Chapter 6: Butterfly Fluttering

  "In the lower Gong Sun Yang, the deputy hall master of Jin Yu Man Tang. I don't know who you are?"

  The big man carefully sized up Tang An from head to toe. At this time, one of his subordinates wanted to rush up, but was held back by him, and he slightly shook his head at that person.

  He had already seen that the opponent, although young and not yet twenty years old, was at the peak of the fifth realm of Tian Ren. Although he himself was also a master of the fifth realm of Tian Ren, he did not have the confidence to defeat Tang An.

  It's not worth fighting a little thief and an equally skilled master.

  At their level, life and death are often just a matter of an instant. Sometimes it's better not to be too impulsive. Moreover, the other party is so young and has already reached this level, if they're not a core inner disciple of the Dà Mén Pài, they must be a carefully nurtured child of some large family. If they were to die here and people found out it was done by oneself, it would also be a troublesome matter.

  Alone and unencumbered, without any burdens or attachments, one can truly roam the world. But Gong Sun Yang, he has a family, a wife and children, and so he cannot be as carefree as before, seeking revenge and drawing his sword at the slightest provocation.

  He's not afraid of death. However, he really can't die.

  He soon came to his senses, but still felt a bit uncomfortable. He wanted to compromise, but couldn't bear to lose face. However, as long as the other party showed sufficient strength, everything would fall into place.

  "If you want us to spare her, it's not impossible. As long as you show off your skills in front of my brothers, let them see what they can learn from you. If my brothers are satisfied, we won't bother this girl again."

  Tang An smiled in his heart when he heard this. If my means were not as good as yours, I'm afraid you wouldn't even let me go, would you?

  At once, his face sank, and he gestured to the girl on one side. The girl was taken aback, initially somewhat disbelieving, "She stood up for me and let me run first?"

  Tang An's face had already begun to turn cold, and the long sword in his hand was slowly emerging from its scabbard, giving off a chilling glow. Even if he was still in a daze, he should have come to his senses by now.

  In an instant, she began to run towards the woods like a bird in flight.

  Look at that girl escaping, with no more worries, Tang An suddenly raised his long sword and pointed the blade towards the crowd, saying loudly: "Who comes up to receive the sword?"

  Tang An drew out his sword, which was extremely ordinary, the most common green steel sword in Jianghu, one that could be made by Chen's ironworkshop for just ten taels of silver. The hilt he grasped was also made of the most ordinary cypress wood, without any exquisite carvings, and even if there were, they had long been worn smooth by his palm.

  In the early summer noon, which was originally the most sultry time in the forest, the dozen or so riders on horseback suddenly felt a chill down their spines, and cold sweat had already seeped out. It was just that the sword light was too cold, and in the occasional sunlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves, it was even more chillingly reflected.

  "I've never killed anyone, nor do I like killing. Why are you forcing me? By letting her go, I'm giving her a chance, but isn't that also giving you all a chance? Why don't you cherish it?"

  Tang An held his sword, as calm and composed as he was when practicing in the mountains. Not a hint of excitement showed on his face, for killing people had never been an exciting thing to do.

  But this world forces you to kill people.

  If Tang An didn't kill them and let them go back, they would naturally bring endless trouble to themselves. He was a person who particularly disliked trouble, and if there were no accidents, he would never take the initiative to provoke trouble.

  "How bold!" Gong Sun Yang shouted, and his previous worries were all thrown behind. Since the opponent took the lead in taking action, even if he killed him here, the opponent's school elders would have nothing to say. People of the rivers and lakes, as long as there is a sufficient reason to block the mouths of the crowd, it is enough!

  Besides, he has more than ten people with him, killing Tang An alone would be more than enough.

  "Since you're looking for death, I, Gong Sun Yang, will satisfy you!"

  "Get moving!"

  "Bang——"

  More than ten knights drew their swords and aimed at Tang An. The horses moved slowly, forming a siege around Tang An.

  Just then, Tang An's sword suddenly moved, aiming at one of them. The man instantly felt like a thorn in his side, feeling uncomfortable all over, and thought the sword light was too dazzling, he couldn't help but lower his head, not daring to look straight.

  The sword flashed only once, and immediately after that, a thin line of blood appeared on the person's throat. The line was extremely fine, and if one didn't look carefully, it would absolutely not be discovered.

  Several people around only felt a dizziness in front of their eyes, Tang An's figure flashed, and he immediately returned to his horse.

