"Tanyue Zhengying Sword Art... Are they from the Changming Sword Palace?"
"Can't afford to offend, can't afford to offend."
Jiang Mingsi bolted away with the child in his arms. He was a standard demonic cultivator of the unorthodox path.
As a demonic cultivator, he naturally possessed the two virtues common to his kind: wiping out every last enemy and knowing when to run.
In other words, he couldn't take the pressure.
At the slightest hint of trouble, he would immediately turn tail and flee into the distance. That was how he had managed to survive until now.
"Unorthodox cultivator!" A crisp, cold scolding rang out behind him. Jiang Mingsi glanced to the side and saw Xu Shuangshuang pursuing him at full speed, True Qi surging as she rode her sword.
"Damn it! Riding a sword with True Qi—she's at least a sixth-rank cultivator!"
"A sixth-rank sword cultivator... Tsk, tsk, tsk!"
Feeling the fierce sword light several dozen meters behind him, Jiang Mingsi couldn't help but shudder.
The Sword Path was known for slaughter, its attacks notoriously fierce.
Xu Shuangshuang's gaze turned icy. She raised her hand and sent a Sword Path talisman hurtling into Jiang Mingsi's back.
Worried she might hurt the child, she hadn't used her full strength in that attack.
"Ugh!" Jiang Mingsi groaned, a sweet taste rising in his throat. His expression abruptly turned vicious. "You stinking bitch!"
He bit down hard on the tip of his tongue. In an instant, the black hair on his half-shaved head turned visibly gray, while his speed suddenly surged several times over. With a single leap, he fled nearly a hundred miles away.
"The Blood Refining Path's technique!" Xu Shuangshuang frowned.
Fortunately, the Sword Path talisman had already left a trace of her aura on him. There was no way this unorthodox cultivator could escape today.
At that moment, in the outskirts of Jiaqing County, Great Yan, four large characters—"Lin Family Escort Agency"—were carved above the gate of a luxurious estate. Yet the manor was steeped in blood, not a trace of life remaining.
Several dark figures moved through the courtyard, then came to a halt beneath a camphor tree moments later.
A figure in a black robe stood there, his face hidden behind a plain white mask. He was clearly the leader of the group.
"My lord, all 364 members of the Lin Family have been killed. We just haven't found the cargo the higher-ups told us to retrieve."
The white-masked man in black robes replied coolly, "Mm. Let's go." The others withdrew at once.
Half an hour later, a floor tile in some part of the inner courtyard shifted slightly.
A young man in his early twenties slowly crawled out of a hidden tunnel underground.
He looked plain and unremarkable. He was Lin Hua, the eldest son of the Lin Family Escort Agency.
Gazing at the scene before him—blood flowing like a river, corpses strewn everywhere—Lin Hua's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.
"Big brother, big brother! What's happening outside?" A young, anxious voice came from the tunnel. Soon, a handsome boy of fifteen or sixteen crawled out too. When he saw the carnage outside, his legs buckled, and he collapsed to his knees as well.
"Brother... Our family is gone..." the boy said through his sobs.
Lin Hua clutched his younger brother tightly, resting his head on his shoulder. Choking back tears, he said, "Little brother... You have Grade A Bone Structure. You must train hard from now on. Avenge Father and Mother, and Uncle and Second Uncle..."
"Mm..."
"Never forget the family's vengeance..."
"Mm..."
Before the words had even faded, several whooshes sounded. The black-robed, masked figures from earlier had returned like ghosts, surrounding the brothers.
"Heh. My lord was right. There were survivors from the Lin Clan after all."
The brothers snapped to attention, cold sweat soaking through their clothes.
Fear flashed through the younger Lin brother, Lin Changgong's eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward, trembling, and stood in front of his elder brother. "Brother... You've never trained in martial arts. Run. I'll hold them off..."
Before he could finish, a hand shot out like lightning and clamped around his throat. Lin Changgong didn't even have time to react.
