"Ugh! Ugh!"
In a dilapidated temple in the desolate mountains, Lu Xun stood bent over in a corner, his face pale as he vomited. Ironically, despite being skilled with swords all year round, he had just experienced motion sickness while flying on Xuan Yin's sword.
However, it wasn't entirely his fault; Xuan Yin's sword flying skills were quite advanced, and Lu Xun couldn't handle her high-speed maneuvers.
"Hmph."
"....!"
Seeing Lu Xun completely disoriented, Xuan Yin coldly sneered and asked without a hint of kindness, "You can't even last for an hour. What do you plan to do for the rest of the journey?"
After finishing vomiting, Lu Xun wiped his mouth with a pile of dried grass he found on the ground, and in agony, he said, "It's almost nightfall. How about we rest here for the night and continue our journey in the morning?"
Xuan Yin pursed her lips and didn't say much. She couldn't just abandon him, right? Although she really wanted to do so, she couldn't explain it to her master.
Moreover, he was already marked by her master. Even if she left him in the deep mountains, her master's abilities would find him in no time. Then she would be scolded by her, which was troublesome.
Seating herself on a pile of dried grass, Xuan Yin closed her eyes to meditate and cultivate. However, her eyes occasionally glanced at the unfortunate fellow not far away.
She lightly bit her lips, then calmly asked, "You seem to be practicing some unorthodox techniques, aren't you?"
"More or less," Lu Xun replied casually. "I'm originally from the River Region. My parents died when I was young, and I survived by working as a laborer in wealthy households. Three years ago, when the River Region suffered from a famine, I followed a group of refugees to escape. That's when I encountered an old Daoist, who took pity on me and accepted me as his disciple. I learned the skill of slaying demons and monsters from him for a month."
Squatting on the ground and arranging the grass heap, Lu Xun nonchalantly recounted, "After just a month, the old Daoist left on a crane, and I ended up on a path of deceiving and tricking others. Well, it's not exactly deceiving and tricking; those demons and monsters were no match for me. Usually, I just needed to make a slight move to ascertain their limits."
It was the first time Xuan Yin heard about his background, which seemed quite ordinary, leaving her slightly disappointed. She commented, "Seems like your talent has been wasted."
"Is that so?" Lu Xun finished arranging the grass heap and lay down comfortably. He crossed his legs and spoke contentedly to himself, "As long as I can fill my stomach every day, I'm already satisfied. I'm not like you, all focused on cultivation."
As the conversation continued, Lu Xun curiously asked, "What's your current level of cultivation?"
"Innate Realm," Xuan Yin replied indifferently.
"Is that impressive?"
"…"
"You don't even know this?" Xuan Yin couldn't help but become speechless. She pouted her red lips and casually explained, "Regardless of being human, demon, ghost, or monster, they are all categorized into Heaven, Innate and Saint realms. Generally, those at the Innate level are considered strong in the mortal realm. Beyond that, for us demons, it's the Demon King Realm, Demon Emperor Realm, and the legendary World-Devouring Demon Saint Realm."
"Anyway, that's the idea. For example, in the Daoist tradition, it's Saint Realm, Semi-Saint Realm, Saintly Emperor Realm, and the rumored God Realm." Xuan Yin glanced at Lu Xun and asked in a calm tone, "Do you understand?"
"Oh, I get it!" Although Lu Xun didn't quite grasp everything, he pretended to have a sudden realization.
"By the way…"
"What's my current realm?" Lu Xun cautiously asked.
Xuan Yin hesitated for a moment but then honestly told him, "My master said you're in the Mid Heaven realm, but when it comes to withstanding attacks, you display abilities similar to the Late Heaven, perhaps due to your Pure Yang Body."
Pure Yang Body? Is it because I have two levels of "Iron Wall"? Lu Xun felt a bit haughty inside.
Along with his inner arrogance, there was a faint worry. This constant being beaten up wasn't a long-term solution. Although it allowed him to survive, it was still humiliating.
He didn't know when he would be able to activate his ability to kill enemies. He didn't want to be invincible, but he just wanted to take down Immortal Miao Feng!
"What are you thinking about?" Xuan Yin looked at Lu Xun, who appeared deep in thought, his face filled with concerns. She asked curiously, "Are you considering how to resist?"
"No, no."
"I've given up already. Every day, you both take turns beating me up. You beat me, then your master beats me, and so on," Lu Xun said, growing angrier as he spoke.
