Return to the Beginner Village (Continued)

The bandit who was pushed shuddered and then collapsed to the ground like a limp rag doll, his internal organs shattered. The other bandit, whose neck was chopped with a hand chop, died instantly, his head and torso at a 90-degree angle.

The bandits charged forward relentlessly, but none of them managed to land a single blow on Si Shuiyun, nor could any of them withstand a single attack from her. Every seemingly ordinary punch and kick contained immense power, killing instantly those who were struck, leaving them no chance to even survive with serious injuries.

Strength, speed, reaction, Foundation, skill, endurance... Si Shuiyun far surpassed the bandits in every aspect. She was like a tough guy with a fist that could support a person and an arm that could carry a horse, wielding two large cleavers and barging into the Grand View Garden of Dream of the Dream of the Red Chamber, hacking away at the Twelve Beauties of Jinling.

The screams of his men reached Du Longyin's ears. Although he knew he couldn't be distracted when fighting a master, he couldn't help but glance at them out of the corner of his eye. He was furious to the point of despair when he saw that his men were almost all killed.

Zhao Donglai noticed his opponent's distraction and immediately seized the opportunity to strike Du Longyin's shoulder with a palm strike.

Du Longyin grunted, disregarding his duel with Zhao Donglai, and turned around to pounce on Si Shuiyun, his fists striking out in rapid succession, their yin and yang clashing, tearing through the air with a series of piercing screams, like the wailing of ghosts and gods.

"The Yin-Yang Ultimate Transformation!"

Si Shuiyun didn't flinch. Her palms swirled, stirring the air into vortexes that emitted a piercing shriek, like a howling gale. With a sudden, sweeping motion, she unleashed "Stars Fall and Moon Sinks."

Fists and palms collided, causing a burst of airflow. Du Longyin's fists were instantly shattered, leaving him wide open. He was then struck by Si Shuiyun's palms, the spiraling force penetrating his internal organs.

"Excellent palm technique!"

Du Longyin's tiger-like eyes widened, and he uttered a word of praise before bleeding from all seven orifices and dying instantly.

Whether they were disciples of the Origin Return Sect or members of the caravan, everyone who witnessed the entire process was speechless with astonishment, feeling as if they were hallucinating.

A woman single-handedly killed more than thirty vicious bandits from a mountain stronghold, and then with a single move killed the stronghold leader, who was on par with the Origin Return Sect's leader.

Zhao Zhixin patted his older brother's shoulder and shook his head, saying, "It's hopeless. They really can take on ten of you by themselves, and with just one hand."

Zhao Yili stared at that dashing figure, speechless.

Zhao Donglai, as expected of a seasoned veteran, recovered from his initial surprise and said with a wry smile, "Miss, you were a bit too ruthless."

Si Shuiyun asked, puzzled, "Weren't they all bandits? What's wrong with killing them?"

"But according to the rules of the martial arts world..."

Zhao Donglai was suddenly stunned. According to the rules of the martial arts world, Heavenly King Stronghold was the Evil Dao, while he was the righteous path, with a clear distinction between them. Moreover, they had no relationship with each other, so it seemed that there was no need to plead for the other party. If he died, he died.

"... You did the right thing, young lady, to rid the people of a scourge and uphold justice."

Zhao Donglai finally realized where he went wrong. If he had the strength of this female knight, he wouldn't have needed to waste words with Du Longyin or engage in any duels between masters. If she dared to ask for money, he would have killed her with a single palm strike.

Si Shuiyun glanced at Zhao Donglai with a slightly strange look, shook her head, and walked back. She bowed to Si Ming, the nominal "head of the family," to indicate that she had fulfilled her mission.

"Ahem, if you're alright, let's go back. Everyone, let's keep going and not waste any time, ahem..."

With Si Jingyu's help, Si Ming slowly and deliberately got back into the carriage.

Only after they could no longer see anyone did the crowd snap out of their daze and begin to whisper among themselves.

"Incredible! Such a powerful expert is just a maidservant. What is that young master's identity? Could he really be royalty?"

