Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1017: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (25)

The battle was nothing more than a brutal exchange of slashes—because, in reality, combat was not turn-based.

The sound of clashing blades echoed continuously, but the only traces left in the air were the sparks that burst from the collisions of their weapons.

Their speed had already surpassed the limits of normal human eyesight.

Centered around the black business car, the surrounding street was gradually being destroyed. Cracks and holes marred the asphalt, spreading like a web.

If this weren’t a small town, and if tonight weren’t a special occasion when traffic had already disappeared, the level of destruction might have already caused chaos outside.

Of course, the thick fog played its part as well.

Inside the car, Gongsun Shiyu sat with his eyes closed, yet he could track the battle between Gongsun Zhishui and the white-haired woman purely by sound. Three minutes had already passed.

The fight remained deadlocked, an unexpected outcome for Gongsun Shiyu.

Zhishui was one of the strongest within the Qian Department, even among the Golden Sword Generals. His abilities were undeniable—even when facing a True Dragon, he was far from as helpless as he sometimes appeared.

Because he knew Gongsun Zhishui’s strength, Gongsun Shiyu found himself looking at the white-haired woman differently.Strictly speaking, the Gongsun clan had long transcended the concept of ordinary humans. Though still in human bodies, the power they wielded was already beyond human limitations.

Her fighting style was not part of Divine Land’s martial arts traditions… Though traces of ancient Korean swordsmanship could be seen, her technique leaned more toward the fluidity of Western fencing and Japanese kendo.

“Her physical strength is clearly inferior to Zhishui’s… Her battle instincts must have been forged in real-life combat, her reflexes are incredibly sharp.”

Gongsun Shiyu rolled down the car window, watching the golden sparks continuously bursting in the air.

“That strange blade, is it the key?”

It was not impossible. Powerful weapons inherently carried immense strength, sometimes bestowing extraordinary abilities upon their wielders—the most legendary being the Xuanyuan Sword of Divine Land.

As someone with reversion to ancestral traits, Gongsun Shiyu had partial authority to wield the Xuanyuan Sword, so he knew very well what kind of power a divine weapon could grant.

Four minutes and thirty seconds.

The battle abruptly came to a halt.

Gongsun Zhishui glanced at his sword arm. His rolled-up sleeve revealed a wound about the length of a palm.

A short distance away, Nero also bore a new wound—a crimson gash the length of a knuckle on her left cheek.

“Hey, little bro, five minutes are almost up. Not going to continue?” Nero whistled teasingly.

“…I apologize. I underestimated you.”

After a brief silence, Gongsun Zhishui slowly raised his sword once more.

“This time, I’ll give it my all.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Nero, still grinning, eagerly took her battle stance again.

But at that moment, Gongsun Shiyu suddenly spoke from inside the car.

“That’s enough.”

At the same time, he extended his arm from the car window.

In an instant, a terrifying sword aura shot out.

It streaked past Gongsun Zhishui like a blinding light—one that could sever all in its path!

Nero instinctively swung Enma Blade to block—

But she was too slow.

Her pupils dilated.

The sword light cleaved through her body in an instant.

And effortlessly, her right arm was severed.

The attack didn’t stop there. After slicing through Nero’s arm, the energy surged forward, slashing through a parked car on the roadside before gradually dissipating.

Clang.

Enma Blade hit the ground with a crisp sound. Blood sprayed from Nero’s severed limb, and at the same time, she coughed up a mouthful of dark blood.

It wasn’t just her arm—

The force of the sword aura had even damaged her internal organs.

“As I thought… Your power comes solely from that strange blade.”

Gongsun Shiyu stepped out of the car, speaking with an air of indifference.

“Without the sword’s support, your body is only slightly stronger than an ordinary person.”

Nero clutched her bleeding stump. Strands of disheveled hair covered half of her face.

Gongsun Zhishui glanced at the distant, wrecked car—there seemed to be someone inside.

