“Master! It’s snowing heavily!”
Lin Xinlan gazed at the heavy snowflakes falling like goose feathers, creating a scene as if numerous willow catkins were dancing in the wind, and exclaimed excitedly.
“Hmm… I didn’t expect the Northern Wind Territory to be so bitterly cold, and the weather changes so suddenly. But we should reach the Xun Wind Holy City in a few hours…”
Wu Ming lifted the carriage curtain and smiled slightly.
Once martial artists have cultivated their internal energy successfully, they become impervious to cold or heat, greatly increasing their tolerance to environmental conditions. It wasn’t just himself; even Lin Xinlan was wearing only a thin dress, her face slightly flushed, yet she seemed quite comfortable.
Quite the contrary, after entering the Northern Wind Territory, she had become energetic, and her martial arts progress seemed to accelerate, as if this place was a paradise that enhanced her internal cultivation.
“Hmm… that’s right. The attribute of Xuanming True Kung Fu is icy cold, and it stimulates the ancient blood of the cold earth dragon… This environment complements her cultivation perfectly…”
Wu Ming’s eyes flashed with sharpness as he glanced at Lin Xinlan and slightly nodded.
This girl had been treated like a test subject by him, cultivating all the way here, and her Xuanming True Kung Fu had barely entered the threshold. Her progress could be described as rapid and smooth, almost at the point of breaking through to the Earth Yuan Realm!
Such a refined martial arts technique made Wu Ming even more convinced of his theory—that the Martial Emperor must have relied on other external forces to greatly enhance the ability to develop martial arts techniques.
“Bloodline of the Cold Earth Dragon…”
He opened his palm, and a drop of blood-red pearl, crystal clear like jade, appeared in his palm, surrounded by a slight frosty aura.
This was naturally taken by Wu Ming under the guise of providing guidance from Lin Xinlan.
Since following him, this girl seemed to have devoted herself completely, willingly fulfilling even the most unreasonable requests, so naturally she didn’t mind such a small matter.
Rather, during the nightly guidance sessions, there was inevitably some physical contact, leading to some rather intimate situations.
…
“Master, there are people!”
Lin Xinlan silently activated her Xuan Kung Fu, not only protecting herself and the carriage but also channeling her true energy into the horse in front, guiding the horse with qi, moving effortlessly across the icy terrain and snow pits.
This was a form of training Wu Ming had proposed, although admittedly, it was also a bit lazy on his part.
Otherwise, under such harsh conditions, even the finest carriage would be rendered useless, let alone moving at such an abnormal speed.
At this moment, Lin Xinlan had her entire body’s energy focused, her senses sharper than usual, and she immediately detected something.
“Hmm… your cultivation has improved again. Good!”
Wu Ming clapped his hands: “No need to pay attention, just leave!”
Shasha!
Moments later, from the woods by the roadside, a dark shadow suddenly burst forth—it was Li Fengyu.
Only now, he looked disheveled, with several grievous wounds on his body. The only thing that remained unscathed was the infant in the swaddling cloth on his chest, protected deliberately.
“Wait!”
He shouted hoarsely, his eyes swollen and bloodshot.
This appearance would naturally evoke pity in anyone who saw him, but Lin Xinlan knew Wu Ming’s nature well and ignored him completely, continuing to move forward.
Seeing this, a sense of despair finally surfaced in Li Fengyu’s eyes.
“Hahaha… Li Fengyu, you can’t run anymore!”
Sousou!
Dark shadows surged forward, and more than ten figures, like ghosts, chased after Li Fengyu and surrounded him.
The leader, with a hawk nose, noticed Wu Ming’s carriage and showed slight surprise: “There are other people here?”
He immediately frowned: “This little brat is still nominally the son of the city lord. Kill all the witnesses, leave no traces!”
“Ping Sanzhi!”
Seeing this, Li Fengyu shouted desperately: “My lord has been good to you. Now only this young master remains of his bloodline. How can you be so heartless?”
“Heh… What is this little brat? In Pingling City, only the son of the main lady can inherit the lordship!”
Ping Sanzhi licked his lips: “I’ve already sent the second lady on her way. Li Fengyu, stop resisting. Just obediently send them mother and son to reunite—wouldn’t that be great?”
He had no intention of saying more. After one sentence, he waved his hand, and immediately several people rushed forward to attack. Meanwhile, a few other black-clothed men exchanged glances and chased after the carriage.
“If you don’t go looking for trouble, trouble will find you…”
Inside the carriage, Wu Ming sighed: “Xinlan, deal with them. These people aren’t too strong or too weak—they’re perfect for you to practice on right now…”
“As you command!”
Lin Xinlan took a deep breath, and a sky-blue ribbon suddenly appeared in her hands, like a soft whip, and she swung it.
Paa!
A black-clothed man was caught around the head, his entire body flying backward a few zhang, his neck twisted at a strange angle, before he fell into a snowbank and didn’t move again.
“You guys go too!”
A few black-clothed men were somewhat stunned at seeing Lin Xinlan, who had just been smiling sweetly, suddenly strike with such ferocity.
But soon, Lin Xinlan smiled sweetly, and the ribbon, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, suddenly lashed out several times, sending several more men flying helplessly into the snow, joining their previous companions.
“Boss! She’s tough!”
The remaining black-clothed men were terrified and immediately shouted loudly.
“Master?!”
