Becoming An Immortal Begins With Marrying A Wife

Chapter 21: The Struggle between the Sandpiper and the Clam

"Plop!"

The masked man with a bloody hole in his forehead fell to the ground, making a dull sound, instantly losing his breath.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

What happened?

How did someone suddenly fall dead?

Among them, Steward Zhang was shocked, his eyes wide open.

He had just seen the golden light emitted from Chen An's finger, recognizing it as the second level of Goldfinger - Golden Light Projection!

But how is this possible?

The practice of Goldfinger is notoriously difficult.

Even an ordinary cultivator with average talent would need to spend decades to cultivate the second level.

The cost and reward are completely disproportionate, with extremely low cost-effectiveness.

No one would bother to practice it.

Otherwise, it is still a spell, so how could it be sold so cheaply for only 100 low-grade spirit stones?

So the question is, how did Chen An, a mere Qi Refining fourth level cultivator, manage to cultivate Goldfinger to the second level in such a short time?

It's truly unbelievable!

Steward Zhang couldn't figure it out, his face filled with doubt about life.

"Buzz!"

The sound of a blade cutting through the air rang out.

Just as everyone was in a state of Spiritual Ascension, the masked man from Black Iron Mountain Villa, who had reached the seventh level of Qi Refining, launched a sneak attack on Steward Zhang without any sense of sportsmanship, slashing his head with a sudden strike.

Fortunately, Steward Zhang reacted quickly and immediately dodged the fatal blow by sidestepping.

However, he didn't completely avoid it, and a cut was made on his right shoulder, instantly oozing blood and soaking a large area of his clothes.

Failing in the sneak attack, the masked man at the seventh level of Qi Refining immediately distanced himself from Steward Zhang, fearing a counterattack, being cautious and careful.

Then, he shouted loudly towards the lower-cultivated companions near the carriage, "What are you waiting for? Finish it quickly!"

Suddenly being yelled at like this, the several masked men who were initially intimidated by Chen An's Golden Light Projection immediately turned fierce and evil, brandishing their knives and rushing towards Chen An.

However, before they could take a few steps, they suddenly felt their bodies becoming weak and unstable, almost collapsing.

One experienced masked man immediately realized that they had been poisoned!

"Quick, take the antidote..."

"..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his head exploded from a burst of golden light, and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Thud...thud...thud!"

Several dull sounds followed.

All the poisoned masked men were precisely hit by bursts of golden light, instantly dying.

These masked men who died from headshots had low cultivation levels.

Except for one cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refining, the rest were all at the third or fourth level of Qi Refining, low-level cultivators.

In the state of being affected by the Soft Bone Powder, they had no power to fight back against Chen An's Golden Light Projection attack and could only unwillingly accept their deaths.

"Steward Zhang, I'll help you!"

Chen An shouted, but instead of joining the melee, he continued to provide long-range support from a distance, using Golden Light Projection to assist Steward Zhang in killing the enemy.

Steward Zhang had initially been at a disadvantage, always on the defensive.

With Chen An's support, the situation was instantly reversed, turning from bad to good.

He began to take the initiative, adopting an extremely aggressive fighting style.

The remaining masked man, knowing that the situation was lost, didn't continue to engage with the two and retreated while fighting, intending to escape.

How could Chen An let him go as he wished?

If he let the tiger return to the mountain, he wouldn't be able to sleep peacefully at night.

So he immediately leaped off the carriage and took the risk of chasing after the retreating masked man, vowing to kill him here.

Steward Zhang had the same idea and relentlessly pursued, ruthlessly beating the dog that had fallen into the water.

Chen An was responsible for long-range support, while Steward Zhang took care of close combat, and the two cooperated with each other, making the masked man at the seventh level of Qi Refining look miserable.

Even though he was in a sorry state, the masked man showed no intention of counterattacking.

He was merely defending himself and continuously retreating.

