33: Chapter 33 A Meeting of the Goat Horn Amidst Wind and Rain

As Han Meng's voice fell, the room was so silent that the crackling of the oil lamp wick could be heard.

Lu Zhao did not speak, only staring at the oil lamp on the table.

The lamp flame flickered, casting shifting light and shadow upon his face.

"How many people?" he asked.

"On the surface, seven or eight," Han Meng said. "In the shadows... it's hard to say. In a place like the black market, there are countless people hiding their heads and showing their tails. Some are here for the bounty, some are here to watch the spectacle, and others—"

He paused.

"I saw one, with a piece of black cloth hanging from his waist, trying to hide. But I recognize that gait—his feet didn't touch the ground, he was floating. It's the light-body technique of the Nether Path."

Shen Qingqiu's expression changed slightly. "Have the killers arrived?"

"Scouts," Han Meng said. "They're checking the location. The ones who will actually strike are still to come."

Lu Zhao nodded and looked at Shen Qingqiu. "How much longer for the Concealment Array?"

"Two days at the fastest," Shen Qingqiu said. "Refining the martial monument fragment takes time, carving the Formation patterns takes time, and guiding the earth Qi into the Formation takes even more time—the slightest mistake, and all previous efforts will be wasted."

"Two days..." Lu Zhao mused.

He Shan couldn't help but say, "Sir, that group of Loose Cultivators will sneak over tonight! Two days is too long!"

"I know," Lu Zhao said.

He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The night wind blew in, carrying the scent of grass and trees from the mountains.

The distant mountains were like ink, and occasionally a few points of fire flickered—those were the torches lit by the Loose Cultivators, appearing exceptionally glaring in the dark night.

"Yan Meng," he called out.

"Here."

"How many people in the War Martial Hall can fight now?"

"Twenty-three," Yan Meng said. "We've been training in shifts day and night, and we've mastered three sets of combined attack Formations. If we fight within the village terrain, coordinating with traps, we can hold off about five Cultivators below the second level of the Qi Refining stage."

Lu Zhao nodded. "He Shan."

"Here."

"What is the coverage area of the Listening Wind Pavilion's warning traps?"

"Three miles," He Shan said. "The northern mountain path, the eastern creek valley, and the western Wild Wolf Slope have all been set. Anyone who steps in will trigger the alarm."

"How many more can you add tonight?"

He Shan thought for a moment. "If we work through the night, we can add another twenty. But manpower..."

Lu Zhao looked at Han Meng.

Han Meng understood. "I'll go. I'm familiar with the black market. I can buy some ready-made trap Materials and transport them back before dawn."

"Go," Lu Zhao said. "Scrape the silver together from the village, and if it's not enough, owe the rest. Tell the seller we will repay them three times over."

Han Meng grinned. "Sir's words are more effective than silver." With that, he flashed out the door and disappeared into the night.

Lu Zhao looked at Shen Qingqiu again.

"Can that Ice Soul Bead be used?"

Shen Qingqiu was taken aback. "The Ice Soul Bead? That thing requires a cold-attribute Cultivation Technique to drive it, and we..."

"Dismantle it," Lu Zhao said. "Extract its cold energy and set up an 'Ice Spike Formation' at the village entrance. It doesn't need to hurt anyone, just delay the intruders' pace."

Shen Qingqiu's eyes lit up. "That's feasible! The cold energy in the Ice Soul Bead is pure. If combined with the energy-dispersing method of the Concealment Array, we can set up a simple trapping Formation. Although it won't trap anyone above the third level of the Qi Refining stage, it can slow the invaders down by half a step—"

"Half a step is enough," Lu Zhao said.

He looked out the window; those firelights were getting closer and closer.

"Tonight, someone will come."

The third quarter of the Zi hour.

The moon hid behind the clouds, and the world was pitch black.

At the entrance of Yangjiao Ravine, under the old locust tree, Lu Zhao sat cross-legged.

He closed his eyes, his breathing long and steady, his Qi and blood circulating slowly throughout his body. Inside him, the Nine Yang Divine Skill True Qi boiled like boiling water, scouring his Meridians over and over. On the surface of his body, the first level of the Golden Bell Cover, "Iron Clothes," covered him vaguely, emitting a very faint golden light in the darkness.

In the distance, the cry of a night owl echoed.

