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The entirety of Azure Dragon Island was illuminated by lanterns. The night patrols that should"ve been increased for the Grand Compet.i.tion had disappeared to G.o.d knows where, so the rogue cultivators had practically become a bunch of headless flies, creating a huge commotion. Rumors buzzed in the air, all sorts of tales being spread around — some were saying that demonic cultivators had come to make a scene, some were saying that the Island Lord had experienced a Qi deviation… The most ridiculous rumor was, some were saying that a real great azure dragon was sealed under the island, that the great dragon had escaped somehow and was out to look for food, that the bunch of cultivators on the island would only be enough for a midnight snack.

Tang Wanqiu kept a constant distance of three zhang from Yan Zhengming"s group, probably intending to wait for them. Yan Zhengming could see this, so he didn"t act against her. But Shuikeng, who was being held like a package in her hand, was quite a bit more pitiful. She was both scared and dizzy from being swung around, so she couldn"t help crying. Fortunately, Li Yun had used pills to suppress the yao blood in her beforehand. If they"d left her to cry without inhibition all along the way, the entirety of Azure Dragon Island would"ve experienced an earthquake. It most definitely would be spread around as some kind of malicious, bizarre occurrence.

Tang Wanqiu led them past the mountain slope of the Lecture Hall and into a forest. She stopped in front of a cl.u.s.ter of stone tablets.

This place was called the ‘Forest of Tablets", in which stone tablets were erected in memory of the formidable masters of Azure Dragon Island who had either ascended or perished. It was something like the ancestral hall of the common people. Cheng Qian and the others had heard of it before, but since they were only guest cultivators and not the disciples of Azure Dragon Island, they wouldn"t come here for no reason.

Tang Wanqiu loosened her hand and tossed Shuikeng aside. After crying along the way, any fear in Shuikeng"s heart had been exhausted, leaving only shock and anger. The moment she regained freedom, she aimed at Tang Wanqiu"s hand and bared her teeth, about to bite her.

But before Shuikeng"s teeth could close in, Tang Wanqiu suddenly looked down at her. In this moment, Tang Zhenren, who rarely showed much of her emotions, had red rims around her eyes. It seemed like she didn"t want to show anything in front of a child, so she clenched her teeth and forcefully put on a scowl. It didn"t make her seem like she was forcefully suppressing her pain, instead giving her the impression of a guardian deity [1] with fierce eyes.

After meeting her gaze for a moment, Shuikeng wasn"t intimidated, instead sensing something the way a sensitive little beast would. She silently retracted her milk teeth and was dragged back by her concerned Eldest Shixiong.

With her back toward them, Tang Wanqiu spoke stiffly, “Under the Island Lord"s order, I will send you away from this place tonight.”

Yan Zhengming was surprised, “Senior, what in the world has happened on the Island? Even though us juniors aren"t very useful, we"ve still gone so many years under the Island Lord"s blessing. If there is anything we can do to help…”

When she heard him say ‘blessing", Tang Wanqiu was finally moved, just the slightest bit. She turned back to look at him and said in a flat voice, “Sect Leader Yan, you only need to keep that grace in your heart. At this moment, protect your own life first!”

After that, she pointed at the ground and exclaimed, “Open!”

The ground on the Forest of Tablets suddenly rumbled. A gap of two chi square was split open on the ground, its inside pitch black, some stone steps vaguely visible. It was a secret pa.s.sage.

Tang Wanqiu made a seal with her hands. At her fingertips, sparks of flame gathered, dispersing to light up the torches along the walls with a snap of her fingers, instantly illuminating the pa.s.sage. Tang Wanqiu led the way down and urged them, “Don"t dawdle!”

Yan Zhengming exchanged a quick glance with Li Yun. Li Yun frowned and said in a low voice, “Shixiong, follow her for now.”

