The girl's nimble footwork made it seem like she was hopping from blade to blade of grass. Her strange movements made no sound, and it was hard to read from her steps what she would do next.
But the strangest thing was that despite how she was dancing on the grass, there was no sign she had stepped there. A testament to her skills and stealth, her techniques were more suited for assassination.
How intriguing. These techniques revealed quite a lot about her. What kind of sect taught their disciples assassination techniques? Also, why wasn't she running? While it might be hard for her to be able to defeat me without a surprise attack, it was still quite clear that if she wanted she could escape.
"What kind of footwork is that?" I inquired, even as she drew her fist back. Unfortunately, my Rushing Bull Steps lacked the versatility to evade her attacks, a flaw I resolved to address in the future.
As she lunged forward, her left brass knuckle grazed my chest, tearing through my robes and leaving a deep gash. Her frustration was palpable as she cursed under her breath and prepared for another assault.
"Oh? That was the wrong move, little lady," I taunted, my voice dripping with feigned confidence as I sought to goad her into making a fatal error. The tension was heavy between us.
Despite how hard she tried to hide it, it was clear as day she grew angrier.
I smiled and continued talking, "Now that you've lost the advantage of charging speed, there isn't much difference between us."
The air crackled around my fist as I swung at her head, ready for the gruesome outcome if my blow landed true. However, my hand went straight through her head.
An after-image?!
"As if a peasant like you would ever know anything about good techniques," she snorted and appeared next to me.
In the blink of an eye, pain exploded through my ribs as her fist connected with a force that sent me hurtling through the air. I could feel something crack, likely a rib, and prayed it wasn't something more vital like an organ.
I was not elated to find out what this would feel like once the adrenaline wore off.
With my arm still bleeding and no means to staunch the flow without risking further injury, I realized the need to be better prepared for such encounters in the future. Bandages would have been a wise addition to my arsenal.
It wasn't like she would have stood by the side and waited for me to stall my bleeding.
Despite every instinct urging me to flee, I held my ground, acutely aware that showing her my back would seal my fate. I was determined not to meet death again so soon, especially when I had barely scratched the surface of what this world had to offer.
I had no idea what Qi was like or how it felt using an earth-grade technique.
The girl cautiously encircled me. I kept my eyes on her while also keeping my ears open in case she had a companion attempting to exploit a moment of distraction to finish me off in a single attack.
Everything about her pointed to her being an assassin for hire. If I were to hazard a guess, her assignment likely involved eliminating individuals in the vicinity. Judging by her strength, she was probably tasked with dispatching disciples or ordinary mortals who stumbled upon whatever was happening here.
Now that she had lost her element of surprise, she stood little chance against me. Even the afterimage technique was a one-time use, and we both knew it wouldn't work a second time.
"You can't get out of here alive," she stated, her breath trembling as she glanced at my legs and arms. "This place will be razed by forces much stronger than us. So why not surrender, and I'll ensure your death is painless."
Oh? Was she already offering compromises?
I mean, it wasn't much of a compromise, but still significantly different from her earlier stance. Perhaps she was on a deadline? Or she didn't want to linger longer than necessary? Or it was a combination of all these factors.
How intriguing. I was beginning to think I wasn't even her primary target. Was her assassination target the other guy I killed? Well, it was clear now that she wouldn't have let me leave, considering no assassin worth their salt would allow their actions to be exposed.
Bringing my fists up, I assumed a defensive stance and crouched. The girl's eyes widened, and she retreated, positioning half her body behind a tree.
A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek, and her eyes dilated, as if she were awaiting something.
Oh? Now, that was interesting.
"I think I know what's happening here," I grinned, attempting to conceal the jolting pain coursing through my body, and how the only arm that wasn't bleeding like a fountain had started swelling and was hard to move. "You watched me use my technique against the sword wielder and now fear I might use it against you. Why? Are you not confident in your speed to dodge it?"
Of course, she wasn't, because if Rushing Bull Step had the kind of weakness where it was slow enough to be dodged by someone at just the Body Tempering stage, I wouldn't have chosen it. Neither would I have chosen it if I hadn't seen the potential to mitigate its weaknesses and transform it into something more.
But now wasn't the time to experiment.
