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墨書 Inktalez
"What is this? I didn't come here on purpose; I just accidentally fell into your strange place, okay? Is your hospitality to surround people with knives?"
I focused my mind and scanned the internal energy of the group around me. I found that their martial skills were all quite average, nothing to be afraid of, so I relaxed.
What interested me more was: what kind of place was this, who were these people, and how did they manage to exist outside the rule of the Tang Dynasty?
"What do you want?" I casually tossed my long hair back, my locks and flowing garment creating an ethereal appearance. I felt a bit like the heroine of a martial arts story.
A few people were momentarily stunned, then someone shouted, "Don't be fooled by that cunning vixen! She's a spy; quickly take her down!"
A surge of anger rose within me. Was there really such talk? This was our first meeting, and they had to speak so harshly! My impression of this place plummeted.
Not only did they insult me, but they also attacked. Facing a delicate woman like me, several masters charged forward with their knives.
What kind of barbaric people were these? Did they have no sense of decorum or etiquette?!
Now I was truly furious. No longer willing to hold back, I snorted coldly, lowered my body, and dodged the curved knife swung by the hulking man in front. I struck him hard in the lower back with my elbow.
The brute's skills weren't impressive, but he was tough and resilient. My strike was both accurate and forceful due to luck and strength combined, so he must have felt quite frustrated after taking it. He let out a yelp and crumpled to the ground.
The next attacker was a young man who looked quite handsome. Suddenly feeling soft-hearted, I swayed my body and executed a move to disarm him with lightning speed, snatching his curved knife from his hand. With a swift motion, I deflected the weapon aimed at me by the third person.
These people's skills were even worse than I had estimated. In just a few minutes, seven or eight of them lay sprawled on the ground, rolling around and groaning.
I found it amusing. With such mediocre skills, they dared to swarm at me like this! They truly were simple-minded and foolish.
I tossed the stolen curved knife onto the ground with a clang and looked down at them from above, proudly declaring, "Are you still going to fight?"
The leader of the group struggled to lift his body, letting out a frustrated grunt before shouting, "We can't defeat you. Do whatever you want! Those underhanded deeds you've done will eventually be condemned!"
What underhanded deeds have I done? You people should take some responsibility for your words!
"I don't care whether I'm condemned or not, but you lot—attacking a passerby with knives—what's the difference between you and those robbers and bandits who engage in no-risk schemes? Surely you haven't killed every passerby, have you?" I suppressed my anger and coldly reprimanded them.
"Hmph! Stop pretending! When have we ever had any passerby here?"
No passerby? Is this a completely closed-off world...
A chill ran down my spine; this seemed to confirm my greatest fear. It felt like I had inadvertently stumbled into some strange place.
"Get up. I have no intention of killing or torturing you. I'm just passing through," I waved my hand dismissively at them.
"Passing through?" one of them asked in surprise. "Then how did you get in?"
"You ask me, and who should I ask?! How would I know? Is it impossible for outsiders to enter here?" I was speaking the truth; how could I know how I got in? If I had known this was such a cursed place, I wouldn't have come even if invited.
"It's very difficult for outsiders to enter here..."
"Sigh..." I sighed helplessly. "Anyway, I'm already here, and since you can't defeat me, why don't we make this easier? I'll ask questions, and you'll answer them."
The men sprawled on the ground immediately became furious.
"I would rather die than be humiliated or betray any secrets of the Thunder Sect!"
Thunder Sect... The name of this clan, so blatantly betrayed, immediately gave me a sense of thunder rolling in the distance. The people of Thunder Sect carried themselves with a kind of elegant flair that echoed that thunderous presence.
My feelings of disgust towards them faded away, and I suddenly found an inexplicable humor in the situation.
"Come on, get up! I'm really not a bad person, nor do I intend to make things difficult for you. It was you who charged at me with knives just now, swinging wildly without any reason. I only defended myself; this isn't my fault!"
The group began to chatter among themselves.
"It’s been ages since we’ve had any outsiders here. I still can’t believe it; there must be a traitor among our own!"
"I don’t believe it either, but this woman really doesn’t seem like one!"
"Just now, she looked exactly like one!"
"Hey, miss, are you really not a spy from Earthfire Sect?"
The mention of Earthfire Sect hit me like a bolt from the blue. So this hidden place is associated with "thunder stirring the earth fire," huh!
