Chapter 12: Fear of Death

Xiangzhou, Wang Clan ancestral residence.

The current head of the clan, Wang Tianhe, eyes wide with rage, looked at the slender figure before him and laughed in exasperation: "If you are determined to find a pretext, you will never lack an excuse!"

"My son Xuanli has long since crossed the river to the west to travel in Western Qin."

"Ten days ago, he was dueling with the son of the Marquis of Liyang, a pillar of Eastern Qin; the news has already spread across the four kingdoms, and the whole world knows it."

"In ten days, it would be difficult even to return to Great Jin, let alone head to the Northern Lands."

"The Prime Minister has imprisoned the Great General of the Northern Defense on trumped-up charges; does he intend to use the same trumped-up charges to imprison my entire Wang Clan as well?"

The slender man, fair-skinned and beardless, wearing a high cap, smiled and said: "Whether Wang Xuanli is in Eastern Qin still requires verification of the truth."

"But the appearance of a youth in the Northern Lands who understands the Three Primordials' Return Qi Technique is an absolute, ironclad fact."

"The Wang Clan already promised not to participate in the Northern Lands' disputes; why go back on your word?"

Wang Tianhe sneered: "Since I have already promised, I naturally will not break my word."

"Bring the genealogy, and let this Steward Dai personally call the names."

"As long as there is one person on it whose whereabouts cannot be verified, I, Wang Tianhe, will dash my brains out here today."

"I only fear that some people are deliberately framing us."

Steward Dai raised his hand, stopping the act of bringing the genealogy. His gaze deepened, and he said meaningfully: "With these words, that is enough."

"Without the protection of the Wang Clan, a Primordial martial artist under twenty, no matter how talented, is still just a Primordial."

Steward Dai turned to leave, but his shoulder was pressed down by a hand. Wang Tianhe no longer showed resistance, nor did he use cold words; instead, he smiled warmly and said: "Steward Dai, it is not easy for you to come here once, why leave so soon?"

"Serve tea! Quickly, bring out the fine tea I have treasured."

"Steward Dai, tell me in detail."

"The Three Primordials' Return Qi Technique has always been difficult to cultivate. Even with the size of the Wang Clan, we do not have a single Primordial martial artist under twenty."

"Is it possible that there was a mistake in observation?"

"Of course, I am not doubting you, but this matter is too malicious; this is someone deliberately sowing discord."

"This old man has thought it over; I will personally go to the Northern Lands to verify the truth. After all, as to whether it is the Three Primordials' Return Qi Technique, this old man has the most say."

"If everything is true, please rest assured, Steward Dai, this old man will certainly not let him go."

"I will capture him and punish him severely."

Such a good seedling must be strictly trained; one cannot let his talent go to waste.

Not ashamed to ask questions.

This is a fine tradition.

Dou Changsheng would not pretend to understand when he did not; taking this opportunity, he naturally started asking.

A Postnatal martial artist opens their meridians, pierces the two apertures of Heaven and Earth, and derives Primordial internal Qi, while the cultivation of a Primordial martial artist consists of the Five Qi Returning to the Origin and the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown.

After the Five Qi Converge at the Origin, one enters the Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing, where Primordial internal qi ascends to Primordial true qi; after the Three Flowers Gather at the Summit, one enters the Primordial Mysterious Realm, condensing Primordial true essence.

The three Primordial realms—each barrier is harder than the last.

Dou Changsheng rode his horse, leaving the pass with Tang He, his heart pondering Tang He's description.

Because he had obtained Primordial internal qi, he started at the Primordial Realm; the consumed internal qi recovered automatically, still remaining Primordial internal qi.

But a "pseudo" character had to be added.

A normal Primordial martial artist cultivates the Five Qi—that is, the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Each time one is completed, the Primordial internal qi undergoes a transformation until the Five Qi Converge at the Origin, transforming into Primordial true qi.

And he must first open his meridians, remove this "pseudo" character, and become a true Primordial.

Tang He was good to him, answering every question asked.

Not only did he explain the three Primordial realms, but he also personally gifted Dou Changsheng a method for breaking through barriers.

It described in detail how to break through the Twelve Primary Meridians and the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, as well as taboos and so on; everything was written in great detail. While called a method for breaking through barriers, it was actually a Postnatal martial arts secret manual.

Tang He did not value this highly. The Tianjian Sect was a major martial arts sect of Southern Chen; Tang He had flipped through countless such ordinary Postnatal manuals, and after traveling, he had obtained quite a few.

Tianjian Sect martial arts, regardless of strength, could not be passed on, but Tang He just tossed a copy of a manual he had obtained himself to Dou Changsheng.

Dou Changsheng was destined to be unable to cultivate the internal cultivation method of this martial arts manual.

