao smiled, looking at the wooden box in his hand with a hint of helplessness, "It's just a pity... I can't open this box."

"Huh?" Xiaoxiao was a little puzzled. She leaned closer to look at the wooden box, and then her expression changed. It truly was a wooden box from afar, but up close it was quite something. She had thought it was just a box, but it turned out to be one of the Qi family's famous weapons. "Hanyu," specifically used for storing things. Calling it a weapon was a bit of a stretch, but it was genuine, forged by the Qi family. Although its exterior resembled a wooden box, its interior was made of fine steel, impervious to swords and blades, and unaffected by water or fire. Moreover, the box was equipped with a spring mechanism, making it impossible for anyone other than a member of the Qi family to open. Legend has it that it was used to transmit confidential letters.

Tsk, no wonder Mo Yun handed the wooden box to Madam Xi without much haggling. It's obvious that getting this box is completely useless; if you can't open it, it's all for nothing.

Yin Xiao and Xiao Xiao were worrying about the box when suddenly a loud bang was heard, and the east wall of the crystal house rose up. Yin Xiao tossed the wooden box to Xiao Xiao, drew his soft sword from his waist, and looked at the person who walked out of the mechanism door.

Xiao Xiao, holding the wooden box, peeked out and was astonished when she saw who it was.

"So it's Young Master Mo Yun," Yin Xiao said with a slight smile.

Mo Yun was somewhat surprised to see the two of them, but then his gaze fell on the wooden box in Xiao Xiao's hand. A murderous intent flashed in his eyes, and the "Min Yan" sword at his waist was drawn, its cold light gleaming. Without saying a word, he attacked with the sword, heading straight for Xiao Xiao.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she thought to herself, "Heavens, why am I holding this wooden box? Won't I be chased and hacked down by Mo Yun in the future?"

Yin Xiao drew his sword, blocking Mo Yun's attack. The two immediately engaged in fierce combat.

Xiao Xiao hugged the wooden box, dodging left and right, trying her best not to get caught in the crossfire.

Yin Xiao was accustomed to using a soft sword, his moves light and varied, while Mo Yun's knife skills were domineering and direct, without any fancy tricks. In terms of internal strength and combat experience, Yin Xiao was naturally several times better than Mo Yun, but he was still carrying a palm strike and had been restrained by the meridian-sealing needles, making his true energy disordered. After a dozen or so moves, he was at a disadvantage.

Mo Yun slightly turned his blade, deflecting Yin Xiao's sword strike, and took advantage of the air attack to leap to Xiao Xiao's side.

Xiao Xiao was terrified and threw the wooden box in her hand away without thinking.

Seeing this, Mo Yun stopped wielding his sword and reached out to catch the wooden box.

In the blink of an eye, Yin Xiao thrust his sword at Mo Yun without hesitation. It was a clean and swift killing move, about to pierce Mo Yun's chest. Unexpectedly, Xiao Xiao, who had just thrown away the wooden box to dodge, slipped and fell directly towards Yin Xiao. Although it was a light collision, the sword's edge deflected slightly, and what was supposed to be a fatal blow only grazed Mo Yun's side.

Yin Xiao frowned, about to attack again, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He staggered back several steps, his face deathly pale.

Xiao Xiao finally managed to stand up, and before she could even catch her breath, she saw Mo Yun rush forward with his knife, attacking Yin Xiao directly.

She stepped forward, blocking Yin Xiao's path, and knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face, pleading, "Young Master Mo Yun, please don't kill me... I have an eighty-year-old mother, an eight-month-old baby, and..."

Mo Yun's tone was cold, his offensive unabated, and he replied, "Enough with the nonsense!"

As his blade drew near, Xiao Xiao closed her eyes and shouted, "I know who you're looking for!"

Mo Yun's blade came to an abrupt halt, just an inch from Xiao Xiao's eyelashes.

Xiao Xiao heard the wind from the blades stop and timidly opened her eyes.

"What did you say?" Mo Yun sheathed his sword and asked.

“Uh… I know who the girl you’re looking for is, young master,” Xiao Xiao replied with utmost sincerity.

Seeing that Mo Yun's expression clearly showed disbelief, he gripped the knife in his hand and said indifferently, "Madam Xi has promised to tell you that person's identity. Don't try to argue."

Before Xiaoxiao could explain, Yin Xiao laughed. "Second Young Master Wei, how old are you? You believe Madam Xi's words? If she really wanted to tell you where that person is, why would she have delayed until now?"

Mo Yun's eyes flashed, and he said disdainfully, "...Should I believe you?"

“Killing us now would be as easy as turning your hand. Do you think we’re lying to you?” Silver Owl said with a smile, having calmed his breathing.

