Chapter 12: Chapter 11 Wohu Village
"New task released. Eliminate threat: Cover your tracks, handle the aftermath, and kill the two Observers who know your true identity. Task reward: Two chances at a low-level lottery. Punishment for failure: None (unnecessary)."
"Indeed, it's unnecessary. Failing this so-called test is like refusing an inevitable outcome." Qing Yu stared at the task notification before him.
If he didn't eliminate this threat and prove his capabilities, Mr. Mo naturally wouldn't trust Qing Yu to handle the struggle against the Four Great Families. No system punishment needed—failure spelled doom for Qing Yu.
Having decided, Qing Yu got up and left.
He walked out of the cave. The fire basins on either side were still fiercely burning, though it was unclear what they were using as fuel.
Outside, the sky was beginning to brighten. Looking ahead, Yang City was already coming to life, with street vendors starting to set up their breakfast stalls.
Walking on the street, Qing Yu glanced at a bun vendor, swallowing his saliva greedily. Unfortunately, he was broke. The money generously provided by a few kind-hearted people yesterday had all been spent at the inn. Ah, the pains of poverty.
"New task released. The first pot of gold: A single cent may stymie a hero, but you are no hero. By any means, acquire one hundred taels of gold or an item of equivalent value within a month. Task reward: Access to the system shop. Punishment for failure: You are stymied by money, it seems you're not cut out to be a villain, go be your hero, system uninstall."
The system popped in to make its presence felt again, making today feel particularly burdensome with tasks. Looking at another do-or-die task notification, Qing Yu said, "System, you are really stirring things up."
"Host, this system merely releases tasks based on your thoughts. All tasks originate from the host's own intentions," the system replied in its usual mechanical tone.
"Then give me an easy task now. Hmm, let the requirements be to stand in place for three minutes, with the reward being a high-grade lottery draw."
"The reward matches the task's difficulty. If the host desires a high-grade lottery, the system can issue the task: Kill Mr. Mo. Also, a reminder, tasks released are related to the host's own strength, otherwise given your previous murderous intent towards Mr. Mo, the system would have already issued this task."
"Ahahaha," Qing Yu scratched the back of his head, chuckling awkwardly, ignoring the glances from people nearby.
"First, I'll go back and catch up on some sleep. It's the last day at the inn today, and it feels like a total loss not to sleep there again."
One day later, three miles away from Yang City towards the heart of Ling Province, on Wo Hu Mountain.
There's a stronghold on this mountain, rather perfunctorily named Wo Hu Village, a bandit's lair.
At that time, within Juyi Hall of Wo Hu Village, Qing Yu was sitting on the throne symbolizing the Grand Master, holding a white cloth, meticulously wiping the long sword lying across his lap.
The young man, dressed in black, his handsome face adorned with eyes shimmering like stars, stared intently at the sword in his hands. With a swipe of the white cloth in his left hand, the remaining fresh blood on the sword was wiped off, the cold gleam of the blade reflecting in the young man's eyes, which still held a hint of murderous intent.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, that hurts." Qing Yu exerted too much force with his left hand, overacting, and aggravated the wound on his left arm. His stern pose immediately collapsed, and he threw the sword aside.
"Bad call, bad call, why did I only think about making a sedative and not bother with some golden sore medicine?" Qing Yu pressed on the freshly bandaged wound, which to his misfortune started bleeding again as he bore the bitter fruit of trying to act cool when no one was around.
"Hope the wound doesn't get infected. I heard that King Fu Chai of Wu's dad, what was his name, something with two gates, got shot in the toe with an arrow, got an infection, and just gg'd, probably the most stifling death for a king."
Qing Yu slumped onto a Taishi Chair covered in unrecognizable fur, lamenting that the chair wasn't large enough to pull off a lounge pose like Ge You.
"Low, so low. The Grand Master's throne doesn't even have a tiger skin, thumbs down." Qing Yu, who should only recognize tiger skins with distinctive stripes, critiqued the Wohu Village, which had nothing to do with actual tigers. (Qing Yu: Nonsense, I also recognize zebra skin.)
