Aquí hay amor por trescientos taeles

Capítulo 26

After fighting for a while, the guards, fearing the sharpness of the Broken Scale Sword, dared not get close easily. However, they saw through Yun Ran's intention to protect Xiao Douzi and took turns attacking Xiao Douzi. After a while, Yun Ran was overwhelmed and felt restless. She knew that if this continued, she would surely be defeated. But she couldn't bear to abandon Xiao Douzi, so she had to grit her teeth and persevere.

Although Xiaodouzi was young, he could tell that Yunran was struggling and the situation was not good. He also saw the bright flashes of swords constantly grazing past him, and he became frightened and suddenly burst into tears.

This made Yun Ran and Sima Liuyun even more flustered. Wen Huaifeng knew that after a while, he would be able to gain the upper hand and capture the two of them alive. A smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Just then, a woman's voice was heard from among the trees, angrily cursing: "You heartless and cold-blooded devil, your son is crying like this, and you still have the heart not to save him!"

Then a man coughed lightly and laughed, "Who said I wasn't going to help? I was just about to make a move when you grabbed my ear. How am I supposed to get down? Let me go, it hurts!"

Immediately afterwards, two gray figures leaped down from the trees and rushed into the battle.

Seeing the astonishing speed of the two men, Wen Huaifeng felt a chill run down his spine. The man had already flashed in front of Xiaodouzi and laughed, "You spineless brat, you're scared and crying after someone brandishes a knife a couple of times?"

Little Bean stared at the man for a moment, then closed his eyes, stopped in his tracks, and cried even more bitterly.

The man glanced to the side and saw his wife pointing and gesturing wildly among the Dragon Guard soldiers, getting into a heated argument. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly comforted her, "Don't cry, don't cry. Let Daddy teach these villains a lesson and avenge my precious Douzi."

As he spoke, he reached out and snatched the longsword from the hand of one of the attacking Dragon Guard guards. With a flick of his wrist, he sliced off both of his ears. Two guards beside him tried to approach, but the man unleashed a flurry of kicks, striking them squarely in the groin. The two guards knelt on the ground, writhing in agony. The man didn't even glance at them, casually slashing their faces with his sword before turning to Little Bean and laughing, "Good boy, wasn't the magic trick Daddy performed for you fun?"

Curiosity piqued, Xiaodouzi wiped away her tears and opened her eyes. She saw that the two men had the character "王" (king) on their foreheads, and three cat whiskers had been slashed across their cheeks. The man had wielded his sword with great precision, leaving only shallow marks on their faces. The blood loss was minimal, but the marks were extremely noticeable.

Upon seeing this, Little Bean immediately stopped crying and burst into laughter, giggling, "Tiger, tiger!"

The man laughed and said, "Father will fight tigers for you." As he spoke, he swayed, and several guards beside him had their hands and feet broken, none of them surviving.

Wen Huaifeng saw that the man's martial arts skills were exceptionally high. He seemed nonchalant, but his attacks were always accurate. None of the guards could withstand a single blow from him. He also saw the woman wielding a sword and weaving through the crowd. Her swordsmanship was exquisite and her attacks were ruthless. Her skill seemed to be no less than his. Wen Huaifeng couldn't help but be secretly amazed: Where did these two peerless masters come from?

In an instant, the situation on the field changed dramatically. Seeing the Dragon Guards retreating in disarray, Wen Huaifeng knew that he would not come out on good terms today. He brandished his sword, forcing Sima Liuyun back two steps, and shouted, "Everyone, retreat for now!"

He only felt a blur of movement before the man was right in front of him, laughing, "You had my son killed, don't think you can escape so easily."

Wen Huaifeng's expression changed, and he flicked out his soft sword, slashing swiftly at the long sword in Wen Huaifeng's hand.

The man said, "Eh, it's the Purple Thorn Soft Sword." Without pausing, he swung his sword to meet it. Just as his longsword and the Purple Thorn Soft Sword were about to touch, he suddenly turned his blade and gently guided it along the blade. Wen Huaifeng felt a huge jolt in his hand, and the soft sword almost flew out of his grasp. He was terrified and hurriedly changed his move to a horizontal slash, trying to cut the opponent's longsword in half.

