Chapter 259: Smelling the Sword to Know a Person

At the main entrance of Duojin Trading Company.

"Put it on!"

Xu Xiaoshou placed a straw hat on Mu Zixi's head. While it was the perfect size for him, it was far too large for Mu Zixi. It looked like a little girl wearing an oversized helmet. Fortunately, Mu Zixi was genuinely soft, cute, and charming, which gave the look a unique appeal. Anyone else would likely not be able to pull off this style.

Mu Zixi, blushing, looked at her senior brother, who was squatting and laughing at her. "What is this? It's too ugly! I'm not wearing it!" She had seen Elder Sang wear one, but it didn't match her style at all! A vibrant emerald-green dress paired with this ancient-looking straw hat, fit for someone about to work in the fields…

"Just wear it for now. Someone wants to kill me, and I can't let them see my true face."

Mu Zixi paused, "What can this thing block?" With a sweep of spiritual perception, wouldn't everything be visible anyway?

Xu Xiaoshou knew what she was thinking. He shrugged indifferently and said, "You don't understand. In the outside world, even if it's just an ordinary straw hat, who would dare carelessly sweep others with their spiritual perception? It could easily lead to a famous 'What are you looking at?' bloody incident!"

"What's a 'What are you looking at?' incident?"

"You don't understand."

Xu Xiaoshou pressed down on the little girl's straw hat and straightened up. "Wait for me here. I'll go get you... *cough*, I'll go look for that assassin." Xu Xiaoshou walked away, leaving only his back visible. "If there's trouble, hide inside the Duojin Trading Company; they wouldn't dare cause trouble there."

Mu Zixi touched her purple crystal ball, recalling the previous scene of the blood dragon's wild dance. So there really was an assassin? But how did Xu Xiaoshou know? And he knew where the person was? He was actively seeking them out? What if the opponent was a Grandmaster-level assassin? Killing Zhang Xinxiong didn't make him invincible!

"This is Tiansang City; there are city guards here. They can't fight within the city walls. We can just escape!" she called out via voice transmission.

Xu Xiaoshou paused. How truly naive and adorable! Wasn't deathmatch also forbidden in the outer courtyard of Tiansang Spiritual Palace? And hadn't he still killed several people? Did she really think that just because Tiansang City had such a rule, everyone would abide by it once they left the Spiritual Palace?

"Don't worry, I won't get caught," he said, waving his hand over his shoulder.

Mu Zixi: ??? Under the straw hat, her small head was suddenly filled with enormous questions. It took her a while to process Xu Xiaoshou's line of thought. No, I meant the assassins wouldn't dare act in the city! I wasn't telling *you* to stop! The little girl wanted to speak again, but Xu Xiaoshou had already vanished.

She looked at the surging crowd, instinctively tightened her clothes, and hid in a corner. With a few whooshing sounds, three figures, oddly dressed as swordsmen, descended from the sky, looking left and right.

"Assassins?" Mu Zixi's eyes narrowed, and she pulled the straw hat down further. At that moment, the power-less straw hat on her head paradoxically gave her more strength. It felt as if, with it on, she could isolate herself from the world.

"Meow." An elegant cat-beast stepped out from the main entrance of Duojin Trading Company, unnoticed even by the guards at the door. The cat-beast stepped directly into the air, tilted its head, and looked in the direction Xu Xiaoshou had left. Then, it gazed at the helpless girl in the corner, pressing down her straw hat, and a flicker of hesitation appeared in its eerie purple eyes.

One very large meal, but very dangerous… The other was also a large meal; although slightly weaker, it was clearly much bigger than ordinary meals and seemed to have no power to resist… The white cat no longer hesitated and darted to the top of Mu Zixi's head. The rich life energy emanating from below caused the entire cat to stiffen. Its limbs tensed, its back arched, and its tail stood straight up. Its purple eyes instantly shone brightly with unconcealed greed. Its small mouth slightly opened, revealing fearsome fangs, and the white cat's head suddenly dipped low… and finally, drool began to drip. "Meow!" "Meow!" It crouched down, its expression one of extreme pleasure, its body trembling slightly.

