Volume One: The Autumn Sacrifice Chapter Thirty-Two: Do Not Be Afraid, Miss
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The night had grown deep, yet the lanterns filling the city had made everyone forget the hour.
Tonight, some people were destined to remain sleepless.
After continuing to spout nonsense until Shu Ni and Ning Four finally left, Jiang Wang felt somewhat weary. The longer he watched, the more he found that the temple fair was not all that interesting after all.
The blue-robed cultivator carried the rattan chair as Jiang Wang slowly left the entrance to Xiaguang Street.
He went straight to West City Lane.
Naturally, he did not actually set foot inside. Instead, he lay down in the rattan chair within the bounds of Xiaguang Street and had the blue-robed cultivator go fetch Celestial Master Tao.
“Young Marquis, the temple fair is so lively. Why have you come here?” Celestial Master Tao emerged from the lane behind the blue-robed cultivator.
Jiang Wang smiled. “You were cooped up at home too, rather than joining in the festivities.”
“I am getting old,” Celestial Master Tao replied. “Besides, the temple fair is the same every year. Even when a few new amusements appear, they are things young people enjoy more.”
Jiang Wang’s expression turned solemn. “There is something I must clarify. Otherwise, it feels as though a thorn is lodged in my heart.”
“What does the Young Marquis mean?” Celestial Master Tao asked, puzzled.
“You used to pester me constantly to have my fortune told. That so-called baleful aura must be explained clearly. You are capable of capturing specters, which proves that you do possess some skill. How, then, do you view my destiny?”
Celestial Master Tao looked rather embarrassed. After hesitating, he said, “The truth is, I merely wanted to earn a little silver from the Young Marquis. You were frail, and even the Marquis of Xunyang once tried every possible means to cure you, but at the time, the Marquis did not think much of me.”
He hurriedly added, “Everything I said was nonsense. Please do not take it to heart, Young Marquis!”
Jiang Wang gazed deeply at him and smiled. “You once said you could tell my fortune, and I did not believe you. Now you say it was all false, and I still do not believe you.”
Celestial Master Tao wiped away his sweat in panic. “I did sense some kind of aura within the Young Marquis, but it was certainly not a baleful aura. I do not know what it was either. Everyone honors me as a Celestial Master, but in truth, I have only just begun my studies. Young Marquis, you must believe me!”
That final sentence was exceedingly familiar to Jiang Wang, so he replied with the words he himself had once spoken:
“Do you think I believe you?”
Celestial Master Tao also felt that he had heard those words before. After a brief pause, he said urgently, “I, Tao, have always conducted myself openly and treated others with sincerity. Heaven and earth may bear witness—”
Jiang Wang waved a hand and cut him off. “You truly have thick skin. A moment ago, you said you were spouting nonsense, and now you claim to be sincere. Even a lie ought to have some logic behind it.”
The skin on Celestial Master Tao’s face twitched. He gave an awkward smile. “In all my life, I have told only one lie… well, two… perhaps three, four, five, or six… possibly dozens or even hundreds… but I swear that what I am saying now is absolutely true. Young Marquis, you really must believe me!”
Jiang Wang stared at him. (¬_¬)
The muscles of the blue-robed cultivator’s face trembled. He looked as though he desperately wanted to laugh but was forcing himself not to, and the effort seemed painful.
“Well, about that…” Celestial Master Tao slowly backed away. “The specters at home are calling for me. We shall meet again.”
But the instant he turned around, the blue-robed cultivator was already blocking his path.
Jiang Wang spoke calmly. “If you have deceived me, you should know the consequences.”
Celestial Master Tao nodded so vigorously that his head bobbed like a pounding pestle. “Every word is true—truer than gold!”
Jiang Wang looked toward the blue-robed cultivator. The latter stepped aside, and Celestial Master Tao wiped away his cold sweat before hurrying into the lane with an ingratiating smile.
“Mr. Jiang,” the blue-robed cultivator said, “I believe that Celestial Master Tao’s abilities are indeed rather meager. True Celestial Masters are already exceedingly rare in this world. As for anyone capable of seeing through…”
He nearly revealed Mr. Jiang’s identity as an immortal, but fortunately changed course in time and swallowed hard.
“Anyone who understands the workings of fate,” he continued, “I fear that even the old Celestial Master in the Sui capital would not dare speak recklessly.”
Jiang Wang said nothing. Though he felt that Celestial Master Tao was concealing something, the man was probably not lying about everything. So long as it had nothing to do with the so-called baleful aura, Jiang Wang no longer cared particularly much.
In any case, it was impossible that Celestial Master Tao had truly seen the existence of the divine kingdom.
After gently closing the door, Celestial Master Tao turned around and leaned his back against it, slowly exhaling.
“Young Marquis… it is not that I refuse to tell the truth. Who could have expected your birth details to be so unusual? If I wish to progress far along the path of the Celestial Master, it is useless to rely solely on my own blind speculation. I wonder whether that person will honor his promise…”
…
Forty miles south of Huny City.
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On a rugged mountain road shrouded in mist, a carriage lay overturned beside the road, as though it had been smashed apart by an impact.
Du Yanruo pressed her back against a wooden panel and held her breath.
Suddenly, a sharp object covered in soft spines pierced straight through the panel. A head then emerged from the mist, its blood-red maw yawning wide as a foul stench rushed over her.
The head came within inches of Du Yanruo’s face. Four scarlet eyes stared fixedly at her.
Unable to control her trembling, Du Yanruo went deathly pale with fright.
She had never expected to encounter a monster called a Luoying here!
Luoying rarely traveled alone. They were almost always found in groups. Recalling how Xiaguang Street had once been surrounded by countless Luoying, she wondered whether an even larger number of them was about to attack Huny City.
