Chapter 510: Flower Fairy

Qian Ming, Sun Yuan, and Li Wan also knelt down and kowtowed three times.

Chen Mu looked at them, a warmth flickering in his eyes.

"Rise."

Chen Mu raised his hand in a gentle supporting gesture; an invisible force lifted the young men, "Train hard, study hard. Should fate grant us another meeting, we shall meet again on the martial path."

He turned to Xia Lin and bowed with a fist salute: "Mr. Xia, take care."

Xia Lin returned the bow: "Young Master Bu, take care."

Chen Mu turned and walked away in long strides.

Behind him, Xia Lin and his disciples stood at the city gate, watching Chen Mu's figure recede into the distance, motionless for a long time.

Only when Chen Mu vanished completely beyond the horizon did Xia Lin speak softly.

"Let's go, enter the city."

……

After parting from Xia Lin and the others, Chen Mu headed straight for the only place indicated on the incomplete map.

Namely, the mountain range at the border between Jiannan Dao and Hannan Dao.

Hannan Dao lay northwest of Jiannan Dao, so Chen Mu traveled northward.

With his Heaven Palace realm cultivation, Chen Mu could reach the destination at top speed, but he preferred to walk slowly, observing the scenery along the way.

Xia Lin's advice had been somewhat useful.

After all, since he didn't know where the other map fragments were, arriving at the destination wouldn't help him find the true entrance to the Projection Palace.

The great war between orthodox and demonic forces had raged so long that many places had changed: some villages stood empty, some cities were heavily guarded, and occasionally he saw unburied bones along the roadside.

One day, Chen Mu arrived near a Wulong Fucheng.

He did not enter the city; he planned to bypass it and continue north.

Just as he turned onto a mountain path outside the city, a commotion of combat erupted ahead.

The clash of Qi, the clashing of weapons, mixed with a woman's sharp cry and a man's cruel laugh.

Chen Mu paused slightly, his spiritual sense quietly extending outward.

About three hundred zhang ahead on the path, a group of people were surrounding and attacking a young woman.

The group numbered nineteen, dressed in disarray—some in black robes, others in gray—but their attacks were brutal and their techniques venomous; clearly not members of the orthodox.

Two among them possessed especially formidable Qi signatures—Earth Altar realm, Three Flowers Converging at the Crown.

The woman under attack was around twenty, dressed in a pale green dress, her beauty striking. Though her hair was disheveled and her clothes stained with blood, she remained calm, her swordplay fluid and her footwork light, holding her own against overwhelming odds.

Chen Mu "watched" for a while, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

The woman's Wu Gong was unusual—her movements carried an indescribable gentleness and agility, unlike ordinary killing arts, more akin to medical martial arts.

Yao Wang Valley.

A thousand-year-old orthodox great sect, entering martial arts through medicine, entering the Dao through herbs, holding immense prestige in Jiannan Dao.

Its disciples were not only masterful healers but also wielded a unique martial style, emphasizing softness overcoming hardness, skill overcoming brute force.

The woman was wielding the direct transmission Wu Gong of Yao Wang Valley.

Chen Mu watched a few more moments, confirming he had not mistaken it.

The woman's realm was Earth Altar realm, Pass the Divine Bridge, one full minor realm lower than the two old men with Three Flowers Converging at the Crown, yet her techniques were exquisite and her footwork agile, allowing her to withstand their combined assault.

But Chen Mu could see she could not hold out much longer.

The two Earth Altar warriors were clearly draining her Qi, waiting for her to exhaust herself.

At that moment, one of the old men suddenly pulled from his sleeve a palm-sized gourd.

The gourd was entirely black, its surface carved with strange patterns that glowed faintly under the sunlight. The old man sneered and roared at the young woman.

"Ning Zhi Xi!"

The voice was not loud, yet carried a strange penetrating force, as if drilling directly into the mind.

The young woman's body jerked violently, her sword technique faltering.

She did not respond, instead desperately retreating backward, but that shout had clearly affected her deeply.

Her steps grew unsteady, her gaze blurred, and her sword slipped in her grip.

"Hahaha!"

The old man laughed wildly, "Daughter of Yao Wang Valley, taste my sect's 'Soul-Seizing Gourd.' The more you resist, the worse it hurts—surrender peacefully!"

