The sword strike was ordinary, like a casual upward slash.
But it was incredibly fast, so fast that the eye could barely follow it, so fast that the Flaming Chicken didn't even have time to place its claws on Mai Ge's head.
The sword tip sliced across the Flaming Chicken's neck, cutting a fatal gash in a straight line.
The Flaming Chicken let out a desperate screech, then fell straight down in front of Mai Ge, blood gushing from its throat. It lay on the ground, convulsing in despair, the flames on its body flickering a few times before going out completely, its black eyes staring at Mai Ge with resentment.
"Daddy is so amazing! So great!" Amy exclaimed, clapping her hands as she hugged the Ugly Duckling. The Ugly Duckling's face was squeezed out of shape, and it looked up at Amy with a resentful expression.
"In the world of martial arts, speed is the only way to break through defenses." Mai Ge looked at the twitching Flaming Chicken on the ground, slowly sheathed his long sword, and a feeling of loneliness suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart.
"Big rooster, you can die peacefully. I'll enjoy your meat." Amy squatted down in front of the Flaming Chicken while holding the Ugly Duckling, earnestly comforting it.
The Flaming Chicken, which was still barely alive, stared at Amy with its eyes wide open, then kicked its legs and died completely, without even closing its eyes.
"This girl…" Mai Ge couldn't help but laugh, and the invincible sense of loneliness that had just risen within him vanished instantly.
That last sword strike was the first of the Thirteen Shadow Styles, the upward slash. The upward slash isn't actually a fixed stance, the point is to master this simple sword technique to its fullest extent.
It may be called a single technique, but it actually contains countless variations.
Simple, yet irresistible, this is the true killing technique.
Mai Ge quite likes this style: talk as much as you want when it's time to talk, and kill the opponent in one fell swoop when it's time to fight. Going back and forth for a hundred or so moves is too tiring and boring.
"System, is this considered mission complete? Didn't expect me to complete the mission so quickly, did you? And your survival rate calculation is completely inaccurate! I could have easily handled this by myself." Mai Ge thought to himself with a bit of pride. He had the Flaming Chicken in his hands, and his goal of leaving the city today had been achieved. It was a very smooth process.
"Mission progress 50%. Please transport the Flaming Chicken home to complete the mission. Please do not let your guard down. In the wilderness, any carelessness could cost you your life." the system's voice warned.
"System, this isn't right! Didn't you say I was supposed to capture it? I've already killed it, and now you want me to drag the whole chicken back?" Mai Ge was immediately dissatisfied.
"The purpose of the 'Capture the Flaming Chicken' mission is to help the host gain a deeper understanding of ingredients. A chef who only stays in the kitchen is not a good chef. At the same time, it will also make the host understand how hard it is to obtain ingredients, cherish the ingredients in the kitchen more, and feel grateful and respectful to the supplier of ingredients..." the system replied earnestly.
"Are you trying to raise the price?" Mai Ge interrupted directly.
"How did you know?" the system asked in surprise.
"Could you be a little more obvious?" Mai Ge rolled his eyes. He could see through its little schemes and tricks at a glance. He didn't expect this drama queen ingredient-selling system to become more and more shameless. In order to raise ingredients prices, it actually made him personally experience the process of obtaining ingredients.
"That's the mission requirement. Please complete the mission as soon as possible, host." the system said, and then ran off.
Mai Ge looked at the dead Flaming Chicken on the ground. Such a chicken must have weighed at least fifty jin (25 kg). It wasn't that he couldn't lift it, but if he had to carry Amy later, it wouldn't be easy to lift.
"It seems it's still necessary to get a ride. Bicycles are good, but they're too dependent on terrain and not suitable for most situations." Mai Ge thought to himself with a bit of helplessness. In an era without main roads, one still has to follow the rules of the times.
"I wonder where that purple-striped griffin went back then. It was a truly cool and convenient mount." Mai Ge recalled Mai Ge • Alex's old mount, a griffin that could fight the giant dragons and was his companion as he grew up.
Three years ago, it was also seriously injured in the battle. Under Mai Ge • Alex's orders, it went far away, with two griffin riders following it. Its fate is unknown.
"Then let's take it back, and we'll have our meal for today." Mai Ge sheathed his long sword, preparing to tie up the Flaming Chicken.
"This... has it been resolved?" Down the mountain, Gai Yi stopped and looked up at the mountain with some surprise. He had heard the shrill cry just now. Flaming Chicken usually only make that cry when they are about to die. Moreover, all the noise on the mountain had disappeared, which meant that the Flaming Chicken had been dealt with.
"Looks like I underestimated that guy. He's got some skills to dare bring a child out like that." Gai Yi smiled and shook his head, letting out a sigh of relief before turning back to head down the mountain.
"Roar!" Just then, a deafening roar suddenly came from the mountain, accompanied by a series of muffled footsteps like drumbeats, as if some giant beast was rushing down the mountain.
"Copper-skinned Wild Boar!" Gai Yi looked back at the mountain in shock, his expression changing instantly. He grabbed his javelin and ran wildly up the mountain.
The Copper-skinned Wild Boar, a level three magical beast, is so powerful that even a level five knight wouldn't dare to take it head on when it charges down from the ground. If it was charging down from the mountain, even a level six knight would probably have to dodge in a hurry.
If Mai Ge and his daughter were to encounter such an aggressive and temperamental magical beast, they probably wouldn't be able to wait for him to arrive.
"A Copper-skinned Wild Boar? How did that thing get out here?!"
"Oh no! It's coming down the mountain! Run!"
"That father and daughter are completely finished. Let's go, let's go. We can't afford to mess with those wild boars coming down the mountain!"
The mercenaries below the mountain were also startled. Many of the weaker mercenaries and mercenary groups hastily prepared to retreat. Even a slight brush with a level three magical beast was no joke, and they felt some sympathy for Mai Ge and his companions' predicament.
…
The roar startled Mai Ge, who was about to deal with the Flaming Chicken. He looked up and his eyes widened in surprise.
On the hillside, a raging wild boar the size of an elephant charged toward them, its front end adorned with a pair of straight tusks half a meter long, its gaping mouth revealing two rows of sharp teeth, and its body covered in black, spiky bristles.
The water in the spring was trembling slightly, with that weight and speed, a head on impact would be roughly equivalent to that of a heavy truck.
"Holy crap! System, you didn't deliberately create this wild boar just to prove your calculations were correct, did you?!" Mai Ge roared inwardly.
"Wow, what a big pig! Daddy, can we still eat wild boar meat tonight?" Amy stood up, holding the Ugly Duckling, and looked at the charging wild boar without any fear, asking with anticipation.