Bloodstained Kill - Chapter 9
As Yun Ran stepped out of the inn, she glanced back at Wanwan coldly, seemingly unintentionally.
Wanwan knew that she was reminding herself not to make any more moves on Sima Liuyun. Although she was annoyed, she was helpless and could only lower her head in frustration.
Sima Liuyun and Yun Ran went to the farmhouse to fetch their mounts. The horse was exceptionally fine, a true steed capable of traveling a thousand miles. Yun Ran mounted the horse and said with a smile, "This horse is quite fast; hopefully it won't cause you any trouble." She then looked at Sima Liuyun with a beaming smile, waiting for him to mount and ride with her.
However, a slight blush appeared on Sima Liuyun's handsome face. It turned out that when he saw Yun Ran's graceful figure as she leaped onto the horse, he suddenly realized that she was a young woman, and sharing a horse with him might damage her reputation, so he hesitated.
Yun Ran seemed to know what he was thinking and smiled, "A gentleman is open and honest. Young Master Sima is a magnanimous and unconventional person. Why are you so concerned about these worldly etiquettes?"
Sima Liuyun felt relieved and smiled, "Miss Luo is right." He then lightly mounted his horse and sat behind Yun Ran.
Yun Ran chuckled softly, pulled on the reins, and the two of them and their horse galloped away in a cloud of dust.
Sima Liuyun sat behind Yun Ran, feeling her hair fluttering in the wind, occasionally brushing against his face, and smelling her fragrance. He couldn't help but feel a surge of desire, and quickly composed himself to stop his wild thoughts.
After a long journey, the two arrived at a relatively large town outside Jizhou City by evening and found an inn to stay at.
That night, Yun Ran tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She sat up in bed, staring blankly with her knees drawn up to her chest. The place was only a few miles from Yun Family Fortress, which inevitably reminded her of the past, of how she and her father and brothers were now separated by death, and a wave of sorrow welled up in her heart.
Just then, a soft sound was heard from the window, and it was pushed open from the outside.
Yun Ran's expression hardened. A person had already silently leaped into the room through the window and whispered with a smile, "Don't make a move, it's me."
Yun Ran recognized Qi Mo's voice and was quite surprised. Her fingers, which had been tightly gripping the sword hilt, loosened.
By the moonlight, Qi Mo saw that she was still dressed in her tight-fitting clothes, sitting on the bed with wary eyes and tear stains on her cheeks. He was slightly taken aback and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yun Ran turned her head to wipe away her tears and said calmly, "What brings you here so late, Chief Qi?"
Qi Mo gazed at her for a moment, then suddenly chuckled softly and said, "I was very concerned about Miss Yun's departure from Qingping without saying goodbye that day. Now that I have received news of her, I have come here to see her."
Yun Ran knew he was full of lies, and seeing the cunning glint in his eyes, she instantly understood his intentions. Feeling uneasy, she immediately jumped down and rushed towards the door.
Qi Mo had already leaped to block the doorway, and said with a smile, "It's not very safe for a young lady to go out so late, perhaps..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Yun Ran raise her eyebrows slightly, and the Purple Thorn Sword in her hand was already swinging towards him. He quickly dodged the sword and said with a smile, "Although the bounty is huge, Miss Yun, you don't have to be so ruthless, do you?"
Yun Ran's expression turned cold, and she shouted, "Get out of the way!" She then unleashed several more sword attacks, but Qi Mo dodged them all with a swift movement, without retaliating, only chuckling softly.
Yun Ran remembered that he had helped her escape from the Marquis's mansion that day, so she held back some of her strength when she made her move. However, she saw that Qi Mo dodged with ease, but his figure always blocked the door, preventing her from getting any closer.
Anxious, she suspected that Qi Mo was deliberately stalling, and Xie Feng and the others must have already made their move against Sima Liuyun. The Absolute Killing Sect was ruthless and cunning; although Sima Liuyun was highly skilled in martial arts, he was a gentleman and might not be able to guard against the assassins' usual vicious schemes. With this in mind, she acted even more ruthlessly, unleashing a series of swift and vicious sword strikes aimed directly at several vital points on Qi Mo's body.
Qi Mo asked in surprise, "Are you really going all out?" Seeing that Yun Ran's Purple Thorn Soft Sword was extremely sharp, he dared not directly attack its edge. He quickly slid several feet to the side, and the several swords thrusting in front of him missed their mark.
Seeing that he had cleared the space in front of the door, Yun Ran stopped her attack and rushed forward to push the door open, intending to rush out.
