"It's impossible for me to take you as my disciple. But since you're so sincere, I'll just teach you a few martial arts moves."
Upon hearing this, Xiahou the swordsman was overjoyed and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Wang Xuan did not teach Xiahou Jianke any profound martial arts; he simply picked out a sword technique from those he had seen at the Jixia Academy.
Of course, that sword technique would be just ordinary in the main world, but in the world of Liaozhai, it would be considered a top-tier sword technique. If one were to master it, one could enter the Dao through martial arts and become a first-rate sword immortal in the world of Liaozhai.
One of them taught while the other learned, and before they knew it, it was already late at night.
Suddenly Wang Xuan stopped moving and listened intently. He could hear faint music coming from outside.
The ethereal and otherworldly sound of the zither was so captivating that it was impossible not to be immersed in it; the person playing the zither must have a profound musical talent.
"Could this be Nie Xiaoqian playing the zither?" Wang Xuan's heart stirred. He knew that his butterfly wings hadn't flapped strong enough, and Nie Xiaoqian was still being forced out to seduce men by the tree demon grandmother, just like in the original story.
"You practice here by yourself for now. I'll go out and take a look. I'll be right back," Wang Xuan instructed Xiahou Jianke. He then used a concealment technique to hide his aura and walked towards the source of the music.
Wang Xuan had only been out for a short while when the distant zither music stopped. He released his divine sense and saw that Ning Caichen had been drawn away by the music and was meeting Nie Xiaoqian in the moonlight.
Golden light flashed in Wang Xuan's eyes. He activated his Golden Eyes of Luck and looked again. He saw that the mist obscuring Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian's life luck had dissipated by half, and a golden carp and a fiery red bird were faintly intertwined.
This is the harmony of dragon and phoenix! Although Ning Caichen's destiny is only that of a carp, he is still of the dragon lineage. And Nie Xiaoqian's little red bird can also be transformed into a fire phoenix, belonging to the phoenix category!
As their destinies resonated with each other, both Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian's fortunes began to increase rapidly, turning from white to crimson in an instant, and then to yellow!
Nie Xiaoqian's luck stopped after turning pale yellow, while Ning Caichen's luck turned golden yellow, which was half a grade higher than Nie Xiaoqian's.
Yellow-colored fortune is already more than ten thousand times that of an ordinary person! A county magistrate, who controls tens of thousands of people, would only have a pale yellow-colored fortune if he were to divide the land and establish a fiefdom.
However, under normal circumstances, most of a county magistrate's fortune is channeled into the imperial court's national fortune, and he can only intercept a small portion. Only fourth- or fifth-rank officials at the prefectural level, who govern millions of commoners, have the potential to accumulate yellow fortune.
As for the golden fortune, in the world of Liaozhai, it is probably comparable to that of a high-ranking official of the imperial court of the third rank or above.
"Ning Caichen truly lives up to his status as the protagonist. His fortune has only just begun to flourish, yet he's already comparable to a third-rank official in the imperial court. It's truly terrifying!" Wang Xuan sighed softly, a premonition creeping into his heart—Ning Caichen would undoubtedly be his biggest obstacle in his quest to refine the world of Liaozhai!
Just as Wang Xuan was observing the fortunes of Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian, Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian had already started chatting.
At first, it was an awkward chat, but under the influence of their innate destiny, the conversation gradually became ambiguous. Nie Xiaoqian even accidentally fell into the water, staging a wet and seductive scene.
"No, we can't let them continue like this!"
After observing for so long, Wang Xuan also noticed some subtle changes. On the surface, Ning Caichen and Nie Xiaoqian's luck had stopped increasing, but in reality, whenever they were together, their luck was constantly increasing. It was just that the increase was so small that it was difficult to detect.
"Once Ning Caichen's luck increases further and completely transforms into azure luck, he will probably be able to turn misfortune into good fortune and danger into safety. At that time, it will become more difficult for me to scheme against him."
"The only way is to take advantage of Ning Caichen's current lack of luck to break through to the Azure Luck stage, and use the Thousand-Year Tree Demon to severely injure him and damage his foundation!"
Wang Xuan instantly transformed into a villain, reaching to his waist and pulling out a puppet.
He formed several hand seals and struck the puppet, causing Nie Xiaoqian, who was not far away, to instantly lose her senses.
"Young Master Ning, my home is not far from here, but it is already very late, and I am worried about encountering danger on the way. Could you please take me home?" Under the influence of Wang Xuan's soul control technique, Nie Xiaoqian asked Ning Caichen for help with great expectation.
Once they've gone far enough away, Yan Chixia won't be able to catch up in a short time, giving Wang Xuan room to plan and scheme.
Ning Caichen was unaware of the hidden agenda, and he was also worried about letting Nie Xiaoqian go home alone late at night, so he agreed without hesitation.
Chapter 122 A Narrow Escape
Ning Caichen followed Nie Xiaoqian into the depths of the dense forest outside Lanruo Temple.
After a while, Ning Caichen saw several pavilions and towers standing in the woods ahead, and the faint sounds of women playing could be heard coming from inside.
