Chapter 1: Encounter with a Nightmare_2
Li Fei had no clue as to how to comprehend the "Heart of Slaughter," but he was not in a hurry, for he would soon be going to Wuda, and with the Myriad Blood Pearl at hand, even if he could not Breakthrough, he could still continue to grow stronger.
"Hmm?"
While Li Fei concentrated on cultivating, he suddenly sensed a ripple of magic.
"Is someone using magic in this carriage?"
Li Fei immediately stopped cultivating and sat quietly in his compartment, waiting for a while.
Outside, there were very faint footsteps, imperceptible to ordinary people, but to the keenly aware Li Fei, he could even 'see' a short figure tiptoeing down the corridor.
Every time the figure reached a compartment door, they would stick something on it, then murmur a spell.
Soon, the figure reached Li Fei's door and, just as before, affixed something on the outside, then swiftly finished chanting a spell.
The next second, a wave of magic rippled in from outside the door.
Li Fei checked the Myriad Blood Pearl and saw that the "Blood Soul" had decreased by less than 10%, indicating that the spell was not of the direct harm variety.
Moments later, he yawned, feeling a bit sleepy.
"It seems that this magic is similar to the "Calming Technique" of the Calming Sect, only not as fast-acting. Yet, the cumulative effect over time is stronger than the Calming Technique."
Li Fei had a hunch.
After 99% of its energy was absorbed by the Myriad Blood Pearl, the fact that the spell could still make him, at the "Qi Change Stage," feel a hint of drowsiness spoke volumes of the spell's power!
He took the "Thunder Dragon" pistol from his gun belt, ready to see what the other party intended to do.
Although for the powerful, cold weapons were more useful than guns, in most cases, a gun was more likely to intimidate others and easier to control the situation.
Li Fei did not want to create too much commotion, so instead of using the "Ghost Slash Blade," he drew the "Thunder Dragon" pistol.
Ten minutes later, someone picked his compartment door lock, and in just a few seconds, the lock had been picked.
The door was then pushed open, and a person wearing a black leather cap, a brown leather jacket, and carrying a large backpack entered.
Before the intruder could take a good look inside the compartment, they had a pistol pressing against their head.
"Don't move."
The intruder trembled, slowly turned their head to the right, and saw Li Fei, gun in hand, aimed at them.
Li Fei also saw the intruder clearly—a young person with short hair and delicate features. If it weren't for the absence of an Adam's apple, he might have mistaken them for a man.
"Close the door," Li Fei directed.
The intruder obediently did as told, slowly closing the compartment door, then turning to face Li Fei:
"Big Brother, are you a student from Wuda's Zhi Ge Department?"
Her voice was somewhat coarse, indeed like a tomboy.
Other than officials, students from Wuda's Zhi Ge Department also had the opportunity to obtain a gun permit. Li Fei, being able to ignore her deployed magic, was evidently no ordinary person. Plus, given that this train was headed to Datong Prefecture City, her first thought was that Li Fei might be a student from Wuda's Zhi Ge Department.
"I haven't asked you yet, yet you're already asking me," Li Fei said with a smile, noting the other's quick response.
But then, the intruder suddenly knelt before Li Fei:
"Big Brother, this is my first time doing this. Please spare me, I won't dare do it again! I'll give you all these things."
Having said that, she took off the backpack and began to slowly unzip it in front of Li Fei.
Inside were gold watches, jewelry, and a large amount of cash.
"Move again, and I'll shoot."
Li Fei spoke calmly all of a sudden.
The female intruder, who was reaching into the backpack, froze, looked up at Li Fei with innocent eyes:
"Big Brother, I'll give you all the money."
Li Fei gave a faint smile, squatted down, and quickly grabbed her wrist, pulling it out of the backpack.
Sure enough, in her hand, she was holding a small paper package.
"Lime Powder, huh?"
Li Fei looked at the paper package in her hand with a smile, feeling nostalgic.
It had been a long time since he had used a trick like Lime Powder.
"You…"
The woman looked at Li Fei with a hint of helplessness.
She hadn't expected that Li Fei, looking so young, would be experienced in the ways of the World and firm of will, not at all distracted by the wealth in the backpack.
"From whom did you learn this magic? And where did you get the 'Implant' from?"
Li Fei inquired.
