Chapter 220: The injury is more serious, and danger arises

The inn was in a remote and simple place. Wen Caishang knew she would be facing misfortune, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

There was no mirror in the room, so she ordered Li Xian to bring a basin of clean water, opened the window, and placed it under the moonlight. She then took off her white robe and used the water as a mirror to examine the injuries on her back.

The lightning strike had come suddenly, hitting her in the back. Her clothes were impervious to fire and water, so she wasn't burned. However, the residual lightning power seeped into her body, causing considerable injury.

Wen Caishang frowned, thinking, "The lightning strike has invaded my internal organs, and the injury is quite severe. Even with proper care, it will take several months to recover. We are still a long way from Yihe Manor. It will be difficult to treat this injury along the way."

"The only way is to rest and move slowly, and prepare some herbal medicine to heal the injuries. Fortunately, Li Xian is with me on this trip, so he can take care of these things."

Looking at herself, she felt the ravages of lightning. Her internal organs and acupoints throbbed with pain. Yet, she remained calm, sitting cross-legged, enduring it all.

Li Xian went downstairs to eat. The waiter said, "Strange, strange! How could thunder suddenly strike on such a sunny day?"

The shopkeeper said, "It's good that no one was hurt. Tomorrow I'll call the old carpenter from the next village to repair it properly."

The innkeeper said to Li Xian, "Sir, I'm truly sorry to have disturbed your peace of mind. I'll have the kitchen prepare another dish of braised beef with soy sauce for you as compensation. Please don't take offense!"

Li Xian laughed and said, "Good!"

There were already three small stir-fries on the table: stir-fried beef, stir-fried crispy beans, and stir-fried fried dough sticks. Originally, it was just a simple meal, nothing special. Now, with the addition of a plate of braised beef and four side dishes, though small, everything was complete. It would be a shame not to have a little wine.

Li Xian spent several dozen coins to buy a jar of Daughter's Red wine, a ten-year-old vintage. The crispy beans were fragrant, the beef was mellow, and the fried dough was a filling and satisfying dish.

A bite of snack and a sip of fine wine—it's wonderful. The inn is bright and airy, with wide-open windows that let in a cool breeze.

It was mid-February, winter had passed and spring had arrived, and everything was full of life. Nearby was a lush, green bamboo grove, which rustled softly in the wind.

The exotic atmosphere was very peaceful.

The night was deep and quiet. The waiter's snoring began to rise, and the innkeeper went to his room to rest. Li Xian sat alone in the hall, eating some wine and snacks, constantly thinking about what had just happened.

"The sudden appearance of lightning was no accident."

"Is Madam injured?"

Li Xianyin had suspicions, yet felt it didn't seem likely. Wen Caishang's graceful figure remained unchanged; her white dress fluttered, serene and elegant—how could she appear injured?

"Could it be that Madam's strength is such that she can withstand heavenly lightning and still protect herself?" Li Xian shook his head and chuckled, deciding not to think too much about it.

He reached into his backpack. Fifty taels of silver, five taels of loose silver, and a few strings of copper coins. Enough for quite some time.

"When traveling with my wife, there's no need to worry about money. But if I were traveling alone, I'd have to be careful with my money and save a lot," Li Xian muttered to himself.

Having already started drinking, four small dishes seemed insufficient. Li Xian waved his hand and ordered two more small dishes.

They ate to their hearts' content and then went back to their quarters to sleep.

The next day.

Li Xian rose and knocked on Wen Caishang's door. Wen Caishang's face was deathly pale; she had been sitting cross-legged for half the night, trying to steady herself. A martial artist's body is like heaven and earth; struck by lightning, the world was thrown into chaos, and her strength was diminished.

Wen Caishang circulated her Qi and blood, her complexion remaining calm and radiant. She put on her boots and shoes, then pushed open the door and went out. Li Xian said, "Madam, we should go back now."

Wen Caishang nodded and said, "Okay!"

