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Chapter 4: Mr. Xuanshui

They moved cautiously, speaking only in whispers, aware that danger lurked everywhere. In the dark forests and along the narrow trails, beasts and demons could pounce at any moment, ready to wipe out their small, underpowered group in an instant.

The entire team advanced slowly, weighed down by a cold sense of dread. Wang Zihan sat in a bamboo sedan chair, carried by sturdy porters. Though she was spared the physical effort of the climb, the swaying of the chair on the uneven mountain path stirred her anxieties. The sound of rushing water echoed through the mountain, but it brought her no peace. Instead, it reminded her of the tears she had shed the night before. Even the vibrant azaleas blooming along the path seemed to her like splashes of blood, deepening her melancholy.

Her mood was dark, a frost chilling her heart more than the icy winds. She even had the irrational urge to leap from the sedan and disappear into the wilderness. The thought of reaching Yuanzhou filled her with dread—what awaited her there was too cruel to contemplate.

Part of her wished the journey would last forever, to delay the inevitable. Yet she knew that any delay in this perilous trek could only spell disaster. Despite their limited strength, they were under the protection of skilled fighters like Huo Qianshu and Liu Suiyun. And besides, she...

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Liu Suiyun\'s voice. He was munching on roasted broad beans, casually chatting with the others. "Don\'t be fooled by the thousand coins we earn each day. Do you think it\'s easy? I\'m the best at love, second best at farming, third in Daoist arts, and fourth in martial skills. But even with all that, a thousand coins a day is all I can manage. What a waste of talent, right?"

Wang Zihan couldn\'t help but scoff inwardly. She had never seen any evidence of Liu\'s so-called "top-notch skills." If his martial abilities were only ranked fourth, it was likely out of modesty. But claiming Daoist arts as his third best skill? That was pure exaggeration. She had yet to see a shred of spiritual power in him. In the Tiger Taming Realm, one could at least compare with a low-level cultivator. If he really had such abilities, why was he stuck in this small mountain village? As for his farming prowess, she had seen him tending to a half-acre vegetable plot. It was well-kept, but would farming really earn him extra pay?

And as for being the best in love—now that was just absurd.

Yet, as she listened to his boastful banter, Wang Zihan found her mood lifting slightly. Someone in the group finally called him out: "Suiyun, you only started learning to farm in the last year or two. Before you began roaming the countryside, your farming skills were... well, let\'s just say they weren\'t exactly impressive."

Liu Suiyun\'s expression tightened at the jab. "I was already a decent farmer before I took to the roads. And without my thousand coins, how could you all earn those extra few dozen?"

Hearing that the extra pay was due to Liu Suiyun\'s efforts only made the others more disgruntled. "Suiyun, if I\'d known that reaching the Tiger Taming Realm would get me an extra seven or eight hundred coins a day, I would\'ve risked my life to get there! By the way, how much longer until we reach Yuanzhou?"

Liu Suiyun tossed another broad bean into his mouth, utterly relaxed. His calm demeanor helped to ease the tension among the group. "There\'s still four days to go. We\'ve only been at it for one day. Don\'t let your guard down yet!"

"Let\'s be honest—we\'re just skirting the edge of Falling Star Mountain. If we were to venture into the depths, even a group of powerful martial artists, including a Foundation Establishment cultivator, wouldn\'t stand a chance. That place is far too dangerous. I almost lost my life in there once."

Wang Zihan, overhearing Liu Suiyun\'s boast, couldn\'t help but chime in with a mocking tone. "A Foundation Establishment cultivator? Impressive. But in the depths of Falling Star Mountain, even a Golden Core cultivator would be in grave danger. Just a few years ago, a Golden Core cultivator fell there. And you, Liu Suiyun, managed to escape from the depths? How remarkable."

To these young villagers, a Foundation Establishment cultivator was as untouchable as a celestial being, and a Golden Core cultivator was even more awe-inspiring. The group fell silent, their earlier bravado tempered by fear. They knew that even with Huo Qianshu and Liu Suiyun leading them, they were far from invincible.

But Liu Suiyun just kept chewing his broad beans. "Miss Wang, I\'m Liu Suiyun. Best at love, second best at farming, third in Daoist arts, fourth in martial skills... Hold on!"

One moment, his hands were greasy with broad bean oil, his expression lazy and carefree. The next, he was like a taut bowstring, every nerve on high alert. Wang Zihan noticed the change and tensed. "Trouble\'s coming!"

Huo Qianshu had already gripped his pair of meteor hammers, ready for combat. The rest of the group also prepared for battle. Wang Zihan, hearing a strange sound in the wind, asked, "What is that?"

A hissing, sibilant noise grew louder, making everyone uneasy. Liu Suiyun\'s voice was grim. "Our luck just ran out. It\'s the Blackwater Lord..."

"The Blackwater Lord?" Wang Zihan racked her brain. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but it took her a moment to recall. "The chicken-headed snake demon?"

"Exactly!" Liu Suiyun\'s face was pale. "They say the Blackwater Lord was born from an egg laid by a rooster and hatched by a snake demon. It\'s five or six zhang long, spits venom, and has scales as tough as iron..."

At the mention of the Blackwater Lord, the group\'s bravado evaporated. The creature was a nightmare from their childhood, a legend of terror. Even Huo Qianshu, unfamiliar with the mountain\'s demonic inhabitants, frowned. "What\'s there to fear? We\'ll just fight it head-on!"

Along the way, he had encountered several demons, and his sixteen-pound meteor hammers had easily crushed them. But Liu Suiyun shook his head solemnly. "Brother Huo, even together, we\'re no match for it."

"What?" Huo Qianshu knew Liu Suiyun\'s perception was as sharp as his own. "How is that possible? My hammers can shatter steel armor!"

"The Blackwater Lord\'s scales are tougher than steel, and it doesn\'t just spit venom—it can spew poison fire." Liu Suiyun\'s voice was tight with fear. "Worse still, that damn snake is faster than a thief, moving like the wind."

Huo Qianshu realized this wasn\'t just any demon, but a creature of real power. Even if he and Liu Suiyun had a slight advantage, they\'d be in for a brutal fight. "How do you know all this?"

"I was young and foolish once, and ventured into the depths of Falling Star Mountain. I saw the Blackwater Lord fighting other demons." Liu Suiyun shuddered at the memory as the hissing grew louder. "It nearly scared me to death."

"How strong is it?" Huo Qianshu demanded.

"In my prime, the only way to survive would have been to turn and run at first sight."

Though Liu Suiyun was wounded and couldn\'t last ten moves against an opponent, he was still a skilled Tiger Taming master. If even in his prime he would\'ve had to flee from the Blackwater Lord, Huo Qianshu understood that the snake demon was far beyond their capabilities. "It\'s really that strong? How did it end up here?"

As Liu Suiyun had said earlier, they were only supposed to be skirting the edges of Falling Star Mountain. Facing a true monster like the Blackwater Lord, even Huo Qianshu and a fully recovered Liu Suiyun wouldn\'t stand a chance. The Blackwater Lord belonged deep within the mountain, not here on the outskirts.

"Who knows what madness brought it here? Hand me the bow!" Liu Suiyun snatched a strong bow and a quiver of arrows from a nearby youth. "Brother Huo, leave this to me."

Wang Zihan\'s heart softened slightly at Liu Suiyun\'s determination, but she couldn\'t help but protest. "This is too dangerous. You don\'t have the strength—let me..."

"I\'ll handle it!" Liu Suiyun said firmly. "I\'m