Cang Lan Dao - Chapter 18.6
Chapter 18.6
I trusted you, so don’t you —
Silver Snake’s weapon was a bit lighter than hers. Logically, Silver Snake’s sword was so much longer that it was impossible to be lighter. The only explanation was that when casting her swords, Silver Snake wished to combine them with speed, so she purposely made them a bit lighter. That’s why, every time she attacked, she swung from top to bottom so there would be a natural strength to counterbalance the sword’s lightness. Once she quit the top-to-bottom attack, the Silver Snake Longswords’s flaws would immediately exposed, and she didn’t dare to fight with her.
Although Liu Xiniang only gave her half of her inner strength, Luo Wanqing still vaguely felt that she wasn’t inferior to – no, she was even stronger than Silver Snake. If she fought with all her might, most likely, it would be enough to cut off the Silver Snake’s swords.
Thinking of this, Luo Wanqing immediately changed her strategy. No longer defending, she slashed towards Silver Snake from top to bottom. She only swung her blade. Her speed was not fast but forceful. Silver Snake did not dare to catch it, and she could only retreat again and again, completely unable to get close to Luo Wanqing.
Luo Wanqing saw the situation and intended to attack. She raised all the internal force violently to gather in the blade. However, at that moment, her body was in pain.
Luo Wanqing immediately stopped her action. That moment, Silver Snake rushed to counter-attack, and a sword ruthlessly slashed over.
Luo Wanqing instinctively flipped sideways but was still cut down by Silver Snake. Her wounded shoulder was hurting, but there were still countless points all over her body, big and small, that were hurting. She trembled as she held her blade, clearly realizing that this was a problem with her meridians.
It wasn’t the tendons but her bones. The tendons in that one location were narrow, causing the internal force can’t run smoothly. So, it was impossible for her to run her internal force to the maximum unless she broke those obstructing bones. That was the bone shaping that Qin Jue was talking about. But she was too late.
Silver Snake’s swords were getting closer to her vitals, and Luo Wanqing’s breathing became more rapid. She was covered in cuts and wounds, coming back from the dead again and again, until finally, Silver Snake slashed towards her waist horizontally.
Luo Wanqing blocked it and was violently knocked away by Silver Snake, hitting the ground hard. She slumped to the ground, covered in blood, her body aching terribly.
Silver Snake gasped and put away her swords, saying coldly, “It’s over, Liu Xiniang. You’re weaker than I thought.”
Luo Wanqing didn’t say anything. When she heard ‘it’s over,’ countless things and people went through her mind instantly.
She couldn’t die.
She couldn’t die here.
She was already on her way to Dongdu. She had already returned from Lingnan. She had ruined her face, discarded her identity, lost her family, and reforged her tendons. She had come this far, not to lie here on her back to be trampled on.
“When you swing that blade, you must have no hesitation in your mind. Only then you will be able to pick up the blade.” Qin Jue’s voice rang out, and Luo Wanqing squeezed the blade tighter.
In her mind was the time she’d swung the blade again and again in prison, between her mountains, under the trees, by the river.
She still had the blade!
She still has the blade!
Stand up, Luo Wanqing. Stand up!
You can’t die here.
You promised Qin Jue that you both would go to Dongdu.
Luo Wanqing gripped the blade, raised her true qi, and helped herself up violently towards Silver Snake, who was sprinting towards her!
They were both very fast, and as they ran, Luo Wanqing completely let go of her internal energy without any constraints! True qi was like a limitless torrent, instantly surging into the tendons around her body.
What wasn’t enough, extend!
What was blocked, leveled!
In an instant, the true qi invaded her entire body. Her tendons exploded, causing the blocking bones to crack and crush. Blood bloomed all around her body, and the severe pain drowned her sanity. Her blade and Silver Snake’s swords violently collided, and without obstruction, her blade instantly slashed Silver Snake’s swords, breaking them. Then, Luo Wanqing’s blade cuts open her head.
