Chapter 449: Madam Ruan, Entering the Upper Three Realms of Viewing the Sea

【You held Sister Wu Tong and stepped out of the blue stone street by Yanbo Lake, bumping into Xie Yuan who had rushed over.】

【In the end, he was still worried, and chased after you. This journey was dusty, actually coming alone.】

【Only to see him holding a long sword similar in style to yours in his right hand, a wild goose feather saber hanging at his waist, his clothes fluttering, naturally possessing a chilling momentum, but his face had both anxiety and the intention to live and die together.】

【From the moment you stepped into Yanbo Lake to leaving after the matter was done, although it was one wave after another, it was only a quarter of an hour.】

【Xie Yuan hadn't yet reached the lakeside when you met at the corner of the long street.】

【Xie Yuan stopped abruptly, his face full of astonishment: "Brother Guan, you... you are fine?"】

【"Just now I saw a thousand Dragon-Protecting Cavalry rush into the center of the lake from afar, I thought..." Halfway through, he swallowed his words, his gaze falling on the sleeping Sister Wu Tong in your arms.】

【"Why is this girl Sister Wu Tong asleep again?" He frowned, "Last time it was at the Flower Banquet, today again at Yanbo Lake, is she okay?"】

【You looked down at the sleeping Sister Wu Tong in your arms and said softly: "It's fine, just too tired and fell asleep."】

【Xie Yuan saw that you were safe and sound, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed.】

【He let out a long breath, raised his hand to stop a passing carriage, and lifted the curtain to signal you to get on first.】

【As the carriage moved slowly, Xie Yuan couldn't help but tease: "In ordinary plays, it's always the young master and young lady being abducted by strong men, but our family's one is good, a little maid actually lived out the fate of a daughter of a thousand gold." He shook his head with a smile, "How many times has this been?"】

【The carriage rolled over the blue stone road, driving toward the Xie Fu.】

【Xie Yuan lowered his voice, "Who were those people today, was Xie Renfeng there?"】

【"It was Great Sui Crown Prince Liu Yuan and others, among them were Prince Yan and the Thirteenth Prince Chen Mu."】

【Xie Yuan's face was surprised, remembering the killing intent contained in the sword dance of the guest that Crown Prince used at the Qi Mo Spring Workshop.】

【He didn't understand, "Brother Guan, how did you provoke them?"】

【You shook your head, "Didn't provoke them, but provoked someone even more unoffendable."】

【Xie Yuan sighed, "In the world of martial arts, one cannot help oneself!"】

【"Was Xie Renfeng there today?"】

【You said faintly, "Xie Renfeng has already died at the hands of others."】

【Xie Yuan sighed, "If I had known this, why bother in the beginning."】

【Although the great families are superficially united among relatives, in reality, each house and courtyard has surging undercurrents. Xie Yuan has seen with his own eyes over the years that there are quite a few young masters and young ladies in the Xie family who died of unexplained illnesses or accidental deaths, eight or nine out of ten buried within these seemingly luxurious vermilion gates.】

【The carriage turned the corner, Xie Yuan finally couldn't hold back: "Brother Guan, how exactly did you save Sister Wu Tong?"】

【"There was no other way. Had to kill Liu Yuan and his party."】

【Xie Yuan sat up straight abruptly, causing the carriage to sway: "Liu Yuan? Shouldn't he... shouldn't he have martial arts experts, and expert guards."】

【You nodded, "So killed them all together!"】

【Xie Yuan froze on the spot, his eyes full of disbelief. Although Liu Yuan and others were hostages, they were after all the noble descendants of a great country, with experts like clouds around them. He knew that although his brother's cultivation was not bad, but to say he could...】

【Xie Yuan tilted his head, could it be that my brother really has the talent of a poetry immortal, and the talent of a martial god?】

【He then shook his head and laughed: "Brother Guan, do not try to bluff me. If you could truly single-handedly take down the Crown Prince's Mansion, I would rather believe you had persuaded friends from the Three Truths Sect to take action."】

【His gaze suddenly fell on your empty hands, the long sword you went out with was no longer there, Xie Yuan's pupils shrank: "Unless..."】

【His Adam's apple rolled, and then he felt it unbelievable, laughing to himself, "Are you truly the personal disciple of the Second Master?"】

【You smiled, "Sixth Brother, I told you long ago, I obtained the Second Master's nine swords!"】

【Xie Yuan still didn't quite believe it, "Forget it, it's good that you came back safely, I won't struggle with it."】

【He added worriedly, "Although Xie Renfeng was not killed by you, Brother Guan, Madam Zhao will inevitably count this matter on your head."】

