Chapter 7

Everyone saw four blue-clad servants in short fighting attire, each holding a water-and-fire staff, surrounding a short young man in a grey robe.

This man had a pair of triangular eyes, his appearance not pleasing, yet he held his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering in the breeze, giving him a certain bearing; when his gaze fell on Feng Yi, he clearly showed provocative intent.

Feng Yi remembered this person—he was exactly the son of Xia San Dao, Xia Wan Chong.

As for the four behind him, they were also influential henchmen of the Ling manor, usually following Xia San Dao in his work; this time they had clearly come to help Xia Wan Chong.

Seeing them blocking the road with false smiles, the constables naturally stopped, yet no one spoke up to greet them.

Seeing no one pay him any heed, Xia Wan Chong strode over with his hands behind his back, exuding a wild, unrestrained aura; a few henchmen followed, and the constables had to make way.

They weren't afraid of Xia Wan Chong; they just couldn't afford to provoke Xia San Dao!

Xia Wan Chong walked up to Feng Yi, poked his chest with his left hand, and said, "Surname Feng, didn't expect to run into me here?"

Feng Yi waved his hand, brushed away Xia Wan Chong's hand, and said displeasedly, "If you've got gas, just let it out; don't go poking around."

Xia Wan Chong was pushed back a step, showing his martial arts were mediocre; he said gloomily, "I understand—when a person is down on luck, the last thing they want is to run into an acquaintance."

This Xia Wan Chong is the only son of Xia San Dao; father and son, relying on Ling Tui Si's prestige, have always acted high-handed— even Wan Zhen Shan, the famed Five Cloud Hands master of Jingzhou City, and his nine major disciples dare not easily provoke the Xia father and son.

Yet Xia Wan Chong had been beaten by the original owner a month ago in the pleasure quarters, losing face in front of his lover, which truly made him furious.

He spent three days nursing his wounds, but for a whole month he was too embarrassed to return to the brothel, fearing ridicule, constantly thinking how to regain his standing.

Yet the original owner was also a top figure in the Longsha Gang, leading dozens of brothers; his backing was also Ling Tui Si, so taking revenge would be no easy task.

However, his father had said that today is an opportunity! Because tonight is very likely Feng Yi's death day.

So Xia Wan Chong specially waited here, wanting to personally finish Feng Yi, to avenge his past beating! Feng Yi's eyes held a chill, calm and unruffled as he said, "What you say makes some sense, but don't force me to deal with you here!"

His voice was low but full of strength.

Feng Yi originally had no mind to deal with the grudge between the original owner and Xia Wan Chong; after all, fighting over a courtesan was too undignified! But this person actually dared to target him; if he backed down, it would be somewhat loss of face.

Upon hearing this, Xia Wan Chong's face darkened instantly; he looked Feng Yi up and down, then smirked, "Feng Yi, you're wearing shackles yet act so arrogant—what gives you the right? Believe it or not, we'll kill you!"

Feng Yi gave a heh-heh laugh, then lazily said, "Do you have the guts?"

Xia Wan Chong's facial muscles seemed to twitch slightly, but he always believed that when beating a dog you look to its owner; now that his father wasn't present and had given no order, he really didn't dare to strike?

After all, he still knew what methods Ling Tui Si possessed.

Seeing Xia Wan Chong's cowardly demeanor, Feng Yi shook his head and said to the constable nearby, "Let's go—do we really have to stand here watching this coward erect a wooden post?"

Xia Wan Chong was now truly angry, sneering, "Heh, want to leave? Not that easy!"

As Xia Wan Chong's words fell, the four blue-clad henchmen behind him shouted, each raising their water-and-fire staff, forming a semicircle in front of Feng Yi.

"Young Master Xia, don't make things difficult for us!"

One constable stared directly at Xia Wan Chong, his fear lessened a bit.

If Xia Wan Chong merely verbally insulted Feng Yi, they could ignore it, but without the prefect's word, none dare let Feng Yi come to harm! Xia Wan Chong gave a teasing smile, "Hah, difficult! Then let's not do it!"

He thought maybe he couldn't kill Feng Yi, but beating him up to vent anger would also be acceptable.

Feng Yi found the line familiar and couldn't help laughing, "Playing the crow in front of me? Too bad you have the crow's ailment but not its ability!"

The crowd didn't get his meaning, but a few constables felt uneasy, understanding Xia Wan Chong's implication: Xia San Dao had the power to strip them of their official robes.

