Chapter 48: Swordsman Shi Yi

“Humph!”

The Bear let out a cold snort, lifted his left fist, and smashed his knuckles hard against the sword qi, shattering it into countless fragments.

But because of this delay, a figure swiftly leapt over from afar, bounding a few times before landing right in front of Xu Jiaren.

The newcomer was a middle-aged man, holding a slender sword.

Clearly, that rainbow-like sword qi just now had come from his hand.

“Uncle Shi...”

At this moment, Xu Jiaren was already so weak that he could barely keep his eyes open, yet he still forced himself to remain conscious, showing a wide smile.

Because he knew—his life had been saved.

He could still bring blessings to the people of this world.

Wonderful...

The man Xu Jiaren had called Uncle Shi stood between the Bear and Xu Jiaren, immediately noticing the snake venom in Xu Jiaren’s body.

Fortunately, the venom did not seem too severe.

Shi Yi—Uncle Shi—pressed a few points on Xu Jiaren’s acupoints, then pulled out a small bottle of pills from his waist, taking one out and feeding it to Xu Jiaren.

After finishing this treatment, Shi Yi finally let out a breath of relief, shielding Xu Jiaren behind him.

Looking at the Bear, he cupped his hands and said:

“I don’t know which great immortal of Yongzhou’s mountains I have the honor of facing. If my nephew has in any way offended you, I am willing to apologize on his behalf.”

As he spoke, Shi Yi’s aura fully revealed itself.

The Bear shifted his right foot back slightly, staring cautiously at this unexpected guest:

“Earth Rank?!”

That was right.

Whether it was the rainbow sword qi earlier or the aura this man now released, both made clear his Earth Rank strength.

He was someone on par with the Mountain Lord, ruler of Yongzhou’s thousand-li mountains.

At any other time, the Bear would have turned and run without a second thought.

A mere Profound Bear, fighting an Earth Rank swordsman?

That was nothing but a death wish.

But right now...

The Bear’s eyes swept suspiciously over the swordsman before him.

By reason, every swordsman was a sharp-edged existence, eager to use their sword to sweep away all injustice in the world.

If Shi Yi were truly an Earth Rank swordsman, that rainbow sword qi should have been enough to chop off its right arm, and right now he would have no need for polite words.

Yet, though this swordsman tried to act strong, his careful protection of Xu Jiaren betrayed his weakness in the Bear’s eyes.

Though he had the aura of an Earth Rank, it carried a trace of hollow bravado.

This man was heavily injured!

His true strength was likely less than a tenth of its peak!

The Bear’s thoughts spun rapidly—Earth Rank, swordsman, weakened, not alone...

Recalling a certain rumor it had heard, the Bear’s eyes suddenly widened as it stared at the swordsman:

“Half a month ago, the Mountain Lord fought with a swordsman. Both were injured, and that swordsman escaped west with his companion.”

“Could it be—you are that very swordsman who crossed blades with the Mountain Lord?”

Hearing this, Shi Yi, who had been pretending to stay calm, froze for a moment before answering with an expressionless face:

“I don’t know what Great Immortal means. I am merely a common man, passing through to do some business, and I have never fought the Mountain Lord.”

“The mountain roads are treacherous, and I was separated from my nephew. Only today did I find him again.”

Yet his tightly clenched right hand on the sword hilt betrayed his emotions.

The Bear was a Bear Demon, not a blind bear! Whether he was a harmless passerby or a ruthless fighter who had clashed with the Mountain Lord—it wasn’t hard to tell!

The Bear cursed inwardly but did not expose him.

Instead, it smiled:

“Oh, is that so?”

“However...”

The Bear’s tone shifted:

“It seems I’m not so willing to let you walk away with your nephew so easily.”

Hearing this, Shi Yi narrowed his eyes, raising the slender sword horizontally between himself and the Bear—his meaning clear without words.

The Bear’s eyelids twitched instinctively.

After all, an Earth Rank swordsman still carried considerable intimidation.

If not for the certainty that he had fought the Mountain Lord, no one would dare provoke him so recklessly.

In truth, Shi Yi’s solemn face hid his inner unease.

Just as the Bear guessed, half a month ago he had indeed clashed with the Mountain Lord and been gravely injured.

Even now, he had only recovered a fraction of his strength.

The power he could muster was no more than that of an ordinary Profound Demon.

If he fought the Bear, he wasn’t confident he could protect Xu Jiaren.

Just as Shi Yi and the Bear were locked in a standoff, both wary of the other, suddenly three or four men bolted out of the stronghold.

“Help!”

“Please don’t eat us!”

“Run! That python is a monster!”

These bandits didn’t spare Shi Yi or the others a glance.

Once out of Black Wind Stronghold, they ran straight down the mountain, not caring where they fled.

Behind Shi Yi, Xu Jiaren, having taken the pill, now had the venom suppressed and regained his senses.

He looked in surprise at the fleeing bandits, puzzled.

After the Black Eagle died, everyone who could run had already escaped.

He had only stayed behind because of the venom.

Why were people still fleeing now?

Could something new have happened inside the stronghold?

Regardless, thanks to this sudden commotion, the tense atmosphere between Shi Yi and the Bear eased somewhat.

Just then, a massive python head emerged from within the stronghold.

Its belly was swollen, grotesquely disproportionate to its head.

“Burrrp~~”

The python stretched out, letting out a satisfied belch, as though it had just enjoyed a full meal.

“Mo Lin!”

“It’s you!”

Both the Bear and Xu Jiaren cried out—though one carried testing friendliness, the other anger and curiosity.

Xu Jiaren carefully examined Mo Lin, who had revealed his full form.

So it really was this creature that killed the Black Eagle?

Shi Yi glanced at Mo Lin, heart sinking:

“Another Profound Demon. In such a small bandit den, two Profound Demons appear—and from their tone, they even know each other.”

Shi Yi felt bitter.

If it were only the Bear, he still had some confidence to protect Xu Jiaren.

But with Mo Lin’s arrival, the three now stood in a triangular standoff.

If Mo Lin and the Bear joined hands against them, then not only Xu Jiaren’s safety—but even his own escape—was uncertain.

He couldn’t help but ask Xu Jiaren:

“Do you know it?”

Xu Jiaren hurriedly explained:

“Uncle Shi, after I was captured by the Bandit Chief of Black Wind Stronghold, it was this creature that killed my guard and planted snake venom in me.”

“Also, the stronghold’s only Black Eagle—if I’m not mistaken—was killed by it as well.”

Hearing this, Shi Yi’s gaze toward Mo Lin grew even more serious.

For a python to kill an eagle—its natural predator—even at the Profound Demon level, this was no ordinary feat.

That bloated belly might even be a trick to deceive others.

Though Xu Jiaren bore its venom, the fact that it hadn’t directly killed him proved it had considerable intelligence.

If he could figure out its desires, perhaps he could even win it over—or at least prevent it from turning hostile.

Just as Shi Yi was considering, the Bear suddenly spoke:

“Ah, Brother Mo Lin, finally you’ve come out.”

“Brother Mo Lin, do you see the swordsman before you? That’s the one who fought the Mountain Lord. The injuries he bears are from the Mountain Lord himself.”

“In other words, this is his weakest moment. How about it? Do you want to join me and take him down together?”

“With our combined strength, we can easily handle a gravely wounded Earth Rank swordsman.”

“If we capture him and deliver him to the Mountain Lord, I’m sure the Mountain Lord will reward you with whatever you desire.”