I began to understand the myriad things by chopping wood

Chapter 239: One Sword Suppresses Jiangnan
The guard was obviously stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then his face changed drastically. He bowed his head and said:
"So it's Sect Master Li who has come to visit! I'll go and tell him, please go into the gatehouse and rest for a while!"

He is actually the leader of Yunshan Sword Sect!

The gate of Yao Mansion was on the main street of Jinling. There was a constant stream of people coming and going, all of them looking at the young swordsman with silver hair and a youthful face, and there was an uproar.

The top ten masters on the Flying Dragon List are well-known to everyone. Li Xingtuo's reputation has become even more famous in recent years, and even the people of Jiangnan have heard of his name.

It turned out that he was the one who came to visit the Yao family? The leader of a clan came in person, what big deal could it be?
The passers-by became somewhat excited, with a vague sense of anticipation, feeling that they were about to witness something big happening.

Li Xingtuo smiled, waved his hand, and said in a very casual manner:

"No need. When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I'll just go in by myself."

The guard was stunned for a moment, subconsciously stretched out his hand, then immediately retracted it, and said in embarrassment:
"Master Li, this... please wait for a moment, I will go and ask the masters to come and greet us!"

Since Sect Leader Li came in person, even the Yao family's doorman did not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

The guard clasped his fists and said something respectfully. Seeing that Li Xingtuo was unmoved and said nothing, he lowered his head and said, sweat on his forehead:
"Master Li, please have a taste of Jiangnan tea. I will ask someone to pass it on."

After he said this, he stretched out his hand to invite him, but Li Xingtuo still stood at the door without moving, and the atmosphere was solemn.

The concierge suddenly looked embarrassed and sweat broke out on his back.

He was just about to speak, but in just a moment, a gust of autumn wind blew, and the white-robed swordsman in front of him suddenly twisted and faded, and then disappeared.

The guard was stunned for a moment, then he realized that the thing in front of him was just an illusion, and the real Li Xingtuo had long disappeared. He could not help but turn around and look inside the house.

The passers-by watching from afar at the door were all surprised, and then everyone on the long street heard a loud shout coming from deep inside the Yao Mansion:
"Li Xingtuo! How can you break into the Yao family without permission?"

"Haha, it's rude not to return the favor! Master Yao, I came from Yunzhou to learn from the high skills of the Yao Clan of Jinling. Draw your sword."

A clear laugh rose up along with the sword intent that soared into the sky.

In a water pavilion in Yao's mansion, Yao Yuzhi was hosting a banquet for his guests, and the place was packed with distinguished guests.

However, Li Xingtuo suddenly walked to the center of the banquet as if he was strolling in a garden. The seat was full of experts, including several grandmasters, but no one else reacted, as if their time had come to a standstill.

Only Yao Yuzhi's face changed drastically, knowing that the visitor had ill intentions. However, he did not expect that Li Xingtuo would not say much to him at all. He directly drew his sword and pointed it at the head of the Jinling Yao family!
The sword intent was coming towards him, and Yao Yuzhi's whole body tensed up. He stood up from the desk, pulled back quickly, and broke the screen behind him.

The guests all looked at Li Xingtuo pointing his sword at Yao Yuzhi, moving forward and backward, and leaving the pavilion in an instant.

The wind in the waterside pavilion seemed to have slowed down, and their thoughts seemed to have become sluggish. The movements of the two masters seemed to be smooth and not dazzling, and everything was clearly reflected in their eyes. However, they seemed to have difficulty even turning their heads, and they all slowly turned their heads to look in the direction where the two people were going away.

In the silence, Yao Yuzhi's shout suddenly came:
"Li Xingtuo, you are going too far! Tian'a Sword, rise!"

Tian'a sword!
Everyone was shocked, it was the Yao family's magical weapon!
Weapons that possess all kinds of magical powers and can only be wielded by masters are called Xuanbing.

The power of the mysterious weapon is unparalleled and magical. Even a master will be more powerful if he holds it.

But Xuanbing is not the end of sharp weapons.

Above the mysterious weapons, there are also divine weapons.

Divine weapons are the most powerful weapons in the world that can summon wind and rain. They are rare and have always been in the hands of great masters.

Rumor has it that a magic weapon is equivalent to a great master.

The reason why the Four Sects and Eight Families have such a solid position, and are difficult to shake even without a grandmaster in charge, is because of their foundation. They either have magical weapons to protect the sect, or have means of the same level.

The Yao family's Tian'a Sword was formerly the emperor's sword when the Yao family proclaimed themselves emperor in Jinling thousands of years ago. It was formerly known as the Son of Heaven Sword and was the weapon of the Human Emperor, the most advanced divine weapon in the world.

