After hearing the scream, Jiang Zhiwei’s body visibly tensed. Her sword movements quickened, and within two or three strikes, she broke through her opponents’ defenses, stabbing both of them in their temples. The two black-clothed men only managed to emit half a cry before dying.
Startled by the scream, Meng Qi instinctively jumped away from the stone wall and ran to the other side of Jiang Zhiwei.
Only at this moment did Meng Qi have the chance to wonder why the two black-clothed men, who had previously been locked in a stalemate with Jiang Zhiwei, were now so easily defeated. Had she been holding back her strength earlier?
Yan Wujian’s death clearly stimulated Zhang Yuanshan, Qing Jing, Qi Xia, and others. Their attacks became increasingly fierce, sweeping through the black-clothed men like a whirlwind within a dozen breaths, leaving only a few survivors.
Huffing, Qi Xia approached Yan Wujian, stared at him for a moment, and exhaled deeply: “Yan Xiangzhu has always feared death. Due to the connection with Senior ‘Flying Yaksha,’ we’ve only ever entrusted him with guarding the gambling house. Who would have thought he would die first this time?”
Zhang Yuanshan squatted beside Yan Wujian’s corpse, examined the wounds, and sniffed near his nose, confirming his death. With a grave expression, he said: “He’s truly dead…”
Qing Jing, Jiang Zhiwei, Meng Qi, and others wore equally solemn expressions. “The Master of the Sixfold Cycle of Rebirth” had not deceived everyone. This was not a game, nor an illusion. If one died, it was truly death!
“We cannot delay any further,” Qing Jing, somewhat impatient, said.
Zhang Yuanshan waved his hand: “Haste leads to mistakes. Let’s interrogate the survivors again to confirm the accuracy of the previous information. Besides, with so many people chasing after us, I fear the fortress master already knows of our arrival. The subsequent enemies will become more numerous and stronger, so we must adjust our plans accordingly.”
“Senior apprentice sister Qi, I’ll trouble you,” he turned to Qi Xia.
Qi Xia glanced again at Yan Wujian’s corpse: “‘Senior Flying Yaksha’ has always favored his own disciples, even though Yan Xiangzhu and he were not on good terms. Sigh, I wonder what kind of turmoil this will cause…”
As she spoke, she walked toward the survivors and once again employed the “Thirteen Soul-Searching Hands” to interrogate them.
“It seems the previous intelligence about Hidden Emperor Fortress was correct,” Zhang Yuanshan listened as the survivors recounted details, finally confirming the initial report. Then he furrowed his brow, saying, “Why did the fortress master summon his elite subordinates to the central hall at this moment, closing its doors and forbidding anyone from approaching, leaving these black-clothed men leaderless?”
“Isn’t that a good omen? At least before heading to the central hall, we won’t have to worry about elite reinforcements or the fortress master intervening directly,” Qing Jing said indifferently.
Suddenly, Qi Zhengyan interjected: “But eventually, we will head to the central hall. Without uncovering the fortress master’s plot, we might suffer greatly when we get there.”
“The key is, can we figure it out now? Or do you have more time to investigate?” Qing Jing turned his head toward the nearby stone wall.
At this moment, everyone stood in the center of the passageway, away from the stone wall. Meng Qi, one of the two burdens, seeing Yan Wujian, his “fellow,” lying dead, inevitably felt a sense of sorrow for his own fate, temporarily losing the mood to speak.
Jiang Zhiwei tightly gripped her sword, a single drop of blood slowly dripping from its tip: “Don’t argue. Proceed according to the original plan and speed up. Regardless of the fortress master’s schemes, we must reach the central hall before he sets them in motion.”
“That’s the only way,” Zhang Yuanshan abruptly stood up, looking at Qing Jing and Qi Zhengyan, saying, “Let’s go.”
As they spoke, the three of them lightly pushed off the ground and walls, swiftly flying through the passageway and quickly disappearing at the fork, truly embodying the art of high-flying acrobatics.
Qi Xia looked at Jiang Zhiwei and then at Meng Qi, smiling: “Zhiwei, I’m a bit older, so I’ll call you Zhiwei younger sister. From now on, I’ll follow your instructions.”
Jiang Zhiwei nodded without smiling: “Sister Qi, let’s also depart. Be careful of hidden traps and mechanisms.”
Seeing them step forward, Meng Qi hurriedly bent down, picking up a fine steel longsword from beside a corpse.
“Switch to a saber. Swords are hard to master, but sabers are easier to use. For you, a saber is at least twice as effective as a sword,” Jiang Zhiwei casually reminded him, echoing the prevailing view in the Xijian Pavilion, where without years of dedicated practice, a longsword was more decorative than practical.
Meng Qi thought for a moment. He seemed to have heard this view before, so he promptly dropped the sword with a clang and picked up a thick-backed long saber.
Although his physique made using a short saber in close combat very advantageous, a shorter weapon meant greater risk. A longer one would be better. Anyway, this body was quite strong, and swinging this long saber wasn’t difficult.
