Chu Shaoqiang had brought five helpers. In the blink of an eye, both the Scrying Cultivator and the Mud Cultivator were gone, and the Poison Cultivator had vanished without a trace.
Chu Shaoqiang was still locked in combat with He Jiaqing. Facing a Thief Cultivator gave him great reservations about using his artifacts, yet he showed no panic.
Lüshui Beggar found Chu Shaoqiang's composure peculiar. Why was he so calm?
Perhaps with the Fire Cultivator and the Enfeoffment Cultivator still present, Chu Shaoqiang felt he had solid backing.
Enfeoffment Cultivator techniques were unpredictable and elusive, capable of delivering bizarre, unexpected strikes under the cover of a Fire Cultivator.
The Fire Cultivator could keep Lüshui Beggar's lesions in check. So long as the lesions were alive, closing the distance was virtually impossible.
Yet anyone who believed Lüshui Beggar relied solely on lesions to harm people grossly underestimated the founder of the Disease Cultivators.
To earn such renown in Puluo Province and hold dominion over its largest city, Lüshui Beggar possessed methods far beyond that.
Watching the raging flames surge toward him, Lüshui Beggar twitched his nose and sneezed twice in rapid succession.
Following the sneezes, a fierce gale abruptly swept in, scattering most of the blaze created by the Fire Cultivator.
The Fire Cultivator was not surprised by Lüshui Beggar's defensive tactic. He continued spewing flames, creating an opening for the Enfeoffment Cultivator to launch an ambush.
Suddenly, smoke began to pour from Lüshui Beggar's body. His temperature skyrocketed, instantly boiling away all the pus, sweat, and tears on his skin.
His flesh flushed red like a branding iron straight from the forge. The tattered rags clinging to him caught fire and turned to ash in an instant.
Burning with a searing fever, Lüshui Beggar charged directly at the Fire Cultivator.
The Fire Cultivator hastily hurled flames to repel him, baffled by the beggar's logic. If he wanted to force his way through the flames into melee range, he should have lowered his body temperature—ideally freezing a layer of ice over himself.
What was the point of scorching himself like this?
Amidst the roaring inferno, Lüshui Beggar neither parried nor dodged. Even his stride did not alter in the slightest.
Only when Lüshui Beggar closed the distance did the Fire Cultivator understand his intent.
Lü Huazi had altered his own physiological state. By damaging his body and driving it into a high fever, he conditioned himself from the inside out to endure the extreme heat, allowing him to fight unhindered within the fire.
How could this beggar's methods be so insane?
The Fire Cultivator concentrated his power to strike at Lüshui Beggar's vulnerable spots, targeting his eyes first.
Under the blistering heat, Lüshui Beggar's pupils gleamed like fired porcelain, crystal clear and radiant.
His vision was completely unaffected. Reaching out toward the Fire Cultivator's throat, he snatched a cluster of flames with a single rip.
*Not good!*
*A fire seed!*
The Fire Cultivator blanched in terror, stumbling backward.
Every technique of a Fire Cultivator originated from the fire seeds within their body. Each tier of cultivation granted an additional seed; a tenth-tier Fire Cultivator possessed exactly ten.
Fire seeds were a Fire Cultivator's lifeline. Once a seed was extinguished, reigniting it could take days or even months.
Extinguishing fire seeds was the most effective way to deal with Fire Cultivators, but getting close to one was exceedingly difficult. The standard strategy was to engage from a distance and look for an opportunity to strike at the seeds.
Who could have guessed that Lü Huazi would sacrifice his own flesh to force his way in?
Now that the fire seed at his throat had been snuffed out by Lüshui Beggar, before the Fire Cultivator could react, Lüshui Beggar clawed at his forehead and ripped out another cluster of flames.
A second fire seed was extinguished.
The Fire Cultivator fell into a panic, unsure whether to attack or defend.
The Enfeoffment Cultivator grabbed a handful of mud from the ground and hurled it toward Lüshui Beggar.
