Day and night tour

Chapter 400 Killing Without Fighting
The river surface was surging with towering waves, and within its terrifying aura, it seemed as if divine dragons and demonic tigers were lurking.

Those pleasure boats closer to the surging waves, enveloped in the imposing aura of dragons and tigers, felt as if the waves were a torrential downpour, threatening to overturn the massive boats onto the river.

However, those boats were ultimately just rocking back and forth, and the rocking wasn't particularly violent.

On ordinary days, when it is rainy, the river waves are stronger and the boats are rocked more violently than they are now.

He had a lot of presence, but his strength was not impressive. Li Shanzu was just a paper tiger.

Many people on the river thought so, but Li Zougui didn't.

Li Zougui was a night-time practitioner with eight sticks of incense burning in his temple. He had a keen eye for cultivation and was a discerning disciple of the temple.

He knew that in the use of incense and other techniques in the temple, it was easy to create towering waves, but it was only when the waves were huge yet surprisingly small that true skill could be demonstrated.

Releasing power is far easier than gathering it.

The former only requires sufficient skill in using incense, while the latter requires an extremely precise and masterful control over the power of incense.

"The Mountain Ancestor, who is above nine incense sticks in height, can control the wind and water with such skill that it is truly wondrous?"

Li Zougui felt a cold sweat break out on his back, and his feet felt like they were planted on nails; he dared not move an inch.

but,

When Li Zougui already believed that Li Changxun's move had "stirred up a monstrous wave" and was undeniably a method surpassing nine incense sticks,
Li Changxun's "eye-catching bag" wasn't quite as fun as he'd hoped.

The towering waves were gradually shrunk under the pressure of a gust of wind.

The wave, which was tens of feet high, was first compressed to a few feet high, then five feet... three feet... one foot.

Just when Li Zougui thought that one zhang was the limit of compression, the wind continued to surge in, and the waves were suppressed to two chi... one chi... five cun... three cun... one cun...

This exquisite condensation technique was so masterful that even the most clueless onlookers on the river could grasp Li Shanzu's unparalleled "incense control."

"The level of control demonstrated by this technique is truly terrifying."

"That's more than nine incense sticks! How many nine incense sticks are there in the human world? We've definitely come to the right place for this excitement."

"Being able to witness the power of Nine Incense Sticks is of great benefit to our cultivation."

The pleasure boat was filled with the sounds of discussion.
At this moment, the giant wave had been compressed to the point where it could not be compressed any further. The wave, which was tens of feet high, was compressed into a crystal-clear droplet.

Li Changxun, in Pingshui Prefecture, stirred up a swift wind that swept across the two prefectures, finally condensing into a drop of water.

Under the sunlight, the water droplet refracted an orange-red hue and hung quietly in the air, like a gemstone.

The people on dozens of pleasure boats all focused their attention on the drop of water. They had no idea what Li Changxun was going to do with it.

"What are we doing? Murder, of course!"

"The secret arts of incense burning are always techniques for killing. If you don't want to kill, you might as well go to the street, rent a piece of land, sell some acrobatics, and scam some tips to spend."

Li Changxun in Mingjiang Prefecture sneered repeatedly, and when he opened his mouth, a gust of wind blew out.

This gust of wind seemed to affect the water droplets in Jingchuan Prefecture, a thousand miles away.

The water droplet, affected by the wind, suddenly moved. Its speed increased inexplicably, and it streaked through the air in an orange-red arc before rushing towards the riverbank.

"Puff puff!"

Wherever the water droplets passed, they were indestructible, and their speed was so rapid that they were almost impossible to dodge. In an instant, a dozen or so small blood-red flowers sprouted on the riverbank.

There is clearly a sequence to murder.
However, because the water droplets were too fast, those disciples of Mr. Ye whose foreheads were pierced by the water droplets all bloomed with blood at the same time, as if they were being attacked simultaneously.

"Back off! Back off! Back off quickly!"

Li Zougui turned his head and shouted at Mr. Kui on the riverbank.

