Chapter 161 Waiting for You to Take the Bait

Upon drawing close to a certain extent, Hong Jian naturally recognized the person as Fei Chengji.

Fei Chengji of Xiangji Peak, a direct disciple of Mu Fengshan.

Although more than twenty years had passed since those past events, and Danxia Sect was long no longer the same with many things and people changed, Mu Fengshan having served as the Master of Danxia Sect for all these years, Hong Jian always felt that his position had been usurped.

She was a disciple of Danxia Sect.

This sentiment was deeply rooted, as if closing her eyes could still conjure the smile of her grandmaster, Sun Yougong, or her senior martial brother, Ding Chunxue, steering a brocade-sailed flying boat to take her out to sea for cultivation. These images would pierce her heart like a sharp steel blade in an instant, preventing her from daring to relax even the slightest bit.

Unlike Jing Li, who had betrayed the sect, Hong Jian could not actually find any capital crimes in Fei Chengji that warranted his death. Yet precisely because of his exhaustive and repetitive interrogations back then, which prevented her senior martial brother from feeling even a sliver of trust from the sect before his death, even if it meant misdirected anger, Hong Jian would not rack her brains to deal with him the way she did with Jing Li, but if the opportunity arose, she would never let him go.

Fei Chengji was currently casting a spell, "Root-Seeking and Source-Tracing." The person he was looking for must be Lu Yanchang. It seemed Lu Yanchang's life was in no danger, though judging by the recent clash, he probably hadn't gotten the better end of the deal either. After a brief moment of reflection, Hong Jian guessed the truth with near certainty.

Based on Hong Jian's understanding of Lu Yanchang, in a situation like this, he certainly wouldn't have gone far; he was bound to still be hiding in the nearby mountain forests, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

This was somewhat tricky. After a brief deliberation, Hong Jian decided to keep her eyes on Fei Chengji first. Only then did she think: *Eh, why haven't I seen Zhang Yu?*

As it turned out, Fei Chengji fussed and searched all the way until the eastern sky grew pale before making a discovery beneath a small hill. Watching him from afar as he stood atop a treetop, seemingly merging with the tree itself, Hong Jian couldn't help but wonder inwardly: *What on earth is this fellow surnamed Fei hesitating for?*

Hong Jian quietly crept closer from the other side. If that really was Lu Yanchang, she had to warn him promptly.

The people beneath the hill were indeed Lu Yanchang and Zhang Yu. Throughout the night, Lu Yanchang had changed his resting spot seven times. Every location had been extremely secluded, such that Fei Chengji couldn't even trace a hint of a sign without spending at least half an hour, yet Lu Yanchang kept himself hanging at a distance just far enough for Fei Chengji to know he was still around and hadn't fled far.

This final hill was chosen purely at random by Lu Yanchang. He no longer bothered to evade him because dawn had broken, and having spent the night recuperating and gathering his strength, he intended to stay right here and have a proper showdown with this peak Golden Core cultivator, Fei Chengji.

This was precisely the reason for Fei Chengji's hesitation. He also noticed that as the horizon grew bright, his concealment techniques were not as effective as they had been during the night. The dynamic between them seemed somewhat reversed, yet his disciple Zhang Yu was still in the captive's hands, leaving him with no way to simply abandon him and leave.

"Stop dawdling, time's up." Holding a three-foot-long stick in his hand, Lu Yanchang poked Zhang Yu beside him.

Zhang Yu's face was pale as he forced himself to stretch out a hand and grip the other end of the stick.

A vibrant trace of vitality surged from his palm into the stick. This was not the "Azure Wood Technique," but rather a spell that consumed a considerable amount of true essence known as "Withered Wood Meets Spring." It contained immense vitality, enough to instantly restore a dying plant to its full prime.

Zhang Yu gritted his teeth. This lunatic had captured him during the first half of the night, asking questions about everything under the sun, and later, having apparently run out of things to ask, had started tormenting him in every conceivable way.

He was merely at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment; even if he worked himself to death, it was impossible for him to use "Withered Wood Meets Spring" to make this bare stick sprout leaves and bloom flowers.