But why had she been so unlucky as to run into one herself?
She had no ability whatsoever to contend with such a monster.
After escaping with such difficulty, was she really going to die here?
A dark shape stirred directly ahead, and another Luoying appeared.
Its body was pitch-black and two zhang tall, with white only at the tips of its claws. Four eyes, each as large as Du Yanruo’s head, emerged through the dense fog, a horrifying sight.
Cai Tanggu had once explained that Luoying were monsters devoid of intelligence. Their actions were driven entirely by instinct. At times, even when facing cultivators, they did not know enough to feel fear and flee. Unless one possessed the strength to kill a Luoying, one must never harbor any hope of luck upon encountering them. If there was a chance to run, one had to run at once.
Though Du Yanruo knew this perfectly well, she had nowhere to escape with monsters closing in from every side.
The desire to survive made her tighten her grip on the sword in her hand, yet she did not dare truly strike.
At the thought of being torn apart by the monster, she shuddered with terror.
Five Luoying surrounded the wrecked carriage. In Du Yanruo’s field of vision, it seemed there were nothing but eyes, and nausea surged into her throat.
She swung her sword, tears covering her cheeks, and screamed with all her strength.
One Luoying stepped forward. A leg like a pillar planted itself beside Du Yanruo. Its head drooped as it opened its jaws, preparing to bite down.
The fog, still calm moments before, suddenly began to churn.
A melodious flute drifted through the air.
Immediately afterward, a flying sword shot forth and severed the Luoying’s head.
Dark green blood drenched Du Yanruo from head to toe.
The remaining four Luoying roared together, their cries rumbling like thunder.
A figure emerged from the dense fog.
He wore flowing white robes and held a jade flute in his hand. His features were firm and resolute, his brows like drawn swords, his gaze sharp as a blade.
He raised a hand slightly, and the flying sword returned.
After flicking the dark green blood from its blade, the newcomer looked at the terrified Du Yanruo and said softly, “Miss, do not be afraid.”
He then swung the sword.
Two muffled thuds rang out.
Dark green blood sprayed through the air.
Another Luoying was left missing half its body.
The three remaining Luoying charged madly toward the man in white.
Dark saliva sprayed from their mouths and spattered the trees, which withered instantly.
The man in white casually flourished his sword, intercepting every drop of the dark saliva.
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He strolled around the three Luoying as though taking an idle walk. With a single stroke, delivered from an extraordinarily treacherous angle, he severed all three monsters at the neck.
The man in white took out a black handkerchief and wiped the sword clean. Once he returned it to its sheath, he walked toward Du Yanruo.
“There should still be Luoying nearby. Miss, wait here for a moment. I shall return shortly.”
He spoke as though merely talking to himself, then turned and left.
Du Yanruo still had not recovered her senses.
The sword slipped from her hand.
Her body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground. As she stared at the five corpses of the Luoying before her, she felt as though she were trapped in a dream.
Half an hour later, the man in white finally returned.
His robes, once spotless, were now spattered with grime.
It was all Luoying blood.
“This is rather strange. Within a radius of several dozen miles, there are actually more than a hundred Luoying. In all the years of seeking immortals, I have never heard of monsters undertaking such a large-scale movement.”
The man in white pondered in silence. Whenever something abnormal occurred, there was always a reason behind it. Could it be that an immortal had truly descended into Huny City?
The Sui Kingdom had carried out countless searches for immortals in the past, yet not once had they found the slightest trace of one. He had assumed this journey would be the same and that it would be difficult to gain anything from it. He had not expected such an unexpected harvest.
He recalled that, shortly before his departure, his teacher had emerged from seclusion—a rare occurrence. It was said that the teacher had gone into the heart of Kutan to slay monsters. Any monster capable of forcing his teacher to act personally had to be terrifying beyond measure.
Ever since the “Mirage” had appeared in Huny City, disturbances had begun breaking out throughout Kutan.
Looking at Du Yanruo, whose face was still covered in coagulated dark green Luoying blood, the man in white stepped forward and asked, “This place is deserted. Why are you here, miss?”
Du Yanruo raised her eyes. The man before her was not as handsome as Jiang Wang, but he was still exceptionally attractive—handsome enough to leave Su Lingyi far behind.
Moreover, he had casually slaughtered the Luoying with a strength Su Lingyi could never hope to match.
This gave her an idea.
But then she remembered the sight of Jiang Wang frightening Old Six Tan into begging for mercy. Even if she asked this man in white to rescue her father and younger brother, the chances of success were probably not very high.
For a moment, she found herself torn.
The man in white assumed that fear had left Du Yanruo unable to speak, so he did not question her further. Instead, he said, “There is a stream nearby. You may wash yourself there for the time being.”
He needed to change his clothes as well.
With that, he walked away on his own.
Du Yanruo glanced after him, picked up her sword, and followed.
The monsters in the area had all been eliminated. The man in white reassured Du Yanruo and chose a stretch of the stream some distance away, assuring her that they would not be able to see each other.
He removed the clothes covered in Luoying blood. With a slight wave of his hand, a fresh set of garments appeared from thin air.
Once he had restored his immaculate, white-robed appearance, he suddenly remembered that the young woman probably had no clean clothes to change into.
After a brief hesitation, he walked toward the place where Du Yanruo was washing herself.
He intended only to leave the clean garments there.
When he saw Du Yanruo, however, he discovered that she was sitting beside the stream and had not yet washed herself at all.
A feeling of regret arose in the man in white’s heart.
He immediately shook his head several times, then produced another set of garments from thin air, identical to those he wore.
When Du Yanruo turned around in alarm, he immediately explained, “Miss, do not be afraid. I have come to bring you some clothes.”
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