Chapter 192: Cleaning Up

As he finished speaking, Wang Deqiu hooked his right heel, lifting a single-edged saber from the ground directly into his hand. Holding the saber, he charged resolutely towards Li Huowang.

"Clang! Clang!" Sword and saber clashed, producing a continuous series of crisp sounds. A strange force continuously surged from the Right Family's sword in Li Huowang's hand, flowing through his entire body. This allowed him to overwhelm Wang Deqiu, yet the opponent's nearly suicidal fighting style proved to be somewhat troublesome for Li Huowang.

Then, with a sudden "clang," the sounds abruptly ceased as a blade spun and fell to the ground; the opponent's saber had broken. Li Huowang had intended to hold back and capture the opponent for questioning, but the sword in his hand caused his blood and energy to surge uncontrollably, preventing him from stopping.

As Wang Deqiu thrust his broken saber into Li Huowang's abdomen, Li Huowang's sword simultaneously plunged into the opponent's chest.

"Who exactly are you!" Li Huowang asked, gritting his teeth and glaring at the man before him.

Faced with death, Wang Deqiu appeared utterly indifferent. He tried to spit on Li Huowang's face, but the blood-stained saliva could only weakly dribble down his chin. He roared with almost all his strength, "You beast from the Right Family, don't even dream of touching Hou Shu! As long as we are here, Hou Shu will not yield an inch!"

"How many times do I have to say it!" Li Huowang yelled. "I'm not from the Siqi Right Family! This sword was given to me by someone else!"

Wang Deqiu could no longer hear these words. As hot blood continuously gushed from his chest, his body weakened, and he slowly collapsed to the ground.

Panting, Li Huowang gritted his teeth and reached down to pull the broken saber from his abdomen. He then pressed his hand against the wound. Li Huowang glanced at Wang Deqiu's corpse again, muttered a curse, and turned to help the others.

The entire stronghold was in chaos. With their leader dead, the remaining ruffians clearly wouldn't last long. Faced with Li Huowang and his companions, they steadily retreated, frantically falling back deeper into the cave.

Just as Li Huowang and his companions were about to completely wipe out the last group, a section of the cave unexpectedly collapsed with a rumble, forming a stone wall between the two sides.

"Clang, clang, clang!" Gao Zhijian vigorously struck the stone with the iron rod in his hand, continuously striking sparks.

"Alright, stop hitting it," Li Huowang said. "It's clear this was prepared in advance, and the path is completely sealed."

After hearing Li Huowang's words, Gao Zhijian awkwardly lowered his hand.

With a "clang," as the sword slid into its sheath, Li Huowang felt his mind clear. After slowly exhaling, he vigorously shook his head. He then turned, looking at the scattered corpses inside the Juyi Hall. He felt a surge of irritation; in the end, so many people had died again. To be honest, he didn't want to kill, yet the blood debts on his hands were growing heavier.

Li Huowang glanced at Wang Deqiu's corpse once more, then tore a large piece of clothing from a nearby dead body to re-wrap his Right Family's sword. All of this, in the end, was caused by this sword. By now, Li Huowang had fully understood. It was because of the wedding that Monkey Er had recognized the sword and mistakenly believed he was a member of the Siqi military family. That's why individuals like Wang Deqiu were provoked; otherwise, this trouble wouldn't have arisen.

"In Hou Shu, there must be many who hold grudges against the Right Family," he thought. "This sword can no longer be easily revealed. And for the next period, I need to travel quickly. Once the Hou Shu military family learns of Wang Deqiu's death, they definitely won't let it go. They'll surely send more people, and I can't let them track me down."

Although Li Huowang had easily won this time, he didn't dare to contend with the entire Hou Shu state. That would undoubtedly be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Chun Xiaoman walked around the cave, sword in hand. Although her chest was still heaving, if she encountered anyone still breathing, she would finish them off directly with her sword to prevent any sudden attacks.

Just as she walked up to Li Huowang, a hand reached out. "Give it to me."

"Senior Brother Li, give you... what?" Chun Xiaoman asked, feigning ignorance.

"Stop pretending," he said. "Hand over the Great Thousand Record. That's not something you can use."

Looking at her continuously bleeding fingers, Li Huowang knew exactly what she was using. However, Chun Xiaoman glanced at Bai Lingmiao, then clutched her chest and retreated a few steps, her eyes unusually resolute.

"Senior Brother Li, this isn't your scroll," she said. "I found this on someone else. It's mine."

As Li Huowang walked towards her, Xiaoman retreated step by step.

"You don't understand what you're dealing with at all; you can't use that Great Thousand Record!" Li Huowang's tone grew stern.

With her back against the wall and no room to retreat, Chun Xiaoman subconsciously drew her sword. Looking at the sharp sword held out in front of him, Li Huowang almost laughed in exasperation. "After going through life and death together so many times, you're drawing your sword on me now?"

Chun Xiaoman's eyes flickered, but quickly firmed. "I'm sorry, Senior Brother Li, but I must have my own saber."

"Fine!" Li Huowang retorted. "If you're so capable, then go out and venture on your own! Why are you still relying on everyone else to survive?!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Chun Xiaoman's body swayed slightly, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. In her heart, this was the most important thing to her right now.

Bai Lingmiao quickly stepped between the two. Her face showing distress, she said, "Senior Brother Li, please don't be like this. We're all family; let's talk this out properly."

"I'll say it again!" Li Huowang insisted. "Give me the Great Thousand Record!!"

Red-eyed Chun Xiaoman gritted her teeth and pulled out the Great Thousand Record. Seeing Li Huowang's attention focused on the red bamboo slip, Bai Lingmiao quickly pulled Chun Xiaoman to a corner.

"Sister Xiaoman, Senior Brother Li is right," Bai Lingmiao whispered. "That thing is very dangerous, and it hurts a lot every time you use it. You really shouldn't take it."

These words immediately ignited Chun Xiaoman's anger. She spoke with indignation, "You know that thing is dangerous, yet you're siding with your man? Are you so smitten you've lost your senses? You'd even obey him on something like this? Can't you tell right from wrong?"

"But Sister Xiaoman," Bai Lingmiao countered, "Senior Brother Li is different from you. His arm can grow back even if it breaks, but yours can't."

Chun Xiaoman looked at Bai Lingmiao with some disappointment, then walked towards an adjacent cave, carrying her sword. Seeing her like that, Bai Lingmiao immediately panicked and quickly followed.

"Sister Xiaoman, we're still good sisters, aren't we?" Bai Lingmiao pleaded. "You're not going to ignore me, are you?"

Chun Xiaoman lowered her head and walked straight through the cave, truly not wanting to deal with Bai Lingmiao's persistence. However, under Bai Lingmiao's pleas, her heart gradually softened.

"I know you fancy him," Chun Xiaoman said. "But there are some things you can't just let him have his way with. Doing so will only make him stray further and further, and in the end, it will only harm him."

Just as she was about to say something else, some mournful sobs faintly echoed, causing Chun Xiaoman to swiftly draw her sword and stand in front of Bai Lingmiao.