108: Chapter 108 Hidden Edge on the South Embankment

Chapter 109: South Embankment, Hidden Edge (Bonus Chapter for Jiang She!)

The rain at Luoxi Mouth had been falling all night.

The stream rose rapidly, its water a muddy yellow, churning with fallen leaves and floating silt from the banks as it slapped against the newly installed wooden pilings.

The Formation Flags below the field ridges glistened from the damp mist. A few commoners wearing straw rain capes stood far off by the fields, not daring to approach the mouth of the stream, only occasionally looking up toward the east bank.

Two Han Family Cultivators had arrived on the east bank.

Neither of them had high cultivation levels—only Early Stage Qi Refining—yet they made no effort to conceal the Han Clan emblems on their robes. They stood outside the formation, relying on the fact that they hadn't entered it, and shouted across the water.

At first, it was just ordinary talk.

They claimed that Luoxi Mouth should have been discussed collectively by the families on the south side, and that the Jiang Family had forcibly seized the water access and monopolized the Spirit Fields, refusing to share the profits.

Seeing that no one in the formation answered, the two grew bolder and began bringing up old matters involving the Qian Clan and Du Clan, claiming the Jiang Family Clan Chief had allowed his people to beat the Qian Clan Chief and humiliate the various families on the east bank.

Jiang Shoushan sat on a bluestone by the stream, his eyes closed the entire time.

The Medium Grade Dharma blade lay horizontally before him. A trace of cold white Qi on the scabbard turned into a thin mist when soaked by the rain, sinking into the crevices of the stream rocks.

His aura only revealed him to be at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

Wen Zhibai was repairing the formation not far away, his formation ruler sweeping over the muddy water inch by inch, his brows slightly furrowed.

Sun Changshui was advanced in age and preferred to sit in the Sun Family courtyard teaching the young ones; the only ones truly in charge at the Luoxi Mouth formation were Jiang Shoushan, Luo Qitang, and Wen Zhibai.

Luo Qitang stood inside the formation, holding back at first.

He gripped his short blade, his expression ugly, but since Jiang Shoushan did not move, he did not move either.

Seeing that no one paid them any mind, the two Han Family Cultivators' words became increasingly foul.

One of the tall, thin Cultivators suddenly laughed and said, "Come to think of it, it's quite funny that people from the Luo Family still dare to stand in the Luoxi Mouth formation."

The other immediately chimed in, "Why wouldn't they dare? Without Family land, without ancestral graves, and without clansmen, they just find a new master and wag their tails for pity to stay alive."

Luo Qitang looked up abruptly.

The tall, thin Cultivator laughed even more flippantly and spat on the ground.

"Wasn't the Luo Family quite tough back in the day?"

"The grass on their graves must be several feet high by now, right?"

"Oh, that's not right. Does the Luo Family even have graves anymore?"

The person beside him deliberately lowered his voice, yet made it perfectly audible to those inside the formation.

"I heard that on the night the Luo Family was destroyed, the fire burned so fiercely. The old and young were crying all over the mountain, and in the end, not a single one with any backbone survived."

The tall, thin Cultivator laughed heartily.

"Exactly! Those with backbone were all burned or hacked to death that very night!"

"Anyone who dares to oppose our Han Family deserves exactly that."

"Luo Qitang, if you really have the ability, come out and kill me today."

"Since your Luo Family died so thoroughly back then, could it be that you are the only coward left?"

The formation went silent.

The bloodshot color in Luo Qitang's eyes surged up in an instant.

Over these years, he had told himself over and over again to endure, to live, to wait for the Jiang Family to grow strong, and to wait until his own cultivation was higher.

But when that person said the words "coward," the breath in his chest could no longer be suppressed.

Luo Qitang's figure suddenly darted out.

Wen Zhibai's expression changed.

"Fellow Daoist Luo!"

Jiang Shoushan also opened his eyes at that very instant.

The rain by the stream suddenly slowed down.

A wisp of Winter Solstice Spiritual Qi spread from the bluestone, beginning to tighten the formation entrance.

But Luo Qitang had already left the formation.

He flipped the short blade in his hand, his entire body surging forward using the water vapor at the formation entrance. He first used a beam of spiritual light to shatter the protective talisman the tall, thin Cultivator had hastily released, then pressed down with the back of his blade, crushing the man's shoulder bone. The man screamed and fell into the mud.

The other person saw that things were going poorly and turned to retreat.

The killing intent in Luo Qitang's eyes had not dissipated, and his short blade was already thrust out.

He truly intended to kill.

Just as the blade was about to fall, Jiang Shoushan's cold Qi finally pressed down.

The blade halted in mid-air, as if pressed into the spring mud by an invisible hand.

