Wedge

Night had fallen!

It was raining!

The rain did not wash away the smoke of war in the sky; instead, it plunged the region into even deeper darkness.

On the imperial road between Luzhou and Taiyuan, a youth in white robes, a red scarf, and a bamboo hat galloped alone on horseback.

The youth paid no mind to the rain lashing against his face, merely pulling his hat lower to let the downpour strike below his eyes.

"Hyah!"

Beyond the rain, there was a biting wind.

It was the turn of the season from winter to spring, and the earth had yet to warm; the rain only made the air feel more frigid.

Yet, the youth remained indifferent, whipping his horse frantically, cursing the beast for not running fast enough.

The youth was named Lan Si, formerly known as Lan Si from the Qidian Orphanage on Blue Star. He was a firearms enthusiast, obsessed with the assembly of various weapons. Having just finished his college entrance exams, he should have been embarking on a bright university life, but on the day of enrollment, a beam of light descended from the sky, whisking him away to the world of Painted Rivers and Lakes: The Bad Guys.

As a fan of Chinese animation, Lan Si was naturally no stranger to this world, yet compared to the excitement of a typical transmigrator, his heart was filled with dread. The story was set during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, a dark and chaotic era in Chinese history no less brutal than the Uprising of the Five Barbarians. It was a world of true man-eat-man savagery.

Fortunately, his luck held; he encountered the Prince of Jin, Li Keyong. For reasons unknown, the latter took a liking to Lan Si at first glance, deeming him a peerless martial arts prodigy. He adopted him as a foster son, taught him the Supreme Universe Art, and bestowed upon him the name Li Cunsi, making him the Fourteenth Taibao following the original Thirteen Taibao.

Years later, Li Keyong's judgment proved true. Lan Si was indeed a prodigy, leaping from a martial arts layman to a master of the Mid-Heaven Realm.

Knowing the dangers of this world, he remained as low-key as ever, spending his years in seclusion and rarely appearing in public.

The outside world knew little of him; even his true cultivation level was known only to Li Keyong and Li Cunren, the only woman among the Fourteen Taibao.

Until six months ago.

Feeling his cultivation had hit a bottleneck and unable to break through to the Great Heaven Realm in the short term, Lan Si set his sights on the Five Thunders Heart Art, the technique of Zhang Xuanling, the Celestial Master of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master Mansion.

He spent months tracking down Zhang Xuanling in Luzhou, who had been driven to madness by the schemes of Li Siyuan.

Leveraging his knowledge of the plot, he spent half a month successfully swindling the Five Thunders Heart Art from the man's hands.

Cold ice falls in Tianling Mountain, stars fill the Divine Hall gate; thunder rolls, rain falls, the Fountain Pool runs deep; light the lamp in the east room, the west room shines bright; Zi, Wu, Mao, and You never part.

Having mastered the core essence of the Five Thunders Heart Art, he succeeded in his cultivation without a single hitch. By merging the Supreme Universe Art and the Five Thunders Heart Art—two of the top techniques in this world—his power successfully broke through to the Great Heaven Realm.

With that single act, Lan Si pushed himself into the abyss.

He had caught the eye of the only ceiling of this world, the three-hundred-year-old monster: the Bad Commander, Yuan Tiangang.

BOOM!

A thunderclap exploded.

The sky brightened for an instant, then plunged back into darkness.

The rain grew heavier!

The imperial road became slick and treacherous!

Days of continuous travel had left Lan Si exhausted. His blood-sweat horse let out pained, rhythmic whinnies.

Almost there. Once I enter Taiyuan, even the Bad Commander won't dare to strike me directly. Looking at the city of Taiyuan not far ahead, Lan Si thought to himself, increasing the frequency of his whip.

BOOM!

Another thunderous roar.

The world turned bright once more.

Just as the light faded and darkness returned, Lan Si inexplicably glanced forward. It was a fatal mistake; one look, and his soul nearly left his body.

In the fleeting flash of lightning, a figure in a gray mask and a bamboo hat stood a hundred meters ahead, hands behind his back, watching him with cold eyes.

"The Bad Commander!"

Lan Si was shocked. Instinctively, he flung several Jin Heart Needles, yanked the reins, and veered off the imperial road.

"Hyah! Hyah!"

When he turned back to look, the road was nothing but pitch black; the Bad Commander was nowhere to be seen.

Lan Si dared not lower his guard, pushing his speed further to take a side path into Taiyuan.

If he could bypass the main road and cut the drawbridge, even the Bad Commander would be unable to catch him.

In the dark, rainy night, there was only the sound of heavy rain hitting the ground and the frantic clatter of hooves.

Just as Lan Si was about to reach the drawbridge, a thunderclap tore through the sky again.

BOOM!

A snake-like bolt of lightning slithered across the dark clouds.

In that moment, the entire firmament was illuminated.

On the other side of the drawbridge, the Bad Commander stood waiting, as if he had been there for a long time.

