The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

So fast!

Su Qi's pupils constricted slightly, and he wanted to swing his sword to meet the attack, but he didn't have time to make a move.

Just then, a flash of cold light swept past his ear and pierced straight towards the ghost woman's brow.

Ding! !

At the critical moment, a ghostly claw blocked the tip of the blade, and a trembling sound like metal clashing reverberated outwards.

"Hmph, a mere human sword..."

Before he could finish speaking, Su Qi was grabbed by the shoulder and pulled backward.

The next moment, two figures passed each other.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment. His pupils reflected the girl's dashing figure as she charged forward with her sword, her ponytail flying, her starry eyes bright, and the beautiful moonlight shimmering on her long sword.

Then, time resumed its flow, and a stunning blade of light, like a thunderbolt, streaked across the sky, tearing through the night and striking the ghost woman fiercely.

clang!!

The energy exploded, sparks flew, and the ghost woman suddenly leaned back, a burst of blood gushing from her chest.

"asshole!!"

A searing pain shot through her wound, enraging her. She forced herself to stop and charged back fiercely.

Liuli's feet didn't stop; like a powerful arrow piercing the sky, she plunged straight into the ghost woman's arms.

The next moment, a dazzling white light burst forth in the night, and a blade of light, like lightning, pierced, cut, turned, and bounced in an instant... Sparks flew and blood splattered wherever it passed.

ding ding ding ding...

Amidst the torrential clang of metal, the ghost woman parried left and right, her body trembling as she retreated repeatedly.

After a few breaths of stalemate, a scream was heard and two monstrous hands with sharp claws and red scales flew into the air, blood splattering from their severed ends.

"Damn woman! I'm going to kill you!"

Like a turtle retracting its head, the one-armed ghost woman roared as she withdrew into the mouth of the ghost head behind her.

Liuli pursued, her blade flashing like a bolt of lightning, but she missed.

How could they suddenly disappear?

She frowned slightly, glanced around, and was shocked to find that the ghost head that had just disappeared under her blade had reappeared behind Su Qi.

"Be careful!!"

The exclamation had barely left his lips when Su Qi, who should have been completely oblivious, turned around and saw Ghost Head emerge from the darkness behind him—it's common knowledge in many anime and novels that bosses who suddenly disappear often reappear behind the protagonist. Besides, he had already guessed Ghost Head's abilities and knew that his own side was the weak point, so his vigilance allowed him to immediately detect the enemy's sneak attack.

However, once discovered, it doesn't necessarily mean you can escape it.

In the blink of an eye, the ghost head's gaping maw was almost within reach, enveloping him and the drunkard at his feet within its attack range. He could even smell the nauseating stench of corpses and blood emanating from its mouth, and see the ghost woman hiding deep within its mouth, sneering at him.

What to do? I might be able to avoid the drunkard at my feet, but Liuli's father is going to be eaten by a ghost… Wait, I'm not going to die, what's there to be afraid of! Just go for it!!

In a flash, Su Qi stepped in front of the drunkard, grabbed his knife, and slashed fiercely at the man's gaping mouth.

clang!!

The blade clashed with the lips and teeth, and should have advanced triumphantly, but was forcibly repelled amidst the ear-piercing sound of metal clashing.

The hilt of the sword trembled violently, and Su Qi almost lost his grip on the sword. The huge ghost head only paused slightly before continuing to charge forward, ready to swallow him whole in the next second.

Oh no, I'm not really ready for this kind of thing...

As the light dimmed, Su Qi could only watch helplessly as two rows of enormous teeth and a blood-red mouth rapidly magnified before his eyes, mentally preparing himself to reload his save file.

But at that moment, I suddenly felt a tightness on the back of my neck, and I was lifted into the air. The giant mouth in front of me retreated rapidly. When I came to my senses, I was already standing on the ground a foot away from the ghost head.

What's going on? Could it be Liuli? But even with her speed, she shouldn't be able to make it in time, especially since there are two people to save... No, wait, could it be him?

Su Qi was surprised and turned around to look. A middle-aged man's face with a flushed face and a slight hint of drunkenness immediately came into view.

"belch……"

The drunkard who had just been lying on the ground burped, released Su Qi, glared at the ghost with a displeased expression, and staggered towards it, stammering with reeking of alcohol, "You...you bastard...you're too...too noisy...it keeps me...from sleeping...I'm angry..."

Chapter Twenty-Three: Abrupt Bai Xue

when?

Su Qi suddenly realized that the knife in his hand had somehow ended up in the hands of the drunkard in front of him.

"Father, come back quickly!"

Liuli shouted urgently as she rushed toward Changgu Eight Wheels.

"Fool! You think you can challenge me, Lord Oni-Yi-Kou, with that appearance?"

Because the two were closer, before the girl could arrive, Oni had already launched an attack.

Then, the swaying, seemingly about to collapse at any moment, Chang Gu Ba Lun suddenly stopped and swung his sword.

No one could see how he drew his sword; only a slender, graceful arc of light could be vaguely seen flashing in the night, like the last halo of a lunar eclipse, appearing naturally in this quiet street without any abruptness.

The next instant, the charging ghost head suddenly stopped, a straight and thin vertical mark appeared in the center of the ghost face, and then it fell to the ground with a thud, splitting open naturally like a watermelon cut in half by a sharp knife, revealing the smooth, mirror-like cut surface and various organs inside.

And just like that, the arrogant ghost died silently.