Ever since the Island Lord showed his face for the Grand Compet.i.tion, Yan Zhengming had vaguely felt that something was off. But he didn"t know any inside information, so he was completely clueless at this moment. He was also carrying Shuikeng, who was wiping her snot with his sleeve, so he didn"t even have the strength to be confused.

Yan Zhengming pa.s.sed Shuikeng over to the few Daoist children who had followed, and couldn"t help looking back. Cheng Qian stood steadily at the very back, eyes originally gazing in the Lecture Hall"s direction. As if sensing Yan Zhengming"s gaze, Cheng Qian abruptly turned around and gave him a nod. It seemed like even if the heavens were to collapse and the earth were to crack, he was prepared.

But Yan Zhengming knew that he wasn"t actually prepared, he just didn"t care either way, so he couldn"t help laughing a little. But after he finished laughing, he suddenly felt a bit calmer. Yan Zhengming held his sword firmly and went into the pa.s.sage after Tang Wanqiu.

There wasn"t much s.p.a.ce in the pa.s.sage. Tang Wanqiu, who was walking at the forefront, was still alright, but Yan Zhengming had to keep his head down all along the way. The wall torches on both sides had been enhanced with charms, so they remained unmoving when people pa.s.sed by. n.o.body spoke a word along the way, which made the atmosphere seem extremely tense. It was easy to lose their way underground. As they kept circling around, Cheng Qian mentally kept track of the distance. Right when he felt that they were about to leave Azure Dragon Island, another flight of stairs appeared before them.

This set of stone steps kept going up and down, the s.p.a.ce so cramped that even Shuikeng had to bend down slightly. The others had to practically crawl their way out, the group of cultivators throwing aside all dignity as they squeezed through the pa.s.sage.

Li Yun finally couldn"t help speaking up, “Wonder where she"s taking us…”

Yan Zhengming shook his head. He turned back with some difficulty to say, “Zheshi, take good care of our Shimei.”

After hearing this line, Han Yuan behind him was also reminded of something.

Han Yuan hurriedly patted around his robes and procured a chain of pendants. They were the Soul-Searching Needles that he"d found a few years ago at the Celestial Market. The tips of the needles were poisoned, so they had been put inside small and delicate wooden cases, a straw rope threaded through the eye of the needles. At a glance, they had the unique air only found on beggars who roam the streets.

Thinking back on it, when Han Yuan first got the Soul-Searching Needles, he"d thought that since there were so many people who look down on them on this island, the needles would probably be used up quickly. But he always had his Shixiong to protect him, so the three needles had remained until now.

Han Yuan placed the string of needles around Shuikeng"s neck and said, “If anyone tries to harm you, take off the wooden plug and stab them with this.”

As they spoke, they"d reached the end of the stone steps. Tang Wanqiu struck at a piece of stone, shattering the two chi thick stone slab into pieces. This senior was practically a firecracker that charged around without a care. Yan Zhengming had almost lost his patience, so he only followed her out silently.

The moment he poked his head out, Yan Zhengming felt a gust of sea wind blowing against his face. He looked closer and realized that this place was a secret port. There was only one boat here. Looking carefully, the boat wasn"t that noteworthy, but it seemed like it could blend into the shades of the night. If it hadn"t been so close in front of their eyes, they might not have noticed that there was such a large thing here.

“Get on,” Tang Wanqiu said, “There"s no boatman, but your sect has always been well-versed in charms. The boat can be navigated with charms, figure things out yourselves. If you"d all been able to fly on your swords, it wouldn"t have been so troublesome.”

Tang Wanqiu"s att.i.tude had always given the impression of ‘The heavens are the greatest, and I"m the second". When these words left her mouth, they should have carried some ridicule about their low cultivation, but strangely, she didn"t seem to mean that this time.

She turned to look at the pitch black sky and the even darker sea, and said in a low, barely audible voice, “Too soon, there"s not enough time…”

For a brief moment, her entire person seemed to have been drowned in the dark shades of the night. Her skirt and hair swayed lightly in the sea wind, almost giving off the impression that she was a bit fragile.

