Chapter 9: Vertical Escape

  The sky was overcast with a faint light, and a streak of pale white appeared on the eastern horizon.

  After a night of killing, the Ba Wang troops set up camp in a mountain valley thirty miles away from Shenjia Village. This was also the first time that the Ba Wang troops had rested and pitched camp in recent days.

  Five men formed a group, five groups formed a team, and five teams formed a camp. The camp of the King's Guards was arranged in an exceptionally standard five-petal peach blossom formation. Small bonfires flickered within the camp, with each group of five King's Guards surrounding one small bonfire, assuming a strange posture with their hearts facing upwards, quietly digesting the so-called "demonic killing energy" accumulated from their previous battle.

  A thread of black and red aura wrapped around the body of the Overlord, constantly spewing out and inhaling from their nostrils, the faint sound of breathing gathering into a buzzing hum that echoed far, far away in the dawn air. In the distance, Blood Cavalry Knights galloped by, they were the scouts released by the Overlord.

  In the center of the campsite, Lin Xiao gently hugged the little girl who was shivering all over and stared blankly at a small bonfire in front of him.

  The little girl's name was Shen Xiaobai, a collateral member of the Shen family who had been demoted to the fifth rank. Shen Xiaobai held a low position in Shenjia Fortress, her parents were only minor officials managing a small garden and orchard in Shenjia Fortress, while Shen Xiaobai herself was sent to work in the pharmacy due to her young age, agility, and cleverness. When the Hegemon King's army broke into Shenjia Fortress, Shen Xiaobai's parents were summoned by their clansmen to take up arms against the Hegemon King's army, leaving Shen Xiaobai unattended, she hid in the familiar pharmacy.

  Shen Xiaobai could not forget the scene that was like a nightmare. She stood at the entrance of her home, watching as her parents and a large group of people rushed past, wielding knives and guns. Then, they were suddenly cut to pieces by a flurry of flashing blades. Blood splattered everywhere, and she forgot how she had managed to hide in the medicine storage room. In her panic, she knocked over some baskets of medicine, and finally hid behind a large pile of them, hoping that those ruthless enemies would not discover her tracks.

  When the medicine basket was moved away by Lin Xiao, and the big knife of Blood Five was placed on her neck, Shen Xiaobai was so scared that she almost fainted. At that moment, Shen Xiaobai clearly knew what death meant. A cold despair covered her body and mind, and every pore on her body was spraying out a chill. Her eyes turned black in front of her, wanting to faint, but the icy fear grasped her heart, and she didn't even have the power to faint.

  Then she heard the handsome and refined young man say something, and the big knife suddenly left her neck.

  Two warm arms wrapped around her body, dispelling the chill and fear within. She vaguely heard the young man muttering to himself: "I can save a group of bandits, but I couldn't even save this little girl?" In a daze, she saw two streams of tears on the young man's face, as well as his strange and inexplicable complex gaze that left her completely bewildered.

  It was a very warm and comforting embrace, with a reassuring power in that hug. Although Lin Xiao looked weak, Shen Xiaobai instinctively felt that she was safe in his arms. So, she closed her eyes contentedly and fell asleep, completely forgetting about the tragic death of her parents and the destruction of Shen's house.

  Now Shen Xiaobai woke up. She suddenly realized that she and the young man with a warm hug were in the lair of those vicious bandits.

  She gazed at the pawns shrouded in a fine black and red mist with trepidation, unsure what kind of sinister plot they were brewing. Especially the Ling Ba Tian and his eighteen Blood Guards ten zhang away, their bodies churning with an intense, blood-like aura that reeked of a pungent bloody smell, almost making Shen Xiao Bai vomit.

  Lin Xiao's expressionless face gently patted Shen Xiaobai's back, and from his sleeve he pulled out a medicinal pill emitting a faint fragrance and stuffed it into her mouth. This was the "Avoiding Miasma Pill" specially prepared by Hui Chun Tang to eliminate the miasma in the wilderness, but it also had an excellent effect on resisting the bloody smell on Ling Ba Tian's body. Shen Xiaobai pursed her lips, swallowed a mouthful of slightly sour medicinal liquid, and suddenly felt refreshed, no longer smelling the nauseating bloody smell.

