In the outermost area of Qingwu Ridge, more than three hundred zhang behind the Wild Courtyard, three bodies were carelessly thrown among the jumbled rocks.
The innermost one was split in two, already devoured beyond recognition by some unknown creature, emitting waves of foul odor.
The other two bodies were those of the two farmers who had died earlier, one in front of the other.
By the pile of rocks, Xiao Li's eyes were icy, his face indifferent, as he slowly raised the steel knife, intending to slaughter the young man lying on the ground dressed as a beggar, his hands bound.
His shadow stretched out in the early sunlight, the steel knife in his hand gleaming with cold light.
On the ground, Chen He gritted his teeth, his pitch-black eyes suddenly flashing with fierceness, as he forcefully kicked out with both feet.
The worn-out trousers he was casually wearing instantly tore apart with a "shing," and his feet pierced straight through, hitting Xiao Li's ankle directly.
Xiao Li, caught off guard, had a look of shock on his face. His lower body lost strength, and he stumbled forward, falling down.
Was that his shin?
"Normal, healthy legs?"
"This cripple has legs?"
"How is that possible? But then what was that just now?"
Little Li, who was falling, had a momentary brain freeze.
His understanding of the world seemed to shatter at this moment, his mind in chaos, almost losing sanity.
But Chen He, desperate to survive, wouldn't care about Little Li's mental issues, let alone miss the rare opportunity for retaliation.
Only to see him, with a cruel expression, gathering all his strength in his right knee and thrusting upwards.
From yesterday until now, he had used this "egghead strike" three times, gaining some experience, hitting the target accurately!
One strikes downward, one thrusts upward, combining the two, the force upwards exceeding a hundred catties.
"Splurt~"
The next moment, the sound of the egg bursting was particularly clear in the woods.
"Clang!"
The extreme pain rendered him temporarily unable to scream.
Chen He on the ground felt his knee slightly aching, indicating the magnitude of the blow.
Having landed the blow, he quickly flipped himself up, then swung his leg in a wide arc, viciously delivering another kick from behind Little Li.
"Bang!"
A ruthless blow, bloodshot streaks rapidly spreading in Little Li's eyes, he only managed to let out a faint 'oh' before fainting.
Having acquired three months of combat experience memories from the old farmer, Chen He was not particularly flustered or nervous, just calm and accustomed.
However, although this body had undergone two blood and flesh transformations, its physique was still average. The two powerful strikes just now had left him panting for breath.
The first recipient of the flesh transformation was a beggar who had been malnourished for years, unable to eat enough.
Although the second recipient was a healthy young farmer, his constitution was weaker, so the feedback of 30% of the flesh was not enough to qualitatively improve his body.
And the third time, though the old farmer was used as a living sacrifice, there was no feedback of flesh and blood.
Chen He had no time to think much. While cutting the hemp rope with a steel knife, he silently recited: living sacrifice.
[Discover living being: ordinary person, in a state of deep unconsciousness, success rate of signing: 100%, proceed with signing] [Remaining times of living sacrifice: 1]
He signed!
At this moment, he was in a dangerous situation himself, and the benefits of a living sacrifice feedback were incomparable to a dead sacrifice.
He armed himself as much as possible, increasing the chances of escape.
Without waiting for the panel prompt, Chen He directly sacrificed Little Li.
[Sacrificed, feedback: 70% of the martial skill, Black Tiger Knife Technique, 50% of flesh and blood, 35% personal understanding of the Black Tiger Knife Technique, 30% of lifespan] [Your lifespan +18 years]
As the prompt ended, two streams of memories sprang into existence out of nowhere, erupting into his mind in an instant.
Chen He felt as if his head was overflowing like a cup with water, extremely uncomfortable.
Fortunately, that sensation came and went quickly. With the experience from the previous time, digesting the two streams of memories wasn't as laborious as before.
However, the fifty percent of flesh and blood from Little Li was more than the combined total of the young beggar and the young farmer.
For a moment, Chen He felt hot all over, sweating profusely, losing control of his body.
The flesh transformation was complete, and Chen He felt his body brimming with strength, like a wild bull. He had grown an extra layer of muscle, even standing a few inches taller.
This directly resulted in the beggar's clothing becoming too small and tight, making him extremely uncomfortable.
After some thought, Chen He began stripping off Little Li's grey short coat.
Having lost 50% of his flesh and blood, Little Li's body appeared noticeably thinner, his eyes sunken, with dark circles around them, as if he had been drained of life!
