Bloodstained Kill - Chapter 11
Wanwan followed with a fawning smile, covering her mouth and laughing, "Miss Yun, this donkey is so thin and small, I wonder if it can withstand two people riding it?"
Yun Ran leaped onto the donkey's back and said calmly, "Who said it was a two-person ride?"
Wanwan was stunned for a moment, only to hear Yunran say, "There's a town less than a hundred miles ahead. Miss Wanwan, your lightness skill is superb, this short distance shouldn't tire you out." After saying that, she patted the donkey's rump, and the blue donkey took off running ahead.
Yun Ran rode the blue donkey and traveled all the way, arriving at the town ahead in about an hour.
Wanwan followed closely behind, not falling behind, but she was already covered in a light sweat, her cheeks flushed, and she gasped for breath, clutching her chest, "Miss Yun, I want some water!"
Yun Ran seemed not to hear her, not even glancing at her out of the corner of her eye, but a faint smile appeared on her lips as she walked straight toward an inn in town.
The two entered the inn and kept urging the innkeeper to serve tea. They drank several bowls before ordering a meal.
Seeing that Yun Ran's face remained expressionless, she asked cautiously, "Miss Yun, it's still several days' journey to Sichuan. You won't make me walk the whole time, will you?"
She rolled her eyes, then suddenly her eyes lit up, and she smiled lightly, saying, "Wanwan must have been confused. Even if Miss Yun wanted to make me work harder for a few more days, you were focused on rescuing Sima Liuyun, so how could you delay your journey for me?"
Yun Ran lowered her eyes and snorted coldly, then slowly said, "Go to town and choose two fast horses later. We'll rest for a while, then we'll continue on our way."
Wanwan chuckled and was about to speak when her gaze suddenly turned blankly to behind Yun Ran, revealing a look of panic, and her face instantly turned pale.
A gentle voice said, "So Miss Su has changed into men's clothing. It's quite a search for her."
Yun Ran turned her head and saw that two men had appeared in front of the inn. The two men were dressed in blue robes, with long swords hanging at their waists, and their eyes were fixed intently on Wanwan.
Yun Ran recalled how Wanwan had gone to great lengths, even resorting to trickery and blackmail, to insist on traveling with her. She immediately understood Wanwan's intentions and felt a surge of anger. She turned to glare at Wanwan and whispered, "Just how many enemies have you made!"
☆ Thunderclap on a Rainy Night
Wanwan's face was pale. She forced a smile at Yunran and said shyly, "There aren't many. It's just them."
Yun Ran glared at her, and then heard the man from before say indifferently, "My master sent us to invite you, but you have escaped by trickery time and time again. This time, we have no choice but to injure your tendons and ligaments. I hope you will not mind."
Another man, who had remained silent the whole time, heard the first man finish speaking, and then slightly pulled his right hand into his sleeve. When he stretched it out again, he had a dagger in his hand and started walking towards Wanwan.
Wanwan trembled, fear showing in her eyes, and whispered, "Help me! He...he's going to sever my Achilles tendons!"
Seeing that Yun Ran hadn't moved and was still shoveling food into her mouth, she became anxious. She swung her grappling hook at the man's chest, but he reacted with lightning speed, grabbing the chain from the hook. Wanwan's expression changed, and she immediately released the chain, leaping backward to the window. She smashed the window frame with a palm strike and tried to escape.
As soon as she leaped, she felt a numbness in her calf; someone had struck her pressure points and pulled her to the ground. The man from before had somehow appeared before her, holding one of her ankles in his hand, his tone flat and emotionless: "Miss Su, you really do want to escape. Sixth Brother, let's make our move."
The man called Lao Liu nodded, and with a slight flick of his dagger, he was about to slash at Wanwan's Achilles tendon.
Seeing that Wanwan was already pale with fright, Yunran didn't wait any longer. She grabbed a pair of bamboo chopsticks from the table and threw them in front of the two men in blue.
