True Solution of the Sword Dao
Chapter 188 - 181 Lurking Part One

Chapter 188: Chapter 181 Lurking Part One

"Feifei, your hair has gotten longer and longer, should you find a hairband to tie it up?" Jiang Nan said softly as she massaged shampoo into Lin Fei’s hair. She chuckled.

"Is it very long?" Lin Fei lay back on the bench, his head dangling over the sink, his eyes slightly closed, letting the warm water slip through his hair.

So far, even the covering of his aura couldn’t hide the growing length of his hair, which had grown from ear-length to shoulder-length, unusually fast. The growth of his cultivation level had come to a complete halt, and Lin Fei had already stopped his constant self-cultivation; he didn’t want to waste any more time like this. It seemed that there was no progress at all in the Qi Cultivation Chapter due to a bottleneck, and even the Sword Dao True Solution seemed to be slowly losing its shine, not as radiant as when he first felt a sliver of conviction in defeating Yan Shi. Many times, Lin Fei felt he might have wasted a lot of time on other trivial matters.

His plan to contend with the Dream Eaters was incredibly vast, analyzing all sorts of possibilities and collecting all kinds of data. He studied hard for the college entrance examination to explore the pseudo True Force, started to become infatuated with the faint body scent of Jiang Nan, gradually liked holding Shuang’er close to enjoy that softness and tranquility, and liked being involved in various other matters.

Jiang Nan’s soft body was right in front of him, her hands gently gliding through his hair.

"I want so much, too much..." Lin Fei said with a sigh. He knew he was afraid, after learning of Aisaha’s strength, he had an unprecedented longing for power, but regretfully, his cultivation level had not increased at all. Only today did he realize that he had not held that pure will he had at the beginning for a long time. He worried that his longsword might not be by his side, he wanted his Combat Power to increase faster, to reach B-grade, he worried that when the moment for the current world came, he would not be sufficiently prepared. It might very well turn out just like his previous life.

Similarly, he had many worries. Or perhaps, he was just tired.

Lin Fei actually knew why he was becoming more and more greedy for warmth.

Looking at Jiang Nan’s beautiful curves right in front of him, he suddenly wanted to gently pull her into his embrace.

He reached out his hand and grabbed the Longsword Ring beside him, the cold temperature and sensation immediately calming him down.

"All done," Jiang Nan said, gently drying Lin Fei’s hair with a towel.

Outside the window, the morning light illuminated much of the room.

Lin Fei slowly sat up, his hair now firmly tied up with a black hairband.

"Nannan, take some time to visit local sights these days. Don’t just stay in the hotel watching TV," Lin Fei said with a smile.

"Can I?" Jiang Nan was startled.

"Yes, there’s two thousand yuan in the desk drawer; you can also bring back some local specialties, so we can give them to our parents and your sister Xiao You when we return," Lin Fei nodded.

"Okay then. But Feifei, aren’t you coming with me?"

"I have other things to do," Lin Fei said softly.

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

After Jiang Nan had left, Lin Fei met up with the others. The four of them took positions in four directions of the hotel, spreading their auras to probe every person coming in and out, with William at the core of their distribution.

"Inokawa-san, this is the hotel where William is staying," said a balding elderly man, standing with his hands behind his back in front of the main entrance.

Next to him stood a young man with a slim build, dressed in a white casual outfit. His appearance was very ordinary, but his eyes continuously exuded a faint sharpness.

"Open the barrier," he said.

"Right away," the elder nodded and extended his withered hands, gently clapping once, and a transparent ripple instantly spread out, quickly enveloping the entire hotel.

An odd aura slowly permeated the entire hotel.

Sitting at the side door, Lin Fei suddenly opened his eyes wide and gently picked up the walkie-talkie beside him.

"They’re here."

"Yes," Luo Yixiong’s voice came from inside. "Let’s face them together. There are only two of them... Hmph!!" Suddenly, a grunt came through the walkie-talkie, followed by a series of chaotic noises.

Lin Fei’s expression remained unchanged as he put the walkie-talkie down. He knew the battle had begun.

Sitting in the high-backed chair with the longsword leaning against the side, Lin Fei’s mouth unexpectedly revealed a faint smile. He turned his head slightly.

A tall, slim figure abruptly walked out of the hotel. Not far away, there were still continuous explosions and shouts, indicating the others were fighting.

But the figure who approached was clearly not any one of his companions.

This man’s appearance was so ordinary, as if you could easily find a dozen like him on the street, but the Japanese Sword at his waist exuded a sharp aura constantly.

"I am Inokawa Toshizo, please instruct me," his voice was deep.

A strong, inexplicable emotion slowly welled up from the bottom of Lin Fei’s heart. He sensed danger from this man, a tangible sense of threat. He stood up abruptly and picked up the longsword resting at the side.

"My name is Yan Fei," he said slowly drawing the longsword.

Inokawa Toshizo drew his Japanese Sword, holding it horizontally in front of him.

"Though not pure, it’s worthy of a fight," the blade of his sword slowly emitted a faint glow.

"Not pure?" Lin Fei was momentarily startled. He seemed to remember something, that long-lost feeling.

Whoosh!

A blade of light instantly bridged the distance between them, striking fiercely upon Lin Fei’s longsword, interrupting his thoughts.

Clang! The two rapidly separated.

Behind Lin Fei, a blue totem suddenly lit up, and a layer of faint blue glow slowly radiated from him.

But his aura was still at the D-grade peak. He was too young, and if he showed that he had risen to C-grade in such a short time, the ensuing turmoil would be untenable. Everyone might have secrets, but when a secret grows too large, even government departments and top organizations with endless resources would not let go. After all, he was not a genius from the start who showed top talent. The distance between an ordinary person and a top-level genius is too great.

