The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror
Chapter 78 - 67 Killing Life (6k Large - )

Chapter 78: Chapter 67 Killing Life (6k Large Chapter)

After gaining some renown, Xu Qing bid farewell to Magistrate He and his party, then took a detour to rendezvous with Guard Wang and Guard Ma.

Guard Wang had already prepared a relatively tame official horse waiting, along with rations of dried food, jerked meat, freshwater, flint and other materials. It wasn’t much but was sufficient for two or three days.

Xu Qing mounted the horse, his movements not flashy, yet very stable.

This was largely related to the movement technique he practiced daily in the Eight Diagram Wandering Palm.

Riding a horse shares similar principles with the stance training. One does not simply sit on the horseback, as that would be too bumpy.

Riding focuses on integration with the horse, clamping tight with one’s legs.

From afar, it seemed as if the person grew out from the horseback, saving much effort and sparing the rider’s behind.

Moreover, when engaging in combat on horseback, one could take advantage of the horse’s power.

Thus, any fierce general adept at charging into enemy lines must be skilled in horsemanship. With a sprint’s distance, leveraging the horse’s power could create opportunities to slay enemy generals.

However, horses that could cooperate with such fierce generals were often hard to find and difficult to tame.

The horse under Xu Qing was just an ordinary southern horse, good enough for carrying loads over long distances, but average for charging into battle.

Riding was also intended to conserve physical energy and facilitate carrying food.

Fortunately, it was now winter, the roadside grass had withered, making travel easy.

If it were spring or summer, with birds singing and grass flourishing,

the secluded paths could be overrun with wild grass; encountering sharp tips as lethal as swords was possible. Just a short distance and both horse and rider could be easily injured, not to mention clothes would definitely be torn.

Thus, in autumn and winter, if there’s no rain or snow, traveling on the official road to Yingtian Prefecture becomes easier; during this period, commercial travel is frequent, vehicles flow like water, indicating a prosperous era at a glance.

But reaching Qixia Mountain is another story; it’s a part of the Hengduan Mountain Range which separates Jiangning Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture. Taking a detour would mean a much longer journey, but fortunately, once past Qixia Mountain, one could follow the waterway of the Jiangning River that leads directly to the Black Water Lake outside Yingtian Prefecture, encompassing a vast misty waterway, boundless and often inspiring many scholars to write.

It was because of this mountain range that the Jiangning waterway became a turbulent stream.

Otherwise, if the water routes between Jiangning Prefecture and Yingtian Prefecture were clear, it would elevate the prosperity level of Jiangning Prefecture.

Guard Wang and Xu Qing were not far behind Inspector Wu’s convoy.

Guard Wang pointed ahead to a canyon and said, "That is the most magnificent scene of Qixia Mountain — the One Sword Gorge. Legend has it that an exceptional celestial being split Qixia Mountain with one sword, creating this spectacle."

Xu Qing curiously inquired, "Is this legend true?"

Guard Wang shook his head, "Probably not, even if someone from our Great Zen Temple mastered the highest secret scriptures to perfection, they would only remain mortal flesh, capable only of crushing the enemy’s leaders amidst thousands of troops. How could they accomplish such a feat? If it did happen, it’s likely due to the power of some Ancient Times mechanism."

"Ancient mechanism, what’s that?"

Guard Ma explained from aside, "These are legends left by the ancestors of our Great Zen Temple. It’s said that in ancient times, saints understood the ultimate truths of heaven and earth, and created mechanisms to regulate rivers and benefit all living beings."

Xu Qing laughed, "Aren’t the patriarchs of the Great Zen Temple Buddhist monks? Why does this sound like something scholars would say?"

Guard Wang laughed lightly, "You may not know, our monastery’s patriarch initially mastered the teachings of numerous schools before failing to unravel the ultimate truths of the universe, leading him to pursue Buddhist enlightenment and breaking through to emptiness."

"It seems your monastery’s patriarch is quite versatile. If fate allows, I’d like to visit the Great Zen Temple to seek the true scriptures," Xu Qing expressed wistfully.

He also felt that the Great Zen Temple might possess the ultimate scriptures for cultivating the Divine Soul.

But for now, he thought it best to first explore the Golden Ray Monastery.

He had a feeling that Fayue might know a bit about the secret techniques of cultivating the Divine Soul.

Because throughout the journey following them, no one else noticed them except for Fayue, who occasionally looked back, clearly aware of Xu Qing and his group.

This was not something achievable by mere hearing and eyesight.

Moreover, Xu Qing, who could travel with his Divine Soul during the night, knew well that to another with strong Qi-Blood, a robust martial artist would appear as glowing as a bright lamp in the dark, unavoidable.

Avoiding such detection would require deliberately concealing one’s Qi-Blood.

This even resembled the Qi Observation Skill of a feng shui master.

As Xu Qing’s thoughts deepened, his Divine Soul slightly left his shell and looked towards the hill ahead.

The place was known as Red Mud Ridge; the soil there resembled the color of sunset. An official road pierced straight into the dense forest within it, its boundaries unseen.

Due to the dense woods, Xu Qing could only faintly see some firelight.

Given the season, it certainly was not a forest fire; after all, a forest fire would be extensive, not just a small flicker.

Xu Qing recalled his Divine Soul, thinking privately, "This is most likely an ambush."

Yet, bypassing the area of Red Mud Ridge was not feasible as alternate routes were even harder to traverse.

He glanced again at the Qi Fortune, which still seemed unremarkable.

It seemed his journey was likely to be risky yet without actual danger.

However, caution was paramount.

Xu Qing whispered to Guard Wang.

Before long, Guard Wang spurred his horse to catch up with Inspector Wu’s convoy and talked with Fayue.

True to expectations, Fayue was not surprised to see Guard Wang.

After the exchange between the two, Inspector Wu, realizing there could be an ambush ahead, hesitated.

Then, Fayue approached and whispered a few words to Inspector Wu, who, after understanding, nodded in agreement.

It was now afternoon. If they quickened their pace, they could just pass through Red Mud Ridge and reach the station ahead to rest, then cross Qixia Mountain to reach the ferry station.