They suddenly let out low roars, recklessly lunging toward Bi Lianyi.
Bi Lianyi’s hand went numb, and with a clang his long sword fell to the ground. That blue water stain was indeed nothing good. Qiu Qing of the “Twin Fish Sisters” drew a short spear from her bosom and charged straight at him. Qiu Yuan, who was fighting with Cheng Yunpao, also suddenly turned around. Regardless of the countless openings around her body, she spread both arms and lunged toward Bi Lianyi.
Miss Hong finally saw clearly what was happening. She raised her right hand and shot a patch of white light at the recklessly charging Qiu Yuan. Hidden weapons for self-defense were installed in her right sleeve—these very weapons that Bi Lianyi had prepared for her. Qiu Yuan neither dodged nor avoided. The white light struck her chest directly, but she didn’t care at all. Circling both arms, she trapped the staggering Bi Lianyi in her embrace.
This move was completely beyond everyone’s expectations. Cheng Yunpao’s long sword flew after her with a muffled thud, piercing straight into Qiu Yuan’s back. Fresh blood sprayed from her front, instantly splattering Bi Lianyi. But Qiu Yuan still wouldn’t let go. Bi Lianyi was paralyzed by that blue poison and couldn’t resist for the moment. In that instant, Qiu Qing flew over and pressed against Cheng Yunpao’s long sword. The sword pierced through Qiu Yuan’s back and chest, penetrating into Bi Lianyi’s chest. Bi Lianyi couldn’t believe it—the fearless charging force of both Qiu Yuan and Qiu Qing knocked him back three steps.
“Little Bi!”
“Brother Bi!”
Everyone present cried out in alarm. In this moment faster than a rabbit’s leap or falcon’s swoop, no one could believe these white-robed female attendants could injure Bi Lianyi so quickly. Yet surrounded by everyone, caught off guard, Bi Lianyi was severely wounded in the blink of an eye.
Miss Hong rushed forward two steps, but Cheng Yunpao pulled her back with one hand. Meng Qinglei and Huo Xuanfeng protected Miss Hong behind them—in their thinking, Fengliu Shop’s night raid must be targeting Miss Hong.
Bi Lianyi! But Miss Hong knew that Bai Suche had pointed her blade at Bi Lianyi. This time Fengliu Shop’s elite had come out in full force, but it was for Bi Lianyi! This matter must have great hidden secrets. Seeing blood flowing profusely from Bi Lianyi’s chest, with Qiu Yuan holding him tightly, her heart felt like tumultuous seas. Though she said nothing, her eyes had already reddened. She looked toward Bai Suche, only to see her pursuing and slashing at a bald old man. That old man was driven into the forest by her three or four strikes, making her frown even deeper.
Cheng Yunpao pulled down Miss Hong and flashed forward, grasping the handle of his own long sword. With one touch, he knew Qiu Yuan was already dead. She had been struck by Biluo Palace’s killing hidden weapon. His sword thrust originally wouldn’t have taken her life, but Biluo Palace’s hidden weapon and Qiu Qing’s pressure had completely ended her life. What could make the “Twin Fish Sisters” willing to kill each other just to harm Bi Lianyi? Cheng Yunpao drew out his sword, and Qiu Yuan collapsed softly. Blood gushed like a spring from Bi Lianyi’s chest wound. The fresh blood mixed with that blue poison, gradually staining into a strange blue-purple color.
Cheng Yunpao’s sword tip flickered, sealing the acupoint at Bi Lianyi’s wound. This chest sword wound had the tip penetrating two fen deep, not yet harming vital organs, but Bi Lianyi had been poisoned first. Now with poison entering his bloodstream, the consequences were unknown. The bald old man who had splashed poison water on Bi Lianyi had already disappeared. Bai Suche came with blade raised horizontally. The several white-robed women who had been knocked away by Cheng Yunpao had also stood up. Though Qiu Yuan was dead, Qiu Qing’s eyes were still red as she stared fixedly at Bi Lianyi.
