Chapter 5
A Woman of Unparalleled Horror
The three continued deeper into the icy valley following the direction of the footprints. The footprints became newer and newer, extending towards the bottom of the valley with varying depths.
After walking for about half an hour, Xu Xian suddenly raised his hand to signal to stop. He heard the sounds of fighting ahead.
Xu told Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao to stay put while he crept along the ice wall toward the direction from which the sound came.
After turning past a huge ice wall, Xu Xian saw the battlefield.
Five men in black were attacking two women and one man. The leader's palm strikes were shrouded in a faint black aura.
Xu Xian had read records of the Southern Region's Gu Dao (a type of witchcraft) in the Investigation Department's files:
The Gu Master integrates the poison of his natal Gu into his own internal energy, so that every palm strike carries its own poisonous power. Even if the person hit does not die on the spot, he will be slowly worn down to death by the Gu poison.
The three people who were surrounded were covered in blood.
A young woman stood at the front, gripping a curved knife. Her swordsmanship was fierce, but she was clearly exhausted, and each strike was slower than the last.
He subconsciously glanced at the woman's chest and couldn't help but shudder.
Isn't it said that all martial arts practitioners are flat-chested? This person's strength is terrifyingly real!
The middle-aged scholar stood guard beside her, a sword wound piercing his left shoulder, half of his sleeve stained crimson. He clutched a broken sword in his hand, still desperately trying to hold on.
A boy huddled behind the two, trembling all over.
Xu Xian crouched behind the ice wall and quickly observed that the five people were clearly faster and stronger than him.
You can't win by fighting head-on.
However, the men in black also had weaknesses. They focused all their attention on attacking the three men, leaving their rear completely unguarded.
They never imagined that someone would sneak up on them from behind.
The young woman was struck on the blade by the leader of the men in black; the curved sword flew out of her hand, and she staggered backward.
The leader of the men in black thrust his longsword forward, aiming straight for her throat.
Xu Xian drew his sword.
He didn't shout "Stop!" or "Let her go!"—that would be a fool's thing to do.
He burst out from behind the ice wall, covering a distance of more than ten steps in three strides, and slashed at the neck of the leader of the men in black with his goose-feather blade.
This strike was delivered with full force, channeling all the power of the second level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique into the blade.
The leader of the men in black reacted much faster than Xu Xian had expected.
When the blade was less than three inches from his neck, he rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
Xu Xian slashed at his right shoulder, cutting a bloody gash, but failed to sever the bone.
The leader of the men in black grunted, his attack forced to stop. The young woman seized the opportunity to roll and pick up her scimitar, forming a pincer attack position with Xu Xian from the front and back.
"Brother Xu!"
From a distance, Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao rushed over. Zhang Hu, brandishing his knife, shouted, "We're here to help you!"
Xu Xian didn't turn around, but shouted, "Back up! Protect that middle-aged man!"
Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao paused, then immediately turned to the middle-aged scholar and the boy, forming a line in front of them.
Although the two men had no martial arts skills, they were still yamen runners from the Inspection Department, with a solid foundation in swordsmanship, and could at least withstand a few blows from the man in black.
The leader of the men in black stood up, clutching his right shoulder, and coldly looked at Xu Xian. He sized him up from head to toe. "Second level of Body Tempering?"
Xu Xian did not answer.
"You dare to come here to die even at the second level of Body Forging?"
The leader of the men in black sneered, "Do you know who you just killed?"
"have no idea."
Xu Xian held the goose-feather knife horizontally in front of him, "I don't want to know."
The leader of the men in black choked for a moment.
This nonchalant attitude was even more infuriating than being scolded. How could a mere ant at the second level of Body Tempering pretend to be calm in front of him? He didn't know where Xu Xian got his confidence from.
The battle has resumed.
The leader of the men in black sent two of his men to deal with Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao, while he led two others to besiege Xu Xian and the young woman.
Although Xu Xian and the young woman were complete strangers, they quickly developed a tacit understanding during the battle.
Xu Xian's swordsmanship was wide and sweeping, specializing in attacking the upper three parts of the black-clad leader's body.
