Fragrance rises to dance

Chapter 47

"I killed them all," Qu Zhiliang said indifferently.

"What..." Bi Qiuhan suddenly froze, staring blankly at Qu Zhiliang, "What—"

“I killed Li Chenglou, Nan Bibi, Ye Xianchou, and Leng Yuqiu,” Qu Zhiliang said coldly.

"What...why?" Bi Qiuhan was completely stunned. He muttered to himself, "How could this be...with your martial arts skills and reputation, why...why kill those four?" He suddenly raised his head and shouted, "Weren't they ordered to be killed by the founding emperor?"

Qu Zhiliang, whose face had been revered throughout the martial arts world for decades, showed a slight shock. "You know?"

“I know—I just didn’t know that the person who did it was…” Bi Qiuhan lowered his head in anguish, clenching his fists, his whole body trembling with pain, “Your martial arts skills and reputation are unparalleled in the martial world, why would you willingly become the Emperor’s killing blade… why…”

"Why bother?" Qu Zhiliang didn't sneer. He simply put his hands behind his back and said in that indifferent tone, as if nothing could move him, "Bi Qiuhan, you are still very young, and you are not smart."

"Senior, were you forced into this situation by others? If you have your reasons, why don't you..." Bi Qiuhan didn't hear what he just said at all.

“You’re not smart, why should I tell you the truth—haven’t you figured it out yet?” Qu Zhiliang pushed the sword against Bi Qiuhan’s chest, catching him completely off guard. “The truly smart people… do you know how Nan Bibi died? After seeing me, he committed suicide with his sword—since there was no way to escape, he might as well end it himself.”

Murder to silence a witness? The thought flashed through Bi Qiuhan's mind, but the overwhelming pressure from the Candlelight Sword pressed down on his chest. He simply couldn't believe that this legendary figure he revered would do such a thing. His face was filled with disbelief, and he was completely unprepared.

In his current state, Qu Zhiliang could easily kill him on the spot with just a little more force. But Qu Zhiliang suddenly sheathed his sword and slowly drew it from its sheath, saying, "If I kill you like this, I know you won't accept it. Draw your sword."

Bi Qiuhan, having narrowly escaped death, was drenched in cold sweat. Had Qu Zhiliang reacted even slightly slower, he would have been struck by that astonishing power, his heart shattered, and he would have died on the spot! Qu Zhiliang had clearly come to kill and silence him, yet he acted with the honorable code of the martial world, neither hiding his identity nor resorting to underhanded tactics. Bi Qiuhan drew his sword, his heart pounding. No matter what, having the opportunity to fight Qu Zhiliang was the dream of countless martial arts heroes! Although he had many doubts about this man, he could set them aside. Qu Zhiliang was indeed far superior to him in martial arts, but a surge of eager ambition overwhelmed the many questions he held about Qu Zhiliang.

With a soft "whoosh," there was no way for Qu Zhiliang to find an opening. Therefore, Bi Qiuhan acted first, slashing at Qu Zhiliang's proud, sword-like eyebrows to lure him into an opening. This sword technique was known as "Yellow Between the Eyebrows," said to have been created by the wife of the Biluo Palace Master. Don't be fooled by his seemingly simple eyebrow-raising strike; the sword was aimed at several vital points, including his eyes, ears, philtrum, and throat—a truly ruthless strike.

Qu Zhiliang slightly tilted his head, allowing Bi Qiuhan's sword tip to graz his eyebrow by a hair's breadth. As he turned his head, Bi Qiuhan felt a chill. Looking down, he saw that Qu Zhiliang's Candle Room Sword was an ancient sword, unusually long. Although his own sword had struck first, Qu Zhiliang had arrived faster, his sword already pressed against his lower abdomen. Startled, Bi Qiuhan flicked his finger against Qu Zhiliang's sword, and with a swift somersault, dodged the thrust.

With a "ha" exhale, he threw a punch like a whip, took a horse stance, and landed a solid punch on Qu Zhiliang's left elbow.

"I haven't seen anyone who can fight me to this level in twenty-seven years." Qu Zhiliang's elbow went numb from the blow, and he could only retaliate with his right hand. Suddenly, a surge of ambition rose within him, and with a roar, he threw a punch of his own.

Bi Qiuhan's eyebrows twitched. This was Qu Zhiliang's famous "Chu God Fist"! His sword vibrated continuously, and the hilt, blade, and tip struck several acupoints on Qu Zhiliang's right hand.

"Impressive skill! He had practiced this sword technique, targeting multiple acupoints, until he was eighteen years old before mastering it." Qu Zhiliang let out a long laugh, regaining feeling in his left hand. With a sweeping motion, he caught Bi Qiuhan's sword with his bare hand. With a "crack," Bi Qiuhan's sword shattered. His right fist showed no mercy, striking straight towards Bi Qiuhan's throat.

If that hits, Bi Qiuhan will surely die from a shattered Adam's apple.

Bi Qiuhan was horrified. His right-hand sword shattered, so he slashed out with his left hand.

With a sharp crack, his left palm intercepted Qu Zhiliang's right fist. Qu Zhiliang's punch was powerful and heavy, sending a surge of pressure straight into Bi Qiuhan's arm. With a "whoosh," Bi Qiuhan coughed up a mouthful of blood.

How many people in the world could seriously injure him with a single punch?

Bi Qiuhan coughed up his first mouthful of blood, unable to hold it in any longer. A second mouthful of blood gushed out, and it seemed he was about to die from vomiting blood in an instant. Qu Zhiliang sighed deeply, showing no mercy. He raised his sword high above his head with his left hand, ready to strike.

"Stop!" A sharp shout suddenly came from the woods, and a figure darted over like an arrow.