Feng Yi swept his gaze and said, "Gentlemen, no matter what, you all wear official uniforms, while Xia Wan Chong and these people are merely dogs raised by Lord Ling! If a dog dares to show its teeth at a person, the only thing to do is raise a big club and smash its dog head!"

If a dog dares to bare its teeth at a person, then the only thing to do is to raise a big stick and smash its dog head!

As soon as Feng Yi spoke those words, everyone was instantly shocked. Though the meaning was correct, it wasn't something you should say.

"Really, I don't know what status or position you have!"

Xia Wan Chong and those henchmen were both startled and angry. These people usually relied on their few pounds of brute strength, with the prefect backing them; when they walked the streets of Jingzhou, they swaggered, never having been so insulted! Xia Wan Chong shouted angrily, "Feng Yi, you're just another dog raised by Lord Ling—do you really think you're somebody?"

Feng Yi's face twitched slightly, his brow flickered, then he lightly laughed, "But this dog of mine dares to kill you!!"

As his words fell, he stepped right with his right foot, simultaneously reaching out with his right hand, and with a clang drew the single blade from the constable's waist.

A white flash— as the blade left the sheath, he turned his body and the blade went straight for Xia Wan Chong's neck.

Xia Wan Chong had also trained under Xia San Dao, but father and son relied on Ling Tui Si's prestige, acting like a fox borrowing a tiger's might; no one dared to provoke them, they rarely fought, and having never imagined Feng Yi would dare kill him, his mind turned to mush, unable to think in the short term.

All that was heard was a muffled "puchi"— the sound of the blade cutting into flesh.

"La—la—"

Although the blade was sharp, it wasn't a divine weapon; Feng Yi's skill was limited, the blade went in halfway before being blocked by the neck bone, but blood spurted out, drenching the two men beside Xia Wan Chong on the head and face.

Even if he didn't chop off Xia Wan Chong's head, the wound on the neck was still fatal.

Xia Wan Chong clutched his neck; blood gushed like a spring, accompanied by a "plop" sound, he fell face up, uttering "hoo, hoo" while his legs kicked.

He lay in a pool of blood, his eyes locked on Feng Yi, hatred, fear, and disbelief intermingling.

Until this moment, he still couldn't believe Feng Yi dared kill him here! Feng Yi crouched, tapped his face with the blade, and said lowly, "You motherfucker, picking eggplants without checking if they're old or tender! Don't blame me if you die!"

Feng Yi currently lacks the ability to deal with Ling Tui Si, Xia San Dao and those old fogies; what is Xia Wan Chong anyway? Killing him, Feng Yi isn't worried at all! He now holds a get-out-of-jail-free card! As he spoke, Xia Wan Chong exhaled his last breath and fell still, but his eyes stared wide, utterly dead and unpeaceful.

In his previous life in the modern world, Feng Yi was also a law-abiding citizen; having only crossed over a day ago, sending someone to hell was still his first time.

Yet he felt no fear of his first kill; instead, excitement nearly made him cry out, leading him to wonder: "Could my nature actually be that of a bloodthirsty maniac?"

Actually, when Feng Yi just faced Ling Tui Si and Xia San Dao, his feelings of shock and fear had piled up in his heart; he disliked it and was unaccustomed to it.

But with that swing of the blade, it seemed to expel the unwilling suppression he had to endure, the fear between life and death, and the hollow, grudging reluctance— all were drawn out of him.

Thus there was no fear of killing; only exhilaration remained.

【Slaying an enemy, reward 1 achievement point】

""

This timely system prompt directly left Feng Yi stunned for a moment.

But he quickly realized, an extra in the original plot who didn't even have a name was worth nothing!

But then he thought, if such a person could be worth one point, then little by little it adds up— kill thousands upon thousands…

Having reached that thought, Feng Yi quickly shook his head, thinking: "If I want to raise achievement points by killing, I also need to target those with weight and great wickedness— like Ling Tui Si, the Three Vicious Disciples who murdered their master, members of the Blood Blade Sect— but I must not, for the sake of boosting power, slaughter indiscriminately and become a machine devoid of morality!"

Feng Yi immediately rose, waved his hand to shake off the blood droplets from the blade, with a clang returned the single blade to the constable's waist sheath, and said calmly: "Let's go!"

Others had already turned ashen, stunned.

It wasn't that Feng Yi's slash was particularly dazzling.

No one expected him to dare kill on the magistrate's turf—and the victim was the son of Xia, the magistrate's top aide. In other words, Feng Yi absolutely had the guts to swing his blade at all of them.

Several lackeys trembled, thinking: "We were just here for a meal; fighting this madman over strength, we might lose our livelihood altogether!"

