Ambush (Part One)

"Precious Body Second Layer."

Chen Zhixing's eyes shone brightly. With a casual wave of his hand, the entire room instantly rang with the howl of fierce wind.

Precious Body Second Layer—one thousand catties of strength! Chen Zhixing had only completed half of the Laogong Acupoint, yet he had already gained one thousand catties of strength.

This Ox Demon Star Transformation Scripture was even more exaggerated than Chen Zhixing had imagined.

I'll strive to finish refining the Laogong Acupoint completely this month, Chen Zhixing thought silently.

The next moment.

Chen Zhixing rose to his feet, found paper and brush in the room, and wrote the Tranquil Sea Pill Formula and the Nine Revolutions Heavenly Cold Scripture into the ancient book.

The handwriting on the ancient book was seasoned and upright, the brushstrokes archaic and full.

No matter who came to look, no one would ever imagine that this lengthy discourse in the ancient book had been written by a child not yet a year old.

After finishing, Chen Zhixing carefully put it away, tucked it into the front of his robe, then staggered outside like an infant learning to walk.

"Sister Yue'er?"

The moment he stepped out, Chen Zhixing saw Mo Qingyue outside the door.

"Little Zhixing, good morning."

Mo Qingyue was dressed in plain clothes, smiling as she spoke.

"Sister Yue'er, good morning to you too."

Chen Zhixing lifted his head and replied with an innocent, bright-eyed look.

He gazed at the sallow, skinny girl before him, who looked as if she were malnourished. For some reason, though, he caught an unusual scent from her.

This girl called Jia Qingyue was a little too calm and casual.

Logically speaking.

Ziwei's Chen Clan, as one of the long-lived aristocratic families, might have fallen into decline long ago, but it was still a towering colossus that ordinary people could not look straight at.

For an average person coming to the Chen Clan, saying they "wouldn't even dare breathe loudly" would not be an exaggeration in the slightest.

But whether it was this Jia Qingyue or that old man Jia Longfei.

After entering the Chen Clan, they showed not the slightest trace of restraint or nervousness.

Quite the opposite. Though they had disguised it slightly, that calm composure seeping from their very bones could not be hidden at all.

There were only two possibilities.

First, these two were extremely familiar with the Chen Clan, so they had long since ceased to find anything strange about it.

No one would feel constrained in an environment they knew well.

Second, the identities of these two were far above the Chen Clan's! Because their status stood higher than the Chen Clan's, they would look down upon the Chen Clan from beginning to end.

Naturally, they would not feel any nervousness or restraint.

Of course, there was still one more possibility: these two were ordinary people without any cultivation, and they were so carefree that they simply did not understand the weight carried by a long-lived aristocratic family.

But was that possible? "Where exactly did these two come from?"

Chen Zhixing frowned slightly.

He seemed to remember that in the plot introduction for Great Cultivation, there should not have been such two people in the Chen Clan.

Shaking his head, Chen Zhixing stopped thinking too deeply about it.

There were too many plotlines in Great Cultivation, and its setting was vast and magnificent. The setting for Ziwei's Chen Clan had only been sketched in a few strokes, with few scenes devoted to it.

Perhaps he simply had not noticed these two characters in his previous life.

The Eastern Xuan Region had a total of Thirteen Provinces.

Among them.

Lin'an City was located in Yan Province, one of the Thirteen Provinces, below Ziwei Mountain.

Though it was said to be below the mountain, in truth, from Ziwei Mountain to Lin'an City, there were at least two hundred li.

After all, cultivators valued purity, stillness, non-action, and the natural way of heaven and earth.

If they were cultivating on the mountain while, every day below the mountain, there came the cries of flatbread sellers or the coquettish laughter of brothel girls soliciting customers, then what sort of Dao would they still be cultivating? Night had only just fallen.

Chen Tianliang and Ying Shuangshuang brought Chen Zhixing with them, flying all the way toward Lin'an City.

And not long after the two had just left with Ying Shuangshuang.

Inside a side room.

With a creak, the door opened, and Mo Qingyue stepped out.

She raised her head and glanced in the direction Chen Tianliang and the others had left.

