Chapter Thirty-Nine: Exposed

Although Xiao Wenzi had never seen the young lady of the Xiao family with his own eyes, the descriptions from a few passersby were enough for him to conjure in his mind the outline of a beautiful maiden. For a hideous old fraud like Master Lu to wish to marry her—such a thought could not even be described as an old ox eating young grass; rather, the most fitting comparison would be a toad lusting after swan’s flesh.

“Who skulks in the shadows? Show yourself before this immortal at once!”

Despite his contempt for the man, Xiao Wenzi had no intention of exposing himself now. Moreover, the other’s cultivation was slightly higher than his, making it unwise to attempt to drain his blood for third-level heaven system coins unless a sneak attack could severely injure him. If that failed, Xiao Wenzi planned to slip away quietly without further involvement.

Yet, Master Lu suddenly stood up, his gaze sharp as he looked upward.

So the fellow was quite alert after all. Xiao Wenzi cursed his luck inwardly, his earlier disdain vanishing. He pressed himself motionless against the eaves, holding his breath, hoping that the man had not truly detected him and was merely posturing after sensing a disturbance.

“What’s the matter, son-in-law? What on earth is going on?”

Unlike his daughter, Mr. Xiao had felt much more vigorous and energetic since taking the “elixir” Master Lu had given him. He was one hundred percent in favor of this marriage. Seeing his previously unruffled immortal son-in-law suddenly acting as if facing a dire threat, Mr. Xiao could not help but inquire.

“It’s just a demon mosquito, Father-in-law. Please wait a moment while I deal with this fiend…”

Lu Ping’s aptitude for cultivation was abysmal; after decades of arduous practice, he had only barely reached the middle level of Qi Refining. Yet in recent years, he had roamed about, fraudulently styling himself as Master Lu, and his experience was considerable. When Xiao Wenzi probed him just now, though he had not immediately located his observer, he found it most suspicious that at this season and in broad daylight, there could be so large a mosquito. Sensing no other cultivators in the vicinity, Lu Ping could only suspect Xiao Wenzi on the eaves. Confident he could easily subdue a mere mosquito, he stood and addressed the brocaded-clad middle-aged man below.

The man’s shamelessness was astounding—willing to ignore the vast age difference for the sake of beauty and wealth, he called the mortal Mr. Xiao, younger than himself, Father-in-law without the slightest blush.

As he spoke, Lu Ping flicked his finger; a tongue of fire half a foot long shot forth, directly striking the eaves where Xiao Wenzi was concealed.

The Fire Tongue Art was the most basic technique in the world of cultivation, and after decades of practice, Lu Ping wielded it with ease.

With startled cries from the maids and Mr. Xiao, the blazing tongue of fire soared several meters high, shattering several roof tiles. Yet Lu Ping showed no sign of satisfaction.

For in that instant, Xiao Wenzi had already spread his wings and fled, rendering the ambush futile.

“Humph! You insolent fiend, do you think you can continue to plague the mortal world in my presence? Stay where you are!”

Though unsure if the creature understood him, Lu Ping, ever fond of posturing, would not give up halfway now that he had already acted. With a cold snort, he floated out of the hall, sending forth another Fire Tongue toward the fleeing Xiao Wenzi.

“Damn it! Do you really think I’m so easy to bully?”

Realizing that this Master Lu was no mere charlatan, Xiao Wenzi had intended to retreat, but he had scarcely fled far when the searing fire tongue came at him again.

Even a clay figurine has some temper. To be pursued and attacked so relentlessly, and seeing that he could not escape without fighting back, Xiao Wenzi’s anger flared. Cursing inwardly, he dodged while fanning his wings to unleash the Wing Blade Art in retaliation.

Boom! Boom!

Twin arcs of razor-sharp wind collided with the fire tongue, a dull rumble resounding in the air and sparks scattering. Though the Wing Blade Art could not match the Fire Tongue’s breadth, it dissipated most of its power. The remaining sliver of fire tongue, struck by the second arc, vanished like a spent firework.

“Hm? How does this demon mosquito know a wind blade-like technique? Could it be some descendant of an ancient mosquito demon, possessing formidable inherited bloodline memories?”

The mosquito demon before him was of very low cultivation—otherwise, Lu Ping would not have dared act so boldly—but the sudden emergence of the Wing Blade Art made him wary and even stirred a greedy desire.

After all, the offspring of primordial beasts were fearsome once grown; if he could subdue such a creature while it was still young, it would become a powerful asset.

While Lu Ping’s mind raced, Xiao Wenzi showed no mercy, unleashing the Wing Blade Art again and again.

With each whistling arc, fire and wind clashed, astonishing all within and without the Xiao household.

Lu Ping was a rogue cultivator, trained in crude techniques. Though he had reached the fifth layer of the Qi Refining stage, his spiritual power was less than half that of the disciples of major sects. This level of Fire Tongue, at most, he could cast thirty or forty times before needing to sit and meditate to recover.

Therefore, seeing the tiny mosquito repeatedly counter his spells with arcs of wind, Lu Ping’s composure gave way to a shadow of grim seriousness.

“For all the bluster, this is the best he can do?”

Xiao Wenzi had never before fought a cultivator head-on. It was only natural to fear the impressive Fire Tongue Art at first, but he quickly realized that two arcs of Wing Blade sufficed to dispel the spell. Settling his nerves, he grew confident.

After all, he had plenty of ordinary system coins left, enough to exchange for hundreds of drops of demon spirit dew. Even a battle of attrition would not worry him against this so-called Master.

Swish, swish, swish!

Though he had not practiced the Wing Blade Art for long, his battles with the bee swarm and the man surnamed Zhang had made him thoroughly adept. Moreover, since the Blood Spirit Grand Method was a supreme ancient technique, using it to trigger the Wing Blade Art made it much faster. In the blink of an eye, three or four more arcs shot forth.

Lu Ping, for all his years of wandering, was too experienced to stand still and be pummeled. Forming hand seals and waving his arms, he sent two or three more tongues of fire to meet the flying arcs.

Truth be told, he knew more than just the Fire Tongue; be it the Golden Sword Art or the Binding Spell, none were as effective against a nimble mosquito as pure fire.

Faced with the threat of scorching fire, Xiao Wenzi could not get close enough for a surprise attack, forced instead to keep launching wind blades, and the battle soon reached a stalemate.

At this moment, many guests were present in the Xiao residence. The thunderous rumble echoed through the halls and courtyards, drawing curious onlookers.

Witnessing the so-called immortal master engaged in a pitched battle with a mere mosquito—neither side gaining the upper hand—their faces were filled with disbelief.

“What’s going on? Isn’t Master Lu supposed to be an immortal? Why can’t he handle a little mosquito?”

“Who knows? Perhaps he’s not an immortal at all, just a braggart after the Xiao family’s beautiful daughter…”

At first, the guests were content to watch quietly, given the master’s reputation. But as time dragged on and Lu Ping had cast more than twenty tongues of fire without subduing Xiao Wenzi, murmurs of doubt began to ripple through the crowd.