Chapter 261

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Zhang Xiaohua stepped out of the inner hall, only a short moment behind Qin Shiyue. Yet, in just this brief span of time, the reception hall had already turned into a scene of carnage, like the depths of Asura Hell.

Qin Shiyue’s martial prowess was extraordinary. Like a wolf among sheep, his soft sword reaped lives ceaselessly, cutting down the panicked guests who scrambled to escape. As Zhang Xiaohua entered the hall, he couldn’t help but feel both shock and fury. What shocked him was Qin Shiyue’s bloodthirsty killing spree—like himself, this man only used a single method to slay his enemies. Zhang Xiaohua’s technique was refined, a single elegant stab to the throat, leaving behind nothing but a small red mark. Qin Shiyue, however, also used a single strike, but his swordplay was far more brutal—he severed heads with each slash.

A treasured sword was typically sharpened at the tip, meant for piercing enemies. Though its edges were honed as well, a sword was not a broadsword and was rarely used for hacking. Yet, seeing how Qin Shiyue wielded his soft sword to decapitate people with such practiced ease, Zhang Xiaohua couldn’t help but suspect that this weapon had been specially modified.

What truly enraged Zhang Xiaohua, however, was that Qin Shiyue wasn’t senselessly butchering the innocent—he had been forced into it. Ma Rulong and Qiu Xidao, knowing that their Qinggong was no match for Qin Shiyue’s, had deliberately rushed into the densest crowd of guests, hoping to use them as human shields. The smarter guests, and those with decent martial skills, had already fled far away. But those who remained were either too slow to react, too weak in martial arts, or had no skills at all. In their panic, they clogged the hall, inadvertently blocking Qin Shiyue’s path and leaving him no choice but to slaughter his way through.

On the other side of the hall, another group of men—likely the Ma residence’s retainers or Ma Rulong’s allies—had drawn their weapons and engaged Ying Fei in battle. Seeing Qin Shiyue’s overwhelming skill, they dared not challenge him and instead turned their sights on Ying Fei, seeing him as an easier target. Yet, although Ying Fei was not Qin Shiyue’s equal, his martial arts were still first-rate. Even while fending off multiple opponents, he did not fall into a disadvantage and even managed to injure several of his attackers.

Faced with this blood-drenched hall, Zhang Xiaohua felt an ache of sorrow in his heart. He silently thought to himself, Qin Shiyue could have just used Qinggong to chase them down—these guests might not have been able to stop him anyway. Was there truly a need for such a massacre?

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was lost in thought, a wiry merchant who had just run past Qin Shiyue suddenly pulled a dagger from his robes and stabbed toward Qin Shiyue’s back. Zhang Xiaohua was startled—this merchant had been pretending too well. Just moments ago, his face was full of panic as if he were fleeing with the rest. How had he suddenly become one of Ma Residence’s men?

The dagger was about to pierce Qin Shiyue’s back. Zhang Xiaohua, despite himself, felt a tinge of anticipation. But it was as if Qin Shiyue had eyes in the back of his head. His left foot lifted slightly and struck the man’s wrist precisely. In the next instant, his soft sword flicked backward, and the man’s head separated from his body in a single stroke. Without so much as a glance, Qin Shiyue continued his charge forward, relentlessly pursuing Ma Rulong.

Only then did Zhang Xiaohua realize why Qin Shiyue hadn’t used Qinggong to leap over the crowd. If he were ambushed while midair, he would have no footing to adjust his movements and would be forced into a passive position. Against a single attacker, he might still evade the strike, but if two or three people coordinated an assault, he would likely be injured. I still lack experience, Zhang Xiaohua thought to himself.

As Zhang Xiaohua stepped into the hall, the Ma Residence’s retainers immediately noticed him. However, he appeared to be just a lowly servant, and given his young age, some men considered breaking away from fighting Ying Fei to deal with him. But seeing that Zhang Xiaohua only stood at the entrance without moving forward, they assumed he was untrained in martial arts and so focused entirely on battling Ying Fei.

On the other side of the hall was a corridor. Ma Rulong and Qiu Xidao reached it, glanced back, and then swiftly disappeared from sight. Qin Shiyue, enraged, no longer cared whether those before him were Ma Residence’s retainers or innocent merchants—he simply swung his soft sword wildly. Once the crowd in front of him had thinned slightly, he immediately unleashed his peerless Qinggong and shot toward the corridor like a lightning bolt.

However, just as he entered the corridor, a glint of icy light streaked toward his throat at an alarming speed. Qin Shiyue was moving fast, but the attack was even faster. The timing was executed with deadly precision—by the time Qin Shiyue saw it, it was already upon him. In that instant, he took a deep breath, reversed the flow of his internal energy, and, while still midair, forcibly shifted his body an inch to the side. Simultaneously, he twisted his torso, and the cold light flashed past his throat, missing by a hair’s breadth.

It was a long sword, gleaming with a chilling light.

The one wielding it was none other than Qiu Xidao, who had just vanished into the corridor. He had anticipated Qin Shiyue’s thoughts, knowing that he would assume they were fleeing in panic. That was precisely why he had hidden himself here, lying in ambush for a single decisive strike. Unfortunately, though his timing and angle were impeccable, Qin Shiyue’s unmatched Qinggong allowed him to narrowly evade what should have been a fatal blow.

Qiu Xidao, seeing that his ambush had failed, immediately changed his attack. With a flick of his wrist, his treasured sword swept sideways toward Qin Shiyue’s throat—it was precisely the kind of move that Qin Shiyue himself excelled at. Having narrowly dodged the previous strike, Qin Shiyue felt a cold sweat break out on his back, his vigilance heightened. However, he did not take this sudden change of move to heart. With a slight Iron Bridge maneuver, he bent backward to evade the sword edge, then swiftly lowered his body and sent his left foot kicking toward Qiu Xidao.