Later, as dynasties changed, the Yao family renamed it the Tian'a Sword to avoid the world. Without the royal luck and the worship of thousands of people, the power of the Tian'a Sword is no longer as strong as it was in its heyday, but it is still an undoubted magical weapon.

Yao Yuzhi, as a master, should be fine with this weapon...

The guests in the pavilion and the celebrities in Jinling were thinking slowly, and then they heard a long laugh:
"Such a famous sword in your hands is like a pearl covered in dust."

A cry of pain was heard, and Yao Yuzhi no longer had any heroic words.

The Yao Mansion suddenly became extremely quiet, almost eerily quiet.

Li Xingtuo appeared in the water pavilion again.

He glanced at the celebrities present, nodded slightly, and said amiably:
"I'm sorry to bother you all. But since the Yao family injured my apprentice and drove my disciples away, I will let the head of the Yao family get hurt a little bit as well. That's fair."

He looked at the unopened wine on the table, his eyes lit up, and he took it in his hand, opened the seal, raised his head and took a sip, then sighed:
"I haven't had Jiangnan wine for many years!"

Li Xingtuo pursed his lips and closed his eyes, savoring it for a while, then sighed:
"It finally became softer."

After saying this, he slowly walked out of the pavilion and disappeared in a flash.

The guests subconsciously turned their heads towards the door again, and suddenly felt that time was no longer slowing down and finally returned to normal.

At this time, loud screams were heard in the distance, followed by a noisy and chaotic scene, and the sounds of explosions and collapsing buildings rose to the sky.

It turned out that it wasn't that the Yao Mansion was quiet, but that before the sound could be heard, Li Xingtuo had already left.

At the gate of Yao's mansion, Li Xingtuo walked out with a sword in hand and bumped into the doorman who turned around in a panic to report inside.

The doorman watched him go in for just a moment and then suddenly come out, with a look of surprise and confusion on his face.

Li Xingtuo nodded to him warmly, walked out of the door, looked in the direction, and walked out of Jinling City in one step.

Passersby on the long street watched Li Xingtuo enter the Yao Mansion and come out in an instant. Then only his residual shadow slowly dissipated and disappeared. After a moment, they looked at each other in confusion.

Only a moment later, there was a deafening noise in the Yao Mansion, and the sound of chaos and disorder spread outside. Then many expert servants bravely chased out and rushed to the door, but there was no trace of Li Xingtuo.
Of course, they themselves knew this was the case, otherwise they would never have been so brave.

Thus, within an hour, the news that Li Xingtuo, the leader of the Yunshan Sword Sect, broke into the Yao family in Jinling and injured Yao Yuzhi, the head of the Yao family who had called out the clan's magic weapon, and came and went as if he were in an empty place and as fast as a wild goose spread throughout the entire Jinling Prefecture.

However, this is Jinling. Even though those who like to gossip can hardly hold back their desire to discuss the matter, they dare not speak of the Yao family's failure in public. They can only talk about it in private residences, expressing their wishes but having to keep their voices down for fear that someone else might be listening.

After all, that’s the Yao family!
But even such a Yao family was broken into by Li Xingtuo, who broke into the core of the ancestral home alone with a sword, and injured Yao Yuzhi in public. Even the Yao family's magic weapons could not stop him.

The people of Jinling passed the day in silence, feeling speechless and suffocated.

But the next day, this strange silence was completely broken.

The news came like the wind. Yesterday afternoon, Li Xingtuo suddenly came to Yongyang and defeated the old man of the Qian family, the eighth on the Flying Dragon List, the Earl of Yongyang, Qian Wubing, on the bank of the Yongshui River.

It is said that the moment Li Xingtuo saw Qian Wubing, he wanted to kill him. The two fought from the city to the south bank of the Yong River, causing the river water to flow backwards. It was not until the three masters of the Qian family came with the clan's magical weapons that they rescued the old man.

However, Yongyang Bo was already very old, and there had been rumors that his death was coming. Although it was said that he had found a secret recipe for longevity in recent years and his condition had recovered a lot, if he passed away, I'm afraid the old man would lose another ten years of his life.

Such news spread throughout Jiangnan overnight, and all the curious people in Jinling Prefecture were in a daze.

Jiangnan, Jiangnan, is more than a thousand miles in radius. Although Yongyang and Jinling are both in Jiangnan, they are hundreds of miles apart.

Li Xingtuo arrived in Jinling in the morning and Yongyang in the evening. He traveled between the two places in half a day and defeated the strongest men from the two aristocratic families, Yao and Qian, forcing the two families to use their clan magic weapons. Then he left.

