Chapter 38: Revenge Begins Today

Xu Guang stood unarmed, locking eyes with Cheng San from a distance.

"Who are you? Why get involved in this mess?" Cheng San asked coldly.

Xu Guang remained silent. He recognized the man. Cheng San was supposed to be Cheng Lian’Er’s subordinate, but judging by the situation, he had likely betrayed her.

He saw no need to waste words on a traitor.

Instead, he stepped forward, entirely bare-handed.

Cheng San swung his Horse-cutting Saber down, sweeping up a flurry of snow.

Almost simultaneously, the two charged at each other, their paces quickening with every step.

Cheng San lunged like a fierce tiger. The Horse-cutting Saber chopped down from the air, whistling with a gale of wind.

Xu Guang forcefully raised his leg. With a muffled swoosh, his kick slammed into the flat side of the Horse-cutting Saber.

The immense disparity in strength was instantly apparent, throwing Cheng San off balance and making him stumble.

"You!" Cheng San cried out, his heart surging with shock at the sheer power.

The Cheng Family only had four Refining Viscera experts—two masters from the main lineage, while the other two were Brother Cheng and Cheng the Second. He was ranked third solely because of his strength.

Although he had not reached Refining Viscera, he was a powerhouse at the Peak of Bone Forging. Wielding a heavy weapon like the Horse-cutting Saber, he believed that within the Bone Forging Realm, excluding Abnormal People, his physical strength was among the absolute highest. His arms wielded a full three thousand pounds of force, yet he couldn’t even withstand a single kick from Xu Guang.

Little did he know that after the progress of Xu Guang’s Bone Forging Chapter leaped by nearly fifty percent, his strength had long surpassed five thousand pounds!

This was a level of power only attainable through Refining Viscera.

Xu Guang remained unhurried. Though he held no Weapons and appeared to be at a disadvantage, his expression didn’t change in the slightest. He continuously kicked the flat side of the Horse-cutting Saber, alternating his force unpredictably, causing Cheng San’s grip on the heavy blade to weaken with each strike.

Finally, after Xu Guang intentionally revealed a flaw in his defense, Cheng San struck out with all his might.

Seizing the opportunity, Xu Guang unleashed his full power. His fists lashed out like Thunderbolts with maximum force. Beneath the concealment of his wide sleeves, dark spots surfaced on the backs of his hands.

Stone Skin!

The Horse-cutting Saber was instantly kicked out of Cheng San’s hands, embedding itself straight into a nearby tree trunk.

Horror washed over Cheng San’s face. His Martial Artist instincts kicked in, prompting him to clench his fists and adapt to the situation.

Xu Guang let out a cold sneer and executed Inquiring Wind, the third move of the Gale Fist Technique. This was the fastest strike within the Gale Fist Technique. While not the most powerful, it was undoubtedly the most unpredictable. Xu Guang had always believed that this particular move must be the hardest to master in the entire Boxing Manual.

The essence of this Technique was seizing the initiative. In mid-air, the blur of his fist transformed into a gray line. With a single flash, it materialized right in front of Cheng San.

THUD.

Cheng San blocked with both hands while simultaneously raising his elbows, attempting to neutralize the Technique and force an opening at Xu Guang’s chest.

However, striking from a bizarre angle, Xu Guang’s fist forcibly threaded its way through the gap in the man’s guarding arms.

BANG!

The punch connected, and Cheng San was sent flying backward.

Xu Guang stepped forward in pursuit. Looming over his fallen opponent, he abandoned the rigid forms of the Gale Fist Technique, unleashing all of its moves simultaneously in a torrential barrage.

Cheng San was quite formidable; even while lying on the ground, he managed to block three of Xu Guang’s punches.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

The relentless sound of blows reached Cheng Lian’Er, who was hiding behind a nearby tree. Her eyes were filled with shock as she stared at Xu Guang in utter disbelief.

