True Solution of the Sword Dao

Lin Fei frowned as she looked at the two bald giants blocking her way, each holding a large machete, their stance symmetrical. Their towering figures completely overshadowed Lin Fei and the man in golden clothing.

"Hand over the Red Armor epaulettes, and you can pass safely," said the bald man on the left, with a sneer.

"The Black Demon Sword? Heh, what a fine item, it should fetch a good price!" The other bald man licked his lips, his gaze falling on the Black Demon Sword at Lin Fei’s waist.

Lin Fei’s gaze swiftly passed over the two men, looking beyond the gap to the distance.

On the hills there stood two people, one in a purple gauze dress, wearing a black eye patch over one eye—sure enough, it was the mysterious woman they had encountered earlier. Standing next to her was none other than Xia Longque. Both of them looked on from afar with an interested expression on their faces.

"Kid!! Didn’t you hear me? Hand over your black epaulettes!!"

Lin Fei gave a faint smile, spreading his hands open.

"We don’t have any epaulettes; we just found a place to hide until now. We haven’t encountered anyone."

The two bald men were taken aback.

The rest of the people who had been paying attention to this scene were also surprised.

One of the bald men quickly pulled out something resembling a mobile phone from his hand and pressed a few buttons rapidly. His complexion changed.

"Damn it! They really don’t have epaulettes. Bad luck!! Let’s go!"

The other bald man took a look at it and his face also turned sour.

"They really don’t have any?!"

The two giants left feeling dejected.

Lin Fei watched them leave with a smile, then looked again in the direction of Xia Longque and the others from a distance.

"I’ll share some insider information with you," Xia Longque’s voice reached Lin Fei’s ears despite the hundreds of meters separating them. "The more Red Armor epaulettes you have, the higher the chance of getting noticed by the upper echelons after you return. The top ones have already decided to start choosing a Successor."

"As a Successor, you’re not qualified to participate in this competition, are you?" Lin Fei sent back lightly.

"Of course," Xia Longque shrugged. "But the person next to me is not yet a Successor. And she’s my friend. What about it? Come help me; just help her eliminate some of the competition, and I’ll give you what you want."

"What I want?" Lin Fei was startled, then laughed. The laughter grew louder. "What makes you think you can give me what I want?"

The Bender brothers, who had not gone far, turned their heads back in confusion.

Some of the powerful individuals who had not been paying attention to this spot also focused their attention here, and in an instant, this place became the focus of the entire area.

Xia Longque maintained his smile.

"Perhaps you’re not aware of my strength. Of all those present, with a single word from me, none of you would be able to leave here," he said.

"Are you threatening me?" Lin Fei chuckled lightly.

"You can see it that way," Xia Longque said with a smile.

Their gazes met; both could see the extreme confidence in each other’s eyes.

"Actually... you didn’t come here through Elisa’s Gate, did you?" Xia Longque asked softly.

Lin Fei’s expression darkened. He did not reply.

Xia Longque’s smile grew thicker.

"Recently, I’ve noticed you disappearing and reappearing over and over on the Desolate Plains. Not hiding, but completely leaving. My curiosity grows about what you rely on to do this."

"You really want to know?" Lin Fei smiled again. "Then come and kill me," he said, pointing at his own forehead. "Right here, just one strike!"

Kill intent surged between them.

"After the competition ends, the champion will have a chance to challenge the Successor. If by then you’ve reached that level, I’ll be waiting for you," Xia Longque turned and left. "That is, if you can still come out of here alive."

"My lord, shall I take action?" the man in golden clothing asked, licking his lips.

"No need," Lin Fei narrowed his eyes as he watched Xia Longque’s retreating figure. "His father is a top-level power; there’s no need for now. We’ll settle it during the competition. At that time, even Successors have death targets, and a dead genius is worthless."

Some of the Red Armor soldiers began to surround them, chuckling darkly.

"Although I don’t know why Lord Xia Longque wants us to deal with you, you’re as good as dead." A middle-aged woman with a scar on her face said softly.

Lin Fei remained calm as the man in golden clothing quietly drew his sword and stepped forward.

"Since they can kill without any restrain, it means that such actions are permitted in this area," he said, scanning the surroundings. Aside from a small group of people still hesitating in the periphery, most of the Red Armor soldiers had surrounded them. Some even began exuding faint glows of various colors from their bodies, clearly ready to take action.

***************

The Outer World

Merrill’s Residence

In the empty hall, filled with instruments, occasional flickers of light and graphs lit up.

Click.

Following a faint noise, a slender figure slowly walked in.

Outside the window, the setting sun was half-obscured by the curtains, casting the entire hall in a shadowy gloom.

Cheng Guang scanned the area and noticed a piece of paper on the table. Picking it up, she read.

"Sister Cheng Guang, we went shopping without you. That’s what you get for not coming back for so long. Oh, and I have your wallet too. Merrill forced it on me, I swear it wasn’t my doing!" —— Jingjing.

