From the moment the sleeve arrow was shot, the white mist exploded, to the moment the blade flashed, and Ma Ling was killed, the entire process seemed like a bolt of lightning, remarkably fast.
The followers who came with Ma Ling hadn’t even reacted to what had happened, and Ma Ling’s head had already flown out from the white mist.
"Village Chief Ma!"
"Sixth Village Chief!"
Amidst the cries of shock, these followers turned and ran.
Indeed.
They turned and fled, without a single person stepping forward to assess the situation.
Actually, this wasn’t surprising.
After all, Cyan Bamboo Ridge was originally a den of thieves. Can you expect a group of bandits, who usually rob and pillage, to stand and fight to the death at a critical moment?
Don’t be ridiculous!
This group is fine with cheering from the back and throwing punches when things are going well, but when faced with danger, it’s only natural to prioritize their own lives.
Zhao Ya didn’t chase after these people but instead quickly squatted down and began to search Ma Ling’s corpse.
This was, after all, the most powerful person Zhao Ya had ever slain, and also the first Third Realm Martial Artist.
Thus, Zhao Ya was filled with anticipation for this haul.
To kill Ma Ling, Zhao Ya had indeed exhausted every strategy.
From deliberately leaving bloodstains by the lakeside bushes to create the illusion of being severely injured, to snapping branches on purpose to leave traces, and choosing this big tree to set an ambush by the tree hole, while secretly using Concealing Breath on the tree.
Every step Zhao Ya calculated precisely to relax their vigilance and then seize the right moment to strike suddenly and kill with one blow.
To be honest, Zhao Ya wasn’t entirely sure that the pursuer would be Ma Ling. If it were that Daoist, Zhao Ya might not have acted so hastily.
Because the Daoist was evidently stronger than Ma Ling, and much more experienced, deceiving such an old hand in the Jianghu wasn’t an easy task.
Fortunately, Zhao Ya had some luck, Ma Ling, driven by greed for achievements, lost his head, literally.
Soon, Zhao Ya found a small box from Ma Ling’s bosom, and even wearing gloves, Zhao Ya didn’t dare open it immediately, since no one knew if there were any traps inside.
But judging by the exquisite materials used, it was clearly not an ordinary item.
So Zhao Ya put this small box into his deer hide pouch first, then searched again to ensure there was nothing else besides the small box before standing up.
At this moment, Ma Ling’s head lay in the grass nearby, with his face turned this way.
Looking at Ma Ling’s ferocious features, Zhao Ya gave a cold smile and vanished into the vast mountain forest.
Moments later, Huo Tianxiao arrived with his men.
Seeing Ma Ling’s corpse, even Huo Tianxiao was taken aback.
"Who did this?"
The ones who had fled earlier looked at each other, not daring to speak.
"I asked, who did this!" Huo Tianxiao shouted furiously.
Among them, one person timidly stepped forward, his face full of panic, and said, "We... we didn’t see who did it. Suddenly, a cloud of white mist exploded, and then the Sixth Village Chief... got his head chopped off."
"Yeah, we didn’t see who made the move!"
"Untraceable, I think it might have been a Mountain Demon Spirit," some said, trying to shirk responsibility by bringing up the Mountain Demon Spirit.
"Enough!" Huo Tianxiao’s loud shout finally quieted them.
He knew very well what kind of people were under his command, so despite being angry, he could only let it be.
"Some of you pack up Village Chief Ma’s body, the rest follow me."
Huo Tianxiao led his people into the mountain forest once more.
He wanted to see who was so formidable to kill Ma Ling in just one move.
It wasn’t that Huo Tianxiao had deep feelings for Ma Ling and felt the need to avenge him.
As the Third Village Chief, if he returned just like this, not to mention whether the Great Village Chief would punish him, he would lose face himself.
Meanwhile, Zhao Ya had already arrived at a hidden cave.
