Blind Yan had come under orders from his sect to capture the traitor He Muqing and recover one of the sect’s supreme secret treasures. However, this treasure was truly extraordinary. From the moment Blind Yan accepted the mission, he had intended to silence everyone involved and keep the treasure for himself.
Now He Muqing was dead and his Dao extinguished, while everyone in the town had been refined into wooden puppets, leaving not a single survivor. With nothing left to fear, Blind Yan arrived at the place where He Muqing had hidden the treasure, which he had learned through searching He Muqing’s soul. He muttered an incantation and formed a hand seal with his right hand. A crystal-clear pearl immediately flew out from beneath the ruined house. The pearl was half black and half white, and the two energies within it were joined from head to tail, circulating slowly. It looked remarkably extraordinary.
“So this is the Heavenly Mystery Pearl.”
The thought of the pearl’s power filled him with delight. Even the sect master had not had time to examine it carefully after obtaining it, yet now it had fallen into his hands.
Just then, however, Blind Yan suddenly furrowed his brow and sighed softly.
“It seems there’s still one survivor left to eliminate.”
Beneath the night sky, a boy of around ten walked along the streets of the small town. It was Liang Yan, returning from Wenliang Mountain. Even before entering the town, Liang Yan had felt that something was strange. Huaiyuan Town was far too quiet tonight. After entering, that eerie feeling only grew stronger. By the time he had walked a little farther, an expression of disbelief had appeared on his face.
The residences and houses around him, large and small, looked as though heavenly lightning had blasted holes through them. Their roofs were shattered, and not a single person could be seen inside.
Liang Yan’s heart tightened. He hurriedly ran toward his father’s home, but when he arrived before his own house, his hands began trembling, as though he did not dare push open the door.
At last, he took a deep breath and gently pushed open the small wooden door. His entire body instantly went rigid, as though struck by lightning.
A man dressed in green with a straw hat was slumped on the floor. His entire body was withered, as though all his blood, flesh, and essence had been sucked away, leaving only skin clinging to bone. His eyes were wide open, and he had clearly been dead for some time.
“Dad!”
Liang Yan’s cry was heart-rending. As though he had lost his soul, he stumbled toward the corpse in a daze.
For as long as he could remember, he and Liang Xuan had depended on each other. When Liang Yan was eight, Liang Xuan told him that he was not his biological son, but had been found inside a bamboo basket floating down a river.
Even so, Liang Xuan had always treated him as his own child, while Liang Yan had long regarded him as his real father. Liang Xuan had never married and cherished this only son of his like a priceless treasure. He had wanted nothing more than to raise him to adulthood, see him pass the imperial examinations, marry, and have children. Then he would have lived his life without regret.
Yet fate had played such a cruel trick on them. Liang Yan had merely gone out for a while, only for such a terrible disaster to befall his home. As memories of his life with his father flooded his mind, tears poured from Liang Yan’s eyes. The pain of losing his closest family made life seem utterly meaningless, as though even the sky had collapsed.
A soft sigh suddenly came from behind him.
“The affairs of the world are ever-changing, and fortune and disaster have always been difficult to predict. You needn’t dwell on it too deeply.”
Liang Yan turned around and saw a blind old man standing outside the door. It was the same man he had encountered earlier on the mountain path.
Liang Yan’s mind was already muddled, so he did not stop to consider why the old man was here. He merely asked, “What crime did the people of Huaiyuan Town commit? Everyone has lived here for generations and never done anything that offended heaven or harmed others. Why was heaven so cruel as to bring such a disaster upon our town?”
Blind Yan remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Have you ever heard that a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure makes him guilty? The residents of Huaiyuan Town were innocent. Their only mistake was living where a demon had hidden a stolen treasure.”
Liang Yan had been distraught, but those words abruptly cleared his mind. He looked at Blind Yan and gave a bitter smile.
“So that’s how it is. Compared with the precious treasures of immortals, the lives of mere mortals like us truly are worthless. I wonder who killed my father?”
Blind Yan appeared startled by the question. He then gave Liang Yan a meaningful look and said, “Heh, you’re quite shrewd for such a little brat. Don’t worry. I’ve already dealt with the person who killed your father.”
Liang Yan nodded after hearing this.
“So now I can depart in peace?”
Blind Yan said nothing. He merely clasped his hands behind his back and chuckled.
Liang Yan said no more. He turned around, knelt before his father’s remains, and silently struck his forehead against the floor three times.
