"Wang Hu."
Vei Shaolong looked at the middle-aged man in the lead and sighed softly.
In the original owner's memories, this man was one of his father's valued subordinates, a ranked expert with some status in the Vei family.
The others were all Vei family servants who hadn't reached a cultivation rank.
"Young Master, please come with me!"
"Don't make this difficult for me!"
Wang Hu looked at Vei Shaolong, his eyes showing no respect.
"Boss Wang, why waste words with him?"
"That's right, the family head said bringing back his corpse is just as good!"
The other Vei family servants looked at Vei Shaolong, their eyes full of greed.
The family head had promised that whoever brought back Vei Shaolong's corpse would receive a hundred taels of silver.
A hundred taels of silver—even if Wang Hu took the lion's share, each of them could still get a few taels. Their monthly salary at the Vei family wasn't even one tael.
"Young Master, don't bother showing off your meager skills!"
"You know my strength well."
Wang Hu now noticed Vei Shaolong holding a blade but didn't take it seriously.
He knew Vei Shaolong's martial arts level—although he had studied for several years, he practiced irregularly and was still far from reaching a rank.
The other servants, wielding wooden clubs, approached Vei Shaolong with vicious grins.
"Swoosh!"
The Hundred-Forged Blade was unsheathed.
The heads of the two closest Vei family servants flew into the air, blood spraying everywhere, splattering those around them.
A text notification that only Vei Shaolong could see appeared.
[Experience +10!]
[Experience +10!]
...
Everyone was stunned!
That slash was too fierce and too fast!
So fast they couldn't even react.
Thud!
The Hundred-Forged Blade sliced through two more necks, and two more servants fell to the ground.
[Experience +10!]
[Experience +10!]
"So this is what killing feels like?"
Vei Shaolong's eyes showed excitement. He felt no discomfort, only exhilaration.
"Fine clothes, spirited horses, living freely in the martial world!"
"Isn't this exactly what I wanted?"
Vei Shaolong's hand didn't stop. The Fierce Wind Blade Technique unfurled in his hands, each strike drawing blood.
Now, after just two or three breaths, six men had already fallen.
Several other servants were also wounded.
"Ha!"
Wang Hu saw his opportunity and let out a shout. His long blade came down like a mountain-splitting force toward Vei Shaolong's back.
However, Vei Shaolong seemed to have eyes in the back of his head.
"Clang!"
The Hundred-Forged Blade blocked Wang Hu's slash.
Then.
A flash of blade light.
Thud!
Wang Hu's right hand, which held the blade, was completely severed, falling to the ground with the weapon.
This...
The remaining men were stunned!
This slash was too fast.
Wang Hu was a ranked martial artist, but now he couldn't even withstand one strike from Vei Shaolong?
"Run!"
Someone shouted.
The five remaining Vei family servants almost simultaneously rushed toward the temple gate.
Vei Shaolong kicked Wang Hu's long blade.
"Whoosh!"
Thud!
The blade pierced through three men, pinning them to the temple courtyard wall.
[Experience +10!]
[Experience +10!]
[...]
The remaining two men were so frightened they stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
"Young Master, spare us!"
"We were just following orders. Please pretend we don't exist and let us go!"
The two servants repeatedly kowtowed, begging for mercy.
Wang Hu, clutching his bleeding right arm, looked at Vei Shaolong with terror:
"You've been pretending all along. A nine-rank peak at seventeen, and you've cultivated your blade technique to such a level..."
His heart grew cold, and he couldn't understand.
With such talent, one could already enter a major sect to cultivate—what was there to hide?
"Give me a quick death!"
Thud!
The long blade slashed through.
Wang Hu's body fell to the ground.
[Experience +100, Seventh Rank Iron Cloth Technique +1]
Hmm?
A martial art dropped?
That's a good drop rate!
And a ninth-rank martial artist gives 100 experience points?
"Young Master..."
The two servants still wanted to beg for mercy.
Vei Shaolong lightly leapt, landing beside them.
"In your next life, be better people!"
