Chapter 036 Expert...
Regular Chapter
Silver is the beginning, Gold is growth; the meaning embedded in this phrase was that only those who had managed to break through from the Ninth level Xuan Qi to the Silver level could be considered to have stepped onto the path of the experts, the beginning stage no less! In the Xuan Xuan Continent, Xuan Qi cultivation could be considered a widespread practice. Even the normal soldiers of the military would have cultivated themselves in Xuan Qi. However, majority of the people were unable to breach the bottleneck of the Ninth level, forever unable to move forward!
This was also the reason why none of the three hundred house guards of the Jun Family dared to refute Jun Xie when he was criticizing them. More than eighty per cent of the three hundred men possessed Xuan Qi cultivation of the Eighth level, some of which were at the peak of the Eighth level. However, not a single one of them could attain the next step, the Ninth level Xuan Qi. It was a difference of merely one level, and yet the distance towards that level was a far as the horizon!
A similar bottleneck existed between the Ninth level and the Silver level. The members of these two factions were separated by a huge chasm in the skies! Nine and below are but ants! This sentence alone was enough to explain everything! It was from the Silver level onwards that a huge difference would emerge in their cultivation of Xuan Qi!
The other five men also stopped in their tracks. Six sharp gazes pierced through the rain; the bodies of the other five men radiated with a dense black glow. These five men were actually peak Ninth levelled Xuan Qi experts! As for the man in the lead, he channelled his whole body's Xuan Qi, resulting in a brilliant silver glow. This man was obviously a peak Silver levelled Xuan Qi expert, one who was about to step into the realm of the Gold level. It was also he who had discovered Jun Xie's presence!
It was no wonder that they would be able to steal something from the Tang Family's Residence. They selected a time when Tang Family's strength was at its weakest, sending in twenty of such capable experts; it was obvious they had already pinpointed the location of the item beforehand, prepared a well laid plan devoid of emotion and they also had the help of an insider. If they still could not pull off this heist under such conditions, then the strength that the Tang Family possessed would be absolutely terrifying. However, among the twenty experts sent in, only these six were able to escape. Assuming that the fourteen men who had to leave behind were all at the Ninth level Xuan Qi cultivation, then the strength of the Tang Family was nothing to scoff at!
At this moment, the rain was still pouring down frantically. The heavy rain and dense fog had caused both sides to be unable to observe clearly the situation of the other side. Not to mention, they were now currently in the late afternoon of autumn.
Jun Xie felt somewhat frustrated at his current level of strength. It was still too small. Even though he had tried to conceal his presence, he was unable to accomplish the same level of concealment, which he was able to in his past life, a perfectly undetectable camouflage! It seemed that he would have to face an uphill battle today! However, with his current level of strength, could he defeat these six experts? He had absolutely no confidence in this matter. Even if his opponent were only one of them, he still would not be able to beat them at his current level of strength! It was unfortunate that he had already borne witness to their deeds. Running away was not an option. At this point in time, they would want nothing more than to kill him to shut his mouth as insurance. In order to preserve his life, he will need to come up with some other methods.
As the dignified king of assassins, he had now found himself caught in such an unreasonable situation. What irony!
While he was reflecting upon his depressing situation, Jun Xie suddenly realized something, a very important something. This realization caused him who was depressed to the utmost to make a hundred-and-eighty-degree turn. This realization had made him unbelievably happy, so much so that he might end up laughing in joy. Although his six opponents were all experts with a base strength far superior to his own, Jun Xie had at this moment found an assured method of victory!
Jun Xie's body was veiled amidst the rain and fog, causing the six men to feel uncertain as to how many men they were facing. They only know that there was someone there, but not how many, and definitely not the appearance of Jun Xie. Thus, all of them remained careful, unwilling to make any reckless movements! After all, they had just emerged from a bloody battle, having lost a great deal of battle potential and most of them were suffering from severe injuries. Any carelessness on their part could bring about a fatal disaster!
But the same could not be said for Jun Xie! For him, there was currently no difference between now and day! It may be more accurate to say that it was even clearer than day for him!
The Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune was an extremely mysterious source of power, one that was shrouded in mystery. However, Jun Xie had only practiced it for around one month, his cultivation level shallow and was naturally unable to understand its intricacies. As such, he was unable to perceive well in the darkness. But, each of the six men before him channelled all the xuan qi energies of their bodies to the limit, causing their bodies to radiate brightly in the black foggy rain with silver and black glow, as though they were fearful that their opponent was unable to see them. In Jun Xie's eyes, they had transformed into six target dummies, six beautifully crafted and clear to see target dummies!
This feeling... like a ship that has lost its way in the midst of the boundless ocean, which suddenly found a lighthouse before it! This was exactly how Jun Xie felt at this moment in time! With such a degree of brilliance, even an unprogrammed missile will not miss its mark!
Jun Xie had discovered the biggest weakness of this world's Xuan Qi; it was simply too eye catching! There was absolutely no chance of utilizing sneak attacks! In order to engage in battle, one must first channel the xuan qi within their bodies. But once the xuan qi have been gathered, the body would end up emitting a radiant glow! When faced against a high-grade assassin such as Jun Xie, these six men were no different from six bare-naked pigs, six pigs who were waiting to be butchered with a dignified expression!