But he merely furrowed his brows without commenting. Instead, the crackling, lightning-clad sword in his hand dissipated, and he stepped back behind Gongsun Shiyu.

“This blade intrigues me.”

Gongsun Shiyu’s voice remained calm.

“If you hand over both the sword and the stolen item, I will let you leave.

As for your arm—if you leave immediately, you might still have a chance to reattach it. Whether you regain full function depends on your own fate.

Consider this your punishment for theft.”

“What a damn condescending tone…”

Nero lowered her head, murmuring in a quiet voice.

“But… I guess there’s no helping it.

After all, I lost.

As the loser, I have no right to argue back, do I?”

“Oh?”

Gongsun Shiyu raised an eyebrow.

“You seem quite used to the rule that losing means losing everything.”

“Maybe… just a little?”

Nero lifted her bloodstained fingers, measuring out a tiny gap between her thumb and index finger.

Her complexion was ghastly pale. Her lips were stained red with her own blood. Her severed arm was still bleeding profusely—far too much blood had been lost in this short time.

“…A psychological flaw?”

Gongsun Shiyu frowned slightly.

Then, he said coolly,

“Hand over the item. Dragging this out is only wasting your time.”

But before she could respond, Nero suddenly coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Her body curled inward from the pain, and she collapsed onto the ground.

Her expression twisted in agony. Veins bulged across her face, dark blue and unnatural.

Nero’s pupils dimmed.

She struggled to reach into her inner coat pocket—retrieving a small, flat case.

Yet her body was no longer under her full control.

The case slipped from her trembling fingers, and as it hit the ground, its lid flipped open—scattering numerous capsules across the pavement.

Nero instinctively reached out to grab them.

But before she could, Gongsun Shiyu extended his hand in the air—an invisible force swept the capsules away, pulling them into his grasp.

Nero grasped at empty air.

Her face turned even paler. She lifted her head weakly—her vision now blurred.

The figures of Gongsun Shiyu and Gongsun Zhishui before her were becoming indistinct.

Then, without warning, Nero collapsed, her body wracked with violent convulsions.

“…Some kind of illness?”

Gongsun Zhishui frowned.

Gongsun Shiyu glanced at the capsules in his hand.

“Take the item and the woman with us.

I want to know more about this sword.”

Gongsun Zhishui nodded and strode toward the fallen Nero.

However—

Just as he was about to reach her, two shadows lunged toward him from either side.

Frowning, he saw them clearly—two eerie black hounds with glowing green eyes.

One on the left, one on the right—biting onto his legs, trying to immobilize him.

Gongsun Zhishui let out a cold snort.

A flash of white flame erupted from his body—instantly repelling the black hounds. They were blasted away, but before hitting the ground, they vanished—leaving behind nothing but two torn talismans.

At the same time, a new figure had appeared beside Nero—

A young man with golden-dyed hair, holding a black wooden sword.

Mo Mo.

“…You’re her ally?”

Gongsun Zhishui narrowed his eyes.

Judging by his techniques, he seemed to be a practitioner of Onmyōdō.

Yet, there were multiple factions within Divine Land who wielded such powers.

Identifying this man’s exact background was no simple task.

“…Not an ally.”

Mo Mo glanced at Nero’s fading eyes and furrowed his brows.

“I only met her once.”

"A Brief Encounter?" Gongsun Zhishui seemed to be analyzing the credibility of this statement. "And yet you stepped in to save her… Is it a sense of justice?"

"If you want to talk about justice, this woman’s hands are already drenched in blood. Perhaps she even deserves death. But…" Mo Mo shook his head. "But you people don’t seem much better."

"Do you know where we come from?" Gongsun Zhishui asked indifferently.

Mo Mo's expression darkened. "I don’t care where you’re from… I only know that you show no mercy, not even to innocent bystanders. That man behind you—just now, a single sword strike from him wiped out an entire family of three in that car… Are you even aware of that? Do you realize… they might have been on their way home, where elderly parents were waiting for them to return for a reunion dinner? A year of waiting… a lifetime… And with just one slash, you erased all of that?"

