Chapter 187: Chapter 187 Enchanted Moon Intent Realm
"Where do you think you’re going?"
Seeing Shi Xiaole flee, the bald-headed man smacked the water’s surface repeatedly, sending up a spray of mist. He plunged into the water after him, determined to catch Shi Xiaole to assuage the humiliation of being injured.
But being underwater is not the same as being on the surface.
In the water, pressure and breathing constraints affect the full deployment of one’s strength. Especially at depths of hundreds of meters, Qi Absorption Realm martial artists were lucky just to not implode due to the pressure, let alone fight.
With both the Bird Crossing Skill and Breath-holding Technique, Shi Xiaole’s adaptation to water was high, far superior to the bald-headed man. After a while, the bald-headed man had to surface.
Other skilled divers from the Yunshui Gang also surfaced, stating that they had lost him.
"Hunt them down, even if it kills you! Capture those two!"
Ying Wu, the leader of the Purple Beauty Sect, a cold-hearted middle-aged man, shouted loudly.
Just like Shi Xiaole, the girl in black had submerged herself earlier and now slipped away.
But Ying Wu was not worried.
He and Ying Wei, the leader of Yunshui Gang, had deployed hundreds of small patrol boats fifty miles ahead, and there were divers searching underwater. Along with their own search on the water surface, he did not believe that the two could remain hidden.
That man and woman couldn’t hide underwater indefinitely.
Once he caught them, he would deal with the man later. But the woman, she had to be brutally punished to avenge his son’s death!
...
Several miles away, Shi Xiaole emerged from the water, followed by the girl in black.
"Your underwater skills are impressive, but the Yunshui Gang has extensive shipping resources, boats and sailors in abundance. They won’t give up on us that easily," the girl in black said, her face serious and heart-stoppingly beautiful, especially at such close proximity. Shi Xiaole even spied a tiny beauty mark beside her lips, adding to her allure.
Turning around, Shi Xiaole didn’t seem worried.
The Breath-holding Technique could last for several hours; if he didn’t have to reveal it in front of the girl in black, swimming hundreds of miles straight would be no problem.
So from the beginning, he had not taken the threats of the Purple Beauty Sect and Yunshui Gang seriously.
The girl in black glanced at Shi Xiaole side-ways and thought to herself: My Concealment Technique can last for two hours. I’ll humor him for now. When he finally gets surrounded by the two factions later, let’s see how cocky he can be.
Both of them were pretty cunning, calculating each other’s moves as they swam.
Not long after, the water behind them churned.
Just as they were about to dive under again, they heard someone yell, "Would you two like a hand?"
It was an extremely luxurious barge with three levels, shining with gold and jade. A group of people stood on the deck, and one of them shouted loudly.
Shi Xiaole’s first reaction was that it was a trap.
The Purple Beauty Sect and Yunshui Gang had blocked the waterway. Apart from their people, who else could be sailing here?
But soon, the man yelled again, "You two, this is the Magistrate’s son’s barge, you have nothing to fear!"
Turning around, Shi Xiaole saw the men and women on the deck, they indeed didn’t look like they were part of a gang, and this barge was obviously built to official specifications. No gang in the Martial World would dare impersonate or obstruct it.
Not wanting to stay in the water, Shi Xiaole thanked them and climbed onto the deck.
The girl in black followed closely; in mid-air, her body was veiled by a white mist, and by the time she landed on the deck, there was not a single trace of moisture on her.
The men on the deck were stunned.
They had never seen a woman so beautiful, so captivating. Her beauty seemed to possess a bewitching power that could ensnare the minds of others.
The women, on the other hand, watched Shi Xiaole with sparkling eyes.
"Greetings to you two, I am Duan Xi."
Surrounded by people, a graceful young man descended from the second floor of the barge. But as soon as he glimpsed the face of the girl in black, a deep infatuation and fervor swiftly flashed across his eyes.
As the son of the Magistrate of Qingxue State, Duan Xi had seen his fair share of beauties, but never had a woman piqued his interest at first sight.
I must have her!
Determined, Duan Xi kept this to himself and immediately arranged rooms for Shi Xiaole and the girl, then casually walked away as if nothing had happened.
Late in the night, the sound of a commotion reached Shi Xiaole’s ears. Judging by the voices, it appeared the Purple Beauty Sect and Yunshui Gang had caught up and wanted to take them away.
But Duan Xi flatly refused.
"Brother, what do we do now?"
On the large ship not too far behind, Ying Wu looked at his brother Ying Wei, his face grim.
"Let’s just follow at a distance."
Ying Wei revealed a cunning smile and said, "Duan Xi is a womanizer and he’s clearly smitten with the girl in black. We can only wait for now, wait until he tires of her and then we can make our move."
The Yunshui Gang was a second-rate faction, not daring to spar with the Magistrate’s son. Crossing him could land them in serious trouble, and besides, the gang had plenty of its own shady dealings.
Whoosh!
A layer of dense, crystalline, purple Qi filled the room, fluctuating with Shi Xiaole’s breathing before retracting back into his body.
"Looks like it’s not possible to master the Purple Light Divine Skill in the short term."
With the temporary respite from their pursuers, Shi Xiaole had a chance to train quietly.
