The swordsman in the Daoist robe stood up, carefully drew out the sword, removed the letter paper from it, and unfolded it. After a quick glance, he handed it to another person.
It seed this person was illiterate.
The other person extended his arm, took the letter paper, and read it carefully for a mont before looking up.
"No need anymore," he said, "Just kill them all."
"Oh?" The narrow-eyed, high-cheekboned swordsman shook his head slightly, sighing, "What a hassle. And there are so many of them."
Then he drew his sword and stood up, turning towards the people of the security agency, who were a dozen steps away.
The five people behind him also stood up.
An invisible aura and murderous intent suddenly spread in the dark night. Even the bonfires behind them seed to dim slightly, shrinking back.
"The ti has co," Qiao Duanhong whispered.
He could read lips. Although they were a dozen steps apart and the light wasn't bright, this old hand's eyesight hadn't failed. Seeing the aura and expressions of the six people, he knew they had decided to kill.
The reason was that Flying Sword Scroll. Although he didn't know what was written on it, he now knew that besides the six masters not far away, there might be a super master sowhere - a super master whose skill transcended his understanding of "martial arts."
It was at this mont that an absurd thought suddenly entered his mind...
Perhaps that person wasn't a martial arts master.
Perhaps... it was a cultivator...
The kind of true cultivator who had only ever existed in the oral traditions of mortals, rarely seen by ordinary people in a lifeti. Or called an "Immortal."
But in such a life-and-death situation, all he could do was summon more courage. At least not be killed obediently.
So he repeated: "The ti has co. Get ready."
Then he looked at his daughter and said with a resolute tone: "Jiaxin. You follow Sifu later. Old Ke, Old Liu, we have to hold them off. The forest is dense, just let the children escape."
Qiao Jiaxin and Qiao Sifu wanted to speak. But Qiao Duanhong let out a low roar: "Shut up. This is not the ti for you to be willful. If anyone escapes, detour back to Weicheng, tell the people in the security agency to take the silver and leave imdiately, and never show your faces again in this life."
He looked at the six people, then swept his gaze across the dark and gloomy tree shadows: "This matter might be related to those people."
This rare sternness made everyone stunned. Qiao Sifu sensed panic in his tone, but still had doubts: "Uncle... which people?"
"Cultivators."
Qiao Duanhong glanced at Old Daoist Liu, who was "completely unaware of the impending disaster" and whispering with Li Yunxin, "True cultivators."
The two groups confronted each other in the dim firelight, fifteen steps apart.
The narrow-eyed, high-cheekboned swordsman revealed a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth: "Why bother. Let's both save so effort. You people are like ants in my eyes. If we really fight, you won't be able to withstand the might of even one of my swords - why struggle to death?"
Qiao Duanhong stared at the thin sword in his hand without speaking, but his spirit and vitality had been pushed to their peak. He understood that this was very likely to be the last battle of his life - yet he still hadn't figured out why this battle had to happen.
Why did they hijack them in the first place? Why did they want to kill them?
These were questions everyone wanted to understand, but no one dared to ask.
Until they heard the young man say in a light and questioning tone: "But gentlen, why do you want to kill us?"
No one had the mind to mock his "stupidity" or "naivety" or "newborn fearlessness" anymore. Even Qiao Jiaxin only sighed in her heart. The young girl felt quite sad - she hadn't expected "love at first sight" to happen to her for the first ti, and the other party turned out to be such a person.
However, this sentence actually broke the tense atmosphere in the forest. The narrow-eyed, high-cheekboned swordsman, who had been poised to pounce, heard this sentence, and the expression on his face changed strangely.
It looked like "relief."
The swordsman stopped his movent, sneered, and flicked the thin sword in his palm with his finger, looking at the dozen or so people not far away with mocking eyes: "Well, good, let you be clear-minded ghosts. When you reach the underworld, don't report our six brothers' nas incorrectly."
"We six brothers are the Six Ghosts of the River. Have you heard of that na?"
Qiao Duanhong was slightly startled, then frowned: "Six Ghosts of the River... weren't you already executed by Black Saber Ying Jueran?!"
"Heh. If our brothers hadn't t a noble person, perhaps that would be true. But now..." A hint of hatred flashed in the swordsman's eyes, "After we finish this matter, our brothers will go find him to settle this score once and for all!"
"Oh, that sounds impressive." The young man's flippant voice interjected again, extrely out of place, "What noble person? Your na sounds like you didn't do so well before - Black Saber Ying Jueran sounds like a character. I guess you used to be universally hated villains, then aroused public outrage and were eliminated by that Black Saber in the na of love and justice - oh, oh, about to be eliminated, and then you t a noble person. Who exactly is it?"
The swordsman wasn't angry at all, but instead smiled eerily: "Hehehe, speaking of this noble person - do you mortals know about Lingxu Sword Sect?"
