Chapter 65: Peony Fragrance

"Oh no, my fourth-rank official seal!" Qin Feiyue's expression changed dramatically as he frantically patted his waist. His fourth-rank official seal was gone, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead!

Losing an official seal was a serious matter, but as the Imperial Preceptor's disciple, he might be able to suppress the news. What frightened him more was that he hadn't noticed when the cripple had stolen the seal. What if the cripple hadn't stolen the seal, but instead plunged a knife into his back...

He couldn't help but shiver.

Seventh Young Master's face flushed with embarrassment. He clutched his chest, surrounded tightly by numerous palace maids.

Just moments before, the cripple had pilfered several valuables from "him." It was only when he snatched away the chest wrap that concealed "his" chest that he realized "he" was a woman.

The cripple most detested encountering women while stealing, and this aversion caused a momentary lapse, which Qin Feiyue seized, forcing the cripple to slip away.

"That cripple is the legendary thief who infiltrated the imperial palace's inner courts to steal the Emperor's Disk, the Sky-Stealing Rogue!"

Qin Feiyue suppressed his shock. Seeing that Seventh Young Master was unharmed, he finally exhaled and said, "Your... Your Lordship has been startled. This humble general was incapable..."

Inside the profound ice, Gu Lihuan was even more astonished. The cripple had actually stolen the sheath for the Young Protector's Sword from right beside him!

Not only the sword's sheath, but the black banner in his other hand had also been stolen by the cripple!

He was currently frozen within the profound ice, which was so hard and cold that it immobilized even a master like him, making escape impossible. Earlier, when Qin Mu tricked him into giving up the sword, he had expended all his vital energy just to push the hilt of the Young Protector's Sword out of the ice.

Yet, this cripple had simply ignored the profound ice, touching it lightly with what seemed like a supernatural hand, and brazenly taken both his black banner and sword sheath!

"Lord Gu," Qin Feiyue explained, "this cripple once infiltrated the imperial palace's inner courts. He casually walked into the imperial treasury in front of countless imperial guards. The countless traps and killing formations within the treasury were utterly useless; he stole the Emperor's Disk, and no one could stop him."

Qin Feiyue continued, "It was only thanks to the Imperial Preceptor's intervention that one of his divine legs was severed. Yet, even the Preceptor couldn't hold him; he escaped with the Emperor's Disk and vanished without a trace."

Gu Lihuan was aghast, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "He's missing a leg, yet he can still perform such sleight of hand? Is it his divine leg or his divine hand?"

Suddenly, a giant beast's wail echoed from the front of the longboat. Qin Feiyue's heart leaped, and he rushed to the bow, his pupils constricting. He saw a massive spider web stretched across the river ahead, completely blocking the surging river for over ten miles!

The enormous beast pulling the boat crashed into the web, struggling in vain to break free. Then, the river parted, and a colossal spider slowly emerged from the depths, dragging the beast onto the web, continuously spinning silk before plunging its fangs into the beast's body.

Even many soldiers on the boat, wielding their qi to control swords and using their divine abilities, couldn't force back the giant spider, nor could they sever its web!

Soon, the giant beast shriveled, reduced to mere skin.

Qin Feiyue's body trembled, and the hand gripping his precious sword also shook. He wanted to slay the giant spider but dared not move.

He saw a pharmacist by the riverbank, carrying a medicine basket. Dressed in ordinary green robes, his face was disfigured and extremely hideous.

The pharmacist waved his hand, and the giant spider in the middle of the river began to retract its web, crawling along a single strand of silk towards the pharmacist. The spider grew progressively smaller, eventually becoming a tiny speck and disappearing into the pharmacist's medicine basket.

With the spider web gone, the longboat drifted downstream once more. Qin Feiyue vaguely heard a voice in his ear: "Tell the Imperial Preceptor not to meddle with the Great Ruins. Be careful not to provoke us old cripples..."

Gu Lihuan, still encased in profound ice, uttered in a trembling voice, "It's the Poison King..."

Qin Feiyue suppressed the tremor in his heart, composed himself, and commanded, "Soldiers, heed my order! Raise your oars and row! We are returning to Yan Kang!"

After the boat had traveled two or three miles, a soldier suddenly cried out tremulously, "General Qin, there's someone on the river!"

Qin Feiyue gritted his teeth, his face turning ashen. "What demons or ghosts dare to block my boat?" he said coldly. "Do they think I'm made of mud? Ram them to death..."

Just as he spoke, he suddenly saw the person on the river. The individual only had an upper body; their lower body had apparently been severed at the waist.

The strange figure stood on a reef in the middle of the river, holding two unusual broadswords.

Suddenly, a blade light tore through the sky, shaking the heavens and earth. Qin Feiyue looked up and saw the clouds in the sky parting from the terrifying blade qi!

Then, that beam of blade light descended, cutting directly towards the longboat!

*Whoosh*—

The surging waters of the river parted to either side; the entire river was actually divided into two by that single slash!

