touchnovel Chapter 5 Lifespan Increase: 3 Years
Chapter 5 Lifespan Increase: 3 Years
"Well……"
The burly child made a strange hoarse sound from his throat, his eyes quickly became unfocused, and his massive body collapsed to the ground as if his bones had been removed. He twitched twice and then remained still.
Time seemed to freeze at that moment.
The children who were frantically attacking Wang Ziteng were completely stunned by this sudden, extremely bloody and cruel scene!
The madness on their faces was instantly replaced by fear, as if they had been doused with ice water. They froze in place, their eyes fixed on the gushing blood and their fallen comrades.
The edge of the wooden platform, which had just been filled with screams and screams, suddenly fell into dead silence.
All that remained was the crashing sound of the turbid waves against the bamboo stakes and the chattering of a few children's teeth.
Wang Ziteng was also stunned. He covered his bleeding arm and looked incredulously at the small, blood-soaked figure blocking his way.
Zhang Yuan, who had always been protected by him and was frail and sickly, now looked like a demon crawling out of hell!
"Hiss..." Under the shade of the canopy, a hint of surprise and cold admiration flashed in the narrowed eyes of the helmsman Xu Changhe. "What a ruthless little brat! Decisive and ruthless. He's born to make a living in the martial world."
Standing beside him, Master He frowned, looking at Zhang Yuan's thin figure and the blood-dripping broken sword, and sighed softly, "This temperament... what a pity for such a gifted physique..."
At the foot of the mountain, a scholar in a green robe stood with his hands behind his back. A very subtle ripple passed through the depths of his calm eyes, as if he had seen some unexpected yet reasonable quality sprouting.
At this moment, Zhang Yuan was completely unaware of the outside world's evaluation.
Just as the broken sword in his hand shattered the opponent's heart meridian and blood spurted out, a faint but incredibly clear warm current flowed upstream along the arm holding the sword, instantly merging into his limbs and bones!
This warm current carried a strange vitality, dispelling the weakness he felt from practicing swordsmanship and the cold, as if parched land had been nourished by sweet rain!
At the same time, the dormant panel in my mind lit up instantly, and cold text appeared clearly:
[Slay insignificant martial artists and absorb their remaining life force.]
Lifespan increased by 3 years.
[Current lifespan remaining: 3 years and 270 days.]
That's it!
Slaughter!
By slaying an enemy, one can absorb their remaining life force and vitality, converting it into one's own lifespan!
The immense impact caused Zhang Yuan's arm, which was gripping the broken sword, to tremble violently.
It wasn't the fear of killing for the first time, but the cruel and direct path to survival that was suddenly discovered in this desperate situation!
This cold system notification, like a thunderclap, cleaved through the fog in his heart and ignited something deeper.
He slowly raised the broken sword, still dripping thick blood. The rust and blood mixed together, gleaming menacingly in the dim light.
Those eyes, mostly covered in blood but still shining with a sharp light, were fixed on the children in front of them, who were frozen in fear.
A cold, hoarse voice, carrying a chilling madness, was squeezed out from between his blood-stained teeth, echoing clearly across the deathly silent wooden platform:
"Come on—"
"Who else—"
"You want to come and die!"
All the children were completely terrified by Zhang Yuan's blood-soaked, demon-like appearance and the gruesome deaths of his companions on the ground. Like frozen quails, no one dared to take another step forward.
The edge of the wooden platform, where a chaotic battle had just taken place, was now only filled with the monotonous sound of turbid waves crashing against bamboo stakes and heavy breathing.
Wang Ziteng and Zhang Yuan stood back to back in front of the solitary bamboo stake, like two wounded but still baring-toothed young beasts, warily surveying their surroundings for any potential enemy who might suddenly appear.
Both were breathing heavily, one from the struggle and the pain in his arm.
Another reason is the exhaustion from the sudden killing, the complex emotions surging within, the strange excitement brought on by fear and slaughter, and the chilling reminder of the increase in lifespan.
"Ha...ha..." Wang Ziteng gasped for breath, then suddenly grinned, revealing a smile that was a mixture of pain and a strange excitement. Sweat mixed with blood streamed down his forehead. "Zhang Yuan, does this...does this count as living and dying together?"
Zhang Yuan gripped the broken sword, still dripping blood, the icy touch creating an eerie contrast with the lingering warmth of the blood.
He felt the new warmth coursing through his body, looked at Wang Ziteng's blood-stained profile, and grinned in a similarly blood-stained, slightly ferocious smile, his voice hoarse but clear: "Fine!"
The two looked at each other, and amidst the pervasive smell of blood and the cold river wind, they let out two loud laughs filled with the joy of surviving a disaster and the spirit of youth.
The laughter sounded particularly jarring against the edge of the deathly silent wooden platform, yet it temporarily dispelled the gloom of death.
Time ticked by, and the tense standoff continued.
However, the change did not come from the ground, but from the bamboo stake!
"Thump!"
A dull thud as the water fell broke the deadlock.
A child who had finally managed to occupy a bamboo stake suddenly turned pale, clutched his stomach, and began to sway uncontrollably. Finally, he screamed and fell from the five-foot-high bamboo stake, crashing heavily into the shallow water and splashing up murky water.
He struggled to get up, but his limbs were weak and he could only curl up and groan in pain.
"Ugh, my stomach... my stomach hurts so much, I have no strength..."
Soon, similar cries of agony came one after another from the edges of the wooden platform and even from the bamboo stakes.
They were as if their bones had been removed, collapsing to the ground, some clutching their stomachs and rolling around, others falling unconscious and losing all ability to move.
Even the gang members who had been fierce just moments before were now pale-faced and unsteady on their feet, barely able to stand by holding onto the wooden stakes beside them.
