Wandering Swordsman |

At noon, Murong Qing, Shen Mo, and their group entered the village.

Under the blazing sun, the heat was intense, and the air was filled with the scent of wheat and earth. Shen Mo walked at the front of the group, his brows slightly furrowed, his nose gently twitching, a strange unease stirring within him.

He inhaled slowly, and the faint smell of blood, like a snake's tongue, burrowed into his nostrils, as thin as a thread, yet it sent a shiver down his spine.

This was not the ordinary smell of blood, but the lingering death aura of a place that had just witnessed a massacre the previous night. Only someone of his caliber could capture this lingering scent of death in such a brief moment.

Shen Mo's gaze swept around and finally settled on the "villagers" working in the fields.

His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, carefully observing every detail.

Suddenly, he noticed a flaw—

An "old woman" was bending over to pull weeds. Her movements seemed skilled, but her fingertips moved too cleanly and neatly, without any calluses or roughness left by years of farm work. Looking at the soil under her feet, there were no indentations from long-term trampling, as if she had just stood on it.

Even more bizarrely, while planting rice seedlings, another "young man" secretly glanced at their position out of the corner of his eye. His gaze was not one of curiosity, but of scrutiny, like a hunter assessing the value of his prey.

Shen Mo's heart sank.

He whirled around and shouted at the Murong family members, "There's an ambush here! Run!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, shattering the tranquility of the village.

Before the words were even finished, the entire group instantly stirred into a frenzy. Having experienced the previous two assassination attempts, everyone's nerves were already on edge. Upon hearing the word "ambush," they were like startled birds, using their lightness skills to dash towards the edge of the village.

But just as everyone scattered and fled, Shen Mo stood still, his eyes fixed on the "villagers" around him.

Murong Qing turned around and saw that Shen Mo hadn't followed. She immediately turned back, grabbed his arm, and said urgently, "Shen Mo, what are you daydreaming about? Let's go!"

Shen Mo gently pushed her hand away, his voice low and deep: "There are still more than three hundred assassins lying in ambush around the village. Judging from the previous two assassination attempts, I am their target. I'll stay here to hold them off, and you take the others to the Martial Alliance to report the news."

He spoke calmly, as if he were simply stating a routine matter, but a resolute determination hidden in his eyes that he did not want her to see.

Upon hearing this, Murong Qing's expression changed drastically, her eyes flashing with shock and disbelief: "What did you say? More than three hundred assassins?"

After a moment, Murong Qing recovered from her surprise: "Even if your martial arts are superb, you can't possibly escape unscathed! Besides... what makes you think you can stay behind alone?"

Seeing that Shen Mo remained unmoved, Murong Qing gritted her teeth and said, "Since you're not leaving, then I'm not leaving either. We're already engaged, we'll live and die together, if we're going to die, we'll die together."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mo was stunned. Looking at the stubborn figure in front of him, a feeling of indescribable warmth and bitterness welled up in his heart.

He knew that Murong Qing wasn't unaware of the situation; rather, she understood it all too well—she thought she couldn't fight against hundreds of assassins and was willing to die with him.

But he couldn't let her see the truth.

He couldn't let her see him using his demonic powers, those powers that were considered demonic by the martial arts world of the Central Plains. If Murong Qing saw them, it could very well put her in danger in the future.

"I'm not telling you to run away," Shen Mo said in a low voice, his tone firm. "I'm telling you to go first, and I'll follow behind."

Murong Qing's eyes were red and swollen as she gripped his sleeve tightly: "I don't believe you can face them alone, I don't believe you can survive... I won't leave, we'll go together!"

Her tears fell in the wind, landing on the ground, shattering into pieces of heartache.

The two gazed at each other for a long time. Shen Mo finally sighed, reached out and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said softly, "Alright, if you won't leave, I will protect you to the end."

As soon as the words were spoken, the "villagers" in the distance straightened up, drew their concealed weapons, and revealed their cold and ferocious faces.

The murderous intent erupted completely at this moment.

The next second, the world lost its color, and the flashing swords swept in like a tidal wave, officially beginning a bloody battle destined to be recorded in the annals of martial arts...

The dense, dark crowd, like a surging tide, completely surrounded Shen Mo and Murong Qing. Every face was cold and ruthless, as if they were not living people, but mechanical puppets born for slaughter. Within this impenetrable encirclement, the leader of the Blood Shadow Tower slowly emerged with six experts clad in black robes, the invisible pressure almost freezing the air.

"Shen Mo, Qiu Tianchan!" Murong Qing's voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of anger and seriousness, like a low roar squeezed out from the depths of his chest.

Before Shen Mo could respond, a figure swiftly moved forward from the crowd—it was Qiu Tianchan. His gaze was piercing as he stared directly at Murong Qing, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Oh, Seventh Miss. It's been so many years, and you still remember this old man. I'm truly flattered."

Murong Qing's pupils contracted sharply, and her face instantly turned pale. She gripped the longsword tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white from the force, and her angry voice trembled slightly: "Qiu Tianchan... even if you were ashes, I would still recognize you!"

In an instant, memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave—

It was a night several years ago. She was attacked at the Murong branch family home in Jinzhou. The enemy's figures moved like ghosts between the eaves, and sharp blades ripped through the window paper, shattering her peaceful life. That night, she watched as her personal maid, Xiaoyue, was stabbed multiple times while protecting her. Blood splattered all over the bluestone steps, staining her clothes red and piercing her heart.

At that time, she was just a naive young girl, panicked, fearful, helpless, and even afraid to face death. It was Shen Mo who appeared at the most critical moment, single-handedly fighting off several assassins and bringing her away from danger. In a recent investigation, Murong Qing learned that the person who accepted the assassination mission in Jinzhou years ago was none other than the smiling old man before her—Qiu Tianchan!

Now, Qiu Tianchan reappeared before her, with the same sinister smile and the same murderous intent, as if that nightmare had never ended.

She gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury, her voice low but filled with murderous intent: "Chou Tianchan, you killed Xiaoyue back then, today, I will make you pay for your crime in blood!"

However, when Qiu Tianchan's gaze fell on Shen Mo's face, his expression suddenly became complicated. Although time had passed and Shen Mo had grown from a boy into a young man, his unique temperament and features remained unchanged.

A flash of realization crossed Qiu Tianchan's eyes, followed by a more sinister smile: "Good lad, you tricked me back then by saying 'Situ Dengfeng' would help you, allowing you to escape right under my nose. This time, all the assassins from our Blood Shadow Pavilion are here; you're doomed! Hahahaha!" At this moment, Qiu Tianchan was overjoyed at the thought of personally killing Shen Mo.

Shen Mo is like a stain on Qiu Tianchan's career as an assassin, constantly troubling him. However, Qiu Tianchan doesn't know Shen Mo's identity, and since Shen Mo has been missing for many years, Qiu Tianchan has been investigating Shen Mo without any results.