Thousand Dusts Ferry Me - Chapter 5

From all directions came footsteps, growing heavier, as if whoever approached wasn’t concerned about being discovered. The two sisters stood back-to-back with swords drawn, not making any hasty moves as they didn’t know who was coming.

The intruders apparently had no intention of circling around them. They directly slashed open the wooden door, immediately followed by two sword beams like white rainbows thrusting inside!

Those sword beams moved like lightning through a crack, arriving in the blink of an eye. Yun Qing reversed her grip on her sword and lightly deflected these two strikes, her movements so fast they were almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

The two sword strikes, unsuccessful, retreated along their original path.

The oil lamp nearly extinguished in the sword wind, now flickering back to life, dim and wavering.

In the lamplight, Fu Xue’s form was rigid like a puppet—she was genuinely nervous, her entire body tense as she stared at the window, guarding against attackers from outside.

Yun Qing calmly twirled her sword and leisurely said to those outside the door. “My sword does not strike the nameless. May I ask your excellency’s name?”

Someone outside shouted. “Such arrogance from a little girl! Today I’ll let you die with understanding. I neither change my name when traveling nor my surname when seated—I am Yu Beiting, the Unbound Sword Ghost!”

Fu Xue gasped softly: “Yu Beiting, isn’t he a disciple of the Huayang Sect?!” She couldn’t be mistaken; they had just inquired about the Huayang Sect at the foot of this mountain today.

The Huayang Sect had many disciples, and not all were well-known, but this Yu Beiting held a significant position in the Huayang Sect, and his title was quite distinctive—

He followed the path of the sword, yet took a ghostly Dao title, making him particularly memorable.

Yun Qing continued. “We’ve never met before, let alone have any grievances. May I ask why you wish to kill me?”

“I kill because I want to. There need not be any particular reason.” Yu Beiting said while summoning his companions, “Leave no survivors.”

With a crash—the window was finally hacked to pieces. Four sword beams poured in from the doorway and four from outside the window. Eight sword beams intertwined into a net within the small room, about to ensnare the two standing in the center.

Yun Qing grabbed Fu Xue’s shoulder and leaped upward with force, breaking through the roof tiles, emerging from the rooftop like a jumping carp.

Standing on the roof, Yun Qing looked down to survey the situation outside.

Four people stood before the house and four behind it, with no visible sect insignia on their clothes. These people seemed to think killing the two women would be effortless; they didn’t even bother covering their faces, just standing there boldly staring at them.

The leader had thick eyebrows and piercing eyes, wore a brocade robe with a gold belt, and carried two three-foot-long swords on his back—one with a black scabbard and one white. This must be the Unbound Sword Ghost, Yu Beiting.

“Not bad skills, little girl!” Yu Beiting shouted, leaping forward with both swords drawn. Like two dragon howls in frosty air, the sound pierced the heart.

The others joined the attack. Suddenly sword light rained down, threatening their lives.

Yun Qing raised her sword to counter. Her silver sword moved with exceptional grace and fluidity, always striking unexpectedly. Even Yu Beiting, with his years of sword mastery, nearly fell victim to her attacks.

Yu Beiting’s expression gradually grew serious. After several exchanges, he called to his companions, “Kill the short one first.”

Fu Xue raged. “You’re the short one!”

The sword light uniformly turned toward Fu Xue, who became somewhat flustered. Yun Qing had to turn back to save her. She had to admit that saving someone was much harder than killing.

Eventually, two fists couldn’t match four hands. Yu Beiting seized an opening, driving his sword downward. It seemed Fu Xue would be run through, and Yun Qing, unable to free her hands, had to block with her body. The sword tip aimed straight at her face!

“Got you!” Yu Beiting rejoiced—the troublesome ghost had sought her own death!

When the sword tip touched Yun Qing’s forehead, it seemed to encounter tremendous resistance. Due to the flying sword’s profound force, the bright blade quickly bent, curving almost into a crescent.

Crack! The crescent snapped into two pieces, then fell to the ground with a clattering sound.

Yu Beiting was both shocked and angry. “This girl has an iron head!”

Yun Qing took advantage of everyone’s momentary stupor to push Fu Xue away.

Yu Beiting no longer fixated on “killing the short one.” Losing his precious sword brought his anger to its peak. “You must die today!”

Fu Xue, propelled by her senior’s push, rolled to the side. She finally found a moment to remove the Six-Path Sealing Bell from her waist, raising it and shaking it three times.

Dong, dong, dong.

“Shining with the sun and moon,

Carried by the ranks of stars.

Compassionate clouds, Dharma rain,

The six paths heed this decree. Command!”

As she chanted softly, the dim air around them seemed to change. Slowly, a blurry figure walked out from the direction of the backyard.

Everyone except Yun Qing watched that figure with vigilance.

As the figure approached, everyone finally saw clearly:

It was a skinny, exhausted, patchy-furred…old dog.

Everyone’s expressions were somewhat awkward.

Fu Xue covered her forehead with one hand, wishing she could die on the spot. How embarrassing!

Theoretically, the Six-Path Sealing Bell could summon any creature from the six realms, with the creature’s strength depending on the summoner’s cultivation level.

