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"Praise the Arbiter! The password is correct, come in."
As soon as the words fell, the tightly shut door opened just enough for a person to squeeze through.
The person, having received permission, eagerly slipped inside.
Bang.
With a soft thud, the tightly shut door closed once more.
The entire alley became silent again.
Behind the door was a standard courtyard layout.
In the courtyard, there were six or seven people who appeared to be guards.
Four more stood at the entrance of a room ahead.
Following the person leading the way, the individual wrapped entirely in a black robe quickly entered the room ahead.
Upon entering, they saw a table inside the room.
Beside the table, three other people seemed to have been waiting for a long time.
It's worth noting that one person, completely covered by a large black robe and seated at the table, was likely the leader.
The other two, standing behind him, were probably acting as bodyguards.
After entering the room, the person who had led the way bowed to the only seated black-robed figure in the room.
"Lord Lanyuehua, I have brought the person."
"Oh? Is this the new person who wants to join The Vidya Fellowship?"
A voice that commanded respect without anger came through, making it clear that the black-robed person in the middle was a woman.
"Yes, Lord Lanyuehua."
The person who had led the way continued to bow and respond, then turned and looked up to address the person behind him.
"Hey, newcomer, hurry and come pay your respects to Lord Lanyuehua."
Hearing this, the person behind him trembled slightly, appearing a bit nervous.
"I… I pay my respects, Lord Lanyuehua."
He said, bowing his head.
The black-robed woman, called "Lanyuehua," stared at the person for two seconds before speaking in a tone of unknown meaning.
"I'm very curious, why are you still wearing your hat after coming in?"
The temperature in the entire room dropped slightly at this moment.
"L-Lord, I was just too nervous; I'll take off my hat now."
However, before he could act, a sudden commotion erupted outside in the originally silent alley.
Immediately after, someone outside the door shouted.
"Open up! The Cloud Knights are here to spread warmth!"
Upon hearing the content of the shout, the faces of everyone in the courtyard and the room changed drastically.
"The C-Cloud Knights?!"
"Why are the Cloud Knights here?"
"This is bad, we've been exposed!"
"Quick, run!"
The guards in the courtyard were so scared that they immediately tried to scale the wall to escape.
However, as soon as they cleared the wall, they were caught by a large net that came flying at them, and they, along with the net, fell onto the cold ground.
Through the gaps in the net, they saw a squad of Cloud Knights arrayed and ready.
It seemed they had been lying in ambush here for some time.
"—Ah!"
"This is bad, it's an ambush!"
"No, don't hit my face! I surrender!"
Hearing the continuous commotion outside, which quickly subsided into silence.
Lanyuehua, hidden in her black robe, angrily rebuked the members of The Vidya Fellowship around her.
"What are you good for? You didn't even know the Cloud Knights were here!"
"L-Lord, we don't know why the Cloud Knights are here either."
The person apologized frantically.
In fact, previous new member initiation ceremonies only involved three or four people.
And he was the person in charge of this ceremony, an acolyte of The Vidya Fellowship.
He just didn't know why, yesterday, the leader of The Vidya Fellowship had specifically promoted this black-robed woman, code-named "Lanyuehua," who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
And entrusted many of the organization's affairs, big and small, to her.
Today's new member initiation ceremony, Lanyuehua had also suddenly appeared, saying she wanted to personally assess their abilities on site.
The subordinates had no suspicions, thinking she was truly there to assess their professional capabilities.
If they passed the assessment, they might even enter the core to seek the blessing of longevity.
Longevity, who wouldn't be tempted by that?
If not for longevity, what else would they join The Vidya Fellowship for?
Seeing the acolyte's foolish expression, Lanyuehua pointed at him and continued to scold him angrily.
"You still don't know? You don't even know there's a ghost in the house?"
A ghost? Of course, it meant an inside man.
The acolyte who had just led the way immediately reacted.
"It's you! You led the Cloud Knights here?"
"Quick, let's seize him!"
The acolyte thought that if he could take a hostage, he could then negotiate with the Cloud Knights.
However, as soon as he made a move, he was kicked away by the other party.
The two bodyguards behind Lanyuehua had already moved when she mentioned an inside man.
As the acolyte was kicked away, they had already surrounded him.
Just as the two were about to press forward.
—Swish!
The two bodyguards suddenly felt their vision go dark, followed by a pain in their chests, and then they too were kicked flying.
It turned out the other party had flung open her large black robe and, in an instant, retaliated.
Without the concealment of the large black robe, the other party's true face was revealed.
"Who are you?" Lanyuehua asked sinisterly.
Yanqing stood with his sword in one hand, and although he found it strange that the other party didn't recognize him, he still stated his name.
"Hmph, I am Yanqing, a Cloud Knight Cavalry Captain! You vile demons and heretics, hurry and face your demise!"
Having said that, he charged forward with his sword.
