Chapter 135 - 135 The First Swordsman Lou Xiangzhen

Lijiang City, there’s a tavern.

“Have you heard? Zhenyi Sect has started issuing bounties for the Ghost Swordsman.”

“That has already spread throughout Jianghu. Who isn’t aware of it? Just report the Ghost Swordsman’s whereabouts to the people of Qing Feng Hall. If accurate, you could receive fifty thousand silver.”

“Fifty thousand silver! Really?”

“Zhenyi Sect’s pill workshop is not short of money; for them, fifty thousand silver is but a drop in the bucket.”

“But placing a bounty of fifty thousand silver shows that Zhenyi Sect is indeed taking this matter very seriously.”

“What grudge does Zhenyi Sect have with the Ghost Swordsman?”

“It’s said that the death of Qi Yun was due to that Ghost Swordsman.”

“There’s even bigger news. Do you know about Dongluo Pass? A Grandmaster level expert recently emerged there, but it’s still not clear who it is.”

“Then, the Demon Sect’s power has grown by another notch.”

…….

Amid the tavern, discussions buzzed as some people from Jianghu talked about significant events happening within Jianghu.

In a corner, a man dressed in a black robe sat, his expression as indifferent as water.

This man was An Jing, who had hurried from Yu State City to Lijiang City.

“Zhenyi Sect…”

An Jing took a deep breath, his brow slightly furrowed.

Zhenyi Sect had begun their search for him due to the Daluo Heart Method. It looked like he had to be more wary of Zhenyi Sect now.

Being the national religion of Great Yan, Zhenyi Sect had numerous experts under their command, including the Four Peaks and the Seven True Masters. Xiao Qianqiu, who had been seated in Jianghu for decades, was probably stronger than that Lord Jiang.

“Hm!?”

Just then, a dusty figure entered through the doorway.

It was an elderly man, dressed in grey clothes that had been washed to a white hue, holding a longsword in his hand, his face showing a bitter expression, his eyes seeming cloudy yet hiding a gleam of sharpness.

The old man walked in, looking for something as his gaze swept around before finally finding an empty seat. He sat down and called out loudly, “Waiter, bring some good dishes and a pot of fine wine.”

“Alright!”

The waiter responded with a clear shout.

The old man looked ordinary, but An Jing felt a familiar aura emanating from him.

Jiang Sanjia!?

An Jing’s brow twisted, sensing the same qi from this old man as he felt from Jiang Sanjia. It seemed the old man was releasing it on purpose.

This was none other than the old man from the border, Xiang.

The two men sat at separate tables, eating their own food and drink, occasionally locking eyes, but neither one spoke first.

Suddenly, a loud commotion came from outside the tavern.

“Help… Help… ”

A beautiful woman stumbled into the tavern, rolling and crawling. Several figures followed her, leading them was a man with a pointed face and the demeanor of a scholar.

With his lips licked, the man sneered, “Little beauty, your husband has already sold you to my young master. You’re helpless even if you run to the ends of the earth.”

“Save me… Please save me,” the woman cried as she ran.

“Move along, move along. That’s Master Wang from Linhu Lake Villa, Chu Huai’s man.”

“So it’s him. Let’s leave this place quickly; we shouldn’t draw unnecessary trouble.”

…..

Upon seeing this, everyone’s faces changed, and they all started to move away.

Just as a young swordsman was about to stand up, his companion pressed a palm down on him.

In a low voice, the companion said, “Have you forgotten about the Feiying Fortress…”

The young swordsman’s face suddenly changed, and after a heavy sigh, he remained silent.

Everyone in Jiangnan knew Feng Shuimu of Feiying Fortress, who was a skilled fighter at the Third Grade Realm. However, Feng Shuimu’s wife and daughter caught the eye of Chu Huai, who then sent men to abduct them directly from his home to amuse himself.

When Feng Shuimu learned of this, he led the Feiying Fortress’s skilled fighters to surround Linhu Lake Villa. Ultimately, he failed to kill Chu Huai and instead died himself at Linhu Lake Villa, leading to the destruction of Feiying Fortress.

The incident caused a huge uproar in Jiangnan’s Jianghu, with countless people supporting Feng Shuimu. Eventually, Chu Huai was confined to house arrest, forbidden to leave Linhu Lake Villa.

