Journey to Mount Shu

Tang Xuejian said irritably, "You’re the one who wanted to come!"

"I didn’t know this place would be so gloomy…" Jing Tian said, his voice weakening.

Xu Changqing looked at the compass and said, "Let’s go. We’re entering the village."

"What? We still have to go in? No, no, no, I’m not going in." Jing Tian immediately shook his head.

Su Yu smiled and patted Jing Tian’s shoulder. "Little Tian, it’s fine. With me here, nothing will happen."

Jing Tian said with a mournful expression, "Yu Ge, well… we shouldn’t try to act tough. Those Poisoned People aren’t something we can handle."

Tang Xuejian said, "You big idiot, why are you so cowardly? Nothing will happen as long as you follow Uncle Su."

With that, the three headed into the village. What else could Jing Tian do? He could only follow them.

After entering the village, Jing Tian cautiously watched his surroundings and stayed extremely close to Xu Changqing. There was no helping it—Xu Changqing was the only cultivator here, so staying near him was naturally safer. Meanwhile, Tang Xuejian stuck close to Su Yu’s side.

Su Yu asked doubtfully, "Xue Jian, why aren’t you following Daoist Xu? Why are you following me instead?"

Tang Xuejian smiled. "Uncle Su, I once saw Little Qi practicing the guqin beside the stream."

Su Yu froze for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile. Meng Qi did sometimes go to the stream to practice Sound Blades. Tang Xuejian must have seen him when she had gone to play with him before.

Between Xu Changqing and Su Yu, Tang Xuejian clearly trusted Su Yu more after spending so much time with him. Besides, if Little Qi was already so formidable, Su Yu had to be even stronger.

Not long after the four entered the village, they saw a group of Poisoned People appear ahead. Jing Tian was so frightened that he directly clung tightly to Xu Changqing. Xu Changqing looked helpless, but after breaking free, he rushed forward and began fighting the Poisoned People. Jing Tian shouted, "Let’s run!"

As he spoke, Jing Tian ran backward, only to find another group of Poisoned People appearing behind him. He immediately turned around, grabbed Su Yu and Tang Xuejian, and tried to run to the left.

Su Yu immediately pulled Jing Tian back. "Enough, enough. Stop making such a fuss. They’re only a group of Poisoned People."

As he spoke, Su Yu took out his guqin. Jing Tian and Tang Xuejian then saw it actually float in midair. Jing Tian exclaimed in surprise, "Damn, Yu Ge, you’re a cultivator too?"

Su Yu ignored Jing Tian. His fingers brushed across the strings, and a melody called "Qian Jin Qing" began to play. Qian Jin Qing’s purifying effect was perfect for this situation.

If Su Yu used less force, only the poison inside these Poisoned People would be purified. But if he used enough force, they would directly turn into pools of blood.

Zheng, zheng, zheng, zheng… zheng, zheng, zheng…

As Su Yu’s music rang out, even Xu Changqing was drawn to it. The next moment, everyone discovered that the Poisoned People had all stopped attacking. When the piece ended and Su Yu’s fingers made one final sweep across the strings, all the Poisoned People tilted their heads back and spat out a mouthful of black vapor.

Then they all collapsed. Su Yu held the guqin before slinging it onto his back again. "The poison in those Poisoned People has all been removed. Take them back and let them recuperate for a few days, and they’ll all be fine."

Jing Tian nodded blankly. Xu Changqing came before Su Yu, cupped his fists, and said, "Brother Su, what kind of spell was that just now? Its detoxifying ability was incredibly powerful. Why did the poison in their bodies disappear after you played one piece?"

"This isn’t a spell. It’s guqin technique. It’s hard to explain in a short time. In any case, some of my pieces have certain miraculous effects. For example, Qian Jin Qing just now has a purifying effect, which happened to work on the poison inside the Poisoned People," Su Yu explained slowly.

Xu Changqing nodded slightly. "I see. Brother Su, there are still some Poisoned People on Mount Shu. Could I trouble you to make a trip there and save them?"

Su Yu nodded. "No problem."

As he spoke, Su Yu looked at Tang Xuejian. "Xue Jian, Little Tian, there are no more Poisoned People in this area. You should head back first. Once you’re back, keep Little Qi by your side. He can protect you."

Jing Tian and Tang Xuejian nodded, then left. Xu Changqing made a hand gesture, and the sword on his back flew free and enlarged. Xu Changqing leaped onto it and looked at Su Yu. "Brother Su, come aboard."

Su Yu smiled and shook his head. "No need."

As he spoke, the Taigu Yiyin Qin floated before Su Yu. He jumped onto it, but rather than standing, he sat sideways atop the Taigu Yiyin Qin with one foot resting on it, looking exceptionally carefree.

Xu Changqing smiled. "It seems I underestimated you, Brother Su. Let’s go."

With that, Xu Changqing rode his sword and flew in one direction, with Su Yu’s Taigu Yiyin Qin following close behind. Xu Changqing deliberately wanted to test Su Yu’s strength, so he steadily increased his speed. Yet the distance between the Taigu Yiyin Qin and his sword never changed.

Xu Changqing understood inwardly that Su Yu was certainly stronger than him when it came to sword flight. After all, maintaining a fixed distance at all times was an extremely difficult thing to do.

Before long, the two arrived at the summit of Mount Shu. Xu Changqing led Su Yu all the way into the main hall, where five old men were seated.

These five were the leading figures of Mount Shu: Sect Master Qing Wei, along with the four elders Cang Gu, Jing Ming, You Xuan, and He Yang.

Xu Changqing called out, "Changqing greets Sect Master and the various martial uncles."

The five nodded slightly. Qing Wei asked, "Changqing, why have you returned so soon after descending the mountain?"

"Sect Master, this is what happened…" Xu Changqing then recounted the events. Qing Wei looked curiously at Su Yu and said, "Oh? This young friend cured the Poisoned People’s poison after playing a piece?"

Xu Changqing nodded. "Yes. That is why I brought Brother Su up the mountain—to ask him to help cure the poison in the other Poisoned People."

Qing Wei nodded. "Mm. I’m quite curious about this guqin technique. Let’s go together."

"Hmph, what is there to be curious about? It’s nothing but a crooked path!" Cang Gu, one of Mount Shu’s four elders, said.

Su Yu’s gaze turned slightly cold. The Taigu Yiyin Qin floated before him, and his fingers lightly brushed its strings. A Sound Blade shot forth, flying directly past Cang Gu’s ear. Everything in its path was severed.

Boom!

Everyone stared at the wreckage behind Cang Gu and were all startled. Qing Wei narrowed his eyes slightly at Su Yu and said, "Sir, Cang Gu was indeed the first to speak offensively, but you have also damaged our main hall. How about we let this matter end here?"

"Of course. I didn’t come here to fight, but you’d better not provoke me so casually either." Su Yu smiled as he slung the Taigu Yiyin Qin back onto his back.

Qing Wei nodded, then he and Xu Changqing led Su Yu out of the main hall.