Tarthocas : Chronicles of the Transmigrating Scribe

In the dense, labyrinthine jungles outside Grey Whisper, a desperate chase was unfolding. The air was thick with humidity and tension, the only sounds being the rustling of leaves, the pounding of feet, and the occasional desperate shout.

“You can’t run for long, Wei Wuyin!” Ren Shi’s voice rang out, filled with authority and determination, as he pursued the leader of the Black Fang Gang.

Wei Wuyin, sweat streaming down his face, didn’t bother to respond. Every ounce of his energy was focused on running, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His mind raced, trying to find a way out of this dire situation. "I have to escape!" he thought frantically. Who could have anticipated that a simple visit to the courtesans of Grey Whisper would turn into a death trap? He had been followed back to his hideout, where a contingent of White Blade officers had ambushed his entire gang.

Only he had managed to slip away, using one of his unfortunate colleagues as a decoy. But now, it seemed that his escape was temporary. The jungle was dense and treacherous, and his pursuer was relentless. Wei Wuyin was an Expert Stage Martial Artist, but his opponent was an Expert from a renowned sect. The power gap between them was as vast as the difference between a peak Adept and an Expert.

“I’m going to die!” The realisation hit Wei Wuyin with the force of a sledgehammer, sending a fresh wave of fear through him. He desperately wished for a miracle, something to save him from the fate that seemed increasingly inevitable.

Ren Shi, hot on his trail, was not about to let his quarry escape. He reached for his dao, the weapon glinting ominously in the filtered sunlight of the jungle canopy. With a practised, fluid motion, he executed a powerful technique.

White Blade Martial Technique - Great Wind of The Gods!

Ren Shi swung his blade, and a surge of energy followed. The attack semi-materialized into a corporeal form, a swirling vortex of wind and force that shot forward with terrifying speed, honing in on Wei Wuyin.

The sound of the attack cutting through the air reached Wei Wuyin's ears, his eyes widening in horror. "No!" he screamed internally, his fear skyrocketing. He could feel the energy of the attack closing in on him, the oppressive force promising pain and death.

The vortex struck, and Wei Wuyin was sent sprawling to the ground. The force of the blow knocked the wind out of him, pain radiating through his body as he tumbled across the jungle floor. His vision blurred, darkness creeping in at the edges as he struggled to breathe.

Ren Shi approached, his dao still humming with residual energy. He looked down at Wei Wuyin with a mixture of contempt and triumph. “This is the end for you, Wei Wuyin,” he said, his voice cold and final.

As Ren Shi swung his dao towards Wei Wuyin, the blade cutting through the air with deadly precision.

WHOOSH!.

“Save me!” Wei Wuyin cried out, his voice filled with desperation. At that precise moment, another whoosh filled the air, followed by the impact of a fist connecting with Ren Shi's face.

BANG!

Ren Shi stumbled back, his eyes darting around to identify the attacker. “Who's there! Do you know who you are fighting against!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the dense foliage.

No answer came immediately. Instead, another swift punch struck Ren Shi's face, the force of the blow sending him reeling.

BANG!

“Oi Wei Wuyin, help me defeat him if you want to survive,” a voice whispered urgently in Wei Wuyin’s ear. He turned around, but there was no one to be seen. Despite his fear, Wei Wuyin’s battle-hardened instincts kicked in. He had faced too many life-and-death situations to lose his composure now.

Without another word, Wei Wuyin sprang into action, launching himself at Ren Shi.

Black Fang Martial Arts - Serpent Strike!

BANG!

Wei Wuyin's fist connected with Ren Shi's gut, causing him to double over and vomit blood.

SPLURT!

As Ren Shi tried to regain his bearings, another figure darted forward, delivering a powerful kick to his side.

BANG!

“What the!” Ren Shi gasped, his surprise evident as he struggled to defend himself. Wei Wuyin didn’t waste the opportunity. He joined the mysterious figure in a coordinated assault, each taking turns to pummel Ren Shi relentlessly.

Potential Transmutation Art!

The unknown figure moved with incredible speed and precision, his attacks seamlessly blending with Wei Wuyin's own strikes. Together, they overwhelmed Ren Shi, who couldn’t even launch a single counterattack.

“Damn you, Wei Wuyin!” Ren Shi managed to curse, his voice filled with pain and frustration, before another punch silenced him.

BANG!

The coordinated assault continued, every blow landing with devastating effect. Ren Shi’s vision blurred, his strength waning with each passing second. He could barely comprehend what was happening, the relentless barrage of attacks leaving him no room to breathe.

Ren Shi was in for a hell of a night to say the very least.

