Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Moyun City
When Shi Xiaole left the courtyard, the person responsible for surveillance immediately reported it to the Grand Elder.
"Uncle, this is a great opportunity. Let’s leak the news right away that he sneaked out without notice. According to the sect rules, even the Second Elder can’t protect him."
Qin Zhao, who had just returned from the Book Collection Building, said with excitement.
The Grand Elder waved his hand, saying, "Zhao, you’re confused! If this gets out, the most that will happen is he’ll be confined for a few days. It won’t hurt him in the slightest. What’s the point?"
"So, what should we do?"
"I’ve already sent Officer Wu to follow him. If this little dog dares to leave without permission, then he shouldn’t think about coming back."
The Grand Elder spoke ominously, suddenly recalling Zhao Buping who had been missing for many days. Based on Shi Xiaole’s performance during the sect’s final summary meeting, it seems likely that Zhao Buping was killed.
Qin Zhao understood the implication in his uncle’s words and hesitated, "Uncle, if people find out about us assassinating our own sect member then..."
"Don’t worry, Officer Wu is my confidant, he won’t leak any secrets. Besides, Officer Wu has reached the eighth level of Hidden Qi cultivation. There is no possibility that he will fail."
It took Qin Zhao a while to digest this. He then sneered, "Uncle, what a brilliant plan! It’s just a pity that I can’t kill that brat myself."
...
Half a day later, Shi Xiaole arrived at the foot of Mountain Luyan. Suddenly, he had a very ominous feeling, as if he was being watched by a venomous snake.
"Not good!"
Using his well-practiced Floating Step, Shi Xiaole hurriedly moved to the side.
A strong gust of wind exploded on the spot where he just stood, causing the firm yellow dirt to burst three feet high, splattering violently.
"That little dog is quite alert."
From a distance, a man in white leisurely walked out, hands behind him, a cold smirk on his face.
Shi Xiaole recognized the man from his memory. This man had been following the Grand Elder all the time and was one of his most trusted confidants.
"The Grand Elder sent you to kill me?"
Shi Xiaole asked in a deep voice.
"No! A trivial little dog like you is not worth the Grand Elder’s attention. I saw that you were acting stealthily and suspected of colluding with enemies, so I took action to cleanse the sect."
As the Grand Elder’s trusted minion, Officer Wu handled things carefully. Even when he knew that no one was aware of the situation, he still maintained a righteous posture.
"You guys are very deliberate. It seems that the past me was too kind."
After what happened with Zhao Buping, Shi Xiaole already had murderous intent towards the Grand Elder. Yet this murderous intent was gradually fading over time.
Not until now did Shi Xiaole actually understand. Some people are destined not to be forgiven.
If he can escape this time, he will make the Grand Elder regret ever coming into this world!
"Little dog, I see deep hatred in your eyes. Hehe, go complain to the King of Hell. After all, you were the one who misbehaved and colluded with enemies."
With a brutal smile, Officer Wu strode forward. A few yards quickly passed under his feet. The fist behind him violently punched out and turned into a solid gust of fist wind.
A third-rate intermediate Fist Technique, True Essence Fist.
This was a martial arts skill Officer Wu obtained during his days of wandering in the Martial World. Although his talent was limited and he remained at the stage of Divine Harmony Perfection, coupled with his eighth level of Hidden Qi cultivation, it was still awe-inspiring and powerful.
Shi Xiaole drew his sword, and an illusory white crane shadow shot out.
Boom!
Shi Xiaole retreated seven or eight steps, his blood and energy were churning.
"Good dog indeed, you have secretly practiced the martial arts of your sect, even reaching the Transformation Phase. I can’t let you off!"
A look of greed flashed in Officer Wu’s eyes. He became more ruthless in his moves, repeatedly pushing Shi Xiaole to the brink of death.
In terms of sophisticated moves, Shi Xiaole was not inferior to Officer Wu, and even exceeded him. But his Internal Power was too far behind. The saying "One strong thrust can overcome ten strategies" was true, and Shi Xiaole had no way to deal with it.
"Quickly reveal the sword arts you’ve practiced and clarify their origins. I’ll do you a favor and preserve your whole corpse."
Officer Wu forced while continuously attacking.
Shi Xiaole only swung his sword to resist, while secretly observing the surrounding terrain, trying to find a way out.
"If you won’t cooperate, it’s your loss."
An insidious Officer Wu immediately abandoned his greed after witnessing Shi Xiaole’s actions. Gathering all his Internal Power into his fist, he punched violently towards Shi Xiaole’s head.
The strong wind approached, slowing Shi Xiaole’s sword movements.
In this life-and-death situation, suddenly a figure darted out from the side like a loach, colliding fists with the opponent and even knocking Officer Wu back several feet.
"Who are you?"
The victor-turned-nuisance Officer Wu’s face turned ugly.
The masked man said nothing.
Seeing this, Shi Xiaole thanked him, "Thank you for saving me. Please reveal your identity in the future, and I will surely repay this debt." He then turned to run without even looking back.
Officer Wu was furious. Despite several attempts to chase after Shi Xiaole, the masked man forced him back every time. He yelled out, "I am the officer of Huajian Sect, you dare to be enemies with Huajian Sect, don’t you want to live?"
"If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead by now. Just get lost."
The masked man’s tone was full of disdain, and he couldn’t help but think, if it weren’t for the orders received—that he should not show himself or help Shi Xiaole kill someone unless it was a matter of life and death for him—he would butcher this old fellow.
