"Who's there?! Come out!"
Beside a mountain ravine, a man and a woman stood confronting each other across the chasm.
The man was dressed like a mortal roaming swordsman, wearing a conical bamboo hat, yet the sword in his hand was clearly a magic tool. It was azure throughout, rippling ceaselessly with a dim, watery sheen.
The woman, on the other hand, was pretty and enchanting, holding a palm-sized bronze mirror in her hand. She stared vigilantly at the opposite bank, looking somewhat delicate and pitiable.
Almost simultaneously, the two looked up and fixed their gazes on the same spot upstream along the ravine. The woman let out a cry of surprise.
Along the bank of the ravine, a rustling arose in the tall grass. A moment later, Qin Sang walked out from within. Without a trace of embarrassment at having been discovered, he gave the woman a composed nod.
This woman turned out to be a fellow disciple from the Kuiyin Sect, a senior martial sister named Shen Jing. Like Qin Sang, she was at the sixth layer of the Qi Refinement stage. Although they had never spoken, they had seen each other once when Martial Uncle Yue was expounding the teachings.
However, Qin Sang did not reveal himself because of Shen Jing's identity.
In truth, Qin Sang was also rather helpless. The Cloudfall Wings were, after all, a top-grade magic tool and consumed a great deal of spiritual power. They could not be maintained indefinitely; otherwise, with his cultivation level, he would never have lasted long.
He had been cautious enough: after traveling a certain distance, he would find a mountain peak to survey the surroundings, and then use the Cloud Escape Technique to hurry on his way. Yet he had never expected two people to be concealed in this inconspicuous mountain ravine.
Ancient trees towered on both sides of the ravine, veiling the interior completely. When Qin Sang first discovered them, he had felt both surprised and delighted. He had immediately moved to activate the Cloudfall Wings and conceal himself, naturally intending to play the fisherman and reap the spoils of their battle.
Unfortunately, it was too late. Shen Jing and the man were on the verge of a life-and-death struggle, their minds stretched taut to the extreme. Not the slightest rustle or stir in the surroundings could escape their eyes. The Cloud Escape Technique was merely an ordinary escape art, after all, and rather superficial. It fared well enough from afar, but at such close proximity, it was easily penetrated.
Qin Sang simply stopped hiding and boldly strode out into the open.
Seeing that it was Qin Sang, Shen Jing's eyes lit up, and the vigilance on her face instantly turned into joyful surprise. She called out tenderly, "Junior Brother Qin!"
"Senior Sister Shen," Qin Sang replied, then fixed his gaze on the conical-hatted man across the ravine.
Hearing how Qin Sang and Shen Jing addressed each other, the conical-hatted man's already grim expression darkened so much it could practically drip water. His hand gripping the sword tightened unconsciously, and his eyes darted about, seemingly assessing in which direction he might flee.
"Junior Brother Qin, this is wonderful! We actually ended up in the same area." In her joy and excitement, Shen Jing's gaze shimmered like water, making her appear all the more captivating.
"Senior Sister Shen, there will be time to catch up after we deal with the trouble before us."
Before his words fully faded, Qin Sang's figure flashed, cutting off the conical-hatted man's retreat.
Had he been in that man's shoes, his first thought in this situation would also have been to flee.
There was no reason to let slip a jade plaque right before his eyes. As for how to divide it, they could discuss that once it was in hand.
Only then did Shen Jing realize what needed to be done. She said hurriedly, "Right, right, right... Good thing you arrived, Junior Brother Qin, or Senior Sister would have had very little chance of surviving today. Be careful, Junior Brother Qin—this man's swordsmanship is very bizarre."
With that, Shen Jing raised the bronze mirror in her hand and pointed it toward the conical-hatted man from afar.
Just then, the conical-hatted man spoke in a raspy voice, "If I hand over the jade plaque to you, can you let me go?"
Qin Sang did not answer. If this man had been sensible, it might have been open to discussion, but the moment Qin Sang appeared, Shen Jing had foolishly blurted out their relationship. Under no circumstances could they let this man leave alive now.
