Book 7: Chapter 24: No Longer Training

After a burning arrow rushed into the air, Lin Xi no longer felt any misgivings, starting to run through the forest at full speed, even faster than these Yunqin cavalry troops.

This mountain range was the only area in the provincial capital’s surroundings where the terrain was complicated, able to break out of this net. Lin Xi knew that there would definitely be many experts who didn’t sleep tonight, waiting for him to walk right into their trap. However, with the appearance of that Dark Priest, as well as the sword master and zither master still not chasing after him even now, he who originally wasn’t all that confident suddenly developed a bit of confidence.

The light cavalry troops that startled the surrounding villagers arrived before the desolate forest, but they were already left far behind by Li Xi, the sounds of Lin Xi moving through the forest already no longer audible.

However, these troops got off their horses in front of the forest, not giving chase. Instead, they began to spread, out ten steps between each person, calmly standing in place.

…

After leaping over a man-made irrigation channel, Lin Xi made his way into the mountain forest at the foot of the mountain.

Suddenly, countless sounds he couldn’t be more familiar with sounded; the light vibrating sounds of bowstrings being drawn and released.

Lin Xi’s breathing was already becoming extremely scorching hot, his entire body’s bones immediately released light exploding noises. With his fastest speed, his whole body immediately shifted towards the back of a pine tree whose trunk was even wider than his own body.

A dense expanse of black arrows rained down into this forest, countless branches and leaves were cut by the sharp arrowheads, fluttering everywhere within the forest.

Thud! Thud! Thud!…

Muffled sounds of arrows stabbing into wood could be heard continuously.

After Lin Xi calmly hid behind that pine tree, these arrows that released shrill screaming noises and terrifying wood penetration noises didn’t affect him at all.

Suddenly, he felt a scalp numbing stab of pain from his back.

He took a deep breath, his body calmly moving forward a foot from the back of this pine tree, and then slowly turned around.

On his back was a shallow cut, a copper-sized blot of blood appearing there.

An arrow shot over while carrying some wood splinters, flickering with deep cold radiance.

The instant Lin Xi turned around, another arrow flew over. This pine tree seemed to have become a thin door board.

Among the countless archers in the forest, one was a cultivator… Moreover, his cultivation was much higher than Lin Xi’s.

Lin Xi frowned. He pulled out the wooden splinter that dug into his back, still waiting without moving.

The rain of arrows came to a momentary stop. Swift footsteps sounded from the forest to his left. He could vaguely make out many moving shadows, as well as the unique glint of metal flickering.

He then turned around to look at the forest to his right. The forest to his right was extremely quiet, not showing any signs of activity.

Lin Xi suddenly moved. His legs stepped on the ground, body lowered, rushing out like a cheetah. He didn’t rush towards the forest to the right, instead rushing towards the left, instantly encountering the group of moving shadows.

These shadows all wore black armor. These were tough and unyielding Yunqin soldiers holding long black blades or spears!

These Yunqin soldiers didn’t care what kind of identity Lin Xi had at all, the order they received was to intercept this fleeing criminal. Judging from the power and speed with which Lin Xi leapt through the forest, they could already tell that he was a cultivator, yet these overcast and cold soldiers still faced him without any hesitation.

In just a breath’s time, two black long blades and three black spears stabbed towards Lin Xi.

Lin Xi brandished his blade with extreme speed.

His figure rushed through these blades and spear without stopping in the slightest. Meanwhile, blood gushed out from behind him, blades and spears falling, muffled groans sounding as numerous figures collapsed.

The style of governing in Yunqin hadn’t changed that much in the last fifty years. As Yunqin faced Tangcang, the cave barbarians and Great Mang, whittling away at each other, the empire’s power might not necessarily be greater than twenty years ago. However, during these fifty years, after bravery and glory became popularized among the people, the Yunqin soldiers who emerged from the continuous sharpening of battles became stronger and stronger, strong to the point where only by exploiting the nasty environments of the frontiers, could enemy soldiers and cultivators prevent Yunqin soldiers’ advance. Meanwhile, no enemy countries’ regular army could truly break into Yunqin Empire’s territory.

Yunqin’s regular army was powerful to the point where no one dared face them on an open field and fight a large scale battle. Meanwhile, Yunqin’s soldiers also fought year-round in nasty environments, learning how to break through enemy lines in rugged terrain, as well as forging the heavy and steadfast character of not fearing blood and slaughter.

As a result, none of them backed off, instead, even more black-armored soldiers rushed out from the forest, heading towards Lin Xi. They were like a black tide that extended towards the forest.

A bit of sweat appeared on Lin Xi’s forehead, but he instead remained calm like water. He began to run without any hesitation, quickly hacking out.

