On the night of the battle, the sky was cloudless. The courtyard of the abandoned house was groggy, and not even a light was lit.
Yin Ci melted into the night, approached like a ghost, and knocked off Yan Qing's sword for the fifth time. He kept his strength, but Yan Qing's wrist was still red and swollen. Yan Qing didn't say a word. He picked up the sword obediently and carefully figured out where his flaw was.
Yin Ci remained silent and just looked at the person in front of him.
In terms of talent, Yan Qing is very talented, but not as good as Qu Duanyun. In terms of accumulation, he has been serving his father since he was a trot, and he has learned every word by overhearing others reading, let alone Qu Duanyun. Yan Qing was admitted to the Dry Mountain Sect less than a year ago, and he had only learned Tai Heng's superficial kung fu before. Whenever he is a little self-conscious, he should be worried about his situation at this moment.
The Kushan Sect had a bad reputation, and Qu Duanyun would not be polite to them at all. If Su Si had been the one to fight, Master Su Shao would probably have run away with Xiruan.
However, Yan Qing just pinched his wrist and thought hard, and even posed for a long time, as if he was not worried at all.
This person obviously knew nothing about their arrangements, yet he dared to entrust them with such deep trust. When they were searching through ghost tombs, they really found a good idea.
The discussion not long ago came to Yin Ci's mind again.
"Zizhu, you and Shi Zhongyu are in the same group. Yan Qing and Qu Duanyun are in the same group."
Shi Jingzhi swallowed the soft porridge aggrievedly. He didn't have much aura as a leader, but fortunately his words were serious enough.
"Shi Zhongyu must have a reliable back-up for choosing this occasion to meet Qu Duanyun. You and I are from dry mountains and cannot convince others. Then you can just find a reason to lose to her."
"Is Shi Zhongyu willing?" Unless she lost her memory after returning from Mishan Sect, she could always tell that Yin Ci was releasing water like a flood.
"I can see that although she is stubborn, she is much more diplomatic. She knows that she can't win, and she just wants to confront Qu Duanyun in the spotlight."
Shi Jingzhi put down the porridge bowl and rubbed his paws, looking forward to the future.
"After Qu Duanyun's evil deeds of harming his fellow sects are revealed, let alone becoming the leader of the martial arts alliance, it is hard to say whether the position of the leader is stable. When Shi Zhongyu wins without a fight, we can trade this favor for flesh and blood. ! And I’m dying like this, so I have to do something to attract immortals, right?”
Using the martial arts competition as bait, this person killed two birds with one stone. According to Shi Zhongyu's temperament, she may not be willing to be the leader of this martial arts alliance. However, with the chaos ahead, Shi Zhongyu could not refuse.
To outsiders, this fox has not changed at all, insisting on plotting against people to the bone. Fortunately, the direction is correct, so as not to offend people to death.
"Yan Qing has a great temperament, but he lacks experience. We have given Qu Duanyun such a big advantage, so Master Qu should be used as a sparring partner." Shi Jingzhi happily thought about the future. "Look, are you making a lot of money?"
Yin Ci was silent for a while: "Where is Su Si?"
"... Do you still remember the attitude of the Mercy Sword? That little bastard has to face the inquisition mirror, and the mirror is not allowed to give a warning on the spot."
Now that things have happened, Master Su Shao has made no secret of the fact that he is "a bad person". If the mirror hadn't been able to differentiate between black and white, this would have been some kind of twisted "clear conscience."
Yin Ci naturally understood this: "You know that's not what I'm asking about. Since you left the northwest, you have asked him to do odd jobs. It's not easy for Su Si to interfere this time, so it's better to give him some serious work."
"Oh, the two servants couldn't even serve a bowl of water." Shi Jingzhi hummed, "I've been feeling bad recently and don't want to serve it."
Yin Ci frowned and looked at him.
Unexpectedly, Shi Jingzhi would push further, and he made him smile brightly: "Zizhu, you are becoming more and more like my own general. Do you have to be so worried? Even if Su Si rebels, you can stop him."
Every time he thought about this, Yin Ci always felt that there was something in this man's words. Now that he had time, he was just about to chew on the conversation in his memory—
"Senior Yin." Yan Qing spoke up at this moment, interrupting Yin Ci's memories.
"You can rest."
"No, I was just thinking, since the mirror is used for questioning, why can Qu Duanyun pass through?" Yan Qing wiped the sweat from his face, "I heard Ah Si say it. Regardless of the death of Master Qi, The attack on Taiheng’s servants seems to be related to him... "
"Yes. He is probably aware of the Ling Cult's 'Inviting God Formation' disaster."
"Qu Duanyun: It's obvious that you've harmed someone, but it's not a crime to harm someone?"
"His status in the Immortal Yin Association is not low, and he knows some cracking techniques. It's normal."
Yan Qing leaned on his sword and hesitated, his face still showing some contemplation.
"Why do you care about practicing your sword?"
