Bloodstained Kill - Chapter 22
Qi Mo and Yun Ran exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with suspicion. Neither of them had expected that Xiao Douzi would take out a broken sword with such care.
Yun Ran hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took out the iron sword. She immediately felt a chill surge from her palm to her heart. She hurriedly exerted her strength to resist it, and her whole body couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Qi Mo saw her expression change and asked, "What's wrong?" He took the iron sword from her hand and felt a sudden chill. He was startled and put it back in the wooden box. He asked Xiao Douzi, "What's strange about this sword?" After trying it, he knew that the sword was made of special material and was definitely not an ordinary iron sword.
Little Bean chuckled and said, "A sword that can cut through iron like mud." With that, he picked up the wooden box and walked outside.
Qi Mo and Yun Ran followed him back to the outer room. Xiao Douzi ran straight to the woodpile, picked up the broken sword, and swung it at the wood-chopping knife on the ground.
Qi and Yun were secretly amazed to see that he was not afraid of the coldness of the sword at all. They then saw him slash down with his sword, cutting through the blade of the woodcutter's knife and sinking several inches into the ground, yet the woodcutter's knife remained perfectly intact in its original place.
Qi Mo stepped forward and touched it, only to find that the woodcutter's knife had already been broken in two. When the broken sword clashed with it, it made no sound at all, as if it were cutting melons and vegetables. It was indeed a sword that could cut through iron like mud.
Little Bean picked up the broken sword again and shouted, "It can cut through iron like mud!" He snapped his fingers on the hilt, and with a "whoosh," a short hook suddenly extended from the tip of the broken sword and became one with the blade.
Qi Mo's expression changed slightly, and he said in a deep voice, "The Broken Scale Sword! Could this be the Broken Scale Divine Sword?"
Yun Ran had long heard of the legendary Broken Scale Divine Sword. Forged from millennia-old black iron, this sword not only cut through iron like mud but also possessed an extraordinary chill, greatly benefiting the wielder's skill. It ranked even above the Purple Thorn Soft Sword in the weapon rankings, but most people in the martial world had only heard of it; very few had actually seen it. It was truly unbelievable that this divine sword would appear in a farmhouse in this remote mountain village.
Qi Mo pondered for a moment and said, "The Broken Scale Sword has been absent from the martial world for many years. It is said that this sword was obtained by Shi Wei, the number one swordsman in the world in the past..." He remembered that Huo Qingfeng had called him "Hero Shi" before, and he became more certain. He turned to Xiao Douzi and said, "Your father is called Shi Wei and your mother is called Ye Xiling, right?"
Little Bean shook his head blankly, then suddenly said, "My father's name is Brother Wei."
Qi Mo smiled slightly and said, "That's it. I didn't expect that you, this silly boy, would have parents who are actually quite important. Hey, silly boy, why did you take out this sword?"
Little Bean glared and said, "Didn't you want a sword that could cut through iron like mud?"
Qi Mo stared at him for a long time, then shook his head and said, "This spendthrift son is lucky he's not my son."
Yun Ran glared at him and said gently to Xiao Douzi, "Your parents aren't home, so you can't just give this treasure away."
She put the Broken Scale Sword back into the wooden box and handed it back to Xiaodouzi, saying with a smile, "Don't take it out to show others again, or it might be stolen by bad people." As she spoke, she glanced at Qi Mo intentionally or unintentionally.
Qi Mo had long harbored the intention to challenge Wen Huaifeng and retrieve the Purple Thorn Soft Sword for Yun Ran. Seeing Xiao Douzi take out the Broken Scale Sword, he was already somewhat tempted, but seeing Yun Ran's eyes, he knew that if he took the sword, it would surely anger her. So he silently withdrew his thoughts and smiled, "If you behave and listen to her, I'll tell you a story tonight."
Little Bean's eyes lit up, and he looked up and asked, "Really? I want to hear the story of the hero fighting the tiger."
Qi Mo lowered his eyes and smiled, "Then you're willing to sleep with me tonight and give her your bed?"
Although Xiaodouzi was somewhat afraid of Qi Mo, she was mostly attached to him. When he agreed to tell her a story that night, she nodded happily and replied in a clear voice, "Okay!"
Qi Mo turned his head and winked at Yun Ran with a smile. Yun Ran was both annoyed and amused to see that he was so proud of scheming to get Xiao Douzi's bed. But she was also secretly delighted at the thought that she wouldn't have to sleep on the floor tonight.
