Human Life

Zhang Wuji's mother once said that the prettier a woman was, the better she was at lying.

Li Fan liked beautiful women, but he wasn't lovesick. How could he not have seen that the one who'd thrown the knives beside him and the shopkeeper just now was Huo Shan Mo Lian—or Huo Hongmian—hiding under an invisibility talisman? She'd clearly wanted to use the two of them to draw the fiend corpse away, then escape through the secret passage herself.

She'd planned everything down to the last detail, but even she had been startled by the sight of Li Fan unleashing eight sword dragons to scour the place. Thinking he was some sort of wolf in sheep's clothing, she'd been bluffed into revealing herself. She'd dispelled the talisman and admitted defeat, returned Kun, whom she'd nearly kidnapped, and even tried to save her life by offering to become his disciple.

Li Fan snorted. He glanced at the young woman kneeling on the ground, unable to tell whether she'd really given up or was still looking for a chance to ambush him. Then he looked at the shopkeeper behind him, who'd been slammed into the wall and was lying there with rolled-back eyes and foam at his mouth, before turning to look beyond the wall at the Longmen Inn.

The troops sealing off the inn were in an uproar. The sword gale that had just blown the inn's roof away had left men shouting and horses whinnying, throwing them into disarray. But the loud voice of the bald-headed Ji Chang carried over from a distance. It probably wouldn't take long for him to get them back in formation.

Li Fan made his decision at once. He stuffed Kun into his robes and ran, passing Xuan Niang, who was still kneeling on the ground with a vacant stare. Her bloodied clothes had been mostly torn away by the sword wind, exposing her pale shoulders, back, and arms. He charged straight for the space beneath the stairs.

He flicked a finger, sending out a faint whirl of Qi from the Qiankun Flying Dragon Sword. It smashed into the floor, blasting away the tables, chairs, and stairs that blocked his way and revealing the entrance to the underground passage. Without hesitation, he leaped down into the tunnel and fled.

He had no choice but to run. Li Fan still had far too little experience fighting others with spells and martial arts, and he couldn't gauge how much force to use. He'd been too nervous just now and had gone all out, burning through every last bit of true Qi in his Qi Sea!

In a place like Source Marsh, where spiritual Qi was thick in the air and he could replenish it all in an instant just by breathing, running out wouldn't matter. But here in the Human Dao, there was hardly any spiritual Qi to replenish him!

Put simply, Li Fan was out of mana. How was he supposed to fight a eunuch who might pull out the Chrysanthemum Manual, eight armed guards, and another twenty or thirty armored mountain patrol guards carrying halberds and crossbows?

No wonder Daotong, Xuanbao, and the others practiced the Tyrant Body. At least they wouldn't be as helpless as Li Fan was now. Besides, cultivators needed to have plenty of true Qi in their bodies to train. If they kept using it all up in fights, how were they supposed to increase their cultivation?

Anyway, Li Fan would remember that damn eunuch who'd caused so many deaths. They'd settle this another day! He'd get revenge for the blood debt of the Longmen Inn sooner or later! For now, he'd make his escape and live to fight another day!

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Host, you really do need more practice. You were trading blows with a bunch of ants. Don't go around telling people I trained you.

Oh, so you're back to having your energy and spirit, are you, Sword Intent? What a sharp tongue! Who knew people here were so "simple and honest"? They'd just start hacking each other to pieces! The amount of blood just now was insane. It shocked the hell out of me!

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: When you're out in the martial world, isn't it just a matter of me cutting you and you cutting me? What's there to be shocked about? Strike first to gain the advantage; strike later and you're doomed. Next time, pick out the ten or eight people with the highest cultivation and cut them down first to cow the whole crowd. Then no one will dare bother you while you drink.

Li Fan couldn't help imagining some lunatic sword immortal suddenly charging into a tavern, yelling, "Stop disturbing people who are trying to enjoy a quiet drink!" as he slaughtered everyone in sight.

