Chapter 200: A Wisp of Clear Wind in the Hand Can Destroy Nine Provinces of Mountains and Rivers

Chapter 200: A Breath of Clear Wind Can Shake the Nine Continents

"Heh heh, General Jinghong has quite the temper."

"You're but a single person, without an army of thousands to rally—how dare you demand I lead you to your deaths?"

"Hee hee, hee hee... even as death approaches, you remain oblivious."

"My dear, you lag far behind your father, Xiao Fengchun, in prowess."

As Xiao Jinghong spoke, a series of eerie, sharp cries echoed through the dense forest.

They were mocking her, daring her to overestimate herself.

It was likely their three top disciples of the third tier, giving them the confidence to speak thus.

"Even if your father, Xiao Fengchun, were here, I'd cut him down as well."

"Kill!"

Jia Lao Mo said, releasing three arrows, his voice booming as if to rally the evil cultivators' spirits.

A melody began to play.

Three whispers of wind brushed by.

Like blades, they swiftly cleaved through fifty zhang, directly aimed at Xiao Jinghong.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jinghong's cold gaze remained unmoved. In the flick of his slender hand—

*Clang!*

The sound of the sword rang out, and the glow of the snowflake suddenly appeared.

He had vanished into the night.

A chill rose from the black teeth. Unable to warn those around him, his internal energy erupted violently.

As his garments fluttered with his heartbeat, the surrounding world's spiritual energy coalesced around him, within a span of two zhang.

He had exerted his full strength to resist the moment he saw Xiao Jinghong disappear.

In the next instant, the black teeth saw the snowflake that had once pierced the night sky reappear before him.

The light blazed like daylight, staining the evil cultivators beneath it.

Another cultivator of the third tier, a swordsman, reacted with a startled gaze, his blade already sheathed before his conscious mind could even register the threat.

The sect's disciple, Jia Lao Mo, blinded by the snowflake's radiance, let out a strangled cry, his fingers dancing in quick succession.

The remaining evil cultivators, with their weaker foundations, failed to respond.

Or perhaps, before they could react, there was no time left to do so.

In the next moment, the light dimmed abruptly.

Only a faint, silver-white glow remained, barely visible.

The figure of Xiao Jinghong, who had appeared behind the black teeth and others, stood illuminated and distinct.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three...

The black teeth finally exhaled, his iron mask cracking from the force of his breath, sliding down to the ground.

Thud.

Thud.

A crimson stain appeared on his normally composed face.

But he paid it no mind.

Precisely, he gazed at the scene before him with a mixture of awe and terror—

Within fifty zhang, all the thick trees and mountainous rocks lay silent, split cleanly in two.

The thunderous crash of them falling to the ground drowned out the sounds of the over a dozen evil cultivators who had been cleaved in half.

Whether the timely third-tier swordsman or Jia Lao Mo, who had struck once, all perished beneath Xiao Jinghong's single sword.

They died in a daze, in terror, their deaths stirring not a single ripple.

The sounds faded, dust rose, and the black teeth touched the bloodstain on his face.

The vivid red was cast into varying shades of crimson by the flickering fluorescent light.

He glanced at it, sighed, and couldn't help but marvel: "A breath of clear wind in my hand, capable of shaking the Nine Continents."

"Was that the ancient Sword Immortal's ultimate technique, the 'Clear Wind'?"

Before Xiao Jinghong could answer, the black teeth nodded on his own: "It should be so."

"Thirty years ago, the elderly Sword Immortal, over a hundred years old, went to Fengyu Tower to battle the White Immortal, waging war for three days and three nights, and was defeated with a single strike."

"It is said that his final sword technique was this 'Clear Wind.'"

"When that sword was released, it cleaved through thousands of miles of clouds and mist, its force surely magnificent."

"Alas... I have never had the chance to witness it."

The black teeth sighed softly, turning his gaze to Xiao Jinghong, who stood ten zhang away, and continued:

"Ten years ago, the elderly Sword Immortal was invited by the Blade Demon elder to spar on Mount Kunlun. Though few witnessed the event, a few words were heard."

"The Blade Demon didn't last more than ten strikes. The Sword Immortal abandoned his sword and retreated, and—another disciple had inherited the Sword Immortal's ultimate technique."

The black teeth paused, his expression serious: "You must be the young lady who had been by the elderly Sword Immortal's side, Li Wushan, at that time, right?"

"The world had all been deceived—who could have guessed that the renowned General Jinghong would be a disciple of the Sword Immortal, or that the young lady who defeated the Blade Demon at the age of ten would become so?"

"Even I only assumed you were masterful in both sword and spear, with a cultivation level of the fourth tier."

