"It's Big Foot Li! Damn it, why are there demons in a place like this?"
The moment Qian Laosan heard the direction and sound of the scream, his expression changed sharply.
Big Foot Li's real name was Li Cheng. Like Qian Laosan, he was a veteran who had been running Escort Missions for four or five years. Because he had cultivated superb movement techniques and could cover ground quickly, he had earned the nickname Big Foot.
He had been among those who lost the boxing match earlier. He had likely gone to relieve himself by the wall, never expecting that the moment he strayed beyond the firelight, a demon would seize the chance to ambush him!
Li Cunxiao had no such stray thoughts. The instant he heard the word "demon," he lunged straight for the Ironwood Staff propped against the wall nearby.
Though a short blade was sharp, it was ultimately too short. An inch shorter meant an inch more danger; distance brought greater safety.
Yet he was fast, and someone else was faster.
The moment the howling wind arose, Shen He's eyes abruptly reflected golden light. The next instant, as the scream rang out, his entire body carried an even more terrifying gale as he shot past Li Cunxiao, who was reaching for the staff, and pounced forward.
"Beast, you're courting death!"
Awoo!
A low beastly roar came from the wall. It sounded like an ape's shriek, yet also like a child crying. When everyone raised their torches, grabbed their weapons, and stepped forward a few paces, the sight before them turned their faces pale with horror.
Li Cheng clutched his left arm, his face bloodless. Blood streamed continuously from the flesh around the exposed white bone. His left hand had nearly been torn off alive.
And part of the culprit was now in Shen He's hand.
It was a severed arm covered in black fur. Its palm had three thick fingers with extended claws, while the arm had also been forcibly ripped apart from elbow to wrist, exposing yellowed bone and knotted flesh within.
"Escort Leader Shen?!"
A young escort suddenly cried out. By the light of the fire, Li Cunxiao's gaze lifted slightly, and his heart gave a violent jolt.
Those huge palms were like cattail fans, their blue-black nails extending an inch beyond the fingertips, gleaming like iron and stone.
His body stood over two meters tall, bulging muscles stretching his loose round-collared robe so taut it seemed ready to burst.
His irises were pale gold, his pupils jet-black. Under the torchlight, they seemed to emit golden radiance. The headwrap concealing his hair bun had fallen off at some point, and upon closer inspection, every scattered strand of hair stood upright, crimson like flames.
From a distance, Shen He looked exactly like a humanoid tiger!
"Old Li! Hurry and apply medicine! Any later and that hand can't be saved!"
"What are you all standing around for? Push the Escort Carts over and raise the barriers into formation!"
"Protect the bonfire! Don't let the fire go out, no matter what!"
The old escorts shouted one after another. Only then did the stunned young escorts come to their senses, scrambling to pull carts and seize weapons.
After hastily checking his old friend's injuries, Qian Laosan returned to Li Cunxiao's side with saber and shield in hand, his face ashen. Using the escort cart and shield, he covered both their bodies.
"Damn it, it's a mountain ghoul! Bloody strange—why would there be mountain ghouls in a place like this?!"
"Mountain ghouls?"
Li Cunxiao forced himself to look away from Shen He. He had known that martial artists of the Muscle Realm were likely no longer human, but seeing it with his own eyes for the first time—it would be a lie to say he was not shaken.
What Tiger Form Fist was this? Cultivating oneself into that shape was more like Tiger Demon Fist!
"We'll talk about the rest later. Just remember, these things aren't large, but they're agile and can hide in shadows."
"We have numbers. As long as we stay in the firelight, those beasts won't be able to show their tricks."
"If you insist on comparing them, they're only equivalent to martial artists at Great Accomplishment of Blood Qi. I've helped kill several before. They're nothing formidable."
Qian Laosan spoke loudly, clearly not just for Li Cunxiao to hear.
The others had been somewhat panicked, but after hearing this, they at least managed to calm down.
For a time, the courtyard held only Big Foot Li's muffled groans of pain and the low, heavy breathing of more than a dozen men. Li Cunxiao gripped his Ironwood Staff, sweat beading in his palm, and suddenly understood why the patina on the staff was so evenly worn.
Shen He stood like a humanoid tiger, his two-meter frame casting a vast shadow over the courtyard wall.
His tiger paws, as large as cattail fans, held torches and planted them one by one around every corner of the courtyard. It looked as absurd as an adult pinching matchsticks between his fingers.
His feline golden eyes brimmed with fury and killing intent.
They had nearly lost someone on this escort mission.
Right under Shen He's nose!
No matter how tired he was of Escort Missions, no matter how little honor or sense of belonging he felt toward the escort agency and its men, at this moment, Shen He's fury surged like rising tides, without the slightest sign of ebbing.
After his body grew larger, the sword at his waist no longer suited him. He simply removed his belt, undid his round-collared robe, and tied it around his waist.
In the firelight, the thin line of brownish-yellow fur that had somehow grown over his chest and abdomen, along with the faint black stripes on his skin, complemented the lavish floral lining of his white robe, outlining a powerful inverted-triangle physique.
Longing could not help appearing in Li Cunxiao's eyes.
