Chapter 11: The Hands
Under the illumination of the firelight, everyone's faces flickered between light and shadow. The bloody scent still lingered in the air, but the two groups that had been slaughtering each other just moments ago were now staring blankly at the corpse that had been reduced to a pulp of flesh, then shifting their gazes to Linley, who carried the heavy black sword on his back.
An eighth-rank expert... killed with a single sword strike.
This...
Unbelievable!
"Brothers, attack! Kill these bandits!!!" The bearded Malon was the first to react, immediately shouting excitedly, "Kill these bastards! Avenge our fallen brothers!"
Hearing Malon's shouts, the bandits snapped back to their senses. Their leader, "One-Eyed Snake" McKinley, had been killed with a single sword strike. Forget the mercenary guards—just the man carrying the heavy sword alone was enough to sweep through all of them.
"Revenge! Revenge! Kill!" The mercenary guards' eyes lit up, their morale surging. They charged forward, weapons in hand.
"Run for it!"
The bandits screamed, fleeing recklessly without any regard for anything. The archers among the mercenary guards immediately drew their bows, coldly watching the fleeing figures. Arrows shot out at extreme speed. *Pfft! Pfft!* ... Six bandits were pierced by arrows and collapsed to the ground.
The remaining seventy or so vanished into the distant darkness in the blink of an eye.
The mercenary guards did not pursue relentlessly. They chased for only a hundred meters before turning back, since their mission was to protect the convoy.
"Whew!"
The merchants and travelers in the convoy all breathed a sigh of relief. However, the mercenary guards' expressions were grim as they went to collect the bodies of the dozen or so fallen mercenaries.
"Everyone, continue resting," Malon announced loudly.
At this moment, many of the mercenary guards were injured and needed proper treatment. The several hundred people in the convoy quieted down and returned to their respective spots. Those who traveled long distances often encountered such situations; they wouldn't make a big fuss over it.
*******
Several campfires were lit. The bodies of the dozen mercenaries were buried in the barren ground beside the road. Mercenaries who made a living on the edge of a blade could die at any moment. Once they fell, their bodies were buried on the spot. The other mercenaries would at most take back some of their belongings.
Linley, carrying the heavy sword on his back, leaned against a large tree by the roadside, quietly watching the mercenaries.
"Lord Lei," many merchants from the convoy came over to express their gratitude to Linley. Some even offered him gold coins as thanks, but Linley declined them all.
"Brothers, go in peace," Malon shouted loudly.
All the mercenaries stood before the graves, bowing deeply in unison to pay their respects. In the world of mercenaries, death was a common occurrence. The mercenaries then dispersed to their own tasks.
The leader of this mercenary group, the bearded Malon, brought Lance and Luther with him as they walked toward Linley. "Lord Lei, thank you. If it weren't for you this time, our mercenary group..." Malon shook his head as he spoke.
"Brother Lei, you saved our mercenary group this time," the young Luther said gratefully.
Whether it was the earlier warning or the final strike, both could be considered acts that saved their mercenary group.
"No need," Linley said with a faint smile.
"Lord Lei, here are ten thousand gold coins." Malon took a magic crystal card from his bosom. "This magic crystal card is unregistered and holds ten thousand gold coins. Lord Lei, you must accept it. If it weren't for you, our mercenary group wouldn't have been able to complete the mission, let alone survive."
Linley smiled and shook his head.
"Brother Lei, take it," Lance urged immediately. Those in the mercenary trade were mostly generous. These mercenaries, who walked the line between life and death every day, placed great importance on loyalty and gratitude.
"Do I look like someone who lacks money?" Linley looked at the three of them.
In Linley's spatial ring were twenty-two magic crystal cards, each holding one hundred million gold coins. Twenty-two billion gold coins—a staggering number that even the Dawson Chamber of Commerce wouldn't casually produce.
The great families in the four empires were powerful and adept at accumulating wealth. But no matter how formidable they were, they couldn't match the wealth-gathering ability of a kingdom's royal family.
After all, even the super-large families in the four empires had to hand over a significant portion of their money to the emperor.
But the Kingdom of Fenlai had far greater autonomy compared to those great families. With thousands of years of accumulated wealth... it had reached a terrifying level.
Hearing Linley's words, Malon paused for a moment and didn't insist. He didn't dare to argue with a strong figure like Linley. Besides, mercenaries didn't earn money easily.
"Captain Malon, go take care of your mercenaries. I can see that many are seriously injured," Linley said.
"Then please rest, Lord Lei. I'll take my leave," Malon said respectfully. The strong were respected everywhere.
The campfires burned. Most of the people in the convoy couldn't sleep. They gathered around the fires, except for a few who were sleeping, while the others discussed the battle that had just occurred. From time to time, many would glance at Linley, clearly making him the subject of their conversations.
Linley was sitting cross-legged, quietly sensing the vast and profound earth and the wind that filled the heavens and the earth.
After three years of training in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, Linley had gained a deeper understanding of the path of cultivation. Whether it was a warrior's training or a mage's training, in the end, one had to comprehend nature.
Just like earlier. McKinley was also an eighth-rank warrior, and Linley was an eighth-rank warrior as well.
But in terms of realm, McKinley was still at the level of simple attack techniques, while Linley had reached the third level—the ability to overwhelm others with momentum. This momentum was the momentum of heaven and earth. With a single sword strike, he could influence the surrounding space.
The gap between the two was enormous. Being killed with one sword strike was hardly surprising.
"If I hadn't spent those three years in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, forgetting everything and immersing myself completely in nature, I doubt I would have been able to elevate my realm even in a place like Hess City," Linley thought to himself.
The people in the convoy whispered about Linley, but he remained undisturbed, quietly cultivating as if nothing had happened.
"Lord Lei? Lord Lei?" A slightly hesitant voice came from beside him.
Hearing the voice, Linley turned his head and saw the impeccably dressed little gentleman, the noble youth "Gene." A faint smile appeared on Linley's face. "Gene, right? Is there something you need?"
Gene felt a surge of pride when Linley called him by name. He lowered his voice and said, "Lord Lei, I have a request."
"Sit down and talk."
Linley's attitude helped Gene relax a little. He sat down beside Linley and looked at him with admiration. "Lord Lei, that sword strike of yours was amazing. I've been bullied since I was young, and I want to become a powerful warrior. Can you teach me?"
Linley was taken aback.
Training as a warrior wasn't something that could be done in a day or two. It required years of hard work, good talent, and a good teacher. Only with all three could one become a strong warrior.
"That's a bit difficult, and I don't have enough time to teach you," Linley said with a smile.
Gene quickly shook his head and waved his hands. "No, Lord Lei, I don't need to learn too much, and I don't need to be that strong. I just want to learn that one sword strike of yours. Just that one strike." As he spoke, Gene gestured animatedly, mimicking the sword strike from earlier.
"Just learn that one sword strike?" Linley didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
That sword strike looked simple, but it was the result of Linley's more than ten years of hard training, combined with his spiritual insights, culminating in the comprehension of "momentum." Even an eighth-rank warrior, let alone an ordinary ninth-rank warrior, would find it difficult to grasp what "momentum" truly was.
According to the records of the Baruch clan, the ancestor who used the heavy hammer only comprehended "lifting the heavy as if it were light" when he reached the saint-level. It was only decades after reaching the saint-level that he finally understood "momentum."
Mages, by nature, found it easier to sense nature than warriors.
For a warrior to comprehend "momentum" was far more difficult than for Linley, who was both a mage and a warrior.
"Is it... very hard? I'm not afraid," Gene said quickly.
"Gene." A gentle voice rang out. Jenny, dressed in light blue, ran over, holding a robe in her hands. She said to Gene with concern, "It's cold at night. Put this on."
Gene pouted and turned his head away. "No."
Jenny's brow furrowed slightly, but she couldn't do anything about her younger brother.
Gene continued, "Sister, look at Lord Lei. He's only wearing such a thin undershirt, and I'm already wearing so much. And you still want me to put on more."
Gene was speechless. This kid was actually comparing himself to Linley. Even in the dead of winter, Linley wouldn't care about the cold, let alone now.
"Gene, put it on," Linley said.
Linley's words seemed to carry more weight than Jenny's. "Oh." Gene took the robe from Jenny and put it on. Jenny looked at Linley gratefully. "Thank you, Lord Lei."
Linley nodded with a smile.
Jenny only exchanged a glance with Linley before her face flushed slightly.
But Linley happened to notice Jenny's hands, and what he saw surprised him. Based on his observations, Jenny was undoubtedly a noble lady. Yet her hands were rather rough.
"Gene, don't disturb Lord Lei for too long. He needs to rest too," Jenny said to Linley with an apologetic smile. Her face slightly reddened, and she returned to her carriage.
Linley looked at Gene.
"Gene, does your sister have to do chores at home?" Linley asked curiously. Normally, a noble lady's hands would be delicate. But Miss Jenny, with her demeanor and attire, was clearly a noble. Yet her hands...
Gene nodded. "Yeah, Lord Lei. Don't let my clothes fool you. I actually feel awkward wearing them. I haven't dressed this formally in a long time." Gene tugged at his collar as he spoke. "Actually, my sister and I live in an ordinary small town. Only Grandpa Lambert takes care of us. My sister usually has to handle the housework."
"Oh?" Linley was puzzled. "But your sister's behavior doesn't seem like that of an ordinary country girl."
Gene nodded. "That's normal. Our father was the city lord of a county in the O'Brien Empire, a very high position. When we were young, we lived in the city lord's mansion. But when I was six years old, my mother, my sister, and I were all driven out by our stepmother. My mother brought us back to her hometown. My sister received a noble education, and she was already ten years old when we left home. So she naturally kept those noble habits. But I was young, and my mother was in poor health. Grandpa Lambert couldn't take care of us all by himself, so my sister started doing housework from a young age. She can do all kinds of housework."
"I remember that in the middle of winter, my sister's hands would crack from the cold, but she still cooked for us. I wanted to help, but she wouldn't let me." Gene bit his lip, his eyes reddening. "This time, I'm going to inherit the position of city lord. I won't let my sister do housework anymore. I'll have a bunch of people serve her."
Linley listened, feeling a sense of admiration for Jenny, who seemed so fragile and shy.
"You're going to inherit the position of city lord? Weren't you driven out by your stepmother?" Linley asked.
Gene didn't hide anything. "My stepmother went out of her way to drive us out back then so that her son could inherit the city lord position. Unfortunately, that worthless son of hers spent all his time indulging in pleasure. After our father died not long ago, that trash of hers was even more unrestrained, living it up. I heard that a while ago, he died on a woman's belly. Since he's dead, naturally, I have to inherit the city lord position."
Gene looked at Linley expectantly. "Lord Lei, please teach me. When I become city lord, I'll definitely appoint you to a very, very high official position." (End of Chapter 1!)