Chapter 244: Chapter 244: The Revenge Token Reappears in the Jianghu (Please Subscribe)
The elders from the second floor inquired about the situation, but Shi Xiaole did not clearly state his intentions, so they reluctantly left.
Not long after, Meng Qi walked in, saying, "Young Master, we have invited the Taoist who assisted us."
Awakening from his grief, he naturally wanted to meet his saviors. Shi Xiaole glanced at the beautiful lady who was taking care of Su Yanru diligently and promptly went out with Meng Qi.
"Are you Young Hero Shi?"
Lian Chen was somewhat astonished.
He had been in seclusion and missed the grand tournament of heroes. He hadn’t expected that such a young genius had indeed emerged from Qingxue State.
"Thank you, Taoist, for your life-saving grace."
Shi Xiaole bowed his head in salutation, his expression sincere.
Without him, both he and his aunt would not be alive. As for the gratitude he would express later, there was no need to say it out loud. Just remembering it in his heart was enough.
"May I ask, Taoist, how is that man?"
Shi Xiaole suddenly asked.
Lian Chen shook his head, saying: "I and the heretic are comparable in strength, and he escaped."
Shi Xiaole let out a sigh of relief.
It was good that he ran away. If the enemy had died in Lian Chen’s hands, he would regret it for the rest of his life. Some enemies can only be gratified when avenged by oneself.
Lian Chen was somewhat astonished, probably understanding his thoughts, and warned: "In my opinion, that person’s methods should belong to the Devil Path disciple of the Sky Evil Sect. This sect is mysterious and unfathomable, a subforce of the Sun Demon Palace. Its suzerain, Lord Evil, is one of the thirty-six Demon Lords under the Demon Lord, with an extraordinary strength."
As he said this, Lian Chen was shaking his head secretly.
With the strength of that disciple of the Sky Evil Sect, Shi Xiaole would have to wait at least a few years to take revenge. By then, finding him would be a problem.
Sky Evil Sect?
Shi Xiaole frowned, he didn’t remember offending this Devil Path sect.
"Young Hero Shi might not know, but in this year’s grand tournament, several geniuses emerged from various places, causing fear in the Devil Path. Therefore, they devised a fishing plan from very early on, which secretly targeted promising geniuses."
The Flying Horse Dynasty was too large, and regions similar to Qingxue State were countless. It can thus be imagined how much manpower and resources the Righteous Path needed to protect the geniuses, without knowing the specific targets of the Devil Path’s scheme.
In particular, the Righteous Path was not united. In the words of many high-ranking sects, why should they divert manpower to secretly protect talents who are not from their sect?
The appearance of Lian Chen was not coincidental. Daoist Xuhuai had calculated the celestial secrets a few days ago and determined that Shi Xiaole would face a great disaster, which was why he had made the long journey here.
After learning about this, Shi Xiaole was somewhat baffled.
Why was Daoist Xuhuai so concerned about him?
"The Devil Path abducted many talents of the Righteous Path, and our Righteous Path also used the infiltrating spies to kill many Devil Path geniuses. Now, both sides have agreed to cancel the operation. However, I observed that man harboring extreme hatred for you. Even though the Sky Evil Sect will not send people to assist him, and there’s the name of Wudang Mountain, it’s hard to guarantee he won’t come again. So, I will stay for a while."
Lian Chen offered voluntarily.
Shi Xiaole, of course, was eager, and he thanked him repeatedly. If Lian Chen were to leave, he would undoubtedly have his aunt hide away.
Now that one problem was temporarily resolved, there was still another one left.
The next day, Shi Xiaole, having recovered his spirit, directly used the Soul Transfer Great Method on the beautiful lady, and learned that she had only mentioned a few things to Duan Ruiqi about Su Yanru. Duan was not interested, and Shi Xiaole relieved.
He also learned from the beautiful lady that she once had an affair with the magistrate’s chief guard and considered it as a bargaining chip.
The beautiful lady was furious yet unable to speak out. In the end, she promised to make up an excuse to cover up this incident and would never target Su Yanru again.
Shi Xiaole’s internal injuries were severe. Fortunately, his body had been enhanced. After swallowing a piece of Cuihua Immortal Ganoderma, he finally recovered mostly by the third day.
It was on this day, in the early evening, that Su Yanru, lying in bed, finally woke up, and first asked weakly, "How is Lele?"
"Aunt, I’m fine."
Shi Xiaole held her not-so-warm hand, his heart filled with emotions.
He believed she was the woman he trusted the most in this world. Only now did he understand that the feelings she gave were much deeper than his.
Aunt, how should I repay your kindness?
Su Yanru squeezed out a smile and gently looked at Shi Xiaole.
When it was night, Shi Xiaole heard her suppressed sobs in the outer room. Being a martial artist, becoming disabled overnight would certainly create feelings. This drop from heaven to hell was more painful than losing one’s life.
Su Yanru didn’t want to disturb Shi Xiaole, let alone burden him, so she did not display her emotions in front of him.
The doctors came and went, all with shaking heads.
Broken bones could be mended, but Su Yanru’s bones were not merely broken, they were shattered into many fragments by the internal force, making recovery impossible.
Overnight, the news of Golden Phoenix Tower’s mistress becoming disabled spread throughout the Cloud Triangle, causing many to sigh. Though some people lamented, there was no shortage of jealous ones who sneered secretly.
