Purple Haze Divine Skill Acquired

"Yue Lingshan, your father's here to pick you up!" Hao Shuai called into the cabin.

Hearing Hao Shuai, Yue Lingshan came out of the cabin. When she saw Old Yue on the bank, she called, "Dad!"

Once he'd confirmed it was Yue Buqun, Hao Shuai put an arm around Yue Lingshan's waist and flew straight over the water to the bank.

Seeing how skilled Hao Shuai was at Lightness Skill, and remembering that he'd wiped out the Qingcheng Sect, Old Yue silently labeled him a man who couldn't be defeated by force.

Once they reached the bank, Hao Shuai let go of Yue Lingshan and said to Old Yue, "Sect Leader Yue, let's not waste time. Did you bring the Purple Haze Divine Skill?"

Old Yue didn't answer. Instead, he asked Yue Lingshan, "Shan'er, are you all right? Did he mistreat you?"

Hao Shuai rolled his eyes.

Mistreat her?

Couldn't he see that his daughter had gotten fat from eating too much junk food and drinking too many sodas?

"Dad, I'm fine!" Yue Lingshan at least had a conscience and didn't say anything reckless.

"Sect Leader Yue, you've checked on your daughter. Let's not waste any more time. Toss me the Purple Haze manual, and I'll send Miss Yue back. That way, we'll all be happy, everyone gets what they want, and we can part on good terms. By the way, if you think you're getting the short end of the deal, I happen to have a certain sword manual you want. I can throw that in as a bonus." Hao Shuai cut short the father and daughter's reunion.

"You really have that sword manual?" Old Yue asked, his interest plain to see.

"Absolutely. Besides, I have no reason to lie to you."

Old Yue thought it over. Given Hao Shuai's martial arts, he really had no reason to deceive him. So he pulled a book from inside his robe and tossed it to Hao Shuai.

Hao Shuai caught the book and flipped it open.

Well!

He still couldn't understand it!

"Sect Leader Yue, you wouldn't give me a fake, would you? You know there'd be no good in making an enemy of me for the Mount Hua Sect." Hao Shuai asked, still uneasy.

"I stake my reputation as the Gentleman Sword on its authenticity. As you said, my Mount Hua Sect has no wish to suffer the same fate as the Qingcheng Sect." Old Yue sounded utterly sincere. Yue Buqun truly wouldn't dare play tricks over this. Having a powerful martial artist set his sights on the Mount Hua Sect would be disastrous.

What kind of good reputation could you possibly have, Yue Buqun?

Hao Shuai sneered inwardly.

Forget it. He'd have Dongfang Bai verify it later.

"Yue Lingshan, congratulations. You're free to go! Go join your father." Hao Shuai kept his word and released Yue Lingshan.

"Shan'er, come over here."

At Old Yue's call, Yue Lingshan walked toward him, glancing back every few steps.

Seeing her look back again and again, Old Yue thought she was afraid Hao Shuai would attack her from behind.

But Hao Shuai could tell from Yue Lingshan's eyes that was not what she meant at all.

What the hell?

What was that look in her eyes?

What was with all that reluctance?

Had the girl developed Stockholm syndrome?

No matter how reluctant Yue Lingshan was, she eventually made it to Old Yue's side.

"That sword manual you mentioned?" Now that his daughter was safely back, Old Yue looked at Hao Shuai with eager anticipation.

"Are you sure you want to make the trade now?" Hao Shuai glanced at Yue Lingshan.

"Shan'er, go back to the city and wait for me." Old Yue understood at once and sent Yue Lingshan away.

"Sect Leader Yue, if you want the Bixie Sword Manual, trade me some other Mount Hua Sect techniques, like the Primordial Unity Skill." Now that only he and Old Yue were there, Hao Shuai made his demand.

"Fine." Old Yue was decisive. He pulled several books from inside his robe and tossed them to Hao Shuai.

It was no wonder Old Yue was so decisive. He'd already handed over the Purple Haze Divine Skill, so a few more techniques hardly mattered.

Hao Shuai took the books. He saw "Primordial Unity Skill" and "Xiyi Swordplay" written on them. Without checking whether they were genuine, he put them away in his storage space and tossed a book to Old Yue.

Hao Shuai thought to himself, These people in the martial world really do love carrying their manuals around. Looks like looting corpses is still a profitable business.

Old Yue caught the book and eagerly opened the Bixie Sword Manual.

"To practice this divine skill, one must first castrate oneself!"

The moment he opened the manual, those eight ominous characters leaped into view. A thunderous crack seemed to ring in his ears, like a bolt from a clear sky, leaving him reeling.

"This..."