This handful of mud could help Lüshui Beggar cool down. Regardless of how much help it actually provided, an act of assistance was still assistance—and once aid was rendered, he could demand compensation from Lüshui Beggar.
Yet the flames burned too hot. Midway through the air, the mud was baked into dry ash, and Lüshui Beggar dodged it with ease.
The Enfeoffment Cultivator shielded another lump of mud in his palm, preparing to rush forward and smear it onto Lüshui Beggar.
It was perilous, but he chose to gamble.
First, Lüshui Beggar was engulfed in flames, which meant the lesions on him were surely burned away, so getting close carried no risk of infection.
Second, if he succeeded in smearing it on Lüshui Beggar, the reward was self-evident. Pinning Lüshui Beggar under these circumstances and coordinating with the Fire Cultivator would give them a chance to take his life.
Lacking Lüshui Beggar's resilience, the Enfeoffment Cultivator suffered immensely braving the blaze to close in, his body covered head to toe in burns.
Just as he was about to slap the mud onto his target, He Jiaqing suddenly materialized beside him and splashed a sheet of water over him.
*How did He Jiaqing get over here?*
*Wasn't he fighting Chu Shaoqiang?*
Chu Shaoqiang was currently rushing in their direction. He Jiaqing had broken away from their fight so abruptly and moved with such speed that Chu Shaoqiang had failed to keep up.
*Where did He Jiaqing get the water?*
He had used a Water Cultivator technique.
For a Thief Cultivator, knowing a Water Cultivator technique was hardly unheard of, but the Enfeoffment Cultivator could not understand why He Jiaqing would splash water on him.
What happened next exceeded the Enfeoffment Cultivator's wildest nightmares.
He Jiaqing said, "You took my water, so you must obey my word. Stand there and do not move."
The Enfeoffment Cultivator froze.
He Jiaqing knew Enfeoffment Cultivator techniques!
Lü Huazi whipped around, grabbed the Enfeoffment Cultivator by the crown of his skull, and with a twist of his wrist, ripped his head clean off before tearing the headless corpse into several pieces.
The Fire Cultivator tried to step in to help, but He Jiaqing used the Dripping Water Pierces Stone technique to extinguish six of his fire seeds in rapid succession.
The Fire Cultivator froze, petrified.
Out of ten fire seeds, Lüshui Beggar had extinguished two and He Jiaqing six, leaving him with only two. Most of his techniques were unusable; he could not even manifest flames anymore.
By the time Chu Shaoqiang arrived, Lü Huazi's temperature had already returned to normal, his lesions flourishing anew. He seeded the Fire Cultivator from head to toe with festering ulcers.
The Fire Cultivator was beyond saving. In mere moments, he melted into a puddle of putrid minced flesh.
All five helpers had been annihilated.
Chu Shaoqiang remained remarkably calm, showing no intention of fleeing.
Lüshui Beggar looked at him and said, "We've shared some history, you and I. Go on. I'll grant you a path of survival."
Hearing this, Critick grew anxious.
*Why is the Patriarch going soft?*
*Why bring up old acquaintance now?*
*Hasn't Lüshui Beggar always wanted Chu Shaoqiang dead?*
His mind raced, and pieces quickly fell into place.
Lüshui Beggar did want Chu Shaoqiang dead.
However, he wanted Moxiangdian even more.
Scorching himself like that had cost him significant combat strength. Beyond the physical toll, his lesions could not fully regenerate in the short term.
He wanted to preserve his strength to deal with Murong Gui and Ge Junma, which was why he decided to let Chu Shaoqiang go for now.
Critick admired the Patriarch's shrewdness, but why did he covet Moxiangdian?
Moxiangdian did not border Lüshuiwan, and in terms of vitality and crowds, it could not compare to Lüshuiwan either.
Could it really be to leave He Jiaqing some capital? Would the Patriarch truly be that kindhearted?
The reason was impossible to guess, nor did Critick particularly care. What truly concerned him was the battle at hand. If both sides ceased fighting, sending the Patriarch on his final journey would become far harder, making it impossible to fish in troubled waters.
Just as Critick was lamenting the outcome, Chu Shaoqiang showed no intention of leaving.