The man laughed, "So what if you can cut through iron like mud?" As he spoke, his longsword was somehow already pressed against the side of the soft sword, sliding downwards with the force of the movement. He shouted, "Withdraw your sword!"

By the time Wen Huaifeng realized what was happening, the sword's edge had already slid to his fingertips, and it seemed his four fingers were about to be severed by the longsword. But if he let go now, the Purple Thorn Soft Sword would inevitably fall into the enemy's hands. In a flash, Wen Huaifeng swiftly flicked his finger at the tip of the man's sword, deflecting the longsword an inch away and avoiding the loss of his fingers. However, his tiger's mouth was already cracked and bleeding from the powerful internal force of the opponent's counterattack.

The man exclaimed "Eh!" again, praising, "That was a brilliant dodge! Try this move again?" With that, he raised his longsword and thrust it straight at Wen Huaifeng's chest.

Seeing that his move was simple and unadorned, yet the direction and force of the sword strike had completely blocked all of his subsequent moves, it was a case of great clumsiness over skill, reaching the pinnacle of artistry. Such swordsmanship was something he had never encountered before in his life. For a moment, cold sweat poured down his back. With no way to avoid it, he had no choice but to raise his sword and thrust it toward the opponent's chest in the same manner.

This seemingly desperate fight was actually a case of both sides suffering heavy losses. In reality, the man had already gained the upper hand. It was likely that when Wen Huaifeng's chest was pierced by the long sword, the soft sword in his hand would not be able to harm the opponent in the slightest.

The man was focused on the attack when he saw Wen Huaifeng's sword suddenly reverse halfway through its trajectory. Wen Huaifeng leaped backward several feet like an arrow, then turned and ran away. The man was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "You're quite cunning. But since you managed to dodge three of my sword strikes, I'll let you go today."

He didn't give chase at the moment. Turning back, he saw that his wife, together with Sima Liuyun and Yun Ran, had already slaughtered the Dragon Guards. He smiled at her and said, "I know you're itching to show off your skills, but we have important business to attend to. Let them go after crippling their martial arts."

The woman spat and said, "Have you ever done anything proper?" Despite saying this, she still pierced the collarbones of the remaining men as instructed, letting them flee in defeat.

Yun Ran and Sima Liuyun exchanged a glance, both amazed and impressed by the two men's martial arts skills. The woman had already stepped forward and hugged Xiao Douzi in her arms, kissing his face several times, and sighed, "My precious son, I was so worried about you when I couldn't find you at home."

Yun Ran looked closely and saw that the woman was very young and had a beautiful face, while the man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a handsome appearance and a somewhat unrestrained and carefree demeanor, yet he resembled Qi Mo somewhat. Only then did she realize why Xiao Douzi was so attached to Qi Mo and often regarded Qi Mo and her as her parents.

The man glanced at the Broken Scale Sword in Yun Ran's hand, and smiled, "You are quite protective of my son, so your good deeds and bad deeds cancel each other out. I can't really hold you responsible for stealing the sword."

Yun Ran remembered that the Broken Scale Sword belonged to this man. She had been pampered since childhood, and even the rarest things were given to her without her having to ask. Taking something without permission was a first for her, and she blushed, feeling extremely embarrassed. She secretly resented Qi Mo for coming up with such a bad idea, and now that he had caught her red-handed, she was left alone to clean up the mess.

Suddenly, Xiaodouzi said, "The sword was a gift from me to her."

The man paused for a moment, then laughed and scolded, "You spendthrift brat." The woman glared at him, holding her son, and snorted, "She risked her life to save your son, so what's wrong with giving her a precious sword? Your son is much more generous than you, his father."

Yun Ran quickly clasped her hands and said, "So you two are Senior Shi Wei and Senior Ye Xiling? When our enemies came to our door that day, I took Xiao Douzi and the sword without permission, which was indeed inappropriate. Now I will return them to their rightful owners. I hope you two will not take offense."

Ye Xiling's eyes flickered, and she exchanged a glance with her husband before smiling slightly, "You took my Broken Scale Sword because you wanted to use it against that person's Purple Thorn Soft Sword, didn't you?"

