Chapter 234: Mixed Doubles (Revised)

Whooosh~

The cold wind swept up goose-feather snow, rolling across the endless snowfields.

Li Huaichuan walked alone with sword in hand through the Sword River, his cloak snapping behind him, his fingertips lightly rubbing the hilt at his waist, as scenes he had been chasing since childhood flashed through his mind once more.

The sword at his waist was named "Listening to Snow," the last famous sword forged from the stone of the Sword River, and also the founding sword of Lishan Sword Hut. It was first held by the patriarch, accompanied the founding of the dynasty by Emperor Zhou, then held by the third-generation head who fought through the entire Wu Sect rebellion; after his martyrdom it was brought back by righteous allies.

Although by grade it could not be called an immortal weapon, it was a genuine heirloom famous sword; the opponents it had defeated and the glorious years it had experienced were in no way inferior to those sect immortal weapons famous across the land.

The name "Listening to Snow" also carried a rather special meaning.

Snow falls without sound, just as a sword passes without shadow; how could ordinary people speak of hearing it.

But for those whose "sword intent leaves traces," one sword cleaves a river, and the sword intent lingers a thousand years before fading; the last wisp of that lingering sword intent was forged into this sword, and even now it lets later generations feel its edge.

What this "Listening to Snow" listens to is not the sound of falling snow, but that one streak of primordial heaven-piercing sword intent mingled within the wind and snow.

Li Huaichuan longed for the day when he too could cleave a river with one sword, so that a thousand years later, later generations could still feel the peerless splendor of that strike.

But unfortunately, at present he clearly did not deserve this sword.

Although he had already been ranked in Super Rank for many years, he was still the weakest sword-bearer of this blade — though this was only temporary.

Just now he had received an eight-hundred-li urgent dispatch: Lv Yan of Wuling Mountain had arrived at Lizhoucheng, inquiring everywhere about Xie Jinhuan's whereabouts. According to disciples who had investigated, Xie Jinhuan might be sweeping for demon bandits near the Sword River.

Li Huaichuan, in pursuit of further advancement, had long been watching the movements of the Five Directions Divine Gifts; after Lv Yan's incident, he had made inquiries with the Daoist sect and roughly learned that Lv Yan had fallen at Xie Jinhuan's hands.

If the intelligence was true, then Lv Yan coming to kill was certainly to settle old scores and take back the Lingguang Divine Gift.

If Lv Yan could take it, could he not take it?

Moreover, as the ancestor guarding Lizhou, upon receiving the dispatch saying cultivators beyond the pass were acting furtively within his jurisdiction, his coming to investigate was more justified than Lv Yan's, wasn't it?

If he truly found Xie Jinhuan — a Southern Dynasty cultivator who had not followed the envoy team but instead quietly entered the pass — god knew what he intended; arresting and interrogating him was fine, wasn't it?

Xie Jinhuan would surely refuse to cooperate, might even dare to fight back, perhaps even try to flee in guilt; to prevent the evildoer from escaping, killing him with one sword was no big problem, was it?

As for why he had to go for the kill, the reasoning was simple — either don't rob, or do it thoroughly; robbing such a prodigy and not silencing him, wasn't that asking for trouble for oneself?

Even if the Southern Dynasty sects investigated afterward, they couldn't possibly pursue it all the way to Northern Zhou.

As for the Northern Zhou imperial court holding him accountable, at worst he could apologize; Empress Dowager Guo surely couldn't behead him — a meritorious ancestor — and offer his life to the Southern Dynasty just because he had accidentally overstepped while patrolling demon bandits.

Although this matter carried risk, as long as he found the target before Lv Yan, he could obtain the ticket to enter the Fifth Realm; compared to withering and dying of old age on the verge of collapse, this bit of risk amounted to nothing.

Li Huaichuan mulled it over as he walked, now only hoping the intelligence from outside was true, and that Xie Jinhuan was indeed near the Sword River.

The facts proved that the disciples acting as eyes outside were not entirely useless after all.

After following the Sword River deeper for some time, faint footprints appeared on the Binghe below.

