Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Heaven-Tier Martial Art?

It had been three days since Lu Han left Half-Moon City, and those three days had been nothing short of torturous for him and his companions. The August heat was still oppressive, and while the biting chill from his Biluo Sword kept him from sweating, the real ordeal was his lack of skill on horseback—each jolt and bump left him sore and weary.

At high noon, the group dismounted to rest beneath a tree, seeking shelter from the relentless sun.

Meanwhile, back in the Qi family residence of Half-Moon City, a middle-aged man in an embroidered robe paced anxiously outside the boudoir of Qi Lingxuan. This was Qi Xuliang, the patriarch of the Qi family—the only clan in the city capable of rivaling the authority of the City Lord’s Mansion.

Qi Xuliang had heard that his daughter had broken out in a rash, but it had been four days now. Ordinarily, such a thing should have resolved itself already. For martial artists, a rash—some red pimples on the face—was nothing serious and usually cleared up within three days. His daughter, being vain, had not left her room, but Qi Xuliang hadn’t thought much of it. After all, it wasn’t a grave illness.

Yet now, with four days passed and Lingxuan still not emerging, worry gnawed at him. He had no sons, only this beloved daughter, and his wife had died young. He cherished his daughter above all, afraid she might melt if held too gently, or shatter if grasped too hard.

Left with no other choice, Qi Xuliang summoned the city’s only third-rank alchemist to examine her.

“Alchemist Zhou, what exactly is wrong with my daughter?” Qi Xuliang asked as the man exited the room.

“Well… Patriarch Qi, you’d best go inside and see for yourself. I’ll take my leave now.” The alchemist’s expression was oddly complicated as he glanced at Qi Xuliang.

Alarmed, Qi Xuliang rushed inside without even bidding the alchemist farewell, fearing something terrible had happened.

But when he entered, he was stunned.

Inside was only Xiaocui, dressed in Qi Lingxuan’s clothes.

“Xiaocui, where is the young lady?” Qi Xuliang demanded.

“Master, the young lady… she has gone to Tianlan City. She said you would surely stop her if you knew, so she pretended to have a rash and had me impersonate her to keep you distracted.” Xiaocui hesitated but told the truth—after all, Qi Xuliang commanded respect as the head of the household.

“Nonsense! It’s one thing for the young lady to be reckless, but you followed her in this folly? Don’t you know we’re at odds with the City Lord’s Mansion, a life-and-death struggle? What if something happens to her?” Qi Xuliang scolded angrily.

In his younger days, he had arranged a betrothal for his treasured daughter with the son of his sworn brother. Initially, Lingxuan opposed it, and the young man was said to be reluctant as well. When his brother brought his son to Half-Moon City to break off the engagement, the two spent a few days together and, unexpectedly, sparks flew between them—much to the bewilderment and amusement of both families.

Qi Xuliang wasn’t truly opposed to his daughter going to Tianlan City, but recent times had been particularly tense.

“Master, the young lady is accompanied by Steward Wei, and they’ve hired guards. Shouldn’t be any trouble,” Xiaocui explained timidly.

“Old Wei spoils Lingxuan too much—that’s why she’s so headstrong!” Qi Xuliang flung his sleeves and left.

Xiaocui breathed a sigh of relief—thank goodness the master hadn’t punished her.

“Xiaocui, wash the guards’ uniforms tomorrow,” Qi Xuliang’s voice drifted from afar.

Qi Xuliang reflected that his recent conflict with the City Lord’s Mansion had made him overly sensitive.

“With Old Wei accompanying Lingxuan, things should be fine, but I’d better send a letter by carrier pigeon just in case,” he muttered.

A spirit pigeon fluttered skyward from the Qi residence, winging its way toward Tianlan City.

During these three days, Lu Han spoke only occasionally with Chen Jun and Niu Gao, with Hong Banmei interjecting from time to time. As for Cao Dong, he remained aloof, seemingly disdainful of Lu Han, whom he regarded as a burden. Lu Han merely shrugged—he didn’t expect much future interaction anyway.

