You Xun, Golden Saber Sect Leader

"Who are you?"

A somewhat plump middle-aged man dressed as a Squire saw Yue Lingshan and Ji Shu brazenly barge in. He froze for a moment, but reacted swiftly, striking out with both palms at Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan's heads. Clearly, in his eyes, strangers who had burst in at a time like this could not possibly be welcome guests. Better to beat them to death first and ask questions later.

He reacted quickly, and his palm force was exceptionally fierce. Had Yue Lingshan faced that palm strike alone, she likely would have been killed on the spot.

But he had encountered Ji Shu. Ji Shu merely flicked a finger at the Squire's palms. A ringing sword cry sounded, followed by two crisp pops. The Squire's palms were sliced apart, all ten fingers dropping to the floor. Blood splashed everywhere, and the pain made him scream miserably.

"Sword Qi launched through the air?!"

The other two men standing nearby were thunderstruck. Without time to think further, they both drew their swords and thrust at Ji Shu. Ji Shu drew his sword like lightning—Fierce Wind Swift Sword! Like a wild gale sweeping across the earth, in the blink of an eye, the two men's throats had been cut open. They died where they stood!

"...!!"

The four or five bound captives gasped sharply at the sight, utterly stunned!

They stared blankly at Ji Shu. He looked so young—how could he be this formidable?! Who in the world was he?!

Clutching his severed palms, the Squire trembled as he voiced the question in all their hearts.

Ji Shu did not answer. Instead, he rotated his wrist and pointed his sword at the Squire.

"Who are you?"

"My name is You Xun."

You Xun.

Ji Shu had heard of him. He was also a notable figure in the world of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.

"Where is Ji Wushi?"

Ji Shu went straight to the heart of the matter. Ji Wushi had claimed to possess the Evil Warding Sword Manual. It was clearly a trap, meant to set him up. He had to drag that bastard out!

"His whereabouts are elusive. We've always communicated by carrier pigeon."

"Where is the pigeon?"

"It should fly back after some time."

Ji Shu nodded.

"What is the purpose of your trip?"

"The Evil Warding Sword Manual."

"And besides that?"

"If I tell you, will you spare me?"

"If you tell me, I'll give you a quick death."

"...Fine! I'll tell you!"

You Xun gritted his teeth.

"We came for a treasure. It's in my robes. Young Hero, you may reach in and take it."

Ji Shu's brows lifted slightly. He did not reach out. Instead, he drew his sword at once. With a clang that tore through the air, You Xun's upper robe was split open, and the things hidden within fell all over the ground.

There were heaps of red and green bottles and jars.

But no treasure.

"Watch out, there's a snake!"

Yue Lingshan cried out in alarm.

A thumb-sized, brilliantly colored snake suddenly slithered out from an unsealed jar. It shot toward Ji Shu's neck like lightning, fangs bared. Ji Shu reacted with astonishing speed, throwing a backhanded punch!

Baji Quan!

Bolstered by his powerful inner strength, Baji Quan unleashed a sonic boom. Surging airwaves swept outward, instantly blasting the little snake away. Before it could hit the ground, Ji Shu flicked his sleeve, firing a Dart that whistled through the air. It struck the snake's head dead on, pinning it to the ground and killing it. The snake could not move in the slightest.

You Xun stared in utter disbelief, trembling uncontrollably as he turned to run.

Ji Shu did not pursue him. He simply fired another Dart, which struck You Xun directly in the neck! Driven by immense inner strength, the Dart pierced clean through his throat. He made two gurgling sounds before collapsing to the ground, his eyes wide open in death, unable to rest in peace.

"That was close, far too close."

Yue Lingshan still looked shaken. "I never thought that even with death staring him in the face, You Xun would still plot something so venomous. Luckily, you were cautious enough, Ji Shu. If you had rashly reached into his robes, that poisonous snake might have bitten you."

The snake was clearly lethally venomous, most likely something You Xun had deliberately raised.

In the original story, You Xun had not possessed such a snake. Now he did. Most likely, this was one of the changes brought to the martial world by Players entering it for ten years.

Ji Shu frowned slightly. He still had not learned You Xun's true purpose for coming. That man's mouth had been full of lies. Whether the carrier pigeon would truly return was anyone's guess.

Ji Shu decided to wait here a while longer. If the pigeon did not come, he would leave.

"Young Hero, could you perhaps undo these bindings for us?"

A weak voice rang out, laced with shock and fear.

Ji Shu looked over and saw that the speaker was an elderly man with upright, dignified features. He nodded, stepped forward, and swept his sword through the air. Swish, swish! The ropes binding everyone, including the old man, were all severed.

Once freed, the group rose and bowed to Ji Shu in gratitude.

Ji Shu nodded, with no intention of speaking. The others exchanged looks and did not dare say more.

Ji Shu waited for a while, but the carrier pigeon never arrived. He turned to leave.

Seeing this, the old man hurriedly called out.

"Young Hero, please wait."

Ji Shu turned to look at him.

The old man said, "I am Wang Yuanba, the Golden Saber Sect Leader. I have a modest amount of influence in Luoyang. If Young Hero does not mind, may I properly host you and this young lady, to express our gratitude?"

"There's no need for such trouble."

Ji Shu said, "We still need to leave for Mount Song. It would not be convenient to stay long."

"If that is the case, Young Hero, please wait a moment."

After thinking for a moment, Wang Yuanba turned and tapped along a wall. Before long, a section of the wall protruded, revealing a wooden box. Wang Yuanba took out the box and pressed it several more times before opening it. From within, he took out a Secret Manual and respectfully offered it to Ji Shu.

"Young Hero, this is my family's inherited secret art, the Turtle Breath Technique. My aptitude is shallow; after practicing for many years, I was still fated never to master it. Today, I wish to pass this secret art on to you. Please do not refuse. This is merely a small token of gratitude from the Wang Family."

Ji Shu nodded, reached out to accept it, and without even looking at it, casually tucked it into his robes before turning to leave.

Wang Yuanba personally escorted Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan to the entrance with the others.

Only after watching Ji Shu and Yue Lingshan walk away into the distance did Wang Yuanba let out a long breath and sigh.

"Who could have imagined that Mount Hua Sect would produce such a prodigy? It seems Mount Hua Sect may yet rise again!"

"But Father, according to You Xun and the others, this man may have practiced the Lin Family's Evil Warding Sword Manual!"

A middle-aged man beside him wore an uncertain expression. "If he really took the Evil Warding Sword Manual, we should demand it back from him!"

"..."

Wang Yuanba, too, became uncertain. But when he recalled Ji Shu's decisive, ruthless killings, he sucked in a cold breath and firmly said, "Forget it. We barely managed to pick up our lives again. From now on, it is better to keep a low profile."

"But Father..."

"Enough."

Wang Yuanba raised a hand to stop him.

"Say no more. Ji Shu is not like the orthodox disciples of Mount Hua Sect. He is a Player! If he truly killed us, what could Mount Hua Sect do to him? Do not put human nature to the test!"

The middle-aged man at his side was still unwilling to let it go. He looked toward the young man standing farthest to the left.

"Ping Zhi, do you think it is possible that Ji Shu practiced your Lin Family's Evil Warding Sword Manual?"

"What he used was not the Evil Warding Sword Technique."

The young man shook his head.

"As for anything else, I do not know."