Luo Zhengnan returned to the farmhouse and called everyone together at once.
There were ten n under him. Three of them were Wanderlust Cultivators, one at level four and two at level three. Even in the Jiangxiang Gang, that counted as a strong and capable group.
Without wasting ti, Luo Zhengnan took out the long spear. He held it for a mont, then placed it into the hands of the level-four Wanderlust Cultivator, Chen Weiqin.
He then instructed, "Old Chen, take this and go straight to Greenwater City. Report to the Boss Xiao as quickly as you can. If anyone chases you, don't fight them. Don't even think about it. Just run. Run as fast as you can."
"Hall Master Luo… what about you?"
Luo Zhengnan's expression remained calm as he said, "We will find a way to hold the pursuers back for you. This matter concerns the gang as a whole. Even if it costs us our lives, we will see it through."
"Hall Master Luo, everyone… take care!" Chen Weiqin gripped the long spear tightly.
Without another word, he signaled to the two level-three Wanderlust Cultivators. The three of them moved at once, bursting out of the village and racing off at full speed, as if the wind itself were chasing at their backs.
Wan Jinxian was at the village entrance, still putting on the act of telling fortunes.
He watched the three Wanderlust Cultivators rush out of the village, and his gaze settled at once on the long spear in Chen Weiqin's hands. It was wrapped in oilcloth, yet the shape was obvious. It was the very sa spear he had seen inside the fort.
Most striking of all, the spear emanated this chilling aura, as if it had a will of its own and longed to kill. It felt sharp and heavy at the sa ti, brimming with a murderous intent that made one's blood run cold without warning.
The feeling tugged at Wan Jinxian's mory. He thought of Han Juncheng, nailed to the ground in front of the auxiliary building.
Wan Jinxian waved off the custor who had co for a reading. Then he bent down and drove a nail into the heel of his shoe.
The nail was an enchanted artifact. It had been refined from the soul of a level-eight Wanderlust Cultivator, and the mont it sank in, sothing about Wan Jinxian changed. His figure flickered and he was gone in the next instant.
Wan Jinxian moved so fast he blurred into the air itself as he chased after the three Wanderlust Cultivators along the mountain path.
Chen Weiqin hurried along the mountain path when, all of a sudden, an intense itch crept up his calves.
At first, he gritted his teeth and endured it. But after running for more than five kiloters, the itch worsened with every step until it beca unbearable, as though sothing were crawling beneath his skin.
Unable to endure it any longer, Chen Weiqin crouched down, rolled up his pant legs, and began scratching wildly.
It wasn't just Chen Weiqin. The two level-three Wanderlust Cultivators also felt the sa itch. There were no bumps or blisters on their legs, yet the itch was so intense it made them want to peel off a layer of their own skin.
The three of them scratched until blood ran down their calves.
Only then did Chen Weiqin realize sothing was terribly wrong. He forced himself to stop and snapped at the others, "Enough. Stop scratching. Keep moving!"
They endured the itch and pushed forward. But after only a few steps, Chen Weiqin felt his throat tighten. A cough burst out of him, sharp and sudden.
The two level-three Wanderlust Cultivators coughed even more violently, and one of them spat out blood.
These three Wanderlust Cultivators had fallen ill.
Chen Weiqin panted for a long while before finally lifting his head.
Up ahead on the mountain path stood a middle-aged man. He wore black sunglasses and held a bamboo cane in one hand, smiling faintly as he looked at them.
When did this man appear? Why hadn't I noticed him earlier? Is he here to intercept us? Why didn't I sense any danger? What level is his cultivation?
Chen Weiqin lowered his voice and said to the two Wanderlust Cultivators beside him, "Don't get tied down fighting him. The mont you get a chance, run."
Wan Jinxian heard him clearly and let out a soft chuckle. "Stop running. You can't escape . You will all die in half an hour."
Chen Weiqin was highly experienced in the jianghu and soone handpicked by Luo Zhengnan himself. In fact, every one of them was steady, reliable, and quick to react when trouble struck.
He could feel his condition worsening, so he chose to stall, buying ti as he searched for a chance to escape.
"Friend," he called out, "do we know each other?"
Wan Jinxian shook his head. "We don't."
"Then why are you secretly harming us?"
Wan Jinxian smiled faintly. "I will be honest. I want to borrow sothing from you. I have used this bamboo cane for many years now. The tip has already split, so I would like to replace it."
