The little girl who was already lightly sleeping heard the sobbing and woke up, then discovered the pitiful little beast on the ground. A look of concern appeared on her face as she picked up the creature, comforting and stroking it softly while turning her head to look at the woman who had unleashed the Sword Qi with two stern gazes.
Though she said nothing, the latter felt an inexplicable chill, shrinking her neck into her shoulders, opening her mouth to explain but unable to speak, and gave an awkward smile instead.
Lin Qiaofu glared at her, taking the pretending-to-be-pitiful little beast into the distance, feeling rather heartbroken for it.
Wang Anfeng, holding the scroll in his hand, approached the disheartened female disciple and asked,
"What's... what's going on here?"
Perhaps it was Wang Anfeng's use of his sword that had changed the woman's mind about him, she sighed and said with a worried look,
"This girl... three days ago, she captured a young Exotic Beast. She has no parents of her own, and being much younger than us... she probably wanted a playmate for herself."
"The problem is, this kind of Exotic Beast cannot be tamed at all, it feeds on human blood."
"Because of this damned Exotic Beast, I haven't had a good night's sleep for three nights..."
As she spoke, she yawned, clearly extremely tired.
Wang Anfeng, somewhat puzzled, hesitated and then said,
"Why not explain, Qiaofu seems like a reasonable person..."
"It's because she trusts feelings too much that she believes she can tame that Exotic Beast."
The woman rubbed her forehead with some headache and waved her hand,
"Forget it, forget it, there's no point explaining to you."
"For now, it's still under control, so let's just let her have her way for a bit longer."
"If it really comes to it, then we'll just have to drive that thing away."
As the woman said this, a helpless yet indulgent look appeared in her eyes, and Wang Anfeng slowly nodded, but felt in his heart that this behavior was not the right thing to do.
Keeping a tiger invites calamity, and it's often regretted too late.
In the following three days, Wang Anfeng searched the Sutra Loft for the news he sought. He had some clues about the Jade Bead, but he found nothing about White Tiger Hall.
Another thing he noticed over these three days was that the little beast truly could not be tamed, and the woman was already quite exhausted.
He gently put an ancient book back in its place and rested his right hand on his Medicine Bag, his fingers fiddling and flipping open two porcelain bottles, the faint scent of flowers blending together and silently spreading throughout the Sutra Loft.
According to what Wu Changqing had taught him about medicine, mixing two Ninth Grade medicines created a very potent sleeping drug.
Its name, aptly, was Rosemary.
Lin Qiaofu, with her low level of Martial Arts skill, slowly fell asleep, and the pure white, adorable little beast sensing an opportunity, opened its mouth to reveal dense, sharp teeth.
It had already been dealt with a few times.
But the beast's instincts still drove it as it moved swiftly like lightning toward the child. Wang Anfeng lifted his left hand to block in front of the child's neck and suddenly felt a pain as his Golden Bell Shield was bitten through, blood seeping out.
His Mixed Yuan Body rapidly circulated to expel the poison, and the little beast, having ingested Wang Anfeng's blood, seemed to become somewhat frantic.
The youth's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword.
Thunderous sword light cleaved forth, sending the little beast out of the Sutra Loft, and in the next instant, it struck the beast's waist and abdomen. Thunder Vigor burst forth with a roar, the beast's originally bright eyes dimmed, falling to the ground like a lump of flesh, lifeless.
Wang Anfeng's expression remained calm as he sheathed his sword.
The female disciple, not knowing when she had appeared, stood leaning on the doorway of the Sutra Loft, watching him with raised eyebrows, and said,
"You used a sleeping drug to put Qiaofu to sleep, then killed this little fellow. I didn't expect it, you do use your brain effectively."
"But how will you explain this?"
Wang Anfeng looked down, speaking slowly, "Just say that her friend also missed their mother..."
"She is still a child. It's too cruel to tell her now that the friend she hoped for tried to kill her."
As he spoke, the poison on his left hand had not yet dissipated, the sting was still present, causing a slight tremble.
The woman frowned and sighed, "But this won't teach her a lesson."
Wang Anfeng remained silent for a few breaths, exhaled, and looked up at her, laughing,
"Lin Qiaofu is still just a child."
"Being able to trust in affection is a good thing for a child. If one day the world turns such character into a root of trouble, it is not the child's fault."
