Song of Adolescence

Chapter 81 Cloud Step a Thousand Miles

“Shifu, if I were to travel the martial world, what should I take note of?”

“You only need to remember eight words - against all martial arts, only speed can defeat.”

“Oh. But, what if even speed can’t defeat, then what should I do?”

“Then, you need to remember another four words - can’t win then-- run!”

“Oh, this disciple will remember!”

Xiao Se chuckled bitterly, his steps swift like the wind, and muttered to himself: shifu, you truly have great foresight, except your disciple who’s currently wandering the martial world, had very little to do with the first eight words, while becoming intimately familiar with the last four. Among the top lightness skills under Heaven were Wudang’s Cloud Ladder Leap, Tianshan Sect’s Trekking Snow Without a Trace, and Flying Cloud Pavilion’s Eight Steps Seeking Cicada, and Xiao Se’s master knew all of them. However, he deliberately taught the Cloud Step Wind Riding skill to him, because all the other lightness skills were based on having a strong foundation in phenomenal internal energy, but the Cloud Step was purely dependent on physical martial arts skills. Even someone without internal energy could master it. Back then, Xiao Se’s master chose this skill for him because of this one exchange.

“Xiao Se, what type of lightness skill do you want to learn?”

“The type that will let me walk a thousand miles in a day. Today, I’m in Heavenly Revelations City drinking wine, tomorrow I can be in Heavenly Province City eating a bowl of mapo doufu.”

“Your grace, why don’t you just ride the wind and soar right to the top?”

“Shifu, are you scolding me?”

“No, there really is such a martial arts under Heaven, the Cloud Step Wind Riding skill. The first level is Cloud Step, like lightning and flint, a thousand miles in a day. The second level is to Soar, riding the wind to rise, like a descending Immortal.”

Shifu, oh shifu, there’s no such thing as a thousand miles in a day. I have only ran for an hour and I can’t run any more. Was it worth speaking so seriously? To think I actually believed you back then. Xiao Se ran until he was gasping for breath, but the two people were following him very closely, maintaining a distance of tens of zhang. After all, he didn’t know any martial arts, though the Cloud Step Wind Riding skill didn’t require internal energy, it still required physical energy. After running for an hour, he was already gasping for breath. Finally, Xiao Se turned around and came to a sudden stop.

The two people behind him also stopped chasing.

Xiao Se took a deep breath and shouted loudly, “Lei Wujie!”

No one replied.

“Lei Wujie!”

Again, no one replied.

Xiao Se sighed. His original plan was to draw a few people away to give Lei Wujie a chance to take care of the remaining ones before coming back to save him. But, looking at the current situation, he couldn’t run any more, while Lei Wujie was still being held at bay.

Suddenly, Xiao Se gave a profoundly mysterious smile. “Hidden River Xie House?”

The two men who were dressed in black and hidden in the shadows exchanged a glance.

“You want to kill me, so I’m sure you’ve done your research on my background. You left four people behind to face off with the disciple of a Sword Immortal. Yet, here, there are only two of you. Do you even know who I am the disciple of?”

The two Hidden River Xie House assassins naturally did not respond.

“The Spear Immortal, Sikong Changfeng.” Xiao Se lightly touched the long staff on his waist, a disdainful smile on his lips. “The most highly skilled in spear arts in the world, with none his equal, that Spear Immortal. With only two Hidden River assassins, do you think you can kill me?”

The two assassins were stunned for a moment. They underwent strict training from a young age, so they could appraise their opponent’s level of internal energy from their manner of breathing. When it came to that, Xiao Se’s condition was clearly even worse than someone who didn’t know any martial arts. But, there were in fact people in the world who could conceal their breath. For instance, the Confucian Sword Immortal, Xie Xuan. If he didn’t draw his sword, he was no different than an ordinary scholar. They couldn’t tell if Xiao Se was lying, but if they gambled wrong, the price to pay would be very high.

“You say you’re the disciple of the Spear Immortal, then why don’t you attack me with a spear move?” After saying that, one of the men in black landed right in front of Xiao Se.

Xiao Se drew out the long staff from his waist and held it in his hand, speaking coldly. “You’re sure you wish to try?”

The man in black walked forward a step and said solemnly, “Go ahead.”

Xiao Se also took a step forward and spoke clearly, “You’re sure you wish to try?”

“Go to hell!” The other man in black who was hiding in the shadows lost his patience. He rushed out of the thicket, a silver flash appeared in his hand, and he sliced at Xiao Se with his curved knife.

Xiao Se finally made his move!

His glare was icy, his killing intent expanded in all directions! He raised his right arm into the air and struck!

The man in black met Xiao Se’s chilly glare, was stunned for a moment, flipped backwards in mid air and stepped back, landing beside his comrade.

But, Xiao Se’s hand was empty. The two Xie House assassins exchanged looks.

“You’re bluffing?” The assassin who’d just landed barked furiously.

Xiao Se nodded with a sigh. “Looks like I will have to use my secret weapon!”

“Kill him.” The other assassin said in a low voice.

The two men each drew their blades and rushed forward.

Xiao Se took a deep breath, pulled something out from his sleeve and threw it out.

The martial world was a dangerous place. Everyone had a secret weapon or two. One, Xiao Se had his Cloud Step to save his own life. Two, he had the Lei Clan’s highly skilled Lei Wujie to protect him. But, if Lei Wujie was not around, he had a few treasures that Lei Wujie gave him. Even though Lei Wujie was extremely skilled in his fist martial arts, and his swordsmanship was taught to him by a Sword Immortal, in the end, he was from the Lei family. He was still armed with his family specialties.

Lei Clan gunpowder, unequal in explosive power.

“Ear-piercing Thunder!”

“Level the Ground with Thunderwind!”

“Proclaim the Might of Lei Clan!”

If there was a disciple of Lei Clan Fort present at the moment, and he saw the current situation, he would most likely be so angry as to vomit blood. These three explosives were among the Lei Clan’s most valuable. Within the Lei Clan’s explosives vault, they were classified as Heaven tier. Normal disciples wouldn’t even dream of touching one of them in their lifetimes. Yet, Xiao Se took all three, and flung them out all at once.

Furthermore, he threw them as if he were throwing a piece of rock.

Nonetheless, the effect was really like levelling the ground with ear-piercing thunder. The ground in front of him for about ten zhang completely blew up, leaving behind smoking and churning dirt. Even a few of the trees in the distance were uprooted by the tremors. The two Hidden River assassins were initially intimidated by the power of the explosives and dived for cover. But, after the three successive blasts of explosives, Xiao Se gathered his sleeves again and chuckled bitterly. He muttered to himself, “That was quite powerful, but why only three? Is there no more?”

The two men in black exchanged a look and didn’t immediately stand up nor go closer.

Xiao Se cleared his throat and called out in a clear voice, “You can still run away if you want.”

The two men in black immediately leaped up and rushed forward, brandishing their blades.

Xiao Se was startled for a moment. Then, he took a deep breath, turned around and ran!

All of that was also a break for him to rest, so he could run for another stick of incense, no problem! In just an instant, Xiao Se swept past ten zhang. However, the two assassins have also been provoked into a murderous rage. Their steps were faster than before and they were closing in on Xiao Se.

Suddenly, the two assassins felt a cold shiver at the same time. Because they could feel a gust of cold qi coming from behind them, its power could not be underestimated. They quickly turned their heads, and saw a silver spear, bathed in moonlight, smashing down towards their heads.

A girl’s voice cried out angrily, “Who are you people? I am the only one allowed to chase down that scoundrel, Xiao Se. You’re not allowed to chase him!”