Eternal Swordmaster
Chapter 236 - 229: The Green Fish Lamp - Part 1

Chapter 236: Chapter 229: The Green Fish Lamp - Part 1

Lin Xin lay on one side, asleep by the fire like everyone else around him, except he could hear people whispering furtively.

He didn’t know the identities of these individuals, but from their conversation, it sounded like they had other plans and weren’t truly part of the group heading to the Underworld.

From their words, it seemed they intended to leave the group now, and before doing so, they planned to sabotage the team leader.

And the target appeared to be that kind girl, Ma Qiuqiu; it sounded like they planned to lay hands on her.

Lin Xin turned over and heard several people quietly get up and walk out of the mushroom tree house into the open. Soon, there were faint sounds of footsteps crunching in the snow outside.

He got up, thought for a moment, and decided to follow them.

In the middle of the night, once outside the small house, the wind and snow swirled around, blanketing everything in white.

The footprints of these individuals hadn’t been deliberately erased but led away from the direction of the tree house.

Lin Xin followed and, tracking their footprints, quickly arrived at a mushroom tree where several vague figures already stood.

Because of the physical differences, he could see them, but they couldn’t see him.

He found a place to hide and quietly waited for them to reveal their purpose.

Since he had nothing better to do and the little girl was quite cute and kind, it would be a pity if she were tricked by someone; he might as well come out and see what was happening.

Soon enough, several figures emerged from the snow, men and women alike, all dressed as if they were about to leave for good.

"Did you bring the goods?"

"Got it. Taking advantage of the outgoing group as cover, cash in one hand, product in the other—if anything’s missing, don’t blame the bosses for being unfriendly," chuckled a few men who had come out earlier.

"What do you mean by ’unfriendly’? We risked our lives to bring these goods, untouched," retorted another group coldly. "If the money is short, don’t blame us for not showing brotherhood."

"Cut the crap, check the goods first."

Then the two groups began to exchange some items.

Lin Xin frowned. He had thought it was just a simple rescue mission, but he had encountered this situation.

What they were exchanging, he didn’t know, but it sounded very valuable.

After a quiet transaction, the group that had shared a room with Lin Xin seemed ready to leave.

Suddenly, more rustling sounds emerged from the snowy ground, as if someone else was approaching.

"Brother Feng? Are you there? I’ve brought you something," a coquettish young girl’s voice floated through the wind and snow, somewhat muffled, yet still audible.

Hearing the voice, the already cautious people let out ambiguous snickers.

"Feng Yongsheng, make it quick. Tie her up and let’s go. We can’t afford delays."

"Don’t worry, have I ever been slow? That Ma whatever thought a few people secretly protecting this girl would be enough, but she didn’t expect me to have such tricks up my sleeve."

"Take the girl and leave."

A shadow rushed towards the direction from which the girl’s voice was coming, light as a feather, demonstrating extraordinary Qinggong skills.

Lin Xin’s thoughts stirred, and he followed suit. Also silent, with his insights and the effect of Skill Manifestation, he could grasp any Cultivation Technique rapidly and achieve a breakthrough in understanding. As long as he succeeded once, he could quickly apprehend the principle. Coupled with years of practicing Qinggong, he naturally reached the apex, far surpassing the individual ahead.

Though he couldn’t use the Flash Spirit movement technique due to the limitation of Spiritual Energy, he could still move with ease relying solely on the strength and power of his muscles.

Following the figure in the snow for dozens of meters, he soon saw a young girl in a thick white fur coat walking towards them, carrying something.

"Don’t worry, Qiuqiu, big brother will soon take you home to be his wife..." the man surnamed Feng snickered lasciviously, slowing his pace as he reached out to embrace the girl.

Ma Qiuqiu seemed to realize that something was wrong. Her expression changed, she turned and threw down what she was carrying, and ran back the way she came, her mouth opening to scream.

Thwack.

A whisper of wind whistled by, and it seemed like a small pebble or something similar struck her on her waist, tearing the fabric and leaving a cut on her skin.

In an instant, a paralyzing numbness washed over her, and she fell forward, unable to move or even shout—only able to emit weak gasps.

The man surnamed Feng chuckled and hurried over, reaching out to pick up Ma Qiuqiu.

"Stop," suddenly a cool female voice came from not far away.

"Who?!" The man surnamed Feng was immediately startled.

Even Lin Xin, who had been ready to act, paused and looked in the direction of the voice.

A brown shadow flashed suddenly, appearing before the figure on the snowy ground.

It was a woman in sturdy attire with a yellow hat, her one sleeve empty and dangling, clearly missing an arm. Her face was ordinary and she carried a big machete on her back; her build was also somewhat sturdy. And she didn’t look like typical women who might wear decorative accessories.

"Who are you?!" The man surnamed Feng instantly became vigilant. "I haven’t seen you in the group."

"I’m just a passerby who happened to be passing by and couldn’t stand your behavior, so I came out," the woman said casually. She took the big machete down from her back, her unattractive face showing a trace of impatience.