But then he heard the sound of wind behind him. Qi Mo chuckled and swung his palm toward her Xinlingtai acupoint on the back of her head.
Yun Ran's fingers touched the door latch. She knew that if she turned around to block, she would inevitably be caught in another fierce battle with him. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind: Qi Mo shouldn't really hurt me. So she ignored what was behind her, unlatched the door, and leaped out of the room.
Qi Mo's palm was about to strike her back when he saw that Yun Ran did not dodge. He was taken aback and quickly stopped, then flashed out after her, laughing, "It's too late to go now." His movements were incredibly fast, and in an instant he caught up with Yun Ran and walked alongside her.
Yun Ran turned her head and saw that he looked relaxed, with a faint smile on his lips, looking like he had everything under control. She couldn't help but feel angry and glared at him hatefully.
Qi Mo, however, was in a very good mood and smiled at her, saying, "I originally did not want to compete with you, Miss, but before, Yidian Sha stole several of my Juesha Sect's orders, which made A Luo and the others very angry. This time, they are determined to take one back from you. Miss Yun, there is no need to be so angry. At worst, after the matter is settled, I will give you my share of the reward."
Yun Ran was even more furious upon hearing this, but hearing Qi Mo's confident tone, she feared that Sima Liuyun was already in dire straits. So she quickened her pace, gathered her energy, and flew straight towards where Sima Liuyun lived.
The two arrived outside Sima Liuyun's room number one, only to find the room completely dark and silent. Yun Ran's heart sank. She pushed open the door with all her might and called out softly, "Young Master Sima?"
No one answered her call. As the door opened, Yun Ran smelled a strange fragrance. She quickly held her breath, lit a tinderbox, and found the room empty. Sima Liuyun's luggage was still on the pillow, but the bed was empty.
☆, The mantis stalks the cicada
Yun Ran looked around the room, her brows furrowing slightly, feeling quite suspicious. Qi Mo also looked surprised. His gaze suddenly fell on a corner behind the door, and he leaned forward, glancing at a small pool of blood on the ground. He then quickly slipped out of the room.
Yun Ran followed and asked in a low voice, "Did A Luo and the others put out this sleeping incense?"
Qi Mo nodded and said, "It's the Youhuan Incense that A Luo usually uses." He saw a few drops of blood on the ground about ten feet away, so he followed the direction of the bloodstains.
Every few feet along the way, bloodstains dripped down, heading out of the town. It seemed the injured person was being chased and had been rushing along, with no time to bandage the wound and stop the bleeding.
Could the injured person be Sima Liuyun? A trace of gloom flashed across Yun Ran's eyes. She couldn't help but increase her strength and rush straight out of the town.
The two ran for several miles when they faintly heard the sound of clashing weapons in the distance. When they got closer, they were both slightly startled.
Under the moonlight, several corpses lay scattered on the ground, and more than ten masked men in black surrounded the three, trapping them in a fierce battle.
One of the figures in the circle, dressed in flowing white robes, moved with an elegant and graceful manner. It was none other than Sima Liuyun. Beside him, a man and a woman, both dressed in black, attacked with ruthless speed and precision. They were Xie Feng and A Luo.
Seeing that Sima Liuyun moved freely and gracefully through the crowd without showing any signs of distress, Yun Ran was relieved to know that he was not injured. She then turned her gaze to the other two people.
Xie Feng wielded his short sword like snowflakes, moving swiftly in a circle to protect A Luo and deflect most of the attacks from the masked men in black surrounding her. A Luo's expression was cold, but her face was as pale as paper. She was using her left hand to wield the sword and defend herself, while her right arm hung limply at her side, dripping blood continuously. She appeared to be seriously injured.
The two looked up and saw Qi Mo and Yun Ran approaching side by side, their eyes immediately lighting up with joy. Xie Feng let out a long laugh, and the short knife in his hand suddenly lengthened, slicing the throat of one of the men.
A'Luo's spirits lifted, and her left-hand longsword flashed with several sword flowers, aiming directly at three vital points on the chest of the person in front of her. The man wielded a pair of meteor hammers, and his martial arts were not weak. Seeing the flashing sword light on his face, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion, he simply swung his meteor hammers tightly in front of his chest. With a clang, A'Luo, weakened by her injury, lost her grip on her longsword when struck by the meteor hammers, and it fell to the ground. The man was overjoyed. With a surge of strength in his wrist, one of his chain hammers flew swiftly towards A'Luo.
