Chapter 143: Astonishing Talent, A Thousand Lakes and Islands

Chapter 143: Astonishing Talent, A Thousand Lakes and Islands

The place was soaked in blood and littered with corpses, making it unsuitable to linger any longer.

So, the group moved on for another li.

By then, Cheng Jinhe had learned about what had transpired, and he repeatedly expressed his gratitude and praise to the group, especially towards Chu Ning.

Chu Ning reciprocated his warmth with added fervor.

The recruits, however, didn't seem to mind this special treatment.

Might made right, whether in the cultivation world or in the mortal realm.

The group settled down, but after the recent events, most of them were wide awake despite their exhaustion.

The middle-aged man in gray, Yu Zhengchun, unexpectedly took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Chu Ning.

"May I ask what sword technique you practice, Chu Xiaoxia? Your moves earlier were simple yet incredibly practical and profound. I've never heard of such a sword technique before."

Chu Ning glanced at Yu Zhengchun upon hearing his words.

This man was usually taciturn, and in the past month, they had collectively exchanged less than ten sentences.

Not only were Yu Zhengchun's eyes filled with curiosity, but the rest of the group also turned their gazes towards Chu Ning, equally intrigued.

Chu Ning smiled and said, "I doubt any of you have heard of my sword technique. It's called the 'Nine Swords of Dugu.'"

"Nine Swords of Dugu?"

"The Nine Swords of Dugu?"

As soon as Chu Ning finished speaking, several people gasped quietly.

Yu Zhengchun and the others even wore thoughtful expressions, as if pondering which sect this martial art originated from.

Chu Ning secretly laughed to himself and continued, "This sword technique emphasizes striking first by appearing to strike last, and winning without any apparent moves.

So, Brother Yu, when you observe my sword technique, it naturally appears devoid of any discernible moves."

Upon hearing Chu Ning's words, those in the group who understood martial arts exchanged glances, many of them revealing astonished looks.

However, Chu Ning didn't elaborate further, maintaining an air of enigmatic profundity.

Although the others were brimming with questions, they refrained from asking more at this point.

After all, prying further might intrude upon another's cultivation secrets.

Yu Zhengchun stood up from beside Chu Ning, his face solemn.

He exchanged a subtle glance with Shen Shaohai, who was not far away.

Pretending to be nonchalant, the two casually strayed a bit ahead and behind each other, then found a place to sit down.

Shen Shaohai continued whittling with a piece of wood, while Yu Zhengchun showed keen interest, leaning in to watch, though his gaze remained fixed on the crowd.

In hushed tones, audible only to those nearby, the two men conversed.

"Old Fifth, do you think we should still go through with tomorrow's plan?" Yu Zhengchun asked, lowering his voice.

Shen Shaohai's face turned gloomy as he replied, "Big Brother, are you backing out now?"

"I don't know this Chu guy's background, but his strength is formidable." Yu Zhengchun's eyes were filled with worry.

"Today, we deliberately spread the word to lure this band of horse thieves, but they didn't suffer many casualties. I'm afraid..." Yu Zhengchun trailed off, not finishing his sentence.

A fierce glint flashed in Shen Shaohai's eyes as he heard this.

"Big Brother, even if he's powerful, he's still just one person. If we can't defeat him directly, we can always resort to sneak attacks.

Tomorrow, we'll find an opportunity to ambush him. With Chu out of the way, the rest, including Lei Song and his men, will be at our mercy."

Upon hearing Shen Shaohai's words, Yu Zhengchun's expression shifted slightly.

"Old Fifth, how confident are you?"

"Eighty percent!" Shen Shaohai replied confidently.

"Would you doubt my hidden weapons now? Moreover, we'll have Third Brother and Fourth Sister aiding us from the sidelines."

Yu Zhengchun hesitated for a while, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, let's stick to the original plan. We've endured for over a month; we can't let that brat ruin it now."

Hearing this, a smile finally appeared on Shen Shaohai's face.

"That's more like it. As for the others, a simple gesture will suffice. We don't need to discuss it with them."

After their brief discussion, Yu Zhengchun feigned boredom and stood up to walk around.

Shen Shaohai continued whittling, both men acting incredibly natural, giving no hint of their true intentions.

