Chapter 232: Peach Blossom Lake

Luo Zhengnan returned to the farmhouse and gathered everyone together.

Of the ten subordinates, three were Traveling Cultivators, one at Layer Four, two at Layer Three—all considered elite within the Jiangxiang Gang.

Luo Zhengnan pulled out a long spear and handed it to the Layer Four Traveling Cultivator, Chen Weiqin: "Old Chen, take the package and head straight for Green Water City to report to the Boss. If the pursuers catch up, don't fight—run as fast as you can."

"Brother Luo, what about you?"

Luo Zhengnan replied calmly: "We'll find a way to delay the pursuers. This is a matter for the Gang—no matter the cost, we must see it through."

"Brother Luo, everyone—take care!" Chen Weiqin took the spear, grabbed the two Layer Three Traveling Cultivators, and set off at a sprint, vanishing from the village.

Wan Jinxian waited at the village entrance, pretending to read fortunes for passersby.

He saw the three Traveling Cultivators leave the village—and noticed the spear in Chen Weiqin's hand.

Though wrapped in oilcloth, its silhouette matched exactly the spear Wan Jinxian had seen inside the fortress.

More importantly, the spear carried a chilling aura of killing intent, one that sent a shiver down his spine—reminding him of Han Juncheng's corpse nailed to the side gate.

Wan Jinxian dismissed his fortune-seeker and slipped a nail into the heel of his shoe.

The nail was a magic treasure, forged from the soul of a Layer Eight Traveling Cultivator. Once embedded, Wan Jinxian's form blurred, and he followed the three Traveling Cultivators into the mountain path.

Chen Weiqin sprinted through the mountain trail when suddenly his calves began to itch fiercely.

At first he endured it, but after walking ten li, the itch became unbearable—he crouched down, rolled up his trousers, and scratched wildly.

Not just Chen Weiqin—the two Layer Three Traveling Cultivators also felt the itch. No blisters, no swellings—yet the itch felt like it wanted to peel off a layer of skin.

Their calves bled from scratching. Chen Weiqin realized something was wrong: "Stop scratching—keep moving!"

The three forced themselves forward a few steps when Chen Weiqin suddenly felt his throat tighten and began coughing violently.

The two Layer Three Cultivators coughed worse—one spat blood.

They were sick.

Chen Weiqin gasped for breath, looked ahead—and saw a middle-aged man wearing dark sunglasses, holding a blind man's cane, standing far down the path, smiling at them.

When did he arrive?

Why hadn't he been noticed before?

Was he here to intercept them?

Why hadn't they sensed any danger?

What level was this man?

Chen Weiqin whispered to the other two: "Don't fight—find any opening and run!"

Wan Jinxian heard Chen Weiqin's voice and laughed: "No point running—you won't escape. In half an hour, you'll be dead."

Chen Weiqin was a seasoned veteran, chosen by Luo Zhengnan—every one of his men was capable under pressure.

He knew his condition was dire and searched for an escape: "Friend, do we know each other?"

Wan Jinxian shook his head: "No."

"If we don't know each other, why are you secretly harming us?"

"No need for pretense—I want to borrow something from you."

"This cane of mine is old—the tip's split. I need a new one."

"That spear you're carrying looks good. How much will you sell it for?"

Chen Weiqin tucked the spear behind his back: "Friend, you're mistaken—this isn't a cane."

"We're traveling performers. This is our livelihood—no way I'm giving it to you."

Wan Jinxian frowned, then smiled: "I've laid it all out—still playing games? Trying to stall? Fine. Take your time. I repeat: in half an hour, you're dead."

While Wan Jinxian spoke, Chen Weiqin lunged forward, stomped hard on the ground, and shattered rocks into a spray.

Wan Jinxian retreated swiftly, dodging the debris.

That was the Traveling Cultivator's advantage—find any opening, and escape is possible. While Wan Jinxian dodged, Chen Weiqin grabbed the other two and kept running.

Wan Jinxian followed calmly behind—he knew Traveling Cultivators moved fast. Even if he could crush them, he wouldn't risk unnecessary danger.

Ten minutes later, the three stopped. They couldn't run anymore.

Wan Jinxian gave them one last chance: "Brothers, I don't want to make this permanent. Hand over the spear, I'll cure you. Next time we meet, we're still friends."

Chen Weiqin nodded, unslung the spear from his back.

The two other Cultivators watched silently.

Who doesn't cling to life?

At this point, the Gang's mission came second—everyone just wanted to live.

Wan Jinxian smiled: "Place the spear on the ground, walk away. Once you've taken a hundred steps, your illness will vanish."

Chen Weiqin obeyed, laid the spear down, and stumbled off with the other two.

After a hundred steps, their condition improved noticeably.

No more coughing, no more gasping, no dizziness.

Chen Weiqin glanced back—Wan Jinxian still stood where he was.

He smiled at Chen Weiqin. The meaning was clear.

If you're not satisfied, come back and try again.

Chen Weiqin dared not challenge Wan Jinxian—he kept walking with the other two.

