บท 26: Chapter 23 Murderous Moonlit Night
The howling sword wind twisted into a gale that entwined Qing Yu within it.
The figure was torn into three sections by the sword wind.
The figure turned ethereal—it was just an afterimage.
Qing Yu appeared behind Feng Buping like a specter, silent and breathless. His long sword pierced into the left chest, went through the torso, and split the heart in two.
Feng Buping, dead.
The body slowly turned into a phantom and disappeared before Qing Yu's eyes.
"Congratulations, Host, for defeating Feng Buping and obtaining Feng Buping's legacy—One-star Martial Arts 'Hua Mountain Swordsmanship,' 'Hua Mountain Heart Method,' 'Life-taking Continuous Three Immortal Swords,' and 'Gale Swift Sword.'"
The system prompt sounded, and Feng Buping's Martial Arts Enlightenment flowed into Qing Yu's mind.
"Hiss..." To Qing Yu's surprise, although the Martial Arts that Feng Buping knew were only one-star, the related Martial Arts Enlightenment was abundant, giving an almost endless feeling.
After a good while, Qing Yu came back to his senses, pressing his forehead and easing the throbbing that came from suddenly absorbing a massive amount of memory.
"This really is a huge windfall..."
All of Feng Buping's Martial Arts were only one-star, including the Gale Swift Sword he had painstakingly developed over more than a decade, which had not exceeded the range of the Postnatal Realm.
However, over a decade of dedicated research and countless sword strokes for enlightenment were not futile. These enlightenments greatly solidified Qing Yu's foundation, giving him a deeper understanding of the sword.
Exiting the Inheritance Space, Qing Yu held the still-unsheathed Bishui Sword and swung it lightly—a sword trace cut through the air. The sword shadow moved silently, its speed and power both significantly greater than before.
The essence of the Gale Swift Sword was to whirl the air with the sword movements, then use the wind to drive the sword momentum, making it accelerate like a rolling snowball. The faster the swordmanship, the swifter the wind, hence the name Gale Swift Sword.
However, when the wind drives the sword, the sword will eventually be subject to the wind. In the end, the wind that even the swordsman can't whip up will make the sword technique fast but predictable, with its trajectory easily exploited for weaknesses. Of course, when bullying those weaker than oneself, there is a satisfying sense of dominance.
Another point is that this swordsmanship focuses on the front and ignores the rear, as the wind cannot encompass the whole body, at least not the back. Qing Yu precisely relied on this to move behind and strike down Feng Buping with one sword blow.
After obtaining Feng Buping's enlightenment, Qing Yu's understanding of the Gale Swift Sword was no less than that of its creator. He reversed its principle, no longer generating wind but emphasizing silence and stealth. Under the acceleration of the Exorcism Swordsmanship Heart Method, the two complemented each other wonderfully.
Furthermore, Life-taking Continuous Three Immortal Swords was also a significant gain, one Qing Yu valued even more than the Gale Swift Sword. All in all, Qing Yu felt that Feng Buping's mission card was more than worth it.
"Let's set aside Martial Arts for now. The most important thing at the moment is to complete the task."
Task—My Voice: In this city, make your own voice heard, become one of the individuals who can determine the future direction of Yang City in any way possible. Time limit: One year. Task Reward: One Intermediate Lottery, a Two-star Martial Arts Secret Manual. Failure Penalty: Loss of all Martial Arts, start over from the beginning.
This was the task Qing Yu received upon his first arrival in Yang City. Originally thinking that with a year's time, although it might not be certain that he could take control of Yang City, to become one of the power-holders influencing Yang City's future direction, Qing Yu felt it was not an issue.
Never did he expect Mr. Mo to throw a wrench into the works.
Yes, in Qing Yu's heart, Mr. Mo was a troublemaker.
He dug deep into the historic Newbie Village map of Yang City, turning it into a massive pit.
"The most pressing matter right now is to complete the mission. Once it's done, the sky's the limit, and who cares about Mr. Mo's schemes. Anyway, he's definitely not well-intentioned toward me."
