Turning Hostile

Old Wang would risk his life hunting demonic beasts and gathering herbs in the mountains, yet he earned at most ten spirit stones a month.

He was getting on in years, lazy and slippery, and with no real talent to speak of, no one was willing to take him along.

For the past two years, he had been struggling, and having developed a taste for the flirtatious, sexy female cultivators at the tavern, he had squandered all the spirit stones he had saved in his younger years.

Today, he had drunk a bit too much at the tavern and gotten into a conflict with someone over the sale of Deer Antler Powder. Being outmatched in skill, he had been beaten black and blue, nearly losing his old life in the process.

Old Wang had come to find Gao Xian, originally intending to vent his frustration and play the rogue to force Gao Xian into giving him more Deer Antler Powder.

As it turned out, Old Wang discovered that Gao Xian was merely putting on a brave front while being cowardly at heart. He couldn't help but laugh; such a timid fellow was the easiest to manipulate!

He had been such a fool in the past, actually letting this brat intimidate him!

Old Wang then caught sight of the pile of Foundation Strengthening Pills on Gao Xian's table, and only then did he realize just how lucrative this kid's business was!

With such a big piece of fat meat laid out before him, how could Old Wang be polite?

"Brat, I got beaten up because of selling that Deer Antler Powder!"

Old Wang pointed to his bruised and swollen cheeks. "My eyes were almost blinded, look closely!"

Under the dim charcoal fire, Old Wang's swollen and distorted face looked exceptionally ferocious, especially the greed and malice flashing in his eyes, which made Gao Xian's heart flutter with panic: Is this old lecher trying to rob me? Or is he going to kill me for my goods!

"This is all because of you!"

Old Wang walked to the table and casually picked up one of the still-warm Foundation Strengthening Pills and swallowed it.

A surge of pure heat rushed straight to Old Wang's brow, lifting his spirits and clearing his mind; even his throbbing cheeks felt much better.

Foundation Strengthening Pills were meant for strengthening bones, tempering muscles, and refining blood, specifically designed to nourish the body and consolidate one's foundation. Although they couldn't heal injuries, they were well-suited for Old Wang's situation.

Having verified the efficacy of the Foundation Strengthening Pill, Old Wang was very satisfied, and he swept all the pills into the medicine box on the table.

He sneered at Gao Xian and said, "These pills are the medical fees for my treatment."

Seeing Old Wang's ferocious demeanor, Gao Xian didn't dare to make a sound.

The other party's emotional state was currently very unstable; refusing him would trigger uncontrollable danger.

Old Wang was at the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Refining and had rich combat experience; if they really fought, he wouldn't have much of a chance to win.

Besides, these Foundation Strengthening Pills belonged to Shopkeeper Zhu. If the old man wanted to rob them, let him; Shopkeeper Zhu would naturally settle the score with him later. There was no need for him to be a hero!

He possessed the Wind and Moon Mirror and would grow strong soon enough. It wouldn't be too late to vent his anger on Old Wang once he was powerful!

So they say, taking a step back opens up the sky, and enduring for a moment brings peace.

Gao Xian comforted himself in his heart, yet the stifled frustration he felt couldn't be smoothed over by these famous proverbs.

Old Wang had been feeling triumphant; Gao Xian had earned a few spirit stones off him, and this time he had taken it all back with interest.

But he noticed Gao Xian pursing his lips with a gloomy look in his eyes—he was clearly unconvinced!

Old Wang suddenly realized something: this kid had a partnership with Shopkeeper Zhu of the medicine shop, so these Foundation Strengthening Pills must belong to the shop.

Shopkeeper Zhu was a member of the Lianyun Sect, and the entire Flying Horse Market belonged to the Lianyun Sect. Bullying Gao Xian was one thing, but if he offended Shopkeeper Zhu, he would be a corpse on the street by tomorrow.

Old Wang felt a jolt of alarm, and the box of Foundation Strengthening Pills in his hand suddenly felt like a hot potato.

He swallowed hard, hesitating whether to put the pills down, coax Gao Xian with a few words, and smooth the matter over.

I've lived for fifty years and lived like a dog, and now I have to bow to a little brat? To hell with it, kill him!

Old Wang had spent years hunting demonic beasts in the mountains and had often engaged in murder and robbery; now, his ferocity flared up, and he drew his sword without hesitation.

