The Blade That Knows No Loyalty

Chapter 7: The Blade That Knows No Loyalty

The moon hung low over the Azure Wind Sect, its pale light casting long shadows over the tiled rooftops. The night was silent, but silence meant nothing to those trained to kill.

Ye Xian stood at the edge of the stone courtyard, her dagger gleaming in the dim light, her pulse steady despite the blood trickling from her shoulder. The shallow cut barely registered—the real danger stood before her.

Mu Rongyin.

A name that once commanded fear in the underworld. A name Ye Xian never expected to face again.

And yet, here she was.

Dressed in black, her silver dagger catching the moonlight, Mu Rongyin watched her with a smirk that didn't reach her eyes. A smirk Ye Xian knew well.

"I should have killed you years ago," Mu Rongyin said, voice soft, almost amused.

Ye Xian inhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the moment settle over her. This wasn't just a battle.

It was unfinished history.

"Then why didn't you?" she murmured.

Mu Rongyin twirled her dagger between her fingers, her stance loose but ready to strike at any moment. "Because back then, I wasn't being paid for it."

A beat of silence.

Then—Mu Rongyin moved.

---

A Duel in the Moonlight

Ye Xian saw the attack before it came.

A flicker of muscle tension. The sharp shift of weight.

Mu Rongyin lunged, her blade slicing toward Ye Xian's ribs—not a feint, not a test, but a real killing blow.

Ye Xian barely twisted away in time. The dagger grazed her silk robe, so close she felt the heat of the cut before the pain.

No hesitation. Mu Rongyin was going for the kill.

Ye Xian countered instantly, her own dagger sweeping up in a sharp arc—only for Mu Rongyin to twist midair, flipping over the attack with inhuman precision.

The moment her feet hit the ground, she was already striking again. Fast. Precise. Lethal.

Steel met steel.

The courtyard echoed with the clash of daggers, each strike sharper, faster, deadlier than the last. Neither assassin wasted a movement—every step, every turn, every flick of the wrist calculated to kill.

To an outsider, they would have looked evenly matched.

But Ye Xian knew the truth.

Mu Rongyin was faster. Not just skilled, but relentless. A blade that had never dulled, never slowed, never hesitated.

And Ye Xian was fighting with a wound.

One mistake. That's all it would take.

---

The Past That Can't Be Killed

They broke apart, each landing in a crouch a few steps away.

Ye Xian exhaled, feeling her muscles burn. Mu Rongyin's smirk was gone now—her eyes calculating, measuring.

"You've slowed," Mu Rongyin murmured. "Or maybe you've just gone soft."

Ye Xian didn't answer. She couldn't afford to.

Because she understood something now.

Mu Rongyin wasn't just here to kill Shen Liwei.

She was here for her.

The realization settled cold in her chest.

This was no ordinary contract. This was personal.

---

A Deadly Stalemate

Mu Rongyin moved first.

Ye Xian reacted on instinct—twisting to the side, blade flashing.

For a single second, Mu Rongyin's wrist was exposed.

Ye Xian struck.

The dagger pressed against Mu Rongyin's skin. A killing position.

But at the same time—

Mu Rongyin's own blade was already at Ye Xian's throat.

A perfect deadlock.

Neither of them moved.

For the first time since the fight began, Mu Rongyin laughed softly.

"Still fast," she murmured. "But not fast enough."

Ye Xian met her gaze, breathing steady despite the cold press of steel against her skin. "Neither are you."

A pause.

Then, Mu Rongyin stepped back first.

Ye Xian didn't lower her guard, even as Mu Rongyin slowly sheathed her dagger.

"I didn't come to kill you," Mu Rongyin said finally. "Not tonight, at least."

Ye Xian wiped the blood from her own blade, voice flat. "Then why are you here?"

Mu Rongyin smiled. "To see how much you've changed."

And just like that, she vanished into the darkness.

Leaving Ye Xian alone with the weight of a past that refused to die.

---

Shadows That Watch From Afar

Ye Xian pressed a hand against her shoulder, feeling the warm slick of blood. Not a deep wound, but a reminder.

She exhaled. She needed to move. If someone saw her like this—

"You're injured."

The voice was calm. Too calm.

Ye Xian froze.

Shen Liwei.

He stood at the edge of the courtyard, half-hidden in the shadows, arms folded across his chest. His posture was relaxed, but his gaze was sharp, unyielding.

She had no idea how long he had been watching.

How much had he seen?

She straightened, quickly masking her expression. "It's nothing."

A flicker of something in his eyes. Doubt. Calculation.

"An outsider moves like a trained warrior." His voice was quiet, but heavy with meaning. "An assassin sneaks into my sect. And now, you stand here, wounded, with no explanation."

Ye Xian didn't react. She knew this game.

Shen Liwei took a slow step closer. Not a threat—a warning.

"If there's something you're hiding," he said softly, "I will find out."

The challenge hung between them like a blade.

Ye Xian placed her hand over her heart, lowering her gaze slightly in acknowledgment. "Then I'll have to be careful, won't I?"

A pause. Then—a ghost of a smile.

For the first time, Shen Liwei looked almost amused.

"Yes," he murmured. "You will."

And with that, he turned and walked away—leaving Ye Xian standing alone in the moonlit courtyard.

With blood on her hands. And a war already unfolding in the dark.

---

End of Chapter 7