The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

Afterwards, Changgu Balun left to make preparations, while he returned to the dojo to see Liuli.

"What did my father say to you?" As soon as she sat down, the girl narrowed her bright eyes and stared at him with a suspicious look.

"He said he would teach me the Dream Bubble if he could take you away, but I didn't agree." Su Qi sold the Changgu Eight Wheels without hesitation.

"Hmph, I knew it."

The girl snorted coldly, her expression unfriendly. Then, her eyes darted around as she looked at Su Qi and said, "But why didn't you agree? Didn't you really want to learn the Illusionary Illusion technique?"

“Of course I want to learn.” The latter said, then sat up straight, his face full of righteousness, and said, “But who am I? I am the man known as the righteous and chivalrous Meng Chang, with a heart of unwavering loyalty and a swordsmanship. Is a mere secret sword technique worth betraying my friend for?”

The girl scrutinized him for a moment, then finally smiled slightly. "Although he's a smooth talker, he's actually quite reliable when it counts."

"What do you mean 'occasionally'? I've always been reliable, okay?" Su Qi patted his shoulder and joked, "If you don't believe me, come and lean on me. It's definitely more comfortable than a pillow."

"Okay."

"Huh? What did you say?"

While he was still in a daze, the girl actually crawled over on her knees, gently wrapped her arms around his waist, rested her head on his shoulder, and let her silky black hair fall in front of her, emitting a faint fragrance.

What's going on? Am I being flirted with?

With a warm, fragrant body in his arms, Su Qi felt his body stiffen and his heart beat a little fast.

As a seasoned FFF elite who has been single for as long as his age and has never even held the hand of a woman, even someone as calm as him couldn't help but feel a little nervous at this moment.

In a direction that Su Qi couldn't see, a faint blush appeared on the girl's face.

She was actually even more nervous, so nervous that her ears were burning and her heart felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

Liuli is essentially a cool and reserved woman who rarely shows extreme emotions, let alone take the initiative to hug a man like this. Although she has a good impression of Su Qi, it hasn't reached the point of being called "love." If it weren't for the fact that they might soon be separated by death, she would never have made such a rash move.

For a moment, the two fell into an inexplicable silence, embracing each other as if they could feel each other's body temperature and heartbeat.

But Su Qi quickly calmed down, thinking to himself, "This can't go on... I'm a transmigrator, and my future is uncertain... Since I can't take responsibility, I can't give others false hope... If this continues, it will be very difficult to resolve..."

Thinking of this, he was about to push the girl away, but she made the first move.

"You can leave now." After pushing Su Qi away, Liu Li stood up, looked down at him, and said calmly with her usual cold expression, "I'm sorry, our family matters shouldn't involve you, so please leave first."

Why is "hot land" a banned word?

Chapter Forty-Three: I, Su, am a man of chivalry and righteousness.

"You want me to stay out of this?"

Su Qi calmly sat back down, his face serene.

"This matter has nothing to do with you in the first place."

“But I don’t think so.”

“That’s what I think.” Liuli said with a stern face and firm eyes, “You should leave. I’m serious.”

"I refuse, and I mean it."

"This is an internal matter of our Fudo Myoshin-ryu school. Please don't cause us any trouble."

"What a coincidence, I am also a disciple of the Fudo Myōshin-ryū school, how could I desert my post at a time like this?"

Her face turned cold. "Now that you're not, we don't need your help anymore."

"Sure, but I am a chivalrous and righteous person by nature, and I love to help those in need. So this matter... I'm really going to take care of it."

"You... mind your own business!"

"Sorry, I just happen to have a lot of free time right now, so I'm just meddling in other people's business."

Seeing the other person's shameless face, refusing to leave no matter what, Liuli, who had originally resolved to get rid of him, felt both helpless and somewhat moved. But even so, she wouldn't give up on this plan.

So he sighed, knelt down in front of Su Qi, stretched out his hands, palms down on the floor, bowed his head and said sincerely, "Kenxin, please leave. Don't let me feel guilty for the rest of my life, please!"

Su Qi remained silent for a moment, just as he was about to speak, when Chang Gu Balun's voice suddenly rang out from outside, "Liuli, come out for a moment and help me get something."

Liuli stood up, glanced at him, and her eyes held a hint of pleading. Then she turned and walked out, and it seemed like she heard a soft snap, and then... she was pulled back in from outside by Changgu Balun.