"A child who hasn't even broken through the Martial Pass—he doesn't even count as a ninth-rank cultivator—and he thinks he can hold us off?" The black-robed figure sneered, then thrust his hand straight through Lin Changgong's abdomen, shattering his dantian in an instant. Lin Changgong's face went deathly pale, boundless terror welling in his eyes.
"And he's a genius with Grade A Bone Structure, too. If we really let you escape, we'd never sleep easy again." The man finished speaking and twisted his wrist viciously.
Pfft!
Lin Changgong spewed a huge mouthful of blood and passed out.
"Little brother!" Lin Hua's eyes nearly burst with rage. He struggled desperately to get up, but the black-robed figures around him held him down.
He had no bone structure and couldn't cultivate. At that moment, all he could do was watch helplessly as this unfolded.
A gentle breeze swept through the courtyard, and all fell silent.
The next second, with a tearing sound, a splash of scalding, bloody liquid sprayed across Lin Hua's face. At the same time, the restraints around him suddenly slackened.
He looked up and saw a line of blood across the necks of several black-robed figures. Their heads rolled to the ground, making a sound that sent chills down his spine.
Crash—
The headless bodies toppled one after another, revealing the person who had struck.
An old man with unkempt hair and a ragged Daoist robe, his face gaunt and withered, stood there with a small child in his arms.
"Heh heh. There really have been plenty of strange happenings lately—and they've all happened on the same day."
The old man chuckled darkly.
Jiang Mingsi looked down at his withered, skeletal hand and sighed softly. "I don't cultivate the Blood Refining Path, yet I forced myself to use one of its techniques. It's terrifyingly effective. Just one simple blood escape nearly consumed my entire lifespan..."
As he spoke, Jiang Mingsi raised a hand and beckoned to Lin Hua.
Lin Hua scrambled over on his hands and knees, his face streaked with tears and snot. He kowtowed again and again. "I, Lin Hua, thank you for saving my life, senior. I'll repay your kindness in this life!"
Jiang Mingsi grinned. "Repay me? Good."
He handed the infant in his arms to Lin Hua. "Help me raise a child..."
Lin Yi was still fast asleep. In his dream, words seemed to appear:
[Destiny Talisman Coin -10] [Destiny Talisman Coin depleted, [Strong Luck] deactivated] [Survived successfully, obtained ten thousand Destiny Talisman Coins]
The next morning, at sunrise.
Jiang Mingsi sat alone on a cliff, meditating in silence. His hair had turned white, his face aged, and his life force flickered like a dying candle.
A streak of sword light split the sky and came to rest against his neck.
Xu Shuangshuang's voice was icy. "Where is the child?"
Jiang Mingsi turned his head, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. His breath was faint. "Heh heh, honored sword cultivator, come closer. I'll tell you..."
Seeing his withered appearance and dwindling life force, Xu Shuangshuang let her guard down. After hesitating briefly, she edged closer.
His feather-light voice slipped into Xu Shuangshuang's ear, and her expression changed abruptly.
"You brainless, stinking bitch! You want to know where that child is... Wait until your next life!"
As he spoke, Jiang Mingsi thrust his neck forward and deliberately impaled himself on the sword's edge.
Blood gushed forth, and his life force was extinguished.
Xu Shuangshuang's pupils contracted, her face turning livid. "Damn it!"
She stared furiously at Jiang Mingsi's corpse for a long time.
At last, she raised her hand and unleashed countless streaks of sword light, reducing him to dust. Then she transformed into a streak of sword light and shot into the distance.
At the same time, deep inside a desolate grave, a corpse in a coffin slowly opened its eyes. A complicated look shone in them.
"He really did die in the end... This body's lifespan was all but exhausted to begin with. Luckily, I cultivate the Corpse Puppet Path. By borrowing this corpse, I can extend my life force for another seventeen years through hibernation. In seventeen years, that young body with its unparalleled talent should have matured. I hope nothing goes wrong with the hastily laid plan..."
"I truly can't wait to wake up again... Heh heh..."
Jiang Mingsi chuckled twice, then fell back into hibernation.
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