Chapter 38: The Five-Lightning Spell

A cold glint flashed in Li Yanchu’s eyes as he drew a yellow talisman from his robes. He was going to invoke Daoist magic to activate the Five-Lightning Talisman.

“Five-Lightning Pure Yang, the True Law of Heaven and Earth... Destroy evil! Strike!”

Boom

! Lightning raged from the heavens!

Li Yanchu saw nothing but blinding white before his eyes, and deafening thunder exploded in his ears. Thankfully, the lightning flash lasted only an instant, and his vision quickly returned.

The once-dense mass of black hair had vanished completely, and the white figure of the woman had been struck dead by the Five-Lightning Pure Yang!

This was the fiercest, purest yang lightning in all of heaven and earth. It was unyielding and absolute, made to shatter yin qi, murderous qi, corpse qi, and all filthy, evil things in the world.

Merit earned: 1000 points!

Li Yanchu gained more merit this time than from all his previous encounters combined, which meant that the woman’s phantom had been completely and utterly obliterated.

The Five-Lightning Pure Yang still lingered within the Feng residence, and for the time being, not even the faintest trace of yin qi would reappear.

***

After dealing with the Feng residence, Li Yanchu came to a profound realization. Just how right his decision had been! Had he not infused that Five-Lightning Talisman, the evil spirit he encountered this time might have taken his life.

Li Yanchu could sense that the spiritual resonance imbued in the Five-Lightning Talisman had diminished by a third. In other words, he still had two uses left.

Just by wearing the Five-Lightning Talisman, faint traces of pure yang qi were already entering Li Yanchu’s body, warming his spirit and soul. The Five-Lightning Talisman was domineering by nature, and its primary purpose was to kill.

After destroying the white phantom that had been haunting the Feng residence, the righteous, destructive aura of the Five-Lightning Spell had become even more pronounced.

The relationship between Fang Qinglan and Li Yanchu had eased somewhat. In fact, Li Yanchu often felt that the way Fang Qinglan looked at him had grown a little gentler, carrying a subtle, indescribable meaning. That had never happened before.

The innkeeper, however, had picked up on something. Thus, there was a noticeable hint of jealousy in the air. But since her younger sister had just narrowly escaped death, the innkeeper didn’t say anything. She simply used her two long, toned legs that night to make sure Li Yanchu wouldn’t have the energy to think about anyone else.

Unfortunately for her, Li Yanchu’s body was now as strong and vigorous as a wolf or tiger, with powerful muscles and bones. Lately, it was the innkeeper who always ended up sleeping in.

Later, while Li Yanchu was cultivating the Deity Summoning Art at the Daoist temple, there was a young man beside him dressed in a dark Daoist robe. He carried a longsword on his back, had handsome features, and an ethereal, refined presence.

His name was Bai Hongtu, and he was the son of a wealthy and influential family from Jinchuan Prefecture. His father not only possessed a vast fortune, but also had close ties with high-ranking officials in the prefectural capital.

The Bai family held considerable influence in the region, and Bai Hongtu was the second son of the Bai household. He had been strictly raised since childhood and learned some martial arts from the family guards. He also studied a few Daoist techniques from a wandering Daoist elder.

And yet, despite his life of luxury and privilege, Bai Hongtu’s lifelong dream had always been to roam the

jianghu

, slay demons, and exorcise evil. But his family had strict rules, and even as a second son, he couldn’t do whatever he pleased.

He had finally managed to seize the opportunity of the Qingyi Festival, after pleading with his father for a long time, to come to Wei City and pay respects to Lady Qingyi But who would have thought that the moment he entered the city, the speckled buckskin horse under him would be snatched away by a young Daoist?

On his very first day in the

jianghu

, Bai Hongtu personally experienced the true meaning of the phrase, “the

jianghu

is full of danger.”

However, he later found out that the one who had taken his horse was none other than the Daoist priest of Qingyun Temple, who had recently made quite a name for himself in Wei City.

When Bai Hongtu heard about Li Yanchu’s exploits, his blood boiled with excitement, and he could hardly stop himself from wishing he were the protagonist of those tales. So he came to visit Li Yanchu, drawn by admiration.

At first, Li Yanchu thought this young man had come to demand compensation. He’d been troubled about not knowing how to find him, so the timing was perfect.

