LightReader

Chapter 13 - Chapter 13: When Will We Cut the Candle Together in the West Window?

Luocheng, Xiaohun Inn.

A drizzle fell outside the window, and darkness reigned. The tinkling sound of water tumbling down from the eaves resembled the sound of pearls falling on a jade plate.

He Ping's room was the largest in the Xiaohun Inn, unlike Fang Bie and Xue Ling's smaller side rooms. However, the decor was very simple. He Ping wore a moon-white cotton dress, a silver hairpin tucked diagonally into her hair. She held a pair of brass scissors, carefully trimming the lamp wick.

The oil lamps used soybean oil, and the cotton wicks would char over time, reducing the flame. He Ping used the scissors to remove the carbonized cotton wicks bit by bit, then watched the lamp's light gradually grow brighter.

She put down the brass scissors and gazed out at the rainy night. The drizzle lingered like silk, like countless silver spiderwebs in the dark night.

Tonight was Fang Bie and Lin Xue's first mission.

Furthermore, the enemy proved far more formidable than initially anticipated.

If she were truly worried, He Ping should have gone over there to watch, rather than wait in the inn by the dimming oil lamp, waiting and cutting the wick every once in a while.

But He Ping remained seated at the table, watching the lamp and the rain outside the window.

The woman's face flickered in the light, a picture of calmness and elegance.

"Well," He Ping muttered softly to herself, "Every assassin must have a first assassination experience."

"There's a first, then there's a second."

"If he dies on the road during his first assassination attempt, then it only proves he's not suited to this profession."

"After all, I'll grow old and die, and when I do, there'll be no one left to take care of him."

"The only person who can take care of him is himself."

"Of course, that girl Lin Xue has her issues, but I think she's a good girl."

"I just hope she doesn't do anything stupid and put herself in a hopeless situation,"

He Ping muttered softly. She stood by the window on a rainy night, leaving a light on for the two wanderers.

That way, when they returned, they'd see the light first, knowing someone was waiting for them.

He Ping loved this feeling. On her first mission, she'd gone awry and returned covered in blood, feeling like she might collapse on the road.

But when she saw the lit light, she felt the sweetness of being waited for.

Now, time has flown by. The man who once kept her alight is gone, the man who once stood by her in the darkness is gone. Although she hasn't aged yet, her heart has softened considerably.

Just like now, it's her turn to light a lamp for someone, to keep watch for someone.

He Ping pursed her lips and reached for the copper scissors.

Tonight, she will keep watch here all night.

Until the dawn breaks.

...

...   

Inside the mountain temple, Ning Huaiyuan felt certain his next strike would be a sure success.

His sword thrust out like a rainbow, but the little beggar raised his head, his face filled with ignorance and a hint of fear, and took a step back.

His sword missed.

Ning Huaiyuan, still holding his sword, switched to a sweeping blow, but the little beggar slipped and fell to the ground, his Mars Sword swiping just two inches above his head.

Ning Huaiyuan, filled with shock and anger, swirled his left hand's soft sword like a silver snake, its edge twisting and instantly enveloping the little beggar. He fell to the ground, and no matter how he dodged, he was enveloped by the sword's radiance, meaning his body would be shattered in an instant.

But Ning Huaiyuan never expected that the little beggar's body would be tied to a rope. Even though he was lying on the ground, he was able to slide straight back, just avoiding the force of his sword.

He slid outward for a full six feet, as if the ground beneath him was not a bluestone brick floor, but a slippery ice surface.

Then his whole body stood up strangely, and he felt like a shovel that had fallen to the ground. As long as someone stepped on the end of the shovel, the shovel would stand upright by itself.

It was normal for a shovel to stand upright, but for such a living person to stand upright in a ghostly manner, it seemed extremely terrifying, like a ghost or a god.

The little beggar stood in front of Ning Huaiyuan again, his expression still ignorant: "Who are you trying to scare?"

He said this, not realizing how sarcastic his words were.

But Ning Huaiyuan himself, for once, would not consider the little beggar before him a weakling, a complete wuss. His previous thrusts, sweeps, and flicks of his soft sword would have been too much for even an ordinary expert to handle. Furthermore, this unarmed little beggar, yet he managed to escape with a comical retreat, slips, and finally, an incomprehensible backward slide. Ning Huaiyuan had never heard of such martial arts, but honestly, he knew he could never pull it off.

Who could this little beggar be?

For a moment, such thoughts clouded Ning Huaiyuan's mind.

"May I ask your name, sir?" Ning Huaiyuan still held his swords. Yue Pingshan, already struck by the Cold Soul Silver Needle, remained a threat. Only this little beggar, whom he had thought would be a piece of cake, remained. But under his assassination, he handled it with such ease, and his words were filled with a piercing sarcasm, "Who are you trying to scare?"

But no matter how much the other party mocked him, life in the martial arts world hangs on a thread. Ning Huaiyuan had made it this far thanks to his cautiousness and numerous hidden tricks. But this little beggar before him left Ning Huaiyuan with a genuine feeling of uncertainty.

"Name? My name is Dog Bastard," the little beggar tilted his head and said in a voice of innocent innocence. "

Bastard"? Ning Huaiyuan was genuinely taken aback.

How could there be such a strange name?

Could it be "Dog Bastard"?

But who would give themselves such a name?

Ning Huaiyuan was already a little wary of this little beggar. If his first attempt at sword energy had been dodged by luck, but now that he had continued to attack, with 70% of his strength, and his attacks hadn't even touched the corner of his clothes, something was terribly wrong.

"This little bastard brother," Ning Huaiyuan said, trying his best to be pleasant. "This brother and I have a grudge in the martial arts world. Once you enter the martial arts world, you have no choice. You and I just met by chance, and I don't want to add to the sin of killing. Besides, killing a little beggar like this will make people in the martial arts world laugh at me."

He said, "If you need to stay in this mountain temple, I will give it to you."

"How about it?"

He still held the two swords in his hands, standing there and looking at the little beggar who called himself a bastard, waiting for his answer.

Read 50+ Advance Chapters at Pat Reon,

P@treon.com/WriterSpite

(End of this chapter)

More Chapters