Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 85: It's you?
It's impossible for everyone in the military to become a ghost.

But demonic beasts must have tough hides and sharp claws.

This scout squad had been deep in the Mengshan Mountains for ten days since setting off from Tiequan Pass. If it weren't for the high skill of the young sergeant in charge, they would probably have been wiped out long ago.

Even those at the Refining Cauldron Realm are currently suffering from physical weakness and mental exhaustion.

When the two-person-tall black bear burst out of the forest, he could only bite his lip and force himself to pull himself together.

Then, summoning the last of his spiritual energy from within the cauldron, he raised his sword and charged forward.

Two veterans, whose skills had not yet been affected, provided cover for him on both sides.

Although ordinary weapons are unlikely to penetrate the mane nourished by the opponent's spiritual energy, they are still enough to cause pain.

These monsters, after all, lack intelligence; pain is enough for them to perceive a threat, thus affecting their judgment.

After a fierce battle that lasted for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the black bear finally staggered and collapsed to the ground.

The three of them, panting heavily, collapsed to the ground, staring silently at the mountain-sized corpse of the monster.

When they first encountered the monsters in Mengshan, they were actually quite excited.

The young sergeant was highly skilled and killed him after a brief struggle. His brothers cheered and rushed forward, cutting off his pelt as a trophy.

The bodies of demonic beasts are nourished by spiritual energy, and many parts of their bodies are valuable among cultivators.

But as they ventured deeper into Mengshan, the scout team's situation worsened, and their focus gradually shifted away from earning extra money.

They looked up at the sky, obscured by towering trees, and all they wanted now was to get back alive.

Behind him, a soldier with an injured leg slammed his fist against a nearby tree: "It's all that son of a bitch's fault!"

Mentioning "someone," the other scouts also showed expressions of gritted teeth.

Only the leading young sergeant smiled bitterly in silence.

A month ago, news came from Beishi City that the eldest princess intended to launch a northern expedition.

Despite King Xiao's strict order against spreading the news, the frequent relocations and replenishments within the pass still attracted the attention of those with ulterior motives.

A spy from the Northern Barbarians was discovered in the military camp.

Unfortunately, this person was quite skilled, and despite suffering serious injuries, he managed to escape and made his way into Mount Meng.

Military intelligence must not be leaked, so Tiequan Pass dispatched six scouts deep into Mengshan, determined to find the person alive or dead.

The young sergeant had no idea how his brothers in other teams were doing.

But seeing that even someone with his level of cultivation was being tormented so badly, he knew the other teams would likely be in even greater trouble.

With a struggle, he got up, comforted his comrades, walked to a big tree, took off his helmet, wiped his face, revealing a handsome face with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes.

He chuckled bitterly to himself, "Thank you, thank you, you're truly bewitched..."

This son of the Grand Pillar of State arrived at Tiequan Pass a month ago.

He did not come with an appointment from the imperial court, nor even with his father's orders.

He ran away from home.

The Pei Xi case shocked the entire Da Ling and changed the fate of many people.

People like Xu Shangxin, Luo Xiaojin, Xu Zhuofeng, and even Yang Xu.

But this does not include the return of gratitude.

Regardless of how Xie Zu views him, Xie Huan is still the son of Da Ling Qing Tian Zhu. As long as Luo Xian hasn't gone mad, she won't bother to provoke Xie Zu.

However, everything that happened during that period severely impacted Xie Huan's understanding.

When he learned that Xu Shangxin had betrayed the enemy, when he learned that Pei Xia had defected, when he learned that war was imminent, and especially when he learned that Pei Xia had stabbed a hole in his father's hand.

He began to delve into the deepest, most obscure details.

He pondered why he was so miserable (referring to the person he loved who betrayed the country), why he was so incompetent (referring to Pei Xia), and what he could still do.

As we all know, once someone gets stuck on a particular point, you'd better pray they don't find any "answers," because those are probably not normal.

Xie concluded that he wanted to run away from home.

Look, isn't Pei Xia the one who ran away from home?

Ten years. After he returned, he stole the woman I loved, injured the military strategists of the four borders, and made the eldest princess yearn for him—yearning to kill him.

