Chapter 22: The Huns Invade!

Since the beginning of autumn, a month had passed. Time flew by, and Xu Daoyan had been immersed in cultivation, solidifying his foundation so that he could later use high-quality gold spirit stones to accelerate his cultivation speed.

He had increased his ability to draw autumn qi from a radius of five miles to twenty miles, a fourfold increase, significantly speeding up his cultivation!

He ended his cultivation, slowly opened his eyes, and looked at the old beggar, saying, "Teach me other lung techniques."

"One Body Tempering Technique is enough to benefit you infinitely. Have you heard of copper skin and iron bones?" the old beggar asked with a smile.

"Yes, copper skin and iron bones, impervious to blades and bullets!" Xu Daoyan nodded repeatedly.

"You are at best just giving your body a slight taste of copper skin. The Body Tempering Technique has three stages before reaching the flawless lung stage: Hundred-Refined Copper Body, Thousand-Refined Copper Body, and Ten-Thousand-Refined Copper Body. You haven't even reached the Hundred-Refined Copper Body stage, so work hard!"

Copper is flexible and resilient, combining hardness and softness. Unlike steel, which is sharp and deadly but prone to breaking.

"Once you can refine your skin to its ultimate, you will be impervious to blades and bullets. Isn't that the best offensive and defensive technique?"

Xu Daoyan, hearing this, deeply agreed and nodded repeatedly. Since he had stimulated his pores, each pore on his body could absorb autumn qi with his breathing, integrating it into his lungs, increasing his cultivation speed by more than ten times.

In just fifteen days, he had reached the Hundred-Refined Copper Body stage, making his body extremely tough. When he stabbed his arm with a dagger, the skin only sank slightly, causing a mild sting, but it didn't break. He was shocked, wondering how powerful he would be if he reached the Thousand-Refined Copper Body and Ten-Thousand-Refined Copper Body stages.

At this moment, the old beggar was gone. Xu Daoyan used the Immortal Wood Mirror to check his lifespan, which was now 1,100 years, placing him at the middle rank of the fifth tier. After refining his lungs, his cultivation speed had increased, and naturally, his lifespan had also been extended.

This day was the 15th of August, the Mid-Autumn Festival.

It was also the time of harvest for the villagers. During the day, everyone was busy harvesting their crops. This year, there was plenty of rain and no natural disasters, so they had a good harvest.

Xu Daoyan did not cultivate today. He planned to stay home and spend time with his mother. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a time for family reunions.

However, since Xu Daoyan was born, he had never seen his father. During festivals, he would miss his father even more.

His mother, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival, would miss her husband who was away, not knowing if he was dead or alive, and he had never sent a letter home.

Xu Daoyan, fearing his mother's sadness, invited Aunt Dumb and Ling'er over. The house was bustling with activity, creating a festive atmosphere.

In the past, Xu Daoyan would always ask his mother where his father was during this time. This year, he didn't mention it at all.

While the three women were happily cooking, Xu Daoyan suddenly felt the entire village shaking, and a distant wailing sound could be heard.

Suddenly, a villager's terrified cry echoed: "The Huns are here! They are coming to kill us..."

"Run! They are here to steal our food. If they take our food, we will starve to death."

Xu Daoyan's mother turned pale and said, "The Huns are here! We must run!"

"It's too late." As Xu Daoyan, Wu Shi, Aunt Dumb, and Ling'er stepped out of the house, a massive army of horses and soldiers charged in, their hooves thundering. Each warhorse was incredibly powerful, scaring the large horses in Xu Daoyan's stable so much that they couldn't move. Warhorses were very different from ordinary horses.

Among the army, a young man, about Xu Daoyan's age, wore a golden battle armor that shone brilliantly in the sunlight, blinding to the eye. His brows were filled with a menacing aura. He ordered, "Kill the adult men who resist, but do not harm the elderly, women, and children. Take all the food so our people can survive the winter!"

"Yes!" The Huns let out a chorus of howls, which sounded like the voice of death to the villagers, who fled in terror.

The Huns were nomads who did not understand farming. In winter, animals would hibernate, making hunting difficult. Without enough food, many would starve to death. So, in autumn, they would raid to ensure they had enough food to survive the winter.

"Why don't we kill everyone in the village?" a man beside the young man asked.

