Chapter 13

Just as the words faded, the blood on the ground stirred again, and a few characters changed:

"Qi Xia freed Ding Changsheng from the control of the Heart-Seizing Pill, completing a side mission and earning ten good deeds."

Huh? Meng Qi and Jiang Zhwei were stunned again, not expecting the results of others completing side missions to appear before them.

"Phew, Sister Qi is indeed more alert than me." Jiang Zhwei heaved a sigh of relief, saying with a mix of joy and self-mockery.

After speaking, she smiled and said happily, "Master Zhang, Qingjing, and the others should also see the notification of us completing the mission, so we don’t need to worry about them being ambushed by Hero Ma and Hero Tan."

"It’s not certain. Perhaps only those who have completed this side mission can see the notification. Otherwise, the side mission would be too easy for others." Meng Qi frowned, not believing that the "Master of the Six Realms" would be so kind. Although heroes like Cheng Yong were highly skilled, from his current limited perspective, they were still far inferior to Jiang Zhwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and others. Even Qi Xia could kill Ding Changsheng.

Therefore, if they had known in advance that Ding Changsheng was controlled by the Heart-Seizing Pill, Zhang Yuanshan and Qingjing, even if they acted separately, would not have encountered any accidents.

Jiang Zhwei thought for a moment and also felt that the "Master of the Six Realms" should not be seen as a good person. She nodded and said, "Let’s first meet up with Sister Qi, then head to the central area, and pay attention to the notifications of mission completion along the way."

"Hmm." As she spoke, she suddenly exclaimed, "Since the four heroes, including Cheng Yong, were controlled by the Heart-Seizing Pill, why did the堡主of the Hidden Emperor Fortress still ‘lock’ them in the secret room? He couldn’t have predicted our arrival and set a trap, right?"

Reminded by Jiang Zhwei, Meng Qi also noticed something amiss and blurted out, "Unless the trap wasn’t for us!"

Jiang Zhwei pursed her lips, which had turned pale from her injuries, and said, "That’s likely the case."

She paused and continued, "When I first accepted the mission, I was puzzled why the four heroes, including Hero Ma, would rush into the Hidden Emperor Fortress alone without seeking more help. The logic of strength in numbers should be clear to everyone."

"Perhaps time was urgent, and they had to stop the堡主of the Hidden Emperor Fortress from carrying out a certain plan, which might be the strange events currently happening in the central hall. So they came first and left a message for their friends to follow, which means a large group of experts might be on their way, and the trap is for them." Meng Qi and Jiang Zhwei speculated about the truth.

"Regardless, we must complete the mission." Jiang Zhwei shook her head and struggled to stand, leaning on the stone door.

"Miss Jiang, how are your injuries?" Meng Qi asked with concern. Although he had just killed the skilled Cheng Yong, he was very self-aware and not arrogant. He knew that without Jiang Zhwei’s help, any two black-clothed men could have easily defeated him. Of course, this also included the bond they had formed through fighting side by side.

Jiang Zhwei seemed to have given up on arguing about "Miss Jiang." She gathered her energy and said with a mix of frustration and a wry smile, "My upper body is fine, and my sword skills are only slightly weakened, but my lower body is sore and weak. I can’t even walk normally, let alone run or leap. I need to take medicine and rest for a while to recover."

In the split second Cheng Yong attacked, she showed her determination and decisiveness. Instead of passively defending, she countered with her sword, placing her life on the line, forcing Cheng Yong to reduce his palm force to avoid the sword piercing his chest. Therefore, her injuries were much lighter than Meng Qi had expected, and she still had the strength to wield her sword, though her lower abdomen was injured, making walking difficult.

"Miss Jiang, let me carry you and serve as your legs." Meng Qi, prioritizing her safety, suggested after a moment’s thought.

Jiang Zhwei gasped and then bit her lip, "Little monk, I owe you this favor."

Her words were those of a generous and open-minded hero, but her cheeks were tinged with a suspicious blush.

Meng Qi, from a modern society, was not overly conservative and chuckled, "Miss Jiang, in the martial world, we don’t fuss over small details."

