Chapter 28: He Dong Unrecorded Tales (Part 2)

"Is that you?"

After that joyful "Little Lan" call, another voice with a hint of surprise immediately followed with a question.

Within that question, besides the slight surprise, Wang Wu also sensed a trace of hostility.

He looked toward the other side and saw a familiar face.

It was the priest—no, the cultivator—who, when he entered the city, killed a fellow demon clan member and produced a demon‑detecting mirror.

The priest was the man who had been called Dao‑ye upon entering the city; he was rather weak, yet he carried a hint of the extraordinary.

"Oh, you're an Immortal Master?" Wang Wu said, smiling as he looked at the man.

"Brother Lu?" Wang Lan was also surprised by the voice; she looked at him and asked, "Brother Lu, how did you find time to come here?"

"I came…" The male cultivator whom Wang Lan called 'Brother Lu' had been staring at Wang Wu, his face still showing a hint of wariness.

But when Wang Lan called him, he instantly turned, his face reverting to the original smile, and said brightly, "Little Lan, I brought something for you."

Then the Lu‑surname cultivator swept his sleeve, and a porcelain bottle appeared in his hand. He approached Wang Lan as if presenting a treasure, handing the small bottle to her.

"These are Body‑Tempering Pills. I've outgrown them at my current realm, but they suit a warrior of your level. A fellow cultivator gave them to me after returning from Lan Feng County."

"This…" Wang Lan looked at the delicate porcelain bottle handed by the Lu cultivator, "This gift is too precious; may I offer you some compensation?"

She then looked toward Xiao Yun, who was waiting outside the Training Arena, and said to her:

"Xiao Yun, go to the treasury and fetch five hundred taels of silver, claim it's Miss Third who needs it, and have it delivered to the Training Arena."

"Yes, miss." Xiao Yun bowed to Wang Lan, then ran toward the treasury.

Seeing the Lu cultivator's eager demeanor and the pure, grateful yet unmistakably non‑romantic look in Wang Lan's eyes, Wang Wu realized this was probably another 'the flower falls, the water flows' tale.

A laugh would be absurd, truly.

Of course, Wang Wu remained composed and didn't actually laugh out loud. He simply planted his sword in the ground and watched intently.

Not only him; atop the eaves of a distant house, Li Yuan held a wine gourd, grinning as he watched.

"Hahaha, it's that Lu‑surname kid again, hahahaha."

He kept watching and laughing, never pausing his chatter; after a sentence, he used chopsticks to pick up a grain—perhaps a peanut—and popped it into his mouth, then took another sip from the gourd.

"I'm giving this to you!" the Lu cultivator hurriedly said, "How could I possibly take your money??"

"But… this is truly too valuable, Brother Lu," Wang Lan said apologetically, "Though we call each other friends, there are some things I simply cannot accept outright."

Finishing, she looked at the Lu cultivator, "Brother Lu, since we're friends and you gave me this, I naturally must return a gift; now you'll have no reason to refuse, right?"

"This… this…" The Lu cultivator hesitated, but after seeing Wang Lan's expression, finally nodded.

"Alright, alright…"

A hint of disappointment crept into his tone.

Soon after, Xiao Yun returned from the storeroom accompanied by a man carrying a box. The man approached the Lu cultivator, opened the box, and revealed several gleaming gold metal ingots.

"Lu Immortal Master," the man respectfully raised the box before the Lu cultivator.

This time the Lu cultivator didn't decline; he took the gold ingots from the box, gave a courteous smile, and nodded at the man.

Then he turned, looked at Wang Lan, his expression instantly softening, "Little Lan, are you practicing cultivation?"

"I'm asking Young Hero Wang for instruction," Wang Lan said, "We're about to begin sparring."

Finishing, she looked at Wang Wu, her face showing remorse, "I'm truly sorry, Young Hero Wang, for keeping you waiting."

"No problem, no problem!" Wang Wu waved his hand, smiling, "If you're ready, shall we begin?"

"Hmm." Wang Lan nodded, then her aura surged abruptly; a force rose from her lower abdomen, racing to her limbs and bones.

