Chapter 61: Subduing Others with Virtue
“What extra meal?”
Just as everyone looked puzzled, a howl suddenly echoed from high up on the cliff: “Awooo——”
The sound seemed to descend straight from the heavens, like a signal of imminent danger. All the laughter and chatter abruptly stopped, and the crowd instantly fell silent.
The night wind swept through the deep valley and steep cliffs, moaning like sobs. One after another, more than ten wolf howls rose and fell, coming closer and closer, reverberating throughout the forest.
Dark clouds drifted across the sky, carried by the wind. In moments, they veiled the bright moon, dimming the sky in an instant. The wind howled more urgently, tree shadows swayed wildly, and as Meng Xueli looked up, he suddenly felt a cool drop land on his cheek.
At the same time, someone exclaimed, “It’s raining?”
Raindrops began to fall sparsely, but in the blink of an eye, they turned into countless threads of rain sweeping through the air, dousing the burning campfires and pattering through the forest with a fine rustling, like thousands of silkworms chewing mulberry leaves.
It was supposed to be a peaceful spring night with a light drizzle, but now, the wolf howls, sudden change in weather, and unexpected rain all came together as if heralding something ominous.
More than twenty people stood up in unison. Accompanied by the crisp clatter of bowls and chopsticks falling to the ground, a wave of unease and panic rippled through the crowd.
They were at the bottom of a valley, where the land dipped and the meadows were soft. Towering cliffs flanked both sides, shrouded in dense forest.
Everyone looked around, only to see high up in the woods on both sides of the valley, over a dozen white wolves emerging from the shadows. Their pupils glowed with an eerie green light, and they gradually closed in to form an encirclement.
A voice trembled, “They’re spirit beasts! We’ve been ambushed!”
“We’re finished! We’re done for!”
The crowd erupted in chaos. Amid the commotion, someone accidentally knocked over a wine jar. The strong scent of alcohol mixed with the smell of meat broth and drifted through the wind and rain.
At that very moment, many people had the same thought: Who just said there’d be no next meal after this one? What a jinx!
Wang Xiaohua said anxiously, “Brother Meng, Brother Xiao, the enemy is closing in! Which way should we run?”
He had witnessed the skills of the Han Shan pair, but their enemies clearly had beast tamers who commanded unknown numbers of spirit beasts and held the advantage of terrain. The odds were grim for their side.
Meng Xueli replied, “Just wait a bit.” He had already split his weapon, “Hundred Generations of Time” into twin swords—one in his hand, the other given to Xiao Tingyun for protection.
Wang Xiaohua: “Huh?”
Ji Xiao calmly instructed, “Tell everyone not to panic. Wait for my signal.”
His presence was steady, and his tone was calm—it somehow inspired confidence. Wang Xiaohua nodded and shouted, “Everyone stay calm! Brother Meng and Brother Xiao have a plan!”
The noise slowly died down as all eyes turned expectantly to the two from Han Shan.
Meng Xueli wanted to show off his skills in front of his disciple. “Once the fight starts, stay back and watch me loosen up these old bones.”
“Alright.” Ji Xiao thought he looked like a sleek spirit marten raised in a deep courtyard, finally let loose into the wild, ready to revel. So he let him have his way, happy to see him in high spirits.
Ji Xiao had everyone gather together, then drew a large circle on the ground with his sword, instructing the mining team to stay inside it and not step out.
The crowd didn’t understand. The circle looked like something a child might scribble with a stick.
High on the cliff, six beast tamers looked down, their eyes full of contempt, as if surveying ants. Seeing the people below panicked and disorganized, they couldn’t help but laugh.
Then something was said below, and surprisingly, the mining team quieted down. The twenty-some people gathered close, with the wounded in the center and formation talisman users forming the outermost layer. Their formation tightened until it clearly revealed two lone figures.
These two stood ahead of the rest, apart from the group.
The one in front had his sword tip touching the ground, a black cloak billowing in the wind, with a snow-blue brocade robe faintly visible underneath.
He looked up, his gaze piercing the rain, forest, and darkness to lock precisely onto the six figures above.
The beast tamer team leader, relying on instinct, sensed danger. “Who is that?”
A teammate beside him, who trained falcons, glanced down. “He’s carrying a sword. Probably a sword cultivator? Just a Condensed Spirit Realm—nothing to worry about.”
The leader suppressed his unease and patted the white wolf king on the back of its neck. “Go. Bite their heads off!”
The wolf pack, already in formation, charged down the valley. The beast tamer let out a sharp, piercing whistle that echoed through the mountains.
