Ambushed

The Hundred Pleasures Pavilion is adjacent to the inner river of Chaoge City, with a prosperous commercial street lining the banks, filled with countless shops.

Even with the storm brewing, the bustling crowds still weaved through these shops, pausing to browse, chat, or play, injecting endless vitality into the prosperity of Chaoge City.

Qin Shuang and the other two left the restaurant and stopped by the inner river, gazing at the thriving scene with deep thoughts.

Suddenly, a runaway carriage careened directly towards the three of them, sending panicked people scattering in all directions.

Qin Shuang channeled his energy to his dantian and leaped into the air. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, unable to react in time, were hit by the carriage and sent into the river.

Before Qin Shuang could do anything else, several fishing nets made of wire were cast down from the rooftops of the tall buildings on either side. Caught in mid-air with no leverage, Qin Shuang had nowhere to go and was inevitably ensnared by the nets, falling into the river.

As soon as he hit the water, Qin Shuang was immediately choked by the icy river water. He quickly held his breath and forced his eyes open, knowing that his attackers would surely have follow-up actions.

As expected, two figures in the river rapidly approached him.

The one on the left had a bald head with not a single hair, bulging eyes, and bloodshot pupils.

The one on the right was a thin man with a green face, a very long jaw, and three large fleshy tumors on his forehead, making him appear extremely unsightly.

These two moved with the agility of fish in the water. One wielded an iron oar, and the other held a trident, thrusting towards Qin Shuang's vital points from left and right.

In this moment of crisis, Qin Shuang struggled to draw circles with his fists in the water, unleashing the Heavenly Frost Fist's "Frost Freezes the Heavens." He instantly froze the water and the nets in front of him into ice, protecting himself and blocking the incoming weapons.

The iron oar and trident struck fiercely, shattering the ice with their combined force, but also destroying the wire fishing nets in the process.

Suddenly freed, Qin Shuang aimed for the blunt ends of the two weapons and blocked them with his fists. He then immediately pushed off with his feet, trying to swim to the surface, but was held fast by the two men, unable to escape.

Qin Shuang was not a good swimmer. After more than ten exchanges, his breathing became increasingly difficult, his chest feeling as if it were crushed by a heavy weight, suffocating him.

His eyes began to bloodshot, his movements gradually becoming uncontrolled. He could feel water flowing into his nose and mouth, his consciousness blurring as if falling into an endless abyss. He could even feel his body slowly sinking.

Without the need for the two men to make another move, Qin Shuang was about to be mercilessly swallowed by the river!

Am I going to die here? This was Qin Shuang's last conscious thought, followed by an endless darkness.

Meanwhile, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling had entered the water before Qin Shuang. They were immediately surrounded by four people. Although the two of them were decent swimmers, they were far inferior to their opponents.

Surrounded by four individuals who were skilled swimmers, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling quickly ran out of breath. Just as they were about to suffocate like Qin Shuang, two energies, one cold and one hot, emanated from their Baihui acupoint and Yongquan acupoint respectively. A breath of fresh air was generated within their bodies, allowing them to breathe.

It turned out that the "Longevity Art" they practiced had produced a miraculous effect!

The "Longevity Art" is a Taoist treasure, said to have been written in oracle bone script by Guang Chengzi, the teacher of the ancient Yellow Emperor. It is profound and difficult to decipher. Among past sages, though there were many with extraordinary intelligence who had read this book, none had ever been able to fully comprehend or decode it.

The entire book contains seven thousand two hundred forms of characters, but only a little over three thousand have been deciphered.

The book is also densely packed with annotations and interpretations from those who had read it, but these often made the original text even more incomprehensible. Fortunately, the book contains seven diagrams of human figures, each in a different posture, with various symbols such as red dots and arrows, seemingly indicating some form of cultivation method. However, for those who do not understand their meaning, it is better not to practice. If one were to force themselves to activate their internal energy according to one of these symbols, their Blood Essence would immediately churn, and they would risk falling into a state of demonic deviation, which is extremely dangerous.

The cultivation method of the "Longevity Art" is very peculiar and goes against the cultivation paths of other schools. Firstly, the practitioner cannot have even a trace of internal energy. Secondly, the practitioner needs to cultivate with an unintentional mind.

Martial artists who obtain this book already possess internal energy, and the conflict between the two makes it impossible for them to practice. Those who are not martial artists, knowing the extraordinary nature of this book, cannot achieve an unintentional mind through deliberate effort.

Furthermore, the entry point for practicing the "Longevity Art" is by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth through acupoints to replenish oneself. During this process, the practitioner will experience various symptoms that closely resemble demonic deviation. Most people would mistake these for demonic deviation and dare not continue practicing.

Thus, although it has been passed down through generations, those who obtain it, due to preconceived notions, try it once and if it doesn't seem right, they dare not continue practicing.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling were originally low-level ruffians in Chaoge City. They accidentally obtained the "Longevity Art." They had no prior internal energy foundation and no martial arts knowledge. During the cultivation process, when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth entered their bodies through their acupoints, the symptoms that closely resembled demonic deviation were also taken by them as a matter of course. It was through this unintentional process that they managed to cultivate this peerless Taoist divine skill.

This time, while nearly suffocating underwater, they accidentally stumbled into the realm of continuous internal energy circulation in Taoism. With this fortuitous encounter, they unexpectedly broke through to the Innate Realm, gaining a glimpse into the path of higher martial arts. They overcame the limitation of starting martial arts late, which would have made it difficult to achieve greatness. From now on, in the martial arts path, the sky is high for birds to fly, and the sea is vast for fish to leap!

After entering the Innate Realm, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling's internal energy flowed unobstructed. Their physiques underwent another transformation. They felt as light as swallows, their senses sharpened, and they could see clearly in the dark, deep water. They moved swiftly at the bottom of the ten-foot-deep river, their true qi flowing inexhaustibly without any feeling of stuffiness.

Like flying fish, they swam away from danger and emerged from the water, feeling full of strength and completely unwearied.

Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the four people in the water immediately retreated.

Kou Zhong looked at the river, but Qin Shuang's trace was long gone. He took a signal flare from his huai and summoned the Dragon Guard.

After doing all this, he exchanged glances with Xu Ziling, unsure of what to do next!

"Brother Shuang! Brother Shuang!"

In the darkness, a clear female voice, like ice breaking and snow being cut, called out Qin Shuang's name.

It seemed to come from near and far, and it was somewhat familiar.

Qin Shuang struggled to open his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a face as hazy as the morning mist.

Her beauty was like a painting, her charming eyes like art, and her gentle demeanor like water.

Her delicate eyebrows were slightly raised, soft like a crescent moon; her pearly white teeth were slightly revealed, sparkling like crushed jade.

Her skin was like congealed fat, smooth as a mirror. Because the sun was behind her, a faint blush spread across her body, like a ripe peach.

The elegant aura that flowed from her seemed to be the essence of heaven and earth, intoxicating to behold.

It was actually Tian Chun!

"You're awake!" Seeing Qin Shuang awaken, Tian Chun's face broke into a heartfelt smile, like peach blossoms blooming in spring, both delicate and fresh.

"Miss... Miss Tian?" Qin Shuang's mind couldn't catch up, and he asked blankly, "Where is this?"