Chapter 62: Chapter 61: Pride
Little Yunshan looked at Wen Qingye and asked earnestly, "Really?"
Wen Qingye patted Yunshan’s head and smiled. "It is. Of course, it is."
Little Yunshan gave Wen Qingye a deeply sympathetic look. "So that’s how it is. Benefactor, you’ve really fallen on hard times."
When Yunshan led Wen Qingye into the thatched hut, the room was empty.
"Where are your parents?" Wen Qingye asked, puzzled.
"There was a plague here some years ago, and they passed away. Now it’s just my grandpa and me at home," Yunshan explained as she slowly poured a cup of water for Wen Qingye. Watching her, barely taller than a stool, perform the task so skillfully, Wen Qingye couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion.
Wen Qingye patted Yunshan’s small head. ’What a sensible little girl.’
Yunshan blinked and looked at Wen Qingye. "Benefactor, are you hungry? I think we still have some food. Would you like some?"
"No, thank you. Water is all I need," Wen Qingye said, shaking his head.
Yunshan nodded and then stood there quietly.
"Yunshan, trouble! The bandits are here! Hide, quick!"
"Yunshan, run!"
Suddenly, a few hurried and chaotic shouts erupted from outside, then slowly faded into the distance.
Hearing this, Yunshan’s expression grew frantic. She turned to Wen Qingye and said, "Benefactor, you have to hide! The bandits are here!"
"Bandits?" Wen Qingye asked, confused.
Yunshan nodded. "Yes. There’s a roving band of bandits that often comes to burn, kill, and pillage. They also capture people and take them back to their mountain. I heard their leader enjoys Poison Refining, so he uses live people for his experiments. A few years ago, he even started his own medicinal field full of rare herbs. One of the plants, a Purple Jade Flower, is about to bloom, so he’s become even more desperate to find people to test his poisons on."
Hearing the name Purple Jade Flower, Wen Qingye’s heart skipped a beat. ’Could it really be such a coincidence?’
After she finished speaking, Little Yunshan pulled Wen Qingye further inside, running toward a pile of hay. She began to pull it apart, gesturing for Wen Qingye to crawl inside and hide. But as Wen Qingye listened closely to the subtle sounds outside, he knew it was already too late.
"Little Yunshan, stand back," Wen Qingye said abruptly.
THUD!
The door to the hut was kicked open, and two bandits strode inside.
Wen Qingye saw at a glance that both bandits had a cultivation at the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation—not very high.
One of the bandits, seemingly the leader, said with a delighted grin, "Hahaha! A boy and a little girl. We’ve caught two more."
The other bandit frowned. "Enough talk. Let’s move. We don’t want the other ’lambs’ to get away."
Wen Qingye’s eyebrow twitched, a cold light flashing in his eyes. From their conversation, it was clear this wasn’t the first time they had done something like this.
SHING!
Wen Qingye drew his sword. With a flash of Sword Aura, he was instantly in front of the two men.
One of the bandits, shocked, scrambled to raise his saber to block, but Wen Qingye’s sword was too fast—chillingly so.
SHLICK!
In an instant, Wen Qingye’s sword flashed with a cold light. A sharp aura swept past, and both men collapsed to the ground.
Little Yunshan wasn’t scared by the sight of the fallen men. Instead, she looked at Wen Qingye and said, "Benefactor, killing them will only bring more bandits."
Wen Qingye gave a cold smile. "It doesn’t matter. I’ll kill as many as come today."
"You’ve got guts, kid, daring to kill men from our Black Cloud Mountain."
A large, black-clad man walked in slowly from the doorway, his eyes locked on Wen Qingye.
Yunshan shouted from the side, "That’s Luo Youx, the seventh chieftain of Black Cloud Mountain! His cultivation is at the Refining Essence Third Layer Heaven! Benefactor, be careful! If Luo Youx is here, Luo Zuo can’t be far behind!"
Luo Youx’s gaze shifted to Yunshan. He sneered, "Well, well, little girl. You seem to know a lot about our Black Cloud Mountain."
When Yunshan saw Luo Youx looking at her, she quickly ducked her head and hid behind the doorframe.
"Brother, let’s finish this quickly and go, before we attract more trouble." Just then, another man walked in. He bore a strong resemblance to Luo Youx.
Wen Qingye’s intuition told him that Luo Zuo was every bit as strong as Luo Youx. This meant they were both at the Refining Essence Third Layer Heaven of cultivation.
Luo Youx nodded. "Alright. I’ll make quick work of this kid."
"Kill!"
Luo Youx raised his saber and viciously slashed forward. A biting wind howled in the wake of his Saber Aura, pulsing with sharp killing intent.
With a smooth shift in his footwork, Wen Qingye’s sword moved.
WHOOSH!
Wen Qingye’s sword was unbelievably fast. It moved with an uncanny trajectory, thrusting toward Luo Youx’s vitals from a shocking angle. Feeling the threat of the sword, Luo Youx broke out in a cold sweat. He instantly retracted all the momentum from his saber strike and hastily retreated to dodge the attack.
’So fast!’ A cold sweat broke out on Luo Youx’s brow as he stared at Wen Qingye.
"Bright Moon in the Sky!"
Wen Qingye extended his sword, his wrist rotating rapidly. The blade carried a sharp, cold gleam as streams of moon-like Sword Qi surged from the Sword Body. They slowly converged, forming what looked like a full moon made of light that shot toward Luo Youx.
"Blood Blade!"
Luo Youx let out a furious roar, gripping his saber with both hands. His muscles bulged grotesquely, veins popping on his arms. The saber in his hands suddenly turned completely blood-red, shimmering with a sinister light. A towering, bloody aura enveloped the blade, exuding a terrifying chill.
The blood-red Saber Qi and the moon of light collided. Unable to withstand the force, the surrounding thatched hut was instantly blasted apart.
Wen Qingye scooped up Little Yunshan and leaped out of the collapsing structure.
"Mad Saber Triple Slash!"
Just as Wen Qingye landed with Little Yunshan in his arms, Luo Zuo launched a sudden attack from behind. His saber moved with the might of a tiger, and a violent Saber Qi whipped up a furious gale as it slashed straight at them.
"Bright Moon Lament!"
With no room to retreat, Wen Qingye held his sword horizontally before his chest. A silver-white light flared brilliantly. With one hand, he swung his blade to meet the incoming Saber Qi, unleashing a massive torrent of white Sword Qi.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Forced to react defensively and with his balance already compromised, Wen Qingye was sent crashing into the ruins of the hut. He held Little Yunshan tightly, shielding her with his body.
SCRAAPE!
Wen Qingye looked down at his arm. He had scraped it against the splintered wood on the ground. His sleeve was torn, and blood flowed freely from the gash in his skin.
Luo Youx sauntered over, his saber resting on his shoulder. He laughed, "Kid, you’re a real loyal one, aren’t you?"
Little Yunshan, nestled in Wen Qingye’s arms, looked up at his furrowed brow with her big eyes. Biting her lip, she whispered, "Benefactor, maybe... maybe you should put me down."
Wen Qingye said nothing. He held Little Yunshan tightly with his left arm, his right hand gripping the Cyan Mist Sword. His eyes remained fixed on the two Luo brothers.
’I have my principles,’ Wen Qingye thought. ’I will not abandon someone to save my own skin. A man has to have his pride.’
Luo Zuo opened his mouth to speak. "Kid, you’ve got some real guts."
"Chaotic Dance!"
Just then, Luo Youx abruptly raised his saber and charged at Wen Qingye from the side. His blade emitted a bizarre glow, pulsing with explosive Primordial Qi. A six-foot-long wave of Saber Qi erupted from the ground, shooting upward.
As Wen Qingye watched Luo Youx’s Saber Qi approach, he also had to keep an eye on Luo Zuo. The pressure on him instantly doubled.
"Spiritual Snake Transforming Dragon!"
The sword in Wen Qingye’s hand flickered rapidly, moving like a Spiritual Snake emerging from its lair. A giant python materialized from the Sword Body and surged ferociously toward the Saber Qi. Just before impact, the python abruptly raised its head, its entire body transforming into a mighty Flood Dragon that swept forward with overwhelming Dragon’s Might.
