Chapter 301 - 180: Demon Saber Cheng Xiao

Chapter 301: Chapter 180: Demon Saber Cheng Xiao

"I, Xie Luohe, surrender."

Xie Luohe wore a black, crow-shaped mask that revealed only her delicate jaw, leaving her expression hidden from all.

She lifted her chin slightly, a faint smile on her lips.

Leaves rustled, falling from the trees.

A swirl of wind kicked up behind Xie Luohe, carrying the fallen leaves high into the air.

Zheng Xiu stared at Xie Luohe, stunned.

Xie Luohe calmly met his gaze.

Their eyes met.

Xie Luohe sighed softly.

"From the moment I first saw you, I, Xie Luohe, was utterly defeated."

Leaving behind those wistful words, Xie Luohe turned and departed.

She left a storm of speculation in her wake.

Her retreating figure was resolute, her tone free and easy, showing not a hint of lingering attachment.

After a moment of dead silence, the viewing platform erupted into a clamor of discussion.

Many of the Knights, sipping hot tea and cracking melon seeds, had been hoping to see the "Great Evil Person tear a beast to shreds."

They didn’t get the beast-tearing, but they got this drama instead.

Some of the female Knights were sobbing softly.

They were all marveling that this number one evil person of rumor, a woman said to be capable of any evil and who ruled a mountain fortress as her own, could have such a sentimental side.

Perhaps, they thought, the two had once shared an epic, passionate story.

There had been a single, fleeting glance where they connected on the deepest level.

The moment Xie Luohe turned away, it all vanished like mist and smoke.

The atmosphere was tragic and sorrowful.

The Knights’ whispers gradually died down, the chaotic murmurs fading into silence.

They looked at the man remaining on the Sword Inquiry Platform, and seeing his dazed expression, they couldn’t help but feel a flicker of misplaced sympathy.

"Pah!"

The female Knights, united in their hatred, were already exchanging glances. If Xiao Buping dared take a single step out of Hidden Sword Manor, they would tear him to pieces.

Meanwhile, Zheng Xiu, who was in a "dazed" state thanks to Xie Luohe’s "performance," was utterly dumbfounded.

His mind went blank on the spot.

He had guessed that Xie Luohe would surrender, but he had never imagined she would do it like *this*.

He watched Xie Luohe vanish down the stairs in the blink of an eye. He could feel the scorching gazes from the platform above, each one like a knife’s edge, all fixed on him. After his stupor faded, an expression of helpless exasperation—not knowing whether to laugh or cry—appeared on Zheng Xiu’s face.

’What was Xie Luohe thinking, slandering him like that in front of all the Knights of the Martial World?’

’She’s slandering me!’

’If Xiao Buping had to take the blame for this for the rest of his life, so be it.’

’But what if my identity is exposed?’

’Scandals and rumors in the Martial World spread at terrifying speeds, evolving into "stories" passed from one teahouse Storyteller to the next.’

’If my identity is ever revealed, won’t I be stuck with this "scumbag" reputation for life?’

Ever since arriving at Hidden Sword Manor, Zheng Xiu had only received one small paper note from Xie Luohe. He hadn’t been able to speak with her again and had no idea what she was trying to accomplish.

"The Iron Fan Scholar, Xiao Buping, is victorious!"

Dugu Xiang, the tournament’s host, announced the winner with a heavy sigh. Zheng Xiu immediately hurried after Xie Luohe in the direction she had gone.

A few of the more hot-tempered female Knights were about to ignore the rules of the Jianghu and draw their swords to go mince the scumbag, but then they saw Xiao Buping chasing after his old flame. They paused, thinking to themselves, ’So the beast hasn’t completely lost his conscience after all.’

By the time Zheng Xiu reached the stone steps, Xie Luohe was long gone.

The "heartbroken" Zheng Xiu returned to Xiaotao’s side without a word.

Xiaotao sensed her master was in a strange mood. She took out a silk handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Master..."

"Shh."

Just as Xiaotao was about to say something, Zheng Xiu shook his head, signaling for her to remain quiet so he could think.

Xiaotao obediently fell silent.

Zheng Xiu had a nagging feeling that Xie Luohe wasn’t just putting on an act. No, that wasn’t it. It was more like... while she was definitely executing some kind of plan, the Xie Luohe he saw today felt "completely different" from the person he knew.

On the Sword Inquiry Platform, the duels continued in spectacular fashion, but Zheng Xiu was in no mood to watch.

’Anxiety.’

An unknown amount of time passed. The sun set, the tea grew cold, and the crowd thinned. Zheng Xiu, who had been staring at the ground lost in thought, suddenly snapped his head up.

’It’s anxiety. She’s anxious about something.’

Zheng Xiu had finally found the perfect word to describe the feeling Xie Luohe gave him today.

Back in Yunhe Village, Xie Luohe’s "personal charisma" had been completely different from Feng Bei’s. Despite being moody and unpredictable, it was hard to truly hate her. Even on their journey, though they had their squabbles and unpleasant moments, she never gave Zheng Xiu this feeling of "trying too hard."

Mulling it over, Zheng Xiu finally detected the faint trace of... anxiety that Xie Luohe was trying so hard to conceal.

’Is it because of the Four Seasons Map?’

’She knows that two scrolls of the Four Seasons Map are tucked away in my robes. The third is with the Dugu Family, and the last one is very likely hidden on someone here today.’

’In other words, if Xie Luohe’s "heist" succeeds, they could gather the complete "Four Seasons Atlas" that the Gongsun Painting Saint painted for Lord Nie. With it, they might be able to uncover the secret of Nie Gong’s Treasure Vault.’

’Is Xie Luohe after Nie Gong’s Treasure Vault?’

’Is she after the treasure inside?’

’No, that’s not it.’

’Could it be...?’

A memory that had nearly faded resurfaced in his mind. The indistinct shadow, the National Preceptor who had become Gongsun Mo’s "Incarnation of fear," now seemed to transform into a phantom, clinging to Zheng Xiu’s ear and whispering that sentence once more:

"Nie Gong’s Treasure Vault holds the secret to becoming a normal Human again."

’Becoming a normal Human again?’

Initially, Zheng Xiu had assumed Xie Luohe was fighting for the Four Seasons Map to fulfill Xie Yunliu’s ideals. But now, the anxiety leaking from her words and actions made Zheng Xiu have a sudden realization.

What Xie Luohe wanted was perhaps not the treasure in Nie Gong’s Treasure Vault.

It was... the secret to "becoming a normal Human again"!

In fact, Zheng Xiu himself had previously speculated on ways to leave this Ghostly Realm, to escape the Cannibal Scroll.