Chapter 149: The Pursuing “Human Immortal” of Da Qian

[The fifteenth day since leaving Da Qian]

[Within the Qiuhuo Army, many figures have fallen on the road forever, yet the survivors continue to move forward, following your footsteps, pursuing that future in their dreams.]

[You continue to throw punches in silence.]

[You have killed many demons; your Persistence in killing demons has brought you tangible improvement.]

[You have become proficient in the weaknesses of the demons. With the blessing of mysterious power, your damage against demons has effectively increased.]

[The twentieth day since leaving Da Qian]

[The Qiuhuo Army moves extremely fast, yet also extremely slow.]

[Compared to the speed of Mortals, the Qiuhuo Army is undoubtedly fast.]

[Compared to the speed of Xiantian Martial Artists, the Qiuhuo Army is undoubtedly slow.]

[To take care of the old and young in the group, you throw punches time and again, shielding them from the onslaught of demons. The entire army of commoners is filled with gratitude.]

[The twenty-fourth day since leaving Da Qian]

[You turn your head abruptly, feeling a palpitation from the rear of the group.]

[It has nothing to do with A-Niu, nor anyone else. What you feel is an oppressive sensation echoing from the distant Da Qian, causing your Martial Artist instincts to sound an alarm constantly.]

"Is it the Emperor of Da Qian?"

"No, it could also be that so-called Human Immortal."

"Such an intense sense of crisis… Is that so? They have finally discovered the departure of the Qiuhuo Army."

Xu Xi stops.

He looks back, as if piercing through layers of mountain chasms, witnessing everything within the Imperial Capital of Da Qian.

There are rebel armies slaughtered everywhere in blood.

There are crooked and collapsed ruins.

And there, the Emperor of Da Qian, shocked and furious at discovering the escape of the Qiuhuo Army.

"Must pick up the pace." Xu Xi withdraws his gaze and continues to squeeze the power of the heavens and earth within his Qi and blood, carving out a safe path at an even faster speed.

Currently, just dealing with the demons of the Hundred Thousand Mountains is already barely manageable.

If the pursuit from Da Qian is added…

Under the double encirclement,

even if the Qiuhuo Army can truly break out of the mountains, there will certainly be few survivors left in the end.

…

[The thirtieth day since leaving Da Qian]

[Under your leadership, the Qiuhuo Army has traveled a great distance.]

[Weapons are damaged, armor is incomplete, hoes have broken one after another, and pitchforks have shattered one by one.]

[You are exhausted from fighting, covered in blood—the foul blood of various demons.]

[Wu Yingxue worries about your physical condition and suggests that she take over opening the path, but you refuse this proposal.]

[As you venture deeper, the demons in the Hundred Thousand Mountains become increasingly terrifying. Large demons of the second Innate Realm, which is the same Realm as the young girl, often appear.]

[Such opponents, combined with the endless Demon Tide, are not something the young girl can handle alone.]

[On the same day, you sense that the contingency plan you left behind has been triggered by an unknown entity.]

[That was the setup you used to confuse the pursuers from Da Qian.]

[You hoped to use this method to mislead the direction of their pursuit, creating more time for you and the Qiuhuo Army to break through.]

[Now, with the contingency triggered, it means the pursuers have arrived. A strong sense of crisis surges in your heart, and you squeeze your internal Qi and blood once again.]

…

For a Martial Artist, fighting is an interesting affair.

Whether one is dull by nature or timid,

under the stimulating circulation of internal Qi and blood, few Martial Artists can remain calm and be content with writing or painting.

Only fighting—fighting where fists meet flesh—is what Martial Artists desire most.

However.

No matter how much one likes fighting, no matter how much one likes the collision between life and death, after such behavior happens thousands of times, the hot blood of a Martial Artist will eventually cool down.

Xu Xi has been fighting for too long.

He opens the path while fighting the demons to the death.

