Chapter 14

Wei He was suddenly startled and reflexively swung his blade backward.

The blade missed its target and plunged into the tree trunk, getting stuck and unable to move.

Wei He decisively let go and threw a backfist at the man's temple behind him.

"Punching skills are average, and the person practicing them is even more average." The man sneered, lightly tapping his right foot on the ground and lunging forward like a venomous snake.

As he moved, his entire body's qi and blood surged, his breathing, heartbeat, and lung capacity were much louder than Wei He's.

Clearly, this man's qi and blood realm was above Wei He's.

His kick came silently, aiming directly at Wei He's vital areas below.

In their exchange, he struck later but was faster and more powerful.

If he hit, the result would certainly be castration.

Puff!

In an instant, Wei He's fist suddenly opened, and a handful of white ash was thrown directly into the man's face.

He didn't expect Wei He to be so devious, and his eyes were truly hit. They burned painfully.

But this man had a firm will, and his right leg did not stop, continuing to lunge forward.

He seemed determined to fight to the death with Wei He.

However, with his eyes blinded, he couldn't change his moves, and Wei He managed to dodge by leaning back, narrowly avoiding castration.

"You despicable scoundrel!! If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one!" The man couldn't help but curse loudly.

His right leg swept in a series of kicks, hitting the surrounding trees with a dull thud.

Wei He took several steps back, took out all the remaining lime powder from his waist bag, and threw it hard at the man's head from a distance.

But this move made a sound, and the man countered with a sweeping kick.

Swish.

The leg shadow struck his right arm. Behind him was a tree as big as a person's embrace, leaving no room to retreat.

Wei He calmed his mind, gathered his qi and blood, and pulled back his right arm, delivering a straight punch with the Back Mountain Fist.

Thud.

Fist and leg collided.

Wei He tumbled to the side, rolling on the ground for five or six times before quickly getting up and holding his hand.

He felt a slight swelling and pain in the area where his fist had hit, but his bones were fine, though the flesh was bruised.

The man, however, showed no reaction and continued to pursue him by sound.

Another series of axe-like kicks followed.

Wei He used the Back Mountain Fist, calmed his mind, and moved quietly, retreating to avoid the attacks.

Occasionally, the man would catch up, and they would exchange a few blows. The man had been exerting himself for a long time and, with his eyes damaged, could not perform at his best.

He could only use about 60-70% of his strength.

Wei He, being cautious, used his machete as a fist to strike and injure the man, taking advantage of the man's blindness.

After several such exchanges, the man began to tire, his breathing becoming more rapid, his heart rate accelerating, and his sweat soaking his clothes.

Wei He then pressed forward, forcing the man to maintain his previous offensive.

Whenever there was a lull, he would step forward and attack with the Back Mountain Fist.

The Back Mountain Fist had no particular advantage in technique, but it had some unique features in terms of explosive power.

This fist technique did not strike easily, but once it did, it would consume a lot of energy. So he would strike once and then rest for a while.

By keeping the man at a distance, Wei He was very cautious.

He knew that his advantage was in striking first, and the man had no psychological guard against him, which is why he could succeed.

But the same trick wouldn't work a second time.

So...

A fierce look flashed in his eyes, and he led the man deeper into the forest.

Unbeknownst to them, they had reached a slope. The man was now panting heavily, drenched in sweat.

He knew the situation was dire and that if it continued, he would die. Thus, he also had the intention to retreat.

After all, he had exhausted 90% of his strength, his heart was pounding like a drum, and his eyes were burning with intense pain. He even suspected that his eyes were permanently damaged.

With these worries, the man quietly reduced his strength and was about to retreat.

At that moment, Wei He lunged forward, delivering a straight punch to the man's chest with the Back Mountain Fist.

Thud.

The man heard the sound and kicked his right leg up, hitting the fist.

If he were in his usual state, this kick would have been enough to break the arm of the young man with only basic qi and blood.

But at this moment, he was extremely weak and could only barely deflect the punch.

"Who are you!? Why did you ambush me!?" he shouted.

Wei He remained silent, launching a fierce attack with the Back Mountain Fist.

This was the perfect time for him to hone his combat skills. Although the man was physically exhausted, his combat experience was rich.

Despite being at a great disadvantage, he could still find a glimmer of hope in the gaps of Wei He's attacks.

Sometimes Wei He's attacks were too forceful, leaving openings.

Sometimes his attacks were too late, failing to connect with the previous strikes.

Other times, his aim was not precise enough, missing the target.

Using this blind man, Wei He carefully studied the offensive and defensive systems of the Back Mountain Fist, a rare opportunity for training.

