Chapter 177: Freedom Roams: Flower Butterfly!
Hou Bomin and Xiang Gu watched as Du Yuejiao, after screaming, clutched her chest and gasped for breath. After a long moment, she slowly stood up.
Her eyes were now sharp and focused. She grabbed her sword with her left hand and reached into the old woman’s limp grasp, retrieving the glowing Sui Marquis Pearl.
She quickly jumped up, ran to the waterfall, and with a single sword strike, parted the cascading water.
Hou Bomin and Xiang Gu exchanged glances… Projected sword energy?
Du Yuejiao, holding the pearl, stood beneath the waterfall, the water flowing around her, a shimmering curtain.
After a moment, she turned, leaped out of the waterfall, landed beside them, and said, her voice cold and determined, “Let’s go!” She ran towards the ravine exit.
Hou Bomin and Xiang Gu followed. “Where are we going?” Hou Bomin asked.
Du Yuejiao’s eyes gleamed, “To find Brother Shi!”
Shi Hao was surrounded by barbarian soldiers.
Although the fighting in the Changbai Mountains had subsided, the barbarian court still maintained a heavy presence in the area, checkpoints everywhere, to prevent the rebels from regrouping.
Without a word, Shi Hao attacked, cutting down several soldiers.
The soldiers, startled, attacked him with their swords and spears.
But Shi Hao, fueled by the burning energy within him, fought with increasing ferocity, the exertion easing his discomfort.
A barbarian commander, an eighth-rank expert, leading a small group of elite soldiers, six of them ranked, the others also well-trained, arrived.
Shi Hao, however, cut through them like a whirlwind, scattering the ordinary soldiers and killing the elite guards.
He struck the commander in the chest, shattering his ribs, sending him flying into a boulder, which exploded, crushing him.
As more soldiers approached, Shi Hao, with a roar, escaped.
Consumed by the burning energy of the Blood Poison, his mind clouded, his actions driven by instinct, he wandered aimlessly. Sometimes, he would stop in a deserted village, sitting in silence, lost in thought, as if trying to remember who he was, what he was doing.
Sometimes, he would wander through a town, staring at the people around him, their gazes returning his blank stare.
He had emerged from the earth, covered in mud, in the Demonic Qilin’s Lair, then washed himself in Heavenly White Pond, only to be covered in mud again.
Now, he wandered aimlessly, having traveled for two days without rest.
His hair was disheveled, his clothes caked in mud, his appearance like a beggar’s.
People looked at him with pity or simply sighed and turned away.
A woman, tearing a steamed bun in half, gave him a piece, then hurried away with her child.
They had seen too much suffering in these times.
Looking at him, they saw themselves, their own children’s potential futures. They could only sigh, their sympathy useless.
Shi Hao slowly ate the bun, then continued walking, leaving the town.
Several barbarian soldiers at the gate saw him but didn’t stop him.
He continued walking, his destination unknown.
The Qinling Mountains were the largest watershed in China, a vast and rugged terrain of mountains, forests, and rivers.
Reaching a river, his throat parched, he knelt down and drank deeply from the cool, flowing water.
He looked at his reflection, his face unrecognizable beneath the dirt and grime.
He thought, Is that me? Then who am I?
Unable to see his own face, he undressed and jumped into the river, washing himself.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was just a few days away. Autumn had arrived in the north, the river water cold.
The chilling water soothed his burning skin, his mind clearing slightly.
He submerged himself completely, letting the current wash away the dirt and grime.
He waded to the shallows, stood up, and looked up, the water streaming down his face and chest.
A giggle came from the riverbank.
He wiped the water from his eyes and looked over. A young woman stood there.
She was in her early twenties, dressed in a beautiful green and red robe, a light purple bodice embroidered with golden orchids peeking out from the neckline, the form-fitting robe accentuating her slender waist and curves. A sword was strapped to her back, its tassel and her hair swaying gently in the mountain breeze.
Her attire, clearly that of a martial artist, combined with her beauty, made her stand out.
Carrying a sword on one’s back, although seemingly elegant and stylish, wasn’t very practical. It was more of a fashion statement than a combat tactic.
