Ingenious Scheming Part 1

Ruyi immediately covered his heart, extremely vigilant, wanting to know if that jade's evil magic would take advantage of his weakness and once again influence him.

Whether it was intentional restraint or the weakening of the magic's power, he felt his state of mind did not change due to Feng Rugu's few words, and he couldn't help but feel relieved.

However, Luo Fuchun's heart turned cold.

He had incomparably admired Feng Rugu.

Feng Rugu single-handedly saving the fellow Daoists in the Forgotten World realm was the beginning of this admiration.

He had thought it was the glorious achievement of a youth drawing his sword and slashing through the realm with one stroke, a heroic story of the demonic way falling like petals in flowing water and the righteous way singing in triumph.

But all along the way, what was revealed from the torn edges of memory was all unsightly and gloomy.

There was no hero, only a madman driven to desperation, with nothing left, who could only stake his own life.

Feng Rugu gazed at Luo Fuchun's sorrowful expression, leaned close to his face, brushed the hair tie on his shoulder to the back of his head, tidied it with his fingertips, and asked softly, "Hey, am I going to die?"

Luo Fuchun couldn't bear to hear him say such words and said irritably, "Master!"

Feng Rugu slapped him on the back of his head. "Looking at your face, I thought you were crying at my grave after I died."

With that, he opened his folding fan, held it horizontally over his head, squinted at the sun already high in the sky, looking like a delicate orchid that would wilt in the sun. "Let's go, let's go rest inside the hall. It's so sunny outside."

Having said that, he took the lead and left, leaving everyone who had not yet come to their senses behind.

As the fan swayed, the smile on Feng Rugu's face remained brilliant.

He symbolically did some self-reflection.

People, well, there are always reasons to be disliked.

Twenty years ago, he killed the refugees who massacred his entire family. His master took his little blood-stained hand and brought him into the Dao, and because of his meteoric rise and the blood debt he carried, he drew a lot of criticism.

But he was not ashamed at all, did not understand what propriety, righteousness and humility were, nor did he know how to live with his tail between his legs. He was ostentatious and flamboyant, and was truly hateful.

Ten years ago, as soon as they fell into the Forgotten World realm, they were surrounded by the demonic way that had planned in advance.

The young people gathered at Mount Qiemo this time to participate in the Eastern Emperor's sacrificial ceremony were all extraordinary. Most of them had superior roots and sword talents, but when they fell into the Forgotten World realm, they were injured by the thick demonic energy and the barrier, and more than half of them were injured when they landed.

Ding You, the leader of the Blood Sect of the demonic way, led all his elite troops to wait here, taking advantage of their exhaustion, seeking to kill them with one blow and capture them all, in order to threaten the righteous way with their lives.

The demonic way had calculated everything but failed to calculate that it was Feng Rugu who came.

Therefore, they chose a solitary island in the vast marshes to trap the disciples of the various families.

Feng Rugu's sword power originated from water. When he encountered water, he could transform into a dragon with one sword.

After falling into the barrier of the Forgotten World realm, the shimmering water flashed before Feng Rugu's eyes.

Without a word, he mobilized all his spiritual power, circulating it to the limit. Without any warning, he directly drew most of the spiritual power from the disciples of the various families, condensing it on the two swords "Yesterday" and "Today". With one sword, he borrowed three parts of the sunlight from the sky; the sea of clouds darkened. A gust of sword wind struck the demonic way's strict formation, sending them flying back like pieces of paper and instantly tearing a gap in the iron-barrel-like encirclement!

With only this little bit of initiative, Feng Rugu dared not slack off. He turned his hand and unleashed another sword strike. Instantly, the marsh split open from the middle, directly exposing the jagged rocks at the bottom.

He cut out a path of life on the water with one sword!

This level of spiritual power consumption forced the blood to drain from Feng Rugu's face, leaving only a pair of lips pursed bright red. He gritted his teeth and could only shout fiercely, "Go!"

With that, he leaped up with his long sword, and the marsh water, supported by his shocking spiritual power, rose into the air, like a large shattered glass mirror, with each piece reflecting an image of Feng Rugu.

He stood in mid-air, his messy hair fluttering in the wind, his robes flapping. He waved his long sword in his hand again, and the marsh water condensed into human forms, pouncing directly on the demonic way below!

The disciples of the various families grew up in a peaceful human world and were used to beating the demonic way like a drowned dog. How could they have imagined that one day they would become turtles in a jar? At this moment, facing a sudden change, their spiritual power was also drained by Feng Rugu, and they could not control their spiritual power. They could only stagger out of the path Feng Rugu had opened, supporting each other.

The people of the demonic way were caught in an unexpected bitter battle.

No matter what, they never thought that their strict formation would result in their own people being thrown into disarray. They could not accept it, nor dared to believe it. They were all fighting like mad, but the water figures wielded water swords, carrying thousands of Feng Rugu's sword intents, which was enough to injure and kill. However, their bodies would shatter upon contact and immediately regenerate after being shattered.

While Feng Rugu alone held back the demonic way with his sword, Han Jing began to lead the disciples of the various families to retreat. He placed an unconscious young Daoist on another person's back and shouted to Feng Rugu, "Rugu! Go!"

Feng Rugu's mad words came from afar in the sky, "Senior Brother Han, you go first! I'm not done playing yet!"

These words were meant for the demonic way to hear.

Feng Rugu knew that as soon as he landed, he disrupted the demonic way's carefully arranged formation. At this time, he had thrown the demonic way's formation into chaos, and they could not see through his true strength for a while.

At this moment, for the sake of everyone, Feng Rugu had no reason to turn around and run away.

