Chapter 111: Unpolished Jade and Ambush

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Unpolished Jade and Ambush

In the small courtyard.

Mr. Yan smiled at Qi Hanmo, as if gazing upon a piece of peerless, uncut jade.

In Mr. Yan’s eyes, Qi Hanmo, as a Musician, showed benevolence by treating Lin Yue with his whole heart. Faced with Lin Yue’s affection, he maintained proper conduct; that was propriety. When offered a reward by Lin Yue’s master, he refused it because his brother had been insulted; that was righteousness. He did not take out his anger over his brother’s humiliation on Lin Yue; that was wisdom.

He said solemnly, "Young friend Hanmo, do you know my identity?"

Qi Hanmo shook his head in confusion. He wasn’t a fool. After receiving guidance from Mr. Yan on several occasions, combined with the faint aura Mr. Yan seemed to exude, he had guessed that Mr. Yan was no ordinary Cultivator.

But as for Mr. Yan’s specific identity, he truly had no idea.

Mr. Yan’s voice rose slightly. "I come from Jixia. I am one of the lecturers of the Academy Palace."

"Jixia? A lecturer?" Hearing Mr. Yan’s words, Qi Hanmo was stunned.

He never imagined that the Mr. Yan who had played chess with him for so many days was actually from the sacred land of Confucian Cultivators, and a lecturer at that—a position hailed as a contemporary sage.

After Mr. Yan finished speaking, he paused for a moment. Once Qi Hanmo’s expression calmed, he continued with a solemn look, "Are you willing to return with me to Jixia to cultivate?"

’Return to Jixia to cultivate?’ Qi Hanmo understood that Mr. Yan intended to take him as a disciple.

He quickly bowed respectfully. "Hanmo has received much guidance from you, Teacher. This disciple is willing to perform the rites of a disciple and follow you in cultivation!"

Mr. Yan nodded. "Then go and pack your things. We will return to Jixia together today."

Hearing this, however, Qi Hanmo did not immediately agree. Instead, a conflicted expression appeared on his face.

A profound look of assessment filled Mr. Yan’s eyes. He said nothing, quietly waiting for Qi Hanmo to speak.

After a long moment, Qi Hanmo seemed to have made a decision. His expression relaxed, and he said in a low voice, "Please forgive me, Teacher, but Hanmo cannot return to Jixia with you right now."

"Oh? And why is that?" Mr. Yan asked, stroking his beard.

Qi Hanmo began in a low voice, but as he continued to explain, his voice grew louder until it returned to its normal volume. "Miss Lin Yue’s treatment is not yet complete. If I leave now, her condition might relapse or even worsen. I cannot do such a thing. Furthermore, my brother has gone home to visit family and has not yet returned. I cannot leave without saying goodbye!"

Hearing this, the last trace of assessment vanished from Mr. Yan’s eyes, replaced by pure satisfaction.

’He does not abandon his duty in the face of opportunity. This is trustworthiness.’

’Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness... Qi Hanmo is worthy of being my Direct Disciple.’

"So that’s how it is. It was I who was inconsiderate." Mr. Yan smiled and nodded. "How about this, then? After you have cured Lin Yue’s illness and received your brother’s permission, you may come to Jixia to follow me in your cultivation. How does that sound?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Hanmo’s eyes filled with gratitude. He bowed deeply and said, "Hanmo thanks you for your generous favor, Teacher!"

...

After leaving Jixia Immortal City, Li Ping flew west aboard his Flying Ship.

Along the way, he witnessed a great deal of conflict.

With the four great sects of the Demon Dao at war with the Daoist Guardian Alliance, the Alliance had invested a massive amount of its strength into the Yuan Kingdom battlefield, inevitably weakening its control over its own territory.

Seeing the situation collapsing, many Loose Cultivators who were usually law-abiding took up the role of opportunistic robbers.

There were also some Demon Cultivators who, unable to break through on the main battlefield, chose to infiltrate the Qi Kingdom and plunder its lands, attempting to disrupt the morale of the Daoist Guardian Alliance.

