Knife Back in The Scabbard Chapter 3

At night, the sky was covered with black and heavy rain fell. The streets and alleys of Guyang City were deserted and every house was closed.

In the backyard of Duanshui Villa, the sounds of chopping continued. A ten-year-old boy in black shorts took awkward and complicated steps, holding a wooden sword that was a little too big for him and kept chopping at a stone pillar that was as tall as a person.

His young face was frozen, even though his whole body was soaked and his palms were red from the force, he continued to swing the knife methodically. The stone pillar was covered with shallow white marks, and in some places there were already spider-like cracks.

The man standing in the corridor was wearing a fox fur cloak. He looked at the boy practicing swordplay in the rain coldly. Suddenly he raised his hand and a walnut flew through the rain and hit the boy's wrist holding the sword. The boy's hand trembled and his cracked palm could not hold the sword anymore. The sword slipped out of his hand. His eyelashes trembled and he bent down to pick it up. Unexpectedly, another walnut hit his knee and he was about to fall down. Fortunately, he held the floor with one hand and barely fell to the ground.

The man in the corridor said coldly: "Come in."

The boy carried the wooden sword on his back, looking wet like a monkey that had just climbed out of the river. He stood in front of the man and called out politely, "Dad."

"Caleb Xie, I've told you many times... martial artists should avoid having no strength in their hands and an unstable lower body. You've practiced for three years but haven't made any progress at all. It's shameful!" The man had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, but he looked sick and coughed from time to time. He was only over thirty years old, but there was an air of old age and death between his eyebrows.

This is the owner of Duanshui Villa, Ethan Xie.

Ethan Xie's wife died of illness two years ago, leaving behind only one son, Caleb Xie. Logically, he should have treated his son like the flesh and blood of his heart, but in reality, this "meat" should be the leftovers sold at a low price by the butcher, and the "pearl" should be the inferior product accepted by the pawnshop clerk blindly.

Getting up earlier than the chickens and sleeping later than the dogs, the four words "learning calligraphy and practicing martial arts" almost weighed on the child's head like a mountain that he couldn't get rid of. It was okay in the early years, but the past two years have been like suffering. Ethan Xie's personality has become erratic since the accident, and he treats this son even more harshly. Sometimes even the servants in the village can't stand it, but whether the master's child is good or bad, how can they say anything?

Caleb Xie swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth, and remained silent like a toad with its breath sinking into its dantian. Ethan Xie scolded him a few more times, then he threw his sleeves and walked away with a look of disgust and impatience on his face.

After he left, Caleb Xie raised his right hand and saw the purple walnut mark on his wrist. He felt his wrist was still in pain and trembling. He rubbed it silently, without saying a word, feeling full of grievances.

There was a sound of footsteps. Riley Xue took a handkerchief and wiped his face, sighing, "You got scolded again?"

Caleb Xie remained silent, but someone behind Riley Xue said, "Poor thing, your master was not very humane."

The child's face turned pale, and he realized that Riley Xue had brought a stranger. This person was wearing a sky-blue long gown with arrow sleeves, a wide waist with an indigo brocade belt, black hair draped over his shoulders, and his eyebrows and eyes were picturesque. He looked about the same age and stature as Ethan Xie, but he was seven points less old-fashioned and three points more free and easy.

Finn Ye had dressed himself up half an hour ago, and then entered Duanshui Villa with clean sleeves. Relying on his eloquent tongue and thick skin, he followed Miss Xue, looking around. When he was about to go to the kitchen for a midnight snack, Riley Xue heard that her master was scolding her junior brother again, and hurried over. She was so distressed that even her beautiful face was filled with murderous intent. Unfortunately, it was her master who beat him. Riley Xue could not whip him no matter what, so she could only sigh and rub the blood clots to loosen up Caleb Xie.

Miss Xue is only sixteen years old, but she is already a famous night demon in Guyang City. Few people know that she has such a "feminine" side. Finn Ye was surprised and thought that the stubborn temper of this child was quite funny, so he made a joke. Unexpectedly, Caleb Xie suddenly put on a stern face like his father and said seriously: "Broken Water Villa does not allow outsiders to set foot in it. Who are you? How dare you speak rudely to the owner of the villa!"

Ah hey! Finn Ye narrowed his eyes and smiled, leaned down to look him in the eye and said, "I am the new bride that your sister Xue brought back in a grand ceremony."