Bang... A bundle was thrown in front of Su Qi. He then put his daughter down and said, "Alright, everything's settled now. Take my daughter and run away."

Su Qi covered his face, "You actually did it."

During their previous conversation, he had indeed considered this method, but he did not tell Changgu Hachirin because he wanted to see if the combined strength of the three of them could defeat Soichiro. However, he did not expect that the latter would change his mind and use this method himself.

"This is the only thing I can do."

Chang Gu Ba Lun sat down next to Liu Li, his rough hands gently stroking the girl's cheeks. His expression and eyes were gentle as water, yet they unexpectedly complemented his rugged face.

"Why don't we try my previous suggestion? If the three of us work together, we might be able to win."

“Because you don’t understand what a ‘father’ is…” His gaze never left Liuli, as if he wanted to deeply imprint her appearance in his heart. At the same time, his tone was extremely firm and left no room for negotiation: “And as a father, how could I let my daughter go to the battlefield with me?”

"Yes, I really don't understand."

Su Qi frowned slightly. At this point, the situation had developed beyond his original plan.

"Take her away immediately and stay by her side for at least three years, and I'll entrust the Dream Bubble to you. How about it?"

Su Qi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Deal."

Now that things have come to this, the three-person gang fight tactic we envisioned is no longer feasible. It would be better to obtain the cultivation method for "Dream Bubble". If we fail again this time, it will add to our chances of victory in the next playthrough.

In addition, there was one thing he was reluctant to admit, but had to admit nonetheless—he didn't want to see the girl named Liuli die in front of him.

Even if he could rewind an infinite number of times, even if Liuli died he could start over, he just didn't want to see that scene happen in front of him. So when he said the word "deal," he actually felt a little relieved.

Because Su Qi is not one to deceive himself, he has realized that he has developed feelings for Liu Li during the past two months.

Of course, such goodwill can only be called "like" and is still some distance from "love"; but even so, it is enough for him to make up his mind that he will not put Liuli in danger again in the subsequent plans unless absolutely necessary.

Anyway, Ruri's combat power is a notch or two below mine now. Although she's not dispensable, she's not indispensable either. Moreover, given Changgu Hachirin's personality, if he can only choose one of the two, then of course he'll choose the stronger one...

While trying to justify his decision, Su Qi accepted the scroll containing the secret sword practice method handed to him by Chang Gu Ba Lun.

“Oh, right…” Carrying his bundle and carrying Liuli on his back, he walked to the entrance and suddenly stopped. “Before I leave, there is one more question that I am very curious about.”

In the dojo at the back, Changgu Hachirin carefully wiped a straight sword that gleamed coldly and exuded a strong bloody stench, while calmly asking, "What's the problem?"

"Why did you want to matchmake Yamada Yasuhiro and Ruri before? With your spiritual power and insight, I don't think you couldn't see that he had ulterior motives."

He paused in wiping his knife, then sighed softly, his tone complicated, "Actually, what I really wanted to matchmake was Ruri and Ishii, but unfortunately Ruri didn't give me a chance at all, she had absolutely no intention of getting married."

"I see. First, push out Yamada Yasuhiro, who is unacceptable, so that she can refuse. Then, push out Ishii, who is relatively acceptable, to reduce her rebellious mentality... You really went to great lengths for Ruri's marriage."

Thinking about how all his efforts had been in vain, only to find that his daughter had taken a liking to some brat who had suddenly appeared, Chang Gu Balun snorted coldly in annoyance and said irritably, "I've asked, why don't you hurry up and take Liuli away? I need to focus on preparing for battle!"

"Yes, yes, see you later."

“Wait a minute…” He shook his head, staring down at the knife in his hand, and muttered to himself, “At least, I want to live to witness my daughter’s wedding, so old friend, help me one more time…”

……

A few hours later, just as the sun was rising above the horizon, Su Qi, having settled the glass, returned to the temple once again.

"Why are you back?! Where's Liuli?"

In the center of the dojo, Changgu Bayun, who had already bathed and changed clothes and was fully prepared for the duel, changed his expression immediately upon seeing him return.

"Don't worry, Liuli has been placed in a safe location outside the city and is being taken care of by reliable people." Su Qi held his long sword and slowly stepped into the dojo, smiling lightly. "Besides, didn't I say we'd meet later? Now, I'm here to fight alongside you."

……

More than an hour later, in the pure white space, Su Qi's figure appeared on the floor.

