12dz Chapter 23 already has a way to die.
Chapter 23 already has a way to die.
The arena was filled with the noise of the crowd.
Lu Zheji was a patrol officer accompanying the Xuanwu Eight Banners. He was only somewhat familiar with the people of this banner. The other banners did not know his identity as a prince's son and regarded him as a new face who had been sent in by someone to gain prestige. Naturally, they looked at him with a scrutinizing and disdainful gaze.
Seeing him walk towards the arena, and hearing that he had chosen the White Fat Pig, several demon slayers from other banners burst out laughing on the spot.
"Choosing a pig? Is this guy here to be a cook or a butcher?"
"So what if he's a coward? He even has the nerve to call it 'adding more food for everyone.' Tsk, he's quite good at finding a way to save face."
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone from the Xuanwu Eight Banners side objected, turning around and shouting, "Who are you calling a coward? When the pork is served, you'd better not reach for your chopsticks if you dare!"
The man was momentarily speechless and was about to retort when the fence gate at the side of the field suddenly opened with a bang.
The Lin family's animal trainer led out a giant beast. This white fat pig was as tall as two people when it stood up straight, with a back as broad as a moving mountain of flesh. Its light gray skin was rough and thick, and you could vaguely see the knotted muscles writhing under the skin.
Before they even reached the center of the arena, the dull thud of their hooves hitting the ground was enough to make the demon slayers, who had been making a ruckus just moments before, gape in astonishment.
"My goodness...this must weigh over 10,000 jin (5,000 kg)!"
"I'm not well-educated, don't try to fool me. Is this a white-fat pig? I've eaten pork for decades, and I've never seen one this big!"
"I've seen white-fat pigs before, but this one is huge... Is this some kind of pig king?"
The Lin family's animal trainer patted the giant beast's hard front leg with an expressionless face and said indifferently, "An ordinary white-fat pig is raised for two years and weighs around 5,000 catties. This one was raised for seven years and weighs 13,000 catties."
He turned to look at Lu Zheji, a half-smile playing on his lips: "Young Master said he wanted the biggest one, so we brought you the biggest one from the manor. Are you satisfied with it, Young Master?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze immediately turned to Lu Zheji.
Many people already had gloating expressions on their faces—serves you right for being so stubborn, now the Lin family is going to take you down hard.
However, when Lu Zheji looked at the enormous pig, his eyes showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, they shone with an astonishing light, as if a glutton had stumbled upon a rare delicacy and wished he could pounce on it and devour its leg on the spot.
This boar was more than three times the size of the Bull Demon King of Bullfighting Manor, and the powerful aura emanating from its body far exceeded the mere size difference, probably more than thirty times!
The White Fat Pig, an artificially bred species, has its talents almost entirely focused on its blood and physique, and its demonic heart is also an excellent product for strengthening blood and physique. He had long coveted this kind of demonic beast, but he never expected the Lin family to be so generous, directly sending a gift far exceeding his expectations.
"Excellent!" Lu Zheji responded loudly, his tone filled with barely suppressed excitement. "The Lin family truly has a profound foundation; this is the one!"
The crowd erupted in uproar. Some thought he was crazy, some thought he was just too proud to admit it, while most others crossed their arms, ready to watch the show.
Zhu Yang couldn't help but step forward, lowering his voice urgently, "Young Master, don't be reckless! Don't underestimate this beast just because it's only at the peak of the first realm. Demonic beasts and cultivators are different; their combat strength can't be simply calculated by realm. Based on my years of experience dealing with demonic beasts, cultivators below the third realm will definitely not fare well against it in a head-on confrontation on the arena!"
The reasoning is actually quite simple. To prevent demonic beasts from developing extremely high intelligence and becoming hostile towards humans, these artificially bred demonic beasts have had their intelligence artificially restricted. The White-Fat Pig doesn't possess any special talents or supernatural abilities; its only means of attack is its unadorned physical body. Therefore, its combat power is not affected by its cultivation level, but rather by its vital energy.
