When Cangshu Linfeng's gaze fell upon Cangshu Bai, his usual careless aloofness finally faded a little, replaced by a heavy solemnity.
It wasn't as if he had never seen Cangshu Bai's sharp edge before.
Back then, Cangshu Bai was cold and ruthless, but his coldness had a method, and his ruthlessness had limits.
But looking at the man before him now.
Demonic energy surged like ink, wrapping around his entire body. Those eyes, once as deep as a freezing pool and hiding countless calculations, were now nothing but a chaotic sea of scarlet.
There was no calmness, no weighing of pros and cons, no unfathomable shrewdness—only an apocalyptic madness.
He was still strong, still terrifying, but he was like a ferocious beast that had broken free of its chains, driven only by instinct.
Cangshu Linfeng furrowed his brows even tighter, his fingertips unconsciously brushing against his sword scabbard.
Logically speaking, Cangshu Bai was now facing two opponents alone. If he still had any reason left, he should be much more cautious. However, Cangshu Bai showed no fear and did not retreat, stubbornly intent only on achieving his goal.
A black spear appeared in his hand, radiating a chilling, gloomy aura.
He said, Come at me together.
The night wind swept up the demonic energy, wreaking havoc through the streets and alleys. The lanterns hanging from the eaves were torn to shreds by the fierce gale, sending sparks flying into the ink-black night sky.
Hearing this, a very faint smile suddenly hooked the corners of Cangshu Linfeng's lips.
The smile held no warmth; rather, it was the anticipation and madness of finally being able to fight a worthy opponent.
Cangshu Linfeng said, We haven't seen each other for days, yet your arrogance hasn't diminished in the slightest.
Cangshu Qihua had already charged forward with his sword raised. Trying to reason with someone who has fallen to his demons, Cangshu Linfeng, you really are a fool!
Cangshu Linfeng raised an eyebrow slightly. The longsword in his arms left its sheath, its clear, ringing hum overpowering the sound of the wind.
The white-clad swordsman tapped the ground with his toe, his figure darting through the air like a startled swan. Amidst fluttering robes, a snow-bright arc of sword light slashed diagonally toward Cangshu Bai's face. The sword intent was as pure as frost, forcefully driving back the surging demonic energy around them by three feet.
Cangshu Qihua, don't hold me back.
The wound on Cangshu Qihua's shoulder was pulled, the pain causing cold sweat to bead on his forehead, but a fearless fire burned in the depths of his eyes.
He stepped sideways, blocking half a step in front of Mu Shuqing. His sword pointed diagonally at the ground, the blade scraping against the bluestone bricks and sending up a trail of sparks.
I'll return those words right back to you!
Cangshu Bai said coldly, An ant trying to shake a tree.
He gave the black spear in his hand a shake, the tip humming. Under the nourishment of the demonic energy, the dark patterns lit up with an eerie crimson. Instead of retreating, he advanced. The spear shaft swept horizontally, crashing into Cangshu Linfeng's blade with the force of a thunderbolt. In the blink of an eye, the spear tip dipped and thrust straight toward Cangshu Qihua's injured shoulder.
Every move was vicious; he truly harbored the intent to kill.
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing against metal was deafening.
Cangshu Linfeng lightly flipped his wrist, his longsword naturally wrapping around the spear shaft, using the opponent's strength against him to deflect the tyrannical force.
Cangshu Qihua gritted his teeth, forcefully twisting his body to avoid a fatal blow, while his blade sliced through the wind, aiming straight for the wrist with which Cangshu Bai held the spear.
The three of them instantly became entangled in a fierce melee.
Mu Shuqing watched the turbulent scene before her, her expression a mix of surprise and panic, though it was hard to tell which was greater.
She had never imagined that there would come a day when Cangshu Linfeng and Cangshu Qihua would actually join forces, and the reason for their alliance seemed to be her.
But she didn't feel happy about it; instead, she only felt it was a burden.
