With those words, the atmosphere inside the ruined temple suddenly froze.
The female swordsman gripped her sword hilt and glared coldly at the beggar.
Faced with such stern questioning from the two of them, the beggar gave an awkward smile.
“You heard it earlier as well. That evil monk is wanted by the righteous sects, so he didn't dare act too brazenly.
On top of that, I have a silver tongue and begged for the wretched chore of attending to his bodily needs, which is how I managed to keep my little life.”
Chen Zui gave a cold snort.
“You really have no shame, dressing up glib-tongued flattery as having a silver tongue.
Would a murderous fiend keep a burden like you around?
If you still don't tell the truth, your end won't be much prettier than that dead monk’s.”
Hearing this, the fawning look on the frail beggar's face faded away bit by bit. He slowly dusted off his clothes, walked over to sit by the fire, and held out a pair of skinny hands to warm himself.
“You truly are sharp, sir.
My name is A-Man. I was originally the son of a wealthy merchant from the Grand Shuo Dynasty.
I ended up stranded here due to some unexpected turns.
The reason that evil monk spared my life was that I could guide him across the border to Grand Shuo.
That way, Grand Zhao wouldn't be able to touch him.
I also promised him that once I got home safely, I would present him with a generous fortune of gold and silver treasures that would satisfy him.
After weighing the pros and cons, the evil monk agreed to accompany me to the border.”
By now, the beggar's voice was several tones deeper than before, not sounding at all like a pitiful wretch who only knew how to flatter.
“A-Man? That name sounds fake the moment you hear it,” Chen Zui bluntly called him out.
The beggar wasn't annoyed either, merely shrugging.
“A name is just a label. You can just call me A-Man.”
Chen Zui narrowed his eyes as he sized up A-Man.
The kid was speaking half-truths; his identity was definitely not as simple as he claimed.
The life of a merchant's son would never be worth so many experience points.
However, Chen Zui didn't plan on pressing further.
For one, he had no relation to this kid, so there was no need to get to the bottom of it.
Second, he had already received the system reward. Prying any deeper would be an advanced version of meddling—sticking his nose where it didn't belong.
“Fair enough.”
Chen Zui shifted his gaze to the female swordsman.
“Then, young lady, why are you here?”
“I have nothing to say to you.”
The female swordsman crossed her arms over her chest, holding her sword, and gave a cold reply.
Chen Zui smiled.
“Actually, even if you don't say it, I can roughly guess.
That fine steed at the entrance, pitch-black all over except for four snow-white hooves, must be your mount, right?
That breed of horse is also known as a White-Hoofed Crow.
Combined with the snow-white sword in your hand...
You must be from the Frost-Sigh Sect.”
The female swordsman gave a cold huff.
“Since you’ve already guessed my background, why bother asking?”
Even though she said that, she couldn't help but feel secretly shocked.
This man was young, yet remarkably well-informed.
From recognizing the “Life-Severing Monk” the moment he walked in, to seeing through the frail beggar's identity, everything demonstrated his seasoned experience in the martial world.
Moreover, while her sect had some fame in this region, looking at the entire Grand Zhao Dynasty, it was merely a second-rate sect.
Yet, just from the White-Hoofed Crow outside and the long sword in her hand, he was able to deduce that she belonged to the Frost-Sigh Sect.
His breadth of knowledge was truly extraordinary.
“As far as I know, the Frost-Sigh Sect isn't in this direction.
You must be heading to the border as well, right?
Since that's the case, the three of us share a bit of fate and can travel together.
However, this region is far from imperial authority and far from peaceful. To avoid mutual suspicion along the way, the three of us should naturally be honest with each other.”
The female swordsman pondered for a moment and nodded gently.
His experience in the martial world was richer than hers; traveling together would mean looking out for each other.
“My name is Ye Zhibai. I had just descended the mountain after completing a sect mission when I heard that a senior in the Way of the Sword was on the way to the border.
So, I wanted to try my luck.
I want to witness that senior of the sword draw their blade with my own eyes and gain enlightenment into the Way of the Sword from it.”
Saying this, Ye Zhibai looked back at the horrific corpse of the evil monk and frowned.
“You stabbed this evil monk until not a patch of skin was intact, making him completely unrecognizable. How are you going to claim the bounty?”
Chen Zui smiled. “I already told you, my actions have nothing to do with the bounty money.”
In truth, the system gave him some silver every month, equivalent to pocket money.
Although it wasn't much, it was enough for him to drink and splurge.
Ye Zhibai was stunned.
She hadn't expected this man to possess such chivalrous spirit.
In contrast, sects like theirs that called themselves righteous would likely not be so enthusiastic about maintaining peace in the martial world without the court's carrot-and-stick approach.
It was just that this man’s methods were truly ruthless...
“By the way, why are you heading to the border?” Ye Zhibai asked.
Chen Zui gave a slight smile, took the wineskin from his waist, and took a swig.
“I'm different from you two.”
Hearing this, both of them cast curious gazes toward him.
Chen Zui looked at them and said earnestly, “I'm genuinely bored out of my mind, just heading to the border for a stroll.”
A-Man: “...”
Ye Zhibai: “...”
Lines of exasperation covered both of their faces.
Only now did they realize that from beginning to end, this man had been the one interrogating them!
Yet the two of them still knew nothing about him at all!
Bored out of his mind and heading to the border for a stroll?
Did he take them for three-year-olds?!
And he had the nerve to preach about being honest with each other?!
Chen Zui paid no heed to the murderous intent practically overflowing from their eyes.
“Believe it or not.”
He then looked at the sky outside the window.
“There's still a long way to go to the border. Let's rest here for the night and set out tomorrow.”
That night.
The fire in the ruined temple crackled, stretching and shortening the three shadows.
After eating a few bites of their respective dry rations, the three began to rest.
Ye Zhibai cradled the snow-white sword in her arms, leaning against the corner farthest from the two men, resting with her eyes closed and breathing evenly.
Yet whenever a spark snapped from the fire, her index finger would subconsciously touch the crossguard. Clearly, she was not truly asleep.
A-Man was far less guarded. Wrapping himself in a bundle of straw pulled from a tattered prayer mat, he curled up by the fire, fast asleep and drooling.
The kid mumbled indistinct sleep-talk like “Don't hit me” and “I don't want to practice martial arts,” twitching now and then.
Chen Zui sat opposite the fire, resting his long spear across his knees and tossing a few pieces of dry firewood into the flames.
His gaze swept across the two before finally resting on A-Man's filthy face.
Son of a wealthy merchant?
Heh.
Although the kid deliberately hunched over when walking, his stride was even and his steps were steady. That was the deportment cultivated by aristocrats from childhood; it couldn't deceive anyone.
Chen Zui took a swig of wine and thought no further of it.
In any case, the road ahead was long. Sooner or later, the kid would show his true colors.
The night was long.
Chen Zui also slowly drifted off to sleep.
Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Zui was awakened by the ring of a sword.
“So annoying! Can't a guy get a good night's sleep around here?!”
Chen Zui yelled toward Ye Zhibai, who was practicing her sword in the snow outside the temple.
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