A Perilous Situation

A hundred-zhang-wide Sword Qi blasted toward Liu Yunshen with the force of rushing thunder!

"My life is over!!!!" Liu Yunshen shouted, twisting aside to dodge, only for the Sword Qi to follow him like a shadow. He could not evade it in time!

At the critical moment, he swung his iron staff into a circle and poured every last ounce of his strength into blocking it!

BOOM!!!

After the deafening blast, a deep pit a zhang wide and dozens of zhang long had appeared on the official road! Liu Yunshen was nowhere to be seen!

"Master! That villain's voice sounded quite familiar!" Zhu Xun thought carefully, then suddenly realized. "I remember now—it was that handsome, thick-browed brat from daytime! Even if he turned to ashes, I would never forget him! Master, we must pull up the weeds by the roots!"

"Your master is a Half-Step Earth Immortal. Though I used only thirty percent of my strength in that strike, it was still not something a brat at the first realm of Qi Refinement could withstand. Even if he survives tonight by sheer luck, the Qi of Heart-Demon Wicked Desire will force him into a crazed dance until he dies!"

"Master is only at the fourth realm of Qi Refining, yet he has the nerve to call himself a Half-Step Earth Immortal. Ow!" Zhu Xun wore a bitter expression as Chang Yi flicked a finger against his forehead and snapped, "You little thief, you must be criticizing your master again in your heart. Do you think I do not know?"

Zhu Xun grinned. "Master truly is the roundworm in your disciple's belly!"

"On the road of officialdom, you are ruthless, diligent, and vigilant, but when it comes to cultivation, you truly do not know shit!" Chang Yi said sternly. "Do you know how immense the pressure of the plane we inhabit is compared to the outside world? Do you know how immense the gap is between the first, second, and third realms of Qi Refinement and the fourth realm of Qi Refining? And do you know how profound the cultivation methods passed down by our Great Zhou Dynasty are? Xun'er, how can you sit at the bottom of a well and gaze at the sky!"

"Yes! Your disciple understands!"

Seeing his disciple's grave expression as he kept looking back toward the county town, Chang Yi tilted his head back and sighed. "You need not worry. I have already transmitted a message to the acting county magistrate. That brat was severely wounded and cannot even defeat an ordinary martial man now! Besides, the formation has already been set! So long as we trap him here for one day and one night, heh heh heh! A Qi Refinement expert ought to have someone buried with him, no?"

Zhu Xun trembled all over in fright. "Master, we should leave at once."

Struck by the Sword Qi, Liu Yunshen bore an extremely deep wound running from his left chest to his right waist. Blood flowed without stopping!!

"If that expert gives chase, I will undoubtedly die!!" Liu Yunshen stared at the county town, then gritted his teeth. Using all the strength he had left, he leaped onto the county wall. By the time he flipped over and landed, he was nearly spent! He used his iron staff as a crutch and forced himself onward with difficulty!

"Catch the assassin!"

"Don't let the assassin get away!"

Liu Yunshen forced himself to keep going. As he passed behind the county yamen, a frail arm reached out. "Benefactor! Is that you, Benefactor?"

"You!" Liu Yunshen fell back in terror. The shadow said joyfully, "Benefactor, I am Blacksmith Tan's daughter. When you caused havoc in the county yamen earlier, I saw everything clearly through the crack in the door. Afterward, that Pig-Dog and his master left, and only then did I find a chance to escape!"

"The one who wounded me just now must have been Zhu Xun's master! That old thief's cultivation is far too high. He is not someone I can contend with at present!" Liu Yunshen pressed a hand to his chest and panted with difficulty. "Can you take me somewhere safe, where I can recuperate for a night?"

"Benefactor! Follow me!"

The young woman led Liu Yunshen around by side paths, casting wary glances around them from time to time. After enduring several agonizing moments, they were nearly home when more and more patrolling soldiers began passing through the streets.

Liu Yunshen had lost more and more blood, and the young woman grew frantic.

"Tan Cuicui! Kid! Get over here!"

"Scoundrel Zhang Er! You..." Tan Cuicui recoiled in fear, taking half a step back. Scoundrel Zhang Er said angrily, "If I wanted to report you two, all I would need to do is shout. Would I need to go through all this trouble? Get the hell inside!"

