Chapter 55: Going Out Of The City (IV)

Xing Jinglong and his group followed the Wind-Chasing Gray-Furred Marten as it darted ahead, rushing straight into the dense forest.

Squeak, squeak.

The Wind-Chasing Gray-Furred Marten squeaked excitedly and dashed forward without hesitation.

"Follow it! Uncle Zhao, Qiao Quan, keep a close watch. That kid's lightness technique is impressive, but don't let him slip away," said Xing Jinglong in a low voice.

With a wave of his hand, the men behind him advanced quickly, spreading out in a surrounding formation.

"Rest easy, Young Master Xing. He's just a little Bone Forging Realm brat. No matter how good his lightness technique is, he can't escape the two of us," said an elderly man with a long face, who looked to be around fifty years old.

His name was Zhao Wude[1], though he had never lived up to the virtue of martial morality his name implied. Relying on his superb lightness technique, he rarely fought head-on. Instead, he excelled in movement, hidden weapons, and the use of poison.

"Young Master Xing, Old Zhao alone is more than enough for this. Why call me along as well?" asked Qiao Quan.

Qiao Quan strolled beside Xing Jinglong as if he were out for a leisurely walk. Though he seemed unhurried, his pace never lagged behind Xing Jinglong's, staying right at his side to guard him in secret.

"That brat is slippery. He's managed to escape me several times. That's why I brought the two of you along this time to make sure he doesn't get away again," said Xing Jinglong.

Zhao Wude and Qiao Quan were both subordinates of his father and had served the Xing family for many years.The Wind-Chasing Gray-Furred Marten sped ahead, weaving swiftly through the forest. If the middle-aged man had not occasionally called out to make it pause and wait, Xing Jinglong's group would have lost track of it.

"Young Master, be careful. This place is remote. For Lin Zheyu to flee here is strange, so he might be setting an ambush!" an old soldier behind Xing Jinglong warned.

As members of the City Guard, they often fought against bandits outside the city, so their strength and experience were both exceptional.

"Don't worry. There's only one person's trail here. What kind of waves could a mere Bone Forging Realm brat possibly stir up?" said Zhao Wude as his eyes narrowed, scanning the forest around them.

From the moment they had entered the woods, he had been observing carefully. Having roamed the Martial World for decades, his experience was vast. He quickly discerned that only a single person's tracks marked the ground. In such a remote place, human presence was rare. No matter how well the other party tried to cover their trail, traces were inevitably left behind.

The Wind-Chasing Gray-Furred Marten leapt back onto the middle-aged man's shoulder, squeaking sharply as it pointed toward the thicket ahead.

"Young master, he's just ahead. Wait here, young master. I'll go ahead and take a look," said Zhao Wude.

Skilled in hidden weapons and poisons, he was well-versed in such matters. He wanted to test the ground ahead, to see if any traps or ambushes lay in wait.

"Soldiers, form up and prepare!" ordered Qiao Quan.

Gripping the short saber in his hand, he scanned the surroundings with quiet vigilance. Though he doubted that a mere Bone Forging Realm cultivator could stir up much trouble, as a veteran he was well familiar with the saying,

Even a lion uses all its strength to catch a rabbit.

[2]

Zhao Wude stepped into the thicket, his expression wary. Well-versed in countless poisons that could topple even a Blood Qi Realm cultivator, he did not dare underestimate his opponent simply because the youth was only at the Bone Forging Realm.

Carefully parting the weeds, he found a discarded garment on the ground, faintly marked with the scent of White Xin Powder. Aside from the clothing, there was nothing unusual nearby. He sniffed the air but detected no trace of poison or soporific powder. Lin Zheyu's trail ended right there. There was no scent of blood and no signs of a fight.

Something's wrong!

A sudden surge of alarm shot through Zhao Wude. Countless brushes with death had honed his extraordinary instincts, and they warned him that danger was near. Without a second thought, the muscles in his legs tensed, and his body shot backward. But it was already too late. From behind a nearby tree trunk, a figure suddenly lunged forth, a fierce gust accompanying a whip-like kick that lashed toward him.

Not good!

Startled, Zhao Wude flung the handful of poison powder he had been holding toward his attacker, but the enemy's speed was too great. Before the powder even scattered, the whip kick had already slammed into his head. A terrifying force struck him. Zhao Wude's head rang with a deafening hum, his brain matter turned to mush, his vision blurred, and blood spurted from his nose.

Boom!

His entire body was flung backward, crashing against a tree with a series of cracking sounds as multiple bones shattered.

"Old Zhao! Damn it! Form the formation!" Qiao Quan shouted loudly.

