Instantly Recovering from Injuries

Gao Fei had not deliberately concealed his cultivation; he simply could not be bothered to explain.

The reasons others came up with themselves were far more convincing than the lies you made up.

Gao Linyue looked at the sawtoothed blade in his hand with some heartache. That was not how the blade was meant to be used, but staying alive came first. With no spiritual power, Gao Fei could only use it like this.

He knew the power of that sneak attack just now; he, too, was cultivating Dark Force.

But!

Since when could someone at the peak of body tempering trade blows with a monster at Spirit-Absorption Realm, Perfected?

The question flashed through his mind, then was swallowed by the thought of covering everyone's retreat. He turned and followed the others.

Gao Fei did not enter the house to search for the wounded Yellow Great Immortal. The system had not given him any Merit Points, so it was not dead yet.

His close-range teleportation was slower than the other party's, and so were his reactions. Going in would only invite a sneak attack. Safety came first, so he waited outside.

As he watched the crowd flee farther away, notifications began appearing on the system panel.

Merit Points +1

There were thirteen Merit Points in total. It seemed there were bad people among the crowd!

His body could now absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, though it was far too little and nowhere near enough. Still, it should be enough to heal his injuries.

"System, use 1 Merit Point on the Golden Body Art."

In the first year, your physical body was injured, and you did not cultivate. You began researching methods to rapidly recover from injuries, but found nothing.

However, during the process, you discovered a way to seal acupoints and quickly stop bleeding.

At the end of the year, your injuries automatically recovered.

Your consciousness returned. Looking at the place where he had just been injured, Gao Fei saw that only pale scars remained where the scabs had fallen away.

His stamina returned to its peak.

Only then did Gao Fei gain a little confidence. He smiled at the black hole where the Yellow Great Immortal had smashed into the house.

"Alright, stop playing dead. The humans around here have all cleared out. Come out and tell me why you entered the city this time. Perhaps we can talk."

After waiting for a while, the Yellow Great Immortal revealed himself from a wooden house to the side and walked onto the main street.

"Why did you ambush me?"

Gao Fei was somewhat surprised. This fellow still regarded him as a monster.

"You hacked me so many times first. If I didn't hit back, I'd feel terrible and wouldn't be able to sleep. Do you know how miserable it is to be unable to sleep?"

Hearing that, the Yellow Great Immortal wiped the still-damp fur at the corner of his mouth. After thinking for a moment, it nodded thoughtfully.

"I once knew a Pig Demon friend. He said the same thing, though I don't know just how miserable it is."

"But I accept that reasoning. Fine! We're even now. Tell me first, what are you doing in Yueyang County Seat?"

What was Gao Fei doing in Yueyang County Seat? After thinking about it, he revealed a helpless expression.

"Eating, and observing their living habits!"

He was telling the truth. He had not wanted to come either.

On Blue Star, even though he worked a 996 schedule, at least he did not have to worry about being eaten by monsters at any moment. His material needs were low, and he had few desires. He could work for one year, then lie flat for three.

He had done that once before. Of course, those three years had only been enough to keep him alive.

He had originally planned to work hard for another year, deliver food, then lie flat for another three years. Instead, fate had sent him to this godforsaken place.

But those words sounded entirely different to the Yellow Great Immortal.

Eating meant eating people. A human monster capable of disguising himself so well was truly rare.

At the same time, he sensed fluctuations of spiritual energy outside the city.

"We came in to kill those officials and cause panic. Alright, I should be going."

After speaking, the Yellow Great Immortal shot up like a green onion pulled from dry earth, leaping straight onto the rooftops before racing toward the southern part of the city.

Gao Fei also sensed the fluctuations of spiritual power clashing outside the city. It seemed things beyond the city walls were not peaceful either.

"Good thing it isn't heading toward Second Uncle's house."

Watching the Yellow Great Immortal depart at such speed, he shook his head.

Speed, agility, reactions—he was completely outmatched. There was no point in chasing after it.

What had the Rat Demon meant by its last words?

What did the officials of Yueyang County Seat have to do with it? Why kill them?

