It was Blind Old Third!
Li Yan had already guessed it.
Ordinary wild animals didn't have such a smell.
Could it be true as people said, that "Blind Old Third" had gained some Dao?
Li Yan became alert, took down his bow with a backhand motion, and pulled an arrow without releasing it, signaling Hei Dan to crouch and follow him with quiet steps.
Just that one move revealed the difference.
Guanzhong had always been full of wandering heroes, and with centuries of wars and conflicts, martial arts practiced in various regions never faded. The Li Family Castle was once a military fortress, and many children began training in martial arts from a young age.
Even the simple Red Fist had its unique styles and forms passed down in every village.
Hei Dan also practiced martial arts since childhood. During the farming off-season, his only entertainment was swinging a spear and practicing fist techniques; the spear shaft behind him had long since been polished like porcelain.
But when he walked, it was still heel first, then the ball of the foot. Even when moving lightly, his weight pressed on the weeds, causing slight sounds.
Li Yan, on the other hand, was different.
He stepped with the ball of his foot first, holding his bow steadily and flatly, moving like a nimble cat. His spine maintained balance without making a sound as he walked.
The stability and nimbleness, two opposite states, were perfectly unified at this moment.
Hei Dan watched from behind, filled with envy.
Practicing martial arts required hard work, but it also depended on talent. Just mastering this Light Body Step Technique was something he could never achieve in his lifetime.
The people in the village praised Li Yan, but it was mostly out of respect for his grandfather, an old soldier, and his deceased father, who was once a bladesman.
After all, how capable could a fourteen-year-old child be?
But Hei Dan was different. He had secretly watched Li Yan practice martial arts before and was amazed by his Heavenly People-like abilities, which was why he sought his help immediately after the trouble arose.
As he was lost in thought, Li Yan suddenly stopped ahead.
Hei Dan quickly halted and peeked over, his eyes widening in shock.
Behind the village of Li Family Castle, there were still many earthen walls, remnants of the former military fortress, now just crumbling ruins.
The darkness before dawn was dimmer, and the lighting was poor.
At the break in the wall, a large shadow was wriggling.
It was a giant mangy wolf with a mottled coat, stealthily stealing a pig.
It gripped the pig's ear with its sharp teeth, its big tail swinging, whipping like a horsewhip, and the fat pig followed obediently.
Pigs were clever creatures, wailing sharply when caught by a butcher during New Year, knowing their end was near. But now, as if possessed, its head was covered in blood, yet it did not dare to make a sound.
This wolf had only one eye left—it was "Blind Old Third"!
"Blind Old Third" truly entered the village at the break of dawn.
Moreover, why weren't the village dogs barking?
This eerie scene made Hei Dan's heart shiver, but hatred quickly overcame fear. His eyes reddened as he slowly took down the long spear from his back.
Li Yan was also surprised, but grew even calmer.
He signaled Hei Dan not to act rashly, then slowly raised his bow.
However, he didn't rush to shoot the arrow immediately. Instead, he drew the bow while adjusting his breathing, his eyes narrowing slightly, with a cold gleam gathering in his pupils.
In the few years he had been in this world, his greatest hobby was practicing martial arts.
The martial arts in this world were more like national arts, with no mention of spiritual energy or true energy, yet there were many instructions related to breath, making breathing exceptionally important.
For one's energy to be concentrated, one's breath must remain steady.
Just as he had moved stealthily, maintaining a stable mind and steady breath, his body's power and muscle control operated like an extension of his arm, allowing him to move like a nimble cat, harmoniously unified.
Don't underestimate this aspect—the essence of entering into martial arts lay in it.
Ordinary people, even if they practiced swinging stone locks and wielding long spears every day, gaining strength and knowing numerous moves, would still breathe unsteadily, their minds agitated in a real fight, their brains blank, and end up fighting clumsily.
The technique of archery lay in this too.
No matter how strong the bow or how much practice there was, hitting the target was the key.
For controlling the body's power, breathing was the switch.
The evil wolf "Blind Old Third" might indeed be different, but since it fell into a trap and got one eye shot blind, it showed it was still flesh and blood.
They were downwind at the moment, which was why they first smelled "Blind Old Third." Moving with stealth and the wolf busy stealing a pig, they had already closed the distance to a hundred meters.
Li Yan believed that as long as he hit the target, one arrow could kill it!
The bowstring creaked rapidly, with the arrowhead astonishingly steady.
But at that moment, "Blind Old Third" suddenly raised its mane and looked up.
It was discovered!
Li Yan couldn't figure out what he had done wrong or maybe the opponent sensed the killing intent, but there was no time to think it over.
Thwang!
The arrow shot out, as swift as light and shadow.
Li Yan aimed for the wolf's neck.
It's said that wolves have copper heads, iron tails, and tofu waists, because between their hips and ribs, there's only a spine with little skeletal protection, relatively soft and housing vital organs.
Few knew the area between its eyes and nose was the weakest part of its bones, where striking could lead to unconsciousness, and an arrow could be lethal.
But this area was extremely hard to hit, and considering "Blind Old Third" was no ordinary being, Li Yan aimed for the neck instead.
Thud!
The arrow pierced through the fur.
Blind Old Third managed to dodge slightly, so the arrow didn't penetrate a vital spot but pierced through its right foreleg, blood bursting out.
