The Little Demonic Cultivator in the Courtyard: Borrowing 100,000 Japanese Pirates to Heal

Xu Jiande did not answer.

He was unable to speak.

The heat surged through his body, like a flood that had been trapped for a long time finally breaking through the dam. Every blood vessel was spasming, and every muscle was trembling.

This feeling wasn't pain, but an indescribable swelling, as if something was stretching his muscles and meridians.

Then the heat suddenly contracted and flowed into the dantian, where it spun rapidly, faster and faster, until it finally exploded with a bang.

It felt like something was breaking out of its shell inside my body.

Xu Jiande felt his strength surge dramatically in an instant.

Unlike the temporary enhancement that came after the Blood Ancestor unleashed his true power that night, this was a real, tangible force surging from his bones, muscles, and very core.

He looked down at his hands, clenched his fists, and his grip strength had clearly improved.

The muscles in my arms twitched slightly under my skin, as if they were rearranging themselves to become denser and firmer.

The muscles, bones, and flesh were being re-tempered by the demonic energy; every inch of skin was tightening, and every bone was hardening.

Xu Jiande had this feeling once.

To be precise, I had a similar experience once before. Last time, after killing those three Japanese soldiers on the battlefield at Lugou Bridge, my body also underwent a small-scale tempering.

But that time was on a completely different level from this one.

That time it felt like wiping your face with lukewarm water; this time it felt like being thrown into a furnace and reforged.

Overjoyed.

He recalled the words of the Blood Ancestor before he fell into slumber: "After killing a hundred Japanese devils, a true vortex of demonic energy will condense in your dantian. At that time, your strength, speed, and reaction will far surpass those of ordinary people."

Refinement to the second level – this is a breakthrough.

Did I unknowingly kill a hundred Japanese devils?

Xu Jiande quickly did the math in his head and thought it was quite possible.

Indeed, he killed at least fifty or sixty Japanese soldiers that night.

However, he killed most of the Japanese soldiers with grenades, and gained very little health.

However, after killing Yoshio Nagahira, the leader of the Japanese devils, he gained dozens of times more blood and energy than a normal person, which allowed him to fully replenish his blood and energy.

Of course, Xu Jiande was completely unaware of this.

In addition, Xu Jiande has now reached the second level of Qi Refining, and his overall strength is much stronger than that of the first level, but it is still very different from his previous Foundation Establishment combat power.

Xu Jiande tried circulating the demonic energy in his dantian.

After being pushed away by Xu Jiande, Bai Ling saw Xu Jiande's reaction and her face was full of tension. She hurriedly asked what was going on.

Xu Jiande naturally wouldn't tell the truth, but simply said that he had killed too many Japanese soldiers and was a bit exhausted.

Bai Ling hurriedly asked Xu Jiande about his achievements that night. Xu Jiande naturally wouldn't tell the truth, only saying that he might have killed seven or eight Japanese soldiers.

Even so, Bai Ling still greatly admired Xu Jiande.

This is a true top master, a legendary martial arts master.

Bai Ling became even more determined to recruit Xu Jiande into the major party.

But this requires the right timing; it can't be rushed. You can't force someone with real talent; you have to let them come to you gradually on their own.

It wouldn't be too late to reveal her identity after spending a few more days together, after he has developed a deeper trust in her, and when the time is right.

Xu Jiande then went to the kitchen.

There was still half a pot of cooled boiled water on the stove. He scooped a ladleful into a wooden basin, dipped a towel in the water, and wiped away the smell of gunpowder and blood from his face, neck, and arms little by little.

The water was very cold, and when it was applied to his skin, it made his hair stand on end, but it also made him more alert.

After wiping his upper body, he poured the dirty water into the drainage ditch in the yard, then scooped up half a basin of clean water and washed his face again.

Having killed so many people tonight, the stench of blood on my clothes can't be washed away with just a basin of water. But at least I need to wash off the surface smoke and dust so it doesn't look so conspicuous.

After washing up, Bai Ling returned to the bedroom and sat inside.

After that, the lights were turned off. A little while later, Bai Ling was already lying on the bed, still at the innermost position, close to the wall, with her knees slightly bent and her hands folded on her lower abdomen.

She heard Xu Jiande come in, but didn't open her eyes. Her breathing was steady and even, as if she were asleep.

