Cultivators in the Broken Alley

Xunyang Marquis Manor.

In the courtyard planted with all manner of exotic flowers and rare herbs.

Jiang Wang lay on a wicker recliner, his eyes narrowed.

He seriously pondered every moment of facing the monster Luo Yong and Su Lingyi.

He could basically be certain.

That power only appeared when his life was under great threat.

To gain complete control over that power, he had to keep placing himself in danger.

With his frail and miserable body, encountering danger seemed like a very simple matter.

He even wondered whether that power had been inside his body all along.

It was only because he had been kept sheltered at home and forbidden from going out that he had never had the chance to encounter danger. Otherwise, would that power have surfaced much earlier?

For the past two days, he had been studying that saber, yet he had found nothing unusual about it. If the saber was not the reason, then this was the only possibility left.

The only maid presently in the manor came in from outside, carrying a huge longsword and looking dusty and grimy. She called softly, "Young Master."

Jiang Wang shot her a sidelong glance. "Xiaoyu, a young lady ought to be more reserved. Stop waving blades around all the time. Look at you, like you rolled through a mud pit. How does that suit the status of the chief maid of my Marquis Manor?"

Xiaoyu wiped her face with one hand, tossed away the huge longsword, and directly sliced off one leg of the wicker recliner.

Jiang Wang curled up his legs in fright and cursed, "One day, I'm going to die by your hand!"

Though Xiaoyu's little face was filthy, her lovely features could still vaguely be seen. Her figure was full and graceful, and though she was still young, she had already grown into a slender, elegant beauty.

But her gaze was truly too cold, so cold that Jiang Wang did not even dare meet her eyes.

"What is it this time?"

Xiaoyu said softly, "That peerless manual you said you found for me, Young Master—I've practiced according to it for so long, but it hasn't done a thing. You weren't deceiving me, were you?"

Jiang Wang closed his eyes and said mildly, "How could it be useless? You've nearly killed me several times carrying that huge longsword around. Besides, since it's a peerless manual, how could it possibly be mastered so easily? You need patience."

Although Xiaoyu felt that made a great deal of sense, she also felt that something about it was not quite right.

What kind of peerless manual only taught sword swings, without even half a single other move?

Watching Xiaoyu seemingly get muddled through for the moment, Jiang Wang was actually rather melancholy.

Three years ago, he had secretly slipped out of the Marquis Manor and wandered around Qixia Street.

There, he had encountered Xiaoyu, who seemed to be pursued by someone trying to kill her.

That was also the first time Jiang Wang had seen cultivators.

At the time, he had thought this girl Xiaoyu was anything but ordinary.

After all, she had been hunted by the cultivators of legend.

Had the Old Butler not appeared in time and hidden Jiang Wang and Xiaoyu away.

They likely would not have survived.

Xiaoyu practiced martial arts naturally for the sake of revenge.

But though she looked aloof and clever, she was actually a little foolish.

She actually dreamed of fighting cultivators through martial arts!

Naturally, Jiang Wang would not let Xiaoyu throw her life away.

But in order to give Xiaoyu a goal to strive toward, he had deliberately found her a so-called peerless manual to practice.

She was clearly a simple, foolish girl, yet every day she thought about how to kill cultivators.

That was simply absurd beyond all reason.

What Jiang Wang found particularly astonishing was that, despite it being only a fake manual, Xiaoyu seemed to have truly practiced something out of it.

The western wall of the manor was knocked down by Xiaoyu's sword every few days, and no one knew how much had been spent repairing it.

At that moment, a lame old man entered the courtyard. He gave Xiaoyu a kindly look, then bowed to Jiang Wang. "Young Master, someone has come to visit outside the manor."

Jiang Wang was quite surprised.

If it were merely those matchmakers coming by again, the Old Butler would not have reported it. Yet in the past two years, not a single person had come to pay a proper visit to the Marquis Manor.

Outside the manor stood an old man dressed in a gray-cloth long robe, holding a whisk. He had quite the air of an immortal sage.

Jiang Wang was very surprised when he saw the visitor. "Master Tao?"

Celestial Master was an honorific title. It was said that such people knew how to draw talismans and drive away monsters.

Although Jiang Wang had never witnessed it himself, Master Tao's reputation in Hun City was great, and his many deeds were told with remarkable vividness. They did not seem false.

But Jiang Wang had always remained skeptical.

Master Tao lightly swished his whisk and revealed an unfathomable smile. "Little friend, would you like your fortune told?"

Jiang Wang fell silent.

It was just like Old Xu constantly pestering him to introduce a wife.

Ever since Jiang Wang had snuck out one time and met Master Tao, the old man's first words whenever they met had always been an offer to tell his fortune.

Today, he had actually come straight to the manor. That was a first.

Master Tao continued on his own, "Little friend, you bear a great omen of misfortune."

Jiang Wang: "..."

Master Tao solemnly continued, "When I first met you half a year ago, I saw a thread of Fierce Evil Energy upon you. But you were unwilling to let me dispel it. After so much time has passed, I sensed that the Fierce Evil Energy on you must have reached its peak. Thus, I had no choice but to come visit. This time, little friend, you must not refuse me again."

Seeing Jiang Wang remain silent, Master Tao stepped forward, drew a deep breath, and said again, "If you have doubts, I can first help you dispel the ominous sign. You may pay after it is done."

Jiang Wang frowned slightly. "How would you dispel it?"