He wanted to simply ignore it. Yet this lunatic was vicious to the extreme, and without another word, slashed a metal-attribute spell directly across his hand. Although the injury wasn't severe, and he had managed to stop the bleeding with his own spellcasting, ten fingers are linked to the heart, and it genuinely hurt! Moreover, the lunatic had warned him that the next time, he would simply chop off his fingers.

Regrowing a severed limb required extremely high cultivation realms, and Zhang Yu did not want to become crippled before even forming his Golden Core. He had no choice but to swallow his pride and continuously cast "Withered Wood Meets Spring," knowing full well it would have no effect, just to humor this lunatic and somehow hold out until his master came to his rescue.

As a result, day had broken, his master had not come, and he had fallen into a state of true essence exhaustion first.

The lunatic watched him more closely than an old hen watching chicks; the moment his true essence recovered even slightly, he would pick up the stick and poke him without a word.

Zhang Yu had endured in a state of true essence exhaustion for over an hour, sweating profusely, waves of nausea washing over him, having retched several times. If it weren't for the fact that a dignified cultivator of a renowned major sect weeping would be utterly disgraceful, he truly would have broken down in tears.

Could it be that his master had been unable to find anyone, assumed this lunatic had abducted him and flown far away, and, having no other choice, given up and returned to the sect alone?

Zhang Yu dared not continue that train of thought, but if that wasn't the case, how dared this lunatic be so arrogant as to stay beneath this small hill for so long without moving an inch?

As time passed, Zhang Yu's heart gradually sank to rock bottom. When Lu Yanchang began using his torment as a form of amusement once more, he simply abandoned all caution, grabbed the incoming stick, and cried out with bitter indignation: "Since you don't intend to let me go anyway, stop playing these cat-and-mouse games! If you're a true hero and a bold man, just give me a quick and clean death!"

Facing Zhang Yu's pitiful appearance, which was verging on tears, Lu Yanchang's expression remained rather cold, sitting there with an air of absolute indifference: "Whoever makes things unpleasant for me shouldn't expect to have a pleasant time themselves."

Zhang Yu instantly felt as aggrieved as if it were snowing in June, practically dying of injustice. Heaven and earth as witness, he didn't even know this lunatic! He trembled his lips, suppressing a string of curses that were about to slip out, and said, "How have I offended you? Just who on earth are you?"

This was not the first time Zhang Yu, tormented throughout the night, had asked this question, but the other party still just let out a cold laugh and gave no reply.

Lu Yanchang had reasons that were somewhat difficult to voice aloud for tormenting Zhang Yu like this. Primarily, seeing that dawn had broken, he wanted to let that fellow surnamed Fei see his disciple suffering so as to provoke him into coming out quickly for a fight. Furthermore, Hong Jian had gone missing in the Xianyun Sect's secret realm, and that Pu Pingping was rumored to be dead; regardless of whether it had anything to do with this kid before him, he was someone who had entered the secret realm, and Lu Yanchang couldn't help venting all his pent-up frustration on him.

*Damn it, why won't that fellow surnamed Fei get out here!*

Lu Yanchang raised a hand and unleashed an "Arc Slash," which landed neither too heavily nor too lightly on Zhang Yu. This was a spell one could learn at the Foundation Establishment stage, and Lu Yanchang controlled the damage so that it served merely as a way to drive a beast to work.

Blood immediately welled up on Zhang Yu's body. He couldn't even be bothered to heal himself anymore, sticking his neck out and putting on an expression of having cast all caution to the wind.

Lu Yanchang snorted with laughter. He tapped Zhang Yu's still-reddened and swollen hand with the wooden stick and said, "Growing some backbone, are we? Looks like you don't want your fingers anymore?"

Zhang Yu did not answer, turning his head away.

Lu Yanchang extended the wooden stick forward, poked Zhang Yu's chest, then moved it downward, slowly sliding it to Zhang Yu's lower abdomen, before pushing the tip even further down with a smile: "Does the little brother not want that either?"

