Chapter 8: Temple (1)
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When Lin Nan stood once more at the entrance of Yihong Courtyard, gazing up at the iconic sign that had yet to be taken down, a wave of absurdity washed over her, as if the world had turned upside down.
The last time she came here, Sky Sword City was in full bloom with people pouring in and out; just the ticket to enter cost over a thousand Spirit Coins.
Now, the Spirit Coin had turned to scrap paper, and Yihong Courtyard had changed hands multiple times, becoming the headquarters of the Crazy Dragon Guild.
All she could hope for was that its current owner, Firefly, would remember the glorious past of Yihong Courtyard and not completely ruin the place until there was no trace of its former gentility and luxury.
“Knock knock knock…”
The iron door of Yihong Courtyard was firmly shut, and there were no guards in sight.
Xiao Ai had no choice but to step forward and knock on the door with determination.
Since she was picked by Lin Nan and the others to help out, she figured she was hitting the jackpot in the eyes of others. Still, this task had to be done satisfactorily, or else returning to the City Lord’s Mansion would leave her in hot water with everyone.
“Who is it?”
A voice from inside sounded impatient.
“Um, we are from the Heavenly Sword Sect Guild, and we come on the orders from above with urgent matters to discuss with your Guild Leader.”
After saying this, Xiao Ai nervously glanced at Lin Nan, who slightly nodded. With that, she finally relaxed, fearful that Lin Nan would blame her for being too presumptuous.
“Our Guild Leader isn’t here.” The voice was curt.
“Uh… Can you tell us where the Guild Leader has gone?” Xiao Ai ventured.
“Don’t know. And you, Heavenly Sword Sect’s lackey, don’t get too chummy with us! If it weren’t for our Guild Leader ordering us to stay put, I’d be tempted to cut you down right now.”
Xiao Ai’s face immediately turned pale.
Even through the iron door, she could sense the murderous intent emanating from behind it.
But at that moment, a sudden gust of wind whipped past her head, causing her to duck down and cry out, “Miss Lin, help! Help!”
“Clang!”
With a sharp sound, the immense iron door was cut into a diagonal “X” shape and crashed to the ground, revealing several stunned eyes behind it.
“Come out and say that! Hiding behind the door and acting tough? What kind of man does that?”
Little Musashi stood there wielding two sharp katanas, her chin slightly raised, her gaze slicing through the few men in front of her as if they were her next target.
Feeling courage swell within him, Xiao Ai stepped forward, albeit still half hiding behind Little Musashi, pointing at those guys and shouting, “A bunch of useless baloney scholars! Come at me, you old geezers!”
“Wahhhh!”
The men immediately drew their weapons and charged towards Little Musashi.
“Don’t hurt them!” Lin Nan remarked calmly.
“Yes, my lord, just watch!”
As the few men charged towards them shouting, Little Musashi dashed forward like a streak of lightning, her blades glinting like wind.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared behind them, striking a pose as if diving forward, her katanas poised behind her.
As she slowly stood and sheathed her swords, several pained screams erupted behind her.
“Ahhh…”
The men, clutching their right wrists, bent over in agony, their faces twisted in pain.
Weapons clanged onto the ground, and bl**d gushed from their severed wrists.
With a sneer, Little Musashi taunted, “Is this all the Crazy Dragon Guild has? Bring more; I want to see what you’re capable of!”
Xiao Ai nervously glanced at Lin Nan, fear creeping into his voice, “Miss Lin, let’s take the win and back off while we can! The Crazy Dragon Guild has quite a few members—though Miss Musashi is impressive, she can’t hold them off alone!”
Lin Nan reassured, “It’s alright, let’s see how it goes.”
The advantage of having Little Musashi around was that Lin Nan didn’t even have to lift a finger.
Besides, those guys facing off with Little Musashi were clearly not top-notch players, so there was no need to worry too much.
After all, they were here to make a scene; if they didn’t get in, wouldn’t that just make them look incompetent?
Sure enough, when they heard the commotion at the gate, nearly a hundred people spilled out from the main building of Yihong Courtyard, rushing towards the four while screaming.
The overwhelming wave frightened Xiao Ai so much he jumped back to hide behind some rubble.
His survival instincts were why he still had breath left in him, being able to read the room and know when to duck and cover.
“Bring it on, bring it on!” Little Musashi said, her whole body trembling with excitement.
Faced with the onslaught, not only did Little Musashi show no fear, but she also brandished her katanas like a graceful bird surfing on the waves, charging head on.
The enemies were also shocked that the woman wielding the swords would dare take on so many.
“Are you playing a video game or something!”
“Forget it! k*ll her! Don’t hold back just because she’s a woman!”
“Hey, make sure to leave the body intact; I need it for later!”
“Cut off her head. You really think the Crazy Dragon Guild is easy to bully?”
Although Little Musashi couldn’t use any skills, her swordplay was so refined compared to these players, almost primal in its purity. Every slash was lethal.
Almost no one could last two rounds against her.
She was like a hot kn*fe through butter, making her way through the enemy ranks.
Behind her, cries of pain echoed as enemies fell one after another.
Remembering Lin Nan’s command, she didn’t k*ll a single person.
Once about fifty opponents lay writhing and incapacitated, the remaining ones no longer dared to approach. They looked at Little Musashi as if they’d seen a ghost.
Deep down, they knew even the veteran players could barely match her skill level.
When had the Heavenly Sword Sect obtained such an elite fighter?
“Clap clap clap!”
The crisp sounds of applause rang out from behind them.
“Impressive, the three of you. I’ve heard tales of the Heavenly Sword Sect recruiting three strikingly beautiful and powerful heroines, and seeing you today is indeed an eye-opener,” a man in Qing Yi attire said, stepping forward with a slight bow while keeping his gaze on Lin Nan.
“I am Li Yi, Vice President of the Crazy Dragon Guild. It’s a pleasure to meet such lovely ladies.”
Little Musashi let out a disgruntled “tch” and stepped back behind Lin Nan.
As a loyal subordinate, even though she seriously wanted to cut down this pompous guy, she knew better than to make a move unless Lin Nan said so.
“Ah, so it’s Vice President Li, a pleasure indeed.” Lin Nan nodded slightly.
Li Yi smiled, “Now that you’re here, please come in and sit a while. This place is the old location of Yihong Courtyard, and the interior is luxurious with high-class rooms—it suits your statuses quite nicely.”
“Good, since Vice President Li is so kind, we’ll take you up on the offer.”
Seeing that it looked like both sides were ready to take a breather, Xiao Ai quickly dashed behind Jing Feng, for some reason feeling that this quiet woman exuded a reassuring vibe. Just being near her made him feel at peace.
As they followed Li Yi through the corridor, halfway through, Lin Nan suddenly stopped.
“Vice President Li, is this route you’ve chosen correct?”
