Chapter 8: Bewitching Beauty

After circulating the Tide True Qi within his body, Mu Yuan immediately felt his Longevity True Qi had also improved quite a bit. He thought to himself, “Among the Five Elements, water and wood nourish each other. Simply practicing this Tide True Qi is immensely beneficial for my Longevity True Qi. That senior said to gather the Five Elements True Qi. If that’s really possible, and the five qi circulate together, the mystery and wonder would truly be unimaginable!”

He sprang up, full of energy, and flew away from the mountainous area, heading back the way he came. For the moment, he had no particular destination. Following Jia Bu and his group seemed like a decent way to pass the time.

“This session of practicing Tide True Qi roughly took several hours. I just don’t know if those people are still there, and what happened to those bandits?”

Putting strength into his feet, the two vortexes in his Dantian churned. The two great true essences, Longevity True Qi and Tide True Qi, spread throughout his body. With abundant energy, his speed was a full thirty percent faster than before. Originally, when running, he still relied on the friction between his feet and the ground, erupting with true force. But now, his feet truly didn’t touch the ground; it was as if he was gliding through the air. His entire body turned into a faint shadow, moving through the mountain forests.

Along the way, he saw many wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards, but Mu Yuan paid them no mind. In just a short while, he reached the original resting place. He saw the corpses of the bandits on the ground, but Jia Bu and the others were gone without a trace.

“Quite ruthless. Although these bandits had it coming, killing them all is a bit excessive.” Mu Yuan frowned slightly at the sight. He was just considering whether to chase after them when he heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. Looking over, he saw a trail of dust heading this way.

The arrivals were quite fast, arriving in front of him in a moment. Mu Yuan saw two fine horses in the lead, followed by a luxurious carriage. Both the ridden horses and the carriage-pulling horses were extremely spirited and robust, even more so than those used by wealthy merchants like Jia Bu.

The two lead riders were middle-aged men around thirty years old. Their temples bulged prominently, and the bones in their hands holding the reins stood out sharply, making Mu Yuan inwardly marvel. These were two fellows with formidable hand techniques.

One of the men who rode up front, with a stern and imposing face, saw the scene and demanded, “Young man, did you do this to all these corpses on the ground?”

Mu Yuan replied indifferently, “I am merely passing through. It has nothing to do with me!”

The other man, who looked quite elegant and had a somewhat scholarly air, said to the first man, “I’ve long heard there are bandits causing trouble in this area. They must have encountered some travelers they couldn’t afford to mess with, failed in their robbery, and got killed instead. Let’s not delay here; we should leave quickly!”

The imposing middle-aged man nodded, shook the reins, and the horse neighed, raising dust as they sped away.

Mu Yuan shook off the dust that had settled on him and muttered under his breath, “So arrogant, rushing to be reborn?” He looked at the road ahead. He was alone now, feeling quite bored. Without a mount by his side, he had to rely on his own two feet to travel, and he couldn’t help but inwardly complain.

Although unwilling, he had no choice. He could only proceed slowly. The weather was quite dry. The sun was overhead; although the temperature wasn’t high, it made people feel restless and irritable, quite unpleasant.

After walking forward for about a mile, the ground behind him shook with vibration. Mu Yuan assumed it was more people on horses rushing along. He grumbled inwardly, “How come everyone has horses, and I’m the only one walking? Jia Bu, really, didn’t know to leave me a horse? He still owes me twenty taels of silver too!”

He couldn’t be bothered to look back. The newcomer, however, stopped behind Mu Yuan. A voice, soft and charming to the bone, wafted over, like flower petals lightly brushing the skin, making one itch, “Young man, did you see a group of carriages and horses pass by?”

Hearing such a soft, beautiful voice, Mu Yuan felt an itch in his heart. He couldn’t help but turn to look. He saw a woman dressed entirely in a black long skirt, riding on an unnamed beast. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, her eyebrows were painted like artwork, her eyes sparkled, seeming to hold endless charm. A pair of long, fair legs rose and fell gently on either side of the beast. The corners of her mouth held a hint of a smile as she stared at Mu Yuan.

Mu Yuan felt as if struck by lightning. He had lived in the Longevity Palace for ten years; where would he have seen such a bewitching and captivating woman? The female disciples in the palace all wore Daoist attire and serious expressions, never cracking a smile. How could they compare to the endless charm and heart-stirring beauty of the woman before him!

Mu Yuan stared dumbfounded. The woman, however, covered her lips and chuckled softly. Mu Yuan jolted in surprise, quickly composed his Dao Heart, and said with a restrained smile, “Many carriages have passed by. I wonder which group the young lady is asking about?”

The black-skirted woman smiled slightly, her eyes shifting, “It’s a luxurious carriage and horses with a pale yellow canopy, accompanied by two riders. Have you seen them?”

Mu Yuan laughed, “I wonder why the young lady is looking for them? If it’s for revenge, and I tell you, and you chase after them, if either side gets hurt, wouldn’t that be my sin!”

The bewitching woman laughed, her delicate body trembling slightly, like blossoms swaying. A sparkling bracelet on her wrist emitted a crisp, jade-like clinking sound. “In that case, I’ll take you along. You can watch how I kill them!” With a flick of her wrist, the sparkling, beautiful bracelet suddenly turned into a silk ribbon, winding sinuously like a snake, coiling towards Mu Yuan’s waist.

Mu Yuan let out a hearty laugh, “Perfectly fine, young lady, why resort to action? A gentleman uses his words. Once you strike, wouldn’t it spoil the mood, like burning a lute to cook a crane?” As he spoke and laughed, the Zhenqi within his body surged. His ten fingers flicked, as if plucking a pipa. Strands of Zhenqi, clustered like crossbow bolts, shot out and collided with the attacking silk ribbon, instantly knocking it away!

“Oh!” The black-skirted woman showed surprise on her face but didn’t stop. The silk ribbon moved again, rolling like waves, instantly turning into a layer of light, like a dark cloudy curtain. Wave after wave of energy, like raging torrents, surged forward layer upon layer!

Caught off guard, Mu Yuan also hadn’t expected the woman’s Zhenqi to be so fierce. His Longevity True Qi erupted within him. He drew his Iron Sword with a backhand motion. A sharp aura burst forth from the sword tip, flickering incessantly, and he hacked furiously into the onslaught!

Cultivators could only form qi weapons to defend themselves after reaching the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining and achieving Elixir Formation. Mu Yuan was only at the Second Layer of Qi Refining now, so he could only rely on a weapon to extend his Zhenqi, manifesting the Greenwood Divine Radiance!

The Longevity Palace’s Greenwood Divine Radiance was not just a sword technique; it was also a supreme Divine Ability for regulating breath and Zhenqi. It was precisely the wood attribute spell of the ancient Five Elements Path. Within the Tidal Flow that Mu Yuan practiced, there was a similar method called the Canglang Water Sword. However, Mu Yuan hadn’t had time to practice it yet. It shared the same wonderful effects as the Greenwood Divine Radiance!

“So young brother is also a cultivator, and a disciple of the Longevity Palace at that! Excellent! Longevity True Qi is the supreme method for nourishing life in the Cultivation World!” The black-skirted woman laughed like tinkling bells. Her hands formed seals, and the silk ribbon flew up and down, engaging with Mu Yuan’s Greenwood Divine Radiance. Surprisingly, they were evenly matched