The two rushed into the house. Zhang Er shut the door tightly and instructed them carefully, "In a moment, I'll go out into the street and draw away the city patrol soldiers. You two hurry and use the chance to get back home, understand?"

Tan Cuicui nodded repeatedly. Zhang Er slipped out of the house and walked up to the guards. Cuicui helped Liu Yunshen onto a stool, then pressed her ear to the crack in the door and faintly heard their conversation.

"Yo! Second Brother, you still haven't rested?"

"Of course not! That assassin's caused such a fuss, and you brothers still haven't caught him..."

"That assassin even dared to kill the county magistrate and Master Li. If we really go after him, wouldn't that be sending ourselves to our deaths?"

"Heh heh! You lot are sly as chickens. I think I just saw a shadow around here!"

"Don't! Second Brother, don't scare me!"

"You go make rounds by the county yamen until dawn. Just say the assassin was badly wounded and has already fled!"

"Second Brother is still the clever one!"

Tan Cuicui and Liu Yunshen listened intently to their conversation. A moment later, Zhang Er pushed open the door and came in, saying happily, "Done. There's no one around now. Hurry and go!"

"Thank you, Brother Zhang!" Liu Yunshen removed his mask and clasped his fists.

Zhang Er gave an honest smile, shame appearing on his face. "I, Old Zhang, admire heroes and good men most of all. It is a pity that these times have forced people into becoming rogues."

"So long as one harbors chivalry in one's heart, everyone is a hero!" Liu Yunshen's face turned pale as he fought down the urge to vomit blood. Tan Cuicui hurriedly bade farewell and supported him toward her home more than ten zhang away!

Blacksmith Tan's family had been frantic with worry. Hearing the soldiers outside disperse and their daughter's knock at the door, they were all overjoyed.

"My child, this is..."

"Father, this is the young master who sold himself to bury his mother during the day! He was the one who saved your daughter!"

"Quick, stop his bleeding!"

Liu Yunshen let them do as they pleased, muttering, "Water... water..."

Tan Cuicui brought over a large bowl of water, but Blacksmith Tan hurriedly stopped her. "Cuicui! When someone is gravely wounded and at death's door, they must not drink a large amount of water, or it may instead cost the young hero his life. Change it for a small cup and sprinkle in a pinch of salt!"

"Ah!!" Tan Cuicui hurried into the kitchen.

Liu Yunshen took the small cup and drained it in one gulp. Blacksmith Tan gathered strength in both palms, and a stream of inner force entered Liu Yunshen's Governing Vessel.

"So Senior is also..."

"What senior or junior? I merely learned a little superficial skill for two days. Because I could not stand seeing the sect elder's son oppress the common people, I was expelled from the sect. I am no more than an ordinary man!" Blacksmith Tan sighed. Though the inner force within him was not profound, it played a great role at this crucial moment!

Liu Yunshen took a deep breath and was startled to discover that the flesh around his chest wound was slowly healing. "Thank you."

"My wife and Cuicui will sleep in one room, while I will go to the woodshed. Young Hero, rest in my room tonight. Tomorrow, this old man will find a way to seek out a doctor!"

Liu Yunshen gently pressed the bandaged wound and entered the inner room with Blacksmith Tan supporting him.

"Disciple, remember to practice the Sleep Skill every day!" Recalling the grinning expression of the black-robed Daoist, warmth filled Liu Yunshen's heart. He immediately lay on his side, grasped his ankle with one hand, closed his eyes, and meditated. The true essence in his body unexpectedly recovered at great speed! Yet the jujube in his belly had digested only a little of its skin!

Countless green lights gathered from his five viscera and six bowels between the Mysterious Female. A Yellow Sprout burst through the faint glow, like new life breaking through the earth!

"This is..."

The Yellow Sprout vaguely transformed into the shape of a handsome young man and bowed to Liu Yunshen.

"I dare not!" Liu Yunshen returned the bow. When he looked up, where was there any handsome young man?

"Why is this happening?" Liu Yunshen was beyond astonished. In his sleep, his fists and palms opened and closed as Yin-Yang Qi accumulated ever more densely. From a small stream, it gradually became a rushing river waist-deep. With the aid of Blacksmith Tan's inner force, he advanced from the first tier of the first realm of Qi Refinement to the second tier!

"Right! The two beasts I killed today each had a secret manual on them. Let me take a look!"

With a thought, Liu Yunshen actually opened the books tucked into his robe while still dreaming!