“‘Yin Na?’” asked Yin Na, in an altered, nasal voice. “Who’s that? Ah, you must mean the bastard who just robbed me!”

Yin Na’s eyes were wrapped in bandages at the moment; there was no way for him to tell that Chen Zixi’s eyes were coldly regarding him atop of his spinning top.

“Hmph,” Chen Zixi snorted. “Yin Na, do you think I was born yesterday? Tell me, were you born blind or did you do that tp yourself?”

Yin Na cursed his luck internally. He had never heard of this cultivator before but knew instinctively just how experienced and battle-hardened this foe was. A demon recognizes a former demon.

Just a few moments ago, Chen Zixi had spun within sight of Yin Na just as he was stumbling around like a wounded blind martial artist.

“That’s him!” Brother Liu Kang was the first to shout, as he excitedly looked through the Six Worlds bead hanging on Chen Zixi’s neck.

“No, wait, it’s a mortal…” said Brother Sun Li.

“Not just any mortal, a martial artist at the Qi Refining stage!” said Chen Zixi as he floated above Yin Na’s perception.

In general, cultivators viewed mortals as ants— they were beneath their attention, and a martial artist at the Qi Refining stage was simply a more interesting ant. Cultivators were used to the presence of mortals, but true, authentic martial artists were as rare to them as cultivators appeared to mortals when they visited mortal cities and villages.

“Normally, I’d pass by this Jiang hu wanderer without a second thought,” said Brother Liu Kang. “But this guy is too suspicious, don’t you think? He’s the only living human we’ve encountered so far. He wandered straight from the path of where the Spicy Oil boar should have been heading. Even though they’re rare and few in number, what is a member of the Wu Lin doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“Indeed,” agreed Brother Sun Li. “This could be Yin Na or one of his Yao Guai slaves in disguise. Either way, we absolutely must investigate.”

“Please, be careful,” urged Xiao Feng.

“I don’t sense any traps,” said Chen Zixi. His spiritual sense had wide range and was powerful as a Golden Core.

“Should we come out of the Six Worlds bead?” asked Brother Liu Kang.

“No, you leaving the Six Worlds bead and increasing in size will drain my qi,” snarled Chen Zixi. “One Golden Core is enough to handle this.”

Before they could protest further, Chen Zixi spun one last time and manifested a few meters above the blind martial artist.

…

“I was made blind, but not from the man who robbed me,” continued Yin Na in his nasal voice.

“Who robbed you?” Chen Zixi asked coldly.

“It must be the man who you’re looking for,” said Yin Na. “My name is Wang Hei Ying. I’ve spent my life wandering the valley, quietly training my kung fu. Would you believe it, I thought it was true fortune that my efforts would be rewarded with suddenly meeting a cultivator, a true Immortal of the mountains and heavens! But alas, it was an evil one! One whose greed knew no bounds, even seeking to rob me, a mere martial artist! Who knew that there are even Immortals who do not absolve materialism? I’m relieved that he did not rob me of my life either, after seeing that I truly possess nothing!”

Yin Na spoke in a strange local dialect that he learned after wandering the Southern region over the years. His eccentric, ragtag appearance, nasally voice and acting skills really sold the performance.

“Even stranger, that Immortal appeared to be wounded, too! Wounded enough to ask me for any food or medicinal balms on me. Can you believe that?! How can a mere martial recluse have anything that could be of any use to an Immortal?

Ah, great sir, could it be— are you an Immortal, too, sir?”

Yin Na tilted his bandaged face excitedly towards Chen Zixi’s direction.

Within the Six World’s necklace, an excited exchange of dialogue was taking place between the inhabitants.

“Did you hear that?!” Ying Er said. “Yin Na’s wounded! We need to continue in that direction and catch that villain!”

“I don’t recognize him,” said Brother Liu Kang and Sun Li, who have both faced Yin Na on Tian Ji Han’s requests before. “This martial artist doesn’t give off any cultivation level whatsoever, only a weak qi strand within his Dan Tian.”

“Me neither,” said Xiao Feng. “Could this really be an unfortunate victim of Yin Na?”

After hearing his master’s stories and meeting Yin Na personally, Xiao Feng was willing to believe that Yin Na would stoop as low as robbing a mortal martial artist along the way.

Chen Zixi let them chatter for a few seconds, before responding to Yin Na:

“Yes, I am a cultivator. Chen Zixi, of the Heavenly Sword Sect.”

“Ah, an Immortal!” Yin Na got down to his knees and kowtowed. Then, as if remembering his manners, he cupped his hands and said, “Wang Hei Ying, of the Cricket Fist style!”

“‘Cricket Fist?’” Chen Zixi growled. “Don’t be ridiculous, let me see this ‘Cricket Fist’ of yours then!”

“What?” Yin Na asked in a voice with fright. “Why, Immortal sir, I would never dare to imply that my kung fu could hold a candle to your awesome might!”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

“PERFORM,” Chen Zixi said.

Yin Na paused, before cupping his fists: “Very well. As I was injured from my mugging by that demonic Immortal earlier, I will try my best to show Sir Immortal a glimpse of the blind Cricket Fist style!”

Yin Na assumed a strong horse stance, despite the appearance of being injured.

Then…

He proceeded to perform a really strange form.

Three-fourths of the form was spent on the ground, doing various strikes and rolls. Yin Na was only upright twice, during a transitionary move where he rolled upwards into a standing uppercut. After about eighty moves, Yin Na finished the form, standing back upright, breathing raggedly.

“This…this…” Brother Liu Kang was speechless.

“It was…really eccentric,” commented Brother Sun Li.

“Although it is eccentric,” Ying Er said. “He’s clearly put his heart and soul into every move, even though he is injured he was perfectly balanced and coordinated!”