Xie Feng was entangled by several masked men in black beside him. He was shocked to see the chain hammer about to touch A Luo's chest, but he was too late to save her. Suddenly, he heard two whooshing sounds as the chain hammer was knocked away by something flying from the side. The man who attacked A Luo let out a muffled groan, spitting out a spurt of blood from his throat, and fell backward to the ground dead.
Qi Mo leaped into the fray, rushed to A Luo's side, picked up the longsword from the ground, and used it to strike the vital points of several people around him, forcing them back a few steps. He frowned and said, "Don't attack anymore, go and bandage your wounds first."
A slight smile appeared on A Luo's pale face as she softly said, "Thank you, Chief." She then stepped aside in response.
Yun Ran leaped to Sima Liuyun's side without uttering a word. Her soft sword flashed, and the men opposite her felt a chilling aura. Caught off guard, they heard several sharp clangs as their weapons snapped in two. Taking advantage of their panic, she wielded her sword with lightning speed, her attacks ruthless, severing limbs or aiming straight for their faces. In the blink of an eye, she had dealt with the men opposite her.
Seeing how swift and ruthless she was, Sima Liuyun glanced at the Purple Thorn Soft Sword in her hand and couldn't help but show surprise on his face.
Seeing that Qi Mo and Yun Ran had arrived to help, the balance of power between the two sides had instantly shifted, and the group of men in black began to consider retreating. Suddenly, one of them shouted sharply, "Everyone, retreat for now!" He turned around and leaped away, and the others followed suit, disappearing silently into the night.
Qi Mo and the others didn't give chase. By this time, A Luo had already bandaged her wounds and ran to Qi Mo's side with Xie Feng. Xie Feng whispered, "Boss, luckily you arrived in time. These people came from a strange place and were very skilled. A Luo and I almost fell into their trap."
Qi Mo gave a low "hmm," his eyes flashing slightly. He walked to a corpse, peered between its legs, and a cold smile appeared on his lips. "Just as I thought," he said.
Seeing Yun Ran's slightly furrowed brows and eager expression, as if she wanted to examine the other corpse, Sima Liuyun coughed and stepped in front of her. He bent down and touched the corpse's crotch, immediately understanding what was going on. He turned to Yun Ran and said, "It's an imperial eunuch."
Yun Ran looked at the corpse on the ground and asked in a low voice, "Was it coming for you?"
Sima Liuyun nodded slowly.
It turned out that Sima Liuyun hadn't slept soundly in his room that night; he had already sensed when A'Luo and Xie Feng blew the Youhuan Incense. Just as the two sides were about to clash, the masked men in black suddenly attacked, injuring A'Luo with a hidden weapon and surrounding all three. Left with no other choice, Xie Feng and A'Luo had to temporarily join forces with Sima Liuyun to fight back, retreating together to the outskirts of the city.
Yun Ran frowned and thought to herself: These eunuchs are obviously not here for the reward. Could it be that Sima Liuyun has offended someone in the court?
She looked up, about to ask a question, when suddenly her expression changed. She swiftly extended her soft sword, meeting the several silver beams aimed at Sima Liuyun with a series of strikes, knocking down the poisoned hidden weapons one by one. Xie Feng had already leaped forward, his short knife never leaving Sima Liuyun's vital points, and they were locked in a fierce battle.
Yun Ran's face darkened, and she shouted, "Wait!" She leaped forward and thrust her sword at Xie Feng. Although Xie Feng's short sword was sharp, he did not dare to easily contend with this divine weapon ranked second on the weapon ranking list. He slowed his pace slightly and laughed, "Didn't you promise the leader that you would not oppose us from now on?"
Yun Ran ignored him and turned to look coldly at Qi Mo.
Qi Mo smiled and said calmly, "Then let's stop for now."
Xie Feng smiled, withdrew his hand, and stepped back a few paces. Sima Liuyun, full of doubt, looked at Yun Ran, only to hear her whisper, "Wait for me here."
Seeing the strange look on his face, Yun Ran paused for a moment, then said softly, "If you don't want to wait, go back to the inn first." Then she turned to Qi Mo and said, "Chief Qi, please let me speak with you in private."
Qi Mo's gaze swept over her and Sima Liuyun for a few moments before he slowly said, "Very well." He smiled and pointed to the nearby woods before heading into them. After taking a few steps, he turned back and saw that Yun Ran hadn't followed. After a moment's thought, he understood her intention and smiled, "Xie Feng, A Luo, you two come too."
A'Luo asked coldly, "What if the person runs away without anyone watching?"
Yun Ran glanced at her, her voice equally cold: "Even if you're here watching, you might not be able to stop him."
