The Ambush

1,559 words

Han Li knew nothing of the Qin Clan’s affairs, but that did nothing to dampen his ecstatic mood! He paced excitedly around the room, turning the Ascension Token over and over in his hands. The more he looked at it, the more pleasing it seemed.

After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Han Li finally calmed down. He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and began to consider his future arrangements and the feasibility of heading to Yellow Maple Valley to formally study.

After a night of restless tossing and turning for Han Li, the Southern Minor Assembly finally reached its end. Starting from the next morning, many cultivators began to leave the valley one after another, and the population inside dwindled by nearly half by noon.

By the afternoon, several older, eminent seniors appeared on the plaza. After offering some words of encouragement and praise, they declared the Southern Minor Assembly officially concluded. The Azure-Trimmed Cultivator was among them.

Immediately, the remaining cultivators departed in groups of three or five, or alone like a single wild goose. It was then that the Azure-Robed Daoist and a few others approached Han Li, once again inviting him to travel together.

Han Li was silent for a moment before shaking his head, refusing the Azure-Robed Daoist and the others’ invitation. This provoked clear displeasure from Wu Jiuzhi and the Mo Brothers, and even the Azure-Robed Daoist’s expression turned somewhat sour.

“Since Brother Han is unwilling to travel with us, I cannot force it. Take care of yourself on the road, Brother,” the Azure-Robed Daoist finally said with a sigh, a hint of regret in his tone.

Then he patted Han Li on the shoulder and left the valley with the others.

What Han Li did not notice was that, at the moment of the pat, the Azure-Robed Daoist had shaken some colorless, odorless powder from his sleeve onto Han Li’s clothes. The spot where it landed showed no sign of anything unusual.

As Wu Jiuzhi and the others were walking out through the thick fog at the valley’s entrance, the Azure-Robed Daoist had unknowingly fallen to the rear. Seizing a moment when the others were not paying attention, a flash of viciousness crossed his face. Suddenly, he flicked his sleeve, and a streak of fire shot diagonally into the air, disappearing into a bush on the roadside. Then his expression returned to normal, once again righteous and imposing, as if nothing had happened.

Han Li had no knowledge of the Azure-Robed Daoist’s actions. But due to his usual cautious habits, he did not leave the Southern Minor Valley immediately. Instead, he stayed another night, and only slipped out of the valley, unseen and unheard, when the sky was just beginning to lighten the next morning.

Once outside the valley, Han Li oriented himself, cast the Wind Riding Technique on his body, then lightly touched his toe to the ground, shooting forward several zhang. In this manner, his robes fluttering, he gradually moved farther and farther away.

Not long after Han Li had left, two others hurried to the spot. Before them, a thumb-sized ball of green light led the way. It circled once in the place where Han Li had just been, then flew off in the direction he had taken. The two men followed the green light in close pursuit.

Han Li traveled without stopping, covering over a hundred li without a moment’s rest. He only paused when he reached a small hill, where he sat down to eat some food and recover his stamina and magic power.

What Han Li did not know was that this string of unpredictable actions had left the two men chasing him cursing loudly!

It was no wonder. Who in their right mind would start traveling before dawn? If they hadn’t left a mark on Han Li in advance, they might have completely lost him. But as it was, their original plan of setting an ambush ahead of him was completely ruined!

What infuriated the two even more was that Han Li had covered over a hundred li in one go, leaving them choking on his dust and nearly collapsing from exhaustion! After all, it had been a long time since they, as spoiled and comfortable cultivators, had endured such long-distance travel on foot.

After some time had passed, Han Li sat cross-legged in a recess at the base of the hill. He closed his eyes and remained motionless, as if entering a state of complete absorption. The only sounds around him were the intermittent chirping of mountain insects.

It was at that moment that more than a dozen beams of white light suddenly burst forth from the soil nearby, shooting straight toward Han Li.

Han Li, who had been perfectly still, snapped his eyes open. A cold light gleamed within them. His body suddenly rose into the air without warning, then he landed lightly on his feet in an open space off to the side.

