Chapter 123 Battle with Nascent Soul:
Lu Yingqi stared at Shen Bingsi, his eyes narrowing slightly. His previously indifferent and emotionless pupils suddenly became dangerous and sharp: "I'm ready anytime."
Seeing that Shen Bingsi and Lu Yingqi, the two Nascent Soul sword cultivators, were about to clash, Rong Xie sensed something was wrong. He handed the baby to Zhao Dajiang and whispered, "Brother Zhao, does anyone in the team have experience taking care of children? Could you look after him for me?"
"Oh, oh, yes," Zhao Dajiang took the child. "Don't worry, Fellow Daoist Rong—where are you going? It's dangerous over there!"
Rong Xie waved to Zhao Dajiang, indicating that there was no need to worry, and quickly walked towards Shen Bingsi. The situation was stalemate now, and it was not the time for infighting. If Shen Bingsi and Lu Yingqi really started fighting, the power of the two Nascent Soul sword cultivators would cause unimaginable chaos in the world, and the scene would be extremely chaotic, which would give Madam Mei a chance to escape.
"Bing Si, Senior Brother Lu, calm down," Rong Xie said, stopping halfway through his journey when he felt an overwhelming spiritual pressure. He mustered his strength and said, "This is not the time for a contest. One of you wants to capture Madam Mei and bring her back for questioning, while the other wants to extract as much information about the furnace cauldrons as possible from her. If you start fighting, no one can control the situation below. Madam Mei might even take this opportunity to escape, and both of your plans will fail!"
Shen Bingsi and Lu Yingqi both glanced at the unconscious Madam Mei.
Rong Xie is right. If the two of them start arguing, it will play right into Madam Mei's hands. Once they've fought to the point of oblivion, Madam Mei will wake up and slip away, leaving them both empty-handed.
However, if we don't fight, someone has to back down. Who will back down?
Lu Yingqi would back down and let Shen Bingsi take the person away? Impossible. Lu Yingqi didn't trust anyone. He was determined to get all the information about the furnace cauldron that Madam Mei knew from her own mouth.
Shen Bingsi should back down and wait for Lu Yingqi to finish questioning her before taking her away? That's even more impossible. With Shen Bingsi's impatient nature, handing over a suspect to someone else instead of arresting her would be incredibly upsetting for her. Besides, doing so would be tantamount to admitting that she's no match for Lu Yingqi and giving up. The word "give up" doesn't exist in Shen Bingsi's dictionary, and she would never release someone so easily.
"Rong'er, come here." Shen Bingsi stared intently at Lu Yingqi and said to Rong Xie.
As soon as he said those words, Rong Xie felt the spiritual pressure on his body suddenly ease, as if someone had taken the pressure for him.
He looked up at Shen Bingsi, and walked to his side as instructed. Soon, a silver chain, still warm from her body heat, was placed in his hand, and Rong Xie instinctively grasped it.
"Hold on tight, don't let go," Shen Bingsi turned her head slightly and said to Rong Xie, "This chain can seal off all the suspect's movements. He can't use spiritual power, he can't escape. Hold on to this end, and he can only follow you."
"What are you going to do?" Rong Xie became wary. "Don't go. Don't fall into Madam Mei's trap."
Shen Bingsi squeezed Rong Xie's hand, took a small step back, and rested her shoulder against his. She turned her head, looking quite pleased with herself: "Are you worried about me?"
Then, a secret telepathic message, audible only to Rong Xie, entered his mind: "Don't worry, I know what's important and what's urgent. The most important thing now is to send a message back to the Mirror Palace. I'll act according to the situation later. I'll break through Lu Yingqi's spiritual pressure first and send the message out. My colleague Lao Jiang will receive the message and immediately follow the token to find me. You can hand the person over to him for me then."
Rong Xie understood. Shen Bingsi wasn't a new adjudicator; he wouldn't be so easily swayed. He had his own plans. Rong Xie nodded slightly.
Shen Bingsi gestured to Lu Yingqi with her chin, indicating that he should go outside.
