Chapter 185: Chapter 185: The Girl in Black
A green garment was spread on the stone table, and next to it were two round, greenish beads, radiating a not too strong luminescent glow. When the moonlight shone down, the shadows of the two beads just happened to fall into the pond in the courtyard.
In the beginning, Shi Xiaole didn’t pay attention to it.
After all, when Shangguan Yan - at the Will Sect - had given him the green beads, he had already seen a similar scene. Afterwards, he had even put them under the moonlight many times to compare, but the images were always too blurred to discern.
However, soon, when Shi Xiaole’s gaze accidentally fell on the surface of the pond, he was completely stupefied.
Within the shimmering waves under the night’s glow, a landscape painting gradually took shape, so lifelike that it seemed to want to jump out of the water with each movement of the ripples.
The landscape painting wasn’t complete, but this time, Shi Xiaole could at least clearly see one of the mountains. The mountain looked just like an open lotus blossom, surrounded by intersecting rivers.
"This place?"
Standing by the pond, Shi Xiaole’s eyes shone brilliantly.
The next day, driven by curiosity, Shi Xiaole began searching for books describing the landscape of the Flying Horse Dynasty within the manor and the small town.
His efforts paid off, as he found the relevant records in an ancient book that afternoon.
"Lotus Blossom Peak, located at the easternmost point of Yunfeng Domain, bordering Silver Water Region, named for its resemblance to a lotus blossom. It is a place where rivers flow perennially and where the mist is thick. Climbing the peak, one would feel as if they’re in a fairyland."
Closing the book, Shi Xiaole immediately harbored the idea of going there to explore.
Intuition told him that perhaps something extraordinary was hidden there. Besides, he had nothing important to do in Peach Forest Town, so it could be a good chance to take a tour of the Yunfeng Domain.
"Xiaole, don’t you want to read more?"
Seeing that Shi Xiaole returned the book, the old man inside the shop gave a kindly smile.
"Thank you, old sir, it’s late now, I need to go home," Shi Xiaole replied with a smile.
"Xiaole, you don’t have to be polite. If you want to read a book, just tell me and I won’t charge you."
"Thank you for your kindness, old sir. I’ll be going on a trip for a few days, but when I return, I will surely come to visit you."
After some conversation, once Shi Xiaole has left, the old man muttered to himself, "What a thoughtful and humble boy."
...
With no luggage to be carried and in the morning mist that was wonderfully scented with peach blossoms, Shi Xiaole left Peach Forest Town.
Since he was not in a hurry for this journey, his mindset was exceptionally relaxed.
Along the way, Shi Xiaole either strolled leisurely or guided his horse slowly, exercising his Man-Horse Unity Skill all the while, without forgetting to appreciate the picturesque landscapes which he had ignored in the past.
He passed several cities and crossed numerous mountains, handling any disputes he came across. Of course, there were also many bold martial world women who flirted with him, but he politely declined their advances.
In the twinkling of an eye, over half a month passed.
Shi Xiaole’s cultivation had steadily progressed to the late stage of the third layer of Qi Absorption, only one step away from the peak. His Purple Light Divine Skill had also progressed significantly.
"In anything we do, mindset is important. Relaxing during this period didn’t slow my progress at all."
Resting under a massive tree after cultivating his internal power, Shi Xiaole felt that his mindset improved quite a bit.
In the past, even though he had trained diligently, unconsciously, he had treated martial arts as a task. But now, he gradually made martial arts a habit, an indispensable part of life.
With this change in mindset, much of his monotony disappeared.
Standing up from the grass, Shi Xiaole realised that he had unwittingly grown taller, and that a few whiskers could even be noticed on his face. The immaturity of yesteryears was gradually being replaced by masculine vigor.
Just as he was about to depart, he was attracted by the sound of horses’ hooves on the official road.
Turning his head, he saw clouds of dust rising. People got thrown off their horses without themselves knowing it, some stood still, and others watched with open mouths; even a group of armed escorts had stopped paying attention to their goods, all staring dumbfounded at the figure ahead.
It was a slender, black-clad young woman with a curvaceous figure and porcelain skin revealed on her neck and face. Just one blurry image of her had already sparked people’s imagination.
When you take a closer look at her face, you can’t help but marvel whether the creator had poured all of his talents into making this masterpiece.
Even Shi Xiaole, given his temperament, unexpectedly felt an unusual agitation and obsession. This was then followed by a sense of warning.
If it weren’t for his remarkable willpower and strong soul, any other juvenile would have been hopelessly enchanted by the bewitching charm of this black-clad young lady.
Amidst the sound of loud swallowing, several bold men approached the black-clad woman.
"Miss, are you traveling alone in the martial world? That’s too dangerous. Why don’t you come with us, the Twin Heroes of Hebei?"
"Miss, we are the Yishui Trio. We’re somewhat influential in the nearby area. We would gladly accompany you wherever you want to go."
Chatters from the martial world guests filled the air.
The black-clad woman smiled, her face blooming like a myriad of flowers, and her voice as tender as to melt one’s bones: "All of you heroic figures are so formidable, it’s truly difficult for me to decide. But naturally, I would like to follow the stronger one among you."
Her words immediately roused everyone’s passionate ambitions. They started boasting about their heroic deeds, disparaging others in the process. The discussion grew heated, and the group began to brawl right in the middle of the road.
