"Thud..."
Two bodies fell to the ground with dull thumps, an arrow lodged in each of their backs like incense sticks offered to the dead.
"Heh..." A chuckle came from behind. "That old bastard Tang Yuan sent trash like this and still expected to protect the herb fields?"
"These two are cannon fodder. The tough ones are probably having their fun inside the manor right now," another flippant voice said.
The two men approached the bodies and looked down at them as though they were two dead dogs.
They reached for the ends of the arrows to pull them out. These specially made arrows cost a fair bit, and they could not bear to waste them.
But just then, one of the corpses abruptly rolled over and sprang up, both fists hammering toward their throats like fierce tigers descending a mountain.
Stunned by the sudden turn of events, the two froze in place. Only when the wind raised by the fists stirred their hair did they react.
"Bastard!"
"Playing dead?"
Both roared and instinctively retreated.
Lin Fan crossed his steps, fierce gusts rising around him, his face contorted with murderous intent. He had come so close-so close to dying. All his dreams and ambitions had nearly become passing clouds.
He had never been so furious. He swore to beat these two men to death to vent the hatred in his heart.
The Qi and blood in his body gathered in his fists. His muscles writhed like coiling dragons, their strength likewise converging on his fists.
At minor accomplishment, his Gang-Breaking Fist could already mobilize most of his body's strength.
His fists grew larger in the two bandits' pupils. They were merely ordinary men who had learned a few moves; otherwise, they would not have resorted to an ambush with bows and arrows. They had no way to dodge Lin Fan's fists.
"Crack..."
Two sounds of snapping bone rang out. The bandits' throats caved in, blood gushed from their mouths, and their bodies flew backward. Before they even hit the ground, their eyes had lost all light.
Still unsatisfied, Lin Fan punched and kicked the two corpses, venting the fury in his heart.
Only after a good while did Lin Fan calm down. The two bandits' bodies were now caved in at several places.
Enduring the intense pain, Lin Fan pulled the arrow from his back. He was immensely grateful that his Iron Cloth Shirt had reached perfection. The arrowhead had only penetrated a finger's depth before his muscles trapped it; otherwise, he would have met the same fate as the servant beside him.
Looking at the servant lying on the ground, Lin Fan felt a powerful surge of lingering fear. For the first time, the fragility of life was laid clearly before him, baring the side of this world where human lives were worth no more than weeds.
His fists clenched tightly. "Strength. I need greater strength!" The words squeezed from his throat like a beast's growl.
Lin Fan took a signal flare from inside his robe. Just as he was about to set it off, he saw a blood-red firework bloom above a hill to the east. Apparently, his was not the only place the bandits had attacked.
Without hesitation, he pulled the cord and pointed the firework upward. A blood-red bloom burst overhead. Then Lin Fan took out wound medicine, applied it to his injury, and waited quietly.
He snapped the arrow shaft and tucked the section with the arrowhead inside his robe. Such a sharp weapon might come in handy.
Then he opened the two bandits' inner pockets and took out two money pouches. Their weight made his eyebrows rise slightly.
He opened them and counted a total of twenty-one taels of silver.
"These bandits have a pretty high drop rate. If I slaughter a few more, wouldn't I have the resources to practice martial arts?" Lin Fan stroked his chin thoughtfully.
But he soon shook off that thought. With his current strength, hunting bandits would be courting death.
Before long, Lin Fan heard a piercing rush of air. Looking toward its source, he could vaguely make out someone hurtling toward him like a cannonball.
"Whoosh..."
A fierce gust whipped his clothes as a rough-featured inner courtyard disciple barreled to a stop before him.
The disciple glanced over the scene and roughly understood what had happened. When he looked at Lin Fan again, there was a trace of surprise in his eyes.
"Tell me what happened," he said.
"Senior Brother, this servant and I were ambushed by two bandits using bows and arrows. Thanks to my Iron Cloth Shirt, the arrow didn't pierce through my flesh. I played dead, then ambushed them in turn and killed them," Lin Fan briefly recounted what had happened.
"You kept your head in a crisis. Not bad. What's your name?" the senior brother continued.
"Senior Brother, this junior brother is Lin Fan."
"Bring the servant's body and follow me back to the manor," the senior brother instructed. He picked up the two bandits' bodies and headed back to the manor, with Lin Fan following, the servant's body in his arms.
Back at the manor entrance, Lin Fan immediately noticed a dozen or so corpses lying on the ground. Four or five belonged to outer courtyard disciples.
When they had set out on patrol, they had all complained about Zhang Yu and Senior Brother Tan together. Who would have thought that in such a short time, they would be forever separated by life and death?
"Human Stakes pursue the martial path with their heads on the line." Lin Fan gained a deeper understanding of those words. Human Stakes were not merely stakes; they were also the martial hall's cannon fodder.
Nearly all the inner courtyard disciples had arrived as well. They stood around the outer courtyard disciples' bodies, their faces filled with anger.
When they saw the rough-featured senior brother return with two bandits' corpses, surprise flashed across their faces, and their gazes swept over Lin Fan's face.
"That kid actually survived the bandits' attack. Lucky him."
"His Iron Cloth Shirt has probably reached major accomplishment."
The two senior brothers muttered a remark each, then none of the senior brothers paid Lin Fan any further attention. Until he entered the inner courtyard, he would never be worthy of their notice.
Lin Fan's gaze fell on the outer courtyard disciples' corpses. The same two large, bloody characters had been carved into every face-trash!
Lin Fan understood why these inner courtyard senior brothers were so angry. Their dignity had been challenged; they were not furious over the outer courtyard disciples' deaths. Consumables were meant to be consumed.
Senior Brother Tan noticed Lin Fan standing to one side, and his face hardened. "Why aren't you getting your ass back out to patrol the hills? Can you afford to pay if anything happens to the herbs?" He pointed at Lin Fan and berated him.
Anger rose in Lin Fan's heart. He had only just escaped with his life and had even earned merit by killing two bandits, yet what he received was not reassurance or a reward, but blame and rebukes.
But facing Senior Brother Tan, who could crush him with a single finger, he could only submit. He cupped his hands and said, "As you command!"
Lin Fan turned and left, his fists involuntarily clenching inside his sleeves.
Strength. I need greater strength! he roared inwardly.
This time, he did not even have a servant with him. Lin Fan went alone to the hill he was responsible for. Seeing that no one else was around, he began practicing Gale Leg.
With his strength, if the bandits attacked in force, charging forward to fight to the death would only mean throwing his life away. He would be better off cultivating Gale Leg to a profound level so he could flee more easily. Only those who survived had a future.
What webnovel protagonist did not have an incredibly powerful escape skill up their sleeve? Lin Fan only needed to learn from them.
Gale Leg (major accomplishment 40/1400)...50...90...150...250...400...
As Lin Fan's tracks spread across the hill, his progress in Gale Leg steadily increased, bringing him closer and closer to major accomplishment.
When practice left him hungry, he took a steamed bun from inside his robe and gnawed on it. The servant had given him several earlier.
500...600...700...
His progress kept increasing. By the time the moon reached the middle of the sky, he was already more than halfway through his progress toward major accomplishment.
As though he knew no fatigue, Lin Fan moved faster and faster, sweeping through every corner of the hill's herb fields like a gale.
When the sky turned fish-belly white at the horizon, a powerful gust erupted beneath Lin Fan's feet. His body crossed twenty meters in a breath. He looked at his Fate Panel, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile.
Gale Leg (major accomplishment 1400/1400).