Strength! This was strength enough to gain a foothold in troubled times!
The silence lasted dozens of breaths. Just as one of the escorts standing along the outside could no longer bear the sweat soaking his hand and quietly wiped it on his clothes, a howl suddenly rose outside the courtyard wall once more.
Shen He's face twisted savagely, and his golden eyes instantly locked onto somewhere in the darkness.
"Beast, I've got you!"
A tremendous gale rose, drowning out the dying wail. The torches in the courtyard flickered violently. When the flames steadied again, Shen He's massive tiger claw had already pierced through the black monster's chest and belly.
In that fleeting glimpse, Li Cunxiao saw the monster's appearance reflected in his eyes.
Its body was only about one and a half meters tall, squat and sturdy, covered head to toe in black fur like an ape.
Yet upon closer inspection, one would discover that the monster had only three fingers on each hand. Below its waist, it had only one foot, and the sole was reversed, with its forefoot facing opposite its heel.
The face beneath its fur resembled a human face, yet differed upon closer look. Amid firelight and shadow, every witness shuddered.
"Hmph, nothing much."
Shen He flicked his wrist and tossed the mountain ghoul's corpse beside the wall. Just as he was about to say something to raise morale, several howling gusts suddenly came from the darkness behind him—
"Everyone, be careful!"
Qian Laosan let out a furious roar. The escorts bearing shields immediately raised them and crouched down. Sure enough, the torches around the outer edge of the courtyard were snuffed out the next instant, and clumps of distorted shadows pounced from the darkness.
Li Cunxiao had been watching closely all along. Seeing this, he silently circulated his blood qi. His arms instantly thickened, veins bulging blue across them. The tough Ironwood Staff was forcibly swung into an arc as he swept it sideways with a tearing whistle!
Crack!
The sound of shattered bone was followed by a wail like that of an infant ape. Qian Laosan looked closely and saw a mountain ghoul clawing at the ground, dragging its broken, twisted single foot as it tried to flee. He stepped forward and ended its life with one slash.
"Good, Sanlang! Well struck!"
"Did you see that? That's how you fight!"
Seeing the monster in the shadows killed, and finding it far less terrifying than they had imagined, the men's fear receded and their morale soared. One after another, they copied Qian Laosan and Li Cunxiao's method, defending and counterattacking.
Beyond the cart formation, Shen He had already gone mad with slaughter.
Those mountain ghouls clearly possessed some intelligence. They knew Shen He was the true heavyweight, so three or four of them launched sneak attacks from behind, below, and head-on.
Yet Shen He ignored them completely, focusing only on the mountain ghoul before him. His massive tiger claw seized the black body that had failed to dodge in time, and with one pull, he tore its head straight off.
When the mountain ghouls' attacks landed on Shen He, however, it was as though they met some obstruction. After cutting through skin and flesh, they could no longer advance an inch.
Shen He almost completely abandoned defense. Apart from protecting a few vital points, he let them attack as they pleased while he drove straight for the yellow dragon. In the blink of an eye, several mountain ghouls were slaughtered in Shen He's berserk assault.
Of course, even with Shen He taking much of the pressure, demons were not so easy to handle.
Seven or eight mountain ghouls swarmed forward, shrieking sharply. Their single feet moved like the wind, trailing afterimages and a foul gale. Even with Escort Carts and shields for protection, many escorts could not help trembling inwardly.
Fortunately, though many had been injured, most were only flesh wounds. The most serious injury belonged to an old escort who, while holding his shield, was rammed by two mountain ghouls and had his finger broken.
In the midst of the fierce battle, Li Cunxiao found an opening. Seeing that a mountain ghoul Qian Laosan had stabbed moved slightly slower, he immediately gathered his blood qi and smashed his staff down.
The hardwood staff wrapped in Iron Sheeting struck the soft part of the mountain ghoul's neck, and it immediately wailed and died.
The Vajra Scepter flashed with light, and its progress bar increased by a quarter.
After that, Shen He's offensive grew even fiercer. He killed three or four more mountain ghouls in succession. Seeing the tide turn against them, the demons only dared remain in the shadows and howl, occasionally launching probing attacks, but none dared come forward.
The others subconsciously let out a breath of relief, but their hands only gripped their weapons tighter.
Though they had entered a stalemate, the danger had not yet passed. Compared to the tense escort agency men, Shen He grew increasingly agitated.
He came from an extraordinary background and had a family martial inheritance. He understood that there had to be a leader among these mountain ghouls, or they could not have launched such an offensive.
Yet after killing for so long, every mountain ghoul that fell had been at the level of Great Accomplishment of Blood Qi. Not one stood out in strength.
He knew the best strategy was to remain within the courtyard. With him supporting them from the side, the escorts might suffer injuries, but few would die.
Yet even so, the pain from his wounds kept making the agitation and killing intent in his heart swell. Several times, Shen He had nearly been unable to stop himself from charging out of the courtyard and tearing every one of those beasts to pieces!
At this moment, the courtyard sank into another kind of silence. Firewood occasionally crackled and burst in the bonfire, while the wind sometimes rustled through the leaves.