【"Afterward in the Xie Fu, you must be doubly careful?"】

【The carriage stopped at the gate of the Xie family, Xie Yuan left.】

【Approaching evening!】

【The Second Courtyard received the news of Xie Renfeng's death. Madam Zhao was heartbroken, she led dozens of martial arts experts and stormed toward the side courtyard where you lived, but was blocked by the green-clothed steward sent by the Old Matriarch. This farce eventually ended without a whimper.】

【You had an extra thought, it seems that the Old Matriarch of the Xie family already knew about today's matter.】

【The next morning, Above Bianjing City was still peaceful.】

【What is surprising is that the bloody case last night did not cause a huge uproar.】

【The notice posted by the Suspended Mirror Division attributed the deaths of the three crown princes, including Liu Yuan, to the actions of Jianghu assassins.】

【Although the hostage mansions of the three countries were filled with righteous indignation, they could only gnash their teeth toward the direction of the Imperial City—the vermilion seal of the Suspended Mirror Division was covered with the private seal of the current Chief Minister.】

【Sister Wu Tong rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked out of the room, always feeling that yesterday's matter was strange—why did she inexplicably fall asleep?】

【In her hazy state, she seemed to see two divine birds with brilliant light circling around her.】

【Sister Wu Tong saw you already practicing martial arts in the courtyard, she didn't think much, and went to wash and fetch water in the courtyard as usual.】

【Walking toward the blue porcelain vat filled with clear water in the corner of the courtyard, she was so scared she almost dropped the water ladle—】

【There was an old woman holding a lotus leaf umbrella in the vat! The old woman was only as tall as a stool, her sparse white hair floating on the water surface, currently floating and rippling comfortably in the water vat.】

【"Ah!" Sister Wu Tong screamed.】

【The old woman was also startled, "plop" shrinking to the bottom of the vat, only a few strings of bubbles floating up.】

【The little maid tiptoed and hid backward, her voice changing pitch: "Young, Young Master! There is a bald lotus spirit... living in our water vat!"】

【The old woman seemed to hear the last few words, poked her head out of the water vat, a withered lotus leaf trembling and poking out of the water surface, spitting out a few bubbles.】

【You had long known that this uninvited guest in the water vat was Madam Ruan from Yanbo Lake yesterday. She had broken the sword pellet restriction without permission last night, almost being shredded from inside out by the rampaging sword qi, and then came to see you in a panic this morning. You collected the sword qi again, and she became much more honest.】

【A muffled defense came from the bottom of the vat: "I am not some lotus spirit... I am Madam Ruan."】

【You said to Sister Wu Tong, "This is our family's... newly raised one."】

【Sister Wu Tong blinked, suddenly pointing at the pair of spirited birds on the tree branch: "Like them?"】

【"You could say that." You turned to the direction of the water vat: "Don't worry, she is very docile."】

【Today you also discovered that this Madam Ruan, her real age is not big, about fourteen or fifteen years old.】

【Her mind is simple, you got her background out in a few words, the same as what she said yesterday, she is indeed not a harmful person, and her personality is timid, and she loves beauty.】

【The legend you heard before about being born to a fisherman and a clam spirit is purely a rumor, she is actually a descendant of a water tribe that lives by fishing and hunting in the Zhi River basin, born with the ability to breathe with gills. According to her, she is the best at raising big fish and water beasts in her tribe, called a priestess.】

【She stayed in the water area, was washed out by the big water, came to Above Bianjing, and was saved by an old man from the Academy, who introduced her to the Yan Prince's Mansion.】

【Otherwise, how free and easy she would be alone.】

【As for why she is called Madam Ruan? It is because she thinks "Madam" is more majestic, and Ruan is her tribe's surname.】

【Since that old man from the Academy passed away, she has had less contact with others, what she calls herself "old woman," it was all others calling her that, so she followed suit, incongruous.】

【Sister Wu Tong gathered her courage and walked toward the big vat, looking at the "lotus spirit" shrinking at the bottom of the vat.】

【There was still a rustling sound at the bottom of the vat, "I am not a lotus spirit... nor a bald lotus spirit."】

【Sister Wu Tong gently pushed aside the floating lotus leaves. The moment their eyes met—】

【Sister Wu Tong giggled,】

【Madam Ruan had never been with people so closely, the whole person submerged at the bottom of the water spitting bubbles.】

【Sister Wu Tong actually reached out and gently touched the red swollen sores on her head, the water vat suddenly shook violently. If it were a normal day, she would have dived into deep water and fled, but at this moment in this courtyard, she only dared to expose the water surface, baring her teeth to show protest.】

【"Young Master," Sister Wu Tong turned and asked curiously, "What is going on with these sores on her head? Is she sick?"】

【You had already investigated Madam Ruan's condition—her appearance, one is because she has fed water beasts with her own essence and blood for many years, and the second is because she has been immersed in the cold water bottom all day, the cold qi in her body is knotted and not dissipated, plus the habit of liking to eat raw meat.】

