Inner Demons

Chapter 10: Swordsman

Li Yunxin also breathed a sigh of relief. Well... his place to stay was settled, he supposed.

The two Taoist priests who were hunting him down were dead. The five constables who had seen him were dead. Perhaps there were others still looking for him, looking for the Lucid Jade Slip. But since his parents had lived in seclusion for so many years without incident, it was clear that finding him wouldn't be easy. So, he'd head for a large city with many people.

Without the internet or news broadcasts, in this era, where would they even look?

He had to figure out what that Lucid Jade Slip was exactly, and then unlock the seal on his Qi Sea. After that... he could investigate some things. He could accept temporarily avoiding them, but to be bound and indistinguishable from the crowd for a lifetime, how could he justify this second life?

Qiao Sifu, who was driving, burst out laughing: "Hahahaha, little brother, let me tell you—"

Qiao Jiaxin knew what he was going to say—about what kind of person that Old Daoist Liu truly was. But the young girl's delicate heart feared that Li Yunxin would be embarrassed and ashamed if he knew the truth, so she quickly interjected: "Fourth Brother, why do you care so much!"

Qiao Jiaxin was fearless in the escort agency, and Qiao Sifu was slightly startled by her words. Then, as if understanding something, he winked and smiled at Jiaxin, before turning back to drive the carriage.

Jiaxin's face flushed slightly as she looked at the young man, only to find Li Yunxin smiling and nodding at her again. She immediately, as if by some strange impulse, turned her head away.

What the hell... Young Miss Qiao thought to herself, What's wrong with me?

Actually, she planned to tell Li Yunxin secretly when they stopped for the night. That way, the young man wouldn't be too embarrassed. She thought about this handsome young man's calm and composed demeanor and really didn't want to see him awkward and flustered.So the convoy continued for another half-day.

As the sun gradually began to set, they stopped to make a fire and cook. The road from Huicheng to Luocheng was always peaceful, so there was no need to rush. Qiao Duanhong was always kind and generous to his own people, providing three meals a day when on an escort mission. Now, they camped on a gentle slope, where the grass was like a lush carpet, and the stream flowed clear and slow, making one feel as if the day's fatigue was being swept away.

Qiao Jiaxin's large eyes kept glancing at Li Yunxin, looking for an opportunity to speak to him.

But Old Daoist Liu seemed to have found a treasure and was afraid of it being stolen, so he held onto Li Yunxin and told him about his own affairs, and Li Yunxin actually listened with great interest. The more the old Daoist felt his new disciple was respectful and well-behaved, the more Young Miss Qiao felt this handsome young man was going to be terribly tricked.

Qiao Sifu sidled up to Qiao Jiaxin and winked: "Hey, hey, look, handsome, but clearly brainless."

Qiao Jiaxin glared at him: "You're brainless."

Qiao Sifu snickered mischievously.

After waiting another quarter of an hour, Young Miss Qiao saw the young man take the gourd from Old Daoist Liu's waist and walk to the river behind the slope to fetch water. She thought for a while, her face flushed slightly, and then she kicked the tip of a blade of grass in front of her, following him with her hands behind her back, swaying left and right.

The young man was half-crouched by the river, fetching water, his hair slightly reddish in the setting sun.

Qiao Jiaxin glanced behind her—Qiao Sifu had been called by her father to tie ropes to another large cart. Her heart settled. Looking at the young man again, she suddenly felt a strange sense of tranquility – as if in this small piece of heaven and earth, only these two people remained. The setting sun was warm, the grass was green, the water flowed slowly, and the wind was gentle. The fourteen-year-old girl was surprised by this sudden, joyful yet somewhat confused and anxious feeling, but she didn't know that this feeling was called falling in love with someone.

First stirrings of love.

Her heart pounded like a little deer, and she didn't know how to walk over or how to speak.

She stared at the young man's figure for a while, until he turned, capped the gourd, and looked up, and she let out a soft "ah" in her heart.

The young man was only slightly startled, then smiled at her: "Are you also here to fetch water, young lady?"

Jiaxin found the young man calm and composed, without a trace of panic, and her heart suddenly calmed down.

Of course, Li Yunxin wouldn't panic over such a thing. In his eyes, this girl was still just a girl, with a slender figure and a pretty face, like a beautiful girl next door. He had seen this many times – in the past, he wasn't unpopular.

Qiao Jiaxin hesitated for a moment, then spoke: "Mm, I just came to tell you something. Anyway, I just saw that you don't seem to understand anything, so I just came to tell you quickly. Don't believe Old Daoist Liu, he's not a sect leader at all, he's just..."

At this point, she suddenly felt that it wasn't good to speak ill of someone behind their back, so she pouted and puffed out her chest: "Hmph, anyway, I dare to say all this to his face, I just don't want you to feel embarrassed. Actually, you don't have to follow him. If you have nowhere to go, my home... my home... actually, my family's escort agency isn't small... my family's escort agency also needs people... Mm, I'm only telling you this because Ipity you..."

