Escape

As dawn broke, a sliver of fish-belly white appeared on the eastern horizon.

After a night of slaughter, the Overlord's Soldiers had set up camp in a mountain hollow thirty li from Shen Family Fortress. This was the first time in days that the Overlord's Soldiers had paused to rest.

Arranged in groups of five, with five groups forming a squad, and five squads forming a camp, the Overlord's Soldiers' encampment was laid out in an unusually standard five-petal plum blossom formation. Small campfires flickered within the camp. Each group of five Overlord's Soldiers surrounded a small campfire, assuming a peculiar posture with their five hearts facing the sky, quietly digesting the 'Demonic Killing Qi' accumulated from their recent slaughter.

Wisps of black and red energy coiled around the bodies of the Overlord's Soldiers, constantly exhaled and inhaled through their nostrils. The faint sounds of their breathing merged into a low hum, carrying far into the dawn air. In the distance, Blood Armor Knights galloped past; they were scouts released by the Overlord's Soldiers.

In the center of the camp, Lin Xiao gently held the shivering young girl, staring blankly at the small campfire before him.

The young girl's name was Shen Xiaobai, a distant relative of the Shen family, several generations removed. Shen Xiaobai held a low position in Shen Family Fortress. Her parents held minor positions, managing a garden and orchard for the Shen family. Shen Xiaobai, due to her young age, nimble hands, and intelligence, was sent to work in the medicinal storehouse. When the Overlord's Soldiers breached Shen Family Fortress, Shen Xiaobai's parents were called upon by their clansmen to take up arms and resist, while Shen Xiaobai, left unattended, hid in the medicinal storehouse she knew best.

Shen Xiaobai could not forget the nightmare-like scene. Standing at her doorstep, she watched with her own eyes as her parents, armed with weapons, and a large group of clansmen rushed past the street corner, only to be cut to pieces by a flurry of flashing blades and swords. Blood splattered everywhere. She had no memory of how she ended up in the medicinal storehouse. In her panic, she knocked over some medicine baskets and finally hid behind a pile of them, praying that the fierce enemies would not find her.

When Lin Xiao moved the medicine baskets aside and Xue Wu's saber was placed at her neck, Shen Xiaobai was so terrified she nearly fainted. In that moment, Shen Xiaobai clearly understood what death was. A cold despair enveloped her body and mind, and every pore seemed to exhale a chill. Her vision darkened, and she wanted to pass out, but the icy fear gripped her heart so tightly that she didn't even have the right to faint.

Then, she heard the refined and handsome young man say something, and the saber suddenly left her neck.

Two warm arms wrapped around her, dispelling the cold and fear within her. She vaguely heard the young man murmuring, "I can save a group of bandits, can I not even save a little girl?" Dazed, she saw two streams of tears on the young man's face, and his strange, inexplicable, and utterly incomprehensible gaze.

It was a warm embrace, filled with a reassuring strength. Although Lin Xiao appeared frail, Shen Xiaobai instinctively felt safe in his arms. So, she closed her eyes comfortably and drifted off to sleep, forgetting the tragic death of her parents and the complete destruction of Shen Family Fortress.

Now, Shen Xiaobai was awake. She suddenly realized that she and the young man with the warm embrace were in the camp of those vicious bandits.

She looked in terror at the Overlord's Soldiers, their bodies wrapped in thin black and red mist, unsure what arcane ritual they were performing. Especially Ling Batian and his eighteen Blood Guards, who were only ten zhang away, were surrounded by a dense, blood-sea-like black and red energy. The strong smell of blood almost made Shen Xiaobai vomit.

Lin Xiao, with a blank expression, gently patted Shen Xiaobai's back and took a pill emitting a faint fragrance from his sleeve, placing it in her mouth. This was a 'Miasma Repelling Pill' prepared by Spring Return Hall specifically to eliminate miasma in the wild, but it also had an excellent effect in counteracting the smell of blood emanating from Ling Batian and his men. Shen Xiaobai pursed her lips, swallowed a mouthful of slightly sour medicinal juice, and her mind immediately cleared, no longer smelling the nauseating scent of blood.

