No one could have anticipated Xue Qiming's startling strike. His actions struck like a bolt out of the blue. Before anyone could react, both Wangyue Pi and Murong Buguan had been dealt with.
By the time Xue Qiming casually strolled back to the gates of Liangzhou Prefecture, no one had yet realized they should open the gate for him.
Growing impatient, Xue Qiming banged on the gate with enough force to create a thunderous noise. Only then did Zhou Tong snap out of his daze and hurriedly order his men, "Quick! Open the gate for Hero Xue!"
Before long, the gate creaked open just a crack, and Xue Qiming slipped inside.
Xue Qiming slowly walked through the passageway. Only now did a hint of fatigue appear on his face. The soldiers of Liangzhou Prefecture all watched him from a distance, their gazes filled with awe. Not a single person spoke, nor did anyone dare to approach him.
Zhou Tong hurried down from the city wall with his men. Before Xue Qiming could approach, Zhou took the initiative to bow deeply in a grand salute.
"Hero Xue, your skills..." Zhou swallowed hard, unable to think of the right words to describe what he had witnessed. Finally, he let out a sigh and said, "Magnificent!"
Xue Qiming's posture was slightly hunched. He waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, enough with the flattery... I don't work for free. That fight wore me out. Call it two hundred taels... have the money sent to me later. I'm going to rest now."
Zhou Tong was momentarily stunned, then quickly nodded. "Of course, of course."
Xue Qiming paid him no further attention. His hunched figure slowly walked away, leaving only his silhouette behind for the crowd to watch.
A guard beside Zhou Tong quietly whispered in his ear, "Sir, it seems Hero Xue has injured his vitality, his back isn't straight anymore. Should we send someone over with some ginseng or lingzhi?"
Zhou Tong shook his head and murmured, "You're mistaken. His spine has never bent... Not just him, none of the martial heroes of the Ruen Dynasty have ever bent their backs to others. Who has ever made them bow?"
Xue Qiming returned to the inn, weary from the intense fighting. He raised his hand and hesitated before knocking on the tightly shut door.
After a moment, the door opened a crack, and Xue Niang's small head peeked out. As soon as she saw Xue Qiming, she slammed the door shut with a bang, leaving Xue Qiming to chuckle bitterly outside. A moment later, the door opened again, and Chi Nanwei, half-amused and half-annoyed, let him in.
Xue Qiming stepped inside and saw that Chi Nanwei, Rao Shuang, and Fang Dingwu were all present. Xue Niang sat on a chair facing away from him, her back showing him her attitude.
The atmosphere was a bit awkward. Xue Qiming rubbed his nose awkwardly and asked, "So... did you save me some food?"
Rao Shuang glanced at Xue Niang but remained silent. Fang Dingwu answered Xue Qiming's question. "We just finished preparing the food. You came back just in time."
Chi Nanwei smiled and asked, "Is the battle outside the city over? How did it go? Were you hurt, Young Master Xue?"
When Chi Nanwei asked this, Xue Niang inclined her head slightly, perking up her ears to listen.
Xue Qiming chuckled. "Hurt? No way! Three punches and two kicks were all it took to deal with those two hundred thousand Northern Qiang soldiers. I barely broke a sweat."
Rao Shuang pursed her lips, clearly unconvinced. Chi Nanwei gave a small smile, not bothering to determine how much truth was in his words. Instead, she walked over, took Xue Niang's hand, and said, "Come on, girl, let's go upstairs for dinner."
Fang Dingwu, ever polite, feigned a surprised expression and clasped his hands in a deep mock salute toward Xue Qiming. "Young Hero Xue, truly... magnificent!"
The corner of Xue Qiming's mouth twitched. He called out to Chi Nanwei, "Hey! Set up with some chopsticks and a bowl for me!"
The group made their way upstairs and sat down at the table. Only then did Xue Qiming realize he hadn’t seen Ye Beizhi. He asked curiously, "Where’s the Mute?"
Hearing his question, the group’s expressions darkened. Chi Nanwei sighed, "He’s... in Young Master Baili’s room."
"What happened?" Xue Qiming’s expression tightened. He knew it couldn’t be anything good.
Rao Shuang set her chopsticks down, her tone tinged with frustration. "Impending Sword has been mentally unstable recently, you know. Last night, who knows what he thought of again, but his inner demons stirred, throwing his mind into chaos.
"His sword qi began showing signs of unrest, and the restriction Alluring Elegy left in him is struggling to hold it down. Stormqueller has had to use his own internal qi to help suppress the sword qi. Neither of them have left the room since."
Xue Qiming frowned slightly. "You can’t blame Impending Sword for this. Since the siege of Liangzhou, he’s been consumed with guilt. That’s probably when his instability began."
Rao Shuang, visibly upset, continued, "Young Master Tang’s medicine is nearly ready, but now this happens. If Baili Gucheng succumbs to his inner demons, who did we even make the medicine for?"
She glanced at Xue Qiming before adding, "The four infamous Nihil-Ranked assassins of the Ghostbane Association... I used to think you were all ruthless killers.
"Who’d have thought one of you would turn out to be such a simple, kind-hearted man? He’s driven himself to inner demons over some inexplicable guilt, it’s ridiculous!"
Xue Qiming didn’t mind Rao Shuang’s borderline mocking tone. He simply chuckled, picked up a peanut with his chopsticks, and popped it into his mouth.
"There’s a lot you don’t know. For instance... did you know your Young Master Tang used to be a carpenter?"
"A ca-carpenter?" Rao Shuang was momentarily stunned before glaring at him. "Who asked you about that?! Do you think this is a joke? Do you even understand what will happen if Impending Sword loses control? Everyone in this room would be sliced to pieces in the blink of an eye!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Xue Qiming replied nonchalantly, nodding as he continued to pick at the food. "But isn’t Mute Ye in there? If anything happens, he’ll get it first."
Rao Shuang couldn’t stand Xue Qiming’s indifferent attitude. "You're impossible!" she snapped.
After Rao Shuang’s outburst, the room fell into silence, only punctuated by the sound of Xue Qiming picking at his food. Realizing something was wrong, he looked up to see the somber faces of everyone at the table.
He sighed, setting down his chopsticks. "What’s the point of worrying? Things will work out in the end. Use the time to fill your stomachs instead."
Fang Dingwu chimed in, trying to reassure Chi Nanwei, "That’s right, little sister. Let’s eat first. Brother Ye knows what he’s doing. Besides, once we save Miss Yang, won’t she be able to heal Young Master Baili?"
Chi Nanwei shook her head, exhaled deeply, and suddenly stood up. Everyone turned to look at her as she smiled faintly. "You all go ahead and eat... I’ll take some food to Dummy and the others." With that, she left without looking back.
Out of sight, Chi Nanwei blinked back the tears that threatened to overflow. Then she headed toward the kitchen