Shen Mu – Volume 3 Chapter 5

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Volume 3 Chapter 5: Flying Witch

Everyone persevered through the boundless mountains. Although they passed through several taverns and inns that specialized in replenishing the supplies of travellers, they did not have the luxury to stop for too long. They ate and slept in the face of the elements throughout the journey. Finally, on the fifteenth day of travelling, they arrived at the continent’s renowned City of Freedom—otherwise known as the City of Crime.

The City of Crime was situated on top of the largest area of flat land that was available in the boundless mountains. Although it was called a city, it did not have any city walls. There was only a system of rivers that surrounded and weaved through the City of Freedom in the form of a ‘田’. This system of rivers was a major transportation thoroughfare in the city.

The city had a population of approximately four hundred thousand inhabitants. The population of the City of Freedom was much lower than the population of other major cities, but its prosperity was no less than that of any capital city of any nation. An endless flow of people and carriages streamed through the city. There were many stores, romantic getaways, illicit money dens, casinos… It truly did have everything. The flourishing City of Crime was famous on the continent. It was a dazzling gem among the famous cities of the continent.

Half of the supplies that the City of Crime considered daily expenditure was produced domestically. The other half was continuously transported over from the eastern and western continent. Because its location was so remote, the transportation of supplies was not very convenient. This was the main reason why the population of the City of Freedom could not grow too excessively.

Perhaps one could regard the City of Crime as its own small state, because this was a land of freedom that was not considered to be a part of any other nation. The city had its own military, although it wasn’t too large. The daily affairs of the city were decided in a collaborative effort by its five city lords.

Gazing into the distance, the City of Freedom could be seen to be surrounded by lush green hills. It was wrapped around clear rivers of water, as if it were a utopian land of joy. The landscape was captivating, and the scenery was gorgeous.

No one from the mercenary corps stopped here to take a break. They continued to escort the travelling merchants towards the western continent.

As Guan Hao’s eyes followed the lord who had hired the corps enter the City of Crime, he asked Chen Nan, “Chen-xiongdi, why have you come to the City of Crime? Are you like me and plan to register to attend Shenfeng Institute?”

Chen Nan answered, “No, I’ve come here to seek refuge.”

Alarmed, Guan Hao asked, “You have such excellent skill. At the very least, you’ve reached the level of the second rank. Who can possibly force you to flee so far?”

“It’s that little girl’s family.” Chen Nan pointed at the Little Princess at the side who was happily playing with the Tiger King Xiao Yu.

Guan Hao was astonished. “So this little girl actually holds great influence, yet you still dare to hit her? You truly are fueled by lust that encompasses the heavens!”

The princess heard this, hugged Xiao Yu, and angrily said, “Damn rat, what garbage are you spouting? Do you just take whatever this guy says as gospel?”

Guan Hao looked at the princess. “If we washed the filth off of your face, you could truly be considered a gorgeous woman. Chen-xiongdi, you have really good taste!”

“Xiao Yu, help me teach this bastard a lesson.”

With a ‘sou’, the Tiger King Xiao Yu leapt from the princess’ bosom onto Guan Hao’s shoulders. Guan Hao chortled, “Little thing, you dare land on the shoulders of my grand se—“

Before he was able to finish his sentence, an earth-shattering howl thundered through his ears: “Hou~!”

Guan Hao’s two ears were stunned by that roar. A low buzz echoed through his ears. He had no idea what was going on as he was overpowered onto the ground by some gigantic monster.

When he awakened from his stupor, he found himself being sat on by a large tiger’s buttocks. He couldn’t help but scream, “Mom, save me~!”

From the side, the Little Princess delicately laughed.

Guan Hao’s face was pale with fright. He stammered, “Chen-xiongdi, save me! Little girl, I know my mistakes. Wu… Mom… Hurry and get this guy off me!”

An ominous glint flickered in the Tiger King’s eyes. He had previously been beaten by all the mercenaries. Now that one of his great enemies was before him, he opened his mouth rapaciously wide in order to chomp down on his prey.

Just before Chen Nan made his move, the Little Princess urgently obstructed the Tiger King. “Xiao Yu, don’t!”

The Tiger King stopped. He unconvincingly looked at the princess.

The princess said, “Although this guy is disgusting, his crime doesn’t deserve death. Don’t rashly take someone’s life or harm them seriously, understand?”

Xiao Yu shifted off of Guan Hao, but he continued to stare down his prey.

Trembling, Guan Hao climbed up off the ground. He unblinkingly stared at the completely snow white, jade-like Tiger King. Finally, he shrieked, “Heavens! This guy is… the Tiger King! It… it actually became a spirit! The small stray cat is actually its incarnate!”

