Chapter 240 – Wielding the Ruling Blade to Uphold Chivalry, And So the Great Battle Begins - Part 3
Three days later.
Li Yuan left Holy Tree Palace under the pretense of traveling for inspiration. As soon as he was out of sight, he slipped away by a roundabout route, changed clothes, and checked carefully to be sure no one was following him. Then he took out a pale-white compact of rouge and began to put on the eerie, ghostly makeup—his Yin disguise.
Moments later, a poised, gallant young man stood among the trees.
“Walk the talk,” Li Yuan muttered to himself. “I’ll start with my Ruling Blade. If I can push the Thousand-Mile Hero concept to its peak, then let’s see how far I can go.” Taking a deep breath, he murmured lines from an ancient poem, quietly hypnotizing himself, “Ten years’ toil to hone a sword, its edge has yet to taste blood. This day, I show it to you; who out there still bows to injustice?”
He drew an ordinary iron blade from his waist and slashed downward. A wave of energy churned through the air, raw and unyielding. More than that, Li Yuan’s heart surged with righteous anger. He could not tolerate any evil in the world.
Thus, he left the Yuantian Prefecture and headed into the neighboring Lingyou Prefecture. Relaxing his senses, he listened carefully to the sounds around him. After walking only a short while, he heard a child’s sobs and the angry shouts of a man.
Hurrying toward the commotion, he came upon a group of children in a line, hands bound with coarse rope, being dragged along by a ragged-looking man. Several other beggars flanked them on both sides, chattering with wicked grins.
“This kid’s just right, turning him into a snake-man would be perfect for scamming people out of money.”
“That little one’s small and dainty. If we lock her in a jar every day, she’ll never grow taller. One of those pocket beauties would fetch a high price.”
“Oh, I know. Lord Ji once bought one of those girls. Delicate things—new and exciting, but they never live long. A few nights of fun, and they get sick.”