Mu Shuqing didn't want to owe anyone a favor, because debts of gratitude always had to be repaid. If she owed too much, she wouldn't be able to pay it back.
Mu Shuqing clenched her teeth, spending quite a bit of effort to regain her mobility.
In the blink of an eye, just as the spear and the twin swords were about to crash together, her figure appeared right in the middle of them.
Cangshu Linfeng and Cangshu Qihua hurriedly pulled back their swords.
Cangshu Qihua shouted angrily, Mu Shuqing, are you crazy!?
Cangshu Linfeng frowned slightly.
Mu Shuqing, however, neither dodged nor hid. She looked up and saw the long spear, gleaming with a dark, cold light, right in front of her.
The cold glint of the spear tip was almost touching the skin between her eyebrows. The gloomy, chilling aura made her forehead tingle slightly. The demon-infused blade was barely an inch away; a fraction more, and it would pierce through her skull.
Her gaze slowly moved up the cold, straight shaft of the spear, past the dark-patterned body of the weapon, past the tightly clenched hand with its slightly bulging veins, and finally landed on the face of the man holding it.
Cangshu Bai's eyes, dyed scarlet by demonic energy, were locked onto her. They held no ripples of emotion, only an extreme, paranoid madness.
Yet, amid that madness, he had forced himself to stop, stopping short of actually killing her.
Mu Shuqing said, Cangshu Bai, your goal really isn't to kill me.
That was why she had dared to rush into the dangerous combat zone.
She continued, I'm guessing you sought me out because something happened to Ranran. What do you want me to do?
Cangshu Bai said, I want a drop of your blood.
Mu Shuqing didn't hesitate. Fine.
She didn't ask what Cangshu Bai intended to do with it. Even after sensing that something had gone wrong between Cangshu Bai and Mu Ran, she didn't plan to ask a single extra question.
Because Cangshu Bai's current appearance made it clear that if she didn't cooperate, he would resort to more forceful methods.
That was just the kind of person Mu Shuqing was. She had some familial affection in her heart, but when her own life was threatened, she would always prioritize her own survival.
Mu Shuqing cut her finger, and a drop of fresh blood slowly floated into the air, quickly arriving above the young man's palm.
Cangshu Bai lowered his eyes to stare at that speck of crimson suspended in the air. For the first time, the violent madness in his scarlet eyes receded a little, leaving behind an almost greedy sense of cherishing.
Mu Ran's body contained a drop of Mu Shuqing's heart's blood. He could use this drop of Mu Shuqing's blood to sense where Mu Ran had gone.
His goal achieved, Cangshu Bai's figure quickly vanished.
All that remained in his place was a wisp of bone-piercing cold and a faint scent of blood, as if he had never been there at all.
Cangshu Qihua originally thought he was crazy enough, but after seeing Cangshu Bai fight and then simply leave, he actually felt quite normal.
He said, Now that he has fallen to the demonic path, there's no telling how many people he will kill.
Cangshu Linfeng said with some pity, The old him was a pretty good opponent.
I will send a gift of gratitude another day to thank you both for your help. It's getting late, so I won't invite you inside for tea.
After Mu Shuqing bowed, she walked into the adjacent house and closed the front door.
Cangshu Linfeng and Cangshu Qihua stood where they were for quite a while. When another gust of night wind blew past, the two figures, one in white and one in red, looked at each other.
Cangshu Linfeng: You're still not leaving?
I'm injured, I can't walk. Cangshu Qihua asked, You're still not leaving?
Cangshu Linfeng replied, It's too late, I can't see the road clearly.
The two men looked at each other's self-righteous expressions and fell into a new round of confrontation.
The previous night, because some unknown big shot had fallen to their inner demons, causing a massive disturbance, many people had been unable to sleep. But by the next day, the wind was calm and the waves were quiet, the clouds rolled in and out, presenting a scene of complete peace and harmony.