That day, the Tiger King had suffered heavy damage, and his power critically fell. He already dropped from a third ranked magical beast to one of the first rank. His body was now not even one zhang long. He was now not much larger than an ordinary tiger, but his arrogant bearing was the same as before. With one glance, Guan Hao recognized him.

With a ‘sou’, he ran behind Chen Nan. With a quivering voice, he said, “No wonder… it stared so ferociously at all the mercenaries throughout the journey… So this is why… This guy is just too terrifying; it actually knows transformation techniques.”

The princess looked at him with ill intent. “What a blabbermouth. Today, I must properly teach you a lesson.”

“Little girl, don’t come over here. Chen-xiongdi, quickly drive away that Tiger Demon.” On that day, the merciless Tiger King had left too profound of an impression on Guan Hao. Seeing the flickering ominous glint in Xiao Yu’s eyes, he grew a bit sheepish.

Chen Nan smiled, motionless. He wanted to see the merits of the Tiger King’s cultivation from the past few days and see how much of his power was recovered. Furthermore, he wanted a glimpse of Guan Hao’s true ability.

The princess’s current smile was exceptionally sinister. Chen Nan seemed to see the little demon from that time at the western border of Chu. At the moment, the Tiger King had already detoured around Chen Nan. He slowly pressed on closer and closer towards Guan Hao. The princess watched from behind him.

Guan Hao’s face suddenly turned green. With a quivering voice, he said, “Little girl, there are no grievances or enmity between us. I cautiously and earnestly protected you throughout the journey. How can you treat me like this?”

“Hou~!”

“Mom~!”

With a great howl from the Tiger King Xiao Yu, Guan Hao whipped around and fled in fear.

From the rear, the Little Princess clapped her hands and laughed. “Xiao Yu, don’t bite him. Shock him with your lightning or breathe some fire at him, hehe…”

“Kala!”

An arc of lightning erupted out from the Tiger King’s maw. It quickly struck Guan Hao who was fleeing up ahead.

His body emitted a wisp of light smoke. His entire body was scorched black. A faint charred smell dispersed from his body.

The powerful electrical current was definitely not enough to knocking Guan Hao down. It merely lightly burned his robust build, nothing more. He didn’t even slow down; he continued flying away into the trees.

“Hou~!”

With another tiger’s howl, a vast, all-encompassing flame swept towards Guan Hao.

“Help~!” A miserable cry could be heard echoing from the forest.

“Xiao Yu, come back.” The Tiger King turned around and ran back to the princess’s side.

“Little girl—hu~—you really are a little demon!” Guan Hao was propping himself up against a big, smoky green tree, repeatedly panting for air. At the moment, his clothes were tattered, and his body was burnt a crisp black. Every hair on his head was standing erect. He appeared to be in a disastrous state.

The princess flipped herself onto the Tiger King and said, “Xiao Yu, can you fly? Hurry and transform. We’ll go sort out that repulsive guy together.”

The Tiger King loosed a roar. A pair of immaculately white wings sprouted from either side of his flank. A jade horn protruded out from his forehead. With that, he rushed forward, carrying the Little Princess into the sky.

In the sky, the princess excitedly shouted and screamed, “This is great! I can fly, now, too! Haha~! When that queer Magic-popo tries to force me into learning magic, I have an excuse now! Xiao Yu, let’s go sort out that guy together. Charge!”

Guan Hao’s countenance drastically changed. He spun around and burrowed deeper into the forest. At that instant, he came to the same realization Chen Nan once had: this little girl was definitely a relative of the demons of hell.

“Haha! Damn rat, where can you hide? Xiao Yu, breathe fire. Yeah, burn him! Haha!”

“Little witch, I surrender~!”

“Xiao Yu, shock him!”

“Help~!”

“Xiao Yu, chase him!”

“Chen-xiongdi, hurry and help me! I’ll refund you your one hundred gold coins…”

“Fire! Lightning!”

“Chen-xiongdi, I’ll give you a thousand gold coins! I’ll hire you as my bodyguard, so hurry and save me!”

…

The Tiger King’s vicious power had left too profound of an impression on Guan Hao that day. His heart harboured an incomparable phobia towards Xiao Yu. He simply failed to notice that the Tiger King’s strength was already not as formidable as it previously was. Because of this, Guan Hao continued to only constantly evade his attacks passively.

A ruckus brewed in the forest, including the pleased laughter of the Little Princess and the miserable shrieks of Guan Hao.

Finally, Guan Hao was truly unable to run anymore. He sprawled across the ground in the form of a ‘大’. His eyes were white, and a froth bubbled out of his mouth.

