Li Dao opened the Gale Saber Technique manual. Unlike a cultivation manual, its contents combined illustrations with text.
As before, he first relied on his memory to quickly commit the entire book to mind.
Once he had memorized it, he tucked the Gale Saber Technique manual back into his robes.
Since he had no saber to practice with, Li Dao could only rehearse the Gale Saber Technique in his imagination.
Perhaps it was because strengthening his Physique enhanced every aspect of him.
It had also brought his mental faculties to ten times those of an ordinary person.
Even practicing only in his mind, he could clearly reproduce the moves in the Gale Saber Technique manual.
Half an hour later.
Li Dao opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing in their depths.
He looked at his hands, struck by a feeling.
It was as though, with a saber in hand, he could execute the Gale Saber Technique flawlessly.
Even recalling his earlier fight with the Northern Barbarians' leader, he felt he could easily see through the man's saber technique.
If the Northern Barbarians' leader appeared before him again, Li Dao felt that even without overpowering him through sheer physical strength, he could use his own Gale Saber Technique to suppress the man's and defeat him.
"Does this count as a new skill that comes with a powerful Physique?"
Li Dao had originally thought that, since he could keep strengthening his Physique, he would have to follow the path of shattering ten thousand techniques with brute force.
He had never expected that strengthening his Physique would elevate his mind to this degree, allowing him to learn a saber technique so quickly.
Although the Gale Saber Technique was relatively simple, the ability to master it perfectly after merely reading it once and rehearsing it in his head was still absurd.
Would combining force that shatters ten thousand techniques with skill that breaks ten thousand techniques amount to something?
It probably would.
A body beyond ordinary human limits paired with killing skills beyond ordinary human limits-who could stop him then?
As long as his Physique surpassed his opponent's, cutting the enemy down would only be a matter of time.
At that thought, he cared even less about such a trivial matter as being unable to cultivate.
Besides, strictly speaking, his endlessly strengthening Physique should count as a form of cultivation too. It simply followed a different path from cultivating true qi.
His form of cultivation should be called "horizontal tempering."
Time slowly passed.
Perhaps the previous mission had inflicted heavy casualties on Squad Leader Liu's men. An entire week passed without Li Dao receiving another death-row mission.
Inside the Death Prison, all he could do was doze and sleep out of boredom.
Or study the Gale Saber Technique, seeing whether he could use a brain ten times more capable than an ordinary person's to modify the technique and make it better suited to him.
Sure enough, after seven days of study, Li Dao actually came up with something.
By repeatedly rehearsing and dissecting it in his mind, he successfully streamlined the Gale Saber Technique.
He removed several moves intended to work in conjunction with the circulation of true qi.
And replaced them with moves suited to his Physique.
In short, the modified Gale Saber Technique was now better suited to harvesting enemy lives on the battlefield.
Another day passed.
Li Dao was resting with his eyes closed in a corner of his cell.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside.
He immediately opened his eyes and looked toward the sound.
Before long, Squad Leader Liu's face appeared outside the cell.
"Nine Five Two Seven, come out."
The jailer opened the cell door and called to Li Dao inside.
Li Dao rose, brushed the dirt off himself, and walked out.
"Another mission?"
Looking at Squad Leader Liu, Li Dao asked directly.
Squad Leader Liu shook his head. "No missions for now. I've come for you about something else this time."
"What is it?"
Curiosity appeared in Li Dao's eyes. As far as he could see, the value he had demonstrated lay in killing people and nothing else.
At Squad Leader Liu's signal, the jailer unlocked Li Dao's shackles and manacles.
Then Squad Leader Liu said, "Follow me, and you'll find out."
With that, he headed deeper into the Death Prison.
Li Dao rubbed his wrists and slowly followed, watching Squad Leader Liu's back.
The farther they went, the emptier the cells became. By the end, many cells held not a single condemned prisoner.
"Is there no one here?"
Li Dao asked.
Squad Leader Liu glanced at the empty cells and said calmly, "There have been quite a few clashes along the border lately. We're using up condemned prisoners faster too."
His tone made it clear that condemned prisoners here were not regarded as people, only expendable supplies.
After speaking, Squad Leader Liu deliberately watched Li Dao's expression out of the corner of his eye. Seeing no reaction, he explained, "But don't worry. You're different from them. You're more valuable, so you won't be treated as expendable."
