La cúspide del mundo de las artes marciales

Capítulo 24

I was taken aback, and in an instant, someone came to mind, but I wasn't sure. I asked, "Who?"

She took a step closer and looked at me. "Who do you think would most want to save you?"

The name leaped to my throat, but I swallowed it back down, unable to utter it. I took a step back, about to say something, when a sudden gust of cold wind swept up from behind me.

I was startled and dodged to the side, but my wrist was suddenly tightened. I opened my mouth and bit down on the hand that was holding me, and I heard the person grunt and say coldly, "It's me, let go."

Huh? That calm, composed tone, and that thick wrist... I let go and looked up to see Xiao Jiu's face, a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "Brother Jiu..."

He glanced at the back of his hand, which was oozing blood, and said with a conflicted expression, "Such sharp teeth..."

A little embarrassed, I tugged at my sleeve to wipe it for him, and said with a forced smile, "It was an instinctive reaction... don't mind it, don't mind it."

"Is Little Ninth Brother alright?" Ye Baizhi once again demonstrated her amazing ability to change her expression, coming over with a pitiful look in her eyes.

You call him "Little Ninth Brother"?

Xiao Jiu withdrew his arm without giving me any face and said, "Let's go."

Ye Baizhi's face stiffened for a moment, then she smiled and said, "Then I'll leave Sister Su Xie to Brother Jiu. You all need to be careful."

Xiao Jiu didn't say much, but reached out and grabbed my wrist before leaving.

I can now pretty much guess who's going to save me. They've used both Ye Baizhi and Xiao Jiu; it can only be the Alliance Leader.

The more he acts like this, the less I can bear it.

"Brother Jiu." I struggled to grab Xiao Jiu and asked him, "Are you here to save me, or were you sent by the Alliance Leader?"

He paused, then frowned slightly and asked, "Is there a difference?"

“It makes a big difference to me.” I laughed. “If you were to save me, I would gladly repay your kindness with my own body, but if the Alliance Leader entrusted me with this task…” I shook his wrist that was gripping mine. “I would be deeply grateful for such a great favor. Please forgive me for being so ungrateful.”

"You..." Xiao Jiu seemed particularly speechless.

I sighed and said, "I'm a bit stubborn, I've never changed since I was a child, please forgive me, Brother Jiu."

I gestured for him to let go, but Ye Baizhi said timidly from behind, "Does sister know that Changhuan and Protector Leng have disappeared?"

Gone?

I looked at Xiao Jiu in astonishment and confusion, "What do you mean 'disappeared'? How could two grown people just disappear?"

Xiao Jiu avoided my gaze for the first time, not daring to look at me. Before I came, I asked him to take care of Leng Baichun because he was loyal and open-minded.

He said in a deep voice, "I have failed you. I just didn't expect that when I came back from brewing the medicine, I would be arrested."

Who is it?

He shook his head. "It was at night, so no one saw it."

A chill ran through me.

Ye Baizhi hesitated, then frowned slightly and said, "It might be the Queen... but I can't be sure. I've only heard that she searched the city."

"How could she know about Changhuan and Protector Leng?" I couldn't understand it. My group and I had entered Licheng without making a sound, so how could the Queen, who was far away in the palace, know about these two people? "Furthermore, why did she capture Changhuan and Protector Leng? No, no..."

Ye Baizhi opened her mouth, glanced at Xiao Jiu, and then held back.

I couldn't stand her like that, and somewhat annoyed, I asked, "What do you want to say?"

She glanced at Xiao Jiu again, took out the token that had just brought me out from her bosom, and said, "This was given to me by Alliance Leader Ruan. He went to the palace to see the Queen at night and I don't know what they talked about. When he returned to the inn, he gave me this and told me to come and pick you up, saying that Brother Jiu would meet you..."

My heart was pounding wildly, a million threads of emotion tangled and knotted, and I had no choice but to ask, "Did Little Ninth Brother Changhuan and Protector Leng disappear after the Alliance Leader returned?"

Xiao Jiu said resolutely, "It was absolutely not Bi Cheng who did it. I am willing to guarantee it with my life."

I ignored all of that and snapped, "I only asked you whether you are or aren't?"