Mr. Kui stood motionless, his eyes glazed over. Only after Li Zougui shouted three times did he collapse, dark blood gushing from the hole between his eyebrows.

The water droplet traveled too fast, passing through his brain and taking his life, but his body didn't have time to fall down. He only collapsed now that he had recovered.

Twelve others fell at the same time as him.

The "Thirteen Hours" of Mr. Ye's gang was extremely famous in Jingchuan Prefecture, but he was killed in an instant by a drop of water in front of dozens of painted boats and thousands of people in Jingchuan Prefecture.

The drop of water that killed thirteen disciples pierced through thirteen skulls, yet it did not lose a single trace of its gemstone luster.
It remained like a gemstone, flying above Zhou Xuan's head and hovering there. Its constantly shifting orange-red luster resembled a human eye, staring at Li Zougui not far away.

The water droplet was filled with murderous intent, but made no further offensive moves.

At this moment, Li Changxun's voice also came from the clouds.

"If I were to stir up a storm and kill your Master Ye's disciple, it would not demonstrate my abilities as Li Shanzu."

"I used a drop of water to take the head of a man from Thirteen Hours' worth of life. Master Li, is this method acceptable to you?"

Although Li Changxun is considered a disgrace to the gods, he is still of god-like status.

Within the Kingdom of Jing, even the weakest among those above nine incense sticks in incense sticks is still above nine incense sticks in ...

This drop of water landed on Zhou Xuan's head, but it gave Li Zougui a headache.

When Mr. Bai Liu tried to dissuade him, he became too arrogant and boasted in front of thousands of people: "Today, I will take Zhou Xuan away, and no one can stop me!"

But these boasts, compared to Li Changxun's single drop of water and Yun Ziliang's ten great dragons, became laughable boomerangs.

If Li Zougui doesn't dare to take Zhou Xuan away, then he can single-handedly utterly disgrace Mr. Ye's gang.

But if he forcibly takes Zhou Xuan away, he will lose his life.

"Second Master Li, perk up, don't lose points. Move forward and let Master Yun and me see how you took away our Mingjiang Prefecture's Grand Master."

Li Changxun and Yun Ziliang were in no hurry to take Li Zougui's life. The two old men of Xunlong were like cats that had caught a mouse; they would find it boring to kill the mouse without playing with it until it was almost dead.

Those watching the spectacle knew that Li Zougui was doomed today. He was being watched by a dragon-seeking master from three hundred years ago and a dragon-seeking deity from nine incense sticks in time. How could he possibly survive?

So the onlookers, disregarding Li the Ghost's remaining influence in the mansion, all mocked him as if they were "watching a good show and not wanting it to get any worse."

"Li the gangster, where did your bravado go? Don't back down."

“If I were you, I’d be losing face and my life anyway, so I might as well walk a few steps in front of the master. That way, I could die with some dignity.”

“Second Master Li, Mr. Ye’s reputation is worth far more than your life.”

"Take two steps forward, be more alert, don't lose points."

The onlookers had long suffered at Mr. Ye's hands, and now that they finally had a chance to vent, they were not going to tolerate Li the Walker at all.

Li Zougui was sweating profusely, layer upon layer, and the hair on his forehead was soaked with sweat and stuck to his head.

He deeply regretted not heeding Mr. Bai Liu's advice.

If he doesn't force his way in, there's still room for maneuver.

He felt powerless, powerless that his years of cultivation and incense offerings were so vulnerable in the face of nine sticks of incense.

He seemed to recall the question he had asked the chief a few years ago.

"Boss, I have already broken through the eight incense sticks stage. How big is the gap between me and your nine incense sticks stage?"

“The difference between heaven and earth is so vast that I can kill you with a single leaf or a blade of grass.”

At the time, Li Zougui thought it was just the boss's boasting, but now it seems that it was true.

The line that marks nine incense sticks is the mark. If you cross that line, you become a god in the mortal realm. If you don't cross it, even if you sit at eight or look towards nine, you are still just a mortal.

“Li Zougui, don’t just stand there. Are all the people in Mr. Ye’s gang as stupid and dull as you? Take two steps forward and have a go with me, a mere drop of water.”