The young woman gritted her teeth, forcing her Qi to resist, but her body shook more violently, her face as pale as paper, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead.

Suddenly, she turned and staggered into the depths of the mountain path.

The group chased after her without pause.

"After her! Don't let her escape!"

"Once hit by the Soul-Seizing Gourd, she won't get far!"

"Capture her alive! A direct disciple of Yao Wang Valley is too rare!"

"…"

Chen Mu stood behind a tree at a distance, taking in everything.

Ning Zhi Xi.

He had heard that name before.

Several years ago, when Chen Mu was still on the Qianlong Ranking, Ning Zhixi was also listed, ranked fourth, nicknamed "Flower Fairy." Eighth Stage Innate.

Back then, she was the dream of countless young martial cultivators; though Chen Mu didn't care for such things, he had heard of her reputation.

Several years later, she had also entered the Earth Altar realm.

This group, judging by their attire and methods, were almost certainly members of the Mo Sect.

That "Soul-Sucking Gourd" sounded like a sinister artifact.

Chen Mu had originally had no intention of meddling.

Every day on the Jianghu, there were killings; he couldn't possibly intervene in all of them.

Besides, Ning Zhixi was no relative or acquaintance of his; saving her was kindness, not letting her die was his duty.

But it was rare to come across this.

Chen Mu thought for a moment, his figure flickered, and vanished from where he stood.

……

Deep in the mountain path, Ning Zhixi staggered as she fled.

Her consciousness grew ever dimmer; the world before her began to spin, her legs heavy as if filled with lead.

The Soul-Sucking Gourd's power was stronger than she'd imagined; that shout had pierced straight through her spirit, leaving her unable to focus.

Behind her, the pursuers' footsteps grew closer.

"Stop!"

"You can't escape!"

Ning Zhixi gritted her teeth and forced the last of her true qi, yet felt only emptiness in her dantian. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed forward, landing in a pile of dry leaves.

It's over.

She closed her eyes, filled with despair.

Just then—

A figure descended from the sky, landing before her.

Dressed in a blue cotton robe, hands clasped behind his back, his silhouette stood tall like Rushan.

The pursuers all halted at once; the two elder men fixed their eyes on this sudden arrival, a flicker of wariness in their gazes.

"Who are you? Get out of here!" one elder barked.

Chen Mu did not move, only said calmly: "So many against one Miss? Isn't that unfair?"

Ning Zhixi lay on the ground, half-conscious, hearing that voice—hope stirred in her heart, yet she felt tense.

This man's voice sounded young.

Could one man handle over a dozen Mo Sect demons, plus two Earth Altar Realm masters with Three Flowers Converging?

The elder sneered: "Meddling? Then we'll kill you too!"

He waved his hand; over a dozen black-clad men surged forward, blades and swords flashing, killing intent rising into the sky.

Chen Mu still did not move.

He merely raised his hand and waved it lightly.

Boom—

A vast, overwhelming force swept outward; the dozen black-clad men flew backward as if struck by a charging rhinoceros, crashing into trees, rocks, and the ground—bones shattered, all dead on impact.

【Corpse detected. Collect?】

"Yes!"

……

The two elders' pupils shrank sharply; their faces turned pale.

"You—"

They finally realized: this young man was not someone they could provoke.

"Run!"

Both turned and fled.

Chen Mu did not chase. He raised his hand again and pressed down lightly.

The two elders had barely run three zhang when an invisible force descended from above, like a mountain crushing down, pinning them to the ground, immobile.

Ning Zhixi lay on the ground, staring at this scene, utterly stunned.

She blinked frantically, thinking she'd hallucinated from the Soul-Sucking Gourd's influence.

Chen Mu turned around and looked down at her.

After a moment's thought, he reached into his robe and pulled out a pill, holding it out before Ning Zhixi.

"Take it. It will suppress the gourd's mind-distorting effect."

Ning Zhixi stared blankly at Chen Mu, then unconsciously took the pill and swallowed it.

A cool sensation rose from her belly, flooding through her limbs and organs; her hazy consciousness slowly cleared.

"You… are you Chen Mu?"