Chapter 367: Chapter 365: All for the Child
"Ahhhhhhh!—"
Cai Nu hid behind the tree trunk, watching from afar the previously arrogant and vibrant young divine warrior, Mie Tang Ya, now clutching his shoulder and wielding a spear, his entire right shoulder deformed and collapsed from being pierced, half of his body covered in blood, screaming miserably like a defeated dog as he fled.
Logically, this was the best time for her to go down and reap the rewards. Her weapon was crafted from materials extracted from Sulfur Dragon Demon, Slaying Dragon Demon, and Antler Demon, forged by the Hunter’s Workshop in Canglan District, named ’Sulfur Slay Demon Twin Blades’. It could be charged by direct sunlight, and the first strike after activating the light energy within the weapon could directly penetrate light armor. Even in broad daylight, she could use this strike to instantly kill any martial artist; these twin blades in her hands were no less than any Extreme Divine Weapon.
However, Cai Nu dared not go down, nor did she dare to move recklessly. She concentrated all her energy into concealing her aura and hiding her figure, to mask her inner fear.
Backstab Niruo.
Assault Mie Tang.
In just a few hours, Qin Le Yin repeatedly shattered her perceptions. Initially, she thought Qin Le Yin was just a high-end version of Mie Tang Ya, perhaps a bit smarter, more handsome, and taller, but now she was completely fooled—once Qin Le Yin erupted, he immediately controlled the entire situation!
Even she herself couldn’t claim to gravely injure Niruo, let alone be able to, after harming Niruo, still effortlessly strike Mie Tang Ya into fleeing!
She had investigated several Sword Masters currently, and Mie Tang Ya was a Backwee Sprite from the Summer Twilight District, with a record of fighting three thousand miles, nonstop for five days and nights. Though not the strongest, Mie Tang Ya was potentially the most resilient, enduring, and defensive Guardian among the Sword Masters.
Mie Tang Ya could be defeated but was hard to vanquish; previously even Niruo wearing a frenzy mask couldn’t take him down, which was proof enough.
Yet, this Summer Twilight Shield was pierced through by Qin Le Yin in mere minutes in a strong assault, left wounded and fleeing!
Qin Le Yin’s explosive damage had exceeded Cai Nu’s understanding. In terms of explosive power, perhaps Qin Le Yin was the second among the seven Sword Masters—the first naturally was that hidden Instant Annihilator.
Now the question was, with Qin Le Yin striking fiercely and no longer restrained, what did he intend to do?
With Niruo and Mie Tang Ya absent, Qin Le Yin, having defeated them, was unquestionably the dominator of the battlefield. Did he still need to cooperate with her?
No, even having defeated Niruo and Mie Tang, Qin Le Yin surely had to pay some price, right?
Thinking of this, Cai Nu placed her hand on the hilt of the twin swords at her waist, her eyes burning with shifting flames, gently landing on the ground.
If Qin Le Yin’s strength was lacking, needing time to recover his stamina and spiritual power, then he certainly would try to hide away from her, this ’ally’. After all, the so-called alliance was just insincere, and the true relationship between Sword Masters was ultimately life and death.
Now Qin Le Yin had replaced Niruo, becoming the strongest among the remaining Sword Masters, but in poor condition, she had no reason to miss such an opportunity.
An ally is meant for backstabbing, after all, she was just the one starting first.
However, if Qin Le Yin came to find her instead, it would mean he had sufficient combat power left, and wasn’t content with letting two Sword Masters exit the stage but also turned his attention to his ally...
"What are you looking at?"
A gentle voice echoed in her ear, like a lover’s caress on the bed, or like an alien demon’s long tongue licking her ear canal, disgust and fear froze her body, a chilling coldness spread from her tailbone throughout her body.
She slowly turned her head and saw a hand resting on her shoulder, and its owner was Qin Le Yin in blood-stained robes. His mouth corner was marked with unknown blood, slightly turned up, revealing a kind and friendly smile.
Behind Qin Le Yin were three stealthily silent wild beasts. Cai Nu had seen feral hyenas, leopard cats, and these beasts before, almost all beasts, upon reaching maturity, instinctively mastered stealth steps similar to Lingxu Step, silent hunting was their innate ability.
Scent.
Cai Nu was very confident in her infiltration ability; Qin Le Yin was certainly unlikely to discover her hiding place, yet in front of these beasts, her infiltration skills were meaningless—the beasts’ sense of smell as natural hunters sufficed to pinpoint her location.
Cai Nu showed a flattering expression, released her grip on the sword hilt, and slightly twisted her body to showcase her lithe shape, smiled with curved brows and eyes, "I saw Mie Tang Ya fleeing chaotically, and intended to help you finish him off."
"Really? But no need, Mie Tang Ya is just a minor itch, if we can kill, we kill, if not, deal with him later."
Le Yin still firmly pressed on Cai Nu’s bare jade shoulder, fingers stained with blood and even flesh fragments left deep blood stains on her white smooth shoulder, "But the Instant Annihilator is our major threat, he must die!"
