It was still summer but the night here in the mountains was still a bit chilly. In a few months, I probably wouldn't be able to stay outside without covering myself more. For now, though, it didn't make much difference for a Qi Gathering Cultivator – even a shitty one like myself.

It was late, but the sky was bright with stars and the full moon, so the visibility was high – not an ideal night for an ambush, but at least I would have an easier time aiming.

The more I waited, the more nervous I got.

I had prepared as best as I could, but I didn't know if it would be enough. Even if I took them by surprise, it was a two against one – if I made a mistake, it was almost sure I would be the one to be beaten.

Just hurry up dammit, I thought while I tapped my foot. I knew they would pass by here soon, but it seemed like they took more than usual.

Suddenly, my ears picked up the sound of two people talking.

I focused on the sound, every other thought forgotten. I felt strangely calm now that it was time to act. I knew what to do, and I just had to execute it. As for the result, I'd soon know.

Due to the silence, I heard them from quite the distance with my technique active. As I waited, I confirmed only two were present.

When they were about to enter the street, I started walking. The two rounded the corner and came towards me, still talking. It took a few seconds for them to notice me walking in the opposite direction, and their conversation came to an end.

They didn't talk, but I could feel their wariness. I may not be the first one who had attempted an ambush.

After a moment, they heard the sloshing in my bottle, and they probably also smelled the wine. I had chosen a place where the wind blew towards them. It was just a barely perceptible breeze, but enough to bring the smell to them. With a cultivator's nose, it was impossible to miss.

My shirt also had a small, probably not visible, stain, just to immerse myself in the act. I wobbled a bit but kept walking straight.

They were coming back from the food district after having one of their drinking sessions there. I was returning from drinking at a friend's place. A sufficiently reasonable explanation.

And they seemed to buy it. I couldn’t see their faces well, but I noticed a marked difference in their posture after a moment.

In the end, they resumed their talk about a Senior Sister that was working at the tavern they visited. I tuned out their rambling about their preferences and concentrated. As we passed by each other, they just threw me a glance but kept going afterward.

When I was just three steps behind them, I turned my head. I saw with the corner of my eyes that they were looking in front, completely disregarding me. It was the perfect moment.

I took a breath, focusing – time almost seemed to stop. Then I moved.

I silently threw up the bottle as I turned around. I already had the needles in my hands, so I didn’t waste time and shoot with my left at Li Chu, then with my right at his companion.

My shot hit Li Chu right in the neck, making him let out a startled "Ah!". That, unfortunately, made his companion jerk away in surprise, making my shot miss.

Shit.

Li Chu then brought his hand to the neck and took out the needle. "What the hell!?"

"What's your problem?" asked his friend since he couldn’t see what the other was examining.

“A needle in my neck…” he said, trailing off. Then they seemed to realize I was behind them, but as they turned towards me the bottle I threw up fell in front of them, fucking finally.

I had accidentally thrown it too high and too far, but it was still sufficiently close.

As they instinctively snapped their head back towards the sound, I recognized the unexpected opportunity. I shot forward, closing my eyes and stopping my breathing.

My qi circulated at maximum capacity, moving in sync with my movement.

The smoke from the Smoke Pellet I strapped on the bottom of the bottle engulfed us a moment later, just before my fist smacked the back of the guy.

I didn't attempt to use the Martial Technique, but I tried to release my qi on impact. Since my eyes were closed, though, I failed and discharged it after connecting. A waste of qi, but he would have been unconscious if it worked.

I still made him fall forward, judging by the sound. I heard Li Chu hacking and coughing behind me as he moved away, but I paid it no mind – he wouldn’t go far.

I started kicking randomly in front of me. I didn't know what I was hitting but I kept pressing. After a few seconds, I tried to take a small breath and then opened my eyes. The smoke was already mostly dispersed. The guy on the ground was coughing, and his eyes were still watering, but he was trying to get up.

Since now I could see, I aimed my kick at his temple and released a blast as it connected. He had already started circulating, so it wasn't enough to take him out. It took me another two hits before he lost consciousness.

Damn, how I envy those with regular meridians.

Suddenly I heard ragged breathing behind me. I instinctively jumped forward, landing in a roll.

As I jumped up and turned, he was already in front of me, thrusting his short sword toward my stomach. I tried to dodge, but I failed to completely avoid the blade, and he opened a deep gash on my ribs.

“Urgh…” I let out involuntarily as I felt the blade scrape on my ribs.

My counter-punch was more wild flailing than anything else, but somehow it connected with his face anyway. He staggered back, but I was still reeling from the wound to take the opportunity. We recovered almost at the same time.

“I’m… going to… fucking murder you,” he said with ragged breath.

He moved forward to attack again, but I just jumped back. There was no way I was going to fight him unharmed.

“In your dreams,” I spat out.

I was still thinking about the village rules and believed they wouldn't take out weapons. That's why I didn't bring any myself, since it would have raised their alertness. Something incredibly stupid to do, in hindsight. At home, drawing weapons inside the settlement wasn't allowed, but here the only ban was the use of Martial Techniques.

