Chapter 37: Wind-Destroying, Rain-Slicing Blade

Chen Yi still did not rush to learn that saber technique from Min Ning.

Part of the reason was that he did not want to let her get her way, but more importantly, it was because of Zhou Yitang, the one-armed woman in his memories.

He could not forget this one-armed woman.

In his first save file, he and she had harbored deep grievances against each other.

She had been his benefactor who saved his life, and in order to learn her swordsmanship, he had taken her as his master.

Yet later, the world proved fickle, and his benefactor overnight turned into his enemy.

Chen Yi would never forget how, amidst the torrential rain, Zhou Yitang had screamed herself hoarse, swearing an oath to the heavens that even through the cycle of reincarnation, she would ensure he met a wretched death.

Her face, twisted with agonizing despair in the rain, was something he could never forget.

Returning home, Chen Yi took off his outer robe and entered the bedroom to find Yin Tingxue reading by the light of an oil lamp.

The saintess of the Demonic Cult had almost fully recovered from her illness.

Seeing him enter, Yin Tingxue instinctively shrank back.

"Master..." she called out softly, though reluctant, she dared not show negligence.

In the dim light, Chen Yi slowly closed the distance, forcefully wrapping an arm around her waist.

Yin Tingxue looked at him tremblingly, her small hand pressing gently against him in an attempt to make him let go.

Yet Chen Yi pressed closer still. His warm presence scorched her, and she hated it.

Chen Yi stroked the young woman's slender waist and commanded:

"Kiss me."

The abrupt demand sent a chill down Yin Tingxue's spine. Her small hands pressed against him in panic as she resisted:

"No, I won't."

Disregarding her resistance, Chen Yi pulled her tighter against him and said gently:

"Be a good girl."

After a moment of hesitation, Yin Tingxue still shook her head.

Chen Yi gave her a light slap on the hip and smiled sinisterly:

"Want to be thoroughly bullied? You're only a concubine anyway."

Yin Tingxue's face turned pale. She bit her lip, gave Chen Yi a desolate look, and then tremblingly leaned forward to kiss him.

"...Be more proactive."

Obediently, she extended the tip of her tongue.

After a moment, their lips parted. Chen Yi watched Yin Tingxue, who looked both bashful and aggrieved, stroked her head, and said:

"You're getting better and better at playing the concubine, little fox."

Yin Tingxue unconsciously murmured an "en."

Chen Yi ruffled her hair, recalling that day at Yintai Temple where the flames in the treasure basin had burned intensely, turning three thousand taels of silver notes into ashes. Despair, humiliation, and sorrow had flashed across her eyes. Though all of this was built upon coercion and enticement, even so, she was his now. Perhaps this was what being a concubine meant.

Chen Yi knew he was no good man, let alone an upright hero of the righteous sects, and since Yin Tingxue had once killed him with her own hands, he often resorted to blackmailing and bullying her, and ultimately... possessing her as his concubine.

Taking a breath, Chen Yi said:

"I'm going to take a bath."

Yin Tingxue shrank inward, wishing to put some distance between them. Once Chen Yi's figure disappeared, she picked up her book again, quickly losing herself in the reading.

Before long, Chen Yi returned from his bath. Yin Tingxue was reading with such concentration that she didn't even notice Chen Yi walking over, and she gave a start when she turned her head.

Without hesitation, Chen Yi stepped forward and embraced her, pulling the back of her head against his chest.

Daring not to struggle, Yin Tingxue leaned against his embrace and asked:

"What is it?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to hold you. You're so warm."

Yin Tingxue leaned against him for a while, looking down at the book in her hand. It happened to be the passage where the protagonist visits the temple for the New Year. Lost in thought, she made a request:

"Will you take me to visit the Thousand Lamps Temple?"

"Oh? Why?"

"...I want to pay my respects. The prayer season is here."

"Just like that?"

Of course, Yin Tingxue would never admit that this was a test. By seeing whether he would take her to the Thousand Lamps Temple, she wanted to test if Chen Yi would ever take her back to Yintai Temple in the future. Yet she was unskilled at lying and feared being bullied by Chen Yi, so she could only whisper:

"I miss Yintai Temple."

Her imperial mother had always said she was a daughter of Yintai Temple, and ever since she was taken as a concubine, she frequently yearned for it.

Chen Yi pondered for a moment, failing to see any connection between the two, but since the storm had passed, there was no harm in taking her to visit the Thousand Lamps Temple during the day.

Moreover, once her injuries fully healed, he intended to give her a rude awakening.

