bookpub Chapter 26: Kill, Flesh Refining Realm!
Chapter 26: Kill, Flesh Refining Realm!
"Stop right there! Anyone who dares to step forward, I'll cut off her head!"
A thunderous roar shook the heavens and earth. Wu He was instantly lifted from the bed, and Tang Hengdao was drawn.
Looking closely, one could see flickering lights on the windows, figures hurrying by, and rustling sounds all around, as if people were coming from all directions.
Wu He quickly calmed down, held his breath, and went to the window, looking out through the crack.
A fat, burly man wearing only underwear stood in the courtyard, his arm around the neck of a thin figure, a gleaming knife resting against it, with visible traces of crimson blood seeping out.
"Waaah~"
Sobbing and crying could be heard.
Lin Lianhua.
Wu He looked at the table next to him and saw that the quilt was indeed half open.
"If anyone dares to move, I'll kill her!"
"Damn it, don't think I won't lay a hand on you!"
In the courtyard, the burly man bared his cold teeth, and Lin Lianhua was being held captive like a puppet, the blade already seeping into her skin.
Around him, the cold glint of swords and blades lingered.
A dozen or so figures had already surrounded the backyard, with crossbows at the ready and shield bearers cutting off all paths, forming a tight encirclement around him.
However, like a cornered beast fighting desperately, no one dared to rush forward.
"You are facing only a dead end; if you resist stubbornly, you will only die."
Yu Long walked out from the back door of the front hall, followed by a large number of armored soldiers. The clanging of their armor made the Khitan strongman's face even more sinister.
"A bunch of lackeys, their noses are really sharp!"
He coldly ordered, "Withdraw your men immediately and get out of my way, or I'll kill her right now!"
Lin Lianhua struggled to lift her head, tears glistening in her eyes, too weak to even sob.
Yu Long's fat face was full of disdain: "She's just a prostitute from a brothel. Kill her if you want. Do you think you can threaten me, the head constable, with that?"
"Manager Xu, this woman's debt should be recorded on my behalf."
After saying that, he raised his hand expressionlessly, and the numerous crossbows around him creaked and groaned.
Seeing this, the Khitan strongman sneered: "Ha, so this is the orthodox style of your so-called land of benevolence and righteousness? You just abandon such a precious life like this. What face do you have to call us barbarians? Hypocritical and sanctimonious, you are all a bunch of hypocrites."
Yu Long didn't waste any more words with him.
The wind and snow howled, and the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds in the east, making the gleam of swords even brighter and colder.
Tensions are high, swords are drawn, and blood is being drawn; vibrant life is about to be extinguished.
Click!
Just as everything was about to explode, a sudden bang shattered the surrounding silence.
Wood chips flew everywhere, and scraps of paper fluttered in the air.
The stark white blade startled the cold, iron-like silence.
"not good!"
Alarm bells rang in the mind of the burly Khitan man, and he instinctively swung his knife and turned around!
Clang~
The two swords clashed, sparks flying.
The silhouette of a person was clearly visible in the dark window, no more than three feet away.
He was then shocked to realize that there was someone else in the house behind where he had just been!
But it was too late for regrets. With his first attack failing, Wu He twisted his wrist sharply and swept the Khitan man back.
"Damn it!"
Enraged, the latter's body shimmered with a brownish-yellow hue, unmistakably revealing the aura of a flesh-refining realm cultivator.
When the scimitar slashed down again, it had already solidified into a yellow phantom, its power terrifying.
Seeing this, Wu He not only did not retreat, but instead rushed forward.
Beneath the white undergarment, his spine snaked like a dragon, his calm muscles twitching wildly as he swept his blade across the front!
Bang!
This clash of swords was far more intense than before. An invisible gust of wind sent them flying nearly a hundred meters, causing pain in the faces of the armored soldiers, who instinctively took a step back.
"what!"
A scream followed immediately, and the figure recoiled rapidly like a kite with a broken string.
Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was a Khitan man!
At this moment, his body was covered in cuts and slashes, dripping with blood, and the hand holding the knife was folded unnaturally, clearly broken.
Yu Long's eyes trembled slightly, and his hand on the hilt of the knife suddenly tightened, his heart filled with dread.
Flesh Refining Realm!
The fact that Wu He could so easily injure a Khitan man at the Flesh Refining Realm with a single blow clearly indicates that he himself has reached the Flesh Refining Realm.
But wasn't it only a few days since he killed Du Yuan, the Rolling Dragon?
How did he leap from the skin tempering stage to the flesh tempering stage in just a few days?
The brief moment of surprise made his breathing quicken, but when he saw Wu He holding the broken knife and chasing like a leopard, he immediately shouted.
"Master Wu, please keep them here!"
The sound was deafening, and they ordered that no one be spared.
But Wu He's gaze was cold and he paid no heed. He rushed to the Khitan man and, in the man's terrified eyes, plunged the broken sword directly into his heart.
puff~
The figure flashed by, leaving a trail of blood.
Only when there is stillness or movement will the activity cease.
The entire place fell silent, the only sound the howling wind and snow churning the earth and sky. The Khitan man whimpered for a moment, then breathed his last.
Yu Long frowned, and only after Wu He's aura subsided did he release his grip on the hilt of the knife, a bitter smile on his face: "Master Wu, you should have spared one of his men."
"Really? Then I was faster."
Wu He said calmly.
How could he not know to leave survivors?
That would only make it easier for Long to interrogate the prisoners, but it wouldn't be convenient for me.
Rather than that, it's more worthwhile to get the progress boost as a reward for defeating enemies.
Moreover...