Unlike the protagonists in xianxia novels who often pull out new techniques they've never used before out of thin air, doing so in reality was incredibly risky. I hadn't attempted to change directions mid-way while using Rushing Bull Steps because I could risk breaking my legs. That wouldn't bode well in any battle, let alone one to the death.
I crouched down and charged at her; she instinctively jumped to the side to evade.
"Shit!" she exclaimed, realizing too late that it was just a normal charge. I hadn't used Rushing Bull Steps.
I crouched down again and activated Rushing Bull Step, leaving her no room to dodge as she was almost within arm's reach. Despite her efforts to lean to the side, my fist still landed on her side, and I felt her flesh yield as her ribs cracked like the strings of a guitar.
The young woman grunted and was sent flying, crashing against a tree and shattering it into a thousand pieces. As the dust settled, she struggled to her feet, wincing in pain as blood leaked from her side, and bones protruded.
Despite her agony, I maintained my distance, ensuring not to get too close as my legs throbbed with pain and shook. Using Rushing Bull Steps a fourth time in a row would be a gamble I wasn't willing to take. While I preferred to end her life, I wasn't prepared to risk mine just to take her down with me.
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However, I still preferred to eliminate her rather than leave the possibility of her surviving and seeking revenge after becoming stronger.
Suddenly, before I could gather my thoughts and strategize the next move, there was a massive explosion in the distance. It was the kind of explosion that one saw before hearing it, and before either of us could react, the shockwave sent us both flying off the ground, like ragdolls, propelled far away despite our efforts to hold on.
Yep, this was my sign to get the fuck out of here. This was way above my power level! Whatever was happening out there, I wasn't even their target. Yet I was still flung away by the aftershocks of whatever the hell that was.
Instead of resisting the blast, I used it to my advantage as it pushed me away. I leaped from tree branch to tree branch, putting as much distance between me and the epicenter as possible. I didn’t bother turning around to see what the explosion was about, and I had long lost sight of my opponent in the chaos.
I had hoped to search the clothes of the man I killed in case he had an antidote on him. But if I had been poisoned, symptoms would have already surfaced by now. No one in their right mind would coat their blade in a poison that acted days later, with no benefit in battle. If that had been the case, he would have fled immediately after cutting me, knowing the poison would do the job for him.
He might have just been a battle maniac, but if that was the case, using slow-acting poison on his blade made even less sense.
Now, all around me were trees forming a maze-like path, and I had no clue which direction would lead me back to the road toward the sect.
Did I even want to return to the road?
Damn it, I had tried to get out of there as soon as I heard about the jade-like beauty, yet here I was, caught in the aftermath of whatever the hell was happening. It was almost enough to make me want to cry!
But showing weakness on a battlefield was dangerous, and that wasn’t a lesson I needed to learn twice.
Soon, there were no more trees to jump from, and I landed in a grassy field.
What the hell was I supposed to do now?
The pain from the fight, the cut-up arm, probably a broken rib, torn leg muscles, and a couple of concussions... It all hit me at once, and for a split second, everything went blank as I fought the urge to collapse and cry out in agony. My body shook, as my mind was overwhelmed by the sensation of extreme pain.
But who knew if any more enemies were lurking around? So the most comfort I allowed myself was a soft whine, the only release before I refocused my senses, wary in case the girl had somehow tracked me.
Okay, back to business. No thinking about the future, just concentrate on the present.
Distracting myself from the pain was easier said than done. I was half-tempted to pass out here. But that would mean almost certain death, and I wasn't ready to die yet.
First things first, I needed to address my injuries.
The cracked ribs, barely-working legs, and the concussion were beyond my immediate control. However, the gash on my arm, bleeding profusely, demanded attention.
Tearing off a strip of cloth from around my mundane disguise, I fashioned a makeshift bandage and wound it tightly around my arm, somewhat stopping the bleeding.
Now, I could only hope that a cultivator’s immune system was superior to that of a regular human. There were no records of cultivators falling prey to common ailments like colds, and the diseases they were susceptible to tended toward the supernatural and rare.
Recalling what little medical knowledge I had gleaned from the sect’s library, most of it centered around identifying poisonous mushrooms and herbs with healing properties. However, information on common herbs was scarce in the cultivator's domain.
