Late-Arriving Newcomer Perks

"L-Loving Mother's Hand... Sword???"

Shen Tang was dumbfounded. She was sure it said sword, not thread?

And the second half was actually, "Son's Body Split"!

This "loving mother" was toxic.

If the first line was still understandable—after all, faced with a son who drove her up the wall, even the gentlest loving mother would be forced into a temper; otherwise, where would "filial sons come from beneath the rod" come from?—then the next line was enough to shock her for an entire year!

[18 strikes in one second, every sword strike lands a critical hit.]

Shen Tang's first reaction was—

Was the "son" still alive?

Could this kind of improper horror literature really break the deadlock???

She began to doubt her own instincts.

The Official Leader, whom Shen Tang had forcibly dragged off his horse, found it just as absurd—he had actually been yanked off his warhorse by an exiled Prisoner barely over ten years old!

At the same time, genuine killing intent rose within him.

If he did not kill this Gong Bandit today, she would surely become trouble in the future!

Following the principle of "still as a mountain, moving like thunder," he abruptly gathered strength in his arm, pulled back the spear tip she had seized, then thrust out again with lightning speed, aiming straight for Shen Tang's left eye.

But then—

The expected sight of the spear tip piercing her skull never came. Instead, it met resistance so powerful it nearly numbed the web between his thumb and forefinger.

Clang!

The spear tip struck a sword blade. It was an ancient sword of simple, unadorned design, its blade bright as snow, carrying the faint sound of dragons roaring and tigers howling.

And the one wielding it was Shen Tang!

At the sight, the Official Leader's pupils trembled.

The two of them wrestled for dominance, neither able to gain the upper hand.

This also gave Shen Tang a brief chance to catch her breath.

With this little bit of time, she did not know whether to complain that Sword in a Loving Mother's Hand could actually conjure a sword, or pity herself for catching a weapon barehanded—as an artist devoted to her craft, her hands were unquestionably more important to her than even her brain!

In her rage just now, she had lost control and actually used her precious right hand to catch the spear tip barehanded.

Fortunately, it had not damaged her tendons or bones. Otherwise, if she could never hold a paintbrush again for the rest of her life, what joy would there be left in living?

And the person before her who had injured her right hand—

Shen Tang's eyes darkened coldly.

Today, this "loving mother" would properly teach this overgrown son a lesson!

Just as the two remained deadlocked, Shen Tang shifted her footing. Her gleaming sword blade brushed past the long halberd, and the distance between them instantly closed.

At the same time, she quietly finished reciting the insane second line—

[18 strikes in one second, every sword strike lands a critical hit.]

The instant she swung her sword, an invisible yet powerful force gathered from her dantian into her right hand. Not only did it make the rather weighty longsword in her grip as light as a swan feather, it also made her arm feel as though eighteen super motors had been installed inside it, causing every slash to leave an afterimage of the blade.

So it really was "every sword strike lands a critical hit."

Where she could originally only strike once, she could now strike eighteen times, every blow aimed directly at a vital point!

Sword shadows and sword light intertwined into a net.

By all rights, this should have turned the Official Leader's head into a pincushion. But this world simply had no respect for martial ethics or science—

He crossed his arms before him and used black metal bracers condensed around them to forcibly withstand all eighteen strikes.

Not a hair was harmed!

No, that was not entirely true.

At the very least, she had sliced off his crown and topknot.

Shen Tang nearly burst into curses at the sight.

Could this world get any worse?

A Third-Class Zan Niao was already this troublesome. Would a 20th Rank Che Hou not ascend on the spot?

The Official Leader's expression grew increasingly focused, his brows knitting ever more gravely.

When Shen Tang's speed slowed slightly, he seized the chance to strike, punching out a red fist shadow. Shen Tang dodged in time, and the fist shadow smashed into the ground, blasting out a huge pit.

The flying sand and dirt blocked her line of sight.

When she could see clearly again, a gleaming broadsword was chopping down toward her head.

