“Oh? This Wildman and the wild ox are quite agile,” a refined and elegant man in a tree said with a smile. He slowly dropped his bow and arrow and drew the sword from his waist.
“Junior Sister Wan, a barbarian like this is beneath your notice. Let me handle it,” a man with a scar grinned slyly. “Junior Sister Wan, you deal with that wild ox, and the Wildman will be mine. Don’t get hurt.”
“Thank you, Senior Brother Tian,” Junior Sister Wan replied with a smile, her eyes flashing with cold light. “Thank you, Senior Brother Tian.” Junior Sister Wan turned and smiled, full of charm, making the scar-faced man’s heart flutter.
Senior Brother Su smiled and said nothing. Hunting such a Wildman would be a great way to enhance the prestige of the Hundred Profound Sect. Not only would they be eliminating a scourge for the people, but who knew how many wealthy families in the city would donate money, their stature in the martial world would rise, and many new disciples would flock to them.
“Attacking with killing intent right away. Aren’t you afraid of killing the wrong person?” a cold voice came from beneath the tree, his emotions seemingly suppressed to the extreme.
Senior Brother Su looked at Chén Xún and sneered, “Your face is unclear, you wear animal skins, and you have a wild ox. You must be that Wildman who eats human bones. We haven’t mistaken you.”
“We haven’t eaten human bones. Those were for burying them. You can inspect them yourselves if you don’t believe me,” Chén Xún said word by word, his voice firm and powerful. “The Old Ox and I have not provoked any of you.”
“Hahaha…” The three of them burst into laughter as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world. Senior Brother Su shook his head and sighed. As expected of a Wildman, “Do you think you call the shots now?”
“The Old Ox and I can go and confront them, but I will repeat myself, we have not provoked any of you!” Chén Xún’s eyes swept coldly over the three in the tree. “You have misunderstood.”
“Wildman, I think you have misunderstood. The truth no longer matters.” The scar-faced man drew his saber and grinned, stepping down steadily. His cultivation was profound. “Only when you die will the common people find peace, and only then can my Hundred Profound Sect advance further!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the scar-faced man charged forward, his veins bulging, his saber light trembling, appearing incredibly fierce as he aimed directly for Chén Xún’s head.
“So slow.” Chén Xún narrowed his eyes slightly and sidestepped, pulling out the Mountain Splitting Axe from his body to block the swift and heavy saber strike.
“Clang!” A burst of sparks flew. The scar-faced man’s tiger’s mouth trembled, and he was greatly shocked. This Wildman had such great Strength! However, his attack lacked any form or discipline; it was clear he had no martial arts training.
Chén Xún silently gave Big Black Ox a look. The two quickly engaged in a fierce battle, the sound of metal clashing incessantly, fighting to a standstill.
Big Black Ox was about to step forward to help when Junior Sister Wan sprang out from behind, slashing with her sword. However, Big Black Ox kept dodging, and she couldn’t even scratch its skin.
“You beast,” Junior Sister Wan’s pupils widened slightly. It was the first time she had seen such an agile black ox. The sword light in her hand flashed continuously as she chased Big Black Ox all over.
Senior Brother Su frowned. This Wildman possessed immense Strength, and his Junior Brother Tian might not be able to hold on for long. He let out a loud shout, “Junior Brother Tian, I’ll help you.”
“Senior Brother Su, quickly help me kill this beast,” the scar-faced man said urgently, cold sweat dripping from his brow. His hands were covered in blood, his tiger’s mouth cracked, and every clash with the Mountain Splitting Axe sent a shock through his body.
Senior Brother Su leaped into the air. This Wildman was full of openings. Wielding his long sword with fierce killing intent, he slashed down ferociously from Chén Xún’s side.
“Finally, you’re here.” A slight smile played on Chén Xún’s lips. In an instant, he pulled a Mountain Splitting Axe from his waist with his left hand and blocked the sneak attack with lightning speed.
*Cling—* An ear-piercing collision sound rang out. Senior Brother Su was startled. He wielded dual axes! Chén Xún’s feet suddenly accelerated, instantly disappearing from his original position.
