Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On Beiluo Lake…
A breeze brushed past people’s faces softly like a teenager girl’s silk handkerchief, with a special gentleness and fragrance.
On the lake, a boat was rocking back and forth, creating ripples on the water’s surface.
The lake water sparkled with the light spilling from the sun, which was like gold grains dancing on the surface.
Sitting in the wooden boat, Lv Mudui grasped the greasy and smooth turtle shell he had played with so much. Somehow, he was a little nervous.
Beside him was the teenage girl carrying the pipa on her back. Her young face looked kind of uneasy.
Ni Yu, holding a satchel, was looking at her with curiosity. Then she reached into the satchel to take a Gathering Qi Elixir out to put it into her mouth.
Lv Mudui threw an anxious look outside. On the board, Lv Dongxuan, wearing a golden beaded necklace around his neck, stood behind Lu Fan with a big smile.
“Girl, give me a candy to steady my nerves,” Lv Mudui demanded.
Ni Yu was enjoying the food so much that his appetite was whetted.
Ni Yu stopped chewing. Then she squinted at Lv Mudui. “Old man, do you have no sense of shame?”
“Isn’t this the same as snatching sugar-coated haws on a stick from a three-year-old kid?”
Lv Mudui was taken aback.
“Besides, open your eyes widely. Do you think this is candy?”
Ni Yu waved a Gathering Qi Elixir before Lv Mudui. The sugar-coated Gathering Qi Elixir was as beautiful as a bubble in the sunshine.
Then she put it into her mouth under Lv Mudui’s surprised gaze.
Lv Mudui was speechless… Wasn’t this candy?
Lu Fan was sitting in the wheelchair, his hair blowing in the wind.
He slowly threw some rice grains into the lake. Fishes all started to scramble for them.
“Tianji School from the Hundred Schools of Philosophy is smart,” Lu Fan said flatly.
Lv Dongxuan, who was standing behind Lu Fan’s wheelchair, broke into a smile. The skin on his old face was folded together. His wrinkles seemed to be vibrating.
“Since Young Master Lu mentioned it, why would I disobey? It’s Tianji School’s honor to join White Jade City!” Lv Dongxuan said, playing with his thick golden beaded necklace.
He was very shocked since this was his first time to meet Young Master Lu, but he had calculated many times about the latter.
Tianji School’s Tianji Calculation Technique could calculate anything in the world. However, whenever he tried calculating about Young Master Lu from Beiluo, Lv Dongxuan would just be stunned and frightened, as if he was struck by some unspeakable horror.
The more he calculated, the bigger the dread became. In the end, he even felt a pair of eyes were looking at him from heaven.
This gave Lv Dongxuan the most evident idea of how frightful Lu Fan was.
That was also why he took his family here without hesitation as soon as he had heard Lu Fan was going to incorporate Tianji School.
He did not fight. Nor did he resist…
Because he told a fortune and knew good things instead of bad things would happen if he joined White Jade City.
In fact, Tianji School’s heritage had hit a bottleneck. Lv Dongxuan had intended to break through the current limitations, but it was too hard to achieve.
White Jade City’s appearance gave him hope.
“You see things quite clearly.”
Lu Fan sprinkled the lake surface with all the remaining rice grains in his hand.
Lv Dongxuan’s laughter was larger.
“What I really need is your Tianji School’s Tianji pigeons. I want to incorporate you for the Tianji pigeons’ sake. I hope you could bring White Jade City’s messages to the world.”
Leaning against the back of the wheelchair, Lu Fan turned to look at Lv Dongxuan.
Lv Dongxuan was astounded. Tianji pigeons?
Tianji School was chosen because of Tianji pigeons?
But soon, Lv Dongxuan’s laughter was even larger. As long as they were a valuable asset, they would not lose too much after joining White Jade City.
“It’s an honor to have Young Master Lu’s approval,” Lv Dongxuan said.
The boat floated on the lake through the thick fog, until the Lake Island came into their sight. With Spirit Qi surrounding the island, the Beilou Lake Island did not look like it belonged to this mortal world. It was a tremendous visual shock.
