The fairies I raised were all enchantresses.

Episode 038: Bandit Suppression...Mo Xue's ridiculously strong abilities.

The next morning, Luo Fanchen had not slept all night.

Last night, I had a long chat with Yunmo and Granny Zhang until late into the night, and I obtained a lot of information through subtle means, which was very beneficial.

He finally understood the current situation at Feiyunfang.

When the blessed land opened last time, the Qinghe Sect suffered a great loss, losing nearly half of its elite disciples and suffering a severe blow. Its five subordinate immortal workshops were also in turmoil, with the Qingyun Workshop falling into the hands of the Yimu Sect.

With the Qinghe Sect weakened, the Yimu Sect seized the opportunity to attack, successively occupying several spirit fields and mines, and their military might was aimed directly at the Qinghe Sect.

Fortunately, the Qinghe Sect's patriarch, True Man Yuanshui, had emerged from seclusion and was personally overseeing the sect, which finally stopped the decline.

Currently, most of the elite forces of the Qinghe Sect are holding fast to the Xianhe River, while the Changle and Erfang are in a standoff with the Yimu Sect.

Located in the inner perimeter, Feiyun and Chongxiao are almost immune to invasion by the Yimu Sect due to their proximity to the heart of the Qinghe Sect. Most of the garrisoned cultivators have been transferred away, and the scattered cultivators have also suffered heavy losses due to the Blessed Land incident, leaving the wards somewhat empty.

The area around Feiyun and Xianhe Erfang is rife with bandits.

It's not that the Qinghe Sect doesn't want to get involved, but rather that they are powerless to do so and lack the manpower, given that the Qinghe Sect is generally at a disadvantage.

"Bandits roam freely, ah..."

Luo Fanchen chuckled, and the sense of urgency in his heart eased slightly.

With the Soul Banner present, he was well-suited to dealing with bandits. At the same time, although Flying Cloud Pavilion appeared empty, it was actually one of the safest places in the Qinghe Sect's territory, so there was no need to worry about the Yimu Sect's military might.

If we earn enough merit points sooner and collect more souls, we can protect Mo Xue and help her cultivate peacefully for a while.

"This Water Margin Gang sounds familiar."

Luo Fanchen murmured to himself, his hands moving non-stop as he collected all the usable spiritual materials along the way into his storage bag.

One of his purposes for this trip was to elevate the Soul Banner, so he used Yunmo's connections to purchase a lot of first-grade mid-level Xuan Crystals and Ink Sand. He also obtained detailed information about the Water Margin Gang.

The Water Margin Gang is a bandit organization that roams the Qinghe Sect, and it is said that the Yimu Sect is behind them. During their trip to the secret realm, they betrayed the Qinghe Sect, exposed the location of its elite disciples, and caused the sect to suffer heavy losses.

After the Qinghe Sect returned, their first task was to annihilate the Water Margin Gang, and now almost all of these traitors have been wiped out.

Of the three late-stage Qi Refining masters, one escaped on the verge of death, one died on the spot, and the last one was seriously injured and his whereabouts are unknown. Without more than ten years of recuperation, he would definitely not be able to recover his combat strength.

"You have to take the first step, right? If you hesitate and shrink back, won't you just hold everyone back?"

Luo Fanchen shook his head and smiled bitterly. The rampant bandits were naturally the work of the Water Margin gang.

He disliked magical duels, or rather, he was somewhat afraid of life-or-death battles; otherwise, he wouldn't have secluded himself and cultivated asceticism for twenty years.

But to climb to the highest point, one must always compete with others; to obtain great opportunities, one must take great risks.

In addition, he also has self-respect and pride.

After Mo Xue enters the Daoist sect and achieves foundational enlightenment, he can no longer continue to run away and become a burden to the young girl.

"Just a weakling cultivator... a weakling cultivator... I can do it..."

Luo Fanchen muttered to himself silently. He had made all the necessary preparations, but he was still filled with anxiety.

He will face Tribulation Cultivators, and possibly more than one, whose cultivation level may surpass his.

"call..."

Luo Fanchen breathed heavily as he repeatedly checked his storage bag.

