Jianghu Demolition Squad

Moving Like the Stars (Part Twelve)

Yan Li followed Mo Wen’s instructions and sought out a healer    for acupuncture for several days. It was then she got a message from Tang Linzhi through Liu Xiu.

Despite not being fully recovered, Yan Li could not care less about her body. Determined to head to Hangzhou, she requested a horse to make the trip immediately.

She sat quietly on her horse, studying the three copper coins in her hand before discreetly tucking them back into her sleeve. She gazed down the road ahead, her eyes deep with resolve.

Liu Xiu said, “When you find Star Lord, bring her back to Suzhou with you.”

Yan Li had just recovered. Liu Xiu initially didn’t want her to go, but couldn’t persuade her otherwise. “Based on the timing of Tang Linzhi’s message and the travel time, she should be arriving in Hangzhou soon. With the three of you looking out for each other, it’s more reassuring.”

Yan Li pressed her lips together, “Thank you for your concern.”

“It’s nothing. I need time to gather people; the earliest they can arrive is this evening, but you and Star Lord can’t wait.” Liu Xiu sighed, “Tang Linzhi said that while the Tang Sect hasn’t accepted the assassination job, they’re willing to provide information. If the mastermind is who I think it is, he’s been planning this for a long time, and he has his ways. We need to be one step ahead or else, once everyone at Yanyu Pavilion is back, and you’ve sent a letter to your sect, they’ll surely come to our aid given past favors. There’s no need to fear.”

Yan Li responded with a touch of resignation, “It’s fate.”

“You must be extremely cautious on this trip. As soon as our people arrive tonight, I’ll send them to support you,” Liu Xiu advised. Yan Li nodded, spurred her horse, and galloped towards Hangzhou.

After visiting Hangzhou to pay her respects, Qing Jiu planned to wait for Hua Lian. She guessed that Hua Lian would most likely return directly to Hangzhou. But after a few days without news, her patience wore thin, her previously calm days now filled with urgency to return.

Lying in the inn room, Qing Jiu touched the dagger at her waist and a smile involuntarily crept onto her face. Deciding it was time to move, she packed up, checked out of the inn, took her horse, and set out for Yangzhou.

She was delayed for some time on the road and finally reached Yong City.

Yong City was a key location, and one had to pass through this city whether heading west to Suzhou or east to Yangzhou.

At sunset, Qing Jiu led her horse into the city and found an inn where she planned to stay the night. Just as she was handing her horse over to a stable boy, she saw someone riding hurriedly into the street.

This main street led directly to the south gate, and the person was clearly in a rush to travel, with no intention of staying the night.

Qing Jiu caught sight of the person and called out in surprise, “Yan Li!”

Midway down the road, Yan Li spotted Qing Jiu, pulled on the reins, and dismounted in front of her. Covered in dust from head to toe, she hadn’t yet spoken when Qing Jiu asked, “Why have you come here?”

Yan Li let out a sigh of relief and said, “It’s good that you’re alright.” It was truly fortunate to have encountered her on the way. If Qing Jiu were still in Hangzhou, Yan Li wouldn’t know where to start looking for her, or she might have just missed her if Qing Jiu had already left Yong City.

Qing Jiu chuckled, “What could happen to me?”

Qing Jiu observed Yan Li’s expression for a moment and said with a smile, “Did you get some news from Liu Xiu?”

Surprised, Yan Li’s eyes widened, “You already know?” It seemed impossible; even if Liu Xiu had sent a message to Yanyu Pavilion in Hangzhou, it would have only just arrived. With Qing Jiu in Yong City, how could she possibly know this news?

Qing Jiu called over a servant to take care of Yan Li’s horse and suggested, “It’s too much to explain in a few words, let’s go inside and rest a while.” Noting Yan Li’s tired appearance, she knew her friend well enough to guess she hadn’t rested much on the way, and despite being a skilled martial artist, it wasn’t wise to keep pushing herself.

Yan Li frowned hesitantly and said, “Liu Xiu thinks we should hurry back to Suzhou. The people behind this are strong and likely well-prepared. Seven or eight people we can handle, but if it’s a hundred or more, we are too few to fight effectively. Any delay is extremely dangerous. We shouldn’t rest, we need to keep moving.”

