Chapter Seventeen: Exploring the Unknown, Wang Chan
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In the courtyard, Chen Xuan furrowed his brows tightly, staring intently at the bronze horse that was wildly gesturing with its hooves in the air, trying to decipher its meaning.
“Roar, roar!”
“You’re saying your home is gone? What home do you even have?”
“Roar, roar!!”
“Oh, you mean the underground palace in Peach Town suddenly disappeared? Huh, why did you return to Peach Town?”
“Roar, roar!”
The bronze horse hurriedly explained that it had not betrayed anyone, only that it had been away from home for a long time and missed it deeply... but when it secretly flew back to Peach Town yesterday, it found the underground palace was gone!
“You’ve only been away for a few days, and you’re already homesick?”
Chen Xuan eyed the bronze horse skeptically, then generously offered to inquire about the situation.
“Can you really communicate like this?” A Qi practitioner from the neighboring house, hearing the commotion, came out to check and widened his eyes in surprise.
Early the next morning, Chen Xuan visited several Qi practitioners newly arrived in Xiaohe Village.
From their accounts, when they passed through Peach Town, they saw no trace of the terrifying underground palace or the ancient tomb—it was just a desolate, dilapidated village.
The underground palace had truly disappeared!
“Brother Ma, that’s the situation. My condolences. Please accept it.”
Chen Xuan left Xiaohe Village and found the bronze horse behind a nearby small hill. He helplessly spread his hands, then regretfully said that he had urgent matters to attend to and could not return to Peach Town to investigate the truth, so he would have to wait for another time.
“Roar, roar!”
The bronze horse spun around several times, then with a serious expression, told Chen Xuan a shocking secret.
It said that the person buried in the underground palace was no ordinary figure. It had seen in the dead of night a shadow entering the underground palace to worship the bronze coffin, accompanied by mournful cries.
“That’s normal. Who wouldn’t have a few close friends or family to grieve for them after such a grand burial?”
Chen Xuan explained that he, being a man of integrity, had entered the underground palace but never committed any disrespectful act toward the woman’s corpse inside the coffin. Even if someone came looking for trouble in the future, he would not be afraid.
He was morally upright and restrained. If it were any other Qi practitioner, not only would they plunder the terrestrial treasure tree inside the coffin, but they might even steal the corpse along with the coffin.
“Roar, roar...”
Seeing Chen Xuan so calm, the bronze horse felt somewhat reassured. It was merely a reluctant guide, and even if the sky fell, the real master would bear the responsibility ahead! Ultimately, it accepted reality and left.
“I thought it was something serious...”
Chen Xuan shook his head with a smile as he watched the horse’s shadow disappear into the sky.
Then, his thoughts turned to the woman’s corpse clad in golden robes inside the bronze coffin... Could she be a royal bloodline from the ancient Chu Kingdom? Why was she buried in such a remote and impoverished place like Peach Town?
“There must be some complicated secrets involved.”
Chen Xuan didn’t ponder further. He returned to his room and resumed his secluded cultivation.
This was the most urgent matter at hand. The people of Qinglu Mountain couldn’t remain hidden forever in the southern wild mountain range; sooner or later, they would come down to rest and regroup.
Chen Xuan would wait for them in Xiaohe Village.
He was not afraid of waiting, for with each passing day, his strength steadily increased.
...
Nine days later.
“Roar!”
A wild, primal roar echoed from the silent cabin.
Chen Xuan opened his eyes. A wisp of golden-white immortal qi swirled around his body like a streaming star, emitting a sharp metallic aura akin to blades and swords.
White Qi!
The Little White Ape’s trick, a glimpse into the art!
“My strength has increased to six thousand jin!”
Chen Xuan felt the surge of qi within him. After mastering the Little White Ape’s trick, his body had undergone a transformation, increasing his strength by a full eighteen hundred jin.
This effect was no less than consuming a precious terrestrial treasure tree!
“At this moment, facing the geniuses of Chiya City, I am no less than them.”
Chen Xuan’s spirits lifted as he murmured to himself—now he was truly a Qi practitioner who could perform tricks!
Learning tricks was what made a true Qi practitioner!
