Chapter 57: Shangyi Village
Leopards were much faster than wolves. Moreover, the two leopards had a frightening level of coordination. One circled left, the other right, but constantly juked in between, making their paths impossible to predict.
Li Yan only saw a blur before his eyes when two gusts of foul wind lunged at him from in front and behind.
Damn!
Li Yan’s entire body jolted as every pore opened wide. The leopards were so fast that he could not even clearly see their vulnerable throats and bellies. If he swung recklessly, then even if he landed a hit, a single swipe from the beast at close range could rip open his stomach. At the same time, he could not evade, since Wang Daoxuan stood behind him.
As he felt the wind brush against his skin, Li Yan bent backward sharply. His spine coiled like a great dragon before snapping taut. Kicking upward with his right leg while still in midair, he unleashed a Kui Xing Reverse Kick.
Kui Xing was the deity governing literary fortune. His statues often depicted him balancing on one foot atop a giant turtle, symbolizing unrivaled success.
One of the techniques among the ten great forms of the Red Fist, called Kui Xing Kicks the Big Dipper, was modeled after that divine posture. But Li Yan’s Kui Xing Reverse Kick completely inverted the body, resembling a bicycle kick, causing the force to explode from below.
At the same moment, hidden force burst throughout his entire body.
Boom!
Li Yan felt a violent tremor shoot through his right leg, as though he had kicked a giant rubber tire. The leopard took the blow directly to the chest and hurtled seven or eight meters backward before loudly crashing into the rocks. But the impact also threw Li Yan off balance, sending him tumbling to the ground.
But at that moment, the second leopard was already upon him.
“To hell with your ancestors!”
Just as Li Yan prepared to roll away, a furious roar erupted nearby. Sha Lifei had gone berserk.
Because of the Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coins, the two spiritually awakened leopards had only regarded Li Yan as a true threat. Both had attacked him simultaneously while completely ignoring Sha Lifei standing nearby.
That was the limitation of beasts. Even after developing spirituality, their instincts still followed the laws of the jungle. When prey gathered in numbers, the beasts’ terrifying presence usually caused them to scatter in panic, allowing predators to pick them off one by one.
Humans, however, were different. The second leopard had focused entirely on pouncing on Li Yan and exposed its flank to Sha Lifei, who slammed shoulder-first into the leopard. Sha Lifei was tall and broad, his body packed with knotted muscle.
Even as he did so, he held his blade in reverse beneath his elbow, piercing through the beast’s abdomen and leaving a bloody hole.
“ROAR!”
The leopard’s ferocity was terrifying. After rolling across the ground, it immediately sprang back to its feet. Ignoring the blood pouring from its stomach, it bared its fangs and roared savagely at them.
Crash... rumble...
The other leopard, which had smashed into the mountainside, tumbled down amidst dirt and shattered rocks. It struggled back upright as well, blood pouring from its mouth as its body swayed unsteadily.
Li Yan’s hidden force had wreaked havoc in its body. Though it didn’t seem to have any external injuries, the leopard’s chest bones had shattered and its internal organs were already bleeding.
Only then did the two leopards finally realize the danger. Despite their injuries, they relied on their powerful vitality to endure the pain and leap directly back into the forest, disappearing within moments.
Li Yan quickly said, “No need to chase them. We focus on our goal!”
He ignored the retreating beasts and hurriedly looked back at the forest. To wild animals, injuries this severe in the wilderness were no different from death. Besides, he distinctly remembered hearing tiger roars earlier. What truly worried him was whether the commotion had alarmed the treasure.
At that very moment, the spiritual glow within the forest suddenly vanished.
Zhao Luzi’s delighted voice rang out in the distance. “The fortune’s been secured!”
The three men immediately grinned and excitedly rushed into the woods. Before long, they found Zhao Luzi sitting beneath a tree. Though the young man wore a smile, his face was pale as paper. He was surrounded by wooden stakes and red strings; clearly, retrieving treasures was far from simple.
But all of their attention was drawn toward the Thunderstruck Jujube Tree. The tree stood only around one storey tall and looked fairly ordinary. However, its upper half had been scorched black by heavenly lightning and fire. Its crown had vanished, leaving it bare and split open in places. Yet its vitality had not faded. Fresh branches had already sprouted around it, full of vibrant greenery.
The rope twisted from the Iron Vestment was tightly wrapped around the trunk.
When Sha Lifei walked closer and was about to step across the wooden stakes and red strings embedded in the ground, Zhao Luzi hurriedly stopped him. “Don’t come closer yet.”
He then took a long saw and spent considerable effort cutting through the trunk.
Boom!
The tree collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash. Only then did Zhao Luzi wipe the sweat from his forehead and grin foolishly.
“This way, the strand of Heaven’s Lightning astral qi inside remains preserved. It could sell for an excellent price even in Chang’an. What a pity though... it only withstood one strike.”
Wang Daoxuan asked curiously, “And what significance does that hold?”
Zhao Luzi blinked in surprise. “Daoist Wang doesn’t know?”
Wang Daoxuan laughed helplessly. “This poor Daoist is a pauper. Even the spiritual artifacts I own are made from ordinary peach wood. How would I ever encounter treasures of this caliber?”
“You jest, Daoist.” Zhao Luzi looked embarrassed and quickly explained. “When refining spiritual artifacts, maple serves as heaven and jujube serves as earth. Maple is called the essence of all woods, while jujube is known as the envoy of all trees. Together they are called the Two Woods of Heaven and Earth.
