Chapter 10: The Abandoned Monastery

Leaving the church, Qin Yu planned to head to the next area.

“What is it, servant?”

Seeing Qin Yu come to a sudden halt, Yin Feixue asked, her gaze sweeping in the direction he was looking.

“What’s so interesting about those flowers?”

In the direction Qin Yu was staring, a cluster of pale purple flowers swayed in the breeze.

“Were those there… just now, when we arrived?”

The question gave Yin Feixue pause; she really hadn’t noticed.

“…”

Qin Yu looked at the flowers, feeling something was off, but he didn’t voice his concerns; instead, he turned and led Yin Feixue away.

“Leaving just like that? Servant, is there something strange about those flowers?”

Yin Feixue had grown to trust Qin Yu; though he was odd, he seemed to possess genuine knowledge.

“No, maybe I just imagined it…”

“Is that so?”

But looking at Qin Yu’s expression, it didn’t seem like he had just imagined it.

Once Qin Yu and Yin Feixue left the area, the cluster of pale purple flowers vanished as well.

“Just now…”

Having walked for a while, Qin Yu spoke again; he had been silent until now.

“Just now?”

Yin Feixue didn’t know what he was about to say.

“Those flowers just now reminded me of someone…”

“Who? An old flame of yours?”

Qin Yu’s face twitched; if he had an “old flame,” it would only be Yin Feixue.

“Of course not. It’s my master’s rival…”

“Your master…”

Yin Feixue seemed to remember something. “That’s right! You still haven’t told me about your master!”

Only now did she recall the bet from earlier; she was supposed to be told after fulfilling the deal, but she had forgotten, and Qin Yu hadn’t brought it up.

“Yes, yes. I’ll tell you now…”

Qin Yu sighed helplessly; despite Yin Feixue’s imposing majesty when serious, she was actually a bit of a space cadet.

“My master is one of the Four Sword Saints, the Dark Night Sword Saint…”

Normally, anyone hearing that title would be shocked: “What? Your master is the Dark Night Sword Saint?!!!”

However, Yin Feixue’s reaction was simply: “Oh…”

“Sigh… I knew it…”

She had been the same way in his previous life, showing no reaction to the title; Qin Yu hadn’t held out much hope and continued his story.

“And those flowers just now reminded me of my master’s rival, who is also one of the Four Sword Saints—the Flower Shadow Sword Saint. I suspect she’s following us…”

Yin Feixue merely nodded, putting on an “I see” expression.

“Friendly reminder: the Flower Shadow Sword Saint’s strength is near Tier 9. If it really is her, we’re both dead!”

This finally made Yin Feixue a bit nervous.

“Near Tier 9? Then why is she following us?”

“I’m not sure. Perhaps it’s because I used the sword techniques my master taught me?”

It was a strong possibility; the Dark Night Sword Saint hadn’t taken any disciples yet, so if the Flower Shadow Sword Saint saw someone using his techniques, she would certainly be curious.

In his previous life, it was pure luck that the Dark Night Sword Saint took him in; after Yin Feixue left, Qin Yu had searched everywhere for a master to become stronger.

Then he happened upon the Dark Night Sword Saint; normally, someone of Qin Yu’s level wouldn’t even be qualified to speak with him, but the Sword Saint had initiated the conversation.

Qin Yu told him his troubles, and the Saint agreed to teach him.

One could say that during the time Yin Feixue was gone, the person closest to Qin Yu was his master, the Dark Night Sword Saint.

Only later did Qin Yu learn from others that the Dark Night Sword Saint was a loner who never took disciples, which meant his luck had been truly extraordinary.

“So it’s your fault then, servant?”

Yin Feixue pinned the blame directly on him, and Qin Yu couldn’t easily deflect it.

“Fine, it’s my fault. But even if I’m 99% responsible, don’t you have even 1% of the blame, Xiao Xue?”

To counter her, Qin Yu resorted to sophistry.

“If you hadn’t just stood there watching and helped me deal with those Blood Priests, I wouldn’t have had to expose my sword skills…”

“…”

Qin Yu’s righteous indignation left Yin Feixue stunned for a moment.

‘It seems… he has a point…’

“Fine, servant. I forgive you. If it really is that Sword Saint you mentioned, we’ll just run.”

Her answer warmed Qin Yu’s heart; as expected, she was just stubborn, but she was soft-hearted deep down.

However, trying to escape from a near-Tier 9 Flower Shadow Sword Saint was essentially a pipe dream.

Qin Yu set the matter aside for the moment; regardless of whether it was the Sword Saint or not, his plan had to proceed, so they headed to their next destination: the Abandoned Monastery.

Upon reaching their destination, the surroundings were a mess; though there were signs of cleaning, they would soon be disarrayed again.

The Holy See had once intended to establish a foothold in the Blood Soul Realm as a staging ground; the monastery was a place to house the realm’s stray children, aiming to raise them as new members of the Church.

It was a noble idea, but reality was harsh; as seen before, even a young dispatched bishop like Lanava couldn’t escape a tragic fate, let alone the children sheltered here.

“This place is abandoned. Servant, what do you want to do here?”

“Look for someone, of course.”

Qin Yu replied without hesitation.

“Look for someone?” Yin Feixue sensed the interior. “There are indeed some human presences inside.”

“Then we’re in the right place. Let’s head in. Once inside, don’t act recklessly.”

Qin Yu walked in front, and Yin Feixue quickly followed, stepping up the stairs and through the doors of the abandoned monastery.

Yin Feixue sensed that those human presences seemed to be deliberately hiding from them.

“We don’t look like bad people, do we?”

Qin Yu raised his voice slightly; he sounded like he was asking Yin Feixue, but he was actually speaking for those hiding in the shadows to hear.

“I don’t, but you do, dressed like that.”

Yin Feixue’s roast was spot on; wearing the dark-red cloak made Qin Yu look very much like a professional assassin.

Suddenly, a black shadow darted out from behind them, approaching with extreme speed.

Clang!

Qin Yu drew [Blood Thorn] ahead of time and blocked the sudden attack; Yin Feixue didn’t move because Qin Yu had told her not to act recklessly, but she would have intervened if he couldn’t hold his own.

The shadow hadn’t expected Qin Yu to react so quickly; she had observed them and concluded that the man was weaker than the girl, and felt confident in a one-hit kill. She had targeted him accordingly, only to be met with an unexpected result.

“Roughly a Tier 2 Beastman. It seems you’re the ‘big sister’ responsible for protecting the children here…”

Although she was only a girl of about fifteen, a Beastman’s strength was still far superior to Qin Yu’s.

Currently, Qin Yu was merely a Tier 0 player without a character template, relying on the buffs from his high-quality gear to force an engagement.

It took both hands for Qin Yu to finally push the Beastman girl back.

Seeing the hostility, Yin Feixue prepared to kill the girl, but Qin Yu moved to stop her.

“Wait, Xiao Xue. She’s not an enemy…”

Meanwhile, the children hiding in the dark began to poke their heads out, worrying for their protective big sister.