Li Dao nodded, unbothered by the word "expendable."
In his view, if someone truly deserved to die, using them as expendable supplies was perfectly normal. After all, they should already have been dead. Under even harsher circumstances, some people might struggle even to obtain the release of death.
As the two continued deeper inside, a door soon appeared before them.
Li Dao turned and asked, "Squad Leader Liu, what is this place?"
Squad Leader Liu explained, "This is where I wanted to bring you. Go inside, and you'll find out why I came for you."
"But rest assured, it's definitely nothing bad. In fact, it might be something good. What comes of it will depend on you."
Leaving him with those meaningful words, Squad Leader Liu opened the door and gestured for him to enter.
Something good?
Li Dao shook his head. Since he had come this far, he could only take things one step at a time.
Passing through the door, he found a dim passage before him.
A glimmer of light shone at its far end.
With senses ten times keener than an ordinary person's, he could detect several strangers where the light was.
Li Dao walked slowly toward it.
As he drew close, his expression shifted.
He realized that the breathing of the people inside differed from that of ordinary people. Instead, it resembled Squad Leader Liu's and that of the Northern Barbarians' leader he had faced.
It was not hard to guess that they all belonged to the same category.
Cultivators.
Finally, Li Dao reached the end of the passage, and a room appeared before him.
At the same time, he got a clear look at the people inside.
There were five in total.
And four of those five were quite distinctive.
The person nearest Li Dao stood a full two and a half meters tall and was extraordinarily muscular, like a little giant. Simply standing there motionless, he exerted a terrifying pressure on Li Dao.
Most importantly, his aura gave Li Dao the impression of a wild beast.
Perhaps Li Dao's stare was too brazen. Little Giant abruptly turned, and their gazes collided.
At that moment, Li Dao felt as though a fierce tiger had fixed its eyes on him.
Apparently finding nothing amiss, Little Giant turned away again and leaned against the wall, staring into space.
Next, Li Dao's gaze shifted to a small figure beside Little Giant.
The figure was not merely small in comparison to Little Giant, but genuinely tiny.
Less than one meter twenty tall, scrawny all over, with filthy hair hanging loose.
Yet Li Dao sensed an aura even more feral than Little Giant's coming from this tiny person.
No, not feral-mad.
Likewise, the tiny figure noticed Li Dao's gaze and immediately turned to look at him.
"Hiss!"
With a snarling hiss, the tiny figure exposed the lower half of their face and gave Li Dao a threatening look.
Their mouth opened, revealing rows of sawtooth teeth.
Madness mingled with a trace of clarity in their eyes, like those of a lunatic.
The next two figures seemed somewhat normal compared to the first two.
One was a middle-aged fat man with a thoroughly sleazy face.
The other was an old man muttering strange things to himself.
The only normal person present seemed to be the middle-aged man standing in the center.
He wore Great Qian regulation armor similar to Squad Leader Liu's, though apparently of a higher rank.
This man also felt like the most dangerous of them all.
"You're finally here. You're the last one."
The middle-aged man smiled when he saw Li Dao.
"And you are?"
Li Dao raised an eyebrow as he asked.
The middle-aged man said, "Wei Yun, Grand Commander of the Mighty Camp."
Li Dao could not help being taken aback.
Grand Commander of the Mighty Camp?
If he remembered correctly, the army stationed in Changgu Town was the Mighty Camp.
And its Grand Commander was the highest-ranking officer here.
In other words, Squad Leader Liu's superior.
With that thought, Li Dao glanced at the other four. "What business does Commander Wei have with an utterly unremarkable condemned prisoner like me?"
"Utterly unremarkable?"
Wei Yun shook his head with a smile. "In just two death-row missions, you killed close to fifty people, including the leader of a hundred Northern Barbarian cavalrymen. I wouldn't call that utterly unremarkable."
Li Dao glanced at the other four, found himself a spot, and sat down. Then he said, "Just tell me what you want."
Wei Yun chuckled. "Since everyone is here, I'll get straight to the point."
"I invited you here today because I'd like you to work together and help our Mighty Camp resolve a few matters."
Li Dao raised an eyebrow at that.
Before he could say anything, someone beside him suddenly jumped up to voice an opinion.
