The Blood of Youth – CH 035

Chapter 35: An Inescapable Net

Sikong Qianluo withdrew her spear. She was supposed to be the tower guardian of the fourteenth floor of the Tower of Ascension today. Her spear arts had been trained by her father, Sikong Changfeng, since she was a child. In Snow Moon City, even if she brushed aside her identity as daughter of the Spear Immortal, among this generation of disciples, her martial arts were second only to Tang Lian and a few others. Even Luo Mingxuan, the disciple of the elder, Luoxia Fairy, was one level below her. But this youth in the blue robes appeared to step carelessly at first glance and didn’t seem to have extensive internal strength. Yet, Sikong Qianluo made three spear moves, and not a single one struck her target.

“Who are you?” Sikong Qianluo clenched her fingers around her spear.

Xiao Se’s steps came to a stop in a leisurely manner, and he smiled. “Fallen Snow Villa, Xiao Se.”

Sikong Qianluo thought for a moment and asked, “What sect is Fallen Snow Villa?”

“Not a sect. It’s just an inn,” Xiao Se explained.

Sikong Qianluo’s face darkened. “Are you mocking me?”

“I really am an innkeeper. If you don’t believe me, what can I do?” Xiao Se spread his hands.

Sikong Qianluo didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She raised her spear and exclaimed angrily, “Wind, stop!”

Winds of the Lower Pass, Flowers of the Upper Pass. Snow on Cangshan, Moon in Erhai. There was a legend about the winds of the Lower Pass. A long time ago, a white fox who lived on Cangshan transformed into a beautiful woman and came to visit the human realm. She fell in love with a scholar of the Bai people. One day, the scholar’s teacher found out about their affair. He was so angry he grabbed the ink stone and beat the scholar, who fell into Erhai Lake. In order to save her lover, the white fox ran to the South Sea to seek the help of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Guanyin Bodhisattva gave her six bottles of wine and repeatedly warned the white fox not to speak or yell on the way back. However, the white fox was eager to rush back and hurried on the road. When she came to Heavenly Favored Bridge, she was careless and tripped over herself, unwittingly yelling out in pain. Five of the six bottles of wine escaped. Since then, the Lower Pass would always have strong winds. But in fact, it was only because Lower Pass City was located in a mountain pass, which was the entrance to the valley between the Cangshan and Ailao Mountains. Hence, there were high winds all year round, and they were especially strong during winter and spring.

But when Sikong Qianluo shouted, “Wind, stop,” the wind that had been blowing through the entire main street ceased almost instantaneously.

Sikong Qianluo shouted again, “Wind, rise!”

In an instant, the winds over the entire street seemed to gather above her long spear, and the tip of the spear shrieked with the sound of a tempest. This time, she was no longer using an ordinary attack like before but a spear move that swept up all of the wind from the main street.

The spear move struck, and Xiao Se suddenly remembered the story that the waiter at the teahouse told them the day before. When Sikong Changfeng stood on the roof of the Tower of Ascension, the wind all over the city came to a stop and gathered around the dark golden spear held in the hands of the man in black robes. At this moment, the legend became a reality, and the spear that could sweep up a storm in the entire city was right in front of him.

No, it was right in front of his chest!

Xiao Se retreated frantically. His Cloud Step was described as a lightness skill that could walk on clouds, and if he trained himself into the next level and mastered the tempest, he could even ride the wind. However, right now, when faced with this high wind on the street, his Cloud Step fell short of that next level.

The page boy was full of gratitude for Xiao Se due to the divination incident, and he yelled hurriedly, “Little shishu.”

The scholar hesitated. Originally, he hadn’t intended to show his martial arts in Snow Moon City until he met that person. On top of that, he had a hunch that Xiao Se had not used all of his skills yet.

“I was too careless. I didn’t expect someone so beautiful to have such skillful martial arts too.” Xiao Se shook his head and sighed as he continued to retreat urgently.

Sikong Qianluo was stunned.

Someone so beautiful? This man who was more beautiful than a woman called me beautiful?

At such a critical moment, Sikong Qianluo actually blushed suddenly, and her face looked as if peach blossoms were sprinkled on snow-covered ground.

The tip of her spear veered off by an inch at the last moment and tore the blue sleeve on Xiao Se’s right arm to shreds. The spear withdrew, and the high winds roared through the entire street.

“What an exceptional spear move. The daughter is already so powerful; I wonder how much more impressive the Spear Immortal would be.” The scholar sighed, engulfed within the high winds on the street.

Xiao Se ripped off the torn sleeve on his robes and looked at the daughter of the Spear Immortal, who was standing in place blushing and staring back at him blankly. Xiao Se smiled and said, “I’m no match for you. You can go now.”

Sikong Qianluo came back to her senses, withdrew her spear, and looked at this young man in blue robes. Despite his torn sleeve, he didn’t lack in his demeanor. She flipped onto her horse and asked, “Tell me again, what’s your name?”

“Xiao Se.” Xiao Se smiled slightly.

“We’ll meet again.” Sikong Qianluo was about to urge her horse forward, but one of her retainers was rushing towards her from the direction of the Tower of Ascension. She frowned and questioned, “What? Has that person gone to the fifteenth floor already?”

“No, Young Master Tang Lian has gone to guard the fourteenth floor,” the retainer answered.

“Da-shixiong?” Sikong Qianluo blinked in surprise. Then, she looked at Xiao Se pointedly and asked a random question, “Do you know how powerful my spear is?”

“Among this generation of Snow Moon City disciples, you’re ranked at least in the top ten?” Xiao Se replied after a brief thought.

