The Disguise and the Ambush

“In the future, don’t meddle in such affairs, and don’t go looking for trouble, understand?”

“Understood, Second Uncle,” Luo Tao replied.

Lin Tian nodded as well. He understood how one should conduct themselves when traveling, yet he couldn’t fathom why Second Uncle had given them silver in front of so many people earlier. Wouldn’t that only attract unwanted attention?

“It’s getting late. Get some rest. Tomorrow, you’ll go up the mountain to register yourselves.”

****

Upon entering his room at the small inn, Lin Tian found it to be roughly twenty square meters, furnished with a bed, a set of table and chairs, a tea table, and a dressing table with a bronze mirror. As he was the only girl, he had a room to himself.

He gazed at his reflection in the bronze mirror, his fingers tracing his cheek. Registering on the mountain tomorrow stirred a feeling akin to that of a new student enrolling in school, a youthful exuberance blossoming within his heart.

‘Having been utterly alone in my previous life, will I be able to make friends this time?’

‘Hm… since I’ve been reborn, I should forget everything from my past life.’

After a moment of contemplation, he gathered his long white hair and tied it back.

Early the next morning, after washing up with a toothbrush he had made himself, he looked at his reflection with deep satisfaction.

“Haaah~” Luo Tao stretched languidly as he stepped out of his room.

“Morning, Ying… kong. Why are you dressed like that?”

Lin Tian had changed into men’s clothing. He wasn’t particularly skilled at interacting with girls. ‘In truth, I’m not good at interacting with men either.’

“Is it strange?” Lin Tian looked down, assessing his attire, then continued, “Mount Mufu’s recruitment of disciples might have stricter requirements for women. You saw yesterday; hardly any women came to participate in the selection.”

“Hmm… you look good,” Luo Tao commented. It was the first time his sister had spoken so much to him. Though surprised, he felt quite pleased.

“From now on, call me Lin… call me Luo Tian.”

“Luo Tian? No problem. But can you really pass the entrance inspection like this…?” Luo Tao naturally had no objections. He was too adorable, and dressing as a man would save them a lot of trouble.

Second Uncle had already hitched the carriage downstairs, ready to return. Lin Tian had brought an extraordinary amount of luggage, requiring all three of them to help carry some.

“Sister Yingkong, why did you bring so much? What are all these things?”

“Call me Luo Tian. These items are all extremely important. Be careful not to bump them against anything hard, or else we’ll all be blown sky-high.”

Luo Tao’s heart jolted. ‘Could these be those things you used to tinker with?’ He had witnessed Lin Tian detonate grenades and use various chemical agents. Even a tiny bit could shatter a rock the size of a house!

Roman and Rohan exchanged glances. Seeing Luo Tao’s cautious demeanor, they dared not be negligent.

“You two lads, listen carefully to Yingkong. She’s read more books than you’ve eaten rice!”

The two brothers nodded in agreement, though a hint of resentment simmered within them. Lin Tian was praised to the heavens by their father, lauded as both scholarly and martial, and beautiful to boot. Could such a person truly exist? Could his slender frame really best them in a fight?

“I’ll take this one.” Lin Tian snatched a wooden cylinder from their hands.

The wooden cylinder was cylindrical, three feet long, with a diameter similar to a bowl’s mouth. Inside, it contained chemical agents: nitroglycerin! This nitroglycerin was extremely unstable and could explode at any moment. He had painstakingly worked on the wooden cylinder to ensure it wouldn’t explode easily.

Over the years, he had collected many chemical agents and tested grenades. The explosive power was astonishing. The atmosphere in this world seemed to contain more impurities, increasing the explosive force by a full three times!

With the wooden cylinder strapped horizontally to his back, the four of them bid farewell to Second Uncle and set off towards Mount Mufu!

Many other people, mostly young, also emerged from the tavern, clearly intending to participate in the selection.

Mount Mufu was visible from a great distance. Clouds and mist swirled around its middle slopes, and the majestic scale of the mountain brought a heavy feeling to one’s chest.

There was no proper dirt path up the mountain, only a worn route created by countless footsteps.

They trekked for a full hour without rest. Everyone except Lin Tian was panting heavily with exhaustion.

“I can’t go on, Cousin. Let’s rest for a bit…” Roman and Rohan plopped onto the ground, gasping for breath. Luo Tao stood nearby, appearing capable of continuing.

Lin Tian frowned. “We’re still at the foot of the mountain. At this pace, we won’t reach the summit until dark.”

