Chapter Nine: Gaining Vital Energy
On the broad avenue, Liu Ming led his ten Southern Tiger Riders on patrol. As the Southern King City was the empire’s crucial fortress guarding the southern frontier, security was of utmost importance, not to mention the need to ward off any spies from the Southern Barbarians lurking within the city.
Although the empire had known no war for nearly a century and maintained an uneasy peace with the Northern and Southern tribes, given the disposition of those barbarians, it was unlikely they would let things rest for long.
Thus, the security within the city had to be flawless.
One of Liu Ming’s trusted men suddenly chuckled and said, “Our young lord really knows how to enjoy himself. I heard he slipped out of the city at dawn. If you ask me, he’s probably indulging himself at Spring Night Pavilion again.”
Someone immediately echoed, “Most likely! Our young lord is nothing like our chief—he’s given up training and comes out to inspect the city’s defenses.”
The other Southern Tiger Riders shook their heads with wry smiles.
No matter how one put it, their young lord was excessively dissolute. To put it harshly, he was a good-for-nothing who knew only how to eat, drink, and make merry—a disgrace to the Southern King’s household!
Dashing into the brothel at the crack of dawn was enough to make the whole city gossip. Though people might not say it to his face, they were surely whispering behind his back.
Still, such words were only dared in private, or perhaps in front of Liu Ming, but never before the young lord himself. After all, they served the Southern King’s household.
Liu Ming, leading the group, spoke coolly, “As servants, you need only do your duty. Some matters are not for you to discuss.”
“Yes, sir!” The men fell silent at once.
At that moment, a man came stumbling toward them, panic etched across his face—it was Wang Mazi.
Gasping for breath, Wang Mazi managed to blurt, “S-something’s wrong! Young Lord Liu, he—he—he—”
Liu Ming’s expression changed instantly. He seized Wang Mazi’s shoulders and demanded, “Speak clearly! What happened to Liu Ji?!”
Catching his breath, Wang Mazi wailed, “Hurry to my residence and save Young Lord Liu! If you don’t go now, he’ll be in grave danger!”
“Move!” Without further word, Liu Ming’s face turned grim as he immediately dashed toward the prince’s residence. Though he looked down on Liu Ji for his debauchery and disgrace to Uncle Liu’s reputation, Liu Ji was still the heir—the only son of Uncle Liu. He could not allow anything to happen to him. He had to save him at all costs.
...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Meanwhile, in the rear courtyard of the prince’s residence, four figures, each clad in distinct armor, were locked in fierce battle with the monstrous woman. The fight was evenly matched.
At the doorway, Liu Ji stared unblinking at the chaotic scene. So this was an Armor Spirit? It emerged from within the body? How truly bizarre.
According to the books, even the lowest grade of Armor Spirit possessed such hardness that no weapon in the entire Calamity Realm could pierce its defenses.
When it came to sharpness, the Armor Spirit was unrivaled in the Calamity Realm!
In short, the Armor Spirit was the ultimate weapon in the Calamity Realm, and naturally, those who wielded them—Armor Spirit Users—were also living weapons on the battlefield. This was the reason the empire had been able to repeatedly defeat the northern barbarians.
Alas, as the imperial chronicles recorded, the number of Armor Spirit Users had dwindled dramatically over time, and now they were exceedingly rare. No one knew the reason.
Moreover, not everyone could summon an Armor Spirit. The books mentioned certain prerequisites, but what exactly they were, no one could say.
Liu Ji, however, was unconcerned.
In his view, with his father, the Southern King, holding such renown in the empire, surely the old man possessed a formidable Armor Spirit of his own.
Then, as his son...
He should have one too, shouldn’t he?
“I’ll have to ask about this later,” Liu Ji mused, raising his eyes to the ongoing battle. The monstrous woman was already showing signs of fatigue under the four armored guards’ relentless assault, repeatedly forced back.
She was clearly losing ground.
One of the guards let out a furious shout, launching a double-footed kick square into the monster’s chest, sending her staggering backward.
Another guard appeared behind her, his fist encased in Armor Spirit, hammering into her back like a cannonball.
The blow sent her pitching forward.
On the right, another guard’s footwork shifted dazzlingly, and in a flash, he was in front of the monster. He crouched, wrapped his arms around her waist, and with a powerful heave, flipped her over his shoulder so her head crashed toward the ground. Without looking back, he spun and delivered a flying kick, like a dragon’s tail, cracking her midsection and sending her spinning in midair before she crashed to the ground.
At the doorway, Liu Ji could not help but exclaim in admiration. Such teamwork and combination attacks were truly impressive—enough to make one applaud.
Xiao Ya smiled, “Young master, I’ve heard these four trained together since childhood. Their coordination is second nature, like their own limbs.”
She declared confidently, “On top of that, each has reached the peak of the Minor Star Stage. With their combined strength, even a master at the Profound Moon Stage would have a hard time against them. I believe they’ll have no trouble finishing off this monster.”
Minor Star Stage?
Profound Moon Stage?
Hearing this, Liu Ji’s expression grew serious. This world was indeed filled with demons and martial arts fanatics. He made a mental note of these ranks.
The monstrous woman climbed up again, her eyes twitching wildly, a terrifying sight. With a beastly roar, she lunged once more at the four guards.
“Courting death!”
The four guards showed no mercy, each unleashing their signature techniques. In a flash, the monster was utterly overwhelmed, helpless to do anything but take blow after blow.
The monster howled in rage, as if driven mad, desperately trying to reach Liu Ji, but was beaten back each time.
Watching the creature charge him again and again, only to be repelled, Liu Ji scratched his nose in puzzlement. “Why does she keep coming for me? Do I look that easy to bully?”
Beside him, Xiao Ya muttered, “I think she really wants revenge for you touching her earlier, young master. Why else would she be so obsessed with you?”
“Ahem.” Liu Ji coughed, shooting her a glare. You’re making it sound like I wanted to touch her! If it weren’t for extracting those attributes, would he have done so?
His gaze returned to the battlefield, where the monstrous woman, cornered by the four guards, was now utterly unable to defend herself. The outcome was all but decided.
Bang!
One guard kicked the monster back, while another produced a great blade from who-knows-where. With a fierce shout, he swung it in a cold arc at the monster’s neck. If the blade struck, death was certain.
With a sickening sound, a human head soared into the air.
The headless body froze, then collapsed straight to the ground with a thud, but no gushing blood followed as one might expect.
Liu Ji let out a sigh of relief, though he couldn’t help but lament his rotten luck. Barely a few days after arriving in this world, he’d almost died again.
Thankfully, the four guards were exceptional.
He asked, “Is it dead for good this time?”
The armor on the four guards faded away like a receding tide.
One of them kicked at the headless corpse, then turned and cupped his fists toward Liu Ji at the door. “Young master, with her head gone, I’d say she’s dead for sure.”
Another guard frowned, “Her body was tough indeed. Hitting her was like striking iron.”
Cautious, Liu Ji approached the corpse, gave it a hard kick, but dared not touch it otherwise—he still bore some trauma from earlier.
Convinced the body would not rise again, he finally relaxed. He crouched beside it and tapped its body with a finger.
“Vitality +0.3...”
Liu Ji: “???”
...
...
PS: If I whimper and plead, will I get some recommendation votes?
(╥╯^╰╥)