With ample supply of Breath-Concealing Pills and Healing Pills, along with detailed intelligence and elixirs to aid breathing techniques, they could sustain themselves for three months. The Soul Banner could at least protect him and Mo Xue from escaping the clutches of late-stage Qi Refining cultivators.

The conditions were countless times better than when he faced Ling Youdao, and he had handled them almost perfectly before, but this time he just... just... couldn't calm down.

He lacked combat experience, had little understanding of his own strength, and felt insecure.

"Master Luo?"

Just as Luo Fanchen's hands were trembling slightly, Mo Xue pushed open the door and entered. She immediately stepped forward and wrapped her two small hands around his palms.

"It's nothing, I just had a slight ache in my breathing during my practice last night."

Luo Fanchen forced himself to calm his breathing and managed a smile.

Mo Xue remained silent, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on Luo Fanchen. Just as he awkwardly looked away, the girl tilted her head knowingly, revealing a slight smile, and their eyes met.

"I will accompany you, Master Luo. Wherever you go, I will go."

The girl's delicate hand was clenched tightly, and Luo Fanchen subconsciously tried to pull it away, but couldn't.

"Master Luo, watch me slaughter those bandits until they piss their pants!"

Mo Xue's voice was gentle, and her almond-shaped eyes were full of eagerness, without a trace of fear.

She guided Luo Fanchen to stretch out his palm and gently placed it on his little head, rubbing it incessantly, making him squint his almond-shaped eyes in comfort.

"You little rascal."

Luo Fanchen chuckled at Mo Xue's cat-like languid appearance, feeling a pang of envy.

Mo Xue is a cultivator truly born for combat. She only feels excitement at life-or-death battles and will not waver even when facing enemies far stronger than herself.

If he could have even a tenth of that ambition, he wouldn't be struggling with this dilemma.

I'm really not young anymore...

Luo Fanchen sighed inwardly; twenty years of seclusion and arduous cultivation had worn away his youthful spirit.

Now, for Mo Xue and Qiu Yun, for the path he must find again!

......

"This fiend likely possesses cultivation, is cunning and vicious, and must be lying in ambush. We cannot fight it head-on; retreat quickly."

Two days later, under a clear moon and sparse stars, Luo Fanchen gazed at the bandit den spanning two mountain ranges. Unexpectedly, Mo Xue smiled sweetly, her eyes crinkling, and then drew her sword, charging straight into the bandit den.

"Why go through all that trouble? Master Luo, watch me bring you the bandit leader's head!"

Immediately, shouts of battle erupted. Luo Fanchen helplessly covered his forehead and quickly summoned his Soul Banner to follow closely behind.

Before them was the first mission location the three had arrived at. Using the soul banner to summon souls, they quickly pinpointed the location of its lair.

The bandits here are cunning; they even used the natural cave system as a base to carve through the entire mountain range.

The area is easy to defend and difficult to attack, with numerous exits, so even if surrounded, most of the bandits can easily escape.

"This is troublesome. The primary objective of the mission is to wipe them out completely, but Mo Xue might alert them."

Luo Fanchen murmured, casually killing several bandits who were trying to escape, and immediately chanted a hand seal to summon the Soul Banner.

"Ying Huo!"

Luo Fanchen gave a low shout, and Qiu Yun's soul body appeared. The soul banner swelled more than tenfold and hung at the top of the mountain range, settling in the central palace.

A chilling wind swept through, and miasma quickly obscured the mountains. Qiu Yun frowned, her mental energy greatly depleted, barely able to maintain the lowest level of illusion array, trapping the fleeing bandits for a moment.

"This bandit leader is indeed a cultivator."

Luo Fanchen frowned slightly, a sense of worry creeping into his heart.

After the soul banner was unfurled, not a single remnant soul gathered in the nearby mountains, indicating that someone must have been using these remnant souls to cultivate demonic paths.

He quickened his pace, the screams and cries echoing in his ears, his feet gradually becoming soaked in blood, sticky and warm.

"Sword-like bones are born..."

Luo Fanchen murmured, a strong smell of blood lingering around his nose.