As he spoke, he walked to Jiang Zhwei’s side and handed her the reversed long sword.

"Do you think I don’t understand this?" Jiang Zhwei raised her head, looking up at the stone wall, her long, fair neck seemingly blushing.

Meng Qi turned around, squatted down, and heard the rustling of her clothes. Then he felt a body, lighter than expected, lean against him.

He supported Jiang Zhwei’s legs and slowly stood up, then chuckled, "Much lighter than the water buckets I carry."

"Pfft." Jiang Zhwei laughed, "Are the buckets you carry made of iron?"

Her laughter dispelled the awkward atmosphere.

"Wooden buckets, but carrying is different from carrying on one’s back." Meng Qi answered honestly.

Jiang Zhwei drew out her words, "True... Honestly, I feel quite guilty about burdening you, a young boy."

As she spoke, she wielded her long sword to adapt to the current situation.

The sword moved gracefully, and Meng Qi watched intently, trying to understand its subtleties. Jiang Zhwei didn’t stop him, allowing him to observe freely, as the techniques couldn’t be learned without the corresponding methods.

Otherwise, the sword techniques of the Sword Washing Pavilion would have been stolen long ago.

"Um, I can probably use about sixty percent of my strength, enough to fight." Jiang Zhwei assessed after adapting.

Suddenly, she patted Meng Qi’s shoulder and whispered, "Be careful, someone is coming."

Meng Qi was quite surprised and only heard footsteps and voices after a few breaths: "Left three, right four, don’t get it wrong."

It seemed that even without opening the "ear aperture," one’s hearing improved significantly after entering the Qi Accumulation stage... Meng Qi speculated.

"Block the entrance." Jiang Zhwei whispered.

Meng Qi didn’t hesitate, stepped forward, and stood by the stone door, blocking the group in the toxic corridor.

There were about seven or eight of them, all dressed lightly, led by a middle-aged scholar who held a hidden weapon in his left hand. "Why are you blocking the way, young friends? Have you seen Brother Cheng Yong?"

At this moment, a man with a pointed nose and a monkey-like face saw Cheng Yong’s body through the gap and exclaimed, "Lord Ge, they killed Hero Cheng! I recognize those boots!"

Jiang Zhwei’s clear voice, slightly low, said, "Honored seniors, I am Jiang Zhwei, a junior disciple, here to assist Hero Ma with my master and others."

Her appearance and age matched, being just over sixteen, and addressing the group, all at least thirty, as seniors came naturally.

The leading Lord Ge, who seemed not to be rash, raised his hand to stop his followers from launching their hidden weapons and gestured for Jiang Zhwei to continue.

"Upon entering the Hidden Emperor Fortress, we captured a prisoner and learned that Hero Ma and others were trapped in different parts of the fortress. My master sent us to rescue them while he headed to the堡主’s location."

"I arrived here, opened the stone door, and found Hero Cheng. However, he was controlled by the Heart-Seizing Pill and attacked me in secret, severely injuring me. In my counterattack, Hero Cheng suffered heavy injuries and was killed by my junior brother Zhen Ding in his final desperate attempt."

Jiang Zhwei mixed truth and lies to explain the events and their background.

"How is that possible?" the man with the pointed nose and monkey-like face said disbelievingly, "Little girl, even if you started practicing in the womb, you couldn’t defeat Hero Cheng!"

He secretly lamented that such a beautiful girl was so good at lying.

Jiang Zhwei said nothing, straightened her back, and thrust her sword like lightning, then mysteriously retracted it.

"What are you doing?" the man with the pointed nose and monkey-like face shouted in shock and anger.

Lord Ge pressed his right hand down, signaling him to be quiet, then bowed and said, "Heroes emerge from the young. Miss Jiang, your sword skills are truly remarkable. Ah, the younger generation surpasses the older. I feel quite old seeing such talented young friends. May I ask the name of your master?"

