Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
As a well-trained killer, Maid Lotus should have approached secretly and struck quietly, so Shangguan Ru was somewhat surprised at her uncharacteristically public appearance.
She had already noticed someone approaching them while Old Man Mu was still dreaming. But she emerged from her tent holding a lightweight wooden saber only after Old Man Mu let out a scream.
The ex-master and servant faced each other in silence.
“Tenth Young Master.” Maid Lotus spoke first. For a moment, there was no killing intent within her. She was as courteous and polite as before, and her sword lowered a few inches as well.
“Maid Lotus.” Shangguan Ru bowed her head to return the courtesy, no longer regarding her as her subordinate.
“I think I owe you an explanation.”
Copying the Wayless Book was the common turning point shared by the teenagers at that time. Because of this, Maid Lotus was able to make a huge contribution to New Moon Hall while Slave Huan’s justification for revenge became even stronger. However, as a result, Shangguan Ru had lost her father’s favor.
Even so, Shangguan Ru did not wish to listen to any explanation. It was obvious that everybody was just using each other in a way, and she was the only one kept in the dark, assuming that everybody was working for her. She was born and raised in the Stone Castle and should have been well aware of this.
You were too naive, you cannot possibly blame others for being conniving, she thought. Then she said, “There are always reasons for doing so and the Stone Castle owes you two so much more, it’s alright if we just let it be.”
“Thank you for your magnanimity, Tenth Young Master.”
The two of them had traveled with each other for many days, yet they rarely spoke, let alone had eye contact. This conversation exchanged between them was extremely polite, it did not seem like they were enemies, but neither were they friends.
Old Man Mu glanced at the two of them. Although Shangguan Ru was not to his liking, Maid Lotus was disappointing as well. “Hey, what are you two going on about? This is the moment that you either live or die. Fight! Kill! Stab her with a sword or fight her with a saber, my life belongs to whoever who wins. Uh, same goes for Dragon King, he’s…”
The two women turned to look at him together, and their faces were as cold as frost. Old Man Mu read the atmosphere and swallowed his words. “Continue your chatting. I… I will count the stars.”
“I would also need to ask the Tenth Young Master to do me a favor.” Maid Lotus’ tone grew more and more polite.
“You are too polite. There’s nothing I can help you with. And I am no longer the Tenth Young Master.”
“You will always be the Tenth Young Master in my heart.”
The two of them were silent for a moment and the awkward atmosphere did not dissipate. There was a thin thread between them, no one wanted to take the step forward nor did they wish to break the thread themselves.
“I cannot let you kill him.” Shangguan Ru was the first to break the silent standoff and was amused by the feigned facade she had put on just now.
“I understand that the Tenth Young Master is unwilling to kill, so please stand aside and I will do it.”
“No way.”
“You should know what kind of person Old Man Mu is, Tenth Young Master. You saw the way he killed others. If you let him go today, you will be unleashing the devil.”
“He promised me that he will not kill again in the future and I will supervise him constantly.”
There was pity in Maid Lotus’ eyes. This was her first time showing anything other than a servant or a killer in front of Shangguan Ru. She said, “You can’t trust what Old Man Mu said. He is addicted to killing and will never kick this habit.”
“I have my own way to stop him from killing again.” Shangguan Ru was insistent.
Old Man Mu watched them, satisfied. He was excited to see the sparks between the two women fly, as it might burst into flames at any time.
“Everybody said that you were the one who cut the rope and released him.” Maid Lotus said, her voice becoming colder. “I don’t believe that and I never will.”
Shangguan Ru did not wish to defend herself. She even vaguely sensed a killing intent stirring in her heart. This was something that she had not felt for years.
Why did she hate Maid Lotus? Shangguan Ru asked herself. Although Maid Lotus was not loyal to her, she had not betrayed her like how Master Yu, Slave Huan or even her parents and brother had. This quiet and resourceful female killer had only done what she had to do.
Her killing desire was like a malnourished seed, withering as soon as it budded. All of a sudden, Shangguan Ru felt relaxed from the inside out and was able to speak more candidly.
“Even though Old Man Mu kills people, you have killed as well. Everybody is killing people, and it is neverending. Just trust me once, Maid Lotus. I will bring him to the most remote place ever and will never let him have the opportunity to kill anyone ever again. I can guarantee with my life.”
“I believe you, Tenth Young Master.” Maid Lotus said as she took a step back. “However, once he regains his Kung Fu, no one in the world will be able to stop him. There will never be a peaceful day for New Moon Hall and the Great Snowmountain if I don’t get rid of him.”
“Then, you will have to get through me first.” Shangguan Ru raised her wooden saber. If it had been a few days ago, she would not hesitate to hand over Old Man Mu. But after several days of getting to know him, what she saw was not a demon killer but a small fellow who was poor in Kung Fu, someone who was forthright and unbashful, merely seeking protection.
Maid Lotus was silent for a moment. Either she seemed to be considering the options or maybe she was waiting for Shangguan Ru to change her mind. Then she said, “Sorry if I offend you.”
Shangguan Ru gripped her wooden saber tightly. She knew she was not Maid Lotus’ match. All she could think about was the two Kung Fu skills that she recently learned and hoped to achieve good results.
Maid Lotus’ first strike was not directed at her, however.
Old Man Mu only had less than 10% of his Internal Strength left, however, his eyesight was still sharp. He realized that things were bad as soon as he saw Maid Lotus drew out her sword, but he could only let out a half shout. “Ah”.
The sword went through his chest.
