章節 30: Chapter 28: Challenge
Li Honggang?
The surname Li made Fang Wang instantly think of the Li Family behind Li Hongshuang. Could the White Garment Astonishing Swan that Li Honggang was looking for be him?
When he performed the Jinghong Divine Sword Art, he was indeed dressed in white.
Since the death of Li Hongshuang, three and a half months had passed, and Green Cicada Valley had already retreated. He hadn't expected the Li Family to track him down to this place.
The Li Family surely didn't know what he looked like.
With that thought, Fang Wang turned to the beast of the Mountain God Clan at his side and inquired about the specifics of the incident.
This beast, named Shan Xiang, had grown up alongside the Qingyi girl, treating her like a sister from their youngest days. Ever since Green Cicada Valley began slaughtering the Mountain God clan, Shan Xiang had always accompanied the Qingyi girl on her outings. This time was no exception; while they were collecting herbs, they were suddenly ambushed by Li Honggang.
A group of demons banded together, but none were a match for Li Honggang. They could only watch as he abducted the Qingyi girl.
"Why didn't he kill you all? Even if it was to spread the message, there's no need to keep everyone alive, right?" Fang Wang asked with a frown.
Shan Xiang froze, shaking his head in confusion.
Fang Wang looked at Fang Hanyu in the distance. The Qingyi girl had saved Fang Hanyu's life, and now that she was in trouble, it truly was not an option to stand by idly.
Moreover, if he allowed the Qingyi girl to remain in the hands of the Li Family, sooner or later, they would force out the location of the Fang Realm. He might as well take early action.
With that thought, Fang Wang stood up, extended his right hand toward Shan Xiang, and said, "Give me the mask."
Upon hearing this, Shan Xiang quickly handed over the fox mask to Fang Wang.
Fang Wang put it into his storage bag, then inquired about the direction to Haixia City. After Shan Xiang responded, he walked towards Fang Hanyu.
Approaching Fang Hanyu, Fang Wang repeated the situation, and although Fang Hanyu wanted to follow, Fang Wang refused him.
"This journey might be a trap. Your presence would only hinder me. Since it's the Li Family's doing, they are definitely targeting me. If they come looking after I leave, just pretend you don't know me," Fang Wang conveyed his instructions telepathically, still retaining a hint of wariness toward the Mountain God Clan.
Hearing these words, Fang Hanyu clenched his hands inside his sleeves and nodded slowly.
"Please be very careful!"
"Don't worry!"
Fang Wang patted his shoulder, then turned and walked towards the cave's entrance.
Inside the tunnel, Fang Wang took out a set of black clothes from his storage bag and changed into them, then put on a bamboo hat.
He wasn't foolish. He needed to investigate first before taking any action.
After leaving the Fang Realm, Fang Wang flew on his sword in the direction Shan Xiang had indicated and soon disappeared at the edge of heaven and earth.
...
Haixia City, located on the western border of the Grand Qi Dynasty, had been isolated from the world since the early days of the dynasty, turning it into a city frequented by cultivators.
The city was surrounded by mountains on all four sides, covering a modest ten or so square miles; a small city indeed, but with towering city walls, full of grandeur.
From time to time, cultivators would arrive on flying swords, landing in front of the southern or northern city gates, paying Spirit Stones to enter.
In a manor within the city,
The Qingyi girl was enjoying some pastries, once again wearing a white opera mask, slightly lifted to reveal just her lips, making her appear as any usual person.
"Mountain God, are you eating well?"
A voice full of breadth sounded, and a middle-aged man in a black robe stepped into the room with a dragon's stride and tiger's step, his grey hair cascading back, a square face with strong features, heavy eyebrows, piercing eyes, and three scars on his cheeks, seemingly inflicted by some wild beast's claws.
The Qingyi girl stopped immediately and pulled down her mask, huffing, "I've already told you, I don't know the White Garment Astonishing Swan, I have never even seen him. I saved the disciple of the Tai Yuan Sect simply out of pity. For this, my Mountain God clan has already paid a terrible price."
Li Honggang sat down across from her, pouring himself a glass of wine nonchalantly, and said, "Whether I recognize you or not isn't important. Your Mountain God clan can command the wild spirit demons; all I want is for you to help me pass a message. Without taking you captive, how could those demon creatures give their best effort?"
The girl in green garments remained silent for a moment, and after several breaths, she finally spoke up, "This matter has already passed for several months, all the major Sects have left, and I guess White Garment Astonishing Swan has long since departed."
"No, those Sects are competing for the Ji Hao Sect's inheritance, and my Li Family's disciples are also there. They have not found out about White Garment Astonishing Swan's whereabouts. I suspect the Tai Yuan Sect Disciple whom White Garment Astonishing Swan saved is seriously injured and needs time to heal; they must be hiding nearby," Li Honggang shook his head.
