Searching the Mountain (Combined)

The squad split into five groups before the ruins of West River Village.

Zhou Kui stood atop a charred stone mill, unfolding a crumpled sheepskin map and tapping several locations with his finger: "Three hundred Di soldiers, burdened with their loot, cannot move fast. They will either flee west or dive into this mountain forest—"

His finger jabbed at a stretch of black markings on the map, "The Old Forest. With its deep ravines and dense canopy, hiding three hundred men there is like hiding three hundred rats."

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "Five to a team, split up and search the mountains. If you spot the enemy, signal immediately. Do not act rashly."

"Understood!"

The squad began to break apart and reorganize.

Li Jinshui stood in place, watching the people around him gather in groups of three or five. Er Gou and the other two stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. He was just about to beckon them over—

"You."

A voice came from behind him.

Li Jinshui turned.

Wang Tiezhu stood three paces away, watching him with a blank expression.

"You're in my team."

It was not a request; it was an order.

The air around them seemed to freeze for a moment. Er Gou's face changed, and he opened his mouth to say something, but was stopped by a look from Li Jinshui.

Li Jinshui looked at Wang Tiezhu, his own face devoid of any change in expression.

"Fine."

Wang Tiezhu nodded and turned to walk away.

Li Jinshui followed.

After walking a dozen paces, he glanced back at Er Gou—who stood where he was, his face full of unease and worry. Li Jinshui gave him a slight shake of his head, then turned back to continue following Wang Tiezhu.

Five to a team, with Wang Tiezhu as the leader.

Li Jinshui did not recognize the other three members—they were all Wang Tiezhu's old subordinates, ranging from the seventh to eighth level of Body Forging, and they looked at him as if he were a piece of walking meat.

"Once we enter the mountains, pair up and search separately," Wang Tiezhu said, walking in the lead without looking back. "You—" He paused, as if savoring something, "You are a team of one."

The three old subordinates chuckled.

Li Jinshui walked behind them, unable to see their faces, but their laughter pricked his back like needles.

He said nothing.

He simply pulled up his panel silently to take a look:

Technique: Iron Shirt (7th Layer 20/40), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Entry 48/50), Tiger Walk (Minor Achievement 7/30)
Realm: Body Forging 7th Layer (Peak)

Almost there.

The mountain forest was deeper than he had imagined.

Towering trees blocked out the sun, and the ground was covered in thick, fallen leaves that felt soft and silent underfoot. Occasionally, a bird would let out a shrill cry, only to return to silence.

Li Jinshui walked alone along a slope.

Wang Tiezhu had assigned him to a team of one, searching the most remote path. The other three and Wang Tiezhu himself were paired up, searching the safer valleys and gentle slopes.

He had no objections.

In fact, one could say it was exactly what he wanted.

Only when alone could he truly let go and act.

He crouched low, his footsteps falling with extreme lightness; since reaching Minor Achievement in Tiger Walk, he could move across the fallen leaves almost without a sound. His gaze swept through the bushes, rocks, and ravines like a comb, not missing a single corner where someone might hide.

After walking for about the time it takes to burn two sticks of incense, he suddenly stopped.

Thirty paces ahead, there was a massive boulder, and from behind it came the sound of very faint voices.

Di language.

Li Jinshui slowly crouched down, held his breath, and pricked up his ears.

Three, no, four voices. They were speaking Di, which he did not understand, but he had heard that coarse, grating tone countless times on the battlefield; there was no mistaking it.

He slowly leaned forward, peering through a gap in the bushes—

Four Di soldiers were sitting in the lee of the rock, eating. They had dry, hard jerky and flatbreads looted from the village. One of them had a wineskin hanging from his waist and was tilting his head back to gulp down wine, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Four of them.

Ranging from the fifth to sixth level of Body Forging.

No leader above the rank of Decurion.

Li Jinshui pulled his head back and closed his eyes.

His heartbeat was steady; his breathing was steady.

After a month of scouting and three skirmishes, he had learned the most important lesson of all: before you make a move, you must be absolutely certain of how you are going to do it.

