The rain died down until it was nothing more than a fine drizzle. Like newly brewed white Maojian tea leaves in a cup, the raindrops danced in the night sky.
In the little alley, the scene had become exceedingly strange.
A handsome young man with rosy lips and beautiful white teeth was sitting in a wheelchair, leisurely holding his chin.
Streams of blue light whirled and intertwined around him. With the young man sitting in the center, it looked like a moving star system.
The last of the rain still misting from the sky was caught and dispersed by the Spirit Qi before it could even get close.
Everyone stared in silent awe.
Even the three maids who knew Lu Fan well were astonished.
At the moment, their Young Master seemed like a stranger.
So powerful… As if he were high above everyone else.
They'd never felt that way before.
Sitting in the wheelchair, Lu Fan glanced with a stony face at Han Lianxiao, who was still pinned to the ground on his belly.
Han Lianxiao was a Grandmaster.
If the fight between them had been determined by their Qi and blood, then even 100 Lu Fan's couldn't have beaten one Han Lianxiao.
But what Lu Fan wasn't relying on Qi and blood. He was using Spirit Qi.
Lu Fan had activated Daoist Spirit Transmission, an Earth Level High-Grade cultivation method. It enabled him to move the streams of Spirit Qi as they intertwined with each other to form a vast layer of energy. In this way, he created overwhelming pressure.
Lu Fan had named it "Spirit Pressure."
This was a kind of suppressing strategy that could be used by a cultivator on a non-cultivator. It stemmed from the differences between the professions.
Of course, Lu Fan's ability to suddenly activate 50 wisps of Spirit Qi was also a factor.
Without enough Spirit Qi, it wouldn't have been possible to create Spirit Pressure that strong.
Ning Zhao's case was similar. Although she had two wisps in her Qi Core, all she could use them for was improving her fighting ability and boosting her strength in battle. She wasn't capable of creating Spirit Pressure.
Even if she had been able to, the pressure she created with two wisps wouldn't have had much influence on a Grandmaster.
As he was lying face-down on the ground, Han Lianxiao's straw rain cape and clothes were entirely soaked.
He attempted to get up despite the enormous pressure.
Every part of his body, however, felt as if it were locked in extremely heavy shackles. It was as if a huge rock weighing tens of thousands of pounds was pressing down on him. The slightest movement was too difficult to manage.
A cultivator's Spirit Pressure?
Insignificant trick?
Han Lianxiao's mind reeled.
The son of the city master of Beiluo City, a half-paralyzed man, was this powerful?
Han Lianxiao knew that what Lu Fan could do was way beyond any other martial arts practitioners.
Even Eighth or Ninth Resonance Grandmasters would have a hard time pulling off something like that.
With difficulty, he pulled his face out of the water puddling on the street. The man he had always been—handsome, with a cultured and elegant bearing—was gone. Now, he looked like a drowned rat, and his wet sideburns stuck to his pale face.
He managed to lift his head high despite the overwhelming pressure. He was determined to find out what kind of expression was on Lu Fan's face.
To his amazement, he saw the light blue streams of Spirit Qi intertwining. Sitting in the center of the flows of light, Lu Fan's faint figure looked like an immortal from a painting.
"You..." Han Lianxiao's eyes widened.
Lu Fan held his chin with one hand and used the other to lightly tap on the thin woolen blanket covering his lap.
He gave Han Lianxiao a dispassionate glance.
Fifth Resonance Grandmasters were no doubt powerful. Once the man got used to Spirit Pressure, he might be able to move around more easily under it. Yet because 50 wisps of Spirit Qi had formed Spirit Pressure in this world for the first time, Han Lianxiao couldn't adapt fast enough to save himself.
How intense would the Spirit Pressure be if it was formed with 100 wisps of Spirit Qi?
How horrendously powerful would it be if it used 1,000 or even 10,000 wisps of Spirit Qi?
Instantly, Lu Fan felt the excitement of raw potential in his stomach.
***
Farther down the alley, Ning Zhao had escaped from the mechanical wooden flute.
As she held the Cicada Wing Sword in her hand, her hair fell loosely around her. Her smooth, fair skin had several thin, bloody wounds she'd gotten as she tried to break free from the mechanism.
Ning Zhao was silent with guilt and self-accusation.
She had acted too carelessly. Armed with Spirit Qi, she had underestimated the Grandmaster before her, and she had ended up being confined by the mechanism of the wooden flute.
The Young Master had been in danger because of that.
If not for the Young Master's incredible abilities, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Just as Han Lianxiao had pointed out, it was dark and quiet in the tight little alley. If he had killed Lu Fan, no one would have ever learned the truth.
Even if Lu Changkong had managed to find some scrap of evidence afterward, Han Lianxiao would have left Beiluo City by then. As the saying went: "Swim like a fish in the sea; fly like a bird across the sky."
The point of her sword dragged across the ground as Ning Zhao took light, elegant steps forward, the water splashing high around her feet.
"Young Master, what are we to do with him?" Ning Zhao's voice was cold and emotionless.
With one hand holding his chin, Lu Fan glanced at Han Lianxiao. Without much hesitation or concern, he made his decision.
"Kill him," Lu Fan ordered.
His voice was calm.
Nie Changqing quivered. Nie Shuang wrapped his arms tightly around Nie Changqing's legs.
