Looking back, Captain Chen saw another ugly, menacing Mountain Imp emerge in the darkness, slaughtering his men without mercy.
There was another Mountain Imp!
No wonder the group Li Lantian and the others had assembled had been routed so quickly. One had attacked head-on while the other lay in wait to ambush them.
These men were no match for Captain Chen, and they had been caught off guard. In a single clash, several young constables had already been killed.
"Ah! There's another Mountain Imp!"
"Help! Someone save me! I don't want to die!"
"You beast!"
At the sight of the carnage, Captain Chen's eyes nearly split with rage.
He was just about to rush over and save his men when the Mountain Imp beside him kept him pinned down.
From the corner of his eye, he saw the other Mountain Imp open its gaping maw and charge at Li Xian.
"Second Young Master Li, run!"
Captain Chen roared.
But Li Xian, of course, didn't run.
Beneath the night sky, Li Xian's eyes blazed wide. The muscles all over his body swelled, and his skin turned a dark blue-green. He let out a roar.
"Tiger Cannon!"
A deafening tiger's roar shook the forest.
Li Xian threw a punch. Though he struck second, his fist arrived first, slamming straight into the charging Mountain Imp.
What terrifying force that punch held!
As everyone watched, the ambushing Mountain Imp was blasted apart by Li Xian's fist.
Blood sprayed everywhere, and chunks of flesh flew through the air.
The Mountain Imp's corpse fell limply to the ground, kicking up several clouds of dust.
"This..."
Everyone stared in shock. Even Captain Chen and the Mountain Imp stopped fighting for a moment, their faces stunned as they looked over.
Beneath the moonlight, the young man stood calmly, bathed in a rain of blood. The sight was so shocking that no one could ever forget it.
"That was the Tiger Cannon Fist and Thirteen Taibao Horizontal Training?! And at their highest levels?!"
Captain Chen stared at Li Xian's dark blue-green body, his voice full of uncertainty.
Neither technique was a secret. In Dagan, anyone who wanted to learn them could find a way. But in all his years, Captain Chen had never met anyone who had mastered both to their highest level.
With just these two techniques, Li Xian's strength had long surpassed his father, Li Lantian's. He was at least a Middle Three Ranks expert.
The Martialist Realm began with the Martial Artist Nine Ranks, divided into the Lower Three Ranks, Middle Three Ranks, and Upper Three Ranks.
Above those were the Extreme Realm Three Ranks.
The Extreme Realm Three Ranks were known to the world as the Innate, Mortal Transformation, and Saint Ascension realms. Each realm was further divided into three stages.
And beyond that lay the legendary, elusive Martial God Realm, where one could live as long as heaven and earth.
Dagan had founded itself on martial prowess, and Martialists were as plentiful as carp crossing a river. Reaching the Middle Three Ranks required a certain measure of talent and insight.
A Middle Three Ranks Martialist as young as Li Xian was a rare sight indeed. Give him a few more years, and might he not reach the Upper Three Ranks?
Captain Chen could hardly imagine it.
While everyone stood stunned, the Mountain Imp that had appeared first saw the tide turning and bolted.
There was no way it could beat such a vicious human. Time to make a run for it!
But Li Xian had noticed it long ago. There was no way he'd let it escape.
"Trying to run?"
Li Xian laughed. His figure flashed past like a ghost, and when he appeared again, he was right in front of the Mountain Imp.
"Take my punch!"
"Roar!"
The Mountain Imp let out a desperate, miserable howl, but it was useless. Li Xian blasted it apart with another punch.
And so, the two Mountain Imps that had ambushed them—the Demonic Evils that had nearly routed the whole party—both died at Li Xian's hands.
"Second Young Master Li, you..."
Everyone looked at Li Xian with awe. Even Captain Chen spoke with a respect he had never shown before.
"Captain Chen, just call me Li Xian."
Li Xian smiled, then slowly relaxed his Body Tempering Skill, returning to the refined, scholarly young master he had been before.
"Your performance certainly gave me quite a shock, Young Master Li," Captain Chen said with a wry smile.
"You flatter me, Captain Chen," Li Xian replied. "What should we do with these two Demonic Evils?"
Captain Chen thought for a moment, then said, "Burn them."
Flames reddened half the sky as Captain Chen's party and Li Xian's group continued deeper into Partridge Mountain.
Their purpose in coming here was not only to slay the Demonic Evils, but also to bring back the bodies of their colleagues or family members.
At last, by a steep cliff, Li Xian found Li Lantian, who had been dead for some time. His flesh was mangled beyond recognition.
Li Xian stood to one side, silently watching as the people from the County Office gathered up Li Lantian's body.
"Take care," Captain Chen said as he came over and patted Li Xian on the shoulder.
"I'm fine." Li Xian shook his head. "We've done about all we can. We should head back."
"Yes. It's time to go!"
With the loss of both its head and the man who had once been its second-in-command, the Li Family Escort Agency had suffered a blow unlike any before.
Though it had gained a much stronger Second Young Master to serve as its pillar in the years ahead, he seemed to have no interest in taking on that role.
After returning from Partridge Mountain, Li Xian visited Captain Chen several times.
He humbly asked the old veteran how he might find a good path toward cultivating higher-level Martial Arts Mind Methods.
Captain Chen showed this remarkably talented young man all due courtesy.
He answered just about every question.
"The obvious choice is to join one of the Great Sects with deep foundations," Captain Chen said.
Li Xian asked, "Are there any here in Nanfeng City?"
"Of course not!"
"Then..." Li Xian hesitated.
Captain Chen smiled. "If you're interested, Young Master Li, why not try Yangzhou City?"
"Yangzhou City..."
"Second Brother, what did you say? You're leaving Nanfeng City?"
Li Chunxiao stared at her second brother in disbelief.
Li Xian remained calm. "That's right. I'm leaving Nanfeng City for a while."
"Why? The family needs you now, and you want to leave at a time like this?" Li Chunxiao was worked up.
Li Xian looked out the window, his voice low. "Nanfeng City is too small. I need to go out and see the world."
Li Chunxiao fell silent.
So much had happened to their family lately. They had lost their father, Li Lantian, and, even more unexpectedly, discovered that her usually unruly second brother was a Martial Arts Genius who had hidden his talents so well that even his own family had been fooled. If the family hadn't suffered such a terrible loss, he might never have stepped in.
A second brother like that shouldn't spend his whole life hiding away in Nanfeng City.
Li Chunxiao's spirits sank. "Then when are you planning to leave, Second Brother?"
"Once I've taken care of things at home." Li Xian spoke earnestly. "The Escort Agency will be in your hands from now on."
"Mm." Li Chunxiao asked in a muffled voice, "Where are you going?"
"Yangzhou City."
Before you continue