Chapter 24: Wounded by Sword Qi

The sea wind howled, and the thousand-fold waves roared like giant beasts, their thunderous sound causing painful vibrations in the eardrums. Dark clouds blotted out the sun, casting a doom-like shadow that chilled the heart. At the center of the storm, the small boat struggled to navigate the turbulent, surging sea like a fallen leaf. Feng Ruqing’s eyes were sharp as a hawk’s, fixed intently on a massive dark silhouette ahead, while an alarm bell rang in her mind. As the shadow emerged from the mist, it revealed itself to be a vast island, its terrain jagged with strange rocks and dense, eerie vegetation that felt sinister and unsettling.

"This is the mysterious island!" Miss Lin said, her tension eclipsed by excitement and curiosity. Chen the boatman was deathly pale, his hands gripping the gunwale tightly as he muttered prayers for divine protection. Helmsman Li, though not yet recovered from his injuries, looked on with eyes full of anticipation. As they drew closer, a stifling atmosphere descended. The shrill cries of seabirds sounded like the wailing of ghosts, and the trees on the island swayed in the wind, rustling as if whispering ancient secrets.

"Watch out!" Feng Ruqing leaped onto the deck, sensing imminent danger. No sooner had she spoken than a group of grotesque creatures burst from the dense forest. They were agile as apes, with sharp claws, blood-red eyes, and low, hissing growls that made one’s skin crawl as they lunged toward the group. "Prepare to fight!" Feng Ruqing drew her sword to meet the charge. Hu Dahai struggled to peer out from the cabin, a look of malicious glee on his face. Miss Lin quickly identified the creatures' weakness: "Attack their eyes—that is their vital point!" The group shifted tactics and engaged in a fierce battle. The clash of swords and blades, the roars of the monsters, and the sound of colliding claws wove together into a bloody fray. Feng Ruqing moved with vigor, her swordsmanship sharp and lethal, claiming the life of a monster with every strike.

Miss Lin guided the others to strike at the weak points. "They seem to be getting even more frenzied!" Chen the boatman shouted in terror, his wooden oar having already shattered. The battle intensified; the monsters seemed endless, and everyone was covered in blood, barely distinguishable from one another. Feng Ruqing frowned, sensing that these creatures were far more formidable than imagined, and the battle would not end easily.

Suddenly, Feng Ruqing dodged a burst of killing intent as a dark shadow attempted to ambush her from behind. She flickered aside to evade it. The attacker was a hunchbacked old man, his hair and beard white but his gaze piercing, holding a strange wooden staff that radiated a suffocating, powerful pressure. "What kind of petty thieves dare to intrude upon this forbidden ground!" the old man bellowed. "Forbidden ground? There is nowhere in this world I cannot go!" Feng Ruqing pointed her long sword directly at him: "Old man, state your name!" The old man sneered and swung his staff, summoning a black mist that transformed into a giant python, which lunged at her. Feng Ruqing, utterly fearless, swung her sword like a rainbow, slicing the python in two.

The battle erupted. Feng Ruqing’s movements were graceful and her sword skills exquisite, matching the old man blow for blow. Seeing this, the monsters retreated, and Miss Lin and the others pulled back to watch. Though elderly, the old man was nimble, using his staff to manipulate elemental forces—summoning gales, raging fires, and freezing frost—making it difficult for Feng Ruqing to keep up. Yet, she relied on her experience and martial arts to neutralize each attack. When the old man summoned a gale, the wind swept in like blades; Feng Ruqing touched her toes to the ground and soared like a swallow, avoiding the wind while weaving a flurry of sword strikes to disperse it. When he unleashed fire, surrounding her in an instant, she sneered and released a frigid aura to counter it, then executed a move called "Ice Breaks the Flaming Dragon" to pierce through the sea of fire.

"Trifling tricks!" Feng Ruqing cried out. Her sword flared with a brilliant light as she unleashed a move called "A Passing Glance," aiming for the old man’s throat. Startled, he swung his staff to block, yet was still wounded by the sword qi, blood staining his chest. "Oh no!" Feng Ruqing’s heart sank as she felt a surge of intense danger. Suddenly, the ground shook, and the peak in the center of the island split open, spewing forth golden light. "The treasure!" Miss Lin exclaimed. The old man’s expression changed drastically: "You shall not have the treasure!" He transformed into a dark shadow and rushed toward the fissure, with Feng Ruqing close behind. "Stop her!" the old man ordered the monsters to pounce on Feng Ruqing. She scoffed and cut down the blocking beasts. "You’re courting death!" The old man turned in a rage to launch a fiercer attack. "Hmph! It remains to be seen who will be the final victor!" Feng Ruqing engaged him in a life-or-death struggle. The golden light intensified, illuminating the entire island; the treasure was about to manifest, and a more brutal contest was about to begin.

"It seems the treasure won't be so easy to obtain," Feng Ruqing remarked, her eyes cold and resolute. She stepped onto the island, followed closely by the others. The air was cold, the trees seemed to whisper, and a stifling atmosphere prevailed. Feng Ruqing frowned, feeling a powerful force surging in the shadows. "Be careful, there are many traps here." She swung her sword, severing a vine that had quietly reached out toward them. Suddenly, the sound of mechanisms triggered in the dense forest ahead, a stone door slowly opened, and a beam of golden light shot out. "Don't celebrate too early; there are more traps and snares," Feng Ruqing said, gripping her sword as she stepped through the stone door first.

Inside, the stone passage was wide, with stone statues carved with ancient runes standing on both sides, emitting a faint glow. Before she could finish her sentence, the traps in the passage activated. The eyes of the stone statues glowed red, and their arms raised to fire lethal beams of light. "Dodge!" Feng Ruqing shouted, leaping in front of the others as she brandished her sword to deflect the beams. The statues attacked with even greater intensity, but Feng Ruqing danced through the passage, her sword strikes precise.

Suddenly, the old man’s voice echoed from the shadows. He approached, wearing a strange crown, his eyes burning with fire and his wooden staff in hand. Feng Ruqing raised an eyebrow and held her sword horizontally, her gaze sharp: "Old man, what other tricks do you have?" The old man sneered and waved his staff, the air thickening as energy ripples spread. Feng Ruqing felt the pressure, but her eyes remained firm as she walked toward him, the others trailing behind. Just then, a powerful force erupted from beneath the ground, surrounding Feng Ruqing and her companions, causing the air to solidify and making it impossible to take another step.