After the constables' initial tension, they couldn't help but admire Feng Yi, thinking: "No wonder he got an audience with the magistrate—he truly has the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard!"

But they were wrong on one point: Feng Yi's slash wasn't just bold; he realized he had passed Ling Tusi's preliminary test and thus gained a month.

Even if Xia San Dao hated himself, he wouldn't dare kill himself.

That's why he felt no fear! He believed his achievement points and time were enough to learn the Divine Illumination Skill from Ding Dian.

If he could cultivate the Divine Illumination Skill to minor success, he believed it would be enough to break out of prison. Besides, he hadn't had his pipa bones pierced or his hamstrings cut—an advantage over Ding Dian.

Feng Yi thought and stepped forward; the constables followed, while the lackeys, unable to block them, hurriedly lifted Xia Wan Chong's corpse to report.

Feng Yi didn't care about these; even if Xia San Dao hated himself, he had to prioritize Ling Tusi's idea!

As the group approached the prison, the iron gate swung open; the jailers saw Feng Yi return with not a single hair missing and all marveled.

Feng Yi walked down the corridor, pondering how to speak to Ding Dian, since he had directly killed Xia Wan Chong—almost a case of failure turning into benevolence.

If he failed to obtain the Divine Illumination Skill, Xia San Dao and Ling Tusi would surely make him suffer a bad death.

But when he returned to the cell, Ding Dian hadn't come back; he could only lie on the straw mat waiting, half-asleep, when suddenly he heard the sound of chains dragging on the ground.

Feng Yi opened his eyes to see Ding Dian covered in blood, carried back by four jailers, thrown to the floor, unconscious.

By the moonlight filtering into the cell, Feng Yi saw Ding Dian's face, arms, and legs covered in brutal whip marks, unable to count how many lashes he'd received.

Even though Feng Yi knew Ding Dian got beaten monthly, these wounds made his heart pound, and he silently cursed the man's short-circuited brain.

He truly couldn't fathom what mindset Ding Dian had in the original plot to save Ling Tusi when she was in danger—such love for the house and its crow was excessive! Anyway, Feng Yi thought, if he were whipped like that, whoever it was, he'd have to retaliate.

He'd give no face! Yet, despite his anger at Ding Dian's lack of fight, he could only rise, pour some water from the basin, and give it to Ding Dian to drink.

Ding Dian groggily woke, saw Feng Yi, raised the earthen bowl in his hand, and smashed it toward his head, cursing: "Your false kindness—did I just fall for your trick?"

Feng Yi flashed aside; with a clatter, the bowl hit the wall.

Feng Yi knew Ding Dian's heavy defensiveness was almost neurotic, and he didn't want to argue, so he lightly smiled: "Think what you will; I just saw Ling Tusi—he's already marrying off the young lady, so your time is short!"

"You really aren't afraid I'll kill you now?" Ding Dian asked with a grim face.

Feng Yi scoffed: "Hah, whatever! Anyway, I just killed Xia San Dao's son when I came in; if we don't escape soon, I'll die sooner or later—better to die by your hand, Sir Ding, than by that shameless Xia San Dao; it's not my lifelong wish, but it's a fortune in my life, I fear nothing!"

Ding Dian gave a cold smile, noncommittal.

Feng Yi gave a hey laugh, sat back on his straw mat, lay facing the wall with his back to Ding Dian, and murmured: "Anyway, being chopped to bits by Xia San Dao, having Ling Shuanghua disfigured, and you, Sir Ding, regretting forever—we're all miserable souls, not bad!!"

Hearing this, Ding Dian's heart leapt: "What scheme are you cooking up now?" He glared at Feng Yi angrily.

Feng Yi felt a flicker of joy, sighed: "What scheme? I've long said: teach me the Divine Illumination Skill, I'll master it, then we'll break out together and I'll help you win the beauty! But you, like Ling Tusi, judge others by yourself—what can be done?"

"Heh..." Ding Dian chuckled coldly: "As if teaching you the Divine Illumination Scripture would make you accomplished in an instant!"

Feng Yi also sneered: "Then why don't you try?"

"Even if you teach me the Divine Illumination Skill, if I lack the talent, you could just kill me to prevent Ling Tusi from getting it—trivial for you."

"But if I truly am that genius, once you teach me and I achieve the skill, I'll help you escape and fulfill your dream."

"What loss would that entail for you?"

These words indeed moved Ding Dian's heart.