  With a hint of reverence, Shen Xiaobai lifted her head and stole a glance at Lin Xiao, who was slumped with his eyes closed like a wooden puppet. Her small hands retracted slightly before stretching out again to wrap around Lin Xiao's waist. His body was warm and emitted an invigorating aura that subtly wafted from within him, which Shen Xiaobai perceived very keenly; she really liked the scent on Lin Xiao's body.

  That smell is just like the scent of a forest after summer rain, and also like the scent of leaves that have been scorched by the sun. It's very natural, very subtle, and very comfortable.

  Lin Xiao gently stroked Shen Xiaobai's head, this cute and lovely little girl reminded him of a small dog he had raised a few years ago. That fluffy white dog also liked to snuggle in his arms, its body slightly trembling, making a very comfortable "humming" sound. Shen Xiaobai's body was just like that little dog, small, delicate, warm, and seemed boneless. Moreover, they both loved to snuggle in Lin Xiao's arms.

  Lin Xiao decided, no matter what, to protect Shen Xiaobai. Not just her life, but other things as well. He was unwilling for Shen Xiaobai to grow up in a den of thieves, possibly becoming a female butcher with scars all over her face and able to kill with a single swing of her knife! He absolutely would not let that happen, just like he never wanted to see his little white dog's bloody fur again.

  That little white dog, which had once brought Lin Xiao endless joy, was finally beaten to death by Lin Yao and two family servants right in front of Lin Xiao's eyes, and then they skinned it!

  "Xiao Bai!" Lin Xiao gently patted Shen Xiaobai's head, leaned in close to her ear and whispered: "Later, when I pinch your ear, you'll loudly say that you want to go pee. Then, just ignore everything." The name 'Xiao Bai' also reminded Lin Xiao of his little dog, 'Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai', he had called out to it countless times with boundless joy.

  Shen Xiaobai was stunned for a moment, then lifted her head and looked at Lin Xiao, nodding slightly.

  Lin Xiao hung his head, his eyelids drooping, but all his attention was focused on Ling Ba Tian and the eighteen Blood Guards who were bitterly cultivating the "Blood Killing Magic". The Long Qing Jue of Hui Chun Tang had a limited killing power, but it was excellent for nourishing the body. Especially the Long Qing Jue had an extraordinary effect in detecting the flow of true energy within a person's body, making it extremely effective for treating internal injuries.

  Lin Xiao was using the Evergreen Technique's characteristic to observe Ling Ba Tian and their true energy flow. Basically, Lin Xiao knew that when any technique is running, it will encounter one or two important life-and-death junctures. Especially when a certain large cycle has been run and it's almost time to close the technique, it's the moment when a martial artist is most vulnerable and least alert. If he launches an attack at that time, Ling Ba Tian and the others would give Lin Xiao enough time.

  Slowly, slowly. Lin Xiao clearly felt that Ling Ba Tian's breathing was getting longer and longer, the true energy in his body was also becoming more and more obscure, and the black-red mist outside his body was being absorbed into him thread by thread, not a single bit of it coming out again.

  Lin Xiao gently rubbed Shen Xiaobai's ears.

  Shen Xiaobai's eyes rolled around and she immediately jumped up, shouting loudly: "I want to pee!"

  So loudly shouting out such a private matter, the young Shen Xiaobai couldn't help but blush, feeling embarrassed and a little annoyed, even making her forget about the fear of the nearby pawns. She looked left and right, but found that except for a few pawns on guard, no one was paying attention to her.

  Lin Xiao stood up and took Shen Xiaobai's hand, walking towards the edge of the camp.

  A tyrannical man blocked Lin Xiao's way and said in a low voice: "Mr. Lin!"

  Lin Xiao glanced at the tyrant and said lightly, "Xiao Bai wants to go pee, are you going to follow him to take a look? Or, do you want Xiao Bai to... in front of all of you?"

  The Ba Wang Zhu was a ferocious and bloodthirsty bandit army, but apart from their love of killing and plundering, they didn't have any other particularly evil reputation. At the very least, there were no records of them bullying women. The Ba Wang Zhu who blocked Lin Xiao's path blinked his eyes, shook his head, and slowly stepped aside. "Be careful, Doctor Lin, this isn't a peaceful place. The Black Knife bandits' lair is just nearby."

  The tyrant's kind reminder made Lin Xiao's body stiffen suddenly. He nodded slightly, smiled faintly at the tyrant, and pulled Shen Xiaobai towards a small grass thicket on the edge of the camp. Shen Xiaobai keenly sensed the change in Lin Xiao's palm, and for a moment, she seemed to understand something: there must be some story between Black Knife Gang and Lin Xiao.

