Chapter 94 - 89: Arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival
Lin Ye had caused so much trouble. The Mansion Master wouldn’t let him leave easily.
And now, by trying to meet the "Saint Master," he had exposed his whereabouts again.
Whether he could fight his way out of Jiangzhou now depended entirely on his own skills.
"Have the disciples of the Demon Sect retreat. Let’s pull back," Lu Changfeng said.
Xuansha gave a slight nod, and his figure vanished.
A moment later, near the Killing Temple, figures shot into the air and vanished without a trace.
Once the disciples of the Dark Buddha Demon Sect had departed,
Lu Changfeng and his group set off, heading back toward the Changle Martial Arts Hall.
His only regret today was that he had been too far away to get a clear look at Lin Ye’s Demon Fiend Bloodline.
Possessing a Demon Fiend Bloodline meant Lin Ye had a chance to break through to the Rebirth Realm.
In time, if Lin Ye truly broke through to the Rebirth Realm, Xuansha wouldn’t be able to keep him in check. Lu Changfeng wouldn’t be able to drive him away as easily as he had today.
Lu Changfeng glanced at Xuansha, who stood beside him.
Xuansha’s loyalty was beyond doubt.
Unfortunately, he possessed neither a Heroic Root Bone nor a Demon Fiend Bloodline. In an era where the Heaven and Earth Primordial Energy was so thin, he was incapable of breaking through to the Rebirth Realm.
It was a tremendous shame.
However, while a Demon Fiend Bloodline might be a rare prize for others, for Lu Changfeng, it was merely a matter of making a copy.
’I’ll try transferring a Demon Fiend Bloodline to Xuansha. If I succeed, I’ll have my first subordinate in the Rebirth Realm. My security will increase immensely.’ Lu Changfeng made up his mind.
As the situation evolved, Lu Changfeng felt more and more that the forces at his command were insufficient.
Having a Rebirth Realm Martial Artist on his side was absolutely essential.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, once the Martial Arts exchange concluded, Lu Changfeng could make his attempt.
Of course, he would have to make preparations first and also get Xuansha’s consent.
...
Outside Jiangzhou City, Lin Ye’s figure flashed through the wilderness. His legs and feet, suffused with the True Energy of the Spirit Bone Realm, propelled him through the mountain forest in powerful leaps.
A single leap could cover dozens of meters. From a distance, he looked like a mountain hawk gliding through the air.
Suddenly, a beam of sword light more than ten meters long shot out from the depths of the forest, slashing toward Lin Ye.
Lin Ye’s brow furrowed. He forced himself to an abrupt halt and retreated, narrowly dodging the blow.
SWISH! Two figures closed in from behind, flanking him.
One wielded a long spear, the other a blade.
"You little whelp! We failed to kill you that night. Now that you’re here, don’t even think about leaving!" The one wielding the spear was an elder of the Lan Family.
The elder’s words caused the ocean of hatred Lin Ye had long suppressed to erupt in an instant.
He had come to Jiangzhou on this trip and had deliberately avoided the Lan Family and the Sikong Family, precisely to prevent his hatred from driving him to ruin the Demon Sect’s important business.
But now that an elder of the Lan Family had come to him, Lin Ye cast all caution to the wind.
The scene of his own family’s massacre that night once again consumed his thoughts.
Spurred by this raw emotion, the Demon Fiend Bloodline within Lin Ye began to roil with even greater intensity.
"Calm yourself."
Just then, a woman’s voice reached Lin Ye’s ears.
The blood-red hue in Lin Ye’s eyes slowly faded. "Sis?"
A female figure slowly stepped out from the shadows, also clad in a blood-red robe.
She was barefoot, her body hovering in mid-air—the mark of the Rebirth Realm.
Upon entering the Rebirth Realm, once the body has completely transformed into a Spirit Body, one can float at will.
Achieving true flight.
This woman was likely at the Spirit Body First Layer, a realm that allowed one to float about thirty centimeters off the ground.
