Chapter Ninety-Two: Return to the Fray

That voice was utterly unfamiliar. I was certain I’d never had any dealings with him, so how had I suddenly become some filthy cur?

Unable to swallow the insult, I strode straight out.

Beyond the forest, a crowd had gathered nearby. Every one of them was clutching either a heavy iron shovel or a woodcutter’s machete.

The last time I’d run into a scene like this was in Toothless Village, when a whole mob had chased me down trying to beat me to death.

But things were not what they once were. At my side stood two experts of the third grade of Spirit Leaf. Dealing with ordinary people like these would be no harder than crushing ants underfoot.

“Everyone, we came up the mountain to kill monsters. We are not monsters.”

My tone had already grown impatient. Anyone with eyes could see that I was genuinely angry.

Even Li Zijian sensed it and lightly patted me from behind.

Yet these people remained stubbornly blind and kept shouting all at once.

“Don’t listen to their lies! How many children have they killed already?”

“That’s right, kill them! We can’t let them live—they’re a disaster!”

“Kill them!”

“Kill them!”

I let out a speechless laugh and gave up trying to explain any further.

I waved a hand, signaling for Chen Chen and Li Zijian to follow me.

Then I stepped forward without the least fear. Seeing that I intended to leave, the villagers surged toward me like a swarm.

I did not move from where I stood. With nothing more than a short, explosive punch, I sent the first man flying several yards, knocking into the people behind him as well.

“I’ll say it one more time. We are not monsters. We came here to kill monsters too!”

I deliberately raised my voice so every last one of them could hear me clearly.

At that moment, an old man emerged from the crowd. One look was enough—I recognized him as the elder who had given me directions before I went up the mountain.

“Child, go.”

I gave a slight nod, glanced around once more, and when I saw no one else dared block my path, I called Li Zijian and Chen Chen onward.

After seeing me strike, none of them wanted to take the risk anymore. That single blow had been enough to show them exactly what I could do.

The three of us walked quickly down the street. The passersby looked at me with open disdain, and I did my best to suppress the emotions churning inside me.

“Brother Yao, why waste breath with them? You should’ve just hit them from the start.”

I looked at the speaking Li Zijian and sighed.

“We’re not the same as they are. For many years now, the world of cultivation and the mortal world have maintained a balance. That means we can’t interfere with the lives of ordinary people whenever we please.”

After I said that, Li Zijian seemed to understand at once and nodded.

We flagged down one of the few taxis on the road, and only after we promised the driver an extra hundred did he agree to make the trip.

I was long used to this kind of constant rushing about, but Li Zijian had only just returned from Bamboo City, and today he had followed us all the way to Haijiang Town. He was clearly willing, but his strength was nearly spent.

Just then, I felt a sudden stir inside my body. I quickly closed my eyes and focused on it.

Without my noticing, some of the meridians within me had recovered a little more on their own, and the amount of spiritual energy I could use had increased as well.

By my judgment, that amount ought to be enough to summon Snowblade. But since I was still in the car, I would have to wait until we got out to try.

I fell asleep in the taxi. This time I did not dream at all. I slept deeply and well.

By the time I woke, we had already entered the city. The address we had given the driver was the Department Store Tower, the most iconic place in our city—there was no one who didn’t know it.

The three of us got out there, and I immediately found a deserted alley.

I took out Snowblade and directed my remaining spiritual energy into my wrist.

Drawing a deep breath, I poured all of that energy into Snowblade.

At once, it flared with light, and joy surged through me as I waited for its true form to appear.

But it only glowed for a few seconds before dimming into darkness again.

I frowned at it. It truly had no further reaction at all.

“Let me try.”

Chen Chen took Snowblade from my hand. At once, a stream of spiritual energy flowed into it.

Yet this time it merely shone a little longer and still showed no response.

“That’s not right.”

Chen Chen stared at Snowblade and spoke in a low voice.

I thought so too. In the past, no matter who wielded Snowblade, it could always be summoned, though its power would be greatly diminished.

But this time it could not even be called forth at all. That was strange.

I took Snowblade back with forced ease and casually tossed it into my ring.

Though my heart ached, I still said stubbornly, “Even without Snowblade, I am still Lin Yao.”

After that, I took a taxi home without bothering about Chen Chen or Li Zijian.

The whole ride, one thought circled endlessly in my mind: Am I truly useless? Right now, I’m nothing but a cripple who’s lost all his martial skill...

When a man falls to his lowest point, his heart falls with him. Everything he sees turns dim and colorless, black as if the whole world has gone dark.

I slumped in the car in utter desolation, my mind blank. I was even thinking that perhaps I might as well die. Better that than let others fill me with such great hope, only to extinguish it all over again.

I kept my eyes closed, wanting to do nothing, just sinking deeper and deeper into that decay.

...

“Time to get out, young man.”

After a while, the car finally arrived. The driver called to wake me, though I had been awake the whole time. I had simply wanted to remain in my own world a little longer, no longer so burdened by everything outside it.

I pulled a few hundred at random from my pocket and tossed it onto the passenger seat, then pushed the door open and got out.

No matter how the driver shouted after me, I only staggered forward without looking back.

At the foot of the mountain, I slowly made my way onto the narrow path. It was less than a hundred yards, yet I already felt exhausted beyond measure.

After catching my breath, I continued upward.

When a man loses faith and hope, he becomes little more than a walking corpse.

Just like me now.

When I had staggered halfway up, I suddenly heard the clash of weapons from higher on the mountain.

Perhaps the Nangong family and Second Uncle were sparring again...

I paid it no mind and kept climbing with my head lowered.

Though the sun blazed overhead, my heart was nothing but ashes, bleak beyond words.

But gradually, I began to feel that something was wrong. The closer I drew to the top, the clearer the sounds became.

Only then did I realize that the sounds of weapons above were chaotic, mixed with shouting and curses. A chill ran through me, and I immediately broke into a full sprint up the mountain.

As the distance closed, panic tightened in my chest. The few family members I had left in this world—if something happened to them because of me, then I truly would have no courage left to go on living.

Before long, I reached the top. After one hard breath, I quickly pushed through the grass and rushed out.

What I saw before me made me collapse inside at once.

More than a dozen people surrounded the courtyard, every one of them at the Spirit Blossom realm or above.

At that moment, a large group was ganging up on Nangong Xi alone. Second Uncle had also been tied up, though he did not appear to be injured.

It looked as if these were all men of the Dong family.

I guessed they knew how formidable Second Uncle was, so they had deliberately used a magical artifact to restrain him before trying to seize Nangong Xi and take her back.

And Nangong Xi was only at the third grade of Spirit Leaf. Faced with three Spirit Blossom experts attacking her from all sides, she was quickly beaten into defeat.