Night Raid (Deep Water Bonus Chapter)

It was already deep into the night, the moon hanging high overhead.

The only sound around them was the waves pounding against the beach.

Several men appeared at the door of the thatched hut.

They didn’t rush in. Instead, they stood at the entrance and peered through the window.

In the dim moonlight, they could faintly make out three women lying on the table inside.

The three women must have been drugged for quite some time; they were sprawled in bizarre positions, tongues lolling and eyes wide open. The scene was rather indecent.

But it was still enough to see that they had slender figures and snow-white skin.

They had a kind of alluring beauty that would never be seen in a small fishing village.

The fat man kicked the door open hard. “Good. These three women are all drunk out of their minds!”

In an instant, the people behind him surged forward.

The fat man was the first to rush toward the woman in the white dress. Grabbing her shoulder roughly, he began stripping off her clothes.

“This little bitch’s skin is really soft; it’s like an egg.”

“Later, hehe, even if she’s drunk, I’ll make sure she knows what’s what!”

The fat man hurriedly undid the girl’s collar, and when he saw the snow-white skin beneath it, he suddenly noticed something; his hand froze.

Then the girl in his arms began to come apart, and that snow-white skin split open like cloth.

By the time he reacted, there was no girl in his arms at all.

It was clearly just a pile of messy monkey fur.

The men had all grown up in the mountains and were nothing more than rough, wild country bumpkins. When had they ever seen immortal arts? In an instant, their hair stood on end. Just as they were at a loss, a mocking voice came from the window: “I was wondering why there was no wine with yesterday’s meal. Turns out tonight you added some because you were planning something dirty.”

The fat man looked up in panic and saw three women standing on the beams overhead, sometime without anyone noticing.

Were these not the same three women lodging in their house?

Yan Jue said loudly, “You take people’s money and do the job for them; I already paid for lodging. You still want to target us? Isn’t that a little rude?”

At dinner just now, Qi Xianqing had only taken one sip of the wine before she tasted that something was wrong.

Although Jiang Mengchu had already drunk several mouthfuls, Qi Xianqing had forcibly made her bring the wine back up.

The woman in the snow-white pleated skirt stood quietly behind the girl in red, while the other girl in a zither-colored daoist robe put her hands on her hips and huffed, “Yan Jue-jiejie is right! How can there be such unreasonable bad people like you?”

“Yan Jue-jiejie, hit them!”

Hearing that, Yan Jue could only sweat a little.

This Jiang Mengchu was really innocent and naive. Since she knew Qi Xianqing couldn’t be ordered around, she came to boss her around instead.

At the same time, the four men below also reacted instantly. They all grabbed the sticks and brooms hanging on the wall nearby, and one of them even pulled a hunting bow from under the table, drew it, and aimed at them.

Yan Jue sneered and leapt down lightly, landing on the ground in one graceful motion. Her left foot hooked out.

The man relied on brute strength, but Yan Jue used his force against him with one deft move, making him stagger and almost fall.

The other four men lunged at once. Yan Jue gave a low chuckle and suddenly pulled something out of her Qiankun bag.

In that instant, an ice-blue sword light flashed.

Yan Jue gripped the hilt of Drifting Ice and flicked her wrist; the immortal sword shot out like a nimble snake.

The immortal sword Drifting Ice was a soft sword, its blade supple as silk. It curved through the air in a beautiful arc, and even at night it gave off a faint, crystalline glow like snow. Wherever it passed, a thin layer of frost spread.

Yan Jue moved calmly among the men, leaping and landing in turn; ice-blue sword qi turned into strands of biting frost and snow in the air, like a flood dragon letting out repeated cries that rose and fell without end.

Everything around them was instantly covered in a layer of frost.

In the blink of an eye, the men were all lying unconscious on the ground.

Looking at the four men fainted on the floor, Qi Xianqing could not help but furrow her brows slightly.

This was another place where Yan Jue and she handled things differently.

When Qi Xianqing handled matters outside, more often than not, for the sake of convenience, she did not bother to control her strength and would directly injure or kill the culprit.

But even when Yan Jue attacked, there was still a softness in her eyes.

It was a kind of softness that was not easy to lose control over; for cultivators, it was rare and precious, and very worth learning from.

Yan Jue leapt lightly back onto the roof and looked at Qi Xianqing.

Qi Xianqing: “This village is strange. Let’s go into the mountains first.”

-

Behind the small fishing village lay the lush green mountains they had passed on the way here.

When Yan Jue had come earlier, she had noticed that there were many natural caves in these mountains, very suitable for temporary lodging.

As they passed several caves in the forest, Yan Jue and Qi Xianqing tacitly said nothing; all that could be heard the whole time was Jiang Mengchu’s constant gasps of “wow.”

“Yan Jue-jiejie, can we choose this cave tonight?” Jiang Mengchu asked.

Yan Jue glanced at her again from the corner of her eye.

This Jiang Mengchu really had too much leisure; they were only finding a temporary hiding place, not choosing a house.

