The rain poured heavily, as if the Milky Way had overturned, with waterfalls descending from the sky. The surrounding area was isolated by the torrential downpour, creating a contrast between the tranquil silence and the noisy rain, inducing a drowsy and dark atmosphere where visibility was extremely low.
In such a rainy night, long white-feathered arrows pierced through the heavy rain curtain, seemingly emerging from the underworld. Their cold light was chilling, piercing straight into one’s heart.
Xiaozi, midair, seemed to be riding clouds and mist, without any support. Facing the soul-hunting ghost-like arrows, she could only widen her eyes in terror, utterly helpless.
Suddenly, just as she was in despair, she felt a sudden weight pulling her body downward, narrowly avoiding the arrow.
She turned back in shock. Through the thick rain and darkness, she vaguely saw a face that appeared solemn and dignified.
Meng Qi, thrown off balance, clenched his teeth. With his left hand, he pushed Xiaozi away, and with his right, drew his precept blade, blocking an incoming arrow.
With a clang, the arrow aimed at Meng Qi’s throat was deflected by the precept saber, but another arrow came swiftly. Meng Qi had no choice but to lower his shoulder and contract his abdomen to avoid a fatal strike.
Thud! The arrow struck Meng Qi’s right shoulder, piercing through layers of thick cloth with great force.
Fortunately, in the rain-soaked night, just as Meng Qi and others struggled to see, the ambushers also failed to notice the hidden tripwires on the road. Most of their arrows missed their marks. Otherwise, even with his Iron Shirt skill, Meng Qi wouldn’t have been able to avoid all the vital points.
Plop! Meng Qi fell to the ground. Rolling quickly to avoid the subsequent hail of arrows, he extended his left hand and pulled the arrow from his right shoulder.
Blood spurted out, but fortunately, his Iron Shirt technique had reached a certain level of mastery, so the wound was not deep and did not hinder his ability to wield his blade.
At this moment, figures emerged from the dark rain, some wielding long knives, others thick swords, surrounding Meng Qi, Qi Zhengyan, and others.
The ambushers also realized the harsh conditions made it difficult to effectively target their enemies with long-range attacks.
Meng Qi leaped up like a carp flipping upright, swinging his blade at the enemies. Countless figures surrounded him, making it impossible to tell how many foes there were. He felt attacks could strike from the rain at any moment.
In the darkness, every corner seemed to hide an enemy!
Amidst the chaos, Meng Qi gritted his teeth and advanced swiftly, choosing to attack first rather than attempt to flee.
At this moment, a single thought rang clear in his mind: if he couldn’t see the enemy, neither could they!
Only by rushing into their midst, creating more confusion, and leveraging the “Eight Steps of Divine Movement” and “Iron Shirt” could he survive!
If he fled, with the effect of the “Eight Steps of Divine Movement,” escaping the current encirclement wouldn’t be difficult. However, Meng Qi feared there might be hidden experts waiting in the shadows. If he left the chaos, they could pinpoint him. Then, with tigers ahead and wolves behind, his life would be in grave danger.
In a few quick strides, Meng Qi plunged into the enemy formation. He darted about, flickering in and out unpredictably. With every flash of his blade, blood spurted, and foes collapsed.
In the chaos, Meng Qi couldn’t completely evade attacks using the “Eight Steps of Divine Movement,” but he knew how to avoid vital points and endure the strikes with his Iron Shirt. After half an incense stick’s time, although his body bore many cuts and wounds, none were severe enough to impair his combat ability.
The surrounding enemies grew increasingly alarmed. In the darkness, Meng Qi seemed like a ghost. Every time he appeared, a companion would fall, either dead or gravely injured. Their attacks mostly hit their own comrades, forcing them to hold back. When they finally managed to wound him, their blades felt resistance, unable to penetrate deeply.
This was simply monstrous!
They all knew of martial arts that involved hardening the body, but under these conditions, combined with the “Eight Steps of Divine Movement,” Iron Shirt gave them an uncanny, almost inhuman impression!
Nevertheless, Meng Qi himself was also struggling. The seemingly endless stream of enemies and the constant threat of attacks from all directions placed immense pressure on him. One moment’s carelessness could result in a fatal strike.
Rain poured, blood splattered, and the metallic scent filled the air. Meng Qi fought off enemies from all directions, barely holding on. Around him, one corpse after another fell, yet more figures seemed to close in.