Old Yue's hand shook, and the manual nearly slipped from his grasp. He recovered and glared furiously at Hao Shuai, demanding, "Tang Bohu, I traded manuals with you in good faith, yet you gave me a fake to deceive me! Do you think I, Yue Buqun, am easy to bully?"

"Sect Leader Yue, there's no need to get angry."

Hao Shuai smiled. "I guarantee that the Bixie Sword Manual I gave you is a handwritten copy, but it's absolutely genuine. It's just that the techniques recorded in it are somewhat hard to believe. If you don't believe me, read further. You'll see I'm telling the truth."

Old Yue had no choice but to open the manual again. He forced himself past the discomfort those first eight characters had caused and read on, line by line. He hadn't realized it at first, but as he read, he became completely absorbed.

As the second-ranked master in the Five Great Sword Sects, Old Yue's martial arts were formidable and his willpower was strong. Yet before the Bixie Sword Manual, both counted for nothing.

"Whew..."

It took a good while before Old Yue finally came to his senses. He let out a long breath and said ruefully, "The manual is indeed genuine. It seems I wronged you, Young Master Tang."

"Good. Since the manuals are genuine, our deal is done. Until we meet again!" Hao Shuai cupped his hands to Old Yue. He didn't return to Fuzhou City, but headed straight toward Hengyang instead.

"Until we meet again, Young Master Tang!" Old Yue returned the salute.

He had no inclination to cultivate ties with Hao Shuai now. After putting away the manual, he headed straight back to Fuzhou City to meet up with Yue Lingshan.

Once Hao Shuai reached a secluded spot, he took off toward Hengyang.

Ride a horse?

Hao Shuai had no intention of traveling by horse ever again. His backside couldn't take that kind of punishment!

As Hao Shuai flew toward Hengyang, his alternate identity, Tang Bohu, had become famous—or rather, had sent shockwaves through the martial world.

Rumors were spreading everywhere that Tang Bohu had wiped out the Qingcheng Sect, kidnapped Yue Lingshan, traded her for the Purple Haze manual from the sect leader, and then escaped unscathed.

There were even rumors that the Lin family's Bixie Sword Manual was in Tang Bohu's possession.

The entire martial world was frantically searching for Tang Bohu. Most were after the manuals he carried. Whether the Bixie Sword Manual was genuine remained to be seen, but it was certain that he had the Purple Haze Divine Skill.

Unfortunately, the people of the martial world had turned the whole place upside down, yet no one had found Tang Bohu.

At Black Wood Cliff, headquarters of the Sun Moon Holy Cult.

Dongfang Bai lay across a chair, quietly lost in thought. Holding a stick with a ribbon tied to one end, she teased a golden thread snake. She murmured, "Why do you think Yu Niang betrayed me for a man? Wasn't I good enough to her? Why can love make someone lose their way? What do you think I'd become if I fell in love one day?" At this, she drifted into her memories, seeming to recall Hao Shuai rescuing her.

Coming back to herself, Dongfang smiled over her shoulder and said, "I think he's rather cute."

"Greetings, Cult Leader!"

A spy entered the silent hall and interrupted Dongfang's reverie. He knelt on the floor and bowed respectfully.

"What is it you have to report?"

Dongfang asked without expression.

"Reporting to the Cult Leader: Liu Zhengfeng of the Hengshan Sect intends to wash his hands in the Golden Basin and leave the martial world. Before that, Elder Qu had been staying in Hengyang for several months. The two are close and have met secretly several times to play the qin and flute."

"Is that so? One is the right-hand man of the Holy Cult, the other a defender of the orthodox sects. I can hardly believe they're friends."

Dongfang gave a cold laugh.

"People throughout the sect say Elder Qu intends to work with Liu Zhengfeng from within and without," the spy said respectfully.

"Hmph!"

Dongfang gave a cold, forbidding smile.

"Should I go to Hengyang and investigate?"

"No need! Any news of Hao Shuai?"

"Reporting to the Cult Leader: After traveling from Huayin County to Fuzhou City, he stayed there for several dozen days. But the sect has been unable to find out what he did during that time. We only discovered that he left Fuzhou a few days ago and headed toward Hengyang," the spy reported.

"You may leave."

"Yes, Cult Leader."

The hall fell silent once more.

"Liu Zhengfeng claims he's washing his hands in the Golden Basin, yet secretly consorts with Qu Yang. It seems there's quite a show about to unfold in Hengyang. He's going there too, so why shouldn't I make a trip myself?" Dongfang smiled knowingly. She drew in a breath of power, and the golden thread snake in the glass jar shot into her sleeve. Then she turned and left.