The three swordsmen landed precisely where Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi had been arguing just before entering the Duojin Trading Company.

"Sword Will... it's gone..." The Sword-Bearer sighed with a frown. He held a grey-green sword in his arms. It was neither long nor thin, perfectly conventional, yet it exuded an indescribable, strange aura. It seemed very powerful! He held it like a lover, as if this posture could last until the end of time.

"First Senior Brother is right, the Sword Will is indeed gone." The Nine-Swordsman frowned in thought, his arms crossed. Nine swords were sheathed on his back.

"First Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are correct, the Sword Will truly cannot be sensed." The No-Swordsman, having nothing to hold, watched the arm-crossing posture being perfected, then simply stared at First Senior Brother's face, knitting his brows.

The Sword-Bearer: "..."

"How many times do I have to say it? You can't learn anything this way..." *Sigh.* He suddenly gave up, powerless. "Go ahead and imitate. Let's see how much you actually learn!"

"As First Senior Brother commands!"

"As First Senior Brother commands!"

Veins popped out on the Sword-Bearer's forehead as he decided to ignore his two foolish junior brothers. He narrowed his eyes, then suddenly extended a finger, seeming to pinch the void, and his nose twitched.

"Sniffing for swords?" Both junior brothers exclaimed in shock.

"First Senior Brother can smell Sword Intent now? Doesn't that mean he's just a hair's breadth away from the Sword Dao Throne?" The Nine-Swordsman cried out in astonishment.

The No-Swordsman, however, remained silent, mimicking the same action. After a long moment, a sneeze finally erupted. "Ah, I smelled nothing..."

"As expected of First Senior Brother!"

The Sword-Bearer's nose twitched, and suddenly his finger trembled. Wisps of Sword Intent appeared at his fingertip, coiling together and transforming into the spiritual force that Xu Xiaoshou was so familiar with. "It's Sword Will! Though somewhat low-level, it definitely has the scent of Sword Will..."

"Anyone who can cultivate even a faint Sword Will is definitely not simple. We three are the only ones from the 'Sword Burial Mound.' It's possible those guys from 'Moon-Gazing Immortal City' have also arrived!"

Hearing this, the Nine-Swordsman's expression turned serious. "As expected of the Eight Sword Immortals' legacy. Now there's something to contend for."

The No-Swordsman also became serious, but his tone was slightly flippant. "Still, it's only a Sword Will of this level; whoever it belongs to can't compare to us!"

"Junior Brother, don't be careless," the Nine-Swordsman cautioned, turning back. "First Senior Brother's teachings explicitly state never to underestimate an enemy. Have you forgotten?"

The No-Swordsman instantly became terrified and humble, almost in tears. "It's Junior Brother's fault, First Senior Brother. I request to be punished by copying the 'Sword Scripture' three thousand times!"

"Hmph!" The Nine-Swordsman snorted coldly. "Junior Brother has many schemes, doesn't he? Already trying to get your hands on the 'Sword Scripture'? Your senior brother here hasn't even seen it yet!"

"I made a mistake; I forgot senior brother's teachings!"

"If you made a mistake, then your punishment is to live a life of leisure and indulgence in Tiansang Prefecture for a month, with no sword practice allowed!"

"No! Second Senior Brother, are you trying to seize this opportunity to leave me far behind? This is absolutely unacceptable! My goal is to surpass Second Senior Brother, then First Senior Brother, and then Master—"

The Sword-Bearer, holding his grey-green sword, gave each of the two fools a tap, making them crouch down, covering their heads. "Silence!" He snapped impatiently, then, following the Sword Intent lingering at his nose, he looked back towards the corner at the main entrance of Duojin Trading Company.

There was a young girl wearing an oversized straw hat, shivering in the cold wind, clutching herself as if homeless. "The scent of Sword Will is very faint. It shouldn't be hers; perhaps it's her master's..."

"Hmm, what's this?" As he kept looking, the Sword-Bearer's face suddenly turned pale. His eyes widened, and an expression of horror instantly spread across his features.

"A Ghost Beast?!"