682 Tryst at Dawn (1/2)
The red-clothed woman sat cross-legged on the ground after quickly swallowing a pellet of elixir. She looked off-color as sword light swirled on the surface of her body. If there were any weaklings with malicious intent, the light would automatically injure them.
Meng Qi, who was seated on a chair, sized her up and noticed that her wounds were concentrated below her chest. Though the wounds were short and narrow, they were also deep as if she was attacked by abnormal weapons such as the Water-shed Rapier. The sword light kept her blood from flowing out.
”The Grand Formation of Luoyang has been in a semi-activated state ever since the news of the Ninth Heaven remnants spread. Six Fan School and Political Affairs Hall would be alerted the second there is any sign of the Force of Heaven and Earth...” These thoughts flashed in Meng Qi's mind, ultimately identifying the cause and effect of the entire incident.
”Spying, stalking, encountering strangers at night, suppressing each other's Interior realms, confrontation with the sword and several abnormal weapons, then after some fight, the red-clothed woman named Sun Yuexiu lost after a single piercing blow to the chest shattered her Protective Upstanding Qi, then a narrow escape from danger...
”Rumor has it that Bai Ning, who holds half of the entrance map of the Ninth Heaven remnants, lives in a secluded place and rarely leaves home. With the imperial court and masters from Six Fan School secretly monitoring each other and thus curbing each other's powers. What on earth prompted her to have such a high-stakes struggle with another?” Suddenly, Meng Qi laughed at himself. Since he had decided to stay out of this, what was the point of guessing the cause of it all?
He was familiar with Sun Yuexiu's reputation. The youngest of the Xius of Azuremoon Sword Sect, she must hail from the same generation as Amour Monk and the like. It stood to reason that she would have already crossed the first step of the Celestial Ladder.
He stood up and stepped outside to check on the situation in the courtyard. He would help if he could, although he would rather not. After all, he had been dragged into this out of the blue and had nothing to do with them.
Several drops of blood stained the ground of the courtyard. The quiet cries of insects reverberated in the air. When he sensed his surroundings, he detected no pursuers.
”It looks like she slipped away from her pursuers but couldn't endure until the end, and she failed to stop her blood from dripping. She sought help because she was worried about being discovered.” This was Meng Qi's tentative judgment of what happened. Since this did not require him to go out of his way, he felt no harm in lending a hand. He hit a basin of water and emptied it on the ground. He also scattered some sand on it to conceal any scent.
A light-headed Sun Yuexiu protected the elixir using sheer willpower. She triggered the flow of genuine Qi through her Hidden Latch, heart, arteries, and veins to merge with the elixir and heal her injuries. She was only partially conscious, the night's events flashing in her mind.
The rain was sparse in the late night despite the fierce wind. She had stalked someone after finding clues...
She had turned into a corner in an alley when a dim light charged at her without warning. It was so unnerving, like an invitation from Yama...
Though she had narrowly escaped, the enemies had struck her in succession with the might of gales and stormy seas. Moreover, she had failed to find a flaw in their attacks. She, who had always been proud of her sword art, did not even have the power to retaliate...
Both of her enemies cooperated perfectly—not using the Force of Heaven and Earth yet still managing to force her into retreating step by step. Knowing that she was no match for them, she had unleashed Azuremoon Washing the Sky and tried to take advantage of their confusion to flee. However, the enemies seemed to have predicted this and landed a fatal strike on her. Fortunately, she possessed exceptional Lightness Skill and managed to forcefully twist her body without displaying her Interior. Stepping across the water surface, she flew to the shore and fled in a panic...
She made several changes in direction as she ran. Once she reached the courtyard, she finally collapsed...
The terrifying dim light, the movements that carried a fierce momentum, the seemingly flawless attacks—all of these replayed in Sun Yuexiu's mind over and over before finally settling on the scene where the Water-shed Rapier struck her right on the chest and caused her blood to gush out.
Sun Yuexiu suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath as if she was trying to exhale all her fright.
What frightening enemies!
