Chapter 37: Earthquake at Zao Ying Mountain

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Earthquake at Zao Ying Mountain

The moment Yan Qi attacked, Nie Shiqiao, rather than retreat or dodge, flew forward to meet him. As he lunged, his Long Sword emerged from its sheath.

Under the moonlight, the Long Sword flashed like a bolt of silk, its cold glint spilling in every direction.

"The Zi Wu Twelve Swordsmen are nothing more than this!"

Yan Qi sneered in disdain and threw a punch. A tyrannical wave of True Qi surged forward, actually managing to block Nie Shiqiao’s Sword Qi.

The next moment, the two streams of Qi Power collided, creating a deafening roar.

Countless streams of overflowing Qi Power radiated out in all directions.

At that exact moment, a shout came from below, "Form the array!"

Ten figures flew into the air, their Long Swords weaving. A faint, giant net materialized, shielding the houses in an area several hundred feet wide below Yan Qi and Nie Shiqiao.

Without the protection of the net formed by the array, the Qi Power that had just overflowed from their collision would have likely flattened an entire block of houses.

One could only imagine the sheer power of a battle between two Divine Separation Realm Cultivators.

"Sect Leader Yan, this isn’t a good place to fight. It restricts us. How about we move elsewhere?" After making the suggestion, Nie Shiqiao flew off toward the outskirts of the city.

Yan Qi was a Sect Leader, after all. Having already engaged in combat, he couldn’t possibly lose face by ignoring Nie Shiqiao and attacking mortals instead.

The two flew to the open wilderness outside the city and resumed their battle.

Bolts of Sword Qi rained down one after another.

The bare-handed Yan Qi showed no signs of being at a disadvantage.

The collisions of True Qi left craters of various sizes on the ground.

After they had traded blows for several dozen rounds...

Nie Shiqiao was the first to sheathe his Long Sword. "Sect Leader Yan, let’s stop here," he said. "Since my Zi Wu Gate knew you would come for revenge, do you really think you can do as you please?"

"So you’re saying the Zi Wu Gate has decided to make an enemy of my Red Blood Mansion?" Yan Qi roared.

Nie Shiqiao shook his head. "No. The Chen Family of Yunzhou has a connection to my Zi Wu Gate. If Sect Leader Yan is truly set on massacring the Chen Family, then in ten years’ time, the Zi Wu Gate will not interfere. However, if the Red Blood Mansion insists on acting recklessly within that ten-year period, then the Zi Wu Gate will be left with no choice."

"Ten years?" Yan Qi had already begun to cool down during the fight. Hearing Nie Shiqiao’s words gave him an easy way to back down.

"And what of Fan Chu? Is he connected to your Zi Wu Gate?"

Nie Shiqiao shook his head. "After Chen Qi’an died, Fan Chu returned to the Capital City to face punishment. He is not in Yunzhou City. Surely, Sect Leader Yan, you can trust my reputation in the Eastern Domain?"

"Fine. Then I’ll pay a visit to the Capital City of the Celestial Qi Kingdom."

Yan Qi’s departure was swift. He and the Elder who had accompanied him flew through the night toward the Capital City.

At noon the next day, the two of them reached the Capital City and entered the Palace City unopposed.

But he was once again met with a dead end at the Royal Palace of the Celestial Qi Kingdom.

Who would have thought that the Mixed Element Sect, one of the Six Sects and Eight Gates of the Eastern Domain, would have sent six Elders to protect the Celestial Qi Kingdom?

Yan Qi, of course, was not intimidated by their presence.

But the Celestial Qi Monarch swore on his kingdom’s future that there was absolutely no one named Fan Chu among the Celestial Qi’s Hidden Guards. Moreover, he claimed that after Chen Qi’an became the top scholar and returned home to visit his family, the Monarch had not dispatched anyone to serve as his guard.

Yan Qi didn’t believe it, of course, but the matter wasn’t difficult to investigate. One only had to look into the details of Chen Qi’an’s journey home to confirm that Fan Chu had indeed appeared out of nowhere in Yunzhou City.

Yan Qi had left Three Mountains Island in a rage, only to return empty-handed. Upon his return, he dispatched thousands of disciples across the Eastern Domain to thoroughly investigate this person, Fan Chu.

