Bloodthirsty Fury, Zhao Yuanlin!

Thud!! In the distance, the bluestone beneath Li Guanqi's feet abruptly shattered. Gou San's eyes narrowed as it dawned on him that Li Guanqi might be a cultivator! Yet by the time the thought crossed his mind, it was already too late. Across a distance of thirty paces, the onlookers caught only the faint blur of a shadow lunging forward! Bang! Li Guanqi dipped low to slip past Gou San's dagger, driving his fist like an iron hammer straight into Gou San's jaw. The crisp crunch of splintering bone rang clearly in everyone's ears. The force behind Li Guanqi's wrathful blow was terrifying. The sheer impact shattered Gou San's jaw and launched his body into the air! Moving like lightning, Li Guanqi's left hand crushed the bones in Gou San's right wrist, snatched away the dagger, and drove it repeatedly into his chest! Hot blood splattered across Li Guanqi's face, yet from start to finish, his expression remained unnervingly placid. The moment he made his move, he had intended to kill! Gou San's eyes bulged, his pupils contracting to trembling pinpricks. As his life slipped away, he could hardly fathom what was happening before him... "Ah! Brother Gou!" Reverse-gripping the dagger in his right hand, Li Guanqi flickered and materialized before another man. The thug stared at Li Guanqi in sheer terror, then threw a desperate, furious punch as if to bolster his own courage. "Die!" Facing the incoming fist, Li Guanqi met it with a punch of his own! The collision instantly snapped the man's arm, jagged white bone tearing through the bloody skin. Li Guanqi stepped in. The dagger danced in his grip, thrusting violently upward through the man's lower jaw! Leaping into the air, Li Guanqi kicked him hard in the head, wrenched the dagger free, and whipped it behind him! Thwack! The sharp blade buried itself straight between another thug's brows. The instant Li Guanqi landed, he retrieved the dagger and shot toward Meng Wanshu. The entire sequence was fluid and seamless. In just a few breaths, three men had been slain! Terrified by the slaughter, the surrounding crowd fell into chaotic panic and fled in all directions. From beginning to end, Li Guanqi remained completely composed, showing no manic excitement over taking lives. All of this was thanks to Su Xuan's teachings and discipline. Listening to the screams and heavy thuds, Meng Wanshu had no idea what was taking place. The clamoring crowd unnerved her, yet she held firmly to Li Guanqi's words. Suddenly! The weight pinning down Meng Wanshu's left shoulder vanished. A man's body was sent flying like a ragged sack, crashing through a door behind them before crumpling motionless to the floor. Seeing this, the last remaining thug pulled out a bamboo cylinder, ignited it, and sent a streak of fire shooting thirty zhang into the sky, where it burst in an explosion of light! Li Guanqi's eyes narrowed. "A signal..." With a single punch, he shattered the man's arm, and a cold gleam of steel flashed across his throat! Meng Wanshu's breath came quick and shallow. The noise around her had suddenly subsided into near silence. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Li Guanqi's gentle voice drifted into her ear. "All right. Let's go." Li Guanqi shielded the young girl's eyes with his palm and led her out of the town. Not long after they departed, Zhao Yuanlin arrived with a large entourage of more than twenty mounted men. Seeing the six corpses on the ground, his face turned terribly dark. Naturally, Li Guanqi had not spared the old crone, either... Zhao Yuanlin muttered with chilling venom, "You kill my people and think you can just walk away?" "Hmph! After them!!" With that order, the group cracked their whips and galloped off in the direction Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu had taken. Only after they cleared the town did Li Guanqi take his hand away. Meng Wanshu could no longer contain her emotions, throwing herself into his embrace and weeping aloud. "Sob! I... I thought I was going to... going to... Wah..." "How... how did you find me... Thank goodness