And the boar's blood and qi... even without Zhu Yang's reminder, everyone present could instinctively feel the oppressive aura, as imposing as a mountain.
"It's alright." Lu Zheji drew his long sword from his waist, the three-foot-long blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Without turning his head, he stepped onto the arena. "I'm confident in my abilities."
The beast tamer said no more, stepped off the arena, and made a beast-taming incantation with his hand.
The boar, which had been anxiously pawing at the center of the arena, suddenly had its fist-sized eyes bloodshot the moment the magic entered its body. It let out a deafening roar, and its powerful blood and energy erupted at that moment, surging through its entire body like a flood bursting its banks.
The next second, it stomped its four thick hooves on the ground!
"boom!"
The bluestone ground trembled slightly, and the enormous, mountain-like body transformed into a blurry gray shadow, charging toward Lu Zheji with a terrifying speed completely disproportionate to its size, like a wall of flesh pushing in!
"What?!"
The demon slayers watching from the sidelines all changed their expressions. They felt they had already given this giant boar enough credit, but the power of its charge still far exceeded their expectations.
They only measured the giant pig's powerful physique through its astonishing blood and qi, but they never expected that such a vast amount of blood and qi would bring not only overwhelming power, but also a terrifyingly fast burst of speed.
The person standing guard on the side as ordered by Miss Lin was an old man in a white robe. He was a guardian of the Lin family and knew the speed of this boar very well. Judging from Lu Zheji's arrogant appearance just now, he estimated that this kid wouldn't even be able to dodge the first attack. He was already prepared to save people as soon as the fight started.
However, just before the boar was about to pounce, the old monk suddenly let out a soft "Eh."
On the arena, Lu Zheji subtly shifted his body the instant the giant pig gathered its strength.
"call--!"
The enormous beast's body, carrying a foul stench, swept past him with a whoosh, barely missing his clothes!
The sidelines were deathly silent, except for the giant pig, which couldn't stop and crashed heavily into the protective barrier at the edge of the arena, creating ripples of golden-red light.
It shook its head, locked onto its prey again, and once more, with all four hooves pushing off the ground, its massive body like a collapsing mountain, it pounced a second time on the human figure that appeared excessively slender in comparison.
Lu Zheji dodged again, narrowly avoiding another collision by the slightest margin.
Once is a bad omen, but what about twice? What about three times? The boar was blinded by rage, its short, stubby roars echoing across the arena. Its massive body almost transformed into a hazy whirlwind, rampaging wildly across the arena, yet it could never quite reach that elusive figure.
The demon slayers watching from below the stage had no choice but to believe that this person's evasion was not just a fluke, but that he had truly seen through the giant boar's attack.
The Xuanwu Eight Banners members, in particular, were filled with astonishment. They found it hard to believe that this young master was just a new graduate from the academy, and that he was even more cunning and experienced than they were, seasoned veterans who had been licking blood off the edge for many years!
Liu Changtian smiled bitterly in the crowd. He had personally experienced the almost monstrous fighting talent of Guo Lu Zheji. Back in the examination, he had been tricked by Guo Lu Zheji in the same way, leading him step by step into a trap, and finally suffering a humiliating defeat.
But looking at the figure on the stage who was handling things with ease, a strange feeling rose in his heart. Lu Zheji's cultivation level... was it the late stage of the second realm?
He carefully recalled the details of the battle during the imperial examination...
Yes, that's right, the opponent's aura at that time was indeed at the late stage of the second realm.
However, the gap between the peak of the second realm and the late stage of the second realm is not insurmountable in the face of the royal family's foundation. If that's the case, then why am I so hung up on that defeat...?
On the arena, the boar was still rampaging wildly, but no matter how frantic it became, it could not do anything to the elusive human figure.
But the fourth-level elder shook his head slightly as he observed the situation.
