Bad things happen often

Chapter 29

The crystal chamber was completely silent.

Xiao Xiao was utterly helpless. She thought victory was assured, so how could this turn of events happen! Just as she was lamenting how long bad people could live, she suddenly discovered something shocking.

Her right sleeve was being tightly gripped, and the person gripping her sleeve was Shi Le'er.

Her lips twitched slightly. She gently tugged at her sleeve, trying to break free. But Shi Le'er held on tightly, and she couldn't pull away at all. So, her position was extremely awkward, standing to the left of Hall Master Fang and Shi Le'er.

Master Fang naturally noticed her as well. He was consumed by rage, grabbed Shi Le'er with his right hand, and raised his left hand to strike Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao quickly crouched down, dodging the palm strike. She was on the verge of tears. That Shi Le'er was really too much; she even dragged someone down with her at a time like this.

No, with her skills, she couldn't possibly defeat Master Fang. At this point, the only option is to create distance and prevent him from attacking her.

With her small left hand, she drew her sword and thrust it towards Master Fang's abdomen.

Such a ruthless and vicious tactic was naturally something that Master Fang would avoid at all costs. He pulled Shi Le'er up and leaped to the side.

Xiao Xiao thought she could get away this way, but Shi Le'er was still holding onto her sleeve tightly. Embarrassed, she stumbled and fell towards Master Fang.

Although Master Fang was a seasoned veteran of the martial world, he was completely caught off guard by such an unpredictable attack trajectory. Before he could react, the short sword in the small hand was already piercing his chest.

He managed to dodge to the side, but the short sword still pierced his left arm. He loosened his grip, and Shi Le'er escaped.

With quick eyes and hands, Xiao Xiao picked up Shi Le'er and darted to the side.

Upon seeing this, the crowd immediately attacked.

Master Fang drew the short sword from his left hand and angrily went to meet the challenge.

Xiao Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. He had survived a great calamity; good fortune was sure to follow.

Shi Le'er still held onto her sleeve, looking at her, "You saved me again..."

Xiao Xiao was stunned. "Huh?"

Heaven bears witness! If that girl hadn't clung to her sleeve so desperately, she wouldn't have been standing in such a dangerous place… Luckily, she was blessed with good fortune; otherwise, in that situation, even several lives wouldn't have been enough to save her. But now, could she say it was all a misunderstanding?

Oh well, let's just go with the flow... Sigh...

Just as Xiao Xiao was feeling helpless, on the other side, Master Fang was gradually losing ground. Most of the people under Taiping City's command were skilled martial artists from the Jianghu, and their martial arts were naturally beyond question. Moreover, Master Fang had already exhausted his strength and was injured by the short sword "Fei," so he was simply unable to deal with so many people.

Master Fang stepped back, panting, knowing he had no chance of winning. He suddenly laughed, "Twenty years... I've painstakingly planned for twenty years! And yet, I failed at the last step!" He turned to look at Xiao Xiao, "I actually... fell into your hands..."

She was incredibly innocent; heaven knows, from the very beginning until now, she never intended to ruin his "perfect plan"...

Master Fang turned around and walked towards the halberd in the crystal room.

“Si Chen… I was so close, just a little bit more, and I could have had you. I could have become the lord of Hero's Fortress, I would no longer be an unknown nobody, I would have unified the world and dominated the martial arts world!… I was just a little bit more…” His voice was full of resentment and desolation.

At this moment, Yin Xiao attacked, sending several "Blood Tempered Silver Lights" into the body of Hall Master Fang with a single palm strike.

Silver Owl stepped back a few paces and sneered, "Go back to the underworld and keep dreaming of dominating the martial arts world!"

Despite the intense pain, Master Fang still smiled, and with that smile, he grasped "Si Chen" before taking his last breath.

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but feel desolate.