After a long while, Tang Wanqiu finally said, “That day, I"d actually seen Han Muchun, but I didn"t dare to identify him — I might be… a bit crude as a person, so I couldn"t immediately figure out if he wanted to be identified.”

But she had always been clumsy regarding people. Before she could make up her mind, that person had disappeared.

Yan Zhengming was stunned for a moment, and finally understood — She was referring to the great battle against the demonic cultivator on the East Sea five years ago.

Tang Wanqiu, “You… uh, are a bit similar to your Master when he was younger.”

As she spoke, she lowered her head slightly and tucked a strand of her long hair behind her ear. This was a gesture that many girls would do unconsciously, but when she did it, there seemed to be some kind of shocking past behind it.

After saying those words in the gentlest manner she"d ever shown in her life, her att.i.tude immediately hardened again. She told Yan Zhengming, “After leaving this place, don"t go back to Fuyao Mountain. Go train yourself among the common folks, or find a good place to continue cultivating. Don"t ever let anyone else know you"re from the Fuyao Sect.”

Yan Zhengming asked experimentally, “Senior, hasn"t Fuyao Sect long since become an insignificant small sect? Even if we tell others about it, would anyone know?”

“The insignificant people would naturally be ignorant of it, but those who should be in the know, and even those who shouldn"t be in the know, will be aware,” Tang Wanqiu said, “Don"t dawdle, get on the boat and leave…”

Before she could finish her words, a pillar of light suddenly shot toward the heavens. For a moment, the entire island turned white due to the intensity of the light, that they couldn"t even open their eyes.

Tang Wanqiu"s pupils narrowed, a look of worry on her face.

Right then, Cheng Qian, who had been standing at a moderate distance at the very end of their group, suddenly straightened up and raised Shuangren slowly, “Who?”

Whooshing sounds were heard in the air. A group of masked men appeared like ravens, descending one after the other. In an instant, they had surrounded the group.

Their leader stood out, speaking with his face hidden behind a black veil, “The Azure Dragon Island has proclaimed martial law. From now on, boats are forbidden from leaving!”

Tang Wanqiu caught Cheng Qian"s shoulder and forcefully shoved him aside before stepping up herself, “I"ve never heard the Island Lord say anything about proclaiming martial law. What are you up to?”

The masked man laughed coldly in a low voice and cupped his hand with his other in greeting for Tang Wanqiu, “Zhenren, no need to lose your temper. Even if you"d gotten on the boat, none of you would be able to leave.”

After he finished speaking, he raised his head, as if hinting something. The night sky was illuminated by countless spots of light, which looked like fireflies from this distance.

Shuikeng was about to cry again, but Zheshi covered her mouth. Li Yun asked in a low voice, “Shixiong, what is that…”

Yan Zhengming retracted his gaze after looking around, answering, “The fluorescent light that the sword emits, caused by the Qi it receives when a person flies on the sword.”

Li Yun couldn"t help panicking, “What? So many of them? Who are they coming for? They can"t have been aiming for us, right?”

Li Yun had always been the type who was sharp under normal circ.u.mstances, but would lose his senses in crucial moments.

The moment he said these words, Yan Zhengming understood what he was thinking — That"s right, the bunch of them were but some insignificant disciples from an insignificant small sect. They had never left their mountain, and had stayed in Azure Dragon Island once they left Fuyao Mountain. The most prominent thing they"d ever done was fighting with some rogue cultivators. Judging from how the other party had gathered such a large force, they were most probably coming for Tang Wanqiu. She had the ability to insult everyone under the heavens, so this could have been some kind of disaster she"d brought from somewhere.

Li Yun said softly, “Eldest Shixiong, if they"re not here for us, then…”

Yan Zhengming caught Li Yun"s elbow and shook his head. He didn"t think it was that simple. The island was in such an uproar, so why wasn"t Tang Wanqiu helping out there and was here to secretly send them off instead?

