It has been three days since I left Green Cliff Town.
Qin Tiexin was riding along the Loess Official Road, with the plains fading away behind him, and the continuous mountain shadows beginning to appear in front of him. During the past three days, he traveled during the day and found a suitable place to rest before nightfall - sometimes an abandoned tea shed on the roadside, sometimes a shallow cave under the rock.
It is indeed different under the Flowing Cloud Sect.
The official road is flat and wide, with stone road monuments every twenty miles, engraved with mileage and warnings: "Under Flowing Cloud, those who attack the people will be punished" and "Monks who violate the prohibition will be punished with three additional grades." There are many pedestrians on the road, including peddlers with burdens, old farmers pushing carts, and occasionally monks with swords and horses - but they are all well-behaved, no one is running wild, and there is no robbery.
Qin Tiexin While resting at a tea stall, he chatted with the man who set up the stall.
"Old man, this journey has been peaceful."
The father-in-law refilled the coarse tea and said with a smile, "Isn't that right? Flowing Cloud Sect immortal masters are very strict. The year before last, there was a Qi Refining Third Layer monk who robbed a merchant on the official road and hurt someone. Guess what?"
"What?"
"Three days later, Flowing Cloud Sect's law-enforcement disciples came to the door, revoked his cultivation, and were taken to the mines for twenty years to do hard labor." The old man lowered his voice, "I heard that the monk was still a disciple of little Lineage, and the family's pleas were useless. From then on, there was not even a sneaky person in these five hundred miles of officialdom."
Qin Tiexin nodded, finished his tea, paid two cents, and continued on his way.
But peace only exists between people.
In the wild mountains and forests, it is a different scene.
***
In the afternoon of the fourth day, Qin Tiexin rode through a sparse birch forest.
The horse was the dark horse Zhou Household. It had good leg strength, but it was already tired from the long days of driving. Qin Tiexin decided to rest for half an hour by a stream in the forest, letting the horse drink water and eat grass, and he also ate a piece of Linggu cake.
As soon as he dismounted and untied his water bag, his ears suddenly moved.
There was a subtle rustling sound from the trees on the left.
Qin Tiexin remained calm, his left hand pressed on the handle of Edgeless Saber, and his right hand continued to untie the rope of the water bag. From the corner of his eye, he saw a gray shadow flash out from behind the tree - so fast that only an afterimage was left.
He turned sideways and drew his sword.
"Qiang!"
The gray shadow hit the blade, making a harsh scraping sound. Qin Tiexin felt the blade shake, and the thing bounced away, landing three feet away.
It's a bobcat, but it's twice as big as an ordinary bobcat. It's covered in gray-brown fur, with slender limbs and exposed claws, half an inch long, shining with a metallic luster. The most surprising thing is the pair of eyes - dark gold, vertical pupils, staring at Qin Tiexin.
"Iron-Clawed Lynx." Qin Tiexin remembered the first-order low-grade Demon Beast mentioned by Master Liu, which was fast and had minions Sharpness that could tear open ordinary leather armor.
The bobcat arched its back and roared low in its throat. The next moment, it pounced again.
This time Qin Tiexin saw the action clearly - kicking on the ground with four claws, flying forward with his body almost touching the ground, opening his two front claws, aiming straight for the throat. He took half a step back, and raised the blade diagonally, not to chop, but to strike horizontally.
"Bang!"
The back of the knife hit the bobcat on the side. The bobcat howled miserably and rolled to the ground, but immediately stood up, shook its head, and pounced again.
Qin Tiexin frowned. He used 70% of his force in the slap just now, and the ribs of ordinary beasts would have been broken long ago. This bobcat only suffered a little pain and acted as usual.
He thought of the wild animals he had dealt with during Directorate of Military Equipment - no matter how ferocious the beast, its joints, waist and eyes were always fragile.
The bobcat pounced for the third time. Qin Tiexin This time he did not retreat, but took a step forward. The blade of the knife sank, and the tip of the knife pointed upward - not the blade, but the tip.
