Lin Che ignored it, continuing to regulate his breath. He needed to stabilize his Peak Qi Gathering Realm cultivation as soon as possible—the Zhao family's revenge could come at any moment. Killing Zhao Kun today meant Zhao Tianxiong would never let this go.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from outside the temple, growing louder—there were many of them.
"This is it! Young Master Kun went to Blackwood Cliff to seize the herb from this loser. His life token shattered there! It must be this bastard who killed him. Surround the place—don't let him escape!"
More than twenty Zhao family servants poured into the temple, the clashing of knives and sticks piercing the night's tranquility. Leading them was Zhao Hu—the Zhao family's chief bodyguard, at Peak Early Qi Gathering Realm, with a scarred face and a curved knife in his waist inlaid with inferior gems, glinting coldly in the moonlight.
When Zhao Hu saw Lin Che in the side chamber and the Blood Spirit Herb on the ground, his pupils contracted sharply: "You little bastard! So you're here! Young Master's life token shattered here—confess! Did you kill him?"
Lin Che stood up slowly, holding a rusty woodcutter's knife in his hand. The corroded blade glinted coldly in the moonlight, like a hungry beast: "He deserved to die."
Zhao Hu roared: "Peak Qi Gathering Realm? You've been hiding your cultivation! Get him together—chop him into pieces! Avenge the young master!"
The servants swarmed forward like wolves scenting blood. Lin Che moved like a ghost into the crowd, the woodcutter's knife slicing through the air in a cold arc. The first servant hadn't even seen his movement before his throat was slit, blood spattering across the temple's Buddha statue. He froze in a swinging posture, his eyes filled with disbelief.
[Detected 22 Early Qi Gathering Realm targets. Estimated cleanup time: 12 seconds.]
[Countdown: 10… 9… 8…]
The blood stirred the others' ferocity. Three servants pounced from three directions at once. Instead of retreating, Lin Che swept the knife horizontally, chopping off one man's weapon handle, then flicked the blade upward to slit another's abdomen. The third attacked from behind, swinging an iron rod at Lin Che's head.
Without turning around, Lin Che stabbed backward with the knife, piercing the man's heart. He too froze in a swinging posture, his eyes filled with terror.
[7… 6… 5…]
Thick blood filled the air. Lin Che's movements were not flashy, but each strike was precise and fatal. He moved like a sophisticated killing machine—wherever the knife pointed, someone fell. One servant tried to hug him from behind, only to be stabbed through the heart, the blade protruding from his back in a spray of blood.
Another servant, seeing the danger, turned to flee—only to find the temple door sealed by an invisible force. He looked back at Lin Che in despair, seeing only a pair of scarlet eyes and a sharp blade flash.
"Spare me! Spare me!" The fourth servant knelt, kowtowing until his forehead bleed.
Lin Che's knife paused at his neck, then swung down: "You're disturbing her."
[4… 3… 2… 1…]
The last man tried to run, but Lin Che kicked him to his knees, then chopped off his head. His skull rolled away, his face frozen in fear.
[12 seconds up. All 22 targets eliminated. Decent efficiency, host—you'd make a good butcher.]
Zhao Hu's face turned ashen, his hand shaking as he drew his curved knife: "Who… who the hell are you?"
"Her brother." Lin Che nodded toward the side chamber, his voice as cold as ten-thousand-year black ice. "You're disturbing her sleep."
Zhao Hu bit his tongue, surging his Peak Early Qi Gathering Realm spiritual energy. He swung the curved knife, sending out a sharp blade aura that tore through the air with a shrill whistle, slashing a deep gash in the temple wall.
Lin Che neither dodged nor blocked, stabbing straight at his shoulder with the woodcutter's knife. The strike was simple, yet so fast Zhao Hu couldn't react in time.
Squelch!
The blade sank three inches deep, blood gushing out. Zhao Hu howled and knelt, dropping his knife. "Peak Early Qi Gathering Realm… is that all?"
"Chief bodyguard of the Zhao family, and you can't even cross my sister's threshold." Lin Che pulled out the knife, blood dripping onto the ground, forming blooming blood plum blossoms.
Zhao Hu collapsed, begging for mercy: "Spare me! I'll give you the Zhao family's spirit stones and cultivation techniques! I have an eighty-year-old mother—"
"Disgusting." Lin Che swung the knife.
Zhao Hu's head rolled away, his eyes wide open, as if unable to believe he'd died at the hands of a "loser."
[Detected total elimination of Zhao family bodyguards. Warning: Zhang Xuan, a Mid Qi Gathering Realm cultivator, is approaching. Estimated arrival time: 3 minutes.]
[Recommendation: Activate God of Slaughter Domain · Ten Thousand Souls Devour. Otherwise, host mortality rate: 73.6%.]
[Friendly Reminder: Zhang Xuan is a Zhao family enshrined, specializing in poison techniques. Getting hit by him will ruin your looks. With your current face, you can't afford that.]
Lin Che wiped the blood from his face and turned to the side chamber. Lin Ying had woken up at some point, staring at him timidly, clutching his sleeve tightly: "Brother… I'm scared…"
The stench of blood was so strong even a child could smell death.
"Don't be afraid." Lin Che picked her up. "Close your eyes and count to ten."
"One… two… three…" Lin Ying closed her eyes obediently, her voice trembling with tears, but she forced herself to count.
Outside the temple, a cold voice hissed like a venomous snake, echoing through the night:
"Killing my disciple and slaughtering the Zhao family's bodyguards. Tonight, you won't escape even if you grow wings."
Zhang Xuan, at Mid Qi Gathering Realm, approached under the moon. He wore a black robe, his face as pale as paper, his ten fingers pitch black—clearly having mastered his poison techniques.
[Countdown: 30 seconds. Host, run or fight?]
Lin Che didn't answer. He looked down at Lin Ying in his arms—she had counted to "seven," her eyelashes trembling violently.
Run?
Where?
He had promised to buy her sugar hawthorns. Promised to protect her.
"Eight… nine… ten." Lin Ying finished counting, opening her eyes. "Brother, can I open them now?"
"Yes." Lin Che set her down, patting her messy hair. "Wait for me inside."
"Where are you going, brother?"
"Buy sugar hawthorns." Lin Che turned, pointing the woodcutter's knife at the temple door. "I'll be right back."
[System Warning: Host, your current Killing Intent is only enough to activate the God of Slaughter Domain for 15 seconds. After 15 seconds, Zhang Xuan will beat you to a pulp.]
"That's enough." Lin Che's voice was calm. "Killing him takes 15 seconds."
Moonlight, killing intent—ready to erupt.