Zhang Yu trembled violently all over, letting out a wild, piercing scream of "Ah!", turning his head back to grab the wooden stick, and casting "Withered Wood Meets Spring" with extreme speed. His genuine Qi was now severely depleted, and being forced to cast the spell once more caused him to heave with a succession of dry retches, his complexion turning a sickly, waxen yellow.

Lu Yanchang inwardly felt perplexed: *At a time like this, why isn't that fellow surnamed Fei coming out yet?*

He stood up, preparing to try one last move: "Forget it, seeing how much you're suffering, I'll grant you a quick end." He formed hand seals, making a gesture to unleash a powerful spell to finish off Zhang Yu.

With his true essence entirely depleted and devoid of any power to resist, Zhang Yu adopted the posture of awaiting execution, saying bitterly: "At least let me die knowing the reason."

Lu Yanchang ignored Zhang Yu. He suddenly sensed a presence closing in—one stronger than his own, yet somewhat hesitant. It was that fellow surnamed Fei.

He was nearby; was he finally unable to help himself and about to strike? Or was he still waiting for the opening when he himself released his spell?

At the exact moment Lu Yanchang heightened his vigilance, he suddenly heard a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzzing ring in his ear: "Be careful, Fei Chengji is right on top of the big tree ten zhang behind you."

Lu Yanchang's mind suffered a massive shock. This was Fang Hongian's voice; he was extremely familiar with it and could never mishear it. She was even using the "Sound Transmission into the Secret" technique he had taught her back in the prison. That meant she was fine? Not only was she fine, but she had come looking for him!

Ever since hearing that the Xianyun Sect's secret realm had collapsed, Lu Yanchang's heart had been shrouded in a layer of dark clouds. At this moment, as a cool breeze blew, the dark clouds instantly dissipated. He was truly overjoyed, to the point that he didn't even register what Hong Jian had just warned him about.

Hong Jian secretly broke out in a sweat. At this moment, she was crouching in the grass off to the side, barely a dozen zhang away from Lu Yanchang, shielded by a large boulder that completely blocked Fei Chengji's line of sight from above.

Peering out, she could take in every single movement of Lu Yanchang. His intense emotional fluctuations were written all over his face. Fortunately, Fei Chengji had not seized the opportunity to make a move.

Lu Yanchang couldn't figure out Hong Jian's exact location for a moment and had no way to respond, but it was enough that Hong Jian knew he could hear her. She hurriedly continued her instructions via "Sound Transmission into the Secret": "Brother Lu, don't rush to fight yet. Quick, trick the two of them. Just say you're a good friend of Pu Pingping, the Golden Core cultivator of the Talisman Diagram Sect—no, say you're his junior brother, and Nangong Jiu just took you on as a disciple. By the way, you haven't told them who you are yet, have you?"

She had only crept over in time to catch a few sentences, deducing this from Zhang Yu's words, though she wasn't entirely certain. Yet a bold plan had suddenly popped into her mind.

Whether they could fool Fei Chengji and Zhang Yu into willingly bringing her back to the Danxia Sect relied entirely on Lu Yanchang's ability to improvise on the spot.

Lu Yanchang felt his brain spinning a bit too slowly. *Did I hear wrong?* If only he could ask back! Then he heard Hong Jian add: "Troubling them is to avenge Pu Pingping. Just say that—say you're a loose cultivator newly recruited by the Talisman Diagram Sect, wild and unruly. You don't need to be too polite with them."

Although he had no idea what Hong Jian was up to, Lu Yanchang instantly decided to do exactly as she said. Not only had he gotten his fight, but Hong Jian had come back alive. Now he could trick some people and toy with them like fools—truly, nothing could be more wonderful than this.

Feeling utterly gratified inside, Lu Yanchang followed up on Zhang Yu's previous question of "At least let me die knowing the reason," assuming a grim and icy tone: "Very well, I'll let you die with clarity. You master and disciple dared to stand by and watch, leaving my senior martial brother to die in Xianyun Sect, which means you both deserve to die!"

*(Translator's Note: Thanks to Qing Chen for gifting the Heshi Bi, *╭(╯ε╰)╮*.)*