Every Moment of Time

Just as Jiang Wang caught sight of that small, skeletal remains, his emotions surging—

Whoosh!

A sharp, piercing sound came abruptly.

Jiang Wang twisted his wrist, and in an impossible moment, he swung the sheathed sword behind him, precisely blocking the sharp object that shot toward him, producing a clang of metal.

Jiang Wang turned and drew his sword in one fluid motion, catching a glimpse of the projectile—a pale white finger bone. Without time to think, his body instinctively spun again.

And the little girl's skeleton on the bed had already leaped into the air, its skull cracking open a mouth, lunging to bite Jiang Wang!

Without a hint of hesitation, Jiang Wang kicked it square in the head, sending the skeleton back to its original spot. Then his sword spun several times, in that instant like a bolt of purple lightning darting through the dark room. The small corpse was severed at every joint, falling back onto the bed as if it had never moved.

"Hehehehe, little Daoist, I killed this little girl, and you seem pretty angry, but her last remains were destroyed by your own hand."

The voice was sharp and grating, yet ethereal, coming from nowhere.

This kind of concealment technique that masked traces wasn't simple, indicating the hidden enemy had prepared well in advance.

Jiang Wang hadn't yet established his foundation, his five senses unopened, so he couldn't break through this concealment for now. But he wasn't flustered. Based on what he'd learned at the academy, he made two judgments: first, the enemy's level wasn't too high—simple reasoning, if they were a truly powerful expert, they wouldn't need concealment and could kill him outright.

The second judgment, derived from the first, was that given the opponent's limited strength, this concealment technique couldn't be too advanced either. Once the enemy launched an attack or was attacked, or even just moved, it would automatically break. Evidence for this: the enemy's first strike had only manipulated the skeleton, not acted personally.

"The one who killed her is you, and the one who destroyed her corpse is also you. A petty trick like this won't shake my resolve!"

Jiang Wang moved with his sword, in an instant sweeping through the entire small room, his sword light nearly illuminating it!

Purple Qi Comes from the East Sword, first killing move!

In that flash of light filling the room, all the sword light gathered together. Jiang Wang reached out as if grasping that mass of light, and struck with a single slash!

The door, which had somehow closed, burst open with a crash.

Zhang Linchuan stood outside, faint lightning flickering in his hand.

"The two skeletons outside were manipulated and rose just now; I've blasted them to ash. What's your situation here?" he asked.

"I was attacked too. I couldn't break his concealment. But my sword still wounded him!" Jiang Wang shook his longsword, a single drop of fresh blood falling from the tip.

Zhang Linchuan reached out and caught the drop of blood, suspending it in his palm. "With this, tracking the fiend's trail won't be hard."

A hint of approval showed on his face. "Junior Brother Jiang, you've made a great contribution on this trip."

Jiang Wang's eyes searched around but saw no other bloodstains. "Senior Brother Zhang, the fiend might not have fled yet."

Zhang Linchuan turned his palm to store the blood drop, closed his eyes to sense for a moment, then shook his head. "No trace left."

Almost as soon as he spoke, the corpse aura that filled the entire courtyard dissipated in an instant.

"Let's go." Zhang Linchuan put away the blood drop. "There's nothing useful here anymore. Give this blood to the vice dean; he's skilled in the six lines divination and will surely root out that fiend."

This trip brought Jiang Wang a psychological shock like never before. Those bandits and robbers, though guilty of many crimes, were nothing compared to fiends who slaughtered entire families and even defiled and manipulated corpses after death.

He witnessed the cruel and ruthless side of the cultivation world. Transcendent power could also bring transcendent cruelty.

Jiang Wang wanted to look back at the little girl's remains, but he dared not.

Then Zhang Linchuan spoke again: "The Criminal Investigation Bureau already checked once and found nothing. But as soon as we arrived, we were attacked by a fiend. That's quite suspicious."

"Senior Brother means..."

"Hmph." Zhang Linchuan gave a cold laugh.

Entering the inner sect, Jiang Wang only sought cultivation and wanted no part in the struggle between Dong A and Wei Quji. But Zhang Linchuan had pointed out that possibility.

Unfortunately, he still had no right to refuse.

