Chapter 38

Running away was the key part of the plan.

Contrary to the enraged mood of Gongsun Chenxing, Bai Chen was in high spirits, almost bursting into a skyward laugh.

The brief exchange of blows with Gongsun Chenxing had significantly improved his cultivation.

In less than an hour, he had advanced from the late Fifth Rank to the mid Sixth Rank.

Moreover, the internal injuries in his body had not yet healed, and the malevolent aura was still slowly increasing. The amount of malevolent aura largely determined the progress of the Xuanhu Gong, so for Bai Chen, the more severe the injury, the greater the gain.

Of course, this was an unexpected joy. What truly made Bai Chen proud was the smooth execution of the plan, and he had also managed to play a trick on the girls of Qixiu.

If Gongsun Chenxing still had the time to be angry...

"Hand over my goods, you little brats, or no one will leave here alive!"

Before the bandit in front of Gongsun Chenxing could finish his lines, her sword had already landed on his forehead.

Although she had slain the bandit leader, Gongsun Chenxing could not show any joy.

She hated Bai Chen to the bone, having been outwitted!

Using hundreds of bags of soil and stones as grain, he had deceived them all, and spread the news, attracting all the bandits and robbers within hundreds of miles to swarm over.

This bandit leader, who claimed to be from Lianyun Fort, was neither the first nor the last.

The girls had fought several consecutive battles. Although they had not been injured due to their excellent skills, they were utterly exhausted.

Especially facing these bandits who were willing to risk their lives for money, Gongsun Chenxing had no intention of explaining, nor could she reason with these bandits driven by greed.

"Let's go! Don't waste any more time with these scoundrels. The next batch of bandits will be here soon." Although Gongsun Chenxing was very reluctant, the current situation forced her to retreat.

If they didn't leave soon, the girls might be left behind by these hungry wolves. These ordinary bandits were one thing, but near Qingzhou City, there was the Qingfeng Fort of the Eighteen Linked Forts, a major villain. The fort leader, Kong Ling, was a renowned expert on the ** list.

If Qingfeng Fort also joined in, they might not be able to leave even if they wanted to.

Of course, for Bai Chen, everything that happened behind him was a source of joy, and he was not worried about the women of Qixiu.

It was better to worry about his own cultivation than to worry about these incredibly fierce women.

It had to be said that the internal injuries caused by Gongsun Chenxing had indeed had a miraculous effect on Bai Chen's cultivation.

On this journey, Bai Chen had hardly activated the Xuanhu Gong. Relying solely on the self-operation of the Xuanhu Gong's true qi, he had already resolved most of the malevolent aura, and his true qi had increased significantly, leaving only a few hundred points to reach the Seventh Rank.

And according to the remaining malevolent aura in his body, as well as the continuous increase in malevolent aura due to his injuries, his cultivation would break through to the Seventh Rank once he returned to the city.

This rate of improvement was even faster than when he practiced with Yuanlong in the past.

If someone knew that Bai Chen could advance two ranks in just a few hours, they would be shocked.

However, for Bai Chen, this was already a matter of routine, as the characteristics of the Xuanhu Gong determined his cultivation method.

In simple terms, it was a cultivation through combat, and after the initial growth, ordinary weapons and martial arts were hardly a threat to him.

Especially after the Iron Shirt advanced to the middle-grade Fire-Branded Iron Shirt, it became almost impossible for him to be injured.

Even if Bai Chen sought punishment, the few points of malevolent aura from those minor injuries provided only a few points of true qi growth.

It was incomparable to Gongsun Chenxing's attacks. Gongsun Chenxing was a congenital expert who could release true qi externally, while the Iron Shirt was very weak against internal true qi attacks.

Therefore, the injuries caused by Gongsun Chenxing's attacks were extraordinary, making Bai Chen suffer and enjoy at the same time...

However, it also made Bai Chen fall into a dilemma: "Do I have to find congenital experts to spar and seek punishment in the future?"

Not to mention that congenital experts were not common, but even their methods could easily cost him his life if he wasn't careful.

Gongsun Chenxing was a good choice. On one hand, Bai Chen had experienced her techniques.

On the other hand, he could sense that Gongsun Chenxing had held back in their brief exchange.

But he couldn't just run up to her and shout, "Come on, hit me!"

When Bai Chen returned to the city gate of Qingzhou City, it was already dawn, and the city gates had just been opened.

The early merchants began to enter the city gate, but it seemed that there was a conflict at the gate, blocking the entrance and exit.

Bai Chen pushed through the crowd to see what was happening and found a woman in her thirties confronting the city guards.

The woman was beautiful and noble, with a voluptuous and alluring figure, dressed in a light silk dress.

However, unlike ordinary noblewomen, this beautiful young woman held a sharp sword, and her demeanor was not as reserved as that of a well-bred lady. The heroic aura in her eyes was something only a person from the martial world possessed.