Four Di soldiers sat scattered about; the two closest were less than three paces apart, while the furthest was seven or eight paces away. If he killed the nearest ones first, the furthest would have enough time to stand up and counterattack.

He opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon the massive boulder.

The rock fanned out, resembling a natural stone wall. The four Di soldiers sat on the inner side of the fan, their backs to the rock and faces turned outward. They had chosen their position well—easy to defend and hard to attack; anyone approaching from the front would be spotted from thirty paces away.

But they had overlooked one thing.

The top of the rock was about two men's height from the ground, covered in vines and wild grass that formed a natural screen.

Li Jinshui stared at that spot, the corners of his mouth curling slightly.

Two incense sticks later, he had silently climbed to the top of the rock, lying prone behind a patch of vines to look down.

The four Di soldiers were within arm's reach. The furthest one was less than five paces from him.

He slowly drew his military saber and gripped it tight.

Then, he moved.

Tiger Walk · Tiger Pounce!

He leaped down from the rock like a predatory tiger; while still in mid-air, the blade's light had already arrived!

The furthest Di soldier didn't even have time to look up before the blade sliced across his neck—Wolf Killing Seven Forms · Wolf Fang Bite!

One strike, two strikes, three strikes!

The triple slash was as fast as lightning; the first cut the throat, the second severed the neck bone, and the third sent the head flying!

Blood sprayed, and before the corpse could even hit the ground, Li Jinshui had already used the momentum to turn and pounce on the second!

"Ene—"

The second Di soldier had barely managed to shout a single syllable when the blade plunged into his mouth and burst out the back of his skull!

Wolf Killing Seven Forms · Wolf Charge!

A fatal blow!

The third Di soldier finally reacted, howling as he grabbed his scimitar and slashed forward!

Li Jinshui did not dodge or evade; he pulled his blade and swung horizontally—Wolf Killing Seven Forms · Wolf Tail Sweep!

The blades collided, sparks flying! The Di soldier's scimitar was knocked away, and the blade's momentum remained undiminished, slicing horizontally across his chest and abdomen, spilling his entrails out in a rush!

The fourth Di soldier had already sprinted seven or eight paces away, a sharp bone whistle sounding from his mouth—

Li Jinshui raised his hand, and the military saber flew from his grip!

Wolf Killing Seven Forms · Wolf Devour!

The blade spun as it caught up to the Di soldier's back, piercing through his chest with a "squelch!"

The sound of the bone whistle cut off abruptly.

The Di soldier looked down at the blade tip protruding from his chest, a large amount of blood gushing from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground.

It had taken no more than five breaths from start to finish.

Four corpses lay on the ground, blood still bubbling out.

Li Jinshui stood where he was, gasping for air, his chest heaving violently.

It wasn't exhaustion; it was the killing intent that hadn't yet dissipated, rampaging through his body.

He walked over, pulled his military saber from the fourth Di soldier's back, wiped the blood clean on the corpse, and then searched them one by one.

Four heads, four portions of military merit.

And—

He felt a small leather pouch at the waist of one of the Di soldiers and opened it; inside were three Blood Essence Stones, thumb-sized and dark red in color.

Good stuff.

He tucked the Blood Essence Stones into his tunic, stood up, and glanced around.

The mountain forest was silent; not even a bird chirped.

That bone whistle from earlier had only been half-blown; it shouldn't have carried far.

But he dared not linger.

Turning, he ran back the way he came.

After running for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, his footsteps suddenly faltered.

Shouts of battle came from ahead.

Some in the Di language, others in the Zhou language.

Someone had encountered the enemy.

Li Jinshui slowed his pace, hunched over, and crept closer under the cover of the trees.

Thirty paces away, in a clearing in the woods, three Zhou Army soldiers were locked in a fierce battle with five Di soldiers.

He recognized those three Zhou soldiers—they were Wang Tiezhu's subordinates, the very men who had mocked him just moments ago.

Two at the seventh level of Body Forging, one at the eighth level.

Five Di People soldiers, two at the sixth level of Body Forging, three at the seventh level.

