Fighting Mountain Bandits

It was another sunny and breezy day when Bandit A and B went out of their stronghold to patrol the mountains and hunt.

Wearing straw hats and draped in bark and pine quilts, they moved silently through the bushes, their breaths barely audible, carried by the wind, sometimes rapid, sometimes slow, sounding as if a gentle breeze were blowing through the grass.

This move is called Haoli Xing, a superior light-body skill taught to them by the bandit leader and a secret technique passed down by the night sentries of the Imperial Guards.

There's no way around it, the Central Plains are too corrupt. If someone didn't even have this much skill and still tried to join the underworld as a bandit, they would have been killed long ago by those idle young masters who came out to punish evil!

First, we'll search the nearby traps we set earlier to see if any roe deer have fallen in. Then we'll check the tree holes and mud pits to catch a few wild rabbits. Of course, it would be even better if we could find a lost stranger. We could shoot him in the heart with an arrow, and get good meat from his thighs and arms. We could even give the rest to the Yellow Weasel on the mountain. That way, we wouldn't have to draw lots in the village this month to send one of our brothers to be the monster's furnace.

Mountain bandits are human too; they fear monsters as well. But they can't bear to leave the mountains and wander elsewhere. After all, with this monster in the forest, the constables from the prefecture dare not venture into the mountains to their deaths. And the officials of the Six Doors (a government agency) look down on such a minor demon whose core hasn't fully formed. This is how the mountain bandits manage to survive in the cracks.

But to be honest, this monster is really ruthless in its human consumption. Villagers and merchants from all around are afraid to approach it. The bandits have been forced to attack villages several times, which has attracted the attention of the prefectural government, who has offered a reward for their capture. It is no longer convenient for them to go out and rob.

But we were lucky today; a wild boar actually fell into the trap!

The wild boar was covered in blood; it was unclear which ravine it had rolled down into the trap from.

Bandit A and Bandit B, who hadn't had a good night's sleep for days, were overjoyed. They busied themselves, dragging the wild boar out of the pit, cutting down a tree trunk, wrapping it with foot-binding straps, and carrying it like a shoulder pole. They happily returned to their stronghold.

Smelling the aroma of blood and flesh, the bandits' mouths watered and their lower bodies became restless. One said, "This pig's butt is really fat, just like the young widow from Zhao Village." Another said, "Yes, yes, it'll look even more like her if it's stewed!"

As they carried the wild boar over a hill and were descending, a flash of blood suddenly swept past the feet of Bandit A. Bandit A screamed and tumbled down the hill with the boar in his arms.

"What happened to you! Did you sprain your ankle!?"

Bandit B nearly twisted his back. Before he could react, a shadow suddenly darted out of the bushes beside him and charged straight at his chest!

Bandit B, whose back and legs were aching and numb, couldn't dodge in time and was caught in the shadowy figure. Instantly, he felt a stab in his abdomen and a flash in his chest. His strength seemed to gush out from under him like flowing water. He realized he had been stabbed, so he tilted his head back and fell to the side on the grass, pretending to be dead.

Qin Jiu didn't notice.

This was the first time he had ever stabbed someone with a sword. He gritted his teeth and jumped out, having already exerted all his strength in that one thrust. Now, his adrenaline surged, his blood rushed to his head, and it felt as if a fire was burning in his lungs. He couldn't remember any sword moves or techniques, let alone how to finish off the enemy. He simply pulled out the wooden sword that was now covered in blood, took a big leap, and rushed down the steep slope, aiming to chop at the Bandit A who had been hidden in the pit and had his ankle chopped off, causing him and his pig to tumble down the hill.

Bandit A was also dazed and confused from the fall, but bandits are like that, they've gotten injured a lot from stumbling and fighting, so what's a few rolls to someone with thick skin?

He glanced at his leg, which had been slashed and broken bones protruding from his flesh, and knew he was unable to move. When he looked up, he saw a country boy in hemp clothing charging straight at him with a wooden sword. Meanwhile, the bandit B seemed to have been killed without a sound. He immediately pulled a gunpowder cannon from his waist and raised it high.

