Chapter Fifty-Four: Death Follows the Drawn Sword

"Practice ends here..." As the words fell, a chilling aura swept across the field. The surrounding spiritual energy trembled violently, on the verge of erupting into chaos.

A gust of wind surged through the arena, sending fallen leaves swirling into the air.

Despite the blazing summer heat, a coldness as biting as an icy cellar settled over everyone, causing the crowd to shiver involuntarily.

Opposite them, Lin Cheng flicked his sword, a gleam of cold light flashing in his eyes. With a low shout—

Azure Dragon Rises from the Water!

In an instant, before everyone’s eyes, Lin Cheng seemed to transform into a white dragon, sweeping across the field, its roar echoing to the heavens.

All those in the mining grounds noticed the commotion and hastily looked up.

The white dragon shot straight from the earth into the sky, and, with a thunderous roar, turned and dove toward Qiu Mo and his companion.

An’an and Qiu Yingying could only stare in stupefied shock as Lin Cheng suddenly became a white dragon, rendering them utterly speechless.

On the open ground before the tower, the ugly young man cowered in terror, shrinking into a corner of the corridor.

Qiu Mo and Wang Yan trembled uncontrollably, staring in disbelief. Even with decades of experience, they had never witnessed a spell that could transform a person into a dragon. At this moment, only one thought echoed in their hearts:

Unstoppable!

No one can withstand this!

Though they knew they could not survive this strike, they still fought desperately, grasping for the slightest hope.

Whoosh!

The white dragon circled the two men, and as the final surge of air brushed past their ears, the light in their eyes swiftly faded.

Behind them, Lin Cheng’s figure reappeared, his face a shade paler but otherwise composed. He sheathed the Skyward Sword behind him, standing calmly in the field—an image of a peerless sword immortal.

Thud. Thud.

Two bodies fell straight to the ground, raising a cloud of dust.

One sword.

Two deaths.

Atop the tower, the two girls finally recovered from their shock. Overwhelmed with excitement, they leapt from the tower and rushed to Lin Cheng.

"Brother Lin, you’re amazing! You killed two Spirit Realm experts with a single strike... I admire you so much!" Qiu Yingying exclaimed joyfully.

An’an pouted. "Hmph, Brother Lin Cheng is mine..."

"He’s mine too..." Qiu Yingying blurted out.

Uh-oh!

Beside them, Lin Cheng, who had been standing with arms folded, ready to strike a heroic pose, could only sigh and put away the Skyward Sword.

He pinched the girls’ delicate noses and turned toward the ugly young man cowering in the corner.

"Spare me, immortal, please spare me! Although Wang Yan took me as his disciple, I swear I’ve never done anything wicked. Please, immortal, let me live..." The man grovelled, knocking his head to the ground in supplication.

Lin Cheng glanced at the two girls, uncertain whether to act.

An’an thought for a moment, then said to the man, "We’ll spare you—on one condition. You must kill all those from the City Lord’s Mansion who oppressed and abused the miners. After that, leave Dragon City forever. If we hear of you committing any more evil deeds, you will not escape."

The ugly man hesitated. "But... those are all people from the City Lord’s Mansion. If I kill them, the Qiu family will never let me go... Please, immortal, show mercy..."

Qiu Yingying’s brows drew together as she said coldly, "Do you think the Qiu family will spare you just because your master is dead and you’re alive?"

At her words, the ugly man gritted his teeth. "I will obey the immortal’s command!"

With that, he leapt into action.

Amid cries and curses, mingled with terror, the mining grounds below soon became a field of corpses and rivers of blood.

After slaughtering all those from the City Lord’s Mansion, the ugly man, drenched in blood, knelt on one knee before Lin Cheng and his companions.

"Immortal, I have killed all those as instructed. Please, spare my life..."

Lin Cheng scrutinized the ugly man. "You may go."

"Thank you, immortal, for sparing me..." The man bowed deeply once more, then fled into the mountains, vanishing into the night.

Gathering Qiu Mo and Wang Yan’s storage pouches, Lin Cheng and the two girls turned to the miners below.

Seeing Lin Cheng’s gaze, the trembling crowd dared not utter a word and immediately knelt.

"You may all go, there’s nothing to fear. From now on, you’re free," Lin Cheng announced loudly.

After a brief pause, joy burst forth in the miners’ eyes as they turned to one another in excitement.

"Thank you, immortal, for saving us..."

"Thank you, immortal..."

"Our gratitude, immortal..."

...

Amid these fervent thanks, Lin Cheng wrapped his arms around the girls’ waists, stepped onto the Qingfeng Sword, and soared into the night sky.

Lin Cheng’s Room, An Family Residence.

The three of them eagerly opened Qiu Mo and Wang Yan’s storage pouches. When they saw the contents, the girls gasped in astonishment.

"We’re rich, we’re rich..."

"So many spirit stones, and these treasures... Brother Lin, you’re amazing..."

Though both girls came from wealthy families, never before had they seen such a trove of spirit stones and treasures.

Lin Cheng made a quick estimate. The two pouches together held over ten thousand spirit stones—most likely the profits from the southern mines this year. Aside from the Firecloud Bow and Wang Yan’s twin hammers, there was also a defensive jade pendant. The rest were mostly mystic artifacts, with only a few dozen bottles of random pills.

To Lin Cheng, these were paupers; after decades, they didn’t even possess half of Si Miao’s wealth.

"Split the spirit stones evenly between the two of you. As for the rest... this jade pendant is for Yingying’s protection. The bow and hammers you have no use for, so I’ll keep them. The rest—take whatever you like," Lin Cheng said, dividing the items as he spoke.

"Brother Lin, how could we accept? These treasures were won by your efforts; how can we take them?" Qiu Yingying said, her heart fluttering as she saw the defensive jade pendant placed in her hand.

"Brother Lin, keep the spirit stones. You’ll need them for your cultivation outside. We have our families to provide for us, so you don’t need to worry about us... And besides, you’re playing favorites... Hmph..." An’an pouted.

Realizing the reason, Lin Cheng opened his palm, producing a soft armor that glimmered with a blue light.

He handed it to An’an. "I came by this by chance, but I have no use for it. Keep it for your own protection..."

When the girl saw the soft armor in her hands, she was touched. Standing on tiptoe, she quickly kissed Lin Cheng on the cheek.

For a moment, Lin Cheng’s mind went blank, while Qiu Yingying turned aside, cheeks flushed, grumbling, "Shameless..."

An’an shot her a glance and teased, "If you want to kiss Brother Lin, just do it. I don’t mind..."

Seeing Qiu Yingying blush even deeper, An’an taunted again, "Coward..."

"An’an, you... you shameless thing..." Qiu Yingying retorted.

Lin Cheng stepped forward, pulling both girls into his embrace.

For a moment, only the rapid, powerful beating of three hearts could be heard in the room.

The two girls, overwhelmed, could only bury their crimson faces in Lin Cheng’s chest.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Cheng suppressed the turmoil in his heart and spoke softly, "You must work hard in your cultivation. If you ever wish to join a sect, come seek me in Qingyang Sect."

Hearing this, both girls looked up at him.

"You really are from Qingyang Sect..." they said in unison.

"I knew Brother Lin Cheng was extraordinary. Now that our family is in troubled times, once things have settled down, I’ll come find you in Qingyang Sect..." An’an said.

"I... I will come too..." Qiu Yingying’s eyes sparkled with affection.

Lin Cheng laughed heartily and embraced them once more.

With warm jade in his arms, Lin Cheng felt that the world was truly beautiful; love and hate were but a single thought apart, and in youth one should be bold and high-spirited.

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