However, they had no idea that Chu Ning had heard every word they spoke, despite believing that even the most perceptive ears wouldn't be able to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"My guess was right. These men do know each other, and they do have ulterior motives."

Chu Ning mused to himself.

With his sensitive divine sense, he had already suspected as much, having noticed their subtle, unintentional exchanges despite pretending to be strangers.

At this moment, Chu Ning continued to feign ignorance, closing his eyes and meditating as he cultivated the Spirit Refinement Technique.

The night passed without incident, and early the next morning, the group set off again, their faces bearing traces of fatigue.

"Everyone, stay alert! If we hurry, we can cross Beiqanggou by noon and reach the town ahead by afternoon.

Once we get there, we can rest for the night," Lei Song called out, his voice full of vigor despite the previous night's disturbances.

At his urging, the group resumed their journey, mustering their remaining energy to press on.

However, by the time they reached Beiqanggou at noon, the entire team's morale was low, everyone looking weary and listless.

After staying up all night and traveling continuously, even the toughest among them were feeling the strain.

Shen Shaohai, who had been walking at the front of the group alongside Chu Ning, yawned and appeared dispirited, his grip on the reins slackening slightly.

As a result, he naturally fell back a bit, no longer walking side by side with Chu Ning.

After exchanging glances with Han Wangang and Du Huarong, Shen Shaohai's eyes suddenly gleamed with a sharp light.

With a wave of his hand, he opened the iron fan in his hand, and several dark lights shot towards Chu Ning's back.

At this moment, whether Chu Ning remained seated or moved to the left or right, he would undoubtedly be hit by one of the hidden weapons.

Witnessing this, a hint of satisfaction appeared on Shen Shaohai's face.

However, the next moment brought him a touch of surprise.

Chu Ning, as if having eyes on his back, casually raised the giant sword in his hand and blocked the incoming attack with a simple parry.

"Clang! Clang!"

After a few collisions, he managed to deflect all the incoming shadowy lights.

At the same time, Chu Ning remained steadfast in his seat. The short arrows intended to seal his escape routes flew past him harmlessly.

"Attack!" Shen Shaohai's face twisted in shock as he shouted loudly.

But even before he could finish his shout, Han Wangang and Du Huarong had already made their move.

Leaping from their horses, one wielding a copper hammer and the other a long sword, they simultaneously charged towards Chu Ning.

Right behind them, Shen Shaohai also sprang into action. A hidden mechanism in his iron fan released a short sword, which he aimed directly at Chu Ning's back.

Holding the short sword, he lunged at Chu Ning's vital spot.

The three attackers moved with incredible speed. Even Lei Song and the others at the back of the group had no time to react before the trio closed in on Chu Ning.

It seemed inevitable that their weapons would strike Chu Ning.

In that critical moment, Chu Ning casually raised his right hand, wielding the giant sword.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

With a few resounding noises, the trio found themselves stunned as their weapons were deflected one after the other with a single swing of Chu Ning's sword.

At the same time, they felt a powerful force rushing towards them, causing their wrists to tremble and their weapons to fly out of their hands.

The force of that single swing was enough to knock all three of them off their feet, sending them tumbling to the ground.

"How is this possible?"

Their faces drained of color, and their eyes filled with terror as they stared at Chu Ning, still seated calmly on his horse, turning slightly to face them with an unperturbed expression.

"What's going on?"

At the back, Lei Song and the other escorts finally noticed the commotion and rushed forward, their faces darkening like ink as they saw the three assailants on the ground.

"Brother Lei, haven't you figured it out yet? These five are not to be underestimated," Chu Ning said calmly.

At that moment, figures emerged from the surrounding hills, where they had been hiding, brandishing their weapons as they charged down.

Lei Song's face paled as he suddenly realized something, shouting, "The Black Mountain Five Heroes!"

As he uttered those words, a chill ran down his spine.

The Black Mountain Five Heroes were not your average bandits on the road, but rather, they were infamous in the nearby countries.

Every year, countless merchants fell victim to their schemes, and it was said that each of the five possessed extraordinary martial arts skills, appearing and disappearing without a trace.

