Chapter 58: Yang Excess!

Chapter 58: Yang Excess!

There were six Zhao Army Soldiers in total.

Ding Suian’s confidence stemmed from the changes in his body after experiencing Yang Excess two nights prior.

His vision was far superior to before when walking at night, and his body felt much lighter.

The three minor stages within each realm of a Martial Artist—Minor Achievement, Proficiency, and Perfection—were not clearly demarcated.

But Ding Suian could sense that he seemed to have already crossed the threshold into Proficiency.

The fight that erupted inside the dilapidated temple was extremely sudden.

Initially, that Zhao Army Squad Leader didn’t even move from his seated position. With just a glance, three men surrounded Ding Suian.

These battle-hardened veterans were very experienced. The three did not rush to attack immediately. Instead, during the few steps they advanced, they fanned out into a triangular encirclement to maximize their numerical advantage, making it difficult for Ding Suian to defend both front and rear.

Naturally, Ding Suian wouldn’t just stand there and wait for them to encircle him. He immediately tapped his right foot and charged straight at the foremost man.

The opponent raised his blade to block, intending to tie Ding Suian down first, creating an opening for his comrades to strike from the sides or rear.

But seeing the black straight saber in Ding Suian’s hand flash with a white glow as it descended, he knew something was wrong. “It’s the Manifesting Elemental State!”

‘Clink~ Crack~’

With one slash, the two blades collided. The standard-issue blade in the Zhao Soldier’s hand offered almost no resistance. With just a crisp sound, it snapped in two.

The sharpness of Kunwu was unmatched.

Its momentum unchecked, the diagonally descending blade passed through armor, flesh, and bone.

After the blade passed, the man was cleaved in two from left shoulder to right abdomen.

Even Ding Suian himself was startled. An armored Soldier, split in two with a single slash.

At least he couldn’t have done that a few days ago.

This single slash frightened the remaining men. The Zhao Army Squad Leader inside the main hall sprang to his feet, no longer daring to underestimate his foe. “Attack together!”

Blade glints and sword shadows filled the courtyard, accompanied by constant roars.

Zhao Yan slipped along the wall into the hall. As Ding Suian had instructed beforehand, her task was to help the captured Wu Army Soldiers unlock their shackles. That way, Ding Suian would have helpers.

But after searching around, she couldn’t find the keys.

“Miss, the keys are on that Zhao Army Squad Leader outside.”

Among the prisoners, a youth missing his left eye spoke up to remind her.

Hearing this, Zhao Yan looked around, then suddenly rushed towards the dust-covered incense table, grabbed a handful of incense ash from the incense burner, and ran back outside.

In the courtyard.

The moment Kunwu sliced through the second man’s neck, a blade from a Zhao Soldier on the left was already upon him. Ding Suian used the force of his swing to spin away, fast as a wisp of green smoke skimming the ground.

The Zhao Soldier’s slash, carrying the sound of wind, landed but found only air.

At this moment, Ding Suian had a strange feeling. He even had the time to observe the small nicks on the blade in the Zhao Soldier’s hand and the flash of astonishment that instantly crossed the opponent’s eyes.

His hearing, vision, even his reactions—his body felt unprecedentedly light and coordinated.

His Protective Aura followed his will, surging through his muscles and bones, continuously pouring into Kunwu.

He was always one step faster.

As they passed each other, Ding Suian’s left elbow struck like a heavy hammer, smashing hard into a Zhao Soldier’s ribs.

The tip of the Zhao Army Squad Leader’s blade almost touched the center of his back, but Ding Suian seemed to have eyes behind him, twisting his waist to narrowly evade.

“We can’t let this Northern barbarian pick us off one by one! Brothers, fight for your lives!”

The Zhao Army Squad Leader knew that if they dragged on like this, they would all be finished in this desolate mountain temple tonight.

He shouted to remind his subordinates that they could no longer hold back; they must fight with their lives on the line to seize a chance of survival.

Just as he was about to press the attack with renewed vigor, he suddenly felt something hit the back of his head.

The Zhao Army Squad Leader turned. It was that little woman nobody had been paying attention to, who had thrown a stone at him.

“Nyah nyah~ Old man, loose bottom, farts go thump-thump-thump!”

The little woman actually stuck out her tongue and made a face at him.

“!”

The Zhao Army Squad Leader suppressed his anger, knowing that once he dealt with this Great Wu Dragon Guard Army Squad Leader, the little woman would be at his mercy!

But as soon as he turned back around, the back of his head was struck again.

“Idiot, hitting your head and you don’t even dare fight back! My husband can beat a hundred of you~ Nyah nyah nyah nyah!”

“.”

Humiliated twice in a row by a woman, the Zhao Army Squad Leader ultimately failed to suppress his fury. He broke away from the fight, turned, and strode towards Zhao Yan.

Zhao Yan didn’t dodge. When the distance between them was less than five feet, she suddenly stepped forward and raised her hand, flinging it out.

A handful of incense ash immediately covered the Zhao Soldier’s face.

“Ah! You little bitch!”

First humiliated, then tricked, the Zhao Army Squad Leader was furious. But with his eyes blinded, he swung his blade wildly like a madman.

Seizing the opportunity within the fray, Ding Suian broke through the encirclement, leaped forward, and appeared behind the Zhao Army Squad Leader. Taking advantage of his rage and confusion, he thrust his saber into the man’s back.

“Aiya! Little Ding, it really is you, Little Ding! Am I dead, Old Lin? Are we in the underworld?”

