Chapter 203: Please... How Do I Get to the Inner Courtyard?

The Inner Courtyard, Back Mountain.

In a lavishly decorated room, adorned in shades of pink, Su Qianqian and Rao Yinyin sat gracefully on a soft, large bed.

“Sister Rao, why do you think the Dean asked all of us inner courtyard disciples to hide this time?”

“It seems the Spirit Palace’s grand formation is in trouble; it looks like we’re being attacked again?” Su Qianqian held her snowy white greatsword, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Her spiritual perception pierced through the roof, and she could see the grand formation trembling from time to time, clearly indicating that powerful individuals were furiously attacking it, perhaps more than one.

The grand formation had protected the Heavenly Mulberry Spirit Palace for so many years, and it seemed rarely to have experienced such violent fluctuations.

The last time it was torn open was also due to that masked person.

“Haven’t there been enough people secretly attacking you at the Spirit Palace? Aren’t they always repelled at the gates?”

“Even when the ‘Holy Slaves’ came last time, they still couldn’t even enter the inner courtyard!”

Rao Yinyin stroked her head, her eyes full of doting affection.

Her beautiful eyes subtly swept over the greatsword in front of Su Qianqian, and she couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

A renowned sword...

Hah, "renowned sword," they call it!

It’s nothing but a trinket that only brings misfortune. If she could, she'd throw it into the wilderness and let those crazy people outside chase after it.

Then this girl in front of her would probably be able to get a good night's sleep.

Rao Yinyin tenderly cupped Su Qianqian's small head, and the latter seemed to enjoy the touch, instinctively lying down on the large bed, even setting her sword aside for a moment.

“If only you weren't the Sword Bearer...” she couldn't help but murmur, seeing the young girl so relaxed.

The identity of a Sword Bearer was clearly not something someone Su Qianqian’s age should bear; as the saying goes, what you gain, you must also pay for.

After acquiring this sword, the young girl had almost lost the joy appropriate for her age.

“No, I can’t.”

Su Qianqian shook her head, stating seriously, “I must be a good Sword Bearer. One day, I will bring glory to the Su family!”

“If that’s the case...”

“He... he should be happy too...”

Rao Yinyin cupped Su Qianqian's face, seeing the sorrow of the young girl.

Her father even died in battle because of this sword. Was it truly worth it?

“Alright, don't think too much about these things. Let’s get a good night’s sleep. When we wake up tomorrow morning, your master will surely have sorted everything out.”

Rao Yinyin smiled, deciding not to continue the sad topic.

She gently tickled the young girl's armpit, making her giggle and beg for mercy.

Soon, the two of them were playfully wrestling on the large bed.

A jarring sound echoed from the back mountain, startling both of them.

The spiritual grounds of the back mountain were never entered by outsiders. Only recently had Xu Xiaoshou been allowed there. Had he returned?

“Brother Xiaoshou?” Su Qianqian tried to call out.

Rao Yinyin, however, frowned. If Xu Xiaoshou had returned, no matter how sudden, he would have entered through the front gate.

From the back mountain? He wouldn't dare!

But the sound just now came from the hot spring in the back mountain, which was the deepest part of the spiritual grounds. How could anyone be there?

“Who’s there?”

The air grew silent, the atmosphere stagnant, and their pounding heartbeats were painfully loud.

Su Qianqian felt a little nervous. Was it another assassin?

She picked up "Tombstone City Snow," and as if gaining reliance, her eyes turned cold, and her mind immediately regained its composure.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

A very polite knock sounded at the door. After a few moments of silence, the door creaked open.

“Excuse me, I'm lost again. Could you tell me... how to get to the inner courtyard?”

The voice was so hoarse it sounded as if its throat hadn't been cleared in a decade, grating like a saw and unsettling to the heart.

The newcomer wore a large black robe, his face completely wrapped, and even his hands were gloved, as if direct contact with the air would turn him to sand.

His only visible features were two eyes, so clouded they resembled those of a dying person; even the whites were yellowed.

“The Masked Man?”

Upon seeing this attire, both girls' hearts sank.

So, the person who came this time was also from the “Holy Slaves”?

While the battle raged outside, this person had secretly entered the inner courtyard and found Su Qianqian directly?

Rao Yinyin instinctively shielded the girl and the sword, exclaiming, “Who are you? Why have you intruded into my room?”

The Masked Man, however, didn't even glance at her. His gaze passed directly through her, settling on the snowy white greatsword, filled with both surprise and delight.

“Move aside.”

Rao Yinyin stood resolutely in front of Su Qianqian. With a wave of her hand, pink mist permeated the room.

“An illusion?”

The Masked Man's eyes held a strange glint. He finally looked directly at Rao Yinyin and said, “An illusion of your level can’t truly trap me. I’ll say it again: move aside.”

Rao Yinyin remained silent, her beautiful eyes filled with frost, and her hands instantly wove a myriad of seals.

However, before the seals could fully form, the sword in Su Qianqian's hand behind her suddenly vibrated, erupting with endless cold energy that instantly sent Rao Yinyin spitting blood and flying towards the Masked Man.

Without blinking, the Masked Man casually swung his palm, embedding her into the wall.

The wall collapsed with a crash, crumbling into fragments on the floor.

Su Qianqian panicked, staring in shock at the greatsword in her hand, not understanding why the object that normally felt like a family member had suddenly gone out of control.

“It wasn’t me...”

“Run!”

Rao Yinyin screamed hoarsely. How could she not know that Su Qianqian hadn't been the one to act?

The problem was that the Masked Man in front of them was simply too powerful, on a completely different level. Even if Su Qianqian and "Tombstone City Snow" were as close as could be, the sword would likely still riot at his mere glance!

“Is this the Snow Sword?”

Fluctuations finally appeared in the Masked Man's clouded eyes. He looked at the sword in Su Qianqian's hand, an uncontrollable fondness in his gaze.

“May I... see it?” He stepped forward and extended his hand.

Su Qianqian looked at the flat, outstretched gloved hand, finding it extremely peculiar.

A normal person’s hand, when extended flat without force, would naturally have a slight curve. But the Masked Man’s hand...

It was completely flat, as if he had no thumbs!

“No.”

Su Qianqian clutched her sword and took a step back, facing what was likely the strongest intruder of the night.

She couldn't run. If she did, what would happen to Rao Yinyin?

“Don't worry, I mean no harm. I just want to take a look first...”

Su Qianqian could no longer endure the torment of that grating voice. She abruptly pulled out her sword, and immediately, the wind withered, and the world seemed to grow colder.

The Masked Man's eyes vibrated, his fondness growing even stronger.

“Truly worthy of being a renowned sword. I...”

“Don't come any closer!” Su Qianqian cried out, as panic and rage simultaneously erupted within her. The snowy greatsword cleaved down from above.

“Stele Weight!”

A dark stele-like shadow seemed to descend from the sky, merging fiercely into the greatsword's blade, compressing the air into a sonic boom.

However, the sword suddenly halted a full ten feet away from the Masked Man.

A terrifying backlash force blasted Su Qianqian backward, sending her crashing through the house’s roof and landing in a sea of flowers outside.

The web of her thumb split open, blood gushing, yet even then, she did not release the sword.

The Masked Man looked up at the sky, seemingly savoring a bitter taste of memory. After a long silence, he shook his head at Su Qianqian, who lay sprawled on the ground.

“Don’t be reckless. You’ll only hurt yourself like this...”

“In this world, no sword dares to strike at me, not even a renowned sword!”