"Don't even think about it!" Qin Jiu, having zero experience in the martial world, leaped up and slashed with his sword, severing the Bandit A's left wrist.

Then the Bandit A raised his hidden right hand and sprinkled lime on Qin Jiu's face.

"Ahh--!"

Qin Jiu screamed, but before he could dodge, he collided with the Bandit A and was bitten on the shoulder, almost tearing his artery and nearly tearing off a large chunk of flesh!

"Blood Refining Technique! Blood Flow Sword Rain!"

Stimulated by the excruciating pain and terror, Qin Jiu unleashed his full power, amplifying it directly. The blood spurting from his shoulder transformed into a jet of blood that shattered the Bandit A's skull with a loud crack.

He immediately used all his strength to defeat a low-ranking bandit, but before Qin Jiu could even get up, wipe off the lime, and catch his breath, he was suddenly jolted as he was ambushed from behind by another bandit who had been feigning death. Three arrows struck him in quick succession: one hit his face, one lodged in his cheek, one aimed at his throat and pierced his collarbone, and the last was aimed at his heart but was blocked by his ribs.

Fortunately, all three arrows were short crossbow bolts, which have a limited number of stones and cannot penetrate bone. Unfortunately, the arrows were coated with snake venom.

So Qin Jiu was shot down in the grass, and rolled down the mountainside with the headless bandit and the blood-covered wild boar.

If you lack luck, your great adventure in life ends here. But Qin Jiu is indeed tough. Or perhaps he was badly beaten by Yuan Gong a few days ago and has developed a certain tolerance for pain.

As Qin Jiu rolled along, he was stopped in the middle by a pine tree. The pain was so intense that he almost vomited bile, but he regained consciousness in an instant.

"Whoosh—snap!!"

Turning his head, he saw that the second bandit had already fired a whistle to call for reinforcements. Qin Jiu knew that if he didn't run away, he would be in trouble. Ignoring his nosebleed, he gritted his teeth, got up, and stumbled into the forest, fleeing back to the bathing pool that the Yuan Gong had prepared for him to heal his wounds.

Well, this is Qin Jiu's first battle.

Well, the reason why Yuan Gong suddenly disappeared yesterday was probably because they wanted him to complete the exam on his own, so Qin Jiu had planned it carefully.

He tried to find the bandits' stronghold, but found that the bandits' defenses were very tight, and one could easily fall into a trap. There were also scouts patrolling at irregular intervals, making it impossible to sneak in and get close.

So they revised the plan carefully, killing a wild boar and throwing it into a trap, intending to exhaust the bandits. The original plan was to capture a prisoner or eliminate the bandits' scouts one by one.

I didn't expect to fail right from the start...

Qin Jiu noticed that his face seemed swollen, with a large, dark bluish-black blister on his cheek. His blood and qi were also stagnant, and his upper body was paralyzed by the poison...

Help... Yuan Gong... Help me...

Qin Jiu really wanted to cry.

He just wanted a simple life, farming, fishing, and feeding chickens. Why did he have to fight with people in the deep mountains and forests...?

Dragging his leaden steps, Qin Jiu finally returned to his base, only to realize that his bad luck had just begun.

The medicine pool has been taken by someone else...

A cultivator was bathing in the medicinal pool. Anyone with half a brain could see that the Spirit Pool was nourished with countless Heavenly Treasure, capable of transforming one's body, cleansing marrow, and healing ailments. The pool was so large that Qin Jiu couldn't say much. Besides, it would be one thing if a beautiful, fair-skinned woman bathed with him, but instead, Qin Jiu was facing a naked old man...

"Hey kid! What are you staring at?! You looking for death?! Get lost!"

This old man even splashed water on him... Who the hell wants to see you?!

"Senior, this pool was prepared for me by my master. Could I please take a dip in it? I'm about to die, cough cough."

The blood Qin Jiu vomited was black...

"Your master? Which sect are you from? Your master is willing to part with so many spiritual materials?"