Chen Weiqin hid the long spear behind his back and said to Wan Jinxian, "My friend, you are mistaken. This is not a bamboo cane. We are just trick perforrs and this is our livelihood. We can't give this to you."
Wan Jinxian frowned for a mont, then broke into a smile.
"I have already made myself clear, yet you are still trying to stall
with words?" he said lightly. "Buying ti, are you? Go on, drag it out if you like. I will say it again. In half an hour, you will be dead."
While Wan Jinxian was still speaking, Chen Weiqin suddenly surged forward. His foot ca down hard, unleashing Treading Through Ten Thousand Rivers. The ground cracked, and a spray of shattered stones burst outward like a storm.
Wan Jinxian stepped back at once, slipping away from the barrage. That was the strength of Wanderlust Cultivators. Give them even the smallest opening, and they would seize it to escape.
Chen Weiqin did not hesitate. The mont Wan Jinxian retreated, he led the two Wanderlust Cultivators forward and ran.
Wan Jinxian followed behind at an unhurried pace. He knew how Wanderlust Cultivators fought. They were fast, dangerously fast. Even though his cultivation far surpassed theirs, he had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.
After ten minutes, the three of them slowed, then stopped one after another. They could not run any farther.
Wan Jinxian slowed to a stop and gave them one last chance.
"Oi, cobbers," he called out. "I don't want to ruin things between us. Hand over the item, and I'll cure you. When we et again in the future, we can still be friends."
Chen Weiqin gave a slow nod and unstrapped the long spear from his back. The two Wanderlust Cultivators stood to the side, watching in silence.
Who in this world didn't want to live? At a ti like this, the gang's affairs no longer mattered. All they wanted was to survive.
Wan Jinxian smiled. "Put the spear on the ground and leave. Once you have walked a hundred steps, your illness will clear on its own."
Chen Weiqin did not hesitate. He set the long spear down and left with the two Wanderlust Cultivators, staggering away.
After walking more than a hundred steps, they started feeling better. They no longer coughed or gasped, and their heads were no longer dizzy.
Chen Weiqin glanced back and saw that Wan Jinxian was still standing where he had been.
Wan Jinxian smiled at him. The aning was obvious. If Chen Weiqin felt the loss was unfair, he was welco to co back and try again.
Chen Weiqin did not dare provoke Wan Jinxian. He led the two Wanderlust Cultivators and continued forward.
As for how he should explain things to the gang, that could wait. If it ca down to it, they simply would not return. With their cultivation, the three of them could still make a living elsewhere.
Just as that thought settled in his mind, his nose suddenly began to itch. The sensation was strong and sudden. He sneezed, and saliva and mucus sprayed everywhere.
It was instinct for people to close their eyes when sneezing. However, when Chen Weiqin opened his eyes again, he saw nothing but darkness. In that single sneeze, he had blown both of his eyeballs out.
The two Wanderlust Cultivators beside him froze where they stood, completely stunned. In all their lives, they had never seen anyone sneeze out both of their eyeballs.
A sharp, searing pain burst from his empty eye sockets, and Chen Weiqin cried out. The sound had barely left his mouth when another sneeze forced its way out.
Anyone who sneezed often would know that sneezes tend to co in pairs. This one was even stronger than the last. Blood sprayed from his mouth, his nose, and the two hollow eye sockets. Then sothing thicker followed after it.
It was brain matter.
Chen Weiqin staggered a few steps before collapsing onto the ground. Just like that, after two sneezes, he had sneezed himself to death.
The two Wanderlust Cultivators beside him still could not understand what had just happened. Then, almost at the sa ti, their noses began to itch. They covered their mouths with both hands, trying to suppress the sneezes.
"Don't hold it in, it's too uncomfortable," Wan Jinxian said with a smile. "Let it out properly. Even in death, it'll feel more satisfying."
The two Wanderlust Cultivators' eyes turned bloodshot as tears stread down without stopping. They struggled to endure it, their bodies trembling, but the pressure only kept building.
After a minute, they could not hold it in any longer and each let out a sneeze.
The longer they held it in, the more violent the sneeze beca. In the next instant, their skulls burst apart, spraying blood and brain matter in every direction.
Wan Jinxian had always been cautious in everything he did and there was no way he would leave behind any survivors.
He bent down and picked up the long spear from the ground. The mont his hand touched it, he felt the surge of spirit essence within, along with a sharp killing aura.
Using his bamboo cane, he sent a ssage to He Jiaqing. "Jiaqing, I have got the item."
