Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 267 - 234 Jianghu Perils, Demoness Warns

Chapter 267: Chapter 234 Jianghu Perils, Demoness Warns

"What’s wrong?"

Lin Huaiyu didn’t know why Zhou Ping’an had withdrawn at the last moment with his blade sheathed.

But she was aware of the man’s character, that in whatever he did, he would never act without purpose.

There naturally was a reason to retreat.

"There’s a big one, can’t kill."

Zhou Ping’an whispered.

Just when he had caught up at the edge of the forest, he was about to strike with his blade and decapitate with one swing.

Suddenly, a thrill surged from within his soul.

That piercingly sharp murderous intent felt almost like someone was randomly jabbing a needle into his body.

With such a sensation.

How could he not understand what was happening?

The moon was dark and the wind high.

The wilderness silent.

It was a good time to kill.

Of course, it was also a good time to be killed.

As one drifts in Jianghu.

How could one not be cut by a blade?

If he could kill others, naturally others could kill him too.

Therefore, in a flash, he pulled Lin Huaiyu back ten zhang until he felt that the threat looming over him had diminished quite a bit before he looked ominously into the depths of the forest.

Even with his keen vision, he could not see through the trees to make out anything inside.

In fact, he couldn’t hear a single sound.

It was as if Fang Yu had fled into the forest and then into another space entirely, no longer present here.

Zhou Ping’an sighed quietly, then suddenly turned to look beside him, "Miss Ye, do you really enjoy hide and seek that much? Or, is it to cover for the assassin’s escape?"

No sooner had his voice fallen.

Behind him, a shadowy figure emerged from behind a willow tree.

That was a charming young lady with a slender and graceful figure, smiling sweetly.

Zhou Ping’an’s long blade rested behind his elbow, his True Qi subtly stirring.

He knew that although this woman always wore a friendly smile and seemed very approachable...

It was just her customary exterior.

No one knew what she was thinking on the inside.

And her hand was not soft at all...

Don’t see how friendly she called her senior brother the other day,

ready to turn on you and strike without a moment’s hesitation.

"How did you find me?"

Ye Xiaoqian looked at Zhou Ping’an, quite fascinated, her gaze then swept past the very alert Lin Huaiyu, and suddenly she chuckled, "I just wanted to see the spectacle of fratricide within your Cloud Water Sect, but unexpectedly, I was discovered.

However, Senior Brother Zhou turning on me so quickly is something I didn’t foresee."

"Don’t wrongly call me Senior Brother; you’re older than him," Lin Huaiyu suddenly spoke.

"Oh ho ho, then it’s Junior Brother Zhou."

Even when Ye Xiaoqian was coughed at, she didn’t seem angry and looked curiously at Lin Huaiyu with a strange smile.

"I’m just curious about how you two deceived the Master of Emerald Peak and got her to take you in as close disciples and devotedly teach you?"

Zhou Ping’an shook his head, "What’s the need for deception? We both come from a clear background with extraordinary talents. We are already established on the Wave Subduing Blade Technique, and it’s only natural for us to join the Emerald Peak of Cloud Water Sect. What’s there to be surprised about?"

"But Miss Ye, why are you not in bed in the middle of the night, beside this wilderness forest; could it be that you’re planning to meet a lover secretly?

We’re all so familiar with each other, no need to be a stranger, just call him out so we can meet him."

"Shut your mouth."

The false smile on Ye Xiaoqian’s face could no longer be maintained.

She appeared in front of Zhou Ping’an almost instantly, a short sword protruding from her sleeve, its light glittering like stars suddenly bursting forth, thrusting toward both Zhou Ping’an and Lin Huaiyu.

The sword quivered, casting shadows of black and white light, whirling and howling, making the actual landing spot indiscernible.

It was as if she had split into two, attacking simultaneously.

And in the eyes of both Zhou Ping’an and Lin Huaiyu,

the true target of her attack was just oneself.

[Yin Yang Life and Death Illusion]

Zhou Ping’an thought of the books he had read in the past few days, describing various sword techniques of the Reincarnation Sect.

He realized that Ye Xiaoqian’s approach was not to overpower but to preempt with her moves.

Mostly probing, the killing intent was not very evident.

But in the world, probing could indeed turn real at anytime.