Everything had happened so quickly that he had no time to react. At the instant the shout rang out, the ten elite soldiers, already prepared, swiftly formed a compact military formation. The moment the formation was complete, the essence, qi, and spirit of the ten soldiers merged into one. A unique surge of energy poured from their bodies and gathered within Qiao Quan, substituting for his blood qi and becoming a secondary source of power.

Qiao Quan's aura surged rapidly, soon breaking past the limits of the Blood Qi Realm, though it was only barely a breakthrough. Lin Zheyu cast a glance at Qiao Quan, grinned, and then rushed toward the dying Zhao Wude. With a wet slash, a silver-white blade flashed, and Zhao Wude's head slid from his neck with blood spraying in all directions.

"Go, Young Master! I'll hold him off! This fellow is terrifyingly strong and may have already reached the Blood Qi Realm!" shouted Qiao Quan loudly.

The masked man before him radiated overwhelming strength. Even with the military formation's support, Qiao Quan was not confident he could face him.

Squeak, squeak.

Just then, the Wind-Chasing Gray-Furred Marten darted out from the grass and leapt into the middle-aged man's arms. The gray-furred marten squeaked and waved its tiny claws toward Lin Zheyu.

"Young master, this man is Lin Zheyu!" the middle-aged man called out.

"Lin Zheyu! How is this possible? He's just a Bone Forging Realm brat. How could he have killed Uncle Zhao?"

Xing Jinglong was utterly shocked, his eyes filled with disbelief. Everything had happened so fast that Zhao Wude was dead before he could even react. He was killed instantly by a single strike from Lin Zheyu, standing before them. This is a man who had been at the peak of the Organ Forging Realm, only a step away from breaking through to the Blood Qi Realm!

They realized it’s me? Could there be a lingering aura on me?

wondered Lin Zheyu, slightly surprised. Since he had been discovered, there was no longer any need to hide.

The twenty men who had come chasing were not particularly strong. He could dispatch them with ease. Those few who had seen his face would all have to die today!

"Young Master Xing, what a coincidence. To think I'd run into you even here," said Lin Zheyu as he pulled down the cloth covering his face and looked at Xing Jinglong with a faint, mocking smile. The blade in his hand gleamed with a chilling, fearsome light.

"It really is you! How is this possible? You're only at the Bone Forging Realm. No matter how much of a genius you are, you haven't been cultivating long enough to possess such strength!" said Xing Jinglong, staring at the familiar face before him in utter disbelief.

Qiao Quan watched Lin Zheyu with utmost caution. Seeing Xing Jinglong frozen in place, he shouted sharply, "Go, young master! Get on your horse and return quickly. You'll be safe as long as you make it back to Songyi City!"

But Xing Jinglong did not move. He stood dazed, staring at Lin Zheyu, as if possessed.

Blood Qi Realm... this guy is actually at the Blood Qi Realm!

"The military formation truly is extraordinary!" said Lin Zheyu as he glanced at Qiao Quan, sensing the Blood Qi Realm strength emanating from his body, and could not help but marvel.

From the start, he had been watching Qiao Quan and the ten soldiers behind him. If he had wished, he could have struck Qiao Quan down before the man even had time to react. But Lin Zheyu had not done so. He wanted to see just how powerful the military formation really was.

Senior Brother Han Mo had once told him that with a hundred elite soldiers forming a battle formation, he could easily crush a Blood Qi Realm warrior and even dare to clash with a Marrow Refining Realm expert. But that was only with a full hundred elite soldiers.

The formation before him was made up of only ten soldiers, barely enough to handle those below the Blood Qi Realm. It was far from sufficient when facing a true Blood Qi Realm expert.

So that's how it is. By means of the military formation, the soldiers' essence, qi, and spirit are linked together. This combined force fuses with their killing aura, condensing into a unique form of energy.

This energy uses the formation as its conduit, pouring into the leading commander's body. It replaces the function of his own blood qi, granting him the semblance of Blood Qi Realm strength. Remarkable, truly remarkable,

thought Lin Zheyu.

The more he observed, the more astonished he became. Yet he still could not discern exactly how the formation linked the soldiers' essence, qi, and spirit with their murderous aura to forge such a peculiar energy.

1. 武 (wǔ) means 'martial, military, valiant' and 德 (dé) means 'virtue, morality, ethics.' So together it literally means 'martial virtue' or 'military virtue.' ☜

2. The saying “狮子搏兔，亦用全力” comes from the Book of the Later Han (《后汉书·马援传》, Hou Hanshu – Biography of Ma Yuan). ☜