Lying Low in the Martial World to Become a Saint-Chapter 126 - 99: Ambush, Part 2

Li Baichuan didn’t even raise an eyelid, yet the disciple named Wang Tao went deathly pale.

"Li Yu’Er. Great Success in Transmutation Force Realm. Primarily cultivates the Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique. Her Power is impure..."

"Zhang Quan. Great Success in Transmutation Force Realm. Stagnated at the first layer of the Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique for four years..."

The faces of the senior disciples had already turned ashen.

They understood that Master Li’s words were a final judgment.

When it was Chen Qing’s turn, he stepped forward and calmly circulated the Cyan Wood Eternal Spring Technique.

The phantom of the exceptionally condensed Fire Seed in his Dantian seemed to burst from his body, its flames magnificent.

This was the very sign of Great Success in the Transmutation Force Realm.

Li Baichuan merely gave a faint nod.

"Chen Qing. A disciple for one year. Great Success in the Transmutation Force Realm..."

Chen Qing knew he was perfectly safe. ’Compared to the senior brothers before me, I joined much more recently.’

The assessment ended quickly.

Luo Xinyi announced the results in a clear voice. As expected, the names of the disciples who had performed poorly and had been in the sect for a considerable time were on the list.

Among the disciples whose names were called, some looked utterly devastated, as if they’d lost their parents. Others were filled with indignation, their fists clenched tightly. A few, however, seemed to have expected it. They simply heaved a deep sigh and cast a complex gaze around the place where they had once invested all their hopes.

Once Luo Xinyi finished her announcement, Li Baichuan turned away impassively and strode back to his small courtyard without a backward glance.

A somewhat oppressive atmosphere settled over the courtyard.

Most of the disciples whose names hadn’t been called breathed a sigh of relief and quickly dispersed, a hint of gratitude in their hurried departure.

Meanwhile, the expelled disciples gathered together under a grim cloud of despair.

"Senior Brother Wang, Senior Sister Li... what are your plans?"

Zhao Stone walked over to a few of the senior disciples he knew well, his tone tinged with concern and the somber empathy of seeing others in a similar plight.

Although he hadn’t been expelled, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness watching these familiar faces depart.

"What else is there to do?"

Wang Tao let out a bitter laugh, his face a mask of misery. "My family gave everything to get me into the Wutai Sect. Now... I can’t face them. I heard the Wutai Sect has influence in the Government Army, so I plan to enlist."

His eyes held the last flicker of a desperate struggle against his fate.

The Wutai Army was a powerful force. If he could break through to the Dan Jin realm while serving, there was still a chance for his fortunes to turn around.

Li Yu’Er, on the other hand, seemed much more composed. "It’s been four years, and I still haven’t broken through to the Embracing Pill Force realm. I’ve struggled long enough; it’s time to stop. My family has a small business back in my hometown. I’ll just go live out the rest of my life in comfort."

She tried to sound carefree, but the unconcealable disappointment in her eyes betrayed her true feelings of regret.

After all, she was just one step away!

"Senior Sister Li, you’re taking it well!"

Another expelled disciple, a senior brother named Sun Li, chimed in. "My uncle opened a sizable Escort Agency in Linjiang City, and he’s short on manpower. With our Transmutation Force Cultivation, we’re more than qualified for escort jobs and guard work! It’s way better than having to suck up to people here at the institute! Senior Brother Wang, Senior Sister Li, want to join me? If a few of us martial brothers team up, with the Wutai Sect name behind us, we’ll be able to make our way in the Jianghu!"

Wang Tao tactfully declined. "I’ve already made up my mind. I’m joining the Wutai Army."

He preferred the Wutai Army; the opportunities there were greater.

Li Yu’Er remained silent.

"What about Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Zhao, and Junior Brother Chen?"

Sun Li said, half-joking and half-serious, "You can come find me at the Escort Agency anytime. We can talk about compensation; I’ll make sure you’re treated well."

Hearing this, a flicker of interest clearly showed on Zhao Stone’s face.

Leaving the protection of the Sect to join a familiar group and stick together for mutual support was indeed a good option.

Although Master Li hadn’t asked him to leave yet, he still had to plan for the future.

At this thought, Zhao Stone subconsciously glanced at Chen Qing.

Chen Qing’s expression was placid. He cupped his fist and said, "Thank you for the kind offer, Brother Sun. It’s not too late to discuss this in the future."

"Right, right."

Sun Li nodded quickly. "It’s not too late to discuss it in the future."

Zhang Quan, however, was a taciturn disciple who rarely interacted with the others in the institute.

Now that he was being expelled, his eyes were filled with alarm and a sense of hopelessness about the future.

Chen Qing chatted with them for a few more moments, then took his leave. "Senior brothers, Senior Sister, I have something else to attend to, so I’ll be going now."

"Junior Brother Chen, may we meet again."

Sun Li, Li Yu’Er, and the others also cupped their fists in farewell.