What if, when you kick out, you find you have kicked cotton?

Then you don’t hold back at all.

"Pff pff..."

Two soft sounds.

Zhou Ping’an’s spirit was as calm as water, and his Sword Qi was also like water.

Clearly reflecting the trajectory of the short sword as it approached his chest.

Cang Yue’s blade pivoted with his wrist like a blooming flower, a point of blade light already touching the edge of the sword.

A dull thud ensued.

At the same time, a gentle, yet extremely fine Sword Qi rebounded from the point of contact, piling up endlessly.

"Eh..."

Zhou Ping’an clearly sensed that this was the Third Miss’ Sword Qi.

A short distance away, Lin Huaiyu let out a light sigh, her figure drifting back several feet.

She too had realized.

The sword strike she received was Zhou Ping’an’s Nine Turns Soft Strength.

That Soft Strength was as gentle as water, yet as sharp as a needle.

Upon contact, it seemed to come to life, burrowing directly into her meridians.

Extremely troublesome.

"What a move, the Yin Yang Life and Death Illusion Technique, that can even lead our Sword Qi, indescribably clever. Now take my strike..."

It’s only proper to reciprocate.

Zhou Ping’an cried out as he withdrew his blade.

He stepped forward.

The air in front of him was displaced, creating a thunderous roar.

One hand held the sheath, the other on the hilt, as he moved sideways in a swift lunge, and suddenly, lightning lit up the night sky.

Zzzt...

A ribbon-like blade light, turning into a crescent moon, flashed and vanished.

A deep gash appeared in the ground.

Ye Xiaoqian, as if tethered by a rope, flew backward ten zhang.

The short sword in her hand vibrated with a hum.

Upon lowering her gaze, she saw in the dim moonlight that her short sword, which shone bright as water, had developed a crack the size of a rice grain.

Her eyebrows twitched wildly with heartache.

"Such a good blade, and yet it damaged my Soft Water Sword."

Of course, that was her not accepting defeat graciously.

She had tested her opponent with her technique, only to be repelled ten feet by a single strike of his blade.

The difference in skill was painfully clear.

Furthermore, she knew that the man, who had been hiding his various techniques, still had the ability to perform ’Life-Death Conversion.’

This technique of alternating vitality and deathly energy was something she hadn’t even mastered; she knew all too well the difficulty it entailed.

’Which one of the uncles or senior masters has passed down such a fiendishly talented disciple? To infiltrate the Cloud Water Heavenly Sect as a sleeper agent and gain their trust.’

If she disrupted his plans, would the old monsters of the sect join forces to trouble her?

Thinking this, Ye Xiaoqian couldn’t help but feel a chill on her back, and her glance towards Lin Huaiyu grew even stranger.

This foolish girl.

She probably still believes that this is a dear Senior Brother she can trust and rely on.

And she had no idea that he could be a spy of the dao-ranking from my Reincarnation Heaven Sect.

I’m truly looking forward to seeing her cry and wail when she discovers the truth...

"What now, do you want to fight again? Let’s see whether it’s the swordsmanship of your Reincarnation Sect that’s profound, or if the sword techniques of the Cloud Water Sect are stronger?"

Zhou Ping’an’s slash was powerful, utilizing almost all his True Qi and physical strength, sparing only the "Pure World Red Lotus Body."

And this strike, delivered with the technique of concealing his power within the blade, was as fast as lightning.

But unexpectedly, his opponent easily parried it, moving with ease; her use of the Reincarnation Sword Technique was even more seasoned and cunning than Fang Yu, the true successor, when facing an enemy before.

’If she wants to leave, unless I expose all my trump cards, I simply won’t be able to stop her.

And furthermore, I have to worry about that Granny Pan with the dragon-headed cane.’

Thinking of the old crone he had met that day,

Zhou Ping’an was devoid of all emotion.

And it was out of the question for him to expose his fourth level "Purifying Lotus Body" in this situation.

"What fight?"

Ye Xiaoqian acted as if she hadn’t lifted a finger just now, carefully tucking the short sword into her sleeve, and said irritably, "You have the advantage now with two against one. How boring.

Next time, when Junior Brother Zhou is alone, we’ll have a proper contest again."

She said these words, but what Ye Xiaoqian truly thought, she would never show.

