Chapter 10: The Untamed Crocodile, Frost Wind, and a Mature Beauty
An opportunity to interact with a Disciple from a High Sect could lead her away from this mire, a life filled with poverty, hunger, and inadequate medical care at the bottom.
Therefore...
Three days prior, she began bathing and changing, burning incense to rid herself of the fishy smell and the sweat of the poor, and meticulously dressed herself before coming here.
She had initially believed that this Disciple would be just as many of her close friends had told her from their personal experiences.
"These Disciples from major sects, though young and with boundless potential, have limited social interaction and are unseasoned. They are inherently simple-minded and full of youthful vigor. A bit of temptation will naturally ensnare them."
However, she hadn't expected Ye Yang to possess such astonishing willpower, actually refusing her.
Ye Yang tried to dissuade her several times, but this woman named Xiu Ya simply refused to leave.
Seeing that Ye Yang didn't seem like a bad person, she persisted.
Ye Yang smiled playfully. He lifted Xiu Ya's shapely leg, removed her black, strappy, open-toed heels, revealing her slender, jade-like feet beneath white socks.
Her graceful arch was highly pronounced, her toes long and slender, with red nail polish faintly visible beneath the white socks.
There were slight dark marks on the white socks from her foot pressing down, which only added to her allure.
Ye Yang took a deep sniff; a faint fragrance mixed with a sour foot scent, further igniting his burning hormones.
But the next moment, Ye Yang suddenly opened his eyes wide, and his mind instantly cleared.
He gently lowered the beauty's white-socked, jade-like feet and put her black, strappy, open-toed heels back on.
"Young Master, this is my address. Your servant awaits your arrival."
Seeing Ye Yang's reaction, as if he had received some news, Xiu Ya quickly left him a note and retreated.
After Xiu Ya left, Ye Yang didn't give it much thought and casually tossed the note into a corner.
Lying on his bed, Ye Yang's heart was ablaze, unable to sleep. He took advantage of the night to get up again and practice his Frost Wind Saber Technique.
Under the moonlight, the saber shadows were sharp, and cold light flashed. Streaks of silvery afterimages continuously emerged, as if to completely cut down the wicked fire in his heart.
The next day, Ye Yang woke up early, took his saber, and left the Zhang Family. He found a secluded and quiet lakeside, submerged himself halfway in the water, and practiced his saber in the water to prepare in advance and find his optimal state for the evening's underwater battle.
His Frost Wind Saber Technique's saber force was fierce and aligned with seasonal changes, making it perfectly suited for water combat.
And the 'Untamed Crocodile Qi' was originally a Qi Channeling cultivation method created by imitating the precious bones and meridians of ancient amphibious crocodiles.
When the Frost Wind Saber Technique combined with the 'Untamed Crocodile Qi' in water, the frost wind borrowed from the water vapor, and the water vapor stimulated the frost wind, allowing him to unleash 120% of his combat power.
This was probably one of the reasons why Bai Zizhen chose him to help the Zhang Family.
In the distance, the morning sun gradually rose. In the water, Ye Yang wielded his Saber Qi, stirring up waves of water, and from time to time, deep gurgling sounds, like those of an ox or a toad, echoed, sounding like muffled thunder.
...
On the vast lake, a huge fishing boat approached from afar, cutting a white wake that split the entire lake in two.
The fishing boat was completely black, like iron armor, not wood, shimmering with a dark luster under the sun. The outside of the boat was painted with a large blue Flying Fish Harpoon.
Especially at the bow, a huge ballista stood erect. A group of shirtless strong men were shouting continuously, adjusting the crossbow string, and systematically taking out three-foot-long spears, constantly adjusting their direction.
Zhang Liaoyuan, the Zhang Family Patriarch, and Zhang Feng, the Zhang Family's 'Fire Sword,' stood on the boat.
Zhang Liaoyuan's eyes gleamed with cold light: "This time, we must annihilate that Giant Crocodile in one fell swoop to prevent any more clansmen from being harmed."
