Chapter Fifty-Nine, Part Two

I pretended to be a passerby and walked over for a closer look—sure enough, the security guard was also at the first stage of Leaf Spirit. I circled around the Tiancheng Group building and realized just how wealthy this company truly was. They had their own plaza inside the grounds, with all kinds of recreational facilities.

An idea formed in my mind. I took a few running steps and climbed over the several-meter-high wall. Then I jumped down, found a spot behind some bushes to hide, and waited for those young men to come out. I wasn’t sure if they’d even pass through this plaza, so I had to gamble.

But luck, as always, seemed to favor me. Before long, intense sounds of fighting and shouting erupted from inside the building. I quickly drew my Snowblade, watching the entrance with nerves taut.

Moments later, several young men, covered in blood, came running out. I looked closely—the one leading them was indeed the person I had spoken to earlier. Chasing them was a single man, whose power was formidable; the spiritual energy within him was several times stronger than mine.

All the young men were wounded, but none of their injuries were serious except for their leader, whose shoulder was already hurt. The middle-aged man wielded two short blades, swinging them so deftly that afterimages were left in the air.

They wanted to escape, but was I, Lin Yao, someone who would just stand by and watch?

I casually picked up a stone and threw it at the young men who weren’t able to help in the fight. They noticed me, understood my meaning, and slowly edged in my direction.

But the middle-aged man was no pushover; on his own, he blocked everyone and declared, “If you won’t cooperate, then die!”

I gritted my teeth. I couldn’t just stand by—I had to intervene!

By now, the young leader was barely holding on, being forced back again and again by the middle-aged man. I judged the moment was right and leapt out from the bushes, swinging my blade at the man.

He only tilted his head slightly, and when he saw I was a mere child at the second stage of Leaf Spirit, he didn’t pay me much heed. But my speed was no less than anyone’s; in just a few breaths, I was right in his face.

In my mind, I rehearsed the Five Spirits Technique I’d practiced so many times, determined to use it at the critical moment.

I swung my blade, forcing the middle-aged man to defend against me in between his attacks on the young men, though he still did it with ease.

Yet I had overestimated myself; with one powerful kick, the man sent me flying. The force was tremendous—my insides ached as if shaken apart, but I gritted my teeth and got to my feet.

I charged at him once more, shouting as I ran, “Climb over the wall and get out—quick!”

The others were startled by my shout, but chose to trust me. As the young leader was kicked aside, I moved to stand in front of him.

“Go—leave this to me,” I said, glancing back at him. His face was full of gratitude as he nodded to me and said, “Be careful, brother, this man is strong.” Then, with help from the others, he climbed over the wall.

“Brat, then I’ll kill you first!” the middle-aged man spat, launching at me like a missile.

I shouted back, “If you want to fight, just fight—why waste your breath?”

As he flew toward me, I swiftly formed the hand seals and shouted, “Five Spirits Technique!”

The man’s speed was so great that he crashed headlong into my attack, which sent him bouncing several meters away.

Seeing my chance, I dashed toward the wall. The man got up, wanting to pursue, but I’d already vaulted over the wall, leaving him cursing inside.

Once back on the street, I was safe—after all, they wouldn’t dare cause trouble in the city.

To my surprise, the young men I’d rescued were all crouched under the wall, waiting for me.

“You’re back!”

“Senior has returned!”

I gave a bitter laugh—when did I become a ‘senior’? They even wanted to bow to me, especially the young leader, who nearly knelt in gratitude.

I quickly helped them up, suppressing a laugh. “I’m no senior—my name’s Lin Yao. Just call me by my name.”

Seeing how easy-going I was, they all laughed and introduced themselves one by one.

“My name is Wang Yaowu.”

“I’m Li Han.”

“I’m Wu Shuangyin.”

…

Finally, the young leader introduced himself without hesitation, “My name is Jiang Wuxia.”

I nodded. The atmosphere became awkward again, so I asked, “What brings you all to this place?”

Jiang Wuxia replied politely, “Our sect was supposed to cooperate with Tiancheng Group, selling them our specialty products. But Tiancheng Group went back on their word—not only did they refuse to pay, they even threatened us.”

He had a particularly good impression of me, especially since I had saved his life, so he told me everything. This made my opinion of the Tiancheng Group drop even further.

After answering my question, they said they’d return to their sect. Before leaving, they gave me a noble guest waist token from Tianyang Mountain, saying that with it, I’d have free passage on the mountain in the future. The token itself was made from their sect’s signature product, called Tianyang Stone—entirely red, with currents running beneath the surface, and the words “Noble Guest” carved elegantly on one side.

They had their own car and, after thanking me once again, drove off.

I headed home as well, secretly delighted—so this is what it feels like to be a hero…

After returning, I gave the things I’d bought to Nangong Xi, then sat down to meditate and cultivate.

For some reason, my cultivation was progressing very slowly, nothing like the feeling I’d had before.

Puzzled, I took out the Tanzi Record again, preparing paper and pen, and buried myself in study. I had previously only translated the introductory level, but now it was time to go further.

Having experience reading ancient texts, I no longer needed my phone to translate many of the characters—I could understand them myself. Still, I was afraid of making mistakes, so I double-checked everything on my phone.

The Tanzi Record didn’t have a table of contents, so I had to trust my instincts about where to stop.

Time flew by, and before I knew it, evening had come and I’d finished my translation. According to the book, the second part built upon the first, adding many new inner techniques and acupoints, making it much more difficult.

Having come this far, I had no choice but to begin cultivating. Although my posture hadn’t changed, I could clearly feel my cultivation speed had slowed significantly. On the other hand, I was absorbing much more spiritual energy.

The hunger for spiritual energy returned, and I absorbed it with a frenzy. But the book warned against impatience—after each period of cultivation, or upon breaking through a new level, one must slow down and consolidate their foundation.

I understood this well, so I forced myself to stop, worried I might otherwise destroy myself in the process.

…

When I opened my eyes again, it was already the next morning. A ray of sunlight spilled across my face. I exhaled deeply, feeling invigorated, my whole body brimming with strength.

I lit a cigarette, lost in thought.

I now had many enemies, and I had no idea when the Ghost King’s game would begin again. I felt stretched thin.

But the most important task at hand was to help Nangong Xi regain her body.