Killing Intent

Ning Buhui slept inside the pagoda for a full four hours.

When he woke, his whole body still felt as though it had fallen apart. He sensed the movements outside through the pagoda and found that the fiercest wave of the beast tide had passed. Soul Beasts still ran past in scattered groups of three or five, but their numbers and momentum were nothing like before, coming and going like the dwindling waters after a mountain flood.

He did not rush outside. First, he stretched his limbs, ate two pieces of food to stave off hunger, and treated the wound on his left leg again, wrapping it tightly with strips of cloth. Then he sat cross-legged and used the dense Soul Power inside the pagoda to return to peak condition. Only when his meridians were full of Soul Power again did he rise, put away the pagoda, and continue south.

The forest had changed.

Broken wood and shredded leaves littered the ground, and vast patches of brush had been trampled into mud. Some trees had snapped in half, exposing pale, jagged breaks. The smell of dust stirred up by the beast tide still lingered in the air. As Ning Buhui headed south, he made sure to press a handprint of fluorescent powder onto a tree trunk every so often, then tie a strip of cloth higher up. He placed the markers close together, afraid Bibi Dong might miss them.

After he had walked for a little over an hour, the forest gradually quieted, and birdsong returned here and there, though it came from farther away than before the beast tide. Ning Buhui found a cave sheltered from the wind, broke off several thick branches to partly cover the entrance, and scattered a ring of medicinal powder around the outside before crawling in. The entrance was relatively well hidden, with weeds half as tall as a person growing all around it. Bibi Dong had said she would follow the markers to find him once she got away. His best choice now was to stay somewhere relatively safe and wait for her.

But before Bibi Dong arrived, four uninvited guests came instead.

It was nearing dusk, and Ning Buhui was sitting beside a rock, drinking water, when he suddenly heard voices from the southwest. He put down his waterskin and crouched behind a nearby bush, leaving only half an eye exposed.

It was a four-person team. At the front strode a burly man of thirty-five or thirty-six, powerfully built, with a nicked, thick-backed saber slung over his shoulder and a fierce swagger in his step. Behind him came a tall, lean man about the same age, light on his feet as a lynx, landing without a sound. Next was a gaunt man leaning on a vine staff. At the rear was a woman of around thirty, a coil of leather rope on her back and weariness on her face.

The four walked in fits and starts. Every so often, the gaunt man used his vine staff to beat aside the grass in front of him, cursing as he went. "This godforsaken place. We've searched for three days without seeing even the shadow of a decent snake. It's all because of that damned beast tide."

"Old Sun, quit grumbling," the burly man said in a rough voice. "We were lucky to get out of the beast tide alive. We'll search one more time, and if we still can't find one, we'll go somewhere else. Sunset Forest is so big. How could we fail to find one?"

"Big brother's right. I'm counting on all of you brothers for my Third Soul Ring," said the woman with the leather rope. "Our team will definitely be stronger then, and we'll be able to take on some dangerous assignments too."

"Yeah, yeah," the burly man said dismissively. Suddenly, he stopped and looked up toward Ning Buhui's hiding place.

Ning Buhui's heart tightened. The man seemed to have already discovered him. Sure enough, the tall, lean man also turned his head and murmured something into the burly man's ear. A strange smile appeared on the burly man's face, and he waved to those behind him. "Let's take a look."

The four spread out in a fan and closed in.

Ning Buhui did not run. They had already found him, and running now would only put him at a disadvantage. He stepped out from behind the bush, brushed the dust from his clothes, and looked at the four expressionlessly.

"Where'd this little brat come from?" The burly man looked him up and down, his gaze lingering for a moment on his clothes, which were dusty but clearly made of fine material. "How dare you come to this Soul Beast forest alone, with danger lurking everywhere?"

Ning Buhui did not answer. He only asked, "Can I help you?"

"Hey, he's got quite a temper." The burly man sneered. "Since when does a little brat get to ask us what we want in Sunset Forest? Where are your elders?"