Until the next second, when a golden light shone down on his mask, revealing his true face, he suddenly stopped running.

Chen An glanced at the other person, a middle-aged man in his forties whom he did not recognize.

"Steward Ouyang, why is it you?!"

Upon seeing the true face of the masked man, Steward Zhang ahead was filled with shock.

This person, whom he had always thought was a cultivator from Black Iron Mountain Villa, turned out to be a member of the Bamboo Leaf Gang!

Moreover, he was also a colleague in the lower district's stewardship!

Was this person trying to frame the cultivators of Black Iron Mountain Villa or was he an undercover agent planted by Black Iron Mountain Villa itself?

Steward Zhang's mind was filled with countless thoughts, but he still couldn't understand. He could only directly question, "Steward Ouyang, what is going on?"

Steward Ouyang ignored him and silently took out a crimson pill from his pocket.

It was the Blood Red Pill!

A kind of evil medicine that could temporarily enhance one's cultivation but would damage the foundation in the long run!

Steward Zhang recognized this evil medicine and immediately swung his sword towards Steward Ouyang.

Besides wanting to silence him, what else could explain why he was willing to harm his own foundation in order to temporarily enhance his strength?

He had to kill him with a sword before the medicine took effect, or else things would become troublesome.

"Dang—"

Steward Zhang's sword swung out, but it was easily blocked by the other party with a knife.

Chen An, seeing this, did not just watch. He crazily provided long-range firepower support from a distance, continuously shooting golden light towards Steward Ouyang.

But unfortunately, the other party dodged all of it.

At this moment, Steward Ouyang's eyes were bloodshot, his muscles bulged, and his aura suddenly surged.

His strength had already approached the eighth level of Qi Refining.

He was not someone like Chen An, a cultivator at the fourth level of Qi Refining, who could provoke him.

"Buzz!"

Suddenly, Steward Ouyang teleported directly in front of Chen An and fiercely punched towards his forehead, intending to deal with this annoying fly first.

Relying on his extraordinary spiritual consciousness as a cultivator, Chen An quickly reacted and dodged the fatal punch.

However, he only avoided the fatal blow, not the punch itself.

His forehead was spared, but instead, his shoulder was grazed by the other party's fist.

"Crack!"

A sound rang out.

The next second, Chen An was instantly sent flying, crashing into a patch of grass, his life or death unknown.

Seeing this, Steward Zhang immediately turned and ran without saying a word, choosing to abandon Chen An and save himself.

He had no confidence in defeating the strengthened Steward Ouyang and chose to save himself first.

However, how could Steward Ouyang let him escape?

Ignoring Chen An in the bushes, he turned around and chased after Steward Zhang who was fleeing.

Steward Zhang was not fast, and he was instantly caught up by Steward Ouyang.

Seeing that he couldn't escape, Steward Zhang immediately took out all the valuable things on his body and said to Steward Ouyang,

"Steward Ouyang, this matter has nothing to do with me. I didn't see anything today. I have 88 middle-grade spirit stones hidden under the desk in the office area of the lower district. It's the savings I've accumulated over the past thirty years. I'll give them all to you. It's enough for you to live comfortably in Black Iron Mountain Villa for decades. There's no need for both of us to suffer here."

"I want the spirit stones, and I want your life."

After saying that, Steward Ouyang attacked with all his might.

As an undercover agent of Black Iron Mountain Villa, he had spent more than ten years climbing to his current position in the Bamboo Leaf Gang. How could he just go back like this?

Wouldn't all his previous efforts be in vain?

Black Iron Mountain Villa would be at war with the Bamboo Leaf Gang in a few years, and by then, he would need the identity of the Bamboo Leaf Forest steward to help him complete some secret missions.

"In that case, let's die together!!!"

Steward Zhang's eyes turned red, gritting his teeth. He knew that the other party would not let him go today. Choosing to fight back even in the face of death, he was determined to drag the other party down with him.

...

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(End of this chapter)