Chapter 11

Upon hearing the惨叫, Jiang Zhwei's body visibly tensed, her sword movements quickening. In just a few strikes, she broke through the opponents' defenses, piercing their temples and cutting short the dying screams of the two black-clothed men.

Awakened by the screams, Meng Qi jumped away from the stone wall without a second thought and ran to the other side of Jiang Zhwei.

Only then did Meng Qi have a moment to wonder why the two black-clothed men, who had been at a stalemate earlier, were so easily defeated by Jiang Zhwei. Had she been holding back before?

Zhang Yuanshan, Zhang Yuan, Qing Jing, and Qi Xia were clearly agitated by the death of Yan Wujang. Their attacks became even more fierce, and in a short span of time, they swept through the black-clothed men, leaving only a few alive.

Qi Xia walked over to Yan Wujang, gazed at him for a moment, and then exhaled deeply, "Yan Xiangzhu has always been afraid of death. Because of Senior 'Feitian Yecha,' we only let him handle minor tasks like guarding the casino. Who would have thought he would be the first to die this time."

Zhang Yuanshan squatted beside Yan Wujang's body, examined the wounds, and felt his nose, confirming his death. His expression turned serious, "He's really dead..."

Qing Jing, Jiang Zhwei, and Meng Qi all wore heavy expressions. "The Lord of the Six Realms" had not deceived them. This was not a game or an illusion. If they died, it would be a true death!

"We can't afford to waste any more time," Qing Jing said, a bit impatiently.

Zhang Yuanshan waved his hand, "Haste makes waste. We need to interrogate the survivors to confirm the information. Moreover, with so many people chasing us, I'm worried the castle lord already knows we're here. The enemies will only get stronger and more numerous, so we need to adjust our plan."

"Qi Xia, I'll leave this to you," he turned to Qi Xia and said.

Qi Xia glanced at Yan Wujang's body, "Senior 'Feitian Yecha' is always protective. Even though Yan Xiangzhu and he had a strained relationship, sigh, who knows what trouble this will cause..."

As she spoke, she walked over to the survivors and used the "Thirteen Soul-Searching Hands" to interrogate them.

"It seems the information we obtained earlier about the Hidden Emperor Castle is correct," Zhang Yuanshan listened to the survivors' statements, confirming the initial intelligence. He then frowned, "Why would the castle lord gather his elite subordinates in the central hall at this time and close the doors, preventing anyone from approaching, leaving these black-clothed men leaderless?"

"Isn't this a good sign? At least before we reach the central hall, we don't have to worry about reinforcements or the castle lord's direct intervention," Qing Jing said, not too concerned.

Qi Zhengyan suddenly interjected, "But we will eventually go to the central hall. If we don't figure out the castle lord's plan, we might suffer a significant loss."

"The key is, can we figure it out now? Or do you have more time to investigate?" Qing Jing looked at the stone wall beside her.

At this moment, everyone stood in the center of the corridor, away from the walls. Meng Qi, one of the two burdens, felt a sense of sorrow at the death of his "fellow" Yan Wujang and was in no mood to speak.

Jiang Zhwei gripped her sword tightly, a drop of blood slowly dripping from the tip, "No more arguments. Follow the original plan and speed up. Regardless of the castle lord's scheme, we must reach the central hall before he acts."

"That's the only way," Zhang Yuanshan stood up abruptly, looking at Qing Jing and Qi Zhengyan, "Let's go."

As they spoke, the three of them lightly touched the ground and walls, swiftly moving through the corridor and quickly disappearing at the fork.

Qi Xia looked at Jiang Zhwei and then at Meng Qi, smiling, "Zhwei, I'm a few years older, so I'll call you Zhwei sister. From now on, I'll follow your lead."

Jiang Zhwei nodded without a smile, "Qi sister, let's go. Be careful of traps and hidden weapons."

Seeing them move forward, Meng Qi quickly bent down and picked up a fine steel sword from a corpse.

"Switch to a saber. Swords are hard to master, but sabers are easier to use. For you, using a saber is at least twice as effective as a sword," Jiang Zhwei reminded him casually. In the Sword Washing Pavilion, it was a common belief that without years of hard practice, a sword was more for decoration than for combat.