"I think what's good is good."
"No matter how bad the world is, that does not change this fact."
With these thoughts in mind, he couldn't help but think about the countless stories in history where the winners were kings and the losers were bandits; his mood became a little complex. Then he thought of Master Jiang and those obstinate old men from a thousand years ago described in the books, and his spirit lifted.
No matter what the world is like.
Never would I drift with the tide.
Suddenly, laughter erupted from behind.
"The kid speaks the truth!"
Atop the mountain peak.
Xue Qinshuang, dressed in white, sat cross-legged on the ground.
In three days' time, without break for day or night, she had observed the grace of those one hundred and thirty-one longswords.
Yet, something still seemed amiss.
The young girl contemplated within her heart.
Sword moves could be fierce, decisive, venomous, or ethereal—plentiful in their variety.
But what was at their very core?
By her ears, the waterfall from atop the thousand-foot peak crashed down, thunderous and raging, like the sound of thunder, and as the girl's vacant gaze fell upon this cascade, the water seemed to transform into a vast sweep of sword light. At this moment, as if struck by an epiphany, she abruptly stood up.
Xue Qinshuang stood on the mountain peak, overlooking the waterfall that descended from the Nine Heavens, her eyes growing ever brighter.
Suddenly, she drew her sword, plucking it to make it sing. Its tune was clear and lingering, like a mournful chant.
"Swordsman, swordsman."
"Abandon life and forget death, draw the sword with no regrets."
Her brows flew up as she stepped forward, holding the longsword. Wrapped up in the sword light's cold glare, she descended along the waterfall from the heavens, her speed accelerating. It felt as if the rushing waters surrounded her, and in that moment, the swordsmanship she had witnessed over the past three days merged into this punishing sword momentum, becoming even sharper.
Her consciousness was clear, rippling through her.
Fearless in life, fearless in death.
The cascading waterfall was intense and unabated, like the most splendid sword move. Following its flow, the girl let out a piercing cry.
A brilliant stroke of sword light flared.
And then, she crashed to the ground with a thunderous sound.
The young girl's complexion turned pale in an instant, as injuries afflicted her bones and internal organs, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.
Within the forbidden area, several figures leapt out, standing in the void, looking down at the girl who was now half-kneeling on the ground, coughing up blood, their expressions all changing drastically.
"This is someone from Fufeng Academy?"
"Her meridians are damaged, and her bones are broken. Even if she has failed to comprehend the ultimate technique, why go to such lengths?"
The figures in the void were variously annoyed or sighing, ultimately ready to descend and heal the young girl's injuries. But at that moment, Xue Qinshuang suddenly made a diagonal slash with her sword.
The sword light was piercing, as if a mighty cascade roared from below and surged upwards, its momentum like rushing thunder.
Abruptly, atop the thousand-foot peak, longswords sounded in unison. The hundreds of swords that had been stored there for three hundred years, as if drawn by some force, screeched as they flew into the sky. They then abruptly turned around, showering down toward Xue Qinshuang, who was half-kneeling on the ground.
At the peak, the Sword Saint's personal sword faintly glowed.
And then shot out fiercely.
The sharp sound of breaking through the air hesitated for a moment. The hundred longswords came to an abrupt halt at high speed, their blades pointing to the earth, slightly hovering, stirring up waves of turbulence.
The Sword Saint's personal sword was just three inches in front of Xue Qinshuang.
The faces of the people above changed dramatically.
By holding this personal sword, one would be able to perceive the path once taken by the Sword Saint. Within the visible twenty years, there would inevitably emerge a new Sword Saint, carrying the Three Fools Sword and making a name throughout Jianghu.
With this thought, envious glances involuntarily fell upon Xue Qinshuang's face.
Her face was pale, her black hair disheveled like ink.
Her thumb wiped the fresh blood from the corner of her lips, smearing it casually. The originally pale lips gained a captivating color, like fresh blood that made the girl's appearance even more strikingly beautiful.
She looked at the Jianghu legend within reach, her brown eyes bright and proud:
"Never a vassal to others."
PS: Today's second update.
There are many generous readers I've yet to thank. I remember you all, and I'm planning to try and add more updates to express my gratitude for your generous rewards (clasps hands).