You Promised to Be an Idle Son-in-Law, How Could You Become a Land Immortal?

Chapter 84: Chapter 84: A Storm is Brewing

In a post station fifty li north of Shu State Prefecture City.

At midnight, the dark clouds scattered.

Moonlight spilled down, and the rain-washed lands of Shu State were surprisingly bright in the dark of night.

Especially for Martial Artists, seeing in the dark was not difficult.

Dressed in green with her long hair tied back, Shen Huatang sat perched atop a tree, clutching her long sword, Song Yue, as she overlooked the entire post station.

Although they were only two li from the Chishui River, with a City Guard camp just beyond, there was no guarantee some reckless bandits wouldn’t try their luck.

After all, forty carriages were parked outside the station, circled in layer upon layer and covering nearly half an acre.

Shen Huatang had every reason to be cautious.

In fact, she wasn’t the only one standing watch. The Xuanwei Escort Agency, responsible for this shipment of medicinal herbs, also had a team of eight men scattered around the perimeter.

Just as it was time for the changing of the guard, another eight-man team emerged from the tents pitched outside the ring of carriages.

Their leader was a burly man, wearing only a sleeveless undershirt and straw sandals. He stepped out and called:

”Old Five, come on back and get some rest! It’s our shift.”

He called out three times, but there was no response.

Shen Huatang’s cool expression flickered. She flipped down from her perch and landed beside the carriage encampment, her tone level as she said:

”Something has happened. Wake everyone up.”

The burly man froze, his expression turning grim. He whipped around and yelled, ”Ambush! Ambush! Ambush!”

His deep voice boomed, startling the men sleeping soundly in their tents.

It even startled those sleeping inside the post station, earning him a few shouted curses.

The burly man didn’t answer. He simply drew the large blade from his waist, his brow furrowed as he stared into the darkness beyond the station.

A moment later, the men of the Escort Agency all emerged from their tents.

A middle-aged man, not particularly large but with a weathered face, scanned the surroundings. ”Old Fourth, where’s the enemy?” he asked.

The burly man shook his head. ”Big Brother, we haven’t heard from Old Five’s group in a while. They must have run into trouble.”

Hearing this, the middle-aged man’s expression grew grave. Without another word, he waved several Escorts forward to investigate.

He then turned to Shen Huatang. ”Has the Female Knight Shen discovered anything?”

Shen Huatang tilted her head slightly. ”The scent of blood,” she said coolly.

She hadn’t noticed it earlier when she was upwind, but now, in a downwind position, she could smell a faint trace of it.

Clearly, the burly man was right; the Escorts on the night watch had met with disaster.

The middle-aged man immediately ordered his men to light torches and illuminate the area.

But before they were ready, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from the Escorts who had gone to investigate.

The terrible shriek tore through the quiet night, making the horses in the post station whinny in alarm.

”Who dares to attack our convoy?! Do you not know this shipment belongs to the Xiao Family of Duke Dingyuan?!”

The middle-aged man shouted as he motioned for the Escorts to take cover behind the carriages, draw their bows, and nock their arrows.

After a moment, a voice drifted in from the side. ”Leader Li, you are mistaken. I am not here to rob your convoy.”

The voice was soft, yet everyone heard it with perfect clarity.

SHIIING—

Before the middle-aged man could speak, a sword rang out. Shen Huatang’s long sword was already unsheathed.

She thrust her sword to the side, and a wave of Sword Qi, like a snowy mist, instantly shot out thirty zhang.

The newcomer let out a sound of surprise. ”The Floating Snow Sword of the Celestial Sect? Not bad, I suppose.”

As he spoke, a flash of light from a blade sliced through the air, and the Sword Qi instantly dissipated.

Shen Huatang’s brow furrowed slightly as she held her sword, her eyes fixed on the man who had just appeared nearby.

He was a young Swordman in a long black robe, with a lean, slender build.

She searched her memory but found no recollection of him. ’I don’t recognize him.’ ”To come here knowing this shipment belongs to the Xiao Family,” she said, ”you must be someone of repute.”

The young Swordman slung his long blade over his shoulder and tilted his head back. ”Liu Lang,” he said. ”A pleasure to meet you, Miss Shen.”

The middle-aged man—Leader Li—turned pale. ”The Sword Madman?”

Liu Lang smiled and nodded in acknowledgment. ”As expected of an Escort who’s traveled far and wide. You’re quite knowledgeable.”

Hearing this, Leader Li hurriedly whispered a warning to Shen Huatang, ”He’s a dangerous one. Be careful.”

Shen Huatang didn’t respond. Her eyes remained locked on Liu Lang as rumors about him surfaced in her mind.

’”Sword Madman” Liu Lang, also known as the ”Desert North Mad Blade.” His fast blade is unmatched in its ferocity, making him one of the most outstanding Swordmen of the younger generation.’

’Even Huang Ziqi, the ”Blood Dripper,” who led the Horse Gang that terrorized the Northern Desert for years, fell to his blade.’

’His Cultivation should be at the Upper Fifth Grade. As for his Saber Dao... it’s hard to say.’

Realizing this confrontation was unavoidable, Shen Huatang stepped forward.

”Leader Li, send someone to the City Guard for reinforcements at once,” she said. ”This shipment must not be lost.”

Without waiting for a reply, she tapped her toes to the ground and crossed ten zhang in a single leap.

Her sword moved with her body as she unleashed three consecutive strikes.

A web of Sword Qi shot toward Liu Lang.