Xiaozi lay in the mud, straining her waist and abdomen, trying to stand, but her body was too weak. She could only watch helplessly as the ambushers approached.
“Xiao Sang, Xiao Sang…” she whispered fearfully, her voice filled with despair.
In her panic, she suddenly froze as the approaching enemies didn’t come near her but instead joined the fierce battle ahead.
Amidst the pouring rain and flickering lightning, Xiaozi faintly glimpsed a figure darting swiftly, weaving across the battlefield with flashes of blades, drawing nearby enemies into the chaotic skirmish.
This figure was small but now seemed tall and reliable.
Despite being wounded repeatedly, he remained silent, contrasting sharply with the surrounding cries of pain.
Xiaozi stopped mumbling, and the fear on her face gradually subsided.
Amidst the fierce battle, Meng Qi lost track of time. Just as he felt he couldn’t hold on much longer, the enemy suddenly cried out in alarm and turned to flee.
Though they were brave warriors, they knew their opponent was few in number. However, facing nearly a 50% casualty rate, they couldn’t suppress their inner fear and finally broke down.
After all, they were not truly fearless of death!
Once the first one fled, others followed. Soon, the pressure on Meng Qi decreased significantly, allowing him to handle the situation with ease. One enemy after another fell or fled.
Just as he was about to search for Qi Zhengyan, a tall figure suddenly dashed out from the woods by the roadside, swift as a galloping horse, brandishing a long saber.
“A master with fully developed Qi cultivation!” Meng Qi realized that with fewer enemies around him, the hidden master had locked onto his position. However, he was not afraid. This was not the time to flee in panic, nor did he have the luxury of observation, only to endure attacks passively.
Since he had already detected the opponent in advance, Meng Qi’s mind flashed back to Zhang Yuanshan’s advice: when facing an enemy with fully developed Qi cultivation, one must attack swiftly, trading minor injuries for major ones.
As this thought crossed his mind, after a brief hesitation, Meng Qi mustered his courage, evaded an enemy, and charged toward his opponent with his saber.
The two drew closer. Meng Qi vaguely saw a stern, tall man.
As the precept blade swung and was about to clash with the long saber, Meng Qi activated the Eight Steps of Divine Movement. With a swift sidestep and pivot, he ghostly appeared behind the master, delivering a downward slash aimed at the back of his head.
The master was not flustered. With nimble movements, he sidestepped and slashed his long blade backward toward Meng Qi’s chest and abdomen, attempting to force him to abandon the attack.
This was a prudent and experienced move.
Meng Qi clenched his teeth and charged ahead, confronting the long saber without evading.
The long blade carved a deep wound across Meng Qi’s chest and abdomen, blood spurting out, creating a crimson haze before the master’s eyes.
Bad! As the long blade truly struck flesh, the master had a premonition of something wrong. He wanted to roll aside to avoid further attacks, but the counterforce from the blade slowed him down slightly.
A flash of blade light, and the master’s expression of shock froze on his face as his head flew off, watching his own headless body slowly collapse.
Meng Qi had no time to check the results. He used his back to endure a residual enemy’s blade strike, feeling intense pain in his chest and abdomen, his legs weakening, and his head spinning.
“This isn’t just a minor injury…” Meng Qi thought bitterly. The opponent’s strength was indeed formidable. That single saber strike nearly split his chest and abdomen open, leaving him severely wounded.
However, he felt no regret. If he had allowed the opponent to discern his true capabilities and adopt targeted tactics, his life would have been in grave danger.
This battle also taught Meng Qi a lesson: martial skill level was a key factor in determining the final outcome, but not the only one. Like his opponent, who was much stronger than himself, it was his corpse lying on the ground, not Meng Qi’s.
The remaining few enemies were all fearless warriors. Upon seeing their leader fall, instead of fleeing, they approached, hoping to take Meng Qi’s life while he was injured and weakened.
Throughout the battle, Meng Qi had expended a great deal of energy. At this moment, he indeed felt his limbs weakening, yet he remained calm. After killing a master with fully developed Qi cultivation, he had an inexplicable confidence in facing the remaining few enemies.
At this moment, swordlight appeared, ethereal and elusive, like mist and smoke.
Several cold stars suddenly emerged from the fog, and the enemies before Meng Qi fell one by one.