“Hah, Hah, Hah.” Wei Wuyin breathed deeply, exhausted as he watched Ren Shi's broken and battered corpse lying next to him. For hours, Ren Shi had been beaten.

“I survived!” Wei Wuyin stood up and bowed in the direction of the shadows, hoping that the mysterious senior would hear his words. “Thank you, Senior, for helping me!”

“No need to thank me.” A voice came from Wei Wuyin’s shoulder, and in the next moment—

SWOOSH!

THAK!

Wei Wuyin’s head fell to the ground, with an expression of shock engraved on it. Ling Xuan kicked the head away and quickly began the technique.

"Qi Devourer!"

Slowly, Qi from both Ren Shi and Wei Wuyin began floating towards Ling Xuan and entered his body, settling into his lungs.

“Condense!” he commanded. Suddenly, the Qi began converging at a single point, its shape changing into a sphere.

And then—

BOOM!

A muffled explosion rang out.

“Yes!” Ling Xuan exclaimed. The second meridian had been formed.

However, he wasn't done yet. “There is still lots of Qi left. Let’s see how many meridians I can form today!”

With this, Ling Xuan began using Qi Devourer as he slowly absorbed every single bit of Qi he could gain.

“And that’s all.” Ling Xuan nodded in slight satisfaction. He had been able to condense more than three additional meridians!

Adding those to the original two, he now had five! Five meridians in only two days of cultivation!

“My plan was successful,” he mused. Indeed, it had been Ling Xuan who had orchestrated the entire event. He was the one who had sent the anonymous tip to the White Blade Sect’s Justice House with the unconscious body of an adept of the sect as proof, which made the sect cautious enough to send three officers of the Expert Rank.

During the entire chase, he had been constantly switching between using Martial Ghost Fang and Potential Transmutation Art, allowing him both to stay hidden and also keep up with the speed of Wei Wuyin and Ren Shi.

“I would’ve never previously been able to constantly use Potential Transmutation Art. The meridians are indeed a powerful resource.”

“These White Blade Sect members are quite powerful,” Ling Xuan smirked. Unlike the Supreme Yin spy who had been escorting him and used an inferior cultivation technique, Ren Shi had cultivated the Justice House’s superior technique, which easily outclassed the spy’s.

“I should get back now.” Ling Xuan’s expression turned serious as he quickly activated Martial Ghost Fang. It was only a matter of time before the White Blade Sect would investigate Ren Shi’s disappearance.

The next morning, Ling Xuan, now invigorated by his newly formed meridians, prepared to leave the village. The early light streamed through the trees, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Zhang Wei, a hint of concern etching his features, approached Ling Xuan. “Where are you going now?” he asked, his voice carrying an undercurrent of worry.

Ling Xuan, with a nonchalant shrug, replied, “Oh, just setting out to explore a bit.”

Zhang Wei’s curiosity was piqued. “Where to?”

“Dragon Tail,” Ling Xuan answered, the name rolling off his tongue as he turned to leave. His steps were purposeful and confident, as if the road ahead was already mapped out in his mind.

As Zhang Wei returned to his home later that day, he found an unexpected sight awaiting him. On his doorstep lay a small pile of taels, neatly wrapped, accompanied by a simple note. The message was brief but poignant:

Thanks for saving me.

No name was signed, but the gratitude was unmistakable.

—--------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in Grey Whisper, the atmosphere within The Justice House was somber and grim. The mansion, a grand edifice adorned with statues that seemed to watch over the proceedings, stood in stark contrast to the heavy mood inside.

Ren Tai, a formidable figure marked by a deep scar running along his face, stood over the lifeless body of Rei Shi. His expression was a mask of anguish and resolve, his tears falling silently as he gently stroked Rei Shi’s hair.

“O my little boy,” Ren Tai murmured, his voice choked with grief. The coldness in his eyes was juxtaposed by the warmth of his touch.

“I swear in my name, Ren Tai, I shall avenge you,” he vowed, his words a solemn promise whispered to the lifeless form. The resolve in his voice was tempered with a cold fury.

As he emerged from the Justice House, Ren Tai faced the gathered members with a steely gaze. The crowd, a mix of shock and anger, hushed as he began to speak.

“Members of The Justice House,” Ren Tai's voice carried over the assembled crowd, “Ren Shi has been murdered!” His declaration was met with a wave of stunned silence, the weight of the news sinking in.

The silence was soon broken by an eruption of outrage. “We have to avenge him!” Ren Tai’s voice rang out with a commanding authority. His hand, raised in a gesture of leadership, was met with a thunderous uproar from the crowd.

“We will hunt down the killer!” Ren Tai’s declaration was met with a unified roar of agreement. The determination in the crowd was palpable, their thirst for vengeance echoing throughout the Sect.