“It’s not that we’re weak, Cousin. We have to carefully carry these two wooden boxes of yours, and it’s incredibly strenuous.”

“Fine, I’ll carry them myself.” Just as Lin Tian reached for the wooden boxes, a pebble flew swiftly and struck his hand, leaving a purple bruise on his knuckles.

He looked up to see two middle-aged men slowly approaching from down the mountain: one a bare-chested strongman, the other a scrawnier man with a dark face.

“Who are you?!” Luo Tao watched the two men warily, his gaze flicking to the purple bruise on Lin Tian’s hand. He pressed his thumb lightly on his sword sheath.

“Hehe~ Carrying so many things, hand over everything valuable!”

“Robbery? You’ve come to the wrong people!” The Roman and Rohan brothers immediately drew their swords, appearing formidable, but inwardly they were terrified. These two men were several years older than them and had been tempered by life-or-death situations; they were certainly more formidable than these young lads.

Lin Tian remembered them from the tavern. They were most likely after the silver.

“Fourth Brother, the shortest pretty boy is yours. I’ll take on the other three!”

The ‘pretty boy’ they referred to was Lin Tian. Without another word, the two men charged forward!

Though he could have resolved the situation with a gun, Lin Tian had never engaged in actual combat. He decided to test his sword skills, accumulate some experience, and resort to other means if he couldn’t win.

The strongman wore iron rings on his hands and iron spikes on his gloves. His two large fists appeared incredibly powerful, and Roman and Rohan couldn’t withstand more than a few blows. Their two iron swords were snapped by his bare hands! Knowing Lin Tian’s strength, Luo Tao also joined to assist his brothers.

Lin Tian’s opponent was the lean, dark-faced man. As soon as he set down the wooden cylinder, his foe lunged, slashing at him with a curved saber!

“Clang!”

A spark flew as the dark-faced man’s curved saber was parried. Lin Tian wielded a heavy, dark iron sword, which he swung effortlessly with one hand, almost as if it were a light sword!

The lean man was stunned, never expecting this child to possess such immense strength! His eyes grew solemn. His curved saber’s speed was its advantage; it would surely be faster than her heavy sword!

Thinking this, he rapidly attacked Lin Tian with a flurry of slashes, specifically targeting difficult-to-defend angles! However, he had underestimated Lin Tian. Even with one hand, his heavy sword was faster than his curved saber! After a few clashes, his tiger’s mouth throbbed with pain, and his curved saber was sent flying aside!

“Third Brother! Quickly, help me! I misjudged him; this brat is incredibly strong!”

The dark-faced man hastily turned to retrieve his curved saber, but Lin Tian wouldn’t let this opportunity slip. He sprang forward, delivering a horizontal slash directly at the dark-faced man’s knee joint!

This single strike merely severed his Achilles tendon, rendering him immobile.

Seeing his companion fall to his knees, the strongman kicked Luo Tao a good two zhang away! Roman and Rohan were already lying on the ground.

As the strongman charged, Lin Tian showed no weakness. His height only reached his armpit, so his blade could only aim for his waist. The strongman blocked with his forearm, and the dark sword struck the iron ring on his arm, sending a spark flying.

“Quite a bit of strength, aren’t you? No wonder Third Brother couldn’t beat you!”

The strongman’s eyes narrowed. Lin Tian inwardly cursed, sensing trouble. Just as he was about to leap back, the man grabbed his iron sword and yanked it backward. Losing his balance, he was seized by the ankle and hoisted upside down.

“Yingkong!” Luo Tao lay on the ground, his qi and blood churning within him, unable to stand.

“Kid, you cut off my brother’s leg tendon. You’ve got some skill. Since you didn’t kill him, I’ll just cripple both your legs.”

At this moment, two others were secretly observing the battle: Second Uncle from down the mountain, and the Mount Mufu elder from up the mountain.

Seeing the perilous situation, Second Uncle prepared to intervene. Just then, Lin Tian flicked three finger-darts from his sleeve! They embedded themselves into the strongman’s two eyes and throat, respectively!

“Aaah!”

The strongman screamed in agony, throwing Lin Tian aside and clutching his face with both hands.

“Fourth Brother!” The dark-faced man, still kneeling, was utterly immobile. He could only watch helplessly, cursing, “To use hidden weapons! How despicable!”

Lin Tian picked himself up, dusting off his clothes. “What’s so despicable about it? You tried to rob us and cripple my legs. Was that honorable?”