Chapter 51: The Human Elixir

“Kill…”

“Gotta cut that guy down…”

“He ran into the mountains, no way out! Don’t let him slip away!”

At this moment, the fierce bandits of Black Water Fort from the Devouring Sea Gang were practically bursting with fury.

Just think, their Devouring Sea Gang had been established for decades. With powerful backing and connections, they had dominated the area around Willow Lake City. Even the wealthy gentry and minor Qi Practitioners in the city didn’t dare cross them. Even White Xiang Academy mostly turned a blind eye to their activities. They had never suffered such a disgraceful defeat. If they didn’t capture that man, their reputation would be trampled into the mud.

But infuriatingly, the slippery bastard had evaded them all night long. After pursuing relentlessly for most of it, they still hadn’t laid eyes on him.

Consequently, their chase grew more frantic, their fear of losing him even greater.

Fortunately, the enemy seemed to panic and run blindly, charging deeper and deeper into the mountains. Now, the paths dwindled away; they had cornered him deep within the peaks and narrow valleys. Ahead, rows and rows of torches were converging towards a dark, hidden forest.

“No way out left or right…”

“Where did you see him flee?”

Bandits, some near, others farther off, shouted from horseback.

“He went into the valley up ahead…!”

Someone yelled out loudly, impossible to tell who in the chaos, swearing with conviction, “I saw it just now!”

Seething with anger, the bandits surged forward towards the valley entrance. But the Helmsman and the Guardian were cautious. Urgently riding up, they shouted, “Hold! Don’t charge in recklessly! There might be a trap inside the valley! Wait for us to come take a look…”

“Bullshit trap! We chase him to the ends of the earth! Won’t rest until we have that thief!”

Lady Hongtao yelled from within the crowd, urging her horse forward.

The other bandits felt helpless. They couldn’t let a mere woman look down on them. They could only hurry their horses along.

Strength lay in numbers. Courage welled up within them. The mass of torches illuminated the surroundings like daylight, startling birds into flight. Pushing those in front forward in groups, the bandits rushed through the woods, down the slope, bypassed the forest, and finally reached the mouth of a hidden valley.

Reaching the valley entrance and peering in, they saw an utterly ordinary valley, just wisps of mist rising.

Even so, the Guardian and the Helmsman remained vigilant. Exchanging a glance, they seemed to reach an understanding and discussed: “The Boss once said, no matter how strange or grand a formation is, its foundation lies in clouding Innate Qi. With enough people rushing together, it’ll just break. As for any mechanical traps or pitfalls inside, worst case, some horses’ legs might break… Doesn’t matter. Order the brothers to charge through!”

After all, it was the lowly foot soldiers who would die; capturing the enemy would be their own great merit.

Shouting the order, dozens of enraged bandits spurred their horses into the valley immediately. Seeing them taking the lead, the other bandits – who had chased all night and now saw their quarry cornered inside, with the great achievement right before their eyes – didn’t wait for the Helmsman or Guardian. They roared and charged into the valley after them, waving their torches and setting the surrounding grass and flowers ablaze.

Soon, the valley was engulfed in soaring flames, pushing back the darkness of night.

…

“How could it be…?”

Deep within the Demon Valley, after hearing the thunder of hooves and seeing the blaze outside, someone uttered a low sigh only after a long, long silence.

“It’s too late. Let’s go.”

“This formation could trap the Academy Disciples, but it cannot hold a hundred more.”

“Our elixir…”

“No time to pack it. If we don’t leave now, our presence will be discovered, then we’ll have to silence them all…”

“…”

“Shh… it should be fine now.”

…

Fang Cun, who had yelled that the target fled into the valley, watched as countless bandits surged into the valley. Soon, flames shot skyward from within. Breathing a faint sigh of relief, he slowly moved beside the ruined temple. He changed his clothes and laid his Old Umbrella beside him, then sat down quietly, waiting calmly for this storm to pass.

Though he wasn’t adept with formations, he understood their nature: all formations had limits.

Some formations, like those on the Academy’s Back Mountain, relied on illusionary techniques (shu shu) to confuse the senses and make people lose themselves.

Other formations harnessed malevolent energies to suppress one’s Innate Qi, trapping individuals within themselves.

But no matter the type, they all feared large numbers.

Numbers meant strength. With so much Innate Qi gathered together, any pervasive malevolent energy would be dispersed. For illusions, with many eyes looking everywhere, clues would inevitably be found to dismantle it…

To trap larger groups, the formation itself had to be exponentially larger.

A small valley like this couldn’t possibly hold several hundred people at once.

By luring the fierce bandits onto the mountain, Fang Cun had essentially already broken the formation within the Demon Valley.

If the beings within the Demonic Array wanted to silence all hundreds of bandits… discounting whether there might be formidable foes among them… just the sheer number would make it impossible to cover up without a trace. Moreover, while they were busy fighting the bandits, provided the trapped Academy Disciples weren’t idiots… they would naturally find the opportunity to break free and turn the tables…

Therefore, the only person he needed to worry about right now was himself.

