novelraw Chapter 179 - 122: Don’t Leave Me Behind (Part 2)
Chapter 179 - 122: Don’t Leave Me Behind (Part 2)
"Your wise words are truly appreciated, Chu Qing. Cao Qiupu is deeply grateful."
"Go."
Chu Qing swung his sleeve and turned away.
Cao Qiupu gave Chu Qing another look, then with a complex expression gazed at Ling Fei in his arms, before finally leaping away.
Halfway there, he used his fingers as a whistle, blowing sharply.
After a short moment, a white horse came galloping swiftly.
Cao Qiupu took a step and landed on the horse.
The white horse carried Cao Qiupu away swiftly...
Now, it was not suitable to stay at Luochun Manor for long, as it was a place of trouble, and Chu Qing’s words made him doubt Ling Fei’s identity.
If Ling Fei truly was an assassin from the Mirror of Sin, such trouble must not be left at Luochun Manor.
It was best to take her away.
Immediately, under the cover of night, he spurred the white horse, leaving Luochun Manor.
Having traveled seven or eight miles, he passed a mountain hollow.
Seeing the surroundings were acceptable, he then dismounted with Ling Fei in his arms.
"White Brother, please stand guard around here."
The white horse snorted, patrolling the surroundings.
Cao Qiupu found a stable spot, set Ling Fei down, and probed her meridians, discovering cold energy pervaded them; such injuries would have killed an ordinary woman by now.
But within Ling Fei’s body, there was an inner strength combating it...
"What the Third Brother said... indeed is true. She knows martial arts..."
Cao Qiupu’s face turned slightly pale.
Earlier, he was blinded by anger; if the Third Young Master hadn’t detained him tonight and said those words...
Instead had directly stopped him from leaving... conflict between the two would have been inevitable.
At that time, regardless of his own life or death, a feud would surely have formed between him and the Third Young Master.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a chill in his heart.
"Was all this your calculation?"
Looking at Ling Fei, Cao Qiupu’s eyes were full of complexity; taking a deep breath, he still sat down cross-legged behind her.
His hands spread out below his dantian, slowly lifting, finally gently pressing on Ling Fei’s back.
Cao Qiupu’s sword technique is the Seven Rhymes Celestial Sound Sword Technique, which combines sound and sword, naturally possessing great power.
But without a strong inner power to support it, it is difficult to unleash the true might of this martial art.
The inner power he practiced was a self-created skill, the Five Elements Returning to the Origin Skill.
Inner power cannot arise out of thin air; even with Cao Qiupu’s exceptional talent, it was not easy to reach today’s realm when initially crafting inner power.
Initially, the Five Elements Returning to the Origin Skill was merely the widely-known Celestial Essence Qi Skill in the Martial World.
This skill is upright and peaceful, neither having a risk of going berserk nor having the potential for explosive growth.
If anything, practicing it serves only to strengthen the body.
In the Martial World, almost no one would choose this inner power; even for foundational practice, it’s considered too superficial.
Cao Qiupu, being a ranger, first practiced the Celestial Essence Qi Skill, and later by chance acquired the Seven Rhymes Celestial Sound Sword Technique from a predecessor, thereafter employing Celestial Essence Qi Skill to wield the Seven Rhymes Celestial Sound Sword, forming the cornerstone of his standing in the Martial World.
In the years that followed, he obtained several inner powers.
Unwilling to abandon years of practice of Celestial Essence Qi Skill, yet striving for further progress, he chose to use Celestial Essence Qi Skill as the core, integrating the essence of several inner powers.
Finally, he created the Five Elements Returning to the Origin Skill.
This skill possesses endless nuance; internally, it circulates throughout, externally, it forms the state of five elements, linking and protecting between breaths, complementing each other, achieving a synergy far greater than the sum of its parts.
Now using this to heal Ling Fei, the inner breath enters her body, gradually dispelling the icy cold within.
The Five Elements Returning to the Origin Skill operates like a large millstone, sweeping through the meridians, clearing accumulated obstructions.
With Ling Fei’s own inner strength assisting, together they managed to eliminate most of the cold aura within a little over an hour.
Only then did Cao Qiupu slowly conclude, drawing the inner breath back into his dantian.
Yet he felt a chilling sensation, unexpectedly rushing into his dantian as well.
"...The Third Brother’s martial arts, truly troublesome."
