Idlely Flipping Through Books

Liang He returned to Heaven One Hall.

Before he had even crossed the threshold, he saw Zhou Shulin already waving at him.

Once he entered,

Zhou Shulin said, "A-He, thank goodness you're all right. I heard quite a few people in the alliance died last night."

This time, the Heaven and Earth Alliance had deployed nearly a hundred people.

A full twenty had died.

A casualty rate exceeding twenty percent was unbearable in any era.

The Heaven and Earth Alliance had suffered grievous losses this time.

Besides ordinary disciples, they had also lost an Enforcer and a Deputy Hall Master.

"Did you hear? Eagle Hall Master is dead!"

There was no concealing the delight in Zhou Shulin's voice.

Liang He's eyes widened.

Eagle Six had actually died.

The fighting last night had been brutal, but he had never expected even the battle-hardened Eagle Six to fall.

His expression soon turned strange.

In less than ten days, Heaven One Hall had lost a Deputy Hall Master and an ordinary disciple.

Was it cursed with the Heavenly Fiend Lone Star?

Liang He could not help feeling a wave of lingering fear. If Wu Tu had not taught him that survival came first, then with his former temperament, he would certainly have charged in headfirst.

"The martial world is treacherous. Our Heaven One Hall is still the safest place."

He spoke from the bottom of his heart.

Zhou Shulin nodded fiercely.

"Even if they beat me to death, I'm not going out again."

On this point, the two quickly reached a consensus.

Just as they were speaking, someone strode into Heaven One Hall.

When Liang He saw him, delight appeared in his eyes.

"Enforcer Wu."

Wu Tu gave a chuckle. "You brat really are tough to kill. Is your Hall Master here?"

Liang He pointed toward a room in the corner of the first floor.

"The Hall Master is in his room."

Wu Tu said, "All right, I'll go see your Hall Master first. I'll find you for drinks when I have time."

With that, he headed straight for Li Rui's room.

Zhou Shulin looked at Liang He in surprise. "When did you become so close with Enforcer Wu?"

Liang He said, "Can't be helped. We've been through life and death together."

"Brother Wu, did everything go smoothly last night?"

Li Rui looked at Wu Tu, who was sitting sprawled out before him.

"Old Brother Li, they say age turns one into a demon. You truly are a godlike man!"

Wu Tu blurted out without any preamble.

"??"

Li Rui felt that Wu Tu was insulting him, but he could find no proof.

Then Wu Tu wore a vexed expression and slapped his thigh.

"Old Brother Li, your brother should have listened to you and stayed out of those matters. Then I wouldn't have ended up covered in injuries."

Li Rui looked baffled.

"Brother Wu, what exactly happened last night?"

Wu Tu let out a soft sigh. "Xu Hua joined forces with people from the Ghost Underworld Sect. I heard even a Ghost Demon appeared. Fortunately, it was slain by an expert from the Huaqing Sect, but we still suffered devastating losses."

Li Rui was surprised.

"A Ghost Demon?"

A trace of apprehension flashed through Wu Tu's eyes as he explained, "That Ghost Demon is a monster raised by the Ghost Underworld Sect, neither human nor demon. They say it is created by raising demonic beasts on human hearts, then cultivating them further. It's wicked as hell."

Li Rui's heart pounded wildly.

Demonic beasts were already terrifying enough.

There was no need to question the strength of a Ghost Demon.

He was no longer the groom from the Zhu Family. During his time in Heaven One Tower, aside from reading Daoist scriptures to supplement the White Ape Mantle Blade Breathing Method, he had also read many tales and records of the martial world.

Among them were records concerning demonic beasts.

This world truly possessed supernatural beings, and demonic beasts were among them.

Demonic beasts were a collective term for powerful strange beasts lurking in the deep mountains beyond the cities. Their intelligence was low, and they were the nightmare of mountain folk.

Wu Tu also felt a lingering fear.

