The heavy makeup blurred Bian Yichen’s features somewhat, but he was undoubtedly still good-looking, albeit with an unnatural, almost mask-like falseness. The rouge on his lips was deep red, resembling the color of blood, making his powdered face appear even more deathly pale. To fit into Qi Shu’s clothes, he had deliberately lost weight over the years, leaving him emaciated and gaunt.
Without his face, Bian Yichen might have looked like a grotesque monster at this moment.
If you looked closely, you could see the fervor in his eyes.
It was a feverish intensity only seen in those who desperately desired something.
He walked forward step by step.
He stepped on a meat bun on the ground.
The thin-skinned, generously filled meat bun was crushed into a sticky mess, covered in filth, transforming from a delicious treat into something repulsive.
He Sui’an instinctively shielded Qi Buyan. Unable to see him, Bian Yichen turned his gaze to her.
Bian Yichen’s eyes, also painted with rouge at the corners, held a sinister red. When he looked up, he smiled pleasantly. What should have been a friendly expression sent chills down He Sui’an’s spine, making her shiver.
He Sui’an wasn’t completely clueless; she had memories of Bian Yichen’s past actions. Though she hadn’t yet figured out the source of these memories, she was certain they had happened.
Bian Yichen smiled and said, “Little girl, we meet again.”
He glanced at her slightly trembling hand.
So afraid of him?
They had only met once by the river in Hongye Village, Qingzhou. If she was so terrified, why stand in front of Qi Buyan?
This scene reminded Bian Yichen of the past. Qi Shu used to stand in front of Qi Buyan like this. Whenever he tried to approach Qi Buyan, she would divert his attention with her coldness.
She would send Qi Buyan away.
She would say she didn’t want to see Qi Buyan because just looking at him made her feel nauseous.
But was it genuine hatred for Qi Buyan, or was it to protect his life? Though Bian Yichen didn’t want to admit it, he had to acknowledge it was likely the latter. How had he not noticed back then?
If he had, he would have strangled Qi Buyan. Bian Yichen thought it was unfair. Why could Qi Shu have feelings for Qi Buyan?
She didn’t even want to have feelings for him.
What was Qi Buyan to her?
Qi Shu had always resented him for deceiving her, but hadn’t she deceived him as well? With this in mind, Bian Yichen’s smile stiffened slightly, but it quickly turned into a flawless smile again.
He looked at He Sui’an.
Bian Yichen wasn’t wrong; He Sui’an was indeed afraid of him. But this fear was the kind any ordinary person would feel after witnessing a murderer’s indiscriminate killing, only to see that same murderer suddenly appear before them one day.
People in the western market frequently glanced at them. After all, Bian Yichen’s attire was too eye-catching. Additionally, Qi Buyan was dressed similarly to him, and they even shared a slight resemblance, prompting onlookers to speculate about their relationship.
Some thought they might be mother and son.
However, the notion was quickly dispelled by the boy’s actions.
Qi Buyan hurled out his Heavenly Silkworm silk, bypassing He Sui’an, and aimed directly at Bian Yichen. Before the onlookers could react, the sharp, transparent Heavenly Silkworm silk slashed across his cheek, the blood seeping out and staining the rouge.
Bian Yichen only felt a chill and a pain on his cheek as his skin was cut open.
He raised his hand and grabbed the Heavenly Silkworm silk.
He Sui’an was on edge.
Bian Yichen was prepared. He wore gloves that prevented the sharp Heavenly Silkworm silk from cutting him. Not only did he not fear its sharpness, but he also wound it around his hand a few times before pulling it outward.
Qi Buyan, on the other end of the Heavenly Silkworm silk, was pulled out by Bian Yichen. His indigo clothing flipped in the air, but he landed steadily, the sound of his silver ornaments continuous.
The people in the western market quickly scattered.
They had the good sense to recognize a life-or-death fight and didn’t want to be accidentally injured. However, they didn’t go far, still eager to witness this rare spectacle.
He Sui’an stood her ground.
She couldn’t fight and knew that rushing forward would only cause trouble. After some thought, she took out a bag of silver and asked the people in the western market to report to the authorities.
One kind person she approached reminded her that the Chang’an authorities rarely intervened in private disputes unless government property was damaged or the fight resulted in death.
“It’s not a private fight,” He Sui’an said quickly. “It’s about catching a murderer. This man is a wanted criminal, hunted by authorities across various regions for years. If you report him, you can even get a reward from the government.”
In Hongye Village, Qingzhou, she had once asked someone to report to the authorities while praying at the Xuanmiao Temple.
The local officials, after hearing her description, sent people to search the riverbank for evidence of Bian Yichen’s killings. Later, government officers retrieved several bodies, tied with large stones, from the river.
The officers hinted to the person who reported it that Bian Yichen might be the long-wanted murderer, known for disguising as a woman and wearing indigo dresses.
The method of killing was equally cruel.
To this day, He Sui’an still remembered it clearly.
The resident of the Western Market was dumbfounded and said, “Little girl, you can’t make such claims lightly.”
He Sui’an, unwilling to stray too far from Qi Buyan in such a situation, used silver to request someone else to report to the authorities: “Don’t worry, even if he’s not the one, the authorities won’t punish you.”
This reasoning was sound.
To encourage the general public to help solve cases, the authorities had clearly stipulated that anyone could provide clues about a case. Once verified as true, there would be a corresponding reward. Even if the clue turned out to be useless, the authorities would not blame the person who provided it.
The resident of the Western Market nodded in agreement.
He Sui’an’s attention then returned to Qi Buyan and Bian Yichen.
The side street in the Western Market cleared out, and Bian Yichen casually grabbed a newly forged iron sword from a nearby smithy. With one hand, he held onto the Heavenly Silkworm silk entangling Qi Buyan, and with the other, he wielded the iron sword.
