Super Soldier in the City

Li Yifei nodded and said, "Innate Expert?"

"Yes!"

"Then what? I’m also an Innate Expert, but I can’t imagine that my soul would remain after death. You know, that’s impossible," Li Yifei said.

"The people from the Fire Sect have such special methods. As for what they are, I don’t know. Since I woke up, I’ve indeed lived on till now, and I’m afraid I could continue living," the other person said.

Li Yifei nodded, unsure of what to say next. For now, it seemed this thing posed no threat to him—it was just a clueless little girl. In practical terms, that was her age; speaking of years, she was a several-hundred-year-old demon. Logically, Li Yifei should be quite interested in someone from centuries ago, but thinking about what she said, she was forcibly created by the Fire Sect and couldn’t even form a human shape now. Li Yifei felt quite sorry for her. Moreover, she initially came to ask for help, and thinking of this, Li Yifei asked, "So, what do you want to ask help for?"

Help... The other person seemed somewhat excited, her green dress fluttering, and said, "I want... I want you to help me!"

"We have gotten to know a bit; as long as you mean no harm to me, within my abilities, I can help you. But you must remember these premises!" Li Yifei said.

"Yes, yes, I will remember these. I mean no harm to you. Although I can do some things, you are the only person I’ve seen in so many years. I don’t want to harm you, and I’m afraid I can’t harm you either," the other person said.

Li Yifei then said, "So, speak your request." Li Yifei was even prepared for if she had special requests, like wanting his blood, Supreme Yang True Qi or something; he was ready to give some to her.

Of course, he remained guarded.

"I hope... you can kill me!" The other person said quietly. Li Yifei’s eyes immediately widened, appearing somewhat surprised, looking at the floating green dress. Li Yifei sighed and said, "You want me to kill you?"

"Yes, I ask you to kill me because living like this is really painful. I’m not a soul after death; I’m a living person. I have full capacity for thinking; I remember everything, but every day, I’m trapped here, never seeing daylight. Everything here is dead, fake, which is why I cry out in despair like that. Can you imagine my misery?"

Li Yifei frowned as he listened to her and said, "I can understand what you’re saying, but... are you sure you’re asking me to kill you?"

"Yes, I ask you to kill me!" she said.

Li Yifei immediately asked, "I rarely encounter anyone making such a request; I’m very surprised!"

"This... isn’t a sudden decision. In fact, I’ve thought about it for a long time now. I don’t want to live like this anymore. Even if I could achieve immortality, what difference would it make? Moreover, I can’t achieve immortality; in fact, if I leave here, I will soon perish. So... what kind of immortality is that? This is why I can’t leave here. Even if I reach the top, I can’t last long," she said quietly.

Li Yifei took a deep breath, inwardly understanding why she could only scream here and not get out.

"Isn’t there another way? Like... attaching to someone’s body," Li Yifei asked.

She laughed and said, "I’m not a ghost; I’m a living person. How could I use that method? The Fire Sect’s miracle lies in preserving living people in their living state, not the dead. Of course, you could say I’m dead because my flesh was long gone, so how could I be considered a living person."

Li Yifei nodded. Whether her current state was dead or alive wasn’t very important; the key was... she was asking him to kill her. In his life, Li Yifei had killed many people, those deserving death, those repugnant, those seeking death. But few had actually requested him to kill someone, so Li Yifei felt somewhat unaccustomed, especially since she was an old one several hundred years old.

"I can help with your request, if this can free you, but I’m not sure how to do it?" Li Yifei asked.

"I can sense that you’re very strong, and with an Extreme Yang Body, you should be able to kill me, but I’m not sure," she said with uncertainty.

"First, tell me your name," Li Yifei said.

"Qianqian,"

"So by what means should I kill you? I don’t know what method to use," Li Yifei said.

"Perhaps, you can use the blade from before. I can sense its power," she, Qianqian, said.

"Shall I start now?" Li Yifei said as he spoke, condensing a True Qi Blade in his hand.

"You can start."

"Is there anything you want to say or explain?" Li Yifei asked.

