"Jiangnan Yue, the clear night fills the west tower." "When the clouds part, the ice reflects the mirror, in the depths of the waves, the jade sinks the hook." "When will the roundness and the lack cease..." The night breeze rustles gently, and in the backyard of a residence in Pingting County, gentle zither sounds and melodious singing emanate from the attic, making one feel as if they’ve been transported to a moonlit night in Jiangnan. On the attic, dim yellow light shines through the windows, casting the silhouette of a graceful figure. On the couch by the window, Xia Zhiqing kneels on a long table, her ten slender fingers like bamboo shoots plucking the strings of a zither, her red lips opening slightly as she sings softly. A series of hurried footsteps interrupted the music. After Xia Zhining entered the attic, she quickly ran up the stairs to the inner room on the second floor. Beside the long table was a low table. On the low table, there was a teapot, a half-drunk cup of fragrant tea, and a plate of preserved fruits. Xia Zhining sat down beside the low table, lifted the half-drunk tea, drank it all in one gulp, and said with a smile, "Sister, today I learned about something interesting." Xia Zhiqing rolled her eyes at her sister, removed her hands from the zither strings, picked up a piece of preserved fruit with her fingers, took a small bite, and then snatched the tea cup from Xia Zhining’s hand, saying, "Can’t you pour it yourself if you want to drink? Using my cup." "Sister, what’s the difference between us? Didn’t we agree back then that we’d marry the same man?" Xia Zhining wrapped her arm around her sister’s neck, giggling. "Zhining." Xia Zhiqing blushed slightly, lightly scolding, "That was a childhood joke, it shouldn’t be taken seriously." "I don’t care, I took it seriously anyway." Xia Zhining stood up and walked to the sword rack, picking up her longsword. The longsword unsheathed. Xia Zhining twirled the sword, lifted her crystal-clear pointed chin, and said, "And sister, if you choose a suitable groom, you must satisfy me first. Like that weak scholar you fancied before, who can’t even carry anything on his shoulders, absolutely won’t do. Can’t fight, and looks poor..." Xia Zhiqing raised her eyebrows. Which girl does not have romantic dreams, especially when she is already nineteen and well past the age of marriage? Naturally, she had someone in mind, but Zhining ruined it. According to Zhining, anyone wanting to marry them must, in literary matters, surpass the sister, and in martial arts, defeat her. Such conditions were obviously very strict. Xia Zhiqing was known as the number one talented woman in Qingzhou Prefecture, writing excellent poetry that few could rival. And those who surpassed Xia Zhiqing usually had no accomplishments in martial arts. As a result, until today, the two of them were still unmarried. Seeing her sister’s unconcerned expression, Xia Zhiqing sighed lightly and changed the topic, "What’s the interesting thing?" Xia Zhining sat down, placing the longsword on the low table, propped her chin with one hand, and picked up the tea her sister poured with the other, smiling and saying, "I heard recently there’s a star who specifically kills members of the Qinghe Gang in the county town. In two days, over fifty to sixty of them were killed, but no one knows who the killer is, what they look like, or their name. It scared them so much they don’t dare leave the city, haha..." Xia Zhiqing listened quietly, and although she wasn’t interested in such fighting and killing matters, it was still good to pass time as a novel. "I heard the cause was a Hall Master of the Qinghe Gang called Chen Hu. On the way back, he was killed, and none of his men survived. The cash box he carried was also taken by the perpetrator." Xia Zhining straightened, lightly tapped her finger on the low table, and stated: "Sister, I found out this Chen Hu wasn’t a good person; he’d oppress the local community and forcibly take girls. Surely, he brought this upon himself by doing too much evil and met with a local knight who stood up for justice. I didn’t expect someone like that in this filthy Pingting County." Xia Zhining’s eyes gleamed. Unlike her sister Xia Zhiqing, she wasn’t into music, chess, calligraphy, or embroidery, but enjoyed practicing martial arts. She particularly admired the knights in novels who punish evil and promote good, hoping one day to meet such a person. Hearing this, Xia Zhiqing was somewhat exasperated, wondering what thoughts ran through her sister’s head every day, looking down on the commoners and, when in a bad mood, calling them peasants to vent her frustrations on them. Yet she appreciated the knights who stood up for the commoners, even defying the law in the process. "Zhining, there you go again. Whether it’s a knight or a gang villain, father dislikes these people the most." Xia Zhiqing sighed and said. "Sigh." Xia Zhining sighed as well, leaning on the low table, "I don’t know when I can leave this lousy place. I finally heard of an interesting person, but don’t know who they are. Sister, I want to go back to Nanyang." [Number of saber swings +1, Demon-breaking Saber Technique experience +1.] In the yard, Chen Mo braved the cold wind, swinging a Tang Blade. After breaking through to the Eighth Grade, Chen Mo maintained the habit of swinging the saber twenty thousand times daily. Demon-breaking Saber Technique (Intermediate 164521/200000). The cellar was left to Zhang River to dig, and the space inside had been significantly expanded. To prevent collapse, quite a bit of wood was used for support. Perhaps due to his killing spree against the Qinghe Gang members those two days. Recently, the Qinghe Gang had been quieter, no longer sending people out of the city to search the village. Just when Chen Mo thought the storm had passed. The next day, Chen Mo was in the yard, as usual, swinging his Tang Blade. Normally, Zhang River would have come by to expand the cellar again, but instead, he hurried over, looking flustered, and said, "Brother Mo, it’s not good, the Qinghe Gang people came again." Chen Mo’s expression tightened, and he listened to Zhang River, who said that this time fifty to sixty people came, all armed with great sabers and crossbows. Zhang River leaned in and whispered, "Brother Mo, could the Qinghe Gang have found out it was us who did that, so they came looking for us? I also heard them asking around the villagers if there were any skilled fighters in our village." "They probably don’t know yet, or else they’d come straight for us. They’re still searching, stay calm, relax." Chen Mo whispered, turning around to see Han Anniang watching him nervously, seemingly having guessed something, and stammered, "Uncle..." Chen Mo smiled, feigning calm, "Sister-in-law, don’t worry, nothing will happen." Chen Mo gave a dagger to Han Anniang so she could hide in the cellar. Then he buried the Tang Blade in the vegetable garden, took the handle off the hatchet, stuck it in his waistband, covered it with his cotton clothes, and waited quietly with Zhang River for the Qinghe Gang to arrive. Soon, a group of Qinghe Gang members arrived outside the Chen Family. This group was pretty much like the previous Qinghe Gang members. Once inside, they ransacked the place, taking valuables from Chen Mo right before his eyes. The difference was, this group seemed to be specially trained, working with great coordination. ps: Please continue reading! Requesting monthly passes!