"Heh, it's not unfair, haha, it's not unfair."

The black teeth laughed heartily, then suddenly stopped: "Kill me."

He knew he wasn't a match for Xiao Jinghong.

Even though his martial arts were complete, facing Xiao Jinghong, who possessed the Sword Immortal's ultimate technique, whose swordplay was complete, and whose cultivation was not inferior, he still could not block that single strike.

Resistance, struggle—all were futile.

Xiao Jinghong calmly gazed at him, calmly stating: "I spare your life, but I only wish to know who invited you to Mingyue Tower."

"General Jinghong, I understand. The rules of Mingyue Tower—I cannot say."

The black teeth' lips curved into a rare, bitter smile.

He had almost forgotten when he last felt such powerlessness.

But now, he felt it once again.

Xiao Jinghong looked at him one last time, and said no more.

A single sword stroke.

Once again, a sudden brilliance flared into being, once again the blade cleaved fifty zhang, shattering mountain stones and forest trees in a thunderous cascade.

Black Tooth’s head soared skyward too, gasping its final breath.

As it circled, he smiled once more: “What a shame, General Jinghong, you’ve been worn down by the Xiao clan. Their gun-cultivation and sword-methods—hard to advance further now.”

“Hahaha… the fairy drifting through the heavens, even you must tumble to earth.”

In that laughter, Black Tooth’s skull struck the ground, rolling twice in a groan.

In his final moments, he still harbored a lingering doubt—who had betrayed the Bright Moon Tower, sending Xiao Jinghong to ambush him here?

Dog! I’ve been waiting for you beneath the River of Souls!

When the dust settled…

Xiao Jinghong confirmed there were no more threats, then swiftly returned to the warehouse in Wolf Town.

Cang Xuan exhaled in relief upon her arrival, then hurried forward on foot and knelt before her:

“The bandits have all been subdued, General!”

After a pause, Cang Xuan’s face flushed with shame: “My incompetent self failed to notice the traitors in town, bringing hardship upon the General. Please mete out punishment!”

The surrounding soldiers knelt too, seeing his distress.

Only the dozen or so masked warriors who had struck the first blow were dragged aside, bound with wide strips of cloth.

Xiao Jinghong surveyed the scene, her voice cold and steady: “Let bygones be bygones. Rise.”

Cang Xuan glanced up at her, hesitated in his thanks, then rose, his face still tinged with remorse.

The other soldiers all stood as one.

Xiao Jinghong paid them no mind, her gaze settling on those dozen or so traitors who had come to burn the summer grain. She commanded:

“Question them through the night. By tomorrow, I must know who the mastermind is.”

Cang Xuan snapped to attention: “I’ve already had their poisons neutralized, lest they—uh?”

Before he could finish, he turned sharply toward the dozen or so traitors.

Each of them, mouths gagged and bound head to toe, bled from seven orifices—nose, ears, eyes, mouth, and pores.

Cang Xuan gasped in shock: “Quick, summon a physician to treat them!”

“Too late.”

Xiao Jinghong observed them closely, then shook her head: “The poison must lie beneath the skin. Vibration of bones and sinews would’ve seeped into their organs.”

“This…”

Before Cang Xuan could speak further, Xiao Jinghong turned away:

“I’m leaving this in your hands. I must ride to Iron Wall and Xuan Jia towns to check on their conditions.”

As she prepared to leave.

Cang Xuan bowed deeply, then spoke with stern authority:

“The summer grain warehouse is a critical stronghold. Guard it well. Any failure in discipline will not be tolerated!”

“Yes!”

Xiao Jinghong heard the voice behind her, and with a final surge of primal energy, she launched herself skyward, flying toward Iron Wall Town.

She understood.

Since bandits had come to Wolf Town to burn the grain, surely the other two towns weren’t spared either.

Thankfully, she had prepared in advance—Li Changqing and Ma Fu should be able to repel them.

…

Yet a single oversight led to disaster.

Even with her orders, Iron Wall’s commander Li Changqing still harbored doubts.

Perhaps, like Cang Xuan when he first heard the news, he’d thought the same.

After all, “Blade-Crazy” Liu Liang was a man of the world, one who looked down on others. Naturally, he wouldn’t take Liu Liang’s word at face value.

Plus, Xiao Jinghong’s orders had been silent for two days. He’d grown lax.

Until he discovered the warehouse surrounded by flames.

As scorching fire rose, black smoke billowed, mingled with the scent of wheat and rice.

The searing heat spread in waves across the land.

Yet Li Changqing felt a chill crawl over his body. He couldn’t believe what he saw, his face ashen and pale.