Old Wang's swordsmanship was proficient, and as a fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator, his muscles and bones were strong; he had even ignited his heart and lung apertures.

At this moment, his internal mana circulated, his heart's blood boiled, and the wrinkles on his skin were stretched taut by the surging blood. His skin looked ruddy, his frame stood a bit taller, and he seemed to have grown thirty years younger in an instant.

Gao Xian also saw that something was wrong, but before he could react, Old Wang's sword had already arrived.

In the moment of crisis, Gao Xian's mind went blank from extreme tension, but the image of Sister Lan deep within his brow naturally surfaced, establishing a close connection with his spirit.

In Gao Xian's eyes, Old Wang's movements seemed to have slowed down tenfold.

Old Wang used the momentum of drawing his sword to strike, the blade slashing diagonally from bottom to top toward his abdomen and chest.

Because of the high speed, the cold, sharp blade was still vibrating and trembling in the air.

Gao Xian could see Old Wang's movements clearly, but his body was stiff and sluggish, unable to react at all.

He instinctively held his breath, but his heart pounded wildly, as if it were about to explode.

The sharp blade slashed from Gao Xian's lower abdomen to his chest, leaving a long tear in his cyan Daoist robe.

Fortunately, the faint yellow light transformed from the Golden Body Talisman was tough enough to block the depth of the blade.

Gao Xian felt a sudden surge of relief; he had thought he was a dead man just a moment ago, but luckily the Golden Body Talisman had held up.

"A Golden Body Talisman!"

Old Wang was experienced and immediately realized that Gao Xian had used a magic talisman to protect himself.

He was a bit surprised, not knowing when the brat had activated the talisman. However, such a low-grade talisman wouldn't be able to withstand many of his strikes!

A sinister grin appeared on Old Wang's face as he changed his sword from a slash to a thrust, fiercely stabbing toward Gao Xian's chest.

The Golden Body Talisman exerted its effect once more, blocking the blade. Because of the excessive force, the blade in Old Wang's hand suddenly bent.

Old Wang, however, remained unconcerned; the yellow light coating Gao Xian had dimmed significantly, and as long as he kept up the pressure, he would eventually pierce Gao Xian through.

With Sister Lan's empowerment, Gao Xian saw Old Wang as if in slow motion, his own speed of thought having synchronized and accelerated significantly.

Having experienced a brush with death, Gao Xian instead grew calm.

It was obvious that waiting any longer would lead to certain death. He had no choice but to gamble!

There was no time to trigger a spell, so Gao Xian instinctively reached out, grabbed the curved blade, and pushed it outward.

Thanks to the protection of the Golden Body Talisman, Gao Xian's palm was not cut by the blade.

The agility and speed of the Lightning Dragon Hand were fully unleashed.

Old Wang was stunned; he had not expected Gao Xian to dare grab his sword, let alone succeed.

But he was rich in combat experience and instinctively twisted his wrist to pull the sword back. With one holding the blade and the other the hilt, even if Gao Xian's strength were ten times greater, he would never be able to snatch the weapon away.

Not to mention that Gao Xian's strength was far inferior to his.

Gao Xian knew this as well; after pushing the blade aside, he raised his left hand and let out a low shout: "Strike!"

Deep within his brow, Sister Lan simultaneously chanted and formed a seal, establishing a resonance with the magical artifact on his left wrist.

The array runes hidden within the wrist-mounted artifact were triggered, and the converted mana propelled the White Plum Needles out from the protruding grooves.

Gao Xian was only six feet away from Old Wang, and his raised hand was barely three feet from him.

Old Wang realized something was wrong and hurriedly dodged backward, but the distance was too close; he could not evade it at all.

Four flashes of cold light struck Old Wang's chest, yet they failed to penetrate his body.

Gao Xian saw it clearly: the three-inch-long White Plum Needles had only pierced an inch into the flesh, with the two-inch tails wobbling outside Old Wang's Daoist robe.

He was extremely surprised; could the power of the White Plum Needles not even pierce Old Wang's body?

With such thin White Plum Needles, an inch of penetration meant they had barely broken the skin.

Gao Xian had expected to solve the problem in one blow, but the result was far beyond his expectations, and he screamed angrily in his heart: Damn it, that profiteer scammed me...