"We got separated," Ning Buhui said calmly.

"Separated?" The burly man exchanged a glance with the other three, the greed in his eyes barely concealed. "You've got plenty of good things on you, haven't you? Those clothes, that belt, and the ring on your hand... Looks like a Storage Soul Tool. Tsk, tsk. Child, this forest isn't safe. Why don't you hand over your valuables and let us keep them safe for you? Once you find your elders, we'll give them back. How about it?"

His words sounded high-minded, but he had already taken two steps forward.

Ning Buhui did not move. He only sighed softly. He had long since seen that the four were no good. The leather rope on the woman's back was still stained with wet blood. The four had a complete lineup, and from their earlier conversation, he could tell they were a standard mercenary team, here to hunt for the woman's Third Soul Ring. People like them could kill someone in Sunset Forest and toss the body into a beast tide, leaving not even a corpse to be found. They had clearly done this before.

"You'd best leave now, or your lives may be in danger," Ning Buhui said. He wanted no further trouble, only to wait quietly for his teacher.

"Oh, he's even advising us to leave." The burly man burst out laughing. "All right, hand over your things and we'll leave right away. Otherwise-" His face darkened. "Don't blame us for disciplining you on your elders' behalf."

Before he had finished speaking, he drew his thick-backed saber with a backhanded motion and released his Martial Soul. The phantom of an Ironback Bear appeared behind him, and three Soul Rings, yellow, yellow, and purple, rose from beneath his feet. He was a level 38 Power Attack System Battle Soul Elder. Immediately afterward, his First Soul Ring lit up, and a faint red light appeared on the blade, clearly enhancing his strength. The other three released their Martial Souls at the same time.

A fox phantom appeared behind the tall, lean man: a Wind Spirit Fox. Three Soul Rings, yellow, yellow, and purple, encircled him. His figure swayed slightly, flickering in and out of sight like a ghost in the wind. He was a level 36 Agility Attack System Battle Soul Elder.

The gaunt man shook his vine staff, and dark green vines crawled over its head. Three Soul Rings, also yellow, yellow, and purple, appeared around him. He was a level 32 Control System Battle Soul Elder.

The woman summoned a flute Martial Soul, the Auxiliary System Tool Martial Soul White Jade Flute. Two Yellow Soul Rings were nested around the flute, making her evidently a level 30 Auxiliary System Tool Soul Elder who had yet to absorb her Third Soul Ring.

"Kid, I'll give you one last chance," the burly man said with a vicious grin. "Hand over your things yourself."

Ning Buhui looked at their stances and shook his head helplessly. "I warned you."

With that, he raised his right hand. The Nine Hell Soul-Suppressing Pagoda emerged from his palm, black and white fish circling its body, while two purple Soul Rings hovered around him.

Two purple Soul Rings!

Judging by its color, the second was even approaching ten thousand years.

In an instant, the expressions of all four people opposite him changed.

"Purple... two Thousand-Year Soul Rings?!" the tall, lean man blurted out, his steps faltering for a moment.

"How old is he? How is this possible?!" The woman's eyes widened too.

Ning Buhui gave them no time to react. His First Soul Ring was already shining. The golden light of Butterfly Dance Flowing Radiance fell on his shoulder, and he felt a warm current pour down from the top of his head. In the next instant, he was gone from where he stood.

He headed straight for the Auxiliary System woman.

"Stop him!" The burly man, shocked and furious, raised his saber and slashed. A streak of crimson saber Qi shot from the blade. Ning Buhui leaned aside, and the saber Qi skimmed past his arm, cutting down a small tree behind him. He waved his right hand, sending Void Rending Slash across the air. A crescent of silver light cut toward the burly man's waist and ribs. The burly man poured Soul Power into his saber and held it crosswise to block, but with a sharp hiss, a section of the thick-backed saber was sliced off like tofu. The burly man stumbled backward in fright, his face deathly pale.

