Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 32 Yin Blood Part 2

Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Yin Blood Part 2

On the outskirts of the town, by a segment of broken wall and ruins, Lin Xin, Cheng Ruofei, and Jiang Yue’er walked slowly to the back of a white remnant wall.

The wind howled, as if someone were crying. The waist-high weeds were also blown so fiercely that they bowed their heads.

"Junior Brother Lin," Cheng Ruofei whispered, "to be honest, among this group, the three of us are the only ones who can trust each other right now."

"What do you mean by that?" Lin Xin asked in a low voice.

"You’ve only joined less than two months ago, a new disciple, lacking a lot of information and unlikely to have any scheming. I joined this mission simply because of Yue’er," said Cheng Ruofei calmly. "But do you know why Yue’er joined the mission?"

"What?" Lin Xin felt a shock and had a guess in his mind.

"Kong Yuhui."

Jiang Yue’er opened her mouth to speak, but Cheng Ruofei spoke first.

"Indeed..."

Lin Xin felt more and more that there was something wrong with Kong Yuhui.

"Kong Yuhui took the initiative to find Yue’er, who had always harbored a crush on him, and asked her to accompany him on this task," Cheng Ruofei said coldly. "I’ve always had a bad feeling, and now I finally understand it."

"Understand what?" Lin Xin suddenly noticed that Jiang Yue’er’s face had turned pale.

"They want to gather Yin Blood," Cheng Ruofei said coldly. "And to gather Yin Blood, they need to use the essential blood of at least five Inner Strength experts as fuel!"

Lin Xin was startled.

He suddenly recalled that, back in the room, there hadn’t been a single drop of blood around Shi Kun’s body—everything was clean, as if there was no blood left in his body at all!

"I knew it couldn’t be natural Yin Blood here. It turns out it was condensed from their own bodies!" Cheng Ruofei’s voice grew even colder. "Such a ruthless heart... No wonder Kong Yuhui’s cultivation advanced so quickly after so many missions!"

Thinking back to how Kong Yuhui, Ouyang Qing, and Zhou Jing from the Golden Jade Sect all seemed to be in tacit understanding, it was clear that all three might be in the know.

"Then why should I trust you two?" Lin Xin came back to his senses and looked at the two girls before him.

"Yue’er is probably not going to die," Cheng Ruofei said calmly, but her face was somewhat pale. "But you, me, Shi Lei, and the three other than Zhou Jing from the Golden Jade Sect might have more deaths tonight."

Lin Xin suddenly remembered Ouyang Qing from the previous night, who was bizarre.

"From now on, we must stay together at all times, band together, or else the next to die will be us!" Cheng Ruofei seemed to know a lot.

"Can you tell me why there are all kinds of strange occurrences all over this town?" Lin Xin asked. "The first night, I saw a ghastly pale face; the second night, I saw Ouyang Qing, who led the way for me but nearly... Tonight is the third night."

"You’ve already encountered them? This town died out thirty years ago, and with their conspiracy to kill so many disciples, they’ve gathered the blood to use for themselves. The resentment generated is enough to shroud the entire town," Cheng Ruofei took a deep breath and spoke softly. "Weird incidents have often occurred here in the past. Just remember one thing, after dark, don’t trust anyone."

"Don’t trust anyone?" Lin Xin didn’t know why, but he felt a tingle in his heart. "Why?"

Cheng Ruofei wore a green dress with little puffs like bubble sleeves on her shoulders that seemed to be for decoration.

She looked around cautiously before slipping a finger into a small pouch on the left side and pulling out a piece of white Talisman Paper.

"Here, take this. You didn’t prepare anything, and if you go back, you will need to return this, remember," she said.

"What’s this?" Lin Xin took the Talisman Paper and saw that it was covered with dense, tadpole-like black characters that gave him a dizzying illusion, making everything blurry and unclear.

"Resentment Talisman. If any abnormality comes within three meters of you, this talisman will automatically ignite, though it won’t produce a flame; it’s very discrete. You can use it to judge and identify situations," explained Cheng Ruofei. "Actually, our Four Sects, including many other sects, rely on such external tools to survive the endless strangeness of this world and to keep peace in their domain. You’ll need to prepare more for such things in the future when you’re on missions."

Lin Xin carefully stored the talisman away, feeling a touch of goodwill towards Cheng Ruofei. "Thank you."

"No need, helping you is also helping ourselves. Also, that talisman is worth two pieces of Jade Money, don’t forget to pay me back," Cheng Ruofei said, managing a rare smile.

She looked very gentle, like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, with shoulder-length black hair adorned with a six-petal flower woven from white feathers.

She had porcelain doll-like fair skin, and although her features were not very beautiful, she was very endearing.

But when she actually spoke, she gave off a gentle yet composed temperament.

"No, I don’t believe Brother Kong would harm us!" At this moment, Jiang Yue’er, who had remained quiet, suddenly spoke up, shaking her head vigorously.

"Don’t rush into conclusions. We will know the real situation later; right now, the key is to make sure we survive!" Cheng Ruofei said calmly.

"What should we do?" Lin Xin asked in a low voice, feeling that something was not right about this place and, with Cheng Ruofei knowing so much, he simply asked her directly.

