Book 2: Chapter 51: Launching Sneak Attacks
Luo Xie was about to quietly cultivate to heal his wounds when he suddenly sat up. His bruised eyes widened and he was a bit unsure about what he had just heard. When he saw that Zhao Jiuge was not joking, he slowly asked, “What are you thinking about? Could it be that you want to go find Bai Zimo all by yourself again?”
Zhao Jiuge rolled his eyes like he was looking at an idiot. He revealed a look of helplessness and then said in an annoyed tone, “Can you use your brain? It’s okay if you don’t cultivate seriously, but you’re as stupid as a cow.”
Zhao Jiuge felt helpless about Luo Xie and said, “They should still be together right now, but there will be a time when they split up to head back. I thought that since they have a lot of people, I would start picking them off one by one. When they realize what’s happening, at most we break all pretenses. However, when Leng Rufeng said there were people waiting for him to deal with the aftermath, I had an idea. Since I’m going to act, I might as well act tonight. It is best to attack first, or in this case, launch a sneak attack.”
A sly smile appeared on Zhao Jiuge’s face while he spoke, which stunned Luo Xie. He had lived with Zhao Jiuge for a while but hadn’t realized that Zhao Jiuge had this side to him. This was completely different from the domineering aura he had shown during his fight against the youth with the scar. After hesitating for a long time, Luo Xie’s mouth trembled and he said, “Is this okay? Or we can just wait a few days until I recover. I have already been beaten anyway, I don’t want to drag you down. I know your good intent.”
Luo Xie wasn’t finished speaking when Zhao Jiuge interrupted him. Zhao Jiuge was a bit impatient and he waved his hands. “If you consider me a brother, then speak no more. I’m always someone who will settle any grudge. I’m not a gentleman and what I’m doing is not despicable. Others say it's never too late for a gentleman to get revenge, not even 10 years later, but I can’t even wait one night. Otherwise, I’ll feel like there is something wrong.”
Luo Xie could only agree when he saw Zhao Jiuge beginning to lose his temper. He used his hands to support himself off the bed. Every movement caused pain to spread across his body. He clenched his teeth and sucked in a breath of cold air. “I’ll go with you.”
“With your current state, what’s the point? Don’t embarrass yourself.” Looking at Luo Xie’s weakened state, Zhao Jiuge could not hold his temper any more. He began to curse loudly and his aura intensified.
Luo Xie was so scared, he didn’t dare to make a sound. He was like a bullied daughter-in-law. He lowered his head and his voice was as low as a mosquito. “I’m just worried about you.”
“No need. Recover well. You’ve learned the importance of strength this time, so cultivate well. Don’t worry about me, I’m leaving.” His voice eased a bit this time, but Zhao Jiuge’s face was still grim and tense.
“By the way, where does your group and Bai Zimo’s group gather?” Zhao Jiuge suddenly thought of this when he was about to leave. The Mysterious Heaven Peak was so large, how was he going to find them?“After they won, they should be at Mirror Moon Lake. They shouldn’t have left.” Luo Xie hadn't even finished speaking when Zhao Jiuge left. He hadn’t given Luo Xie a chance to continue or react before he rushed out.
Luo Xie let out a soft sigh after he saw Zhao Jiuge disappear through the door and heard his footsteps getting further and further away. His head was filled with thoughts. Although Zhao Jiuge was scolding him constantly, he knew what Zhao Jiuge really meant. At this moment, he was aching all over, his eyes were swollen, and his body was covered in bruises, yet he felt warmth in his heart. Friendship was more important than anything. Luo Xie was especially sensitive to this due to his rough background.
Mirror Moon Lake was located in a forest next to the peak. The top of the mountain was foggy, especially early in the morning. However, when the sun came out, the warmth would cause the mist to turn into dew that flowed down the mountain. This allowed Mirror Moon Lake to slowly form. It was not a big lake, but the water’s surface was clear and exuded a faint light.
Mirror Moon Lake had been here for many years. A long time ago, an unknown disciple was reaching the end of his lifespan and his cultivation remained stagnant. He came to Mirror Moon Lake out of frustration and let out a sigh.
He said that no matter how many hardships he suffered or how hard he worked, once his life ended, everything would be like fishing for the moon reflected in the water—a lot of work for nothing.
An ordinary person’s lifespan was only about 100 years at most. If you embarked on the path of cultivation and experienced the Spirit Detecting Realm, the Blood Movement Realm, and the Spirit Transformation Realm, then your lifespan could increase to 200 years. But if you reached the Foundation Realm, you would not need to eat anymore, as it was a very profound realm. Your lifespan would also increase greatly, to 300 to 400 years. It was also rumored that once you condensed a spirit core, your lifespan would change drastically and your spirit force would become inexhaustible year-round. On the lower end, your lifespan would be around 500 years, but it could be as long as 700 to 800 years.