The Nine Emperor Artifacts… Even if you obtain the Nine Emperor Artifacts and control the world, what good will it do? For these things, you betray everyone, and in the end, you even lose your life. Is it worth it? Unifying the world and dominating the martial arts realm—what's so good about such a dream?

She walked to the body of Hall Master Fang and gazed at it silently. Then, something occurred to her. From the first day she entered Hero's Fortress, all she knew about this person was "Hall Master Fang." That was certainly not his real name.

She looked up at Yin Xiao and asked softly, "What's the name of this Hall Master Fang?"

Yin Xiao frowned. "A nobody, who remembers his name..."

Xiao Xiao recalled the brief moment of smugness he had shown when she had been fawning over Master Fang. Indeed, he was a nobody. In the martial arts world, very few people knew his name. Therefore, titles like "leading figure in the martial arts world," "grandmaster," and "overlord of the martial arts world" were what he truly sought.

In the world of martial arts, the nameless yearn for fame, while the famous desperately seek to remain anonymous.

My master once said: "When you look at the world and the four seas, who isn't a nobody?"

In a world where everyone wants to be a "general," being a loyal pawn is also a skill. The key is to be a cunning pawn who doesn't suffer losses.

Xiao Xiao smiled with a sense of relief. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her wrist. She realized it was already midnight. She crouched down, unable to suppress a groan.

Yin Xiao walked a few steps to her side and took her left hand.

"Let me remove the needle for you," he said.

Xiao Xiao nodded, her face pale, but the pain suddenly intensified. Her mind went blank, her vision went black, and she fainted.

...

Become famous in one battle

Xiao Xiao didn't know how long she had slept. When she woke up, she vaguely saw a petite figure.

Xiao Xiao sat up and then saw clearly that Shi Le'er was standing by the table, holding an account book.

She immediately got out of bed and said, "Lord of the City."

“You’re awake…” Shi Le’er turned around. “So, you really are his disciple…”

Xiao Xiao paused for a moment, then immediately replied, "No, I already said it was a lie..."

“I’ve seen your account books,” Shi Le’er said. “He once came to return five coins to me in person…”

Xiao Xiao immediately remembered that it was recorded in that account book: "On the 21st day of the ninth month of the 20th year of Shaoxing reign of Emperor Gaozong, Shi Xi, the lord of Taiping City, died of illness. His son Shi Jun and his wife traveled the world. His granddaughter Shi Yue succeeded him."

Five coins owed for the meal.

Yes, if it's a creditor, they'll naturally know who owes the money...

Shi Le'er looked at her. "I know you're hiding your identity to avoid your enemies. But you could have told me! If I'd known you were his disciple, I wouldn't have treated you like that!"

Xiao Xiao was a little embarrassed. "Um... Lord City Lord... actually, I only found out in the crystal chamber..."

A hint of sadness flickered in Shi Le'er's eyes. "Where is he now?"

After a brief silence, she honestly answered, "Dead..."

Shi Le'er froze on the spot, "Impossible!"

“Really. In the third year of junior high…” Xiao Xiao said.

Tears welled up in Shi Le'er's eyes. "Impossible. He's highly skilled in martial arts; he couldn't possibly be dead!"

Xiao Xiao felt a little helpless and didn't know how to answer.

After a long while, Shi Le'er calmed down, "...Where...where is he buried?"

She swallowed hard and replied, "It's burned."

Shi Le'er was furious. "What did you say?!"

Xiao Xiao pinched her ear and looked at her pitifully.

Shi Le'er threw down the account book and grabbed the little girl's hand. "He's your master! You burned him?!"

Xiao Xiao remained silent, offering no reply.

Long ago, my master said: When a person dies, if their bones are buried in the earth, they will transform into flowers, grass, and trees. If they are burned into flames, they will become gentle breezes and smoke.

At that young age, with her innocent eyes wide open, she said: "Then, if Master dies, Xiaoxiao will definitely burn Master's body!"

After hearing this, the master didn't know whether to cry or laugh, but he still patiently asked her: Why?

