Those who are habitually abused tend to abuse themselves... Isoro probably has a natural tendency to be a masochist.
From that moment on, Isoro made a decision that would affect most of his life.
Teasing him, catching up with him, and then... letting him live in his own noisy environment, driving him to the brink of collapse...
With a cheerful grin, Isoro's smile became even more hazy.
The boy in black glanced at her, a chill creeping over him, before slowly sheathing his sword and continuing to run ahead without a word.
Isoro followed behind him with a smile.
My heart is filled with sweetness; a life with a goal is full of light!
The two walked silently down the corridor, preparing to enter the living room.
Suddenly, the boy in black stopped, blocked Isoro with his sword, tilted his head slightly, and said, "Stay."
The conversation was incoherent and disjointed.
Before Ishiro could react, he had already leaped away, like a black snow lotus blooming in the hazy night.
Not long after he flew away, suddenly, the creaking sound of scratching against the wall rang out again.
This time the scratching was even more intense. Standing in the hall, Goro grew increasingly frightened as he listened. He trembled, clutching his Qingfeng sword.
He was scratching while breathing heavily.
That feeling of being treated like food returned, and Isoro retreated while clutching the Green Edge Sword tightly.
"Hey, are you outside?" Igoro asked in a low voice as he backed away, his voice trembling. The sudden separation from the boy in black brought Igoro back to the feeling of loneliness and helplessness he had felt earlier.
"Are you there? Give me an answer!" Her voice began to tremble with tears.
Outside, all was still silent.
The wind blew even more eerily, one gust after another, each stronger than the last. Three of the four candles in the hall were blown out, leaving only one, its flame flickering and changing length.
The sudden strong wind completely broke Isoro's nerves.
"If you don't answer me, I'm going out to find you." Isoro's voice was already choked with sobs, tears welling up in his eyes.
Back when I was at home, reading martial arts novels, I thought these chivalrous heroes were amazing. I felt both envious and respectful, and I dreamed that one day I could be like these heroes and use my martial arts skills to defend justice in the martial arts world.
Even when he agreed to come to Xiejian Manor as a bodyguard, he was driven by a burning passion.
That pure, childlike mindset clearly didn't realize that the martial world couldn't be encompassed by a mere chronicle of it.
Although Ishiro deeply regretted it, he couldn't help but feel a little smug when he thought about the group of people who were safe in the basement.
After all, he kept his promise.
If you don't reply to me, I'm coming out!
"Go back." A figure flashed at the door, and a boy in black stood there, pursing his lips. He saw the tears glistening in Igarashi's eyes, paused slightly, and said, "It'll be safer inside."
This was the first complete sentence that Isoro spoke after they met.
Although it remained cold and aloof, it had already taken on a subtle, almost imperceptible warmth.
"Then leave me another sword." Isoro relaxed immediately upon seeing him, his eyes glancing at the three swords on the boy's shoulder.
A pale gold sword is exceptionally elegant, and a pair of ancient blue swords, the longer one is majestic and imposing, while the slightly shorter one is delicate and petite.
The boy in black glanced at the green sword in Igarashi's hand, gave her a cold look, and without a word, unfastened the pale gold sword and handed it over.
Isoro smiled and shook his head, pointing to the small blue sword on his shoulder, saying, "I want that one."
The young man in black froze for a moment, then a thin layer of anger rose on his face. He shoved the pale gold dagger back into his back, turned around, and strode out of the hall without looking back.
Isoro remained frozen in place, his hand still outstretched. Then, he slowly squatted down, clutching his head and racking his brains, trying to recall the first sentence from the last. To his dismay, he realized that he had no idea where the black-clad boy's anger came from.
A gust of cold wind sent Goro's heart plummeting to its lowest point.
So, Isoro could only stay in the hall, clutching his Qingfeng sword.
The hourglass on the altar in the hall was running out of sand, grain by grain. According to the hourglass, it was already past midnight. In another hour, they would be able to get through the night and rush into the light.
Suddenly, the scratching sound from the outer wall disappeared.
A foul, bloody stench wafted through the cold wind, drifting into the hall in gusts. Igarashi widened his eyes and strained his ears to listen to the sounds outside.
Everything was quiet.
Suddenly, a muffled roar came from deep within the bamboo forest. The sound was rough and hoarse, accompanied by heavy breathing, like a wild beast struggling to pounce on its prey.
Occasionally, there were sounds of metal clashing.
The ringing stopped abruptly after a while, and everything returned to silence.
Isoro's heart sank. He kept thinking about the boy in black. How could such a fierce roar and such a loud metallic clanging sound suddenly fall silent?
Isoro pricked up his ears, clutching his sword, caught in a dilemma.
Going out might put me in danger, but staying put leaves me wondering what the situation is like outside. If I get into danger, I might be able to help that boy.
Should we go out or not?
As I was pondering, an even louder roar came from the bamboo forest, as if the unknown monster had been completely enraged and was making its final stand.
Surprisingly, no metallic clanging sound was heard this time.
Wu Shilang's heart skipped a beat. Without even thinking, he grabbed the Qingfeng Sword and leaped out. He stumbled along the way until he reached the bamboo forest, where he was immediately stunned.
The night was cool and still, already extremely cold, and the scene before me made me shiver from the bottom of my heart.
