Inner Demons

Chapter 14: Just Kill Them

The swordsman in the Daoist robe stood up, carefully drew out the sword, removed the letter paper from it, and unfolded it. After a quick glance, he handed it to another person.

It seemed this person was illiterate.

The other person extended his arm, took the letter paper, and read it carefully for a moment before looking up.

"No need anymore," he said, "Just kill them all."

"Oh?" The narrow-eyed, high-cheekboned swordsman shook his head slightly, sighing, "What a hassle. And there are so many of them."

Then he drew his sword and stood up, turning towards the people of the security agency, who were a dozen steps away.

The five people behind him also stood up.

An invisible aura and murderous intent suddenly spread in the dark night. Even the bonfires behind them seemed to dim slightly, shrinking back.

"The time has come," Qiao Duanhong whispered.

He could read lips. Although they were a dozen steps apart and the light wasn't bright, this old hand's eyesight hadn't failed. Seeing the aura and expressions of the six people, he knew they had decided to kill.The reason was that Flying Sword Scroll. Although he didn't know what was written on it, he now knew that besides the six masters not far away, there might be a super master somewhere - a super master whose skill transcended his understanding of "martial arts."

It was at this moment that an absurd thought suddenly entered his mind...

Perhaps that person wasn't a martial arts master.

Perhaps... it was a cultivator...

The kind of true cultivator who had only ever existed in the oral traditions of mortals, rarely seen by ordinary people in a lifetime. Or called an "Immortal."

But in such a life-and-death situation, all he could do was summon more courage. At least not be killed obediently.

So he repeated: "The time has come. Get ready."

Then he looked at his daughter and said with a resolute tone: "Jiaxin. You follow Sifu later. Old Ke, Old Liu, we have to hold them off. The forest is dense, just let the children escape."

Qiao Jiaxin and Qiao Sifu wanted to speak. But Qiao Duanhong let out a low roar: "Shut up. This is not the time for you to be willful. If anyone escapes, detour back to Weicheng, tell the people in the security agency to take the silver and leave immediately, and never show your faces again in this life."

He looked at the six people, then swept his gaze across the dark and gloomy tree shadows: "This matter might be related to those people."

This rare sternness made everyone stunned. Qiao Sifu sensed panic in his tone, but still had doubts: "Uncle... which people?"

"Cultivators."

Qiao Duanhong glanced at Old Daoist Liu, who was "completely unaware of the impending disaster" and whispering with Li Yunxin, "True cultivators."

The two groups confronted each other in the dim firelight, fifteen steps apart.

The narrow-eyed, high-cheekboned swordsman revealed a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth: "Why bother. Let's both save some effort. You people are like ants in my eyes. If we really fight, you won't be able to withstand the might of even one of my swords - why struggle to death?"

Qiao Duanhong stared at the thin sword in his hand without speaking, but his spirit and vitality had been pushed to their peak. He understood that this was very likely to be the last battle of his life - yet he still hadn't figured out why this battle had to happen.

Why did they hijack them in the first place? Why did they want to kill them?

These were questions everyone wanted to understand, but no one dared to ask.

Until they heard the young man say in a light and questioning tone: "But gentlemen, why do you want to kill us?"

No one had the mind to mock his "stupidity" or "naivety" or "newborn fearlessness" anymore. Even Qiao Jiaxin only sighed in her heart. The young girl felt quite sad - she hadn't expected "love at first sight" to happen to her for the first time, and the other party turned out to be such a person.

However, this sentence actually broke the tense atmosphere in the forest. The narrow-eyed, high-cheekboned swordsman, who had been poised to pounce, heard this sentence, and the expression on his face changed strangely.

It looked like "relief."

The swordsman stopped his movement, sneered, and flicked the thin sword in his palm with his finger, looking at the dozen or so people not far away with mocking eyes: "Well, good, let you be clear-minded ghosts. When you reach the underworld, don't report our six brothers' names incorrectly."

"We six brothers are the Six Ghosts of the River. Have you heard of that name?"

Qiao Duanhong was slightly startled, then frowned: "Six Ghosts of the River... weren't you already executed by Black Saber Ying Jueran?!"

"Heh. If our brothers hadn't met a noble person, perhaps that would be true. But now..." A hint of hatred flashed in the swordsman's eyes, "After we finish this matter, our brothers will go find him to settle this score once and for all!"

"Oh, that sounds impressive." The young man's flippant voice interjected again, extremely out of place, "What noble person? Your name sounds like you didn't do so well before - Black Saber Ying Jueran sounds like a character. I guess you used to be universally hated villains, then aroused public outrage and were eliminated by that Black Saber in the name of love and justice - oh, oh, about to be eliminated, and then you met a noble person. Who exactly is it?"

The swordsman wasn't angry at all, but instead smiled eerily: "Hehehe, speaking of this noble person - do you mortals know about Lingxu Sword Sect?"

