The sound of flowing water in the bamboo stream suddenly grew muffled, as though the ears had been covered with a layer of felt. Lin Zhaoyue's Qingfeng Sword hummed as it sprang three inches from its scabbard, the tip pointing with precision at the bamboo thicket to the northwest, from where came the very faint sound of a scabbard brushing against bamboo branches.
Ye Fan's pupils contracted slightly, and the Star Map within his Inner World suddenly surged into motion—the vigilance he had cultivated when ambushed in his past life washed over his entire body like a rising tide. He reached back to grip the sharkskin hilt of the Soft Sword at his waist, a thin layer of sweat beading on his palm, though not from nervousness. "Zhaoyue, Xiǎolián, fall back to my sides." His voice was as heavy as if pressed down by a block of iron, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught Lin Zhaoyue lightly flicking her finger against the spine of her sword, causing the Qingfeng Sword to emit a clear, resonant dragon-like chime, while the back of Xiǎolián's hand stood out with bulging veins as she gripped her short blade.
The movement in the bamboo thicket stopped. Three breaths. Five breaths. "Plop." A bamboo leaf fell beside the three of them, dew still clinging to its tip. Lin Zhaoyue's sword tip dipped slightly, the humming of the Qingfeng Sword gradually fading.
Chapter 60