The strength level of Inokawa Toshizo in front of him was approximately around C-grade peak; defeating him was impossible, but delaying should be achievable.

Blue tassels floated slowly in front of Lin Fei.

Inokawa Toshizo idly swiped his sword twice, leaving behind trails of silver lingering in the air.

"If your intention is to stall for time, then you’re destined to be disappointed," he said.

Lin Fei chuckled lightly, "Why would you say that?"

"I’m just here to prevent any accidents from occurring. The real main force isn’t me," Inokawa Toshizo said indifferently, "Your companions have already started to retreat. They are all just D-rank."

"Then why did you seek me out?" Lin Fei asked. "There are others in different locations."

"My intuition tells me you’re the strongest," Inokawa Toshizo spoke flatly.

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

A faint silhouette of a giant bear totem lit up behind Luo Yixiong as his hands shimmered with a golden yellow light. However, there was a huge bloody hole on his left shoulder. His face, drenched with sweat, was fixed on the bald elder before him.

"How are you guys doing?" he asked in a low voice.

Feng Man and Xu Zhikang both had somber expressions. They had just arrived not long ago and saw that Luo Yixiong, who ranked first in combat power among them, had already been injured and defeated, which sank their hearts.

"It’s troublesome. He’s a C-rank master," Feng Man said in a deep voice.

"Worst comes to worst, we abandon the mission and each fend for ourselves," Xu Zhikang said with a bitter smile.

"That’s exactly what he wants," Luo Yixiong nodded, "He’s been holding back all along. I guess he doesn’t want to exert too much effort."

The vast hall was now empty, all the ordinary people had left of their own accord. Even though no one could see or touch the people within the barrier, the intense and dangerous atmosphere still automatically drove everyone away from the area, an instinctual human behavior to seek benefits and avoid harm.

The three of them stood guard in the corridor leading to the room where William was located. Across them stood the bald elder, hands behind his back.

"Step aside. You youngsters are still young; there will be plenty of opportunities for missions in the future. Don’t act on impulse," the elder said slowly.

"Let’s try again, and stop hiding anything. Use whatever techniques you have to try, and then we can give up if it doesn’t work," Xu Zhikang whispered.

The other two slowly nodded in agreement.

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

Lu Xiuya stood calmly at a street corner, surrounded by people coming and going, who seemed to pass through her body as if she were nothing more than a phantom.

Across the street, not far away by the bus stop sign, sat a pure and beautiful black-haired girl looking up as she arched her body backward, seemingly stretching.

"I heard that Lord Lu Xiuya is one of the Five Stars of Hua Nation. Today I’ll have the chance to see if the name lives up to the claim," Watanabe Yotsuha said softly.

"It’s Five Stars, not Pentagram," Lu Xiuya said indifferently. "Has enough time passed? Shall we begin?"

"Don’t you think our fighting and killing spoil the scenery? Wouldn’t it be better to sit down together and talk about life and dreams?" Watanabe Yotsuha said with a playful smile.

"I only talk about life with corpses," said Lu Xiuya indifferently. Her hand stretched out to the left and a large Guandao slowly materialized in her grasp. The blade, at least four meters long, stretched across most of the street, forming a stark contrast with Lu Xiuya’s not-so-sturdy figure.

Watanabe Yotsuha slowly got up. She daintily reached into the air with a small hand and a black longsword materialized right into her grasp.

"Alright then, you’ve all made me feel quite insecure," she said.

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

Blue fluorescents faintly shimmered in Lin Fei’s eyes like crystals.

"I have to say, your intuition is impressive," he said, his longsword slanting toward the ground.

"It has been a long time since I’ve fought with all my strength."

A heavy aura suddenly spread out from him. The invisible force caused a strong air current that tossed both their clothes, making them flutter constantly.

A trace of seriousness finally appeared in Inokawa Toshizo’s eyes. Behind him, a silvery-grey totem faintly emerged, the pattern of a silver sharp-beaked bird, resembling a crow but not black.

Both vanished from their spots in the blink of an eye, and amidst the empty space, sparks and the sound of metal clashing suddenly lit up.

In a moment, Lin Fei’s figure reappeared in mid-air, raising his longsword high and chopping it down fiercely. Countless silver rings suddenly lit up and flew out.

"Munen Muso-ryu, Flick!" a deep voice echoed from below, a silvery-grey longsword stretching out fiercely to strike at Lin Fei in mid-air.

The numerous rings, like magnets, rapidly converged toward the longsword, the continuous sound of clashing ringing out once more. Both dissolved into invisibility.

Splat!

A splash of blood suddenly burst open from Lin Fei’s shoulder.

Similarly, a faint line of blood appeared on Inokawa Toshizo’s forehead, a mere trifle away from cutting open his head.

With a thud, Lin Fei landed on the ground and stood upright.

Blood from his shoulder splattered onto his face. Lin Fei lightly licked the blood. A fishy taste immediately filled his mouth.

"Again!"

The Tracing Shadow Body Technique abruptly unfurled, leaving a fading phantom slowly vanishing on the spot.

Inokawa Toshizo on the opposite side also disappeared at the same time.

"Earth Treasury Sword!"

The moment Lin Fei set foot on the ground, a silvery sword tip suddenly shot up from below. He had to lightly leap away as the longsword in his hand returned to a defensive posture.

Across from him, Inokawa appeared calm, his katana swiftly slicing out countless blade shadows.

"As totems supporting us, the fact has been proven—my Silver Raven is quicker than yours." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian.com with a recommendation ticket or a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)