"Xiao Han, why are you bringing a scholar along with you?!"
After Yan Chixia returned, he casually picked a small ferry. When he saw a shy scholar boarding with them, he seemed rather impatient..
"This brother Ning happened to be taking the ferry too. I saw there was room, so I invited him to join us."
Xiao Han smiled and told Yan Chixia what had happened when he met Ning Caichen. Hearing that Ning Caichen had been falsely accused after acting out of kindness, Yan Chixia's expression softened at once.
Then he introduced Yan Chixia to Ning Caichen: "Brother Ning, this Daoist may look a little fierce, but he's warm-hearted beneath that cold exterior. You said you admired the official path, so I'm sure you've heard the name Yan Chixia."
Ning Caichen, standing behind them and looking a little nervous, seemed to recall something after Xiao Han's introduction. He hurried forward and bowed to Yan Chixia. "So you're Judge Yan Chixia, who once made his name resound throughout the Guandong Guangxi Twenty-Six Provinces! I'm Ning Caichen. It's an honor to meet you."
"Hmph! Another scholar hoping to travel to the capital and sit the imperial exams?"
Yan Chixia frowned at that.
He snorted. When he heard that Ning Caichen was one of those scholars chasing fame and fortune, his expression, which had just begun to soften, turned cold again.
Years ago, after losing faith in officialdom, he had withdrawn from the martial world and devoted himself to solitary cultivation, focusing entirely on the sword. Through years of effort, he had earned the reputation of the Number One Swordsman Under Heaven.
Yan Chixia couldn't say he felt nothing for the imperial court. After all, he had served for many years, and naturally hoped the country would improve. But his disappointment had made it hard for him to think well of officials.
"No, that's not it."
Ning Caichen looked a little embarrassed. "I'm going to Guobei County to collect a debt for an innkeeper."
"Oh? You're going to Guobei County too?"
Yan Chixia turned his gaze to Ning Caichen, then started to say something. "Never mind. We're heading to Guobei County as well. Since you're going the same way, come along with us."
Ning Caichen brightened and thanked him repeatedly. "Thank you, Hero Yan!"
"I never thought Hero Yan, who hates trouble, would take a stranger along," Xiao Han teased.
"Guobei County is only a few days from here. What's the harm in giving him a ride?"
Yan Chixia shook his head. "Besides, in this chaotic world, there aren't many good people like Brother Ning anymore..."
After saying that, he sighed and went to the bow to look at the scenery.
He was a man with a story, too.
Seeing this, Xiao Han hurried after him. "Hero Yan, is something weighing on your mind?"
"Nothing. Just remembered a few things from the past."
Yan Chixia took a long swig of wine, sat at the bow and watched the boatman ferry them across. Then he asked casually, "Kid, are you hoping to learn my Sword Flying Technique?"
Xiao Han froze, then looked a little embarrassed. But he didn't deny it; instead, he nodded frankly. "I'm a sword cultivator, so of course I'm eager to learn the Sword Flying Technique and other attack techniques. I just don't know what you think of it, Hero Yan."
"Hahahaha!"
Yan Chixia laughed heartily. "I knew you were after something from this old Daoist. I tested you today, and sure enough, I guessed right."
Xiao Han thought his words had displeased Yan Chixia and was about to explain when Yan Chixia happily patted him on the shoulder. "Kid, I just asked if you wanted my Sword Flying Technique. If you'd pretended to refuse, I'd have turned on you right then and there and gone our separate ways! Why? Heh, because I've always hated sanctimonious hypocrites!"
"So you're willing to teach me the Sword Flying Technique, Hero Yan?"
Xiao Han's face lit up. He bowed to Yan Chixia, but the latter caught him and held him upright.
"Kid, I believe I told you before that I won't take disciples and don't want any. I'm passing on the Sword Flying Technique simply because I like you. After spending these past few days together, I can tell you're not some wicked villain."
