Winter Arrives

Zhou Yi turned and left the prison, wave after wave of miserable screams echoing behind him.

After leaving, Zhou Yi did not go home. Instead, he found a tavern. After making an offering to his Five Organs Temple, he slowly sat by the window, drinking as he pondered what path he should take in the future.

As Zhou Yi sat lost in thought, snowflakes suddenly drifted onto him from outside the window. Coming back to himself, he turned to look at the other diners. They were already wearing thick padded cotton clothes, while he still wore only a thin single layer. Training in martial arts had given him a physique that could withstand both cold and heat.

"So winter has already arrived," Zhou Yi murmured. His words came out in a cloud of white mist.

Zhou Yi got up, paid the bill, and left. Seeing that night was drawing near, he prepared to head to the village entrance for his usual patrol.

Zhou Yi walked along the street. Lanterns hung outside every household, and villagers hurried home through the light snow. It truly made for a scene of people returning home on a windy, snowy night.

Zhou Yi stood there watching for a while before shaking his head and continuing toward the village entrance.

When he arrived, Zhou Yi saw that his master was already standing there with his eyes closed, thick snow piled atop his head.

Looking at his master's complexion, it was not as rosy as before, but it was still far better than it had been two days ago.

Once Zhou Yi drew close, Qu Yong opened his eyes. Seeing that it was Zhou Yi, he said, "My injuries have yet to heal, and you've now entered the Vitality Realm. Tonight, the two of us will hold this place together."

Zhou Yi nodded and answered Qu Yong with a yes. He then stood to one side as well, closing his eyes and waiting for night to fall.

An hour later, darkness had completely descended. Snow still fell on and off. Hearing a clamor ahead of him, Zhou Yi opened his eyes. Most of the Patrol Team had already arrived, dressed in thick fur-lined coats.

Most of them had only just entered the Strength Channeling Realm and could not withstand cold and heat, but their clothing was still far better than that of ordinary households.

Zhou Yi brushed the accumulated snow from his body and searched the crowd for his two underlings. Once he spotted them, he beckoned to them.

When the two came before him, Zhou Yi said, "Tonight, I'll be stationed at the village entrance and won't be taking you out on patrol. Be careful. If you notice anything wrong, use a Signal Talisman."

Lin Cheng said to Zhou Yi, "Don't worry, boss. We'll be careful."

Zhou Yi nodded to the two of them and had them return to their places.

Once everyone in the Patrol Team had arrived, Qu Yong began assigning the night's patrol duties from the side.

After the assignments were finished, Qu Yong gave the order, and the patrol members began heading out of the village. The light radiating from the treasure icon overhead became even brighter beneath the reflection of snowlight and moonlight.

After watching Qu Yong finish, Zhou Yi walked over to his side. Looking at the light overhead, he asked his master, "Master, what is the treasure icon made of?"

Qu Yong shook his head. "I don't know either. Our village's treasure icon was bestowed by the imperial court as a reward. Other villages don't even have one!"

Zhou Yi was somewhat shocked to hear that other villages had no treasure icons. He then asked Qu Yong, "Then how do they resist the strange beings?"

"That's when Talisman Arrays are needed. Talisman masters set up Talisman Arrays around the villages. Strange beings below Crimson Grade are dealt with by martial artists, while those above Crimson Grade are blocked by Talisman Arrays. But the arrays must be completely replaced after each use, so the cost is extremely high."

"Master, what if the Talisman Array cannot be replaced in time?"

"Then they leave it to heaven and fate," Qu Yong said calmly.

But Zhou Yi suddenly felt a surge of relief in his heart, relieved that he had come to a village with a treasure icon.

Just then, a red light rose into the sky northwest of the village entrance. Qu Yong was about to set off when Zhou Yi stopped him.

"Master, let me go."

"Alright. Watch your safety!"

After nodding to Qu Yong, Zhou Yi activated his movement technique and raced toward the site of the incident.

The trees on both sides were rapidly flung behind him.

It seems Mortal Grade martial skills truly can no longer keep up with me, Zhou Yi thought. When he used the Vital Energy of the Vitality Realm to operate his movement technique, he could clearly feel that the efficiency of his Vital Energy had dropped. Though his speed was indeed faster than it had been in the Strength Channeling Realm, Zhou Yi could not unleash his current limits.

Before long, Zhou Yi arrived at the place where the signal had been sent. One Patrol Team member was already lying on the ground, while the two beside him stood back-to-back, vigilantly watching their surroundings. When one of them saw Zhou Yi arrive, he shouted, "Sir, be careful!"

The moment his words fell, Zhou Yi's figure had vanished. The strange being, which had been preparing to attack, froze where it stood. It could not understand it—this person had clearly been right there a moment ago.

Before it could think of an answer, it suddenly saw its own body in its field of vision. Then its consciousness dispersed at once.

Zhou Yi looked at the strange being's corpse on the ground. It was actually a peach tree, split into two by a single slash.

Though he had only just entered the Vitality Realm, that strike had already surpassed the one his master had demonstrated for him. Was this the benefit of tempering the fleshly body to its utmost limit? Having just entered the Vitality Realm, I can already rival the Mid-stage of the Vitality Realm.