The young woman wielded her curved sword with nimble skill, like a silver snake slithering through the enemy's lower body, ready to deliver a finishing blow at any moment.
The two men, one above and one below, one forceful and one gentle, managed to firmly subdue the three men in black.
But Xu knew this wouldn't last long.
Although his Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was powerful, his foundation was too weak. Every strike was a full-force attack, and his physical strength was consumed three times more than usual.
The young woman was in an even worse situation; she was already injured, and each swing of her knife was using up her last bit of strength.
Sure enough, after six rounds, the young woman's knife slowed down a bit, and the leader of the men in black struck with his palm, the black energy in the palm wind leaving a trail of afterimages in the air.
Xu Xian stepped aside to block the young woman, blocking the attack with his sword.
The force of his palm struck the blade, creating a crack. Xu Xian was thrown back five or six steps, his back slamming against the ice wall, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Xu Xian!" Zhang Hu shouted from afar.
Just as the leader of the men in black was about to give chase, his expression suddenly changed, and he also spat out a mouthful of blood, swaying twice.
He wiped his mouth, took out a fist-sized Gu worm from his robes, crushed it in his palm, and a thick black mist exploded and spread throughout the icy valley.
"Hmph, you uncouth brute, you're lucky today!"
Xu Xian instinctively covered his mouth and nose and pulled the young woman back.
When the poisonous fog dissipated, the man in black had vanished, leaving only the sound of the wind and their panting in the icy valley.
The young woman released Xu Xian's hand, knelt on one knee, and clasped her hands above her head.
"Tuoba Yue, Captain of the Flying Phoenix Camp of the Di Kingdom, if it weren't for your bravery today, the three of us would have died. I will never thank you for your great kindness. Tuoba Yue will remember you."
Xu Xian looked down, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the terrifying hemisphere. He turned his head, about to speak,
The middle-aged scholar also stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed.
"My name is Su Changqing. I will never forget your life-saving grace. May I ask your esteemed name?"
Xu Xian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Xu Xian, a minor official in the Iron Gate Pass Inspection Division."
Su Changqing and Tuoba Yue were both stunned for a moment.
The Inspection Department? A minor official? A minor official single-handedly went to the icy plains of the North to rescue someone? What's the background of this minor official?
Tuoba Yue kept replaying the battle scene in her mind.
She could tell he was at the second level of Body Tempering, but it was somewhat unusual for someone at that level to be able to defeat a Gu Master with a single strike and fight three men in black with higher cultivation levels than herself for several rounds.
She came from the Flying Phoenix Camp and had seen countless young martial artists who considered themselves geniuses, but those who could fight against opponents of higher levels like Xu Xian without being at a disadvantage were few and far between.
The boy peeked out from behind the stone wall. "My name is Yun Qi."
Xu Xian glanced at him.
The boy was dressed in tattered clothes, with a long neck, slender fingers, and neatly trimmed nails. Such hands could not possibly have held a weapon.
This young man's identity is not simple!
But now was not the time for questioning, so he turned to Su Changqing.
"Could you tell me about the attack on the mission, Lord Su?"
Su Changqing leaned against the stone wall, having Zhang Hu re-bandage the sword wound on his shoulder as he spoke.
"When the delegation arrived at Black Wind Gorge, they were surrounded by an ambush. At the beginning of the melee, the formation was still intact, but Wu Cheng, the deputy captain of the guard, suddenly betrayed them and led his men to attack from behind from inside the formation, seriously injuring Captain Fang Lie."
"Once the formation was broken, the ambush troops and Wu Cheng's men attacked from both sides, and the entire army collapsed in less than half an hour."
Xu Xian nodded. What Su Changqing said was almost exactly the same as what he had deduced from the autopsy.
"Then how did you escape?"
Tuoba Yue picked up the conversation,
"Lord Su judged that the formation had been broken and that no one would survive if the fighting continued. So he asked me to protect him and Yun Qi and break out in the chaos. I removed the carriage horses and the three of us rode out on one horse."
