Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 146: Chapter 119: Shortened Time, Urgent Plea for Help

They had been drifting on the river for a day.

Fortunately, ever since Wei Songling had caused trouble that night, Wan Ze and the others had enjoyed a smooth journey, encountering no further problems.

The river flowed gently on.

At this time of day, the sun cast a warm glow across the deck.

Zhai Jia was crouched at the stern, clutching a fishing rod he had dug up from who-knows-where. He stared intently at the water’s surface for over ten minutes before he started muttering, cursing the fish for not biting.

Wan Ze and Fang Hao sat nearby, each leaning against a pillar, watching his performance.

”I’ll bet a meal on it... I bet he won’t catch anything,” Fang Hao said, smiling at Wan Ze.

”I’ll take that bet, too. Brother Jia, you in?” Wan Ze said.

Without turning his head, Zhai Jia retorted irritably, ”Seriously? Can’t you two have a little faith in me?”

”Faith in your fishing skills?” Fang Hao laughed. ”When was the last time you went fishing? Do you even remember?”

”Of course, I do. When I was eight...”

”Heh, and you caught something?”

”...No.” Zhai Jia gave a dry cough and quickly tried to save face. ”But it’s different now! Who could possibly get skunked for over twenty years straight?”

Wan Ze and Fang Hao exchanged a look and chuckled, but said nothing.

The sun beat down.

The river lapped against the hull.

The bobber remained motionless.

Ten minutes.

Twenty minutes.

Zhai Jia changed his bait three times and adjusted his posture twice. The confident look on his face gradually faded into sheepishness.

He watched as the bobber continued to sit perfectly still.

Staring at the water, Zhai Jia started making excuses. ”It must have been you two talking so loud just now. You scared all the fish away.”

Wan Ze stood up, patting the dust off his pants. ”A bet’s a bet.”

Fang Hao got up as well. ”Exactly.”

Zhai Jia reeled in his line, a look of reluctance on his face. ”Fine, fine, I owe you two a meal. When we get back to the Holy City, order whatever you want.”

He tossed the fishing rod aside, then suddenly remembered something and asked Fang Hao, ”When you head back this time, when will you be free to visit the Holy City?”

”Probably not until a few days before the new year,” Fang Hao said, shaking his head.

”That long?” Zhai Jia asked, surprised.

Fang Hao smiled and leaned against the railing. ”The closer it gets to year’s end, the busier I am. Business with the boss, outside matters, and all the accounts that need to be settled before the new year—it all piles up.”

”That’s true. Well, make sure to look me up when you get there,” Zhai Jia said.

”Will do.”

As they chatted, the sky gradually began to darken.

Just then, Wan Ze’s communicator suddenly vibrated. The slight tremor was distinct, even through his clothes.

He took it out.

It was a message from Miss Ling.

He had no idea what she had been up to all night, but when he’d called her for breakfast that morning, she hadn’t come.

And now, she had suddenly sent a message.

[Come quick. Something’s up.]

Wan Ze’s brow twitched slightly.

’That’s not Miss Ling’s tone.’

’Which means...’

’That woman is back.’

With that thought, Wan Ze stood up. ”Brother Jia, Brother Hao, you guys carry on. I have to go see about something.”

Zhai Jia was taken aback. ”Huh? It’s almost time for dinner. What’s so urgent?”

Wan Ze didn’t explain, just waved his hand and walked away quickly.

Fang Hao glanced at him, then back at Zhai Jia. He suddenly grinned and gave Zhai Jia a wink. ”You should stay out of their business.”

Zhai Jia didn’t get it. ”What business?”

”Are you dense? He’s in such a hurry, it must have been a message from Miss Ling,” Fang Hao said in a low voice, nudging his chin toward Wan Ze’s retreating back with a smile.

Realization dawned on Zhai Jia, and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Fang Hao gazed in the direction Wan Ze had gone and sighed with feeling. ”Looking at these young people today makes me feel old... They’re still so reserved. They’re clearly a couple, yet they sleep in separate rooms and have to send messages to talk...”

Zhai Jia opened his mouth, wanting to explain.

In the end, he just shook his head and chuckled.

’Forget it.’

...

Wan Ze pushed the door open and went inside.

Miss Ling was sitting at the table, her back perfectly straight, exuding a tension that lay beneath her poised demeanor.

The only light in the room came from a desk lamp, which cast a pattern of light and shadow across her face.

She looked up.

Her expression was more serious than he had ever seen it.

”What’s wrong?” Wan Ze paused at the door, pulling it shut behind him.