At this thought, Qing Yu bowed his head in deep contemplation, "The current mission is already planned out, and now I should also think about an escape route. I always feel that Mr. Mo has an ulterior motive, and something big is going to happen in Yang City."
"I'm still too weak; such is the sadness of the weak."
Qing Yu took out the Meridian Opening Pill given by Mr. Mo, swallowed it, and began to sit in meditation for cultivation. Having understood the pain of powerlessness, Qing Yu doubled his efforts to break free from this unsatisfactory weakness.
It must be said, Mr. Mo, though ill-intentioned, had provided elixirs of the finest quality. Qing Yu had made rapid progress in his cultivation over this period, and the elixirs played an invaluable role. Of course, given Qing Yu's suspicious nature, he had thoroughly inspected the elixirs.
After multiple examinations, Qing Yu reasoned with his current level of Medical Skill, these elixirs had no issues. If there were some unimaginably toxic poison mixed into the elixirs, Qing Yu conceded that such an amazing poison being used against a small fry in the Postnatal Realm like himself would be a profound loss.
Regarding the rapid progress exceeding the Postnatal Sixth Realm, and having determined Mr. Mo had an ulterior motive, Qing Yu didn't care about that seemingly nonsensical bet anymore. At that time, he was shocked by Mr. Mo's deep schemes and stunning revelations. For a moment, Qing Yu even naively thought of Mr. Mo as one of those seniors in novels who bestow benefits and sisters.
When Qing Yu opened his eyes again, it was already night.
Moonlight streamed through the window, casting its glow on the floor, turning that patch of ground into a frosty white, another beautiful moonlit night.
Qing Yu walked to the window and looked up at the bright moon overhead.
Coincidentally, it had been more than half a month since his last nocturnal visit to the Shadow Market, and tonight was the mid-month full moon. Tonight's moon was perfect; as Qing Yu gazed at it, he found himself unexpectedly thinking of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
"I wonder if this world has a Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Then, Qing Yu laughed at himself, "What am I thinking about? Whether there is a Mid-Autumn Festival or not, what does it have to do with me? I have no family in this world. Not even a friend."
Suppressing his thoughts, Qing Yu looked up at the moon once more.
"The moon is so beautiful…"
Qing Yu leaped out the window. Beneath the moonlight, his flickering figure was like a Banished Immortal, yet also like an unpredictable ghost.
"Who… who are you…" Li Chao shivered as he spoke to the life-claiming, ghostly figure beneath the moonlight.
Since the night before last, when the Deputy Gang Leader of the Iron Saber Association, Li Dian, and two elders were mysteriously killed at a tavern, Young Master Li Qiusheng had been sending people to search day and night in Yang City. Thanks to the fanfare caused by Li Dian and the others, other families had also learned about the incident at the Li Family, and while they revelled in the Li Family's misfortune, they did not wish to provoke them at such a time.
Yang City was governed by four clans, and although there was a curfew, it was nothing but a formality for the members of these clans.
Li Chao, as a collateral member of the Li Family, was more trusted by Li Qiusheng than other members of the Iron Saber Association. After all, even the Gang Leader of the Iron Saber Association was under suspicion, so Li Qiusheng naturally trusted his own kin all the more.
The day-and-night searches and the night patrols for any suspicious individuals were tiring work. It was a strange combination, dealing with the underground trades by day while at night, performing the duties of the city guard. Li Chao was drained. Such an odd situation could only happen in a place like Yang City, and the City Lord Mansion seemed unconcerned.
Patrolling was exhausting, and Li Chao was relieved when finally it was time for a shift change. He immediately took his subordinates to have a late-night meal, but who would have thought that just after crossing one street, they'd encounter a life-claiming evil ghost. The figure was like a haunting spirit, moving in flashes, and before his subordinates could even cry out, they fell to the ground, lifeless. Now, it was Li Chao's turn.
The will to survive overwhelmed the fear, and Li Chao opened his mouth to scream.
"Hek… heh heh…" The silent Fast Sword slashed through his throat, and blood spilled from the wound. As Li Chao listened to the approaching sounds of the patrol, he silently watched the life-claiming ghost disappear into a dark alley nearby.
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