"That person seems to be quite strong?"
In the mountains and forests, recalling the state of the corpse from before, Shang Shaofeng hesitated before speaking.
"It's alright, I guess."
Li Qingshan curled his lip. "I took a look at his muscles and bones. With that kind of build, he should have been a ninth-rank official when he was alive."
It turned out that a ninth-rank martial artist had been carelessly buried here.
The newly recruited bodyguards were all taken aback.
They had only recently entered the ninth rank.
Doesn't that mean that if they were in the same situation, they might also be killed and tragically buried in the ground?
"Um."
Lin Ce nodded. "In this mountain forest, there are not only unknown demons, but it seems there are also other martial artists who can kill ninth-rank martial artists. So we need to be more vigilant and careful from now on."
Seeing the solemn expressions on the faces of the new bodyguards, Lin Ce chuckled again.
"There's no need to worry too much. The man was wounded in the back and was killed by a sneak attack. Even if the person who killed him was strong, their strength was limited."
The new bodyguards nodded in unison, agreeing wholeheartedly.
They had witnessed Lin Ce's battles; someone as powerful as their own chief镖头 (chief镖头, a term referring to a powerful bodyguard in the martial arts world) wouldn't even bother with a sneak attack from behind, he would simply crush them.
The need to launch a sneak attack from behind suggests that one's own strength is not yet sufficient.
Next, all the young men from the escort agency were on high alert, looking at each other's backs, worried that someone might suddenly jump out and stab them in the back.
But that didn't happen.
Instead, as the herbalists continued their collection, they discovered several more corpses buried in the soil.
Without exception, these were all human warriors, and they all appeared to be quite strong, having reached the ninth rank in their previous lives.
"How could so many ninth-rank martial artists have died here?"
At this point, Lin Ce also sensed that something was wrong.
The rare medicinal plants in the mountains and forests have not yet been dug up, which shows that these human warriors are not after these rare herbs.
So what exactly is deep within this Black Mountain that can attract so many martial artists?
But so far, all the human warriors discovered have become corpses.
He couldn't possibly glean much useful information from these mute corpses.
"If even one of them is still alive, perhaps I can learn something from them..."
Lin Ce thought to himself, never expecting that his idea would actually become a reality.
With a gasp, Shang Shaofeng, leading several teenagers, surrounded one of the people.
The man sat on the ground with his back against the roots of a large tree, his head drooping, his clothes already stained red with blood.
But clearly, he is still alive.
This was the first living human warrior the caravan encountered after entering the depths of the Black Mountain.
Shang Shaofeng did not approach rashly.
He and the boys surrounded the other side with sticks and ordered someone to quickly notify the chief镖头 (bodyguard) Lin Ce.
In fact, without needing to be notified, Lin Ce, who had been keeping an eye on the entire caravan, arrived immediately.
"Who exactly are you people, and what is the purpose of your presence here?"
Lin Ce asked.
"Click...click..."
The man struggled to lift his head, wanting to speak, but he seemed too badly injured to have the strength.
Lin Ce walked forward.
"Chief Escort..."
Shang Shaofeng gasped in surprise.
"It's alright."
Lin Ce shook his head, walked up to the man, and squatted down.
Can you answer my question?
The man turned his neck with difficulty, moving closer to Lin Ce's ear.
"...Closer...thank you...I'll tell you..."
The distance between the two was no more than a foot.
"...I am...the one who killed you!"
The next moment, the person who was almost right next to Lin Ce's ear flashed with a fierce light in his eyes and suddenly slapped him in the chest.
When the palm struck, the wind howled and the force was immense; there was no trace of the serious injury that was difficult to heal.
"Chief Escort—"
The surrounding teenagers were shocked and rushed forward, shouting.
But Lin Ce dared to approach the other party, so how could he have been unprepared?
The palm strike never actually landed on him.
He also reached out with lightning speed and instantly grabbed the man's wrist, as firmly as an iron clamp, making it impossible for the man to move.
But the person who launched the sneak attack did not panic.
His gaze was icy, and a cruel smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
The next moment, a powerful and strange force surged out from his body, flowing up his arm and attacking Lin Ce, who was gripping his wrist.
"Internal strength!"
In that instant, Lin Ce's heart stirred, and he understood the truth behind it all.
The person pretending to be seriously injured was actually an eighth-rank martial artist who had mastered internal energy.
Lin Ce didn't actually know what level of martial artist he was now, but it was clear that he wasn't afraid of an eighth-rank martial artist with internal energy.
"Buzz~"
When the internal force attacked, his muscles and bones trembled violently.
The incoming internal force was completely neutralized by the tremor and was shattered before it could exert any effect.
Having reached the sixth level (perfection) of the Mountain-Breaking Fist, one has already mastered the three stages of "tendons, bones, and skin."
Although he had not yet developed internal strength, his body had already reached the level of resonating with the sounds of tigers and leopards.
This is a strange and powerful force, different from internal energy. Even the internal energy of eighth-rank martial artists cannot cause him any harm.
"Click~"
After defeating the internal force that had invaded his body, Lin Ce didn't wait for his opponent to react before using force to break his arm.
"ah--"
The eighth-rank martial artist, who was pretending to be seriously injured, screamed in agony.
There's no need to pretend; at this moment, he was indeed seriously injured.
Everyone present, whether they were the young members of the镖队 (bodyguard team) or the herbalists of the Hundred Herbs Sect, had their faces twitch and their hearts pounding wildly at this moment.
Lin Ce's ruthless methods gave them a new perspective.
"Click~"
Lin Ce reached out again and casually patted the martial artist's other shoulder.
Another scream rang out, and the martial artist's other arm drooped down, hanging limply at his side.
Looking at the man who was covered in cold sweat and had a pale face, Lin Ce finally spoke calmly.
"So, can we have a proper talk now?"
The man stared at Lin Ce with resentment, but showed no intention of speaking.
Lin Ce then lowered his gaze and placed it on the other person's legs.
"Wait a minute, let me tell you..."
Seeing that Lin Ce had finally given up, the man visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
"If I tell you, will you let me down the mountain?"
Lin Ce flicked his finger lightly on his own massive iron rod, producing a dull "thump-thump" sound, and laughed at the same time.
"If what you say is valuable enough, we can call it even, and I won't lay a hand on you again."
The sound of "thump thump" made the person feel relaxed.
He vaguely felt that Lin Ce's words were quite credible and that he shouldn't go back on his word.
In fact, this was precisely the "Sea Mirage Sound" martial art that Lin Ce secretly used.
However, Lin Ce used it with great restraint, without making any major changes, but only subtly creating some illusions for the opponent, causing the opponent's judgment to be slightly skewed.
"Alright, I wonder if you've ever heard that this Black Mountain was once the lair of some great demon?"
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