Chapter 20: Those Who Harm You Will Pay the Price

Clearly, with his low cultivation, Meng Yingxing couldn’t outrun two enemies whose strength matched or far surpassed his own.
In just two or three breaths, the pursuers overtook him, each wielding a dagger with malicious intent, blocking his path.

The weaker one was a fat man, while the stronger one was a thin man.
One wide, one narrow, they sealed off Meng Yingxing’s escape, blotting out the faint light at the alley’s mouth.

“Little brother, our boss is very interested in that Verdant Crystal you’re holding.
Hand it over, and we might let you go.”
The thin man, seemingly the leader, twirled his dagger and spread his arms, feigning generosity as he spoke to Meng Yingxing.

Meng Yingxing stared at him nervously, seeming to hesitate.

“Foolish disciple, foolish disciple!”
Xiu Qingcheng couldn’t believe Meng Yingxing was swayed by the thin man’s cunning words.
She hurriedly scolded him, “Don’t believe him! You really think he’ll let you walk away?
If you hand over the Verdant Crystal, neither you nor it will leave this alley!”

Growing up on the mountain, Meng Yingxing had been manipulated by the sect, and he lacked life experience.
As his master, she had to teach him well!
A master for a day is a father for life!

“No matter what, get ready to fight!”
Xiu Qingcheng urged Meng Yingxing.

She didn’t need to say much—Meng Yingxing’s hand was already on the hilt of the Ting Tian Sword.

Taking a deep breath, Meng Yingxing bluffed, “You two, I’m a disciple of the Tianfeng Sect.
If you let me go now, I can forget this ever happened.
But if you insist on harming me, you’d better weigh whether you can escape our sect’s pursuit!”

Xiu Qingcheng hadn’t expected Meng Yingxing to have some wits, using the Tianfeng Sect’s name to bluff.
His words were half-true, half-false.
But half-truths are often the most convincing.

As expected, the moment the Tianfeng Sect was mentioned, both villains hesitated.
They exchanged glances, weighing whether to act.

But these two weren’t entirely brainless.
After a moment’s pause, they saw through Meng Yingxing’s bluff.

“Stop trying to scare us! Tianfeng Sect disciples wear their sect uniforms—you’re not!”
“Even if you are from the Tianfeng Sect, as long as we handle this cleanly, no one will know what happened here today!”

A cold glint flashed in the thin man’s eyes as he lunged at Meng Yingxing with his dagger.
He must have practiced some movement technique—his speed was astonishing, darting through the alley’s shadows like a specter.

“Left!”
Xiu Qingcheng saw through the thin man’s move first, urgently warning Meng Yingxing.

Meng Yingxing was ready.
The Ting Tian Sword flashed out of its sheath, its blade gleaming coldly.
Just as the thin man’s dagger neared his throat, Meng Yingxing deflected it to the side.

The blades clashed, sparking brilliantly in the dim light.

The thin man wasn’t just fast—his strength was formidable.
The brief collision left Meng Yingxing’s hand numb.

Xiu Qingcheng could feel Meng Yingxing’s body trembling.
For someone with little combat experience, this life-or-death moment was so nerve-wracking he might want to vomit!

“Tch!”

Meng Yingxing gritted his teeth, steadying his shaking body.
He swung the Ting Tian Sword three times in succession, blocking the thin man’s attacks.
But the thin man was too fast.
Seeing his three strikes parried, he swiftly kicked Meng Yingxing square in the chest.

Caught off guard, Meng Yingxing took the full force of the kick, flying back several feet and crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Get up! The next attack is coming!”
Xiu Qingcheng was more anxious than anyone.
Meng Yingxing was no match for them, and even if she acted, she couldn’t fully protect him unless she could take over his body like before.

But no matter how she tried, she couldn’t enter Meng Yingxing’s body again.

Meng Yingxing wiped the blood trickling from his mouth, rolling to his feet.
The next moment, a massive hammer smashed down from above, shattering the ground where he’d just been, sending bricks and debris flying.

The weaker fat man had finally made his move, gripping a heavy hammer with a ferocious expression as he charged at Meng Yingxing.

Meng Yingxing’s movements were slowing.
Xiu Qingcheng took matters into her own hands, guiding his arm to block the fat man’s hammer strikes with two loud clangs.

“So numb, so numb, so numb!”
Taking those blows with her sword body, Xiu Qingcheng felt like a bell being struck in a temple, her entire being vibrating.

