Shackles of Humanity

The assassin wielding a pair of military daggers didn’t stand upright like a normal person, but was hunched over like a grasshopper. His movements were strange and unpredictable, his attacks vicious and cruel. He was likely a High-level Martial Artist.

Luo Kai fought as he retreated. Just as he was about to withdraw, that familiar sense of crisis washed over him. He turned to look at a nearby rooftop, where a bullet carrying immense kinetic energy shot toward him. At the same time, the two venomous military daggers lunged at him again.

He could only twist his body to dodge the incoming bullet, but he couldn’t avoid the military dagger stabbing at his armpit. The wounded area became unbearably numb and itchy, and the sensation quickly spread to the rest of his body. It was clearly poisoned.

At this critical moment, Luo Kai stopped suppressing his heart rate. His blood began to burn, and the scalding liquid pushed his neural sensitivity to its peak. The movements of all the enemies around him seemed to slow down, as if his own flow of time had become different from theirs. With precognitive-like awareness, he dodged the dense barrage of attacks and shot off toward the northeast.

The assassins stood frozen in place, none of them daring to give chase. The young man was simply too terrifying. If a High-level Martial Artist hadn’t intervened, they likely would have all been wiped out. Money was, after all, a worldly possession; no amount of it was more important than their own lives.

The black-clad man holding the two military daggers said in a hoarse voice, "He’s been hit with my Soft-Bone Poison. In three hours, his entire body will be in a state of Paralysis. If we don’t kill him within these three hours, we’ll never get another chance!"

He then sneered, "He has already memorized the aura of every single one of you. Do you really think you can escape the pursuit of a High-level Martial Artist?"

The men exchanged glances, all understanding his meaning. Running away wouldn’t solve the problem of having provoked such a terrifying enemy. Their only option now was to pursue him with all their might.

...

Under the cover of night, Luo Kai moved across the rooftops like a civet cat. The poison in his body was terrifyingly potent and had already spread through half of him. If he had just a few minutes, he could guide the Water Element to dilute the poison in his system. But his enemies clearly weren’t going to give him any breathing room. The moment his speed slowed, their auras reappeared behind him.

As he ran, he noticed the surrounding buildings grew sparse, replaced by sprawling, independent manors. There were also many more guard posts. This was clearly the residential area for the upper echelons of the Xingma Kingdom.

Luo Kai constricted his pores to conceal his aura, slipping silently into a heavily guarded manor. This seemed to be the residence of some important figure; not only were there numerous patrolling soldiers, but there were also several powerful magnetic field frequencies, indicating the presence of many Martial Artists.

He cautiously scaled the wall to the second floor of the villa inside the estate, opened a window, and slipped in. The room was decorated in shades of pink, filled with cute stuffed dolls, and a sweet fragrance hung in the air. It looked like a young woman’s bedroom.

Thankfully, no one was there. Luo Kai rushed into the en-suite bathroom and turned on the faucet. A powerful stream of water immediately swirled around him and began to seep into his body, slowly diluting the toxins within. His enemies’ auras had already appeared near the manor; he had to hurry and recover his fighting strength.

Just then, the sound of light footsteps came from the hallway outside, growing closer and closer, seemingly heading for the bedroom. The aura of the person was familiar, but Luo Kai had no time to recall who it might be. He kicked the bathroom door shut, sat down cross-legged on the floor, and focused all his effort on guiding the flow of water to cleanse his body.

The light footsteps entered the bedroom and, to his surprise, headed straight for the bathroom. Luo Kai cursed inwardly, forced to temporarily sever his connection with the Water Element. The moment the bathroom door opened, he struck like lightning, grabbing the person’s neck. The neck in his grasp was delicate and smooth, and the sensation felt somewhat familiar. He had been about to knock the person out, but now he found himself unable to do it.

It wasn’t just him who felt the familiarity. The person in his grasp sensed something as well. Her rigid body quickly relaxed, and she asked in a soft, gentle voice, "Is it you?"

Luo Kai breathed a sigh of relief and let go. "It’s me, Miss Yue. I’m just borrowing your place to hide for a bit."

There’s a reason they say the world is a small place for enemies. The manor Luo Kai had broken into by chance was actually Yue Han’s home.

Yue Han turned her head and got a clear look at Luo Kai’s face. Her heart began to race. ’How has he gotten so much younger?’ she wondered, only to then notice he was covered in blood and one of his hands was mangled. She asked anxiously, "You... how did you get so badly injured?"

"Go outside first. I need to heal," Luo Kai said, having no time to explain.

"Oh... I’ll go get you some medicine!" Yue Han hurried out. When she got down to the first floor, she saw a black-clad man holding military daggers walk into the main hall. Although his face was covered, she couldn’t mistake those eyes.

Yue Han said in great surprise, "Father, why are you back?"

The black-clad man lifted the black cloth from his face, revealing a weathered visage. A trace of warmth appeared on his otherwise cold face as he said softly, "Han’er, why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s so late."

"Um... I couldn’t sleep, so I got up to walk around a bit," Yue Han lied.

"Mm, go to sleep now. The fighting tournament is tomorrow. Don’t be exhausted for it."

"Okay. You should get some rest too, Father." Yue Han obediently carried her nightgown and returned to her bedroom.

The black-clad man also walked up to the second floor. He stood in front of Yue Han’s door for a long time before finally sighing and turning to leave.

Inside the bedroom, Luo Kai lowered the Severing Blade he was holding. ’I can’t believe the man hunting me is Yue Han’s father, Mushan, the Grand Commander of the Military Punishment Department. Who on earth could hire a man like that to take action? And he clearly knew I was in the room but didn’t make a move. Was it because he was afraid of hurting Yue Han?’

Yue Han lay on her bed for a while before cautiously walking to the bathroom door. She asked in a low voice, "Can I come in?"

"Come in." Luo Kai had already purged the paralyzing poison from his body. A poison that would be terrifying to an ordinary person was nothing much to him. Even if he hadn’t actively used the flow of water to dilute it, his formidable internal organs would have gradually broken it down. It just would have taken a bit more time.

Yue Han pushed the door open and looked at him, her face slightly flushed. She said in a low voice, "I couldn’t get the medicine. Father is downstairs. Are... are you okay?"

"I’m fine. My Recovery is complete. Thank you." Luo Kai wrapped a towel around the palm that was now missing half its flesh. He was secretly dismayed. ’Just when my last injury healed, now I’m crippled again. Every part of the human body has its purpose; each one is indispensable. Missing two fingers will definitely affect my Power, and it even slightly reduces my sense of balance.’

Seeing Luo Kai get up to leave, Yue Han said hurriedly, "The people hunting you definitely haven’t left. You... you can’t go."

Luo Kai said coolly, "It’s not yet certain who is hunting whom. Anyway, see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Yue Han was confused at first, but then it dawned on her. "Are you participating in the fighting tournament tomorrow too?"

Luo Kai smiled and nodded. "Yes. If we happen to face each other, please go easy on me."

Yue Han rolled her eyes. "Hmph, you’re so powerful. Whoever runs into you is the unlucky one."

Luo Kai waved goodbye, leaped down from the window, and disappeared into the night.

Yue Han walked over to the window and gazed wistfully into the endless night.