"No, no!" I quickly waved my hands, distancing myself from Earthfire Sect. I didn’t want to be involved with this thunder and fire at all.
"So what should we do? Should we go back and interrogate those few?"
"Hey, hold on a second." I could no longer contain myself. "What on earth is going on? No matter what, as soon as I set foot in Blessed Land, you all surrounded and beat me up like thugs. At least give me an explanation!"
The group murmured among themselves for a while.
"Miss, I'm sorry about that; we were reckless!" The leader of the group got up from the ground and was the first to apologize.
"Alright, let's consider this page turned," I said generously, waving my hand. Over time, my ability to read people had sharpened. Although this group acted impulsively, they clearly had honest intentions. Such people were not difficult to get along with at all.
"Actually, our Thunder Sect has been experiencing leaks of secrets lately. Whenever we decide on something, the Earthfire Sect knows about it almost immediately. There must be a traitor among us. So, we've been tasked with getting to the bottom of this."
"How long has the information been leaking?"
"It's been about a month."
"A month!!" I couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. "Brothers, I've only just set foot in the Blessed Land today! From what I see, your sect's territory isn't that large. If I had been here for a month, wouldn't someone have seen me? How can you suspect me?"
The big man scratched his head and frowned. "Now that you mention it, it does seem that way. We truly apologize!"
"Alright then, how about this: let's make a deal. Since we’ve already had this misunderstanding, why don't I help you strategize and see if we can root out the traitor? In return, you’ll ensure I leave your sect safely. How does that sound?"
My main concern was that if this place was isolated from the outside world, it likely had barriers or some mysterious formations like the Five Elements Formation. If things went wrong, I might end up trapped here. I certainly didn't have time for a maze game; I had much more to accomplish.
"A heroine can help us catch the spy?" The defeated soldier was astonished.
"You've come to the right person! My specialty is catching spies; I'm exceptionally good at it—one catch after another! You can count on me!"
In such a thunderous location, speaking to a group of thunderous individuals made my words flow freely and wildly without any restraint.
Thus, we quickly transformed from enemies to friends, harmoniously sheathing our weapons as we headed deeper into the town together.
It turned out that this group of people was responsible for investigating various incidents within the Thunder Sect, essentially serving as our Constables. However, with such dull-witted Constables, what cases could they possibly solve?
The entire town of the Thunder Sect appeared harmonious, peaceful, and safe, with doors left unlocked at night. Therefore, the poor abilities of the Constables likely indicated that the people here were incredibly simple and that there were hardly any malicious events occurring within.
What a nice place this is!
As we walked and talked, they lowered their guard against me, an outsider, and opened their hearts just like the villagers of a paradise would to a fisherman.
Thus, I quickly learned about the origins of the Thunder Sect.
The history of this sect dates back a long time, reaching its peak during the Former Sui era. Back then, they were known as the Divine Sword Sect. However, their specialty was not in swordsmanship; on the contrary, the overall martial arts skills of the Divine Sword Sect were only at a mediocre level in the martial world.
Despite this, their reputation in the martial world rivaled that of any organization because they were master blacksmiths who forged top-quality weapons passed down through generations.
Such a sect was in high demand in both the underworld and the upper echelons of society, which granted them a high status and great respect. However, during the Former Sui period, due to the emperor's tyranny, there were multiple attempts to recruit them as royal master blacksmiths to forge weapons for warfare, leading to disaster. The leader of the Divine Sword Sect at that time was a kind-hearted person who believed that weapons forged with care should be used to protect lives rather than to slaughter them. Therefore, he refused to let their crafted weapons become tools for massacre and led all members of the Divine Sword Sect into the deep mountains, setting up the Sword Spirit Maze to cut off contact with the outside world.
To outsiders, it seemed as if the Divine Sword Sect had vanished without a trace one dark night. Some claimed they had crossed the sea to pursue immortality or enlightenment, while others said they had been eradicated by the royal family for defying sacred will. As time passed, rumors dwindled. Decades went by, and gradually, the Divine Sword Sect faded into obscurity in history.
In reality, the Divine Sword Sect continued to thrive in these mountains while developing agriculture and further researching weapon forging techniques. There was a sense of contentment in their pursuit. Their weapon forging was largely driven by a professional spirit—a desire to explore the highest intricacies of this craft. While many might not understand their actions, I resonated deeply with them; it was akin to my frequent discoveries from examining corpses that brought me unexpected joy.
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