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Capítulo 93

Mo Li coughed lightly, his eyes probing, and looked at Lian Junchu, saying, "Well? Have you settled these matters tonight, so that you won't send anyone to disturb my peace after you return to the East Sea?"

Lian Junchu scanned his surroundings. A strong wind blew across the lake, but the grass behind Mo Li only swayed slightly, indicating that someone was hiding there, shielding him from the wind. He took a step forward, his expression calm: "Valley Master Mo Li, if you intend to be an enemy of Seven Star Island, why bother with these flimsy excuses? I've come here not for any so-called conflict, but to reclaim something that rightfully belongs to Seven Star Island."

Upon hearing this, Mo Li's expression changed, but he calmly asked, "Oh, what is it?"

Lian Junchu sneered and slowly said, "Naturally, it's the Youth-Preserving Divine Pearl."

Before Mo Li could answer, Su Muchen interrupted, "Lian Junchu, everyone knows the Beauty-Preserving Pearl doesn't belong to your Seven Star Island at all. What gives you the right to be so arrogant?"

"So, by speaking like this, Protector Su, you're admitting that it was you who forced Yinxi Xiaozhu to take the Divine Pearl of Youth from Seven Star Island, and then took it for your own?" Lian Junchu said this, but her eyes remained fixed on Mo Li. Mo Li's expression was deep, and he glanced back as if blaming Su Mucheng for talking too much.

Upon seeing Mo Li's initial reluctance to answer, Lian Jun took another step forward and said solemnly, "Regardless of how the Divine Pearl of Preserving Youth ended up on Seven Star Island, now that it has been placed in the Lian family ancestral hall, it belongs to our Lian family! I was unaware of the details before, but I will absolutely not allow the pearl to fall into your hands, Mo Li!"

"So this is what you came all this way for?" Mo Li flicked his sleeve, about to refuse, when Su Muchen sneered, "Lian Junchu, you're nothing but a nameless illegitimate child! Back then you were poor and destitute, making a living by gathering herbs in the mountains, and now you've transformed yourself, still claiming to be inseparable from the Lian family. I think you're truly shameless, still pretending to be so high and mighty!"

Lian Junchu's eyes narrowed, staring at Su Mucheng with an icy gaze. Before he could speak, Su Mucheng raised his hands, and figures moved in the surrounding bushes, instantly forming a dark mass, the sound of swords being drawn shattering the deathly silence.

"So, when we fought at Luzhou Ancient City on the first day, you were just testing me?" Lian Junchu smiled as she looked at Mo Li's cold expression.

Su Mucheng leaned close to Mo Li's ear and whispered, "Valley Master, we are destined to fight Seven Star Island. Why not take advantage of Lian Junchu's self-destructive act tonight..."

Mo Li frowned slightly: "You may step back."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a gust of wind whistled through the bushes behind him, and someone shot out with a crossbow bolt. This single shot caused a commotion that triggered a flurry of arrows from the others who were already waiting with their bows drawn, and in an instant, arrows rained down on Lian Junchu.

Lian Junchu was prepared. The moment the first crossbow bolt was fired, he leaped into the air, his twin swords whistling through the air, their long silver chains creating two streaks of cold white light that sliced down the approaching arrows. As soon as he landed, Su Muchen swung his blade straight at Lian Junchu's chest. Lian Junchu leaned back, his right arm flashing as his short sword slashed towards Su Muchen's wrist.

Su Muchen shifted his stance, his swordplay suddenly changing, becoming sharp and fierce, each move brimming with killing intent. Lian Junchu's twin swords moved swiftly like the wind, and taking advantage of his powerful attack, she darted away, her toes barely touching the ground, flying past Su Muchen's head and then back, her sword tip trembling as she aimed straight for Mo Li's brow.

It was the dead of winter, yet Mo Li still had a folding fan hanging from his waist. As he covered it with his long sleeves, a chilling aura surged forth, momentarily halting Lian Junchu's sword strike. At the same time, the white paper folding fan spun and slashed toward Lian Junchu's throat.

A cold light suddenly flew out from below Lian Junchu's left shoulder and collided with the paper fan. With a "whoosh" sound, the paper fan seemed to be pierced by something. The cold light continued its momentum and stabbed towards Mo Li.

Mo Li's hands moved in a blur, his knuckles turning white, making a faint "crackling" sound. His palms danced, his black robes billowing, and the hidden weapon that was about to pierce his brow was abruptly stopped in mid-air. At that moment, Lian Junchu controlled her twin swords with silver chains, flashing through the night sky like lightning, aiming straight for Mo Li's ribs. Behind him, Su Muchen and his men rapidly closed in, several curved blades already just touching his waist.

Lian Junchu suddenly bent backward, her right sword still thrusting straight at Mo Li, while her left sword swept horizontally, almost cutting the two in front of her in half. The others looked at each other in fright, not daring to approach.

Su Muchen roared and slashed down with his scimitar, intending to splatter blood on the spot. Lian Junchu was not afraid at all. Instead, she lightly touched the ground with her toes and twisted her body backward. Su Muchen only saw a black shadow blur before he was kicked straight in the face by Lian Junchu, who had leaped up backward. He staggered back several steps, almost losing his grip on the scimitar.

As soon as Lian Junchu landed, Mo Li's palm wind was fierce, launching a fierce attack from behind. Lian Junchu leaped up and kicked at his palm, but Mo Li's five fingers formed a claw, and wisps of cold air emanated from his palm, as if he wanted to seize everything and bring it all into his palm.

