Chapter 1994: Chapter 1994: Plucking Stars from the Clouds

The figure was a Martial Artist slightly approaching middle age.

His tone was still fairly courteous.

He should be a Martial Artist under the command of the Guisha City Lord or the Heartless Inn Master.

Xiao Yi glanced at the shabby little house before him, nodded, and stepped inside.

Within Leisure Village, there were no luxurious or imposing buildings.

What there were, were these small farm cottages, leisurely and carefree.

Though crude, at the instant he stepped in, what entered his sight made Xiao Yi nod slightly.

Inside, it was very clean and orderly.

The door was of bamboo.

The chairs were rattan.

Could not be more ordinary.

Only the bed emitted waves of faint fragrance.

That bed was clearly made from agarwood.

Of course, agarwood was considered precious in the mundane world; but in the world of Martial Artists, it was likewise ordinary.

It was just that at the very least, it allowed one to rest in great comfort.

Xiao Yi closed the door, sat down on the bed, and crossed his legs to cultivate.

With the injuries covering his body, he simply could not hold out for long.

...

Three days later.

Xiao Yi awoke from his cross-legged meditation.

The injuries on his body had already been suppressed.

As for complete recovery, in such a short period, that was naturally impossible.

Especially that one punch and two fingers from the Great Elder of Evil Lord Mansion, which were practically the chief source of the grievous wounds all over him.

Without a few months’ time, it would likely be fundamentally impossible to heal.

For now, the injuries were largely suppressed; so long as they did not affect his strength and combat ability, it was enough.

The remaining wounds could be left to recover slowly.

Xiao Yi left the bed and pushed the door open.

Just as he pushed open the bamboo door, outside, several figures were waiting.

They were three old men.

"Legendary Expert." Xiao Yi’s brows furrowed slightly.

On these three, there was undoubtedly the aura of Legend.

Yet not too strong, only between ten thousand Dao and twenty thousand Dao.

The strongest among them had reached the level of thirty thousand Dao.

"Friend Xiao Xun." Seeing Xiao Yi, the three actually took the lead in offering a salute.

"Hmm?" Xiao Yi turned his body slightly, not accepting this salute.

"Friend Xiao Xun, this salute, you deserve to receive." The three spoke in succession.

"And you are?" Xiao Yi asked with a frown.

The three answered one after another, "Four-star Ghost Hunter, Liuo Da."

"Four-star Ghost Hunter, Zhang Yang."

"Four-star Ghost Hunter, Shen Xinghe."

"Hmm?" At their words, Xiao Yi pondered for a moment; he seemed to have heard these names before.

After a while, he recalled, and his eyes showed a hint of shock.

"Ghost Hand Liuo Da, Blood Sea Zhang Yang."

"Star-Plucker in the Clouds Shen Xinghe."

Xiao Yi’s gaze turned faintly cold.

These three were all figures who had already vanished for untold thousands of years.

Especially Ghost Hand Liuo Da and Blood Sea Zhang Yang, both were listed by name on the Eight Palaces Wanted Order.

With Xiao Yi’s ability to never forget what he saw, he knew most of the figures on the Eight Palaces Wanted Order.

The fact that he only recalled Liuo Da and Zhang Yang after thinking for some time was purely because these two had disappeared far too long ago.

Several thousand years before, these two had already been notorious Legendary wanted criminals, branded as ferocious and utterly depraved.

As for Star-Plucker in the Clouds, he was a free Martial Artist.

He had never joined any force, acted rather low-key, and likewise had not surfaced for who knows how many years.

No—in light of the present—it was not that they had not surfaced, but that these few had been in Guisha City all along, living under the identity of Ghost Hunters.

"Do you have business with me?" Xiao Yi asked coldly.

"No." The three shook their heads, saying, "We only came to offer thanks."

Liuo Da and Zhang Yang both chuckled lightly, "Furthermore, if Vice Hall Master Xiao Xun is willing, you can later arrest the two of us and take us back to the Main Hall."

"We are willing to accept disposal, life or death regardless."

The two chuckled, yet their tone was exceedingly earnest.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Yi’s brow creased.