Fu Xue admitted her cultivation wasn’t particularly strong, but it shouldn’t have been so weak as to summon only a balding old dog! This… this was too humiliating!

Red-faced, she raised her sword again, raising her voice to mask her embarrassment. “I’ll cut you all down!”

Yu Beiting focused entirely on dealing with Yun Qing. He held his sword finger upright while softly reciting an incantation. Spiritual power circulated, causing the surrounding air to ripple slightly. His remaining flying sword shot straight to the sky, transforming into a giant sword descending from heaven!

That giant sword was ten feet wide, like a rainbow light striking down. Along with the giant sword came Yu Beiting’s roar. “All! Of! You! Die!”

Yun Qing pushed Fu Xue away with one palm to prevent her from being affected by the giant sword, then took the sword energy head-on herself.

After the sword light passed, she still stood proudly in place, holding her sword with a smile as she tilted her head. “Didn’t you eat? Is that all the strength you have?”

Yu Beiting said in disbelief: “Impossible… this is impossible…”

“You didn’t think we would arrive at your precious place, settle into an inn without any preparation, did you?”

Her words made Yu Beiting’s face suddenly change. Someone in the crowd cried out. “My cultivation is draining away!”

“Mine too!”

“And mine…”

Yu Beiting discovered he was experiencing the same! No wonder that sword strike had caused her no harm—it really had only been for show.

These two were truly strange. Yu Beiting’s earlier confidence had completely vanished, replaced now only with the panic of losing his cultivation.

He wasn’t sure if this draining was temporary or permanent. If they stayed any longer, forget about killing others—they’d be lucky not to be killed themselves.

He called to his companions. “Let’s go.”

Seeing them retreat, Yun Qing didn’t pursue. She went over to help Fu Xue up. “Are you hurt?”

Her body wasn’t injured, but her heart was! Fu Xue looked at the old dog and explained shamefully, “Senior Sister, my cultivation has also been drained, that’s why I summoned this.”

“Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t have time to tell you when I activated the formation earlier.”

Yun Qing had been studying Emperor Xi’s Wordless Book since she first learned to read.

When she first began studying, it was truly difficult. The text was arcane and already hard to understand. Furthermore, since she couldn’t “reveal heavenly secrets,” she couldn’t ask Le Chenzi for guidance.

So she struggled through it for more than ten years, barely mastering some aspects of it.

Emperor Xi’s Wordless Book recorded various formations. For example, the formation Yun Qing had set up at the foot of Huayang Sect’s mountain gate during the day was the simplest type, named “Affection.”

The one currently set in the inn was slightly more complex, named “Power-Snatching.”

When this formation was activated, it gradually drained the strength of those within it, with their strength returning once they left. Cultivators were most sensitive to their cultivation, which was why everyone first noticed the loss of their cultivation power.

Both Le Chenzi and Fu Xue were naturally kind-hearted and saw good in everyone. Yun Qing was their exact opposite.

She saw no one as good and suspected everyone wanted to harm her, so as soon as they arrived at the inn, she set up the formation as a precaution.

Earlier, when she discovered people coming, she hurriedly activated the Power-Snatching formation, but the battle that followed developed rapidly, so she never had a chance to communicate this to Fu Xue.

The sisters returned to their now-drafty room. Fu Xue said, “Why would that Yu Beiting want to eliminate us completely? We don’t even know him!”

Yun Qing sighed softly and said, “Fu Xue, perhaps we were a bit reckless today.”

Fu Xue thought about what happened during the day and nodded. “Yes, those two men even started taking off their clothes in the end.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Is Yu Beiting seeking revenge for them?”

Yun Qing shook her head. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple.”

“Oh?”

“When I left, I took three stalks of Three-Branch Nine-Leaf Grass. Those two lechers might not have guessed that I set up the formation. If they did figure it out and came for revenge, that would be one thing, but what I fear is…”

“What is it?”

“I fear this Yu Beiting was sent by Jiang Binghe.”

“Ah?!” Fu Xue was shocked.

Yun Qing: “If he truly was sent by Jiang Binghe, everything would make sense.

Yu Beiting said he would let me die with understanding, yet he was unwilling to explain why he came. If it was just to avenge two ordinary gate disciples, what reason would he have to hide?

Moreover, his position in the Huayang Sect is not low. How could two ordinary disciples possibly request his help?”

Fu Xue’s expression grew solemn as she nodded. “If it really is Jiang Binghe, then Master’s disappearance must also be connected to him.

But…but isn’t Master his life-saving benefactor? Why would he repay kindness with enmity? What’s his purpose?”

Yun Qing leaned against the broken window frame, looking up at the sparse stars in the night sky, frowning and sighing, “I don’t know.”

Fu Xue looked anxious, pacing back and forth, “So how do we rescue Master now? Storm the Huayang Sect and capture Jiang Binghe alive?”

“Good Junior Sister, I have an iron head, but I’m not iron-headed.”

TN:
“鐵腦殼” (tiě nǎo ké) – “Iron skull” or “Iron head,” meaning stubborn, hard-headed, reckless.