A Stirring Heart, the Mountain Encircled

The stars shine brightly, their combined power eclipsing the moon.

A gentle night breeze was blowing.

Li Xian practiced diligently as instructed, using the stars as a guide for his practice. The "Seven-Star Step" involved astronomy and astrology, but it was simplified and abridged to make it easier to understand.

Otherwise, before practicing his skills, Li Xian would need to properly observe and study the celestial principles and astrology of the Three Months, write down the star charts, and then apply the footwork techniques.

When used, the movements are extremely fast, like stars twinkling in the sky, appearing in the east and west, seemingly omnipresent. Li Xian's "Seven-Star Step" do not possess this mystery.

However, the lightness of body, increased speed, and agile Movement Method were just right. It was like a prescription for the disease, with immediate results.

[Seven-Star Step]

[Proficiency: 15/600 Initiation]

[Description: Covering the changes of the celestial sphere and peering into the vastness of the stars, this martial art has an extremely profound origin. However, after being stripped down layer by layer, it is merely a movement technique and lightness Movement Method that contains the principles of the stars.]

[Refer to the star chart, practice light footwork, Proficiency +1]

When Li Xian first learned the lightness skill, he immediately felt a sense of wonder. His body was light and agile, and with a leap, he was pouncing on a wild goose.

The Seven-Star Step aims to transform Inner Qi into seven clusters of energy, which are respectively stored in seven acupoints: Huangting, Niwan, Mingmen, Tanzhong, Jiaji, Weilu, and Baihui, reflecting the seven stars in the sky.

The Qi condenses and remains, making the body as light as a goose. The whole body feels enveloped in Light Force, and by following the Star Chart's footwork, the speed is astonishing. Moreover, when leaping into the air, one can break through...

By suddenly stepping on the seven Inner Qi —Huangting, Niwan, Mingmen, Tanzhong, Jiaji, Weilu, and Baihui—one can ascend to a higher level.

The martial arts of lightness skill.

There are only three main standards: dodging, speed, and Leap Ascension. Of course, a Higher Vehicle lightness skill will naturally have greater ability. The Seven-Star Step is excellent in "dodging" and "speed". But it is outstanding in "Leap Ascension".

Seven consecutive steps in mid-air—how impressive! Li Xian practiced with complete absorption, utterly absorbed in the movement. He then thought, "Martial Dao lightness skills ultimately need to be applied to the context. The Seven-Star Step, with their continuous mid-air steps, are more for show than practical use."

"Furthermore... even if I were to fall from a great height and use the Seven Star Steps technique, it would only slow my descent."

[Seven-Star Step]

[Proficiency: 169/600 (Initiation)]

Li Xian was full of energy and had just mastered the lightness skill. He was overjoyed and explored its mysteries. In the blink of an eye, the sky was beginning to lighten and the stars had all disappeared.

"Without the stars, there's no way to consult the star charts. But I've already Initiation, and by practicing step by step, I can still make progress. However, I've already studied all night; it's time to take a break."

Last night, Wen Caishang gazed at the moon and stars, watching her wicked servant practice his light-footed skills. She felt quite at peace and gradually drifted off to sleep. Li Xian saw her sleeping so peacefully, her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly raised, and she vaguely recalled her usual expression.

Without disturbing them, I went out of the cave to find a stream to wash myself. I washed my face with cold water and immediately felt a chill.

"Hiding here is ultimately a matter of expediency. Sword Rain Tower, Yellow Sand Sect, and the others will surely make a move. I cannot sit idly by and wait for my death; I must find a way to break out."

Li Xian pondered for a moment, then returned to the cave to retrieve his sword. He moved a large rock to block the cave entrance, sprinkled it with mud, sand, and vegetation, and then sprinkled it with animal-repelling powder.

"Since the lady is still unconscious, I will act alone. I must quickly enter the city and obtain Terrain Map. Only by surveying the terrain can I devise a plan."

Li Xian departed lightly. His Qi Lake was full, reaching a length of fifty-two zhang. His Inner Qi condensed into a ball, residing in seven places including the Yellow Court and the Tanzhong point. He then used the profound techniques of the Clearwind Leg and the Vastmist Leg, leaping two zhang in a single step, climbing trees and ascending slopes in an instant.

They quickly emerged from the woods.

To avoid any accidents, Li Xian picked some wild fruit, ate his fill, and replenished his Inner Qi before heading into the town.

Li Xian deliberately avoided being seen, keeping his head slightly lowered as he walked along the road. Seeing that the city was not large, his heart sank slightly. Although the county seat Terrain Map, the place was remote and sparsely populated, and few people paid attention to the Terrain Map. The Terrain Map had not been changed for several years or even ten years, and it was crude and unsightly, with the terrain of the mountains drawn in a few hasty strokes. This was all the usual practice.

They traveled about seven or eight li.

He came across a bookstore called "Good Scholar Bookshop." Li Xian asked, "Boss, do you have any good books to recommend?"

The landlord, a young man, said, "Yes, I have good books. This book on worldly affairs contains profound knowledge. If you can thoroughly understand it, it will greatly benefit your future."

Li Xian rambled on, randomly picking through a few miscellaneous books. Midway through, he casually asked, "Do you have Terrain Map?"

"What do you need the Terrain Map for?" the shopkeeper asked with a smile. At that time, the Great Wu was in chaos, Terrain Map could be of varying importance. The less important ones were just paper and ink, while the more important ones were classified information.

These Aristocratic Clan powerful and influential families, each a local tycoon. They personally drew Terrain Map and surveyed the feng shui, never selling their findings to outsiders. Firstly, they sought to exploit the resources of nature, with minerals, firewood, fishing, and medicinal herbs being of paramount importance for development. Secondly, they familiarized themselves with the terrain to prepare for unforeseen circumstances.

Furthermore, tomb raiding and the selection of ancestral tombs are closely related to geomancy.

However, ordinary people rarely buy Terrain Map.

Li Xian said, "I'm just curious." The shopkeeper said, "Yes, it's two taels of silver. You'll need to pay before I give it to you."

Li Xian paid for the map along with the miscellaneous books, spending three taels of silver. After buying the Terrain Map, he turned the corner and hid in a dark alley to examine it. He was greatly disappointed; the Terrain Map only depicted the surrounding towns, mountains, and countryside...

There was nothing particularly remarkable about it, and it was only a few dozen miles in circumference. Li Xian cursed, "I didn't have much silver to begin with, and this is all for nothing." He felt a pang of regret.

I can't help but sigh, "Those days of extravagant spending are gone forever. They say a towering building can be leveled in a single day; the ancients were truly right."

Walking down the street, at a loss for what to do, he suddenly caught a glimpse of several young men. They were all dressed in coarse cloth, but walked steadily, their brows furrowed, and they carried long swords.

Li Xian pondered, "These young men possess martial arts skills and are definitely not ordinary people. Their appearance here must be for some purpose. I guess they are probably from the Sword Rain Tower. However... they are quite clever, actually wearing plain clothes. If I didn't look closely, I really wouldn't have noticed. I'll follow them and see if I can find some clues."

He secretly followed, moving with barely any footsteps. Unaware of their presence, the group entered a restaurant for a meal. Li Xian followed, and to appear part of the group, used his last remaining silver to order half a roast chicken and several side dishes...

Then I heard several people talking:

"This Sword-Hunting Alliance has truly had its share of twists and turns. I heard they had already captured that wicked woman. Heh! That little gigolo of hers is cunning and treacherous; he used some tricks and managed to rescue her again."

"If that weren't the case, we would have returned to our sect long ago. Why would we be disguised, traveling in plain clothes, and hiding in the surrounding towns like this?"

Li Xian understood. "It seems they don't know my whereabouts, and they also know that Wen Caishang's Inner Qi is completely depleted, so they changed their strategy, scattering their disciples and expanding the search area."

Listen attentively.

Several people said, "Hearing about this, it's quite a large force. The Sword-Hunting Alliance has five sects. Originally, this area was occupied by Sword Rain Tower, Yellow Sand Sect, and Tranquil Heart Sect. Now, Corpse Rakshasa Village, Limitless Saber Sect, and other forces have also surrounded this area."

"Yes, I reckon this Sword-Hunting Alliance is about to end. What difference would it make if they hid for another three or five days, clinging to life for a few more days?"

"Alright, the food is served. Eat quickly, and once you're full, we still need to investigate ' Lotus Village ' outside the city."

As they talked, they took out Terrain Map.

Li Xian frowned and then relaxed. The waiter brought the dishes to the table, but he had no appetite. So he asked for some oil paper and wrapped up half a roasted chicken, crispy beans, braised meat, and other dishes, hiding them in his chest.

