Framing

Chapter 26: Framing (please bookmark)

This is bad! Wang Yan's heart plunged into the depths. He silently cursed his luck. The young man and woman were clearly at the Major Completion of the Cultivation Realm or above, and the robed young man was also at the Major Completion of the Cultivation Realm. Three against one—even though he had two Immortal Cards, he could only activate one at a time, and the one he currently had active was the Fireball Spell Card. He had little confidence in taking on three cultivators at the Major Completion of the Cultivation Realm.

If he relied on the Fireball Spell Immortal Card alone...

This Fireball Spell Immortal Card had been personally crafted by the Card Fairy, but its stored magical power would run dry after seventeen or eighteen consecutive fireballs.

With three opponents against him, all far stronger than he was, Wang Yan had no confidence that a dozen or so fireballs could kill three cultivation realm cultivators.

If he used the Water-Fire Blast Card, however, none of those three Ma Family cultivators could withstand a single strike, provided it hit.

But although the Water-Fire Blast Card was powerful, its stored magical power would run out after just two uses of the Water-Fire Blast Technique. Wang Yan could not guarantee that, after striking one Ma Family cultivator, he would still be able to hit a second with it.

As Wang Yan weighed his options...

Suddenly!

Splash! Water sprayed into the air.

The sound shattered the stillness.

On the other side of the pool, a large fish weighing three or four jin leaped out of the water, then fell heavily back in... Ripples spread in widening circles...

"What the hell?! It was just a fish?" The young woman let out a relieved breath and swore.

"Tch! Making a fuss over nothing!" The young man also looked displeased as he glared at the robed young man and snapped.

"Well..." The robed young man looked around, momentarily at a loss. Then he flicked his sword toward the ground, sending a stone flying into the pool.

Plop! Water splashed everywhere, and immediately...

Splash, splash! Several large fish, apparently startled, leaped about in the pool before diving beneath the surface.

"I must have heard wrong. Sorry for disturbing you both!" Seeing this, the robed young man could only apologize to the young man and woman.

"Hmph! Coward!" The young woman shot him a displeased glare and spoke coldly, her expression scornful.

"All right! He was only being cautious!" The young man played the peacemaker and smoothed things over. Then, after a pause, he told the robed young man, "There may not be many Demon Beasts around here, but it isn't exactly safe either. Set up a warning formation in a little while!"

"Yes, senior brother!" the robed young man hurriedly answered, inwardly cursing his luck. He already had so much to do, and now he had to set up a formation too...

The young woman exchanged a few words with the young man, then they each returned to their cultivation...

"Whew!" Only then did Wang Yan breathe a sigh of relief. If they really discovered him and a fight broke out, he would have no advantage-especially with a core condensation realm elder of the Ma Family nearby. Though he hated the Ma Family to the bone, he was no fool. He would not go looking for trouble in a battle he was sure to lose. Instead, he thought with some gratitude, Good thing those fish helped me out. Fine, I won't eat you!

With that thought in mind...

Wang Yan still dared not move rashly. Who knew whether they were trying to lure him out by pretending to let him go?

However...

After a long wait, the robed young man finished preparing the Red-Crowned Snake.

He set up a campfire and roasted the snake meat, sending wisps of its aroma drifting everywhere. Rather than tending it, the robed young man took out several talismans and headed into the woods...

Splash! Water sprayed again as another large fish stirred in the pool. These fish normally did not move around much at night; perhaps Wang Yan's presence in the water was the cause.

Splash! Wang Yan shot toward the bank as fast as lightning. Ignoring the thorns and weeds that cut painfully into his bare body, he quietly slipped into the mountain forest...

Neither the young man nor the young woman from the Ma Family noticed anything...

More than two hours later.

At a small stream seven or eight li away.

"Ow! This hurts like hell!" Wang Yan sat beside the stream, treating his wounds. Most were scratches from thorns and the like. They were not serious, but they hurt. Once he applied the wound medicine he had taken from the burly Ma Family cultivator, they felt much better...

"Serves you right! Who told you to go looking for fish? Fish are adorable!" the Card Fairy said in his mind, rather gleeful at Wang Yan's misfortune.

"Tch! Who knew those Ma Family people would show up!" Wang Yan smacked his lips and grumbled. Suddenly, as though remembering something, a cold glint entered his eyes. He murmured, "Right! From what they said, it sounds like they came looking for that female cultivator!"

"Of course they did! They lost a Spirit Artifact. Naturally, a little Lineage like theirs would be anxious!" the Card Fairy replied offhandedly.

