Wuxia: Start with max-level Nine Yang Divine Skill

"When people see us, they either avoid us from a distance, point at us, or... look at us like we're monsters or dirty things."

A hint of pain flashed in Xu Gou's eyes. "My elder brother has a fiery temper and can't stand this."

If anyone dared to look at him strangely, he would glare back fiercely, bar his teeth, and make a menacing face, even resorting to physical violence.

Over time, everyone feared him and loathed him even more.

"I...I'm different from my older brother."

The dog's eyes became confused.

"I...I'm so envious."

I envy those who can walk normally on the street, stand up straight and talk to people, and not be discriminated against.

Sometimes... I even envy the dogs on the street.

Because I've found that many people don't mind a clean-looking, gentle dog being approachable.

Children would play with it, women would throw it food, and men might pat its head.

Dogs... seem to be more popular and receive more kindness than people like us.

"So... one day, I don't know what I was thinking, I... I put on a dog skin and tried to pretend to be a dog."

He lay on the ground, walked on all fours, and barked like a dog.

At first, it was done secretly, in places where no one was around.

Later... I discovered that when I dressed up as a dog, all those looks I used to have when I looked at monsters or dirty things... disappeared.

The children enjoy playing with me, throwing me fruit and petting my fur. When the adults see this, they just smile and say that the dog is very well-behaved, and they no longer show any disgust.

I... I felt... liked for the first time.

"Later, I gradually got used to it."

The dog's voice grew softer and softer.

There's nothing wrong with being a dog.

Since becoming a dog, most of the people I've encountered have been smiling.

On the contrary... when I was a human being, everyone saw me as a freak, their eyes filled with disgust, mockery, and disdain.

Some... even wished I, this freak, would disappear from the world immediately, so I wouldn't get in their way.

He looked at Li Fu one last time, a mocking smile playing on his lips, "In the next life, God, let me be a real human being."

"Either I've killed so many people in my life, or... I might as well just be a dog."

After saying this, the light in the dog's eyes quickly dimmed, its breath weakened, and finally its head tilted to the side, and it breathed its last.

Even in death, his curled-up posture still resembled that of a dog.

Li Fu, Song Zhaoxue, and Wei Ying stared at his corpse, remaining silent for a moment.

The mountain wind blew by, carrying the stench of blood and a touch of inexplicable desolation.

Although this killer was hateful, his life was so twisted and tragic.

Looking back, Li Fu's mind raced, and he understood Yin Hu's words.

"The twelve murderers may not fully understand each other's backgrounds."

But these past few days they've gathered together to kill me. As a hunter most familiar with the habits of wild beasts, Tiger must have noticed something amiss from the Dog brothers' subtle, unusual behavior.

So his final warning to me was to be careful of the dog, not the seemingly docile dog, but the large, seemingly docile dog I was riding—the killer disguised as a dog!

With the dog dead, the powerful enemy was defeated and killed.

The three of them relaxed slightly.

They were just about to pack up and leave the blood-soaked hillside to return to the military camp.

"laugh……"

Suddenly, a disdainful, playful sneer came from the depths of the dense forest on the side of the hillside!

"Interesting...really interesting."

A clear, pleasant voice, with the languid tone of a young nobleman, rang out.

"Among our twelve fierce signs, there is actually a pair of such 'characters'."

The dog always takes his big dog with him wherever he goes. I had never really looked at it closely before... It turns out that the dog was actually his brother in disguise?

They really are a pair of...freaks.

As the voice spoke, a figure slowly emerged from the shade of the trees.

The man appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He wore a white jade crown, a brocade blue robe with cloud patterns and arrow-sleeved sleeves, a jade belt around his waist, and thin-soled boots.

His face was as fair as jade, his lips as red as cinnabar, his eyes sparkling with life, and a faint, ambiguous smile played at the corners of his mouth.

He held a longsword with a sheath in his hand. The sheath was simple and unadorned, and the hilt was inlaid with a bright pearl that shimmered with light.

His entire being exuded an air of pampered luxury and carefree ease, which was completely out of place in this desolate wilderness and bloody battlefield.

He took a few steps, glanced at Li Fu and the other two, seemingly not taking them seriously at all, and then turned his head slightly to ask a question into the woods.

"So it turns out that we, the Twelve Fierce Ones, are not twelve people, but thirteen?"

"Boss Chenlong, are you aware of this matter?"

A deep, peaceful Buddhist chant echoed from the forest: "Amitabha."

Immediately afterwards, a monk dressed in brocade robes, slightly plump, with a full moon-shaped face and a kind smile, slowly walked out, holding a string of crystal prayer beads.

He had a dignified appearance, and his face always wore a kind smile like that of Maitreya Buddha.

