“Hurry, hurry! They’re just ahead!”
Several groups of people wielding torches darted through the dense forest, weapons in hand, racing like the wind. Among them were Huai Wang’s spies, demonic cultivators from the Earth Sect, and opportunistic martial artists hoping for magical artifact rewards, as well as Liuzi and Rongrong from the Martial Arts Alliance. Some righteous heroes appeared to be joining the commotion but intended to support Xu Qi An.
Li Miaozheng and her companions had managed to hold off the Realm 4 expert, but they couldn’t stop all the subordinates and disciples.
When the battle in the small town erupted, various factions instinctively left to search for Xu Qi An and the mysterious young master upon learning of the situation.
“Hurry up! If we’re late, Xu Qi An will be killed by that man. Do you still want the magical artifacts or not?”
“Won’t killing Xu Yinluo be taboo?”
“What’s there to fear? I’ve already disguised myself. One doesn’t get rich without taking risks. If you want to make a name for yourself, you’ve got to take some chances.”
“That’s right. The only problem now is that Xu Yinluo might already be dead. Tsk, those two experts by the young master’s side are incredibly formidable.”
…
“Tower Master, the leaders of the Divine Fist Sect and the Ink Pavilion have already stepped forward. You’re going to help Xu Yinluo too, right?” Rongrong struggled to keep up with her Tower Master, trying not to fall behind. Although the Tower Master could have slowed down, Rongrong still found it challenging.
Xiao Yuenu moved with graceful agility, constantly leaping forward. Her voice was cool as she replied, “Our Martial Arts Alliance wants the Nine-Colored Lotus. Treasures naturally belong to those with the ability to obtain them. But when it comes to spiritual treasures, gaining them is fortunate, losing them is fate. As for Xu Yinluo…”
“Hm?” Rongrong looked towards the Tower Master.
Xiao Yuenu smiled enchantingly. “As for Xu Qi An, there’s only one of him. It’s been so many years since Great Shang produced someone like Xu Qi An. It would be too dull if he were to fall here.”
“So, hurry up and keep pace. If we’re late, Xu Yinluo will be in danger.”
On one side was the mysterious young man with two Realm 4 peak experts as escorts and no shortage of magical artifacts. On the other side was Xu Qi An, whose companions were all left behind in the town to delay the pursuers, with at most one helper.
It was easy to imagine which way the scales of victory would tip.
Rongrong smiled and nodded vigorously.
Following the fluctuations of energy and the deafening sounds of explosions and crossbow fire, these groups soon arrived at the battlefield.
Rongrong suddenly noticed that Tower Master Xiao had stopped in front of her. This exquisite beauty’s delicate body visibly stiffened, frozen in place, as if she had seen something unbelievable.
Surprisingly, the several elders of the Wanhua Tower, including Rongrong’s master, had the same reaction.
Rongrong’s gaze swept past them and looked towards the scene.
She immediately understood why. Under the heavy night sky, a young man in black tight-fitting clothes with a high ponytail held a slightly curved narrow-bladed sword in one hand and a bloody severed head in the other.
It was the arrogant and extravagant young man from earlier that day.
He was dead?!
Rongrong’s pupils contracted, and her rosy lips parted slightly. This was different from what she had imagined, different from what the Tower Master and most others had expected.
More people continued to burst out of the forest, arriving at the edge of the hillside, only to discover that the battle had long since concluded.
That mysterious, flamboyant young man with an undoubtedly powerful background—his head was now being held by Xu Yinluo, delivering a massive shock to everyone present.
Xu Qi An noticed the crowd emerging from the dense forest, numbering about a hundred people from various factions.
He raised the severed head in their direction, his gaze sharp as a blade: “Who else wants to kill me?”
The crowd fell silent, no one daring to respond.
This included the Daoist priests from the Earth Sect and Huai Wang’s spies.
They harbored intense killing intent towards Xu Qi An but didn’t dare to step forward to their deaths.
Xu Qi An sneered and paid them no more attention, narrowing his eyes to observe the battles on both sides.
…
“He… he died at Xu Yinluo’s hands…”
“To think I believed he was so strong, making such a high-profile bounty announcement. I had even decided to risk the taboo and kill Xu Yinluo.”
“Pah! Useless trash.”
Those who had decided to take the risk wore extremely complex expressions.