Little did he know that when Shi Xiaole’s head was cracked open by Yang Yuan and others, he didn’t just bleed excessively, but his soul was replaced.
"Alright, you have guts."
Knowing he was no match, the steward seethed and fumed with resentment but had no choice but to hastily leave. Priority was to report today’s incident to the Grand Elder to prevent a calamity from striking unawares.
After repelling the formidable enemy, the masked man followed the direction Shi Xiaole had fled, wondering where the Young Master learned his bizarre martial arts skills that he had been deploying all along.
Shi Xiaole had been running for a 2-hour period and was so tired he had to stop.
Seeing that it was already noon, he simply used the Embracing the Origin Energy technique to restore his strength before resuming his journey at a leisurely pace along the official road.
"The Grand Elder, he must die."
Thinking about today’s incident, Shi Xiaole was seething with murderous intent. Then he thought about the masked man who had intervened, unsure of his intentions.
"Friend or foe, one day things will be clear. As long as I am strong, I fear no one."
Unable to figure out the masked man’s identity for now, Shi Xiaole simply stopped thinking and focused on his journey.
The Xuanjing Cave Mansion of the Third Eye Elder was located in Moyun City, adjacent to Emerald Feather City. Ordinarily, it would take two days to reach it from Emerald Feather City, but Shi Xiaole dared not take that route.
After killing the Life-Seeking Demon God, he had undoubtedly become a prime target for the Black Evil Gang. If discovered, he was almost certain to meet his death.
Luckily, he had prepared ahead of time, having gone through the county annals in the Huajian Sect’s Book Collection Building, he knew he could reach Moyun City by taking a detour along the official road.
It was early spring, everything was brimming with life. Little specks of green were budding quietly among the mountains on either side of the road, presenting a vibrant scene.
A horse was approaching from behind. The young woman on the horse turned her head inadvertently and saw Shi Xiaole, who despite keeping a straight face, looked very handsome. She was taken aback.
Clip-clop.
The horse stopped, and the woman chirped, "Young hero, are you on the road?"
Seeing the woman was pretty with delicate features but with a flirtatious look in her eyes, Shi Xiaole nodded with a smile.
"Where is the young hero heading?"
"My mother told me not to talk to strangers when I’m out, please forigve me, miss."
Seeing such an obedient and adorable boy, the woman couldn’t help but giggle, causing her bosom to quake. After a while, she said, "Having more friends on the road is always good, little brother. Why not ride with me? I can give you a lift."
Full of suspicion, Shi Xiaole shook his head and continued to look straight ahead.
Despite the woman repeating her offer several times, he remained silent. She cursed him under her breath for his ingratitude, flicked her whip and rode off on her own.
"That was weird."
Shi Xiaole shook his head and chuckled.
Traveling alone meant he would often have meals in the open and sleep outdoors. But Shi Xiaole didn’t think much of it. Whenever he stopped, he would practice his martial arts without interruption.
This dedication was so impressive that even the masked man, who was secretly following him, was left in awe. Of course, he was also delighted.
No one knew better than him that the changes in Young Master over this period were so dramatic that he would question whether it was the same person if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.
At noon on the third day, there was a light sound from within Shi Xiaole’s body, indicating that his Hidden Qi had advanced to the late-fourth layer.
Since his arrival in this world, it had only been a little over a month, but his level of internal power had advanced by two levels—a fact that would surely astound everyone.
Besides his internal power level, Shi Xiaole hadn’t forgotten about the 380 reward points he recently received.
After practicing for a good thirty-eight 2-hour periods, his Huashan Sword Technique, Miao Family Sword Technique, and even Floating Step had all reached the Transmutation Phase Perfection level. His Battle Blade Skill had also achieved Transmutation Phase Complete Success.
The Draw Sword Skill, which had already reached Divine Harmony Perfection, couldn’t be further improved for the time being.
With these achievements, there was no doubt that Shi Xiaole’s strength had significantly increased compared to a few days ago. He believed that even if he faced that steward again, while he wouldn’t be able to win, he could now hold his own for a few more rounds.
The only regret was that the system didn’t give him any rewards after both the Floating Step and Battle Blade Skill reached the Transformation Phase. According to the system, the Transformation Phase was too low a threshold for him, so it decided to raise the standard.
What a stingy system!
On the fifth day, Shi Xiaole finally arrived in Moyun City.
Moyun City was about 30% bigger than Emerald Feather City, and the streets were even more bustling with hawkers everywhere.
According to the map, Xuanjing Cave Mansion was not in the outskirts but hidden underneath an arch bridge in Moyun City. It could be reached only by unlocking the mechanism of the bridge.
Before making a move, Shi Xiaole decided to stop at a tavern first.
"I’ve told you, I’m out of money; why won’t you understand?"
"No money? Do you believe me if I tell you I can sell you to the brothel to get money?"
Just as he reached the second floor, Shi Xiaole was drawn to two people sitting by the window.
The two individuals were a opulently dressed man with a gloomy face and a playful-looking little girl.
Besides them, a large group of attendants were standing around, apparently the wealthy young man’s servants.
"You stole five hundred thousand taels from me. You used it all up in one day? Tell me, where did you hide the money?"
The rich young man gritted his teeth, "Stop wasting time, that old man has been led out of the city by my people a long time ago; he can’t possibly come back."
The little girl seemed to panic for a moment, then suddenly pointed at Shi Xiaole who was sitting in the distance, "Him, I gave him the money."
