Chapter 17

"Right." Before leaving, Zhang Lichuan suddenly looked at Tang Dun, "Your name is Tang Dun?"

"I am called that."

Zhang Lichuan smiled, "Dun means sincere and honest. It's a good name."

Tang Dun scratched his head, "Our teacher gave it to me when I was a child."

"Oh?" Zhang Lichuan asked.

"Our town, Tangshe, is poor, and we can't afford to pay the teacher. Few hunters care about literacy. The teacher came here to study and stayed to teach us for three years. After three years, he left to continue his studies elsewhere. He liked me the most and said I was something like a jade."

This made sense.

The custom of traveling to study was highly esteemed, and many disciples from various schools did so.

For example, Confucian disciples believed in reading ten thousand books and traveling ten thousand miles, and many traveled to different states. Some did so to broaden their horizons, while others sought to sell their skills.

Similarly, Mohist disciples traveled the world, experiencing everything firsthand. If they had met Tang Dun, they might have taught him some martial arts or even some basic mechanical skills, rather than reading and writing.

Although the state religion of Zhuang was Daoism, it did not reject disciples from other schools. Tang Dun's background was not a problem.

Jiang Wang then said, "Since you have read books, being a minor constable here is a waste. After handling Niuer's funeral, if you have no other obligations, you can take the entrance exam for the outer school of the city's Dao Academy."

This was out of appreciation for his simple nature, but ultimately, it was Tang Dun's choice.

...

Leaving Tangshe Town, they followed the official road south to return to Maple Forest City.

Due to the array patterns engraved on the road, wild beasts were absent.

The hooves were not in a hurry, and neither was Zhang Lichuan's voice: "Do you know how many resources the court must invest each year to maintain the official roads throughout the state of Zhuang?"

Jiang Wang shook his head; he indeed had no knowledge of such matters.

"It's an astronomical number," Zhang Lichuan said. "Moreover, these array patterns can only repel low-level beasts. Powerful and ferocious beasts still require strong warriors to clear them. The court invests enormous human and material resources to maintain smooth passage in various regions. It also invests resources in the Dao Academy without hesitation. The only thing we can do is grow as quickly as possible to shoulder the corresponding responsibilities."

"I understand."

"Then let me ask you, the major cities are protected by large arrays. Why doesn't the court let everyone live in the major cities?"

"Two reasons, I think," Jiang Wang pondered and said. "First, major cities have their limits and cannot meet the survival needs of everyone. Second, the influence of each city is limited, and the court needs these roads to extend in all directions, with towns as nodes. This represents the actual territory. Land is resources."

"You see it clearly. The array formations in each town and village cannot be as safe as those in major cities, but the towns and villages have their irreplaceable roles. Like Tangshe Town, as long as it exists, Maple Forest City can harvest a steady stream of resources from the Qichang Mountains. If Tangshe Town were to disappear one day, the Qichang Mountains would no longer be relevant to our state of Zhuang."

"The people of Tangshe Town dare to hunt in the Qichang Mountains, so they must have experts. The demon lay in ambush when the Criminal Investigation Bureau arrived, and there was no other activity when we were not there. Yet, it attacked when we arrived..."

At this point, Zhang Lichuan turned his head and looked at Jiang Wang with a half-smile, "Junior Brother Jiang, do you have anything on you that might attract them?"

Jiang Wang could not answer.

He certainly had secrets, but only the virtual key inherited from Zuo Guanglie. All changes occurred in the Virtual Realm, and in reality, they should not have been discovered. However, if not for this, the first time he was attacked by the demon was after he entered the Virtual Realm.

He was considering how to evade the question when Zhang Lichuan suddenly raised his hand, bent his middle and ring fingers, and extended the other three fingers, pointing directly at Jiang Wang.

Electric arcs leaped from the tips of the three extended fingers, converging into a bolt of lightning that shot directly at Jiang Wang!

Jiang Wang did not even have time to react; the lightning passed by his ear and struck a dark green poisonous arrow, destroying it and causing it to fall.

Only then did Jiang Wang hear the sharp whistling of the arrow as it accelerated and smell the burnt hair from the lightning.