Because his internal qi was the Three Primordials' Return Qi Technique; cultivating other martial arts methods would easily cause conflict. Dou Changsheng only observed it for a moment, looking at the parts about breaking through meridians.

To tell the truth, his internal qi was becoming increasingly vigorous, and it was also increasingly trapping Dou Changsheng.

Now, apart from the Three Primordials' Return Qi Technique, he could no longer cultivate other internal cultivation methods unless he discarded this vigorous internal qi.

At noon, Dou Changsheng and Tang He sat under a tree, eating dry rations together.

Tang He drank a mouthful of water, gently wiped his mouth, and then said: "This time we are splitting into two groups. The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe is taking the initiative to attract attention, and the situation he encounters will be the most dangerous."

"He is only a Postnatal Great Accomplishment martial artist; those blocking him will definitely include Primordial martial artists."

"So after leaving Junxian, the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe must take the initiative to hide; he does not need to rush toward Jianmen Pass."

"Buy time for himself, and we will go to rescue him after we deliver the military pay."

"But we just received news that the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe did not act according to the plan. He did not hide himself; instead, he made a great fanfare, fearing only that the enemy would not know."

"His purpose in doing so is also very simple: to buy time for us."

Tang He sighed: "This old senior is worthy of respect."

"So the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe was captured and became a prisoner of the enemy."

"And this time, we are going to rescue the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe."

"Such a good person should live in peace and spend his remaining years in comfort."

Tang He picked up a wooden branch and started drawing on the ground, continuing: "The biggest difficulty this time lies in the fact that the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe has already been imprisoned."

"Do not think this is just an ordinary village; it has been modified by the people of the Demon Prime Minister, and many strong men are gathered here."

"The most important thing is a powerhouse of the Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing who already possesses Primordial true qi. Only Brother Dou can defeat him."

"Of course."

"There are too many enemies; we do not need to win."

"My plan is very simple: Brother Dou will take action to attract attention and pin down this Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing martial artist, then create chaos, and I will rescue him during the chaos."

"The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe is only a Postnatal Great Accomplishment martial artist; he will not be taken too seriously by the Demon Prime Minister's people. The success rate is extremely high."

Dou Changsheng fell into deep thought. This strategy had no frills, nor was it particularly brilliant; the main risk was entirely on his side.

The Millennium Earth Pearl.

Dou Changsheng muttered in his heart.

This thing, he was determined to get.

Dou Changsheng exhaled a breath of turbid air and said in a deep voice: "Let's do it."

"However, Brother Tang also knows that my skills are insufficient and I cannot beat a Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing martial artist. I will set a fire to attract attention and buy time for Brother Tang."

"I might not be able to pin down the Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing enemy."

Tang He smiled and said: "That is enough. This Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing martial artist might not even be there."

"Their main goal is to seize the military pay, not to guard prisoners."

"Going out at this time is the norm. Considering him is just a precaution."

Hearing these words from Tang He, Dou Changsheng corrected him directly: "Please be careful, Brother Tang. I have a premonition that this Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing martial artist is definitely in the village."

What kind of luck did he, Dou Changsheng, have?

How could there be a possibility that the enemy was not there and he could pick up a bargain?

Fortunately, it was just a Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing; if it were a Pure Yang Grandmaster, Dou Changsheng would turn around and leave immediately, because the other party would definitely be there.

Several days passed. Dou Changsheng returned to the days of traveling all day and having time to cultivate, like an ascetic. This afternoon, he finally approached the village. He did not continue to get closer, fearing to alert the enemy, but started to wait.

Tang He had already disappeared, looking for an opportunity to sneak into the village.

After being left alone, Dou Changsheng gnawed on his dry rations, suddenly discovering that his courage was growing larger and larger.

Before coming to Junxian, he would have given up upon hearing of such a dangerous thing, but now he actually dared to set a fire to attract the attention of a Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing martial artist.

Dou Changsheng laughed at himself: "The chivalrous use martial arts to violate the law."

Having mastered extraordinary power, how could he be content with being ordinary?

This time, daring to snatch chestnuts from the fire, Dou Changsheng admitted that he was not truly doing it to rescue the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe; he did not have Tang He's sense of righteousness.

If it were ten parts, rescuing the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe was only two or three parts; the remaining seven or eight parts were for the Millennium Earth Pearl.

As a rogue cultivator, his future path was destined to be filled with bumps, and the Millennium Earth Pearl was a divine artifact for a poor boy to turn his life around in countless legends and storybooks. Dou Changsheng naturally did not intend to let it go.

Wealth is sought in danger.

A real man born into this world should naturally fight when it is time to fight.

Dou Changsheng steadied his mind and started to prepare. His strength was too poor, not even as good as Tang He's.