Meanwhile, those who had been worried about Xu Qi An, whether wandering martial artists or members of the Martial Arts Alliance, let out sighs of relief, followed by exclamations of admiration.
“Well done! We underestimated Xu Yinluo. If he dared to attack proactively, he must have had some trump card,” a burly man laughed loudly.
“We thought all his companions were left behind in the town… As expected of Xu Yinluo, we worried for nothing. Hmm, who’s that white-robed cultivator, and who’s that beauty? They can hold their own against a Realm 4 martial artist.”
“Don’t celebrate too early. Those two are Realm 4 peak experts. As long as they can continue to hold out until our Earth Sect elders arrive, the outcome is still uncertain,” a young Earth Sect disciple said in a low voice.
His eyes were cold, filled with malice.
A cloaked spy slowly said, “Actually, it might be better if he dies. It won’t affect the big picture, and those two experts will likely seek revenge at all costs.”
Xu Qi An coldly observed the battle, his thoughts racing.
A quarter of an hour had passed. In another quarter of an hour, the fatigue from the Heaven and Earth Slash would double due to the backlash of the Confucian spell. Back in the town, only Li Miaozheng and Chu Yuanzhen had Realm 4 combat power; Lina and Master Hengyuan were a bit weaker. They couldn’t hold out for too long. He had to end this quickly…
But Realm 4 peak martial artists were too difficult to kill. They might not be able to determine a victor even if they fought until dawn…
Xu Qi An’s eyes flickered, and he quickly came up with a plan. He raised Chou Qian’s head high and taunted loudly:
“They say that when the master is disgraced, the servant should die. You two, your master’s head has been cut off by me. How do you have the face to continue living? Why not quickly commit suicide to atone for your failure? Or do you want revenge? Then come on, kill me if you have the ability.”
The best way to provoke them was to step on their pain points and mock them mercilessly.
To increase the effect and draw more hatred, he deliberately put on a smugly triumphant act.
Sure enough, the two giants were enraged. They also understood that defeating a Golden Yamen Runner and a Realm 4 cultivator would be extremely difficult. In comparison, killing Xu Qi An would be much easier and simpler.
And they could avenge their young master at the same time.
Immediately, one disregarded the artillery bombardment, while the other ignored the frenzied counterattacks from Golden Yamen Runner Nangong Qianrou, even exchanging injuries for the chance to break free. They attacked Xu Qi An from left and right with perfect coordination.
I’m caught between a rock and a hard place… Xu Qi An’s expression was serious yet calm. As the two high-level martial artists closed in on him from front and back at a speed invisible to the naked eye, he softly chanted:
“I am behind the Left Envoy, restraining…”
He quickly made two reasonable boasts, and his figure disappeared. The two giants’ bodies showed a slight stiffness, but it was only that—a stiffness. The restraining effect hadn’t fully taken hold.
But for Xu Qi An, this opportunity that lasted less than a flash was one he had to seize.
In the instant the Left and Right Envoys’ bodies stiffened, Xu Qi An appeared behind the Left Envoy and threw out a yellow sword talisman in his hand.
A flash of light briefly illuminated the world.
Suddenly, the bodies of the Left and Right Envoys split apart. Their lower halves were still charging forward, while their upper bodies fell, spilling organs on the ground.
Their lower halves collided with each other and fell, their feet kicking weakly.
A few seconds later, a tremendous sound of a mountain collapsing came from far away—the terrifying power of a single sword strike from the Human Sect Leader.
“You, you…”
Even bisected, the Left Envoy wasn’t dead. His eyes were wide open, filled with hatred as he glared at Xu Qi An.
Xu Qi An wisely retreated, not giving the two a chance to counterattack.
The vitality of Fourth-Rank martial artists was extremely powerful. As long as they weren’t dead, there was still a possibility they could kill him. Xu Qi An wouldn’t make the low-level mistake of becoming complacent.
I have the Judicial Commissioner as my backing, a powerful entity within my body, and the sword talisman given by my kind aunt. Who do I have to fear… Xu Qi An mockingly glanced at the Left Envoy and, right in front of him, smashed Chou Qian’s head into a pulp with a palm strike.
This foolish thing, even if you were the Crown Prince of Great Shang, you’d still be nothing before me.
The Left Envoy’s eyes were about to burst from their sockets.
Nangong Qianrou appeared before the Left Envoy’s eyes, kicking his head and shattering it, extinguishing his last bit of life. Then she spun around, raised her leg high, and stomped down violently, crushing the Right Envoy’s head as well.