Qing Jiu looked at Yan Li with a mysterious smile. Yan Li asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Traveling at night can be inconvenient,” Qing Jiu explained. “If someone ambushes us on the road, we’re more vulnerable, especially since you’ve been traveling for days and are mentally exhausted. How would you face an enemy then?”

Yan Li looked at Qing Jiu, paused for a moment as realization dawned on her, and asked, “You’ve already encountered them on the road…”

Qing Jiu grasped her wrist and pulled her into the inn. “Let’s talk inside.”

They sat in a corner of the room. A server wiped down the table and then bowed his head to leave and fetch their order. Qing Jiu picked up a cup, wiped the rim clean, poured some water, and placed it in front of Yan Li.

Yan Li asked, “Linzhi sent a letter saying she was coming to Hangzhou to find you. She should have been ahead of me, didn’t you meet her?”

Qing Jiu paused mid-action and asked, “Linzhi?”

“Tell me everything that happened from the beginning.”

Yan Li briefly recounted how Tang Biao had came looking for Tang Linzhi, her pursuit out of the city towards Suzhou, and then receiving news of Linzhi, which led her to seek out Qing Jiu in Hangzhou.

Qing Jiu sipped her tea and said, “Someone is targeting me…”

Qing Jiu smiled nonchalantly and said, “Not long after I left Hangzhou, I was already being pursued by assassins.”

Yan Li frowned. “What happened?”

Qing Jiu began to describe her experiences after leaving Hangzhou. Wherever she stayed, she would encounter one or two groups of people attacking her in the dark, which significantly slowed her journey.

“I’m afraid Linzhi is also facing trouble and has been blocked on the road,” Qing Jiu bit the rim of the cup with her white teeth, glancing at Yan Li with a cold smile that carried a hint of wickedness. “It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced such a life-or-death situation.”

Yan Li’s lips pressed into a thin line, and after a long silence, she said, “Qing Jiu, you promised Grandmaster and Venerable Kuyuan…”

Leaning her cheek on her hand and fiddling with the teacup, Qing Jiu’s mood softened, and she replied with a smile, “If no one bothers me, I won’t go looking for trouble.”

“Speaking of which, has Liu Xiu found any clues about the person behind this?”

Yan Li said, “Xuanji Tower, Lingyun.”

“Lingyun?” Qing Jiu repeated the name, gently closing her eyes, savoring them in her mind.

Yan Li continued, “But Xuanji Tower’s ability to control information is no less than that of Yanyu Pavilion. Lingyun rarely shows himself, and few in jianghu know much about him. Liu Xiao doesn’t have concrete evidence to prove it’s him. If it weren’t for the investigation into Yu’er being kidnapped by the Moonless Sect, Liu Xiu wouldn’t have found this clue.”

Yan Li frowned, puzzled. “Xuanji Tower rarely gets involved in jianghu affairs, and Lingyun has shown himself even less in recent years. You haven’t been out of Canglong Mountain for long, so when did you make an enemy powerful enough to scheme against your life?” She initially didn’t believe this, but since the information came through Liu Xiu, she had to consider it somewhat credible.

Qing Jiu’s eyes darkened. “When, indeed…” She twirled her fingers, missing the Buddhist beads that were no longer there, and rested her hand uncomfortably on her hip, caressing the handle of her dagger wrapped in black silk.

Just then, a group of about ten people entered the inn, armed with large swords and heavy weapons, exuding a strong jianghu aura.

One of the newcomers was particularly imposing yet moved silently, indicating his considerable skill. The other guests in the inn, sensing their fierce demeanor, quickly stood up and left, avoiding contact as they sidled past the door and hurried away.

Yan Li only glanced at them before turning back to ask Qing Jiu, “Speaking of Linzhi, how did you know there was someone blocking her way?”

