Elder Cui

"Elder Cui, you got here so quickly!" Madam Yin looked up and called into the sky in delight.

Wang Yu froze for a moment before making out a slender azure canoe hovering silently more than a hundred feet overhead.

A burly man with a face covered in bristling whiskers stood aboard the canoe, dressed in a yellow robe. A huge, dark iron spike slowly revolved before him.

"I happened to be attending to something nearby. I came as soon as I received your message, which is why I arrived so quickly. Where are the thieves? Have they fled?" the man demanded from above, his dark brows drawn together and his eyes blazing.

"Elder Cui, the thieves were the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain. After succeeding half a day ago, they fled east with the valuables they had plundered. Oh, and I saw from a distance that they had a flying magical artifact. It seemed to be a standard mechanical flying boat from the Heavenly Craft Sect," Madam Yin replied respectfully.

"Hmph, so it was those four scoundrels, the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain. No wonder they dared attack our Hundred Treasures Pavilion's magical ship."

"The Yu Kingdom lies to the east. It seems they intend to return to their lair in Misty Mountain. Though my Azure Light Boat is faster than a low-grade mechanical flying boat, they left so long ago that there's no hope of catching them now. I'll notify our branches in the Yu Kingdom to issue a bounty and put the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain on the wanted list."

"...Who is this youngster? He isn't one of ours, is he?"

After those harsh words, the whiskered man swept his gaze over Wang Yu below. Cold light flickered in his eyes, and an immense aura descended from the sky, enveloping Wang Yu.

Wang Yu immediately felt as though Mount Tai were crushing down on him. His bones crackled all over, and one leg buckled under the unbearable pressure, dropping him to one knee. Utterly horrified, he hurriedly shouted:

"I'm a passenger from the Iron Arrow, not one of the thieves!"

"Elder Cui, Brother Wang really is just a passenger. He has nothing whatsoever to do with the thieves," Madam Yin hastily explained.

"Hmph, a mere false cultivator escaped pursuit by the likes of the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain? Whether he's involved or not, I'll know once I've searched his soul." The whiskered man's eyes flickered a few times as he saw through Wang Yu's true cultivation at a glance, yet his manner remained utterly overbearing. At the same time, the huge black iron spike revolving before him began to hum.

Wang Yu's face instantly grew several shades paler.

A soul search? Just hearing that sounds horribly wrong!

"Elder Cui, Fellow Daoist Wang may not have much cultivation, but..." Madam Yin grew flustered as well. After a moment's hesitation, she tried to explain further.

But before she could finish, the air behind the man suddenly rippled. A blood-red short sword materialized and flashed forward in a silent thrust.

Elder Cui's upper body abruptly bent sideways at the waist at a nearly impossible angle.

The blood-red short sword barely grazed past his shoulder.

"Who's there?"

The next instant, the whiskered man straightened and roared in fury. The black iron spike beside him smashed toward the empty air behind him like lightning.

Boom!

"As expected of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. You really aren't so easy to take down."

Gales churned behind him, and a green figure appeared out of thin air amid a lilting laugh. She flew backward over a hundred feet before steadying herself in midair. It was none other than Qin'er, the girl in green.

With a beckoning gesture, she sent the blood-red short sword that had missed its mark circling back into her hand.

"Blood Enchantress! Very good, very good. You've got quite some nerve, daring to ambush this elder when you're merely at late Qi Refining. I'll show you what a Foundation Establishment cultivator is."

The whiskered man stared viciously at the girl, enunciating each word in an icy voice.

"Heehee, if I were alone, I certainly wouldn't dare provoke you, Senior. But we Four Fiends of Misty Mountain never act alone. Fallen Moon, the rest of you should show yourselves too. It seems we have a tough fight ahead." Qin'er blinked her large eyes and spoke with a soft laugh.

As soon as she finished, two white clouds drifted down from the nearby sky. They silently settled on either side of her before transforming into two figures.

One wore Daoist robes, carried a sword on his back, and held a battered lantern. He was Fallen Moon Daoist.

The other wore white palace attire and had a lovely face. She was the woman who had been with the girl aboard the magical ship earlier.

At the sight, Wang Yu stood frozen like a wooden chicken.

He had never noticed three living people hiding nearby-and they were members of the Four Fiends of Misty Mountain, the very people he feared most.

Madam Yin's expression shifted uncertainly, her thoughts unreadable.

"Hmph, Fallen Moon Daoist, Mad-Hand Auntie. Where's Qian Kunzi? Tell him to come out too."

Elder Cui looked at the two newcomers and snorted, without the slightest sign of panic.