Yun Ran was taken aback when Shi Wei smiled and said, "That Wen fellow has excellent swordsmanship and is very adaptable in combat. Even if you have the Broken Scale Sword, you still can't beat him."

Yun Ran knew in her heart that her martial arts skills were personally taught by Wen Huaifeng, and she was always at a disadvantage when fighting him. But then she heard Shi Wei say, "However, you can borrow the Broken Lin Sword for now." As she spoke, she took out a silk book from her bosom and threw it over.

Yun Ran reached out and took it. Ye Xiling smiled and said, "Since you don't want the sword, I'll give you this sword manual as a token of my gratitude for taking care of our son."

Shi Wei grinned slyly, walked to his wife's side, took Xiao Douzi by the hand, and said seriously, "Since the sword was borrowed along with my son, it must be returned as well. Please continue to keep this boy by your side and take good care of him."

Ye Xiling scolded, "Hey, why are you in such a hurry? I haven't kissed my son enough yet!" Although she was scolding him, she seemed to have no intention of stopping him, and her expression seemed to deeply appreciate her husband's actions. Yun Ran and Sima Liuyun exchanged glances, feeling that the couple's thoughts were strange and beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.

Shi Wei clasped his hands in greeting to the two men and said, "We have important matters to attend to, so we must take our leave." He took his wife's hand and walked a few steps, then turned back and smiled at Yun Ran, saying, "Judging from your and that Wen's martial arts, you must both be from the Jade Sword Sect. There will be a big event at the Jade Sword Sect in half a month, which you should definitely not miss." With that, he and his wife disappeared into the distance.

Author's Note: First update. Two more updates to be added tonight.

☆、41 Latest Chapter

Sima Liuyun shook his head and said in a low voice, "I wonder what important matter these two seniors have that they can't even take care of their sons."

Little Bean watched his parents leave, seemingly used to it. He pouted and mumbled, "They went to play human pyramid."

Sima Liuyun asked doubtfully, "A human pyramid?"

Yun Ran reached out and pressed her hand to Xiao Douzi's mouth, her face slightly flushed, and said, "Brother Sima, Master Shi's parting words seemed to have a deeper meaning. After we go to Qiannan to see Chief Sang and the others, why don't we go to Youzhou Jade Sword Sect to take a look?"

Sima Liuyun naturally obeyed her every word, and the two of them, along with Xiaodouzi, headed southeast. They stopped at an inn to rest, and Yunran took out the sword manual given to her by Shi Wei to study. She found that most of the manual recorded methods of cultivating qi, and the last few pages showed more than ten simple sword techniques. Yunran practiced according to the incantations, but did not notice anything special about it.

The Dragon Guard was severely weakened after the battle outside the town, and the three of them were not pursued again on their way, successfully arriving in Qiannan. Sang Feihe and the Sima family were already waiting at the headquarters of the Qingluan Gang. Sima Liuyun was naturally happy to see everyone, but Zhu Hong, ashamed to face Sima Liuyun, had already taken his wife and gone to live in seclusion far away.

Sang Feihe inquired about Qi Mo's whereabouts again, but Yun Ran gave vague answers, only saying that the Absolute Killing Sect was busy with affairs and that Qi Mo and the others had left halfway. Sang Feihe seemed to sigh and said, "It's quite unexpected that Sect Leader Qi would risk his life for King Ma Zhu Hong. The Absolute Killing Sect has never directly opposed the imperial court, but this time they have greatly provoked Wen Huaifeng. No wonder the government has been making things difficult for them lately."

Seeing Yun Ran's surprised expression, he said, "Don't you know, Miss? I've heard that local governments have issued orders to strictly investigate the disciples of the Absolute Kill Sect. Anyone who reports the whereabouts of Master Qi will receive a reward of a thousand taels of silver."

Yun Ran paused for a moment, then walked away silently without saying a word.

A few days later, after Sima Liuyun had settled the affairs of the manor, he and Yunran set off for Youzhou with Xiaodouzi.

As they drew nearer to Youzhou and encountered more and more martial arts figures along the way, Yun Ran's curiosity was piqued. She secretly inquired and learned that the grand spectacle Shi Wei had mentioned was the re-establishment of a sect leader for the Jade Sword Sect three days later.