He turned his gaze toward He Jiaqing and smiled faintly. "You possess Water Cultivator techniques as well as Enfeoffment Cultivator techniques. Seeing how boldly you stepped in front of a Fire Cultivator just now, I imagine you know a few Fire Cultivator techniques as well."
He Jiaqing nodded. "You have sharp eyes, Uncle Qiang. But there's no need to dwell on it. By tomorrow, there's no telling which pathway's techniques I'll know."
"No need to wait until tomorrow. We settle things today."
As the words fell, the character *Yin*—"Conceal"—surfaced behind Chu Shaoqiang.
When the character faded, a middle-aged man clad in a deep blue robe, holding a folding fan, emerged slowly from the night.
Lüshui Beggar's cheek twitched slightly. He recognized this man.
He Jiaqing recognized him even better. The man was He Caiyuan, He Haiqin's father, He Jiaqing's grandfather, and the founder of the He family's enterprise.
He Caiyuan had been dead for ten years. In He Jiaqing's memory, He Caiyuan had died an eighth-tier Literary Cultivator. He never imagined his grandfather would appear before him today.
"Grandfather, you..." He Jiaqing was at a loss for words.
He Caiyuan smiled. "Jiaqing, well done. With such a capable young man in our family, I can rest easy."
"Thank you for the praise," He Jiaqing could only reply.
He Caiyuan waved his hand. "It isn't praise, just the honest truth. At your age, my cultivation was nowhere near yours. I've been watching from the side the entire time and took note of quite a few of your methods. Scheming against one's own descendant feels rather unsightly, I admit. But the new waves push the old forward, and plenty of old fellows like me have fallen at the hands of the younger generation. Some precautions simply cannot be neglected."
No wonder Chu Shaoqiang had been so composed—he had a formidable figure backing him.
The five tenth-tier cultivators he brought had merely been thrown away as fodder: first to wear down Lüshui Beggar and He Jiaqing, and second to allow He Caiyuan to devise a battle strategy.
Lüshui Beggar gritted his teeth. "Old bastard, your skin is as thick as ever."
He Caiyuan frowned slightly. "Lü Huazi, our business can wait. Allow me to finish speaking to my family first. Jiaqing, you were the one who sent Haiqin to the Holy Land, weren't you?"
The Holy Land—that was what some people called the Inner States.
He Jiaqing did not answer.
He Caiyuan smiled. "You don't need to be afraid. You did nothing wrong. Once one's cultivation reaches that level, one should cultivate in the Holy Land; that is the proper path. Haiqin suffered some hardship before, but his temperament has improved considerably. Relying on this old face of mine, I secured him a respectable post. Before long, Haiqin's cultivation will reach above the clouds. As for whether he wishes to return and serve as a local spirit or remain in the Holy Land to continue his duties, we can decide that later."
It was not hard to discern from these words that He Caiyuan held some status in the Inner States, perhaps even higher than Chu Shaoqiang's.
He Caiyuan opened his folding fan, fluttered it several times, and then let his smile fade. He addressed He Jiaqing, "However, there are certain things you did wrong. You should never have waded into muddy waters like today's. Young as you are, with such formidable cultivation, your focus should be on our family's affairs. Yuxiu is not cut out to be the head of the household. Take your grandfather's advice and head back at once."
He Jiaqing remained rooted in place, unmoving. He Caiyuan snapped his fan shut.
"When your elders give you advice, you must heed it!"
The character *Ting*—"Listen"—manifested in the night sky and shot rapidly toward He Jiaqing.
He Jiaqing dodged with all his might. The character burst beside him, triggering his Scrying Cultivator technique, and his sole remaining ear rang violently without stop.
Ulcers swelled across Lüshui Beggar's body as he readied himself for a fight to the death.
With a darkened expression, He Caiyuan looked at Lüshui Beggar and said, "As for you, I'll point out a path to live. If you still wish to keep your life, crawl back to Lüshui City, surrender the covenant deed without delay, and go to the Holy Land to beg for forgiveness."
Chapter 451