Chapter 18: A Single Strike Establishes Prestige

Thirteenth Senior Sister Zhao Xuan entered the sect three years before Xu Chen; she is eighteen this year and has been cultivating on the mountain for eight years. She is currently in the middle-to-late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm, but her aptitude is quite good; as long as she cultivates diligently, Foundation Establishment should be no problem, and there is even some possibility of reaching the Golden Core.

Of course, the prerequisite is having sufficient pill resources to assist in cultivation.

However, pills happen to be the weak point of the Taiyuan Sect. Now that the Medicine Garden has been destroyed, pills will be even scarcer for a long time, and cultivation will also be slower.

Furthermore, to advance, it is not enough to just have sufficient ordinary Spirit Pills; one also needs special auxiliary Spirit Pills to help break through. For example, to successfully break through from the Kaiyuan Realm to Foundation Establishment, the best auxiliary pill is the Heqi Pill.

The Heqi Pill is not considered particularly high-level among First-grade Pills, but its rarity is arguably the highest. It is the number one immortal pill in the eyes of all Kaiyuan Realm cultivators, especially for those at the peak of the Kaiyuan Realm, for whom it is a supreme treasure.

Just by taking one, one can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by eighty percent; no one can resist such temptation.

Although refining a Heqi Pill only requires eight types of Spirit Medicine, each one is very difficult to find. Even many large and medium-sized sects do not have them in stock. Therefore, materials for refining Heqi Pills are always in high demand in the cultivation world; once they appear, even large sects will scramble to buy them.

Jiu Shixiong is already in the late stage of the Kaiyuan Realm, but after several years of training down the mountain—robbing the rich, swindling, and deceiving—he has not managed to obtain even one of them. It is evident that his hope of successfully reaching Foundation Establishment and attaining the Zhenyuan Realm is still a long way off.

At present, for the group of Kaiyuan Realm Disciples of the Taiyuan Sect, the biggest goal of training down the mountain is actually to search for medicinal materials to refine Heqi Pills; of course, it would be best if they could obtain the pills themselves.

It is just a pity that it is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Although Xu Chen's aptitude is terrible and he might never have the chance to attempt the Zhenyuan Realm in his entire life, just thinking about it makes his mouth water.

If one were lucky enough to take one such pill, even if one didn't advance, this life wouldn't have been lived in vain.

The merchant caravan's travel speed is very slow, less than two hundred li a day.

Xu Chen is happy to be carefree, following the caravan to eat well and broaden his horizons, teasing Xiao Huli when he has nothing to do, and at the same time constantly studying that Jade Bead in the deep sea. Although his Divine Sense still cannot penetrate the interior of the Jade Bead, he has slowly grasped a method to utilize it.

That is, as long as he focuses his attention on the Jade Bead while projecting his Divine Sense, his Divine Sense becomes exceptionally clear. Moreover, under the influence of the Jade Bead's blue light, his Divine Sense range actually reaches over a hundred zhang, more than double that of Jiu Shixiong.

Of course, this is his personal secret and cannot be revealed for the time being.

Three days later, the caravan entered a large mountain.

On both sides are towering mountain ridges, with a rugged carriage road in the middle.

According to the leader of the caravan, once they pass through this mountain, they will enter the territory of Qinzhou.

However, he also warned everyone that bandits are active in these mountains all year round, so the entire caravan began to grow tense. Everyone prepared their blades, spears, and bows, and the coachmen whipped their horses frantically, wanting to speed through the mountain area.

Seeing the caravan so nervous, Xu Chen is actually quite interested.

Having grown up this big, he has never seen what bandits look like. Are they like the stories he heard when he was a cowherd—fierce and wicked, robbing property, killing all the men, and abducting the women up the mountain for the bandits' lewd pleasure?

Soon the caravan entered the middle section of the valley. Suddenly, the sound of bowstrings twanging—*boom, boom, boom, boom*—rang out from the forests on both sides, and in the blink of an eye, a rain of arrows descended.

"Enemy attack!"

