Young Lady, Do Not Fear

The night was deep, but the lanterns all over the city made people forget the time.

Someone was destined to lose sleep tonight.

After continuing his nonsensical talk and sending Shu Ni and Ning Shisi away, Jiang Wang felt a bit tired. Looking for too long, he found the temple fair to be quite boring.

The green-robed cultivator carried the rattan chair, and Jiang Wang slowly left the intersection of Qixia Street.

He went straight to West City Alley.

Naturally, he didn't truly step into the alley. Instead, he lay down on the rattan chair within the Qixia Street area and had the green-robed cultivator fetch Master Tao.

"Young Marquis, the temple fair is so lively, why did you come here?"

Master Tao emerged from the alley behind the green-robed cultivator.

Jiang Wang smiled, "Aren't you also holed up at home, not joining the fun?"

Master Tao said, "I'm old, and besides, the temple fair is the same every year. Even if there are new fun tricks, young people enjoy them more."

Jiang Wang said seriously, "There's something I need to get clear, otherwise, it feels like a thorn in my heart."

Master Tao asked doubtfully, "What does the Young Marquis mean?"

Jiang Wang said, "You used to pester me for fortune-telling. That so-called Fierce Evil Energy needs to be explained clearly. You can capture Wangliang, which proves you have some skill. How do you see my fate?"

Master Tao was quite ashamed and hesitated, saying, "Actually, I just wanted to earn some money from the Young Marquis. Because the Young Marquis was frail, Marquis Xunyang also tried every means to treat your illness, but at that time, the Marquis didn't pay any attention to me."

He quickly added, "That was all nonsense. Young Marquis, please don't take it to heart!"

Jiang Wang looked deeply at Master Tao and smiled, "You once said you could tell my fortune, and I didn't believe you. Now you say it was all fake, and I still don't believe you."

Master Tao nervously wiped his sweat and said, "I sensed a presence in the Young Marquis, but it was definitely not malevolent energy. I don't know what it is. Everyone respects me as a Master, but I've only just begun. Young Marquis, you have to believe me!"

Jiang Wang was very familiar with the last sentence, so he replied with what he had said at the time, "Do you think I believed you?"

Master Tao also felt like he had heard this sentence before. He paused slightly and said urgently, "I, Tao, have always acted openly and treated people sincerely, as heaven and earth can bear witness..."

Jiang Wang waved his hand to interrupt him, "Your skin is truly thick. You just said you were talking nonsense, and now you say you are sincere. Even if you're lying, you should at least have a consistent logic."

Master Tao's face twitched, and he chuckled, "I've only told that one... uh, two... maybe three, four, five, six... or perhaps dozens or hundreds of lies in my life. But I guarantee, what I'm saying now is absolutely true. Young Marquis, you really must believe me!"

Jiang Wang stared at him: (O_O)

The green-robed cultivator's facial muscles trembled, trying to suppress a laugh, looking very uncomfortable.

"Um..." Master Tao slowly backed away. "The Wangliang at home are calling me. See you later."

But as soon as he turned, the green-robed cultivator blocked his path.

Jiang Wang said calmly, "If you lied to me, you should know the consequences."

Master Tao nodded like he was pounding garlic, "Every word is true, and truer than gold!"

Jiang Wang looked at the green-robed cultivator, who moved aside. Master Tao, sweating cold sweat, ran into the alley with a fawning smile.

The green-robed cultivator said, "Mr. Jiang, I think that Master Tao's abilities are indeed low. True Masters in this world are rare, and those who can see... understand fate, I'm afraid even the old Master in the Divine Capital of the Sui Kingdom wouldn't dare to speak rashly."

He almost revealed Mr. Jiang's immortal identity, but thankfully changed his tone in time, swallowing a mouthful.

Jiang Wang said nothing. Although he felt Master Tao was hiding something, he probably wasn't lying entirely. As long as it wasn't related to the so-called Fierce Evil Energy, he wasn't that concerned.

He figured Master Tao couldn't possibly see the existence of the Divine Kingdom.

Gently closing the main door, Master Tao leaned against it and slowly exhaled, muttering, "Young Marquis, it's not that I'm not telling the truth. Who made your birth date so special? If you want to truly go far on the path of a Master, relying on your own guesswork is useless. I don't know if that person will keep their promise..."

About forty miles south of Hun City.

On a rugged mountain road shrouded in mist, a carriage lay scattered on its side, as if it had been hit.

Du Yanruo leaned against a wooden plank, holding her breath.

Suddenly, a sharp object covered in soft thorns pierced directly through the wooden plank. Immediately after, a head emerged from the mist, its bloody maw agape, and a foul stench assailed her nostrils.

The head was almost touching Du Yanruo's face, its four scarlet eyes staring directly at her.

Du Yanruo couldn't control her trembling body, her face turning pale with fright.

She hadn't expected to encounter a monster, a Luo Yong, here!

Luo Yong rarely appeared alone; they were usually in groups. Recalling being surrounded by many Luo Yong on Qixia Street, could it be that more Luo Yong were planning to attack Hun City?

But why was she so unlucky to run into them?

She was completely incapable of fighting a monster like Luo Yong.

