When a Martial Artist Knows Spells

Seven or eight people chased into the alley right behind him, then stared at one another.

The alley was straight, every household had its doors shut tight, and there were no side paths. The street on the other end was visible at a glance, yet Qin Yi was nowhere to be seen.

He had only just darted in. How could he have gotten out of the alley so quickly?

Yet the whole alley lay exposed in plain view. By the walls were nothing but residents' baskets, brooms, and the like. There was nowhere to hide a person. Where could Qin Yi have gone?

"Don't be fooled. He definitely hasn't left the alley. Spread out and search. He's probably hiding in one of these houses."

The crowd slowly scattered, each heading toward a different house.

Behind Qin Yi's mortal enemy, a Wolf Tooth Club slowly grew out beside several baskets.

Bang!

A heaven-shaking blast rang out, making everyone's eardrums buzz. When they turned to look, they saw that their companion's entire head had been smashed away. No one knew how much force that strike had contained.

Then they saw another Qin Yi grow out from beside the baskets, fleeing toward the alley entrance like the wind.

"..." The whole group felt as though they had fallen into a dream, unable to react.

Basic Daoist Arts: Body Concealment.

It was not even true invisibility, nor was it an illusion. It was more like giving himself protective coloration, deceiving others' vision. Of course, it was a little more sophisticated than mere camouflage. It was a spell, after all...

In any case, at a glance there were only a few baskets. Naturally, no one paid them any attention. Who would have known Qin Yi was concealed right beside them?

A martial artist who knew spells was truly impossible to guard against...

Qin Yi sprinted out of the alley, feeling utterly exhilarated, so pleased he felt ready to take flight.

This counter-ambush had been meant for revenge. Luckily, the enemy who had tried to kill him had been near where he was hiding, and Qin Yi had flattened him with ease. Even if that man had not been nearby, Qin Yi had planned to suddenly reveal himself, pounce over, and beat him to death anyway.

He had personally beaten one of the two people who had tried to kill him to death. The resentment that had always clung to him immediately dissipated by much, as though both body and heart had grown lighter. It was indescribably satisfying.

He suspected that if he completed this great act of vengeance, his body and mind would be fully unblocked. The true qi that had been stalled for so long might break through into the Innate Realm. Perhaps even the mana he had only recently begun cultivating would benefit as well.

Just as he was thinking this, he saw the tofu pudding seller charging toward him through a group of people, shouting loudly.

Qin Yi smiled, revealing a row of neat white teeth.

Rather than fleeing again, he turned and charged straight into the enemy formation.

The large group that had been pursuing him was instead startled by his move and came to an abrupt stop. Then, overjoyed, they spread out in an organized fashion, forming an encirclement.

Qin Yi seemed oblivious as he charged straight into the net.

The net tightened.

All at once, everyone felt a brilliant flash before their eyes. Their eyes were stabbed by the light until tears streamed down their faces, and they could see nothing.

Basic Daoist Arts: Light Radiance.

It lasted only an instant. The light quickly faded, and through their blurred vision, they saw Qin Yi viciously smash his club into the head of the companion disguised as a tofu pudding seller. Before everyone's eyes had fully recovered, he burst through the encirclement and left with a laugh.

Two mortal enemies had lost their heads in an instant. The thrill of that moment was something outsiders could never understand.

Liusu had not made a sound from beginning to end, nor had it offered any guidance, as though it were watching Qin Yi's performance. Only after Qin Yi's laughter gradually faded did it leisurely say, "No wonder... you like Li Qingjun."

Using his brain to flexibly apply seemingly useless low-level spells in battle was one thing. That was something Qin Yi could do, and it was within expectations.

But that heroic spirit of charging into a crowd rather than retreating, taking the enemy leader's head, and laughing as he departed was completely unlike Qin Yi.

Qin Yi had always seemed placid and detached from worldly affairs, like a salted fish. Yet deep in his bones was a streak of chivalrous fire. It was as though Liusu had once again seen that silver glint in the Daoist Temple on that rainy night—though afraid in his heart, he had still resolutely stabbed at the Spider Demon, pressing forward without hesitation.

Perhaps it was this spirit that Qin Yi had always hidden deep in his bones that had slowly been drawn out after meeting Li Qingjun... That was why he had admired Li Qingjun so much back then. Liusu had thought he was merely fawning over her, but in truth, that was clearly the heart Qin Yi himself had wanted to follow, only to have it gradually worn away to nothing amid the comfort and peace of another world.

Then, amid the oppression of the capital and the battle after being ambushed, the sudden sight of his enemies had finally stirred this wildness within Qin Yi completely.

"Yes." Qin Yi had no idea it had thought so much. He merely answered with a smile, "I like Qing Jun."

Liusu chuckled softly, its laughter carrying a rather profound meaning.

