Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-Seven: Eternal Youthful Countenance

Wu Tie and Lao Tie rushed toward Niu Yingxiong when Shi Lingqing also wanted to follow.

Luo Lin gave her no chance at all; Qiao's persuasive words could not sway him, and the clean, decisive waist-level sword slash made Qiao angrily shout, while Shi Lingqing lost all color in her face.

Shi Dian grunted, swung his wooden staff with his right hand, three short sticks shot out from his sleeve, and the dim electricity turned into a net that chopped down toward Luo Lin.

Before the net even landed, Ding had already moved over while carrying Wu Lao Da on his back.

Wu Lao Da, with one arm, drove the stone pillar, and several short stone spears burst up from the ground, thrusting straight at Shi Dian.

Shi Dian, helpless, could only abandon attacking Luo Lin and instead met the stone spears with the net.

The dim net and the short stone spears lightly collided; the net shattered, the spears broke, Shi Dian and Wu Lao Da each gasped, Shi Dian staggered back several steps, and Wu Lao Da couldn't help retching, suddenly spitting blood from his mouth.

Both were already exhausted, able only to look at each other, unable to exert any further force.

Qiao's chain-blade let out a sharp tearing sound, the long iron chain swung, the sharp sickle ripped the air, and streaks of cold light viciously slashed toward Luo Lin's whole body.

Luo Lin, with one arm, swung his blade, heedless of the chain-blade falling onto his own body, merely making desperate chop after chop at Qiao's vital points.

Qiao shouted angrily; among everyone, even Shi Lingqing was nailed in the face with three triangular spikes and also suffered an unknown corrosive poison. Only Qiao's whole body remained spotless, unharmed in the slightest, not even a speck of dust on his clothes.

But he was afraid of death.

Luo Lin assumed a desperate stance; Qiao dared not clash head-on with him, facing Luo Lin's fierce blade light, he could only keep retreating step by step, continually urging Luo Lin: "Let go of hatred," "Jointly seize the treasure."

"Your sister is already dead!" Qiao shouted in exasperation: "For a dead person, you've already dragged so many brothers into trouble! Luo Lin, wake up a bit, don't stay obstinate. How many more brothers do you still want to harm?"

"Have you seen that ancient sage's corpse? He surely has treasures on him… no, the ancient sage's corpse itself is the supreme treasure." Qiao, in a "hate iron for not becoming steel" manner, roared at Luo Lin: "Perhaps this is our opportunity… this is everyone's opportunity."

"Luo Lin, you may not cherish your own life… but do you want to drag Wu Lao Da and Ding to die here together?" Qiao scolded heartbrokenly: "You're too selfish… Luo Lin, you're too selfish!"

Ding gave a dry cough, his right leg swollen and shiny, with black blood continually seeping from his pores.

He licked his dry lips, Ding muttered to himself: "Qiao's words actually make sense; I find myself speechless."

Wu Lao Da grabbed the stone pillar in his hand and gave Ding's head a hard thump: "Here, do you want to reconcile with him?"

Ding shook his head and sighed: "Lao San originally intended to avenge alone… it was we brothers who voluntarily came to help him; the fallen brothers can't be blamed on Lao San… if blame is due, maybe we should blame Qiao."

Qiao swung his chain-blade, dodging Luo Lin's heavy chop; the chain-blade traced a sinister arc, leaving an extremely deep wound on Luo Lin's face. Hearing Ding's words, Qiao shouted in exasperation: "Blame me? Blame me? Is this my fault?"

"This can't be blamed on me… I only want a better future!" Qiao shouted loudly: "Besides, Lingqing and I truly love each other…"

Luo Lin, Wu Lao Da, and Ding each spat out a mouthful of saliva; Luo Lin let out a hoarse long whistle, his body flickered, and two afterimages, one left and one right, rushed toward Qiao.

Qiao narrowed his eyes, his pupils shrinking to pinpoint size.

He oddly pursed his lips in a smile, then fiercely slapped his belt.

Qiao's belt was half a chi wide, made of half-cun thick beast hide, with a palm-sized black metal component at its center. He slapped it down, and the beast-head-decorated metal component exploded, turning into dozens of tiny cold lights that struck toward Luo Lin.

"Luo Lin… Lao San… let you die a little more cleanly." Qiao smiled with sudden understanding.

A figure suddenly appeared before Luo Lin; he gave a low, stern shout, and the air before him violently undulated like water. The dozens of extremely thin cold lights, still three feet from the figure, seemed to strike a copper wall and iron wall, shattering completely.

Qiao let out an extremely terrified scream, promptly dropped his chain-blade, and with a "thud" knelt down, knocking his head hard on the ground.

The figure backhanded a punch that struck one of Luo Lin's afterimages—the very afterimage where his true body resided; the heavy punch hit his abdomen, blasting Luo Lin backward over ten meters, where he headfirst collided with Ding's body, and Luo Lin, Wu Lao Da, and Ding instantly rolled into a tangled heap.

