Book 1 Chapter 15 Dilemma on both sides
…
Rowan ran with purpose, his focus narrowed to the grid floating in his vision and the distance counter. He was already familiar with the streets of Slow Turtle Town from his previous trips to and from the town. He aimed for a small, forgotten alleyway behind the butcher's shop—a notorious dead end.
He slid to a halt at the brick wall, turning to face the enraged Master Cui.
Cui Tong arrived moments later, chest heaving, sweat pouring down his eggplant-colored face. He stopped at the entrance of the alley, blocking any escape.
"Dead end, farmer!" Cui Tong wheezed, raising his fists, his defensive barrier now fully dissipated. "Did you think you could outrun me? Now, let's see what Elder Jing gave you to protect yourself once those pathetic tricks are done!"
Rowan wasn't winded. He was merely calculating.
Range check: 3 meters. Stone Knife is not in range (3m). Rock is in range (6m). Perfect.
Cui Tong lunged again, fueled by pure, jealous fury, throwing a heavy, unskilled chop toward Rowan's right arm. Although Rowan is not a cultivator, he had practiced the Raging Tiger Claw technique many times before. His body has become strong and nimble at the same time, stronger than his previous body condition while he was on Earth.
ITEM COOLDOWN COMPLETE: Stone knife (2.1s). Malignant Marbles (6.0s).
Master Cui (Right Arm) connects with Han Rowan (Right Arm).
Han Rowan (Right Arm) takes 2 damage.
[Han Rowan: HP 3/2/3/1/3/3. Qi: 5. Status: Bruised.]
ITEM ACTIVATION: Thorns.Master Cui (Right Arm) takes 1 damage.
[Opponent: Master Cui: HP 2/3/2/2/3/3. Status: Enraged.]
Warning: Right Arm integrity compromised. Damage received: 2 HP. Rowan ignored the sharp, radiating pain in his elbow. Focus on the battle system. I've taken damage, but my efficiency is about to spike.
The system, now that Cui was properly positioned within the 3-meter range of the Stone Knife, unleashed a dizzying, optimized assault.
ITEM ACTIVATION: Stone knife (1x2)Damage: 2-4. Target: Master Cui.
ITEM ACTIVATION: Malignant Marble 1 (Rock, 1x1)Damage: 2. Target: Master Cui.
ITEM ACTIVATION: Malignant Marble 2 (Rock, 1x1)Damage: 2. Target: Master Cui.
The spectral Stone Knife reappeared; it was heading towards Cui Tong's forehead bruise from before. The first Malignant Marble slammed into his gut. The second, targeting the lowermost point of his body within range, struck his shin.
Cui Tong roared, a pathetic sound of pain and surprise. But he was able to block the supposed fatal strike from the knife with his right hand. But just as he was about to collapse and his right hand about to fall, his left hand instinctively grabbed something from his sleeve—another talisman.
Master Cui (Right Arm) takes 3 damage.
Master Cui (Body) takes 2 damage.
Master Cui (Right Leg) takes 2 damage.
[Opponent: Master Cui: HP 2/2/2/0/3/1. Status: Severely Bruised.]
ITEM COOLDOWN: Stone knife (2.1s). Malignant Marbles (6.0s).
Cui Tong slammed the second talisman onto his chest. This one was a deep crimson, and instead of a defensive shield, it summoned a faint, hazy image of a large wooden shield that shimmered around him.
Master Cui Status: Wooden Shield Talisman. Blocks 2 damage from the next two attacks.
Master Cui heals all parts for 2 HP.
[Opponent: Master Cui: HP 3/3/3/2/3/3. Status: Severely Bruised.]
Cui Tong was terrified now. He hadn't seen the attacks. He had just seen the resulting pain. He was fighting a ghost—a person who stood still while the air around him murdered his limbs.
"You won't win! I have more!" Cui Tong screamed, pulling out a third, smaller, glittering blue talisman. This one was a Level 1 Haste Talisman. He activated it, hoping to dodge the next invisible onslaught.
Master Cui Status: Haste (15s). 25% increased speed.
The battle turned into a brutal, grueling war of attrition. Cui Tong, relying on his newfound speed and his talismans, managed to connect a few more blows.
Rowan, focused and stoic, simply endured the pain, waiting for the system cooldowns.
2.1 seconds for the knife. 6 seconds for the rocks. I just need to survive this window.
Cui Tong, moving with the slightly awkward, jerky speed of a man trying to run a marathon in a barrel, slammed his shoulder into Rowan's right leg.
Master Cui (Body) connects with Han Rowan (Right Leg).
