Skin-Painting Ghost

Newly recruited members of Wei Dao Si were generally taught for a period by experienced Snake Guards.

The fact that Su Changqing could venture out alone to carry out a mission this time showed that, like Xia Qi'an, he was already capable of standing on his own.

Wearing a Snake Guard mask, Su Changqing lay leisurely atop the carriage, with one foot dangling beside the carriage window.

"Brother! Could you move your foot? You're blocking my view!" Xia Qi'an said unhappily when he saw how carefree Su Changqing looked.

Su Changqing paid him no mind and laughed. "Hehe! It's comfortable lying like this. We've been traveling so hard all this way. Brother Qi'an, you're not really going to be so petty, are you?"

Xia Qi'an said irritably, "Go lie over there..."

Hearing this, Su Changqing slowly turned around, changed direction, and continued lying down.

"Brother Qi'an! I didn't expect you to reach the Late Blood Refining Realm so quickly. Interested in sparring?" Su Changqing had never gotten over losing to Xia Qi'an in their previous bout.

Now that they had run into each other again, he wanted to win back some face.

After sitting in the carriage for so long, Xia Qi'an's bones were itching too, so he readily agreed. "Sure... I'd be delighted..."

Xia Qi'an then called out to Bata and had him stop the carriage.

The two of them walked together toward the grassland in the distance.

"We couldn't use qi and blood in our last bout. But this time is different!" Su Changqing had broken through to the Bone Forging Realm not long ago, and he spoke with confidence and provocation.

Xia Qi'an tightened his belt and said dismissively, "Even if you use qi and blood, you still won't be my match!"

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

"If you want to fight, then fight! Why are you spouting so much nonsense?"

"Fine... I was going to let you have a few moves. Since you're so arrogant... then look at my sword!"

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

Su Changqing excelled at swift sword techniques. Like lightning, his sword appeared before Xia Qi'an.

With the enhancement of qi and blood, Su Changqing's sword was unbelievably fast. It dazzled the eyes, as though ten thousand silver snakes were dancing wildly through the air.

Xia Qi'an curled his lips into a cold smile and didn't dodge or evade.

His palm shot straight toward Su Changqing's sword light, grabbing at it like an eagle snatching a chick.

"Arrogant!"

Seeing Xia Qi'an act so recklessly and try to break his sword technique barehanded, Su Changqing immediately let out a cold shout.

Yet in the next instant, Su Changqing's expression froze.

Xia Qi'an's vajra-like hand had seized the blade with perfect accuracy.

"Clang..."

The fine-steel sword struck flesh, yet it rang like metal colliding with metal, like a great bell and massive chime booming loud enough to shake the ears.

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

Yet no matter how much strength he exerted, the blade in Xia Qi'an's palm remained utterly motionless.

Su Changqing's sword strike had been futile.

He decisively abandoned the sword in his hand and retreated.

He had suffered before, so naturally he had no desire to take another punch.

After stabilizing himself, Su Changqing's face turned exceptionally grim, his teeth clenched in frustration.

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

Su Changqing reached out and caught it, still looking unwilling to accept this.

How could he, an Early Bone Forging Realm martial artist, have lost to a Late Blood Refining Realm warrior?

The thought filled Su Changqing with indignation.

He raised his sword and attacked again.

Sword Qi burst in all directions as every ounce of his qi and blood erupted.

In a martial artist's duel, victory or defeat could often be decided within a few moves.

This time, Su Changqing held nothing back. He decisively unleashed his strongest sword technique, his sword force fierce—like Mount Tai crushing an egg, and like a rainbow piercing the sun. Light split into shadows as sword images flickered.

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

But even so, Xia Qi'an remained utterly composed, his feet rooted to the ground and unmoving.

Then he brought both palms together before his chest.

In an instant, two Vajra Arms seemed to descend from the heavens, crashing toward the six sword lights with the force of thunder descending from the skies.

"Vajra's Bow!"

The Vajra Arms came down like mountains bearing down on the earth, carrying unparalleled might as they crashed down.

"Boom..."

The six streams of Sword Qi were shattered in an instant.

