Chapter 281: Chapter 206: The Small Town’s Legend and Truth, Divine Venerable of the Rakshasa Race, An Army Bears Down

Qingping Town.

It was located at the foot of the Great Yan Great Wall, serving as a vital chokepoint for the Northern Border Yulu Pass. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Rolling green mountains surrounded it, boasting superb feng shui. Although there was no major river for Water Transport nearby, it was still a place blessed by nature’s spiritual grace. Amidst the lush, forested mountains, a rustic town could be seen. Its tiled houses and farmlands were neatly arranged, while the old and young lived in peaceful contentment, like a paradise secluded from the world.

The marketplace was bustling with activity. Passing merchants had their carts piled high with goods.

From time to time, a group of young children would run past.

"Lü Feng! Wait for me!"

On the bluestone path, a snot-nosed boy stepped in a slippery patch of mud and instantly took a nasty spill, landing face-first.

This drew mocking "HAHA"s from the other children his age. The snot-nosed boy looked completely miserable, his eyes turning red.

"Get up."

The boy called Lü Feng didn’t laugh at him. Instead, he smiled, pulled the other boy up, and said half-jokingly:

"What’s the rush? It’s not like you’re off to get married. If we can’t get the open field to the west, we’ll just go play in the eastern mountains. You can play ball anywhere."

The snot-nosed boy wiped his tears and said, "But the eastern mountains are so far away. The adults have strictly forbidden us from going there. They say it’s too close to the Great Wall’s signal towers. Isn’t it dangerous?"

"It’s fine. I’ve lived in town for ten years, and I’ve never seen any danger," Lü Feng said confidently.

"Lü Feng, someone’s looking for you."

Suddenly, another child from behind called his name. He pointed toward a tall man holding a sword at the other end of the vegetable market. The man was quite young, yet his brow was filled with a sharp intensity, and he had an ethereal, almost immortal, air about him.

"Who are you?"

Lü Feng asked, his expression wary.

’His mother had warned him never to talk to strangers who tried to strike up a conversation in town.’

The man with the sword walked over and bent down to Lü Feng’s level, explaining with a smile:

"I’m a Sword Cultivator from the outside."

"Kid, where did you get that Protective Stone on your waist?"

The man with the sword gazed, smiling, at the boy’s waist.

There hung a string of woven stones of various sizes, each one carved with complex small seal script characters.

Lü Feng took a step back, clutching the stones. "My mother gave them to me."

The man with the sword let out a laugh, his smile widening. Seeing the boy’s reaction, he said reassuringly, "Don’t worry, I won’t steal from you. Name your price. I’ll trade you gold or silver for it, how about it?"

After speaking, the man conjured two gleaming gold ingots from his sleeve, seemingly out of thin air.

The other children’s eyes went wide.

’They had never seen so much money in their lives!’

"Not for sale."

But to the man’s surprise, Lü Feng’s cool reply came quickly, making his expression freeze for a moment.

"My apologies. That was presumptuous of me."

"How about I trade you something for it instead?"

The man with the sword gave an apologetic smile and quickly adjusted his expression. He took a warm, white, jade-like Buddha Jade Pendant from his own waist. Its surface shimmered with a flow of energy; it was clearly no ordinary item.

"Lü Feng, that’s a real treasure! If you don’t trade for it, I’m tempted to," one of the children watching from the side joked.

"No trade."

Lü Feng remained unmoved, his voice firm.

’How could I just give away something my mother gave me?’

Seeing the boy’s unwavering stance, the man’s smile faded slightly. He said coolly, "Kid, why don’t you just tell me what it’ll take for you to give me that string of stones?"

"I’m not giving them to you. Why should I give you something my mother gave me?" Lü Feng retorted with a pout.

"You..."

The man’s face turned ugly. The latter half of his sentence—’Don’t push your luck’—almost slipped out. But then he remembered this was a town under the jurisdiction of the Great Yan Dynasty, and he couldn’t stir up trouble.

’But he was a dignified True Inheritor of a sect; when had he ever been wronged like this?’

’He had to get his hands on those stones.’

A mix of gloom, hesitation, and determination filled the man’s eyes, as if he was contemplating something devious.

"Uncle Zhao!"

As Lü Feng looked up, he suddenly saw a familiar face and cried out in pleasant surprise.

At some point, a man in a woven bamboo hat, with a scruffy beard and a wine gourd in hand, had appeared beside the man with the sword.

Zhao Xuanwu smiled dotingly. "Lü Feng, your mother’s looking for you to help with the sowing and plowing. Stop playing and head home."

"Okay." Lü Feng nodded obediently.

"Wait!"

The man with the sword shouted. He looked suspiciously at Zhao Xuanwu, whom he had never seen before, and asked probingly, "Are you also here for the Celestial Profound Stone Scripture?"

Zhao Xuanwu smiled faintly. "The scripture may be good, but one must have the life to take it."

The man with the sword snorted coldly. "So you are here for the Celestial Profound Stone Scripture. The Supreme Dao Scripture compiled by the Celestial Profound Taoist Monarch a thousand years ago... to think it would be in this little town."

"I am determined to have that scripture."

With that, he moved to draw his sword and unleash his Divine Techniques.

In an instant, Zhao Xuanwu flicked his finger, sending a Stone shooting into the man’s Qi Sea.

It seemed insignificant, yet it contained a Great Divine Technique. The man with the sword froze for a split second before spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Zhao Xuanwu patted his shoulder and chuckled. "I told you, the scripture may be good, but you have to be alive to take it. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Crown Prince or a sect master—when you come here, you lie low."

"This is just a warning that won’t take your life. But if you have any wicked thoughts, you’ll drop dead instantly. I’m not joking."

Horror filled the eyes of the man with the sword.

He had never imagined this place would be filled with hidden masters.

He had already reached the Nascent Soul realm and achieved Great Success of the Yin Spirit. Across the great Dynasties, he was an honored guest, a national Tributor.

Yet in this small town, he had met his match.