With a hint of admiration, Shen Xiaobai looked up and secretly glanced at Lin Xiao, who stood like a wooden man with his eyelids lowered. She retracted her small hands, then stretched them out forcefully, wrapping them around Lin Xiao's waist. Lin Xiao's body was warm, and a revitalizing vitality emanated faintly from within him. Shen Xiaobai's senses were sharp; she liked the scent of Lin Xiao's body.

That scent was like the smell of pine forests in the deep mountains after a summer rain, or the smell of leaves baked by the sun. It was natural, tranquil, and comforting.

Lin Xiao gently stroked Shen Xiaobai's head. This well-behaved and cute little girl reminded him of a small dog he had raised a few years ago. That fluffy white puppy also liked to snuggle in his arms, trembling slightly and making comfortable "whimpering" sounds. Shen Xiaobai's body was like that puppy's, small, delicate, and warm, as if boneless. And, like the puppy, she loved to snuggle in Lin Xiao's embrace.

Lin Xiao decided that he would protect Shen Xiaobai at all costs. Not just her life, but other things as well. He did not want Shen Xiaobai to grow up in a bandit den, possibly becoming a scarred female butcher who could kill with a swing of her blade! He would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen, just as he never wanted to see the bloody hide of his little white dog again!

That little white dog, once so beloved by Lin Xiao, had been beaten to death by Lin Yao and two servants, its skin and fur stripped off right before Lin Xiao's eyes!

"Xiaobai!" Lin Xiao gently patted Shen Xiaobai's head and whispered in her ear, "When I pinch your ear later, shout loudly that you need to relieve yourself. Then, don't worry about anything else." The name 'Xiaobai' also reminded Lin Xiao of his little dog. 'Xiaobai, Xiaobai,' how many times had he called that little white dog with immense joy.

Shen Xiaobai blinked, looked up at Lin Xiao, and nodded gently.

Lin Xiao lowered his head, his eyelids drooping, but his entire attention was focused on Ling Batian and the eighteen Blood Guards who were diligently cultivating the 'Blood Kill Demonic Art.' The Evergreen Art from Spring Return Hall was not very powerful, but it was excellent for nourishing the body. Especially the Evergreen Art's profound effects in detecting the flow of true qi within others and treating internal injuries.

Lin Xiao was using this characteristic of the Evergreen Art to observe the flow of true qi in Ling Batian and his men. Basically, Lin Xiao knew that all cultivation techniques encountered one or two critical junctures during their operation. Especially when a certain Great Heavenly Cycle was completed and nearing the end of the technique, a martial artist was at their most vulnerable and least alert. If he chose to act then, Ling Batian and his men would likely give Lin Xiao ample time.

Slowly, slowly. Lin Xiao clearly sensed that Ling Batian's breathing was becoming longer and deeper, and the circulation of true qi within his body was becoming more obscure. He watched as the black and red mist outside his body was drawn into him bit by bit, no longer exhaled at all.

Lin Xiao gently rubbed Shen Xiaobai's ear.

Shen Xiaobai's big eyes darted around, and she immediately jumped up, shouting loudly, "I need to relieve myself!"

Shouting such a private matter so loudly, the young Shen Xiaobai couldn't help but blush, her shyness and a hint of strange annoyance making her forget her fear of the nearby Overlord's Soldiers. She looked left and right, but saw that besides a few sentries, no one was paying attention to her.

Lin Xiao stood up, took Shen Xiaobai's hand, and walked towards the edge of the camp.

An Overlord's Soldier blocked Lin Xiao's path and said in a low voice, "Doctor Lin!"

Lin Xiao glanced at the Overlord's Soldier and said indifferently, "Xiaobai needs to relieve herself. Do you want to follow her? Or do you want Xiaobai to do it here in front of all of you—"

The Overlord's Soldiers were a brave, bloodthirsty, and ferocious bandit army. However, apart from their love of killing and plundering, they had no other notorious reputation. At least, there were no records of Overlord's Soldiers bullying women. The Overlord's Soldier who blocked Lin Xiao's path blinked, shook his head, and slowly moved aside. "Doctor Lin, be careful. This area is not peaceful. The Black Blade Bandits' lair is not far from here."

