Heaven-Collapsing Start [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Under a clear sky, within a dense jungle, a pursuit is unfolding.

On one side, there are only two people, a man and a woman. With lightness skills (Qinggong) focused on their toes, they are swiftly skimming through the forest.

Behind them are over a dozen figures dressed in black, in hot pursuit.

“Brother Xing, it’s all my fault for being careless. We finally discovered that group of Demonic Sect remnants, but I didn’t expect it’s all my fault!”

“Little sister, don’t say that. It’s because my ability is insufficient and I couldn’t protect you well.”

As it turns out, since the fall of the Demonic Sect, some remnants had hidden away in secret, waiting for the next revival.

This time, the Li siblings happened to discover the hiding place of the Demonic Sect remnants. They only had time to send a message to Alliance Leader Gu before they were discovered.

Now, they are outnumbered and fleeing desperately, attempting to escape the pursuit of the Demonic Sect remnants.

However, the internal energy (Neili) that sustains lightness skills eventually exhausts; it is not inexhaustible. Thus, on a main road, the Li siblings were surrounded by the catching-up Demonic Sect members.

Pant… pant…

the Demonic Sect group clearly did not want to waste words. The moment they surrounded them, they gave the Li siblings no chance to speak and attacked all at once, every move being fatal.

Back to back, the Li siblings were like duckweed in a vast sea amidst countless flashes of blades and swords, exhausted from coping as wounds gradually increased on their bodies.

Despair seemed to sprout from the depths of their hearts.

Suddenly, Li Xing let out a thunderous roar. His aura abruptly surged, and a suddenly sharp sword strike forced back the black-clad men in front of him.

“Sister, run!”

At the cost of burning his essence blood, he caused his depleted internal energy to surge violently, hoping to hold back the Demonic Sect remnants single-handedly to help his sister escape.

Clearly, he had already given up his life for a final, desperate struggle.

Reddened eyes could not stop tears from overflowing. With a heart full of bitterness, Li Lingling still bit her lower lip, enduring without a sound, and sprinted away without looking back through the gap Li Xing had forced open.

Only, at the moment she turned her head, a few crystalline drops fell from the corners of her reddened eyes.

“Come on! If you want to chase my sister, you’ll have to step over the corpse of me, Li Xing—!”

With both feet planted firmly on the ground, Li Xing faced the crowd of Demonic Sect remnants, eyes wide with rage and his aura fully unleashed.

…

In a place barely three li away, there was a settlement none other than Pangxi Village.

Ji Liang did not expect that while simply going out to gather herbs, he would encounter such a scene of slaughter, with A-Heng following beside him.

The youth tightly gripped the straps of his back-basket, eyes rounded, staring unblinkingly at the killing on the road ahead. It was unclear whether it was fear or nervousness, or perhaps both.

This should be his first time facing the cold-blooded flashes of blades and swords of the Jianghu.

Ji Liang glanced at him, then suddenly turned and left. The youth followed after a half-beat delay.

Having walked for a while, the youth, who had been hanging his head in deep thought, finally spoke:

“Teacher, are we not going to save that person?”

“How would we save him?”

“…” A-Heng fell silent, unable to answer.

“I do not oppose your wish to save people, but the premise is that you must have the strength to save them and retreat safely. Otherwise, it is recklessness and overestimating your capabilities.”

The youth thought of his newly-started martial arts and his teacher’s physical condition; his gaze gradually became firm.

“I understand, Teacher.”

It was as if two choices were placed before him: one was to sacrifice his own people to save a stranger, and the second was to stand by and watch. Then, he would choose the second without hesitation.

Call it selfishness, or call it coldness.

Ji Liang nodded and said no more.

On the other side.

To everyone present with deep internal cultivation, the passage of two breaths that seemed like ordinary people was naturally noticed. However, in the current state of mutual hostility, the enemy in front of them was more important.

Thus, the departure of Ji Liang and the boy did not attract attention. Only, unlike the Demonic Sect who treated human life like grass, the righteous Li Xing, upon perceiving those two ordinary people, still inevitably paid them a bit of attention to ensure they wouldn’t be accidentally caught up and lose their lives.

However, at this glance, he was slightly stunned.

Walking among the trees, that thin figure in green robes looked quite familiar.

The son of Ji Yan of the Ji Family Villa, a heavenly talent, young and promising a hero whom everyone in the martial arts world praised.

Yet, they had all been mistaken. The series of tragedies that occurred in those years… he was even in league with the Demonic Sect, ruthlessly attacking his peers… and so on. Extremely vicious, devoid of humanity.

But… wasn’t he already dead?!

