While Still Warm

The woman in the red dress struggled to stand, but the grievous wound in her chest left her unable to muster any strength.

A flicker of despair and venom flashed through her eyes. Gritting her teeth, she raised her arm to block.

Bam!

Mo Yun's second punch came crashing into her blocking arm, jolting it numb from shoulder to fingertips.

"You're asking for death!"

The woman in red roared and, staking everything on her last breath of strength, struck at Mo Yun's abdomen with her palm.

The strike came fast and fierce. Mo Yun had no time to dodge and took it squarely.

"Pfft-"

A tremendous force slammed into him. Mo Yun felt his innards churn as he staggered several steps back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Even gravely wounded, a hidden-force expert's dying counterattack was nothing to take lightly!

But Mo Yun clenched his teeth and forced himself steady, showing no intention of retreating.

He could tell that after that palm strike, the woman in red had lost all her momentum. She slumped against the tree trunk, barely able to lift a hand.

She's finished!

A ruthless gleam flashed through Mo Yun's eyes. Enduring the agony in his abdomen, he lunged at her again!

Tiger-Crouching Fist, Black Tiger Rips Out the Heart!

Like a maddened black bear, he hurled himself into the woman's chest with savage, overwhelming ferocity!

Bam!

The collision made even the tree trunk behind her shudder.

The woman in red vomited blood again and collapsed limply to the ground, her eyes filled with unwillingness to accept her fate.

Yet she still refused to give up. With her final scrap of strength, she lifted her foot and kicked at Mo Yun's knee.

Unable to dodge in time, Mo Yun stumbled and dropped onto one knee. His kneecap hurt as though it were about to split apart.

"Hiss-"

He sucked in a sharp breath, cold sweat streaming down his forehead.

But he knew he absolutely could not fall now!

If he fell, he would be the one to die!

"Fuck (艹皿艹)!"

Mo Yun roared. Forcing himself through the agony in his knee, he shot to his feet, gathered strength in his right fist again, and drove it toward the woman's face!

He put every ounce of strength he possessed into that punch, even drawing on the final thread of force energy in his dantian!

His fist howled through the air with desperate ferocity!

The woman in red wanted to dodge, but her body no longer obeyed her.

She could only watch as that fist grew larger before her eyes, larger, and larger still-

Bam!

The punch landed squarely on her temple!

The woman's head snapped to one side. Like a puppet with its strings cut, she crashed heavily to the ground and lay utterly motionless.

Mo Yun remained in his punching stance, gasping for breath, his entire body trembling.

Not from fear, but exhaustion.

That chain of explosive attacks had drained nearly all his stamina and force energy.

He looked down at the woman in red. Only after confirming she was truly dead did his legs give out, dropping him onto his backside. Cold sweat had soaked his back.

"Whew..."

He gulped down air. It felt as though a fire burned inside his chest, and all his internal organs throbbed.

That palm strike and kick had done considerable damage.

"Thank goodness. Thank goodness she was wounded so badly, or I would've been the one to die..."

Still shaken, Mo Yun touched his abdomen and grimaced in pain.

He could feel that, despite the pain, his injuries did not seem too serious. At least no bones or anything else had been damaged.

He soon understood why.

He had the panel: once attained, forever retained. His constitution and defenses had kept improving, giving him an incomparably solid foundation and combat strength well above others at the same level. That was how he had weathered the woman's counterattack.

After resting for quite a while, Mo Yun finally recovered a little strength.

He struggled to his feet and glanced at the corpse on the ground. Seemingly remembering something, he hurriedly crouched down.

"While she's still warm-

"Loot the corpse!"

He first found a money pouch at the woman's waist. Opening it, he discovered ten taels of loose silver inside.

"Only ten taels?" Mo Yun frowned and muttered disdainfully, "So pretty, so powerful, and so hard to kill, yet this poor?"

Unwilling to give up, he searched inside her clothes for a while longer and finally pulled out a small porcelain bottle.

Inside the bottle was an Emerald Pill, round and smooth as a pearl, giving off a faint, delicate fragrance.

The instant Mo Yun picked up the pill, the Black Seal on his wrist suddenly grew slightly warm!

That familiar sense of craving surged through him again.

"Hiss-"

Mo Yun drew in a sharp breath, his eyes instantly lighting up.

"This pill... is something special!"

Anything the Black Seal craved was certainly no ordinary thing!

He hurriedly tucked the pill and silver close to his body, elation filling his heart.

But he soon calmed down.

Now isn't the time to celebrate. Her accomplices are still waiting over at the Tiger-Crouching Ladder. If she doesn't show up, they might come looking.

Then they'll find her dead and follow the vine to the melon, tracing it back to me...

