Jiang Lu's sleepiness had completely vanished after what had just transpired.
She looked up at the three gloomy-looking people beside her and spoke softly, “Two Senior Brothers, Senior Sister, are you still sleepy?”
Lu Lingfeng slowly shook his head, his brow tightly furrowed. The conversation between the two women from earlier was still swirling in his mind, leaving his thoughts heavy and making it hard to find the right words.
Xi Siyu sat cross-legged on the ground and shook his head gently, his gaze instinctively landing on Liu Qingqing.
Liu Qingqing remained in her original posture, staring into the distance where the two had departed. She did not look away for a long time, not until the two figures had completely vanished at the end of the road.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, and a faint layer of melancholy rippled in her eyes. Hearing Jiang Lu's voice, she slowly shook her head.
Jiang Lu took in the expressions of the three. She silently stood up from the ground. The horizon was already beginning to pale with the first light of dawn. Looking at them, she said in a firm tone, “In that case, let's set off.”
The four leaped onto their horses. Jiang Lu glanced at the White Tiger in her spirit beast bag. It was still fast asleep, though its fur had become much glossier.
Seeing that it was fine, Jiang Lu paid it no further attention.
Jiang Lu and the others rode into a mountain pass. Towering peaks rose on both sides, leaving only a narrow path in the middle just wide enough for a carriage to pass.
The high stone walls on either side seemed to close in overhead, forming a long, narrow canyon where only a thin, elongated crack at the top allowed a sliver of light to filter through.
On the cliff walls, jagged and grotesque rocks jutted out with sharp, menacing angles.
Other large sections of the rock face had been washed and polished by groundwater over the years, leaving them smooth, cool, and reflecting a faint, damp, dark sheen.
From time to time, the chirping of birds echoed through the mountains.
As they rode through, Jiang Lu felt only a profound sense of desolation.
She looked around warily. This perilous terrain was a classic strategic bottleneck.
It was the perfect place for an ambush. Suddenly, the horses' hooves grew restless.
“Whoa—”
Jiang Lu immediately signaled everyone to stop. Spreading her divine sense, she detected a group of people not far ahead.
A few breaths later, several figures emerged swaying from their hiding spots ahead.
Jiang Lu shifted her gaze and looked behind them. Another group of people was closing in from the rear, all of them wielding weapons.
“This...”
Looking at the groups surrounding them from the front and back, Liu Qingqing drew the flute from her waist and held it in her hand.
Lu Lingfeng held a flexible sword, while Xi Siyu gripped a bone fan.
The four pulled on their reins to position their horses, keeping watch on both the front and rear.
The man leading the front group stepped forward. His clothes were tattered, with frayed strips of cloth hanging from his hem and sleeves.
He carried a massive iron hammer in his hand. The men behind him held various weapons. At a glance, it was clear they were no ordinary folk; they had shed blood.
Bang!
The giant hammer slammed into the ground with a loud crash, sending loose gravel flying in all directions.
A rough, booming voice rang out, dripping with provocation: “This road was opened by me, and these trees were planted by me! If you want to pass through, leave your toll behind!”
Jiang Lu: “...”
Liu Qingqing: “...”
Lu Lingfeng: “...”
Xi Siyu: “...”
Did they really have to use that opening line for a robbery? It was so cliché.
Jiang Lu turned around, about to ask the others if they wanted to fight them to test their strength.
But then she saw light flash from her companions' fingertips. Instantly, the bandits' weapons flew out of their hands and clattered to the ground right beside the horses' hooves.
Clatter, clang!
The sound was deafening.
Seeing this, Jiang Lu facepalmed.
She had overcomplicated things. Why would the geniuses of a great sect waste time on these bandits? It was only because their power was restricted here. If they were in the cultivation world, the bandits' heads would have rolled the moment they opened their mouths.
The bandits froze on the spot, their bodies trembling slightly as they stared at the four in sheer terror.