Han Rowan (Right Leg) takes 2 damage.
[Han Rowan: HP 3/2/3/1/3/1. Qi: 5. Status: Crippled.]
ITEM ACTIVATION: Thorns.Master Cui (Body) takes 1 damage.
[Opponent: Master Cui: HP 3/2/3/2/3/3. Status: Slightly Bruised.]
Rowan's right leg buckled. The pain was immediate and searing.
Crippled. Noted. Rowan adjusted his weight, slightly limping, but otherwise maintained his defensive posture. Must end this quickly. The system needs to prioritize the most wounded body parts of the opponent.
The moment the Stone Knife was ready, the system showed its optimized intent.
ITEM COOLDOWN COMPLETE: Stone knife (2.1s).
ITEM ACTIVATION: Stone knife (1x2)Damage: 2-4. Target: Master Cui (Right Arm). Highest Damage Target Priority.
The spectral knife struck Cui Tong's right forearm.
Critical hit! 8 Damage!
Master Cui (Right Arm) connects with the Wooden Shield Talisman. Shield damaged.
Master Cui (Right Arm) takes 3 damage.Wooden Shield Talisman destroyed.
[Opponent: Master Cui: HP 3/2/3/0/3/3. Status: Disabled (Right Arm).]
Master Cui screamed—a truly horrifying sound that echoed off the alley walls. His right arm, the one he used to swing the herbs, now hung at a grotesque angle. It was supposed to have been cut but was swiftly healed, but now it was thoroughly disabled. The force of the strike had shattered the last of his second talisman and completely disabled the limb. The system had found its target and executed it perfectly.
Cui Tong was reeling, his breathing shallow, his face a mask of terror. The Haste Talisman has ended its usefulness.
Then, the Malignant Marbles fired.
ITEM COOLDOWN COMPLETE: Malignant Marbles (6.0s).
ITEM ACTIVATION: Malignant Marble 1 (Rock, 1x1)Damage: 2. Target: Master Cui.
ITEM ACTIVATION: Malignant Marble 2 (Rock, 1x1)Damage: 2. Target: Master Cui.
The two small rocks struck his remaining good arm almost simultaneously.
Master Cui (Left Arm) takes 4 damage (2+2).
[Opponent: Master Cui: HP 3/2/0/0/3/3. Status: Disabled (Left Arm, Right Arm).]
Both of Cui's arms were now destroyed. He collapsed in a heap, his body riddled with massive, internal bruises, his Qi aura extinguished, and his face pressed into the dusty ground. He couldn't lift a single limb.
Rowan limped forward, his breath calm, his mind already tallying the potential rewards.
Master Cui (Level 2 Martial Body Cultivator): HP 3/2/0/0/3/3. Status: Immobile, Defenseless.
The system immediately queued the finishing blow.
ITEM ACTIVATION: Stone knife (1x2)Damage: 2-4. Target: Master Cui.
The spectral Stone Knife appeared, poised to strike.
Master Cui, seeing his life flash before his eyes, found the last vestiges of his old noble dignity collapse entirely. He whimpered, a wet, pathetic sound.
"Stop! Stop! I surrender! I surrender, you peasant farmer! Please! Spare me! Elder Jing will—!"
The knife paused mid-air. Rowan frowned as the knife seemed to detect that the enemy was unable to fight anymore.
"It seems that this guy has a conscience after all…" he thought as a smile was about to creep on his face.
But that smile froze at the next system message.
You will not have the option to kill the enemy or make him surrender.
"What?! This b*stard of a system! Are you going to turn me into a killer?!" Rowan complained in his heart.
Rowan's—phlegmatic disdain for unnecessary cruelty warred with the system's objective.
Does he deserve to live? He hired six assassins. Yes, he does not deserve it. Thinking to this point, Rowan knew of the real danger and that this world is not Earth anymore. He needed to be strong and decisive in this kind of situation.
Rowan's hand moved, signaling the system to proceed.
But just as the spectral knife began its final descent, a sound that cut through the silence of the alleyway reached them.
Clip-clop-CLOP-CLOP-CLOP.
The unmistakable, rhythmic gallop of horses, moving quickly, grew louder as they approached the main street. It wasn't the slow, casual pace of a merchant's wagon; it was the urgent speed of the town guard.
The commotion drew the guard, Rowan realized instantly. I cannot be here when the guards find a corpse. It will take too long to explain the self-defense notion.
Rowan cursed the timing. He looked at the floating screen and then at his opponent.
[Han Rowan: HP 3/2/3/1/3/1. Qi: 5. Status: Crippled, Bruised.]