‘Slap~ Slap~’

Two slaps. “Commander Lin, feeling clearer now?”

“Ugh…”

Ding Suian raised his hand again.

Lin Dafu, “I’m awake! I’m awake!”

“Li Baicheng, Commander of the Xuan Turtle Army’s Armor Battalion, thanks Squad Leader Ding.”

“Huang Wulang of the Vermilion Bird Army, thanks little brother for the rescue.”

“Third Young Master Gao of the Zhenbei Army, indebted to you, brother.”

“Second Sister Li of the Xuan Turtle Army, thank you, brother.”

“Sun Zhirao. The Prince of Luyang is my uncle. Escort us back to the capital, and you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”

The hour of Hai (9-11 PM).

The desolate ancient temple reeked of blood. After the Zhao Army Squad Leader’s death, the remaining Soldiers’ fighting spirit quickly crumbled, and Ding Suian killed them one by one.

At this moment, the seven Wu Army prisoners, including Lin Dafu, had just had their shackles removed. However, a cast-iron collar engraved with Talismans was still locked around each of their necks.

They couldn’t remove it no matter how they tried.

According to Huang Wulang’s explanation, the collars were engraved with the Daoist Suppressing Protective Aura Talisman, specifically designed to restrain Martial Artists.

Once this collar is on, one must either find a Daoist Cultivator to break it or wait ten days for the Talisman’s power to deplete and automatically become ineffective.

Among the seven, two were particularly tough men.

The one called Li Baicheng had a fractured shin but had only fixed it externally with two wooden splints.

Even under such conditions, when he stood up just now to thank Ding Suian, his expression remained unchanged.

The one named Huang Wulang was also a fierce character.

His left eye had suffered some trauma; the eyeball had burst, and fluid occasionally seeped from the empty socket.

It looked terrifying.

Apart from the six Great Wu Soldiers, there was one more special presence—the State Religion’s Green-Robed Cultivator.

When Great Wu went on campaigns, it was a long-standing tradition for the State Religion to send personnel to accompany the army.

After all, Divine Abilities like the Formation Command and Heart-Disturbing Command could play a certain role on the battlefield.

Perhaps driven by the lingering aversion in his heart towards the State Religion, when Ding Suian was rescuing everyone earlier, he deliberately removed the rag stuffed in the Green-Robed Cultivator’s mouth last.

It seemed to have displeased him.

“Everyone, have some water, take the dry rations from the Zhao Soldiers, and we leave immediately.”

After Ding Suian’s instruction, everyone began to move. Only Sun Zhirao, the one with the prince as his uncle, spoke up. “It’s late at night now. Why don’t we rest here and set off in the morning? Commander Li’s leg is still injured.”

Beside them, Li Baicheng, who was limping while gathering rations, heard Sun Zhirao using him as an excuse and said calmly, “I’m fine, can leave anytime! On the road, you don’t need to look after me. I’ll keep up if I can; if I can’t, I’ll die.”

“.”

Sun Zhirao’s face stiffened, looking rather displeased.

“Heh heh…” Ding Suian glanced at Li Baicheng with a smile and said to Sun Zhirao, “Although this place is remote, we can’t guarantee the earlier commotion didn’t alert the Zhao Army. If Young Master Sun wishes to stay, you’re welcome to rest here for the night. We’ll go ahead and scout the way for you.”

Currently, all of them were restrained by the Suppressing Protective Aura Talisman, unable to mobilize their Protective Aura, at best capable of exerting only Body Refining realm strength.

Their sole martial reliance was Ding Suian.

Naturally, Sun Zhirao didn’t dare stay alone. He forced out a smile. “Since we are all comrades-in-arms from the army, we should advance and retreat together.”

A quarter past the hour of Hai (around 9:15 PM).

Ding Suian led the group, turning from the southern foothills of Chongyin Mountain northward into the great mountains.

Chongyin Mountain, the border mountain between the Wu and Zhao nations.

Traversing this mountain would allow them to bypass many passes and enter Wu territory directly.

The mountains were full of miasma and swamps, and few dared venture deep into them on ordinary days.

But Ding Suian had confidence—and that was Zhao Yan.

After entering the mountains, the two of them took the lead, clearing the path ahead.

The rear was covered by Third Young Master Gao and Second Sister Li, who were in better condition.

“Zhao Yan, weren’t you afraid earlier?”

“Nunu wasn’t afraid! What’s there to be afraid of?”

After two days of interaction, Ding Suian could clearly sense that although Zhao Yan had human form, her animalistic nature had not completely faded.

When the two of them were together, Zhao Yan obeyed his every word. But Ding Suian felt that was more like the submission of a weaker female to her male mate in the animal kingdom.

Anyway, it wasn’t the same as between normal men and women.

To prevent Zhao Yan from exposing herself in front of the others due to her behavior and speech, Ding Suian instructed in a low voice, “In the coming days, don’t eat live prey anymore. Eating dry rations is fine too.”

“Oh…”

Hearing this, Zhao Yan pouted her glistening little lips unhappily.

Ding Suian added, “Also, don’t take your clothes off whenever you feel like it, understand?”

Zhao Yan disliked the constraint of clothing. Yesterday, while they were traveling, she would often strip completely naked.

“Nunu understands!”

This time, Zhao Yan agreed very readily. She even leaned close to Ding Suian’s ear and whispered, “Nunu knows, Nunu is husband’s person. From now on, being all naked is only for husband to see~”

“.”

“Eh! Husband, why is your nose bleeding again?”

“I have Yang Excess!”