Chapter 43 Returning to the City and the Onset of Trouble

Each异血 (Yi Xue) strengthening was more prone to failure than the last.

It seemed he wasn't so different from ordinary people. Faced with the possibility of either succeeding or ascending to heaven, unlike some prodigies who were guaranteed success, even with a 0.01% chance of success.

If his body hadn't started collapsing during the strengthening, he would have had more time to play it safe, figuring out how to acquire more information state particles.

But now, he had to move as fast as possible, using aggressive methods.

Zhou Jing had already made a decision.

——One last gamble to see if he could unleash an impact effect and make up for the final 10-point information state particle gap to clear the level.

If that didn't work, he would inherit Jason's power and start a new apostle. Developing it wouldn't be a loss anyway.

He had experience now and wasn't in such a hurry. His goal was to obtain extraordinary power before boarding the immigration ship in the main world, within two months.

And "Jason Wood" was developing very smoothly, far exceeding his expectations. Reaching his current level had only taken seven or eight days in the main world, so there was plenty of time.

Going back to the lord this time would likely be dangerous, so he had to make some preparations.

The only valuable things he had on him now were about 1400 silver coins. There was no need to carry that money with him; he would bury it nearby.

If he ran into trouble this time, the next apostle could retrieve it.

While Ross went to bury the treasure, Zhou Jing examined his current state.

His internal organs and joints ached and felt hot from time to time, and his nose dripped with blood, but his physical state was quite excited, as if he had become energetic after reaching a certain level of exhaustion, or as if he was squeezing out his life force, burning it in his final moments.

It felt like a car that was about to fall apart but was running very fast.

Although this strengthening was a "false success" of the third type, causing irreversible damage and leading to gene collapse, the strengthening modification was completed, and the power of the second strengthening had already been produced. Even if it was a fleeting moment, he had still obtained it.

He carefully looked at the characteristics brought by the second strengthening.

[【Tendon and Bone Resilience】]

[Effect: Your defense and movement stability are greatly enhanced, and you can withstand stronger impacts without injury.]

——

[【Gale Swiftness】]

[Effect: Your explosiveness and speed are increased, and you can unleash greater power when attacking quickly.]

——

[【Tiger Valor】]

[Effect: You possess the courage and strength of a tiger, increasing your destructive power and making you unstoppable.]

——

[【Low-Level Wind Element Resistance】]

[Effect: You have a slight resistance to wind elements.]

This time, he inherited the strengths of the Wind啸虎 (Feng Xiao Hu) [Wind Howling Tiger]. There were no active characteristics like "Thunder Strike"; all four characteristics were passive, improving his physical abilities in all aspects.

The Thunder Strike Leopard potion from the first strengthening focused on speed, agility, and explosiveness. This time, with the characteristics of a tiger-type异兽 (Yi Shou) [Strange Beast], he was not only agile but also gained passive enhancements to strength and defense, making him even more fierce than the Thunder Strike Leopard.

"My physical attributes have reached 40 points, which is the limit of first-order, and it seems I can't raise them any further… The extra 3 points from the physical strengthening shouldn't be able to exceed the limit, so they haven't taken effect yet."

Zhou Jing pondered.

He estimated that these extra +3 physical points would need to break through the first-order limit before they could be added to his attributes.

There was no prompt on the panel about how to break through the first-order limit of attributes.

He guessed that it was the same as ordinary people: either he needed a special opportunity, or he had to accumulate bit by bit, using daily training to break through the bottleneck.

There was no way to try it now.

In addition, besides raising the level of the [异血战士 (Yi Xue Zhan Shi) – Strange Blood Warrior] system, he also received the first-kill achievement for Strange Blood Warriors.

Judging from the suffix, there were achievements for killing Strange Blood Warriors of each level of strengthening.

And the synchronization rate increased by 10%, probably because this fight aligned with Jason Wood's characteristics.

Steadfast, martial, pursuing strength, highlighting a martial idiot and stubbornness.

Not long after, Ross returned empty-handed. Zhou Jing pressed his head and received the image, remembering the location marker where the large sum of money was buried.

Then, he picked up two relatively intact long knives from the ground as spares and headed toward Baiyuan City with Ross.

…

Night gradually enveloped the earth, and moonlight draped a silver veil over Baiyuan City.

Inside the city, many houses were lit up, but there were few pedestrians on the streets, no longer as lively as during the day.

At night, there was a curfew in the town. Most residents had gone home, and only guards patrolled the streets.

Unless there were special circumstances, it was generally not allowed to enter or leave at night. The wooden gate at the city entrance was already lowered, and braziers on both sides provided illumination.

Four guards were inside the gate, leaning against the wall and chatting aimlessly, their topics revolving around drinking, gambling, and which inn's maids were attractive.

