Chapter 11: Nerd Uses Joestar Secret Technique
The girl's nimble footwork made it seem like she was hopping from blade to blade of grass. Her strange movements made no sound, and it was hard to read from her steps what she would do next.
But the strangest thing was that despite how she was dancing on the grass, there was no sign she had stepped there. A testament to her skills and stealth, her techniques were more suited for assassination.
How intriguing. These techniques revealed quite a lot about her. What kind of sect taught their disciples assassination techniques? Also, why wasn't she running? While it might be hard for her to be able to defeat me without a surprise attack, it was still quite clear that if she wanted she could escape.
"What kind of footwork is that?" I inquired, even as she drew her fist back. Unfortunately, my Rushing Bull Steps lacked the versatility to evade her attacks, a flaw I resolved to address in the future.
As she lunged forward, her left brass knuckle grazed my chest, tearing through my robes and leaving a deep gash. Her frustration was palpable as she cursed under her breath and prepared for another assault.
"Oh? That was the wrong move, little lady," I taunted, my voice dripping with feigned confidence as I sought to goad her into making a fatal error. The tension was heavy between us.
Despite how hard she tried to hide it, it was clear as day she grew angrier.
I smiled and continued talking, "Now that you've lost the advantage of charging speed, there isn't much difference between us."
The air crackled around my fist as I swung at her head, ready for the gruesome outcome if my blow landed true. However, my hand went straight through her head.
An after-image?!
"As if a peasant like you would ever know anything about good techniques," she snorted and appeared next to me.
In the blink of an eye, pain exploded through my ribs as her fist connected with a force that sent me hurtling through the air. I could feel something crack, likely a rib, and prayed it wasn't something more vital like an organ. Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience
I was not elated to find out what this would feel like once the adrenaline wore off.
With my arm still bleeding and no means to staunch the flow without risking further injury, I realized the need to be better prepared for such encounters in the future. Bandages would have been a wise addition to my arsenal.
It wasn't like she would have stood by the side and waited for me to stall my bleeding.
Despite every instinct urging me to flee, I held my ground, acutely aware that showing her my back would seal my fate. I was determined not to meet death again so soon, especially when I had barely scratched the surface of what this world had to offer.
I had no idea what Qi was like or how it felt using an earth-grade technique.
The girl cautiously encircled me. I kept my eyes on her while also keeping my ears open in case she had a companion attempting to exploit a moment of distraction to finish me off in a single attack.
Everything about her pointed to her being an assassin for hire. If I were to hazard a guess, her assignment likely involved eliminating individuals in the vicinity. Judging by her strength, she was probably tasked with dispatching disciples or ordinary mortals who stumbled upon whatever was happening here.
Now that she had lost her element of surprise, she stood little chance against me. Even the afterimage technique was a one-time use, and we both knew it wouldn't work a second time.
"You can't get out of here alive," she stated, her breath trembling as she glanced at my legs and arms. "This place will be razed by forces much stronger than us. So why not surrender, and I'll ensure your death is painless."
Oh? Was she already offering compromises?
I mean, it wasn't much of a compromise, but still significantly different from her earlier stance. Perhaps she was on a deadline? Or she didn't want to linger longer than necessary? Or it was a combination of all these factors.
How intriguing. I was beginning to think I wasn't even her primary target. Was her assassination target the other guy I killed? Well, it was clear now that she wouldn't have let me leave, considering no assassin worth their salt would allow their actions to be exposed.
Bringing my fists up, I assumed a defensive stance and crouched. The girl's eyes widened, and she retreated, positioning half her body behind a tree.
A bead of sweat trickled down her cheek, and her eyes dilated, as if she were awaiting something.
Oh? Now, that was interesting.
"I think I know what's happening here," I grinned, attempting to conceal the jolting pain coursing through my body, and how the only arm that wasn't bleeding like a fountain had started swelling and was hard to move. "You watched me use my technique against the sword wielder and now fear I might use it against you. Why? Are you not confident in your speed to dodge it?"
Recalling what little medical knowledge I had gleaned from the sects library, most of it centered around identifying poisonous mushrooms and herbs with healing properties. However, information on common herbs was scarce in the cultivator's domain.
