Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 66 Shu Ruoyun (Part 2)

Chapter 66: Chapter 66 Shu Ruoyun (Part 2)

Lin Xin made his way alone toward Tingjian Valley.

There were not many travelers on the road, occasionally encountering menial workers carrying water up the mountain for cooking.

As he passed through a lush bamboo forest, a tall man in yellow blocked Lin Xin’s path on the mountain trail.

"Lin Xin?" the man asked coldly.

"Yes." Lin Xin stopped, somewhat puzzled. "Who are you?"

"Shu Ruoyun!" The man’s square face remained expressionless. "I’ve come to ask how my cousin died."

"Shu Luoyi?" Lin Xin reacted instantly, surprised that the man had approached so swiftly—it was only his second day back. The news had indeed traveled fast.

"Luoyi’s death is truly regrettable, but there are many complexities involved that can’t be explained in just a few words." His heart raced as he adopted a look of regret and helplessness.

"No matter, come with me. Find a place to explain everything in detail, and my Shu Family will judge for ourselves," Shu Ruoyun said calmly.

Lin Xin dare not go with him. The other had approached him proactively while he was at his weakest and had exhausted all his moves. If something went wrong and the other turned hostile, he would have nowhere to turn.

"Regarding Luoyi’s matter, actually, I wasn’t with them. She and Yu Chang were better at Qinggong than I, and they pursued faster than me. They disappeared in a flash, and I lost them..."

"Are you saying that Luoyi’s death has something to do with Yu Chang?" Shu Ruoyun frowned.

"I’m not saying that. Just that because we got separated, I’m not clear about what happened afterward. An enemy lured me away to another place, and when I returned, I saw them surrounded by wolves... I was also in a panic..."

Lin Xin looked sincere.

He had already noted that the people here were not like those on Earth, who have massive amounts of information from the internet. These people were relatively naïve, having little contact with outsiders and superficial experiences, so their dispositions were generally simpler. In other words, they were easier to fool.

"Then how did you get hold of those things?" Shu Ruoyun didn’t relax and continued to scrutinize Lin Xin.

"I just picked up a bargain...they both were exhausted from the fight..."

"You’re lying!"

With a loud shout, Shu Ruoyun drew his sword and charged forward like an arrow launching from its bow.

His silhouette dragged a faint trail of white Qi in the bamboo forest, emitting a dull howling sound, like a wild bull charging at full speed, wildly and furiously lunging at Lin Xin.

Lin Xin was startled by the sudden attack; a longsword he had just bought leapt from its scabbard, and he unleashed the Flameless Swordsmanship, directing several high-heat air currents at the opponent from three directions.

His technique was still at the mastering phase, which was a flaw in his Attribute Skill—he mastered it quickly, but deeper improvement still required earnest study and comprehension.

He had joined the Sect for such a short time, not even a year, and achieving this level of skill in the Flameless Swordsmanship was already seen as genius by many.

But now, facing Shu Ruoyun without any trump cards, lacking the Luminous Talisman Sword and even the Luminous Talisman Stone and Solar Yang Talisman Sword, he could only rely on his own cultivation to confront his weakness.

Puff.

The hot air currents he created were directly struck and dissipated in the air.

Lin Xin’s blade urgently activated the Yuan Yang Qi Sword; a hot flow wrapped around the blade and met Shu Ruoyun head-on.

As their swords clashed, a spinning force erupted from Shu Ruoyun’s blade, powerful enough to tear apart the hot Qi surrounding the Yuan Yang Qi Sword.

Lin Xin’s expression changed; the Inner Qi force transmitted by the opponent far exceeded his expectations, and even his strongest Yuan Yang Qi Sword was easily torn apart. This was a move he had tested that could withstand a head-on confrontation with the fourth layer of the Return to Origin!

"The power of the Flameless Swordsmanship is impressive, and the tactics are tricky indeed, but alas, they met me." Shu Ruoyun sneered. His Lotus Moon Sword Technique was known for both offense and defense. Although not the strongest in the Innate category, it was a very stable martial arts form, especially resistant to sneaky attacks.

Once the Lotus Moon Sword Technique was deployed, it created a spinning Qi Flow around the body, twisting and turning away any nearby attacks.

With his fifth layer Return to Origin cultivation, even just performing normally was enough to overwhelmingly suppress Lin Xin.

Boom!

The moment their bodies crossed, they were violently repelled. The huge explosion from their colliding Qi also caused Shu Ruoyun to pause momentarily.

Lin Xin knew from the single exchange that he was no match for his opponent. Not only had his Yuan Yang Qi been broken, but to buffer the shock, he had retreated seven steps, whereas the opponent merely staggered and instantly regained composure.

He couldn’t match the opponent in speed, nor could he counter his frontal assaults or defenses; the spinning force could even shred his Qi flows.

Lin Xin felt momentarily at a loss. Additionally, his Inner Qi hadn’t fully recovered and felt unstable; just attempting to gather Qi already caused him slight chest pain.

