Chapter 136: The Xiang River Water Eye

“Xiang Xiaoyue?!”

Zhou Qian stared in astonishment at the petite, oval-faced girl before him, who had the gentle appearance of a sheltered young lady. She was Xiang Feihe’s daughter?!

“I was entrusted with a message by your father—”

“Spare me your pretended concern, you villain! You were even capable of branding my father a lackey of the Red Lotus Cult! What wouldn’t you do?”

Xiang Xiaoyue cut him off furiously. Sword radiance filled the air without pause. Zhou Qian deflected the attacks with his flying sword while pondering what had gone wrong to make her hate him so deeply. Then, all at once, he realized the truth.

Back then, to prevent the Red Lotus Cultists from slaughtering everyone after their scheme failed, he had not revealed that Xiang Feihe had defected at the moment of his death because his beloved daughter was being held hostage. He had merely told the martial artists aboard the ship that Xiang Feihe was a spy for the Red Lotus Cult who had tried to assassinate him and been killed instead. Xiang Xiaoyue must have learned of this from somewhere, and that was why she loathed him to the bone.

He was just about to explain when a streak of green light shot out of the Xiang River. Water splashed in every direction, and another woman landed upon the embankment. She appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, clad in flowing white robes, with cloudlike hair at her temples and a countenance fair as a celestial maiden’s. She was a breathtaking beauty, graceful and naturally alluring.

“Junior Sister, what happened?” the woman asked in a warm, gentle voice.

“Senior Sister Fang, he is Zhou Qian, the murderer of my father! You must help me slay this fiend!”

Xiang Xiaoyue’s eyes reddened.

A flash of white passed through Senior Sister Fang’s luminous eyes. Zhou Qian immediately felt his entire body grow heavy and could not help but marvel inwardly at the woman’s profound cultivation. It was nearly on par with that of his own Eldest Senior Brother.

“Hmm? Pure Qi of the Grand Purity. Are you a disciple of the Mount Qingcheng Sect?”

“Yes. I am Zhou Qian, a disciple of Jade Void Peak. My teacher is Daoist Ji酒.”

“Was my junior sister’s father killed by you?”

“Yes,” Zhou Qian admitted. “But there were circumstances behind it.”

“Is this demonic cultivator beside you traveling with you?” Senior Sister Fang suddenly changed the subject.

“I am not a member of the Demonic Cult,” Little Six hurriedly protested. “My teacher is Perfected Dongxuan of the Shennongjia Caverns.”

Senior Sister Fang turned her gaze to Zhou Qian. Though she did not radiate any oppressive force, her calm expression carried an unmistakable authority. Zhou Qian had heard that the Emei Sect had always been implacable toward evil. With no other choice, he braced himself and said, “He is a friend I met while I was in the mortal world. His nature is kind and upright.”

“Two demonic cultivators came here earlier and were insolent in their speech. My junior sister and I drove them away. The magical power within this one seems to come from the same lineage as theirs. Is that so?”

“Yes. Those two were Little Six’s senior brothers. But even dragons have nine sons, each different from the others. One cannot judge them all alike.”

“Demonic cultivators are vicious without exception. Ever since they appeared in the world, they have plunged the human realm into chaos and bloodshed. Is that not true? And to refine flying swords and magical treasures of the demonic path, they must sacrifice living beings in blood. Is that not also true?”

“Yes!”

Zhou Qian was powerless to refute her. Scene after scene from Luo Capital seemed to unfold before his eyes.

“Recently, that old monster Dongxuan appears to have been plotting to seize the treasure sealed within the springhead. Since you have admitted everything, capture this boy and hand him over to me. After I interrogate him, I will give you one chance to explain yourself to my junior sister.”

Senior Sister Fang’s peach-like jade features turned cold as she spoke in a deep voice.

“Senior Sister!” Xiang Xiaoyue cried in disbelief.

“I have my reasons.”

“That is impossible!” Zhou Qian said decisively. “I, Zhou Qian, have never betrayed a friend.”

“He is a disciple of the Demonic Path!”

“When I make friends, I distinguish only between good and evil, not between orthodox and heretical paths!”

Each word rang out like a stone striking the ground.

“Since that is what you have chosen, you must bear the consequences.”

Before her words had even faded, the jade-colored immortal sword behind her shot into the sky and transformed into a sword-ray more than a dozen yards long. In an instant, it descended toward him.

“Big Brother Zhou, watch out!”

Little Six hurriedly released five Rift Hooks to block it, but they could not withstand the sword’s edge and were knocked away at once. Still, they bought Zhou Qian a moment. He hastily released his Willowwood Immortal Sword, but the result was the same. The two retreated rapidly.

Little Six’s cultivation was considerable. He cast another spell—the Five Extremes Demonic Flame, which could devour the essence and souls of living beings. It was this very technique that had allowed him to kill five bears in a single strike. The demonic fire was also adept at fouling immortal swords. It became five blood-red lines that encircled the sword completely.

