The cold, slightly heavy long sword in her hand that usually hung at Lu Zhiyao’s waist, never leaving his side, is now in her hands.
She thought he treasured it greatly. But now, just for his own amusement, he’d shoved it into someone else’s hands without hesitation.
“What do you mean, practical combat?” Li Ruoshui held the sword, asking somewhat helplessly.
“Although my master was a cripple, she was quite good at teaching. After teaching me the sword forms, she’d throw me into dangerous situations. No guidance was needed; I’d rely on instinct to use the techniques, improving rapidly.”
“You haven’t even taught me the moves yet, and you expect rapid improvement?”
“The moves aren’t difficult.” He tilted his head, listening to the sounds of the fight on the stage.
“Back when my master taught me, she tied ropes to my joints, teaching me the forms like she was manipulating a puppet. It was fun, and I remembered it well.”
That almost made sense. ^_^
Wait a minute. (•_•)
What was logical about the ‘puppet’ method? Was she being influenced by him?!
Li Ruoshui immediately slapped her forehead, trying to whack some common sense back into herself. Then, she looked at him strangely.
“Why are you so interested all of a sudden?”
Lu Zhiyao, with his eyes closed, guided her hand to grip the sword hilt, his tone gentle.
“You’re timid and don’t like to move much, but you make up for it with a flexible mind. Teaching you martial arts would definitely be interesting. Perhaps one day, you might even gain the ability to kill me.”
Long accustomed to his occasional morbid remarks, Li Ruoshui helplessly pulled her hand back and hugged the sword.
Killing him would completely sever her path home. Li Ruoshui wasn’t that foolish.
“Then your hope is in vain. Not only will I not kill you, I’ll always protect you.”
Most people would feel touched hearing such words. But the lunatic himself was different.
He’s rather displeased.
The smile vanished from Lu Zhiyao’s face. The hand that had been holding hers withdrew, his voice turning flat.
“Lying isn’t very amusing.”
This person was just so strange. When she tried to manipulate him, he was happy, smiling brighter than the spring sun. But when she told the truth, he turned cold, the curve of his lips flattening.
He was truly hard to figure out.
“I’m telling the truth.”
After emphasizing this again, a slightly irritated Li Ruoshui shifted the sword in her arms to a different position and looked away from him, naturally missing Lu Zhiyao’s visibly distracted expression.
Several rounds had already been fought on the stage. Since it was all sparring with stops at the touch, the matches progressed quickly. Even Lu Feiyue, who had registered later, had already fought several bouts.
Judging by the remaining contestants, she just needed to win her next match to compete for the top four.
Lu Feiyue had given her gilded blade to Jiang Nian. Now she wielded an ordinary sharp sword, facing off against the winner from the other group.
“Bai Shuang versus Lu Feiyue. Begin.”
Lu Feiyue was dressed in black, while the woman named Bai Shuang, though delicate in features, wore plain white mourning clothes and a silk flower in her hair—she looked utterly funereal.
However, she gave off a vibe very similar to the woman in white from the human trafficking case.
Lu Feiyue had clearly noticed this too. When they crossed swords, she got serious, wanting to test her.
Sure enough, the sword techniques and footwork were identical to those of the foul-mouthed woman in white.
Unwilling to let go of this coincidental lead, Lu Feiyue put in ten times more effort, single-mindedly determined to capture her.
Amidst the flash of blades, the nature of their exchange gradually changed. Anyone could see the tension simmering between them.
A bird call sounded in the distance. Bai Shuang immediately changed her style, her moves now aimed at vital points, her speed increasing, startling the onlookers into putting down their melon seeds.
Lu Feiyue had trained in martial arts since childhood and had worked on cases for years. She held her own against Bai Shuang, blocking every move steadily.
But at a certain moment, her body stiffened. She dropped to one knee, barely raising her sword to block.
Jiang Nian stood close by and took a step forward but stopped when he saw the look in Lu Feiyue’s eyes. He could only watch Bai Shuang intently.
The two women continued their fierce struggle, making Li Ruoshui frown.
In the original story, Lu Feiyue fought her way to first place easily. How did this ‘Cheng Yaojin’ [1]pop out of nowhere? Did the original story give misleading information again?
“Lu Feiyue was hit by a hidden weapon,” Lu Zhiyao said lightly. “Is there something wrong with her opponent?”
“They’re probably connected to that human trafficking case.”
Watching Lu Feiyue struggling on the stage, a thought occurred to Li Ruoshui.
This was probably the butterfly effect. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
In the original story, by the time Lu Feiyue and the others found the pear grove, much time had passed. They didn’t encounter the woman in white, only arrested some stragglers and rescued two or three girls who hadn’t been shipped out yet.
