Chapter 92: I Can Safely Say

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Huang Shing and Liu Jin run at top speed. Now that they no longer have to worry about accidentally damaging the crates, nothing stops them from using movement techniques. Multiple miles go by in seconds.

“I can’t believe Brother Jin foresaw this!”

Liu Jin snorts.

“Foresaw is a pretty strong word. Considered is a better alternative. Feared may be closer to the truth. In the end, it doesn’t matter. The herbs were still stolen.”

Even though it had been a possibility, his impatience had gotten the better of him. He had left Huang Shing alone with the crates, a foolish decision to be sure. He should have waited until they had safely delivered the herbs, then found some way to excuse himself for a few minutes. With the benefit of hindsight, it is plain to see that would have been the better choice.

Of course, in its own way, that thought is fairly arrogant. It means Liu Jin is thinking, “If I had been there, the herbs would have never been stolen.”

That is not right.

Regardless of the method the thieves used, there is no guarantee Liu Jin would have been able to stop them. He might have, or he might not have. Taking it for granted that he could have is nothing but vanity.

“I still think it’s amazing! To think we have a chance to recover the herbs because Brother Jin made sure to put a Lovers Crimson Blossom inside one of the crates!”

Lovers Crimson Blossom.

Rather than calling it a special type of plant, it would be more accurate to say it is an unusual phenomenon that happens to a fairly mundane tree.

Crimson Blossom Trees are known for their beauty and little else. Their color is a vivid crimson from their roots all the way to their leaves and flowers. Good for making ornaments and dye, but little else. However, there are times when a flower of a darker shade of red will grow from such trees. This flower has no exceptional medical properties, but it does have a curious quirk.

The petals of this flower will always point towards each other.

Upon receiving the herbs, Liu Jin had placed a few of these petals inside the crates and kept one for himself. When the thieves had taken the herbs, they had also taken the petals. All Liu Jin and Huang Shing have to do now is follow the direction the petal in Liu Jin’s hand is pointing at.

“It is nothing much. By the way, I am sure you have already noticed this, but the direction we’re going right now is…”

“The Summer Forest,” Huang Shing finishes for him, frowning.

It means their suspicions are right. The ones who stole the herbs are doubtlessly disciples of the Eternal Flame Clan.

In a way, this was inevitable. Even though the group of resentful disciples kept trying to challenge Huang Shing and Bei Hong, their efforts were for naught. Those two may be brash and headstrong, but no one can deny their strength. Some people had tried to challenge Lu Mei and Liu Jin instead, thinking them easier targets. Those efforts had been met with failure as well.

If the older Inner Disciples had gotten involved, things would have been quite different, but they all seem concerned with their own training.

“They were unable to defeat you in the sparring ring, so now they seek to attack your reputation. That is what this is.”

“Our reputation,” Huang Shing corrects him. “Don’t worry, Brother Jin! On this matter, we will be as one fist!”

Liu Jin chuckles. “I guess a fist would be the right tool for this job. Very well, do you have anything in mind?”

“At this speed, we’ll be in the Ash Road in seconds. I’ll use the transfer circle to go get Brother Hong and Sister Mei.”

Unlike outsiders who must run the length of the Ash Road to reach the Eternal Flame Clan’s compound, disciples can simply activate the transfer circles near the entrance to skip the whole thing. Because of that, Huang Shing’s idea has merit. It would be extremely easy for him to get Bei Hong and Lu Mei.

There is just one problem.

“I suppose while you do that, I’ll keep following after the herbs.” He cannot afford not to. The thieves could destroy the herbs at any moment. The slightest delay could be crucial. “How do you expect to find me? Keep in mind I will have to disguise my Qi to avoid detection.”

“I am confident I can pick up Brother Jin’s Qi easily enough, but… I was wondering if maybe I didn’t have to. That petal… is it possible for Brother Jin to cut it in half? Can that be done?”

Liu Jin slows down as he spares Huang Shing a glance out of the corner of his eyes. He considers his words for a moment, his gaze flicking back to the red petal in his hand.

The Summer Forest is now within sight. Liu Jin holds up the petal. Unfortunately, it does not point towards the Ash Road, but rather insistently aims itself at the dense foliage and the many dangers that lurk there.

With a swipe of his hand, the petal is cut in half.

“Very well,” Liu Jin says, handing one half to Huang Shing. “We’ll follow Brother Shing’s plan. Be warned, it will lose power in about two hours now that it’s cut in half. I trust you’ll be able to find me by then.”

“Brother Jin won’t regret this! I definitely, definitely won’t let you down!” Huang Shing says, pushing more Qi into his legs, his body exploding forward at speeds far beyond sound. It does not take him even a second to reach the feet of the Ash Round and step right over the transfer circle.

Liu Jin dives into the Summer Forest.

~~~

Art of the Roaming Thief – Second Step.

The technique his Master taught him has a total of seven steps, each one more complicated than the last. Back when his Master was alive, Liu Jin had only been able to master the first of these.

By sensing the flow of Qi in the opponent’s body, one became able to move into their blind spot. That is the first step of Art of the Roaming Thief. If used properly, it can be a frightening technique, but it is not without its limits. The First Step requires the enemy to attack first. It can dodge and counter-attack, but it can never make the first move.

However, during the fall of Eastern Port City, Liu Jin had been able to attack using Art of the Roaming Thief.

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It is not something he had noticed at the moment. In fact, it took him months to properly think back on the events of that night and realize there had been at least one occasion in which he had used Art of the Roaming not to defend himself but to chase after someone.

Back then, without realizing it, Liu Jin had used the Second Step of Art of the Roaming Thief.

If the first step reads the flow of the opponent’s Qi, then the second step focuses on reading the flow of ambient Qi and matching your own Qi to it. In that way, it became possible to temporarily diminish one’s presence and launch a surprise attack. While it has the advantage of not requiring enemy action to be used, Liu Jin does not consider the Second Step to be better or worse than the First Step. Both versions have their own strengths and weaknesses.

In fact, the stealth factor of the Second Step may actually be inferior to that of the First Step, making it a lesser choice for open combat.

Outside combat, however, the Second Step is the clear victor. This thought is further reinforced in Liu Jin’s mind as he uses the technique to avoid the notice of a twenty-foot tall Two-Headed Lion. Unlike the one he encountered in the Ash Road, this one is in the Spirit Realm. Thus, it is not an opponent Liu Jin wishes to fight.

The Summer Forest is home to many Spirit Beasts like it. That is why Liu Jin has been using Art of the Roaming Thief to make his way through the forest. Whenever he feels the Qi of a Spirit Beast, he uses the technique to quickly get past it. He and Huang Shing may have killed countless Spirit Beasts in the Nascent Realm during the Selection Exam, but it would be foolish to the extreme to think that is all the Summer Forest has to offer.

Fighting a Spirit Beast in the Spirit Realm would be troublesome.

Fighting one in the True Realm would be a nightmare.

Beyond that, starting a fight in the Summer Forest would simply be no good. A fight would attract the attention of other Spirit Beasts and may even alert the thieves of his presence. Avoidance is the better option right now.

How exactly will Huang Shing and the others manage to make their way through the forest is not something Liu Jin is sure of, but now is not the time to ponder that. He needs to focus on catching the thieves.

The thieves that had brazenly dared to venture into the Summer Forest.