Chapter 9: Marriage Alliance Matters
Ghost Hook Rat and Blade Wing Bat exchanged glances. Blade Wing Bat leaped into the air, while Ghost Hook Rat burrowed into the ground.
Amidst the torrential rain, Blade Wing Bat spread what looked like blood-red wings, slashing downwards with his blade, the blade light tumbling and churning, filling the sky.
Ghost Hook Rat, with a flurry of hook shadows, swept across the ground, erupting upwards from the earth and stone like a chilling, inverted waterfall.
Blade light and hook shadows formed a inescapable net, like a roaring chariot, intent on grinding the young man to pieces.
Neither Ghost Hook Rat nor Blade Wing Bat dared to prolong the fight, so they immediately unleashed their hidden killing move, “Heaven Slaughters, Earth Severs.”
They had secretly honed this move for years, a desperate measure against powerful foes, rarely used.
So far, they had used it only three times, against opponents far stronger than themselves, and it had always been a fatal blow.
Heaven unleashes killing intent, Earth severs the path of life.
The young man’s escape routes, both above and below, were completely sealed. He was trapped within the grinding mill, with no escape but death.
However, through the Soul Chasing Locking Steps, the duo’s rotating energy flows, amplified by their killing move, felt like two magnets.
Below the cliff, the critically injured martial artist and the terrified siblings watched as the young man stood motionless amidst the overwhelming attack.
Suddenly, a force pulled him, and in the next instant, he was behind Blade Wing Bat, having escaped the killing move.
It was so bizarre, so uncanny, as if he had done nothing, and Blade Wing Bat himself had pulled him out.
The injured martial artist and the siblings wondered if they had imagined it, if they had missed some detail, or if some frames had been skipped, preventing them from seeing clearly… What they had witnessed defied logic.
Blade Wing Bat was even more shocked. The moment the young man escaped, he felt his own movements falter, his internal energy disrupted. The next moment, the young man was behind him.
The inescapable net he and Ghost Hook Rat had created couldn’t stop the young man’s escape. At that moment, the young man’s speed had inexplicably increased.
Behind him, the young man extended a finger.
Sensing danger, Blade Wing Bat focused his internal energy and plummeted downwards.
Ghost Hook Rat’s sweeping iron hook almost caught him.
Blade Wing Bat landed with a thud and turned to face the young man. The young man floated down in the rain, looking at him coldly.
Ghost Hook Rat emerged from the ground and landed beside Blade Wing Bat, whispering, “Be careful, this kid… What’s wrong?”
Ghost Hook Rat looked at Blade Wing Bat, whose body was trembling in the rain.
The young man’s finger had lightly touched his back. That seemingly insignificant touch had set Blade Wing Bat’s meridians on fire.
Suddenly, Blade Wing Bat coughed up blood, stumbled forward, and collapsed, mud and water splashing around him.
The young man had merely touched his back, but the Severing Meridian Burning Heart Finger had already extinguished his life force.
Terror gripped Ghost Hook Rat’s heart. The rain poured down, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. His heart sank into an abyss.
The young man glanced at the corpse on the ground, a look of surprise on his own face.
He seemed surprised by the sheer power of his simple finger strike, a single touch capable of ending a life without any resistance.
With a roar, Ghost Hook Rat hurled his iron hook at the young man and, channeling all his energy, turned and fled through the rain.
He was terrified, no longer daring to face the young man.
The young man dodged the incoming hook and watched Ghost Hook Rat flee.
If Ghost Hook Rat had run like an ordinary person, he might not have been able to catch up.
But Ghost Hook Rat was using his full power to accelerate, and under the guidance of the Soul Chasing Locking Steps, it was as if he was inviting the young man to kill him.
The young man’s figure flickered, and the next moment, he was behind Ghost Hook Rat. He extended a finger, piercing through the downpour, striking Ghost Hook Rat’s back.
Ghost Hook Rat ran for another ten zhang before stumbling. He collapsed in the rain, convulsed, and died.
A scream came from the other side. The young man quickly turned and saw Zhao Haisong leaping towards the cliff face.