After all, drawing a sword from one’s back was much slower than from one’s waist.
And few had reached the level of mastery where they could summon their sword with a mere gesture.
The young woman walked to the riverbank, sat down on a large rock, and looked at him, not with shyness or modesty, but with open amusement, giggling softly.
Shi Hao, standing in the shallows, the water barely reaching his thighs, ignored her and continued bathing.
After washing himself, he stepped out of the river and walked across the water’s surface.
The young woman gasped softly, “Oh?”
Shi Hao had practiced the Flowing Pearl Seven Star Steps with the Holy Jade Immortal in the Primordial Grotto Heaven, allowing him to walk on water.
However, walking on a calm lake was different from walking on a flowing river.
But he was still under the influence of the Demonic Qilin Blood Poison, his mind clouded, his body fueled by its energy, his actions instinctive.
Stepping onto the water’s surface felt completely natural.
The young woman, watching him, her eyes wide with surprise, thought, To bathe so casually in such cold water… he’s clearly a martial artist.
But she hadn’t expected him to be so skilled.
He was at least mid-rank.
She quickly searched her memory, trying to match his face to anyone she knew in the martial world, but she couldn’t place him.
Shi Hao reached the riverbank, picked up his clothes, which were tattered and muddy, frowned, and discarded them… They were beyond repair.
The young woman, her expression curious, approached him and, seemingly unfazed by his nakedness, bowed and asked, “May I ask your name, sir?”
Shi Hao looked at her and shook his head.
She wasn’t offended but smiled, “You don’t wish to tell me?”
The young man continued shaking his head, a look of confusion on his face, “Who am I? What am I doing here?”
The young woman, her eyes widening slightly, extended her hand, “May I take your pulse, sir?”
The young man extended his arm, not resisting.
She placed two fingers on his wrist, then, after a moment, murmured, “Strange. Your blood is burning, like a fever, but not a fever. And there are two distinct energies within you, suppressing this heat.”
She had never encountered such a strange condition. She was puzzled.
She looked at his face, thinking, He clearly has a mid-rank foundation and an air of… refinement, yet he doesn’t know who he is. And those two energies within him, one Daoist, one demonic, seemingly merging under the influence of this… blood fever… it’s bizarre.
Her curiosity piqued, she took a blanket from her pack, wrapped it around his waist, and took his hand, “Come with me.”
She led him to the nearest town and asked around. Someone recognized him as a beggar who had been wandering the area recently.
A mid-rank martial artist, reduced to begging… she found it both amusing and concerning.
She took him to a clothing store and had the shopkeeper make him some clothes.
After he was dressed, she looked at him again. He was handsome and refined, his demeanor elegant. She thought, He doesn’t seem to practice external martial arts, yet he can walk on water. He must be either a Daoist or demonic cultivator.
Intrigued, she decided to take him with her, hoping to jog his memory.
In the evening, they reached a small town. She took him to a restaurant, ordered some food, and asked for wine.
She tried to question him again, hoping to learn something about his background, but he remained unresponsive.
A young man, accompanied by several servants, entered the restaurant. He left his servants downstairs and climbed the stairs.
Seeing the young woman in the green and red robe, his eyes lit up, and he approached her, bowing, “Miss Zhu! You’ve arrived! Why didn’t you inform me? I would have been honored to welcome you.”
The young woman smiled, “You’re too kind, Master Chen. I’m just passing through. I didn’t want to trouble you.”
The young man said quickly, “It’s no trouble at all! If you would honor me with your presence, I would be delighted to host you. It would bring great fortune to my Humble Treasures Pavilion.”
Seeing she had only ordered two dishes, he went downstairs and shouted, “Shopkeeper, bring our finest food and wine to the young lady upstairs. Charge it to my account, Chen Hong of the Humble Treasures Pavilion.”
The shopkeeper, recognizing him as the young master of the Humble Treasures Pavilion, a wealthy and influential family, didn’t dare refuse, “Right away, sir!”
Chen Hong, his face beaming, returned upstairs and began showering the young woman with attention.
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