  They didn't see Tang An drawing his sword, only the leading knight saw a hint of shadow. With just this hint of shadow, he already knew what Tang An had done earlier.

  Tang An returned to horseback, but the sword no longer pointed at anyone. The tip of the sword hung down, with a single drop of bright red blood still lingering on it. At this moment, the blood was slowly flowing along the blade, silently dripping off in the end.

  Tang An was still on horseback, and the sword was still in his hand. Everyone saw this sword, this man.

  The knight was still sitting on his horse, but his eyes had already lost their luster, leaving only deep fear and incredulity.

  He just saw something he never wanted to see in his life - death!

  His neck still hadn't started bleeding, but that thin red line had already begun to spread, like ink dripping onto rice paper, creating irregular lines that blurred outwards.

  Gongsun Yang sat on his horse, clenching his fists with a crackling sound, and it was unclear whether he was furious or terrified.

  Just then, a sudden burst of "Ka Ka" screams broke through the dull atmosphere.

  Just then, the knight who was fine just a moment ago suddenly clutched his neck with both hands, every muscle on his face twitching, his nostrils gradually flaring, his mouth agape, and his tongue sticking out as if he was greedily gasping for air.

  He wants to smell the taste of this world again!

  Suddenly, his eyeballs bulged out violently, and he stopped struggling. He fell off the horse weakly, thudded to the ground, twitched twice, but didn't move again.

  He is dead.

  "Ah!" accompanied by a terrified scream.

  All the knights on horseback pointed their swords at Tang An, but no one dared to stab.

  Sweat kept flowing down their faces and their hands were shaking non-stop, all because they had indeed seen death.

  Death was so close to me all along.

  Death is terrifying. After Tan An's one sword, everyone's heart was heavy, as if they had been shrouded in the gloom of death and couldn't struggle out.

  "Take action, kill him!"

  It was unclear who shouted at that moment, but everyone was like a lion trapped in a cage who had finally found an exit, and suddenly let out the fear in their hearts.

  In the forest, suddenly a flash of sword and shadow.

  Killing is always accompanied by someone falling. And soon, only two people were left in the forest.

  One was Tang An, whose shoulder had a long gash cut open, with fresh blood seeping all over his shoulder. His moon-white robe was stained red, and after the blood dried, it turned black. His face was somewhat pale, but his eyes still shone brightly.

  As long as a person's eyes still have spirit and their heart is not dead, even if they are in a desperate situation, they will always find a way to survive.

  And his opponent, Gongsun Yang, although without any wounds, had a pale and defeated complexion, even his eyes were filled with despair. Just now, he and the fourteen knights under him joined forces to attack Tang An, but despite having the upper hand, they still failed to kill Tang An.

  He originally had the opportunity to kill Tang An, just as Tang An was entangled by three people at that moment, he had the opportunity to punch Tang An's back with one fist, causing him serious injury. However, at that moment, he clearly saw Tang An turn around and look into his eyes.

  Tang An was laughing at himself, a kind of contempt from the bottom of his heart, looking down on himself.

  He thought Tang An saw through his plan and was waiting for him, so that he could take advantage of it.

  He feared death, because as soon as he died, the dragons would be without a leader, and his subordinates would naturally become lambs to be slaughtered at will. Therefore, he could not die, he could not take risks, so he retreated.

  But just then, another knight risked his life and left a deep wound on Tang An's shoulder. Thus, Gong Sun Yang finally realized that he had missed the best opportunity, and also the only one.

  "You've killed them all, do you know how much trouble you've gotten yourself into? My master, my senior brother, they will avenge me..."

  Gongsun Yang's words were cut off before he could finish speaking, as Tang An stabbed a sword into his throat. The remaining half of his sentence was stuck in his throat.

  His fingers made a "click" sound, and his hands randomly grasped at something in mid-air, as if trying to grasp the last chance of survival.

  Tang An drew his sword, and instantly a burst of fresh blood shot out from Gong Sun Yang's throat, splashing in mid-air, then dripping onto the ground, finally seeping into the mud.

  "You weren't without opportunities, and I wasn't much stronger than you. It's just that you gave up on yourself. When you started placing your hopes in others, that's when you were already dead. In this world, no one is reliable, the only one you can rely on is yourself."

  Tang An slowly sheathed his sword, its chill and coldness increased, of course, it was also faster than before.

  Killing intent is cultivated from continuous slaughter. Perhaps only by continuously killing people can one truly enter the realm of a master.

