Chapter 1: Li Kui Kills Li Gui

  On the eve of Mid-Autumn Festival on August 14th, the moonlight is like water, and the night color is hazy.

  Zhongzhou, Shijiazhuang, a small village with over 100 households, should be sleeping peacefully on this quiet night.

  But for some reason, it was a festive scene at this time, with every household hanging lanterns and decorating with colorful streamers, the lights shining brightly.

  Both adults and children put on new clothes, and pasted couplets such as "Welcome the great master Xian Shi", "Ling Xiao Zong is evergreen for ten thousand years", "Ling Xiao Xian Shi's magical powers are boundless, his law is infinite" on the door frame.

  Even more people with foreign accents, also holding such banners, rushed to this small Shijiazhuang village with their children, packing it so tightly that it was almost impossible to get through, and at one point nearly 10,000 people were packed in.

  They all looked up and waited, gazing at the distant Ling Xiao Peak that pierced into the clouds, waiting for the moment when dawn broke.

  At this time, more than ten miles away from Shijiazhuang Village, on a strange and steep rocky mountain, there was a small black shadow climbing along the rugged ridge.

  The bright moonlight shone on him, and his round face was covered in sweat. A pair of dark, shining eyes gazed intently ahead, revealing a boy of twelve or thirteen years old.

  He wore a coarse linen shirt, with patches sewn all over the collar and cuffs, his hands and feet were scratched and bleeding from the rough mountain rocks, but he carried a huge bundle on his back, which made his small body lean to one side.

  Suddenly he slipped under his feet, and the whole person rolled down along the steep mountain ridge. The boy shouted and desperately stretched out to grab.

  Finally, at a critical moment on the cliff, I grabbed a protruding rock with my hand, and my whole body was suspended in mid-air like a falling leaf in the wind, swaying back and forth.

  The young man was so frightened that his heart was racing, but the bundle on his back was torn by the sharp rocks, a new suit and a pair of new shoes fell into the cliff, followed by a loud clanging sound, a large pile of pots and pans rolled out.

  "Ah yo!" The young man exclaimed and quickly covered it with his other hand. The bulging package had shrunk by more than half.

  "My treasure!" He gazed painfully at the rolling and falling pots and pans, anxious to the point of tears.

  That large iron pot is nearly new, made by the Mao family's blacksmith shop, with excellent quality, never sticking when stir-frying; The gourd ladle is a product of Wang's Ladle Shop, big and round, just about to replace the rotten one that has been used at home for eight years... In short, they are all treasures obtained through begging from left and right neighbors over three years! Now, the gifts for mother and sister will be much less.

  Regretfully, I felt around the bundle and found that the one string of copper coins was still there. I couldn't help but let out a long sigh of relief, "Luckily the money is still here, this is mother's and sister's living expenses for a whole year!" I stuck out my tongue and smiled wryly: "Things can be lost and then bought again, but if people were to... Ugh! I really have a bad mouth..."

  The young man's name was Shi Dong, and due to his family's poverty, he had been working as an apprentice at a teahouse in the nearby town of Sui Shui. This time, he returned home after hearing news that the great immortal sect, Ling Xiao Sect, would be opening its mountain gates on the Mid-Autumn Festival of August 15th to widely recruit disciples.

  He then asked the teahouse owner for a day off, took all the odds and ends he had accumulated over time, as well as his wages saved from frugal living, and rushed back home excitedly overnight.

  For a poor boy like him, if he can be chosen by the immortal master, from then on, he will turn over a new leaf, not only will he have no worries about food and drink, but also learn a skill, and even his family will benefit, it is true that - one person achieves success, and the whole family prospers.

  So upon hearing such good news, he was determined to take a chance and gamble on his luck. He climbed Stone Mountain at night, taking a shortcut in an attempt to return before dawn.

  Who would have thought that climbing the mountain was so treacherous, almost falling off a cliff, it really scared him to the point of breaking out in cold sweat.

  Shi Dong gritted his teeth, summoning all his strength to climb up the mountain ridge. First, he retied the torn bundle, then wiped the sweat from his sleeve and looked out towards Shi Jia Village.

  A faintly bright fish belly white has emerged in the east, casting a layer of hazy white light on the stone village that was lit up like a lantern, making it seem like a dreamy and illusory fairyland.

  Looking at the beautiful Shijiazhuang, Shi Dong's eyes were slightly moist. It had been three years and he was finally going home.

