593. Something Strange / 594. The Stalker

Izayoi faced the bandit leader head-on.

Though Izayoi was no master, he could still be considered one of the best among the younger generation. His strength ranked among the very top of his peers.

Hah! Izayoi shouted, thrusting the longsword in his hands toward the bandit leader’s chest.

Seeing Izayoi attack, the bandit leader sneered inwardly and raised his broadsword to block.

Clang!

Izayoi’s longsword was knocked flying.

"Hmph, overestimating yourself!" The bandit leader grew even more smug when he saw his broadsword had blocked the attack.

Izayoi was not discouraged. Instead, he continued attacking the bandit leader, his sword flashing like lightning as it struck at every part of the bandit leader’s body.

As Izayoi’s sword grew faster and faster, the bandit leader was utterly alarmed. He used all his strength to force Izayoi back.

When Izayoi saw that the bandit leader had finally driven him back, the corners of his mouth rose slightly in a successful smile.

At the same time, the man was ruthlessly slaughtering the other bandits. Although his swordsmanship was slightly inferior to the bandit leader’s, it was more lethal and exceedingly sharp.

He easily killed those bandits, leaving only the bandit leader alive.

"You brat, you actually dared to kill my men!" Seeing that the man had killed all the brothers around him, the bandit leader flew into a rage.

The man burst into laughter. "You’re all bad people. Of course I should get rid of you as quickly as possible! If you want to kill me, then come on!"

"Good brat, I’ll take my time playing with you!" the bandit leader roared, charging at the man with his broadsword.

The man did not dare underestimate the bandit leader either, immediately swinging his longsword to meet him.

The two fought fiercely.

For the moment, the man was unable to defeat the bandit leader. He looked at Izayoi and said, "Brother, let’s eliminate this bandit leader together."

Izayoi nodded. "All right, let’s join forces and take down that bandit leader!"

After saying that, the two resumed their battle.

Looking at the two highly skilled fighters before him, the bandit leader shouted, "You’re too despicable! Two against one!"

Izayoi sneered.

"This is called paying someone back in their own coin. Bandit leader, I advise you to lay down your weapon and surrender at once. Otherwise, once we defeat you, we’ll chop you into mincemeat!"

Hearing Izayoi say he would chop him up and feed him to dogs, the bandit leader trembled in fear. "Don’t do anything rash!"

Izayoi replied coldly, "Don’t be afraid. I only want to tell you that we are not very patient."

"Damn it, I’ll fight you to the death!"

After shouting that, the bandit leader attacked Izayoi. What he wielded was the longsword Izayoi had knocked to the ground earlier.

Seeing the bandit leader’s assault, Izayoi hurriedly raised the spear in his hand and thrust it at him. This time, he did not dodge, but forcibly took the attack head-on.

Seeing Izayoi actually catch his longsword, the bandit leader was startled. Then he swung his sword again with all his strength.

The bandit leader put every ounce of strength into this attack, yet he still could not harm Izayoi in the slightest. He could not help cursing, "Damn it!"

After cursing, the bandit leader continued attacking. His martial arts were not weak, yet he could do nothing to Izayoi.

Watching the bandit leader’s attacks, Izayoi felt somewhat sorry for him.

"Bandit leader, stop wasting your effort. It’s already too late. You’re now like a stray dog."

"You’re no match for me at all. I advise you to surrender immediately. Perhaps if I’m in a good mood, I’ll spare your life."

The bandit leader said, "Keep dreaming. None of you will leave here alive today!"

After saying that, the bandit leader intensified his attacks and used every trick he had, but it still had no effect.

Growing anxious, the bandit leader decided to use all his inner strength and unleash his ultimate move. He wanted to end the battle before him with this strike.

However, Izayoi noticed that his movements had slowed considerably, as though he were moving in slow motion.

Izayoi knew this was the perfect chance to kill him. He drew his sword and directly cut down the bandit leader. When the villagers saw that the bandit leader was dead, they all cheered in celebration.

