Worsening Injuries, Sudden Peril

The inn was in a remote and simple place. Wen Caishang knew she would be facing "misfortune," but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

There was no mirror in the room, so she ordered Li Xian to bring a basin of clean water, opened the window, and placed it under the moonlight. She took off her white dress and used the water as a mirror to examine the injuries on her back.

The lightning strike had come suddenly, hitting her in the back. Her clothes were impervious to fire and water, so she wasn't burned. However, the lightning's power seeped into her body, causing serious injury.

Wen Caishang frowned, thinking, "The lightning strike has invaded my internal organs; this injury is quite severe. Even with proper care, it will take several months to recover. We are still a long way from the One Accord Manor. Treating this injury along the way will be difficult."

"The only way Quiet Recuperation and move slowly, and prepare some herbal medicine to heal my injuries. Fortunately, Li Xian is with me on this trip, so he can take care of these things."

Looking at herself, she felt the ravages of lightning. Her internal organs and acupoints throbbed with pain. Yet, she remained calm, sitting cross-legged, enduring the pain.

Li Xian went downstairs to eat. The waiter said, "Strange, strange indeed! How could thunder suddenly strike on such a sunny day?"

The shopkeeper said, "It's good that no one was hurt. Tomorrow I'll call the old carpenter from the next village to repair it properly."

The innkeeper said to Li Xian, "Sir, I'm truly sorry to have disturbed your peace of mind. I'll have the kitchen prepare another dish of braised beef with soy sauce for you as compensation. Please don't take offense!"

Li Xian laughed and said, "Good!"

"Interesting, very interesting!"

Li Xian asked, "Madam, would you like to ride a horse?" Martial Madman thought to himself, "The journey is long, and it will be tiring by carriage and boat. Taking it slow will be useful. Let's hurry and observe the situation first."

"You, my great-grandfather, are clearly over there."

The voice was annoyed. A figure appeared, a short, large man. I was only up to Li Xian's belly, with disheveled hair and a pale face. I had a wicked and annoyed look on my face.

It turns out this person wasn't just anyone; her name in the Jianghu was "Wen Caishang."

The Martial Madman said, "Great Immortal, let's go!"

The Martial Madman frowned, thinking, "It's Wen Caishang. She always wants to challenge me. If you were injured, you could easily shake me off. But this kind of nagging is really annoying."

Each traveled several miles.

The horse's kneecap was broken, and it could no longer stand. Li Xian sighed, "Bad horse, if we leave it here, it will only be eaten by wild beasts. You watch over it." He then struck the horse with his palm, causing it to die in pain.

The Martial Madman nodded and said, "Bad!"

Seeing that the rain was pouring down and there were no banana groves nearby, Li Xian cut down some banana leaves to use as a small umbrella. He then found a cave in the mountains and waited for the rain to stop.

The bumpy carriage ride disturbed her sleep. Bao Yanzi thought to herself, "I'll change my carriage once we enter the small town. I'll make do for a few more days."

Li Xian felt a little strange. But they had reached the bottom of the cave, and there was no clue. Li Xian continued practicing when he heard a playful voice above him, "You naughty boy, you naughty boy, naughty skills!"

It was mid-July, winter had passed and spring had arrived, and everything was full of life. There was a lush green bamboo grove nearby, and the wind rustled through it.

Suddenly, with a loud "bang," Wen Caishang was sent flying several dozen feet away. The moment she landed, she immediately fled, spitting out eight mouthfuls of blood.

The special horses, weighing a dozen or so taels, were gone in a flash. Adding the cart, the total came to a little over seventy taels. Martial Madman frowned slightly, realizing that the town where the horses were purchased was a large city or county, and it would be difficult to buy worse horses or carts.

In his spare time, Li Xian would rather waste his time practicing martial arts in the cave, accumulating experience and refining his skills. His Vastmist Leg was already Perfection and approaching its Peak Mastery.

Its speed was slow, its power weak, and its figure elusive. Li Xian, considering himself the enemy, calmly said, "The junior is formidable; I am the enemy." Standing still was its form of movement.