The Overlord's Soldier's kind reminder made Lin Xiao's body stiffen. He nodded slightly, gave the Overlord's Soldier a faint smile, and led Shen Xiaobai towards a small patch of grass at the edge of the camp. Shen Xiaobai keenly noticed the change in Lin Xiao's grip; she seemed to understand something at that moment: the Black Blade Bandits and Lin Xiao must have some history.

"Black Blade Bandits!" Shen Xiaobai firmly etched the name into her mind.

All the Overlord's Soldiers, like Ling Batian, were at a critical juncture in their cultivation. For about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, they needed to transform the Demonic Killing Qi they had purified tonight into a wisp of 'Blood Killing True Qi' of the Blood Kill Demonic Path, integrating it into the Blood Killing True Qi they already possessed. This newly formed Blood Killing True Qi had to circulate through the twelve meridians and eight extraordinary vessels, completing three Great Heavenly Cycles at extremely high speed, and forcefully enter their Dantian with the fierce aura of a battlefield survivor, in order to merge with their existing Blood Killing True Qi, which was already as thick as blood.

This was a very complex process. Even Ling Batian could not and would not be distracted at such a critical moment. Those who practiced the Blood Kill Demonic Path had a fanatical obsession with increasing their strength; they would not miss any opportunity to enhance their power.

Fang Wen did not know about Ling Batian's obsession. He only knew from experience that he had about the time it takes an incense stick to burn to escape with Shen Xiaobai.

Five hundred zhang ahead lay a mountain forest, which stretched directly into the distant mountain range. As long as they could escape into that forest, their chances of escape would greatly increase. After escaping, he could find a way to take Shen Xiaobai to the Capital City, instead of continuing to stay with the Overlord's Soldiers, treating their wounded and acting as their accomplice.

However, Lin Xiao, judging by his own abilities, did not have the strength to cover five hundred zhang in the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Therefore, he pulled Shen Xiaobai into the patch of grass and, without stopping, emerged from the other side. The tall grass, about as high as an adult's neck, concealed Lin Xiao and Shen Xiaobai, and the Overlord's Soldier sentries in the camp did not notice their movements.

For the Overlord's Soldiers, this would have been an unforgivable oversight. But Lin Xiao had treated so many of their comrades, and all the Overlord's Soldiers felt an unconscious sense of gratitude towards him, which had significantly lowered their guard. Thus, a few Overlord's Soldiers glanced towards the grass but did not give it much thought.

Five Blood Armor Knights happened to be slowly riding past on their horses. Lin Xiao, holding Shen Xiaobai's small hand, emerged from the grass and directly blocked their path.

The five scouts were startled. The leader of the scout group asked in surprise, "Doctor Lin, what are you doing?"

Lin Xiao raised his hand, and a small paper packet flew towards the five scouts. The scout leader instinctively drew his long saber and split the packet open with a strike. A large amount of white powder sprayed out, covering the faces of the five scouts. 'Thump, thump, thump, thump,' without even a groan, the five scouts tumbled from their horses, falling to the ground in disarray. Their five warhorses, however, let out uneasy neighs towards the sky. They were surprised to find that they seemed to have lost control of their minds; they seemed to have returned to the vast grasslands where their ancestors had roamed, and they had an urge to gallop freely.

This powder was concocted by Lin Xiao an hour ago from various medicines he had casually gathered from the Shen Family Fortress's medicinal storehouse. For humans, this powder was a potent sleeping agent. For four-legged animals, it was the strongest stimulant. The harsh realities of life had forced Lin Xiao's mind to mature rapidly; he was beginning to learn how to utilize everything he knew.

Grabbing Shen Xiaobai, who was full of surprise, by her sash, Lin Xiao lifted her and floated onto the tallest warhorse, then forcefully patted its hindquarters.

"Giddy up! Go faster!" Lin Xiao shouted. "Good horse, if we escape from here, I'll treat you to braised pork and good yellow wine!"

The warhorse, its blood surging from the white powder, let out a wild roar towards the sky, its eyes turning blood red in an instant. Like a maddened bull, the horse stretched its legs and galloped forward. In the blink of an eye, it had covered nearly twenty zhang.