Their eyes bulged, their mouths hung open, and their lips quivered. They wanted to speak, but they couldn't make a single sound.
Some had even wet their pants, urine dripping down onto the ground.
A few of them went weak in the knees and collapsed to the ground.
Are they humans or demons?!
To think they possessed such divine abilities!
Jiang Lu cleared her throat. Unconsciously carrying the aura of her light spiritual root, her voice sounded crisp yet gentle.
“Who you are, and why are you robbing people here?”
The bandits felt a jolt in their minds, as if a divine chant had entered their ears, carrying a sense of great compassion.
The voice echoed through the mountains, reverberating in their ears over and over.
A divine voice!
This was a divine voice!
Panicking, they immediately fell to their knees and began kowtowing to Jiang Lu and the others.
“O Immortals, we failed to recognize your greatness! Please forgive us!”
“Immortals, spare our lives!”
“We beg the Immortals to spare us!”
“...”
The others curled their lips, their eyes indifferent. They turned to look at Jiang Lu. Liu Qingqing's eyes were filled with displeasure, and her tone, though gentle, carried a deep contempt.
“Junior Sister Jiang, why waste your breath on them? We should just kill them. Seeing how practiced they are at robbery, they can't be good people. What do you think, Senior Brother?”
After speaking, she cast a delicate, fragile look at the two men.
Jiang Lu felt a bit helpless. She only wanted to ask them about their origins so she could find their lair and rid the people of this menace.
Seeing this, Lu Lingfeng sighed. They didn't think there was anything wrong with what Liu Qingqing said, except...
He leaned over and whispered to Liu Qingqing, “Little Junior Sister, cultivators must not personally slaughter mortals. It easily creates karmic ties. If not handled well, this karma will follow you life after life, and trigger inner demons when you try to make a breakthrough.”
Liu Qingqing froze, her mouth slightly open, her eyes filled with frustration.
How could she have forgotten something so important? She must have stayed in the mortal realm for too long, dulling her mind.
She pursed her lips, her grip on her jade flute tightening unconsciously. She tucked the flute back into her waist and muttered softly, “Then what should we do?”
None of them knew what to do either, so they looked to Jiang Lu for help.
Jiang Lu's expression turned cold. “Still not going to answer?”
“To answer the Immortal, we are from the Black Wind Stronghold ahead. We only came to rob people to feed our families.”
Their voices trembled with terror. These people possessed vast divine powers; killing them would be as easy as flipping a hand.
Hearing this, Jiang Lu didn't believe a single word. They carried a significant amount of karma on them.
She recalled the trace of the power of merit she had received after slaying the demonic cultivator in that village.
Cultivators could not kill indiscriminately, but what if they were punishing evil and promoting good?
After wrestling with her thoughts for a few seconds, she decided to follow her heart and test it out. If ridding the world of evil really brought negative karma, then she might as well tear up her contract with the Heavenly Dao.
Heavenly Dao: Look at you, getting all anxious again. I never said you couldn't.
The bandits only felt the surrounding air suddenly turn freezing cold, carrying a chilling, hellish draft.
Jiang Lu patted the Myriad Soul Banner at her waist.
With a flick of her hand, a burst of spiritual energy shot toward them, binding them securely.
“Lead the way. Let's see what kind of place this Black Wind Stronghold is that forces you to rob people just to feed your families.”
The bandits exchanged glances. Feeling Jiang Lu's icy gaze, they dragged their trembling legs and started heading toward the Black Wind Stronghold.
Up in a tree, a man with a scar on his face was chewing on a blade of foxtail grass. He lazily crossed his legs, occasionally glancing down toward the foot of the mountain.
“Who knows how Xu Wu and the others are doing today? The world is in chaos, so we might as well seize the chance to make a fortune. Once we have money and food, we can establish our own faction. Now that would be a dream life.”
Hehehe—
Rate on N.U.