The middle-aged fat man sprang forward and said bluntly, "Are you joking? You want me, Shen San, to help your Imperial Court? You're dreaming out of your ass! Let me make this clear: even if I die here today, I, Shen San, will never work for your Imperial Court!"
With that, the middle-aged fat man named Shen San turned and headed toward the passage, apparently intending to leave outright.
Despite the fat man's attitude, Wei Yun remained calm, even retaining a faint smile.
Watching Shen San walk farther away, Wei Yun murmured to himself, "Then forget it. I'd been planning to have you handle a few matters, then restore your household registration and set you free afterward."
The next instant, a gust of wind suddenly swept through the room.
By the time everyone could see clearly, the middle-aged fat man, Shen San, had appeared before Wei Yun from inside the passage in the blink of an eye.
"Is that true? You can give me household registration and restore my freedom?"
Shen San clutched Wei Yun's armor, his face blazing with excitement.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't work for the Imperial Court?"
"What do you mean, work for the Imperial Court? I'm volunteering out of the goodness of my heart."
"Didn't you also say you wouldn't change your mind even if you died?"
"The thing is, I'm not dead yet."
Wei Yun smiled faintly at that. "I meant what I said. So you agree?"
"I agree! I agree!"
Shen San nodded firmly, showing everyone present exactly what it meant to eat one's words and find them delicious.
"But your agreement alone isn't enough."
Wei Yun glanced at Li Dao and the other three, then continued, "You need to get those four to agree as well."
"Because what needs doing may be somewhat dangerous. All five of you will have to go together."
Upon hearing that, Shen San turned toward Li Dao and the other three, clapped his hands, and shouted, "What are you four waiting for? This is freedom!"
"Ahem."
The only old man present gave a dry cough and said in a hoarse voice, "I can agree, but you have to be my medicine tester once, fatty."
Shen San immediately jumped up and snapped indignantly, "Why should I be your medicine tester?"
A medicine tester was someone used to test drugs, generally employed by those skilled in medicine.
The old man retorted without mercy, "Then I won't agree. You can stay here in the Death Row Camp and wait to die with me."
"You!"
Faced with the old man's shamelessness, Shen San had no choice but to compromise in the end. "Your medicine won't kill me, will it?"
The old man gave a cold chuckle and said confidently, "In my entire lifetime practicing medicine, I've never killed anyone with my drugs."
Seeing such confidence, Shen San looked half-convinced and half-doubtful.
Just then, Wei Yun spoke from the side. "Shen San, you can trust him. He really has never killed anyone with his drugs."
"Really?"
"Really."
"All right, then. I'll trust you this once. But let's be clear-I'll only test one dose."
Seeing the fat man agree, Li Dao glanced at Wei Yun beside him. He kept feeling that there was something ill-intentioned behind Wei Yun's constant smile.
Just then, Shen San approached him again.
"Say, my somewhat handsome friend, you'll agree too, won't you? You're so young. Wouldn't it be a terrible waste to spend the rest of your life trapped in this Death Row Camp?"
Perhaps because he had suffered at the old man's hands, Shen San was exceptionally polite with Li Dao.
Li Dao glanced at Shen San, then turned his gaze to Wei Yun. "I can agree, but you need to answer a few questions."
Wei Yun smiled faintly. "Go ahead."
"First question: how many tasks do we need to complete for you?"
Wei Yun raised an eyebrow. "Ten!"
Li Dao's face immediately darkened. "Not a chance!"
If it was ten, he would rather just rack up military merits in peace.
Even thinking with his ass, he could tell that any mission requiring a specially assembled team of five would be exceptionally difficult.
Hearing this, Wei Yun shook his head in disappointment. "Then how many would you suggest?"
Shen San was stunned. So they could negotiate? Hadn't he practically given himself away for nothing earlier?
In answer to Wei Yun's question, Li Dao held up three fingers.
"Three!"
Shen San stared dumbly from the side. Who bargained like that? This was even more ruthless than cutting the price in half. Just as he grew worried that Wei Yun would get angry and was about to put in a good word...
"All right. Three it is."
After a moment's hesitation, Wei Yun nodded his agreement.
Shen San nearly fell over on the spot. So three tasks were enough to settle it? If it had been him, he probably wouldn't even have bargained.
