Chapter 2: Ah, I'm Alive
"Someone has been killed! Someone has been killed! Someone has been killed…"
Many people couldn't help but shout out loud, but when Butcher Zheng stared at them, they quickly covered their mouths and ran away, crawling and rolling.
Before long, the whole market became empty, and everyone hurriedly ran away.
Only Butcher Zheng stood still, looking at the young body lying on the ground with a look of confusion.
He had a question echoing in his heart.
What happened?
Originally, he believed that this troublemaking young man was a martial arts-loving young knight.
So, in the beginning, Butcher Zheng was patient and tolerant, but when he couldn't bear it any longer, he suddenly took out his knife and attacked without holding back at all.
But unexpectedly…
Remembering the young boy's last display of his boxing skills, Butcher Zheng covered his face in disbelief.
Of course, that is not the point.
The point is, he killed someone!
He killed someone right on the street! And many people witnessed it!
"Run!"
Butcher Zheng quickly packed his belongings and ran out of the small town.
Despite his large and strong appearance, he ran swiftly and gracefully, soon disappearing from sight.
Not long after.
At the corner of the alley near the vegetable market, another Qiao Mu walked out that looked almost exactly the same.
He casually glanced down at his own body lying in the middle of the vegetable market and stretched his muscles.
"The previous body was only 15 years old and hadn't fully grown yet."
"Now it's much better."
Compared to the body of the 15-year-old boy lying on the ground, Qiao Mu was much taller, with a more robust physique. Although Qiao Mu had a well-proportioned figure, there were faint muscle lines on his limbs.
He closed his eyes.
A long-life lock, with a texture like jade and stone, appeared in his mind.
This strange long-life lock was a peculiar object that appeared with Qiao Mu after crossing over. On top of it was a peculiar pattern of a serpent with a tail in its mouth, and the circular body of the snake surrounded large characters.
Longevity and Immortality.
"Longevity" and "immortality" are two concepts.
Longevity means that Qiao Mu has eternal life and will never grow old.
Immortality means Qiao Mu has an immortal body, even if he is killed, he can keep coming back to life.
The cost of resurrection is lifespan.
Every time Qiao Mu comes back to life, he loses a certain amount of lifespan, and his body also grows older. But what's even more peculiar is that his power increases as his body ages.
Consuming 10 years of lifespan can gain 10 years of power.
The more deaths, the older one becomes, and the older one becomes, the stronger.
"What is this Old Immortality Cultivation System?" Qiao Mu complained, gazing at the lock of longevity in his heart, while more information emerged in his mind.
This Death Assessment: C (a martyr's death. Sadly, they died too quickly and were weak, using their life to exchange for the other party's escape out of fear of punishment.)
Lifespan Consumption: 3 years
Remaining Resurrections this week: 4 out of 5
Current age: 18 years old
Skill: Long Life Fist (Beginner)
Before, Qiao Mu was 15 years old, just a young beginner who had recently started learning martial arts.
However, he died once, losing three years of his lifespan.
After resurrection, his body aged to 18 years old, and his martial arts skills also improved by three years.
Just like this moment.
Qiao Mu tightly clenched his fists, and in his heart, he could even recall the memories of the past three years spent diligently practicing the Long Life Fist.
Three years like one day, dry and monotone.
Each move and form of the Long Life Fist is formed step by step through three years of intense practice, creating muscle memory.
"If I were to practice martial arts slowly on my own, I'm afraid it would take more than three years to reach my current level."
Qiao Mu thought to himself.
A day consists of only twenty-four hours.
Everyone needs to eat and sleep, and everyone has laziness and mundane matters to deal with. It's hard to find a large amount of time every day for martial arts practice.
But an external aid is different.
Qiao Mu's three years of martial arts practice were incredibly focused, and the time efficiency reached 100%, a theoretical existence.
As for the price he paid, three years of life…
Qiao Mu stretched his arms and legs, his arm muscles strong and powerful, with well-defined muscle lines.
Aging from 15 to 18 is not a bad thing.