It was no wonder that nobody suspected anything back then when Jun Xie had cheated during the game of dice. As long as one had practiced up to the Fifth level Xuan Qi, it would be possible to cheat as well. However, doing so would cause their bodies to emit a radiant glow! Unless the cheater was a Supreme God expert, but was there a need for a Supreme God expert to stoop so low as to cheat in gambling?
"The one who created this Xuan Qi cultivation method was simply a genius! How did that person knew that I would end up being transmigrated here and face this kind of situation? This method was simply made for my sake, so that I can have an easy and convenient time in killing people! This method is simply the most well-tailored cultivation method for my enemies!" In Jun Xie's opinion, if these six men were pigs, then Xuan Qi at this moment was pig's feed! Only after having eaten a good amount of pig's feed would pigs be able to grow to the desirable plump and fat shape. Not only that, they would even take the initiative to rush out before the butcher, showing off its plump and fat body shape, as though it was proudly saying: "You see? See how fat I am? Come, it is time to butcher me! I am ready whenever you are!"
And Jun Xie's current role, was none other than this butcher.
Naturally, killing pigs also require some amount of skill! That was because the pigs before him were not that easy to kill. A little lapse in attention could cause him to suffer a strike from them! As of now, the body state of the "butcher" was still too weak, unable to endure even a single strike from them!
Moving his long sleeves, he tilted, his muscles flexing in coordination with his movements. Eighteen pieces of coin shaped darts which were hidden upon his rib area fell silently onto Jun Xie's palms. Jun Xie then remained motionless, his eyes emitting a bloodthirsty flash!
Fully channelling the energy flow of the Art of Unlocking Heaven's Fortune, he poured the energies from his meridians into the coin shaped darts...
In the autumn afternoon filled with rain, this moment in time where the world began to darken, the king of assassins from another world bared his fangs for the first time! This was the first time since arriving in this strange world that he would reveal his artistic killing techniques!
"Pang, pang." The sound of footsteps slowly sounded out as the six men moved through the rain, they gradually dispersed themselves, putting some distance between one another as they cautiously move to flank Jun Xie's position. All of them could feel that this person before them was still there, and had not moved at all! This person must not be allowed to live. Regardless of who this person may be, they must eradicate him! That was the thought process running through all six of them.
Amidst the heavy rain and fog, the person before them seemingly made his move. After which they all saw six brilliant yellow lights emerging from the rain. These six lights flew like lightning, each aimed at the throats of each of the six men!
The unique energies that Jun Xie had poured into the coin shaped darts, caused them to radiate an eye-catching brilliance, bright to the extreme!
At the very moment that the yellow lights blazed out, all six of them felt a chill running down their spines! All six of them simultaneously felt their body stiffen, their minds startled to the zenith! One of them stared with bulging eyes and muttered in a near crying voice. "Earth Xuan..."
What kind of person can emit such a brilliant yellow light? Such speed, such vigour. With the exception of an Earth Xuan Ranked expert, no other stages can emit this type of Xuan Qi and light!
Above the Silver level was the Gold level, above the Gold level was the Jade level, and only above the Jade level was there the Earth Xuan rank! Such a difference in power cannot be considered a miniscule error in calculation! This... How were they supposed to fight this battle?
They wanted to silence this person? It seemed that they were about to be silenced by him!
Even if the enemy was a Gold level expert and the six of them were at optimal conditions, they may not be able to compete with him. But now that all of them had suffered such grievous injuries, they actually bumped into an Earth Xuan ranked expert?
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Chapter 037 Murder and Plunder
Sponsored Chapter by Anonymous
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The Heavens want me to die! A bitter feeling beset all six of them. Despair!
All they could see was the six brilliant yellow lights, completely ignoring the person before them. They could no longer notice that this person simply does not possess the threatening aura of an Earth Xuan ranked expert.
The overwhelming feelings of despair caused a momentary lapse of judgement on the part of these six men. However, it was also this one small moment, which sealed their fate!
The reason why Jun Xie shot out those coin shaped darts filled with the unique energies of radiance was precisely because he had predicted the occurrence of this one moment! For a good assassin, one must have an insight towards the mind of their opponent. According to Jun Xie's calculations, should these six men encounter an expert they could not defeat, they would be caught in a quagmire! This moment when they were caught in a quagmire was the one moment that Jun Xie was waiting for!
When a seriously injured Silver levelled Xuan Qi expert suddenly bumped into a peak Earth Xuan ranked expert, his heart would experience an unimaginable amount of fear and apprehension! This feeling was akin to simply waiting for an inevitable death! Furthermore, these men were in the midst of being hunted, it was only natural that this feeling of despair would rise up even faster than normal.
This one small moment was what Jun Xie wanted!
If he had directly attacked without any tricks, then at least three of these six men would be able to dodge Jun Xie's coin shaped dart. Separating the strength in between six darts would inevitably cause the force behind it to fall, being far inferior to only one well-aimed dart! Even if only one of them remained alive, Jun Xie would be in for a world of trouble! They may all be injured, but any one of them was not someone that Jun Xie could handle with his current state.
The reason why none of Little Li's Flying Daggers was issued in vain was because only one was issued each time!