Han Jing understood him.

So, he raised his right sleeve, his scarlet robe swirling, and sent a guiding talisman flying to the back of Feng Rugu's neck, and struck another one on Jing Sanchai's chest. He turned his head and shouted to Jing Sanchai, "Sanchai, you lead the people! I'll go help Rugu!"

When Jing Sanchai landed, his right arm was injured by the barrier, and the injury was severe, but his fighting spirit did not diminish in the slightest. He wielded his long spear with one hand, hooking and lifting, and blood spurted out like a spring from the demonic cultivator's throat in front of him.

He knew that his injury was not good and he should not easily get involved in the battle. Therefore, though deeply reluctant, he still roared angrily and shook off the remaining blood on the spear tip. "Go!"

When Feng Rugu and Han Jing broke out of the siege and found Jing Sanchai along the way with the guiding talisman, they had already found a cave and set up a barrier to hide temporarily.

Groans and moans of pain and fear were incessant in the cave.

Seeing the Daoist disciples in such a miserable state, Han Jing wiped away a streak of blood splashed under his eyes, tears welling up in his eyes. With red corners of his eyes, he went to check their injuries one by one.

Feng Rugu swallowed a mouthful of blood, his expression the calmest.

He had wandered the mortal world for four years, seeing and learning much, at least knowing how to conceal his panic beneath a calm and carefree demeanor.

He walked around inside and outside the cave, and made a judgment: "We cannot stay here for long."

The demon sect's massacre was obviously long-planned. They had not escaped far, and if they did not find a way to hide, sooner or later they would fall into the net again.

A disciple who was uninjured but had his spiritual power drained by him for no reason heard this and glared at Feng Rugu, saying in a rough voice, "I can't walk anymore!"

Feng Rugu didn't even glance at him, and didn't even pause for a step when passing by him: "You don't have to walk then."

He remembered that the disciple seemed to be the eldest young master of Wenshi Sect, named Wen Chen, spoiled and pampered, and thus brash and impetuous in his youth.

Wen Chen said angrily, "Who is the reason we can't escape far? You didn't even give a heads up before using your deviant technique to drain all our cultivation. Did you discuss it with us?"

Feng Rugu said, "Yes, I should have held a Dao debate conference for you all to discuss for a day and night."

Wen Chen was easily angered by Feng Rugu's indifferent attitude, jumping up and down in rage, "Do you know, at that time when you completely drained our spiritual power, if a demon sect member had gotten close, we wouldn't have been able to even swing a sword!"

Feng Rugu's expression was as if he had heard a joke, "With me here, do you even need to draw your swords?"

Listening to their argument, the cave was dead silent.

Almost no one spoke up for Feng Rugu.

Even Jing Sanchai felt that Feng Rugu was being a bit too domineering and arbitrary.

Only Han Jing, while infusing spiritual power into the dantian of the disciples whose bodies were empty and heavily injured, said, "If not for Rugu unleashing that sword strike imbued with everyone's power, we wouldn't have even been able to escape that small island."

Wen Chen stiffened his neck, "Encountering the demon sect, instead of facing them head-on, we flee in defeat, what kind of reasoning is that?"

Feng Rugu said bluntly, "Then why are you still here? You should have died heroically in the chaotic battle."

Han Jing could see Wen Chen's agitation, and also knew he wasn't really targeting Feng Rugu. He sighed softly, "Alright, stop arguing. This calamity originated from the demon sect, don't start infighting and disrupt our own formation."

Wen Chen was just hotheaded to begin with. Hearing Han Jing give him a way out, he took it, hugging his knees and no longer making a sound.

Feng Rugu went up to Han Jing, "Senior Brother Han..."

"No need for thanks." Han Jing raised his eyes to look at him, his voice calm, but the corners of his eyes still tinged with a sorrowful red, "I should have gone back to help you then. If something happened to you, I wouldn't be able to face Boning again."

Feng Rugu leaned against his back, swallowing the blood in his mouth again.

...The spiritual power of many people, borne by him alone, pressing down on his spiritual meridians, was no joke.

He had no strength left anyway, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Senior Brother Han, in my opinion, you should save your energy. Right now, you are more useful than them."

Han Jing was afraid Feng Rugu would stir up more trouble, and also lowered his voice, "Rugu, say fewer things to provoke others...They don't know your intentions for doing this, but I do. You drained their spiritual power: first, to forge a path out; second, to prevent them from scattering like loose sand by fleeing on their own and abandoning their companions; and third, to stop them from using spiritual power, which would allow the demon sect to track them easily."

Feng Rugu said in surprise, "Senior Brother Han, you know my intentions, so why are you still sending spiritual power to these disciples?"

Han Jing said, "I'm only giving them enough spiritual power to escape, not too much. In the end, everything you did was for their own good, so why not explain?"

Feng Rugu shrugged, "Rather than wasting energy explaining, I might as well kill one more demon sect member."

"You..." Han Jing sighed, "Your aspirations are really too lofty, no wonder Boning is worried about you."

Feng Rugu raised his brows, "Does Feng Rugu need to curry favor?"

Han Jing gave a helpless chuckle and changed the subject, "I'm afraid our disappearance has already caused an uproar outside. Master and the others will definitely come to save us. What we need to do is protect everyone until they arrive."

"Of course." Feng Rugu took out his wine flask and took a sip. "Master wanted me to be the enforcer for the Eastern Emperor ceremony, so you are all my people now. However many came in, I will lead out that many."

Ten or twenty years ago, because of his reckless youth, he disdained to spend effort on maintaining good relationships with others.

Now, he knew too well how to be detested by others, but didn't know how to curry favor instead.