He quickened his pace, the sight of dismembered limbs and bodies along the way was nauseating. When he sensed Mo Xue's presence deepening, the girl was fighting a one-eyed giant with a sword.

Mo Xue's sword technique was exquisite. Although she wielded an ordinary iron sword, her movements were like a swimming dragon, causing the one-eyed giant to retreat in defeat.

"Second level of Qi Refining?"

Luo Fanchen was slightly taken aback, but did not immediately offer assistance. Instead, he hid in the shadows, observing silently. At the same time, he concentrated on preparing to launch a sneak attack on the bandit leader when Mo Xue was exhausted, delivering the final blow.

This ordinary bandit actually possesses the cultivation level of the second stage of Qi Refining; he is most likely a member of the Water Margin Gang.

He didn't know how long Mo Xue could hold out. Ever since he was no match for the girl in sword fighting, he hadn't had a chance to test her true combat strength.

"You vicious girl! I have no grudge against you, why did you attack me?"

"Shut up, or you'll die!"

The bandit wielded a ring-pommel sword, half a person's height, with great skill, occasionally unleashing two low-grade first-level talismans. The dense barrage of sword light mixed with fireballs made Luo Fanchen's heart tighten.

Mo Xue, however, moved with a graceful gait, like a wisp of smoke, or a butterfly flitting among flowers, without a single petal clinging to her.

"It's the Smoke and Cloud Escape Technique? When did she master it?"

Luo Fanchen had a strange feeling that, in Mo Xue's eyes, the bandit leader's attacks seemed to be in slow motion. The girl's combat intuition was so strong that it was almost terrifying, and she could always anticipate the enemy's moves.

"I surrender, I surrender! Damn it... don't force me, I'm from the Water Margin Gang..."

The bandit leader was panting heavily, his body covered in sword wounds, and he kept begging for mercy, but his one eye darted around slyly.

His gaze focused on Mo Xue's iron sword, which was riddled with holes and on the verge of collapse, as well as her noticeably slowed attack frequency. He threw his broadsword to show weakness, then turned around and drew the dagger from his waist, slashing at the girl's head with a powerful, splitting motion.

"They're still too young."

Luo Fanchen sighed softly, about to make a move immediately.

Mo Xue hastily raised her sword, but it was blocked by the bandit leader's large knife. The iron sword, unable to withstand the weight, shattered instantly upon impact.

The blade's edge pointed directly at her brow, but Mo Xue's pretty face remained calm, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"The Geng Metal Sword!"

Mo Xue formed a sword with her fingers together, and the Geng metal sword energy accumulated in her meridians rose from the Ren meridian at the perineum, ascended along her abdomen to the Chengjiang point, and emerged from her index finger.

The sword's edge gleamed with golden light, fleeting yet unstoppable. In the blink of an eye, the dagger and the bandit leader's entire arm were cleaved in two.

Blood gushed out like a spring. Mo Xue withdrew her move and took half a step back. She caught the broken sword in mid-air and with a few casual sword flourishes, severed the bandit leader's tendons in the feet and hands, and destroyed his dantian and the three main meridians that circulate qi.

The process was smooth and effortless; when Mo Xue sheathed her sword, not a drop of blood stained her body.

"Ah...ah...ah—"

The bandit leader was slow to realize what was happening. In the midst of excruciating pain, he came to his senses like a dead pig and began to scream in agony.

Mo Xue frowned slightly, cut off its tongue and nose, leaving it only able to make whimpering sounds like a wild boar eating. Satisfied, she threw down the short sword, walked gracefully to Luo Fanchen, and gazed at him with bright almond eyes.

The girl's pretty face flushed slightly, still carrying the afterglow of the killing, but she cared more about Master Luo's reward.

She lowered her head, gazing at the tips of her shoes, her head swaying gently as if to say, "Touch me quickly."

"That's it..."

Luo Fanchen pursed his lips, the wails of the bandit leader filling his ears, the blood on the soles of his feet gradually cooling, feeling somewhat cold.

He forced a smile and patted the girl's head, but his palms were soaked with cold sweat.

Treating a level 2 Qi Refiner like a pig to be slaughtered when you're only at level 1 Qi Refining? What a joke...