  The path of a master is paved with countless white bones.

  Congratulations, host! You have defeated a powerful enemy and obtained a Rejuvenation Pill. Take it quickly to restore your energy.

  Tang An infused the medicinal effect of the Qi replenishing pill into an ordinary pill in his hand and swallowed it in one gulp. In an instant, the internal energy that had just been depleted was fully restored.

  He glanced down at the wound on his shoulder, gritted his teeth in pain, tore open his shirt, and then pulled out a bottle of golden ointment from the package on the horse's back. He sprinkled it on the wound, and the bleeding stopped instantly. He also tore off a piece of cloth from his waist, helped by his mouth, to bandage himself up.

  But this wrapping will certainly not be satisfactory. Just then, the girl who had just left appeared again.

  She quietly walked up to Tang An's side and carefully bandaged him up for him.

  During this time, she didn't speak and didn't go look at the dozen or so corpses on the ground. She didn't even glance at the sheep fat white jade Buddha.

  All she could see was the wound on Tang An's shoulder.

  After finishing packing, Tang An mounted her horse and started walking towards the small path on the left. She didn't say anything, but silently followed behind.

  The sky gradually darkened, and even the birds returned home. The forest suddenly became quiet, leaving only a rustling sound, which was the squirrels grinding their teeth.

  Tang An rode his horse, but his attention was always on the little girl following behind him. He told himself countless times that she would eventually stop, because she had her own path to follow. But this path, in fact, didn't suit her at all.

  But the sky had already darkened, and traveling through the forest at night was extremely dangerous. Not only could one be ambushed by wild beasts, but it was also easier to fall into traps set by hunters to catch animals. Therefore, Tang An was looking for a suitable place to spend the night.

  But the girl still followed Tang An without leaving him. Finally, Tang An stopped.

  He sighed and slowly turned his horse around, saying: "Why follow me? Those who were chasing you are all dead, you should go home too."

  That little girl just smiled and didn't say a word. When she smiled, her eyes were as lovely as crescent moons, revealing the small dimples on the corners of her mouth, looking very sweet.

  She fumbled in her bosom for a while, and finally pulled out a small white bottle. The little bottle was very ordinary, with a red cloth strip stuck on the stopper, and there was still a bit of grayish-white powder on it.

  But Tang An looked at it and was taken aback.

  Isn't that the band-aid from my package? When did she... Ah, it must have been when she was dressing my wound. But how did she do it? How come I didn't notice anything?

  The girl saw Tang An's surprised expression, but she laughed even more happily. "How about it? Am I not very powerful? I can do even more powerful things." She seemed to be very pleased with herself for being able to steal something from Tang An's hands, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

  "To thank you for saving me from those bad people, I've decided to take responsibility for healing the wound on your shoulder!" She said with a smile, shaking the golden ointment in her hand.

  Tang An shook his head: "I killed those people, not for your sake. They were from Jin Yu Man Tang in Quzhou, and they deserved to die long ago. Besides, if I didn't kill them, it would be me who ends up dead."

  That little girl didn't care about any of that: "I don't care. Anyway, I only know you saved me. If you hadn't saved me, maybe I would have been caught by them and had my hands and feet cut off, or maybe even sold to...".

  She was a young girl, and the two words "brothel" she could never bring herself to say.

  "I, Miao Miao, am a person who knows how to repay kindness. I owe you such a great favor, and I must return it! Originally, I wanted to give that jade Buddha to you, I could tell you also liked that jade Buddha very much. However, I know you definitely won't accept something stolen."

  "So you're going to follow me?"

  The little girl nodded: "Of course."

  Seeing her determination, Tang An also didn't care: "Suit yourself."

  Tang An finished speaking and turned his horse's head around, without caring about the little girl, and went straight forward.

  Who knew that the little girl would suddenly kick her foot, and she would jump up from the ground, instantly like a green butterfly, flying towards Tang An. Her feet tapped twice in mid-air, her body folded back, and then rose and fell again, but landed directly on Tang An's horseback.

  Tang An turned his head around and glared at her, but she made a funny face instead, bursting into laughter.

  "My lightness skills are not bad, right? With these lightness skills, I think I can definitely help you a lot. Don't worry, I absolutely won't cling to you. After I've helped you and cleared the favor I owe you, I will definitely leave."

  Tang An ignored her. He was a sensitive person when it came to anyone getting close to him, and he was certain the girl had no malicious intentions towards him, which was enough.

  He knew that when she got tired of it, she would naturally leave him.

