Spirit Hall Sets Its Sights on Him

"I'll definitely tell Spirit Hall about your Twin Martial Souls!"

Two disciples helped Shi Potian to his feet.

He had taken only two steps toward the exit when his legs gave out again.

"Hold me steady!"

"Senior Brother Shi, you shouldn't walk around right now."

"Who told you to tell me not to move?"

"Then walk on your own."

"Shut your mouth!"

The two disciples hurriedly caught him under the arms and dragged him out of the courtyard.

Li Zhexian leaned against the cracked courtyard gate, watching the group disappear at the end of the mountain path.

The water in the courtyard had yet to dry, and broken bricks had been trampled and scattered everywhere.

The short axe was buried in the mud, with only half its handle sticking out.

Li Zhexian returned the Azure Lotus Sword to its sheath.

"Spirit Hall. That name already sounds harder to mess with than the kitchen."

White words appeared in his sea of consciousness.

The quality of Shi Potian's single-attack prize pool has decreased.

Twin Martial Souls have resonated. Damage-taking effect enhanced.

Current resonance duration: half a shichen.

Li Zhexian stared at the second line for a while.

"You're enhancing the damage-taking effect but not the rewards?"

The white words gave no answer.

"Every time, you only tell me half of it."

The words then disappeared.

Ning Fengzhi entered through the courtyard gate with two disciples.

He first looked at the cracked gray bricks, then raised his head to look at the wine mist above Li Zhexian, which had already dispersed.

"Was everything Shi Potian just said true?"

"Which part?"

"You have a Second Martial Soul."

"He saw it with his own eyes."

"I'm asking you."

"Then yes, it's true."

Ning Fengzhi raised a hand, signaling the two disciples to stop some distance away.

"What's the name of that wine pot?"

"The Drunken Immortal Wine Pot."

"Is it a wine-type Martial Soul?"

"It has a few other uses."

"Can you be more specific?"

"No."

Ning Fengzhi looked at him for a while.

"You're unwilling to tell me?"

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't find people to hit me."

"What sort of people are you looking for?"

"Titled Douluo, preferably level ninety-seven or above."

Li Zhexian gave it some serious thought.

"They need to hit hard enough, not just probe me with Sword Qi."

Ning Fengzhi raised a hand and pressed it between his brows.

"What do you take Titled Douluo for?"

"High-level attackers."

"Uncle Jian won't use you as a test subject."

"Then find someone else."

"The sect won't help you find anyone else to hit you, either."

"I'm not looking for death."

Li Zhexian raised his eyes and looked at the mountain path outside.

"I'm looking for a path."

"If the path is blocked, I'll find someone to help me cleave it open."

Before Ning Fengzhi could answer, Chen Xin came over from the covered walkway.

He now had a letter in his hand.

"Sect Master, this was just intercepted outside the north gate."

Ning Fengzhi took the letter, opened it, and read it.

The letter said that a young man with Twin Martial Souls had appeared in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and that his two Martial Souls were an Azure Lotus Sword and a wine pot.

There was no name at the bottom, only an order.

"Investigate his origins and find a way to bring him back to Spirit Hall. If he cannot be brought back, he must still be kept alive."

After reading it, Ning Fengzhi folded the letter again.

Li Zhexian held out his hand.

"Let me see it."

"You don't need to concern yourself with this."

"I'm the one the letter is about."

"Precisely because it's about you, you mustn't act recklessly."

"I need to see what they're planning before I can know whether I should act recklessly."

Chen Xin took the letter from Ning Fengzhi and handed it to Li Zhexian.

"Spirit Hall isn't Shi Potian. You need to be careful."

After reading it, Li Zhexian handed the letter back.

"They didn't even write down my name. How are they planning to take me away?"

"This letter is only for passing on information. Once they've finished investigating, they'll come looking for you."

"At least Shi Potian tells me beforehand what he's planning to do."

"People from Spirit Hall won't stand at the gate and shout."

"Then will they hide behind the wall?"

"Yes."

Li Zhexian glanced toward the courtyard wall.

"That makes things troublesome. I was planning to pack my things tonight."

Ning Fengzhi slipped the letter into his sleeve.

"Stay in the sect for now. They won't dare barge in here."

"Even if they don't come in, they can wait outside."

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect isn't afraid of them."

"Uncle Ning, if I stay here, they'll set their sights on the sect."

Li Zhexian looked outside the courtyard.

The disciples who had gathered to watch had already dispersed, but even he couldn't say how many people had seen the wine pot.

"I can't make everyone watch their backs whenever they go out, afraid they'll be caught and questioned about me."

"Besides, I was already planning to leave."