Liu Lang looked her up and down, tilting his head with a look of disappointment. ”Miss Shen, your practice of the Floating Snow Sword is rather lacking.”

”This Minor Success stage of the Floating Snow Sword Intent can only be considered...”

”...a little cold.”

The moment the word ”cold” left his lips, Liu Lang moved.

He took a single, unadorned step forward, his long blade slashing down. The blade qi materialized, forming a raging tempest.

A single slash blew away her three streams of Sword Qi.

Unfazed, Shen Huatang took a second leap, closing the distance in an instant, the tip of her sword aimed directly at Liu Lang’s wrist.

Liu Lang flicked his blade up in a backhand block. The edge of his blade met her sword’s tip, sliding past it as he stepped forward with a powerful chop.

Shen Huatang felt the immense power transferred through his blade and knew instantly that both his Cultivation and his Saber Dao surpassed her own.

She no longer tried to block him head-on. Twisting away to dodge, she sent out an unpredictable horizontal slash, her Sword Qi scattering like snowflakes.

Liu Lang sneered. ”So soft and weak. How boring.”

Despite his words, his blade was faster than his voice.

He unleashed thirteen slashes in an instant. Though the blade qi extended only three inches from the edge, each strike perfectly shattered her Sword Qi.

It was a testament to his incredible perception and Technique.

Shen Huatang was not discouraged. She had already resolved to draw out the fight, retreating as she fought to lure Liu Lang away from the post station.

Liu Lang seemed to have no intention of finishing the fight either, content to follow her, merely defending without attacking.

His mouth, however, was far more relentless than his blade, and he chattered on endlessly.

”Miss Shen, is this the only swordsmanship you know? It’s hardly worth watching.”

”With a Sword Dao like this, how could the Celestial Sect feel at ease letting you roam the world? So irresponsible of them.”

”Luckily for you, you ran into me. The people of the Jianghu may call me the ’Sword Madman,’ but I have a soft spot for beautiful women.”

”Ooh, that strike was a little interesting. What’s it called? A Little Cold Plum?”

”Ha...”

Their voices gradually faded into the distance.

Back at the post station, Leader Li gritted his teeth. He summoned two Escorts and ordered them to ride to the Shu State City Guard Camp for reinforcements.

But the two horses hadn’t gotten far when a cold wind swept past, and both riders and their mounts were sliced in two.

THUD. THUD. THUD. THUD.

As the four muffled thuds echoed, the burly man raised his blade and roared, ”You gutless thieves! Dare to show yourselves and fight?”

The words had barely left his mouth when the sound of a flute drifted from the woods.

The melody was hollow and its pitch fluctuated wildly. The high notes were piercing, while the low notes were so oppressive they made one’s heart pound with anxiety.

Leader Li listened for a moment before his expression changed drastically. ”Quick, cover your ears! This is a Secret Skill of the Illusory Sound Sect!”

But his warning came too late.

The dozens of Escorts behind him already wore savage expressions. They drew their blades and began hacking at their comrades.

Several archers among them began firing indiscriminately, each arrow aimed for a vital point.

Only Leader Li and three other Escorts whose Cultivation had reached the Middle Three Grades were unaffected by the music.

They fought desperately to save their men, but it all happened too quickly. In the space of ten breaths, every other Escort was dead.

Seeing the carnage, Leader Li roared in fury, ”I’ll kill you!”

He charged recklessly into the woods, the remaining men right behind him.

Two breaths later.

Leader Li and the burly man stumbled back out, blood gushing from their necks.

Then, with a thud, they both collapsed, the furious expressions on their faces frozen in death.

Once everything fell silent.

The people inside the post station who had heard the commotion panicked, hiding wherever they could, not even daring to peek outside.

Faintly, they heard the sounds of horse hooves and wagon wheels.

The noise continued for a quarter of an hour before the area outside the post station finally fell silent again.

After nearly the time it takes an incense stick to burn, someone finally gathered the courage to peek outside.

Dozens of Escorts lay strewn about outside the post station, their bodies lying in pools of blood. It was a gruesome sight.

Beyond the bodies, the cargo-laden carriages and all the horses were gone.

”Heavens... Someone actually dared to steal the Xiao Family’s cargo in the middle of Shu State...”

”Who are these maniacs? Do they have a death wish?”

”A moment ago, I think I heard someone mention the Illusory Sound Sect, and Liu Lang, or something.”

”Looks like Shu State is in for a period of chaos.”

...

「Shu State. Xiao Mansion. Spring Lotus Garden.」

Chen Yi sat quietly in the pavilion, watching the bright moon in the night sky, waiting.

At the hour of Chou, his vision swam, and text appeared before his eyes:

[At the Chishui Riverbank, the ”Sword Madman” Liu Lang and an Evil Demon from the Illusory Sound Sect joined forces to annihilate the Xuanwei Escort Agency group escorting the Xiao Family’s medicinal herbs.]

[Opportunity +1.]

[Evaluation: You did not go to the scene, hear the sounds, or witness the events. A heavenly Opportunity was presented, yet you did not seize it. Truly, you are a disciple of indolence.]

Chen Yi read the text with a placid expression, then rose and walked toward the wooden building.

’The ”Sword Madman’s” strength should be greater than Shen Huatang’s. The outcome... it really didn’t turn out as I’d hoped.’

As he grumbled to himself, he suddenly paused.

Chen Yi tilted his head, looking toward Jiaxing Garden, just a wall away. He could vaguely make out the silhouette of a figure in a snow-white cloak.

After a moment of silence, his expression grew serious.

’A storm is coming...’