Nee Chen arranged his priorities in his mind. For now, he has to survive.
Xiang Ya has to survive.
Lu Gao has to survive.
But how?
"Die, die! Old bastard!" The manic demonic cultivator continued to stab the village elder. Nee Chen observed his surroundings with hopeless abandon.
From some distance, the sword that elder Fu wielded was just lying adjacently to him.
'Perhaps, did the elder throw his sword in my direction at his last moments… in the blind hope that I could do something?'
The sword is smooth and slightly curved. Its length is between a long sword and a polearm. To Nee Chen's eyes, he thought of the elder's skills as too much of a mystery--- 'Just how did he swing a lengthy sword like that with such finesse and flexibility?'
Nee Chen's awe aside, he has to take careful actions.
One wrong move and it could be the death of him.
But doing nothing at all is still worse than doing something. If he were to do something, he has to be decisive. Fiery resolve accumulates in his heart as he takes short and even breathes.
He will go all in! Gambling with everything that is left of him, he provokes his spirit. For a man who has nothing left, they will fear nothing. Nee Chen though is different from that man with nothing.
His recklessness might really push him into becoming a have not with the deadly ending that would be inflicted on him.
That may be the case, Nee Chen didn't let his cowardice dictate his actions. He glances at Xiang Ya, and at the back of his mind, the fainted Lu Gao.
Nee Chen made his presence as inconspicuous as possible as he slowly grabs for the sword at his side. One step at a time, he inched closer to the demonic cultivator.
And.
STRIKE!
The sword felt heavy, but he swung it nonetheless with all his weight and speed. Like when he is tilling the soil, his core is strong and his legs are steady.
However, striking the demonic cultivator wasn't that easy.
*CLANG!
Zha Dong, even while distracted, was able to parry the sword strike.
"Fool, I have already seen it coming thousand li away!"
With gleeful rage, Zha Dong swung his word. He didn't even bother to use qi, confident that he can trample a mere farmer with his raw strength alone.
"I will vent my anger unto you, pathetic bastard. Don't die on me yet! Make sure you endure! HA HA HA HA!"
Nee Chen raised his sword barely catching on the shadow of the demonic cultivator's sword. Sweating bullets on his back, Nee Chen bit his teeth aware of his impending death!
If Zha Dong does decide to take this seriously, it will be Nee Chen's death!
To Zha Dong's surprise, his sword strike was blocked by Nee Chen.
Nee Chen's stance is weak, but his grip on the sword is strong. He used every bit of his qi to parry Zha Dong's strike. It was only one strike, but Nee Chen already felt numb from his fingers to his wrist.
But that doesn't matter. Nee Chen only needs this one chance!
Under his sleeves, Nee Chen grabbed his carving knife, something he used for his woodcraft. With impressive dexterity, his arm slithered like a snake, reaching for the demonic cultivator's throat.
*SLAAAASH!
The practice he has done for the sake of woodcraft benefitted Nee Chen in this battle. While killing and woodcraft don't really relate to each other, the fact that Nee Chen has held the carving knife with passion and sincerity, and practiced with it over time is enough testament to the essence he has accumulated through his craft.
Like how a person who only knew how to shovel dirt can wield a spear with a level of expertise, or a dancer has a good sense of acrobatics, Nee Chen drew an 'attribute' from his profession as a wood carver and a farmer.
As an individual who has awakened his qi, this level of mysticism has a depth that a regular person won't even notice.
It was ironic— a farmer who never thought good of cultivators is now exhibiting battle prowess that could potentially kill a Spirit Mystery expert.
Zha Dong felt his blood leak from his neck. This wound is extremely fatal for mortals, but not so much for cultivators if taken care of properly. But no matter how magical cultivators were, a mortal wound could still be potentially fatal.
The demonic cultivator kicked the dirt, distancing himself from Nee Chen. He made his demonic qi slow the process of bleeding.
