After eating the food Xiao Ling brought him.
Wei Feng decided to use his remaining time to cultivate his *iron body technique*. It's more of a physique than a technique to him, but he's still going to cultivate it anyway. He has to start somewhere, right?
Well, to put plainly, it was a strenuous work for the body…not to mention of his qi reserves being pathetic…but he had to grind either way.
He remembered the old saying that always push him to be stronger when he was still on earth as Cory. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger…but it will definitely try to kill you first."
But eventually, his body finally gave out and he passed out from the strain of cultivating.
Few hours later…
Wei Feng woke to the sound of footsteps outside his door.
He could hear multiple footsteps…
His eyes snapped open, and his body tensed. The sun had barely risen, the early morning light filtered through the cracks in his door.
'It's still too early for the servants to start cleaning the yard. '
He sat up slowly. Then the footsteps stopped right outside his room.
Then came a knock.
*Knock* *knock* *knock*.
"Wei Feng," a familiar voice called out. Soft, feminine. "It's me, Xiao Ling. Can I come in?"
Wei Feng's eyes narrowed. 'Why is she here this early? She never visited 'Wei Feng this early before…and what's with the footsteps from earlier'
"Come in," he said carefully.
The door creaked open, and Xiao Ling stepped inside. She was alone, carrying a small bundle wrapped in cloth.
"Young Master Wei," she said, glancing around nervously. "I... I heard the Steward is coming for you this morning. I brought you some supplies. Food, bandages, a little money."
She set the bundle on his bed.
Wei Feng stared at it, then at her.
Something felt off…but he couldn't put a finger on what exactly is wrong here.
Her hands weren't trembling like yesterday either. So what's wrong…he couldn't shake off the feeling he was getting from this predicament.
Her eyes didn't hold that same worried look...it looks more like she's frightened by something…or someone.
"Why are you helping me? You're only putting yourself in danger by helping me, you know" Wei Feng asked bluntly.
Xiao Ling blinked, surprised by the directness. "I... I told you. You've always been kind to me, even when others weren't. I just want to help."
"Right." Wei Feng picked up the bundle, weighing it in his hands. "And you're sure no one saw you bring this?"
"I was careful," she said quickly. "But you should leave soon. The Steward will be here within the hour."
Wei Feng nodded slowly. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
He set the bundle aside and stood, stretching. "I'll get ready then."
Xiao Ling hesitated at the door. "Be careful, Young Master Wei."
"Yeah. You too."
She left, closing the door behind her.
Wei Feng waited exactly ten seconds.
Then he grabbed the bundle, opened it, and examined the contents.
There was a stale bread. A small pouch of copper coins. Bandages.
Nothing seemed to be poisoned.
But his instincts…Cory's instincts…screamed at him that something was off.
'Everything is happening too quick… and that look in her eyes...i don't like it at all'
He pulled up the system.
"System, can the Analyse skill work on people?"
---
[AFFIRMATIVE]
[ANALYSE CAN DETECT BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT INDIVIDUALS WITHIN RANGE]
[CURRENT RANGE: 5 METERS]
---
"Good. Next time she's close, I'll use it."
But there might not be a next time.
Wei Feng moved quickly. He pulled out the Disguise Talisman from his inventory and activated it.
---
[DISGUISE TALISMAN ACTIVATED]
[DURATION: 6 HOURS]
[CURRENT APPEARANCE: REGULAR GUY]
---
The air shimmered around him, and his reflection in the cracked mirror changed.
His face adopted a more average appearance and regular…features that looked slightly older.
He also gained a regular, straight black hair, and his robes shifted into simple brown traveler's clothing…and most importantly, the color of his iris also changed from violet to a mundane black color.
"Perfect."
Wei Feng grabbed the bundle Xiao Ling had brought 'might as well use the supplies' and moved to the door.
He pressed his ear against it, listening to any slight sound he could pick up.
But all he heard was…silence.
He cracked open the door and peered outside.
The hallway was also empty.
'The situation keeps getting weirder and weirder.'
In the clan's compound…even a fallen one, there were always servants moving around in the morning.
Always someone doing chores like fetching water or preparing breakfast for the clansmen.
But now? Nothing.
Wei Feng's jaw tightened.
'It has to be a trap.'
He stepped out anyway.
