Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************
Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 3: [Qiu Prefecture Lantern Festival]
Chapter 41 (185): [Ten Nights of Entanglement]
(41st of Volume 3)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
***********************************
Plunging into the Bing Juze Lake, the icy sea water instantly jolted Qi Wangshu and Zuoqiu Baiyuan awake. The four of them then swam underwater, heading west.
After their harrowing experience, none of them had any desire to linger. They wanted to escape as far away as possible.
An hour later, they surfaced at a fishing harbor on the coast.
Using their Spiritual Qi to dry their soaked robes, they immediately circled around to West City and re-entered through the West Gate.
They dared not take the shortest route through the Inner City's South Gate, fearing surveillance, tracking, and ambush by Sui Sect experts led by Yang Qingxi. They preferred the longer detour.
Along the way, they sighed repeatedly, each vowing never to attend a free banquet again.
"What level of expert was that monster hidden beneath True Person Qianyan's skin?" Li Weiyi asked Shi Shishi.
Though Li Weiyi had clashed with the monster in the Imperial Pavilion, he still had no clear understanding of his current combat prowess after breaking through to the Third Realm of the Five Seas Realm.
His record against Sixth Sea and Seventh Sea experts was completely blank.
He could only turn to Shi Shishi, the strongest among them, for answers.
Shi Shishi barely survived Qian Yanzhen's palm strike, thanks to his protective soft armor Spiritual Artifact. He was now completely drained, his entire body limp.
"That level of cultivation is comparable to the Dao Seed Realm. It must be a Successor-level existence, without a doubt. The fact that we escaped with our lives and even managed to wound him - if this battle record gets out, it'll make us famous across the world. Of course, it was all luck. If he had been serious from the start, I can't even imagine what would have happened."
Qi Wangshu was shocked, disbelieving.
"How can there be so many Successor-level experts in the world? How could we have survived encountering one?"
Shi Shishi replied, "Someone who could casually deflect my Sky-Piercing Fist in such a hurried moment must be at least on the Successor level."
Zuoqiu Baiyuan added, "Among the Ember Spirits under the Young Venerable, only Qi Jin and Cang Jin are at the Successor level. Yu Zi and Ming Niansheng are descendants of the Flying Phoenix Luan Bird bloodline."
Shi Shishi circulated his Spiritual Power to heal his wounds while muttering to himself, "I wonder if it was Qi Jin or Cang Jin..."
"If it's truly a Successor-level Ember Spirit, it must be Cang Jin, who has never shown himself before," Li Weiyi said.
Shi Shishi asked curiously, "Brother Wei, how can you be so sure?"
Li Weiyi sighed, recalling a painful memory.
"I've already dealt with Qi Jin! These Ember Spirits seem to have a preference for beautiful appearances. Everyone should keep that in mind."
"Then I'm perfectly safe," Shi Shishi said with self-awareness.
"Slap!"
"It's all my fault."
Qi Wangshu slapped himself hard.
"Although Qian Yanzhen and I are both Martial-Mystic Cultivators from Zhi Prefecture, we've only met a few times and aren't close. That's why I failed to see that the person under his human skin had already been replaced. Now that I think back, his approach to me was clearly meant to integrate into the Zhi Prefecture Martial-Mystic Cultivator community, to avoid standing out too much and attracting suspicion."
Li Weiyi didn't blame him: "Brother Qi, there's no need to blame yourself. Unless someone knew Qian Yanzhen extremely well, who could have seen through the disguise of a figure like Cang Jin?"
"Come, let me treat you both to a meal. I must apologize properly today," Qi Wangshu said, feeling both remorseful and eager to befriend Li Weiyi, who could even be on par with Zuoqiu Ting and his sister.
Li Weiyi glanced at Shi Shishi, expecting him to be eager to find a place to heal his wounds.
To his surprise, Shi Shishi was more enthusiastic than anyone else at the mention of a free feast, completely forgetting his earlier complaints about never attending free banquets again.
