Yujin Ru took a deep breath and entered a combat stance. Then, without hesitation, he kicked off the ground, appearing in front of Yuelan.
But despite his speed, Yuelan reacted with ease and used Swift Step to reappear behind him and swing down her sword.
As it was about to land, he countered, thrusting his sword at her neck.
However, even if he countered Yuelan's strike, that didn't mean he countered her strike.
All of a sudden, her sword came crashing down on Yujin Ru's sword. It seemed like a powerful blow, but it was as if a butterfly had landed and not even managed to put a scratch on Yujin's blade.
But for some reason, he couldn't move his sword anymore, and it was almost like his body was frozen.
And that was because at the moment of impact between their blades, Yuelan forcefully reversed Yujin Ru's Qi.
It was a simple trick she had picked up while training for several months straight, and it only worked on opponents who had no clue how Qi worked.
He activated the Sword Slash skill and made it use the maximum amount of Qi. Since it wasn't a naturally guided activation, he left the rest of his body defenseless. Yuelan smiled. And because of that, I was able to simply use my blade to infuse Qi directly into his body through his sword.
His Qi was disrupted and practically recoiled back at full force, so if he were to move now, then he'd turn into mush.
If my brother would've fought me before I told him about Qi control, then... hehe... Yuelan held back a giggle and sheathed her sword, confusing every single person present.
"Huh?"
"Why did she sheathe her sword?"
"No... Why is young master not moving?"
Yujin Ru was about to move, but Yuelan raised her hand, stopping him.
"Give it a few minutes. If you move your hand now, then your body will explode. I'm not joking," Yuelan said flatly.
"What did you do to me...?" Yujin Ru asked, his voice trembling. "Why does it feel like my abdomen is about to burst?"
"...?" Yuelan tilted her head. "Did you go to the bathroom today?"
As if she had managed to flip Yujin Ru's switch, he suddenly thrust his sword forward, trying to decapitate Yuelan.
But she didn't even budge as she stared at the approaching blade until eventually.
POP!
Yujin Ru's entire body exploded like a balloon, sending blood and guts all across the camp. In the meantime, Yuelan used Swift Step to appear as far away as she could, avoiding the blood splatter.
Yet when she glanced down at the people of the encampment, as well as the envoy that had arrived not too long ago, she was met with looks of utter horror.
"Kyaaaaa!"
"Young master! T-This is a joke, right!? Did that woman cast an illusion?"
"Noooooo!"
Everyone ran up to what was left of Yujin Ru, grabbing his sword and swinging it around as if they were trying to bring him back.
This scene reminded her of something that happened not too long ago.
Yuelan sighed.
I did the same at the Jade Palace. I killed their leader, and everyone killed themselves. Am I cursed or something?
Before she could ponder further, she heard a step beside her, and when she turned toward it, she saw the man who wielded the bladeless sword.
He stepped closer, then nodded.
"That was... unexpected," he said. "What kind of technique did you use?"
"Came here to lick your master's blood off my boots?" Yuelan asked bluntly. "If so, then be on your merry way, bastard."
"Oh, nothing of the sort." The man shook his head, bowing slightly. "My name is Jin Tianlei. I am also a swordsman, but I am taking a different approach, as you can probably tell."
Before she could speak, he continued.
"I practice the Sound Blade technique. That means my blade can be in any shape so long as I emit the right sound frequency using my Qi," he explained. "Because of that, I was interested in that technique you used against Yujin Ru. I feel like I can implement it into my own fighting style, so I—"
"Fuck off," Yuelan cut him off. "I don't know you, and I most definitely won't reveal my secrets. Plus, you talk like a snake. I feel like if I did tell you the technique, the moment I turned my back, you would try to kill me."
"You misunderstand me." Jin Tianlei shook his head. "I'm an ambitious man, and I can assure you that if you were to give me a hint, I would repay your gratitude severalfold in the future. I give you my word."
"And I don't believe your word," Yuelan said coldly. "Now look, pester me again and I'm going to kill you as well. Now if you'll excuse me..."
She leapt off the elevated platform, narrowly dodging an incoming sword.
Yet while she was in midair, she swung her sword in a crescent arc, splitting the attacker in two.
When she landed, Yuelan kicked off the ground, arriving in front of all the people dressed in the white lotus outfits.
And just like that, the massacre began.
.
.
.
(1 hour later.)
"Phew." Yuelan wiped the blood off her face, taking a look around the encampment filled with corpses.
She didn't kill any civilians, but she did kill everyone who attacked her first.
I'm glad big brother was beside me when I first killed... Yuelan thought warmly. I didn't like it, and I still don't. But it's much easier now. It seems like I really am adjusting to this world quicker than I thought.
She gave the people of the encampment one final look, and also glanced toward Jin Tianlei, who had been resting on a nearby rooftop, not interfering in her fight.
What a stalker... If he's still here after I come back, I'm definitely getting rid of him. Yuelan nodded to herself.
And then, she simply Swift Stepped away, heading back to the lake in the mountains.