The caravan leader roared while riding his horse. The entire caravan stopped instantly. Although they had been prepared in advance, several people in the caravan were still struck by arrows, falling from their carts and horses with screams, and the entire team fell into chaos in an instant.

"Something is not right!"

Jiu Shixiong, who had been riding lazily beside Xu Chen, suddenly turned slightly serious.

Xu Chen has no experience, so he asked curiously, "What is not right?"

Jiu Shixiong stroked his chin and said, "These don't look like bandits at all; they look like government soldiers. How could bandits have such powerful bows and arrows!"

Just then, an arrow whistled toward the two of them with great force. Just by hearing the sound, one could tell it was shot from a strong bow by someone with great arm strength. Xu Chen prepared to release his Qi to deflect it, but Jiu Shixiong raised his hand and grabbed it. The arrow suddenly slowed down and was lightly caught in his hand. He took a look, his expression changing slightly, and said:

"Sure enough, something is wrong. This is an Iron Feather Arrow, exclusive to the Forbidden Army. The background of the other party is likely not simple."

Xu Chen was even more confused and said, "Aren't the Forbidden Army all in Jingshi protecting the dog Emperor? Why would they run so far to rob a merchant caravan?"

Jiu Shixiong pondered slightly, turned his head to look at the luxury carriage following ten zhang behind, and looked thoughtful.

At this time, Zhao Xuan also poked her head out of the carriage and said, "Since that is the case, we need not hide our identities, otherwise the caravan will likely be wiped out."

Just as the three were speaking, more than ten people in the caravan had already been struck by arrows. Even though the caravan leader and the group of escort warriors were experienced, they were killed in a panic. The entire caravan was in chaos, with screams and wails everywhere.

At this moment, following a shrill whistle from the forests on both sides, hundreds of bandits dressed in black and wearing masks surged out. Holding bows, arrows, and sharp blades, they rushed up to fight with the people of the caravan. However, the target of most of the men in black was not the caravan's cargo or the escort carriages, but rather the luxury carriage. As they ran, arrows flew like rain, *pu-pu-la-la*, shooting toward the luxury carriage and the group of guards.

Amidst the *duo-duo-duo-duo* sounds, the luxury carriage was pierced by dozens of arrows in the blink of an eye. Although the group of guards reacted quickly, several of them soon fell.

Xu Chen and the other two were caught between the caravan and the luxury carriage, naturally becoming the target of these black-clad bandits. Seven or eight sharp arrows broke through the air one after another, leaving no room for mercy.

"Heh, it seems that is indeed the case!"

Jiu Shixiong sneered. An invisible wave of Qi swept out in all directions, and all the incoming arrows were shaken away.

The group of black-clad men charging over suddenly halted their steps. Someone among them roared, "The target is tough; don't be careless."

Jiu Shixiong rose into the air from his horse's back. With a flick of his finger, a Flying Sword *clang*-ed into the air, hovering above his head and releasing a cyan glow. He laughed, "It is a bit tough. You lot have kicked an iron plate today. The robbery has failed, so get lost quickly!"

"Immortals!"

The group of black-clad bandits exclaimed in shock and scattered in a panic. Many even threw down their weapons and lay on the ground trembling. However, one guy who seemed to be the leader hesitated for a moment, cupped his hands toward Jiu Shixiong, and said, "We did not know the Immortal Masters were here. Please forgive our offense, but we are acting under the orders of the Eighth Prince..."

"Stop. Whose orders you are following has nothing to do with me. Even if the Great Song Emperor came, he would have to get lost today. Do you understand?" Jiu Shixiong stood in the air a zhang high and curled his lip.

The black-clad bandit leader was silent for a moment and said, "The three of you must be Immortal Masters from the Taiyuan Sect. This lowly one is only acting under orders. Once we capture the fugitive, we will leave. We would never dare to offend the Immortal Masters."

"Did you not hear me tell you to get lost?"

Following a clear and beautiful voice from the carriage, a graceful figure flashed out from the carriage door. Thirteenth Senior Sister Zhao Xuan also rose into the air and stood side-by-side with Jiu Shixiong. Her cyan dress fluttered in the wind, giving her a unique, fairy-like demeanor, but her expression was very cold, carrying a murderous aura.