“Junior Brother Tian, be careful!” Senior Brother Su was horrified. This Wildman had not used his full Strength just now.
But it was too late. Two flashes of axe light flickered, and the scar-faced man’s blood splattered as his head flew into the sky. His body “plop”ed down onto the ground.
And the afterimage had not yet stopped. Senior Brother Su was stunned, his eyes darting around, his hand clenching his sword tightly.
*Boom!* Chén Xún stomped his foot down, leaped up from the side, and swung his dual axes heavily. Senior Brother Su reacted quickly, raising his sword to block the attack, but he had underestimated absolute Strength.
“Ah!!!” Senior Brother Su let out a roaring cry. His sword was cracking, and the bones in his hands and body were breaking.
His sword was split in two, and the two axes continued their momentum, cleaving into Senior Brother Su’s body, causing a large amount of bright red blood to burst forth.
“You…” Senior Brother Su’s eyes were filled with resentment. He couldn’t believe he was going to die like this.
“I don’t know Qinggong [lightness skill]. If you had escaped, it would have been a pity,” Chén Xún snorted coldly, slowly pulling his dual axes from his body. “When you decided to kill, your fate was already sealed. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have wasted my breath on you.”
Senior Brother Su collapsed limply, disbelief still in his eyes.
Junior Sister Wan’s area also erupted in screams. Seeing Chén Xún make a move, Big Black Ox also acted, kicking her into a crippled state with a single hoof. With a Black Ox Charge, she was thoroughly dead.
“Old Ox, time to work.”
“Moo!”
One person and one ox were furious. Burning the bodies, destroying the evidence, scattering the ashes, and staging the scene – even a master detective would say nothing happened here.
Two figures gradually disappeared. However, they were both displeased. What was this all about? It was inexplicable.
However, it was also a good lesson for Chén Xún, teaching him about the wickedness of human hearts. They changed their clothes and prepared to go down the mountain to gather information, as they had indeed done nothing wrong.
The next day, Chén Xún put on his bamboo basket, cleaned Big Black Ox and himself thoroughly, and carried their cultivated medicinal herbs down the mountain, appearing harmless.
At the foot of the mountain, there were not only ordinary people but also soldiers and various martial artists. They all stood tall, their gazes arrogant, and they were constantly discussing how to encircle and suppress the Wildman.
“Big brother, what happened on the mountain? Why is there such a large mobilization?”
Chén Xún walked over, leading the Big Black Ox. The surrounding people merely glanced at him briefly before looking away. He was just a cowherd.
“Little brother, don’t you know? There’s a Wildman in the mountain range,” a middle-aged man said boisterously. “They say he killed people and ate bones! You shouldn’t go up the mountain.”
“Ah?” Chén Xún was shocked. Could they be talking about him? Aside from yesterday, he hadn’t killed anyone in the mountains for years.
“Heh heh, so, little brother, your life is important. In such a large mountain range, finding a Wildman is not easy,” the middle-aged man said, seemingly pleased with Chén Xún’s surprised expression, and he continued to chat.
“Thank you, big brother. Then I won’t go into the mountain range.” Chén Xún clasped his hands, leading Big Black Ox towards the city. His eyes grew increasingly bewildered. It was like he had grasped something, but couldn’t quite articulate it.
He had a feeling that a small matter had been inexplicably exaggerated by certain people.
“Old Ox, forget it. Let’s not get involved in this trouble,” Chén Xún patted Big Black Ox and said with a carefree air, “Perhaps it’s something arranged by important figures.”
“Moo?” Big Black Ox didn’t understand, but it no longer mattered. Anyway, they had escaped.
Chén Xún returned to the city and went to see the Ning Family. Everything was well. Níng Sī’s hair had turned much whiter. Chén Xún also gave him some precious medicinal herbs.
Níng Sī constantly lamented that he had taken in a good disciple, but he was too kind-hearted. Fearing Chén Xún would suffer in the future, he kept talking with him all night.