Since the death of its former leader, Long Yanzi, a month ago, the Jade Sword Sect has been plagued by rumors and speculation, with many secretly believing that his junior brother, Huo Qingfeng, was responsible. Huo Qingfeng left the Jade Sword Sect several years ago to found the infamous Twilight Shadow Pavilion, a name feared throughout the martial world. Rumor has it that his swordsmanship is unparalleled, surpassing even his masters, Long Yanzi and He Chun. Now that the Jade Sword Sect is leaderless, he might return to vie for the leadership.

Jade Sword Sect is the number one sword sect in the martial arts world. With such a spectacle to behold, it's no wonder that all the martial arts practitioners flock to it.

Upon hearing that this matter was related to He Chun, Yun Ran hesitated, unsure whether she should attend the meeting in person.

As she sat on her horse pondering this matter, she suddenly heard the sound of hooves behind her. She guessed that another group of martial arts practitioners were coming from behind. When she turned around, she saw that several men behind her looked familiar. They were the disciples of the Kongtong Sect that she had encountered in the town inn that day.

Upon seeing Yun Ran and Sima Liuyun, the men's expressions changed drastically. They silently bypassed the two and rode away at full speed.

Yun Ran didn't want to make things difficult for them, so she turned to Sima Liuyun and said, "The Kongtong Sect has also come to watch the show."

Sima Liuyun nodded, and the two exchanged a glance, remaining silent and lowering their eyes. They both thought of Wanwan, but wondered where she was now.

That evening, the three found an inn to rest. In the middle of the night, Yun Ran sensed something amiss and quietly got up. Sure enough, she saw a thin tube protruding from the window paper, from which wisps of incense were being blown into the room by a night traveler. She held her breath and darted to the window. Suddenly, she heard a muffled groan outside, and the tube was simultaneously pulled outwards. Yun Ran raised her hand to push open the window, intending to throw a hidden weapon, when she heard a voice outside laugh, "Miss Yun, it's me."

Yun Ran paused for a moment, then whispered, "Xie Feng?" She looked out the window and saw Xie Feng and A Luo standing side by side outside the window, with a person lying at their feet. This person was the night traveler who had blown the incense into the room earlier.

Yun Ran opened the door and saw Xie Feng had already picked up the man in black. He laughed and said, "This man is clumsy and his skills are inferior. I knew Miss Yun would notice, but the chief ordered me to subdue him first. Please don't blame me for meddling."

Yun Ran's heart skipped a beat. She looked around and Xie Feng, knowing her thoughts, smiled and said, "The chief is out and hasn't returned, so he sent me and A Luo here to deal with this kid." As he spoke, he kicked the man in black.

Yun Ran frowned and said, "He is wanted by the government everywhere and is still wandering around outside." As soon as she said that, she realized she had misspoke. Seeing the playful look in Xie Feng's eyes, she blushed slightly. She looked down at the face of the man in black and recognized him as one of the disciples of the Kongtong Sect that she had seen during the day.

She was slightly surprised, not understanding why the Kongtong Sect members had come to harm her when she and Sima Liuyun had ignored them during the day.

It goes without saying that Su Rang harbored deep resentment after being repeatedly defeated by Sima Liuyun and Yun Ran. That day, seeing Sima Liuyun and Wanwan disguised as villagers, he attempted to force himself on them and kill them to silence them. Su Rang had always worried that if this matter were to become known, it would damage the reputation of the Kongtong Sect, and he had long wanted to eliminate Sima Liuyun. Today, upon hearing from a Kongtong Sect disciple about his encounter with the two on the road, he was seized by murderous intent. Furthermore, he coveted Yun Ran's beauty, so he ordered his disciples to use a sleeping potion to capture her alive and bring her back.

Sima Liuyun and Yun Ran could not have predicted his despicable intentions, but they could not escape Qi Mo's eyes.

Xie Feng said, "When the chief saw them today, he already knew what would happen tonight. He said that you and Young Master Sima are both upright people and would not be wary of the sinister intentions of these villains. He specifically ordered the two of us to come and keep an eye on things."