Meng Qi thought about it. He had heard this before. So, he dropped the sword and picked up a thick-backed saber.

Although his build would make a short saber advantageous for close combat, the shorter the weapon, the more dangerous it was. The longer weapon was better, and this body had enough strength to wield the saber without difficulty.

The two girls, affected by the death of Yan Wujang and the scenes of slaughter, were in low spirits and remained silent. Meng Qi, though he had recovered, did not dare to speak casually and followed Jiang Zhwei with all his might, watching her deflect poison arrows and kill numerous black-clothed men with her sword, and even being carried by her to cross a trap-filled corridor.

"We should be close..." Qi Xia looked around, confirming their current position.

These words broke the long silence. Jiang Zhwei looked at the stone door ahead, "Be careful of the poison gas."

After "Hundred Days Foundation Building," Meng Qi's mind was clear, and his memory was good. He clearly remembered that the stone door with dragon claws led to a corridor where stepping on a trap would release deadly gas, and at the end of the corridor was the secret room where "Cheng Yong, the Great Hero" was imprisoned.

Qi Xia pushed open the stone door, lowered her head, and carefully examined the arrangement of the stone bricks.

"Qi sister is well-versed in the art of traps," Jiang Zhwei explained to Meng Qi.

Even without her explanation, Meng Qi could guess, as Qi Xia had solved several traps earlier.

Qi Xia smiled as she examined the corridor, "Zhwei sister, you flatter me. My martial arts are not as good as yours, so I have to excel in these side skills."

Jiang Zhwei managed a weak smile and did not respond. Instead, she turned to Meng Qi, her expression slightly somber, "In the sect, I only learned how to deal with various ambushes and protect myself. I'm not good at protecting others. I need to make this clear."

She was clearly thinking about the death of Yan Wujang.

Meng Qi felt a chill inside but maintained a righteous and heroic demeanor, "It's fine. Without your protection, I would have been killed long ago, just like Yan Xiangzhu."

He deliberately called her "Jiang girl."

"Jiang practitioner," Jiang Zhwei corrected him, finally showing a hint of a smile.

Qi Xia suddenly laughed, "Zhwei sister, there's a secret door in this corridor that should lead directly to another secret room. According to the map, that might be where 'Ding Changsheng, the Great Hero' is imprisoned."

"Do you want to split up?" Jiang Zhwei敏锐地听出了她的意思.

Qi Xia nodded, "The castle's elite are all in the central hall, and with this shortcut, I want to try to increase our chances of success."

Jiang Zhwei pinched her black hair that fell to her shoulders, thinking about how they had only encountered ordinary black-clothed men on the way, no experts. She then instructed, "Be careful."

"Of course," Qi Xia gripped her trident and told Jiang Zhwei and Meng Qi, "Left three, right four. Follow this order to avoid triggering the poison gas."

She tested it by throwing a large piece of stone, which caused no reaction. Then, she lightly touched the ground and gracefully crossed the corridor, opening a stone door in the center and disappearing into the darkness.

"Let's go save Cheng Great Hero," Jiang Zhwei walked over to Meng Qi, ready to carry him over.

Meng Qi did not want to stay behind, fearing that a few black-clothed men might kill him, but he had a lingering question that made him hesitant to follow Jiang Zhwei alone.

After some thought, considering Jiang Zhwei's character and behavior, Meng Qi decided to take a risk, "Jiang girl, there's a question I'm not sure if I should ask."

"What question?" Jiang Zhwei looked at Meng Qi with confusion.

Meng Qi bit his lip, "Jiang girl, the second time we encountered the black-clothed men, why did you struggle with two of them for so long? Given your later display of strength, you should have been able to defeat them easily."

This question had been troubling Meng Qi.

"Ah?" Jiang Zhwei exclaimed, her expression changing rapidly.

Then, she sternly said, "First, promise me you won't laugh."

Seeing Jiang Zhwei's rare display of a young girl's demeanor, Meng Qi felt less tense and swore he would not laugh.

Jiang Zhwei looked up at the stone wall, her face blushing slightly, "It was my first time killing someone. When I saw the blood and the body fall, I hesitated..."

Meng Qi almost burst out laughing. It was such a simple reason, and he had overthought it!