[Opponent: Master Cui: HP 3/2/0/0/3/3. Status: Immobile, Defenseless, Terrified.]
Cui Tong, sprawled on the ground, his eyes darting frantically, saw the hesitation. He saw the spectral knife still floating in the air, and he heard the approaching horses. He was defeated, crippled, but not dead.
My final trump card! Elder Jing, you didn't give me this to die in an alley!
With a final, desperate surge of will, he managed to curl his right foot enough to kick a small, leather pouch that had fallen beside him. A single, dark red, intricately folded talisman fluttered out. It was his final, most expensive heirloom.
"The Blood-Escaping Talisman!" Cui Tong gasped, spitting blood and dust.
The talisman, responding to the panic in his voice, instantly dissolved into a thick, coppery mist that enveloped Cui Tong's body. The air crackled, and in a flash of deep red light, the body of Master Cui Tong vanished entirely.
Opponent Status: Disengaged. 100-kilometer Blood-Escaping Talisman utilized.
Rowan stared at the empty patch of ground, his good arm flexing in irritation. The horses were now right at the mouth of the alley.
BATTLE ENDED.Experience Gained: 5 EXP.Coin Reward: 0.0 Coins. (Enemy must be deceased to claim coin reward.)Current EXP: 5/200.
Five EXP, Rowan thought, leaning heavily on the wall. Five. After all that. This system is a cruel mistress of commerce.
His eyes immediately darted to his HP display. He was supposed to be in bad shape but now his HP has recovered, and his status is back to normal.
[Han Rowan: HP 3/3/3/3/3/3. Qi: 5: Status: Normal.]
He pushed off the wall, feeling relieved after the pain in his body was all gone. He looked down at the Stone Knife and the two Malignant Marbles, which had instantly retracted into his inventory grid upon the battle's end.
No coins. Cui Tong lives to scheme another day. A major strategic failure.
But the only merit of all of these is the sudden emergence of another thorn. Which fell down to the unlimited storage of the strange bag. Rowan frowned a bit when he saw this. But he did not have time to look into the unlimited storage as the guards were coming his way.
The sound of boots and stern voices entered the alleyway.
"Who goes there? Show yourself!"
Rowan didn't hesitate. He was a mortal man fighting a cultivator, but in the eyes of the mortal world, he was just a violent man who had pulverized the town's beloved herb shop manager. He used the wall as leverage and, with all his strength, jumped up and ran across the back gardens, silently vaulting a low wooden fence with ease, melting into the maze of back alleys.
He had won the fight but lost the objective, all thanks to a poorly timed cavalry charge and a ridiculously expensive escape scroll.
...
Meanwhile, several kilometers outside of Slow Turtle Town, a truly capable woman was experiencing a much more serious fight.
Kang Hana, the twenty-year-old daughter of Mayor Kang Rolong, was everything the town admired: beautiful, disciplined, and an excellent swordswoman. Clad in simple, practical leather armor over her green robes, she rode her magnificent grey horse toward the forest borders, her brother, Kang Hajin, a few paces behind her.
"Hajin, remain focused. The reports state the bandits are using the abandoned northern post," Hana instructed, her voice crisp and clear.
"Relax, Hana. I'm focused," Hajin replied, though his eyes drifted momentarily toward a rare mountain flower growing beside the road.
Suddenly, a shimmer of black caught Hana's eye. It wasn't the natural shadow of the trees. It was the unnatural, purposeful black of tightly-woven cloth.
"Bandits don't wear silk, and they don't move that quietly," Hana murmured, drawing her own sharp blade.
Before she could finish the thought, a torrent of shadowy figures poured from the woods—not the three or four ragtag criminals she had expected, but over a dozen well-trained individuals in deep black clothing, their faces masked. These were not the common bandits of the local hills. These were the kind of people who only hunted for one reason: money.
Hana and Hajin immediately dismounted, their swords flashing.
"Protect the horses, Hajin! These are assassins!" Hana shouted, already moving, her sword a silver blur as she parried the strikes of three black-clothed men simultaneously. Her movements were fluid, precise, and deadly. Her brother, two years her senior, was just as capable, his long sword weaving a protective net around the frantic horse and his own mount.
Who hired so many? Hana thought, kicking one of the assassins in the chest, sending him sprawling. The Mayor has enemies, but this is overkill for a simple dispute. This is the work of a large organization, or a very powerful, very angry person.
The ambush was well-executed, the assassins moving with coordinated malice. Hana knew this was not an ordinary bandit clearing trip. This was a full-scale elimination attempt. Her heart hammered against her ribs, but her sword never wavered. She was now trapped by a dozen men who wished her dead.