[TL: Little Li's Flying Dagger (Xiaoli Feidao) is a wuxia novel by Gulong.]
Jun Xie's focus was naturally placed on the Silver levelled Xuan Qi expert. Even though he was seriously injured, he was the one who gave him the highest amount of pressure! It was also him who was keen enough to notice Jun Xie's presence!
After the six dazzling coin shaped darts appeared, twelve dark grey lights flew out. However, the six pieces of darts had already attracted their undivided attention. In addition, the heavy downpour also became a source of concealment for the dark grey lights. All six of them were shaken to the core and had all panicked as they dodged the six incoming darts. None of them dared to block the darts with their weapons, fearing the internal damage that might result from strength of an "Earth Xuan ranked expert"!
In truth, were those projectile weapons really sent out by an "Earth Xuan ranked expert", none of them would even have the opportunity to glimpse the yellow radiance before being killed off. Not even the strongest among them, the Silver level expert could be exempted. Unfortunately, in their state of shock, none of them noticed this!
Despite moving quickly to avoid those darts, two of them still cried out miserably. They were unable to avoid in time and the coin shaped dart pierced the area above the collarbone, their blood sprayed out as they fell to the ground. Those who had fallen to the ground even believed themselves to be already dead. Having accepted a thunderous strike from an Earth Xuan expert, what can they who were only at the Ninth level do except close their eyes and wait obediently for their deaths? Not to mention, those darts had already pierced their throats... they did not notice that the darts had only penetrated the area above their collarbone without cutting off their windpipes!
Four miserable screams echoed out at the same time, following the appearance of the second wave of projectiles. Twelve flying daggers struck either their throats or their foreheads. Those four men who were standing all had their bodies struck by at least two daggers each, every one of them piercing the most vital of parts! Their faces expressed a look of disbelief as they tightly pressed onto the hilt of the dagger on their throats; their bodies remained upright as they fell face first onto the rainwater on the ground.
As for the Silver level expert which received Jun Xie's utmost "care", his situation was far more miserable in comparison as he was already grievously injured to begin with. His head and body were pierced with up to four daggers! All of them penetrated so deep into him that not even the handle could be seen!
Even upon their moment of death, they were unable to understand. Didn't they already avoid that fatal strike? Why did they suddenly suffer from another mortal wound from these flying daggers? As an Earth Xuan ranked expert, facing off against them whose existence were akin to ants before him, once his first strike failed, then he should have considered his status and stopped attacking. Why did he attack again? Why?
[TL: The trick with the yellow light will only be explained in the later chapters. Also, I have no idea what they are smoking. If an ant pissed me off to the point where I decide to stamp on it and it SURVIVES, the last thing I am going to do is to let it off!]
He actually utilized sneak attacks against someone who were two levels below him in cultivation. Moreover, after the first time failed, he actually sent in a second one... Could it be that the current Earth Xuan experts were all shameless pricks without a care for their bearings? In this world, Earth Xuan experts were all individuals who placed utmost importance on their reputations. Since when did they become so shameless?
The "Earth Xuan expert", Jun Xie showed no hesitation as he moved in with lightning speed, smoothly pulling out the flying dagger from the forehead of a corpse. He then changed his pace, from two paces to one. He rushed towards the two men who had fallen prior and viciously stabbed one of them directly in his heart!
Although these two men had suffered no small amount of injury, it was not enough to be instantly fatal. As of now, they were at a loss due to fear however, they still possessed a certain level of combat capabilities. An enemy who can still pose a threat must not be allowed to live! Even if they were on the verge of death! What happened to him in his previous life was the greatest lesson for Jun Xie! The only enemies who cannot threaten him are dead enemies! Killing intent surged within Jun Xie's mind, his face painted with coldness!
The flying dagger was gripped tight by Jun Xie, the tip of his feet positioned outwards. At the same time that the dagger had stabbed into that man, he started moving. The hand used to stab earlier loosened as he turned towards the other person. Like a cyclone, he launched his other hand downwards, forming a cleaver form, hacking into the man's throat!
This series of actions was performed in quick succession, enough to cause the average person to miss out on it. The very moment that the yellow coin shaped darts flew out, Jun Xie's fleeting figure had already moved outwards. When the four men cried out miserably, Jun Xie was already pulling out one of the flying daggers sticking out from their heads. Even before their four dead bodies fell flat onto the ground, the flying dagger had already found its way into the heart of the first survivor. At the same moment, his other hand had also cleaved the throat of the second and last survivor!
The man who was pierced in the heart by the dagger did not even have the luxury of making a single noise as he died on the spot!
Finally, the "crack" sound from the last target whose throat was fractured resounded out at the same time that the sound of four bodies hitting the surface water was heard!
After completing the actions above, Jun Xie climbed up as he gasped for breath. With his current state, completing those movements earlier was indeed quite the difficult matter! The original Jun Moye had simply caused successive problems for this body. If not for the shedding process and the constant exercise for the past month, there was no way he could have managed the earlier series of actions.
Even so, the time limit for him was simply too short and the action was akin to borrowing an overdraft from the bank. Once he relaxed his spiritual force, he was bombarded by the backlash from the violent movements made earlier. He felt pain assailing him from every part of the body, his muscles and bones felt as though it was about to break apart, a heart splitting, and lung jerking pain.