If they wanted him, they'd have to catch him first.
---
Wei Feng moved through the compound quietly, sticking to the shadows. His destination was the eastern gate…it's where merchants and servants used to enter and exit the clan.
And, it's less guarded than the main entrance.
He made it halfway across the outer courtyard when he heard footsteps approaching.
Lots of them.
"There! He's heading to the eastern courtyard!"
Wei Feng's head whipped around.
Five men in green Wei Clan guard uniforms emerged from the main hall, weapons drawn. Behind them, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, was Xiao Ling.
But she wasn't trembling.
She wasn't scared.
She was *smiling*.
A cold, satisfied smile.
And worst of all, they seem to recognize him…even with his disguise still active.
[DING!]
[DISGUISE INACTIVE]
'WHAT?!' Shock broke through his face. 'What the f##k do you mean by it being inactive?!'. But the system didn't respond to his question. 'The disguised traveler's fit is still on ME, so WHAT THE F##K do you mean by inactive'.
Before he could get a response though…
"Did you really think I cared about you?" Xiao Ling called out, her voice carrying across the courtyard. "You're trash, Wei Feng. You always have been. The Steward offered me a position in the inner servants' quarters if I helped catch you trying to run."
Wei Feng stared at her, his expression unreadable.
'*Sigh*, seems I'm gonna get out of here the hard way'
Then he grinned.
'This is gonna be fun'.
"Huh. And here I thought you were just a bad actress. Turns out you're a decent one after all," Wei Feng grinned even wider now.
Xiao Ling's smile faltered slightly.
The lead guard—a stocky man with a scarred face, stepped forward. "Wei Feng, by order of the Steward, you are to be confined to your quarters indefinitely. Surrender now, and we won't have to hurt you."
Wei Feng rolled his shoulders, his grin widening.
"Yeah, no. I don't think I'll be doing that."
The guard's expression darkened. "Then we'll drag you back."
"You can try."
---
[ENEMY ANALYSIS:]
Wei Clan Guard x5
- Average Power Level: 35
- Cultivation: Body Refinement Rank 3-4
- Threat Assessment: MODERATE
---
[BONUS QUEST TRIGGERED!]
Quest: Defeat All Enemies
- Reward: 50 SP per enemy defeated, +50 EXP per enemy
- Bonus Objective: Win without using Healing Pills (+100 SP)
- Failure: Capture and confinement
[ACCEPT?]
---
"Accept," Wei Feng muttered.
The guards charged.
And Wei Feng's grin turned feral.
---
The first guard, armed with a wooden staff that was heavy enough to shatter bones , swung wide at Wei Feng's head.
But unfortunately for him...this wasn't the Wei Feng they all thought they knew...
As for the guardsmen that attacked him??
Well,
He was using a crude, power-focused technique common among low-ranking cultivators...which rely more on raw strength over skill.
Wei Feng he dropped, his knees nearly scraping the dirt. But then kick himself off the ground with as much strength he could muster.
He stepped inside the guard's collapsing range, leveraging the brawler's core truth,a big weapon leaves a big opening.
He channeled the thin, burning thread of his precious Qi...even though it was barely enough for a single, focused strike into his elbow, reinforcing the bone as instructed by the Iron Body Scripture.
"Iron Elbow Strike!"
He drove his elbow upward and inward, catching the man in the floating ribs.
*CRUNCH.*
The bone snapped with a sickening sound audible even over the commotion. The guard gasped, a high, strangled sound, his staff falling harmlessly as he stumbled back, clutching his side.
"One," Wei Feng voice came out hoarse but that didn't stop him from charging in with satisfaction.
The second guard was already on him from the left, equipped with a gleaming, real sword, if he wasn't careful, his neck could be sliced off before he knew it....
'Seems they don't mind capturing me dead'.
This was a higher level of threat...cultivators who wielded *real* weapons had actual martial training.
Wei Feng twisted, leaning back like a dancer dodging a bullet, but he was a half-step slow.
The blade nicked his shoulder...what he felt on his shoulder was a burn...if he were to describe it, it felt more like someone punch a hole in his shoulder...a thin line of blood blooming on the simple brown cloth of his traveler's disguise.
He didn't flinch...no no no...
Instead he laughed. A wild, challenging bark that carried the spirit of every underground pit Cory had ever fought in.
