Chapter 22: The Domain of Wolves (3)

"Y-You brought it."

"Sure did."

Madong Pil’s face was a sight to behold.

Sssss.

An invisible mist seemed to appear, and an inaudible sound seemed to be heard. An overwhelming spiritual energy was gushing out from the cut bamboo. It was on a different level from the spirit bamboo he had seen before. Not only the quantity but especially the quality of the highly concentrated spiritual energy was extraordinary.

"Truly remarkable spiritual energy."

"Isn’t it? Hey, it was so hard that even the sword didn’t work. I had to pull out my saber just to cut this bamboo."

He had spoken of the unity of sword and body, and the unity of body and sword.

Once he realized that the weapon was no different from himself, the sword became his body, and his body became the sword. The enlightenment merged into his heart, and since the heart is qi, the nature of the qi in the sword changed as well.

Madong Pil slowly ran his finger over the cross-section of the cut bamboo.

‘...An incredible saber.’

The cross-section was so smooth it was almost eerie. Could he, with his best sword, leave such a mark even if he exerted his maximum strength?

‘Indeed, you are remarkable.’

Thinking back to the level he was at eight months ago, which was similar to that of an ordinary person, this was truly an incredible growth. He thought there was nothing to be surprised about anymore, but the more time they spent together, the more each day brought new surprises.

"By the way, young master."

"Huh? What is it?"

Madong Pil’s expression became awkward.

"That fox..."

Xueliang glanced behind him.

A baby fox was sitting behind his buttocks, wagging its tail. Its large ears and a tail longer than its body gave it a strangely mysterious appearance.

"I don’t know. It was inside. At first, it was sleeping soundly, but then it woke up and chewed my left hand... Eh?!"

Xueliang blinked his eyes.

"What? Where did the bite marks go?"

"Y-Yes?"

"No, that mischievous fox cub chewed my left hand like it was a meaty bone. It was bleeding profusely, but why is it already healed? Is the spiritual energy that strong?"

"Are you saying that the fox cub tampered with your body, young master?"

"Yes, it did."

Swoosh.

Madong Pil, who had risen from his seat, glared at the baby fox.

A cold aura enveloped his face, which was stern beyond measure, causing Xueliang to wave his hands.

"How serious are you going to get? Just leave it alone. Now you’re even trying to hold a grudge against an animal."

"..."

"Relax your eyes."

Madong Pil, who had bowed his head, gave the baby fox one last glare. His eyes were filled with the intent to severely punish it if it dared to touch his body again.

Thump, thump, thump.

The baby fox ignored him, scratched its chin a few times with its hind legs, and then lay down, only looking at Xueliang’s back.

A thick vein bulged on Madong Pil’s jaw. He felt bad about being ignored by a mere animal.

"What are you doing!"

"A, yes."

Madong Pil crouched next to Xueliang.

Xueliang’s face became serious as he examined the bamboo several times.

"It won’t work. The distance is too far to carry it, so let’s purify it here."

"Yes, I will guard the ritual."

"Alright."

Xueliang placed his hands on the bamboo, sat in a lotus position, and closed his eyes.

Woooom.

The Dark Shadow Demon Technique receded, and the Wu Ai Gong, which had been properly cultivated over eight months, took its place.

Sssss!

The surrounding air instantly became clean. Even the extremely fine turbid qi, hidden by the abundant spiritual energy, was being absorbed.

Madong Pil watched the scene with a serious expression.

‘It’s always amazing to watch.’

Removing the turbid qi from the surroundings to purify the air.

Further, adjusting the concentration of the spirit bamboo, which is too potent to be immediately absorbed.

‘It’s not just that he knows a unique martial technique. It means his enlightenment in qi cultivation is very high.’

His face showed a hint of curiosity.

‘When did the young master acquire such knowledge and enlightenment?’

The more he saw, the less the young master seemed like a young man in his early twenties. Just now, for example, the young master showed the experience of a seasoned veteran who had lived for decades.

Pssssss.

Finally, mist rose from the bamboo.

It was real mist, not an illusion. Some of the highly concentrated spiritual energy in the bamboo was escaping into the air.

Xueliang’s eyebrows twitched.

Crack!

Thick veins appeared on the hand that held the bamboo joint.

Rumble.

The ends of the bamboo gradually turned white, and the tips cracked as if all the moisture had been sucked out.

In contrast, the part Xueliang held became darker. He was extracting the unstable spiritual energy and concentrating it into the bamboo joint, turning it into essence.

Pssssss. Pssssss.

The white, dried ends turned gray and soon turned to powder, flying away.

After some time, the essence had gathered inside the bamboo joint to the point where it was sloshing around.

Xueliang opened his eyes.

"It’s done."

"Thank you for your hard work."

"What hard work? You should drink it first... Eh?"

Xueliang’s expression became awkward.

The baby fox was lying on his legs, which were in a lotus position, in a deep sleep, as if it wouldn’t wake up even if thunder struck nearby.

"What? When did it come here?"

Madong Pil was flustered.

"I, I was looking around... but I didn’t sense its presence."

"Wow! This is really a mysterious creature."

Xueliang gently stroked the fox’s nose with his finger.

‘Hmm.’

The texture is like a work of art.

"Young master, please give it to me. I’ll take it and leave it nearby."

"Leave it? This one?"