The Hundred-Forged Blade slashed, and two heads flew into the air.
[Experience +10!]
[Experience +10!]
Vei Shaolong didn't dare linger at the temple. After searching the bodies and finding a dozen or so taels of silver and some dried food, he hurriedly left.
...
Soon after, another group appeared at the mountain temple.
"This is..."
"Except for Wang Hu, almost all were killed with a single strike."
"Skilled blade technique. Could Vei Shaolong have been rescued by someone?"
Vei family steward Chen Zhong examined the temple briefly and spoke softly.
In the temple, the other Vei family servants remained silent, not daring to make a sound.
Only Lin Hai, the outer disciple of the Cangyuan Sword Sect, stepped forward, searched the bodies, and coldly said:
"All traces have been deliberately destroyed here. It's impossible to tell how many people fought."
"However, these servants of your Vei family died less than an incense stick's time ago. They couldn't have gone far. Bring all the hunting dogs over and pursue them!"
"Vei Shaolong is someone the young master personally ordered killed. If he escapes, you know the consequences!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Chen Zhong repeatedly nodded. Though he was at the peak of the ninth rank, Lin Hai was not someone he could afford to offend.
"I'll immediately have the Vei family men pursue in this direction."
...
Deep in Mount Luoxia.
"Whew!"
Vei Shaolong let out a long breath, consuming the dried food he'd found on the bodies with sweet stream water from the mountain brook.
He had been fleeing through the mountains for over an hour. Even though he was now a ninth-rank martial artist, he was starting to struggle.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
Just then.
Several dog barks came from nearby.
Then two fierce dogs lunged directly at him.
Thud!
One slash.
The two dog heads flew into the air.
'Regular hunters don't enter Mount Luoxia at dusk. The pursuers must have arrived!'
Vei Shaolong's heart tightened.
Not bothering to cover his tracks, he hurriedly continued deeper into the mountains.
Mount Luoxia was vast. If he could escape for the first few days, he'd be free as a fish in the ocean. An outer disciple of the Cangyuan Sword Sect didn't have the power to mobilize nearby families to seal off the entire Mount Luoxia.
Besides, with his system, in a year or so, the Vei family shouldn't pose much of a threat anymore!
As for the Cangyuan Sword Sect, when his strength was sufficient, that grudge would still need to be settled.
Soon after.
The grass by the stream was parted.
A group of people appeared by the stream.
It was Lin Hai leading six or seven Vei family servants and two dogs.
"Young Master Lin, the dogs' bodies are still warm. They haven't gone far."
A servant touched the headless hunting dogs and quickly reported.
"Pursue!" Lin Hai coldly uttered a single word.
...
Under the bright moon and sparse stars.
"Whew!"
Vei Shaolong leaned against a large tree, letting out a long breath.
"Do I need to claim the Iron Cloth Technique myself?"
"Claim!"
Boom!
Countless experiences of practicing the Iron Cloth Technique flooded his mind. A heat surged through his flesh, roughly racing across his skin, tempering his physical body.
"Ha!"
Vei Shaolong exerted the Iron Cloth Technique with all his might.
His originally fair skin turned bluish-black, like cowhide.
"At five percent proficiency, the Iron Cloth Technique can barely block swords and blades, but it's better than nothing!"
"Plus, I now have experience points!"
At this moment, the panel before Vei Shaolong had become:
[Host: Vei Shaolong]
[Cultivation: Peak Ninth Rank]
[Martial Arts: Muscle Tendon Changing Classic (5/100), Iron Cloth Technique (5/100), Fierce Wind Blade Technique (30/100), Jade Wave Palm (10/100), Black Tiger Fist (20/100)]
[Experience: 210]
Vei Shaolong looked at the flickering lights at the foot of the mountain.
These people were like leeches. He had rushed dozens of miles through the mountains, yet still couldn't shake them off.
Now facing encirclement, with weapons coming from all directions, adding the Iron Cloth Technique might save his life at a critical moment.
With this thought,
"Consume all experience points to improve the Iron Cloth Technique!"