I gulped down another cup of tea, looking out the window of the ship as it started its departure across Jīlóng Lake. The swaying waves calm, unlike the stirring in my heart.
That was... poetic of me. If I weren't talented in cultivation, I could be a scholar.
Anyways, I'll be arriving in Běifāng province in two days. Until then, I'll gather more information about the current situation.
I poured myself another cup of tea, perking my ears up for anything substantial. Other than the idle chatter, there was nothing beyond what I expected.
I sighed, getting up from my chair. I placed a low-grade spirit stone as payment and left to the lower deck. Walking down the corridor of doors, I open the door to my room.
This room was even smaller than the one I stayed in at Xīngyún sect. Though mostly clean, most of the furniture is cheap, with some of wood almost rotting. I know I wanted to return to the sect as quickly as possible, but couldn't I have picked a more respectable ship to board? Another sigh left me as I closed the door, slumping down on the bed. Maybe I should've waited another day for the ferry. No, that would've wasted too much time.
Return, report to grandfather, become stronger, and kill that bastard. I repeated in my head, those are goals for now.
I closed my eyes, sitting up in the lotus position, before taking out the Qi gathering plate from my storage bag. Let's start on the easiest goal and work my way up.
Placing the plate in front of me, I took out the half-used spirit stone from last time and placed it in the center groove. After performing the hand seals, the surrounding spiritual energy started gathering around me, forming a dense area of qi. I breathed in the spiritual energy, a cooling sensation filling my lungs, making my body relax with each breath.
Deploying the Basking Dawn technique, the spiritual energy was absorbed into my body, the flow being guided through my twelve meridians. After the eighth cycle, I let the qi collect in my dantian, filling it up until I could feel it about to burst. From there, I slowed down the flow, letting my dantian expand to accommodate the amount of spiritual energy flowing in. Allowing the qi to rise and fall as my spiritual sea extended and contracted. After a few more hours of cultivating, I felt the spiritual energy around me dwindling until it returned to its original state.
I opened my eyes, looking down at the Qi gathering plate. The spirit stone powering it completely used up, no longer its clear blue color. I swiftly took out the stone, dropping it into my storage bag, before replacing it with another high-grade spirit stone in its place.
I need to get stronger. I'll take this time to cultivate. Once I arrive, I'll be close to breaking through the seventh foundation layer. After I return, I'll definitely be able to break through to golden core realm after at least two ye-
Suddenly, I felt the ship shook, followed by screams from the upper deck.
Quickly, I deactivated the Qi gathering plate, stuffing it into my storage bag before rushing upstairs. When I arrived, bloody bodies had already littered the floor, dislocated limbs, and mangled organs decorating the upper deck in a painting of gore.
A robbery? But there shouldn't be anything valuable on the ship.
I looked around, spotting three figures donned in black with a red dripping moon embroidered on their chest.
My eyes widened in shock. The Xuèchán sect?! Why are they here? Are they here to hijack the ship? But there's nothing of value.
My shock turned to dread as the group noticed my presence, unsheathing their weapons. The one in front of the other two was clad in their sect's clothes, wielding twin swords, wearing an all too familiar mask, except this one had the character Sì on its forehead.
The masked demonic cultivator raised one of their swords, the tip pointing at me with a silent command. The two behind them rushed out, flanking me on both sides as they slashed down on me.
Crap!
I twisted my body away from the first strike, ducking my head as I spun around to dodge the second. I dashed away, putting some distance before retrieving my sword from my storage bag.
I unsheathed it, blocking the incoming attack from the demonic cultivators. I lunged at them, my attack coming down in rapid succession, pushing them into the defensive. Judging by how uneasy I feel, these two are around the early foundation realm. I can easily take them down. However...
While I fought the one in front of me, I kept an eye on the masked cultivator a distance away. Unlike the first two, I can't see through their cultivation level, which means they're probably in a higher realm than me. It's best to be cautious. I learned my lesson from last time.
I dodged another attack, the second cultivator joining the fray as I slashed at their comrade. My blade pierced through their skin, leaving a deep cut along their shoulder.
It didn't cut all the way through? They must've practiced body cultivation.
As I defended myself against the two demonic cultivators, I shot a glance at the masked cultivator in the back. The white mask that they were wearing was almost identical to that bastard's. There's no way they aren't related. The scum must be part of the Xuèchán sect. Good, at least I know where to find him now.
I parried another attack from a demonic cultivator, leaving a stab wound on their lower left abdomen. After dodging another strike from the other cultivator, I swung my blade across their chest, cleaving through their flesh as a pained scream left them.
I backed off, recollecting my bearings as I blocked an incoming dagger. Just as I was preoccupied with the two opponents in front of me, I felt overwhelming dread wash over me. That familiar, almost instinctual fear.
Before I could defend myself, I was attacked from behind, flinging me into the ship's railing. A mouth of blood splurted out as I felt the searing pain in my back spreading into the rest of my body.
"Good, you're still alive."
I looked up at the masked cultivator who stood before me. They took off their mask to reveal a woman with cold phoenix eyes that blazed an amber hue, brows straight like swords, and an expression of utter indifference, like looking at nothing but air. An expression so painfully familiar.
Damn it.