The man fighting Qiu Zhengshan was also an older fellow, likewise dressed in yellow. He was small, withered, and thin, with two wisps of scorched-yellow goatee and tiny, bead-like eyes that darted around craftily. Unlike the other fight, which was a display of grand, sweeping brute force, this little old man used a flexible weapon—a pair of bright, gaudy red silks. They looked like something that should be wrapped around the delicate waist of a top-tier courtesan, yet they were tied to two strangely shaped, curved daggers designed for both hooking and stabbing. They clashed against the golden blades formed by Qiu Zhengshan’s metal-element offensive array with a rhythmic *ding-dong* sound. The little old man seemed to have strength to spare; he waved the long silks as if striking bronze bells, specifically picking out the straightest and fiercest of Qiu Zhengshan’s sky-filling blades to deflect, looking for all the world like he was providing the musical accompaniment for a courtesan’s dance.
Qiu Zhengshan was arrogant by nature and not particularly quick-witted. Although he knew perfectly well that the enemy had used a provocation to lure Feng Baili away, he had assumed he could quickly deal with this old man of the same cultivation realm. Instead, he had been stalled for this long, with no sign of an opening in sight. Entangled by such a cunning opponent, he couldn't land a direct hit, and if he lost focus for even a second, the little old man would sneak in an attack. Though the wounds weren't fundamental, they gradually stoked his fury, causing him to lose his cool. The little old man’s strategy was to stall—stall until the bald monk over there killed Feng Baili, at which point Qiu Zhengshan would naturally be dealt with as well.
The little old man was leisurely humming a tune, occasionally flashing a greasy smile, when he was caught off guard by Wei Qingming’s saber descending from the heavens to break the deadlock. The old man’s arms jerked, pulling the silks back to protect himself, but this played right into Wei Qingming’s hands. The tip of her saber struck with precision, hitting the dagger that flashed like a shard of silver at the end of the silk. With a sharp *clang*, the dagger didn't just break in two; it was ground into powder by her dense saber qi, leaving nothing but a bare hilt attached to the silk!
The little old man retracted the silks, glanced at them with a look of surprise, and said in a glib tone, "Little girl, you don't yet understand the beauty of my melody. If you did, you wouldn't have the heart to interrupt it!" As he spoke, he shook his head and sighed, detaching the broken hilt. Suddenly, with a flick of his wrists, the two long silks whipped up two whirlwinds, attacking the two of them separately.
This time he was serious. The end without a dagger attacked the dharma-cultivator Qiu Zhengshan, who was poor at close-quarters combat. As for Wei Qingming, he continued to engage her in melee with the remaining dagger. In his hands, those silks were miraculous—like liquid, they could turn however he wished. When a sharp blade pierced them, they would sink in as if they had no bones, neutralizing even the sharpest force. The end attacking Qiu Zhengshan bunched into a ball, like a silk sphere tossed by a courtesan, punching from the left and tripping from the right, leaving the tall and sturdy Senior Brother Qiu stumbling and flailing. On Wei Qingming’s side, the silk acted like a woman scorned, clawing and scratching in a chaotic, tangled mess. As a martial arts expert, Wei Qingming’s style was meticulous and disciplined; unable to predict the silk's erratic path for a moment, she found herself unable to break free.
The two of them retreated repeatedly, seemingly overwhelmed. When the long silks reached their maximum extension, Qiu Zhengshan crossed his palms and shouted, "Rise!" Two rows of glittering golden flying swords instantly erupted from the sides, shooting across and piercing both silks. As expected, the two silks went limp and twisted, rotating against each other until they were wound tight like a hemp rope. Wei Qingming moved swiftly to grab the silks, winding her left arm around them. The little old man cried out, "Not good!" Before he could let go, he was yanked off balance by her great strength and stumbled into Qiu Zhengshan’s golden array. Golden spikes erupted from the ground, piercing seven or eight holes through him, pinning him to the floor like a skewered hedgehog.
Qiu Zhengshan snorted coldly. "Is he dead?" He moved forward to check.
Wei Qingming stopped him, saying, "A sinister person like this might have some hidden trick. Just leave him be."
Qiu Zhengshan then leaped toward Feng Baili, shouting, "Junior Brother Feng, I’ll help you!"
The yellow-robed old fellows seemed to have a bit more camaraderie. Seeing his companion defeated, the bald monk struck out with a blast of astral wind that sent Feng Baili flying, then forced Qiu Zhengshan back with a palm strike. He leaped to the little old man’s side and crushed the golden spikes with a few squeezes of his large hands. The little old man jumped up as if nothing had happened, saying with a grin, "Mi Toutuo, you’re the loyal one!"