"Big Brother, we have no feud or grievance. You caught me today because I lacked skill in my training. I'll accept my loss, and if push comes to shove, I'll give you all the money I've taken. Is it really necessary for you to dig so deep?"
The woman's voice turned cold, shifting from her earlier submissive demeanor to a sudden assertiveness.
"I'll count to three. If you don't speak, I'm going to shoot," Li Fei replied coldly too.
"I don't believe you have the guts to kill me! If you do, my master won't let you get away with it!"
The woman lifted her chin, unyieldingly locking eyes with Li Fei.
"Well then, tell me about your sect, maybe I'll let you go."
Li Fei asked leisurely.
"You'd better listen well!"
The woman said with pride:
"My sect is the Nightmare Sect, founded by the contemporary True Master Gongye Wenqi!"
Those who follow the path of magic are called Magicians at the Body Breaking Stage, Mages at the Divine Transformation Stage, and at the Possession Stage, they are known as Great Mages, corresponding to Tao Foundation experts.
Going further, once one creates a Lifebound Magic Item, they step into the 'True Spirit' realm and can be called a True Master.
Of course, this is the Taoist terminology. If it were the Buddhist term, once a Lifebound Magic Item is forged, one enters the 'Enlightenment' realm, attains the fruit of an Arhat, and becomes a contemporary Arhat.
Li Fei had never heard of Gongye Wenqi and the Nightmare Sect; his knowledge of the World was limited, but he still understood what the term 'contemporary True Master' implied.
It meant someone far more formidable than a Tao Foundation expert!
"Nightmare Sect? Never heard of it. You say you're from there? If you are truly a disciple of a great sect, why would you commit theft on this train?"
Li Fei spoke in an even tone.
The woman widened her eyes, incredulously asking, "You've never heard of the Nightmare Sect?! Are you not a student at Wuda?"
"Since the Nightmare Sect is so renowned, I should probably turn you over to the train police."
Li Fei said this and moved to open the compartment door.
"Hey, wait!"
The woman hastily stopped Li Fei, "I am acting on my master's orders, venturing out to gain experience among the mortal world, practicing our sect's unique cultivation method."
She pointed at the backpack on the floor, speaking disdainfully:
"Merely worldly possessions; would I, a disciple of a great sect, care about such things? Once my training is complete, I will return all the items to their rightful owners."
"Oh?"
Li Fei looked at this tomboyish figure with amusement, "And when do you plan to return these possessions to their owners?"
"Right now!"
She stood up from the floor, picked up the backpack, "I will return them now; you can supervise from the side."
"No need for such trouble."
Li Fei halted her, "Just hand them directly to the train police."
The woman frowned at Li Fei, "Spreading this would harm the reputation of my sect. You go give them to the train police, and don't mention my involvement; I'll leave first."
"Heh."
Li Fei chuckled, "Alright, then you may go."
"Ah?"
Now it was the woman's turn to be surprised, looking at Li Fei questioningly, "You're really going to let me go?"
"You said it yourself, no enmity, no reason; I have no need to make this difficult for you."
Li Fei said, putting away his 'Thunder Dragon' pistol.
Less trouble is always better; though he didn't quite believe her words, he didn't want any unnecessary complications.
"Alright, may we meet again!"
The woman saluted Li Fei with the Jianghu gesture, speaking in a gruff tone.
Afterwards, she turned and left the compartment, even shutting the door behind her for Li Fei.
As soon as the door was closed, the woman quickly pulled out a black wooden tile from her bosom.
The next moment, a strange symbol lit up on her forehead, and a drop of blood squeezed from there, landing precisely on the wooden tile in her hand.
She spun around, lifted the tile towards the door, and whispered a spell under her breath.
A powerful wave of magic surged from the tile in her hand, blasting a potent spell into the room!
Upon completing this process, the woman's face immediately turned pale, and she weakened significantly.
However, a smug smile appeared on her face: "Let's see if this gets you!"
Saying this, she confidently reopened the door.
But what greeted her was not the sight of Li Fei incapacitated on the ground, rather the dark barrel of a gun.
Li Fei stood calmly in his spot, aiming his gun at her:
"I gave you a chance, and you didn't take it."
The woman's expression shifted from bafflement to shock, to confusion, and finally to fear.
With a thud, she knelt before Li Fei again:
"Big brother! I've truly made a mistake!"
...
Another chapter tonight.