That evening, Yun Ran put the wooden box containing the Broken Scale Sword back into the hidden compartment, made her bed, and was about to rest when she suddenly heard Qi Mo ask in a low voice from outside, "Are you asleep?"
She walked to the door and saw Qi Mo standing outside. Little Bean was lying on his back on the bed, fast asleep with his mouth open. She asked softly, "What is it?"
Qi Mo glanced back at Xiao Douzi, then quietly walked into the inner room, took something out of his pocket, and handed it to her.
Yun Ran took it and saw that it was an exquisitely crafted powder box with a faint fragrance wafting out. It was the Nightshade Powder that she used to use when she was in Yun Family Fortress. She was slightly taken aback.
Qi Mo chuckled and said, "I had it with me when I went to see you at Ruyi Restaurant that day, but after a series of setbacks, I never had the chance to give it to you."
Yun Ran couldn't help but recall that day when she had mistakenly taken an aphrodisiac and had intimate relations with him in the bamboo hut in the valley. The various entanglements and ambiguous moments between the two of them that night clearly surfaced in her mind, and she seemed to hear again the sound of herself trembling and moaning softly in his arms...
Her face flushed instantly, and she dared not look up. Her gaze was fixed on Qi Mo's chest, afraid that he would notice what she was thinking. Yet she also felt that her heartbeat was like a drumbeat in the quiet night, and that Qi Mo would definitely hear it clearly.
Seeing her shy demeanor, Qi Mo couldn't help but recall the passionate moments they shared that day. A surge of tenderness welled up in his heart, and he took two steps forward, grasped her hand, and gently pulled her into his embrace.
Yun Ran struggled slightly, and Qi Mo whispered in her ear, "Let me hold you for a while, just a little while, then I'll go back to my room to sleep."
Her heart softened, and she stopped struggling, letting him hold her. Qi Mo asked softly, "Today, Huo Qingfeng attacked me. Why did you disregard your own safety and rush forward to fight him?"
Yun Ran lowered her eyelashes, but Qi Mo gently lifted her chin, making her look at him. His gaze was deep and unfathomable, as if looking straight into Yun Ran's heart, and he whispered, "Actually, you clearly have me in your heart, hmm?"
Yun Ran frowned slightly, looking hesitant. Qi Mo, not wanting her to overthink, slowly lowered his head and kissed her cherry lips.
Their lips met, and Yun Ran felt a heat spread from her cheeks to her whole body. She involuntarily reached out and hooked her arm around Qi Mo's neck. Just as she was feeling intoxicated, she suddenly heard Xiao Douzi's voice at the door: "You haven't finished your story yet, why are you leaving?"
Yun Ran's heart skipped a beat. She quickly pushed Qi Mo away, her face flushed. She stared blankly at Xiao Douzi standing in front of the door, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Qi Mo's face was gloomy as he looked at Xiao Douzi and asked through gritted teeth, "Weren't you sleeping soundly? Why did you get up!"
Little Bean looked at him, then at Yun Ran, a knowing look on his face. He pouted and said, "You two are kissing and hugging, and then you'll be playing human pyramid on the bed. Do you think I don't know? If I don't come to call you, who will tell me stories later?"
Yun Ran blushed so deeply it seemed like blood was about to drip from her face. She lowered her gaze and refused to look at the two of them again.
Qi Mo's eyes were filled with coldness as he stared at Xiao Douzi without saying a word.
If any member of the Absolute Kill Sect were to be stared at by Sect Master Qi with such a cold gaze, they would probably be scared out of their wits.
Unfortunately, he was facing Little Bean.
Little Bean just yawned and said lazily, "Are you going to tell me the story or not?"
Qi Mo's face twitched slightly. He took a deep breath and said calmly, "Alright, come back to my room with me, and I'll tell you."
Seeing Qi Mo lead Xiao Douzi out of the room, Yun Ran breathed a sigh of relief. She quickly blew out the light, lay down on the bed fully clothed, and felt her face burning and her mind in turmoil. She tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
After an unknown amount of time, suddenly Little Bean screamed.
Yun Ran immediately jumped off the bed, grabbed her soft sword, and darted out the door. She heard Xiao Douzi still screaming in the darkness, so she quickly asked, "What's wrong?" She hurriedly took out a tinderbox and lit the oil lamp.
