Chapter Fourteen: Cheated

  Looking at the two-inch thick wooden board that he had snapped with just a slight effort, Wu Fan was stunned for a long time. Suddenly, he remembered that he had spent 30,000 evil points to exchange for a "Heavenly Innate Strength" skill. At this moment, he jumped up from his bed, adapting to the strange power that had been added to his body. After all, this strength wasn't innate, but rather acquired later in life...

  Standing on the ground with his arms and legs stretched out for a good while, Wu's astonished face began to take on an eerie tone. He could feel it - this "Innate Divine Power" skill was no trivial matter! Although he had only purchased a low-grade version of "Innate Divine Power", he felt that his strength had at least doubled! The increase in power also brought with it enhanced speed, progress in physical strength, and most importantly... endurance! That's right! Wu Fan's waist suddenly felt much lighter, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of wonder: [This crappy system may be a bit mouthy, always updating at random times, but... what a thrilling surprise!]

  Silently, Wu Fan picked up the internal breath technique "Purple Energy Arrives from the East" and began to study it. According to the system's instructions, he needed to first practice the operation method of "Purple Energy Arrives from the East", and then take the Easy Jing Dan and Washing Marrow Dan, in order to maximize the effect of the medicine. Strengthening his muscles and purifying his body, only then could his body become more suitable for practicing martial arts.

  In fact, the so-called internal breath method is actually very rough and simple, not as mysterious and difficult to understand. It's just saying "the heavens have breath, the human body has energy, yin and yang blend together...". In short, that's still not something Wu Fan should worry about, because the original Wu Fan had already taken this most difficult first step of entering the gate, and now he only needs to follow the internal breath guidance diagram in "Purple Energy Arrives from the East" and control the few internal breaths inside his body.

  After spending almost half an hour, Wu Fan casually threw the "Purple Energy Arrives from the East" aside, opened the wax seal of the Easy Classics Pill and the Marrow Washing Pill, tossed them into his mouth, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to circulate his internal energy.

  The pill melted in his mouth and flowed into his abdomen, Wu Fan's face suddenly turned bright red, and he felt like his body was burning with fire. However, once he ran the "Purple Energy Arrives from the East" technique, he would feel a cool and refreshing sensation that made him dare not stop. His consciousness began to blur, in a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, as if he were in a trance.

  "Gurgle... gurgle..."

  It was unknown how long had passed when a loud growl from his stomach woke Wu Fan up.

  "Hah!"

  Wu Fan pinched his nose, covered his stomach, and rushed to the outhouse in the backyard. He stayed there for a long time. Then he fetched a bucket of water from the well and poured it over himself without even taking off his clothes. Wu Fan now understood why the system reminded him to prepare bathwater. The effects of the Easy Muscle Pill and the Brainwashing Pill were quite impressive, as all the impurities in his body had been expelled, making him smell worse than the outhouse itself.

  Under the moonlight, Wu Fan washed his arms for a long time, took a deep breath, clenched his fists and muttered to himself: "My body feels light and refreshing, it's great!"

  With his clothes soaked, Wu Fan changed into a clean set after returning home. He checked the time and found he still had plenty of it to spare, so he slung his sword case over his shoulder and headed out of his courtyard onto the empty streets to practice his swordplay. The Fourteen Stances was a small arsenal that needed to be utilized well, and the Spring Chill Sword's moves were no longer suitable for Wu Fan; he had to start practicing the Yu Yang Sword which included both single and double sword flows.

  Wu Fan thought it was okay, but after he really left home and went out, a subtle feeling of unease emerged in his heart, like...like there was a fierce beast staring at him in the dark, waiting to pounce. That feeling was very subtle, but also very terrifying.

  "Whoosh——!"

  A sharp and slight sound of breaking through the air suddenly rang out, and Wu Fan, who was already on high alert, couldn't care about much, and immediately made a forward flip roll on the spot.

  "Ah!"

  Looking back, on the tamped earth road, an arrow was inserted into the ground halfway, and the feathers at the end of the arrow were still trembling!

  Crossbow! It's actually a crossbow!

  Wu Fan was a lost soul, staring at the big trees planted on the side of the road, and desperately ran towards them.

  Crossbow arrows are different from bow and arrow, although they do not have the long range of bow and arrow, they possess both the threat of distance in bow and arrow, as well as the close-range threat that bow and arrow do not possess. Staying on the open and spacious road is simply a dead end, finding a shield to hide behind is the only way to go.