The woman reacted a beat too slowly and hurried to apply buffs to the others. Her First Soul Ring: Sound of Encouragement-slightly increased her teammates' strength. Her Second Soul Ring: Light Body Melody-slightly increased her teammates' speed. The Soul Skills were good, but unfortunately, neither Soul Ring had reached a thousand years, so their effects were limited.

"Don't panic! Get him together!" The gaunt man tapped his vine staff against the ground and activated his First Soul Skill, Entanglement. More than a dozen poisonous vines lunged at Ning Buhui from all sides. At the same time, the tall, lean man's Second Soul Ring lit up. His speed suddenly increased, and he circled around to Ning Buhui's left, two short daggers appearing in his hands at some point as he stabbed both straight at Ning Buhui's ribs.

Ning Buhui remained unhurried as his Second Soul Ring lit up.

"Nine Hell Soul Suppression, Vine Locks the Nine Nether Regions!"

The black fish flicked its tail, and pitch-black chains shot out like snakes, instantly wrapping around the tall, lean man's right leg. He stumbled to a halt, nearly losing his grip on his daggers. Ning Buhui seized the moment. The pagoda instantly grew and swept sideways: Mountain Suppressing Falling Strike! It swelled to half a person's height and crashed down at the tall, lean man's head. He had no choice but to raise his daggers and block. Man and daggers were sent flying into a tree. He grunted and slumped to the ground.

On the other side, the gaunt man's poisonous vines had already coiled around Ning Buhui's feet. Without even turning his head, Ning Buhui had already put on Vine Armor Spring Life. The poisonous vines lashed against the vine armor with sharp cracks, but could not break through its defense. He slashed backhanded, and Void Rending Slash severed several poisonous vines before flying on toward the gaunt man without losing momentum. It grazed his right shoulder, and blood burst out. He screamed and staggered backward.

"He... he clearly has only two Soul Rings. How can he have four Soul Skills?!" The woman finally reacted, but she could no longer intervene. Ning Buhui had already closed to within three paces of her. Her face turned deathly pale, and she turned to run. Ning Buhui moved, starting after her but arriving first. He activated Vine Locks the Nine Nether Regions, and chains wrapped around her right leg. She was yanked off balance and fell to the ground with a thud.

The burly man was so frightened his soul nearly flew out of him. He had thought that no matter how monstrous a child so young was, he could not possibly match four Soul Elders. Yet after only a few breaths, some of his companions had fallen while others were injured. He finally realized he had kicked an iron plate.

"Go! Run!" he roared at the gaunt man, then turned and fled.

Ning Buhui did not pursue him. He merely tossed the small pagoda in his hand, and Spinning Pagoda Strangulation flew out with a whistling rush of wind. It grazed past the burly man's side and cut into the large tree in front of him. Wood chips flew as it ground into the trunk. The burly man's legs gave way, and he fell to his knees.

"Don't... don't kill me..." he said, trembling as he looked back, one hand still braced against the ground.

Ning Buhui recalled the pagoda and walked up to him, looking down from above. "I warned you."

The burly man opened his mouth, but could not say a word.

Suddenly, extremely faint footsteps sounded in the forest.

The group turned at the same time. A woman in a dark purple robe stepped out of the shadows of the forest. There was no telling how long she had been watching or when she had appeared. Her arrival had come without any warning, as though the wind itself had passed through the forest. She glanced at the people on the ground, then looked at Ning Buhui, a hint of appreciation at the corners of her lips.

"Finish them all."

Ning Buhui looked at her and understood what she meant: she wanted him to draw blood. He remained silent. This was his first time killing in either of his two lives, and it would have been a lie to say he felt no mental burden. But this was also a basic rule of this world, where the strong were revered. He hesitated no longer. He unleashed Void Rending Slash and ended their lives.

Bibi Dong looked at him with satisfaction. Night pressed down from the treetops, and the surroundings fell utterly still. Only the wind blew from the direction of the canyon, carrying the lingering traces of the battle, and four corpses lay there, their faces showing chagrin, regret, terror, and fear.