Chapter 259: Chapter 259: Mysterious Bamboo Forest
This was the third New Year’s Eve that Shi Xiaole had spent in this world.
He was eighteen years old.
"Master, Young Master."
In the hall of the Golden Phoenix Tower, and led by three deputy masters, numerous high-ranking officials gathered together to pay their respects to Su Yanru and Shi Xiaole.
Su Yanru was in a red silk dress, with a matching gem-encrusted jade hairpin in her hair. Her raven hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her skin was as white as snow. Under the candlelight in the hall, she exuded an unparalleled bewitching and coquettish charm.
Shi Xiaole, by her side, was still dressed in a green shirt. However, it was tailored from the highest quality silk fabric at Su Yanru’s behest. The sleeves and collar of the shirt had been embroidered with white borders, which made the shirt look elegant and refined, perfectly complementing Shi Xiaole’s temperament.
"Everyone, please have a seat. Tonight is New Year’s Eve, feel free to relax," Su Yanru sat in the main seat, her soft smile alluring.
The people around chuckled, but they couldn’t really relax.
Although Su Yanru exhibited her feminine charm in front of Shi Xiaole, to the others of the Golden Phoenix Tower, she was a rose with thorns. Her beauty and authority both made them feel inferior.
Of course, what made them cautious was not just her, but the youth beside her.
The saying goes, "the body nurtured the Qi, the movement nurtures the spirit."
No matter how low-key Shi Xiaole tried to be, it was impossible to hide the fact that he was the top genius in Qingxue State. Particularly since he defeated Xue Changqing using just one sword, many had openly declared him the greatest prodigy of Qingxue State in centuries.
Inevitably, they all felt a distance between themselves and Shi Xiaole.
At the third watch of the night, the banquet ended.
In the tower of Ru Garden.
"You seemed distracted today," Su Yanru came to Shi Xiaole’s side and looked up to ask.
"Auntie, after the fifteenth day of the new year, I must leave again," Shi Xiaole said, looking out the window.
Su Yanru’s smile stiffened.
The youthful, clearly defined profile of the young man, which was alternately lit and shadowed by the fireworks outside the window, displayed determined resolve. She recognized that he had grown into a man, capable of making decisions for himself.
Laughing, Su Yanru said, "I guessed as much. From very early on, I knew you wouldn’t be content to stay in the Cloud Triangle. The world outside is your real stage. Perhaps one day, you’ll bring back your own wife, Xiaole, would you invite me to your wedding banquet?"
Shi Xiaole turned his head and saw the wetness in Su Yanru’s eyes and laughed bitterly, "I’ve never thought that far ahead."
"Just because you don’t think about it now, doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. You will meet a woman you like eventually."
Su Yanru suddenly thought of Zhu Ling.
The most beautiful woman in the Cloud Triangle, she had often visited the Golden Phoenix Tower recently. Although she ostensibly discussed matters pertaining to the cooperation between the Justice Sect and the Golden Phoenix Tower, Su Yanru knew that Zhu Ling’s true intention was to court Shi Xiaole.
If this had occurred earlier, Su Yanru would certainly have done everything to stop it. Yet, the affair with the Sky Evil Sect made her devote herself to martial training, and fostered a sense of self-pity in her heart.
Her feelings and her existence would only hinder Shi Xiaole.
"Auntie, my greatest desire in this life is freedom. To ride horses, drink wine, sing swordsongs, to go wherever I want and do whatever I will. That would be utterly carefree," Shi Xiaole said.
Laughing, Su Yanru said, "Your dream is wonderful, but who in this world can truly be carefree?"
"There are! As long as one becomes the most powerful, far surpassing the mundane definition of power, one can be carefree," Shi Xiaole replied.
Su Yanru was taken aback. She suddenly saw a burning flame in the depths of Shi Xiaole’s eyes. Could this be his true inner thought?
While others were constantly striving for fame and position, what he yearned for was transcendence?
Although Shi Xiaole was modest by nature, she realized with surprise that everyone had been deeply mistaken. He was not modest, he merely thought on a grander scale than people could imagine, so he didn’t bother to show off.
This was the true Shi Xiaole!
"Living is like crossing a river. I will strive to swim upstream, constantly aiming to become stronger. Auntie, if one day I can free myself from these restraints, I hope that you and all my friends will still be here, to explore the world and experience life with me," Shi Xiaole said decisively.
"You, are amazing," Su Yanru replied.
She was so moved that her soul trembled and it took her a long time to get over her shock. In the end, she laughed from the bottom of her heart. This was the most touching sentiment that she had ever heard. Even if it seemed like an impossible dream, it was worth remembering.
In the following days, Shi Xiaole accompanied Su Yanru, hosting numerous visiting guests. Nowadays, Golden Phoenix Tower was truly known as the number one sect in the Cloud Triangle, and many powerful forces would send representatives to give gifts and pay respects.
By the time all the guests had left, it was already the twelfth day of the first lunar month. Shi Xiaole thought of Lian Chen and inquired about him, only to find out that this Daoist had gone into seclusion months ago. Shi Xiaole guessed that he must be practicing Mysterious Skill Secret Technique.
"Auntie’s wound have healed, and her talent and martial arts skills are even better than before. After Lian Chen comes out of seclusion, I am sure he will be a great help. I don’t need to worry about the safety here for the time being," Shi Xiaole concluded.
Once Shi Xiaole had understood all the significant details, his mood relaxed.
On the early morning of the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, without disturbing anyone, he arrived at the outskirts, mounted Qingfeng, took one last look at Feiyan City, then, without looking back, rode away.
"Alas."
Someone in the Golden Phoenix Tower had lost sleep all night, staring out into the suburbs in a daze.