  Damn it! Who wants to kill me? Maitreya Sect? Impossible! They can't possibly have a crossbow! Could it be... Wu Yuanhao? Son of a bitch!!!

  Panting heavily, Wu Fan hid behind a large tree, his eyes fixed tightly on the surroundings. In his heart, he was secretly lamenting that the trees around this earth road were in rows, not in clusters, and were far from sufficient to serve as cover for himself. He could only temporarily use it as a hiding place. This place was so close to home, what if...

  Before Wu Fan could even consider the worst-case scenario, the most urgent situation had already occurred. On the east side of the Tamping Earth Road, a person wearing night-traveling clothes and covering their face walked out of the darkness, holding a bow and arrow, with a precious sword hanging from their waist, approaching the direction of Wu Fan's home. What made Wu Fan feel most terrified was that the black-clothed person had already loaded a burning fire arrow onto the bow and arrow in his hand!

  "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

  With a scowl on his face, Wu Fan cursed loudly three times, and with a fierce glint in his eye, he emerged from behind the big tree, attracting the attention of the man in black.

  If Wu Fan doesn't come out, that man will take action against Tong Rui at home, and even burn down Wu Fan's broken house! His intention is to force Wu Fan not to hide, so as to kill Wu Fan.

  Thirty zhang is too far away!

  Wu Fan glanced at the fourteen knife sheaths, but there was no bow or crossbow inside. However, that didn't mean he didn't have any long-range weapons, such as the rope with a sharp steel spike, or the "Feng Tian Cheng Ren" golden sword made from his own hair. But thirty zhang was really too far away, and these two things couldn't threaten the opponent at all, while the opponent's bow and crossbow could threaten Wu Fan.

  The man in black saw Wu Fan walking out of the big tree, abandoning his intention to break into Wu Fan's house, and slowly ran towards Wu Fan.

  The distance was getting shorter and shorter, thirty zhang... twenty zhang... fifteen zhang...

  "Who are you? Is it possible that Wu certain has offended your honor?" Wu Fan stared tightly at the opponent's blurry face, and said sarcastically: "Don't tell me something like 'for the people to eliminate harm'... Bows and crossbows aren't things ordinary people can have! Especially in the empire, bows and crossbows are strictly forbidden, only the military is allowed to possess them!"

  The damage of the crossbow is extremely powerful, and many flying masters who can reach the level of internal force external release may be killed if they are not careful. The Great Sui Empire, although it has a strong military tradition, does not prohibit civilians from possessing weapons and bows and arrows, but its control over crossbows is extremely strict, and even the Eagle Guard needs to apply for a warrant to retrieve them from the armory, let alone others.

  "The man in black said with a piercing gaze and a hoarse voice: 'Money can make ghosts grind mills! That's all!'"

  "Is that all? Don't be ridiculous!" Wu Fan sneered, suddenly slapping the scabbard of his Fourteen Slashes Sword and shouting loudly: "Don't think you're the only one! Look at my arrow!"

  "Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

  Four consecutive sonic booms rang out, and the black-clothed man's pupils constricted as he hastily rolled to the ground...

  Got cheated!

  Wu Fan stepped down, abandoning the fourteen moves of the knife sheath, and pulled out a fine steel beheading knife. With a stamp of his foot, he shot out like an arrow off the string! Close combat was his only choice!

  "Woof woof woof!"

  Those four blades that were shot out lost their power due to the distance and fell beside the black-clothed person, making a clear ringing sound.

  Got cheated!

  The man in black quickly stood up and prepared to give Wu Fan a surprise attack with his bow and arrow.

  "Crack!"

  The blade flashed by, and the bow was cut into two segments! The parts scattered all over the ground, no longer of any use.

  "Hmm!"

  Suddenly changing, Wu Fan had never called out to ambush, that black-clothed man's reaction was astonishing, after the crossbow arrow was chopped off, he directly swung the treasured knife at his waist along with its scabbard towards Wu Fan, parrying Wu Fan's second knife.

  "What a kind thought!"

  The man in black took three steps back, staring at Wu Fan with a piercing gaze.

  Wu Fan glanced at the four "Feng Tian Cheng Ren" knife pieces that he had shot out like a crossbow bolt, and didn't say anything. He indeed used a trick, if not, how could he have neutralized the opponent's crossbow threat?

  ……

  P.S: Collect and recommend votes are welcome.