Chapter 42: A Stealthy Maneuver

Dressed in men's clothing, the fairy Tang Diexian, after causing a stir at Taiping Residence with Liang Yan, followed the pebble path out of Yongle Town toward the thatched cottage they had purchased earlier.

Mounted on her horse, Tang Diexian asked, "Was that Scholar Feng just now the target we are looking for?"

Liang Yan nodded. "Indeed. They all possess those jade pendants that hide their cultivation, but they cannot hide from my eyes and ears."

"Then he should have detected my cultivation level as well, right?"

"Mhm. At this time, a Qi Refinement Level 5 cultivator appearing in town is, in their eyes, ten to one a research disciple from the Yixing Pavilion."

"Then we only need to wait for the rabbit to come to the tree," Tang Diexian said with a charming smile. "But I didn't expect you to know how to compose poetry as well."

Liang Yan gave a bitter smile. "When I was a child, my father hoped I would earn academic honors and frequently urged me to study. But I was too fond of playing back then and never took it seriously. Now, I can only manage enough to deal with these impoverished scholars."

Curiously, Tang Diexian asked, "You have been on the path of immortality for six years now. Do you often miss your father?"

Liang Yan's eyes darkened upon hearing this. He did not answer, merely leading the way silently by the horse's reins.

Seeing him suddenly become taciturn, Tang Diexian couldn't help but ask cautiously, "What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

Liang Yan shook his head and said hoarsely, "My father... he passed away."

Tang Diexian's heart constricted sharply. She hurriedly said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

Liang Yan waved his hand at her. "It's not your fault. It's just that I am immersed in the past and cannot let go. People say that immortals and mortals are separated by a great divide, and once one enters the immortal gate, all of the past is mere illusion. Yet, I can never forget my days in Huaiyuan Town. Perhaps the reason I was stuck at the bottleneck of Qi Refinement Level 3 was partly due to this mental knot."

Tang Diexian said, "I grew up in the Yixing Pavilion. My family elders are all successful cultivators. Since childhood, high expectations were placed upon me, but I also lacked freedom. They say that cultivation knows no passage of time, but it is actually quite boring. Why don't you tell me about your childhood?"

Liang Yan glanced back at her. He saw her innocent face and her large eyes blinking, as if urging him to speak quickly.

He cleared his throat and said, "Alright, I shall tell you. Let me think where to start... Aha! Let's start with the joker of our town, Zhang Daniu..."

As the sun set, a young man and a young woman traveled along the ancient road, one on horseback and the other leading the way.

The youth leading the way spoke eloquently, while the maiden on the horse leaned against the saddle, her chin resting on her hand, listening intently and occasionally letting out a knowing smile. However, as the youth reached the end of his tale, her brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

"...Later, that master taught me a bit of the basics, but he resolutely refused to let me call him master, instead recommending me to the Yixing Pavilion."

By the time Liang Yan finished telling his life story in one breath, darkness had fallen. He hadn't intended to speak of the massacre in Huaiyuan Town, but as he spoke, he lost control. For six years of cultivation, these matters had been buried deep in his heart; today, facing Tang Diexian, it was as if he could not hold them back, and they poured out all at once.

Of course, he did not mention the Heavenly Mystery Bead, and he glossed over the old monk, merely calling him a powerful master. Aside from those two points, everything else about himself was told in detail.

He thought he would be extremely sorrowful, but to his surprise, the more he spoke, the calmer he became. Toward the end, it felt as if he were telling someone else's story, as if it had nothing to do with him.

When he finally finished, he took a deep breath. He felt strangely calm, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. His words were done, and the person behind him remained silent; the air grew still for a moment.

Suddenly, a fragrance drifted from behind. He was grabbed by the arm and pulled backward, and in the next moment, he found himself atop the horse.

A maiden's floral fragrance swept over him, followed by a pair of soft hands passing around his waist, gently embracing him. With breath like orchids in his ear, a clear, soft female voice said, "Silly boy, don't overthink it. I've seen you working as a servant all day; consider the rest of the journey a reward."

"..."

The two, with one horse, traveled in silence along the quiet mountain path outside the town. That night, Liang Yan felt his state of mind was the calmest it had been in over six years.

After settling into the thatched cottage, the two spent their days either meditating or going into town to gather information, as if they were conducting an investigation. Life passed peacefully for three days.

On the third night.

It was already late at night. The lights of ten thousand homes had been extinguished, leaving only a few places of song and dance still lost in drunken revelry.

In the woods southeast of Yongle Town, several men in black had gathered for unknown reasons. They all wore masks, and jade pendants hung from their waists. Not far in front of them stood an unremarkable thatched cottage.

