Сохраним красоту - Глава 53
"It's them, they've been entangled for so long."
"I heard you were injured last time. Has that woman from Biyun Palace gone mad? It seems she won't give up unless you submit to her." Lou Yu laughed, "This unexpected blessing is just as bad as a disaster."
Long San shook his head helplessly: "I'm really annoyed. If I didn't have something important to do these days, I would really settle things with them."
"Given Biyun Palace's modus operandi, that woman probably won't give up easily. You need to be careful." Lou Yu was somewhat worried for Long San. Sometimes, a madwoman is more terrifying than an assassin.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." Long San nodded in agreement, then changed the subject: "With two people dead, the Soul-Slaying Tower is going to be in an uproar, isn't it?"
Lou Yu smiled and said, "That's right. I heard that word has been spread that the entire Lou family is mobilized to severely punish the murderer."
"So they have clues about the killer's identity?" Wouldn't following Juehunlou be easier than investigating someone with no leads?
"Not necessarily. We haven't received any news yet, but I've heard there are indications that they've been to this county. If there's any major operation, we'll definitely know." Lou Yu was quite confident about this.
"We still need to pay attention to the movements in various places. The Soul-Slaying Tower has always been mysterious. If this disturbance happens, there may be bloodshed in the martial arts world."
"Don't worry, I've already notified everyone. I'll do my best to help you."
“This matter is indeed very important to me.” Long San patted Lou Yu on the shoulder to express his gratitude, and then asked, “Do you have any news about what Lu Yan did or the tasks he took on in February or March?”
"Not yet." (rourou)
Long San said, "Let's add Qiu Yan in and see what he and Lu Yan have done."
"Okay," Lou Yu said, "What are your plans next?"
Long San thought for a moment and said, "I don't have much time to wait. Here's what we'll do: spread the word for me that the murderer who killed Qiu Yan killed a hunter in a forest hut on the outskirts of the county, and the constables are searching for him."
Lou Yuyang raised an eyebrow: "Inviting you into the trap?"
"Let's see who we can wait for?"
Five days later, the first rays of the morning sun shone on the branches and leaves of the forest, and the frost gathered into droplets on the leaf tips, silently dripping onto the ground. The tranquility of the forest was shattered by the clash of swords and the shouts of fierce warriors. Two men in gray were fighting a man in blue in the forest. All three were skilled in martial arts, and the men in gray, fighting two against one, quickly gained the upper hand. However, the man in blue fought with all his might and managed to hold on for a time.
The three exchanged dozens of blows quickly. The man in blue was gradually losing ground, suffering two cuts on his legs and arms, and it seemed he was about to be defeated. At this moment, a swordsman in white gracefully stood outside the battle circle, watching them. The three who had been exchanging blows were suddenly startled. They had no idea when this person had arrived or when he had stood there.
The two men in gray exchanged a glance. The newcomer was undoubtedly highly skilled in martial arts; they wondered if he would cause them trouble. One of the men in gray flicked his longsword and attacked the man in blue again, while the other shouted at the white-clad swordsman, "Mind your own business!"
The white-clad swordsman raised an eyebrow, smiled, and said, "I was just passing by and only wanted to watch the show, but you insisted on provoking me. Since that's the case, I'll meddle in this. What do you want?"
Before he could finish speaking, he had already floated to the gray-clad man's side. As soon as he uttered the word "how," the long sword on his back was drawn silently and swiftly, like lightning.
The man in gray was shocked. He stepped forward and spun to the side to dodge, but the opponent's sword shadow was close behind. The man in gray hurriedly raised his sword to block, and with a "clang", the two swords clashed in the air.
The white-clad swordsman's longsword was as thin as paper, yet it carried the weight of a thousand pounds, forcing the gray-clad man to take a step back. He knew perfectly well that he had encountered a master, one who would be extremely difficult to deal with. If it were a two-on-one situation, there would be a chance of victory, but the current formation was two against two, and neither side could gain an advantage.
Even with the unfavorable situation, the fight had to continue, and the killing had to be done. The gray-clad man gritted his teeth and charged forward with his sword. A flash of light, and the tip of the sword pointed directly at the white-clad swordsman's heart. The swordsman remained calm, spinning and leaping onto the gray-clad man's sword, using the momentum to press down, his longsword aimed at the gray-clad man's face. The gray-clad man flicked his wrist, withdrawing his sword and raising his arm, simultaneously leaning back to dodge the white-clad swordsman's attack while slashing diagonally at his shin.