"That's more like it!"
Instead of retreating, Wei Feng surged into the sword guard, ignoring the burning pain.
His left hand shot out and clamped onto the guard's wrist— "a wrist lock", its not a martial arts technique...well, it is kinda like a martial art...but not the way he uses it.
Street lock.
He twisted the wrist hard, wrenching the guard off balance, and then, without pause, drove his knee into the man's elbow joint.
The joint bent the wrong way with a sickening *CRACK*...
The sword clattered to the ground, and the guard screamed, clutching his ruined arm.
Wei Feng scooped up the fallen sword...a simple, decent-quality piece of steel.
"Two."
The remaining three guards hesitated, their charge momentarily broken.
They saw the wild, blood-streaked grin on Wei Feng's face, the stolen weapon in his hand, and the unnatural brutality of his movements.
This wasn't the trash of a clansmen they remembered...even Xiao Ling was surprised.
"What's wrong?" Wei Feng taunted, spinning the blade like it's a toy rather than a weapon that could kill. "Thought you were gonna drag me back?"
Xiao Ling snarled, overriding his surprise. "What are you waiting for?! Attack him all at once! Don't give him room to breathe!"
The remaining gaurds rushed him together, the leader with his heavy saber,
Another guardsman was equipped with a spear, and the last guard was equipped with a club.
Wei Feng also wasn't gonna stand around.
He was raw, brutal, and efficient. His actions lacked the flowing grace of a true martial master. In fact, if you look at it from the Xiao Ling's perspective...it felt like she's looking at a demon.
He blocked the spear thrust with the stolen sword...the clash of steel sending a jarring ache up his arm.
Even with his Iron Body Physique conditioning, the force he felt from the guard was immense...he couldn't overpower the guard.
He simultaneously kicked out, catching the spear guard low on the knee. The man went down hard, dropping his weapon with a grunt.
The club-wielding guard swung a heavy blow at his head. Wei Feng ducked, the wind of the strike passing over him, and slashed upward with the stolen blade.
The slash was not meant to kill; it was meant to end the fight. The blade caught the guard across the chest causing a shallow, tearing wound that left him screaming and staggering backward, that one is also out of the action.
"Four."
The scarred leader was the last one standing, his stance wide and disciplined. "You're better than I thought," the man admitted, his voice tight. "But you're still weak. You're still gonna be trash...there's nothing that will change that."
Wei Feng's grin didn't fade, it hardened instead. "Maybe. But I'm a strong trash."
As if the leader didn't want to hear whatever rubbish he was saying, he decided to end it quickly.
They clashed.
Steel rang against steel as Wei Feng fought desperately.
The guard was stronger, his Rank 4 cultivation (body Refinement Rank gave him more leverage in the situation) giving his saber swings a heavy, crushing power that threatened to knock the sword from Wei Feng's weary grip.
But Wei Feng had a very strong battle Instinct. He felt the guard's exhaustion...weirdly enough, he wasn't feeling exhausted, he also felt the slight delay in the guard's footwork, and the desperation driving the guard's attacks.
"Come on!" Wei Feng shouted, his eyes blazing, pushing past the pain in his body. "Is that all you've got?!"
The guard felt enraged by the taunt and weary from the unexpected fight he's having with the supposed 'trash', so he decided to try finish it quickly with a heavy, downward slash...a powerful but obvious move.
Wei Feng sidestepped, letting the saber slam uselessly into the ground, and drove his stolen sword straight into the man's right shoulder.
"*AAAAHHHH*" The guard screamed, dropping his weapon instantly.
Wei Feng didn't wait; he drove a fierce kick into the man's chest, sending him sprawling into the dirt.
"Five."
Wei Feng stood there, chest heaving, his body screaming a thousand protests.
He was covered in blood...some his, most theirs...and grinning like a predator that had finally finished its kill.
[VICTORY!]
[ENEMIES DEFEATED: 5]
[EXP GAINED: 250]
[SP GAINED: 250]
[BONUS OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: +100 SP]
[TOTAL SP EARNED: 350]
[NEW SKILL ACQUIRED!]
Basic Combat Mastery (Level 1)
Increases damage by 10% in close combat Improves weapon handling
[LEVEL UP PROGRESS: 250/500 EXP TO RANK 3]