One moment, the wolves were still midway up the cliff, but in a flash, they turned into streaks of white lightning, pouncing down with deadly speed!
“Ahhh!” someone in the mining team cried out in fear.
At nearly the same moment, Meng Xueli leapt into the air like a bird soaring toward the heavens, shooting up toward the cliff. He moved so fast that trails of white mist followed behind him in the rain.
The mining team, tense and holding their breath, stood inside the circle, watching him charge straight at the wolves.
The white wolf king leading the pack was as tall as a person, its body massive like a bear but far faster. Its thick fur rippled in the wind, and not a drop of rain touched it as it rushed forward.
It opened its huge jaws, and in that moment, its fangs looked more than capable of snapping Meng Xueli’s slender neck in two.
Li Shunqi asked, voice trembling, “What do we need to do?” Should they throw talismans? What kind? How many? When?
Ji Xiao had finished drawing the circle and now stood outside it with his sword. “Just watch him fight.” Then after a brief pause, he added seriously, “When he comes back, don’t forget to praise him.”
The mining team was stunned for a moment, then nodded vigorously like pecking chickens.
Man and wolf met midair. Meng Xueli’s sword cut through the rain, but instead of slashing or stabbing, he swung it high and brought the back of the blade crashing down straight onto the wolf’s head!
It was as if he were swinging a long stick to smack a dog—a simple, brutal, technique-less blow—yet it moved like thunder and carried crushing force.
“Boom!”
A flash of cold sword light streaked across the air. With a miserable howl, the giant wolf crashed to the ground, tumbling straight down the slope, smashing through trees along the way, with dust and debris flying in all directions. Meanwhile, Meng Xueli charged like an unstoppable force, sending another ferocious wolf flying with one strike, rushing toward the cliff edge.
At the bottom of the valley, the mining crew was struck dumb in shock. Even on the cliff above, no one made a sound.
The Wolf King’s strength was equivalent to that of a late-stage Barrier-Breaking cultivator—perhaps even more ferocious than a human cultivator. Yet this person had brought it down with a single sword strike?
The beast tamer squad leader’s expression suddenly shifted: “Something’s wrong!”
Without hesitation, he let out another sharp whistle from his throat, ordering the remaining spirit beasts to avoid this man and attack the people at the valley floor instead.
No matter how powerful this sword cultivator was, he was still alone. He didn’t have three heads and six arms—if they could force him to turn back and rescue others, he would be overwhelmed.
Deep in the forest, sharp whistles from beast tamers echoed one after another. White wolves, fire foxes, venomous snakes, and giant hawks surged forward in a wave. The mining crew panicked but dared not make any rash moves.
One particularly fierce wolf had already charged to the front, its stinking breath filling the air. The outermost formation masters could even see the gleam of its sharp fangs.
Sword marks, forming a circle, traced faint lines through the grass and mud—so shallow that under the drizzle, they were already beginning to blur.
Just as the wolf leaped with all four limbs, its head crossing over the faint sword mark, a crisp sound rang out: “Pa-ta.”
A huge splash of blood exploded mid-air. It was as if an invisible blade had sliced the wolf’s head clean off—flesh, bones, and sinew all severed in one smooth cut. Half the head rolled neatly into the circle, spinning like a top.
The other half, still attached to the body, crashed outside the circle, blood gushing wildly.
Another vicious wolf attempted to break into the protective circle, but once again a spray of blood mist burst into the air.
“Ugh!” Someone in the crowd retched at the horrifyingly gory scene.
A few sneaked a glance at the Han Shan disciple surnamed Xiao, only to see his expression remain unmoved. Then they looked down at the faint sword marks on the ground—realizing that the cold spring rain had soaked through their outer garments, chilling them to the bone.
The other spirit beasts, frightened by the grisly scene, slowed down as they approached the protective circle. None dared to take another step. Ji Xiao didn’t spare them a look—his gaze remained fixed on the distant figure of Meng Xueli.
Atop the cliff, the beast tamer squad leader’s eyes were bloodshot. He cursed loudly and shouted, “Retreat!”
But it was too late. From within the dense forest, Meng Xueli reappeared. His sword moved so quickly that even the rain hitting the blade turned into a rising mist. From afar, it looked like a sword made of fog.
With a thunderous sound, the fog scattered. The beast tamer squad leader was blasted back over ten meters, falling off the cliff and plunging toward the valley below.