This was a place Zhao Ya discovered while hunting earlier, then transformed it into a refuge.
Unexpectedly, it’s become useful again this time.
Zhao Ya couldn’t help but praise himself for setting up refuges all over the place earlier.
It seems like he had quite the foresight.
When he returned, the worried Song Peiwan breathed a sigh of relief.
"How was it?"
"I killed that armed Village Chief!" Zhao Ya said calmly.
Song Peiwan was taken aback.
Before Zhao Ya left them in this cave to deal with the people from Cyan Bamboo Ridge, Song Peiwan had vehemently advised against it, considering it too dangerous.
But Zhao Ya wouldn’t listen and just left.
That made Song Peiwan very worried, fearing Zhao Ya might get into trouble.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Ya not only came back safely but even killed someone, a Village Chief from Cyan Bamboo Ridge no less.
Song Peiwan became more curious about Zhao Ya.
After all, the cave they were in was found by him, and judging by its arrangement and supplies, it was clearly set up much earlier.
What other unknown skills does this young guard have?
Zhao Ya didn’t know what Song Peiwan was thinking, nor would he care, even if he did.
He risked saving Song Peiwan because he, too, was pushed to the edge, considering Cyan Bamboo Ridge aimed to kill everyone.
Secondly, if he hadn’t saved Song Peiwan, surviving in the Song Family would be hard, possibly drawing suspicion and even implicating Tan Ziwang.
Moreover, taking this risk wasn’t worthless.
Following this incident, the Song Family would definitely show gratitude, and along with his Third Realm Martial Artist prowess, his standing in the Song Family would be greatly elevated.
Hence, Zhao Ya’s urgent need for blood and flesh resources would be somewhat alleviated.
Because after advancing to the Third Realm, the benefits of earthworm dried meat had diminished, only cured Green Bamboo Snake could help Zhao Ya’s cultivation, especially unlocking his liver’s potential.
Moreover, it was said that the Song Family possessed even more advanced Exotic Beast Flesh than cured Green Bamboo Snake, not shown to outsiders, accessible only to the core members of the Song Family.
And it was this that Zhao Ya had set his sights on.
"Wait here; I’ll go out to take another look!"
After resting and replenishing arrows and lime packages, Zhao Ya advised, then left the cave once again.
This patch of forest wasn’t far from Wuxiang City, which Zhao Ya had explored thoroughly before, so he was very familiar with the terrain.
First, he climbed a big tree and observed the surroundings carefully, discovering flocks of startled birds frequently taking flight in the northwest direction, a sign that the people from Cyan Bamboo Ridge were on the move.
At this, Zhao Ya merely gave a cold smile.
They truly dared to pursue, unafraid of death.
Had it been outside the forest encountering that Fire-Using Daoist, Zhao Ya would certainly avoid confrontation and keep his distance.
After all, the power of the kerosene left Zhao Ya terrified.
But now being in the forest, unless that Daoist planned to face mutual destruction, using fire wasn’t viable.
This situation provided Zhao Ya with an opportunity.
Yet, Zhao Ya wasn’t in a hurry and first chose a concealed spot, placing the small box taken from Ma Ling on a stone, then carefully opening the lid with a long branch.
Hiss!
A plume of green smoke sprayed out of the box suddenly.
Zhao Ya immediately held his breath and darted to a distance.
It took a full three minutes for the green smoke to completely dissipate.
Approaching with his heart still pounding, Zhao Ya found the nearby weeds corroded black by the green smoke and couldn’t help but be relieved he hadn’t rushed to open the box, for he might have fallen into the trap if he had.
Once sure there was no more danger, Zhao Ya, wearing gloves, began to check the contents of the box.
The contents were simple, just a book.
But being so carefully kept by Ma Ling, it was obviously no ordinary book.
Zhao Ya picked it up and skimmed through it, his face breaking into a wide smile.
It turned out to be a rare Horizontal Refining Technique, named the Golden Body Technique.