Song of Everlasting Regret - Chapter 30

Yu Jingqiu had never seen such a fierce and aggressive girl; she could only marvel at how vast the world was, containing people of every imaginable temperament.

The woman, seeing that she had struck the man dead, let her guard down. As her adrenaline cooled, the effects of the drug surged back. Unable to support herself, she slumped down unsteadily.

“Ah, miss!” Lang Ye reached out to help, catching the woman’s bare arm. His cheeks flushed as if he had been burned, and he quickly let go, looking to Yu Jingqiu for help. “Senior Sister.”

Yu Jingqiu picked up the woman’s fallen robe, dressed her, and tied the sash, just as a bell rang within the room.

The bell rang urgently yet rhythmically—two short rings, repeated twice.

Lang Ye cast a glance at the swaying bell overhead. Gripping his sword, he stepped lightly over the bandit leader’s corpse and headed out. “Senior Sister, I’ll go check it out.”

Yu Jingqiu carried the girl to the bed and followed. Leaving the side room, she saw the corpse of the first bandit by the wine table. He had been pierced through the chest, blood pooling on the floor; clearly, Lang Ye had dealt with him.

By the time she reached the passage, Lang Ye was already behind the secret door, sword in hand, pulling the release mechanism.

The secret door opened, and the sounds of fighting from outside rushed in.

Their two senior brothers had already begun to “smash bowls and chop tables” above.

Standing outside the secret door was a man they hadn’t met, but he was undoubtedly an accomplice of the bandits. He held a ghost-head saber, and one hand clutched his forehead as blood seeped through his fingers.

As soon as the door opened, the man spoke hurriedly, “Big Boss, the Second Boss has run into ‘foul water’ (trouble). The ‘markers’ (targets) are too sharp to handle. We can’t whip them; let’s ‘pull life’ (flee) quickly!”

Lang Ye’s sword suddenly lunged out like a silver python. “Want to run? Does the ‘Boss’ no longer want the ‘green sheep’ (young women)?”

This man had some skill; he raised his blade to parry the swift strike. Seeing Lang Ye’s face, he immediately realized the Big Boss was likely done for. He cursed, “Dammit! I told that mother of yours to keep a tighter grip on your crotch! Now you’re all ‘hollow’ (exhausted) and useless—capsizing in the gutter and falling at the hands of a yellow-haired brat!”

Lang Ye gave a cold laugh. “Don’t be in such a hurry. Before long, you’ll be reunited with him. Whatever words you have, you can tell him yourself once you’re down there.”

Lang Ye’s sword rose, his long blade dancing like a silver snake.

The Qian Yuan Sword Technique is divided into the Qian and Kun formulas, and few people practice both simultaneously.

Practicing both formulas requires not only immense energy but double the time. If one’s ability is insufficient, it results in half the success for twice the effort.

In their generation, only a few practiced both.

One was Yu Jingqiu, who possessed exceptional talent and deep insight; practicing both was natural for her. Another was Lou Jing, who was determined to compete with Yu Jingqiu and refused to be left behind, so she also mastered both. Lou Jing could endure loneliness better than others, practicing her sword for six or seven hours a day, allowing her to fully grasp the secrets.

Lang Ye understood his own strengths. His talent did not match Yu Jingqiu’s, and his endurance was less than Lou Jing’s, so he chose the formula that suited him best: he specialized solely in the Kun Formula.

The Kun Formula emphasizes countering hardness with softness; a flexible sword is best for showcasing its continuous and unpredictable momentum.

Against a saber, a sword typically loses in terms of raw rigidity. However, Lang Ye’s sword was never forged for head-on clashing.

The man swung his saber hard, the wind from the strike intimidating. Lang Ye used his footwork, becoming one with his blade, moving like flowing water as he lunged at the man’s waist.

The man blocked with a horizontal sweep of his saber, but the force passed through the flexible sword. The blade curved inward, its tip still piercing the man’s waist. The sword qi swept past, opening a massive gash as blood poured out.

The two fought all the way to the main hall. The man let out a great roar, lunging with a desperate strike as if to perish together. Lang Ye was faster; with a flash of silver light, he added a bloody gash to the man’s neck.

Yu Jingqiu arrived at the hall just in time to see this scene and was momentarily stunned.

In sect sparring, matches were always stopped at the first touch. Although she had fought others outside, it had never reached a point of life or death. Consequently, she felt a certain resistance to the act of killing.

Within the sect, Lang Ye was always humble and yielding toward his junior brothers and sisters. During practice, his moves showed great restraint.

Yu Jingqiu had never seen him truly in earnest against outsiders—clean, efficient, and without a trace of hesitation in his sword moves even when taking a life. It seemed his time traveling the martial world had sharpened his edge; he was more decisive than his own Senior Sister.

Yu Jingqiu began to consider recommending Lang Ye for the position of Sect Leader.

Once the man was dead, the fighting upstairs also ceased. A moment later, the sound of a galloping horse echoed in front of the inn.

One of the senior disciples flew in from the backyard, shouting urgently, “Junior Brother, stop that man!”

As he spoke, the disciple had already rushed to the door. Looking into the distance, he saw a hazy silhouette in the dim light, riding a stallion away. It was too late to pursue.

The disciple slapped the doorframe and couldn’t help but curse, “That thieving bastard!”

Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye hurried forward. “Senior Brother, what’s wrong?”

The other senior disciple appeared at the upstairs railing and leaped down. “The bandits upstairs have either fled or died; there’s no one left.”

The disciple by the door, ignoring him, stamped his feet in frustration. “Ah! Those thieving scoundrels killed our horses!”

The other three were shocked and hurried to the stables. Sure enough, they found the carcasses. One horse had been taken by the fleeing bandit; fearing pursuit, he had used a dagger to kill the other three.