"If he uses magic to cover it up, then he feels guilty about his own crimes. If he really has a 'clear conscience', it can only be said that this person considers himself a 'great good' and will not hesitate to sacrifice innocent people... I want to fight with him, of course. The more you know, the better. If you know what kind of person Master Qu is, you will know how to fight him."
Seeing Yan Qing's solemn and serious expression, Yin Ci couldn't help but smile: "What, you want to win against him?"
"I never thought about winning."
Yan Qing answered calmly.
"... But I never thought about losing."
It was sunny in the next few days, and the conditions of the conference were no different from what everyone had guessed.
Even though they were from a small sect, everyone fought extremely hard. As strong as Qu Duanyun, he still treats his opponents very seriously, unlike a certain sect—
The top disciple of the Kushan Sect seems to be trying to figure out a new sword technique with his opponent. The man didn't take his opponent seriously at all, he was just pondering on the stage, poking here and there. The opponents were like mice under a cat's paws. They all said that they couldn't bear the torture, so they might as well jump off the stage and give up the wooden bracelets to give themselves a good time.
This person is an evil sect. Isn’t it true that the Demon Cult was let in
But despite Yin Ci's nonsense, his strength is still clear. Many people bet a lot of money on him, expecting him to have a battle between good and evil with Shi Zhongyu.
Another group of people were more worried about monk Zhixing on the stage having an attack. The Kushan sect is the enemy of Jianchen Temple, and the enemy who killed his master and practiced Taoism is in front of him. Monk Zhixing actually did not violate the precepts of anger, and he is a good monk.
After all, that Kushan sect servant is better than the top disciple.
Yan Qingchong showed the effectiveness of the Mercy Sword - no matter the opponent's sword or stick, he would swing the Mercy Sword horizontally and throw it at the opponent.
Everyone here is from a well-known and upright family, and no one knows the power of the Mercy Sword. No one knows how heavy their obsession is, and this one might be overwhelming. No one dared to risk their lives and had to turn around to avoid it.
However, it's okay not to hide. If he moves to hide, he will be kicked off the stage by Yan Qing. The whole process was smooth and boring. With this sword and kick, Yan Qing was able to overcome obstacles all the way and was not eliminated early.
This unchivalrous contest almost aroused public outrage. Isn't it possible to pick up the Sword of Mercy and tie a monkey to it? The monkey can do it!
Fortunately, the decisive battle can be decided until tomorrow. This servant's journey of muddle-heading through the border is about to end here.
As all the pawns were eliminated, the atmosphere became more lively. It goes without saying that Qu and Shi, two people with loud trumpets, were shouting and beating the Kushan sect. Even after the Shirou Rebellion, each sect still retained some masters—
Although the Changle Sect lost its leader Ma Gan in the Ghost Tomb, this time another leader named Bu Dai emerged to steal the limelight. He knew he was going to face Yin Ci, but there was no worry on his face. Instead, he raised his little finger and stroked his beard, looking like he was sure of victory.
There is also a little-known Nine-day Meeting, and the two participants are a pair of young twins. Although they were not angry, the two of them were very skillful in their attacks, and it was obvious at first glance that they were not easy to get along with. The two were placed in different groups, and neither of them had been eliminated yet.
"There are only eight people left. Let's forget about Taiheng. Why is there not a single one left in the Kushan sect?"
"It's just bullshit luck. Did you see that, that's the leader of the Changle School, Xu? I don't know what kind of skills he has learned, and his luck is extremely good. He has never lost in a fight... But Yin's moves are vicious, this It’s really hard to tell.”
"Those two from the Jiutianhui are very good. It's a pity that Lin Xun and Lin Zhen are not in the same group. I still want to see the twins compete. This time Lin Zhen meets Qu Duanyun, and he probably won't win. Lin Xun and Shi Zhongyu lined up together, and they still can't win. It’s a bit interesting.”
"That servant of the Kushan Sect faced Elder Taiheng Zhou, and throwing the sword this time is probably useless. Alas, if only Jianchen Temple was willing to send someone to participate, someone should have taught him a lesson for throwing the sword of mercy. "
"Bet first, bet first. If nothing else, bet first that Elder Taiheng Zhou will win..."
After hearing the news, countless spectators came, and the Jinyu Gang began to encourage people to bet with broken silver and copper coins to earn some money. Seeing that the number of participants was about to increase from eight to four, everyone's enthusiasm was unprecedentedly high.
Yin Ci was too lazy to pay attention to the noisy crowd, let alone the leader Xu who came to get close to him. Unexpectedly, this strong man like a sack didn't look at anyone at all and followed him all the way to the abandoned house.
Everyone knew that the Rongshan sect lived here, so Shi Jingzhi had to play out his pretense of illness. Yin Ci had no choice but to turn around and deal with it: "Headmaster Xu has something to say. Let's talk about it after the battle tomorrow."
Leader Xu of the Changle Sect still had a smile on his face: "You and I are going to fight tomorrow, and it is fate. I have admired little brother Yin for a long time. Why don't we have a drink together to avoid ruining our friendship tomorrow."
