Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 343 Bat Swarm
The firelight illuminates the water, making the surface as clear as a mirror, reflecting the strangely shaped rocks above, creating a unique landscape.

A chill, like mist, drifted by.

Although the people on the bamboo raft were shivering from the cold, they were also moved by the scenery before them.

"so beautiful."

Wei Chan had just uttered a compliment when suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over them.

It was another enormous bat, its wings sweeping across like dark clouds, its hard claws reaching for Wei Chan.

At the same time, Pei Nian drew his longsword.

This time, instead of striking the claws, the blade was aimed at the bat's abdomen.

Inside the Black Neodymium Cave, where supernatural abilities cannot be used, she possesses the strongest combat power and has become everyone's protector.

The giant bat dared not swoop down again, dodged the sword's edge, and flew back.

"Chase it!"

Pei Nian stood at one end of the bamboo raft, sword in hand, while the others pushed hard with their poles, propelling the raft forward. After chasing the giant bat for a while, they finally saw the opposite bank.

Light appeared ahead.

At first, everyone thought they had left the cave, but when the bamboo raft got closer, they discovered that the shore was a glowing stone beach.

The small stones laid there were fine and shiny, shimmering like a galaxy.

The giant bat sped across the glowing mudflats, swaying slightly in the process.

As the bamboo raft drew closer, the clear water revealed shimmering pebbles beneath the surface.

Wei Chan loved these bright and beautiful things the most, and was so captivated by the sight that she couldn't take her eyes off them.

Xun said, "Giant bats dislike light, and the light stones on this shore are the fences that prevent them from flying over. I don't know why this giant bat flew out to attack us."

The bamboo raft quickly drifted to the shore, and Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian jumped off first, stepped across the rocky beach, and chased after the bat.

"girl!"

Awan was anxious to save Shen Lingshu, so she shouted and chased after her.

Wei Chan, unwilling to be left behind, quickly followed.

Thus, Xun Yan fell to the back, walking with difficulty while leaning on a crutch.

Pei Nian was anxious to save Shen Lingshu, so she quickened her pace and used her lightness skill to rush towards the giant bats, leaving even Gu Jingnian behind.

Upon reaching this point, the cave became increasingly spacious.

Just as the giant bat was about to fly upwards into a gap, she threw her longsword, which struck the bat's wing.

With a piercing scream, the giant bat crashed to the ground.

Pei Nian stepped forward, raised his sword, and was about to strike.

Suddenly, a dense rustling sound came from ahead. Looking up, she saw countless bats flying towards her. They were of all sizes, densely packed, like darkness itself, swarming towards her.

Pei Nian used her sword to defend herself, but there were too many bats. Just as she was exhausted, a giant bat grabbed her with its claws, and she blocked it with her sword.

With a clang of metal clashing, the Heartbreak Sword fell to the ground.

The moment the swarm of bats attacked, someone tackled her to the ground.

Gu Jingnian shielded her with his body.

The bat's sharp claws and teeth then bit into Gu Jingnian's back.

Fresh blood quickly spread all over the ground.

It felt as if an endless swarm of bats swept overhead. Pei Nian could see the sword lying to one side, and a thought flashed through her mind: the Heartbreak Sword couldn't protect her, but Gu Jingnian had shielded her with his own flesh and blood...

--------

"girl!"

"Wait for me!"

Not long after Ah Wan ran off the bamboo raft, she lost track of Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian.

Those two were too fast; she couldn't catch up with their strength.

Wei Chan had some martial arts skills, though only half-baked, but she quickly caught up with A-Wan and asked, "Where did they go?"

Just then, a faint rustling sound came from ahead, but no one knew what it was.

Wei Chan was frightened and looked back. To her surprise, Xun Yan had not followed and had returned to the bamboo raft, clumsily fiddling with the long pole.

"Good old thing!"

Wei Chan cursed, pulled A-Wan, and turned to chase after Xun Yan.

A-Wan knew that Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian had gone to rescue Shen Lingshu, but she thought Xun Yan was more important, so she shouted, "Mr. Xun, don't run away!"

Just then, the rustling sound behind them grew louder. They turned around and saw the swarm of bats rushing in like a dark cloud, which terrified them.

"Run!"

"what!"

The two screamed and ran wildly, crossing the glowing stone beach before being caught by the swarm of bats.

Behind them came the terrifying sounds of bats, but after they crossed the rocky beach, the bats stopped chasing them and instead swooped off in another direction.

They waded through the icy pool, their ankles stinging with cold.

Fortunately, Wei Chan quickly grabbed the bamboo raft, jumped on, and pressed Xun Yan down, saying, "Old man, where do you think you're going?!" A-Wan also climbed up, grabbed the long pole, and helped her catch Xun Yan.