Lin Xinlan, however, ignored everything and asked Wu Ming for instructions.
“Since you’ve started, finish the job!”
The carriage remained still, and Wu Ming’s voice drifted out calmly.
“As you command!”
Lin Xinlan slightly bowed, stepping back, and saw Li Fengyu surrounded, along with the commanding Ping Sanzhi.
Of course, the latter’s face was now quite grim.
“I am Ping Sanzhi, the head guard of the Lord of Pingling City. May I ask who the lady is?”
Ping Sanzhi slightly bowed his hands, his heart secretly angry. To eliminate a witness casually and yet encounter a martial arts expert—especially such a young girl—it was almost unbelievable, making him feel as if he were dreaming.
“My master said to clean up the mess!”
Lin Xinlan smiled sweetly, saying words chilling enough to freeze blood, as two ribbons flew from her sleeves like twin dragons fighting for a pearl, sweeping and dancing wildly.
Paa! Paa!
Her soft whip technique, with a flick of the ribbon, sent out circular waves of energy, carrying an icy chill. Even if the enemies dodged the ribbon attacks, they couldn’t escape the freezing energy. Instantly, their beards and eyebrows frosted over, their lips turned purple, and they fell to the ground shivering.
After being taught by Wu Ming and practicing advanced martial arts techniques consecutively, Lin Xinlan was now not far from the Earth Yuan ranking, even if not officially on the Earth Yuan List.
How could she be matched by second or third-tier guards from a small city?
“Ha! One Finger Crushes Enemies!”
Ping Sanzhi had risen to the position of head guard because of his skills. His lifelong mastery was in three finger techniques, hence the nickname Ping Sanzhi, while his real name was gradually forgotten.
If it weren’t for his usually low-key nature, with these three finger techniques, he might have even had a chance to compete for a spot on the Hero List!
Seeing Lin Xinlan’s prowess, he immediately roared, his sleeves puffing out like sails, and pointed a single finger forward, creating a whistling sound in the air.
Paa!
The icy energy from the ribbon met the finger strike mid-air, producing a sound like tearing silk. Ping Sanzhi stepped back one pace, spitting out a mouthful of white breath: “Impressive!”
In mid-air, one of the ribbons was severed and fell limply to the ground.
“Breaking through my family’s whip technique, you indeed have some skill!”
Lin Xinlan said in surprise, lightly stepping forward, her surrounding energy swirling into a vortex, drawing in the swirling snowfall.
With her interference, Li Fengyu’s pressure was greatly reduced. However, instead of immediately breaking through the encirclement, he quietly watched the scene unfold, as if waiting for a turning point.
“I’ve heard of famous female martial artists in the Northern Wind Territory, but never one as formidable as this young lady!”
Ping Sanzhi’s face first turned a shade of green, then shifted to a deep red, wisps of white mist rising from his head, evaporating the surrounding snow: “My lady comes from the Hu family of Pingling, and has close relations with the outer disciples of the Northern Wind Holy Ground. Young lady…”
“Too many words!”
As the saying goes, like master, like servant. After following Wu Ming for so long, Lin Xinlan had gradually adopted Wu Ming’s indifference.
Rather than feeling fear at this person’s threat of power, she became even more impatient.
Hearing Ping Sanzhi’s words, she merely sneered coldly and lightly extended her right palm.
When she struck, her palm was slightly concave, her force restrained and not fully released, her surrounding energy subtly stirring the swirling snowfall, creating an indescribable aura, clearly indicating a very advanced martial arts technique.
“Ahh… Second Finger Shakes Heaven and Earth!”
Seeing this, Ping Sanzhi dared not slacken his vigilance. He raised his index and middle fingers together, his expression solemn as he thrust them toward the center of the palm wind.
Pu!
The snow suddenly gathered, forming a white ball, which then exploded.
Ping Sanzhi’s right knuckles emitted a crisp cracking sound, and he staggered back three steps, his face alternating between pale and greenish. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of purple blood.
“Lady, spare my life! I… I surrender!”
After just one palm strike, he already knew this woman’s internal cultivation was profound, and her martial arts were extensive and deep, far beyond his capabilities, so he immediately submitted.
He surrendered so quickly that he knelt on both knees and repeatedly kowtowed, causing even Li Fengyu’s face to show signs of disdain.
“This…”
Lin Xinlan hesitated slightly, instinctively glancing toward the carriage.
After all, she wasn’t yet an old hand at the martial world. Although she had mastered formidable skills, her experience in the martial world was only slightly better than that of a novice.
“Jiejie!”
At the moment Lin Xinlan was distracted, Ping Sanzhi sneered coldly, suddenly springing up like a carp, his left hand spreading open, and a pink mist surged from his sleeve. He extended all three fingers, unleashing invisible finger force, like lightning, striking down.
“Third Finger Moves Heaven and Earth!”
After delivering the technique, he didn’t even look at the result, turned his head, and ran away.
Needless to say, his choice was extremely correct.
Even if he could defeat Lin Xinlan, she was merely a carriage driver-level opponent. In the presence of an obvious martial arts grandmaster inside the carriage, he would be a fool to stay and fight.
As for the main lady’s side, he had already stopped thinking about it and didn’t want to anymore.
After all, compared to the mission and its potential rewards, he valued his own life a bit more.
Without life, what use would there be in gaining even more rewards?
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage