After pouring a great gulp of wine into his mouth with a glug-glug, he suddenly grinned and said:
"Born human, cultivate yourself, guide others across, be like water, dwell in an evil abyss yet do good... beautifully said."
After saying this to himself, he poured another mouthful of wine down his throat, then wiped the corner of his mouth with his rag-like sleeve and continued murmuring:
"To think that, after all these years, I would hear those words from an outer sect Unregistered Disciple. Laughable. Truly laughable!"
With that, he rolled onto his side, propped his head on his hand, and yawned. Then he looked toward the Green Bamboo Abode, his tone suddenly turning piercingly cold:
"Dwell in an evil abyss yet do good. If that is your heart of the Dao, then show me how you intend to defend it. I, Sword Nine, despise braggarts above all!"
One evening, nine days later.
The Purple Bamboo Forest, Sheep Deer Mountain.
Bang!
With Azure Bull Collides with the Mountain, Xu Taiping sent a Demon Wolf that had lunged at him flying backward.
But almost immediately, two more Demon Wolves sprang at Xu Taiping from behind.
My true qi is almost exhausted. Looks like I have to go back.
Xu Taiping glanced into the depths of the Bamboo Grove, unwilling to retreat.
Deep within the Purple Bamboo Forest, a Corpse Wraith with a rotting body gripped a great axe, hacking fiercely at a rock on the ground.
Beneath that rock lay the spring that supplied water to the Green Bamboo Abode. Once the great rock covering it was split apart and the spring plugged, the watercourse flowing to the abode would be cut off. Not only would the spirit herbs in the Medicine Garden wither, but even the abode's barrier might fail.
Bang!
Just then, the Corpse Wraith brought its axe down hard on the rock again, stirring up ripples of spiritual power and countless flying stone fragments.
That blow opened another crack in the rune-covered rock.
"Little fellow, there's still time to change your mind!"
Holding the axe, the Corpse Wraith turned toward Xu Taiping with a horrifying smile.
Without a doubt, this Corpse Wraith was the new body possessed by the Tiger Wraith.
"Who takes the deer is still anyone's guess!"
As Xu Taiping spoke, he circulated the true qi within him and unleashed Charging Bull Breaks the Formation.
With a burst of air like a bull's bellow, several fist shadows suddenly appeared and battered the two Demon Wolves lunging at him, sending them flying with unending howls.
Whoosh!
Seizing the opening as the Demon Wolves were driven back, Xu Taiping nimbly caught hold of a purple bamboo stalk and used its springiness to leap clear of their encirclement.
"You can't even handle a few Demon Wolves, yet you think you can stop me from cutting off the watercourse? Hide, then. Keep hiding! In a few more days, let's see where you can hide!"
Watching Xu Taiping flee, the Tiger Wraith's face twisted into a stiff smile.
Ever since discovering that the spring lay in the Purple Bamboo Forest, Xu Taiping had come more than once over these nine days to stop the Tiger Wraith. Yet every attempt had ended in a crushing defeat, making the Tiger Wraith increasingly smug.
Back at the Green Bamboo Abode.
Splash...
Xu Taiping scooped a basin of cold water from the water vat and poured it over himself, washing away all the sweat and grime.
Once he was done, he quickly dried himself, changed into clean clothes, and entered his bedroom, where he sat down at a simple desk he had made himself.
"The fifth sneak attack on the Tiger Wraith failed. This time, I used roughly sixty percent of my strength, ten percentage points less than last time. The Tiger Wraith noticed nothing unusual. I've also identified the three Demon Wolves' weaknesses. The one with a scar at the corner of its eye has an injured hind leg and can be killed from behind. The smallest one has an injured eye and reacts a little slower than the other two..."
Xu Taiping took up his brush and recorded, one by one, what he had learned from this sneak attack.
During these five attacks, especially the last two, he had actually had opportunities to kill the three Demon Wolves. But to mislead the Tiger Wraith, and to avoid getting injured before their fight to the death, he had deliberately held back.
I've tested it five times in a row now. The Tiger Wraith should believe that's the full extent of my strength. Next, I just need to do everything I can to improve my cultivation. Ideally, I'll advance the Setting Sun Glow Art to the Ice Formation Stage in one go.
Xu Taiping set down his brush and pondered silently for a moment, then went over to sit on his bed.
Once the Setting Sun Glow Art reached the Ice Formation Stage, not only would his Crimson Dawn protective Gang Qi grow far stronger, but his Crimson Dawn true qi would also be able to freeze water into ice.
If I break through to the Ice Formation Stage, I can seal those jars of wine I bought inside blocks of ice. That way, the Tiger Wraith definitely won't notice.
He glanced at the jars of strong wine beside his bed.
Although the people of the West Wind Pavilion turned a blind eye to the Tiger Wraith, they still sent Spirit Birds to deliver anything Xu Taiping wanted to buy.
Unfortunately, none of the Spirit Birds making these recent deliveries had been White Rainbow, and every one of them was exceedingly aloof. Otherwise, Xu Taiping could have asked them for help.
Stop always thinking about relying on others. Didn't Sister Linglong say it? Down here below the mountain, outer sect Unregistered Disciples can rely only on themselves.
Xu Taiping shook his head and steadied his mind again.
Then he tossed a soybean spirit crystal straight into his mouth and prepared to attempt to advance the Crimson Dawn true qi within him to the Ice Formation Stage.
In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.
Over these past few days, Xu Taiping had cultivated the Setting Sun Glow Art almost without eating or drinking. Even the loss of the garden's water supply had not shaken him in the slightest, as though he had entered a state of complete self-forgetfulness.
"Little fellow, come out and die!"
That afternoon, the Tiger Wraith arrived at the entrance to the Green Bamboo Abode once more, accompanied by the three Demon Wolves.
Although Xu Taiping's harassment had delayed it for several days, the Tiger Wraith had finally plugged the spring in Sheep Deer Mountain's Purple Bamboo Forest completely that day.
Bang!
When no answer came from inside for a long while, the Tiger Wraith leaped down from the Demon Wolf, then slashed its blade into the Green Bamboo Abode's gate, sinister ghostly energy wreathing the blow.
Boom!
Although the barrier surrounding the Green Bamboo Abode had not completely dissipated, its power had diminished considerably. Unlike before, it no longer hurt the Tiger Wraith at all.
"The barrier really is weakening."
A savage grin spread across the Tiger Wraith's face.
"Little fellow, I shall keep watch right here tonight. The moment the barrier vanishes completely will be the hour of your death. Then I'll make you taste what it means to be denied both life and death!"
Standing at the entrance to the Green Bamboo Abode, it burst into loud laughter.
At that very moment, Xu Taiping, who had been cultivating in his bedroom for days on end, opened his eyes.
The instant his eyes opened, the gray-white mist swirling around him suddenly condensed into ice. Even a large section of the bed beneath him froze solid.
"Condensing qi into ice-I've broken through to the Ice Formation Stage!"
Xu Taiping gazed at the ice crystals swirling and dancing around him, his eyes brimming with excitement.
Now that he had broken through to the Setting Sun Glow Art's Ice Formation Stage, he was qualified to attempt to reach the Gate Opening Realm.
More importantly, with this Crimson Dawn ice-condensing protective true qi, his chances of defeating the Tiger Wraith had undoubtedly improved further.
Before you continue