This time, led by Li Ruoshui, they not only ran into the leader but also found plenty of evidence.
Although the outcome was still rescuing people without finding the real mastermind, the amount of details and clues had increased considerably, and the corresponding plot had changed somewhat.
Lu Feiyue, who should have overlooked Bai Shuang, recognized her.
It was unclear where Lu Feiyue was injured, but her attacks had noticeably slowed, becoming more passive. Her lips were even turning pale.
Bai Shuang looked at her coldly, her sword not slowing. “I don’t want your life. Just admit defeat and step down.”
“Impossible.”
Lu Feiyue forced herself to focus, resisting stubbornly. But her body couldn’t keep up. In a moment of carelessness, her arm was slashed.
“On one hand, she wants to seize the lead; on the other, she wants to complete the mission of infiltrating the Zheng residence.” Lu Zhiyao’s amused voice sounded in her ear. “Pity, her strength isn’t enough to do both.”
“She still tries to do it anyway. That’s what makes her admirable.”
Li Ruoshui glanced at him. “You can’t force this sort of thing. Some people understand it, others will never grasp it.”
Lu Zhiyao nodded, as if thinking of something, and placed his hand on the small of Li Ruoshui’s back.
“Then which type are you?”
“I can’t do what she does, so I naturally admire her greatly.”
Lu Zhiyao lowered his head and laughed. Li Ruoshui immediately felt a shiver run down her spine. She tried to step away, but he wrapped an arm around her waist, blocking her escape.
“How about you go help her?”
A palm struck her lower back, sending Li Ruoshui flying straight into the tense atmosphere on stage.
Lu Zhiyao took some pieces of broken silver from his money pouch and offered them to a bystander next to him.
“Could I buy some peanuts from you?”
With features as handsome as jade, a smile like the spring breeze, and gently closed eyes, this highly deceptive face once again fooled the passerby.
“T-take them all.”
“Thank you.”
Li Ruoshui landed on the stage, right between Lu Feiyue and Bai Shuang.
Bai Shuang, intent on thrusting her sword at Lu Feiyue, the cold, gleaming tip aimed straight for her, found her attack blocked midway by a sword scabbard.
Li Ruoshui held the sword with both hands, clearly an amateur’s stance, but still managed to deflect half the force with clever use of leverage.
Lu Zhiyao listened carefully, his eyelashes curving.
She really did have talent. She even knew how to use an opponent’s force against them.
Lu Feiyue’s lips were pale, sweat pouring from her temples. She could only lean on her sword for support. Anyone could see she was in bad shape.
Bai Shuang withdrew her sword and glanced at her disdainfully. “I’ll give you a chance. Get off the stage yourself. The poison isn’t strong; the sooner you treat it, the better.”
Lu Feiyue pressed her lips together and said nothing.
She was already poisoned. Her chances of winning subsequent matches were slim. But if she let this opportunity pass, not only would the mission fail, but Bai Shuang would also get away.
Was she going to lose both the fish and the bear’s paw?
“She’s withdrawing. I’ll take her place.”
Li Ruoshui stood in front of Lu Feiyue, feeling a bit guilty as she gripped the cold scabbard tightly. She straightened her back to face the crowd.
“Who are you?” Bai Shuang held her sword, looking at her with contempt.
“I’m also a contestant.” She turned and raised her hand towards the registration area. “Li Ruoshui. The ‘Ruo Shui’ from ‘Out of a myriad of choices’. [2]“
Watching the Zheng family representative record her name, Li Ruoshui turned back to her.
“The first round is one-on-one matches. You still have to fight me.”
Bai Shuang sneered, her gaze falling on Lu Feiyue behind Li Ruoshui.
“You don’t even know how to hold a sword properly. Just take her with you and get off the stage.”
Jiang Nian had already reached the stage and was helping Lu Feiyue up. Both looked at Li Ruoshui with concern.
“Don’t worry, Sister Lu. If you can’t marry into the family, then I’ll go instead.”
Lu Feiyue looked up at Li Ruoshui. Though still worried, after seeing Lu Zhiyao’s calm and smiling face below the stage, she nodded.
“Be careful.”
Jiang Nian hurriedly helped Lu Feiyue away. Only the two of them were left on the stage.
Li Ruoshui took a few steps back, putting distance between them.
“According to the rules, the person advancing to the next round must be decided between you and me.”
She was definitely nervous, but after glancing at Lu Zhiyao below the stage, Li Ruoshui inexplicably felt reassured. She even looked at Bai Shuang with a hint of cunning.