"Cai Nu is willing to obey Young Master Qin’s commands," Cai Nu said with lowered eyebrows and a gentle tone, "Willing to devote herself to Shuiyun Palace and Young Master Qin!"
"Those words, you dare say them, but I dare not listen," Le Yin chuckled softly, "The contract’s power of the Holy Sword glows brightly, you and I understand it well. No matter how much you say, even if your people are here, but your heart can’t belong to me."
"But whatever, why do I need your heart? I only need your person."
Cai Nu appeared indifferent, but her muscles throughout her body were tense, both hands silently reaching for the twin swords. If Qin Le Yin pursued her relentlessly, she could only use the trump card of the Sulfur Slay Demon Twin Blades, giving Qin Le Yin a vicious strike—she didn’t expect to severely wound Qin Le Yin, after all, he was someone capable of defeating both Niruo and Mie Tang Ya, retaining strength to trouble her, his confidence was evident!
"Don’t be nervous, you are still useful to me," Le Yin saw Cai Nu’s posture and realized he overacted, quickly putting on a confident facade to reassure her, "Now with two Sword Masters out, the remaining ones besides you and me include Instant Annihilator, Beast Tamer, and the hidden Sword Master who never appeared."
"I already control the situation, the Instant Annihilator can’t do anything to me; I should now just cut off others’ cheating channels to secure victory with the Eye of Omniscience."
Le Yin walked behind Cai Nu, still pressing on her shoulder, "But that’s not enough, I want more."
"Niruo escaped and will surely return; Mie Tang Ya despite being heavily wounded, still has residual strength. More importantly, I need to solve the Instant Annihilator here—every second he exists is a massive threat!"
"So, I will give them hope, give them a reason to return to the battlefield, let their people continue the test... more importantly, the Instant Annihilator is too cautious, I need to find a way to lure him out!"
"What do you intend?" Cai Nu asked.
"Pretend to be severely injured by me and retreat, then wait for the signal to reunite with me. I will continue to maneuver with the Instant Annihilator, the best result would be me directly solving the Instant Annihilator; if I still can’t locate him, then Mie Tang Ya and Niruo will surely find a chance to ambush me. That will be your showtime," Le Yin said, "if we can’t catch a big fish, clearing these small fishes will do."
"Then the Beast Tamer..."
"I reckon he won’t appear," Le Yin squinted, glancing back at the obedient feral hyena leopard cat, "He pretended to cooperate with me, even sending three beasts to assist me, but actually, he only wants to use my hand to eliminate other cheaters, stirring trouble."
"The Beast Tamer doesn’t care whether I can eliminate others or not; he just needs to focus the Sword Masters’ attention on me—you suspected I collaborated with the Beast Tamer when you saw me with these beasts, didn’t you?"
"Whether you all suspect my cooperation with the Beast Tamer, or I use these beasts to eliminate you all, the Beast Tamer’s goal is achieved—he can silently carry out his cheating plan."
No Sword Master collaborating with Le Yin was simple.
Initially, Le Yin thought ’Feng Lv’ actively sent beasts over so genuinely, seemingly as smart as Mie Tang Ya, but soon he realized—using him as a gun!
If these beast Pokémon hadn’t exposed him, Le Yin could effortlessly rendezvous with each Sword Master discreetly, without needing to dance on a tightrope now, maneuvering between multiple Sword Masters, nearly becoming the brightest socialite in the Eye of Omniscience test.
"The Beast Tamer’s casual attitude towards external cooperation only proves one thing," Le Yin said, "he doesn’t care whether we cheat or not, he is confident his Sword Master can win first place!"
"The other hidden Sword Master, probably equally confident. If considering the worst outcome, that would be their two Sword Masters scoring full marks in this test!"
"So do you understand now? We’ve already lost the Eye of Omniscience."
Cai Nu couldn’t help but nod slightly upon hearing this.
Even though there are points for ranks other than first place, there can only be one victor in the Sword Mastery competition, just as there can only be one person on the throne. In other words, not being first is equivalent to losing.
"Focusing on this exam any further is meaningless, so I don’t care about the other sword sheaths cheating," Le Yin said. "But if I can use this opportunity to completely eliminate the other sword sheaths, what does it matter if the Beast Tamer can lead temporarily?"
Cai Nu suppressed her charming smile, remained silent for a moment, and calmly asked, "Then why don’t you step aside while I find the Instant Annihilator?"
If Cai Nu had initially submitted due to Le Yin’s domineering attitude, she was now truly convinced and began seeking her own advantage. Moreover, Le Yin’s way of thinking resonated with her—being an Infiltrator, she naturally preferred dealing with opponents in the shadows rather than seizing open victories on the battlefield.
"Because I’m not afraid of the Instant Annihilator and I have a way to lure out Niruo and Mie Tangya!" Le Yin chuckled. "Both are proud martial artists. Seeing that I haven’t dealt with their cheating, they won’t wish to be indebted to me and will definitely challenge me once they recover their strength!"
Currently, Qin Le Yin is powerful, and even dealing with Niruo and Mie Tangya involves Qin Le Yin. Could Cai Nu really interject with ’Really, I don’t believe it’, ’What if?’, or ’If not, you’ll compensate me’ to challenge him?
