Chapter 8: Fierce Battle

At this moment, Liang Yan felt a wave of agitation in his heart. His original intention for this trip was to purchase some medicinal pills suitable for the first level of Qi Refinement. When the old man brought out the wooden fish to display it, Liang Yan hadn't paid much attention, but suddenly, his dantian gave an abrupt leap, triggering a slight tremor throughout his entire body.

Liang Yan was greatly alarmed. Before he could even react, a strange thought suddenly rose in his mind: he must buy this wooden fish at any cost.

The sensation was truly eerie. Liang Yan remained lucid and wanted to resist this thought, but the more he resisted, the more intense his desire to possess the wooden fish became.

Just moments ago, while the old man was waiting for the auction of the wooden fish, the crowd below had shown little interest. Only Liang Yan was engaged in a mental battle. Ultimately, unable to withstand the desire in his heart, Liang Yan spoke up and won the bid.

The red-nosed old man was overjoyed. He hurriedly counted to three and then looked at Liang Yan with a face flushed with excitement. His gaze was kind and gentle, as if he were looking at his own junior: "This fellow Daoist truly has a discerning eye. I congratulate you on successfully acquiring this treasure. Please come to the backstage later to complete the transaction."

The surrounding crowd looked at him as if he were a sucker, with some even pointing and whispering in mockery. Liang Yan felt a deep sense of regret, but the words had already been spoken. He had no doubt that if he tried to back out in a setting like this, the several Foundation Establishment cultivators in the cave would strike him without hesitation.

He could only shake his head with a bitter smile and follow a woman in green to the backstage. There, a middle-aged man with a kind face was waiting for him. With a pang of heartache, Liang Yan took out his storage bag and counted out fifty spirit stones to hand over. The middle-aged man smiled broadly as he presented the wooden fish with both hands.

Having suffered such a great loss, Liang Yan lost all interest in the subsequent items of the auction. He took the wooden fish and turned to leave. Before he reached the exit, the middle-aged man didn't forget to call out from behind, "Young man, you are young yet possess such keen insight; your future prospects are limitless!"

Liang Yan rolled his eyes and cursed inwardly. He strode out of the cave and headed toward the small town halfway up the mountain without looking back.

The cave hosting the auction was not too far from the town. After walking along the mountain path for about half an hour, Liang Yan gradually calmed down. He began to secretly reflect on that eerie thought, recalling that it seemed to have been triggered by the anomaly in his dantian.

"My dantian pulsed at that moment, and immediately after, that incredibly intense desire swept over me. Could there be something inside my body that I am unaware of?"

At this thought, Liang Yan instantly broke into a cold sweat. It wasn't the loss of fifty spirit stones that was terrifying, but the possibility that something unknown was residing within him—something that could even deceive the old monk. The more Liang Yan thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He made up his mind that he must return and demand an explanation from the old monk.

As he was lost in thought, a faint, delicate fragrance suddenly drifted toward him.

Liang Yan looked up and saw a young woman in red. Her figure was graceful, her eyes were full of charm, and she was standing at the crossroads, looking at him with a smile.

Liang Yan's face flushed under her gaze. Not daring to meet her eyes, he looked toward the roadside and said evasively, "Why aren't Fellow Daoist Chen and Fellow Daoist Xu here?"

Tang Yan let out a giggle and said, "Why bring those two burdens along? They are quite boring." She then sighed and added, "Could it be that Young Master Liang is unwilling to spend a moment alone with me?"

Liang Yan felt a surge of panic. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, "Fairy Tang, that's not what I meant. I meant... it's quite good for just the two of us to be together. No, that's not it either! Please don't misunderstand, Fairy."

Seeing his awkwardness, Tang Yan couldn't help but laugh again. She gave him a playful glance and said softly, "It's all your fault, you naughty little brother, for being so handsome. The moment I saw you, my heart was captured. To me, everyone else is worth less than one of your fingers. If you wish, I... I am willing to do anything for you..." As Tang Yan spoke, her face grew redder and her voice grew lower, until her final words were barely audible.

Although Liang Yan was only a teenager, he was tall and possessed a mature mind. Being caught off guard by Tang Yan's passionate confession—seeing her extreme bashfulness combined with the allure of a young woman—his heart raced uncontrollably. He couldn't help but blurt out, "I feel the same! Whatever you ask me to do, I will do it. I will not hesitate even to cross mountains of blades or seas of fire!"

Tang Yan's eyes lit up, seemingly filled with infinite joy. As Liang Yan's gaze met hers, he felt as if his entire soul were being pulled in. He heard Tang Yan murmur softly, "In that case, please come and hold me, Young Master Liang."

Liang Yan nodded, walking forward blankly like a marionette, reaching out to pull Tang Yan into his arms.

At that exact moment, the nameless technique taught by the old monk suddenly began to circulate in Liang Yan's mind. A warm current surged from his dantian, flowing through his meridians to his limbs and bones, finally converging at the Baihui acupoint on the top of his head.

Liang Yan's mind instantly cleared. Within a range of ten yards, he could see the falling leaves and hear the chirping of insects. Looking up, he saw that the tenderness in Tang Yan's eyes had vanished, replaced by the excited and urgent expression of a hunter eyeing its prey.

Alerted, Liang Yan immediately leaped backward. Simultaneously, his ears twitched, and he spun rapidly in mid-air, narrowly avoiding a writing brush aimed at his dantian.

The brush struck the ground three inches in front of him, exploding into a cloud of dust with a loud *bang*. Immediately after, the sound of wind cutting through the air came from behind. An object flew toward him; before he could turn his head, Liang Yan could only swing his fist backward.

The incoming object was unexpectedly fragile and was crushed by his punch, but a foul stench immediately followed. Having inhaled a significant amount, Liang Yan felt a sudden wave of dizziness.

Seeing this, Tang Yan was slightly startled. She was originally an outer disciple of a small nearby sect, but was expelled due to poor aptitude. She had accidentally obtained a dual-cultivation manual in a cave dwelling, and through diligent practice, she had mastered the art of seduction. Since then, she had specialized in ensnaring young disciples from small sects during their travels; over the years, countless men had fallen under her spell.

"Those Qi Refinement level two disciples were all mesmerized by me, yet this person managed to regain clarity. He must have a secret. I'll have to investigate him carefully later," Tang Yan thought to herself.

At that moment, two people emerged from the woods—it was Chen Chong and Xu Kun! The two of them flanked Tang Yan, pinning Liang Yan in the middle.

Liang Yan understood the situation. He asked coldly, "Why are you doing this, Fellow Daoists?"

Chen Chong laughed and said, "Why play dumb, Fellow Daoist Liang? Actually, we only intended to make a little profit. A rogue cultivator like you wouldn't yield much, but who knew you were so extravagant as to spend fifty spirit stones on a piece of junk? You must be quite wealthy."

Tang Yan also covered her mouth and smiled, "Young Master Liang, there is no need to struggle. You were first poisoned by my fragrance, and now you have been struck by Fellow Daoist Xu's bitter poison. I fear you can't even use thirty percent of your spiritual power. Furthermore, the more you fight, the more the toxicity will intensify. When your internal organs rot from the inside, it will be quite unsightly. It would be better to obediently hand over your storage bag. We won't make it too hard for you; we will ensure your body remains intact for your reincarnation. What do you say?"

The three of them, while chatting and laughing, already considered Liang Yan a prize in their grasp. The reason they hadn't acted immediately was to wait for the poison to take full effect.

Liang Yan remained silent. Suddenly, he rolled onto the ground, his left hand clutching the back of his head and his right hand grabbing his left knee in a bizarre posture, as if he were throwing a tantrum on the ground.

The three had been on high alert to prevent a desperate last stand, so seeing his strange movements, they exchanged puzzled looks. Tang Yan even frowned and said, "A man as handsome as Young Master Liang shouldn't perform such unseemly actions. A man may die, but he should not lose his dignity. Looking at you like this, I find you less and less appealing."

"No, look!"

Chen Chong suddenly pointed. Tang Yan and Xu Kun followed his gaze and saw that every time Liang Yan rolled, pink and black spots appeared on the ground. Initially, the area where he rolled was densely covered in black and red, but after several rolls, it became sparse, and by now, the spots were almost invisible.

A bizarre thought struck the three: "Is this person expelling poison?" Before they could react, Liang Yan leaped up from the ground, his eyes flashing like lightning as he scanned the three. Looking at his posture and expression, there was not a single sign of poisoning left.

"Not good! This man is strange! Don't hold back, attack together!" Xu Kun shouted, donning iron gauntlets and charging forward first.

What Liang Yan had just used was the "Rolling Stance," one of the eight postures taught by the old monk. Although these eight postures were bizarre, each had its own unique utility. Having practiced for a year, Liang Yan had gained some understanding; by using it now, he had expelled all the poison he had just ingested into the ground.

Seeing Xu Kun charging at him, Liang Yan hurriedly focused to defend himself. Xu Kun was a body-refining disciple who specialized in tempering his physical form; if he were allowed to get close, even a second-level Qi Refinement cultivator might not be able to defeat him. The two clashed, the wind from their punches whistling as they fought on equal footing.

Chen Chong was surprised to see him hold his own against Xu Kun at close range. He immediately performed a hand seal, sending the writing brush flying to circle around Liang Yan, specifically targeting the openings he left while fighting.

Tang Yan also took out a bamboo flute and began to play. The melody was mournful, like weeping and lamenting. Liang Yan felt his mind becoming cluttered and his thoughts stagnating. His moves became full of openings, and in a short time, he found himself in perilous situations.

In contrast, the other two seemed completely unaffected, as if they were deaf to the music. Clearly, they had prepared in advance by taking pills to stabilize their minds.

Seeing the situation turn critical, Liang Yan suddenly reached for his storage bag and then flung his hand upward. Under the night sky, five stone-like objects whistled toward Chen Chong.

Though Chen Chong was a cultivator, he was only at the second level of Qi Refinement, and his physical body was only slightly stronger than a mortal's. Seeing the rapid projectile, he didn't dare take it head-on and instead rolled on the ground to narrowly avoid it. Looking back, he saw that the five objects were actually spirit stones embedded in the ground.

Using one hand to push Chen Chong away, Liang Yan turned around and threw a full-strength punch at Xu Kun. Seeing that Liang Yan actually dared to clash physical bodies with him, Xu Kun was overjoyed and immediately threw a punch in return. The two fists collided with a dull thud.

Xu Kun flew backward with a look of utter disbelief, slamming into a massive boulder. A series of cracking sounds erupted from his body—the sound of bones shattering.

Liang Yan had repelled Xu Kun with one punch, but before he could catch his breath, a whistling sound came from behind. He had no choice but to dodge to the right, but he was a beat too slow. A writing brush pierced through his left arm, leaving a bloody hole.

At this point, Chen Chong's expression turned serious. His hands moved rapidly through seals, sending the writing brush to strike at Liang Yan's vital points repeatedly. Seeing Liang Yan's powerful physical body, he had decided not to engage in close combat, instead choosing to use his spiritual tool to launch long-range attacks at the cost of his own mana.

After witnessing Liang Yan's strength, Tang Yan also did not dare to be careless. Her flute playing grew louder and more mournful, disturbing the mind and making it impossible to defend against.

With his left arm injured and his movements hindered, Liang Yan became increasingly agitated by the flute music. Suddenly, he planted one foot on the ground and leaped into the air. With his right hand behind his back and his left arm hanging down, he tilted his head back and let out a long, piercing roar—this was the "Street-Cursing Stance" of the eight postures.

To Chen Chong and Tang Yan, this roar was like thunder crashing into their ears, so powerful that it seemed to displace their internal organs.

Tang Yan's flute snapped with a loud crack, rendering it useless. Holding the broken flute, her gaze swept the area and she discovered that Xu Kun was coughing up blood, his eyes wide, having already expired.

"He was already heavily injured by that Liang fellow's punch, likely affecting his internal organs. Hearing that roar now, he must have been shaken to death!" At this thought, Tang Yan lost all will to fight, thinking only of how to escape.

After his long roar, the stifling feeling in Liang Yan's chest vanished. He turned to give Tang Yan a cold glance, stomped his foot, and instantly appeared before her.

"Fellow Daoist, wait! Let's talk..." Before she could finish, Liang Yan grabbed her throat and, with a *crack*, snapped her neck.

Liang Yan tossed Tang Yan's corpse aside and turned his gaze toward Chen Chong. To Chen Chong, that look was no different from a vengeful ghost coming for his soul. He screamed at the top of his lungs, "You can't kill me! If you kill me, you will die! Cousin! Cousin, save me!"

Liang Yan let out a cold laugh and charged at him. With a powerful right punch, he struck Chen Chong squarely in the chest. Chen Chong's heart was crushed, and his life force vanished instantly.

Just as Liang Yan retracted his fist, a sudden sense of danger flared in his mind. He exerted force in his waist and threw himself backward to lie flat. Almost simultaneously, a small black knife whistled past his face, emitting a foul stench that indicated it was coated in potent poison. The attack was too sudden; before Liang Yan could react, a piercing, icy pain erupted from his abdomen. Looking down, he saw a blue ice spike had pierced through his body.

(End of Chapter)