The next moment.

Pfft! Mo Qingyue instantly turned into an afterimage and vanished.

All they could see was a tiny black dot at the far end of the sky, rapidly receding into the distance.

Lin'an City was a little over two hundred li from Ziwei Mountain.

Generally speaking, with Chen Tianliang's cultivation, he could arrive in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

But in consideration of Chen Zhixing, Chen Tianliang kept his speed very slow.

Only after a full two hours did the three of them arrive at Lin'an City.

They saw that all throughout Lin'an City, visitors streamed like woven threads, carriages and horses flowing like water and dragons.

On both sides of the streets paved with bluestone slabs, long red lanterns hung before every household, along with red strings tied with colored ribbons, row after row cutting straight across the entire street.

Along the way were all sorts of wandering jianghu performers putting on acrobatic acts—breaking great stones on their chests, spitting fire from their mouths, brandishing sabers and spears, and more—while vendors shouted loudly, selling sugar-coated haws, or sweet wine and rice cakes brewed and made at home.

Young children carried pellet drums or delicately crafted little lanterns, laughing and playing in the streets and alleys, chasing after one another.

There were also gifted scholars and lovely ladies strolling slowly along the streets, speaking of flowers beneath the moon and romance in the breeze, guessing riddles and deciphering characters at the lantern fair. Now and then, when the conversation reached a delightful point, they would make the young ladies cover their mouths and laugh softly.

There were even blind old men who dragged small stools out from their homes and simply sat before their doors, gently plucking at the erhus in their hands.

The whole of Lin'an City was filled with the bustling, flourishing smoke-and-fire warmth of the mortal world.

"Now this is what you call living!"

Chen Tianliang and Ying Shuangshuang walked in front, sighing slightly with feeling.

Every time he walked through a mortal city like this, he would feel a sense of being split apart.

On one side was the treacherous and unpredictable Cultivation World; on the other was the smoke-and-fire mortal world where people lived and worked in peace.

As for Chen Zhixing, he was carrying a little lantern, following closely step by step from behind.

According to Chen Tianliang, since today was the lantern fair, the two of them had to seize the chance to enjoy some time alone as a couple.

As for Chen Zhixing, it was enough for him to follow behind by himself.

"You two really are something!"

Chen Zhixing could not help grumbling inwardly.

Immediately after, Chen Zhixing shook his head and silently observed his surroundings.

For some reason, he had a kind of intuition.

He feared that yesterday's Kui Mu True Person and Zhuang Wuxian would not let things go so easily.

At the same time.

Not far from the three of them, in the darkness at the corner of an alley.

Three figures were watching Chen Tianliang and the others with cold eyes.

The two figures on the left and right were naturally Kui Mu True Person and Zhuang Wuxian.

"Brother Meng, later on, you and I will attack together and lure that Chen Tianliang away. That will be enough."

Kui Mu True Person looked at the tall figure in the middle, whose face was covered by a black veil and who wore a bamboo hat, and spoke with a smile.

This man was a powerhouse he had spent a great sum to invite, and his cultivation had reached True Self Third Level.

He was confident that if the two of them joined hands, they would be more than enough to easily hold Chen Tianliang back! The Bamboo Hat Figure's voice was hoarse as he said flatly, "Kui Mu, this is Lin'an City, Ziwei's Chen Clan's territory. You want me to make a move against Chen Tianliang here—are you trying to get me killed?"

At those words, the smile on Kui Mu True Person's face stiffened. He said, "Brother Meng, it is not as if I want you to truly fight Chen Tianliang to the death. You only need to hold him back for a short while. Even if the Chen Clan sends people, they absolutely will not arrive so quickly. Besides, isn't this what we agreed on beforehand?"

"No." The Bamboo Hat Figure shook his head.

Seeing this, threads of anger could not help surging up in Kui Mu True Person's heart.

How could he not know that the man before him was raising the price on the spot?

"Then what does Brother Meng mean?" Kui Mu True Person forced a smile onto his face and asked.

The Bamboo Hat Figure glanced at him and calmly spat out three words: "You pay more."