Bao Xiang Mituo

"Yet they weren't carrying any martial arts manuals on them."

After searching Song Zhong of the [Peaceful Axe] and Deng Yuan of the [Yin-Yang Monk], Ouyang Lan's face was full of regret.

She knew her junior brother cared greatly about the martial arts their enemies possessed, so she had immediately made sure not to overlook any techniques from other sects that might be on them.

"Honestly, this is already quite good, Senior Sister. You needn't dwell on it too much. Once we reach the sect gates, Celestial Star Sect will have more martial arts than we could ever finish learning."

Lu Wu-bing said with a laugh.

He had actually guessed why neither of them had been carrying secret manuals.

The reason was simple.

They were both getting on in years. They had already trained every martial art they knew to its limits and could advance no further.

Even if they carried martial arts manuals with them, they probably would not have been able to glean anything new from them.

There was another reason: the two men had likely acted on short notice.

That much could be seen from the large-denomination gold notes and cultivation-enhancing medicines they carried.

Someone had probably paid an enormous price to hire them.

Ouyang Lan counted the haul, then handed the gold notes and medicine bottles to Lu Wu-bing with a smile. "The monk had two thousand taels' worth of gold notes, while Song Zhong had one thousand. Each of them also had a bottle of Water Accumulation Pills. That is already a very generous sum.

"Junior Brother, keep these. [Dripping Water Force] progresses slowly, so use medicine to assist your cultivation as soon as possible. Once you open all three meridians, you will meet the assessment requirements and be able to learn the [Celestial River Orthodox Method]."

Lu Wu-bing nodded. "All right, I'll keep them for now. If there is anything Senior Sister needs, just tell me when the time comes. The same goes for Wenxiu."

Of the two before him, one was the only daughter of the Celestial Star Sect's leader, while the other was even more extraordinary. Neither lacked resources.

Strictly speaking, although his family ran the Hall of Returning Spring and did not lack money—

Some cultivation resources could not be bought with money alone. Without the proper channels, they were simply unobtainable.

Thinking of how strangely those two underworld experts had appeared earlier—

The two exchanged a glance and tacitly stopped speaking.

They both knew that the attackers had likely not come for the "Yuanling Swordplay Manual." More likely, they had come for Princess Ji Wenxiu.

These muddy waters were truly murky enough.

The person behind this could have been any minister at court, or perhaps one or several local feudal princes. No one could say for certain who it was.

As people of the martial world, it was not easy for them to dig too deeply into such matters.

They could only play dumb.

Ji Wenxiu's expression dimmed slightly. She had clearly thought of something as well. Her brows faintly furrowed, and she carried the shattered fragility of duckweed drifting upon the water, battered by wind and rain.

Even Ouyang Lan could not help feeling sorry for her.

Wasn't that just miserable?

Sometimes, being a princess of a dynasty did not necessarily mean living happily.

"Don't worry, Junior Sister Wenxiu. Once we reach Celestial Star Peak, you'll be safe."

"I do trust Martial Uncle Ouyang and Martial Uncle Qin. But in this world, what will it change even if I return?"

Everyone was born with burdens of their own.

Take Ouyang Lan. Though she lived without a care in the world, one day she would still have to bear the honor and disgrace of Celestial Star Sect.

Take Lu Wu-bing. He could not possibly stand by and watch as the Lu family faced life or death.

And Ji Wenxiu?

Just as she had been unable to resist the order for a political marriage before, she naturally could not resist the summons ordering her return now.

It was foreseeable that whether or not she arrived safely in Weijing, what awaited her would be a raging storm.

That had already been decided.

The only question was whether she could survive this trial.

"Meow..."

Mao Mao, dusty and gray, crawled out from the woods. Rare anxiety showed in its eyes as it bit Lu Wu-bing's trouser leg and dragged him toward the forest to one side.

"Is Mao Mao telling us to pass through the forest on the left instead of taking the main road?"

Having spent so much time with Little Cat, Ouyang Lan had gradually come to understand what it was trying to convey.

Little Cat looked up at her as though it understood, then nodded gently.

"It really is. Could it be..."

"Clearly, those two interceptors weren't the entirety of the pursuers. There may very well be a large force following behind them. Either they have set an ambush, or they have already moved in to encircle us."

Lu Wu-bing's eyes flickered.

"Go. Follow Mao Mao."

As he spoke, Little Cat had already plunged headfirst into the woods.

The others hurried after it.

Ji Wenxiu's eyes shone as she watched.

Earlier, when this little cat had sneakily carried off the Jade Pendant from her arms, she had already found it absurd enough.

Now, the little fellow was so intelligent that it could even judge the enemy situation, scout ahead, and evade pursuers.