  He took a deep breath and clenched his fist: "There's still an hour before dawn, add a bit more strength, we'll definitely make it!"

  He cautiously ran along the mountain ridge, and just as he turned over the mountain ridge and walked up a quiet mountain road, he suddenly saw a group of people vaguely walking up from the foot of the mountain.

  Shi Dong's heart skipped a beat, and the words "mountain bandits" flashed through his mind. He quickly hid behind a boulder.

  "Come out, little guy, we've already spotted you!" a voice coldly rang out from among that group of people.

  He held his breath and remained still, but quietly picked up a stone, his eyes fixed intently on the approaching group. What struck him as strange was that faint sobbing sounds seemed to be coming from within the crowd.

  "Drop the stone, it's useless to me." The voice said again.

  Shi Dong was so frightened that his scalp exploded, and he didn't know how the man saw that he was holding a stone in his hand. Just as he was stunned, those people had already arrived beside him.

  A soft whooshing sound was heard, and a cluster of bright green flames burst forth.

  By the firelight, Shi Dong saw clearly that in front of him were a man and a woman, both wearing green robes, with their feet treading on black clouds. Behind them followed more than twenty young men and women, all sitting cross-legged on the black clouds.

  They hung their heads as if they were asleep, but they still made a faint whimpering sound, which was eerie and frightening.

  The man in the blue robe smiled and said, "Little guy, come with us! We are the immortal masters of Ling Xiao Sect. This time we have descended the mountain to select disciples. Seeing that you have a rare talent and exceptional qualifications, you are exactly what we need - an excellent disciple. Hehehe..."

  The laughter was cold and dry, with a faint metallic ring to it.

  As soon as the stone moved, I felt a daze in my mind, and I couldn't help but think of following him. But another voice in my heart shouted loudly: "No, no, how could Ling Xuan Xian Shi happen to appear here? How can he see that my qualifications are superior at a glance?"

  He subconsciously raised his eyes to take a look at the face of the green-robed guest, only to see that the emerald flame was jumping on his fingertips, casting a pale and gloomy light on his face, with a prominent black mole between his eyebrows, which was quite frightening.

  Looking at those eyes again, they shine brightly, as if they want to capture one's soul.

  Shi Dong's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly bit his tongue with his teeth. The pain made him clear-headed for a moment, and he took the opportunity to open his eyes slightly.

  He looked down at the Shi family village below the mountain and saw that there were twinkling lights moving, with many people rushing towards him with lanterns and torches.

  "This is bad, these two people are suspicious, there must be a sudden change in the village!" Shi Dong subconsciously took a step back.

  "Huh?" The man in green robes was somewhat surprised, seemingly taken aback by Shi Dong's reaction. His eyes flashed with anger for a moment before he let out a cold snort.

  Shi Dong's mind turned extremely fast, knowing that the other party had already started to suspect. No matter who they were, deceiving himself into following them would definitely not end well. But if he didn't follow, looking at their sinister appearance, he feared for his own life...

  With a thud, Shi Dong knelt down on the ground, his face filled with extreme joy, and respectfully said: "Greetings, Master Xian. I...I've long heard that the Master of Ling Xiang Sect is incredibly powerful, even more so than the big bull in our village." As he spoke, his eyes rolled around frantically, thinking of a way to escape.

  "Hum! Nonsense! What's a big cow?"

  "That's just how big and powerful the ox is! It eats three catties of fodder in one meal, and has the strength to plow two mu of land with a single breath." Shi Dong blinked his small eyes, pretending to be stupid and foolish, hoping to delay time until the villagers rushed up the mountain, at which point he would have a chance to escape.

  The man in the green robe heard that he was cursing and scolding, his face suddenly sank, "You child, nonsense, come with us quickly!" He was about to reach out and grab him.

  Shi Dongyi hastily called out, "Wait, Master Xian! I've long wanted to become your disciple, but..."

  "Hmm! What is it?"

  "It's just that Xiaoyi has been away from home for many years and hasn't seen his family yet, so... why not let him pay his respects to his family first, then follow Master Xianshi afterwards? Is that okay?" Shi Dong looked up with an excited and devout glint in his black eyes, his attitude sincere enough to leave no room for doubt.

  This is Shi Dong's skill honed from years of entertaining guests at the tea house, where the sweeter the smile, the harsher the curse in his heart.