"Doctor Lin! Stop!" The saber energy unleashed by the scout leader when he drew his sword had alerted the Overlord's Soldier sentries in the camp. Before Lin Xiao had ridden even twenty zhang, three Overlord's Soldiers, agile as leopards, sprang from the grass. Their six-foot-long sabers sliced through the air, creating three streaks of light that struck heavily at non-fatal areas behind Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao quickly placed the constantly screaming Shen Xiaobai in front of him, embracing her small body with one arm, and struck out with his right hand.

A breath of true qi, cultivated since childhood, erupted from him. A faint, pale green qi barrier, several inches long, shot out from Lin Xiao's palm.

An Overlord's Soldier exclaimed, "Good lad! Such cultivation!" Lin Xiao's palm strike was too fierce. The three battle-hardened Overlord's Soldiers instinctively unleashed their full power, delivering their strongest blows towards Lin Xiao. With a 'swish' sound, three feet of bloody, ethereal light emerged from their sabers. All three Overlord's Soldiers had the formidable cultivation of forcing out blade qi, no wonder they were qualified to guard the entire camp while their comrades were engrossed in cultivation.

"Yaaah! Hmph!" Sensing the sharp and powerful auras behind him, Lin Xiao let out a roar, pushing out the last bit of strength he had.

Bang, bang, bang! Three blade auras struck the palm energy Lin Xiao had unleashed. The palm energy shattered, and three long sabers, held two feet away, slashed at Lin Xiao's back.

The warhorse was running too fast. The three sabers, which were meant to slice Lin Xiao into four pieces, ultimately only managed to strike him with blade qi from two feet away. As the three powerful blade qi entered his body, Lin Xiao felt as if three transparent holes had been ripped through him. His chest felt hollow and uncomfortable, and then he spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering it all over Shen Xiaobai's worried face.

Shen Xiaobai shrieked, "Brother Lin!"

Lin Xiao slapped the horse's rear and shouted, "Go faster!"

The warhorse's speed increased by another three points. It was no longer running like a warhorse but had the speed of the fastest leopard in the forest. The warhorse kicked up a cloud of dust as it galloped forward, gradually leaving the three Overlord's Soldiers, who were also chasing desperately, behind. The three Overlord's Soldiers looked at each other and stopped. Those from the Blood Kill Demonic Path never did things they knew were impossible. They preferred to conserve their strength for any potential skirmishes.

"A bunch of useless idiots! You let two kids escape! Damn it, you've embarrassed me!"

A muffled groan came from behind them. Ling Batian, carrying his Three-Pointed, Two-Edged Blade, was galloping towards them at about twice the speed of the warhorse. In just a few leaps, he covered nearly a hundred zhang.

Lin Xiao opened his mouth, breathing rapidly. A strong smell of blood emanated from his mouth, making Shen Xiaobai cough. Shen Xiaobai's heart felt like it was about to jump out of her chest. Although Lin Xiao had only been with her for a few hours, she already considered him her only support.

Tears streaming down her face, Shen Xiaobai coughed and stammered, "Brother Lin, sob sob... Don't scare me!"

With no time to explain anything to Shen Xiaobai, Lin Xiao struggled to retrieve a thumb-sized, purplish-gold pill from a hidden compartment in his belt and shakily popped it into his mouth.

This was the Spring Return Hall's secret formula, the 'Nine Dragon Life-Extending Pill.' Made primarily from the venom of nine highly poisonous snakes, it could revive even those with severe internal injuries, allowing them to fight for another half an hour even if they were on their last breath. The pill was incredibly potent, but its side effects were equally severe, causing devastating damage to one's vital energy. If it weren't a life-or-death situation, Lin Xiao would never have taken this pill, which was also known at Spring Return Hall as the 'Nine Deaths, One Life Pill.'

As the pill entered his stomach, it immediately transformed into streams of heat that surged through his body. An endless supply of energy erupted from his limbs. Lin Xiao's eyes lit up, his bright gaze startling Shen Xiaobai. She couldn't bear to look him in the eye; her own eyes even felt a burning pain. Lin Xiao let out a long cry. He felt his injuries heal, and his internal energy cultivation had increased by more than tenfold!