Jiang Shoushan's voice came from inside the formation.

"Don't kill him; tie him up."

Luo Qitang's arm trembled; the blade was barely an inch from the Han Family Cultivator's neck.

He gritted his teeth until they clicked, but in the end, he did not let the blade fall. Instead, he struck the man's back with a palm, sealing his Qi channels, and dragged the previously mentioned tall, thin Cultivator back into the formation as well.

Both Han Family Cultivators were heavily injured; the tall, thin Cultivator had a shattered shoulder, and blood mixed with mud flowed down, yet he still grinned.

That smile pierced Luo Qitang's eyes like a thorn.

He knew he had been tricked.

But some words, once heard, cannot be treated as if they were never heard.

Jiang Shoushan looked at the two bound Han Family Cultivators. There was no anger on his face; he only said in a deep voice, "Send word to Baili Mountain."

Wen Zhibai already understood and said in a low voice, "The Han Family is coming."

Jiang Shoushan nodded.

"They were already on their way."

Luo Qitang stood in the rain, his short blade hanging down. He felt as if he had returned to the day his Family was destroyed, and a sense of powerlessness surged into his heart once more.

"They insulted the deceased of my Luo Family."

Jiang Shoushan glanced at him. At this moment, he had no intention of blaming him, nor did he want to comfort this Luo Family man; he simply nodded and said, "I know."

Luo Qitang lowered his head and could say no more.

Not long after, the wind indeed picked up on the east bank.

The Han Family Clan Chief, Clan Leader Han Jingchong, arrived in person.

He stood on the east bank, his dark robes whipping loudly in the rainy air. He had only brought a few Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivators behind him, with no large contingent of troops.

But the one who truly drew Jiang Shoushan's attention was the sword-bearing youth by his side.

Han Zhaoye.

He merely lowered his eyes, watching the stream, his sword still in its scabbard.

Just by standing there, he made the spring rain outside the stream mouth feel a bit sharper.

Clan Leader Han Jingchong looked toward the formation and said sternly, "The Jiang Family puts on quite a display of power."

"My Han Family disciples merely came to ask questions, yet you beat and bound them."

"If you don't provide an explanation today, this formation at Luoxi Mouth need not remain."

Wen Zhibai gripped his formation ruler and let out a soft breath.

Jiang Shoushan slowly stood up; the aura he revealed was still only at the fifth level of Qi Refining.

The Luoxi Mouth formation light rose, blocking the front of the stream mouth.

Clan Leader Han Jingchong took a look, a slight mockery appearing in his eyes.

"Where is Jiang Xingshi?"

"Since he has become the Jiang Family Clan Chief, he should come out and speak."

"Injuring my Han Clan disciples—are you really going to let a mere guard-like figure like you, Jiang Shoushan, handle this?"

Jiang Shoushan gripped his sword hilt and did not answer.

Han Zhaoye looked up at a corner of the formation light, his fingertips tapping lightly on the sword hilt.

A wisp of Sword Qi left the scabbard.

The Sword Qi landed on the corner of the Luoxi Mouth formation, and the formation light instantly sank.

Wen Zhibai's expression changed slightly, and he hurriedly used the formation ruler to repair it. The formation corner was forcibly sustained, but it showed signs of strain.

Jiang Shoushan stepped forward half a step.

Cold Qi spread from beneath his feet, and the rain by the stream instantly slowed significantly.

That lingering Sword Qi was also suppressed by this cold Qi; its sharpness lagged for half a breath before finally dissipating.

Han Zhaoye glanced at him and did not draw his sword again.

This one sword strike was enough; the side at Baili Mountain would receive the news very soon.

They wanted Jiang Xingshi to come down the mountain.

The south embankment of Luoxi Mouth.

The gray-robed youth was leading Sun Jingan and Sun Jingcheng in sword practice.

Sun Jingan was in high spirits today.

He held a wooden sword in one hand, imitating the youth's earlier actions, hiding the sword in his sleeve, then suddenly flicked it forward.

The wooden sword nearly flew out of his hand, causing Sun Jingcheng to laugh out loud from the side.

"Are you practicing sword techniques, or just waving your sleeves to shoo away mosquitoes? You don't even have a scabbard."

Sun Jingan was embarrassed and angry.

"What do you know? Brother said that truly powerful Sword Cultivators don't necessarily need a scabbard."

The youth smiled.

"A scabbard is just an external object."

"Water can be a scabbard, wind can be a scabbard, sleeves can be a scabbard, and even the human body's Qi channels can be a scabbard."

Sun Jingan's eyes lit up.

"Can the human body's Qi channels also hide a sword?"