"Seven-Star Divine Treasures, open!"

Qin Feiyue roared. Divine treasures within his body burst open, unleashing terrifying vital energy that transformed into two colossal dragons, slamming into the side of the boat and shifting the longboat a hundred zhang sideways!

The blade light grazed the side of the boat and sliced upstream, splitting the surging river for over ten miles before finally rejoining behind the strange figure in the river.

"Hehe, fighting the Imperial Preceptor's disciple isn't interesting. Fighting the Imperial Preceptor himself is fun..."

The strange figure on the river reef retracted his blades, braced his hands on the rock, and then leaped with sudden force into the sky, vanishing from sight.

Qin Feiyue fought to control the trembling in his legs. "Steady the boat, steady..." he called out.

His voice trembled so much that he couldn't even hear himself, so he had to sit down to regulate his breathing, but his mind was in turmoil.

Gu Lihuan was even more terrified than him, speaking in a trembling voice, "Heavenly Blade! The Heavenly Blade who once defied the heavens with his blade, and was thought to have died at the hands of the gods, is still alive..."

Qin Feiyue's expression was volatile. "How did this unremarkable little village in the Great Ruins gather such a group of old monsters? The Divine Spear, the Heavenly Blade, the Divine Thief, the Poison King... Besides these few, what other terrifying beings reside in that village..."

He looked at the Surging River map; the map he had painstakingly drawn throughout his journey was still on the boat. The vicious individuals earlier had not destroyed it, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"No, wait!"

He suddenly realized that these vicious individuals hadn't destroyed the Surging River map not because they didn't want to, but because they disdained doing so.

These old monsters were confident that even if he took the map, the Imperial Preceptor would never dare to invade the Great Ruins!

"Why didn't they kill us?" asked the "Seventh Young Master," disguised as a man.

"Disdain."

Qin Feiyue said bitterly, "They disdained killing us, probably because our abilities are too insignificant..."

Bitterness filled his heart. As the Imperial Preceptor's disciple, he had always held himself in high esteem, and his reputation in the court and among the people was formidable. He never expected that a single journey into the Great Ruins would lead him to encounter so many powerful beings, shattering his former arrogance.

When he first met the blind man, he still possessed some arrogance, and though he was shaken, his pride remained intact. But then he encountered the elusive cripple, the sinister and venomous pharmacist, and the savage butcher. His arrogance and backbone were completely shattered, leaving him with only fear.

"Nothing can stop the Imperial Preceptor, and nothing can frighten him!"

Qin Feiyue thought of his master, Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang, and his inner unease immediately dissipated. His gaze hardened. "Those old fogies from the Great Ruins trying to stop a chariot with their arms will only be crushed to dust!" he muttered.

The longboat sailed on, drifting downstream. Qin Feiyue suddenly paused, looking ahead. There had once been an oasis there, with an ancient temple upon it, but now the oasis had vanished!

He had previously felt there was something spiritual about the ancient temple and hadn't entered to investigate, though he had marked its location on the Surging River map. He never expected that upon returning, both the temple and the oasis would have completely disappeared.

"Open Eye!"

Qin Feiyue uttered a low cry, his eyes blazing with light as he gazed beneath the water. His heart filled with horror; the oasis was still there, but it had been leveled by an immense force, and the ancient temple was now submerged at the bottom of the water!

"The Great Ruins..."

He composed himself and ordered the soldiers to channel their vital energy into rowing, to leave the area as soon as possible.

Shortly after the longboat departed, the river suddenly split open, and a bronze Buddha, trailing chains, slowly rose from the riverbed. Although the bronze Buddha was extremely heavy, it appeared weightless, standing with both feet upon the water's surface.

"The old monsters from Disabled Elderly Village are surprisingly powerful; they're quite difficult to handle..."

The bronze Buddha gazed in the direction of Disabled Elderly Village, then stamped its feet, launching itself onto the riverbank, and rushed away at full speed.

"They stole my merits; I cannot let this matter rest so easily. However, Imperial Preceptor Yan Kang is stirring, wanting to enter the Great Ruins. In that case, I shall sit back and watch the tigers fight! Once they've fought each other to exhaustion, my Leiyin Temple will reap the fisherman's profit!"

Meanwhile, outside Disabled Elderly Village, Qin Mu encountered the cripple approaching. The cripple flicked his hand, tossing something to Qin Mu, who caught it. It was a sword sheath, a perfect match for the Young Protector's Sword.

Qin Mu was momentarily stunned, just about to ask the cripple where he got it, when the cripple suddenly shoved another item into his arms.

Qin Mu pulled it out to look: it was an off-white garment embroidered with pink peonies, about a foot wide, long and ribbon-like, with a faint floral scent.

"Grandpa Cripple, what is this?" Qin Mu wondered.

The smile on the cripple's face stiffened. He said grudgingly, "A sweat towel. Keep it for wiping sweat. What bad luck, truly bad luck, to have touched such a thing. One touch brings three years of misfortune..."