One of them spoke, "'Number Five,' is everything set up?"

The person called "Number Five" replied, "Everything is in place. This Nine Flame Formation can be activated at your command. With the six of us gathered here, even if they are disciples of the Yixing Pavilion with heaven-defying methods, they will certainly be unable to escape under the Nine Flame Formation and our encirclement."

The man who had asked the question nodded. "Thank you for your hard work." Having said that, he stepped forward toward the cottage.

Reaching the courtyard gate of the cottage, he shouted loudly

"Listen, fellow Daoists of the Yixing Pavilion! You are already trapped within the Nine Flame Formation, and with six of us here, you have no chance of victory!"

He paused and shouted again, "We are merely rogue cultivators and do not wish to form a mortal enmity with the Yixing Pavilion. As long as you obediently swallow the Corpse-Brain Pills in my hand and promise to deal with the Yixing Pavilion's investigation for us for one year, I will surely hand over the antidote with both hands after a year. Furthermore, we guarantee not to take a single spirit stone from the mine. When the time comes, everything will return to normal. You can save your lives and have a proper explanation for your sect!"

After speaking, he waited on the spot, but the cottage remained deathly silent, without even the slightest response.

The black-clad man's face darkened, a hint of ruthlessness appearing in his eyes. He turned to the others and said, "It seems our two fellow Daoists are not very wise. Then let us send them into reincarnation."

"Number Five" nodded and performed a hand seal. Suddenly, nine pillars of flame erupted within several miles of the cottage. Chanting incantations, he waved a formation flag, and the nine pillars of flame immediately began to move with a thunderous roar.

By the time he waved the flag again, the nine flames had occupied all the Li positions within the formation. The intensity of the formation increased, with waves of heat so immense they seemed capable of burning mountains and boiling seas.

At this point, the black-clad men had retreated outside the formation, their eyes fixed on the cottage within, waiting for the two inside to make a desperate struggle.

Yet, there was still no movement within the formation. Suddenly, a sound of breaking air arrived, followed by a figure appearing instantly before them. The black-clad men focused their gaze and saw that the newcomer was also dressed in black and wearing a mask, his aura faint and elusive. A jade pendant hung from his waist, inscribed with the character "One."

"Number One!"

The black-clad man with the "Number Two" jade pendant exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here? The six of us are enough to handle this!"

The person called "Number One" shook his head. He reached into his storage bag and pulled out an object wrapped in black cloth, walking toward the man as if wanting him to inspect it.

"Number Two, watch out!" A sudden cry came from behind him.

"Number Two" was startled and instinctively dodged to the side, but "Number One" had already torn open the black cloth, revealing a precious sword engraved with intricate flowers. She performed a hand seal and pointed a finger at the scabbard. With a *clang!*, the sword unsheathed and flew straight toward Number Two.

Though startled, "Number Two" did not panic. He flipped backward while performing a hand seal, shouting loudly, "Rise!"

A pitch-black, hexagonal shield, dark as ink and without any pattern, emerged before him.

With a *clang!*, the sword and shield collided, erupting in a spark. The black shield trembled slightly, forcing "Number Two" back several steps, but he managed to take the blow steadily.

"He is not Number One!"

A black-clad man wearing the "Number Six" jade pendant shouted, preparing to summon a spiritual tool to defend himself. However, just as his hand reached for his storage bag, another sudden change occurred.

Two muffled groans came from behind, followed by the sound of breaking air. Sensing danger, his hair stood on end; he rolled across the ground just as a bright small knife thudded into the earth right past his back.

He looked back to see two of his comrades coughing up blood, collapsing in a weakened state.

"Number Four, what are you doing!"

"Can't you tell? He isn't Number Four; he is the person we are meant to deal with this time."

The speaker was "Number Three." He had also been ambushed by a flying knife, though his luck was not as good as "Number Six's"; the knife had grazed his waist and cut his abdomen.

His clothes were torn, so he simply tore off his black mask, revealing a scholar's robe underneath. He was none other than Scholar Feng, whom Liang Yan had met briefly at Taiping Residence.

Seeing this, Liang Yan thought to himself, *What a pity!*

He had disguised himself as "Number Four" to infiltrate them and had suddenly launched his attack. First, he had used spiritual power to shoot flying knives at the two furthest away, while simultaneously using the "Mindless Method" to strike the two nearby with his palms. Those two had died instantly as their heart meridians were shattered, but the ones targeted by the flying knives had not suffered significant damage.

The one previously disguised as "Number One" was naturally Tang Diexian. Given the current situation, the black-clad cultivators still had "Number Two," "Number Three," and "Number Six" remaining; thus, they were still two against three.