The last survivor emitted a "woah" sound as he spurt out an arrow of blood, spraying directly at Jun Xie's face. As their eyes locked, he stared with resentment at Jun Xie, hissing. "You... you are not... Earth..." It was only at his moment of death did he came to realize that this person before him was definitely not an Earth Xuan expert!
"You bunch of pig heads!" Jun Xie sighed, feeling sorry for him. "If I am really an Earth Xuan expert, would I need to resort to sneak attacks against you bunch of trash?"
The man's throat released a series of strange sounds as his eyes suddenly glinted with fury, an expression of resentment and rage formed on his face! His body arched forward, his body which was at the end of its life suddenly found the strength to lift a trembling hand, pointing at Jun Xie. He seemed as though he wanted to say something but nothing came out. He simply stared at Jun Xie. Not long after, he fell back onto the ground with a "pa". After twitching for a bit, he finally breathed his last, his eyes remained wide open onto death.
Originally, he still had some breath left. Even though it was only a matter of time before dying, but he could at least endured for a while longer. Who could have known that Jun Xie's words had instead provoked him to death!
Moving around, Jun Xie retrieved the coin shaped darts and flying daggers. At the same time, he also conducted a search on their bodies. Jun Xie's actions were natural, his heart undisturbed as though he was merely checking his own pockets, completely disregarding the fact that those six men were dead. His training as an assassin in his previous life had embedded within him a calmness, which cannot be broken even if Mount Tai were to collapse before him. Besides, Jun Xie had witnessed far more situations that were far bloodier than this...
He finally found a small parcel in the hands of the Silver levelled expert. After weighing it for a bit, Jun Xie then reached out for the bamboo rain hat, which was on the ground. Placing it beneath his rib area, he strode off, turning into the corner. Behind him, the heavy rain continued, creating a huge curtain, cutting off Jun Xie from this bloody scene as though they were of two different worlds!
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Chapter 038 Purely Coincidental
Another Sponsored Chapter by Anonymous! Thank you!
On the street, the heavy rain continued pouring down, dispersing the crimson lines on the ground... leaving only six corpses lying quietly. One of the corpses had its eyes remained wide open, staring furiously towards the skies, his face filled with resentment...
After taking a few detours, Jun Xie finally made his way back to the Jun Residence.
Even as Jun Xie strolled ahead, the rain continued falling without abandon. The blood on Jun Xie's face had already been washed away by the rain. After being washed by rainwater, the only thing one would see was a few brownish stains. No one would have guessed that those stains were the blood of six warriors!
Besides, there was no way that Jun Xie could have fought against those men with his current level of strength. After all, these were the blood of a Silver levelled expert and five Ninth levelled Xuan Qi experts!
It was at this moment when Jun Xie had stepped into the Jun Residence that a tall figure pierced through the heavy rain. Just like a rocket streaking through the skies, this figure arrived at the corner where the six corpses could be seen lying on the ground. Becoming surprised, the person rushed towards them, using a hand to pat the six men, searching their bodies but was unable to find anything. Suddenly straightening his body, the person's face became extremely gloomy.
This man wore a peculiar looking mask on his face, making it hard to ascertain his facial features. However, every move of his was done with calmness and ease. With a golden glow, he flew up to a big tree located five zhangs (15 meters) away from them. Standing on the tree, he looked around. His way of conduct seemed as though he was not wasting any energy or effort in his actions.
A golden glow could be seen, this person was a Gold levelled expert!
With a lightning like gaze, he carefully inspected the surroundings. Suddenly, he flew down from the tree and moved towards the six corpses. He circled the six bodies as he analysed it. After which he moved towards one of the directions where their blood was flowing. However, his movement speed were surprisingly superior compared to that of the usual experts, his speed exceeding what the experts could achieve when running!
That direction was none other than the direction that Jun Xie had used when he left this place!
This person was truly detailed; amidst the heavy flow of rainwater, he actually managed to pinpoint the right direction!
The man followed the traces and moved forward. After moving for a while, he suddenly stopped and let out a light sounded curse. The detours that Jun Xie had taken had actually led him in a circle! After following the traces left by Jun Xie, the mysterious Gold levelled expert found himself back at the same starting spot...
"Who was it? Who could it be? Such a deep level of thought process!" The man whispered to himself; he raised his head to the skies, his mind lost in thoughts. Who was it who disrupted my plan? Who was it that could seize this opportunity with such precision? Who could have seen through my plans? Who was it that could read my mind?
The execution of this plan was something done at the spur of the moment, not even he himself predicted that this would happen. In addition, there was the sudden heavy rain! Considering these factors, the problem could not possibly have originated from his end. But then, where did it come from? Could it be... The mysterious man painstakingly analysed, poring through every variable, going so far as to suspect everyone around him in his analysis...
This man's thoughts have always been deep and profound; every factor must be within the palm of his hands before a decision was made. His obsession towards detail could be said to have reached the extreme! Take what happened today for example, even if he was beaten to his death, he would never believe that there would be such a kind of coincidence! As such, his mind was fixed from the very beginning. The incident today must have been the work of someone or some organization, perhaps his own family was trying to screw him over or perhaps someone with an enmity towards his family!