The elegance of this sword overwhelms the thousand-year-old family in Jiangnan.

Everyone suddenly recalled that the last time the noble families used their magic weapons together was the Eight Gates Rebellion many years ago.
The people in the teahouses and taverns in Jinling were completely unable to contain themselves. They didn't dare to talk about the Yao family, so why not talk about the Qian family here?
And since we are talking about Li Xingtuo's great victory over Yongyang Bo, we must also mention what he did in the morning.

Suddenly, the names of Li Xingtuo and Yunshan Sword Sect were everywhere in the streets, alleys, teahouses and taverns. Even the Yao family was helpless.

Even the entire Jiangnan city, big and small, was talking about this legendary record. The Yunshan Sword Sect's popularity rose again, and everyone felt that its strength should be slightly greater than that of the last of the eight sects.

It's not just a hidden thing. The leader of the Sword Sect is active in the south of the Yangtze River. Who of the two families can be his rival?
As for why Li Xingtuo did this, the reason was soon discovered by those who were interested:

A few days ago, the masters of the Qian and Yao families broke into the Jinling branch of the Yunshan Sword Sect, broke in, made a big fuss, bullied the weak, and injured Li Xingtuo's first disciple Qin Zhenyang.

People suddenly understood.

When the apprentice is bullied, the master will naturally come to vent his anger. This is natural and reasonable.

However, it was the first time that everyone had seen it being recovered so quickly, so unreasonably, and without giving face to the aristocratic family.

Within a few days, he rushed directly from Yunzhou to the aristocratic family's lair, and with one sword, he forced the two major aristocratic families to bow their heads.

It turns out that this is the grandeur of Yunshan.

Inside the Sword Sect's branch courtyard.

Li Xingtuo looked at Qin Zhenyang, who looked normal and had rosy blood, and sighed:

"Eldest disciple, how come you are healed so quickly?"

Qin Zhenyang's forehead twitched:
"Master, I'm sorry, my cultivation is still okay, I'm not that fragile."

Li Xingtuo shook his head repeatedly:
"It's a rare opportunity to come out and do something. I thought you, as a disciple, were deliberately being considerate of your master."

Qin Zhenyang said expressionlessly:

"Master, the documents will not decrease because you are not here. They will only accumulate more and more."

Li Xingtuo's originally cheerful expression fell slightly:
"You talk too much! It's all your fault that you're as strong as an ox! If the injury was more serious, I could hit you harder."

"Master, don't you have no feelings for Qian Wubingrong?"

Qin Zhenyang asked.

Li Xingtuo's face darkened and he nodded:

"That old man has already fallen into the devil's way. If it weren't for his children and grandchildren who risked their lives to carry him back, I would have killed the devil this time! Your Junior Brother Zhang is right in his investigation. These noble families are already practicing evil methods to prolong their lives."

Qin Zhenyang's face was solemn, and he exhaled:

"The murderer who assassinated Manager Wang was also found by Junior Brother Zhang. It was a member of the Qian family whom he met in Wuhe. He was called Mr. Qian. The strange thing is that I checked all the information about the Qian family and found no one who matched this person."

Li Xingtuo frowned slightly:
"Perhaps he is a person who rose from a certain branch, but he is not well-known."

Qin Zhenyang shook his head:

"I checked all the branches of the Qian family as well. I checked all the famous ones who had reached the Qi and Blood Transformation Stage, but I still couldn't find him."

Li Xingtuo was a little surprised. He knew how meticulous and steady his eldest disciple was. Since he said that he couldn't find anything after such an investigation, then it was true that there was nothing.

"strangeness."

He thought about it, but couldn't come up with any conclusion, so he put the matter aside for now:
"Forget it. Anyway, we have already completely made enemies with the Qian family and the Yao family. We have no choice but to close this villa in Jinling first. Let's go."

Qin Zhenyang nodded silently, packed his luggage quickly, and suddenly said:

"I don't know where Junior Brother Zhang is. If he knew you were coming, maybe he wouldn't have to leave."

Li Xingtuo sighed:
"This kid still has the sect in his heart and doesn't want to cause trouble for us. But..."

He said leisurely:

"Since our Yunshan Sword Sect is bound to rise, the world is so big, there are so many cultivation resources, and there are only so many relics, who should give up this position?"

Naturally, the Qian and Yao families, which ranked last among the four factions and eight families, were anxious.

Qin Zhenyang thought silently.

Presumably, with the vision of the aristocratic families, they had seen through this point long ago, and that was why the conflict was sparked to this point just because of a disagreement with the Sword Sect.