Outnumbered and outmatched in cultivation, the three Zhou Army soldiers had been forced against a large tree, standing back-to-back and struggling to hold their ground. The veteran at the eighth level of Body Forging had already taken two slashes, half his body drenched in blood.

"Signal! Send the signal!" he rasped.

A young soldier desperately reached for the signal tube at his waist, but just as he pulled it out, a Di People soldier's scimitar came crashing down—the soldier let out a shrill scream as the hand holding the signal tube was severed.

Li Jinshui crouched in the bushes thirty paces away, motionless.

He watched those three Zhou Army soldiers, watched them fight back with all their might, watched them fall one by one—

Then he stood up, turned around, and walked in the opposite direction.

Behind him, the screams continued.

He did not look back.

Those men had mocked him, those men had looked at him as if he were a piece of walking meat, those men were the trusted henchmen of his enemies.

Why should he save them?

He was no saint.

He quickened his pace, unleashing the Tiger Walk to its full extent, weaving through the mountain forest like a silent leopard.

He heard the sounds of battle in the distance, but those were not the sounds he was looking for.

He was looking for only one thing.

After running for a quarter of an hour, he stopped.

Ahead lay a valley, low-lying with steep slopes on all sides.

From the valley floor came the sounds of intense combat.

And a surge of extremely violent blood energy.

Peak of the ninth level of Body Forging.

Li Jinshui hunched his back and crept down the hillside.

Thirty paces.

Twenty paces.

Ten paces.

He hid behind a giant boulder and peeked out—

At the bottom of the valley, Wang Tiezhu was fighting two opponents alone!

Both Di People were at the ninth level of Body Forging!

One used a blade, his strikes fierce and sharp; the other used a hammer, each blow heavy as a mountain. The two coordinated perfectly, the blade attacking high and the hammer attacking low, their weapons weaving a web that forced Wang Tiezhu to retreat step by step.

Yet Wang Tiezhu did not retreat.

He was bathed in blood, a blade wound on his shoulder deep enough to see bone, and his left arm, having taken a hammer blow, hung limply—it was clearly broken.

But he was still fighting.

His blade technique was wide and sweeping, every strike carrying the ferocity of someone seeking mutual destruction, forcing the two Di People not to press too closely.

"Zhou dog!" the blade-wielder sneered. "Your bones are certainly hard! But with one arm, how long can you hold out?"

Wang Tiezhu did not answer; he slashed out, forcing back the hammer-wielder, then stumbled back two steps until his back hit a tree.

He had nowhere left to run.

The two Di People exchanged a glance and lunged simultaneously!

At that very moment, Li Jinshui witnessed it—

Wang Tiezhu suddenly erupted!

He seemed to pour every ounce of his remaining strength into one move, his body dropping low to dodge the incoming blade while his right-hand blade swept upward from below!

This strike was impossibly fast!

The blade edge sliced into the blade-wielder's abdomen and burst out through his back!

The Di soldier's eyes widened, blood gushing from his mouth; he died without ever understanding where that strike had come from.

But Wang Tiezhu paid a price.

The hammer-wielder slammed his weapon into Wang Tiezhu's right shoulder!

Crack!

The sound of shattering bone could be heard from ten paces away!

Wang Tiezhu let out a muffled groan, his military saber slipping from his hand as the force drove him to his knees.

Yet he did not collapse.

His left hand suddenly whipped a short blade from his waist and, the moment the Di soldier retracted his hammer, he plunged it deep into the man's heart!

"Pfft!"

The short blade sank in up to the hilt.

The Di Person looked down at the handle protruding from his chest, a rattling sound escaping his throat before he collapsed with a thunderous crash.

Wang Tiezhu knelt between the two corpses, gasping for air.

There was not a single intact spot on his entire body. His right shoulder was crushed, his left arm broken, and he had taken two blades to his torso, his leather armor soaked through with blood. He knelt there, every breath bringing up bloody froth from his throat.

Yet, he was still alive.

He had fought one against two and killed two enemies of the same rank.