Regrettably, despite the promising signs of a breakthrough in the Purple Light Divine Skill, he was still far from mastery and needed much more practice.
Raising the realm of inner cultivation and martial arts is equally challenging.
Seemingly, Shi Xiaole has reached a bottleneck situation, if not overcome, it would be difficult to enhance his strength in the short term.
After a moment of silence, he got up and pushed open the window. The quiet Yunfeng River was shimmering, reflecting the hazy moonlight, calming his emotions.
The boat moves, the moon changes.
The moonlight sometimes shrinks, sometimes spreads across the river. Gradually, Shi Xiaole seemed to have grasped something, but also seemed to grasp nothing.
Standing still in front of the window, his eyes reflected the moonlight.
Unlike the loneliness of the second level, the hall on the third level of the boat was lively at this moment.
Magistrate’s son Duan Xi sat at the top, flanked on both sides by some young men and women from official and martial families.
The girl in black was also invited and took the seat at the head of the right side.
"Miss, this gentleman is named Hou Tianping."
Duan Xi pointed to a young man with a broad and straight nose and introduced him to the girl in black.
"Could it be the young martial arts scholar Hou?"
The girl in black asked with surprise while covering her hand.
Happy with the girl in black’s surprised expression, Hou Tianping feigned indifference, "This Martial Arts Scholar is just a joke amongst martial mates."
’Martial Arts Scholar’ Hou Tianping, ranked 68th on the Qingxue State Young Hero List, because his talent stands out since childhood, and he excels in all fields like piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, so he got this nickname.
In the martial world, quite a few women admire him.
Duan Xi looked at Hou Tianping jealously and introduced others. Finally, he suddenly said: "It’s a shame, I still don’t know Miss’s valuable name."
The girl in black said, "My master has instructed me not to disclose my name. I ask everyone for their understanding."
Many people sighed regrettably.
Only Duan Xi, Hou Tianping and a few others showed excitement, seemingly turning the matter of knowing the girl’s name into a challenging task.
"By the way, I wonder who that gentleman who is traveling with the lady might be?"
A young master asked casually, and almost all the men pricked up their ears.
The previous incident with the Poisonous Stiff, after all, took place in a corner of Yunfeng Domain, and didn’t have a great impact, so many people still don’t know about Shi Xiaole.
The most important thing is that a few days ago, when he passed by a certain city, Shi Xiaole got an exceptionally precious mother-child scabbard in the local Dark Alley. Now, with a sword and a blade in the same sheath, he looks like a pure swordsman, completely different from his previous image.
So even if there are people on the scene who have heard of Shi Xiaole’s name, they can’t connect the two together at all.
The girl in black sighed softly, and said, "I don’t know the gentleman. However, he insisted on dying if I didn’t accompany him, saying he would die in front of me, so..."
"What, is there such an audacious person in this world?"
"A toad wants to eat swan meat, does that boy have some issues with his brain."
The girl in black’s words caused a stir among the people, and many men were indignant, feeling like they had been robbed of the love of their life by a cunning person, a mixture of shock and jealousy.
The faces of Duan Xi and Hou Tianping didn’t look so good either.
Thinking of the previous scene where Shi Xiaole and the girl in black were together, the two being the only man and woman traveling together, but not very familiar, it turns out that’s why!
"Miss, such people must be strictly punished to teach him a lesson. You are kind and don’t want to hurt him, I am willing to do it for you, to drive the boy away."
A vigorous young man volunteered. After asking the maid for Shi Xiaole’s room, he got up with a great momentum.
The girl in black’s beautiful eyes flickered.
This young man is called Cui Chen, known as the ’Little Overlord’ due to his impulsive nature and impetuous actions. It is said that in the last Hero Contest, he narrowly missed making it to the Young Hero List.
Only people of this caliber could qualify as friends of Duan Xi and his likes.
But it’s still not enough. Shi Xiaole did stab a master of the eighth level of Qi Absorption in one sword strike. Although it was a surprise attack, it also proves that his skills are not ordinary.
The girl in black glanced at Hou Tianping.
It was this glance that made Hou Tianping’s blood boil, thinking that the beauty was pinning her hopes on him, asking him to take action.
"Brother Cui is impulsive. I should go and check."
Realizing that this was an opportunity to show goodwill, Hou Tianping also left the lounge.
The girl in black looked worried. After she left, all the people in the room couldn’t sit still. Even the women had their interest piqued to see how the drama unfolds.
"Moonlight, water surface."
By the window, Shi Xiaole was in deep thought. The confusion in his mind gradually dissipated, and at some point, he was suddenly enlightened.
"The Chaotic Intent Realm emphasizes confusing the opponent’s spirit. So why should it be limited by the means and forms?"
In the past, Shi Xiaole’s Chaotic Intent Realm was primarily conveyed through spirit, but this tends to be overly broad, leading to no progress in his Chaotic Intent Realm for nearly a year.
Because the realm was too vast, he didn’t know where to start.
However, the unique sight tonight, combined with the insights from practicing the Moon Concealing Sword Technique, led him to find another way to deepen the Chaotic Intent Realm.
Or rather, the current Chaotic Intent Realm was no longer chaotic in nature but had become a more concrete realm.
Shi Xiaole named it the Enchanted Moon Intent Realm.