Cheng Guang couldn’t help but chuckle.

"That girl. Leaving me alone at home, huh?"

Suddenly, the melodious sound of a mobile phone ringtone, a sound only heard from that particular caller, started ringing from her person.

Cheng Guang’s expression changed slightly as she hurried to her bedroom and took out her phone.

"Just as I feared..." Seeing the incoming call display, Cheng Guang’s face turned somewhat pale. Hesitating for a moment, she still pressed the answer button.

"Have you confirmed the situation?" A deep male voice came through.

"Not yet. Please give me a little more time; I will confirm it soon," Cheng Guang responded in a low voice.

"Are you trying to brush us off?" The man said displeasedly. "We can wait, but your father can’t afford to wait that long."

"What do you mean!?" Cheng Guang’s face changed.

"What do I mean? If we still don’t have confirmation of the sample by tomorrow, then you better prepare to collect your father’s corpse." The call abruptly hung up.

Cheng Guang clenched her teeth and slowly put down her phone.

Returning to the living room, her gaze naturally fell on the spot beside where Merrill had been sitting, where the small freezer stood quietly.

"Don’t blame me..." she murmured in a low voice.

Walking slowly to the freezer, she gently pulled the door open.

From inside, gusts of white cold air lightly billowed out, and amongst the rows of test tubes, one blood-red tube, faintly glowing gold, came into view.

*****************

United States, Washington

In a black high-rise building with dozens of floors.

"Confirmed, there is a very high likelihood that it is indeed the type of physique recorded by the Nicholas Family," an elderly man in a black suit said lightly, his hands propping up his chin at the end of a long, rectangular table.

The edges of the long table were lined with rows of elderly people who all appeared to be well over fifty, with the majority being men and very few women, mostly with white or silver hair.

"Let the special forces deploy. That Hua Nation individual, Lin You, has only a few ’D’ level associates around him; our ’C’ level Fire God Squad should be able to capture him completely," an old man sitting beside suggested.

"If it truly is the legendary Holy Spirit’s Blood, then its research value will be immeasurable. I hope everyone here remains discreet about this information until after we have proof and have obtained samples. The Pentagon will be involved directly in this operation."

"For the sake of caution, we could try not to alarm anyone and use someone with spatial abilities to capture him directly, which is safer."

"That’s a good method."

"Agreed."

"Then, let’s decide on this course of action: a frontal assault by the ’C’ level Fire God Squad, coordinated with the Cheng Guang plan from the Nicholas Family, will ensure we safely capture Lin You. Inside operatives can be arranged to draw out the sample beforehand."

"Any objections?"

*****************

Hua Nation

Two days later...

"You’re back?" Cheng Guang, with her damp golden hair sprawling down, smiled as she opened the door. "I’ve made some delicious food; let’s eat together quickly."

Lin You darted into the room and plopped onto the sofa.

"I’m so tired, shopping all day, it was too comfortable. I didn’t realize how curvy you are, sister Chris."

Merrill walked in proudly, her hands full of shopping bags.

"Of course, that’s the result of my recent efforts."

Chris, cheeks slightly red, walked in holding Feil, not objecting.

Cheng Guang carefully laid out the dishes she had prepared on the table, with the computer already pushed aside.

"You’ve gone through the trouble again," Merrill said as she sat down, taking a deep breath. "It smells so good; today’s food is particularly fragrant; you seem to be in a really good mood, Cheng Guang."

"Do I?" Cheng Guang replied with a smile as she began to fill the bowls with rice.

"If it’s tasty, eat up."

"Of course."

The group quieted down and began picking up their bowls to start eating.

"So delicious!! I’ve become so fussy with my tastes staying with sister Cheng Guang; now, even my mother’s cooking seems flavorless," Lin You said, her speech slightly slurred.

"Is that so? Well, thanks for the compliment," Cheng Guang smiled as she watched her eating vigorously, a hint of sadness fleeting in her eyes.

****************** 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

On the outskirts of Ping City

Yu Fei, along with a group of people, was searching high and low.

"It was clearly right here just now. Who are these people?" he said puzzled, looking at his phone’s screen.

On it, a cluster of shadowy figures could be seen nimbly exiting Lin You’s home.

He had followed them quickly for that very reason.

**************

Cheng Guang looked at Lin You and the others, who had slumped over the table, feeling an indescribable sensation in her heart.

Boom!!

The door was suddenly smashed open. A group of people dressed in black full-body suits charged in swiftly, efficiently dragging Lin You off the sofa. They then carefully lifted him onto a stretcher that had been laid out.

"Number One, are you ready?"

"Ok!"

"Teleportation point: Five kilometers out, support will be waiting for you."

"Alright. Leave it all to me!" one of the black-clad individuals said with a laugh. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, cast your Monthly Ticket, and support me—the greatest encouragement.)