"It might have a mother."

"Hmm... That’s true. But it was alone in the deeper area."

"It might have gone out for a while. Besides, there are no ordinary creatures in the Spirit Bamboo Forest. This one, though small, is definitely a spirit creature."

"That’s true."

Xueliang smacked his lips. Still, it felt a bit mean to leave it on his legs, where it was dozing off.

"Drink half first. Let’s think about what to do with this fox."

Madong Pil’s face showed confusion.

"Young master, how can I, a mere servant, accept such a precious thing..."

"Are you tired of hearing this after eight months?"

"This is different. It should be entirely consumed by the young master."

"Are you going to be so formal until the end? We’ve been through a lot together. Don’t be so cold. Drink it quickly."

"..."

"Drink it before I pull out your jaw and pour it in. I want to drink it quickly too."

"..."

"Really, you’re so stubborn. Drink it quickly!!"

"Thank you, young master."

Madong Pil, who was slowly bowing, showed deep emotion on his face.

Even with the bond they shared, it was rare for someone to share such a precious spirit medicine. It was a treasure that could lead to a sword fight with a lifelong friend or not be given even to blood relatives.

The Third Young Master was sharing such a spirit medicine as if it were nothing.

Xueliang smiled.

"Have I saved your life once or twice? I feel more grateful. I should give it all to you, but I’m taking half."

"Young master..."

"Because of me, you’ve suffered in this wretched place. I mean it."

Madong Pil felt a surge of emotion.

Being a bodyguard or a guard is a lonely job. One mistake, and it’s all over. Even if you complete your mission, you often hear that you need to be more vigilant in the future.

For the first time in his life, he received sincere gratitude from the Third Young Master, whom he had served for about eight months.

This was more precious and valuable than any spirit medicine.

"I will protect the young master until the day my mission ends. No one will harm the young master until they step over my dead body."

Although he understood the gratitude, hearing such words in person made him feel a bit ticklish.

Xueliang, feeling awkward, scratched his head.

‘Hmm?!’

His eyes flashed.

He didn’t sense any presence, sound, or smell.

But the murderous intent that was shaking the air, filled with spiritual energy, was unmistakable.

Blind, unthinking murderous intent. The primitive, indescribable murderous intent was like arrows converging on this place.

Madong Pil shouted as if spitting out blood.

"Even if this mission ends, I will never forget the great kindness of the young master until the day I die!"

"Hey! Just drink it already!"

Madong Pil closed his eyes. It seemed the Third Young Master really lacked the knack for showing off.

"I, Madong Pil, after leaving the mission, can only return to the Bodyguard Hall, but my heart will always be..."

"Stop the speech and drink it quickly!"

"Young master, my sincerity is..."

"Damn it! Just drink it! Drink it!"

Thump!

Madong Pil’s eyes widened.

"Ugh?!"

His head suddenly tilted back, and his jaw dropped as the essence poured into his open mouth.

"Cough! Choke!"

"Swallow! Move your throat, kid!"

While pouring the essence, Xueliang looked around.

"Damn it!"

What’s with these guys being so fast?

Black monstrous birds, known as Zhu, flew in like a flock of crows. In addition, there were giant monkeys over nine feet tall, and a couple of Green Touches were seen between the Changbu. The leopard he saw earlier was also there. Its fur was so bright it couldn’t be missed, and its speed was even faster than the Green Touches.

That wasn’t all.

Crack!

Several bamboos dried up quickly. It seemed that a few Biyu were moving in the invisible ground.

All the spirit creatures he had seen so far were converging. Moreover, strange and bizarre spirit creatures he had never seen before were appearing from the distant west.

Xueliang, who had roughly filled half, swallowed the remaining essence in one go.

Madong Pil, who had been coughing for a while, opened his eyes wide.

"Th-This is...!"

"Gulp! Cough! Hey! It’s spilling!"

"What’s happening all of a sudden?"

"How should I know!!"

Xueliang quickly looked around.

"Northeast! The northeast is open! Do you remember the way here?!"

"Of course!"

"What a reliable kid! Good, let’s go!"

Xueliang, who was about to use his lightness technique, glanced behind him.

Despite the chaos, the baby fox was still sound asleep.

"Damn it!"

A moment later.

"Hey! Catch it!"

"Y-Yes? Huh!"

"Put it in your arms and run! I’ll cover the rear!"

"Y-Young master! I will cut off their pursuit!"

Xueliang raised his fist.

Zzzz!

A dark red demonic aura rose from his fist like smoke.

"Listen to me, you brat!!"

Boom!

"Ugh!"

Madong Pil’s body shot forward at an incredible speed. The heavy fist wind from Xueliang had pushed him away.

Emitting a fist wind itself is a high-level martial principle. Using it to push someone away rather than to strike is a superlative martial principle.

Madong Pil’s face showed shock. He knew the young master was strong, but not to this extent.

"Y-Young master!"

Pwoosh!

Xueliang’s sword split a Changbu in half.

Finally, the King of Slaughter’s technique, Dantian Sandao, was revealed.

It wasn’t the highest martial technique, but it was the best for quick execution. This wasn’t the time to show off with flashy techniques.

Whoosh!

A powerful demonic aura rose from Xueliang’s body.

He shouted heroically at the spirit creatures.

"Don’t come!"

Boom!