Proud Sword Soaring Clouds-Chapter 36 - 35: Making an Enemy
Qingshui Town, usually a quiet and desolate place, was bustling with activity today, but the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. A large number of uniformly dressed mercenaries had gathered here. Every face was grim, and most eyes held a mixture of grief and fury.
In front of a larger inn, thirty-seven or thirty-eight coffins were lined up side-by-side. Over twenty of them were empty, creating a shocking and gruesome sight. Passersby who saw it were scared off, keeping their distance.
Inside the inn, several tables had been pushed together, around which sat a dozen or so people, both men and women. The expressions on most of their faces were exceptionally furious.
An old man who looked to be in his fifties slammed a hand on the table and let out a long sigh.
He cupped his fist towards a slender man of about thirty-seven or thirty-eight seated at the head of the table and said in a voice as deep as a great bell, "Captain Hanxin! After investigation, we’ve learned that the killer makes a habit of leaving no survivors. Their methods are extremely practiced and ruthless. Judging from the wounds on our dead brothers and the testimony of eyewitnesses, the attack here in Qingshui Town was the work of a single person!"
As he spoke, the old man glanced at the shocked faces around him. It had been many years since anyone had dared to so openly assassinate members of a Mercenary Team. After all, angering an entire team was not something to be taken lightly.
"And according to the news from Vendia Snow Mountain, almost everyone was killed by a Magical Beast first, only to be attacked by that person afterward. The scene was horrific. By the time our people discovered it, the Magical Beast was gone. Judging from the wounds on our dead brothers, it was likely the work of a Tier Four Magical Beast, a Lightning Mad Leopard. Only Rock Shenke had a single wound on his throat, identical to those of the men who died here in Qingshui Town! What’s more, and I don’t know if the killer was deliberately hiding their strength, but from start to finish, they never once used Sword Qi. According to eyewitnesses here in Qingshui Town, the attacker finished the fight in a very short time and didn’t suffer a single injury!"
"Hiss..." Those hearing the inside details for the first time couldn’t help but gasp. They immediately began whispering among themselves.
"Not a single injury? How is that possible? And without using Sword Qi? Even if they were a Mad Sword Master, they couldn’t have done it so easily, right?" a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight muttered doubtfully.
A man in his forties beside him shook his head and said, "They didn’t use Sword Qi? Doesn’t that mean the most they displayed was the strength of a Tier Six Sword Master? How could a Tier Six Sword Master kill that many of our brothers in such a short time? Is this for real?"
An alluring woman in her thirties couldn’t help but stand up and exclaim, "Vice Commander of the Mad War, is what you’re saying true? The killer really didn’t use Sword Qi? So, are you saying a Tier Six Sword Master first killed a dozen of our brothers here in Qingshui Town, then ran into Rock Shenke’s group on Vendia Snow Mountain and killed Shenke in a sneak attack?"
The Vice Commander of the Mad War glanced at the woman. She was also one of the vice commanders of the Madman Mercenary Corps—Yunna, nicknamed the Black Widow.
Despite her pleasant-sounding name and alluring appearance, her ruthless methods for dealing with people struck fear into the hearts of many men.
Although Yunna was only the fifth vice commander in the Madman Mercenary Corps, no one in the entire Mercenary Corps, from the top down, was willing to offend her. It was said that this woman’s heart was more venomous than the most poisonous snake.
The Vice Commander of the Mad War nodded. "Vice Commander Yunna, you are correct. According to our deductions, that is what happened. Although it’s hard to believe, I’m more inclined to think that the attacker possesses extremely high strength and simply chose not to display it."
Ye Hanxin, the captain of the Madman Mercenary Corps, who had been sitting silently at the head of the table, finally spoke up. "Vice Commander of the Mad War, I heard that Rock Shenke and his men previously lost a Middle-tier Earth-level Sword Skill the corps had just won at auction?"
"Something like that happened...?"
The faces of the people below changed. Everyone present knew exactly what a Middle-tier Earth-level Sword Skill represented. They didn’t care about the Gold Coins needed to buy it; the sword skill itself was a rarity that seldom appeared at auctions. Just imagine, who would casually put an Earth-level Sword Skill capable of ensuring a family’s prosperity up for auction?
To think they had obtained one, only to lose it just like that. Many couldn’t help the looks of heartache and regret that appeared on their faces. Inwardly, even more of them were cursing the already-dead Rock Shenke for being an idiot and a good-for-nothing. ’To just go and lose something so valuable!’