Li Changxun greeted Li Zougui.

Li Zougui was soaked to the bone, and he couldn't hear the jeers from the onlookers anymore. All he could think about was how to escape.

"You two, have you come to Jingchuan Prefecture to cause trouble again?"

When Li Zougui was at his wit's end, with nowhere to advance or retreat, Zhou Xuan finally awoke from his meditative state.

In his meditative state, he saw a door in the world of the clear mirror.

Behind that door seemed to be all living beings. He sensed that countless lives were reincarnating behind the door. He wanted to open that door, so he relied on the power of his faith to push it open. Once the door was open, he would be able to see all living beings.

But before his faith power was exhausted, he only managed to push the door open for a moment, making it shake, without even opening it a crack.

When the faith that had helped him enter a meditative state was completely exhausted, Zhou Xuan naturally woke up.

Upon waking, he found himself surrounded by a huge crowd of people, and not far from him stood a middle-aged fat man with immense spiritual power who was too frightened to move.

He was somewhat unclear about the current situation, so he asked Miss Wall and the engineer for advice in the secret realm.

Zhou Xuan entered a meditative state, but these two did not.

They immediately explained the whole story to Zhou Xuan clearly.

"Oh, so Mr. Ye wanted to take advantage of my meditation to kidnap me to the main hall. This Mr. Ye is something else."

With a thought, Zhou Xuan seamlessly entered the battle.

“Xuanzi, you’re awake. This Li the Ghost wants to take you to Mr. Ye’s headquarters.”

“Master, Mr. Ye doesn’t take our Xunlong Hall seriously. We, the Xunlong Hall, are just about to vent our anger on him.”

The two men acted not only to protect Zhou Xuan, but also to gain the upper hand over Mr. Ye's gang.

Zhou Xuan smiled and waved to Li Zougui: "Second Master Li, it's better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. Today's situation has become rather tense."

Zhou Xuan's words were soft, gentle, and polite, and they seemed like a lifeline to Li Zougui.

“Indeed, indeed, sir, it’s better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester. We’re all people who live the life of a江湖 (jianghu, a world of martial arts and chivalry), living a life of danger and bloodshed. Why should we make things difficult for each other?”

Li Zougui nodded repeatedly to Zhou Xuan like a chick pecking at rice.

Zhou Xuan walked up to him, pointed to the corpse of Shisan Shichen in the distance, and said, "Second Master, our Li Shanzu has a bad temper. In his eagerness to save me, he killed all your disciples. What do you think of that?"

“Those disciples… they deserved to die. They bullied men and women all the time, causing unrest throughout Jingchuan Prefecture. I’ve wanted to clean up their ranks for a long time, but I couldn’t do it because of our camaraderie.”

Li Zougui immediately tried to respond, "You're speaking too softly, I can't hear you. Speak louder, show some masculinity."

Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

His expression was kind, but there seemed to be an undeniable force in his words.

"They...they..."

Li Zougui raised his voice a bit, but after saying a few words, he couldn't continue.

After all, since Master Ye had "invited" Zhou Xuan to reminisce, many of his other disciples, besides Thirteen Hours, had also come. For him, the second-in-command of Eight Incense Sticks, to slander Thirteen Hours in front of all the disciples was rather despicable.

Zhou Xuan gave him an encouraging look and said, "Second Master, please speak freely. I found what you just said to me very pleasing to the ear."

"They deserved to die; they always bullied..."

Li Zougui closed his eyes and loudly repeated what he had just told Zhou Xuan in perfect fluency.

These words chilled the hearts of many disciples.

Those disciples, who usually risked their lives for Mr. Ye, weren't the evil deeds they committed ordered by big figures like Li Zougui?

The big shots take all the profits from the work, and when things go wrong, it's the disciples who are blamed for "bullying men and women and deserving to die."

At least half of the disciples threw away the paper banners in their hands and turned to leave.

The second-in-command's words caused the morale of the gang to plummet.

Some of the hot-tempered ones even snapped the paper banners in half and threw them into the river, glaring angrily at Li Zougui to express their dissatisfaction.