People in the martial world knew of their exceptional abilities, but no one could truly describe their appearances.

It was precisely because of this that Lei Song hadn't connected the dots when the five had joined them separately.

Thinking of their formidable martial arts, Lei Song felt a sense of despair, knowing that even if he fought with all his might, he would struggle to defeat just one of them.

Upon realizing the gravity of the situation, not only did Lei Song's face turn ashen, but Yu Zhengchun and the skinny monkey-like Dai Zu'en also wore expressions of shock.

They never imagined that the coordinated ambush by Shen Shaohai and his companions would be so easily thwarted by Chu Ning.

In the next moment, almost simultaneously, they leaped into action, rushing towards the carriage where Cheng Jinhe was seated.

"Master Cheng!"

Lei Song and the other escorts behind him were aghast at the sight.

Just then, a ghostly figure appeared beside the carriage.

"Bang! Bang!"

Accompanied by two dull thuds, two figures were sent flying through the air, landing five zhang away with a heavy thud.

They spat out mouthfuls of blood before succumbing to their injuries.

"Big Brother!"

"Second Brother!"

The three assailants who had just been disarmed cried out in dismay.

Their eyes, filled with fear and astonishment, fixed on Chu Ning as he approached them with measured steps.

"W-who are you?" Shen Shaohai stammered, his usual nonchalant demeanor gone as he stared at Chu Ning as if he were a ghost.

"That's none of your concern," Chu Ning replied, his voice carrying a hint of finality as his figure flickered and disappeared from sight.

In the next instant, three more figures flew through the air and fell to the ground, their lives extinguished without a trace.

The bandits who had just charged down the hill came to an abrupt halt, unsure of what to do next.

"The boss is dead!" someone shouted.

In an instant, over a hundred people scattered in all directions like startled birds.

All of this transpired in the blink of an eye, from Shen Shaohai's initial attack to Chu Ning's successive counterattacks.

By the time Lei Song and the others reacted, five corpses lay on the ground, the only evidence of the battle that had just taken place.

Everyone was left in awe of Chu Ning's prowess.

"This Chu Xiaoxia is truly formidable!"

"Indeed, five people, and not a single one could withstand even a single move from him!"

The group of escorts exclaimed in amazement.

Deputy leader Yao Song muttered, his eyes sparkling with admiration.

"To think that such martial arts exist in this world!"

"Chu Xiaoxia..."

Lei Song, having pieced together what had transpired, heaved a sigh of relief and quickly approached Chu Ning, bowing respectfully as he prepared to speak.

"Let's not stand on ceremony," Chu Ning interrupted. "I've taken your master's silver and promised to escort him.

As for what just happened, it's simply because I have keen senses and happened to overhear their conversation over the past two days.

Now, let's get going."

Hearing Chu Ning's words, Lei Song naturally refrained from further inquiries and urged the group to continue their journey.

Trailing behind, Lei Song's gaze towards Chu Ning's back grew complicated. Initially, when Chu Ning first appeared, Lei Song was wary. When Cheng Jinhe insisted on inviting Chu Ning to join, Lei Song was worried. After all, from their brief exchange earlier, he knew that he stood no chance against this man.

So, along the journey, Lei Song had been cautiously observing Chu Ning, on guard against any potential trouble he might cause. But he never expected that the Black Mountain Five Heroes were hiding within his own team—those infamous bandits known for their martial prowess and countless murders.

Yet, before Chu Ning, they were utterly helpless.

A true master! Lei Song had finally encountered a true master!

From then on, the entire team treated Chu Ning with even greater respect. Naturally, Lei Song no longer mentioned recruiting others to join their team, as Chu Ning's presence was more than sufficient.

In the nearly two months that followed, peace still eluded them. Along the way, they encountered bandits several times. However, with Chu Ning, this "unparalleled master," protecting them, nothing unexpected happened.

Midway through their journey, an incident occurred that left Chu Ning feeling somewhat bemused. Deputy leader Yao Song actually came to him, intending to become his disciple, and insisted on performing the disciple-master ceremony right away.

Of course, Chu Ning flatly refused. But Yao Song wouldn't give up. He persisted for several days, trying to become his disciple. Finally, after Chu Ning lost his temper, Yao Song relented.

