Chapter 37: Sword Pointed at the Lifeblood

A sudden, immense force seized the longsword in Yang Qing’s hand. The searing pain she expected in her neck never arrived; instead, the blade was held fast by an unseen power.

Tears welled up in her eyes once more. *Is it even denied to me to take my own life?* she thought to herself.

Following this, a low, gnashing growl from Li Che reached her ears. *Is someone here to save me?* she wondered. *No, that’s impossible. Besides the three great families, only ordinary residents of Liuyue City enter the Origin Veins. Who would risk their life for a stranger like me?* This was the thought racing through her mind.

Choking back a sob, she opened her eyes. Before her stood a familiar figure. His left hand was clamped firmly onto the blade, blood dripping from his palm onto the ground, the air thick with the scent of iron. This was not her blood, but that of Bai Ling—six feet tall, dressed in white, his expression cold and detached.

"Bai... Bai Ling!" Yang Qing gasped.

Bai Ling looked at the haggard young woman before him and said softly, "Never give up on your own life, no matter the circumstances. It is never worth it."

"It’s you! Bai Ling!"

"Hmph, should I call you an idiot or a moron?"

Li Che, now recognizing the figure as Bai Ling, turned to look outside the cave. The dozens of Li family guards who had been standing watch were all rolling on the ground in agony, clutching their abdomens and wailing.

"Bai Ling, my Li family intended to befriend you," Li Che said, his expression darkening. "I let your refusals slide, but now you’re ruining my fun. Don't you think that’s a bit much?"

Bai Ling did not respond.

"Hmph, do you really think you're still inside Liuyue City, where the prohibition on killing keeps me in check, and where the connections between Ji Kun and Bai Zhentian would protect you? Here, you’re nothing! If I kill you, who would ever know how you died?" Li Che snarled, his face twisted with malice. Being interrupted in his exploits had filled him with a murderous rage toward this self-proclaimed hero.

Seeing Yang Qing’s composure beginning to return, Bai Ling turned his gaze toward Li Che. His eyes were deep and focused as he stared him down. "Is that so? Truly, not a single one of the three great families has a shred of decency."

Li Che sneered. "Since you’ve chosen the path to hell when you had a road to heaven, don’t blame me for killing you before I finish enjoying your friend here." The 'you' he referred to was Yang Qing, who stood behind Bai Ling.

In her mind, Yang Qing kept repeating the words Bai Ling had just spoken. With a complex expression and a pale face, she choked out, "Thank you, Brother Ling!" She understood that Bai Ling had appeared to stop her suicide, but would it change their ultimate fate? As she thought this, a sense of despair filled her eyes.

"Everyone! Surround this place! Neither of them is leaving here alive today!" Li Che commanded. "Bai Ling, you didn't awaken until you were eighteen, yet you've already reached the third level of the Initial Origin Realm. This talent... heh, even I admire it. I love strangling geniuses in their cradle. If I’m not mistaken, even at the tenth level of the Initial Origin Realm, you would struggle against me. But aren't you being a bit too arrogant? My Li family has nearly three hundred cultivators at the tenth level of the Initial Origin Realm here."

"You idiot. Today, I’ll wear you down until you’re dead," Li Che growled.

"Is that so?" Bai Ling smiled faintly. Li Che was right; in these Origin Veins, Bai Ling was virtually invincible against any single Initial Origin cultivator, but the sheer numbers were a problem. Although the mysterious blood allowed him to unleash terrifying strength beyond his level, he did not possess the endless stamina of the Origin Beasts born from the energy of the veins.

Bai Ling had originally intended to stay out of this and could have left with ease. But Yang Qing—a complete stranger—had spoken words at the cave entrance that stirred his heart. Given her understanding of cultivation, she would surely break through to the Spirit Origin Realm in the future, perhaps even the Earth Origin Realm. More than that, he could not bear to stand by and watch such a vile act occur right before his eyes.

Bai Ling gave a faint smile. "You idiot!"

"You dare insult me? Damn you!" Enraged, Li Che lunged forward with everything he had, throwing a punch.

Bai Ling watched with a mocking expression. From three meters away, just as he was looking for an opening to grab him, Li Che had handed him the perfect opportunity. He could barely hold back a laugh.

*Boom!*

Bai Ling threw a punch, colliding with Li Che’s fists with a deafening sound. Suddenly, Li Che felt Bai Ling flicker; his speed was like a ghost, vanishing in an instant. *Such speed!* Only now, facing him directly, did he realize how bizarre Bai Ling’s movement techniques were. He had been present during Bai Ling’s duel with Ji Jiu’er over ten days ago, but he had only watched with a sneer. Before he could think further—

*Boom!*

Bai Ling slammed a fist into Li Che’s ribs, striking repeatedly like a warrior hunting a tiger. Outside the cave, the Li family guards’ expressions changed in horror as they swarmed inside.

Feeling as if his ribs were about to shatter, Li Che roared, "Kill him!"

Bai Ling sneered, wasting no more words. This time, his punch carried the power of that drop of mysterious blood.

*Boom!*

He struck Li Che directly in the kidney.

"Ugh..." Li Che’s face twisted in agony, his features contorted as he clutched his stomach and let out a pained cry.

Bai Ling shook his head. He had already offended the Ye family; what did one more insult to the Li family matter? If he killed Li Che, he might face trouble after leaving, even with Ji Kun’s protection.

Veins bulged on Bai Ling’s arm as he clamped his hand around Li Che’s throat, tightening his grip.

"Urgh... urgh..."

Li Che’s eyes bulged as a suffocating sensation took hold.

"Let him go!"
"Bai Ling, what are you doing?"
"You’re courting death! Release our Young Master at once!"

The crowd, which had just rushed in ready to fight, stood stunned as they saw their Young Master, Li Che, being held by his throat like a chick.

"Take one more step, and I’ll crush his windpipe!" Bai Ling cold-bloodedly warned the furious Li family members.

"Urgh... Bai... Bai Ling... stop... stop it... urgh... ah..." Li Che gasped, his voice strained and terrified. The crushing force on his throat made every word a struggle.

The scene descended into chaos. The guards looked on in shock at the impossible sight: Bai Ling held the Li family’s Young Master captive, while the guards surrounded them all within the cave.

Yang Qing stood frozen. She had been confused as to why Bai Ling would throw himself into such a hopeless situation to save her, and while a flicker of warmth had ignited in her heart, she had already resigned herself to their grim fate. But then, Bai Ling performed an act that left her stunned: he had seized Li Che to break the stalemate.

She was not slow-witted; she realized immediately that this was their only chance to escape. Grasping her sword, Yang Qing plunged it into Li Che’s thigh, the blade tearing through muscle and grazing bone—a small measure of revenge for his earlier treatment of her.

"Ahhhh! You bitch, Yang Qing! You dare wound me!"