If he taught Feng Yi the Divine Illumination Skill and Feng Yi failed to master it quickly, it would be of no use to him; killing him would also prevent the secret from leaking.

But if Feng Yi were truly the type who learns instantly and excels with practice, having received his kindness aside, he would surely not deceive him.

Ding Dian pondered a while, then said: "Fine, fine—Shuanghua is the person I love most in my life; what's the Divine Illumination Scripture? As long as you can learn the introductory oral formula, I'll take a gamble! If you aren't that one-in-a-million genius, I'll kill you, lest you cannot withstand Ling Tusi's torture and leak the secret!"

Feng Yi's eyes lit up, he sat up, and said: "It's a deal!"

Ding Dian rose, sat cross-legged, and said: "Sit down; this 'Divine Illumination Scripture' skill is the strongest and most marvelous internal art in the world—I also want to see if I've misjudged."

Feng Yi sat cross-legged; Ding Dian softly recited the introductory practice mantra and method of circulation to him.

The Divine Illumination Skill is vast and profound; even with Ding Dian's personal explanation, Feng Yi's ability made it extremely hard to grasp.

He was about to use the system to take a shortcut when he felt a palm press his back; Ding Dian's voice, thin as a mosquito, whispered in his ear: "Your foundation is too weak; the Divine Illumination Scripture especially requires a calm mind, free of stray thoughts. You likely can't grasp its subtleties—I'll infuse my true qi into your body, circulate it properly; just focus on feeling it."

Ding Dian ultimately loved Ling Shuanghua above all; he also hoped Feng Yi was a genius, for if he could quickly master the Divine Illumination Skill, the two joining forces would have a much better chance to break out of prison and take Shuanghua away.

Feng Yi held his breath and focused; he felt a warm current surge from his back, branching into his limbs and bones.

"The Primordial Dao: Dao walks with the spirit; Dao is the heavenly way; all things revive, inseparable from illumination; the spirit roams the Great Void. At present, I encounter the spirit without seeing; officials know when to stop while the spirit wishes to act, following heavenly principle—cutting the great flaw, guiding the great opening, because it is indeed:"

"True qi returns to the dantian; meditative breath-raising opens the heavenly gate, penetrates the spirit palace, ascends to the dove-tail, enters the hinge joint, warms the jade pillow... the middle burner rises, gathers at the hundred meetings, and the divine skill manifests itself."

As Ding Dian's voice continued, Feng Yi felt an itchy numbness inside, a hot stream rushing through; despite Ding Dian guiding him and demonstrating with his own true qi, many phrases remained unclear in meaning.

After Ding Dian finished the passage, he withdrew his palm, smiling: "Internal cultivation stresses gradual progress; I've passed on the introductory heart method—try it and see if you can generate qi sensation."

Feng Yi then followed Ding Dian's transmitted mantra, attempting to exhale and inhale as instructed; after a long while, there was no movement, and he felt no qi sensation at all, finally resigning himself.

Relying on himself, trying to cultivate the Divine Illumination Scripture was impossible; he immediately thought, "Open personal attribute panel."

【Host: Feng Yi

Age: 21 Identity: Dragon Sand Gang minor leader

Internal Skill: Divine Illumination (uninitiated) + upgrade to 'Initial Threshold' requires achievement points 10...

Achievement Points: 51 (Note: obtained by slaying enemies; achievement points can be used to raise martial arts experience)】

Feng Yi immediately clicked the "+" after Divine Illumination.

Instantly his lower abdomen flared hot; a qi flow began as fine as a needle tip, gradually expanding to the size of a wine cup.

Feng Yi's mind also gained an easy-to-understand introductory mantra of the Divine Illumination Skill; he circulated his inner breath accordingly, feeling that warm mass slowly rise from his lower abdomen, a thread of cool, moist sensation traveling through his meridians and acupoints, up through chest and abdomen to gather at the crown—just as Ding Dian had demonstrated with his own true qi.

Feng Yi laughed heartily; inspecting his inner skill column, he saw Divine Illumination change from "uninitiated" to "(Initial Threshold)" + note: upgrading to "Minor Accomplishment" requires achievement points 30.

Ding Dian watched Feng Yi's triumphant, self-satisfied look, couldn't help but place his palm on his abdomen, and was instantly startled.

As it turned out, he had sensed it; Feng Yi had actually already produced the qi sensation of the Divine Illumination Technique.

This means that as long as he understands the essential points of cultivation and proceeds step by step, he will be able to master the Divine Illumination Scripture.

Ding Dian couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air, his voice trembling as he said: "There actually exists such a person in the world!"

(End of chapter)