Caleb Xie: ...

Riley Xue gnashed her teeth and said, "Finn Ye! What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, there's no sedan chair, but there is a real bride and groom." Finn Ye waved his hand, and a small oil paper bag appeared in his palm like a magic trick, with neatly cut candies inside.

A candy was thrown into Riley Xue's mouth unexpectedly, and the rich sweet osmanthus fragrance filled her mouth. The curse that was about to come out was choked back. Riley Xue's almond eyes shone, but the man smiled shamelessly and begged for mercy: "Miss, please don't blame me, I apologize. This sweet osmanthus candy is newly made, eat it and it will make your mouth sweet. Don't get angry and curse, it will dirty Miss's mouth."

Riley Xue bit a sweet-scented osmanthus candy and it made a crunching sound, just like chewing someone's bone, and her ears slowly turned red. Caleb Xie was stunned, his little head had never been filled with romantic things, but now he was filled with sweet talk, and he couldn't get better.

His mouth slightly opened, and Finn Ye took the opportunity to stuff a pill into his mouth. The spicy and sweet fragrance exploded in his mouth, and Caleb Xie's face suddenly turned red. Unfortunately, his good upbringing made him resist the urge to spit it out. He chewed it hard and swallowed it. His eyes were misty and he looked very pitiful.

Riley Xue: "...what did you feed him?"

"Sugar." Finn Ye looked righteous, and then added: "Ginger candy, you see he has been in the rain for so long, how can he not eat some ginger candy to dispel the cold?"

Riley Xue sighed in frustration, touched Caleb Xie's head, lowered his head and said to him: "Xiao Li, go back to your room to take a shower and change clothes first. I still have something to say to this guy."

Caleb Xie took a breath to dilute the sweet and spicy taste in his mouth, and still said with a straight face: "Who is he?"

"I'm the new security guard I hired. Don't worry."

Caleb Xie then took small steps and ran away. Finn Ye narrowed his eyes and watched him go away, sighing: "He is a good boy, but a little old-fashioned."

"Master has always been strict with him." Riley Xue twisted his eyebrows and said, "I have already told the steward that as long as you don't break the rules, you can do whatever you want in the villa and don't have to live by anyone's wishes."

"Miss, what should I do?"

Riley Xue looked up at him and said, "I'll take care of these for you, and you take care of Xiaoli for me."

Finn Ye asked: "The young master of Broken Water Villa, do you still need a wanderer like me to take care of you?"

Not to mention the disciples who were guarding the manor, just Ethan Xie himself, couldn't he protect his own son?

If this is true, then the world's best swordsman...it's time for someone else to do it.

Riley Xue did not answer but asked: "Did you notice anything when you entered the city today?"

"I saw a lot of people, people from the underworld." Finn Ye laughed, holding a sweet-scented osmanthus candy in his mouth. "All kinds of people, good and bad, mixed together. All the inns around here are packed with people. I had a hard time bribing a waiter to let him vacate a firewood room for me to boil water for bathing."

Riley Xue sneered when he heard this: "You are pressing me step by step. You are really a maggot in my tarsal bones. How annoying!"

Finn Ye ate the remaining candy in one gulp and spoke incoherently: "Are you coming for the villa, or... thanking the owner?"

Riley Xue said in a cold voice: "It's for the 'Number One Sword in the World'."

Finn Ye chewed a mouthful of candy without saying a word.

Riley Xue took a deep breath and said, "Have you ever heard of Li Feng?"

Finn Ye said slowly: "If you are talking about Li Feng from the Soul Burial Palace in Mizong Ridge, then I have heard of him."

Since ancient times, good and evil cannot coexist. There are four major sects in the righteous way, and the evil sects are no less numerous. In the southwest border, there is a deep valley that stretches for hundreds of miles. The terrain is complex and the miasma is lingering. Even birds can hardly find the source, so it is named "Mizong". In this deep valley, the leader of the current magic way, the Burial Soul Palace, is entrenched.

The Soul Burial Palace was like a small Jianghu. In addition to those who had betrayed their sects or committed heinous crimes, it also accommodated some foreigners who had lost their country in the war, and even the descendants of officials who had lost power and were convicted in the court. There were all kinds of people in the world, and it could be said that they were a mixed bag. Once they entered the Soul Burial Palace, they were like snakes, insects, rats and ants that plunged into the mud, dormant in the swamp to spy on the world, but cut off their past, and from then on they would just be dogs in the Soul Burial Palace.