Every day, Shi Xiaole took the time to talk to Su Yanru. Once she fell asleep, he meditated and cultivated in the outer room, wasting no time.
This incident with the Sky Evil Sect made him understand how important strength is.
If he was strong enough, he wouldn’t have to fear the Magistrate, nor would he be beaten half to death by a Demon Disciple of Sky Evil Sect, with his aunt becoming disabled as a result.
Strength, it’s all about strength!
A piercing sound echoed into the void. With each breath, Shi Xiaole took, the sound became more prominent. If anyone were to step within ten feet of him at this moment, they would feel a sharp, piercing pain throughout their bodies, as if they were being pierced by countless needles.
After quite a while, this sharp aura finally dissipated.
"The Sword Heart Realm, it’s not so easy to comprehend."
In his battle with the Sky Evil Sect’s Demon Disciple, Shi Xiaole had accidentally touched upon the legendary Sword Heart Realm, which could be considered an unexpected gain.
To illustrate the difficulty of understanding this state, practically all the swordsmen from the past who had been ranked on the Young Heroes List of Qingxue State had grasped the Sword Heart Realm.
However, among these swordsmen, less than one in a hundred could comprehend the Sword Heart. Even once they did, it was usually only after participating in major competitions for ten or even dozens of years.
A seventeen-year-old like Shi Xiaole, touching the Sword Heart Realm, was unheard of, let alone seen.
But Shi Xiaole felt that fully understanding the Sword Heart wouldn’t be easy. It may seem like he had touched it, but he likely still had a long way to go for complete control.
"I need to increase my foundation in swordsmanship."
A gentleman seeks revenge for ten years without being too late, but Shi Xiaole is not a gentleman. Lian Chen thought he would take several years to revenge, but Shi Xiaole didn’t want to wait that long. What if that Demon Disciple was killed by someone else?
From that day onward, Shi Xiaole silently began to gather secret swordsmanship manuals. No matter their quality, he made no rejections. He even began to exchange manuals with some of Cloud Triangle’s forces.
This process was smooth, and it was a win-win situation that everyone liked.
Shi Xiaole wasn’t stupid enough to give away second-rate martial arts; he only traded third-rate and unimportant ones.
The obtained swordsmanship mixed with the manuals he had previously drawn from the system allowed Shi Xiaole to have dozens of ancient books in his mind. He began to study over and over like a tireless sponge, continuously absorbing the knowledge of swordsmanship.
In the courtyard, his swordsmanship was sometimes heavy, sometimes domineering, sometimes gentle, sometimes elusive, continually changing styles, forming an elusive shadow. It was so dazzling that it left people in awe.
"He really is a person deserving of Master’s praise."
In a loft, Lian Chen looked shocked.
He had been watching Shi Xiaole practice his swordsmanship, and it seemed that he was improving day by day at an alarming rate, which made Lian Chen uneasy.
"With his talent, there may be a glimmer of possibility of comprehending the Sword Heart within the next ten years."
Lian Chen suddenly thought of a possibility, giving a gentle laugh.
Shi Xiaole did not neglect his internal cultivation and would always make time to comfort Su Yanru and talk to her. His daily life was arranged in a well-organised manner.
...
Blue Cloud Domain, one of the ten worlds of Qingxue State.
This is one of the top martial states in Qingxue State.
On this day, a horse galloped swiftly along the official road. The man on horseback, with sunken eyes and a dust-covered face, still drove the horse until he finally stopped in front of a massive mountain gate.
The gate had three large words carved at its centre, "Revenge Gathering."
Half an hour later, from the Assembly Master to the Elders, all the important high-level officials of the Revenge Gathering were gathered in the conference hall, creating an oppressive atmosphere.
Assembly Master of the Revenge Gathering, ’Thunder Compassionate Heart’ Chou Huakun, stood in the centre, with his hands behind his back, and his face showing no anomalies.
"Assembly Master, it’s true."
A token was passed around until it landed in the hands of the elderly man closest to the centre.
At these words, all the faces in the room grew serious.
The Revenge Token, the long-unseen Revenge Token, had finally reappeared.
Since the establishment of the Revenge Gathering, the first Assembly Master created nine Revenge Tokens in gratitude to his nine brothers, and pledged that anyone who presented a token would be offered the full assistance of the Revenge Gathering in fulfilling their requests, no matter what they were.
Over several centuries, eight tokens had returned, and the ninth one, had just arrived today.
"What are the conditions of the token holder?"
The Grand Elder of the Revenge Gathering asked.
"Saving a life."
Chou Huakun’s words eased the tension. At least it wasn’t some whimsical condition.
"The token bearer’s aunt has been seriously injured, over 80% of her bones are shattered. He demanded that we must restore her to her original state within two months."
At these words, the expression on the faces of the elders and protectors changed.
How could such an injury be healed? And within two months?
After a long period of silence, the Grand Elder said, "Assembly Master, forgive my straightforwardness. Such injuries could probably only be treated by the divine doctor Gu Qinghui in the entire Qingxue State. However, his temperament is unpredictable. Last time when Snow Listening Mountain Villa invited him, he had even ignored the invitation."
"Even if we could invite him with great effort, the medicinal materials needed for the treatment would surely be treasures. To acquire these, we would undoubtedly need to dispatch elite forces. The casualties are unpredictable. Unfortunately, right now is the crucial time in our struggle with the Divine Fist Clan. If we are to divert our focus for this, I’m afraid..."