She slowly drew the sword in her hand, raising an eyebrow at Bai Shuang. “Look at this.”
The slender blade gleamed coldly. Fine, fragmented lines were etched into the sword’s surface, splitting the reflected image into many distorted pieces.
The moment this sword was revealed, not only did Bai Shuang’s eyes widen in shock, but the distant bird calls also turned sharp.
“Whoa.” Li Ruoshui looked around, her surprise mixed with amusement.
This worked way too well. It was like a trained dog hearing a bell. Probably worked a little too well.
Without another word, Bai Shuang charged forward, sword aimed straight for Li Ruoshui’s heart. It seemed like she wanted her dead immediately.
Li Ruoshui drew her sword to block. Suddenly, something hard hit her calf, forcing her leg to kick up violently and strike Bai Shuang’s right hand.
Not only was she herself surprised, but Bai Shuang also failed to react in time, taking the kick squarely.
To outsiders, it looked like Li Ruoshui was skilled. But Bai Shuang knew that just as she had backup, Li Ruoshui also had an expert helping her from behind.
Coupled with that sword, it wasn’t hard to guess who it was.
However, Bai Shuang never saw that person’s face back then. Scanning the area behind Li Ruoshui also revealed nothing amiss.
Li Ruoshui saw Bai Shuang’s brow furrow, her expression turning grave as she raised her sword to attack again, her face like someone marching stoically to their death.
Bai Shuang’s sword was fast, too fast for Li Ruoshui to react. Yet, she blocked every move.
Her arms, knees, calves—each place throbbed with significant pain. She didn’t need to guess to know this was Lu Zhiyao’s handiwork.
Li Ruoshui wasn’t the only person doubting their life on stage.
The more Bai Shuang fought, the more confused she became; the more she fought, the more resentful she grew. She couldn’t help but mutter to herself.
“How is this possible? To make her block my moves, he’d have to have foreseen my moves. Unless… he’s predicted all my techniques…”
Thinking of this, a chill ran down her spine. Bai Shuang struck out again with a downward slash, holding nothing back.
“Clang—”
The precious swords clashed. The two slender blades met. Li Ruoshui blocked her strike. The originally cracked sword remained completely unscathed, instead chipping a notch in Bai Shuang’s fine blade.
“Wow!” Li Ruoshui looked at the notch, unable to hold back a soft exclamation.
Lu Zhiyao’s sword looked like it could shatter at any moment, but it was actually this strong!
When she looked up at Bai Shuang again, Li Ruoshui noticed her gaze wasn’t on her but scanning the crowd.
Her eyes held anger, resentment, and fear. Even her hands trembled slightly.
Li Ruoshui paused for a moment, then seized the moment of distraction to immediately twist her wrist and thrust upward. As Bai Shuang dodged, Li Ruoshui unhesitatingly slammed into her waist, relying on pure brute force to knock her off the stage.
The prolonged duel ended in such an unexpected way, drawing surprised laughter from the crowd.
Only now snapping back to reality, Bai Shuang glared around, grinding her teeth. She had to get at least one thing out of this—she’d capture Li Ruoshui.
She leaped onto the stage with her sword, but halfway up, something struck her right knee. A piercing pain shot through her, and she fell back down.
“Falling off the stage means you lose. There’s no rule about getting back on.”
The speaker’s voice was like the spring breeze, warm as it entered the ears, but it made Bai Shuang feel as if she’d fallen into an ice cellar.
She had never seen that person’s face, but she had heard him speak. It was exactly this tone.
The surroundings seemed to grow quiet. She felt she could only hear those light, unhurried footsteps slowly stopping before her. The white hem of his robe was like a pure, blooming Udumbara flower,[3] opening for just a moment before going into hiding.
The man leaned down, his warm, soft voice whispering by her ear.
“Or perhaps… you wish to spoil my fun?”
[1]半路杀出个程咬金 is a phrase that essentially means something or someone that pops out of where to disrupt everything. Similar to Deus Ex Machina or a spanner in the works.
[2]弱水三千 or Ruo Shui San Qian is an idiom that essentially means out a lot of options. Usually used in romantic settings. Here, it’s just a reference to how her name is spelled. Using the same characters as this idiom.
[3]优昙 or You Tan. Ficus racemosa, the cluster fig, red river fig or gular, is a species of plant in the mulberry family Moraceae. Is this like the ancient Chinese name for it? This flower is a mythical, sacred flower from Buddhism that is said to bloom only once every 3,000 years and signifies the arrival of a King of the Golden Wheel. Pictured below: