Chapter 4: Li Jing's Fury Locks Li Mingzhu Away, Arrow Executes Daoist Child, Lady Shi Ji Arrives
"Rebellious child! Stop!"
Just as the arrow was about to be released, a thunderous roar came from behind. However, Li Mingzhu had already let go of the string.
Lowering the massive bow, Li Mingzhu panted heavily, trying to stabilize his breath. This bow was no ordinary bow.
Even with his Innate Taoist Body, pulling the bow left him half-dead from exhaustion. What exactly was the origin of this bow?
Raising the massive bow under the moonlight, he squinted and focused. The characters "Xuanyuan" leaped into view, and upon examining the remaining arrows in the quiver, he saw the words "Righteousness" and "Filial Piety" carved into them.
"The Xuanyuan Bow? Three Arrows of Loyalty, Righteousness, and Filial Piety?"
Li Mingzhu exclaimed in shock, and his drunkenness instantly dissipated. This was big trouble.
At this moment, Li Jing had already stormed over, his face full of anger and on the verge of exploding.
"Kneel down!"
Li Jing roared angrily, raising his hand as if to strike Li Mingzhu, but ultimately holding back.
Li Mingzhu obediently knelt, not daring to meet Li Jing's gaze. This time, he knew he had truly caused a calamity.
Li Jing wanted to continue scolding, but words failed him. Though the Xuanyuan Bow was an exceptional treasure, it had remained untouched because no one could draw it. Now that his son had fully drawn the bow, he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride deep down.
If only that arrow hadn't been released. Li Jing thought to himself, though he didn't show his inner conflict and maintained a stern expression.
Seeing his wayward son admitting fault so readily was rare, a golden opportunity to assert his authority as a strict father.
"Go to the woodshed and confine yourself for three days. You are forbidden to use any spells or leave." Li Jing said with a stony expression, his voice cold.
"Understood."
Li Mingzhu hastily replied, not daring to argue. He turned and fled, resigned to the three days of confinement.
After all, when Lady Shi Ji of the Skull Mountain White Bone Cave came knocking, that would be the true tempest. Compared to that, house arrest was a mere drizzle.
"Spread the word: search for the Loyal Arrow with all our might. The Loyal Arrow only strikes the disloyal. If someone was killed, they must have deserved it."
After Li Mingzhu left, Li Jing immediately issued his orders.
Li Jing had little concern over who might have died—after all, a disloyal person deserved their fate.
What thrilled him was that Li Mingzhu had managed to wield the Xuanyuan Bow. The Li Family had safeguarded this bow for three hundred years, yet no one had been able to draw it.
A treasure that cannot be used—what's the point of that?
Li Jing had already made up his mind. Once Li Mingzhu was a little older, he would take him to Chaoge to use the Xuanyuan Bow to punish the traitors. Though Li Mingzhu was already quite grown, in Li Jing's eyes, he was still just a newborn of three months.
Meanwhile, three hundred miles away at Skull Mountain's White Bone Cave, a furious roar pierced the clouds.
"Who dares harm my Daoist child?"
Shi Ji soared into the sky, grasping forward with one hand, and the Loyal Arrow appeared in her grip.
"Li Jing of Chentang Pass!"
"Li Jing, how audacious of you! I bear you no personal grudge, yet you dare harm my Daoist child. I will not let this slide!"
Shi Ji fumed, and in the blink of an eye, black clouds darkened the skies. Gripping the Loyal Arrow, she stepped onto her Azure Luan and sped toward Chentang Pass.
Shi Ji had clearly lost reason to the calamity. Otherwise, she would have realized that a Daoist child struck by the Xuanyuan Loyal Arrow could only be disloyal at heart.
"Little Zhu Xiong!"
In the woodshed, Li Mingzhu called out sternly. Though his tone was calm, the anger within was anything but simple.
"Ah, Mingzhu, why are you at my house?" Little Zhu Xiong popped out from nowhere, pretending to be at ease as he spoke.
"Come here. I promise I won't beat you to death." Li Mingzhu said with a smile.
"As if I'd believe that!"
Realizing the dire situation, Little Zhu Xiong turned to flee, but no matter how fast he was, he was no match for Li Mingzhu's Star-picking Hand. In an instant, he was caught.
