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墨書 Inktalez
Cui Ming prepared to move forward and said, "Hey, turn back. This path is a dead end."
Feng sheathed his Katana and asked, "How do you know?" (Is the Katana a sword or a knife? If it's a knife, why is it referred to as swordsmanship, sword art, or sword master?)
"Because of the traces," Cui Ming pointed to the ground and explained, "There are many rocks at the mountain top. After being exposed to wind and rain, they get blown around and scatter into small pieces, like dust. Looking at this path, the dust in the center and on both sides is exactly the same, indicating that this road hasn't been traveled for a long time. On paths that have been used, especially by merchant caravans carrying heavy loads, they tend to stick to the middle because some parts of the Gorge are quite narrow. As long as we find a path where the dust differs from the sides, that's our way out of the Grand Canyon."
Feng admired, "Not bad, not bad. I didn't ask for your expertise."
"Cui Ming," he replied.
"Nice to meet you," Feng nodded.
Mi Xiaonan finally couldn't hold back and asked, "Cui Ming..."
"He shouldn't be a Murderer," Cui Ming answered.
"Why?" Feng and Mi Xiaonan asked in unison.
"Simple. Why would he kill his master? Was his freedom restricted? Was he beaten? No. The motive would be to steal that treasured Demon Blade Muramasa. Where's the weapon? Looking at Feng's Wind Sword Technique, its stealth isn't strong. For instance, if he approached his master from behind and used Wind Sword Technique to kill him, it would be better to just stab him with a dagger directly. Wind Sword Technique is a combat skill, not an assassination technique; it's a powerful means of attack in combat that allows for sudden changes during offense and defense transitions. The defensive stance is prepared for an offensive move." Cui Ming asked, "Am I right?"
Feng nodded slightly. "Yes, entangle, trap the enemy, and kill them. How did you figure it out?"
"Because you didn't run, which means you know you can't outrun Mi Xiaonan. You're not a speed type, and without stealth or assassin abilities, the Wind Sword Technique wouldn't be an assassin's swordsmanship," Cui Ming replied. "So I personally suspect that if you were to plot against your master, you wouldn't use the Wind Sword Technique. If you did, your master would certainly have time and opportunity to resist. Secondly, where is the Demon Blade Muramasa? You went through so much trouble to obtain the Demon Blade, yet you neither cultivated it nor carried it with you? So I suspect you're using the Transformational System to turn a physical weapon into an illusion or absorbing the demon energy from the Demon Blade to enhance your Katana."
Cui Ming continued, "Of course, there are many possibilities; perhaps you killed him. Regardless, it's a fact that you killed your junior brother. It also proves that you didn't have many escape methods, which is why your junior brother caught up with you. I'm curious as to why you killed him."
"We were dueling." Feng closed his eyes, recalling the situation at that time when his junior brother drew his sword and challenged him to a duel. It was akin to a knight's duel, throwing a glove in someone's face. In a life-and-death battle between warriors, it seemed there was no need for a reason to kill one's master. Feng remembered his junior brother saying that he wanted to see the Wind Sword Technique and would know if he was the one who killed their master; he urged Feng to use all his strength. Unlike fighting others, dueling with his junior brother was about one strike—building up energy, preparing, looking for flaws—and then both would clash and pass by each other. Feng used the edge of his blade to block his junior brother's fatal strike while his junior brother's hilt only blocked the blade but not Feng himself. His junior brother had said just before that he wasn't a Murderer because he didn't kill with a sword but with wind; Murderers used swords. Outsiders might find it hard to understand, but Feng understood. Wind was a state of being; true Murderers might possess the form of the Wind Sword Technique but lacked its essence.
"Let's go." Cui Ming mounted his horse, and Mi Xiaonan glanced at Feng before jumping onto her horse as well. Beiyue and Cui Ming rode side by side while Feng slowly followed behind at a considerable distance. It seemed he was wary of Cui Ming's ambush while also trying to avoid raising suspicion about his own potential ambush. Cui Ming made a remark that nearly made Beiyue burst out laughing: "Actually, his gourd is empty."
Beiyue couldn't help but look back at Feng, who was coolly drinking wine. He had clearly heard Cui Ming's words and stood there awkwardly for a moment before taking another sip of air and casually hanging the wine gourd back on his waist. He had another purpose for keeping his distance: whether he could get some wine from the Bandit's corpse... Let's not mention it, okay? This person is so annoying.
As they trotted along on horseback, Feng really turned back to grab some wine; since he had already been seen through, he might as well throw caution to the wind—the wine was more important. Mi Xiaonan stood at the front of her horse watching him and asked, "Cui Ming, are you sure he's not a Murderer?"
"Mi Xiaonan, I'm not sure; I'm half speculating and half talking nonsense," Cui Ming replied. "There are two possibilities: first, he is a Murderer—a villain—and in this situation where it's three against one, he would focus on you and me; we would face certain danger together. The second possibility is that he's not a Murderer and was forced into fighting us; in that case, we wouldn't be in danger—he wouldn't act ruthlessly because he's not a bad person—so he must feel guilty about killing his junior brother. Maybe he'll even show some swordsmanship... Well, all of this is speculation. I just saw him come down like a gale with one strike capable of taking nine lives; I know he's harder to deal with than you think."
Beiyue asked, "And then?"
"Then whether or not he's a Murderer doesn't matter as long as Mi Xiaonan believes he is," Cui Ming said. "He's alone and seems to be heading toward West Lake City; there's someone there who knows you, Mi Xiaonan. When we get there, just make a call—given his escape level, I think four against one shouldn't be too much trouble. West Lake City can be seen as an isolated city; west leads to Twilight City and east crosses the Gorge to Double Bridge City—if someone wants to pursue him, he won't be able to escape. Mi Xiaonan, it's up to you: when we reach West Lake City, will you call your brothers to take turns dealing with him or let him go?"
Mi Xiaonan replied, "Actually, the friend I'm visiting might be able to defeat Feng. But... that goes against the spirit of martial artists."
"Nonsense! You're just a ninja; what does being a ninja mean? In Sakura Island, ninjas are looked down upon—they assassinate enemies through poison and ambushes while also sneaking into enemy camps for intelligence theft. You as a ninja should properly identify your identity instead of trying to wield a samurai's sword—can I look down on you for that?"
Mi Xiaonan pondered for a while and sought help from Beiyue. "What he said makes so much sense; I find myself at a loss for words."
Beiyue made an understanding expression. Cui Ming's interests and stance often left Beiyue unable to refute him. Beiyue replied, "Cui Ming, you're overthinking it. I can defeat him all by myself." It was rare for Beiyue to speak this way, but her confidence allowed her to do so. In the world of cultivators, everyone has weaknesses and is difficult to perfect, yet Beiyue was someone who could restrain the Wind. After witnessing the Wind's two attacks, she had already grasped this in her heart.
Cui Ming looked at Mi Xiaonan. "Mi Xiaonan, brother, it's your call now. Just say the word, and we'll turn back and deal with him." His confidence soared; upon hearing Beiyue's assertion, Cui Ming immediately agreed to turn back. After all, right or wrong was Mi Xiaonan's concern.
Mi Xiaonan shook his head. "I also impulsively forgot something."
"What is it?"
"The Sister of the Wind once wrote to the alliance, requesting the withdrawal of the bounty on the Wind. The reason wasn't because she believed in him; rather, she intended to kill him herself."
Cui Ming suddenly understood. "No wonder a bounty target with no means of escape has been wandering around for a year or two."
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