"They chased us all the way and planted a kind of Gu worm in us, so they could find us no matter where we hid."
"After entering the Northern Region, Lord Su used a medicine powder to expel the Gu worms, which temporarily suppressed their senses, causing them to lose track of him. However, the medicine powder is almost used up."
Xu Xian recalled the frozen Gu worms and asked, "What did those Gu worms look like?"
"Red, and as small as a grain of rice."
Su Changqing gestured, "It bites into the flesh as soon as it touches the skin."
"Heart-Eating Gu".
Xu Xian had never seen it with his own eyes, but he had read relevant records in the files of the Inspection Department. The tracking Gu worms of the Southern Region Gu Dao, the offspring Gu track the target, and the mother Gu senses the location. As long as the offspring Gu is not dead, the Gu master can accurately locate the target within a radius of thirty miles.
Su Changqing glanced at Xu Xian.
"Young Master Xu also understands the art of Gu?"
"I know a little bit; the government office teaches some miscellaneous things..."
Xu Xian didn't explain further, "Let's go, let's go back to Tiemenguan first, it's getting dark."
Tuoba Yue helped Yun Qi to his feet, Su Changqing used his broken sword as a crutch, Zhang Hu led the way, and Zhao Bao brought up the rear.
Xu Xian walked in the middle of the group, one hand on the hilt of his sword, scanning the ice walls on both sides, with Tuoba Yue walking beside him.
As the group walked out of the Ice Valley, Tuoba Yue turned back to look at Xu Xian once more.
This minor official was dressed in the most ordinary uniform of the inspection department, but he was constantly scanning ahead, very vigilant, his hand holding the knife was steady, and his swordsmanship was so exquisite, even though he looked only twenty years old...
Tuoba Yue couldn't help but compare Xu Xian with the scions of noble families in the Di Kingdom's capital.
Those men were surrounded by followers when they went out, and the armor they wore was more expensive than Xu Xian's monthly salary. If they really fought, ten of them tied together would be as good as one Xu Xian.
Seeing that Tuoba Yue was staring at Xu Xian, Su Changqing glanced at the two of them a few times and smiled thoughtfully.
After walking for about half an hour, Xu Xian suddenly raised his hand to signal to stop. He heard the sounds of fighting ahead.
Xu told Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao to stay put while he crept along the ice wall toward the direction from which the sound came.
After turning past a huge ice wall, Xu Xian saw the battlefield.
Five men in black were attacking two women and one man. The leader's palm strikes were shrouded in a faint black aura.
Xu Xian had read records of the Southern Region's Gu Dao (a type of witchcraft) in the Investigation Department's files:
The Gu Master integrates the poison of his natal Gu into his own internal energy, so that every palm strike carries its own poisonous power. Even if the person hit does not die on the spot, he will be slowly worn down to death by the Gu poison.
The three people who were surrounded were covered in blood.
A young woman stood at the front, gripping a curved knife. Her swordsmanship was fierce, but she was clearly exhausted, and each strike was slower than the last.
He subconsciously glanced at the woman's chest and couldn't help but shudder.
Isn't it said that all martial arts practitioners are flat-chested? This person's strength is terrifyingly real!
The middle-aged scholar stood guard beside her, a sword wound piercing his left shoulder, half of his sleeve stained crimson. He clutched a broken sword in his hand, still desperately trying to hold on.
A boy huddled behind the two, trembling all over.
Xu Xian crouched behind the ice wall and quickly observed that the five people were clearly faster and stronger than him.
You can't win by fighting head-on.
However, the men in black also had weaknesses. They focused all their attention on attacking the three men, leaving their rear completely unguarded.
They never imagined that someone would sneak up on them from behind.
The young woman was struck on the blade by the leader of the men in black; the curved sword flew out of her hand, and she staggered backward.
The leader of the men in black thrust his longsword forward, aiming straight for her throat.
Xu Xian drew his sword.
He didn't shout "Stop!" or "Let her go!"—that would be a fool's thing to do.
He burst out from behind the ice wall, covering a distance of more than ten steps in three strides, and slashed at the neck of the leader of the men in black with his goose-feather blade.
