Chapter 38 If It Weren’t for Him

In this world, something that was beyond others’ expectations but was reasonable on second thoughts always happened. For example, Huang Jin climbed the Jingkou Mountain and entered the Yanling Confucian Temple, and Qing Huai had countless thousand-mile rings. These days, every time the three cultivators Yanling kept at a high price were about to catch up with the two teenagers, they would find some thousand-mile rings which were split into halves beside a fire, or by a river, or under a tree.

After counting them, they found that they had picked up more than ten thousand-mile rings, at least ten. Even the national treasury of Yanling wouldn’t have much more than those. They even guessed that the temple would have no more than one hundred thousand-mile rings every year as the limit, but why did these teenagers have so many? Moreover, it appeared that they still had some left at hand. The official from the Ministry of Penalty who was sure that the two wouldn’t have too many thousand-mile rings looked terrible these days and put on a longer face every time they found one more ring. The teenagers seemed to be certain that the chasers couldn’t catch up with them and even intentionally crushed the rings when they could see them. It was a hide-and-seek game, but it looked like the three chasers were like the mice being teased, while the two cats were at leisure.

However, the masters and officials from the Ministry of Penalty in the Yanling Empire could do nothing to it. The cultivators were at different stages and had big or small lucky chances, and especially their family background would be greatly different. As long as the orthodox cultivators of the three religious sects didn’t leave the Yanling Confucian Temple or Taoist temples, they would get much more than the ones who had left. The biggest beneficiaries of the three religious sects which were worshiped by hundreds of millions of common people in the world were the cultivators in the Yanling Confucian Temple or Taoist temples.

They chased two teenagers who might have powerful background and ran everywhere in an empire but couldn’t catch up with them, which depressed them. So after they picked up several thousand-mile rings split into halves again, the three officials from the Ministry of Penalty had no choice but to give up the plan to chase. Seeing the three returning to Luoyang City, Li Fuyao and Qing Huai sitting on a sturdy branch of a towering tree looked at each other and could see the smile in each other’s eyes.

Li Fuyao smiled and sighed with emotion, “I can’t figure out why you would hide yourself from these three guys, judging from your character you have shown before.”

Qing Huai heard the boy’s words and then took out some thousand-mile rings, sneering at him, “If it weren’t for you as my burden, I wouldn’t use these little things.”

When she was speaking, Li Fuyao turned his head and looked at the rings in her hands, asking in shock, “I know you have many of these things, but do you really have ten thousand?”

Ignoring this idiot, Qing Huai just put away the rings and then took out the map of Yanling Li Fuyao had bought earlier. Looking at the place on the map whose name had been erased intentionally, she was lost in thought.

After a short while, Qing Huai stated with a frown, “Li Fuyao, do you know that the Sword Immortal took actions again the other day?”

There were many Sword Immortals six thousand years ago, and nobody knew which one was mentioned, but who could be called Sword Immortal now except that one?

Li Fuyao murmured the Sword Immortal’s name twice and then asked in curiosity, “What did that Sword Immortal do? Did he enter the demonic land and kill several big demons? Or did he destroy some Taoist temples?”

Qing Huai snorted, “Do you think that the big demons can be killed so easily? Even that Sword Immortal can’t kill several when he is in a good mood. And he won’t be so impulsive as to destroy some Taoist temples. Others could do nothing to him, but there are only a few swordsmen in the world. If he did that, the swordsmen would have a more difficult time. So the Sword Immortal’s sword can’t be unsheathed randomly.”

Li Fuyao spread his arms, “What happened?”

Qing Huai answered patiently, “The Daoist assembly in late spring in Liangxi is one of the important activities of Daoism, so except for the old Dao cultivators from Liangxi, it would attract some people who are from the three religious sects but don’t stay in the Taoist temples. In the past, a big shot of the Dao cultivators at the Ascending Stage spoke rudely and laughed at the Sword Mountain as there was nobody when he passed the mountain. Then he was killed under a sword ray. In the world, no swordsman except the Sword Immortal could kill a cultivator at the Ascending Stage with a sword ray, but the Sword Immortal’s whereabouts are unpredictable, and I don’t know why he shows up on the Sword Mountain now. I even want to crush more thousand-mile rings to let you reach the mountain at once. Maybe you can meet the Sword Immortal. If he teaches you a skill, it would be more powerful than what your master taught you.”

“But now the Sword Immortal is on the Sword Mountain unexpectedly, and the people attending the Daoist assembly in Liangxi would be less confident. If the sages of Daoism don’t come, nobody can defeat him.”

“Do you think the aristocrats in Luoyang would explode after the three return empty-handed?” Li Fuyao frowned and suddenly asked, but what he said had nothing to do with the Sword Immortal.

Qing Huai turned her head and looked at Li Fuyao carefully, asking seriously, “Li Fuyao, why didn’t I know in the past that you are like this?”

Facing his companion’s query, Li Fuyao blushed and responded calmly, “It is nothing bad. People should aspire after something.”

Qing Huai appeared peaceful, “On the demonic land there is a kind of demon. Even if they become human beings and are at high stages, they are vicious inwardly. I think if you are with them, you must have a lot in common.”

Li Fuyao jumped off the branch and stood under the tree, looking up at Qing Huai while laughing loudly, “Lady Qing Huai, if you don’t have a malignant tongue, I think many people would like you.”

Before he finished his words, a green strand fell and hit his head. Li Fuyao turned his head and still wanted to talk, but looking at countless green strands from behind flying to him, he had to sigh and run away while covering his head.

While the girl sat on the branch and looked at the guy who ran helter-skelter under the tree, her smile was fascinating.

At the same time, in the north of Dazhou, the main force of the Chen Country was only hundreds of miles away from Shaoliang City after a long and tiring journey but was driven away by tens of thousands of cavalries from Dazhou led by a young general. On the flag of the troop from Dazhou, a word “XIE” with red ink was flying in the wind. The young general taking the lead looked resolute. The deputy of the main force with more than one hundred thousand soldiers from the Chen Country complained continuously. They finally came here, but they met the South Army of Dazhou. They were surprised but had been prepared. However, when the young general led the cavalry to fight in their array, the deputy of the Chen Country was dispirited, watching the people from Dazhou become wolves and tigers after entering the array and follow the famous young man to kill the Chen Country’s soldiers, as if they entered an area with nobody around. The young general who was said to be at the same level as Xie Ying at the imperial court of the Chen Country was beheaded by Xie Ying personally in the chaos.

It could be seen who was more powerful.

The talent from the Xie family looked murderous and vented his spleen these days on the soldiers from the Chen Country, so the war between two mismatched sides ended in only half a day. The winner was the South Army of Dazhou with less than one hundred thousand soldiers, while more than one hundred thousand soldiers from the Chen Country suffered a crushing defeat.

The Chen Country’s army had collapsed.

When they ended the battle, there were whines of the Chen Country’s soldiers everywhere.

Xie Ying whose armor was red with fresh blood was just expressionless and listened to his deputy talking about the total number of dead and injured people for each side and results of the battle. He only nodded. At last, when they turned around to return to Shaoliang City, Xie Ying suddenly laughed, “I have to thank you. Otherwise, how can we solve the problem?”

Then under the deputy’s surprised eyes, Xie Ying patted the horse to make it walk slowly.