...
Wandering the Martial World always needed a goal, it couldn’t just be aimless roving, Shi Xiaole’s first objective was the eerie bamboo forest of White Stone Domain.
The eerie bamboo forest, one of the wonders in Qingxue State, is even more peculiar than the Silver Snowfield of the Silver Water Region.
A mysterious and intricate Array System is set up inside the bamboo forest, and it is said that as long as a Spiritual-Passage Realm expert steps in, they would immediately be sensed by the energy there and are killed immediately, against all odds.
However, for a martial artist in the Xuanqi Realm, the eerie bamboo forest is a place of opportunity.
This is because there are numerous stone figure mechanisms set in it. Many swordsmen, axemen, or other martial artists of various weapons, can perceive martial skills and enhance their weapon-craftsmanship from these mechanical arrays.
For this journey, Shi Xiaole intended to visit the eerie bamboo forest and see if he could further enhance his Sword Heart Realm.
Traveling during the day, cultivating and recuperating at night. Half a month later, Shi Xiaole smoothly arrived at White Stone Domain, the very edge of Qingxue State.
The eerie bamboo forest is not on the mainland, but rather on a small island. From the island to the shore, there is a total of 300 meters, with two standing stones placed side-by-side in the lake every three meters.
These are the Meditation Stones.
It’s said that the Meditation Stones have a special aura. Arrivals must start from the Meditation Stone closest to the shore, all the way to the Meditation Stone closest to the small island. They have to sit on ninety-nine stones in total, with no less than a quarter-hour on each stone, to be able to successfully resonate with the stone figure arrays in the eerie bamboo forest.
In other words, if you don’t sit on all ninety-nine Meditation Stones, even if you enter the eerie bamboo forest, it will be of no use.
With such rules, the lake is bound to be anything but peaceful.
Firstly, those without the strength dare not even think about the eerie bamboo forest.
Those who do have the strength, on the other hand, are never willing to wait. When there are fewer people it’s fine, but when more people arrive, there are immediately those forcibly occupying the front Meditation Stones, and fights leading to injuries and even death are not rare to see.
With Shi Xiaole’s current strength, dealing with an average Third Tier Xuanqi expert would be easy, but to deal with an average Fourth Tier would require a bit of inconvenience, and anything above that, there would be no hope of victory.
Luckily, the eerie bamboo forest has four entrances. The stone figure arrays in the east and west are suitable for Xuanqi masters Sixth Tier and above. The north and south entrances are suitable for martial artists Fifth Tier and below, without disturbing each other.
Shi Xiaole chose the south entrance, because only the people of top sects could enter the north and west entrances.
"I’ve heard that this eerie bamboo forest was established by a once-prosperous martial arts sect a few thousand years ago. The purpose was to train the sect’s disciples, to help them progress rapidly," a burly, bearded man sitting on a grassy area by the riverbank explained to Shi Xiaole. Changing his tone, he then asked, "Are you here with an elder from your sect, young hero?"
Shi Xiaole was very young, looking not quite twenty years old, there was no way he could be a Xuanqi expert. So, the only explanation is that he was here to gain some experience.
Qi Absorption Realm martial artists are not forbidden from entering the eerie bamboo forest, but it’s basically impossible for them to do so relying on their own power.
Some top-tier major sects may have a few disciples who can defeat a First or even Second Tier Xuanqi expert whilst being at Qi Absorption Realm, but there are countless Xuanqi Realm experts here. Just taking a casual glance, one could spot Fourth or Fifth Tier Xuanqi experts everywhere. Even the most formidable prodigy would have no competitiveness here.
Moreover, disciples from major sects could simply go to the northwest two entrances. There is no need to join the hustle and bustle here.
As for the disciples of some renowned Martial World experts, there had been people who tried in the past. The result was that they were unable to touch the second Meditation Stone and were directly kicked into the lake by others. It was only thanks to their strong backgrounds that they avoided further humiliation.
"I’m just here to have a look around." Shi Xiaole said with a smile.
"Ah, a Meditation Stone on the shore’s become vacant, young hero, I’m taking my leave first," the bearded man Hu Hao’s eyes lit up and he rushed towards the first row of Meditation Stones on the right side of the shore. The person originally there jumped towards the second row of Meditation Stones.
Hu Hao wasn’t the only one with that idea. Dozens of experts on the grass also lunged at the same time. Their chaotic, overlapping internal powers collided mid-air, like exploding bombs, causing a thunderous echo in the void.
Those who dared to come here to seek opportunities were either young Xuanqi experts or fierce figures from the Martial World. Ordinary Second or Third Xuanqi experts weren’t taken seriously at all.
For instance, the previously mentioned Hu Hao was an early Fourth Tier Xuanqi expert.
What’s more terrifying is that there were still many people on the grassy field who didn’t make a move, either because they were being cautious or waiting for a good opportunity. Either way, none of them were easy to deal with.
After a fierce struggle, Hu Hao narrowly secured a spot on the first Meditation Stone.
The rest of the people glared at the sect’s experts responsible for maintaining order, and begrudgingly gave up.
This rule was established by several of the top sects. If you can occupy the Meditation Stone by your own strength, people on the shore cannot create chaos. If you attack me, I attack you—you ruin it for everyone else.
The experts already sitting on the Meditation Stones, however, were free to challenge each other. This was to prevent anyone from deliberately wasting time. In short, the rules here were all about proving oneself through strength.
Shi Xiaole remained silent. After not too long, the person on the first Meditation Stone on the left shore jumped forward.
In an instant, many people on the shore rushed out at their top speed, as if they had been injected with chicken blood. While they tussled in mid-air, they also made sure to attack each other, creating chaotic scenes all around.