After barely escaping, was she going to die here?

Dark shadows flickered ahead, and another Luo Yong appeared.

Its body was pitch-black, about two zhang tall, with only the tips of its claws being white. Its four eyes, as large as her head, appeared in the thick fog, quite terrifying.

Cai Tanggu had once described Luo Yong as monsters with no intelligence, their actions driven solely by instinct. Sometimes, when facing cultivators, they didn't even know to flee in fear. If one didn't have the strength to kill a Luo Yong, and encountered one, one shouldn't count on luck; if you could run, run as fast as you could.

Even knowing this, Du Yanruo, surrounded from four sides, had nowhere to escape.

The will to survive made her grip her sword tightly, but she didn't dare to actually strike.

She shuddered at the thought of the scene where monsters tore her apart.

As five monsters surrounded the broken-down carriage, Du Yanruo felt as though her entire vision was filled with eyes, and a wave of nausea washed over her.

She brandished her sword, tears streaming down her cheeks, and roared with all her might.

One of the monsters lunged forward, its pillar-like leg planting itself beside Du Yanruo. Its head lowered, about to take a bite.

The calm, thick fog suddenly began to churn.

The melodious sound of a flute drifted over.

Immediately following was a flying sword, which directly severed the monster's head.

Dark green blood splashed all over Du Yanruo.

The remaining four monsters let out a unified roar, like thunder.

A figure emerged from the dense fog.

Clad in flowing white robes, holding a jade flute, with a resolute face, a pair of sword-like eyebrows, and eyes as sharp as swords.

He slightly extended his hand, and the flying sword returned.

Shaking off the dark green blood from the blade, the newcomer looked at the terrified Du Yanruo and said softly, "Miss, do not be afraid."

He then swung his sword.

With two muffled thuds.

Dark green blood sprayed out.

Another monster lost half its body.

The remaining three monsters charged madly at the white-robed man.

The black saliva from their mouths splashed onto the trees, causing them to wither instantly.

The white-robed man casually swung his sword, intercepting all the black saliva.

He moved as if strolling through a garden, weaving around the three monsters. With a single strike, at an extremely tricky angle, he decapitated all three.

The white-robed man took out a black handkerchief and wiped his sword clean. After sheathing it, he walked towards Du Yanruo and said, "There should still be monsters nearby. Miss, please wait here for a moment. I will return swiftly."

As if talking to himself, he turned and left.

Du Yanruo had still not recovered.

The sword dropped from her hand.

Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, staring at the five monster corpses before her as if in a dream.

After waiting for half an hour, the white-robed man finally returned.

However, his once pristine white robes were now stained with numerous smudges.

Those were all the blood of the monsters.

"This is quite strange. There are over a hundred monsters within a radius of dozens of miles. In all my years of searching for Immortals, I've never heard of such a large-scale operation by monsters."

The white-robed man mused to himself, "When things are abnormal, there must be a demon behind it. Could it be that Immortals have truly descended in Hun City?"

The Sui Kingdom had searched for Immortals countless times in the past, but had never found even a trace of them. He had initially thought this time would be the same, and that it would be difficult to achieve any real results. He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.

He recalled that when he set out, his teacher, who rarely came out of seclusion, was said to be heading to the hinterlands of Kutan to slay demons. A demon that could make his teacher personally intervene must be terrifying to the extreme.

After the 'Mirage' appeared in Hun City, chaos began to erupt throughout Kutan.

Seeing the dark green blood of the monsters congealed on Du Yanruo's face, the white-robed man stepped forward and said, "This place is desolate. Why are you here, Miss?"

Du Yanruo looked up. While the man before her wasn't as handsome as Jiang Wang, he was still quite dashing, easily surpassing Su Lingyi.

Moreover, his casual and effortless slaying of monsters was far beyond Su Lingyi's capabilities.

This gave her some ideas.

However, she then remembered the scene of Jiang Wang terrifying Tan Lao Liu into begging for mercy, and feared that even if she asked the white-robed man to save her father and brother, the chances of success would be slim.

She was momentarily conflicted.

The white-robed man, thinking Du Yanruo was simply too frightened, did not press further. Instead, he said, "There is a stream nearby. Miss, you may wash yourself there for now."

He also needed to change his clothes.

With that, he walked away on his own.

Du Yanruo glanced at him, picked up her long sword, and followed.

Since the monsters in the area had been eliminated, the white-robed man assured Du Yanruo and chose a stream located at a considerable distance, ensuring they wouldn't see each other.

He removed his blood-stained robes and, with a gentle wave of his hand, a new set of clothes appeared out of thin air.

After he resumed his elegant white-robed appearance, he suddenly thought that the young lady might not have any spare clothes.

After a moment's hesitation, he walked towards the area where Du Yanruo was washing.

He planned to simply leave the clean clothes there.

Upon seeing Du Yanruo, he found her sitting by the stream, not having washed herself yet.

A thought of regret crossed the white-robed man's mind.

He immediately shook his head and conjured another set of clothes, identical to the ones he was wearing. Seeing Du Yanruo turn around in alarm, he quickly explained, "Miss, do not be afraid. I am here to deliver clothes."