Before death, Shi Yong did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately pulled the booklet of the Mountain Severing Saber Art from his clothes!
He was now filled with fear toward Wang Xuan!
Just a few days ago, this kid had been a sickly weakling, yet in the span of two short days, his archery had reached the realm of Triple Star Shot!
That was a realm spoken of only in legend!
Among the hunters within a hundred miles, no one had ever achieved such a level of archery!
Even now, he had not figured out what exactly was going on.
Wang Xuan's expression turned icy when he heard this, his bow still aimed at him.
"Speak. How did my eldest brother and father die?"
Shi Yong's body trembled as he said in terror:
"Y-You promised to let me go, and then I'll tell you!"
Wang Xuan's expression was indifferent.
"If you won't talk, then die!"
His right hand drew the bowstring, which immediately gave off a humming twang. Shi Yong's face turned deathly pale in fright, and he hastily raised his hands to beg for mercy.
"Don't, don't, don't! I'll talk, I'll tell you everything!"
"Your father and eldest brother were killed by people sent by Zhou Bapi, and in the end, he pinned the blame on demons!"
"The last incident was also ordered by him."
"His goal was your sister-in-law, Lu Yao!"
Shi Yong knelt on the ground, his face full of regret.
"Little Stone, I've told you everything I know. Please don't kill me!"
"I was wrong about what happened before. I apologize to you!"
"I guarantee I won't trouble you again in the future. I can even... help you learn martial arts!"
"My younger brother has already become a martial artist. As long as you let me go, you'll have a chance to enter a martial arts hall someday too!"
He appeared to be begging for mercy, but he was actually threatening Wang Xuan!
However!
Wang Xuan merely sneered. "Your younger brother became a martial artist? How impressive!"
"But that means I definitely can't let you live!"
"Besides, once I kill you, the martial art will be mine too."
"What? You..."
The arrow shot forth explosively!
Before Shi Yong's terrified and despairing eyes, it pierced straight through his head!
Blood mixed with shattered flesh splashed all over the ground!
You killed an enemy with archery. Basic Archery experience +100. Current Mastery progress: 675/800
The Crimson Panel's prompt sounded. Wang Xuan paused slightly, clearly not expecting killing someone to grant such a massive surge of experience.
Wang Xuan put away his bow and arrows and walked over to Shi Yong's corpse. He first gathered up the arrows nearby, then picked up the booklet in Shi Yong's hand.
As for the pudao, he did not take it.
"Mountain Severing Saber Art, a Ninth Grade Martial Art!"
Wang Xuan murmured, reading out the booklet's title and introduction. Then he opened it and saw its contents.
"So that's how it is..."
The first page of the Mountain Severing Saber Art contained some explanations about the Martial Path.
Martial artists could be divided into the two great realms of the Acquired Stage and the Innate Stage. The Acquired Stage was further divided into the six foundational realms of martial arts.
They were Iron Skin, Dragon Python, Coiling Flood Dragon, Jade Bone, Golden Blood, and Five Spirits, corresponding to the skin, flesh, tendons, bones, blood, and organs of the human body.
Once one broke through the sixth realm, the Five Spirits Realm, a wisp of Innate Qi would be born within the body. The Innate Qi would scour the fleshly body, shed the mortal shell, and reach the Innate Stage!
But!
Breaking through from the Acquired Stage into the Innate Stage was immensely difficult. This Mountain Severing Saber Art contained no information about the Innate Stage either.
As for martial arts—
They were divided into nine grades, from low to high.
There were even stronger martial arts above the Ninth Grade, but the booklet did not mention them. This Mountain Severing Saber Art was merely the most ordinary Ninth Grade Martial Art.
Wang Xuan continued flipping through it and soon gave the Mountain Severing Saber Art a rough read-through.
The Mountain Severing Saber Art was not complicated. It had only seven moves in total, each illustrated with diagrams and accompanied by the so-called formulas for circulating qi and blood.
Once cultivated to perfection, one's strength could reach a hundred jun!
One would possess the power to split mountains and sever peaks!
"This is good stuff. Once I get back, I'll practice it properly!"
Wang Xuan put away the booklet of the Mountain Severing Saber Art.
He then checked the panel again.
Sprint: Beginner progress 124/200
Effect: Light as a Swallow
"Before even reaching Minor Mastery, it already gives me this kind of speed. In my previous life, this would at least qualify me as an Olympic champion!"
Wang Xuan said with a strange expression.
Ten meters in a single step—by the standards of his previous life, that was practically superhuman!
At that moment, his gaze fell upon Shi Yong's corpse.
"How should I deal with this body...?"
Wang Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Awoo!"
Just then—
A wolf howl came from the depths of Blackwind Mountain.
Wang Xuan grinned. "Looks like I won't need to handle it after all!"
He did not linger. After cleaning up the traces he had left behind, he returned to Shi Yong's home.