"Been waiting for you!" Zhang Lichuan leaped off the horse, his free right hand forming a strange seal, and a lightning whip condensed in the air.

"Die!"

He wielded the lightning whip, like a hawk diving, and charged towards the attacker hidden in the forest on the left side of the road.

It turned out he had been prepared and could multitask, secretly forming seals and preparing two Dao techniques in advance, allowing him to counterattack immediately when the attack occurred.

Jiang Wang was still far from matching such a battle-hardened senior.

A voice came from the forest on the right, "The target is tough, split up and retreat!"

Jiang Wang, who was about to follow Zhang Lichuan, suddenly turned around!

How could he not recognize this voice? In the little girl's room in Tangshe Town, although they only exchanged a few words, it was enough to leave a deep impression.

A Dao essence in the Heavenly Palace exploded silently, and Jiang Wang, like a mad beast, charged in the direction of the voice with the most resolute posture.

Living in the state of Zhuang, almost all commoners remember the first rule before leaving home—do not leave the official road.

Because outside the influence of human settlements, the areas beyond the official roads are wildlands, where beasts, demons, and ferocious beasts roam.

Zhang Lichuan was strong, so he did not care.

Jiang Wang wanted to kill, so he did not care either.

He had never been so angry. Fang Pengju's betrayal was hateful, but it was traceable. But that little girl, so young and innocent?

Jiang Wang's sword trembled in the scabbard, as if it was already excited, as if it knew it would burst into its most brilliant light.

Ten years to forge a sword, the blade has never been tested. Today, I show it to you, who has a grievance?

Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang.

The long sword leaped out, colliding with the scabbard five times before finally being drawn!

The sword was like a meteor, and the man was like a dragon.

A large tree groaned and fell, and the left-path demon hidden in the tree leaped back in a hurry.

In the chaos, his face was not visible, only his pale complexion under his disheveled hair.

Dao essences in the Heavenly Palace exploded one after another.

Jiang Wang had never been so extravagant; he felt full of power.

Before forming a Dao vortex, the expenditure of each Dao essence was a regression in cultivation.

What about longevity and a promising future? He did not care at all.

He wanted to slay this demon, so that the accumulated anger could be released, and he could find peace.

The Purple Qi Sword, the second killing technique, brought a frosty glow.

The pale-faced demon, retreating, did not have time to form a seal. His right arm rapidly swelled, muscles bulged, and veins protruded, and he punched the frosty glow with a powerful straight punch.

The sword and the demon-like right arm clashed over a dozen times in an instant.

Jiang Wang suddenly realized he had misjudged! This opponent was very strong! Much stronger than he thought! It was not just a matter of setup or cultivation level.

In other words, if this pale-faced demon had unleashed his full power during the attack in Tangshe Town, Jiang Wang would have found it hard to survive.

But Jiang Wang did not retreat. The long sword vibrated again, and a sharp whistle sounded.

The Purple Qi Sword, the third killing technique!

The demon-like right arm was completely severed and flew away!

"Damn!!"

The pale-faced demon roared, not expecting to be cornered by this desperate youth.

His back foot suddenly stomped on a large tree as he flew backward. He knew he could not retreat any further; retreating meant death. Survival came from the fight.

With his back foot as the center, the entire tree instantly withered.

From his roaring mouth, gray mist spewed out, carrying a strong smell of decay and a pungent stench.

Manipulating the forces of life and death, this was the Dao technique of the Netherworld!

The sword light surged.

The Dao essence drove the sword light, which cut through the gray mist, and Jiang Wang leaped out from the mist!

The Purple Qi Sword, the fourth killing technique!

In Tangshe Town, the demon escaped, and he was caught off guard, with no plan.

At least at this moment, he had to give an account to the little girl named Niuer!

This was the responsibility of a cultivator to the common people.

This was the responsibility of an adult to a child!

Jiang Wang's figure leaped through the air, breaking through the gray mist, appearing in the pale-faced demon's eyes.

In his eyes, which grew wider with horror, a brilliant sword light descended from above.

It was the last light he saw before the eternal darkness.