The two men suddenly sensed a hidden weapon hurtling towards them and dodged to the side. Yun Ran floated forward, her soft sword flashing out. With a sharp sound, the dagger in the hand of the man called Lao Liu was severed, leaving only the hilt in his grasp.
Wanwan suddenly screamed, "The Bauhinia Soft Sword is in her hand! She's the one you're looking for! Let me go!"
The man in blue was startled. He released Wanwan's ankle, looked at Yunran for a moment, and asked gently, "Was the Purple Thorn Soft Sword you were using just now, young lady?"
Yun Ran glanced coldly at Wanwan, who gave a sheepish smile. When their eyes met, Wanwan quickly lowered her head.
The two men in blue exchanged a glance, then simultaneously drew their longswords and thrust them towards Yun Ran. Just as Yun Ran was about to parry with her sword, the two men suddenly shifted their stance, and one of them flashed behind her, joining the other in attacking her chest, abdomen, and back with both swords drawn.
Seeing the strange moves of the two, Yun Ran didn't dare to be careless. Using one foot as a pivot, she spun around in place, her Purple Thorn Soft Sword circling around her as she met their longswords. The two immediately withdrew their swords, their figures shifting, and they changed positions again, launching a renewed attack on her.
In the blink of an eye, the two men in blue robes moved through the inn, changing their sword stances several times, yet never using a single move to their full potential. Their longswords never touched Yun Ran's Purple Thorn Soft Sword. Their moves seemed to be feints, but they were actually deceptive. If Yun Ran were not careful, they would inevitably take advantage of her weaknesses.
Yun Ran was secretly surprised. She had already seen the two of them attack Wanwan and realized that although their martial arts were high, they were still not as good as hers. Who would have thought that the two of them would combine their swords and become so powerful? If she hadn't had the Purple Thorn Soft Sword, she would have been injured by their strange combined sword moves.
The three fought for a while, but the situation remained deadlocked. Yun Ran was getting impatient and was about to launch a sneak attack with a hidden weapon when she suddenly saw a figure flash outside the inn and a person walked in.
Upon seeing the three men locked in combat inside, the man paused for a moment, then raised his hand, sending several hidden weapons flying through the air and striking the two men in blue.
Two men in blue robes raised their swords to parry, but the man had already leaped into the circle, his figure elusive, and struck each of them with a palm. The two men in blue robes felt a powerful force strike their chests, and dared not take it head-on. They could only leap backward, simultaneously swinging their swords to knock away the hidden weapons in front of them, but both felt their wrists go numb from the impact.
The two men were startled and looked up at the newcomer, a handsome young man. The man's expression was calm, but his eyes held a hint of cold indifference as he asked them casually, "Are you two from the Twilight Shadow Pavilion?"
The two men in blue robes were taken aback when he immediately recognized them. One of them asked, "Who are you, sir?"
The man smiled slightly and waved his palm in front of their eyes.
The two men in blue robes noticed that he held a black token in his hand with a blood-red character for "kill" on it. Their expressions changed slightly, and they bowed and said, "So it's Sect Master Qi of the Absolute Kill Sect who has arrived."
The man was Qi Mo. He said calmly, "This young lady is a friend of mine. May I ask why you two are fighting with her?"
The two men in blue exchanged a glance. The first one said, "Since this young lady is a friend of Sect Leader Qi, we dare not make a decision on our own. We must go back and report this matter to the Sect Leader and ask him to make a decision personally."
The two bowed to Qi Mo, then turned and quickly left the inn.
Wanwan had already gotten up from the ground. Seeing the two men in blue leave, she called out to Qi Mo in a sweet voice, "Master Qi, Wanwan is here."
Qi Mo smiled and nodded at her, then walked to Yun Ran's side and asked with a smile, "Miss Yun, how did you offend the people of Muying Tower again?"
Yun Ran's eyes were like black ice as she gazed intently at Wan Wan.
Wanwan shivered and forced a smile, saying, "I didn't mean to hurt you; I had my reasons."
Yun Ran gritted her teeth and said, "Tell me your reasons."