He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Alas, the vast heavens are so indifferent to my plight."
As he finished speaking, a sword flew over and landed right in front of Lu Xun. The buzzing sound of the sword made his scalp tingle.
"Do you know I haven't attended any school, yet you keep using such refined words. Aren't you getting tired of it?" Xuan Yin's face turned dark, and she glared fiercely at Lu Xun, who was frightened to the core.
Lu Xun snapped back to reality, looking at Xuan Yin not far away, who had a look of 'I'm illiterate, I have a reason,' and he was filled with anger. Who gave her the audacity to say such shameless words?
She lived for four hundred years without attending any school, and she dared to blame him? Could this be any more unfair?
"Retract!"
With Xuan Yin's command, the sword that had been stabbed into the ground swiftly returned to her hand. She coldly warned, "If you dare to deceive me again, next time I'll aim for your head."
Annoying woman!
Lu Xun felt so angry inside. He hated himself for not being able to defeat her. If he had even a slight chance of victory, he would have fought her to the death.
The night grew deeper.
Lu Xun, who had been diligently cultivating in meditation, was interrupted by the growling of his empty stomach. When he opened his eyes, he saw the aloof demoness lying on the ground, seemingly asleep.
He couldn't help but wonder; snakes were creatures that usually prowled during the night, and this was supposed to be her most active time. Why was she sleeping?
Lu Xun shrugged off the thought and decided not to dwell on it. He carefully stood up, stealthily sneaking out of the broken temple that they took rest for the night .
However, as soon as he left, Xuan Yin, who had been lying on the ground, opened her eyes, watching his retreating figure, and then quietly closed her eyes again.
Walking through the deserted mountains late at night, Lu Xun was searching for tonight's prey. Ever since he was captured by Immortal Miao Feng and taken to the mountain, he had learned how to fend for himself, such as catching wild rabbits, birds, or deer for food.
Although his cooking skills were not exquisite, he could at least fill his stomach.
"Ah…"
"Trying to run, huh?"
Lu Xun spotted a plump wild rabbit. He swiftly threw his precious sword, piercing the rabbit's body.
Picking up the plump rabbit, he weighed it in his hands. It was probably about seven or eight catties, quite rare for wild rabbits since they usually had much smaller bodies.
As Lu Xun was preparing to head back, he suddenly heard a faint sound from afar. Alert, he quickly hid behind a thick tree trunk, sticking out half of his head to observe.
"Hurry!"
"Move faster!"
"The leader has ordered us to arrive within ten days. Anyone who dares to slack off, don't blame me for being ruthless!"
A burly man dressed as a bandit, brandishing a sharp, large machete, was directing a large group of people towards the deep forest.
"Second Brother."
"What's the big brother's intention?"
Beside him was another man with a scruffy beard, also holding a large machete, who asked in confusion, "Why are we running all the way to Quanzhou? Moreover, we're only allowed to take back roads during the late hours. Is there something urgent?"
"I don't know."
"But we can't disobey the big brother's orders." The burly man shook his head, speaking with earnestness, "Fourth Brother, don't be needlessly suspicious. The big brother must have his reasons, and we just need to follow his instructions."
The bearded man sighed, looking at the large group of people, and said in a low voice, "Second Brother, let me tell you something I've heard on the road recently. It's said that a rare treasure will appear in Quanzhou region. Most likely, the big brother is going there for that treasure."
"I see."
"I've heard a little about it too, but it doesn't concern us." The burly man continued, glancing at his fourth brother and said, "Are you worried that the big brother won't reward you? Fourth Brother, when has the big brother ever treated us poorly?"
"Second Brother… You misunderstood me. What I meant was, if it's indeed about that treasure, there will surely be many people competing for it, and it will lead to a fierce battle."
The bearded man said, "We've almost emptied our nest this time. If something unexpected happens, the Azure Red Gang won't survive."
The burly man fell silent, carrying his large machete, walking along the mountain path. After a while, he spoke, "If it's gone, then it's gone. We are all fugitives, and most of the people in the gang live their lives carrying the burden of taking lives, living the life of bloodshed. It's either death today or death tomorrow, and in the end, there's not much difference."
"Um."
"That's indeed the truth."
The bearded man smiled bitterly, "I don't know what's gotten into me lately. I'm always feeling worried."
The burly man lifted his arm and patted his brother's shoulder lightly, not saying much, and continued to follow the group.