As they were bragging, one of the guards suddenly saw two figures appear on the road outside the city gate, rapidly approaching.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

The guard shouted.

Soon, Zhou Jing and Ross arrived at the city gate. With the help of the light from the braziers, the guards behind the gate saw the appearance of the two men.

Zhou Jing's body was covered in bloodstains that had already crusted over. A patch of black blood marked his nose and mouth, and he carried a cloth bag at his waist, dyed dark red with bloodstains, bulging and not knowing what it contained.

The four guards were startled to see Zhou Jing's bloodied appearance after the fierce battle.

"You're Hunter… What happened? Did you encounter a异兽 (Yi Shou) [Strange Beast]?"

One of the guards recognized Zhou Jing and asked in surprise.

"Yes, there's an emergency. I need to see the lord. Let me in."

Zhou Jing's face remained unchanged.

"Uh… Okay."

The four guards hesitated for a moment but decided to let him in, turning the winch to slowly raise the gate.

Although the gate was generally not opened at night, hunters had privileges in many cities.

If it was a familiar hunter, or if there was urgent information, the guards would let him in.

The gate was quickly raised halfway, and Zhou Jing led Ross through, bending down.

The four guards gathered around, curiously looking at the bag at Zhou Jing's waist.

"What's in there?"

"Evidence."

"What?" The four were stunned.

At that moment, Zhou Jing suddenly acted, his arm seeming to leave afterimages as he slapped the four men's helmets in quick succession.

Thump, thump—

The four didn't have time to react before they were knocked to the ground, unconscious.

Zhou Jing shook his hand. He tried to control his strength as much as possible when dealing with ordinary people.

He didn't want to be questioned. Even if he could make up a reason, he would have to wait for the guards to report before he could see the lord. He didn't want to give Lute any more time to prepare.

He was going for a surprise attack!

Once he managed to open the city gate, Zhou Jing didn't delay, directly rushing toward the lord's longhouse in the city center with Ross in the dark.

…

The lord's longhouse, second-floor study.

The room was brightly lit with candles as Lute flipped through the account books, occasionally looking out the window.

The window here had a good view of the castle gate, and he was waiting for Magge to return successfully.

"It's taking too long. Seven against one should have been resolved long ago."

Lute frowned, a little dissatisfied with the efficiency.

In his imagination, Magge should have quietly captured Zhou Jing by now, ready for him to interrogate in the dungeon.

Of course, that was the ideal situation.

Lute had also considered the worst-case scenario, which was that Magge and the others failed in their ambush, and Zhou Jing slipped away, which might make the latter suspicious.

However, he knew the courage of Magge and the others, and they wouldn't go too far, likely not with the intention of killing Zhou Jing, so even if Zhou Jing ran away, he would have room to maneuver.

If possible, Lute would have preferred the buzz-cut man beside him to carry out this task, but unfortunately, the man wasn't his subordinate, and he couldn't command him.

But with all seven异血 (Yi Xue) [Strange Blood] guards dispatched, taking down a newly strengthened 异兽 (Yi Shou) [Strange Beast] hunter wouldn't be a problem, in his opinion.

As Lute was thinking, he glanced out the window and suddenly saw two figures speeding along the street, heading straight for the castle gate.

The guards on both sides of the gate immediately stopped them.

Lute immediately recognized Zhou Jing, covered in bloodstains, and was immediately startled.

"Why is he here himself? Where are Magge and the others?"

He quickly stood up and leaned closer to the window to get a better look.

But at the next moment—

Boom!

The sound of the gate shattering came from downstairs, mixed with the pained cries of the guards.

"Crap!"

Lute's heart skipped a beat.

He hurriedly left the study and looked at the first-floor hall from the second-floor corridor.

He saw that the gate had been shattered into pieces all over the ground, and several guards were lying on the ground, screaming.

And Zhou Jing walked in over the gate fragments, slowly drawing his twin blades, his whole body seemingly silhouetted against the moonlight.

The commotion here alarmed everyone in the castle. Teams of guards emerged from all directions, quickly surrounding him, about thirty or more.

"Jason! What are you doing!"

Lute grabbed the second-floor railing, looked down at Zhou Jing, and shouted.

Zhou Jing looked up and saw Lute on the second floor, casually shaking open the bag at his waist.

Thump, thump…

The heads of Magge and the seven guards rolled out.

Lute's eyes widened suddenly, and he held his breath.

D-Dead…

Seven against one, and all were killed!

Lute was dumbfounded.

"Can you explain to me why these lord's guards would ambush me halfway?"

Zhou Jing said in a deep voice.

Lute suppressed the shock in his heart, took a deep breath, and shouted at the guards:

"Seal the door!"

