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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nChapter 12 Xiao He

nIt had been two years.

nJing Jiu had to eat a meal of hotpot whenever they came to a new city.

nZhao Layue didn’t ask, though it didn’t mean she hadn’t wondered about it.

nJing Jiu didn’t answered her questions.

nIt was because Jing Jiu still wasn’t sure his coming to the hotpot restaurant was to see that person or just a habit.

nSuddenly, a piece of music rang out, sounding like the ding-dong sound of spring water falling into the ears and onto the heart, extraordinarily crisp and clean.

nThe music was incredibly beautiful. Yet this was a hotpot restaurant; such music wasn’t suitable for this place, not even for the private room where Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue were sitting.

nJing Jiu put on the conical hat.

nZhao Layue also took her conical hat and put it on.

nAfter having passed Yizhou, they began traveling at a slower place, so the covers on their heads changed from gray cloths back into the conical hats.

nAll those who saw their faces later were dead, so the pictures drawn by the Pure Heaven Bureau still showed how they looked in the Precious-Tree House.

nThe door to their private room was pushed open, after which there was the sound of a faint gasp.

nA young girl stood by the door holding a lute; her figure was small and slim, and the plain colored clothes on her looked baggy, and a white jasmine flower was inserted in the side of her hair, all looking austere.

nZhao Layue recalled the scene where she tried on the Senior Grandmaster Jing Yang’s robe when she was on Shenmo Peak, so she put down a few coins on the table.

nThe young girl hesitated, and walked over to the table to pick up the coins. “Some people are planning to harm you two, so please be careful,” she said quickly in a low voice.

n“Lift your head,” Zhao Layue said.

nThe young girl was startled a bit, and raised her head as told, exposing a pretty small face with eyes of feeble expression; it was cute and adorable.

n“A vixen demon,” said Zhao Layue.

n“Why do you curse me?” asked the young girl with tears in her eyes and a red face.

nJing Jiu said, “You are indeed a vixen demon.”

nJing Jiu and Zhao Layue were not cursing her.

nThe young girl realized her true identity had been discovered.

n“Where did two such immortal masters come from? How could you recognize my true identity?”

nHer small face expressed slight fear, the jasmine flower trembling on her head, her eyes appearing even more delicate.

nShe had practiced according to a secret method; even the swordsmen of the State of Free Travel couldn’t recognize her true identity. She didn’t expect that Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue would be able to recognize her with but one glimpse.

nWhat she didn’t know was that Zhao Layue practiced the Tempered Will of the Sword, so her eyesight was many times sharper than the practitioners in the same state, even more sore than Jing Jiu, whose eyesight was shaper than anybody else’s.

n“I didn’t expect Xiao He of Ying City to be a demon practitioner,” Zhao Layue said.

nShe and Jing Jiu had traveled for two years, so they learned some information about the Cultivation circle, even though they didn’t have many contacts with other people.

nThis young girl was named Xiao He, a famous female practitioner in Ying City, infamous for mercilessly attacking when required.

nTwo years ago, the young master of the Sect of Three humiliated her verbally, and she therefore poisoned him

nHaving heard use her real name, Xiao He didn’t try to hide herself anymore, kneeling down with her head touching the ground in front of Jing Jiu and Zhao Layue.

n“If two immortal masters didn’t kill those thugs of the Sect of Three, they would still be chasing me down. I’m a demon practitioner who isn’t protected by any sect, so I had no way of defending myself should the Sect Master of the Sect of Three come in person, or if a disciple of Kunlun Sect came after me. I’ve come here to warn you in order to pay my gratitude to two immortal masters.”

n“Who?” asked Zhao Layue.

n“It’s the Pure Heaven Bureau. Since the Four-Seas Banquet was to take place, many practitioners like the Elder of Kunlun, the swordsmen of the Great Marsh, the achieved monks of the Fruit Formation Temple, and the immortal masters of Green Mountain are here for the banquet and also involved in the plan of catching you two,” said Xiao He.

n“How do you know it’s us?” Zhao Layue asked.

nXiao He said nervously, “I can’t tell you. Please don’t ask more questions.”

nThe room grew quiet.

nThe hotpot soup was boiling, and bubbling could be heard.

nXiao He was worried, saying, “Though you two immortal masters have strong magic powers, your enemies outnumber you, so you’d better not stay in Haizhou.”

nZhao Layue looked at Jing Jiu, asking, “Kill them?”

n“That is up to you,” said Jing Jiu.

nXiao He looked innocent with her wide-open eyes.

nShe realized after a moment what they were talking about, beginning to panic as she became misty-eyed; she looked quite pitiable.

n“She looks worthy of pity,” said Zhao Layue. “What about bringing her to the peak guard as a partner?”

n“He might be bitten to death,” Jing Jiu said.

n“Forget it then. You can go now,” said Zhao Layue.

nXiao He had seen many kinds of people, but had never seen such strange beings as these; she dared not stay for one more second, leaving with her lute immediately.

