Soul Snare

Early morning.

Jiang Yan and his group had risen early. After breakfast, they prepared to leave.

The patrol members left behind in Yuyang Village could only provide the most basic protection. If they encountered any formidable strange creatures, they would be badly understaffed.

The strange creature in Qingshan Village had been eliminated. Though there were still plenty of matters to handle afterward, none of them had anything to do with the group.

On the way, Jiang Yan asked Ren Yuan about getting an External Cultivation technique.

He wanted to see what avenues Ren Yuan knew.

"Chief, I want to find a basic External Cultivation technique. Do you know how I might get one?"

Ren Yuan stared at Jiang Yan. "Practicing External Cultivation is twice the work for half the result. With the time and resources it takes, you'd be better off cultivating Inner Qi and advancing your martial realm."

He shook his head and continued, "You can exchange sect contributions for an External Cultivation technique, but I wouldn't recommend it. You'd be better off saving them to exchange for a Body Refining Realm technique later."

"Actually, if you want an External Cultivation technique, you could try asking the villagers in Yuyang Village."

"These villagers came from all over. Anyone who managed to make it to the mining area has at least some ability, and quite a few have family-inherited techniques."

"You get a decent monthly allowance and don't have many chances to spend it. You could consider using your money to trade for things."

Uh... He knew the ropes awfully well. He must have done this sort of thing before.

Still, Ren Yuan's words had instantly broadened Jiang Yan's horizons.

"If some villagers have martial cultivation methods, could those include External Cultivation, martial techniques, and... cultivation techniques?"

Along the Talisman Path.

The group moved quickly, with Jiang Yan bringing up the rear.

Single Renhu was ahead of him.

At that moment, Single Renhu looked utterly battered. His right arm was wrapped in thick bandages, and there was a scratch on his face that made him look rather fearsome.

But Old Shan wasn't downhearted at all. As he put it, as long as he was alive, nothing else mattered.

"B-Big Brother Shan, have some water."

Meng Neng carried a large water flask against his chest. He took it off, unscrewed the lid, and offered it to Single Renhu.

"Get lost."

Single Renhu's face was cold. "I'm not drinking."

Jiang Yan watched their interaction without a flicker of expression. To be fair, Old Shan's injuries really had been because of Meng Sheng.

"Have a sip, Big Brother Shan."

"Just one sip."

Meng Sheng got a cold shoulder, but he didn't take offense. He kept trying to persuade Single Renhu.

The previous night, he'd been ambushed by a strange creature and hadn't reacted in time. If Single Renhu hadn't risked his life to save him,

he'd be dead now.

"Hmph!"

Single Renhu reached out with his left hand, grabbed the iron flask, and tipped it back. "Gulp, gulp, gulp..."

"Big Brother Shan, when we get back, I'll buy something nice for... Sister-in-law."

"Pah! I don't need..."

Hm?

"Fine." Single Renhu's tongue tied itself in a knot halfway through his sentence. "Remember to buy plenty... It's not like you have anywhere else to spend your money."

Pfft!

Jiang Yan couldn't help laughing. He was just about to speak when, suddenly, the grass to the left of the Talisman Path rustled.

Hm?

What the hell was that?

Whoosh!

Clang, clang, clang...

The ground burst apart, dirt and stones flying everywhere.

Without the slightest warning, Jiang Yan drew his sword and sprang forward. His sword light split into countless shadows as grass blades scattered.

Whoosh!

His eyes locked onto a black shadow. He flicked his sword.

A flash of cold light vanished, and a vicious killing intent locked onto its target.

Ah?

A scream rang out.

Hm? A person—a woman.

Jiang Yan stopped short. Grass swirled, dirt burst apart, and a small crater exploded beneath his feet.

His sword light veered aside, slicing over the woman's head. Her hood fell away, and the sword light sheared off countless strands of her black hair.

If she'd screamed a moment later, Jiang Yan would have killed her by mistake.

"Who are you, and why were you spying on me?"

With the tip of his sword against the woman's throat, Jiang Yan asked coldly.

"I..."

The woman had a very ordinary appearance. She seemed frail and frightened, but her eyes were already darting about.

"Tell me the truth," Jiang Yan said, keeping his eyes fixed on her features. "I'll only accept the truth."

At the same time, a killing intent locked onto her. "I'm not... joking with you."

"I... I..." The woman had been trying to make up a story to get out of this, but she hadn't expected Jiang Yan to be so unyielding.

She looked up. Her dark eyes were like the deep eye of a sea abyss, swirling with a vortex. She stared at Jiang Yan, her voice weak, yet hazy with an indistinct allure.

Secret Technique: Soul Snare

"Big brother, could you please lower your sword?"

She hadn't yet formed spirit blood, and her martial cultivation was still at the Martial Apprentice level. She was genuinely afraid that this young man might lose his head and kill her on the spot.

