Thud!
The slain Lengmian Daogui collapsed to the floor with a loud noise.
"What in the world..."
Gao Jiying looked back and forth with a dumbfounded expression between Lengmian Daogui's corpse and Tian Hui, who wore an expression as if it was nothing special.
'Why is Lengmian Daogui...'
His mind became exceedingly complicated.
Just moments ago, Lengmian Daogui had charged in, swinging a blade imbued with intense Yin Qi—a sensation obvious even to someone as ignorant of martial arts as himself.
In contrast, Tian Hui had merely raised his sword fingers, lacking any imposing aura whatsoever.
The outcome had seemed obvious.
Yet, what was this?
Suddenly, a crimson red light shone from his sword fingers, and the exact opposite result occurred.
Tian Hui stood still with his sword fingers raised, while Lengmian Daogui, who had been fiercely swinging his blade emitting cold Yin Qi, fell as a corpse colder than the Yin Qi itself.
'Judging purely by their auras, Lengmian Daogui seemed poised to cleave him in half...'
Gulp—
Perhaps because his throat went dry from the unexpected situation, Gao Jiying's Adam's apple bobbed.
But that was only for a moment.
'Even if I, who has lived my entire life as a merchant, were to ponder it, I wouldn't be able to understand...'
He quickly cut off his thoughts.
For someone who didn't even know the first thing about martial arts, it was something he could never understand.
Delving into it would only give him a headache.
There was only one thing he needed to do right now.
It was to first convey his gratitude to his benefactor, the Daoist of the Huashan Sect who had saved him, his wife, and the Bifeng Merchant Group.
"Thank you for your benevolent aid."
He immediately offered a cupped-hand salute and bowed to the young Daoist before him.
"Th... thank you for your help."
Her face was pale as she barely managed to gather her violently trembling hands.
It was understandable; what she had seen in the span of less than a quarter of an hour was a continuous series of horrific scenes.
Starting with the sudden ambush, the deaths of the escorts trying to protect her, the roaring flames and screams rising within the merchant group.
Was that all?
The acrid smoke stinging her nostrils even now was enough to throw her mind into chaos.
An ordinary woman would still be reeling from the shock and unable to come to her senses, but she held onto her reason with all her might.
Because she was the Lady of the Bifeng Merchant Group.
Tian Hui, who received their sincere words of gratitude, felt no particular emotion.
No, he wasn't even paying attention.
He was looking at Lengmian Daogui, who had fallen spread-eagled on the floor, rather than the two of them.
His body had heated up from the killing intent he felt after a long time, so he had deliberately waited for his opponent to unleash his ultimate true technique, yet...
'Why is he so weak?'
His heated body instantly cooled down.
His disappointment in Lengmian Daogui, who died instantly before he could even properly execute his martial arts, was immense.
He snapped his gaze away.
The two people looking up at him were still trembling, perhaps out of fear.
"I've cleaned everything up."
Replying flatly, he confirmed their state and turned around.
'Since I've saved the two of them for now, I'm done here.'
Just as he, having finished protecting the Lady of the Bifeng Merchant Group—which was the top priority among his missions—was about to leave through the shattered door.
"Wh-where are you going?"
Gao Jiying asked urgently.
Perhaps because they had been cornered just a moment ago, he couldn't hide his anxiety when Tian Hui tried to leave.
Tian Hui turned his head to look at him.
And instantly grasping his feelings, he spoke with an annoyed expression.
"If you're anxious, follow me."
Saying that, he stepped out the door.
"Let's go."
"Madam."
Gao Jiying and Lian Shulan exchanged glances, then followed him with stiff faces.
Gasp!
Heavens!
Gao Jiying and Lian Shulan, who followed him out, recoiled in horror and covered their mouths with their hands.
The hallway was completely filled with corpses.
"When did all these corpses...!"
Gao Jiying's eyes shook.
Seeing that most of them were not wearing the uniforms of the Bifeng Merchant Group, they were the intruders from this attack.
The implication was one thing.
The one who created this carnage was none other than the Daoist walking ahead.
Furthermore, he had accomplished this slaughter so stealthily that even Lengmian Daogui inside hadn't noticed.
