The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 108 - 96 Nuogao!_2

Chapter 108: Chapter 96 Nuogao!_2

Li Yan knew what was inside the box, nodded, and said, "Thank you. Please convey to the Daoist that he should rest and heal. We will visit when there’s a chance."

After speaking, he clasped his hands and bid farewell, mounting his horse.

"Let’s hit the road!"

With a command, the team set off again.

Upon leaving Zhongnan Mountain, the sky in the distance was already showing a pale dawn.

Li Yan couldn’t help but turn back for a look.

In the blurry distance, there seemed to be a tiger holding a copper ring in its mouth, staring blankly at the sky...

...

Creaking, the carriage moved forward with difficulty.

The Qinling Mountains separated the North and South, with changeable weather. It was previously shrouded in clouds and fog; a day after leaving Zhongnan Mountain, the sky suddenly cleared.

The last traces of autumn’s heat baked the mountains and rivers. Some roads were already dried out, but shaded areas remained more muddy, with deep ruts pressed into them.

"This road is really terrible!"

Sha Lifei helped the porters push the cart over the pit, then mounted his horse, unable to stop complaining.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head and said, "This ancient Qin Chu road, the section from Xianyang to Zhongnan was built during the Qin era, the section we travel on was carved in the Han era, and it’s a long road. The court has no money for maintenance."

"This is relatively good. Those ancient roads leading to Ba Shu in the west have long been in disrepair, decaying and collapsing, trapping travelers and making them even harder to navigate..."

They chatted leisurely, only to pass the time on the journey.

Li Yan was sitting on horseback, looking at the fabric scroll in his hand, lost in thought.

This item was precisely what Chenyuan gifted, the "Thousand Gold Protection Spell."

On the fabric scroll were both a Step Gang Stepping chart and hand gesture spells, looking extremely complex and dazzling.

In the past, Li Yan would certainly not understand it, but he had already entered the Mystical Sect and, with Wang Daoxuan’s frequent guidance, had gained some understanding of these things.

More importantly, it was very much like the "Baopu Mountain Climbing Skill."

Especially the spells of the two.

The Baopu Mountain Climbing Skill was: Nuogao, the sole heir of Zeng Sun Wang Jia, Six Jia Azure Dragon, Six Yi Meets Star, Six Bing Ming Hall, Six Ding in the Yin...

The Thousand Gold Protection Spell was: Nuogao, Three Stars on the Left, Three Prisons on the Right, Heaven and Earth Inverted, All Paths Blocked, Make You Lose Your Mind, Consider East as West, Consider South as North...

Li Yan pondered aloud, "Daoist, what exactly is ’Nuogao’?"

"This matter, I really do know a bit about," Wang Daoxuan said with interest, slowed his horse to ride alongside, and took the fabric scroll to examine carefully.

After a long time, he recalled, "It was when I wandered into the Chu Territory, inadvertently seeing in a household’s study, an ancient text in Qin slip ’Day Book · Dream’ Chapter, for dispelling nightmares..."

"’Nuogao! Dare to tell you Wanqu: I have a nightmare, return to Wanqu’s place...’ Wanqu is the Boki among the Twelve Nuo Beasts."

"Unfortunately, it was just a spell, and the bamboo slip was incomplete. Later, I consulted a senior from the Mystical Sect, who said someone studied it, and ’Nuogao’ should be a name of a true god from Ancient Times associated with the lunar deity."

"But what exactly it is, has been lost to history, fortunately, this skill can still be used, and with countless deities, it gradually was not examined closely."

"According to Daoist Chenyuan, the Baopu Mountain Climbing Skill and Thousand Gold Protection Spell originated from the same source, both dating back to Pre-Qin times, possibly related to the Fang Xian Dao of the former Qin Palace."

"Oh, I see."

Li Yan, a bit regretful, carefully put away the fabric scroll.

This Thousand Gold Protection Spell also needed a Magic Artifact to work.

Of course, it didn’t necessarily have to be something as robust as a Divine Tiger Token. Any mountain predator’s bones filled with spirituality could be refined into it.

If there was a chance, he still wanted someone to make one.

"Ah—!"

Just then, a scream faintly came from up ahead.

"Be careful!"

Li Yan’s face changed, gestured everyone to stop, then pinched the Yang Jue and sniffed, speaking in a deep voice, "Up ahead, someone is attacked by a beast. You stay here, Sha Uncle guard, wait for my signal!"

Having spoken, he flicked the reins and galloped forward.

After rounding a couple of bends, the sounds of screams and beastly roars became more distinct, along with the smell of blood and the stench of wild animals overpowering the senses.