The breeding boars have abundant blood and energy, and their endurance is undoubtedly their strength. Such high-intensity dodging will consume a lot of the cultivator's mind and spiritual power. The longer it drags on, the more disadvantageous it will be for the human cultivator.
More importantly, even if you can dodge, you still have to attack, right? When Lin Chensha actually swung his sword at that thick and tough pigskin, he would find that this thing was not so easy to break through.
If the attack is thwarted and the rhythm is slightly disrupted, it will be a dangerous situation.
However, the old retainer below the stage did not know that Lu Zheji had no intention of delaying at all; he was just touching him.
Having figured out every detail of this giant beast, when the giant boar charged forward again with its head down, Lu Zheji suddenly changed his attack.
He twisted his body to avoid the impact, and using the momentum, he slashed down with his longsword.
A dazzling sword light exploded on the arena, slicing into the weak joint between the giant boar's left foreleg and calf.
In a narrow passage, draw your sword and pierce through armor!
"Sizzle!"
The dull thud of a sharp blade piercing flesh was accompanied by the sickening sound of bones cracking.
Blood gushed out like a fountain, and the giant boar let out an extremely shrill scream. Its forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, and its massive body, due to the excruciating pain and loss of balance, tilted violently to the left, almost falling over.
"What?!"
"This sword strike?!"
A gasp of disbelief erupted from the audience. The elder, a fourth-realm cultivator, his pupils constricted, and he exclaimed in shock, "What a sharp sword strike!"
He didn't expect a breeding boar at the peak of the first realm to completely ignore the full force of a late-stage second realm cultivator's sword strike, but he never expected that Lin Chensha's sword strike would treat the giant boar's thick and tough skin as nothing, and almost cut off most of the thick, pillar-like pig leg.
This sword is a longsword made of black iron provided by the Lin family. It is not an ordinary item, but it is by no means a divine weapon that can cut through iron like mud.
The strong ones... are naturally those who wield swords!
"Awooo—!"
The agonizing screams were deafening. The intense pain completely ignited the boar's ferocity. Its eyes turned bloodshot, and it charged forward again with an even more frenzied attitude, dragging its almost broken front legs!
However, even when things were at their peak, they were not afraid of setbacks, let alone now.
His movements were as nimble as a ghost, dodging the attack once again. His longsword transformed into a silver lightning bolt, precisely following the trajectory of the previous strike.
"Snap!"
The crisp sound of bones breaking was clearly audible, and the giant boar's entire left foreleg fell off, gushing blood like a fountain.
Having lost a front leg, the giant pig staggered, its movements becoming several times more clumsy and sluggish.
Lu Zheji gave it no further chances, and repeated the same move, his sword flashing again, severing its right foreleg as well.
Its massive body crashed to the ground with a dull thud, leaving only painful spasms and futile roars.
The outcome is decided.
Lu Zheji stepped over the pool of blood, raised his sword, and cleanly cut open the still slightly heaving pig's belly. He took out a blood-soaked inner core and swallowed it.
The Lin family did not specify which demonic beast they were practicing slaughtering, but its demonic heart was also included as a gift. However, no one spoke up to question or stop them at this moment.
The Lin family is never stingy with rewards for brave warriors, and this demon heart is a well-deserved trophy.
The demon's heart entered your belly, and under the influence of the demon's transformation of your heart, it instantly transformed into a scorching and violent torrent of blood and qi, rushing into your limbs and bones.
Lu Zheji could clearly feel his blood and qi surging at an astonishing rate, his meridians widening, his muscles and bones resounding with joy, and his physique becoming more resilient and powerful.
A moment later.
"boom!"
His aura suddenly surged, and a powerful and solid pressure, much stronger than before, emanated from his body!
His cultivation level has clearly improved by a small step from the late stage of the second realm. Although he is still quite far from the peak of the second realm, his spiritual energy circulation is obviously more smooth and fluid, and his foundation is more solid.
The even more astonishing change was in his blood and qi.
