Something's Not Right

One day, two days.

Finally, on the morning of the third day, they were already within a few dozen miles of Weizhou.

"Very good, we are almost there. Just hold on a little longer."

Monk Tianming was undoubtedly exhausted at this moment. Unlike Li Su and the others who could at least rest for a while, he had remained vigilant throughout, despite also circulating his internal energy to recover. Over the past two days and three nights, he had not closed his eyes for even a single second.

Even for a first-class expert, while his internal energy remained abundant, his mental stamina had undoubtedly been drained to the limit.

"Hmm?"

Wang Jiantong spoke up, "Master Tianming, look at that straight road ahead. There is a checkpoint. Why don't we head over there first to replenish our food and water?" They had departed in such a rush that although they had brought plenty of dry rations, they were now essentially depleted. Everyone had gone without food for at least ten hours, and their last drink of water had been two hours ago.

Hearing this, the eyes of the two young women, Ming Yulong and Xu Jing, couldn't help but brighten.

They weren't exactly pampered, but this kind of forced march was unprecedented for them; since the end of the first day, their entire bodies had been aching with discomfort.

Where there was a checkpoint, there was bound to be fresh water. If they could clean themselves up a little, that would be for the best.

Xuanci and the others also had burning gazes. Being physically robust, they were already ravenous, not to mention that their throats felt as if they were on fire, making them yearn for water all the more.

Monk Tianming took a breath and looked at the group. Although he wanted to reach their destination as quickly as possible, he knew they had essentially reached their limit. "Very well, we shall rest at the checkpoint for a while before setting off again!"

At this moment, Li Su was undoubtedly exhausted as well.

He had originally thought that with internal energy, lactic acid and the like would basically be a thing of the past for him.

However, once the physical exertion exceeded his imagination, his body began to ache just as it would have without internal energy.

Yet, fatigue aside, Li Su discovered that under the strain of this forced march, his Indestructible Diamond Divine Art was progressing faster than ever.

The first level had reached direct perfection.

Once he circulated his energy—though he hadn't tested it yet—a massive amount of "Gong energy" would gather beneath his skin, greatly enhancing his defensive capabilities. Even if he were to touch a blade with his hand, it would leave no mark.

And this was only the first level. According to what his master had passed down to him, every time the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art leveled up, his defensive power would undergo a drastic transformation. By the fifth level, even if an opponent attacked with internal energy, they would be unable to harm him unless they struck his vital points.

Just thinking about it made Li Su feel a surge of excitement.

If he could master all nine levels of the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art, there shouldn't be many people left in this world capable of killing him, right?

Setting reality aside, things like having several decades of internal energy could no longer be considered martial arts; it was more akin to cultivation.

Of course, the Xiaoyao Sect still required special attention.

After all, this Xiaoyao Sect was practically bordering on immortality. Wuyazi aside, Tianshan Tonglao and Li Qiushui were both nearly a hundred years old—one looked like a young girl, the other remained essentially youthful. Wasn't that just defying the laws of nature?

Exhaling, Li Su shifted his gaze. The first level was completely finished; he could now begin practicing the second level.

The practice for the second level involved a different circulation map, paired with a different breathing method.

This circulation path was much smaller, centered on the five internal organs, and in terms of breathing, it was no longer about inhaling, but exhaling.

He had assumed this would be simple, but after a slight attempt yesterday, he realized just how anti-human this technique was.

When inhaling and holding one's breath, the body had plenty of oxygen, and combined with internal energy, not breathing for half an hour wasn't difficult. But after exhaling all the air from his body, Li Su found it difficult to last even a few minutes, let alone half an hour. After a few attempts, he had nearly fainted, and his internal circulation had almost collapsed.

Even though the path of circulation was much smaller, the difficulty had increased significantly.

Although it was hard, Li Su's talent was not for show; he successfully mapped it out after only five attempts.

As he began to practice, Li Su discovered that this small circulation also began to generate energy, but instead of pushing outward, it flowed inward.

That was right; the energy generated by each round of practice flowed directly into Li Su's five internal organs.

Furthermore, how should he put it? The nature of this energy was completely different from the energy of the first level.

The energy of the first level was very distinct and active when circulated, but this energy was not; it was exceptionally calm. Aside from being able to feel it, it showed almost no movement, as if it were a pool of stagnant water.

Faced with this result, Li Su couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with oxygen? That shouldn't be it, right?

The group moved quickly toward the checkpoint.

Seeing them approach, the squad of soldiers guarding the checkpoint immediately opened their formation and began to prepare for a confrontation.

"Who goes there?"

The soldier who appeared to be the captain spoke directly.

Wang Jiantong immediately stepped forward and produced his identity token, saying, "We are martial artists, ordered to rush to Weizhou. Due to the exhaustion of the journey, our supplies have been depleted, and we hope to replenish them here."

Seeing the token, the captain still dared not be careless. "Throw the token over."