Qing Jiu placed her hand beside her mouth, lowering her voice to a secretive whisper, “Do you know what the first thing those people who attacked me at night said to me?” Yan Li was taken aback, wondering what this had to do with Tang Linzhi.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than the group entered the inn, a burly man wielding a sword scanning the room before his gaze settled on Qing Jiu’s table. He approached without a word and swung his sword at her, his voice cold as he demanded, “Hand over the Fenghou Sword!”

Qing Jiu and Yan Li swiftly dodged to the side. Yan Li leapt onto a nearby staircase while Qing Jiu elegantly landed on a table to the left. The table where they had been sitting was cleaved in two by the man’s intimidating blow, clearly meant more as a show of force than a lethal strike.

Qing Jiu scoffed coldly, “That’s exactly what they said.”

Yan Li suddenly realized that Xuanji Tower was after the divine weapon…

Before Yan Li could ponder further, the ten or so people had already surrounded them.

The burly man said in a gruff voice, “Hand over the Fenghou Sword, or face death.”

Yan Li surveyed the group, noting their varied clothing and weapons, which suggested they were not all from the same faction and unlikely to be underlings of Xuanji Tower.

Her eyes flicked to a man on the far left, someone vaguely familiar. She suddenly remembered he was known as Songzhu Ke. Despite his elegant nickname, he was notorious for his shady dealings. While not considered truly evil, he still caused trouble for the locals. Later, the Wenwu Sect stepped in to deal with him, and he never reappeared in jianghu. Beside the burly man stood an old woman known as Fu Changshe, a figure both righteous and wicked, who had once offended the Yanyu Pavilion and then disappeared, likely dealt with quietly by the pavilion to avoid further trouble.

Yan Li had a vague impression of two or three other people. When she had traveled the jianghu in the past, she had spent some time in Jiangnan. These weren’t ordinary jianghu wanderers but had a certain level of notoriety in the Jiangnan region.

Qing Jiu spread her arms with a smile towards the crowd, “Everyone, take a good look. Do I look like someone who possesses the Fenghou Sword? You all have heard this rumor from somewhere and didn’t even bother to verify it before coming to find me. Be careful not to be fooled by others.”

The burly man frowned, unsure if he had overlooked this or if he doubted Qing Jiu’s words. He glanced at the old woman, Fu Changshe, who asked, “The girl won’t admit it?”

Qing Jiu looked at the crowd, her dark pupils deep, making them feel as though she could see right through them.

She smiled at them, and facing this young woman, the crowd felt a sudden, inexplicable tremor of fear.

A young man in white behind the man, pale-faced and holding a long sword, said, “Enough with the flowery words. You’re trying to deceive us. Hand over the Fenghou Sword quietly, and we’ll spare you from suffering.”

Qing Jiu sighed with a sense of helplessness, “I don’t have the Fenghou Sword, so how can I hand it over? If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. You’re welcome to search me.”

Seeing her composed demeanor, the crowd was slightly taken aback, some beginning to waver, uncertain whether the Fenghou Sword was truly in her possession.

The old woman argued, “Such a divine weapon wouldn’t be carried openly; you’d surely hide it somewhere.”

Qing Jiu laughed, “A sword that I do not use is no different from scrap metal. Why would I keep it just to invite trouble?”

Some in the crowd silently agreed, thinking that a sword unused might as well be scrap metal. Having a divine weapon and not using it seemed as senseless as hoarding it without the means to wield it, motivated only by greed.

Yet some still didn’t believe her. The human heart is never satisfied, akin to a snake trying to swallow an elephant. Some people may lack ability but are extremely greedy. Despite being unable to wield a divine sword effectively, they still want to grip it tightly in their hands. Knowing they lack the skill to defend it, they understand the wisdom of not flaunting their wealth and prefer to hide the sword, keeping it solely for themselves.

One of them challenged, “How do we know you’re not deceiving us?”

Seeing the expressions around her, Qing Jiu’s eyes twinkled with amusement, and she declared intriguingly, “I have the Fenghou Sword.”

At this, the faces of the dozen or so people changed abruptly, all eyes stared on her as the atmosphere in the inn charged with sudden tension.

Qing Jiu laughed, “But there’s only one. If you take it, how do you plan to share it?”