But after a brief conversation, he discovered that the young man was actually the son of the Bai family of Jinchuan, and a dual cultivator of both martial arts and Daoist practice.

Hearing this, Li Yanchu was pleasantly surprised. Most temples and monasteries these days, even the ones with thriving incense offerings, were filled with charlatans who deceived the world with empty reputations, lacking any true orthodox inheritance or real techniques.

To think he had actually met a young man who was not only a fellow Daoist disciple, but also practiced martial arts... It was a rare and welcome encounter.

Bai Hongtu was even more excited, and he tactfully suggested a friendly sparring match with Li Yanchu.

Li Yanchu didn’t refuse. And then, within ten moves, Bai Hongtu’s longsword was knocked from his hand, and his face turned bright red. This young master’s martial arts were average, but he had a good eye, and he could clearly tell that Li Yanchu had been holding back. Otherwise, he might have been defeated in just a single move.

Since they were both young men, they quickly became familiar with each other. Bai Hongtu often came to Qingyun Temple to visit Li Yanchu.

“Yanchu, have you heard? A few children have gone missing outside the city. Word is, it’s the work of something evil,” Bai Hongtu said mysteriously while munching on a skewer of candied hawthorn.

Li Yanchu shook his head. “No, I’ve been at the temple these past few days. What’s the

yamen

saying?”

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Bai Hongtu curled his lip. “What else could they say? Head Constable Wang led a team out to chase fugitives, so he’s not in Wei City. Miss Fang has been stationed at the Lady Qingyi Temple lately and can’t leave her post. So it was Captain Dong who went to investigate, and he came back without finding anything.”

Bai Hongtu spoke about these matters like he knew them inside out, his eyes even sparkling with excitement.

Li Yanchu frowned. “The way you’re talking... don’t tell me you’re thinking of getting involved?”

Bai Hongtu grinned. “That’s right! I’m a man of the

jianghu

, after all. When things like this happen, of course I have to step in and uphold justice. Besides, the old Daoist who taught me always told me to follow the will of Heaven and uphold the Dao.”

Li Yanchu saw right through him. “Sounds more like you’re just trying to get famous.”

Bai Hongtu immediately straightened up. “We cultivators are supposed to save lives and slay demons, and that’s our duty. How can you say it’s just for fame?”

Li Yanchu replied, “Just now, didn’t you say you were a man of the

jianghu

?”

Bai Hongtu waved his hand dismissively. “Details, details. What really matters is that this time, I came to let you witness my Daoist techniques in action!”

Li Yanchu said, “So you're afraid you won’t be able to handle it, and you want me to back you up?”

Bai Hongtu pulled a face. “Now that’s just mean. Why do you always have to call me out like that?”

Li Yanchu looked at him curiously. “Sometimes I really wonder, why would a rich young master like you be so interested in stuff like this?”

Bai Hongtu paused for a moment, then said, “Maybe... deep down, I’m just a man born with a hero’s heart?”

Li Yanchu fell speechless at his words. In any case, Li Yanchu still decided to go with him.

Bai Hongtu, despite being a bit scatterbrained, had a genuinely kind heart, and perhaps even a bit of a soft touch. He also had a good temperament, without the slightest trace of a spoiled rich boy’s arrogance. It was just that he often couldn’t resist mentioning the fact that he personally owned over a thousand mu[1] of farmland and more than twenty shops.

But Li Yanchu knew that the Bai family was indeed wealthy and powerful in the region, and those assets really were under Bai Hongtu’s name.

However, Bai Hongtu only ever seemed to have just enough silver on hand to get by. The Bai family had strict household rules. Old Master Bai feared that his youngest son would go astray and turn into a spoiled wastrel who only knew how to indulge in food, drink, and pleasure. So he kept tight control over Bai Hongtu’s spending from a young age, and everything from his clothing to daily expenses was strictly regulated.

After getting to know Li Yanchu, Bai Hongtu became like a dam that had burst. Once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. At first, Li Yanchu would respond and chat with him, but he eventually realized this guy just talked way too much. So it often turned into Bai Hongtu doing all the talking, while Li Yanchu just listened.

But as far as Bai Hongtu was concerned, Li Yanchu was someone truly worth befriending, someone who really clicked with his personality.

1. 亩 (mǔ) is a Chinese unit of area. 1 亩 is equivalent to 666.7 m² or 0.165 acres. It is used mainly for measuring land. ☜