Standing in the clearing in front of the bamboo forest was a huge beast. Its eyes were like two lanterns, flashing red. It was as big as a tiger, and its fur was bright red. Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that its fur was not naturally this color, but was stained with blood and sweat secreted from its body, covering its entire fur. Its four claws were like blades, with thin and sharp tips. At this moment, the beast was digging into the soil, arching its back, and looking at you with hatred, as if it wanted to pounce.
"You, go back!" The black-clad youth held a green sword, his long robes fluttering. His jet-black hair, disheveled from the fierce fighting, cascaded down his shoulders, gleaming in the moonlight, highlighting his jade-like complexion and exquisite features.
"What is this thing?" Igoro couldn't help but ask.
The boy didn't reply to her, his eyes fixed on the beast opposite him, his murderous aura reaching its peak. The wind blowing around him turned into small whirlwinds, swirling the falling bamboo leaves within them.
Even Isoro, who was standing next to him, could feel the powerful aura emanating from him. Isoro shrank back, turned his head, and said softly, "Alright, I'll go back then."
After saying that, he was about to turn around and take a step.
"Stand still, don't move," the boy in black said with a helpless expression. "You can't go back now, its eyes are already on you."
Just as expected, the huge beast, its red eyes darting around, swept towards Igarashi. Seeing her cowering and timid, it produced more sticky saliva, which dripped from the corners of her mouth in clumps.
It made Ishiro feel nauseous for a while.
It can even distinguish between strong and weak, and changes its prey accordingly.
Isoro stood stiffly behind the boy in black, drenched in sweat, not daring to move even a little finger, staring fearfully at the crimson beast.
The boy in black lowered his sword and took two steps without making a sound, just enough to cover the eyes of Goro and the beast as they stared at each other.
Suddenly, the beast roared, arched its back, and stretched out its claws, lunging at Goro as if it intended to leap over the boy in black and devour him.
Isoro yelled and tugged at the black-clad boy's sleeve, jumping around wildly.
Driven by an intense will to survive, Isoro transformed into an octopus with his hands and feet, clinging tightly to the black-clad boy, face to face, arms around his neck, and legs around his waist.
Through the thin shirt, Isoro's body temperature, carrying the girl's delicate fragrance, slowly seeped in.
The black-clad youth's face immediately turned as red as an apple. He didn't have time to pull away Goruro, so he could only reach out and barely catch the beast's first leap with his blue sword.
Under the moonlight, his face was as cold as ice, his eyes were like cold stars, his lips were pressed tightly together, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and his whole body was tense and stiff.
Clearly, he was furious!
Before they could react, the beast had already launched its second attack.
Its claws were fully extended before landing, thin and sharp in the moonlight, like a row of finely forged iron daggers. At the moment of impact, it lightly touched the ground, and then leaped high into the air.
He used ten times the strength he had before to pounce on the two people whose bodies were entangled.
"Poke its eye with a sword..."
"Poke its nose with a sword..."
"Pierce its throat with a sword..."
Isoro clung to the black-clad youth, pointing wildly and spitting as he excitedly yelled, patting the youth's shoulder, "Hurry up, aren't you full... raise the sword higher..."
boom……
The black-clad youth finally ran out of patience. With a snap, the veins on his forehead burst, and he was consumed by rage, completely forgetting that there was a powerful monster opposite him.
Then, with a very elegant flick of his wrist, he tossed Ba Zaishen Goro away like trash.
Whoosh! A biting wind howled as Igoro soared through the air on the moon... Igoro couldn't help but close his eyes, resignedly awaiting the excruciating pain of landing...
Instead of the expected pain of hitting the ground, she wrapped her arms around a fluffy, soft tree trunk and let out a big sigh of relief.
Slowly opening his eyes, Igorō died instantly.
The beast blinked, drooling as it gazed longingly at Goro, who was hanging around its neck. Clumps of sticky saliva slicked over its whiskers, making them stick together.
"Ah...a monster..." Goro roared, swiftly stabbing its eyes with two fingers, and without hesitation slamming his head into the beast's nose. The beast cried out in pain, shook its head and roared, and Goro tumbled off its body and began to crawl forward.
Crawling forward...
"Stop crawling." The voice of the boy in black came from afar. "Keep crawling on the ground and don't move. It can't see you."
Isoro obediently pressed his face to the ground, pretending to be dead.
The beast immediately lost its target, barked softly, and searched for Isoro's whereabouts, pacing back and forth as it did so.
Isoro lay on the ground, sweating profusely, too afraid to move.
The wild beast drew closer, its fleshy feet rustling against the bamboo leaves with a dull, grating sound that sent shivers down Goro's spine.
Closer and closer, until they could touch each other's bodies!
Isoro's eyes darted around as he watched the beast's foot about to step on his thigh, but the boy in black showed no intention of rescuing him. Growing increasingly uneasy, Isoro suddenly leaped up from the ground and scrambled toward the boy in black.
Just kidding, pretending to be dead has become suicide, that's ridiculous.
Seeing Ishiro scrambling towards him, the boy in black immediately broke down, and his carefully laid plan had to be scrapped.
That was his original plan. Now that Xiao Wushilang had drawn most of the beast's attention, he would quietly launch a surprise attack.
This beast is extremely cautious, possessing three parts intelligence and seven parts animalistic instinct. Therefore, although it is not the most powerful beast, it is definitely one of the most difficult to kill.
He only had a slight chance of winning because he was better at light footwork and had more profound swordsmanship.