Handling

All the way there, he concealed his tracks and slipped silently into the inn.

Since he had already killed Qin Bo, leaving Fei Yao alive would only invite trouble.

If he did not deal with her soon, then once she sent word out and the Surging Wave Sect dispatched people, he would likely have to find another place and change his name again. It was simply too troublesome.

North Ye City lay on the frontier. Many of the systems enforced by centrally ruled dynasties were difficult to implement here, which was why the buying and selling of household registrations could openly appear at brokerage houses.

Elsewhere, even if you wanted to pave the way with money, it would depend on whether you had connections in high places.

"Why isn't Senior Brother back yet?"

Fei Yao, who had been sitting by the table with her chin propped on her hand, straightened up and muttered to herself.

Qin Bo had said he was going to pay another visit to the martial artist who had occupied his ancestral home. He had told her not to wander about and to wait for him to return, but an entire day had already passed.

She slowly rose to her feet, walked to the window, and pushed it open, intending to check the situation outside.

Before she could react, a large face suddenly appeared before her, inches away—less than three inches from her. Fei Yao could even clearly feel the breath he exhaled.

She instinctively tried to scream, only to see a large hand sweep over like lightning and clamp firmly over her mouth.

Then a heavy, muffled blow struck the back of her head. Agonizing pain followed, her vision went black, and she completely lost consciousness.

Xu Yunfan glanced at the blood staining the iron hammer. His gaze shifted to the back of Fei Yao's head, which had been crushed inward by that single blow. She had gone utterly still.

Moving without a sound, he slipped into the room and searched it. At last, he found a martial arts manual in their luggage.

"Surging Wave Palm."

Xu Yunfan looked at the three flamboyant characters on the manual's cover, surprise flashing through his eyes. This was the first time he had looted equipment from someone. Without another moment of hesitation, he acted.

With their luggage in one hand and Fei Yao's corpse in the other, he nimbly climbed back out through the window.

The night was as black as ink, and all was silent. With his hunting skills, he moved soundlessly and swiftly returned to Clear River Courtyard without obstruction.

Xu Yunfan found nothing else of value on Fei Yao. Other than a bag of Gold Leaves he had found in the luggage, there was nothing.

Having gained experience from disposing of Qin Bo, Xu Yunfan efficiently dealt with Fei Yao's corpse. He tied several heavy stones to it, then lowered it through the sewer he had dug beforehand and sank it into the bottom of the Clear Water River. The fish and shrimp on the riverbed would naturally conceal the traces for him.

He gathered the two of their clothes together and burned them to ashes.

After finishing everything, Xu Yunfan straightened up and dusted off his hands. He drew several buckets of water from the nearby well and washed himself clean from head to toe before entering the room.

He gently placed the Power Awareness Bodhisattva wooden statue, which he had wrapped in coarse cloth beforehand, onto the table.

As for the Surging Wave Palm, he skimmed through it and discovered that it was a tendon-training martial art. He set it aside for now, intending to study it properly after cultivating Fleet Foot to mastery.

Under the flickering candlelight, the wooden statue's shadow stretched across the wall, seemingly magnified dozens of times until it nearly enveloped half the room.

As the candlelight continued to dance, the shadow of the Power Awareness Bodhisattva Statue seemed alive, twisting and shifting in a hair-raising manner.

Xu Yunfan's expression remained calm, without the slightest fear.

He slowly formed the lin character hand seal before his chest and silently recited the Highest Good is Like Water Heart Mantra.

Gradually, as time passed, his mind was drawn along by the distant, flowing scripture, entering a wondrous state that was neither empty nor not empty.

Deep within his mind, the figure he had painstakingly formed at the cost of countless efforts now appeared clearer than ever before.

Though its facial features were still indistinct, the outline of its body and robe hems had gradually become clear.

As Xu Yunfan closed his eyes and chanted, the three faces of the wooden Bodhisattva statue before him appeared increasingly strange and sinister beneath the dim candlelight.

In an imperceptible realm beyond ordinary sight, Xu Yunfan vaguely heard waves of howling. The sound was vast and mighty, like rolling thunder, shaking his spiritual world.

Yet the revered figure visualized through the Proximity Mantra stood like a Sea-Stabilizing Needle, firmly guarding his sea of consciousness.

No matter how many chaotic tremors and impacts came from without, upon reaching it, they were like a breeze passing over a lake, unable to stir even a ripple.

"You have encountered ominous aura entangling you."

"You are cultivating the Proximity Mantra and have unexpectedly discovered that the Proximity Mantra can absorb ominous aura. You feel that your spirit has grown somewhat stronger. Proficiency in the Proximity Mantra has increased."

"You recite the Highest Good is Like Water Heart Mantra, cleansing all the ominous aura surrounding you. It consumes considerable mental energy, but correspondingly, you feel that your spirit has visibly become somewhat tougher. Proficiency in the Lin Character Secret has increased."

...

Half an hour later, Xu Yunfan slowly opened his eyes. They were filled with fatigue, but beneath it lay excitement that he could scarcely suppress.

This was the first time since he began cultivating the Proximity Mantra that his training duration had exceeded an hour.

His gaze fell upon the Power Awareness Bodhisattva Statue on the table. He understood that it was this wooden statue that had nearly doubled the duration of his cultivation.

Originally, after cultivating for around half an hour, his mind would become utterly exhausted. Yet today, he had forcibly crossed the one-hour threshold.

"Hmm?"

Xu Yunfan suddenly noticed a fine crack on the wooden statue.

"Did my cultivation of the Proximity Mantra cause this?"

Xu Yunfan pondered in silence, vaguely understanding the reason.

This Power Awareness Bodhisattva wooden statue clearly contained more than just ominous aura. There was also something mysterious about it that he could not perceive. He even suspected that it might house a spirit.

"Accumulating Cloud Mountain, Thousand Buddha Temple... I should visit them when I have the chance. There may be unexpected gains."

With that thought in mind, Xu Yunfan could no longer hold on. He walked straight to the bed, lay down, turned over, and fell into a deep sleep.

On the table opposite the bed, the Power Awareness Bodhisattva Statue sat quietly in the center.

Under the candlelight, the shadow that had once occupied half the room was visibly receding. Even some of the sinister, eerie aura on its three faces had dissipated.

Early the next morning, sunlight streamed through the window and into Clear River Courtyard.

Xu Yunfan had already eaten several large bowls of noodles at the morning market. Now, he stood in the courtyard wearing only a pair of shorts, revealing an exceptionally muscular body. His muscles bulged like mountain peaks, their lines sharply defined.

Fleet Foot needed only a little over thirty more proficiency points to reach mastery. Today was the day it would happen naturally.

He drew a deep breath and tensed every muscle in his body.

From the outside, Xu Yunfan's muscles rose and fell like raging waves, constantly surging and rippling with an overwhelming sense of power.

Then he bent slightly, lowering his body as his legs slowly gathered strength.

At that moment, the muscles in his legs could clearly be seen, like taut steel cables, every strand distinct and stretched straight. Every muscle was accumulating astonishing power.

"Bzzzt!"

His great tendons snapped taut with a thunderous boom, as if a thunderclap had suddenly exploded in the courtyard. Immediately afterward, the whistling sound of wind splitting filled the air without end.

As a lightness skill, Fleet Foot had no offensive moves. Once mastered, it excelled at long-distance dashes and possessed enduring stamina.

I'm late, I'm late—sorry.