He had not forgotten that one of his arrows was still there.
Wang Xuan pulled out the arrow and pushed open the door.
"Shi Yong had been following Zhou Bapi for quite some time, and he even had money to send his younger brother to a martial arts hall. He should have some savings, right?"
Wang Xuan murmured as he began searching through Shi Yong's home. Before long, he found a money pouch beneath the rice jar.
There were as much as twenty or thirty taels of silver inside!
"That's all the silver there is?"
Wang Xuan was somewhat disappointed.
"But now I have enough money to repay the debt and pay the taxes!"
Wang Xuan immediately tucked the silver away.
He then restored the room to its original appearance and silently returned home.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning.
While the sky was still dim, Wang Xuan woke early and packed his bow, hunting knife, dry rations, and other supplies before entering Blackwind Mountain.
He had killed Shi Yong last night and obtained the Mountain Severing Saber Art. He needed to find somewhere to practice it properly, and Blackwind Mountain was just the place to hide from prying eyes.
At this time, north of the village—
Liu San and several other hunters arrived at Shi Yong's home.
"Brother Yong, Brother Yong, are you home?"
Liu San called into the courtyard.
But even after calling several times, there was no response from inside.
"What is going on? Where is Brother Yong?"
One of the men, Zhu Er, frowned.
"Let's go in and take a look. Didn't we agree to block Wang Xuan in the mountains today? If we're late, that kid will be gone!"
The group did not hesitate. They immediately entered the courtyard to search, but after pushing open the room's door, they found no sign of Shi Yong.
Their brows furrowed even deeper.
"How strange. Where is Brother Yong?"
"Could he... have gone into the mountains early to block that kid?"
Zhu Er, Liu San, and the others looked at one another.
"Let's go. We'll check the mountains first."
"Maybe Brother Yong has already gone into the mountains."
After discussing it for a few moments, they immediately decided to enter the mountains.
Half an hour later.
They found Shi Yong's corpse in the mountains, already gnawed down to nothing but a skeleton. Blood had flowed all over the ground, dyeing the earth crimson.
"T-These are Brother Yong's clothes!"
"Could Brother Yong... be dead?"
Looking at the blood-soaked skeleton on the ground, Liu San and the others' expressions changed drastically. Their stomachs churned like overturned rivers and seas.
"It has to be Brother Yong!"
"That pudao is his!"
Another man cried out in terror.
"It's over! How did Brother Yong die?"
"Could demons have dragged him in here and eaten him?"
Liu San and the others looked at each other, their faces pale as paper!
Demons!
To them, that was a terror carved into their bones!
"Q-Quick, let's go!"
"Hurry back and inform Master Zhou!"
Whitecloud Town, Zhou Estate.
Zhou Laifu looked at the hunters kneeling on the ground, his brows slightly furrowed.
"You're saying... Shi Yong was eaten by demons?"
Zhou Laifu asked incredulously.
Liu San nodded. "Yes."
"Earlier, we went to find Shi Yong, but he wasn't home. We thought he'd gone up the mountain early to wait for that little beast!"
"But when we entered the mountains, we found his corpse and pudao. We don't know what ate his body clean, so we guessed... he may have encountered demons."
As the words reached his ears—
Zhou Laifu's face immediately darkened.
"What demons? He was most likely eaten by wild beasts. What a useless fool!"
Zhou Laifu snorted coldly.
Shi Yong had entered the mountains carrying a pudao rather than a bow and arrows. He must have been going there to practice the martial art his younger brother had given him.
Others did not know that Shi Yong had secretly learned martial arts from the martial arts hall, but Zhou Laifu did.
Shi Yong had most likely gone into the mountains to practice martial arts, encountered wild beasts when his strength was exhausted, and been eaten by them!
As for demons, they only existed deep within Blackwind Mountain. How could they possibly appear in the outer region?
"By the way, what's going on with that little beast now? Haven't you killed him yet?"
Zhou Laifu asked again.
Liu San lowered his head and replied, "N-No."
"That kid seems like a different person now. He even looks much stronger. Today, he went into the mountains to hunt again."
"Went into the mountains to hunt?"
Zhou Laifu narrowed his eyes.
"Fine, I understand. You may leave."
"You won't be needed anymore."
He dismissed them outright.
Liu San and the others were merely the most ordinary hunters, with no value left to exploit. Hearing this, they could only leave.
"Master, what should we do now?"
"I heard yesterday that this kid sold quite a few things at the Eight Treasures Inn. If he enters the mountains again today and catches something valuable..."
A steward-like man stepped forward and spoke in a low voice.
A trace of killing intent flashed through Zhou Laifu's eyes. "The day of the Blood Sacrifice is in a few days. The more virgin blood we collect, the better!"
"To prevent any accidents, send Hou Feng there. Have him deal with that kid. That way, when they fail to repay the debt, we can rightfully take her away tomorrow."
Before you continue