It's clear that "running away from home" is the best way for a naive teenager to transform!
So, on a dark and stormy night, Xie packed his bags and left the Xie residence.

Gazing at the inner city gates closed by curfew, and after enduring a night of cold wind, he embarked on his journey through the Nine Provinces. It should be said that it was not without its rewards; his years of accumulated experience in the Qi Refining stage allowed him to break through to the next realm without much further training, becoming a Qi Refining cultivator.

He joined the army at Tiequan Pass. Because of his high level of cultivation, literacy, and basic knowledge of military strategy, he quickly gained the appreciation and attention of his superiors.

If he can earn some military merits once the war begins, he will soon make a name for himself on the frontier.

Then, he was sent to Mengshan to find spies.

Life is indeed unpredictable.

After a short rest, the scout team quickly set off again.

Xie was highly skilled, but lacked experience in the mountains and fields. Fortunately, there was a veteran in the team who was an expert in this area and kept reminding everyone to pay attention to the tracks of wild animals.

These animals also need water, especially larger animals like sheep and deer. A small amount of water is not enough, and their footprints are likely to point to a steady stream of water.

After another hour of walking, they finally heard the sound of rushing water ahead.

The group exchanged glances and their faces lit up with joy. It was fortunate that they were well-trained, otherwise they would have pounced on them immediately.

Water is crucial for survival. Xie also drew inferences from this: since wild animals need it, it's very likely that monsters in the vicinity will also frequently visit, so it's best to be careful.

They cautiously emerged from the woods and, sure enough, found a crystal-clear stream.

The banks of the river were fairly wide, and only two deer were drinking water; there was no sign of any other wild animals.

Xie told his brothers to go and wash up first, while he held his sword and stood guard around.

The prolonged high pressure and tension had made everyone feel uncomfortable, but they finally relaxed at this moment.

Hearing the splashing sound behind him, Xie Huan felt a little more relaxed.

However, the next second, the tall grass on the opposite bank of the stream began to sway.

Xie immediately focused his attention and saw that the grass had parted and a group of people were walking out from behind.

There were only three people in the group, a man and a woman, dressed in silk shirts and each carrying a weapon.

Upon seeing Xie Huan covered in blood and still holding a sword, they immediately tensed up and grabbed their weapons.

Xie had initially thought it was a monster, but upon seeing it was a human, he breathed a sigh of relief and was about to put down his sword to greet the other party.

The old soldier next to him grabbed his armor and whispered, "Boss, look at their waists."

The three of them wore delicate white pendants shaped like small swords hanging from their waists.

Lingxiao Sword Sect!

Xie Huan, who had just been about to put down his hand, tightened his grip on the sword in his palm.

This is a sect north of Tiequan Pass. Judging from the current actual controller, it should be considered a sect of the Northern Barbarians.

Given that the Northern Barbarians have only controlled Youzhou for a short time, many sects in Youzhou were likely originally under the control of the Ling Kingdom and were subject to the jurisdiction of the Holy Palace.

As for recent years... well, I've never heard of them launching any uprisings, and they seem to have no dissatisfaction with the Northern Barbarians.

The Lingxiao Sword Sect is one of the more familiar sects in Tiequan Pass.

There's no other reason, it's just too close.

Heading north from the pass, it only takes a day to reach the destination on horseback.

In addition, according to many veterans from Tiequan Pass, the Northern Barbarians basically ignored the Jianghu (river and lake) when they governed it.

Or rather, equal cooperation.

So much so that sometimes, for actions that were not particularly hostile, the Northern Barbarians would even pay to hire martial arts sects from Youzhou to help them.

The Lingxiao Sword Sect, being located nearby, frequently profited from such activities, thus becoming a well-known name in Tiequan Pass.

But why would I encounter them in Mengshan at a time like this?

Before Xie could think it through, footsteps echoed from the dense forest behind him.

There was also loud conversation that was not at all shy away from being heard.

A male voice said, "In the morning and evening, look up at the sky and see that most birds are in the direction that is approaching; that is most likely a water source."

Then a female voice will obediently agree.

Xie was quite nervous at first, but as the other person got closer and closer, he felt...

Why does that voice sound so familiar?

(End of this chapter)