...All right, when it came to being a lunatic, these sword immortals really were in a league of their own...

Profound Heaven Sword Intent agrees. Isn't that right?

You think I'm complimenting you, you bastard?

Then Kun, nestled in his robes, started coughing.

"Kun, you silly thing, what'd you eat? Why didn't you call out when they caught you?"

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: How does a fish call out?

Give it a rest!

As he ran, Li Fan grabbed Kun by the tail and held him upside down, shaking him. Kun coughed and spat out some red powder.

What was that? Chili powder?

"Daoist, your fish ate all my rouge and face powder," Huo Hongmian said softly. She was actually using light-footwork to follow him through the tunnel.

"What, so you want to stew it now?" Li Fan actually wanted to beat her up, but estimated that without any Qi, he probably couldn't win. All he could do was roll his eyes at her.

"How could I dare?" Huo Hongmian fluttered her long eyelashes and shot Li Fan a flirtatious glance. "I only thought the little spirit fish was so cute and lovable. I gave in to temptation for a moment. I know I was wrong, Daoist. Please forgive me this once, won't you?"

Ha! Did she really think she could charm Li Fan that easily? He'd seen every kind of beauty there was—on TV, anyway, cough... But he wasn't interested in teenage girls! When she grew up to a 36D, then she could come back and apologize sincerely!

"Hmph!" Li Fan ignored her and kept running.

Huo Hongmian probably hadn't expected her beautiful face and soft-spoken apology to be useless. She froze for a moment, then gritted her teeth and followed after him in a huff.

The passage wasn't long. It ran beneath the Longmen Inn and emerged at the wall of a dry well, a few alleys away. Li Fan used true Qi to climb up the well shaft, checked that no one was around, and climbed out. He was about to take a detour to the market and meet up with the other two children.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Host, your Qi should be mostly replenished by now. Don't leave just yet. When that girl climbs up, stab her while she's off guard.

Huh? This... doesn't seem right...

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Host, don't be so softhearted. That girl followed behind you the whole way, hand on her dagger and eyes fixed on your back. An eye for an eye. Listen to me: when she sticks her head out, stab her.

Li Fan frowned. Maybe this was just how people in this world dealt with each other. Even after everything that had happened at the inn, it was asking too much to expect him to change the values he'd grown up with in peacetime and get used to a world where everyone killed everyone.

If that damn eunuch who'd taken so many lives appeared in front of Li Fan, maybe he could launch a sword gale at him without a second thought. But other people—for example, the shopkeeper who'd used Li Fan as a shield, or this ill-intentioned Huo Shan Mo Lian—he figured a good beating to let off steam would be enough. Cutting them down outright seemed a bit much.

"Hehe, little Daoist, I already apologized. You're not going to ambush me at the mouth of the well, are you?"

Huo Hongmian turned out to be clever too. She called out from below, exposing Sword Intent's plan.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Host, do you think she didn't deserve to die because she followed us all this way without attacking from behind? She was using you to scout ahead, making sure the first person to emerge from the well wouldn't be ambushed! This is the sort of experience you lack in the martial world. Do you really think she has good intentions?

This... Sword Intent, you make people sound so... No, maybe people in the Human Dao really were as dangerous as Profound Heaven Sword Intent said...

"Ah!"

Huo Hongmian's sudden scream and the sounds of a fight from the bottom of the well startled Li Fan out of his hesitation. He was about to lean over and look.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Don't move! What if that girl's deliberately making a commotion, waiting for you to lean over so she can attack? You'd be dead!

Tsk... Was she really that devious? But the sounds of fighting from below didn't seem fake...

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: If you really don't want to kill anyone, then leave now. That girl is young but cunning. Forget about her.

"Help!" Huo Hongmian screamed again from below.

Li Fan gritted his teeth, held Kun up to the mouth of the well, and said, "Take a look! What's going on?"

Kun stared down.

Kun says: Two women are fighting.

Two women? Had Xuan Niang caught up too?