From the sky, the princess discontentedly shouted, “Boring! I really can’t get enough of this! Only, you’re already finished after just a few bouts.” After that, she turned her sights onto Chen Nan. Another wicked smile formed at her lips.

A jolt of alarm shot through Chen Nan’s mind. He knew the Little Princess all too well. He knew that she had formulated another evil plan.

“Little demon, don’t cause trouble. Hurry and come down, or else the people from the City of Freedom will notice the trouble you’re causing.”

“Heihei, damn degenerate, I hate you to death. Today, I must properly teach you a lesson.”

Chen Nan replied, “Don’t forget that I have cursed you with my God of Imprisonment’s Finger. If I’m not happy with you, I can cause you insufferable pain. In an instant, the symptoms will flare up.”

“You… Degenerate, smelly thief, scoundrel, bastard…!” The princess was enraged. If she didn’t have to worry about the God of Imprisonment’s Finger, she would have long ago rode the Tiger King Xiao Yu back to the capital city of Chu.

“No. No matter what, I must teach you a lesson. Xiao Yu, shock him!”

“Kala!”

A powerful arc of lightning rippled through the air, streaking towards Chen Nan. He rapidly unsheathed his long knife and hurled it into the air. The lightning collided with the knife in midair. An enormous ball of dazzling luminesce exploded out from the collision. Ultimately, the long knife dropped to the ground, and the lightning was dissipated.

The princess was furious. She cried out, “Xiao Yu, burn him!”

The reason why the Tiger King had been met with defeat that day was solely due to Chen Nan’s presence. Again faced with his nemesis, he repeatedly howled. He breathed out a vast flame. The monstrous wave of fire engulfed everything below heaven.

Chen Nan didn’t try to evade this attack. Instead, he brandished his palms and punched towards the sky. A powerful golden qi blew up a fierce wind, pushing the advancing fire backwards.

“Disgusting. How did this guy actually become so difficult? Xiao Yu, don’t be discouraged. Again!” The princess ordered the Tiger King to endlessly attack Chen Nan. He flipped around up and down in the sky, manoeuvring to make his attack.

In the City of Crime, at Shenfeng Institute, an old man draped in violet clothing and another old man draped in blue clothing were gazing intently into the distant sky. They sighed in surprise.

The old man dressed in violet sighed, “That Tiger King has the outstanding lineage of an eastern White Tiger and a western Magical Tiger!”

The old man dressed in blue sighed, “It’s a type of magical beast that is capable of boundless growth. It’s truly an ideal mount!”

…

The old man dressed in violet said, “The rumoured God’s Hand unexpectedly attracted the interest of so many practitioners. Recently, the City of Crime has been unusually lively.”

The old man dressed in blue nodded in agreement. “Right. I didn’t think the left hand that snapped off of an ancient god would actually stir up this great of a disturbance. I don’t know if the God’s Hand is truly gripping onto a shining object. If it does, everyone would be trembling in excitement to see what it is.”

The old man dressed in violet said, “How about the two of us and all the other elders discuss having this semester’s students investigate this ‘search for the God’s left hand’?”

The old man dressed in blue laughed. “You sly old fox… However, it really is a good idea.”

The old man dressed in violet said, “That Tiger King’s master doesn’t seem to be too old. She seems to be about the same age as your granddaughter. If your granddaughter mounted her Godly Roc and rushed over, it would truly be a marvelous scene, heihei…”

The old man dressed in blue laughingly scolded, “You old thing, you truly wish to watch the world burn. You actually want those two youngsters to have a battle…”

The old man dressed in violet said, “If only your granddaughter had never seen a strange beast that is comparable to her Godly Roc. With her disposition, she’d definitely go spar with it.”

Just then, the cry of a bird sounded from Shenfeng Institute. A golden ray soared into the sky, piercing through the air.

The two elders looked at each other in dismay. The old man in blue said, “You crow, you actually predicted it.”

Overhead the eastern portion of the City of Crime, the Little Princess was mounted atop her Tiger King, flying around and about in the sky. She continuously cursed at Chen Nan, as if all the wrongs that she had recently suffered at his hands were being sent right back at him.

“Damn degenerate…

“Smelly bastard…

“Terrible scoundrel…

“Shameless, smelly thief…”

…

As the princess cursed, she commanded her Tiger King to shoot lightning and breathe flames to attack Chen Nan.

Although Chen Nan wasn’t afraid of these several attacks, he was still flustered by the assault. At the moment, he very much envied those flying magi. If he could fly, he would’ve captured the princess long ago.

