The Girl with the Sword

The Immortal Spirit Horse was originally a kind of docile mystical beast of the second rank that was captured and bred by beast trainers to serve as a higher grade replacement for horses in the mortal realm. Its experiences were also quite similar to those of horses.

Many cultivators who did not know how to fly or needed to travel far away used the Immortal Spirit Horse to get around...or eccentrics like Qin Ran who were afraid of heights...

If an Immortal Spirit Horse was raised well and its quality rose to third rank, it would awaken its bloodline talent and be able to ride upon the clouds and fly.

Ordinary Immortal Spirit Horses could not fly, but they were extremely fast and could traverse all kinds of terrain, already displaying the precursors to riding upon clouds.

If one were to boast that the Immortal Spirit Horse could travel a thousand miles a day, it would have to go find a slab of tofu to smash its head upon and die.

Therefore, although the Immortal Spirit Horse was very docile, because of its great speed, it also had tremendous danger.

For example, after travelling just a few hundred miles, it left a certain person surnamed Qin with a battered and swollen face.

Fortunately, he had a strong body and clear mind. After falling off several times, under the guidance of the horse riding grandmaster Li Shiyin, he finally learned how to ride a horse.

"Master..." The two rode their horses, galloping along the road out of the Hengduan Mountains. Li Shiyin glanced at Qin Ran's swollen face and asked with a suppressed laugh, "We're going to be travelling for many days. Will Windchaser starve to death?"

Although his body ached all over and his face was swollen, Qin Ran still replied with utmost seriousness:

"I concocted some beast nurturing pills that are very beneficial for him, and left them all for him. There's also still a lot of mystical beast milk and meat in the kitchen refrigerator. Windchaser is not an ordinary animal, he's very clever and won't starve to death."

"But..." Li Shiyin judged others by her own standards, "Won't Windchaser lose control of himself and eat everything up in the past few days, leaving nothing to eat in the later days?"

This situation seemed very likely. Qin Ran couldn't help but fall silent, it seemed he had miscalculated again.

Why were there so many miscalculations today? With so many mishaps occurring as they set out on this trip, could something be about to happen? He felt somewhat uneasy.

As the Immortal Spirit Horses picked up speed, galloping faster and faster, they had exited the Hengduan Mountains before noon, arriving at the plains outside. They went from the narrow forest trails to the grasslands of the flatlands.

At this time, Li Shiyin finally remembered that she still didn't know their destination, so she asked, "Master, where does that artisan blacksmith live?"

"Xuanqin Country," Qin Ran replied. After galloping half a day, he had basically learned to ride a horse. Sitting atop the horse now felt relaxed.

"Xuanqin?" Li Shiyin exclaimed in surprise, "We still have to go to Xuanqin?!"

"It's not far. That artisan blacksmith also lives outside the Hengduan Mountains, just happening to be within Xuanqin Country," Qin Ran said. "We'll head west, following along the outskirts of the Hengduan Mountains. With the speed of the Immortal Spirit Horses, we shouldn't need more than two days."

"Outside the Hengduan Mountains, could it be Anlu City?" Li Shiyin suddenly asked.

"?" Qin Ran was somewhat puzzled. "Why ask that?"

"Li Shiwen is stationed outside the Hengduan Mountains, partly to prevent mystical beasts from harming people, and partly to deter Xuanqin," Li Shiyin said. Ever since she had given Li Shiwen a brutal beating last time, she no longer called him brother, but addressed him directly by name, and was increasingly brazen about it. "I used to go there to play with Li Shiwen, and he would bring me to fight with Xuanqin troops."

As expected of you! Qin Ran silently ridiculed to himself. He said, "It's not in Anlu City, but outside Anlu City. There's a small town near Anlu bordering the Hengduan Mountains called Sword Forging Town."

"What a pity!" Li Shiyin lamented. "In the past when fighting, I would always lose. It would've been great if we went to Anlu, then we could take the opportunity to beat them up."

Qin Ran ignored her words as if he hadn't heard them.

Although the Immortal Spirit Horses could not fly, they could basically traverse mountains as if they were flat ground. With a skilled rider, they could even glide across water. Therefore, although the terrain outside the Hengduan Mountains was mostly untamed with winding mountain paths, it did not impede the master and disciple's journey at all.

After travelling through the forest for some time, the view suddenly opened up ahead of them. They emerged from the woods into a flat area. Further ahead, there was a village.

"Wow...Master, there are houses over there!" Li Shiyin excitedly pointed and shouted, "Let's go over and find some food!"

Qin Ran shook his head. "We can't."

"Why not?" Li Shiyin asked, puzzled.