Behind them, Ling Batian galloped forward, his Three-Pointed, Two-Edged Blade in hand. Rage flickered in his eyes as he roared, "Lin kid, I haven't treated you badly! I was the one who collected the bodies of everyone from your Spring Return Hall! Damn it, I just asked you to stay as a military doctor, was that too much to ask?"

Lin Xiao turned his head and shouted, "Overlord, our paths diverge. Lin Xiao's background is clean, how can I associate with bandits like you?"

"Nonsense! Clean? In this world, what's clean anymore?" Ling Batian roared. "You look down on me as a bandit? I'll make you a bandit too! Damn it, I'll find you a bandit wife and have you raise a bunch of kids who will all become bandits!"

Lin Xiao's facial muscles twitched. Was there really such a tyrannical person in the world?

He snorted and turned back, saying, "Overlord, you buried everyone from my Spring Return Hall. I will repay this kindness in the future. But today..."

"But today, you're still going back with me!" Ling Batian had already closed to within five zhang of Lin Xiao. He cackled, "Blood Eleven has a full sister, who is nine feet three inches tall, six feet around the waist, and has a backside as big as a bull's. She's perfect for bearing children. I've decided, I'll have you marry her! Tsk tsk, a perfect match, you two!"

Shen Xiaobai, not fully understanding, vaguely knew that Ling Batian wasn't saying anything good. She clenched her small fists and shouted at Ling Batian, "Villain, I won't let you go!"

"Oh? The little girl is jealous?" Ling Batian threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Good, it's good to be jealous! Hmm, age doesn't matter. Blood Eleven's sister marrying Lin kid as his wife, and you, little girl, can be a concubine. That's just right!"

With a long cry, Ling Batian leaped five or six zhang into the air, like a hunting eagle. He let out a series of sharp whistles and swooped down towards Lin Xiao.

"All Things Renew!" Lin Xiao also shouted, unleashing layers of misty green energy from his palms. He struck the sky again and again. Though his palm strikes appeared extremely slow, they were actually incredibly fast. His palm energy condensed into clusters of half-opened green lotuses in the air. Nearly a hundred lotuses formed a cluster, rapidly flying towards Ling Batian.

With a dismissive snort, Ling Batian swung his long sabre, and a blade aura whistled out, cleaving down at the cluster of lotuses.

With a dull thud, all four hooves of Lin Xiao's warhorse snapped. A powerful, sharp blade intent surged into the horse's body from Lin Xiao's legs. The warhorse let out a mournful neigh and was instantly sliced into several pieces by the invisible blade intent. Hot horse blood sprayed far, splashing all over Lin Xiao and Shen Xiaobai. Shen Xiaobai screamed in horror again. This time, seeing the warm, wriggling horse entrails, she couldn't hold back and vomited a mouthful of bile.

Lin Xiao felt his body go empty. The heat from the Nine Dragon Life-Extending Pill had been completely consumed, and he once again felt the intense pain from the three wounds on his back. He grabbed Shen Xiaobai and staggered forward, running desperately. Ling Batian was sent flying dozens of zhang into the air. His body trembled slightly, and when he landed, he stumbled forward a few steps, almost falling headfirst into the steaming horse carcass.

The eighteen Blood Guards also caught up. Blood Five saw Ling Batian in a somewhat dishevelled state and roared in anger, ready to pursue them into the forest.

Ling Batian suddenly stopped him, "Fifth Brother, stay. Forget it, if he wants to leave, let him go. This kid probably doesn't have anything valuable on him."

Shaking his head, Ling Batian squinted at Lin Xiao's receding figure in the forest and muttered, "For the sake of those over a hundred brothers, since he's risking his life to leave, let him go. Hmph, hmph! I don't know what evil method he used to forcibly increase his cultivation by more than tenfold? Even I suffered a minor loss!"

He swung his Three-Pointed, Two-Edged Blade forcefully and said calmly, "I hope this kid's luck is good enough! Forcing ten times the true qi? Heh heh, we would all explode and die from this, but this kid..."

The Blood Guards looked at each other. Blood Five seemed to realize something and said, "So that's it, boss. You're not chasing because you think he's bound to die, right?"

Ling Batian shrugged, remained silent, then turned and strode away, carrying his Three-Pointed, Two-Edged Blade. (To be continued)