She gripped her weapon tightly with both hands, her whole body trembling, as if struggling to control herself from lunging at Bi Lianyi again. Bai Suche glanced at the slight redness in Miss Hong’s eyes, then saw she wasn’t retreating to the main tent, feeling quite strange—could this woman actually have feelings for Bi Lianyi? With this thought passing through her mind, Bai Suche’s whistle sounded again. The white-robed women surrounding them suddenly accelerated their encirclement. Qiu Qing stared at Qiu Yuan’s corpse on the ground, still trembling, not following Bai Suche’s commands.
Cheng Yunpao saw something was wrong. His Cold Sword Desolate Frost executed the move “Heart Full of Ice and Snow,” sweeping toward Qiu Qing. This move’s sword qi was fierce and sharp. Though aimed at Qiu Qing, the sword light enveloped five or six white-robed women behind her. These white-robed women didn’t have the profound power of Qiu Qing and Qiu Yuan, unable to withstand Cheng Yunpao’s sword. They weren’t as fierce as Qiu Yuan—injured by the sword qi, they each collapsed to the ground, moaning in pain.
After Cheng Yunpao injured the enemies with one sword, Meng Qinglei and Huo Xuanfeng were equally decisive. Seeing Miss Hong refused to return to the main tent, they didn’t force her, shielding her behind them. After trembling for a while, Qiu Qing’s eyes turned red, and she suddenly gripped her spear with both hands, charging at Bi Lianyi again. Cheng Yunpao swung his sword to block. Like Qiu Yuan, Qiu Qing disregarded Cheng Yunpao’s sword and lunged straight at Bi Lianyi.
Bi Lianyi barely managed to dodge. Cheng Yunpao showed no more mercy, adding force to his sword with the move “White Fox Facing Moon,” flicking up Qiu Qing’s short spear. Qiu Qing’s gaze followed Bi Lianyi’s movement. Cheng Yunpao’s sword tip flickered, preparing to strike her acupoint and investigate the reason for their madness. But Qiu Qing threw her whole body forward, crashing into Cheng Yunpao’s sword technique.
Cold Sword Desolate Frost was, after all, a sharp weapon. Qiu Qing stared at Bi Lianyi, ignoring Cheng Yunpao’s technique, throwing her whole body forward. The black long sword swept across her lower abdomen, immediately causing rivers of blood. Cheng Yunpao already knew she had lost her reason and couldn’t be treated as a normal person. He didn’t hold back, following through with one sword to strike her down.
Qiu Qing was severely wounded in the abdomen and rolled to the ground, yet still stared at Bi Lianyi.
Bi Lianyi’s face was pale. He also knew that blue poison water was far from simply paralyzing his limbs. These white-robed women seemed driven by that poison water, recklessly trying to kill him. His true qi was now unbalanced, making it difficult to resist, so he could only slowly retreat. Miss Hong pulled him behind Meng Qinglei and Huo Xuanfeng, asking in a low voice, “How severe is the injury?”
Bi Lianyi saw that though her face showed no emotion, her eyes had reddened. He said quietly, “Just an external wound.”
Miss Hong stuffed a pill into his mouth. “Don’t speak first. Though I don’t know why Fengliu Shop came for you, while you’re here, I won’t let them succeed.” What she gave Bi Lianyi was the Shaolin Great Restoration Pill that Tang Lici had left behind. This medicine was a sacred healing object, but it couldn’t neutralize poison.
Bi Lianyi frowned slightly. He didn’t think so.
Though Cheng Yunpao had high martial arts and Meng Qinglei was also capable, with just these two people, today’s battle with Fengliu Shop wouldn’t gain the upper hand. One of the “Twin Fish Sisters” was dead and one injured, but among those white-robed veiled women, there might still be those whose martial arts were no less than the “Twin Fish Sisters.” And these women had lost their reason, pursuing and attacking those contaminated with blue poison water. With Fengliu Shop having such poison in hand, the situation was increasingly unfavorable for the Central Plains Sword Society.