However, Chu Huai did not mend his ways but instead continued to send his underlings to gather beauties from around Lijiang City for his amusement.

And Master Wang, present now, was one of Chu Huai’s most trusted underlings.

“Little beauty, keep running,” he taunted.

Wang Sire watched the woman with a smirking smile.

“Save me… please, I beg you.”

The woman felt a chill in her heart when she saw Wang Sire’s gaze, continuously kneeling and begging the people around, tears glimmering in her eyes.

Everyone knew that those who entered Linhu Lake Villa would definitely be ravaged to death by Chu Huai, not even leaving a body behind.

Was the infamous rogue of Lijiang City undeservedly notorious?

The expressions on many surrounding faces were extremely ugly, but no one dared to intervene.

The pitiful cries continuously strung everyone’s heartstrings.

Wang Sire stepped forward, grabbed the woman’s wrist, and sneered, “Just enjoy the young master’s flogging.”

“Stop!”

A harsh shout resounded.

Wang Sire looked in the direction of the voice, seeing a young man with a flushed face, carrying a long sword on his back.

The young man shouted loudly, “Under the broad daylight, you dare abduct a civilian girl!? Is there no law anymore?”

“Yo!”

Hearing this, Wang Sire couldn’t help but burst into laughter, “Where did this greenhorn come from, lecturing me about the law?”

“Hahahaha!”

The experts from Linhu Lake Villa behind him also laughed, their laughter laced with mockery.

“Damn it!”

Seeing this, the young man was even more infuriated, drew the long sword from behind, “Since you dare commit such heinous acts, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

“Swoosh!”

The sword light turned cold, piercing towards Wang Sire’s throat.

“A thread of red, this is the Yijian Thirteen Form from the Yijian Sect!”

“This young man’s swordsmanship has already reached the realm of momentum, it seems he must be a distinguished disciple of the Yijian Sect.”

…..

The crowd around saw this and their eyes gleamed with a sharp light.

An Jing was drinking by himself, his complexion utterly serene.

In the Great Yan Martial World, the most formidable were these five gangs and seven sects, but beneath these, there were various other sects scattered across every region of Great Yan.

These sects had received the Great Yan Mountain Opening Order, considered official and orthodox sects, possessing the right to recruit disciples and continue their lineages.

And the Yijian Sect was among these numerous sects.

A hundred years ago, the Yijian Sect had produced a swordsman of the Fifth Realm, who had shaken the martial world of Great Yan, but since then, no prominent swordsmen had emerged from the Yijian Sect, and its fame had gradually dwindled.

“To think he dares to play the hero, saving the beauty with just the cultivation of the sixth-grade peak?”

Wang Sire sneered, and with a stretch of his hand, he grabbed the young man’s long sword directly, followed by a slap on the young man’s shoulder.

“Bang!”

The young man let go of his long sword, his body heavily crashing onto an old man’s table.

With just one move, the young man was defeated by Wang Sire.

The old man supported the young man with his palm, saying, “Is there nothing that can’t be resolved peacefully, must you resort to such violence?”

“Old man, I advise you to mind your own business.”

Wang Sire sneered again, then looked at the young man, “Kid, it seems you haven’t figured out how things work in Jianghu, yet you dare to wander it and speak to me, Wang De, about the law?”

“You!”

The young man, covering his arm, unsuccessful in his attempt and instead receiving a lesson, his face turned the color of liver.

“First, teach this kid a lesson.”

Wang Sire waved his hand.

“Yes!”

Several people quickly surrounded the Yijian Sect disciple and launched an attack, not holding back at all, striking as if aiming to kill.

After all, they had Chu Huai backing them, he would take care of any consequences.

The sound of things breaking, tables and chairs being smashed, echoed around.

The manager stood by with a mournful face, continuously shaking his head and sighing, not daring to speak loudly.

The surrounding people also stood up, fearing they would be affected.

Yet in the entire tavern, only An Jing and the old man continued to eat and drink on their own, always completely calm.

“Snap!”

The youth was slapped hard across the face and then staggered to fall onto An Jing’s table, a jet of blood spraying forth.

“Brother, this was good wine,” he said.

An Jing, seeing this, was immediately displeased.

The youth looked at the robed man in front of him and felt a surge of grievance inside. I’m almost beaten to death by these bullies, and you actually care about your wine?