"Where is this place?" Qin Ran questioned.

"The Hengduan Mountains!" Li Shiyin replied.

"That's right, the Hengduan Mountains!" Qin Ran said. "This area lies at the borders between North Chu Country, Xuanqin Country and the Hengduan Mountains. How could ordinary villages possibly exist in such disputed territories? We cannot enter the village, and must be extremely cautious!"

Li Shiyin sighed. How could there be any danger? But the Master had spoken, so she could only obey.

Not only did Qin Ran not enter the village, he slowed down and kept his distance, bypassing the village from afar, fearing the villagers would discover them.

But while the villagers could not detect them, their keen senses allowed them to clearly hear the commotion coming from the village as they circumvented it. They could hear the villagers shouting:

"Block that side, don't let the beast escape!"

"Watch out for the children...keep the kids back!"

"Where are the knives? Those with knives come surround it!"

"The children, watch the children!"

"Heavens..."

"Dear heavens!"

Something seemed to have happened in the village, and it sounded like children had been harmed. Qin Ran's nose twitched as he faintly smelled traces of devilish qi.

"Hurry up..." He urgently called for Li Shiyin. With a demon beast harming people, they had to run!

But when he looked back, he only saw Li Shiyin jerk the reins, pulling Windchaser's head aside as she charged straight for the village!

"Shiyin!" Qin Ran angrily shouted. "Stop!"

But Li Shiyin did not listen to him. She rushed to the edge of the houses in the village, unsheathed her Qixing Sword hanging by her white horse, gripped the sword and leapt forward.

"Damnit!" Qin Ran cursed and clumsily pulled on the reins to follow after her.

In the open space amongst the scattered houses of the village, over a dozen brawny men wielding an assortment of weapons like spears, sabres, hoes and sickles had surrounded a gigantic snake, forming a large circle.

In the middle of this circle was an enormous serpent...

Its body was as thick as a water barrel, approximately thirteen to fourteen meters long. It had a dark red body covered in fine scales, a rounded head, and a blood-red forked tongue flicking out. Its golden vertical pupils stared straight at the villagers around it.

Its eyes contained some strange colors, vaguely conveying its emotions, telling the villagers that this was no ordinary snake, but a demonic beast.

In its coiled body it had trapped two unconscious children, a boy and a girl.

The giant serpent flicked its tongue, tightening and loosening its body. When the villagers approached, it would tighten its coils, and when they retreated, it would loosen up - clearly adopting a threatening posture!

The men surrounding it did not dare to move recklessly, neither daring to approach nor let the snake leave. They could only stand frozen in place. The cries of the women at the periphery also gradually died down, and for a moment an eerie silence descended upon the village.

It was precisely at this time that a clear and melodious shout rang out:

"Vile beast, release the children!"

The villagers looked towards the voice to see a female sword immortal astride a white horse and wielding a sword galloping forth.

She stopped her white horse at the edge of the crowd, then leapt up into the air, flying over the crowd. Her sword shot out a ray of sword qi straight towards the giant serpent's head.

"Watch out for the children!" The villagers shouted in chaos as they scattered.

This was no ordinary snake. It knew enough to evade the perilous sword light headed for it.

The female sword immortal closed in with her sword, slashing horizontally to cleave its body in two...

"Getting close to a demonic beast?" The giant serpent sneered coldly in its heart. Ignoring the sword swipe, it lashed its tail towards her.

Its tail was even bigger than the swordswoman's body. With this tail whip, the victor was decided!

But just as it began to whip its tail, in the next moment its eyes widened and its mouth gaped - it hurt!

The hard scales on its upper body had been sliced open by the sword!

It had no time to think further. The serpent swiftly lowered its head to bite, fast as lightning!

Then...

It staggered, having bitten empty air! Its tail had been grabbed!

The female sword immortal held her sword in her right hand while her left hand had clamped onto its tail. She turned and fled, dragging its massive body out of the village!!

"Such monstrous strength?!" The giant serpent was dumbfounded.

Qin Ran rode over on his horse to see Li Shiyin madly running while dragging the giant serpent whose coiled body still held the two children.

"Reckless!"

He quickly stretched out his hand, sending forth a watery hand-shaped projection that pulled the children from the serpent's coils and delivered them safely into the villagers' midst.

And after Li Shiyin's child was saved by Qin Ran, she became even more uninhibited. She dragged the snake out of the crowd, out of the village, to an open space outside the village, threw aside the Qixing Sword, grabbed the giant snake's tail with both hands, and swung the giant snake around!

This was no female sword immortal, this was clearly a female deity of great strength!