His thoughts sprouted out with this point of view as its base. It was only natural that all the possibilities in his mind were wrong, so much so that it could be said to be of hundreds of thousands of li in difference!
This man could never have considered that what happened today was simply a coincidence! A very interesting coincidence!
If the Silver levelled expert had not detected Jun Xie's presence, then Jun Xie would never have chosen to incur the wrath of others while his strength had yet to bloom. If the one the Silver levelled expert had detected was not Jun Xie but a commoner, then he would have been able to safely deliver the item back to the designated place. In fact, if this person had arrived just a few moments earlier, there was no way Jun Xie could have beaten the man with his current level of strength...
Everything that had happened was all a coincidence. Coincidences were the inevitable path for all developments. The events of the world could never follow the will of men!
Although Jun Xie taking away the item that the man wanted was due to a coincidence, Jun Xie himself does not know what the item was, or what it can be used for!
Jun Xie deciding to go out for a walk was a coincidence in itself. When he realized that the Mid-Autumn Festival of his past life was approaching, he felt himself becoming nostalgic and homesick. In this world, there was no one he could have a good chat with; there was also no place like the bars in his past life. It would also be inappropriate for him to become depressed at home, not to mention Jun Xie was not one to let others see himself being submerged in such weak emotions. Thus, he went out, planning to drink away his sorrows. Unexpectedly, that middle-aged man's words caused him to lose the desire to continue, the wine becoming less appealing and harder to stomach. After saying a few contemptuous words, he left the wine shop.
Still feeling depressed, Jun Xie wandered about in the streets, as though this act of threading through the heavy rain could bring some level of comfort for him.
It was then which the "coincidence" occurred!
After a series of coincidences, Jun Xie ended up bumping into those men who had stolen the item from the Tang Family. Those few men who barely escaped, coincidentally also stopped for a while, allowing Jun Xie to listen in on their conversations.
With his current level of strength, Jun Xie had intended to simply forget about this incident. After all, the current Jun Xie had no particular feelings for the Tang Family. If the Tang Family lost something, then so be it! It had nothing to do with him, regardless of what it might be. Who could have guessed that those men would have such dog like noses to be able to sniff out Jun Xie's presence? This left Jun Xie with no other option; considering the strength of these men, running away was not an option.
With no other options at hand, Jun Xie resorted to utilizing projectiles, depending on the "help" granted by the Heavens, in addition to utilizing his trick and had these men killed in one swift moment! Since those men were dead, there was no reason for Jun Xie not to help himself to it and retrieve the item from them. As such, the invaluable item that the mysterious person eagerly desired fell into the hands of Jun Xie through a series of seemingly "limitless" coincidences.
None of these matters seemed to be eye-catching at all. And yet, when they came together, these series of coincidences could cause anyone to jump in shock! Gaining great benefits without knowing what was going on, ruining other people's meticulous plans as he strolled around aimlessly!
For so many coincidences to have occurred, this was simply a form of divine intervention, even the Heavens decided to throw in a heavy rain to add to the fun. This could only be labelled as Heaven's will, or perhaps the director of this series of "coincidences" was Heavens itself!
The mysterious man remained there and was just about to leave when he heard a roaring noise. The Tang Family's house guards were charging over. Sighing, his body radiated a golden glow and he made his move. Six "pa" sounds were heard, as the heads of the six corpses below exploded, their original visage no longer recognizable. Brushing his sleeves, the man jumped into the rain and disappeared.
When the Tang Family's men came over, all they saw was six corpses with damaged heads. As for the item that they needed to recover, it was nowhere to be found...
Jun Xie remained ignorant to the fact that he had inadvertently disrupted the plan of Jun Family's biggest enemy. He even retrieved the precious item that the mysterious man desired. However, Jun Xie only felt aggrieved: I had originally only wanted to enjoy the rainy atmosphere, reflect on the memories of my old world, immerse myself in this nostalgic emotion of solitary loneliness. Instead, I had to bump into a bunch of rotten bastards, destroying my perfect atmosphere and feelings! Sigh, how depressing...
Not a single thing went right! First, I went to drink wine but bumped into a man who cannot differentiate between good and bad wine, claiming that an inferior wine is a masterpiece. How pitifully laughable! After that, I left to enjoy the rainy atmosphere, but instead bumped into a bunch of people trying to kill me...
What a bad luck! Jun Xie sighed as he raised his head to the skies. Patting the small parcel on his bosom, he stepped into the Jun Residence.
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Chapter 039 Guan Qinghan
Regular Chapter
The boundless heavy rain finally reduced in intensity, however the rain continued on. Jun Xie walked leisurely, causing those who saw him through either the door or the windows to wonder: Oh, God! What kind of madness is the Young Master up to now? Well, compared to his previous sort of crazy trouble, this one seemed more reasonable, although it does seem peculiar. What is he doing outside when it is raining like cats and dogs?
As he was passing by the garden area, he suddenly heard the melody of a flute slowly emanating outwards. Within the melody of the flute was an unforgettable sorrow. Listening to the sound of the flute, one could imagine the sorrow and hidden feelings of resentment filling the person playing the flute.
But when Jun Xie heard the sound, he felt that it coincided with his current state of emotions. Unable to help himself, he went towards the source of the tune.
