The sound of the zither burst out again. The ruins of the restaurant had been cleansed by an invisible force, exposing the entrance to the underground tunnel. The zither tune passed through the smashed stones and entered the tunnel.
Yu Buhuan and Tu Qiu looked at Nan Zheng.
Nan Zheng shook her head. There were too many branches in the tunnel, and many formations blocking the Spiritual Awareness had been set up beforehand in there, so her zither tune couldn't catch up with them.
It seemed that they had arranged these in advance. Thinking of this, all three of them had a perplexed look on their faces.
Both of them were the master's trusted underlings; Liu Shisui betrayed him, but how could Xiao He also betrayed him as well?
…
It was very dark inside the tunnel, devoid of any light source. Liu Shisui could merely make out the scene nearby even with the devil flames in his pupils. Besides, the design of the tunnel was quite complex, so he didn't know where they were at the moment. What he could do was judge from the alternating dry and damp airs around him, as they moved forth, that they should have been walking back and forth around Haizhou City all this time.
This was the first time he held a girl's hand. He wasn't accustomed to it, but somehow he felt fairly content doing so.+
This was the same as when he had dinner in the restaurant before, sitting across from her then without needing to talk; it felt quite natural.
The two walked in the tunnel hand in hand silently. As they swung their arms while walking, an object slid down from Xiao He's wrist to Liu Shisui's.
The surface of that object was incredibly smooth, giving out a cold feel, and it seemed to be a metal bracelet.
Liu Shisui wanted to remind her of the fallen bracelet, but Xiao He suddenly stopped short. The glowing orbs on both sides of the tunnel revealed a rock wall ahead blocking the tunnel.
She walked to the rock wall and worked on dismantling the system. As her fingers moved so fast, all he could see was the residual shadows of her movements.
"Why do you want to save me?" Liu Shisui asked while looking at her back.
He had known that Xiao He was a member of the Old Ones with a higher status in the organization, and she might even be a trusted subordinate of Xiwang Sun.
He was puzzled when Xiao He warned him back in the restaurant, to say nothing of what she was doing right now.
"I didn't finish my explanation earlier."
Without spinning her head around, Xiao He explained while dismantling the system.
"That restaurant was an Inn many years ago. I met two young people, a man and a woman, in that Inn. They took a thing from me and also gave an object to me before they left. That man told me that I would meet you later, and I had to help you complete whatever you wished."
Liu Shisui was at a loss, as he asked, "Why did you accept his demand? And how do you know that person was me?"
Xiao He remained silent for a while before saying, "Because I feared him that much."
Yet, she didn't answer how she knew that he was the person she had to help.
Along with the loud sounds of friction, the rock wall that looked as if it were one whole piece moved slowly aside from the middle, exposing the tunnel behind it.
Xiao He led him into the tunnel.
The tunnel behind the rock wall was quite complex as well, and the fake branches would come in sight at every turn; moreover, the formations that would shield the spiritual awareness grew closer together as they walked along the tunnel.
"Have you prepared this for many years?" asked Liu Shisui.
"Yes."
There wasn't any emotional fluctuation in her voice, but she lifted her arm to wipe her eyes. It seemed that she was crying.
Liu Shisui thought this woman was sort of weird.
The two walked silently for some time, and finally reached the end of the tunnel.
The exit of the tunnel was located on an isolated mountain in the outskirts of Haizhou City, covered by some fallen green trees on a cliff.
Judging from the sunlight and the shape of the land, Liu Shisui figured out the general location of the place and time of the day.
He suddenly remembered something, as he looked down and saw that bracelet; his heart skipped a beat.
He was quite familiar with this bracelet.
It was because he had been staring at it for a whole year back in the small village.
A gust of wind suddenly arose on the barren and tranquil mountain.
The sound of zither came along with the wind.
Xiao He's face grew pale.
She didn't expect that her preparation of many years hadn't worked out, and they were caught up by the members of the Old Ones so soon.