"Yes, yes, as long as you don't kill us, I will tell you honestly!" Xiao Xiao said quickly.

Mo Yun looked at Xiao Xiao, seeing her terrified expression and mournful voice, which didn't seem like she was trying to deceive him. "Okay... I won't kill you. Where is she?"

Xiao Xiao was deeply moved. She stood up, took a step forward, and was about to give her answer when Yin Xiao grabbed her arm.

“Young Master Mo Yun, since you can get in, you can naturally lead us out, right? Let’s finish this good deed, what do you think?” Yin Xiao said with a smile.

Mo Yun glanced at Yin Xiao, his eyes icy cold. Yin Xiao's killing move had naturally made Mo Yun wary. After a moment's thought, he calmly said, "Come with me."

After saying that, Mo Yun turned around and walked towards the secret passage he had just entered through.

Yin Xiao pulled Xiao Xiao up and followed.

An escape

Xiao Xiao followed Mo Yun and Yin Xiao out, but her doubts grew stronger. Why would Mo Yun come to this secret room at a time like this? Even if he was the second young master of Hero's Fortress and familiar with the terrain, given his relationship with everyone in Hero's Fortress, wasn't this action too ostentatious? If Madam Xi found out, she would be furious.

Moreover, what reason could he possibly have for going to this secret chamber? Was it to retrieve his wooden box? But the chamber was also filled with "Yisha," making it far from easy to retrieve the box.

First, Qianzhu Xiyuan impersonated Yinxiao to find her; then there was a mysterious secret passage in Xiyuan's room; next, Yinxiao was placed inside the passage with a sealing needle; then there was a crystal chamber containing a wooden box; and finally, Mo Yun appeared… These events, pieced together, seem incredibly strange. Qianzhu Xiyuan is an outsider; the secret passage in her room couldn't possibly be her doing. Clearly, someone within Hero's Fortress was conspiring with her. Could that person be Mo Yun?

Xiao Xiao's head ached from thinking so much, so she shook it. It wasn't her business anyway, so why was she thinking about it so much?

Xiao Xiao nodded to herself and continued walking. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her left wrist, rushing upwards along the Pericardium Meridian of Hand Jueyin. The bone-chilling pain made her curl up and groan softly.

Yin Xiao turned around, squatted down, and took her left hand.

"Grandpa Yin, is it midnight?" Xiao Xiao asked through gritted teeth, enduring the pain.

"At three-quarters past midnight," Mo Yun said.

Yin Xiao frowned and said, "You've sealed your acupoints, so the time for acupuncture has been postponed. Fine, I'll remove the needles for you."

"Really?" A little doubtful.

"I've been saved by you twice, so it's only natural." Yin Xiao sat down cross-legged and glanced at Mo Yun.

Mo Yun nodded and watched silently.

Yin Xiao channeled his inner energy and pressed his finger on Xiao Xiao's Quze acupoint. Xiao Xiao felt a stream of true energy slowly flowing into her meridians, and the cold, yin energy dissipated. The silver needle began to slowly retreat.

Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself, "At least good people get good rewards."

Just as the silver needle was about to be withdrawn, a commotion broke out at the entrance of the secret passage, with flickering firelight and the sound of voices approaching.

Xiao Xiao was slightly startled and was about to turn her head when she heard Yin Xiao shout, "Don't get distracted!"

Xiao Xiao immediately and obediently returned to her original position, not daring to move at all.

However, the noise of the voices was deafening, and one could faintly hear words like "forbidden area," "trespassing," and "Qi family weapons." The voices, when combined, carried a chilling murderous aura.

At that moment, a dark figure leaped from the direction they had come from. Without a word, it unleashed a deadly attack.

Xiao Xiao stared wide-eyed, unsure what to do. Then she saw Mo Yun draw his sword and charge forward.

The man in black, unarmed, naturally had the upper hand in the narrow, dark passage. Mo Yun's longsword, however, was constantly restricted and at a disadvantage. Seizing an opening, the man in black suddenly struck out, his target being Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao was at a loss for what to do.

Yin Xiao retaliated, severing his inner energy, and pulled Xiao Xiao away. The wall behind her took the blow for her.

A handprint instantly appeared on the wall.

"Nether Thunder Palm?!" Silver Owl exclaimed in surprise.

The man in black, having missed his first attack, immediately gathered his strength and attacked again.

Yin Xiao released Xiao Xiao and said, "Seal your meridians and stabilize your true energy!"

After saying that, he leaped into the air and began to fight with the man in black.