Unexpectedly, the Grand Unity Immortal Aura on the blade surged, and the sword pierced straight through the fiery blockade. Fortunately, Zhou Qian had already released his Fire-Leaving Pearl. Four or five blazing thunderbolts shot forth and struck the sword with a succession of thunderous explosions.

The two of them exhausted every means at their disposal and finally managed to deplete the sword’s momentum. Senior Sister Fang beckoned with one hand, and the flying sword flew back into her grasp.

Zhou Qian could only smile bitterly. The combined strength of the two of them could not withstand even a casual strike from her?

“You have some ability, at least.”

Senior Sister Fang was slightly surprised. She had already cultivated one of Emei’s six great secret inheritances, the Scripture of the Grand Unity, to the Transcendent Realm. Her cultivation was only half a step away from surviving a heavenly tribulation, and she wielded the sentient immortal sword Exquisite. Yet she had failed to dispose of two juniors of shallow cultivation with a single move?

“Little Six, leave quickly! I am a disciple of Mount Qingcheng. They would not dare do anything to me!”

Zhou Qian lowered his voice.

“Big Brother Zhou, you…”

“When the moment comes, make your decision! If one of us can escape, that is better than neither of us escaping!”

“Do you think you can escape?”

Senior Sister Fang gave a slight wave of her hand, and sword-light shot forth once more.

Zhou Qian slapped the gourd at his waist and flung out Thunderfire Pellets as though they cost nothing. Thunder and flames erupted, and the deafening roar shook the air. The white jade sword-light changed again, splitting into countless threads that were razor-sharp and sliced through the air.

Most of the Thunderfire Pellets were shattered into seven or eight pieces before they even had a chance to explode, clattering to the ground.

When Zhou Qian witnessed this, his mind trembled. The woman surnamed Fang had actually mastered the formidable divine ability known as Sword Refined into Silk!

Little Six knew the situation was desperate and had already fled backward upon a trail of gray vapor. The radiance of the Exquisite Sword pursued him once more. Zhou Qian hurriedly moved in front of him, and the white light formed by the Willowwood Sword tried to resist the oncoming sword-light, but the disparity in cultivation was simply too great.

A jade palm drifted forward through the air.

A gale raged forth, sending man and sword flying dozens of yards before they plunged into the surging Xiang River. Whether they lived or died was unknown.

Despite all their efforts, they had accomplished nothing.

An hour later, Senior Sister Fang landed before the embankment with Little Six in tow, his magical power sealed. Seeing the gloomy expression on Xiang Xiaoyue’s face, she guessed what had happened.

“You failed to catch Zhou Qian?”

“The current was too swift. He was probably swept away long ago. I searched the river for a long time but did not see him. The next time I encounter him, I will certainly take his life to avenge my father!”

Xiang Xiaoyue spoke through clenched teeth.

“Junior Sister, your obsession is too deep. It will hinder your cultivation.”

Senior Sister Fang shook her head. “The treasure sealed within the springhead of Mount Nanbian, at the source of the Xiang River, is about to emerge. That old demon Dongxuan has probably already gone there. Keeping his disciple alive may prove useful. As for eliminating Zhou Qian, we can discuss that later.”

Night fell. The moon rose in the eastern sky, its radiance shimmering across the surface of the river.

Two figures, one large and one small, walked along the water’s edge. They were a fisherman returning late and his young son. Suddenly, the child cried out in surprise, “Father, look! There’s someone in the water!”

“Could it be a corpse floating downstream?” the old fisherman asked hesitantly.

“But he’s still moving! Can we save him?”

“Well… all right.”

The old fisherman was kindhearted by nature. He set down the little raft and used a bamboo pole to guide it toward the drifting figure. He hauled Zhou Qian aboard, and after returning to shore, the child stared at him curiously.

“This man is so handsome—prettier than Mother! And his hair is all white. He’s the White Old Grandpa!”

Zhou Qian slowly awoke from unconsciousness. His lungs and heart still ached with swelling pain; there was no need to ask why. He had undoubtedly swallowed a great deal of river water.

The strand of Grand Unity Immortal Aura sent into his dantian by that palm strike remained pure, condensed, and stubbornly unmoving. He could only refine it bit by bit with his own Grand Purity Aura, and until now he had been unable to circulate his magical power.

When Zhou Qian looked around, however, he found himself in a crude wooden hut. There were only a few small stools and a wooden bed covered with cotton batting that carried a faint moldy smell. When he rose, the bed creaked loudly, as though it might collapse at any moment.

The noise drew the attention of the hut’s owner. Footsteps thudded across the wooden floor, and a dirty little head poked through the doorway.

“Hello, little brother.”

Zhou Qian was startled, then guessed that the child was one of the owner’s children and greeted him.

“Hello, White Old Grandpa!”

Zhou Qian touched his nose, feeling rather embarrassed. Apparently, he had already grown that old.

The child was not shy at all and walked over boldly. Zhou Qian frowned slightly as he examined him. The boy wore a coarse hemp garment patched over and over, with several large holes remaining. His little feet were bare. His family must have been desperately poor, otherwise how could they not even afford shoes and socks?

“Is this your home?” Zhou Qian asked.