Killing the Master

Chen Shi lowered his head, spread out the talisman paper, took a small knife from the bookcase, and rose to walk toward Li Xiaoding.

The Imperial Guard closest to Li Xiaoding saw the knife in his hand, froze, then immediately understood and shouted urgently, "What are you doing? He has a knife!"

The other Imperial Guards hurriedly stirred their true qi. Divine light surged behind their heads, Divine Shrines appeared, and Divine Embryos sat within them. Each prepared a spell and rushed over at the same time!

Li Xiaoding was also so frightened by the words "he has a knife" that he rolled off his recliner. Uneasy and suspicious, he immediately took out a paper talisman without another word.

With a buzz, the paper talisman ignited. A miraculous force erupted, and in an instant, golden light blazed all around him, like a great bell overturned to shield him completely!

Chen Shi's face turned terrified, and his whole body trembled. The small knife slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. He hastily cried out, "I need dog blood to draw talismans! Don't kill me! Big Brother Li Guang, save me!"

The seven Imperial Guards had already prepared their spells. Hearing this, they each stopped, their spells drawn but not released.

Li Xiaoding climbed up from the ground and hurriedly looked at Li Guang. Li Guang had also prepared a spell to kill Chen Shi, but upon hearing this, he suddenly understood and quickly smiled. "A misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding! In reply to Young Master, drawing talismans does indeed require Black Dog blood as a catalyst. Black Dog blood is rich in yang qi, and when combined with cinnabar, it makes the talisman's power even stronger."

Li Xiaoding kicked Black Pot beside him and cursed with a laugh, "I thought someone was trying to kill me again. Turns out they wanted to kill this beast. Damn it, you scared the hell out of me!"

He kicked Black Pot again and laughed. "Why aren't you getting over there to die?"

After taking two kicks, Black Pot flicked his tail resentfully, grumbling that humans changed faster than the wind. Just moments ago, they had petted his dog head and praised him as a good dog; now they were calling him dog-damned.

Black Pot walked toward Chen Shi, and Chen Shi let out a breath before bending down to pick up the knife.

At the same time, Li Guang and the other six Imperial Guards also relaxed, dispersing the spells they had prepared. Six of them dismissed their Divine Shrines and turned to return to their respective tasks. Only Li Guang's Divine Shrine still floated behind his head; he had not lowered his guard.

As Chen Shi lowered his head to pick up the knife, the corner of his eye took in the positions of all seven men.

Their raised feet and the postures in which they were about to turn were all imprinted clearly in his mind.

"Four of them are less than ten feet away from me. Two are farther than ten feet, and Li Guang is closest. This is the best time to strike!"

Chen Shi gripped the knife hilt, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes. His first target was Li Guang!

Although Li Guang still maintained his Divine Shrine and Divine Embryo, Chen Shi was absolutely certain he could kill him in one blow, leaving Li Guang no time to cast a spell!

"Is this Young Master Li Xiaoding's camp?" Suddenly, a pleasant voice drifted over.

A young girl wearing crimson gauze trousers beneath a purple-pink skirt that trailed through the mud arrived outside the camp, carrying a large fruit basket. Smiling, she said, "I am Zi E of the Ding Family. I came hunting with Fourth Miss, and while she is still setting up camp, she heard that Young Master Li had also come hunting and enjoying the spring. So she sent me to foster ties between our two families and, incidentally, see whether you elder brothers could help us set up our camp."

Chen Shi's expression shifted slightly. He rose with his hand gripping the knife hilt, but all killing intent vanished from his eyes.

The arrival of this Ding Family maid named Zi E caused him to lose his best chance to strike.

He could indeed have attacked in the instant everyone's attention was drawn to Zi E, but Zi E outside the camp would have had time to prepare a spell!

Even if he killed all seven Imperial Guards, he would still die at Zi E's hands, perhaps without even having time to kill Li Xiaoding.

And even if Zi E did not strike, should she escape, the fact that he had killed Li Xiaoding would be exposed. It would bring a deadly disaster upon Grandpa, perhaps even utter destruction upon Huangpo Village!

That was something he could never tolerate.

"I can only abandon this opportunity."

Chen Shi called Black Pot over and walked toward the table. Zi E was merely paying a social visit, hoping to bring the Ding and Li Families closer together. She should not stay long; he would have other chances.

On the other side, an Imperial Guard hurriedly let Zi E in and smiled. "My young master was just saying he wanted to pay you a visit. Who would have thought the young lady would arrive first?" As he spoke, he reached out and took the fruit basket from Zi E.

Zi E took out a visiting card and walked toward Li Xiaoding, smiling. "Young Master Li is quite the celebrity in Shuinui County! At the last provincial examination, Young Master Li astonished everyone with a single brilliant feat. Our Fourth Miss also said she never expected Young Master Li to have concealed his strength so deeply... This servant is Zi E. Greetings, Young Master Li. This is my young miss's visiting card."

She had a graceful figure and lovely features, and her makeup added several degrees of beauty. The Imperial Guards who had been about to return to work all turned back, hoping to exchange a few more words with her and grow closer.