Without saying a word, Li Yan nocked another arrow, preparing to shoot again.
Though it wasn't a one-shot kill, with a long arrow crossing through, its mobility would decrease, allowing little chance for escape with a quick follow-up.
Yet, something astounding occurred to him.
"Blind Old Third" didn't rush to escape but leaped behind the wall, using its sharp teeth to bite and try to break the arrow off.
Damn, it's cunning like a spirit!
Li Yan threw down his bow and charged forward swiftly.
Like an arrow, he dashed while gripping the hilt of his knife.
His knife was about three feet long and less than two inches wide, with a unique design, having a particularly narrow guard.
This was a fast blade from Guanshan Town near Lingtong.
The Guan Mountain Blade was also the standard and symbol for bladesmen of Guanzhong.
As Li Yan charged faster over the hundred-meter distance, dust kicked up underfoot. With a click, his left thumb pushed up the knife guard while his right hand hovered over the hilt, never drawing the blade yet.
The family-inherited fast blade, Waist Strike Style.
It looked somewhat like the blade drawing skill from Japan in his past life, yet completely different.
The fast blade's "Waist Strike Style" was a knife technique meant for ambush, capable of charging and killing, slashing like thunder.
When crossing paths with an enemy, concealed killing intent, drawing and sheathing the blade, left only walking corpses behind.
Evil wolf "Blind Old Third" was flesh and blood, but the spirituality and wisdom it displayed were incredibly astonishing, defying common sense.
Drawing the blade, making the killing intent flow with the cold light, would definitely alert it.
Li Yan chose the Waist Strike Style, akin to a beast striking with claws exposed at the last moment.
As he expected, "Blind Old Third" was not of ordinary kind.
As Li Yan charged out, the wolf bit off the arrowhead and pulled out the shaft, handling it like a human, minimizing damage.
Despite the arrow piercing through, ordinary beings couldn't endure this.
Yet "Blind Old Third" seemed entirely unaffected, baring fangs, its nose wrinkling in folds, its blood-red lone eye pupil constricting as it leapt on the wall, jumping over again.
In a leap, it jumped five meters high, aware of the perfect timing, landing right towards the charging Li Yan.
Beastly combat skills, honed in the wilderness.
As a top predator, in wolf packs surrounding prey, they often bark confrontationally, constantly testing, with the strongest attacking the throat for a kill, then the pack would tear in.
A lone wolf's strike emphasized ambush, often hiding beside a path, springing out at passing humans or prey.
Like an innate instinct, they always found the most suitable method.
And now it was the same.
"Blind Old Third" leaped from the wall, and ordinary prey turning to flee or raising their heads in panic invariably exposed their necks.
The wolf's maw would break the throat, no matter the prey's size.
However, it faced no ordinary person.
Feeling the bloody wind from above, Li Yan grew calmer, his almond-shaped eyes narrowed, with dragon-like pupils filled with cold intent. As Blind Old Third descended, he aimed for the vital spot, sidestepped and bent, his right arm trembling.
Clang!
As they intersected, the Guan Mountain Blade slashed past diagonally.
Cold light flashed, blood flowers burst.
"Blind Old Third" plummeted with a thud, its neck cut open with a huge gash, blood spraying as it whimpered and struggled with its limbs.
Meanwhile, Li Yan reached five meters away, back facing the wolf, flicked the blade clean of blood in reverse, sheathed it, his movements as fluid as clouds and water.
"Great blade technique!"
Hei Dan, watching from afar, was thrilled and cheered.
This man-wolf confrontation happened instantly, yet it left him shaking, cold sweat dripping from his forehead and palms.
On the other hand, Li Yan did not turn around even after resheathing his knife.
Not because of showmanship but for another reason.
His face darkened, he touched his neck, which also had a cut, only slightly grazing the skin but seeping blood, mere millimeters from an artery.
"Blind Old Third" was indeed flesh and blood, but its movements and reactions far exceeded ordinary beasts. When he slashed its neck, it managed to scratch back.
"Yan brother, are you okay?"
Behind him, Hei Dan ran over with his long spear, asking nervously.
"How could anything be wrong with me."
Li Yan replied, slowly turning.
A strange event occurred; as he turned, the neck wound vanished instantly, and the trace of blood seemed to be merely wolf blood splashed on him.
Hei Dan, who saw nothing, breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the downed "Blind Old Third."
This evil wolf was indeed extremely fierce. Even with blood pooling and on its last breath, unable to move, it still bared its teeth, staring viciously at Li Yan.
Its gaze filled with venom, as if wanting to etch him in its memory.
"You wretched beast, still not dead!"
Hei Dan grew furious, shook his spear, and with a thud, drove the spearhead into the good eye of "Blind Old Third," piercing directly into the brain.
Even then, "Blind Old Third" struggled a few times before it stilled.
At this moment, Li Yan seemed to sense something, frowning.
This "Blind Old Third" was as dead as could be, but its peculiar odor expanded, becoming stronger and spreading.
Like an invisible wind, it reached its peak and suddenly dispersed.
Whether a figment of imagination or not, Li Yan felt an inexplicable chill on his back.
But upon closer look, there was nothing around.
"Hei Dan, do you smell anything foul?"
"What? No…"