Clean Sweep

Chapter 193: Clean Sweep

As he finished speaking, Wang Derou hooked his right heel, flipping a single-bladed saber from the ground into his hand.

With this weapon in hand, he charged at Li Huowang without a trace of hesitation.

Clang—clang! The sword and saber clashed again and again, sending crisp ringing through the cave.

Stream after stream of something surged from the military sword in his hand into every part of Li Huowang’s body, letting him press Wang Derou back almost effortlessly.

But the man’s near-suicidal trading of blows gave Li Huowang some trouble.

Then, with a sharp dang, the noise cut off. A spinning blade fragment hit the dirt floor—Wang Derou’s weapon had snapped.

Li Huowang had intended to hold back, to take a prisoner for interrogation. But the sword in his hand kept his blood boiling, and he couldn’t check his momentum.

When Wang Derou stabbed the broken blade into Li Huowang’s abdomen, Li Huowang’s sword entered the man’s chest.

“Who the hell are you?!” Li Huowang gritted his teeth, staring at him.

Facing death, Wang Derou showed no concern at all.

He strained to spit at Li Huowang’s face, but the bloody saliva only slid weakly down his own chin.

With the last of his strength, he roared: “You beast from the Right Clan! Don’t you dare set foot in the Later Shu—as long as we’re alive, not an inch of this land goes to you!”

“How many times do I have to say it?! I’m not from their clan! The sword was given to me!”

But Wang Derou couldn’t hear him anymore. As the hot blood kept pouring from his chest, his body went limp and slowly crumpled to the ground.

Panting, Li Huowang grit his teeth and pulled the broken blade out of his belly.

He pressed a hand to the wound, took another look at Wang Derou’s body, swore under his breath, and turned to help the others.

The whole stockade had become chaos. But with their leader dead, the remaining cubs clearly couldn’t hold out for long.

Under pressure from Li Huowang’s group, they fell back in panic, retreating deeper into the cave.

Just as Li Huowang and the others were about to finish off the last batch, a deep rumble shook the tunnel. A section of the cave collapsed, raising a stone wall between the two sides.

Bang—bang—bang! Gao Zhijian hammered at the rock with his iron club, striking off sparks.

“Forget it. One look and you can tell this was prepped in advance. The path is completely sealed.”

Hearing this, Gao Zhijian dropped his hands awkwardly.

With a shiiing, Li Huowang slid the sword back into its sheath. His head cleared. He let out a long breath, then shook himself hard.

He turned to face the Great Hall. Bodies lay every which way across the floor. A wave of irritation washed over him—so many more dead, in the end.

Truth be told, he didn’t want to kill. But the blood-debt on his hands kept piling up.

He glanced again at Wang Derou’s body, then tore a strip of cloth from a nearby corpse and carefully wrapped up the military sword.

When it came down to it, all of this was because of this sword. By now, Li Huowang understood.

It all went back to his wedding day. Monkey-Two had recognized the sword and mistaken him for a member of the Four-Qi Right Clan’s military house.

That’s what had brought someone like Wang Derou down on them. If not for that, none of this trouble would have happened.

“In the Later Shu, there must be tons of people with a grudge against the Right Clan. I can’t show this sword lightly anymore.”

“And I need to hurry from here on out. Once the Later Shu military house learns Wang Derou is dead, they won’t let it go. They’ll send more men. I can’t let myself get bogged down by them.”

Li Huowang had won this fight easily enough, but he didn’t dare take on the entire Later Shu Kingdom. That would be a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

Chun Xiaoman moved through the cave, sword in hand. Her chest was still heaving, but she methodically stabbed anyone who was still breathing, making sure no one could jump up and strike from behind.

Just as she reached Li Huowang, a hand shot out. “Give it to me.”

“Senior Brother Li… give you what?” Chun Xiaoman feigned ignorance.

“Don’t play dumb with me. Hand over the Thousand Greats Record. That thing is not something you can use.”

Looking at her still-bleeding fingers, Li Huowang knew exactly what she had been using.

Chun Xiaoman glanced at Bai Lingmiao, then stepped back, shielding her chest. Her gaze was hard.

“Senior Brother Li, this isn’t your scroll. I found it on someone else. It’s mine.”

As Li Huowang moved toward her, Xiaoman backed away step by step.

“You have no idea what you’re messing with. That thing is beyond you!” Li Huowang’s tone turned harsh.

When her back hit the wall and there was nowhere left to go, Chun Xiaoman instinctively drew her sword.

Staring at the blade aimed at him, Li Huowang let out a bitter laugh. “After all we’ve been through, you’re drawing a sword on me now?”

Chun Xiaoman’s eyes flickered, but she quickly steadied. “I’m sorry, Senior Brother Li. I have to have my own blade.”

“Fine! If you’re so capable, go out on your own! Why stick with the group, relying on each other to survive?!”

The words hit Chun Xiaoman like a blow. Her body swayed, and tears welled up in her eyes.

It was the thing she cared about most right now.

Bai Lingmiao quickly stepped between them, her face pained. “Senior Brother Li, don’t be like this. We’re all family. Let’s talk it out.”

“I’m telling you one last time—give me the Thousand Greats Record!”

Eyes red with tears, Chun Xiaoman gritted her teeth and pulled out the scroll.

Seeing Li Huowang’s attention fixed on the red bamboo slips, Bai Lingmiao hurriedly pulled Chun Xiaoman aside.

“Elder Sister Xiaoman, Senior Brother Li is right. That thing is really dangerous. Every time you use it, it hurts so much. You’d better just let it go.”

Chun Xiaoman’s anger flared. “You know it’s dangerous, and you’re still taking his side? Did losing your body make you stupid? You go along with him on everything? Can’t you tell right from wrong?!”

“But Elder Sister Xiaoman, Senior Brother Li is different from you. If his arm breaks, it grows back. You can’t do that.”

Chun Xiaoman gave Bai Lingmiao a disappointed look, then turned and walked into a side tunnel, sword in hand.

Seeing this, Bai Lingmiao panicked and hurried after her.

“Elder Sister Xiaoman, we’re still good sisters, right? You’re not going to ignore me, are you?”

Chun Xiaoman kept her head down, walking straight through the cave, trying to shake off Bai Lingmiao’s persistent pleas.

But under Bai Lingmiao’s begging, her heart gradually softened.

“I know you care about him. But you can’t go along with everything he does. It’ll only push him further in the wrong direction, and in the end, it’ll ruin him.”

Just as she was about to say more, a mournful, choked sob drifted out of the shadows, thin and eerie.

Chun Xiaoman spun, pulling her sword up to shield Bai Lingmiao.