A spring outing was originally an occasion for men and women to seek intimacy. Otherwise, who would run into the mountains to hunt?

Chen Shi sat on a stool, bent over, and prepared to bleed Black Pot. Suddenly, he froze.

"Everyone is close together again. The best chance to strike has appeared once more, except there's now an extra Zi E in the middle... To hell with Zi E!"

Black Pot clenched his teeth, somewhat unwilling. When the old master cut him, he would toss him a piece of exotic beast meat to replenish himself. But when the little master cut him, there would be no meat to make up for it.

He closed his eyes and prepared to take the blade. Suddenly, the wind roared. With a whoosh, Chen Shi, knife in hand, vanished from before his eyes.

Black Pot froze. Just as he was about to turn his head, Chen Shi's knife had already pierced Li Guang's throat. With a hard slash, blood spurted out!

Li Guang's eyes widened. He opened his mouth to shout, but Chen Shi's hand, holding the bloodstained knife, had already reached the back of the next Imperial Guard. The sharp knife pierced through the man's back and into his heart, neatly avoiding every rib.

He then pulled out the knife, turned, and came before that Imperial Guard. The small knife entered his heart through his chest, then stabbed again, once more neatly avoiding every rib.

Chen Shi pulled at the knife, but his hand slipped and the hilt flew from his grasp. He failed to pull it out. The small knife was covered in blood and pulp, making it especially slippery.

Without thinking, Chen Shi took one step and crossed more than ten feet. He thrust two fingers into the third Imperial Guard's eyes, bursting both eyeballs. His fingers penetrated the skull and churned the brain matter within.

Chen Shi pulled out his fingers, twisted at the waist, and turned. As he turned, his left foot stepped out. By the time it touched the ground, he had crossed eight feet, and the instant it landed, his right foot had already flown up and struck the fourth Imperial Guard's neck.

That kick was like a great chopping blade, hacking into the man's neck. The tremendous force twisted the Imperial Guard's neck and produced a cracking sound of shattering bone.

His body toppled sideways toward the ground. Before his face hit the earth, Chen Shi had already leapt over him, both palms slamming hard against the fifth Imperial Guard's ears. Blood immediately streamed from the man's eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets!

Only then did Li Guang's cry reach them, but mingled with it was a gurgling sound as blood sprayed from his mouth.

Li Guang raised a hand to cover his neck and only then realized that Chen Shi's slash had nearly severed it, leaving only the muscles at the back of his neck still connected.

"This kid is so fast!"

A thought flashed through his mind. "Why does he want to kill us?"

His vision was darkening. All he saw was Chen Shi's small figure pouncing toward the sixth man, whose face was still frozen in shock; clearly, he had not yet recovered his senses.

Chen Shi curled the four fingers of his right hand, neither quite making a fist nor leaving it open, then suddenly exerted force and drove it into the sixth Imperial Guard's chest. Cracks of breaking bones rang out.

The Imperial Guard spat blood, and the Divine Shrine behind his head had already formed. But before he could mobilize a spell, Chen Shi's left hand was already pressed against his face. A tremendous force erupted, making him feel as though an elephant were stepping on his face and pressing him backward!

Thud!

The back of his head smashed into a mountain rock on the ground, and both stone and skull shattered together!

Chen Shi followed through into a crouched bow stance, his gaze falling upon the seventh Imperial Guard.

That Imperial Guard mobilized his true qi and activated his Divine Shrine. The Divine Embryo within awakened, and divine might immediately surged throughout his body, filling every limb and bone with divine power.

But just as that divine power entered his body, Chen Shi's knee slammed viciously into his crotch, crushing his root of descendants and the two dangling things along with it!

The force sent his body floating into the air, head down and feet up as he smashed backward. But before he could hit the ground, the toes of Chen Shi's other foot had already kicked his temple.

Crack.

His neck tilted to one side.

At that moment, Li Guang's body hit the ground with a thud. The second and third Imperial Guards also swayed, about to collapse.

Suddenly, a figure flashed. Chen Shi had somehow returned before the second Imperial Guard, reached out, and pulled out the knife.

No one present had expected this turn of events. By the time they reacted, it was already too late. Zi E was even more stunned. She was just about to activate her Divine Embryo and mobilize a spell when the Zi Wu Zhan Xie Sword had only just formed, and suddenly pain pierced her chest. Looking down, she saw two bloodstained hands gripping her head and jaw.

Zi E's vision jolted violently, then leaped from her front to her back in an instant.

Chen Shi twisted the woman's neck with both hands. Before she fell, his hand had already reached her chest and pulled the small knife from her heart.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

One corpse after another fell.

Suddenly, there came another buzz. Chen Shi turned to look and saw that Young Master Li Xiaoding was burning the Golden Bell Talisman. As it burned, golden light blazed, taking the shape of a great bell.

Li Xiaoding trembled all over, his eyes filled with terror as he stared at Chen Shi standing there.

He was a cultivator of the Divine Embryo Realm. If he activated a spell, he could easily kill Chen Shi.

But he was too terrified. His mind was completely blank, and he could not remember a single spell he had learned before.

He had even forgotten that he was a cultivator, forgotten that he possessed a Divine Embryo!

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