【A muffled defense came from the vat: "I, I wash my face three times every day..." Madam Ruan stirred the water surface aggrievedly, "It's not dirty." Saying that, she shrank under the lotus leaf again, only revealing a pair of eyes.】

【Sister Wu Tong saw this "lotus spirit" looking timid as a mouse, and instead completely let go of her heart, excitedly teasing Madam Ruan by the vat.】

【You saw this and smiled slightly, turning back to the courtyard to re-adjust your breath.】

【The true qi in your body was vast, like a river surging endlessly. In yesterday's battle, you relied heavily on the power of the Primordial Spirit to resist the enemy, after a night of rest, at this moment in the Dantian, the true qi was already as full as before.】

【You felt something in your heart, that threshold lying between the Middle Three Realms and the Upper Three Realms, as if within reach, close at hand.】

【Recalling yesterday, the scene of clashing with many Upper Three Realms experts, it was all vivid in your mind.】

【Their clever use of true yuan all made you have insights.】

【You guided the surging true qi in your Dantian to rotate slowly, gathering toward the center like a collapse.】

【This is the essence of condensing true yuan, true qi after this change, the form is more refined. Whether it is the true qi stored in the body, or killing moves, strength, all can be doubled without doubt.】

【The flesh body is nourished by true yuan, then it will tend to be perfect, flawless and unblemished. After entering the Ninth Realm, the flesh body is even more indestructible, ordinary killing moves and Primordial Spirit techniques are difficult to hurt even a fraction, and can even regrow severed limbs.】

【Every wisp of true qi undergoes qualitative change under extreme compression, gradually condensing into more refined true yuan.】

【When the first drop of true yuan formed in the sea of qi, the whole courtyard suddenly moved without wind.】

【Sister Wu Tong looked back in astonishment, only to see the fallen leaves within three zhang of you actually floating in mid-air against common sense, forming a slowly rotating vortex.】

【Fine sweat beads seeped from your forehead, your brows locked. The most critical step of impacting the Upper Three Realms was proceeding in your body—tearing pain came from the Dantian, as if someone was repeatedly hacking in the sea of qi with a blunt axe, and also like ten thousand ants gnawing in the meridians.】

【The medicinal power of the Profound Gate Snow Dew Pill dissolved in your body, barely supporting the transformation of true qi. When the second drop of true yuan formed with difficulty, your clenched teeth had already seeped blood.】

【Gradually forming the third drop of true yuan... the fourth drop... your whole body's muscles tightened like a bow.】

【Sister Wu Tong's expression was nervous, Madam Ruan was even more shrunk to the bottom of the vat, only peeking through the gaps in the lotus leaves.】

【The fifth drop... the sixth drop... when the tenth drop of true yuan floated in the sea of qi, your whole garment was already soaked with sweat.】

【According to the records of the Buddha and Demon cultivation methods, three drops can break the realm, ten drops is already the Perfected State—continuing will instead damage the foundation.】

【You endured the severe pain, starting to guide the true yuan to wander the extraordinary meridians. Every place the true yuan flowed, the meridians were like being burned by a hot iron, painful.】

【This kind of pain of expanding meridians, aristocratic children usually have elders to protect them, supplemented by pain-relieving pills, while you can only resist hard.】

【You had a calm face, only your slightly trembling body revealed the inhuman pain you were enduring at this moment. Your robe was already soaked with cold sweat, steaming with wisps of hot mist in the morning light.】

【Sister Wu Tong clutched the corner of her clothes with concern in her eyes, although she didn't understand martial arts, she could also see that you were experiencing a critical moment, she even breathed very lightly.】

【Madam Ruan also poked her head out of the water vat, looking at you carefully, he didn't cultivate martial arts but because he had been swimming in rivers, lakes, and seas since childhood, resisting torrents, plus the qi-nourishing and breath-holding techniques passed down in the clan, the flesh body was enough to resist the Middle Three Realms of martial arts.】

【At this moment she saw clearly—the young man's thin back was tightened like a strong bow, every inch of muscle trembling in pain, yet always maintaining a perfect meditative posture. The clear water in the water vat rippled without reason, that was drawn by the true yuan vibrating around you.】

【It seems you are not only ruthless to others, but also ruthless to yourself.】

【An hour later, the morning dew had dried.】

【You slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid qi, this breath actually condensed into a three-foot white silk in the air, not dissipating for a long time. When you opened your eyes, snow light seemed to flow in your pupils—the true yuan in the Dantian formed a cycle on its own, like snow mountain meltwater, endless, not needing you to specifically control it.】

【You revealed a smile, today entering the Upper Three Realms of martial arts, the Snow Mountain Realm.】

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 450 =====