The Painted Skin Ghost

New recruits to the Wei Dao Si are typically taught for a period by experienced Snake Guards.

The fact that Su Changqing could go out on a mission alone this time indicates that, like Xia Qi'an, he was already capable of handling things independently.

Wearing a Snake Guard mask, Su Changqing lay back comfortably on top of the horse carriage, one foot dangling by the carriage window.

"Brother! Can you move your foot... Don't block my view!" Xia Qi'an said, visibly annoyed by Su Changqing's relaxed posture.

Su Changqing dismissed it with a smile, "Heh heh! It's comfortable lying like this... This journey has been tiring, you're not that stingy, are you, Brother Qi'an?"

Xia Qi'an retorted, "Move over to the other side and lie down..."

Hearing this, Su Changqing slowly turned his body and continued to lie down in the other direction.

"Brother Qi'an! I didn't expect you to reach the Late Blood Refining Realm so quickly. Interested in sparring?" Su Changqing had been bothered by his previous loss to Xia Qi'an in their match.

Since they met now, he wanted to get his revenge.

After sitting in the carriage for too long, Xia Qi'an felt restless and readily agreed, "Sure... I'd love to..."

Immediately, Xia Qi'an signaled Bata to stop the carriage.

The two of them walked towards a distant grassy area.

"We couldn't use Blood Essence in the last match. But this time it's different!" Su Changqing, who had recently broken through to the Bone Forging Realm, said confidently with a provocative expression.

Xia Qi'an tightened his belt and replied dismissively, "If we use Blood Essence, you'll be even less of my opponent!"

Seeing that Xia Qi'an didn't take him seriously, Su Changqing grew a little angry. "I'm already a Bone Forging Realm martial artist, and you're just in the Blood Refining Realm. You truly don't know the immensity of heaven and earth..."

"If you want to fight, fight! Why all the nonsense?"

"Fine... I intended to let you have a few moves, but since you're so arrogant... then behold my sword!"

With that, Xia Qi'an saw a flash of sword light before his eyes.

Su Changqing was skilled in fast swordplay, appearing before him like lightning.

With the enhancement of Bloodline Power, Su Changqing's sword was incredibly fast. It dazzled the eyes, like ten thousand silver snakes dancing in the air.

Xia Qi'an grinned coldly and didn't dodge at all.

He reached out his palm directly towards the sword light, grabbing it like an eagle snatching a chick.

"Arrogant!"

Seeing Xia Qi'an's audacity in trying to break his sword move with his bare hands, Su Changqing let out a cold shout.

However, in the next second, Su Changqing's expression froze.

Xia Qi'an's Vajra-like large hand accurately grasped the sword body.

"Clang..."

The steel longsword met flesh, emitting a metallic clang like a great bell, deafeningly loud.

"Bronze Skin and Iron Bones... You've actually mastered it so quickly?" Su Changqing exclaimed in disbelief and hurriedly tried to pull the sword from Xia Qi'an's grasp.

But no matter how much force he exerted, the sword in Xia Qi'an's palm remained motionless.

Su Changqing's sword attack was in vain.

He decisively abandoned his sword and retreated.

Having suffered before, he naturally didn't want to take another punch.

After steadying himself, Su Changqing's expression was unusually grim, and he gritted his teeth.

Xia Qi'an smiled slightly and tossed the sword back to him.

Su Changqing caught it, still looking unconvinced.

How could he, in the early Bone Forging Realm, lose to a martial artist in the Late Blood Refining Realm?

Thinking of this, Su Changqing felt indignant.

He raised his sword and attacked again.

Sword energy emanated from his entire body, and all his Blood Essence erupted.

In martial artist duels, victory or defeat is often decided within a few moves.

This time, Su Changqing held nothing back, decisively unleashing his strongest sword move. The sword momentum was fierce, like Mount Tai pressing down on an egg, or a rainbow piercing the sun. Light split and shadows flickered.

The sword light in his hand was like six bolts of lightning, slashing at Xia Qi'an like a storm, determined to break through Xia Qi'an's Bronze Skin and Iron Bones.

But even so, Xia Qi'an remained calm, his feet rooted to the ground as if they were planted.

Next, he brought his palms together in front of his chest.

Suddenly, two Vajra Arms descended from the heavens, smashing towards the six streams of sword light with thunderous force.

"Vajra Bow!"

