Chapter 77

Jumping down would most likely mean death; not jumping meant certain death. The choice wasn't that hard.

"Want to fight for your life? Sword-Removing Stance!"

Everyone saw Jiang Sishui's wrist flick. He wasn't gripping the hilt, yet the longsword, driven by a sticky force, flipped around his wrist like a butterfly or sparrow circling.

Immediately after, Jiang Sishui flicked his hand and threw it.

"Go to hell!"

The longsword instantly left his hand and flew out, sweeping in from the side along a half-arc trajectory. Its own weight combined with the force of Jiang Sishui's throw made its speed as fast as rolling thunder.

Duan Yanqing raised his staff to block, but the sword tip suddenly spat out a two-foot-long sword aura that sliced across his neck, bringing a spray of scalding fresh blood.

Right after, the longsword, like a boomerang, returned to Jiang Sishui's hand.

This sword technique could be called dazzlingly brilliant; pity that, blocked by the cliff face, no one could see the whole process.

Still, seeing Jiang Sishui toss out a sword and catch it back was already godlike skill. Many swordsmen were startled, and at the same time secretly admired him.

By the time Jiang Sishui hurried back, the battle was already over.

Suxinghe stood before Ding Chunqiu's corpse, examining a flat little case, seven inches long and three inches thick, that had rolled out from the latter's sleeve.

It was the needle case of the "Blossoming Rainstorm Needles."

084 — Poaching in Plain Sight, Keep Your Hat On

Ding Chunqiu was dead; a long-held wish of many years had been fulfilled. Suxinghe's old tears streamed down, and he simply could not stop them.

The "Eight Friends of Hangu" behind him offered comfort one after another.

Jiang Sishui glanced at the needle case of the "Blossoming Rainstorm Needles," then looked away.

This kind of hidden weapon was one-use only—spent and done for once used. Getting the case was useless, and Jiang Sishui didn't press the matter.

Then, under the gaze of everyone, he looked at Murong Fu again.

The eyes of the heroes shifted between the two, wanting to see how Jiang Sishui would deal with this "Southern Murong."

Would he kill him too?

Given the ruthless, vicious streak Jiang Sishui had just shown, that possibility was really not small!

Murong Fu did not flee.

For him, slinking away in disgrace was even more unbearable than taking his life.

He would rather die under Jiang Sishui's sword than be a stray dog being chased off.

Therefore, after the joint defeat with Ju Mo Zhi, Murong Fu stood there in a daze for a while. No matter how the Four Great Retainers tried to persuade him, he would not heed their advice to slip away amid the chaos.

Seeing Jiang Sishui look his way now, Murong Fu suppressed the turmoil inside and said, "Brother Jiang's Sword Technique is divine; I am ashamed to admit I am not your equal."

Jiang Sishui truly had no intention of killing Murong Fu; if he wanted to kill him, he would have done so long ago.

A mere Murong Fu was nothing, but on him still hung Wang Yuyan and Ah Zhu and Ah Bi.

If Murong Fu died under his sword, his relationship with the three women would plunge to freezing point, and if he wanted anything to happen between them afterward, he could only resort to force.

Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to do that.

Besides, Murong Fu was not a rootless duckweed; there were people behind him.

The scheming old fox Murong Bo?

Jiang Sishui was not afraid.

What he did fear was Murong Longcheng, who might still be alive!

Murong Longcheng was a figure from roughly the same era as Duan Siping, and in the background of "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils," both great masters had been invincible in their time.

Duan Siping could found the Dali Kingdom and create the "Six-Meridian Divine Sword," hailed as the "First Sword Technique under Heaven"—he was unquestionably a Celestial Being.

Then Murong Longcheng, who stood shoulder to shoulder with him, could not possibly be merely a Grand Master.

And a Celestial Being has a basic lifespan of a full two hundred years!

If neither had met with mishap, they would undoubtedly both be alive to this day.

So Jiang Sishui was temporarily unwilling to forge an irreconcilable enmity with the Murong family; otherwise things could get very troublesome.

He himself had the "Sun Shadow Golden Wheel," but his women (chdh) did not.

Considering these two points, Jiang Sishui decided to spare Murong Fu this time.

But letting him off scot-free was also a pity.

So Jiang Sishui looked at Ah Bi and said, "We of the Xiaoyao Sect are indebted for the Murong family's care of Ah Bi over the years, and naturally should return the courtesy. If there's nothing else, Young Master Murong, please be on your way."