Anyone with a code name in The Vidya Fellowship must be a regional leader.
This meant that Lanyuehua was not a character to be dealt with by just a few simple moves, like the three earlier.
He could not afford to be careless.
Seeing Yanqing rapidly approaching, Lanyuehua rose from her seat and kicked the table away.
Looking at the table obstructing his view, Yanqing swung his longsword, cleaving it in half.
However, before he could make another move, Lanyuehua's figure was already within arm's reach.
He saw her swinging her fist, accompanied by a strong gust of wind.
As the fist grew larger and larger in his vision, Yanqing had no choice but to hastily cross his arms, guarding his head to block.
Very quickly, as their bodies made contact, Yanqing was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing hard into a wall in the courtyard.
—Boom!
The wall collapsed, and dust rose everywhere.
Yanqing's figure was temporarily obscured.
"Not bad reflexes, little brother. I hope we get a chance to fight again. I'm off now."
After Lanyuehua spoke, she pushed off with her feet and jumped onto the rooftop.
She easily dodged the nets that came flying from all directions.
Seeing the Cloud Knights ambushing on the rooftops of other surrounding houses closing in, Lanyuehua had no intention of getting entangled with them.
With a great leap, she landed on a more distant rooftop.
Without lingering, she executed a few nimble jumps and turns, and her figure quickly vanished into the dark night.
"—Cough, cough!"
Yanqing pushed away the stones pressing on him and then stood up from the rubble.
A Cloud Knight who had just broken through the door ran over and asked.
"Lord Yanqing, are you alright?"
Yanqing shook his somewhat sore arm.
"I'm fine. There are a few injured members of The Vidya Fellowship in the room. Quickly send people to apprehend them. I'll go after the one who escaped."
"Yes, please be careful, Lord."
"Don't worry, I was just careless earlier."
After briefly explaining the work arrangements, Yanqing pursued Lanyuehua in the direction she had vanished, sword in hand.
Seeing Yanqing's figure completely disappear into the night, the Cloud Knight called his subordinates to control the few acolytes of The Vidya Fellowship in the room.
Then, in the next second, he took out his jade amulet and contacted Jing Yuan.
Before this mission began, General Jing Yuan had instructed that if Yanqing did not pursue the enemy alone, there was no need to contact him.
Conversely, he must report immediately… He didn't know how long he had been chasing.
Yanqing spotted Lanyuehua's figure on a street.
He saw her standing in the middle of the street, bathed in the bright moonlight, her black robe looking very mysterious.
"Oh, isn't this the little brother from earlier? You actually dared to chase me. Aren't you afraid we've set an ambush?"
"They are but rats who only dare to hide in sewers. Even if there is an ambush, I will break through it with a single sword strike."
"What big words you speak."
Lanyuehua's words were filled with sarcasm.
At the same time, she muttered something only she could hear.
"This brat really needs a good lesson."
Yanqing looked at Lanyuehua, who showed no signs of escaping, and couldn't help but frown.
"...You wouldn't be waiting for me here on purpose, would you?"
"Otherwise? Am I just idly enjoying the moonlight here?"
"What do you mean?"
"It means... I want to give you a good beating."
As soon as the words fell, Lanyuehua's figure flickered from her spot.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared above and in front of Yanqing's head, gathering strength in her fist to smash down hard.
So fast!
Although Yanqing was startled, his footwork was not slow, and he jumped backward in time.
—Boom!
The street pavement, which took the blow, instantly had a large crater smashed into it.
Bricks flew, and dust rose everywhere.
"Flying swords, go!"
Yanqing, still in mid-air, not yet landed, let out a low shout.
The next second, two flying swords emerged from behind him, whooshing into the dust, aiming to strike the enemy's head directly.
However, with two "bang" sounds, the flying swords he controlled were knocked away.
One was embedded in a distant wall, its entire blade completely submerged.
The other one was knocked flying to an unknown location.
Those two flying swords were forged by him at the Ministry of Industry for a hefty price.
Even the slightest damage would pain him for a long time.
However, now was not the time to worry about that. Yanqing, having just landed, hadn't even caught his breath when Lanyuehua, from within the deep pit, charged out of the dust.
Seeing this, Yanqing no longer held back.
He summoned three more flying swords and recalled the previous two, sending them all in a flurry to attack Lanyuehua.
However, facing the simultaneous assault of five flying swords, Lanyuehua easily dodged them with flexible footwork.
She even grabbed one with her hand and knocked the other flying swords away.
"Little brother, your flying sword skills are good, but only good."
Saying this, Lanyuehua gently wiped the blade of the longsword in her hand, then flicked it twice with her finger, making it emit a crisp ringing sound.
Yanqing formed a hand seal, wanting to retrieve that flying sword.
However, no matter how he tried to control it, the flying sword seemed dead.
Lanyuehua had severed his connection with the flying sword.