With robbers and Demon Cultivators running rampant, the Cultivation Clans and sects of the Qi Kingdom suffered greatly.

However, the Daoist Guardian Alliance naturally wouldn’t turn a blind eye to this. They dispatched squads of Cultivators, each led by a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, to provide support everywhere.

Whenever the two sides met, a battle was sure to erupt.

Witnessing these great battles along his journey made Li Ping all the more anxious to leave.

He chose to avoid most of these conflicts, relying on the high mobility of his Flying Ship to outpace any would-be robbers.

But while Flying Ship-type Dharma Artifacts were precious, they were not unheard of.

Nearly ten thousand li after leaving Jixia, Li Ping finally encountered a pair of Demon Cultivators who also possessed a Flying Ship-type Dharma Artifact.

...

Above the barren wilderness.

A dark Escape Light sped across the sky. A moment later, a bloody gleam followed close behind, appearing to be in pursuit of the dark light ahead.

Standing on his Flying Ship, Li Ping looked back at the approaching bloody gleam with a grave expression.

Not long ago, while passing the ancestral lands of a Foundation Establishment-level Cultivation Clan, he had happened to see these two Demon Cultivators use a restriction-breaking Array to shatter the clan’s defensive Array and slaughter everyone inside.

Since everyone was already dead and he had no desire to get involved in the fight between the Daoist Guardian Alliance and the Demon Dao, he had unhesitatingly spurred his Flying Ship to get away.

But to his surprise, the seductive woman of the pair had pulled out a small, triangular Blood Banner. After enveloping them both in a layer of blood mist, she had given chase.

And their speed was actually faster than his Floating Shadow Shuttle!

’Since I can’t escape, it looks like I’ll have to fight!’ Li Ping’s expression turned grim. He directly steered the Floating Shadow Shuttle toward a nearby Desolate Mountain.

If he had to fight, he naturally wanted to choose a battlefield that suited him. His various techniques were more effective in more complex environments.

Of course, a large part of the reason he dared to stop and fight was that his pursuers were two Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.

If one of them had been at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, or even Late-stage Foundation Establishment, he would have unhesitatingly used the Blood Wing Escape Skill to flee.

SWOOSH!

The Floating Shadow Shuttle flew into a canyon, and Li Ping brought it to a stop. With a wave of his hand, nine poisoned Life-taking Needles flew out of his Storage Bag and quickly concealed themselves in various inconspicuous spots!

Only then did he fly back up above the canyon and wait quietly.

...

Wrapped in the blood mist were a seductive woman in green robes and an ugly man in a black hooded robe.

Seeing the Flying Ship fly into the mountains ahead, the ugly man hurriedly warned, "Shiniang! Quick! Quick! He’s hidden himself in the mountains!"

"Alright." The seductive woman gave a charming smile and waved the small banner in her hand.

Instantly, the bloody light changed direction, chasing after Li Ping.

The ugly man sneered. "Heh heh, an Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with a Flying Shuttle. He must be from some major power. He’s got to be loaded!"

"What’s your hurry, you ugly oaf? We’ll know once we kill him and take his Storage Bag!" The seductive woman was equally dismissive of Li Ping.

Although they were also just Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they hailed from the Joyful Union Sect. Aided by their dual cultivation Secret Technique, the two of them worked together seamlessly, and their combined strength was enough to match a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator!

What’s more, they had that Exotic Treasure.

...

The distant bloody gleam sped through the sky, letting out a series of wailing WOOO sounds. It only came to an instant stop when it was less than thirty zhang from Li Ping.

The blood mist dissipated, revealing the two people within.

The ugly man in the black robe looked at Li Ping with interest. "Kid, why’d you stop running?"

While the ugly man was deliberately speaking to distract Li Ping, the seductive woman beside him seemed to casually wave the triangular Blood Banner in her hand. Instantly, a colorless, odorless poison began to spread out from the Blood Banner.

