Chapter 53 - 52: Killing Bandits

Skinny Monkey had long had enough of staying with a "Demon" like Xu Guang. He chipped away at the boat with all his might, as if his life depended on it. Before Xu Guang even finished refining the blood of those Martial Artists, the boat sprang a leak.

He stared silently at Skinny Monkey. "You want to kill me."

Skinny Monkey looked up in astonishment. "My Lord, even if you lent me the courage of three men, I wouldn’t dare kill you!"

"You scuttled the boat. That means you want to kill me." Without waiting for Skinny Monkey to reply, Xu Guang shattered the man’s head with a single palm strike.

Skinny Monkey’s dying, aggrieved words echoed in the air: "But you were the one who told me to..."

Glancing at the people around him, Xu Guang turned and leaped into the water. These bandits were truly detestable, slaughtering the innocent at will. Having grown accustomed to life and death, he couldn’t offer any help to these poor souls; he could only watch helplessly as the boat sank. Then again, while human traffickers were abhorrent, those who sought to buy people were equally despicable, so they didn’t really count as victims to be pitied anyway.

Swimming down, Xu Guang detached two large chests from the bottom of the boat, strapped them to his back, and swam toward the opposite shore of the river.

Xu Guang, covered in blood, stood on the riverbank and waited for a long time. When no survivors emerged, he finally turned and left.

The Wei River was far too treacherous. Even with his capabilities, he had been attacked by countless Exotic Beasts in the water, surviving only thanks to his formidable strength. Shouldering the two large chests wrapped in tarpaulin, he sprinted into the distance. As he ran, the bloodstains on his body gradually turned into clear water, which was then forcibly evaporated by his tremendous physical heat.

He took out the map he had obtained from the boat and, with some effort, located the satellite city belonging to the Jade Elephant Canon Seat. Removing the white cloth wrapped around his head, he stood on a tree branch and observed the situation within the city.

Though the settlement built by the Jade Elephant Canon Seat was called a city, "stronghold" would have been a far more accurate description. Xu Guang observed it closely. The area was littered with small huts fashioned from stacked firewood. Huddled along both sides of the road were emaciated figures with sallow faces and lifeless eyes, looking like walking corpses. Every so often, burly men could be seen dragging a few of these lifeless figures into the stronghold. During the dragging, blood smeared the ground, and severed limbs could even be seen scattered about.

It was a brutally gruesome sight.

After an indeterminate wait, Xu Guang finally noticed a disturbance within the stronghold. A massive white Jade Elephant slowly plodded out of the gates. Despite the considerable distance, he could faintly feel the ground trembling.

Xu Guang’s expression turned solemn, his emotions incredibly complex. He felt a hint of excitement, but also a touch of resignation. Qian Cheng had not come alone. Following behind him was a figure who looked to be in his forties or fifties, not particularly handsome, but carrying the aura of an old pedant. Most importantly, Xu Guang couldn’t see through this person’s Realm.

Naturally, he had thoroughly investigated his sworn enemy. According to the rumors he had gathered, the Jade Elephant Canon Seat’s personal strength wasn’t actually that formidable; his Combat Power relied heavily on the Jade Elephant he rode. Xu Guang had made some preparations specifically to deal with the Jade Elephant, but he hadn’t expected Qian Cheng to bring an Expert in Refining Viscera Martial Arts along to split the spoils.

Suppressing the trepidation in his heart, Xu Guang deliberated for a moment before carefully monitoring the Jade Elephant Canon Seat’s direction. That was exactly where Skinny Monkey had claimed the Jade Elephant Canon Seat would receive the Cheng Family’s goods.

With a swift movement, his body darted forward like a giant bat in the night sky, weaving agilely past the massive trees. Because the Jade Elephant was so enormous and needed to eat constantly, it stopped frequently along the way. As a result, it arrived at the designated meeting place a bit slower than Xu Guang.

Xu Guang leaned against a large tree, the two wooden chests resting behind him. The Cheng Family’s previous shipment hadn’t been large in quantity, but it consisted entirely of extremely rare medicinal herbs, making its value astronomical.

THUD THUD THUD!

Heavy, muffled footsteps echoed from within the Lin Zi, parting the surrounding branches and revealing a colossal white Jade Elephant that shimmered with a soft glow in the night.

"May I ask if you are Lord Jade Elephant Canon Seat?"

Staring at the enemy who had abducted his third sister, Xu Qiu, depriving their family of a reunion for seven years and causing Xu Qiu to miss Father Xu’s final moments before his passing, Xu Guang maintained a placid expression. He cupped his fists together and asked in a clear, resonant voice.