Still pinned against the ground by Spirit Pressure, Han Lianxiao's breath caught in sudden fear. He opened his mouth as if to say something.
Thwack!
The thin silver blade pierced Han Lianxiao's chest. Blood gushed out, forming a dark red puddle under his body.
So decisive! No hesitation at all.
As he coughed up blood, Han Lianxiao's eyes were still glaring with disbelief, unwilling to accept his fate.
The whole world had been tricked! The Young Master of Beiluo City was far more than a silly Confucianist bookworm who did nothing but study!
He had unpredictable strategies and abilities, and a cold heart capable of incredible decisiveness!
He was a big fat liar!
He… What exactly did he want?!
Han Lianxiao's head was down. As he died, he was still staring at Lu Fan, refusing to succumb.
Eventually, he breathed his last in the puddle of blood.
Nie Changqing dropped his butcher's knife. Many different emotions warred across his face. Daoist No. 9, Han Lianxiao... was dead.
A Fifth Resonance Grandmaster.
In the Hundred Schools of Philosophy, not counting the Philosophers themselves, Han Lianxiao had been among the top Grandmasters. Few could compete with him.
A martial arts practitioner so strong had just died quietly in Beiluo City.
Nie Changqing fell silent. Mixed feelings filled his heart.
An assassination targeting him had just been stopped, yet he didn't show any signs of delight. All he could feel was a depressing chill all over his body.
The death of Han Lianxiao might become a trigger.
In the future, the strong practitioners in Daoism might come to Beiluo City one after another.
The Great Zhou Dynasty was in chaos, and the Imperial Advisor was preoccupied. The practitioners from the Hundred Schools of Philosophy had become more aggressive and unscrupulous.
No one knew better than Nie Changqing how cruel and unreasonable those Daoists could be.
Lu Fan dismissed his Spirit Qi and deactivated Daoist Spirit Transmission. After he'd worked on it, this Transfusion Technique had become an Earth Level High-Grade cultivation method of Spirit Qi.
The technique enabled him to refine Spirit Qi so he could create Spirit Pressure.
Unfortunately, though he could create Spirit Pressure, Lu Fan was unable to refine his Spirit Qi using the same cultivation technique as others.
"Thank you very much for saving our lives, Young Master Lu," Nie Changqing said, walking up to Lu Fan with Nie Shuang by his side. His face was pale.
Nie Shuang's huge eyes glowed with awe and enthusiasm.
The way Nie Shuang saw it, Lu Fan had casually raised a finger to pin down Han Lianxiao, who had appeared so strong. That blew his young mind.
Ning Zhao didn't say anything. She pulled her sword out of Han Lianxiao's body and wiped the blood off before putting it back into the sheath. She then walked behind Lu Fan and stood there quietly.
Yi Yue also picked herself up in silence. This was her first encounter with a Grandmaster, and it hit her hard.
She wasn't even qualified to protect the Young Master.
Lu Fan glanced at Nie Changqing. "You want a peaceful and stable life, but others don't necessarily want you to have it. The weak don't have the luxury of talking about living a stable life. Exploiting your strengths can change that, though. As long as you are strong enough, the world will be full of peaceful places to live."
Nie Changqing trembled and remained silent.
Lu Fan was right. No matter where he hid, the Daoists would never let him or Nie Shuang be.
"The point is that you have to be strong enough," Lu Fan emphasized.
Nie Changqing took a deep breath. His wound, which had been soaked by the rain, burned like fire as he breathed in.
He didn't pay much attention to it. He'd experienced this kind of wound many times before, and he'd gotten used to it.
"But… the tendons in my hands were destroyed. I have less than one-tenth of my Qi and blood left, even if I tried to develop them," Nie Changqing said in dismay. He looked at his palm, which was trembling slightly.
"You really see the immortal encounter as nothing."
Lu Fan spoke with humor in his voice, his fingers tapping on the thin blanket. His tone was light and casual, as if he were chatting with a friend.
But once Nie Changqing heard those words...
He stared at Lu Fan as if he'd been struck by a lightning bolt.
"Of course, even with methods of immortal cultivation, you still need a special moment to trigger your path of cultivation." Lu Fan smiled. "You saw the Spirit Pressure, yes? Do you want to learn it?"
Lying back against his wheelchair, Lu Fan spoke with leisure. "If you follow me, I will teach you."
Nie Changqing was confused and conflicted.
He had never told anyone about his immortal encounter, but Lu Fan knew it in detail.
Was Lu Fan the so-called "Immortal Liu?"
No… It couldn't be. The Immortal Liu had no leg problems. Besides, Lu Fan's methods and style were too different from those of the Immortal Liu.
But maybe Lu Fan had been to the immortal cultivation place and had his own immortal encounter?!
Nie Changqing came to a sudden realization.
There really were immortals in the world!
Nie Changqing's emotions swirled within him, as if there was a battle between the immortals and humanity in his head. All kinds of thoughts collided with each other.
After a while, he looked at Lu Fan, thrilled.
Thump!
Nie Changqing dropped to one knee in front of Lu Fan.
Nie Shuang, blinking his big, round eyes, followed suit next to him.
"I, Nie Changqing, will follow you as your humble pupil, Young Master Lu." Nie Changqing said formally.
No sooner had he finished talking than he bowed deeply, pressing his forehead hard against the ground.
He splashed the water on the ground two feet high.
Nie Shuang's eyes were full of passion and hope.
"Me… me too!"