Meanwhile, the onlookers who had been watching the spectacle were beginning to realize that Zhou Xuan had cleverly damaged Mr. Ye's morale without a fight.

"I thought that Mr. Ye was a coward, having such a huge advantage, yet he wanted to shake hands and make peace with Mr. Ye. Now it seems that it's not that simple."

"In a sect, although those high-ranking figures with high incense offerings are extremely important, a sect also needs a large number of disciples with high incense offerings to grow big. Without a large number of junior disciples, the sect would lack many henchmen. With just a few words, Master Ye lost one of his arms. You can't argue with that kind of skill."

"Without this method, how could one have taken control of Mingjiang Prefecture in such a short time?"

Li Zougui understood Zhou Xuan's intentions, but even though he understood them, he was stuck in a position where he couldn't move up or down, and he had no choice but to slander his own disciple.

However, he believed that the slander was only temporary. Once he humbled himself before Zhou Xuan and saved his own life, he could return to his sect after escaping his predicament, apologize as he should, and win over the hearts of the people. It was no big deal.

People's hearts are easily scattered? But they are also easily united.

"Master, today's events were a misunderstanding. Those thirteen disciples are dead, and that's that. Master Ye's sect will never consider you an enemy..."

Li Zougui seized the opportunity and apologized to Zhou Xuan.

After his speech, Li Zougui finally got to the most crucial point, clasping his hands in a fist and saying, "We shall meet again, sir. I, Li Zougui, will now return to the main hall to rectify its conduct. If we meet again, sir, I will greet you with the utmost courtesy..."

"Hey, there's no rush to leave."

Zhou Xuan then looked at the dragon in the clouds and the orange droplet, and said, "Second Master, misunderstanding is misunderstanding, but today, you have still offended the Dragon Seeking Hall. You still have to apologize in person for the offense you owe."

"I don't ask for much, just three kowtows."

Zhou Xuan held up three fingers and said, "After three kowtows, we'll go our separate ways."

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Li Zougui clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

He is Mr. Ye's second-in-command, and his status is evident here. Although the two elders opposite him are the Dragon Seekers, one is a god-level being and the other is the Dragon Seeker Grand Master from three hundred years ago, both of whom have extremely noble statuses.

But kowtowing? Once he kowtows, it means that Mr. Ye will henceforth be subservient to the Dragon Seeking Hall.

How can you kowtow like that?

"I can't do this... I really can't do this."

"It's just kowtowing, it's nothing."

Zhou Xuan touched Li Zougui's forehead with his right middle finger, smiled gently, and said, "Eight incense sticks' worth of skills, as long as you're alive, you'll still have a chance to succeed in the future. A true man can bend and stretch; what's a little kowtow?"

"Second Master, you've endured so much hardship and torment throughout your life to reach this point, and now it's all been taken away in an instant. Do you think that's fair?"

"Just kowtow to the gods a few times. Consider it an offering of piety and faith to the gods. Just kowtow, and everything will be fine."

Zhou Xuan pointed to the riverbank and said, "Look over there, your leader of the Xunlong Hall is there too. He's looking at you... Look how innocent he is. He knows that the situation is beyond his control."

Following the direction Zhou Xuan pointed, Li Zougui glanced over and indeed saw his leader standing by the river, smiling at him.

There seemed to be encouragement in his smile.

"It's the boss, the boss understands my situation."

Li Zougui was immediately moved, but he didn't know that the leader he saw was Zhou Xuan using the third level of the magician's technique, "Mirror Flower Water Moon".

By activating the "Mirror Flower Water Moon" technique, Zhou Xuan can construct certain illusory scenes.

However, this method still needs to be used in conjunction with Caixitang's first method, "catering to their preferences."

Through Zhou Xuan's patient guidance, he had already figured out what Li Zougui's "thoughts" were at this moment—he simply wanted to save his life without having to bear any psychological burden.

By showing Li the gang leader "the boss's encouragement," Zhou Xuan catered to Li's "thoughts and preferences."

Although Zhou Xuan had only learned three levels of Cai Xitang's techniques, he used them with great ease.