Shen Jing glared angrily at the conical-hatted man, clearly refusing to agree as well.
The conical-hatted man sneered, "And may I ask how you two plan to divide this jade plaque of mine?"
"I don't want it!"
Before Qin Sang could speak, Shen Jing suddenly declared loudly, "Junior Brother Qin, if not for you, I would have lost my life today! Everything is yours; I won't take a single thing."
This response caught Qin Sang quite off guard. He cast a strange glance at Shen Jing, wondering if he had overthought things earlier. After all, among immortal cultivators, there were people like Immortal Master Han who repaid favors and kept their word at any cost, as well as men like the Tan brothers who loathed evil as a deadly foe.
Since Shen Jing voluntarily relinquished the spoils, Qin Sang naturally had no objections.
Two against one, it took little effort. The conical-hatted man was gravely wounded by Qin Sang's Gui Water Yin Thunder Incantation, and then beheaded with a single saber slash.
Qin Sang did not even need to use the Purple Soul Bell.
Lifting the conical-hatted man's mustard seed bag and long sword with the tip of his saber, Qin Sang looked up at Shen Jing and praised, "Senior Sister Shen, your precious mirror is truly formidable."
During the clash just now, the conical-hatted man had chosen Shen Jing when trying to break through since he did not know Qin Sang's capabilities. Yet he was firmly tangled by Shen Jing and her bronze mirror.
Whenever the conical-hatted man thrust out his sword, Shen Jing's bronze mirror would cast a golden ring of light, blocking him dead in his tracks. This allowed Qin Sang to prepare his incantation without worry. By the time the man came to his senses and tried to counterattack Qin Sang, it was already too late.
Qin Sang remembered that this bronze mirror was Shen Jing's reward at the Sect Master's cave dwelling. A top-grade magic tool was truly remarkable.
"Junior Brother Qin flatters me."
A hint of bashfulness flitted across Shen Jing's eyes and brows.
As though the battle just now had taken too much out of her, Shen Jing's breathing was slightly ragged. Her cheeks were flushed, and sweat on her forehead had dampened her bangs. She hooked a slender, scallion-white index finger to brush them aside, parted her vermilion lips, and said softly, "If not for Junior Brother Qin's assistance, no matter how sturdy this mirror is, he would have ground me down sooner or later. It is your Gui Water Yin Thunder Incantation that is far more fearsome, Junior Brother."
As she spoke, Shen Jing naturally moved to walk over toward Qin Sang.
"Hold it right there, Senior Sister Shen!"
Qin Sang's figure suddenly surged backward, opening up a distance between them. He said indifferently, "It is better if we keep some distance between us."
Shen Jing was stunned, her face full of grievance. "Junior Brother Qin, what is the meaning of this? I haven't taken a single thing of his—is that still not enough to prove my sincerity? Do you still not trust me?"
Qin Sang cupped his hands. "It is not that I do not trust you, Senior Sister Shen. It is just that the Ascension Assembly is too cruel, and I have no choice. Please forgive me, Senior Sister Shen."
"Junior Brother Qin, you mean... you don't intend to join forces with me?"
Shen Jing looked at him in disbelief. "Have you forgotten Martial Uncle Yue's instructions? Aren't you afraid of punishment from the sect?"
Qin Sang smiled faintly. "As long as I can enter the Yuanzhao Sect and complete the sect's mission, why would Martial Uncle Yue punish me over such a trivial matter?"
"Your words make sense, Junior Brother Qin."
Shen Jing fell silent, yet remained deeply unwilling. She murmured mournfully, "But... Junior Brother Qin, don't you realize how difficult it is to snatch a jade plaque? After being inside for so long, I have only managed to seize one until now, and that exhausted all the talismans I had saved up during my years as a rogue cultivator. If not for this precious mirror, what you would be looking at right now would be my corpse! Five of our fellow disciples have broken through to the seventh layer of the Qi Refinement stage, and there are seventh-layer experts among those rogue cultivators as well. With our cultivation levels, how could we possibly compete against them?"
Chapter 74