MoYu calmly turned her head – in an instant, a blue barrier the shape of a sphere automatically formed around her.

 

The attendant had pushed the bald elder out of the red barrier’s range when the blinding light of the charm enveloped them. Afterwards, the bald elder seemed to have hidden himself until MoYu took down her barriers. At this time, he was brandishing what a gleaming golden sabre with spiritual gems inlaid on its hilt. Having seen a chance to kill the woman who had both stolen the YaoRen and Killed his subordinate, he had eagerly brandished the sabre which was neatly tucked away like an ornament in his hips. However, MoYu understood the value and power of sabre. No, to be exact, one look is all it needs for anyone to tell that the sabre is likely a priceless treasure or heirloom which is generally used as a one-off attack weapon.

 

As the bald elder swung the sabre down at MoYu, a man clad in black martial robes flitted before her eyes to block the sabre’s blow with his armguards. A treasure, is after all, a treasure. It will not be called a treasure if it is not worthy of its name. Although it can only be used for a one-time attack, that one attack is enormous. Zheng Yi’s armguards cracked and shattered. The blade swung down harshly and threw ZhengYi backwards with its impact. ZhengYi flew backwards and crashed against MoYu's blue barrier, which rebounded him forward towards the bald elder again.

 

“Shi- The attacks are rebounded-!”

 

ZhengYi instantly changed his posture to defend himself from the leftover rebounded qi waves. The moment his feet touched the earth, he chanelled most of his power to defend. The rebounded blow did not lose any of its original attack power. Some of the blows went through his defence and injured him all around the body, all while he was pushed backwards from the impact created from defending the attack with his own barrier. ZhengYi managed to halt his movements by dragging his feet through the earth. At that moment he had thought.

 

‘She actually rebounded all of this attack with that blue barrier?’

 

ZhengYi, in that split second, regretted underestimating the maiden’s ability to protect herself.

 

He did not exactly know when a sense of dread and unease descended unto his mind when he saw MoYu being ambushed and before he realized it, he had stepped forward to block the attack for her.

 

It was almost as if his body was not his own in that split second.

 

Once the attack had subsided, ZhengYi started to scan his surroundings.

 

The bald elder’s mutilated body crashed against a tree and slid down lifelessly.

 

ZhengYi managed to halt his movements by dragging his feet through the earth. He had suffered bodily injuries, but nothing that cant be healed with pills. He had yet to stand up and turn around when suddenly, his spiritual qi surged restlessly and ran amok in his veins. He coughed up a few mouthful of blood. Crimson dotted the earth. He was supposed to have rested for a few days in the city and take things slow to calm her spiritual sea. However not only had he not rested, he had needlessly interfered and was injured as the result. Facing the risk of qi deviation, he had to calm his spiritual qi immediately. Although he was not in a proper place to do that now, he had no other choice. He crossed his leg down into a lotus position and closed his eyes to meditate.

 

MoYu observed the sequence of events in part amusement part curiosity.

 

First, she counted the bodies on the forest floor and made sure that the number was the same with the number of men who had ambushed her originally. She silently sighs as there are twenty three of them plus one, the stranger.

 

Next, MoYu disarmed her barrier and walked towards those who are poisoned by the fog and fed the ones still unconscious with the antidote pill.

 

After that, she walked towards the stranger who clearly is in danger of Qi Deviation in front of her. MoYu stopped right outside of the range of which her presence would otherwise be disturbing the young man meditation. She had not been able to tell the stranger’s cultivation level – likely because he had a higher cultivation than her. As to why this stranger wanted to meddle in her affair, she is not sure. She recalled who this man wanted to find earlier on and shuddered as she steeled her heart to leave him to his fate.

 

Who asked him to interfere. If he dies its his own fault

 

Cultivators are stronger than the general masses. However there are two occurences which can spell death for a cultivator regardless of their strength. One is Qi Deviation and the other is Breakthrough. When a cultivator is to breakthrough to another level, one’s spiritual sea will becomes restless and focused meditation is required to calm this energy down and stabilise it in order to safely breakthrough to another level. Similarly, when Qi Deviation almost occur, the only way to quell this chaotic spiritual Qi down is also through focused meditation. During focused meditation, a cultivator can not be disturbed at all. Any disturbances can trigger the Spiritual Qi to flow backwards and cause one to stagnate, qi deviate or die.