The group of four stared at the horses in silence. Without their mounts, they didn’t know how much time would be lost.

Yu Jingqiu sighed softly. “It’s come to this. Forget it. We’ve been up all night, and dawn will break soon. Let’s rest early, regain our strength, and make plans tomorrow.”

At dawn the next day, the four took out their dry rations and ate them with well water, then discussed their departure.

One disciple said, “Without horses, we won’t even clear the pass by the day after tomorrow, and who knows when we’ll reach the Celestial Star Palace. Those thieving bastards were so cunning! They’ve delayed our journey and made the road difficult.”

Lang Ye pondered, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother. I remember that once we cross the mountain and go a bit further, we’ll reach Zhixing Village, right?”

The disciple slapped the table, realizing, “That’s right! I forgot that bit. Zhixing Village is just ahead. They have some dealings with our sect; borrowing a few horses won’t be difficult!”

“Zhixing Village?” Yu Jingqiu was puzzled; the name sounded familiar, as if she had heard it before.

Lang Ye laughed. “If you say Zhixing Village, Senior Sister surely won’t know it. If you say the Zhixing Sect, then you will.”

“Ah, the sect that collects intelligence on the martial world. Why is it called Zhixing Village?”

Lang Ye explained, “You don’t know, Senior Sister, but the place where the Zhixing Sect is located is a village. Everyone in the sect is a villager. It was originally intended to hide their identities, but now that they have frequent dealings with various martial sects, it’s no longer a secret.”

“I see.”

The group agreed to depart. As they came downstairs, they saw someone standing in the hall.

The person wore a “flying fish” bag on her back, a red sandalwood bow, and sparrow-feather arrows in a lion-head quiver. Dressed in a nomadic skirt with her hair in a high ponytail, she turned around at the sound of their footsteps. It was the girl from yesterday. With the drug effects gone, her lethargy had vanished. In the bright hall, she looked heroic—a spirited young woman with sharp brows and a strong character.

Lang Ye stared at her for a moment, then suddenly felt it was rude and quickly lowered his eyes to avoid her gaze.

Yu Jingqiu glanced at Lang Ye’s expression and gave a soft smile, asking, “Do you feel better, miss?”

The girl held her head high with a bright smile, staring boldly at Lang Ye and Yu Jingqiu without the reserve or shyness typical of most women. Hearing Yu Jingqiu speak, she replied, “That little bit of drug was nothing.”

“How did you fall into the hands of those bandits?”

The girl recounted her capture. Like Yu Jingqiu and the others, she had checked into the inn only to fail to notice the knock-out drug in the food. When the drug took effect and the bandits came to bind her, she was both drugged and outnumbered, leading to her capture.

The senior disciple asked, “Judging by your dress, you don’t seem to be from the Central Plains. Where do you come from?”

The girl said, “The world is vast; I call the four seas my home.”

Lang Ye smiled. “A fine sentiment: ‘The world is vast, the four seas are home.'”

The girl cupped her hands to Yu Jingqiu and Lang Ye, saying, “I owe this sister and that young man my life. Although great kindness goes beyond words, I cannot leave a debt unpaid. I only wonder how I can repay you.”

Lang Ye said, “Since you call the four seas home, everyone within them is a friend or brother. To speak of debt and repayment would be to treat us like strangers.”

The girl couldn’t help but look at Lang Ye twice.

Yu Jingqiu said, “When traveling the martial world, one always encounters difficulties. You needn’t take these matters to heart, miss.”

“Fine.” The girl answered very straightforwardly, grinning to reveal pearly white teeth.

Yu Jingqiu liked her directness and asked, “I see you’re preparing to leave. Where are you headed?”

“I’m going to settle the score with those bandits from yesterday. I know they have another hideout.”

Yu Jingqiu said with regret, “It seems our paths diverge.”

Though Lang Ye was worried for her, he thought of her as a child of the martial world who surely had her own survival methods. Furthermore, they had an urgent mission and couldn’t help her, so he said nothing more than: “Take care, miss.”

The groups parted at a fork in the road. Not long after Yu Jingqiu and her companions left, they heard someone calling out from behind.

“Hey, friends and brothers ahead!”

Turning around, they saw it was the girl.

She said, “Since we’re friends and brothers, can you help me with one more thing? Lend me some silver.”

Lang Ye was slightly stunned. Snapping out of it, he had already taken off his coin purse and tossed it over with a smile. “Naturally.”

After catching the silver, the girl waved to him in thanks and departed with a free-spirited air.

Lang Ye watched her for a moment, feeling a sense of emotion. A chance encounter, with no guarantee of meeting again.

The group left the inn and continued along the road without rest until the sun hung low in the west and a village came into view.

The village was thriving, with many martial artists passing through. After passing the archway at the village entrance, they saw a wine banner fluttering from a pole ahead. After a day of trekking, the sight of the banner made them feel even more parched.

The four stopped. One senior disciple said, “You three go in and rest. Order some food and wine; I’ll be back as soon as I’ve arranged for the horses.”

The three agreed and entered the tavern.

The disciple left the tavern and walked straight to a stable at the eastern end. A man looking like an accountant sat at a desk keeping records, while two men were drawing water by a well.

The disciple walked forward and sat across from the accountant. Seeing the man was older, he said, “Brother, I am from the Qian Yuan Sect. We lost our horses on the road and wish to borrow a few fast steeds from you. Silver is no issue; we only ask for the convenience.”

The two men drawing water paused. They suddenly turned their heads to look at him. The accountant also looked up, squinting at him. “From the Qian Yuan Sect? How many horses do you need?”

“Four…”

Before he could finish, the disciple felt a sudden chill down his back. He lunged to the side just as a tiger-head copper mace smashed into the spot where he had been sitting.