Seeing Li Weiyi lost in thought, Qi Wangshu quickly said, "Don't worry about Yang Qingxi and Cang Jin. Qiu Prefecture City is vast, a sea of faces. Besides, we're in West City now. Let's find a lively but not overly conspicuous place to eat while we wait for news from the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion. I'm extremely curious to see how the situation unfolds after Zhu Huan's murder and Cang Jin's appearance."
Li Weiyi said, "Then let's find a place where we can also change our clothes. We'll discard everything we're wearing or store it in our Boundary Pouches."
Zuoqiu Baiyuan's expression turned serious.
"Brother Li, are you worried that Yang Qingxi and Cang Jin might have tampered with us? But we soaked in the sea for over an hour. Everything should be completely clean by now."
"It's better to be cautious. Yang Qingxi and Cang Jin's cultivation far surpasses ours. Who knows what tricks they might have up their sleeves?" Li Weiyi replied.
Qi Wangshu said, "Let's follow Brother Li's advice. He's the only one who survived against Qi Jin and Cang Jin - we're no match for them."
In a large restaurant near the Inner City gate in West City, the four men changed their robes, meticulously checked every detail, and emerged refreshed. By then, the banquet on the second floor was ready.
Darkness fell.
As evening approached, the temperature plummeted, and snow began to drift down onto the streets outside.
News from the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion finally reached West City, sparking heated discussions among the restaurant's patrons.
"Those arrogant bastards from the Far Western Ashlands actually killed the Zhu Clan Heir in public!"
"That Young Venerable is simply heaven-defying! Even with Long Dian and Lu Cangsheng - the top two from the Eastern Territory - joining forces, they couldn't defeat him!"
"Impossible! Long Dian is said to be the reincarnation of a true dragon, undefeated in a hundred battles, and he was challenging Ge Xiantong for the title of the greatest young talent. Lu Cangsheng is the only person in the Thundercloud Sect's thousand-year history to have mastered the Thunder Annihilation Formation's thirty-six thunder strikes in the Five Seas Realm. Together, they should have been unstoppable!"
.....
Rumors spread like wildfire, causing shockwaves throughout the streets and alleys.
The most explosive news undoubtedly concerned the clash between Luansheng Linyou and Ge Xiantong at the Bing Juze Lake.
After their battle, both vanished without a clear victor.
Another rumor claimed that multiple "Death Ember Lamp Extinction" incidents had occurred within the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion, resulting in heavy casualties among the younger generation of Martial-Mystic Cultivators.
Upon hearing "Death Ember Lamp Extinction," Zuoqiu Baiyuan's face turned grim.
"The very thing the Zuoqiu Clan feared most has happened!"
"What... what does 'Death Ember Lamp Extinction' mean?" Qi Wangshu asked.
Zuoqiu Baiyuan explained, "Death Embers are akin to the elite suicide squads cultivated by the major human factions, but far more terrifying. They cultivate the Death Ember Lamp Extinction, a self-destructive technique. Once unleashed, their bodies instantly blaze with intense light, like a lamp igniting. Then they explode, turning a vast area into an Ashen Region. The lamp extinguishes, and they perish. Fortunately, we escaped!"
Qi Wangshu inhaled sharply, his scalp prickling with fear. He shuddered to imagine what would have happened if they had encountered a Death Ember instead of Cang Jin.
Would any of them have survived?
"If they're so dangerous, why doesn't the Zuoqiu Clan simply dispatch older generation figures to hunt them down and eliminate them all?"
Zuoqiu Baiyuan sighed: "Because of the Far Western Ashlands' immense power, even the combined strength of all Twenty-Eight Provinces of Lingxiao might not be enough to defeat them. They have a Transcendent among them, currently within the city, and they've already agreed on rules with the Zuoqiu Clan's Ancestor and the Calamity Crossing Temple's Immortal Master."