He suddenly stopped talking and didn't answer.

All the blame was directed at Ruan Bicheng, and we all tacitly understood this.

In the quiet night, my heart was restless, every inch of my skin tightened, and I said in a low voice, "Let's go back to the inn."

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"You don't believe him?" We had remained silent the whole way, but when we arrived at the inn, Xiao Jiu suddenly asked me.

I paused for a moment, then laughed. "Should I believe him? Who can I trust?"

He fell silent for a long time before saying, "You should believe him. Although Ruan Bicheng is rigid in his actions, he is definitely not a treacherous villain. He did not do such a despicable thing. Besides, he went to great lengths to save you."

Yes, yes, he saved me, he went to great lengths to save me, I should be grateful to him, how could I doubt him?

Even now, I still owe him. When he was alive, I was incredibly grateful that he took a liking to me. Now, he has saved me with great kindness. Shouldn't I repay such kindness with my body and follow him to the death?

I pushed open the window, and a cool breeze filled the room, causing the lights to flicker and the curtains to sway. I laughed for no reason and asked Xiao Jiu, "Believe it or not, I'll just walk away and leave all this mess behind. What do you mean, 'Young Master of the Demonic Sect' or 'Leader of the Martial Arts Alliance'? What do I care? The world won't be in chaos even if I'm gone."

He looked at me and said earnestly, "Even if you're not in the martial world, the martial world will find you."

“That’s really profound.” I shrugged and smiled at him. “Unfortunately, I don’t understand it.”

He still looked at me intently, "You are Su Xie, the demoness Su Xie of the Demonic Sect. Where can you go? In the martial world, who dares to protect you besides Ruan Bicheng?"

Where can I go?

Having lost his young master and Leng Baichun, he returned to the Demonic Sect only to be killed by the Left Protector with a single palm strike. Before he could even succumb to the poison while wandering the martial world, he was dismembered by righteous people.

Indeed, apart from Ruan Bicheng, who would dare to protect me, this vixen whom everyone wants to kill?

I chuckled.

He then abruptly added, "You wouldn't either. I, Xiao Jiu, never misjudge people. What I admire most about you is your honesty and loyalty."

Are you talking about me?

I couldn't help but laugh out loud, and slapped him on the shoulder, saying, "Then you've misjudged me this time. I've never been one to sacrifice my own interests for the greater good. If I said that I saved Ruan Bicheng out of necessity, saved Leng Baichun out of necessity, and even stayed here to save the young master because I had to do it to survive, wouldn't you be very disappointed?"

He looked at me and smiled, "No, I wouldn't misjudge someone."

That's even more stubbornly confident than me.

I sighed and said with a wry smile, "Since you trust me so much, then come with me to look for that person tomorrow."

"Who are you looking for?" Xiao Jiu asked me, puzzled.

“Of course it’s the high priest whom the Queen is desperately trying to see.” I poured myself a cup of tea and took a sip. “He’s the one who caused all this trouble. If we don’t let the Queen see him, I’m afraid none of us will be able to leave Licheng.”

Xiao Jiu nodded, then frowned and said, "Licheng isn't that big, but it's not that small either. How are we going to find him? Are you sure he's still in the city?"

"As long as the young master doesn't die, he will never leave Licheng." You're kidding me. He went to great lengths to get the young master out of the city just so I could kill him. Would he leave willingly without seeing the young master die?

"Don't worry, the Queen is more diligent than we are. She has searched the whole city so many times and still hasn't found it. There's only one possibility." I rested my chin on my hand and thought for a moment. How could our flamboyant and eye-catching priestess possibly search the entire city and still not have seen her?

He was in the city, but there was no trace of him in any of the inns or guesthouses. Given his personality, how could he possibly lower himself to hide his true identity and conceal his true nature? Keeping a low profile was out of the question.

I thought for a long time, then suddenly tapped my finger on the table and asked, "Can Brother Jiu fly over walls and walk on rooftops?"

"Huh?" Xiao Jiu asked, puzzled.

I asked again, "Brother Jiu must have been a notorious bandit, right?"

A small vein throbbed on his forehead.