  "Hei Dao Fei!" Shen Xiaobai firmly remembered this name in his heart.

  All the Ba Wang zombies were like Ling Ba Tian, their cultivation had reached a critical point. In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, they would transform the purified magic killing energy into a strand of "Blood Killing True Energy" and merge it with the Blood Killing True Energy that was already present in their bodies. This newly born strand of Blood Killing True Energy needed to circulate through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and Twelve Regular Meridians at an extremely fast speed, completing three large cycles, with a fierce and tragic aura of a battlefield, rapidly charging into their Dan Tian, in order to merge with the original Blood Killing True Energy that had already become as thick as blood plasma.

  This is a very complicated process, even Ling Bao Tian wouldn't dare to be distracted at this critical moment. The Blood Kill Path's people have an obsessive enthusiasm for power enhancement, they won't let go of any opportunity to enhance their strength.

  Fang Wen didn't know about Ling Ba Tian's obsession, he just knew from experience that he probably had the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to escape with Shen Xiao Bai.

  About 500 zhang ahead, there is a mountain forest that extends directly to the distant mountain ridge. If we can escape into that mountain forest, our chances of escaping will increase greatly. After escaping, he can think of ways to take Shen Xiaobai to Kyoto instead of continuing to stay in the Ba Wang Zhu and help the wounded members of the Ba Wang Zhu, doing the work of a traitor.

  However, the time it takes to drink a cup of tea requires running a distance of 500 zhang. Lin Xiao thought he didn't have such strong abilities yet. So, he pulled Shen Xiaobai into that thicket, without stopping at all, and walked out from the other side of the thicket. The tall grass about the height of an adult's neck blocked Lin Xiao and Shen Xiaobai's bodies, and the sentry soldiers in the camp did not notice their movement.

  For the Pawn soldiers, this was an unbearable loss. However, Lin Xiao had saved so many of their brothers in the past half-day that all the Pawn soldiers had already subconsciously developed a sense of gratitude towards him, and their defensive mentality against him had also decreased significantly. Therefore, several Pawn soldiers glanced in the direction of the grass thicket for a while, but they didn't put their minds on this at all.

  Five Blood Cavalrymen rode their warhorses at a slow pace. Lin Xiao pulled Shen Xiaobai's small hand out of the bushes, just in time to block their path.

  Five scouts were stunned, and the leader of the scout team asked in surprise: "Lin Dafu, what's going on?"

  Lin Xiao's hand rose, and a small paper package flew towards the five scouts. The leader of the scouts instinctively drew out his long knife and split open the package with one slash. A large amount of white medicinal powder burst out of the package, covering the five scouts from head to toe. "Thud thud thud thud thud", the five scouts fell off their horses without a sound, landing on the ground in disarray. The five warhorses, on the other hand, let out uneasy long whinnies, as if they had lost control of their minds. They seemed to have returned to the vast grasslands where their ancestors grew up, and they felt an overwhelming urge to spread their legs and run wildly.

  This powder was made by Lin Xiao an hour ago, using the medicine from Shenjia Village's pharmacy. For humans, this powder is a powerful sleeping agent, but for four-legged livestock, it is the strongest stimulant. The cruel reality forced Lin Xiao's mind to mature rapidly, and he has already begun learning how to utilize everything he knows.

  One hand grasped the waistband of Shen Xiaobai, who was full of surprise, and Lin Xiao lifted her onto a tall warhorse. With great force, he slapped the horse's buttocks with his palm.

  "Drive... drive fast! Go, go!" Lin Xiao shouted: "Good horse, we've escaped from here, I'll treat you to braised pork and fine Huangjiu wine!"

  The warhorse, its blood vessels bulging from the white powder, let out a loud neigh and its eyes turned bright red. Like a mad bull, it galloped forward with long strides, covering nearly twenty zhang in just an instant.

  "Lin, stop! Wait!" The knife wind emitted by the captain of the scout team just now had already alarmed the sentry of the camp. Lin Xiao had just ridden his horse for less than twenty yards when three King's Guards suddenly sprang out from the grass like agile leopards, their six-foot-long knives slicing through the air and bringing up three shining lights that struck at non-vital parts of Lin Xiao's body.

  Lin Xiao put Shen Xiaobai, who was constantly screaming, in front of him, one hand holding her small body, and his right hand slapped out.