Dogs naturally don’t have names, and the ones that do have names are all vicious dogs that are valued by their owners.

Li Feng, 25 years old at the time, was in charge of the Qinglong Hall of the Soul Burial Palace. He was an orphan adopted by the Palace Master in his early years and was now one of his most capable subordinates. Anyone he targeted was like encountering the most ferocious wolf on the grassland.

Riley Xue pursed her lips and said, "The Soul Burial Palace has been active in the southwestern border for generations. Although it has some power in the Central Plains, it has never been a troubled place. In the past two years, with the frequent wars between foreign races, the power of the Soul Burial Palace has been further expanded, and now it has begun to shift its focus to the Central Plains."

"The Central Plains martial arts world is complicated and intricate, and there are countless unresolved accounts between good and evil. If the Soul Burial Palace acts rashly, it may cause a chain reaction, so they need to kill a chicken...ah, kill one to warn the hundred." Finn Ye coughed twice, hammered his right leg that was both painful and numb, and shook his head. "Broken Water Villa is a major family in the Central Plains martial arts world, and Master Xie is the world's best swordsman. It should be a hard nut to crack, but unfortunately..."

Riley Xue said coldly: "It's a pity that after the incident three years ago, the whole martial arts world thinks that my master is useless. The world's number one sword is now just a name. This time, the Soul Burial Palace launched a competition to seize the seven famous swords of the Central Plains righteous path to show off their power. Duan Shui is the fifth sword."

Finn Ye asked: "So are the so-called rumors in the martial arts world true or just groundless?"

Riley Xue didn't say anything, but stared at him closely. After a while, she said, "Finn Ye, you are a smart man, and you are also a wise man."

It was really a muddy pool. Finn Ye sighed and said, "A drop of water is a spring of gratitude. I thank Miss Xue for her trust and will definitely live up to your trust."

"Since you promised me, you must do it." Riley Xue raised her chin, revealing her usual arrogance. Her eyes were cold and fierce, not like a virgin girl, but more creepy than a poisonous snake. "If anything happens to Xiaoli, even if you burrow underground, I will dig up your eighteen generations of ancestors' graves and grind you to ashes!"

---"You must do what you promised me, otherwise I will die with regrets."

The two voices merged into one, like a sharp sword piercing Finn Ye's heart. His head was buzzing, and everything in front of him began to shake and blur until it was a chaos. His right leg felt a piercing pain, and his face turned pale instantly. He subconsciously pressed his chest, where the brocade bag and jade pendant were placed.

"What's wrong with you?" Riley Xue noticed something was wrong and reached out to help him. Unexpectedly, this lecher was so confused that he touched her waist randomly. Miss Xue's eyes were startled and she almost threw him to the ground.

The culprit still had a kind, innocent and weak face, as if he was terminally ill and about to vomit blood: "Cough, cough... Sorry, I can't see clearly."

Riley Xue gritted his teeth and said, "The competition will begin in seven days. People from various factions will definitely come to Guyang City in the next few days. Duanshui Villa cannot close its doors to visitors. Since you are half-blind and your eyes are not working well, just follow Xiaoli closely and don't cause trouble everywhere, so as not to bump into people you can't afford to offend."

After hearing this, Finn Ye yawned and spread his hands, saying, "In that case, Miss, please ask someone to take me to the young master's courtyard. The night is long and I am sleepy."

Miss Xue felt a little itchy and the long whip at her waist was ready to move.

Just then, the sound of horse hooves came from a distance, probably a carriage stopped at the front door.

At such a late hour, in such a stormy place.

Riley Xue ordered a servant to take him to the backyard, and he hurried to the front door to meet the guest. Finn Ye narrowed his eyes, fortunately, he would pass through a long corridor when entering the inner courtyard. He looked back with the help of the lights under the eaves, and saw Riley Xue rushing past a group of people. The leader was just putting away his paper umbrella, revealing his appearance.

He looked very young, but he had none of the rush and silliness of a young boy. His face looked too pale in his black clothes, his eyebrows were sharp, his eyes were like pools, his features were handsome, and his thin lips were scarlet, like a knife that could cut the throat with one blow.