Seeing Meng Qi struggling to hold back his laughter, Jiang Zhwei huffed, "In the sect, I only practiced killing chickens to build up my courage. I've never killed a human before."

"Um, Jiang girl, how many chickens have you killed?" Meng Qi changed the topic.

Jiang Zhwei thought for a moment, "I've been practicing swordsmanship for two years. During that time, I killed two chickens daily, and occasionally pigs, cows, and sheep."

Meng Qi had a thought and said seriously, "Jiang girl, I've already thought of a nickname for you after you become famous."

"What?" Jiang Zhwei asked curiously.

Meng Qi said solemnly, "Chicken Slaughter Sword God."

Puff, Jiang Zhwei burst out laughing, "Oh, I didn't expect you, this little monk, to be such a trickster. And call me Jiang practitioner! Be careful, or the Buddha will punish you!"

She smiled, but quickly calmed down, picked up Meng Qi by the collar, and led him to the other side of the corridor. After their laughter, their relationship had grown closer.

Qi Xia's trap skills were indeed excellent. The journey was smooth, and Jiang Zhwei and Meng Qi successfully reached the stone door.

"This stone door can't be opened from the inside..." Jiang Zhwei studied it for a while, signaling Meng Qi to hide behind her to avoid any hidden arrows.

The stone door creaked and slowly opened, with no unexpected incidents.

"Who has come to my rescue?" a surprised male voice asked.

Jiang Zhwei observed the area, confirmed there were no ambushes, and entered the room. Meng Qi guarded the door.

In the center of the room, a middle-aged man in a plain blue robe looked surprised, "I am Cheng Yong. Thank you for rescuing me. May I ask who your master is?"

He knew all the major figures in the martial world but had never seen this beautiful, young girl.

"Cheng Great Hero, we are from a hidden sect. Our master was secretly invited by Ma Great Hero, so we came to assist you in eliminating evil and upholding justice," Jiang Zhwei fabricated a lie.

Hearing Ma Lianghan's name, Cheng Yong nodded and approached Jiang Zhwei, "May I ask your name?"

"I am Jiang Zhwei," Jiang Zhwei, from a prestigious sect, maintained her manners.

Cheng Yong walked up to Jiang Zhwei and smiled, "Heroes emerge from the young. Let's go save the others. Oh, and who is this?"

Jiang Zhwei turned slightly, "His Dharma name is Zhen Ding."

At that moment, Meng Qi noticed Cheng Yong's eyes turn green, and he had a bad feeling.

Jiang Zhwei also sensed something and pushed back with her feet.

Cheng Yong's left hand, like a fish in water, moved swiftly and struck Jiang Zhwei's abdomen.

"Mind-Seizing Pill..." For some reason, this term popped into Meng Qi's mind.

Jiang Zhwei's reaction was a bit slow, and her retreat was not fast enough to avoid Cheng Yong's hand, which instantly pressed against her abdomen.

At this moment, she could only use techniques like contracting her abdomen and using true qi to reduce the damage.

But Jiang Zhwei's face suddenly showed determination. She thrust her sword forward, not retreating, choosing to fight to the death!

Thud, Jiang Zhwei was hit and flew into the stone door, spitting blood as she fell. Cheng Yong's chest was deeply pierced by the sword, and blood gushed out.

Cheng Yong quickly pressed a few acupoints on his chest to stop the bleeding, then, like a wild beast, ignored his severe injuries and lunged at Jiang Zhwei and Meng Qi.

Jiang Zhwei's sword had made Cheng Yong instinctively pull back, reducing the force of his palm strike, but her abdomen, a vital point, was still hit, leaving her unable to move and her legs numb.

"Little monk," she called out, hoping Meng Qi would overcome his fear and act. Cheng Yong, wounded in the left chest, was in a bad state. If they delayed a few breaths, he might collapse on his own.

Seeing Cheng Yong, covered in blood, with green eyes, lunging at them like a demon, Meng Qi trembled with fear, feeling as if he were in a nightmare.

Jiang Zhwei's call snapped him out of it. Remembering Yan Wujang's death, the scenes of slaughter, and the joy and gains from his daily practice, Meng Qi's courage rose. His body shook, and he clenched his teeth, swinging his saber.

At this moment, a saber was indeed more useful than a sword!