In the small town.
Qin Suihan sat in a bookstore, observing a distant confrontation. Beside him, an old physician ate noodles for dinner.
"Still not helping?"
After slurping a mouthful of noodles, the old physician asked, "What if he really dies?"
"It's fine."
The scholar smiled faintly, "That sword has always been on her back. If she isn't afraid, why should I be?"
"That's true."
"Moreover, a fifth-realm facing two sixth-realms. A battle in desperation, he actually needs this kind of tempering."
"Mm, it's fine. It doesn't matter if he dies."
The old physician finished the last sip of soup and said, "I know a little bit about reviving the dead too."
Qin Suihan smiled and continued reading, ignoring him.
...
In a blink of an eye, the two exchanged blows several more times. Lin Zhao was hit in the abdomen, chest, shoulders, and legs. He was covered in bruises, his ribs and shoulder blades broken. Only his back, where his sword was, remained intact. The young man seemed to be protecting something, unwilling to use his back to bear the force of his opponent's punches, otherwise, he wouldn't have been so severely injured.
"Is that enough?"
Lin Zhao staggered, barely standing, his right fist clenched, surrounded by true qi. His left hand weakly held a short knife. He frowned, "You have to kill me?"
"Yes!"
The candied hawthorn vendor, like a death warrior, could barely stand. He leaned against a small tree and said, "If I can't kill you, I'll be executed when I return. So I have no way out, and neither do you."
"Then why the nonsense?"
"Haha, indeed."
The death warrior lunged forward, throwing another punch. Lin Zhao became even calmer. The moment the opponent attacked, he threw his short knife to disrupt him. The knife shot out like lightning, aiming for the death warrior's throat. The death warrior quickly retracted his hand and punched the knife away. However, at the moment he knocked the knife aside, his chest took a heavy punch from Lin Zhao, with the continuous sound of cracking ribs.
"Bang!"
The power of this punch sent the man, who weighed nearly 180 pounds, flying backward.
Using the Array Horse and Mast Formation, Lin Zhao had no intention of stopping. Although he was swaying and about to collapse, his punches remained fierce. Before the death warrior even landed, he was hit by the second punch of the Array Horse and Mast Formation on his back. As his body lunged forward, he was punched in the face again, his nose bone collapsing and his face covered in blood. As he staggered back, he was hit in the neck again. He stumbled, trying to regain his balance, but the next punch arrived, breaking his neck.
"Crack..."
With a soft crack, the second death warrior fell stiffly, trembling, meeting his end.
...
Lin Zhao held onto a pine tree and spat out a mouthful of blood. He then sat down on the ground, unconscious.
"Opportunity has come!"
Xian Bai darted out from the woods, holding his staff and stooping low, like a cat stealing fish. He cautiously approached Lin Zhao, a faint smile on his lips.
"Xian Bai!"
Leng Yan, holding her long sword upside down, rushed over, "What are you doing? You're not actually going to kill Lin Zhao, are you?"
"Not killing anyone."
Xian Bai shook his head and smiled, "Just to make a beauty smile, I'm risking my life to steal a sword."
Leng Yan frowned, "How about... let's forget it? Without this sword, my strength can still rank in the top five among the ten players in the beta. I'll get the rewards for the public release anyway. How about..."
"Don't be soft-hearted!"
Xian Bai strode to Lin Zhao's back and reached out to draw the sword!
But just then, a fair and jade-like slender hand emerged from the sword and, with lightning speed, grabbed Xian Bai by the collar and threw him into a void.
"Ah?!"
Leng Yan was stunned and quickly turned around, but she was also thrown into the void by this hand!
The two seemed to have traversed space. The next moment, they landed in a barren jungle. A person sat on a rock in front of them, a long sword on his back, his blood-red eyes open, and he sneered, "Someone bringing fresh meat to my doorstep? Hahaha..."
"This is bad!"
Xian Bai exclaimed in shock, "It's a twelfth-realm great demon!"
Leng Yan's face also turned pale.
...
