Chapter 2: Hunting the Wolf!

It's Blind Old San!

Li Yan already had a guess in his heart.

Ordinary wild beasts don't have this kind of scent.

Could it be that, just as people said, "Blind Old San" had gained cultivation?

Li Yan was vigilant. He reached back to unhook his bow, drew an arrow, and held it loosely, signaling Hei Dan to bend over and lower his footsteps to follow him forward.

Just this move showed the gap between them.

Guanzhong has always had many chivalrous warriors, and with thousands of years of wars large and small, the custom of martial arts has never ceased. Li Family Fort, for instance, was once a military fort, and many children practiced martial arts from a young age.

Just for Red Fist, every village had its own heritage and stances.

Hei Dan also practiced martial arts from a young age. His only pastime during the slack farming season was shaking the large spear and practicing fist techniques. The spear shaft behind him had long been polished until it was as bright as porcelain.

But when he walked, he still led with his heel, then his sole. Even if he was light-footed, his own weight pressing on the weeds would still make a slight sound.

Li Yan, however, was different.

He landed on the balls of his feet, his bow steady and arrow level, moving like a nimble cat. As he roamed, his spine remained balanced, not making a single sound.

Stability and lightness—two opposite states—were perfectly unified in him at this moment.

Hei Dan, seeing this from behind, felt a surge of envy.

Practicing martial arts requires hard work, but it also demands talent. Just this light-body footwork was a realm he could never reach in his lifetime.

The villagers praised Li Yan often, but that was only out of respect for his veteran grandfather and his father, a former blade-wielder who had already died.

After all, how much capability could a fourteen-year-old child have?

But Hei Dan was different. He had secretly seen Li Yan practicing martial arts and was shocked, thinking him a heavenly being. That was why he sought his help the first moment the incident occurred.

While his mind wandered, Li Yan suddenly stopped in front.

Hei Dan hurriedly stopped his footsteps, poked his head out to look, and his eyes widened instantly.

Behind Li Family Fort, there were still many earthen walls; these were military forts from the previous dynasty, now only broken walls and ruins remained.

It was darkest before dawn, and the light was poor.

He saw a large black shadow wriggling by the broken wall.

It was a giant, mangy wolf covered in matted fur, stealing a pig.

It bit the pig's ear with sharp teeth, its large tail swinging back and forth, whipping like a horsewhip, and the fat pig followed along, walking.

Pigs are very intelligent animals; when captured by a butcher during the New Year, they know their end is near and scream miserably, but now, as if possessed, its head was covered in blood, yet it didn't dare to even grunt.

This wolf had only one eye left; it was exactly "Blind Old San"!

"Blind Old San" had actually entered the village early in the morning.

Also, why didn't the dogs raised in the village bark?

This eerie scene made Hei Dan's heart crawl, but hatred soon overcame fear. With red eyes, he slowly unhooked the long spear from his back.

Li Yan was also somewhat surprised, but he grew even calmer.

He signaled Hei Dan not to act rashly, then slowly raised his bow.

However, he didn't rush to shoot this arrow. Instead, as he drew the bow, he adjusted his breathing, his eyes narrowed slightly, and cold light condensed in his pupils.

Since coming to this world a few years ago, his greatest hobby had been practicing martial arts.

The martial arts of this world were more similar to national arts; there was no talk of spiritual energy or true qi, but there were many formulas related to qi, such as breathing, which was exceptionally important.

If the qi is not chaotic, the strength of the whole body can be concentrated.

Just like his stealth earlier—his mind was stable, his breathing was not chaotic, and the strength of his tendons, bones, and muscles was at his beck and call, allowing him to move like a nimble cat, harmonious and unified.

Don't underestimate this point; the essence of entering the martial arts lies entirely in this.

Ordinary people, even if they swing stone locks and shake large spears every day, forging a body of strength and knowing many moves, still have unstable breathing and agitated minds when fighting others, their brains a blank, and what they throw are still "turtle fists."

The technique of archery lies here too.

No matter how strong the bow or how much practice, it only counts if you hit the target.

And for controlling the body's strength, breathing is the switch!

The vicious wolf "Blind Old San" might indeed be somewhat different, but the fact that it fell into a trap and had an eye shot out showed it was, after all, flesh and blood.

They were currently downwind, so they smelled "Blind Old San" first, lowered their footsteps to sneak, and plus the fact that the opponent was stealing a pig, the distance had already closed to a hundred meters.

Li Yan believed that as long as he hit it, one arrow could kill it!

Creak, creak, creak...

The bowstring tightened rapidly, the arrowhead steady to an astonishing degree.

But just at this moment, "Blind Old San" suddenly bristled and raised its head.

It had been discovered!

Li Yan didn't know where he had gone wrong, or perhaps the opponent had sensed the killing intent, but there was no time to think.

Hum!

The arrow flew out, fast as a beam of light.

Li Yan aimed at the wolf's neck.

Wolves have a saying: "Copper head, iron tail, tofu waist," because the area between their buttocks and ribs is connected only by a spine, with little skeletal protection, making it relatively soft and containing vital organs.

Few people know that the area between its eyes and nose has the most fragile bones; a strike can cause it to faint, and an arrow can be fatal.

But this area is extremely difficult to hit, and plus "Blind Old San" was extraordinary, so Li Yan aimed at the neck.

Puchi!

The arrowhead pierced the fur.

Blind Old San dodged in the end; the arrow didn't pierce a vital point but instead pierced through its right forelimb, blood splashing.

Li Yan didn't say a word, nocked another arrow, and prepared to fire again.

Although it wasn't a fatal shot, the long arrow passing through would reduce its mobility. As long as he was fast, the opponent would still find it hard to escape.