Qi Mo sat on the edge of the bed, a slight smile on his lips, and said in a deep voice, "Nothing, he just had a nightmare."
Seeing the light, Xiaodouzi felt a little calmer and murmured, "I dreamt that my mother turned into a headless female ghost and came to cut off my nose."
Seeing Qi Mo's gloating expression, Yun Ran thought for a moment and couldn't help but say angrily, "Did you deliberately tell him a ghost story to scare him?"
Qi Mo chuckled and said leisurely, "If you can't sleep because you heard a ghost story, what kind of man do you want to be?"
Xiao Douzi suddenly said, "I'm not afraid of ghosts, I'm a real man." Despite saying this, his face was still pale, and he held tightly to the corner of Qi Mo's clothes, refusing to let go.
Yun Ran gently comforted him, "Go to sleep, I'll keep the light on, don't be afraid." Seeing that Xiao Douzi had settled down again, she slowly walked back to the inner room.
After a while, Yunran was getting sleepy when she suddenly heard Xiaodouzi scream again: "A ghost!"
Qi Mo hissed, "Shut up!"
Yun Ran sighed, thinking that Qi Mo had brought this upon himself, when she heard the door creak open, followed by the sound of clothes being tossed about in the wind, as if a night traveler had slipped into the room.
☆、A scholar is a confidant
Qi Mo had already whispered, "Who goes there!"
He pulled Xiaodouzi onto the bed and shielded him behind him. He saw that the two newcomers were both unfamiliar men around forty years old, dressed in black.
One of them glanced at Little Bean and chuckled, "Little guy, you're right. We are indeed evil spirits, here to invite you to be our guests."
The other man looked at Qi Mo and said in a hoarse voice, "Hand over the child, and I'll spare your life."
Qi Mo said calmly, "You two have quite the airs, but I wonder which heroes you are?"
The man snorted and said, "When the Fox and Ghost Duo roamed the martial world, you brat were probably not even born yet. How dare you ask about our origins!"
Upon hearing his name, Qi Mo's face lit up with surprise, and he asked urgently, "So you are the Fox Demon Duo?"
The man was surprised and asked doubtfully, "You know us?"
Qi Mo laughed and said, "I don't know them." Several iron caltrops flew out from his sleeve and shot towards the two of them.
The Fox Demon Duo, startled by the approaching gust of wind, hurriedly leaped to dodge, barely avoiding the hidden weapon. They cursed angrily, "What a treacherous brat! He's really asking for trouble!" They then drew their weapons and charged at Qi Mo together.
Qi Mo sat on the bed, focusing his energy on his palm. He exchanged a few blows with the two of them. He saw that one of the Fox Ghost Duo was wielding a meteor hammer and the other was holding a judge's pen. They attacked from afar and up close with ruthless moves and seamless teamwork. Qi Mo felt a chill in his heart. He knew that these two were formidable enemies. Normally, he would not be afraid, but now that his back injury had not healed, he found it very difficult to deal with the two of them attacking him.
The fox-ghost duo chuckled, "Your skills are not bad, kid, but you've run into us today. You'll just have to go to the underworld to be reincarnated soon."
Qi Mo saw a figure flash inside and smiled slightly, "I've always been very lucky, but I'm afraid I might not be able to do as you two wish."
As she spoke, Yun Ran had already silently appeared, charging towards the man wielding the meteor hammer, sword and all. The man swung his chain, the flying hammer aimed at Yun Ran's abdomen. Yun Ran flicked her wrist, severing the chain on the hammerhead. Her movements were swift as lightning, closing in on the man in an instant. Before he could react, her longsword pierced his chest.
Without pausing, Yun Ran turned around and slashed her longsword at the other person's right shoulder. The person knew that the longsword in her hand was extremely sharp and dared not touch it. He quickly turned his body to the side, pointing one of his judge's pens at the Quze acupoint on her upper arm and the other at the Jujue acupoint between her ribs.
Yun Ran flicked her wrist inward, gently deflecting the sword's edge as it touched the judge's pen aimed at her arm, silently slicing it in two before sweeping it downwards. The man, sensing danger, leaped backward, the judge's pen swiftly retracting to avoid the sword's edge and protect his chest.
Seeing that Yun Ran's sword was about to miss its mark by a few inches, she twisted her fingers at the hilt of the sword, and a short hook suddenly emerged from the tip of the sword, hooking the judge's pen.