Shu Prefecture borders the Western Territory, and Shi Shishi, being familiar with the Far Western Ashlands, spoke while devouring the food on the table.
"No one can do whatever they please in this world. Though the Far Western Ashlands are powerful, the threat of the Nether Realm of the Dead keeps them restless. In this world, everyone has their place. Change only occurs when balance is disrupted."
"This disruption can happen because one side suddenly becomes much stronger, or because one side suddenly becomes much weaker."
"The world's situation is too far removed from us; all we see are the surface appearances."
Li Weiyi remained lost in thought.
"I overheard someone say that Long Ting is dead, and the person under the human skin is actually a Ember Spirit, which is why they suddenly attacked and killed Zhu Huan. Assuming this is true, what could the Far Western Ashlands' goal be? Is it merely to strike at the Zhu Clan?"
"If the only goal was to kill Zhu Huan, Young Venerable could have done it directly. Why expose Long Ting?"
In the Nether Realm of the Dead, Jiang Ning had once pursued Long Ting. During this pursuit, she was ambushed by Young Master Yuwen Tuozhen of Night City, along with Dao-Di and Mie-Di, and poisoned by Night Emperor Toad Venom.
Therefore, the possibility of Long Ting being killed and his skin stolen at that time was plausible.
But this assassination was riddled with inconsistencies.
If Cang Jin was truly hidden within Qian Yanzhen, then who was hidden within Long Ting? It couldn't possibly be Qi Jin, could it?
Were there other Ember Spirit experts involved?
Zuoqiu Baiyuan said, "The Ten Thousand Sects and the Zhu Clan have long dominated the Western Territory, making them sworn enemies of the Far Western Ashlands. Young Venerable likely feared that after the Zhu Clan allied with Dragon Sect and Thundercloud Sect at the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, they would view him as their primary target. So he used this tactic to sow discord between them in advance."
"Zhu Huan died in plain sight. Will the Zhu Clan still trust Dragon Sect? Who would believe that a figure like Long Dian wouldn't have seen the Ember Spirit beneath Long Ting's skin?"
"Lu Cangsheng is probably already suspicious of Long Dian. The alliance between Thundercloud Sect and Dragon Sect is bound to crumble because of this."
Shi Shishi said, "The strongest of the younger generation in the Western Territory isn't Zhu Huan, but his hundredth grandfather, Zhu Yibai. It's said that Zhu Yibai has been honing his skills in the military, earning numerous battle merits. Just his Eight Monstrous Cavalry, personally trained by him, possesses terrifying combat power capable of sweeping through his peers."
Zuoqiu Baiyuan nodded: "East Dragon, West Pig, South Tiger, North Sword. The 'West Pig' doesn't refer to Zhu Huan, but to his Hundredth Grandfather Zhu Yibai. Rumor has it he's already on his way to Qiu Prefecture City. If Long Dian fails to capture Long Ting and provide a satisfactory explanation, His Hundredth Grandfather will never cooperate with them. Young Venerable has essentially employed a 'sun strategy,' leaving everyone uncertain about Long Ting's true situation."
Li Weiyi chuckled: "Does this Hundredth Grandfather happen to have ninety-nine older brothers?"
The three of them nodded solemnly in unison.
"The Transcendent Being of the Zhu Clan has always believed his bloodline to be extraordinary, so he naturally has many children. Zhu Yibai is his youngest son, ranking higher in seniority than many Immortal Realm giants. That's why the world calls him Hundredth Grandfather," Zuoqiu Baiyuan explained.
Night fell, and streetlights flickered to life one by one. The snow seemed to intensify.
After a hearty meal, everyone had recovered from their earlier shock.
Li Weiyi temporarily put aside thoughts of the world's grand scheme, who would be ranked First-Tier, or who was truly the greatest under heaven - none of it concerned him at the moment.