He Jiaqing's voice ca back at once, filled with delight. "Old Wan, check it carefully. Don't make a mistake."
"It can't be wrong. The spear's about four ters long, and the blade's roughly twenty-six centiters. The killing aura is extrely powerful, and the spirit essence is strong. It's exactly the sa as the one I saw in Iron Gate Fort."
"And its domineering presence?" He Jiaqing asked imdiately. That was what he cared about most.
Domineering presence was different from killing aura and spirit essence. It was Zhao Xiaowan's most distinctive trait.
The domineering presence felt sowhat different from what he had seen in Iron Gate Fort.
Wan Jinxian explained, "Its domineering presence is much weaker, but I think Luo Zhengnan used so thod to seal it."
"No matter. Whatever thod he used, I can undo it," He Jiaqing said. He then praised, "Old Wan, you have done well. Head back to the Outer Provinces as soon as you can. Don't get tied down by the mbers of Jiangxiang Gang."
Wan Jinxian cut off the connection, lifted the long spear, and swung it a few tis. A red tassel, about thirty-three centiters long, fluttered in the wind.
Wait. The long spear I saw in Iron Gate Fort didn't have a red tassel. Did this just get added? Why would anyone add sothing like that? Luo Zhengnan wouldn't do sothing unnecessary, Wan Jinxian muttered inwardly. He gripped the spear tighter, and his heart clenched again and again as a thought crept in.
This long spear… might not be Zhao Xiaowan. This could be an enchanted artifact or a spirit-bound item. I was fooled because the level of this enchanted artifact is too high!
Wan Jinxian had guessed correctly. To pull this off, Luo Zhengnan had paid a heavy price. He had staked two high-tier spirit-bound items.
One of the spirit-bound items was a long spear nad the Cloud Flood Dragon. It had once belonged to an ancient general. Because it had taken countless lives, its killing aura was extrely powerful. Ordinary weapons would shatter the mont they clashed with it. However, killing aura was not the sa as a domineering presence.
But why did this spear look exactly the sa as the one Wan Jinxian had seen in the fort?
Wan Jinxian pulled off the red tassel. Beneath it, he found a strip of cut lizard skin. Only then did he understand why Luo Zhengnan had added the tassel to the spear.
That bastard is cunning! The long spear has been wrapped in a layer of lizard skin, and that strip of skin is a spirit-bound item as well.
Luo Zhengnan had wrapped the "Exploding Tiger" spear in a layer of lizard skin, then used that sa skin to wrap the Cloud Flood Dragon spear as well. Within a day, the Cloud Flood Dragon would look exactly the sa as the "Exploding Tiger."
However, the lizard skin would shed on its own within a day and the disguise would vanish. As for the "Exploding Tiger" spear, it already looked exactly like Hongying, which was why Wan Jinxian was fooled in the beginning.
Once the lizard skin was torn away, a completely different spear was revealed. The long spear in Iron Gate Fort had a pitch-black shaft, but this one was entirely bright white.
Wan Jinxian flung the spear to the ground and pressed a hand to his forehead.
I have been tricked. Luo Zhengnan is no ordinary man. He would never hand over sothing this important so easily. I never should have fallen for it.
He stabbed the nail into his heel and set off in pursuit of Luo Zhengnan. After traveling more than five kiloters, his right foot gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground.
This was the price of using the nail. It did not rely pierce the shoe. This nail would sink into the user's flesh and would feed on the user's blood and muscle.
To enter Iron Gate Fort, Wan Jinxian had used the enchanted artifact once. To leave, he used it again. To chase Chen Weiqin, he used it a third ti. Now, when he tried to use it again, his foot could no longer endure the strain.
Even if it could, it would have made no difference. He had no idea which direction Luo Zhengnan had fled.
Luo Zhengnan hadn't gone to Greenwater City. He didn't think the Jiangxiang Gang's hall there could protect a treasure like this.
Instead, he leaped straight into Peach Blossom Lake. He moved along the lakebed for a long while, following a route no one else knew before finally erging from the water.
The lake was bitterly cold, cold enough to seep into the bones.
Luo Zhengnan sneezed twice, then crossed the endless dark wilderness for an entire day and night.
At last, a faint glimr appeared ahead. It was neither sunlight nor moonlight, but the shimr of water.
It was another lake.
Luo Zhengnan jumped into the lake again. When he ca back up, a Western-style house stood before him. He had arrived at the Western-style house in Flower Lake Park, Yuezhou City, Eastern Yue Prefecture.
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