"Drop the act. You've already fallen out of Foundation Establishment. You're only at half-step Foundation Establishment now, yet you still fancy yourself a mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator. Aren't the three of us enough to send you on your way?" Fallen Moon Daoist rolled his eyes and spoke without a shred of courtesy.

"How do you know I'm at half-step Foundation Establishment? I see-you came for me. There's a mole in the pavilion?" The whiskered man was startled at first, but realization quickly dawned, and his expression turned exceedingly grim.

"If we hadn't needed to lure you here, we wouldn't have bothered hijacking some magical ship. Now, will you hand that thing over obediently, or shall we have a fight and take your life along with it?" Qin'er asked with a cheerful grin.

"Hahaha! The Four Fiends of Misty Mountain really are arrogant. I'll show you that half-step Foundation Establishment is still Foundation Establishment. Guard Yin, wait here for me. Once I've dealt with these three petty thieves, we'll leave together." This time, Elder Cui laughed in his fury. The azure canoe beneath his feet gave a slight shudder, and azure light instantly shone across its surface. Then it shot off to one side like a crossbow bolt, covering several hundred feet in the blink of an eye.

"He's trying to run! After him!"

Fallen Moon Daoist froze for a moment, then immediately reacted with a shout. He flicked his sleeve, sending out a talisman. It swelled in the wind and transformed into a gale that swept up all three of them, carrying them after the azure canoe ahead.

The three completely ignored Wang Yu and Madam Yin below.

"We need to leave too!"

Almost simultaneously, Madam Yin's transmitted voice sounded in Wang Yu's ears. After a moment's surprise, he saw that she already held a wooden carving resembling a miniature carriage. Muttering an incantation, she tossed it onto the ground nearby.

Black smoke billowed, and a wooden carriage some ten feet across appeared, with four enormous black dogs standing before it.

Madam Yin beckoned to the youth and hurried toward the carriage.

Only then did Wang Yu understand, and he hastily followed her.

But just then, a strange whistle came from the nearby woods. A streak of golden light swept out and struck the carriage squarely.

Boom!

The carriage shattered into pieces. The golden light swept back and landed in the hand of a short figure emerging from the woods, turning into a golden ring.

"Qian Kunzi."

Madam Yin stopped in her tracks, her face somewhat pale as she looked at the dwarf nearby.

Wang Yu sucked in a cold breath and tightened his grip on his iron essence saber.

"Don't be afraid. Your opponent isn't me-it's them," the dwarf said, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

As soon as he finished speaking.

Three more people slowly emerged behind him, two men and one woman.

Wang Yu took a closer look and was stunned.

They were Yu Bintian and the young couple from the Huang Household.

All three were pale and haggard.

But what drew Wang Yu's attention most was the foot-long Filth-Bone Fish perched on each of their shoulders, its long tail hooked firmly around its host's neck.

"Don't say I never gave you two a chance. Kill those three, and I'll spare you."

"And you three, listen carefully too. If you kill those two, I'll likewise remove the restrictions and let you go. If you fail, you know what awaits you." The dwarf's venomous words echoed through the air.

All five of their expressions changed.

"Split up!"

Madam Yin shouted under her breath. Black energy swirled around her, and she sank straight into the soil, fleeing deep underground.

Without thinking, Wang Yu dropped down, planted both hands and feet against the ground, and pushed off with all four limbs.

Whoosh!

Four pits a foot deep remained where he had stood as he shot away like a cannonball. Then, moving his hands and feet continuously like a wild beast, he vanished behind the trees in a few bounds.

"Hahaha, how interesting. If you don't chase them now, you really might not catch them." The dwarf showed no concern at the sight, instead letting out a shrill laugh at Yu Bintian and the other two.

"So be it."

Yu Bintian sighed and turned over one hand, revealing a yellow talisman. After pressing it onto himself, he too sank into the soil and pursued Madam Yin.

The young couple from the Huang Household seemed somewhat surprised by this and exchanged a glance.

The young wife suddenly removed a Lotus-Shaped Jade Hairpin from her hair and tossed it into the air before her. It expanded wildly, turning into an azure lotus some ten feet across in the blink of an eye.

The couple leaped onto the lotus and flew off in the direction Wang Yu had vanished.

In moments, only the dwarf remained.

"Wonderful, wonderful. I can hardly wait. No, no, wait a little longer. If I go over too soon, they might hold back instead of truly fighting to the death."

The dwarf seemed extremely excited. His face flushed, and even several of the braids on his head stood upright.

After waiting a while longer, he took a white banner from inside his robe. With a shake of it, he transformed into a white cloud and soared skyward. After circling once high above, he ultimately flew in the direction opposite to Wang Yu's.