Wen Chaosheng, standing by, knew that the woman he had found in the snowstorm was not to be trifled with; the scars carved on her body like tattoos attested to the brutal battles she had endured, and further revealed her power and terrifying nature.
But he truly hadn't expected A Shui to strike so decisively, so viciously, and so mercilessly.
In Wen Chaosheng's past understanding, A Shui was definitely a very easy-going person; she had none of the usual affectations of a young woman, acted with courage and decisiveness, and her mind was by no means narrow; she said whatever she thought and never got angry over his inappropriate words or actions…
And at this moment, it was the first time he had seen A Shui angry, the first time he had seen such terrifying Killing Intent emanating from her!
The moment A Shui struck, Wen Chaosheng was completely unable to move, feeling as if he were amidst mountains of corpses, becoming one of them.
Her Killing Intent was too heavy, so heavy it could almost affect reality.
Only then did Wen Chaosheng truly glimpse a fraction of A Shui's terrifying strength, and this was while she was severely injured.
He didn't know what A Shui used to do; after that day they drank, he never again inquired about her past, as in Wen Chaosheng's view, A Shui was merely a fleeting passerby in his life, and there wasn't much intersection between them, so he didn't need to risk danger to deeply understand her.
However, his curiosity about A Shui had always existed.
He truly didn't understand what kind of past A Shui had endured to forge such horrifying Killing Intent.
And what kind of tragic and terrifying experiences, that even an indestructible person like her couldn't bear to face directly.
Swoosh!
A Shui calmly pulled the hatchet from the white-robed man's body, turned, and with a flick of her hand, all the blood staining the blade flew off, not a single drop remaining.
Then, she limped out of the temple, squatted down, and used snow to clean the lingering bloody smell from the blade's edge.
Wen Chaosheng walked over and said to her:
“Let me wash it.”
A Shui tilted her head and glanced at him; though she didn't speak, she still handed him the knife.
Wen Chaosheng took the knife, cleaned the blade several times, then placed the hatchet by the fire, after which he began to drag the cooling corpse of the white-robed man, preparing to take it out and dispose of it.
Just as he was about to drag the white-robed man's body out of the dilapidated temple, A Shui suddenly called out to Wen Chaosheng:
“Wen Chaosheng, throw me that ornament on his waist.”
Wen Chaosheng did as told, then dragged the body to the vast wilderness outside, threw it into the inconspicuous woods, and returned to the dilapidated temple.
Fortunately, he had been chopping wood for Lu Zhiming these past two days, which involved a lot of physical activity, and he was well-fed and rested; although his hands and feet were numb with cold when he returned, he was fine and recovered as usual after warming by the fire for a while.
“Thank you.”
Wen Chaosheng added some firewood, and suddenly thanked A Shui, causing her, who was observing the miniature ghost-mask waist ornament, to freeze; confusion hung between her brows, and she slowly asked:
“Thank… for what?”
Wen Chaosheng honestly said:
“That day we drank, I also brought up my past… I have to thank you for not killing me.”
A Shui stared at Wen Chaosheng's serious expression, and for a moment couldn't help but chuckle; her body trembled slightly as she laughed, seemingly aggravating an old injury, and she clutched the blood-stained area on her chest, saying to Wen Chaosheng:
“I can tell, you're really afraid of death.”
Wen Chaosheng corrected her:
“It's not being afraid of death, it's cherishing Life Qi.”
A Shui:
“Is there a difference?”
Wen Chaosheng replied seriously:
“Yes, and… a very big difference.”
…
At night, the two lay on opposite sides of the fire, A Shui with her hands pillowing her head, staring at the black tiles covered with cobwebs on the temple roof, abruptly breaking the silence within the temple:
“The person who came tonight was a White Dragon Guard; these guys are very troublesome, and if someone dies, the others won't give up easily, so I suggest you'd best not come to the dilapidated temple these next few days.”
“Anyway, you already have the identity of a Qi person; there's always a place for you to stay in the county town.”
“It's at least much safer there than in the dilapidated temple.”
Wen Chaosheng asked with his eyes closed:
“What kind of organization is the White Dragon Guard?”
A Shui didn't find it troublesome and patiently explained to him:
“The White Dragon Guard is a force from the palace, extremely mysterious, rarely showing their faces in the Jianghu, but their prestige is very high; even Forgetfulness and Nine Songs are unwilling to easily come into conflict with them.”
Wen Chaosheng asked again:
“What about Forgetfulness and Nine Songs?”
A Shui:
“Forgetfulness is the world's number one assassin Alliance that spans the Four Kingdoms; every year they spend a lot of money to purchase death row inmates from the royal families of the Four Kingdoms, then train these death row inmates through extremely cruel methods into human weapons that kill without blinking.”
“These people, from high officials and nobles to common folk, can be killed as long as enough money is paid.”
“Within the organization, they are divided into four banners: Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain; among them, the assassins of the Wind banner are the most terrifying in strength, with Twelve of them being existences with notorious reputations in the Jianghu of the Four Kingdoms, their martial arts profound beyond measure.”
“As for Nine Songs, it is a force that originated in the western Chen Kingdom; it is the world's largest merchant caravan, its influence spreading to every corner of the Four Kingdoms; wherever there's money to be made, they are there.”
Wen Chaosheng asked with some curiosity:
“The largest merchant caravan, how large is it?”
A Shui calmly uttered eight words:
“Wealth can reach the Gods, rich enough to rival a kingdom.”
Hearing this, Wen Chaosheng's heart couldn't help but become more solemn; in this world where martial arts violate laws, an innocent man with a treasure is guilty; if a person does not have strength commensurate with their wealth, then that wealth will become the most dangerous and terrifying thing.
For Nine Songs to become the world's number one merchant caravan, its strength goes without saying.
“My understanding of them isn't deep either; I can only tell you a little.”
“…In short, given your current situation, you can't afford to provoke anyone; staying honestly in the county town is your best choice.”