Chapter 259: Smelling the Sword to Recognize People

At the main entrance of Duojin Shanghang.

"Put it on!"

Xu Xiaoshou placed a straw hat on Mu Zixi's head.

The hat fit him perfectly, but for Mu Zixi, it was way too big.It looked like a little girl wearing an oversized helmet, but luckily, Mu Zixi had that soft and adorable charm, giving it a unique appeal.Anyone else might not have been able to pull off that style.

Mu Zixi looked at her senior brother, who was squatting down and grinning at her, and blushed as she said,"What is this? It's so ugly—I don't want to wear it!"

She had seen Lao Sang wearing one before, but this just didn't match her vibe at all!A vibrant green dress full of energy, paired with this hat that screamed "ready for the fields" in old age...

"Keep it on for now. Someone's trying to kill me, and I can't let them see my real face."

Mu Zixi was stunned."How is this thing supposed to hide anything?"

With a sweep of Ling Nian, wouldn't everything be visible?

Xu Xiaoshou knew what she was thinking and shrugged it off."You don't get it. In the outside world, even if it's just an ordinary straw hat, who would dare to recklessly scan others with Ling Nian? You might end up in a infamous 'Ni Chou Sha' incident!"

"What's 'Ni Chou Sha'?"

"You don't get it."

Xu Xiaoshou pressed the hat down on the girl's head and straightened up.

"Under the curse, passive value..."

"Wait here for me. I'll go... uh, I'll go find that assassin." Xu Xiaoshou left with those words, waving over his shoulder. "If there's trouble, duck into Duojin Shanghang—they won't dare cause chaos there."

Mu Zixi touched her purple crystal ball, recalling the earlier scene of the blood dragon's rampage. So, there really was an assassin?

But how did Xu Xiaoshou know? And he even knew where the person was?

Was he actually going to seek them out?

What if the assassin was at the Zongshi level?

Killing Zhang Xin Xiong didn't make him invincible!

"This is Tian Sang Cheng, with the Cheng Wei Jun around. They can't fight in the city—we should just escape!" she shouted via voice transmission.

Xu Xiaoshou paused for a moment.

How innocently naive!

Wasn't fighting to the death prohibited at the outer courtyard of Tian Sang Ling Gong? And hadn't he still killed several people there?

Once outside the Ling Gong, did anyone really think the rules of Tian Sang Cheng would be strictly followed?

"Don't worry, I won't get caught." He waved without turning back.

Mu Zixi: ???

Under the straw hat, her small head was filled with big questions. It took her a while to snap out of Xu Xiaoshou's way of thinking.

Wait, no—I was saying the assassins wouldn't dare make a move in the city!

I wasn't telling you to back off!

The girl wanted to call out again, but Xu Xiaoshou had already vanished.

"Under the curse, passive value..."

She glanced at the surging crowd and instinctively tightened her clothes, slipping into a corner.

Whoosh, whoosh—a few figures dressed as peculiar Jian Ke descended from the sky, looking around warily.

"Assassins?"

Mu Zixi's eyes narrowed, and she pulled the straw hat even lower.

At that moment, the hat without any Ling Li power oddly gave her a sense of strength.

It was as if, with it on, she could separate herself from the world.

"Meow."

A graceful cat beast stepped out from the main entrance of Duojin Shanghang, unnoticed even by the guards.

The cat beast walked straight into the air, tilted its head toward the direction Xu Xiaoshou had left, then gazed at the helpless girl in the corner with her hat pressed down. A hint of hesitation appeared in its demonic purple eyes.

One big catch, but very dangerous...

Another big catch, weaker but still much larger than ordinary prey, and it seemed completely defenseless...

The white cat hesitated no longer and suddenly leaped onto Mu Zixi's head.

A thick aura of life force rose from below, making the entire cat stiffen.

It straightened its limbs, arched its back, and its tail shot straight up.