He then left the small courtyard and sought out news from some recently acquainted Qi practitioners.
“The people of Qinglu Mountain—they’re living deep in the mountains?”
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Chen Xuan compiled the information he gathered from various sources and was shocked to find that since entering the southern wilds, the Qinglu Mountain people had not once left. It was as if they held countless treasure maps, searching wildly every day for heavenly materials and earthly treasures within the mountains.
A pipe dream!
He progressed daily, yet his enemies were improving just as fast!
“The conflict between red qi and white qi makes forced cultivation exponentially more difficult. It will take at least twenty days…”
Chen Xuan muttered, then gazed toward the vast mountain range in the south.
Should he continue to wait?
He had already waited too many days.
No more waiting!
Chen Xuan resolved to enter the mountains immediately. He had learned from other Qi practitioners that the Qinglu Mountain people had shown signs of presence in certain parts of the southern wild mountain range.
If he could not find them by then, he would continue cultivating tricks within the mountains!
...
The mountain wind parted the mist, unveiling a vast expanse of hills and marshes stretching ten thousand li, with peaks piled upon peaks, unfolding like a magnificent painting.
The vast mountains of the southern wilderness.
“What a spectacular sight.”
After riding southward for over twenty li, Chen Xuan suddenly encountered a dramatic change in terrain.
Massive mountains hundreds to thousands of meters high rose abruptly from the plains, dividing north and south. At the horizon, countless towering peaks soared over ten thousand zhang, merging with the sky, breathtaking beyond words.
“Woo.”
The bronze horse let out a low whinny, indicating that as they neared the southern wilderness, it could no longer fly. Underneath the dense, verdant canopy of ancient trees, a wild, primal aura spread.
Flying recklessly through the air risked wandering into the territory of ancient mountain beasts and being caught and eaten on the spot.
“Stay here on the outskirts and find something to do.”
Chen Xuan comforted the bronze horse and then landed, stepping alone into the southern wild marshes.
The bronze horse was unsuited for forest movement; the dense canopy blocked the sky, making flight impossible. That day, it was careless and was caught by Chen Xuan.
The marshes were deep and rarely trodden for twenty years.
“Recently, many Qi practitioners have gathered, creating several mountain paths.”
Chen Xuan followed a trail into the southern wilderness. After half an hour, he unexpectedly reached a slightly wider mountain path—an old road.
The southern wild mountains had long been the haunt of ghosts, demons, and all manner of monsters. This old path was a trace left by their activities.
At this moment,
Chen Xuan completely left ancient Chu territory, entering a world ruled by demons and monsters.
“Twenty li southwest lies a small stone lake where ghosts and monsters often appear…”
“Qi practitioners have seen the Qinglu Mountain people lingering here, trying to catch the treasure fish in the great lake…”
Chen Xuan murmured to himself and headed toward the little stone lake.
The mountain wind howled, shaking snow off the treetops. Deep growls echoed from the forests lining the path, startling the birds and beasts.
Chen Xuan was cautious. The deeper he went, the more dangerous it became. Soon, he noticed a pair of gleaming green eyes watching him from the grass beside the path.
“...”
Chen Xuan stopped. It was a massive, multicolored tiger four or five meters long, its eyes like torches, locked onto him.
“Roar!”
Behind Chen Xuan appeared the spectral image of a white-furred, red-faced giant ape the size of a small mountain. Its massive fists, as large as basins, rested on the ground. The white ape’s face was fierce, and its scarlet eyes glared menacingly at the multicolored tiger.
The Little White Ape’s trick!
A wild, untamed aura spread, like a flood unleashed, overwhelming the tiger.
“Howl!”
The tiger let out a terrified scream, tucked its tail, and fled in panic.
The forest was full of food and hunting opportunities; it had no need to risk its life provoking such a dangerous presence.
“The beasts in the southern wild mountains are enormous.”
Chen Xuan watched the tiger’s retreating form and breathed a sigh of relief. This multicolored tiger was extraordinarily large, with dagger-like fangs far superior to any tiger from ancient Chu.
If not for the white ape’s aura scaring it off, he might have had to fight the tiger today.
