72. Testing the Sword
When Sword Heart reached the state of "Still Water", he was already capable of flying on his sword.
It's just that Yun Ling learned too quickly, and Jingwei hadn't had time to teach him yet.
But it didn't matter. After a couple of simple attempts, Yun Ling's sword-flying skills were already superb.
The feeling of overlooking the vast landscape was somewhat mesmerizing, but Jingwei didn't allow him to display it in front of others at will.
Sometimes, an overly prominent identity isn't conducive to their actions.
The two arrived at an inn, where they drank tea and listened to the common people recount tales of their adventures in the martial arts world.
According to Jingwei, this method is the fastest way to get information.
"Hey, have you heard? These past few nights, some people passing by that hill behind the village have heard a woman crying. Do you think... it might be haunted?"
"Haunted? Don't be ridiculous, there are no ghosts in this world. I think you've done too many bad things and are afraid of being caught."
"Go away, I'm talking to you seriously."
"I'm not sure if there are ghosts, but there might be demons. The city has been a bit volatile lately, with several disappearance cases happening in quick succession. The police have been investigating for days but haven't found any leads."
After practicing the "Taixu Sword Qi", Yun Ling felt that his hearing had improved a lot.
If you listen carefully, you can even hear the sound of horses' hooves from miles away...
(A/N [Author Notes]: The Record of Broken Swords states that Li Sushang's master could hear the sound of horses' hooves forty miles away.)
Such idle chatter within the inn could naturally be heard clearly.
"This is your goal for this sword test: to find out the truth of the matter," Jingwei said to Yun Ling.
"Yes, Master." Yun Ling nodded and gently stroked Ruoshui at his waist.
Ruoshui responded with a soft murmur.
"Remember the rules of Mount Taixu: 'Those who fall into demonic ways will be punished.'" Jingwei warned solemnly.
"What does 'fall into demonic ways' mean?" Yun Ling asked, somewhat confused.
"Apart from the Taixu Sword Qi, there is a certain risk of being corrupted by the true qi when using other techniques to cultivate true qi. Those who become possessed by demons lose their minds, their strength increases greatly, their bodies turn gray, and they become beings that only know how to kill."
"There are also those who are still in a shallow stage of demonic possession and retain consciousness. These people must also be killed. As of now, there is no cure or way to expel demonic possession."
"We must nip all those who have fallen into demonic possession in the bud, to protect the peace of Shenzhou to the greatest extent possible."
Jingwei's tone when she said this was extremely cold, and her eyes flashed with a chilling light.
This was the first time Yun Ling had ever seen Jingwei in this state.
"Yes, cough cough, I understand, Master." Yun Ling nodded.
"Go ahead." Jingwei closed her eyes, sipped her tea, and seemed to have no intention of interfering.
Yun Ling then began searching for clues about the missing persons case.
The Ruoshui sword hanging at Yun Ling's waist was two feet and one inch long, almost half his height, making it particularly conspicuous in the crowd.
However, thanks to his youthful appearance, he still managed to glean quite a few clues from passersby.
The disappearances usually only happen at night, and the perpetrators seem to be targeting people in this town.
However, the police did not find the body in the city, so it is possible that it was moved outside the city through some channels.
At night, Yun Ling arrived at the highest point in the city center.
Listen carefully to the sounds around you.
Suddenly, some very light footsteps reached his ears, carrying a hint of urgency.
At this moment, two people each carried a person on their shoulders and quickly darted through the alley. Even while they were carrying people, they were not slow at all and easily avoided the patrolling people on the road.
Clearly, they also possessed some martial arts skills.
Soon, they moved out of the city through a secret passage and headed to the mountain that the two people in the inn had mentioned before.
"So it's the same case?" Yun Ling murmured, then quickly followed after them.
The kidnappers arrived at a secluded cave, carefully observed their surroundings, and only brought the two people on their shoulders inside after confirming that no one had noticed them.
Yun Ling arrived at the cave entrance, his little face scrunched up.
"The smell of blood here is so strong..."
Fearing that trouble might arise, Yun Ling immediately rushed inside.
"Just a little bit more, just a little bit more, Chi You will be resurrected soon! The day Chi You is resurrected will be the day my Nine Nether Sect rules the world!"
A man shouted frantically. The two people who had just been tied up had been dragged onto the mysterious altar, where two executioners wielding machetes stood ready.
Looking around, almost half of the people's bodies had turned gray.
"Is this what Master meant by those who fall into demonic ways...?" Yun Ling didn't try to hide his voice, which attracted the attention of those around him.
"Hey, why is a little brat barging in? Didn't I tell you to be careful? Last time, it was because we accidentally discovered that rumors started circulating in town!"
"W...we've checked carefully, no one's following us..." The two kidnappers fell silent, never expecting a child to be following them.
"It probably wandered in by accident. Oh well, perfect, another sacrifice for us!"
Although they saw the sword behind Yun Ling, they didn't pay it any mind, since he looked too small.
So what if someone starts learning martial arts right after birth?
"These can all be killed…" Yun Ling glanced at the people around him and pulled out Ruoshui.
"You brat, blame your bad luck!" A burly man lunged at him.
"Taixu Sword Form - Sword Activation - Crescent Moon!"
Yun Ling gave a soft shout, and the next second, everyone around him was decapitated.
He had already arrived at the altar.
Looking at the large fleshy ball in the center, Yun Ling raised his hand and unleashed a sword strike.
The giant fleshy ball seemed to sense something was wrong and wanted to break free of its cocoon ahead of schedule, but Yun Ling would not give it the chance.
"Taixu Sword Form - Open Sword - Mountain Collapse!"
The large ball of flesh was instantly shattered into pieces, exploding and splattering blood onto his slightly pale face, making him look like a demon.
Although it was his first time killing someone and exorcising evil, he showed no discomfort on his face and casually flicked the blood off his sword.
"Sorry, sorry, I'll clean you up later." Yun Ling comforted the somewhat dissatisfied Ruoshui, then looked at the few survivors around them.
Besides the two people who had just been kidnapped, a child was also locked up.
At this moment, she was curled up in a corner, carefully observing Yun Ling.
"Thank you, thank you!"
The two rescued people thanked Yun Ling profusely and then ran outside.
"Congratulations, you're saved. Go back to your family."
Yun Ling turned to look at the little girl who was about his age, broke the cage that imprisoned her, and then took a few steps back, afraid that his current appearance would frighten her.
"I...I have no family left..."
The girl spoke softly, her gaze frequently drifting to the pile of bones, her eyes filled with a heartbreaking look.
"They've already been killed..."
Yun Ling stroked his chin and pondered for a moment.
"Here's what I'll do: I'll give you a letter, and you can go to the capital for a job."
Seeing that Yun Ling didn't seem so scary, the girl grew bolder and stubbornly shook her head in refusal.
"I want to stay by your side to repay your life-saving grace... Is that alright?" the girl asked hopefully.
"This... My Master won't agree." Yun Ling shook his head.
"Please, Chaoyu, can do anything!" The girl knelt down, begging Yun Ling to take her in.
Can this be considered indecent?
Yun Ling suddenly felt a headache coming on.
...