A fierce wind howled from behind him. A scorching aura suddenly entered his body, making every muscle, bone, and drop of blood within him feel as though they were being dried out.
“Am I going to die just like this…?”
That was Liang Yan’s final thought. At the last moment before his eyes closed, he seemed to hear a sorrowful and compassionate Buddhist invocation from outside the house. A flash of golden light followed, and then he knew nothing more.
He did not know how much time had passed when he found himself surrounded by darkness. His entire body hurt as though it had been torn apart, but then a warm and gentle current flowed through his limbs and bones, soothing the pain. A cool breeze suddenly swept past, and Liang Yan slowly opened his eyes.
Before him was a simple room. There was a square table with one corner missing, upon which sat a ceramic teapot and several cups. A painting hung on the wall, seemingly depicting a traveler deep within the mountains. The entire room looked somewhat dilapidated, and many places were covered in dust. Clearly, it had not been cleaned for a long time.
Another cool breeze blew through. It was late autumn. Liang Yan turned his head and saw that the window was wide open. Beyond it were blue skies and white clouds, accompanied by crisp autumn air. Yet the image of his father’s miserable death surfaced in his mind once again, filling his heart with unbearable pain.
“Alas, the heavens are vast and the earth is endless. I don’t even know where I should go from now on.”
Liang Yan sighed softly, got out of bed, and walked outside.
Only after leaving the room did he discover that he was inside a teahouse built beside an official road in the wilderness. The room where he had awakened was at the back of the first floor.
“Why isn’t there anyone in this teahouse? Forget the customers, I haven’t even seen a single worker. How strange!”
He muttered inwardly as he walked toward the entrance. Upon stepping outside, he saw an old monk sitting cross-legged on a large boulder beside the door. The monk’s face was gaunt and withered, while his body was as thin as dried wood. His gray monk’s robes also looked as though they had not been washed in years. If he had not slowly opened his eyes at that moment, he truly would have looked like a corpse.
As though aware of what Liang Yan was thinking, the old monk calmly said, “A plague of locusts struck this area during the first half of this year. The nearby villagers lost their entire harvest, and mountain bandits also came to cause trouble. The teahouse could no longer remain open, so the owner and all his workers fled.”
Liang Yan remained silent for a long while before tentatively asking, “This boy suffered a terrible calamity and should now be in the underworld. Was it Master who generously saved me?”
The old monk did not answer. He merely pressed his palms together, softly uttered a Buddhist invocation, and revealed a compassionate expression.
Knowing that his guess was correct, Liang Yan strode forward and dropped to his knees before the old monk. He struck his forehead against the ground three times. Each kowtow was firm and heavy, leaving his forehead split open and bleeding.
The old monk’s expression changed, and he hurriedly said, “There’s no need for this, young benefactor.”
After completing the three kowtows, Liang Yan loudly declared, “Master was able to save this boy from that demon, so you must be an immortal and a holy monk. I beg Master to accept me as your disciple and teach me immortal arts!”
The old monk sighed.
“Why do you wish to cultivate immortality?”
“Naturally, I want to succeed in my cultivation and avenge the blood debt owed to the more than three hundred innocent people of Huaiyuan Town and my father!”
“The man who killed your father is already dead.”
“The chief culprit is dead, but the remaining evildoer has yet to be slain!”
The old monk furrowed his brow.
“Remaining accomplice?”
“Hmph! My father and the townspeople died because immortals were fighting over treasure. Although that blind man didn’t personally kill my father, this entire affair was brought about by him alone. Besides, when immortals fight over treasure, mortals are the ones who suffer. Even if my father hadn’t died, once that blind man successfully obtained the treasure, he would have killed everyone to silence them. My father still wouldn’t have had any chance of surviving.”
After hearing this, the old monk examined Liang Yan once again and thought, “This boy looks barely over ten. Why is his temperament so extreme? Still, his thoughts are meticulous, and he’s hardly inferior to an adult!”
What the old monk did not know was that Liang Yan had been clever and mischievous since childhood, perhaps even excessively intelligent. While living in Huaiyuan Town, he had often caused trouble for the nearby residents. The townspeople were simple and honest, and because they pitied his circumstances, they usually did not hold it against him. Only when he provoked everyone’s anger would he return home to an unavoidable beating from his father’s wooden board.
The old monk remained silent and placed a hand on Liang Yan’s head.
