"I seldom win in frontal battles..."

Facing the fierce Sakura Dragon Sword Wave, Qianmian chuckled softly, and with a sweep of his right hand, a barehanded sword strike unleashed a White Light Sword Wave no less powerful than the Sakura Dragon Sword Blast!

Meanwhile, having silently approached Qianmian through a ghostly shortcut, Leyu opened with a skin-tearing, bone-biting double-hand light burst!

Desolate Bite Combat Technique: Double Desolate Bite!

However, appearing before Leyu was an equally formidable double light burst!

Qianmian merely extended two fingers, and the casual light burst through his fingertips matched Leyu's energy-charged explosion in might!

"...but I also rarely lose in battles."

Leyu's eyes flashed red, his ten fingers drawing ferocious trails in the air, unleashing a blood-light dance in moments, like a pack of wolves in a savage kiss, blending splendor with enthralling violence!

Blood Drink Eight Grain Flow: Mysterious Kiss!

He is gradually integrating Qin Le Yin's heritage into his own system!

"Strange."

Qianmian parried single-handedly, swiftly outpacing Leyu, effortlessly dismantling all his offensives, even commenting mid-battle: "This brutal technique that can't be mastered without drinking copious blood and rampant killing—yet when you strike, why is there not a shred of malicious emotion?"

"Doesn't it precisely indicate that my 'mass killing' has reached such a numb and indifferent level when I strike?" Leyu's assaults were relentless, frantically pinning Qianmian down.

"It's different because you don't even have the intention to harm me, so how could you truly hurt me?" Qianmian laughed: "I only feel your joy, exhilaration, thrill, as if we're having a romp in bed... Do you know why some people master combat techniques quickly, while others do so slowly? It's because combat techniques resonate with one's emotions, for instance..."

Qianmian suddenly kicked back, his leg blade like a crescent moon, accurately dispersing Niruo's Gale Fury Slash!

"...The Sakura Dragon Sword Dance values the commitment of 'one cut, never looking back', matching Niruo perfectly."

Niruo rotated his body fluidly, executing a storm of blade to slash at Qianmian!

"How dare you claim to understand Sakura Dragon!?" His voice echoed deadly intentions amidst the sword edge!

"I've been to many places, seen countless good and evil, and heard the true essence of numerous schools." Qianmian blocked the blade storm with one hand and dismantled the blood dance with the other, declaring loudly: "Why is it that the Huiyao's eighteen combat techniques are renowned worldwide? Is there no other combat technique that can replace them? Though combat techniques wax and wane, there are always martial artists practicing the eighteen, none of them has completely fallen?"

"Many people believe that mastering combat techniques requires talent, which might be physique, insight, diligence, and so on, but actually it has nothing to do with those physical factors. Mastering combat techniques depends only on the spirit, emotions, and character!"

"The more your spirit aligns with the technique's emotions, the faster your progress, the easier to reach higher levels. Like the Sword Wielding Technique, which emphasizes 'belief', hence anyone with goals or ideals can advance rapidly in Sword Wielding Technique!"

"The Sakura Dragon Sword Dance, derived from Sword Wielding Technique, demands even more. Besides 'belief', it requires 'determination'! A determination unwavering, even unto death!"

"I remember, practicing the Sakura Dragon Sword Dance requires standing on a cliff's edge barely the size of a palm, dancing with swords all night, called 'Stealing the Heavens', Niruo, am I right?"

"Who told you that!?"

Niruo suddenly halted his light burst, delivering a plain slash toward Qianmian. Despite handling the twin violent light waves with ease, Qianmian now dodged aside without much effort.

Leyu and Niruo's eyes both shone brightly!

"Who knows, maybe it was you," Qianmian laughed: "Lord Niruo, after a certain great battle, when you were lying in the tender paradise of delightful intoxication, did you perhaps inadvertently reveal your school's secrets?"

"So, are you a man or a woman?" Leyu also dispersed his light burst, now engaging Qianmian with just fists and feet.

Qianmian casually deflected his punches and kicks, shaking his head with a smile: "Patriarch of the Qin Family, you're not so shallow, right? I heard that you have 'intimate relations' with Silver Blood President Jing, a romantic story in the ears of the Xuan Candle people. As long as something is beautiful, why care about gender?"

Grass (prepared for all-out battle)!

Has this news reached Yanjing!?

I will write to Qing Lan tonight, telling her to immediately, absolutely, promptly quash these rumors. Anyone daring to write Jing Qin fictions will be directly 404-ed, authors will face personal denial, and under no circumstances will Qin Le Yin and Zhengwei appear in the same wedding CG in future games!

"You really know quite a lot, huh?" Leyu ground his teeth, his fists and feet flying.

"You should be angry, but why do you truly have no negative emotions in your heart?" Qianmian avoided Niruo's slash, blinking: "Does that mean... it's true?"