Wanwan said, "Those two strange men in blue robes heard rumors from somewhere and thought I had obtained the Purple Thorn Sword. They insisted on taking me to see their leader. If I went to a place like Twilight Shadow Pavilion, wouldn't I be doomed? Besides, the Purple Thorn Sword is already in your hands. I've been taking the blame for you for so long. It's only natural for me to speak out now." Seeing Yun Ran's face growing increasingly gloomy, she felt more and more guilty as she spoke, and her voice gradually weakened.
Qi Mo listened with a smile, then suddenly said, "When Seventh Master Luo gave this precious sword to you, I never expected it would bring you such a big trouble as the Twilight Shadow Pavilion."
Wanwan's eyes flickered slightly, and she chuckled awkwardly, "Master Huo Qingfeng of Muying Pavilion is obsessed with martial arts. If he saw Miss Yun's martial arts skills, he might treat her as an honored guest. As for Wanwan, she has done too many bad things and dares not go to see him."
Qi Mo laughed and said, "Miss Wanwan does have some self-awareness. However, the Master of Muying Tower is righteous and hates evil. As an assassin, Miss Yun would probably not gain any benefits if she went to Muying Tower."
Wanwan stole a glance at Yun Ran, not daring to mention the matter again, and said with a forced smile, "Miss Yun, you..."
Before she could finish speaking, Yun Ran stepped forward with a stern face and grabbed her by the front of her clothes.
Wanwan cried out in surprise, "Hey! Don't be so mean to me! Do you still want me to help you rescue your fiancé, Young Master Sima?"
Yun Ran said coldly, "If I ever hear you spouting nonsense again, mentioning anything about your fiancé, I'll cut out your tongue first, and then slash your face."
Wanwan immediately shut up. Seeing her disheveled appearance as Yun Ran dragged her out of the inn, Qi Mo couldn't help but shake his head and smile, a hint of amusement in his smile.
Yun Ran was dragging Wanwan to the market to buy horses when she suddenly heard Qi Mo laugh behind her, "Are you two also heading to Sichuan? Why don't you come with me?"
She knew Qi Mo was following behind her, but did not want to get too involved with him. She turned around and said calmly, "Chief Qi must have important matters to attend to. Let's not disturb him."
Qi Mo didn't mind and said with a smile, "I don't have anything important to do. Someone asked me to take three fine horses to a friend in Sichuan who loves horses."
Wanwan's eyes lit up, and she asked, "Is that friend from Sichuan who loves horses 'Horse King' Zhu Hong?"
Qi Mo smiled and said, "Miss Wanwan is very clever; she guessed it right away."
Wanwan was overjoyed and turned to Yunran, saying, "Since it is a gift for King Zhu Hong, it must be a fine steed. Miss Yun, shall we travel with Chief Qi?"
Although Yun Ran was reluctant, she thought that there probably wouldn't be any fast horses to buy in this town. If they could get to Sichuan a little earlier, Sima Liuyun would be less at risk. So she slowly nodded.
The three men then took their horses and left the town onto the main road. Qi Mo's words were true; the three fine horses were indeed excellent steeds, and in a short while, they had already covered dozens of miles.
As dusk approached, Qi Mo looked up and saw dark clouds covering the sky, with the faint sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. He frowned and said, "I'm afraid a heavy rain is about to fall." Before he finished speaking, raindrops began to fall from the sky.
The three looked around and saw what appeared to be a house on the left side of the road ahead. They immediately spurred their horses and rode towards it. When they got closer, they realized it was a dilapidated ancient temple.
As darkness fell, a flash of lightning suddenly streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. Qi Mo said, "It seems we'll have to spend the night here." With that, he dismounted and pushed open the temple door.
As the three men led the horse into the temple, the rain outside intensified, and thunder rumbled and lightning flashed, illuminating the temple as if it were daytime.
After closing the temple gate late at night, the three of them went to the back hall, tidied up a bit, and then found some firewood to start a fire before they were able to sit down and rest.
Seeing that Yun Ran's clothes were soaked with rain, Qi Mo moved to the side and said, "Miss Yun, this side is closer to the fire, why don't you sit here a bit?"