It's unlikely, but I can't let my guard down!

At that thought, another chill ran down Mo Yun's back.

I need to find Commander Li right away!

He quickly scanned his surroundings. After confirming he had left no obvious traces, he limped off along the path he had come by.

He had barely gone a few steps before stopping again.

No, carrying these things is too dangerous. If I run into her accomplices, or someone from the Mountain Manor discovers I've secretly kept the spoils, I won't be able to explain myself.

He looked around and found a concealed crevice between some rocks. He stuffed the silver and pill inside, then covered them with several loose stones. Only after making sure no trace was visible did he continue running down the mountain.

I'll come back for them tomorrow, once things have settled down.

Mo Yun thought as he ran, quickening his steps.

What he needed to do now was find Commander Li as soon as possible and explain everything that had happened tonight.

As for the pill, naturally, he would leave that part out.

An hour later, Mo Yun finally found Commander Li near the Servants' Court, deploying men to patrol.

"Commander Li!"

Mo Yun called out from a distance and staggered over.

Commander Li was assigning tasks to several First-Class Guards. Hearing the call, he turned and was immediately startled.

"Mo Yun? How did you end up like this?"

Mo Yun was covered in blood, his clothes torn, his face mottled with bruises. He even limped as he walked, looking exactly like a wounded soldier who had just crawled off a battlefield.

"Commander Li, I have something important to report!" Mo Yun panted, his face urgent.

"Speak!" Commander Li's expression tightened. He knew this was no small matter.

Mo Yun quickly gave a brief account of encountering the woman in red after leaving the Spirit Herb Garden, being forced to guide her, and finally turning the tables and killing her.

Of course, he left out looting her corpse and secretly keeping the pill. He merely said he had hurried back to report the news after killing her.

"What did you say? You killed that she-devil in red?!" Commander Li's eyes widened in disbelief.

She was a hidden-force expert! Even gravely wounded, she was no opponent a lowly servant who had only just begun training could handle!

"I got lucky." Mo Yun scratched his head. "She was badly wounded, with less than a tenth of her strength left. And I happened to make a breakthrough in the Tiger-Crouching Fist today, which increased my combat strength quite a bit. Otherwise, I definitely would've died."

"You made another breakthrough in the Tiger-Crouching Fist?!" Commander Li sucked in a sharp breath, looking at Mo Yun as though he were a monster.

How long had it been? He had already broken through again?

This fellow's comprehension was simply monstrous beyond belief!

But now was not the time to marvel at that.

"You said that she-devil mentioned someone waiting to receive her at the Tiger-Crouching Ladder?" Commander Li's expression turned serious.

"Yes!" Mo Yun nodded. "She said her accomplices were waiting for her there."

Commander Li's gaze sharpened. He turned to the several First-Class Guards behind him. "You all heard that?"

"Yes!" the guards answered in unison.

"Move out! To the Tiger-Crouching Ladder!" Commander Li swept his hand forward and prepared to leave with the First-Class Guards.

Before departing, he glanced back at Mo Yun. "Mo Yun, go back and rest. Don't mention tonight's events to anyone. Be careful on your way back."

"Understood!" Mo Yun nodded firmly.

Only after watching Commander Li and his men vanish into the night did Mo Yun let out a long breath.

"I'm safe for now..."

Dragging his exhausted body along, he limped back to the dormitory.

When he pushed open the door, Xiao Liu and the others were still awake, gathered around the oil lamp and chatting.

At the sight of Mo Yun, they all froze.

"Mo Yun?! What happened to you?! Why are you covered in blood?!" Xiao Liu was the first to leap up, his expression changing.

"It's nothing. Just a minor injury." Mo Yun waved a hand, unwilling to say more.

"You call this a minor injury?!" Tang Yin stared at his bruised face and swollen knee, the corners of his mouth twitching.

"I ran into a little trouble. It's taken care of." Mo Yun brushed them off with a few words. "I'm going to wash up. You guys go to sleep."

With that, he grabbed a wooden basin and a change of clothes, then headed out toward the Washroom.

As he walked, Mo Yun recalled the night's events, a jumble of emotions stirring in his heart.

That was far too dangerous. I nearly lost my life.

He lowered his head to look at the Black-and-White Seal on his wrist, his gaze growing more resolute.

I need to get stronger, fast. Only with enough strength can I survive in this chaotic world...

Thinking of the pill hidden in the crevice, he felt a little more anticipation.

That pill stirred such an intense craving in the Black Seal. It definitely isn't ordinary.

Once I retrieve it and take it tomorrow, it might let the Black Seal condense quite a bit more energy...

He took a deep breath and looked up at the slightly hazy moon in the night sky, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Tomorrow, once things settle down, I'll go get them back!