Chapter Sixteen: Encounter

The world of the powerful is forever beyond the comprehension of the common folk who dwell in the endless shantytown of the Southern District. They struggle bitterly at the very bottom of society, with neither the time nor the energy to pay any attention to the affairs of the outside world.

During these ten days, though the Blood Sword Alliance had plunged Lingfeng City into chaos, the shantytown remained eerily tranquil. The Great Purge, which occurred once every seventy years, was a little over two months away.

The Great Purge hung over everyone in the shantytown like a sword. As ordinary people, powerless to alter their fate, they lived in poverty but relative stability. Once expelled from the foundation city, what awaited them was an endless horde of zombies and countless monstrous beasts.

Li Qianqian was an ordinary person too. Though she never spoke of it, the worry etched on her face grew deeper day by day. Over the past ten days, Ke Bei had hardly left his room, devoting himself wholly to cultivating the “Essence Nurturing Technique.” All of his daily needs were meticulously tended to by Li Qianqian, and naturally, he could see the sorrow in her eyes.

“Qianqian, what are you thinking about?”

Having just finished his cultivation, Ke Bei’s stomach grumbled. As he tucked into the hearty meal Li Qianqian had prepared, he glanced at her, his question seemingly casual.

“It’s nothing,” she replied, more at ease now after ten days together. She looked up and smiled at him.

“Are you homesick?” Ke Bei seemed to see through her thoughts. He pulled out ten crystal coins and placed them in front of her. “If you miss home, go back for a visit. Take this money, buy something nice for your family.”

“No, that’s not necessary…” Li Qianqian shook her head, waving her hands in refusal.

“Take it.” Ke Bei deliberately darkened his expression and shot her a stern look. “The Great Purge is only a bit over two months away. Go home while you can. This is all I can do for you.”

At the mention of the Great Purge, Li Qianqian’s eyes misted over. Though Old Li had sold her, he was still her father. With the Purge so near, she feared she might never see her family again. How could she not wish for a few more days at home?

She nodded, eyes reddening. “Stay with your family for a few days, cherish the time with them. I can manage on my own,” Ke Bei said gently, wiping away her tears and slipping the ten red crystal coins into her arms before she could protest.

“Go on,” he smiled, waving her off as he walked her to the door.

Only when her figure had vanished from sight did Ke Bei return inside, barricade the door with a table, and seal the windows tightly.

He had sent Li Qianqian home both so she could spend precious time with her family, and because, after ten days of relentless cultivation, his body had finally reached the threshold to withstand the second level tempering of the Dragon-Elephant Vajra Technique. Once initiated, the process would be difficult to conceal. This was Ke Bei’s greatest secret—absolutely not to be revealed to anyone.

“Begin the tempering!” Ke Bei sat cross-legged, and with a thought, a ray of golden light enveloped his entire body.

The gold radiance seeped into every muscle and bone, a tingling sensation sweeping over him like a gentle breeze—immensely comfortable. At the same time, his strength increased at a terrifying rate. After the enhancements of the Essence Nurturing Technique, his body was already on par with a level-two enhancer, possessing the strength of nine men.

Now, undergoing the tempering of the Dragon-Elephant Vajra Technique, his progress was a hundredfold faster than with the previous technique. Within a few breaths, Ke Bei felt himself transform again. Even if he hadn’t yet reached the power of a level-three enhancer, he estimated he now possessed the strength of at least twenty men.

“Magnificent!” Ke Bei tightened his fists, marveling at the explosive power now surging within him. He couldn’t help but shout in exhilaration. A gentle tap of his right hand shattered the hardwood table into pieces.

“With my strength now, even without martial techniques, killing an average level-two enhancer would be no challenge. And if I use this power to hurl a flying knife…” A glint flashed in Ke Bei’s eyes, his face alight with excitement. He was confident that even level-three enhancers would struggle to evade his flying knife.

“Just a little longer—once I finish all the tempering of the upper scroll of the Dragon-Elephant Vajra Technique, I can step out into the world openly.”

By then, his own strength would far surpass that of a level-three enhancer. Coupled with his flying knife technique, Ke Bei felt there would be nothing left to fear.

Lingfeng City boasted perhaps several million level-one enhancers, but only a few hundred thousand level-twos, and the number of level-threes was pitifully small—perhaps ten or twenty thousand at most. As for those who surpassed level-three, Ke Bei hadn’t even heard rumors of such beings.

“After ten days cooped up, I need some fresh air. Damn it, if I stay inside any longer, I’ll fall ill!” Ke Bei thought. As long as he didn’t leave the shantytown, nothing should happen. Surely the forces behind that white-robed youth wouldn’t bother coming to such a filthy, chaotic place.