Yun Ran's face was pale. She lowered her eyes and obediently moved to sit down next to him. Qi Mo was somewhat surprised that she did not refuse and glanced at her.
Just then, another flash of lightning appeared outside the window, followed by a deafening clap of thunder that seemed to explode right above the three of them. Qi Mo saw the fear on Yun Ran's face and her body shrink slightly toward him. Only then did he realize: Ah, so she's afraid of thunder.
Thinking of this, he chuckled inwardly and quietly reached out to grasp Yun Ran's cold hand.
Yun Ran's fingers trembled, and she turned her head to look. She saw Qi Mo looking at her with a gentle expression and a smile. His eyes seemed to be comforting her. Her face flushed slightly, and she stopped struggling and let his warm hand hold her. She could still hear the thunder rumbling in her ears, but she was not as afraid as before.
☆, Midnight Trading
After a while, the thunder subsided, but the rain continued. Wanwan muttered softly, "I'm so hungry."
Yun Ran silently withdrew her hand from Qi Mo's grasp, took out some dry rations from her pouch, first tossed a dry biscuit to Wanwan, then hesitated for a moment before taking out a piece of glutinous rice cake and handing it to Qi Mo.
Qi Mo took the glutinous rice cake and said with a smile, "Thank you." Yun Ran saw him put the glutinous rice cake to his mouth and take a bite, but his eyes were still full of smiles as he stared at her without blinking. She was slightly taken aback, then turned her gaze away from him.
Wanwan, who was standing nearby, protested, "Why did you give him glutinous rice cakes but gave me dry biscuits!"
Yun Ran glared at her and said coldly, "You don't have to eat it."
Wanwan was indignant, but dared not say anything more, and could only reluctantly bite into the dry biscuit in her hand.
After the three finished their rations, seeing that it was getting late, Qi Mo found some straw and spread it out in the hall, saying with a smile, "The two young ladies will have to make do here for the night, while I will sleep in the front hall." With that, he carried the remaining straw to the front hall.
Yun Ran walked to the haystack, intending to rest, but saw that Wanwan had already lay down first. She closed her eyes and sighed, "Finally, I can get some sleep. These past few days of hiding and running around have almost killed me."
Yun Ran frowned slightly, nudged her with her foot, and said, "Get up."
Wanwan opened her eyes in surprise and asked, "What?"
Yun Ran said in a low voice, "I'm not used to sleeping with other people. You can sleep somewhere else."
Wanwan blinked and smiled, "Miss Yun, are you joking? Do you mean that after you get married, you'll sleep in a separate bed from Young Master Sima?"
Yun Ran's face darkened, and she suddenly leaned down, pinched Wanwan's cheeks, and said coldly, "It seems that Miss Wanwan does not believe that I will really cut off your tongue."
Wanwan looked frightened and quickly shook her head, mumbling, "I won't say it anymore, I won't say it again, okay!"
Yun Ran snorted and let go of her hand.
Wanwan rubbed her cheeks, quickly got up, and obediently gave up the pile of straw. She glanced at it and saw that there were only a few straws left in the hall, so she sighed deeply. Then her eyes rolled, and she seemed to have thought of something else. Looking outside the hall, a sly smile appeared on her face again.
Qi Mo lay on the straw pile in the front hall, listening to the sound of wind and rain outside the temple. He was not sleepy at the moment. He recalled the faint fragrance that Yun Ran had given him when she approached him, and the corners of his lips couldn't help but turn up slightly.
He suddenly heard very light footsteps coming from the back hall and immediately sat up. He saw Wanwan with a charming smile, slowly walking towards him from the darkness. Her beautiful eyes seemed to be rippling with flirtatious waves. She touched the front of her clothes and whispered to him, "Master Qi, I can't unbutton this button. Can you come and help me see what's wrong?"
Qi Mo glanced at her chest and said with a faint smile, "Where did these buttons come from on your clothes?"
Wanwan smiled slightly, knelt down in front of him, took his hand and guided it to her chest, whispering, "Hmm, I feel like there's one here, feel it."