Many soldiers immediately acted, bypassing Zhou Jing to block the entrance.

Zhou Jing glanced at them but didn't stop them. Instead, he tilted his head and looked at Lute.

"You're not going to explain?"

"This man killed my seven guards for no reason. Take him down first!"

Lute didn't respond at all, instead sternly ordering the soldiers.

His first thought was to argue and shirk responsibility, but then he suddenly realized that there was no need to explain anything.

Zhou Jing killed his seven guards and broke into the castle, so he was in the right.

At this juncture, it was better to say less and make fewer mistakes. There was no need to rush to explain the reasons behind it, or respond to Zhou Jing's "one-sided story." Instead, he could directly focus on Zhou Jing's current actions, taking the opportunity to portray him as a murderer and capture him on the spot.

This way, he could regain the initiative, and no one could say he was wrong.

As soon as he finished speaking, the guards were about to obey the order and jointly attack Zhou Jing.

But at this moment, Zhou Jing raised his twin blades, pointing to both sides.

"Whoever isn't afraid of death, come forward."

The guards on the scene immediately stopped.

Many soldiers swallowed hard. Everyone knew the extraordinary combat power of hunters. Facing Zhou Jing, covered in murderous aura, the crowd hesitated.

It was a joke. They were all ordinary people. How could they dare to fight a hunter!

The heads of the seven lord's guards were still on the ground. Many soldiers didn't want to join their party.

Just then, a sharp sound of air being pierced suddenly rang out.

Whoosh!

Zhou Jing's warning senses immediately activated, and he immediately raised his blade to block.

Bang!

A pebble struck the blade and shattered into pieces.

The strike contained an astonishing impact force, and Zhou Jing's wrist shook violently.

He hurriedly tightened his grip with his fingers to avoid letting go of the long knife.

There's an expert!

Zhou Jing's eyes narrowed.

He saw the buzz-cut man walking out of the room behind the lord, flipping over the second-floor railing, landing lightly on the first-floor ground, and walking toward Zhou Jing.

"Take him down!"

Lute said in a deep voice on the second floor.

From the moment Zhou Jing broke in until now, Lute had never been afraid.

It was because of the existence of the buzz-cut man, whose combat power was unfathomable, that Lute had the greatest confidence.

Although he generally couldn't command the buzz-cut man, if his life was threatened, the buzz-cut man would definitely take action.

So Lute wasn't worried at all at this time. He wasn't afraid of Zhou Jing at all.

The buzz-cut man ignored Lute, instead glancing at the heads of Magge and the seven others, and then looking at Zhou Jing, he said calmly:

"Put down your knife. I won't kill you. You will be judged by the lord."

Hearing this, Zhou Jing grinned.

…

On the other side, at the Hunter's Tavern, many hunters were gathering and chatting.

“…You guys don't believe it, but that Jason only took three months to master two hunter breathing techniques, which is comparable to several years of training for ordinary people!”

Weiss shouted, slamming the table.

The hunters in the tavern burst into laughter, and the room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

"Stop talking nonsense. At least make your lies believable."

"Jason is pretty good, but you're exaggerating too much. No one can do such a thing."

Weiss seemed indignant, straightening his neck and saying: “If you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet! Two hundred silver coins each, dare you?!”

The room suddenly fell silent.

Then, an even louder burst of laughter erupted.

“Hahaha, is he trying to give us money?”

"Can you afford to pay?"

“Come on, come on, those who don’t bet are raised by 异兽 (Yi Shou) [Strange Beasts]!”

Everyone laughed and agreed to the bet, just wanting to see Weiss make a fool of himself.

"No one is allowed to go back on their word!" Weiss shouted.

“Haha, as long as you don’t go back on your word, we definitely won’t go back on our word.”

"It's settled then!"

Weiss seemed to be sulking, but in reality, he was laughing inside.

Baron's trick is really good!

Don't look at that guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes; when it comes to being cunning, he doesn't lose to anyone.

Weiss had been a sucker before, but now he was using his rich experience to trick others into being suckers.

This wave will make a killing! I'll split the profits with Jason five-five later!

Weiss was secretly happy.

Weber sat alone in the corner of the bar, drinking alone, looking at them speechlessly, with no intention of participating in the bet.

Just then, a loud noise came from the city center.

It sounded like a building had collapsed.

The many hunters present were startled and stopped laughing, gathering at the windows to look out.

But in the dark night, they couldn't see what was happening in the city center.

Weber got up without hesitation, picked up his weapon, and walked out of the tavern.

"Go take a look, lest some flying 异兽 (Yi Shou) [Strange Beast] has landed."

Hearing this, the hunters' expressions turned serious. They put down their glasses and moved out, heading toward the source of the noise.
Hu Die Lan