Jianghu Demolition Squad

Like a Fish Transforming into a Dragon (Part Seventeen)

Qing Jiu glanced downward and saw Yu’er gasping for breath. She touched her, feeling the icy breath on her hand.

Qing Jiu’s gaze darkened. Yu’er’s internal energy had improved significantly, enough to suppress ordinary poisons without immediate effects. However, the poison on the arrow had acted quickly, indicating a lethal type that worked upon entering the bloodstream.

Yu’er leaned weakly in her arms, her voice faint as she gazed up, “I know Miss Zhi Huan doesn’t like… people getting close to her, right?”

Without a word, Qing Jiu gently set Yu’er against a rock, instructing Xin Chou, “Protect her!”

Xin Chou shrank his head and shuffled closer, encircling Yu’er with his large hands as if she were a delicate treasure that might shatter with the slightest breeze, murmuring, “Chou will Protect her.”

Qing Jiu swiftly left the group behind, retrieving her Fenghou Sword as she darted into the forest. The soft song of her blade resumed, mingling with the relentless twang of crossbows and the panicked fluttering of birds. Within moments, the frequency of bolts shooting from the forest dwindled until there were none, and calm returned.

Emerging from the forest, Qing Jiu’s black robe barely concealed the bloodstains that marred her body, and a strong scent of blood hung heavily around her, marked by a fresh speck of blood on her chin.

Dragging a man whose acupoints she had sealed—his body rigid and unresponsive—she approached Yu’er. Tossing the man aside, she uncorked a porcelain bottle, extracted a pill, and forced it into the man’s mouth.

The crossbow arrows were all poisoned, and their wielders had not intended to leave any survivors. Initially, they didn’t plan to bring an antidote, but they had included one in case they accidentally poisoned one of their own.

After shooting the man with an arrow to test the antidote, she checked his pulse which gradually stabilized, confirming it was indeed the antidote. She then took another pill and presented it to Yu’er, announcing, “This is the antidote.”

Yu’er, lying still, managed a bitter smile, “Miss Zhi Huan, I don’t have the strength.”

Qing Jiu brought the pill to Yu’er’s lips. Yu’er opened her mouth, and before Qing Jiu could feed it to her, she extended her soft tongue, curling it around the pill Qing Jiu held between her fingertips and drew it into her mouth.

Her soft, tender tongue inevitably brushed against Qing Jiu’s fingers, causing Qing Jiu to catch her breath. She stared at her fingers for a long moment, the tingling sensation spreading from her fingertips to her heart. She then asked, “Is Third Miss Jun born in the year of the dog?”

Qing Jiu thought she had deliberately used her tongue. Indeed, Yu’er had done so intentionally, but she was too weak to respond. After swallowing the antidote, her sleepiness deepened, her mind grew tired, and slowly, her eyes closed.

Watching her succumb to sleep, Qing Jiu sighed.

She turned and noticed Xin Chou still standing guard behind them. Finally, she had a moment to address his situation.

She looked at him, asking, “What’s your name?”

“Xin Chou.”

“Take off your helmet.”

Xin Chou shook his head, his hands clutched together, a look of distress in his eyes, “The Tower Master forbids it…”

Qing Jiu narrowed her eyes, “You’re from Xuanji Tower, so why do you call me master?” She pulled out her Fenghou Sword.

The hum of the Fenghou Sword was very faint, yet Xin Chou’s legs gave way, and he trembled, calling out, “Master, Chou… Chou is obedient.”

A thought stirred in Qing Jiu’s mind. She examined the blade of the Fenghou sword, recalling a phrase she had heard before, “The Fenghou Sword destroys one’s will, making all under heaven bow and serve. If not a cursed blade, what is it?”

Qing Jiu channeled her internal energy, and the Fenghou Sword emitted a resonant hum. Xin Chou trembled, sobbing as he covered his ears, pleading, “Master, no more, please…”

Qing Jiu pondered the oddity before her—this strange, simple-minded man might have been affected by the Fenghou Sword, causing him to foolishly acknowledge her as his master.

She spun her sword, leapt up with graceful agility, and unleashed her swordsmanship fluidly, like clouds drifting across the sky. By the time she landed, she sheathed her sword, and the aftermath was visible: Xin Chou’s helmet, armor, and chains lay shattered on the ground, clanging loudly as they hit.

Qing Jiu looked at Xin Chou’s appearance, noting his fat head and large ears, his smooth and hairless scalp, and his honest and simple features.