“This boy does possess spiritual roots, but his aptitude is truly ordinary. Still, that divine ability of mine doesn’t necessarily require heaven-defying talent to cultivate. The boy is also clever and perceptive, with considerable innate wisdom. He could inherit my mantle. His circumstances are tragic, and if no one looks after him, he probably won’t remain alive for long.”
Thinking of Liang Yan’s miserable experiences, the monk momentarily felt compassion.
“No! I failed to judge my disciple properly and have already taught a demon who brought chaos to the world. What right do I have to accept another disciple? Besides, this boy’s violent nature is extremely strong. He’ll surely commit no small amount of killing in the future.”
Thinking of his unworthy disciple left the old monk discouraged once again.
He therefore calmly said, “If I accept you as my disciple, you must agree to three conditions. You will follow me to my sect and cultivate in seclusion for a hundred years. You must never seek revenge against that man in the future.”
“Then what would be the use of cultivating immortality?”
“One cultivates immortality to attain the Dao and attain eternal life. All causes and attachments of the mortal world must be severed.”
Liang Yan’s eyes suddenly widened.
“The hatred born from my father’s murder must be avenged. Forgive this boy for being unable to obey. Thank you for saving my life today, Monk. Even if I were crushed to dust, it still wouldn’t be enough to repay you!! Farewell!”
After speaking, he bowed deeply to the old monk, then unexpectedly turned and headed east along the main road.
“This boy…”
The old monk pressed his palms together and smiled bitterly. He made no attempt to stop Liang Yan, merely watching as the boy’s figure receded into the distance.
Liang Yan walked alone along the official road. When he thought of his foster father’s miserable death, his heart filled with sorrow.
“Alas, the heavens are vast and the earth is endless, while traces of immortals are faint and impossible to find. How can an ordinary mortal boy like me ever find the slightest immortal opportunity? Let alone take revenge someday. I used to hear that wandering old Daoist boast about immortals existing in this world, but I never believed him. Now that I’ve witnessed them with my own eyes, I never imagined it would be through something so terrible…”
As he continued thinking, a rumbling sound came from his stomach. He had been walking for so long that noon had arrived without him noticing.
“It seems I’ll have to deal with Brother Belly’s problem first.”
Since childhood, Liang Yan had studied martial arts under the instructor at the town’s martial arts school and possessed considerable skill. He decided to enter the forest and hunt some wild game.
Before long, somewhere within the forest, a steaming wild rabbit was roasting over a bonfire. A gray-clothed boy sat beside it, holding a rabbit leg and devouring it ravenously. This boy was none other than Liang Yan.
After eating half the rabbit, Liang Yan was finally beginning to feel satisfied when he suddenly heard a faint noise. He had practiced martial arts since childhood and knew it was the sound of weapons colliding. Someone nearby was fighting.
He immediately abandoned the rabbit, hurriedly extinguished the fire, and covered it with soil. He then crept toward the direction from which the sound had come.
Before he had gone far, he vaguely heard angry shouts. Liang Yan parted a corner of the bushes and grass and peered into the clearing.
A blue-robed swordsman wielding a dragon-patterned longsword was fighting four black-clothed mountain bandits alone. Although the swordsman faced four opponents, he was not at the slightest disadvantage. His longsword danced up and down, leaving afterimages through the air. One of the bandits was covered in blood along his left arm and had clearly suffered a serious wound.
Liang Yan was secretly astonished. With skills like these, the swordsman could be considered a first-rate expert in the martial world. Liang Yan wondered why he was being hunted.
At that moment, the blue-robed swordsman swept all four men aside with a single strike and sprang backward.
“Is that all you lackeys are capable of? And you think you can scheme against my young lady?”
“Hehe, Lightning Sword Zuo Feiquan truly lives up to his reputation. Unfortunately, you learned something you shouldn’t have. You’re certain to die this time!”
The speaker was not one of the four bandits. Two more men had emerged from the forest, one tall and one short. The tall man was the one who had spoken, and the other four bandits clearly regarded these two as their leaders.
Seeing two more skilled opponents appear, the blue-robed swordsman secretly grew anxious. Before anyone could react, he attacked with lightning speed and charged directly toward the tall man. He intended to use offense as a means of retreat, catching them off guard by killing one before escaping amid the confusion.
The tall bandit snorted coldly, drew a long saber with a turn of his hand, and met the attack. The short bandit also pulled out a bronze hammer and joined the battle.
The longer the blue-robed swordsman fought, the more alarmed he became. Either of these two men alone possessed martial arts no weaker than his own. Now that he was fighting them both, signs of defeat appeared in fewer than thirty moves.