Upon impact, Lian Junchu felt a sharp pain in her ankle as the chill penetrated to her bones. Mo Li, however, swayed slightly, feinting with his left hand before attempting to retreat. Seeing his ashen face, Lian Junchu knew he must be injured, so she endured the pain in her leg and took a step forward, her twin swords pressing relentlessly.

Mo Li saw the sword light crisscrossing and intersecting like a net, while his blood and qi were surging within him. He forcibly suppressed his breathing and focused his mind, his brows turning deathly pale. As his robes trembled, several points of blue light swirled out, spreading in the air with a pungent smell.

Upon seeing this, Lian Jun hurriedly held his breath, but the blue light that had been floating about grew larger upon exposure to the wind, suddenly bursting into countless fragments that scattered in all directions. He frowned slightly, guessing that these fragments must be highly poisonous and should not be touched, so he leaped up, dodging several fragments, and rushed towards Mo Li's back.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, a dark crossbow bolt suddenly shot out from behind the weeds, hurtling towards them. Lian Junchu, still on the ground, had no way to dodge. She quickly crossed her two swords and caught the bolt. But then a figure flashed to the side, and someone leaped into the weeds. Several rustling sounds were heard, interspersed with sharp palm winds.

Mo Li was also taken aback and wanted to step forward, but Su Mucheng quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Valley Master, be careful, it might be a trap!"

At this moment, a figure was forced back a few steps from the tall grass, and it was vaguely visible that it was a woman. Upon seeing her, Lian Junchu rushed forward without hesitation. The woman's twin swords flashed, about to strike her opponent hidden in the grass, when she heard someone approaching behind her and turned around, shouting, "Don't come any closer!"

Under the cover of night, Lian Jun first saw her with a stern expression, as if she had returned to the days when she dominated the martial world many years ago. But in that instant, a palm strike came whistling from the darkness, striking the woman squarely in the back. She grunted and hurled her twin swords with all her might. The two frost-white sword lights reflected off the withered grass, drawing beautiful arcs in mid-air before piercing backward.

Amidst the withered grass, a figure flashed by. At this moment, Mo Li, his eyes filled with murderous intent, led Su Mucheng and his subordinates in hot pursuit of the direction the person had fled.

Lian Junchu was left standing alone in the cold night wind. The woman in front of her was pale and bleeding from the corner of her lips. She swayed for a moment and then fell heavily to the ground.

He knelt before the woman, as if covered in ice and snow, and called out in a trembling voice, "Elder sister."

On the cold soil, amidst the tangled grass roots, blood trickled and flowed, seeping not only from Lian Junqiu's mouth and nose, but also from the corners of her eyes and ears.

She struggled to raise her hand, but it fell limply to her side, as if every bone in her body had been shattered. Even so, her lips continued to move, but the sound was extremely weak. Lian Junchu, leaning close to her face, heard her struggling to say, "Go...back..."

Lian Junchu looked at her face, which was completely bloodless, and the blood from her mouth and nose was increasing, almost choking her. He felt a chill run through his body, but a forced smile remained on his face.

"I know, I will take you back to Seven Star Island. Really, I, I'll go find someone to carry you right now!" He tried his best to appear calm, but he kept trembling.

Lian Junqiu coughed up blood, her throat constricted, her voice hoarse: "No... go back to the mountains..." At this moment, her already dark eyes suddenly softened, "You weren't happy on the island..."

"Sister!..." Lian Junchu didn't expect her to still be thinking about this matter at this time. She smiled faintly, her gaze never leaving Lian Junchu.

"Jun Chu, please apologize to Yue Ruzheng for me... and... I just remembered, that Yingluo..." Her eyes seemed to be filled with tears, and her voice grew softer and softer. Even Jun Chu could not hear what she said after that.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from not far away. Before long, Bifang arrived and was shocked to see the scene.

"Take her away quickly!" Lian Junchu roared like a madman before Bi Fang could even ask a question.

Bi Fang hurriedly bent down, picked up Lian Junqiu, and ran back the way they came. Lian Junchu gritted her teeth and followed closely beside her. The two ran to the edge of the islet, and facing the deep lake water, Bi Fang stopped with difficulty.

Lian Junchu, panting, said, "Go find a boat..."

Bi Fang lowered his head, looked at Lian Junqiu in his arms, and did not move.

"Then I'll go, you wait for me here!" Lian Junchu endured the pain and turned to leave. But Bi Fang called out to him in a low voice, "Young Master, there's no need to look anymore."

He slowly stopped, without turning around, and stood there blankly in the night.

Bi Fang carried Lian Junqiu slowly to him. After a long while, Lian Junchu lowered his eyes and looked at Lian Junqiu, who had stopped breathing.

Her eyes were slightly closed, and two faint streaks of blood ran down from the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks, as if they had not yet dried. She, who rarely dressed herself up, used her blood as rouge in her final moments, as if she were wearing a magnificent red makeup.

The fertile waters flow eastward endlessly; it would have been wrong to sow seeds of longing in the first place. My dreams cannot capture the beauty of your presence, and suddenly, in the darkness, I am startled by the cry of a mountain bird.

Spring has not yet turned green, but my temples are already gray; long separations in this world do not bring sorrow. Who ordained that every year on the night of the red lotus, we would both be lost in our own quiet contemplation?

-- Jiang Kui, "Partridge Sky"