Chapter 33

A counterattack wouldn't be easy. The two swordsmen were keeping a perfect distance from each other; they didn't look like the reckless sort who'd give Bai Lang a chance to take them down one at a time. What else could he do? Run first. If he could draw them far enough away, perhaps their duties would force them to return to the pavilion and guard the road. But it looks like these two are set on killing me. Bai Lang urged his Flight Over Grass technique onward as he thought.

He should be appreciating how good the Golden Bell Shield's inner strength was by now. It was powerful and robust. Though it couldn't make his lightness skill faster, it gave him endurance. But now Bai Lang wished he had the kind of inner strength that flowed endlessly, fine as a silken thread, then spread like purple clouds covering the sky—the Purple Cloud Divine Skill. It would surely be remarkably effective at generating inner strength on its own. He could already feel that the Golden Bell Shield's inner strength was gradually becoming difficult to sustain.

His inner strength was still substantial, but its reserves were starting to run low. The new strength he generated could no longer keep up with what he was using. I can only grit my teeth and keep going. If I turn and fight and fail, I definitely won't get away. Better to keep running. Bai Lang was clearheaded enough to know that escaping was the best choice for now. As for completing the mission, he could think about that later. Besides, he wasn't the only one who had to make an effort, was he?

He also couldn't help harboring a sliver of hope. He just felt that this didn't seem like the Jade Fish's style. Perhaps there was another way. A cliff came into view, and Bai Lang thought his chance had arrived. The two swordsmen behind him seemed to practice an inner-strength martial art that relied on quick bursts. Their condition looked even worse than his at the moment; at least, they had less endurance when it came to lightness skills. But they were still keeping their distance, and Bai Lang didn't dare turn and fight.

"Rule number one of cliff-diving: you never die!" Bai Lang shouted and leaped straight down without hesitation. The swordsmen behind him stopped.

"They didn't jump after me! Good! Now it's time to save myself!" Bai Lang poured all the inner strength of his Golden Bell Shield into his hands, completely ignoring the injury in his left shoulder. He struck the cliff again and again, punching holes into it and successfully slowing his fall. Best of all, halfway down he spotted a ledge. A shallow cave lay in a recess in the ledge.

Bai Lang crashed onto the ledge and rolled into the cave, letting out a muffled groan. If the Golden Bell Shield hadn't passed its first stage, the fall would have broken at least a dozen of his bones. As it was, he'd only suffered some bruises. The impact had reopened the wounds he'd bandaged, and blood began to flow again. The injury in his shoulder was just as impossible to control, blood running down his body and arm.

Bai Lang felt the injury in his left shoulder with his right hand. Gritting his teeth, he set the bone back in place, then used a strip of cloth to secure it, cold sweat running down his face. His clothes had been torn up even more. After the fall, he'd used his true energy to protect himself, nearly exhausting the Golden Bell Shield's inner strength. He did what he could to tend to his wounds, then finally passed out.

When he woke, the sky had grown dark. His injuries hadn't improved; some of his wounds even felt hot and numb. "Hmph, this is trouble. The wounds don't look good." Bai Lang tried to gather his inner strength, only to find his true energy in disarray within his Dantian, impossible to bring together. He let out a long breath and calmed himself, slowly guiding his energy. First, he circulated it through the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, gathering the scattered strands in his Ren Meridian and drawing them back into his Dantian.

He slowly gathered his true energy, and by the time he had finally drawn in all the energy scattered through his meridians, night had fallen deep. His condition was naturally poor; he was starting to run a fever. He hadn't eaten for a day and a night, had fought several battles, and lost a lot of blood. Now his mouth was completely parched. Fortunately, droplets of moisture had gathered on a cool part of the cave wall. Bai Lang licked the trickle they formed, finally quenching his thirst, but there was nothing he could do about his hunger.

After gathering his true energy, his spirits lifted somewhat. As he circulated the Golden Bell Shield's inner strength, his wounds tightened and the slow seep of blood stopped. "There's definitely no time left." Bai Lang didn't feel particularly resentful. Instead, it all seemed a little unreal. He touched the Jade Fish. "The second time around, and it gives me a blow like this?" Just as the thought crossed his mind, a voice sounded: "Cao Yuqing eliminated. Mission complete. Beginning return."

Bai Lang's vision blurred, and he passed out again.

When he opened his eyes once more, he saw a palace. Outside it was a vast sea of clouds; nothing else was visible. The others he had parted from earlier had also risen from the palace floor. Seeing Bai Lang, they smiled with relief at having survived. They were all in bad shape. Mu Ronghua had lost an arm, Ma Rulong was covered in blood, and half of Murong Jiuxiu's body looked as though it had been burned. Qin Lian'er seemed the least injured, with nothing worse than a pale complexion.

"Where's the little monk?" Bai Lang was wrapped in bandages from head to toe, blood seeping through them in places. He didn't look much better. "Dead," Ma Rulong said dejectedly. Bai Lang was just about to speak when the voice sounded again from above the palace. "Successful return. Beginning medical treatment." A number appeared before Bai Lang's eyes: "One thousand." He couldn't see anyone else's, but judging by their gazes, they could see their own. Right, this number might be the score for clearing the trial or something. Infinite-flow stories always have something like that. Of course, it's personal information.

A pillar of light enveloped him, and the number one thousand began to tumble downward. "It's deducting pretty fast!" Bai Lang muttered. But as he watched the numbers, a voice echoed in his ear: "Trial base reward: one thousand." Bai Lang let out an "Uh," but he couldn't exactly shout, Why don't the people I killed count toward my score? His wounds felt as if they were wrapped in warm water, and the pain disappeared. When his score reached eight hundred, the pillar of light vanished, and he could move freely.

The others were healed as well. Murong Jiuxiu quickly pulled out a mirror and checked herself from every angle, while Mu Ronghua felt his arm, looking thrilled. Now that everyone had been healed, the voice spoke again. "The time of the next mission is undetermined. Trading is now available." A piece of jade in the palace lit up, and countless lines of text appeared in a projection in the air. Bai Lang glanced through them and realized he probably couldn't afford a single item; the prices were all at least four digits. Even Arabic numerals were used here.

Martial arts Secret Manuals were out of the question. The cheapest were still four digits. Then he checked the miraculous medicines. "Ha ha ha," Bai Lang laughed. "Can't afford them!" They also started at four digits. "Fine, let's look at weapons. Oh, there's something I can afford!" It was quicker to scan the list from the bottom, so Bai Lang soon found a suitable weapon. "Polished Purple Gold Mace, three chi and six cun long, weighing eighty-eight jin and sixty-four liang. Another four-sided mace, with an armor-piercing spike for a head. Not bad, not bad. This pair of maces only costs eight hundred. As they say, when the wind blows, the eggshell cracks; once the money's gone, at least the person's safe!"

Without a second thought, he bought the pair of Purple Gold Maces. A flash of light, and a deer-antler stand appeared on the ground, holding the two maces. Bai Lang picked one up in each hand. He was quite pleased with their weight, and their purple-gold finish glimmered with a dark golden sheen in the light. They looked good, too.

Unbelievable—I actually posted two chapters!