That Mi Toutuo slapped him, making him stagger. "Huang Bulao, you can't even handle two juniors. It’s a damn curse traveling with you!"
On the other side, Feng Baili no longer had an ounce of strength left. He sat on the ground covered in blood, not forgetting to use the only thing he could still move—his mouth—to curse Wei Qingming: "Look at that... those two... old farts are even... more loving than us. You son of a bitch, you save him... but not me. My love for you... was wasted..."
Wei Qingming rarely showed a look of genuine disgust, snapping back at him stiffly, "You’re not dead yet?"
"Not dead," Feng Baili swallowed a handful of pills along with his blood and slumped backward, saying weakly, "For now."
"Brat!" Mi Toutuo roared like a thunderclap, drawing everyone's attention back to him. His arms were wide open, his robes splayed, and the true qi within his body surged out continuously, blowing his gnarled beard and hair into a wild, dancing frenzy. He threw a punch through the air with immense power and bellowed, "Take this!"
Qiu Zhengshan was a dharma-cultivator after all, lacking in body tempering. He couldn't block it, so he quickly scooped up the immobile Feng Baili and bolted. Wei Qingming could have withstood it, but only a fool would take such a hit head-on, so she also flew out of the way. Even though I was invisible, the wind from the punch knocked me sideways from a distance. Terrified, I scrambled to hide behind a pile of broken rocks.
Mi Toutuo had gone mad, chasing the three of them in a circle and smashing a massive crater with every punch. I watched them chase each other like a dog biting its own tail until I was dizzy.
Just as I was wondering when this would end, Wei Qingming brushed past me like a startled swan crossing the moon, sending two words to me via illusory sound: "Assist me."
I naturally understood what she meant, but I replied in a frantic rush, "The influence I can exert is too weak!"
"It doesn't matter." Wei Qingming seemed to be struggling to dodge and was growing tired; her voice was laced with heavy breathing. "A little... is enough."
Because she had run too close to me to speak, Mi Toutuo’s massive fists came crashing down. The thundering impact sent rocks flying, nearly burying me. Scared and angry, with tears pricking my eyes, I gritted my teeth and summoned my Huanzhen. I was going to kill this rude bald donkey today if it was the last thing I did!
The battlefield was a chaotic mess; no one would notice dust-fine grains of sand quietly spreading.
Wei Qingming estimated that the illusion array had been deployed. Her footsteps faltered and shifted, turning from a pathetic retreat into a sudden stand. Without even looking back, she swung her saber. Mi Toutuo tilted his body, barely dodging it, and laughed. "The brat can't run anymore!" He swung his right arm, throwing a heavy punch. Wei Qingming braced herself to take the hit; only when the chilling wind of the punch reached her face did she duck and roll forward. In an instant, she struck again—the angle was cunning, her movement like a ghost.
Mi Toutuo dropped his left arm to parry. The tip of the saber clanged against his bracer, sending sparks flying. Wei Qingming didn't linger, already darting past him. After dozens of such exchanges, Wei Qingming’s figure was a blur, her saber light weaving into a golden net. Contrasted against the massive, powerful Mi Toutuo, it was like a clever rabbit fighting for its life against a lion.
I knew she was adapting to Mi Toutuo’s offensive and defensive patterns, waiting for the illusion’s effect to become more pronounced. Even Qiu Zhengshan saw this, occasionally throwing a flying dagger to help Wei Qingming dodge a few hair-breadth attacks.
The Huanzhen flower finished exhaling its sand, and the array was set. With trembling hands, I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes, activated all the spiritual energy in the Purple Spirit Crystal, and hissed inwardly, "Die, you old bald donkey!"
Wei Qingming accurately judged the moment the illusion array took hold. She lunged forward with another direct saber strike. Mi Toutuo had grown accustomed to her rhythm; he instinctively threw out a palm strike with his left hand, not realizing that his attack was now a fraction slower and a fraction off-target compared to the beginning. In a battle between masters, the difference lies in millimeters. Wei Qingming withstood the mountain-shaking wind of the palm strike and suddenly changed her move. With a flick of her wrist, she drove the blade vertically into the webbing of Mi Toutuo’s left thumb. She set her brow and sank her wrist, swinging the long saber with all her might. With a sharp *shing*, she sliced off four of Mi Toutuo’s fingers!
Mi Toutuo’s hands were the core of his lifelong body tempering, harder than rock. If he hadn't been hindered by the illusion and if Wei Qingming’s cultivation technique wasn't so overbearingly powerful, how could he have been maimed by a junior a whole realm below him? He let out a scream of agony and threw a heavy right-handed punch. It was also slightly off, hitting Wei Qingming only on the shoulder. Even so, the force sent her flying. She tumbled over a dozen times on the ground before coming to a stop against a corner.
Wei Qingming stood up, bracing one hand against the stone wall. Though she was swaying on her feet, her eyes remained bright and provocative as she stared at Mi Toutuo, contemptuously spitting out a mouthful of blood. She raised a hand to wipe the blood from her lip, pointed her saber directly at Mi Toutuo, and said in a low, raspy voice, "Again."
The candlelight of the stone chamber spilled over her shoulder, forming a clean, sharp line from her arm to the tip of her saber, looking for all the world like a mountain-splitting spear.
Mi Toutuo was enraged and in agony. His hair and beard bristled as he ignored his bleeding left hand and struck with both fists. Wei Qingming smiled coldly. Suddenly, a blinding lightning shield exploded between the two of them. Mi Toutuo’s only intact fist was also blasted into a bloody mess. It turned out that Dantai Ye and Bai Yuyu had received Wei Qingming’s signal and arrived just in time, one providing spiritual power and the other a talisman array to block the fatal blow for her. Simultaneously, Qiu Zhengshan’s golden spike struck Mi Toutuo true, piercing through his heart and sending out sprays of blood mist.
Huang Bulao was the quick-witted one. He flashed forward, wrapping a red silk around the waist of the collapsing Mi Toutuo, and vanished like a scurrying weasel.
"Wei... Cousin!" I screamed as I revealed myself. The other four men, seeing a person appear out of thin air for the first time, all instinctively raised their weapons to defend themselves. Seeing it was me, they finally lowered their treasures.
Wei Qingming was supported by Dantai Ye. Seeing me, she blinked slowly, her head slumped, and her consciousness faded.
I hurriedly pulled out the Sweetheart Ointment, scooped out a large glob with a small spoon, and stuffed it into her mouth. The others were about to stop me when Dantai Ye smiled. "It’s good stuff. Let him have it."
Except for the two who had been guarding the door, the other three were badly injured. Now that they were finally out of danger, they all breathed sighs of relief, sitting on the ground to take medicine or meditate. Dantai Ye gently laid Wei Qingming on the ground. I originally wanted to tear open the clothes on her shoulder to apply the medicine, but I remembered the whole "men and women should not touch" thing. Yet, I didn't want these grown men touching her shoulder either. I hesitated back and forth before finally deciding to hand the Sweetheart Ointment to the most refined-looking one, Dantai Ye. "Young Master Dantai, if you would..."
Dantai Ye looked slightly surprised, glancing at my red, rabbit-like eyes, but he quickly smiled as usual and said politely, "It is my duty." He carefully used a small knife to cut away the clothing on Wei Qingming’s left arm. Using the spoon, he applied the medicine to the bleeding wound. The fair skin had already split open, exposing the muscle beneath, and the bubbling blood threatened to wash the medicine away. I had never seen such a sight; tears began to fall from my eyes. Dantai Ye patiently applied the medicine several times until the bleeding finally stopped. After a careful inspection, he said warmly, "I fear the bone inside is shattered. Once we are out, a small technique from Martial Uncle Zhong will heal it completely. You need not worry, Miss."
"Ow... ow..." Feng Baili suddenly started wailing. "My arm hurts so much too, it’s broken! Ow, my guts, it must be internal injuries!"
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry as I took out another box of Sweetheart Ointment and tossed it to him. Feng Baili’s hands were torn at the webbing from overusing his saber, but that didn't stop him from deftly catching it with his mouth. He mumbled toward Bai Yuyu, "Junior Brother Bai, Junior Brother Bai, put some on me too."
Bai Yuyu suppressed his disgust, used a handkerchief to hold the box, fished it out of Feng's mouth, and shoved a spoonful of medicine hard onto his wound...
"Ah, it hurts, hurts, hurts!" Feng Baili smelled the fragrant sweetness of the honey and added, "Ah, it’s sweet, sweet, sweet!"
Bai Yuyu haphazardly smeared a few strokes on him before handing the medicine to Qiu Zhengshan. "Senior Brother Qiu, you use it." Qiu Zhengshan, of course, took it without ceremony to apply to his own wounds, prompting another round of cursing from Feng Baili.
***