She knew Cheng San’s strength better than anyone. He had reached the Great Perfection of the Bone Forging Realm, and his body had been refined by countless doses of the Cheng Family’s Secret Medicine, making his physique far tougher than ordinary Bone Forging cultivators. Yet, he was now being pinned down and ruthlessly pummeled by the young man before her?

How... how was this possible?

Cheng San eventually succumbed. Unable to guard himself, he started taking punches straight to the face. After a few brutal hits, his neck snapped to the side. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

Xu Guang reached out and gently closed the dead man’s wide, staring eyes.

"An elite Bone Forging Martial Artist who isn’t one of the Abnormal People is truly extraordinary," he thought. "He actually managed to exchange twelve moves with me, someone at the Heroic Level... The best way to kill is still by launching a sneak attack."

After his Cultivation had skyrocketed, Xu Guang’s perception had become much sharper. He could already detect footsteps approaching from a distance. After hastily looting Cheng San’s body, he turned around, grabbed Cheng Lian’Er, and darted away.

Only after he started running did he realize his actions were a bit presumptuous. Why would a woman of Cheng Lian’Er’s status willingly follow a man of unknown origins like him?

To his surprise, Cheng Lian’Er didn’t shake off his hand. She allowed him to grip her wrist as they fled deeper into the dense forest.

After running for a short while, Xu Guang noticed that Cheng Lian’Er couldn’t keep up with his pace at all. Was she injured?

Catching a familiar scent of blood in the air, Xu Guang frowned and said in a low voice, "Miss Cheng, the situation is urgent. Please forgive my presumption."

He suddenly reached out and scooped Cheng Lian’Er into his arms. Unburdened by her pace, his speed increased significantly.

Cheng Lian’Er was a highly rational woman. Being carried by Xu Guang, she didn’t put up a fuss like some overly dramatic, ordinary woman. Instead, she naturally wrapped her arms around his waist to steady herself.

Glancing back at their footprints in the snow, Xu Guang felt a bit speechless that he had forgotten to cover such obvious tracks. He scooped up a fallen branch and pressed it into Cheng Lian’Er’s hand.

Without exchanging a single word, a strange mutual understanding formed between them. Cheng Lian’Er held the branch, dragging it along the ground behind them to sweep away their tracks as they ran.

It wasn’t until they arrived at a half-snowed-in cave that Xu Guang finally relaxed. He set Cheng Lian’Er down. "Miss Cheng, please wait here patiently. Do not wander about."

"Where... are you going?" Having stared at Xu Guang’s jawline the entire way, Cheng Lian’Er had finally remembered who this man was.

Several months ago, Xu Chun—the wife of young master Wang Ming of the Wang Family—had asked for a favor, requesting that her younger brother be allowed to slaughter pigs for her.

If not for her astonishing memory, Cheng Lian’Er would never have believed that this man was the same frail, exceedingly scrawny boy from back then.

Xu Guang turned around, a hint of warmth flashing across his face. He had a good impression of Cheng Lian’Er and considered her a benefactor. If it weren’t for her letter of recommendation, relying solely on the Searcher would have delayed his Martial Arts training even further, and he wouldn’t be nearly as powerful as he was now.

He hadn’t experienced much kindness in this world, so he always cherished those who showed it to him.

"Xu is going to kill some people."

Cheng Lian’Er froze at his words. "Why?"

"Xu simply has a grudge against them. Miss Cheng, there is no need for you to worry about it."

Having said his piece, Xu Guang turned and walked away.

Cheng Lian’Er stood there, utterly speechless. Was that what she meant?

She merely didn’t want to die. Obviously, all Xu Guang had to do was protect her, yet he insisted on going out of his way to kill people.

She couldn’t tell if the man was arrogant or just supremely confident.

Pondering this, Cheng Lian’Er obediently stepped deeper into the cave.

***

In the dense forest, four Skin-Grinding Martial Artists stood beneath a tree, leaning against a corpse. It was Cheng San’s body.