Qian Cheng sat upright on the giant elephant, peering down at Xu Guang. Beneath his black hood, his brows were tightly knit. "Where is Qian Lang?"

Qian Lang was that incredibly arrogant boat captain.

Xu Guang offered a sycophantic smile. "My brother-in-law has a stomachache." As he spoke, his eyes darted around shiftily. Thanks to his eight years of grinding away in the city streets, he had witnessed how countless nobodies behaved when facing high-ranking individuals, allowing him to pull off the act flawlessly.

Qian Cheng tapped his fingers on the Jade Elephant’s back. "Your brother-in-law? What’s your name?"

"Skinny Monkey! This lowly one is named Skinny Monkey. If Lord Canon Seat finds it unpleasing, Skinny Monkey would like to ask you to bestow a name upon him."

Qian Cheng scoffed. "Skinny Monkey, you certainly look as cunning as a monkey, but you don’t look very skinny."

"It’s all thanks to the Canon Seat’s blessings. With my brother-in-law working for you, I get enough to eat these days, so I’ve bulked up a bit," Xu Guang said, lowering his eyes as his sycophantic smile deepened.

"Tell your brother-in-law to come here. I still have matters for him to attend to."

"My brother-in-law..." Xu Guang feigned a bashful tone. "My brother-in-law said that from now on, you are my adoptive father. If you have any tasks, just entrust them to me." As he spoke, his fists clenched inside his sleeves, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. The oppressive aura radiating from the Jade Elephant was simply too immense.

"Hmph, he certainly has a lot of nerve, daring to take in an adoptive son on my behalf!" Qian Cheng snorted coldly, though he didn’t suspect much. Evidently, Qian Lang had previously mentioned having Qian Cheng take Skinny Monkey as an adoptive son. "Alright, just hand over the items first."

Xu Guang rejoiced inwardly. The Art of War truly hadn’t deceived him! Feign softness to strike with hardness; feign weakness to exploit with strength! He wore an expression of wild joy and enthusiastically lifted one of the wooden chests. "Adoptive father, I’ll bring the items to you right away."

"You really know how to play along," Qian Cheng chided with a laugh.

Xu Guang walked forward slowly, taking it one step at a time. His expression gradually smoothed out into total calm, his mind focusing to the absolute limit. He only had one chance to strike. Whether he could kill Qian Cheng or not depended entirely on this single blow. If he missed, he would have to flee for his life immediately.

This was also a test of his cultivation. From the moment he set foot on the path of Martial Dao, Xu Guang understood that danger was unavoidable. Although he constantly tried to evade trouble and always kept hidden trump cards, there would always be times when enemies beyond his imagination appeared. Sooner or later, he would have to put his life on the line just like many others in the Martial World.

At this thought, a bizarre sense of excitement welled up within him. His first true life-and-death struggle was against a Refining Viscera Strange Man expert. His heart was completely still, and his blood ran cold.

Xu Guang finally reached a distance of twenty meters from the Jade Elephant. Looking up at Qian Cheng astride the beast, he put on a bitter expression. "Adoptive father, this Jade Elephant of yours is far too majestic. Your son doesn’t dare approach it."

Qian Cheng was an incredibly arrogant man. Perhaps because he had been a frequent target of bullying in his early years before awakening his Bloodline Power, he absolutely loved it when others praised his elephant after it reached maturity. Furthermore, he believed that the greatest reward he could offer such flatterers was allowing them to touch it.

"Hahaha! Do not fear, my son. The Jade Elephant is massive, but it’s very obedient. You are my son—come up and touch it."

Xu Guang feigned ecstasy but remained hesitant, refusing to step forward.

Sliding down the elephant’s trunk, Qian Cheng cursed inwardly, "What a pathetic coward." He then personally walked over to Xu Guang and squatted down, preparing to open the chest. Suddenly, Qian Cheng addressed the taciturn middle-aged man behind him. "Mr. Hu, come take a look and see which of these Elixir Pills can be used to refine Blood Replenishing Pills."

Xu Guang’s footsteps faltered, his expression turning ugly as countless thoughts raced through his mind. He hadn’t expected Qian Cheng to summon this man over.

The middle-aged Expert in Refining Viscera Martial Arts quickly walked over to Qian Cheng’s side and crouched down, seemingly inspecting the medicine in the chest. Since Qian Cheng didn’t understand these things, he shifted his gaze to Xu Guang, a teasing smirk on his face.