nA plate of mussels and a plate of snails were added into the hotpot, bringing calm to the boiling broth.

nZhao Layue gazed through the window outside.

nThe sunset grew redder. Suddenly, a huge shadow glided over from the ocean.

nThe huge shadow in the sky was a flying whale shuttling among the clouds.

nAlong with a deep and dazzling shriek, the flying whale spewed out a large quantity of ocean water that fell down like the raindrops.

nAt the end of winter, Haizhou City received a spring rain.

nA rainbow emerged by the edge of the sunset, looking spectacular.

nCheers resonated in Haizhou City.

nThis was part of the grandiose ceremony held by Western Ocean to welcome the practitioners from faraway places to participate in the Four-Seas Banquet.

nLooking at the rainy sky, Zhao Layue asked, “Do we identify ourselves?”

nIt took two years to get here; so she knew Jing Jiu wouldn’t leave here before seeing that person.

nIt was time to reveal their identities! Since the Inherited Sword Competition would take place soon, they had to return to the Green Mountain.

n“Wait a little bit,” said Jing Jiu.

nZhao Layue returned her gaze from outside to Jing Jiu, and asked with a serious tone, “How are we going to fight?”

nThey had been purging demons and killing evildoers along the way, but their seemingly aggressive acts were actually quite measured.

nThe demons and opponents Zhao Layue encountered, or chosen by Jing Jiu for her, to be precise, were usually lower than her in the Cultivation state.

nIn other words, they had chosen those they were capable of killing.

nZhao Layue had wondered, “Would it make me stronger and better if I challenged a stronger opponent?”

nJing Jiu’s answer was: “One really can’t get stronger if they die in the first sword fight.”

nHaizhou City nowadays gathered a great number of Cultivation swordsmen because of the Four-Seas Banquet.

nNo matter how talented they were, since their Cultivation time was short in comparison, it was apparent that they couldn’t win the fight. What should they do then?

n“Have you heard of a sword trick called Coming from the Sky?” asked Jing Jiu while looking at her.

n“No,” said Zhao Layue after some thought.

n…

n…

nWhat should you do when you know a lot of people are looking for you?

nJing Jiu’s method was always straightforward, just like he was when cutting vegetables.

nHe went directly and knocked on their doors.

nBut knocking on the doors of the same sect.

nThe Four-Seas Banquet was to take place soon. The practitioners from many sects were arriving. Though the Immortal House was filled up, the immortal masters of Green Mountain should always have a place there.

nSince the Green Mountain Sect was on good terms with the Great Marsh and the Fruit Formation Temple, their practitioners lived in the same courtyard.

nThe small courtyard was quiet enough, but wasn’t absolutely tranquil.

nBecause of the event anticipated by the Pure Heaven Bureau, the seemingly cheerful Haizhou City was under a lot of pressure, feeling like a big storm coming soon.

nIn fact, Yao Songshan and Zuo Yushi of the Great Marsh were not interested in ambushing those two so-called magic demons.

nFrom their perspective, the demons and humans they had killed all deserved their deaths. In addition, the Cultivation practitioners were the followers of nature who thought life and death as unimportant, so killing was a common activity for them. If the Head Master of Black Dragon Temple killed by those two were not related to a royal empress, how could the Pure Heaven Bureau take it so serious?

nAt this moment, the courtyard door was suddenly pushed open, and two people with the conical hats on their heads walked in.

nZuo Yushi squinted and asked, “Who are you?”

nHe was ready to mount a quick attack as he spoke.

nThe conical hats were not gray cloths, but they could cover the heads and faces.

nYao Songshan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if pulling out a sword, ready to fly at any moment.

nSensing the vibrating Will of Sword from his Senior Master, Lin Yinglang became alert. Seeing these two walking into the courtyard, he was a bit surprised, though not panicked or fearful, gripping the hilt of his sword with his right hand and ready to pull it out as he thought of what gall these two magic demons had to come here; they must have a death wish.

nOne man and one woman? One tall and one short? Looking at these two with the conical hats on, the strange feeling inside Yao Songshan grew stronger and stronger.

nHe didn’t pull out his sword, but asked while staring at them, “Who are you, really?”

nThe woman with a shorter figure stretched her hand out and made two up and down gestures without taking off her conical hat.

nYao Songshan’s expression instantly became a strange one.

nThe old monk of the Fruit Formation Temple recognized them. He knew there was nothing to worry about now, nodding with a smile as salutation, then dragging the excited young monk back to their own room.

nThough Zuo Yushi didn’t know the specifics, he understood what was going on as we his hand with a smile and returned to his own room as well.

nYao Songshan brought them into his own room. Lin Yinglang followed them into the room with a baffled expression on his face, wondering what was going on.

nClosing the door behind him and looking at two of them, Yao Songshan said with a bow, “Greetings, two Senior Masters.”

nLin Yinglang recovered his senses after the initial confusion, almost yelling out.

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