"You, I will come back for you! You are lucky! Remember my name; I am Zha Dong of the Bones Devouring Sect!"
With those words, he stood on the flat side of his sword and flew away.
Like a coward, a dog with his tail between his legs. The cultivator was no more.
The sight of the fleeing demonic cultivator is too bizarre and unbelievable to Nee Chen's eyes. "Ha ha ha... You, piece of shit..." With a mocking smile, Nee Chen watches the cultivator shrink into a dot.
By 'shit', he isn't exactly addressing the demonic cultivator but himself. If only maybe he woke up earlier from the nightmare and told the elder of the danger. Just maybe. Maybe they have evacuated much earlier and not so many lives were lost.
This 'thinking' is futile. Blaming himself though it wasn't really his fault is but a madman's denial of the inevitable evil that knocked on their village's door.
Nee Chen relaxed the tension in his nerves, breathing a sigh of relief. He can't believe it… he just made the cultivator flee. This was the best outcome he could have wished for. The chances of it happening are too small, as such, this can be considered to be a great miracle.
At the back of his mind, Nee Chen rather than wishing for it actually planned for it... He desired that outcome though reluctantly with a smidgen of luck, his desperation produced a result that helped them survive.
By inflicting a severe injury, he hoped for the cultivator to flee.
And it happened.
"I… I got lucky."
Silent tears streamed down his cheeks, thanking elder Fu who must be watching them from the afterlife, he swore—he will take vengeance on those who have wronged them.
…
Zha Dong is annoyed. That one strike made him lose a lot of blood. Though that sneak attack played some reason in his retreat, it is not exactly why he fled in hurry either.
If he wanted to, he could have stayed and dealt with the farmer to cleanly tie up loose ends.
"Fuck, if not for my hunch telling me to flee, I would have enjoyed more of my time."
The Woe Detecting Talisman in his chest emanated a chilling cold. It was one of his Sect's specialties. It's a warning device used to forewarn cultivators of imminent danger.
Remembering the rabbit he killed, he thought it wise to leave now even though the Talisman is only telling him that the danger is only at a medium level.
The chances are there is a great hidden expert hidden in these parts of the province somewhere.
"I will be fucked badly if I stay longer."
Zha Dong spent too much time dealing with the 3rd stage cultivator. The cuts he suffered made him devote a lot of energy, another reason why he ultimately decided to flee. Besides that… he also spent useless time relieving his stress by stabbing the dead corpse and playing with the farmer boy.
"I should really take check of my emotions."
That is when he stopped in his tracks at the sight of an old man glaring at him with thick killing intent.
…
I saw it… Not all.
But I saw it.
In my Mind's Eye, I watched an elder wielding a sword resembling a katana… struggle with all he got. It was an inspiring yet futile sight. When the old man died, I felt hopeless for the others, yet I sped up.
When I thought, it would be the death of the remaining survivors; a young man wielded the old man's sword in defiance. It was an inspiring yet futile sight— such familiar words made me unexpectant.
But a miracle occurred. When the young man made the demonic cultivator bleed, a smile escaped from my lips. The demonic cultivator then fled away.
"I am coming."
I sped up, aware of where the demonic bastard is fleeing away. I bet the guy had a hunch I was chasing after him, but I won't let him off that easily.
[Name: Fu Shi
Quintessence: 32
Players: 1/1]
Random beasts kept on jumping at me left and right, so it took me some time. It's not like I was actively seeking them! Anyway, I have learned that killing 1st stage is worth 1 quintessence and 2nd stage is worth 10 quintessence.
To my eyes, more than a target of vengeance, a certain demonic cultivator has become a scrumptious piece of meat to me.
Ping! -20 quintessence.
Ping! Acquired Teleportation.
I don't care about the differentiation between righteous and wicked cultivators. Instead, I am more inclined to distinguish what I like and don't like.
After all, I am a selfish and arrogant bastard.