In the Western District, inside the city’s most luxurious hotel, Gu Feng—the bodyguard of the slain white-robed youth Pei San—sat downing costly liquor, his face dark with fury.

“It’s already the tenth day. Damn it, where can you possibly be hiding!” He smashed his cup in a fit of rage, his bloodshot eyes desperate. If he failed to find Ke Bei today, he was doomed.

All he wanted was to kill—anyone.

“If there’s no progress today, then I’ll have to…” A cruel glint flashed in Gu Feng’s eyes. He didn’t want to die. If he truly couldn’t find Ke Bei, he was prepared to pin the blame on any random level-two enhancer.

But unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t take that risk. The consequences were too grave.

Could the Blood Sword Alliance’s master—whose mere stamp could make all of Lingfeng City tremble—be so easily deceived?

“Kill! I want to kill!” The thought of the Blood Sword Alliance’s methods only made Gu Feng more frantic. He needed a release for his rage.

“Do not act recklessly! If you kill within the city, not even the Blood Sword Alliance can protect you!” barked the gaunt old man standing behind him.

Murder was forbidden within the foundation city—that was the rule. No one, no matter who they were, could kill here.

The Blood Sword Alliance was powerful, but it wasn’t the official authority. They, too, had to obey the city’s laws. The government was the true power in Lingfeng City.

“If you want to kill, go to the southern district. The lives of the shantytown’s commoners are cheap,” the old man said carelessly, his mustache twitching slightly.

Gu Feng shot him a cold glance and stormed out of the hotel. Though he carried a token of the Blood Sword Alliance, he dared not challenge the old man.

The old man’s name was Zheng Yuan, a top-level level-three enhancer. The Blood Sword Alliance had assigned him to Gu Feng under the pretense of protection, but in truth, his job was to monitor him.

As Gu Feng rushed out, Zheng Yuan’s eyes flashed with disdain. He followed at a leisurely pace.

South District, the shantytown.

After ten days indoors, Ke Bei found even the endless rows of white tents rather picturesque. Strolling leisurely down the muddy paths, weaving between the shabby shelters, he felt a rare sense of contentment.

Suddenly, a shrill scream pierced the air.

“Mister, please, I beg you, spare my son!” A sallow-faced middle-aged man knelt on the ground, kowtowing desperately before Gu Feng.

“Die!” Gu Feng, seething with rage, was unmoved. To him, the shantytown’s people were less than dirt; killing a commoner was no different than stepping on a dog.

His face twisted in a snarl, Gu Feng seized a small boy and smashed him to the ground.

With a sickening crack, the child—no more than five or six—fell limp in a pool of blood, his life snuffed out in an instant.

“You can die too!” With a deranged smile, Gu Feng spun around, aiming a vicious punch at the sobbing, sallow-faced man.

“Stop!” A thunderous shout rang out. Ke Bei kicked open the ragged cloth door.

Seeing the child’s bloody corpse, a chilling coldness flashed in Ke Bei’s eyes.

“Beast!” he spat, fists clenched, his voice icy as he glared at Gu Feng’s back.

“Oh? Someone dares meddle?” Gu Feng, startled by the sudden shout, withdrew his fist and turned with interest.

“It’s you!” The instant he saw Ke Bei, Gu Feng froze, then let out a wild cry.

“Haha! I searched everywhere with no luck, and here you are, hiding in the shantytown. No wonder I couldn’t find you.” Gu Feng laughed maniacally, all hope lost until this chance encounter.

“Uncle Zheng, it’s him! He’s the one who killed the young master!” Knowing Ke Bei’s strength, Gu Feng retreated behind the gaunt old man, keeping his distance.

Ke Bei, too, was taken aback to see Gu Feng here after ten days of hiding. Fate, it seemed, was inescapable.

“You killed the young master?” Zheng Yuan asked coldly, eyeing Ke Bei’s youthful face.

“I did.” Ke Bei did not deny it and nodded calmly.

Zheng Yuan hadn’t expected such a straightforward admission and regarded Ke Bei curiously for a moment.

“Do you know who it was you killed? Aren’t you afraid of death?”

“Afraid? Of course I am. But if I kill you two, who will be left to know it was me?” Ke Bei smiled. He had seen no one else nearby. If he eliminated Gu Feng, there would be no one left to tie him to the white-robed youth’s death.

If no one knew, what did it matter how powerful the youth’s background was?

“Arrogant!” “Ignorant!” Zheng Yuan sneered. His fists tightened. After a brief silence, he stamped his foot and shot toward Ke Bei like a phantom, his five fingers curled into claws, a terrifying power gathering between them.