Li Jinshui crouched behind a boulder ten paces away, motionless.

He watched Wang Tiezhu, and Wang Tiezhu had not discovered him.

He only needed to wait a little longer, wait for Wang Tiezhu to lower his guard, wait for his defenses to completely slacken—

He slowly drew his military saber.

The blade was silent, its cold light biting.

He stood up and stepped out from behind the boulder.

His footsteps were light and slow, approaching step by step.

Ten paces.

Eight paces.

Five paces.

Wang Tiezhu suddenly turned his head!

Li Jinshui's footsteps faltered.

Their eyes met.

Wang Tiezhu's expression shifted from shock to relief—he had recognized the newcomer.

"Is... is it you?" His voice was hoarse and intermittent, like a broken bellows leaking air. "How... how are you... here?"

Li Jinshui looked at him, his face devoid of expression.

"I heard the sounds of fighting and came to take a look," he said.

Wang Tiezhu stared at him, staring at that expressionless face, as if trying to discern something from it.

But he could see nothing.

That face was too calm, like a stagnant pool of water, without hatred, without fear, and not even a hint of concern.

Only calm.

"Come over... give me a hand." Wang Tiezhu laboriously extended his left hand. "Help me up... I... I can't hold on anymore..."

Li Jinshui took a step closer.

Then another.

He reached Wang Tiezhu's side, reached out, and gripped his left arm.

Using this force, Wang Tiezhu struggled to stand.

"Good... good lad..." He bared his blood-stained teeth in a grin. "I... I misjudged you... back then... you are... you are a good one..."

Li Jinshui did not speak.

He supported Wang Tiezhu and slowly turned him around.

"Let's... go back..." Wang Tiezhu panted. "Go back... I will... I will claim a merit for you..."

His back was turned to Li Jinshui.

Completely exposed.

Utterly defenseless.

Li Jinshui, who had been supporting him with his left hand, suddenly let go.

The military saber in his right hand struck like a viper emerging from its den—

Wolf Killing Seven Forms: Wolf Charge!

The blade pierced through his back and protruded from his chest!

Wang Tiezhu's entire body went rigid.

He looked down at the tip of the blade jutting from his chest, blood dripping from it—his own blood.

"You... you..." A rattling sound came from his throat, as if he wanted to say something, but could not utter a word.

Li Jinshui stood behind him, hand gripping the hilt, motionless.

Wang Tiezhu tried to turn around, tried to see that face.

But he no longer had the strength.

He collapsed to his knees and fell backward.

As he fell, he finally saw Li Jinshui's face.

That face finally held an expression.

It was not hatred, not triumph, not cruelty.

It was merely calm.

Like a winter lake, with deep, bottomless water hidden beneath the surface.

"You... you killed my brother..." Wang Tiezhu's lips trembled, his voice as light as a falling leaf.

Li Jinshui crouched down, looking down at him.

"Yes."

A single word.

Wang Tiezhu's eyes widened.

He wanted to say something, but only blood surged from his throat.

Li Jinshui watched him, his voice very soft, as if speaking to himself:

"You two brothers, you both like to smile too much."

Wang Tiezhu's eyes slowly lost their focus.

The last thing reflected in his pupils was Li Jinshui's calm face.

[Killed Third Battalion Decurion Wang Tiezhu (Body Forging Ninth Layer Peak), Points +15]

[Current Points: 24]

Li Jinshui stood up, not sparing the corpse another glance.

He sheathed his saber and began to clean up the battlefield.

He dragged Wang Tiezhu's body next to the two Di People, arranging them to look as if they had perished together in a mutual kill. He shoved the blade back into Wang Tiezhu's hand and disguised the wounds—on the battlefield, blades have no eyes; who could say for sure whether he died at the hands of the Di People, or someone else?

After finishing all this, he stood between the three corpses and pulled up his panel:

[Points: 24]

He took a deep breath.

"Put it all into Iron Shirt."