Lu Yingqi's gaze swept between Shen Bingsi and Rong Xie. He raised his finger slightly, and silver sword light burst forth like a spider web, instantly reinforcing the barrier around Madam Mei. A silver cage appeared around Madam Mei, and Rong Xie's chains were stuck at the only opening of the cage, unable to be pulled out.
"Let's go." After doing all this, Lu Yingqi finally accepted Shen Bingsi's challenge.
The two walked towards the door one after the other, with Rong Xie grabbing Shen Bingsi's sleeve.
Shen Bingsi turned around, and Rong Xie knew there was no time to hesitate, so he quickly said, "I am not a furnace, my spiritual root is real, you don't need to worry about that."
Shen Bingsi's brows relaxed: "Okay."
"Also, you... be careful."
When Shen Bingsi left the courtyard with Lu Yingqi, he held his head high and walked briskly. It didn't seem like he was about to compete with a powerful figure two realms higher than him. Instead, it seemed like he was going to attend the Three Sects Alliance Award Ceremony to receive the title of the number one sword cultivator of the Three Sects.
As the two passed by, the Lu family members automatically parted to make way for them.
"Whoosh—whoosh!"
Two sword lights, one gold and one white, shot into the sky and disappeared in an instant.
A moment later, a rumbling vibration came from the sky, and a dark cloud covered the setting sun, plunging the ground into darkness.
Those on the ground were powerless against the aerial battle and could only pray for the safe return of their allies.
However, there are still some things on earth that can be accomplished.
Rong Xie looked up for a moment before turning his gaze back to the silver chain in his hand.
The silver chain was far too short. He couldn't walk to the treasure-hunting team's side because he was holding onto Madam Mei. If only the chain were a little longer.
Thinking this, a flash of silver light appeared in his hand, and the chain really did grow longer by several sections, lounging loosely on the ground.
Rong Xie was delighted. He wrapped the silver chain around his arm a few times, used a talisman to secure it, and quickly walked towards the treasure hunting team.
The treasure-hunting team and the Lu family were all looking up at the sky, their expressions tense. The sword light in the sky flashed like lightning, occasionally illuminating their dumbfounded faces.
Rong Xie first woke Zhao Dajiang and asked him to find a few reliable people to escort the baby out to a safe place to settle down. The child was a witness and had to be protected.
"Alright, escort them to the village where we are staying." Amidst the rumbling thunder, Zhao Dajiang said, "Liu Er, Cang Pu, Linglong, and Aunt Wei, the four of you take the children and leave this place first. If there are any unexpected situations, Linglong, send Aying to find me."
"Yes, Brother Zhao!" The four men accepted the order.
However, getting out is a bit of a hassle.
"Boom!"
Thunder rumbled in the sky, dark clouds grew thicker, shadows loomed over the ground, and the narrow courtyard gate was packed with members of the Lu family.
"Brother Zhao, what do we do now? Should we force our way through?" the two team members leading the way asked, and as they spoke, they conjured up magical artifacts.
"Force our way in!" Zhao Dajiang ordered. "Other team members, provide cover and protect the children!"
"Don't let them get past!" An aged voice came from among the shadowy figures of the Lu family. It was the old patriarch. He had been pretending to be unconscious, but now he had suddenly regained consciousness, and his voice had become exceptionally firm. "Our Lu family's foundation cannot be ruined by these petty villains! Stop them! Don't let a single fly escape!"
"Charge with me!" The two trailblazers took out their magical weapons and unleashed a flurry of blows at the Lu family members.
The Lu family was thrown into chaos; some were blown over, some had their eyes blinded, and some bumped into each other.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the two trailblazers swept aside the Lu family members in front of the door and rushed out with Aunt Wei, who was holding a child. Linglong protected Aunt Wei, while Aying pounced down again and again, grabbing the hair of the Lu family members who tried to stop them.
In the chaos, the team carrying the child managed to break through and ran away amidst the old man's repeated calls.
Rong Xie felt a slight sense of relief.