The girl in green snorted, "Your Li Family is powerful; why not mobilize all the family's disciples to search?"
"That's impossible. Li Hongshuang's joining the Demonic Sect is already a disgrace for my Li Family. The Li Family will neither make a big fuss about it nor seek revenge on Tai Yuan Sect. But Li Hongshuang is my son, from the family's perspective, if Li Hongshuang is dead, he's dead, and it's not worth pursuing. However, from a father's perspective, I must fight White Garment Astonishing Swan and settle this karmic debt!" Li Honggang said with an icy voice, a formidable presence filling the room and causing the girl in green to scarcely dare to breathe.
Silence fell in the room once again.
Li Honggang finished his wine in one gulp, then said, "I came here to tell the Mountain God not to worry. In one month, even if White Garment Astonishing Swan doesn't come, I will let you go. I have already spread the news, and if White Garment Astonishing Swan has a shred of pride, he will appear. Then, Mountain God, you can witness our decisive battle!"
With that, Li Honggang stood up and left.
The girl in green did not stand; she sat in silence.
She naturally knew who White Garment Astonishing Swan was and who had saved Fang Hanyu. However, she had not disclosed this to her clan, fearing it would bring trouble.
All she could do now was pray silently in her heart that Fang Wang would not be impulsive.
...
The setting sun dipped low.
Dressed in black clothes and wearing a bamboo hat, Fang Wang stood in front of the city gates, observing the cultivators coming and going, his mind filled with suspicion, as the city did not seem like a trap.
He approached a city guard to inquire about the entrance fee.
"Entering the city requires ten lower-grade spirit stones or twenty Spiritual Energy Elixirs," the guard replied.
In the Grand Qi Cultivation Realm, spirit stones are ranked from low to high as lower-grade, medium-grade, superior-grade, and top-grade, just like magic artifacts. The various Sects cut the spirit stones into equal weights, distributed them to their disciples, and traded with noble families, creating a currency system. The value of each grade differs by tenfold; one medium-grade spirit stone is equivalent to ten lower-grade spirit stones. As a Direct Disciple, Fang Wang received ten superior spirit stones each month, and Spiritual Energy Elixirs, standardized as a form of currency, were used for cultivation as well as to restore Spiritual Power, equivalent to spirit stones.
After paying the fee of twenty Spiritual Energy Elixirs, Fang Wang entered the city. His attire was not unusual, as most cultivators wore bamboo hats, and some even had their faces covered.
Walking on the streets, Fang Wang surveyed Haixia City's scenery. Even before he began cultivation, he had heard of the legends about Haixia City.
Among mortals, Haixia City was known as the vanishing ghost city, with various versions of the legend, almost all of which agreed that its disappearance was due to the occupation by ghosts and that any mortal encountering Haixia City was doomed to die.
So it was not a ghost city after all, just occupied by cultivators.
The shops in Haixia City were numerous, and Fang Wang finally saw some lively stalls, bustling and flourishing.
Cultivation Techniques, secret manuals, elixirs, Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, magic artifacts, talisman paper, rare treasures, and demon pets were available in abundance, even more so than the town he had visited before.
Along the way, Fang Wang frequently heard cultivators mentioning names such as Li Honggang, White Garment Astonishing Swan, and Ji Hao Sect. Soon he realized that Li Honggang had released a challenge to White Garment Astonishing Swan, wanting to fight White Garment Astonishing Swan as Li Hongshuang's father. If White Garment Astonishing Swan won, that karmic debt would be erased.
The city was lively, with many cultivators drawn to the potential clash between White Garment Astonishing Swan and Li Honggang.
From this view, it did not seem like a trap; Li Honggang was taking a forthright and honorable approach.
As Fang Wang was contemplating this, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure. He looked closely and recognized it was indeed Gu Li.
Gu Li stood in front of a busy stall, her gaze fixed on a batch of demon pet eggs. She was dressed in a tight purple gown, carrying a sword case, wearing a bamboo hat, and her face was covered with a piece of blue silk, just as Fang Wang had first seen her.
Fang Wang approached Gu Li from behind and softly said, "Miss Gu, what brings you here?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Li turned around, her beautiful eyes shining with surprise.
Fang Wang's heartstrings were stirred by her gaze; he reminded himself it must be an illusion, she only wanted to challenge him.
"Senior Brother Fang… let's talk somewhere else."
Gu Li said joyfully, before finishing her sentence, she took Fang Wang's hand and they left together.
For Fang Wang, it was the first time he had been held by a woman's hand, other than his mother's, and he was somewhat caught off guard.
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