Chapter 52: Kill And Bury
As soon as Su Yan said this, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of Huang Sanhu, the leader.
“Naturally, I, Huang Sanhu, keep my word.”
Su Yan tossed the backpack, landing it not far in front of the group.
The fierce glint in Huang Sanhu’s eyes intensified as he gave a glance to Huang Ba beside him.
Huang Ba immediately understood, grinning ferociously as he stepped forward and kicked over the backpack with one foot, spilling out several silver taels and food.
There were no other items, which stunned Huang Ba for a moment before he grinned widely: “The little brat is really obedient.”
At this moment, Wang Heng stepped forward and thrust a knife toward Su Yan’s waist.
All three were desperate outlaws; how could they let someone else live?
Wang Heng had already reached Skin Refining Great Accomplishment and had been tempering for one or two years; as long as he supplemented for a while, he could break through to Muscle and Bone Realm.
His strike now was naturally fierce and decisive, but when the dagger reached Su Yan’s body.
Suddenly, his wrist hurt—he had been firmly grabbed by Su Yan.
Pain shot through his hand, and his expression changed abruptly; this kid was no novice.
“Boss!”
Before he could finish his warning, Su Yan unleashed Fierce Ape Three Forms.
One fist in Mountain Splitting form struck sideways, hitting right on the neck.
The power was immense; as the fist swept across, the blood-drenched head lolled and snapped, with bone splinters poking out.
Blood sprayed out, staining the entire shrubs red.
‘Not bad; with qi and blood enhancement, Fierce Ape Three Forms and Golden Ape Jade Body Skill complement each other, producing such tremendous power.’
Huang Sanhu and Huang Ba’s expressions changed abruptly; they charged from left and right, their daggers gleaming like white silk.
They were determined to sever Su Yan’s head before stopping.
“Rustle rustle rustle”
The Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect burst out from the shrubs, its barbed tail and mouth opening to spew fiery crimson poisonous mist.
Huang Ba had just turned his head to look when he had already lost the chance to dodge, completely enveloped by the poisonous mist.
His eyes, scorched by the poisonous mist, immediately turned deathly pale, and darkness fell as he went blind.
His skin, corroded by the poisonous mist, suddenly turned crimson, with blisters forming on the flesh and continuously bursting.
Huang Sanhu was startled by Huang Ba’s fate, now on high alert in his heart, but it was too late.
The Yin Water Centipede swept over like a shadow, biting into the arm holding his knife.
In pain, the knife fell to the ground.
“Damn beast!”
Huang Sanhu was also ruthless; knowing he was poisoned, he endured the intense pain, switched hands to grab the dagger on the ground, intending to kill the centipede first.
As he reached out, the sound of arrows slicing through the air arrived with a thud; his palm was pierced through.
Huang Sanhu looked up in panic, only to see that Su Yan somehow now held a fine steel longbow.
With both hands injured, Huang Sanhu was filled with extreme terror.
He had spent his days hunting geese, only to have a gosling peck his eye today; this kid earlier wasn’t fleeing for his life but luring them here to kill them.
Run!
Once I recover, I’ll wipe out your entire family!
Huang Sanhu leaped backward, escaping two zhang in three steps, his form like a leaping antelope.
With his Muscle and Bone Realm strength, muscle and bone power united, skin membrane tough as a shield, how could he be forced to this extent without an ambush?
And those damned bugs!
Seeing Su Yan not pursuing, Huang Sanhu let out a long breath of relief.
However, Su Yan sneered and drew the bow; so what if Muscle and Bone Realm?
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh”
All his power surged, muscles tensing as he rapidly fired three arrows in succession.
The arrows streaked like shooting stars, like white silk piercing the sun.
Hearing the air-splitting sound, Huang Sanhu hurriedly dodged left and right.
He was Muscle and Bone Realm after all, and his speed was not slow.
Dodging to the left, he first evaded the first arrow.