Immediately after, there was a second cry, then a third—that was the signal from He Shan and the others: someone was coming, three of them, from the northern mountain path.

Lu Zhao opened his eyes.

In the darkness, his eyes were exceptionally bright.

He stood up, walked behind the old locust tree, and concealed his figure.

Before long, three dark figures crept down from the mountain path.

The leader was a tall, thin man carrying a long sword, its tip dragging on the ground, making a faint rustling sound with every step. Behind him were two others: one short and stout, holding a short axe in each hand; the other lean and thin, empty-handed, but with his waist bulging, hiding some kind of hidden weapon.

The three crept to the village entrance and stopped.

The tall, thin man looked up at the pitch-black adobe houses in the village and laughed in a low voice. "Just this broken village? It's worth three hundred Spirit Stones?"

The short, stout one also laughed. "That Xuanshuang Sect deacon must be bored out of his mind, making fun of us."

The lean one didn't laugh, only looking around vigilantly.

"Stop talking nonsense," he whispered. "Go in and test the waters first. If that guy surnamed Lu is a piece of trash, we'll just slaughter him and take his head; if there's a tough problem, we'll go back and report it, and let those big shots in the back come to die."

The tall, thin man nodded and walked into the village with his sword drawn.

After walking three steps—

His foot suddenly went soft!

He looked down and saw the ground suddenly collapse into a shallow pit, with several sharpened bamboo spikes buried inside. The bamboo spikes pierced through his shoe sole and into his sole, making him gasp in pain.

"Damn it!" he growled, trying to pull his foot back to retreat.

But just then, with a "whoosh" in the darkness, an arrow pierced through the air!

The tall, thin man couldn't dodge in time; the arrow grazed his cheek and nailed into the old locust tree behind him, the tail of the arrow vibrating with a hum.

"Ambush!" the lean one shouted, waving his hands, and seven or eight throwing darts shot toward where the arrow came from.

In the darkness, there was a "clang, clang" sound—the throwing darts were blocked by something.

Immediately after, torches throughout the village were lit simultaneously!

Twenty-three people rushed out from various places, instantly surrounding the three. Yan Meng was in the front, the young men of the War Martial Hall flanked from the left and right, and He Shan stood on the roof, his bowstring fully drawn, the arrowhead aimed at the tall, thin man's head.

The expressions of the three changed instantly.

The tall, thin man gritted his teeth. "Damn it, it's a trap!"

The short, stout one gripped his short axes. "What are you afraid of? A bunch of Mortals, I can take them one by one with an axe!"

Before he finished speaking, he stepped forward and swept his axes horizontally!

The wind of the axes whistled, with a terrifying momentum. The two young men in front didn't dare to take it head-on and dodged aside. The short, stout one was smug and was about to pursue—

Suddenly, he stumbled!

There were several ropes on the ground that hadn't been there before, tripping him and causing him to fall forward. He reacted extremely quickly, supporting himself with one hand to flip over and get up. But just as he turned over, his vision blurred, and a fist was already in front of his face.

It was Lu Zhao.

This punch was plain and simple, without any fancy tricks, but the wind of the punch was scorching, like a red-hot iron hammer!

The short, stout one hurriedly raised his axes to block.

"Clang!"

The fist slammed into the axe face, actually producing the sound of metal clashing! The short, stout one felt a violent shock in his hand, and the short axe flew out of his grip! He was shocked and opened his mouth to shout—

The second punch arrived.

This punch slammed into his chest.

With a "crack," his sternum shattered. The short, stout one flew backward, crashing into the adobe wall behind him, causing cracks to appear in the wall, and slid to the ground, motionless.

The tall, thin man and the lean one turned pale.

"You... you..." The tall, thin man's sword tip trembled, pointing at Lu Zhao. "You are not a Mortal!"

Lu Zhao withdrew his fist and stood with his hands behind his back.

"Yes," he said. "I am not a Mortal."

He took a step forward.

"I am the one who will take your lives."

The tall, thin man gritted his teeth, a flash of sword light aimed straight at Lu Zhao's throat!

This sword strike was fast and ruthless, his ultimate trump card, having once killed three Loose Cultivators of the same rank.

But the sword tip stopped halfway.

It wasn't that he didn't want to pierce, but that he couldn't—Lu Zhao's two fingers caught the blade.

The tall, thin man's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

"You..."