Furthermore, Cai Nu could hear the subtext behind Qin Le Yin’s words—even though Qin Le Yin hadn’t said it explicitly. Compared to those two proud martial artists, Cai Nu, the skilled Infiltrator, posed a greater threat to him. If she suddenly turned against him in the heat of his battle with the Instant Annihilator, it would be his turn to exit the stage.
Judging with the mind of a villain, Cai Nu thought if she were Qin Le Yin, she would make herself withdraw from the scene too. Not only did Qin Le Yin refrain from going for the kill immediately, but he just wanted her to pretend to leave injured; Cai Nu even wondered whether her charm was working, to have manipulative Qin Le Yin offer such a favorable alliance.
"Alright then." Cai Nu blinked and pretended to wipe away tears. "Please, my lord, have mercy on this poor girl..."
"When you see the signal, it means I’ve lured both Niruo and Mie Tangya over. Just come and finish them off."
Le Yin’s hand radiated light, his fingers pressing like pincers on Cai Nu’s flawless jade shoulder.
"Don’t be afraid, I’m just outside skimming, I won’t go in."
...
...
Watching Cai Nu flee, clutching her wounded shoulder, Le Yin breathed a sigh of relief. He left the small woods while taking out a metallic emblem from an iron box and tapping it twice.
"Yin, did you see Cai Nu?"
The metallic emblem responded, "If you’re referring to that woman in tight black clothes who looks completely unrestrained, then yes, I saw her."
"Don’t get a fixed impression of her," Le Yin replied. "For all we know, she’s just an ordinary female student with thick glasses and braided hair... her usual appearance might surprise us."
"Do you think she might transform?"
"Among the sword sheaths that have been exposed, she’s the only one I have no impression of. I suspect you can’t even find her in the academy—she must have used special methods to conceal herself. And indeed, she’s very good at hiding."
Le Yin said, "Earlier, I pretended to be severely injured to lure her out, then struck back and inflicted serious damage on her. Now, she has no choice but to exit. Otherwise, you could have ended her yourself without my help."
Emblem: "So why didn’t you chase her down?"
"Because this exam already has two perfect scorers." Le Yin shared his speculation about the Beast Tamer and the unknown sword sheath with ’Yin’. "The Eye of Omniscience is no longer important. I want to draw the other sword sheaths together so I can engage them up front and have you eliminate them from a distance."
"Letting them go is necessary. If there’s any casualty, the principal might not stop it, but others would surely become more cautious. By not taking out their cheating accomplices and continuing to provoke them here, they’ll surely return once they’re healed. That’s our best chance to annihilate them altogether."
The other side was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you trust me?"
"I trust you’ll save your last bullet for me," Le Yin replied. "I’ll trust you until you fire that last shot."
Another bout of silence.
"I’ll be watching you at all times," the other side responded. "Your life is mine to take; no one else can take your life."
"Since you’re willing to trust me, I’m willing to make this promise."
"Deal," Le Yin said with a smile, secretly breathing a sigh of relief as he placed the emblem back into the iron box.
He had finally completed his plan.
Niruo fears nothing, but Ming Shuangli is his only weakness. To deal with him, one must use momentum to make him jittery;
Mie Tangya isn’t very bright, so there’s no need to explain too much. As long as he knows the result is favorable, he’ll believe you. With him, forceful imposition works; no need to clarify;
Cai Nu is cunning and ruthless. With her, power must overwhelm her spirit, and rewards must entice her interests;
As for ’Yin’, Le Yin had spent many days building a relationship beforehand. He knew ’Yin’ was a lonely person; otherwise, why would he even chat with opposing sword sheaths? Such individuals are prone to trust others—’Yin’ believed he was honest, but it was really loneliness.
’Yin’ was the easiest to deal with. With this friendship established, Le Yin could say anything and ’Yin’ would believe it. Of course, if ’Yin’ discovered Le Yin was lying, the relationship would collapse.
However, as long as ’Yin’ didn’t discover it, wouldn’t it be fine?
In fact, Le Yin had shown many suspicious signs, but ’Yin’ still chose to trust him because Le Yin hadn’t crossed the line. This made ’Yin’ unwilling to doubt him and inclined to believe everything was part of the plan.
This confidence stemmed from sensing a possible favoritism.
Now, having fooled four sword sheaths, and with the other two absent, Le Yin completely controlled the situation of the Eye of Omniscience exam.
Now, it was up to Ming Shuiyun and her team to perform.
He looked up to the grand Nightmare teaching building and sighed.
Through negotiations, deceit, betrayal, and lies, sacrificing his reputation and risking being criticized, he might even be ridiculed as a ’traitor’ if exposed—all just to create a conducive exam environment for Ming Shuiyun?
His reason for convincing Niruo was ’for Ming Shuangli,’ but in truth, it wasn’t even for Ming Shuiyun.
It was all for the future of their child.
If Ming Shuiyun failed this exam, Le Yin wouldn’t hesitate to spank her.
The warm afternoon sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a motherly glow on Le Yin’s worried face.