The man surnamed Feng seemed to sense the danger of his opponent and was about to say something when, unexpectedly, a bright flash of a blade erupted from the snow-covered ground. A flurry of wind and snow was stirred up and struck him head-on.

He drew his sword to block in front of him and quickly retreated, but he was still a step too late.

Blood spattered, bright red against the snow-covered ground. A head rolled onto the ground.

The one-armed woman sheathed her sword and glanced at Ma Qiuqiu lying on the ground.

"Take care of yourself."

She turned, intending to leave.

"Sister, please wait," Ma Qiuqiu abruptly got up and called out.

"You weren’t poisoned?" The one-armed woman was also taken aback.

"I was, but it was only for a short while, I have a unique constitution..." Ma Qiuqiu was somewhat puzzled, then quickly added, "Sister, you saved me, and I haven’t thanked you yet!"

For a moment, both women were speechless.

"So I was being nosy," the one-armed woman shook her head and turned to leave but was held back by Ma Qiuqiu from behind.

"Sister! You’ve saved my life, and you’re highly skilled in martial arts. Why not join our group and move together? Wouldn’t it be safer on such a long journey?"

Lin Xin, watching this scene, couldn’t help but chuckle. Although Ma Qiuqiu seemed innocent, she was not without her own schemes, evidently possessing some means of self-preservation. And the one-armed woman clearly had the intention to join the group and move with them but was embarrassed to say so due to pride, or else she wouldn’t have been so easily grabbed by the young girl.

With the skill she demonstrated just now, dodging would have been effortless.

Shaking his head, Lin Xin silently retreated. This night would end just like this, with a fright but no harm done.

*******************

Before long, over a month had passed.

"Uncle Hong, I’ve come to see you again."

Lin Xin sat in his room reading a book when he heard the young girl bouncing and running over to knock on the door and call out.

With a slight sense of resignation, he got up and opened the door.

Ma Qiuqiu entered with an innocent smile.

"Uncle, uncle, can you tell me another story today? You’ve read so many mythological books, you must have endless amazing things to tell. Even more impressive than my father and grandfather!"

Lin Xin returned to his seat. He was at a loss for words with Ma Qiuqiu, who was only in her teens.

Ever since she had pulled that one-armed woman into the group over a month ago, she seemed even less worried about her own safety than before. Not only did she not learn her lesson, but her activities increased, spending every day running to the back of the troop.

The group had acquired some large ox carts half a month ago. Although called ox carts, they were actually huge white oxen, over three meters tall and seven to eight meters long, used for pulling elongated, shuttle-shaped houses.

These houses were like train carriages, divided into many compartments, with over a dozen large oxen pulling them. Not only could the entire troop fit inside, but they also accommodated other people moving along with them, though this required everyone to pay a bit more.

Lin Xin was currently in his room reading a book.

The oxen-pulled houses were large, with three levels from bottom to top, and five sections from front to back. Lin Xin was living in the last room towards the rear.

"What story do you want to hear this time?"

Over the past month, Lin Xin had also become familiar with this young girl. To say familiar was rather to say that she had made herself familiar to him.

The young girl was sweet-tongued, articulate, sensible, and kind-hearted. She would run back and forth, seeking company to chat with in her boredom.

One day, when Lin Xin told her a fable, she was captivated. Since then, she would keep coming over with treats, begging him to tell her stories.

"Don’t always run over here alone, otherwise your father will start worrying and get angry again."

Lin Xin chuckled as he settled back down.

"But it’s really boring in the group, I just want to hear about Immortal Law, magical stories, and those cultivators who can fly to the heavens and burrow into the ground, omnipotent."

The little girl’s eyes sparkled with longing.

"Immortals are just ordinary people in the eyes of mortals, they’re not as powerful as you imagine." Lin Xin shook his head and smiled. "I have seen immortals before, and you could think of them as an enhanced version of ordinary martial artists. Not much fundamental change."

"But they can use Immortal Law! They can produce flames, water, and ice from their fingertips, recite incantations to control all sorts of Flying Swords Magic Artifact, fly with Imperial Artifacts..." The girl’s eyes shone brightly.

"To become an immortal, the conditions are rather harsh..." Lin Xin shook his head.

"So what exactly are the conditions?" Ma Qiuqiu asked curiously.

"Aptitude, effort, luck, audacity, and also the mind... Perhaps each one has to reach a certain level to be possible," Lin Xin remarked with some emotion.

"The legends say that Qi Cultivators can inhale clouds and exhale mists, harvest the essence of heaven and earth, and slay enemies from a thousand miles away with their Magic Artifacts." Ma Qiuqiu sat down, full of longing. "If only I could become an immortal one day."

"Maybe one day you might," Lin Xin laughed. "Alright, today I’ll tell you the story of the colossal effigy and the elixir..."

He casually chose an anecdote he had once read, detailing it while weaving in some philosophies and truths. Though they were just stories, they also helped the young girl understand many things.

As he told the tale to the little girl, he felt as if he had forgotten all that had happened before, forgotten the haunting Illusions of the Underworld on him. It was as if he were just an ordinary passerby. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian to cast your vote, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please access m.qidian.com to continue reading.)