Chapter 138: The Pressure Is Too Great

The battle between Master Lan and Xiao Wangsun was a legend of the Jianghu; one wielded a hammer, the other a sash, and neither could gain the upper hand.

This duel was also mentioned in the Legends of Lu Xiaofeng.

"You merely carved a few sword marks on the scabbard—just enough to counter the Songyang Iron Sword."

Sun Xiaohong said: "Most people in the world don't know that Gu Qing, the master of using the enemy's own methods against him, is most skilled in swordplay!"

Sun Xiaohong only briefly described the second duel, without any exaggerated praise.

Guo Songyang had compared Gu Qing's engraved sword marks, realized his own sword path had been broken, and then turned away.

Li Xunhuan sighed softly beside them and said: "This swordplay can no longer be called merely 'skilled.'"

It has reached the realm of divine mastery—'No Sword.'

"Even divine mastery should come after Little Li's Flying Dagger."

Sun Xiaohong said: "Because Gu Qing doesn't understand benevolence and forgiveness!"

Every master should possess a broad heart and a lofty realm.

In Sun Xiaohong's view, Gu Qing lacked this great spirit.

Gu Qing smiled at Sun Xiaohong, then suddenly reached out and seized her arm.

Sun Xiaohong's eyes, dark as lacquer, remained fearless.

Gu Qing immediately activated the Mist-Soul Hand; as his power surged, Sun Xiaohong felt an uncanny force ripple through her body—wherever it traveled, her limbs turned limp. Within moments, it swept across her entire frame, causing her to stagger, her body tingling with heat and stickiness, until she collapsed helplessly into Gu Qing's arms.

Zhu Qiqi once hated Wang Lianhua with all her soul, yet even she could only let out a soft moan when faced with the Mist-Soul Hand.

The Mist-Soul Hand is a demonic art crafted specifically for women; Gu Qing has not yet perfected it, and many techniques remain unplayed—but even this light touch was enough to overwhelm Sun Xiaohong.

"You—you're shameless!"

Sun Xiaohong was both humiliated and furious.

Gu Qing smiled, released her, and felt even more confident in the Mist-Soul Hand.

Seeing this, Sun Xiaohong gritted her teeth in rage, exchanged a few brief words with the others, and headed toward Sun Tuozǐ's shop.

Lin Shiyin gasped upon seeing Sun Tuozǐ; back then, when Wang Lianhua entrusted the Lianhua Treasure Mirror to her, Sun Tuozǐ had been standing nearby—and all these years, Lin Shiyin never knew he had been so close.

Sun Tuozǐ is the son of Tianji Old Man; for years, he had been wiping tables here. Seeing Lin Shiyin recognize him, he said: "Back then, Wang Lianhua was eager to sail overseas and entrusted the treasure to you, yet feared it would cause trouble, so he asked me to watch over it here until you handed it to Li Xunhuan—then I would leave."

But Lin Shiyin had secretly kept the treasure.

To receive a trust is to fulfill it faithfully.

Sun Tuozǐ had wasted over a decade here.

"I'm sorry—I didn't know…"

Lin Shiyin turned pale with panic; she had thought this was only between the two of them, never realizing Sun Tuozǐ had been dragged into it.

Sun Tuozǐ had wiped tables here for more than ten years—he naturally bore resentment. Now he slammed his fist on the table and said: "If you two were going to break up twelve years ago, you should have returned the treasure to him!"

Back then, when Li Xunhuan and Lin Shiyin broke up, Sun Tuozǐ suffered the most—he was innocently trapped in this tiny shop for over a decade.

"The fault was entirely mine."

Li Xunhuan took full blame for the matter.

"Now the treasure is burned—this matter is finished."

Sun Tuozǐ had held back many words for twelve years, but now he swallowed them all and said: "Li Xunhuan, once you show your face at Xingyunzhuang, many will come to kill you."

Li Xunhuan gave a bitter laugh and said: "I'm used to it."

As the third-ranked name on the Weapons List, Li Xunhuan had always stood at the storm's center, constantly targeted by covert attacks.