The iron sword slashed down with a gust of wind.
The sword’s tip aimed directly at Qi Buyan’s wrist, as if intending to sever his hand. The young man gripped the thin Heavenly Silkworm silk with both hands, countering the force. The iron sword pressed down on the Heavenly Silkworm silk, pushing hard.
A regular iron sword couldn’t touch the Heavenly Silkworm silk, which could cut through iron like mud. However, when infused with the inner strength of a martial artist, any weapon in Bian Yichen’s hands could contend with the Heavenly Silkworm silk.
The onlooking residents couldn’t help but feel tense.
They wondered how a thin strand like the Heavenly Silkworm silk could withstand a sharp iron sword.
But the Heavenly Silkworm silk remained unbroken.
Qi Buyan performed a backward somersault, retracting the Heavenly Silkworm silk. His long hair fluttered in the wind, and his silver ornaments gleamed under the sunlight. The two indigo figures clashed repeatedly, making it hard for the onlookers to keep up.
Bian Yichen’s iron sword once again sliced through the air, its killing intent unmistakable, driven by his determination to obtain what he desired.
The sword’s light was blinding.
A gust of sword wind, infused with inner strength, spread out, causing discomfort to those nearby.
Qi Buyan stood still. Just before the sword energy could hit, countless strands of Heavenly Silkworm silk wove themselves into a sturdy net, dispersing the sword energy.
Bian Yichen raised an eyebrow. His iron sword, swift as the wind and concentrated with inner strength, struck like breaking ice, sweeping in from all directions.
The sword’s energy stirred up dust, making He Sui’an squint from several steps away.
Nearby old tables and chairs shattered.
The frightened residents scattered, holding their heads. He Sui’an found a place to hide.
The Heavenly Silkworm silk net surrounding Qi Buyan suddenly snapped, and the fierce sword wind grazed his wrist, leaving a small cut.
A drop of blood slipped from Qi Buyan’s wrist.
More Heavenly Silkworm silk appeared along the young man’s wrist. He spread his right hand, and the Heavenly Silkworm silk extended from his fingertips, weaving into a Heavenly Silkworm silk sword in front of everyone’s eyes, clear as snow.
The snow-like sword seemed to emit a white glow. Qi Buyan’s fingers closed around it, clashing with Bian Yichen’s iron sword, sparking as the swords met, producing a resonant “clang.”
The sword wind tousled their long hair, and the bells and silver ornaments on their clothes jingled.
The young man’s eyes were calm.
Bian Yichen, however, was fixated on the butterfly silver chain exposed by Qi Buyan.
Qi Buyan suddenly laughed.
His laughter made his chest tremble, as if he could barely hold the Heavenly Silkworm silk sword: “You want my butterfly silver chain? Why? Let me guess, is it because of her?”
The “her” referred to Qi Shu.
Bian Yichen understood immediately.
He also laughed, increasing the force of his sword, inexplicably finding Qi Buyan’s laughter irritating: “Yes, please return your mother’s belongings to me, and I will leave you with an intact corpse.”
Qi Buyan’s smile remained: “But I won’t leave you an intact corpse.”
Sword energy swirled, creating a storm of debris.
After a fierce clash, they separated, each holding a sword and standing on opposite sides, Qi Buyan with his right hand holding the Heavenly Silkworm silk sword, its tip pointing diagonally to the ground, his indigo robes and silver ornaments swaying slightly in the wind.
On a tall building in the western market, a woman in a blue gauze dress, wearing a silver mask and with a xun at her waist, whom He Sui’an had seen last night, watched the sword duel below with a calm expression.
A man stood beside the woman.
The man also looked down.
After watching for a while, he asked, “Aunt Cui, are you really not going to help?”
Aunt Cui played with the xun at her waist, not answering directly, but instead saying, “As expected of Qi Shu’s son, he resembles Qi Shu very much, both in his talent for Gu poison and in his martial arts skills.”
She then showed a look of regret. Such a person, if alive now, would surely be famous in the martial world, known by all.
What a pity.
Aunt Cui used to aim to be like Qi Shu in her own practice of Gu poison, constantly striving and training hard.
Although Qi Shu had done her a favor, she had repaid it—by helping Qi Shu bring Qi Buyan back to the Miaojiang Tianshui Village. Aunt Cui would not interfere in this matter again.
However, she still hoped for a bad end for Bian Yichen.
Aunt Cui estimated the time and, without watching further, turned and descended the tall building with the man. She had other matters to attend to, and what happened with others should be handled by them. She was just an outsider.
On the streets of the western market, the two indigo figures moved swiftly, their sword energy radiating in all directions.
Their swordsmanship was evenly matched.
Qi Buyan threw the Heavenly Silkworm silk sword into the air, and the Heavenly Silkworm silk spread out with lightning speed, one strand after another encircling Bian Yichen.
As the Heavenly Silkworm silk blocked Bian Yichen’s advance, Qi Buyan whistled, and venomous insects crawled out from all directions. Bian Yichen used his inner strength to disperse the Heavenly Silkworm silk and then swung his sword to sweep away the venomous insects.
The sight of so many insects and snakes made the residents of the western market feel their scalps tingle, and they hid even more securely.
He Sui’an crouched under a table.
She saw many of the venomous insects killed or injured.
Qi Buyan summoned other insects and snakes from within Chang’an City. Though unrefined, they could still be used.
Bian Yichen was beginning to sweat, a mix of perspiration and rouge seeping into the wound on his cheek from the Heavenly Silkworm silk, stinging painfully. He wiped his face expressionlessly, smearing his makeup.
The number of insects and snakes did not decrease but rather increased, making it increasingly difficult for Bian Yichen to fend them off.
tysm for the updates!