It was over.

This time, he’d surely be punished.

At that moment, the several detachments of armored troops stationed at the warehouse in defense rushed forward, panting:

“Water! Water!”

“Quick, get help! Put out the fire!”

“Hurry—”

In an instant, soldiers from the entire Iron Wall garrison were roused.

Especially upon seeing the flames consuming the grain warehouse, none could keep their wits.

“Who the hell did this?!”

“Damn it! I finally had enough to eat for days, and now they burn our supplies. Do they not want me to live?!”

“Everyone, stop babbling! Rescue the grain!”

“The fire hasn’t spread yet. We can still save it!”

Several junior generals, under the overall commander, organized troops to fight the blaze while berating the scattered soldiers whose minds had fractured.

“General Li, General Li…”

Li Changqing snapped back to awareness, seeing the worried faces of his soldiers beside him. Without hesitation, he ordered:

“There’s gunpowder here. It hasn’t soaked in yet. Tear down the warehouse and save the grain!”

As a veteran commander, he knew all too well that fire fed by gunpowder was nearly impossible to extinguish with ordinary means.

Better to sacrifice the outer stores and save what remained inside.

The personal guard immediately took charge, dousing their armor with a barrel of water before charging into the warehouse.

Others, wielding high-level techniques, hacked and speared at the warehouse’s thick walls.

After roughly a minute, Li Changqing saw soldiers dragging out several sacks of intact grain. His spirit eased slightly.

His method had worked.

Still, he knew the consequences would follow. He couldn’t escape punishment.

For the time being, he could only try to make amends.

Li Changqing’s mind stirred with thoughts, his face suddenly serious, he bellowed out in a commanding voice:

“Bring them in! Capture and burn those traitors! We must not let them escape, or none of us will be safe!”

But the situation was chaotic, and it seemed impossible to catch those internal enemies.

Li Changqing immediately ordered that all soldiers not engaged in firefighting or grain rescue should be sent out in full force, advancing in all directions to pursue.

“Capture them alive, or kill them outright!”

At the same time, on a hillside ten miles north of Iron Wall Town.

Liu Wen stared at the distant flames, his gentle face glowing with a smile:

“Good, good… burn them clean, hahaha…”

Chen Yi stood beside him, his black iron mask hiding any expression.

Yet his gaze toward Iron Wall Town carried a hint of helplessness.

He still could not understand.

After all, he had already warned Pei Wulu to alert Xiao Jinghong—why had Iron Wall Town fallen into enemy hands?

At this moment, the woman cradled in his arms, Lou Yusnow, finally relaxed.

Iron Wall Town’s summer grain had been burned—she and the Hawk could fulfill their mission, and the lord’s household would face no punishment.

She had also confirmed her suspicions:

—That mysterious “Liu Five” was not Xiao family.

As for whether “Liu Five” was indeed from the Liu family of Jingzhou, she needed further confirmation.

At any rate, it was not the worst outcome.

Nearby, the equally informed Liu Lang glanced at the flames over Iron Wall Town, and without hesitation, leaned over to Chen Yi’s side, whispering:

“Boss, you’re not—”

Chen Yi raised a hand to stop him: “Nothing to worry about. Quickly lead the others to meet them!”

Liu Lang hesitated, then noticed the wary glances of other cultivators, and nodded silently.

“Come on, let’s go receive them!”

“Hahaha, this is such an easy deal—I like it, Black Tooth Elder. If such good fortune comes again, please save me a spot.”

“After this one transaction, I’ve earned thousands of taels of silver—ten times better than before!”

“Easy, easy, hahaha…”

Once Liu Lang and the others had departed, Chen Yi confirmed no one else was watching, then turned his head to Liu Wen, asking:

“Sir Liu, are you satisfied?”

Liu Wen nodded with a smile: “Satisfied, I’m more than satisfied!”

“Originally, I had some doubts, but seeing this scene, I’ve fully convinced myself.”

“Your Moon Palace isn’t just one of the top forces in thejianghu—skilled in both hand and eye, you truly burned the summer grain of three towns.”

“Black Tooth Elder, from today onward, we’ll have much more dealings.”

Even though Liu Wen, well-versed in martial arts and family traditions, had rarely encountered such a grand event as burning a border town’s supplies.

Not to mention experiencing it—he had only heard of it before, never seen it.

Thus, when he personally witnessed Iron Wall Town’s supplies being burned, the immense satisfaction and sense of achievement that flooded his heart made him wildly intoxicated.

For the first time in his life, he felt the intoxicating pride of thinking, “All under heaven is in my grasp.”

