Liu Yun, seeing Bai Shuo the Northern Freak rushing toward her, remained calm amidst danger. As his palm lashed out, her body suddenly lifted, soaring more than ten zhang away, then drifting down like an immortal maiden descending from the heavens. The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers and applause. Since she had taken the Tianshan Snow Lotus, Liu Yun's skills were no weaker than Wu Tong's!
Bai Shuo, hearing the shouts of praise resound for Liu Yun, felt his pride cut to the bone. At first he had intended only to show off a little, but now a murderous rage rose within him. He struck again with seven or eight heavy palms, yet Liu Yun would not meet him head-on. Each time his palms swept out with killing force, she slipped away—sometimes darting left, sometimes gliding back—her footwork light, her movements rising and falling freely. Whenever danger pressed close, a single tap of her foot would send her soaring skyward, then settling back down as if weightless. Thus, she toyed with him again and again. Soon Bai Shuo was panting and frustrated, his attacks turned useless. The onlookers were astonished, marveling aloud: her qinggong was of the highest order. What they did not realize was that this was qinggong refined within qinggong itself—emphasizing agility of body, not just tricky footwork—allowing her to respond with endless adaptability and subtle brilliance in combat, replacing sheer evasive steps with effortless control.
From the sidelines, the other Ghost Mansion fiends—Ximo Xie Xian, Dongxie Wang Sheng, and Nandian Mo Shuo—watched with startled eyes, carefully studying this young woman Liu Yun.
Bai Shuo, realizing his every assault was effortlessly nullified, grew vicious. He thought darkly: Why not strike her chest acupoint while she leaps into the air? His palm swept forth again; Liu Yun soared upward. At once, he too leapt, malice burning in his heart: The same trick again—this time I'll end her life! His palm thrust boldly at her center. Yet Liu Yun, instead of evading, suddenly twisted in midair, seizing both his wrists at the pulse gates. The two spun half a circle aloft, hanging in midair for a moment.
"You have committed too many evils, unforgivable already," Liu Yun said coldly. "Now you stoop to vile tricks as well—your crimes are beyond pardon. I cannot let you live!"
Her hands twisted, and with a soft yet iron-hard strike she pressed her palms against his chest. With a dull crack, Bai Shuo was hurled away, tumbling to the ground without even a cry. In truth, his movement was far slower than hers, but Liu Yun's mind turned like lightning: This villain's countless crimes have led him to this fate. I sought to spare him, yielding again and again. But he insists on courting death. If Heaven has decreed it, how can I defy?
The remaining three fiends were stunned. Nandian Mo Shuo, closest brother to Bai Shuo, leapt forward and pressed two fingers beneath his nose. His face changed drastically. Bai Shuo was dead. Tears welled as grief turned to fury.
"What a vicious woman! This debt of blood must be repaid in blood!" he shouted.
Liu Yun answered coldly: "Your crimes are endless. To come here today was to seek your own deaths."
Nandian Mo Shuo, grief-stricken, roared: "Dongxie! Ximo! Let us three avenge our brother together!"
But Wang Sheng and Xie Xian remained silent. Defeat had chilled their hearts; in such peril, how could they dare act rashly? Veterans of the Jianghu, they knew fortune and calamity were unpredictable. Today Bai Shuo had struck with a lethal move first; that he met his end was his own doing. To pit themselves against Liu Yun now would be folly. Even three against one might not prevail—especially when Wu Tong and others still stood watching.
Nandian Mo Shuo looked at them, tears brimming, forcing himself to choke back his grief. He cried again: "I'm waiting for you both!"
The two remained mute, their eyes blank, trapped between words they dared not speak.
"You two cowards!" Mo Shuo spat. "We were sworn brothers, yet you value your lives above all. Very well—then I alone shall avenge Bai Shuo!"
The wind cut bitter and cold. His grief was overwhelming, yet his resolve burned. Without another word, he shot Liu Yun a tear-stained glare and suddenly dashed forward, body flashing straight at her.
It was a scene both fierce and tragic: even villains of the underworld could be bound by deep loyalty. Liu Yun herself felt a pang of respect amid her resolve. Yet such was the Jianghu—each to their cause, their positions irreconcilable.
Mo Shuo closed in, feet tapping, leaping high to strike down at Liu Yun's crown. She met his palm calmly, swift of hand and sharp of eye, still not countering with killing force. The crowd's gaze fixed upon the duel as Mo Shuo, frenzied, unleashed palm after palm. Liu Yun merely slipped aside, gliding ten zhang away before floating back like a fairy. Cheers rang out once more.
Though his killing intent was fierce, though he hammered seven or eight strikes in succession, she would not meet them directly. Let him vent his grief, she thought, better he exhaust his rage before I act. Thirty exchanges passed this way. At last she thrust one palm, meeting his head-on. With a crisp smack, the two flew apart.
"Your grief is deep," Liu Yun said evenly. "It shows you are a man of feeling. I allowed you to vent your sorrow. But if you do not withdraw, I will strike to kill."
"Blood must pay for blood!" Mo Shuo roared. "There is nothing more to say!"
Anger flashed in Liu Yun's eyes. "You have killed and plundered for years. Did you ever think of paying with your own blood?"
He faltered, taken aback, then muttered: "We who walk the Jianghu—how can we not kill?"
Liu Yun nodded slightly. "Indeed. And I kill only villains. You and your kind kill for wealth, commit endless crimes. Are you not villains?"
Mo Shuo was silenced, unable to reply. After a pause, he rasped: "Even so—avenging a brother is a sacred duty!"
Liu Yun's voice softened with solemnity. "If that is so, then nothing more need be said. I will only fulfill the bond of brotherhood between you two. On the road to the Yellow Springs, he will not be alone."