As they continued their journey, suddenly…
The burly man's brows furrowed, and a trace of seriousness flashed across his face.
"There's someone!"
"There are people nearby!"
The burly man alerted his fourth brother beside him, "Don't make any noise and alert the group. Come with me quietly. If I'm not mistaken, they should be hiding…"
As he spoke, the pair of eyes filled with killing intent had already firmly locked onto a sturdy tree.
"Go!"
"Hurry!"
As soon as the words fell, the two men disappeared like agile rabbits.
When the two men reappeared, they were already behind Lu Xun. They lifted their large machetes and swung them towards Lu Xun's head.
"Clang!"
Lu Xun quickly drew his own sword and blocked the two men's machetes, temporarily protecting his head.
"Mid Heaven realm?"
The burly man's face grew serious as he stared at the young Daoist in front of him. He swung his large machete again, aiming for Lu Xun's head.
Along with the whistling sound of the blade cutting through the air, a powerful pressure overwhelmed him.
So strong! Such a domineering attack!
Lu Xun felt nervous seeing this. He knew that his sword would not be able to withstand this strike, and it would probably shatter upon impact. Without much hesitation, he quickly dodged the deadly blow.
"Boom!"
The sturdy tree behind him was directly blown up.
Before Lu Xun could recover his senses, another flashing blade came towards him. The bearded man lunged at Lu Xun's body, delivering a powerful strike.
"Damn it!! You really think I'm an easy target?" Lu Xun had initially intended to avoid causing trouble, but seeing that these two men were using lethal attacks, he decided not to hold back. He dodged the incoming strike and then swung his sword with force.
In an instant, the sword energy transformed into a shooting star, piercing towards the bearded man closest to him.
"Fourth brother, be careful!" The burly man hurriedly stepped in front of his fourth brother, using his own machete to firmly block the sharp sword energy.
The two men staggered back several steps. When they looked at Lu Xun again, a trace of astonishment appeared on their faces.
"I was just passing by."
"But you came up to take my life. Sorry, but we are now sworn enemies!"
After exchanging a few moves, Lu Xun realized that these two were no match for him. A surge of resentment welled up within him.
After all, he had been tormented by the two female demons every day. He had accumulated quite a bit of grievances, and the fact that these two men came for his life deepened his hatred.
He needed to vent, to release all that pent-up frustration.
Before, he would go to the fireworks venue (brothel) to let off steam, but now he had to rely on these two men in front of him. The effect was almost the same – they both brought him happiness, although the former did it faster and cost more silver.
"Second brother!"
"Do you hear that?"
"This kid is going to get serious with us," the bearded man chuckled, disdainfully saying, "We should show him our real skills."
"Alright!"
"Let's play with him."
The burly man sneered, "Kid, consider yourself unlucky today. You've encountered the Black Wind Duo of the Azure Red Gang."
"What!"
"You two… You're the Black Wind Duo of the Azure Red Gang?" Lu Xun was shocked by their revelation.
"You know our title?"
Seeing Lu Xun's fearful expression, the bearded man with whiskers smiled contentedly.
However, Lu Xun shook his head and replied, "I'm just going with the flow, let's continue."
"…"
"Seeking death!"
Enraged by the humiliation, the bearded man immediately swung the machete in his hand down from mid-air.
The burly man did the same, wielding his own machete with force, both aiming their strikes at Lu Xun.
This time, Lu Xun didn't dodge. He stood there, as if standing between heaven and earth, casually wielding his sword.
The sword's brilliance followed his every move, fierce and overbearing.
"Bang!"
The three forces collided and exploded in mid-air.
Smoke and dust filled the air, and the three figures were seen in the scene.
"Second brother!"
"This kid must not be spared!"
"He must also be heading to Quanzhou region to seize the treasure."
The voice of the bearded man echoed in the smoke and dust, anxious and somewhat frightened.
"We have no choice."
"We can only attack together."
As soon as these words were spoken, a sharp whistle cut through the silence of the deep forest.
In an instant, Lu Xun saw a long procession of torches lighting up in the distance, advancing towards him. Damn it! Can't defeat them, so they're calling for reinforcements? Do they have no shame?
While Lu Xun could handle two opponents at once, facing such a large number was beyond his capability.
Roughly estimating, there were at least several hundred of them, and he stood no chance against such overwhelming odds.
What to do? What to do! In despair, he thought of his wife, that illiterate and fierce woman who had lived for four hundred years without attending school.
"Wife!"
"Come and save me!!"