Its purple eyes gleamed brightly, filled with undisguised greed. Its small mouth opened slightly, revealing fierce fangs, and the cat's head dipped down abruptly...

Finally, drool dripped out...

"Meow."

"Meow."

It crouched down, its expression one of pure bliss, its body trembling lightly.

The three Jian Ke had landed exactly where Xu Xiaoshou and Mu Zixi had argued before entering Duojin Shanghang.

"The Jian Nian... it's gone..."

The Jian Ke holding the sword frowned and sighed.

In his arms was a gray-green sword, neither long nor short, perfectly standard, yet it exuded an indescribable strangeness.

It seemed incredibly powerful!

He held it as if embracing a lover, as though this pose could last until the end of time.

"Senior Brother is right—the Jian Nian is indeed gone."

The Jian Ke with nine swords frowned in thought, his arms crossed, with all nine swords sheathed on his back.

"Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are correct—the Jian Nian really can't be sensed anymore."

The Jian Ke with no sword stared at his senior brother's face, mimicking the crossed-arm pose, and furrowed his brow.

The one holding the sword: ...

"I've told you how many times! You won't learn it that way..."

"Hah."

He gave up in frustration. "Go ahead and copy it. Let's see how much you can actually master!"

"We shall obey Senior Brother's command!"

"We shall obey Senior Brother's command!"

Veins bulged on the sword holder's forehead, and he decided to ignore his two foolish junior brothers.

He narrowed his eyes, suddenly reaching out to pinch the air, his nose twitching.

"Sniffing the sword?" His two junior brothers exclaimed in shock.

"Senior Brother can sniff out sword intent now? That means he's only a step away from the Sword Dao throne!" The one with nine swords said in astonishment.

The one with no sword stayed silent and copied the motion.

After a long while, a sneeze finally burst out.

"Ah, sniffed nothing but emptiness..."

"As expected of Senior Brother!"

The sword holder's nose flared as he sniffed, and suddenly his finger trembled. Strands of sword intent wrapped around his fingertip, transforming into that familiar force Xu Xiaoshou knew well.

"It's Jian Nian! It's low-level, but definitely the scent of Jian Nian..."

"Anyone who can cultivate even a weak Jian Nian is no simple foe. In 'Zang Jian Zong,' it's just us three. Maybe those from 'Can Yue Xian Cheng' have shown up too!"

The one with nine swords nodded gravely. "Worthy of being a relic of the Ba Jian Xian—this will be quite the contest."

The one with no sword also grew serious, though his tone was a bit flippant. "But it's only at that level—the newcomer isn't a match for us!"

"Junior Brother, don't be careless." The one with nine swords turned and advised. "Senior Brother's teachings include never underestimating an enemy. Have you forgotten?"

The one with no sword instantly looked panic-stricken, tears nearly welling up. "It's my fault, Senior Brother. I request to be punished by copying the 'Jian Jing' three thousand times!"

"Hmph!" The one with nine swords snorted coldly. "Junior Brother, you're always scheming. Now you want the 'Jian Jing'? I haven't even seen it yet!"

"I made a mistake; I forgot Senior Brother's teachings!"

"For your mistake, you'll be punished to laze around in Tian Sang Jun for a month, no sword practice allowed!"

"No way! Second Senior Brother, are you trying to pull ahead of me? That's absolutely not happening. My goal is to surpass Second Senior Brother, then Senior Brother, and eventually..."

The sword holder swung his gray-green sword, smacking each of them once, sending the two fools crouching with their heads in their hands.

"Shut up!"

He scolded them irritably and, following the lingering sword intent at his nose, turned toward the corner at the main entrance of Duojin Shanghang.

There stood a girl wearing an oversized straw hat, looking homeless and shivering in the cold wind.

"The scent of Jian Nian is faint—it probably isn't hers, maybe her master..."

"Hmm, what's that?"

As he watched, the sword holder's face suddenly paled, his eyes widening in horror.

"A ghost beast?!"