The young man had a red silk ribbon tied around his forehead. His face was like a peach blossom, his eyes bright like stars. Though he didn't move fast, every step he took had an effortless grace.
The key thing was that he was very young. Sixteen at most. There was still a touch of boyishness in his expression.
Senior Brother Ma was instantly intrigued. He kept glancing back, a strange smile creeping across his face. “Junior Brother Li, that kid’s got one hell of a figure... doesn’t look all that powerful though…”
“What’s your plan, Senior Brother Ma?” Liu Xiaolou asked.
“You sure he’s alone?”
“Definitely.”
“Then how about this…”
The two of them stopped at once, splitting off to the sides and waiting in place. Liu Xiaolou didn’t dare take off his black scarf or straw hat. When Ma saw that, he quickly pulled his own scarf back up as well.
The handso youth stopped several yards away. Even though it was two against one, he didn’t look the least bit afraid. “You rats," he said coldly, "do you dare show your real faces?”
Senior Brother Ma chuckled sleazily. “Easy, little brother. You’ll see our faces soon enough... Li, I’ll take the kid, you take whatever valuables he’s got. If there’s any gear or spirit stones, we split it fair. Sound good?”
Liu Xiaolou felt a shiver run down his spine. He pulled his scarf up higher and pressed the hat down firmly over his head. “After you, Senior Brother.”
Ma took two steps forward, eyeing the boy. “Can’t believe soone from the Zhang clan turned out this pretty. Practically made of water…”
The boy’s face turned cold in an instant, like frost slicing through the air. “First off, I’m not from the Zhang clan. I’m a disciple of the Dongyang Sect. My na is Han Wuwang ‘No Hope,’ as in I’ll leave you with none. Second, right here, right now, this mountain is where your bones will be buried.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, a Bagua compass flew from his sleeve. It spun in midair, growing larger as it turned, and ca down directly over Senior Brother Ma.
Ma’s face went pale. He scread, “The Dongzhen Bagua Plate?!” In a panic, he hurled out an iron staff and managed to block twice, but the compass locked him in and pinned him down tight. He couldn’t move.
Desperate, he yelled, “Li! Help !”
But Liu Xiaolou had no intention of sticking around. As soon as he heard it was the Dongzhen Bagua Plate, he gave up all thoughts of fighting. He had already darted several yards away. Ignoring the winding mountain path, he leapt straight off the cliff.
The Dongzhen Bagua Plate was one of the Dongyang Sect’s signature treasures. Even soone like him, a lowly rogue cultivator scraping by at the bottom, had heard of it. The na alone rang like thunder in his ears. And then it hit him; the head of the Dongyang Sect was also surnad Han. Looking at that strikingly handso young man, his identity was practically obvious. Even if he couldn’t be completely sure, it couldn’t be far off.
Just as he leapt off the cliff, a black-and-white arc of light followed close behind, skimming right over his head. It was the Taiyi Light Blade released by the Bagua Plate. As it curved back, it cleanly sliced through three large trees, cutting them in half like paper. They tumbled down the cliff with a deep, heavy crash.
The blade then flew back into the Bagua Plate.
Han Wuwang ford another hand seal, and the Bagua Plate spun even faster. Ma’s iron staff wasn’t anything special to begin with. Even though he was two full cultivation levels higher than Han Wuwang, he still couldn’t hold out against the power of that treasure.
It didn’t take long. The staff snapped in half. Ma let out a scream that cut to the bone. Then the spinning Bagua Plate ground him into an unrecognizable ss of blood and flesh. There was nothing left of his forr shape.
Han Wuwang gave a cold snort. “Bandit scum.” He retracted the Bagua Plate and rushed over to the cliff's edge where Liu Xiaolou had jumped. Looking down, he saw the fallen trees had crushed the ravine into a chaotic tangle. Without hesitation, he jumped in after him, vanishing into the dense forest below.
Monts later, a thick patch of brush near the cliffside began to rustle. Liu Xiaolou crept out from beneath it, inching his way back up to the top. By the ti he scrambled over the edge, his whole body was soaked in cold sweat and shaking uncontrollably.