That Giant Crocodile not only occupied the Zhang Family's newly discovered Water Spirit Field but also devoured many aquatic Spirit Medicine and Spirit Objects cultivated by the Zhang Family in the field.
In recent days, it seemed to have realized that the Zhang Family couldn't do anything about it, and its audacity grew. Several times it had devoured Zhang Family members at night. Not long ago, an excellent Disciple was ambushed and killed.
Watching the people on the boat operate the 'Three Ox Crossbow,' Zhang Liaoyuan couldn't help but show a hint of satisfaction.
This 'Three Ox Crossbow' was forged by the Zhang Family at great expense, specifically to deal with giant beasts in the water. However, its draw weight was astonishing, often requiring more than a dozen strong men to pull it together to fire.
"By the way, Zhang Feng, go to the Family and take stock. Gather all available personnel above Qi Channeling Fifth Realm, prepare spears and harpoons. Also, explain the situation to the Family Elders and borrow the Family's Flying Magic Fish Harpoon for use. I will personally go into the lake to meet that fierce beast!"
If it were someone who was perceptive and well-versed in social graces, upon hearing the Patriarch's risky plan, they would naturally offer advice about how a person of high status should not put themselves in danger.
How could the Family function without its Patriarch?
And express loyalty and gain favor by saying things like, "Patriarch, rest assured, I can go into the water and fight."
However, Zhang Feng was a taciturn person. He simply said, "Okay," which made Zhang Liaoyuan, accustomed to flattery, feel somewhat unaccustomed and uncomfortable.
Immediately after, Zhang Feng added: "However, isn't using the Flying Magic Fish Harpoon a bit too costly?"
The Flying Magic Fish Harpoon was a Medium Grade Magical Artifact, only Martial Persons could use it freely. Ever since the First Ancestor rescued a hundred-year-old softshell turtle in the river and was bestowed the Legacy method of the Thousand-Forged Elite Weapon 'Flying Fish Harpoon'.
After several generations, the Zhang Family had innovated and developed the forging blueprint for a Magical Artifact based on the Thousand-Forged Elite Weapon 'Flying Fish Harpoon', naming it the "Flying Magic Fish Harpoon."
Magical Artifacts were precious, often requiring an Artifact Refiner to use dozens of valuable fine materials in conjunction to refine and produce them. Even ordinary Martial Person experts often used Thousand-Forged Elite Weapons and could not afford Magical Artifacts.
The Zhang Family, through generations of accumulation, had only forged three Flying Magic Fish Harpoons in total: two Medium Grade and one High Grade.
The High Grade Flying Magic Fish Harpoon was kept by the Grand Family Elder, who was at Martial Person Third Realm, while the other two were enshrined in the Zhang Family Ancestral Hall. To use them, more than half of the Zhang Family Elders had to agree.
The Zhang Family's Flying Magic Fish Harpoon Magical Artifact blueprint consisted of eighteen steps, but the last three steps were not perfectly refined, and the Magical Artifacts forged often required a huge amount of Qi and blood to activate.
For experts in the Martial Human Realm, this Qi and blood consumption was minor. However, forcing its use in the Qi Channeling Realm often led to backlash, and being bedridden for half a year after a backlash was common.
"Not too much. Ye Yang from the Flying Heaven Gate is young, only at Qi Channeling Seventh Realm. Even though he is a Disciple from a High Sect, he hasn't experienced much life-or-death combat, so he's probably no match for that Giant Crocodile."
After a pause, Zhang Liaoyuan said with a somewhat solemn expression: "Furthermore, winter, when the Giant Crocodile is dormant and its body is in slumber, is the best time to kill it. Once spring arrives and the weather warms up, I'm afraid that Giant Crocodile will become even more reckless."
...
Throughout the morning, Ye Yang practiced his saber in the water, gradually adjusting his state to its best.
It was currently winter, the lake water was biting cold, and the wind was chilling to the bone. Especially by the river, there were still many unthawed ice surfaces that crunched underfoot.