Chapter 47: Watch Your Language

Tonight, there is no moon, and the sky is crowded with stars.

In the wilderness, among tangled weeds, Qian Wu sat bare-chested, blood seeping from several fierce wounds slashed across his body. A delicate-looking young woman was carefully wrapping bandages around him. She appeared to be quite young, but her hair was stark white, her complexion pale as though she were ill, with a sickly aura about her. If one looked closely, there was a faint dark red glimmer in her eyes. Behind her, a slender object wrapped in cloth was tightly bound to her back.

"You don't have to do so much for me," the woman whispered.

Qian Wu replied coldly, "What I do is none of your concern."

The woman opened her mouth slightly. She knew this man always spoke harshly, yet she couldn't help but tighten the bandage with extra force.

Qian Wu's body trembled. The woman asked, "Does it hurt?"

If it does, I'll be gentler... she thought silently.

"It's bearable," Qian Wu said stiffly, his face icy.

The woman took a breath, ready to pull tighter, but her strength faded, and eventually her fingers relaxed, brushing softly across Qian Wu's broad back. There was a tenderness in her eyes that could not be described.

"You really haven't eaten, have you? Can't even tie a bandage properly," came Qian Wu's brusque voice.

The woman inhaled sharply, suddenly thinking perhaps it was best to pull harder.

Just then, a rustling sounded from the distant darkness, followed by a shout: "This should be the way! Don’t let that demon escape!"

Qian Wu snatched up the sword from the ground, his face cold as he murmured, "Stay here. I’ll be back soon."

With that, he charged toward the voices. Soon, cries of alarm, the clash of weapons, and shouts erupted. Sword energy flashed, cutting through the night.

The woman sat on the ground, her head buried in her knees, shoulders trembling. The slender object tied to her back glowed faintly with a dark red light, threatening to consume her.

The battle was not long. Soon, the sounds faded.

Qian Wu returned, blood dripping from the sword in his hand. He set it aside and sat down where he had been, saying in a low voice, "Take deep breaths. Don’t let it control your mind."

He closed his eyes to regulate his breath. After so many fights, his body was exhausted, and now he could only snatch moments of rest.

After a while, the small hand reached for him again, wrapping fresh bandages around his new wounds.

"Why do you treat me this way?" the woman asked again.

Qian Wu answered calmly, "I do as I please. Nothing more."

She fell silent. She had asked this question many times along the way, but he never gave a reason. Even when she lost control, he stood before her and, though he had the chance to kill her, did not strike.

In the darkness, the rustling continued. The woman quietly wrapped the bandages, not using much strength. Her fingers brushed Qian Wu’s hardened skin, feeling the heat from his battles, her thoughts a mystery even to herself.

"The group just now is not the same as the ones hunting you during the day," Qian Wu said suddenly.

She acknowledged, laughing softly, "Perhaps they want this broken spear."

"They know our route. There must be a diviner helping them," Qian Wu said, his gaze cold as he looked into the night. "Your time is running out. The road ahead will only get harder."

"I saw you leaving marks along the way. What are you doing?" she asked.

His tone softened, growing calm. "Waiting for my boss. Once he arrives, these dangers become nothing."

"Will he... help us?" she asked hesitantly. She had seen too much betrayal, making trust nearly impossible. Even this man—who appeared suddenly and decided to help her—she did not know how to face him.

"He will," Qian Wu nodded seriously, without the slightest hesitation.

"But..." He paused, then continued, "I don’t know when he’ll arrive. Maybe we won’t last, and he’ll never make it."

To send word from Hongzhou to the capital, and then journey here, following the signs he left along the way, would take considerable time. Qian Wu had no certainty he could hold out.

He could only hope Little Red Candy was coming with his boss; the boss was famously poor at finding his way. If he came alone, they might only wait for him to collect their bodies.

The woman bit her lip and said softly, "If things get desperate, I’ll..."

"No!" Qian Wu turned, his eyes cold. "Your body can’t bear it. Use it too often, and you won’t even be able to handle Point Sword Manor, let alone the final enemy."

"I think I can still—"

"In just a few days your hair is all white. If you use it again, what will you lose? Your eyes? Your ears? Your lifespan? Can you endure that? Don’t forget your blood feud."

"But you—"

Qian Wu said coldly, "Don’t concern yourself with me. I promised to help you with your vengeance, and I will see it through."

In the darkness, both fell silent.

Soon, the bandaging was finished. Qian Wu leaned against a tree, holding his sword, his back straight as if nothing could bend him.

The woman sat quietly in the shadows, watching the man before her, so close in age. The longer she watched, the more her vision blurred.

She leaned softly toward him, her head gently touching his arm, and asked again, "Why do you treat me this way?"

She had asked the same question many times these days, always answered with dismissal. No one in this world would be kind to her without reason.

Especially after so many years, she no longer trusted the good will of the martial world.

Qian Wu gave no answer, as she expected. Whenever he didn’t wish to reply, he simply ignored her.

Suddenly, a possibility crossed her mind. She asked, puzzled, "Could it be we met as children?"

"Absolutely not," Qian Wu said, his head lowered, eyes closed in meditation, his lips moving slowly.

Another idea occurred to her, and her gaze grew strange. She whispered, "Could it be, when you first saw me, you... fell deeply in love?"

Truthfully, she was just a young girl herself. She had read a few romance novels and knew well the tales of love at first sight, or affection growing over time, that were popular in the martial world.

Sometimes, she wondered what it would be like to have a companion who shared life and death, and imagined it would be much better than her present state.

But after years in the martial world, she had come to believe love was nothing but empty words. Her world was made only of blood and vengeance.

Yet now, the situation unsettled her. If not for this possibility, she could not fathom what would drive this young man to such lengths for her.

Could he really... for her...

If he declared his feelings, how should she respond? She didn’t even know when she might die—how could she accept?

He was handsome, well-built, with abs to boast. In martial world novels, he’d be the classic ascetic, dominant type.

Here they were, in the wilds...

Her thoughts dimmed, her heart seized by an invisible hand, aching faintly.

If only she had met him a few years earlier...

"Watch your words, woman," Qian Wu opened his eyes, his gaze cold as it swept over her.

The woman held her tongue.