At this moment, the pressure emanating from his blood and qi alone has reached the level of a third-realm body cultivator!
"A breakthrough?!"
"It's a demon's heart! The demon's heart of the white-fat boar! Its effect is to greatly replenish qi and blood, and strengthen the body!"
"My god! A demonic heart in the first realm, how could the effect be this exaggerated?!"
"What do you know! The allure of a demon heart lies in the extremely small chance that it can cause a cultivator to undergo a mutation, directly acquiring some of the characteristics of the demon heart's source species. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
"To slay a powerful enemy on the battlefield, to dig out a demon's heart and consume it to break through in the heat of battle—this scene from a traditional play has actually come to pass! I've witnessed it all with my own eyes today!"
Gasps of surprise rose and fell from the audience. On the battlefield, in dire straits, consuming a demon's heart to break through in the heat of battle is a classic scene in countless stories, and it occasionally happens in reality as well.
Witnessing this with my own eyes, how could I not be filled with excitement?
"Brother, you're awesome!"
"Congratulations on your great improvement, young master!"
"Haha, I knew you were destined for greatness, brother!"
Lu Zheji stood on the arena, bathed in cheers and praises, a polite smile on his face as he responded to the compliments.
However, he felt a strange emptiness in his heart.
No amount of cheers or loud praise could compare to the sight of the junior sister's bright almond eyes and her sickeningly sweet compliments.
"Junior brother is amazing! So incredible! He's like a god descended from heaven!"
If it were my junior sister here, she would definitely praise him to the skies with her sweet voice, right? Maybe she would even rush over and give him a hug filled with the fragrance of a young girl.
Only two days after they parted, Lu Zheji already started missing her.
He gazed in the direction of Chang'an, a strange feeling suddenly welling up in his heart, and he spoke to the goddess in his sea of consciousness:
"Qiaoqiao, thinking of this scene, I was moved and came up with a short poem that I've never written before."
Inside the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, the goddess slowly opened her clear, cold eyes. She tried her best to keep her tone reserved, but a barely perceptible hint of expectation still escaped her lips:
"I would like to hear the details."
Lu Zheji silently recited in his heart:
"A loving mother's thread in her hand, a traveler's clothes on his back."
Departure thick seam, meaning fear of delay in return.
Who can say that the heart of a blade of grass can repay the warmth of spring?
A moment of silence fell over the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. The goddess savored the poem's imagery, pondered for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask, "The poem is indeed good, sincere and moving, simple yet... what is this about being moved by the scene?"
What connection does this scene of fierce fighting in the arena and cheers from the crowd have with a loving mother and her wandering son?
Lu Zheji remained calm and said, "This poem expresses my longing for my junior sister."
A silence fell over the Bronze Sparrow Terrace. After a long while, a sigh from the goddess, clear and cold yet tinged with weariness, finally broke the silence.
"Emperor Wu..."
"You really are a pervert."
……
In the distance, beneath the high eaves of the main building of the Lin family mansion.
A slender figure in a flowing, smoky blue dress stood quietly by the railing. The autumn breeze ruffled her cascading black hair and soft skirt, outlining her graceful and captivating curves.
It was Lin Zhenge.
Her beautiful peach blossom eyes sparkled, reflecting the lively scene below and the towering figure of Lu Zheji on the arena.
"Three years have passed, and you've grown quite a bit stronger. As expected, you still remember our promise..."
She murmured to herself, her voice so soft that only she could hear it.
But then, she gently shook her head, a hint of pride belonging to a chosen one flashing in her eyes:
"Unfortunately, even though you have grown to this point, I am still out of your reach."
……
The following evening, as Yang Xinyong crossed the western parade ground, he heard a familiar howl from afar.
The sound was rough and harsh, piercing through the entire mountain village and startling a flock of birds in the woods.
It's that pig squealing again...
Yang Xinyong paused, his lips twitching slightly.
