9: The young master emerged from seclusion, his blood staining the snow.
Early morning, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling onto the window frames of the Guard Courtyard.
Lin Que slowly finished his exercise, exhaling a puff of white mist tinged with cold.
After last night's "borrowing fire to Cultivate ice" maneuver, the Moonlight Inner Breath within his body had doubled in strength, swirling inside his Dantian and faintly forming the prototype of a cyclone.
"Ying..."
A soft, sweet cry came from beside his pillow.
Lin Que turned his head to see that the Little Snow Ferret had already woken up.
Though still very weak, after a night of nourishment from the moonlight, the charred wound on its back had scabbed over, and its spirits had improved significantly. At this moment, it was standing on its hind legs, its two front paws folded in a human-like bow, incessantly wagging its fiery red tail at Lin Que.
"Thanking me?"
Lin Que reached out and tapped its wet nose, smiling faintly. "Just thanking me with words shows no sincerity."
The Little Snow Ferret seemed to understand; it blinked its big eyes and suddenly opened its mouth.
Puh!
A milky-white stone, the size of a fingernail and crystal clear throughout, was spat into Lin Que's palm.
As soon as the stone left its body, the entire room was filled with a crisp, pleasant coolness that refreshed the spirit.
"This is..."
Lin Que's eyes narrowed slightly. He could feel the extremely pure and highly compressed energy contained within the stone. Holding it in his hand, a surging strength immediately welled up inside him, continuous and unending, as if inexhaustible; even the Moonlight Inner Breath in his body began to grow slowly.
Could this be... a Spirit Stone?!
Legend had it that these mysterious beasts, which spent their lives absorbing the essence of the sun and moon, often hid special treasures within their bodies. For Lin Que, who was currently cultivating an Internal Skill Mind-Cultivation Technique, this was a priceless treasure.
"For me?"
Lin Que was somewhat surprised.
The Little Snow Ferret nodded and rubbed its fluffy head against Lin Que's palm, its eyes full of fawning.
It was very clever. It knew the person before it could save its life and provide the moonlight essence it loved most. Giving up this stone was painful, but to secure a long-term meal ticket, it was worth it.
"A sensible one."
Lin Que didn't stand on ceremony and directly put away the Spirit Stone.
With this item's assistance, combined with Wang Meng as a "Cauldron," he was confident he could break through to the Minor Achievement stage of the Moon Devouring Art within three days!
Just as Lin Que was in high spirits and about to feed the little fellow some more inner breath...
Dong—!
Dong—!
Dong—!
A series of urgent and heavy bell tolls suddenly exploded over the Su Residence.
This was the Su Residence's General-Gathering Bell!
It was never rung unless there was an urgent matter of great importance!
"What's going on?"
"Why is the bell ringing?"
Frantic shouts and footsteps of the Guards came from the courtyard.
Lin Que's expression changed.
He quickly stuffed the Little Snow Ferret deep into the bedding and whispered, "Hide well, don't come out. If you get caught again, even I won't be able to save you."
The Little Snow Ferret seemed to have heard the bell as well; its whole body shuddered violently, and it immediately curled into a ball, burrowing deep into the bedding, not even daring to breathe loudly.
Lin Que straightened his clothes and pushed open the door.
He saw Er Niu running over with a panicked face: "Brother Lin! Quick! The Head Instructor has ordered everyone to gather at the Martial Arts Arena immediately!"
"What happened?" Lin Que asked.
Er Niu swallowed hard, his face pale: "The Eldest Young Master... has emerged from seclusion early!"
...Martial Arts Arena.
The atmosphere was suppressed to the extreme; even the snowflakes falling in the air seemed to carry a sense of grim solemnity.
Hundreds of Guards stood in neat ranks, each with their heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.
Standing at the very front, Instructor Zhang Tie was also tense, a fine layer of sweat seeping from his forehead.
The scheduled day to emerge from seclusion was the day after tomorrow. The Eldest Young Master's sudden early emergence without notifying anyone was definitely not a good omen.
Lin Que stood in the ranks of the Second-Class Guards, his gaze subtly scanning the area.
He keenly noticed that Instructor Zhang Tie's left hand was trembling slightly. If even an Instructor in the Muscle Forging Realm was this nervous, it seemed the Eldest Young Master's pressure was even more terrifying than the legends suggested.
