Suihou Pearl

Having witnessed such a 'fate of immortality,' Li Fan's confusion and apprehension deepened, so he asked directly,

"Fellow Daoist, in your quest to transcend tribulation and take human form, so many people have been dragged into this mess and died. To just say it's retribution and call it a day seems a bit unfair, doesn't it?"

Seeing that Li Fan was blocking her way and still showed no intention of letting her go, Du Xia smiled and said, "In this world, there are only courtesans who are beaten down to the point of being forced into brothels to entertain guests, not pleasure-seekers who are forcibly taken to bed."

Those who boarded this ship all had the opportunity to be recognized as my masters, but it was simply that their own fate was insufficient, their comprehension lacked, their blessings were insufficient, and their opportunities were not ripe, so they didn't succeed. From beginning to end, I never forced them. If it wasn't in their destiny, why would they fight for it and die unjustly? They provided me with yang energy for cultivation, and I gave them a chance to try their fate. It was simply a matter of each getting what they needed. If they were useless, could they blame me? Would my advice have been of any use? Until just now, I was merely a box."

Li Fan was momentarily speechless. "... Alright, I'll assume you were involved too, and we'll remember this debt for now. But what exactly happened with the destruction of the Xun Kingdom?"

Don't give me that cause-and-effect argument. Yang Sheng is completely lost in his dream, unable to extricate himself. But is your reason for recognizing a master really to make such a vow to destroy a nation? While Miss Du's fate is regrettable, it hasn't escalated to the level of national and personal hatred, has it?

Who exactly was the cultivator who guided you to enlightenment? This arrangement doesn't seem like it's meant to let a scholar Yang Sheng enjoy a peaceful and comfortable life of worldly wealth. What are your true intentions?

Du Xia's smile faded, and she said seriously, "If you ask what the connection is with Xun Kingdom, back then, Miss was betrayed by that scholar. It turned out that a prince from the royal family knew of Flower Dragon's reputation and forced her to take him as a concubine. This fine gem of a person ended up on Rouge Pool because she was born into the former dynasty and her entire family was killed by the royal family of the new dynasty, leaving her with no way out."

Besides, as you saw in the calamity, it didn't matter whether that scholar had the knowledge and courage of Young Master Yang. Lowly commoners and poor families who were slaves or servants had no way to survive in Xun Kingdom once they were targeted by the royal family and powerful clans. The world is cold and indifferent, so how could it not have any connection?

If you still want to know my motives, yes, my obsession stems from my mistress. However, now it's no longer just for my mistress, but because there's more than just one Miss Du in Rouge Pool...

Du Xia walked to the bedside, looking at the night view of the river outside. "I've wandered Rouge Pool for so many years, and I've truly witnessed the tragedies of the women on this river. You know, among all these pleasure boats, generation after generation of courtesans have come and gone, what a glamorous life! But how many of them willingly chose to be trapped in these brothels, selling their smiles? And how many were broken in the huts, locked up, and forced into prostitution?"

Those who wear rouge on the river are either kidnapped as children, abandoned by their parents due to hunger, remnants of the previous dynasty's rebellious faction, or relatives of current dynasty's disgraced officials. If they are lucky, they can crawl out from under the boat and enjoy a night of pleasure. If they are unlucky, they are simply wrapped in cloth bags and sunk to the bottom of the river.

Even the most beautiful courtesans, after all, rely on their beauty to please others. Despite their dazzling success, most of them end up dying tragically. In the end, they are nothing more than ornaments used by the powerful and wealthy of Xun Kingdom to decorate the splendor of their prosperous era, and once they wither, they are simply thrown into the mud.

Ha! You can't stand seeing a few lustful ghosts die on my boat? Have you seen all the wronged souls at the bottom of Rouge Pool?

Fellow Daoist, tell me, who was responsible for this situation? Was it a few scholars, a few madams, or that vicious tiger entrenched in the city on the stone hill?

Li Fan was stunned.

Du Xia squinted, leaned close to him, and said, word by word, "Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. How can killing just one or two ungrateful bastards vent the anger that has been building up in my belly for so many years?"

