Chapter 40: The Heart of a Tactician is Always Scheming (Extra Chapter for Luoshui Yitian)

Chapter 40: The Art of Dirty Tactics (An Extra Chapter for Luo Shui Yi Tian)

Tiance Li Yan was the hard-luck hero, Luo Feng the main firepower, Jing Tian the elder priest offering support from the rear, and as for Bi Qing… perhaps he was best left at the back, cheering them on with shouts of “666!”

All were cultivators, even the weakest, Bi Qing, had once been a favored disciple of the elder Jing Tian. With their average speed, a thousand miles a day was no issue, but the Zeng family estate was over three thousand miles away from Shangqing. At that pace, it would take at least three days.

Luo Feng glanced at the blazing sun overhead and laughed lightly. “Far too slow. Let down your guard, gentlemen, and let me take you there.”

Though the others didn’t quite understand, they trusted Luo Feng and relaxed the protective energies around their bodies. Luo Feng’s robe swelled, spreading like a great roc’s wings, shaking heaven and earth. His true energy unfurled, enveloping the group, and they soared as if traversing the void, utterly free and unbound.

“Hold tight, here we go!” Luo Feng laughed, stepping into the sky. While he wasn’t riding clouds or golden light, he still rose several hundred meters above the ground, moving with effortless ease. Sensing the alternations of heat and cold, Luo Feng leaned into the wind, gliding higher, lower, sweeping through the air.

He moved grandly, like Master Liezi riding the wind, not knowing where he would stop; drifting apart from the world, transcendent as a feathered immortal. Jing Tian, a man who had cultivated the Dao his whole life, was moved to tears. “Liezi riding the wind! Liezi riding the wind!”

Even among extraordinary folk, walking on air was no easy feat. Leaping a few meters was mere lightness skill; even those who had achieved the Yang Spirit in the Complete Reality School could not stay far from the earth, nor linger too long aloft. Only legendary masters like Ancestor Lü or Ancestor Zhong could roam freely far and wide.

Luo Feng, for the first time, unleashed a full measure of his power, and exhilaration surged within him—he felt compelled to sing. After some thought, only one song matched his mood:

“A laugh upon the boundless sea, the tides roll on both shores;
Rising and falling with the waves, I care only for today.
Heaven’s laughter, at the ceaseless turmoil of the world;
Who wins or loses, only the heavens know.
The rivers and mountains laugh, mist and rain lie far away;
The waves wash away the dust of the mortal world—how much can one know?
The breeze laughs, but stirs up loneliness...”

His singing was grand and unrestrained, brimming with self-assured ease and a touch of world-weariness. The melody soared, unbridled and exuberant. The powerful laugh upon the vast sea swept through the heart, and the three flying with him found themselves joining in.

“The waves wash away the dust of the mortal world—how much can one know?
The breeze laughs, but stirs up loneliness;
High spirits remain, lingering in the evening glow;
The common folk laugh, no longer alone...”

The wind swept the clouds in a mighty rush, its roar echoing in all directions. The song thundered across the land, spilling forth their wild intentions. With the Dao, heaven and earth are bright, yin and yang divided; gazing down, the mountains and rivers stretch far, waters and mists endlessly winding.

As the song faded, their minds were clear and spirits calm. All four felt invigorated, even Li Xin, whose heart was most troubled, now harbored only pure murderous resolve. With smiles on their faces, they looked less like men out for vengeance than travelers on an excursion.

One song followed another as they journeyed on, Luo Feng lowering his sleeve and standing tall against the wind, his long hair fluttering behind him.

—

The Zeng family estate appeared before them.

As the greatest of the five noble families, their home was formidable, nestled by mountain and river, bordering a forest. It was a site easy to defend and difficult to attack, with open guards and hidden sentries protecting it closely.

But Luo Feng, with his overwhelming abilities, simply descended from the sky.

“Uncle Feng, let’s go!” The first to urge action was not the vengeance-consumed Li Xin, but the young Daoist Bi Qing, who looked eager and ready. Luo Feng hadn’t expected this.

“One moment.” Luo Feng summoned them together and instructed, “First you… then… after that… finally…” After laying out the plan, Bi Qing’s eyes shone with excitement, Li Xin wore a smile of vengeful satisfaction, and even Elder Jing Tian now looked at Luo Feng differently.