you came..." "Little Blind, I was so scared..." Li Guanqi lowered his stiff hands and gently wrapped his arms around Meng Wanshu, patting her back. His soothing voice and the warmth of his palm brought her immense relief. "Don't be afraid. Aren't I right here?" "You have to stop crying. We need to move fast. That last man fired a signal flare, so pursuers will be on us soon." Meng Wanshu nodded with reddened eyes. Yet having suffered injury and fright, her legs were completely weak. Without a second thought, Li Guanqi crouched down. "Come on, I'll carry you." A blush crept over Meng Wanshu's cheeks. She nodded softly and leaned against Li Guanqi's back. The tender contact caught Li Guanqi's breath. Meng Wanshu's face burned hot, and she bashfully buried her head against his shoulder. Suddenly, Li Guanqi's expression shifted. Feeling the earth tremble, he hoisted Meng Wanshu and broke into a dead sprint! At the same time, his mind's eye frantically swept over their surroundings, filling him with a touch of helplessness. The land for ten-odd li outside Changxing Town was an endless expanse of flat plains—there was nowhere to hide! Before long, Zhao Yuanlin and his men closed in. When they were about a hundred zhang away, Li Guanqi abruptly ground to a halt. Carrying a living person on his back, there was no way he could outrun swift steeds across open ground. Li Guanqi set Meng Wanshu down and spoke in a soft voice. "Starting now, turn your back to me and count. By the time you reach five hundred, I will definitely be back." Li Guanqi turned around. As he looked into the distance, his heart began to throb uncontrollably! The icy killing intent emanating from him even caused Meng Wanshu to glance back, finding his silhouette almost unfamiliar... Li Guanqi clenched his teeth and shut his eyes in agony, the murderous urge within him burning hotter than ever before! The young master on horseback was the eldest son of the Zhao Manor from eight years ago... The very man... who had treated his sister's life like worthless dirt—Zhao Yuanlin! At first, Zhao Yuanlin could not clearly make out Li Guanqi's features. But the horses were fast, closing the gap in the blink of an eye. Seeing those pale white eyes and the familiar contour of his face, Zhao Yuanlin recognized him at once! Having likewise stepped into the Body Tempering realm, Zhao Yuanlin leaped down from his horse, his eyes gleaming with malicious excitement as he mocked, "It's you, that blind beggar!" "Hahahahaha! You're still not dead?" "I thought that blizzard eight years ago froze you to death long ago!" Looking him up and down, Zhao Yuanlin sneered, "Just like your sister, a worthless wretch. Still begging for scraps, are you?" Li Guanqi glared intently at him, muttering under his breath, "Seventeen, eighteen..." Unsettled by Li Guanqi's suffocating killing intent, the surrounding horses stamped their hooves in agitation. No matter how hard the riders whipped them, the beasts refused to calm down. Meng Wanshu covered her ears, squatting with her back to Li Guanqi. "Seven... eight... nine..." Standing opposite Li Guanqi, Zhao Yuanlin cast a lecherous glance at Meng Wanshu's slender waist and delicate figure, feeling heat stir within him. He licked his lips and looked back at Li Guanqi. "What is she to you?" Li Guanqi replied evenly, "My future wife." The moment the words fell, Li Guanqi blasted forward while his foe was completely off guard! The earth was gouged into a crater underfoot. Zhao Yuanlin's pupils shrank, and his right hand yanked the reins beside him, dragging a horse in front of himself as a shield! Li Guanqi drove a fist straight into the horse's head. The warhorse, weighing over a thousand jin, was launched into the air by the sheer impact! Its skull caved in, turning into a gory mess. The monstrous force pushed Zhao Yuanlin back more than ten paces even behind the horse. The surrounding guards were stunned beyond belief by the sight. Such strength... was far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals... Delivering this strike in wrath, Li Guanqi finally felt an outlet