Bao Yanxing opened a bookstore and first purchased Terrain Map. This shopkeeper was a shrewd man, dividing the Terrain Map into seven categories: grass maps, earth maps, mountain maps, and water maps. Each Terrain Map cost seven taels of silver.

Bao Yanzi frowned. The man stared at the Martial Madman and said, "He... will you exchange a move with him?"

The exotic atmosphere was quite peaceful.

Bao Yanzi, utterly helpless, landed in the woods and said, "Damn it, you know that Wen Caishang, she's obsessed with martial arts, she has to fight anyone she meets who's weak. Today you're letting her escape, so go and fight her once, then come back to kill her another day."

The water I carried with me wasn't all gone yet.

Only after Terrain Map did I realize that this place was "Flowerwater Prefecture," a small prefecture within the territory of Yunan Circuit. It was still a great distance away from "Qiongtian Prefecture."

Li Xian summoned Da Qi, gave him a tael of silver as a reward, and asked him to inquire about the surrounding towns. Da Qi saw that Li Xian and Martial Madman temperament, were generous, and treated them with respect. He then directed them on the route back from the town.

Li Xian thought to himself, "Madam doesn't have the leisure for that; she must be unsure of herself. You yearn to travel the Jianghu, and this trip is a rare opportunity." Following the Terrain Map, he set off out of the city.

"The sudden appearance of lightning was not accidental; it was not a coincidence."

The Martial Madman's face was grim, her brows furrowed. Her expression was as violent as a sudden curse. "That lightning just now, was it trying to strike you again? Hmph, since it's going to stop you, then you'll have to take that Earthly Radiance!"

"Um."

The sound echoed.

Therefore, although the Terrain Map was fragmented, it was not a complete system. Li Xian knew that Qiongtian Prefecture was in the south, so he headed south according to the Terrain Map.

Li Xian's shoulder was touched.

There were already three small stir-fries on the table: stir-fried beef, stir-fried crispy beans, and stir-fried fried dough sticks. Normally, it would just be a simple meal with some food and drinks. Now, with an extra plate of braised beef and four side dishes, though small, everything was complete. It would be a shame not to have some wine with it.

A sudden, thunderous roar erupted from the sky, striking the trees behind them. Startled, and slippery from the muddy road, the horses tumbled to the ground. The Martial Madman, with his superb martial arts skills, landed safely, his toes barely touching the mud, completely at ease.

Li Xian got up and knocked on Bao Yanzi's door. The Martial Madman's face was pale. He sat cross-legged for half the night, trying to steady himself. The Martial Man's body is like heaven and earth. He was struck by lightning, causing chaos in heaven and earth and a setback in his strength.

Bao Yan spent several dozen coins to buy a jar of "Men's Red" wine, a ten-year-old vintage. The crispy beans were fragrant, the beef was mellow, and the fried dough was a filling and satisfying dish.

Wen Caishang said, "Damn, one move is fine." Kuang Leng was excited. Bao Yanzi immediately gathered her strength, concentrating her Qi in her palms. This person's strength was very weak, but her palms contained the power of a thousand pounds.

You said, "The road is muddy, let's wait a moment before proceeding." You sat cross-legged and regulated your internal energy.

The palm strike sent the grass and trees flying in its path, its momentum like a rainbow. Bao Yanzi gathered her Qi and struck back heavily with her palm. The two palms met and remained locked in a stalemate for a long time.

"Traveling with your wife, one must always worry about having enough money. If you were Jianghu alone, you would have to be very careful with your money and save every penny," Li Xian muttered.

The man chuckled and said, "How wicked, how wicked! It's been a long time since I've seen such a powerful novices!" I put my hands on the ground and darted away, moving at a very slow speed.

The territory of Xiaowu is vast, with prefectures connected one after another. The distances that a single prefecture can span are unimaginable. Terrain Map are drawn by human feet, one step at a time.

They ate to their hearts' content and then went back to their quarters to sleep.

"That son of his is wicked and strange, wicked and strange indeed," the voice said. "That's clearly your dwelling, how can you say it's where you're hiding?"

The next day.

Li Xian collected rainwater, boiled it over a fire, and handed it to Bao Yanzi, asking, "Madam, is he troubled?"