Seeing Wei Yun agree, Li Dao asked his second question.
"Will any of the missions mean certain death?"
At these words, both Shen San and the old man nearby froze.
Their gazes turned to Wei Yun in unison.
"Why do you ask?"
Wei Yun raised an eyebrow and asked curiously.
Li Dao calmly quoted a famous saying from his previous life.
"When the cunning hare dies, the hounds are cooked; when the birds are gone, the fine bow is put away. Hasn't that been the way of things since ancient times?"
"When the cunning hare dies, the hounds are cooked; when the birds are gone, the fine bow is put away."
Wei Yun slowly repeated the words. For a moment, a sense of sorrow washed over him, like tea left to grow cold once its drinker had departed. Finally, his earlier manner changed, and he said solemnly, "Rest assured, I'm not that sort of man. What I ask you to do will be dangerous, but I will never deliberately send you into a trap."
"Brother, that was fucking brilliant! It's a real waste for you to be on death row. You ought to take the imperial examinations and become the top scholar. With a little luck, you might even marry into the imperial family and bed a princess."
Shen San spoke with open admiration.
Little did he know that the man he was praising had already bedded a princess without becoming an imperial son-in-law-and the highest-ranking princess in the Great Qian Dynasty, at that.
Seeing Wei Yun and Shen San react so strangely, Li Dao finally remembered that this world was different from his previous one, and so was its history. Some things that had existed in his previous life did not exist here.
If he hadn't bedded the princess and didn't have the system, he could probably have done quite well in this world just by relying on the classical poetry from his previous life.
Unfortunately, this life had yet to give him a chance to pass off others' writing as his own. Instead, he had gotten a taste of the thrilling life of a death-row prisoner first.
"Any other questions?"
After collecting himself, Wei Yun asked.
"No."
Li Dao shook his head. He already had the answers he wanted most.
Seeing Li Dao agree, Shen San breathed a sigh of relief, then turned his gaze to the remaining two.
Little Giant and Little Madman.
Taking a deep breath, Shen San decided to deal with Little Madman first, since he looked the easiest to handle.
Seeing this, Wei Yun couldn't help warning him, "Shen San, I advise you to be careful."
"Don't worry. He's just a little fellow. I'll have him in hand in no time."
An incense stick's worth of time later.
The others could only watch as two figures darted around the room at incredible speed.
Shen San ran, and Little Madman chased him, shrieking wildly as he went.
"Save me, big brother!"
Shen San's clothes were torn all over, and there were even two bite marks on his backside and arm. He begged for help as he ran.
The old man could do nothing from the sidelines. At his age, stepping in would probably just mean serving up his head.
Wei Yun had also told Shen San to handle it himself, so he couldn't be counted on either.
Finally, Shen San turned his gaze to Li Dao.
At present, this brother seemed to be the only one who might help him.
"Brother, save me!"
With that, he diverted the flood of trouble eastward and ran toward Li Dao.
Li Dao saw through the fat man's "good intentions" at a glance.
As Shen San lunged up to him, Li Dao showed him no courtesy and sent him flying aside with a kick.
Once Shen San flew out of the way, Little Madman, who had been behind him, lunged straight at Li Dao.
Faced with the crazed Little Madman, Li Dao reacted swiftly and reached out.
He seized Little Madman by the neck in one grab.
Lifting him with one hand, he left Little Madman struggling in midair. His arms and legs were too short, so he could only claw wildly and shriek at Li Dao.
"Brother, didn't you kick a little too hard?"
Shen San climbed up from the floor. Seeing Little Madman subdued, he couldn't help speaking resentfully.
Li Dao merely gave him a contemptuous glance and ignored him, then turned his attention to Little Madman in his hand.
As far as he was concerned, whatever the reason, he needed to subdue this little fellow first. Otherwise, working together in the future would probably be a real headache.
Seeing Little Madman still clawing wildly and trying to bite, Li Dao gave a faint smile and said casually, "Let's give you a taste of the windmill."
With that, he held Little Madman in his hand and began swinging him in circles.
One turn... two turns... ten turns...
Li Dao spun him faster and faster. At first, Little Madman still squirmed a little, but after enough turns, he finally couldn't take it anymore. The madness in his eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by terror and helplessness, until his gaze was filled with nothing but panic and bewilderment.
Before you continue