This strike was delivered with full force, channeling all the power of the second level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Technique into the blade.
The leader of the men in black reacted much faster than Xu Xian had expected.
When the blade was less than three inches from his neck, he rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
Xu Xian slashed at his right shoulder, cutting a bloody gash, but failed to sever the bone.
The leader of the men in black grunted, his attack forced to stop. The young woman seized the opportunity to roll and pick up her scimitar, forming a pincer attack position with Xu Xian from the front and back.
"Brother Xu!"
From a distance, Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao rushed over. Zhang Hu, brandishing his knife, shouted, "We're here to help you!"
Xu Xian didn't turn around, but shouted, "Back up! Protect that middle-aged man!"
Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao paused, then immediately turned to the middle-aged scholar and the boy, forming a line in front of them.
Although the two men had no martial arts skills, they were still yamen runners from the Inspection Department, with a solid foundation in swordsmanship, and could at least withstand a few blows from the man in black.
The leader of the men in black stood up, clutching his right shoulder, and coldly looked at Xu Xian. He sized him up from head to toe. "Second level of Body Tempering?"
Xu Xian did not answer.
"You dare to come here to die even at the second level of Body Forging?"
The leader of the men in black sneered, "Do you know who you just killed?"
"have no idea."
Xu Xian held the goose-feather knife horizontally in front of him, "I don't want to know."
The leader of the men in black choked for a moment.
This nonchalant attitude was even more infuriating than being scolded. How could a mere ant at the second level of Body Tempering pretend to be calm in front of him? He didn't know where Xu Xian got his confidence from.
The battle has resumed.
The leader of the men in black sent two of his men to deal with Zhang Hu and Zhao Bao, while he led two others to besiege Xu Xian and the young woman.
Although Xu Xian and the young woman were complete strangers, they quickly developed a tacit understanding during the battle.
Xu Xian's swordsmanship was wide and sweeping, specializing in attacking the upper three parts of the black-clad leader's body.
The young woman wielded her curved sword with nimble skill, like a silver snake slithering through the enemy's lower body, ready to deliver a finishing blow at any moment.
The two men, one above and one below, one forceful and one gentle, managed to firmly subdue the three men in black.
But Xu knew this wouldn't last long.
Although his Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill was powerful, his foundation was too weak. Every strike was a full-force attack, and his physical strength was consumed three times more than usual.
The young woman was in an even worse situation; she was already injured, and each swing of her knife was using up her last bit of strength.
Sure enough, after six rounds, the young woman's knife slowed down a bit, and the leader of the men in black struck with his palm, the black energy in the palm wind leaving a trail of afterimages in the air.
Xu Xian stepped aside to block the young woman, blocking the attack with his sword.
The force of his palm struck the blade, creating a crack. Xu Xian was thrown back five or six steps, his back slamming against the ice wall, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Xu Xian!" Zhang Hu shouted from afar.
Just as the leader of the men in black was about to give chase, his expression suddenly changed, and he also spat out a mouthful of blood, swaying twice.
He wiped his mouth, took out a fist-sized Gu worm from his robes, crushed it in his palm, and a thick black mist exploded and spread throughout the icy valley.
"Hmph, you uncouth brute, you're lucky today!"
Xu Xian instinctively covered his mouth and nose and pulled the young woman back.
When the poisonous fog dissipated, the man in black had vanished, leaving only the sound of the wind and their panting in the icy valley.
The young woman released Xu Xian's hand, knelt on one knee, and clasped her hands above her head.
"Tuoba Yue, Captain of the Flying Phoenix Camp of the Di Kingdom, if it weren't for your bravery today, the three of us would have died. I will never thank you for your great kindness. Tuoba Yue will remember you."
Xu Xian looked down, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the terrifying hemisphere. He turned his head, about to speak,
The middle-aged scholar also stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed.
"My name is Su Changqing. I will never forget your life-saving grace. May I ask your esteemed name?"
Xu Xian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "Xu Xian, a minor official in the Iron Gate Pass Inspection Division."