Not long after Xian Bai and Leng Yan were thrown out, Xiao Shitong and Xiao Jiu'er arrived with the town's patrol soldiers. They carried torches and looked at the traces of punched qi sweeping across the ground and the bodies of the two death warriors, all of them shocked. When they confirmed Lin Zhao was still breathing, they were even more amazed. This kid had actually dealt with those two seemingly powerful death warriors!
After that, the medical clinic finally sent people. Doctor Zhang, along with two rather strong disciples, brought a stretcher and took Lin Zhao from the roadside back to the clinic. They then proceeded to set his bones, treat his injuries, and bandage him. By the time everything was done, it was already past midnight. They then sent Lin Zhao and the medical bill home.
Xiao Shitong and Xiao Jiu'er were tired and sleepy. After eating a little, they watched over Lin Zhao for a while before falling asleep.
...
It wasn't until late at night that Lin Zhao slowly woke up.
When he opened his eyes, he saw a wisp of white light flying out from the ancient sword behind his head, transforming into the appearance of the stunning and peerless Sister Bai. She floated to the bedside, looking at Lin Zhao with her bright, beautiful eyes.
"Sister Bai..."
The young man tried to get up.
"Don't move, you're too badly injured."
The woman in white smiled faintly and said, "Sister didn't help you. You won't blame me, will you?"
"No."
Lin Zhao shook his head, "It was my own business from the start."
"I ask you."
The woman in white stared at him with her beautiful eyes, "When fighting the two death warriors, why didn't you use the sword behind your back to block their punches? Several times, if you had used the sword to block, you could have avoided injury. You are already a fifth-realm martial artist and are well aware of the battlefield situation. Why didn't you do that?"
"Because..."
Lin Zhao frowned and said, "Because the sword Sister Bai is in is rusty and looks like it's not very sturdy. If I really used this sword to block the enemy's punches and damaged the scabbard or the blade, wouldn't Sister Bai have nowhere to stay? Sister Bai didn't say it, but I knew I couldn't do that."
The woman in white's expression softened. She brought her face close to the young man's and asked with a smile, "I didn't even worry about you, and I didn't help you when you were close to death. Why are you worried about me?"
"I don't know..."
Lin Zhao's brows furrowed. "I just felt it wasn't right to do that, so I'll never do it."
"Hmm?"
The woman in white smiled slightly, moving even closer. Her rosy lips gently touched the young man's dirty cheek, and she said with a smile, "Alright, go to sleep. Your body needs to recover."
"Okay."
Lin Zhao watched the woman in white fly back into the sword. For a moment, he couldn't tell if she was a person, a god, or a demon. However, the kiss just now felt very human.
...
The next day.
North of the small town, the Marshal's mansion.
"Bang!"
Chu Huaixi slammed his fist onto the marshal's desk, his expression solemn. "They dare to send people into the town to kill? Tsk, tsk, they really don't take me, Chu Huaixi, seriously! Investigate, investigate thoroughly. Who are these two death warriors, and who sent them? No matter who it is, if they dare to kill in Tianchi Town, I will investigate this to the end!"
"Yes!"
The three commanders clasped their fists and bowed in acknowledgment.
Beside them, Huang Tingyu narrowed his eyes and said, "I've seen the bodies of the two death warriors. Their hands are covered in calluses, characteristic of someone who has practiced boxing and wielded swords for years. Their qi seas are extremely vast, so they should both be sixth-realm martial artists. Logically, they should be veterans who have fought their way through the army."
Chen Yu said, "Marshal Chu, we've checked the list. These two are not from our Tianchi Army."
"Very good!"
Chu Huaixi sneered, "I suspect they are from the Great Shang Dynasty."
Huang Tingyu frowned, "If nothing else, there aren't many people who have recently incurred Lin Zhao's wrath. The Huang and Zhao lineages are already in decline and cannot possibly cause such a stir. Then there's only one possibility: death warriors from the Shan Hai Division. Marshal Chu should remember the demeanor of the young prefecture official Li Tong last time."
"Indeed."
Chu Huaixi gently rested his fist on the marshal's desk and looked at Huang Tingyu, smiling, "Old Huang, check the whereabouts of that young prefecture official Li Tong."
"We've already checked. He's stationed in a废弃 village south of Tianchi Ridge with over two thousand cavalry from the Shan Hai Division."
"Very good."