Seeing both the Rat and Bat Duo killed by this mysterious young man, Zhao Haisong knew he had no escape and was attempting to take the siblings hostage.
The young man moved, but he was too late.
Suddenly, he turned his head and saw a flash of blade light in the darkness.
A blade flew through the air, thin as a cicada’s wing, spinning before embedding itself in Zhao Haisong’s throat.
Zhao Haisong clutched his throat, his eyes wide, letting out a hoarse gasp before collapsing.
Shi Hao focused his gaze and saw a woman emerge from the darkness, dressed in light grey, her feet splashing through the water as she approached Zhao Haisong’s corpse. With a gesture, the flying knife embedded in his throat returned to her hand.
She flicked her wrist, and the knife disappeared.
From below the cliff, the gravely injured middle-aged martial artist said in a low voice, “It’s… really dark here.”
The woman turned to look at Shi Hao, who stood motionless in the rain.
She turned back to the martial artist and the siblings and whispered, “Even in this darkness, the thunder never ceases.”
The middle-aged martial artist smiled weakly, “You… finally arrived. I can… rest now.” His head drooped.
The girl and boy, supporting his cooling body, cried, “Uncle Zhao, Uncle Zhao…”
The woman’s expression turned somber. She crouched beside the siblings and said, “I’m sorry, I’m late.”
Taking their hands, she said, “We can’t stay here long. More Six Gates lapdogs will come. Come with me.”
She pulled the children up and looked at the young man standing silently in the rain, “Thank you for your help, kind sir. May I ask for your name?”
Amidst the roaring storm, Shi Hao said calmly, “I am but a passerby who couldn’t stand for injustice.”
The woman and the children bowed to him, “Thank you for your assistance, kind sir. The martial world is a dangerous place. If fate allows, we will repay your kindness in the future. You should leave this place quickly as well.” With that, she hurried away with the children.
Watching their figures disappear into the rain and darkness, Shi Hao relaxed and looked back at the corpses of the Rat and Bat Duo and the Six Gates constables.
This was the first time he had killed, but he felt no remorse, only that he hadn’t killed enough of these villains.
He bent down and searched the bodies of the Rat and Bat Duo for anything useful.
He found quite a bit of silver and some miscellaneous items. He wasn’t interested in the silver and left it behind.
He then searched Zhao Haisong’s body and found a wanted poster with the pictures of the siblings, labeled “Daughter of rebel Wu Zheng” and “Son of rebel Wu Zheng.” Clearly, Wu Zheng was their father, arrested and sentenced to death for writing rebellious poems, his entire family, including his children, condemned.
Shi Hao then found a stone carved in the shape of a tiger, covered in runes.
He thought, “This seems to be the magical weapon the Holy Jade Immortal and Enchanting Fire Witch mentioned. But Zhao Haisong didn’t use it. Did he already use it today?”
He tucked the tiger-shaped rune stone into his robe and, ignoring the corpses, continued running through the rain.
Along the way, he put his shirt back on and undid the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique, returning to his original appearance.
He took out the magical weapon and, using the methods taught by the Holy Jade Immortal and Enchanting Fire Witch, studied the runes and focused his consciousness into it.
He quickly understood its function.
—Magical Weapon: Earthly Valor Tiger
—Divine Crystal: Earthly Valor Star
—Effect: Grants a divine body and divine power for a short period, multiplying physical strength and power. Limited to one use per day.
—Remaining Uses: Five
Divine crystals themselves couldn’t be used; they had to be forged into magical weapons or absorbed by the body.
The divine crystal used in this weapon was called the “Earthly Valor Star.” “Earthly Valor Tiger” was just a name given by the crafting master after forging it into a tiger shape.
The light within the weapon was dim, indicating it had indeed been used today. Perhaps Zhao Haisong had even stolen it from someone else.
After running for several li, the rain subsided. Near the giant pit, Shi Hao heard Master Lu and the hunters calling out, “Young Master! Young Master!”
He took a detour and then pretended to emerge from the mud, rejoining them.
Relieved to see him safe and sound, Master Lu and the others escorted him down the mountain in the rain.
