Chapter 120: The Beauty's Shoulders

Niu Chumings room was located at the far west end of the backyard, near the martial arts academy’s kitchen, set apart from the others living on the west side of the yard.

Inside the room, after spending half the night talking with Ping’er, Niu Chuming lay in bed, listening to her softly hum a gentle lullaby, and drifted off to sleep with a happy smile on his face. He had pushed his bed against the wall, as it was cold in winter, allowing them to talk while huddled together under the covers. These past few months had been the brightest and happiest of his life.

"Brother Niu, Brother Niu."

In his sleep, Niu Chuming heard Ping’er calling his name anxiously. He jolted awake and asked, "Ping’er, what is it?"

"A group of people has come outside," Ping’er said urgently.

Niu Chuming was shocked. A group of men breaking into the martial arts academy in the dead of night could never mean anything good. He scrambled out of bed, threw on his clothes, and grabbed his sword. In the darkness, he could clearly hear the voices of two men outside.

"Why is this broken academy so poor? We can't find a single thing of value. And to think people in the Longchong Prefecture told us it was the biggest academy around a few years ago."

"Exactly. Even a broken ship has three thousand nails; it’s rare to see an academy this large so destitute."

"This seems to be where they keep the living quarters in the back. I wonder if there are any beauties here?"

"Heh, I heard that the academy’s eldest daughter, Miss Qiu, and her maid are quite beautiful. If there’s nothing worth stealing, catching a pretty girl for some fun would make this trip worthwhile."

Niu Chuming’s heart rose to his throat. Although he had learned a little martial arts, his talent was poor, and he was of little use in a fight. That was why he had nowhere else to go and was just scraping by at the Fengyang Martial Arts Academy.

There were many empty rooms in the academy, and the men were searching them one by one. They would soon reach his room at the corner. Niu Chuming gripped his sword tightly, his palms sweating profusely. The others lived too far away for him to call out for help, and if he shouted, the men would know someone was in this room—it was too dangerous. He didn't know what to do.

"Brother Niu, I will scare them, and you hide in the shadows to ambush them with your sword," Ping’er said suddenly. In the darkness, her expression seemed strange.

Niu Chuming was terrified, but since Ping’er had spoken, he gritted his teeth and agreed. Besides, they were about to search his room; he had no choice but to fight.

"Open the door bolt and hide behind the door. I will draw their attention," Ping’er whispered.

Niu Chuming nodded. The door wouldn't stop them if they decided to break it down, so it was better to unbolt it, let them think the room was empty, and then strike.

"Ping’er, you are so clever," Niu Chuming whispered. He walked to the door, gently slid the bolt back, and hid in the corner behind the door, his sword trembling in his hand.

***

After searching several empty rooms, the two men outside grew impatient.

"Forget it, let's search somewhere else. There’s no treasure here, it’s dirt poor, and nobody even lives in these rooms."

Their footsteps faded; they were actually going to leave. Niu Chuming let out a silent sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

"Who is there?" a woman’s voice suddenly rang out from the room in panic.

The two men, who had been about to leave, stopped in their tracks and turned back. Niu Chuming looked at Ping’er in the dark with shock, unable to understand why she had suddenly cried out, drawing the two villains back. In the darkness, he could not see her expression or know what she was thinking.

"There’s a woman living here after all."

"That voice sounded quite sweet; she must be a looker. The two of us are in for a treat tonight."

The two martial artists returned and kicked the door open.

"Who, who are you? Don't come over here!" the woman’s voice, clear as an oriole’s, cried out in panic.

Her voice was melodious and delicate, enough to make one’s bones melt. Especially in her panic, that sense of frail helplessness ignited the lust of the two martial artists.

"Little beauty, don't be afraid. We mean no harm. Heh heh."

Without even checking for danger, the two martial artists rushed in impatiently. They were met by a sword.

Guided by the faint moonlight from outside, Niu Chuming swung his blade into one of the men’s necks. Half the man’s neck was nearly severed; blood sprayed wildly, and he collapsed on the spot. The other man reacted instantly, kicking Niu Chuming away. Then, he drew his own blade and slashed down at him. Niu Chuming blocked with his sword and began to fight, but his limited strength was no match for the martial artist; defeat was inevitable.

Suddenly, Ping’er let out a shrill, piercing scream. Niu Chuming was startled and, forgetting the fight, glanced toward her. The moment his attention wavered, he realized his mistake, thinking, "I'm dead."

However, amidst Ping’er’s scream, the martial artist fighting him suddenly froze, standing still with no further movement.

"Strike now!" Ping’er shouted.

Niu Chuming knew Ping’er was safe, so he immediately refocused and slashed the man’s throat.

***

Before he died, the martial artist regained his senses, clutched his throat, and collapsed, his eyes wide with disbelief. With the danger gone, Niu Chuming’s legs gave way, and he slumped to the floor.

The room fell silent, save for the howling winter wind rushing in through the open door. Niu Chuming’s mind was in a whirl; this was the first time he had killed someone, and the room was filled with the stench of blood.

"Brother Niu, close the door and drag the bodies over," Ping’er whispered.

Still dazed, Niu Chuming obeyed. He stood up, closed the door, and dragged one of the corpses before Ping’er.

"Make the corpse sit up," Ping’er commanded.

After doing as she asked, Niu Chuming fumbled in the dark for a fire-starter. When he lit it, he saw a scene that shocked him to his core.

Ping’er was leaning forward, pressed against the corpse’s throat. The position looked incredibly intimate, as if a man and a woman were embracing.

"Ping’er, what are you doing?"

Even though he knew it was a corpse, the intimate posture made Niu Chuming’s heart ache with jealousy. Ping’er ignored him, maintaining her position. Niu Chuming didn't know what to do; he found the oil lamp that had fallen during the fight, lit it, and the dim light illuminated the room.

After a while, Ping’er finally lifted her head from the corpse’s throat, blood smearing her lips. Though he had guessed what she was doing, seeing it with his own eyes was too much. "Ping’er, how... how could you drink human blood!"

Ping’er said nonchalantly, "They came to kill Brother Niu. They are your enemies, and therefore my enemies. Why shouldn't I drink their blood?"

Her face wore a look of satisfied contentment, and she appeared radiant. Then, a bizarre sight occurred. Where she had previously only had a head, after drinking the blood, a shoulder as white as jade began to emerge from the wall. It was bare, fair, and delicate, as if carved from marble, so alluring it made one’s imagination run wild. Unfortunately, the part that protruded from the wall only reached from the chest up to just below the collarbone.

"Brother Niu, do you like it?" Ping’er giggled, looking at Niu Chuming’s stunned expression with a hint of triumph.

Niu Chuming’s face flushed red, and he couldn't help but swallow hard.

Ping’er added, "I left a little blood in this corpse so it wouldn't look too suspicious. Drag the other one over here, too."

Niu Chuming collected himself, a rare moment of inner struggle crossing his face. He gritted his teeth and said, "Ping’er, no. I cannot let you drink human blood again. I will agree to anything else, but not this."