Li Xingtuo was even more clear-headed and spoke directly with his sword without saying anything else.

The Jiangnan noble families are used to being domineering, but they forget that the Yunshan Sword Sect is not a small sect that is bullied among the small bridges and rivers in Jiangnan.

"There will be a conflict sooner or later. This kid just thinks too much."

Li Xingtuo shook his head:

"But he always has his own ideas. Let him do it. Big disciple, go home."

The gate of the villa was wide open, and several carriages drove out from the front and back, obviously the Yunshan Sword Sect had evacuated Jinling.

But the crowd of curious people who had already gathered outside the courtyard did not think that the Sword Sect had lost this battle. Over the years, the only one who could make the Yao family lose in Jinling and walk away was Li Xingtuo and that female devil.

The Jianzong's convoy drove slowly along the Qinhuai River, as if the people inside were still enjoying the beautiful scenery.

However, no one from the Yao family came forward from beginning to end, and no one dared to stop them. They just watched silently on this not-so-large convoy.

The silence was so profound that even the city of Jinling felt a little dull.

No matter how small the caravan was, the driver of the first carriage was Qin Zhenyang.

As for who could make Qin Zhenyang drive the carriage, it goes without saying who was sitting inside.

Thus, the Jianzong's convoy left Jinling safely and swayingly under the silent gaze of the entire Jinling Prefecture.

The hustle and bustle in Jiangnan had not yet ended when the government released a new round of three lists.

There is no change in the Tianlong Ranking. It still has those elusive top figures, just like the gods and Buddhas in the sky. After all, they are too far away from the people below. They are just titles and seem not to be real people.

The Grandmasters on the Flying Dragon List were all similar, all of them were the leaders of their sects, the ancestors of their families, and legendary Grandmasters, not much different from clay statues. However, a battle in Jiangnan a few days ago, which started in Jinling and Yongyang City, made people feel that the Grandmasters on the Flying Dragon List were actually so close to people.

The result of this battle was a slight change in the top ten rankings.

Fourth on the Flying Dragon List is Li Xingtuo, leader of the Yunshan Sword Sect.

This ranking was already higher than that of Wei Dong, the leader of Cangjian Pavilion. Everyone was in an uproar and talked about it.

Considering Li Xingtuo's amazing record of traveling a thousand miles in a day and defeating a thousand-year-old family, it suddenly becomes worth discussing who is the number one sword master in the world.

There is no need to explain much about the changes in the Flying Dragon List, but the rankings in the Hidden Dragon List are even more dazzling.

The Hidden Dragon List has always been the one with the most dramatic changes. Almost every issue is very different from the previous one, especially the dozens of people at the bottom of the rankings. It is truly a big stage for warriors, and everyone wants to put their name on it.

This time, Xie Yuan, who had been ranked 72nd for several consecutive periods, finally left this position.

Hidden Dragon Ranking No. 30:
“Join hands with others to kill the Heavenly Rank Assassin of Qiufeng Tower;
"In Jinling, he defeated Huijue, a disciple of the true disciple of the Prajna Temple and the wise monk Zhiling;
"In Jinling, he defeated Zhang Junyi, a disciple of Yuxu Zhenren and a true disciple of Xuanzhen Sect;

“With the cultivation of Qi and Blood Second Transformation Realm, Yu Jinling, Huijue, and Zhang Junyi teamed up to defeat Yao Yilong, the Grandmaster of the Yao Clan in Jinling.

"The most vicious and evil criminal in the world - Xie Yuan."

With such a performance, it is indeed not suitable to stay at 72nd place.

Above the 30th place are almost all talented masters in the third level of Qi and Blood Transformation; and below them, the 31st Hui Jue and the 33rd Zhang Junyi are both top in the same level.

Among all the changing masters on the Hidden Dragon List, Xie Yuan's evaluation was the most eye-catching.

Kill the strongest assassin below the Grandmaster level?
Defeated consecutively the true disciples of Xuanzhen Sect and Prajna Temple?

Can you defeat the Grandmaster at a higher level?

The row of achievements were quietly lined up there, and every one of them was jaw-dropping.

Even if any warrior achieves one of these, he can easily be listed on the Hidden Dragon List. However, Xie Yuan's experience is written in several rows, as if he disdains to fight ordinary masters. Chunyu Tower is neither praising nor not praising, so he can only leave a comment of being extremely vicious.

Countless taverns and teahouses in the Dali Dynasty, and countless people looked at the Hidden Dragon List with amazement, and their eyes all lingered on the name Xie Yuan for a long time, and they talked about this outrageous record.