The Vajra Arms pressed down like mountains, carrying unparalleled might as they crashed down.

"Boom..."

The six sword energies were instantly shattered.

Su Changqing felt as if he'd been hit by a heavy blow, sent crashing into the ground by a single punch.

Two massive fist imprints appeared on the ground.

Su Changqing lay sprawled in the center, utterly disheveled, shaped like the character for "great."

Su Changqing still hadn't managed to withstand a single punch from Xia Qi'an.

This sparring match had been quite intense. However, considering both sides had shown restraint during their mission, Su Changqing wasn't actually injured.

The carriage continued on its journey.

Su Changqing sat dejectedly on the roof of the carriage, contemplating life.

He couldn't understand why, despite being a Bone Forging Realm martial artist and going all out, he couldn't even take one punch.

Two days later.

The carriage, like a weary behemoth, slowly approached a desolate wilderness.

The bumpy ride had made Xia Qi'an restless, so he called for Su Changqing to get down and rest.

Before long, a bonfire blazed to life, and the three of them roasted dried rations and jerky around it.

After wolfing down his dried rations, Bata leaned against a large rock and fell into a deep sleep.

Watching Bata's carefree demeanor, Xia Qi'an felt a pang of envy, envying his ability to be content with just a meal.

"If I were to switch to a sword technique that condenses sword energy and intent, do you think I could break through your Bronze Skin and Iron Bones?"

Su Changqing, like a chattering parrot, continued to pester, determined to find a way to defeat Xia Qi'an.

Xia Qi'an rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with him.

"Two officers... pardon me... could I borrow a spot to make a fire?"

As Xia Qi'an poked the firewood with a stick, a young voice drifted from the forest.

A moment later, a well-featured, dark-skinned, sturdy hunter emerged from the woods.

The hunter wore clothes stitched from animal hides, carried a hunting bow, and held a pheasant and a rabbit in his hands.

Seeing that Xia Qi'an and his companions were in official attire, the hunter mistook them for constables from some yamen and approached them proactively.

"Who are you? Where did you come from?" Su Changqing eyed him warily.

Seeing this, the hunter quickly explained, "Reporting to you, sirs... My name is Zhang Hu, and I'm a hunter from nearby... My home is in Zhangjia Village, just over the mountain..."

"I went hunting in the mountains today and didn't bring anything to start a fire. Seeing you gentlemen here, I thought I'd come and borrow some fire! To cook some food!"

"If you two gentlemen don't mind, we could... " Zhang Hu gestured with the game in his hands, inviting Xia Qi'an and the other to share.

"You live around here? Do you know where Yujia Village is?" Xia Qi'an asked, hearing that he lived nearby.

"Yujia Village... I know it. It's just over that mountain ahead. After I eat, I can take you two gentlemen there," Zhang Hu said, pointing to a large mountain not far away, like a guide.

"Then we'll trouble you!..." Xia Qi'an nodded.

After they finished eating, Zhang Hu proactively acted as their guide.

He walked at the front, using his wood axe to clear thorny vines, all the while chatting enthusiastically with Xia Qi'an.

"Sirs!... Wild beasts often appear in these mountains. Normally, no one from the village comes here."

"The mountain path we're taking now is one only known to hunters like us who frequently enter the mountains!"

Along the way, Zhang Hu spoke volubly, describing the situation in the surrounding villages.

After traversing a winding mountain path, Zhang Hu stopped the three of them at a fork in the road.

The path ahead split into two, left and right. The left path, judging by the tracks, looked like a small trail frequently used by locals.

The right path, however, required passing through a narrow canyon between rocks, known as a "sky-splitting" gorge.

Zhang Hu pointed to the sky-splitting gorge and said, "Gentlemen! This is as far as I can escort you. You'll see Yujia Village after passing through the sky-splitting gorge on the right."

"My home is in Zhangjia Village, which is in a different direction from Yujia Village, so I won't be going further."

"If you gentlemen have time after finishing your business, you're welcome to visit my home! Farewell!"

"Thank you!"

Xia Qi'an nodded slightly in thanks and led Bata and Su Changqing into the sky-splitting gorge.

After Zhang Hu spoke, he also headed down the mountain along the left path.

After walking a short distance, Zhang Hu couldn't help but glance back secretly.

Seeing that Xia Qi'an and the other two had indeed entered Tiger Leaping Gorge, a sinister grin spread across his face.