Li Huaichuan's gaze sharpened slightly; he flashed through the snow flying everywhere, followed the footprints, and in an instant arrived outside an abandoned mine shaft. On the snow at the cave mouth were two lines of footprints, very fresh, with no footprints leading out.

Li Huaichuan wasn't entirely sure this was the target he sought; he had intended to go in and search, but soon a faint sound of breaking wind came from within the cave:

Whooosh~

From the sounds, two people were suppressing their breath and rushing toward the cave mouth.

Li Huaichuan immediately went silent upon seeing this, drew his sword, and leaned against the base of a hundred-zhang stone cliff to wait quietly.

But just as the footsteps were about to reach the cave mouth, they suddenly vanished without a trace.

?

Li Huaichuan was certain he had exposed no trace of himself; seeing this he was slightly puzzled, but did not act rashly…

—

Tap tap tap…

Xie Jinhuan sensed something was off about this place, and quickly retraced his original path, watching all the way for any possible ambush.

Bu Yuehua, discovering her movements had been leaked, also raised full vigilance; seeing light ahead, she briefly sensed no one at the cave mouth and prepared to fly straight out to scan the surroundings.

But the moment her feet left the ground, the child behind her suddenly strode forward and bear-hugged her, right arm clasping her chest and left hand covering her mouth, pulling her into a full embrace.

Boom~

Both figures froze on the spot.

Bu Yuehua sensed that Xie Jinhuan's technique for hugging a Miss was extremely practiced — his hand had gone straight for her conscience, gripping it firmly, fingers sinking into the soft, springy flesh — and her face flushed red. She had intended to break free, but then heard at her ear:

"Shh~ there's an ambush outside."

"?"

Bu Yuehua had already entered Super Rank and was no stranger to vigilance, but she had detected nothing unusual at the cave mouth; her eyes were quite puzzled.

But the precedent of Fire Phoenix Valley gave her no reason to doubt Xie Jinhuan's judgment; she immediately restrained her breath and, without a flicker, pressed down the large hand on her snow-white mound.

Xie Jinhuan hadn't detected anyone lying in ambush outside either, but while running he had suddenly heard the "Ah Piao-brand radar" sound an alarm; seeing Nangong Xianzi about to charge straight out, he had hurriedly pulled her back into an embrace.

As for the place he had held being wrong, that was force of habit; after Miss Bu pressed his hand down, he quickly released his full handful, his peripheral vision fixed on Ah Piao the whole time.

Ye Hongshang floated at his side, carefully sensing the situation outside:

"There's a Super Rank swordsman blocking the left side of the cave mouth, twelve zhang away; from the look of him he probably isn't a good sort."

A Super Rank swordsman…

Hearing this description, Xie Jinhuan guessed it must be Li Huaichuan — after all, this Sword River, theoretically speaking, like the seven-hundred-li Mount Zihui, was within the jurisdiction of Lishan Sword Hut; Lizhou was a frontier prefecture, and the only Super Rank here was Li Huaichuan.

Sensing that the man in charge of Lizhou was lying in ambush outside, Xie Jinhuan knew the situation was not good.

Last time he had nearly suffered a great loss going to Nanjiang; he had learned his lesson on this trip, concealing his name all the way and leaving no trace.

For the other party to have caught his position and even set an ambush at this spot, they must have used a "lure the snake from its hole" stratagem.

For example, widely spreading rumors about the "Soul-Locking Chains" across the Lizhou frontier to draw them to Birch County, then through clues like corpses, leading them to the Sword River and the mine shaft; the moment he showed himself in the Sword River, they would start beating the dragon behind closed doors.

But to achieve this, they first had to know the background of Bu Yuehua's family feud, then know that Bu Yuehua was traveling with him, and also be able to deduce his approximate location.

Bu Yuehua's family feud and whereabouts — the Nanjiangwu Alliance should be able to find out.

His approximate location — the upper echelons of Da Qian could deduce it.

And to spread information on a large scale and mobilize a Northern Zhou Super Rank for an ambush — that had to be a faction with deep roots in Northern Zhou.

If this is truly a setup, then the forces behind this scheme have an absurdly vast sphere of influence.