Lv Dongxuan looked at it, his pupils shrinking right away.
After docking their boat, they all went onto the island.
Ni Yu, carrying a black pot on her back, snatched a moment to put a sugar-coated Gathering Qi Elixir into her mouth before pushing Lu Fan in the wheelchair toward White Jade City’s pavilion.
Jing Yue was getting bored with taking care of Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums. Lu Fan’s return astonished him, so he hurried to stand straight.
“Tianji School will be renamed Tianji Pavilion after joining White Jade City,” Lu Fan said slowly.
Lv Dongxuan nodded after shortly hesitating. “Anything the Young Master says.”
Lv Dongxuan was shocked at the moment. Everything on the island was extremely different for him.
The air was incredibly fresh as if invisible little snakes were zigzagging.
The ten swaying chrysanthemums seemed intelligent.
The chrysanthemums were intelligent?
What the hell?
Meanwhile, the teenage girl carrying the pipa on her back was also pleasantly appreciating the island, though from an ordinary person’s perspective. To her, it was such a beautiful island.
Ni Yu pushed Lu Fan in the wheelchair onto the second floor of White Jade City’s pavilion.
Lv Dongxuan followed.
Lv Mudui hesitated to say, “Watch out”…
After stepping onto the stone stairs leading to White Jade City’s pavilion.
Lv Dongxuan fixed his eyes on the vertical plaques on both sides of the gate. Feeling the enormous energy all of a sudden, he froze.
******
Three miles away from Beiluo City.
A black horse was careering over the plain. Its mane was blowing in the wind, while its four hooves were ferociously galloping.
Suddenly, its reins were pulled.
The black horse stood on its hind legs, raising a cloud of dust in the air.
On horseback, a giant figure squinted his eyes at the magnificent Beiluo City in the distance. An expectant smile emerged on his face.
******
Outside of the capital city…
Ten horses galloped over and raised a cloud of dust in the air.
The clacking sounds of trotting horses were as loud as thunder, like fat raindrops smacking the ground.
Escorted by the nine envoys, Jiang Li headed for the capital city.
Soon enough, the magnificent city gate of the capital came into their sight.
“Why is the city gate closed?”
Jiang Li frowned.
The nine envoys were also puzzled.
They called at the gate for a long time, but no one came to open it for them.
At this moment…
In the city, the atmosphere was extremely threatening.
Luo Cheng’s pupils constricted the second he sensed the arrows were raining on them. His horse neighed, while he snarled in anger. He unsheathed his long knife to deflect the arrows.
On the carriage, Nie Changqing squinted.
“We haven’t acted. These people beat us to it…”
“Interesting. Compared to the aristocratic families in Beiluo City, they are bolder,” Nie Changqing said slowly.
The 500 armored horsemen from Beiluo were shrouded in a rain of arrows.
Judging from how dense this rain of arrows was, the attackers must have intended to kill all of Beiluo’s armored horsemen in a second!
Luo Cheng’s heart was chilled by such vicious intention!
What was this place?
It was the imperial city of the capital. It was right before the emperor!
However, someone had the nerve to send massive forces to siege and kill them!
The emperor had been completely ignored!
No wonder the City Master said the capital city was in turmoil, and those treacherous ministers started to go amuck after the Imperial Advisor had lost his power.
The rain of arrows continued falling, like hazy dark clouds.
Every horse of Beiluo’s armored horsemen was nervously trotting.
But it was no big deal for Nie Changqing. He reached for the butcher knife placed on the carriage.
He wiped it gently with a white handkerchief.
Facing the rain of arrows that covered the sky, he remained very calm. He was even a little laidback as if what he was about to face was just an ordinary rain in Jiangnan.
All of a sudden…
In the carriage, an invisible Spirit Qi fluctuated and spread.
The curtains started to blow.
Then the rain of arrows seemed to pause all of a sudden…
As if an invisible curtain had held all of the arrows back.
“Tut-tut.”