After much discussion, everyone felt that it was too fake. But Chunyulou's reputation was trustworthy. So the people who saw the list pondered for a long time and could only agree:
"As expected of a vicious and ruthless criminal!"

"I'm really not that fierce."

Xie Yuan listened to the discussions of the people around him and was speechless.

He felt that even if he was not a gentleman, he was not the kind of bandit with thick arms and a fat face that they imagined. Of course, he loved to use a big axe, and he was definitely not a greasy person.

Even if his style of doing things is to use thundering methods only against the evil ones, to other people, he can be considered kind and friendly, and to his companions, he can be said to be very loyal, right?
This Chunyu Tower is a complete slander!

Xie Yuan was in a restaurant in this small town, looking at the people gathered around the list and sighed.

It has only been two days since I left Jinling, and I didn't expect so many things to happen.

First, the clan leader Qianli Chengfeng taught the two major families a lesson, and then Chunyu Tower printed out the new three lists overnight and advertised them widely, and as a result, even they themselves were affected.

But the Sect Master came really fast. Even if he wanted to get back the face for the Sword Sect, he wouldn't be so aggressive. Xie Yuan seriously suspected that he had wanted to run away a long time ago...

If I had known earlier, I might have turned back, enjoyed the shade under the big tree, and followed the sect master back to Yunshan to practice leisurely.

Just thinking about this, Xie Yuan shook his head slightly.

The time spent in Yunshan for meditation is not short. I have read thousands of books and traveled thousands of miles. After practicing Kung Fu, you still need to practice it. Seeing the scenery in other places is more beneficial to your own practice, especially for the future breakthrough of the master. How can I keep doing things behind closed doors?

What's more, he still had things to do in Jiangnan. Apart from the Dream Crystal that he couldn't forget, what concerned him the most at the moment was the Buddhist rhyme, which he could figure out.

There are many Buddhist temples and historical sites in the south of the Yangtze River, so it's a good opportunity to try and see what this Buddhist rhyme is all about.

Plus the one Huijue gave me...

Xie Yuan touched the Buddha amulet on his waist, rubbed it for a while, and then withdrew his hand.

Although it does not allow you to directly obtain the Buddha's rhythm, it should be useful.

Just as I was lost in thought, the waiter swiftly brought in the wine and food, a plate of stir-fried vegetables and a plate of braised pork head, which smelled delicious.

Xie Yuan came back to his senses, glanced at the waiter, picked up a silver needle, and used it to probe to test the poison.

Seeing him like this, the waiter was both polite and somewhat disdainful, and said with a curl of his lips:

"Sir, we are in the center of town and we are doing serious business. You are really too cautious!"

Xie Yuan didn't say anything, just stared for a moment, raised his hand and showed him the silver needle.

In just a few breaths, the originally flawless silver-white needle quickly turned as black as ink, which was frightening.

The waiter was stunned and very surprised, then his face suddenly changed color, and a dagger popped out of his sleeve and stabbed at Xie Yuan!
Xie Yuan didn't react immediately and was stabbed in the throat by the dagger. He covered his neck, groaned, and fell to the ground.

The waiter didn't expect that it would be so easy to assassinate the target. Even though he was a veteran, he was stunned for a moment and then felt a pain in his neck.

He felt a little dizzy and found that the scenery in front of him had changed. Xie Yuan was sitting there just fine, but he was holding the hilt of the sword in his hand, and the tip of the sword... was in his throat.

Illusion?

The assassin never figured out when he was hit until his death, and how Xie Yuan discovered it, so he could only fall down with hatred.

There were bursts of screams from the side, and the guests at a table at the back were so frightened that they trembled all over, stood up suddenly, knocked over the food and drinks, and ran away.

One of them panicked and slipped, bumping into Xie Yuan, his face immediately turning pale with fright.

Xie Yuan held him in place, not intending to blame him, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

But then the passerby's eyes turned cold, and he silently pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and suddenly stabbed it towards Xie Yuan's lower abdomen!

However, even though he exerted force with his hands, he did not move at all. His arms seemed to be locked in iron hoops and he could not move at all.

Looking up, Xie Yuan smiled and said:

"Don't worry, I have something to ask you, you can stab me later."

Seeing how powerful Xie Yuan was, the assassin immediately showed determination on his face. He bit the poison in his mouth hard, breaking it and dying from the poison...

Then the assassin's eyes blurred and he found that he was alive again. Xie Yuan looked at him with a smile, reached into his mouth like lightning, and accurately pulled out one of his teeth.