She answered earnestly: "Because flowers, grass, and trees can't walk, but the wind and clouds can go anywhere. That way, Xiaoxiao can stay with her master forever."

After listening, the master patted her head and kept smiling. Then, he nodded and agreed.

Even now, she remains the same naive child, waiting for her master's favor. The seemingly relinquished "no burial" is actually a deeper longing than simply having a place to mourn.

After a while, Shi Le'er calmed down. She looked at Xiao Xiao, a faint feeling of jealousy creeping in. But she still let go. Without a word, she turned and ran out of the room.

Xiao Xiao stood in the room, looking somewhat lonely.

Suddenly, someone jumped in through the window.

Xiao Xiao was startled, and then she saw Yin Xiao and Li Si standing in front of her.

"Girl, are you alright?" Yin Xiao asked with concern.

Before Xiaoxiao could understand what was happening, Li Si walked up to her and said earnestly, "Miss Zuo, don't worry, I will make this robber take responsibility..."

"Responsible for?" Xiao Xiao was puzzled. "Uh, responsible for what?"

Li Si immediately glared at Yin Xiao.

Yin Xiao said helplessly, "Girl... the needle on your wrist..."

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Xiao Xiao had a bad feeling.

“I can’t get it out…” Silver Owl replied.

"Ah?!" Xiaoxiao almost jumped up. Where is justice?! If they can't get it out, she's doomed!!! They can't be this irresponsible!!! Tears welled up in her eyes, "Grandpa Yin, you have to save me..."

Yin Xiao sighed, "It's not that I didn't want to help. Earlier, I helped you force the silver needle out, but that guy surnamed Fang interfered. At that time, although the position of the silver needle changed, it wasn't a big problem. But later, you were hit by Lian Zhao's arrow. Although you were protected by the Hundred-Layered Silk, the internal energy entered your meridians, disrupting the silver needle's trajectory. Now, it has left the Hand Jueyin Pericardium Meridian and entered your blood vessels..."

"So there's no hope for him?" Xiao Xiao was heartbroken.

"Uh, not really..." Silver Owl said helplessly, "I've already sealed its power for you. It'll be fine for a year or two. It'll just be a slight pain every midnight..."

"What about a year or two later?" Xiao Xiao asked.

“This…” Silver Owl was speechless.

Seeing this, Li Si said, "Don't worry, young lady, there's definitely a way to remove the needle." She smiled and said, "The Shennong family is skilled in medicine, so there must be a way to cure it."

"Didn't they close their doors and stop providing medical care a long time ago?" Xiao Xiao was on the verge of tears.

“There’s always a way out. Shennong has many disciples; surely someone will be willing to lend a hand,” Li Si comforted her. “Besides, we will certainly do our utmost to help you with your matter, young lady…”

She sighed softly. Why was she so unlucky? ...Thinking about it carefully, her current situation wasn't just Yin Xiao's fault, but also Lian Zhao's! Were they just incompatible?

Just as she was feeling utterly hopeless, Yin Xiao stepped forward and said sincerely, "Girl, consider it a debt I owe you. From now on, whatever you fancy, I'll steal it for you." He took out a silver feather from his pocket and handed it over, "This feather token is the proof."

Xiao Xiao took the silver feather, feeling even more helpless.

At this moment, Li Si changed the subject, saying, "By the way, young lady, earlier in the crystal chamber, in my haste to deal with Hall Master Fang, I lied and said you were a disciple of the 'Ghost Master.' I have already explained this to Madam tide and her group. You can forget about what happened in the crystal chamber."

Xiao Xiao was a little confused. She looked at Li Si, bewildered. Didn't Li Si recognize Sanxian and realize that she was the "Ghost Master's" apprentice? Why was she changing her tune now?

The person who asked on her behalf was Yin Xiao, "Matchmaker, what exactly are you saying? That sanxian does indeed belong to the 'Ghost Master.' Why are you hiding it from her now?"