Chu Huaixi said, "Send someone to deliver the bodies of the two death warriors as a gift back to Li Tong."
"This..."
Wang Jiang, the commander of the Fenwei Battalion, said, "Marshal Chu, won't this completely enrage Li Tong? You know that kind of villain is capable of anything. What if he leads thousands of cavalry to attack Tianchi Ridge if he's truly enraged?"
"I only wish he would dare to come!"
Chu Huaixi said coldly, "Order the Po Zhen and Zhe Ji battalions to set out immediately and station themselves in the south of the mountain. If the Shan Hai Division cavalry dares to attack, kill them all at the mountainside!"
"Yes!"
...
Noon.
Lin Zhao finally woke up slowly, feeling pain all over his body. When he opened his eyes, he saw Xiao Jiu'er sitting on a small stool watching over him. He glanced at the sunlight outside the door and said with a smile, "Xiao Jiu'er, didn't you go to school today? Aren't you afraid of the teacher spanking your hand?"
Xiao Jiu'er quickly got up, her eyes red, "Brother Lin Zhao, you're finally awake!"
"Mm, I'm awake..."
"I'll go cook now."
Xiao Shitong also came in. "You must be hungry, right?"
"Mm."
Lin Zhao said, "Xiao Jiu'er, go help with the fire. Don't let Xiao Shitong make a mess of the pot."
"Okay."
The two children went to prepare lunch. Lin Zhao lay quietly on the bed, sensing the situation of the spiritual energy and true qi within him. In fact, after yesterday's battle, his martial arts must have undergone rare tempering. His true qi was now more vigorous, and the physique of a martial artist was inherently strong. After the Bone Quenching realm, the regeneration of broken bones would be completed within half a month. However, for the next few days, he would likely be confined to bed.
Soon, hot dishes arrived.
Lin Zhao sat up, with Xiao Jiu'er holding the bowl and feeding him mouthful by mouthful. He couldn't help but find it amusing. The little girl was only six or seven years old and had once said she would only marry him. The way she fed him so earnestly now truly made her look like a little wife.
However, Lin Zhao had never thought about such things. He already had someone in his heart, just like Mr. Qin.
...
Evening.
At the foot of the mountain, a temporary cavalry camp.
The Tianchi Army had arrived. Vice Marshal Huang Tingyu, along with four cavalrymen, brought the bodies of the two death warriors and threw them in front of the young prefecture official Li Tong.
"What... what is the meaning of this?"
Li Tong frowned, "Huang Tingyu, what do you mean by bringing me two corpses?"
"What do you mean, sir should be very clear, right?"
Huang Tingyu lazily stroked his beard and said, "If you don't understand, then I don't understand either. Alright, the gifts have been delivered. I'll be going back to report to Marshal Chu now."
...
After Huang Tingyu and his men swaggered away, Li Tong flew into a rage.
"Bastards! Bastards! Chu Huaixi is too arrogant!"
Li Tong panted, so angry he was about to explode. "Immediately, let's return to Shan Hai Division headquarters. If this matter isn't settled, I absolutely will not swallow this!"
The few generals remained silent.
One of the centurions clasped his fists and said, "Sir, perhaps we don't need to return to the Shan Hai Division. I know a rogue cultivator, an eleventh-realm, who only cares about money..."
Li Tong turned around resolutely, "Contact him immediately!"
"Yes!"
...
East of Tianchi Ridge, a snow-covered cliff.
Hiding and being hunted by the twelfth-realm great demon for a whole night, they were still killed multiple times.
Leng Yan sat on the edge of the cliff, feeling dejected. She had just reached level 45, and now she had dropped back to level 42. She had no idea who that hand belonged to, and that Lin Zhao... was starting to pique her interest.
"Sigh..."
Xian Bai also sat beside her, sighing. "I worked hard all night for nothing. I'm really a bit discouraged. If Miss Leng Yan could give me a little reward..."
Leng Yan looked at him with a confused expression, "What kind of reward do you want?"
Xian Bai looked at her long, slender, and fair legs and inexplicably blushed.
...
"Can I touch it?"
"Get lost!"
——————
There will be no eight updates next week, but there will be two updates daily. Everyone have a happy New Year!