Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Duel (Seeking Bookmarks and Recommendations)

  This Su Xia, unexpectedly is a Taoist cultivator, and her cultivation is extremely high, she is the strongest person Fang Ming has ever seen.

  Moreover, there is also a treasured guardian on his body.

  Su Xia seemed to have discovered Fang Ming's eavesdropping, yet didn't seem to notice. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she began her performance.

  Only listen to the sound of Xu Xu, like a clear spring in the high mountains, chanting:

  "What is it like for a superior person to dwell in the world, and yet be free from impurities?"

  Like the white lotus flower, in the water but not wetted by it.

  Sexual desire is like a bubble in a dream, and behavior should be pure and free from worldly defilement.

  When did you arrive? I am fully present here, body and mind.

  Alas, I am tied to the world's net and cannot stay for long.

  "Leaving thoughts with blue clouds, autumn arrives at dawn and dusk."

  The voice seemed to carry a special charm, drawing everyone in to listen unintentionally.

  With a "ding-dong" sound, Su Xia gently stroked the guqin, like a high mountain stream flowing water, flying pearls and jade, and also like a crane's long cry, a oriole singing in harmony, bringing everyone into a mysterious atmosphere.

  As the last note faded away, the lingering sound seemed to hover in the air and reverberate off the beams.

  "Good!" Wei Zhun was the first to come back to his senses, and he exclaimed: "The sound of the strings is like a sigh that stops at the throat, with a deep emotion that is a thousand times heavier. I thought the ancients were exaggerating, but it turns out that I, Wei, am ignorant and inexperienced. This melody should only exist in heaven, and it's rare to hear it in the mortal world!"

  The rest of the people were shocked and sighed in unison.

  The banquet continued, Su Xia entered as a guest and there were also singing girls and ordinary musicians who came up to perform.

  Occasionally, a talented scholar would come forward and recite poetry, with people in the elegant pavilion commenting on it.

  For a time, both host and guest were delighted.

  As time gradually approached the dead of night, the grand feast in the reception hall had already come to an end, leaving behind only a faint fragrance and shadowy figures, as if there were still the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments lingering around, recording the splendor of that moment.

  In the county government office, Su Xia had not gone to bed yet.

  She let down her hair, a maid was dressing her up. Although she was dressed as a servant girl, she was born with a beautiful quality and had a stunning appearance that surpassed others.

  The maid said: "Holy Lady, it's getting late, please rest!"

  Su Xia smiled and said, "Xiao He, I've told you before, our Taoist sect doesn't bother with such trivialities. It's better to be more carefree. Even when meeting the Emperor, a Taoist master can remain calm and composed, with an air of natural dignity. As my disciple, you shouldn't lose your composure. Besides, we still have guests to attend to, how can we rest now?"

  "Guest?" The maid called Xiaohu'er was startled, and at the same time, she smiled bitterly in her heart. The closer she got to the Holy Girl, the more she understood the inside story, and the more she revered her, how could she dare to be careless?

  "Yes, I was ordered to offer my art to the world, to inspect the dragon energy of various states. Although I tried to keep it a secret, others still found out and came to pay their respects as hosts. It's only polite!" Su Xia smiled sweetly, but her casual words made Xiao He sweat."

  "Miss... this is a secret, it's not convenient to speak out loud!" Xiao He still reminded her in a low voice.

  "Heh heh…… Xiao He, you still lack the grand and majestic aura in your bones! No wonder your Dao skills can't advance even an inch. The Dao Master ordered me to openly display my skills to the world, so I'm not afraid of other Dao sects obstructing me. And as for following orders to inspect the dragon veins of various states, what's the big deal? In the previous few states, didn't they treat us with great courtesy even when they discovered us?"

  "As I observe, the dragon energy of each state is rising, and it seems that a great chaos is not far away. The dragon energy of this Wu State is particularly strong, and it has emerged from the southern end, just waiting for the right moment!" Su Xia's face was filled with a playful smile as she teased Xiao He, but her eyes seemed to hold a hint of indifference.

  "Wu State's southern region, Linjiang Prefecture has an evil spirit causing trouble, Wenchang Prefecture also has a land god spreading rumors. These are the roots of chaos and disaster, driving King Wang out first! Only when the local area is in great turmoil will there be an opportunity for a hidden dragon to rise!" Su Xia's insight was keen, seeing through the heavenly mechanism.

