Xu Tianli, bite him

Something was profoundly wrong.

Mù Qīngyǔ felt the situation was not just slightly off, but entirely amiss.

She had merely intended to find a casual spot to idle away some time.

How had she ended up stumbling directly into the enemy’s stronghold?

‘Had someone set a trap for me?’ she wondered.

‘Or perhaps, my words have been blessed, and everything I utter is destined to come true?’

As Mù Qīngyǔ grappled with her vexation, the clamoring voices of the bandits continued to echo around them.

“Only two people.”

“Not enough for us to share!”

“I’ll take the woman.”

“The other one is all yours.”

“Hmph, trying to hog it all?”

“Not a chance!”

Just listening to these unruly shouts, Mù Qīngyǔ felt a wave of irritation.

Although her body had become female, her inner self remained male.

Being stared at with such ravenous, wolf-like gazes by a gang of burly men still made her stomach churn.

‘What if I just told them I’m actually a man?’ she mused.

‘Would their expressions be absolutely priceless then?’

‘No, probably not,’ she quickly dismissed the thought.

‘At best, they’d just think I was a transvestite.’

More importantly, among those leering stares, she could feel Xǔ Tiānlí’s gaze.

Even without meeting his eyes, Mù Qīngyǔ could guess what he was thinking.

‘Very well,’ she conceded.

‘Since we’re already here, I might as well turn this into an opportunity and put on a good show.’

Mù Qīngyǔ might not boast about much else, but her mental fortitude was undoubtedly exceptional.

She had even managed to suppress the urge to research the secrets of her new body on the very first day she transmigrated.

“You see now?”

“This is why I brought you here.”

“I see, Master.” Xǔ Tiānlí nodded vigorously.

“This is another test for me, isn’t it?”

‘Master truly is incredibly resourceful,’ he thought.

‘But how did she know the bandits’ lair was in this abandoned factory?’

Xǔ Tiānlí still felt puzzled, yet he didn’t dwell on it.

Since she was such a powerful expert, she must possess countless methods, perhaps even some bizarre and wondrous ones.

Coupled with Qín Yuè’s past displays of foresight, Xǔ Tiānlí even dared to boldly speculate that she must have anticipated this outcome all along.

From their first meeting at the Martial Alliance, Qín Yuè had been secretly observing Qiao Yíng.

She had known about her kidnapping even before the Heaven’s Will Bureau discovered the bandits’ hideout.

She then deliberately withheld this information from Féng Yè and the others, likely because she wanted to use this opportunity to train her own student, unwilling to let anyone interfere.

‘Yes, the complete picture of this incident must be exactly as I’ve imagined.’

Xǔ Tiānlí, after his mental brainstorming session, felt he could finally grasp his Master’s way of thinking, and a surge of joy filled him.

“Then, Master, what shall we do next…”

“Do I still need to tell you?” Mù Qīngyǔ cast a glance at him.

“You’ve come all this way; aren’t you going to rescue the person?”

“Of course, I’m going to rescue them, but Master, you…”

” ‘You’ what?”

“Have you forgotten what I just said?”

Mù Qīngyǔ’s lips curved into a smile.

Despite being surrounded by enemies, the panic in her heart quickly dissipated.

Though the enemy held an absolute numerical advantage, Mù Qīngyǔ could clearly discern that their combat strength was actually quite weak.

Ninety-nine percent of them were ordinary people, with only one or two being Tier-1 Spirit Wielders.

This setup might have left Mù Qīngyǔ in a frantic state if she had to handle it alone, but she had a helper, after all.

“So, go on, Xǔ Tiānlí.”

“Bite them… I mean, don’t disappoint me.”

“Understood, Master!”

Xǔ Tiānlí had been waiting for those very words.

He was already itching to test his skills.

He had fought two battles previously, but those were one-on-one situations.

Now…

Xǔ Tiānlí slowly stepped forward, directly confronting the enemies who were glaring at him and his Master with predatory eyes.

There were at least twenty people, and as the moment to fight drew near, Xǔ Tiānlí couldn’t help but feel a tremor of nervousness.

He had witnessed ferocious and evil otherworldly demons in other cities, but back then, his father had been by his side, allowing him to merely observe.

Now, though he faced only humans, their expressions were no less gentle than those of otherworldly demons.

They might even be more cruel in their attacks.

Tightly gripping the long blade in his hand, he subconsciously glanced back.

The space behind him was empty.

Qín Yuè had vanished at some point.

‘She ran so fast… No, how could Master run away?’

