Chapter 75 The Xiang Clan

After a series of events and with Lady Li’s explanation, Sikong Xu finally earned Gai Nie’s trust. At the same time, his first main quest appeared.

Main Quest One: Escort Gai Nie and Tianming safely to Jinghu Medical Manor.
Reward: 150 credits and subsequent quests.

Main Quest Two: To be continued.
Main Quest Three: To be continued.

Well, now that only the first main quest has appeared, the other two remain inactive, but this at least gave Sikong Xu a definite goal for his training. Otherwise, he’d be wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly.

“Let’s rest for a bit.”

The three had already left the desolate wasteland and were now in a mountain valley.

“Alright, that’s fine,” Gai Nie answered Sikong Xu’s suggestion.

If Sikong Xu hadn’t spoken up, with Gai Nie’s personality, he might have kept walking endlessly. Yet, his injuries were no longer sufficient to support him much further.

Although Gai Nie’s wounds had started to scab over, the flesh beneath was already festering, and after a bout of heavy bleeding, his stamina was nearly depleted.

“This must be the hidden valley of the Xiang clan,” Sikong Xu surveyed their surroundings. The place was lush and beautiful, with a certain poetic charm.

Truth be told, this valley was not easy to find. If Sikong Xu had been alone, he’d probably never locate it in a lifetime. If he hadn’t quickly thought to support Gai Nie while Tianming led the way, they might not have made it here at all.

“Hey! Uncle, Brother Sikong, look over there—a mountain pheasant!” Suddenly, Tianming’s lively voice rang out as he chased after the bird, darting energetically.

Fortunately, Tianming was nimble enough; in just a few moments, he caught the fleeing pheasant.

“Uncle, Brother Sikong, let’s roast this pheasant and eat it!” Tianming stared intently at the pheasant in his hands, clearly yearning for meat after days of travel and dry rations.

In the original story, Tianming accidentally triggered the Xiang clan’s signal flare while roasting this pheasant, inadvertently summoning Shaoyu and the others. This time, however, it seemed Sikong Xu and his companions had already been discovered.

“Who’s there!”

Just as Tianming was lighting a fire to roast the pheasant, Gai Nie, resting beneath a tree, suddenly became alert. He called out sternly toward a nearby thicket.

Gai Nie’s exclamation caught Sikong Xu’s attention as well. Sikong Xu hadn’t sensed anyone nearby, but Gai Nie, skilled in martial arts, had a keen intuition—unlike Sikong Xu, who was merely an amateur.

However, Sikong Xu had another, rather unfair, ability.

Precision Perception!

Sikong Xu instinctively activated this skill for the first time.

Whoosh—

The instant Sikong Xu closed his eyes, an invisible wave of perception swept over all living things within a hundred meters, centered on him. The scanned images of every creature were transmitted directly to his mind.

Suddenly, Sikong Xu felt as though the world brightened.

“Hm… there’s an ant nest behind me, a sparrow and three eggs in the tree…”

Every creature within a hundred meters appeared vividly in his mind, giving Sikong Xu a sense of omniscient control.

“There are ten people lying in ambush nearby… They must be members of the Xiang clan…”

At that moment, Sikong Xu opened his eyes and said coolly, “All ten brothers in hiding, please come out. We’re just passing through and mean no harm.”

His words seemed to startle the other party. They were shocked that Sikong Xu could clearly identify their exact number. Even Gai Nie, beside him, looked at Sikong Xu with an expression of surprise.

Rustle, rustle, rustle…

Soon enough, all ten men appeared in Sikong Xu’s line of sight, clad in blue-green clothing and armed with swords, spears, and staffs. Each watched Sikong Xu and Gai Nie cautiously.

As for Tianming, he was completely ignored. After all, what trouble could a child possibly cause?

With the appearance of these ten, Gai Nie shakily rose to his feet. Whether friend or foe, a skilled swordsman must always remain vigilant.

“Who are you…?” The leader, a man with a stubbly face, was the first to speak. He eyed Gai Nie’s Yuanhong sword and the Explanation Blade carried by Sikong Xu, his expression wary. “Drop your weapons and don’t resist, or we won’t be so polite.”

“Come on, I should be asking who you are. Just showing up here out of nowhere—are you here to rob us or something?” Sikong Xu retorted irritably. Although he knew they were likely members of the Xiang clan, their attitude annoyed him.

“Hmph, enough talk. Take them down!” The leader’s expression grew cold. Clearly, this young man hadn’t grasped the situation—his side had the numbers, so their word was law.

“Ha! Perfect, I was just looking for someone to spar with. Those Qin soldiers all ran away—none of them could put up a fight,” Sikong Xu said, delighted as the ten Xiang clan disciples rushed at him.

Since advancing to the upper ranks of the Ink-Black grade, he hadn’t had a proper chance to adapt due to the monthly exam. Though he’d exchanged blows with Gai Nie, his opponent was far too strong, offering little opportunity for actual practice.

Now, with these foolish Xiang clan disciples coming at him directly, Sikong Xu couldn’t be happier!

As the ten disciples surrounded him, Gai Nie abstained from intervening. With his keen eye, he could see that these lightly dressed men were only somewhat stronger than ordinary folk—the strongest among them no better than the Qin soldiers before. Thus, he had no reason to worry about Sikong Xu.

“Ha, come at me all at once!” Sikong Xu laughed, then suddenly launched forward. Benefiting from the effects of the Boots of Lightness, his acceleration matched the world sprint champion Bolt at full speed. If Sikong Xu ran at maximum effort, even Bolt would be left in the dust—covering a hundred meters in five or six seconds with ease.

Whoosh!

In a flash, Sikong Xu was in front of a Xiang clan disciple. The poor fellow, barely able to spot Sikong Xu’s figure, was sent flying with a single punch. Sikong Xu then danced nimbly among the others, instantly defeating several more.

“Ha! How exhilarating!” The sensation of his fists connecting filled Sikong Xu with pure joy.

Now possessing upper Ink-Black grade strength, and after training with Source Energy, Sikong Xu’s physical abilities were nearly twice that of a normal person. These ordinary Xiang clan disciples stood no chance—they couldn’t even withstand a single punch from him.

“Who is this wild brat, daring to run amok on Xiang clan territory!”

Suddenly, a booming voice rang out from behind the crowd.

It turned out that, after Sikong Xu sent the first disciple flying, the stubbly leader realized things were going badly and immediately fired an emergency signal flare. Now, it seemed reinforcements from the Xiang clan were arriving from the rear!