"Yes, Captain Hanxin. Also, it’s said that the little thief in black who stole it—who was later seen outside Qingshui Town and appeared to be a woman based on her figure—her charioteer is the very same person who assassinated our men on two separate occasions!"
The moment the Vice Commander of the Mad War revealed this news, the room erupted in an uproar, as if a pot had boiled over.
’Could there really be such a formidable charioteer in this world?’
Mad War saw everyone looking at him, shrugged helplessly, and spread his hands. "Don’t look at me. If you don’t believe it, go ask the people who were there that day. We found every single witness, and they all said the exact same thing: the attacker was definitely a charioteer, not old, with dark skin, wearing a large conical hat that hid his face. Everyone, based on my personal deduction, that charioteer must be a disguise. He definitely has a close relationship with that girl in black!"
Yunna pondered for a moment, then looked up and said, "In the report from Rock Shenke, didn’t it also mention two young male Adventurers who helped that female thief in black that day? Could it be them?"
Mad War shook his head. "No. That day in Miss Huangpu’s Adventurer’s Bar, those two Adventurers just happened to be there and were used by the thief. You all know Rock Shenke’s temper—he was too hot-headed and easily made enemies. In the bar, the man who acted had the strength of a Tier Two Great Sword Master at most. The other one, a teenager, didn’t do anything. Both of their builds are clearly different from the charioteer’s. I don’t think we need to waste our efforts on those two."
Yunna frowned. "So you’re saying the key to this is the female thief in black? As long as we find her, all our problems will be solved, right?"
Mad War nodded, but said with some embarrassment, "She obviously entered Vendia Snow Mountain as well. With our corps’ strength, we aren’t capable of conducting a large-scale search there. So... we can only post lookouts in Vendia Town—the only way out of the mountains—and take action once we spot any sign of them!"
Everyone nodded. Mad War’s words sounded modest, but in reality, he was already exaggerating the Madman Mercenary Corps’ strength.
Even the Lanyue Empire’s strongest force—the Ice River Team, a Second-level Mercenary Team with over ten thousand Sword Masters, nearly a thousand Great Sword Masters, several hundred Mad Sword Masters, a dozen Demon Sword Masters, and a captain who was a Second Rank Demon Sword Master—wouldn’t dare claim they could conduct a blanket search of Vendia Snow Mountain, let alone a seventh-level team like the Madman Mercenary Corps, which only had about five hundred members in total.
The captain of the Madman Mercenary Corps, Ye Hanxin, let out a long sigh. "Mad War, you’ll be in charge of the pensions for our fallen brothers. Ai, remember to be generous with them!"
Seeing Mad War nod, Ye Hanxin gripped the armrest of his wooden chair, the veins on his hand bulging. He gritted his teeth and said, "I swear on my name as the captain of the Madman Mercenary Corps, we will hunt down the killer with all our might. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth and never let them go!"
The wooden armrest crumbled into fine splinters, which scattered onto the floor.
"Never let them go!" everyone roared, standing up with savage expressions.
...
Ranked at the top of the continent’s ten most dangerous places, Vendia Snow Mountain was synonymous with ’forbidden ground’ in the minds of many Adventurers.
Generally, whether they were Adventurers or from a Mercenary Corps, they would only hunt Magical Beasts on the outskirts of Vendia Snow Mountain. Almost no one would think of venturing deeper, let alone attempting to reach Vendia Snow Mountain’s main peak—the summit known as... the Holy Mountain!
For thousands of years, the Holy Mountain has remained shrouded in a solemn, mysterious veil. Countless Adventurers have surged toward it, one after another, but almost none have ever been heard of coming back out alive.
Therefore, although many great families knew of the Vantia Holy Fruit’s value, the vast majority had stopped searching for it after losing countless experts. A single Holy Fruit could allow a Mad Sword Master to level up directly into a Demon Sword Master, but the search for one could cost the lives of ten Mad Sword Masters!
It wasn’t worth it...
As a result, all information regarding the Vantia Holy Fruit was sealed away as top-secret intelligence by the major influential clans and families.
Yisha looked at the yellowed document in her hand, lightly biting her lower lip, her face filled with determination. ’Brother Ling Xiao, you have to hold on!’
...
On Vendia Snow Mountain, looking out from a distance, the world was a vast expanse of white. Two black dots were moving slowly across it. Their pace was slow, but steady, as they climbed step by step toward the mysterious Holy Mountain.
