Yong Prince Jujube

Bang!

Sheng Xiaotian's little eyes suddenly went wide. With another bang, a stone flew out from who knew where and smashed heavily into Zheng Biao's temple.

"Ah!"

Zheng Biao toppled headfirst to the ground and did not rise again.

And not just Zheng Biao.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Two stones flew out from the shadows in succession.

One struck Zheng Biao, who stood closest to Sheng Xiaotian and Sheng Dayang, while the other flew toward Xu Lang, the strongest Fourth Rank expert present.

"Who?!"

Xu Lang was far stronger than Zheng Biao and reacted in time. He raised his blade and shattered the stone with a single slash, bellowing at the same time.

At that moment.

A gray shadow lunged forward.

The newcomer wore gray clothes, his head and face covered, revealing only a pair of bright, piercing eyes. He moved with astonishing speed.

"You're courting death!"

Xu Lang flew into a rage.

He channeled his inner force into his arm. His steel blade flashed like snow as it cleaved down fiercely.

He practiced the Divine Pounce Blade. It was said that with one slash, even a god could be pounced to the ground, showing just how fierce its blade momentum was. Xu Lang had cultivated the Divine Pounce Blade to the fourth level; his inner breath had transformed into inner force, which he could command at will.

Thus.

This slash was fast, vicious, powerful, and heavy.

In martial combat, it was nothing more than a contest of who was faster, who was stronger, and who reacted more swiftly.

Xu Lang lacked neither speed nor strength.

Unfortunately.

The newcomer was even stronger.

Seeing the blade slash down, the man neither stopped nor retreated.

Thud thud thud!

His feet stamped in rapid succession, splashing up dirt. As he charged forward, he tilted his head slightly. His right hand flashed like lightning. It had originally been clenched into a fist, but as it shot upward alongside the steel blade, his index, middle, ring, and little fingers flicked in succession.

Clang clang clang!

Like a pipa melody being played.

The steel blade broke.

Amid the ringing collision of metal and stone, the steel blade was knocked aside for an instant.

"Ha!" The man gave a low shout, ducked forward, wrapped his arms around Xu Lang's waist, and squeezed hard as he slammed his head into Xu Lang's chest.

Crack~

Xu Lang's spine and breastbone shattered at once.

"Ah—"

He only had time for a brief scream before it cut off abruptly.

Xu Lang, incense master of the Flying Eagle Hall and a Fourth Rank expert, died on the spot.

"Two."

Chen Jichuan had struck from ambush and killed two men first.

After smashing his head forward, he moved both hands from behind Xu Lang's back to the front. Borrowing the force of his forward lunge, he thrust both hands with all his strength—

Boom!

He hurled Xu Lang's entire body away like a cannonball, crashing it into another Third Rank fighter nearby.

At the same time.

Chen Jichuan seized Xu Lang's steel blade. With a sweep to either side, he knocked aside the blade of the man lagging behind, then cut him down with a single slash.

When strength, speed, and reaction time were all utterly crushed, Chen Jichuan needed no technique at all.

He kicked a flying stone into the forehead of the man Xu Lang's body had knocked down, who had yet to climb back up, taking another life.

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Broad and sweeping.

Four men died in succession.

Only two remained. Seeing Chen Jichuan's ferocious might—especially seeing incense master Xu Lang killed in an instant—their hearts and guts nearly split apart.

"Run!"

They did not dare fight him.

They turned and fled.

However.

Under Chen Jichuan's very nose, how could mere Level Three figures possibly escape?

Chen Jichuan took several strides and caught up.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Two slashes killed the final two men.

"S-so amazing!"

Sheng Xiaotian watched the masked man kill six people in a few swift strokes. His mouth hung wide open, his heart pounding wildly.

He was a little afraid, yet also a little exhilarated.

Sheng Dayang was steadier.

Seeing Chen Jichuan kill as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, a chill ran through his heart. Afraid that the man might kill them father and son as well once he got carried away, he hurriedly said, "Mercy, hero. My son and I were captured. We are not with them."

"Tell me what happened."

Chen Jichuan lowered his voice, making it hoarse and old. Pointing at Zheng Biao on the ground, he said, "This man isn't quite dead yet. Stay away from him."