Lu Zhao didn't give him a chance to speak.

He twisted his two fingers, and the sword blade snapped with a "crack"! The broken sword spun in his hand, flying past the tall, thin man's neck, leaving a trail of blood.

The tall, thin man clutched his neck, his eyes wide, and slowly fell to the ground.

The lean one turned and ran!

His light-body technique was good; in a few steps, he rushed out of the encirclement and sprinted toward the mountain path. As long as he ran into the forest, with the cover of night, who could catch him?

After running twenty zhang, his heart relaxed, and he was about to turn his head to look back—

Suddenly, his chest felt cold.

He looked down and saw half an arrowhead protruding from his chest, blood dripping from the tip.

He opened his mouth, then collapsed to the ground.

He Shan stood on the roof, slowly putting away his bow.

The battle ended, taking no more than half a stick of incense time.

Yan Meng led people to clean up the battlefield, dragging the three corpses outside the village. The items found were piled on the ground: three broken swords, two short axes, a dozen throwing darts, a few pieces of broken Spirit Stones, and a bottle of healing Medicinal Pill.

Shen Qingqiu squatted down to rummage through them, then looked up. "They are all Loose Cultivators, very poor."

Lu Zhao nodded and looked at Yan Meng. "Are the brothers injured?"

"Two minor injuries," Yan Meng said. "They are all superficial wounds, nothing serious."

"Let Granny Xue take a look," Lu Zhao said. "Train again after the wounds heal."

Yan Meng acknowledged and left.

He Shan came down from the roof, walked to Lu Zhao's side, and whispered, "Sir, these three people... are the first batch."

"I know," Lu Zhao looked at the distant mountain path. "There will be a second batch, a third batch."

He Shan gripped his longbow. "No matter how many come, we kill them all."

Lu Zhao shook his head.

"We can't kill them all," he said. "After killing these three, there will be thirty more. After killing thirty, there will be three hundred. The Xuanshuang Sect's bounty is there; Loose Cultivators are like flies smelling carrion, they can't be driven away."

He Shan was silent.

After a long while, he asked, "Then what should we do?"

Lu Zhao didn't answer.

He turned and looked at the adobe houses in the village. Inside the rooms, the women and children huddled in corners, not daring to make a sound. But through the cracks in the doors, he could see those eyes—fearful, worried, but more than anything, trusting.

They trusted him.

Trusted that he could lead them to survive.

Lu Zhao withdrew his gaze and walked into the village.

After walking a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

"He Shan."

"Here."

"Tomorrow morning, send all the old and weak in the village into the secret cave," Lu Zhao said. "Although the Concealment Array is not yet complete, it is enough to hide people for the time being."

He Shan was taken aback. "Then in the village..."

"Leave the young and strong," Lu Zhao said. "Keep everyone who can fight."

He paused.

"From tonight on, Yangjiao Ravine... is a battlefield."

Behind the mountain, in the secret cave.

Shen Qingqiu sat cross-legged in the center of the cave, with the martial monument fragment placed in front of her. The fragment floated in mid-air, slowly rotating, with earth-yellow light faintly flowing on its surface.

She formed seals with her hands, and fine beads of sweat seeped from her forehead.

The refining had reached a critical moment.

The intent of the earth contained within the fragment was far thicker than she had imagined. That aura was heavy, simple, and steady, like the earth itself. She had to guide it with her Divine Thought, slowly "crushing" it, and then re-condensing it into a Formation base that the Formation could utilize.

The slightest mistake, and the fragment would shatter, wasting all previous efforts.

She took a deep breath and continued to circulate her energy.

Outside the cave, there was a slight sound of footsteps.

She opened her eyes and saw Lu Zhao bending down to enter the cave.

"How is it?" he asked.

"Two more hours," Shen Qingqiu said. "The earth-element aura of the fragment is too pure; the refining is slower than expected."

Lu Zhao nodded and sat down opposite her.

"How is it outside?" Shen Qingqiu asked.

"Killed three," Lu Zhao said. "Loose Cultivators, very poor."

Shen Qingqiu looked at him. "Are you injured?"

"No."

"Then your complexion is wrong."

Lu Zhao was silent.

After a long while, he spoke.

"Just now when I was killing, I suddenly thought of something."

"What is it?"