“Saint Xiang…” Bi Qiuhan was overjoyed. He didn’t know why, even though he knew that Saint Xiang’s stance was the same as Qu Zhiliang’s—that they were both covering up the truth of what happened back then—he was still overjoyed to see him come before he died. That joy was like seeing a new flower bloom in early spring, making him ecstatic even though he was on the verge of death.

But the Candle Room Sword came crashing down on his head.

With a sharp "snap," Shengxiang deftly blocked Quzhiliang's sword with her folding fan. "Who are you?"

He didn't even know Qu Zhiliang was the assassin from back then? Bi Qiuhan's astonishment flashed by, and Sheng Xiang, who had parried the sword, looked closely and exclaimed in astonishment, "Qu Zhiliang?!"

Qu Zhiliang remained silent. If he hadn't insisted on an open and honest approach and refused to kill Bi Qiuhan outright, he would never have allowed Shengxiang to discover his midnight murder. Now that he had been caught red-handed, he had no choice but to kill two more people! With a "whoosh," the ancient and sturdy blade of his sword was forced by his internal force to become like a soft sword striking the air, producing a whooshing sound. With Qu Zhiliang's martial arts skills, this sword strike was extremely fierce. A surge of rage, fueled by the realization that his guilty conscience had been exposed, was about to erupt, causing his eyebrows to bristle and his face to contort in a ferocious expression.

"Wait—" Sheng Xiang seemed to have a lot to say, but was silenced by Qu Zhiliang's swordplay, unable to utter a single word. His folding fan had already cracked after taking a single blow; it absolutely couldn't withstand another. But Bi Qiuhan was severely injured amidst Qu Zhiliang's fists and palms, and he couldn't abandon him! Gritting his teeth, he ducked under Qu Zhiliang's sword, rushing into Qu Zhiliang's arms, not caring about victory, but only about being able to shout, "Help—"

Qu Zhiliang had never seen such a way of responding to an attack before. Instead of striking, the man desperately sought an opportunity to cry for help. Shengxiang's sudden plunge into his arms was completely unexpected; this man was skilled in martial arts but acted erratically. Slightly annoyed, he snapped off his outer garment with a "smack." Regardless of Shengxiang's ulterior motives for throwing herself into his arms, this flick sent her garment flying.

Shengxiang only wanted him to throw it away. In an instant, Quzhiliang flung his clothes, and Shengxiang took the opportunity to pounce out, pick up Bi Qiuhan, and roll away from Quzhiliang's side.

So that's how it is. Qu Zhiliang, caught off guard, missed his target of killing two people. He was slightly shocked, and a feeling of fear for the younger generation swept through his heart for a moment. Although he was arrogant, he had experienced too many storms and had long since become indifferent. Sheng Xiang's quick reaction surprised him slightly, but he still swung his sword down smoothly.

Bi Qiuhan stared wide-eyed as the sword slashed down from behind Sheng Xiang. Sheng Xiang was holding him, panting, and her soft exhalation, "Uh..." startled Bi Qiuhan. Sheng Xiang tried to get up, but her face was pale and covered in cold sweat. She paused for a moment.

The heart of the sacred incense—

The feeling was like a sword slicing through Bi Qiuhan's chest—had it stopped beating? For a moment, he had the illusion that Sheng Xiang was already dead, as if he had waited an eternity for that faint beat. That strange feeling chilled him to the bone. Was it his imagination? Why did he feel that Sheng Xiang's heartbeat was unusually slow…?

Sheng Xiangyi didn't get up, and Liang Jian frowned slightly. Why didn't he dodge?

The fall and roll just now were a matter of life and death in an instant. The excessive tension finally triggered Sheng Xiang's chronic heart disease. He collapsed onto Bi Qiuhan, panting heavily, his mind briefly blank.

"Whoosh—" The sound of the sword wind still lingered in their ears, and the blade had already just touched Shengxiang's clothes. A deep voice suddenly shouted from afar: "Shengxiang!"

Rongrong? Shengxiang's cry for help was meant for Rongyin to hear. In this life-or-death moment, he was startled and knew he couldn't faint now... But then he heard the sound of a sword blade behind him. Even if he had a thousand plans, he couldn't use any of them. Just as countless thoughts were swirling in his mind but none of them worked, suddenly there was a sharp, grating sound of flesh rubbing together. He abruptly opened his eyes—he saw that Bi Qiuhan beneath him was gone, replaced by drops of warm blood dripping from his back.

That's not his blood.

Shengxiang was startled, but he did not turn around.

“Holy Incense…” The person behind him bent down and took the sword for him. The person he had been carrying as they rolled away had shielded him from the sword at the last moment. “He is the one who killed Li Chenglou… the real culprit…”

A warm sensation on her neck told Shengxiang that blood had flowed down, and Bi Qiuhan's head drooped.

"Didn't you... hate me the most?" In an instant, there was no sadness or tears in Shengxiang's eyes, only a blank, deathly loneliness. "Didn't you threaten me not to hide the truth? How could you die? How could you die?"

“I promised…” Bi Qiuhan seemed to smile slightly, or perhaps it was a bitter smile, “I promised to be your… bodyguard… Bi Qiuhan never… breaks his word…” He persisted until he said the four words “never break his word” before letting out his last breath, closing his eyes and dying.

There were no tears in Shengxiang's eyes.

He never cries.

He didn't move, and after what seemed like an eternity, he murmured, "Fool... I was just kidding... I was just teasing you..."

With a single strike from Qu Zhiliang, Bi Qiuhan's heart, lungs, and neck bones were shattered by the ancient sword. But he did not strike again, instead holding the sword and quietly watching Sheng Xiang slowly sit up in front of him.