She commanded, “Get up.”

Xin Chou stood, rubbing his head and looking at his hands and feet. Seeing his armor and chains undone, his joy was unmistakable: “Master, Master, Chou… Chou doesn’t have to wear chains anymore!”

Qing Jiu walked over, scooped Yu’er into her arms, and glanced at Xin Chou.

Her gaze then shifted to the man she had used to test the antidote and she probed Xin Chou, “Kill him.”

Xin Chou hesitated, troubled,  If Chou kills him, the Tower Master will be angry and not give Chou food… Chou will be hungry….”

“Whose orders will you follow?” Qing Jiu asked, her voice firm. “Mine or his? He won’t feed you, but I will.”

Only then did Xin Chou approach the man. Still uncertain, he glanced back to see Qing Jiu already walking away with Yu’er and hurriedly stomped on the man’s waist. The man, unable to move due to his acupoints being sealed, couldn’t dodge and died instantly as Xin Chou broke his spine with that single stomp.

Xin Chou followed Qing Jiu, and with each step, the ground shook slightly: “Master, Chou… Chou is obedient.”

Qi Tianzhu and an elder from the Wenwu Sect arrived to find the aftermath of the confrontation. The elder, seeing Xin Chou standing next to Qing Jiu, was shocked and speechless, “This…”

Qi Tianzhu saw Yu’er lying in Qing Jiu’s arms, breaking out in a cold sweat, and quickly approached Qing Jiu, exclaiming, “Girl!”

Qing Jiu handed Yu’er over to him, “She’s been injured, poisoned, and has taken an antidote and is asleep.”

Qi Tianzhu carefully avoided touching Yu’er’s wounds. The arrowhead remained embedded, its barbs preventing easy removal without causing further damage. Tang Linzhi specialized in such insidious weapons and would be the best suited to extract it, so Qing Jiu hadn’t attempted it herself.

Qi Tianzhu understood this as well, eager to take Yu’er back for treatment. He glanced around and asked Qing Jiu, “Miss Zhi Huan, have you seen Hua Lian?”

Qing Jiu paused, realizing that her focus had been on Xin Chou and Qin Feng, and she hadn’t paid attention to Hua Lian’s movements. Just then, Hua Lian emerged from the forest.

Hua Lian appeared battered, marked by two bloodstains, with his long hair in disarray. He had struggled in the forest terrain, which favored the assassin Feixu who took full advantage of the situation with help from the Xuanji Tower members. Hua Lian hadn’t gained much advantage. Towards the end, seeing the situation worsening, Feixu decisively retreated, and Hua Lian couldn’t stop him.

Furious at having allowed him to escape several times, Hua Lian was even more upset upon seeing Yu’er injured. He exclaimed, “Where are Tiger Lady and Yang Chun? Did they fall into a ditch? Why aren’t they here yet?”

The elder responded, “The priority is to treat the Young Mistress’s arrow wound. We have healers inside the Wenwu Sect. Please come with us.”

Qi Tianzhu agreed, “The elder is right.” He then hurriedly carried Yu’er and Hua Lian back to the Wenwu Sect.

The elder also invited Qing Jiu to the Wenwu Sect, explaining that they had questions for her. His tone was relatively polite. Qing Jiu had secretly infiltrated the Wenwu Sect during the night and had fought with two elders, creating an opportunity for the Xuanji Tower to take advantage of the situation. Although Ye Wushuang had not died directly by her hand, Qing Jiu was significantly involved, and the Wenwu Sect was not inclined to let her leave easily.

Qing Jiu did not object and brought Xin Chou along to the Wenwu Sect.

When Qi Tianzhu returned, he sent Jun Jimo and Jun Suyue back to search for Tang Linzhi and the other two. Tang Linzhi and Yang Chun had indeed fallen into a ditch.

While Qing Jiu was at the Wenwu Sect attempting to assassinate Qin Feng, she had tasked Kui Shan with distracting Tang Linzhi and Yang Chun.

Kui Shan brought several jars of fine wine and secretly hinted that he would reveal information about his benefactor, persuading them to stay longer.

Over time, the three developed a camaraderie. Curious about the news Kui Shan hinted at, Tang Linzhi and Yang Chun lowered their guard, increasingly enjoying the conversation, and eventually drank themselves into a stupor.

Meanwhile, Jun Sixue was unaware of how to recognize their markers and could not pursue them alone. She lingered at the inn for quite some time until Jun Jimo and Jun Suyue arrived, informing her that Yu’er had been injured.

