Chapter 1172: The Unlucky Thief
Xue Shilou didn’t find it shameful to speak of his defeat at the hands of the Carefree Wanderer. In fact, he seemed rather energized.
“I’ve more or less comprehended the rake technique. Once I fully comprehend the mystic wonders of sword techniques within it, the Carefree Wanderer will no longer be my match.
“And once I’ve also comprehended the mystic wonders within the shovel technique, I’ll grow even stronger!”
Ever since he had comprehended the sword technique concealed in the rake technique, Xue Shilou felt his dormant Sword Dao heart stir back to life, and his comprehension of the Sword Dao increased day by day.
“This is all thanks to your guidance, Fellow Daoist Lu.”
“Old Lu’s guidance?” Meng Jingzhou eyed Lu Yang suspiciously. He couldn’t help but shake the feeling that something was off. What do rake techniques have to do with sword techniques?
Lu Yang kept a straight face. “Why are you looking at me? It’s not like you understand matters of the Sword Dao.” He quickly changed the subject. “Fellow Daoist Xue, go on. What’s the third trial?”
“The third trial is to create a move uniquely your own, and it can’t be something insignificant like an everyday utility spell.
“According to the bloodline memories, this is meant to test my creativity. I can’t simply inherit everything from my predecessors; I must surpass my predecessors.”
“The third trial sounds quite difficult,” Lu Yang remarked. He mentally tallied the moves he knew. They all seem to be uniquely mine?
Xue Shilou took it in stride. “I’ll take it one step at a time. These things can’t be forced. If I pass all three trials, not only can I become the Snow Emperor’s successor, but I can also ask the current Snow Emperor to grant me any one wish I desire.”
“That’s quite a good deal.”
“Alright, we’ve eaten enough. Time to head back.” Lu Yang rose, brushed the snow off his backside, and packed up to return to the martial arts school.
~~~
The Extreme North experienced drastic temperature swings between day and night. Even daytime was cold enough to make people reluctant to stretch out their hands, and nighttime was far worse.
As such, Muxue City had no nightlife. When night fell, every household extinguished its lamps and went to sleep, leaving the entire city eerily quiet.
A furious roar reverberated through the city. Everyone could hear Vice City Lord Ma’s enraged shout.
“Which vermin dares to steal from my home? You must be tired of living!”
A black figure leaped across rooftops, flickering in and out of sight as if he didn’t exist in this space, demonstrating exceptionally skillful movement techniques.
Following Vice City Lord Ma’s lion-like bellow, a dazzling sword qi slashed down, striking the leaping figure.
How could Vice City Lord Ma not be furious? He had recently gained new insights in his cultivation of the Sword Dao and had been staying indoors to comprehend them. He hadn’t expected someone to mistake his seclusion for convalescence after a severe injury and dare to rob his house. This is a blatant provocation.
The thief clutched his right arm, a venomous look in his eyes. He had thought he could dodge the strike and make a clean getaway, but Vice City Lord Ma wasn’t injured, and his sword techniques had improved, leaving the thief with a slash.
“Just you wait, Ma. I won’t just steal your things; I’ll steal your daughter too!”
Vice City Lord Ma trembled with rage and ordered a city-wide manhunt. In an instant, Muxue City blazed with light, as bright as day.
The thief took a pill to staunch his wounds temporarily. With the entire city on alert, escape is impossible for now. I’ll have to find a place to rest first and figure out a way later.
He leaped into a courtyard and spotted a beautiful stable, where a snow-white horse was swishing its tail and nibbling on grass.
“Is this a Dragon Horse?!”
The thief was over the moon. A Dragon Horse from the East Sea has actually appeared in the Extreme North, and it appears to be pure-blooded. Its value is immeasurable.
“If I remember correctly, this is the Tiger Roar Sect? It appears that the Tiger Roar Sect had a stroke of luck and somehow got this Dragon Horse.
“Looks like the Dragon Horse’s cultivation isn’t too high; otherwise, it would have already taken human form. Lucky me!”
The thief grinned as he approached the Dragon Horse. If I can get my hands on this precious pure-blooded Dragon Horse, that sword wound wouldn’t have been in vain.
The Dragon Horse cast a glance at the thief and went back to grazing.
The thief formed hand seals and muttered an obscure incantation, casting a beast-taming technique to control this Dragon Horse.
The beast-taming mark landed on the Dragon Horse, which showed no resistance in the slightest.
“Success.”
But the moment his beast-taming mark touched the Dragon Horse, the color drained from the thief’s face. There’s something strange about this Dragon Horse!
The thief suffered a backlash from the beast-taming technique and staggered back two steps. His aura plummeted, and he turned ashen pale, his qi and blood depleted. The earlier sword wound worsened, and under the combined strain, his right hand was crippled.
“What was that noise?!”
Huo Huashen heard a faint commotion from the backyard and rushed over nervously.
Seeing that he had no time to flee the Tiger Roar Sect, the thief had no choice but to employ a secret technique to conceal his aura and form. This was his unique secret art, making him invisible to both the naked eye and spiritual consciousness.
“No one here?” Huo Huashen was befuddled. As an almighty Divine Transfiguration cultivator, I shouldn’t be hearing things.
But even his spiritual consciousness revealed nothing. He only sensed the old horse lying in the stable, chewing grass.
“Let me try probing.” Huo Huashen flicked his sleeve, producing a Blood Devil Saber, and unleashed a flurry of saber qi.
The thief’s eyes widened in disbelief. This person is a Divine Transfiguration saber cultivator?!
If he weren’t injured, he wouldn’t have deigned to spare any attention to a mere Divine Transfiguration cultivator. But now that he was grievously wounded, regardless of whether he would win, the battle would certainly draw Vice City Lord Ma’s attention.
The saber qi struck him. He bit down on his clothes and remained silent, not daring to let Huo Huashen detect him.
“So there’s really no one here, huh?”
Huo Huashen flooded the entire backyard with saber qi, but still found nothing. He could only chalk it up to being so excited about his new job as a gatekeeper that he was hearing things.
After Huo Huashen left, the thief revealed himself, kneeling on the ground with one hand propping himself up. He gasped heavily, sweat pouring from his forehead as his consciousness grew hazy.
No, I must find somewhere to rest. I must leave this place. There’s something strange here. The Tiger Roar Sect is far from as simple as it appears...
The thief approached one of the rooms in the courtyard. A small wooden sword hung at the door.
As he drew near, the small wooden sword emitted a flash of sword light and sent him flying.
At the spot where he landed was a rake that Xue Shilou had been studying day and night, infused with boundless sword qi.
Its tines were exceptionally sharp. The thief crashed headfirst into them, and several bloody holes immediately appeared in his head. He twitched on the ground twice before going still.
Lu Yang pushed open his door and scratched his head. “Eh, why did my little wooden sword activate?”
He was at the Void Refinement Stage, a dangerous period. If a stranger broke into his room, things would be dire. That was why he had hung the small wooden sword at his door to repel any intruders.
Xue Shilou, who lived next door, pushed open his door, looking even more baffled. “How did I just pass my second trial?”
The two simultaneously looked at the thief lying on the ground, who was bleeding profusely.
His right arm was gone, his body was covered in saber wounds, his hand bore a sword injury, and his head was riddled with several gaping holes. They had no idea what he had been through, but he seemed to have suffered unimaginably brutal torment while he was alive.
Xue Shilou flipped the thief over and was even more shocked when he saw his face. “Carefree Wanderer?”
“How did he die?”