Li Xian summoned the waiter, tipped him one tael of silver, and inquired about nearby major cities. The waiter, seeing that Li Xian and Wen Caishang possessed refined manners and were generous with their money, treated them with utmost respect and directed them on the route into the city.

Following the road, they arrived at the territory of "Changhong City." The city was bustling with activity as the two walked through the streets. Li Xian asked, "Madam, what should we do next?"

Wen Caishang's injuries were not minor. She said, "It's up to you." She focused on healing her body and stabilizing the world around her.

Li Xianxing opened a bookstore and first purchased maps. The shopkeeper was a shrewd man; he divided the maps into four categories: grass maps, earth maps, mountain maps, and water maps. Each map cost two taels of silver.

Only by looking at all four maps together can one clearly see the surrounding terrain. Li Xian, who had come in poverty, felt that the money was not worth it. But glancing at the lady, he decided to spend the money to save himself trouble.

Only after consulting the map did I realize that this place was "Huashui Prefecture," a major prefecture within the Yuzhou-Nanning region. It was still a great distance from "Qiongtian Prefecture."

The Great Wu territory is vast, with prefectures connected one after another. Sometimes, the distance spanned by a single prefecture is unimaginable. Maps were drawn by human feet, one step at a time.

Therefore, the map was fragmented and lacked a coherent system. Knowing that Qiongtianfu was in the south, Li Xian first headed south according to the map.

Li Xian asked, "Madam, would you like to ride a horse?" Wen Caishang thought to herself, "The journey is long and tiring, so there's no use in rushing. Let's proceed slowly and observe the situation."

He then said, "The scenery along the way is beautiful, why rush?"

Li Xian thought to himself, "Madam has such leisure time, she must be very confident. I yearn to travel the world, and this trip is a rare opportunity." Following the map, he set off out of the city.

They traveled south for over ten li. Wen Caishang's injuries had not yet healed, but her condition was gradually stabilizing. She then ordered Li Xian to purchase carriages and horses, and they returned along the road.

Ordinary horses cost a little over ten taels, and with the carriage, the total came to a little over twenty taels. Wen Caishang frowned slightly, noticing that the town where the horses were purchased was a small town or county, and better horses and carriages would be hard to come by.

They then took their seats.

The bumpy carriage disturbed her sleep. Wen Caishang thought to herself, "I'll change my carriage and horses once we enter the big city. I'll make do for a few days."

Due to the vast territory, cities are not densely packed together. Traveling for several days without seeing any signs of human habitation is quite common.

During the day, spring rain poured down from the sky.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar resounded.

Wen Caishang frowned slightly and said, "Little Fairy, the rain is getting heavier, let's go take shelter from the rain."

Li Xian, holding the reins, looked around. Finding no villages or houses, he followed the principles of feng shui and searched for caves along the way.

A sudden, thunderous roar erupted from the sky as it struck a tree ahead. Startled, and slippery from the muddy road, the horse tumbled to the side. Wen Caishang, with her exceptional lightness skill, landed gracefully, her toes barely touching the mud, completely at ease.

The horse's kneecap was broken, and it could no longer stand. Li Xian sighed, "Good horse, if you stay here, you'll only be eaten by wild beasts. I'll give you a quick death." With a palm strike, he helped the horse die painlessly.

Wen Caishang's face was grim, her brows furrowed. She hadn't expected such a violent turn of events. "That lightning just now, was it trying to strike me again? Humph, if it wants to stop me, I'll take this Earthly Essence!"

His expression was cold.

Seeing the continuous rain and noticing the banana grove nearby, Li Xian cut down some banana leaves to use as a large umbrella. He then found a cave in the mountains and waited for the rain to stop.

The water I had with me was all gone.

Li Xian collected the rainwater, boiled it in the fire, handed it to Wen Caishang, and asked, "Madam, is something on your mind?"

"It's nothing," Wen Caishang replied calmly. She took the water bottle and drank some rainwater. Seeing that the rain was gradually stopping and the thunder was fading into the distance, she felt a little relieved.

She said, "The road outside is muddy, let's wait a moment before proceeding." She sat cross-legged and began to regulate her internal energy.