But Xu Jiande knew she wasn't; her eyelashes were trembling slightly, a sign that she was pretending to be asleep.

He didn't expose it, but lay down on the other side of the bed and pulled the blanket up to his lower abdomen.

The bed wasn't big, and the two of them were no more than two feet apart. Xu Jiande could feel Bai Ling's body temperature, and Bai Ling could feel his.

It was already past 2 a.m.

The moonlight outside the window shone through the paper windowpane, casting a hazy, pale white glow on the ceiling.

Occasionally, a few sporadic gunshots could be heard in the distance, before silence returned.

Xu Jiande closed his eyes, and the demonic energy in his dantian continued to circulate automatically, round and round, endlessly.

Not long after, Bai Ling and Xu Jiande went to sleep.

That night, the city of Beijing was sleepless because of the death of a deputy commander. Many officers held a meeting overnight to formulate the latest action plan.

And all of this seems to have nothing to do with Xu Jiande.

Of course, it's only temporarily irrelevant.

……

Just after six o'clock in the morning, as dawn was breaking, the silence of Beijing was shattered by the sound of leather boots.

At least a thousand Japanese soldiers set out a search line in all directions, centered on the courtyard house that had been bombed into ruins the night before.

Bayonets gleamed coldly in the morning light, leather boots clattered on the bluestone slabs, and the sounds of banging on doors, barking dogs, screams of women, and cries of children mingled together.

The news spread from one alley to another, and the whole city trembled.

Countless people were dragged out of bed while they were still asleep.

Those who were slow to react had their doors kicked open, and before they could even stand up, bayonets were already stabbing them in the stomach.

Some deaf old men didn't hear the shouts and were dragged out of their houses by the Japanese soldiers, who smashed the back of their heads with the butts of their rifles right at the door.

A woman cried and begged for mercy, saying that her husband was sick and couldn't come out, but the Japanese soldier didn't even listen. He kicked her away, rushed in, and stabbed the patient in the bed with his bayonet.

In a short period of time, at least fifty ordinary people were killed.

The bodies lay scattered haphazardly in the alleyways, courtyards, and on the thresholds of their own homes.

An old man was stabbed through the chest and fell down with half a cornbread still clutched in his hand.

A seven or eight-year-old child was hit in the leg by a stray bullet. He lay on the ground crying his heart out. His mother rushed over to hug him, but a Japanese soldier smashed her face with the butt of his rifle, and teeth and blood spurted from her mouth.

The Japanese devils didn't care about the lives of the residents of Beijing at all.

In their logic, since someone attacked the checkpoint and command post last night, all the residents in the area are suspects.

Better to kill a thousand innocent people than let one guilty person go free. After all, the people of Great Xia are not human.

This isn't a search; it's revenge, it's venting anger, it's drawing a line with bayonets and bullets.

Those who resist will die, those who harbor will die, and those who know but fail to report will die.

Death, death, death. All that is death.

Afterwards, once the residents of each courtyard had gathered, the Japanese soldiers began to speak, asking the residents to report on each other.

Translators, puppet soldiers, and traitors used tin megaphones to announce that anyone could report if a stranger had recently visited their home, if someone had gone out at night, or if there were any suspicious noises coming from their house.

A reward will be given for verified reports; the reward will be silver dollars and grain.

Those who know about the incident but fail to report it will be punished the same as resistance fighters and executed on the spot.

This move is more vicious than murder.

Murder is frightening, but reporting on each other turns people into ghosts.

Trust between neighbors, relatives, and even family members was brutally torn apart at this moment.

Some people started talking nonsense to protect themselves, some took the opportunity to retaliate against old grudges, and some gritted their teeth and said nothing.

More than 30 people were arrested soon.

Around 7 o'clock, the search line advanced to the vicinity of Nanluoguxiang.

Interestingly, the area on the other side of Xu Jiande Hutong is a strict search zone, while the area on this side is not within the scope of the main search.

The courtyard house where Xu Jiande was located was on the edge of the search area.

The main problem is that the distance is too far.

Even so, a group of Japanese soldiers and puppet troops still came over.

Several Japanese soldiers stood at the gate of the courtyard, their bayonets gleaming coldly in the morning light.

The leader was the sergeant from yesterday, Suzuki, who was actually a high-ranking agent.

Suzuki was followed by two puppet soldiers, one of whom was Wang Xiaoyong.

The courtyard quickly filled with people.