"Once, there was a lion who was very greedy. He ate all the deer and ended up starving to death on the grassland. Do you understand now?" The young man, while speaking, picked up a longbow and shot an arrow. A middle-aged man fleeing was pierced through the heart, the arrow pinning him to the ground, blood pooling beneath his body. The young man said calmly, "Besides, I want these people to live in fear, to fear us Huns and spread our fame to more people, so they know that we Huns are like war gods, invincible!"

"Brilliant, my lord!"

At this moment, the young Hun lord, leading a detachment, arrived at Xu Daoyan's house. Seeing Xu Daoyan standing in front of the three women without fear, he pulled on the reins, causing his warhorse to rear up and neigh. The Hun lord, holding a bow and arrow, aimed at Xu Daoyan's heart and said, "Kneel, and I will spare your life!"

The Hun lord, in his golden battle armor, looked formidable. His slightly childish face exuded an aura of nobility, more powerful than Shi Yun's.

This was an aura that could only be cultivated in a noble royal family, just as children from rural areas would naturally carry a rustic air, making them easily distinguishable.

Growing up in a high position, with thousands of people bowing to you, naturally cultivated a noble and commanding presence, radiating from within.

The Hun lord's warbow was made of gold, adorned with dragon patterns, exuding a majestic aura. It was drawn to a full circle, the arrow gleaming with a chilling light, aimed at Xu Daoyan's heart, ready to pierce him at any moment.

Xu Daoyan remained calm, looking straight at the Hun lord, and said, "I thought the brave warriors of the Huns would not bully the weak or outnumber the few. Today, it seems you are no different. Kill me if you can, and I'll see if you have the ability!"

"Ah..." At this moment, a villager's scream echoed nearby.

Hearing the scream, Wu Shi's heart trembled, and she pleaded, "Please don't kill my son. I have plenty of food; you can take it all!"

"You have a good mother. My mother never cared about my life. When I was three, she made me kill cattle and sheep. I was afraid, so she beat me. When I was five, she threw me into the mountains to kill tigers and leopards. I was covered in injuries, but her eyes were cold, offering no praise, only scolding me for being useless!" The Hun youth, with immense strength, glanced at Aunt Dumb, slowly lowering his bow, and said to Xu Daoyan, "Remember, your survival today is a gift from us Huns. Go!"

The Hun lord pulled the reins, and a long neigh echoed as they charged toward other areas.

A warrior beside him asked, "My lord, why did we spare them? Those women were quite beautiful and could have been taken as wives."

"You need to have the luck for that. Didn't you notice? Among the four, only the woman showed no fear. Does that seem normal to you? The boy in front is a middle-rank fifth-tier, which is nothing special, but the little girl behind her is already at the peak of the upper-rank third-tier at 4,000 years old. The woman beside her is even more terrifying. I couldn't sense her strength with the treasure given by my master. Since she doesn't want to meddle in our affairs, we shouldn't provoke her!" The Hun lord, surprised by this encounter on his first battle, understood the complexity of the Nine Provinces Divine Dynasty, where many powerful figures would not harm a junior, but if their taboos were touched, the consequences could be dire. So, he knew when to advance and retreat.

"Such power..."

The Hun army raided the village, taking much food, and left in less than half an hour.

The village was filled with corpses. Xu Daoyan suddenly remembered Wu Xiaobai's family and rushed to their house, only to find his parents lying in a pool of blood.

He trembled, as Xu Daoyan and Wu Xiaobai were very close, sometimes staying at each other's homes. He felt responsible for what had happened.

"Father, Mother!" At this moment, Wu Xiaobai returned, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

Seeing his dead parents, he cried out loudly, and Xu Daoyan's heart ached. "Xiaobai, it's my fault. I couldn't protect your parents."

The Hun cavalry was too fast, coming and going like the wind, leaving Xu Daoyan no time to react!

"Father, Mother!" Wu Xiaobai's tears streamed down, his voice hoarse, as if he couldn't hear anything else.

"Death is irreversible. Let's bury your parents and give them peace." At this moment, a tall, robust old man with surging qi and a沧桑 (weathered) gaze, as if he had seen countless lives, spoke.

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't taken me to collect those minerals, my parents wouldn't have died!" Wu Xiaobai shouted at the old man, filled with anger.

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