Of course, we were also banned from doing permanent damage or killing each other. I didn't want to test if Li Chu was keeping the rules in mind, though. Besides, cutting limbs and disemboweling an opponent wasn't considered crippling, and I had no wish to experience that.

I needed to bring a weapon around at all times. Thinking back, many did, so I wouldn’t stand out.

Still, I didn’t need to engage him right now.

I kept backing away as he got slower and slower. He was probably using all his qi to resist the effect of the poison, but it was a losing fight. If he had been calmer, he might have realized it staking everything in one attack – I wasn't sure I could defend myself if he did that.

That was the reason I bought the Smoke Pellet. But it wasn't enough, it seems.

He didn’t even have the energy to insult me. Not that he needed to for me to understand what he wanted to say – his expression told me everything.

Still, I shouldn’t buy the cheapest thing I find next time. It’s taking an eternity for the poison to paralyze him. And this wound is starting to hurt.

In the meantime, as he got slower, I took a Healing Pill. I would waste most of the healing energy since I couldn't concentrate on absorbing it while I dodged Li Chu, but I preferred that than to bleed all over the place. Low-grade Healing Pills didn't replace the blood. I’d need to buy a Blood Replenishing Pill next time.

When the bastard finally hit the ground, I was still bleeding. The pill did its job in slowing down the blood loss, but I had to keep moving, so the wound kept reopening.

I was gritting my teeth while trying to control my breathing. Every small movement sent a spike of pain. As time passed, the agony intensified instead of lessening. That's why, as soon as he fell down, I took another pill and sat down. This time, as I only had a single wound, I could direct all the energy of the Healing Pill on that place. Added with the one I took before, it was enough to completely heal me.

I still felt some discomfort, but I could ignore it.

The first thing I did was to tie the other dude. He wasn't poisoned, so he could wake up at any time. It was my first time doing this, so I didn't know how long he would stay down.

I had already prepared everything in a bag on a side road.

Luckily no one was around – even if I didn't think they'd meddle, there was always the risk, however small.

After I hid and robbed the other guy, I grabbed Li Chu and went to a patch of trees near my destination.

I then tied him to a tree.

While the guy was paralyzed, he was still awake. I had ignored him until now, but now that I saw his eyes look at me with hate, I couldn't help but gloat a bit. "So, how does it feel now that the situation is reversed?"

He just kept looking at me like that.

“Oh! Right, you can’t even talk,” I said as I chuckled.

It was a pity he couldn't talk – I would have enjoyed this more. But since I was kind, I explained to him what I was going to do. "Well, anyway, you may have already guessed, but I brought you here to make an example out of you."

How I loved to use that phrasing. Li Chu twitched in his bindings.

“Oh, and thanks for this,” I said, waving his pouch in front of him. He twitched again.

I didn’t waste any more time and started beating him.

I didn't bother to circulate since he had probably exhausted all his qi already. I could indeed feel my fists cracking his bones at every hit. They may have more qi circulation, but my body was much stronger than theirs.

As I beat him, I let my anger get the best of me. I kept hitting and hitting.

All the pain, fear, and frustration he made me feel before were used to fuel my anger.

I lost myself in it, and it felt good.

I hit him until I felt my muscles protest. Slowly coming back to my senses, with ragged breath, I looked at his pitiful state.

He was covered in blood. I could see his limbs bent in various angles and his chest looked caved inside in some places.

It was a revolting sight.

And I suddenly felt like shit.

I had planned to do this, but doing it with a purpose was one thing. Maybe even enjoying it was fine after what he did and intended to do. But completely letting go of my reason and acting like an enraged beast was not fine – not at all. Pure rage and instinct moved me at that moment. I didn't know how I would have behaved if someone tried to stop me at that moment.

I remembered my father's scolding the day after I beat up Li Chu the first time. Shame and guilt threatened to overwhelm me.

I had no choice. I couldn’t do anything else, dammit.

I felt sick. My emotions were spiraling out of control. I remembered I still had to cut him up to make it look even more gruesome, but just the thought made my stomach turn.

Before I totally lost my composure, I remembered I still had things to do. I couldn't bring myself to inflict any further harm on Li Chu, at the moment, but I had to finish what I was doing – it would've all been useless, otherwise. If violence was their only language, I had no choice but to speak it.

It’s not my fault, it’s theirs, I kept repeating in my mind.

I took some deep breaths, using all my willpower to calm myself, and got to work. I could sort through my emotions later, now I had things to do.

I loosed the restraints and moved him to my shoulder. Then brought him to a path most Outer Sect Disciples took in the morning when coming out from the residential district.

I stripped him, only leaving his private parts covered, then tied both his wrists to two ropes, passed them both on a different beam of a building, and heaved him up.

It would hurt like hell when he woke up.

Just imagining the pain made me cringe, but I, again, reminded myself who I was doing this to and why.

After I tied both ropes, I brought out a small vat full of beast blood from the bag.

I used it to write on the wall below where Li Chu was dangling.

For those who wish to come after me.

This is but a simple warning.

Come knowing that your end will be much worse.

- Gongsun Xianyuan -

After that, I threw him one last look and went back to my tent.