The old man did some calculations with his fingers, then suddenly paused, frowning as he stared at Qin Jiu for a while.

"Huh? You couldn't even predict that? That's amazing... Alright, I'll give your master some face. Stay away from me!"

"Thank you very much, senior."

Qin Jiu hurriedly went down into the pool to cultivate, following the <Blood Refining Technique> to cleanse his tendons and marrow, remove toxins, and heal his skin and flesh injuries. His Dao body was visibly recovering.

"Hiss... Disciple of the Divine Cult? But what kind of Cultivation Method is this...? It doesn't seem to be from the Blood Record Heavenly Book..."

The old man watched in astonishment. Although peeping at other sects practicing their techniques was against the rules, he could clearly sense that Qin Jiu's cultivation Cultivation Method, which was also practiced in the Spirit Pool, was far more efficient at improving his physical body than his own Inner Sect's Qi cultivation method.

Before he could ask any more questions, a glacier stretched across the sky, drawing out a massive ice curtain that blocked out the sun and clouds. Then, a thunderous roar echoed from the heavens, its sound reverberating for miles around.

"You scoundrel from Meishan! Give me back my magic weapon!"

"Old dog Wang, you're still so angry! You've been beating me all day and you're still chasing me so relentlessly..."

The old man gritted his teeth, his eyes darting around as he glanced at Qin Jiu.

"Hey kid, what's your name? What's your master's name? Which sect do you belong to? Speak up now, or I'll beat you up!"

Why are all you cultivators so violent...?

Qin Jiu sighed helplessly, "My Qin Jiu, and my master is called Yuan Gong. We are from Lou Guan."

"Lou Guan? Central Plains Lou Guan also has branch altars... Okay, I'll remember that."

The old man waved his hand and tossed a candlestick with a broken base into Qin Jiu.

"I've borrowed your elixir! You can play with this thing!"

Without waiting for Qin Jiu's reply, he transformed into a long rainbow, swept up the pool of spiritual herbs, and soared into the sky, like a White Dragon breaking through the frozen dome.

"Wang Hu, you old dog! Guo Shen from Meishan is here, come and chase me!"

"Give the magic lantern back!!"

Then an ice dome and a water dragon clashed together in the sky, churning together like thunderclouds and torrential rain. Hail and torrents whipped up a downpour, like a sudden storm sweeping towards the horizon.

"... No, my face injury hasn't healed yet... What kind of junk is this...?"

Qin Jiu sat in the pool, feeling helpless. He could only pick up the broken candlestick, cover his face, and sift through the remaining herbs in the pool to apply to his wounds to relieve the pain.

Suddenly, a head emerged from beneath the Spiritual Spring, appearing abruptly in front of Qin Jiu. Qin Jiu silently raised his head, watching a green-robed Daoist priest rise from the ground, standing before him with a smile.

"Young brother, don't be afraid, I mean no harm. Did Old Monster Guo just give you the Immortal Lamp? How about we trade it?"

As he spoke, he pulled a jade sword case from his sleeve.

"Just this Jade Purity Flying Sword, which resembles the one from Qingcheng Mountain, in exchange for a Celestial Lamp—that shouldn't be too unfair to you, right?"

Qin Jiu shook her head. "That won't do. The old man even knows my name and where I cultivate. What if he comes knocking on my door asking for something, and I can't produce it? He'll cause me trouble. No way!"

The green-robed Daoist was taken aback, then emphasized with resentment,

"Hey, it's the Qingcheng Flying Sword! A fourth-grade Nascent Soul Stage flying sword! Do you even know what a flying sword is?!"

Qin Jiu shrugged. "Are flying swords that rare? If I were the number one runner-up in the beginner long-distance race, I could get one too."

The Daoist priest was shocked. "What did you say?! Even your long-distance runner gets a flying sword! You little brat, if you keep spouting nonsense, believe me, I'll beat you up!"

Qin Jiu sighed, "Why is everyone like this... No, I heard that the senior sisters of the Inner Sect already have seventeen or eighteen Nascent Soul Stage level flying swords. I am a direct disciple of the sect, how could I lack flying swords?"

