Across the street from the Zhou Clan headquarters, the House of Paradise was also buzzing with activity. The weaker house disciples were making sure that outer windows and doors were locked against potential assailants. A small number of disciples at the Spirit Initiate Realm had armed themselves. They gathered before the front doors, awaiting their madam's orders. Although their chosen profession had nothing to do with fighting except in bed, they were still cultivators and bore the responsibility of protecting their weaker sisters. Another group of disciples at the Mind Focusing Realm stood by, hoping to provide any help they could.
"Madam, please let me go out and fight with you!" Bai Lu said earnestly.
"Madam, I want to fight too!" Li Songchen said.
Lin Qingcheng had arrived. She paused and studied the group. They were her strongest disciples. There weren't many, less than twenty at the Spirit Initiate Realm. There were more, of course, but they had been assigned to other branches and couldn't help them at the moment.
"No, it's alright. A squad of city guards is heading here to assist me. It is their duty to protect the city from evildoers. Your duty is to protect this house." She paused to put on her fighting gauntlets and walked to the door, "Remember, don't open this for anyone except for myself or my sisters."
"Master, be careful!" Mo Yanmi said.
"Master, come back soon!" Qin Yan said.
"Mmm." Lin Qingcheng nodded.
She pushed the heavy doors ajar and slipped outside. She was met with an unfamiliar scene that made her shiver.
The wide avenue before the House of Paradise was deserted. Only a few people were rushing to and fro trying to get home. Several carriages were left crashed and overturned. Their owners left with the horses, leaving crates of goods scattered over the stone-paved road. Occasionally, a loud gong would sound, echoing through the streets. It was the emergency declaration, calling for the residents to hide in their homes.
She waited briefly before hearing heaving footsteps coming from the direction of the city square. A small squad of city guards that numbered about a hundred came into view. They marched briskly up to her and saluted.
"Miss Lin! I am Commander Wang Gu. We are here to assist you!"
Lin Qingcheng hid a frown. She expected a commander from the Zhou Clan. At least, this Wang Gu was not weak at all and was an expert at the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm.
"Okay, here is what we will do," She said and gestured to the north, "We will sweep through the city, street by street. There are small groups of enemies everywhere. We will wipe them out."
"Yes, Miss Lin!"
"Let's go!" Lin Qingcheng said and broke into a light spring.
"Go!"
"Keep up!"
"Kill!"
Several city blocks to the north, there lay a scene of carnage. A large group of fleeing citizens had encountered a small band of six sword-wielding fanatics blocking the road. At first, nobody took the group seriously due to the disparity in numbers. However, as soon as they started fighting, blood flowed like water. Heads and limbs were chopped off like pigs at a slaughterhouse. In a flash, thirty or forty people had fallen before the rest fled in all directions.
"Haha! Senior brother, I got another one!" A middle-aged man flicked his sword, cleaning the blade of the blood from his latest victim.
"Don't… don't kill me… please…" Another figure begged while crawling on the ground.
The middle-aged man quickly caught up and stabbed the person in the back.
"Senior brother, what do we do now? All the easy chickens have fled." Another swordsman asked. "Should we attack the buildings?"
The person they were speaking to was the senior brother of the Mountain Spring Sword Sect. He looked around at the buildings around them, all made out of solid stone. The doors were tightly shut and the windows closed. There were no signs of activity but more people were hiding inside.
He shook his head, "We are only six people. There might be several hundred inside a single building. We don't have the time. We should move fast and find more easy targets. We can't waste our benefactor's gifts!"
"Yes!"
"Go!"
"Stop right there!" A sharp shout rang out before they had taken a few steps.
Lin Qingcheng rounded a corner from the south and sprinted towards them. Chen Wentian had told her where to go secretively through his soul within the Golden Serpent Robe.
"Kill the bandits!"
"Kill!"
The city guards shouted behind her.
The six sword cultivators were momentarily stunned. The senior brother gnashed his teeth in anger. He had hoped to kill a few hundred people to vent his anger and take revenge for his master. He didn't expect to be found so quickly.
"Stand and fight!" The senior brother spat, "Even if we have to die, we have to take them with us. Remember our master. To the death!"
"To the death!"
"To the death!"
Lin Qingcheng arrived first. Her armored fist collided with the leader's sword.
Kang!
She was sent backward from the force of the impact and slid a meter before coming to a stop. Her opponent fared a bit worse and slid back two or so meters. The two stared at each other for a moment before clashing once more.
Lin Qingcheng blocked several sword strikes with her hands before launching a series of kicks. These were dodged but she smoothly transitioned to a flurry of punches. Her opponent was pretty good but couldn't compare to her sister Zhou Ziyun. She felt confidence surging and she increased the power behind her attacks.
Her opponent was happy at first to fight her. He quickly recognized her as a disciple of Chen Wentian. If he could kill her or seriously injure her, it would be worth it even if he died. He would be able to greet his dead master with a sense of pride.
However, his thoughts were quickly spun around as he started to struggle. This was the last thing he expected. He had seen Lin Qingcheng fight during the Convocation of Swords. She wasn't this strong then. He should have been able to easily defeat her.
Too bad for him, Lin Qingcheng had worked very hard these past months. Not only had she reached the peak of the Spirit Initiate Realm, she didn't slack off and was trying her best every day.
Pa! Pa!
Two palm strikes landed heavily, sending the man sprawling on the ground. Lin Qingcheng stood over her opponent with a victorious smile. A quick glance around told her that the other five enemies had all been killed, overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
"Damn it… damn it…" The senior brother of the Mountain Spring Sword Sect looked up with hatred in his eyes.
Commander Wang Gu stepped up with his saber raised, intending to behead him.
"Chengcheng, wait. I want to check something." Chen Wentian whispered suddenly.
"Commander Wang, hold on." Lin Qingcheng said, waving her hand.
"Yes, Miss Lin." Wang Gu said stepping aside.
Lin Qingcheng walked up to the fallen man and asked, "You, you are Hei Mushan of the Mountain Spring Sword Sect?"
"You… how did you…" He struggled before coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"You fought during the Convocation of Swords. You even made it into the Forest of Swords. Of course, I would recognize you, even through that disguise." She said.
This was a flat-out lie. She wasn't able to recognize anything. She wouldn't have even if they had fought another hundred rounds. But Chen Wentian did and he instructed her on what to say.
"You, why did you attack Thousand Flower City? Say it quickly and I might spare your life."
"Heh… hehe, bullshit! Just kill me! Do it!"
"Commander Wang, have two of your guards break this man's tendons and take him to prison. My master will deal with this when he returns."
"Yes!"
"Everyone else, follow me!" Lin Qingcheng said, waving her hand, "There are more enemies this way!"
"Yes!"
---
Thank you to all my patrons!
Support me and read ahead by 110 or even 220 chapters!
p atreon.com/kigreenwriting
Join my discord for updates, delays, and my ramblings :)
d iscord.gg/dY5UApw