Night deepened, and moonlight flowed like water.
Jiang Ye stood in the courtyard. The bluestone pierced through by fallen leaves still lay silent beneath his feet, while the exhilaration of his newly attained Transformation Strength flowed through every limb.
But he did not go back to his room to rest.
His mind was clear and his blood surged. This was the perfect moment to comprehend his martial arts.
Earlier, when he had been on the verge of breaking through to Transformation Strength while practicing the Five Animal Fist, he had vaguely sensed that he understood the true intent of Deer Form a little better.
Jiang Ye slowly closed his eyes.
In a daze, he seemed no longer to be standing in the little courtyard. Instead, he found himself in a deep mountain forest.
Moonlight filtered through gaps in the branches, scattering mottled spots of light.
A stream burbled in the distance, while insects chirped nearby.
He "saw" a deer. It was an old deer, with gray-brown fur and magnificent antlers, standing by the stream to drink.
Its ears kept turning, catching every faint sound in the breeze.
Its nostrils quivered as it distinguished every wisp of scent in the air, however faint.
Suddenly, a faint sound came from afar: a dry twig snapping, almost too quiet to hear.
The old deer's ears shot upright!
But its body did not move an inch.
It did not flee or run. It did not even turn around!
It simply stood there, perfectly still, like a stone statue, a shadow merged with the forest.
Every trace of its presence vanished.
A moment later, a dark shape darted through the trees: a wolf out hunting.
Its nose nearly brushed the ground as it sniffed every inch of earth. Yet when it passed within a few feet of the old deer, it did not notice a thing.
It was as if the creature standing there were not a living deer at all, but merely a rock.
Jiang Ye's mind jolted.
An old saying went: "The deer is the most vigilant of creatures. Even in sleep, they take turns keeping watch, their antlers facing outward to guard against danger. As they move, even if tigers and wolves lie in wait beside them, if they cannot see their shape or hear their sound, the deer is as still as wood and stone, its breath completely concealed, at one with the world."
An ancient insight, as if drawn from the distant past, trickled into his mind like a stream:
[The deer is not merely swift of foot. It is the very height of vigilance, attuned to heaven and earth and at one with all things!]
[In motion, it is not hindered even by a thicket of brambles. In stillness, it goes unnoticed even when watched by tigers and wolves! The body follows the will, and the will shifts with the surroundings. It neither contends nor disturbs, seeking no quarrel with the world!]
[Your comprehension is peerless. You have grasped Deer Form True Intent by moving from form to spirit—Startled Deer Leaves No Trace!]
Even the system's notification sounded touched by the forest's serenity, like a deer's call carried from distant mountains.
Jiang Ye's body still stood in the courtyard.
But his presence was changing at a speed visible to the naked eye—not weakening, not withdrawing, but... dissolving.
He could clearly feel himself forming a strange connection with his surroundings.
The chill of the bluestone beneath his feet seeped through his soles and into Yongquan.
He tried taking a step.
There was no sound.
His foot landed as lightly as if he were stepping on a cloud.
Even stranger, though he had clearly moved, the feeling of "dissolving into heaven and earth" had not disappeared. It was as if it were not he who had moved, but the world itself that had welcomed his movement.
He took another step, then a second, then a third... His speed grew faster and faster, yet that soundless quality remained unbroken.
He suddenly pushed off, accelerating like a night breeze sweeping across the courtyard.
His speed was astonishing. He covered several yards in the blink of an eye, yet, strangely, there was still no sound.
Even as he swept past the old locust tree, not a single leaf trembled.
Jiang Ye stopped and looked down at his hands, then turned to look at the utterly motionless old locust tree. A look of shock appeared in his aged eyes.
What an incredible Startled Deer Leaves No Trace!
It was no exaggeration to say that, in his current state, he could cling to someone's window and watch them bathe without being noticed.
Tiger Form True Intent had given him the power to kill. Ape Form True Intent had given him the knack for transformation. And Deer Form True Intent had given him the means to survive.
Whether tracking, sneaking, or watching from the shadows, Deer Form True Intent would be his most reliable safeguard.
With a thought, his presence returned, and the sensation of "dissolving into heaven and earth" slowly faded.
Host: Jiang Ye Lifespan: 95 Strength: Transformation Strength (Early Stage) Destiny: Ascension Stairway [Effect 1: Peerless Comprehension!] Martial Arts Mastered: Five Animal Fist [Perfect] True Intent Mastered: Tiger Walk Like Sickness, Spirit Ape Thousand Changes, Startled Deer Leaves No Trace
After glancing at the system, Jiang Ye nodded slightly.
After breaking through to Transformation Strength, his lifespan had increased by another ten years.
Meanwhile.
At the Zhang family estate in Anxi County.
Zhang He tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.
The thought of his second son, Zhang Xu, dying in the street while the killer remained nowhere to be found sent anger burning through him like a raging fire.
He was certain that Liu Qingshi and Su Chen were involved. His teeth ground together as he muttered, "Xu'er, I'll avenge you..."
Suddenly.
Creak.
A faint sound rang through the silent room.
Zhang He stiffened all over!
He snapped his eyes open, shock flashing across his pupils as he instinctively looked toward the door.
At some point, it had opened.
A dark figure stepped into the room, unhurried.
He walked as casually as if strolling through his own backyard, without the slightest furtiveness of a nighttime intruder.
Moonlight streamed in behind him, outlining his figure in a hazy, eerie glow.
What made Zhang He's blood run cold was the person dangling from the figure's hand like a chicken.
The captive's head lolled, his limbs hanging limp. He was clearly unconscious.
It was none other than his eldest son, Zhang Tao.
"Tao'er!!!"
The hair on Zhang He's body stood on end, his pupils shrinking to pinpricks as he instinctively prepared to shout.
But the dark figure moved like a ghost.
Zhang He did not even see how he crossed the room. His vision blurred, and a cold, bony hand clamped over his mouth like an iron vice, silencing the scream rising in his throat.
"Mm..."
He struggled with all his might, but the hand's grip was astonishingly strong and did not budge.
All he could do was stare at the face right before him.
The man was in his sixties, with half-white hair and a gaunt face. Most chilling of all was the long scar across it.
The scar slashed diagonally down from his left brow, crossed his entire face, and reached his jaw, like a hideous centipede crawling over his skin.
His cloudy eyes gleamed with a sinister light as he looked down at Zhang He. A faint, unreadable smile curled his lips.
"Master Zhang, calm down. Don't shout."
The old man spoke in a chilling voice. "Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to send you on your way with your son."
With that, he slowly removed his hand from Zhang He's mouth.
"Hah... hah..."
Zhang He gasped, his chest heaving violently.
But he did not cry out.
He was, after all, the head of the Zhang family, which he had led for many years. Even in such a bizarre and terrifying situation, he managed to suppress the fear threatening to burst from his chest and force himself to calm down.
Steadying his nerves, he said in a low voice, "Who are you, sir? Why have you come here in the middle of the night, and why have you taken my son?"
"Who I am doesn't matter."
The old man grinned, making the scar on his face writhe and look even more hideous. "I came here in the middle of the night because I need Master Zhang's help with a small favor."
"What favor?"
Zhang He asked in a low voice.
The old man leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Tomorrow night, I need Master Zhang to help open the gates of East City."
"What? Open the city gates?"
Zhang He's heart lurched. He seemed to realize something, and his voice began to tremble. "You're with the Seven Kill Cult..."
The old man replied with an amused look, "You could say that."
A chill unlike any he had ever felt surged from Zhang He's feet to the crown of his head.
The Seven Kill Cult—the demonic cult that struck terror into everyone's hearts—had come knocking at his door!
After taking a deep breath, he said stiffly, "You give me too much credit, sir. I'm just an insignificant merchant..."
"An insignificant merchant? Master Zhang is too modest."
The half-white-haired old man chuckled sinisterly.
"I've made inquiries. Everyone in Anxi County knows how powerful the Zhang family is."
"Besides, if Master Zhang doesn't want to help, that's fine. It's just a pity for your son."
As he spoke, he flicked his wrist, sending a soft, sinister force into Zhang Tao's body.
Zhang Tao's unconscious body shuddered. His eyes flew open, and he let out a muffled groan.
"Mm... mm..."
He had woken up, but he could not make a sound.
Tears welled in his eyes as he looked at Zhang He, a silent, desperate plea for help.
"Tao'er!!!"
Zhang He saw clearly that Zhang Tao's mouth had been crushed. No wonder he could not speak.
Alongside his anger and alarm, unshakable terror gripped his face.
He could not understand why he had been so unlucky.
Yesterday, his second son, Zhang Xu, had died in the street. Today, someone from the Seven Kill Cult had come to his door, demanding that he act as their inside man.
He was overwhelmed by a terror and despair he had never known before.
Agreeing meant helping the Seven Kill Cult breach the city. The Azure Sky Sect would never tolerate such a monstrous crime.
When the reckoning came, exterminating his entire clan would be the least of it!
But if he refused to act as their inside man...
He and his son probably wouldn't survive the night.
Zhang He, who was renowned for his cunning, felt as if he had fallen into hell. He had no idea what to choose.
"Master Zhang, I don't have much time, so I can give you only ten more breaths to decide."
The old man chuckled sinisterly, like a bell tolling his doom.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven..."
Zhang He seemed to age ten years in an instant. His back bent, and he rasped, "I'll do it."
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