Worried and anxious, Jun Sixue could no longer focus on anything else. She grabbed two buckets of well water and doused the three. The sudden shock sobered them up considerably.

Upon learning that only Tang Linzhi could safely remove the crossbow bolt from Yu’er, Jun Sixue didn’t wait for them to fully regain their senses. She hurriedly dragged them toward the Wenwu Sect.

Kui Shan and Yang Chun, upon hearing that everyone was gathering at the Wenwu Sect, groggily followed behind.

Fortunately, Yu’er’s injury wasn’t fatal, and having taken the antidote, it wasn’t life-threatening. Tang Linzhi skillfully removed the arrow and carefully bandaged the wound. It was only after listening to everyone recount the night’s events that she realized just how much had unfolded.

Tang Linzhi said, “What about that Zhi Huan? The Wenwu Sect has captured her. Will they take out their anger on her?”

Hua Lian replied, “She explained everything in detail. The Wenwu Sect discovered that she’s from Ghost Sect and was on a mission to assassinate Qin Feng. Besides trespassing and fighting the two elders, she didn’t do anything outrageous. In fact, she helped them catch the spy and kill the murderer. The Wenwe Sect is reasonable, so they can’t really fault her, nor can they defeat her. Furthermore, they’re preoccupied with Ye Wushuang’s funeral arrangements, so they don’t have the time or energy to deal with anything else right now.”

“This time,” Yang Chun chimed in, “the Wenwu Sect have it out for Xuanji Tower. They’ve lost both their strategist and their pawn.”

Several days passed, and the Wenwu Sect prepared to bury Ye Wushuang. The group, staying within the sect, felt both emotionally and morally compelled to see her off, so Yang Chun and the two brothers represented them at the funeral.

During these days, Yu’er was recuperating, spending more time asleep than awake. The rest stayed temporarily at the Wenwu Sect, keeping an eye on Qing Jiu’s movements.

On this particular day, the sky was dark and gloomy, with a fine, continuous rain washing away the heat that had persisted for days.

Inside a room, Qing Jiu held a message from Ghost Sect in her hand. A mask lay on the table before her. With a squeeze of her hand, the paper crumbled into dust.

She rubbed her right hand, staring intently for a long moment before murmuring, “I almost forgot… I’m supposed to hide this from you. I have to keep it hidden.”

There was a knock at the door, snapping Qing Jiu back to reality. She put on the mask and stepped outside.

Kui Shan greeted her, “Benefactor.”

“Where’s Xin Chou?” Qing Jiu asked.

Kui Shan chuckled, “He ate too much. The Wenwu Sect couldn’t tolerate it anymore and kicked him out.”

Qing Jiu handed him an object, instructing, “Wait for me outside the Wenwu Sect with him,”

As Qing Jiu walked away, Kui Shan asked, “Benefactor, where are you going?”

“To say goodbye.”

Qing Jiu walked to a courtyard and stood outside for a while before entering. Qi Tianzhu and Jun Sixue were talking under the eaves when they saw her approach. Qi Tianzhu said, “Miss Zhi Huan, what brings you here so suddenly, and without an umbrella? Is there something urgent?”

Qing Jiu bowed to him, “I’ve come to bid farewell to Third Miss Jun.”

“Where are you headed, Miss Zhi Huan?” Qi Tianzhu inquired.

“I cannot say.”

The main building was Yu’er’s bedroom. She had already woken up and was lying on the bed with her eyes closed, resting. Upon hearing Qing Jiu’s voice, she said, “Uncle Qi, Second Sister, please invite Miss Zhi Huan to come in.”

Qing Jiu entered the room. Yu’er was sitting up in bed and said, “Miss Zhi Huan, to think you would come to bid me farewell.”

Qing Jiu walked to the bedside and said to Yu’er, “Third Miss Jun, there’s no need for every word to be a test. I’ve come this time to clear up the misunderstanding between us. Let’s… speak plainly to avoid future trouble.”

Yu’er touched her mouth lightly, coughing twice, “A misunderstanding?”

“It seems Third Miss Jun has mistaken me for someone else,” Qing Jiu replied.

Yu’er stared intently at Qing Jiu without saying a word.

“Is it Qing Jiu?” Qing Jiu sighed, “I don’t know how Third Miss Jun came to have this misunderstanding…”

Qing Jiu stated firmly, “But she definitely died over five years ago.”