Su Changqing and Tuoba Yue were both stunned for a moment.
The Inspection Department? A minor official? A minor official single-handedly went to the icy plains of the North to rescue someone? What's the background of this minor official?
Tuoba Yue kept replaying the battle scene in her mind.
She could tell he was at the second level of Body Tempering, but it was somewhat unusual for someone at that level to be able to defeat a Gu Master with a single strike and fight three men in black with higher cultivation levels than herself for several rounds.
She came from the Flying Phoenix Camp and had seen countless young martial artists who considered themselves geniuses, but those who could fight against opponents of higher levels like Xu Xian without being at a disadvantage were few and far between.
The boy peeked out from behind the stone wall. "My name is Yun Qi."
Xu Xian glanced at him.
The boy was dressed in tattered clothes, with a long neck, slender fingers, and neatly trimmed nails. Such hands could not possibly have held a weapon.
This young man's identity is not simple!
But now was not the time for questioning, so he turned to Su Changqing.
"Could you tell me about the attack on the mission, Lord Su?"
Su Changqing leaned against the stone wall, having Zhang Hu re-bandage the sword wound on his shoulder as he spoke.
"When the delegation arrived at Black Wind Gorge, they were surrounded by an ambush. At the beginning of the melee, the formation was still intact, but Wu Cheng, the deputy captain of the guard, suddenly betrayed them and led his men to attack from behind from inside the formation, seriously injuring Captain Fang Lie."
"Once the formation was broken, the ambush troops and Wu Cheng's men attacked from both sides, and the entire army collapsed in less than half an hour."
Xu Xian nodded. What Su Changqing said was almost exactly the same as what he had deduced from the autopsy.
"Then how did you escape?"
Tuoba Yue picked up the conversation,
"Lord Su judged that the formation had been broken and that no one would survive if the fighting continued. So he asked me to protect him and Yun Qi and break out in the chaos. I removed the carriage horses and the three of us rode out on one horse."
"They chased us all the way and planted a kind of Gu worm in us, so they could find us no matter where we hid."
"After entering the Northern Region, Lord Su used a medicine powder to expel the Gu worms, which temporarily suppressed their senses, causing them to lose track of him. However, the medicine powder is almost used up."
Xu Xian recalled the frozen Gu worms and asked, "What did those Gu worms look like?"
"Red, and as small as a grain of rice."
Su Changqing gestured, "It bites into the flesh as soon as it touches the skin."
"Heart-Eating Gu".
Xu Xian had never seen it with his own eyes, but he had read relevant records in the files of the Inspection Department. The tracking Gu worms of the Southern Region Gu Dao, the offspring Gu track the target, and the mother Gu senses the location. As long as the offspring Gu is not dead, the Gu master can accurately locate the target within a radius of thirty miles.
Su Changqing glanced at Xu Xian.
"Young Master Xu also understands the art of Gu?"
"I know a little bit; the government office teaches some miscellaneous things..."
Xu Xian didn't explain further, "Let's go, let's go back to Tiemenguan first, it's getting dark."
Tuoba Yue helped Yun Qi to his feet, Su Changqing used his broken sword as a crutch, Zhang Hu led the way, and Zhao Bao brought up the rear.
Xu Xian walked in the middle of the group, one hand on the hilt of his sword, scanning the ice walls on both sides, with Tuoba Yue walking beside him.
As the group walked out of the Ice Valley, Tuoba Yue turned back to look at Xu Xian once more.
This minor official was dressed in the most ordinary uniform of the inspection department, but he was constantly scanning ahead, very vigilant, his hand holding the knife was steady, and his swordsmanship was so exquisite, even though he looked only twenty years old...
Tuoba Yue couldn't help but compare Xu Xian with the scions of noble families in the Di Kingdom's capital.
Those men were surrounded by followers when they went out, and the armor they wore was more expensive than Xu Xian's monthly salary. If they really fought, ten of them tied together would be as good as one Xu Xian.
Seeing that Tuoba Yue was staring at Xu Xian, Su Changqing glanced at the two of them a few times and smiled thoughtfully.