Proud Sword Soaring Clouds-Chapter 30 - 29: Kill

Qingshui Town was not large, and there were few inns. Ling Xiao decided to leave immediately and continue onward.

He had no desire to run into Wang Chao and the others again. If they found out he hadn’t left, they would surely invite him back to the Adventurer’s Guild.

But now, even without Wu Liang, Ling Xiao wouldn’t agree to rejoin them.

The Martial Artists of the Canglan Continent had their pride, and Ling Xiao, likewise, had the pride of a Cultivator!

Joining the Adventurer’s Guild before had just been a matter of convenience. First, Ling Xiao was unfamiliar with this world and hoped to learn from others, making Adventurers the best choice. Second, Ling Xiao was well aware of his own strength; although he didn’t lack wilderness survival skills, he couldn’t guarantee there would be no danger. There was safety in numbers.

But he hadn’t expected to be treated as a burden and be discriminated against. Even without Wu Liang’s sudden outburst, Ling Xiao had planned to part ways with them at the foot of the Vendia Snow Mountains. Ling Xiao understood that aside from Wu Liang, who openly opposed him joining, the others, though friendly, also believed his strength would hold the team back.

’In that case, why should I cling to you?’

When it came to wilderness survival, Ling Xiao wasn’t particularly afraid.

Back when he had first joined the Shushan Sect, at the peak of the Qi Cultivation Stage, Ling Xiao had ventured out alone to find the medicinal herbs needed for a Foundation Establishment Pill. He had even encountered Beast Cultivators of terrifying strength. By his estimates, the power of those Beast Cultivators definitely surpassed that of Demon Swordsmen, yet Ling Xiao had still managed to escape by relying on his wits.

In wilderness adventures, wisdom and experience were often more important than raw strength. Everyone knew this in theory, but it was easily overlooked in practice. And no one would believe that a boy of fourteen or fifteen like Ling Xiao possessed any significant wisdom or experience in wilderness survival.

"Hey, why are we in such a rush?" The girl in black, Ye Wen Ni, was somewhat displeased with Ling Xiao’s high-handedness and protested loudly from inside the carriage.

Ling Xiao said nothing. He had changed into a set of coarse clothes and wore a large conical hat to block the harsh sun. It also helped reduce suspicion, as few people would be interested in a grimy coachman. He believed that with his current disguise, let alone the Madman Mercenary Corps he had clashed with, even Wang Chao and his group might not recognize him without seeing his face.

Seeing Ling Xiao ignore her, the girl in black pouted sullenly inside the carriage. ’This guy is so boring. He’s not even as old as me, so why does he act like a gloomy old man all day? What’s most infuriating is that this block of wood still hasn’t even asked for my name!’ she fumed. ’I’m a peerless beauty who could topple cities, and he doesn’t even bother to ask for my name! It’s simply outrageous!’

"Hey—" Just as the girl in black was about to speak, she heard Ling Xiao say in a low voice, "Shh... Don’t talk. It looks like someone is blocking the road ahead. Let’s not cause any trouble."

"Oh." The girl in black sat gloomily in the carriage, her lips pressed together and her eyes wide, looking thoroughly puffed up with anger.

The wound on her right shoulder was still severe, preventing her from any strenuous movement. It was a Sword Qi injury from yesterday that had directly damaged her meridians, making it far more serious than a simple external wound. This type of injury flared up intermittently, causing unbearable pain when it did. She had been enduring it, trying to distract herself from the pain by talking, but unfortunately, Ling Xiao barely paid her any attention, leaving the girl in black feeling extremely frustrated.

"Stop, stop! Dammit, I’m talking to you! You hear me?!" a large, bearded man with a vicious glint in his eyes yelled at Ling Xiao’s carriage.

There were about a dozen Mercenaries here in uniform, each one acting insufferably arrogant. Their behavior made the passersby grumble with resentment, but they only dared to mutter a few words under their breath, afraid of being overheard.

These Mercenaries were searching meticulously. They weren’t robbing people of money or goods, and despite their domineering attitude, they hadn’t done anything too out of line. Ling Xiao’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the chest of one of the Mercenaries. He suddenly remembered: the Mercenaries he had fought yesterday had the same pattern embroidered on their chests! Only the color of the clothes was different.

’Could these also be people from the Madman Mercenary Corps? Did they set this up specifically to intercept me?’ Ling Xiao wondered, but his expression remained impassive. He brought the carriage to a steady halt. Ling Xiao wasn’t the type to bow and scrape, so he could only pretend to be a mute. He looked up with a vacant expression and pointed to his throat.

The Mercenary who had stopped him saw a dark-skinned, mute boy, spat on the ground, and cursed, "Dammit, is the coachman trade that hard up for people? Even mutes can drive carriages now? Get down. We need to inspect your carriage. Don’t worry, we’re not robbing you. We’re just looking for someone!"

’This is bad,’ Ling Xiao thought. ’The giant from yesterday must have realized his sword technique was stolen and sent word to set up checkpoints along the road. But if I hand over the girl in black, she’ll definitely rat me out. No, I have to think of something.’

"Dammit, stop dawdling! Get the hell out of the way!" The Mercenary grew angry seeing Ling Xiao’s blank look. ’How did I get stuck with such a deaf and dumb coachman?’ he thought. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Ling Xiao carefully sized up the Mercenaries. He noticed their expressions were all lax, without a hint of alertness. Furthermore, judging by their clothes and demeanor, they didn’t seem like high-ranking members. Their cultivation levels couldn’t be very high.