At this thought, Chen Yi decided to compensate her a little beforehand:

"Alright."

Yin Tingxue had not expected Chen Yi to agree so readily. Speechless, she let out a soft, compliant "en."

Leaning against Chen Yi's chest, the Prince of Xiang's daughter pressed closer of her own accord. She had always feared him, yet knew he never yielded to stubbornness. Combined with her inherent weakness, she no longer dared to resist. Furthermore, as the days passed, she had resigned herself to her fate of properly being a concubine.

Yintai Temple was too far away; no matter how much she disliked her current situation, she could only rely on him. Fortunately, after accepting her fate and becoming utterly submissive to him, he treated her better than before and bullied her less often.

Holding Yin Tingxue and watching her obedient demeanor, Chen Yi couldn't help feeling a trace of pity, and this affection only deepened when he thought of what he planned to do later.

That day was not far off; he should buy her a hair clasp in advance.

***

Upon stepping through the gates of the Eastern Depot early in the morning, everyone knelt to receive the Empress Dowager's imperial edict.

"Thoroughly investigate the events of the Bandit-Suppressing and Demon-Exterminating Day?"

Chen Yi muttered after carefully reading the edict.

"Director Chen, do you have any thoughts on this?"

Song Tong asked.

"This matter... we aren't very skilled at it. We're a bunch of warriors, not Daoist priests."

Chen Yi replied:

"An imperial edict cannot be refused. Vice-Director, go and arrange the personnel. By the way, the Shangqing Sect should be arriving in the capital soon, right?"

Song Tong answered:

"They should arrive this very morning. They will first enter the palace to have an audience with His Majesty and offer prayers for the Emperor's blessings, and then take up residence at the Thousand Lamps Temple."

Chen Yi nodded. This way, not only could he question people from the Shangqing Sect to gather information, but it also happened to coincide perfectly with taking Yin Tingxue to visit the Thousand Lamps Temple.

Just as Chen Yi was turning to leave, Song Tong remembered something and said:

"By the way, Director, those case files concerning the Prince of Jing's estate that you had the recording clerks pull yesterday... some of them pertain to the Yuxiu Manor."

"Is there a problem?"

"Nothing... it's just that it involves the assets of the Prince of Jing's estate... I ask that you consider it carefully."

Song Tong advised.

Chen Yi chuckled inwardly. The Prince of Jing's estate had practically brought the slaughter right to his face last night.

Heading to the archive room, Chen Yi retrieved the files previously sorted out by the clerks and began a thorough review.

"Yuxiu Manor suspected of illicitly trafficking in Five-Stone Powder..."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Chen Yi set this case file aside.

When noon passed and news arrived that the Shangqing Sect had met with the Emperor and was heading toward the Thousand Lamps Temple, Chen Yi knew it was time to make the trip.

Upon learning they were going to the Thousand Lamps Temple, the little fox curled the corners of her lips in a smile, hurriedly latched shut the windows, put on her shoes, and sat before the vanity table to quickly touch up her face.

"Let's go."

Yin Tingxue urged once she was ready.

As soon as they stepped outside, Chen Yi saw Min Ning leaning against a low wall, as if she had been waiting for some time.

"Are you heading to the Thousand Lamps Temple?"

Min Ning took the initiative to say:

"The Vice-Director assigned me as your subordinate. We'll go together."

In the past, even if Song Tong had assigned her as his subordinate, Min Ning would not have been so proactive as to show up at his doorstep. Doing so now was solely to secure her bargain with him.

"Walking or riding horses?" Min Ning asked.

"Walking. I imagine it will be crowded outside the Thousand Lamps Temple with everyone trying to claim the first incense offering for the prayer season."

Chen Yi made a simple arrangement.

Yin Tingxue glanced at Min Ning, recognizing her, and then focused her gaze entirely on the main street. With such an eager and yearning look, she was clearly impatient to reach the Thousand Lamps Temple immediately.

The three of them set off immediately, and after about two quarters of an hour, they caught sight of the Thousand Lamps Temple halfway up the slope, surrounded by an endless stream of tourists.

A fine, drizzle-like mist was beginning to fall outside the temple.

Despite the rain, numerous people crowded outside the mountain gates, all eager to secure the first incense offering, while the Daoist priests and acolytes of the Thousand Lamps Temple struggled to hold the crowds back.

Not rushing to the temple grounds, the three of them found a nearby teahouse, flashed their official tokens, and headed straight to a private room on the second floor.