As he searched the bodies.

He questioned Sheng Dayang while remaining wary of the father and son.

Altered Humans possessed Altered Abilities. None of them could be underestimated.

Chen Jichuan had intended to save them.

But he feared that the father and son might not know their place, or might even bite the hand that saved them, so he had to stay on guard.

Chen Jichuan did not wish to be Hua Tuo.

Naturally, he would not become Mr. Dongguo either.

Zheng Biao lay on the ground, his temple smashed by a stone. He clearly would not survive. Left alone, he would stop breathing before long. Chen Jichuan feared Sheng Dayang might not tell the truth, so he deliberately mentioned it and let him weigh the matter himself.

"He's not dead?"

Hearing this, Sheng Dayang crouched down, intending to pick up a steel blade and kill the man.

"I still need to question him."

Chen Jichuan glanced at Sheng Dayang.

Just one look.

Made Sheng Dayang tremble all over.

He decisively gave up on taking a blade to kill Zheng Biao, and obediently explained from beginning to end how he and his son had come to this.

It turned out.

A few days ago, Sheng Xiaotian had been burning all over, unable to bear it. His condition had looked terrifying.

Sheng Dayang hurriedly took Sheng Xiaotian to a medical hall for treatment. The physician prescribed two doses of medicine, but when they got home, before the medicine had even been brewed, Sheng Xiaotian was already bouncing around full of life.

Sheng Dayang had not paid much attention at the time.

He simply let his son go out to play on his own.

But unexpectedly.

Sheng Xiaotian had obtained an "immortal art" just like him.

This "immortal art" could make blood heat up and even burn. Sheng Dayang had inexplicably gained this ability four years ago, when his wife died and overwhelming grief consumed him.

He had originally been a laborer in Yongfu County.

With this "immortal art," Sheng Dayang had transformed himself into a massage master. By helping people massage their qi and blood, promoting circulation and dispersing blood stasis, he earned a little money.

But he kept his mouth shut.

Others only knew that Sheng Dayang's massage techniques were superb. They did not know that an "immortal art" existed.

Yet Sheng Xiaotian was young. Having only just gained his Altered Ability, he did not know how to control it.

That evening, when he quarreled with children from the same neighborhood, he accidentally injured someone and was reported to the authorities. This exposed their secret and drew people from the Li River Gang's Flying Eagle Hall to their door.

It was no coincidence that father and son had awakened Altered Abilities.

It was because the two of them had eaten for years the immortal jujubes borne by an Immortal Jujube Tree in South Creek Mountain.

"I didn't know at first either."

"It was only after the Li River Gang people kept asking whether I had eaten or touched anything, then turned my whole courtyard upside down, that I remembered the Immortal Jujube Tree and its immortal jujubes. After that, these people brought my son and me into the mountains to find that jujube tree, and they picked every immortal jujube on it."

Sheng Dayang did not dare lie. He told Chen Jichuan everything in full detail.

"Immortal jujubes."

Chen Jichuan gathered all the items from Xu Lang, Zheng Biao, and the others into one place.

There were books.

Booklets.

Brocade pouches.

And some loose silver.

He had no time to inspect them closely.

His first glance went to the "immortal jujubes" Sheng Dayang had mentioned.

The immortal jujubes were packed in a cloth bag.

Chen Jichuan used his blade to pick open the mouth of the bag and saw a heap of fresh, glistening red dates. Each was roughly two thumb-widths larger than a thumb, plump and full.

He examined them with Insight Art—

[Yong Prince Jujube: Also known as 'September Fresh.' It was named because Prince Yong, the sixth son of Great Chu's founding emperor, loved eating these jujubes. Yong Prince Jujubes ripen in early to mid-September, with high and stable yields. Their flesh is thick, their flavor sweet, and their fruits large. They ripen after the rainy season and possess excellent resistance to fruit cracking, with no pre-harvest fruit drop. They are suitable for cultivation on gentle slopes with deep, fertile soil. Note: This Yong Prince Jujube contains spiritual energy. It is the fruit borne by the Yong Prince Spirit Jujube Tree and can replenish blood, lower blood pressure, and strengthen the human body's immunity. It also has certain effects in protecting the liver, calming the mind, and soothing the spirit.]