The tall man let out a low chuckle, the scar on his face twisting with his grin.
"Well, well... look what crawled out of the wreck. Handyman disciples, huh? Thought you could just run while everyone else is busy dying?"
The shorter one flipped his dagger and caught it again. His eyes ran over Wei Feng, then Yu Liang.
"Hah. One’s at the fourth level of Body Tempering barely worth calling a cultivator. The other... hm, about the same? Still just mortals climbing out of the mud."
He leaned toward Xiao Fei, sneering at him who had gone pale.
"And this one hasn’t even grown fangs yet. What’s he gonna do, bark at us?"
The tall man laughed roughly. "Pathetic. The sect sends you young pups out into the world, yet you dare think you can survive out here? You should be grateful if you live until dawn."
The dagger guy spun his blade lazily. "Better hope someone stronger decides you’re worth keeping alive. Otherwise you’ll die before you even realize how small you are."
Yu Liang’s spiritual sense brushed over the two of them. One at the fifth level of Body Tempering, the other at the sixth. Stronger than Wei Feng, sure, but nothing he couldn’t handle.
Spiritual Sense.
In the Qi Condensation Realm, cultivators developed a basic form of spiritual sense. It wasn’t powerful enough to scan their surroundings like true spiritual sense, but it allowed them to roughly perceive the cultivation level of others.
This ability was especially useful when facing unknown enemies. By sensing the difference in realms, a cultivator could judge the level of danger before making a move. If the opponent wasn’t strong enough to threaten them, they could fight without holding back.
However, Yu Liang was completely unaware that he had just used it unknowingly. As a cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm, he shouldn’t have been capable of sensing another person’s cultivation in such a way. For someone at his level to use a basic form of spiritual sense was already an impressive feat in itself.
For a second his lips twitched into a small grin.
The tall man saw it immediately. His face darkened.
"You dare smile at me?" He stepped forward, raising his voice. "Do you even know who you’re looking at? I’m the strongest in our group. No one here can touch me." He jabbed a thumb at his own chest. "I’ll deal with you myself. You’ll die right here, boy."
He glanced at the wiry one. "You handle the scraps but make it quick."
The shorter man grinned wider and raised his dagger toward Wei Feng and Xiao Fei.
Both Wei Feng and Xiao Fei went pale. Their breathing became shallow as the pressure of the approaching threat settled over them. Xiao Fei’s hands trembled despite his efforts to steady them, while Wei Feng clenched his jaw, forcing himself to remain calm.
Yu Liang turned his head just enough to look at them. The grin faded into something calmer.
"Trust me."
That was all he said.
Xiao Fei blinked not understanding what Yu Liang meant. Wei Feng straightened slightly, his fists tightening as he waited to see what Yu Liang would do next.
The tall man stepped forward and stopped a few paces away, tightening his grip around his sword before raising it over his shoulder.
A sneer spread across his face. "Go on. Smile again."
Yu Liang’s eyes didn’t move.
"You talk too much."
Before the sword could come down, Yu Liang’s fist shot forward with everything he had. His knuckles smashed straight into the man’s throat.
There was a wet, sickening tear. The punch went clean through, like the man’s neck was made of wet paper and blood sprayed across his sleeve and chest.
Yu Liang pulled his arm free. Crimson drops of blood dripped from his hand.
The sword dropped uselessly to the ground. The tall man’s eyes went wide with pure disbelief as he stumbled backward, using his both hands to immediately grab his throat.
He desperately pressed down on the wound trying to stop the bleeding, but dark blood still seeped between his fingers.
Everytime he tried to say something, but only choked sounds and blood came out.
His body swayed unsteadily as he struggled to stay standing.
Tall man’s body trembled once before his legs gave way.
He collapsed heavily onto the ground, completely motionless.
The wiry man froze as his dagger nearly slipped from his fingers. The mocking grin vanished from his face, replaced by pure horror as he stared at his fallen companion.
"Y-you... you killed him... just like that?" His voice cracked.
He stumbled back a step, shaking his head. "Impossible. How did you do that? No... no, this can’t be. He was at the sixth level! You’re just a handyman disciple... who the hell are you?"
His eyes kept darting between Yu Liang’s blood soaked arm and the body on the ground, all the earlier arrogance was gone and fear twisted his features.
Yu Liang felt his own chest tighten for a second.
’What... did I just do?’
For a brief moment, the violence of his own strike sent a shiver down his spine. He stared at his bloodied fist, still trying to process what had happend. But the terrified look on the remaining man’s face snapped him back.
The wiry one suddenly lunged with a desperate scream. "I’LL KILL YOU!"
Yu Liang sidestepped. The dagger only grazed his robe. He pulled a short iron rod from his belt — something he usually kept hidden — and swung it hard into the man’s elbow.
CRACK
"AAAAARGH! MY ARM!" The wiry man screamed as his arm bent the wrong way. The dagger fell but Yu Liang didn’t stop, he shifted and slammed the rod on to the man’s knee.
CRACK
"AAARGH!!" The wiry man’s leg gave out and he collapsed howling.
Yu Liang stood over him, breathing a little uneven, the iron rod still in his hand. Blood from the first kill was still dripping from his sleeve.
For a moment the image of his fist going through that throat replayed in his head — the gurgle, the look in the man’s eyes, and how he fell.
His stomach twisted as those scenes kept replaying.
’If I hadn’t attacked first... that could’ve been me. If I were weaker, I’d be the one lying there, choking on my own blood. They came here to kill us, and if I had hesitated even for a moment, I would’ve ended up like him.
The trembling in his hands slowly stopped. His expression settled into something colder and calmer. ’So this is what the cultivation world really looks... one mistake, and your life’s gone.’
He walked toward the man on the ground.
The wiry one scrambled back as best as he could with two broken limbs, eyes wide with terror.
"S-stay away! Don’t come any closer!"
Yu Liang stopped right in front of him, then bent down and grabbed a fistful of his hair, yanking him upright. The man screamed as his broken arm dangled and his ruined knee refused to take any weight bringing him even more pain.
Yu Liang leaned in, his voice low and even.
"Now... you’re going to tell me a few things. Understood?"
The man gasped for air, trembling under the grip. Hatred and fear mixed in his eyes. He spat blood to the side, then forced out a broken laugh.
"Y-you want answers? Then ask... but don’t think I’ll just give them to you for free."