Two city guards were lying on the ground, groaning in pain.

Bai Chen looked at the wounds on the guards and immediately drew a cold breath. The wounds on their chests were clean and precise, not like those caused by swords or knives, but more like those caused by a sharper blade.

Sword Qi!?

Bai Chen couldn't help but look at the beautiful young woman again. Could she be a congenital expert?

When did congenital experts become so common?

The few guards facing the beautiful young woman, though still holding their spears, were full of panic.

This incident was not their fault. Originally, a few of them had seen the beautiful young woman entering the city early in the morning and had evil intentions, but they found out that she was a martial arts expert. They didn't even know how she attacked, and two of their brothers were already down.

If it were an ordinary woman, they wouldn't have been afraid even if they were in the wrong. The key was that she was a martial artist, and her attire did not resemble that of an ordinary person, making them even more hesitant to escalate the situation.

If she belonged to a sect, and the sect made a fuss, they would definitely be punished.

The beautiful young woman sheathed her sword, glanced at the terrified guards, and showed a look of disdain.

Just as she was about to enter the city gate, she suddenly looked at the crowd, and Bai Chen also looked at her.

It was an unintentional glance, but the beautiful young woman's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

Bai Chen didn't take it seriously, but the beautiful young woman walked toward him and, without any reason, reached out to grab him.

Bai Chen wanted to resist. He believed that even a congenital expert might not be able to easily subdue him.

However, he clearly underestimated the beautiful young woman. She grabbed his shoulder as if she were picking up a child.

Bai Chen heard her domineering whisper, "If you resist, I'll make sure you lose your head!"

Under normal circumstances, Bai Chen would be delighted to have such a beautiful woman so enthusiastically pulling his arm, except for a congenital expert.

The serious look in the beautiful young woman's eyes and her strong threat made Bai Chen dare not move.

"Madam, have you mistaken me for someone else?" Bai Chen smiled bitterly, allowing the beautiful young woman to pull him into Qingzhou City.

"My disciple has been missing all night. The injuries on your body were caused by my disciple. Do you think I've mistaken you?" The beautiful young woman's eyes narrowed coldly, like sharp blades piercing Bai Chen.

"Um... this... this..." Bai Chen was at a loss: "Are you from Qixiu?"

The beautiful young woman snorted and glanced at Bai Chen, "You don't recognize me?"

Bai Chen knew that the girls of Qixiu were all famous in the martial world, so their teacher must also be renowned.

However, Bai Chen had never put much effort into this, so he couldn't recognize the identity of the woman in front of him.

In fact, Qixiu had a clear rule: disciples below the Eighth Rank of the Congenital stage were not allowed to travel alone and must be accompanied by a teacher.

After all, almost all the disciples of Qixiu were female, each with stunning beauty and unparalleled charm, and many eyes were like hungry wolves watching the disciples of Qixiu.

If they were allowed to travel without the ability to protect themselves and without experience in the martial world, they would likely fall into the hands of villains.

Gongsun Chenxing had reached the congenital stage, but she was not yet qualified to lead so many junior sisters.

Therefore, a senior with high cultivation and high moral standing had to lead them to travel.

This was a common rule in major sects to protect junior disciples, but Qixiu was even stricter.

On the surface, Gongsun Chenxing was leading the team, but one of the Three Flowers of Qixiu, the Heartless Flower Mei Jiangxue, was also part of the team.

Mei Jiangxue was the teacher of Gongsun Chenxing and Nalan Ruyue. This time, she accompanied the team to protect the other female disciples and to test Gongsun Chenxing's personal abilities.

"Your junior's eyes are not sharp enough. Please enlighten me, senior."

"You are blind." Mei Jiangxue's tone was somewhat displeased. Her reputation was ten times greater than that of her two disciples.

However, a junior did not recognize her, which made her somewhat angry.

"Who are you? How did you conflict with Chenxing last night?"

"You don't recognize me?" Bai Chen looked at Mei Jiangxue with an exaggerated expression, clearly intending to irritate her.

Unfortunately, he overestimated Mei Jiangxue's patience. She didn't care about the many people on the street and slapped Bai Chen on the chest.

Pfft—

Bai Chen took two steps back. The slap felt like a heavy hammer hitting his chest, causing him to spit blood and turn pale.

This slap, though meant as a lesson, was ten times more vicious than Gongsun Chenxing's sword dance last night. Bai Chen's internal injuries, which had not yet healed, worsened.

"Men are all scum!" Mei Jiangxue's eyes were filled with killing intent, as if she regarded Bai Chen as an irreconcilable enemy.

Bai Chen, holding his chest, looked at Mei Jiangxue in confusion and said something nonsensical.

"Sister, have you been deceived by a man before?"