The Confucian scholar-like man cast a stern gaze around, sensing danger closing in. The enemy was hidden nearby, but he couldn't pinpoint their location, which darkened his expression. This place was no longer safe. Anyone who could silently kill several of his men was not to be trifled with. "Gather around me! Everyone, mount your horses and let's get out of here!" The remaining bandits, weapons in hand, formed a circle under the Second Master's command, moving quickly towards the horses, seemingly desperate to escape. Zhang Ling observed, picking up a half-stalk of foxtail grass from the ground, plucking off the stiff bristles one by one. He wouldn't let these bandits escape easily. Taking a deep breath, he activated the Qi within him, circulating it to his feet, and vanished in a flash. The bandits moved swiftly, mounting their horses in short order. With a few shouts, they spurred their horses, attempting to flee. Suddenly, a dark shadow emerged from behind a large tree. In a blur, their horses seemed to be struck by a heavy blow, collapsing to the ground. Amidst the chaos of falling men and horses, several screams echoed as more bandits perished. The Second Master sensed something was amiss immediately. Just as he mounted his steed, he saw a dark figure appear in front of him. Without hesitation, he pressed his hands against the horse's back, somersaulting into the air and landing firmly several yards away on his toes.
Before he could catch his breath, he felt a gust of wind behind his head. The Second Master quickly rolled on the ground, dodging the attack. When he stood up again, he saw his men collapsing on the ground, screaming in agony. A figure had appeared where he had been standing just moments before. It was a young man, staring at him with cold eyes. "Who are you? How dare you ambush us!" Seeing the sudden appearance of the young man, the Second Master felt a sense of relief. As long as it was a person, there was nothing to fear. Zhang Ling first glanced at the bandits lying on the ground. Each of them had been struck by fine needles to varying degrees. Only the Second Master had evaded the initial attack. The others, though not immediately dead, were no longer a threat. Zhang Ling turned his gaze to the leading Confucian scholar. He hadn't forgotten this man's face; it was deeply etched in his mind. "I'm here to send you on your way." Zhang Ling stared at the Second Master as if he were already dead, uttering each word deliberately. Instantly, a long vine shot out from his hand, lashing towards the man. "You…" The Second Master only had time to glimpse the suddenly appearing vine before realizing the danger. He leaped backward, his toes tapping the ground, his figure flickering to a spot several yards away. With a few quick steps, he narrowly avoided the vine's attack. Bang! With a soft thud, the vine grazed the Second Master's chest and struck a large tree, leaving a clear mark on it. Zhang Ling hadn't expected the man to be so agile. Missing his target, he quickly commanded the vine to coil back and strike again. The Second Master coldly grunted, using the trunk of a tree to propel himself onto another. The man was as light as a swallow, seemingly skilled in martial arts. However, Zhang Ling didn't give up, channeling the Qi within him into the vine. In the next moment, the vine extending from his arm grew to a length of forty to fifty feet, launching a rapid assault. "This kid is strange. What's with that vine?" The Confucian scholar-like man standing on the tree felt a twitch in his brow. This person had suddenly appeared and killed many of his men in an instant. Although he didn't recognize this person and didn't know why they were ambushing them, the Second Master was furious at the death of his subordinates. He had already discerned that this young man wasn't skilled in martial arts; only the vine was strange.
The two exchanged a glance, Zhang Ling controlled the vine to coil around him, taking the initiative to attack. The Confucian scholar-like man temporarily avoided direct confrontation, flickering to a nearby tree, moving back and forth among the surrounding trees with the agility of an ape. Zhang Ling didn't dare to be careless, mobilizing the Qi within his body. Hearing several sounds of rushing wind, he waved his hand, and the vine coiled around his side. Several metallic sounds rang out, leaving several white marks on the vine, and several throwing knives fell to the ground. After blocking these attacks, the vine extended again, striking towards a tree behind him. With a muffled sound, a tree as thick as a bowl was snapped in half. The Second Master on it quickly landed on the ground and fled into the distance. Zhang Ling paid constant attention to the movements around him, quickly commanding the vine to strike at the fleeing figure. The Second Master moved nimbly from side to side, trying to shake off Zhang Ling behind him, but Zhang Ling's speed was also very fast. He constantly directed the vine to attack the Confucian scholar. The forest was dense, and whenever the vine was about to hit the Confucian scholar, the man would use the cover of the trees to move quickly. For a time, the two chased each other, maintaining a distance of several yards as they moved into the distance. Though it seemed like a long time, all of this happened in a few breaths. In the blink of an eye, the two had moved out of the area illuminated by the fire. Zhang Ling felt a sense of urgency in his heart. Running at full speed, the Qi within his body was rapidly depleting. If he couldn't stop this man, he would have to give up for now. Suddenly, he saw the Confucian scholar stumble, seemingly tripping over something, and fall towards the ground. Zhang Ling was overjoyed and quickly swung the vine out, striking with full force. As long as one strike landed on this man, he was confident that the power of the vine would instantly deprive him of his ability to resist. However, to his surprise, the Confucian scholar simply rolled on the ground, completing a full circle, actually closing the distance between them. Zhang Ling's expression changed, and he secretly cried out in alarm. The Confucian scholar's fall just now might have been a feint to lure him into attacking. At this moment, the vine in his left hand was stretched out straight, hitting the spot where the man had been standing. The Second Master did a sideways flip and came in front of him. Crouching slightly, a cold light flashed in his hand. Somehow, he had produced a long sword, thrusting straight at him. The sword's point was aimed directly at his heart. Zhang Ling didn't have time to react and could only slightly turn his body. A bloody gash appeared on his chest. Zhang Ling lost his balance and fell to the ground, rolling on the spot to create some distance between him and the man. But how could the Second Master let him go? With a flick of his wrist, the long sword curved strangely, stabbing towards his head. In this life-or-death moment, Zhang Ling desperately urged the vine in his hand. Just as the long sword was about to pierce his head, with a loud bang, the Second Master flew into the air, spitting blood as he fell to the ground. Behind him, a black shadow flickered. The originally green vine now had fine, dense blood-colored lines, appearing quite eerie. Zhang Ling's heart was also beating extremely fast at this moment, his face flushed red. After a moment of stunned silence, he came back to his senses, and the vine slowly shrunk back to his arm. "That was close. I almost died." Panting heavily, he sat up from the ground, first touching his heart. There was a clear wound on his chest, and blood was flowing out. Although it was painful, it wasn't a serious injury. However, many gray-green thin lines like plant roots had appeared around the wound, and the nearby skin felt like old tree bark, becoming much rougher, and the muscles were tinged with cyan and red. It was the first time he had seen the vine turn blood-red, but Zhang Ling was no stranger to this situation. In a previous dream, he himself had turned into a blood-red vine, seeming to confirm this change. At this time, he felt somewhat weak, and the Qi within his body was completely exhausted. It seemed that there were still many changes in the parasitic vine that he had yet to understand. Zhang Ling calmed his mind and looked at the leader of the bandits. Just now, the vine had instantly absorbed all the Qi in his body, greatly increasing its speed and strength, killing the man with one blow from behind.