"First, we must... move in together!" Cheng Ruofei declared to Lin Xin, speaking deliberately and pausing between words.

Lin Xin and Jiang Yue’er both were taken aback.

********************

In the dilapidated bedroom.

Wisps of grey-white smoke slowly wafted from a yellowish-brown incense stick in the burner, rising straight up, growing lighter and lighter until they gradually dissipated into the room’s atmosphere.

By the table where the incense burner was placed sat a woman in green clothing, her face partially concealed by a veil. Her white veil fluttered slightly with each breath, revealing her to be Ouyang Qing, who had returned to her room.

She sat upright by the table, her hand resting on the hilt of the longsword, seemingly meditating with closed eyes.

"Kong Yuhui seems to have noticed something," suddenly, a man’s voice echoed in her ear.

"So what?" Ouyang Qing was unconcerned, "With you and me joining forces, is Kong Yuhui really a concern?"

"He probably has some tricks up his sleeve," the man’s voice was low and grave.

"It’s nothing but the Yin Blood Formation and a few of his minions. How far can a mere Second Layer struggle?" Ouyang Qing remained calm, "The real trouble is this town, the resentment is growing heavier."

"We’ll leave immediately after we’re done with our business, no need to wait for the Yin Blood Birds to show up," the man replied.

"Leave early?"

"Leave early."

Upon hearing this, Ouyang Qing fell silent for a moment.

"Fine."

"There’s another thing, those three youngsters have moved in together. Should you handle it, or should I?" the man said indifferently.

Ouyang Qing’s eyelids drooped.

"I will. Killing them could also yield three drops of Yin Blood."

******************

Lin Xin, Cheng Ruofei, and Jiang Yue’er had packed up everything in the room and chosen another vacant dwelling in the courtyard to move into together.

The three of them were divided into two rooms next to each other, with a naturally installed partition door in the wall between that could be opened or closed to allow internal access without using the main door.

After tidying up the rooms and putting their belongings in place, the three of them fetched water to wash off the sweat and dust.

"The water is almost gone."

While resting in Lin Xin’s room, Cheng Ruofei spoke in a low voice.

"Where’s Jiang Yue’er?" Lin Xin asked, noticing she was alone.

"She’s gone to rest," Cheng Ruofei shook her head slightly, indicating helplessness, "All three of us only possess the First Layer Return to Origin technique. Facing any of Kong Yuhui, Ouyang Qing, or Zhou Jing directly, any one of them could kill us easily, even if all three of us teamed up. Lacking actual combat experience, we might not necessarily match them."

"Jiang Yue’er is of a different status, so you’re hoping to leverage that to make those three wary of acting against us?" Lin Xin was beginning to understand her point.

"If only it were that easy. If they really cared about Yue’er’s background, Kong Yuhui wouldn’t have gone out of his way to invite her specifically," Cheng Ruofei was still helpless.

Lin Xin didn’t respond, remembering how the previous night he had fended off a Corpse Monkey, which reportedly not even a Second Layer Return to Origin practitioner with explosive power could defeat. Clearly, the Solar Yang Talisman Sword’s power was sufficient to deal with someone of not just the Second, but potentially the Third Layer Return to Origin expertise.

However, due to the differences in Inner Strength levels, he wasn’t fast enough to utilize his explosive strength, and the Solar Yang Talisman Sword also wasn’t something that could be used openly. It was best used in a sneak attack or in a decisive, unobserved moment.

Upon mentally gauging the strengths, if an ambush were possible, he felt he had some chance of victory against Kong Yuhui and Ouyang Qing. But that Zhou Jing... his attack speed was too fast. Before he could even see what was happening, Shi Lei had been injured.

"Don’t worry too much; there’s bound to be trouble tonight," Cheng Ruofei whispered, "If their goal is to accumulate Yin Blood, the more people who die, the more Yin Blood they’ll obtain."

"Why don’t we just leave this place and report back to the Sect?" Lin Xin asked.

"Without evidence, no one will do anything to them; it would just reveal us directly. Moreover, leaving here for somewhere else won’t work either. Let’s not even talk about mission issues, right now, the surroundings are surely guarded by Kong Yuhui’s people," Cheng Ruofei shook her head.

"So we just wait here?"

"We’re only hoping to keep ourselves safe."

Lin Xin ceased to argue, but the thought of that red mist made him determined not just to protect himself. The world was too dangerous, and being weak meant constant peril.

"If possible, we might have a slim chance to launch a surprise counterattack against Kong Yuhui," Cheng Ruofei spoke up again, "We might even be able to obtain the Yin Blood they’ve been accumulating."

Lin Xin was taken aback, looking at the girl as if seeing her for the first time.

"They’re forcing my hand!" Cheng Ruofei gritted her teeth, "Trouble is certain tonight, remember, don’t trust anyone!"

Seeing her expression grave, Lin Xin understood the gravity of the situation and, recalling the previous encounter with Ouyang Qing, he nodded emphatically.

"When the time comes, I’ll make the arrangements. If we can survive tonight, we can seek out Ouyang Qing. She’s the only one in the team capable of contending with Kong Yuhui," Cheng Ruofei’s voice gradually lowered.