Chapter 44: Murder

"The Immortal Master is truly a man of great talent, and I don't merely mean his mastery of the Dao; he is also thoroughly accomplished in the arts of the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting."

Challengers had stepped forward for all four of these refined arts, and without exception, they were established grandmasters renowned throughout Douyuan County. Brow furrowed and gaze fixed, they were already utterly consumed by the paper beauty before them.

Witnessing this scene, someone in the audience sighed from the bottom of their heart.

The old immortal remarked, "There are indeed those in this world who can break through into the highest realms of such pursuits. Recall the past—countless individuals climbed to the absolute pinnacle through these very elegances."

"These are refined pastimes, yet they are also the Great Dao. There are no minor paths in this world; it all depends on the person."

The crowd vied with one another in praising the old immortal's demeanor.

Before long, the sword-carrying youth returned, making his way back to his three companions.

The Daoist priest asked, "Brother Wang, why did you take so long? Looking at these brand-new clothes of yours, could it be that you fell into a latrine pit, washed up, and changed into fresh garments?"

The sword-carrying youth rolled his eyes at him and recounted the whole sequence of events from beginning to end.

The county governor's son trembled slightly; the moment the sword-carrying youth described the bamboo-hatted young hero, he knew instantly who it was.

Upon hearing the tale, the martial artist sighed with emotion, "To think that Douyuan County harbors such a youthful martial arts prodigy! Who knows, perhaps one day he truly might break into the pinnacle of martial arts and stand shoulder to shoulder with the Immortal Master. Ding Zhenguang, you are someone who has seen the martial arts grandmasters of the imperial palace; do these methods sound similar to theirs?"

Ding Zhenguang let out a cold laugh. What kind of joke was this? Was this a mere martial artist? However, he kept the thought to himself and merely waved a hand at them.

The others understood, feeling that they had let their imaginations run away with them. Such figures were exceedingly rare in this world—just how many immortal masters were there in total across the realm? How could just anyone be compared to them?

Xie Peiling walked along the road, feeling that this era was deeply bizarre. Could this truly be nothing more than a world within a book? Was it not the materialization of true history?

The most striking aspect was the state of this country and its world: sects were pitifully few, and one could not even find where they were truly located, as they always remained illusory and ethereal.

Within an entire county, the official government was utterly devoid of any practitioners. Just how many existed across the entire nation, no one knew; usually, it required the Emperor to implore those high-and-mighty immortal masters to descend from the mountains.

Never since ancient times had there been such an absurd state of affairs. Furthermore, once one entered the mortal world, there arose the moniker of "pseudo-immortal," of which the old immortal was a prime representative.

As for why Xie Peiling had slain the beloved son of a major sect's grand figure earlier, it was simply because this was his very first time leaving his sect for practical experience. According to his strength, even high-ranking mundane martial artists would find it difficult to shatter his physical body, yet neither he nor anyone in that sect had expected to encounter another practitioner: Xie Peiling himself.

In this world, there were no landscape deities, no sages guarding heaven and earth. People knew nothing of the vastness of the wider world; all they knew were those immortal masters in their eyes who sat high above and had successfully practiced Qi cultivation.

Yet, it was more likely because of something unknown to others—in that world, he could see all the obstacles between heaven and earth far more clearly, or perhaps simply because he was utterly alone, stripped of all backing and factions, with no Xu Yuanming here to prop him up.

What if it were like before, when a top-tier practitioner threw away all shred of face to strike at him? What could he do then?

There was nothing he could do; he had zero means at his disposal. Back then, a whole city next door was merely mentioned within the range of a casual thought, yet the Ancestor of the True Spirit Sect, Jiang Zhenguang, had taken a single step, spanning dozens of miles as if it were right before his eyes. He could not fight him—truly, he could not fight him—and he did not even possess the qualification to flee.

Even before a towering mountain, he had never experienced such a crushing sense of oppression. It left him feeling hopelessly outmatched, as if heaven and earth were constantly contracting until only he remained, isolated at the center.

Drawing closer and closer, Xie Peiling sensed spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the high platform. Instead of heading there, he looked down at the red dot in the palm of his hand, where he had already lingered for a long time.

He wanted to go and deal with the eldest young master of the Li family, Li Shen, first. Just as he had told the young girl whose name he still did not know: *Let alone someone as insignificant as him, who belongs merely to a mortal aristocratic family, I have even slain the son of a cultivation sect.*

If someone acts against me, I will kill them. If a mountain stands before me, I must climb it; if thorny briars choke the path, I will sweep everything away. If that is an immortal mountain hostile to me, then I shall choose to uproot and move the mountain itself.

Xie Peiling had never considered himself a good person from beginning to end. He merely wanted to do this—to slaughter everything and everyone that dared to make an enemy of him.

He possessed a kind heart; otherwise, he would not have helped Qionglin Yan—whom he had met only once and who had begged him for a favor—collect his remains. He did not know whether it was right or wrong; he only knew that this was what he wanted to do.

Walking thus, he grew increasingly confident, holding his head high. Even beneath his bamboo hat, people walking along the road could still feel that razor-sharp aura, much like a sword not yet drawn from its scabbard. The difference, however, was that this time his edge was laid bare; even when attempting concealment, he still made onlookers feel as though he had seen right through everything about them.

A young man who witnessed this sight stretched out a hand and asked, "Young hero, where are you headed?"

"The Li family."

"The Li family of the south city?"

"Could there be any other Li family?"

The man shrank back slightly, but advised, "I know you're heading to the Li family, but I still urge you to turn back. You're not the first to go these past few days, but you are certainly the most peculiar."

Another person chimed in with well-meaning counsel, "Indeed. There are many, many people who wish to assassinate the young master of the Li family, but not a single one has ever succeeded. The number of failed assassins whose deaths have been exposed publicly alone reaches a full hundred... I beg you to think twice."

Xie Peiling replied, "I am not an assassin."

The first man hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Then what are you going to the Li family for?"

The commoners eagerly awaited the answer. Having overheard the previous exchange, most of them assumed this person was going to the Li family to drink tea, or perhaps as an invited guest of honor.

Not an assassin? Then it could only be that. The family's retainers were all famously renowned figures of the pugilistic world from days past. It wasn't that they were unwilling to believe him, but rather that it defied reality—how could a mere youngster swagger into the Li family estate, slaughter the young master of the house, and then retreat unscathed?

"To kill Li Shen."

Finally, someone scoffed derisively. It was a disciple of the Li family. He pointed at Xie Peiling and cursed,

"Where did this ignorant whelp crawl out from? You've laughed my teeth right off! Who doesn't know that the south city is my Li family's territory? Men, seize him and tie him up! To have such audacity means he's no ordinary fellow; someone interrogation-worthy must be behind him. We'll cross-examine him and then torture him until he's crippled."

He bluntly stated what fate awaited Xie Peiling.

The man who had asked first felt completely drained of strength; he could do nothing, feeling only that this person was utterly foolish.

Most of the commoners sighed. *How could it come to this?*

The next moment, numerous members of the Li family swarmed forward, weapons in hand, charging straight toward Xie Peiling.

After a flash of white light, blossoms of blood erupted, and ferocious, gaping bloody holes bloomed across the bodies of those Li family members.