A voice that seemed to come from the depths of her soul rang out. "Big brother, could you please lower your sword?"

"Lower my sword?"

"Lower it!"

Her voice carried a potent power to ensnare the soul, seemingly impossible to resist, and seemingly impossible to want to resist.

"Sure... my ass."

Jiang Yan's gaze went hazy for a moment, then cleared.

He stared at the woman before him, and his frigid killing intent surged in an instant.

He'd felt that power just now, deep in his bones. If he hadn't lived two lives and possessed such a powerful spirit, he might have fallen for her trick.

Ou Yanling suppressed her shock. She knew that her Soul Snare technique could fail, but she hadn't expected it to happen in a situation like this.

Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Someone approached quickly.

"Ou Yanling, how long does it take you to relieve yourself? Women are such a hassle."

An impatient voice came first. A massively built man stepped into view.

Hm?

The man took in the scene, blinked, then chuckled. "So that's why you were taking so long. You were meeting your lover."

Xia Fengshe didn't care in the least whether Ou Yanling lived or died. He watched the scene with great interest.

The moment the man fixed his gaze on him, Jiang Yan's heart gave a violent thump, as if he'd been stared down by an apex predator.

But he wasn't panicking at all, because—

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Led by Ren Yuan, the people from Yuyang Village had already reacted. They left the Talisman Path and formed a loose protective ring around Jiang Yan.

At the same time, they drew their weapons and pointed them at the burly man from a distance.

Seeing how they were dressed, Xia Fengshe's brow twitched, and a hint of savagery seeped into his eyes. "The Dahe Gang?"

"Who might you be?"

Ren Yuan seemed to sense that this man would be difficult to handle. Inner Qi surged throughout his body.

Seeing this, Ou Yanling grew anxious. She glanced at Jiang Yan from the corner of her eye and saw that his muscles were taut all over. If Xia Fengshe made a move, Jiang Yan would probably slit her throat at once.

Dangerous. Extremely dangerous. A powerful will to survive flared within her.

She glanced urgently at Xia Fengshe. That look brimmed with countless emotions: helplessness, sorrow.

Deep within her eyes, the vortex spun rapidly.

Xia Fengshe froze, and the killing aura around him vanished.

The two sides faced off, swords drawn and tension taut. He had no idea why, but he wanted to kill a few members of the Dahe Gang to vent his anger. Yet a conviction even stronger than that suddenly took root in his heart.

He had to protect Ou Yanling. This feeling had surfaced many times along the way; he'd even been injured because of it.

While they rested at night, he'd even wondered if he'd fallen in love with her. Otherwise, why would he feel such burning devotion and determination to protect her?

But when he looked at Ou Yanling's face in daylight, he knew he couldn't act rashly. He couldn't give up the whole forest for a crooked tree.

He forced a smile. "Everyone, my younger sister just went off to relieve herself and avoid strangers. I don't know how she offended you, but I apologize on her behalf. Please let my little sister go."

He cupped his hands and bowed to them, perfectly courteous.

"This guy—does he think we're stupid? Anyone could feel that naked killing intent he just had."

"Does he think he can insult our intelligence?"

The same thought popped into the minds of quite a few people.

Jiang Yan had seen everything clearly. He gave the woman a long look, then reached out and grabbed her by the throat.

A little pressure would be enough to crush it.

"Miss, I didn't realize you were relieving yourself earlier. Please forgive the intrusion."

"But seeing how this gentleman is acting, I'm afraid we'll have to invite you to our village."

That woman's ability seemed to affect the man profoundly. The burly man had clearly been about to attack and didn't care whether the woman lived or died.

Yet when she used that ability, it had a powerful effect on him.

So they couldn't let her go. If they did, those two might turn on them at once.

The woman seemed to have already considered all this. Her face remained calm, without a trace of surprise.

Ren Yuan seemed to have figured out the situation and relaxed a little. He called to Xia Fengshe, "Sir, would you be willing to come to our village? As long as you mean us no harm and we clear up this misunderstanding, we'll let you leave."

Go to your village?

As long as I mean you no harm?

Heh. Xia Fengshe grinned. As if he'd believe that. They wanted to keep him there, then call over Body Refining Realm and Blood Refining Realm experts to gang up on him.

The strange feeling had now faded. Xia Fengshe stopped looking at Ou Yanling. With his mind clear, he chuckled, his face swollen and bruised, then turned and walked away.

I haven't even cured my poison yet. I don't have time to play with you. What if the Dahe Gang's experts show up? More importantly, I still haven't recovered from yesterday's injuries. That Body Refining warrior on the other side... I might not be able to beat him.

Once I've cured the poison, I'll head straight back to Youshan City. I don't want Ou Yanling's reward anymore.

This trip had been a total loss!

P.S. Thanks for all the recommendation votes! They're really important while the book is new, so if you still have any, please vote!