Li Yan remained unflustered, leaned down low, clamped his legs around the horse’s belly, and reached to his waist with both hands to draw out two flying blades each.

The battle at the Chaotic Burial Mound made him see the advantage of flying blades.

He had practiced before and, since leaving Xianyang, had practiced frequently on roadside beasts. With his Divine Skills to locate, although not as skilled as experts in this field, he was just barely adequate.

Swish! Swish!

Just as he turned the corner, Li Yan flicked his arms, and the flying blades shot out.

At the twist of the mountain pass, a group of traveling merchants had set up camp in a roadside clearing, numbering about seven or eight people.

Surrounding them were more than a dozen Evil Wolves, some baring their teeth threateningly, others launching sudden ambushes, making continuous harassing attacks.

This was the wolves’ tactic.

Inside the camp, two people were fairly capable, wielding plain knives to protect the others behind them. They swung left and right, already felling several wolf corpses in front of them.

However, much like the former Li Yan, it was difficult for them to fend off multiple foes with dual fists.

They were barely defending themselves; two people had been dragged out of the defense by Evil Wolves and were being torn apart on the ground, their bodies bloody and mangled, long since lifeless.

Puff! Puff!

Li Yan’s flying blades directly pierced the bodies of two Evil Wolves.

Of course, this was purely shooting blindly by smell, let alone the difficulty of hitting such agile wild wolves in lethal spots.

Not only that, the wolf pack got even angrier.

Qinling’s Evil Wolves were already large and fierce. The lead wolf, in particular, had a brutal aura, and with a low growl, several Evil Wolves pounced.

Neigh!

Beneath Li Yan, the black horse was startled, shaking its head and retreating.

This was just an ordinary horse, gentle-tempered and comparatively timid.

Yet, in the face of the charging Evil Wolves, Li Yan remained unflustered, having thrown flying blades only to disrupt the wolves’ attack.

To deal with these creatures, the Three Talents Demon Suppression Coin was quite effective.

Li Yan had already gripped the knife handle, initiated ’Storing God’.

Neigh!

An icy killing aura emanated, causing the steed to collapse on the ground in fright.

The charging Evil Wolves halted suddenly, whimpering and turning back to flee.

These wild beasts were highly sensitive to murderous intent.

The imposing aura emitted by the Three Talents Demon Suppression Coin had frightened them to the core.

"Howl—!"

A wolf howl, it was that lead wolf roaring.

Perhaps the creature was bold, or perhaps it had experienced something similar, either way, it showed no fear, attempting to urge the wolf pack to continue the attack.

Yet now, the wolf pack’s encirclement had breaches.

One man from the merchant team guarding the front saw this and charged forward, eyes glaring, with a roar, swung his plain knife with a whooshing sound that sliced down.

Puff!

The force behind the blow was immense.

The lead wolf was caught off guard, and its head was chopped off.

In an instant, blood splattered everywhere, and the wolf’s head tumbled away.

Now, unrestrained, the other wild wolves dispersed and swiftly disappeared into the forest.

Seeing this, Li Yan sheathed the long blade he had halfway drawn, soothingly stroked the neck of the fallen steed.

Fortunately, this horse was quite dim-witted, after consuming two carrots, quickly stood up, snorted, and licked Li Yan’s palm.

The man who wielded the knife saw the wolf pack leave, and with a sigh of relief, he walked up to Li Yan clasping his hands and said, "Thank you, young hero, for your assistance..."

...

The sound of sobbing continued as the people of the merchant caravan began to clean up the aftermath.

Sha Lifei and others had arrived by now, helping to collect the bodies, while Wang Daoxuan shook the Soul Suppressing Bell, reciting a chant to expiate the souls of the deceased.

This era was different from Li Yan’s previous life.

Travel was difficult, and meeting was a fateful encounter—even as it was necessary to have a guarded heart against others, it was crucial to lend a hand at the right moment, especially to gather intelligence on the road.

Don’t underestimate this; a casual remark from someone might help you escape a potential disaster or make a small fortune.

This group was not a professional merchant caravan, but rather villagers from Zha Shui near Shangzhou, hauling a few carts of rawhide paper to Chang’an for sale.

Wang Daoxuan examined the goods on the cart, amazed, "Zha Shui’s rawhide paper is of excellent quality, ranking high in all of Shan State, with merchants naturally purchasing it. Why must you do it yourself?"

Rawhide paper, also known as burnished earth paper, fire paper, had different names in different regions.

"Aren’t those bandits to blame!"

The man with the plain knife spat fiercely, his face full of resentment.