Chapter 8: Ling Yan

He entered the underground passage, and soon Yan Buji changed into a set of night‑clothes in a basement, then emerged from the eastern sewers of Lin Shan Cheng.

The night of Lin Shan Cheng is under curfew, so in the dead of night only the on‑duty soldiers and night watchmen are present.

Yan Buji stared at the three‑meter‑high city wall, carefully clawing at the cracks as a gecko would, climbing up, flipping over a passage about a meter wide, and immediately landing on the ground.

It was the shift‑change time for the guard soldiers; though only a quarter of an hour, it was enough for Yan Buji to slip away.

Shortly after, Yan Buji arrived at one of his small outposts, exchanged a word with the local farmer, then went to the backyard and led his horse away.

On the horse's back were the weapons, gear, and identification token Yan Buji needed, and after flipping onto the mount and checking his belongings, he rode east at a gallop.

An hour later, Yan Buji rode to the foot of a forest; in the darkness he lifted his torch and glanced at a nearby stone.

"Hmm, seems nothing major happened," he thought.

Just as he was about to ascend the mountain, Yan Buji suddenly sensed an unusual sound from the other side of the path!

He turned his head and saw a carriage approaching, followed by four warriors in short jackets, each bearing a long saber at the waist.

Upon spotting Yan Buji, the four warriors immediately moved forward from the four corners to guard the carriage; the middle‑aged man leading them frowned and addressed him:

"Who are you, sir?!"

"I'd like to ask who you are. It's so late and you still dare to travel through this desolate forest; don't you know wolves, tigers and leopards are ferocious, or have you never seen the cruelty of forest bandits?" Yan Buji asked from his mount with a smile.

"If you don't explain your purpose, we may have to use some means to make you speak!" the middle‑aged man frowned and subtly reached for the long saber at his waist.

Yan Buji was momentarily stunned, then let out an angry laugh, flipped off his horse and said, "Alright, alright, you truly trust the weapons in your hands, but I'm not afraid! Let me test you!"

Swoosh!

The four warriors instantly drew their swords, the scene instantly tense. Though they were strangers, Yan Buji had already intended to draw the warriors' vital blood.

As for these people, they seemed to be bodyguards of some important figure, and it was unclear who sat inside the carriage.

Wait, that person looks familiar; I think I've seen him somewhere before…

Yan Buji glanced at the middle‑aged man and suddenly recalled something!

"Alright, Uncle Zhong, this person isn't here to block me; please don't act," a sweet, bell‑like voice of a young lady suddenly came from the carriage.

The leading middle‑aged man hurriedly replied, "Miss, this person's origins are unknown, and he appears in what is said to be the bandit gathering place at the three mountains surrounding Lin Shan Cheng; perhaps this fellow is one of those bandits!"

"Hmph, it's one thing to draw a blade at me for no reason, but to slander me as a low‑rank bandit—let me show you whether I am a bandit or not! Take this!!"

Yan Buji let out a cold snort, his expression angry, and rushed forward, punching the middle‑aged man.

The middle‑aged man was startled and immediately brandished his knife in response.

He was fierce indeed; despite Yan Buji having the initiative and his own disadvantage, he raised his blade over his head and brought it down in a vertical slash!

Yan Buji wasn't unfamiliar with such a ruthless martial style, but he hadn't expected such audacity—did he really think he was an ordinary person?

Bang!

Clang!

The fist and the blade struck both men simultaneously; Yan Buji's punch sent the middle‑aged man flying far, yet the torn clothing on his shoulder showed no spattering of blood!

"Zhong Shifu!"

"Dage!"

The middle‑aged man scrambled to his feet, saw that Yan Buji had no intention of continuing, and with a wry smile clasped his fists, saying:

"I'm blind as a bat, senior, I have offended you."

"One insult is one thing, but you, a mere Half‑step Master, daring to humiliate me—do you really think I'm a soft persimmon easy to crush?" Yan Buji said coldly, staring at him.

The three other warriors' faces changed abruptly, their eyes widening as they stared at Yan Buji.

No wonder Zhong Shifu, a Half‑step Master, isn't even a match for them, and his shoulder wound shows no blood; clearly he has mastered a formidable external skill to its ultimate state, which explains his composure.

"Uncle Zhong! Senior, please don't be angry; I, Ling Yan, am here to apologize to you! Someone of your caliber could never be a top‑rank bandit." The young lady from the carriage stepped out, dressed in elegant robes, her eyebrows curved like willow leaves, her eyes sparkling like bright stars.

She gave a gentle smile, tiny dimples on her cheeks, a charmingly naive expression, like a spring breeze, making it impossible to feel any malice.

Ling Yan?

Yan Buji squinted, then recalled, "You're from the Ling family of Huanglong City? No wonder a few guards act so overbearing."

Ling Yan was no ordinary girl; she could hear the sarcasm in Yan Buji's words and immediately forced an apologetic smile:

"Senior, please don't blame me; Uncle Zhong and the others have watched me grow since childhood. Though they are household servants, they are more like family. In our worry we acted rashly toward you; may we be allowed to offer our apologies?"

Yan Buji chuckled, "You do have a deep master‑servant bond, fine. I'm not a petty, narrow‑minded person; tell me what you can produce to calm my anger."

Ling Yan's eyes lit up, and she said with a lifted corner of her mouth, "Senior, have you ever heard of the Blood‑Killing Pill?!"

Yan Buji raised an eyebrow, "The kind that, once ingested, instantly boosts Qi and blood by thirty percent? Apart from a few hours of weakness afterward, it has no other side effects, the miraculous Blood‑Killing Pill?"

"Exactly that."

Ling Yan took a box from the carriage, and the nearby warriors immediately understood, carefully handing the box over.

Yan Buji squinted; at this moment he had no intention of moving, so he took the box and opened it.

He saw a plain black pill erupting with suffocating, terrifying blood‑qi; taking a deep breath, Yan Buji felt his recently steadied Qi beginning to surge wildly!

He quickly closed the box, inhaled deeply, and said:

"Not bad, this is indeed the Blood‑Killing Pill. I accept this apology; you may leave."

"Thank you, senior. However, I have one more matter; may I ask you a question? The reward is negotiable!" Ling Yan said immediately.

"Miss!" Zhong Shifu stepped forward, his gaze sharp, signaling Ling Yan to stop and not provoke the senior further.

But Ling Yan knew well that they had just offended this senior, and now speaking of a request would surely be known to him.

Words may sound pleasant, but that doesn't guarantee the other will listen.

If the other truly agreed, it would be rather odd.

Yan Buji saw the two of them, knew Ling Yan must be trying to ask him for something, but Zhong Shifu was an old veteran; it was not the time to intervene.

"I'm not interested in hearing what this little girl has to say, go away, and stop disturbing me here!" Yan Buji said coldly.

Ling Yan gritted her teeth, reluctantly bowed and said, "Yes, senior."

Yan Buji watched the carriage disappear, letting out a cold laugh:

"Meat delivered to the door, what a waste. But the Ling family is not exactly a minor power; now is not the time to make enemies with them."

Yan Buji had originally wanted to kill these people, but given the other side's notable background, he decided to let it be.

Getting a Xuè Shā Dān for free is already not a loss.