This Blood Banner was a Treasure they had found in the cave abode of some ancient cultivator. Not only was its Tunneling Speed astonishing, but it could also refine poisons to be colorless and odorless, releasing them during battle.

Relying on this Blood Banner, they had worked together to assassinate several Foundation Establishment Cultivators, including one at the Mid-stage!

That’s why the ugly man wasn’t in a hurry to attack. He was stalling for time, hoping to strike after the poison had taken effect and Li Ping had lost most of his combat strength. Then, it would be easy to kill him!

Although Li Ping didn’t know what their plan was, he had no interest in wasting time talking to them.

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort, the Purple Shadow Sword hanging in front of him transformed into a streak of purple light, tearing through the air and lunging directly at the pair!

"You’re courting death!"

Upon seeing Li Ping attack, the ugly man and the seductive woman simultaneously slapped their Storage Bags. A Flying Fork and a Hairpin Dharma Artifact flew out.

The Flying Fork met the Purple Shadow Sword, while the Hairpin whistled through the air, stabbing toward Li Ping.

Unflustered, Li Ping summoned his Red Armor Shield, making it grow to a chi in height and float around his body, blocking the Hairpin’s attacks.

The relentless attacks were all blocked by the Red Armor Shield. The ugly man’s Flying Fork, on the other hand, soon had several nicks in it from the Purple Shadow Sword’s frenzied slashes.

Both the Purple Shadow Sword and the Red Armor Shield were Tier Two Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts. Naturally, they were no match for the opponent’s Lower Grade Dharma Artifacts.

Seeing his Dharma Artifact damaged, the ugly man’s expression turned sour. He quickly sent a voice transmission to the seductive woman beside him: "Shiniang, why hasn’t the poison taken effect yet?!"

The seductive woman was maneuvering the Hairpin through a series of exquisite curves in the air, trying to attack Li Ping, but all her attempts were blocked by the Red Armor Shield.

Though her attacks were thwarted, her eyes grew brighter and brighter. ’Upper Grade Dharma Artifacts! Both of them are Upper Grade! We’ve struck it rich!’

Hearing the ugly man’s voice transmission, she just smiled reassuringly. "Patience, you ugly oaf. Soon."

’Poison?’ At that moment, Li Ping also noticed something was wrong.

Just now, a strange wisp of energy had suddenly entered his body, but before it could take effect, it was broken down into nothingness by his Nourishing Life Skill Power.

Li Ping snorted coldly. "Just as expected of Demon Cultivator scum. To stoop so low as to use poison!"

The next moment, he pulled out a Tier Two Middle Grade Giant Thunder Talisman, activated it, and threw it at the two Demon Cultivators.

CRACKLE~

The Spirit Talisman exploded in mid-air. A bolt of azure lightning as thick as a water jug, guided by Li Ping, struck rapidly toward the Demon Cultivators’ position!

Seeing that Li Ping still had Middle Grade Spirit Talismans, the two Demon Cultivators were surprised, but their faces also lit up with ecstatic joy.

’Looks like our guess was right. We’ve hooked a big fish today.’

They each controlled their defensive Dharma Artifacts to block the incoming giant thunderbolt. A Spirit Talisman wasn’t as flexible as a Dharma Artifact; once activated, its trajectory was fixed.

They paid no mind to such a rigid attack.

BOOM!

The giant thunderbolt collided directly with the defensive Dharma Artifacts the two controlled. After the explosion, it dissipated completely, with residual arcs of lightning scattering wildly through the air!

Furthermore, under the impact of the giant thunderbolt, the Divine Sense they had left inside their defensive Dharma Artifacts wavered, and they momentarily lost control!

And because of their confidence in the Blood Banner’s poison, they hadn’t employed any other defensive measures besides their Dharma Artifacts!

’Now’s my chance!’ Li Ping’s expression sharpened.

SWISH! SWISH!...

Under Li Ping’s control, nine faint, translucent Flying Needles shot out from the canyon below, splitting into two groups and stabbing viciously toward the two Demon Cultivators.