"As expected of the Huashan Sect..."
Gao Jiying's eyes sparkled as he stared at Tian Hui's back as he walked ahead.
Thud— thud—
Truthfully, the sight of a Daoist walking among corpses was incredibly bizarre.
Moreover, his methods were brutal for a Daoist, but what did that matter now?
He was an ally, not an enemy.
'He is like a mighty army of ten thousand.'
A flush of joy spread across Gao Jiying's face.
At that moment, Tian Hui, who had been walking ahead, frowned as soon as he stepped outside.
'What? It's still not over?'
What greeted him as soon as he left the inner quarters was a battlefield where acrid smoke stung his nose.
* * *
"Ugh!"
Chi Jian gritted his teeth at the endlessly increasing number of enemies, no matter how many he struck down.
They were at a numerical disadvantage.
There were only five Plum Blossom Swordsmen, but the unidentified martial artists easily numbered well over fifty.
"This is no time for this!"
Chi Jian shouted loudly.
Right now, he was extremely anxious.
'I need to hurry inside!'
From the moment he saw the tragedy at the Bifeng Merchant Group, he had already lost his cool. On top of that, the life or death of his parents who would be inside the inner quarters threw him into turmoil.
"Get out of my way!"
As he shouted and swung his sword—
Swish!
A sharp sound of splitting air headed towards him.
"...!"
Startled, Chi Jian whipped his head around.
The sword of the martial artist launching a surprise attack was shooting towards his temple.
He hastily changed the direction of his swinging sword.
Clang!
He barely deflected the blade with his own sword's edge, but the impact caused his sword to shake.
"Senior Brother!"
At that moment, Xue Lan shouted.
She, who had urgently created distance from the martial artist in front of her, shouted once more.
"Snap out of it! What do you think Martial Uncle will do if he sees you like this right now?"
At the stinging advice, Chi Jian flinched.
Tian Hui was the person he respected the most, but also the one he feared the most.
Normally, he found everything bothersome and handled things carelessly, but when it came to martial arts, he was more thorough and coldly critical than anything else.
If he were to see this state...
Shudder—
Chi Jian shuddered.
"...Thank you, Senior Sister."
Having calmed down, he assessed the surrounding situation while lightly gripping his sword.
His sword moved.
Whoosh!
A rich plum blossom scent wafted in all directions.
It was the Plum Blossom Sword Art, which he had trained every single day for a year, being unleashed.
Slash!
He sliced off the arm of the martial artist who had ambushed him.
"Aaaargh!"
The martial artist looked at his severed elbow and writhed in agony on the floor.
Chi Jian's eyes as he watched him were indifferent.
If he were a martial artist cutting down an opponent for the first time, his reason would have been shaken by the victim's screams and the unfamiliar sensation in his hand, but he was calm.
'...The training wasn't in vain.'
Perhaps it was thanks to the experience he had built up through real combat in the form of hunting.
The him from five years ago, who was tense under the pressure of a sparring match, was no more.
All that remained was Chi Jian of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
Swish!
Chi Jian continued to execute the Plum Blossom Sword Art.
The sword wafting the scent of plum blossoms struck down opponents without hesitation, and Xue Lan similarly slashed down her foes.
"That's somewhat better."
Tian Hui, who was watching, muttered.
Normally, it wouldn't have been a sight that met his standards, but there was a sight that made him frown even more.
"Compared to those guys, that is."
Tian Hui looked at the remaining Plum Blossom Swordsmen, excluding the two, with a pathetic gaze.
"Hah, hah."
"Is everyone alright?"
"I'm going to die."
Chi Zai, Chi Yun, and Chi Bi, who were facing the joint attacks of the Bawang Men disciples, were struggling.
'Tsk, do they lack real combat experience too?'
Their martial prowess and skill were clearly far superior to the Bawang Men disciples in front of them.
But what did that matter?
They were being beaten like dogs over there.
'Compared to those three, Chi Jian and Xue Lan are fairies.'
Just as Tian Hui clicked his tongue with a 'Tsk'—
"Fair and square, one-on-one..."
Chi Yun glared and opened his mouth.