Having no interest in watching any further, Shi Xiaole led his horse away.
From Peach Forest Town to Lotus Blossom Peak, there were thousands of kilometers of road with diverse landscapes and marshes in between, but cities were less common. One day, Shi Xiaole arrived at the edge of the docks in Purple Beauty City.
Purple Beauty City was situated in the middle stream of Yunfeng River. With the aid of the river, he would be able to reach the easternmost point, Lotus Blossom Peak, very quickly.
Shi Xiaole waved his hand, directly purchasing a black awning boat from a boatman, and climbed aboard.
The altitude difference of the Yunfeng River was very significant, and its surface was wide, so sailing down from here required no boatman. He enjoyed the solitude.
Just as he was about to untie the mooring rope and sail downstream, a flurry of hurried footsteps approached, followed by a shouted command: "All aboard the ships, hold off on your outing, we from the Purple Beauty Sect have things to inquire about."
The many high-level fighters of the Purple Beauty Sect who arrived acted fast. In a few movements, they had reached the pier and were looking intensely at each ship.
"Has anyone seen this woman?"
The goateed man who had spoken earlier was holding a portrait, questioning both the people near the pier and those departing the boats.
"Boy, aren’t you coming out to identify her?"
The one staring at Shi Xiaole was a robust man, who, seeing Shi Xiaole still seated on the boat, unmoved, berated him with knitted brows.
Not knowing anyone here, Shi Xiaole really didn’t want to cause trouble, so he stood up. However, when he saw the portrait he was taken aback.
Purely from memory, the woman in the drawing had a veil covering her face, making her features very vague, yet he couldn’t help but recall the girl in black that he had encountered by the roadside. The unique and unforgettable charm was strikingly similar.
"I haven’t seen her."
Seeing others denying one after another, Shi Xiaole, too, shook his head.
He harbored no grudge against the girl in black and had no reason to tell the truth. Moreover, telling the truth would likely bring about further trouble.
"I hope all of you are telling the truth. The woman in this drawing killed the young master of our Purple Beauty Sect, committing a deadly offense against us. Whoever dares to hide her is an enemy of our sect."
The goateed man scanned his eyes over the crowd and took out another document, saying, "To prevent that woman from sneaking away, our Purple Beauty Sect has decided to temporarily seal off the pier. Until she is captured, no boat is allowed to sail. Here is an warrant from the authorities. Please respect it."
"Not allowed to sail? What kind of joke is this? I have urgent business to attend to, what if it gets delayed?"
"This is too overbearing."
The crowd was visibly upset upon hearing this, yet the locals didn’t dare to object.
The Purple Beauty Sect was the leading sect in the Purple Beauty City, and their leader, Ying Wu, had broken into the Xuanqi Realm last year. Furthermore, he was as close as brothers with the City Lord, making him an unchallengeable figure. Who in their right mind would dare to provoke him?
One man didn’t take it seriously and turned to leave.
The goateed man smirked and chopped down with one hand. With a thud, the man, three feet away, fell to the ground screeching in pain. His right arm had been cleanly severed at the elbow.
"A Qi Absorption early-stage sectennary warrior?"
The other martial artists who were rumbling with discontent became obedient and walked off their boats.
"Why do you want to search us?"
Just then, another man shouted out.
"Hmph, that woman is extremely adept at disguises. If we don’t check personally and she slips by, are you going to take responsibility?"
The Purple Beauty Sect high-level fighters responsible for the searches retorted.
Hearing this, not only did the expressions of the people present change, but even Shi Xiaole’s face turned solemn.
He had on him three Elephant Strength Fruits, the Cuihua Immortal Ganoderma left to him by Xia Xiaonine, and many other valuable items. How could he allow others to search him at will?
Moreover, even if he had nothing on him, he could not tolerate the humiliation of being searched.
"Boy, aren’t you getting off the boat yet to be searched? Dare you ignore the Purple Beauty Sect?"
The robust man who was watching Shi Xiaole suddenly pointed at him and shouted.
The robust man assumed that this timid navy-clad youth would obediently comply with his command. To his surprise, this time, Shi Xiaole completely ignored him, waved his hand, and the rope snapped. The black awning boat immediately began to drift downstream with the current.
"You’re looking for death."
The robust man, seeing this, flew into a rage and lunged at him. Shi Xiaole didn’t even look at him, but simply raised his hand in a palm strike. Puff, the robust man flew backwards, landed heavily and was speechless for a while.
"Boy, stay!"
The commotion here naturally caught the attention of the goateed man, who revealed a ruthless look in his eyes. He leapt forward like a tiger pouncing on its prey, and while in mid-air, a massive palm print infused with an overwhelming inner power swung towards Shi Xiaole.
Before the palm energy arrived, the water around the boat had been pressured to sink a few inches.
"The youth offended ’Overturning Sky Hand’ Mr. Yang. He’s too impulsive."
"He must be from out of town, otherwise how could he not know the might of the Purple Beauty Sect?"
People on the shore silently mourned for Shi Xiaole.
"Wanting to hold me back? You’re simply not qualified."
Shi Xiaole reached out and drew out a blade of greenish sword light.
Shh.
"Ah!"
Mr. Yang suddenly screamed. The sword light slid into the palm wind, and directly cut a deep gash in his chest. Blood spilled into the Yunfeng River like a freely-flowing fountain, causing the people behind to stare blankly.