A gentle voice.
A tremendous oppressive power came from the carriage, making each and every one of the arrows fall to the ground. The sound of the arrows’ metalheads hitting the flagstone ground sounded like an elegant melody.
On the city wall, the soldiers firing arrows were all shocked.
Even Seventh or Eighth Resonance Grandmasters would have been deeply troubled by this rain of arrows. They also might be shot dead.
But what was happening at the moment was beyond their knowledge.
“People don’t have a tiny little bit of awe for cultivators.”
“Young Master was right.”
A pretty hand lifted the curtain of the side window of the carriage.
Her gentle voice echoed on the long, empty street.
Ning Zhao was wearing a white dress with her long hair hanging down and blowing in the wind. Beside her, Yi Yue with a charming face rushed out with her long whip. There was a cold killing intent on her face.
Nie Changqing got to his feet as well.
His white robe was fluttering in the wind.
The butch knife he had wiped started to vibrate.
Ning Zhao lifted her pretty face. Glancing over the capital city, she let out a sigh. “You should really feel lucky that Young Master didn’t come in person this time…”
“Cut the crap. Young Master told us to do it the old way. Let’s just kill them the way we killed the aristocratic families in Beiluo,” Yi Yue said.
Her eyebrows slightly knitted on her charming face.
Then she rushed out of the carriage.
Yi Yue raised her long whip, which rolled the arrows off from the ground. Then again, using her whip, she tossed the arrows out hard toward the soldiers.
The long whip was like a dragon, and the flying arrows burst out like a tornado.
The arrows went straight toward the soldiers on the city tower.
The soldiers were hit one after another before falling off from the city tower.
Nie Changqing acted too.
Although he was only a coachman, he held onto his a butcher knife.
Then when he stood up, the butcher knife had been raised.
Oppressive knife energy under which people could not even breathe seemed to be spreading.
The butcher knife was floating in the air.
Nie Changqing’s hair stood on end. A cold look was on his face.
“I agree with one of Young Master’s remarks. Reason with those who can understand you. For those who can’t understand you, just kill them,” Nie Changqing said.
Along with the butcher knife, a knife outline that seemed unreal was gradually emerging.
It was tossed out with great effort. The floating butcher knife suddenly turned into a black glow and flew across the sky.
Blood splattered everywhere.
It was like crop cutting.
On the city tower, every soldier was cut into half even before they could let out a scream.
Nie Changqing, standing on the carriage, was controlling the butcher knife from a distance.
Knife Control Technique, controlling knives with Qi, enabled its practitioner to kill enemies from afar.
Nie Changqing waved his arm three times, and three knife strikes were made.
Most of the soldiers on the city tower instantly died. The remaining ones were extremely frightened to death that they threw their weapons away and turned around to flee.
Blood flowed down the city walls, giving off a strong bloody stench.
The butcher knife went back into Nie Changqing’s hand. He wiped the blade gently with the same white handkerchief.
Ning Zhao, in a white dress, brought the curtain of the carriage down slowly.
Her pretty eyes were fixed on Wangxiang Tower.
She raised her long delicate fingers.
“Go there.”
Nie Changqing curled his lip. He put the butcher knife aside and pulled the horses’ reins. A wind brushed past his hair. His white robe was dustless.
The good show was just on.
Nie Changqing whipped the horse, and the horse stood on its hind legs and then started to gallop.
Luo Cheng was flushed with excitement. He led the big troop composed of 500 armored horsemen to the same place.
******
Wangxiang Tower.
The air was odd and oppressive.
Most of the ministers were shivering.
He Shou was extremely pale. The liquor cup he had been holding fell onto the ground and broke.
Seeing the troop mobilized from the prime minister’s residence defeated instantly, his heart dropped to the bottom.
“Minister He, go… Quick. Go!”
Some ministers urged him in panic.
He Shou came to himself. He was going downstairs.
However, hasty footsteps came from downstairs, and he saw a servant going up the wooden stairs in panic while panting heavily.
“Lord, the fat is in the fire…”