Yet, the teasing look in her eyes already betrayed her.

Zhou Ping’an always felt that this demoness harbored some wicked schemes in her heart.

But he had no evidence to prove it.

"That would be great, Miss Ye. I’ve always wanted to witness your Life and Death Reincarnation Sword. When I reach the Gang Qi Realm, I’ll seek your guidance then."

Zhou Ping’an’s remark was a reminder to her.

He was still in the True Qi Realm. If she, who was in the External Power Realm, couldn’t gain the upper hand against someone who had just entered the True Qi Realm, what shame would it be to contend when the advantage in cultivation was lost?

Ye Xiaoqian, pretending not to grasp the implication of his words, turned around, stepping on tips of the grass, and with fluttering sleeves, headed towards the woods on the other side, walking along the tree tops.

A faint voice came from afar: "Jianghu is perilous, and the road ahead is long. You two better focus on staying alive for now, because not everyone will be as easy to talk to as I am."

Zhou Ping’an silently watched the yellow figure disappear into the distance.

He exchanged a glance with Lin Huaiyu, then without any further hesitation, he moved quickly toward the inn.

There was no need to ponder Ye Xiaoqian’s true intentions.

Zhou Ping’an knew that ever since the appearance of this Demoness from the Demonic Sect, the vague sense of crisis that had loomed over him had quietly faded away without a trace.

As for the meaning behind the demoness’s last words?

All had been made clear.

The road ahead was long, and there were still people eyeing the pair of them.

To walk slowly might make escape very difficult.

As a Demonic Sect enchantress, the words she spoke were naturally likely to be false, but it couldn’t be ruled out that they were true.

True and false, false and true, who could really tell them apart?

Zhou Ping’an could.

Under his soul reflection, his intuition sensed that Ye Xiaoqian, although speaking as if in jest, was in fact conveying some kind of information.

What was most outrageous was,

this Demonic Sect enchantress not only bore no malice towards him.

On the contrary, from the deepest part of her emotions, she revealed traces of goodwill.

’Could she really have misunderstood something?’

Zhou Ping’an felt slightly amused at heart, but while his mind was busy with thoughts, he didn’t delay any time.

Returning to the inn,

they saw all the guests had come out.

Seeing Zhou Ping’an and Lin Huaiyu returning, everyone trembled with alarm, their looks towards the two of them filled with a hint of trepidation.

The shock of the clashes of Vigorous Qi had demolished half of the third floor of the inn.

Bricks, tiles, beams, and timbers were all shattered into dust and fragments, scattering like rain.

Such might,

in the small area of Wangshu Town, was simply terrifying, like a prehistoric crocodile had run amok in a tiny village.

If one of them decided to take offence at someone,

and started a massacre,

wouldn’t that be a dead end?

Therefore, not only did the innkeeper and the attendants all bow their heads and hang back meekly,

the other residents also hurried to get out of the way, not even daring to flee?

The fight earlier had terrified these people.

"Our small establishment is weak and provided poor protection, causing disturbance to the honored guests’ rest. Please forgive us; we’ll arrange another room right away..."

The innkeeper hurriedly came forward to apologize.

"It’s not your fault; rather, it’s that your inn’s building was damaged."

Zhou Ping’an reached into his bosom, pulled out a few Gold Leaves, flicked them with his finger, embedding them into the wooden table, and said with a smile, "We’re setting off now. Here’s some money for the damaged rooms, use it for repairs.

Besides, keep your mouths tight and don’t go spreading the word...

We have nothing to fear, but I worry that if you talk too much, the assassins’ anger might be transferred to you, and that wouldn’t be good."

"Thank you, thank you, young hero."

The innkeeper thanked him profusely.

These Gold Leaves were quite substantial, worth dozens of taels of silver when converted. Bricks and tiles weren’t worth much; this was more than enough to repair a couple of rooms.

At once, a stable boy tasked with tending horses led the animals over.

Zhou Ping’an and his companion mounted their horses, circulated a trace of True Qi, stimulated the horses’ Qi-Blood, and under the gentle moonlight took to the main road, galloping away.

They had to run.

The Demonic Sect enchantress had made it very obvious.

Better safe than sorry.

The Jianghu is perilous; sometimes, one really has to believe in the supernatural.

...

Requesting for Monthly Pass.