Niruo, too, glanced at him with a curious look—he could faintly sense others' negative emotions as well.

Dammit!

It's this Ice Blood Physique of mine!

Leyu stopped speaking, focusing solely on frenzied attacks. Qianmian sighed: "It's really too strange; Qin Le Yin, a person like you without negative emotions, how could you possess such superior killing skills... Do you know why the Eight Grain Flow divided into three? Not only because the Biting, Shaking, Leaping Techniques represent three different emotions and are hard to master, but because the trinity of the true Eight Grain Flow rules 'brutality'."

"The 'ruthlessness' of the Biting Battle Technique, the 'arrogance' of the Charging Battle Technique, the 'domination' of the Shock Battle Technique — individually they're fine, but together they turn into a merciless 'brutality.' Only a butcher who has walked through mountains of corpses and seas of blood can train this Combat Technique to your level."

"Qin Le Yin, perhaps you and I are the same kind of person."

Bang! Clang!

With two explosive sounds, Qianmian borrowed the force from Leyu and Niruo, smoothly retreating backwards, grabbing a tree branch with both hands and flipping herself onto it steadily.

"There's no point in fighting any further, is there?" She laughed. "You've realized, if you use Combat Techniques against me, I'm almost invincible."

Niruo and Leyu had strange expressions; they had just exerted all their strength, yet Qianmian received it with an almost 'effortless' attitude. If Qianmian indeed possessed such power, she could have easily knocked them down, without having to just take hits without countering.

Then Niruo and Leyu stopped using Combat Techniques, simply utilizing fists, feet, and long knives to assault her, yet Qianmian still did not use any Combat Techniques, merely relying on her physical capability to contend with them.

Being seasoned martial artists, they naturally could perceive that Qianmian might possess an ability akin to 'the stronger the enemy, the stronger I am; the weaker the enemy, the weaker I am.'

With such ability, it was impossible for them to take Qianmian down in a short time.

However...

"Night has fallen now." Qianmian looked up at the night sky. "Tonight's moon seems not too bright; it might become pitch dark soon. Do you really wish to fight in such darkness?"

No.

Not just Niruo, the native, even Leyu was unwilling— in a lightless environment, martial artists are nearly reduced to mere mortals; anyone could take them down with a single shot, except for the Hidden Sword Assassin, none would desire to fight in darkness.

Yet to let Qianmian go like this, Leyu and Niruo were both unwilling. They knew that missing this great opportunity might mean never being able to capture Qianmian again.

Qianmian seemed to sense this emotion and said, "You seem a bit unwilling... Well, let's make a deal. You can ask me one question, but I can also ask you one question. Consider it as your reward for ambushing me so diligently."

"What if you lie?" Niruo asked directly.

"You can lie too," Qianmian laughed, "Either I turn around and leave, or you use this question to test me. Will you ask or not? If not, I'll go."

Niruo and Leyu exchanged glances, Niruo sheathed his long knife, "You ask, I'm not interested in playing mind games."

Leyu contemplated for a moment, looking up at Qianmian standing under the tree crown, her figure concealed in darkness. Logically, he should inquire about Qianmian's 'enemy strong, I strong' ability, but he had a different answer he wanted.

"What is your true name?"

Niruo glanced at Leyu but said nothing. Qianmian didn't seem surprised by the question, saying, "Before I answer, let me ask my question first. Qin Le Yin, do you know why my loneliness was born?"

An almost free question, with 'yes' or 'no' as the answer.

But, Qianmian's 'loneliness'?

Leyu suddenly realized — a thousand faces, witnessing all ugliness, friends and kin all gone, a life of wandering, the world vast, yet without a homeland...

"...I think I understand."

"Very good," Qianmian showed a satisfied smile, "As a reward for your honesty, I'll give you an extra piece of information — I do indeed need to help others to transform into them."

"So, in the future, take care of every person who shows you kindness. Every request for help you make could become the opportunity for me to seize your identity."

"As for my name..."

Qianmian leaped lightly backward, disappearing into the woods, her voice growing distant, "...Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand. I'm not a proper Glorious One; my name is very long, if transliterated, would sound like Naiven something, very strange. From now on, you might as well keep calling me Qianmian..."

"But I'll tell you what my name means."

"It means, never."

The lingering sound faded into silence.

Confirming that Qianmian was gone, Leyu could only accept the fact that this interim ambush ended in vain. He patted the dead leaves off his body, saying, "Let's head back."

"You go this way, I'll go that way," Niruo said, "Let's split up."

"Wh...y." Leyu began asking but stopped halfway, seeing that Niruo took a barely noticeable step back, distancing himself, as if worried about being attacked.

Leyu realized something, his face became darkened.

Seriously, Niruo, take a look at yourself, you're safe enough in the woods at night!

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