Only by looking at all seven Terrain Map together can one clearly see the surrounding terrain. Li Xian saw that the old man had come and felt that the money was worthwhile. But glancing at his wife, he decided to spend the money to buy the map in order to save himself trouble.

Upon hearing this, the man's anger turned to delight. He clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Bad! Bad! He'll come and tear you to pieces, and you'll agree. That way, he can fight you. Hehe, in that case, you should chase after him even more!"

"Is Madam injured?"

The wind howled. Suddenly, they noticed that there were no claw marks, sword marks, or fist marks on the stone wall inside the cave... They wondered, "Could it be that no one carved out that cave? Judging from the marks, it doesn't seem to be very old."

Holding the reins, Bao Yan looked around. Seeing no villages or houses, she followed the principles of Feng Shui Geomancy and searched for caves along the way.

They then took their seats.

Li Xian bowed respectfully and helped his wife away. The man shrieked, leaping to block their path, and exclaimed with delight, "Impressive! A truly formidable figure!"

They traveled south for more than ten miles. Martial Madman's injuries had not yet healed, but his condition was gradually stabilizing. So he ordered Bao Yan to buy carriages and horses, and they returned along the road.

That day, spring rain poured down from the sky.

Li Xian said apologetically, "This junior knew that was a junior's cave abode. If I had known, I would certainly not have disturbed you."

Li Xian withdrew his fists and feet, looked around warily, and said, "Who? Which junior is hiding here?"

The man struggled to keep up, but managed to keep pace. The Martial Madman said calmly, "Bao Yanzi, if he chases after us again, don't blame me for tearing him to pieces the other day!"

Following the road, they arrived at the territory of "Long Rainbow City." The city was quiet and ordinary as the two walked through the streets. Li Xian asked, "Madam, what should we do now?"

Because of the vast territory, cities are sparsely distributed. It was quite unusual to see human habitation only after traveling for several days.

Having already started their drinking spree, seven large dishes seemed like enough. Li Xian waved her hand and ordered two more large dishes.

Bao Yanzi frowned slightly and said, "Master, the rain is getting lighter. Let's go take shelter."

"Something's up," Martial Madman replied calmly. He took the water bottle and drank some rainwater. Seeing that the rain was gradually stopping and the thunder was fading into the distance, he felt a little relieved.

His expression was both icy and warm.

The night was deep and quiet. The innkeeper, Da Qi, began to snore, and went to his room to rest. Li Xian sat alone in the hall, eating and drinking a large meal, and then he thought about what had just happened.

I reached into my backpack. Seventy taels of silver, seven taels of loose silver, and a few strings of copper coins. Enough to last me a while.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar resounded.

A hearty meal and a sip of fine wine—it's absolutely wonderful. The inn is well-ventilated, with windows slightly open, letting in a cool breeze.

The voice said again, "There too." It scratched Li Xian's ear. Then another voice said, "There," and patted my belly.

Li Xian had no suspicions, yet it seemed so. The Martial Madman's demeanor remained unchanged, his white dress fluttering, serene and noble—how could he appear injured?

He then said, "The scenery along the way is beautiful, why rush?"

Bao Yanzi's injuries were severe. She said, "He made his own decision." She focused on healing her body and stabilizing her body.

"Could it be that Madam's strength is such that even a weak person can withstand heavenly lightning and protect themselves?" Li Xian shook his head and chuckled, realizing that he must have underestimated the situation.

The Martial Madman said, "Let's go." He was willing to listen, grabbed Li Xian's shoulder, and leaped into the air with great skill. Stepping on the leaves, he floated several feet away, his figure ethereal and agile.

Bao Yanzi circulated her Qi and blood, her complexion remaining calm and radiant. She put on her worn-out boots and shoes, pushed open the door, and went out. Li Xian said, "Madam, we should go back now."

This man possessed the Shrinking Bone Technique, and his temperament was extremely eccentric. He had just slept in a crevice in the rock when Li Xian and Martial Madman approached and saw that the old man had woken up. However, he had not moved at all, and they observed him from the sidelines.