"Continuing this fight could damage my foundation! No, I must figure out a way!" He thought urgently.

Meanwhile, Shu Ruoyun charged like a wild bull again, his Lotus Moon Sword Technique, originally rumored to be graceful, was being used as aggressively as a bulldozer.

Lin Xin was already considering retreating.

"Don’t you want to know about your sister anymore!?"

He simply did not resist, knowing he could not defeat the other party, and stood still in his original spot.

Sigh....

The tip of Shu Ruoyun’s sword stopped instantly less than a hand’s breadth from his forehead.

This display of control, being able to stop on command, showed that Shu Ruoyun clearly had not exerted all her strength and still had reserves.

"With such meager skills, I doubt you’re capable of harming my cousin. Speak, don’t lie to me again, otherwise, although killing is forbidden, crippling your limbs and ruining your cultivation are still within my power," Shu Ruoyun said coldly.

Lin Xin’s face turned pale, with a cold sweat faintly emerging on his forehead.

"Actually... there are things I just dare not say. That person is someone I truly can’t afford to offend.... After all, I am merely a nominal disciple, the gap between my status and that person’s power is too vast...."

"What do you mean?" There was a flicker in Shu Ruoyun’s eyes.

Lin Xin took a deep breath and lowered his voice.

"Even if I tell you, the Shu Family... it’s pointless. I advise you to just let it go.... Spreading this matter benefits neither you nor me."

Shu Ruoyun’s gaze flickered, clearly thinking about something else.

"You... are you talking about Huang...." He did not finish the name, but the person referred to was already obvious.

Lin Xin quickly interrupted him.

"I didn’t say it, I know nothing about this matter! I just happened upon that person emerging from the wolf pack, and dared not approach, hiding nearby instead, and by chance encountered the severely injured Muluozi, only to stumble upon this fortune...."

"I would say, with your minimal skills, how could you possibly gain such a great reward." Shu Ruoyun gritted his teeth as if he had pieced everything together.

"That guy was sent by them to clear any traces, yes, even the Sword Qi Talisman, which can withstand an Eighth Layer Innate attack, is useless, only that person has the capability to kill and silence...."

The more Shu Ruoyun thought about it, the angrier and more agitated he became.

Listening, Lin Xin’s heart pounded, the Sword Qi Talisman actually being able to withstand an Eighth Layer Innate master’s strike, he indeed had picked up a treasure this time.

"It might not necessarily be the case.... Shu Sister is in possession of a secret treasure, and with the backing of your Shu Family, he shouldn’t be so foolish.... I have met Taoist Priest Huang Songzi; he is a man who despises evil, albeit a bit hot-tempered...."

"Who else could it be!?" Shu Ruoyun became even more convinced of his guess. The more Lin Xin mentioned Huang Songzi’s fiery temper, the more he believed this possibility was substantial, considering cousin Shu Luoyi was somewhat obsessed with obtaining the Human Face Fruit, and once having acquired it, encountering the hot-tempered Huang Songzi demanding it, Luoyi’s temperament was also somewhat explosive, a direct confrontation erupting between them was not unthinkable.

"I think, under the sect’s laws, the Taoist Priest wouldn’t necessarily dare to do such a thing...." Lin Xin whispered softly.

"Dare not? What wouldn’t he dare?! Don’t forget, he dared to attack to kill you in front of brother Zhong Xuan, being that man’s subordinate, not to mention daring to handle the annual deaths from plague in Peacock City, what wouldn’t they dare?!" Shu Ruoyun grew even more certain, after all, with Lin Xin’s displayed ability, he simply didn’t possess the capability to steal treasures or kill to seal lips.

The only possibility, the only one with such capacity, was one person.

"Huang Songzi... damn you, Huang Songzi...."

He lowered the sword pointing at Lin Xin, his chest heaving violently.

"Shu Big Brother, actually... I have had quite a good relationship with Luoyi, and I am deeply saddened by what happened to her," Lin Xin said solemnly. "After all, we have been on missions together for so many days, and we got along quite well. Plus, you know, that man even tried to kill me in front of Master Uncle later on...."

"It hasn’t been easy for you either...." Shu Ruoyun sighed.

Lin Xin also let out a long sigh. He reached into his waist pouch, his heart steeled.

"Shu Big Brother, come with me, I have something to give you."

Shu Ruoyun was startled, not reacting at once, but was pulled by Lin Xin to a secluded part of the bamboo grove.

The two made their way to a secluded area far from the mountain path. He then saw Lin Xin rummaging through his pouch and pulling out something he was very familiar with.

"This... this is...!!"

"This is Luoyi’s Sword Qi Talisman...." Lin Xin said with regret. "When I returned to the scene, I found this among the belongings. I don’t know who the killer is, just thought perhaps we could find a clue from this."

He handed the Sword Qi Talisman to Shu Ruoyun. Although his heart ached, he passed it with a firm movement. This was, after all, the strong trump card of the Eighth Layer Innate....

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