Chapter 9: Li Qier

"Hmm?"

At this moment, Yang Le furrowed his brows slightly, his eyes locked onto the girl in rags before him. It was not her appearance that caught his attention, but rather the sword manual she held, which had triggered a system notification.

【Azure Cloud Manual (Fragmented): A sword cultivation technique of unknown grade. Can be cultivated up to the fifth-grade Mountain-Moving Realm. Enables the activation of the 'Lone Sword Dao' entry bonus.】

Opening the system interface, Yang Le realized this was indeed a genuine sword cultivation technique.

"This is very important to me. But is it just for protection?"

"I have already stated that as long as no one makes a move, I, Yang Le, will not kill without cause. You only need to follow the rules; there is no need to seek my so-called protection."

Yang Le desperately wanted the sword manual the girl had produced, but he did not agree immediately. Instead, he fixed a sharp gaze upon her. She was clad in a gray-black hemp robe that covered her entire frame. She was small, standing only about 1.3 or 1.4 meters tall. At first glance, she was entirely unremarkable; had she not taken the initiative to ask for his protection, Yang Le would not have even noticed her among the crowd. She appeared to be nothing more than a tenth-grade martial artist who had just begun her path.

However, after a closer look, Yang Le noticed that her eyes were exceptionally spirited. This vitality was not merely a matter of beauty, but carried a certain indescribable, unique quality. Combined with the fact that she could produce a sword manual—even though Yang Le was also a beginner in the martial arts, he possessed basic knowledge—he found the situation curious. He did not know if it was because Qinghe County was too small or if the martial arts of the Great Qian Dynasty simply lacked development in sword cultivation. Regardless, in the Martial Hall alone, he was the only one who practiced the sword. More importantly, the martial artists he had fought previously seemed not to take his blade seriously. Their attitudes suggested that within the martial world of Great Qian, sword cultivation was pitifully weak, and the longsword was little more than a prop for pampered heirs to look stylish.

Yet, this girl had produced a sword manual just to secure his protection. That was the truly intriguing part.

"It is not just for protection. I want to learn the sword. I have studied this manual myself, but I have no clue how to proceed, so I think I need a master."

The girl's face was dirty, but her eyes were exceptionally firm. "If possible, I wish to take you as my master, senior."

"Interesting. Do you not even bother to hide the killing intent in your eyes?"

Hearing this, Yang Le looked directly at her, meeting her gaze and using his sword intent to completely suppress the killing intent radiating from her eyes. "Are you that eager to kill?"

"Killing that person is the only reason I have to live. I seek a master precisely so that I can kill."

Yang Le’s sword was sharp, and his sword intent was even more piercing. Even though he had not targeted the surrounding martial artists, they were forced to bow their heads under the pressure of his aura. As for the girl in rags, she was completely enveloped by his sword intent, her face contorting in pain.

Yet, the killing intent in her eyes did not dissipate; instead, it grew even more intense.

"Name."

"Li Qi'er. I study the sword to seek revenge."

After speaking calmly, Li Qi'er offered the sword manual with both hands. "I am willing to offer my life to learn the sword."

"This is a transaction. Once we are outside the city, you may learn. I will teach you what I know."

Yang Le did not respond to her request for apprenticeship, but he gave his word to protect her. After all, Yang Le only knew how to kill; as for teaching, he had never tried it, and he figured he would find an opportunity to give it a shot. As for saving Li Qi'er's life, in Yang Le's view, it was merely a simple trade—a technique in exchange for a life. He did not know if Li Qi'er was getting a good deal, but he certainly was. As for her revenge, the rights and wrongs were unclear, and Yang Le had no desire to entangle himself in the burdens of others. He only wanted the Azure Cloud Manual, and then he would teach her the sword path she had traded her life for.

"Yes, Master."

Li Qi'er stood up, limped over to stand behind Yang Le, and handed him the manual. On her face, which was slightly dirty but delicate, there was a trace of pain.

"Withdraw. To think that girl actually managed to secure his protection..."
"Her cultivation is only tenth-grade, but she is quite clever..."

Immediately, in the crowd a few meters away, the vicious men who had been interested in Li Qi'er shifted their gazes elsewhere. In their eyes, Li Qi'er had been a lone sheep to be slaughtered, but now that she was hiding behind Yang Le, a tiger, daring to touch her would be tantamount to suicide. In an instant, their interest vanished, and they melted back into the crowd.

Yang Le merely glanced at them, not taking them seriously, and turned his focus back to Li Qi'er.

"What happened to your leg?"

Flipping through the Azure Cloud Manual, Yang Le noticed dark red blood seeping from Li Qi'er's feet.

"My tendons were severed."

Li Qi'er’s expression remained calm, as if she were speaking of someone else.

"Oh."

Yang Le nodded and tossed her a bottle of gold-trauma medicine he had prepared before leaving Qinghe County. "Use this."

"Thank you, Master."

"I said I am not your master. This is just a transaction between us. Once I have taught you the sword, the transaction ends." Yang Le corrected her form of address once more.

"To me, the one who teaches me is my master." Facing Yang Le's explanation, Li Qi'er remained unmoved.

After receiving the medicine, she retreated silently to a corner behind Yang Le and lifted her pant leg. A gruesome wound came into Yang Le’s view—a massive gash running from her knee down to her heel. Although it had scabbed over, it still seeped dark red blood from time to time. Li Qi'er simply opened the medicine and calmly sprinkled the brownish-red powder into the wound. The entire scene was like a young tiger silently licking its wounds in a corner.

Yes, a young tiger...

In Yang Le’s eyes, Li Qi'er was no sheep. That killing intent, which had swirled in her eyes from the beginning—to see it in a girl like this was rare.

"Good. At least I won't have to use my sword to reason with these people again."

He looked at the remaining hundred or so martial artists. Most were ninth-grade, and under his suppression and sword intent, these ruffians were behaving themselves. Not only did they dare not move against him, but the fighting among the other martial artists had also ceased. They had accepted the rules he had set.

"Azure Cloud Manual, unknown grade. Let me see what this is."

Yang Le walked over to Li Qi'er's side and opened the manual she had given him. At this moment, the reward Changsun Ji had promised meant nothing to him compared to the manual in his hands, even if it was just a fragment.

One was treating her wounds, while the other was reading the sword manual with a calm expression. The rest of the crowd looked on with strange expressions, silently watching the pair, not daring to make a move. After all, a single move would mean death.