“Peach wood has stronger evil-repelling power, but its texture is too soft to survive heavenly lightning. Thus, the finest spiritual artifact materials are usually Thunderstruck Jujube Wood. There’s plenty of ordinary Thunderstruck Jujube Wood. But only wood that survives heavenly lightning and completely retains that strand of lightning astral qi has a chance to become a heavenly treasure.
“But this process resembles the cultivation of spirits. Once it becomes a heavenly treasure, after enough time passes, it will eventually attract a second heavenly lightning strike. If it survives again and absorbs the new thunder qi, the resulting magical artifact becomes vastly more powerful.
“My father once told me that the Supreme Heavenly Lightning Seal and the Supreme Demon Suppressing Sword of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect were forged from Thunderstruck Jujube Wood that endured six heavenly lightning strikes. But such treasures are unimaginably rare. Only those blessed with immense fortune can ever obtain them.”
As he spoke, he looked down at the Thunderstruck Jujube Wood and shook his head.
“My father discovered this tree years ago. Sensing it was extraordinary, he wanted to wait several more years to see whether it could survive a second heavenly strike. Unfortunately, even after all this time, the opportunity never came. Meanwhile, Shopkeeper Wan accepted a major commission specifically requiring this material, so we had no choice but to harvest it early.
“Let’s get moving. The roots are valuable too. Though they no longer contain heavenly lightning astral qi, they can still be carved into excellent household guardian ornaments. Once sold, the money will be split evenly among everyone.”
The moment money was mentioned, Sha Lifei immediately regained his energy. “Brother Zhao, you’re truly generous!”
The group grabbed hoes and spent a long time digging before finally removing the entire root system. They then chopped down several rolling logs to use as supports while dragging the massive log. Once they exited Leopard Ravine, they tossed the timber into the nearby river with a loud splash.
That made things much easier. Using ropes, they simply guided it downstream while pulling from the bank. By the time they left Yetai Mountain, the eastern horizon was brimming with the pale white glow of dawn.
Sha Lifei ran back to Chunhua County and summoned the laborers he had arranged beforehand. Driving ox carts, they arrived to load the Thunderstruck Jujube Wood. Zhao Luzi then covered it with red cloth and bound it tightly with red ropes, finally completing the task.
By the time they returned to Xianyang City, it was already evening.
Having received word, Shopkeeper Wan personally arrived with several disciples. Instead of entering the city, they headed toward a nearby village outside Xianyang. As for Zhao Luzi, he cupped his fists and took his leave.
He strictly followed his ancestral rules and would never enter another person’s home. His own residence was inside a nearby Mountain God Temple. Most days he guarded the temple and watched over the incense offerings, while spending the rest of his time wandering the wilderness.
After Li Yan memorized the location and arranged to share drinks with him another day, he followed Shopkeeper Wan and the others onward.
The village they headed to was called Shangyi Village. Originally, it had been a hereditary craftsman village from ancient times, and nearly every household still made a living through carpentry.
“Ho! That’s some good stuff!”
The moment the Thunderstruck Jujube Wood entered the village, crowds gathered to watch.
Shopkeeper Wan could barely stop smiling. Cupping his fists toward the villagers, he called out, “Everyone, time is tight this time. I’ll need several of the village’s best craftsmen to help. If we finish before the Winter Solstice, I guarantee everyone will enjoy a prosperous New Year!”
Shopkeeper Wan clearly held tremendous prestige within the village, and the villagers all answered in unison.
“Alright!”
Because of the bustling carpentry trade, every household possessed large courtyards, though Shopkeeper Wan’s was especially enormous. Numerous craftsmen worked busily inside, sawdust flying everywhere while the sounds of chiseling rang endlessly.
At one corner of the courtyard stood several massive drum frames.
Sha Lifei, unable to keep his mouth shut, immediately asked, “Senior Wan, this is quite the operation. What kind of big commission did you take?”
“No need to hide it from you.” Shopkeeper Wan invited the three men inside before smiling. “The Taibai Manor of the Queen Mother Courtyard will hold a grand ritual ceremony during the Winter Solstice. They require a complete set of ceremonial drums and ritual instruments. If this old man handles the job well, then my disciples won’t have to worry about making a living in the future.”
The three hurriedly cupped their fists in celebration.
“Congratulations! Congratulations!”
No wonder Shopkeeper Wan valued the matter so highly. It turned out to be a commission from the Taixuan Orthodox Sect. Though they served as the state religion, its scale was enormous and far from unified. Numerous factions existed within it, each worshipping different deities.
Their factions were divided according to the different “courtyards.” For example, the Queen Mother Courtyard primarily worshipped the Heavenly Constellation Gods.
Below the courtyards came the “manors.” The Taibai Manor belonged under the Queen Mother Courtyard and was located atop Mount Taibai, connected to Zhongnan Mountain Range. It was one of the Thirty-Six Lesser Paradise and possessed extraordinary status.
“Nowhere near that level. It’s just good fortune.” Shopkeeper Wan spoke modestly for a moment before his expression suddenly turned serious. “Everyone, Xianyang has descended completely into chaos. You should settle down here for the time being. Under no circumstances should you enter the city anytime soon.”
Li Yan frowned. “What happened?”
Shopkeeper Wan sighed deeply and shook his head. “Zheng Xianhuai of the Eight Vajras is dead. His entire family, including wife and children, no matter how old or young, was killed. Now both sides have drawn blades. No one’s following the rules anymore...”