Yun Ran blurted out, "He's been following us the whole time?"

Xie Feng smiled and said, "Of course."

Seeing his ambiguous smile, Yun Ran felt a little uneasy, but decided to ignore it. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "He... Qi Mo sent you here, what about Sima Liuyun...?"

Xie Feng shrugged and said, "The chief only ordered us to come and protect the young lady; we can't concern ourselves with other people's affairs."

Yun Ran glared at him and was about to go find Sima Liuyun when she heard a slight rustling of wind. Sima Liuyun had already arrived. When he saw Xie Feng and A Luo, he was slightly taken aback and asked Yun Ran, "Are you alright?"

Xie Feng chuckled and said, "Since Miss Yun is alright, we'll take our leave now."

A Luo had remained calm and silent the whole time, but upon hearing Xie Feng's farewell, she immediately took the lead and rushed out.

Yun Ran saw something fall from her body to the ground and was about to call out when she felt a gentle breeze on her face and smelled a familiar fragrance. Startled, she saw Xie Feng had already darted out after her, and in a moment the two of them were far away.

Yun Ran stepped forward and picked up what A Luo had dropped. It was an exquisite powder box, exactly the same as the one Qi Mo had given her a few days ago. She opened the lid, and the quiet night was filled with a mysterious fragrance.

Sima Liuyun called out softly, but she was stunned, holding the powder box, and did not answer. Her expression changed, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

After a moment, Yun Ran's expression returned to normal, and she turned to ask, "Brother Sima, what did you call me for just now?"

Sima Liuyun was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It's late, you should rest early."

Yun Ran smiled and nodded at him, then turned and went back to her room, casually tossing the box of face powder into the bushes nearby.

The next day, they arrived in Youzhou and the three of them checked into an inn. Yun Ran was chatting with Sima Liuyun in the hall when they suddenly saw a figure flash past the door.

She sneered and said to Sima Liuyun, "What a small world."

Sima Liuyun nodded slightly. The two of them could see clearly that the person was Su Rang, the leader of the Kongtong Sect.

Yun Ran recalled the incident last night when he sent someone to ambush her with sleeping potion, and anger rose in her heart. She said, "I'll go out and take a look." She had already floated out, and seeing Su Rang's figure about ten feet ahead, she followed behind him at a leisurely pace.

Su walked for a while and then turned into a large house on the side of the street. Several alluring women smiled and welcomed him into the house.

Yun Ran knew this was a brothel, and since she was a woman and hadn't changed her clothes, it wasn't appropriate for her to go in.

Just as she hesitated, two men in blue robes emerged from the house. Yun Ran felt that one of them looked somewhat familiar. The man looked up and saw that Yun Ran was alone there. He let out a soft "hmm," turned to his companion, and whispered something. The two then walked straight toward Yun Ran.

Yun Ran then realized that the man was none other than the Twilight Shadow Tower envoy called Lao Liu.

The two men approached Yun Ran. The sixth man clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Young lady, how have you been? My master has arrived in Youzhou today. I would be grateful if you would come to visit us." As he spoke, he gave his companion a wink, indicating that if Yun Ran did not come with them, he was about to use force.

Yun Ran hesitated for a moment, then heard someone laugh loudly, "We already had an agreement with the Twilight Shadow Pavilion Master, so why do you two need to go to such lengths?"

Before the words were finished, a handsome man slowly walked out of the house. Although he was talking to the two envoys from Chaomu Yinglou, his eyes were fixed on Yun Ran and he smiled slightly at her.

The sixth brother's expression changed slightly, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Sect Leader Qi, we meet again."

Qi Mo said calmly, "Lord Huo has met this young lady once and invited her to meet him, but he didn't seem to force her to come. Perhaps you two have misunderstood your Lord Huo's intentions."

The two men in blue exchanged a suspicious glance. Qi Mo then took out a jade-green dart from his pocket and casually handed it to Lao Liu.

Upon seeing the token of the Lord, the sixth brother had no more doubts. He respectfully handed the dart back to Qi Mo, bowed to the two of them, and said, "So you two are the Lord's honored guests. I was rude just now, please forgive me." After saying this, he dared not say more and turned to leave with his companion.