Yin Ci was extremely annoyed - Yan Qing went out to practice swordplay, but Su Si still stuck to him. He was the only one here right now, and he didn't really want to make tea for this piece of brown sugar.
"No need."
Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, the smell of blood entered his nose. Yin Ci's expression turned serious, and Master Xu's smile deepened a little: "Brother Yin is so polite."
As soon as the door of the abandoned house opened, Yin Ci saw Shi Jingzhi being restrained.
The headmaster looked pale and tilted his head pitifully. There were some pieces of grass in his long hair, and there were fresh blood stains on the corners of his mouth that he had just vomited. The kidnapper stood behind the wooden chair, holding the short knife against Shi Jingzhi's neck, the sharp blade already touching the skin.
Master Shi's Nuo mask was taken off, and his demonic face was exposed. I was really speechless... I had nothing to say.
This fox is addicted to playing, Yin Ci thought to himself.
The person who kidnapped Shi Jingzhi had mediocre martial arts and could not hurt Shi Jingzhi. No matter how you look at the current situation of the headmaster, it seems that he is enjoying it more than doing his duty and "persisting in pretending to be sick".
"Aci, save me, my teacher!" Shi Jingzhi put on a distressed look and shouted "weakly".
Yin Ci sighed and said: "Master Xu, the Changle sect is a famous and upright sect after all. What's going on?"
"I'm not even as good as one or two tenths of you." Headmaster Xu said calmly, "When I come to power tomorrow, I will definitely lose. Dry Mountain is notorious, how can Kubai occupy this position?"
As he spoke, he took out a small Sinan. The thing was spinning around in his palm, and gradually stopped on a certain hexagram.
"We, the Changle Sect, suffered heavy losses in the Ghost Tomb, but luckily we got the favor of the Lord God. We got such a small object that can tell the strength of a person..."
"The weak prevail, and the strong threaten?" Yin Ci snorted coldly.
Headmaster Xu clicked his tongue disdainfully: "This is the first time of coercion. I've paid for the rest. Apart from you daydreamers, who would really want to take the visual meat from Taiheng? Other than that, I've asked people to spend money." , It’s just for profit, we can all negotiate.”
Yin said nothing and just looked at him leisurely.
The Changle Sect indeed suffered heavy losses. Its energy is mediocre to begin with, but this time it is even worse, and its energy is about to run out. Leader Xu is so eager for quick success and instant gain because he wants to gain a great reputation so that the Changle Sect can regain some face in the world.
Seeing that Yin Ci was not in a hurry, Master Xu was sweating on his forehead. He stabilized his mind and then insisted: "Fortunately, Dry Mountain is not an upright sect. If you start today, I will face the guilt mirror tomorrow, and I will still have a clear conscience. Your master will be temporarily handed over to us for safekeeping. Tomorrow If you lose to me, I will put him back in one piece."
Master Xu's martial arts are pretty good, but he has never done anything like this, and he just has the words "serious in appearance but soft in heart" written on his face. The person who held Jingzhi hostage didn't have any anger at all. As long as he applied a little pressure, the situation could be resolved.
"I see." Yin Ci said, "At this age, you are still blindly believing in those magical artifacts. No wonder the Changle sect has not improved. Just watching a few fights, I thought everything was under control-"
The smell of blood suddenly became much stronger.
Yin Ci moved almost subconsciously. He pressed the disaster-blocking talisman with one hand and swung the hanging shadow sword with the other hand. The majestic killing intent surged around, and before he could turn his eyes away, the tip of the sword had already pierced the palm of the kidnapper's hand.
The man screamed immediately, and the short knife clanked to the ground.
"What's going on? I haven't spoken yet, why are you doing anything!" Headmaster Xu was no less shocked than Yin Ci. The sudden explosion of murderous intent and rage was so terrifying that his legs became so weak that he almost sat down on the ground.
"I, I don't know... He just moved around, and my hand slipped..." The man's martial arts skills were average, and he had seen this battle before. Suppressed by the blood-filled evil spirit, he wet his pants instantly.
Shi Jingzhi tilted his head slightly, and there was a medium-deep wound on his beautiful neck, and blood kept flowing out. The wound wasn't fatal, but it looked terrifying.
Yin Ci stared at the blood and even forgot to continue taking revenge. He rushed to Shi Jingzhi and hurriedly bandaged the wound. How could the two Changle faction men dare to threaten them again? They immediately rolled and crawled towards the door. Yin Ci had a free hand, and just when he was about to use his sword energy to forcefully "retain the guest", a pale and cold hand suddenly stretched out and tightly grasped Yin Ci's wrist.
"Shh, it's okay."
Shi Jingzhi finally moved. He raised his bloody index finger and put it in front of his lips. The bright red blood stained his lips, which was very shocking. This man's long hair was as cool as silk, and the hand holding Yin Ci was cold and pale, but the blood dripping from the wound was burning.
Those eyes were as bright as ever, with just the right amount of cunning.
"Don't chase."