“I’ve never seen mortal kung fu before,” said Xiao Feng, fascinated by Yin Na’s movements. “But I can’t imagine that being really effective against any cultivator, to say nothing of Yin Na.”

“He still has a strand of Qi from the Qi Refining stage within his Dan Tian,” Sun Li whispered to them. “So his training did amount to something.”

“I am not convinced,” said Chen Zixi.

Chen Zixi landed on the ground, his spinning top faded from sight.

“Wang Hei Ying,” said Chen Zixi. “Am I to believe that you’ve lived this long as a blind martial artist?”

“Sir Immortal?” Yin Na asked hesitantly.

“What happened to your eyes?”

“Ah, a long time ago I misidentified some plants in the wilderness and went blind in both eyes as a consequence.”

“This Wang Hei Ying is a simple and humble man,” said Brother Liu Kang. “We are clearly wasting time here, let’s go pursue Yin Na while we still can!”

“That’s what he wants you to think,” Chen Zixi said quietly. “If he thinks a simple short answer would suffice, he’s wrong. (Aloud): Wang Hei Ying! I request a spar with you.”

“W-what?” Yin Na looked taken aback, before obsequiously clasping his hands together and bowing. “Wow, a chance to spar with two Immortals in one day! Who’d have thought fate would make life this exciting for me, eh?”

Yin Na then got down on all fours, like he performed earlier with the “Cricket Fist” form.

“Although I am injured, I will do my best against Sir Immortal!”

Chen Zixi cupped his hands, in true Jiang Hu martial arts etiquette: “Please.”

Yin Na then leaped at Chen Zixi, the latter who stopped the punch with a single palm.

“Tracing the highs and lows of my heart,”

Chen Zixi said, still holding Yin Na’s fist within. Yin Na was not able to move at all.

Yin Na responded:

“Friends and wine pass as if in a dream,”

Chen Zixi’s face was expressionless. Inwardly, Yin Na was surprised but impressed that Chen Zixi would test him with a poem that was well-known in the local Jiang Hu of the Southern region.

Suddenly, the Golden Core Cultivator’s fingers wrapped around Yin Na’s fist, and began crushing it!

“Who was your master?” Chen Zixi snarled.

“Ah!! AIEE, mercy!” Yin Na cried, as his fist was feeling the immense pressure of Chen Zixi’s inhuman strength.

“WHO was your master? What’s your lineage?”

“Ahhh, please, Sir Immortal! Shifu was Ma Su Ming, hermit of Green Peach Cave! Please, if I offended Sir Immortal I’m sorry-”

“ANSWER ME!”

“Ma Su Ming taught me and my brother but Ge Ge died of lung disease. Ma Su Ming’s master was Ma Tao Qian, and his was Ma Cheng Yu!”

“MASTER!” Xiao Feng’s voice was screaming within the Six World Bead. “Please, please stop! You’re hurting him!”

“DON’T YOU MESS WITH ME, PUNK!” Chen Zixi’s enraged voice became terrifying, Xiao Feng could not tell whether it was directed at him or towards Wang Hei Ying.

For the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Chen Zixi questioned Yin Na over and over again, all while holding his fist in his hand immobilizing him.

“Hmph!” At last, Chen Zixi let go of Yin Na’s fist, and the martial artist claiming to be Wang Hei Ying crumpled to the ground.

“Thank you, Sir Immortal for showing mercy,” Yin Na cried, partially in genuine pain and relief from his nearly shattered fist.

“Take this medicinal pill,” said Chen Zixi, flicking a small spherical pill that glinted in the sunlight at Yin Na’s hands.

Yin Na knew that for the past duration Chen Zixi was using his spiritual sense and knowledge to thoroughly search his body as he held his fist. Indeed, there was nothing either biologically or spiritually within him that would betray a cultivator beyond the Qi Refining stage within his Dan Tian. Thus, there was no demonic qi nor anything special detected.

And yet, Chen Zixi still persisted!

Xiao Feng and the others were relieved that Chen Zixi showed his first act of kindness towards this martial artist with the medicinal pill. But only Yin Na knew that this was a deceptively powerful probe, intended to checkmate him.

Still, Yin Na on the surface was ingratiating and thankful. “Oh, thank you, Sir Immortal! Thank you so much!”

Internally Yin Na felt nothing but dread towards this tiny pill. Sure enough, it was a pill of the Qi Refining stage, just right for his cultivation stage and with minimal adverse side effects.

“Go ahead and swallow it. It will not only heal your injuries instantly, it will also cure you of your… blindness.” Chen Zixi added the last part with a sliver of condescension, which did not go undetected by Yin Na as his mind raced rapidly for a solution out of this predicament.

“Oh, I…I can’t accept this,” Yin Na said, bowing and clasping his hands repeatedly. “This is just too much for me, Sir Immortal.”

“Do not worry,” said Chen Zixi. “Even though it’s been a long time since your eyes have gone blind from poisoning, this pill is particularly potent!”

Despite Chen Zixi’s show of courtesy, his eyes were full of mockery and challenge. Yin Na needed these bandages over his eyes to maintain his disguise. In addition, if his injuries were healed, the self-inflicted injuries on his face would heal, further compromising his identity.

“Thanks, Sir Immortal!” Yin Na said as he swallowed the pill.

Yin Na’s broken nose was mended within the span of three breaths.

Yin Na said, “Ah, I feel as if I'm ten years younger!”

“Why don’t you take off your bandages?” said Chen Zixi.

Yin Na slowly began unwrapping the cloth around his eyes.

Brother Liu Kang, Sun Li and Xiao Feng within the Six Worlds Bead gasped.

Chen Zixi sneered viciously at the exposed Yin Na before him as he listened to the chorus of recognition with his necklace.

“That’s…that’s him!” Xiao Feng stammered. “Yin Na!”