"Junior Brother Jiang's swordsmanship is extraordinary, definitely not those crude techniques collected in the academy." Zhang Linchuan remarked casually, as if unintentionally.

Jiang Wang replied, "For us Daoist sect members, swordsmanship is but a minor art. Senior Brother's lightning technique is the truly impressive one."

By now, the two skeletons from the main hall and the courtyard were gone, only a layer of scorched ash left on the ground. Jiang Wang could almost picture the scene—the two skeletons had just been manipulated, not even able to move, before being blasted to nothing by the lightning technique.

"Junior Brother Jiang is too modest. In truth, our Daoist sect's dharma swords are no worse than others', but unfortunately, Maple Forest City Daoist Academy has no such methods. In the entire Zhuang Kingdom, only the State Daoist Academy might have them." Zhang Linchuan sighed with feeling.

The Daoist sect also had techniques of entering the sword through the Dao, fierce and sharp, no less than ordinary sword cultivators. But it wasn't mainstream, and Maple Forest City Daoist Academy lacked experts capable of guiding such cultivation.

At this moment, Jiang Wang had no mood to talk at all, but he couldn't ignore Zhang Linchuan, so he casually flattered, "With Senior Brother's talent, entering the State Daoist Academy is only a matter of time."

"Yes, a matter of time." Zhang Linchuan suddenly sighed, standing in the courtyard, gazing into the distance—toward the Qichang Mountain Range. "But early and late are still different things. I often feel a knife at my back, every moment pressing."

Such a gifted and talented noble son, clean and refined, yet the anxiety and sorrow in his voice were genuine.

Jiang Wang was silent. He too wished to grow stronger faster, to go sooner to where he should have gone long ago.

Every moment pressing.

"Beyond that mountain range is the Yong Kingdom." Zhang Linchuan said. "If the fiend flees into Yong territory, we won't be able to catch him."

Jiang Wang naturally knew why he said that.

The Zhuang Kingdom had been established for over three hundred years. Its founding Grand Ancestor, Zhuang Chenggan, was originally a general of Yong, leading troops to conquer a thousand li of land. Seizing the opportunity of Yong's three princes vying for the throne, he split off and founded his own kingdom. Later, through alliances and maneuvering, he made the Daoist sect the state religion, latched onto the powerful Jing Kingdom, which also belonged to the Dao Vein, and thus secured his foothold, passing it down to this day.

But because of this history, the Zhuang and Yong kingdoms had long been at odds.

An enemy of Zhuang might be welcomed with open arms in Yong.

Jiang Wang said nothing on the matter, only silently following Zhang Linchuan out of the courtyard.

Tang Dun, who had been waiting outside the gate, immediately hurried over, his eyes full of anticipation. "How did it go? Was the demon eliminated?"

He had heard the commotion from outside the courtyard and knew a battle had taken place inside.

"We already have a lead." Jiang Wang said, then turned to look at Zhang Linchuan. "Senior Brother, could you lend me some money?"

Zhang Linchuan didn't ask why and casually tossed over a money pouch.

Jiang Wang gave it a brief heft and took out the smallest piece of broken silver—he had intended to take some knife coins, but Zhang Linchuan's pouch contained only gold and silver.

Jiang Wang handed the broken silver to the town constable, Tang Dun. "There's a little girl's remains inside. Please use this silver to buy a coffin and bury her. There are two piles of bone ash in the courtyard—her parents. Bury them together."

Tang Dun's rough face was deeply somber, but he firmly pushed Jiang Wang's hand away. "I'll take care of their burial. I can't take your money."

"Take it." Jiang Wang forced the broken silver into his hand. "Consider it me seeking peace of mind."

Tang Dun's constable uniform showed signs of mending, hinting at a modest household. That he had been assigned to receive Jiang Wang and Zhang Linchuan—an unwelcome party—also suggested he was a marginal figure in the officialdom.

Unable to break free, Tang Dun could only grip Jiang Wang's hand tightly. "On behalf of Niu'er, I thank you!"

So her name was Niu'er.

The canvas hanging on the wall seemed to appear before his eyes again. She had once tried, in her childish way, to hold onto a spring. But her life never bloomed again.

Niu'er. Niu'er.

Jiang Wang silently repeated the name in his heart several times, as if binding some kind of responsibility onto his Dao heart.