He keenly sensed something from Tang Wanqiu"s warning of ‘Never mention that you are from Fuyao Sect".

Suddenly, Cheng Qian spoke up after staying silent all this time. Without any shred of doubt, he said, “That person is Zhou Hanzheng.”

Yan Zhengming was stunned, “What? How did you know?”

Cheng Qian expressionlessly stared at the eyes of the masked men"s leader, and said lightly, “Him? I can recognize him even if he has turned to dust.”

Yan Zhengming, as the true victim of Zhou Hanzheng, might have already forgotten — he had always been like this. He might fight with others, he might be angry with people, but he had never kept grudges. Even though he couldn"t forget the humiliation of being thrown off the elevated platform back then, it hadn"t left any particular deep grudge in his heart. In any case, even if Zhou Hanzheng wanted to throw him off the platform again, it might not be so easy now. If he had the spare energy, he would rather think back to his happy days as a young boy on Fuyao Mountain.

But Cheng Qian wasn"t the same. Each time he couldn"t continue practicing with his sword, or whenever he felt like he couldn"t endure the Trial he was going through, he would think back to the Zhang brothers and Zhou Hanzheng. As his cultivation improved rapidly, Zhang Dasen"s type had slowly fallen out of his attention, so all of his vengeful feelings were turned toward Zhou Hanzheng alone.

After a quick look around, Cheng Qian stepped forward and raised his voice slightly to speak to Tang Wanqiu, “Tang Zhenren, this junior is extremely grateful for the Island Lord"s attention to us all these years, but there is one thing I don"t understand — why would he allow someone of dubious origins to enter the Lecture Hall?”

Tang Wanqiu was first stunned by his words, but immediately turned to face him, “What did you say?”

Upon hearing this, the masked men"s leader looked at Cheng Qian… and Shuangren in his hand. He laughed in a low voice, “As expected, you were the one that the Bird of Living Men had sensed. You"re quite resourceful for a brat, to be able to hide away.”

Previously, he had suppressed his own voice on purpose, but he"d shown his real voice then. No matter how bad Tang Wanqiu"s ears might be, she recognized it this time. Disbelief immediately showed on her face, “Zhou Hanzheng?”

The masked man saw that he couldn"t keep pretending, so he simply took off the veil over his face with the fearlessness of someone with strong backing. Revealing the face of a scholar who would think thrice before he acted, he smiled, “Tang Daoyou [2], since you"ve asked, why don"t we go back to meet our guests with the Island Lord?”

Tang Wanqiu"s eyes widened, and then she blew up in fury, “The debts of grat.i.tude you have toward the Island Lord are as heavy as a mountain, but you dared to ally yourself with others?”

Zhou Hanzheng sighed with an air of self-satisfaction, “Tang Zhenren"s words aren"t right. I"m not a part of Azure Dragon Island to begin with, I"ve never allied myself with anyone, and had only become a Protector on the Island because the Island Lord thought highly of me — Oh? What, did I remember wrong? Hadn"t Tang Zhenren come from Mulan Mountain, and is also not a disciple of Azure Dragon Island?”

Of course, Tang Wanqiu wouldn"t listen to his nonsense. Without another word, she brandished the heavy sword on her back and produced a swift and fierce wind in a single swing. She didn"t seem to fear the sword riders, and looked like she was going to smash Zhou Hanzheng"s head to smithereens just like that.

Zhou Hanzheng leapt into the air lightly. The Sansi Fan was turned in his hand, sparks of fire and lightning flickering. When they collided with Tang Wanqiu"s sword aura, a loud, booming sound was heard, both sides cancelling each other out. A part of the ground was instantly scorched.