Chen Xuan pressed on. As the sun tilted westward, he encountered a group of drenched Qi practitioners preparing to leave the mountains.
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They were from the Li family of Chiya City.
“Grandfather Hansong, we went again today but came back empty-handed—didn’t catch a single treasure fish,” a young man about twenty sighed miserably.
Li Hansong, the Li family head, walked ahead, scolding gently: “Don’t look so down. Cultivation, like life, isn’t about immediate gains or losses. We’ll come again tomorrow.”
Chen Xuan recognized them immediately.
The Li family members also spotted Chen Xuan and were shocked—this was the unmatched killer who had unleashed slaughter over ten days ago!
These days, the killer had remained in Xiaohe Village, but today he unexpectedly ventured into the mountains to snatch treasures! And now, fate had brought them face to face!
“Don’t look at him, don’t look at him…”
The Li family immediately ceased talking, burying their faces like ostriches and tiptoeing forward cautiously.
When Li Hansong passed by Chen Xuan, he nodded politely and kindly, smiling like a benevolent elder. “Friend Wang has arrived as well…”
“Mm.”
Chen Xuan returned the greeting courteously and passed by.
The Li family walked far ahead before glancing back to see Chen Xuan had disappeared. They all breathed a collective sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from their hearts.
“Grandfather, it’s so late, yet Senior Wang still dares to travel the mountains alone. Such courage is admirable.”
The young Li family member couldn’t help but marvel.
“What senior? He’s barely older than you all!”
Li Hansong snorted, then earnestly lectured: “This man, relying on mundane martial arts, acts as if he fears nothing. Sooner or later, he’ll get himself killed… You must understand, what use is martial skill at a higher level? Qi practitioners rely on tricks; never follow his example. Always be grounded in your actions and character…”
“Huh? Grandfather, could the direction he went be toward the small stone lake?”
“Heh, the small stone lake is frequented by the Qinglu Mountain people at night. Would he dare go there? Those are the real strong ones in this world—he wouldn’t dare…”
“...”
With that, the Li family group headed toward Xiaohe Village outside the southern wilderness.
Not long after,
Chen Xuan left the narrow mountain path and entered his destination—the small stone lake.
It was a vast expanse of water, stretching over a thousand meters in all directions, magnificent and imposing.
Snow piled along the banks. The lake water was dark green and unfathomably deep. Occasionally, treasure fish as long as arms darted swiftly across the surface, their scales shining with a silvery metallic luster, remarkably intelligent.
“The Li family left from here just now. They went into the water but caught nothing.”
Chen Xuan watched a treasure fish flash by, then flicked a pebble with his toe, shooting it toward a treasure fish near the shore.
“Splash!”
The pebble hit the water. The silver-white treasure fish, over a foot long, shot away like an arrow released from a bow, vanishing swiftly into the depths, reappearing dozens of meters away in a blink.
Without his refined eyesight honed by martial arts, Chen Xuan wouldn’t even have spotted where the fish escaped.
“The speed is too fast, the water too deep. It’s impossible to catch treasure fish by hand.”
Chen Xuan decisively abandoned the idea of wading in to catch fish. Such a move was foolish with no chance of success.
Moreover, he noticed these treasure fish had sharp teeth and gnawed on the pebbles, crushing stones with ease—astonishing indeed.
“I didn’t come all the way here just for treasure fish.”
Chen Xuan murmured and stopped focusing on the fish. He circled the lake, studied the surrounding terrain, then settled in a spot with a full view of the lake, hiding himself.
Bright black eyes concealed in shadows, he cultivated the Little Firebird’s trick silently while waiting.
Would the Qinglu Mountain people come today?
Still uncertain.
The southern wild mountains were boundless. Searching for a few tiny humans was like looking for needles in a haystack.
Chen Xuan could only lie in wait.
The wait did not last long.
At dusk, several riders on nearly two-meter-tall blue elk approached the small lake, chatting and laughing along the way.
...Wang Chan.
Chen Xuan heard that name in their conversation.
He rose slowly, like a shark gliding through the deep sea, silently stalking his chosen prey.