Xie Jinhuan found it hard to believe that such a massive dragon could still lurk unseen in today's world, but the current situation could only be explained by the influence of the demonic Daoists spreading across the north and south.

And outside, Li Huichuan—whether a pawn or a disciple of the demonic Daoists—was here to kill him; if there were the slightest chance he was an ally, he would never have appeared at this critical position.

Though he knew full well the man's purpose, Xie Jinhuan did not alert him, instead calling out: "Are you Master Li Huichuan?"

Outside the mine shaft, Li Huichuan stood amid silent falling snow; hearing his name spoken outright, he paused slightly, then replied coldly:

"Who are you, rogue, causing trouble here?"

"Master Li misunderstands—I am no rogue. I am Xie Jinhuan, military officer of the Southern Court's envoy team. I trust Master Li has heard my name."

"Oh?"

Li Huichuan realized Xie Jinhuan was truly here—and alone. His eyes burned hot; his long-cooled blood boiled at once!

Yet this boy's perception was too sharp; to avoid mishaps, Li Huichuan did not act rashly. He walked slowly toward the cave mouth, smiling like an elder:

"Are you the young hero Xie Jinhuan, who rose to fame at Sanjiangkou? I've long admired your name—never imagined you'd come to Lizhou…"

"Master Li is too kind…"

Xie Jinhuan responded with equal delight, stepping quickly toward the cave mouth.

Bu Yuehua followed behind; seeing this, she tried to warn Xie Jinhuan not to be careless—but the next instant, her face turned pale!

Xie Jinhuan appeared eager, sprinting forward with spear raised—but as Li Huichuan's silhouette neared, his right foot slammed down with sudden force!

Boom—

The rock beneath shattered; a muffled thunder erupted without warning from within the mine. His Minglong Spear shot forth like a black dragon striking a pillar, shattering the surrounding stone walls into a whirlwind of shattered rock and ice crystals, hurtling toward the cave wall's edge!

Boom—

Li Huichuan had indeed planned to kill and seize the treasure—but he hadn't even shown himself yet, and had never expected this boy to strike first!

By the time the explosion rang out, the two-foot spearhead had already shattered three feet of rock, pointing straight at his throat!

The sudden, terrifying assault made Li Huichuan's hair stand on end; had this been an ordinary warrior, this lightning-fast killing strike would have been utterly unavoidable.

But even if Li Huichuan was mediocre among Super Rank, among First Rank, he was still a world apart.

In the instant the spear pierced the rock, Li Huichuan's body moved with impossible speed—sidestepping like light—pulling distance instantly. His waist-sheathed sword, Tingshui, flashed free and swept horizontally toward the mine:

Ssshh—

The three-foot blue blade swept through the falling snow, shattering the ice river beneath his feet. A terrifying sword hum carried a suffocating sharpness, carving a two-foot-wide horizontal groove into the canyon walls, slicing diagonally into the mountain stone!

Xie Jinhuan's spear missed—but he didn't retreat; he surged forward, nearly diving beneath the mountain-shattering sword qi. Mid-motion, he whispered softly:

"Yao Guang!"

Bang—

Amid the burst of qi, his body accelerated, diving into the ice river within the canyon.

Bu Yuehua did not stand idle. As Xie Jinhuan struck, she instantly fled outward, left hand dragging her long, curved blade, spinning through the mine and releasing thick toxic mist—simultaneously matching Xie Jinhuan's pace, leaping over the sword qi.

Boom—

After his slash, Li Huichuan heard an explosion from within the cave—out burst a sky-covering wave of emerald poison smoke, instantly spreading a hundred zhang front and back, turning the surrounding area into a misty sea.

The two who had just emerged vanished into the poison mist, their traces lost.

Li Huichuan hadn't expected Xie Jinhuan to be accompanied by a Gu Du Pai expert. He immediately sealed his body with spiritual energy, swept one horizontal slash—and the sword qi tore a gap through the poison mist.

But the sorcerer releasing the mist had clearly entered Super Rank—he could control the poison on a vast scale. The instant the sword qi broke through, the swirling smoke sealed shut again, obscuring all sight.