Yesterday afternoon, after waking up, Qing Yu began taking an Elixir to open up his meridians. Fearing death, the first ones he opened were the Foot Shaoyin Ren Meridian of the Golden Wild Goose Skill and Divine Transformation. Then, due to a depleted balance, he got chased out of the inn by the owner. Luckily, while Qing Yu was wandering the streets, he met some kind-hearted folks who not only gave him money but also filled him in on the local culture and geography. It was these good Samaritans who told him about Wohu Village.
Afterwards, Qing Yu took the initiative and began seeking help from these kind-hearted folks. The iron sword he held was sponsored by someone worried about Qing Yu being alone and in danger. At that moment, Qing Yu couldn't help but comment, "These toughs really have the spirit of lackeys, finding someone who uses a sword isn't easy, no wonder they never make it to rich and handsome."
Then, financially buoyed, Qing Yu found a better inn where, after a night's work, he'd opened another meridian, this time the Yin Qiao Meridian, which belongs to the Extraordinary Meridians. Along with the previous meridian opened on Beicang Mountain, both the Yin Qiao and Yang Qiao Meridians were cleared. 'Qiao' signifies agility and agility. Opening these two meridians greatly benefited his Qinggong, meaning Qing Yu could run faster now, which was indeed cause for celebration.
It must be said, a world rich in Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi sure has its perks. You see, in the world of Juxia, Grandmaster Lao Yue, despite his hard work, is still stuck in the Postnatal Realm all his life.
Just as Qing Yu was lost in thought in the Juyi Hall, from outside Wohu Village came the sound of horse hooves, probably a dozen or so men galloping towards the village.
"Whoa," called out Sun Man, the Grand Master of Wohu Village, grabbing the reins and shouting, "Lads, open the gates."
Silence atop the watchtower.
A bandit captain behind him spurred his horse forward and said, "Grand Master, there's a smell of blood."
Sun Man unsheathed a big chopper, dismounted cautiously, and proceeded forward, followed closely by his fifteen men, all gripping their weapons tightly.
Slowly approaching the gate, Sun Man tightly grasped his chopper, waved his hand, and one of the bandits behind him reluctantly became a sacrificial lamb and stepped forward to push the gate.
As feared, it wasn't good—the gate had no crossbar, and the probing bandit easily pushed open the heavy door.
Sun Man led his men inside. The village was littered with bodies; without counting, Sun Man roughly estimated there were more than twenty bodies, about the same number as his men left behind to guard the village.
A wave of anger rushed to his head. Ignoring the cautious approach, he strode toward the Juyi Hall. If the enemy was still there, they'd surely be waiting for him.
The Juyi Hall, straight ahead from the main gate and not far; Sun Man charged into the hall.
There he saw a young man in black, sprawling on the Grand Master's throne with his upper body leaning forward, his right hand resting on his knee, holding a gleaming long sword tilted upward to the left. In his left hand, he held a piece of white cloth, wiping the sword blade, on which fresh bloodstains were visible. Upon hearing Sun Man and his group's footsteps, the black-clothed young man's eyes, which were focused on the sword edge, shifted to the main entrance of the Juyi Hall. Through the strands of hair scattered across his delicate face due to his posture, Sun Man caught sight of the young man's icy cold eyes.
Cold and stern pose number 2, online.
Chapter 13: Chapter 12: Post-Use Impressions of Exorcism Swordsmanship
Sun Man looked at the young man sprawled in his own chair and then at the body of his second-in-command collapsed in the center of the hall, feeling a surge of hatred rush to his head.
"Greenhorn, not even fully fledged, and you're trying to play the hero, dispensing justice? Go to hell," he clearly mistook Qing Yu for some knight seeking to eradicate evil and gain fame.
Sun Man raised his broadsword with both hands and leaped into the air, bringing down a Powerful Slash of Huashan directly towards Qing Yu. The blade came down in front of the Taishi Chair, but with a flicker of a shadow, it hit nothing but air.
Screams came from the doorway as Qing Yu weaved through the crowd with his Mystic Iron dagger in hand. Divine Transformation was inherently adept at agile movements and unpredictable changes, and with the dagger being shorter by an inch, more dangerous by an inch, in the blink of an eye, several men fell.
"He's only one person, everyone side by side, trap him."
There were still some smart ones around. Hearing the shout, the bandits squeezed towards Qing Yu, attempting to compress the space to capture him.