Phew, nice job snatching those heads… Xu Qi An was completely relieved and smiled at her.
Nangong Qianrou didn’t return a friendly expression, only offering a cold smirk.
If Yang Qianxuan’s involvement was a sudden flash of inspiration, then Nangong Qianrou was one of Xu Qi An’s trump cards and the core figure in his entire plan for tonight.
A three-against-two situation would inevitably make Chou Qian confident, believing victory was assured.
Chou Qian’s proposal for a one-on-one duel was the best proof of this.
Of course, if Chou Qian hadn’t chosen to duel, Xu Qi An would have had Nangong Qianrou ambush the Right Envoy while he and Yang Qianxuan worked together, the three of them joining forces to kill the Right Envoy first.
With a trump card in hand, his battle strategy could be flexible and adaptable.
“There are quite a few magical artifacts here.”
Nangong Qianrou removed the leather pouches hanging from the Left and Right Envoys’ waists, opened them, took a look, and her beautiful eyes lit up.
“One share each, don’t be greedy. Give one share to Yang Qianxuan.”
Xu Qi An also bent down to pick up Chou Qian’s leather pouch and the Moon Shadow Sword.
After the three divided the spoils, Yang Qianxuan collected all the cannons and crossbows from the scene, then placed his hands on the shoulders of the other two, lightly stomped his foot, and they disappeared from everyone’s sight.
After a long while, several powerful auras arrived, namely the spies Tianji and Tianqiu, and the “Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo” six Daoist priests.
Seeing the dismembered and beheaded bodies of the three, they knew the outcome was irreversible.
Tianji, suppressing his anger, questioned, “Why didn’t the Earth Sect Leader intervene?”
The eldest, Daoist Elder Chilian, said in a low voice, “Have you forgotten about that mysterious powerhouse who appeared in Chu State? If the Sect Leader had intervened, what if that mysterious figure had followed suit? The Sect Leader’s avatar is needed to compete for the lotus seed.”
Tianji’s expression froze.
The female spy, Tianqiu, angrily said, “What were you three doing?”
Hearing this, Daoist Elder Chilian became even more furious, gritting his teeth, “The leader of the Ink Pavilion and the chief of the Divine Fist Gang blocked us. Those uncouth martial artists are thick-skinned and tough, very troublesome to deal with.”
Tianqiu said no more. She swept her gaze over the crowd at the edge of the dense forest and sighed, “After tonight, these wandering martial artists will never dare to oppose Xu Qi An again.”
“Many factions within the Martial Arts Alliance will also be divided because of this. A large portion will withdraw. The situation doesn’t look good.”
The Lotus Daoist priests of the Earth Sect felt their hearts sink.
…
At the Yuezhi Manor.
The array of patterns engraved on the ground lit up one by one, coalescing into a clear light. Three figures materialized within the array.
Daoist Master Jinlian, Daoist Nun Bailian, and thirty-four disciples of the Heaven and Earth Society silently stood guard at the edge of the array. Seeing this, they immediately surrounded them.
Qiu Chantyi rushed to the front, the young girl’s beautiful eyes gazing intently: “Young Master Xu, how did it go?”
After asking, she held her breath, her face tense.
The other disciples were equally tense as they looked at Xu Qi An, waiting for his response.
“Killed!” Xu Qi An nodded.
Cheers erupted instantly. The disciples’ faces were beaming with smiles, though there were tears in their eyes.
Qiu Chantyi looked at him joyfully, her eyes full of admiration.
Daoist Master Jinlian asked, “Those two Realm 4…”
Xu Qi An nodded.
“That’s good then,” the Daoist Master smiled.
“It’s not good,” Xu Qi An pushed through the disciples, ordering, “Prepare healing pills, prepare food, prepare hot water and clean clothes. Master, prepare to save me…”
He suddenly staggered and fell to the ground.
Everyone was shocked. The cheers stopped abruptly as they were stunned to find Xu Yinluo’s face turning pale, his eyes cloudy, his skin dry and dull, his limbs violently convulsing.
His aura plummeted like a cliff, his heartbeat and breathing approaching a stop.
These were signs of death from exhaustion.
The backlash from the Confucian spell had upgraded the energy drain of the “Heaven and Earth Slash” to fatal exhaustion.
