novelaction Chapter 63 Hostages
Chapter 63 Hostages
The two ran to the front of the passage, turned a corner, and were surprised to find that it was a cave that had been hollowed out, large enough to hold a dozen or so people.
Fang Duobing fought to a standstill with a monk in his thirties wearing a kasaya. Judging from the monk's attire, he could tell at a glance that he was from Pudu Temple, since Pudu Temple was the only temple within dozens of miles.
The sword the monk held, which he used to fight Fang Duobing, was none other than the sword that Li Xiangyi had taken from him, belonging to the Junior Master.
The space was small, and the two fought somewhat restrained. Dust swirled in the air, blurring their figures, but it was clear that Fang Duobing was gaining the upper hand. This monk must be Jingren, the one who killed and stole the sword.
Beside her, Arou was hiding by the wall. Judging from the mud all over her clothes, she had been pushed to the ground and had just gotten up.
Before the two could get close, they were stopped by Fang Duobing.
"Miss Qiao, Wu You, you two stay over there and don't come over. I can take down this guy who stole the Junior Master's Sword by myself."
"Young Master." Qiao Wanmian's eyes were filled with tears as she looked at the Young Master in the man's hands. She wanted to rush over, but Wu You grabbed her arm.
"Don't go there, it's dangerous over there. Fang Duobing will handle it," Wu You advised.
Wu You borrowed a room in the old house, took out two masks from the space, and handed one to Qiao Wanmian.
"Sister A-Mian, put this on quickly. It's too dusty here, and your qi ailment will flare up soon." With that, Wu You put it on herself first.
With the young master now in sight, Qiao Wanmian could finally relax.
Taking the mask from Wu You, she followed Wu You's example and put it on her face, gently thanking her, "Thank you, Youyou."
His gaze then turned sharp as he looked at the maid Arou, who was hiding behind him.
"Arou, did you steal the Young Master just to give it to him? You couldn't possibly not know how important this Young Master is to me."
Wu You exclaimed from the side, "Sister is so cool! Her eyes changed instantly." Don't let Qiao Wanmian's gentle and mild appearance fool you; after all, she had handled the affairs of the Si Gu Sect for many years.
When Arou first saw Qiao Wanmian, she was so frightened that she trembled and tried to hide behind her to minimize her presence.
I had been with Qiao Wanmian since she took over the affairs of the Sigu Sect, and I had naturally witnessed her ruthless punishment of those who betrayed her.
Otherwise, since the sect leader has never really interfered in sect affairs, how could a woman with mediocre martial arts skills manage such a large sect as the Four Directions Sect and win the respect of its members?
Now that she'd been caught red-handed, there was no escaping it. Arou knelt on the ground with a thud, tears streaming down her face, begging Qiao Wanmian for forgiveness.
“Miss, it was my fault. I was deceived by him. He said he was obsessed with the young master and wanted to see it in advance so that he wouldn’t have any regrets. I was originally planning to take the young master’s sword over before the sword appreciation event started, show it to him, and then take it back to you for safekeeping.”
At this point, Arou looked at the man fighting, her eyes revealing a mix of emotions including tenderness, disbelief, and fear.
“This was something I had agreed upon with him beforehand, but when we got here, he actually asked me to take a fake sword back to replace it, and he even brought that fake sword with him.”
Wu You and the other looked at the iron sword that had been carelessly discarded on the ground. At first glance, it was exactly the same as the Junior Master's Sword, and they couldn't tell the difference.
The swordsmith must have carefully observed the young master to create a sword that is exactly the same as his.
Arou continued to sob, "Of course I disagree with his suggestion. I already felt ashamed to have secretly taken out the sword, Miss. How could I have engaged in such a fraudulent act as switching the fake sword back?"
"But when he saw that I disagreed, he actually tried to draw his sword at me. Fortunately, Young Master Fang arrived in time, otherwise I would be dead now. He also fled with the Young Master Sword."
"You're really confused. Didn't the Young Master hold a sword appreciation event? If you really want to see it first, you can tell me. Go back and accept your punishment. I don't need you around anymore."
Qiao Wan turned away angrily, not wanting to look anymore.
Arou knelt on the ground, crying uncontrollably: "It's my fault, I was deceived, I'm sorry, Miss."
Qiao Wanmian kept her back to Arou, refusing to look at her again.
The two were fighting fiercely, and it looked like Fang Duobing was about to be defeated by Monk Jingren.
The monk was also getting anxious. His arm had already been stabbed, and staying here like this was not a solution. So he deliberately gave Fang Duobing an opening.
Fang Duobing saw the opening and thrust his sword forward without hesitation. However, the monk turned around, leaped, and arrived at Arou's side, placing the Shaoshi sword in his hand against Arou's neck as she knelt on the ground.
"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill him!" Jingren shouted at Fang Duobing.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events, and Fang Duobing hesitated, not daring to step forward.
"I advise you to put down your sword immediately and not hurt anyone. This is Baichuan Academy, and you won't get away with this," Fang Duobing threatened.
"Hmph, put down your sword. I'm just walking into a trap. As long as I have hostages, Baichuan Academy won't do anything to me." Jingren said, pushing the sword a little further into Arou's neck.
At this moment, Arou dared not move, fearing that she might lose her life at any moment. She was heartbroken; for this man, she had failed her mistress, and now he harbored murderous intent towards her a second time. How could she have ever liked such a person?
"Release Arou and hand over the Junior Master Sword, and I'll let you go." Qiao Wanmian was also panicked by this sudden scene. Although Arou had betrayed her, she didn't want her to lose her life in vain.
“I don’t believe it. Let him throw the sword over first.” Jingren was standing next to Fang Duobing.
Fang Duobing was unwilling to do so. If he threw away his weapons, he would be at the mercy of others and would be completely at a disadvantage.
Qiao Wanmian looked at Fang Duobing with a pleading look in her eyes: "Young Master Fang, Arou's life is the most important. Please throw away your sword first."
Having no other choice, Fang Duobing threw the sword at the feet of Monk Jingren: "Here you go, now release the person."
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Lotus Tower Small Theater
Arou: Young Master Fang, did you really throw away your sword? If you did, it will be very difficult for you to defeat him.
Fang Duobing: If your life weren't in someone else's hands, would I have let my Erya sword gather dust on the ground?
Erya: Thank you for remembering me, Master. Please wipe my body clean later.
Arou: I never imagined that Young Hero Fang would go to such lengths for me. Arou is deeply moved. How about...?
Fang Duobing: Get lost.
Arou: Okay.