Chen Yi understood Liu Wen’s sentiment.

It was like a fledgling gambler who, with ten silver coins, won a million—his mindset was similar.

They truly believed themselves to be “sons of destiny,” “chosen ones.”

Yet some seemingly real sensations were merely fleeting clouds and mists.

One poke, and they’d all collapse.

Chen Yi smiled, his eyes sweeping past the chariot driver behind Liu Wen, and realized he was a mid-level martial artist, so he didn’t hesitate.

Then he slipped a ceramic bottle into his hand.

Clack.

The sharp, clear sound went unnoticed by Liu Wen.

Only Lou Yusnow noticed his movement, her eyes filled with pity as she looked at Liu Wen.

That Liu younger brother from the Liu family was pitiable—manipulated and cheered on without knowing it, deserving of death.

Hmph, why should I even say “also”?

Indeed, not long after, the once ecstatic Liu Wen and the chariot driver both suddenly sensed something was wrong.

Before they could react, they fell one after another.

“What’s happening? Why can’t I move?”

“Black Tooth? Black Tooth?”

Liu Wen glanced at the towering figure ahead, then at the limp Lou Yusnow in his arms, and finally realized he’d been tricked by someone.

He suddenly raged, shouting: “Black Tooth, what are you doing? Daring to attack me—insane!”

Before Chen Yi could answer, Lou Yusnow, fed up with his stupidity, said:

“Obviously. You’ve been deceived.”

Chen Yi paused, lifting her by the neck and holding her aloft: “You talk too much.”

Lou Yusnow huffed: “I’m willing to die—if you have the guts, kill me.”

Chen Yi shook his head: “It’d be too much trouble.”

“You dare not either—you—”

But before she could finish, Chen Yi slashed his hand blade across her throat, forcing her to be silent.

“Originally, I wanted to let you hear a few words, but since you’re so talkative, let’s rest first.”

Chen Yi muttered, then carried her onto the carriage, turning back to Liu Wen with a smile:

“Sir Liu, forgive me, borrowing your carriage.”

Before Liu Wen could speak, Chen Yi continued: “Though you probably won’t need it after this, so it’s fine.”

Liu Wen’s face turned ashen, his features nearly twisted, his eyes filled with murderous fury.

“What do you intend to do?”

“Sir Liu, we’ve had no enmity in the past, why do you hate me?”

“Sir Liu, you gave me thirty thousand taels of silver—how could you treat me like this?!”

Chen Yi smiled faintly, "Lord Liu, your questions are many; I’m at a loss how to begin."

"How about I tell you a story?"

He said this without waiting to see whether Liu Wen was inclined to listen, and began assembling the five-piece gun combination from his sleeve as he spoke:

"There was once a pitiable scholar, forced to come to Shu Zhou for some reason, a sort of man who was neither favored by his grandmother nor cherished by his uncle."

"That much is true."

"After all, he himself cared little for fame or gain, preferring simply to live a life of quiet contentment, free from the cares of the world."

"Though the circumstances around him were hardly favorable, he kept a low profile, never seeking attention, and managed to eke out his days in obscurity."

Chen Yi paused, having finished assembling the gun, and regarded Liu Wen, whose expression remained one of irritation and anger. He smiled again:

"Yet, on a certain day, a most peculiar fellow appeared out of nowhere, asking him to accompany him on a journey."

"That fellow was indeed most inexplicable; the scholar had done nothing to merit such attention, yet he was singled out all the same."

"And then that same fellow threatened to kill him, claiming the right to take his wife and daughter."

"Desperate as one might be..."

As Chen Yi spoke, his smile faded, and the gun in his hand suddenly drove into the chest of the cart driver beside him.

Then he spun around twice.

The previously furious Liu Wen froze at the sight, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at Chen Yi.

Within three breaths, however, his gaze shifted entirely.

From hatred and rage, it turned to desperation and pleading, his voice trembling:

"Please, please—anything you want, I’ll give it to you, I’ll give it all!"

"Money? Ten thousand, no, a hundred thousand taels—I’ll give you all of it—please, please, don’t kill me…"

Chen Yi drew his spear, turned his head, and let out a hollow laugh:

"You and he are brothers by blood, after all—even in death, their responses are the same."

"Only, he was crushed by me until he could speak no more, reduced to kneeling on the ground, begging for mercy."

"But you, Lord Second, are different—you cannot move, nor do you even have the strength to plead."

When Liu Wen heard this, the pleas died on his lips. He stared at Chen Yi with a mixture of shock and terror, his voice barely a whisper:

"Y-yes, it was you—kill Liu Jing?"

(End of chapter)