Qi Xianqing held a Spirit-Illumining Pearl in her hand. Its dazzling light was just enough to illuminate the entire cave.

Yan Jue took a look at the cave’s structure. It was spacious, and not far away there was even a naturally formed stone bed, making it quite suitable for living in.

Yan Jue: “Fine, we’ll stay here.”

Jiang Mengchu bounced into the cave and sat down cross-legged.

In the quiet air, a rumbling sound suddenly rang out.

Yan Jue smiled. “Hungry?”

“Hungry!”

Qi Xianqing had originally been standing at the back, surveying the terrain. Seeing Yan Jue and Jiang Mengchu talking and laughing, her hands hanging at her sides unconsciously tightened.

And so the group settled on this cave.

Although the Spirit-Illumining Pearl’s light was powerful, it did not give people any warmth. The coastal areas were hot during the day, but at night they were somewhat cold.

Qi Xianqing gathered firewood from outside, and when she walked into the cave, she happened to see Jiang Mengchu hugging a bright red lingzhu fruit and eating it with a pleased smile, while Yan Jue handed her a handkerchief. Jiang Mengchu obediently took it and wiped the juice from the corners of her lips.

Qi Xianqing pressed her lips together, walked over, and sat down in front of them, setting the firewood on the ground.

She drew out a talisman. The talisman slowly dissolved in the air, turning into a wisp of flame, and the campfire quickly rose.

Yan Jue had made ample preparations for this outing. Seeing Qi Xianqing arrive, she immediately took out several pieces of pastry made from lingzhu fruit from her sleeve and handed them over wrapped in paper.

Jiang Mengchu had been trembling ever since just now; it seemed to have started when Qi Xianqing came over to light the fire. “Thank you, Yan Jue-jiejie, but I don’t dare eat it.”

Yan Jue asked, “Why not?”

Jiang Mengchu looked at her timidly. “Is Eldest Senior Sister a little unhappy?”

Qi Xianqing looked at Jiang Mengchu coolly. Her whole body exuded such a low pressure that it seemed like it could freeze someone stiff. She took the lingzhu fruit herself and said with a faint smile, “No. I’m not unhappy.”

Qi Xianqing had never liked to smile. If she forced one, it would only become a stiff, cold smile.

Jiang Mengchu was so frightened by her that she hiccupped.

Then she saw the candied fruit Yan Jue had prepared, and her eyes curved again; in an instant, all her worries were gone.

The candied fruit had a layer of seasoning and sugar frosting on it. It was both sour and sweet, especially delicious.

Jiang Mengchu was eating when she suddenly started crying.

Yan Jue: “...Why are you crying?”

Jiang Mengchu: “Master told me that this trip would be very hard, but I didn’t expect that following Yan Jue-jiejie would mean I wouldn’t have to suffer at all. Next time I go on a mission, I still want to follow Yan Jue-jiejie.”

Jiang Mengchu was really easy to satisfy. The cave bed was so uncomfortable that Yan Jue even wondered whether Jiang Mengchu and she were on the same mission.

“Yan Jue-jiejie.”

“Mm?”

Jiang Mengchu leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Next time, can the two of us go on a mission alone? Don’t bring Eldest Senior Sister.”

Yan Jue: “...” That secret whisper was way too loud.

“Pfft——”

An odd sound rang out in the cave.

Qi Xianqing somehow crushed the lingzhu fruit in her hand. Yan Jue’s heart jumped; she gave a forced laugh and looked up at Qi Xianqing. Qi Xianqing stood up expressionlessly and walked away.

It was already very late, time to sleep.

After standing outside for a while, Qi Xianqing came over and said, “I’ll take turns keeping watch with you.”

This small fishing village was suspicious everywhere, and the mountains were no safer than places with people. Someone had to keep watch.

Qi Xianqing simply ignored Jiang Mengchu.

Jiang Mengchu asked, “What does keeping watch mean? Does it mean guarding the night so it won’t let day break?”

Yan Jue thought about it and realized that was indeed the meaning, so she explained with a smile, “It means staying at the cave entrance and seeing whether any bad people come.”

Jiang Mengchu: “I want to keep watch too.”

Qi Xianqing’s tone was very gentle. “No need. Junior Sister Jiang only needs to sleep.”

Then Qi Xianqing looked at Yan Jue. “I’ll keep watch first. You go sleep.”

“Wake you when it’s time.”

It suited Yan Jue perfectly. Because of her fox demon constitution, her long, lingering menstrual period still hadn’t passed; she was currently losing blood like crazy and was also prone to sleepiness.

Letting Qi Xianqing watch first, then taking over after she had recovered some energy, was simply the best arrangement.

Yan Jue leaned against the rock wall and rested her eyes. Jiang Mengchu, meanwhile, lay flat on her back on the ground and fell asleep without any restraint at all.

Qi Xianqing sat alone outside the cave.

The air in the mountains was fresh and quiet.

If one listened carefully, one could even hear the rustling of wind brushing across the grass.