Qiu Chantyi screamed and threw herself beside Xu Qi An, her little face turning deathly pale with fright.
Daoist Master Jinlian rushed forward, first checking his breath, then his pulse, discovering that all of Xu Qi An’s internal organs showed signs of failure.
His life force was rapidly draining away.
“Go fetch the most potent tonic pills, go get that blood ginseng I’ve been treasuring…” Daoist Master Jinlian issued a series of commands.
Nangong Qianrou bent down, grabbed Xu Qi An’s other hand, and continuously fed her energy into him, nurturing his body.
The Heaven and Earth Society disciples immediately sprang into action, their expressions anxious and fearful. The female disciples wiped away tears in fright, terrified that something might happen to Xu Yinluo.
…
When Xu Qi An woke up, the night had deepened.
The night was quiet, with the shrill sound of insects coming through the gauze window. An oil lamp was placed on a small wooden table, its flame tiny like a bean, casting an orange glow over the room.
He saw a beautiful woman in a white dress sitting by the table, her delicate hand supporting her cheek, looking at him with boredom.
“Oh, you’re awake!” said the woman in white.
Her voice wasn’t the sweet crispness of a young girl but had a hint of laziness and coquettishness.
Xu Qi An closed his eyes, opened them again, and then closed them, repeating this several times.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Perhaps I’m not opening my eyes correctly. During my unconsciousness, the person watching over me turned out to be you.”
“Even if you open your eyes a thousand times, you’ll still see me,” Su Su said coquettishly. “Don’t you like me being here? Or perhaps you’d prefer that little girl who was crying and insisting on staying to take care of you? Hmm, Qiu Chantyi, right?
“Xu Qi An, you’re something. Wherever you go, you leave a trail of romantic entanglements. Are you a breeding stallion from the countryside?”
“The number of women I’ve had in-depth exchanges with and formed friendly relationships with can be counted on one hand,” Xu Qi An propped up his tired body sat up, and said irritably:
“Why are you just sitting there? Pour me a cup of water, I’m thirsty.”
Although Su Su complained verbally, her actions were very obedient, immediately pouring a cup of water.
“You can’t blame me just because I’m charming and girls tend to like me. That’s a typical victim-blaming mentality.”
Xu Qi An quenched his parched throat and handed the teacup back to Su Su, asking, “Why are you the one watching over me?”
Su Su sat on the edge of the bed, holding the teacup, and rolled her eyes charmingly: “The mistress said I’m your concubine. When the husband is injured, of course, the concubine should undress and tend to him by the bedside.
“So she sent that Qiu Chantyi away and left me here to take care of you.”
Sending away a pretty young girl and leaving a paper doll to take care of me… Xu Qi An felt that Li Miaozheng had ulterior motives. He asked:
“How long was I unconscious?”
He clenched his fist, feeling a lack of strength, knowing this was an aftereffect of his body being drained.
But being able to recover and wake up within an hour meant that quite a few precious medicines had been used.
“Thank Daoist Master Jinlian for me. It must have cost quite a bit,” Xu Qi An smiled.
Su Su tilted her head and pouted: “This Heaven and Earth Society is dirt poor. If they were to treat you, you wouldn’t wake up even tomorrow. It was that mentally challenged cultivator who saved you.”
“Senior Brother Yang?”
Xu Qi An was stunned but then remembered that when it came to medical treatment, even Daoist priests couldn’t compare to cultivators. He nodded.
“But the Heaven and Earth Society did their best too. They used their best pills and blood ginseng to save you. However, that mentally ill cultivator said: ‘Daoist priests are just Daoist priests, so poor it’s pitiful.’
“Then he took out a pill and fed it to you. I heard it was an extremely precious pill, as valuable as the Blood Fetus Pill,” Su Su said.
Cultivators are indeed rich, just like the Human Sect, they’re all loaded… Xu Qi An imagined the scene, thinking that Senior Brother Yang must have enjoyed showing off this time.
One thing after another.
“Su Su, I’m fine now. You can go out first. Hmm, stand guard outside, and don’t let anyone disturb me,” Xu Qi An instructed.
“I haven’t even become your concubine yet, and you’re already ordering me around,” Su Su said unhappily.
“Go quickly!”
Xu Qi An patted her paper bottom.
After Su Su closed the door and left, Xu Qi An took off the sachet from his waist, untied the knot, and released Chou Qian’s soul.