“When did such formidable mountain bandits appear in the martial world?”
Although bewildered, he did not dare dwell on it. He urgently searched for a way to escape.
Just then, a small blue knife shot out from between the trees. Dazzling blue light surrounded it, and every tree in its path was sliced apart. Without losing any momentum, it flew directly toward the blue-robed swordsman.
The swordsman was horrified and hurriedly raised his weapon to block it. However, his dragon-patterned longsword might as well have been made of paper. The blue knife sliced through it, breaking it into two pieces.
With a wet sound, the blue knife pierced the swordsman’s throat, leaving only its handle exposed. Disbelief covered the blue-robed swordsman’s face as he stared at the knife handle protruding from his throat. He then slowly collapsed.
A young man emerged from the forest. He wore a long purple robe, with gold and silver covering his entire body, making him resemble a wealthy city landowner.
When the other bandits saw him, their faces immediately filled with respect. They lowered their heads, cupped their fists, and shouted, “The Chief is mighty and unrivaled!”
The purple-robed young man appeared to enjoy their praise immensely. He narrowed his eyes and snorted.
“You useless fools can’t even handle such a simple task. That man was a retainer of their household and had been sent ahead to scout the road. He happened to discover our plan by chance. How could we possibly let him escape?”
The bandits broke out in sweat.
“Your subordinates were incompetent. Please show mercy, Chief, and allow us to redeem ourselves!”
The purple-robed young man waved his hand.
“Forget it. The important matter comes first. Once we finish this job, who knows how much gold and silver will be waiting for us?”
He paused before asking, “Have you thoroughly investigated the surrounding area?”
The tall bandit immediately answered, “We have. There’s a teahouse not far ahead that has been abandoned for a long time. We can follow the plan, disguise ourselves as workers, and ambush them there.”
“Good. If no one is at the teahouse, then so be it. If anyone is there, kill them all. We cannot allow the slightest information about us to leak. Cheng Lao’er, gather the horses. We’ll leave immediately after eating and proceed according to the plan once we arrive.”
“Understood!”
The tall bandit then revealed a lecherous expression and chuckled.
“Boss, there are several pretty little beauties among that group. When the time comes, we brothers should enjoy ourselves properly.”
The purple-robed young man’s eyes similarly gleamed with lust, and he gave the tall man a knowing nod.
The short bandit, however, still seemed doubtful.
“Boss, there’s something I don’t understand. Why go to so much trouble arranging an ambush? With your immortal methods, you could simply make sure none of them return alive.”
“Hmph, Shi Laosan, aren’t you meddling in too many things now?”
“This subordinate wouldn’t dare.”
Shi Laosan hurriedly lowered his head.
The purple-robed young man snorted.
“There’s an expert among them whose martial arts are extremely powerful. He has already reached the realm of projecting internal force outside his body. Even against immortals like us, he would still have the strength to fight. None of you should underestimate him.”
In truth, this purple-robed young man was a concubine-born son of a cultivation clan named Chen Lin. His spiritual roots were extraordinarily poor, and he had never been interested in cultivation. Instead, he coveted worldly pleasures, particularly gold, silver, and women.
After reaching adulthood, he was expelled from his family. He then took to the mountains and became a bandit. With his cultivation at the first level of Qi Refining, he managed to live quite comfortably. Apart from a few internal martial arts experts, there was hardly anyone in the mortal world who could threaten him.
When Liang Yan saw the bandits unpacking their provisions and starting a fire to cook, he carefully retreated.
“This is bad. These people are going to the teahouse later. I wonder whether the old monk will be all right?”
Although he knew the old monk was not an ordinary person, Liang Yan had never witnessed immortals fighting with their techniques. He had not even seen the old monk, Blind Yan, or the others take action.
In his eyes, the blue-robed swordsman had already been a first-rate expert, yet he could not withstand even a single move from the purple-robed young man. Liang Yan felt deeply uneasy and guessed that the old monk was probably no match for him either.
“Alas, although the old monk refused to accept me as his disciple, he still saved my life. If I know about this and don’t warn him, wouldn’t I be watching him die?”
“Although these people have horses, they’re cooking and eating right now. I might still reach the teahouse before them. If I persuade the monk to leave, it will count as saving his life. From then on, neither of us will owe the other anything.”
Having made up his mind, Liang Yan immediately poured strength into both legs and raced toward the teahouse.