The people from the security agency exchanged glances. Actually, almost everyone had heard the name Lingxu Sword Sect - which prefecture didn't have a few "Lingxu Sword Sects"? They just didn't know which one he was referring to.

But Li Yunxin immediately clapped his hands several times, the crisp sound echoing far into the night: "Wow, is it the legendary Lingxu Sword Sect of the Seventy-Two Schools?!"

The swordsman smiled proudly: "You have some insight."

He cupped his hands towards the east: "That noble person is a cultivator from the Lingxu Sword Sect, titled Huainanzi, a direct disciple of the Sect Master, who has entered the mortal world for Undergoing Tribulation - do you know what Undergoing Tribulation is?"

Naturally, no one responded to him. So he spoke voluminously and at length, without prompting. In reality, this person didn't know much; what he said, Li Yunxin had already heard from Chisongzi and Kangcangzi.

Finally, the swordsman said: "...Therefore, he passed on elixir pills to our six brothers. Just one pill, and our power greatly increased. If you are lucky today, you might even get to see the Immortal. Unfortunately, the Immortal has other important matters today and cannot come... As for you people, you are useless."

"So, it's Undergoing Killing Tribulation," Li Yunxin said after listening to him. "So you hijacked us, drove us here like pigs and sheep, waiting for your Immortal to arrive. When he comes, he'll kill people. I imagine he'll kill many people - he probably doesn't just have you six, but other puppets elsewhere too."

"People like you find people for him, then he comes and kills them one by one. He kills until he's tired, annoyed, bored, and thinks, 'Wow, killing is so boring, I'd rather be a quiet handsome man'... then he's passed this tribulation. Is that right?"

Li Yunxin's tone became serious.

The swordsman looked at him with great surprise, then smiled coldly: "You know quite a lot, kid - what's your background?"

By this point, the people from the security agency had largely become mere spectators - even the most knowledgeable Qiao Duanhong was completely bewildered by the discussions about Grotto-heaven, School, and Transcending Tribulation.

After all, he wasn't a "cultivator" like Old Daoist Liu - and even Old Daoist Liu didn't know the details and taboos of many renowned sects.

But it didn't prevent him from gradually realizing...

He had misjudged again.

Li Yunxin, whom he had once thought of as "a merchant's son who didn't understand the ways of the world, pretending to be seasoned and calm," had actually displayed astonishing abilities.

He didn't know how the young man did it - despite being at the brink of death, a few words had made the six killers, in a bizarre and frantic display of arrogance, reveal all their secrets.

Something was wrong. This young man had used some kind of trick. Qiao Duanhong thought to himself, otherwise, it definitely wouldn't be like this... Who exactly is this young man? Does this mean we're saved tonight?!

Qiao Duanhong took another look at Li Yunxin, his gaze falling on Old Daoist Liu behind him.

His heart skipped a beat. Old Daoist Liu looked like a changed man at the moment. No longer cowering, but appearing calm and composed. He sat cross-legged on the ground, eyes slightly closed, mumbling something, looking...

That's it. It's him, in fact! Qiao Duanhong immediately felt truly and completely at ease. Everything could be explained now - Old Daoist Liu was truly deeply hidden. But as far as he knew, there were indeed some martial arts masters who liked to pretend to be wild and eccentric.

Just now, that swordsman spoke of a cultivator Undergoing Tribulation, perhaps this Old Daoist Liu is indeed a cultivator, and is also Undergoing Tribulation!

This explanation was far more reasonable than "that young man is actually an astonishing world-class genius" - where in this world are there so many extraordinary people, and how could he just happen to stumble upon one!

It was at this moment that he saw Old Daoist Liu's right hand, which had been hidden in his sleeve, reach out and form a hand seal.

Almost simultaneously, the swordsman who had been speaking suddenly became high-pitched: "...do you know how much hardship our six brothers endured to achieve today's skill? Back then, that Black Saber wanted to wipe us out, treating us like ants. Who are the ants today? Who dares to look down on us now? After we finish this business with you, we will return to the river - we will definitely let those people from before know... Ha, ha, ha, today we have also made a name for ourselves in the martial arts world—"

At this point, not only Qiao Duanhong, but even the most sluggish person noticed the abnormality of the six swordsmen.

They no longer held their previous arrogant and cold demeanor, but had become frenzied. It was as if several madmen were holding swords and talking to themselves, completely oblivious to anyone around them or the current situation.

From how the six met, how they learned their skills, how they earned the name "Six Ghosts of the River," to what they had done, how many people they had killed, how they met Huainanzi of the Lingxu Sword Sect, how they consumed the pills, and where they went afterward - everything was spilled out.

Li Yunxin already knew everything he wanted to know.

Then he realized that this matter might be a bit troublesome.

Because now he understood the identities of Chisongzi and Kangcangzi.