[Progress completed (Minor Mastery of Blade Splashing Technique): 210/200]
With this kill, I can make up for the current progress!
"Alright, alright, Master Wu has finally helped this constable kill the Khitan barbarians. Thank you."
Yu Long stepped forward, smiling broadly as he spoke.
However, his eyes, sunken deep within his flesh, revealed a strange expression, as if glued to him, making Wu He extremely awkward.
He nodded slightly: "Commander Yu, you're too kind."
"You just used the Dragon Smash Technique, didn't you?"
"That's right."
"Tsk tsk, to possess the strength of a living dragon's spine, Master Wu has truly mastered it. At such a young age, a prodigy, a true prodigy!"
Yu Long repeatedly praised, and even the novice Xu Niang beside him had her eyes light up, unable to hide her joy: "Master Wu, you, you've improved again?!"
"Congratulations! Congratulations indeed!"
Wu He raised his hand to stop her from getting agitated, then looked at Yu Long: "Commander Yu, are there still many Khitans in the city?"
"Yeah, these barbarians must have sneaked in from some unknown route; we can't kill them all."
Yu Long's expression turned serious. He kicked the corpse on the ground and said, "This guy is called Han Bao. He is a descendant of Han Derang, a traitorous official from the Central Plains. I've been watching him for quite some time. He's been acting suspiciously ever since he entered the city."
"These Khitan barbarians, I wonder what kind of evil scheme they're plotting."
Upon hearing this, Wu He couldn't help but recall what Li Bo had told him before: the destruction of the Black Dragon Gang was probably the work of the Khitans.
It seems that Xiongzhou City is indeed showing signs of impending chaos.
The armored soldiers then carried away Han Bao's body, but as they were about to take his scimitar, Wu He suddenly spoke up: "Commander Yu, may I have a go at this sword?"
"This broken knife?" Yu Long asked in surprise.
"Um."
The broken knife he mentioned had just shattered his own Tang-style sword.
Wu He remembers it very clearly.
At that time, he combined his Dragon-Shattering Force with his Splashing Blade Technique. With his current skill level, he precisely aimed his blade at the breaking point of the curved sword in the Khitan man's hand. Originally, it was his sword that broke, but in the end, it was his own sword that broke.
This has nothing to do with the skill level; it's purely a difference in quality.
Therefore, Wu He was very curious.
Once I held the scimitar in my hand, its heavy weight proved that its density was much higher than that of ordinary swords.
Perhaps sensing Wu He's confusion, Yu Long said with a smile, "Master Wu, you still don't know about martial arts forging techniques?"
"The art of weapon forging?"
"It's a forging technique."
Yu Long explained, "Unlike ordinary forging techniques, this is a method that uses special sand and stones to forge weapons suitable for martial artists, and its quality is far superior to that of ordinary weapons."
shuh~
After saying that, he drew his long sword from his waist with a whoosh.
That's all.
In an instant, Wu He felt the air in front of him grow even colder. The gleaming, mirror-smooth longsword was clearly no ordinary item.
"Thank you for your guidance, Commander Yu."
Wu He nodded in relief.
It turns out that not only are there martial artists and ordinary people, but weapons also have this distinction.
"Since you like this knife, then keep it."
"I'm taking my leave."
Yu Long then left without lingering and immediately led his men back to report.
Once all the soldiers had left, the Desire Immortal Pavilion finally returned to silence.
Wu He turned to look at Lin Lianhua.
She lay motionless in the snow, with bright red blood flowing from her neck.
I went up and touched her neck; she still had a pulse. I looked at the wound, and it wasn't deep.
He must have fainted from shock.
"Manager Xu, take her to the clinic. I'll pay for the medicine."
Although he was not informed beforehand, Wu He had already guessed the reason for the matter.
The meat of the precious beast was kept warm in the kitchen. As was her habit, Lin Lianhua got up early to add firewood to keep the meat warm.
During this time, he was unfortunately taken hostage by the Khitans and almost lost his life.
Ultimately, it's all for his own benefit, and Wu He won't stand idly by.
Only after everyone except himself had left did some commotion come from Li Bo's courtyard.
A limping figure emerged, his hawk-like gaze piercing through the flying snow and landing on Wu He.
"Master Li."
"Giving you the Dragon-Shattering Force was truly worthwhile." Li Bo's face showed a hint of relief.
Having retired from the martial world for many years, and having not been in contact with any outstanding talents outside for a long time, the progress of this young man before me can be described as miraculous.
He had witnessed the entire process of killing the Khitan man. His aura was calm and steady, without any trace of the superficiality of a forced breakthrough caused by taking drugs. Such solid basic skills are extremely rare.
Even Li Bo, whose heart was already as hard as iron, couldn't help but admire it.
"You flatter me."
"Take this."
Li Bo then handed over a dagger sheath inlaid with two jade stones, which Wu He took with suspicion.
"What are you doing here?"
"Take this to Qiao the Cripple's Craftsman in the south of the city and have a good knife made. You've already reached the Refining Flesh Realm; it wouldn't look right without a suitable weapon."
"Take it to him and he'll understand. He'll then use better materials for you."
Upon hearing this, Wu He's lips curled into a smile: "Thank you, Master Li!"
He was just pondering where to find weapons suitable for martial artists. Craftsmen skilled in forging weapons are not ordinary people, and it would be difficult to find one without connections.
Just when I was having a problem, Li Bo arrived and solved it all.
"You're a kind-hearted little fellow, much like I was back then. If you can live well, then live well."
He murmured to himself, his gaze distant, and turned to stumble back into his courtyard.
Wu He bowed deeply and then returned to his room.
"Advance payment!"
"Mastery of the Splashing Knife Technique!"