Right now, even though the iron-blooded Yunqin black-armored soldiers who rushed out from the forest gave one a type of endless pressure, he clearly understood that the amount of Yunqin forces East Forest Province could transfer was extremely limited. If they wanted to create a large net he couldn’t escape from, the amount of men in charge of sealing off this part of the forest was even more limited, it definitely wasn’t endless.

Moreover, this place was a verdant mountain forest, the trees his shields, able to stop those soldiers’ advance. That was why when he faced these blades and spears, it was a bit easier than the ‘blades and spears’ within the training valley.

Endless cold light flickered about his body, but not a single blade could land on him.

After continuously rushing out less than fifty steps, there already weren’t any iron-blooded Yunqin soldiers before him. All of the Yunqin soldiers were left behind him, the black tide surging through the forest directly cleaved in half.

…

At the very top of a pine tree, an archer who carried a red steel longbow almost as tall as himself quietly stared into the forest below like a hawk.

The longbow in his hands seemed to be made from three layers of different steel sheets, on it light green peacock feather-like runes.

The bowstring was black, as if hidden in this dark night.

This individual dressed in skintight dark green leather armor, face covered in a dark red scaled mask was merely someone transferred over from the Ministry of Justice, not someone like Gao Gongyue who clearly knew Lin Xi’s identity, his sight also not freakish enough to the point where he could recognize Lin Xi. In his eyes, Lin Xi was only a shadow rushing through the forest, but his gaze was always locked onto this shadow.

However, in the dozens of steps Lin Xi used to cut through the black tide, he actually didn’t find any opportunities he could take advantage of to make his move.

It was because in his line of sight, this shadow didn’t stop for even a moment. Moreover, this shadow didn’t seem to have killed a single person, those around him either collapsed from their wounds or dropped their weapons because of injuries on their arms. These individuals who were struggling at his side or subconsciously shrinking back not only affected the attacks of others around them, this chaotic scene instead turned these soldiers into the best protective barrier.

That was why he could only watch as this shadow left his rang of fire, leaving his line of sight.

…

Lin Xi quickly flipped over a mound. He heard the sounds of a stream.

He knew that forest near a stream would be even more dense, and the terrain, generally speaking, would also be even more complicated.

That was why he didn’t have the slightest hesitation, jumping into the verdant valley below.

After making his way down a sixty to seventy zhang slope, Lin Xi quickly saw a several meters wide mountain creek that winded downwards.

He instead directly leapt over this creek, continuing his way up, quickly advancing into the mountain depths.

It was because he discovered that what grew on the other side of this stream were all massive chestnut trees, extremely dense. Moreover, the forest was full of craggy mountain stones, making it even easier for him to hide.

After continuously running more than two hundred meters, already approaching the halfway point up this mountain range that wasn’t all that tall, at this moment, Lin Xi’s steps suddenly stopped.

Silently standing on a large rock in the middle of the forest ahead was a single person.

This rock was at least a person in height, covered in moss. When he was in Green Luan Academy, Xu Shengmo loved to stand on this type of rock, to feign aloofness and coldness while waiting for him to arrive.

This person was a twenty-five to twenty-six year old youngster, dressed in dark red robes. At his side hung a green sharkskin scabbard dagger, he was naturally not Xu Shengmo.

However, the expression on this slightly round-faced youngster’s face was instead just as gloomy as Xu Shengmo’s, looking at Lin Xi like a vulture. Meanwhile, Lin Xi was just like his prey, a corpse.

“I am the one in charge of managing this mountaintop tonight, but I never expected that even with your strength, you could actually still arrive here, appear before me.” When he saw Lin Xi who stopped, doing his best to adjust his breathing, this youngster was the first to speak out, saying this coldly.

“Gao Gongyue also already took action… Ye Wangqing took action as well, Gu Nan is also outside that residence… Just how many experts came tonight? Yet you were actually able to escape all the way up here, arrive before my face.” This youngster released another pleased sigh of admiration.

Lin  Xi’s brows furrowed slightly. He looked at this grim faced youngster, asking, “Who are you?”

“I am called Xue Wantao.” The youngster directly replied, “Judicial Sector major fifth rank Police Supervisor.”

“Until we meet again.”

Lin Xi said these two words, and then directly jumped into the jungle to his left.

However, in just a few breaths of time, he suddenly felt chills run down his entire spine. Even without turning around, he could already clearly sense that a sharp blade was currently stabbing at his body.

Lin Xi didn’t panic either, his body bending down, immediately rolling forward. When he got up, he was already facing this sharp blade.

This sharp blade was an emerald green dagger, clasped in Xue Wantao’s hand.

“Another meeting is impossible.”

After releasing a sneer, Xue Wantao’s figure leapt out, instantly arriving before Lin Xi. His left hand’s five fingers formed a claw, grabbing at Lin Xi’s face. The dagger in his hand instead thrusted up from below, cutting towards Lin Xi’s underbelly.

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