In a pavilion situated in the middle of the garden, a white robed woman sat on a stone bench, her back facing Jun Xie. Her hair rolled up high like dark clouds, her waist slender; looking at her from behind, one would have believed that she was a cold but refined woman. However, to be accompanied by the mournful melody of the cold flute in this desolate autumn, it would appear that this woman was lonely and dismal.
Jun Xie stood quietly in the rain, he closed his eyes slightly, listening to the sorrowful tune of the flute. His mind was in a trance, as though he was listening to his favourite song from his past life, the song "Vain Eyebrows" from Red Dream Mansion, that same graceful sorrow, that same tearful resentment...
Jun Xie's mind felt itself going drunk. In this heavy autumn rain, for whom was this pain and sorrow? At this moment, Jun Xie suddenly felt that the woman before him was suffering the same solitary loneliness as him! However, when compared to himself, her state was one that was far more helpless.
Amidst the sorrowful resentment of the flute's melody, even the wind became suffocating...
The flute's melody gradually became weaker, just like a thread of silk swaying in the air, swaying until there was nothing. The white robed woman remained seated; she placed down the jade flute and faintly sighed. The sound of her sigh was dispersed by the sound of the rain, apparently showing how weak it was in comparison.
Jun Xie's heart felt moved, he could not help but also let out a gentle sigh.
Even though the sound was light, the woman became shocked. She immediately turned around, her gaze locking onto Jun Xie. Her face showed surprise, then it became faintly disgusted and she looked at Jun Xie with contempt. "It is you."
"The flute melody is not bad, very beautiful," Jun Xie smiled as he leisurely stepped into the pavilion. His rain soaked body caused the floor of the pavilion to become wet. "Sister-in-law, how did you suddenly have this elegant interest?"
The woman's looks were as a painting, her bearing graceful, but her face was filled with coldness. This woman whose body exuded an aura of coldness was Jun Moxie's sister-in-law and Jun Moyou's wife, Guan Qinghan. She was the only daughter of the famed Guan Family, a well-known family in the Tianxiang Kingdom.
In truth, calling her Moyou's wife may be inappropriate. Their engagement was something that was set when they were both still toddlers. Three years ago, Jun Moyou was twenty-two years old and Guan Qinghan was eighteen years old. It was then which the two families began preparing the marriage for these two, however a war suddenly erupted between them and Shenci Kingdom. Jun Moyou and his little brother Jun Mochou were selected to join the expedition against Shenci. Thus the two families decided to hold the marriage after Jun Moyou returned victoriously.
Before Jun Moyou left for the army, they had already finished with the engagement ceremony and Guan Qinghan was already considered a member of the Jun Family. Once Jun Moyou returned, their wedding would take place. As for the wedding date, that too was already set. However, none of them would have expected that Jun Moyou would never return, his body left to rest upon the battlefield. The two childhood sweethearts were now separated, faced with regrets forever!
A precious talent, dying in an unclear and pitiful manner!
When the bad news arrived, Guan Qinghan fainted on the spot. After that, she disregarded her family's advice and chose to enter the Jun Family. She adopted the identity of a widow of the Jun Family and helped in taking care of the elder in the Jun Family. Grandpa Jun had asked her not to a number of times. After all, with her looks and background, there was no need to fear not being able to have a good marriage. He even proposed breaking off the engagement agreement to allow Guan Qinghan freedom from this situation.
But Guan Qinghan persistently refused. Even after exhausting themselves, the elders of both families were unable to change her mind. All they could do was wait. Should the time ever came when she changed her mind, then they would send her back to the Guan Family.
Everyone in the Jun Family from the elderly Grandpa Jun, Jun Wuyi all the way down to the servants treated this young maiden with respect, not slighting her off in any way. However, there was one person who constantly made her unhappy, and that was her little brother-in-law, Jun Moxie!
After his beautiful sister-in-law moved in, the prodigal debauchee, Jun Moxie became restless, his manner of speech flippant, his bearing frivolous, causing Guan Qinghan to feel extremely disgusted. Unable to tolerate him, she had once given him a harsh lesson. Even though she was the only daughter, she was quite proficient in martial arts. While not at the Silver level Xuan Qi, she was already at the peak Ninth level Xuan Qi! Dealing with someone like Jun Moxie was hardly a difficult task.
However, the beatings did nothing to change this dissolute brat. Knowing that his beautiful sister-in-law would not inflict heavy injuries upon him, he would always peep at her secretly. Seeing such a shameless piece of "tough shank", Guan Qinghan was unable to come up with any other method and chose instead to simply hide herself in her room most of the time. But today's rainy weather caused her heart to suddenly feel bitter and sorrowful, engulfing her with sadness. Thus, she decided to go to the pavilion to express her sorrow with the flute. Unexpectedly, this debauchee would brave the rain to come over!
What an obsessive person, do you not understand that my Ninth level Xuan Qi is far higher than yours? If I want to teach you a lesson, it would not take much effort! The reason I choose not to do so was simply because I did not want to disturb the peace of this residence, and also to not cause gramps any heartaches. Did you think I was afraid of you?