Master Wang took a quick step forward, ready to grab the youth by the collar.

“Wait a moment!”

An Jing quickly stopped Master Wang.

“What are you doing?”

Master Wang looked at the robed figure in front of him, his brow furrowing.

An Jing said displeased, “He’s spoiled my drink. Let him compensate before anything else.”

“Are you asking for death?”

Master Wang was not a fool. Immediate asked sternly.

An Jing pointed to the wine pot stained with blood, looked at the attendant and the manager, “This was good wine, right? It costs five silver per pot, doesn’t it?”

“Yes…yes…”

The attendant and the manager could only awkwardly agree, then thought to themselves: You’re worried about the five silver worth of wine, beware you don’t lose your life over it.

The bystanders all secretly sweated cold sweat for An Jing.

Old Xu beside them pitifully said, “Indeed, it’s a pity this wine was spoiled. He should compensate.”

“Are you also looking for trouble?”

Master Wang, enraged to the point of laughter, murderous intent appeared in his eyes. “Good, very good, kill them all.”

“Yes.”

A few men behind Master Wang sneered and charged towards Old Xu.

An Jing shook his head, saying nothing.

“Always resorting to violence and killing,” Old Xu sighed, pointing forward.

“Shick!” “Shick!” “Shick!”

What seemed like a casual flicker split into countless rays of sword light.

“Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!”

The men who rushed forward were instantly struck by the sword light, the life fading from their eyes as they all fell to the ground.

Old Xu’s expression remained supremely calm. Killing these men seemed as natural to him as eating or drinking.

Silence!

The entire tavern suddenly became extremely quiet.

Everyone was dumbstruck, not expecting the seemingly ordinary old man to be a master.

The young man from the Yijian Sect was even more shocked, his heart seemingly shouting crazily: This is swordsmanship, this is a true Sword Dao master!

Hundred-step Flying Sword!?

Seeing this, An Jing couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, now certain of the old man’s identity.

This move was clearly meant for him to witness.

“You…you…”

Master Wang looked at the old man in astonishment, his voice trembling.

“Shall we change the location?” An Jing said blandly.

“Okay.”

Old Xu nodded his head.

An Jing nodded slightly, then with a sweep of his robe,

“Shick!”

A flash of sword light, too quick to catch, burst forth, piercing straight into Master Wang’s brow.

“Thud!”

The light faded from Master Wang’s eyes, and he then heavily fell to the ground.

“Swoosh!” “Swoosh!”

An Jing and the old man leaped, and the next moment they disappeared within the restaurant.

The restaurant fell deathly silent.

No one knew how much time had passed before voices of discussion erupted like a sudden flood.

“Master Wang has really kicked an iron plate this time,” someone said.

“Those two must also be experts from Jianghu, truly fearsome,” another remarked.

“Such fierce swordsmanship, definitely top-notch swordsmen,” commented another.

……

The young disciple of Yijian Sect watched their departing figures, lost in thought for a long time.

“In the future, no, I must become a swordsman like them,” the youth whispered to himself, clenching his fist.

“Thank you, young hero, for your life-saving grace.”

At that moment, the woman walked up to the youth and bowed deeply.

The youth shook his head, saying, “No need, it wasn’t I who saved you, but those two seniors just now. You’d better leave quickly.”

“Where can I go?”

The woman’s eyes held a trace of misery, “My husband has already been driven to his death by him, and I am now homeless. Besides, that tyrant in Lijiang City has an extensive reach; I cannot escape. You should leave quickly…”

Hearing this, the youth sighed deeply, remaining silent for a long time before touching his longsword and recalling his master’s admonition to always be extremely careful in Jianghu, and not to act rashly on impulse, lest he invite great trouble.

……

Outside Lijiang City.

Two figures passed through the woods and then landed in a dense forest.

The old man stood on a branch and said lightly, “You must be the Ghost Swordsman from the Daluo Sect, right?”

“Suppose so,”

An Jing nodded.

Yan Shaoshan had passed the Daluo Heart Method to him, and Jiang Sanjia had told him that Yan Shaoshan was the only successor of the Daluo Sect. Since he had already practiced the Daluo Heart Method, he could not sever ties with the Daluo Sect no matter what.

The old man had observed all along the way and thought to himself, “This Ghost Swordsman’s sword technique is not bad, but his cultivation is somewhat lacking.”

The cultivation of the Earth Flower Realm was already considered extremely high in the Jianghu, yet it was still insignificant in the face of the colossal Zhenyi Sect.

“Hiss—!”

At this moment, a strange noise sounded behind the old man.

The old man frowned deeply and swiftly turned around.

A huge, fierce snake head appeared in front of him, its massive triangular eyes coldly staring at him as if they wanted to tear him apart.

The gigantic body exuded an imposing pressure like a mountain, making a normal person appear very small in its presence.

“A Thousand-year-old Black Python!?”

Seeing this, the old man was greatly shaken.

He recognized the origin of this exotic beast at a glance—a Black Python about to transform into a Jiao dragon, which, once transformed, would likely be an opponent beyond even his own abilities.

The Thousand-year-old Black Python flicked its tongue and then quickly slithered in front of An Jing, who leaped onto the snake’s head in one bound.

Seeing this, the old man was even more astonished.

Knowing well that the Thousand-year-old Black Python was an extremely ferocious creature, with a heart filled only with a desire for slaughter, how could it possibly submit to a human?

An Jing smiled and said, “Senior must be from the Ghost Valley Sect, right?”

“The World’s First Swordsman, Lou Xiangzhen,” the old man responded with a slight lift of his chin.

The title ‘The World’s First Swordsman’ sounded very ordinary coming from his mouth.

Before the Sword God and Sword Demon, no swordsman had ever earned the title of the world’s number one swordsman. The ones with the best chance were the Sword God and Sword Demon, but they lived during the same era.

Since these two top swordsmen had never crossed swords in their lifetimes, no one knew who truly was the number one swordsman in the world.

With five generations of sword immortals standing powerfully, all with impressive combat records and all reaching the Fifth Realm in sword dao, Lou Xiangzhen, although a prominent and highly skilled figure, was up against Lin Yiyang and Zhong Binru who could rival the Sword God and Sword Demon, placing limitless prospects before them, and thus the title of the world’s number one swordsman remained unclaimed.

An Jing nodded slightly: “Indeed, Senior Lou.”

Jiang Sanjia had mentioned in letters that should he die, his senior brother would not stay silent and would definitely take action.

Lou Xiangzhen was a top expert in the Great Yan Martial World with cultivation that had long reached the Grandmaster Realm. If he was willing to protect An Jing on this journey, then it would likely be much safer, whether facing Jiang Ye or the Zhenyi Sect.

With deep eyes, Lou Xiangzhen looked at An Jing, “This time, I came to see for myself what kind of elegance the swordsman praised by my junior brother possesses.”

An Jing, standing atop the Thousand-year-old Black Python, appeared calm and collected: “What do you think?”

“So-so.”

Lou Xiangzhen unmercifully said, “With your strength, to challenge Xiao Qianqiu, you will need at least decades of hard cultivation.”

An Jing nodded, acknowledging that with his current strength, he indeed was no match for Xiao Qianqiu; this statement was not false.

If Xiao Qianqiu were in front of him, he would definitely hand over the Daluo Heart Method without any hesitation.

However, he disagreed with the idea of decades of arduous cultivation.

“Junior Brother said you are a person of great destiny, with a chance to revive the glory of the Mystical Sect in the future.”

Lou Xiangzhen solemnly said, “He asked me to protect your Dao for three years.”

“Jiang Sanjia is considerate.”

An Jing sighed lightly, Jiang Sanjia had placed all his hopes on him, hoping he could defeat Xiao Qianqiu and bring down the Zhenyi Sect.

“I was originally unwilling, but since he is dead, this was his last instruction to himself, and I will fulfill it no matter what.”

As Lou Xiangzhen said this, he paused and his tone turned a bit colder, saying, “I also want to take the opportunity to see the strength of the Zhenyi Sect, and whether it can really cover the sky with one hand in the Great Yan Martial World.”

Others might not know, but how could Lou Xiangzhen not know the cause of Jiang Sanjia’s death?

It was undeniably related to the Zhenyi Sect.

Previously, Lou Xiangzhen believed that the Zhenyi Sect represented the prevailing trend, especially with someone as formidable as Xiao Qianqiu emerging from it. Even if he emerged from seclusion, it was unlikely that he could shake the foundation of the Zhenyi Sect or compete with Xiao Qianqiu for the role of Daoist Master.

Therefore, Lou Xiangzhen wanted to stay away from conflicts and preserve the heritage of the Ghost Valley Sect.

He did so, and he advised Jiang Sanjia to do the same.

Even when Jiang Sanjia was trapped in the dungeon of Yu State City, he still did not intervene, which was his compromise to the Zhenyi Sect, his compromise to Xiao Qianqiu.

But the Zhenyi Sect thought Lou Xiangzhen was compromising because he was afraid, so they became increasingly reckless in their actions.

Liu Qingshan perhaps only wanted to ask Jiang Sanjia to help him calculate, but the Zhenyi Sect wanted Jiang Sanjia’s life.

And now they had even forced him to his death.

An Jing could feel a noticeable disturbance in Lou Xiangzhen’s words.

Certainly, he was not as Jiang Sanjia described—cruel and heartless, timid and scared.

Thinking about it now, Jiang Sanjia understood his senior brother well; his words after drinking were clearly spoken in anger.

“Thank you, senior.”

An Jing took a deep breath and bowed with his fists.

“Don’t rush to thank me, I will not protect your Dao for three years, I will only intervene once on your behalf.”

Lou Xiangzhen waved his hand and said, “If someone from the Zhenyi Sect attacks you, I can intervene once on your behalf, including Xiao Qianqiu.”

At the end, Lou Xiangzhen’s voice carried a hint of determination.

Even facing the man known as the world’s greatest today, his eyes held no fear or retreat.

Hearing this, An Jing felt greatly reassured. Knowing that Xiao Qianqiu was still in seclusion and the time of his emergence was not set, unless a hidden grandmaster of the Zhenyi Sect came after him, he had nothing to fear from the Zhenyi Sect with Lou Xiangzhen and the Thousand-year-old Black Boa by his side.

“Great kindness goes unspoken in words.”

An Jing said solemnly, his mind inevitably recalling Jiang Sanjia.

Having a grandmaster willing to protect his Dao was not a common thing; even Qi Yun of the Zhenyi Sect did not have a grandmaster expert by his side.

“I wonder what your plans are now?” Lou Xiangzhen thought for a moment and asked.

“Senior Lou, have you heard this saying?”

“What saying?”

“If you do not remove the roots when cutting weeds, the spring breeze will bring them back to life!”

Hearing An Jing’s words, a slight smile appeared on Lou Xiangzhen’s lips.

…..

Lijiang City, Linhu Lake Villa.

The villa was surrounded by pink walls, the green willows still hanging around, the six-roomed gate tower had been renewed, and the surrounding galleries hid watchmen.

Paths in the courtyard connected in every direction, interspersed with robust rocks.

The placard reading ‘Curb Desire and Impatience’ still hung.

The courtyard remained beautiful, with few changes.

At that moment, sounds of crashing and animalistic growls could be heard from a bedroom in the back courtyard.

“Who in Lijiang City does not know the great name of Chu Huai, and yet dares to spoil my good deeds!?”

Chu Huai’s eyes were bloodshot as he coldly looked at the man kneeling on the ground below.

The man was Cui Yong, a Third Grade expert who had fortuitously survived the hands of the Ghost-faced Buddha.

Cui Yong hastily said, “I have already sent guards to check, but those two swordsmen disappeared after leaving the tavern.”

“Trash! You are just trash!”

The flames inside Chu Huai seemed to have moved to his brain as he hysterically roared at Cui Yong.

Cui Yong hung his head low, a trace of darkness in his expression, yet his eyes were gleaming coldly.

Trash!?

If it weren’t for your dear father, you would have died eight hundred times over.

Chu Huai coldly said, “You go and check personally. I refuse to believe that the two of them could have just flown away.”

Cui Yong suddenly became embarrassed, “But, Sir Chu, you ordered me to never leave the young master’s side.”

“What are you afraid of?”

Chu Huai sneered, “Weren’t you there last time? Even Shui Zhongyue, the Guardian of the Demon Sect, came to my Linhu Lake Villa and still ended up dead, right?”

Thinking of last time, Chu Huai still felt a residual thrill, his expression also carried a hint of pride.

How about it, a feared master of the Demon Sect in the Jianghu?

Wasn’t his head ruthlessly crushed under my foot?

Cui Yong’s eyebrows furrowed tightly, still hesitating.

Seeing this, Chu Huai harshly glared at Cui Yong, “Go and investigate, and bring that young lady back while you’re at it. If you don’t bring her back, I’ll flay your skin!”

“Yes, I’ll go now.”

Left with no choice, Cui Yong had to stand up and walk out of the house.

The night was waning, yet the entire villa was brightly lit.

“Damn it.”

As Cui Yong stepped out of the house, he glanced back and spat fiercely, “You’re nothing but a lucky bastard. What’s there to be arrogant about?”

His heart hoped for Chu Huai’s speedy death, yet he also feared the repercussions of Chu Huai’s death on himself. His heart was incredibly complex and conflicted.

After adjusting his mood, Cui Yong slowly walked out of the yard.

At that moment, above the flying eaves of the Linhu Lake Villa, two figures descended.

It was An Jing and Lou Xiangzhen.

An Jing looked at the placid lake below and said, “There are rumors that countless bodies are buried under Tianxin Lake. I wonder if it’s true.”

It was said that Chu Huai was very fond of Linhu City on East Lin Road. Later, he dug a small lake here and built a villa, naming it Linhu Lake Villa.

Later, rumors had it that every time Chu Huai kidnapped a woman to play with, after her death, he would throw her into Tianxin Lake. If the woman’s husband came looking, Chu Huai would first torture him, then kill and throw him in as well.

Thus, Tianxin Lake also became known locally as Black Heart Lake.

“Oh?”

Lou Xiangzhen raised an eyebrow, “Let’s take a closer look.”

“How shall we look?”

An Jing asked in a firm tone.

Lou Xiangzhen didn’t speak. His true qi surged like tidal waves, and then he pointed with his arm.

“Hiss!”

“Splash! Splash!”

A qi force rushed out, like a sword light descending from the sky, slicing the lake water in two.

An Jing was thoroughly shocked by this sight.

Even knowing that grandmasters possess unimaginable strength beyond ordinary people, seeing Lou Xiangzhen’s maneuver still seemed incredible.

Is this what a grandmaster is capable of?

Using a finger as a sword, he split the lake with one stroke!

The tumultuous lake water gradually parted, and the scenery at the bottom became increasingly visible.

Aside from water grass and huge rocks, countless bones were scattered all over, almost covering the lakebed. At that moment, about fifty fish were bouncing over those whitish skeletons.

A horrifying sight!

Each set of bones represented a body, each a dark chapter of the past.

“What’s going on!?”

At this moment, the guards of the villa seeing this scene, were utterly horrified.

“Splash! Splash!”

The next moment, the lake water crashed down again, causing a huge splash, soaking the lakeside pavilions with water stains.

“This man must be killed!”

Lou Xiangzhen’s eyes narrowed into slits, “To kill him would dirty my sword. You shall take him down.”

An Jing: “?? ”

“He dirtied your sword, did he not dirty mine as well?”

Of course, these words naturally remained unspoken by An Jing.

The next moment, An Jing’s body leaped, and he instantly descended into Chu Huai’s bedroom.

“Trash, nothing but trash!”

Chu Huai was still in a rage, venting his boundless fury.

“Who?”

Suddenly, he heard a sound of footsteps, and quickly turned his head.

He saw a figure in a black robe appearing not far away, walking towards him.

“You… who are you?”

Seeing the approaching figure, Chu Huai also felt a hint of foreboding, his heart beginning to palpitate violently.

It was a sensation he had never experienced before; he had a bad feeling and repeatedly stepped backwards.

An Jing said nothing, merely watching the Chu Huai in front of him.

Chu Huai growled, “My father is Chu Nanying, I’m telling you, if you dare touch me…”

“Stop talking, I’m sending you on your way.”

An Jing brought his fingers together, then swiped forward.

“Puchi!”

A sword light emitted from his fingertips, then floated to Chu Huai’s neck.

“Gurgle–”

Chu Huai was about to cry out in alarm, but then felt his entire body weaken; instinctively, he touched his neck and found it covered in blood.

“Blood…”

He couldn’t have imagined that, while he had survived an attack by a master of the Demon Sect in this villa before, today, unsuspecting, a man in a black robe would enter and kill him.