Even though he kept explaining, Tang He just did not believe him. Outsiders all thought he was powerful, but Dou Changsheng knew his own limits; he would not truly think he could fight a Primordial Xiantian Zhenjing powerhouse.

This time it was mainly to attract attention, not to fight; otherwise, no matter how good the Millennium Earth Pearl was, Dou Changsheng would not risk it.

He had to set the fire first, and then when the time was right, release the two horses, ignite their tails, and let them wreak havoc in the village.

This was a variant of the fire-ox formation. It sounded simple and was not difficult to do, but in reality, you could not guarantee that the fire-ox would charge forward instead of charging back at you. It was truly uncontrollable and not cost-effective.

However, as long as the horses rushed out, Dou Changsheng did not care where they ran.

He looked up at the sky. The last of the dim yellow light disappeared. Dou Changsheng felt the time was about right and started to make a small mechanism. In about a quarter of an hour, the horses would ignite.

This quarter of an hour was the best time for him to set the fire.

Dou Changsheng cautiously approached the village. As night fell, the village was silent. This was an abandoned village; there were too many such existences in the Northern Lands. More than ten years of frequent fighting had caused countless people to lose their livelihoods.

After the number of people in some villages decreased, they had to huddle with other villages, and over time, many villages were abandoned.

Dou Changsheng did not go deep. He came to a thatched cottage and directly ignited the fire. Seeing the firelight appear, Dou Changsheng did not dare to be slow; he immediately left quickly, changed positions, and set fire again.

At first, the enemy did not react. By the time Dou Changsheng ignited the third place, martial artists were already rushing over, looking at the firelight.

Dou Changsheng did not go to set fire again but chose to lurk. After a while, a crazy horse rushed into the village. Dou Changsheng sighed; one of the two horses ran in the wrong direction, but he was content. He had thought that with his luck, maybe not a single horse would rush into the village.

This was just to create a commotion; do not expect it to have much effect.

Ordinary people were naturally helpless against a crazy horse because they dared not get close; the horse's power was enough to flip them over. But to martial artists, like Wang Xiong, they could press the horse down with one hand.

Burned by the flames, the crazy horse had only just collapsed a thatched cottage when it was slashed by a martial artist who rushed over.

The long blade crossed the night sky, leaving a white streak.

Blood erupted, and the huge horse head flew high, circling in the sky before finally falling to the ground, rolling continuously.

After the martial artist landed, his silver-white hair flew—it was none other than Ai Haike.

An ethereal figure descended from the sky. Feng Zhongyi looked at the horse carcass lying on the ground, ignoring the flowing blood. He was about to move his gaze away when suddenly, Feng Zhongyi's gaze froze, and he said in a deep voice: "I recognize it."

"This is Dou Changsheng's horse."

"The one who set the fire is Dou Changsheng; he has come to rescue the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe."

Hearing this, Ai Haike shook his head slightly and said: "I came here this time to bid farewell."

"I have already chosen to return home and will no longer participate in worldly affairs."

"Tonight's events, I happened to be here, but I will not help either side."

"Farewell!"

After Ai Haike put away his long blade, he walked directly toward the outside of the village. Feng Zhongyi watched the other's back, his eyes starting to flicker.

To save his life, he couldn't help but boast about Dou Changsheng's strength.

Now, if Dou Changsheng really encountered Long Ying, he would definitely not be Long Ying's opponent. This was a martial artist who had completed the Five Qi and had already begun to condense the Three Flowers.

Dou Changsheng had exposed his true strength; how could the True Person spare him?

Feng Zhongyi did not want to die.

He turned and rushed toward the center of the village, shouting while changing his voice: "It's bad."

"A Grandmaster from the Shogunate has come to save people."

They were all a mob; Feng Zhongyi understood them too well. Hearing the word "Grandmaster," they would definitely hesitate in their hearts and not dare to come forward.

He rushed into a large courtyard and saw Long Ying, who was sitting on a grandmaster chair, quietly guarding the prison. Feng Zhongyi said quickly: "My lord, leave quickly."

"Someone just said a Grandmaster is attacking. I didn't believe it at first, but Ai Haike suddenly stopped participating and wanted to go back."

"This is absolutely not normal. I suspect Ai Haike knew about this long ago."

"It is rumored that the Pure Yin Grandmaster, who is as famous as the Pure Yang Grandmaster, has strange methods and can attach his soul to others. Even if he is a hundred miles away, he can still control living people."

"Ai Haike's family is loyal; the Northern Lands Grandmaster naturally will not make things difficult for him. But if we don't leave early, I'm afraid we won't escape his poisonous hands."

"The people imprisoned here are all small characters; there is no big character."

"My lord, you should strategically retreat; seizing the military pay is the priority!"

As long as they ran, if a Grandmaster attacked, even a fake one would become real. ===== CHAPTER 13 =====