"My master is Su Wuming, who has been in seclusion for many years. Lord Ge might not have heard of him. Um, my master once had a nickname, 'Heavenly Sword,' have you heard of it?" Meng Qi clearly heard the hidden smile in Jiang Zhwei’s voice and understood that she was reporting her true master, though this group probably hadn’t heard of him.

Although facing away from Jiang Zhwei, Meng Qi could imagine her mischievous smile.

Su Wuming... Hmm, I seem to have heard Uncle Xuanshen mention him? Meng Qi’s heart stirred.

"Indeed, I am quite ignorant and have never seen the prowess of the senior. Please introduce me to your master later." Lord Ge, seeing Jiang Zhwei’s serious demeanor, temporarily set aside his doubts and decided to test her later. He then introduced himself, "I am Lord Ge Chongshan of the Falling Goose Manor. I received letters from friends like Ma Lianghan and Cheng Yong, inviting many experts to assist. Unfortunately, we arrived a day late and couldn’t meet them. Please let us pass to see our friends one last time."

Jiang Zhwei whispered in Meng Qi’s ear, "Let them in, but only one at a time."

Meng Qi stepped aside, letting them through while keeping a watchful eye. When Lord Ge Chongshan and his group entered the secret room and examined Cheng Yong’s body, he whispered to Jiang Zhwei, "I understand now. The side mission was to delay time, so we could wait for reinforcements. If we had gone directly to the central hall, we might already be fighting the堡主, at a disadvantage."

"The trap was for them." Jiang Zhwei replied in a similarly low voice.

After examining the body and confirming the wounds matched Jiang Zhwei’s description, Lord Ge sighed, "If you two hadn’t opened this stone door first, I might have been severely injured or even killed."

As he spoke, he and Jiang Zhwei turned to look outside the stone room, where Qi Xia and a group of martial artists emerged from another secret door.

"Sister Qi, are you alright?" Jiang Zhwei called out happily.

"Brother Liu, where is your brother?" Lord Ge asked the man walking beside Qi Xia.

The man, dressed as a fisherman, with dark skin, said sorrowfully, "My brother was killed by Ding Changsheng!"

"What?" Lord Ge and the others were stunned.

Qi Xia, with a hint of fear, said, "Sister Zhwei, I didn’t expect Hero Ding to be controlled by the Heart-Seizing Pill. If not for Brother Liu entering first, I might not have survived. I was worried about you..."

Seeing Jiang Zhwei’s pale face but normal breathing, she secretly sighed in relief.

After reuniting, the group headed to the central hall. Along the way, only a few black-clothed men blocked them, easily dealt with.

During this time, Jiang Zhwei and Meng Qi practiced their coordination. By the end, she could simply say, "Left three, right diagonal four, back two," and Meng Qi would quickly follow the steps. These commands were simple and vague, understandable only to them, to prevent enemies from changing their plans like Cheng Yong.

"Unfortunately, you don’t understand the Eight Trigrams positions, so our coordination can only be this simple..." Jiang Zhwei sighed to Meng Qi.

She had suggested using the Eight Trigrams to indicate directions, allowing for more flexible movements, but Meng Qi’s knowledge of the Eight Trigrams was limited, and he couldn’t learn it quickly.

"Better than nothing." Meng Qi comforted her.

Jiang Zhwei looked at the stone room and the advancing Lord Ge and others, worried, "This is our agreed meeting point. Why haven’t Master Zhang and the others arrived? We haven’t seen any notifications of mission completion along the way."

From Qi Xia, they confirmed that only those who completed a side mission could see the notifications.

"Don’t worry, Master Zhang is highly skilled and will be fine." Qi Xia, concerned, reassured her.

Bang!

An object flew into the room. Jiang Zhwei extended her sword and knocked it to the ground.

"Ah!" Jiang Zhwei and Qi Xia screamed in shock upon seeing the object, and Meng Qi was also extremely alarmed.

On the dusty stone floor, Qingjing’s head, with furrowed brows and wide eyes, stared at them, severed from the body!

PS: I’m back home. Starting today, the update times will return to the usual 9 AM and 7 PM. Please click and recommend!

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