Affected by Yan Wujian’s death and the recent carnage, the two young women were quite downcast and remained silent. Meng Qi, on the other hand, had already recovered but dared not speak lightly. He could only exert all his strength to follow Jiang Zhiwei, watching her flick away poison arrows with her sword, seeing her sword flash like a shuttle, killing many black-clothed men, and even being lifted by her over a treacherous section of the passageway filled with traps.
“We should be getting close…” Qi Xia looked around, confirming their current position.
This sentence broke the prolonged silence. Jiang Zhiwei looked at the stone door ahead and said: “Be careful of poison gas.”
After Meng Qi’s “One Hundred Days Foundation Building,” his mind was clear, and his memory was good. He clearly remembered that behind the stone door with the dragon claw painting was a passageway. If one stepped on a trap in the passageway, deadly poison gas would spew out, and at the end of the passageway was a secret room imprisoning “Cheng Yong, the Great Hero.”
Qi Xia pushed open the stone door and lowered her head, carefully observing the arrangement of the stone bricks.
“Senior sister Qi comes from a distinguished family and is also an expert in mechanisms,” Jiang Zhiwei explained to Meng Qi.
Actually, even without her explanation, Meng Qi could have guessed, as several previous traps had been neutralized by Qi Xia.
As she examined, Qi Xia smiled: “Younger sister Zhiwei flatters me. My martial arts skills are inferior to yours, so I can only strive for excellence in these minor, unconventional arts.”
Jiang Zhiwei managed a faint smile but did not respond. Instead, she turned her head to look at Meng Qi, her expression slightly darkened: “I only learned how to deal with various ambushes and protect myself within my sect. I’m really not good at protecting others. I need to clarify this beforehand.”
She was obviously thinking about Yan Wujian’s death.
Meng Qi felt a chill in his heart but outwardly maintained a facade of righteousness and chivalry: “It doesn’t matter. Without Miss Jiang’s protection, I would have been unable to take a single step and would have already followed in Yan Xiangzhu’s footsteps.”
He intentionally called her “Miss Jiang” this time.
“Master Meng,” Jiang Zhiwei corrected him without tiring, finally showing a slight smile.
Suddenly, Qi Xia laughed: “Younger sister Zhiwei, there’s a secret door in this passageway. It should lead directly to another secret room. According to the terrain map, that might be where Ding Changsheng, the Great Hero, is imprisoned.”
“You want to break up?” Jiang Zhiwei keenly sensed her implication.
Qi Xia nodded: “All the fortress’s experts have gone to the central hall, and there’s this shortcut. I want to try it to increase our chances of ultimate success.”
Jiang Zhiwei pinched her black hair hanging down to her shoulder with her left hand. Thinking that they had only encountered ordinary black-clothed men on the way and hadn’t seen any experts, she instructed: “Be careful.”
“Understood,” Qi Xia tightly gripped her water-piercing daggers and said to Jiang Zhiwei and Meng Qi: “Left three, right four. Follow this sequence, and you won’t trigger the poison gas.”
She casually threw a large piece of stone debris, and indeed, nothing happened. Then, she lightly pushed off the ground, gracefully leaping across, and opened a stone door in the center of the passageway, disappearing into the darkness.
“Let’s go rescue Cheng Daxia,” Jiang Zhiwei walked beside Meng Qi, ready to lift his collar to bring him along.
Of course, Meng Qi didn’t want to stay behind, fearing that a few black-clothed men might emerge and kill him. However, he had a lingering question he hadn’t dared to ask, making him hesitant to act alone with Jiang Zhiwei.
Thinking about Jiang Zhiwei’s personality and conduct from their first meeting until now, Meng Qi decided to take a risk and ask: “Miss Jiang, there’s a question I don’t know whether I should ask or not?”
“What question?” Jiang Zhiwei looked puzzled at Meng Qi.
Meng Qi bit the bullet: “Miss Jiang, the second time we encountered the black-clothed men, why did you struggle against two of them? Given your later display of strength, you should have been able to easily defeat them.”
This question had been troubling Meng Qi.
“Eh?” Jiang Zhiwei let out a sound, her expression changing dramatically and vividly.
Then, she suddenly turned serious: “First, promise not to laugh.”
Rarely seeing Jiang Zhiwei show such a girlish side, Meng Qi felt his inner tension ease somewhat. He swore an oath, promising he absolutely wouldn’t laugh.
Jiang Zhiwei looked up at the stone wall above, her pretty face blushing slightly: “That was my first time killing someone. After seeing the enemy’s blood spurt out and their body collapse lifelessly, I felt a bit hesitant…”
Pfft, Meng Qi nearly burst into laughter. It turned out to be such a simple reason. He had been overthinking!
Seeing Meng Qi struggling to suppress his laughter, Jiang Zhiwei lightly huffed: “Within my sect, I’ve only ever practiced building up my courage by killing chickens, never a live person.”
