45: Chapter 45 Returning to the City

Within the dark, deep cave, damp cold air mixed with a faint, pungent Vicious Beast smell, slowly flowed through the empty rock cave.

The middle-aged captain's face was ferocious, the heavy broadsword in his hand carried a whistling gale, and with an unstoppable, fierce momentum, it slashed down towards Lin Qing. The blade wind was sharp, stirring up fine rock dust suspended all around.

Facing the fierce broadsword coming at him, Lin Qing stood his ground, his brows filled with calm composure.

He naturally curled the five fingers of his right hand, gripping the hilt of the blade at his waist. His fingertips gently exerted force, and the cold touch of the scabbard spread throughout his body. His feet shifted slightly, a clean and swift right step back, and his body slid out like a flowing cloud, avoiding the blade's edge.

Clang—

A crisp clang of a blade echoed through the cave, and a cold light flashed.

The long blade at his waist was unsheathed, and a streak of dazzling blade light drew a cold arc under the faint glow of the fluorite. The blade's edge slid from the middle-aged captain's right waist all the way to his left shoulder, in one fluid motion.

The two figures crossed paths, as if merely brushing shoulders for a brief moment.

The strong wind slowly dissipated, and the surroundings fell into a brief silence.

Lin Qing flicked his wrist, the long blade in his hand slightly raised, then suddenly swung. Crimson blood beads splattered from the blade, landing on the cold stalactite ground, blooming into dark red blood flowers.

He held the long blade, his posture as straight as a pine, his gaze indifferent as he looked at the remaining four Monster Hunting Team members not far away.

Behind him, the middle-aged captain's body still maintained its forward-charging posture.

The next moment, a clean crack, running from his right waist to his left shoulder, slowly split his entire body apart. Blood gushed out like a bursting dam, internal organs spilled all over the ground, and his heavy body crashed down, spreading into a shocking pool of blood on the ground.

The pupils of the remaining four Monster Hunting Team members suddenly constricted, the cold, murderous aura that had enveloped their faces instantly vanished, replaced by undisguised terror and panic.

They looked at each other, seeing extreme fear in each other's eyes. They never imagined that the only second-rank Martial Artist in their team, in the hands of this seemingly eighteen or nineteen-year-old youth, couldn't even withstand a single move and was instantly killed by one strike.

Fear, like a cold tide, completely engulfed the four.

Among them, the man who first discovered the treasure in the cave, his legs went weak, unable to support his body any longer, and he suddenly knelt on the damp rocky ground. He slammed his head fiercely against the ground, again and again, and soon, fresh red blood appeared on his forehead.

"My lord, spare me! Young hero, spare me!"

His voice trembled violently, filled with extreme terror and despair, his tone full of humble pleading, "We were blind and shouldn't have offended you, young hero. Please be merciful and spare our lives!"

Pleas for mercy echoed through the cave, humble and miserable.

Lin Qing's expression remained indifferent. He slowly lifted his feet, walking step by step towards the four. Each step landed like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of the four, making them tremble all over.

Watching the approaching, cold figure, the four were so terrified that their bodies stiffened, even the courage to escape completely vanished, and they could only huddle in place, shivering.

...

Lin Qing raised the long blade high in his hand, gathering all his Qi, and with a whooshing sound, the blade descended vertically.

Boom!

The hard, giant stalactite was cleanly split in two, gravel tumbled down, raising clouds of dust.

Using the faint, dim light emitted by the fluorite in the cave, Lin Qing slowly walked forward, his gaze falling upon the milky white liquid in the center of the stone.

He took out a white porcelain bottle and collected all the earth core milk into it, about seventy or eighty drops. This porcelain bottle was actually scavenged from the Monster Hunting Team members.

After putting away the porcelain bottle, Lin Qing walked to the stone wall beside the underground river. The long blade in his hand swung again, and the hard stone wall shattered in response, revealing the black liquid remaining in the cracks of the stone wall, which he patiently collected one by one.

