Chapter 24: A Hero Speaks with His Back (1)

The predictions of the brother and sister, who would later be called geniuses in their own right, were spot on, and their unease soon turned to reality.

The martial artists residing in Weng'An Town were absent because of the appearance of the Three-Headed Mad Dog. Those remaining were the injured, the women and the children, as well as some lower-rank cultivators who protected them, despite not being so skilled or numerous.

"Wh-what's that?!" a martial artist standing on the watchtower shouted in shock. Hearing that, the martial artist standing on the other side turned around to see what the commotion was about.

"Ack! It's the Evil Valley!"

They could see a large group of people from the Evil Valley heading their way, the distance making it difficult to make out the details even if they circulated qi into their eyes. There seemed to be roughly a hundred at least and a hundred and fifty at most.

The martial artists realized that the appearance of the Three-Headed Mad Dog was a diversion. However, it was too late.

"Wh-what do we do?"

Those in command had all left for Kai'An. The strongest person here was, at best, a Second-Class expert, and even that was at the beginning stage. Although there were some powerful cultivators among the injured, they were barely conscious.

"W-we need to run."

Including those with light injuries, there were only around thirty cultivators who could move. Among them, the strongest was a Second-Class cultivator. With a force like this, they stood no chance against a hundred enemies.

"What do we do about the injured, the women and children?" someone asked, making the atmosphere gloomy.

"Th-that's..."

No one could suggest leaving such people behind. They all knew that their hearts would shatter if they did. The problem was that it was the only realistic option.

Just as they were wondering what to do, a boy who appeared to have just reached adulthood stepped forward.

"Gee, I didn't know it was a diversion tactic."

The boy, Zhou Xuchuan, leaped onto the watchtower. The cultivators were startled and stepped aside.

"Hm, there's about a hundred at a glance. There might be some experts, but Senior Uncle is on the battlefield, so I doubt there are any here." Zhou Xuchuan crossed his arms, contemplating the situation.

Seeing him, the cultivators below the watchtower had different reactions.

"That's right! There's a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect here! He's a member of the Lotus Pavilion as well! We can make it out alive!"

"You fool, that brat looks big, but he's only twelve years old!"

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The cultivator's joy turned to confusion after hearing that Zhou Xuchuan was only twelve. Zhou Xuchuan was bigger than his peers, but the air around him was also mature.

"Sob, sob. How slow are you in catching the news? That kid is All Bite and No Bark. He only has a ton of qi, and absolutely nothing else! He's totally incompetent!" Another Third-Class cultivator lamented, tearing at his hair in despair.

"We're done for!"

"Do you think they'll spare our lives if we surrender?"

"Weren't there supposed to be geniuses from the Zhuge Family? How did they miss this diversion attack?"

The cultivators gathered around and despaired together. Due to the extreme situation, some of them even uttered shameful and insulting words.

Observing the chaotic scene from the top of the watchtower, Zhou Xuchuan let out a chuckle. During the Era of War and Chaos, he had to abandon bases on numerous occasions due to diversion tactics like this. They would even leave behind the injured, the women, and the children to avoid being dragged back.

In comparison, the cultivators here were cursing their fates but weren't running away.

"It's really biased that a Third-Class cultivator will have a third-rate mindset. They're all so remarkable. But aside from that... what a stroke of bad luck."

Zhou Xuchuan's smile vanished, replaced by a vicious frown. He was rather satisfied by the actions that the cultivators took, but the situation at hand was grim.

Excluding the injured, we have one Second-Class cultivator, and twenty Third-Class cultivators on our side. That's too little.

He couldn't tell how powerful the enemies were, but with so little forces on their side, and the lack of morale to boot, it was very hard to fight back.

Those geniuses might notice the diversion tactic and send reinforcements. That means we just have to hold out until then.

Zhou Xuchuan came down from the watchtower and looked around. There was despair in the air, with many resigned to their impending fate.

According to the original history, this place should either have been wiped out due to the diversion tactic, or held hostage.

Zhou Xuchuan wasn't here originally. He was not a member of the Lotus Pavilion, so he couldn't even leave the sect.

He saw someone else's reliable back. He couldn't tell if it was a man or woman. He didn't know if they were elderly, a child, or maybe a youth.

The only thing he could tell was the back felt bigger than Mount Tai to him.

"From now on..." Zhou Xuchuan gripped his sword tightly.

"Haha, you must be wetting your pants in fear!"

The burly cultivator in front of him laughed as he looked at Zhou Xuchuan standing still.

"I..."

Zhou Xuchuan stirred the qi from his lower dantian. The qi he had gained from Plum Blossoms surged with explosive power. The internal qi from his lower dantian coursed through the firm foundations of his meridians and headed to the sword in his hand. He could sense the faint smell of Plum Blossoms spreading around him.

"...am that back."

Slash-!

"Huh?"

The sword sliced through the air and drew a line. It was a flawless vertical straight line. The line gleamed in bright white before turning into a fiery red line of blood.

The burly cultivator's eyes widened in confusion and shock as his body split in two.

Drip—

Blood also seeped out of his ugly-looking chest and stained the ground red.

"No w—"

He couldn't finish speaking.

Crack!

His large body was unable to keep standing any longer. His body split in two like chopped firewood.

A moment of silence engulfed the battlefield. Whether it was the cultivators of the Weng'An branch desperately surrounding the cultivators from the Evil Valley or their enemies, no one understood what had just happened.

"There exists a plum tree on the roadside—Roadside Plum Blossom." Zhou Xuchuan chanted, still in a completely defensive stance.

"The plum blossom dances like the butterfly—Plum Blossom Butterfly."

Tack-!

Zhou Xuchuan's body disappeared; he didn't actually disappear. He just moved at a speed that the Third-Class cultivators couldn't catch. He jumped into the midst of cultivators from the Evil Valley and spun around elegantly.

"The plum blossom emits its seductive fragrance—Plum Blossom's Seduction."

Zhou Xuchuan swung his sword. Invisible waves were emitted from his sword, dispersing into the surroundings.

There were three cultivators from the Evil Valley around him.

"The sharp petals of the plum blossom lead the way—Plum Blossom's Lead."

And those waves blossomed within him, releasing frightening energy. Something stabbed those three men.

"Kaahk!"

The three cultivators from the Evil Valley screamed and fell down. Looking closely, there was a hole in the Death Acupoint on their chests.

"Wh-what was that?" Mo Yuanjia's voice quivered.

No one present realized what kind of higher-level sword art he was executing.

"What the hell are you!" Mo Yuanjia exclaimed, wide-eyed with disbelief.

Zhou Xuchuan swung his sword to clean it of blood.

The cultivators of the Weng'An branch looked at Zhou Xuchuan in a daze.

It was a small, yet large back.

"A passing..." Zhou Xuchuan smirked. "Swordsman from Mount Hua!"