“Are you alright?” Qi Zhengyan appeared, drenched in blood, whether it was his or someone else’s was unclear.
Meng Qi shook his head, tearing a piece of his monk’s robe to simply bandage the wound on his chest and abdomen: “Nothing serious, but I’ve lost a lot of blood and am exhausted. How about you?”
“More or less the same. I encountered a sword master with fully developed Qi cultivation earlier and took a hit.” Qi Zhengyan still maintained his usual stoic expression, though his face was paler than usual. Although his skills were superior to Meng Qi’s, in such chaotic circumstances, he was not as well-suited as Meng Qi and had sustained quite a few injuries. If it weren’t for his mastery of the unpredictable and fluid “Cloud and Mist Thirteen Forms,” his survival would have been in doubt.
“We need to head into the mountains quickly. Many enemies escaped, and there might be reinforcements coming,” Meng Qi looked around and sighed, “Also, let’s look for them and bury their bodies here.”
He felt that under these circumstances, Xiang Hui and Xiaozi would find it hard to survive.
“Master, are you alright?” Before the words had fully left his mouth, Xiaozi staggered to her feet, walked over, and examined Meng Qi’s wounds.
Meng Qi was momentarily stunned: “Miss Xiaozi, are you alright?”
Xiaozi smiled slightly, revealing a hint of charm, seemingly prettier than usual: “They all came to attack you, masters. I was lying on the ground, and no one paid any attention to me.”
At this moment, Xiang Hui also approached unsteadily, holding his face: “Holy monk, Sir Qi, are you both unharmed?”
“You’re also alright?” Meng Qi was even more surprised.
Xiang Hui let go of his hand, revealing a deep wound running from his left forehead down to his right cheek, looking particularly gruesome: “I took a knife wound and fell unconscious. They didn’t even bother with me, perhaps thinking I was dead. But I was also fortunate that you holy monks drew the enemies’ attention.”
Meng Qi smirked slightly, muttering under his breath: “If I had known that, I would have pretended to be dead too.”
However, he was well aware that without himself and Qi Zhengyan drawing the enemies’ attention, pretending to be dead would have been ineffective.
Xiaozi searched the corpses for relatively clean cloth strips, tearing them all off and holding them in her arms, wanting to bandage Meng Qi.
Xiang Hui, on the other hand, angrily rummaged through the bodies in search of valuables, but since the attackers had come out to kill, they naturally didn’t carry any manuals or valuables, only finding some hidden weapons.
…
Half a day later, just as dawn was breaking, Meng Qi slowly woke up.
The four of them had traveled through the night and had already crossed the mountain ridge. After descending the mountain, they would reach the Shaolin Sect’s gate.
However, both Meng Qi and Qi Zhengyan had sustained serious injuries before. By midnight, they could barely endure anymore, so they sought out a cave for a brief rest and recovery, waiting for daylight.
After a short meditation and rest, Meng Qi’s wounds had already closed, and he had regained much of his energy. He got up and moved his arms and legs, finding Qi Zhengyan guarding outside the cave, Xiang Hui holding his face and groaning softly, and Xiaozi curled up in a ball, still asleep.
“Xiao Sang, don’t come over… Xiao Sang, don’t get close to me…” Xiaozi mumbled in her sleep, suddenly sitting up, already awakened.
“Master…” she looked at Meng Qi in a daze, seemingly confused after waking up.
Meng Qi smiled: “We need to prepare to go down the mountain. Shaolin is right at the foot of the neighboring mountain.”
Xiaozi’s dazed expression disappeared, and she nodded gently, then uneasily said: “Master, did I say anything in my sleep?”
“You were calling for Xiao Sang?” Meng Qi deliberately pointed it out.
Xiaozi let out an “Ah” sound, her face changing expressions repeatedly, then whispered: “Master, in the future, you must be very careful around a girl named Gu Xiao Sang. She is the worst, most evil person in the entire world.”
“Why is that?” Meng Qi’s smile didn’t change, but inwardly, he felt this ordinary girl who seemed unable to even tie a chicken might have some secrets. But who doesn’t have secrets? He also wondered whether she could survive until the end of this mission.
“Um… she’s just really, really bad! She kills people without blinking!” Xiaozi emphasized desperately.
At this moment, Qi Zhengyan walked in, his body already covered in dried blood: “Let’s set out. We should enter Shaolin before noon.”
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