Chapter 8: Chiyan Valley, Bloodfeather Hawks

Upon arriving at Chiyan Valley, Xia Daoming was stunned by the shrublands stretching across the mountains, blazing like fire under the sunlight.

But soon, Xia Daoming’s attention was drawn to the people gathered at the valley’s entrance.

Dozens of people had gathered at the valley’s entrance.

They clustered in groups of three or five, chatting, occasionally looking up at the sky, none daring to enter Chiyan Valley—as if waiting for or fearing something.

Xia Daoming, arriving alone and dust-covered, attracted considerable notice.

“Young master, are you traveling alone?” A voluptuous yet graceful woman, dressed as a young matron, stepped forward with a warm greeting.

“Yes,” Xia Daoming nodded. “May I ask, Lady, what can I do for you?”

“We six plan to cross Chiyan Valley tonight,” the beautiful matron pointed to five others nearby. “I see you’re a fourth-rank Martial Master, and you’re alone—I’d like to invite you to join us.”

As she spoke, her eyes shimmered with allure, exuding irresistible charm that made refusal difficult.

The Martial Master realm corresponds to the number of the twelve meridians cultivated; each meridian manifests distinct qi and blood fluctuations.

Small Martial Masters emit obvious strength, easiest to identify.

But when a Martial Artist reaches Grand Martial Master, their strength turns subtle—unless they unleash it, their true level is hard to discern.

Of course, this only applies to those of equal or lower cultivation; if the observer is stronger and deliberately probes, concealment is nearly impossible.

Unless one possesses special qi-suppressing techniques.

“The sun is bright today—why wait until night? And I see you and your companions are no slouches; even if you encounter wolves or tigers, you could easily kill them. Why need more companions?” Xia Daoming asked bluntly.

This body, though lean and athletic, was nothing like his former overweight form—but in looks, it was merely slightly above average, inferior to his past self.

So Xia Daoming would never be so vain as to believe his mere presence at the valley’s entrance had stirred this beautiful matron’s heart to seduce him.

“It seems you’ve never been to Chiyan Valley before—you don’t know its dangers,” the beautiful matron smiled sweetly at Xia Daoming, then raised a slender finger toward the sky. “Look up, young master.”

Xia Daoming looked up.

Above the gorge, dozens of entirely crimson birds circled.

“Those aren’t ordinary birds—they’re Bloodfeather Hawks! They’re swift, their claws and beaks can pierce metal and stone, and their feathers detach to become flying blades that kill.”

“One or two Bloodfeather Hawks are manageable, but if attacked by a flock—even Grand Martial Masters risk death if careless.”

As Xia Daoming gazed upward, the matron’s alluring voice reached his ears.

But it sent chills down his spine.

“Feathers that detach and become blades? Is this even a hawk?”

“Bloodfeather Hawks are demonic birds. They normally dwell deep in the wild mountains, only emerging from late July to September when the Fire-Tong berries ripen, feeding on them and nesting on these cliffs to lay eggs.”

“But this year, for some reason, they’ve come early—only mid-July, and already they’ve gathered in Chiyan Valley.”

“Do demonic birds possess intelligence?” Xia Daoming couldn’t help asking, his mind flooded with a thousand wild thoughts.

Just last time, he’d learned from Ji Wenyue that this world had cultivators—and now demonic birds appeared.

Indeed, reading ten thousand books is less enlightening than traveling ten thousand miles; his past life in Heishi City had made him a frog in a well.

“Demonic birds and beasts, like ordinary animals, lack intelligence—they merely possess innate magical abilities,” the beautiful matron replied, surprised to glance at Xia Daoming.

Seeing his weathered appearance and fourth-rank Martial Master aura, she’d assumed he was a seasoned traveler—yet he didn’t even know whether demonic birds had intelligence.

“Phew!” Xia Daoming exhaled inwardly in relief.

Good—these demons aren’t like the monsters of folk tales from his world!

“If Bloodfeather Hawks leave only in September, that means we must wait over a month?” Xia Daoming frowned after his relief.

“Yes, so we decided to cross at night. At night, Bloodfeather Hawks usually return to their nests; only a few fly out. If they attack, our combined strength should handle them,” the woman said.

Hearing this, Xia Daoming finally understood her intent.

He thought for a moment, glanced at the five others, then apologized: “Thank you for the information, Lady, but I’m used to traveling alone—I won’t join your group.”

“Young master, many hands make light work. Even as a fourth-rank Martial Master, you can’t handle Bloodfeather Hawks alone,” the matron urged, unwilling to give up.

“Thank you for your kind offer, but I’ve decided to go alone,” Xia Daoming said.