Qi Lingxuan and Steward Wei rode in the carriage, seldom descending or speaking with the group.

The five gathered around a campfire, eating their simple rations. They knew Tianlan City was far, so they had prepared ample food.

“Cao Dong, you take first watch tonight. The four of us will rotate,” Chen Jun suggested.

“Why should I? Some people are just eating for free and still getting paid, but they don’t have to stand watch? So what if you’re talented—if bandits showed up, you’d probably wet yourself,” Cao Dong said bluntly, glaring at Lu Han. The implication was obvious.

Chen Jun tried to smooth things over. “Lu Han is new to this; he’s still learning…”

He started to say more, then relented. “Never mind, I’ll take his watch.”

“No need, Brother Chen, I can do it,” Lu Han stood and walked over to a nearby tree, sitting cross-legged.

“Hmph. Kids like him, coddled and inexperienced, ought to keep watch,” Cao Dong muttered. His pride was wounded—his talent had always been his greatest asset. He’d made rapid progress: reaching the pivotal Dragon Gate at eighteen, attaining Seventh Heaven at twenty, and now, at twenty-three, he was mid-Eighth Heaven. Advancing in martial ranks was anything but easy, unless one encountered rare fortunes or treasures. Even Hong Banmei and Niu Gao had only reached Eighth Heaven in their thirties.

“Kid, aren’t you angry at all?” Old Man Ling’s voice suddenly sounded in his mind.

“Why would I be? If a dog bites you, do you bite it back?” Lu Han replied coolly.

“True enough. You and he are destined for different worlds, with no intersection,” Old Man Ling chuckled, growing ever more satisfied with his apprentice. He had worried Lu Han might be goaded into conflict, but clearly, that was unnecessary.

Sitting cross-legged, Lu Han was soon bored.

His thoughts drifted to that night at Half-Moon Inn.

“Tenfold Nether Crow Fingers!”

He closed his eyes, trying to recall the hand seals, his hands moving in memory.

Unbeknownst to him, a sphere of energy the size of an egg formed on his extended right index and middle fingers, gray-white and emanating cold, with gray energy swirling within.

“What’s this? Such fluctuations…” Old Man Ling, observing from his azure ring, sensed the change.

Suddenly, Lu Han completed the sequence and thrust his fingers forward. The energy ball transformed into a foot-long Nether Crow and shot out.

“Tenfold Nether Crow Fingers?” Old Man Ling was startled. With a wave of his sleeve, a streak of azure energy shot out, intercepting the gray-white crow, and both vanished.

Lu Han opened his eyes.

“Kid, was that the ‘Tenfold Nether Crow Fingers’? If I hadn’t stopped it, you’d have startled everyone around,” Old Man Ling said.

“Yes, I was just experimenting and didn’t expect it to work. I don’t remember all the hand seals, so I was improvising.”

“This isn’t the full ‘Tenfold Nether Crow Fingers.’ The Nether Crow is a supreme ice beast! Still, what you just performed already has the power of a mid-grade Profound martial skill,” Old Man Ling sighed. His disciple’s luck was extraordinary—to find such a technique in a remote place like Qingshi Town, and anything linked to the Nether Crow was never simple.

“Mid-grade Profound martial skill?” Lu Han was stunned. A single Nether Crow was so formidable—what if he could unleash ten? Would that be Earth-rank, or even Heaven-rank?

Seeing Lu Han grinning foolishly, Old Man Ling was puzzled.

A smack to the head.

“Boy, what are you giggling about?”

Lu Han quickly explained his thoughts.

Old Man Ling’s face grew uncharacteristically serious.

“Even if it’s not Heaven-rank, it’s close. To freeze a mountain in ice! When you have time, study the ‘Tenfold Nether Crow Fingers’ thoroughly—I have a feeling it’s anything but ordinary.”

“Master, since you’re in the ring with nothing to do, why not study it too? I can record my insights for you,” Lu Han suggested.

Old Man Ling was taken aback. He’d never possessed a Heaven-rank martial skill before, and here Lu Han was offering it freely. If the situation were reversed, he wasn’t sure he could have done the same.

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