Book 6: Chapter 65: The Road Home

Book 6: Chapter 65: The Road Home

Li Yi Nuo had spent the last few weeks trying to speak and be noticed as little as humanly possible. The fox woman seemed to have dismissed her from mind entirely, which was a relief after the humiliation of being captured by the woman. Yet, it was the other two that made her shiver in fear. The elder fox radiated a kind of power that made it hard for her to breathe whenever he focused on her for more than a moment or two. She didnt even think it was intentional. If anything, she thought he was making a genuine effort to keep it repressed, which just made it even more frightening. Yet, her fear of the elder fox paled into nothingness when compared with the naked terror Lu Sen inspired in her. The way he just ignored that pressure from the elder fox alone was chilling. It was like he didnt even notice.

Every time shed imagined that she understood him, she discovered she was horribly wrong. It was like any time things got more dangerous, the man revealed an entirely new layer of frightening abilities, strength, and will. However, shed thought that she had witnessed the true culmination of that process during his fight with the horde. Li Yi Nuo still couldnt believe shed witnessed such a thing with her own eyes. She couldnt shake the image of him punching that rock-covered spirit beast so hard that she had heard the stone break from close to half a mile away. To say nothing of the spear duel with the devil. Not that shed seen the end of it, but hed been run through. Even cultivators couldnt ignore wounds like that. Yet, Lu Sen seemed to take it as a personal challenge and summoned something that looked frighteningly close to tribulation lightning along with a storm that had killed who knew how many devilish beasts and spirits.

Yet, even that paled in comparison to that elixir and what had followed. She had been certain, absolutely certain that no living thing could drink that elixir and survive it. But he had. It had been four nightmarish days of him screaming like someone was trying to rip out his soul and qi explosions that almost brought down that strange stone building hed made, but he had lived. Li Yi Nuo didnt understand what kind of new monster that old monster, Feng Ming, had made. She only knew that she needed to make sure that her sect never, ever came into direct conflict with Lu Sen. Because, every time she thought about it, she could only see one outcome. Everyone in her sect left dead, and Lu Sen and that incredibly creepy spider person casually walking away from the smoking ruins of her sect and discussing what to have for dinner.

To make matters worse, the vision in her head felt all too possible. While Laughing River seemed truly not to care about her, she and her sect had directly challenged Lu Sen. She had been sent to capture him. What an absurd notion, she thought. Hes not invincible, but I doubt hed ever let himself be taken alive. Worse, it would cost an ocean of blood to do it. More to the point, it had been to return him to the sect to face execution. A fact that he knew. A fact that might make him just decide that the world didnt need the Vermilion Blade Sect and strike first. The closer they got to the sect, the more likely it was that they would run across another disciple. She needed to leave before then. She just didnt know if they would let her. She didnt want to ask because they would pay attention to her then, but she didnt see another way. Gathering her courage, she spoke.VIsit n0(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

Were close enough to the sect. I think we can part ways now if thats alright.

She braced herself for anger. What she got was Lu Sen blinking at her owlishly. It was as if he didnt really know what she was talking about. She watched as the confusion cleared from his eyes. Here it comes, she thought.

Oh, yeah. Thats fine. I expect you can make it safely from here, said Lu Sen absently.

As he turned back to continue his conversation with the elder fox, she could almost see it in his eyes as she simply ceased to exist for him. Part of her wanted to be angry about that. Was I truly so trivial? Sanity swiftly reasserted itself as pure relief flooded her heart. She could only be grateful that hed found her so unimportant. With any luck, that same disregard would apply to her sect. Assuming that she could convince her master to leave Lu Sen alone. As she watched the rest of the group grow steadily more distant, she got a crawling sensation on the back of her neck. She made herself turn around. The spider thing was there. It took all of her self-control not to flinch away from it. The spider wasnt doing anything. It just stood there, looking at her with its unreadable eyes and face. The dread certainty that the thing was about to attack her took hold. She started to cycle her qi in preparation.

The spider tilted its head a bit to one side and asked, Whats a sect?

The incongruity of that question, when shed been expecting violence, was enough to make her lose her cycling pattern. She tried to realign her thinking.

Its a she tried out a couple of explanations in her head. Its a place where cultivators gather and train.

I see. Its a cultivator cluster. Thank you.

Without so much as a backward glance, the spider became a dark blur that raced toward the others. The idea of a spider, a human-shaped spider, moving that fast made her skin crawl, but at least it was gone. Maybe without its constant presence, shed stop having bad dreams about the horrible thing killing and eating her. Not that she expected the bad dreams would go away anytime soon. Shed accumulated more than enough material to fuel those for the next few decades. Shivering one last time, she turned toward the sect and headed for it cross country. Before, she wouldnt have dared to leave the road for fear of entering the wilds. Now, she knew what was and was not the true wilds. Nothing she found in the largely pacified forests around the roads was going to be a problem for her. They never really would have been. She just hadnt understood how inconsequential the threats were when compared to the deep wilds.

Uncle Kho?

Kho Jaw-Long.

His master is Kho Jaw-Long?

No. Kho Jaw-Long simply taught him the spear. His master is Feng Ming.

At first, her master looked like he didnt believe her. But his eyes moved from the letter to the elixir and his eyes went wide again.

Ma Caihong, he breathed in utter reverence.

Master? asked Li Yi Nuo.

Kho Jaw-Long has a wife. Not quite as famous as him but only because shes more restrained. She is a master of alchemy. The kind of alchemy that might produce something like this, he said picking up the elixir in his off hand. I cannot decide if you have been blessed with great fortune or terrible karma. In your opinion, what will be the result if we pursue this matter against Judgments Gale?

Li Yi Nuo didnt even need to think about it. He will rain death on us until nothing remains of this sect but memories and salted earth.

She watched as her master seemed to weigh the letter and the elixir before he turned his eyes back to her. He took in her expression and nodded. He lifted the objects in his hands a little.

Then, we will accept his peace offerings.

Li Yi Nuo let out a relieved breath that came to an abrupt stop when her master continued.

Although, I think Id like to meet this man, this Judgments Gale.