"You've really screwed me over! Why didn't you tell me it was the Xuanyuan Bow?" Li Mingzhu lifted Little Zhu Xiong and angrily demanded.
If he'd known it was the Xuanyuan Bow, he wouldn't have gone near it, even under threat of death. This was a disaster brought upon him for no reason, antagonizing Lady Shi Ji without cause!
This time, there was no Taiyi Immortal to rely on. He'd have to face Shi Ji on his own. What a plight!
"You didn't ask!" Little Zhu Xiong blinked his small eyes, feigning innocence.
"Touché," Li Mingzhu gritted his teeth, unable to argue further.
What to do about Shi Ji now? Li Mingzhu pondered deeply but ultimately decided to let fate run its course. Worst case, they'd fight it out. After all, in the Mortal World, at most, one could wield Primordial Spirit power. He, too, had reached the Primordial Spirit stage.
If it truly came to battle, victory was anyone's guess!
Unfortunately, the teachings of Nuwa contained no offensive Daoist skills, and as a Daoist child, the Spiritual Pearl had learned none either.
In the Mortal World, the rule that "worldly spells only reach Primordial Spirit" dictated that regardless of whether one was a Golden Immortal or a Daluo Golden Immortal, they could not exceed this level—unless one attained the rank of Quasi-Sect Leader. This was simply the law of the Primordial World.
Thus, in the Mortal World, places like the Cave Heaven Blessed Lands were of utmost importance. Only in such sanctuaries could one avoid these restrictions.
"Li Jing!"
"Li Jing!"
"Li Jing, come out and face me! Or don't blame me for showing no mercy—even if it means slaughtering Chentang Pass!"
Black clouds pressed upon the city as Shi Ji hovered above, casting her gaze down at Chentang Pass.
"What brings you here, Fellow Daoist? How has this general offended you?" Li Jing rose to the sky, feigning confusion as he addressed her.
"I am Shi Ji of Skull Mountain's White Bone Cave," she declared.
"Lady Shi Ji, why would you abandon your immortal mountain to visit my humble Chentang Pass?"
"Do you recognize this?" Shi Ji sneered, throwing the Loyal Arrow toward Li Jing.
"Hmm? This is the Xuanyuan Loyal Arrow from Chentang Pass, of course I recognize it." As soon as Li Jing saw the arrow, he knew trouble was brewing. But as a seasoned war general, he kept his composure.
"Since you recognize it, no more words are needed. Blood for blood—my Daoist child has been harmed, and you will pay the price!"
Shi Ji laughed coldly as the black clouds in the sky thickened, threatening to devastate the city.
"Stop! I fired the arrow! I drew the bow! Come at me if you dare!"
Li Mingzhu shouted boldly, ascending into the air, wielding the Qiankun Ring and the Hun Tian Ribbon as his defense.
"Very well. Take your own life, and I will spare the lives of this city's inhabitants." Shi Ji's eyes gleamed as she focused on the extraordinary nature of the Qiankun Ring and Hun Tian Ribbon.
"The Loyal Arrow only strikes the disloyal. If it killed your Daoist child, it proves they were disloyal. I've rid you of internal instability, and instead of showing gratitude, you come seeking vengeance. How is this just?"
Li Mingzhu stood before Li Jing, his expression righteous as he berated Shi Ji.
"Even if Cai Yun was disloyal, what of it? She was my Daoist child, and I will avenge her. Boy, no amount of clever words will save you today. You won't escape death." Shi Ji chuckled, unperturbed. In the Primordial World, was there justice?
There was—strength was justice.
In the Primordial World, was there karma?
There was—power was karma.
Though unsaid, these were the unspoken rules.
"Is that so?" Li Mingzhu said coolly, his white robe fluttering as the Qiankun Ring expanded in the wind. Gripping it with one hand, he hurled it forward.
If battle was inevitable, then strike first. This was the principle Li Mingzhu had learned through life-and-death trials in his past life.
"Impressive courage!"
Shi Ji smirked. With a casual wave of her Eight Diagrams Cloud Light Cloth, she easily deflected the aggressive blow. Although both employed Primordial Spirit techniques, the difference in mastery was obvious.
"Boy, there is no superiority in technique, but in cultivation, there is a distinction." Shi Ji sneered, gracefully forming a Cloud Lotus with a flick of her hand and sending it toward Li Mingzhu.