Chapter 184: Sword Immortal Slays Ghost, Spiritual Aura Takes Form

Three quarters of an hour later.

Jiang Lin and Cao Wei appeared in the forest.

"Lord Jiang, Lord Cao, your humble servant has failed—please punish me!"

Ning Zhongtian slammed to his knees with a thud.

Jiang Lin glanced at Ning Zhongtian on the ground and spoke coolly: "Since you won, why punish you?"

Cao Wei held the same attitude.

A pyrrhic victory is still a victory.

As long as you win, even if you're Jiang Lin's man, you won't be blamed here.

For an army to have cohesion, it must follow rules—so long as you win, no matter how you win or how badly you win, you won't be punished.

Besides, they had already heard Feng Yu's report on the march—Ning Zhongtian's performance in this battle could even be called exceptional.

Without Ning Zhongtian's outburst forcing the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost to flee, the Peace Guard's losses would have been greater.

"The Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost, right?"

Jiang Lin stepped before Ning Zhongtian: "Get up. Kneeling to me does no good—kneel to someone else."

Ning Zhongtian rose, his face beaming with flattery:

"Lord Jiang is mighty."

His earlier self-accusation was sincere; his current praise came straight from the heart.

Jiang Lin remained unmoved, turning to Cao Wei: "General Cao, shall you handle this, or shall I?"

Clearly,

Jiang Lin meant killing the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost.

If the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost had merely caused chaos among the martial world, Jiang Lin wouldn't have bothered to kill him personally—but now he dared openly ambush the Peace Guard's army? That was a direct challenge to the authority of Annan Army.

If we don't kill the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost, reporting to General Xue later will earn me a well-worn flying shoe.

Jiang Lin couldn't afford that humiliation.

Cao Wei's eyes flickered with hesitation.

Killing the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost wasn't hard—the hard part was finding him.

He didn't believe he could locate the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost in this vast mountain range.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Please, Lord Jiang, take care of it."

Jiang Lin offered no mockery.

He merely gave a sharp command: "Go!"

Seven small swords flew from his waist, zipping swiftly into the forest.

The demeanor of a Sword Immortal!

Ning Zhongtian, watching this, drooled with envy.

Jiang Lin lightly tapped his toe and leapt onto the treetops thirty feet high—truly flying among the trees, like a celestial immortal descending from heaven.

Cao Wei gazed at Jiang Lin with a complex expression.

To be honest,

had their positions not been opposed, he truly would have wanted to befriend Jiang Lin.

Too bad—there likely would be no such chance.

Different statuses meant no such fate.

How many close friends and kin, because of factional politics, ended up cutting all ties, even pushing each other into endless abysses?

Jiang Lin departed.

Ning Zhongtian bowed deeply to Cao Wei and said solemnly: "Lord Cao, we lost seventy-three soldiers in this battle—one platoon leader, seven squad leaders; two hundred fifteen wounded. Please, Lord Cao, grant them proper compensation—otherwise, morale will shatter."

Cao Wei glanced at Ning Zhongtian and smiled lightly:

"Lord Ning, our positions differ, but we're both of the Peace Guard—I, Cao Wei, would never be so cold-hearted. Rest assured."

Hearing Cao Wei's promise,

Ning Zhongtian finally exhaled in relief.

The army returned to camp.

The fallen soldiers, according to Yu Kingdom law, were each sent home for burial—like fallen leaves returning to their roots.

Beyond the military compensation mandated by law,

Cao Wei used his former connections in the Ministry of War to grant each fallen soldier a "Brave Soldier" memorial archway—officially certified by the Ministry, granting tax exemptions.

This act instantly won the hearts of the Peace Guard soldiers.

His prestige soared.

Three days later.

Jiang Lin returned, riding his sword.

He carried a blood-dripping head in his hand.

When Li Rui rushed over upon hearing the news,

he happened to see Jiang Lin handing the head to Ning Zhongtian.

"The Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost."

Li Rui stared at the face of the man he'd seen just days ago and drew a sharp breath.

He hadn't expected Jiang Lin to kill the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost in just three days.

His killing skill was superb—his tracking ability was top-tier.

Jiang Lin remained expressionless: "Hang this head on Qinghe's city wall. Take it down after ten days—then kick it around like a ball."

Ning Zhongtian's mouth twitched.

Killing a Twelve-Blood Disciple seemed no different to Jiang Lin than killing a dog.

In truth, the difference wasn't that great.

Rumor had it that seven years ago, Jiang Lin had already slain a fifth-rank Minor Master—his current realm was likely unfathomable.

Jiang Lin seemed to recall something:

"By the way, that four-armed ghost ran fast—write up a report and post a bounty for him."

"Yes."

Ning Zhongtian nodded.

He felt a flicker of surprise—the sixth-rank Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost was dead, yet the seventh-rank Four-Armed Demon Ghost had escaped.

Luck truly was part of strength.

Li Rui's heart stirred slightly.

Four-Armed Demon Ghost?

The Four-Armed Demon Ghost had long been reduced to ashes—Jiang Lin, even as a Sword Immortal, could never have found him.

Of course, he would never reveal this himself.

He guessed the bounty for the Four-Armed Demon Ghost would remain posted for a long time, until everyone forgot.

Among the crowd,

Gao Zhen stood quietly at the very edge, watching Jiang Lin with wary eyes.

He cursed inwardly:

"Worthless!"

He didn't care whether the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost or the Four-Armed Demon Ghost lived or died—he cared only about the spiritual aura.