"No, after so many years have passed, even if I had family, I wouldn’t know where they are. Surely the outside world has changed dramatically; everything shifts over time. Besides, everything here is fake. The fish you see are fake; I created them a long time ago, which is why I stopped you from touching them just now because they’d shatter upon contact. The creek water is the same; it’s all fake, the straw hut, the yard. Only the chessboard is real because the Fire Sect’s leader liked to play chess here then, though he only ever played with himself," Qianqian said.

Li Yifei nodded as if he understood and said, "Alright, since you said so, I can help you!"

"Thank you. If I can be freed, you can use this place freely!" Qianqian said.

Is there a benefit? Li Yifei wasn’t particularly interested in the so-called benefit. Initially, he intended to clear the threat, but it now seemed she wasn’t a threat, which was better.

The green dress drifted towards Li Yifei slowly. Li Yifei tightly gripped the True Qi Blade, with the True Qi rotation seemingly ready to unleash at any moment. Watching the green dress just two meters away, Li Yifei said, "I hope you find relief, rather than remain trapped here."

"Thank you, thank you," a pause in her voice signified she was ready.

Before swinging the blade, Li Yifei hesitated for a moment, wondering if her attitude was suspicious. But thinking it over, she seemed to have nothing to scheme—it’s just a matter of swinging the blade.

"Qianqian, I hope this will free you, instead of making you suffer more," Li Yifei added.

"How could it be painful? As long as you kill me, I will be eternally freed, or else trapped here forever; my existence would hold no meaning," Qianqian said painfully.

Li Yifei nodded gently and said, "Alright, goodbye." As his words fell, he raised his hand and brought the True Qi Blade down on her head. The swing felt as if cutting through void, unimpeded, slicing her green dress into two silent pieces. The Supreme Yang True Qi brushed past without any ripple, as if nothing had happened.

Yet, some things undeniably happened. Li Yifei soon sensed changes around him. His body was activated with no wind, the surrounding Spirit Qi began to whirl and condense. It was as if Li Yifei had pierced a point in the ground’s Spiritual Vein and Spirit Qi burst out from there.

Her green dress, split by his stroke, did not fall but danced with the outpouring Spirit Qi, divided into two. Li Yifei looked up at the dress, a poem suddenly appearing in his mind—"Remember the green gauze skirt, fondly caring for the grass everywhere." This poetic line emerged too abruptly, causing a gentle melancholy in Li Yifei. He actually had some interest in things from centuries ago, and Qianqian was an Innate Expert before being forced into this state. At such a young age, she knew quite a lot.

Oh, I should have asked more things just now. Having killed her with a single stroke, she’s freed, but I’m somewhat melancholic. Li Yifei thought inwardly. He couldn’t sense any energy fluctuation in the air, but she disappeared instantly, so he concluded she was dead, shattered by the True Qi Blade.

Shaking his head, Li Yifei quickly noticed changes around him. With Qianqian’s demise, the green gauze dress danced, and the surroundings began transforming rapidly. Fish in the creek were like bubbles, quickly breaking apart, with an almost audible pop—snap, snap, repeated fragmentation, and Qianqian’s cherished fish vanished instantly. Then the entire creek vanished, the trickling stream all fake, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving the ground empty as if water never existed.

Not just the stream, but many things—the yard, the fence, the little straw home, everything around vanished instantly, leaving only the half-played stone chessboard, still placed there. Li Yifei’s True Qi Blade dissipated naturally, and the surroundings gradually dimmed. He walked towards the chessboard and found its pieces glowing—luminescent.

Li Yifei knew some Go, but wasn’t proficient. However, seeing the chessboard, he felt a sudden urge to make a move. This urge arose abruptly, so he sat down, taking up the black corner, and reached for a piece. Observing the board, the black pieces were at a distinct advantage; even a cursory glance showed a winning position. So, pondering briefly, Li Yifei placed a black piece down.

It was a sudden impulse without much thought, seemingly just to mark his visit at the location, having come here once. Yet unexpectedly, with this placement by Li Yifei, the chessboard underwent changes; originally flat stone transformed and suddenly had a white piece placed, as if it were engaged in a game with Li Yifei.

"Now this is interesting," Li Yifei chuckled softly, neither surprised nor bewildered. With the white piece placed, Li Yifei shook his head and quickly made another move...