Yan Chixia lifted Xiao Han back up, then pressed a finger to his brow. A wave of dizziness washed over Xiao Han as a vast flood of information poured into his mind.
"The Sword Flying Technique, the Myriad Swords Technique, methods for forging and refining a magic sword and offering a flying sword, the Soul Leaving the Body Technique, Palm Thunder, and Yan Chixia's lifelong insights into the Sword Dao..."
With so much information suddenly flooding his mind, Xiao Han was thrilled. He had thought he would need to scheme and struggle to obtain the Sword Flying Technique, yet Yan Chixia had passed it on so easily. It was clear that he truly approved of Xiao Han, this younger man.
"Hero Yan, this is... Thank you for passing on your sword arts. I, Xiao, am deeply grateful!" Overcome with emotion, Xiao Han bowed to Yan Chixia again. This time, Yan Chixia didn't stop him, but accepted his bow.
"I never took a wife, have no children, and have no disciples. If I die one day, these skills of mine may be lost forever. I'm not as concerned with preserving the legacy as the great sects are, but I can't let the Ancient Sword Cultivator Lineage die in my hands.
"So listen carefully, Xiao Han! Now that you've inherited my Sword Flying Technique, never use it for evil! If you do, I'll hunt you down and kill you, no matter how far away you are—even to the ends of the earth, or beneath the deepest reaches of the underworld!" Yan Chixia stood with his hands behind his back, glaring at Xiao Han with his tiger-like eyes.
"I'll remember your words, Hero Yan."
Xiao Han agreed at once.
Yan Chixia nodded. "Master my Sword Flying Technique as quickly as you can. If all goes as expected, we'll face a fierce battle once we reach the other bank!"
"Is it the demonic cultivators you mentioned a few days ago?" Xiao Han's expression changed.
"Those bastards, yes. A month ago, I found that young women had gone missing from several villages. After a long and difficult investigation, I finally found a few traces of them!"
Yan Chixia slapped his thigh in fury. "Those bastards have been abducting young women and turning them into Sex Puppets who only know how to drain men's vital essence. Then they send the women to seduce young, able-bodied men passing by and suck them dry.
"Afterward, they use the stolen vital essence to heal the hidden injuries they've suffered from practicing Demonic Path techniques that take them down crooked paths! Those beasts! How many innocent families have they ruined for their own selfish desires?"
"..."
After Yan Chixia finished, Xiao Han was at a loss for words. Wasn't this exactly Tree Demon Granny's MO?
The only difference was that Tree Demon Granny sent ghosts, while these demonic cultivators sent living people who were little better than walking corpses.
Strange. Did every evil faction in this world love playing pimp and madam?
Tree Demon Granny had a base at Luo Temple, but where were these demonic cultivators using their Sex Puppets to prey on people?
Puzzled, Xiao Han asked him.
"You want to know where their base is? It's in the brothel across the river!" Yan Chixia pointed toward the riverbank, still a few hundred meters away.
"Wait, a brothel?! Does that mean those demonic cultivators only drain some of the men's vital essence each time, rather than sucking them dry?" Xiao Han was shocked. Damn, these people even understood sustainable development!
"Of course. If a couple of brothel patrons died, no one would dare risk their lives visiting one again. But if the women only drain a little each time, the men will just feel weak for a while. Once those lecherous bastards have recovered, they'll come back for more, having gotten a taste for it. Those demonic scoundrels are clever."
Yan Chixia seemed to remember something and sighed deeply. "Those poor women who've been turned into Sex Puppets have lost not only their chastity, but their sense of self. Even if they're rescued, they'll just be walking corpses."
Ning Caichen opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only sighed and fell silent.
It was just as he'd thought. In every world, the strong had always ruled. If those innocent women had had the power to resist the strong, they wouldn't have ended up as walking corpses.
That was why he had to keep growing stronger. Only by reaching the summit could he act as he pleased and truly take control of his own fate!
Before you continue