Qin Yi took several light breaths and turned to look. The pursuers had already been shaken off. In truth, he had played them until even their fighting spirit had scattered. How could they still chase him relentlessly? Before long, they slowed more and more, watching helplessly as he departed.

Qin Yi finally relaxed a little. In fact, his tiny reserve of mana had already been exhausted, and even his true qi had become somewhat sluggish. Only now did he have a chance to recover a little.

He took out a Qi Replenishing Pill and swallowed it. While regulating his breath, he continued running toward the Princess Residence. After crossing another street, the Princess Residence stood before him.

Qin Yi ran over and asked the guards directly, "Is the Princess here?"

One of the guards smiled. "So it's Young Master Qin. The Princess is inside. Please enter."

"Many thanks." Qin Yi lifted his foot to climb the steps, then suddenly froze. "Wait a moment. How did you know I was Qin Yi?"

The guard smiled. "Young Master Qin's affair with the Princess caused such a stir at the state banquet. How could we not know? Even if we hadn't seen you before, we had heard descriptions of your appearance. Young Master's distinctive Wolf Tooth Club is too easy to recognize."

"Oh." Qin Yi tightened his grip on the Wolf Tooth Club and asked again, "I was making a commotion with people a street away. Why didn't you react at all?"

The guard paused. "A fight outside has nothing to do with the Princess Residence. We didn't know Young Master Qin was being attacked..."

Before he could finish, Qin Yi raised his hand and swung his club. "I only said there was a commotion, yet you already knew I was being attacked!"

Qin Yi was afraid of mistakenly harming an innocent person, so he had actually held back his strength. It was only meant as a threat. But the impostor ultimately could not keep up the act. A spear thrust out from inside the gate, striking the head of the club and saving him.

A sigh came from within the gate. "Brother Qin is sharp indeed. You are quite the contrast to the image of a man carrying a Wolf Tooth Club."

The central gates swung wide. Mang Zhan stood in the courtyard with his subordinates. The two fake guards had also withdrawn to stand at Mang Zhan's left and right, seemingly his trusted aides.

Qin Yi retreated below the stone steps and narrowed his eyes. "Where is Qing Jun?"

Mang Zhan put on an unfathomable air. "What does Brother Qin think?"

Qin Yi looked up at the buildings within the residence, then suddenly turned and left, muttering, "What an idiot. If it were me and I'd succeeded, I'd have long since gone back to my own place to enjoy myself. If you wanted to put on a show and capture me, just let your subordinates handle it. Why would you personally indulge this acting addiction? Qing Jun is obviously still at the Crown Prince Residence."

He walked swiftly. By the time he finished speaking, he was already nearly halfway down the street.

Mang Zhan was so angry his nose nearly twisted crooked. As he led his men in pursuit, he shouted sternly, "Two venerables, if you do not act now, when will you?"

A demonic wind suddenly rose.

A black owl came whistling in from the left, its face human-like. At the same time, the paving stones in the street bulged upward, and an enormous centipede appeared before him.

The spectacle was immensely terrifying.

Yet Qin Yi laughed speechlessly. Raising the Wolf Tooth Club, he leapt and chopped down at the centipede's head. "Under the Seven Stars Defense Array, even Ye Ling was left with only her last breath. You two little demons who haven't even taken human form would be lucky not to die, yet you still dare come out and act tough before me!"

With a bang, the poor centipede had not even fully emerged before its brains burst apart beneath the strike, dying on the spot. The owl abruptly stopped in midair, flapped away in a panic, and a single feather drifted down, floating and floating, utterly bedraggled.

Mang Zhan chased after him in furious desperation, but Qin Yi had already vanished like a wisp of smoke.

His words had been deliberately relaxed and contemptuous, but his heart was exceedingly grave.

Although Dong Huazi did not have much of an army under his command, he must have quite a few cultivators with some degree of cultivation. On the demon side as well, they should not all be creatures stuck in the city, weakened to the point of near death by Minghe's array and capable only of scaring people. Stronger great demons ought to be hiding somewhere. Yet all he had encountered along the way were ordinary martial artists.

Naturally, that was because he was not the core of this scheme. Though the other side dearly wanted to kill him, his escape would not truly affect the larger situation. They clearly knew what mattered and would not deploy their main force against him. And the force they had sent to the Princess Residence to seize Li Qingjun had been only this much, and had even come up empty... From that, one could imagine the pressure the Crown Prince Residence must be facing at this moment.

But this was so strange...

An attack on the Princess Residence could still count as a sneak attack, which made sense. But could they openly surround and assault the Crown Prince Residence to kill Li Qinglin? The King was not even dead. No matter how trusted Dong Huazi was, that should not be possible. Had Qin Yi gotten some part of his reasoning wrong?