Holding the Sword to Carry Away Senior Sister (Transmigration) - Chapter 39

Gazing into Shui Liuqing’s eyes, Fu Yan suddenly understood everything.

Shui Liuqing, however, didn’t seem to care about Fu Yan’s gaze. She stared back unabashedly, as if to say: I’m the one who poisoned you, and what can you do about it?

Knowing that Shui Liuqing was behind this, Fu Yan wasn’t particularly surprised. From the very beginning, this woman had been watching her like a predator, seeking every possible way to lead her to her death.

What Fu Yan couldn’t grasp was when Shui Liuqing had tampered with her Qi Sea. Since learning that Shui Liuqing was an expert in poisons, Fu Yan had been cautious during every interaction. Yet, she had still been struck without a single sound or sign.

Fu Yan realized she had indeed underestimated her.

The trace of black qi in her Qi Sea was incredibly eerie. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even a poison; aside from blocking her Qi Sea from gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it didn’t seem to cause any physical damage.

Because of this, to any outsider, Fu Yan’s body appeared perfectly healthy. No one would be able to detect any sign of poisoning.

One had to admit, Shui Liuqing’s methods were brilliant.

Fu Yan furrowed her brow slightly. Since she didn’t know exactly what this black qi was, she didn’t dare take any reckless actions within her Qi Sea.

Though her mind was a whirlwind of alarm, Fu Yan’s face remained relatively unchanged. She acted as if she were simply frustrated by her “aggressive” cultivation attempt and gave up on her meditation with a dejected air.

Bai Yueli glanced back at Fu Yan. Seeing that she seemed fine, she let out a slow sigh of relief. Yet… for some reason, she still felt something was off.

Perhaps because she was so focused on what was wrong, Bai Yueli didn’t notice that she was becoming increasingly concerned about the person behind her.

Fu Yan casually plucked a blade of foxtail grass and twirled it between her fingers. She didn’t look back at Shui Liuqing again. She appeared bored, but in reality, she was plotting how to deal with this situation—and how to deal with the woman across from her.

Fu Yan was never the type to take a hit without hitting back. If someone provoked her, she would have her revenge. Though Shui Liuqing was at the Late Opening Light stage, she specialized in poisons, and her actual combat strength was quite ordinary.

A light breeze blew past. The group had rested long enough.

Soon, Han Shangzhi stepped forward and addressed everyone. “Everyone, the Quicksand Gobi is just ahead. It’s getting late; let us continue our journey.”

No one objected. For the sect disciples, riding was as good as resting; the downtime was mainly for the benefit of the ordinary Luanjin Fort guards.

At Han Shangzhi’s command, Fu Yan stood up and vaulted back onto her horse, positioning herself next to a carriage.

With that, the group completely left the boundary of the Shadow Forest.

Along the way, Shui Liuqing’s gaze fell on Fu Yan from time to time. She was curious—since Fu Yan had discovered the tampering, why was she still so calm? By all rights, she should be in a state of panic and dread.

However, the person on the Wind-Gallop Horse looked quite leisurely, as if she hadn’t even noticed the anomaly in her Qi Sea.

But Shui Liuqing knew Fu Yan must have realized.

Could she have neutralized the qi?

Impossible. As soon as the thought appeared, Shui Liuqing dismissed it. Fu Yan couldn’t possibly have the means to erase that black qi; she was surely just putting on a brave face.

At this thought, Shui Liuqing felt much better. Looking at Fu Yan again, she felt the girl was merely struggling in a deathbed struggle.

Fu Yan indeed didn’t know how to neutralize the black qi, and she was deep in thought. Suddenly, Shui Liuqing’s voice reached her mind.

“Junior Sister Fu, your face looks a bit pale. You haven’t truly suffered a cultivation deviation, have you?”

Shui Liuqing was using a private voice transmission, so only Fu Yan could hear.

Fu Yan snapped out of her thoughts and glanced sideways. Shui Liuqing was looking over, her slender eyes full of mockery.

“Thank you for your concern, Senior Sister Shui. I won’t suffer a deviation that easily,” Fu Yan replied with a smile, feigning ignorance.

Shui Liuqing, having reached her own conclusions, wasn’t angry. She continued happily, “Are you still wondering when I made my move?”

Fu Yan had guessed as much but didn’t say. She replied via transmission: “When?”

“Since you knew I was skilled with poisons, you actually dared to accept that fragrant honey from my hand. I must say, I admire your courage,” Shui Liuqing said with a smug, self-satisfied air.

Fu Yan paused. It was as she suspected; the honey was the problem. At the time, she was so focused on capturing the Erosion Bees that she hadn’t overthought it.

Seeing Fu Yan fall into silence, Shui Liuqing’s mood improved tremendously. She wanted to see her suffer. “As your senior sister, I’ll give you a piece of advice: don’t try to fight it. With your strength, you cannot overcome it.”

“As long as you stop using True Essence to prevent its depletion, I believe you can live for a few more months. However…”

“A cultivator who cannot use True Essence—how are they any different from a cripple? Wouldn’t you agree, Junior Sister Fu?”

Shui Liuqing watched her with an amused look. To a cultivator, nothing is harder to hear than the word “cripple.” She was intentionally trying to crush Fu Yan’s Dao Heart.

However, Fu Yan did not give her what she wanted. She looked up and smiled at the other woman, replying calmly: “Then… thank you for the reminder, Senior Sister. We have plenty of time ahead of us.”

Shui Liuqing paused, not quite understanding the implication of Fu Yan’s last sentence.

Fu Yan truly wasn’t sure if she could clear the black qi, but she had prepared for the worst. Even if she was to die, she would certainly take someone down with her.