When the blade’s power disappeared, Luo Wanqing felt her body tremble with pain. She felt blood in front of her eyes. It was all blood, she couldn’t think at all, and with her intuition, she stumbled and turned around, picking up everything and hanging it on her horse, then pulling out the mask from the package and putting it on her face, lifting her blade and mount her horse. She’d previously resented the list Qin Jue had given her. But now she suddenly realized that these messy things would be helpful at some point.
Luo Wanqing didn’t have the strength. Lying on the horse, with one hand carrying the blade and the other driving the horse, she rushed off in Qin Jue’s direction.
She wished for him to live.
She wanted every promise she made to come true and every sacrifice to mean something.
She drove her horse and ran furiously.
By this time, Qin Jue had already killed a man covered in blood. He looked at the man he had purposely left behind for interrogation. Holding the soft sword he had seized with one hand while the other behind his back, he laughed: “Still not talking? Then why don’t I switch to a simpler question? There’s still your people waiting to kill me in the Inspection Department, right? Who?”
No one spoke. The red-clothed woman holding the lute with only one string left sat on her knees, barely trying to pluck the last string, but the soft sword was like a spiritual snake probing, wrapped in her fingers.
The woman raised her head and looked at the youth in front of her with a posture like a bloody immortal when she heard the other party ask: “Is it Liu Xiniang?”
The woman revealed a sinister smile and hissed, “People of the Dao Sect, if your ancestor master learns ……”
She hadn’t finished her words, and Qin Jue’s sword instantly cut through her finger’s tendons. The woman screamed out. Putting the sword on her neck, Qin Jue asked coldly: “Is it Liu Xiniang?”
The woman didn’t say anything. At that moment, the sound of horses’ hooves came from the distance.
Qin Jue’s movements lurched, then revealed a smile. “Well, whether it is or not, we’ll know when she comes. If I’m not wrong-” Qin Jue pulled his sword into his sleeve behind him, turned sideways, and smiled, “She’s here to kill me, right?” However, the moment his voice fell, a girl covered in blood fell into his eyes.
She was still wearing the white clothes and mask he bought for her. Blood color in her white robe blooming like begonias, gorgeous and incomparable.
Qin Jue intuitively felt that something wasn’t right, but he was still on guard and holding the sword. The girl, riding a horse, rushed into the crowd and him. He subconsciously swung his sword straight to her head. However, the other party did not dodge, yet extended her hand towards him.
Qin Jue saw this, and his eyes widened in shock, abruptly stopping his sword. In this split second of daze, the other party grabbed his wrist, yanking him onto the horse, pulling his hand to support him, and shouted, “Hold me steady!”
With that, the woman slashed across towards the people of the Feng Yu Pavilion, crossing over the crowd and taking him away.
Until he rushed out of the crowd, Qin Jue didn’t react. He froze while holding Luo Wanqing.
After they were far away, he reacted. Seeing Luo Wanqing covered in blood, he checked her pulse and urgently said, “You molded your own bones? Crazy!!”
“Qin Jue, let’s agree on one thing.” After confirming they were safe, Luo Wanqing couldn’t hold herself up. Her true qi was leaking out around her, and it was getting darker before her eyes. She felt herself shivering with cold, her chest churning with qi and blood, but as she thought about Qin Jue’s sword just now, she clearly knew that the other party wanted to kill her.
At least for that instant just now, he wanted to kill her! This bastard, she desperately came back to save him, yet he actually wished to kill her!
Thinking of this, Luo Wanqing spewed out a mouthful of blood. Qin Jue hurriedly grabbed her by the waist and gave his true qi to her. He said urgently, “Don’t say anything first, control your true qi, and don’t let it leak out!”
“I won’t be questioning you in the future, so don’t question me,” Luo Wanqing trembled, shrinking into his arms, “I’ll trust you this time, so don’t you doubt me, or ……” Her breath was getting weaker, but she still gritted her teeth, “I’ll kill you!”