They didn’t know that in this short time, their young master was no longer just a weak scholar—
In a small town outside the mountain, Shi Hao soaked in a hot bath at an inn.
He took out the Jade Clarity Stone and the Earthly Valor Tiger, examining them once more. It was now morning, the sun shining brightly in a clear sky.
It was as if yesterday’s storm had washed away all the impurities from the heavens.
Surrounded by steam, soaking in the hot water, he felt extremely comfortable.
He thought to himself, “Although I’m already an eighth-rank martial artist, to advance further, I need to cultivate both the Immortal Ice Technique and the Mysterious Charm Technique to their peak. I also need to find the ingredients for the seventh-rank Immortal Formula. I wonder if there’s a place to buy these things?
“And this trip to Jin Prefecture is also troublesome. As the young master of Small Han Mountain City, I’m being forced to marry a woman from the Wusu clan. If I refuse, I’ll offend the Marquis, and Small Han Mountain City’s situation will become even more difficult.
“But if I do marry her, Small Han Mountain City will become a vassal of the Wusu clan, and I, a Chinese, will become the son-in-law of barbarians.”
He frowned deeply.
Since Lie Zunyi’s invasion, the entire Jin clan had been designated as “royalty,” while the Chinese people were considered lowly commoners. Intermarriage between the two groups was forbidden.
However, after so many years, the so-called “royal” upper class had become increasingly corrupt, and the various forms of resistance among the Chinese people had never ceased.
Until Futu, the barbarian court’s chancellor, whose martial arts skills were said to rival those of the Supreme Emperor, took control of the court and began implementing the “Jin-Xia Family Harmony” policy, promoting intermarriage between the Jin and Chinese people.
This policy had reportedly caused strong discontent among the Jin clan’s upper class.
But the Supreme Emperor Lie Zunyi had been in seclusion for a long time, no longer involved in court affairs. The current barbarian emperor, Zu Chi Wu, followed the chancellor’s every word, and the “Jin-Xia Family Harmony” policy was forcibly implemented.
This marriage alliance between Small Han Mountain City and the Wusu clan was a result of this policy.
However, Wusu Baoteng, the clan leader and Marquis of Jin Prefecture, would never allow his own daughter to marry a “commoner.” So, he had his younger brother choose a girl from the clan, adopt her as his daughter, and marry her off to the young master of Small Han Mountain City.
For Small Han Mountain City, this was undoubtedly a humiliation, but the Wusu clan considered it an honor for Small Han Mountain City.
Twenty or thirty years ago, Small Han Mountain City wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to marry a woman from the Wusu clan.
Speaking of which…
Shi Hao, scrubbing himself in the hot water, thought self-deprecatingly.
He had set out for Jin Prefecture for a marriage alliance, but somehow, along the way, he had lost his virginity.
He wondered if his two “wives” in the Primordial Grotto Heaven were fighting again.
With their abilities, if he could quickly reach the fourth rank and help them escape, they would undoubtedly be a great asset to China.
Provided they didn’t continue their “internal strife” after coming out.
After his bath, he sat cross-legged on the simple wooden bed in the room, preparing to cultivate. He wondered whether to practice the Immortal Ice Technique or the Mysterious Charm Technique first.
Suddenly, it occurred to him that although those two women had played with his life, they had indeed established the foundations of both techniques within him.
With this in mind, he attempted to cultivate both techniques simultaneously.
The normally incompatible Daoist and demonic techniques, within his body, were like two intertwined yin and yang fish, opposing yet working in perfect harmony.
More importantly, they stimulated and challenged each other, both growing rapidly.
Even as he lay down to sleep, they continued to circulate in this delicate balance, suppressing and promoting each other without pause.
In the history of the martial world, no one had ever cultivated both Daoist and demonic foundations simultaneously. Such a wondrous thing was probably beyond the imagination of even the Holy Jade Immortal and the Enchanting Fire Witch.
The next morning, Shi Hao woke up feeling not only refreshed but also full of energy.
The power of the Immortal Ice Technique and the Mysterious Charm Technique within him had increased significantly, the speed of his progress startling him.
If he continued cultivating like this, perhaps it wouldn’t be long before both techniques reached their peak.
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