They lifted Izayoi and the man high into the air and shouted, "Heroes! Heroes!"

Remembering that he still had urgent business, Izayoi bade everyone farewell.

Something Strange

After Izayoi said goodbye to the villagers and was about to leave, the young man stopped him and said with a smile, "Brother Izayoi, I have something important to tell you. Let’s find somewhere private to talk, shall we?"

Thinking of the attitude those young people had shown him earlier, Izayoi sighed inwardly, but still nodded in agreement. The two entered a cave, and the young man used flint to light it up.

The young man sat on a huge rock facing the cave entrance. He gazed at the waning moon on the horizon and remained silent for a long time before speaking.

"You will encounter a great disaster soon. I have a pouch here. When you are in danger, just open it. You may take the pouch back with you."

Hearing this, Izayoi froze for a moment and asked, "What do you mean? Why should I open this pouch?"

The young man turned to look at him, determination gleaming in his eyes. "Only by opening the pouch will you understand what I mean, and only then will you know how important this matter is to you."

After hesitating for a moment, Izayoi accepted the pouch and placed it in his clothes.

The young man stood up, dusted himself off, and said to Izayoi, "Brother Izayoi, I hope we can become the best of friends."

Izayoi raised his head and met his passionate gaze. He nodded and said, "I also hope we can become good friends!"

"Good friends! Haha! Good friends!" The young man laughed excitedly several times.

The two smiled at each other, and the distance between them immediately shrank considerably.

Izayoi asked again, "What exactly is this disaster you mentioned? Do you know?"

"Disaster?" The young man’s expression suddenly changed, and a trace of confusion appeared in his eyes.

Seeing this, Izayoi hurriedly pressed him. "What’s wrong? Do you know something?"

"I…" The young man looked panicked, but after a long while, he still could not speak.

Izayoi asked anxiously, "Did you remember something?"

The young man lowered his head and said helplessly, "I cannot tell you too much about this. I’ll explain it to you after some time has passed."

Though Izayoi wanted to keep asking, he also understood that some things could not be explained clearly in just a few words.

He sighed softly. "If you won’t say it, then forget it. I suppose you have many concerns as well. It’s better for us to remain the best of friends."

The young man looked up and nodded firmly. "Yes, we will always be the best of friends!"

Looking at him, Izayoi found himself growing increasingly fond of the young man. He smiled and asked, "I have some food and wine here. Want some?"

"Sure! I’m starving!"

After saying that, the two began drinking.

Izayoi picked up some meat and handed it to the man, saying with a smile, "Here, have some meat."

"Sure!" The young man took the roasted meat and began taking big bites.

After they finished eating, Izayoi handed him a cup of wine.

"I have two bottles of wine. One for each of us. Have some if you don’t mind."

"Mind? Of course not."

The young man raised his cup and clinked it against Izayoi’s. Then he tipped back his head and drained it in one gulp, refilled his cup, and clinked glasses with Izayoi again.

After drinking more than a dozen cups in succession, Izayoi finally put down his cup and looked at the man. "I’m truly glad to have met a kindred spirit like you. No matter what happens in the future, we’ll still be good brothers!"

Hearing Izayoi’s words, the young man was deeply moved. He said excitedly, "Good brothers!"

The two drank several more cups. Izayoi looked eagerly at the man.

"By the way, you seem quite strong. We can spar a little."

"Sure!"

After the young man said that, the two began fighting.

Izayoi’s fists and kicks were incredibly sharp, every move carrying immense power. Each attack was capable of defeating his opponent.

The young man did not hold back either. He copied Izayoi’s techniques and fighting style, and the two clashed fiercely, each move containing immense energy.

After the intense battle, the two stopped exchanging blows. Izayoi gave the young man a thumbs-up and praised him. "I truly admire you. To be so at ease at this level of cultivation, you really are remarkable."

