By this point, Chen Tie understood the purpose of this activity. It was practically killing two birds with one stone.
Long staff in hand, Xu Fan handled himself with ease. His weapon had the advantage of reach. Even after closing in several times, Wang Mang's saber failed to break through his defenses. In the end, a sweep of the staff sent him flying, officially ending the spar.
"A staff fears an old wolf, but Xu Fan's long staff still came out on top!"
Xu Shi spoke softly.
He turned around. "Chen Tie, interested in getting out there and showing us a move or two?"
Having watched the entire bout, Chen Tie judged that both men had only just entered Skin Tempering. Their blood and Qi were average, and their martial techniques were fairly ordinary.
"Sure!"
Chen Tie readily stepped out of the crowd and into the clearing.
Looking at Xu Fan standing opposite him with his long staff, he silently thought, I can't beat him in one move. I'll have to hold back a little.
"Looks like you should learn a weapon technique when you have time, Brother Chen. Saber, spear, staff-any of them would do. But today, you'll have to take a strike from my staff first!"
Without further words, Xu Fan raised his staff and thrust. A fierce gust rushed at Chen Tie's face. A thrust, a sweep, a smash-his moves flowed without pause.
Chen Tie tilted his head to avoid the straight thrust, then retreated repeatedly, dodging the attacks that followed.
Xu Fan frowned. His staff attacks continued without end, one move piled upon another in a chain of strikes, leaving Chen Tie no opening to catch his breath or close in.
The other escorts watched with wide eyes. Just as they thought Xu Fan would win again, Chen Tie seized an opening after a sweep of Xu Fan's staff and launched a Fierce Tiger Straight Punch straight at his chest.
Startled, Xu Fan held his staff across his chest. Chen Tie's fist struck it directly with a bang. Xu Fan felt a tremendous force surge through it, blasting his entire body away.
"Not bad! Who knew Brother Cheng was this strong? One punch decided the match."
"He must have been born with divine strength."
The escorts cheered. Only Xu Shi frowned slightly. He was about to speak when a scream rang out from the woods.
"Aah!"
Lu Qi, who had been keeping watch on the perimeter, scrambled back, shouting nonstop.
"A monster! There's a monster!"
"Shen Feng was dragged away by a monster!"
The escorts paled in shock. Xu Shi grabbed his shoulder and demanded loudly.
"Where's the monster?"
Lu Qi pointed at the undergrowth nearby. "A dark shape flashed past just now and dragged Shen Feng in there!"
Everyone hurried over with torches, only to find a trail of blood on the ground. It vanished into the undergrowth.
"What kind of monster is this?"
Xu Shi bent down to inspect the marks on the ground. His gaze lingered on the bloodstains, and he briefly fell into a daze.
There was a footprint resembling a human's, but a size larger than an ordinary person's.
"A Water Monkey!"
Several veteran escorts immediately paled. "How is that possible? It hasn't even rained yet. Why would they come out?"
Confusion appeared on Chen Tie's face. He was just about to ask when another scream suddenly rang out beside him.
A dark shape seized an escort by both feet and snatched him away, vanishing into the night in an instant.
Chen Tie immediately hurled his torch. With a bang, it struck the dark shape, sending sparks flying.
In the firelight, they finally saw what the monster looked like.
It stood nearly two meters tall, with a humanoid outline. Thick, long black hair covered its body, its wet strands clinging in clumps to its flesh.
Its limbs had proportions close to a human's but were much thicker. Sharp, curved claws grew from its hands and feet, gleaming with a cold, grayish-white light. Its mouth protruded, and two rows of sharp fangs pierced its lips and stood exposed. Their sinister tips were visible even with its mouth shut.
The monster seemed afraid of fire. With a strange shriek, it dragged the escort away and vanished into the depths of the woods.
"It's really a Water Monkey! Get back to the relay station!"
Xu Shi shouted.
As though waking from a dream, everyone hurried back to the lakeside relay station. They used the wood inside to barricade the doors and windows, leaving not a single gap.
The newcomers were badly flustered, panting heavily but not daring to make a sound.
Though rattled, the veteran escorts remained somewhat vigilant, quietly listening for movement outside.
Chen Tie could not help drawing a deep breath. That monster should have had the strength of a Flesh Refining martial artist. If he faced it alone, it was hard to say whether he could win, but escaping should not be much of a problem.
Yet Xu Shi was also a Flesh Refining expert, and even he had not given chase. It seemed things were not so simple.
But under these circumstances, with the danger still not over, Cheng Tie did not rashly speak up to ask.
Just then, a horse outside the relay station let out a piercing scream, its neigh tearing apart with the agony of approaching death.
The scream cut off abruptly, followed by the sound of something heavy being dragged.
Everyone fell silent, not daring to make the slightest sound.
Outside, stillness soon returned, oppressively quiet.
Suddenly, something slammed violently into the main door, accompanied by terrifying howls.
The door bar nearly snapped. Two or three escorts immediately rushed forward and braced their bodies hard against the door.
Suddenly, a dark shape smashed through a window. Reacting swiftly, Xu Shi drew his saber and hacked straight into the Water Monkey.
The powerful blow sent the monster flying back the way it had come. Xu Shi snatched a burning piece of wood from the campfire and hurled it outside. The monster shrieked and backed away several steps.
Seeing this, several escorts barricaded the window with wood again.
Xu Shi wiped the blood from his saber and ordered in a low voice.
"The monsters fear fire. Don't let the campfire go out!"
"Keep the doors and windows barricaded until dawn!"
The escorts dismantled even the bed boards to reinforce the doors and windows again, opening a small gap every so often to let fresh air in.
The Water Monkeys kept prowling outside the relay station. After repeated assaults failed to get them inside, they slowly dispersed, and the escorts' taut nerves finally relaxed.
"Chief Escort, what kind of monster is a Water Monkey?"
Hearing this, several new escorts turned their eyes toward Shen Shi.
Shen Shi spoke slowly. "It's called a Water Monkey, a type of ferocious beast. Do you know the difference between wild beasts and ferocious beasts?"
Chen Tie knew nothing about this and could only wait for him to continue.
"Wild beasts are merely mundane creatures. They survive on the instincts of flesh and blood, with no blood and Qi cultivation. The limits of their strength are determined by their species at birth. Tigers, wild boars, and black bears, for instance, are all wild beasts. They feel fear and flee when injured. Their bodies simply cannot withstand a martial artist's blood and Qi or refined force."
"But ferocious beasts are completely different. They can awaken blood and Qi, and their bodies are far stronger than those of wild beasts. They can even cultivate to strengthen their physiques. Ordinary blades have difficulty hurting them, and they possess a degree of intelligence, allowing them to actively hunt martial artists. A martial artist's flesh and blood are also powerful nourishment to them. The Water Monkeys you just saw are ferocious beasts!"
Chen Tie stared, dumbfounded and deeply shaken.
So humans were not the only ones who could cultivate in this world. Ferocious beasts could cultivate too. In his previous life, this would probably have counted as becoming a spirit.
Chen Tie could not help asking, "Can ferocious beasts actually cultivate into humans?"