Destiny

In the late night, with the Shenxiu River shimmering under the moonlight, a figure covered in blood, dressed in dark blue, dashed across the river surface, moving swiftly and silently.He arrived at a large painted boat in the middle of the river, and then gracefully ascended into a room on the third floor of the boat, landing without making a sound.

Inside the room, lit only by two flickering candles, stood a handsome and fair-faced man with no trace of blood on his complexion. It was Li Daogui, also known as the "Blood Wind Swordsman". His crimson coronet was nowhere to be seen, and his black hair hung disheveled behind him. His disciple's attire was riddled with numerous tears and stained with blood.Li Daogui entered the boat and began to remove his upper garments, tending to his wounds while questioning the other person in the room.

"How's the situation? How many people managed to escape?" he inquired.

"Other than the Sword Master, only six people managed to escape," replied a cold and pale-faced young man in red attire, sitting on the other side of the table. "None below the seventh rank survived, and two at the seventh rank perished."

Upon hearing "six people," Li Daogui crushed the medicine bottle in his hand with a loud "bang."

"Cao Xuan!" Li Daogui clenched his teeth, his cheeks bulging, his eyes filled with cold determination. "This man is cunning. We have exhausted all means to search for the clues of the Rebel God Banner, risking our lives, and yet it seems we've played into his hands. However, the primary culprit is the scoundrel who murdered the sorcerer. Have you been able to identify this person?"

"I have already inquired about it. This person is named Chu Xishi, a newly promoted inner disciple of the Zhengyang Martial Hall, skilled in fast blades," the young man in blood-red attire responded, his face also displaying a touch of coldness. "As soon as the pursuit by the Brocade Guard subsides, I will personally deliver his head to the Sword Master—"

Before he could finish speaking, another figure slipped into the room through the window.

"What Chu Xisheng? You've got the wrong person," said a one-eyed young man wearing an eye patch, his voice cold and disdainful. "The one who killed the sorcerer is a wretched woman proficient in sorcery, not just an ordinary inner disciple of the Zhengyang Martial Hall."

"A wretched woman? A female?" Both Li Daogui and the young man in blood-red attire exchanged astonished looks.

"I saw it with my own eyes," the one-eyed young man continued, his injuries also not light, as he calmly removed several barbed arrows from his body. "This girl is not even fifteen, but her cultivation has already reached the seventh rank, and she excels in both martial arts and sorcery, especially in escape and transformation techniques. I pursued her for a while, but she eluded me effortlessly. The situation had become perilous, and I was worried about being surrounded, so I did not continue the pursuit."

Li Daogui furrowed his brow. "Martial arts and sorcery? Later, you will sketch her appearance, and I will have someone investigate her identity. This woman has stained my Blood Wind Bandit with the blood of twenty-seven lives. I will not rest until she is torn to pieces. As for this Chu Xisheng—"

With an expressionless face, he used a dagger to remove several silver needles from his arm. "The Blood Wind Bandit has always kept his word. Since I have promised to take his life within the month, I will not wait until the end of the month. However, the entire Shaoshui County is now vigorously searching for us, and this place is no longer safe for us to stay. A mere ninth-rank individual is not worth the risk for you and me. Blood Cloth, when you go to the Black Market in Jiangbei the day after tomorrow, also offer a reward of two hundred taels of dark silver."Upon hearing this, the young man in blood-red attire showed a troubled expression. "Sword Master, we are out of money."Surprised, Li Daogui asked, "How can we be out of money? We raided a merchant ship just half a month ago."

The Blood Cloth youth smiled bitterly and took out a crumpled "Explosive Fire Symbol." "Sword Master, you said this time we need to make a big scene. The more Explosive Fire Symbols, the better. It would be best if we could blow up their library."

Li Daogui's expression fluctuated. "Then it will be eighty taels! Don't tell me we don't even have eighty taels?"Eighty taels of dark silver was the minimum amount for a reward in the Black Market of Jiangbei.The Blood Cloth youth could only take out a money pouch from his sleeve and look back at Li Daogui with innocent eyes.Li Daogui glanced at the money pouch and estimated that there might not even be ten taels inside.At this moment, a breeze swept in through the window, emitting a whistling sound.Li Daogui felt a hint of desolation in the atmosphere of the room.He let out a light sigh. "Since we don't have enough money, let's postpone it for now."

What a stroke of luck!

Chu Xisheng was unaware that she had narrowly escaped a disaster.She was walking back to the miscellaneous courtyard when she suddenly noticed that a mysterious point in her martial arts cultivation had inexplicably dropped from 27 to 26 on the illusory screen.

Chu Xisheng was stunned, feeling as if calamity had struck out of the blue.After being lost in thought for a while, Chu Xisheng began contemplating the mechanism behind the increase and decrease of martial arts points. Could they drop into negative numbers? What would happen if they did? Would her reputation also decrease if her martial arts points dropped?

Chu Xisheng then opened the Martial Arts Treasury again, hoping to use the remaining points before they decreased further. However, after looking through the eleven remaining colored icons, she found that none of them contained something she particularly desired.

She shifted her attention to her own elemental skills section and received a new piece of information in her mind.

"You have mastered the breakthrough method for the second level of Elemental Cultivation. Do you want to use fifteen martial arts points to upgrade your Elemental Cultivation?"

Chu Xisheng decisively vetoed the proposal.

He could only practice for another five or six days at most. Spending money on another dose of secret medicine to complete the breakthrough and using martial points to enhance his elemental power was not cost-effective. Chuxeng Sheng pondered for a while and decided to wait a little longer. The rule of the martial treasury was to refresh every natural month, or one could pay a martial point for a refresh. Two days later, on the first day of August, the treasury's goods would refresh. Chu Xisheng looked forward to this refresh, hoping for something useful for him. At that moment, he had arrived at the entrance of the miscellaneous yard. As Chu Xisheng pushed the door open, he saw a dark figure standing in the courtyard. He immediately tensed up, one hand gripping his refined steel blade.

"Who's there?" Could this be a leftover from the Bloodwind Bandits, coming to seek revenge?

"No need to be nervous, it's me." It was a deep and cold voice. As a match lit up, a middle-aged man dressed in the attire of a thousand households of the Brocade Guard, with green hair, green beard, and green eyebrows, appeared before Chu Xisheng. It was the thousand households of the Xiu Shui Thousand Households of the Brocade Guard, Cao Xuan. Standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, he smiled as he looked at Chu Xisheng.

Chuxi Sheng glanced at Cao Xuan in surprise, then nodded expressionlessly, clasping his fists. "This humble one pays his respects to Lord Thousand House." This person was not straightforward in his actions, and Chu Xisheng did not want to deal with him. He also found it strange why Cao Xuan, a prestigious member of the Brocade Guard, would come alone to this place late at night.

"Young brother Chu, there are some matters that are not convenient to be discussed in public, so I have come to visit you late at night. I hope young brother Chu will forgive me." Cao Xuan smiled at Chu Xisheng, showing no signs of annoyance despite Chu Xisheng's tone. "Shouldn't young brother Chu invite me in for a chat? Surely you wouldn't deny Cao some tea?"

Chu Xisheng frowned at first, then relaxed. Regardless of the other party's intentions, he would handle them accordingly.