Chapter 19

Ximen Shuai was just about to try to catch Lin Fan again when a loud boom echoed, and the stone where he was about to land exploded, sending Ximen Shuai flying a hundred paces away. Being hit by the same trick, Ximen Shuai was speechless. The stone was the one that Ximen Shuai had transformed into a large rock to smash Lin Fan, and Lin Fan had casually written the secret incantation of the Fire Thunder Technique on it with his own blood. Ximen Shuai, in pursuit of Lin Fan, used the stone's landing position as a reference point and then probed, only to fall for Lin Fan's trick again.

Ximen Shuai redirected his anger at himself onto Lin Fan's despicable actions, roaring as he pursued him. Then... he could only land on the ground and wash the black marks off his face by the river, as they had reached the market. Whether it was the Demon Sect or the righteous path, they would subconsciously avoid using divine techniques in front of mortals. If necessary, they would use an illusion. For example, if Ximen Shuai were to fly into the market, everyone would kneel and worship him, and even burn incense, which would greatly damage his virtue. Even if he had ascended to immortality, without a celestial registry, he could not bear the worship of so many mortals. Even ordinary people would immediately step aside if someone of the same generation or an elder knelt to them. Not to mention encountering a few unreasonable people who insisted on building a temple to venerate him.

Ximen Shuai used some means to clean himself up. Once the dirt was washed away, a handsome young master appeared, and before he even entered the center of the market, his回头率 (turning heads) was off the charts. Was he the son of a high official? Or from a scholarly family? Such gazes were very enjoyable, especially when attractive women threw him flirtatious glances. However, Ximen Shuai didn't forget his mission and mixed into the crowd, searching for Lin Fan.

Then, Ximen Shuai was tricked.

Thugs have always existed, especially during market days. Generally, local thugs wouldn't go too far, at most extorting a few coins from traveling merchants. But today, the thugs were different. Without a word, four of them grabbed Ximen Shuai and beat him up. Not only were the onlookers confused, but Ximen Shuai himself was dazed: Could being handsome be a crime?

Soon, Ximen Shuai saw Lin Fan grinning at him through the crowd. Without using his divine powers, Ximen Shuai used some tricks to increase his strength and quickly beat the four thugs to the ground. After tidying his clothes, he looked for Lin Fan, but Lin Fan was nowhere to be found. He asked a roadside vendor for directions to the incense shop and was about to set off when a beggar child grabbed his leg, saying, "Sir, please have mercy on me."

This was different from the thugs. If he kicked the child away, many people would look down on him. Ximen Shuai couldn't tolerate such gazes, so he smiled and took out a gold ingot, bending down to say, "Tell me, where did the person who told you to grab my leg go?"

The beggar child was overjoyed and said, "He wanted to buy a writing brush, but they are only sold at the academy in the western outskirts of town."

"Take care of yourself." Ximen Shuai gave the gold ingot to the beggar child.

The beggar child started dreaming of a happy life, but he didn't know that Ximen Shuai would never let someone who had tricked him off easily. Sure enough, the four beaten thugs saw the gold ingot and looked at each other, slowly surrounding the beggar child.

The outcome was tragic. The beggar child was beaten up by the four thugs, and the town's constable caught the thugs. The beggar child, feeling grateful, discovered that the gold ingot he had risked his life to protect was just a stone. He immediately reported to the authorities that the thugs had taken the gold ingot. The constable searched but found no gold ingot, so the four thugs and the beggar child were each given twenty lashes and released.

From this, it can be seen that Ximen Shuai was a person who would not let a slight go unpunished. He would even trick a beggar child, let alone Lin Fan, who had made him look so foolish. For Ximen Shuai, there was also good news: his Qiankun Ring was now usable. A defiled magical treasure and a dormant one were different. The latter required a lot of time to refine, while the former would either be destroyed or recover on its own. The Qiankun Ring was a high-end item, so it could expel the defilement using its own spiritual energy.

With the Qiankun Ring in hand, Ximen Shuai's confidence soared. He despised himself for thinking he couldn't easily deal with a small Daoist from Yunqing Mountain without the Qiankun Ring. Despite his self-contempt, the Qiankun Ring gave him a sense of security. Subconsciously, Ximen Shuai knew that although he had the upper hand in their previous encounters, the results were always a loss. Dealing with Lin Fan made him feel uneasy, unsure of what tricks Lin Fan would use next.

...

The southern outskirts were only two li from the town, but it was a completely different world, surrounded by bamboo groves and incredibly quiet. Today was market day, so there were no classes, and only a young servant was tidying up books and stationery in the private school.

Ximen Shuai soon saw Lin Fan, who was standing straight outside the private school with a very strange expression. Inside the school, the young servant was sound asleep on the desk.

Ximen Shuai slowly approached Lin Fan.

"Blood Cloud." A voice appeared, and a blood-red cloud formed above Ximen Shuai's head, covering half a li.

Ximen Shuai was prepared and shot upward, drawing his finger from his back to the front, creating a crack in the blood cloud. He jumped out of the cloud, and the Qiankun Ring flew toward the depths of the bamboo grove.

Thirty-six swords flew out from the depths of the bamboo grove, colliding with the Qiankun Ring and sending it back to Ximen Shuai's hand. However, the opponent didn't fare well either, as twelve of the thirty-six swords were damaged.

Ximen Shuai sneered, "So it's the Bamboo Sword Hall of the Blood Shadow Sect. May I ask which esteemed person is this?"

A woman floated to the top of the bamboo grove, lightly stepping on the bamboo tips. She had a drop of blood on her forehead in the shape of half a trigram, her lips were blood-red, her face pale, and her eyes cold. She was both alluring and icy, incredibly beautiful. Her voice was slightly hoarse, "Ximen Shuai, why did you leave the Western Continent and come to the Eastern Continent to stir up trouble?"

Ximen Shuai nodded, "So it's the Left Guardian of the Bamboo Sword Hall, Xue Ji. It's not that I didn't want to stay in the Western Continent, but the Demon Sect was determined to exterminate me. Out of necessity, I had to come to the Eastern Continent to earn a living." Damn, Xue Ji's cultivation was on par with his own, and his ancient sword was dormant. With the surrounding bamboo grove, he would be at a great disadvantage if they fought.

The Bamboo Sword Hall was the only hall in the Blood Shadow Sect that did not practice the Blood Shadow Great Technique and was the most righteous hall in the evil sect. Xue Ji had a hundred and eight bamboo swords, which could be used in formations of nine, eighteen, thirty-six, seventy-two, or a hundred and eight, each with immense power. The only drawback of the bamboo swords was that they were ordinary items, and in one encounter, a hundred and eight bamboo swords could be destroyed. However, in a bamboo grove, they could be transformed into swords, making them very formidable.

He couldn't win! If he changed the location, he might be able to defeat Xue Ji, but... huh? Where was Lin Fan? Although his cultivation was not high, he was a good helper. With his assistance, Ximen Shuai was confident he could defeat Xue Ji. But that's not right, Xue Ji must have captured Lin Fan first. That little bastard Lin Fan must have framed him. It wasn't framing; he was indeed the one who took the blame.