Turns out my teacher was right. Disciples of major sects are not to be ssed with. Judging by his aura, the kid's probably only second or third layer of Qi Refinent.
Might even have less stamina than . But if it ca to a real fight? Even three or five of wouldn’t stand a chance.
Liu didn’t dare linger. He ran off in the opposite direction. After a while, once he was sure he hadn’t been followed, he mustered up his courage and made his way back. From the pile of what used to be Ma, he managed to fish out two bloodstained spirit stones.
Let’s see what I got out of this trip: one spirit herb, three spirit stones, a bit over ten taels of gold and silver, and three ordinary jade pendants. Oh, and I did get to enjoy half a jar of spirit wine too.
Even though it was a life-and-death gamble, coming to this Heroes’ Gathering was totally worth it.
From what he could tell, the three Foundation Establishnt cultivators from the Dongyang Sect were chasing down the rebels toward the northwest. No way to tell how far they’d follow, but one thing was certain—heading that way was off the table.
That young Dongyang disciple surnad Han had gone west in pursuit, so going in that direction was just asking for trouble too.
Which left Liu Xiaolou with the southwest. He took that route for a hundred li before turning north, traveled another two days, then veered northeast for a day more. He made a wide arc through wild, desolate terrain, trekking five full days before finally entering the borders of Wulong Mountain.
At the foot of Qianzhu Ridge, as usual, he didn’t head up right away. Instead, he stopped at Uncle Tian’s place and waited there until the old man ca back with a bundle of firewood. Liu Xiaolou stepped forward to take it from him. “Out chopping wood, Uncle Tian? I just got back.”
Uncle Tian chuckled and drank a ladleful of cold water from the jar by the corner of the house. After quenching his thirst, he stepped to the doorway to glance around, then pulled Liu Xiaolou close and asked, “I just ca down from Qianzhu Ridge looking for you but couldn’t find you. You haven’t gone up yet? Yesterday, a few folks ca asking around about the whereabouts of the immortal masters on the mountain. They all have cultivation skills, and not a speck of dirt on their shoes.”
They’d already found their way to Wulong Mountain?
“How many of them, Uncle Tian? And what else were they asking?”
"There were three of them, just asking around blindly. They only wanted to know if there were any immortal masters cultivating on the mountain. They didn’t ntion anyone specific, so it was pretty vague. Honestly, I’m just repeating what Auntie Er at the village entrance was gossiping about; none of it ca directly from ."
“Did they go up the mountain?”
“They have. I heard they’re heading toward Ghost Dream Cliff first, but they haven’t gone up Qianzhu Ridge yet. Still, they might end up going there. The immortal masters on the nearby peaks have all caught wind of it and have stayed clear where they could. Here, take this rice cake; it should last you about two weeks. Lay low for a few days, then co back.”
“Got it. Thanks, Uncle Tian.”
The Heroes' Gathering at Jinping Manor had ended just a few days ago, so the news must have already spread. Even though there hadn’t been many Wulong Mountain cultivators involved—just him and Dragon Mountain Wanderer—now that strangers had entered the mountain, the rogue cultivators would surely leave the mountain and live apart. Regardless of whether they were involved or not, they’d want to lay low and keep their distance until things settled down.
Liu Xiaolou pulled out a jade pendant and handed it to Uncle Tian. “Ah-Zhen’s gotten a good teacher now, and joined a reputable sect. Consider this a small gift from . It's just a trinket, not magical or anything, but the jade is top-grade. She can wear it for fun.”
The pendant had a lovely luster, a deep green with hints of inky black. Clearly high quality. He’d swiped it during the chaos at Jinping Manor. Uncle Tian didn’t know jade, but he could tell it was valuable. He tried to refuse it a few tis, suspecting (correctly) that it was so ill-gotten treasure Liu had “acquired” while out and about. But for cultivators, that kind of thing wasn’t a big deal. In the end, he accepted it with a broad grin on his face.
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