  As expected, Shi Dong cursed loudly in his heart: "Damn it, where did this green turtle come from? How dare you cheat me! I'll kneel down to you and make you lose ten years of your life! Humph!" However, quietly, the stones in his right hand were all sweaty, and his two legs were ready to run away at any time.

  "Hahaha......" The man in the green robe laughed loudly, turning his head to his companion behind him and saying: "Junior sister, this little devil is so clever, playing tricks on me. Don't you think it's interesting?"

  A low sigh came from behind the green-robed guest's companion.

  "Come here! You little stinker!" The guest in the green robe spread his five fingers and reached out to grab Shi Dong.

  Seeing this grab speed was extremely fast, Shi Dong couldn't dodge in time. Suddenly, a loud shout came from behind him: "Halt!"

  Hiss——

  A sharp white light burst forth, the guest in green robes raised his hand to block it, and with a loud crash, the white light suddenly changed direction and shot into the midst of the cross-legged youth.

  With a few pops, the head of a young man was cut off halfway, and two other young men had their arms and legs severed instantly, with brain matter and blood splashing everywhere.

  Shi Dong felt a sudden rush of heat and a strong smell of blood as he stood too close, scaring him to the point where his heart almost stopped beating.

  Wooooo...

  That white light spun in mid-air, fell back to a dozen or so feet away, and was caught by a Taoist priest. It transformed into a sharp sword with swirling white light on its surface, seemingly imbued with spiritual energy.

  Beside him stood four or five Taoist priests, each with a face full of anger, holding such sharp swords in their hands, and stepping on auspicious clouds, floating in mid-air.

  "Stop! You wicked demon of the Demon Gate, how dare you come to the territory of Ling Xiao Sect and kidnap people? And still impersonate and tarnish the reputation of our sect! Quickly surrender, lest Master Dao cut off your head with one sword, and let you..."

  "Nonsense!" The guest in the green robe raised his bloody right hand, took a glance, and suddenly a black small flag appeared in his hand. A strange atmosphere immediately spread out around him.

  Shi Dong suddenly felt a sense of inexplicable terror, as if once that small flag was waved, he would never be able to escape again.

  It's clear at a glance that these two men in green robes are from the Demon Slashing Sect, and they are sworn enemies of the Ling Xiao Sect.

  The Demon Gate is...

  Shi Dong recalled the terrifying legend he had heard since childhood, and couldn't help but shiver with fear. He suddenly jumped up and recklessly used the stone in his hand to smash towards the small flag of the man in green robe.

  Pfft!

  The stone touched the small flag and immediately turned into powder, and the stone rolled over and ran away.

  The man in the green robe's face was filled with rage, and he bellowed: "All of you, die!"

  A chilling wail rose, and a black hole split open on the small flag. Countless ghostly shadows surged out in a frantic scramble, like a flood sweeping towards those Ling Xiao Sect cultivators.

  The Ling Xiao Sect cultivators all showed terrified faces, releasing flying swords to defend themselves while shouting: "Not good! This is a fierce ghost flag! He... he's not an ordinary foundation stage cultivator... Ah! Ah! Run quickly..."

  The ghosts danced wildly, swirling around them and making a loud, ear-piercing "ka-ka" sound as they frantically bit and gnawed.

  Just a moment ago, the Ling Xiao Sect cultivators who were still quite majestic, fled in disarray. Two of them fell behind and were swarmed by ghostly shadows, screaming and wailing as they were gnawed at, and in an instant turned into two white skeletons. In another blink of an eye, even their bones were gnawed clean.

  Shi Dong saw all of this, ran out more than ten steps and was frightened stiff on the ground, his whole body as if frozen, in his heart there was only one voice: "It's over, it's all over! Mom... sister..."

  Tears welled up in his eyes, and through a haze he gazed towards Shijiazhuang Village, as if seeing his little sister supporting their frail mother with her tender shoulders, the two of them huddled together at the village entrance, yearning, yearning...

  The man in blue robe walked up with a sinister smile, and with a wave of his hand, the gloomy green flame disappeared into Shi Dong's forehead.

  He only felt a dizziness in his mind, and fell to the ground, being caught by the green-robed guest, thrown onto his back, and immediately took off into the air with a group of young men.

  The bundle on Shi's back burst open on the stone mountain, and hundreds of thousands of copper coins splashed everywhere, bouncing and spinning on the rocks, each one shining brightly in the rising morning light.

  Like the stone moving in the heart, that eternal and unextinguished hope —

  "Mom, little sister, I'll definitely be back!"