However, this time couldn't last.

After several more moments, the man finally couldn't hold on, was hit in the chest, and fell to the ground, unable to catch his breath.

His vision blurred, his chest felt numb, and his ears were deaf to everything, feeling as if his blood vessels were about to burst.

"Ah!!" He roared in frustration, years of hard training in leg techniques, only to be defeated by a young man with only basic qi and blood!

Thud.

A large rock fell from behind, and the sound abruptly stopped.

Everything was quiet.

Wei He, expressionless, continued to strike with the rock for several more times, ensuring the man was dead, before throwing the rock aside.

"Too dangerous... Just visiting a temple and encountering a bandit. And a bandit who is this strong... The outskirts of the city, indeed, are not to be underestimated."

He sighed sincerely.

Looking at the bloodied corpse on the ground, he touched the now empty lime powder bag, having used all his hidden trump cards.

He would have to buy more soon.

After the initial shock, Wei He had adapted to dealing with corpses.

So, for this man with excellent leg techniques, he decided to search the body.

With a determined mind, he quickly squatted down, using the knife issued by the courier agency to cut open the clothes, retrieving a money bag, a sachet, a bamboo tube, and a letter.

He wrapped these items in his outer coat, lifted them through the fabric, and quickly left the scene.

Finding a stream in the forest, he threw the wrapped items into the water, soaking and shaking them for a while before lifting them out.

This way, any incense or poison would be washed away and diluted by the stream.

However, Wei He still only took the money bag, using the tip of his knife to open the rest, scattering them on the ground.

The sachet was filled with various finely ground spices and petals.

The bamboo tube contained a white flying insect, about the length of a finger, with four wings, looking somewhat frightening.

The letter was mostly soaked, but the sealed part was still intact.

Wei He carefully opened it with the tip of his knife, spread the pale yellow paper on a larger pebble, and read it under the remaining daylight.

The letter explained the use of the scent-seeking insect, essentially a manual.

It mentioned that the scent-seeking insect was used to track the black-letter insect.

The black-letter insect was a very special insect that left a semi-transparent, sticky trail when stimulated.

When the sticky trail dried, it slowly released a scent that only its kind could detect, lasting for months.

The letter suggested using this characteristic to track a demoness carrying the black-letter insect.

"Demoness?" Wei He squinted, guessing something.

He brought the bamboo tube closer to his body, following the instructions, and gently sniffed near the hole.

If he had the trail of the black-letter insect on him, the scent-seeking insect would emit a fragrance.

If not, there would be no fragrance.

To his surprise, the bamboo tube did emit a faint fragrance.

He had only tried it to see how it worked, but he had unknowingly been marked by the black-letter insect.

His face darkened, realizing that he had likely been marked by the demoness at some point.

She probably used him as a distraction to throw off her pursuers.

'No matter who you are, this grudge is now mine. I'll remember this.' He silently vowed.

Anyone who was suddenly attacked and nearly killed would remember it bitterly.

"I should leave." Wei He stood up, kicked the items on the ground into the stream, and quickly headed down the mountain with a handful of silver coins from the money bag.

His mind was heavy.

He had been marked by the black-letter insect without knowing it.

Who was the demoness mentioned in the letter?

What was her identity, and why was she being pursued? When had he been marked?

Wei He was full of questions.

Halfway down, he recalled that the black-letter insect was a social insect, and individual insects generally did not stray far from the main body.

"That means the demoness carrying the insect is likely still nearby?" Wei He was startled.

Given the strength of the leg technique man, the group pursuing her was not to be underestimated.

At the very least, if he hadn't blinded the man's eyes, he would have lost the fight.

"From the tone of the letter, the black-letter insect is raised by the demoness. They are tracking her for a reason.

And they are eliminating anyone who comes into contact with the black-letter insect, clearly to prevent anyone from knowing her whereabouts and to delay the spread of information."

Wei He was increasingly alarmed by his analysis.

"That means there are two groups: one is the main group tracking the demoness, and the other is dispersing to eliminate witnesses.

The tracking group is definitely stronger than the elimination group."

He was confident in this conclusion.

Although the letter contained little information, it was enough for him to deduce the key points.

"Now that I've killed one of their members, they will definitely send someone to investigate, regardless of the reason."

Wei He carefully recalled his previous actions, suddenly worried that the body might reveal signs of the struggle.

He decisively stopped and considered going back to handle the body.

But a distant howl from behind him immediately dispelled his thoughts.

Clearly, the bloody fight had attracted wild animals.

Whether the body was still there was now uncertain.

Wei He suppressed his agitation.