The assassin suffered the pain of having his tooth pulled out, but he remained expressionless as he stared at Xie Yuan. Suddenly, black blood flowed out of his mouth and he died instantly.

Xie Yuan raised his eyebrows and said with some annoyance:
"How come there is a backup of the poison?"

He sighed, but he was not too sorry. Even if he caught a killer of this level alive, he had no good way to make him talk. He might try the Sky Illusion Technique, but he was not an expert in torture, so he didn't know if ordinary pain and torture would work on these people. Seeing that they had no expression on their faces even when their teeth were peeled out alive, it might be difficult.

Xie Yuan himself was experienced in hiding and was good at observation. He keenly discovered that the waiter who came out after entering the store was no longer alone.

Back in the days of the escort agency, the silver needle was not omnipotent in detecting poison, let alone facing these assassins now? Xie Yuan simply used illusion to deceive, and it worked. And after killing one, there is still another. The cooperation between the two has always been the standard of assassins.

As for whether there is a third person, Xie Yuan has not discovered it yet, so let's just assume there is one.

But it doesn’t matter.

Xie Yuan looked at the panicked crowd around him, took a wrong step, blended into them, and disappeared in a flash.

A few ordinary passers-by were originally moving towards this side, but their eyes blurred and they found that the target had disappeared. They immediately turned around in confusion.

It was not until another small town a hundred miles away that Xie Yuan showed up, changed his face, and said thoughtfully:
"Why did another wave of assassins find me?"

After finishing all the discussions with Zhang Jun that day, Xie Yuan had not traveled very far in secret, after all, he was very exhausted. He was just talking about stopping in a county town to rest, but he met two powerful killers just after he settled down.

Both killers were at the Second Transformation Realm. They were ruthless and decisive in their attacks, and their coordination was so tacit that it was impossible to guard against them. It was totally unexpected.

If Xie Yuan hadn’t been young and had a lot of experience as a bodyguard, he would have almost gotten into trouble when he was at the bottom of his condition.

Fortunately, the Golden Bell Cover was most useful at this time. After resisting the first wave, Xie Yuan did not give his opponent any more chances.

Xie Yuan acted decisively and without holding back, killing the two killers on the spot.

Although there were no survivors, Xie Yuan speculated that the opponent was an assassin from Qiufeng Tower based on his strength, style, and professionalism.

As for how to find him...

At that time, the fight between him and Zhang Junyi was so intense that it was normal for someone to discover their whereabouts.

Moreover, Xie Yuan recalled afterwards that the assassin came so quickly, the Yao and Qian families must have issued a reward long ago. Although he couldn't find his own people, he kept an eye on Zhang Junyi and Huijue, and he finally found his tail.

Xie Yuan reflected on himself and didn't dare to stay a hundred miles away from the competition. He dragged his exhausted body and used the Heavenly Hiding Technique to stealthily move in the opposite direction, finding a suitable place to rest and recover his strength before setting off again.

Everything was fine these past few days, but who would have thought that he would encounter an assassin again just now?

How did he recognize himself?

Xie Yuan frowned, puzzled.

Secret method? treasure?
Xie Yuan frowned for a moment and let out a breath.

Regardless, these killers seem to have a way of finding their way around.

It seems that I have to be more careful in my actions and be on guard against these omnipresent assassins at all times.

The assassins of Qiufeng Tower have always been difficult to deal with. I don't know how much money the Qian and Yao families have invested. It is indeed not that simple for the aristocratic families to take action. They have created trouble for themselves so quickly.

However, it seems that under the Heaven Hidden Technique, Qiufeng Tower cannot have complete control of its position, otherwise it would not be able to defeat such powerful minions.

The assassins of the second transformation realm were better, but they could not be ignored. Assassins did not necessarily kill people with their strength. There were many assassins of the first transformation realm who poisoned masters of the third transformation realm. And if an assassin of the third transformation realm or even a top-notch Heaven-level assassin came, one had to be extremely cautious.

Xie Yuan frowned, not knowing what went wrong. If he couldn't figure it out, Jiangnan would be a dangerous place for him. He would be attacked by assassins and even masters from noble families at any time, so he couldn't stay there for long.

He sighed, slightly disrupted his plans, and decided not to wander around Jiangnan anymore.

Change the route and head north, cross the river to the north, there are many Buddhist sites there, enough to explore slowly. If you leave the hinterland of the Jiangnan family, their control will be greatly weakened.

As for the Fantasy Dream Crystal... we'll have to wait and see if we get it later. Anyway, nothing can be accomplished without Miss Mu.

Xie Yuan made a decision, replenished his water and dry food in this small town, then transformed himself into an ordinary man and headed north.

