The night was quiet.
The earlier slaughter and bloody scene had already scared everyone nearby away. Silence blanketed the area, broken only by the chirping of insects and croaking of frogs. The hubbub of the streets farther away drifted faintly through the night.
In the open courtyard, rows of corpses lay in formation.
The air reeked of blood, its pungent stench drilling straight into one's nostrils.
Ning Da eyed the boy suspiciously.
He closed his eyes and focused on sensing his surroundings for a moment. Doubt flickered in his eyes, and most of the sorrow and panic faded from his face.
His tone turned colder, tinged with suspicion. "Kid, which sect are you from? Did you come to kill my brothers for the bounty?"
"My head may be worth eight hundred taels of silver, but you're just a Blood Coagulation Realm brat—you're not strong enough to kill me. Bring out your elders. I wonder which martial arts expert from Guan Province is watching us. I haven't been a proper host, but coming all this way for a mere eight hundred taels isn't worth it, is it?"
"I don't want to fight your sect. I'm willing to offer three Alien Sources in exchange for my life."
He continued speaking in a low voice, lifting the waterproof pouch at his waist to show it to him.
But his posture and expression—
He no longer had that grieving, humble demeanor from before.
Instead, he was like a hungry wolf on the verge of pouncing. Malevolent light flickered in his eyes as he looked at Shi Wen, his murderous intent especially strong.
The chill in the air and the atmosphere of slaughter seemed to grow heavier.
"No. I'm not from any sect either." Shi Wen chewed on some jerky as he replied.
"Not from a sect either?" Ning Da stared at him in astonishment, then snarled, "Bounty Hunters have gotten this bold? You dare hunt us now? Aren't you afraid you'll get the money but not live to spend it?"
"I'm not a Bounty Hunter."
"Are you with the County Office?" Ning Da's pupils contracted. "I never thought the County Office here had made Black Cloud County so impregnable that it could find out we were here from a few scraps of gossip. But as far as I know, the County Office isn't exactly watertight."
"I'm not with the County Office either." Shi Wen shook his head and sprinkled Golden Wound Medicine over several ghastly wounds. "I'm just an ordinary person."
"An ordinary person?"
Ning Da was taken aback, then suddenly laughed.
An ordinary person could kill his elite brothers, who had all fought valiantly on the battlefield? Could he single-handedly kill twelve of them?
"Good! Good, good, good! What an ordinary person you are!"
Ning Da's calm expression twisted in an instant. He growled under his breath, "Then why did you kill my brothers? We had no grudge against you. Why were you so ruthless?"
Shi Wen took a swig of wine and said calmly, "Earlier, three Blood-Tempering Realm martial artists came to kill me. They said they wanted to kill me to make an example of me."
"I had no grudge against you either. I'm only a little Blood-Tempering Realm martial artist. Why did you want to kill me to make an example of me?"
"Li Niu and the others came to kill you? Are you the martial artist that the Fist Academy disciple said had only broken through to the Blood Coagulation Realm today?"
Ning Da looked stunned, then his expression darkened.
He'd thought they were Sinan Guards, sect experts, Bounty Hunters, or County Office men.
He'd thought their secret was about to be exposed.
He'd thought he could cut himself loose and shield the others.
But who could have known...
His brothers had died because of something so trivial?
They hadn't even known the boy, and had no grudge against him. Instead, a single thoughtless decision had brought death to their door.
Ning Da took a deep breath, suppressing his anger, then said gravely, "Then why didn't you explain?"
"When someone's trying to kill you, why don't you ask them why they want to?"
Shi Wen chewed on the Grey Meat, his expression calm.
Shi Wen stared straight at Ning Da's seemingly composed face, which concealed a storm of fury. He showed no fear.
After holding Shi Wen's gaze for a long time, Ning Da suddenly lowered his head and sighed. "Sigh... So that's what happened. I failed to keep my brothers in check. It was our fault. Young man, this has nothing to do with you. Go."
Shi Wen didn't move. He asked, confused, "Now that I know what happened, you've done nothing wrong. You can go back."
"Don't worry. I won't slaughter innocents. I'm a soldier with discipline, and I'm upright and kind. The times forced me to become a deserter, leaving men of ambition like us with no way to serve our country. But we wouldn't lay a hand on ordinary people."