Wang Jiantong was not surprised. During this period, inspections were naturally stricter; after all, if they let someone through who turned out to be a spy, the checkpoint guards would be held accountable.

Catching the token and examining it for a moment, the captain nodded and signaled for everyone to lower their weapons. "My apologies, warriors. During this time of war between Song and Xia, I must be cautious."

"That is only right. May I ask, Captain, if there is any extra food at the checkpoint? If not, replenishing some water will suffice."

Wang Jiantong stepped forward to retrieve his token.

"We have some, though not much. We can provide you with some dry rations; I will have someone prepare them for you now. Right, let's get some water for these warriors first."

"Many thanks."

Wang Jiantong turned back and nodded, while Monk Tianming waved his hand, signaling the group to rest.

"They really came!"

Inside a thatched hut beside the checkpoint.

"At first, I thought the headquarters was joking, but I never expected it to be true. Someone in Yanan Prefecture actually guessed His Majesty's plan. It's fortunate we infiltrated the Song border over a month ago, otherwise, this would have been a real problem. The leader should be the head of the Arhat Hall at Shaolin Temple, the monk Tianming. According to the plan, eliminate him first."

"Understood!"

Soon, soldiers entered the hut and emerged carrying bowls and a large jar.

The captain's brow twitched, and he immediately said, "Brave warriors, you've traveled a long way. Have some water first."

He immediately signaled the other soldiers to join him, pouring the water and gesturing for them to bring it over to the monk Tianming and his group.

Wang Jiantong smiled upon hearing this and said, "Thank you!"

He took the bowl and drank it down immediately.

At this moment, even the two young ladies, Ming Yulong and her companion, could not afford to care about the cleanliness of the bowls; they took the water and drank it at once.

Soon, the water was passed to Li Su and the monk Tianming.

The monk Tianming performed a salute, "Amitabha, many thanks, benefactor."

Li Su, also preparing to offer his thanks, paused as he took the bowl.

Such a heavy scent. They must eat plenty of meat, right?

There was undoubtedly a significant difference in body odor between those who ate a vegetarian diet year-round and those who consumed meat constantly. Especially in this ancient era, people rarely bathed, and even if they did, they lacked the high-potency soaps or scented soaps of the modern world. This was precisely why novels about time-travelers to ancient times loved to write about how making soap was a guaranteed way to make a fortune.

Hm?

As the bowl reached his lips, Li Su faltered, his movements coming to a halt.

He hadn't looked closely before, but now that he was paying attention, the soldier handing him the water was very different.

His frame was massive, stretching his uniform to its limits.

Clearly, the man was exceptionally strong in both muscle and bone.

This was wrong—very wrong, completely wrong!

Li Su had seen plenty of Song Dynasty soldiers along his journey; unless they were elite troops, the average soldier was essentially thin and weak.

Despite the Song Dynasty's prosperous economy, the actual treatment of the military was not high—no, it should be said it was extremely low.

In the Song Dynasty, only the capital possessed a military in the true sense, known as the Imperial Guard. Local forces were essentially Local Garrison troops, mostly farmers dressed in soldier's uniforms who didn't train and were often forced into manual labor. After all, the Emperor feared rebellion and kept the military suppressed.

It made no sense for soldiers manning a checkpoint on a road like this to be elites.

After all, the purpose of such a checkpoint wasn't to intercept armies, but to inspect passing civilians or to report immediately if any traces of Western Xia forces were discovered.

Involuntarily, Li Su turned his head to glance at the area where the horses were kept, and his gaze froze.

Because they had been obstructed earlier, he hadn't noticed, but looking now, he realized there were over a dozen horses.

The Song Dynasty was severely lacking in horses.

In fact, the Central Plains had always been short on horses.

A checkpoint might keep one or two in reserve, but that was all.

One man per horse? Physically robust? Using soldiers like this to guard a checkpoint? Was the Song Dynasty really that extravagant?

No!!!

Not only that, but while he had previously only noticed the soldier's heavy body odor, he now realized the scent was one he was very familiar with—he had eaten plenty of it before he traveled here: the smell of mutton.

Mutton stench, elite soldiers, one man per horse?

Li Su drew a sharp breath, and cold sweat broke out on his skin. With so many clues linked together, he would have to be a fool not to understand.

Western Xia soldiers!

But how was it possible? How could Western Xia soldiers have invaded this far? And disguised themselves as Song soldiers?

No, that was no longer important.

What mattered was the danger—his life was at stake!!!

Taking a sharp breath, Li Su felt like a cat with its fur standing on end. In an instant, every muscle in his body tensed, and he threw his head back, letting out the first shout he had made since arriving in this world!

"AH!!!"

At the same time, under the astonished gaze of the Western Xia soldier before him, he gathered his internal energy at his fingertips and, without a moment's hesitation, struck out.

Two-Finger Formless!!!