The bobcat jumped into the air, with nowhere to rely on. Qin Tiexin The tip of the knife accurately penetrated the shoulder joint of its right forelimb, twisting and picking it.
"Crack!"
There was a sound of joint dislocation. When the bobcat landed on the ground, its right forelimb went limp and it staggered two steps. Qin Tiexin didn't give it a chance to breathe. The blade flipped over and the back of the blade hit the back of the spine hard.
"Woo--" The lynx collapsed to the ground, twitched a few times, and stopped moving.
Qin Tiexin put away the knife and squatted down to check. The lynx's claws were indeed made of iron, making a clanking sound when struck. The fur was also tough and difficult to be damaged by ordinary swords.
He pulled out his dagger and painstakingly cut off the four claws of the lynx - it was said that they were material for weapon refining and could be sold for some money. He then peeled off the entire skin, rolled it up and put it in his bag.
After doing this, he sat down, took out a piece of Linggu cake and ate it slowly.
The cake is brown beige in color, about the size of a palm, and half an inch thick. When you take a bite, it is a bit hard, but it has a faint sweetness when you chew it. After half a piece is eaten, warmth rises in the stomach, and the fatigue subsides a lot. It is indeed more hungry than ordinary dry food.
After resting for two quarters of an hour, Qin Tiexin remounted his horse and continued on his way.
***
On the fifth day, we entered the mountains.
The official road winds through the mountains, with steep cliffs on both sides, covered with green pines and strange rocks. Qin Tiexin Slow down and observe your surroundings vigilantly.
At noon, we passed a narrow mountain pass.
"Wha--!"
There was a sudden sound of breaking through the air.
Qin Tiexin Instinctively turned sideways, a gray shadow flew past his left arm and was nailed to the tree trunk behind him - it was a three-inch long bone spur that penetrated three-quarters of the way into the wood.
He reined in his horse and turned around, seeing a dark figure squatting on the cliff.
The thing looked like a wild boar, but it was larger and its back was covered with dense bone spurs. At this moment, it was sticking out its butt and arching its back, aiming at him.
"Thick-Skinned Arrow Boar." Qin Tiexin recognized it. It was another first-level low-grade Demon Beast, which could spray bone spurs remotely.
"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Three Root Bone thorns were fired one after another. Qin Tiexin spurred the horse forward, and the bone spurs flew past the horse. One nail was stuck on the back pocket of the saddle, and the force was so strong that the horse neighed.
Can't run in a straight line.
He jerked the reins, and the black horse dashed left and right on the narrow mountain road. The porcupine kept adjusting its direction, and bone spurs shot down like raindrops. Qin Tiexin lowered himself down, trying to narrow the target as much as possible.
"Pfft!"
A Root Bone thorn grazed his left arm, cut open his sleeve, and left a trail of blood. It hurt so much.
Qin Tiexin Gritting his teeth, he spotted the moment when the porcupine stuck out his butt again, clamped the horse's belly fiercely, and the black horse sprinted with all his strength, rushed over the mountain pass in the blink of an eye, and turned into a mountain col.
The porcupine's sight was blocked by the rocks, and its spurs were shot out of the sky.
Qin Tiexin jumped off the horse, tied it behind the rock, held the knife, and walked around the cliff from the side.
The porcupine was still looking at the mountain pass, with its back to him. Qin Tiexin approached quietly, ten feet, five feet, three feet--
The porcupine suddenly turned around, saw him, and arched its back again.
But Qin Tiexin had already rushed within two feet. He pushed his feet on the ground, jumped up, held the knife in both hands, with the tip of the knife facing down, and stabbed hard at the connection between the porcupine's head and back like a heavy hammer dropping an anvil when blacksmithing.
"Pfft!"