“Thump!”

Chu Huai’s body stiffened, then heavily collapsed to the floor.

An Jing ended his sin-filled life and glanced around the room, sighing.

“Swoosh!”

The next instant, his figure appeared above the flying eaves.

“Your swordsmanship must have just entered the Fifth Realm, right?”

Lou Xiangzhen narrowed his eyes slightly and pondered.

During the day, he had discerned that the Ghost Swordsman in front of him was in the Fifth Realm, but that move of using a finger as a sword made him realize the true depth of An Jing’s swordsmanship, which must have just entered the Fifth Realm.

“That’s correct.”

An Jing nodded, acknowledging.

Lou Xiangzhen, puzzled, said, “It’s really strange, your cultivation is only at the Earth Flower Realm, yet your swordsmanship is so high…”

He had to admit that the Ghost Swordsman his junior brother admired indeed had some skill, first the Thousand-year-old Black Python guarding him, and then the swordsmanship of the Fifth Realm, but these, in his view, were not enough to contend against Xiao Qianqiu.

Especially since the Thousand-year-old Black Python was an external influence.

As for what Jiang Sanjia mentioned about Qi destiny, Lou Xiangzhen felt these things were intangible, and he did not believe in them much.

An Jing did not speak, just stood on the flying eaves looking down at the still calm villa below, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

Chu Huai was dead, but so far, no one had noticed.

Lou Xiangzhen asked in a low voice, “You’ve practiced the Hundred-step Flying Sword, which layer have you reached now?”

An Jing shook his head and said, “The eighth layer.”

Lou Xiangzhen raised an eyebrow and said, “Really, the eighth layer?”

Jiang Sanjia had described in his letter how he had met the Ghost Swordsman; the two had only known each other for six months, and the Ghost Swordsman had not had the Hundred-step Flying Sword for long, yet had reached the eighth layer?

In the entire world, no one knew better than he how formidable the sword technique of the Hundred-step Flying Sword was.

Reaching the eighth layer in just six months was nearly impossible.

“Yes, I’ve had no time to practice,” An Jing responded somewhat regretfully.

The Hundred-step Flying Sword was a Heavenly Martial Level martial arts technique, much more difficult to master than a True Martial Level technique. Plus, since getting married, he indeed hadn’t had much time at night to delve into martial arts, causing the progress of the Hundred-step Flying Sword to be very slow, especially now that it had stalled at the eighth layer.

Lou Xiangzhen: “??”

In his opinion, what the Ghost Swordsman said could not possibly be true; it had taken him three years to reach the eighth layer, and yet this Ghost Swordsman was claiming to have nearly not practiced and reached the eighth layer in half a year. How could that be possible?

An Jing subconsciously asked, “Senior, how long did it take you to reach the eighth layer?”

Lou Xiangzhen sighed lightly, “It’s been a few days, because my master only gave me the first eight layers of the sword manual, he didn’t give me the rest.”

An Jing: “…..”

Both of them remained silent, falling into a brief moment of silence.

Lou Xiangzhen asked, “Should we also kill Chu Nanying from Jiangnan Dao?”

An Jing looked up, his hands clasped behind his back, “This person took over as the Daoist Master of Jiangnan Dao during the year of the great disaster, and he has contributed significantly here, besides that unfilial son, he is otherwise not bad…”

In the third year of Xingping, Jiangnan Dao experienced a great disaster, a plague. At that time, Jiangnan Dao was a mess, like hell on earth, leaving a deep impression on An Jing.

After Chu Nanying came to this place, he made considerable achievements, and the development of Jiangnan Dao over the decades was indeed due to his hard work.

People are sometimes complex. Chu Nanying was indeed a character, but he made an unforgivable mistake regarding the matter of Chu Huai.

However, killing Chu Huai and killing Chu Nanying are two different matters in terms of impact.

Chu Nanying is the Daoist Master of Jiangnan Dao, and his status is extraordinary.

A sharp gleam appeared in Lou Xiangzhen’s eyes, “I have also heard. Among the Nine Daos of Great Yan, Chu Nanying is indeed regarded as a clear stream, but this has also made it difficult for him to advance in his career.”