The opponent's nonchalance, effortless ease, and the phrase "but only good" from earlier made Yanqing experience a humiliation he had never felt before.
"Oh, you're angry after just a word or two, little brother? Your temperament isn't good."
"Hmph! Demons are indeed demons; their methods of bewitching people are truly skilled! Take this!"
Saying this, Yanqing had already charged at Lanyuehua with his longsword.
With sparks and sounds of blades clashing, the two began to fight again.
If anyone had noticed, they would have seen that Lanyuehua had not moved a single step from her spot the entire time, blocking all of Yanqing's attacks.
Thus, they fought for an unknown duration.
—Clang!
Yanqing was knocked back by a sword strike from Lanyuehua.
Lanyuehua, on the other hand, swung her longsword, performing a flourish.
"Little brother, your fundamentals are very solid, but you still need to practice more, oh~"
"Come, let big sister now show you what swordsmanship truly is."
As soon as her words fell, Yanqing felt the temperature of the surrounding environment rapidly dropping.
In the blink of an eye, the street was covered in frost.
The next second, Lanyuehua leaped up.
Leaping high into the sky, she seemed to want to merge herself into the moon.
"...Let this moonlight illuminate all rivers!"
Yanqing, looking up and watching her every move, saw several cold moon-like rings pouring down from the moon in his vision.
No! Those were not moon-like rings pouring down from the moon.
They were slashes formed by Lanyuehua's sword qi!
Would Yanqing, who had never been thoroughly beaten, dodge?
The answer was no!
He raised his longsword and used his strongest sword technique to meet her… When Jing Yuan arrived at the scene.
Everything was already settled.
Seeing the ruined street, his expression involuntarily froze.
A cold, tall figure appeared in his mind.
On the frost-covered street, several flying swords lay scattered.
And in a deep pit created by several sword qi attacks, Yanqing lay motionless, his body stained with blood.
If he hadn't seen his chest still rising and falling, Jing Yuan would have truly thought he was dead.
Jing Yuan, quickly snapping out of his thoughts, rushed into the deep pit, picked up the gradually chilling Yanqing, and called out.
"Yanqing! Are you alright?"
Yanqing, still somewhat conscious, struggled to open his heavy eyelids and responded weakly.
"G-General, I... I'm fine."
"Don't talk. I'll take you to the Dan Ding Division."
Saying this, Jing Yuan carried Yanqing on his back, then, recognizing the direction, ran towards the Dan Ding Division.
At this moment.
Two people stood atop a high tower, silently watching Jing Yuan and Yanqing's figures gradually disappear into the night.
"Nan Li, do you think I was too harsh?"
Saying this, Lanyuehua took off the hood covering her head.
Through the moonlight, her face could be seen very clearly.
If a Xianzhou Luofu person were to pass by at this moment, they would definitely exclaim, "Healer Dragon Lady!"
Yes.
This member of The Vidya Fellowship, code-named "Lanyuehua," bore an eighty to ninety percent resemblance to a certain Healer Dragon Lady.
If Bailu were to grow up, she would definitely look like this.
The difference was that Bailu had a pair of dragon horns.
Whereas Lanyuehua had a pair of fox ears.
As for her identity, many people likely already had the answer in their minds.
That's right, Lanyuehua was Bai Heng.
Hearing Bai Heng's recent worries, Nan Li waved his hand, indicating that it wasn't a big problem.
"It's fine. As long as you don't kill his soul, I can have Yanqing jumping around alive on the Luofu streets the next day."
"Jing Yuan must have thought of Jing Liu just now, right?"
"Definitely, hehe."
Actually, Nan Li had informed Jing Yuan about today's act in advance.
But he had not revealed Bai Heng's identity to Jing Yuan.
He had only told him that Bai Heng was a capable senior from the Luofu, who had been wandering outside.
Now, Jing Yuan, seeing the frost and sword qi at the scene, would surely immediately associate it with his former mentor—Jing Liu.
Later, when the results were announced and it turned out to be Bai Heng, that scene would definitely be very interesting, haha!
Feeling the gentle breeze blowing towards her, Bai Heng couldn't help but sigh.
"Sigh~ I wonder if getting on your pirate ship was a good or bad thing?"
"Don't pretend with me. Don't think I didn't see that smile on your lips when you used Jing Liu's sword moves on Yanqing, a smile that even Jing Liu couldn't suppress."
"What do you mean, a smile that even Jing Liu couldn't suppress! Was I that obvious?"
"Huh? Do you want me to show you on my jade amulet? I filmed the entire process just now, and I even zoomed in for a close-up."
"You bastard, delete it immediately!"
"Impossible. I'm going to show this footage to Jing Liu."
"What? I forbid you from showing her the video!"
"Don't be silly, Yanqing is still waiting for me to treat him. I'm off now~"
"You dog, don't run! Stand still!"