Chapter 18: The Cross-Dressing Sword Cultivator
Thud
Lu You appeared out of thin air inside a courtyard.
The moment he landed, he grabbed the wall and couldn't help but retch.
"This Teleportation Talisman is really hard to get used to!"
Lu You felt as if he'd just been fished out of a spinning drum washing machine—his whole world was reeling.
There was no time to recover slowly. He immediately activated more than a dozen Healing Talismans, forcibly restoring his dizzy, nauseous state back to normal.
"That guy is from the Verdant Cloud Sect, and he's even related to a Nascent Soul elder." Lu You glanced up at the sky. "There should also be Golden Core cultivators on flying vessels holding the line at the back mountain. In other words, I'm not safe yet. That Wu Tong can very likely mobilize Golden Core cultivators and flying vessels."
Lu You sensed the courtyard he was in and discovered that no one was home. He quickly stripped off his clothes, burned them to ashes with a beginner Flame Talisman, then went into the house to rummage around.
"Good grief, there isn't a single piece of men's clothing here!"
The room was filled entirely with women's and children's clothes. It was obvious that a single mother lived here with her child. Lu You felt a headache coming on. But it was too late for regrets, his clothes were already gone. Left with no choice, he picked out a relatively neutral white robe and put it on. Still, wearing a woman's white robe by itself felt awkward no matter how he looked at it. If outsiders saw him like this, it would definitely arouse suspicion.
After some thought, he took another item from the wardrobe—a red cloak with decorative patterns—and wrapped himself in it.
"My face needs to be covered too!"
Fortunately, the female homeowner had many styles of clothing. There was even a matching bamboo hat and face veil to go with the red cloak. Now Lu You wore a white inner robe, a red floral cloak on the outside, a red bamboo hat on his head, and a red scarf covering his face, completely concealing his figure and appearance. From afar, he looked exactly like a tall, slender woman—hard to suspect in the slightest.
Before leaving, Lu You noticed a demon-warding wooden sword placed in the room. Although it was only a wooden sword, it came with a scabbard. As long as the blade wasn't drawn, no one could tell it was fake just by looking at the sheath.
"Perfect. I'll disguise myself as a female sword cultivator just in case anything unexpected happens."
Sword cultivators were among the cultivators who inevitably had to fight and kill. As a result, most people avoided striking up conversations with them, for fear of provoking unnecessary bloodshed. The lower city already had unstable public order. If Lu You merely dressed as a woman, unforeseen trouble might arise. But with a sword on his back, the risk of such incidents would be reduced by more than half.
Taking out twenty spirit stones, Lu You placed them inside the woman's wardrobe as payment for the clothes. Then he pushed open the courtyard gate openly and walked out with complete composure.
At the same time, a flying vessel had arrived above the lower city and descended to a low altitude. Its massive shadow nearly blocked out the sun, frightening civilians and rogue cultivators alike into scrambling for cover. On the flying vessel, a Golden Core elder was sweeping his spiritual sense across the cultivators below.
A strand of spiritual sense brushed past Lu You. He sensed it, but did not panic.
Everything on the road was perceived one by one by the elder. Even the moment when Lu You pushed open the door and locked it behind him had been seen. Though Lu You's red attire was rather eye-catching, the elder detected nothing amiss.
After all, Lu You's actions were far too natural—just like he truly lived there. Moreover, a cultivator trying to evade a search would most likely keep a low profile and would never wear such conspicuously bright colors in public. Lastly, Wu Tong had mentioned that the culprit was a man.
For these three reasons, the Golden Core elder merely swept Lu You with a glance before shifting his spiritual sense elsewhere.
Beneath the flying vessel, Lu You left the lower city safely and without incident.
Avoiding the Verdant Cloud Sect's spiritual fields—fearing that Golden Core cultivators might possess some kind of perception-based secret techniques—Lu You deliberately kept his distance. He followed the scattered flow of cultivators wandering toward the back mountain of the lower city instead.
The Verdant Cloud Sect did not restrict rogue cultivators from exploring. There were no checkpoints at the foot of the mountain; in fact, there were even guide markers along the road, clearly pointing out the entrance to the ancient tomb for rogue cultivators.
'Right now, I'm basically the only menial disciple left in the spiritual fields. I absolutely can't go back directly. If someone notices and remembers me, I'll very likely become a suspect.'
'Perfect timing, I still have Teleportation Talismans, and the rest of my talismans have all been upgraded with high-grade materials. Plus, the Verdant Cloud Sect cultivators will be taking the lead. Once I enter the ancient tomb, I can use a Teleportation Talisman to leave. That will be completely safe, and it'll also let me evade the Golden Core cultivators' search.'
Thinking of his senior sister being inside the tomb as well, Lu You couldn't help but sigh.
'Senior Sister once protected me. She never looked down on my humble status and even taught me how to nurture killing intent. Since I'm going in this time, I have to find a way to save her too.'
The legacy tomb was extremely strange. Its entrance was a massive stone cavern, yet no matter what methods were used, it was impossible to see what the path inside the cave looked like.
At the entrance, an orthodox Verdant Cloud Sect cultivator stood there explaining things to the rogue cultivators:
"Fellow Daoists, this cave entrance is mixed with spatial power. Once you enter, you'll be randomly teleported somewhere inside the ancient tomb. Even if you go in holding hands, you'll still be sent to different locations. Therefore, to prevent danger, please don't rush to explore on your own after entering. Try to gather with us Verdant Cloud Sect cultivators. As long as everyone explores according to our senior brothers' arrangements, there will be rewards for all. If you discover clues on your own, the Verdant Cloud Sect is also willing to share information with you."
So far, none of the Verdant Cloud Sect disciples who had entered had returned. The guidance at the entrance was based purely on the elders' analysis. Lu You listened only briefly, not wasting any more time, and stepped directly into the stone cavern.
Another bout of violent disorientation struck—very similar to the sensation of using a Teleportation Talisman. Lu You had used several hundred of them before and had developed a certain resistance. The moment the teleportation ended, he planted his feet firmly and stabilized himself.
"This ancient tomb... it's completely different from the outside world!"
Looking at his surroundings, Lu You couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. He had entered through a cave, so logically speaking, the interior should have been a dark underground tunnel. Yet where he now stood, birds were singing, flowers were blooming, and there was even a blazing sun hanging in the sky.
Zzzzt
While he was surveying the environment, Lu You suddenly felt a burning sensation in his chest. The Evil-Repelling Talisman tucked inside his clothes had developed a slight crack.
This place was dangerous.
Without hesitation, Lu You activated a Golden Light Talisman, a Divine Eye Talisman, a Detoxification Talisman, a Purifying Heart Talisman, and a Light Rock Talisman. In the next instant, facing the dense forest ahead, he took out a large handful of Beginner Wind Talismans and hurled them forward.
A violent gale erupted in the once-peaceful ancient tomb. The thick grass was flattened and tossed about by the wind, until finally the gale lost its strength in front of a massive spider web.
Several rogue cultivators were grotesquely stuck to the web. Each of them had a hole pierced through the center of their brow, with blood trickling down their faces to the ground. By now, the blood had already dried, leaving behind a thick layer of scabs.
To the side of the web, there was also a large opening—clearly a section that had been cut apart. Nearby vegetation was snapped and crushed, as though some cultivator had broken through the web and chased after the murderous creature responsible.
"The Evil-Repelling Talisman only heated up," Lu You murmured. "That means the danger along this path isn't overwhelmingly severe."
Using the Divine Eye Talisman, he carefully examined the traces left behind.
"Just what kind of vicious creature did this? Even the victims' life essence has been completely drained!"