The sudden and bizarre scene on the riverbank instantly startled the people on the distant observation platform.
"Hmm?" Master He, who was instructing the martial arts instructor, frowned sharply, his eyes flashing with a glint of light. "What's going on?"
With his experience, he immediately sensed something was wrong. He moved swiftly, like an arrow released from a bow, rushing towards the lone bamboo stake.
Under the shade, Master Zhao, the head of Guzhu Hall, also suddenly stood up, his face solemn.
He raised his hand and waved it, then said in a deep voice to his trusted disciples, "Send a few men to see what's going on!"
However, the black-robed disciples of the Lonely Bamboo Hall who had just taken a few steps suddenly stiffened, then swayed as if they were drunk, and then fell to the ground one after another with a "thump" and a "thump", their faces showing the same pain and horror, struggling but unable to get up.
"Muscle-relaxing powder?!"
The leader of the Guzhu Hall reacted instantly, and his expression changed drastically!
A surge of immense blood and qi erupted within him like a dormant beast, the pressure of the peak Innate Realm causing the air to freeze!
He whirled around, his hawk-like gaze fixed on the helmsman Xu Changhe, who was standing inches away, his eyes filled with shock, anger, and incredulous killing intent: "You—!"
Facing that gaze that seemed to want to devour him, Xu Changhe's face remained calm, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible fatigue and indifference.
He subtly avoided the murderous gaze of the leader of the Guzhu Hall, his voice low yet clear, carrying throughout the entire area: "Brother Zhao, don't blame me, I want to live too."
Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly raised his hand and waved it!
"Whoosh—smack!"
A specially made whistling arrow shot into the sky with a piercing shriek, exploding into a dazzling red flame in the murky sky!
Immediately afterward, Xu Changhe stirred his inner energy, his voice resounding along the riverbank: "The Green Bamboo Gang has plundered the local area, harmed the people, and violated the laws of the land! The imperial army has arrived!"
"Gang leader Guo Yuantao has been brought to justice! All gang members, disarm on the spot! Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy!"
"Kill without mercy—!"
Almost the instant his words fell, the sound of bowstrings vibrating on the mountain ridge was like the muffled thunder before a storm!
"Whoosh—whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!"
The dense rain of arrows, like a black swarm of bees, tore through the air, carrying a deathly shriek, and rained down on the Green Bamboo Gang members on the riverbank who were not yet completely incapacitated or who were stunned by this earth-shattering event!
Screams, the sound of arrows piercing flesh, and the sound of falling to the ground instantly filled the air!
"Kill them—!"
Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who resist stubbornly will be killed without exception!
Accompanied by deafening battle cries, squads of soldiers clad in black scale armor and wielding standard-issue longswords surged down from the mountain ridge like a black iron torrent, their blades flashing and their killing intent chilling!
The young military officer leading the group was the same one who had followed the scholar in the green robe earlier. He pointed his long sword diagonally and strode forward in a booming voice.
"Xu Changhe! You treacherous beast who betrays his master for personal gain!!" The head of the Guzhu Hall, Zhao, roared furiously, his eyes bloodshot, making the wooden platform tremble.
He knew that the situation was hopeless. He had been poisoned with the muscle-relaxing drug and would surely die if he stayed behind when surrounded by the army!
He suddenly gathered his breath, forcefully suppressing the churning numbness within his body, and with a burst of speed, he dashed towards an unmanned boat by the riverbank!
Seven or eight loyal or quick-witted gang members, struggling to maintain their swaying bodies, roared and followed closely behind.
Xu Changhe watched as Zhao Tangzhu and the others fled in panic, his eyes flickering, but he did not order them to be stopped. He simply stood there with an unusually calm expression, as if waiting for something.
"Chief Xu," a calm yet imposing voice rang out, and the scholar in the green robe had silently appeared not far from him. "Are you trying to raise a bandit to enhance your own prestige by not stopping Hall Master Zhao?"
Xu Changhe's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately bowed deeply, adopting an extremely humble posture: "This humble one, Xu Changhe, greets the esteemed advisor! This humble one dares not! This humble one merely feels that the Green Bamboo Gang is no longer the bandit gang it once was. This time, having abandoned darkness and embraced light, the imperial court may need an opportunity... to prove itself."
"For example, eradicating these remnants of the outlaws led by Zhao Hengjiang of the Guzhu Hall would demonstrate our determination to reform ourselves and serve the country!"
The scholar gave him a deep look, but did not directly respond to the probing explanation. Instead, he turned his gaze back to the chaotic center of the riverbank—the wooden platform in front of the lone bamboo stake.
There, the situation has also changed drastically!
Several gang members dressed in gray robes, led by a gaunt young man, were anxiously searching among the children.
One of the gang members roughly ripped open Wang Ziteng's collar, glanced at it, found it was empty, and shoved him aside like trash.
Then, he lunged at Zhang Yuan beside him and violently tore open the tattered clothes on his chest!
A dark, cold-to-the-touch iron plaque, engraved with a ferocious tiger's head and the ancient seal script character "Zhang," appeared prominently on Zhang Yuan's chest!
The group was stunned for a moment, then their faces broke into uncontrollable ecstasy, as if drowning people had grasped a lifeline!
He grabbed Zhang Yuan's arm, his voice trembling with excitement, and shouted hoarsely in the direction of Xu Changhe and the counselor:
"Found him! Found him!! Master! Counselor! The person has been found!"
He shouted as he desperately tried to drag Zhang Yuan up from the ground and pull him to safety.
"Let him go!" Upon seeing this scene, Wang Ziteng, who had been pushed away, was like an enraged lion. Ignoring the pain in his arm and his weakness, he struggled to pounce on the person and snatch him away.