One thing was certain: once I emerged from this ordeal alive, I wasn’t leaving the sect for a long while!
Surveying my surroundings, I heard nothing but the rustle of leaves, and the only notable sight was a distant smoke cloud.
Yes, getting further away from here seemed like a good choice.
…
A whole day passed, spent running in the opposite direction of whatever had caused that explosion. Only then did I feel comfortable enough to pause by a clear stream of water. Also, I no longer had much of a choice as it felt like any minute now, I would pass out.
Carefully, I removed the cloth from my injured arm, inspecting the wound. The blood around it had hardened, and the injury seemed to have closed somewhat. I could move the arm with discomfort but was grateful for having a cultivator’s physique, which likely meant a more robust immune system and faster recovery. Either that, or I got lucky for some reason.
As I began to undress and assess my injuries, a little turtle poked its head out from one of my inner pockets, attempting to nip at my finger.
"I almost forgot about you, little guy," I chuckled while checking to ensure that the two books I always carried were undamaged. Thankfully, they remained intact. While my Status Book served as a record of my stats and for future reference, my information book, containing all the knowledge I had gathered about cultivation, was more important.
Standing naked, I cautiously dipped my toes into the water, feeling a chill shoot up my spine and my teeth chattering.
Well, it seemed my cultivator’s body didn’t shield me from the cold as I had hoped. A disappointment, perhaps an overreaction, but I had grown accustomed to the superhuman capabilities my body now possessed.
Washing every part of my body, I tended to my wounds, ensuring there were no lasting injuries. Aside from the cracked bones in my arms and possibly cracked ribs, everything else seemed to be healing well, particularly the cut in my arm.
"At least I didn't suffer a concussion from colliding with all those trees," I remarked to the little turtle, still rummaging through my clothes. "Isn't that right, little guy?"
Speedy's only response was to continue chewing at my clothes.
Was Speedy already in his rebellious teenage phase? Kids grow up so fast these days.
I reminisced about the younger years of my last life when even the internet was not a big thing yet, and not everyone had a smartphone.
Not a phone in sight, and people were experimenting with weird substances, burning things, and getting drunk. I never understood why people complained about the younger generation always being on their phones. It was better than the shit we did.
Shaking my head, I stopped reminiscing about the old days. A part of growing up was always reminiscing about those good old days. Imagine not having to worry about work or taxes. Unironically, it was one of the main reasons why I liked this world so much; at least someone had a chance to have the power to do whatever they wanted, and the few could win against the interests of the many. However, it also had the disadvantage of the crazy few getting into power.
As I washed off all the blood and dried myself, I put my clothes back on and then laid down on the grass, feeding the little turtle some grass and tree roots.
Carefully, I ripped the long sleeves out of my clothes and made them into rough bandages, washing them before setting them on some stones near the stream to dry. I looked around, making sure the grass was tall enough to hide my form, and then lay down.
After a while, Speedy stopped fighting and no longer resisted my love. The little guy lay on my shoulder and snoozed off while I stared at the deep blue sky.
It was early in the morning. The sun wasn’t bright enough to hurt my eyes yet, providing a pleasant view of the sky.
Wait, was space the same in this world as in my last one? Had any sword-flying cultivator attempted to reach space?
With such questions in my mind and pondering the wider world, I waited for my new bandages to dry and put them on. After that, I did some stretches to ensure no underlying injury would affect my mobility. Finally, I put the little turtle, who had gotten a taste of freedom during our stay, back into my pocket.
"Don't worry, Speedy, if I ever make it as a big-shot cultivator, I will buy you a mansion and get you a harem of turtles," I reassured the little guy as he peeked his head out of my pocket.
I set off and ran through the grasslands until I stumbled upon a rough road with carriage tracks, which I followed westward. There wasn't much else I could do, so I walked along the tracks until I finally reached what looked like a town.
It had high walls tinted pinkish-red with dark markings along the walls, likely some inscription or array. Or perhaps it was just there as a bluff to deter low-level cultivators from causing trouble. Either way, I wasn’t going to try and find out.
As I approached the gate, two men in crimson medieval armor with dark swords in their hands kept their eyes on me. Unlike Greengrass Town, there was no long line waiting to get in.