His fists explode countless hideous heads; the blood and flesh bursting from within, time and again, time and again, highlight the urgency on Xu Xi's face.

The pursuers from Da Qian are right behind.

It is very likely they are demons corresponding to a Martial Dao Human Immortal.

Thinking of this, Xu Xi's fists cannot stop at all; he desperately wants to open up the path ahead.

Only when night falls does he take a brief rest.

"Sir, I have boiled a bowl of hot soup for you."

Night falls.

The stars and moon are obscured by the dense canopy.

Clusters of bonfires form starlight on the ground, adorning the earth while also warming the fearful hearts of the commoners.

Wu Yingxue walks out from the side, still in that red and white martial outfit, holding a bowl of meat soup in her hands, carefully handing it to Xu Xi.

"Thank you for your hard work, Yingxue."

Xu Xi takes the hot soup and takes a light sip.

The soup is very simple.

A little bit of wheat bran, a pinch of salt, a bowl of hot water, and a few pieces of chopped dried demon meat.

A bland, tasteless, and even strangely piping hot soup is freshly served like this.

Given the current environment,

Xu Xi thinks that being able to drink such soup is already quite good.

"Sir, how does it taste?" the young girl asks with an expectant tone.

"Hmm, I think it's quite good," Xu Xi gives a generic answer.

The young girl is very pleased to hear this.

She giggles and reveals a smile.

She brings another bowl of hot soup, holding it herself as she sits beside Xu Xi, drinking the soup with him and enjoying this rare moment of rest.

Wu Yingxue's legs are restless; as she sits, they swing on their own.

Fair, like rising and falling jade.

Light, like willow branches in the wind.

The young girl drinks the soup, happily chatting with Xu Xi, seemingly having endless words to say.

But the fatigue on her face gradually becomes apparent; the young girl, who also fights all day, soon finds her eyelids becoming heavy and falls asleep in silence.

Xu Xi instinctively supports the young girl's back.

"Silly girl."

Looking at the young girl's tired sleeping face, Xu Xi feels quite helpless.

He can tell that Wu Yingxue is worried about him, but for the young girl to be this exhausted herself feels quite unreliable.

He clicks his tongue.

Xu Xi gently places the young girl on the ground, creating a stable sleeping environment for her.

He himself stands up, patrolling among the various bonfires, checking to see if there are any omissions.

When the commoners see Xu Xi approaching, they often call out "Xi-geer" with great respect.

"A-Niu?"

As he walks, Xu Xi reaches the very back of the group. He sees A-Niu sitting alone, seemingly keeping watch, or perhaps lost in thought.

Only when Xu Xi approaches does A-Niu hurriedly stand up.

"It's fine, A-Niu, sit down."

Xu Xi gestures with his hand to signal him.

He sits down beside the simple and honest man.

"What were you thinking about just now, so lost in thought?" Xu Xi asks A-Niu.

"Actually, actually it's nothing…"

The tanned man appears shy at this moment, very embarrassed: "I was just thinking, Big Brother Xu, you keep saying that letting people eat until they are full is for the sake of living…"

"Hmm, I did indeed say that. Is there a problem?"

"I was just wondering, if eating is for the sake of living, then what is living for?"

Xu Xi is greatly shocked.

This is extraordinary.

A-Niu has actually started to ponder the philosophy of life.

Xu Xi laughs: "So A-Niu, have you figured it out? What is living for?"

The man is even more embarrassed: "I live just because I want to eat, to eat a lot, a lot of food. But I was wondering, is there something wrong with that?"

Xu Xi shakes his head.

He looks at the Hundred Thousand Mountains at night, looking at the darkness that even swallows the starlight.

He expresses support for A-Niu's thoughts:

"That is enough, A-Niu."

"As long as you feel happy, that is the meaning of your life."

Is, is that so…

As long as I feel happy, that is enough…

A-Niu lowers his head, eyes fixed on his own rough palms, as if he has figured something out.