The more conspicuous blood-red dripped down from the arrow shaft, seeping into the ground.
Seeing this, Jiang Ming felt no guilt at all and cautiously drew the longbow again.
In the wild countryside, as evil spirits were just beginning to rampage, a delicate girl suddenly appeared in the dark woods.
It didn't look normal at all.
The girl obviously also saw Jiang Ming, and seeing that his arrow still pointed at her, a look of despair filled her eyes.
The girl slightly lowered her head, gritted her teeth, and said, "My father Bai Changfeng of the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall. I wonder if you could give him some face, let me go, and you will be repaid in the future!"
As she spoke, the girl threw a finely-crafted identification token made of Purple Wood forward, seemingly trying to prove something.
Bai Liu looked at the boy standing on the tree, her heart filled with bitterness.
First, her father's death, then being hunted by evil spirits, narrowly escaping, she was now intercepted by another Martial Artist.
Now she could only rely on her recently deceased father's name and influence to see if she could secure a chance at survival.
Bai Liu just wanted to live and then go back to uncover the truth!
However, the next moment, the boy uttered words that left Bai Liu somewhat stunned.
"Are you human or ghost?"
"I am naturally human; can't you feel the Qi-Blood in me?"
Bai Liu didn't know why the other party would say such words; perhaps he was toying with her.
Bai Liu's left hand quietly reached for her waist.
But the next moment, Bai Liu's view turned topsy-turvy.
"Don't move. You mean... evil spirits don't have Qi-Blood?"
Jiang Ming had already pinned Bai Liu onto the ground.
"A warrior's Qi-Blood is like daylight to evil spirits; how could evil spirits possess Qi-Blood?" Bai Liu gasped slightly, speaking as if it were obvious.
Jiang Ming raised his eyebrows and promptly released her.
During the day, evil spirits hardly ever appear; this was something Jiang Ming's original self had experienced while accompanying hunter teams on errands outside. Otherwise, the village wouldn't have the profession of hunters. Night is the realm of evil spirits, while they lurk during the day.
However, Jiang Ming, having experienced the recent hundred ghost assault, was still uncertain in his heart when he asked, calming down and choosing to believe her words.
Picking up the Purple Wood Token from the ground, he noticed its fine craftsmanship, with 'White Cloud' carved on it, and 'Bai Liu' engraved in small letters on the reverse bottom right corner.
White Cloud? Oh right, she mentioned the White Cloud Martial Arts Hall, the Evergreen City White Cloud Martial Arts Hall? Seems familiar, but Jiang Ming's original memories were rather blurred.
Jiang Ming wasn't very knowledgeable about the martial arts halls in Evergreen City, only knowing one named Lion Roar Martial Arts Hall.
Evergreen City wasn't too far or too close to Jiang Family Village; villagers only visited once a year to sell surplus fur and grain in the city for items they couldn't produce themselves.
Ordinary people couldn't complete the journey in a day, so the villagers often needed to hire Martial Artists for escort.
The main road had bases, and coupled with Martial Artists, they could often get through the night when evil spirits appeared.
Over time, the village chief of Jiang Family Village reached an agreement with the Lion Roar Martial Arts Hall, securing a long-term guardianship at a slightly reduced price.
"Have you heard of Lion Roar Martial Arts Hall?" Jiang Ming tentatively asked.
Bai Liu seemed slightly stunned, then said, "The Lion Roar Martial Arts Hall in the west of the city?"
Jiang Ming nodded. His initial plan was to visit Lion Roar Martial Arts Hall if he went to Evergreen City. While Jiang Family Village had relocated some villagers to the city, Jiang Ming wanted to learn about the evil spirits in this world, and Lion Roar Martial Arts Hall was the best option.
Jiang Ming handed back the token along with a bottle to Bai Liu, saying, "This is the healing medicine from our village specifically for external injuries, consider it as an apology; as for the rest..."
Jiang Ming extended his hand slightly pinching, causing a pained expression to appear across Bai Liu's brows and eyes.
"It hasn't hurt your tendons or bones, plus with the healing medicine I gave you, after resting for an hour, you'll be able to move again," said Jiang Ming.
Only some blood and flesh were grazed by the arrow, penetrating just Bai Liu's clothes.
"I might go to Lion Roar Martial Arts Hall, consider it a favor I owe you."
"A favor..." Bai Liu murmured, then added, "Rather than owe me a favor, you'd better escort me back to Evergreen City."
As Bai Liu finished speaking, she met Jiang Ming's cautious gaze.
"Looks like you're an outsider; evil spirits are evil and humans are humans. Although most are killed by humans, do I look like I could beat you?"
"No evil spirit could disguise as a human, otherwise the Great Lii Dynasty would have perished long ago."
"Just saying, even if there were, it would be at least at the Immortal Master's level, nothing we Martial Artists can handle," Bai Liu explained, muttering softly afterward, though Jiang Ming still heard it.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ming seized the moment to ask a few more questions.
For instance, regarding the giant he just encountered and the hundred ghost assault.
Bai Liu fell silent at this point; Jiang Ming could see the fear in her eyes.
After a moment, Bai Liu spoke, "The giant? That's a Divine Buddha."
Divine Buddha?!
Jiang Ming wondered if he heard wrong.
"When Divine Buddhas emerge, all beings submit. I don't know what Divine Buddha is exactly, only that even Immortal Masters fear it. All demons and evil spirits capable of breaking free from shadow fetters go to worship..."
"Shadow fetters... oh, most demons and evil spirits are bound in shadows during the day; only elite ones can temporarily break free and move briefly during the day. This kind of evil being is extremely difficult to defeat even for Martial Arts Hall Master level experts."
"The emergence of Divine Buddha temporarily drew them away... allowing me to avoid disaster..."
"Hmm?"
"Let's not speak of this further; in any case, a hundred ghost assault during the day is rare. Consider yourself lucky to witness such an event."
Bai Liu murmured, and Jiang Ming noticed a non-committal expression on her face, so he asked curiously, "Aren't you worried?"
Bai Liu replied, "What's there to worry about? The Thirty-six Main Cities of Great Lii have stood for millennia, surely the Immortal Masters will resolve it, and when the sky falls, let the tall ones hold it up. We little Martial Artists should prioritize caring for ourselves, like returning to Evergreen City first."
"I've been injured, and it's because of you. Would you really forsake a young girl?"
Feeling she had noticed that Jiang Ming wasn't as bad as she initially thought—a bandit Martial Artist—Bai Liu blinked and looked at him.
However, Jiang Ming completely ignored her spirited eyes and instead said, "I'll only escort you to the main road; then you seek..."
But as Bai Liu got up, Jiang Ming's eyes inadvertently fixated on her alabaster collarbone, halting his words.
It wasn't that Jiang Ming had never seen a woman before.
It was the prompt from the simulator sounding in his ear.
[Discovered Spirit Points *18.9, absorbable upon contact.]
A blood-red Jade Pendant hung around Bai Liu's neck.
The simulator's prompt targeted this object.
Eighteen point nine Spirit Points! Enough for Jiang Ming to start the second simulation of his first cycle, even sufficient to buy a Five Spirit Roots Talent.
Jiang Ming's gaze suddenly turned burning hot.
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