Ning Da explained earnestly, his expression softening. "Go home. Your family is waiting for you."
"If you don't die, I won't feel safe."
Shi Wen chewed on his jerky and delivered the most murderous words in the calmest voice.
Ning Da froze, then burst into laughter. "Good, good, good! You're an interesting fellow. Are you really alone?"
"You're only in the Blood Coagulation Realm. What makes you think you can fight me?"
"My talent is limited. After more than ten years of martial arts training, I've managed to condense only one Blood Membrane, barely stepping into the Origin Blood Realm. But do you know how vast the gap between the Origin Blood Realm and the Blood Coagulation and Blood-Tempering Realms is?"
He walked a few steps, murderous intent glinting in his eyes. "In the Origin Blood Realm, the body's blood and vital energy form an airtight Blood Membrane around it. This membrane completely shields the flesh, bones, muscles, and organs, and gives birth to Origin Blood!"
"Those who possess Origin Blood have an endless supply within them, thick as molten lead and mercury. Their blood and vital energy burn hot, like a furnace tempering their flesh and bones. It washes and remakes the body, as if they've been reborn!"
"Origin Blood martial artists have rough, thick skin and sturdy bones. Their bodies weigh seven or eight hundred pounds, and even an ordinary one has thousands of pounds of strength. Their Origin Blood surges with searing heat; a single palm can melt iron and stone and subdue mountain torrents and fierce beasts. Only then can you be called a true martial artist!"
"More than that, as long as the Blood Membrane remains intact, the Origin Blood warrior cannot die!"
"And unless you're in the same realm, you can't break through the Blood Membrane. You couldn't kill an Origin Blood martial artist even if you piled up enough people to try."
"What can you possibly use to kill me?"
His words had barely fallen when Ning Da's feet slammed into the ground, leaving a half-meter-long fissure. Waves of scorching heat shimmered over the earth as he charged like a leopard, his casually thrown punch bearing the weight of a thousand jun and crashing toward Shi Wen in a wave of blazing heat!
Shi Wen's pupils contracted.
In an instant, he activated Iron Armor Body Protection across his entire body. His originally gaunt frame swelled to two meters tall, and the muscles beneath his skin gleamed like rusted iron.
Clang!
The punch struck his crossed arms.
Shi Wen flew backward as if blasted by a cannon, smashing through a house in the courtyard.
"You dared kill my brothers, and you have no backing? You deserve to die!"
Ning Da's face twisted, his body radiating a murderous aura that blotted out the sky. He leaped more than ten meters into the house, seized the figure inside, and rained down punches from every direction!!!
Rumbling booms shook the air.
It was like a human-shaped beast unleashing its fury amid the ruins. Walls and courtyards collapsed wherever it went, and the earth trembled!
Boom!
Ning Da was kicked flying by Shi Wen. What followed was Shi Wen's frenzied counterattack!
"Double Impact, Double Yang Peak, Dusting, Lion Closes Mouth, Yama Beckons..."
Shi Wen attacked like a madman. Movements that looked almost ceremonial became killing blows in his hands!
He brought every technique to perfection—thrusting, embracing, lifting, carrying, coiling. His fists and elbows were as hard as iron and stone, powerful enough to shatter one stone stele after another. Yet when they struck Ning Da, they only produced muffled thuds, like fists beating against a cowhide drum.
Every punch he threw now was unleashed with his full strength.
During his fight with Wang San and the others, he'd been able to cripple a man with a single punch.
But now, even with Ning Da standing still and letting him hit, he could barely inflict any life-threatening injuries!
Ning Da's flesh was incomparably tough, as if layered cowhide had been piled upon it. When Shi Wen hit him with all his strength, it was like punching cotton; the force simply dissipated.
Ning Da watched Shi Wen impassively.
It was as if Shi Wen's movements couldn't hurt him at all.
Ning Da dealt with him nonchalantly, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. He still couldn't find any sign of an ambush.
A flicker of doubt crossed his mind.
Could everything the boy said really be true?
If so...
Ning Da grabbed Shi Wen's fist with one hand. A vicious murderous intent flashed through his eyes. "Boy, you really don't have anyone backing you?"
"Then die!!!"
"Pfft..."
A single elbow strike caved in Shi Wen's chest and sent him flying more than ten meters away...
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