Chapter 39

Hua Xia Jiu, having clearly seen his advantage in this matter, boldly attempted it. Despite the considerable effort he put in, he successfully learned the Geng Metal Technique, which filled him with great joy.

For several consecutive days, Hua Xia Jiu repeatedly practiced the Geng Metal Technique. One reason was to enhance his familiarity and increase the speed of casting, and the other was to explore other offensive and defensive forms.

As the sun set and the moon rose, time passed swiftly.

Seven days later, in the secret room, Hua Xia Jiu stopped practicing the Geng Metal Technique. After a period of meditation to restore his true essence and soul to their peak, he got up and left the room.

In a rather elegant courtyard, Hua Xia Jiu took a bath, changed into a clean blue robe, summoned Tang Guanshu, and gave him detailed instructions. He then had a secret conversation with Liu Xiu, the Marquis of Cangnan, for about an hour.

Half an hour later, Hua Xia Jiu rose into the air from the Marquis's residence and flew northward.

At this time, he had a purple longbow in his storage bag and a map of the entire Great Wu Empire and its surrounding areas in his mind.

The longbow was one that Hua Xia Jiu had specially requested the Marquis of Cangnan to have a famous weapon master from the southwestern secular world forge for him seven days ago.

This weapon master was a master of secular weapon forging, so the longbow was merely an extremely high-quality mundane bow. However, for Hua Xia Jiu, who only used the longbow to assist with ice arrows and Geng Metal arrows, it was sufficient for now.

The map was also obtained from Liu Xiu. Hua Xia Jiu scanned it once and stored it in his mind.

Wuling City was located in the Wu'an Prefecture in the central part of the Great Wu Empire. It would take at least two months to reach there by horse. However, with the map as a reference, Hua Xia Jiu traveled almost in a straight line, which greatly increased his speed. If there were no delays along the way, he could reach Wuling City in about ten days.

Thus, Hua Xia Jiu crossed mountains and rivers, and passed through cities and towns, regardless of whether they were desolate wilderness or bustling towns. Whenever his true essence was depleted, he would find a secluded and hidden place to meditate and recover, then continue his journey.

The desolate wilderness was fine, but performing the Wind Travel Technique in towns and villages naturally caused some commotion. After all, such a scene was not something one could easily see in the secular world.

One day, as Hua Xia Jiu was using the Wind Travel Technique to pass through a medium-sized city called Changzhou without any reservations, a gray bird suddenly flew out from somewhere in the city, following him at a distance of several hundred meters. The bird was very small, about the size of an ordinary sparrow, but it flew extremely fast and silently. If one did not look back, it would be hard to notice.

At the same time, in a pavilion in Changzhou where the gray bird had flown out, a middle-aged man with a fierce scar on his face looked up at the sky, watching the gradually receding figure and the bird. His face showed a greedy and fierce expression.

"Another fat sheep. It seems they are also here to participate in the Ziyu Sect's entrance selection. Hmm! Such a showy display of the Wind Travel Technique without any reservations and without releasing soul consciousness, it's clear they are a first-time traveler, lacking experience. Truly, a fat sheep sent by heaven. Not robbing them would be a waste of heaven's gift!" the middle-aged man muttered to himself, somewhat carried away.

However, Hua Xia Jiu was completely unaware of all this. He was practicing the Wind Travel Technique while enjoying the scenery along the way.

Two hours later, Hua Xia Jiu was running over the treetops of a dense forest, moving forward like a dragonfly skimming the water.

Based on his experience over the past few days, there was a high possibility of encountering fierce birds in dense forests, so Hua Xia Jiu was slightly cautious, constantly looking around as he moved forward.

However, he still did not release his soul consciousness, as he believed that fierce birds posed no real threat to him and were not worth expending soul energy.

"Help! Help!"

Suddenly, a panicked cry for help came from about a hundred meters to Hua Xia Jiu's right. A young woman in her early twenties, with disheveled clothes, stumbled out of the forest below and ran toward Hua Xia Jiu using the Wind Travel Technique, panic-stricken.

Two fierce-looking men in black clothes followed closely behind, grinning as they pursued her.

The young woman seemed to suddenly notice Hua Xia Jiu, her face lighting up with joy. She called out in a soft, appealing voice, "Sir, please save me!" Her voice was gentle and helpless, evoking a desire in men to protect her and care for her.

The young woman changed direction and flew toward Hua Xia Jiu as she cried out.

When Hua Xia Jiu first heard the cry for help, he paused and looked at the young woman. Seeing her run toward him, he thought to himself, "One at the peak of the Spirit Condensation stage, and two at the late Spirit Condensation stage. Not a fatal threat."

But the next moment, he muttered, "Is this the beginning of the hero-saving-the-beauty plot in novels?"

"Should I save her? Books say women are troublesome."

While Hua Xia Jiu was hesitating, the young woman, seeing that he had not left, sneered inwardly, thinking he was a novice. She flew up to Hua Xia Jiu, her face showing a pleading expression, and said, "Sir! I am a wandering cultivator on my way to Wuling City to participate in the Ziyu Sect's entrance selection. I was just passing through this area and resting in the forest when two evil cultivators suddenly appeared. They not only tried to rob me of my spirit weapon but also—also tried to assault me. Sir, please have mercy and save me!"

Hua Xia Jiu listened to the young woman's words very seriously, then said with a slight hesitation, "That's it? No promise of repayment or anything?"

The young woman was taken aback but then thought the handsome and robust young man in front of her was captivated by her beauty and had ulterior motives. A hint of disdain flashed through her mind, but her face turned a rosy red, and she looked charmingly shy, saying, "Sir, you are so naughty! If you can drive away those two evil men, I will consider repaying you with my body."

To be honest, the young woman was only in her mid-twenties, with delicate eyebrows, a straight nose, smooth skin, full breasts, and a graceful figure. Her fiery red dress could not hide her alluring figure but rather accentuated it. Her bright red lips were inviting, and her black hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her face, pale with fear, now had a rosy glow, giving her a captivating and alluring beauty that stirred the imagination.

At this moment, her charming and alluring demeanor made Hua Xia Jiu's eyes widen in appreciation. A feeling he had never experienced before arose in his heart. Hua Xia Jiu curiously savored this strange feeling and could not help but say, "You are really beautiful."

The young woman was taken aback again. The content of the young man's words was not problematic, at most indicating he was a lecher. However, the way he looked at her and spoke made her feel like she was just a beautiful flower to him, as if he was admiring a flower. His eyes, like bright stars, were clear and bright, showing only a hint of curiosity and no other intentions.

I just got home, and the train ride was a bit tiring, but I will definitely update tonight. Dear readers, please support me with votes, recommendations, and reviews. Your support is my motivation to continue writing. Thank you very much for your support.