Finally, Li Zougui's mental defenses completely collapsed. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to the dragon and water droplet of the two dragon-seeking elders.

Each bow was made with utmost sincerity.

The impact was so loud it was earth-shattering; the thuds could be heard clearly hundreds of meters away.

Li Changxun and Yun Ziliang were overjoyed to hear the sound of kowtowing.

This is right!

How could the Dragon Seeker, the third-ranked Taoist sect in the world, be suppressed by a sneaky sect?

"Ouch, don't bump it like that, don't bump it like that, it breaks my heart to see this land like this, look, it's all cracked."

Zhou Xuan quickly tried to persuade Li Zougui.

Li Zougui said pitifully, "Sir, the misunderstanding has been cleared up, and I've given face to Xunlong Hall. I should be able to leave now, right?"

"That's natural."

Zhou Xuan smiled, appearing completely innocent. He pointed in the direction of the "Big Boss" and said, "However, since your Big Boss is encouraging you so much and doesn't mind you losing face, you should kowtow to him."

"Yes, yes."

Before kowtowing, people are reluctant, but after doing it a lot, it becomes just another matter. Li Zougui turned around with practiced ease and kowtowed in the direction of the chief.

However, after he finished kowtowing, he noticed that the leader's mouth seemed to be moving, as if he was saying something.

"What is the chief saying?"

He focused his attention intently, scrutinizing the leader's lip movements. The more he looked, the less clear it became; the less clear it became, the more Li Zougui wanted to understand it.

As he was watching, he heard a muffled "thud" and felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and forehead.

After the pain comes numbness.

He saw a blood-stained bone tooth in front of him, and he quickly reached out to touch his forehead, where he found a bloody hole.

We were ambushed.

He was ambushed by Zhou Xuan.

"You agreed that there are two paths in the world... let's each go our own way..."

Li Zougui's life force was draining away extremely quickly; his lips trembled as he spoke.

Zhou Xuan gestured behind him and said, "I believe that the separation of Yin and Yang is the true meaning of each going their own way. With that boundary between Yin and Yang, we will never meet. It is absolutely true that we will not interfere with each other..."

The world in front of Li Zougui began to turn completely red. He struggled to take off his sunglasses, wanting to turn around and get a good look at Zhou Xuan one more time.

He wanted to see what kind of young man could possess such vicious methods.

But his remaining life force did not support him to take these actions. He had only glanced over slightly when his hands and feet froze, and he died completely.

Bang!
Li Zougui's head lolled to the side, and he collapsed limply onto the deck.

Li Zougui, who had burned eight incense sticks, thus perished.

During his demise, apart from the final fatal blow, Zhou Xuan didn't even exchange a single blow with him; all he did was coax and deceive him.

Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun smiled knowingly when they saw Zhou Xuan's methods—they were too familiar with Zhou Xuan, and such methods were nothing new to them.

Those who were watching from Jingchuan Prefecture were deeply shocked.

"This master from Mingjiang Prefecture has some impressive skills."

"That's why I say it. They coaxed and tricked Li Zougui first, then swayed the morale of Mr. Ye's gang, then induced Li Zougui to kowtow, thus disgracing Mr. Ye. Now, with just a few words and a single blow, they've taken Li Zougui's life."

"To subdue the enemy without fighting—is this the method of the Grand Master of Mingjiang Prefecture?"

Because of the shock, there was fear.
Among the onlookers, some were even secretly asking their companions, "Did I just say anything disrespectful to the Master?"

"Of course not. We came here to pay homage to the great master, how could we possibly speak disrespectfully to him?"

"That's good, that's good, then he definitely won't target us."

"No, you seem to have said that the Master is a coward."

“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll sue you for defamation… What are you all looking at? He defamed me first.”

At this moment, none of the people present wanted to become Zhou Xuan's enemy.
Aside from the shock they experienced, even the Dream God, who was unfamiliar with Zhou Xuan's methods, was stunned and fell into deep thought after witnessing Zhou Xuan's entire slaying of Li Zougui...

(End of this chapter)