“Eh, Miss Jiang, how many chickens have you killed?” Meng Qi casually changed the subject.
Jiang Zhiwei thought for a moment: “Since I became proficient in swordsmanship, it’s been two years. During that time, I’ve killed two chickens daily, occasionally pigs, cows, or sheep.”
A thought flashed through Meng Qi’s mind, and he “seriously” said: “Miss Jiang, I’ve already thought of a nickname for you after you become famous.”
“What?” Jiang Zhiwei asked curiously.
Meng Qi spoke solemnly: “The Chicken-Slaughtering Sword Sage.”
Pfft, Jiang Zhiwei couldn’t help but laugh: “Oh my, I didn’t know you, little monk, were such a cheeky fellow! Also, call me Master Jiang! Or the Buddha might punish you!”
Her laughter bloomed like flowers, but soon she calmed down. She grabbed Meng Qi’s collar and rushed to the other side of the passageway with him. After their recent chat and laughter, their relationship had grown much closer.
Qi Xia’s skill in mechanisms was indeed impressive. Along the way, everything was calm and peaceful, allowing Jiang Zhiwei and Meng Qi to successfully reach the stone door.
“This stone door cannot be opened from the inside…” Jiang Zhiwei examined it for a while, signaling Meng Qi to hide behind her to avoid any arrows that might fly out once the door opened.
With a heavy grinding sound between the stone door and the ground, it slowly opened backward, with no unexpected incidents occurring.
“Which friend has come to rescue me?” a surprised male voice rang out.
Jiang Zhiwei observed for a moment, confirming there was no ambush, and then entered the secret room, while Meng Qi guarded the entrance for her.
In the center of the secret room, a middle-aged man in plain blue robes looked astonished: “I am Cheng Yong. Thank you, young lady, for rescuing me. May I know which sect you belong to?”
He was well-versed in the martial arts world, yet this young, beautiful girl was someone he had never seen before.
“Senior Cheng, we are from a hidden sect. My master was secretly invited by Senior Ma Lianghan, so we came along to assist you in eliminating evil and defending the righteous,” Jiang Zhiwei quickly made up a lie.
Upon hearing the name Ma Lianghan, Cheng Yong nodded slightly and approached Jiang Zhiwei: “May I ask for your name and surname, young lady?”
“Junior Jiang Zhiwei.” Jiang Zhiwei, coming from a prestigious sect, generally maintained proper etiquette.
Cheng Yong approached Jiang Zhiwei, smiling: “Heroes emerge from the young. Well then, let’s set off to rescue the others. Hmm, who is this?”
Jiang Zhiwei half-turned: “His dharma name is Zhen Ding.”
At this moment, Meng Qi saw Cheng Yong’s eyes suddenly clouded with a greenish hue, immediately sensing something ominous.
And at this very moment, Jiang Zhiwei also sensed something. She pushed off the ground, her body swiftly retreating backward.
Cheng Yong’s left hand moved like a fish in water, flexible and agile, striking upward like lightning toward Jiang Zhiwei’s abdomen.
“The ‘Heart-Capturing Pill’…” For some reason, the term popped into Meng Qi’s mind.
Jiang Zhiwei reacted half a beat late. Her backward retreat speed couldn’t match Cheng Yong’s left hand, and she was instantly struck in the abdomen.
At this moment, she could only reduce the damage through techniques like abdominal contraction and resisting with inner energy.
However, a determined and resolute expression suddenly appeared on Jiang Zhiwei’s face. Without dodging, she thrust her sword forward, choosing to fight to the death!
Pah! Jiang Zhiwei was struck and flew backward, crashing into the stone door, spitting blood as she landed. Meanwhile, Cheng Yong’s chest was deeply pierced by her sword, blood gushing out.
Heh heh, Cheng Yong first pressed several acupoints on his chest to initially stop the bleeding. Then, as if transformed into a beast, completely disregarding his severe injuries, he struggled to lunge toward Jiang Zhiwei and Meng Qi.
Jiang Zhiwei’s previous sword strike had instinctively caused Cheng Yong to flinch slightly at the moment of life and death, reducing the palm’s power. He failed to seriously injure her. However, the abdomen was a vital area connected to the lower body. For a moment, she couldn’t gather her strength, and her legs lost all sensation.
“Little monk,” she called out, hoping Meng Qi could overcome his fear and act. Cheng Yong, having been stabbed in the left chest by her, was definitely in bad shape. Perhaps if he delayed for a few breaths, he would collapse on his own.
Watching Cheng Yong, covered in blood, his eyes greenish, and lunging at them like a demon, Meng Qi’s legs trembled, as if caught in a nightmare.
At this moment, Jiang Zhiwei’s call snapped him out of it. Thinking of Yan Wujian’s death, the many killings he had already experienced, and the joy and satisfaction he felt in his daily martial arts practice, Meng Qi’s courage surged. His body trembled as he clenched his teeth and swung his saber outward.
At this moment, indeed, the saber proved more useful than the sword!
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