The two invaders relentlessly attacked Qi Baishi, and he struggled to repel their advances. Jun understood that it wasn't the right time to ponder the reasons for the attack.
Qi Baishi, despite his strength, faced heightened difficulty due to the invaders' use of poison. He had to be cautious not to come in contact with their weapons.
"Who sent you? Which organization do you belong to? Why would you want to kill a poor shop owner?" Qi Baishi questioned with uncertainty. However, the invaders remained focused on their mission, escalating the intensity of their attacks.
The spearman summoned a chilling yin energy around his spear and thrust it at Qi Baishi. A shiver ran down Qi Baishi's spine as he recognized the eerie yin energy – Ghost Essence Energy.
"I am done for," Qi Baishi exclaimed, taking out an escaping talisman from his pouch.
Bam! A fist laced with Golden Qi struck the spearman, sending him flying in a single punch. Both Qi Baishi and the invader with the knife looked at the perpetrator of the attack with wide eyes – none other than Wu Jun, whom they had underestimated as a weakling.
Even Jun himself was flabbergasted by discovering his newfound capabilities. A wide grin played on his lips. "So this is the effect of Golden Qi."
"Stop smiling and kill that assassin!" Qi Baishi shouted, tossing his short sword near Jun.
With Qi Baishi now able to handle one invader on his own, Jun hesitantly picked up the short sword and walked towards the injured assassin.
"You, I can give you spirit stones. I have loads of them..." the assassin pleaded, desperation to live flashing in his eyes. He no longer resembled the fearless assassin.
"I can get that after you die," Jun stated, taking a stance to attack the assassin with his short sword.
Unable to reach his spear, the assassin attempted to defend his vital points with his hands against Jun's impending attack.
"Crotch Crusher Technique." Instead of stabbing, Jun delivered a swift kick to the assassin's groin, eliciting a deafening scream that echoed through the forest. The assassin's eye balls seemed about to pop out from pain.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Jun's short sword pierced directly into the assassin's heart. The assassin's breath ceased, and he died in the next moment.
Jun heaved a sigh of relief. He had attacked the assassin with his fist on a whim before, never imagining that the [Golden Turtle Technique] would be so potent. He hadn't even needed to employ any additional martial techniques.
It was Jun's first time killing someone, taking the life of an individual who had been alive just moments ago. Strangely, it didn't feel as terrible as he expected, almost as if this wasn't his first experience with taking a life.
Shrugging off such thoughts, attributing them to the effect of transmigrating into another body, Jun focused on checking Qi Baishi's condition. Qi Baishi had already emerged victorious and was now calmly inspecting the corpse for any valuables.
Without hesitation, Jun joined in and started to search the assassin's belongings. Unfortunately, the assassin didn't possess a spatial ring or any artifacts. He carried only a meager collection: a few 1st-grade Qi Condensation Pills and a set of three books.
Among these books, two were mere mortal martial arts of inferior level, while the third one was a Mortal-grade high-level martial art.
[Ghost Essence Cultivation Technique (Mortal grade high-level): This technique allows the user to manifest Ghost Essence Energy around their body or imbue it into their weapons. Cultivation speed increases by 80% around areas with highly concentrated Yin energy. This technique can be cultivated to the Golden Core Realm and has advanced versions.]
"Ghost Essence? Are these people from some kind of evil sect?" Jun carefully placed the book inside his spatial ring and tossed the bottle of grade 1 pills toward Qi Baishi, who had already looted the corpse of the assassin.
"Why are you giving this to me?" Qi Baishi asked with uncertainty.
"This is your reward for helping me this time, fellow Daoist," Jun replied, cupping his fist respectfully in gratitude.
Indeed, Jun wouldn't have been able to win against these two assassins if it weren't for Qi Baishi diverting their attention.
"No need to be so humble, Shop Owner Jun. You just need to practice some martial techniques as well as movement techniques. After that, you may be able to handle these two assassins on your own with that Golden Qi of yours," Qi Baishi advised.
Now somewhat skeptical of Jun, Qi Baishi inferred from the assassin's words that Jun was a banished immortal, which explained the nature of his Golden Qi. However, it struck him as abnormal that Jun lacked martial or movement techniques. Jun's lack of proficiency in martial techniques prevented him from fully unleashing the true strength of his Golden Qi.
"About that, can you keep the matter of me killing this assassin a secret?" Jun sincerely asked.
Jun was concerned that if people knew about his cultivation technique, they would surely attempt to seize it from him.
"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul about what has transpired today. Since both of these assassins have been dealt with, I will take my leave," Qi Baishi hastily said, attempting to make his exit.
"Wait," Jun called out, stopping Qi Baishi in his tracks.
"Is there something else, Shop Owner Jun?" Qi Baishi asked, his face drenched in sweat. Having just averted a life-threatening crisis upon his arrival, he wondered what other dangers might be lurking in this place, especially considering the abnormal concentration of Yin energy.
"Since you have come all this way, please stay at my place for the night. I wouldn't feel right letting my savior stay at an inn," Jun insisted with sincerity.
"Haha... you don't have to worry about me, Shop Owner Jun. I can find a good place to stay tonight. You should just take a rest for yourself," Qi Baishi politely declined with hesitation.
"What are you saying, fellow Daoist Qi? How can I allow you to stay in those kinds of places? You may not know, but at this time, only shared rooms will be available in those inns," Jun persisted.
Unable to resist Jun's insistence, Qi Baishi reluctantly accepted. "Since Shop Owner Jun is insisting so much, I won't be polite anymore."
The two of them entered the shop house, chatting for a while before retiring to their rooms to rest.