A'Luo was furious, but then she heard Xie Feng laugh and say, "She's right, let's listen to the boss." With that, he reached out and tugged at her sleeve. A'Luo suppressed her anger, moved her feet, and walked into the forest with the three of them.
Once the four reached the forest, Yun Ran, seeing that she was quite far from Sima Liuyun, turned to Qi Mo and asked, "I wonder what Chief Qi will do to get Sima Liuyun to go?"
A'Luo snorted and said coldly from the side, "If you want to compete for that bounty, let's rely on our own abilities and see who gets it first."
Yun Ran said calmly, "Now that you are injured, I wonder if Chief Qi and Xie Feng, working together, are absolutely confident that they can kill me and Sima Liuyun?"
Xie Feng's expression shifted upon hearing this. Qi Mo's gaze was inquisitive as he stared at Yun Ran for a moment before suddenly saying, "You don't want to kill Sima Liuyun; you want to protect him."
Seeing that Yun Ran lowered her eyelashes and remained silent, seemingly in agreement, he asked again, "Why?"
Yun Ran said softly, "Yun Ran owes Sima Liuyun a favor. I hope Chief Qi will show mercy and not make things difficult for him."
Qi Mo asked with a smile, "If I don't show mercy, will I have Miss Yun as an enemy from now on?"
He glanced at Yun Ran's face, slowly walked to her side, lowered his head and asked in a low voice, "What favor do you owe Sima Liuyun that you are willing to risk your life for him like this?"
Yun Ran bit her lip and said, "If Chief Qi is willing to let go, and if there is an opportunity in the future, Yun Ran is willing to risk her life for Chief Qi."
Qi Mo raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh?" He seemed to think for a moment, then a sly smile appeared on his lips. He said in a low voice, "Alright, I agree. There's no need to risk your life for me. However, I want Miss Yun to agree to one thing."
Yun Ran raised her eyes and said, "Please speak, Chief Qi."
Qi Mo smiled slightly at her, then suddenly stepped forward, turned his head, and whispered something in her ear.
A'Luo and Xie Feng watched from the sidelines. They saw Yun Ran's cheeks suddenly flush red, her expression angry, and she glared at Qi Mo. Qi Mo, however, smiled and stepped back, only looking down at her, as if waiting for her answer. Yun Ran looked puzzled, biting her lip and thinking for a moment before slowly nodding, the blush on her face never fading.
Xie Feng suddenly chuckled and whispered, "Don't you think the boss seems to treat this Miss Yun a little differently?"
A Luo's expression turned cold, and she said indifferently, "I don't think so."
Xie Feng glanced at her sideways and saw that her face was calm and showed no emotion, but her fists were clenched and blood was slowly seeping from the wound on her right arm. He stopped talking and smiled, "The wound wasn't treated earlier, so we'll re-bandage it later."
Qi Mo led Xie Feng and A Luo out of the woods and parted ways with Yun Ran.
Seeing that the chief was in a good mood with a faint smile, Xie Feng couldn't help but ask, "What conditions did the chief get Miss Yun to agree to?"
Qi Mo glanced at him with a smile and scoffed, "It's not a big deal. If she doesn't agree, I won't touch Sima Liuyun today."
Aro frowned and asked, "Why?"
Xie Feng laughed, "That Sima Liuyun's martial arts are much higher than we thought. With Miss Yun's help from the side, we have no chance of winning. If we force a fight, we might not only fail to kill Sima Liuyun, but also create two powerful enemies for the Absolute Killing Sect. Now that the leader has given Miss Yun face, it will only benefit us in the future. Moreover..." He smiled ambiguously, looked at Qi Mo, and stopped.
After Qi Mo and the others left, Yun Ran stood there, still thinking about the strange condition that Qi Mo had whispered in her ear.
"If Miss Yun is willing in the future, I must let Qi kiss her again."
Qi Mo was a man she truly couldn't fathom.
When he rescued A'Luo just now, she saw it clearly from the side. The hidden weapon that flew out of Qi Mo's sleeve was the same iron caltrop that had knocked her long sword aside and saved Qin Luo's life that night in the Marquis's mansion.
Qi Mo was shrewd and calculating, always acting in his own self-interest. She should have realized long ago that the caltrop was thrown by him. If Qin Luo died, it would definitely cause more trouble for the two of them to escape from the Marquis's mansion. It was only natural that he secretly intervened to save Qin Luo.
But why did he later go through all the trouble to draw away the pursuers and help her escape from the Marquis's mansion? Was he afraid that she would be captured by those secret guards and expose him?
Yun Ran shook her head, deciding to stop thinking about it and slowly walked out of the forest.