Li Muzhan paused, turned, and asked with a smile, “What, Senior Wu intends to go back on his word again?”
“Little Master has misunderstood,” Wu Miaofeng said, waving his hand with a smile, a touch of embarrassment in his voice. “We were hoping to negotiate. How can we persuade you to part with the Mountain Severing Blade?”
Li Muzhan smiled faintly. “That is a difficult matter. It was a gift from an elder; I dare not easily pass it on.”
Wu Miaofeng frowned slightly. “Truly impossible to part with?”
Li Muzhan shook his head; though he smiled, his expression was firm.
“Alas…” Wu Miaofeng let out a long sigh, then chuckled. “Very well, we do not wish to force anyone’s hand. Little Master, you may go on your way.”
Li Muzhan gave a knowing glance to the four men, nodded once, and left with Yan Lengsi.
Watching the pair depart, Wei Xuanfeng’s sword-like brows were deeply furrowed, his expression shifting rapidly.
Wu Miaofeng’s face instantly darkened, his gaze turning frigid. The other two elders also wore grim looks, and the air around them seemed ready to solidify.
Jin Shijie leaped forward, agitated to the point of sputtering. “Master, Martial Uncles, are we just letting them walk away like that?”
Wu Miaofeng stared at Wei Xuanfeng, and the other two elders turned their heads to look as well.
Wei Xuanfeng remained silent, his attention fixed solely on the footprints on the ground. He flicked his sleeve, kicking up a puff of white dust that settled to reveal several more faint indentations. Wei Xuanfeng scrutinized these prints, his focus absolute.
Wu Miaofeng said, “Senior Martial Brother, make a decision. Shall we take them down?”
Wei Xuanfeng shook his head, continually examining the footprints as if they were the most exquisite flowers imaginable, more beautiful than anything else.
Jin Shijie stamped his foot in frustration. “Senior Martial Uncle, if we don't act now, they’ll truly be gone!”
One of the elders spoke kindly. “Little Jin, do not rush. You are simply too rash. You must change this temper. Haste and recklessness accomplish nothing.”
“Second Martial Uncle…” Jin Shijie pressed urgently, “This cannot wait. The Mountain Severing Blade is too important. If we lose this chance, we’ll never recapture it.”
The elder shook his head. “What is opportunity, and what is danger—do not rush to conclusions. Rash judgment can cost you your life.”
“Second Martial Uncle!” Jin Shijie glanced around; Li Muzhan and the others were already nowhere in sight. Burning with anxiety, he urged, “Master, give the order quickly! I’ll go slay them myself!”
“You think you can kill them?” Wu Miaofeng asked with a soft laugh.
Jin Shijie paused, then replied, “I can bring more men.”
“Bring more men? Alas…” Wei Xuanfeng raised his head and sighed deeply. “Do you imagine how many men you could bring that could possibly trap me?”
“This…” Jin Shijie considered it, then shook his head.
The Senior Martial Brother possessed the Divine Skill of Flowery Grafting; facing an encirclement was no fear for him—it was even easier. He could borrow the force of others to attack another party without expending his own energy.
“This man’s method of deflecting force is a stage higher than mine,” Wei Xuanfeng lamented, shaking his head. “If you send many men to surround him, it’s like trying to trap a fish with water. It’s useless.”
Jin Shijie asked, “Senior Martial Uncle, then what should we do?”
Wei Xuanfeng turned to Wu Miaofeng. “Sect Master, in my opinion, this matter should end here.”
“We dare not provoke him?” Wu Miaofeng asked, knitting his brows.
Wei Xuanfeng sighed. “So young, yet his internal energy is not only deep but astonishingly pure. His technique for deflecting force is perfected to the utmost degree… He is certainly not relying on luck or a mere fortunate encounter; he must have a terrifying master.”
“Indeed…” Wu Miaofeng sighed, shaking his head with a bitter smile. “Thinking about it, it makes sense. The Mountain Severing Blade is not something just anyone can obtain.”
“Some things are best left untouched,” Wei Xuanfeng murmured.
Wu Miaofeng’s expression flickered as he wrestled internally. He looked up at the sky, silent for a long moment.
Jin Shijie quickly interjected, “Master, this opportunity is rare! If we kill them and reclaim the Mountain Severing Blade, our Lingshan Sect can surely dominate the martial world… as long as it doesn't happen here in Lingshan, and no one ever knows.”
“I truly don't want to let go of this piece of fat meat…” Wu Miaofeng let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Wei Xuanfeng and the other two elders broke into smiles and breathed a collective sigh of relief.
“Master…” Jin Shijie saw the shift in mood and urged, “Master, a true leader must know when to strike. If we want to achieve greatness, how can we avoid risk? Once we have the Mountain Severing Blade, we will fear no one.”
Wu Miaofeng smiled and asked Jin Shijie, “And what if that Little Master’s own master arrives?”
Jin Shijie boasted with a proud snort, “We won’t fear them. They weren't killed on Lingshan, so even if he suspects something, there’s no concrete proof.”
“What a foolish child,” Wu Miaofeng shook his head and chuckled. “His master is surely an absolute master. Do such people concern themselves with mere evidence? If they suspect, they simply kill.”
Jin Shijie hesitated, then proudly declared, “Then once we master the Mountain Severing Blade techniques, why should we fear one man?”
“He might have also learned the Mountain Severing Blade techniques,” Wu Miaofeng countered.
Jin Shijie’s face shifted slightly; his mouth moved, but no sound came out.
“Shijie, use your brain more often. Don't be impulsive. Greed clouds judgment. You are usually a clever child; don’t be foolish now,” Wu Miaofeng said gently.