With Chu Ning clearing obstacles along the way, the team traveled north with greater peace of mind and at a faster pace. They even arrived at their destination five days earlier than planned.

Chu Ning politely declined Cheng Jinhe and Lei Song's enthusiastic invitations to stay, leaving as soon as they reached their destination. As for Cheng Jinhe's offer of six times the original payment, Chu Ning didn't refuse. However, instead of taking his gold and silver, he accepted several pieces of high-quality jade.

After parting ways with the team, Chu Ning continued his journey north, arriving at a place called Hushan Lake.

"Young master, it's not that I don't want to go. I can take you anywhere else. But if we keep heading east, we'll enter the land of immortals. If you don't give me a specific location, I dare not go there."

At a ferry crossing by Hushan Lake, a ferryman before Chu Ning shook his head like a rattling drum.

Chu Ning didn't force the issue. He took out an ingot of silver and asked, "Then, boatman, how about selling this boat to me?"

"Yes! Yes!"

The boatman happily accepted the offer.

As he watched Chu Ning's departing figure, the boatman shook his head and muttered, "He's probably another one of those seekers hoping to find immortals. Every year, countless young people come here, but I've never heard of anyone achieving their goal."

Chu Ning, who was far away, overheard these murmurs and couldn't help but smile.

Based on the information he had obtained from Qingxi Zong, Hushan Lake was located in an area known as the Thousand Lakes and Islands. This vast region spanned tens of thousands of miles, filled with lakes and islands.

However, only about one or two percent of these islands possessed spiritual energy, and even then, the quality of the spiritual veins was low. Most of them were first or second-grade spiritual veins, with spiritual energy far less dense than that of the third-grade spiritual veins in Qingxia Mountain.

In terms of spiritual energy, it was comparable to the Qingxia Mountains near Yanjibang.

Moreover, due to the vastness of this area, it was challenging to manage. Thus, despite the abundance of spiritual veins, the Thousand Lakes and Islands lacked a significant sect.

However, over time, numerous solitary cultivators were drawn to this place, mostly dividing their territories based on the islands.

Eventually, some of these solitary cultivators reached the Foundation Establishment stage, and they joined forces to form the Thousand Islands Alliance.

Thus, the Thousand Lakes and Islands gained a nominal managing organization.

Undoubtedly, this management was extremely loose, and they could only unite when facing external cultivators. Internal disputes were inevitable.

Fortunately, due to the low-grade spiritual veins in the area, it didn't attract the attention of powerful Golden Core stage cultivators, so there were no significant disturbances.

Chu Ning chose to come here for three reasons. First, there were many solitary cultivators in this area, making it easier for him to hide his identity. Second, the highest cultivation level in the Thousand Islands Alliance was only the Foundation Establishment stage, which made him feel safer.

And third, he had heard that as long as one paid a certain amount of spirit stones to the Thousand Islands Alliance, they could choose a place with spiritual veins in the Thousand Lakes and Islands to settle down.

With all these conditions met, Chu Ning had already decided on this place as his destination before leaving the sect.

And now, after more than three months of traveling, he had finally arrived.

"If the information I obtained from Qingxi Zong is correct, the Hushan Lake is 800 li to the east of the Thousand Lakes and Islands, and the first island with spiritual energy is the Caiwu Island.

I can fly there with my magic weapon, but I'm afraid there might be some taboos in this area.

Also, doing so would consume a lot of my magic power, which is not very safe."

With these thoughts in mind, Chu Ning slowly rowed the boat towards Caiwu Island.

In this area, the spiritual energy in the heavens and the earth was denser than in the mortal world. As they ventured deeper, the scenery before them unfolded into a breathtaking vista of green mountains, clear waters, and misty veils, exuding an ethereal charm reminiscent of a fairyland.

Overjoyed by the sight, Chu Ning cast a Qingfeng Fu talisman, letting the gentle breeze propel the small boat forward as he lay down to relax.

Amidst the mountains and waters, he emptied his mind, embracing a sense of carefree freedom.

Several days later, a small island veiled in a faint mist appeared before Chu Ning's eyes, signaling their arrival at Caiwu Island.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end