"Wang Tong," Lu Zhao said. "Killing him that day was a narrow victory. Killing these three today was as easy as slaughtering chickens. It's not that they are too weak, it's that I have become stronger."

Shen Qingqiu nodded. "The Golden Bell Cover is practiced?"

"The first level is complete, and the second level has just started," Lu Zhao said. "The Nine Yang True Qi is also three parts thicker than before."

"Then you should be happy."

Lu Zhao shook his head.

"I am thinking, I have become stronger, but the enemies will also become stronger," he said. "Today it was Loose Cultivators at the first level of the Qi Refining stage; tomorrow it might be the third or fourth level. In a few days, Zhao Hanshan will come personally—he is at the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage, one level higher than Wang Tong."

He looked at his own hands.

"I could kill Wang Tong because of the Formation, the surprise attack, and Han Meng's desperate efforts. If it were a fair fight, I might not be his opponent."

Shen Qingqiu was silent.

She knew what Lu Zhao said was the truth.

In the Qi Refining stage, each level is a separate heaven. Lu Zhao's current cultivation, if classified by Cultivators, is at most the third level of the Qi Refining stage—and that is being generous. Facing Zhao Hanshan, who is at the sixth level of the Qi Refining stage head-on, his chance of winning is less than thirty percent.

"Then what do you want?" she asked.

Lu Zhao raised his eyes.

"I want... to be a little faster."

"Faster?"

"Yes," Lu Zhao said. "Cultivate a little faster, become stronger a little faster, kill a little faster. Before stronger people come, kill everyone who can be killed, and prepare everything that can be prepared."

He paused.

"Then, wait for Zhao Hanshan to come."

Shen Qingqiu looked at him and suddenly asked, "Are you confident?"

Lu Zhao didn't answer.

He just closed his eyes and continued to circulate his True Qi.

Shen Qingqiu looked at him for a moment, didn't ask further, and lowered her head to continue refining the fragment.

The cave was silent, with only the sound of their breathing.

When the sky began to turn white at the horizon, Shen Qingqiu suddenly opened her eyes.

"It's done!"

She flipped her hands, and the martial monument fragment suddenly stopped rotating, hovering three inches above her palm. On the surface of the fragment, the originally blurry patterns were now incomparably clear, like the cracks in the earth, exuding a thick and ancient aura.

Lu Zhao opened his eyes.

"Set up the Formation now?"

"Yes," Shen Qingqiu stood up. "The fragment has become the Formation base; it only needs to be embedded into the earth vein node, and then with Spirit Stones as the guide, activate the Formation patterns, and the Concealment Array can operate."

She paused.

"But someone needs to guard the Formation. The Formation is most fragile when it is first formed; if there is an external impact, it is easy to collapse."

Lu Zhao nodded. "I will guard it."

The two left the cave.

Outside the cave, the sky was slightly bright. Thin mist filled the mountains, and grass and trees were covered in dew. In the distance, the chirping of birds could be heard, crisp and pleasant.

Shen Qingqiu walked to a spot three zhang outside the cave and stopped.

"It's here," she pointed to the ground. "I have sensed it; the earth vein node is three feet below this. Just dig it open, bury the Formation base, and activate it with Spirit Stones—"

She didn't finish her sentence and suddenly stopped.

Her expression changed.

Lu Zhao sensed something was wrong. "What?"

Shen Qingqiu didn't speak, only squatted down and pressed her hand on the ground.

A moment later, she looked up, her face pale.

"The earth vein... has been tampered with."

Lu Zhao's heart tightened. "What do you mean?"

"Someone has been here," Shen Qingqiu said. "They used some method to forcibly investigate the earth vein. Although they didn't destroy the node, the residual aura..."

She paused.

"It is Zhao Hanshan's Ice Cold True Qi."

Lu Zhao stared at the ground, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

Zhao Hanshan had been here last night. He discovered the earth vein node and also discovered the abnormality of the secret cave. But he didn't make a scene, didn't make a move—why?

There was only one answer.

He was waiting.

Waiting for more people to come, waiting for Lu Zhao to expose more trump cards, waiting for everything to be ready, and then killing him in one blow.

Lu Zhao slowly stood up.

On the distant mountain path, a few more dark shadows appeared, more and faster than last night.

And in the secret cave behind him, the Concealment Array was not yet activated, and the old, weak, women, and children had not yet been transferred—

Time was running out.