Chen Qing returned the gesture and disappeared from the Cyan Wood Institute.

Zhao Stone also exchanged a few pleasantries before taking his leave.

The vast Transmission Square, once bustling with noise, suddenly became sparsely populated. The silence that followed was almost desolate.

Wang Tao, Li Yu’Er, Sun Li, and Zhang Quan stood facing one another in silence.

The smile on Sun Li’s face gradually faded.

A heavy sense of loss and uncertainty about the future weighed on their hearts.

...

Chen Qing hadn’t gone far from the Cyan Wood Institute when he saw Yang Zhicheng’s old servant waiting for him at an intersection.

"Master Chen."

The old servant bowed respectfully. "My master sent this old servant to inform you that there’s been some progress on the matter you entrusted to him a few days ago! My master said that the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion has just received a new shipment of goods, and among them may be the suitable long spear you were looking for. My master is already waiting at the Pavilion and has prepared a carriage to take you there so you can have a look."

Chen Qing was slightly moved.

Although he and Yang Zhicheng were both in the Prefecture City, they were each busy with their own affairs and rarely met.

He had mentioned in a previous letter that he was looking for a more suitable long spear, but he hadn’t expected the other man to remember it and get back to him so quickly.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Chen Qing nodded. "I will go as soon as I’ve gathered my things."

"The carriage is waiting at the mouth of the alley, Master Chen. Please, take your time." Elder Zhou bowed and stepped aside.

Chen Qing returned to his room and changed into a clean, dark cyan set of Martial Attire. He brought the silver notes from Wu Manqing and the bundle he had taken from the Five River-Flipping Flood Dragons.

He then went to the door and boarded the carriage.

...

「Meanwhile, in the western suburbs of Yunlin Prefecture, inside an abandoned River God Temple.」

The cold, damp air was thick with the heavy stench of blood.

Four figures sat around a bonfire, the flickering flames illuminating their ferocious and sinister faces.

They were Sun Kui, Li Xiao, Qian Tong, and Hu Sifang—the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth brothers of the Seven Tigers of Yin Sha.

"Second Brother, the information is solid! That little bastard named Chen has left the Wutai Sect. He’s in a carriage heading toward the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion in the city!" A cold glint flashed in Li Xiao’s eyes.

The Seven Tigers of Yin Sha had been sworn brothers for decades, as close as blood.

But in the battle at Beize No. 3 Fishery, they had lost two of their brothers, both killed at the hands of Chen Qing.

It was a blood feud that could not be reconciled. They had long wanted to tear him to shreds, but a suitable opportunity had never arisen.

"Big Brother went to... discuss important matters. He won’t be back for a while," Sun Kui said in a low voice.

Black energy swirled around him, his aura far more solid and heavy than it had been at the Beize Fishery. He had actually broken through to the Early-stage Embrace Pill Power realm!

However, his aura was tinged with a tyrannical violence, clearly the result of forcefully devouring the True Qi of others.

"That little bastard from the Cyan Wood Institute, Chen Qing!"

The fifth brother, Qian Tong, gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with bone-deep hatred. "Third Brother and Seventh Brother’s lives must be paid for with his blood! I can’t wait another day for this revenge!"

"Fifth Brother is right!"

The sixth brother, Hu Sifang, had eyes as cold as a viper’s. "That little animal only has Transmutation Force Cultivation. Even if he could kill those useless Five River-Flipping Flood Dragons, how strong can he possibly be? Our strength now is nothing like it was before. Especially Second Brother, who’s broken through to the Embracing Pill Force realm. Killing him will be as easy as slaughtering a dog!"

The fourth brother, Lao Si, Li Xiao, who was tall and lanky, added in a sinister tone, "The reports say the kid went to the Liu Family’s Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion. Yunlin City is too crowded, with too many prying eyes; it’s not a good place to make a move. But when he’s finished his business, on the road back to the Wutai Sect... the desolate outskirts will be the perfect place to send him to his grave!"

A vicious light flickered in Sun Kui’s eyes. Reason told him he should obey his big brother Tu Gang’s orders and lay low for a while.

But under the influence of the Black Evil True Qi, his violent nature and killing intent were growing ever stronger, corroding his mind like a poison.

"Good!"

Sun Kui slapped his thigh so hard the bonfire flickered. "We’ll do as Lao Si says! I’m in the Embracing Pill Force realm now, and with the three of you at the Great Success in Transmutation Force Realm, he won’t be able to escape even if he had wings! We’ll set an ambush on the only road back to the Wutai Sect! Remember, make it quick. Leave no survivors! After we kill him, we’ll drain his True Qi and toss his corpse into Qianchuan Marsh to feed the fish!"

"Yes!"

Li Xiao, Qian Tong, and Hu Sifang responded in unison, a bloodthirsty glint in their eyes.

A murderous intent filled the abandoned River God Temple.

...