 

However, the further MoYu walked, the more irritating the itch in her conscience rang. It is as if there is a nagging compulsion which prevented her from walking away. She looked back at the ZhengYi with gloomy eyes full of wilful guilt. The scratching feeling in her mind was way too irritating to ignore. After heaving an extremely long sigh and shaking her head, she bent down momentarily and then left.

 

- - -

The Next Day at Qinghai Sect

- - -

 

“I cant help you. I CAN NOT HELP YOU. I already tell you that QiuRan Shixiong had never left his cave for the past hundred years!!! Elder FangXin is so protective of him even the sect master cannot get to see him! Even LaoZi 2who is a senior disciple here cant see him. I have been her for a hundred years day in and night out and still I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of him. Who are you to think you can just come and demand to see him?”

 

“Yes, I understand. If I may bother you, could you help me pass a message to him ?”

 

“TSk!!!!!”, the male senior disciple brother clicked his tongue.

 

Mo Bu San is one of the senior disciples who are cultivating swordsmanship under LangYe peak. LangYe peak is in charge of guarding the entrances to QingHai Sect. He had just finished a whole long day of training and his meat and bones were aching to his marrow when some junior disciples tasked to guard the entrance sought him fretfully. When junior disciples can not settle certain matters, they are supposed to seek their senior for help. Today, they had met someone who is seeking audience with a senior they had never heard of. However, once Mo Bu San heard that senior’s name, irritation grew like weeds in his heart.

 

Thus, he had stomped down the 10,000 stairs steps to the entrance to repeat the same tone for the 10000th time to the 10000th good-for-nothings looking for a particular person. All year long, for some reason, there are always random people who claimed to have “seen shixiong” , “heard about shixiong”, “admired shixiong” and asked to meet this shixiong.

 

Thing is, how can he help them when he himself had not met the person yet? Even he himself who lived on the peak just right next to Fairy FangXin’s peak had never met this so called “PinMin” Shixiong for the past 100 years. He had entered the sect right after the kind shixiong apparently entered seclusion and had no idea why so many people are clamouring to meet this shixiong with a nickname that indicated he dress like a beggar.

 

Kids nowadays…. And their odd sense of fashion…..maybe its because he is a fashion icon……..is the Hobo style popular nowadays hah…..

 

Mo Bu San thought to himself.

 

However, it’s the first time someone claimed to have actually arranged for an appointment to meet shixiong.

 

The gall of these kids nowadays. …. To lie so blatantly…..you think I haven’t eaten my share of salt?

He eyed ZhengYi up and down and snorted in disbelief.

 

“What message?”, he retorted impatiently.

 

“Today is the double eleventh festival. As I am unsure when QiuRan Shixiong will conclude his seclusion, from henceforth, I will wait once a year in JinYu Inn in NanJiang town on every double eleventh day, until shixiong is out from seclusion and is willing to meet.”

 

Mo Bu San felt his eyes twitching painfully.

 

For the past hundred years, he had been single. It is a good thing the sect does not allow these useless festivals for couples which only serve to irritate him. Now that this young man mentioned double eleventh festival, it feels like pouring salt to his singleness (wound). To add fuel to fire, now that he looked closely, the young man, although his attire had been torn in places as if he had been in a fight, he was actually a strapping, good looking, handsome young man. Although his black hair is messy, there is a certain wildness in his eyes and those unruly hair which came off as charming. His eyebrows were straight like swords. His eyes are….*coughs*

 

What Am I thinking WTF!!!

 

Mo Bu San choked on his own saliva as he found himself admiring ZhengYi.

 

“Got it Got It! We will send the message up to MeiGui Peak! Now leave!!”, he motioned ZhengYi away with his hand.

 

ZhengYi clasped his hand in greetings and left.

 

When his spiritual sea had calmed down the day before, he had opened his eyes to the sight of two barriers set snugly around him. One blue barrier on the outer side, and one translucent barrier on the inner side for invisibility. The thugs who had woken up seemed to not have seen him at all. As he stood and continued his journey, the barrier had remained on his person for quite a while before they dispersed. It must have been active for at least 24 hours and must have required a rather significant amount of spiritual qi to cast.

 

A thin smile formed on his lips as he thought that, the next time when he come here, he will need to thank the young maiden personally.