The Life of a Necromancer as a Swashbuckler

Chapter 43: Fierce Battle in the Cellar

The scholar seemed to ponder for a moment before stammering out a reply: “I don’t know either. I suppose she saw me riding in a palanquin and assumed I was from a wealthy family, so she tried to ambush me and rob me.” Nameless chuckled inwardly. Only a fool would believe such a flimsy excuse—that such a beautiful woman would kill four people just to rob them? But he didn’t call her out on it just yet. Instead, he put on a look of sudden realization and replied, “I see. That explains it,” then stopped asking further questions. After Nameless’s question, the scholar actually began to feel guilty. He stood up and took his leave, saying that the roads were unsafe and he wanted to hurry back to let his family know he was safe. Nameless didn’t stop him and watched the scholar leave with a smile. Once the scholar had gone a good distance, Nameless’s expression turned grim. He grabbed the steel dagger in his hand, channeled the Nine Heavens Mystic Separation Technique, and, with a cold smile, quietly followed the scholar. Not long after setting out, Nameless sensed something was amiss—it seemed there was another presence nearby, also following the scholar. He immediately stopped to scan his surroundings. Sure enough, not far away, a faint, fiery-red figure flickered in and out of view. To his surprise, it was the hot-tempered young woman from earlier who was also trailing behind, though she had not noticed Nameless. This situation was getting more and more intriguing. Nameless’s curiosity grew even stronger, so he immediately crouched low, abandoning his pursuit of the scholar to follow the fiery-red woman instead. Nameless’s “Nine Heavens Mystic Separation Technique” was a supreme form of lightness kung fu, making it difficult for the fiery-red woman to detect him. The three of them followed one another in single file—like the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the sparrow behind—advancing step by step. The scholar’s words turned out to be true—he was indeed heading toward Zheng Family Village. However, his pace was slow, and by the time they reached Zheng Family Village, it was already evening. Upon reaching Zheng Family Village, the scholar did not head for the marketplace but instead took a side path, winding his way through twists and turns until he arrived at a dilapidated, secluded mansion. After glancing around to ensure no one was nearby, he slipped into the compound. The fiery-haired girl had somehow found another knife from somewhere; once the scholar had gone inside, she leaped in after him. Nameless watched from behind, chuckling coldly. After waiting a while, he slipped inside and entered the compound. In Zheng Family Village in April, dusk fell quickly. By the time Nameless entered the compound, it had already begun to grow dark, and the chilly evening breeze lent the abandoned estate an eerie, sinister atmosphere. Once inside, Nameless realized the courtyard was completely empty. Several dilapidated old buildings stood in disarray, clearly uninhabitable. The surrounding walls were crumbling, allowing the wind to blow through. There wasn’t a single person in sight—neither the scholar nor the girl with the fiery-red hair was to be found. “What’s going on here?” Nameless couldn’t help but wonder. He suspected there must be a secret passage in this place, so he searched the area. After looking around for quite a while, he finally discovered a small opening in a corner of the courtyard. It appeared to be a cellar, but the door was wide open—which was highly unusual. Nameless hesitated for a moment, but eventually jumped into the cellar. Once inside, Nameless discovered that the cellar contained a winding series of staircases that seemed to lead deep into the distance. He steeled himself and descended the stairs with the utmost caution. After walking for quite some time, he suddenly saw a faint glimmer of light ahead, and it seemed as though sounds were coming from within. Nameless crept quietly forward and found himself in front of a room that was brightly lit. The door appeared to have been kicked in—likely the work of someone with a fiery temperament, probably that fiery-haired girl. The smashed door had its advantages, though; it offered a clear view of the room’s interior from outside. Since Nameless didn’t want to reveal himself, he hid in the shadows by the doorway and peered inside. Sure enough, the fiery-haired girl was standing in the doorway, facing off against someone inside. To Nameless’s surprise, standing opposite her were two people—a man and a woman. The man was the scholar; the woman was a stranger to Nameless. Judging by her appearance, she was a beauty, but she exuded a flirtatious, wanton, and alluring air. For some reason, Nameless felt uneasy just looking at this wanton woman. Glancing back inside, he couldn’t make out what had been said, but it seemed the negotiations had broken down. He saw the fiery-red girl, her face flushed, grab the steel dagger in her hand, let out a furious roar—“You villain! Give me your life!” —and charge toward the scholar. The scholar looked relaxed, seemingly unafraid. He watched Fire Red approach with a smug smile, making no move to dodge. Meanwhile, the wanton woman on the side let out a laugh and blocked Fire Red’s attack, and the two clashed. Although Miss Fire Red was defeated in a single move by Nameless, it was mainly because she was caught off guard and Nameless’s attack was exceptionally fierce. In actual combat, she proved to be a skilled member of the Martial Arts World herself, striking with ruthless precision and delivering lethal blows with every move. The wanton woman across from her was no slouch either. Though unarmed, her footwork was agile, and every strike aimed for vital points, resulting in a fierce, evenly matched battle with Miss Fire Red. Nameless, meanwhile, was content to sit back and watch the two fight, observing from his hidden vantage point. After fighting for some time, Fire Red Girl’s movements began to slow; her breathing seemed increasingly erratic, and she lacked the stamina to sustain her attack. After all, having fought a series of grueling battles, her strength had finally given out. The carefree woman noticed this as well. She grew even more patient, deliberately wearing her opponent down while waiting for her to show a weakness, so she could deliver the decisive blow. Sure enough, not long after, the Scarlet Maiden swung her blade with too much force, causing her to lurch forward and expose her back to her opponent. The Wayward Woman seized the opportunity, raising her right palm to strike fiercely. Seeing that she couldn’t dodge in time, the Flame-Red Girl heard a sharp tearing sound followed by a blood-curdling scream. She watched as the Wayward Woman clutched her right hand and leaped aside, blood streaming incessantly from her palm, while the Flame-Red Girl was sent reeling by the blow, collapsing to her knees on the ground. She appeared to be seriously injured and unable to move. It turned out that when the Flame-Red Girl realized she couldn’t evade the attack from behind, she had resorted to a tactic of mutual destruction. Taking advantage of her opponent’s full-force strike, she had concealed the blade behind her back. The Wayward Woman didn’t see it clearly and struck down with all her might; although her palm struck the Flame-Red Girl hard, her own hand was also pierced by the blade. Although it was a case of mutual destruction, Fire-Red actually bore the brunt of the impact. She felt as if her internal organs had nearly shifted out of place and was momentarily unable to move, while the Wayward Woman had merely suffered a stab wound to her palm—painful, but not life-threatening. The Wayward Woman, though victorious, was furious at having been wounded. She glared at the Flame-Haired Girl as if she wanted to devour her alive, snarling, “You little brat, you dare hurt this old man? Now watch as I make your life a living hell! Then I’ll turn you into a puppet corpse!” Her voice was so coarse and gruff that she sounded just like a man. What is a “puppet corpse”? Nameless, hiding outside the door, happened to overhear their conversation. The term sent a jolt through his mind, and he couldn’t help but ponder it—it seemed like a deeply repulsive concept. When he looked back into the room, he was so shocked he nearly vomited. It turned out that the wanton woman was now completely clean. Her upper body looked perfectly normal, but her lower body had grown something that clearly didn’t belong to her—it was utterly repulsive and eerie. While Nameless was still feeling sick to his stomach, he noticed that the transvestite was already walking toward the fiery-red girl with a lecherous grin. Nameless knew that if he didn’t act now, it would be too late. With a furious shout of “Stop!” he leaped out from the doorway.