“No wonder the power of dragon riders and magi can shake the world. If someone has the freedom to roam both the ground and the skies, their fighting strength will increase by many folds. What kind of cultivation must an eastern martial artist attain in order to gain the ability of flight? Would one require cultivating to the unfathomably profound level of father?” He mused over this in his mind as he evaded the lightning and flames.

Suddenly, a bird’s cry rang through the air. A golden ray, like lightning, arrived with but a wink.

The princess was startled and quickly put a hold to her cursing. The Tiger King Xiao Yu also had an alert expression on his face. His eyes unblinkingly watched up ahead.

A gigantic golden bird was carrying over a girl dressed in yellow clothes from the distance. In a flash, they arrived before the princess. A fierce wind erupted in the sky.

The princess swayed atop of Xiao Yu’s back. Startled, she shrieked, “Ah! Xiao Yu, settle down!”

Actually, the Tiger King never swayed at all. It was only she who was blown into a waver by the squall brought forth from the gigantic bird. However, Xiao Yu was particular to other people’s views. He followed her movements and also swayed a bit, helping her stabilize herself.

The princess was indignant. “The smelly bird and smelly girl that just arrived, how audacious are you to have crashed towards us like so?”

The giant golden bird’s tail was two zhang long. With its two wings unfolded, it became five zhang wide. The wings flickered gold, as if it were competing with the Tiger King in power and boldness. On top of the bird’s back was a masked girl dressed in yellow. Her build was slender, and her curves were delightful.

The masked girl heard her insult and shot back in ridicule, “Little beggar girl who came to beg for alms, it’s you who failed to maintain your balance, yet you still need to blame others.”

The Little Princess’s face had been caked in filth and dirt by Chen Nan. The clothes on her body were shabby garments that Chen Nan had found for her. Hearing these words from the yellow-clothed girl, she abruptly shrieked, “Smelly girl, how dare you contradict I, a… a young lady. Xiao Yu, teach her a merciless lesson for me!”

The Tiger King Xiao Yu let out a thunderous roar. Opening his jaws, a streak of lightning shot out. The powerful electrical current rang through the air, ‘bilipala’.

The gigantic golden bird also opened its metal-like beak. A blade of wind shot out. The wind blade and the lightning bolt collided in midair, erupting in a dazzling explosion of radiance. Finally, the magical energy of both attacks dissipated, leaving behind no traces.

The yellow-clothed masked girl said, “Your Tiger King and my Great Peng are both magical beasts capable of growth, but my Great Peng has already reached the second rank, while your Tiger King still only sits at the first rank. If we had them compete, it truly would be considered bullying on our part. I had come here with a heart filled with hope, yet I wind up returning, disappointed—how truly disappointing!”

The princess coldly humphed, “Pei! Bullshit! You’re utterly pretentious riding atop that giant, fat duck. If I let you ride a big, dumb goose, you’d still consider everything to be fine and dandy.”

“Little girl, how dare you speak so rudely to me. I need to teach you a heartfelt lesson.”

“Old woman, I’m not afraid of you.”

“I am a lady in my prime, yet you still dare call me old? I won’t spare you, you little beggar.”

“I’ll do it! Old woman, old woman, you’re too old!”

“Great Peng, charge! We’ll go teach that little beggar a lesson together.”

“Xiao Yu, go! Breathe fire; I want to eat a fat, roasted duck!”

“Sloppy little beggar, you don’t even wash your face. I’m embarrassed for you. I’ll use my magic to help clean your face. Water Dragon’s Wave!” The masked girl put into use her water element spells. Not only did it extinguish the raging fire breathed out by the Tiger King, but a large portion of it also splashed towards the Little Princess.

Without warning, the princess was drenched with a splash. She loudly shrieked, “Old woman, how dare you sneak attack me… Xiao Yu, electrocute her!”

…

Chen Nan once heard someone joke: the quarrel between two women is equivalent to the shouting of five hundred ducks. He currently felt as if there were three thousand ducks in the sky, flying, flying, flying, flying…

Although the Tiger King had previously been a third ranked magical beast, the wounds he had suffered that day had been too great, causing him to drop to the first rank. In front of the second ranked Great Peng, he repeatedly roared and howled, without any way out.

The power in the princess’s body had been completely sealed by Chen Nan. She was simply powerless and unable to withstand the magical attacks from the masked girl in yellow. She ordered Xiao Yu to head towards the east to hide, crying out in fear.

“Old woman, I don’t want to play anymore. Hurry and stop.”

“You still dare call me an old woman? Fire, blades of wind…” The Little Princess received wave after wave of the magical attacks launched by the masked girl in yellow. The spells arrived endlessly.