  Officials' promotions have fixed rules, even if they are hidden dragons, once inside the system, they will be restricted and cannot exert themselves. Only in times of great chaos can they take advantage of the situation to rise up, establish military achievements, and quickly get promoted. Later on, when the war broke out and the original rules were broken, it was naturally possible to re-establish a system centered around hidden dragons, with absolute power and authority.

  "It's quite interesting to talk about this land god! Isn't it a special ancestral spirit? If you join our sect, you can also benefit from the immortal path!" Su Xia found that An Chang was extraordinary and centered around the land god, which sparked some interest in her.

  "Miss's intention is to recruit this spirit?" Seeing that Miss was no longer discussing the great affairs of the world, Xiaohu'er couldn't help but let out a long sigh and changed the subject by asking.

  "Hey, look at our little crane's golden face and give us a chance! If you don't listen, we'll suppress you back...". Su Xia's words were laced with a smile, teasing the little crane. But in her tone, there was an implication that my will is heaven's will, and once spoken, it becomes thunder, leaving no room for resistance.

  "Miss... you're teasing me again..." Xiaohu's face turned slightly red.

  "Let's get back to the point, with the southern part of Wu State in chaos, the hidden dragon will take advantage of the situation and emerge, occupying the south of Wu, which can fully control the strategic location of Mount Qing. At that time, relying on the pass to defend, a few thousand people can resist the attack of tens of thousands of people. With this time, we can settle down the rear, consolidate the foundation, cultivate the root and nurture the origin, and hide our energy deeply. It's really enviable! The White Cloud Temple has made a great start this time! Don't you think so, Daoist Yu Heng?"

  Su Xia's bright eyes dimmed as she gazed out of the window and spoke.

  "Hehe... I didn't expect to be known by the Saintess, it's truly an honor. Saintess, please come out and let's have a chat!" A clear voice rang out.

  "Miss?" A gray shadow flashed, and there was an extra person outside the window. He was exceptionally handsome, but dressed as a slave, holding a long sword with a faint cold glow leaking out. It was none other than the former "Romantic Swordsman" Hou Bai, who had been defeated by Su Xia and became her slave.

  "Nothing... I'll go meet this person, you all stay in your positions." The sound faded away, a white shadow flashed by, and Su Xia had already disappeared.

  A grey and a white figure flashed by, and in the blink of an eye, they arrived at a secluded place. This was a large garden, deep into the night, with no one around.

  The grey shadow stopped, and it was a young man wearing Taoist robes.

  The young man bowed his head and said: "White Cloud Temple's Jade Scale has seen Su Xia Sheng Nu!"

  He carefully looked at Su Xia who was following behind and couldn't help but sigh: "I've heard that Su Shengnu is a rare talent of the Supreme Tao, who has been cultivating for ten years and has already reached the state of being in tune with emotions. As long as she forgets her emotions, she can become a true immortal."

  "Unexpectedly, rumors still underestimated the saint's natural talent. Su Shengnu has already taken half a step into the realm of forgetting emotions and will become a true person in just a few years!"

  In his heart, he was bitterly smiling. He sent a message back to the sect, and the sect attached great importance to it, letting him put aside the matter of the land god for the time being and focus on investigating the news of the holy girl. The sect's reinforcements would arrive immediately. Unexpectedly, on the first night, he was discovered, and what's more, the other party had gotten to the bottom of things.

  "I heard that Baiyun Temple has a true successor who can open the spiritual eye, observe people's aura and fortune, it seems like you're the one!" Su Xia changed from smiling to being serious, her face solemn, her eyes indifferent.

  "Exactly, I don't know what brings the Holy Maiden here. My White Cloud Temple will also send someone to serve you and fulfill the host's duties!" This was a big lie, but it had to be said to take the initiative.

  "I've traveled the world to hone my skills, perfecting my music, and sharing it with all under heaven. I didn't intend to come here, nor did I notify your esteemed household - a slight breach of etiquette, but merely a trivial matter that can be handled by servants, no need for you to trouble yourself!" Su Xia's eyes sparkled as she returned to her usual demeanor, smiling sweetly and revealing an otherworldly charm that even Yu Heng, who had been cultivating his spirit since childhood, couldn't help but feel a slight flutter in his heart.