Ah Bi? Return the courtesy?

Murong Fu was no fool; he caught the hidden meaning at once.

The other layer of meaning in those words was: I'm sparing you for Ah Bi's sake, so the Murong family's kindness to Ah Bi is hereby canceled out—neither side owes the other anything.

Realizing he had to rely on a maidservant to save his life, Murong Fu, whose pride was extremely strong, immediately could not bear it; his face flushed bright red.

Ah Bi also stood to the side at a loss, her eyes pitifully turning to Wang Yuyan and Ah Zhu.

But how could the two women possibly speak up?

In their view, Jiang Sishui sparing Murong Fu was already a heaven-sent blessing. Endure it and it would pass. If they rushed in babbling and annoyed him into changing his mind, what then?

So both women kept silent.

In the end, Murong Fu still forcibly suppressed his anger, clasped his fist in a forceful bow, and said coldly, "The Murongs of Gusu take their leave!"

Having spoken, he turned and led the Four Great Retainers away.

Wang Yuyan grew anxious at once, wondering what excuse she could use to stay, when she suddenly heard Jiang Sishui say, "You must be Miss Wang Yuyan? Please hold a moment."

Hearing Jiang Sishui call out to her, Wang Yuyan's heart leapt with joy. She obediently stopped, turned to look at Jiang Sishui, her eyes questioning.

Jiang Sishui said frankly, "There is an elder who shares a deep bond with Miss Wang—blood thicker than water. Please stay, Miss Wang, and go to see him one last time."

A bond? Blood thicker than water? One last time?

Wang Yuyan's heart gave a jolt.

The first person she thought of was Wu Wu Ya Zi, after all the previous diary had already revealed some kind of connection between them.

Blood is thicker than water… could they actually be blood relatives?

Murong Fu, who had not walked far, slowed his steps.

As for Jiang Sishui's "ghost talk," he didn't believe a single word of it, assuming the other party had taken a fancy to his fair and lovely cousin and wanted to keep her, and he was furious in his heart.

What made him even angrier was that he had fully expected his cousin to refuse outright, but to his surprise she actually took Jiang Sishui's one-sided story at face value and truly stayed.

Even Ah Zhu stayed behind to keep her company!

Murong Fu blazed with rage, so angry his heart and liver were trembling, his gaze turning vicious for a moment, before he finally gave a cold snort and swept his sleeves and left.

Just three women, hardly worth mentioning!

The four great retainers exchanged glances, but none dared speak, and followed behind.

Jiang Sishui was somewhat surprised that he had so easily kept Wang Yuyan, but didn't think much of it.

He had long since seen that this Wang Yuyan before him differed quite a bit from the one in the original work, so he could not judge her by the character impression from the original.

Then, Jiang Sishui looked around and said to the gathered heroes: "Thanks to all the heroes from every quarter for braving the long journey to attend upon invitation; the Xiaoyao Sect is grateful."

The heroes all responded with polite words.

At the same time, they also knew Jiang Sishui's words carried the meaning of seeing guests off, so they rose one after another to take their leave.

Tang Bohu scampered over to bid Jiang Sishui farewell: "Brother Jiang, when you have time, come to my Tang residence as a guest. This little brother will certainly lay on eighteen grand banquets to welcome Brother Jiang and wash away his travel fatigue."

Eighteen grand banquets?

Then you'd probably be sold by the pound by your eight wives!

Jiang Sishui muttered a complaint in his heart and casually agreed.

With no more excitement to watch, the crowd dispersed quickly.

Suddenly Jiang Sishui heard true qi transmitted into his ear: "Boy, I'll be staying at the foot of the mountain for two days."

Jiang Sishui recognized it as Huang Yaoshi's voice and immediately turned his head to look, only to see him already drifting away with his wife and daughter.

"Good that you're here, no rush, no rush, wait a moment longer, there has to be an order."

Thinking this in his heart, his eyes once again uncontrollably drifted toward Wang Yuyan and Ah Zhu and Ah Bi.

Beautiful!

Too beautiful!

So beautiful one could hardly look away.

Watching up close, one could all the more feel the three women's city-toppling beauty.

Just standing there as they did, they were the most gorgeous sight to behold.

Over on the other side, Zhao Qiying said something to Zhao Tianhao, and the latter took Zhao Mengjiao and went down the mountain.