Chapter 81: The Peerless Ghost, Fallen!

Wushuang Ghost was dead, pierced through the chest by a sword flying so fast it outpaced sight, leaving not even a chance to react. This was the "Hundred-Step Flying Sword" that Sikong Xu had spoken of! Its reputation for severing throats in a single strike was well deserved. Of course, this was an incomplete version; after all, Ge Nie was gravely wounded. If it had been the full power of the "Hundred-Step Flying Sword," its might would have been far greater.

"Ha! Dead, at last. Now do you see how formidable I am?" Sikong Xu strode over to the corpse of Wushuang Ghost, laughing with pride.

"This guy..." Shaoyu pulled up Tianming, covering his head and wearing an expression that said, "I don't know him." Anyone could tell that the "Hundred-Step Flying Sword" had been unleashed by the white-robed gentleman behind him, yet this youth shamelessly claimed all the glory for himself.

"Is everyone alright?" Now that Wushuang Ghost, the hulking brute, was finally dead, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Fan Zeng addressed the group of Xiang clan disciples.

"We're fine, we're fine."

"What about the young master? Is the young master safe?"

When Shaoyu heard himself mentioned, he waved his hand and said, "I'm fine, just some minor scrapes. But this young brother and the white-robed gentleman here, their injuries..."

Shaoyu shifted the topic to Sikong Xu and Ge Nie. Ge Nie's wounds were obvious to all; his face was as pale as paper—though, at this time, paper hadn't yet been invented.

As for Sikong Xu, everyone had just witnessed him clash head-on with Wushuang Ghost using inner force. Had it been anyone else, their organs would have been damaged and they'd be collapsed on the ground. Yet this fellow remained lively, full of vigor, truly remarkable.

"Young hero Sikong Xu, cough, cough... are your injuries alright?" After a few coughs, Ge Nie's complexion seemed even paler, clearly worsened by the recent blow.

"I'm fine, really. I've always had an astonishing ability to recover since childhood. It's just a minor wound, nothing to worry about." Sikong Xu patted his chest and abdomen; it seemed the injuries from his clash with Wushuang Ghost were already mostly healed.

"This time, our Xiang clan owes you both for risking your lives to save us." Now that the ordeal was over, Shaoyu, as the young master of the Xiang clan, clasped his hands in gratitude to Sikong Xu and Ge Nie.

"Hey, what about me? Why aren't you thanking me?" Tianming piped up, eager to claim his share of credit.

"You?" Shaoyu glanced at Tianming and said, "You hardly contributed, and actually caused quite a bit of trouble. The fact that I'm not scolding you is already generous."

"Ah! You rascal, I'll show you!" With that, Tianming leapt forward and began wrestling with Shaoyu.

Behind them, Fan Zeng and Xiang Liang exchanged a glance, shaking their heads with a smile. Fan Zeng then approached Ge Nie and Sikong Xu, clasped his hands, and said, "I am Fan Zeng. May I ask your names?"

"I mentioned before, my surname is Sikong, and my given name is Xu. This gentleman is Ge Nie. In fact, we've brought trouble upon you." Sikong Xu said apologetically, "If my guess is right, this brute was actually pursuing us, and we happened to pass through here, dragging you all into the mess. I'm truly sorry."

"Young hero Sikong Xu, you need not feel guilty. If we hadn't surrounded you earlier... wait, you said his name is Ge Nie?" Fan Zeng paused, surprised.

"That's correct." Ge Nie, too injured to speak, left the negotiation to Sikong Xu.

"Ge Nie... Ge Nie... If I'm not mistaken, is he the Sword Saint of Qin, Ge Nie?"

"Yes, that's right. But..." Ge Nie was known as the foremost swordsman at Ying Zheng's side, a fact known to all, and the Xiang clan happened to be enemies of Ying Zheng. Sikong Xu quickly explained, "But he has already defected from Qin and was recently pursued by three hundred Qin cavalry. So you can rest assured..."

"Hmm... we've heard of Ge Nie's defection. May I ask what your plans are now?"

Fan Zeng's question made Sikong Xu look to Ge Nie, who nodded, indicating that all decisions were his to make.

Having received Ge Nie's approval, Sikong Xu replied, "We're planning to head north, to Qilu, but first we need to find a place for Master Ge to recover from his wounds."

Sikong Xu said this as a hint for Fan Zeng to invite them to Mirror Lake Medical Manor, and fortunately, Fan Zeng did not disappoint.

"If you can't find a suitable place for healing, I know of an excellent spot."

"Oh? Please tell us, Master Fan."

"It's said that at Mirror Lake Medical Manor, there's a healer who can cure any ailment. If you don't mind, I can introduce you."

"Mirror Lake Medical Manor? Is that the territory of the Mohist School?"

"I didn't expect you to be familiar with the Mohists, young hero Sikong."

After Fan Zeng finished, Sikong Xu looked at Ge Nie again, who nodded his consent, prompting Sikong Xu to say, "Then we'll trouble you, Master Fan."

"Not at all, not at all. We need to find a new base ourselves..."

...

The setting sun stained the sky crimson, its fiery light painting the earth in vivid hues. Even the clouds above seemed ablaze, hanging in the sky like burning banners, magnificent in their splendor.

Along a dusty, muddy road, several carriages sped by, carrying the members of the Xiang clan and Sikong Xu's party.

Sikong Xu, Shaoyu, and Tianming lay atop one carriage's canopy, the jolting ride seeming not to bother them at all.

"Sikong Brother, where are we headed?" Tianming asked.

"To heal your uncle's wounds," Sikong Xu replied, gazing at the distant sunset and savoring this rare moment of peace, while also checking the changes in his tattooed mission.

"Mission: Nightmare of the Flowing Sand"
"Difficulty: Four and a half stars"
"Objective: Gather and disperse Flowing Sand, life and death unknown... Defeat the Four Kings of Flowing Sand and their leader Wei Zhuang."
"Reward: Ghost Valley Swordplay—Hundred-Step Flying Sword, Ghost Valley Horizontal Sword—Eight Directions"
"Completion: 20% (Wushuang Ghost defeated.)"

As expected, as long as he participated in the battle and received recognition from the tattoo, the mission target's death by another's hand still counted as his accomplishment. Just like with Wushuang Ghost—because he fought him, even though Ge Nie killed him, it still counted as completed.

Noticing Sikong Xu was not inclined to speak, Tianming redirected the conversation to Shaoyu.

"Shaoyu, you guys don't seem to plan to go back after this, do you?" Tianming asked, his face full of innocence.

"Yes, we're not going back."

"But isn't that your home?"

"Home? We no longer have a home..."

...