But the cassock he wore, woven with gold thread and adorned with jewels, shone brightly in the sunlight, dazzlingly luxurious and even more eye-catching than the young man in brocade robes.

The monk smiled and said, "Just look at Boss Chenlong's expression; he... only just found out!"

The last person to emerge from the woods was an old man dressed in coarse linen clothes, with large hands and feet and a resolute face.

He was about fifty or sixty years old, with gray hair, but his figure was still as upright as a pine tree, and his steps were steady.

His brows seemed to weigh heavily, shrouded in an unyielding melancholy.

His gaze swept over the corpses of Tiger and Dog on the ground, then over Li Fu and the other two. He didn't say a word, but stood silently, exuding an imposing aura like a mountain.

The moment these three appeared, the atmosphere on the hillside instantly tensed up again, filled with a chilling aura.

Their identities are not hard to discern from their words.

Song Zhaoxue and Wei Ying's hearts sank.

"The three fierce signs?"

Li Fu's sharp gaze swept over the three people in turn.

"This old man in hemp clothing has a calm and composed demeanor. They call you Boss Chenlong. Needless to say, you must be Chenlong, the leader of the Twelve Fierce Signs."

The man holding the sword should be Shenhou, who is famous for his elegant yet fierce swordsmanship.

As for this… dignified and elegantly dressed master, he must be the Pig, one of the three remaining masters of the Twelve Fierce Forms.

The fat monk, Hai Zhu, clasped his hands together, his smile unchanged: "Benefactor, you have excellent eyesight."

"It is indeed this humble monk."

The last three masters remaining among the Twelve Fierce Stars arrived together at this moment!

Moreover, it came at a very inopportune time.

This was just as Li Fu had just gone through a series of fierce battles, especially fighting dozens of times with a strong opponent like Yin Hu, and killing the Xu Gou brothers. His true energy and strength were greatly depleted, and he had not yet recovered to his peak condition!

Wei Ying gripped her sword hilt, glanced at the other two, then focused mainly on Chen Long, her expression subtly complex. She said in a low voice, "You... you came so quickly!"

Young Master Shenhou chuckled lightly, casually twirling his longsword with a graceful flourish.

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"Unfortunately, we were still a step too late."

"That fool Yin Hu was so arrogant, thinking he could take care of you all by himself, but... he ended up losing his life here."

His tone was tinged with regret, yet also conveyed a sense of detachment, as if he were commenting on the ending of a play, treating the battles and life-or-death struggles of the martial world as a game.

The monk, who was born in the Year of the Pig, also wore a smiling Maitreya-like expression, completely unconcerned.

As for the old man in hemp clothing, Chenlong, for some reason, when facing Li Fu and the other two, especially Song Zhaoxue, he kept his eyes half-closed and remained silent, his face showing no emotion, like a clay or wooden sculpture.

Li Fu then noticed that Song Zhaoxue's expression was a bit off.

Song Zhaoxue stared intently at Chenlong, her usual innocent and carefree demeanor gone, replaced by a deep and somber expression, tinged with an anger that seemed to indicate betrayal.

She took a deep breath, her voice carrying a cold, questioning tone.

"Uncle Peng, why don't you say anything when you see me?"

When Uncle Peng called out, everyone present, including Li Fu, was startled!

Li Fu suddenly turned to look at Song Zhaoxue, his eyes filled with astonishment.

Uncle Peng? Chenlong?

The Monkey and the Pig were also taken aback, and then looked on with curiosity.

This woman knows Chenlong? And she even calls him "uncle"?

What is their relationship?

Shenhou looked at Chenlong: "Boss Chenlong, does this woman... know you?"

Still calling you Uncle Peng?

Your surname is Peng?

She seems to know you better than we do.

"Amitabha Buddha, Boss Chenlong, shouldn't we exchange pleasantries when we meet as acquaintances?"

The Pig also suppressed its smile, a glint of shrewdness flashing in its eyes.

This sudden turn of events clearly caught the two people behind Chenlong off guard.

Chenlong finally raised his eyelids and looked at Song Zhaoxue with a complex expression, showing struggle, fear, and gloom.

His lips moved, and he finally let out a soft call.

"Miss."

But he still didn't explain, he just remained silent.

But this address of "Miss" undoubtedly confirms that the two know each other and have a close relationship!

The Dragon is highly respected among the Twelve Ominous Signs, a fact he neither denied nor elaborated upon.

Although the Monkey and the Pig were full of doubts, they did not dare to ask immediately, but their expressions were full of vigilance and scrutiny.

"Miss?

What did he call you?

Song Zhaoxue actually knew Chenlong, but she had never mentioned it.

Li Fu turned around and looked at Song Zhaoxue again with a gaze that was a mixture of surprise, scrutiny, and even a hint of unfamiliarity.

