My Enemy Became My Cultivation Companion-Chapter 626 - 414: Parting Ways Here

The chaos at Yuanfeng Building was barely contained. In broad daylight, the Jianghu masters scattered, searching everywhere for Chen Yi and Dong Gong Ruoshu, whose whereabouts were unknown.

"A clean cut, severed inside and outside almost simultaneously. Such sharp Sword Intent—it cannot be mistaken. This is the killing sword of the Broken Swordsman."

Thunder Bear lay heavily injured on the bed, his bleeding staunched, wrapped layer upon layer with white cloth. The monk from Liuyang Monastery pressed two fingers to his pulse, his expression somber as he said:

"Thunder Bear's Golden Bell Shield is an extremely rigid external Cultivation Technique, but the killing sword is the sharpest Swordsmanship under the heavens. One sword imbued with true essence can split a gust of wind—something as soft and fleeting as the wind stands no chance. Against such force, even the most rigid Cultivation Technique like the Golden Bell Shield cannot hold."

Thunder Bear's face was deathly pale. After hearing this, his expression shifted multiple times. At first, he looked indescribably despondent—his Golden Bell Shield had reached its pinnacle, yet someone had bypassed its defenses with a single sword stroke. But upon further thought, realizing the Sword Intent came from the Broken Swordsman, one of the top ten on the Martial Rankings, the burly man instead laughed heartily and said:

"To think that I, Thunder Bear, took a strike from the Broken Swordsman's sword—worth it!"

His bold laughter shook the beams of the room, shattering the heavy atmosphere within. A few Jianghu masters sighed aloud but were quickly infected by his spirit, breaking into smiles themselves.

In the Jianghu, beyond the blood-soaked vendettas, there was also bold and hearty laughter.

After laughing, Thunder Bear coughed twice, the movement tugging at his chest. He then said, "Bring me some wine!"

The monk from Liuyang Monastery hastily raised a hand to stop him. "You're gravely injured—drinking wine is inadvisable!"

Thunder Bear sat up, pointing to a scar on his neck. The flesh was raised and ridged like rugged hills, the width of a finger—a truly jarring sight. The injury, inflicted long ago, had been severe. He said, "This scar—if it had been an inch deeper, I, Thunder Bear, would've been a goner. It hurt so much back then I nearly met my mother in the afterlife, and I only pulled through by drinking wine."

"Drinking wine?"

"Strong liquor!"

"What a peculiar man," the monk from Liuyang Monastery exclaimed in wonder. Seeing that Thunder Bear wasn't joking and had already called for the waiter to fetch wine, he heightened his tone and said insistently, "Thunder Bear, you must not drink! Drinking in this state will exacerbate internal injuries and could shorten your life!"

Thunder Bear grinned. "Monk, are you saying that if I want to live a long life, I can't drink wine?"

"You'd best only sip lightly from now on," replied the monk.

Thunder Bear listened, then turned his head and bellowed, "Bring me wine! The strongest wine there is!"

The monk from Liuyang Monastery widened his eyes in shock. "If you continue like this, you won't live long!"

The burly man simply replied, "If I live too long, then there'll be no wine to drink."

Huang Jing happened to enter from outside, and upon hearing this bold declaration, his long-stifled emotions surged. For a moment, his eyes flashed back to his only son, confident and enthusiastic before his departure—a moment captured with a farewell toast raised by this father.

The same cup of wine,

The white-haired elder sending off the black-haired youth,

Only to end in an empty grave.

"Your old father told you long ago that your Martial Arts were mediocre, that you'd never amount to much…"

Huang Jing muttered in a daze, before suddenly snapping to reality and remembering the divide between life and death—his son could no longer hear his scoldings.

Composing himself, he strode boldly into the room and declared aloud:

"Such spirit! Bring Thunder Bear some wine!"

One of the servants acknowledged the order and hurried off to procure wine. The monk from Liuyang Monastery sighed deeply, but in the end, only shook his head. Thunder Bear, meanwhile, let out another hearty laugh, echoed by the gallant assembly in the room, their voices thundering like claps of lightning.

Drink today while there's wine; worry tomorrow when sorrow comes.

Huang Jing clasped his hands in salute to the gathering and bowed deeply towards Thunder Bear, then said:

"I've taken care of Yunlong Blade's funeral arrangements. I apologize for bringing up such a somber subject here, but I want to make it clear to all who came to lend a hand—I, Huang Jing, will never repay your righteousness with ingratitude! Even in the next life, as a beast of burden, I will hold no grievance!"

These words ignited a surge of responses, with everyone applauding and shouting their approval. Their voices soon turned to scorn and curses aimed at the cunning schemes of the Western Jin spies.

Once the uproar settled, Huang Jing continued:

"Those two villains likely haven't gotten far. I've already sent people to search for them. I hope you will not hold back your efforts as well—together, we will certainly capture them!"

...

The autumn wind was sharp, the sun slanting westward, tinting the county town like the yellow sands of a desolate desert. Clouds rushed by overhead. Even as Xiao Tao stretched her legs in the courtyard, the hurried footsteps outside were audible.

The large courtyard gates shook with loud thuds.

"Open the door! We're searching for people!"

The forceful shout startled even the fallen leaves.

"Coming, coming! Ah—so it's Mr. He."

Unhurried, Xiao Tao opened the courtyard gate, revealing Flying Sword behind it, accompanied by a servant.

Noticing the opera troupe's female lead, Flying Sword, born of an orthodox lineage, lowered his authoritative tone. "Greetings, Miss Xiao Tao."

Xiao Tao smiled warmly, her expressive eyes flickering in a way that made Flying Sword unable to meet them directly.

He stepped back slightly, clearing his throat before speaking. "There are dangerous individuals on the loose from Yuanfeng Building. We're unsure where they've fled and need to conduct a search."

Xiao Tao's cheeks turned slightly red as she bashfully responded, "This… this is a women-only residence. That might not be appropriate. I've been here the whole time and haven't seen anyone sneaking in."

The servant beside him sternly retorted, "It's standard procedure—why are you, an opera singer, making excuses?!"

Before Xiao Tao could respond, Flying Sword turned and rebuked, "Silence! Do not speak to Miss Xiao Tao like that."

The servant fell silent immediately, muttering a hasty apology soon after.

Xiao Tao chuckled. "No need to trouble yourself over him. We opera performers are at the bottom of the lower classes anyway. If Mr. He wishes to search, please feel free."

Flying Sword hurriedly thanked her and brought the servant inside to begin the search.

Before long, they had examined the kitchen, storage room, study, main hall, and even the rafters, but found no trace. All that remained was the women's quarters. Xiao Tao appeared unperturbed, nonchalantly giving her consent, but Flying Sword hesitated for a long time.

Just as Flying Sword was about to carry out the search, a servant suddenly rushed in and reported urgently:

"The people from Xique Pavilion have arrived! The Pavilion Master has summoned everyone back!"