In the following days, Xie Yuan would occasionally be attacked while replenishing his diet, which made him confused and alert.

Fortunately, these assassinations seemed to be sudden encounters, not intentional ambushes, which meant that the opponents could not accurately grasp their whereabouts and positions, but they were very likely to be able to catch their traces within a certain range.

Xie Yuan had a rough idea in his mind. This was probably related to the control of the Qian and Yao families in Jiangnan. According to his observation, no matter whether it was a big city or a small county, the number of patrolling officials, yamen runners, martial arts masters, and even people from all walks of life increased, and it was obvious that they were looking for someone.

Perhaps any strangers passing by in these places would be kept in mind, which made Xie Yuan secretly marvel at the skills of the noble families.

Does Jiangnan belong to the imperial court or to the aristocratic families?

So Xie Yuan reduced the number of times he replenished supplies in the city and tried to travel alone in the wild as much as possible. As expected, the number of times he encountered assassins decreased a lot.

However, it seemed that the previous counterattacks had outlined a route of movement. Even though Xie Yuan was taking detours to conceal his true purpose of heading north, there were experts behind the scenes who could determine his movements. He was repeatedly intercepted and even encountered experts in the third level of Qi and Blood twice.

Xie Yuan didn't want to fight, so he relied on the combination of Tianyinshu and Tianhuanshu to get rid of the enemy, but he always felt that he would encounter experts to intercept him even in the wild.

As long as you reveal your figure for more than a moment, a hidden killer may jump out from the grass, pond, or mud.

Although the frequency is not as high as when he shows up in the city, it is somewhat puzzling that he can be intercepted in the wild.

No matter how powerful Xie Yuan's Tianyin technique was, it was impossible for him to use it all the time in a day; and the entire Jiangnan region seemed to be woven into a net, quietly moving towards the place where Xie Yuan showed his trace.

"Human wave tactics?"

Xie Yuan felt that this was a bit tricky and that it should be more than just this, but he couldn't figure out the trick and decided to leave Jiangnan first.

But the previous traces seemed to point out my direction...

He thought about it and turned his head.

Yao Mansion in Jinling.

A dark room.

A middle-aged man who looked like a scholar was fiddling with abacus sticks.

His face was unusually pale and he seemed very weak, coughing from time to time.

But he just stared at the abacus in front of him, motionless, with a slight frown on his face.

"Is there any result?"

A voice suddenly came from the side.

A hooded figure moved, and it was he who asked the question.

If he hadn't spoken himself, it would have been difficult for others to notice that there was another person here.

The scribe said in a hoarse and shrill voice:
"It's basically going back."

He drew a line on the map next to him.

The hooded figure glanced:
"Look back? Roughly? The former Heavenly Calculator of Zhikong Mountain, can't you figure out a mere junior?"

"Sisi... your Yao family can't do anything about this young man, right? Otherwise, why would you come to me?"

The scribe laughed a snake-like sound and his face was full of mockery.

He was naturally aware of the uproar that had been going on in Jinling over the past two months.

Seeing the hooded figure remained silent, the scholar snorted:
"This kid's aura appears and disappears, and there seems to be some resistance on his body. It's hard for me to see clearly. He is definitely not an ordinary person. And it seems that it's not just this..."

He hesitated for a moment and said sharply:
"It seems like someone is protecting him, otherwise I couldn't have made a mistake."

"I hope you can see more clearly this time. I don't want to come up empty-handed again."

The hooded man said coldly.

The scholar's eyes turned and he smiled strangely:
"Every time I calculate the secrets of the universe, I lose my own lifespan. If I want to see clearly, I need to replenish it."

"I have prepared three pairs of ginseng fruits that match your horoscope. They are very sufficient for your essence and blood."

The hooded man said simply.

The scholar showed a look of joy, his pale cheeks flushed, and he murmured:

"That's good, that's good! Now I can definitely help you catch him..."

Seeing that the scholar began to fiddle with the abacus frantically again, the hooded man glanced at him and quietly left the secret room.

He was walking in the corridor of the inner house, his face hidden in his hood.

When the servants along the way saw him, their faces turned pale, they stepped aside, and saluted him tremblingly.

Arriving outside a study, the hooded man pushed the door open and saw the listless Yao Yuzhi inside. He said calmly:
"Li Xingtuo alone hurt you like this?"

Yao Yuzhi glanced at him and said calmly:
"You are no match for him."

"You won't know until you fight it."

The hooded man remained noncommittal, but his tone revealed a strong sense of confidence.

