“Behave yourself. I have something to discuss with you,” Li Miao said calmly.
The Masked Woman dared not even move a finger, cold sweat trickling down her face.
She cursed her bad luck, wondering why she had so carelessly attracted the attention of such a powerful expert.
She had only struck Li Miao with one sword, and her background had already been exposed.
This wasn't an issue with the sword move itself. She had drawn her sword mid-air in an emergency turn; how could there be any proper technique to it?
This person must be intimately familiar with the Hua Mountain Swordplay’s internal force and true qi circulation to discern her sect from such a simple strike.
To be so knowledgeable about a sect's martial arts, one must either be closely related or have a deep enmity. But if they were related, why would he threaten her?
If he was an enemy, then she was now a lamb to the slaughter.
Realizing this, the Masked Woman steeled her heart: “It is my skill that is lacking. If you have something you wish for me to do, as long as it doesn't harm my life or violate the codes of the martial world, I will comply without hesitation.”
“But if you intend to harm my sect—”
She swallowed hard, her expression resolute: “Senior, do not underestimate me! I will never betray my teachers or destroy my sect!”
She didn't utter pointless words like “the Huashan Sword Sect won't let you off,” and instead bent down to pick up her broken sword.
Li Miao's strike had directly fractured her palm; it was now covered in seeping bruises and torn flesh.
Her fingers were connected to her heart, and the hand gripping the sword hilt throbbed with excruciating pain. Yet, she still forced herself into a stance, her eyes fixed on Li Miao.
She had lost her family at a young age and was taken in by the Huashan Sword Sect. After ten years of diligent practice, often training until she collapsed from exhaustion, she finally achieved mastery in martial arts and descended the mountain to seek revenge.
In terms of experience in the martial world, she indeed had little. But in terms of character, she was certainly not a coward who would betray her sect for the sake of survival.
Even if she were to die today, she would die with her sword in hand, never bringing shame to the Huashan Sword Sect's name!
Upon hearing this, Li Miao looked her up and down, carefully observing her trembling hand for a long moment.
“What is your name?” Li Miao asked.
“Direct disciple of the Huashan Sword Sect, Mei Qinghe!”
“Oh, Miss Mei, Heroine Mei. You're not afraid of death?”
“No.”
“Truly not afraid?”
Mei Qinghe pursed her lips, not answering, only tightening her grip on the sword hilt.
Li Miao slowly raised his hand and pinched the blade of the short sword.
Snap~
He broke off a section. Mei Qinghe trembled.
Li Miao raised his hand.
Mei Qinghe closed her eyes in despair.
This life, with her great revenge unfulfilled, was about to end inexplicably.
At least she hadn't disgraced her sect's name; perhaps it was a fitting death after all.
After waiting for a while, she heard no whooshing sound and felt no pain.
Her master had told her that when one sustains a sudden, severe injury, there is no pain for a short time; one only feels increasingly cold as blood flows out.
When her eyelids started to feel cold, she would be about to die.
Had that person already struck? Was her body just not reacting yet, and was there actually a wound ripped open on her body by fragments?
Mei Qinghe's mind raced with thoughts, when suddenly she heard Li Miao laughing.
“Ha, haha, hahahaha.”
She opened her eyes and saw Li Miao had already discarded the short sword and was looking at her, chuckling softly.
“That's right, that's more like it.”
“Indeed, strong-willed people are more interesting. Without them, what meaning would this martial world have?”
“The capital is full of old martial artists who fear death, and this journey has become increasingly boring. Only tonight has it gotten somewhat interesting!”
“If the Five Mountains Sword Sect had more people like you, then my journey would not have been in vain.”
Li Miao walked over, smiling, and grabbed Mei Qinghe's wrist.
Mei Qinghe instinctively tried to pull away, but Li Miao merely shook his hand, dislodging all the strength from her body.
Immediately, she felt an extremely pure and vast true qi flow into her body through her pulse point, and the pain in her injured palm vanished instantly.
“There, all better,” Li Miao said, releasing her hand.