They left the shop first and waited for the time it takes to eat a meal. After eating and drinking their fill, the group from Sword Rain Tower, with their bellies bulging, walked out of the restaurant arm in arm.

Li Xian quietly followed. When they passed a crowded area, he quickly caught up and reached out to steal. His movements were swift and agile, like Cloud-Seeking Mist Extraction. His Peak Mastery "Cloud-Soaring Hand" technique came in handy.

They silently seized the Terrain Map. Then, taking advantage of the situation, they stole two money pouches.

Li Xian slowed his pace and blended into the crowd. Then he quietly turned into an alley and hurried out of the city. After all this commotion, it was already noon.

There was no one around.

Li Xian opened his money pouch and couldn't help but spit out, "How can a disciple of a major sect be so poor!" Each of the two money pouches contained several hundred copper coins and a few pieces of silver. In total, they amounted to no more than two or three taels of silver.

Li Xian, however, was unaware of this.

The Sword Rain Tower has been in decline for over a decade, entirely thanks to Wen Caishang. The Sword Rain Tower has two main businesses: sword forging and medicinal herbs.

Wen Caishang killed the swordsmith and burned down the medicine mountain, ruining the situation, disrupting plans, and damaging the sect's vitality. With the sect struggling to make ends meet, the disciples naturally had to tighten their belts.

The stolen Terrain Map was enormous, meticulously marking the surrounding mountains, terrain, and river network. Li Xian was delighted, thinking to himself, "This must have been bought in a major city!"

The map indicates that this place is located southwest of "Flowerwater Prefecture," and the mountain where Li Xian and Wen Caishang are hiding is called "Fragrant Chaos Mountain." Once, a scholar with Fortune passed by this mountain, won the heart of his beloved, and in his excitement, he wrote a poem to name the mountain. Fragrant Chaos Mountain means: the heart is in turmoil.

However, on the southeast side of the mountain, countless exotic flowers grow. The name Fragrant Chaos Mountain also implies "a profusion of flowers".

What is this?

Li Xian observed carefully, then suddenly frowned. He noticed that in addition to the mountain ranges on the Terrain Map, there were also red dots marked with phrases such as "3:45 AM" and "2:45 PM".

"This is the search map. There are extremely clever people in the Sword Rain Tower. He arranges for people to Patrol Duty various places at set times, thus making the best use of his manpower. And it's very orderly, stable and not chaotic..."

"As shown in the map, all the villages surrounding Fragrant Chaos Mountain have been inspected today. Tomorrow we will surround Fragrant Chaos Mountain... They are quite shrewd; they even anticipated that my wife and I would hide in the mountains."

"Furthermore... this map only belongs to Sword Rain Tower. Yellow Sand Sect and Tranquil Heart Sect must have made their own arrangements, and their encirclement will be even tighter! The situation is very bad!"

Li Xian rolled up the Terrain Map and disappeared into the forest. He rushed back to the deep cave and, when he moved aside the covering, he saw Wen Caishang with red eyes, looking quite pitiful.

turn out to be...

Not long after Li Xian left, Wen Caishang woke up. Their relationship gradually changed, no longer just that of master and servant... Wen Caishang was weak and unable to move, but her thoughts were overflowing with affection.

Although he guessed that Li Xian must have entered the city to try and Terrain Map, he couldn't help but have many distracting thoughts, thinking about this and that. He even considered things he had never thought of before in his life.

Wen Caishang is extremely powerful, but she became powerful too early. With her strength, she reveals a cold, ruthless side. The weak look down on her, while the strong fear her. But at this moment, everything is different from before.

Wen Caishang sneered, "Fine, I thought you ran away again!"

Li Xian laughed and said, "Madam is wise and capable; how could she not have guessed that I was going to work on Terrain Map?"

"Looking like this, how can I be considered wise and mighty? I can't even move right now," Wen Caishang said. "When I woke up and couldn't see you, I thought you were lying about my lightness skill, so I immediately ran away for my life."

With a strange expression, he said again, almost as if possessed, "I almost hated you again."

Touched, Li Xian saw Wen Caishang's genuine emotions and gently picked her up, saying, "Then you're wrong."

Wen Caishang spat, "You wretched servant!" Then, her anger subsided, and she suddenly seemed to realize, "Wen Caishang, Wen Caishang, are you such an easily appeased woman? This wretched servant ran away without a word, then turned back, and you're no longer angry?"

"That's right... I can't move right now, so I'm just deliberately not getting angry. I'll get my revenge later, and I'll make sure it's a good one."