But the surprising thing happened.

This "Blind Old San" didn't rush to escape but leaped behind the wall and used its sharp teeth to tear, trying to bite off the arrow and pull it out.

Damn it, it's as cunning as a spirit!

Li Yan threw down his bow and rushed out quickly. His body was like a sharp arrow, and at the same time, he pressed on the hilt of his blade.

His blade was about three feet long and less than two inches wide, with a special shape; the blade guard used for hand protection was particularly small.

This was a sharp blade produced in Guanshan Town near Lintong.

The Guanshan blade was also the standard equipment and symbol of a Guanzhong blade-wielder.

At a distance of a hundred meters, Li Yan rushed faster and faster, dust rising under his feet. With a *clack*, his left thumb pushed the blade guard, his right hand pressed the hilt, but he never drew the blade.

Family-transmitted fast blade, "Waist-Strike Style."

It looked somewhat like the "Iaijutsu" of the Eastern Sea from his past life, but it was completely different.

The fast blade "Waist-Strike Style" was a blade technique used for ambushes, capable of killing while rushing horizontally, the blade swinging like a thunderbolt.

When crossing with an enemy, the killing intent is not revealed; the blade is drawn and sheathed, the person walks away, and the corpse remains.

The vicious wolf "Blind Old San" was flesh and blood, but the spirituality and wisdom it displayed were extremely astonishing and could not be viewed with common sense.

!.

When the blade leaves the sheath, the killing intent flows with the cold light, which would surely alert it.

Li Yan chose the Waist-Strike Style, just like a beast pouncing, revealing its sharp claws at the last moment.

And as he expected, "Blind Old San" was by no means ordinary.

Just as Li Yan rushed out, this vicious wolf had already bitten off the arrow head and pulled out the arrow shaft from behind, dealing with it just like a human, minimizing the damage to the greatest extent.

An arrow passing through is hard for an ordinary person to bear.

But this "Blind Old San" didn't seem affected at all. It bared its fangs, its nose forming wrinkles, its blood-red single pupil contracted, *whoosh*, it jumped onto the earthen wall and leaped out again.

This jump was actually five meters high, and the timing was just right, falling from the air and pouncing toward the rushing Li Yan.

Beast fighting is a technique honed in the wilderness.

As top predators, when a wolf pack surrounds prey, they often roar and confront, constantly testing, while the strongest one pounces to attack the throat, killing with one strike, and then the pack rushes up to tear.

A lone wolf pouncing also focuses on ambushes, often hiding by the road and suddenly darting out to attack when a pedestrian or prey passes by.

Like instinct, it always finds the most suitable method.

It was the same now.

"Blind Old San" leaped from the air using the earthen wall. Any ordinary prey, whether turning to run or panicking to look up, would reveal a weakness in the neck.

A wolf's bite to the throat—no matter how large the body, it's all in vain.

However, it was facing someone extraordinary.

Sensing the fishy wind in the air, Li Yan grew even calmer. His pair of phoenix eyes narrowed, the cold intent in his dragon pupils burning fiercely. As Blind Old San fell, he aimed for the vital point, turned his body, bent his waist, and flicked his right arm.

*Clang! *

As the two crossed, the Guanshan blade swept across diagonally.

Cold light appeared, blood splashing.

"Blind Old San" fell to the ground with a *thud*, a large gash on its neck, blood spraying, struggling with its four limbs while whimpering.

And Li Yan also arrived five meters away, back to the vicious wolf, flicking the blood off the blade with a backhand, sheathing the blade, his movements flowing like clouds and water.

"Good blade technique!"

Hei Dan, watching from afar, felt his heart surging and shouted praise.

This duel between man and wolf happened in an instant, yet it made him tremble all over, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead and palms.

On the other side, Li Yan still didn't turn around after sheathing his blade.

It wasn't for show, but for another reason.

His expression was gloomy. He touched his neck, where a gash had also appeared. Although it only grazed the skin, it seeped blood, and it was only a hair's breadth away from the artery.

"Blind Old San" was indeed flesh and blood, but its reaction speed far exceeded that of an ordinary beast. While having its neck slashed open by him, it had actually managed to hook a claw in passing.

"Brother Yan, are you okay?"

Behind him, Hei Dan had already run over with the long spear, asking nervously.

"What could happen to me?"

Li Yan replied and turned around slowly.

A strange thing happened: as he turned, the wound on his neck vanished instantly, and the little remaining blood seemed as if it had just been splashed by the wolf's blood.

Hei Dan didn't see it at all, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked at "Blind Old San" on the ground.

This vicious wolf was indeed extremely ferocious. Even with blood all over the ground, its breath fading, and unable to move, it still bared its teeth, staring viciously at Li Yan.

Its eyes were full of resentment, as if it wanted to keep him in its heart.

"You beast, still not dead!"

Hei Dan's anger flared. He shook his long spear, and with a *puchi*, the spearhead plunged into "Blind Old San's" remaining good eye, going straight into its brain.

Even so, "Blind Old San" struggled a few times before it stopped moving.

Just at this moment, Li Yan seemed to sense something, and his brow furrowed.

This "Blind Old San" was dead as dead could be, but the unique fishy, foul odor on its body was growing stronger and stronger, spreading to the surroundings.

Like an invisible wind, it was thick to the extreme, then suddenly dissipated.

Whether it was an illusion or not, Li Yan inexplicably felt his back grow somewhat cold.

But looking closely, there was nothing around.

"Hei Dan, did you smell any foul odor?"

"What? No..."

New book is out, seeking collections, monthly votes, and sharp reviews. 【123】 (End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 3 =====

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