"Puhahaha!"
But before Chi Yun could even finish speaking, the Bawang Men disciples burst into laughter.
"Idiots. Fair and square in the martial world? What fair and square?"
"What was Huashan thinking, sending out fools who don't even know how the world works?"
Watching Chi Yun and Chi Zai get angry and charge in after hearing the mockery, Tian Hui revealed a disdainful expression.
"To think they're struggling against guys like that. Sigh."
Tian Hui let out a deep sigh.
"What a waste of the martial arts they've learned."
As he summed up his evaluation of them in a single sentence, he felt killing intent from beside him.
"Die!"
Swish!
A Bawang Men disciple who suddenly appeared thrust his sword toward Tian Hui's side.
In a fleeting moment, the tip of the sword drew close.
Boom!
An explosive sound erupted, and a pillar shattered.
Rumble—
Piercing through the pillar in an instant, the man rolled among the Bawang Men disciples with a惨 miserable appearance, unrecognizable.
Then, just as silence was about to fall between the fighting Plum Blossom Swordsmen and Bawang Men disciples—
"Martial Uncle?"
"When did you arrive?"
Chi Jian and Xue Lan smiled brightly.
In a situation where they were already being pushed back, Tian Hui's appearance was nothing short of a ray of light.
"There was another one?"
In contrast, the Bawang Men disciples took on sharp gazes and tightened their grips on their swords.
"You bastard!"
"How dare you harm a disciple of our sect!"
"Everyone, kill that guy!"
Seeing them rush at him from all directions simultaneously, Tian Hui let out a cold laugh.
A frigid, spine-chilling laugh.
"You must be dying to die."
Thwack! Thwack!
Along with dull thuds, the five martial artists who charged forward fell, spurting blood.
Grab!
Tian Hui spun around and grabbed the neck of the Bawang Men disciple who was ambushing him from behind.
"S-spare..."
Looking at the man struggling and begging for his life, Tian Hui snapped his neck with an indifferent expression.
Crack—
The unpleasant sound spread, and the faces of the Bawang Men disciples turned pale white.
The situation where six Bawang Men disciples had met their demise in the short time it took to blink was enough to plant the seed of fear in them.
But they didn't know.
That it was only the beginning.
Swish—
In an instant, his figure blurred, and then he abruptly appeared among the Bawang Men disciples.
Gasp!
"...!"
They quickly swung their weapons toward Tian Hui, who had suddenly appeared.
Wham!
But their weapons sliced through the air in vain.
Then, a loud sound like a bursting drum rang out, and their uniforms puffed out greatly.
Cough!
Gurgle—
They violently vomited blood, fell to their knees, and slowly collapsed.
Shudder—
"I-Neijia Zhongshou Fa (Internal Heavy Hand Technique)?"
The person who recognized the martial art Tian Hui had just executed wore a face of sheer dismay.
The Internal Heavy Hand Technique was no easy realm to achieve.
It was a level that required one to be at least the Sect Leader of a first-rate sect to execute.
Yet, such a young Daoist was executing it with absolute proficiency.
Drip—
Just as sweat dripped from the foreheads of the Bawang Men disciples watching Tian Hui draw closer—
"What are you doing? Aren't you coming? If you don't, I will."
Along with his words, Tian Hui kicked off the ground.
As he shot forward like an arrow—
"You bastard!"
A man with a massive build appeared and blocked Tian Hui's path.
"Unit Leader!"
"The Unit Leader is here!"
The expressions of the Bawang Men disciples brightened.
The man wearing a black robe was the Unit Leader of the Bajing Tuan, who had ambushed the Bifeng Merchant Group, and one of the top three experts of Bawang Men, Taishan Yiquan.
"You bastard. I will not let you continue your brutal—"
The moment he shouted with a stern expression as he stood in the way, Tian Hui moved his fist.
Thump!
Cough!
His massive body floated into the air and flew back, eventually crashing into a wall.
Crash!
"...!"
While the Bawang Men disciples stood with their jaws dropped in shock, Tian Hui, the very person who had sent him flying, tilted his head and opened his mouth.
"What's with that guy?"