One thing was certain: once I emerged from this ordeal alive, I wasnt leaving the sect for a long while!
Surveying my surroundings, I heard nothing but the rustle of leaves, and the only notable sight was a distant smoke cloud.
Yes, getting further away from here seemed like a good choice.
A whole day passed, spent running in the opposite direction of whatever had caused that explosion. Only then did I feel comfortable enough to pause by a clear stream of water. Also, I no longer had much of a choice as it felt like any minute now, I would pass out.
Carefully, I removed the cloth from my injured arm, inspecting the wound. The blood around it had hardened, and the injury seemed to have closed somewhat. I could move the arm with discomfort but was grateful for having a cultivators physique, which likely meant a more robust immune system and faster recovery. Either that, or I got lucky for some reason.
As I began to undress and assess my injuries, a little turtle poked its head out from one of my inner pockets, attempting to nip at my finger.
"I almost forgot about you, little guy," I chuckled while checking to ensure that the two books I always carried were undamaged. Thankfully, they remained intact. While my Status Book served as a record of my stats and for future reference, my information book, containing all the knowledge I had gathered about cultivation, was more important.
Standing naked, I cautiously dipped my toes into the water, feeling a chill shoot up my spine and my teeth chattering.
Well, it seemed my cultivators body didnt shield me from the cold as I had hoped. A disappointment, perhaps an overreaction, but I had grown accustomed to the superhuman capabilities my body now possessed.
Washing every part of my body, I tended to my wounds, ensuring there were no lasting injuries. Aside from the cracked bones in my arms and possibly cracked ribs, everything else seemed to be healing well, particularly the cut in my arm.
"At least I didn't suffer a concussion from colliding with all those trees," I remarked to the little turtle, still rummaging through my clothes. "Isn't that right, little guy?"
Speedy's only response was to continue chewing at my clothes.
Was Speedy already in his rebellious teenage phase? Kids grow up so fast these days.
I reminisced about the younger years of my last life when even the internet was not a big thing yet, and not everyone had a smartphone.
Not a phone in sight, and people were experimenting with weird substances, burning things, and getting drunk. I never understood why people complained about the younger generation always being on their phones. It was better than the shit we did.
Shaking my head, I stopped reminiscing about the old days. A part of growing up was always reminiscing about those good old days. Imagine not having to worry about work or taxes. Unironically, it was one of the main reasons why I liked this world so much; at least someone had a chance to have the power to do whatever they wanted, and the few could win against the interests of the many. However, it also had the disadvantage of the crazy few getting into power.
As I washed off all the blood and dried myself, I put my clothes back on and then laid down on the grass, feeding the little turtle some grass and tree roots.
Carefully, I ripped the long sleeves out of my clothes and made them into rough bandages, washing them before setting them on some stones near the stream to dry. I looked around, making sure the grass was tall enough to hide my form, and then lay down.
After a while, Speedy stopped fighting and no longer resisted my love. The little guy lay on my shoulder and snoozed off while I stared at the deep blue sky.
It was early in the morning. The sun wasnt bright enough to hurt my eyes yet, providing a pleasant view of the sky.
Wait, was space the same in this world as in my last one? Had any sword-flying cultivator attempted to reach space?
With such questions in my mind and pondering the wider world, I waited for my new bandages to dry and put them on. After that, I did some stretches to ensure no underlying injury would affect my mobility. Finally, I put the little turtle, who had gotten a taste of freedom during our stay, back into my pocket.
"Don't worry, Speedy, if I ever make it as a big-shot cultivator, I will buy you a mansion and get you a harem of turtles," I reassured the little guy as he peeked his head out of my pocket.
I set off and ran through the grasslands until I stumbled upon a rough road with carriage tracks, which I followed westward. There wasn't much else I could do, so I walked along the tracks until I finally reached what looked like a town.
It had high walls tinted pinkish-red with dark markings along the walls, likely some inscription or array. Or perhaps it was just there as a bluff to deter low-level cultivators from causing trouble. Either way, I wasnt going to try and find out.
As I approached the gate, two men in crimson medieval armor with dark swords in their hands kept their eyes on me. Unlike Greengrass Town, there was no long line waiting to get in.