Through the window, Yin Tingxue gazed into the distance at the bustling prosperity of the Thousand Lamps Temple. In comparison, Yintai Temple appeared desolate in a way that stung the eyes. In past years during the New Year, Yintai Temple would be draped in festive lanterns, and the female family members visiting the residence would be led by her imperial mother to partake in vegetarian meals at the temple. But after her mother passed away and her father took a new primary consort, Yintai Temple was left almost entirely uncleaned, relegated to something resembling a forgotten cold palace.

The servants and maids would only clean up a bit whenever Yin Tingxue wished to visit Yintai Temple, and now that the Prince of Xiang's estate had been raided and ransacked, she had no idea what state Yintai Temple was in.

The more she looked at the prosperity of the Thousand Lamps Temple amidst the fine rain, the more piercing the desolation of Yintai Temple became to her heart.

"It's just a concubine... Yintai is merely a concubine," Yin Tingxue whispered softly.

For the four hundred years since the founding of the Great Yu, the Thousand Lamps Temple had always remained this prosperous. Viewed thus, it was undoubtedly the peerless, favored primary wife, whereas Yintai Temple had flourished for merely a decade—a concubine favored for only a brief time.

And she was the daughter of this concubine temple.

"What, is a concubine's daughter also destined to be a concubine?" Yin Tingxue lost herself in thought for a fleeting moment.

Noticing her sorrow, Chen Yi waited until the tea attendant brought in hot tea before pouring cups for all three of them.

After drinking half a cup of tea, Min Ning spoke up:

"Are you truly not going to learn that saber strike of mine?"

Chen Yi turned his head.

"It's not that I doubt your talent, but putting aside the fact that I have no intention of taking you as my master, you haven't even executed this saber technique in front of me yet. Who knows how much mastery it actually holds."

Hearing this, Min Ning felt a flicker of uncertainty.

Over the past few days, she had frequently recalled the scene of Chen Yi slaughtering twenty-one men in the rainy alley by night. Having comprehended this saber strike from it, she had yet to use it in actual combat, and she herself was unsure of its true depth.

"Besides, it's just a single strike? Thinking you can make me take you as master with just one strike is wishful thinking. How could one strike ever be enough?"

Chen Yi teased playfully.

"Just one strike is enough."

Min Ning mustered her courage and declared:

"One strike justified, cleaving the wind and severing the rain."

Chen Yi smiled noncommittally.

At the mountain gates of the Thousand Lamps Temple not far from the teahouse, a commotion suddenly broke out.

***

"Rakshasa Li, the leader of the North Sea Gang!"

"Just last month, they smashed up the porter union, overpowering dozens of the strongest dockworkers with only five men."

"A giant standing eight feet tall, and he cracked his skull open in a single blow."

…………

The muscular, fierce-looking gang leader led the way, a saber wrapped in cloth strapped to his back as he forcefully shoved aside the tourists blocking his path.

"Get lost! No one gets to steal this lead incense offering from me today."

Followed by several members of the North Sea Gang brandishing clubs, Rakshasa Li shouted menacingly at the surrounding crowd.

Naturally, some refused to yield or submit, stubbornly sticking out their necks and telling Rakshasa Li to kill them if he had the guts.

Rakshasa Li immediately unwrapped the cloth, revealing a gleaming broadsword. It glinted coldly in the sunlight, while the drizzle splashing against the ground felt exceptionally bone-chilling.

At the sight of the bare blade, no one dared refuse to back down, and the crowd hurriedly cleared a path.

Witnessing this scene from afar, Min Ning furrowed her brows tightly.

"Rakshasa Li. He's an eighth-rank martial artist just like you, leader of the North Sea Gang. On the surface, he runs a shipping business, but behind the scenes, he traffics in humans."

Chen Yi asked:

"A man like that deserves to die, especially since he's brandishing a weapon on the public street. Why don't you try that move of yours?"

Pondering for a moment, Min Ning turned her head and said in a clear voice:

"Bring a flask of wine."

Chen Yi asked doubtfully:

"Why drink? Drinking makes the blade slow, and besides, you aren't much of a drinker."

Min Ning uttered two words:

"To give me courage."

Chen Yi chuckled inwardly, clutching his stomach. Earlier, Min Ning had spoken of her saber technique with such absolute confidence, yet it seemed she had no real confidence in it herself.

"One strike justified, cleaving the wind and severing the rain."

Chen Yi repeated mockingly.

Min Ning glared at him. When the teahouse attendant brought her a gourd filled with Daughter's Red wine, she uncorked it, took several heavy gulps, abruptly stood up to tie the gourd to her waist, and headed downstairs with a hint of drunkenness.