I leaned closer and chuckled, "So climbing over walls and breaking into houses isn't difficult for you, right? Don't be modest with me!"

Xiao Jiu glared at me with a dark expression, "What exactly do you want to do?"

I got up and lay down on the bed, sinking into the soft quilt, and said, "Get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow we'll go find the richest man in Licheng and become notorious bandits!"

Twenty-eight

I slept soundly from the dead of night until dusk, and only reluctantly opened my eyes when Brother Xiao Jiu coughed awkwardly three steps away.

The window was open, creaking in the breeze. In the dim twilight, the pale moonlight peeked through. I stretched and grinned at Xiao Jiu, saying, "Good morning, Brother Jiu."

He coughed lightly, "It's almost night."

My mouth was terribly dry, so I got up and poured myself a glass of water. Xiao Jiu handed me a slip of paper on the table. As I drank my water, I glanced at the paper. "Hu Shang Fu Lu? What's this?"

"You asked me to find out," Xiao Jiu frowned at me. "Have you forgotten?"

"How could that be!" So he spent the whole day inquiring about the richest person in Licheng... I felt a little guilty, took the note and looked at the names and backgrounds on it, and even the map. I couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Jiu is really experienced! He's obviously a veteran!"

He clearly didn't like my compliment, ignored me, and asked seriously, "Shall we go now?"

"Go." I folded the note and tucked it into my pocket, then smiled at him and said, "Go eat, I'm hungry..."

Xiao Jiu's forehead veins throbbed slightly. I smiled ingratiatingly, "Saving people is important, but we need to eat first. I haven't eaten anything while I've been locked up in jail... It wouldn't be worth it if I starved to death before I could save anyone..."

Xiao Jiu was speechless. He stood up and said, "I'll go tell the boss to bring the food up."

"No need, no need." I stopped him, casually tied my hair back, and said, "We've been in Licheng for several days, but we haven't had a chance to experience the local customs and culture. Let's go out to eat today."

He looked at me with some surprise, then hesitated, probably because he couldn't understand my foodie tendencies.

I was too lazy to explain, so I dragged him out of the inn and we went looking for food along the way.

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Xiao Jiu and I were busy the whole way. I had eaten my fill, and he had almost spent all his money. Finally, we stopped in front of a Yuanxiao (sweet rice ball) stall.

"Licheng is truly a place that brings together specialties from all over the country! They even have Yuanxiao (sweet rice balls)!" I was very excited. I had never seen Yuanxiao since I was reborn. I never expected to see it in this remote town. Seeing it really made me homesick!

I sadly ordered two bowls of glutinous rice balls, but Brother Xiao Jiu coldly replied, "I'm not hungry."

I looked at him somewhat awkwardly and said, "Actually... both bowls are mine..."

The owner brought two steaming bowls of glutinous rice balls to the table. Xiao Jiu finally couldn't take it anymore, snatched the steaming bowls from the table, and whispered, "Aren't you full yet?!"

I felt a pang of heartache, as if my love had been stolen away. Looking at Yuanxiao, I said pitifully, "Little Ninth Brother, are you blaming me for spending all your money...?"

His face darkened, and he shoved the glutinous rice balls in front of me, scoffing, "You still have the mood to eat? Aren't you in a hurry?"

"Urgent!" I buried my head and took a bite of the round glutinous rice ball. The sticky skin and the juicy peanut filling immediately filled my mouth. I scratched my head, burning my ears and cheeks, and mumbled, "Very anxious... I'm extremely anxious!"

Brother Xiao Jiu glared at me.

As I ate, I explained, "Little Ninth Brother doesn't understand me. I get hungry easily when I'm anxious or nervous, and I can't calm my mind without eating."

"Nonsense!" Brother Xiao Jiu didn't believe me at all.

I was a little confused, so I glanced at him and asked, "Hey... why is Brother Jiu suddenly in such a hurry?"

Aren't all the people the Queen has captured members of our Demonic Sect? Young Master, Chang Huan, and even Protector Leng…

"Oh!" I exclaimed in sudden realization, excitedly swallowing the glutinous rice ball in one gulp. It was so hot it felt like my heart and lungs were burning. I pounded my chest and stammered, "Could it be...you like...?"