The men's heavy breathing was clear and close to the ear. Intermittently, there was also a strange sound, like the purring of a cat or tiger.
That was Shen He's breathing.
A quarter-hour passed.
Then another quarter-hour passed.
"Have those demons left?"
Hearing a low question from someone unknown, everyone could not help looking toward Shen He. Li Cunxiao keenly noticed that Shen He seemed somewhat smaller than before, and his face seemed to carry... fatigue?
"I'll take a look."
Shen He gave the old escorts in the group a look, and one of them immediately understood and handed over a torch.
He took the torch and slowly approached the courtyard wall, his back gradually swallowed by shadow.
From atop the station house, a strange cry suddenly rang out from the darkness.
"I've got you!"
Violent sounds of fighting and strange howls erupted in the courtyard. Gust after gust of wind seemed to circle the courtyard, making the torches flicker between brightness and darkness. In fleeting glimpses, they could only see a monster battling Shen He.
The monster generally resembled a mountain ghoul, only its body was larger. Across its face ran a thick red line, from forehead to lips, adding another measure of terror to its appearance.
"It's a mountain ghoul on the verge of breaking through to the second rank. No wonder. It came here to seize blood food."
Li Cunxiao heard Qian Laosan's muttering, but had no time to dwell on it. He only listened carefully, distinguishing the movement of the wind through the courtyard.
Yet this demon, "on the verge of breaking through to the second rank," did not fall behind under Shen He's attacks for a time. Several times, its claws even tore through Shen He's sleeve, cut deep into flesh, and scraped against bone.
Li Cunxiao did not know whether it was an illusion, but he seemed to hear the grating sound of metal against stone.
The agonizing pain drove Shen He mad, and his attacks grew increasingly berserk. Shortly afterward, the wind finally crossed the courtyard wall and receded into the distance. Shen He roared and pounced after it.
In the silent darkness, everyone exhaled together.
It had finally left.
The escorts had fought for so long. Their results were not extensive, but their minds and bodies had already been stretched to the limit.
The escort whose hand had been injured earlier relaxed at last, and the shield in his hand slammed into the dirt, exposing the opening in his upper body—and Big Foot Li, clutching his left arm in the middle of the group's encirclement.
Li Cunxiao suddenly smelled a fishy odor, like the saliva of some wild beast. In an extremely short span of time, the faint scent abruptly became distinct—
"Watch out!"
Almost the instant he shouted the warning, a vicious gale pounced over. The old escort was alert and dodged it by dropping into a crouch, but the next moment, both men's expressions changed.
"Ah!!!!"
From the darkness, Big Foot Li let out a shriek of agony while clutching the severed stump of his shoulder, and everyone's nerves instantly drew taut.
At this moment, Li Cunxiao did not blink, staring fixedly around Big Foot Li. Pumped by his heart and lungs, his blood qi surged through his limbs and bones like an engine fed with oil.
His body rapidly expanded, his muscles becoming solid while his fascia grew ever more flexible.
His five fingers became like iron pillars, and the veins on his forearms like pythons.
Bloodshot veins crawled across his eyes, his face turned crimson nearly purple, and every strand of his hair stood upright.
Behind the wailing Li Cheng, he saw a mountain ghoul with a faint red bloodline across its face, chewing great mouthfuls of flesh—
"Die!!!"
His thunderous shout exploded like a bolt from the blue. His feet crossed and stamped in succession, launching him three meters through the air. His thick arms swung the Ironwood Staff, and the terrifying force bent it into an astonishing arc in midair. The force of the deforming object rebounded and poured forth from the opposite end at the instant one end stilled, blasting out!
Bang!!!
In the darkness, the escorts suddenly heard a sound like a watermelon bursting. Warm, foul-smelling liquid rained down over their faces and bodies with a pattering splash.
When the torches were lit again, Qian Laosan was the first to squeeze through the crowd. He saw only Li Cheng, unconscious while clutching his severed arm, and Li Cunxiao beside him, his face full of exhaustion.
Qian Laosan nodded forcefully at him, then stepped forward without a word to help Li Cheng treat his injuries.
The courtyard was silent. The escorts stared in dumbstruck disbelief. The far end of the staff in Li Cunxiao's hands had clearly broken off, leaving only jagged wooden splinters.
How great did that strength have to be?
An old escort suddenly stepped forward and slapped Li Cunxiao hard on the shoulder. Seeing this, the others followed suit. For a time, these rough men pounded their inexpressible feelings into the young man's body, slap after slap.
Li Cunxiao panted, his gaze sweeping across their faces. He read an emotion called respect.
In his mind, the Vajra Scepter shimmered with light, covering the dim gray. It passed over the spherical grip in the middle, passed over the Lotus Seat, and only slowly came to a stop near the depression in the cone-shaped end.
Charging progress: two-thirds.
As everyone relit the torches, helped Li Cheng bind his wounds, and checked their own injuries, weapons, and the damage to the escort goods, Shen He finally returned late from his pursuit.
His expression was ugly as he entered the courtyard covered in the scent of blood. For some reason, everyone's gazes became subtly strange.
Shen He could not help frowning.
"What happened?"