"The Ghost Demons cultivated through the Ghost Underworld Sect's evil arts not only possess the strength of demonic beasts, but also human intelligence. For martial artists of the same rank, facing one is a dead end. If not for an expert from the Huaqing Sect acting this time, the entire Clear River would have suffered disaster."

Li Rui pressed, "So which expert from the Huaqing Sect acted in the end?"

Wu Tu shook his head somewhat gloomily.

"I don't know."

Then he added, "At the time, other than the Branch Master and the Huaqing Sect's two emissaries, no one else saw it."

Li Rui nodded.

Wu Tu recalled something. "It's rather funny. That Huaqing Sect disciple also seemed to have been killed by the Ghost Demon amid the chaos. He died horribly—nothing but a pile of bone fragments remained. That Huaqing Sect disciple surnamed Kong only took back a section of hand bone to report back."

Li Rui looked surprised, but something stirred in his heart.

That Huaqing Sect disciple had been clever.

He had already smashed Xu Hua into pulp. Ancient times had none of the precise instruments of modern technology; with the methods available to coroners at the yamen, it would be almost impossible to identify him as Xu Hua with complete certainty.

But to Kong Xiannian, that did not matter at all.

As long as he insisted it was Xu Hua, the Huaqing Sect would most likely not investigate further.

After all, the Ghost Underworld Sect had caused such a huge disturbance, enough to serve as proof.

Kong Xiannian's actions had also invisibly wiped away many of Li Rui's troubles.

Since even the Huaqing Sect would no longer pursue the matter, the issue of the secret art would gradually be forgotten.

His troubles would vanish along with it.

He immediately felt his body and mind relax.

The feeling of constantly being watched by others was truly unpleasant. Now that Xu Hua was dead and the trail had gone cold, no one would mention the ruined temple or the secret art again.

Ordinary and uneventful was the real thing.

He now possessed martial bones and the complete White Ape Mantle Blade, enough to take him to an exceedingly distant realm.

Once he became strong enough,

he could find a way to extend his lifespan, then seek immortals and inquire into the Dao.

As long as he could find a method to ascend and become immortal, he would no longer be troubled by the limits of his lifespan.

Li Rui glanced at the "Ascend to Immortality and Become an Ancestor" achievement on his panel.

"Cultivation!"

Heaven One Hall returned to tranquility once more.

A Deputy Hall Master had died, along with a disciple.

Zhao Wei had no choice but to temporarily abandon the thought of finding someone to fill the position.

The other six halls all found it unlucky. Even those disciples assigned to guard the venues were unwilling to come because of the rumors.

For a time, Heaven One Hall was once again reduced to four people.

Han Peng was the most awkward of all.

His backer had fallen, and he had thoroughly offended both the Hall Master and the other two.

First, he tucked his tail between his legs and acted like a grandson for several days. Then he decisively signed up for the most dangerous venue.

Although this left him with neither wife nor soldiers, at least he could preserve his life.

In Han Peng's eyes, Li Rui was even more dangerous than raging floods and savage beasts. He did not doubt in the slightest that if he stayed in Heaven One Hall for a few more days, he would surely follow in Eagle Six and Yang San's footsteps.

Zhou Shulin and Liang He's loyalty to Li Rui had also reached an incomparable level.

"The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy with strategy."

"The Hall Master wiped out every enemy without moving so much as a fist or a foot. This is the highest realm of the martial world!"

"Fighting and killing are not a long-term solution. You have to use your brain."

All of the above were lessons Liang He had summarized on Li Rui's behalf.

He had even compiled them into a booklet.

Li Rui knew nothing about this.

As usual, he turned the pages of Daoist scriptures.

"Those who seek longevity must accumulate goodness and establish merit, show compassion to all things, forgive themselves and others."

The hand turning the pages paused.

Liang He's voice sounded from outside the door.

"Hall Master, Vice Branch Master Zhang invites you to drink tonight."