"Oh, I just have nothing to do at the moment, and decided to play the flute for a bit. Could it be that Third Young Master is an expert in this subject?" Hearing Jun Xie's words, Guan Qinghan felt even more disgusted: What does this debauchee knows about the melody of a flute? Beautiful? Not bad? He is obviously trying to strike up a conversation with me! She stared at him coldly, wondering what kind of new "face" was he intending to show today. Barbs accompanied even her words.
With Jun Xie's wisdom, how could he not understand the meaning in her words? However, this woman was someone he admired. Not to mention, he also understood just how unbearable the original Jun Moxie was. It was no wonder everyone would look down upon him! On the other hand, Guan Qinghan's affectionate devotion was something that Jun Xie found himself respecting.
"The melody of the flute projects the melody of the heart, the past is the past, it would be better for sister-in-law to allow your heart to let go. Let the past remain a thing of the past," Jun Xie hesitated slightly before replying.
Guan Qinghan gave out a "heng" before turning her body to the side, ignoring him.
Jun Xie began losing interest. If someone chose to ignore him, then he would simply ignore them even more! So what if she was a beautiful woman? Can beauties simply throw disdainful looks at others? He reluctantly said. "I was presumptuous earlier, causing a disturbance for sister-in-law. I will go back now." Having said that, he smiled, turning around and walked away without hesitation. You are going to ignore me? That is fine. I will just go to sleep.
Guan Qinghan became greatly surprised.
She originally thought that he was planning to stalk her again, using false pretences to get near her. Unexpectedly, he actually said some humane words. He even chose to leave on his own regardless of the rain.
Observing Jun Xie's back as he left amidst the rain, Guan Qinghan opened her mouth, but then hesitated; gazing at him again, she found that her little brother-in-law seemed really different today.
This brat had always sported a nasty roguish smile, his eyes filled with dishonesty, darting everywhere. Whenever he saw her, he would drool in an unbearable manner. However, his earlier actions did not show any trace of frivolousness and was instead solemn, a very... calm and profound demeanour.
Furthermore, his eyes did not stare upon her at all. Observing his back as he left through the rain, she saw that he remained calm...
Did he really change? Guan Qinghan inwardly gave a cold sneer: Since his stalking actions did not yield any results, he decided to change tactics and wear the face of a "gentlemen" to get close to me? Hmph! Jun Moxie, did you expect me to fall for your trick? Even after you have changed your face a thousand times, in my heart, you will forever be the dirty, shameless prodigal debauchee! That will never change!
With such a heavy rain, you actually allowed yourself to be drenched in rainwater as you came over here only to say those few sentences? As if anyone would believe that? This could only prove that you have hidden motive for your actions! You are a gentlemen? Would anyone believe that?
Guan Qinghan's beautiful face instantly turned ice cold!
However, this brat actually did not show any fear when he saw me glaring at him today... hmph!
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Chapter 040 Xuan Core
Regular Chapter
As Jun Xie was walking away, his heart felt sorry for his sister-in-law. Guan Qinghan was only twenty-one years old, the prime of her life. Not to mention, she was a heavenly stunning beauty, and yet she willingly entered the Jun Family and became a widow! If this was his old world, then this kind of occurrence was simply unthinkable!
However, here it was treated as a natural way of life, what a great tragedy.
This is simply a waste of resources! If only I could... Eh? This thought suddenly emerged from Jun Xie's mind, giving him a shock: This does not feel like something that I would think of. I may sympathize with her, but how could I possibly end up with such a nasty kind of thought? This is simply not something that I would even consider! Unless...
You despicable Jun Moxie! Your soul had already left, and yet you still left this kind of residual effect! Jun Xie cursed inwardly.
Jun Xie walked into his room. Without acknowledging the little Lolita's greeting, he sat down with a frown on his face. He reflected on his every action since the day he transmigrated over, something did not feel right. In the past, he had also shown a frivolous side of him, but it was meant as a method of getting close to the target or as a cover. No matter what, it was only an act.
Jun Xie's character had always been cold and arrogant, and was even ruthless. At times, he could even be described as cold-blooded. However, he came to realize that his personality had drastically changed since he transmigrated over. Admittedly, Jun Moxie's identity as a trouble-making debauchee was the best possible cover. However, he needed to have a good grasp on his own mind!
I cannot allow the original character of this body, of Jun Moxie to prevail! However, I also need this personality as a form of camouflage!
Maintain my state of mind, complying with the outer layer, and yet deep down, I am still me... Evil Monarch Jun Xie!
A burst of light shot forth from his eyes, heartless before Heaven and Earth, tens of thousands were but disposable fodder in his eyes! The ruthless Evil Monarch has stepped into this other world!
Having resolved himself, he felt his body relaxing and was instantly reminded of other things. He removed the small parcel from his bosom.
This parcel was obtained at the expense of the life of twenty experts. Even though he did not know who the mastermind was, Jun Xie was confident that no ordinary people would dare steal from the Tang Family. In addition, no one would take such a huge risk unless this was an unbelievably high-grade treasure!
Having such thoughts running through his mind, Jun Xie could not help but feel highly curious. He had originally thought of returning it to the Tang Family however he was now overwhelmed by the desire to open it up.
Acting on his desires, this was the Evil Monarch's way! With a scoff, Jun Xie tore open the parcel. Within it was a square wooden box; a box that emitted a faint scent, its top was covered with pale gold lines. This wooden box was surprisingly made of top quality Goldensilk Sandalwood!