Unfortunately for them, the Mystic Iron dagger cut through iron like mud. Wherever Qing Yu went, flesh and blood flew, occasionally throwing an arm out. Sun Man, on the outskirts of the crowd, watched as one after another fell, with no opportunity to strike.
"Everyone get out of my way," Sun Man readied his sword, waiting for the crowd to disperse for his chance to strike.
The bandits, hearing the Grand Master's command, scrambled to spread out, only to find that only five were still able to move. As the crowd dispersed, those squeezed in the middle lost their support and finally fell. Qing Yu dashed forward, his right hand with the long sword sweeping across, slashing the throats of three of them.
Seeing this, Sun Man couldn't care if some of his brothers were still breathing; he lowered his broadsword and thrust it towards Qing Yu.
Qing Yu was covered in blood, though most of it belonged to others—some of it sprayed from the wounds that ruptured amidst the collision.
"Divine Transformation," his figure shifted, darting out the door, and then he flew backwards with the Golden Wild Goose Skill, leaping onto the open ground outside the hall within a few movements.
"Boy, who the hell are you?" Sun Man now dared not treat Qing Yu as a green youngster any longer. The opponent's ruthless moves were nothing like those of a fifteen or sixteen-year-old baby.
Qing Yu just smiled lightly, "Golden Wild Goose Skill," moving forward lightly, his right hand with the long sword thrusting straight forward. His eyes filled with a murderous intent, what was the point in wasting words with a dead man?
"You..." Sun Man saw that his opponent was silent, clearly disdainful of speaking with him. Before he could curse, he was embroiled in a fight with Qing Yu.
Although Sun Man had been sent spinning by Qing Yu's use of "Divine Transformation" earlier, and fifteen of his men were reduced to two, his martial arts abilities were actually not lacking—otherwise, he wouldn't have attained the position of Grand Master.
His broadsword moved in large swings; although the moves were rough, they were particularly suited for a broadsword, leaving Qing Yu momentarily at a loss.
"What are you waiting for? Come here and help me," Sun Man pushed Qing Yu back with a swing and turned to the two bandits who had been unable to join the fray, shouting at them.
Upon hearing the Grand Master's command, the two bandits ran over in haste.
'Coming to die, are you?' Qing Yu thought to himself with contempt. Originally, Sun Man's swinging broadsword, combined with tremendous strength, left Qing Yu, with his insufficient experience in combat, at a slight disadvantage, somewhat outmatched. Now with two more joining, Sun Man, wielding such a large weapon, couldn't move freely—he was muddled, simply seeking his own death.
The four of them clashed once again. Qing Yu deliberately avoided the two new recruits, focusing solely on Sun Man with "Divine Transformation," moving and dodging, attacking only Sun Man.
Sure enough, Sun Man struggled to use his sword technique, restrained and clumsy, and in a blink, he accumulated two more wounds on his left shoulder and body.
Seeing this tactic yielding great results, Qing Yu redoubled his efforts, aiming directly at the enemy chieftain.
"You've got an opening." Qing Yu's long sword stabbed towards Sun Man's chest.
In panic, and as the long sword neared him, Sun Man's mouth twisted into a sly grin, reached out, and pulled one of his men to his left to block the sword.
The long sword pierced into the chest of the bandit pulled in front of him, and for a moment, it was difficult to withdraw. Seeing the opportunity, the bandit on the right raised his sword and hacked towards Qing Yu.
"I can block it!" Qing Yu's left hand, clutching the Mystic Iron dagger, met the broadsword head-on, the dagger's edge, sharp enough to slice through iron like mud, even cut the broadsword in half.
"Ha!" Sun Man bellowed, gripping his great sword in both hands and cleaved diagonally, the sword chopped off the neck of the bandit whose own sword had been severed, its momentum unrelenting, aiming to decapitate Qing Yu in one fell swoop.
"It's too late..." Qing Yu's left hand was at its limit, the broadsword was practically coming straight at him.
Crisis descended; the blade's edge rushing towards him was reflected in his pupils, as if splitting them in two.
In the urgent moment, Qing Yu's figure blurred, a ghostly shadow flickered, the elusive presence he usually exhibited when using "Divine Transformation" took on a hint of eeriness. In an instant, Qing Yu appeared behind Sun Man, his dagger penetrating Sun Man's neck from behind, the tip just barely visible poking out from the throat.