  "Huh……there's still a little mouse! I'll let my fellow Taoist take care of it. I have to continue my journey tomorrow, performing for the world, traveling by boat and carriage, it's really tiring! So I'll take my leave first!" Su Xia smiled again, speaking in a coquettish manner, her hand moved slightly, with a flash of light, and when she reappeared, she had transformed into someone else.

  "What a clever trick of substitution! He can even swap people, I'm no match for him!" Yu Heng sighed and said.

  He took another look at the newcomer, only to see an ordinary face, dressed as a farmer. Yu Heng knew there was something unusual about him, so he opened his spiritual eye and took a look. Suddenly, the farmer changed into a handsome young man in official attire, with red aura swirling around his body, except for the lower part which still had white aura, emitting all sorts of fluctuations that were very captivating.

  Yu Heng didn't ask politely: "Who are you? Why follow me?"

  "Hehe... didn't you come looking for me? How did it become that I'm following you?" Fang Ming smiled and asked back, but in his heart he was greatly shocked. After the banquet dispersed, he had unknowingly followed Su Xia back to the county government office. At this time, except for the county magistrate's residence, nothing could stop him anymore.

  As a result, many secrets were heard, and Yu Heng was an unexpected gain. Now it seems that Su Xia had discovered him early on, but didn't explain anything along the way. Were those words intentionally said to him?

  "So you're the Land God!" Yu Heng suddenly realized, and then asked sternly: "What are you after all? If you're an ancestral spirit, why can you still leave the altar? And why do you want to harm people's lives?"

  "I'm just a slightly unusual ancestral spirit, gifted with divine powers, able to roam within the sacrificial grounds, nothing out of the ordinary."

  "The Zhang family's affair, I can only say that humans have no intention of harming tigers, but tigers have the heart to harm humans!"

  "What a clever excuse!" Yu Heng was skeptical. His eyes darted back and forth, as if he had the intention of taking action.

  Fang Ming smiled slightly and said, "In the end, it's still about strength in this world! Coincidentally, you're a core true disciple of a major sect. Good, very good..." Looking at his opponent, whose aura was only pure red and much weaker than himself, Fang Ming thought that if this was the level of a core true disciple of a major sect, then he could be at ease.

  With a flip of his hand, a golden seal appeared, emitting ripples that shot towards Yu Heng.

  Yu Heng was shocked, his hand pinched a seal, the Taoist robe's symbol flashed and blocked the wave. However, the surrounding trees suddenly shook, and many leaves fell down.

  He pinched another tactic, recited a few more incantations, and suddenly four golden-armored gods appeared around him, dressed as fierce warriors, charging towards Fang Ming with an aura of menace.

  This... seems to be some kind of spirit, Fang Ming's eyes flashed with interest, the golden seal emitted a red light, forming a light screen, and no matter how the four generals hacked and slashed, it remained unmoving.

  Fang Ming was calm and composed, carefully observing, but he had gained some insight. These divine generals seemed to be made from fierce ghosts as raw materials, no wonder they had such ferocity. However, the Daoist sect couldn't use human energy to supplement the divine generals, only relying on their own magical powers to nourish them. It seemed to consume a lot of magical power, and after a moment, Yu Heng's face was pale, with sweat visible on his face.

  Fang Ming smiled and urged his magical powers, only to see a mighty force fall from the sky, shattering the four great divine generals into fragments. The fragments transformed into golden light and returned to Yu Heng's sleeve, causing Yu Heng's face to change color as he spat out a mouthful of blood. The shock in his heart was indescribable.

  "Unexpectedly, it can break through my mountain gate's protective charm..." Yu Heng muttered to himself. This was something his master had captured a fierce ghost with, erased its divine consciousness, and added various precious materials to refine it into this entire White Cloud Temple's treasure. This time, he brought out four defensive charms, even if they were evil spirits, they could delay for some time. He didn't think that today it would be broken through. Although as long as there was spiritual power nourishing it, it could still recover, but at this moment, it couldn't save the situation in time.

  "Alright, I'll spare you this time. If you want to argue with me again, have your sect's seniors come!" Fang Ming saw that his intimidation had achieved its purpose and left with a flourish.

  Thank you for the review from Qing Yun Zhen Ren and the rewards from book friends!