Liuo Da put away the smile on his face and said in a deep voice, "Thousands of years ago, the evil thief Tian Xie slaughtered the living beings of my region by the thousands and tens of thousands, all to refine his Heavenly Evil Pill."

"I happened to be outside, and escaped that calamity."

Zhang Yang’s face was full of unwillingness and bitter fury, "Back then, I had just stepped into Supreme and was at the height of my pride."

"That evil thief Tian Xie nevertheless butchered my region; in my Zhang Family, not a single mouth survived."

"Yet at the very moment of my greatest pride, I was powerless, forced to cling to one breath and live on till today."

"I am much the same." Shen Xinghe only gave a faint smile and did not say more.

Liuo Da and Zhang Yang once again offered a salute, "We two had originally planned to spend our entire lives searching out that evil thief Tian Xie to take revenge."

"Since Vice Hall Master Xiao Xun has helped us avenge this Blood Sea vendetta, the two of us naturally must come and offer thanks."

At these words, Xiao Yi’s brows drew together slightly.

These three coming to repay a favor and offer thanks left him feeling somewhat baffled.

"No need. I killed Elder Tian Xie merely in fulfillment of a mission; it has nothing to do with you."

With that, Xiao Yi left the cottage and departed.

Counting the time, today was the Guisha Festival; he still had to go to Guisha City to hand over the mission.

Behind him, the three shadowed his steps closely.

"What are you doing?" Xiao Yi’s tone was indifferent.

Shen Xinghe stepped forward a few paces and said, "I, Shen Xinghe, have devoted my life to honing several paths."

"My skill in refining is likewise not shallow."

"If my eyes are not mistaken, Vice Hall Master Xiao Xun, your injuries at this moment have not yet healed."

"You might as well first recuperate here in Leisure Village, then depart."

"Leisure Village..." Xiao Yi’s steps paused slightly as he asked, "Leisure Village—what exactly is it?"

He had some doubts, and in truth had long wanted to ask.

Yet he did not know whom to ask.

Now it was just right to ask this Shen Xinghe.

"Oh." Shen Xinghe walked to Xiao Yi’s side and said politely, "Vice Hall Master Xiao Xun, you have only come to Guisha City a few times, and for less than a month; naturally there are many things you do not yet know."

"Leisure Village and Guisha City are in fact one body."

"Guisha City is governed by the Guisha City Lord; Leisure Village, by the Heartless Inn Master."

"Within Guisha City, any Ghost Hunter whose years of service are long enough, or whose completed missions are sufficiently many, whose contribution to Guisha City is sufficiently great,"

"may request a personal writ from the Guisha City Lord to come to this Leisure Village to recuperate."

"Those who enter Leisure Village are then sheltered by the Heartless Inn Master; in all the world, no one dares offend them."

"Some Ghost Hunters have suffered heavy wounds and need a safe place to heal; some have provoked dreadful enemies and have come purely to take refuge."

"But this has a time limit."

"So that is how it is." Xiao Yi understood.

No wonder that when he first arrived, he discovered that in this seemingly ordinary village, there were so many powerful experts.

And in the past few days, he had further discovered that these seemingly ordinary villagers each carried terrifying killing intent, and every one of them was a vicious figure.

So this place was the sanctuary given by the Guisha City Lord to Ghost Hunters who had rendered immense service to Guisha City.

No wonder that within Guisha City, slaughter was unceasing, while in Leisure Village fighting was forbidden, and no one had ever dared violate this rule.

If the sanctuary granted by the Guisha City Lord could not even ensure this absolute protection, then where would the majesty of the Guisha City Lord Mansion lie?

"However." Shen Xinghe smiled slightly and said, "These first two benefits are not the primary reason Ghost Hunters come to Leisure Village."

"Most important of all, those who enter Leisure Village all have the chance to seek an audience with the Heartless Inn Master."

"Rumor has it, the Heartless Inn Master, though as mysterious as Guisha City itself, is stronger than the Guisha City Lord."

"The Heartless Inn Master is a recluse of the outer world, possessing powers that reach through heaven and earth, having long since seen through heaven and earth and grasped countless mysteries of the Dao."

"Those who come here mostly do so to seek an audience with the Heartless Inn Master, that they might gain something on the Martial Arts Dao."

...

Fourth update. (supplement)

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