Song Zhaoxue saw the look in Li Fu's eyes, her heart skipped a beat, and she gritted her teeth.

Since things have come to this point, let's just be frank.

She stopped looking at Li Fu and continued to stare at Chen Long, her tone filled with suppressed anger.

"Uncle Peng, why did you change your mind without my permission?!"

I said I would destroy the Twelve Fierce Symbols!

You should have followed the plan and sent them to their deaths in batches, so that we could eliminate them one by one!

But in the end... you actually brought the remaining three top experts with you, and you even wanted to join forces with Yin Hu and the other three?!

What exactly do you want to do?!

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears!

"Boss Chenlong, what's going on?!"

Shenhou's face suddenly darkened, his long sword pointed diagonally at the ground, and his tone became chilling.

"What's this about her saying she'd wipe us all out?! What's your relationship with her?!"

He had completely abandoned his carefree, playful demeanor, and his eyes now gleamed with a sharp, piercing light.

The pig also put away its Buddha-like smile, and a solemn and angry expression appeared on its fat face. It said in a deep voice.

"Amitabha... Boss Chenlong, you must give us both an explanation for this matter."

The atmosphere in the arena instantly became tense and fraught with danger, the situation becoming increasingly unpredictable, with both sides beginning to distrust those around them.

Li Fu calmed down faster than the others present.

Chenlong addresses Song Zhaoxue as "Miss," and Song Zhaoxue is the daughter of the King of Chu. Does this mean that Chenlong is from the King of Chu's residence?

Could it be that the King of Chu, who was supposedly driven mad and deposed, was actually not mad at all?

Or was all of this orchestrated by Song Zhaoxue?

Li Fu's mind raced, and many clues were connected.

Various past scenes flashed rapidly through his mind.

A chance encounter in a dilapidated temple, traveling together, fighting side by side against enemies; her sometimes innocent and carefree nature, yet at other times revealing a profound and deep understanding of the struggle for power; her unwavering determination to eliminate the evil spirit…

At this moment, it was as if I had been suddenly strung together by a thread, and everything became clear and cold.

Faced with the questions from the Monkey and the Pig, Chenlong glanced at Song Zhaoxue, whose face was pale, and then at Li Fu, who was silently watching, before finally letting out a long sigh.

"Because...Miss, I'm scared."

He paused, then looked at the Monkey and the Pig.

"My surname is indeed Peng."

My real name is Peng Zhenhai. I was originally the supervisor of the Prince of Chu's palace in the Great Zhao Dynasty, and concurrently served as the commander of the prince's personal guard, responsible for protecting His Highness the Prince of Chu's safety.

Chenlong revealed his true identity and origins.

Li Fu's heart skipped a beat: "Commander..."

Although the Prince's Palace Supervisor was the chief guard officer, his duties were actually special. He was often selected by the emperor and bore the dual responsibility of protecting and supervising the prince. He was an important link between the emperor and the prince.

This position may seem prestigious, but in reality, it puts you in a difficult position, making it easy to please neither side.

Chenlong seemed to be reminiscing about the past, and continued in a nostalgic tone.

"Your Highness, the King of Chu... was once known as the chivalrous king, kind and benevolent to others. Although he was of noble birth, he was not arrogant and was not attached to power."

After Emperor Taizu's sudden death, the current emperor appointed his younger brother to succeed him. His Highness was promoted to Prince and enjoyed high prestige among the princes, and was originally expected to become the Crown Prince.

However, His Highness was not happy. Instead, he was greatly affected by some of the events that followed. He repeatedly contradicted the Emperor, which greatly angered the Emperor. He was almost disowned by the Emperor and demoted to a commoner. He also went mad.

The Prince's Mansion was disbanded.

As the military supervisor, I cannot escape responsibility for dereliction of duty. I was dismissed from my post, demoted to a commoner, and expelled from the army.

His tone was calm, but when he mentioned his former master, a trace of reminiscence and pain still flashed in his eyes.

"I have spent half my life on the battlefield, and apart from killing to protect my master, I have no other skills."

Having drifted through the world and become disheartened, he took up the art of killing again to survive and became an assassin.

His first act was to assassinate the leader of the Beggars' Sect at the time, which made him famous.

Later... he gathered some like-minded people and formed the Twelve Fierce Symbols.

He glanced at the Monkey and the Pig.

"Most of us don't know each other's backgrounds; we've only come together for profit, and each of us relies on our own abilities to do business."

Until recently.

Chenlong's gaze returned to Song Zhaoxue.

"Miss... who is also the daughter of His Highness the King of Chu, has come to me."

She hopes that, out of consideration for our past relationship at the Chu Prince's residence, I will return to the palace and serve her.