The white beams naturally missed their mark. With a series of thump thump sounds, they stabbed diagonally into the earth where Han Li had been sitting, revealing their true nature: a dozen or so razor-sharp ice crystals.

Seeing this, Han Li’s expression turned grim.

He extended his right hand, his five fingers spread wide. With a series of crackling sounds, a small fireball appeared on each fingertip, each one a full half smaller than a standard Fireball Technique orb.

“Try my Five-Shot Salvo, Senior,” Han Li said darkly, staring at the spot from which the ice crystals had flown. Then, he slightly curled his fingers and flicked them sharply. The five fireballs formed a straight line, shooting forward.

Just as the fireballs were about to hit the ground, a yellow-clad figure suddenly appeared out of thin air. With a flicker, the figure moved elsewhere, perfectly dodging the fireball’s range.

With a loud bang, the spot struck by Han Li’s fireballs was blasted into a large crater. A wave of scorching heat emanated from within, and parts of the crater showed signs of being melted by the high temperature. The man who had narrowly escaped broke out in a cold sweat.

Han Li paid no attention to the crater. His gaze was fixed firmly on the yellow-clad figure who had leaped out, a lean, swarthy man in his thirties with a cunning look.

“Why ambush me?” Han Li asked coldly.

Hearing this, the yellow-clad man rolled his eyes and let out a treacherous laugh.

“You’ll find out… in your next life!”

Then, he suddenly shouted in a harsh voice.

“Now!”

Startled, Han Li was about to react when he heard two faint sounds of earth being broken at his feet. In a flash, two large hands, shimmering with yellow light, shot up from the ground and clamped onto his legs like steel bands, holding him firmly in place.

“You’re done for, kid. Can’t move your feet, can you? Let’s see how you dodge my Ice Crystal Art this time!” the yellow-clad man chuckled triumphantly. He raised both hands, pointing them at Han Li, and began to chant.

A chilling aura gathered in front of his hands, condensing white crystals that gradually formed sharp ice crystals.

Han Li’s expression changed drastically. He pressed his hand against his waist. With a metallic clang, a flash of cold light appeared, and he drew a gleaming longsword. Without a moment’s hesitation, he brought it down in a chop.

Clang!

The strike sounded like it had hit solid rock. Sparks flew, but the yellow-glowing hand was completely unharmed!

Shocked and furious, Han Li was about to try another method when he heard the yellow-clad man’s maniacal laughter.

“Haha! Kid, die!”

Han Li’s heart sank. He quickly looked up.

More than twenty sharp ice crystals were shooting toward him from the man’s direction, covering his entire body. There was nowhere to dodge.

Seeing this, Han Li’s expression was one of extreme gravity. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and without moving his feet, his body began to twist and contort in a bizarre, sinuous motion. The ice crystals largely missed him, passing through the wake of his movements. Only two struck him—one piercing his right shoulder, the other his left leg. Blood immediately flowed from the wounds, soaking his clothes and pants.

With a smack, Han Li tossed his longsword aside. His ten fingers danced, quickly sealing the blood channels near the wounds, staunching the flow of blood. The once triumphant yellow-clad man now stared with wide, disbelieving eyes at what had just happened.

Han Li’s expression was savage. He flexed the muscles of his lower legs, which twisted as if boneless. His feet, accompanied by a series of cracking sounds, suddenly shrank by a full size. Then, with a sudden upward surge, both feet slipped out of the two giant hands as smoothly as a fish. Propelling himself backward through the air, he landed over ten zhang away, where he stopped and stared coldly at the hands.

“Impossible! How could you pull your feet free under the power of the Mighty Strength Art?” a buzzing, furious voice came from under the earth where the hands had emerged.

Then, the two giant hands parted, and a burly figure, glowing with yellow light, forcibly clawed its way out of the earth.