"We’ve found Cheng San. Hurry and report this to the young master."

"Understood. Are there any other messages to pass along?"

"What messages?" The first man paused, slightly bewildered. "The young master said finding Cheng San was enough."

"Wait a minute! Who are you?"

Standing on the tree branch above was a figure, completely bare-handed and clad in white, blending in almost perfectly with the snow on the branches.

The figure shook his head slightly. "I’m in a good mood today, which is why you were given the chance to speak your last words. Since that’s done..."

He leapt from the nearly four-meter-high tree, his feet rapidly stepping on empty air as if he were walking on the wind.

Then, with a sudden flash, he landed directly in front of one of the men.

BANG!

A straightforward punch was thrown with unparalleled speed, completely beyond what anyone with Skin Grinding Mastery could hope to block.

The man was instantly blasted backward through the air.

Xu Guang didn’t even spare a glance at the fallen figure. If he couldn’t kill a mere Ordinary Level Skin Polishing opponent with a single strike to a vital spot, he might as well kill himself.

His footwork didn’t slow in the slightest. Shifting positions three times within a single breath, he launched three consecutive punches from entirely unpredictable and bizarre angles.

BANG, BANG, BANG!

In the blink of an eye, the remaining three men were simultaneously sent flying.

Xu Guang withdrew his stance, his expression completely tranquil.

Without bothering to extract their blood, he turned and walked away.

He had a lot of people to kill tonight. He clearly remembered that Qian Neng was originally accompanied by thirteen followers. Since he had decided to make a move, all thirteen of them had to die.

Like a ghost haunting the woods, Xu Guang hid in the shadows, using Cheng San’s corpse as bait to continuously ambush and slaughter anyone who approached.

After awakening the Bloodline Power of Ghost Hair, his evaluation had once again reached the Heroic Level. Having undergone Refinement with the entire Essence Blood of two Experts in Refining Viscera Martial Arts, his Bone Forging progress had seen a massive boost.

Although his status panel still displayed him at the Heroic Level, he felt that he was far from an ordinary Heroic Level!

Assassinating a group of people who were at most at the Ordinary Level of the Bone Forging Realm, and doing so via sneak attacks—there was simply no chance of failure whenever he struck.

That was, until...

Three figures slowly approached from the distance.

Qian Neng held a bamboo tube in one hand, which was emitting a BUZZING sound, seemingly transmitting some kind of message.

"Muskrats are incredibly sensitive to the colorless and odorless snow musk, and they love it more than anything else," he thought. "Cheng San... should be right here!"

His expression was exhilarated. Finding Cheng San meant finding Cheng Lian’Er.

He had to admit, Cheng Lian’Er was an incredibly clever woman. She had somehow discovered the musk on Cheng San’s body. The several Cheng Family experts he had killed earlier all had musk planted on them as well, forcing him to take a massive detour before finally tracking down Cheng San just now.

The reason he was so certain it was Cheng San this time was naturally because... all the other members of the Cheng Family were already dead!

"Young master, look!"

A Bone Forging Realm Martial Artist beside Qian Neng suddenly cried out in alarm. Beneath a pine tree, Cheng San’s corpse was quietly leaning against the trunk, looking perfectly serene, as if he had merely fallen asleep.

In his hand, he was gripping a wooden sign that read...

The Tomb of Qian Neng!

Qian Neng was instantly enraged. Who did they think he was? Ever since he was born, his family had been renowned for their wealth. Moreover, his father was one of the Abnormal People and a high-ranking official in the Yellow Heaven Sect. When had he ever been mocked like this?

He drew his blade, intending to charge forward.

The Martial Artist next to him hastily held him back. "Young master, look..." he stammered in a hushed, panicked voice laced with sheer terror. "Look above us!"

Qian Neng abruptly looked up. Dangling high up in the branches of the pine tree was a cluster of corpses, swaying in the wind as if they were fruits grown from the tree itself.

DRIP!

Drops of blood fell from above.