“Master, you can no longer stay in Great Jing. Come back to the Southern Borderlands with me.”
Zhan Feng continued, “My wounds are almost healed anyway. With your cultivation, you could at least become a guest elder in the sect. If you are willing to hand over the blood-refining shortcut method to the sect leader, becoming an inner elder would be more than enough.”
Xu Xiuzhu nodded, yet still hesitated. “But once I go to the Southern Borderlands, I will no longer be able to raise blood slaves, will I?”
Zhan Feng laughed in ridicule. “Master, even here in Great Jing you can only raise them secretly. Frankly, the efficiency is far lower than ours in the south. If you want blood slaves, just raid a few southern provinces, kidnap some martial artists, and bring them back. Simple and quick.”
Xu Xiuzhu’s face darkened. “Several Great Jing armies are stationed in the south!”
Zhan Feng shook his head with a smile. “We have never been on good terms with Great Jing anyway. Our sect appears on Great Jing’s wanted lists. Several hundred years have passed, and everyone is still living perfectly well, are they not?”
Xu Xiuzhu was rendered speechless. He practised evil arts for the sake of long life and unrivalled power, not to risk his life while cultivating…
Yet ever since the righteous sects refused to accept him and he was forced onto this crooked path, Xu Xiuzhu had long been mentally prepared. Truthfully, managing over twenty years before exposure already satisfied him greatly.
During those twenty years he had prepared several hidden identities for a new life if discovered. But two years ago, after saving Zhan Feng, he gained another escape route: joining a Southern Borderlands sect.
“Master, the yin-harvesting method I taught you is only the ordinary version used in the sect. I am not qualified to teach you the stronger ones. But if you join us, I am certain the sect leader will bestow upon you the far superior Song of the Flower Path.”
Zhan Feng’s lips curved as he tempted him further. “You can use yin-harvesting to gather women’s lesser-yin qi to balance the extreme yang of absorbed blood power. Yin and yang in harmony: how could longevity and world-shaking might then elude you?”
A flush of red flashed across Xu Xiuzhu’s face. His eyes flickered for a moment before he finally made up his mind. “Fine! We go to the Southern Borderlands!”
At that very instant, a faint voice echoed through the cave. “Song of the Flower Path? Could you perhaps be a disciple of the Flower-Path Colour-Cloud Sect?”
“Who’s there!?”
“Who goes there!?”
Xu Xiuzhu and Zhan Feng leapt to their feet simultaneously and shouted. With a sweep of their hands, true qi surged forth like a shockwave, overturning tables and chairs, shattering cups and pots. The torches on the walls flickered wildly.
Under their assault, the invisibility spell could no longer hold. Two figures appeared in the corner of the cave.
A blue-robed scholar.
A pink-skirted woman.
“Hey, I asked you a question.” Lu Zheng looked at Zhan Feng and asked calmly, “Are you a disciple of the Flower-Path Colour-Cloud Sect?”
“And if I am? And if I am not?” Zhan Feng replied warily.
Lu Zheng blinked. “Er… it doesn’t really matter either way. You are both going to die regardless. I was just curious.”
“You are the one who is going to die!”
Xu Xiuzhu roared. His five fingers clawed forward, a blood-coloured talisman seal flashed into existence, turned into a streak of light, and shot straight at Lu Zheng.
Lu Zheng flicked a finger. A Flying-Cloud Evil-Breaking Talisman met it head-on.
With a soft pop, the blood seal shattered instantly. The Flying-Cloud Talisman did not stop; it continued forward.
“What!”
Xu Xiuzhu cried out in shock. He immediately formed a hand seal. Blood light flared before him and intercepted the Flying-Cloud Talisman.
“Pfft!”
Both blood seal and Flying-Cloud Talisman annihilated each other. Xu Xiuzhu’s face paled. He spat a mouthful of blood and staggered back.
The gap was too vast!
His expression changed dramatically. He grabbed Zhan Feng, blood qi erupting around him. The blood qi enveloped them both, transformed into a streak of blood light, and fled toward the rear of the cave.
Of course Xu Xiuzhu would not build only one exit in his emergency hideout.
Yet the moment he activated the escape, a peach tree appeared at the back of the cave. Its branches swayed, pink peach blossoms trembling as though in the wind, releasing waves of pink mist.
“What is that?”
The next instant, countless pink blossoms detached from the branches and drifted gently onto the blood light.
In a flash, murderous qi exploded. The blood light was blasted apart, revealing Xu Xiuzhu and Zhan Feng.
“Pfft!”
Peach-flower murderous qi entered their bodies. Xu Xiuzhu spat blood again. Still clutching Zhan Feng, they both crashed to the ground.
The two men looked at each other in horror, then turned back to see the blue-robed scholar and pink-skirted woman strolling toward them.
“You… who are you? We have no grudge between us. Why attack me?” Xu Xiuzhu could not help asking.
“No grudge?” Lu Zheng smiled. “But your subordinates wanted to capture me and deliver me to you to drain my blood qi…”
Xu Xiuzhu froze. In his heart he cursed the Liu brothers’ eighteen generations of ancestors. At the same time he understood why the brothers had failed to send any message.
“A misunderstanding! It is all a misunderstanding!” Xu Xiuzhu said hastily. “We can talk this over!”
Yet the moment the words left his mouth, Lu Zheng had already formed a dragon claw that descended onto his head.
“No!”
The next instant, Xu Xiuzhu’s head disappeared into his own neck.
Zhan Feng’s pupils contracted. Then bursts of multicoloured cloud qi instantly filled the cave, blocking all detection.
“Oh?”
Lu Zheng gave a soft sound of surprise. Only now did he realise Zhan Feng’s cultivation was actually higher than Xu Xiuzhu’s.
Shen Ying, standing beside Lu Zheng, felt waves of colourful spiritual cloud trying to invade her true spirit. Illusory flowers bloomed before her eyes.
Lu Zheng’s strength had exceeded expectations, so Zhan Feng naturally tried to take Shen Ying hostage!
He was well aware Shen Ying was also a grandmaster, but Flower-Path Colour-Cloud techniques had extra effect on women. Facing death, Zhan Feng had to gamble.
Then… Shen Ying slapped him flat onto the ground.
Her pretty face flushed crimson, eyes filled with killing intent. With a flick of her hand, a crystalline pink peach blossom drifted lightly toward Zhan Feng’s chest.
Zhan Feng was scared out of his wits. A mass of coloured cloud cushioned him from below as he tried to flee, but the pink blossom seemed to cross space itself. The next moment it landed on his chest.
“Pfft!”
Zhan Feng spat blood. His entire aura collapsed instantly. His movement halted.
Then three more peach-blossom phantoms appeared from nowhere: two on his shoulders, one on the crown of his head.
The three flowers entered his body, crushing through his protective true qi like dead leaves in a storm, charging straight into his heart channels.
Zhan Feng, dead!
Lu Zheng reached out, seized Zhan Feng’s spirit soul, cast the Mirror-Viewing Technique, and quickly scanned his recent memories.
Shen Ying asked, “Well?”
“Nothing serious. He just came to Great Jing to cultivate, got injured, was saved by Xu Xiuzhu, and was trying to lure him south to join the sect,” Lu Zheng replied.
He had worried the Flower-Path Colour-Cloud Sect harboured some grand conspiracy. Turned out he was overthinking it.
Fortunately, the harvest of luck-light was decent, and next came the enjoyable corpse-looting phase.