  Isn't it true that girls' hearts are always fond of new things and tired of old ones?

  Tang An didn't speak, but the girl couldn't stay still for a moment, like a magpie.

  "Hey, I've already told you my name is Miao Miao, but you still haven't told me yours. That's not fair. You have to tell me your name. Otherwise, I won't even let you sleep soundly at night."

  Tang An still ignored her, and she muttered to herself: "Do you think my lightness skill is good? Don't envy me, because there are really few girls in the world as excellent as me. Let me tell you secretly, Master said that my qualifications and bones are rare in a thousand years. If it weren't for Master only teaching me for two years before disappearing, I wouldn't be so miserable today. Do you think those fools can catch up with me? If it weren't for my poor internal strength, I would have run out of energy after a while, and they couldn't catch up with me even if they spent their whole lives!"

  "Hey, hey, don't fall asleep on me! Are you sleeping? How rude can you be? When the beautiful Miao Miao is speaking, how can you sleep? Don't sleep first, I haven't told you who my master is or what my light skill is called yet!"

  As she spoke, she stretched out her hand and shook Tang An vigorously.

  This was a very intimate gesture, and Tang An had absolutely no idea she would be so bold.

  It was just that moment when he clearly felt a strange feeling flowing through his heart.

  Not disgusted, but seemingly delighted.

  There is a beautiful and lovely girl who makes intimate movements towards me, isn't this what I have been dreaming of in my past life? But why do I feel so strange about it now?

  Have I changed?

  I've changed!

  People are always changing, and when they themselves feel that they have changed, how great must that change be?

  Tang An's heart suddenly became very chaotic, he didn't know what was wrong with him. If it were in the past, he would absolutely not have casually killed those few people from earlier. Even if they were evil mountain bandits, he wouldn't have.

  But he just killed him.

  Even now, thinking back on it, he felt that it was truly unbelievable!

  "Whatever. To kill is better than being killed!"

  …………

  The sky was already very dark, Tang An took out the last two buns from the package on his horseback and handed one to Miao Miao. He sat down under a big tree, leaning against it to rest. Miao Miao squatted beside him, holding her small face with both hands, smiling at Tang An as he ate his bun.

  After a while, Miao suddenly spoke up: "The weather is so hot and you're eating such dry buns, you must be very thirsty."

  Tang An stuffed the last half of the bun into his mouth, forcing it down his throat. The saliva in his mouth dried up, and he became even drier.

  "What you said is right. I'm really thirsty, but the water has been drunk. I'm not familiar with this forest, so it's better not to wander around randomly. Otherwise, the trouble caused will be much more serious than thirst."

  Miao Miao listened and responded with an "oh", but then suddenly remembered something, and said to Tang An: "You wait here, I'll be right back."

  As she spoke, she lightly leaped away, floating off like a butterfly. Her lightness skill was naturally extremely good, to the point that even Tang An thought that he absolutely couldn't compare to her in terms of lightness skill. Having good internal energy doesn't necessarily mean one's lightness skill is also good.

  Miao Miao's internal skill cultivation was evident at a glance, and Tang An could see that she had just entered the fourth stage of Tian Ren. However, considering her age, it should be said that it was already quite good. He didn't know how Miao Miao trained her lightness skill, but if he knew, he would definitely not be surprised. When a person's lightness skill determines their own life and death, they will never think that their lightness skill is good enough.

  Tang An had only rested for a short while, and his internal energy had just circulated through one cycle when Miao Miao returned. She brought back several green fruits, which didn't seem to be ripe yet.

  She handed over the green fruit to Tang An with a treasured look: "I just saw this when I passed by, I ate one earlier, it's a bit sour but tastes pretty good. You've lost a lot of blood, you must be thirsty."

  Tang An took it over and didn't eat it, but looked at Miao Miao and said: "In the future, don't casually eat wild things. What if they're poisonous? Didn't your parents teach you?"

  Miao Miao heard this and her bright eyes suddenly dimmed a bit, even the jade butterfly on her forehead seemed to lose its vitality.

  She quietly put down the green fruit and walked alone to another tree, hugging her shoulders and curling up to sleep.

  Tang An knew that his words just now must have reminded her of something sad yet unforgettable.

  At night in the forest, it was not as sultry as during the day, and even a bit chilly. After all, it was still early summer, and the temperature had not risen to an unbearable level. Tang An did not sleep. Since he started practicing internal skills, he rarely spent time sleeping. Not only was it a waste of time, but the effect was also poor.

