Chapter 223

Seven days later.

The name of Zhuang Buran shook the world, having spread thoroughly after the battle outside Ping'an County.

Five or six hundred second-grade minor grandmaster martial artists died, dozens of Vajra-realm martial artists died, and famous first-class experts like Fan Zhenhai, Yang Chunting, and Wei Shuyang all lost their lives on the spot.

Besides this, Han Diaosi, the "Human Cat" and one of the three great demons of the Spring and Autumn period, also perished. He was ranked tenth on the current martial arts list. Although it is said that Wang Xianzhi, Deng Tai'a, and Cao Changqing stand alone in the world and the other seven are merely companions to the prince, he still belonged to the most elite figures in the world.

Especially since Han Diaosi held the title of "Han the Invincible" below the Land Immortal realm; even Wang Xianzhi once said his own attainments in the Zhixuan realm were inferior to his.

In the shadows, Tantai Pingjing, the sect leader of the South Sea Guanyin Sect who is best at observing Qi, stated bluntly that even in the Land Immortal realm, one would only have a forty percent chance of winning against the Human Cat.

This shows his extraordinary strength, not to mention that Qi Lianhua, the "Blade Armor" who had been in seclusion for many years, also died in this great battle.

This man was a genuine Land Immortal-realm expert, yet he still died at the hands of a plain, impoverished farm boy.

In just a few days, all major forces listed him as a person not to be provoked, and countless martial artists in the Jianghu cursed the "Human Butcher" Xu, feeling he lived up to his name as a demon.

The bounty order issued was clearly a honeyed poison; whoever took the bait would not get any divine arts or manuals, nor wealth and honor, but would only descend to the Yellow Springs and enter the underworld.

For a time, Xu Xiao, who already had a poor reputation, had an even worse one. Even the most basic concept of faith and righteousness was thrown away completely. Everyone hated that they hadn't killed this scourge during the previous change in the Beiliang Wangfu.

At the same time, from the imperial court down to the Jianghu, everyone developed an incomparable curiosity about the youth in grey linen robes.

How could a sixteen-year-old farm boy suddenly undergo such earth-shattering changes? Some top forces naturally speculated whether he was an immortal reincarnated.

After all, various classics record that the reincarnation of immortals frequently occurs in the world.

Such as the founders of Longhu Mountain, Wudang Mountain, or peerless existences like the True Martial Great Emperor, who often manifest in the world through reincarnated bodies.

This led many to guess which immortal the youth in grey linen robes was a reincarnation of—could it be the reincarnation of Patriarch Lu?

More than a month later.

Jianzhou.

On the official road, a youth in grey linen robes lay on his back on a donkey, traveling.

At this moment, a girl with a plump figure and fair, beautiful skin suddenly ran over in a panic, and it seemed a group of bandits and outlaws were chasing her from behind.

When the bandits caught up, the girl seemed to have nowhere to run, so she hid behind the donkey, trembling and not daring to make a sound.

"Kid, get lost quickly! Don't tell me you want to play the hero saving the beauty?" a vicious man cursed.

"Sigh, Zhuang has always been someone who sees injustice and takes a detour, but since you lot lack virtue in your speech, why bring such bitterness upon yourselves?"

The youth in grey linen robes lying on the donkey's back sighed lightly, and suddenly seven or eight flying leaves fell, slitting the throats of all the bandits blocking the way.

Just as he was about to continue his journey, the girl hurriedly ran out to express her sincere gratitude:

"Many thanks to the young master for saving my life."

Zhuang Buran lazily interrupted:

"Your next sentence wouldn't be 'I have no way to repay such great kindness, I can only offer my body' or 'I am willing to be your slave or maid,' would it?"

The girl was stunned and spoke truthfully:

"My maiden name is Song. When I was young, I encountered war, and I was the only one left in my family. Because my appearance was decent enough, I was bought to be a maid. I didn't expect that today, while following my master to Longhu Mountain to burn incense, I would encounter vicious bandits..."

"Zhuang has no interest in hearing your story, nor am I the type who likes to be a good person. You can save these words for those who like to act with chivalry."

The youth in grey linen robes said nonchalantly:

"I believe that with your flower-like face and moon-like beauty, you will definitely find a hero who will uphold justice for you, and who might even feel compassion and take you in or marry you."

After speaking, the donkey continued on its way. The girl looked at the figure of the man and donkey moving away, a look of hesitation appearing on her pretty face, and she immediately chased after them.

More than an hour later.