Amid the old man's furious shouts and curses, some members of the Lu family withdrew to chase after the people, while the rest stood guard at the door, trembling with fear. Several young people with spiritual power stood in front, trying to unleash magic to fight against the treasure hunting team.
The treasure-hunting team had expected a fierce battle, but to their surprise, after Lu Yingqi left, the Lu family had no one capable of fighting. Their vanguard easily broke through—the feeling of having the situation under control was wonderful, and everyone was eager to teach this evil family that had long occupied the area a lesson.
The two sides clashed again, and the glow of magical artifacts and talismans occasionally illuminated the high walls shrouded in dark clouds. The Lu family members were forced into retreat, and their cries for mercy were incessant.
Zhao Dajiang's face lit up with joy, and he turned to Rong Xie, saying, "Fellow Daoist Rong, it seems this operation went very smoothly. They are no match for us at all. Why don't we tie them up now and send them to the Mirror Palace?"
Rong Xie did not respond. Zhao Dajiang's gaze fell on Rong Xie's face, and he noticed that this shrewd and resourceful fellow Daoist Rong was frowning, looking worried.
Zhao Dajiang assumed he was worried about Shen Bingsi, so he said, "Since Sword Saint Shen is confident in competing with Lu Yingqi, he should... have a certain chance of winning, right?"
"..." Rong Xie did not answer Zhao Dajiang directly, "I feel that something is wrong with this courtyard. It is not advisable to stay here for long. Captain Zhao, you should take your team out first."
"Hmm?" Zhao Dajiang looked around. "Is something wrong?"
Perhaps it was psychological, or something else, but just as Zhao Dajiang finished speaking, all the dense thorns in the yard suddenly trembled, as if a gust of wind had swept through the thicket.
But it didn't happen.
Zhao Dajiang felt a chill run down his spine. His years of experience wandering the martial world and exploring for treasure in various dangerous areas made him keenly aware of the "danger" Rong Xie spoke of.
“Something is definitely not right, Fellow Daoist Rong, let’s go together!” Zhao Dajiang said, and was about to direct his team to rush out.
Rong Xie shook the chain in his hand: "I'm afraid I can't walk yet."
“This…” Zhao Dajiang almost forgot about this. “What should we do? Maybe we should leave here first. Perhaps the chain is long enough to pull us all the way outside.”
Rong Xie looked down at the chains in his hands.
Suddenly, the chains turned bright white, a reflection of lightning that suddenly burst forth in the sky.
Rong Xie suddenly looked up and saw a golden light piercing through the dark clouds, weaving and shifting among the dense white light like a rain of meteors. It collided with the meteors several times, bursting out with bright light and changing its flight direction by varying degrees.
The massive cloud mountain was illuminated time and again, revealing the layered outlines within the dark clouds. Rong Xie could sense the golden light struggling to break through the white light's blockade. However, the difference in cultivation level meant that each impact resulted in damage. The golden light grew smaller and smaller, and its speed gradually slowed down. Even so, it never gave up and continued to charge left and right.
This was the first time Rong Xie had ever witnessed a battle between Nascent Soul cultivators. For some reason, through the celestial phenomena at this moment, he recalled the battle atop the Mysterious Peak where the Mirror Palace was located, when Shen Bing Si's golden light pierced through half the sky and struck the Heavenly Demon.
Despite the pain of being stabbed in the back, one's heart still surges with emotion for the unstoppable demon-slaying strike.
“You go first,” Rong Xie said. “I will stay here to keep an eye on Madam Mei and prevent her from playing any tricks. The people from Mirror Palace will be here soon. I will hand her over to them before I leave.”
“How can that be? We’ll stay here too!” Zhao Dajiang said immediately.
"No, you should all leave. The more people who stay, the more trouble there will be. The uses of the mimosa flower... are not limited to modifying the furnace." Rong Xie paused.
"What else?" Zhao Dajiang asked hastily when he saw that he was not going to say anything more.
A sinister voice sounded behind Zhao Dajiang. It was Madam Mei's voice, who had just woken up from the impact: "And you're still hallucinating—you haven't left yet? Then you don't need to leave."
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