Ning Fengzhi was about to continue persuading him when Ning Rongrong came running from beyond the covered walkway.

She held half a pastry in her hand and didn't stop until she reached the courtyard gate.

"Who did you just say was coming?"

"Rongrong, go back first."

"I'm asking who's coming."

"Spirit Hall."

The pastry fell from Ning Rongrong's hand to the ground.

"Are they going to capture you?"

Li Zhexian pointed at Ning Fengzhi's sleeve.

"The letter says they're going to take me back."

"And you still plan to leave?"

"If you stay here, the sect will protect you."

"It's precisely because I'm the one they're looking for that I need to leave."

"Let Grandpa Jian go with you!"

"Grandpa Jian still needs to protect the sect."

Ning Rongrong turned to look at Ning Fengzhi.

"Dad, you're going to let him leave alone?"

"He only just got his Second Martial Soul, and you're already going to send him out there?"

"No one is sending him away."

"Then burn the letter and suppress the news!"

Ning Fengzhi shook his head.

"Quite a few people have seen the wine pot, and Shi Potian knows about it too."

"The news has already gotten out. Sooner or later, Spirit Hall will trace it back to him."

"Is the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect really that afraid of them?"

"Can't he stay here and cultivate?"

Ning Fengzhi looked at Li Zhexian.

"Is he willing to stay here?"

Ning Rongrong turned back around.

"Li Zhexian, you tell me."

"I want to go out and look for wine, and find strong people too."

"Finding people to hit you is part of what you want to do?"

"Yes."

Ning Rongrong bent down, picked up a broken brick, and threw it at him.

Li Zhexian raised a hand and caught it.

"Your aim is better than Shi Potian's."

"I'm talking to you about something important!"

"So am I."

"You really don't know life from death!"

"Shi Potian already said that."

"Can't you come up with something else?"

Li Zhexian placed the broken brick beside the gate.

He understood that Ning Rongrong really was worried about him.

But if he kept hiding in the sect, he wouldn't be able to find the wine he wanted, nor would he be able to keep improving his strength.

"I'll go out and look for wine and strong people. Once this is over, I'll come back and ask the sect for a cup of good wine."

"You always make everything sound so easy."

Ning Rongrong's eyes had reddened a little.

"Just come back alive first. We can talk after that."

"All right."

"Don't just say it."

"Then I'll give you my word with a pat on the chest."

Li Zhexian raised his hand and patted his chest twice, and a golden light shone beneath his clothes.

Ning Rongrong had wanted to scold him some more, but when she saw the golden light, she swallowed her words.

She walked outside the courtyard gate and held out her hand to him.

"Give me your bundle."

"What for?"

"To help you pack."

"If you starve to death by the roadside, people will think the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect can't afford to feed its disciples."

"That sounds like you're insulting me."

"I am insulting you."

Li Zhexian handed her the bundle, then turned and went back into the house to get his waterskin.

By the time he came out, Ning Rongrong had put the medicine bottles and the Sword Qi Condensation Method back in order, and had also tucked a cyan jade pendant into the bottom of the bundle.

"What is this?"

"A communication jade pendant. If anything happens, use it to send a message to the sect."

"This is far too valuable. I can't accept it."

"You've already accepted it."

"I haven't agreed yet."

"Then take it out and give it back to me."

Li Zhexian lowered his head and looked at the bundle in his hands, but he did not reach inside.

Ning Rongrong stuffed the bundle into his arms, then turned and left.

His fingers found the edge of the jade pendant, which still held the warmth of her palm.

After the third watch had passed, a faint sound came from the bamboo grove on the outskirts of the sect.

Chen Xin stood on the stone bridge, drawing his sword to block a man in black.

The man in black touched his toes to the bridge railing. Seeing that his path was blocked, he flipped down to the ground and raised a hand, throwing three black needles.

Chen Xin swept his sword, sending all three needles into the water.

"Are you from Spirit Hall?"

The man in black did not answer. Two Soul Rings rose beneath his feet, and he turned to flee.

A streak of sword light passed over the bamboo tips and landed in front of him.

The man in black hurriedly stopped, his back striking a bridge post, and spat out a mouthful of blood.

A scroll fell from his sleeve.

Chen Xin picked up the scroll and opened it. It depicted a young man with a small gourd hanging at his waist and the Azure Lotus Sword in his hand.

Beneath the portrait were written the words: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Li Zhexian.

The man in black leaned against the bridge post and looked up at Chen Xin.

Chen Xin placed the tip of his sword before the man's throat.

"Who sent you here?"

"His Holiness the Pope already said..."

The man in black's hand fell to his side.

His mouth remained open, but he could no longer finish the sentence.