“…Yes, Master.” Jin Shijie lowered his head, sighing. “It’s just so hard to accept this loss…”
Wu Miaofeng smiled. “Do not plan only for victory, but prepare for defeat first. Especially for something of this magnitude, clarity is essential. Taking a risk alone is one thing, but when it concerns the entire sect, one must be exceedingly cautious.”
“Yes, Master. Your disciple has learned his lesson.” Jin Shijie felt unconvinced, but he knew saying more was useless; his Master’s perspective was fundamentally different from his own.
Wei Xuanfeng spoke slowly. “Little Jin, you are brave, but this time, under no circumstances act rashly. Do not invite trouble.”
“…Yes, Senior Martial Uncle.” Jin Shijie’s expression subtly changed, and he quickly nodded with a forced smile.
He inwardly cursed. He had truly intended to act secretly, but the Senior Martial Uncle had seen through him, forcing him to abandon the plan.
Wu Miaofeng waved his hand. “Enough. Everyone disperse. Go back to your duties. We lost so many Solid Origin Pills this time; it will take two or three years to replenish our stock.”
“Yes.” Jin Shijie bowed respectfully to the four elders and leaped down from the high platform.
Watching them all depart, the four descended from the platform, entered the grand hall, sat upon their meditation cushions, and meditated silently for a long time, unmoving.
After a considerable time, Wei Xuanfeng sighed. “Sect Master, this Little Jin lacks foresight and is unfit for great responsibility. Perhaps you should keep looking before making a final decision.”
“Alas…” Wu Miaofeng sighed and slowly nodded his agreement.
Li Muzhan and Yan Lengsi descended Lingshan and headed straight south, moving at a breakneck pace that ignored convention, like two gusts of wind.
Li Muzhan sighed inwardly. He had expected to be outmatched by Wei Xuanfeng, but instead, he had won—not because he was vastly superior, but because he had applied his techniques judiciously.
The strongest move Wei Xuanfeng possessed would force anyone else to evade rather than meet it head-on; even a weapon strike would struggle to withstand it.
Yet, Li Muzhan had the Cold Iron Needle, augmented by the Arrow Manipulation Art and further propelled by the method of the Yellow Dragon Flying Sword. This single strike achieved its effect.
What appeared to be a simple needle contained the essence of two profound skills, coupled with his pure internal energy, achieving a might that subdued the enemy without a fight.
Otherwise, to truly fight his way out, he would have had to deploy the Lamp Burning Art or the Great Bright King Scripture. He had been prepared to use the latter, which was why he had already restored his Vast Sea Divine Skill.
To restore the military-grade internal energy would require re-cultivation; this century-old ginseng was wasted, but thankfully, he hadn't consumed the five-hundred-year specimen, or the loss would have been staggering.
Wind whipped past their faces, the scenery rushing backward as the two men walked side-by-side; Li Muzhan used the technique of Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, while Yan Lengsi strode with the momentum of a meteor.
Yan Lengsi turned his head to ask, “Monk, will they send assassins after us?”
Even while running at full tilt, his speech was uninterrupted. Despite the rapid pace, his breathing remained even and composed; his expression was relaxed.
Li Muzhan shook his head. “I don’t know.”
“Could they possibly not pursue us?” Yan Lengsi asked curiously.
Li Muzhan smiled. “If they are cautious, they won’t follow.”
“I don’t understand,” Yan Lengsi shook his head, puzzled. “After suffering such a massive loss, how can they swallow that insult?… Surely not?”
Li Muzhan explained, “They will be guessing whether there is a powerful figure backing us, whether we are worth provoking.”
“Heh, a powerful figure? Your Masters?” Yan Lengsi laughed.
Li Muzhan smiled. “If their Elders came, leveling the Lingshan Sect would hardly be difficult, right?”
“I doubt it,” Yan Lengsi shook his head, chuckling. “Your Masters seem somewhat afraid of the Lingshan Sect. Is there some great hidden master here?”
Li Muzhan shook his head, frowning in thought, a flicker of doubt crossing his mind.
He had certainly felt a sense of danger, making him hesitant to act carelessly, but it didn't seem like they were garrisoned by a supreme master. He couldn't quite grasp the reason, but one thing was clear: the Lingshan Sect was no easy opponent. This encounter was enough; there couldn't be a second.
Yan Lengsi also stopped pondering the mystery, shaking his head. “Let’s stop thinking about it and just run. If they raise an alarm, everyone in the martial world will come scrambling for the Mountain Severing Blade.”
They smoothly crossed the borders of Lingshan territory, returned to Lingyun City, and by nightfall, traversed the military camps, scaled the boundary, and reached Tenglong City.
The journey back was filled with high spirits. They re-verified the Solid Origin Pills; every single one was genuine.
Yan Lengsi kept chuckling. “If we each took ten or eight pills, think how much effort we’d save!”
Li Muzhan smiled. “The elders probably have other uses for them.”
Yan Lengsi admired him. “Monk, you are truly amazing. If it were me, I would have just snatched them by force. How could I have thought to win them honorably?”
Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head. “This time was fortunate. If they had been less cautious, it wouldn’t have been so easy to succeed.”
Yan Lengsi rejoiced. “In any case, we completed the mission. Now that you have the Mountain Severing Blade, maybe you can finally comprehend its blade techniques!”
Li Muzhan smiled and shook his head, harboring no hope regarding the blade techniques.
The next morning, Li Muzhan and Yan Lengsi crossed Black Hawk Cavalry territory and reached the vast, endless grassland between the two nations.
Having slept none the previous night, they found a small copse of trees upon reaching the grassland to rest. When they awoke, it was nearly noon, and they set off again.
Midway through their trek, Li Muzhan’s expression changed subtly, and he stopped abruptly. Yan Lengsi halted beside him and quickly asked, “What is it?”
Li Muzhan said, “Someone is fighting.”