"Cough, cough..."
A suppressed coughing sound came from behind the high platform of the Martial Arts Arena.
Following that, a young man dressed in brocade and wearing a bright red wool cloak slowly walked out, surrounded by a group of maidservants.
He was very young, about twenty years old, with quite handsome features.
But now, his face was terrifyingly pale, his eyes sunken with two strange dark circles beneath them. Though he was wrapped in a thick cloak, he still emitted a heart-palpitating chill and... an irritability.
Contradictory.
Extremely contradictory.
Like a volcano covered in ice on the outside but about to erupt from within.
The Eldest Young Master of the Su Residence, Su Lang.
Lin Que's pupils constricted slightly. With his keen perception, he clearly smelled a faint burnt odor coming from Su Lang. It was exactly the same as the smell on the Little Snow Ferret's wound! Even stronger!
"It really is him."
"It seems the Little Snow Ferret's escape caused a problem in his cultivation, forcing him to emerge from seclusion early."
Su Lang walked to a grand armchair in the center of the platform and sat down. He didn't speak, but merely scanned the Guards below coldly with his bloodshot eyes.
That gaze wasn't like looking at people, but rather like picking livestock to be slaughtered in a butcher shop.
Everyone his gaze passed over felt their scalps tingle, as if licked by a venomous snake.
"Zhang Tie."
Su Lang finally spoke, his voice hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing against a tabletop.
"The people I asked you to prepare, are they ready?"
Instructor Zhang Tie hurriedly stepped forward, bowing with cupped fists: "Reporting to Eldest Young Master, all Guards of Second-Class and above from the Guard Courtyard, thirty-two in total, have all gathered here, awaiting your orders."
"Thirty-two..."
Su Lang rubbed his brow irritably, a flash of tyranny in his eyes.
"All useless trash."
The people below felt a chill in their hearts, but no one dared to talk back.
Just then, a young Guard standing in the front row, perhaps due to nervousness or a cold, felt an itch in his throat and couldn't help but let out an extremely suppressed "Cough."
The sound was very small. But in the deathly silent arena, it was like a thunderclap.
The Guard's face turned pale instantly; he fearfully covered his mouth, his whole body shaking like a leaf.
On the platform, Su Lang's movement of rubbing his brow stopped. He slowly looked up, his gloomy eyes staring intently at that Guard.
"Noisy." Su Lang spat out a single word.
The next second.
He casually grabbed the teacup on the table and, without even looking, flicked his wrist.
Swoosh!
The teacup did not shatter; instead, it turned into an afterimage, instantly crossing dozens of meters.
Bang!
A muffled thud.
The Guard didn't even have time to scream; he was hit as if by a battering ram, his chest instantly caving in, and the clothes on his back suddenly exploded, spraying a mist of blood!
The teacup was embedded perfectly intact in his sternum.
The Guard fell straight back, his eyes wide open, already dead.
Striking acupuncture points from a distance, Bone Penetrating Force!
The entire area was deathly silent.
All the Guards were scared out of their wits; many felt their legs go weak, nearly kneeling.
Murder!
Just because of a cough, he publicly killed a Second-Class Guard!
Lin Que stood in the crowd, his eyelid twitching slightly.
This was the Bone Transformation Realm. This was Bone Penetrating Force.
That strike just now had no fancy Moves; it was a pure combination of strength and inner force. The teacup itself wasn't hard, but under the enhancement of "Bone Penetrating Force," it was more terrifying than a sledgehammer. If that strike had hit him... Lin Que touched his chest.
Without activating Transfer, he would surely die. But if he did... On the platform, Su Lang acted as if he had merely swatted a fly, taking out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, his face showing no emotion.
"Since none of you are useful, I'll choose using the simplest method."
Su Lang threw away the handkerchief and stood up, a bloodthirsty madness in his gaze.
"Zhang Tie, draw a circle." Su Lang pointed to the center of the arena.
"All thirty-two of these useless trash, get in."
"After one stick of incense has burned, whoever is still standing..."
A cruel smile tugged at the corner of Su Lang's mouth, the expression of a hunter seeing his prey.
"...can be my First Class Guard!"