As for how to explain the Gang's mission—later. If all else failed, they'd quit Jiangxiang Gang—three of them, with their cultivation, could find work anywhere…

His thoughts cut short—his nose itched. He sneezed.

The sneeze sprayed saliva and mucus everywhere.

Closing the eyes during a sneeze was instinct.

When Chen Weiqin opened his eyes again, everything was black.

He had sneezed out both his eyeballs.

The two other Cultivators stared, stunned.

Sneezing out two eyeballs—they'd never seen anything like it.

The eye sockets burned with pain—he screamed.

The moment he opened his mouth, another sneeze came.

Those who sneeze often know—they often come in pairs.

This sneeze was stronger. Blood spewed from his mouth, nose, and empty sockets—then brain matter.

Chen Weiqin collapsed, dead—killed by two sneezes.

The other two Cultivators didn't understand what happened—but their noses itched. They clamped hands over their mouths, trying to hold back the sneeze.

"Don't hold it," Wan Jinxian laughed. "Sneeze freely. Die comfortably."

Their eyes turned bloodshot, tears streaming.

One minute later, they couldn't hold on—they sneezed.

The longer you hold a sneeze, the stronger it becomes.

After the sneeze, their skulls shattered—red and white matter sprayed in all directions.

Wan Jinxian was always cautious—he never left witnesses.

He picked up the spear, sensing its spiritual energy and killing aura surging through it.

He used his blind cane to send a message to He Jiaqing: "Jiaqing, got the item."

He Jiaqing rejoiced: "Old Wan, check it thoroughly—don't mistake anything."

"It's correct—length twelve chi, blade seven chi seven, heavy killing aura, full spiritual energy—identical to the one I saw in Tiemen Fortress."

"What about its presence?" This was He Jiaqing's main concern—presence differed from killing aura and spiritual energy; it was Zhao Xiao's defining trait.

The presence was indeed different from what he'd seen in the fortress.

Wan Jinxian explained: "It's been weakened—likely sealed by Luo Zhengnan."

"No matter. No matter his method, I can break it!" He Jiaqing praised him. "Old Wan, well done. Return to Waizhou quickly—don't let Jiangxiang Gang catch you."

Wan Jinxian severed the link, swung the spear a few times—the red tassel fluttered in the wind.

Wait.

The spear in Tiemen Fortress didn't have a tassel.

Was it added just now?

Why add it?

Luo Zhengnan wouldn't do something so pointless.

Wan Jinxian gripped the spear tightly, his heart tightening.

This spear might not be "Zhao Xiao."

It might be a magic treasure—or a spiritual object—so high-level it deceived me!

He was right.

To complete this mission, Luo Zhengnan had sacrificed two high-level spiritual objects.

One was this spear—Yunjiao, an ancient general's relic. It had killed too many to carry an overwhelming killing aura—ordinary weapons would shatter on contact. But that wasn't the same as presence.

Then why did it look exactly like the spear Wan Jinxian had seen in the fortress?

Wan Jinxian removed the tassel—and found the jagged edge of lizard skin.

He finally understood why Luo Zhengnan had added the tassel.

That bastard was cunning!

The spear was wrapped in a layer of lizard skin.

This lizard skin is also a spiritual object.

Luo Zhengnan wrapped the lizard skin around the "Bursting Tiger" spear, then wrapped it again around the Yunjiao spear; within a day, the Yunjiao spear would become identical to the "Bursting Tiger" spear, and after a day passed, the lizard skin would peel away, and the disguise would vanish.

The "Bursting Tiger" spear also looked exactly like Hong Ying, yet Wan Jinxian was fooled.

When the lizard skin was pulled off, a completely different spear emerged.

The spears inside Tiemenbao had black shafts; this spear was pure white.

Wan Jinxian threw the spear on the ground and pressed his forehead.

I was tricked.

Luo Zhengnan truly is no ordinary man.

Such an important item—Luo Zhengnan would never hand it lightly to anyone; I shouldn't have fallen for his trick!

Wan Jinxian drove the nail into his heel and hurried after Luo Zhengnan; after traveling over ten miles, his right foot limped, and he collapsed to the ground.

This nail's cost was its price: it had to pierce not only the shoe but also the flesh, consuming the user's blood and flesh.

To enter Tiemenbao, Wan Jinxian used a magic treasure once; to leave Tiemenbao, he used it again; to chase Chen Weiqin, he used it a third time; now, trying to use it again, his foot could no longer hold up.

Even if he held on, it was useless—he had no idea which way Luo Zhengnan would flee.

Luo Zhengnan didn't head toward Lüshui City; he didn't expect the branch there to protect this treasure.

He jumped into Taohua Lake, wandered beneath its surface for a long time, then surfaced along an unknown route.

The lake water was cold—bitingly cold.

Luo Zhengnan sneezed twice and traveled across the endless dark wilderness for a full day and night.

A faint glow appeared ahead—not sunlight, nor moonlight, but the shimmer of lake waves.

Another lake.

Luo Zhengnan jumped into the lake again; when he surfaced, a Western-style house stood before him.

The Western-style house in Huahu Park, Yuezhou, Yuedong Province.

PS: After writing this chapter, Shala dares not sneeze!

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(End of Chapter)