Zhou Hanzheng had a seemingly gentle face, but there was no mercy in his heart. Yan Zhengming felt anxious even though he was only watching, and quickly realized that his earlier thought of ‘Zhou Hanzheng wouldn"t be able to throw him off the platform so easily" had been decided too early. Not only was Zhou Hanzheng not weak in the slightest, he was also very shameless. He didn"t seem to have any intention of fighting Tang Wanqiu one-on-one, so with a wave of his fan, Zhou Hanzheng told the masked men, “Capture this person!”

Tang Wanqiu roared, “I"d like to see you try!”

The raven-like masked men descended one after another, completely filling up the small port. Yan Zhengming"s sword was like condensed rays of light as he stood on it at a moderate height. He made a seal with his hands, instantly creating a few figures that were on their swords just like him. This kind of technique, which diverted one"s own attention, was extremely draining — he was planning to take down all the masked men in the air on his own.

Cheng Qian had half a mind to try out Shuangren with that Zhou person, but he looked back at the pale Li Yun and everyone else, and forced himself to calm down. He remained unmoving next to Zheshi, who was holding Shuikeng.

Two masked men landed stealthily and came toward Cheng Qian"s group from the other side. They clearly didn"t think much of Cheng Qian, a mere teenager. Holding their swords horizontally in front of themselves, they charged forward, seemingly intending to silence them by taking them out.

Cheng Qian didn"t back down and pushed forward instead. With no word of greeting, he answered to their attacks with the move ‘Surging Waves Beating the Sh.o.r.e".

At that moment, Cheng Qian finally realized the difference between his shabby wooden sword and this famed sword that had claimed countless lives. With just a slight shift of Shuangren, an indescribable coldness swept over the entire port. In the instant when the weapons collided, Cheng Qian could almost hear the previous generation"s screams of fury and vengeance, ringing so deafeningly loud in his ears. A layer of frost visibly formed on the blade, which easily cut through the two masked men"s weapons. Cheng Qian"s core was stirred mercilessly, giving him the misconception that his body was about to explode.

That"s right, the note had said ‘Never use it recklessly"…

Cheng Qian was stunned at first, his first instinct telling him to toss the sword away. But with just the slightest hesitation from him, more masked men came forward at once, one of them even reaching out to grab Shuikeng. Cheng Qian steeled himself and thought, “Whatever happens, happens. Get rid of these people before considering those.”

And so, without halting his steps or changing his technique, he struck again with the move ‘Surging Waves Beating the Sh.o.r.e". The two masked men had decided that since Cheng Qian hadn"t reached Concretion, his cultivation must be limited, so he shouldn"t be able to handle two people alone. They had no idea that his sword skills had been trained by using a wooden sword — wooden swords are fragile and could snap easily, their capacity to contain Qi very limited. Not only did the sword wielder have to control their strength, they also had to do it very accurately. Using that kind of sword, Cheng Qian had dared to combine Tide Swordplay, which used long strides in its footwork, and the greatly dynamic and ever-changeable Fuyao Wooden Swordplay to wipe out the Lecture Hall. On the path of the sword, he had long since accomplished further than those who had reached Concretion and could fly on their swords.

What"s more, he now had the famed sword ‘Shuangren" in his hands.

The sword glare was like purple lightning and azure frost. As if sensing its wielder"s murderous intent, the sword aura instantly increased to cover three chi. The sound of ripped silk was instantly heard — Cheng Qian had slit the two men"s throats in one slash, causing blood to paint the air. When the droplets landed on the ‘Sword of Miserable Death", they formed a layer of frost the color of blood.

[1] ‘guardian deity" The word used here is 「金剛」. It refers to Buddha"s warrior attendant and could also refer to ‘vajra", a mythical weapon. (It"s also the Chinese translation for King Kong, but considering the setting of this novel, I"m quite certain we"re not talking about a giant ape monster.)

[2] ‘Daoyou" The word used here is 「道友」. It"s commonly used to address or refer to a fellow cultivator.

The name of Cheng Qian"s technique in Chinese, Surging Waves Beating the Sh.o.r.e: 驚濤拍岸

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