“Hmph!”

Shui Liuqing assumed Fu Yan was just being stubborn. She gave a cold snort and finally looked away.

After traveling for some time, Fu Yan felt sand hitting her face. Small grains brushed past her ears. Looking up, she saw that the vegetation had vanished, replaced by a landscape of sand dunes where no living thing could be seen.

They had entered the Quicksand Gobi.

The Quicksand Gobi was essentially a vast desert. According to the records, while there were no powerful magical beasts, it was home to large bands of horse bandits. Since this was the only path to Chaoyang City, many caravans passed through, attracting bandits looking for a profit.

Currently, a group of bandits had gathered, preparing for a major operation.

Under the scorching sun, a burly man peeked out from behind a dune. Seeing the empty distance, he lost his patience.

“Didn’t they say a large shipment from Luanjin Fort would pass by today? Why is there no movement? Did that fellow Wu Jin spread fake news?” The man looked at his scarred companion, fuming.

The man was named Lang Meng, a Late Opening Light cultivator and the Third Leader of the bandits. He had heard from the rogue cultivator Wu Jin that a large caravan was heading to Chaoyang City, though it was escorted by the “Green Bamboo Young Master” Wang Qingyang.

That was why they were lying in wait.

The scarred man, Gui Sheng, was the Second Leader. He had just broken through to the Great Circle of the Opening Light. Hearing Lang Meng’s words, he frowned. “What’s the rush? It’s just a matter of today or tomorrow. If they want to enter the city, where else can they go?”

Lang Meng didn’t get angry at the rebuke. “Second Brother is right. I’m just impatient. Even with the Green Bamboo Young Master, we have two Great Circle experts—First Brother and you. This should be an easy take.”

Gui Sheng looked dismissive. “What ‘Green Bamboo Young Master’? Just a sect disciple with narrow vision. How can they compare to those of us who kill for a living?”

“Exactly! Sect disciples just have good resources; their strength isn’t worth mentioning. Last time, some ‘top-ranked’ Late-stage disciple couldn’t even take three of my punches!” Lang Meng boasted.

“Enough. Keep watch. Report immediately when they arrive. I’m going to find First Brother,” Gui Sheng said and left.

The convoy finally appeared in the distance. Wang Qingyang, in his green robes, led the way alongside Han Shangzhi.

“Third Leader, they’re here!” a scout reported to Lang Meng.

Lang Meng didn’t recognize Wang Qingyang, but he knew Han Shangzhi. Seeing a Great Circle expert leading the way, he was certain this was the target. He hurried off to inform the other leaders.

Fu Yan followed at the rear, feeling a headache coming on. She knew the fight was about to start.

Since entering the Gobi, the team had split into two. After the attack in the Shadow Forest, Han Shangzhi knew their movements were leaked. To minimize loss, they used a “strike-east-to-attack-west” strategy: Wang Qingyang and Han Shangzhi led a decoy team with fake goods to draw the bandits, while Bai Yueli and Han Shangde led the real cargo along a different path.

It was a good plan, but Fu Yan was stuck in the decoy team. Normally this wouldn’t matter, but now she was unable to fight.

And she couldn’t explain why.

Shui Liuqing, also in the decoy team, was watching her with a gloating expression.

The group was quickly lured into an array trap set by the bandits. Dozens of men rushed out from all sides, led by two Great Circle experts. It was destined to be a long, exhausting battle.

The fight began immediately. Fu Yan raised her Ling Long broken sword for defense. To conserve True Essence, she avoided attacking and simply used Wind-Shadow Steps to dodge. She couldn’t help but admire her own “fluid” movement.

Since the main focus was on the Great Circle battle at the front, no one noticed Fu Yan was slacking. As the battle intensified, Han Shangzhi, being only at the Late stage, began to fall into a disadvantage.

Fu Yan knew it was time to abandon the carriages and “panic” to escape.

However, at that moment, Lang Meng’s eyes landed on Shui Liuqing. His eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter. “HAHAHA! I didn’t expect to find such a delicate beauty here.”

Shui Liuqing’s face turned black. Now it was Fu Yan’s turn to watch the show.

“Beauty, I’ve taken a liking to you today,” Lang Meng shouted to his men. “Brothers, look at this sect beauty. Should I grab her to be your ‘lady of the fortress’?”

The bandits cheered. “Lady of the fortress! Lady of the fortress! Third Leader is mighty!!”

Pfft! Fu Yan couldn’t help it. She let out a low laugh. The scene was too hilarious.

Shui Liuqing shot a cold look at Fu Yan and lunged at Lang Meng. “Shameless scoundrel, watch your tongue!”

“HAHA! I like ’em feisty!” Lang Meng met her with bare fists.

Shui Liuqing cut a path through the crowd, but against Lang Meng, she quickly fell behind. She was a Late-stage cultivator, but she couldn’t match the raw power of a desert-hardened bandit of the same level.

If things weren’t so dire, Fu Yan would have enjoyed the show longer. But the convoy was in pieces. She blurred her figure and prepared to escape.

Seeing her move, Shui Liuqing was forced to withdraw and gave chase. She wanted to force Fu Yan into a fight where she would have to use—and lose—her True Essence. In this desolate place, no one would know if she killed her.

Lang Meng, seeing them flee, gave chase as well. “Beauty, don’t run!”

The chase was now: Fu Yan in the lead, Shui Liuqing behind her, and Lang Meng chasing Shui Liuqing.

Fu Yan looked back. “…”

The plan was to scatter to escape the bandits, but Shui Liuqing was clearly following her on purpose.

Fu Yan’s lips curled up slightly. she reached into her robes and touched the Xu You Jade Seal.