Qiao, still kneeling on the ground desperately kowtowing and not yet lifting his head, the figure slapped and grabbed his neck, then yanked him up.

"You go ahead and say…" the figure sneered as he spoke.

Before he finished speaking, Qiao suddenly let out a strange cry, both feet lashing out in rapid kicks at the figure's abdomen; the tips of his boots sprang out two half-chi long daggers, their blackened blades obviously coated with deadly poison.

With two "ding" sounds, the daggers snapped just half a chi from the figure's body; an invisible barrier enveloped the figure, and the violent rebound shattered Qiao's boots to pieces, his feet twisted and split, the bones crushed to the consistency of bean dregs.

"Order… spare my life!" Qiao shrieked in terror bordering on despair, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Then tell me, what is this better future?" the suddenly appearing Ninth Palm Order laughed eerily, and immediately rained dozens of slaps onto Qiao's face.

Qiao's cheeks were blasted apart, flesh flying, his mouth full of teeth shattered simultaneously; the broken tooth fragments mixed with blood spurted out, "puff puff" ejecting several meters away.

"Hmph," the Ninth Palm Order seized Qiao's neck and violently threw him to the ground.

Qiao's legs slammed heavily onto the ground, shattering like thin glass rods, flesh exploding, bones crushed; in the end only his upper torso remained planted on the ground, the inhuman Qiao screamed shrilly, his wail like a ghost's lament.

"Shut up!" the Ninth Palm Order said in an unhurried voice.

Wracked with pain, Qiao immediately clamped his mouth shut, his gums locked tight, he endured the agony, daring not to make a sound.

Luo Lin and Ding pushed themselves up, standing far off to the side, their expressions complex as they watched the Ninth Palm Order.

A gust of wind blew, six black-armored figures silently appeared behind the Ninth Palm Order, then the shadows shifted, and they surrounded Shi Lingqing and Shi Dian.

"True love?" the Ninth Palm Order looked at Shi Lingqing, sneering: "Do you believe that? Lin Qiao, I want to hear the truth."

Qiao gasped heavily a few times, trembling as he looked at the Ninth Palm Order, his voice quivering: "Shi Lingqing told me she is a Changsheng Sect follower, Thousand Fish City is a branch hall of the Changsheng Sect… she said the Changsheng Sect is powerful, I in Mist Blade am merely a hired killer for coin; if I joined the Changsheng Sect, my future would naturally be broader than being an assassin."

Qiao looked at the Ninth Palm Order and said urgently: "Disciple acknowledges guilt, disciple wishes to atone with merit, disciple wishes to infiltrate the Changsheng Sect… for Mist Blade…"

The Ninth Palm Order gave a cold snort.

Qiao immediately shut his mouth, daring not to make a sound.

"Not honest." The Ninth Palm Order extended a finger, forcefully poked Qiao's forehead, and chuckled coldly: "Not honest… there must be another reason. Lin Qiao, among Wu Yan's group, you are the smartest and also the most afraid of death."

"You know Mist Blade's methods, so you dare not betray easily." The Ninth Palm Order approached Shi Lingqing, seized her chin, and lifted her face: "Changsheng Sect? In recent years, Mist Blade has had some contact with the Changsheng Sect… but we've hardly crossed swords."

"Tell me, what exactly is the situation with your Changsheng Sect? Even the elite assassins Mist Blade has cultivated from childhood have been bewitched and betrayed by you."

The Ninth Palm Order's five fingers clenched, deforming Shi Lingqing's chin, yet she sweetly smiled and softly said: "Ninth Palm Order, you've hurt me… hehe, Lingqing now looks quite unsightly; better you grant an antidote, restore Lingqing's appearance, then she can properly explain the origins of the Changsheng Sect to you."

Shi Lingqing was about to speak when a wild gust swept by, and a wooden boat twenty-some meters long lifted several meters off the ground and came flying.

The old woman with youthful face and crane hair stood at the prow; seeing the Ninth Palm Order holding Shi Lingqing, without a word she waved her hand, and a straight red silk ribbon shot from the wide sleeve of her blood-colored robe, whistling with a piercing sound as it stabbed straight at the Ninth Palm Order's back.

The Ninth Palm Order gave a cold snort, tossed aside Shi Lingqing, drew the straight sword strapped to his back, and in one fluid motion chopped down.

The straight sword's cold light flashed, ejecting a zhang-long blade of light that struck the red silk. Accompanied by the piercing impact, the red silk recoiled, and the sword was shaken upward over three chi, while the Ninth Palm Order and the old woman both swayed.

"Cangyan Realm, Mist Blade's Ninth Altar, the Ninth Palm Order is me." The Ninth Palm Order turned, looked at the old woman with youthful face and crane hair, and said unhurriedly with a cold smile: "Old woman… you belong to the Changsheng Sect? Does the Changsheng Sect have experts like you?"

The old woman, smiling warmly, bowed to the Ninth Palm Order: "The Ninth Palm Order knows little of my Changsheng Sect; my Changsheng Sect… hehe…"

An old woman, even if she is extremely well-maintained, with smooth, oily skin, is still at least seventy or eighty years old. Such an old woman, imitating the look of a sixteen- or eighteen-year-old girl, gives a "pfft" laugh; the Ninth Palm Order, with an iron heart and countless kills, cannot help but shudder.

"Twenty years ago, the trade route between my Cangyan Realm and the outer territories was opened…" the Ninth Palm Order said coldly: "Five years ago, my Mist Blade first made contact with your Changsheng Sect… I never expected that your Changsheng Sect has already established a foothold in the Cangyan Realm."

The old woman smiled and nodded, giving Nine Palm Order a very charming, flirtatious glance: 'In such a poor, remote backwater of the Cangyan Realm, this is exactly where my Changsheng Sect gathers the foundation of longevity…'

He had spoken only halfway when the old woman's gaze suddenly fell on Niu Yingxiong, who was several dozen Chinese miles away.

Shi Lingqing immediately said: 'Hong Laolao, that is the corpse of an ancient sage… there is a person, and also a… strange object, which has been gone for a long time.'

Hong Laolao and Nine Palm Order exchanged a glance; Hong Laolao's sleeve twitched, and Nine Palm Order's straight sword let out an inexplicable 'clang'. They both nodded, then both shook their heads.

Nine Palm Order stepped back a few steps, distancing himself from Shi Lingqing, and casually pointed at Qiao: 'The traitor of my Mist Blade must naturally be brought back for proper disposal.'

Hong Laolao glanced at Shi Lingqing.

Shi Lingqing gave a light, casual laugh: 'It's just a tool for self-preservation… once the matter is over, keeping him serves no purpose.'

Qiao's body shuddered violently; he incredulously lifted his head and let out a hoarse, exhausted scream: 'Lingqing…'

'You idiot!' Nine Palm Order snorted coldly, glanced at Qiao, then suddenly leapt into the air, turning into a gust of wind that rushed toward Niu Yingxiong.

'Interesting.' Hong Laolao chuckled; a length of red silk flew from her sleeve, she grabbed it and wound it around Shi Lingqing's waist, dragging her onto the wooden boat, then gently patted her head: 'Lingqing child, Granny already knows the whole story of this matter… hehe, you've done great this time; from now on you must still work hard.'

Shi Lingqing gave a restrained laugh, then stood respectfully behind Hong Laolao.

The wooden boat kicked up a gale and swiftly caught up to Nine Palm Order.

Broken Bone sucked half the blood from Wu Tie's body, then slowly rose into the air, just as it was about to fly out of the hall, Nine Palm Order arrived ahead of Hong Laolao's group at the hall's doorway.

Through the open doors, seeing how miraculous Broken Bone was, Nine Palm Order strode forward two steps, his straight sword swinging and letting out a sword hum, and he laughed loudly: 'This treasure shall belong to my Mist Blade.'

Wu Tie felt sore all over, his vision darkened, and he couldn't stand up for a while.

Lao Tie turned his body, the Blood Light flickering in his eyes as he glanced at Nine Palm Order and the wooden boat speeding toward him; suddenly his four legs went weak, and with a 'thud' he collapsed to the ground: 'Ah, this damned gate, Grandpa I've exhausted my strength…'

Nine Palm Order swung his long blade, and a blade arc sliced toward Lao Tie.

With a tremendous bang and sparks flying, Lao Tie was struck by the blade arc, violently hurled ten-odd meters away, and slammed headfirst into the wall behind the offering table, bursting a large hole in the wall and flying out.

Hong Laolao stood at the boat's prow, and from both sleeves several strips of red silk shot out, whistling sharply as they wrapped around Broken Bone.

'Nine Palm Order, a good man doesn't fight a woman—shouldn't this treasure belong to me, Granny?' Hong Laolao laughed brightly, she puckered her rosy lips and blew a flying kiss at Nine Palm Order; from the seam of her lips a red long needle shot out silently, stabbing toward Nine Palm Order's heart.

'A good man doesn't fight a woman—can that old demoness even be called a woman?' Nine Palm Order laughed loudly, he sprang up, dodged the red long needle, gripped his long blade with both hands, and let out a loud roar.

The straight sword sprayed a blade of light ten-odd meters long, then came down heavily upon the wooden boat.

Hong Laolao seemed unable to react, or perhaps she was stunned by the blade arc; she hastily stepped back, the blade arc swept past, and among the young men and women behind her, two men and one woman grazed by the arc instantly exploded into a cloud of blood mist.

Hong Laolao let out a strange cry of 'My poor child,' opened her mouth and inhaled deeply, and the three clusters of blood mist were instantly swallowed whole.

Hong Laolao, with a youthful face and crane-white hair, trembled; her head of white hair rapidly turned black, her features quickly grew young, and in the span of a breath she became the likeness of a seventeen- or eighteen-year-old girl.