Chapter 3688: Sword Fighting Across the Realm (27)

Upon first hearing the tragic news, Qin Nianzhi couldn't suppress the grief in her heart. She turned to Situ Xun and demanded, "Why didn't you tell me my father passed away?"

She had known nothing while inside the demonic cult. Unless Situ Xun had specifically instructed his subordinates to keep her in the dark, there was no way she could have been so ignorant. No one had ever mentioned the affairs of Wanjian Manor in front of her.

This had resulted in her knowing absolutely nothing.

Situ Xun let out a cold laugh. "Since you left with me, you are now my slave. This was never an important matter, so why would I go out of my way to tell you? Do I really need to inform a slave that her father is dead?"

Situ Xun’s words were incredibly venomous. Qin Nianzhi’s body trembled twice, her face a mask of shock and sorrow.

Ning Shu said, "Master told me to rescue you before he passed. Now, come with me." As Ning Shu walked toward Qin Nianzhi, Situ Xun immediately blocked her path.

"You want to take my person away? Not a chance," Situ Xun said coldly.

Ning Shu simply replied, "I am taking my junior sister to kowtow at Master’s grave. Why are you stopping us? You have no reason to interfere."

Qin Nianzhi looked at Situ Xun standing in front of her. His stature was grand, and even from behind, he appeared to be a man of peerless elegance. But why did he have to break her heart like this? Why was he so cruel to her?

Qin Nianzhi bit her lip hard. She pulled out a hairpin and stabbed it directly into Situ Xun’s back.

Situ Xun let out a muffled groan. He looked back to find a hairpin buried in his shoulder. Qin Nianzhi looked heartbroken and desperate, her hands shaking uncontrollably.

"You dare to raise a hand against me," Situ Xun said gloomily. He frowned deeply. His eyes were filled with tyranny as he stared at her.

Qin Nianzhi felt a tremor of fear but said stubbornly, "I hate you. I never got to see my father one last time."

Ning Shu spoke up directly. "Junior Sister, Master’s health was always poor due to his internal injuries. After seeing you leave with the demonic cult at the wedding feast, his qi and blood rushed to his heart. He passed away just a few days later."

Qin Nianzhi wanted to blame Situ Xun for her failure to see her father, but she was the one who had run off with the man and aggravated her father's injuries. Yet, she insisted on blaming others.

Ning Shu’s words were just short of telling her outright that she was the one who killed her father.

In any case, Qin Nianzhi always felt like she was a victim of circumstances. What Ning Shu was more curious about was whether Qin Nianzhi had simply thrown all her martial arts training to the dogs.

Qin Nianzhi’s face grew even paler as she began to wail. "Father, your daughter has failed you!"

"I told you back then that I wasn't poisoned. Situ Xun was tricking you. Now look at you, being tortured by him while you caused Master's internal injuries to worsen until he died."

Ning Shu truly didn't know what this girl was trying to accomplish.

Situ Xun hadn't expected Qin Nianzhi to actually strike him. His heart felt like a volcano about to erupt. Enduring the pain in his back, he sneered, "Qin Nianzhi, you are no longer the young miss of Wanjian Manor. You are my slave. I hold the power of life and death over you. If you try to leave, I will kill you, and your senior brother too."

Ning Shu replied, "You can't kill me."

He only knew how to threaten ignorant young girls. After experiencing so much, it felt like Qin Nianzhi was still an ignorant girl.

Situ Xun loved to threaten people like this, and Qin Nianzhi always fell for it. If these two were always going to interact this way, Ning Shu didn't mind helping them stay together, if only to prevent them from ruining anyone else’s life.

However, in the original storyline, the two of them later became deeply affectionate and blissfully happy.

Of course, that only happened after the original host was dead.

"Junior Sister, Master kept calling your name before he died. He held on as long as he could and passed away with deep regrets," Ning Shu said.

Upon hearing this, Qin Nianzhi’s guilt and her love for her father made her choose to leave with Ning Shu without further hesitation.

"I won't let you leave! You are my slave. How dare you try to go without my permission?" Situ Xun grabbed Qin Nianzhi’s hand. Ning Shu grabbed her other hand, and the three of them ended up in a literal tug-of-war.

Ning Shu directly released a burst of spiritual energy toward Situ Xun’s chest. The invisible force slammed into his heart, causing him to instantly let go and clutch his chest as he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Situ Xun!" Qin Nianzhi gasped. She immediately wanted to check on his injuries. She had only stabbed him in the back with a pin, so how could it be this serious?

Ning Shu held onto Qin Nianzhi and refused to let her go. She raised her sword and lunged toward Situ Xun’s heart. Qin Nianzhi’s voice turned shrill with terror. "Senior Brother, no!"

Situ Xun used his sword to parry Ning Shu’s attack, but the pain in his chest was unbearable. A momentary lapse in focus gave Ning Shu the opening she needed, and her sword pierced straight into his chest.

"Brother, no! Please, no!" Qin Nianzhi’s legs went weak with fear. It felt as if a massive force was tearing her own heart to pieces inside her chest.

Usually, when Situ Xun bullied her, she hated him to death. But seeing him about to be killed by her Senior Brother filled her with agony.

Ning Shu didn't listen to Qin Nianzhi. She drove the sword through Situ Xun’s heart until it came out the other side.

Situ Xun’s pupils contracted. He looked down at his chest and then raised his sword to strike Ning Shu in a final attempt to take her down with him. Ning Shu yanked her sword out, causing blood to spray everywhere.

Qin Nianzhi watched in utter despair as Situ Xun used his sword to prop up his body. Blood dripped onto the ground, forming a small crimson pool.

Qin Nianzhi walked over tremblingly. She wanted to touch him, but didn’t dare to. Situ Xun looked at her. His eyes grew dimmer by the second, before he collapsed into her arms.

"Situ Xun, don't die! Wake up! Please wake up!" Qin Nianzhi wailed as she cradled his corpse.

Ning Shu went over to pull her away, but Qin Nianzhi violently threw off her hand. "Why did you kill him? Senior Brother, you’re terrifying!"

Ning Shu said flatly, "The hatred of having one's betrothed stolen is irreconcilable. Haven't you been wanting to escape him this whole time? You should be happy now."

"But there was no need to kill him! Senior Brother, why have you become so cruel? Why?" Qin Nianzhi accused Ning Shu as if her world had ended, refusing to let go of the body.

Ning Shu really wanted to say that she had wanted to kill Situ Xun a long time ago and had only waited until now to do it.

Fine, so her betrothed was holding another man and accusing her of being cruel.

She was just a heartless, cold-blooded, and unreasonable villain.

Qin Nianzhi’s expression became dazed. Seeing the demonic cult members surrounding them, Ning Shu delivered a swift strike to the back of Qin Nianzhi’s neck, knocking her unconscious. As she hoisted the girl onto her shoulder, she drew her blade across Situ Xun’s throat. Some people’s hearts were on the right side of their chests, so that extra cut was just good insurance.

Carrying Qin Nianzhi, Ning Shu fought her way through the pursuit and siege of the cultists. At the bottom of the mountain sat a white horse. Ning Shu kicked off the ground and leaped into the air, landing firmly in the saddle. She nudged the horse and galloped away.

After riding for a significant distance without stopping, Ning Shu finally pulled over when she saw the horse was beginning to flag.