This Lin Chensha, I don't know what's wrong with his head, he's become addicted to slaughtering pigs. After publicly slaughtering that infamous king of breeding pigs yesterday, he used the excuse of practice to apply to slaughter a few more, and the Lin family actually approved it.
This must be the fifth one already.
He recalled how he had previously regarded Lin Chensha as an obstacle to getting close to Lin Zhenge, and even went up to provoke him in public. Now he just found it funny.
Lin Chensha had no regard for the Second Miss Lin; all he could think about was slaughtering pigs.
As for Lin Zhengge sending someone to bring over that giant pig yesterday, it's estimated that she originally had some intention of giving him a warning, which shows that even if she knows Lin Chensha, their relationship is definitely not friendly.
However, this matter was no longer something for him to be happy about, because he had already given up on the unrealistic idea of pursuing Lin Zhengge.
There are always people gossiping in the Demon Slayer Division, saying that Yang Xinyong is not doing his job properly and only knows how to dalliance with women because of his family background. But little do they know that this is exactly his job.
The sect leader of the Divine Sword Sect is getting old, and the struggle for the position of successor is fierce. His grandfather, as a senior elder in the sect, is not without his own ambitions for that position.
Yang Xinyong was born with a handsome appearance and considered himself dashing and charming, and he was also quite knowledgeable about matters of love.
So the family arranged for him to be sent to Chang'an, so that he could try to seduce a wealthy and powerful woman and pave the way for his grandfather.
In just one year, he had just established himself in the circle of playboys in Chang'an and had indeed gotten involved with a few young ladies. But while those girls were charming, they were ultimately not up to par and were merely tools for him to approach women of higher social standing.
After the incident involving the Lin family, the family hurriedly asked him to approach Miss Lin Er under the guise of being a guard. He immediately thought to himself that the old man was being a bit delusional.
Although the Lin family is declining on the path of cultivation sects, as a long-established family, its foundation and power are still terrifying.
Lin Zhengge herself is exceptionally talented and is the jewel that the Lin family has been nurturing with all their might. Looking across the entire Southern Wei, the number of young men who are qualified to marry her can be counted on two hands.
Yang Xinyong was eager to climb higher, not afraid of reaching for the highest branches, but afraid of not even being able to reach the branches.
As expected, Lin Zhengge didn't even give him a chance to pursue her. In her eyes, he was no different from any other toad.
He had just met with his father and, after much persuasion, finally convinced him to give up his ambition.
Because he painted an even bigger picture.
During his year in Chang'an, he painstakingly identified a seemingly perfect target.
First of all, this woman comes from a powerful family that is even more influential than the Lin family. If a marriage alliance can be formed, it will be a decisive boost to my grandfather's bid for the position of sect leader.
Secondly, her talent for cultivation was relatively mediocre, and she was not valued in the family, remaining on the margins of society.
This may seem like a drawback, but it is actually a strength. Alliances between powerful forces often only require a passable link. If the other party does not hold a high position in the family, they are easier to approach and manipulate.
Finally, there was a personal factor: although she wasn't as stunning as Lin Zhenge, she was still charming, sweet, and lively, which suited his taste perfectly.
Yang Xinyong asked himself honestly, and he was genuinely tempted by this goal.
Just as they were pondering, the sound of carriages and horses approached from afar. Several carriages decorated with the Lin family emblem were slowly driving into the manor gate. It was the arrival of the medical team dispatched by the imperial court from Chang'an.
The carriages came to a stop one after another, and the doctors got off.
Yang Xinyong casually looked up, his gaze suddenly stopping on a petite and exquisite figure.
The girl was dressed in a simple, light yellow casual dress. Her small face was delicately sculpted. She was looking up at the scenery inside the manor with curiosity. Her eyebrows were curved, and she smiled before she spoke. Her dimples were shallow, making her extremely cute.
A glint flashed in Yang Xinyong's eyes, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.
To meet someone here is truly a match made in heaven!