The people from the security agency exchanged glances. Actually, almost everyone had heard the na Lingxu Sword Sect - which prefecture didn't have a few "Lingxu Sword Sects"? They just didn't know which one he was referring to.
But Li Yunxin imdiately clapped his hands several tis, the crisp sound echoing far into the night: "Wow, is it the legendary Lingxu Sword Sect of the Seventy-Two Schools?!"
The swordsman smiled proudly: "You have so insight."
He cupped his hands towards the east: "That noble person is a cultivator from the Lingxu Sword Sect, titled Huainanzi, a direct disciple of the Sect Master, who has entered the mortal world for Undergoing Tribulation - do you know what Undergoing Tribulation is?"
Naturally, no one responded to him. So he spoke voluminously and at length, without prompting. In reality, this person didn't know much; what he said, Li Yunxin had already heard from Chisongzi and Kangcangzi.
Finally, the swordsman said: "...Therefore, he passed on elixir pills to our six brothers. Just one pill, and our power greatly increased. If you are lucky today, you might even get to see the Immortal. Unfortunately, the Immortal has other important matters today and cannot co... As for you people, you are useless."
"So, it's Undergoing Killing Tribulation," Li Yunxin said after listening to him. "So you hijacked us, drove us here like pigs and sheep, waiting for your Immortal to arrive. When he cos, he'll kill people. I imagine he'll kill many people - he probably doesn't just have you six, but other puppets elsewhere too."
"People like you find people for him, then he cos and kills them one by one. He kills until he's tired, annoyed, bored, and thinks, 'Wow, killing is so boring, I'd rather be a quiet handso man'... then he's passed this tribulation. Is that right?"
Li Yunxin's tone beca serious.
The swordsman looked at him with great surprise, then smiled coldly: "You know quite a lot, kid - what's your background?"
By this point, the people from the security agency had largely beco re spectators - even the most knowledgeable Qiao Duanhong was completely bewildered by the discussions about Grotto-heaven, School, and Transcending Tribulation.
After all, he wasn't a "cultivator" like Old Daoist Liu - and even Old Daoist Liu didn't know the details and taboos of many renowned sects.
But it didn't prevent him from gradually realizing...
He had misjudged again.
Li Yunxin, whom he had once thought of as "a rchant's son who didn't understand the ways of the world, pretending to be seasoned and calm," had actually displayed astonishing abilities.
He didn't know how the young man did it - despite being at the brink of death, a few words had made the six killers, in a bizarre and frantic display of arrogance, reveal all their secrets.
Sothing was wrong. This young man had used so kind of trick. Qiao Duanhong thought to himself, otherwise, it definitely wouldn't be like this... Who exactly is this young man? Does this an we're saved tonight?!
Qiao Duanhong took another look at Li Yunxin, his gaze falling on Old Daoist Liu behind him.
His heart skipped a beat. Old Daoist Liu looked like a changed man at the mont. No longer cowering, but appearing calm and composed. He sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes slightly closed, mumbling sothing, looking...
That's it. It's him, in fact! Qiao Duanhong imdiately felt truly and completely at ease. Everything could be explained now - Old Daoist Liu was truly deeply hidden. But as far as he knew, there were indeed so martial arts masters who liked to pretend to be wild and eccentric.
Just now, that swordsman spoke of a cultivator Undergoing Tribulation, perhaps this Old Daoist Liu is indeed a cultivator, and is also Undergoing Tribulation!
This explanation was far more reasonable than "that young man is actually an astonishing world-class genius" - where in this world are there so many extraordinary people, and how could he just happen to stumble upon one!
It was at this mont that he saw Old Daoist Liu's right hand, which had been hidden in his sleeve, reach out and form a hand seal.
Almost simultaneously, the swordsman who had been speaking suddenly beca high-pitched: "...do you know how much hardship our six brothers endured to achieve today's skill? Back then, that Black Saber wanted to wipe us out, treating us like ants. Who are the ants today? Who dares to look down on us now? After we finish this business with you, we will return to the river - we will definitely let those people from before know... Ha, ha, ha, today we have also made a na for ourselves in the martial arts world—"
At this point, not only Qiao Duanhong, but even the most sluggish person noticed the abnormality of the six swordsn.
They no longer held their previous arrogant and cold deanor, but had beco frenzied. It was as if several madn were holding swords and talking to themselves, completely oblivious to anyone around them or the current situation.
From how the six t, how they learned their skills, how they earned the na "Six Ghosts of the River," to what they had done, how many people they had killed, how they t Huainanzi of the Lingxu Sword Sect, how they consud the pills, and where they went afterward - everything was spilled out.
Li Yunxin already knew everything he wanted to know.
Then he realized that this matter might be a bit troubleso.
Because now he understood the identities of Chisongzi and Kangcangzi.
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