A Way Out of Desperation

"Grandfather, this man..."

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Guo Shiwen slowly walked to an armchair only three zhang away from Li Hai. After silently studying him for a few moments, he turned to Guo Huaijin and asked, "Is this the blood meal for this time?"

"That's right."

Guo Huaijin nodded slightly. "Good grandson, the time has come. Hurry and nourish yourself. Don't delay your treatment."

"All right."

Guo Shiwen nodded.

He then turned and took a foot-long hollow copper tube from the wooden box held up by a servant with both hands, then began walking toward Li Hai step by step.

Yet Li Hai, who was tightly bound to the Blood Wood Stake, showed no fear at the sight of the sharp copper tube drawing closer in Guo Shiwen's hand. He even bared his teeth in a grin.

"Closer. A little closer. Closer still."

He lowered his eyes and murmured, the grin stretching ever wider across his face.

Tap~ Tap~ Tap~

Guo Shiwen's footsteps drew nearer and nearer.

At last, he arrived before Li Hai. With an indifferent expression, he raised the copper tube and slowly thrust it toward Li Hai's chest.

And at the instant Li Hai's chest was touched by the cold point of that copper tube—

He suddenly raised his head, staring directly into Guo Shiwen's startled eyes as he activated the system hidden deep within his soul.

In an instant, he propelled the Tiger Claw Blade Fist, which had long sat in his skill bar, from Level 0 straight to Level 6... its maximum level.

Thus, Li Hai's personal panel changed from its formerly unremarkable state to—

Master Name: Li Hai

Level Realm: Orthodox Martial Arts → Force-Body Circulation, Bloodline Divine Ability → Low Grade

Skills: Five Animals Qigong Tiger Claw Blade Fist Blood Devouring Burning Heart

Traits: [Soul Strengthening Level 1] [Finger Claw Level 1] [Berserk Level 1]

Stronger Fragments: None

And once all this data manifested upon Li Hai's actual body—

His scrawny body, barely one meter sixty tall, suddenly swelled like a balloon. As every bone and muscle in his body frantically pulsed and stretched, he shot up to one meter ninety-five, his entire body covered in massive, hard muscles.

Not only that, but the originally translucent, fragile nails at the tips of Li Hai's ten fingers also bizarrely lengthened, transforming into sharp gray-white hooked claws like those of Sabretooth from the live-action X-Men films.

At the same time, the hemp ropes tightly binding Li Hai snapped apart under the force of his bulging muscles after he completed his on-the-spot upgrade, scattering into a mess of shredded fibers across the ground.

As for Guo Shiwen, who had been frightened senseless by this abrupt change, he regrettably lost every chance of escape.

Li Hai, now free of his restraints, seized him by the throat and lifted him three feet off the ground as easily as a chick.

Meanwhile, Guo Huaijin, dozens of meters away, abruptly sensed the explosive change in Li Hai's aura. His expression changed, and he kicked off the ground, charging toward Li Hai in a blur of overlapping afterimages and fierce gusts.

The next second, the two men, equal in martial skill and realm... clashed head-on without holding anything back.

ROAR!!

Amid a deafening explosion of air and a tiger's furious roar, Guo Huaijin seemed to have been struck by some enormous force. He staggered backward, flying all the way back to his original position.

"How is that possible?!"

His face filled with shock, fury, and disbelief, Guo Huaijin forcibly suppressed his surging blood and qi. He stared wide-eyed at Li Hai, who had completely changed in appearance several dozen meters away, and growled, "Why do you possess this old man's ultimate art? And how have you mastered it so flawlessly?!"

"HAHAHAHA~"

In the distance, Li Hai used Guo Shiwen as a shield to loosely cover his upper body and laughed heartily. "Old Dog Guo, why so much nonsense? You only need to know that whether this little bastard lives or dies is entirely up to you now."

"Are you trying to trade Shiwen's life for a way out?"

Without hesitation, Guo Huaijin said, "Fine! You may. Put him down, and I will allow you to leave this place."

"Old dog, who are you trying to fool?"

Li Hai hid his head and neck behind the half-conscious Guo Shiwen's back and sneered. "I dare say that the moment this little bastard leaves my hands, a dozen or more bullets will immediately come flying at my head."

As he spoke, he inconspicuously swept his gaze over the dozen or so armed household guards standing in scattered groups at Guo Huaijin's sides and behind him.

At that moment, every one of them had raised their firearms and aimed at Li Hai from afar.

Li Hai could clearly feel faint, almost imperceptible prickling pain at every spot on his body targeted by those gun barrels.

Not a feather could be added, not a fly could land. Others did not know me, yet I alone knew others.

This was the tangible manifestation, in his powerful body, of the ability to sense approaching danger granted when a martial artist advanced to the [Force-Body Circulation] realm.

This ability could also be called Martial Artist's Intuition or Martial Arts Mind's Eye.

And it was precisely this ability that made one fact clear to Li Hai.

That was... although his body no longer feared the slashes of ordinary blunt swords and poor blades, it was still inadequate against a concentrated volley from gunpowder firearms.

If there were only two or three armed men grouped together, Li Hai was confident he could quickly deal with them through dodging and charging.

But there were a full twelve or thirteen guns here, scattered throughout every corner of this large courtyard.

There was simply no way to deal with that. He could only find a way to retreat for now.

Moreover, with his keen ears, Li Hai could faintly hear shuffling footsteps converging on this courtyard from every direction outside, some fast and some slow.

Clearly, everyone making those footsteps had to be Old Dog Guo's subordinates.

And how many guns were hidden among them was another unknown.

Seeing that the situation was about to fall into a stalemate, Li Hai's face turned cold. He immediately seized three fingers on Guo Shiwen's left hand and yanked hard.

"AAAH!!!"

Blood sprayed, and a shrill scream rang out as those three fingers were brutally torn off by Li Hai on the spot and casually tossed at his feet.

Under the heart-piercing agony of severed fingers, Guo Shiwen, who had nearly fainted, instantly woke up. Snot and tears streamed down his face as he convulsed and wailed, "Ahhh, Grandfather, save me! Save me!"

"Raaagh!!"

At the sight of this, and hearing his beloved grandson's cries, Guo Huaijin was instantly overcome by rage. His bloodshot tiger eyes glared at Li Hai as he roared hoarsely from afar, "You little beast! This old man will not let you die easily!"

"You're still acting so arrogant after things have come to this?"

Li Hai sounded deeply surprised. "Old Dog Guo, don't you know whose hands hold the initiative now, hmm?"

As he spoke, he unhesitatingly grabbed the remaining two fingers on Guo Shiwen's left hand and yanked again.

"AAAHHH!!"

After a scream sharp enough to pierce the heart and scratch the ears, Guo Shiwen actually fainted from the pain.

"Beast! Beast!"

Guo Huaijin threw back his head and roared, then asked with a savage expression, "What... exactly do you want?!"

"I have two demands."

Li Hai gave a cold smile. "First, every one of your lackeys must smash the guns in their hands. Second, you will personally lead the way and escort me out of this place."