Though it seemed a mere few dozen li, he felt he’d truly pushed his limits.

Even with Merit replenishing his Innate Qi and sustaining his Internal Breath, the consecutive bursts of rapid travel, killing, and deliberately guiding the bandits up the mountain without discovery had taken everything Fang Cun had.

“My cultivation is still too low… forcing it all in the end,” Fang Cun thought, a bitter smile touching his lips.

It was like a cart; though its oil (energy) was constantly replenished, driving it too hard for too long had brought it to its breaking point.

Suddenly, a small head peeked around the temple door.

Fang Cun’s heart skipped a beat. He turned and looked, then couldn’t help but smile softly.

“Come here,” he beckoned gently. “Why didn’t you run away?”

The Little Fox Girl near the temple door edged towards Fang Cun fearfully, glancing back repeatedly towards the distant valley filled with chaotic noise, her heart gripped by terror. She then lifted her head, puzzlement in her eyes, as she looked at Fang Cun’s weary face.

“No one left at home…” she whispered, hiding behind him.

Fang Cun exhaled a deep sigh. “Then stay here for a while.”

A cold wind blew through the temple door, lifting Fang Cun’s hair, revealing a few new strands of white within.

…

“Who’s in the valley?”

“Careful, everyone! Someone’s hiding here!”

“Owch! Daring to hurt us??”

The bandits rushed into the valley together. Some set fires, others charged recklessly. Their surging baleful aura seemed to thin the valley’s demonic mist unknowingly. Bandits at the very front, eager to rush deeper to capture the “villain” who’d killed their brothers, suddenly found themselves confronted by lethal sword-light. Before they knew it, they were headless corpses on the ground.

The remaining bandits roared in anger and fear, brandishing weapons to hack their way deeper into the valley.

“White Xiang Academy Disciples are here! How dare you act wildly?!”

It was then that a furious shout, thick with killing intent, rang out from within the valley.

As the mist thinned further, a dozen or so figures became vaguely visible. They were a group of young people wearing white robes. Their leader was a woman with a snow-white Flying Sword hovering beside her, looking like a celestial fairy descended to earth. Around her were other youths, some radiating heroism, others possessing stunning beauty. Yet, they all looked disheveled; several even bore injuries.

White Xiang Academy’s reputation was colossal. The bandits instantly froze, momentarily afraid to press forward. Hearing the shout, the Guardian and Helmsman hurried to the front, shouting for everyone to stop. They scanned the Academy Disciples and yelled, “Oh! It’s the young masters of the Academy! We were pursuing a villain who raided our fort and came this way… Did you… did you happen to see him?”

“What villain?”

Meng Zhixue and the others had just gained their freedom, deeply confused and startled. Seeing so many fierce bandits appear, their hearts also clenched with alarm. Nonetheless, they maintained stern expressions. “The Academy Disciples emerge to vanquish Demonic Evils. Why have you rushed here recklessly? Do you harbor evil schemes!?”

“Huh?”

The Helmsman and Guardian exchanged an uneasy glance, looking upon Meng Zhixue’s icy, beautiful face.

“Is the Academy setting us up?”

Despite their dominance in Willow Lake City and some possessing dark skills, they truly feared confronting Academy Disciples. Suspecting this might be a trap, they responded coldly, “Since Academy Disciples are present, we take our leave elsewhere!”

Speaking, they began slowly backing away.

“Are these bandits feigning something?”

The Academy Disciples were equally unsettled. Freshly escaped and wanting no further trouble, they just watched coldly as the bandits retreated.

In moments, the bandits had withdrawn, leaving only the group of Academy Disciples within the valley.

The rescuers didn’t know how they had been rescued, and the rescued didn’t know how they were saved. Confusion filled everyone’s hearts.

Only after the bandits had retreated far into the distance, restoring quiet to the valley, did someone among the students finally slump with relief, nearly collapsing to the ground before being caught. They looked urgently towards Meng Zhixue. “S-senior Sister Meng… what… what exactly happened here?”

How could Meng Zhixue know? She frowned deeply, scanning their surroundings.

By now, the demonic mist had almost completely dissipated. Even the eastern sky showed the first hint of dawn, light creeping in.

Using the rising light, they saw the valley’s arrangement clearly.

The valley wasn’t large. Positioned at the eight points of the compass were distinct crimson tiger heads – eight statues total, forming the corners of a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) formation. Whispers of remaining demonic mist seeped from their mouths. In the very center of the valley stood a massive black cauldron, emanating an eerie aura. Around the cauldron was a group of villagers, emaciated to skeletons, their eyes vacant and minds clearly lost.

“These… these are the people of Elm Coin Town!” someone among the disciples cried out, voice thick with disbelief.

Meng Zhixue moved towards the cauldron, brow furrowed. She lifted its heavy lid. Her expression shifted slowly, gradually turning dark.

A long time passed before she finally uttered two words: “Human Elixir!”