Three Great Illusions of Life

The three great illusions of life.

My phone was vibrating.

I can turn the tables and kill them.

She likes me!

Li Rui stared at the small words before him, not knowing what to think for a moment.

Jiang Yan was a noble daughter of Huaqing Sect. Whether it was her background, cultivation realm, or looks, she surpassed him by who knew how much—and he was already seventy!

He had heard of people who loved feet, and people who loved ugliness.

But this was the first time he had seen someone who loved the old.

Li Rui was quite self-aware. Even if she liked old men, she definitely would not pick someone like him.

Huaqing Sect had plenty of old men with immortal airs. There was no need to choose him.

But if it was not because she liked him, then she must have taken an interest in something on him. As a mere groom, the only thing Jiang Yan could possibly value was—his martial bones!

Li Rui immediately became wary.

If that was the case, then everything could be explained.

No wonder he had always drawn Jiang Yan's attention. Although he did not know how Jiang Yan had discovered that he possessed martial bones, he decided it would be best to have as little contact as possible with the four people from Huaqing Sect lately.

Gained the appreciation of a Sect Noble Daughter, Achievement +2

Name: Li Rui

Age: 0

Talent: Martial Bones

Achievement: 70/100

Only after Han Qin led the group up the mountain, until Jiang Yan was completely out of sight, did the flashing words finally stop.

In less than a quarter of an hour, his Achievement Points had risen by a full ten points.

Yet Li Rui did not feel the slightest joy.

The more Jiang Yan paid attention to him, the more dangerous his situation became.

What sort of colossal entity was Huaqing Sect?

A single speck of dust falling from it would be enough to crush a little groom like him to death.

The forest halfway up the mountain was lush and dense. Hidden among the trees, an abandoned temple could vaguely be seen.

Better sleep in a desolate grave than live in a ruined temple.

The nearby villagers were unwilling to come here, so the place was rarely visited.

It was not that gods or ghosts truly dwelled in the ruined temple. Rather, its roof provided shelter from wind and rain, making it a frequent refuge for bandits and vicious outlaws.

At this moment.

Inside the ruined temple's Buddha hall.

A young man dressed in splendid robes looked utterly out of place amid the surrounding desolation.

"All living beings believe in you, but I do not."

He looked at the dust-covered Buddha statue, his face full of mockery.

If believing in Buddha could make things better, then ordinary people would have long lost the right to worship Buddha. If you wanted something, you had to fight for it yourself!

Just then—

A voice sounded outside the Buddha hall.

"Junior Brother Xu, long time no see."

The young man named Xu Hua turned around and saw that Han Qin had appeared outside the Buddha hall at some unknown time.

"So it is Senior Brother Han."

Xu Hua showed not the slightest hint of panic upon seeing Han Qin.

"Hand over the Cultivation Method you stole from Martial Uncle Ma. I can report this to the Law Enforcement Elder and have your tendons and bones shattered, while sparing your life."

Han Qin shouted coldly.

At the same time, the sound of wood breaking rang out around the Buddha hall.

Zhu Yue, Zhou Hu, and Jiang Yan crashed through the windows from three directions, surrounding Xu Hua in the middle.

"That Ma fellow certainly was willing to spend money, but you lot still can't stop me!"

Xu Hua sneered.

"Arrogant!"

Zhu Yue bellowed and drew his sword first.

With a ringing clang, the treasured sword flew from its sheath and stabbed straight toward Xu Hua's vital point.

Xu Hua neither dodged nor evaded. He did not even draw the long saber at his waist, merely extending two fingers.

Ting!

A crisp sound rang out.

Xu Hua steadily pinched Zhu Yue's sword tip between two fingers, preventing it from advancing even an inch.

Catching a blade barehanded!

Zhu Yue's eyes widened as he stared at Xu Hua in disbelief. "You're Eighth Rank?!"

Xu Hua did not answer. He raised a foot and kicked Zhu Yue in the chest.