”Miss Ling” looked down at the slender stick of incense on the table. ”I tried to continue my Cultivation.”

”And?” Wan Ze took two steps forward and sat down across from her. The chair scraped lightly against the floor.

”The amount of time I can stay is getting shorter...” She raised her head, an indefinable look in her eyes. ”It’s not my imagination. I’ve confirmed it several times.”

Wan Ze said nothing, simply watching her.

The woman took a deep breath. ”I can’t wait any longer. Tonight... I want to take a gamble.”

”Force your Cultivation?”

”I have to reach the Beginner Level as soon as possible.” She paused, her gaze fixing on Wan Ze’s face. ”So tonight, I’d like to ask you to... stay by my side and keep watch, just in case something goes wrong.”

Wan Ze looked at the three sticks of incense placed in front of the woman.

In the lamplight, the incense sticks had a faint sandalwood color. A closer look revealed extremely fine patterns carved into their surface, like some kind of cloud motif. They were clearly not something you could buy in an ordinary shop.

From two steps away, he could smell their faint fragrance.

”How confident are you?” Wan Ze asked after a moment of silence.

”Originally, only about seventy percent.” The woman picked up the incense, holding it gently in her palm. ”But with this, my chances are better.”

”What is this?” Wan Ze frowned.

The woman looked up at him, her voice softening. ”Three Gods Incense... It can help one commune with deities and receive protection. There are only three sticks. If I use them sparingly, I’ll definitely have a chance.”

Wan Ze was silent for a moment, then nodded.

Suddenly, he remembered something and said in a low voice, ”I remember you said before that when you first started your Cultivation, the world you saw was different from our reality?”

The woman froze, the incense held motionless in mid-air. ”...Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

”Just curious. So, what did you see back then?” Wan Ze leaned back in his chair, his expression casual.

The woman frowned in thought, her tone uncertain. ”It was just... different. I couldn’t see it clearly, like looking through a pane of frosted glass. At the time, I thought my mind was just hazy and I was hallucinating.”

Wan Ze almost told her it wasn’t a hallucination.

But the words died on his lips.

He couldn’t explain how he himself had descended into that world.

After a moment of deliberation, he rephrased his approach. ”Actually... I was thinking about something all last night.”

”What is it?” the woman asked, curious.

Wan Ze spoke slowly, choosing his words carefully. ”Why can’t Qi Refiners attack ordinary people? Why do Martial Artists who learn the truth just end up being hunted by the Tail Society? Could it be... that Qi Refiners don’t actually exist in our world?”

The woman was stunned.

She stared at him for several long seconds before speaking. ”...Why would you think that?”

”Just a guess.”

”...”

The woman leaned back, her eyes scanning his face. Suddenly, the corners of her mouth curved up, a hint of amusement in her eyes. ”You’ve got a wild imagination. Honestly, it’s a shame you don’t write novels.”

Wan Ze: ”...”

”I’m not trying to mock you. With an imagination like that, it’s a real waste not to write stories,” she said, her tone growing more serious and sincere.

Wan Ze’s expression darkened.

He wanted to say something, but held his tongue.

’Forget it.’

’I’d better not say anything.’

He proactively changed the subject. ”What do you need me to do tonight?”

The woman’s smile vanished, her expression once again growing serious.

She leaned forward, elbows on the edge of the table, and lowered her voice.

”Here’s what you’ll do...”

Under the lamplight, the woman’s eyelashes fluttered gently.

...

Wan Ze returned to his own room.

He was almost certain now that the world of Qi Refiners was different from reality.

He just didn’t know why that was the case.

’Miss Ling’s legacy comes from Tao Zhixi... and Tao Zhixi knew the secrets of Qi Refiners. The technique she cultivated was the Taiyin Breathing Technique. By following this technique and using the Three Gods Incense, one can enter that other world.’

’What I saw... was just a small corner of that world.’

Wan Ze carefully reviewed the situation.

He had successfully reached the Beginner Level of the Taiyin Breathing Technique with the help of his Spiritual Form and Magic Sense, allowing him to briefly descend into that world without needing the Three Gods Incense.

’Over four hundred points of Spiritual Form lets me enter for three hours...’

’I have a little over five hundred points of Spiritual Form left... I need to use it carefully.’

’But...’

’How do I acquire this kind of Stealing Celestial Secret?’

Wan Ze fell into deep thought.

All his thoughts converged on Tao Zhixi.

’Perhaps... if I find other Qi Refiners, I can succeed in Stealing a Celestial Secret again.’

...