  A mouthful of true energy that had been cultivated since childhood burst out, and a several-inch-long extremely dim cyan-colored aura suddenly shot out from Lin Xiao's palm.

  "A good young man! Good cultivation!" Lin Xiao's palm wind was too sharp, and the three veteran Blade Kings suddenly opened their hands, using all their strength to slash out their strongest sword at Lin Xiao. Amidst the hissing sound, a three-foot-long bloody glow actually emerged from the blades of the three long knives, and the three Blade Kings unexpectedly had the powerful cultivation of forcing out a knife aura. No wonder they were qualified to be in charge of the safety of the entire camp when they were cultivating with their heads down.

  "Ah~~~~!" Sensing the sharp and powerful aura of the three behind him, Lin Xiao let out a loud roar, forcing out every last bit of his infantile strength.

  "Bang bang bang", three knife auras exploded amidst Lin Xiao's palm energy, shattering the palm energy. The three long knives parted two feet apart, striking at Lin Xiao's back from a distance.

  The warhorse ran too fast, and the three long knives that were originally going to chop Lin Xiao into four pieces ultimately only managed to separate him by two feet, striking him with a blast of knife energy. The three overbearing knife energies entered his body, and Lin Xiao felt as if three transparent holes had been opened in his body, his chest cavity feeling empty and uncomfortable for a moment before he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered all over Shen Xiaobai's worried face.

  Shen Xiaobai screamed: "Lin Ge!"

  Lin Xiao slapped the horse's buttocks and shouted loudly: "Go faster!"

  The war horse increased its speed by three points as it galloped forward, and at this time, its running speed was no longer like that of a war horse, but rather had the shadow of a leopard, the fastest in the mountains. The war horse brought up a cloud of dust and smoke as it sprinted forward, gradually leaving the three Blazing Kings who were also chasing after it with all their might far behind. The three Blazing Kings looked at each other, then stopped in their tracks. People from the Blood Kill Path never did things that they knew were impossible, instead, they conserved every bit of energy to deal with the fierce battles that could erupt at any time.

  "A bunch of trash! Letting two kids escape! Damn it, losing face for me!"

  A low hum came from behind them, and Ling Batian, wielding a three-pointed two-edged knife, rushed forward at a speed about twice that of the warhorses in front, covering nearly a hundred feet in just a few strides.

  Lin Xiao opened his mouth wide, taking rapid breaths, and a strong bloody smell spewed out of his mouth, causing Shen Xiaobai to cough repeatedly. Shen Xiaobai was so anxious that her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her stomach. Although she had only been with Lin Xiao for a short time, just two or three hours, she already considered him her only sky.

  Tears streaming down her face, Shen Xiaobai coughed while stuttering and calling out: "Lin big brother, waaahhhh... don't scare me!"

  Before he could explain anything to Shen Xiaobai, Lin Xiao's hand trembled as he took out a thumb-sized purple-gold pill from the hidden compartment on his waistband and swallowed it with a gulp.

  The secretly-made 'Nine Dragon Revival Dan' of Huichuntang, is mainly composed of the venom of nine highly toxic long snakes. No matter how severe the internal injury, even if only one breath remains, taking this dose of medicine can still revive and survive for half an hour. The power of the medicine is extremely great, but the side effects are also extreme, the damage to the vital energy is simply appalling. If it weren't for this life-and-death situation in front of him, Lin Xiao would never take this thing called 'Nine Deaths One Life Dan' in Huichuntang.

  The medicine entered his belly and immediately turned into a hot flow that surged throughout his body. Endless energy burst out from all over his body, and Lin Xiao's eyes lit up brightly. The bright gaze startled Shen Xiaobai, who didn't dare to look him in the eye. Her eyeballs even felt a burning pain. Lin Xiao let out a long sigh, only to feel that the injuries inside his body had healed, and his internal energy cultivation had increased by more than ten times compared to before.

  Behind him, Ling Batian wielded a three-pointed double-edged knife and rushed over, his eyes flashing with anger as he bellowed loudly: "Lin Xiaozhi, I've treated you kindly! The corpses of everyone in the Spring Hall were all collected by me! Dammit, I only let you stay behind to be a military doctor, could it be that this was still a hardship for you?"

  Lin Xiao turned back and shouted loudly: "Overlord, since our ways are different, we can't join forces. The Lin family has always been clean and honest, how can we associate with thieves like you?"

  "Bullshit! Innocent? In this world, what's still innocent?" Ling Ba Tian roared: "You look down on me as a thief? I'll make you become a thief too! Damn it, when the time comes, I'll let you marry a thieving wife, have a bunch of little brats, and they'll all go on to be thieves!"

  Lin Xiao's facial muscles twitched, was there really such a lawless person in the world?

  "Hmph!" Lin Xiao turned around and said, "Ba Wang, you bury me and the people of Hui Chun Tang. This kindness I, Lin Xiao, will definitely repay in the future. But today..."

  "But today, you must return to me!" Ling Ba Tian had already chased after Lin Xiao and was less than five zhang away from him. He laughed strangely and said: "Blood Eleven has a biological younger sister, who is nine chi three cun tall and six chi around the waist, with buttocks as big as a bull's head, truly well-nourished. I'll take charge now, let you marry her! Tsk tsk, what a perfect match, you two are a great pair!"

  Shen Xiaobai listened with a mixture of understanding and confusion, but she also vaguely knew that Ling Batian was not saying anything good. She clenched her small fist and shouted loudly at Ling Batian: "Evil thief, I won't let you off!"

  "What's wrong? Little girl is jealous?" Ling Ba Tian laughed loudly: "Good, being jealous is good! Hmm, a bit younger, it doesn't matter. Lin Xiazi's wife is the sister of Blood Eleven, and you, little girl, can be his concubine, that's just right!"

  A long whistle, Ling Ba Tian rose up to a height of five or six zhang, like a large eagle swooping down to grab food, its mouth emitting a series of sharp whistling sounds, and with a swift turn in mid-air, it pounced towards Lin Xiao.

  "All things return to spring!" Lin Xiao shouted, his palms releasing a faint blue aura. Palm after palm seemed extremely slow but was actually incredibly fast as they struck towards the sky. His palm force condensed into lotus flowers in mid-air, nearly a hundred half-opened blue lotuses gathered together and rapidly approached Ling Ba Tian.

  With a disdainful snort, Ling Batian swung his long knife, and a blade of air whizzed out, chopping down towards that cluster of lotus flowers.

  A dull thud, Lin Xiao's horse suddenly collapsed, its four legs severed, a sharp and powerful knife intent burst into the horse's body from Lin Xiao's dual fists. The warhorse let out a mournful whinny, and with a "ka-cha" sound, it was split into several pieces by an invisible knife intent. Hot blood spurted out, splashing Lin Xiao and Shen Xiaobai all over their bodies and faces. Shen Xiaobai let out another shocked cry, this time seeing the steaming hot internal organs of the horse still wriggling about, she finally couldn't hold it in, a mouthful of sour water spraying out from her mouth.

  Lin Xiao only felt a void in his body, the heat from the Nine Dragons' Life-Saving Pellet had been completely consumed, and he once again felt the intense pain coming from the three wounds on his back. He grabbed Shen Xiaobai with one hand and stumbled forward, running wildly ahead. Ling Ba Tian was blown up high into the air, over a dozen zhang high, his body lightly trembling as he fell to the ground, and he involuntarily stumbled forward a few steps before almost falling headfirst into the steaming hot corpse of the warhorse.

  The eighteen Blood Guards also caught up, and when Blood Five saw that Ling Ba Tian was somewhat disheveled, he couldn't help but let out a furious roar as he chased after him into the mountain forest.

  Ling Ba Tian abruptly stopped him: "Old Five, stay. Forget it, if he wants to leave, let him go. This kid probably doesn't have anything valuable on him anyway."

  Shaking his head, Ling Batian narrowed his eyes and gazed at the distant figure of Lin Xiao in the mountain forest, muttering to himself: "Considering the life of that over a hundred brothers, since he's willing to risk his life to leave, then let him be. Hmph! I don't know what kind of evil method he used, but he actually managed to increase his cultivation by more than tenfold? And somehow, I ended up suffering a bit too!"

  With a powerful swing of his three-pointed, double-edged knife, Ling Ba Tian said calmly: "I hope this kid's luck is good enough! Forcing out ten times the true energy? Hmph, we'll all end up exploding and dying, this kid..."

  The Blood Guards looked at each other, and Blood Five seemed to have a sudden realization, saying: "So that's it, Boss. You've given up on him, that's why you're not chasing after him?"

  Ling Ba Tian shrugged his shoulders silently, turned around and walked away with large strides, carrying the three-pointed two-edged knife.