Naked Sword Art

From Xiao Fang's memory, beyond the walls, the city was a tapestry of intricate pagodas, bustling streets, and towering structures adorned with spiritual inscriptions. Floating lanterns drifted through the sky, their soft glow creating an ethereal atmosphere. Streams of spiritual energy weaved through the city like flowing rivers, giving life to its countless cultivators, merchants, and nobles who called Jadepeak city home. The very air felt rich with Qi, making it a paradise for any who sought to refine their cultivation.

However, reaching the city was no simple feat. The mountain itself was an unforgiving trial. Its steep, winding paths were treacherous, littered with hidden dangers. Ferocious beasts lurked in the dense forests, their sharp eyes watching for unsuspecting travelers. The presence of high-tier spirit beasts made the journey perilous even for experienced cultivators.

Moreover, bandits prowled the roads, preying on those who appeared vulnerable. With the riches the city promised, it was only natural that greed and desperation ran rampant among those who failed to earn their way in.

Despite the dangers, Xiao Fang pressed forward, his speed unwavering as he traversed the rugged terrain.

Hours passed, and he could feel Xiao Hei's soft breathing against his back, her warmth reassuring him as he continued his journey. The rigorous travel had begun to take its toll on his body. Even with his strength, maintaining such speed for so long was draining.

Deciding to rest for a moment, he slowed his pace and found a small clearing by the side of the road.

Just as Xiao Fang prepared to take a brief break, a sudden presence made him pause.

"Come out," Xiao Fang said.

At the sound of his voice, Xiao Hei sleepily raised her head off his shoulder, her ears twitching in annoyance.

From the trees ahead, a man stepped onto the road, his ragged attire doing little to hide the confidence in his stance.

'A cultivator,' Xiao Fang thought.

Despite his appearance, Xiao Fang could tell that the man blocking his path wasn't weak. He was in the Core Body realm at the very least.

One by one, more figures began to emerge from the shadows, their movements swift but unhurried. Soon, at least two dozen men had gathered, blocking the path forward, carrying all sorts of weapons.

"You detected us while blindfolded, you're an unusual one," the man standing at the center said.

"Is there something you need?" Xiao Fang asked.

The leader of the group grinned wickedly, his sharp eyes raking over Xiao Fang and the delicate figure on his back.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" another man sneered looking at Xiao Hei, amusement dripping from his tone.

"How often do we see a lone traveler around these parts? And he seems to be carrying something quite valuable," another man said, spotting Xiao Hei on his back.

"This road ain't free, boy," another bandit chimed in. "If you value your life, leave behind anything worth taking."

Xiao Fang remained still, his gaze calm yet carrying an unmistakable edge of danger.

{"Huh? Why are there so many people in our way? They don't seem very friendly either,"} Xiao Hei said to Xiao Fang through a spirit transmission, too lazy to speak using her own mouth.

{"It seems that way,"} Xiao Fang replied just as casually.

"Oi, did you hear us!?" one of the bandits barked, his patience thinning.

"He must be frightened," another jeered.

"Maybe he's deaf as well as blind," another chuckled.

"If that's the case, stripping him clean will be as easy as taking candy from a baby."

"Sending a cripple our way, perhaps the heavens are sending us a gift for our struggles."

"A gift?" Xiao Fang exhaled, no longer entertained by their foolishness.

Lifting Xiao Hei by the collar, he dangled her in front of him like a confused kitten.

"Is this what you want?"

Xiao Hei blinked innocently, her sleepy expression unchanged, though a flicker of curiosity sparkled in her eyes.

The leader's grin widened. "So he can hear after all. Good. Now, hand her over. We'll take real good care of her."

{"Fang, I don't like these people."}

{"Then kill them,"} Xiao Fang replied indifferently before tossing her toward them.

Xiao Hei twisted mid-air, her lazy demeanor vanishing as her golden eyes gleamed with predatory sharpness. Her fingers extended into razor-like claws.

The bandits, once eager, suddenly grew wary. But their realization came too late.

In a single swift motion, Xiao Hei slashed clean through a Solid Body cultivator, his body mutilated before he even had the chance to scream. He screamed as blood and visceral organ chunks spilled out of him.

Panic erupted.

Xiao Fang vanished into [ Stealth ], his presence fading into nothingness. None of the bandits had the awareness to notice—until the slaughter had already begun.

