Chapter 10

Lei Jiutian watched as the burly men chasing him finally disappeared into the distance. Only then did he lean against a tree, supporting himself with his knees. In this era, there were those who practiced lifting stone locks to build strength; some trained with mung beans to develop iron palm skills; others practiced bone-shrinking softness techniques; and some played cuju to improve their aim. But no one ran around aimlessly. Running and walking were two different things. People of this era could carry heavy loads for miles on foot, but running was a different story, especially the kind of interval running that Ding Yi had led them through.

Lei Jiutian had maintained his composure in front of his companions, but now that they were far away, he no longer needed to pretend. He untied the belt around his waist, threw the sheathed yanling knife to the side, and ripped open his shirt. The cold wind of the forest blew against his hot chest, bringing a refreshing sensation. He cleared his throat and spat out a thick wad of phlegm, feeling a sharp pain in his temples, and then nothing more.

For two shuishou spears had pierced deeply into Lei Jiutian's temples, all the way to the hilt. People in such a state didn't need to worry about what happened next. This was the benefit of being dead, perhaps the only one.

Ding Yi, who had been hiding behind the tree for a long time, since Xiao Xiaolian started running again, forcefully pulled out the two shuishou spears. Fresh red blood mixed with white brain matter flowed from Lei Jiutian's head. Ding Yi had been patient, waiting for the right moment. People who hadn't trained for long-distance running, once they stopped, especially if they sat down, would experience a period of weakness. Those with better constitutions would recover faster, while those with weaker constitutions would take longer, sometimes even days. Ding Yi was waiting for this moment, waiting for Lei Jiutian to sit down.

One strike, and it was over.

Special forces were not just strong in physical prowess; more importantly, they excelled in choosing the right moment.

The sky was gradually darkening. Xiao Xianglian felt that the distance she had run today was longer than her entire life. She felt she couldn't run any more, leaning against a tree and panting heavily. Two burly men, also leaning against trees, were less than twenty steps behind her. From the eastern forest, the sound of footsteps and the curses of two other burly men could be heard.

If it weren't for the shuishou spears that Ding Yi had taken, Xiao Xianglian might have preferred a quick death by a stab to the heart. Even if she were naturally naive, she knew what kind of torture and humiliation she would face if she fell into the hands of these men. Death would be a merciful end.

But she didn't have the shuishou spears, so when the two burly men began to stagger towards her, all she could do was keep running. After a few steps, she tripped on a tripwire. A branch snapped, and a rope around her left ankle pulled her upside down into the air.

"We've caught the woman!" "Come quickly!" The two burly men shouted in delight, perhaps not just because they had caught Xiao Xianglian, but also because they could finally stop their endless running.

But the forest fell silent at that moment.

Even the footsteps from the east, which had been gradually becoming clearer, disappeared.

The two burly men, seasoned fighters, were not afraid, but they still called out the names of their companions in the east, receiving no response. Then, from behind them, they heard approaching footsteps. They shouted, "Is it Master Lei? We've caught the woman!"

But what greeted them was a figure in a blue robe and Ding Yi's strange cry, "I took a wrong turn! I want to go back to the city! Don't come any closer, don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll go to the magistrate and have you arrested!" Ding Yi, who seemed to be in a bad state, with his belt missing, hair disheveled, and limping, turned and ran.

The two burly men quickly made a decision: "You watch this little wench, I'll go chase after Ding Xiuren, hehe!" One of them, Niu Liu, ran after Ding Yi, while the other, cursing, said, "Damn it, Niu Liu, you're good at calculating. It's better to be flat than round. We have to wait for Master Lei to question this little wench before we can do anything, but with Ding Xiuren, we can give him a quick end after we're done."

Niu Liu didn't take long to catch up with Ding Yi.

"Ding Xiuren, can't run anymore, can you? Hehe, your father helped my family a few times when he was alive. For that, if you take off your pants and let me have my way, I'll let you go. What do you say? Otherwise, when Master Lei and the others come, they won't be as lenient as I am!" Niu Liu, holding a short knife, approached Ding Yi with a sinister smile.

Ding Yi turned around and stood with his hands behind his back. The wind in the forest was strong, making his blue robe flutter. Niu Liu laughed, "What are you doing, scholar? Oh, I remember, you scholars talk about something called 'righteousness.' Are you trying to compare your righteousness with my knife?"

