Chapter 37: Only Flesh and Blood Make a Human

"Master, didn't you say that once the intent to kill arises, one must cut the weeds and dig up the roots?"

"He is nothing but a madman; there is no need for such measures."

"But he is a madman who knows that the troublesome woman is in our hands."

"He doesn't even know who he is anymore. Whether he lives or dies makes no difference."

Yang Le’s sword was fast, and Li Qi’er’s handling of the troublesome woman was equally swift. Shortly after the completely deranged Ye Yun had departed, Li Qi’er emerged from the room, her hands stained with blood-soaked strips of cloth. After tossing them aside, she glanced toward Ye Yun’s retreating, frantic figure, a flicker of killing intent flashing in her eyes. However, the moment she sensed Yang Le turning around, she quickly suppressed it.

"A token? A Dharma-Propagator?"

"Blood-Rage Pill and broken silver? What a pauper."

Yang Le paid no mind to the departed Ye Yun, focusing instead on looting the corpse of Lin Cangbei. He unearthed a token, a Blood-Rage Pill, and some scattered silver fragments. The token bore the mark of the Linghua Pavilion on the back, while the front was boldly inscribed with the characters "Dharma-Propagator." The pill was useless to Yang Le, and the silver fragments were of little value. But this token in his hand... it piqued his curiosity.

"Item Analysis."

Without hesitation, Yang Le activated his ability. A prompt appeared before his eyes:

*Linghua Pavilion Identity Token: An identity-verifying token. No other functions.*

Seeing the explanation, Yang Le understood immediately that the token was nothing more than trash.

"A dark, windy night for killing; a deep bamboo grove for burial."

Yang Le tossed the token aside and turned his gaze to Lin Cangbei’s corpse. "Wait for me here. I’m going to dispose of this garbage."

"Do you need my help, Master?"

"No need. Keep an eye on Xu Ruyan; that troublemaker is about to wake up."

After instructing Li Qi’er, Yang Le sheathed his sword and dragged the cold, lifeless body of Lin Cangbei toward the depths of the bamboo grove. As for the useless trinkets left behind, Yang Le could not care less. Since the man was nothing more than a human disgrace who had been hunting Xu Ruyan, it was only natural that he carried nothing of worth.

Meanwhile, Li Qi’er watched her master walk toward the bamboo grove, her eyes shifting. A moment later, her figure vanished.

"I have to see for myself if you are truly mad or just feigning it."

A faint crimson glint appeared in Li Qi’er’s eyes as she pursued Ye Yun, who had already disappeared beyond the bamboo grove.

"Lady Yun, I am a failure..."

"Who is Lady Yun?"

"Lady Yun is just Lady Yun..."

"Then who are you?"

"That’s right... who am I?"

Ye Yun looked bewildered by the sudden question. He seemed to be on the verge of remembering something, but in the next second, a piercing, splitting headache erupted in his mind. Without hesitation, his eyes clouded with chaos. "That’s right, who am I?"

"Seems he really is mad. Fine, Master said not to kill you, so I’ll spare your life."

The person questioning Ye Yun was none other than Li Qi’er. Seeing his deranged state and his inability to even recall his own name, she sheathed her dagger. A moment later, she vanished without a trace, leaving the completely insane Ye Yun standing blankly in a remote, deserted alleyway of Linqing City.

Initially, Li Qi’er had indeed intended to cut the weeds and dig up the roots, but after observing his madness up close, she felt her worries were misplaced. A wretch with a shattered dantian and a broken mind was not worth the effort of killing.

"The troublesome woman needs blood-nourishing medicine. I'll buy it before heading back."

Glancing at the vacant-eyed Ye Yun, Li Qi’er turned and left. Ye Yun was no longer a threat, but the "big trouble" back at the courtyard, Xu Ruyan, remained.

"Troublesome woman, hmph!"

She scoffed, feeling a sense of deep annoyance. Yet, remembering her master’s orders, she headed straight to the apothecary. Troublesome as Xu Ruyan was, she still had her uses. While her specific status within the Linghua Pavilion was unclear, her authority to select personnel indicated she held some power within the Cizhou branch. Moreover, the Pavilion possessed many items beneficial to human martial cultivators. Saving her would not only secure the inheritance of the Sword Sovereign Token for her master, but likely other benefits as well.

...

"Who am I..."

"Who exactly am I..."

"Lady Yun, do you mean I am a righteous swordsman of the Great Qian?"

"Very well, I shall be a nameless swordsman walking the lands of the Great Qian!"

As for Ye Yun, muttering to himself, he rose and vanished into the depths of the alleyway. In his severely wounded dantian, the sword intent that had been flickering like a dying candle... seemed, perhaps by some trick of the light, to have grown slightly stronger.

...

"Master, saving that troublesome woman cost three hundred silver, and the blood-nourishing herbs I brought from Cangzhou are almost gone."

"Very well, I understand."

"Master doesn't seem to care about the cost?"

After Yang Le buried the body and Li Qi’er bought the medicine, they met back at the courtyard without asking what the other had done. Li Qi’er reported the expenses incurred to save Xu Ruyan, to which Yang Le merely nodded. Seeing his indifference, Li Qi’er couldn't help but ask.

"It’s not that I don’t care. Just keep a record of how much was spent. When she wakes up, I’ll make her pay it back." Yang Le shook his head. "I can’t exactly ask a dead person for money, can I?"

"Haha, Master is just as stingy as I thought."

Watching Yang Le state his reasoning so solemnly, Li Qi’er couldn't help but chuckle. He was a master of the sword, yet he remained so calculating over such trivial matters. It was unexpected, but upon reflection, it made perfect sense. If her master were some ethereal, detached sage, she might not have liked him at all. Flesh and blood—that is what makes a human.

"Now, the problem is that Xu Ruyan is marked with Soul-Guiding Incense. We must cleanse that aura."

Seeing Xu Ruyan’s breathing stabilize, Yang Le calmly posed the next issue. If the incense were not dealt with, the trouble she had brought upon them... would not end so easily.