The man was so shocked that the judge's pen in his hand broke in two. Yun Ran stepped forward, swung her sword across his throat, and killed him.
Yun Ran lowered her eyes to the Broken Scale Sword in her hand, still feeling a chill on her arm. Although she knew this sword was powerful, she hadn't expected that she could defeat these two experts in just two or three moves with it in hand. It seemed that this sword could better unleash her potential; her movements and leaps were much more agile than usual, probably because she unconsciously channeled her inner energy to resist the chill within the sword.
Qi Mo turned and glanced at Xiao Douzi. He saw that Xiao Douzi was blinking and there was no panic on his face. It seemed that he thought what had just happened was not as scary as dreaming of ghosts.
He smiled and said, "These two have come for Xiaodouzi. Could it be that they have a grudge against his parents?"
Yun Ran frowned slightly and pondered, "Two groups of people have come to our door today. It seems that this place is no longer peaceful. We can't stay any longer. We'll continue our journey early tomorrow morning."
She looked at Xiaodouzi, feeling quite hesitant: his parents' hiding place had been discovered, and it would be inappropriate to leave him alone here. However, it was already difficult for her and Qi Mo to evade the pursuit of the government soldiers on their journey. If they were to take Xiaodouzi with them, it would definitely increase the risks. She was afraid that Qi Mo would not agree.
Suddenly, Qi Mo said, "Take this kid with you."
Yun Ran was overjoyed. She saw Qi Mo's eyes filled with cunning as he chuckled and said, "Once we get back your Purple Thorn Soft Sword, we'll return it and the Broken Scale Sword to his parents."
※※※※
In a remote town dozens of miles away, Wanwan sat in her room at the inn, staring blankly at a pot of medicinal soup simmering in the corner of the room.
She heard a soft groan from inside the bed, and hurried to the bedside, exclaiming happily, "You're finally awake?"
Sima Liuyun opened his eyes and saw that Wanwan looked haggard with bloodshot eyes, but her expression was very happy. He smiled at her and said softly, "Thank you for your hard work."
Wanwan blushed slightly and said, "You were injured like this to save me, how could I abandon you? If Young Master Sima feels bad about it, just give me some more silver later."
She turned her head and saw that the medicine in the earthenware pot was crackling and popping. She quickly said, "The medicine is ready. I'll go get it. Drink it while it's hot. The doctor said that once the high fever has completely subsided, there won't be any major problems."
Sima Liuyun watched her busy figure in the corner of the room and couldn't help but smile. He had clearly heard Wanwan's words when she left him that day, though he was in a daze. But the fact that she would return, hiring a carriage to bring a doctor to save him, was completely unexpected. Seeing that Wanwan didn't mention it, to avoid embarrassing her, he pretended to know nothing about what had happened that night.
After a while, Wanwan returned with the medicine, sat on the edge of the bed, scooped up the medicine with a spoon, blew on it to cool it, and fed it to him. After he finished the bowl of medicine, she reached out to check Sima Liuyun's forehead temperature, smiled with satisfaction, and whispered, "You should sleep some more. I'll have the doctor come and check your wound tomorrow."
Seeing the worry in Sima Liuyun's eyes, she knew what he was concerned about and smiled, "Don't worry, he and the innkeeper have both taken my secret poison. They are now completely subservient to me and would never dare to report me to the authorities."
Although Sima Liuyun felt that her methods were quite insidious, he was somewhat relieved. He felt his eyelids getting heavy and wanted to close his eyes and go to sleep.
Suddenly, Wanwan asked softly, "Sima Liuyun, since you knew I was a girl from Lanxiang Pavilion, why did you still insist on stepping forward and fighting that expert from the Dragon Guard?"
Sima Liuyun grew increasingly sleepy and mumbled, "They forced you to comply, so of course I have to care. What does it have to do with who you are..." After saying that, he fell into a deep sleep.
Wanwan sighed softly and whispered, "What an idiot." But a smile couldn't help but appear on her lips. She tucked the blanket around Sima Liuyun's feet, leaned over the bed, and closed her eyes as well.
The next day, Wanwan asked a doctor to examine Sima Liuyun. After going out to get the medicine, she returned around noon. Just as she was about to brew the medicine in her room, she suddenly heard the sound of horses neighing outside the inn. Startled, she quickly rushed to the door and peeked out through the crack.
Before long, more than ten people entered the inn and instructed the innkeeper: "Innkeeper, quickly bring some food and prepare a few superior rooms."