With a muffled grunt, Zhu Yue staggered back several steps, his face twisted in pain. Had Han Qin not darted over to catch him, he would have already slammed into the Buddha hall's wooden beam and suffered grave injuries.

"Forget martial virtue—attack together!"

Han Qin's expression turned grave.

The intelligence in the bounty mission had never mentioned that Xu Hua had already broken through. Otherwise, with his cautious nature, he would never have accepted this mission.

Zhou Hu and Jiang Yan's expressions also became solemn.

Like Zhu Yue, both of them were Ninth Rank.

Zhu Yue had been severely wounded after just one exchange with Xu Hua. The two of them were surely no match for him either.

The key still lay with Han Qin.

Han Qin had cast aside his usual gentle demeanor. At some unknown time, the longsword at his waist had already left its sheath, its icy sword intent striking fear into any who saw it.

"Today, let me witness the power of the Fallen Blossom Sword."

Xu Hua gave a sharp cry and drew his long saber.

Han Qin looked at the faint black aura clinging to Xu Hua's blade and frowned slightly. "You actually cultivated an evil art?!"

Zhu Yue and the other two suddenly understood.

No wonder Xu Hua had broken through to Eighth Rank after only a few days apart. He had cultivated an evil art.

"An evil art?"

"Cultivation methods are wielded by people. How can there be any distinction between righteous and evil? Senior Brother, you have fallen into the inferior path."

The corners of Xu Hua's lips curled upward, revealing a sickly expression of enjoyment.

Han Qin snorted coldly, unwilling to continue trading words with Xu Hua. Evil arts were immensely powerful; even he felt considerable pressure.

At that moment—

Jiang Yan, who had been silent at the side, suddenly spoke. "Senior Brother, hold this man off for a quarter of an hour."

Han Qin looked over and saw that Jiang Yan now held a bright yellow talisman paper in her hand, densely covered in crimson runes written in cinnabar, their strokes dancing like dragons and flying like phoenixes.

"Divine Weapon Talisman?!"

Han Qin's eyes lit up when he saw the talisman paper.

"Good. Junior Sister Jiang, just focus on activating the talisman!"

Xu Hua, who had remained composed until now, changed expression for the first time. "You are—"

Before he could finish, Han Qin's sword had already reached him.

At the foot of the mountain.

Several crows hidden somewhere let out harsh, grating caws.

Li Rui looked at the moonlight.

It was already the hour of the Dog.

"Why is it taking so long?"

A full hour had passed since Zhu Yue and the others went up the mountain. By all reason, it should have been over long ago.

Real fights were not like those in wuxia novels, where battles could drag on for three days and three nights at every turn.

Anyone who often fought for their life knew that, when swinging a blade with full force, a quarter of an hour was enough to exhaust someone to the point of dislocating their arms.

When experts fought, a single move was often enough.

"Something must have happened!"

Li Rui's heart sank.

He made a prompt decision and hurriedly led the four Blood-Sweating Horses to a concealed place to hide them. If that Huaqing Sect traitor had accomplices and they ran into them, things would become troublesome.

Li Rui knew this stretch of forest well.

Before long, he had led the four Blood-Sweating Horses into a valley. Beneath layer upon layer of trees, there was no way to spot the horses.

Only after finishing all this did he clap his hands in satisfaction.

Then he headed toward the ruined temple.

He had visited that ruined temple several times before and still remembered the way.

Soon, he caught sight of one corner of the ruined temple.

Captain Liu was leading more than a dozen constables in surrounding the ruined temple. Faintly, he could hear the clash of weapons, fighting, and angry shouts coming from inside.

It was Zhu Yue, the eldest young master of the Zhu Family.

"Ghost Sect."

"You Huaqing Sect... scum."

The distance was too great, so he could not make out their conversation clearly. He could only catch a few scattered words.

Li Rui had no intention whatsoever of stepping forward to help.

He had only come here to observe the situation, so that it would be easier to run away.