That said, while the thousands of disciples scattered across the Eastern Domain were ostensibly searching for Fan Chu, they also had ulterior motives.

It was a perfect opportunity to expand the influence of the Red Blood Mansion, and it would be a waste not to seize it.

After Yan Qi returned to Three Mountains Island, the Celestial Qi Monarch’s edict on how to deal with the Lü Family arrived in Yunzhou.

All of the Lü Family’s assets were to be confiscated. All direct blood relatives of the Lü Family were to be arrested and transported to the Capital City.

The men were to be conscripted, while the women were to be relegated to the Imperial Music Bureau.

Lü Yunxiu could never have imagined that she, who once had a glorious future ahead of her, would end up a prostitute.

The final result seemed to differ from what Chu Fan had planned, but a rift had now formed between the Red Blood Mansion, the Zi Wu Gate, and the Mixed Element Sect.

After all, Chu Fan couldn’t see the future; it was impossible for him to predict the outcome of every single event with perfect accuracy.

Although the outcome differed from his predictions, Chen Qi’an had still entered the Zi Wu Gate. What role this pawn would play in the future, however, was a story for another time.

After traveling for days on end, Chu Fan, Ye Xiaohan, and the others had left the borders of the Celestial Qi Kingdom. They were now only a thousand li from Zao Ying Mountain.

The long days that Wang Xing and Qi Wei had spent soaking in medicinal baths in Yunzhou had produced remarkable results. At the very least, their physical constitutions were now several times stronger than an ordinary person’s.

If not for their improved physiques, the group would not have been able to travel so far these past days.

Despite traveling for days on end, neither Chu Fan nor Ye Xiaohan had slacked off in their Cultivation.

During this time, Chu Fan had finally raised his Cultivation to Tier Twenty of the Lotus-Birth Realm. Yet, the Pill Formation Realm still felt impossibly distant, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of urgency.

Ye Xiaohan’s progress, on the other hand, was remarkably fast. A mere two months after he began practicing his Cultivation Technique, he had already reached the Tier Four Peak of the Foundation Establishment Stage. This was far faster than even Chu Fan had been sixteen or seventeen years ago.

Because he could physically feel himself growing stronger, Ye Xiaohan had been cheerful lately. He had buried his family’s blood feud deep in his heart, never letting it show, and was now full of hope for the future.

They were currently walking along a dilapidated main road.

As they walked, they began to encounter more and more people in ragged clothes, and they finally realized something was amiss.

At first, it was just small groups of three or five people carrying tattered blankets and broken pots on shoulder poles, or dragging their belongings in bags. But soon the groups they encountered grew larger and more frequent.

Some were entire families, with the old and young alike.

It was clear they had come across refugees fleeing some disaster.

’But it’s September, long past the flood season. The trees and grass along the road are lush, so it can’t be a drought. Why are these people fleeing?’

Chu Fan pulled a sturdy young man aside to ask a few questions, and the information he received filled him with unease.

"Half a month ago, there was an earthquake at Zao Ying Mountain, causing the Xiling River to burst its banks. It was supposed to be the autumn harvest, but most of the fields in the three counties downstream were flooded..."

Chu Fan didn’t hear a single word the man said after that. ’An earthquake at Zao Ying Mountain? Then... is the secret cache my master left for me there still intact?’

’This directly concerns my very life! How can I not be worried?’

"We need to get to the nearest county town. You all can find a place to stay there. I’m going to Zao Ying Mountain to check things out."

"Brother Chu, this is urgent. You go on ahead," Ye Xiaohan said. "We’ll go to the town ahead and wait for you. Come and find us when you’re done."

Chu Fan hesitated for a moment before nodding. ’With the three of them’s current strength, as long as they don’t encounter another Cultivator in the mortal world, no one can really harm them.’

’Besides, they’re all low-key and not the type to cause trouble.’ So Chu Fan wasn’t overly concerned.

"This trip could be dangerous. When you get to the town, buy a courtyard home and settle in. Let’s set a time limit... half a year. If I’m not back in six months, you don’t have to wait for me anymore."

The three of them grew worried upon hearing his words. "Brother Chu..." Ye Xiaohan began, concerned.

"Say no more. It’s just a worst-case plan. If I do run into life-threatening danger, you all wouldn’t be able to help me anyway."