The youth in grey linen robes was still lazily lying on the donkey's back, while the girl followed silently behind.

"Hehe, what is your intention in following me all this time? I only have one small donkey and am wearing a set of linen robes; I really can't afford to keep a delicate maid like you."

"Young master, I am very easy to keep, and I eat very little."

Zhuang Buran interrupted the girl for the third time:

"Zhuang has waited for more than a month, but I didn't expect to wait for a beauty trap from Beiliang."

He sat up from the donkey's back and looked the girl up and down:

"Face like peach blossoms, skin like congealed fat, body carrying a natural fragrance, manners elegant—you are indeed a beauty rarely seen."

"If I haven't calculated wrong, you were originally the niece of the Dunhuang City Lord in Northern Mang. Your aunt is a Northern Mang imperial concubine. You entered the Beiliang Wangfu as a hostage when you were young, and later became the maid Hongshe for that straw-bag Xu."

"In the shadows, you are also one of the ten great assassins, codenamed Jin She. Like Qingniao, the daughter of the Spear Immortal, you have become a so-called 'death soldier'."

Hongshe's pupils shrank, her expression no longer gentle and elegant as before, and she said coldly:

"How did you discover it?"

"I am a sorcerer who can calculate; there is little in the world I do not know." The youth in grey linen robes raised the corners of his mouth:

"Xu Xiao is so good at making enemies work for him. Zhuang has been doing some research on methods to refine the mind recently."

A faint blue light flickered at his fingertips:

"Using the demonic cultivation methods in the 'Heavenly Book' as the foundation, the 'Infatuation Curse' as the skeleton, and then using the 'Dao Heart Planting Demon Great Art' and the 'Black Heaven Book' as flesh and blood."

Hongshe's expression was dazed, and a faint blue light appeared in her eyes.

"Demonic cultivation methods are extreme and peculiar; they will forcibly wash away your life's memories, then capture your three souls and seven spirits to smelt them into a fierce curse demon seed. From then on, although you can gain various divine abilities and your internal power will advance greatly, your life will no longer belong to you."

"This is also according to your wishes, to serve me as a slave or maid."

The light at the youth's fingertips dimmed, and the light in Hongshe's eyes grew intense.

"Since it has the abilities of memory-eating, soul-burning, curse-enslaving, and heart-locking, this method might as well be called the 'Infinite Forget-River Art.' Those who receive this art shall sink into the infinite hell and never be liberated for all eternity."

The next day.

Everyone knows that Jianzhou has the Longhu of Jiangxi and the Xuanyuan of Jiangdong. The former is the ancestral court of Taoism, and the Taoist Zhao family, sharing the same surname as the Son of Heaven, has been a hereditary Taoist lineage for over sixty generations, following the mandate of heaven and guarding the tradition for 1,600 years. Longhu Mountain, within a hundred miles, is the founding mountain of the Heavenly Master Sect.

The latter does not enter officialdom; let the chaotic world be chaotic, let the peaceful world be peaceful, I will cultivate myself and manage my family, standing firm and immovable. It is a martial arts family with a history of hundreds of years. Moreover, because their collection of books is extremely rich, secret manuals and classics that other sects regard as treasures are countless in the Wending Pavilion on Guniu Great Ridge of Huishan. In terms of the number of books, it is only inferior to the Listening Tide Pavilion of the Beiliang Martial Arts Treasury.

In addition, the threshold for recruiting guest ministers is extremely low, and they publicly claim to select talent from all walks of life. As a result, the vast Huishan gathers at least a thousand martial arts elites, possessing the fame of dominating the Southeast.

At the foot of Huishan, a man and a woman appeared.

The youth in grey linen robes in the lead raised his eyes and saw the steep rock walls and towering peaks of the mountain before him, with waterfall after waterfall pouring down from the cliffs.

It can be said to combine the majesty of the North and the spiritual beauty of the South.

Zhuang Buran's eyes shifted. The roar of the waterfall pouring down from the heights and hitting the rocks gradually converged into a cheerful and melodious song, the tune revealing a sense of freedom and unconstrained ease.

Walk, walk, walk, heroes walk with me, walked through the green mountains but the person is not old, the youth's ambition is not yet rewarded.

Free and unfettered, heaven and earth compete with me for freedom, drink a cup of wine together, love in the human world is hard to find.

The tune spread throughout Huishan, and many people were mesmerized, a trace of faint blue light appearing in the depths of their eyes unconsciously.

(End of chapter)