"Death Assessment reached C level, consuming three years of my life in one go?"
Ever since Qiao Mu traveled to this time, it was their first encounter with a C-level Death Assessment.
Qiao Mu looked up, his eyes shifted from his own lifeless body to the small hill outside the city, which was the direction Butcher Zheng had escaped to before.
"I don't have enough experience with death to know what caused me to receive a C level evaluation this time. Butcher Zheng must be more than just an ordinary person."
A butcher who could effortlessly crush a cutting board is surely more than just a butcher.
Qiao Mu, no longer concerned about his own lifeless body, briskly walked towards the outskirts of the city to chase after Butcher Zheng.
"I can't let him go!"
"I need him to kill me several times!"
What Qiao Mu pursues is not just simple death.
Otherwise, he would only need to keep committing suicide.
The meaningless act of suicide represents D-level death assessment. This kind of death only wastes one's lifespan without any benefit. It causes Qiao Mu's body to age but doesn't contribute to the growth of martial arts skills, making it utterly meaningless.
So what Qiao Mu pursues is a high-quality and highly regarded death.
……………………………………………………
In the forest outside the small town.
Butcher Zheng rushed alone and entered the dilapidated temple at the end of the mountain road.
The old temple was in ruins, with leaves covering the courtyard and cracks on the Buddha statue in the shrine. The cushion in front of the Buddha statue also had dents.
The temple was empty, except for a white dove perched on the wall of the temple, grooming its feathers.
"No one here?" Butcher Zheng looked around and, realizing there was no one, took out a pen and paper to write down what had happened with Qiao Mu.
He knew he had to escape as soon as possible.
But what had just happened seemed suspicious, making him more cautious.
"…That young boy was arrogant in his words, and I thought he had some kind of advantage or special skills, so I didn't hold back…" he wrote on the paper.
"But what was even more peculiar were his martial arts moves…"
Butcher Zheng paused his pen, recalling Qiao Mu's precise moves.
"The martial arts he practiced seemed to be the Qiao family's Long Life Fist."
When Butcher Zheng wrote up to this point, he quickly folded the letter and tied it to the leg of a white dove, but there was worry in his eyes.
Qiao family's Long Life Fist was once famous, claiming to be an internal martial art inherited from the Taoist school, which can extend life and improve health.
A hundred years ago, the Qiao family had produced a martial arts grandmaster, said to be a hundred years old but with youthful appearance, and a strong vitality. Therefore, the news reached the Great Yan Imperial Court, and they invited him to the palace to teach Long Life Fist, which sparked a wave of martial arts fever among the aristocracy.
But that was already a thing of the past.
"Didn't the Qiao family already die out? Is there someone left?" Butcher Zheng muttered to himself.
"If that person is really a vengeful orphan from the Qiao family, then this time it wouldn't be a bad thing."
Butcher Zheng understood the principle of "if the roots are not removed, the weeds will grow again with the spring breeze."
"It would be most secure if all the descendants of the Qiao family are dead."
While he was thinking this, he suddenly turned around.
Someone appeared at the broken temple gate, that looked almost exactly like Qiao Mu, who had previously died at the hands of Butcher Zheng.
"Um…" Butcher Zheng shuddered as he remembered the smile on the face of young Qiao Mu before his death.
Without waiting for him to speak, Qiao Mu let out a loud shout:
"You killed my younger brother! I want you to pay for it with your blood!"
After saying that, he rushed forward in big strides.
Those words made Butcher Zheng certain about something instead.
Upon careful examination, the Qiao Mu standing before him had indeed grown a few years older compared to the young Qiao Mu who had previously died by his hands, approximately around the age of eighteen.
"So you've come seeking revenge your brother," Butcher Zheng reached for the sharp knife at his waist, suddenly remembering something.
"Young man, is your last name Qiao?" he suddenly asked.
Qiao Mu replied, "My surname is Li, my name is Li Jing, and I am adept at a technique called 'catching a blade with bare hands' with a hundred percent accuracy."