Su Changqing suffered a heavy blow and was smashed into the ground by a single punch.

Two enormous fist imprints appeared in the earth.

Su Changqing lay sprawled in the center, battered and disheveled, his body forming the shape of the character "da."

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

The spar had caused quite a commotion. However, since both sides had restrained themselves during their mission, Su Changqing hadn't been injured.

The carriage continued on its way.

Su Changqing sat gloomily atop the carriage, pondering the meaning of life.

He couldn't understand why, despite being a Bone Forging Realm martial artist and giving it his all, he still hadn't been able to withstand even one punch.

Two days later.

The carriage, like a weary giant beast, slowly entered a desolate wilderness and forest.

After the endless jolting, Xia Qi'an felt as if he were sitting on a bed of needles, so he called for Su Changqing to come down and rest their feet.

Before long, a roaring campfire sprang to life, and the three of them gathered around it to roast dry rations and dried meat.

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

Looking at his carefree, thick-skinned manner, Xia Qi'an unexpectedly felt a trace of envy. He envied how a meal was enough to leave Bata completely satisfied.

"Do you think that if I switched to a sword technique that condensed Sword Qi and focused on precision, I might be able to break through your Bronze Skin and Iron Bones?"

Su Changqing was like a chattering parrot, still refusing to let the matter go as he vowed to find a way to defeat Xia Qi'an.

Xia Qi'an rolled his eyes and couldn't be bothered to answer him.

"Two officers... sorry to trouble you... Could I borrow a spot to light a fire?"

Xia Qi'an was prodding the firewood with a stick when he heard a young voice coming from the woods.

Soon, a well-built hunter with regular features and dark skin emerged from the forest.

The hunter wore clothes sewn from animal hide, carried a hunting bow on his back, and held a pheasant and a hare in his hands.

Seeing the three of them dressed in official uniforms, the hunter assumed they were constables from some government office and took the initiative to greet them.

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

Seeing this, the hunter hurriedly explained, "In reply to you two officers... my name is Zhang Hu. I'm a hunter from nearby. My home is in Zhangjia Village, behind the mountain..."

"I went hunting in the mountains today but didn't bring anything to start a fire. Seeing you two officers here, I thought I'd come borrow a flame and prepare something to eat!"

"If you two officers don't mind, we could share..." Zhang Hu lifted the game in his hands, indicating that Xia Qi'an and Su Changqing could join him.

"You live nearby? Do you know where Yujia Village is?" Xia Qi'an asked when he heard that Zhang Hu lived in the area.

"Yujia Village... I know it. Cross the mountain ahead and you'll reach it. Once I've eaten, I can lead you two officers there." Zhang Hu pointed toward a large mountain in the distance like a guide showing them the way.

"Then I'm sorry for the trouble..." Xia Qi'an nodded.

After they finished eating, Zhang Hu took the initiative to serve as their guide.

He walked at the very front, chopping through thorny vines with a woodcutter's knife while chatting warmly with Xia Qi'an.

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

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

Along the way, Zhang Hu spoke at length about the situation in several nearby villages.

After traveling along a winding mountain road with countless twists and turns,

Zhang Hu stopped with the three of them before a fork in the road.

The path ahead split into two, one to the left and one to the right. Judging from the traces along it, the left path seemed to be a trail frequently used by people from nearby.

The path on the right, meanwhile, required them to pass through a narrow canyon between the rocks.

Zhang Hu pointed at the narrow canyon and said, "Two officers! I'll escort you only this far. Once you pass through the narrow canyon on the right, you'll be able to see Yujia Village."

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

"Once you've finished your business, if you have time, come visit my home! Farewell!"

"Thank you!"

Hearing this, Xia Qi'an nodded slightly in thanks, then led Bata and Su Changqing into the narrow canyon.

After Zhang Hu finished speaking, he also headed down the mountain along the path on the left.

After walking some distance, Zhang Hu couldn't help glancing back furtively.

When he saw that Xia Qi'an and the other two had indeed entered Tiger Leaping Gorge, a strange, ferocious grin spread across his face.