Sun Man's mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he fell unwillingly to the ground.
"I really was careless this time..." Qing Yu, having narrowly escaped death, revealed a relieved smile, only to scream in agony and collapse to the ground. Despite his loud screams, his arms and legs were rigid, unable to move.
"Calm... Stay calm..." Qing Yu murmured, circulating the Quanzhen Heart Method, forcing himself to enter the tranquil state he achieved during normal training.
The pain wracking his body interrupted the flow of his mental method time and again. Qing Yu tried repeatedly, and at last, he managed to complete a full cycle of the Quanzhen Heart Method. The fire that seemed to burn through his entire body diminished, and Qing Yu, pushing on determinedly, finally managed to suppress the chaotic energy rampaging inside him.
Sweat trickled out, soaking his clothes and forming a human shape on the ground. Still suffering from the aftereffects, Qing Yu lay prostrate, unable to rise for a long while.
"Heh..." Qing Yu gasped for air, "Exorcism Swordsmanship... is truly... terrifying. I only ran it for an instant, and I almost deviated. A bit more, and I would have had to spend the rest of my life bedridden."
Indeed, it was in that brief moment that Qing Yu used the mnemonic from the Exorcism Sword Manual to instantly accelerate "Divine Transformation," allowing him to appear behind Sun Man like a teleport, and instantly kill him.
As for where this "Exorcism Swordsmanship" came from, of course, it was from defeating Lin Pingzhi's Character Card on Beicang Mountain and acquiring the inheritance. How was he defeated? Please, defeating Lin Pingzhi in his prime was like taking candy from a baby, let alone a blind man. From the first time Qing Yu saw the Lin Pingzhi Character Card with the picture of the man with closed eyes, he guessed that this might be Lin Pingzhi later in life after he went blind—thanks to Mu Tuozi.
Then, he took a bunch of bells and his homemade Strong Smoke (the same type of seductive smoke used by Lord Wei). The person who bought the bells was also a kind-hearted sponsor. Entering the Inheritance Space, he first released the smoke, scattering bells amidst a torrential downpour. After waiting for a while, he finished them off with a coup de grâce, and obtained the inheritance—a One-star "Hua Mountain Swordsmanship" and "Hua Mountain Heart Method," as well as a Two-star "Exorcism Swordsmanship."
Lianduan Mountain Range.
Nestled on a mountainside was a delicate pavilion, with only a narrow path clinging to the mountain face; on the other side of the path lay a cliff.
Black-faced Brother, wearing a black faceless mask, ascended the stairs of this small building, arriving in a room on the second floor with a balcony. A figure clad in purple garments and wearing a golden crown stood at the balcony railing, gazing into the distance at the tiny Yang City.
"My lord," Black-Faced Brother bent his knee in a half-kneel, offering his respects. Judging by the scene, this gazer must be Mr. Mo.
"Xiao Gao, any news?" Mr. Mo, with his back to Xiao Gao, continued to look into the distance.
"Yes. Yesterday, Qing Yu unblocked one of the Extraordinary Meridians and advanced to the Postnatal Fifth Realm. After that, due to lack of funds, he was kicked out by the innkeeper. Subsequently, he robbed all the riffraff and gang members he came across and even stole a sword. With the stolen money, he bought a heap of bells, checked back into the inn, and left the bells there today without a clue for what purpose. He headed to Wohu Village three miles outside the city and slaughtered all the bandits in the village."
"Robbing for money? This Qing Yu, he's amusing," said Mr. Mo with a chuckle. "If I recall correctly, all the bandit strongholds within a five-mile radius of Yang City are under the control of the Sun Family, aren't they? So why, he's decided to act so soon? He hasn't even passed the test I gave him."
"Yes, the chief of Wohu Village was Sun Man, a distant relative of the Sun Family."
"I think Qing Yu killed them not in a rush to prove himself, but for sword training."
"Sword training?" Mr. Mo seemed puzzled.
"Sword training," Xiao Gao confirmed. "He has lived on Beicang Mountain all this time without even a suitable sword, presumably with no experience in combat. In preparation for an enemy he will face in two days, he needs ample experience. So he's training with a sword, killing to train."
"Killing for sword training. Interesting, I'm looking forward to his performance in two days."
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
9 Power
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