Stuck on Chapter 44?

"A disastrous counterattack..."

After lying on the ground for a while, Su Qi sighed and stood up.

Yes, even though they had made ample preparations with Nagako Hachirin, they still lost the previous battle against Soichiro, and the defeat was completely predictable.

The initial planned combined attack tactic was impossible to execute because the opponent was not only a powerful martial artist, but also possessed beast-like intuition and was a battle-hardened tactical master.

Whenever Su Qi and Chang Gu Ba Lun tried to coordinate an attack, he could detect it first and cleverly use the terrain and his speed, which was superior to both of them, to constantly change his position and distance, so that he would never be within the attack range of both of them at the same time.

Complete mastery of the battlefield space, also known as the use of "geographical advantage"—Su Qi deeply understood this point in this battle, and then until Chang Gu Ba was wounded and killed, he did not even manage to touch a single piece of the opponent's clothing.

"That guy wasn't serious at all last time; this time he's only shown the tip of the iceberg of his true strength..."

He habitually sat down on the black stone base and began to think about the gains and losses of the previous playthrough, and how to deal with the enemy in the next playthrough.

"There's no way around it, his abilities are too comprehensive, and we can't find any weaknesses for the time being... We can't defeat him in normal combat, and even if we learn the Illusionary Illusion technique, we probably still won't be able to contend with him... So we really can only rely on external forces after all?"

After pondering for a long time, Su Qi stood up and began practicing the secret sword technique of the Immovable Mind Style, Dreamlike Bubble.

When he awakened his spiritual power, his thinking ability was also enhanced. So, during the few hours he spent setting up the glass, he memorized all the contents of the scroll. Now, it was no problem for him to practice in the pure white space.

Even if you master the Dream Bubble technique, you might still be no match for it. But the stronger you are, the greater your chances of winning. No matter what method you use to clear this level, strengthening yourself is never the wrong choice.

So what followed was another long period of practice.

Having grown accustomed to solitude, Su Qi poured all his energy into his swordsmanship, completely oblivious to the passage of time. He didn't know how much time had passed—perhaps months, perhaps a year or two—but he finally mastered the art of manipulating illusions and bubbles to perfection, but…

"Unfortunately, the power of this sword technique lies in spiritual energy and sword intent, rather than proficiency. Otherwise, I could have practiced it until I became invincible."

Dispersing the illusory blade he had conjured in his hand, Su Qi shook his head regretfully. After his usual long nap, he returned to the black stone base and pressed the save/load button.

……

Considering that a two-man attack would be ineffective against Soichiro, in the third playthrough, Su Qi, through his connection with Chang Gu Hachirin, managed to persuade the castle lord to bring various targeted tools such as fishing nets and grappling hooks, and set a trap. He then dispatched a force of over two hundred soldiers to ambush Soichiro, but the result was a devastating defeat with corpses strewn across the battlefield.

Souichirou already possesses spiritual power surpassing that of ordinary humans. After being enhanced by the Shikon Jewel, he gains even more exaggerated speed and strength than ordinary yokai. He has the power of a yokai, but is more agile and possesses killing skills far exceeding those of yokai. Ordinary soldiers simply cannot contend with him.

If the army were multiplied several times, it might be possible to successfully encircle and annihilate them with hundreds or thousands of troops. However, firstly, even if the city lord could gather such a large army, he would not mobilize it lightly; secondly, there are only a few hours left, making it very difficult to mobilize a large army; and thirdly, the limited space makes it inconvenient for the army to assemble and hide, so Soichiro, who is not stupid, is unlikely to fall into the trap.

Therefore, it was concluded that even with the city lord's power, it would be impossible to annihilate them.

……

In the fourth episode, Su Qi first got close to the city lord through the Eight Wheels of the Ancient City, and then, taking advantage of the city lord's power, urgently summoned all the monks, mages, witches and other extraordinary individuals in the city to join the help.

Although there weren't many truly skilled individuals among them, mostly third-rate, the more targeted and at least stronger than ordinary soldiers—the extraordinary individuals—did indeed cause Soichiro considerable trouble. He was injured for the first time during the siege, and showed Su Qi what it meant to go all out, yet the result was still a shameful defeat.

This time, Soichiro could no longer defeat the enemy's formation head-on as he had done before. Instead, he constantly stretched the battlefield and changed positions to defeat them one by one. However, although he had made some progress, it was still not enough to annihilate them.