In this deep mountain forest, it was naturally impossible for any proper people to live there. The pavilions and towers that Ning Caichen saw were all conjured by the magic of the thousand-year-old tree demon. At this moment, there were also several female ghosts playing around inside, and the incarnation of the tree demon grandmother was also among them.
If Ning Caichen goes in with him, even if he is the chosen one of the world, he will be severely injured, if not killed!
At this critical moment, the golden aura above Ning Caichen's head emitted faint rays of light, with a hint of purple light flickering within. This was his destiny's warning to him.
Ning Caichen stopped abruptly and said involuntarily, "Xiaoqian, I'll see you here. If your family sees us alone together, it might cause unnecessary misunderstandings."
Seeing that Ning Caichen was about to be led to the thousand-year-old tree demon, how could Wang Xuan let him escape unscathed?
Wang Xuan stretched out his foot and kicked the grass in front of him, and something was faintly seen flying out.
It was a three-foot-long green snake, which was leisurely preparing to hunt for food in the grass, when it ran into Wang Xuan, that big bad guy.
With a single kick from Wang Xuan, the green snake leaped hundreds of meters, landing directly beside Nie Xiaoqian...
"Ah! There's a snake!!" Nie Xiaoqian screamed, pointing at the green snake with a face full of fear.
"Xiaoqian, you're finally back! Why aren't you coming over here? What are you yelling about? You're a female ghost now, do you think you're afraid of snakes?" An old woman's voice came from the pavilion ahead: "The scholar you brought, is that your haul? Very well, I'm angry, I'll just have a scholar to vent my anger."
The female ghost naturally wouldn't be afraid of snakes. Nie Xiaoqian has been a ghost for so many years, how could she be frightened by a snake? This was entirely the result of Wang Xuan's manipulation using soul control techniques.
Nie Xiaoqian's scream immediately attracted the attention of the thousand-year-old tree demon, which naturally exposed Ning Caichen.
She acted so realistically that Ning Caichen didn't suspect her at all; otherwise, wouldn't the spy that Wang Xuan had deliberately planted have been wasted?
"Oh no! My grandma has found us!" Nie Xiaoqian, in her dramatic mode, said anxiously to Ning Caichen, "You'd better run away quickly, or my grandma will definitely kill you when she gets here!"
"Is your grandmother that fierce?" Ning Caichen looked somewhat suspicious, hesitating whether to leave immediately.
Before he could think any further, a blur flashed by, and a woman in her sixties or seventies appeared before him. This was the Tree Demon Granny, transformed from the thousand-year-old tree demon.
"Hehe, Xiaoqian, you actually advised this scholar to run away. I'm so disappointed in you." The Tree Demon Granny looked at Ning Caichen with icy eyes, reached out and grabbed him, sneering, "You'd better come here. You'll be my after-dinner snack!"
Her arm instantly extended several meters long, grabbing Ning Caichen's shoulder and causing him to scream in pain.
At the critical moment, Ning Caichen's luck suddenly surged, instantly dispelling the fog that concealed his destiny luck and revealing his purple destiny!
A wisp of her purple destiny's energy burned away, transforming into an invisible force that influenced the Tree Demon Granny.
The Tree Demon Granny had originally intended to swallow Ning Caichen whole, but at the last moment she suddenly stopped and sneered, "You scholar were also seduced by Nie Xiaoqian from Lanruo Temple, so you must know Yan Chixia and the others, right? Granny isn't in a hurry to eat you yet; I'll use you as a bargaining chip to deal with Yan Chixia and that stinky scholar!"
This is the power of luck! People with purple as their natal color can, to a certain extent, turn bad luck into good and misfortune into good fortune. As long as one's own luck is not as good as theirs, they will be affected by their luck!
Wang Xuan secretly witnessed this scene, but instead of being surprised, he was delighted.
Although Ning Caichen's sudden surge of good fortune allowed him to survive a near-death experience, it didn't come without a price.
His purple innate destiny was hidden because it had not yet fully developed! Now that his purple destiny had erupted prematurely, it damaged the foundation of his destiny, weakening Ning Caichen's innate destiny by two layers.
This damage is not irreparable; even if Ning Caichen does nothing, he can recover naturally within a year.
However, this would also delay Ning Caichen's rise to power by a year, and extend the chaotic world of Liaozhai by a year.
The Tree Demon Granny was completely unaware that she was being affected by Ning Caichen's luck. She picked Ning Caichen up with one hand and threw out several vines, binding Ning Caichen tightly.
"Xiaoqian, you better go back with Grandma obediently, and I'll settle accounts with you later!" The Tree Demon Grandma looked at Nie Xiaoqian with a sinister smile, which immediately silenced Nie Xiaoqian.
"No need to wait until later! You monster, if you still dare to harm people, don't blame me, Yan Chixia, for being ruthless!" Suddenly, someone shouted, "Heaven and Earth are boundless, borrow the power of Heaven and Earth!"