When she remembered the Hall of Heavenly Calculation at the West Ocean Sword Sect, Xiao He realized what was going on, thinking that they had no way to escape and feeling despair.
She stole a glance at Liu Shisui, finding that he was trembling slightly. "Don't be scared. We still have a chance," she said with a forced smile.
Liu Shisui moved his eyes away from the bracelet and stared into her eyes, saying seriously, "I'm not scared; in fact, I'm excited."
Xiao He thought this man was indeed strange.
The sound of the zither traveled faster than the wind.
Along with a loud thud, the huge blood-red elephant landed on the mountain, as if it became a part of the twilight.
Sitting on the back of the elephant and holding the green jade lute, Nan Zheng looked at the two of them icily and emotionlessly.
A moment later, Yu Buhuan and Tu Qiu also landed at the both ends of the isolated mountain.
These three swordsmen of the Old Ones had chosen the perfect spots, essentially blocking all the routes from which Liu Shisui might ride his sword to flee.
Without further talking or asking why Xiao He chose to betray the Old Ones, Nan Zheng plucked the strings with her fingers, sending out the powerful tunes with the full lethal intent.
The invisible sound drifted through the mountain, hundreds of big trees falling down as the sound reached them.
Xiao He took a step forward, thrusting her right palm outward as dozens of green lotus leaves rose up with the wind.
Pah!!! Pah!!! Pah!!!
After a barrage of crashing sounds, the lotus leaves had all been torn to shreds.
A trickle of blood came out from the corners of her mouth, and she was forced to take three steps backwards.
"Let me give it a try."
Liu Shisui stepped in front of her.
Seeing this scene, Nan Zheng narrowed her eyes, and baffled expressions showed on Yu Buhuan and Tu Qiu's faces.
They were ordered to pursue Liu Shisui, and they were naturally aware of his Cultivation state and the magic treasures he had.
His sword had already been destroyed, and his Bloody Devil Style was restrained; what else could he use to counterattack his enemies?
Clank!!!
The sound of a sword echoed amid the mountain.
The rabbits and insects hiding in the grass jumped out running in surprise on the mountain, and the birds frightened by the sound of zither flew to the further distance.
Where did the sword come from?
A sword materialized in Liu Shisui's hands.
It was the bracelet that had turned into this sword by his will.
This sword looked quite ordinary, bearing no sheath and being very short at about two feet long, resembling a small sword fit for child's play.
Yet, the expression on the faces of Nan Zheng, or Yu Buhuan and Tu Qiu, were different now.
This sword was too smooth!
Its shaft could reflect clearly every bit of the twilight.
They could even see their own changed eye expressions on that distant sword.
What did such a smooth sword mean? It meant that the material of the sword was absolutely dense, and it must be very sharp!
If the sword was classified, it belonged to the flying sword of the Fairy State for sure!
Sensing the intimidating power exuded by the flying sword of the fairy state, Nan Zheng and the other two had grave looks on their faces; even the sensation of fear crept quietly into their hearts, and they stopped short reflexively.
The bracelet was indeed a sword.
Liu Shisui was ecstatic about it, but he didn't know how to use it.
His Sword Awareness fell on the sword, intending to activate it to fly forward attacking the enemy, but the flying sword didn't respond at all.
The sound of zither burst out again. Nan Zheng was the first one to come back to her senses, realizing that she couldn't afford to give Liu Shisui more time.
Liu Shisui didn't know what else to do at such a critical moment, so he threw the sword up in the air.
The flying sword hovered in mid-air, three feet away from him, like the lotus flower floating on the still water.
Xiao He called out the green lotus leaves, and asked him with widened eyes, "Don't you know how to use it?"
"This is not my sword!" Liu Shisui shouted back.
The flying sword of the Fairy State suddenly moved, not flying forward, but spinning around.
The sharp tip of the sword pointed toward Liu Shisui.
To put it more precisely, the sword pointed toward the jasmine flower on his cloth collar.