?!

Li Huichuan realized Xie Jinhuan had a "guardian"—his caution surged. He guarded against the Gu Du Pai's favored poison spells, carefully sensing every whisper of wind in the mist:

"You brat! I treated you with courtesy—and you ambush me with murder? You're asking for death…"

Huhuh~

The mist in the canyon blotted out sky and earth, yet fell utterly silent—save for the howling wind whipping through the air.

Xie Jinhuan stood atop the shattered ice river, spear in hand, his entire aura frozen. His icy eyes fixed on the depths of the green mist.

Bu Yuehua stood beside him, left hand reversed on her single blade, utterly still—her gaze asking: retreat or fight?

Xie Jinhuan now sensed this was a trap—the one behind it clearly wanted him dead. Here, he was isolated, the enemy was hidden while he was exposed, and reinforcements could arrive at any moment. To flee was safest.

But Li Huichuan, as an elder swordmaster of Lizhou, was no weakling. If they ran, he couldn't fly—Bu Yuehua carrying him would be caught. Once caught, turning to fight back would be far harder.

After brief deliberation, Xie Jinhuan silently tilted his head toward the side, signaling for a swift, decisive strike.

Bu Yuehua, a seasoned veteran, understood without words. Her body became a boneless wraith, gliding along the frozen ice river toward the right.

Ssshh—

Li Huichuan, though aged, was no fool. The moment they moved, his gaze snapped to their positions, his three-foot sword rising:

Ssshh—

Boom—

A chilling sword qi shattered the ice, tearing a ten-foot-wide gap through the swirling mist, straight toward Xie Jinhuan's position.

Simultaneously, Xie Jinhuan exploded forward in a sudden assault. Mid-stride, he raised the Minglong Spear, every muscle tensing, roaring with thunderous force:

"Hah—!"

The nine-foot Minglong Spear was hurled forward. The violent wind it unleashed shattered the ice beneath, forming a tornado of raging poison mist and shattered ice, carving a spiral path through the mist, striking Li Huichuan over fifty zhang away!

Boom—

This spear strike was a killing technique from the outset, amplified by Xie Jinhuan's inhuman physique—its power rivaled that of an ordinary Super Rank.

Li Huichuan's eyes flickered with shock—but he did not dodge. Instead, he raised his left hand; his spiritual energy instantly solidified into tangible form!

Chik—

The unstoppable Minglong Spear struck the invisible spiritual energy—and lodged like a nail driven into an invisible wall.

The spear shaft halted, violently trembling—but penetrated no more than two inches. The contained qi exploded outward, sweeping past Li Huichuan, instantly shattering the ice river and sending up a storm of flying water.

Boom—

And Xie Jinhuan knew it was hard to break through Super Rank's defense; as soon as his spear launched, he surged forward with full force, nearly chasing the Minglong Spear, and in the instant the spear stalled, he slammed out a single palm like a celestial dragon spreading its claws, striking the spear's tail.

Thud—

Under the heavy impact, the Minglong Spear pierced another two feet or more, punching through the protective aura and stabbing right before Li Huaichuan's palm!

But Li Huaichuan didn't stand there passively taking the blow; his movements flashed like thunder—he seized the spear shaft with his left hand, and his sword, Tingxue, swept forward in a tide of blades, drenching Xie Jinhuan's entire body.

Sssss—

The sword strikes rang like a hundred birds singing in unison; in the wind and snow, a thousand sword shadows suddenly appeared!

Xie Jinhuan stood more than ten feet away; even with his physique pushed to its absolute limit, facing this utterly unreasonable realm suppression, he felt the helplessness of gazing at the vast ocean.

But he made no attempt to block the attack—only reached his right hand toward the Tiangang Iron Club.

Li Huaichuan saw this youth, faced with a killing blow, not dodge but stand there foolishly fumbling for his weapon; a sneer rose in his heart—this is what calls itself the strongest Rank One martial cultivator…

But at that very moment, a silver lightning bolt flashed suddenly through the churning mist sea:

Sss—

(End of Chapter)