Li Yunxin smiled gently: "Hmm, okay. Thank you."

Jiaxin was stunned for a moment: "I told you so much! I'm serious!"

Li Yunxin smiled again: "Hmm, I know. Thank you. It's just that my health isn't very good. I don't think I can handle escorting like you all; in fact, I often get sick. So... thank you."

Qiao Jiaxin was a little disappointed for a moment. But then she told herself – they're martial artists, forget it.

Actually, looking at him, he indeed wasn't strong or dark-skinned, as if he really couldn't fight.

The young man cupped his hands at her and took two steps away. Qiao Jiaxin suddenly felt that he looked a little strange now – not quite like how he had looked before. Earlier, when he blocked the carriage, he was odd and frivolous, but now he seemed... calm and steady, not at all like the other hot-headed boys she had seen before.

But Li Yunxin had taken two steps when he suddenly looked up and glanced at Jiaxin.

His brows furrowed, and his eyes instantly turned cold, which truly startled Qiao Jiaxin. Just as she was about to ask, "What's wrong?", she also heard footsteps from behind them.

A person dressed in a grey coarse cloth Daoist robe, holding a sword in his right hand, walked through the overgrown grass.

Li Yunxin recognized that sword – it was exactly like the swords Chisongzi and Kangcangzi had held that day.

Just as Qiao Jiaxin was about to speak, the sword-wielder coldly opened his mouth: "Ha. Two more little ones. Come on. Follow me."

His identity was unknown, but his tone was hostile. Even Qiao Jiaxin knew this guy was no good. She stepped back, blocking Li Yunxin, her previously gentle yet slightly bossy tone gone, replaced by wariness and vigilance: "Who are you?"

Actually, there was a small, thin sword in her sleeve. But her father, Qiao Duanhong, often told her that as escorts, they were not martial arts heroes. If they could avoid fighting, they should. When walking under eaves, if bowing their head could solve the problem, then they shouldn't draw their blades.

So Qiao Jiaxin only gripped the small sword, without drawing it out.

The sword-wielder frowned and snorted: "You refuse a toast, so you'll drink a forfeit."

Having said this, he thrust his thin sword forward and lunged.

Li Yunxin felt that this person's skill was probably not very high – at least worse than the two Taoist priests whose spiritual power had been sealed and could only pursue him with mundane martial arts. His father had once taught him a martial art called Water Cloud Strength. He said this art was "not bad," cultivating both body and spirit, and was most suitable for young people to strengthen their bodies and build their foundations, so he had practiced it for eight or nine years.

It was also because of this that he was able to contend with the two Taoist priests for three days and three nights without being killed by a single sword strike. At this point, in his eyes, he felt that his former self could probably defeat this person.

It was just a pity that he had used the Painting Formation left by his parents in the courtyard to seal the spiritual power of the two Taoist priests, and the two Taoist priests later burned a Talisman to seal his Qi Sea. Spiritual power was all hidden in the Qi Sea, so at this moment, he could only watch. As for actually fighting – a fourteen-year-old boy's body, without spiritual power to stimulate hidden strength, how could it be a match for an adult?

His eyes were fast, but his body was not. By the time he reacted and intended to block, the sword-wielder's thin sword had already struck Qiao Jiaxin's right sleeve. With a clang, the small sword in her hand was knocked away.

Only then did the girl let out a gasp and try to dodge.

But Li Yunxin had already held her by the shoulders from behind, pulling her behind him.

The sword-wielding man frowned again: "Don't think I wouldn't dare to hurt you..."

"Hero, you've misunderstood," Li Yunxin interrupted him, spreading his hands, "Your martial arts are superior, we surrender."

"...Hey!" The man and Qiao Jiaxin were both startled. After a moment, the girl cried out in disappointment, "How could you..."

In her heart, even if this young man couldn't fight, at least... he should have some backbone, right?

What was this?

The man re-evaluated Li Yunxin, then sneered: "Heh. Sensible. Let's go!"

He flicked his thin sword, reversed his grip, and then stepped towards the gentle slope, seemingly completely unconcerned that the two youths might escape.

Li Yunxin followed. Qiao Jiaxin reached out and pulled his sleeve: "You, you, you..."

Li Yunxin shook his head and whispered: "Look over at the slope."

Actually, they were already some distance from the camp. The girl, due to shock and panic, hadn't heard the sounds from the slope, but Li Yunxin had. He realized there were others there – this sword-wielding man had accomplices. Now it was quiet over there; there were no intense shouts of killing. When they were camping and cooking earlier, there had always been talking, then a few unfamiliar voices mixed in, and the talking subsided. Now, it was completely quiet.

Li Yunxin thought that perhaps the other party had used some astonishing means to intimidate the escorts.

When the two walked up the gentle slope, the girl saw the situation there.

Five men in coarse cloth Daoist robes surrounded the escort agency's people.

Originally, some escorts had long and short weapons, but now their weapons lay on the grass beside their hands, and no one dared to pick them up.