"But those who seek to kill you this time are no ordinary foes."

Sun Tuozǐ said: "There's Shangguan JinHong and Jing Wuming, the Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva of the Miao lands, the Blue Scorpion of the frontier, Lu Fengxian, and Hu Bugui."

Shangguan JinHong and Jing Wuming need no further explanation—one is second on the Weapons List, the other a swordsman of extraordinary skill, nearly a mirror of Afei.

The Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva is the adoptive mother of the Five Poisons Child.

The Blue Scorpion is the lover of Qing Mo Shou, Yin Ku.

"When Baixiaosheng compiled the Weapons List, he excluded women and madmen—but Hu Bugui, though insane, is undoubtedly strong enough to rank among the top few."

Sun Tuozǐ said: "And Hu Bugui was specifically summoned by Long Xiaoyun, your sworn brother, to deal with you."

Upon hearing Long Xiaoyun's name, Li Xunhuan's face darkened.

Lin Shiyin and Long Xiaoyun both felt complex emotions upon hearing news of Long Xiaoyun.

"In my opinion, you'd better lie low for now."

Sun Tuozǐ advised Li Xunhuan.

Li Xunhuan shook his head: "I've fought over three hundred battles—I've never retreated."

"Huh?"

Gu Qing exclaimed: "Didn't you retreat just now when you fought Guo Songyang?"

Li Xunhuan's face stiffened slightly… that was because of Lin Shiyin and Long Xiaoyun… but this time, he faces Long Xiaoyun directly—he must confront him.

"If you truly mean to face them head-on, you must summon the Flying Swordsman."

Sun Tuozǐ said: "Do you know that Lin Xian'er and Afei are together simply so Afei can serve as her shield?"

Lin Xian'er, as the Plum Thief, once commanded a vast network—even Baixiaosheng was among them—but after framing Li Xunhuan once, he dismantled her organization piece by piece, forcing her to hide away.

After lying low for two years, Lin Xian'er realized hiding wouldn't work, so she sought to provoke Li Xunhuan into revealing himself.

Only by killing Li Xunhuan—the man who solved the Plum Thief case—could Lin Xian'er reclaim her title as the First Beauty of the Jianghu.

This affair of the hidden treasure at Xingyunzhuang was orchestrated by Lin Xian'er.

"I'd like to meet her!"

Gu Qing extended his right hand, eager to see Lin Xian'er's bed skills—and how they compared to Yunmeng Immortal's legendary mastery.

"Lin Xian'er is beautiful, yes—but she delights in dragging men down."

Sun Xiaohong said coolly: "If you fall for her, it will be a great calamity for the Jianghu—I advise you to be cautious."

Gu Qing smiled.

Stopping the carriage, drunk with love for the maple forest at dusk.

This was the name of a tavern; after suffering defeat at Gu Qing's hands, Shangguan Fei reported to Shangguan JinHong and immediately came here.

Shangguan Fei hoped Lin Xian'er would comfort him, helping him escape the shadow of his failure.

Lin Xian'er quickly arranged a sedan chair; once Shangguan Fei entered, she wrapped herself around him.

As the First Beauty of the World, Lin Xian'er's appearance and figure were flawless; every frown and smile held magic. Seeing her, Shangguan Fei could not wait to pin her down.

"Little Fei, little Fei…"

Lin Xian'er murmured, signaling Shangguan Fei to begin.

But at that moment, Shangguan Fei froze.

"Little Fei?"

Lin Xian'er sat up, studied him, and said: "Are you under a lot of pressure lately?"

Lin Xian'er knew Shangguan Fei, as the son of Shangguan JinHong, bore immense pressure.

Shangguan Fei lowered his head, suddenly understanding what he had lost after the coin fell—he shoved Lin Xian'er away, pulled up his pants, and fled in panic into the woods, where his anguished cries echoed in the dark: "Gu Qing! Gu Qing!"

Lin Xian'er's eyes flickered, and she laughed softly.

(End of Chapter)