Li Fan peered down. Sure enough, Huo Hongmian had probably been so focused on watching Li Fan that she'd let her guard down. While they'd been at a standoff at the bottom of the well, Xuan Niang had attacked her from behind. She'd knocked away Huo Hongmian's golden saber, climbed on top of her, and pinned her to the bottom of the dry well, squeezing her throat and forcing half her face into the dirt as she kicked and struggled.

Xuan Niang was covered in blood and sweat. She didn't seem to care that the sword wind had left her nearly naked, her bare upper body pressed down on Huo Hongmian as the girl kicked and clawed, carving bloody scratches across her. She probably meant to stake her life on avenging Fourth Young Master, who'd been killed by two of Huo Hongmian's attendants.

Li Fan watched from the mouth of the well, stunned. Seeing a murder happen right before his eyes was a pretty terrifying experience.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: You can take this chance to stab them both and collect their heads. If you really don't want to kill anyone, then leave. Their lives have nothing to do with you.

Nothing to do with me... No, that wasn't right.

Li Fan suddenly frowned.

With Sword Intent's perception, it must have known all along that Xuan Niang was following them in secret. Just now, when it failed to convince Li Fan to attack Huo Hongmian, it had urged him to stand by and let Xuan Niang get the drop on her.

But why was it so determined to see that mixed-blood girl dead?

Sword Intent didn't respond. At the bottom of the well, Huo Hongmian's face was already streaked with tears and snot. Her eyes had rolled back and her tongue was sticking out. She looked close to being strangled to death!

Li Fan was getting angry. Sword Intent, what the hell are you planning? Don't keep it to yourself! Say something! Just watching someone get strangled to death would leave me feeling terribly guilty! Besides, we're only guessing at what she'd do. She gave up and didn't actually attack me, did she? Sword Intent, once you start murdering people because of what you think is in their hearts, there's no limit to where you'll take it!

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Well, that's true... That girl looks a little like the reincarnation of the Saintess of the Divine Cult. Host, wait a little longer. If she really is the Saintess, then when she's pushed to the brink of death, divine light will protect her and her true soul will awaken.

And if she isn't?

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: Then she'll just die for real.

Damn it! I knew it!

"Shit! I can't live with myself if I kill a kid! Let her go!" Li Fan's mind went blank. He leaped down into the well and kicked Xuan Niang in the waist, knocking the equally exhausted woman aside. At the same time, he formed a sword of Returning Dust Sword Qi in his hand and pointed it at Huo Hongmian, who was blue-faced and gasping as she clutched her throat, ready to stop her if she tried anything.

"Both of you, stop! Haven't enough people died today? I'm not fresh off the execution grounds! I can't stand watching this anymore! Enough!

Whatever your grudge is, set it aside for now. I won't stop you from settling your score later! But this ends here today! No more killing in front of me!"

Li Fan was truly burning with anger. So what if they called him softhearted or hypocritical? He'd had enough of watching bloody murder scenes! He'd only been here a few days—his values weren't going to change overnight! Right now, he was the strongest one here, so they were going to do things his way! Everyone was stopping!

Fortunately, neither woman fought back. They were both too exhausted.

Xuan Niang lay on her back, breathing hard, her chest rising and falling.

Huo Hongmian coughed as she wiped her nose and tears, trembling in a corner.

But Li Fan couldn't tell whether they'd really stopped fighting or were just pretending.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says...

"Says what, you bastard?" Li Fan cursed. "You're both so beautiful. Why not find a man and get married, and enjoy yourselves? Why spend all day killing, killing, killing? What the hell is wrong with you?"

He took out the Qi-restoring pills and wound-healing medicine Fuling had prepared for him and tossed them all to Xuan Niang.

Then he yanked Huo Hongmian to her feet. She reacted like a startled cat, resisting and scratching at him, but he half-dragged and half-held her as he ran up the well shaft, bringing her along as he climbed out of the dry well. Then he dragged her through two streets, losing track of where the well was himself, before finally letting go.

