Chen Ping's Sword

"Cao Lie’s set of Purple Flame True Gang Hammers is indeed quite overbearing. Father, aren’t you afraid of him? To be watched like this and endure the humiliation is truly maddening." Han Xiaoru had no alternative.

She just stomped her foot lightly.

She actually knew she was speaking somewhat recklessly.

Cao Lie is ranked ninth on the Earth List, and his pair of hammers has slain countless heroes in the Jianghu. His personal strength is one matter, but his ranking on the Earth List doesn’t intimidate the Primordial Sword Sect.

However, the problem lies with his status.

As the Left Deputy Commander of the Brocade Guard, he represents the vast power of the Court and the Emperor’s authority, which absolutely cannot be provoked.

Regardless of whether he can be defeated, even if he could be, without a compelling reason, our Martial Hall cannot confront him head-on.

After all, the Great Li Dynasty has not entirely collapsed yet.

The Emperor’s authority still can intimidate disloyal subjects far and wide. At a single command, no one can predict how many experts would rush in to attack.

Compared to all that, the Primordial Martial Arts Hall counts for nothing.

"Do not compete with others, do not compete with others, enduring for too long—I think Father has forgotten he still knows how to fight."

Feeling helpless, Han Xiaoru could only blame her father, knowing he wouldn’t be angry.

However, Tian Qi killing the Flower-Loving Rapist was truly satisfying.

That Flower Thief wreaked havoc in the city. Han Xiaoru knew she couldn’t catch up with him, and had long wanted to urge her parents to get rid of him.

But, unfortunately, that guy stayed hidden most of the time, and when committing crimes, he acted sporadically, without a discernible pattern, making it hard to keep watch, allowing him to roam free for a long time.

Thinking back, since he had joined Beizhou early on, he naturally had experts by his side, making it not easy to kill him.

Now that he’s dead, perhaps heaven opened its eyes, marking his inauspicious fate.

Thinking of describing her own yet-to-be-engaged, uh, yet-to-be-inducted junior brother as "inauspicious," Han Xiaoru couldn’t help but laugh.

Before her smile could fade, she saw her mother Sima Rou’s expression turn solemn. Her previously gentle face grew stern; Han Xiaoru’s heart skipped a beat, knowing the enemy had arrived.

"Xiaoru, stay back, don’t come forward. The venomous snakes of the Celestial Witchcraft Sect are no ordinary creatures; you’ll be caught off guard easily."

Sima Rou hastily said before moving forward, but stopped to remind her again, uneasy: "If things look bad, quickly flee from the forest, don’t hesitate too long, and don’t think of reuniting with Tian Qi, remember."

If she weren’t worried her daughter would run amok, she wouldn’t have brought her along.

Thinking her child had little Jianghu experience, almost harmed last time.

If she wanted to follow, so be it.

As children grow, they have their own thoughts; keeping her at home all the time isn’t feasible.

A plum blossom blooms only after enduring harsh winds and snow; she needs experience.

Experience a bit of the harshness of the Jianghu.

Parents can’t protect her for a lifetime, isn’t that right?

"Mother..."

Suddenly, Han Xiaoru grew worried.

She nodded heavily and obediently hid beneath the hillside, holding her breath. Suddenly, she felt uncertain about having her mother come out to save someone.

"What if, what if..."

Before Han Xiaoru could figure it out.

She noticed movement from deep within the front woods.

Her ears picked up countless rustling sounds.

A nauseating, foul odor wafted into her nose.

It was almost suffocating.

She pinched her nose tightly, squinting through the faint moonlight.

Just saw the jungle, tangled with vines, under the canopy of trees; the entire grassy area of several square meters moved.

It resembled a lake with green waves, rippling...

"No, what’s moving isn’t waves, it’s snakes..."

Han Xiaoru could no longer bother holding her nose; her eyes widened, clenching her fist hard to cover her mouth.

If her mouth were bigger, she might have stuffed her fist in.

She clearly saw amongst the countless thin snakes, a large white snake the size of a barrel with a protruding bump on its head, swaying as it moved swiftly forward.

Though it didn’t seem particularly fast.

Yet in a whoosh, it was not far from her.

The snake’s cold pupils sweeps the area, just by touching them, made one’s heart grow cold, the whole body feeling slimy and itchy, overall very uncomfortable.

Han Xiaoru quickly turned her head, not daring to watch closely, while her mind turned over thoughts.

"This should be considered a Snake King... I wonder, what is the purpose of the protruding bump on its head, might it grow a horn?"

Turning again to look at the open space ahead, her mother’s figure was already gone.

In front of that snake tide’s surge.

At some point, a large yellow and white cat appeared.

This cat looked majestic beyond compare, several times larger than an ordinary civet, with a fierce demeanor, brimming with murderous aura and regal bearing.

The most bizarre thing was, upon appearing, it opened its mouth and let out a series of sharp "ao ao ao" cries.

The sound pierced straight to the heart.

Causing Han Xiaoru’s body to tremble.

Let alone those venomous snakes, the wriggling snake forms all slightly paused, stopped in their tracks.

’This isn’t a civet, it’s a lynx... Its call is like that of a baby, notoriously fierce! Where did it come from? And why is it confronting a snake swarm?’

Han Xiaoru vaguely formed a thought, but wasn’t entirely sure.

’Mother practices the Primordial Sword Sect’s [Taiyin Heart Scripture], different from father’s sole focus on the Primordial Golden Body Technique, and learned a bit diversely.

She not only always attempts the [Sword Gang Stream] secret technique, but also delves deeply into the [Taiyin Ghost-Slaying Technique], a secret that controls beasts and slays souls, I know this.’