Chapter Twenty-One: The Spirit Command Technique of Si You

Feng Zijin?

Ling Yan stood in place, murmuring with curiosity, “Hasn’t Feng Zijin left for quite some time? Why has he suddenly returned to the Dayong Market?”

I have no idea.

Bai Mu, equally puzzled, analyzed, “His expression when we passed him just now seemed unusually anxious. Could something have happened at Dayong Market?”

“That’s very likely. Let’s hurry back and check!” Ling Yan said as she turned, grasping Bai Mu and dashing toward Dayong Market at lightning speed.

Yet, they had barely run for the time it takes to finish a cup of tea when their noses caught a pungent scent of scorched charcoal, and their ears were assaulted by the crackling sound of flames, as if a great fire was raging ahead.

The two realized something was wrong and, gritting their teeth, sped forward.

After cresting two hills, the orderly market of Dayong appeared beneath the dusk-shadowed corner of Mang Mountain. Unexpectedly, Dayong Market was no longer serene or picturesque as it had been during the day. Instead, an inferno raged, reflecting off the market and the mountain, making everything as bright as day.

Lingering for a moment atop the hill, Bai Mu shook off his shock and loudly reminded, “Ling Yan, it sounds like there’s fighting at the base of the mountain. Should we go check?”

“Of course.”

Ling Yan didn’t hesitate, lightly tapping her feet and racing toward the source of the commotion, Bai Mu following close behind.

In front of Dayong Market’s towering gate, amidst blazing flames, three figures were locked in fierce battle.

Two wore watery blue robes—one wielding a sharp sword, the other attacking barehanded. They were the very ones who had tried to tease Ling Yan earlier that day: Xiu Ji and his senior brother.

Their opponent was none other than Feng Zijin, the one who had intervened to help.

Though Feng Zijin’s appearance was elegant and slightly effeminate, his fighting was anything but. Despite being outnumbered, he attacked and defended with effortless grace, his movements flowing like water, leaving no trace.

Xiu Ji and his senior brother were clearly from a prestigious lineage, their actions equally swift and forceful. The sword-wielding brother’s strikes carried the air of a true master, prompting Bai Mu, hidden nearby, to silently cheer for him.

“Ling Yan, who is this man? His swordplay is astonishing!”

“If I could learn his sword technique, would I be able to control the Azure Dragon Sword Qi within me?”

“No!” Ling Yan rejected the idea without hesitation. “His Brahma Sword Technique is fine against ordinary opponents, but if he were to face an ancient demon like Grey Crane, he’d be obliterated without a trace!”

“Brahma Sword Technique?” Bai Mu was startled, questioning, “Isn’t that the introductory sword art of the Temple of Return to Ruins? Are they disciples of that sect?”

“Only now do you realize?” Ling Yan rolled her eyes, lowering her voice smugly. “I recognized them as disciples of the Temple of Return to Ruins the moment I saw them at the commoner’s tavern earlier. That’s why I didn’t bother to teach them a lesson!”

“So should we go help? Looks like even with two of them, they can’t beat Feng Zijin!”

“Not so fast.”

Ling Yan held Bai Mu back, cautioning, “We absolutely mustn’t intervene now, or we’ll invite enormous trouble!”

“What trouble?” Bai Mu scratched his head in confusion.

“Simpleton!” Ling Yan explained patiently, “Have you considered why these three are fighting at Dayong Market’s gate? And how the market, perfectly fine during the day, has been suddenly set ablaze at night? How many people do you think will die?”

“Doesn’t it seem suspicious?”

“Now that you mention it, it does seem odd. Maybe the disciples of the Temple of Return to Ruins discovered their money was missing, got furious, and burned the market, and Feng Zijin returned to stop them?” Bai Mu theorized, trying to sound clever.

“Of course not.”

“You think disciples of the Temple of Return to Ruins are that petty? Even if they had the thought, they wouldn’t dare. The temple has extremely strict rules for punishment regarding immoral conduct and breaking laws. That’s how they’ve remained the unrivaled sect of the wilderness for thousands of years.”

As the two whispered, the battle below reached its climax.

The sword-wielding disciple of the Temple of Return to Ruins suddenly leapt several yards into the air, forming a hand seal and chanting, “Heavenly soldiers of the Six Armies, gods of the four quarters, Brahma Divine Sword, slaughter all directions, borrow the power of heaven, drive out demons and evil, go!”

As he finished, a thread of silver sword energy seeped from his sword and gradually enveloped the blade. When the energy reached its peak, he launched himself skyward, right hand swinging the sword in a diagonal arc, releasing the sword energy like a floodgate bursting, surging toward Feng Zijin.

“Perfect!”

Feng Zijin swiftly retreated three feet, breaking free from Xiu Ji’s close-range entanglement. He murmured, “Spirit of the Underworld, shield of the sword, merge with my bloodline, protect my body, rise!”

As his incantation faded, the spirit jade at his waist suddenly burst forth with blinding white light, enveloping Feng Zijin completely, forming an intangible barrier. Within the barrier, Feng Zijin’s crimson lips and fair features made him breathtakingly beautiful—though his male body was still a baffling contrast.

As the barrier formed, the sword energy nearly reached his brow. The collision of energy and white light produced a series of popping sounds.

The once fierce sword energy vanished upon contact with the white light, dissipating entirely without leaving a mark.

Seeing his senior brother’s sword energy unable to harm Feng Zijin, Xiu Ji gathered all his strength in his right palm and launched a powerful attack at the barrier, moving almost too fast for the eye to follow.

Though Bai Mu was ten meters away, the roaring wind made his eardrums ache.

When Xiu Ji’s punch struck the barrier, the intangible white light shattered instantly. At the same moment, a trace of black energy escaped Feng Zijin’s body, but was quickly absorbed by the spirit jade at his waist.

Xiu Ji had punched through what his senior brother’s sword energy could not break!