But that was not what concerned him. The important thing was to rush back and see whether his family was safe.

In his previous life, he had been alone and helpless, so he could lie flat. In this life, he had to work harder—at the very least, he had to keep everyone alive and safe.

And while he was at it, he would take revenge on that Fox Demon. It had sucked his predecessor into a dried corpse; no matter what, he had to suck it back dry.

On his way back, Gao Fei casually dealt with every Rat Demon he encountered.

From the city gate to his home, he encountered five Bone Tempering Realm Rat Demons. They came in groups of two, and in the end, each fell to a single slash.

Though the blade in his hand was chipped all over, it was still much less tiring to use against Rat Demons like these than his fists.

When he arrived home, everyone was there. Even Lu Xiaoliu stood in the courtyard with a woman.

The woman was slightly plump and wept silently. Second Aunt was saying something beside her.

A Rat Demon corpse over three chi long lay in the courtyard.

Gao Linyue held a long spear as he sat beneath the eaves. Seeing Gao Fei return, he let out a sigh of relief.

But he could not hold that breath. He clutched his abdomen, his face twisted in pain. After resting for a moment, he said, "Gao Fei, hurry to the martial arts hall and take a look!"

Before Gao Fei could speak, Second Aunt spoke first, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh my, even at a time like this, you still haven't forgotten the girl you secretly love..."

"I knew I shouldn't have told you. I was young and reckless back then. Seeing a type I liked and thinking about it was perfectly normal. And weren't you also..."

Gao Linyue glared at Second Aunt, while secretly waving at Gao Fei behind his back.

Gao Fei understood what he meant. His family had always been tied to the martial arts hall; when one prospered, all prospered. If they did not go check now, it would look like betrayal.

"I'll go see whether any of the nearby neighbors need help."

As he spoke, Gao Fei grabbed a piece of clothing from the courtyard and walked out.

Once outside, he sprinted all the way toward the martial arts hall.

If you saved someone's life, they should repay you with a spring's worth of gratitude. Asking the martial arts hall for a Spirit-Absorption Realm cultivation technique should not be a problem, right?

His physical condition had improved greatly, and his running speed had more than doubled.

He quickly reached the entrance, where one of the large doors had fallen to the ground.

More than a dozen martial arts hall students lay dead on the training ground, most of them killed with a slash across the throat.

Another instructor from the martial arts hall was among them. Two Rat Demon corpses lay beside him.

From outside the gate, Gao Fei could already hear the furious clash of weapons in the martial arts hall's rear courtyard.

He went all the way in, finding several more corpses along the way. It seemed even martial artists were caught up in fierce competition.

In the inner courtyard, only a dozen or so people remained.

Yue Qinghe and the hall master's wife, the mother and daughter pair; Zhang Mingfei and Zhang Xinyu, the brother and sister pair; and several older young apprentices.

Fifteen Rat Demons surrounded them. Five were at Organ Tempering Perfection Realm, while the rest were mostly at Bone Tempering Realm.

Shallow wounds could be seen on every Rat Demon. Those with lower cultivation had mostly been hacked to death and lay on the ground.

The remaining people had been forced into a corner. The two Rat Demon corpses on the ground kept the monsters from attacking rashly.

The moment Gao Fei saw the Rat Demons, his eyes lit up. "Don't move. I've got this!"

With his sawtoothed Tang Saber and enormous strength, cutting down these Rat Demons was still as easy as ever.

Other than those at Organ Tempering Perfection Realm, they basically died in one slash. Even if the blade did not cut through, the impact alone smashed them to death.

The speed and agility of these Minor Monsters could no longer keep up with Gao Fei at all. Killing them was effortless.

Seeing that things were going wrong, the Rat Demons scattered and fled.

Seeing the dozen or so fleeing Rat Demons, Gao Fei hurriedly chased after them.

Those were Merit Points. How could he possibly let such a good opportunity slip away?

"Gao Fei, can you wait? We're all injured and need protection."

The one speaking was Zhang Mingfei of the Zhang Family.

The others also looked at him with pleading eyes. They had just witnessed Gao Fei's strength.

Everyone hoped he would stay.