The spiritual aura must not fall into anyone else's hands.

"Wu Yun," Gao Zhen's eyes flickered.

He didn't know whether the spiritual aura from the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost had ended up in Jiang Lin's possession—he'd have to wait and investigate later.

But the spiritual aura in the Four-Armed Demon Ghost's hands—he would claim it at all costs.

Killing intent flickered.

"Eleventh Senior Brother, blame yourself for taking what you shouldn't have."

Then,

he felt a flicker of relief—if Chou Ping hadn't wanted to deny him credit, his identity might have been exposed by Jiang Lin, who would've pierced him through with a single sword.

Misfortune may turn to blessing.

Gao Zhen turned silently and vanished into the camp.

"Master."

=9+shu_ba

Liang He watched Li Rui push open the door and return home.

"I heard Lord Jiang killed the Ten-Thousand-Toxins Ghost?"

Li Rui nodded: "You're well-informed."

Liang He: "It was Tang Hai from the Running Tiger Cavalry who told me."

Speaking of Tang Hai,

he sighed—since being severed of one arm by Gao Zhen, though a divine physician had reattached it, his strength was a shadow of its former self, barely scraping the bottom of the ranked ranks.

So he wasn't sent on this mission—he stayed behind in camp.

And yet, this misfortune turned to fortune.

Eleven men from the Running Tiger Cavalry set out; only five returned.

The fatality rate exceeded half.

In any army, this would be a devastating blow.

Usually, the survivors were simply disbanded and reassigned to other companies.

Only because Li Rui and Tan Hu were strong enough did the Running Tiger Cavalry barely retain its banner.

"Tang Hai—I'll go see him in a few days."

No one knew what madness had seized the four-armed demon ghost—it just slaughtered the Running Tiger Camp's men, and by the time Li Rui intervened, the outcome was already sealed.

Now Tang Hai had become an elder of the Running Tiger Cavalry.

Li Rui vaguely felt the four-armed demon ghost had targeted the Running Tiger Cavalry specifically, but since all the men were dead, there was no way to know the truth.

At the time, he had no chance to force the four-armed demon ghost to speak and reveal the reason.

"Yes, Master."

Liang He said with a cheerful smile.

Li Rui looked at Liang He with satisfaction.

The current Liang He was vastly different from his days at Tianyi Hall—he was well-liked in the Anning Guard.

That was very good.

Liu Tiezhu was steady and highly gifted; he was a pillar of the sect. With him, the baseline would never be low.

But beyond that, they needed someone who could handle external affairs.

It couldn't be that a seventy-year-old man like him had to show his face for every outside matter—sometimes prestige had to be cultivated.

The old Liang He was certainly unsuitable.

But now he had grown increasingly adept—he was a promising prospect.

"You've improved."

Although Liang He didn't know why his master had suddenly praised him, he was still delighted to hear it.

In the evening.

Wang Zhao and Yang Yong both returned home.

The five of them stood in a circle around the stove, steam rising in the center.

"Master, this hotpot is truly excellent."

Liang He hissed through his teeth as he dropped a slice of lamb into the boiling water, counted down five numbers, then immediately fished it out and dipped it into a sauce of sesame paste, peanut paste, and chopped chives.

Delicious~

"Old Yang, where did you learn this?"

Li Rui asked, eating the otherworldly version of copper-pot hotpot.

Today's meal had been Yang Yong's idea.

Yang Yong grinned and replied: "I learned it from Old Li, a merchant from eastern town. He said he once traveled with a wealthy merchant from the capital, who loved this dish above all others—I don't know if it's authentic or not."

Hearing it was a favorite of people from the capital, Liang He and the other two became even more enthusiastic.

When those above favor something, those below will imitate it.

That's why courtesans always claimed their songs came from the capital—the capital was the center of the world, and everything there was considered nobler than in the outer provinces.

Gradually, throughout Yu State, people took pride in emulating the capital's customs.

The most common example was hunting.

If not for the Zhu imperial family's reverence for martial arts, how would those aristocratic playboys endure the cold wind and trudge through the mountains?

Li Rui finished the meal with a few more slices of leafy greens.

Daily diet must pay special attention to balancing meat and vegetables.

After eating.

They rested for three quarters of an hour.

He walked several laps around the courtyard until the bloated feeling in his stomach vanished completely.

Only then did he return to his room.

Li Rui sat cross-legged on the mat, drawing forth the Xuanqing Qi, which surged from his dantian into his meridians.

The Yinglong, formed from the Dragon Soaring Through Nine Heavens Diagram, circled his body.

Each circuit thickened and toughened his blood vessels slightly—a change too subtle to notice daily, but one that would become evident over time.

Just as the Yinglong completed its seventy-two circuits.

The immortal qi, previously absorbed into the dantian and utterly incompatible with the Xuanqing Qi, suddenly changed.

The Xuanqing Qi slowly drifted toward the two halves of the small sphere formed by the Xuanqing Qi, rising from below to above, like an immortal ascending to heaven.

The immortal qi settled upon the upper half-sphere.

Like a pebble dropped into a lake, it stirred ripples.

In an instant.

The immortal qi fused directly with the nascent celestial form formed by the Xuanqing Qi.

The immortal qi acted like a catalyst, fully activating the celestial form.

Li Rui's eyes snapped open.

At that moment, he suddenly felt the celestial form within his dantian had become complete—in his past life's terms, it had finally gained a soul.

The final brushstroke of the dragon's eye had been painted.

"Immortal Qi Takes Form!"

(End of Chapter)