The young man nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I admire you as well. Reaching this level at your age is truly incredible. I really admire you."

Izayoi thought to himself that this young man was evenly matched with him. Fortunately, he was a friend. If he were not, they probably would have started fighting long ago. From this alone, Izayoi could tell that the young man was no ordinary person.

Izayoi’s face was full of smiles. "To thank you for saving me this time, I have a medicinal pill for you. It will help you."

The young man waved his hands repeatedly. "No, no, there’s no need. I was only passing by."

Izayoi shook his head, disagreeing with him. "I have some precious medicinal herbs here, things that cannot be bought even with a fortune. If you want them, I do not mind giving them to you. Just accept it."

Seeing Izayoi’s insistence, the young man’s heart softened. He accepted the pill Izayoi handed over and said, "Then I’ll gratefully accept it."

Izayoi nodded in satisfaction. "This time, I really have you to thank. Otherwise, I truly don’t know what kind of danger I would have encountered."

The young man waved his hand. "It’s nothing. I was just passing by and helped out."

The Follower

Izayoi looked curiously at the pouch in his hand. "What exactly is inside this pouch you gave me? Let me take a look." As he spoke, Izayoi moved to open it.

The young man hurriedly stopped him. He grasped Izayoi’s hand and stared fixedly into his eyes.

"If you open it now, it won’t work when the crisis comes. So please endure it and wait until you are in danger before opening it."

The young man’s words made Izayoi feel very strange. What secret did this pouch hold?

But since the man had said so, it would not be right for him to open it.

"All right, I believe you. I would like to know what exactly is in the pouch, and what danger I will face."

The young man nodded.

"Yes, rest assured. I guarantee that you will not encounter any problems."

The young man reminded him again, "You must keep this pouch safe. At a critical moment, it can save your life."

Hearing this, Izayoi felt deeply grateful. This young man was truly thoughtful and warmhearted.

"Yes."

Izayoi thought that meeting this man had truly been wonderful. If not for his help, he might already be dead.

He voiced his doubt again. "Since this pouch can save my life, I want to know how it can save me."

The young man explained with a smile, "This pouch contains methods for dealing with enemies, as well as ways to save people. That is why it is called the Life-Saving Pouch."

Izayoi nodded to show that he understood. He was still very surprised. He had not expected this young man to know so much. He was certainly not simple.

Izayoi remembered something and asked, "Right, I forgot to ask earlier. Who exactly are you, and why did you help me?"

The young man shook his head. "Sorry, I cannot tell you my identity. As for why I saved you, it was simply because I did not like the look of those bandits either, so I stepped in to help."

The young man’s words made Izayoi feel at ease. Izayoi thought, Although I am weak right now, that does not mean I will always be weak.

Izayoi secretly swore that one day, he would become so powerful that no one would dare bully him. When that day came, he would kill every one of those bad people.

After thinking about it, Izayoi felt even more admiration and could not help speaking.

"I didn’t expect you to be so brave. Those bandits are not easy to deal with."

The young man smiled and shook his head.

"Hehe, not at all. Those bandits are indeed troublesome, but it’s nothing. I can still handle them."

"Yes." Izayoi nodded and replied, "All right, then it seems we really are fated to meet. I was also robbed by bandits earlier, which was why I provoked those bandits."

"Now that we have dealt with the bandit leader, I suppose those bandits will not dare provoke us again."

Izayoi tucked the pouch into his clothes, then looked at the young man and asked, "Brother, what are your plans from now on? If you do not mind, you can come visit our place."

After hearing Izayoi’s words, the young man shook his head. He seemed to have other matters to attend to. Seeing this, Izayoi understood that his invitation had been too abrupt.

After all, everyone had their own affairs, and he could not simply invite people whenever he wished. Izayoi did not force the young man. He clasped his hands in farewell.

"Since you have urgent business, then go on ahead."