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Reading Guide Decoding

Tracking Powder and a Naked Betrayal

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

Tracking Powder: Simple but Effective: The Azure-Robed Daoist uses a “colorless, odorless powder” as a tracking agent. This is a common but extremely effective trope in xianxia noir. It subverts the idea that magical energy is always visible—mundane tricks invented by paranoid alchemists can be just as devastating as high-level spells.
Mighty Strength Art vs. Bone Softening Art: The two cultivators use opposing techniques: one strengthens the body (Mighty Strength Art), the other makes it flexible (Bone Softening Art). This creates a tactical rock-paper-scissors dynamic that rewards preparation over raw power. Han Li came prepared; the assassins did not account for his flexibility, and that single oversight cost them their clean kill.
The Wind Riding Technique (御风决) as a Survival Tool: Han Li’s near-constant use of the Wind Riding Technique to cover long distances at dawn is not magic—it’s a logistics decision. In the Mortal Stream, the best way to survive an ambush is to never be in the right place at the right time. He moves faster, earlier, and longer than a normal pursuer expects.

Chapter Overview

Fresh off his shocking acquisition of an Ascension Token, Han Li is riding a rare high—but this is the Mortal Stream, and joy is always a trap. The Southern Minor Assembly concludes, and immediately the predators begin to stir. The “righteous” Azure-Robed Daoist, rebuffed in his recruitment attempt, reveals his true colors by planting a tracking mark on Han Li. Our hero’s legendary caution (leaving at dawn, running over a hundred li without stopping) throws the hired assassins’ ambush plans into chaos, but a brutal two-on-one fight still catches up with him. Han Li gets to demonstrate a terrifying new level of combat intelligence—using a contortionist’s flexibility and a tactical feint to slip an immobilization spell—but it costs him two deep wounds. The chase is on, and the hunter has just become the hunted.

Key Plot Points

The Assembly Ends: The Southern Minor Assembly formally concludes. Several older, prestigious figures appear to offer closing remarks, solidifying the event’s structure as a recognized cultivator gathering.
The Cursed Invitation: The Azure-Robed Daoist makes one final push to persuade Han Li to travel with his group. Han Li’s refusal earns him the open hostility of Wu Jiuzhi and the Mo Brothers, making his choice to go solo a very clear survival calculation—he knows loners are vulnerable, but he also knows these “allies” are a greater threat.
The Seed of Betrayal: The Azure-Robed Daoist, after patting Han Li’s shoulder in a show of reluctant friendship, secretly dusts him with a colorless, odorless tracking powder. This is a textbook Mortal Stream betrayal: smiling to your face, planting a knife in your back, and never missing a beat.
Cautious Parry: Han Li doesn’t leave immediately. He waits until the next morning at dawn, then slips out silently, casting the Wind Riding Technique and bolting over a hundred li without a single rest. His paranoia ruins the assassins’ planned ambush, turning a clean kill into a desperate chase on their terms.
The Two-Man Ambush: A yellow-clad conjurer and an underground earth-attribute cultivator spring a coordinated attack. The earth cultivator uses a giant-hand technique to immobilize Han Li, while the yellow-clad man prepares a massive volley of Ice Crystal Art.
Brutal Escape: Trapped by the foot-binding spell, Han Li manages to dodge 18 out of 20 ice crystals through pure core-body manipulation. He then uses a formless dislocating technique to shrink his feet and wrench free. It is a display of extreme flexibility, tactical creativity, and high pain tolerance. The chapter ends with the burly earth cultivator emerging from the ground, furious and ready for round two.

Reading Guide

This chapter is a masterclass in how the Mortal Stream handles “post-boss celebration.” Most novels would let the hero relax after getting a legendary item. Here, Han Li’s first reaction to the Ascension Token is pacing, then planning, then paranoia. He knows that any gift in this world comes with a hidden price tag. The chapter subverts the “ally gathering” trope—instead of helping him move forward, the Azure-Robed Daoist immediately tries to have him killed for refusing to join. The highlight is the ambush survival: watching Han Li twist his body like an eel to dodge twenty ice crystals while literally trapped by the feet is both terrifying and exhilarating. Pay attention to the little details—the tracking powder, the dawn start, the hundred-li bolt. These aren’t just quirks; they are the survival algorithms of a man who has learned that in this world, hesitation is death, and trust is a suicide pill.