None of the Yao family's open masters have the strength to be on the Flying Dragon List. Although Yao Yuzhi has some hidden abilities, it is clear that he is still far from Li Xingtuo.

Yao Yuzhi did not refute the hooded man, but just asked:
"What did Shen Xu say?"

"He can only make a rough guess. I don't think he's reliable."

The hooded man was brief and to the point.

Yao Yuzhi hesitated for a moment and asked:

"Then what do you think?"

"Wherever that guy goes is an illusion. He is so cautious and careful. After realizing that Jiangnan is a dangerous place, he must cross the river. Let everyone below hold a copy of the Xuanshui painting and wait for him at the ferry along the river. As long as he appears, there will be a sense of it."

The hooded man said.

Yao Yuzhi nodded slightly and asked again:

"What if he escapes from somewhere else? If he escapes from Jiangnan this time, I'm afraid it will be difficult to catch him next time."

"Yes, this guy was born as a casual cultivator, but even the disciples of Zhiling and Yuxu are not as good as him. He is indeed rare. Now there are only a few useless people like you left in the family. When such a genius becomes a master and comes to our door, I am afraid that we can only come and go freely. You should be afraid."

The hooded man mocked Yao Yuzhi mercilessly, but although Yao Yuzhi's face turned black, he did not get angry.

The hooded man sneered and said:
"Of course, we can't let go of other places. Let Shen Xu continue to calculate. It will be of some use. Besides, doesn't this kind of person claim to be righteous and like to do justice? The real villain is hard to catch, but the hypocrite is the easiest to deal with."

Yao Yuzhi nodded slightly:
"it is good."

He glanced at the hooded man and sighed:

"Sixth Brother, are you still angry about what happened back then?"

"Why should I be angry? I am now the strongest master in the clan. One or two of you can't even hold out for a few seconds in front of me. Why should I be angry?"

The hooded man said coldly.

Yao Yuzhi hesitated and shook his head:
"Sixth Brother, Tianchuan is extremely talented, not inferior to you in your youth. But he has suffered repeated setbacks, and now his Dao heart has been cracked. Do you have any ideas?"

"You call this a setback? Big brother, do you know why the Yao family is so weak now? It's because you forgot the day when that witch almost killed us all. When she was gone, you indulged in pleasure and indulged in frivolous things. You have nurtured a good seedling into a flower bud that will fall down at the slightest breeze."

The hooded man sneered and turned around:
"Send him to Qiufeng Tower."

Yao Yuzhi opened his mouth, sighed, and nodded silently.

He looked at the hooded man who was about to leave and warned him:
"Sixth Brother, you need to pay more attention to Xie Yuan."

"Look at you... I'll go there myself when I find his location."

A mocking and laughing voice came from the hooded man, but he had already gone far away.

Xie Yuan traveled around the south of the Yangtze River for several times, eating wind and drinking dew, hunting to satisfy his hunger, and changing direction when he felt like it. He didn't even know where he would be the next day.

In this way, he escaped the pursuit and hadn't encountered any killers for three consecutive days.

When he himself doesn't even know his plan, how can the enemy predict his next move?

Xie Yuan pondered for a moment and decided not to go to Jiangbei.

The enemy might have guessed from his previous actions that he was going to cross the river. Given the meticulousness of the aristocratic family, even if he went around in many seemingly plausible circles, they might still have set up a tight net on the river bank.

Although the river was vast, Xie Yuan didn't know how the enemy could stop him, but just like he had never thought that his trace would be found before, maybe there was some secret treasure on the other side, and he shouldn't take the risk.

Xie Yuan decided to go southwest to Shuzhou, where there were also famous Buddhist temples. Mingxin Temple, one of the four sects, was located in Shuzhou, and it naturally had a strong Buddhist atmosphere.

Moreover, above Shuzhou is Yunzhou, which is far away from Jiangnan. Even if the Qian and Yao families have long arms, they will not set up a net like this. If it really doesn't work, it's convenient to run back to Yunshan from Shuzhou.

So Xie Yuan walked east for two days, then suddenly turned south, walked for three days, and then suddenly turned west. He traveled a thousand miles and was close to the border of Shuzhou.

Seeing the mountains of Shuzhou faintly visible on the horizon, Xie Yuan passed by a small town. Even if his food and water ran out, he would not enter and was ready to become a savage.

As he walked through the town and passed by a magnificent Buddhist temple outside the town, Xie Yuan took a look and was somewhat surprised:

“There’s such a big temple next to the town?”

Just as I was thinking this, the Buddha amulet that Huijue had given me suddenly vibrated and became slightly hot, moving for the first time.

(End of this chapter)