She could only raise her sword horizontally to block it. Under the crushing force, her knees bent slightly and her center of gravity sank as she forcibly received the blow.

The deafening clang of blade against sword made her ears ring and filled her head with phantom sounds.

The Official Leader said, "I had underestimated you!"

He came at her with an imposing aura, pressing forward step by step.

After a prolonged struggle, both sides had expended heavily, yet he still had not taken down the Prisoner.

Shen Tang's breathing was slightly uneven, and a thin layer of sweat had unknowingly seeped out across her forehead.

One had to know that a Third-Class Zan Niao possessed two or three times the strength of a Low-Tier Gongshi. Every swing of the Official Leader's blade was made with full effort, bent on splitting her in two. She suspected her arms were already hovering at the brink of being scrapped.

Because the pain was so intense, her mood was especially foul.

"Hmph. Clearly, I overestimated you."

If you could not do it, then you could not do it. Why put on airs and say something like, "I had underestimated you"...

Showing off with empty words!

"However, this is as far as—"

Unaffected by Shen Tang's provocation, the Official Leader put away his anger and swiftly closed in while dragging his blade. Yet he stopped a zhang away from her, his thick brows curling together.

He bellowed toward an empty patch of ground.

"Who is it? Come out!"

Shen Tang's heart jolted, and a chill ran down her spine.

There was someone else nearby?

Just then, a deep, magnetic male voice rolled into her ears.

The man spoke unhurriedly, "Teeth are hard and are lost first; tongues are soft and remain last. Softness can overcome hardness, and weakness can defeat strength."

The Official Leader's face turned livid after hearing this.

As his words fell, a black-and-white calligraphic painting unfurled beneath Shen Tang's feet. Characters flew out from it and embedded themselves into her body one by one.

In an instant, she was restored to full health!

Her arms no longer hurt, her breathing was no longer disordered, and all her spent strength had returned.

No, it was even better than before!

She had a feeling that if she swung her sword again, it would not be eighteen strikes, but thirty-six!

This was obviously an ally!

Could this be the late-arriving newcomer perk for a transmigrator?

Watching Shen Tang's aura rapidly recover, the Official Leader nearly felt like cursing his mother.

He ground his back teeth, almost gritting them apart.

"Obstructing official business is a crime punishable by death!"

The man said teasingly, "Then why not execute one and let me see?"

The Official Leader still refused to give up. "The Gong Clan acted perversely and against all reason, yet you keep company with a Gong Bandit. Are you not afraid of inviting disaster upon yourself?"

"Why the Gong Clan was raided and annihilated, I know better than you do. As for who the real bandits are, that remains to be seen."

The Official Leader knew at once that he had lost his chance. If he kept entangling them, he would likely have to face Shen Tang and the hidden man joining hands. Then his little life would be finished! Left with no choice, he dragged his blade back while facing Shen Tang, retreating a full three to five zhang before reluctantly mounting his horse and leaving.

Almost at the same time, the calligraphic painting beneath Shen Tang's feet dispersed.

As it vanished, Shen Tang, who had just seemed pumped full of chicken blood, returned to her previous state.

Shen Tang: "..."

The trial period for this buff was way too short, wasn't it?

With the danger lifted, she dropped onto the ground and adjusted her breathing, staring at her hands in disbelief—she had actually endured a Hellish Start long enough to receive a newcomer-protection perk, and even picked up her life again...

After surviving a great calamity, good fortune was sure to follow!

Casually wiping away her hot sweat, Shen Tang looked up and saw a lean young man with bluish lips step out from behind a tree.

She hurriedly scrambled to her feet and thanked him, "Thank you, sir, for your life-saving grace."

The Youth looked Shen Tang over with narrowed eyes for a while before saying flatly, "No need for thanks. If he had not discovered my tracks and shouted them out, then based solely on the fact that you are a male heir of the Gong Clan, I would not have wanted to save you. I might even have wanted to kill you."

Shen Tang: "..."

The smile at the corner of her mouth gradually froze.

She had just escaped the tiger's den, only to enter the wolf's lair???

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