I have witnessed too many injustices on this river. I must exterminate all these noble families who have poisoned the lives of the common people, and burn the entire Yanzhi River to the ground! Only then can I avenge the grievances of so many young ladies and quell the jealousy in my heart!

Today, I have finally received the help of Young Master Yang, and was able to break free from the seal and take form in the world. This is something that even Heaven knows: the fate of the Xun Kingdom has run out!

If Young Master Yang truly only seeks worldly wealth and status, then I'll consider myself blind and have mistaken him for someone else, and I'll keep my promise to protect him. He can then seek his own path from now on. But if he truly wishes to avenge Miss...

Even if it means attacking the Xun Kingdom and becoming enemies with the Twelve Countries of the Immortal Palace, I will do everything in my power to help him succeed!

Fellow Daoist, do you wish to see how Young Master Yang chooses his path, or will you sacrifice your own destiny to defy fate for the Kingdom of Xun?

Li Fan was stunned for a long time, speechless. "... You, a box that has come to life, are actually starting a revolution here? That's outrageous... Fine, I'll see if you really mean what you say..."

Seeing that Li Fan seemed to have truly given up, Du Xia stopped her sneer, bowed deeply, and said, "I can see that you are indeed concerned about Young Master Yang's safety, which is why I explained so much to you. It's not that I'm truly afraid of you."

Regardless, you have indeed been kind to Young Master Yang and have never ruined my opportunities. Consider this item a token of your gratitude for Young Master Yang's many rescues."

The maid slapped the treasure chest in her hand, and the bottom drawer opened, from which a bright pearl the size of a goose egg flew out.

Li Fan glanced at the bead, his eyes widened, and he couldn't help but exclaim in genuine admiration, "Holy crap?"

This pearl, about an inch in diameter, is pure white and glows in the night. When used to illuminate a room, it is like the luminous glow of a flowing twilight, adorned with the brilliance of the sun and moon. The entire room is filled with the luminous pearl, its milky white and slightly silvery warm glow shining out from the windows of the pavilions and towers, spreading across the riverbanks and reflecting on both sides.

"What the hell is this thing..." Li Fan subconsciously picked up the bead, unable to look away for a moment. His entire Divine Sense was drawn to this treasure, and his pupils were filled only with the bright pearl...

"Ah! Suihou Pearl!"

Suddenly, someone behind him screamed in alarm, which jolted Li Fan awake. A cold sweat ran down his spine, and he instinctively dodged to the side.

At the same time, blades and swords flashed from behind, their powerful energy sweeping in with overwhelming force! In an instant, the wooden structure on the Peony Pavilion's ship was shattered, and the blades and swords aimed straight at his head and heart!

Despite Li Fan's best efforts, he unleashed the Wind and Cloud Dragon Ascent Technique in that instant, dodging and weaving to the extreme, managing to evade countless deadly sneak attacks. Yet, he still managed to take a knife to his right wrist!

Fortunately, because he needed to impersonate someone, he couldn't wear many of his life-saving items, so Li Fan was always on guard. Therefore, the moment he was attacked, he activated the Return to Dust Hunyuan Qigong, immediately covering his entire body with the layer of charcoal that could withstand the Golden Core flying sword.

Although the attacker's blade struck, it wasn't from the Nascent Soul Realm weapon, but rather a piece of trash from Golden Core realm. So, although he took the blow and was in considerable pain from Li Fan's attack, his bones trembling, at least he didn't lose his arm on the spot. However, his grip inevitably loosened, and the Suihou Pearl slipped from his hand and was snatched away by someone!

Li Fan landed on the deck of the warship, which had been swept away by the qi and sword energy. He covered the wound on his right hand from the knife cut and coldly surveyed his surroundings.

By this time, the boat had drifted to the middle of the river and was surrounded by many flower boats and official boats. It turned out that at some point, the flower boat had drifted to the front of the Flower Dragon procession!