Her gaze sharpened, and a strand of fierce qi wrapped the blade in her hand.

She truly wasn't an ordinary warrior; her strength was relatively formidable. Compared to Wang Wu or Li Yuan, that's another story, but even against Shu Niang, she was still a bit weaker.

But not by much—just a little.

That level of strength was quite decent, capable of confronting a demon that had just completed its transformation.

Demons have several stages: starting as demon beasts, then evolving into 'beast‑humans' that possess a rudimentary human shape yet retain many animal traits.

And the demons at the level of Wang Wu's group.

"Impressive aura," Wang Wu remarked, feeling the surge of energy from Wang Lan and her sharp blade intent.

He himself had only been practicing his cultivation method for a few months, less than half a year; saying that might still come across as a bit pretentious.

But, to be fair, the technique clearly looked advanced, and he himself was a demon, so the comment wasn't overly pretentious.

"He Dong Wang Family, Tiger‑slaying Sword Technique, please instruct," Wang Lan reversed her grip on the long sword and bowed to Wang Wu.

"Sun‑wheel Golden Blade, Extreme Heaven Vajra Gate." Wang Wu swung his long sword, and a brilliant golden light burst from the blade, dazzling the eyes; the surrounding air warped, as if about to ignite.

But in an instant, after Wang Wu finished naming the technique and its origin, the golden light faded, sinking back into the blade.

At that moment, faint dark‑gold patterns appeared on the long sword.

"My ghost… this damn true‑qi forged blade, this kid wants to kill someone???"

Li Yuan was still on the rooftop, drinking and watching a performance, but when he saw the golden light blazing from Wang Wu's sword, his heart gave a sudden jolt.

Immediately, he readied himself, fearing the kid might strike indiscriminately and cleave the entire Training Arena, including the Wang family's little girl, with a single slash.

His strength was indeed slightly higher, but his claim that Wang Wu could kill him within a hundred steps wasn't mere modesty.

Wang Wu could indeed kill him, judging from the power displayed by that technique.

However, if the situation were right for an intervene, he could still manage it; he should be able to.

Probably.

Maybe.

At this moment in the Training Arena, Wang Lan remained dazed, because the golden light that had just erupted from the opponent's blade somehow seized her consciousness, fully immersing her in that radiance.

Moreover, as her mind sank, countless whispers echoed in her thoughts:

"Kill! Kill! Kill!! Kill!!!"

"Great Sun Heaven's Might!! Burn the sky, scorch the earth!! Kill!!!"

That voice was neither fully male nor fully female. It seemed far away in the heavens, yet also close before the eyes. It sounded like a single whisper, yet also like countless people shouting loudly.

Only when Wang Wu's voice reached their ears did Wang Lan suddenly awaken with a start.

"What are you still looking at?"

At that moment, the long sword had already reached Wang Lan's neck, a strand of blue silk fluttered in the air, drifting away with the wind.

Wang Lan came to their senses, staring in astonishment at Wang Wu, who had somehow appeared before them, the sword blade pressed against their throat.

"This sword technique was created by a demonic being from beyond the realm; wherever the blade goes, it captures the heart and snatches the soul."

Wang Wu sheathed the long sword and said to Wang Lan, "Next time be more careful; my sword technique is still a bit different from that of ordinary warriors."

Having said that, Wang Wu returned to the weapon rack in the training ground and placed the long sword back.

He walked to the maid Xiao Yun, who was still stunned by the flash of his sword, her heart and soul taken, and who had not yet recovered, and waved his palm before her.

"Miss Xiao Yun? Miss Xiao Yun?"

"Ah? Ah!!" At that moment, Xiao Yun also snapped back to consciousness, a flood of sweat instantly bursting from her forehead, her lips ashen, as if she had just endured a serious illness.

"We should go," Wang Wu said, looking at them.

"Ah? Oh, okay, okay!!" Xiao Yun nodded sharply, like a chick pecking at rice.

The two of them left, while Wang Lan remained standing in place, watching Wang Wu's back, murmuring to themself:

"This is… this is…"

"A true realm warrior?"

(End of chapter)