"You can go too. Remember, you won't always be as lucky as you were today, running into someone as softhearted as me. You can count yourself lucky to have gotten out alive! Go! Wherever you're headed, get going!"

Huo Hongmian looked at Li Fan with red eyes, still touching the marks on her neck. She sniffed, put on her veil, turned, and darted into the crowd.

"Whew... What the hell was all that?" Li Fan was so angry his head was pounding. This whole damn world was a mess.

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: I didn't expect you to have a bit of a chivalrous streak... You remind me of an old friend...

Hmph, what, are you insulting me? And it's weird enough that a murderous lunatic like you even had a friend... W-wait! Don't change the subject! What if Huo Hongmian really is the Saintess of the Divine Cult? What happens if she awakens?

Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: What else would we do if we found the Saintess of the Divine Cult? We'd help her reincarnate again as soon as possible. This time, you saved her life and formed a karmic bond with her. If that girl isn't the Saintess, then fine. But if she awakens the wisdom of her past life one day and starts cultivating on her own, heh, that could cause trouble.

Li Fan frowned. How did it end up being death either way? Don't leave it at that—what then? If she really awakens and starts cultivating, what's the problem? Could she possibly be faster than me?

*Profound Heaven Sword Intent says: That's not the point. The Divine Cult's cultivation method is different. They focus on cultivating the primordial spirit, so even after reincarnation, they retain most of their cultivation from their past lives. After all these years, the Saintess of the Divine Cult has probably already reached the Immortal Ascension Realm. Once she awakens, she could become the fourth great cultivator in this world to achieve Dao Integration, after the Immortal Venerable Xuan Girl God Lord.

When the Divine Cult's God Lord achieved Dao Integration last time, his divine might burst forth and killed half the people in the Divine Cult. That was what stopped them from counterattacking the Central Plains and the Twelve Countries, leading to the three-way balance that exists today.

So by the time I took charge of the sect, the Divine Cult no longer dared to keep their Saintess candidates at home. They sent them to the Central Plains to live on their own, where they could act as spies and gather information about the Central Plains while pursuing enlightenment and cultivation. That way, if one of them really did achieve Dao Integration, it wouldn't damage the foundations of the Divine Cult again.

The sect leaders and palace masters of the Immortal Palace and the Mystic Sects also reached an understanding long ago: they would hunt down anyone suspected of being the Saintess's reincarnation. Better to kill the innocent than let her escape. Of course, the Divine Cult isn't the only one using these underhanded tactics. Plenty of other sects do the same.

Do you think it's only the people of the martial world who kill innocents indiscriminately? Conflicts between cultivators are even more dangerous and ruthless. In the end, it all comes down to one thing: you can't know what's in people's hearts...

Still, if you want to be a free-spirited sword hero who fights for justice, there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it suits me just fine. But have you really thought this through? Is it more important to save the Saintess's life, or to protect all those ordinary people in the Human Dao?

If you change your mind, that girl hasn't gone far yet.*

Li Fan fell silent. Strike first to gain the advantage; strike later and you're doomed...

Kun lay on Li Fan's head and patted him.

Kun says: There's a place selling stinky tofu over there.

Sigh... I'm wrestling with the heavens and people, stuck in some trolley-problem moral dilemma, and all you can think about is food? But that stinky tofu smells pretty good...

And so Li Fan made up his mind.

"Damn the Saintess! Besides, killing her would just make her reincarnate again. You've killed her so many times already, and you still haven't solved the real problem, have you? If I'm going to break my vow against killing, I'll do it after I kill that eunuch!

Anyway, we've fought enough for today. We're done. Time to drink tea. This ends here! Enjoy your wine today; worry about tomorrow tomorrow! That's final!

Boss, ten skewers of stinky tofu!"

Seeing that Li Fan had made up his mind, Profound Heaven Sword Intent stopped trying to persuade him. It sheathed its edge, released its Divine Sense, and let Huo Hongmian go.