The person who came was naturally Yan Chixia. Ning Caichen had just been captured by the Tree Demon Granny, and Yan Chixia immediately came to his rescue. This was also due to the influence of Ning Caichen's luck!
Even if Wang Xuan hadn't had the Eternal Tower of Heaven and Earth to suppress his fortune, he probably would have been influenced by Ning Caichen's aura and would have jumped out to stand up for Ning Caichen!
A dazzling sword light flashed, severing the arm that the tree demon was holding onto Ning Caichen.
The sword light continued its momentum, just as Ning Caichen had slashed directly at the head of the tree demon.
"Yan Chixia, you call yourself a righteous person, yet you've learned to use sneak attacks! This is truly outrageous!" The Tree Demon Granny was beheaded with a single sword strike, but her sharp head still uttered a string of curses.
Yan Chixia touched his nose somewhat awkwardly, made a sword gesture with his hand, pointed forward, and immediately cleaved the tree demon's body into pieces.
This was merely an avatar conjured by the Tree Demon Granny. Under Yan Chixia's sword light, the spell was finally broken, and it turned into a pile of broken wood.
The soil beneath the ground surged, and countless tree roots shot out like steel bars, seemingly about to pierce Yan Chixia into a sieve at any moment.
Yan Chixia remained fearless, withdrawing the Xuanyuan Sword to protect himself and unleashing countless sword lights to sever all the tree roots.
“This thousand-year-old tree demon has completed its mission, and there is no point in keeping it any longer.” Wang Xuan watched Yan Chixia and the thousand-year-old tree demon fight, then suddenly slapped the bronze coffin at his waist. The entire coffin burst out of the coffin and transformed into a blur as it rushed towards the tree demon’s true form.
Chapter 123 I'm a Good Ghost!
The true form of the thousand-year-old tree demon was hidden in the dense forest, concealed by countless tall trees, so that even Yan Chixia could not identify it in a short time.
However, Wang Xuan's Xuan Yin incarnation had already reached the late stage of the Transcendent Realm, which was two minor realms higher than the Thousand-Year Tree Demon and much stronger than Yan Chixia.
At this moment, his divine sense swept across the area, revealing the true form of the thousand-year-old tree demon, which could not be hidden from the search of the Xuan Yin incarnation.
Xuan Yin's avatar concealed its aura and, taking advantage of the battle between the Thousand-Year Tree Demon and Yan Chixia, silently infiltrated the Thousand-Year Tree Demon's main body, transforming into a streak of light and rushing out.
He grabbed a locust tree as thick as a baby's arm and pulled upwards with all his might.
"Boom!"
The locust tree had a massive form hidden beneath the ground, its roots twisting and turning, vaguely resembling a human face.
"What are you?! Let me go right now!" The thousand-year-old tree demon howled pitifully, stunned by the sudden attack.
But Wang Xuan wouldn't listen to his nonsense. He reached out and slashed hard at the tree trunk, tearing a crack open on the spot, from which a thick, dark green liquid, resembling blood, flowed out.
Xuan Yin's incarnation opened its mouth and sucked hard, and the green juice was sucked out like a fountain, and there was even a green bead the size of an egg in it.
That was the inner core condensed by the thousand-year-old tree demon, which was now directly sucked out by the Xuan Yin incarnation and swallowed into its belly!
"Black Mountain Demon, I will avenge you!" The thousand-year-old tree demon only had time to utter this harsh word before it was dead beyond dead.
After absorbing the essence of the thousand-year-old tree demon's life, the Xuan Yin incarnation quickly leaped back into the Burial Coffin and disappeared.
The next moment, Yan Chixia arrived at the scene on his sword light. Looking at the remains of the tree demon on the ground, he was horrified: "What just happened? I vaguely sensed an extremely powerful evil force. With the strength of this thousand-year-old tree demon, it was instantly devoured by some unknown evil creature!"
Wang Xuan's true form also flew over on the Azure Nether Sword, praising Yan Chixia: "Daoist Yan is indeed amazing! You actually killed a thousand-year-old tree demon so quickly!"
Yan Chixia blushed and didn't pursue the cause of the thousand-year-old tree demon's death any further.
"Now that the thousand-year-old tree demon is dead, it's time to eliminate the monsters near Lanruo Temple." Yan Chixia turned to look at Nie Xiaoqian, ready to strike.
Ning Caichen was still in shock, but seeing Xiaoqian in danger, he suddenly found courage and shielded her behind him, shouting, "Big Beard, Xiaoqian is innocent! You can't kill her!"
Nie Xiaoqian walked over from behind Ning Caichen and cried out, "Master Yan, I was originally a lady from a scholarly family, but I was killed by bandits and my ashes were buried near Lanruo Temple."
"The thousand-year-old tree demon stole my golden altar to control my freedom and force me to seduce men. I had no choice in the matter."
"And the men who have died because of me over the years, whether from greed or lust, all brought it upon themselves..."
Nie Xiaoqian went on and on, trying her best to clear her name and pin all the blame on the thousand-year-old tree demon.
Anyway, the Tree Demon Granny is already dead, so she won't jump out to refute it.