"Yes," Ding Yi smiled and nodded.

"Damn, you really think you're something!" Niu Liu sneered, holding the short knife and rushing towards Ding Yi, "First, I'll cut you with my knife, then I'll have my way with you!"

Ding Yi's hands, which had been behind his back, finally came out, holding a sheathed yanling knife. Just as Niu Liu's knife was about to reach him, a spring mechanism sounded, and Ding Yi, lowering his shoulder, drew the knife. Niu Liu's hand, holding the short knife, passed over Ding Yi's lowered shoulder.

Pain was Niu Liu's only feeling.

Why did Ding Yi have a knife? This was his last question.

Slowly pulling the yanling knife out of Niu Liu's chest, Ding Yi felt the fire in his chest burning even hotter.

Holding the long knife at an angle, he stepped on the frozen ground of the forest and walked towards where Xiao Xianglian was hanging.

The blood grooves on the yanling knife dripped with Niu Liu's blood, leaving a trail of red on the ground as Ding Yi walked.

"Ding Xiuren?" The burly man watching Xiao Xianglian called out in surprise.

"It's me."

"Where's Niu Liu?"

"Dead." Ding Yi walked slowly and answered slowly.

The burly man's face changed, sweat beading on his forehead. Yanling knives were expensive, and there were only a few in Rongcheng. He recognized the one in Ding Yi's hand as belonging to the head of Feng Family's Escort Agency, Master Lei Jiutian. Ding Yi had taken Master Lei's knife, Niu Liu was dead, and the other two companions hadn't appeared yet.

This burly man, a seasoned fighter, knew what had happened.

"How is that possible! Even Master Lei couldn't silently take out all three of them!" The burly man suddenly jumped and shouted, then, holding his dagger, he said to Ding Yi, "Master Ding! Let me go! I've never been here, and I won't show my face in Rongcheng again..."

"What if I don't let you go?" Ding Yi opened his eyes wide, tilting his head to ask the burly man.

The man looked around in panic and saw Xiao Xianglian hanging upside down, then had an idea: "You, you don't come any closer! Or I'll kill this little wench!"

"I don't believe you." Ding Yi sheathed the yanling knife and threw it on the ground, nodding at the burly man, "Go ahead, kill her, quickly."

A person who hadn't run before, running two kilometers while cursing, not in one go but with stops, would have no strength left. Xiao Xianglian, hanging upside down, was at least two meters off the ground. The burly man jumped a few times but was still far from reaching her.

"Master Ding! Scholar Ding! You are a great man! Please spare me!" The burly man, a tough guy, immediately knelt and begged, his head thudding on the frozen ground, his forehead quickly bruised, "I'm not a good person, but I have two children at home, and my blind old mother depends on me. Master Ding, please, I beg you!"

"Rujin, let him go, he's pitiful..." Xiao Xianglian, hanging upside down, said to Ding Yi as he slowly approached.

Ding Yi shook his head, "Don't call me brother, we're not close."

"But, but when Master passed away, he told me: If it's a matter of life and death, go to Rongcheng and seek advice from your brother Rujin. Uncle Ding is a hero who can be entrusted with family and children, and Rujin is a man of integrity..."

Ding Yi felt a headache coming on and quickly shouted, "Stop! Stop reciting, okay?"

At this moment, the burly man on the ground, seeing Ding Yi talking to Xiao Xianglian and the sheathed yanling knife on the ground, had a thought. He tightened his grip on the dagger he hadn't let go of even while kneeling, gritted his teeth, and suddenly leaped at Ding Yi.

Ding Yi didn't turn around. His combat steps, almost instinctive from his previous life, moved him just enough to avoid the attack. His left hand came up, and a shuishou spear pierced the burly man's chin, the softest part, as he was at the highest point of his leap, almost using his own weight to drive the spear into his chin.

The burly man, with the shuishou spear still in him, fell to the ground.

He twitched and then lay still, his expression of anger and hatred frozen on his face forever.

Ding Yi, seeing the bloodstains on his sleeve, frowned. It was too slow; this body couldn't keep up with his mind.

In fact, he had no confidence in facing the burly man in a direct fight and winning without a scratch. Whether it was killing Lei Jiutian, Niu Liu, or this burly man, and the two enemies he had taken out on the side, Ding Yi was walking a tightrope, relying on his superior awareness to push this weak body to its limits.

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