Qi Xianqing sat on a rock, staring at the hazy moonlight overhead, and thought about Yan Jue.

It was strange.

Qi Xianqing had always considered herself an extremely self-controlled person, yet this was the first time she had felt that kind of emotion toward someone.

For example, yesterday in the corridor, when she heard the sounds from the room, she clearly knew a little about Jiang Mengchu’s situation, but at that moment she could not control herself from running wild with thoughts.

And this trip out, she had lost control of her emotions more than once or twice.

Qi Xianqing had read many books about dual cultivation before; she knew that two women could also dual cultivate.

Could it be that the liking she felt for Yan Jue was the kind of liking one had for a dao companion?

Qi Xianqing frowned slightly, feeling somewhat irritated.

But she had long since developed suspicions about Yan Jue’s identity.

Only because she had been avoiding it all along had she not continued to investigate, merely deceiving herself.

If Yan Jue really was...

Then could she still like Yan Jue?

Qi Xianqing stared blankly for a while, then stopped thinking about it.

She began to think about the immortal sword Drifting Ice.

Because Drifting Ice was Yan Jue’s new sword, and because they had departed in such a hurry, there had been no time to prepare a scabbard or something similar for Yan Jue.

A sword was very important to a cultivator.

And a scabbard was even more important to a cultivator.

Suddenly, she heard a sound behind her; something struck her back.

Qi Xianqing’s expression tightened instantly. She instinctively reached behind her and felt around.

It was actually a small arrow. The tip of the arrow had a faint greenish glow, clearly poisoned. It had hit her back so silently, and she had not even noticed.

Qi Xianqing touched below her left chest as well and could feel a hard object there.

It was this hard object that had blocked the attack for her just now.

It was the heart-protecting mirror they had found in the cave last time with Yan Jue.

Carrying this heart-protecting mirror could form a small defensive array around the body; the array could reflect most spells in the world, and even physical attacks it could not reflect could still be blocked.

Fortunately, she had brought this heart-protecting mirror with her, or else she might very well have been in trouble.

In an instant, another faint rustling sound rang out. Qi Xianqing’s gaze shot over. She saw more than ten small arrows suddenly fired from a big tree over there. Qi Xianqing leapt into the air, her slender body flipping midair to dodge the hidden weapons.

She abruptly raised her hand, and an indigo defensive barrier condensed before her in an instant.

Yan Jue was already light of sleep; hearing the commotion, she immediately sprang out of the cave. “What happened?”

Qi Xianqing: “Someone’s trying to assassinate me.”

Or us.

But Qi Xianqing was not sure.

Yan Jue followed Qi Xianqing’s gaze. In the darkness, a red fox’s vision was naturally extremely sharp; very quickly, she caught a trace of an extremely faint glimmer on a towering tree not far away.

In an instant, Yan Jue used Instant Thousand Miles. In the blink of an eye she had shot up the tree, and rustling sounds immediately burst from the branches. That person was actually trying to flee into the night!

Yan Jue immediately summoned the Northern Sea black iron and silently recited the spirit-linking incantation.

The Northern Sea black iron instantly split into countless tiny flying swords in the air; the little golden swords shuttled through the sky like swimming dragons and instantly blocked the person’s path.

In that instant, a majestic dragon’s roar rang out behind her. Zhuying came whistling in with the power of thunder and lightning, fierce blue electrical qi spreading out in all directions. The long sword grazed past that person.

In the quiet night, the person let out a miserable scream and immediately collapsed unconscious.

Yan Jue blinked slightly, genuinely surprised.

Qi Xianqing had always treated violent enforcement as her life’s guiding principle.

This time, it was rare indeed that she hadn’t killed the person with one strike.

...

The surroundings fell quiet once more.

Yan Jue crouched down to examine the man who had been hiding in the tree and firing hidden weapons. After he fainted, she discovered that his body had become very strange.

A moment ago, he had barely looked human, but now he had actually shrunk a little compared to before, and his spine had curled up slightly. Even the skin on his face had turned a frightening bluish purple.

One word flashed through Yan Jue’s mind in an instant.

Demon.

Yan Jue paused. It turned out to be a chameleon spirit.

Staring at the chameleon spirit on the ground, Yan Jue’s mind suddenly filled with question marks.

Why would a demon try to assassinate Qi Xianqing out in this desolate wilderness?

Qi Xianqing looked at the chameleon on the ground and did not find it strange at all.

She had an Immortal Spirit Physique; to demons and evil things, her flesh and blood were both a great tonic.

No matter where she went, she would attract many demons. This sort of thing had happened before during missions.

Qi Xianqing crouched down and searched the chameleon’s waist, suddenly finding a small bronze plaque that shone with a dull luster.

She turned the plaque over and saw the three words engraved on it: Shazhan Cliff.

Yan Jue frowned slightly. “What is Shazhan Cliff?”

Qi Xianqing looked at the plaque, her expression darkening a little. “Shazhan Cliff is a secret organization made up of demons and evil beings.”

“Specializing in assassination.”