for the towering rage inside him. That punch carried far more than five hundred jin of force! Li Guanqi tilted his head toward Zhao Yuanlin. "I am very poor right now, but I have ten strings of copper cash." "Today, I'll also use ten strings of copper cash... to buy your life!" Zhao Yuanlin panicked. He had never expected that even as a Body Tempering cultivator, he would be no match for this boy... Yet his pride and arrogance refused to let him flee! How could a wretched beggar he once viewed as filth in the mud ever compare to him?! Drawing a sword from a guard's mount, he bellowed in uncontrollable fury, "Kill him!" "Whoever kills him will be rewarded with a hundred taels of gold!" At these words, the guards' eyes glinted with greed. One after another, they dismounted and swarmed toward Li Guanqi! Yet... how could these mere brawlers be a match for Li Guanqi? With every punch and kick, Li Guanqi crippled an opponent, leaving them howling on the ground. Some he struck without holding back, killing them instantly. Snapping another man's neck with a single blow, Li Guanqi closed the distance to Zhao Yuanlin! At this moment, Li Guanqi was like a god of slaughter whom no one could impede. In merely dozens of breaths, he laid low all the guards, leaving most dead or crippled! The few still breathing lay groaning and wailing in agony, broken limbs counting as minor wounds among them. Gritting his teeth, Zhao Yuanlin refused to accept this outcome. He stepped forward with his sword, thrusting in rapid succession! Li Guanqi had only ever practiced fist techniques, making it difficult to parry the flurry of blade strikes directly. Yet Li Guanqi's fists were both blisteringly fast and immensely heavy! Weaving between the thrusts, he seized the instant the sword drew back to bury a fist into Zhao Yuanlin's chest. Crack! A single blow shattered four of Zhao Yuanlin's ribs. Zhao Yuanlin crashed heavily to the ground, vomiting a mouthful of blood. His gaze shifted frantically until his peripheral vision caught Meng Wanshu nearby. Zhao Yuanlin pulled out a talisman and slapped it onto himself. The talisman spontaneously combusted! Li Guanqi's heart leaped into his throat as Zhao Yuanlin shot toward Meng Wanshu like a violent gale! Li Guanqi's expression warped. Disregarding the churn of blood and qi within him, he wheeled around! With a flick of his sleeve, the dagger dropped into his palm, and he hurled it with all his might! Thwack! The dagger drove deep into Zhao Yuanlin's shoulder, causing him to stumble and lose momentum. Seizing that brief window, Li Guanqi finally positioned himself behind Meng Wanshu. Squelch! The glinting sword pierced straight through Li Guanqi's right shoulder. A flicker of triumph flashed in Zhao Yuanlin's eyes. But when he tried to withdraw the blade, he found Li Guanqi's right hand clamping down firmly on the steel! Blood trickled down the blade. Li Guanqi's bloodshot, pale white eyes bored into Zhao Yuanlin! The gaze, dripping with pure murderous intent, sent a shiver creeping up Zhao Yuanlin's spine. In panic, he crushed a jade slip in his grip! Bang! Li Guanqi spoke in a voice as cold as ice: "Ten strings!" Slowly clenching his left fist, a terrifying aura gathered around his knuckles! Boom! Zhao Yuanlin went flying, his chest caving inward as he spat mouthful after mouthful of blood, flecked with bits of shredded flesh! Li Guanqi's face paled. He slowly drew the sword out of his own shoulder, picked it up, and walked toward Zhao Yuanlin. By this time, Meng Wanshu had barely counted to "eighty-five." Watching Li Guanqi draw closer, terror overwhelmed Zhao Yuanlin, compelling him to scramble backward on the ground. "Blind beggar, you can't kill me! You can't kill me!" "I'm about to test my spiritual roots... I'm going to become an immortal!" "Don't kill me..." "As long as you spare me, I'll give you plenty of money! Spirit stones! Yes, I'll give you spirit stones!" Clatter! Li Guanqi pulled a bundle of copper coins from his robes and tossed them down, whispering with chilling venom, "Your wretched life is worth only ten strings."