This Martial Saint is Too Cautious

"Alright."

Lin Yan agreed readily. If he were more cold-blooded, he could have just stood by and watched, waiting for the black bear to wipe out the group of five. Or, he could have waited until one or two of them died, forcing the rest to abandon the hunt and flee for their lives. Then the black bear would have been his.

But, as they were all human, he couldn’t bring himself to be so heartless.

"Be careful, friend!" Bai Qingrang shouted from behind. "This beast is incredibly cunning!"

Lin Yan didn’t answer. Instead, he went full speed, his figure moving like a bolt of lightning as he pursued the fleeing bear. Bloodstains and broken shrubs marked the ground. Ahead, the sound of trees snapping echoed through the forest, indicating the black bear’s frantic escape. Trees as thick as a bowl were knocked askew in its path.

After chasing it over a mountain ridge, Lin Yan finally spotted its massive form.

The black bear’s left hind leg was badly injured by a trap, causing it to limp, but its speed was still considerable. It seemed to sense someone chasing it, for it glanced back, let out a low roar, and ran even faster.

Lin Yan followed at a steady pace.

He was in no hurry to strike.

’This kind of beast only gets more ferocious the more you corner it.’

’Let it run. The best time to act is when it’s exhausted its strength.’

After a chase of about an incense stick’s time, the black bear’s speed noticeably slowed. It finally stopped beside a giant boulder, panting heavily. Blood still seeped from its wounds, staining the fallen leaves at its feet red.

Lin Yan stopped, watching it from thirty feet away.

The black bear turned, staring daggers at Lin Yan, its eyes filled with ferocity and wariness. Realizing it couldn’t escape, it stopped running altogether. It pawed at the ground with its front claws, letting out a low, threatening roar.

Lin Yan slowly drew his longsword.

The moment the blade left its scabbard, an invisible aura erupted from him.

The black bear seemed to sense something. Its roar died abruptly, and its massive body actually took a slight step back. Its bestial instincts were screaming a warning: the person before it was extremely dangerous.

Lin Yan moved.

With a single step, his sword flashed like a startled swan, and a sky full of sword shadows enveloped the black bear.

PFFT!

The sound of the blade sinking into flesh was almost inaudible.

The longsword pierced through the black bear’s lower jaw, running straight through its skull.

The black bear’s huge body swayed, the fierce light in its eyes rapidly faded, and it collapsed with a crash.

’Did I miscalculate again? Seeing how ferocious the bear was, and how those people couldn’t even cut through its hide, I thought a single strike wouldn’t be enough to break its defense. Still, it never hurts to be cautious, even if it costs a little more time.’

Realizing he had overestimated the black bear’s strength, Lin Yan shook his head in resignation. He then sheathed his longsword, took out a broad-bladed knife he had prepared specifically for the mountains, and began butchering the carcass.

Just as Lin Yan finished carving up the bear, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from behind.

"Friend!"

Bai Qingrang and his four companions caught up. Seeing the already-butchered carcass on the ground, they were all stunned.

"As we agreed, I’ll take half. The rest is yours."

Lin Yan glanced back at Bai Qingrang, then hoisted his half of the bear meat onto his shoulder and prepared to leave.

"Wait!"

The only woman in the group frowned and called out to Lin Yan. "We were the ones who baited and lured this bear. Isn’t it a bit much for you to just take half?"

Lin Yan ignored the woman, his gaze turning to Bai Qingrang.

"Please, don’t be offended, friend!"

Bai Qingrang quickly apologized, then looked at the woman. "Junior Sister, I already promised this friend he could take half the meat. We cannot go back on our word."

Despite Bai Qingrang’s rebuke, the woman didn’t back down. "Senior Brother, the bear was already heavily injured. Even without him, it would have just taken us a little more time."

In her eyes, he had simply swooped in and reaped the rewards.

’If he were truly powerful, why would he let the bear run so far? Why wait until it had lost so much blood and ferocity before striking?’

"Junior Sister has a point," another man chimed in. "Seeing as you just saved Senior Brother, you can take ten jin... No, wait, we’ll give you twenty."

Hearing the charity in their tone, Lin Yan actually laughed.

It wasn’t a laugh of anger, but one of genuine amusement.