It was probably under everyone's watchful eyes that Yang Sheng released the sealing formation he had set up earlier, and Du Xia also revealed her precious light and transformed into human form. This soaring treasure aura probably alarmed the entire Xingye City! The Nascent Soul Stage cultivators who had gathered around were, of course, the Xun Kingdom generals and retainers who were attracted by the radiance and came to seize the treasure!

Li Fan glanced at it again with his blindfolded gaze and couldn't help but curl his lip.

That maid was truly shrewd. While Li Fan was distracted by the precious pearl and fighting with the surrounding cultivators from the Xun Kingdom, she had already grabbed Yang Sheng and escaped using water magic!

Like a gecko shedding its tail or a cicada shedding its shell, this creature, barely transformed into a human, is already so cunning—it's practically a demon!

But what exactly was that thing? For a fleeting moment, it completely confused him...

"It really is the Suihou Pearl!"

"Hahaha! I never expected to stumble upon such a treasure while just out for a drink!"

"No! Just now, the dazzling light clearly indicated Transformation Stage opportunity! That guy still has one!"

"Where are you, demon! What are you plotting to infiltrate my Xun Kingdom? Speak out at once!"

Four Nascent Soul Stage cultivators, two generals on the left and right, and two Confucian scholars in front and behind floated in the air, surrounding Li Fan on the boat in the middle of the river.

Li Fan rubbed his wrist, took a deep breath, but instead of looking at the scholar holding the pearl, he turned to look at the general holding a knife on the other side.

"Did you chop that?"

The general frowned, glaring at Li Fan, whose entire body was covered in ink as if coated with charcoal, and roared, "Where did this demonic cultivator come from! How dare you come to my Xun Kingdom and steal our national treasure! Die!"

He only finished speaking when the four of them made their move in perfect unison!

Two generals, wielding swords and halberds respectively, charged forward, launching a pincer attack on Li Fan! Meanwhile, two scholars, one holding a sword and bowing, unleashed four beams of light that descended from the sky, enveloping the four Nascent Soul Stage cultivators and protecting them with boundless radiant power. The other, carrying the Suihou Pearl, stood facing the wind with his sword, then hurled a large seal, imbued with immense power, which descended from the sky and smashed directly towards Li Fan's head!

Li Fan channeled his true energy with his left hand, activating the Dalu Jingtian. He unleashed a powerful Yang-style finger strike from a distance!

This large seal is a Nascent Soul Realm, and it seems to be the official seal of the Xun Kingdom, with some kind of aura added to it. When it falls, it is as heavy as a mountain, with great force and weight. In addition, it is also supported by some kind of formation. Although it cannot be strictly considered a high-grade magic weapon, it is still first-rate trash. Therefore, Li Fan made a judgment immediately after lightly touching it with his finger from a distance.

It's too much to handle.

After all, he was using Yuqing Zhenyuan to activate the Heavenly Finger Technique, and no matter how exquisite the technique was, it was only equivalent to using 20% of his power to support it. The opponent's buffs were fully stacked, so they really couldn't hold on.

However, the Heavenly Finger is not the Ghost Hand. If one lacks strength, the Ghost Hand will leave one helpless if one cannot retaliate in one move. But the Heavenly Finger's power is quite mysterious. If one cannot win by force, there is a way to win by skill.

Li Fan immediately withdrew his attack, then turned around and struck with two fingers in quick succession, unleashing the Dalu Jingtian Technique and the Obscure and Bright Technique.

Darkness and light are day and night. Light is the moon's illumination, darkness is the moon's end. The changes between darkness and light are the changes between dawn and dusk.

The two techniques have completely opposite changes in force. One technique's power goes from strong to weak, while the other goes from weak to strong. The unpredictable force of the two fingers strikes the two corners of the official seal, and the change in force causes the official seal to spin and rotate!

As expected, the Confucian scholar at the Nascent Soul Realm didn't often take off his official seal to hit people. For a moment, he actually lost control of the Magic Treasure, and the magic weapon was hit twice by Li Fan, making it spin like a top. It lost its aim and fell into the river!

During this brief moment, Li Fan used his flute as a sword, holding it in his left hand. He then unleashed the Puhua Sword Method, parrying left and right, deflecting halberds and blocking blades, dodging and shifting his body, engaging the two Nascent Soul Stage cultivators in close combat!

To be honest, although these two were military officers, their skills were really not that great, not even as sharp as the family's retainers from earlier. I don't know if it was because they had been sitting in the office for too long and hadn't been in combat for a while, or if their legs were still weak from the battle on the Yanzhi River. If they still had the Ghost-Slaying Sword, and used the Xuan Tian Strike Style to kill, they could definitely behead them within three moves!

Unfortunately, in the open, under the watchful eyes of everyone at Crouching Dragon Pool, Li Fan cannot freely unleash the basic sword energy of Ink Bamboo Mountain to kill officials in Xun Kingdom in order to maintain his public image.

Therefore, he had no choice but to use the Puhua Sword Method, imbuing the Return to Dust flute with the Guichen Puhua Sword Qi, and engaging the two Nascent Soul Stage warriors with basic sword moves.

This Puhua Sword Method is the basic sword art for body refinement in the Outer Sect of the Beichen Sword Sect, similar to military boxing in calisthenics. To say that all sword moves from the Beichen Sword Sect are particularly exquisite would be an exaggeration. This sword technique contains many superfluous movements and extra sword flourishes, all designed to stretch muscles and bones, strengthen the body, and improve joint mobility. Moreover, Li Fan could only use 20% of his power, and his Return to Dust Puhua Sword Qi was not yet refined. So, although his movements were elegant and the sword moves exquisite, quite beautiful to watch, it was ultimately useless. After ten moves, he still couldn't defeat these two trashy Nascent Soul Stage! Tsk, what a disgrace...

Of course, the experience of the Nascent Soul General of Xun Kingdom was another matter entirely. When they joined forces to attack and seize the treasure, this black-faced rogue cultivator dodged around unscathed, which was already beyond their expectations. Fighting him was even more unbelievable, as his swordsmanship was incredibly high!

Although they were all just flashy and impractical performance routines, each move attacked the enemy's weaknesses and sealed their meridians. After only ten moves, the two were already covered in blood from the crisscrossing sword energy. If the opponent hadn't been without a suitable weapon, the sword energy wouldn't have been able to penetrate their armor and protective qi. They would probably have died on the spot.

Li Fan's sword speed increased with each strike, using the two as practice targets while Puhua Sword Method techniques. He eliminated unnecessary fancy moves, retaining only the most practical combinations, and occasionally added a few powerful, direct attacks. As a result, the lethality of his swordsmanship became increasingly apparent, each move more ruthless than the last. One moment he would stab a hole in the left side, the next he would slice off half of the right eyebrow, then he would slit the throat with a backhand strike, and then he would cleave the abdomen straight through the chest. The two men were utterly terrified, forced to retreat in a desperate attempt to defend themselves.

After practicing a few moves with the two of them, the two scholars finally realized what was happening and saw Li Fan's 'flaw', so they shouted loudly.

"Do not retreat! This person possesses the profound skill of striking objects from a distance!"

"This Fiend's swordsmanship is formidable! But his cultivation is mediocre! Do not give him a chance to catch his breath!"

So the two Confucian scholars, one after the other, joined the battle with their swords!

The four of them surrounded Li Fan and fought fiercely. They didn't have any special combined attack formation; they were just using numbers to bully the few. Relying on the fact that the four Nascent Soul Stage each occupied one side, they put all their strength into attacking randomly.

However, Li Fan had plenty of experience being ganged up on, so he remained calm and composed. He parried and dealt with the situation a few times, and then tested the four men's abilities.

The two Confucian scholars' swordsmanship was even worse, and their combat maneuvers were incredibly stupid; they were utterly useless trash. They were even worse than the two martial generals who practiced external martial arts, except that they had some kind of true qi protecting them, which prevented Li Fan's Return to Dust Universal Transformation sword qi from piercing through them. Otherwise, they would have killed each of them with a single sword strike.

It's a pity he didn't have a sword. If he forced his way in, he could at most use his jade flute to knock them over the head, giving them a good beating. But since they were Nascent Soul Realm cultivators, he might accidentally break his flute...

Although the two impassable wooden stakes were in the way, Li Fan was no longer in a hurry. With the support of the Gu Guan Method, he was not only fighting the four people with swords, but also observing the surrounding situation at the same time. Many cultivators from Xun Kingdom had already gathered around, and the Divine Sense of a Divine Transformation cultivator had also swept over to observe.

At this moment, the four Nascent Soul Stage were surrounding him, sparring with him, and were still being tormented and beaten by him. On the other hand, the cultivators and soldiers of Xun Kingdom who had gathered on the riverbank and the flower boats around him, seeing the battle so entangled, were not willing to lend a hand or resort to underhanded tactics.

That's good. Since the cultivators of Xun Kingdom are all focused on him, Yang Sheng and Du Xia should be able to slip away and escape.

Although that sentient box was a bit too clever and annoying, it did have great ambitions, and Li Fan wanted to see what tricks it could pull. He decided to lend it a hand!

"Ha! Ha! Ha!"

My right hand feels almost healed, and Yang Sheng and the others have probably escaped far away.

In the midst of the chaotic battle, Li Fan suddenly changed his tactics, his jade flute swaying left and then thrusting, the azure sword energy on the flute like a bamboo snake spitting its tongue. These two feints were enough to frighten away two generals. Then, he suddenly flicked his right hand and pointed it at the brow of the scholar who had thrown away his official seal. The latter knew the power of his finger technique and quickly covered his face with both hands, holding his sword horizontally.

But this is still just a feint.

In that instant, the three retreated, revealing the figure of the last scholar.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Fan struck ruthlessly, flipping over and grabbing the scholar's shin with his claws. He took a sword strike to the back, and while the crowd was gathered together, he used the power of his Ghost Hand technique to break through the scholar's protective qi. Grabbing the scholar's knee, he crushed the kneecap and leg bone to pieces. Then, he yanked the scholar up and threw him towards the two generals. Turning around, he pointed a finger at the scholar who had thrown the official seal, forcing him to dodge once again.

Taking advantage of the fact that the two generals were being thrown at by the scholar and were losing their balance, Li Fan once again used his stealth ability to rush straight to the general holding the halberd. He then thrust his flute directly into the general's eyeball, penetrating deep into his skull. Blood spurted Fourth Department, splattering all over the cabin deck.

The general with the knife was splattered with his colleague's blood and screamed in horror. Li Fan had already abandoned his jade flute, rushed over, and ripped both of his hands off, throwing them to the ground.

The scholar-official, though possessing some courage, roared and charged forward with his sword amidst the screams of his colleagues. But this time, when Li Fan pointed a finger at him, he didn't dodge. However, this was no joke; the third time was the charm. The man was instantly struck squarely by the power of the Dalu Jingtian- Piercing Finger, which pierced his heart, causing him to collapse to the ground, dying instantly!

The situation suddenly changed. Li Fan suddenly attacked and killed four people in a row, which shocked the Xun Kingdom cultivators who were watching. Many of the onlookers on the river were caught off guard and none of them could react for a moment!

Taking advantage of the chaos, Li Fan also took out the Suihou Pearl, used his stealth ability to rush to a nearby large pleasure boat, and his gaze fell on the three characters 'Hengbo Pavilion' on the boat. Finally, he was right. He Divine Sense the pleasure boats on the river for a long time, and this boat had the most trashy cultivators.

He glanced at the dumbfounded onlookers and spotted a Golden Core Realm noblewoman with striking attire, her skirt the most dazzling, and her hair adorned with the most hairpins. Hey, she really is exactly like the one in the illusion, even with her enormous breasts! cough cough, then it can't be wrong.

So Li Fan immediately rushed up, knocked the man unconscious, hoisted him onto his shoulder, and fled!

The surrounding servants stood frozen for a few seconds before exclaiming in unison, "The princess has been kidnapped!"

Li Fan laughed loudly and roared, his voice shaking the Hidden Dragon Temple.

"The kidnapper is Li Yaoshi of the Beichen Sword Sect! If you want to see your princess again, prepare 100,000 gold coins to ransom her!"