Xiao Xiao was utterly helpless. Why was she so unlucky? Just when Yin Xiao finally had a change of heart and helped her remove the needles, a man in black appeared... and what's even stranger is that he was targeting her. Had she been doing too many good deeds lately? One deadly danger after another seemed to befall her... Fortunately, the pain in her wrist had lessened, otherwise it would have been adding insult to injury. Xiao Xiao sealed her acupoints while watching the fight between the two. However, the more she watched, the stranger it seemed. The man in black was using the Netherworld Thunder Palm technique, but his footwork and movements were completely different. Although he tried his best to hide it, he still revealed his true nature.

"Yan Xingbu..." Mo Yun called out the name a step ahead of her.

The Swallow Step is a unique footwork style of Hero's Fortress, known for its lightness and speed. The only possibility for this man in black using this style is that he is from Hero's Fortress!

Mo Yun naturally thought of this as well. He took up his knife and joined the battle between the two men, aiming every move at the man in black.

To avoid being caught in the crossfire, Xiao Xiao took several steps back. Just then, a disciple from Hero's Fortress rushed in, torch in hand. Xiao Xiao was terrified; in this awkward position, if her face were seen, she was doomed. She immediately covered her head, crouched down, and shrank to one side.

Disciples swarmed in, startling both Yin Xiao and Mo Yun, causing them to pause in their attacks. The man in black, however, showed no hesitation. Taking advantage of the opening, he struck Mo Yun's "Min Yan" sword with a palm strike. Mo Yun, caught off guard by the sudden force, dropped the steel blade. The man in black caught the blade but didn't attack; instead, he attacked the intruding disciples. With a fierce gust of wind, the dozen or so disciples, caught off guard, were all cut down.

Upon seeing this, Mo Yun immediately stepped forward. The man in black, however, showed no interest in fighting, discarding the "Min Yan" he was holding and retreating into the secret passage he had come from.

Mo Yun and Yin Xiao were about to give chase when they heard a muffled thud.

“The stone gate is closed.” Silver Owl frowned.

Mo Yun immediately turned around and looked at the disciples who had been killed.

"No, no need to look... They're all dead..." Xiao Xiao said, trembling as she held her head.

Mo Yun's expression was somewhat stiff.

"Such ruthless methods." Silver Owl crossed his arms and said, "Even though I am a notorious bandit, I am ashamed of myself."

Before he could finish speaking, the noise outside grew louder, as if even more people had arrived.

Xiao Xiao stood up timidly and asked, "What... what do we do now?"

Yin Xiao chuckled dismissively. "There's only one path." He glanced at Mo Yun. "What do you think, young master?"

Mo Yun gripped the knife in his hand tightly and said indifferently, "Get out."

Xiao Xiao inwardly groaned; you could tell from her voice that with so many people outside, they would become the target of everyone's ire if they went out. It was practically playing with their lives!

"Girl," Silver Owl said, "In a moment, do exactly what I tell you. Understand?"

Xiao Xiao looked at him and nodded vigorously.

"Let's go." After saying that, Yin Xiao pulled Xiao Xiao up and used his light-footed skill to rush out.

Even before leaving the tunnel, one could vaguely see a large group of people gathered outside, illuminated by firelight as bright as day. Silver Owl took out several gleaming silver projectiles from his robes and fired them. But the target wasn't people, but the torches.

In an instant, the torches shattered, the flames vanished, and the light dimmed. A commotion arose in the crowd.

"It depends on your luck. Run!" Silver Owl used his strength to lift Xiao Xiao up from behind and send her out.

Xiao Xiao felt a sudden lightness in her body, and effortlessly leaped over the crowd. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she ran without looking back. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a sharp object cutting through the air behind her. Unable to dodge in time, she felt a weight on her left shoulder, stumbled, and fell to the ground.

She struggled to her feet, feeling only a dull ache in her shoulder, but no signs of injury to her muscles or bones. Luckily, she had put on her "Fine Embroidered Silk" beforehand, which proved impervious to blades and spears! She was incredibly lucky! Hearing that someone was chasing her, she stopped thinking and continued her escape.

At this moment, Yin Xiao also took advantage of the chaos to leap up. His lightness skill was already one of the best in the martial arts world, so under these circumstances, naturally no one could stop him.

However, just like Xiao Xiao, he immediately heard the approaching arrow. He spun around and caught the arrow in his hand. He leaped onto the rocks, soaring into the air, and laughed loudly, "Young Master Lian, I've learned a lot!"

The archer was naturally Lian Zhao. He frowned and spoke coldly, "Silver Owl?"

"Silver Owl?!" The people around were all surprised.

"Don't let him get away! Chase after him!" The order came from Luo Wu of the Three Heroes. The disciples immediately set off in pursuit.

Lian Zhao gripped the carved bow tightly in his hand, a hint of hatred in his eyes.