The tip of the knife penetrated three inches and was stuck by the tough skin and bones. The porcupine howled miserably and shook its head wildly. Qin Tiexin held the handle of the knife tightly, and his body swayed with the swing. He took a deep breath, exerted force on his waist and abdomen, stretched the muscles of his arms, forced the blade down another half inch, and then twisted it violently.
"Crack!"
There was a sound of skull shattering. The porcupine froze and fell to the ground.
Qin Tiexin pulled out the knife and gasped. The wound on his left arm was still oozing blood, so he tore off the strip of cloth and simply bandaged it. He also checked the porcupine - there were more than 20 intact bone spurs on its back. He pulled them out one by one and wrapped them in cloth. This could also be sold for money.
He went down the mountain to bring back the horse and cleaned the wound by the stream. The wound was not deep, but it hurt sharply. He thought there was something on the bone spur. He took out the golden sore medicine from his bag and sprinkled some on it, which relieved the pain a little.
That night, Qin Tiexin couldn't find a suitable place to stay, so he had to spend the night under a protruding rock.
He lit a small fire and roasted two pieces of arrow meat - the meat was rough and had a strong fishy smell, but it was barely edible. He gnawed half of the bobcat leg, ate a piece of Linggu cake, and rested against the rock.
Edgeless leaned against his hand, and the Crimson Heart Copper tied to the blade remained unchanged. But Qin Tiexin vaguely felt that the "hungry" feeling coming from the blade seemed to fade away - very weak, like an illusion.
He remembered that when he killed lynx and porcupine during the day, the blade of the knife was stained with blood. Could it be...
He shook his head, stopped thinking about it, and closed his eyes to rest.
***
The sixth day, the most dangerous battle.
While passing through a valley, Qin Tiexin was surrounded by three Azure Wind Wolf.
The wolf has gray-blue fur, is slightly larger than an ordinary wolf, moves lightly, and makes almost no wind when running. The three wolves surrounded him in a triangular formation, staring at him with green eyes, and growling menacingly from their throats.
Qin Tiexin Hold Edgeless tightly and dismount slowly.
The horse was already shaking with fear, and it would be dangerous to ride on it again. He tied the horse to a nearby tree and faced the three wolves by himself.
The one on the left was the first to move, attacking his calf. Qin Tiexin slashed with the blade, but the wolf twisted around in mid-air to avoid the blade, leaving three scratches on his trouser legs with its claws.
The one on the right pounced at the same time, aiming for the throat. Qin Tiexin turned his head to avoid it, and struck horizontally with the back of the knife. The wolf quickly landed on the ground, rolled, and then retreated.
The one directly in front did not move, just pacing in place, as if observing.
Qin Tiexin realized that these three wolves knew how to cooperate. One feinted, one main attacked, and one held the line. And they were extremely fast, three points faster than Iron-Clawed Lynx.
He leaned against a boulder to reduce the angle at which he was besieged. The three wolves took turns attacking, and each time they retreated at the first touch, leaving him no chance for a head-on confrontation. After several times, Qin Tiexin had a few more scratches on his body. Although they were not deep, they were bleeding.
If this continues, it will be consumed to death.
Qin Tiexin glanced around and saw a pile of rocks in front of him on the right, with stones of different sizes. He suddenly made a false slash to the left, forcing the wolf back, and then rushed toward the pile of rocks on the right.
Three wolves were in hot pursuit.
Qin Tiexin jumped on a piece of Shitou that was half the height of a man, looking down from a high position. A wolf rushed up to him, and he stabbed straight with his blade. The wolf was unable to dodge in the air. It was stabbed in the chest and fell to the ground howling miserably.
But the other two wolves had already pounced from the left and right sides at the same time.
Qin Tiexin jumped off Shitou, rolled when he landed, and the blade of the knife swept across the hind leg joint of the wolf on the left. The wolf staggered and fell, and he followed up with a knife, slashing it in the neck.
When the last wolf saw its companion lying on the ground, it became ferocious and pounced desperately. Qin Tiexin had just stood up and had no time to swing the knife, so he had to turn sideways and shoulder it with his left shoulder.