Sikong Qianluo declined to comment and continued, “Da-shixiong is ranked number one. With my spear, I can face him in a duel and use about a hundred moves without losing, but when it comes to a proper battle, he only has to raise his hand, and with three hidden weapons, he’ll kill me. And my father also said that after the experience from three months ago, Da-shixiong’s martial arts has already progressed beyond that of the elders. You stopped me and in exchange, you got Snow Moon City’s number one, Tang Lian. Was it worth it?”

After hearing Sikong Qianluo’s words, Xiao Se didn’t show a trace of concern on his face. Instead, he became even more relaxed, and he chuckled. “If it’s Tang Lian, then of course it was worth it.”

“Da-shixiong, long time no see.” Lei Wujie smiled heartily at Tang Lian. To be able to meet Tang Lian here and now, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of closeness, as if he was reunited with an old friend from his hometown.

Tang Lian waved his sleeves, and a Bone Piercing Needle brushed past Lei Wujie’s ear, slicing off a few strands of hair. Lei Wujie didn’t even bat an eyelid, nor did his smile falter even a little. Tang Lian sighed and shook his head. “Didn’t I tell you not to call me shixiong until you’ve been accepted into the sect?”

“I can forgo others, but I must not disregard shixiong. After all, we went through that life-and-death experience together.” Lei Wujie was not bothered by Tang Lian’s cold attitude, and he still beamed with excitement.

Tang Lian was still deadpan. “Why are you here challenging the Tower of Ascension? You’re a disciple of the Lei Clan. If you want to join us, all you have to do is ask your elders to write an invitation card for you.”

“Shixiong, did I tell you about my shifu? My shifu is called Lei Hong. A decade or so ago, he was a rare talent in Lei Clan that came once in a century, but he decided to take a path of his own choice rather than the path the elders chose for him. Later, when he was wandering the martial world, he met a person and because of a contract with that person, he confined himself in seclusion and spent his days locked in a little courtyard in the corner. Shixiong, you’re from the Tang Sect, so you should know that in a big family like Lei Clan Fort, the main family and lots of branch families all live together. But, all glory will always belong to the main family, and if the branch families want to share in that glory, they will have to put in twice the effort. As a disciple of a branch family, once my shifu lost his value to the clan, he was ostracized and left alone to fend for himself in that courtyard. Nobody cared whether he lived or died anymore.

“My parents died when I was very young, and I lived with my uncle. My uncle doted on me but he was also an unmotivated disciple of a branch family. He drank all day and barely had time for me. One day, I accidentally stumbled upon Shifu’s courtyard. Back then, he would always be staring at the sky, daydreaming by himself. I asked him, ‘Uncle, what are you looking at?’ But he asked me if I wanted to learn martial arts from him. After that day, I started to learn martial arts from Shifu. And now, it’s been ten years.

“Three months ago, my shifu suddenly told me that he’s about to die and has only about a year left to live. Before he dies, he wants to see someone, and this person lives in Snow Moon City. But very few people in the world have ever met this person. I don’t have an invitation card, because unlike shixiong, I’m not an outstanding member of the family. I’m merely a disciple of a branch family. But I will fulfill my shifu’s wish. I want to meet that person.

“I’ve said too much.” Lei Wujie showed an embarrassed smile. “Actually, all I wanted to tell shixiong is that I’m here to challenge the Tower of Ascension because I just want to fulfill my shifu’s one wish, not because I want to get famous or something. So, if I really have to fight with shixiong, then please don’t blame…”

A silver light flashed in Tang Lian’s hand, and his fingertip blade that was gradually gaining fame in the world was already in his hand. “Lei Wujie, do you think you can fight me?”

“If I was the person you met before, even if I tried my best, I’m definitely no match for shixiong. But, when I was in Lower Pass City yesterday, I met a man. He invited me to drink three cups of wine, and my Blazing Arts advanced by three realms. If I give it my all in a fight, and shixiong goes a little easy on me, I think I have a chance…” Lei Wujie exerted his qi, and the pupils in his eyes turned red.

“Go easy on you?” Tang Lian suddenly flicked the fingertip blade in his hand, and the little knife that was almost transparent flew around the room.

Lei Wujie exerted his qi throughout his body, and without further hesitation, he went straight to the fourth realm of his Blazing Arts—Inferno Realm.

“Not enough.” Tang Lian smiled coldly.

Lei Wujie gritted his teeth and exerted his qi higher! Blazing Arts’ fifth realm—Dragon Fire Realm!

“That’s better.” Tang Lian’s fingertip blade returned to his hand.

Lei Wujie looked around and soon realized that when the fingertip blade had danced wildly around the room, it had woven a nearly transparent spider web that surrounded the entire room.

There was a type of weapon in the world, and only this one type of weapon, that had the edge of a blade but no blade. This almost transparent silk thread was terribly sharp, and when it was used to kill, the wound caused by this weapon was completely flat without a hint of a wrinkle, almost like cutting wax with a sharp knife. This weapon was called—

“Blade wires?” Lei Wujie frowned slightly.

Tang Lian nodded. “Shifu and the Dark River Patriarch were good friends for many years. He knew that I was researching hidden weapons, so he asked for this roll of blade wire. This is a killing array that I created, the Inescapable Net. Lei Wujie, you thought wrong. I will not go easy on you.”

“If da-shixiong goes all out against me, that will be my honor.” Lei Wujie laughed, knowing that there was no room for negotiation.

The air inside the tower heated up, ready to ignite, and the image of a flaming bird slowly appeared behind Lei Wujie—

Blazing Arts’ sixth realm, Garuda!