"They were nothing more than disposable beings, unworthy even of reincarnation." Gongsun Shiyu said calmly. "This woman stole from us. I simply took back what was ours. Don’t meddle any further… Zhishui, deal with him."

Gongsun Zhishui nodded, flipping his palm as his lightning-infused sword slowly emerged. "Thunder is the bane of Yin-Yang spirits… You’d best leave this place while you still can."

An overwhelming pressure filled the air.

Even Nero, who was already incapacitated, had once instilled great fear in Mo Mo. Yet the man before him had fought her to a standstill. As for the one standing further back—he had nearly killed Nero with a single sword aura.

Cold sweat trickled down Mo Mo’s forehead and neck. He knew he shouldn’t get involved. But before his mind could make the decision, his body had already moved.

Especially after seeing that sword light cleave through the private car… after seeing the bodies of that family torn apart in the thick fog.

"So you refuse to back down? Well, no choice then." Gongsun Zhishui slowly raised his ancient sword. "Let’s settle this with strength."

There was no way to win… Even escaping seemed like a distant hope.

Yet despite this, Mo Mo clenched his teeth, gritted against the immense pressure, and gripped his black wooden sword tightly, facing off against Gongsun Zhishui.

A single thrust.

The sheer killing intent froze Mo Mo’s arms in place. He suddenly realized—throughout his training, even before leaving the mountain, he had never faced an opponent of this caliber. The only time he had dueled before was a test match with the White Tiger young master, Huang Baifu—nothing like this.

A real life-and-death battle… Facing a true killer, his mental fortitude was utterly inadequate.

Mo Mo bit down hard, drawing blood from his tongue, and barely managed to raise his wooden sword to block Gongsun Zhishui’s attack.

But the second strike came even faster!

He couldn’t block it—he had to dodge!

A retreating thought flashed through Mo Mo’s mind. But in that instant, Gongsun Zhishui suddenly withdrew his sword—not only halting his attack but even leaping back to create distance.

With a solemn expression, Gongsun Zhishui spoke in a deep voice: "Who are you?"

…He was talking to me? No—behind me!

Mo Mo turned sharply.

Standing there was the most beautiful face he had ever seen.

Dressed in a refined black-and-white maid outfit, her expression forever serene and gentle—the maid from that senior’s shop, Miss Yōu Yè.

"You… How are you…" Mo Mo was momentarily speechless in shock.

"We meet again, Mr. Mo Mo." Miss Yōu Yè smiled slightly. "Could you step aside for a moment?"

Mo Mo hesitated, then quickly moved out of the way as realization dawned on him. Yōu Yè gave him a small nod in thanks before stepping past him, walking toward Nero.

At some point, Nero was already holding a black card in her hand.

Her lips moved faintly, whispering in broken phrases.

"Kill them… or get me out of here safely… Either one… The box has money… Take as much as you need… If it’s not enough… Take mine too… I don’t care…"

A black cardholder’s transaction request must be fulfilled.

As the shopkeeper’s proxy, Miss Yōu Yè had no choice but to accept.

"Understood, honored guest." She nodded slightly, then waved her hand, temporarily halting the bleeding from Nero’s severed arm.

She turned to Gongsun Zhishui and Gongsun Shiyu, speaking calmly. "Gentlemen, due to certain reasons, I must take this lady with me. Would it be possible to resolve this peacefully? I would greatly appreciate it."

"Seems like Mt. Tai has had quite a few uninvited guests lately." Gongsun Zhishui twirled his sword. "But I have my orders. This woman must come with me. Your so-called ‘reasons’ don’t concern me."

"I understand the situation." Miss Yōu Yè smiled faintly. "As it happens, my mood is a bit off today… This will make for a nice little release."

Behind that breathtakingly beautiful smile, an overwhelming terror instantly descended upon the street.

In an instant, the surrounding dense fog was completely consumed by black flames that materialized from the void itself…

(End of Chapter)