"Has this little wildcat become a spirit?"

"Not quite. It's just a little more intelligent than an ordinary cat."

Lu Wu-bing answered with a smile.

In truth, he did not know why Little Cat could understand human speech.

He thought that once they reached Weijing and he met his grandmother, he would have to ask carefully about Little Cat's origins.

This time, they had only traveled three li before passing through the forest.

The view suddenly opened up. Not far away, a river wound like a sash, while green grass carpeted the open plains.

Yet amid the beautiful spring scenery, two forces stood in confrontation.

There were roughly a thousand men on the left, flying crimson banners marked with the character "Wen."

At their head was a general on a tall horse, clad in black armor and wielding a three-sectioned broadsword.

Behind him were around three hundred armored cavalrymen.

Of the remaining infantry, roughly half had bows drawn and arrows nocked...

Their bearing was fierce and aggressive.

On the right, separated by the distance of an arrow's flight—

There was another force.

They had fewer men, perhaps seven or eight hundred, and flew black banners marked with the character "Li."

At their head stood a general in silver armor, carrying a Twelve-Foot Red Spear...

Behind him were some four or five hundred cavalrymen. Their Killing Intent was chilling, as though they had only recently passed through battle, making their military aura all the more savage.

"It's Martial Uncle Li. He brought the soldiers from the Yuanxi Guard Thousand Household Office."

Ouyang Lan cried out softly in delight.

Joy also appeared on Ji Wenxiu's face.

Even if she did not wish to face the tangled mess awaiting her in Weijing, she wanted even less to die on the road and become a stepping stone to heaven for someone else.

"Wen Fangping, you are supposed to be stationed at Yinshan Guard. Bringing troops into my Yuanxi territory—are you trying to start a war without authorization and plot rebellion?"

Li Feiying's cold voice carried from afar, overflowing with Killing Intent.

It seemed that at a single word of disagreement, he would charge straight into the opposing formation.

"General Li, why be so wary? Wen merely pursued several Black List rebels and accidentally chased them too far. I bear no ill intent in coming here..."

Since the soldiers from the two guard offices were stationed within the same province, they naturally could not simply begin fighting.

Their confrontation was no more than a confrontation.

As long as they had a reason that could be presented openly, that was enough.

As the commanders of both sides exchanged shouts—

The atmosphere gradually eased.

But things were not so peaceful elsewhere.

Boom...

By the great river, a moon-white figure skimmed over the waves, covering seven zhang in a single step. Amid a long howl, she suddenly drew her sword.

Sword light slashed out for three zhang. The small boat exploded into two halves, splintered wood flying everywhere.

A figure sprang from within the cabin.

He wore an orange-yellow robe, his body fat and broad like the Maitreya Buddha in a temple.

His bald head reflected the sunlight. Smiling, he formed seals with both hands, his ten fingers blooming like lotus flowers.

His appearance was solemn and sacred.

His fingers danced like pecking birds and darting snakes. Though his movements looked upright and radiant, they faintly exuded a sinister, uncanny air.

"Bao Xiang Mituo. He actually came too."

Ouyang Lan cried out in surprise, then let out a long breath. "That was close. Fortunately, Mother arrived to meet us. Otherwise, if that false monk had intercepted us, we would have been in serious trouble."

"What is Bao Xiang Mituo's relationship with that Yin-Yang Monk?"

Lu Wu-bing vaguely felt that the two men's titles seemed somewhat alike.

"This man is named Xiao Shan. He is Deng Yuan, the Yin-Yang Monk's senior brother. He is a first-rate expert of the upper third rank, ranked thirty-third on the Black List, a smiling tiger.

"Though he does not appear particularly vicious, his actions are exceptionally wicked."

A trace of hesitation appeared on Ouyang Lan's face before she continued, "Back when the two martial brothers' evil deeds had not yet come to light, they opened a Little Ming King Temple outside Jinyuan City at the foot of the Hengduan Mountains.

"Bao Xiang Mituo was eloquent and persuasive, so he gained many believers and their incense offerings flourished. Can you guess where those offerings came from?"

"Wasn't it because they were supposedly effective at helping women conceive?" Ji Wenxiu spat.

She looked at the large monk in the river, her eyes filled with contempt. "I heard of this scandal even in Weijing...

"Back then, from government officials to commoners in Jinyuan City, countless women were rumored to have been unfaithful. Those who took their own lives were too numerous to count.

"What this brute did was far more disgusting than what his junior brother ever did."

As Ji Wenxiu spoke, she suddenly jumped up with a smile. "Martial Uncle Qin's swordsmanship truly is formidable. That bald thief is about to lose."