“Old woman, if you stop, I’ll stop calling you that…”

“Sloppy beggar, how long will you be reluctant to admit your mistakes?”

The princess hadn’t been able to show off her ability. Inwardly hating Chen Nan, she couldn’t stop herself from cursing in the sky, “Damn degenerate, smelly bastard, shameless smelly thief, you’re killing me! Sooner or later, I will kill you!”

The masked girl in yellow angrily called out, “Sloppy little beggar, how dare you insult me like this? I’m not finished with you yet today…”

On the ground, Chen Nan heartily chuckled. He knew the princess had created a great misunderstanding this time.

“Old woman, I’m cursing that shameless smelly thief, not you…!” screamed the princess as she received the tremendous magical attack coming from behind her. She attempted to explain herself.

“You truly anger me to death. I wonder how long it will take you, little girl, to admit your mistakes.”

“Old woman, hurry, stop~”

“Lightning, blades of wind, ice knives…!”

“Save me~!”

Guan Hao strenuously dragged himself up off the ground. With a still dizzy mind, he looked up into the sky to find the princess receive another dazzling magical attack.

Astonished, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Oh God, you’ve blessed me with a show of your power. With that fierce magic, please firmly teach that little witch a lesson.”

Chen Nan shouted at the sky, “Little demon, if you don’t quickly descend, you’ll soon visit hell and have a reunion with your sisters. If you call me your master, I’ll come help you.”

“Pei! Damn degenerate, I hate you so much! I’ll never ask you for protection. Ah~! Old woman, don’t attack me! Let’s make up.”

“Freezing Spell!”

“Ah~! Save me! Old woman, I surrender~!”

The cries of a bird and the roars of a tiger thundered through the sky like rolls of thunder.

The masked girl in yellow was definitely not trying to kill the princess. The lightning, blades of wind, and other spells all possessed powerful, murderous magic, but none of it directly landed on the princess’s body. They merely continuously whistled passed her ears. Only the water magic constantly hit her. This resulted in drenching the princess head to toe.

Despite these circumstances, the princess continued to scream repeatedly in fear.

Finally, she was forced into a corner with no way out. She helplessly begged Chen Nan, “Degenerate, hurry and come save me! Drive back this old woman!”

With a loud voice, Chen Nan said, “Hurry and come down, or else I can’t help you.”

The princess directed Xiao Yu to quickly drop to the ground. The golden, gigantic bird was in hot pursuit.

“Sloppy little beggar, I’ll send you a popsicle to eat!” With that said, the masked girl in yellow uttered a spell. The temperature of the area surrounding the princess rapidly dropped. A layer of frost formed on her drenched clothes in an instant.

“So cold! Old woman, stop~!”

When the princess arrived on the ground, her body was already covered in a thin layer of ice. Her eyebrows and hair were plastered with frost. Her frozen face turned blue, and her body trembled like a leaf.

“Old woman… get down here… the two of us aren’t finished yet…” The princess’s voice was shivering.

“Haha! Sloppy little beggar, I won’t play with you anymore. I’m going.”

“Gutless ghost… If you have the ability… come battle me again!”

“Hehe! Sloppy little beggar, if you want revenge, you can come find me at Shenfeng Institute.” With that, the masked girl in yellow soared away atop her giant golden bird. In the blink of an eye, she disappeared off into the direction towards the City of Crime.

The Little Princess angrily stamped her feet over and over again. She cried out, “Old woman, don’t run away!”

Chen Nan found this incredibly amusing. A quarrel between women was indeed fascinating. Not only were their bodies moving around, but their mouths also blew up storms.

Although it was a scorching hot summer day, the princess was shivering in frigid cold. After she finished cursing the masked girl in yellow, she furiously said to Chen Nan, “Degenerate, quickly neutralize that lousy finger technique you placed on me. If you hadn’t sealed my power, how could I have been bullied by that old woman?”

“It was you who first spoke rudely. If not, why would others come trouble you for no reason whatsoever? If you want me to neutralize the power of the God of Imprisonment’s Finger, I can, but you must write a contract selling yourself to me to prove that you’re my maid.”

“Never in a thousand years! Not even in your dreams!” The princess angrily said, “That’s right! If I recall, I have a contract in my possession that states you are to serve as my slave! I think I left it at palace… I left it in my study. If I have the chance, I’ll definitely take it out and publicize it to everyone! Shameless degenerate, I’ll completely sully your reputation! I’ll have everyone know that you’re my slave.”

“Little demon, you still dare bring up the things that happened at the western border of Chu? Tonight, you must accompany me in my bed!”

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