Meng Xueli was aware of what was happening behind him. He also knew that even if the formation masters threw charms carelessly or the disciple fought half-heartedly, they could still hold out for a few seconds—and that was enough for him to take down six people.
The mining crew had already endured too many shocks that night. Watching one figure after another fall and crash nearby, sending up clouds of dust and debris, they found themselves beyond fear. There was only numbness left—they didn’t even know how to react anymore.
From the smoke and dust emerged a figure—Meng Xueli, returning with his sword slung over his shoulder.
No proper sword cultivator would carry their sword like that—it looked unsightly. He really didn’t seem like a sword cultivator at all.
…
The beast tamers awoke in pain, overwhelmed by a strong scent of roasted meat. They were tied to tree trunks, helplessly watching the mining crew gathered around a bonfire, drinking and feasting on meat.
It was dawn, and the rain had stopped. After a night of soft spring rain, the valley was lush green, the sky bright and cloudless.
The squad leader shouted, “Hey.”
The others glanced at them, then lowered their heads and continued to eat and drink, their contented slurping sounds completely different from the terrified look they had shown the night before.
Meng Xueli, who didn’t eat meat, strolled over. “You’re awake?”
One of the beast tamers snapped, “We lost. Kill or torture, do as you like! Just let me die with some clarity—who the hell are you?” Though he fought with a sword, his technique didn’t resemble any orthodox swordsmanship—no one could tell which sect he belonged to.
The man turned his back to the others, lifted the hood of his cloak, and said in a low voice, “Meng Xueli, Dao companion of Ji Xiao.”
The beast tamers looked as if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight. “Ah! You—you… how is it you?!”
Meng Xueli looked mildly speechless. “Why can’t it be me? You’ve already seen me. Hand over your jade tokens and storage bags, and get lost.”
The six of them were visibly uncertain and didn’t move.
Meng Xueli scowled. “Don’t want to? Hey, someone take it from them!”
Ji Xiao smiled helplessly and stepped forward to remove the storage bags from each of them. He didn’t seem to find the task demeaning at all. If it made his little Dao companion happy, that was all that mattered.
Meng Xueli rummaged through the bags, pulled out the jade tokens, and then frowned at the contents. “You call yourselves disciples of a major sect? You’re poorer than rogue cultivators. Aren’t you embarrassed to go out looking like this?”
The six from Beiming Mountain nearly coughed up blood. For a beast tamer, spirit beasts were their most valuable assets—and those had already gone into their enemies’ stomachs!
As if reading their minds, Meng Xueli said, “Stop staring at the pot. Most of your spirit beasts aren’t dead. I released them back into the forest.” Then he untied the ropes and waved them off. “Now go!”
The beast tamer squad leader said coldly, “What’s your game? You’ve revealed your identity to me. Aren’t you afraid I’ll come back one day and take revenge?”
Meng Xueli replied indifferently, “If you want revenge, then we’ll just rely on our abilities next time. If I could beat you once, I can beat you again. If I don’t even have that much confidence, I might as well quit cultivation altogether!”
He stretched his limbs and, feeling quite pleased, grinned. “Actually, more than fighting, I prefer winning people over with virtue. If my name ever spreads in the human cultivation world, I hope it will be—‘Meng Xueli, who wins people with virtue.’”
The beast tamers nearly vomited. They vanished into the forest in the blink of an eye.
Ji Xiao looked in the direction they had disappeared and asked cautiously, “The enmity of killing spirit beasts is unforgivable. You’ve made enemies today. Aren’t you afraid this will never end?” This didn’t seem like the style of the Snow Mountain King.
Leaning against a tree, Meng Xueli polished his sword Hundred Generations of Time and said, “I understand the law of the jungle better than anyone. When you meet an enemy, you eliminate the threat completely—no loose ends. I used to live like that. It was simple, efficient, and saved me a lot of trouble… but later I changed my mind. If someone trips you up, do you really need to take their life for it? It’s not necessary. Unless it’s a life-or-death moment, I don’t want to take lives anymore.”
Ji Xiao looked at him silently. “Why did you change your mind?”
“I promised Ji Xiao I wouldn’t kill in the human realm. What else could I do?” Meng Xueli raised an eyebrow and smiled. “I’m a man of my word—Meng Xueli, who wins people with virtue.”
The morning sun filtered through the trees, casting light into his eyes. Ji Xiao looked at the brightness within those eyes and, for some reason, felt a stirring in his heart—a sudden urge rose within him, a longing for something more intimate… perhaps to hold hands, embrace, or even kiss.
In that moment, he finally understood what that feeling was.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
