The Secret Cultivation Manual: Qisha Volume 1 Chapter 10

Was she the Third Princess of Luosheng Kingdom?

Yang Jiu thought the idiotic ruler of Luosheng Kingdom, Luosheng Tun, had probably been dismembered by Minister Chen Su during the recent coup.

The story went, the coup had happened during the Spring Ancestral Ceremony for the Luosheng royals. The royal mausoleum was almost entirely stained with the blood of the dead; no one with Luosheng blood survived that event.

If the story was true, then this thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl was probably the last surviving royal of the Luosheng Kingdom. He looked at her beautiful but cold face before running into the forest.

Very quickly, Yang Jiu demolished the three seven-leaf warriors in three fights.

The pleasure of killing expanded exponentially as the Tiger Wing energy sword sliced open their bodies. Jiu used the brief killing energy to cultivate the Qisha in his body, finding that he had already surpa.s.sed the fourth cycle’s initial stage and reached the middle level.

A flash of joy appeared on Yang Jiu’s face. Who knew killing just seven warriors would be more effective than killing so many over the last three years? High-level warriors were indeed more useful for cultivation.

Too bad such opportunities are rare, Yang Jiu mused to himself. It'd be incredible if he ever killed more than ten seven-leaf warriors again.

He knew that finding a dozen or more of these seven-leaf warriors wasn't impossible among the two continents; with six countries and their countless dojos and warrior schools, there was plenty of them around.

But each of these dojos and warrior schools had a few Yuan Ying mystics among their ranks.

In theory, Yuan Ying mystics didn't bother with worldly affairs, but killing an ordinary warrior didn't matter. The heavenly realm, who decided the rules, would never discipline the mystics for such behavior.

It all came down to who was more powerful.

More than ever, Yang Jiu wanted to grow stronger in Qisha. He collected the war spoils from the dead warriors and walked back carrying three Tiger Wing swords. The killing energy was still churning inside him without abating.

When he was at the third cycle of Qisha, it would’ve been a miracle if the energy created by killing lasted for more than ten seconds.

The fourth cycle offered so many more secrets for him to discover.

As he walked out of the forest, Yang Jiu returned to the path he was on, but what he saw surprised him.

The white-haired old warrior was gone, leaving Luosheng Jing, the alleged Third Princess, sitting on the ground.

After seeing the burn marks on the ground, Yang Jiu figured the old warrior had burned himself to ashes when trying to use his energy. None of his body remained.

The young woman, who looked to be in tears, held a sword. She stared ahead at the ashes as she pointed the sword toward Yang Jiu.

Yang Jiu observed the girl. Staying so vigilant even after suffering tragedies meant she was quite extraordinary . . .

He marveled but didn't react. He simply gathered the energy swords and other small alloy weapons, then tossed her a bag of paper money collected from the corpses. “Yours.”

Jing wiped her face and quietly accepted the bag, then struggled to get up from the ground.

Yang Jiu was about to leave, but before he did, he watched her calm, almost numb face. In a light yellow gown, covered with gra.s.s and dirt, she still exuded a royal air.

The only flaws upon her perfection were the tear tracks on her serene and delicate face. Seeing her sadness, it was as if something inside his heart was touched.

Where had he seen this expression before?

Was it himself, from once upon a time?

There was no melting of the frost on Yang Jiu’s cold face, but he knew that the calmer he looked, the more gentle the emotions in his heart. It was when his lips held a smile that he was about to kill.

There was nothing he could do. The more he repressed the emotions, the harder it was to stabilize his Qisha cultivation.

It was hard to do good things in this world.

He sighed and walked toward Jing.

“If you really have nowhere else to go, come with me.” He extended his hand.

The sword in her hand vibrated slightly before Princess Jing released her only weapon and linked her fingers with Yang Jiu’s ahnd. There seemed to be a shadow of warmth on her inexpressive face.

She was just thirteen-years-old and had already experienced much of the horror and evil of this world; she had seen betrayals, killings, and one fight after another, but when she held this black-haired man’s hand, she felt safe.

Traveling with Jing was an impulsive decision on Yang Jiu’s part, but after walking inside the primordial forest with her for a few days, he grew thankful for his decision.

Not only was she quiet and had the same personality that he did, she also helped take care of their affairs, leaving him free. The most important benefit of having her along, and one which Yang Jiu didn’t want to admit, was how she chose their travel route.

While this Third Princess of the Luosheng Kingdom had never been to this area before, the quiet and icy young woman had an incomparable sense of direction.

That they could, in just a few days, get to the edge of the mountains and the primordial forest, and see signs of human life, was largely thanks to this princess, who Yang Jiu initially thought of as pampered.

The problem was, while Jing followed Yang Jiu wherever he went, based on her behavior around him, it was clear she didn’t completely trust him.