That arrow grazed his shoulder and embedded into the ground ahead.
The second arrow followed closely; Huang Sanhu caught it from the corner of his eye, slowed slightly, crouched and twisted aside, barely dodging.
The remaining third arrow came right after, its tip mere inches away.
Huang Sanhu sneered, turning his head; no matter how fast the arrow, it was within his expectations—how could it hit him?
However, Su Yan now fired two arrows in rapid succession, slicing through the air and arriving simultaneously despite being fired later.
Huang Sanhu still wanted to dodge, but suddenly realized his move had just ended, his strength not yet recovered, making his evasion half a beat slow.
And he hadn’t fully dodged the third arrow either.
It’s over!
The thought had just formed when he turned his head to dodge the third arrow.
This third arrow missed Huang Sanhu, but the two rapid arrows had one pierce his heart and the other through his brow, killing him.
“Almost let you escape.”
Su Yan fired another arrow to pin his throat, then one more at Huang Ba to finish him off, before walking up to the three.
He first searched Huang Ba and Wang Heng’s corpses, finding several packets of powdered medicine and two taels of gold from their collars, with the remaining odds and ends being only a dagger and a dagger.
“Not bad money.”
Two taels of gold, in this area with an exchange ratio to silver of about eleven or twelve, was roughly equivalent to twenty-one or twenty-two taels.
In this world where martial arts flourished, gold and silver served not only as possessions but had other uses, with different mining and reserves affecting value; the exchange rate naturally differed from the modern era of his previous life.
Su Yan approached Huang Sanhu’s body, pulled out the arrow; the arrowhead was slightly notched and somewhat deformed.
“Muscle and Bone Realm tempers the entire body’s muscles, making senses sharper, muscles dense, skin membrane tough, plus bone hardness—even ordinary arrows can’t kill quickly.”
Reviewing the fight, Su Yan grew wary: either attack vitals more or fire extra arrows.
This Huang Sanhu was also a wandering martial artist with no auxiliary skills; if he had a hardening auxiliary skill, he might have run several hundred more meters today.
Su Yan collected the arrows; though Huang Sanhu was killed by them, the true killing move was the Yin Water Centipede.
The Mature Stage Yin Water Centipede’s poison was so potent that even Muscle and Bone Realm couldn’t withstand it; one arm was entirely blackened.
He searched the corpse, finding ten taels of gold in the collar, and after a thorough search, also a bottle of Xuan Shen Pill and a fine steel short crossbow about one palm long.
The short crossbow was clearly fine steel mixed with precious ore, showing dark patterns.
“If this short crossbow is fired at close range, even Muscle and Bone Realm probably can’t dodge; it’s for ambushing people.”
Su Yan’s eyes flickered; Huang Sanhu’s tools clearly marked him as a long-time bandit martial artist.
Otherwise, why carry poisons and prepare a short crossbow.
But these items all became Su Yan’s spoils of war.
“Xuan Shen Pill is a pity; can’t use directly, but can give to Yin Water Centipede or Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect. And those poisons.”
He had hoped to find some cultivation manuals or the like on the three, but was greatly disappointed.
Though all were martial artists of the martial world practicing martial arts, they surely learned simple stance training and basic techniques, which one wouldn’t carry samples of once mastered.
Unless difficult cultivation manuals or martial skills that required frequent reference to comprehend details for full mastery, ordinary cultivation manuals weren’t kept on the body.
Su Yan gathered the three corpses, skillfully dug a pit and buried them, then had the Yin Water Centipede and Velvet Fire Scorpion Insect apply poison, corroding the corpses beyond recognition.
Only then did he cover with soil and tamp down the earth.
By the time he finished, the moon was high, a jade disc-like full moon hanging in the sky, scattering clear moonlight.
Under the moonlight, Su Yan hurried on foot and soon returned to Yun Qian Village, awaiting entry into the forest the next day for medicine refining.