“Get lost!”
Xiu Qingcheng roared, guiding Meng Yingxing to unleash the Four Cloud Swords technique.
Sword intent surged, and the blade’s light scattered like flowing silk, forcing the fat man to retreat step by step.

Dealing with the thin man was tough, but against this fat man… they at least had a fighting chance.

But soon, the thin man and the fat man began coordinating.
Meng Yingxing, running out of stamina, couldn’t keep up even with Xiu Qingcheng’s help.

Before long, as Meng Yingxing blocked the fat man’s hammer with the Ting Tian Sword, his strength gave out.
The sword flew from his hand, embedding itself in a wall several meters away.

“Stupid kid!”

Xiu Qingcheng was frantic, shaking her blade to free herself from the wall.
Her gaze stayed fixed on Meng Yingxing, watching him struggle to dodge the two men’s attacks, blood seeping from his growing wounds.

She’d seen the bullying Meng Yingxing endured days ago, the dejection from his weak strength, the unwillingness in his heart.

Just days ago, she’d vowed to protect him, to keep him from being bullied again.
Yet now, due to her oversight, Meng Yingxing was teetering on the edge of life and death.

And she was powerless—

Because without Meng Yingxing, she was just a sword.

“Meng Yingxing!”

As Xiu Qingcheng shouted, a hand suddenly grasped the Ting Tian Sword’s hilt.

Xiu Qingcheng fell silent, looking up along the hand to see a slender beauty with delicate blue scales on her neck, dressed plainly.

“Those scales… a merfolk?”
Xiu Qingcheng was stunned.
Like others, the merfolk woman couldn’t hear her voice.
She curiously pulled the Ting Tian Sword from the wall.

“Why’s a sword stuck here?”
The merfolk woman glanced around, then noticed the brutal fight nearby.

Fear flashed in her eyes, and she quickly covered her mouth, preparing to slip away quietly.

But as she raised her hand, her palm accidentally grazed the Ting Tian Sword’s blade, slicing open a thin wound.

Blood flowed instantly, her faintly blue-tinged blood staining the sword’s blade.

Xiu Qingcheng felt it.

It was a sensation like that night with Meng Yingxing, yet different.
If she and Meng Yingxing were mutually connected, with this merfolk woman, it was a one-sided invasion from Xiu Qingcheng’s side.

Xiu Qingcheng was overjoyed.

Red vein-like patterns began to emerge on the Ting Tian Sword’s blade, spreading from the tip up the merfolk woman’s arm.

The merfolk woman’s eyes, which had just closed, snapped open.
Her once-dark pupils now gleamed with a blood-red hue.

“Sorry, merfolk lady. I’m borrowing your body!”

Xiu Qingcheng stood with the sword, charging like lightning toward the struggling Meng Yingxing!

Driven by a fierce will to survive, Meng Yingxing rolled across the ground, dodging the fat and thin men’s relentless attacks.

His body was exhausted, sustained only by sheer determination to stay alive.

“Damn it! Why’s he so good at dodging?! Are you a loach or what?!”
The thin man, losing patience, roared in fury and kicked Meng Yingxing against the wall behind him.
Raising his dagger, he lunged at the now-trapped Meng Yingxing.

The dagger, stained with countless lives, loomed large in Meng Yingxing’s eyes.

His life flashed before him.

It had always been like this—bullied in the Tianfeng Sect for his status, his weakness, beaten to the ground.

But he never cried, never shouted, and never… expected anyone to help him.

The dagger was inches away.

At that moment, a familiar voice rang in his mind.

“Stay away… from my disciple!!!”

Xiu Qingcheng’s voice was icy, but colder still was the sword shadow that erupted in an instant.

Meng Yingxing saw the thin man and the fat man fly backward, blood spraying, as if struck by an unstoppable force.

A slender figure stood before him, shielding him from all chaos.

Xiu Qingcheng, with the Ting Tian Sword pointed diagonally, stood protectively in front of Meng Yingxing, glancing back at him.

“I know you’re dying to know what’s happening, but hold off for now.
Simply put, I’ve temporarily taken over a merfolk’s body…
Never mind, we’ll talk later.”

Seeing Meng Yingxing’s bloodied face, Xiu Qingcheng suddenly knew what she’d wanted to say when she saw his dejected expression before descending the mountain.

“Little disciple, let the past stay in the past.
Your master won’t just protect you or keep you from being looked down on.
I’ll make sure everyone who dares to bully or harm you…”

“…pays the price!”

Meng Yingxing’s eyes widened—

That sword, cutting through the wind and snow, cleared all the storms that lay ahead of him.