Ambush and Counterkill

It has a tail.

Lin Xiao paused, his voice extremely low.

Lu Yuan's Soul Power flowed quietly. They walked on a narrow path between mountains, with steep cliffs on both sides and A Thread of Sky sky overhead. It was too quiet; the chirping of insects and birds had all disappeared, and the air was deathly still.

Before he could finish speaking, a huge rock crashed down from above!

Lin Xiao lunged forward and rolled, the boulder grazing his back before crashing into the ground. Almost simultaneously, vines on both sides seemed to come alive and wrapped around him, their surfaces gleaming with an abnormal dark green luster—it was his Martial Soul.

Lu Yuan's Blue Silver Grass grew rapidly, weaving into a net in front of him. The vines twisted and creaked, and his Soul Power was consumed quickly.

"Control! Top left!" Lin Xiao roared, his right arm bulging with dark keratin, severing the vines at his feet. More vines sprouted from the cracks in the rocks.

A figure appeared at the front and a figure at the back of the mountain path.

In front was a burly man in stone armor, and behind him was a lean man wielding a poisoned curved blade. Together with the small, thin man manipulating vines in the recessed area on the left wall, the three surrounded them.

The burly man grinned. "Teacher Sun said, we need to see him alive or dead. Kid, the choice is yours."

Lin Xiao spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.

"You talk too much nonsense."

He moved, charging straight at the control-type Soul Master. This must be dealt with first.

The burly man was prepared. With a low growl, he unleashed a stone fist. Lin Xiao twisted his waist in mid-air, changing his claws from a slash to a block.

Bang!

Lin Xiao was thrown back, staggering as he landed. His old wound on his left shoulder reopened, staining the cloth strip with blood. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the control-type Soul Master activated the vines, and seven or eight dark green "whips" lashed at his back.

Lu Yuan moved.

The Blue Silver Grass darted along the ground, entangled itself around a few loose rocks, and released and withdrew its Soul Power.

The rocks rolled down, crashing into the depression below where the control-type Soul Master was hiding. The man was forced to retreat, and his vine attack faltered.

Seizing this brief moment of respite, Lin Xiao charged forward again, this time targeting the burly man. The burly man grinned as he charged, but Lin Xiao deftly ducked, slipping under his armpit, his sharp claws slashing three bloody gashes down his side.

The burly man roared and turned around, but Lin Xiao had already slipped away and pounced on the lean man behind him.

The man's curved blade, like a venomous snake's tongue, aimed straight for his throat.

Lin Xiao had no way to avoid it.

Lu Yuan's palm suddenly secreted a large amount of transparent sap from the Blue Silver Grass leaves—a substance that, according to recent research, has a mild numbing and irritating effect. The sap, enveloped by Soul Power, transformed into a pale green mist and sprayed towards the man's face.

The man's eyes stung from the splash, and his knife thrust slowed slightly.

Lin Xiao's sharp claws slashed in, gripping his wrist that was holding the knife.

Click.

The sound of wrist bones shattering was deafening. The curved knife fell to the ground, and the man screamed and retreated violently.

The control-type Soul Master had stabilized, and the vines attacked again. The burly man's eyes turned red, ignoring the wound on his side, and he roared as he charged towards Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan's Soul Power was almost depleted.

He was breathing heavily as his gaze swept across the mountain path: moss, decaying leaves, a few clumps of dark purple shrubs, and some dried, dark brown Soul Beast droppings in the cracks of the rocks.

Feces... Some small poisonous insects are sensitive to this smell and will instinctively avoid it.

The burly man's stone fist struck three meters away.

Instead of retreating, Lu Yuan advanced, kicking up a piece of manure-covered gravel with his right foot. The gravel flew towards the opponent's face.

The burly man punched and sent the man flying, sending excrement flying and filling the air with a foul stench. At the same time, Lu Yuan released a second spray of water mist, mixed with fragments of purple thorn grass, pungent and acrid, which landed precisely on the burly man's head, face, and wounds.

The burly man's eyes stung, his wounds throbbed with pain, and his movements became erratic.

The rustling sounds from the cracks in the rocks grew louder. Dozens of black beetles, startled by the smell, crawled out haphazardly, some even landing on the burly man's feet.

The burly man, annoyed, lowered his head and stomped on the insect.

That one moment of distraction.

Lin Xiao had already attacked from the side.

He completely ignored the vines chasing him from behind, pouring all his Soul Power into his right claw, causing the dark keratin to swell to its limit and turn a blood red.

The control-type Soul Master's expression changed drastically, and he tried to retract the vines to protect himself.

It's too late.

Lin Xiao endured the two vines lashing his back—his clothes ripped apart, his flesh torn open—and he crashed into a crater, sharp claws piercing his throat.

Pfft.

A muffled thud. The control-type Soul Master's eyes widened, his hands flailing in vain as the green light dissipated and the vines drooped limply.

Lin Xiao withdrew his claw, drawing blood. He turned to face the remaining two, his back a bloody mess, blood gushing from his left shoulder, but he stood ramrod straight, his amber pupils gleaming with a terrifying ferocity.

The burly man and the lean man stared at each other, filled with fear.

Three men surrounded and attacked, and in the blink of an eye, one was dead. One had his wrist crippled, and the other was seriously injured.

The kid on the other side was even more badly injured, but his eyes looked like he wanted to devour someone.