After all this was done, there was nothing left in the cave worth lingering over. Lin Qing sheathed his long blade and turned to walk towards the exit of the cave.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, he did not rush out of the cave but stopped, held his breath, and carefully listened to the movements outside the cave.

A gentle breeze blew through the mountains. Outside, it was silent, indicating that the encirclement and killing of the third-rank Vicious Beast had concluded.

After confirming that there was nothing unusual around, Lin Qing stepped out of the cave entrance, his figure hidden among the dense forest vegetation. Using the cover of the trees, he cautiously moved forward.

Branches and leaves intertwined in the forest, obscuring most of his vision. After walking for a moment, several moving figures came into view. Those people were moving among the trees, their gazes sweeping around, seemingly searching for something in the forest.

Lin Qing's expression remained unchanged. He unhurriedly followed behind, calmly searching through the forest as well.

About an incense stick later, several urgent shouts came from a distance. The sounds penetrated through layers of trees, clearly reaching him.

"Found it! It's here! The cave is here!"

Shouts rose and fell, carrying a hint of joy. Hearing this, Lin Qing slowly walked in the direction of the sound. That location was precisely the cave he had just left.

Outside the cave, more and more people gathered, and discussions rose and fell.

Lin Qing's gaze swept through the crowd, and he quickly saw Shen Lie, Shi Man, and their group. He then took steps and walked towards them.

Shi Man saw Lin Qing slowly approaching, and a hint of reproach immediately appeared on her face. She spoke in a loud voice, "Xie Chen, where did you run off to? You're only coming back now, you made us wait so long!"

Although her words were full of reproach, deep in her eyes, that hint of undisguised joy and relief was exceptionally obvious. Everyone had been worried that Lin Qing would encounter danger in the mountains, but now that they saw him return safely, their hanging hearts finally settled.

Lin Qing smiled faintly and replied, "I was chased by a Vicious Wolf earlier and, in my panic, went the wrong way, taking many detours, which is why I'm a bit late."

Lin Qing's gaze turned to Shen Lie, who was beside him. Shen Lie's clothes were torn, his body covered in messy wounds, and there was a scratch on his chest. Although the wound wasn't too deep, it almost covered his entire chest and abdomen.

Now, a layer of pale yellow medicinal powder had been sprinkled on the wound, and a faint medicinal scent permeated the air.

Shen Lie, seeing Lin Qing safe and sound, also let out a long breath and said in a deep voice, "It's good that you're back."

After a brief moment of calm, Zhao Feng and his group emerged from the cave, their faces ashen and radiating a hostile aura. Clearly, the scene inside the cave had put them in a very bad mood.

Zhao Feng surveyed everyone present and instructed, "Everyone, set up camp and rest for the night. We'll leave the mountain early tomorrow morning and return to Qingyang County."

After several days of fighting and traveling, everyone was already physically and mentally exhausted. Hearing this, they all responded and began to set up a temporary camp and light bonfires.

As night deepened, bonfires flickered in the mountains, and a gentle evening breeze blew. That night, everyone slept exceptionally soundly.

After returning to Qingyang County, the county town group did not stay at the Zhenwu Division as they had on their way there, but instead arranged their own accommodation.

At Hongyun Tower, tables were filled with fine wine and delicious dishes. Everyone clinked glasses and chatted happily, drinking and talking until late into the night before dispersing contentedly.

After bidding farewell to everyone, Lin Qing found a secluded inn by himself, preparing to carefully tally his gains from this trip into the mountains.

Closing the door to his room, Lin Qing took out the satchel where he usually stored dry rations and healing medicine, placing it on the table.

But just as he was about to open the satchel, a strange sensation surged through his limbs and bones.

His entire body's tendons and bones felt as if they were slowly being stretched by an invisible force, and a series of fine, continuous cracking sounds came from deep within his bones.

In this secluded inn, Lin Qing quietly stepped into the second-rank of Martial Artist.