"Damn it!" Lan Si hadn't expected the Bad Commander to arrive so quickly. Caught off guard, his horse stumbled, and both man and beast plummeted toward the cliff. Fortunately, his cultivation was profound; as he fell, he channeled his internal energy into his feet, kicking off the horse's back to launch himself back to solid ground, landing unscathed.

The rain gradually ceased. A breeze blew, the clouds dispersed, and pure moonlight spilled down, bathing the earth in light.

Lan Si glanced at the mist-shrouded bottom of the cliff, looked up at the moon, and finally fixed his gaze on the Bad Commander, who stood at the entrance of the drawbridge, his heart sinking into despair.

"Your Excellency, I have no grudge against you, so why press me so hard?" Lan Si lowered his posture, knowing well that facing the Bad Commander, survival was impossible unless the other party intended to let him go.

The Bad Commander ignored the question, his voice raspy: "Li Cunsi, year of birth unknown, place of origin unknown, true name unknown. No one knows your past. Three years ago, you were favored by the Prince of Jin, Li Keyong, who took you as his foster son and bestowed upon you the name Li Cunsi, making you his fourteenth Taibao."

"I never imagined that a nameless nobody like this humble one would catch the eye of a senior. I am truly ashamed." Lan Si scanned his surroundings unobtrusively and bowed respectfully to the Bad Commander.

"Heh, a nameless nobody? You are no such thing. What junior could go from a layman with zero martial arts foundation to the Great Heaven Realm in just a few short years?" The Bad Commander sneered: "You are an anomaly that should never have appeared. Keeping you around will only be a hindrance. There are two paths before you now."

"One, die."

"Two—"

Before the Bad Commander could finish, Lan Si blurted out: "I choose two."

The Bad Commander said in a deep voice: "Two, end up at the bottom of the cliff just like that horse earlier."

"Uh..." Lan Si's mouth twitched. Weren't both of those just death? He immediately raised his hand and asked gloomily: "Um, could I perhaps choose a third option?"

The Bad Commander replied indifferently: "What do you think?"

"Of course you can, such as pledging my loyalty to you. Acting as your mole within the Jin state, for instance. Look, I am at least at the Great Heaven Realm; while I am far inferior to you, I could still, more or less..."

This time it was Lan Si's turn to be cut off. The Bad Commander's figure flickered, vanishing from his spot instantly. He reappeared behind Lan Si, throwing a heavy, powerful punch imbued with the internal energy of the Tiangang Art, whipping up a fierce gale.

Had that punch landed, Lan Si would have been dead or crippled.

Sensing the intense displacement of air behind him, Lan Si, who had been on guard, dared not hold back. He channeled the Supreme Universe Art and the Five Thunders Heart Art simultaneously, his body wreathed in lightning and blue flames. He narrowly dodged the attack and, refusing to linger, dashed straight toward the suspension bridge. His speed was like a phantom; once he crossed the bridge, he would be safe.

But while Lan Si was fast, the Bad Commander was faster, catching up in the blink of an eye.

Left with no choice, Lan Si traded a palm strike with him. With that single blow, Lan Si's right arm shattered, his internal organs suffered severe trauma, and he collapsed heavily onto the suspension bridge, nearly dying.

"Pfft!" Lan Si spat out a large mouthful of blood. He had known the gap between them was vast, but he hadn't expected it to be to this degree. His Great Heaven Realm cultivation was like an ant before him.

The Bad Commander did not seem to intend to give Lan Si a moment to breathe. Even though the latter had lost the power to resist, he still lunged forward, striking with a full-force palm.

Facing the Bad Commander's all-out strike, Lan Si knew there was no possibility of survival. But he would not sit still and wait for death. He raised his left arm and pulled a black flintlock from his robes.

This was the only firearm he had successfully crafted, hidden from Li Keyong. The flintlock could only hold a single bullet, and he wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary.

The truth was, the metallurgy in this world was far too poor, and Lan Si was completely ignorant of forging. Plus, fearing Li Keyong's suspicion, he had only managed to cobble together this antique.

"Bang!"

The barrel burst, and a black iron ball the size of a dragon's eye flew out, blasting toward the Bad Commander.

The Bad Commander clearly hadn't expected Lan Si to have any strength left to resist. Caught off guard, his reaction was a beat slow. The bullet grazed his mask.

"Clang."

The mask fell to the ground. As the Bad Commander looked at Lan Si, he saw him use his final ounce of strength to jump into the abyss during the gap created by his dodge.

Facing the sky, his consciousness gradually blurring, Lan Si took one last look at the Bad Commander on the suspension bridge.

"I am truly unwilling..." Leaving behind these words, Lan Si closed his eyes, and his figure vanished completely into the darkness.

PS: A new book sets sail. The old book, Stealing the Myriad Worlds System in Douluo, has concluded. I ask for your support.

Treasure Hunting System in Battle Through the Heavens is currently concluding.