In addition, the material for this box of Goldensilk Sandalwood was cut out from the tree as a whole! This box alone was worth a fortune!
Opening the box, he felt a cold air wafting outwards. Inside the box was another snow-white box. Touching it, he felt a chilling cold. This was a high-grade Cold Jade!
Judging by the colour of the box, this Cold Jade was a mysteriously potent object!
Jun Xie inhaled deeply! Just what exactly was it that was so important? They even used such a precious Cold Jade to keep it covered.
Carefully opening the jade box, he found a round object within the box. The object was wrapped within a layer of colourful skin fur, which possessed a strange sheen. Jun Xie who had no knowledge of what this was did not feel bizarre at all. If a professional were to lay eyes on this, they would likely become shocked. This was the pelt of a Ninth levelled Xuan Beast! A Ninth levelled Xuan Beast was an existence akin to that of a Supreme God expert! Goldensilk Sandalwood box, high-grade Cold Jade and the pelt of a Ninth levelled Xuan Beast; any of them could be considered a priceless treasure!
These three priceless items were actually just part of the package!
Jun Xie removed the object wrapped by the layer of pelt with his hand. It was a round object the size of a ping-pong ball. Looking at it, Jun Xie could not help but feel somewhat disappointed.
The strange object was dark red and almost black in colour. Its texture resembled that of a stone, yet was not a stone, resembled jade, and yet not jade. He gave it a pinch and found it to be slightly elastic. The impression given by this item was rather mediocre!
Suddenly, a thought flashed through Jun Xie's mind and he blurted out. "Xuan Core?"
Although Jun Xie does not know how a Xuan Core looked like, he knew that it was a precious item. Only a Third levelled Xuan Beast or above could produce a Xuan Core. As for this Xuan Core, considering the strength of the Tang Family and how much importance they placed on protecting it and also the amount of attraction it caused for others, going so far as to provoke a "tiger" in order to obtain it, this item was no ordinary material! It should at least be at the Seventh level! Or perhaps, even higher?
Jun Xie was not aware just how much resources Grandfather Tang Wanli had spent in order to obtain this Xuan Core. This Xuan Core of a Ninth levelled Golden Winged Tiger Xuan Beast contained a huge amount of energy. For low-levelled Xuan Qi experts, this Xuan Core was useless. However, once their cultivation were no longer of a low level, then under the right conditions and using certain methods of stimulation, the vast energies within could be absorbed and claimed as one's own! As for how much of the energies can be absorbed, that will depend on the person's talent.
Once the Earth rank was reached, every step forward in Xuan Qi cultivation was accumulatively difficult. However, this Xuan Core could propel a beginner stage Earth ranked expert all the way up to the Sky Xuan stage! Within the world of Xuan Qi, this item was a Heavenly defying treasure!
The difficulty level involved in killing even an Eighth levelled Xuan Beast was already extremely high. As for killing a Ninth levelled Xuan Beast in order to retrieve its Xuan Core? This was generally an impossibility! It was certain that a Supreme Divine expert held a good chance of defeating a Ninth levelled Xuan Beast, but killing it? Even if two Supreme Divine experts were to join hands, they may not be able to kill a Ninth levelled Xuan Beast! The strength and speed of a Ninth levelled Xuan Beast could be described as terrifying, but when it came to running away, no one could even dream of stopping it!
Not to mention, this was a Gold Winged Tiger, a Xuan Beast with the ability to fly! Stopping it was something one would never even consider.
Back then, Tang Wanli accidentally found a heavily injured Supreme Divine expert. When he found out that the expert possessed this Xuan Core, Tang Wanli spent a fortune to hire tens of Jade, Earth and Sky ranked experts in order to snatch it. Several lives were lost before he successfully obtained it.
Regardless of how that Supreme Divine expert laid his hands on the Xuan Core, it would be an exaggeration to claim that it was the only one in existence. However, one can be certain that in this world, the number of these Xuan Cores do not exceed three.
Naturally, the reason Li Youran urgently desired this Xuan Core was because he had a pressing need to use it! His plan began since years ago from when he first received intelligence on this matter, involving the bribery of Tang Family's figures, carefully arranging so that he could make his way in step by step, painstakingly keeping his eyes and ears out for any news until three months ago, when he finally found out the secret location of the item. However, Grandfather Tang never left the house and was always protected by four high-levelled experts, resulting in him having no chance at all.
This time, he finally chanced upon a rare opportunity. Not only did Grandfather Tang leave the house, he even took with him three of the four experts! In addition, there was also the heavy rain, which made the situation even more favourable! Grasping onto these favourable factors, he sent a first-rate expert to lure away the expert from the Tang Family before secretly sending in another twenty experts. Collaborating with their insider, they finally succeeded but at the cost of the life of nearly all the twenty experts!
Even then, it was successful. Sacrificing the lives of merely a few experts in return for the Xuan Core was undoubtedly an advantageous trade!
Unfortunately, just before they successfully finished everything, they ended up meeting Jun Xie...
Several years' worth of meticulous planning, thousands of plans and ten thousand analyses, all of them ended with nothing to show for their efforts!
It ended up benefitting others!
One could only imagine how miserable Li Youran currently was!