He looked at Bai Qingrang, his gaze calm. "So, what are you saying?"

Most of the gratitude had faded from Bai Qingrang’s face, replaced by a subtle look of difficulty.

He glanced at the bear at Lin Yan’s feet, then at his junior sister. His lips moved a few times, but ultimately, no words came out.

"The meaning is, we lured this bear, and we wounded it. You just delivered the final blow. On what grounds do you take half?" the fourth junior brother stepped forward and said. "Twenty jin of bear meat is worth over three hundred taels. You’ve already made a profit. A man should know when to be content."

"And if I’m not content?"

Lin Yan glanced down at the longsword in his hand. ’It really doesn’t pay to be a good person.’

Bai Qingrang’s face flushed red. His Adam’s apple bobbed a few times before he finally spoke. "Friend, how about this? You take thirty jin, and for this matter, our Cyan Pine Martial Arts Hall will owe you a favor. If you need anything in the future, you can come find me at the Martial Arts Hall."

’He’s using his background to pressure me!’

How could Lin Yan not understand? By mentioning a favor and the Cyan Pine Martial Arts Hall, Bai Qingrang was telling him not to forget that they were disciples of the Cyan Pine Martial Arts Hall, and that their master was a Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing powerhouse.

"Senior Brother, stop wasting words on him. Just make him leave the bear meat and let him go. If he still doesn’t know what’s good for him..."

She didn’t finish, but her meaning was obvious.

Bai Qingrang didn’t reply, nor did he stop her.

Lin Yan understood. He raised his right hand, and his sword flashed.

There was no sound of tearing air, no sharp gust of wind from the blade.

The sword light was as fine as a wisp of smoke, drifting from the scabbard. It traced an extremely thin arc through the air, stabbing toward the woman.

’This woman has the foulest mouth.’

As Mengzi said: ...Non-human Origin, deserving of death!

Pfft.

The junior sister’s movements froze.

The smug look on her face hadn’t even had time to fade before the light vanished from her eyes.

A line of blood as fine as a silk thread slowly seeped from her throat.

"Junior Sister!"

The fourth junior brother’s pupils contracted. With a furious roar, he drew his saber and charged.

His saber was only halfway out of its sheath when the sword light reached him.

He instinctively raised his saber to block, but the sword light was like a living snake. It slithered around the blade and brushed gently past his neck.

Pfft.

The fourth junior brother froze in place. The saber in his hand fell with a CLANG. His body swayed, then crashed to the ground.

Seeing this, the remaining two junior brothers were scared out of their wits. They turned to run, but the sword light was faster.

THUD, THUD!

Neither of them made it thirty feet before they fell.

"You... Who in the world are you?"

In three breaths, only one person was left standing.

Bai Qingrang trembled all over, his face a mask of utter horror.

Lin Yan looked down on him, his sword tip pointing to the ground as beads of blood slid slowly down the blade.

"Let me ask you a question. From the very beginning, you never intended to let me take half the bear meat, did you?"

"N-No, that’s not it! I was going to let you take half, friend, but my junior brother and sister didn’t agree," Bai Qingrang said, shaking his head frantically as he tried to defend himself.

"So you were afraid of offending your junior brother and sister? You would rather wrong the person who saved your life than offend your fellow disciples."

"My junior sister is deeply favored by our master. If I angered her, Master would surely punish me. Friend, I was wrong. I beg you, spare my life."

Bai Qingrang’s lips trembled as he kowtowed desperately on the ground.

"I’m done asking questions."

Lin Yan sheathed his sword and turned away.

Bai Qingrang froze for a second, then, as if granted a great amnesty, he scrambled to his feet and started to run.

After taking two steps, he suddenly remembered something and whipped his head around.

A sword light had already flared.

Pfft.

Bai Qingrang’s body swayed, and he pitched forward onto the ground.

Lin Yan looked at the rigid, confused expression on Bai Qingrang’s face and whispered, "Repaying kindness with enmity. You deserve to die even more than your junior brother and sister."

The day’s events left Lin Yan feeling a little cold-hearted.

Still, if he encountered a similar situation next time, he would still lend a hand. But only on the condition that he had the power to both save and to kill.