But before tonight, why had they never heard that Fengliu Shop possessed such poison? Who was that suddenly appearing bald old man? Were Bai Suche and that person not allies? Why did they cross swords? The more Bi Lianyi thought, the more confused he became. Just as he was puzzled, Miss Hong waved her sleeve and sent up an enemy attack flare. A point of red light bloomed across the sky. In moments, shadows moved all around as people from the Central Plains Sword Society surrounded this place.
Wanyu Yuedan approached slowly, with He Yan’er and Tie Jing following on his left and right. Additionally, Yu Furen, Dongfang Jian, Qi Xing, Zheng Yue, Dong Hubi, Gu Xitan, Wen Baiyou, Xu Qingbo, and others appeared one by one in the forest. Earlier, when Bai Suche led the group in a direct assault on the main tent, she hadn’t concealed it, only seeking a quick decisive battle.
If not for Cheng Yunpao happening to be here, with the martial arts of the “Twin Fish Sisters” and others, Bi Lianyi caught off guard might indeed have allowed Bai Suche to succeed.
Now the Central Plains Sword Society had many people and high morale. Bi Lianyi retreated among everyone. Dong Hubi saw the blue poison water on his face, his expression changed, and he said in a low voice, “Bee Mother Congealing Frost!”
Twenty years ago, quite a few people knew about the “Summoning Lamp Order” and the Wang family extermination. Dong Hubi briefly explained to the young people the “Summoning Lamp Order’s” hereditary poison arts, which specialized in destroying people’s minds and were extremely vicious. What Bi Lianyi had been afflicted with wasn’t deadly poison, but a strange drug called “Northern Cold Drink.” “Northern Cold Drink” caused complete body paralysis, but its main effect was that once poisoned, it was lifelong and incurable.
It was an irreversible strange poison with no antidote. Like Bi Lianyi, who had been splashed head to toe, with it entering his blood, causing unbalanced true power and limb paralysis, making movement difficult—he could never recover afterward. Most terrifying was that this poison was like moth’s fire to those afflicted with “Bee Mother Congealing Frost Dew”—as long as they caught a whiff of this poison and had a breath left in them, they would throw themselves successively at the person afflicted with “Northern Cold Drink.”
These two poisons fought to the death. It was said that once a swordsman afflicted with “Bee Mother Congealing Frost” ultimately killed his own wife, even drinking his wife’s blood in madness. Finally, this man shattered his own skull and died. Master Dahe of Shaolin came to surrender for this crime, and the “Summoning Lamp Order” vanished from the martial world.
Who knew the “Summoning Lamp Order” still had descendants? With Bi Lianyi afflicted with “Northern Cold Drink,” among the white-robed women led by Bai Suche, there were obviously still people afflicted with “Bee Mother Congealing Frost”—not just the “Twin Fish Sisters.”
Hearing that “Northern Cold Drink” had no cure, Miss Hong, Cheng Yunpao, and the others all changed expression. Bi Lianyi had high martial arts and was a first-rate master of Biluo Palace. If his martial arts were completely wasted from now on, how could Biluo Palace let this rest? No one could explain this to Wanyu Yuedan! Moreover, Bi Lianyi was still so young—how could he suddenly become a useless person who couldn’t walk? Miss Hong bit her teeth and glared angrily at Bai Suche. This woman—this woman clearly knew—clearly knew something would happen, yet allowed Bi Lianyi to fall to such a state! Even if she had her difficulties, she would never forgive her!
But Bai Suche didn’t know the severity of “Northern Cold Drink.” She only knew that Wang Lingqiu, risking being beheaded by her blade, had splashed so much poison water on Bi Lianyi—this poison water must have great significance. And obviously, once this water was splashed, the white-robed women behind her became agitated, with some already out of control. She wanted to capture Bi Lianyi back to Fengliu Shop, not kill him on the spot, but now with the women behind her losing control and so many people from the Central Plains Sword Society arriving in front, they were far beyond what she could match.
What to do?
She fought desperately to gain Yu Konghou’s trust, not to die.
Those who would die couldn’t gain Yu Konghou’s trust.
But fleeing… would only lead to faster death.