  After running for seven full weeks, he felt refreshed and even the internal energy consumed during the day was restored. He opened his eyes to find that Miao Miao beside him had shrunk into a ball.

  He silently sighed, and gently took out a shirt from the bundle on the horse's back. This was his only spare set of clothes for traveling. A person with internal power would be spotless, but their clothes could still get torn.

  He gently put the clothes on Miao Miao and then turned back to practice. As long as he had some free time, he would start practicing. Because his time was already running out.

  "It's been almost ten years. Perhaps mother has been waiting with bated breath."

  …………

  The sky brightened quickly, and Miao Miao had not yet opened her eyes when she smelled a special smell.

  It's the taste of sunshine.

  It's not the sunshine in the sky, but the smell of the clothes on one's own body.

  Miao Miao knew that this must be the person who looked cold and distant taking responsibility for her.

  She glanced at Tang An, who had been practicing for a whole night, with a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart, and the corners of her eyes curved into a crescent moon shape.

  But just then, Tang An suddenly opened his eyes and turned around.

  Two pairs of eyes just happened to collide in mid-air.

  Miao Miao suddenly felt her heart beating faster. It was beating extremely fast, as if there was a small deer inside that was frantically jumping around and trying to leap out of her throat.

  Her cheeks also slowly emerged with two touches of rosy red, just like lovely red apples.

  Her hands grasped the clothes covering her body tightly and rubbed them incessantly, unaware of what she was anxious about.

  "Once you wake up, return my clothes to me. Your internal strength is originally poor, why don't you seize the time to cultivate at night? This way, you won't feel cold or hot, and you can also break through your boundaries faster. In the future, when you encounter people who want to capture you, isn't it another chance for you to escape?"

  Miao Miao shrank her head and didn't speak. If it were in the past, if anyone else had said that, even her master, she would have definitely retorted back, not giving an inch. But now, she silently stuffed the clothes back to Tang An, lowered her head, occasionally raising it again, taking advantage of when Tang An wasn't paying attention, quickly stealing a glance at him. In an instant, she lowered her head even faster, her heart beating more violently, but with a hint of secret delight.

  Tang An shook his head helplessly, the sky had already lit up, and he still had to continue on his journey. Having someone follow him, especially a girl, was inconvenient for both him and Miao Miao.

  "My wound has healed, you should go home too."

  Miao Miao just shook her head and didn't say anything.

  Tang An took a step forward, and she followed suit, in short, not willing to fall behind by even one step.

  Tang An suddenly turned his head and shouted loudly: "What exactly do you want?"

  Miao Miao didn't know why, but suddenly she felt a pang of sadness in her heart, and tears began to fall uncontrollably. She wiped them away, but they only flowed more fiercely.

  She raised her head and stared at Tang An, her eyes already red, tears also welling up.

  She stared and stared, then suddenly let out a loud roar, her voice already hysterical: "I have no home!"

  "My mother died, my father sold me. I was lucky to find a master, but he left me after less than two years and ran away! Where do you want me to go back to? I'm alone, anywhere is my home! You mind your own business, why bother about where I'm going? You go wherever you want, that's your business. Me following you is my business! I don't care where you're going, why do you care about me following you?"

  She shouted loudly, as if she wanted to vent out all the grievances that had been suppressed in her heart for many years.

  Tang An sighed and was always filled with sympathy for those who were more miserable than him. Moreover, she was such a lovely and elegant girl.

  For beautiful things, anyone is irresistible. Men are also generally unable to resist pretty women.

  Tang An walked over, his rough hand gently wiping away Miao Miao's tears. His hands were coarse, a result of years of holding swords, always full of calluses, and must have felt extremely uncomfortable on her face. Miao Miao cried even harder because of this.

  However, only Miao Miao knew that when he wiped away his own tears, the movements of his hands were incredibly gentle. Even the rough calluses on his palms felt as gentle as a spring breeze against his face.

  "Actually, I only have two mantou left. Yesterday, I already gave you one. If you still want to follow me, today we might go hungry together."

  Miao Miao was taken aback for a moment, but her face blossomed with radiant flowers, and even the tears seemed like dew drops on the petals of a flower.

  She wanted to laugh but instead cried even louder.

  Tang An pulled out the silk handkerchief from his bosom and wiped her tears away. A faint smile finally appeared on that cold face: "I rarely tell a joke, don't cry anymore. I hate crybabies!"