"Tsk!"
The wolf's teeth bit through the flesh, causing severe pain. Qin Tiexin groaned, turned the blade of the right hand upside down, and hit the wolf's temple hard with the handle.
"Bang!"
The wolf let go of its mouth, shook, and fell to the ground motionless.
Qin Tiexin was breathing heavily, and blood was pouring from his left shoulder. He tore open his clothes and checked. The wound was deep and the bones were visible. The fangs were probably poisonous, and the surrounding skin and flesh had begun to turn black.
He quickly used a knife to cut open the area where the wolf's teeth had bitten him, and squeezed out the poisonous blood inside until the blood turned bright red. Then he took out the golden sore medicine and poured it all on, and bandaged it tightly with a cloth strip. After doing this, he almost collapsed.
The corpses of three Azure Wind Wolfs fell around. Qin Tiexin rested for a long time before reluctantly getting up and collecting the trophies - wolf teeth, wolf claws, wolf skins, and the most valuable wolf eyes, which are said to be medicinal materials.
After cleaning up, it was almost dusk. He did not dare to spend the night here, so he reluctantly climbed on the horse's back and urged the horse forward, trying to find a safer place.
After walking another five or six miles, we found a cave. The entrance was narrow, allowing only one person to pass through, but the inside was spacious, more than ten steps deep. Qin Tiexin tied the horse to a shelter outside the cave, got into the cave himself, and lit a fire.
He took off his shirt and treated the wound again. The blackened area of the wound did not expand, but the pain was excruciating. He chewed a few hemostatic herbs picked on the road and applied them to it, and ate a piece of Linggu cake.
Leaning against the cave wall, Qin Tiexin carefully thought about the battles of the past few days.
Iron-Clawed Lynx is fast, but only goes straight. Thick-Skinned Arrow Boar has long-range attacks, but turns slowly. Azure Wind Wolf is the most troublesome, knows how to cooperate, is fast, and has tricky attacks.
My own sword skills are the battlefield fighting skills I learned in the military school. They are open and close, focusing on a fatal blow. But to deal with these Demon Beast, sometimes more dexterous changes are needed.
He thought of the force exerted when blacksmithing - not relying solely on brute force, but the coordination of the waist, legs and arms, starting from the ground and running through each step. That kind of fine control may be integrated into the sword technique.
It is important to find and attack weak points, but things are changing rapidly in battle and there is no time to observe carefully. You have to practice to the point where you can see the key points at a glance.
After resting for a while, Qin Tiexin closed his eyes and his consciousness sank into the sea of consciousness.
In the Gray Mist Hall, Illustrated Catalog of Ten Thousand Artifacts was floating quietly. With a thought in his mind, the catalog expanded to the page [First Glimpse of Spiritual Runes].
On the road these days, he took the time to practice the structure of Sharpness Spiritual Rune several times in the Void Realm. Although he could not actually write Spirit Rune because he had no spiritual power, he already remembered the direction of the lines and the positions of the nodes. Sometimes he would draw in the air, and his fingers could subconsciously outline the complete lines.
He knows that this is not enough. Spirit Rune is not a rote pattern, but a living energy circuit. The arrangement of Law Artifact and Spirit Rune of different materials and shapes will be fine-tuned. These subtleties are the real test of the skill of the craftsman.
But at least, he started to "understand" it.
When the time came, he exited the sea of consciousness, and Qin Tiexin opened his eyes. It was completely dark outside the cave, with only the roar of the wind. He held Edgeless in his arms. The blade was cold, but after holding it for a long time, he seemed to be able to feel a faint pulse.
Like a heartbeat.
He leaned against the cave wall and closed his eyes. He still had to travel tomorrow, and there was still a long way to go before Flowing Cloud Sect Mountain Gate. He had to keep up his spirits.
Inside the cave, the firelight gradually became fainter. Qin Tiexin fell into a deep sleep.