Chapter 100

"Brother Yan, you’re up early. Did you just finish practicing your sword skills?" It was not even 7 o'clock by the hour, and Chu Ci was used to getting up early. However, from the long sword on Yan Chixia’s back and the faint sweat mist emanating from his body, it seemed that he had risen even earlier than Chu Ci and had already completed his morning exercises.

Yan Chixia said, "Yes, the day’s work begins at dawn. Your brother is dull, and can only make up for it with diligence."

Chu Ci naturally did not fully believe Yan Chixia’s modest words. It was a joke, a scholar no older than 30 could single-handedly eliminate a thousand-year-old tree demon and a three-thousand-year-old Black Mountain demon. If he was considered dull, then other cultivators were simply pigs.

The main group had already approached the false national master’s temple, lying in wait nearby for the right moment. If they did not act quickly, they might miss the plan. Thus, Chu Ci directly invited Yan Chixia, clasping his hands together and making a deep bow: "Brother Yan, though we have known each other for a short time, I can see that you are both literate and martial. The current government is corrupt and needs talents like you to support the people! I am not capable, and I deceived you yesterday. I have a connection with the current Minister of War, Fu Tianchou. This trip is in response to his call. Your talents and virtues far surpass mine; how can you not come out of seclusion to help the state?"

Huang Wu, standing nearby, was stunned, feeling that this dialogue seemed familiar. After thinking about it, he suddenly slapped his thigh and cursed, "Isn’t this the most common套路 in Romance of the Three Kingdoms!"

The newbies were also stunned. This Ning Chai seemed different from the original. Where was the cute and naive scholar? The five remaining men among the newbies had been fantasizing about how to get rid of this foolish scholar and take his place to have a romantic encounter with Nie Xiaoxian. But now, the foolish scholar had turned into a shrewd person. The tone of his words made him seem like a seasoned official who had been in the bureaucracy for years.

"Brother Ning, you...” Yan Chixia was skilled in martial arts and strategy, but he had never experienced such a situation. A casual acquaintance suddenly turned into a desperate seeker of talent, even recruiting him for a first-rank minister. This made Yan Chixia’s face turn slightly red, and he humbly said, "Brother, you flatter me. I am dull and not up to the task. Please find someone more capable."

As soon as he said this, Yan Chixia’s face turned even redder. He had only meant to be modest, but it sounded like a refusal. Yan Chixia was also a mortal, and while he might not have the desire for wealth and power, the idea of leaving a name in history for helping the state was very appealing. However, he was not good with words and had said too much. He could only look at ‘Brother Ning’ hopefully, hoping he would continue to persuade him.

Chu Ci would not let him down. Another deep bow (since bowing was free and did not hurt his dignity, he could do it a dozen times without issue), he sincerely invited again, "Please, Brother Yan, come out of seclusion and serve the state!"

Yan Chixia hesitated for a moment before ‘unwillingly’ agreeing to Chu Ci’s request, confirming that they would set out in two days and head to the capital with Chu Ci.

Two days? Enough! Chu Ci thought to himself. He would use the two days to gradually uncover Yan Chixia’s background, complete all the tasks here, and then rush to the false national master’s temple, which would take about three days. They would launch a simultaneous attack, raid the temple, and establish their own base. When the false national master returned, they would catch him like a fish in a jar.

Chu Ci had never been good at planning, but he always relied on timing and location, setting up a proper formation. He was not afraid that others would not fall for it, which was in line with the principle of using the orthodox to counter the unorthodox and the straightforward to suppress the cunning.

First, he needed to make Yan Chixia ‘unavoidably’ reveal his mystical arts. He and Huang Wu had a good understanding of this.

Chu Ci walked into his room, looked around, and moved a wooden board to block the window to prevent sunlight from entering. Then he dragged a ladder and poked around the ceiling. A wooden board fell from above, sending up a cloud of dust that obscured his vision.

With a loud thud, the ceiling board hit the ground, and amidst the flying dust and wood chips, seven or eight modern-dressed wet corpses slowly wriggled, their hollow eyes emitting a strange and eerie glow.

"Oh, it’s them." Chu Ci glanced at them and immediately connected them to the disobedient newbies mentioned by Huang Wu. They had clearly been processed by the tree demon. He wondered if killing them would earn him any rewards, but it didn’t matter.

He rubbed his face with both hands and put on a panicked act, shouting, "There are ghosts! Help! Help!!" He pulled open the door and ran out in a panic.

As soon as Yan Chixia heard Chu Ci’s cry, he immediately rushed out, sword in hand, and leaped to Chu Ci’s side, shouting, "Where are the ghosts! Watch me, Yan Chixia, with one sword!" His official career depended on Ning Chai, so he could not afford to be worried.

"Inside, in there, the ghosts are terrifying!" Chu Ci pointed to the room as soon as he saw Yan Chixia.

Yan Chixia took a few steps into the room and, upon seeing the wet corpses, breathed a sigh of relief while also feeling a bit worried for Chu Ci. Wet corpses were not terrifying, but Chu Ci had slept under their watch all night. If anything had happened, Yan Chixia would have regretted it.

Dealing with such minor threats, Yan Chixia was a professional. He reached into his robe with his right hand, and when he pulled it out, his index and middle fingers were covered in red cinnabar. He drew a Taiji diagram on his left palm and chanted, "Heaven and Earth are boundless, the universe lends its power, Fire of Li!"

He brought his palms together, and a bluish-white fire spewed onto the wet corpses, burning them with a sizzling sound. More remarkably, the fire only burned the wet corpses and did not ignite the wooden floor around them. In a few breaths, the wet corpses were completely burned, leaving not even a drop of grease.

"Wow! So amazing! So Brother Yan also knows mystical arts." Chu Ci clapped his hands in praise from outside the door, while also carefully observing the characteristics of the arts Yan Chixia used. From this brief display, Yan Chixia’s skills were more complex and advanced than those in the movie and the original story. At least Yan Chixia did not use the method of biting his finger to draw the Taiji diagram but instead used enchanted cinnabar, which was more effective than human blood.

"A minor skill, not worth mentioning." Yan Chixia waved his hand. No matter how exquisite the art, it was still the bravery of a commoner. It was not like a high-ranking official who could issue an order to eliminate Buddhism or Daoism. On the contrary, Yan Chixia was quite worried that his mystical arts might affect Chu Ci’s attitude toward him.

Yan Chixia did not hide his use of magic, so the newbies could see it clearly. Seeing Yan Chixia eliminate the wet corpses with a single move, the newbies were even more excited. Two male newbies almost wanted to hug Yan Chixia and call him master.

As for the female newbies, they also looked at the two men with intense interest. Ma Dongmei, the mother with a daughter, squeezed her daughter’s hand, took a deep breath, and spoke to Chu Ci, disguised as Ning Chai: "Young brother, we are innocent passersby. There are ghosts killing people at Lanruo Temple. Please help us and ask the Daoist over there to kill all the ghosts. Otherwise, we will all die." As a mother, Ma Dongmei had no greed and did not want any rewards in this cycle world. She just wanted to leave with her daughter. Knowing she could not gain the trust of Ning Chai and Yan Chixia, she decided to let them handle all the demons and ghosts. This way, they could safely return after three more days.

As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of wind rose from the ground!

A chilling cold wind swept in, making everyone shiver!