"Ouch."

Xun Yan winced in pain and said, "Princess, let go quickly, this old man will take you to find something good."

"Don't try to fool me."

“I would not dare to deceive the princess. Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian wanted to rescue Miss Shen, and I showed them the way. How could I deceive them? It’s just that the place is too dangerous for us old and weak to go. Why don’t I lead the princess on a safer route?”

That makes sense, so Wei Chan let go of her hand.

Xun Yan, having escaped his predicament, glanced back and saw that the swarm of bats had been led out by Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian. He quickly said, "Quick, let's go this way."

"What about the girl?" Awan asked.

Xun Yan then said, "We are going to rescue Miss Shen from another direction."

"Really?" A-Wan asked Wei Chan.

Wei Chan thought that Xun Yan, that old bastard, probably wanted to use Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian to distract the bats so he could go find some treasure on his own. He wouldn't care about Shen Lingshu at all.
But she wasn't sure, and given the current situation, Xun Yan's arrangement was indeed the most appropriate, so she said, "Let's trust this old man this once."

"Well."

Ah Wan then genuinely believed that Xun Yan was going to take her to rescue Shen Ling Shu, and began to pole the boat with all her might.

The bamboo raft drifted along the glowing pebble beach for a while, and the light ahead grew brighter, revealing rocks formed by dripping water in various shapes.

A glowing gravel path winds its way inward, its destination unknown.

"This should be it," Xun Yan murmured, gesturing for A-Wan to paddle the bamboo raft over.

He got off the bamboo raft, looked around, touched a standing stone, and said, "Mooring monkey, it's a mooring monkey."

But the stone he was touching did indeed resemble the shape of a monkey; it was not man-made but naturally formed.

Ah-Wan tied the bamboo raft to the monkey rock and touched it with her hand; the rock was cool and smooth.

Xun Yan walked forward, occasionally pointing at the stone pillars on both sides and muttering to himself.

"Immortals playing chess."

"The goddess scatters flowers."

"Divine Turtle."

Wei Chan and A Wan looked at them and initially didn't think there was anything special about the stones, but after hearing Xun Yan's words, they realized that they really did resemble the various shapes he had described.

"Doctor, have you been here before?"

“I’ve been here once,” Xun Yan said.

Wei Chan pressed further, "When did you arrive?"

Xun Yan counted on his fingers and recalled, saying, "It's probably been more than thirty years."

What are you here for?

"Here to learn a skill."

"Learn a skill?" Wei Chan said, "Tell me in detail."

"At that time, I was already serving as a royal physician in the palace, but I only knew some basic medical skills," Xun Yan said. "Does the princess know what I mean by that?"

“You don’t know alchemy,” Wei Chan said, then her eyes darted around and she added, “You came here to learn alchemy?”

"The princess is indeed clever and quick-witted," Xun Yan said, offering a timely compliment.

Wei Chan was very pleased and proudly put her hands on her hips.

But she didn't give up her curiosity and continued to ask, "Whom did you come to learn from?"

They continued walking, talking as they went, until they reached the end of the path paved with glowing stones, where darkness gradually fell.

Only an oil lamp accompanied the three of them as they moved forward.

After walking for a while, Xun Yan raised the oil lamp and shone the light on it. He saw that there were many caves of all sizes and densely packed in the rock wall above.

There are many interconnected holes above the rock face, through which bats can fly freely, but people can only walk along the passageways.

“This is where the bats live,” Xun Yan said. “If we keep going forward, we might find Miss Shen.”

"Really?" Ah Wan was overjoyed.

"How could it possibly be fake?"

Wei Chan felt that the old man must have deliberately used Gu Jingnian and Pei Nian to lure the bat away, and secretly thought that she would make him pay the price after she had used the old man.

Strangely enough, she had a strange confidence in Gu Jingnian and wasn't too worried that he would die because of it.

She hoped that she could obtain some treasures this time and become more powerful. If she could surpass Pei Nian, that would be the best outcome.

"Mr. Xun, you haven't answered my question yet," Wei Chan pressed, "Whom did you come here to learn from?"

Xun Yan had already naturally avoided the topic, but since Wei Chan brought it up again, he sighed and gave an answer anyway.

"Given my status in the Imperial Hospital at the time, how many people could I possibly become their apprentice to?"

"Then who exactly is it?" Wei Chan continued to press.

Xun Yan stroked his beard and slowly said, "My master's surname is simply the character 'shi' (師).

"Shi Xuandao?!" Wei Chan exclaimed in surprise, "You're learning martial arts from Shi Xuandao here?!"

(End of this chapter)