If you were lucky enough to form your nascent soul and enter the Nascent Soul Realm, your lifespan would be at least 1,000 years. You would be called an old monster and could basically do as you wished. However, most people in that realm rarely came out of closed-door cultivation. There was no record about what was after Nascent Soul Realm in the information he got after entering the sect. However, Zhao Jiuge guessed that there were at least four to five more realms after that. This caused Zhao Jiuge, who was at the Spirit Transformation Realm, to become speechless. The difficulty of each cultivation realm increased greatly. Throughout the many years of the Huaxia Dynasty, only a few people had managed to ascend, and no one had ascended to immortality in over 1,000 years.
After that, this lake slowly became Mirror Moon Lake. Originally, there were no roads in this world, but as people walked, these roads appeared. There wasn’t a Mirror Moon Lake in the past, but when people began to call it that, Mirror Moon Lake appeared.
At this moment, Mirror Moon Lake was extremely lively. There were many figures standing around it, talking to each other.
Looking around, there were 20 to 30 figures, and they were all wearing blue sword robes. They all had imposing auras and, without exception, were all male. The young girls from the good families were not interested in fighting like men. Some of these boys were in an embarrassing state, with dusty footprints on their bodies. There were even two to three of them with swollen faces. However, none of them could hide the joy in their eyes and the inherent sense of superiority.
“Hmph, I have long since gotten sick of those bumpkins. Today, I finally got to vent. That beating was so satisfying.”
“Haha, you still have the face to say that? Look at your sorry self. I defeated three or four today, much better than you.”
“Those bumpkins dared to seek us for a group fight, but they all got beaten just the same. How dare they be so arrogant with their shitty cultivation.”
“By the way, I heard that Leng Rufeng has pretty good cultivation. It was because he took the lead that those bumpkins dared to have the courage to fight us. I don’t know where Leng Rufeng came from, but I got beaten up today. I’ll have to find a chance to pay him back for this.”
“What does that Leng Rufeng count as? We have senior brothers Mu Zijun and Bai Zimo. Even though Leng Rufeng has pretty good cultivation, we aren’t afraid. Isn’t that right, brothers?”
The youths were all shouting and bragging to each other. No one knew who let out the last shout, but everyone responded loudly. They were all praising and raising Mu Zijun and Bai Zimo up.
After hearing those words of flattery, Mu Zijun smiled faintly and stroked his long, black hair. He gave off an unspeaking demeanor. On the other hand, Bai Zimo smiled triumphantly and boldly patted his chest. “In the future, if any of you are bullied, just come to me. I, Bai Zimo, will get payback for you.”
Bai Zimo’s words won everyone’s favor again, and the atmosphere reached its peak. Mu Zijun glanced at Bai Zimo. Although it was a simple glance, it was filled with disdain. Although they were working together, Mu Zijun looked down upon Bai Zimo’s attitude.
Bai Zimo seemed to notice this, because he looked at Mu Zijun the same way Mu Zijun looked at him. However, he didn’t become angry, he just continued to celebrate with the youths admiring him. However, after the next sentence, Bai Zimo’s smiling face became stiff. Then his face became gloomy and a sense of hostility slowly emitted from his body.
“I heard that Zhao Jiuge also came from the mountains. Isn’t he also on their side? Why didn't I see him today? When I saw Zhao Jiuge and the youth with scar battle at the Mysterious Heaven Square, I was shocked by his strength. I just don’t know how someone without any background could become so powerful. The power of that spell is still fresh in my memory.”
“After hearing what you said, I also remember him. No matter how much I look down upon these bumpkins, I have to admit that I really do admire Zhao Jiuge’s strength.”
Bai Zimo was no longer as proud and happy as he was before. His face was gloomy to a terrifying degree, like he was going to bleed. When that youth talked about Zhao Jiuge, it was like mentioning a pot that doesn’t boil. Bai Zimo hated Zhao Jiuge to the point that his teeth itched. Ever since he was forced to flee during the mission, Bai Zimo had been waiting for an opportunity. However, he hadn’t seen Zhao Jiuge. He had always thought that Zhao Jiuge had been able to force him to flee because of Bai Qingqing. However, after the battle against the youth with the scar, Zhao Jiuge completely changed Bai Zimo’s impression of him.
Today, he had finally heard Zhao Jiuge’s name again, and this caused Bai Zimo to erupt. He could not endure it anymore. The vein on his face was swollen, and even his face was a bit savage as he roared, “SHUT UP!”