"Our Xu Dynasty's royal family all have the surname Guo, okay? How could anyone have the surname Sima?"

"How do you know that the name Sima Liang wasn't just made up on the spot? You saw that heroine's skills just now; she killed a gang of bandits like killing chickens. Even the imperial guards aren't that good."

"We used to say that she was only as beautiful as the Xiaoxiang Fairy, but now it seems that her martial arts skills are just as good."

"Some people even tried to take advantage of that beautiful concubine before. Luckily, we're all a bunch of lustful guys who don't have the guts to do it, otherwise Origin Return Sect would have been wiped out of the martial arts world."

"Do you think the other three might also be hidden masters?"

"That's unlikely, they don't seem like it... The mistress and concubines are both delicate and frail, not like martial artists. But that sickly young master, he might have been a peerless master when he wasn't sick."

Liang Zhenhuan moved closer to Zhao Donglai without making a sound and asked softly, "Sect Leader, what level do you think this woman's martial arts skills have reached?"

Zhao Donglai pondered for a moment and said, "Judging from her performance just now, she is at least a first-rate martial artist, though not quite at the top level. Of course, it's also possible that her opponent was too weak, causing her to hide too much of her strength... What is certain is that, given her age, to possess such cultivation, even in the Three Great Holy Lands, she would be a key disciple being groomed for advancement."

"First-rate in the martial arts world"—that's already the level of a sect leader. Not to mention, the other party seems to be under twenty years old. Liang Zhenhuan stared at the carriage, his eyes gleaming.

Zhao Donglai didn't notice his apprentice's unusual behavior. Suddenly remembering something, he found his daughter and asked, "Xiaohui, I remember you said that young master taught you a set of Internal Cultivation Mnemonic. Is that true?"

The others pricked up their ears, pretending to be nonchalant as they eavesdropped.

Zhao Xiaohui was also a little frightened. She knew Si Shuiyun was strong, but she thought she was about the same as her father. She didn't expect her to be so terrifying.

"Yes, young master said this internal Internal Cultivation is called the 'Wind Spirit Art'."

Zhao Donglai knew the Five Elements Lost Track Fist, so he naturally had some understanding of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams. He knew that Xun in the Eight Trigrams represented wind and corresponded to wood in the Five Elements. When his daughter was born, the fortune teller said that she had the fate of Yi Wood.

The person with the Jia Wood element in their birth chart is in the Zhen position, which corresponds to thunder, while the person with the Yi Wood element in their birth chart is in the Xun position, which corresponds to wind!

Zhao Donglai understood what this meant. Excluding the possibility of coincidence, that "Sick Young Master" who seemed to have difficulty even walking probably knew many Cultivation Method Mnemonic, so many that he could tailor-make clothes for people and give them away to others without feeling bad.

In the current martial arts world, many small sects don't even have a proper Internal Cultivation method.

Their Origin Return Sect's "Origin Return Secret Manual" is only a fragment, yet many sects covet it, and countless people, both openly and secretly, have tried to steal it.

"Remember this: no matter who asks you in the future, you are not allowed to tell anyone the Mnemonic, not even me."

Zhao Donglai solemnly instructed them, "There are plenty of martial artists in the martial arts world who don't have Internal Cultivation energy cultivation methods. They don't care whether the attributes of the Cultivation Method match their innate five elements. They are satisfied as long as they have something to practice."

"Of course I know this. Don't treat me like some clueless little girl."

Zhao Xiaohui, having grown up listening to stories of the martial arts world, knew the basic principles of it.

"You're just a little girl," Zhao Donglai rolled his eyes, then added after a moment's thought, "If you encounter anything you don't understand during your cultivation, you can ask that young master for guidance, but don't bother him too much."

"I know," Zhao Xiaohui said impatiently. "Actually, I don't think it's necessary. That very pretty older sister drew a picture for me and told me to practice while looking at the picture. I practiced for two days and I feel a lot of energy. I think I'll be able to develop Qi soon."