He was just a small fry in the Third Realm of the Five Seas Realm. Today, he'd merely come to broaden his horizons. The Immortal Long Dian, Immortal Ge Xiantong, Yu Zi, the Young Venerable - he'd only heard their earth-shattering reputations, but hadn't seen a single one of them.
Before the year's end, breaking through to the next realm and securing an invitation to the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival was his top priority.
As for those immortals and demons who had already achieved world-renowned fame, let them fight their own battles!
The starry sky shimmered above, a sight to behold but unattainable.
Stepping out of the tavern and standing under the lamplight, Li Weiyi watched the bustling crowd on the street.
He had finally found his place: he was just one of countless nameless Martial-Mystic Cultivators on this street, separated from them by several tiers, not even in the same world.
The world's winds of change, fame, fortune, and power - the wind that belonged to him had yet to arrive...
"Where's that fragrance coming from?"
Li Weiyi sniffed the air, then raised his arm to examine it closely.
He sniffed Shi Shishi, Qi Wangshu, and Zuoqiu Baiyuan, before finally returning to himself.
"The fragrance is on me!" he said.
Shi Shishi said, "What fragrance? Meat? Wine? It's normal to smell something after just eating."
"It's... like a woman's body scent. That's impossible. After changing clothes, I haven't been near any women or touched any plants." Li Weiyi couldn't afford to be careless; life and death often hinged on details.
The other three were all Martial-Mystic Cultivators, but when they sniffed, they shook their heads, saying they couldn't smell anything.
Li Weiyi said, "My sense of smell far surpasses other Martial-Mystic Cultivators at my level. I'm certain there's a fragrance, and it's emanating from my skin, unrelated to my clothes."
Qi Wangshu said, "At the Bright Moon Seven Stars Pavilion, Yang Qingxi was sitting right next to you. Could she have done something? But after soaking in the sea for so long, any scent should have washed away! Besides, if there was an unusual fragrance, Brother Li would have noticed it earlier. Why would you only discover it now?"
Li Weiyi nodded slowly, realizing Qi Wangshu's point was valid.
Could it have been something he accidentally touched at the restaurant earlier?
Shi Shishi looked at the streetlights and the inky sky, suddenly struck by an idea: "Could it be the Ten Nights of Entanglement?"
"What's that?" The other three looked puzzled.
Shi Shishi said, "It's a special kind of exotic fragrance. Once it clings to you, it won't fade for ten days, no matter how hard you scrub. The only way to get rid of it is to peel off your own skin! Even stranger, those who are marked by this fragrance can't smell it during the day. It only releases its scent at night."
"When the fragrance drifts away on the wind, a Strange Insect-class bee-like insect can detect it from a hundred miles away."
"My dear sister, Shi Qiqing, keeps these bee-like insects and controls this exotic fragrance. She uses it to mark the men she's interested in."
Zuoqiu Baiyuan said, "Let's not scare ourselves. Even if this 'Night Fragrance' truly exists, it must be incredibly rare."
Li Weiyi shook his head gently: "I'm almost certain Yang Qingxi has marked me with 'Ten Nights of Entanglement.' It's been nearly an hour since nightfall, and the fragrance has already drifted away. She could appear before me at any moment, like a vengeful ghost come to claim my life."
The three men were chilled to the bone by his words, and unease settled over them.
Qi Wangshu asked curiously, "Brother Li, why are you so certain?"
"Do you remember what Yang Qingxi said when she left today? She told me, 'The night road is treacherous, and everyone is prey.' I was puzzled at the time - why would she say such a thing in broad daylight?" Li Weiyi replied.
"I remember now. She did say something like that."
Shi Shishi's heart pounded in his chest, and his small eyes darted nervously around.
Li Weiyi immediately donned his Nightwalker's Garment and used his Spiritual Qi to gather the scent clinging to him, hoping to sever the source of the fragrance.
He urged the three men to flee the tavern as quickly as possible.
_______________________
END OF CHAPTER
Subscribe to the MTL WORLD (@mtlworld1) YouTube Channel.
***********************************