The youth looked at him, seemingly hesitant, before saying, "Naturally, it can."

Sun Jingan immediately pestered him.

"Brother, teach me this!"

Sun Jingcheng frowned.

"Don't mess around. The Clan Chief has said that heterodox techniques should not be practiced recklessly."

Sun Jingan said impatiently, "Clan Chief, Clan Chief, all you know is the Clan Chief every day. Practicing a bit of sword concealment isn't betraying the Family."

The youth smiled and pressed down on Sun Jingan's wrist.

"I'm just letting you experience how Sword Qi enters the sleeve; it won't harm your foundation."

As he spoke, his aura suddenly flickered.

The outward appearance of being at the second level of Qi Refining dissipated for half a breath.

In that instant, Sun Jingan felt that the person before him was unfathomable, far more powerful than those small Cultivators in the Family who had just entered the Dao.

His throat moved, and he lowered his voice, "Brother, you—you aren't at the second level of Qi Refining, are you?"

The youth neither admitted nor denied it, only raised a finger and tapped it lightly against his lips.

"It's good that you know; don't spread it around."

Sun Jingan's heart pounded wildly; he felt he had obtained a massive secret and nodded repeatedly.

The youth held his wrist pulse, guiding him to slowly tuck the wooden sword into his sleeve, and whispered, "Remember this imagery."

"Only if the Sword Qi can be hidden can the sword be drawn quickly."

Sun Jingan felt a slight chill at his wrist, as if pricked lightly by a fine needle, but it didn't hurt.

Instead, he became excited, and his breathing even quickened a little.

Sun Jingcheng watched from the side, always feeling that something was wrong.

Just as he was about to speak, a sound from the formation suddenly came from the direction of Luoxi Mouth in the distance.

Immediately after, a second sound.

Several servants on the south embankment looked up in alarm.

Sun Jingcheng's expression changed.

"Something has happened."

Sun Jingan was also stunned for a moment.

"Did the Han Family really attack?"

The youth looked toward the direction of the main Luoxi Mouth formation, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

He released Sun Jingan's wrist, looked at Sun Jingcheng, and suddenly said, "Two Young Masters of the Sun Family, I'm afraid I must trouble you."

Sun Jingcheng's heart skipped a beat.

"Trouble us with what?"

The next moment, two wisps of gray-white Sword Qi flew out from the youth's sleeve.

Just as Sun Jingcheng was about to retreat, his Qi channels were already sealed.

Sun Jingan was even worse off; before he could react, he was pressed down into the muddy water by a wisp of Sword Qi.

His face turned deathly pale.

"Brother—what are you doing?"

The youth did not look at him anymore. His gray-white short robe was soaked by the rain, and the scabbardless long sword in his palm had revealed half its blade at some unknown time.

He said indifferently, "I'm inviting the Jiang Family Clan Chief to come out and negotiate terms."

Sun Jingcheng's expression changed instantly.

"Are you from the Han and Lu families?"

The youth smiled.

"You're asking now, Young Master Sun? It's a bit late."

Sun Jingan was already trembling, his lips shaking with fear.

"Don't kill me—I don't know anything, I only came here to practice sword techniques—"

The youth looked at him, his tone gentle.

"I won't kill you, because you are very cute."

He turned around, took a gray-white Sword Pellet from his sleeve, and placed it in Sun Jingcheng's palm.

The Sword Pellet was only the size of a thumb, icy to the touch, with circles of sword patterns swirling on its surface.

The youth held his fingers, closing them over the Sword Pellet in Sun Jingcheng's palm.

"Hold it tight."

"If you let go, it will explode on you; if you throw it, it will find the Jiang Family members on its own."

"If you are obedient, you will be able to keep your little life."

Sun Jingcheng stared at him intently.

The youth said softly, "Don't look at me like that; the Sun Family is not the Jiang Family."

"You are only an attached clan; dying for the Jiang Family is not worth it."

Sun Jingcheng did not answer.

Rain Water fell from his forehead, running down his cheeks and into his collar.

Sun Jingan, however, had already burst into tears.

"I'll be obedient, I'll be obedient! I'll do whatever you want, just don't kill me!"

The youth looked at him and smiled gently.

In the distance, the Luoxi Mouth formation light vibrated once more.

This time, gray-white Sword Qi also rose from the south embankment, shooting straight into the curtain of rain.

Soon, everyone inside and outside Luoxi Mouth knew.

Two young Sun Family juniors who had just entered the Dao had been detained at the South Embankment.

The other party wanted to swap hostages.

Two Han Family Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivators in exchange for Sun Jingan and Sun Jingcheng.

And they demanded the Jiang Family Clan Chief to come in person.