"Such a peaceful death, a bargain for this scum."
Chen He swiftly took action, tearing off the old clothes from his body with a tug.
The previous owner had been begging for almost a year, wearing this raggedy attire for nearly as long. It was dirty and torn.
He quickly put on the grey short coat, then grabbed the steel knife and the beggar outfit, swiftly leaving the scene.
"These clothes are a bit short," Chen He remarked.
He moved through the jungle, heading towards Lang City based on his memories.
Fifty zhang away to his left was the wilderness road, but now, nearing midday, there was a high chance of encountering the Second Young Master of the Eastern Family or Chen Tou.
In his memories, the former was capricious and arrogant; if caught by him, it would truly be unlucky.
The latter knew him; if the other party saw him bouncing around alive and well, it would be a miracle if they didn't slap him dead with one hand.
To his right were the mountains of Qingwu Ridge, but intuition told Chen He that he must not enter them unless absolutely necessary; getting lost was a minor concern.
The terrain in this world was steep and rugged, with dense foliage, thick undergrowth, towering ancient trees piercing the sky, resembling a primeval forest.
Among them, who knows how many wild predators and various poisonous insects lurk.
Even seasoned hunters of large beasts must be cautious when encountering them, but with his current abilities, Chen He would probably have to restart if he encountered them.
After running for a while, Chen He slowed his pace, muttering under his breath about his bad luck.
He crouched among the dry yellow grass, gazing at the entrance to Qingwu Ridge to his left.
At the entrance of Qingwu Ridge's dirt road at this moment, a carriage was parked on the side of the wide area.
It seemed to be resting, but the carriage was swaying from side to side due to some unknown force, yet no one inside seemed to be getting out.
Moreover, for some unknown reason, several of the dozen or so grey short-coated men guarding it appeared flushed and uncomfortable.
Further away, a middle-aged man dressed as a hunter was wiping the spear in his hand.
Chen He's gaze settled on a tall and sturdy figure.
The man appeared to be nine feet tall, with two bait-like bundles curled at his feet. His distinctive broad chin was unmistakably familiar to Chen He.
Seeing Chen Tou scanning the wilderness, Chen He quickly averted his gaze.
It's said that powerful martial artists have keen senses, detecting targets from hundreds of feet away is just a small skill.
Of course, Chen Tou definitely wasn't a master, not even a martial artist. If he were, why would he stoop to being a guard for the Eastern Family?
But it's still wise to be cautious.
Chen He frowned, feeling a headache coming on, and glanced at the mountains to his right.
Currently, the only way out would require taking a detour, which meant entering the mountains. He could only move when they left.
Making up his mind, he suppressed his impatience and opened the panel.
Personal Information: Name: Chen He
Lifespan: 20/48 years
Cultivation: None
Techniques: None
Martial Skills: Black Tiger Knife Technique [Incomplete] (Unacquainted)
Martial Talent: Inferior (Low-Mid Level 0/100)
Martial Insight: Inferior (Low-Mid Level 0/100)
Special Bloodline: None
Miscellaneous Skills: Begging (Experienced), Horse-Slashing Blade Technique, Archery (Mastered)
There have been some changes in personal information.
Firstly, now I can live up to 48 years old, as Little Li's 30% lifespan added eighteen years to my own.
With this panel by his side, living to a hundred years old seemed like a matter of time to Chen He.
The next change was in the Black Tiger Knife Technique. He gained 35% of Little Li's personal understanding of the technique, yet he hadn't even grasped the basics. Was it because the technique's formula was incomplete, or was Little Li's insight lacking, leading to a misunderstanding of the technique?
It couldn't be verified for now.
Surprisingly, his archery skill was already mastered among his miscellaneous skills, indicating that the old farmer's archery skill must have reached a very high level.
No wonder the old farmer was unwilling to hand over the hunter's specialty.
Archery seemed to be his current strength, but unfortunately, he lacked a bow.
As for his own body, it was all disadvantages on the path of martial arts.
The deformed and disabled leg was corrected and reconstructed by the panel.
"Rustle, rustle!"
Just as he was assessing his strengths and weaknesses, the sound of someone walking through the grass reached his ears.
Chen He felt a shiver down his spine, his heart racing, and his breath becoming short and rapid.
Instinctively, he pressed his body lower, tilting his head slightly to locate the source of the sound. Then, a young voice came:
"Hey, buddy, are you here to take a dump?"