I am a swordsman in a strange city

Chapter 108 Letters
Pei Ju had always played "The Song of the Rising Tide of the Azure Sea" simply as a melody to express his feelings. However, after infusing it with his inner energy and will, it was no longer an ordinary melody, but a melody that could stir up desires and distractions in people's hearts.

Calling it a "demonic song" wouldn't be an exaggeration, since it was created by "Eastern Heretic," and could also be called an "evil song."

Not to mention that it was transformed into a professional ability by Senior Sister Yu.

A piece of music can stir up a great tide in a person's tranquil mind.

From the moment Pei Ju picked up the bamboo flute, as he swung and turned it, a breeze entered the flute, and the sound of the flute suddenly arose.

The blade's light suddenly slowed down a few degrees.

And the feeling of being bound by darkness instantly loosened.

Pei Ju felt the oppressive force of the darkness lessen considerably, and his movements became even faster. He moved through the gaps in the darkness with graceful movements, like a butterfly flitting among flowers. His bamboo flute did not clash with the opponent's sword, but instead repeatedly produced sharp and soul-piercing flute notes.

After a dozen or so breaths, the blade light was no longer so condensed, and the darkness was no longer so dense, no longer able to obstruct vision as before.

He also clearly saw that this was the person lurking in the darkness, ready to kill him.

This was a man with disheveled hair, covered in the smell of dirt, his eyes were bloodshot, and his whole being was in disarray, like someone who hadn't seen the sun in a long time, or like some mutated rat.

Suddenly, he began to scream wildly, slashing wildly with his knife. Pei Ju leaped up, hung in a corner, and put the flute in his mouth to play.

This person seemed to have lost sight of Pei Ju. Pei Ju floated down and knocked him down with a single finger.

Then I went to turn on the light, and immediately afterward there was a knock on the door.

Pei Ju could tell who someone was just by listening to their breathing. A person's scent, way of speaking, and way of behaving all form their own patterns, and breathing is no exception.

As the door opened, Liu Xiangyu, the owl, peeked out and asked, "Just now, I thought I heard the sound of a flute. Was that you? Were you fighting here?"

"Brother Liu is truly adept at maneuvering; he always arrives just as things are over," Pei Ju said.

Liu Xiangyu simply scratched his head, a few hairs falling out, and said, "I just applied to be transferred back to Shentu Community, thinking I could get back up from where I fell. But, not long after I was transferred back, I ran into you killing two people in one night."

“That person is not dead yet,” Pei Ju said.

"They're not dead. It's alright. The police will be here soon." Liu Xiangyu breathed a sigh of relief. If too many people died in his patrol area during the assessment, his evaluation would be greatly affected.

Liu Xiangyu first looked at the person on the ground, examined the person's face, and then said, "This person is Ma Mingyu, Old Knife Handle's apprentice. He's been missing for over a year. What happened to him?"

Pei Ju knew who Old Knife Handle was, because the name had a legendary feel to it in Luoshahai City.

However, he didn't need to ask, as Liu Xiangyu had already said, "Old Dao Ba Zi is a veteran in the Chinese Martial Arts Association. He has taken in more than ten disciples in his lifetime. Of course, some of them were taken in because of their family background, and some because of their talent. Ma Mingyu is one of the most talented."

“Ma Mingyu was born into a farming family. His family had come to the city to work. Because his family always brought food to Lao Daoba’s knife-making workshop, he would go with them and learn the moves from the side. Lao Daoba saw him and, after testing him, took him on as a disciple. He doted on him and never charged him tuition, saying that he was his last disciple and could pass on his mantle.”

Pei Ju listened there. These days, it's rare to still care about the title of "passing on the mantle." It's like an old-fashioned saying. If it were thirty years ago, it would still be a popular saying, and even more so before that.

“Ma Mingyu has always been considered Lao Daobazi’s half-son, until a year ago when he suddenly disappeared.”

Upon hearing this, Pei Ju asked, "How did Old Knife Handle become a professional?" Pei Ju knew that back then, the cultivation world was experiencing a surge in professionalization, so Old Knife Handle's knife must have been incredibly powerful, perhaps even capable of slaying ghosts and demons. However, to become a professional, one must choose to communicate with spirits.

"I heard that he completed his professionalization deep in a dark cave, and from then on, his lineage of swordsmanship transcended ordinary swordsmanship. It is said that darkness will guide the direction of the sword."

"Another saying is that if darkness falls, his sword will be the only light."

Pei Ju thought of how he had just been in that darkness, unable to see anything except flashes of sword light, which perfectly matched this sentence.

However, he also thought of another person, a swordsman he had seen on the street years ago who had ambushed and killed someone.

He remembered that Jin Fengyue had come to his sword hall to ask him questions back then. At that time, his grandfather and Jin Fengyue talked about how the art of swordsmanship had already declined, and that the person who ambushed and killed someone in the street was very similar to the Guanshan sword from the Shaanxi region, which was fast and ruthless.

Why didn't we suspect Lao Daoba's knife back then?
From today's perspective, this person could hide in the shadows, delivering deadly blows with every strike, making him a prime suspect.

Just as he was about to ask if there was any connection between the two, someone else arrived outside.

The police took Ma Mingyu away, then questioned Pei Ju, took a statement, and had Pei Ju sign it.

Pei Ju kept some questions to himself.

But he felt that he was always being ambushed and assassinated, and that this couldn't go on.

However, despite his exceptional swordsmanship, he was powerless against those lurking in the shadows.

Not to mention him, even the authorities seem powerless to do anything about it.

Darkness and light seemed to be two separate worlds. The authorities governed the world under the sun, while in the darkness, it was as if demons were running rampant.

Sometimes the two keep to themselves, but other times they collide violently.

Darkness, this world.

Pei Ju felt that he would have to break in and take a look sooner or later.

He was sleeping at night when he suddenly opened his eyes, got up, turned on the light, and saw a letter through the crack in the door.

[This message is personally issued by Pei Ju, Head of the Pei Clan's Demon-Slaying Sword Hall]

His sleep was not true sleep, but a form of spiritual practice, a meditation of mental tranquility. That's why he sensed the letter the moment it appeared.

He just didn't sense what was sent by a person.

He went to the table, sat down, and carefully examined the envelope. The letter was not thick; inside was only a single sheet of paper with densely written words in ink.

We know that Mr. Pei's swordsmanship is astonishing, and we admire him greatly. Therefore, we have come to invite Mr. Pei to the Qingdai Pavilion on Liujin Street for a chat to resolve our grievances.

A car is waiting outside; we eagerly await your arrival.

(End of this chapter)