Li Xing soon had no time to worry about this question. While dealing with the Demonic Sect remnants, he still had to block them from going after his sister.

While burning his essence, he was also burning his life.

Resisting over a dozen Demonic Sect remnants alone he did not seek to slay them, only to stall for a little time until his sister could escape to safety.

His vision began to blur, filled with the color of blood. The pain in his body seemed to become trivial. Was he about to die?

Li Xing thought blankly as he lay on the ground, until someone pried open his teeth and pushed in a life-saving pill. Only then did his frozen thoughts slowly clear.

Opening his eyes, the first thing he saw was a tear-stained pretty face; it was his sister, Li Lingling. It could be said he had survived a disaster.

However, immediately after, Li Xing suddenly remembered something. Struggling to get up, ignoring the wounds spraying blood all over his body, he said with difficulty to Alliance Leader Gu beside him:

“Alliance Leader, I—I saw… Ji Liang!”

At this moment, Ji Liang would not imagine that his peaceful life was about to be shattered. Although he had long been prepared, every time it happened, it was… very unpleasant.

Once these words were out, the scene suddenly fell silent, leaving only the sound of Li Xing’s difficult report.

Here, standing upon the level ground, were only a sparse five or six people. Around them lay the corpses of the Demonic Sect remnants all over the ground.

And in front of these five or six people was a young figure, not yet even thirty, looking perhaps only in his early twenties.

However, it was this very young figure who, after the death of the previous Martial Arts Alliance Leader, was pushed by everyone into that position.

The new Martial Arts Alliance Leader Gu Yun.

Standing on the ground, gazing toward the end of the road, in the far distance, he seemed to see thin curls of smoke rising at the horizon. It was time for the midday meal.

“Alliance Leader?”

Someone spoke beside him.

Only after a long while did the figure, which seemed frozen in time, finally move.

He waved his hand and said: “You all wait here first.”

Having said that, without waiting for the group’s reply, his figure instantly vanished from the spot, disappearing.

Looking ahead, fifty meters away, his figure flickered and vanished again; he was pushing his lightness skills to the absolute limit.

Back at the spot, the five or six people looked at each other.

“What do we do?”

“Two of you come out first and send Brother Li Xing to the clinic; it cannot be delayed.”

As for the others, they could only obey Alliance Leader Gu’s orders and wait on the spot for now.

In truth, to be honest, they did not believe the fact that that traitor was still alive. At that time, he was pierced through the heart by Alliance Leader Gu’s sword; many people had seen it.

And regarding this matter, Gu Yun himself probably did not believe it either. No one knew better than him the sound of that sword entering flesh. When Father Ji buried the man, he had also watched with his own eyes as the soil covered him inch by inch.

But the lightness skills beneath his feet became faster and faster, almost to the point of being invisible to the naked eye.

Finally, the view ahead suddenly opened up. Wooden houses stood beside the fields.

His footsteps paused for a moment, but ultimately, he moved forward.

…

After lunch and a half-hour break, it was time for the afternoon classes.

Ji Liang organized the teaching materials he needed, which the youth A-Heng carried on his back, and walked toward the schoolhouse.

“Good day, Teacher!”

Orderly voices rang out in the schoolhouse. All the students rose together to greet the teacher when he entered and stood at the podium.

“Today I will teach you…”

The calm voice flowed slowly through the schoolhouse, occasionally pausing. When students raised their hands to ask questions, they always received explanations from that pleasant voice, gurgling like flowing water.

A scene of peace, a scene of harmony. This sight before him made Gu Yun involuntarily dazed. It seemed to reproduce Ji Liang’s former gentle and humble appearance. Though it had only been a short two months, it felt as if a century had passed.

Until the sun slanted to the west and the sound of class dismissal came from inside the school, Gu Yun remained hidden in a corner. He watched that thin figure in green robes step out of the school, walking further and further away. Only when he was about to disappear did Gu Yun slowly follow.

He did not know if this act of peeking was right, or if it would be better to be more direct and reveal himself before him. But at this moment, he hesitated. Hesitation always kept him from taking that step.

Before all the events occurred, before the original owner revealed his true face, Gu Yun had actually looked up to and admired Ji Liang.

In fact, a long time ago, he had heard of him. The eldest young master of the Ji Family Villa, Ji Liang, was only two years older than him but was young and promising. He had heard the name many times even from the mouths of his father and mother. At that time, a trace of hazy longing had been born.

But the first time he met the man was when he had lost everything. His every thought was extinguished, in total darkness. It was at that time that the gentle smile the man gave him was like a beam of light breaking through the heavy haze.