Seeing his firm refusal, the matron left.

Before departing, she cast a lingering, sorrowful glance at Xia Daoming, stirring pity.

But Xia Daoming remained unmoved.

After consuming four San Yuan Gui Xue Pills and a month of heavy meat supplementation, his meridians had reached ninth-rank perfection.

He could easily fight over ten fourth-rank Martial Masters.

Their six-person group had only one fourth-rank Martial Master; the other five—including the beautiful matron—were second- or third-rank.

If he joined them, wouldn’t he become their free bodyguard?

Besides, a larger group draws more attention—easier to attract Bloodfeather Hawk attacks.

“Sister, did he refuse?” A young man, about seventeen or eighteen, with a pockmarked face, whispered.

The beautiful matron shook her head.

“Heh, better he refused. That guy looks like he just wandered out of some backwater village—knows nothing. Even if he’s fourth-rank, what’s it worth?”

“No real battle experience, no exposure to danger—he’ll probably piss himself the moment he sees Bloodfeather Hawks dive down. Useless.”

“Unlike me, Tian, who’s traveled far and wide, fought countless battles—what haven’t I seen? Lady, just stick close to me—I’ll protect you,” said the group’s sole fourth-rank Martial Master.

This fourth-rank Martial Master had a face full of coarse flesh, yet tiny green eyes that made him look ugly.

As he spoke, his green eyes leered repeatedly over the beautiful matron.

Especially lingering on her hips.

“That’s right, that’s right! My senior brother has seen it all—he’ll make sure you’re satisfied!” said a skinny, monkey-like man with a lewd grin.

Aside from the matron’s brother, who showed a flicker of anger, all the men wore knowing smirks.

The beautiful matron, accustomed to such scenes from her travels, didn’t anger—she merely pretended not to hear the skinny man’s innuendo. “Bloodfeather Hawks are no joke. More people are always better.”

With that, she scanned the crowd again, still hoping.

The green-eyed man frowned slightly, sneering silently.

Just as the beautiful matron scanned the crowd, the ground trembled slightly.

Dust rolled up in the distance.

Amid the dust, sixteen riders could be seen, escorting a carriage toward Chiyan Valley.

The carriage was wrapped in expensive, exquisite silk, embroidered with a black winged tiger.

The sixteen riders all radiated surging qi—six were third-rank Martial Masters, eight fourth-rank, and two others had murky, profound qi—Grand Martial Masters.

“Li City’s Xu Family!” The beautiful matron’s face changed, her eyes filled with reverence.

“Li City’s Xu Family!” Among the crowd gathered at the valley’s entrance, many others recognized the escort—first startled, then delighted.

As the saying goes: it’s safer under a big tree.

With the powerful Xu escort leading the way, following behind would be far safer.

“So this is Li City’s only Grandmaster clan—the Xu Family. Truly different. I wonder who’s inside the carriage? Even a casual outing requires so many strong Martial Masters—even two Grand Martial Masters.”

Hearing the murmurs around him, Xia Daoming recalled Ji Wenyue’s mention of Li City’s sole Grandmaster—Xu Zhiyuan—and felt a deep awe.

The crowd parted on both sides.

The escort rode straight in, stopping at the valley’s entrance.

The lead fifth-rank Grand Martial Master looked up, frowned slightly, then turned his horse and approached the carriage.

The curtain rolled up.

A young face emerged—fair as jade, strikingly handsome, but with thin lips and narrow, elongated eyes that gave a cold, unfeeling impression.

“It’s Xu Shixiong!”

“The Seventh Young Master of the Xu Family!”

“They say Xu Shixiong became a fifth-rank Grand Martial Master at fourteen. Now, at only twenty-one, he’s already seventh-rank—a rare hope among the Xu clan’s younger generation to become a Grandmaster!”

Soon, people recognized him and burst into exclamations.

“Twenty-one and already seventh-rank Grand Martial Master—the Xu Family is truly incredible!” Xia Daoming, hearing the exclamations, was deeply astonished.

“Why stop?” Xu Shixiong asked.

“Young Master, this year the Bloodfeather Hawks arrived early to nest in Chiyan Valley. To avoid casualties, I suggest crossing after nightfall,” replied the elderly Grand Martial Master, nearly sixty, his temples streaked with gray—bowing with utmost respect, showing no trace of age or rank.

Xu Shixiong frowned slightly, then glanced at the crowd at the valley’s entrance. “Just Bloodfeather Hawks—they’re no threat. But to avoid unnecessary losses, have the people ahead of us go first and draw the hawks’ attention.”

With that, Xu Shixiong lowered the curtain.

PS: The second chapter is coming soon.