Those who play at tactics always have a devious mind.

Near the Zeng family’s main residence, guards were everywhere; just at the front gate stood two extraordinary sentinels, with who knows how many lurking in the shadows.

First, the weakest—Bi Qing and Li Xin—took the stage, one leading, one following. Bi Qing donned Elder Jing Tian’s Daoist robes, transforming instantly: the little Daoist, with cloud patterns at his cuffs and the Taiji diagram on his back, became a clear representative of the Shangqing Sect.

Li Yan, meanwhile, strode forward openly, clad in the uniform of Tiance Gate, a long spear in hand, boldly entering the enemy stronghold.

“Who goes there!” shouted the two guards, both extraordinary folk skilled in sonic arts.

“Who? Your father!” Bi Qing sneered, pulling out several hundred talismans of the Shangqing Sect and flinging them without care.

Thunder crashed, lightning flashed, wind and rain erupted, and fireballs burst forth—like a true master casting spells. The commotion roused the entire Zeng family; every extraordinary member rushed to the main gate.

Faces twisted with anger, but more so with excitement. “Big brother, my turn! Who would’ve thought someone would dare cause trouble in the Zeng family?” “Heh, I’ll make them taste my new torture methods!”

Soon, hundreds of extraordinary folk crowded the gate. Even the disciples of the Shangqing Sect could not compare—such was the strength of the Zeng family.

“Who dares seek death at the Zeng family!” a ferocious woman shouted.

Bi Qing only smiled, tossing more talismans into the air. Uncle Zheng Zha and the sect leader had said, “Talismans as many as you need.” Today, there would be no support—just pure offense!

Thunder crashed continuously as Bi Qing left all words for others. Li Yan slammed his spear into the ground, shooting down the Zeng family’s signboard, and bellowed, “The successor of Tiance is here! Zeng family villains, come out and meet your deaths!”

His voice was filled with fury, echoing to the heavens. The Zeng family’s expressions shifted, one about to strike—when thunderbolts of Shangqing crashed down, shattering the threshold and breaking the gate.

—

The Zeng family’s extraordinary defenders were forced back again and again. Bi Qing looked up and smiled. “Uncle Zheng Zha once said something I finally understand: the feeling of firepower saturation—damn, it’s exhilarating!”

“Brat—”

Thunder boomed.

“Outrageous—”

Thunder boomed again.

Talismans overwhelmed all resistance.

“Someone, kill—”

Thunder crashed once more.

Five minutes later, the Zeng family’s front courtyard was reduced to rubble. The extraordinary defenders, guards and hidden sentries, dared not advance. One or two talismans could be withstood, but hundreds? Whoever stepped forward would surely die.

This was no longer a fight—it was raining money! They were being bludgeoned with wealth!

Ten minutes later, the smoke began to clear. Bi Qing finally stopped, nearly out of talismans. An awkward minute passed.

“You little wretch, is that all you’ve got?” A dusty young extraordinary leapt out, sneering.

Bi Qing ignored him—the first to jump out was either strong or cannon fodder; if the former, he’d come last, if the latter, why bother with him?

“Courting death!” The youth, full of hatred, struck, his true energy forming a long sword.

Just then, a furious shout echoed from the sky: “Stop! Who dares bully a disciple of Shangqing?”

Elder Jing Tian strode forward and slapped the cannon fodder aside. The Zeng family’s extraordinary folk were left speechless.

We may be enemies, but surely there’s some justice in the world? Look at this ruin, look at our sooty faces—who’s bullying whom here? Could this be any more excessive?

But fate is ever cruel. Bi Qing’s next move nearly made the Zeng family cough blood in rage.

“Ahh… Grand-uncle…”

[There’s one more chapter in the morning, everyone get some sleep.]

[Thanks to Daoist Mo Yan for the generous reward—a double chapter as thanks.]

[Future rewards and extra chapters will be announced; other thanks will be in the end-of-month summary.]

[So no one says the author’s padding the word count ╭(╯^╰)╮]

Note 1: The song is “The Daoist’s Immortal Aura”

[PS: A daily tribute—if only I could inherit the powers of anime characters, starting with Hunter x Hunter.]

[A tribute: “Picking Up Corpses in Anime Worlds”]

(End of chapter)