Qiu Xidao, inwardly cursing his successive failures, saw the kick coming and leaped aside to dodge. Without hesitation, he thrust his sword toward one of Qin Shiyue’s vital points. Qin Shiyue raised his own sword to meet it, and the two clashed fiercely.

Although Qiu Xidao came from a prestigious sect, he had debuted late, was young, and lacked combat experience. In just a short exchange, he was already struggling to keep up. Danger loomed at every turn, and he narrowly escaped being cut down by Qin Shiyue several times. His face turned pale, and as he continued to parry, he suddenly spoke: “Qin Daren, let’s talk this through. I know you came to the Ma Residence today in search of some ancient jade artifacts. Ma Rulong had indeed gathered a collection, but to show his sincerity to our Heaven’s Way Alliance, he entrusted them to me. I haven’t had the chance to send them back yet. If you stop now and call off the fight, I’ll tell you where they’re hidden so you can complete your mission. How about it?”

Hearing this, Qin Shiyue seemed moved. His attacks relaxed slightly as he lowered his voice and asked: “If you hand over the jade artifacts, how will you explain it to your sect? Besides, I killed the Three Auspicious Treasures—don’t you plan to avenge them?”

Qiu Xidao replied: “I haven’t reported the jade artifacts yet, so the sect doesn’t know about them. As for the Three Auspicious Treasures, they were only here to keep an eye on me—they weren’t assigned by my master. They knew about the jade artifacts, too, so wasn’t it better that you got rid of them? Right now, my own life is at stake—where would I find the time to seek revenge for them?”

Qin Shiyue nodded at this. The soft sword in his hand came to a stop, and he opened his mouth as if to speak. Across from him, Qiu Xidao was inwardly delighted. He, too, sheathed his longsword. Seeing Qin Shiyue about to ask where the jade artifacts were stored, he smiled and began, “Qin Daren—”

Yet before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred. Qin Shiyue’s soft sword lashed out like a venomous serpent, coiling instantly around Qiu Xidao’s neck. Qiu Xidao’s face turned deathly pale, his voice trembling as he stammered: “Qin Daren, didn’t we just come to an agreement? Why have you gone back on your word?”

Qin Shiyue laughed and said: “When did I ever agree to your terms? I merely asked you a question!”

Qiu Xidao was shocked. “You can’t kill me! If you do, no one will ever know where the jade artifacts are! And—what about whether I’m Nan Fengyun’s disciple? If you kill me, my master will surely hunt you down! Instead, why don’t you put away your sword, and we go our separate ways? What do you think?”

Hearing this, Qin Shiyue acted as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. He nearly threw his head back in laughter as he said: “What kind of place is Xinji Town? What kind of fine jade artifacts could possibly come from there? They’re not even worth my attention, let alone our cult leader’s. If you think you can use them to threaten me, you’ve got it all wrong. And as for your master, Nan Fengyun do you really think he can catch me?”

Qiu Xidao’s face turned deathly pale. He shouted in desperation: “Qin Daren! Everything can be negotiated! I even know a great secret about Xinji Town! I can also tell you anything you want to know about the Heaven’s Way Alliance! That’s not all—my family is wealthy! I can give you an endless amount of silver—”

Before he could finish speaking, a chilling glint flashed through Qin Shiyue’s eyes. The corners of his lips curled into a cold smile as he exerted force through his blade. Qiu Xidao’s handsome head soared into the air, his eyes still brimming with disbelief even as they dimmed, his expression frozen in eternal shock.

As his body slumped to the ground, Qin Shiyue sneered: “What does Xinji Town’s secret have to do with me? Do you really know more about the Heaven’s Way Alliance than I do? And as for silver, what use would I have for it?”

With that, he turned his gaze toward the far end of the corridor, where Ma Rulong had just disappeared.

In truth, the moment Qiu Xidao launched his ambush, Ma Rulong had already abandoned any attempt at concealing himself and had bolted toward the end of the corridor. Qin Shiyue had noticed, of course, but he hadn’t concerned himself with Ma Rulong’s escape. Killing Qiu Xidao first was the priority—after that, catching Ma Rulong would be effortless with his qinggong.

However, when Qin Shiyue arrived at the corridor’s end, he found only an exquisite courtyard. A stone pathway led toward the rear garden. He leaped onto a high vantage point for a clearer view, but Ma Rulong was nowhere to be seen. Frowning slightly, Qin Shiyue thought to himself, “That old fox sure is quick to run.”

Rather than waste time searching, he turned and strode back to the main hall. By now, the hall was in chaos. The Ma family’s household guards were still desperately attacking Ying Fei. Aside from the guests who lay injured or incapacitated on the ground, the rest had already fled. Qin Shiyue’s gaze landed on Zhang Xiaohua, who stood silently by the door. He said nothing and simply walked steadily toward Ying Fei. A few particularly bold guards abandoned their attack on Ying Fei and charged at Qin Shiyue with broadswords raised high.

But how could they be a match for him? In just a few moves, Qin Shiyue had beheaded them all. The remaining guards, seeing the dire situation, panicked and scattered in all directions, desperately fleeing for their lives. Ying Fei was not one to let them off easily—he pursued and cut down several more. Qin Shiyue was even more ruthless. He caught up to them and decapitated each one with a single strike. By the time they were done, a considerable number of men had been slaughtered. Only a handful managed to escape the blood-soaked hall with their lives.