Heaven's Silence

Chapter 75 – Sword intent

The drifting snowflakes fell in front of the two, and a look of relief flashed across Wu Jiu's face. He knew he was defeated and quietly awaited death.

His situation was the same as A Shui's. Facing Madam Lü, there was no room for maneuver. However, the sword strike from Wen Chaoshen that shattered the darkness had dealt him a severe blow, leaving him completely unable to resist Madam Lü, whose strength was already above his.

Madam Lü lightly tapped Wu Jiu's forehead with her index finger, and an invisible ripple spread out swiftly.

Heavy thuds echoed from the eaves and courtyard walls.

Everyone in the courtyard, except for Wen Chaoshen and A Shui, perished under this terrifying deathly finger.

The remaining assassins who had fled early saw this scene and dared not linger. They knew that the night's ambush plan had encountered an irrevocable change, and they left without looking back.

Wu Jiu's body slumped to the ground, and the Unsharpened Sword in his hand was discarded to the side. The entire snowy night was left in dead silence.

"Madam Lü..."

Before Wen Chaoshen could finish speaking, Madam Lü pointed at A Shui and said:

"First, move her to the room. I'll go prepare the medicine and needles."

Concerned for A Shui's life, Wen Chaoshen didn't dare to delay. He immediately carried the dazed A Shui to the bed in the room.

Seeing the blood continuously seeping from A Shui's mouth, Wen Chaoshen's expression was grave.

Madam Lü soon arrived with a medicine box. Watching her busy figure, Wen Chaoshen dared not disturb her, only asking:

"Can she survive?"

Madam Lü's response was equally concise:

"Her internal energy is scattered, her spine is damaged, and her organs are in chaos."

"Whether she lives or not depends on fate."

As she spoke, she infused her inner strength to insert silver needles into A Shui's acupoints, then turned to Wen Chaoshen and said:

"Chaoshen, deal with the bodies outside. If it's too difficult, chop them up and spread them in the courtyard. As long as the snow doesn't stop tonight and the sun doesn't come out tomorrow, they'll be covered."

"If these bodies are seen by other county residents tomorrow, it will be very troublesome."

Wen Chaoshen thought for a moment and said:

"There is a safer, simpler way, but I need to go to Chun Qiong's residence."

Upon hearing this, Madam Lü frowned slightly, looked out the window, and said:

"You can go, but don't take the small path. Walk fifty steps south from here across the gallery bridge, and wait under the archway of the Wind Willow Pavilion until you see an old man strolling."

"You've seen him before. Let him take you there."

Wen Chaoshen agreed and then left. Standing outside the door, he hesitated for a moment but eventually picked up the slender sword that belonged to Wu Jiu.

Wu Jiu was right; he needed a good weapon.

...

After Wen Chaoshen left, Madam Lü began to use the power of her dantian to help stabilize A Shui's injuries. During the process of needlework, even she felt a bit dazed.

She was originally an assassin, having killed for most of her life, and now, in her later years, she found herself playing the role of a healer.

After the needlework, a mysterious force suddenly appeared in A Shui's meridians, transforming into a warm current that flowed through her body, nourishing her injured form.

"Hmm..."

Madam Lü sensed this force as she withdrew the needles and couldn't help but feel curious. It wasn't the power of the dantian, and she attempted to find the source of this force but ultimately failed.

Relying on this mysterious power, the severely injured A Shui slowly opened her eyes, and her once-clouded gaze gradually became clear.

"Thank you..."

Her voice was hoarse as she thanked Madam Lü, who merely nodded slightly, placing the silver needles over the newly lit candle flame to sterilize them before storing them back in her medicine box in order.

"You really are a big trouble..."

Madam Lü sighed and asked:

"I've rarely seen such a scene. You and Wangchuan aren't just a personal grudge, are you?"

A Shui shook her head gently.

"No."

Madam Lü's silver hair was lifted by the wind blowing in from the window, causing the light and shadows in the room to flicker.

"Just in Kuhai County, this is the second time... Why do they insist on putting you to death?"

A Shui quietly stared at the burning candle by the bedside, her gaze seeming to reach into the distance.

"I also want to know the answer to that question."

"We did so much for him, why did he choose to abandon us in the end..."

After hearing this, Madam Lü wisely kept her mouth shut.

Time had polished her smooth, and she no longer liked to dig into everything like she did when she was young.

The trouble Ma Huan brought her was already enough, and she didn't want to get involved in A Shui's affairs.

A Shui stared at the candle flame for a long time before finally returning to reality. She tried to circulate the power of her dantian to heal her injuries.

"Madam, did you teach Wen Chaoshen to practice swordsmanship?"

Lying on the bed unable to move, A Shui, with nothing else to do, asked Madam Lü about Wen Chaoshen.

Earlier, her mind was muddled, sometimes clear, sometimes confused, but she had seen clearly the sword strike Wen Chaoshen made when he broke out of the room.

Even she was surprised.

A mortal, someone without a dantian who couldn't cultivate, how could he deliver such a sharp sword strike?

A Shui wasn't foolish; she didn't believe that Wen Chaoshen could develop such swordsmanship just by watching her kill one night and then practicing by chopping wood.

Facing A Shui's doubts, Madam Lü smiled and said:

"...Earlier, my husband gave him a little guidance, originally just out of a sense of cherishing talent. Who knew this little guy had such unexpected comprehension? Just a glance, and he managed to learn a bit."

"Tonight, I intended to avert disaster for him, not to save you. If you died, it would actually be better for him."

"But I didn't expect that after only a few days of chopping wood at our house, Chaoshen could deliver a sword strike with sword intent, injuring a warrior who had stepped into the Nether Passage Realm."

"If this news reaches the cold lands of Yan, I'm afraid those old men at the Sword Pavilion won't be able to sit still and will come to snatch him away."

A Shui didn't mind Madam Lü's desire for her death.

No matter how much the other wanted her dead, they had genuinely saved her twice.

"Sword intent..."

She murmured softly.

"Isn't that... something of the Celestial Realm?"

Madam Lü laughed and said softly:

"My husband did say that it's something the Sword Pavilion exaggerates to scare outsiders."

"In reality, it's not that mysterious."

"The so-called sword intent is essentially integrating the essence of the Dao understood from heaven and earth into swordsmanship. For most cultivators, this is indeed a means only Celestial Beings can possess."

"But the Sword Pavilion has a unique cultivation method, different from the mainstream of the world, so it can't be judged by the world's standards."

"Otherwise, if that sword just now was truly a strike from a Celestial Being, how could the assassin who injured you have any chance of survival?"

A Shui understood and nodded slightly in thanks to Madam Lü.

Madam Lü watched her for a moment, her gaze complex, and sighed:

"If I had known about tonight's events, I should have kept Chaoshen in our courtyard this afternoon."

She felt a bit regretful but didn't excessively blame A Shui for bringing trouble to Wen Chaoshen.

A Shui, however, said:

"That guy is a stubborn mule. I told him to go, but he wouldn't."

"He's afraid of bringing trouble to Mr. Lü."

Madam Lü gave her a meaningful look:

"Is that the only reason?"

A Shui slightly raised her eyelids and asked back:

"What else?"

Madam Lü smiled and said no more, turning to leave with her medicine box.

"Rest well, recover as much as you can."

"In a few days, when spring arrives, my husband and I might be leaving."