Mei Qinghe turned her palm over; her previously bruised palm was now clean, with only some superficial skin injuries remaining.
With internal energy nourishment, and given a martial artist's physique, it would likely heal completely in about seven or eight days.
“Your Excellency... Senior...”
Mei Qinghe was utterly confused by Li Miao.
Who exactly was this person, and what did he want?
“I do indeed have something to discuss with the Five Mountains Sword Sect,” Li Miao said.
“Don't rush, let me finish,” he said, raising a hand to stop Mei Qinghe's movement.
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“The Five Mountains Sword Sect is an alliance for mutual assistance formed by the Mount Tai Sect, Heng Mountain Sect, Mount Hua Sect, Songshan Sect, and Hengshan Sect.”
“Decades ago, it was merely a loose alliance, hardly an organization. Even the name 'Five Mountains Sword Sect' was rarely mentioned in the martial world.”
“It's only in recent years that your five families have grown closer, coupled with the Mount Tai Sect's Sect Leader, 'Zhenyue Sword' Zuo Lishan, being exceptionally talented, reaching the realm of a peak expert before forty. As the alliance leader, he subtly gained the charisma to lead the Five Mountains, which is how the term 'Five Mountains Sword Sect' came about.”
“Am I right?” Li Miao asked.
Mei Qinghe nodded silently.
“However, if there is to be integration, there must be a hierarchy. To form a fist, there must be a thumb pressing down and an index finger being pressed down.”
“The Five Mountains Sword Sect may be flourishing in the martial world, but your Mount Hua Sect hasn't been doing well in recent years, have you?”
Li Miao had actually met someone from the Mount Hua Sect that day when he went to apprehend Yan Xiaosheng.
It was Gu Jiao, the Mount Hua Sect deacon, 'Clear Wind Sword,' whom he had told to 'scram.'
Gu Jiao had fled in a sorry state, not saying a word, after being insulted directly by Li Miao.
This was not only due to Gu Jiao's personal character but also because the Mount Hua Sect's situation had indeed been difficult in recent years, and they could not afford the consequences of antagonizing the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards).
“In fact, looking at the map, you can see that the two westernmost provinces in my Great Shuo territory are Yunnan in the southwest and Shaanxi, where your Mount Hua Sect is located.”
“The other four sects are: the Mount Tai Sect in Qi-Lu, the Hengshan Sect in Shanxi, the Songshan Sect in Henan, and the Hengshan Sect in Hunan.”
“For the Five Mountains Sword Sect to integrate, someone has to be suppressed. In terms of distance, the Hengshan Sect is actually the farthest.”
“But who can blame the Jiangnan region for being a land of fish and rice, overflowing with wealth?”
Li Miao spoke eloquently.
“In recent years, when the Five Mountains Sword Sect had matters, the Hengshan Sect provided the funds, and your four sects provided the people. The Mount Hua Sect, already located in a frontier region with a sparse population, still had to travel long distances to the Qi-Lu to convene and resolve disputes in various places.”
“With high mountains and long roads, your numbers dwindled, and your strength weakened. If you had to pick one sect in the Five Mountains Sword Sect to be the most disadvantaged, there's probably no other choice but yours, is there?”
Mei Qinghe remained silent.
Because everything Li Miao said was true; he had merely exposed the underlying interests that were hidden beneath the facade of martial world camaraderie, explaining them clearly.
The Songshan, Hengshan, and Mount Tai Sects were already geographically close, with the Mount Tai Sect at the head, having the strongest desire to integrate the Five Mountains Sword Sect.
The Hengshan Sect, being rich and powerful, only contributed money and not manpower, so their strength was well-preserved, and they had a significant voice within the Five Mountains Sword Sect.
Only their Mount Hua Sect was the farthest in distance, the weakest in strength, and the poorest in financial resources.
Their situation worsened with each passing day, and they had less and less say in the Five Mountains Sword Sect alliances.
If the current situation continued, after a few more alliances, they would completely devolve into mere lackeys within the Five Mountains Sword Sect.