Maid Lotus had already retreated several steps away. She was not one to take risks even when facing an opponent who had lost almost all of their Kung Fu. Moreover, she was well aware that Old Man Mu wore a thin bulletproof armor. No one had taken it from him when he was captured since he had been immediately tied up.
Like a broken doll that had been passed down for several generations, Old Man Mu staggered to the ground, his right shoulder bleeding profusely. He tapped his chest and said, “I thought you would stab here instead.”
He did not wear his thin armor but had a breastplate in place. He paid special attention to protect his own heart since he liked going around digging out others’ hearts.
The first move from Maid Lotus was just a test. Indeed, Old Man Mu had not fully recovered his skills, and this would make things much easier.
She moved slowly and her gaze did not fall on either of them. It was as though she was a girl next door strolling through her garden, having thoughts of a young girl and not paying particular attention to the people and things around her.
Then, her second strike came. It was as fast as a lizard’s long tongue swiping for flies.
Once again, Old Man Mu could clearly preempt it, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Fortunately, Shangguan Ru finally made a move. She came to Old Man Mu’s side almost at the same time as Maid Lotus.
But her “almost” could not hold back an expert’s sword and neither could it save people.
Shangguan Ru had been in cruel battles and went through near-death experiences, she was also once surrounded by hundreds of thousands of enemies. However, she had never felt as overwhelmed as she felt now.
Just watching by the side, she still had not felt that Maid Lotus was much stronger than her. But she realized that the two of them were of different levels once she really started attacking.
Maid Lotus’ speed was slightly faster than her. To normal people, it was small enough that it could be ignored, but it was something that Shangguan Ru could not mend even if she tried her best.
On the other hand, Maid Lotus did not seem to pay much attention to guarding against Shangguan Ru. She would attack, retreat and observe the results at her own pace.
The sword struck Old Man Mu’s left calf. Although it did not bleed much, he still yelped from the pain, “Hehe, this b*tch is ruthless indeed. But you made the wrong move. Might as well kowtow and beg me if you want to learn my kung fu. If you are hoping to threaten me by disabling my Kung Fu, why not use a honey trap on me? I might become enamored and perhaps be willing to teach you some skills, you know?”
Maid Lotus did not wish to kill Old Man Mu right away, she had merely damaged his leg tendons and ignored his verbal provocation. Again, she continued to pace slowly at a dozen paces away.
Somewhat bashful, Shangguan Ru stood in front of Old Man Mu and said, “You already possess Wayless Book and the occult sciences of New Moon Hall, why do you still want other people’s Kung Fu?”
Maid Lotus actually did not find it necessary to say anything more to her former master. Although Shangguan Ru had grown up, she was still a little girl in her heart. Except for her somewhat disheartened temperament, she was still as naive as before, therefore there were many things that she would never understand.
But she still spoke, not so much as to explain to Shangguan Ru, but to threaten Old Man Mu, “There is no end to learning, there will always be experts beyond our imagination who exist in this world. Since I am already in the jianghu, I must always move forward and continue to excel.”
If not for the two painful wounds on his body, Old Man Mu almost wanted to applaud her explanation. He said, “Yes, you are right. Shangguan Ru, you should really learn from Maid Lotus.”
Shangguan Ru could not think of anything to rebut, but she was not convinced by what Maid Lotus said either. She was still very vigilant, hoping that she could block Maid Lotus’ next move when she drew her sword out.
To the eyes of Shangguan Ru, the third blow from Maid Lotus was without any warning. Just when she drew out her wooden saber, a grey shadow passed by and Maid Lotus had already returned to her original position.
This time, the sword damaged the tendons on Old Man Mu’s right wrist. No matter how powerful his Internal Strength was, two more blows from Maid Lotus and Old Man Mu’s Kung Fu would be disabled, he would no longer be able to use Foxlike Movement Skill and Five Hole Punch anymore.
“Hold on.” Old Man Mu started to panic. Losing his Kung Fu was his biggest nightmare and he had never thought it would happen today. He said, “Just what kind of Kung Fu do you want to learn? Speak, so that I can think about it. All these blows one after another, how am I supposed to guess what you want?”
Maid Lotus paced leisurely and did not seem to be in a rush. Dawn would soon arrive and she had already predicted that Old Man Mu would comply. “All of it.” She replied, leaving no room for negotiation.
“Ambitious, ruthless, and smart enough, you are indeed my type. Ever since your Master, nothing had moved my heart for the past ten years.”
Old Man Mu began to speak lewdly again although it did not bother Maid Lotus at all. But Shangguan Ru had enough of it, so she said, “Shut up, Old Man Mu. If you are going to sprout any more nonsense, then you will have to fight her yourself.”
Old Man Mu, however, was unexpectedly ungrateful, he said, “You still have the cheek to say, little girl? You promised to protect me but you could not even block half of her blows. There is no difference with or without you, isn’t it?”
Shangguan Ru grunted in reply, but she did not move away. Although the killing desire within her was gone forever, her competitiveness was still strong. Rather than protecting Old Man Mu, it was more toward the fact that she could not believe she was unable to block off Maid Lotus’ sword.
“I surrender. All my Kung Fu belongs to you, Maid Lotus.” Old Man Mu peeked out from behind Shangguan Ru. He did not plan to fight when the odds were against him.
“Very well.”
“But I have one condition.”
Maid Lotus hesitated slightly; she thought Old Man Mu was going to come up with some obscene suggestion again, so she said, “Say it.”
“This old man has no other hobbies but have enjoyed killing people my whole life. I am so bored after not seeing a corpse for more than 10 days. I can’t kill now, as you know. So how about you kill off this useless little girl here? Make me happy, and I will teach you my Kung Fu.”