At the same time, Chang Gu Ba Lun, who had unleashed that silent slash, also collapsed to the ground. He hadn't suffered any internal injury; he was simply drunk and had fallen unconscious again.

So strong!

Recalling the beautiful arc of that strike, the destructive power of which was completely contained, Su Qi, whose swordsmanship had already reached the beginner level, couldn't help but marvel inwardly. With swordsmanship so close to the realm of the Dao and nature, it's no wonder he could so easily slay demons.

"Hmph, the old man is just putting on a brave face again."

Liuli snorted coldly, her tone unfriendly.

Then, while muttering that he would never let him touch alcohol again tomorrow, he quickly stepped forward and carefully checked Chang Gu Ba Lun from head to toe. Only after confirming that he was not injured did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“Oh, right…” She sheathed her sword, picked up the drunkard again, and whispered, “Thank you, Kenshin.”

"Hmm?" Su Qi, who had just walked up to her, was slightly taken aback. "Did I do something that would make you grateful?"

"When that monster attacked you just now, you didn't abandon him and run away."

"Oh, so that's what it was about. It's nothing, I'm super brave, how could I abandon the teachers' college and run away? But in the end, I was the one who was saved by the teachers' college, which is a bit awkward."

As Liuli carried her father on her back, she smiled faintly and said, "It's enough that you meant well. I still want to thank you."

"No need for that. After all, these two monsters came for me. You've just been dragged into this."

She shook her head slightly, "One thing at a time, and the reason you came out so late is because I asked you for help..."

Not wanting to dwell on this topic any longer, she paused, a thought flickering in her mind, and changed the subject, saying, "By the way, what is the Shikon Jewel? Why did that youkai want it so much? Is it really, as the other youkai said, a treasure that can grant any wish?"

Su Qi's eyes flickered slightly, and he asked in return, "What, do you have a wish you really want to fulfill?"

Liuli glanced at him. "What do you think?"

"You want to resurrect your mother?"

"It's a very simple wish, isn't it?"

"But it's very difficult to achieve, even with the Shikon Jewel."

"why?"

"Because the Shikon Jewel can distort the wishes people make. Even positive wishes will be fulfilled in a negative way, and the result will not bring happiness. So here's my advice: if you are lucky enough to obtain a complete Shikon Jewel, never make any wishes on it except to make it disappear."

"So the Shikon Jewel is such an evil thing? Then why do the demons still chase after it?"

"Because they don't know, or they don't care."

As they were talking, the gate of the dojo finally came into view, along with a figure standing silently by the gate, like a ghost.

"Ruri, Kenshin, you're finally back. How's our teacher?"

As soon as the three approached, the man quickly stepped forward, his face revealed in the moonlight—it was none other than Yamada Yasuhiro.

As he spoke, he walked over to Liuli, wanting to help by carrying Changgu Balun on his back, but she refused.

"Thank you for looking after the dojo." The girl nodded slightly to him, but her face was cold and distant. "It's getting late. Now that we're back, you should go home and get some rest."

Yamada Yasuhiro gently shook his head and smiled warmly, "But Master Nago is drunk and needs someone to take care of him, and Ruri, you are a girl after all, so there are some things that are not convenient for you. Let me stay and help you."

After saying that, he turned to Su Qi and smiled, "Kenshin, you've worked hard. Go back now, I'll take care of things from now on."

"Alright, then, seniors, I'll be taking my leave now."

Having a vague sense of impending doom, Su Qi answered immediately, then turned to leave.

But then, Liuli's voice rang out, "Wait, it's not you who should be leaving."

After saying that, he looked at Yamada Yasuhiro expressionlessly and said in a cold tone that left no room for doubt: "Yasuhiro, you should go back first. Kenshin is enough to take care of Father."

Upon hearing this, Yamada Yasuhiro's smile froze slightly. "Why?"

"Isn't it only natural for younger generations to share the burdens of their elders?"

"Liuli, you know that's not what I'm asking."

The girl said coldly, "This is my home. Do I need outsiders' permission to let anyone stay?"

Finally, Yamada Yasuhiro's smile faded, and he looked at Su Qi with a deep gaze, "Kenshin, do you have something planned for tonight?"

Then, the girl turned her head and looked over, her eyes carrying a hint of threat as she asked, "Kenshin, what brings you here tonight?"

What is this? Is this a scene from a white-collar drama? Taking sides means offending the other side. How am I supposed to respond?

Su Qi had a headache, but he quickly made up his mind. He first pretended to be hesitant and conflicted, taking full care of the self-esteem of the loser, and then gritted his teeth and looked at Yamada Taihiro with an apologetic expression, saying, "Um... Yamada-senpai, I don't seem to have anything important to do tonight."

Without a doubt, he chose the side of Miss Ruri.

Emotionally speaking, a beautiful young woman with whom he has a good relationship is more attractive than a middle-aged man with whom he has only a casual acquaintance; in terms of interests, Ruri is his true teacher, and her father is the dojo owner, so it is they, not Yamada Yasuhiro, who teach him swordsmanship, so it is obvious which one he should choose; therefore, from any perspective, Miss Ruri is undoubtedly the winner.

Upon hearing Su Qi's reply, Yamada Yasuhiro gave him a deep look, then smiled instead of getting angry, "Fine, very well. In that case, Kenshin, you should take good care of Master Chogo. I'll be going now."

After saying that, he turned around and left quickly.

"why?"

With his back to the two people, he walked while muttering to himself, his face appearing somewhat sinister and eerie in the shifting shadows.