With two Immortals appearing at the same time, the hundreds of black-clad bandits were already completely cowed. Their previously aggressive appearance vanished, and almost all of them lay on the ground, not daring to lift their heads. The black-clad leader who had spoken boldly just now was also trembling violently. Under the pressure of the two powerful auras, he abandoned his sword, knelt on the ground, and said tremblingly, "We obey the Immortal Masters' decree; we shall return to report now!"

"Since you know we are cultivators of the Taiyuan Sect, you still dare to chatter? Get lost!"

Jiu Shixiong gave a cold snort and waved his sleeve lightly. The black-clad leader flew into the air, tumbled backward, and crashed heavily more than ten zhang away.

"A mere Innate Realm cultivator dares to commit an offense against his superiors. If there is a next time, I will definitely execute you without mercy. Go!"

With Jiu Shixiong's display of power, the black-clad men felt as if they had been granted a reprieve. They scrambled to get up, hoisted their leader, and fled in a panic. In the blink of an eye, they had escaped completely, leaving behind a ground full of blades, spears, bows, and arrows, and the injured personnel rolling and wailing.

"Yeah!"

The caravan erupted into a warm cheer.

Jiu Shixiong's eyes swept over the chaotic situation in the valley and said, "The thieves have retreated. You lot, hurry and treat the wounded."

"Many thanks to the Immortal Masters for saving our lives!" Everyone in the caravan who could still move knelt on the ground, kowtowing in gratitude.

Jiu Shixiong couldn't be bothered to be polite; he put away his Flying Sword and landed on his horse. Zhao Xuan also returned to the carriage and began to eat melon seeds, as if nothing had happened.

Just as the caravan began to treat the wounded and clean up the aftermath, a handsome young nobleman stepped down from the luxury carriage in the back. He hurried over, cupped his hands in salute to the three, and said with a face full of gratitude, "Princess Zhao Qian of Xiyun Prefecture thanks the three Immortal Masters for their life-saving grace."

Jiu Shixiong curled his lip and said, "No need to be polite. Even if I hadn't made a move, you would surely have been safe and sound, right?"

The young nobleman's body trembled slightly, and he hurriedly lowered his head, saying, "Although I have practiced some Magic Spells, my cultivation is shallow, and I dare not show my incompetence before the immortals of the Taiyuan Sect."

Jiu Shixiong seemed too lazy to say much more, waving his hand lightly as he said, "The messy affairs of your imperial court have nothing to do with us. I only intervened because I did not want innocent people in the caravan to be harmed; you must look after yourself on the road ahead."

"Yes!" Zhao Qian did not dare to say more, and after bowing to the three of them one by one, she quickly left and returned to her carriage.

Xu Chen could not help but stare at Zhao Qian's back for a few extra moments.

Although they had been traveling together for three days, the owner of the luxury carriage had spent most of the days inside, and he had never used his Divine Sense to observe the situation inside the carriage; he had not expected it to be a Princess disguised as a man.

But was there any point to such a disguise? With such a frail body, her chest was bulging as if two large steamed buns had been stuffed inside, and that way of walking, with her little round buttocks swaying like a ewe, was completely like saying "there is no silver buried here."

Jiu Shixiong chuckled in a low voice, "Little Junior Brother, do you want to get close to her? This Princess is quite good-looking, with big breasts and a perky butt."

Xu Chen's face turned black instantly.

"Ahem!" Zhao Xuan threw a fruit peel from the carriage window, hitting Jiu Shixiong on the head, while chiding, "Senior Brother, why do you keep teaching Little Junior Brother to be bad?"

Jiu Shixiong rubbed his head and laughed dryly, "Hehe, it's so boring on the road, one has to find something to do."

"That doesn't mean you can do things like this. Next time we encounter bandits, we won't intervene; we'll leave it to Little Junior Brother," Zhao Xuan said.

Xu Chen nodded with great joy, saying, "That works for me!"