Chapter 49: The Phoenix and the Black Feather

"Is it really impossible for me to leave Bamboo Mountain?"

"No. Master told me to keep an eye on you."

"What about just stepping out of the small courtyard?"

"You can try."

A glint of ferocity flashed in Li Qi'er's eyes. "Master said if you misbehave, I can do whatever I want."

"Damn it..."

Snapping out of her shock, Xu Ruyan instantly put some distance between herself and Li Qi'er, intending to head straight down the mountain to check on Yang Le's situation.

However, Li Qi'er was much faster than her. No matter how she twisted, turned, and repeatedly changed her position, that sharp dagger remained right in front of Xu Ruyan. Moreover, an ominous aura, half-hidden and half-revealed, never dissipated.

More importantly, she still hadn't been able to walk out of this small courtyard.

Even without resorting to her trump cards, she might not be a match for this ten-grade quasi-martial cultivator in front of her—a young girl.

At this point, Xu Ruyan suddenly understood something.

Yang Le was the master, and Li Qi'er was the disciple. One was a sixth-grade, and the other a tenth-grade. Though their martial arts cultivation appeared low, it did not mean their strength was weak.

Both were bizarre.

And whether it was her imagination or not, Xu Ruyan even felt that the Li Qi'er before her was by no means much weaker than Yang Le.

"In that case, I can only return to my room."

Seeing that she could not get out, Xu Ruyan stopped trying. Giving a helpless glance toward the outside of the mountain, she returned to the room Yang Le had previously arranged for her.

"How boring. I thought she was actually going to make a move..."

Seeing that Xu Ruyan was no longer forcing her way out of the courtyard, Li Qi'er put down the dagger in her hand, and then... a trace of disappointment appeared on her fair and tender face.

Originally, Li Qi'er had expected Xu Ruyan to persist a little longer, allowing her to make a move quite naturally. But who would have thought... she actually chickened out.

Under such circumstances, Li Qi'er could only put away her dagger with a bored expression.

"Master said Xu Ruyan can't go down the mountain, but he didn't say I can't go down the mountain, so..."

Seeming to have thought of something on the spur of the moment, Li Qi'er, who had just looked utterly bored, instantly grew excited.

Dropping a talisman at the courtyard gate, Li Qi'er's figure vanished in an instant.

"My master won't actually use a broom to beat me just because I didn't wash the dishes, right?"

"Whatever, if he really hits me, so be it! I, Li Qi'er, can take a beating from a broom!"

In a flash, Li Qi'er gritted her teeth and made up her mind, then hurried directly in the direction where Yang Le had gone.

"She's gone?"

"As expected, I still can't get out. What a bizarre magical treasure! Human talismans—such secret arts must have lost their lineage for a hundred years. Why would they appear here?"

"In that case, I can only wait here."

Seeing that Li Qi'er had disappeared, Xu Ruyan also wanted to go out. But after being blocked by a golden light shining over the little wicker gate, Xu Ruyan turned back.

She knew that even with no one in this courtyard, she could not leave.

Instantly, Xu Ruyan dismissed the idea she had initially entertained. Yang Le's affairs were no longer important; she had her own matters to attend to.

...

"You came out? Yang Le, how do you want to die?"

"Such delicate skin and flesh. If you hadn't offended the Xue family, accompanying me for a night would be sheer bliss."

Just as Yang Le stepped out of Bamboo Mountain, two figures appeared before him. Even before Yang Le could speak, the two men spoke first, locking their gaze on Yang Le like hunters eyeing their prey. One of them even had a playful look mixed in his eyes.

"More ghostly figures. The trouble I've attracted lately always seems to bring out such strange people."

While the two men were sizing Yang Le up, Yang Le was actually sizing them up as well. "Forget it, I'll figure out their backgrounds and just kill them."

One of them had a fair complexion, a slender figure, and wore a white gauze dress, beneath which his snow-white skin was faintly visible. His whole body exuded a fragrance of sweet osmanthus, and an almost palpable wave of allure rushed toward Yang Le. The steel whip in his hand was bristling with razor-sharp iron pear-flower spikes, flashing with fierce glints under the moonlight.

If it were a woman, Yang Le would have found it normal. He didn't have the spare time to care what other people wore. But after a closer look, Yang Le realized that this alluring person was actually a man.

Instantly, regardless of what this person's purpose was here, Yang Le's intent to kill was aroused.

The reason was very simple: Yang Le was disgusted by this dead transvestite.

As for the other man, he had a pale complexion, giving Yang Le the impression of a hollowed-out, sickly young master, with massive dark circles almost taking up his entire under-eye bags. His weapon was also a steel whip.

Well, seeing this, Yang Le also sentenced this sickly young master to death. The reason was the same: he had disgusted Yang Le as well.

"People from the Xue family?"

As Yang Le paced forward holding his sword, his calm words came out, and his grip on the sword tightened further.

"The Xue family? The Xue family is merely an employer. The two of us are simply star-crossed lovers drifting to the ends of the earth."

"We take money to do a job. What needs to be done tonight is very simple: we'll borrow your head."

White Phoenix and Black Feather, dual peak fifth-grade martial cultivators. Separated, their martial arts cultivation was mediocre, inferior even to normal fifth-grade cultivators. But if they joined forces... they could kill a fourth-grade.

And tonight, their reason for coming to the foot of Bamboo Mountain was very simple: to kill Yang Le in exchange for the bounty offered by the Xue family—a portion of heart's blood.

To be able to employ the two of them, ordinary gold and silver would not suffice, and heart's blood was one of the few secret treasures that could move them. It could enhance their tacit understanding and proficiency in their joint cultivation techniques.

Under such circumstances, they decided to re-enter the pugilistic world, and after killing Yang Le, they would retire from the martial arts world of the Great Qian Dynasty.

People in the pugilistic world had bestowed upon White Phoenix and Black Feather the title of the "Star-Crossed Lovers." In truth, as far as the two of them were concerned, the word "doomed" was entirely unnecessary; only "lovers" remained.

"Black Feather, do you regret it? Before following me, you could have roamed freely through the brothels, with countless respectable women at your disposal."

"In terms of status, you are higher than me. The one who should regret it is you."

"I, White Phoenix, never regret. The one who should regret is White Qi, but the second the name White Phoenix appeared, White Qi was already dead."

After White Phoenix and Black Feather exchanged a glance, a smile flickered across White Phoenix's alluring face. As for Black Feather... he remained silent.

"Kill him."

"Afterwards, we'll be lovers."

In an instant, the two people before Yang Le made their move without warning. Black Feather's figure vanished like a ghost, while White Phoenix completely unfurled the coiled steel whip in his hand. Waving it through the air, it produced a roar like thunder.

Killing intent... instantly permeated the entire bamboo forest.

"Lovers?"

Yang Le smiled, then raised his sword. "Just a pair of wild ducks..."