Master Tao smiled. "The Fierce Evil Energy upon you is rather unusual. In ordinary times, you may not notice anything amiss. But over these past two days, the Fierce Evil Energy has gathered to its peak, and you will gradually begin to sense that something is wrong. When that time comes, not only will you lose wealth, but your life will also be endangered."

The speaker might not have meant anything by it, but the listener took it to heart.

Jiang Wang remembered the monster.

His expression changed slightly.

Master Tao smiled faintly. "The method of dispelling it is actually very simple. The first thing you must do, little friend, is marry a wife."

Jiang Wang: "..."

Master Tao grew a little uncomfortable beneath Jiang Wang's stare. He gave a light cough and said, "I have not accepted silver from any family's daughter to deliberately arrange a match in this way. This truly is the method of dispelling it. And you must marry a girl born in a yang year, yang month, yang day, and yang hour."

Jiang Wang continued staring at Master Tao skeptically. "Do you think I believe you?"

Master Tao shook his head. "This old man has acted openly and honorably all his life, without the slightest falsehood. Little friend, you must believe me."

Jiang Wang was silent for a moment, then lightly raised his hand and waved it. "Uncle Tong, see the guest out!"

The Old Butler answered and came out.

Still smiling, he escorted Master Tao away while the latter continued trying his utmost to persuade Jiang Wang.

Jiang Wang turned and returned to the manor.

Xunyang Marquis Manor was enormous, yet apart from Jiang Wang, there was only the Old Butler, a little maid, and the painter Zhao Si.

Aside from the Old Butler, who lived in the front courtyard, and Xiaoyu, who had to attend to Jiang Wang's daily needs, Zhao Si also had a courtyard of his own.

At that moment, Zhao Si was painting in his courtyard.

When he saw Jiang Wang enter from outside, he sucked on his brush with his mouth, and at once his brush moved as though aided by the gods. The entire appearance of Hun City sprang onto the paper, vivid and lifelike.

"I feel that my painting has ascended to another level. For three years, I have traveled every corner of Hun City, painstakingly refining every detail. Now it is finally complete. This is absolutely a divine masterpiece that will be remembered for generations!"

As Jiang Wang pondered Master Tao's words, he casually said, "Can it sell for three taels of silver?"

Zhao Si immediately went red in the face and thick in the neck. "Vulgar! Truly vulgar!"

Jiang Wang continued, "No matter how well it's painted, if it cannot fetch a price, you'll still starve to death. If I hadn't kindly taken you in back then, the grass on your grave would be several yards high by now."

Zhao Si was furious, but he had no way to refute him.

Back then, he really had been nearly starving to death. Otherwise, he would never have sold paintings on the street.

He did not know whether meeting Jiang Wang had been good fortune or terrible luck.

He still remembered how utterly despondent he had looked back then. Such fine paintings of his had drawn not the slightest interest, when suddenly an exceptionally handsome youth appeared and asked him to paint a portrait.

He had been in a terrible mood, so he had deliberately painted the person as hideous beyond measure.

Unexpectedly, he had received praise instead.

At the time, he had thought the fellow was ill.

Facts proved that Jiang Wang really was ill, and Zhao Si felt that he himself was ill as well.

He had actually muddleheadedly traded the talent of his entire life for a meal.

Put nicely, he was the exclusive painter of the dignified Young Marquis of Xunyang Marquis Manor. At the end of the day, was he not simply a household servant?

Jiang Wang had not understood at all what had just happened. He merely suddenly asked in curiosity, "Is Master Tao's reputation real?"

Zhao Si did not look at Jiang Wang, but he still answered, "Someone with only an empty reputation cannot last long. But Master Tao's name has rung throughout Hun City for more than twenty years."

"Five years ago, I personally witnessed Master Tao's abilities. Back then, the governor was nearly dead from illness. They searched everywhere for famous physicians without result, yet Master Tao saved him with a single talisman. Even now, the governor is as lively as ever."

Jiang Wang became thoughtful.

Whether Master Tao had spoken truthfully or falsely.

And whether it had anything to do with the power he had suddenly gained.

He only had a few years left to live anyway, so why should he care?

If he could control that power, perhaps even step onto the path of cultivation and extend his lifespan, then it would not be a bad thing no matter what.

Jiang Wang's somewhat stirred emotions settled again.

Then he suddenly heard a disturbance somewhere in Hun City.

Several figures immediately swept across the sky above Qixia Street.

Cultivators were rarely seen in Hun City.

If they had appeared, there had to be a reason.

Jiang Wang left at once, called Xiaoyu, who was still practicing sword swings, and exited the manor.

In the adjoining broken alley stood three men with utterly different temperaments.

Each carried a sword on his back. They wore white, green, and purple robes respectively, and all appeared to be around forty.

"There truly is some inexplicable residual aura here, but it is very difficult to make out anything from it."

The Green-robed Cultivator inspected the surroundings, his brows tightly furrowed.

The White-robed Cultivator sighed. "None of us have seen Immortal Traces either. We can only make deductions according to the records. But one thing cannot be denied: the descent of immortals must have happened somewhere on Qixia Street."

The Purple-robed Cultivator suddenly asked, "What exactly does the descent of immortals look like? Does an immortal descend directly, or is one born from a mother's womb?"

The White-robed Cultivator and the Green-robed Cultivator exchanged glances and shook their heads together. "We do not know either."

Though there were many records concerning immortals, almost none were very detailed.

Not to mention ordinary people or common martial artists—even cultivators like them only knew that there was an immortal in the Divine Capital.

Yet no one knew what that immortal looked like, or where that immortal had truly come from.

Or perhaps the immortal in the Divine Capital did not exist at all.