Chen Yi watched her retreating figure intently, not letting his focus wander for a second lest any mishap befall her.

The fine, misty drizzle continued to fall.

Min Ning walked forward step by step, drawing her saber from its scabbard. Seeing her official uniform, the surrounding pedestrians hurriedly stepped aside.

"Any person who draws a weapon to cause a disturbance in the streets shall be executed on the spot upon encountering the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Min Ning recited the Great Yu penal code with a cold, flat tone.

The gang members felt a jolt of panic upon realizing she was from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but their leader, Rakshasa Li, looked behind her, surveyed the surroundings, and noticing she had no companions with her, barked:

"Official, do me a favor. I have brothers I know in the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Minning merely repeated:

"Any person who draws a weapon to cause a disturbance in the streets shall be executed on the spot upon encountering the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

At these words, Rakshasa Li's expression darkened. He faced two choices: defuse the situation and slink away with his gang, or face the enemy head-on, kill this Embroidered Uniform Guard, and leave the capital to lie low for a while before returning as a hero.

No gang leader could afford to be a coward. Overwhelmed by vicious impulse, Rakshasa Li roared:

"If we fight, we fight! If we kill, we kill!"

This was precisely what Min Ning had been waiting for. A wave of intoxication surged within her. Her posture slightly arched, she gripped her embroidered spring saber tightly. The blade was slightly over an arm's length, with a cutting edge of three feet and eight inches, gleaming as bright as water. It had been passed down through the Min family and was named "No Distractions," taking its name from a line in the *Dragon-Slaying Saber Technique*: "With a mind free of distractions, one can cleave through a sudden squall." Back in the day, Min贺 (Min He) had risen from a commoner to Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard within just a few years, relying first on the Cangshan Fist, and second on No Distractions. When Prince Jing, the former Emperor's brother, learned of Min He's fearsome reputation, he had once sent men offering thousands of gold to purchase the blade, only to be turned away at closed doors, receiving nothing for his trouble.

Min Ning gathered her momentum. The curtain of rain outside the Thousand Lamps Temple grew denser than before. As the fine rain drifted, she recalled that rainy night when Chen Yi had slaughtered twenty-one men single-handedly. She had counted them afterward—he had executed forty-three strikes in total, nearly every single one exquisite and possessing the momentum of overturning seas. Yet every one of those strikes contained redundancy; where a single strike would have sufficed, he had used two or even three. Still, one of his strikes had been executed brilliantly—the one where he cleaved through skin, flesh, and bone to behead the Eastern Depot supervisor. Her own technique was derived from that very strike. Chen Yi had claimed that drinking made the blade slow, but after drinking, her hand clearly felt even stronger.

Amidst these thoughts, Rakshasa Li had already raised his massive broadsword high, charging forward with his hulking frame and letting out a roar like a lion:

"Take this!"

Channeling her internal Qi, Min Ning lifted her right foot and stepped forward heavily, her figure charging forth like an iron cavalry breaking enemy lines, slashing forward through the rain curtain with her saber.

*Splat.*

First came the crisp sound of flesh and muscle being severed.

*Click, click, crack...*

That cracking sound was the blade biting into the hard spine, accompanied by the shattering of bone, which was immediately followed by another crisp, wet *splat*.

A flash of cold light vanished in an instant. Chen Yi tightened his grip on his teahouse cup as he watched from afar. Following that single strike, the wind seemed to slow for a beat, and even the curtain of rain was sheared completely blank in a wide swath!

Blood sprayed in both directions, splashing onto the bystanders, who froze in shock before breaking out into terrified screams.

The upper half of the torso toppled rigidly down like a snapped flagpole. Rakshasa Li rolled his eyes upward, uttering his very last syllable during the final few seconds before his breath faded:

"Die..."

The members of the North Sea Gang stood frozen and motionless, none daring to step forward to collect the corpse.

Min Ning straightened her posture, her expression completely blank. Instead of sheathing her saber, she untied the gourd from her waist and took a long, deep gulp of wine.

Top-quality Daughter's Red slid down her throat. A single gourd of this wine cost at least five or six taels of silver, while her annual official salary was merely thirty taels. Yet she wasn't worried; she was spending Chen Yi's money anyway.

She turned around and slowly walked away.

From afar, Chen Yi gazed at the scene.

At that moment, amidst the drifting drizzle, the young hero had slain her opponent, her long saber dripping with blood, her ribbons fluttering as she drank from her flask and walked slowly away from the temple gates.