Blood Man

The memories kept stabbing at him, and the past unfolded vividly before his eyes.

Chen Zhuo was no orphan. He was the third son in his family.

The Chen family had once been considered middle-class in Baiyun County. They had owned a modest amount of property and lived fairly comfortably.

But after his parents died in an accident and his eldest brother passed away from illness, the Chen family was dealt a devastating blow.

His second brother's true nature as a gambling addict came to light, and he nearly lost the family's few remaining assets.

He had even forcibly seized the house the old man had left to Chen Zhuo and gambled it away, too.

Everyone knew that gambling addicts never came to a good end.

Fortunately, Chen Zhuo had seen what was coming and used the little money left to grease a few palms. That was how he secured a job as a White-Uniform Runner and avoided being dragged into the abyss by the gambling addict.

At a glance, Chen Zhuo recognized the man sprawled on the ground as his own second brother.

An instinctive revulsion rose from deep within him, urging him to leave at once.

Chen Zhuo had only taken one look. He turned and walked away, treating his brother like a stranger.

But after he had gone only a few steps, Chen the Second immediately began shouting:

"Third Brother? What are you running for? You little bastard, think you've grown wings? You get a job as a White-Uniform Runner and suddenly your tail's up in the sky. You can't even greet your second brother when you see him?"

Chen the Second had obviously recognized Chen Zhuo, too.

But no matter how loudly he shouted, Chen Zhuo ignored him and kept walking.

There was no need to pay any attention to a gambling addict who would even sell his own parents' memorial tablets to fund his bets.

He could just pretend the man was dead.

But after Chen Zhuo had hurried a few more steps, two broad-shouldered brutes suddenly closed in and firmly blocked his way.

A cold glint entered Chen Zhuo's eyes. "I'm on duty for the Yamen. How dare you obstruct me?"

"Clap, clap, clap."

Someone suddenly clapped behind him, followed by a hoarse voice.

"Quite the display of authority. But debts must be repaid—that's only right and proper. You've picked the wrong place to throw your weight around."

Chen Zhuo turned toward the voice. A Fat Old Man was standing with one foot on Chen the Second's head, watching him with a sneer. He tossed a bundle of IOUs at Chen Zhuo's feet.

"Count them up. See how much he owes."

"Repaying debts is his business. What does it have to do with me?"

Chen Zhuo glanced at the papers and kicked them back.

"You're brothers, flesh and blood. How lucky that we ran into you today. If he can't pay, naturally you can pay in his place."

The Fat Old Man swept a hand through the air, and three more brutes emerged from the gambling house, each carrying a steel saber.

"If you don't repay the debt today, you'll pay with your life."

Sunlight fell on the saber hilts, their reflected gleam making Chen Zhuo narrow his eyes.

"I seem to remember that my so-called home is in the southern part of South Outer City. Yet somehow I happened to run into Chen the Second in the north. What a 'coincidence'..."

A coincidence that made no sense at all.

Chen Zhuo was beginning to understand. This didn't look like debt collection. It looked more like a death sentence.

And the life they wanted was his.

As soon as the suspicion formed in his mind, his body reacted. His skin, muscles, and bones tensed without him noticing, and his right hand quietly settled on the hilt at his waist.

"Kill the brat!"

Perhaps the Fat Old Man had run out of patience. Or perhaps he was afraid Chen Zhuo would see through his intentions and flee.

At the Fat Old Man's command, five brutes wielding steel sabers charged without the slightest hesitation.

Their blades flashed fiercely, intent on chopping Chen Zhuo to pieces.

With a resonant hum, his saber left its sheath.

Chen Zhuo drew without a second thought.

Beneath the setting sun, the blade seemed to blaze with a ball of fire.

Though he had lived two lifetimes, this was his first time fighting someone to the death. Of course he was nervous.

But when several steel sabers stood before him, coming to take his life—

Nervous?

Chen Zhuo swung his saber, his killing intent blazing.

His opponents were experienced and worked together with uncanny coordination. All five steel sabers came at him nearly at once.

Four were feints; the fifth swept low, striking straight for a vital spot.

Chen Zhuo steadied his breathing and swung his long saber. His strike came later, yet landed first.

All they saw was a blazing sun sweeping across their vision, bright enough to make their eyes sting.

After a sharp swish, a howl suddenly rang in their ears.

Through their blurred vision, they made out a hand severed cleanly at the wrist by Chen Zhuo's blade.

At the same time, they all felt that their sabers had struck a tough piece of bullhide.

They could cut it, but the wounds wouldn't go deep.

A trained fighter?

The men were aghast. They immediately pulled their sabers back, afraid of suffering the same fate as the one who had lost his hand.

But they didn't truly retreat. They simply gripped their sabers tightly and circled Chen Zhuo.

Each time one tested him with a strike, another followed up, leaving them plenty of room to retreat.

"He can't hold out much longer."

They had seen plenty of men like this. One strike wasn't enough to scare them off.

Besides, after that first exchange, their opponent was already bleeding. With blood flowing out, his vitality would quickly wane.

He had taken one man out of the fight, but it had cost him dearly.

Blood streamed from several wounds on Chen Zhuo's body, soaking through his short tunic.

Yet he seemed not to notice. His fighting spirit burned brighter than before.

He only knew three saber moves, repeating them over and over, yet he made them bloom like a flower.

His long saber swept through the air in a seamless flurry. No matter where the steel sabers came from, he drove them back in orderly fashion.

[Zhengyang Blade Technique (Incomplete) +1]

[Zhengyang Blade Technique (Incomplete) +1]

[Iron Cloth Shirt +1]

As Chen Zhuo watched row after row of small text pop up before his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitched. His blood surged rapidly through his body, and an unnatural flush rose to his cheeks.

Could fighting someone actually increase his proficiency?!

And what's more—

Was it even faster than practicing martial arts?

He had no time to think about why.

A wild idea sprang into his mind.

With the Blood Vitality Pill sustaining him, his stamina wouldn't run too low for the time being...

Chen Zhuo steeled himself and changed his moves in an instant.

Facing four steel sabers, he didn't just refrain from blocking—he lunged straight at them, as if he meant to take their blades with his bare flesh.

In the blink of an eye, several more cuts appeared on his body.

Blood drenched him from head to toe.

Even in such a wretched state, Chen Zhuo could barely hide the excitement in his eyes.

Rows of small text refreshed before him at astonishing speed.

Especially the Zhengyang Blade Technique.

How terrifying...

The swordsmen had spent years roaming the martial world and seen all kinds of people.

But a lunatic like Chen Zhuo, covered in blood from head to toe and getting more excited the more he was cut, was a rare sight indeed.

Getting cut was clearly supposed to be punishment. How had it started to feel like a reward?

The strange feeling was like a mouthful of foul air they couldn't cough up, leaving the swordsmen's chests painfully tight.

The kid was already a blood-soaked mess. Why wouldn't he die?

"You idiots! He's using you to practice his moves!"

Only when the Fat Old Man's sudden scolding rang out did the swordsmen understand.

They'd been played?

Their brief shock gave way to a surge of fury.

But it was too late.

In their final moments, the last thing they saw was a streak of fiery red blade light.

It was as if the setting sun had crashed into the earth, carving out a deep canyon.

Long gashes split open the chests of all four men.

In an instant, blood poured down like a waterfall.

"That strike... Who said this kid had only just begun Body Refining?!"

The Fat Old Man's eyelids twitched wildly at the sight of that heart-stopping strike. He turned and ran for his life without a second thought.

"Huang Yuan'er, you've doomed me!"