Cao Qiupu frowned deeply, but having exhausted considerable inner strength, he couldn’t immediately cleanse this wisp of cold aura from his dantian.
Fortunately, the cold aura was light; even if ignored, it posed no threat to him.
He let Ling Fei’s body lean against a rock to sit.
Cao Qiupu quietly watched her... seeming to seek out the hidden mysteries in her pale face.
After a while, a thought occurred to him.
Suddenly, he shifted away to a distant spot.
White Brother, hearing the stir, came over, and Cao Qiupu patted its neck twice:
"Go ahead, I have something to attend to."
White Brother gazed at Cao Qiupu disdainfully, then turned around and vanished like a flash of white lightning.
Cao Qiupu concealed himself, trying to soften his gaze, quietly observing the unconscious Ling Fei from a distance.
After yet another brief passage of time, Ling Fei finally slowly woke up.
The moment she opened her eyes, she instinctively tensed her body, scanning her surroundings.
Just witnessing this scene, Cao Qiupu nearly closed his eyes.
This was not the reaction of a normal person waking after being injured... but rather the instinctual vigilance of a battle-hardened master, examining their surroundings for potential danger.
And Ling Fei... if she really were a courtesan, would she act like this?
She should be gentle, helpless...
How could she be displaying this kind of demeanor?
When she realized there was no one around, Ling Fei promptly stood up.
Her face was cold, filled with both murderous intent and anger, lacking the gentleness Cao Qiupu hoped to see.
Then Cao Qiupu picked up a stone from the ground, activated his Inner Breath, and flung it.
The stone pierced the air instantaneously, straight towards Miss Ling Fei’s heart.
"Who is it?"
Miss Ling Fei snorted coldly, and without turning back, somehow petals suddenly flew out.
With a snap sound, the stone was shattered into pieces.
From then, there was no doubt left in the words spoken between Chu Qing and Cao Qiupu.
He rose from the bushes and walked slowly towards Ling Fei.
The anger and alertness on Miss Ling Fei’s face disappeared completely upon seeing Cao Qiupu, leaving only a look of panic:
"Qiupu... was that you just now?"
Cao Qiupu didn’t speak, but he came step by step in front of Ling Fei, looking at her with a complex expression.
Miss Ling Fei grew even more uneasy:
"You... let me explain..."
"Explain what?"
Cao Qiupu suppressed the bitterness in his heart:
"Explain why you framed and even killed my friends? Or explain why you joined the Mirror of Sin?
"The falling plum implies spring, yet hidden fragrance conceals the killing intent?
"All these years, I kept hearing news of you... yet I always thought you were dead.
"And you, knowing where I was, knowing who I am,
"Never thought to come find me...
"What exactly am I in your heart?"
"It’s not like that."
Miss Ling Fei grasped Cao Qiupu’s arm, shook her head frantically:
"It’s not like that... I had unavoidable reasons.
"Please, Qiupu, don’t talk to me like this, I’m scared..."
"The famous courtesan on the Seventy-two Evil Extermination List is scared too?"
Cao Qiupu blurted out these words almost without thinking.
Miss Ling Fei only shook her head:
"I can explain..."
"Explanations can wait till later."
Cao Qiupu took a deep breath:
"First tell me, who did you meet at Luochun Manor today?
"Why must you kill the three brothers?"
"...I cannot say."
Cao Qiupu closed his eyes and took a deep breath:
"Fine, you are an assassin of Mirror of Sin, I am a Ranger in the Martial World.
"Even if there’s intersection between us, it’s only when you are killing, and I try to stop you.
"Since you are unwilling to come to me, why should I obsessively try to change you...
"Ling Fei... from now on, let’s sever all ties..."
"No!!"
Ling Fei suddenly hugged Cao Qiupu:
"I’ll tell you everything... don’t leave me.
"I beg you, I finally found you, I never want to be apart from you again."
...
...
While Cao Qiupu and Ling Fei were entangled in their engrossing scene, Chu Qing had already returned to his own courtyard.
Although he failed to kill the famed Flower Beauty tonight, with Cao Qiupu involved, this master from the Evil Extermination List will likely be quite busy in the future.
Taking advantage of the time, he decided to wash his hands and unlock the box he obtained after killing Old Immortal Yulong.
As soon as he entered the courtyard, Chu Qing paused:
"Why didn’t Gentle light a lamp?"