"Withdraw!" the lean man growled through gritted teeth.

The two turned and ran.

Lin Xiao licked the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Trying to run away?"

He moved, faster than ever, almost becoming a shadow. His severe injuries had brought out something deep within him.

The lean man running behind turned around in shock.

Bloodstained claws loomed large before my eyes.

He raised his left arm to block.

Snap. Arm bone breaks. Claws pierce the heart.

The man's body stiffened, then he collapsed.

The burly man was terrified, his body encased in stone armor, and he ran frantically with his head down.

Lin Xiao flicked his claws, spitting out blood, and gave chase again. He caught up with the man in a few leaps. The burly man roared, turned around, and unleashed a powerful stone fist.

Lin Xiao neither dodged nor evaded, his sharp claws meeting the attack head-on.

Bang!

The shockwave blasted outwards. The burly man's stone armor shattered into pieces, and he was sent flying backwards, crashing into the wall and sliding down, bleeding from his mouth and nose, clearly beyond saving.

Lin Xiao swayed.

Looking down at his right paw—the dark keratin had faded, the palm was a bloody mess, and the finger bones might be fractured. His back burned, his left shoulder felt weak, and his vision blurred.

He managed to stay upright, staggered back, and leaned against the mountain wall, panting heavily. With each breath, his chest ached from his wound.

Lu Yuan, his Soul Power exhausted, walked over, his face pale and his steps unsteady. He had several abrasions on his body.

Squat down and quickly check.

His back was the most severely injured, with the skin torn open and bone exposed. His old wound on his left shoulder was completely reopened. His right palm was a bloody mess.

Lu Yuan tore off a strip of cloth from his inner garment and first used it to tie Lin Xiao's left shoulder to stop the bleeding. Then he cleared away the rubble and dirt from Lin Xiao's back and pressed the cloth strip against the wound.

Lin Xiao closed his eyes, his breathing heavy.

"I won't die," he said in a hoarse voice.

Lu Yuan didn't reply. After bandaging himself, he leaned against a nearby rock, too tired to move. The mountain path reeked of blood, mixed with the stench of feces and a pungent smell. Three corpses lay across the ground, blood seeping into the soil.

silence.

Lu Yuan looked at his trembling hands— his Soul Power was exhausted. Then he looked at Lin Xiao, who was covered in blood.

This time there were three: one for control and two for offensive. The configuration was reasonable, and the ambush was meticulously planned.

To silence them.

Teacher Sun, or rather, the Hundred Refinements Pavilion, valued him far more than expected. For a work-study student, he was targeted by two waves of people, the second of whom went straight for the kill.

What about next time? How many? What level? Even more insidious methods?

The road ahead is becoming increasingly treacherous.

Lin Xiao opened his eyes; his amber vertical pupils gleamed coldly in the dim light.

"Hey." His voice was hoarse, with a strange chuckle, "What did your Blue Silver Grass... spray just now? It stung my eyes."

Lu Yuan paused.

"A little bit of pungent sap, mixed with crushed purple thorn leaves."

"Purple thorn grass?"

"Yes. It's common in the wild. The crushed leaves are spicy and repel insects, while the sap irritates wounds."

Lin Xiao grinned, pulling at the injury on his face, and gasped.

"That's sneaky," he commented, without a hint of sarcasm. "And that poop on the rock... was that intentional?"

"The smell of feces disturbs shady, poisonous insects. They crawl around erratically, interfering with their prey."

Lin Xiao remained silent.

I stared at the A Thread of Sky overhead for a long time.

"I used to think," he said slowly, "That fighting was all about having Soul Power, powerful Soul Skill, and fast speed. Whoever was ruthless would win."

He paused.

I almost messed up today.

Lu Yuan didn't reply.

A mountain wind rises again, carrying a strong, fishy smell. In the distance, the faint howl of wolves can be heard.

Lin Xiao struggled to sit up straight and looked at Lu Yuan.

"Your theory..." He licked his chapped lips, "Can it really help me optimize my cultivation technique?"

Lu Yuan turned to look at him.

Lin Xiao's face was covered in blood and sweat, but his eyes shone with a frightening intensity, as if they were burning.

"I'll provide the data," he repeated, emphasizing each word, "Soul Power path, bottlenecks, changes in Martial Soul Possession... I'll give it all to you. As long as it makes me stronger, makes me..."

He didn't finish speaking.

Lu Yuan understood. He was told to live and to have the right to choose his own path.

After a moment of silence, he nodded.

"Good."

Lin Xiao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, leaned back against the mountain wall, and closed his eyes.

"Get out of here quickly." The voice trailed off, weary. "The stench of blood is too strong; it'll attract the big guys soon. I don't have the strength to fight anymore."

Lu Yuan stood up.

He was also nearing his limit, but he had to leave. He searched the three corpses, found a few Silver Soul Coin and a small bag of dry rations, and put them away. He picked up the poisoned scimitar, looked at it, and threw it into the ditch.

He walked back to Lin Xiao's side and reached out his hand.

Lin Xiao opened his eyes, looked at his hand, and sneered.

"Give me a hand." He put his hand on Lu Yuan's shoulder.

The two supported each other, walking step by step towards the other end of the mountain path. Behind them, the three corpses were gradually swallowed by the shadows.

The light grew dimmer.

The night is still long.