Bloodcurdling cries pierced the night, only to be cut short one by one. Limbs fell, bodies crumpled, and in mere moments, silence reclaimed the road.

Xiao Hei, now in her feline form, licked the crimson off her claws as if savoring a fine meal.

{"That was a nice stretch,"} she purred.

Meanwhile, Xiao Fang felt the Death Reaper method absorbing the residual Qi from the fallen bandits. A sensation he had nearly forgotten washed over him—the unique pull of Death Qi replenishing his reserves.

'It's been a while since I cultivated this method.'

He sat down on the bloodstained grass, allowing the Death Qi to circulate through him. Before long, he felt the subtle shift within his body—the Death Reaper method advancing into the 4th stage of Spirit Refinement realm.

Out of all the cultivation methods he possessed, the Death Reaper method was the weakest. There was still that unrealistic 10,000 death kill count he still needed to reach, now was as good a time as any to build towards it.

"Hm? Fang you missed one."

"Leave him," Xiao Fang ordered.

The man they were referring to was shaking uncontrollably, and he had been since the beginning. Of course it didn't go unnoticed.

"I-I-I…" the frightened man tried to speak but no words escaped his lips.

"How long are you going to sit there? You're free to go, consider it a blessing," Xiao Fang said to him.

Xiao Hei pouted in dissatisfaction. As much as she hated humans, she rarely got to kill any, seeing one go now just dampened her mood, but she didn't dare defy Xiao Fang's orders.

The man quickly got up then began to run, frequently looking back to make sure Xiao Fang wasn't following him. Once he got far enough away, he began to break out into tears. His brethren were slaughtered like animals before his eyes. Even though they had always bullied him for being scared and weak it still put him into turmoil to witness their brutal deaths. However, this wasn't a time to be emotional. This sort of thing had always been expected to happen at one point or another. Even in chaos, opportunities were still there.

Despite all his wrongdoings in his life, in that moment he had committed to praying everyday to never encounter a malignant star like Xiao Fang ever again.

Making his way back to base, he collected his things, as well as all the valuables he could gather from all his fallen brethrens' possessions before leaving.

Hiding under [ Stealth ] Xiao Fang and Xiao Hei watched as the man gathered all the values he could, then Xiao Hei finally understood.

{"Now can I kill him,"}

Killing in this world was a frequent thing, as long as it wasn't your own species. That's why Xiao Fang could understand why Xiao Hei seemed so heartless towards humans, as she was not exactly a human herself.

{"No."} Xiao Fang replied to her.

Xiao Hei pouted again.

{"Hmph, fine. Then wake me up when I can."} She said before climbing up on his back again to sleep. But the truth was her heart was beating too fast to sleep. She was just throwing a little tantrum as if to show him that she didn't like his decision.

Xiao Fang was aware, but said nothing. He instead just focused on silently following the man until he reached his village. There, he no longer seemed stricken with grief, but instead hopeful as if he had successfully escaped a calamity.

"Mother, I'm back."

"Goodness, you're covered in blood, what in the world happened."

"I don't want to talk about it, I simply came to tell you to hold on to this for me," the man said before handing her several spatial pouches.

"I don't understand… what's going on," the mother said in fright.

"Everything will be okay, just find someplace safe to stash these till I return."

"I-I don't understand," she said, trying to make sense of what was going on.

"I'll be back. Just hide them," the man said as he bolted out the door.

The elderly woman bit her lip thinking about what dangers her son had gotten himself into. She was not a cultivator, most people in this village weren't. All she knew was that the cultivating path was a path against the heavens, yet her son had chosen it. Wether he wanted to admit it or not, it was likely he had done it for her sake. She quietly sobbed and did as her son had asked her and tried to find a place to put all the bags of spatial pouches he had brought her, but before she could find a place to hide them, she heard the door open once again, but the footsteps sounded heavy.

"Who's there?" she said, her voice trembling and afraid.

Suddenly she felt the edge of a blade tickle her neck. Making her freeze completely still.

The tall man in her house was none other than Xiao Fang.

Xiao Hei, resting her head on his shoulder, uncaringly looked down at the woman with a dangerous glare, but it changed when she noticed something strange.

{"Fang, this woman..."}

{"Mn, I know… this woman is blind"}