"Well, if you really want it, then you can have it. I'll just tell the old man from earlier that Qingcheng Mountain can take it."

Just as Qin Jiu was about to hand over the magic lamp, the green-robed Daoist from Qingcheng Mountain suddenly frowned and cursed, "You son of a bitch! Why did you have to come now of all times! That old beggar woman's calculations were pretty accurate!"

Then she flicked her sleeve and vanished in a gust of wind. Qin Jiu blinked and found that the person in front of her had changed to a masked Daoist nun in a black robe.

"Huh? Master Qingcheng, why did you suddenly transform?"

The black-robed Daoist nun glanced at Qin Jiu, then took the candlestick from Qin Jiu's hand and used her voice to transmit her message in all directions.

"Feng Yunlongji truly lives up to his reputation. Since you are so kind, fellow Daoist, I will gladly accept your offer."

Listen up, everyone! The Weaving Bureau has a special connection with my Emei Sect, so I, Han, will take it. Anyone who objects, feel free to come and claim it."

She waited a while, and seeing that no one dared to come and take it, she glanced at Qin Jiu, then flipped her hand and turned the candlestick into a large red gourd, which she then tossed into Qin Jiu.

"You brat from the Demonic Sect, I'll spare your life this time to settle this karmic debt. But if I catch you committing any crimes again, don't blame me for being ruthless! Hmph!"

Immediately, the fierce-looking Daoist nun raised her head and transformed into a bolt of lightning, striking into the clouds with a crack and disappearing.

Qin Jiu stood there, completely bewildered, clutching the red gourd.

What? What's going on again...?

Qin Jiu stood there for a while, looking around. Not seeing any old men or women jumping out to snatch things, he cautiously shook the gourd. It seemed there was something inside.

So he untied the gourd lid and peeked inside, vaguely seeing some fine red sand. Could it be a medicinal pill?

Suddenly, Qin Jiu felt a sharp pain in his face as the blood sores on his face burst open, splattering blood into the red sand. Qin Jiu realized the danger and instinctively used his blood refining technique to remove the blood and splatter, lest it spoil the gourd of immortal pills.

To Qin Jiu's surprise, the Blood Refining Technique actually mixed his blood essence with the red sand and forced it out. In fact, the red sand was even purer and easier to control than his own blood. The red quicksand flowed and swirled freely in Qin Jiu's palm, shaping itself into various forms.

Some of the blood mixed with the wounds that seeped into Qin Jiu's face actually broke the blood poison on his face and even filled the wounds with fine sand. Moreover, for some reason, Qin Jiu actually felt that this red sand was more solid and more useful than his own flesh and blood, as if he had been trapped in a paper-made skin since birth and had finally found his true self.

Qin Jiu wasn't quite sure why he had this feeling, but he figured it might be because the elixir was extremely effective—perhaps some kind of Heavenly Treasure that could enhance one's power and heal injuries?

So Qin Jiu simply inhaled all the red sand mixed with blood essence from the gourd into his body, and used just a little bit to repair the arrow scars and abrasions on his body, making it look like petals of blood had bloomed on his face.

The excess was swallowed into his stomach, following the natural way, something he was born with, something he understood instantly. Qin Jiu used this red sand to create a blood-red embryo in his divine court, and then suddenly, his Divine Sense became clear, his qi returned to its origin, and he was enlightened. The shackles of his physical body could no longer bind him, and his tendons, bones, and spiritual channels could no longer restrict him.

Qin Jiu has completed the Blood Refining and Core Formation, and Foundation Establishment.

So when he opened his eyes, he tried to attach his blood essence to the tree branch again, to condense a blood sword and test its power.

Before the fingers even touched the branch, the red sand had automatically sculpted a blood-stained Vermilion Sword. The sword was three feet and three inches long, heavy in the hand. With a casual flick of the wrist, a flash of red light appeared, cutting off rows of pine trees as thick as bowls.

"Hmm, "Qin Jiu nodded in satisfaction. "My skills have improved so much now; I should be able to defeat those bandits now."