Under the moonlight, her exposed face and jade-like feet seemed as white as snow, but her features were exceptionally unearthly—so unearthly they inspired fear, making one suspect she was a Banshee.
The one with the sword was an elder from the Sikong Family.
The one with the spear, an elder from the Lan Family.
And the one with the blade was Prefecture Chief Constable Jin Changsong.
All three were top masters at the Bone Refining Fifth Layer. Upon seeing the woman, they simultaneously halted their attacks and began to slowly retreat.
The gulf between the Rebirth Realm and the Bone Refining Realm was immense.
Once they realized the woman was a Rebirth Realm expert, the three top martial grandmasters immediately abandoned any thought of fighting on.
"Why are you here?" Lin Ye asked, suppressing the seething Demon Fiend Bloodline in his heart as he panted heavily.
Activating the Demon Fiend Bloodline while enraged was extremely dangerous, as one could easily lose control of their mind to the bloodline itself.
Thankfully, his sister had snapped him out of it.
’But now that Sis is here, these small fry are no threat at all.’
"That’s enough trouble for one night. Go back," the woman said, floating slowly in front of Lin Ye and patting his head.
Lin Ye lowered his head. "I’m almost fifty, Sis."
"In my eyes, you’ll always be a child," the unearthly, red-robed woman said with a smile.
Lin Ye was speechless. "I met the Saint Master," he said. "He seems to be the real deal."
"Oh?" the woman replied, then suddenly glared at the three men in the distance. "Have you heard enough? If so, then scram!"
The expressions of the three Bone Refining Realm experts shifted. Ultimately, they shot off, fleeing in the direction of Jiangzhou City.
"Why didn’t you kill them, Sis?"
"They’re just a few lackeys. Whether I kill them or not makes no difference."
"Now, tell me about this Saint Master you met."
"We’ll talk as we go."
The woman’s figure floated off into the distance. Lin Ye followed, slowly recounting his impression of the Saint Master.
...
The affair with the Gluttony Demon Sect was considered closed for the time being.
The Prefectural Yamen issued no official notice.
But rumors spread among the populace that the Chief Constable of the Prefectural Yamen had led his men in an all-night battle against Lin Ye. The story went that Lin Ye was gravely wounded and would never dare set foot in Jiangzhou again.
Most people believed it without question, for after that night, no similar incidents occurred in Jiangzhou.
Time has a way of erasing memories. In the face of a much larger event, the matter of Lin Ye from the Gluttony Demon Sect was forgotten. The Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching!
In Jiangzhou City, the Mid-Autumn Festival was not just a holiday; it also marked the beginning of an important event: the Martial Arts exchange with Daliang Country.
Daliang Country was located east of Jiangnan Prefecture, across the East Sea. The two nations faced each other across the water and engaged in frequent trade and cultural exchange.
With the Song Country currently mired in internal strife, Daliang Country was seizing the opportunity to visit Jiangnan Prefecture. Ostensibly, it was for a Martial Arts exchange, but in reality, they were clearly there to probe Jiangnan Prefecture’s strength.
The delegation from Daliang Country arrived in Jiangzhou City three days early.
The delegation traveled by ship from the estuary into a coastal city of Jiangnan Prefecture, then transferred to a smaller boat that took them directly to the docks within Jiangzhou City.
They were escorted the entire way by Prefectural Yamen constables to the reception hotel adjacent to the yamen, where they would be staying.
On the very first day of the delegation’s arrival, the citizens of Jiangzhou spontaneously gathered below their hotel to jeer.
Shouts like, "Daliang Country and its treacherous ambitions are delusional!"
"The Martial Arts Realm of Jiangnan Prefecture will show you what true Martial Arts is!" and other such slogans filled the air.
Most of Jiangnan Prefecture’s citizens could see the situation clearly and understood the true purpose of Daliang Country’s visit.
The reaction from the Prince’s Mansion was even more subtle. They only made a token effort, dispatching guards to disperse the crowds without actually stopping them completely.
Thus, for the three days leading up to the Martial Arts exchange, the delegation from Daliang Country was subjected to three straight days of curses from the people of Jiangnan Prefecture...