‘She merely withdrew from the battlefield, observing me from a place I cannot see.’

Xǔ Tiānlí knew she would never abandon her student.

Every life-or-death trial, though seemingly leaving him alone, always saw her appear at the crucial moment.

‘Besides, I’m not a child anymore, no matter how you look at it.’

Xǔ Tiānlí smiled faintly.

That child who could only rely on his father should have grown up and become independent by now.

If he continued to rely on others, his father, even in the afterlife, would surely not rest easy.

Moreover, he was destined to charge into the Four Sacred Courts three years from now to avenge the broken engagement with Mù Qīngyǔ.

He couldn’t possibly ask his Master to fight on his behalf then.

Not only would it be humiliating, but could his Master truly handle the entire Four Sacred Courts by herself?

‘It’s hard to say.’

‘What if she really possesses that kind of power?’

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you scared senseless, just standing there?”

“I think he is.”

“This kid doesn’t look like he has any combat power.”

The bandits’ voices pulled Xǔ Tiānlí’s consciousness back to reality.

He felt no anger at their condescending remarks.

He took a deep breath, raised his long blade, and pointed it at them:

“Who wants to go first?”

“Or, to save time, should you all come at once?”

These words immediately caused an uproar among the bandits, with many of them erupting in curses.

Xǔ Tiānlí appeared arrogant, but in reality, he was observing his enemies.

Although they wore plain clothes, the weapons in their hands were not the steel pipes and small knives commonly used by ordinary gangs.

These were items that emanated spiritual power.

He had heard his father mention that due to the introduction of the Alchemical Pact, various spiritual items had gradually become popular within the Sacred Dynasty Nation.

Some of these weapons could even be used by ordinary people, which had a considerable impact on social stability.

Consequently, the Heaven’s Will Bureau had tightened its control over them.

Wufeng City was not a major first-tier metropolis.

Even the former local overlord, the Wolf Fang Gang, numbered only twenty or thirty people.

The number of Spirit Wielders among them was pitifully small, and their leader, Hèlóng, had been merely a Tier-1 for a long time.

Such a gang simply didn’t have the capability to equip twenty-odd people with spiritual weapons.

After the Wolf Fang Gang’s demise, its assets were confiscated by the Heaven’s Will Bureau, and those covetous smaller gangs received no benefits whatsoever.

This implied that these enemies were all from out of town, whether they were a gang or a legitimate agency, their influence was substantial.

This would be a tough battle, but Xǔ Tiānlí would not be afraid.

One of the burly bandits charged forward, reaching him first.

He was three or four heads taller than Xǔ Tiānlí, a veritable giant.

“You’re not afraid of me?” The giant looked down at him.

“No.”

“Just an act.”

Before the giant could finish speaking, he raised his gloved fist and delivered a powerful punch to Xǔ Tiānlí’s chest.

The punch was sudden and swift, eliciting cheers from his companions behind them as it directly struck Xǔ Tiānlí.

They eagerly anticipated seeing Xǔ Tiānlí tumble on the ground like a rat.

But that scene never materialized.

After their cheers, their eyes widened.

The giant’s fist had indeed landed on Xǔ Tiānlí, yet he remained rooted to the spot, unmoving.

The giant himself was bewildered.

The sound his fist made upon impact was crisp and clear, not at all like hitting flesh, but rather like striking steel.

“You…”

The giant noticed that the direction of the wind had shifted, now flowing towards Xǔ Tiānlí.

He raised his fist again, delivering a rapid series of punches to the young man before him.

Bangs and thuds echoed incessantly in his ears.

He continued until his fists ached, yet Xǔ Tiānlí didn’t even let out a muffled grunt of pain.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“It hurts, but that’s about it.”

Xǔ Tiānlí himself was astonished.

‘Is this the change that comes with advancing to the Tier-1?’

‘Ordinary people wielding spiritual weapons can no longer harm me at all.’

‘The difference is truly immense.’

‘No, perhaps it’s not just that reason.’

Xǔ Tiānlí had, after all, once defeated the Wolf Fang Gang’s vice-leader as a mere mortal.

The strength of a Spirit Wielder was determined not solely by their tier, but also by their inherent abilities and spells.

If Xǔ Tiānlí were to encounter that vice-leader now, a single punch would be enough to completely incapacitate him.

The giant was drenched in sweat, his smile now replaced by one on Xǔ Tiānlí’s face.

“You…”

Bang!!

Before he could finish, Xǔ Tiānlí’s fist landed on his face, sending him flying backward to crash against the wall.