She never thought that she would be suppressed this badly in a situation where the gap between realms was minimal due to the inability to use the Force of Heaven and Earth! She suspected that the enemies' insight, experience, understanding of movements, speed, and power that came with their vicious bodies were superior to those of many grandmasters.
Several breaths later, she finally recovered and abruptly turned to look outside the window where the wind and rain had come to a stop. The night was tranquil again. Inside, the green-robed Young Master was seated on a chair. In front of him were an umbrella and a small bundle.
”I'm truly sorry for what happened earlier, Young Master. I shouldn't have gotten you involved but I was too desperate.” Sun Yuexiu got up with great difficulty and saluted him to express her gratitude.
While Meng Qi could conceal his physical strength, he could not fully eliminate traces of it without a change in appearance. That was how she knew to knock on his door for help.
Meng Qi felt calmer after seeing her respectful attitude and felt no urge to tease her or complain. ”No harm done,” he said with a smile.
Sun Yuexiu coughed twice. Her gleaming eyes were full of remorse. ”While I was sure I had escaped from my enemies, I couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't be able to find me in this place. You risked your life in helping me earlier.”
”Risked my life?” Meng Qi laughed heartily. ”The Great Jin Dynasty sits under the bright Cosmos and I'm only outside to bask in the moonlight. Luoyang sits under the Emperor's feet and his benevolence envelops the entire city. While it is understandable to encounter bandits on the road, who would be brave enough to force their way into an inn?”
Sun Yuexiu's expression froze on her pretty face. She felt as if she was unable to communicate with this man. She believed she had never met someone who trusted the imperial court this much.
She sighed to herself before warning the Young Master. ”Luoyang is so chaotic. If anything happens, it wouldn't be safe to stay here. In fact, even this inn as a dangerous place. If you don't have anything important to do here, please leave as soon as possible.”
Smiling, Meng Qi pointed at the umbrella and the little bundle on the table. ”I have just met a friend today and am planning to leave at dawn. If you had encountered danger just a little later, I fear you would have found no help.”
”Glad to hear that.” Sun Yuexiu felt reassured now that she knew Meng Qi would be leaving. She saluted him solemnly and sincerely said, ”Thank you for your help, Young Master. Please accept this small sum for travel expenses. If you find yourself in danger in the future, please come to the Azuremoon Mountain of North Zhou Dynasty. I will definitely help you to the best of my abilities.”
The promise of an Exterior expert was rather valuable.
Meng Qi could barely restrain a smile as he accepted two gold ingots from her.
Sun Yuexiu, now looking fairly relaxed, bade him farewell. She returned to her own room to continue mending her injuries. Meng Qi stuffed the ingots into the bundle which was there to keep up appearances. He then closed his eyes to rest, awaiting the arrival of dawn.
Some time later, the hairpin-wearing Taoist returned with a slight limp in his left foot. He glanced at Sun Yuexiu's room with a guarded expression.
Thud, thud, thud! The sound of a plank being struck came from afar. It sounded like the night watchers yet also resembled singing. Everything sounded ordinary on the surface.
When the hairpin-wearing Taoist perked up his ear to listen, he found nothing wrong. Dragging his limping foot, he returned to his room. There, he closed his eyes and began the healing process.
Looking as if he was untouched by external affairs, Meng Qi carefully read the book of Tao Te Ching in his hand. ”The Tao of Heaven reduces that which has too much and adds to that which doesn't have enough. The Tao of people is different; it reduces that which doesn't have enough and gives to that which has too much.”
This was the first time he read this Taoist scripture so carefully, all in order to ponder the mysteries.
Thud, thud, thud! The sound of a plank being hit drew closer. Meng Qi suddenly frowned. ”Something isn't right!”
If ordinary Exterior experts were not on guard and had relaxed connection to Heaven and Earth, thus allowing them to experience all kinds of Dharma and Logos, they would have missed the abnormality. However, Meng Qi's sharp senses alerted him to the subtle change in Heaven and Earth. Moreover, being a friend of Ruan Yushu meant knowing a thing or two about tonality.