[Consumed 20 points, Iron Shirt proficiency +20]

[Iron Shirt proficiency maxed]

[Breakthrough: Seventh Layer → Eighth Layer]

Boom—

The surge of energy that had been pent up inside his body finally broke through the final barrier!

The heat flowed like a floodgate opening, rushing madly into his limbs and bones, scouring every bone and every inch of muscle. A dark golden light flared brilliantly on the surface of his skin, only slowly receding after seven full breaths.

The itching sensation from the old wound on his right arm vanished instantly, and the split skin between his thumb and forefinger healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Power.

Even more violent power surged within his body.

[Current Realm: Body Forging Eighth Layer]

It was done.

Li Jinshui clenched his fist, feeling a strength nearly fifty percent greater than before.

Body Forging Eighth Layer.

Only one layer away from the ninth.

Away from that person—

He raised his head, looking toward the direction he had come from.

It was time to go back and save the others.

He turned and sprinted back the way he came.

He unleashed his Tiger Walk to its full extent, moving as fast as a gust of wind.

Those three subordinates of Wang Tiezhu, if they could hold on until now—

A curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Those three men had been mocking him just a moment ago.

But now, they were the proof of his meritorious service.

They were the witnesses to his "brave slaughter of the enemy."

They were the best cover to clear him of suspicion.

A quarter of an hour later, he found the clearing in the woods.

Of the three Zhou Army soldiers, only two remained alive.

The veteran at the eighth level of Body Forging was covered in blood, leaning against a tree with his breath failing. The younger one had lost his left arm, his wound tightly bound with strips of cloth, his face as pale as paper.

Of the five Northern Di soldiers, three remained.

Those three Northern Di soldiers were busy looting the corpses and did not notice anyone approaching.

Li Jinshui did not hesitate.

He charged straight out of the thicket, Tiger Walk: Tiger Pounce!

A blade of light flashed, and a Northern Di soldier's head hit the ground!

[Killed Northern Di soldier, points +1]

The remaining two Northern Di soldiers turned around with screams, one raising a saber, the other thrusting a spear.

Li Jinshui did not retreat but advanced, unleashing the Wolf Killing Seven Forms with all his might!

Wolf Fang Bite! The triple strike was as fast as lightning; the first slash parried the thrusting spear, the second severed the hand gripping it, and the third sliced open the throat!

Wolf Tail Sweep! The blade swept horizontally, colliding with the Northern Di soldier's scimitar, sending sparks flying—the next instant, the blade whirled back, cutting into his ribs from another direction!

Two corpses hit the ground almost simultaneously.

[Points +2]

[Current points: 7]

Li Jinshui sheathed his blade and turned to look at the two Zhou Army soldiers.

The young one's eyes were wide, his lips trembling as if he wanted to say something.

Li Jinshui walked over, crouched down, and checked the veteran's injuries.

"Don't talk," he said. "Can you walk?"

The veteran nodded with difficulty.

"Then let's go."

He helped the veteran up and said to the young one, "Stay close to me."

The three of them stumbled toward the edge of the forest.

Behind them lay a field of corpses.

Halfway there, Li Jinshui suddenly stopped.

He fished the three Blood Essence Stones from his bosom and handed one each to the veteran and the young man.

"Hold these in your mouths to keep yourselves alive."

The veteran took the Blood Essence Stone and looked at him, his gaze as tangled and complex as a mess of hemp.

"You... you're from Chief Wang's squad..."

Li Jinshui nodded.

"Where is Chief Wang?"

Li Jinshui's expression remained unchanged. "I couldn't find him. I heard the commotion on your side, so I came here first."

The veteran stared at him for a long time.

Finally, he lowered his head and shoved the Blood Essence Stone into his mouth.

"Thanks."

Li Jinshui said nothing and continued to support the men as they moved forward.

On the way out of the mountains, he pulled up his panel for a look:

[Techniques: Iron Shirt (8th Level 0/45), Wolf Killing Seven Forms (Entry 48/50), Tiger Walk (Minor Achievement 9/30)]

[Points: 7]

He would save the remaining points to upgrade Iron Shirt; after all, cultivation realm was what mattered most.