“Let’s go then,” An Jing prepared to leave the Linhu Lake Villa. After all, Chu Huai’s death would soon be discovered, and he did not want to make things worse.

“Wait a moment.”

Lou Xiangzhen pondered for a while.

An Jing curiously said, “Senior Lou, please feel free to speak.”

Lou Xiangzhen asked, “Your cultivation is still at the Earth Flower Realm, how long until you reach the Heavenly Flower Realm?”

An Jing responded, “It’s still a distance away.”

He had not been at the Earth Flower Realm for long. Although cultivating the Ghost Valley Heart Method to the Second Profound had enhanced his cultivation somewhat, he was still lacking some accumulation.

On this journey to find Zhao Qingmei, he planned to use the Earth Book to find some heavenly materials and earthly treasures or other opportunities to rapidly increase his strength.

Lou Xiangzhen narrowed his eyes, feigning profundity, “I know a method that could instantly elevate you to the Heavenly Flower Realm.”

“Oh?”

An Jing’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, “Senior, please tell.”

He was currently at the Earth Flower Realm, but when facing a master of the Heavenly Flower Realm, he was very competitive. However, if he faced a Half-step Grandmaster, he was at his wit’s end. If he could reach the Heavenly Flower Realm, he would have the strength to fight even a Half-step Grandmaster.

Moreover, for anyone, advancing from Earth Flower to Heavenly Flower was a significant enhancement.

Lou Xiangzhen spoke slowly, “Have you heard of the Golden Pill?”

“Golden Pill!?”

An Jing couldn’t help but laugh.

If it was some obscure secret, he might not have heard of it, but Jiang Sanjia had once mentioned this Golden Pill to him.

It was concocted by an extraordinary person from the Great Zhou, comprising nine pieces in total, which upon consumption could instantly cause Three Flowers Unification, elevating one from Half-step Grandmaster to Grandmaster Realm.

“It seems my junior brother has told you,”

Hearing this tone, Lou Xiangzhen knew that Jiang Sanjia must have discussed it with the Ghost Swordsman, and continued, “This Golden Pill was concocted by that extraordinary person using a unique method. Initially, it used many heavenly materials and earthly treasures, including some rare hundred-year-old items, and failed three times. It was only on the fourth attempt that he successfully concocted a batch.”

An Jing couldn’t help but ask, “Failed before?”

Jiang Sanjia had not mentioned to him that the extraordinary person from the Great Zhou Dynasty had ever failed in concocting this elixir.

“Indeed, he failed,”

Lou Xiangzhen nodded and said, “I think this extraordinary person is very likely related to the Zhenyi Sect.”

“Why is that?”

“Mystical Sect is divided into three, Ghost Valley inherited the Divination Swordsmanship, Daluo inherited the medical and life Dao, and Zhenyi Sect received the Alchemy Dao. When that extraordinary person of the Great Zhou Dynasty concocted the elixirs, if he wasn’t a person of Zhenyi Sect, then he was a reclusive person of Mystical Sect, definitely not ordinary.”

An Jing nodded upon hearing this.

Lou Xiangzhen continued, “That extraordinary person from the Great Zhou Dynasty has long passed, so we need not mention him any further. However, a few of those Golden Pills are still remaining in this world, surviving the changes of time. Their effect might not be as initial, but to solidify your Heavenly Flower, I think it shouldn’t be difficult.”

Elixirs are made from the essence of flora, and even if properly stored, some of the essence will leak over time.

An Jing said, “Senior Lou means to suggest that I find this Golden Pill and consume it, and in an instant, it will solidify my Heavenly Flower?”

Lou Xiangzhen nodded slightly, “Exactly.”

An Jing laughed bitterly, “But I have no idea where this Golden Pill is, and countless people in the martial world are searching for it. How could I possibly find it?”

The Golden Pill was indeed valuable; otherwise, Liu Qingshan wouldn’t have imprisoned Jiang Sanjia in the dungeon to extort the location of the Golden Pill.

Liu Qingshan commanded tens of thousands of members in the Cao Gang and yet couldn’t find the Golden Pill. How could he possibly succeed?

Lou Xiangzhen chuckled and said, “Since I’ve told you about it, naturally I know the whereabouts of this Golden Pill. It depends on whether you have the courage to obtain it.”

“Courage?”

An Jing raised his eyebrows, “Senior, please continue.”