"My son, Skinny Monkey, come here. Let your father evaluate your aptitude. If you have potential, I will gift you some Treasures." Saying this, he walked off to the side by himself.

Xu Guang carefully shuffled his feet, trying to get just a little closer to Qian Cheng. "Adoptive father, would you like me to introduce some of these Treasure Medicines to you? A few of them are extremely rare."

Just as he was about to strike, the nearby Jade Elephant suddenly went berserk! It violently raised its right foot and stomped down viciously toward the middle-aged man!

"Qian Cheng, what is the meaning of this?!" The middle-aged man’s expression changed drastically. He hurled a cloud of white powder from his hand, and a strange, pungent fragrance spread through the woods.

"Hu Bainiu, I advise you to surrender without a fight. I only need you to perform Alchemy for me; you don’t have to do anything else. Follow me, and I’ll keep you well-fed and provided for!"

"In your dreams!"

Xu Guang stood off to the side, staring at the scene in dumbfounded shock. He cast a weird look at Qian Cheng. This old bastard was truly ruthless, tricking someone into coming out just to ambush him.

Qian Cheng looked incredibly smug. The Jade Elephant’s trunk swung wildly, smashing the surrounding trees into splinters. Hu Bainiu’s toxic powder, lingering in the air, actually had zero effect on the Jade Elephant.

Qian Cheng laughed raucously. "Hu Bainiu, just submit to me! You know I need massive quantities of Blood Replenishing Pills..."

Amidst his maniacal laughter, he completely failed to notice that Xu Guang had unknowingly closed the distance to within three meters of him.

"Adoptive father, do you still remember the little girl you abducted from Qingtou Village in Feiyun City eight years ago?"

Qian Cheng’s head snapped up just in time to see Xu Guang explode forward, a dagger gripped tightly in his hand as he lunged straight for him.

"You—!"

The dagger turned into a black blur in Xu Guang’s hand. With a single flash, it plunged completely into Qian Cheng’s chest. On pure instinct, Qian Cheng threw a desperate punch at Xu Guang’s chest.

Their eyes met in mid-air, both filled with astonishment. Qian Cheng felt as if he had struck a solid boulder, his knuckles tingling with numbness. Xu Guang, on the other hand, wore a bizarre expression. How could he be... so weak?

He had anticipated that Qian Cheng’s personal combat skills might be weak, but he never expected him to be this pathetic. The man was even inferior to Pang Hong, whom Xu Guang had beaten to death a few days earlier.

"ROARRR!"

The Jade Elephant unleashed an earth-shattering bellow. Abandoning Hu Bainiu, it charged madly at Xu Guang with an overwhelming aura of rage, its trunk whipping wildly like a descending pillar of heaven.

Xu Guang licked his lips. He hadn’t expected Qian Cheng to be so fragile. Ignoring Qian Cheng’s feeble resistance, his dagger danced frantically. In the blink of an eye, he carved dozens of massive, gruesome wounds into Qian Cheng’s body.

Screaming in agony, Qian Cheng rolled across the ground toward the Jade Elephant. "Kill him! Kill him for me!"

Xu Guang took a step forward and stomped ruthlessly on Qian Cheng’s neck. "In your next life, don’t be a human trafficker!"

CRACK!

The Jade Elephant’s frenzied charge arrived exactly at that moment. Grabbing Qian Cheng’s corpse with one hand, Xu Guang bolted frantically into the Lin Zi. He moved incredibly fast, weaving desperately around the towering trees, while the Jade Elephant rampaged like a maddened beast, smashing through everything in its path.

In mere moments, countless massive trees in the perfectly good Lin Zi were toppled over.

A look of horror crossed Xu Guang’s face. The Jade Elephant’s speed was actually a fraction faster than his own. The giant trees could only slow the beast down for a split second before being snapped like twigs by its colossal frame.

He had miscalculated—the Jade Elephant’s speed was unbelievably fast! Xu Guang had always assumed that due to the Jade Elephant’s massive size and the dense forest terrain, it would never be able to catch up to him. He hadn’t anticipated that once it built momentum, its charge would be this ferocious.

In the distance, Hu Bainiu’s eyes widened as he witnessed the spectacle. How could this night be so thrilling? He had been deceived, and Qian Cheng had been deceived as well. But the best part of it all was that he was still alive!

At this thought, Hu Bainiu cast a wary glance in the direction Xu Guang was fleeing and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Thank you for your assistance, Old Sir! I, Liu Tiezhu, will never forget this until my dying day!"