"Mm! They acted like they cared about that female cultivator, but I think they were really looking for the Bow and Arrows. Right-and this map!" Wang Yan said disdainfully. He patted his Storage Bag, and the strange beast-hide map appeared in his hand. Studying it, he murmured, "They said this was a Treasure Map for some place called Moon-Embracing Purple Mountain. Sounds like there's some incredible treasure there! Too bad I don't know where Moon-Embracing Purple Mountain is."

Exactly!

That Ma Family elder kept insisting he cared about his granddaughter, yet he stayed here resting and never mentioned the burly cultivator who had vanished as well. It seemed to be nothing but lip service. Clearly, he cared more about the map and his Thousand Spirit Arrow...

"But from what they said, it sounds as though they've already found where Moon-Embracing Purple Mountain is!" The Card Fairy had also heard the Ma Family members' conversation, so she naturally arrived at that conclusion...

"Yeah! This map must be very important to them. I just wonder how that Ma Family cultivator who courted death got her hands on it!" Wang Yan said with a frown.

Little did Wang Yan know, that female cultivator was actually no longer young, but she had remained stuck at a cultivation bottleneck, unable to advance. That was why she had stolen the Third Elder's Thousand Spirit Arrow. The map happened to be stored with it. Seeing a map, she had assumed it was some sort of Treasure Map and taken it along, planning to hunt for treasure after killing the Demon Beast...

Who could have known that the Fang Bear Beast had already advanced to the core condensation realm? She failed to kill the Demon Beast and lost her life instead, leaving Wang Yan to reap the spoils...

"I've got it!" After studying the supposed Treasure Map for a while, a cold glint suddenly flashed through Wang Yan's eyes. He sprang to his feet and said, "This is a perfect opportunity!"

"What is it, brat? What scheme are you cooking up?" the Card Fairy hurriedly asked.

"Card Fairy! This map must be very important to the Ma Family, right?" Wang Yan asked, seemingly answering her question with something unrelated.

"Of course! Otherwise, why would they come back looking for it?"

"Exactly!" Wang Yan narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Then if Wang Ziling took this map, what do you think the Ma Family would do?"

"Wang Ziling took the map?" The Card Fairy froze for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Isn't it in your hands?" Suddenly, she caught on. "You mean to frame Wang Ziling!"

"That's right! Card Fairy, you're so clever!" Wang Yan said with a smile, then quickly added, "There's no time to lose. We have to get ahead of those Ma Family people!" Red light flashed beneath his feet as he spoke. In a few bounds, he leaped onto a tree trunk and raced toward the Fang Bear Beast's den...

"But how are you going to frame Wang Ziling?"

"I have my ways!"

"...!"

After running for more than half the night, Wang Yan finally returned to the valley. Cleverly, he erased some traces he had left behind, then took a small bamboo plaque from inside his robe. The name Wang Yan was written on it in red.

"What's that? An identity plaque from the Wang Household?" the Card Fairy quickly asked. After a pause, she hurriedly added, "Hey! Brat, haven't you got the wrong idea? Identity plaques usually carry magical power and soul imprints!"

Indeed, as cultivators, most Lineages and sects placed magical power and soul imprints on their identity plaques... From the look of it, Wang Yan intended to alter this plaque and frame Wang Ziling.

"Card Fairy, you're worrying too much!" Wang Yan said confidently. "Do you really think insignificant outer-Lineage disciples like us would have identity plaques with magical power and soul imprints?" With that, he got to work. The writing on this Identity Token had been made with Demon Beast blood, and he happened to have some...

"Well... that's true!" Hearing this, the Card Fairy agreed.

After working for a while, he changed the writing on the Identity Token to Wang Ziling, then tossed it into an inconspicuous corner...

"Heh heh! Wang Ziling! Just you wait!" Wang Yan inspected the surroundings and, finding no flaws, left with a sinister smile...

Amid a stretch of towering mountains stood a fairly tall peak, with what appeared to be quite a few buildings upon it. A straight mountain path led up to the peak, and a valley lay before it, where several cultivators were patrolling near the entrance...

On a secluded peak within this valley...

Wang Yan crouched in a thicket with only his eyes showing, staring fixedly at the path below.

"Hey! Brat! Looks like your plan failed. Those Ma Family people haven't come at all!" the Card Fairy said.

"Tch! Just wait! They'll definitely come!" Wang Yan smacked his lips and spoke in a low voice.

"Aren't the Wang Household and the Ma Family enemies? Why would they come?" the Card Fairy asked in confusion.

"When did I ever say the Wang Household and the Ma Family were enemies?" Wang Yan replied calmly.

"Don't you have a grudge against the Ma Family?"

"I have a grudge against the Ma Family, not the Wang Household... Shh! They're here!" Wang Yan was about to explain when he suddenly seemed to notice something and hastily spoke.