The white-clad swordsman, suspended in mid-air with no way to dodge, had no choice but to withdraw his sword to block. The two swords collided with a sharp, piercing clang, and he used the force to flip and land behind the gray-clad man.
The man in gray didn't stop, turning around to attack again. The swordsman in white quickly dodged, using his sword to parry the other man in gray's blade and narrowly saving the man in blue from under the sword.
Before the gray-clad man could launch another attack, the white-clad swordsman seized the opportunity and slashed horizontally with his sword. The gray-clad man retreated two steps to defend himself, and the white-clad swordsman took the chance to pull the blue-clad man back a few steps, allowing him to catch his breath.
The two men in gray stood side by side, exchanged a glance, and one of them said, "Brother, which gang are you from? Why are you meddling in the affairs of my Soul-Slaying Pavilion?"
“I don’t know you, and you don’t know me, so naturally we have no grudges. I didn’t want to get involved in this mess, but your arrogance makes me uncomfortable.” This swordsman was none other than Long San. He spoke casually, and his pretentious tone made the two men in gray grit their teeth inwardly.
"Hmph, the consequence of meddling in other people's business is death!" After the gray-clad man finished speaking, he was about to attack again when suddenly some people rushed out from the surrounding area, and the leader was Lou Yu.
Lou Yu, leading a group of constables, pointed his sword at the four people in the circle: "There have been many murders lately. You have committed crimes here, so you can't escape responsibility. Stop what you've done and come back with us!"
The man in gray stared dumbfounded at the people dressed as constables: "Go back with you? Just because you're a bunch of good-for-nothings who live off the government? Bah! Screw you!" He hated these government employees the most, they were always causing trouble.
Lou Yu was furious: "How dare they utter such foul language! Go and arrest them all!"
The constables rushed forward, but Long San slapped one of them away and grabbed the man in blue, and they ran. The man clearly didn't want to be entangled with the constables, so he ran after Long San and managed to shake them off after a while.
Seeing that there were no pursuers behind him, the man clasped his hands in thanks to Long Sanyi: "Thank you for your help, brave warrior."
"No need to be so polite, I was just passing by, it was nothing." Long San smiled slightly and returned the greeting with a cupped hand. He looked at the man's injuries and said, "But you are seriously injured, you should see a doctor as soon as possible."
The man in the blue shirt shook his head, sat down against the tree roots, took out a small bag from his pocket, swallowed a pill, sprinkled some medicinal powder on his wound, and hastily bandaged it with two pieces of cloth. After doing all this, he took a breath and said, "Since we're being watched by the constables, it's best not to go into the city again."
Long San nodded and asked, "The Soul-Slaying Tower is an assassin organization. How did you provoke them?"
“It wasn’t me who provoked them, it was them who provoked me.” The young man in the blue shirt showed grief and anger on his face.
"What do you mean?" Long San asked curiously, but he was secretly on guard. He recognized this person. When Lu Yan died, someone was inquiring about a girl with a big appetite and a love of laughter. At the time, he was worried about her safety, so he had someone lead her away. But he had secretly seen her and remembered her appearance. It was this man in blue.
The girl he was inquiring about at the time looked remarkably like Feng Ning.
The man in blue glanced at Long San and replied, "The people from the Soul-Slaying Pavilion injured my beloved. Her fate is now unknown, and her whereabouts are unknown."
Long San's face darkened. He seemed to feel sorry for the man in blue, but his heart was pounding. He said, "No wonder you killed them. You must have been avenging the person you admire."
“I have already taken my revenge,” the man in blue said. “That’s why the people from the Soul-Slaying Tower started hunting me down.”
"So what are your plans for the future?"
“I want to look for her again. Although she’s impulsive, she’s always had some good luck. Perhaps she’s still alive.” The man in the blue shirt said, his voice choking up.
Long San felt a heavy weight on his chest, and he couldn't speak. The man in blue muttered to himself, "But if she were still alive, she should have seen the code I left and contacted me. It's been so long, and she hasn't gone back, not a single word. If she were still alive, she wouldn't be like this."
He was downcast, head bowed, lost in his own thoughts. After a long while, he looked up at Long San and felt a little embarrassed: "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have told you this."
Long San shook his head: "It's nothing, but it's truly heartbreaking." He thought for a moment and said, "Now that Juehunlou has its eye on you, you should still be careful. I have quite a few friends in the martial world, and I can help you."