"Ling Xiao... hand me over. I can escape on my own!" the girl in black suddenly whispered in Ling Xiao’s ear from inside the carriage, her voice coming through the cloth curtain of the small window. For some reason, she was pressed right up against the carriage door where he stood.

Ling Xiao was taken aback, unsure if the girl in black was being sincere, but at that moment, he had already made his decision.

’If I can’t avoid this, then... I’ll kill them all!’

He slowly and deliberately dismounted. As the Mercenary strode nonchalantly forward to yank open the carriage door, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back and a numbness in his chest. He looked down in horror to find the tip of a slender sword protruding from his body. He wanted to shout, but all the strength drained from him as he collapsed.

Ling Xiao grabbed the Mercenary, dragged him over to the side of the carriage, and propped him up against the wheel. At the same time, he stood up, let out a terrified cry, and started gesturing wildly at the other Mercenaries.

From their angle, they couldn’t see anything. Two or three of the Mercenaries walked over, cursing.

"Dammit, this hellish weather is killing me! I don’t know what’s gotten into the higher-ups. Do they really need to make such a big fuss over finding one woman?"

Another man said, "Chief, they’re also looking for two young men! Very handsome men!"

"The hell? Are they as handsome as me?" the bearded leader retorted disdainfully.

"Hehe, of course not, Boss. You’re the most handsome!" the Mercenary beside him flattered, then pointed at Ling Xiao. "You little mute, what the fu—" Before he could finish the word, he was horrified to see a blinding flash of light erupt from the young, mute coachman’s hand. A sharp pain shot through his throat, and the rest of the curse would never be uttered.

The one with the highest cultivation here was the bearded leader, who possessed the strength of a Tier Four Sword Master. He reacted instantly, his hand just starting to draw the longsword at his waist when Ling Xiao’s slender blade pierced his neck.

"So fast..." Before he could finish his words, the bearded leader collapsed with a THUD. The remaining Mercenary let out a shrill, off-key scream of terror. He wanted to run, but his legs felt like they were filled with lead. He had just turned around when he felt a sharp numbness in his back as Ling Xiao’s Fine Willow Sword ran him through.

Inside the carriage, the girl in black’s hand, which was holding the cloth curtain aside, trembled. Her small, cherry-red lips were slightly parted, and she had even forgotten the pain in her shoulder. Although she knew Ling Xiao’s strength was extraordinary, she had never imagined he could strike like lightning, and with such ruthlessness!

He showed no mercy when he killed!

’He’s terrifying!’ The girl in black let go of the curtain, and the slit swished shut, blocking the gruesome scene outside.

Immediately after, she heard a few hurried, angry shouts and curses from outside, which were quickly followed by silence.

The girl in black’s heart pounded. She didn’t even have the courage to open the curtain for another look. The heart that had hated Ling Xiao to the bone a moment ago was now praying, ’You block of wood, you have to be okay! My sword technique, my safety... it all depends on you now...’

After a long moment, a calm voice came from outside. "Get out."

"Ah..." the girl in black cried out. The tension in her heart was like a sky full of dark clouds being violently torn apart, letting the sunlight flood in. Her relief was so great she even forgot the pain in her shoulder as she opened the carriage door and jumped down. But then she saw the dozen or so Mercenaries who had been so arrogant just moments ago now lying scattered on the ground. Although there were no severed limbs, the thick stench of blood filled the air, causing the girl, who had never seen so many dead people before, to squat down and vomit.

Ling Xiao paid her no mind and walked over to the carriage of a noble, which had stopped nearby. The coachman was scared stiff, standing there dumbly with his legs trembling. A slight touch would probably have made him collapse to the ground.

From inside the luxurious carriage came a man’s terrified voice, his teeth chattering. "S-Sir, d-d-d-don’t k-k-k-kill me... me..."

"Get out!" Ling Xiao said coldly, his face expressionless.

"Okay, okay, we’ll get out, right now! I have... I have one thousand Gold Coins here! They’re... they’re all yours, Sir!" The man inside opened the door, trembling, and emerged with a woman who was shaking like a leaf. It looked like a nobleman traveling with his concubine. The woman’s hair was disheveled and her cheeks were flushed. Ling Xiao just assumed she was frightened.

"You two, get in that carriage!" Ling Xiao pointed to the one he had been driving. Then he said to the girl in black, "Get in the carriage!"

The girl in black grunted as she boarded, her body swaying, but she stifled any sound of pain. Once inside the luxurious carriage, she spat, her face flushed red. The interior was opulent but in complete disarray, and the air reeked of a foul, musky odor and urine. It was obvious someone had wet their pants in fear, and that they hadn’t been up to anything decent before that, either.

Ling Xiao frowned and urged, "Hurry up!"

The girl in black gritted her teeth, shut her eyes, and went inside. She then grabbed the expensive blanket spread on the seat and tossed it out the window, which made her feel much better.

Ling Xiao didn’t care what she was doing. He ignored the terrified onlookers; besides the noble couple, there were three or four other carriages, but he paid them no mind and had no interest in silencing them by killing them. Lowering the brim of his hat, he climbed onto the nobleman’s carriage, snapped the reins, and gave a sharp cry. The two healthy horses neighed spiritedly and galloped forward, kicking up their hooves.