"Um."

With nothing to do in his spare time, Li Xian didn't want to waste it, so he practiced martial arts in the cave, accumulating proficiency. His Vast Leg technique was already perfected and approaching its peak.

The wind howled. Suddenly, claw marks, sword marks, and fist marks appeared on the stone wall inside the cave. He wondered, "Could this cave have been carved out by someone? Judging from the marks, it doesn't seem to be very old."

He was filled with curiosity. But having reached the bottom of the cave, he found no clues. Li Xian continued his practice when he heard a playful voice above him: "Good lad, good lad, impressive skills!"

The sound echoed.

Li Xianli withdrew his fists and feet, looked around warily, and said, "Who? Which senior is hiding here?"

"You little rascal, you're very strange, very strange indeed," the voice said. "This is clearly my dwelling, how can you say I'm hiding here?"

“Your great-uncle is right here.”

Li Xian felt a touch on his shoulder.

The voice said again, "It's here too." It scratched Li Xian's ear. Then another voice said, "It's here," and patted his belly.

With incredible speed and agility, his figure moved with unpredictable grace. Knowing he was no match for him, Li Xian calmly replied, "Senior is formidable; this junior is no match for you." He stood motionless.

"It's boring, it's boring!"

The voice was annoyed. A figure appeared, a short man. He only reached Li Xian's lower abdomen, his hair was disheveled, and his face was black. He looked extremely angry.

Li Xian said apologetically, "This junior did not know that this was your cave dwelling. If I had known, I would not have disturbed you."

That person possessed the extraordinary skill of shrinking his bones, and had an extremely eccentric personality. He had just curled up in a crevice in the rock to sleep when Li Xian and Wen Caishang approached, at which point he had already woken up. However, he did not move, but remained to observe.

Wen Caishang said, "Little Fairy, let's go!"

Li Xian bowed respectfully and helped his wife away. The man shrieked, leaped forward, and blocked their path, exclaiming with delight, "Impressive! What an impressive figure!"

Wen Caishang frowned. The man stared at Wen Caishang and said, "You, will you exchange a move with me?"

Wen Caishang said, "Let's go." Ignoring Li Xian, she grabbed his shoulder, leaped into the air, and used her light-footed skill to fly. Stepping on leaves, she floated several meters away, her figure ethereal and graceful.

The man chuckled and said, "Excellent, excellent! It's been a long time since I've seen such a powerful expert!" He placed his hands on the ground and darted out, moving with incredible speed.

Wen Caishang frowned, thinking, "It's that martial arts fanatic, always wanting to challenge people. If I weren't injured, I could shake him off. But this current predicament is really annoying."

It turns out this person was not unknown at all. His nickname in the martial arts world was "The Martial Arts Madman".

Each traveled several miles.

The man struggled to keep up, but managed to keep pace. Wen Caishang said calmly, "You madman, if you chase me again, don't blame me for tearing you to pieces in the future!"

Upon hearing this, the man was not angry but delighted, clapping his hands and saying, "Good, good! You want to tear me to pieces? I will not allow it. But in this way, you can fight me. Hehe, in that case, I should chase after you even more."

Wen Caishang was utterly helpless. She landed in the woods and said, "Fine, I know you're a martial arts fanatic. You love martial arts to the point of madness. Whenever you see a master, you have to exchange blows with them. I can't get rid of you today, so I'll exchange blows with you for now. I'll come back to kill you another day."

"Alright, one move it is," the Martial Madman said, his excitement palpable. He immediately gathered his strength, channeling his inner energy into his palms. This man was incredibly powerful, his palms imbued with immense force.

The palm strike came, sending grass and trees flying in its path, its momentum like a rainbow. Wen Caishang gathered her Qi and gently clapped her hand back. Their palms met, locked in a stalemate for a long time.

Suddenly, with a loud "bang," the madman was sent flying several dozen feet away. The instant he landed, he immediately fled, spitting out three mouthfuls of blood.

(End of this chapter)