BOOM-!
Ji Wuye's eyes squinted as an earth-shattering explosion ripped through the air. Thick plumes of acrid smoke billowed out, stinging his nostrils with the metallic scent of spilled blood. Debris and dust swirled in the hazy atmosphere, partially obscuring his view of the coachman.
Under Ji Wuye's stunned gaze, the coachman emerged from the roiling smoke like a demon from the depths.
'Ah...' An smile curled on Ji Wuye's lips as he watched the man's eyes blaze crimson, the whites consumed by an inhuman scarlet glow. The coachman's mouth gaped in a rictus snarl, exposing clenched teeth as guttural growls rumbled from his heaving chest.
'A berserk skill,' Ji Wuye muttered inwardly as he observed the coachman, who had just slaughtered three goblins simultaneously with savage brutality.
"UWAAARGH!" As Ji Wuye predicted, the coachman suddenly threw back his head and released a feral roar that reverberated through the dust-choked air.
The coachman's roar seemed to resonate in the stillness after the explosion, momentarily smothering all other sounds.
Jians gripped in both white-knuckled fists, the coachman launched into a whirlwind of bloodshed. His blades were mere blurs as they sliced through flesh and bone with each powerful swing.
Emerald droplets of goblin blood arced through the air, splattering the ground in a ever-widening pool of viscera as the twisted bodies fell one by one with sickening thuds.
'It's rather unexpected,' Ji Wuye thought as he watched the coachman's brutal performance unfold.
But then, his gaze then shifted to the side, frown creasing his brow as he noticed Song Jia huddled on the ground.
The young woman had curled into a tight ball, clutching her head protectively with both trembling hands as if plagued by invisible terrors. Her face was partly obscured by strands of disheveled hair, but Ji Wuye could make out her tightly screwed eyes and pallid complexion.
"Sister Song..." Ji Wuye spoke as he half-knelt beside her, bringing himself level with her crouched form. His calloused fingers lightly brushed the stray tendrils from her face with an unexpectedly tender gesture. "Are you afraid of blood?" he asked, crimson eyes studying her reactions intently.
Without awaiting a response, his hands found their way to her forehead, slightly lowering to deftly massaging the Yin Tang points along her brow with the pads of his thumbs. The acupressure technique was meant to help calm the mind and relieve stress or anxieyt.
'Her condition is quite strange,' he thought inwardly, brow furrowing slightly as he continued the soothing ministrations. 'Logically, if she was afraid of killing or goblins, she wouldn't have survived the floor 3 challenges.'
There was a possibility that her teammates helped her clear floor 3, yet as far as he remembered, there was no such thing.
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Also...
'She didn't even blink when it came to injustice' Ji Wuye thought inwardly, recalling Song Jia's figure from the past timeline..
Only then did the realization crystallize in his mind. "If not goblins or killing, then the sight of humans dying?"
As if roused by his murmured words, Song Jia slowly raised her head, weary half-lidded eyes finding Ji Wuye's intense crimson gaze. Tendrils of hair clung damply to her ashen cheeks, and a light tremor racked her frame.
"B-Brother Ji?"
"Finally, you're awake, Sister Song," he said in a low rumble. "Look at the common people; they need your help." Releasing his firm but tender grip on her forehead, he turned her face towards the villagers with a guiding hand.
A cluster of ragged villagers staggered about in a daze. Some nursed bloody wounds while others simply swayed on unsteady feet, eyes hollow with shock and disbelief.
Following Ji Wuye's direction, her eyes slowly widened as she took in the pitiful state of the villagers. She blinked several times, jaw tensing as the severity of the situation registered.
After a tense pause, her expression hardened into grim determination, the vulnerability of moments ago replaced by a resolute strength.
"What are you doing? Let's go help them!" Song Jia's voice rang with an insistent fervor that seemed to surprise even Ji Wuye.
Seeing that she had returned to her usual self, he gave a curt nod of approval before reaching into his robes to withdraw a gleaming jian from his inventory.
"First, heal those villagers," he instructed briskly. Just as he was about to continue issuing orders, a mass of writhing goblin shadows appeared from the shadow ahead slinking ever closer with malicious intent.
"Instead of fighting them all at once, Sister Song, you should bring the goblisn to a house and use the door to your advantage," Ji Wuye continued.
Song Jia nodded sharply and gripped her jian, prepared to leap into action. However, before she could move, she suddenly felt a firm hand clamp around her calf in an iron grip.
"What are you doing?!" Instincts took over as she nearly lashed out, thinking Ji Wuye had finally shown his true immoral nature.
But when her eyes met his impassive crimson gaze, she found herself strangely calmed by his stoic lack of malice or deception. For a brief moment, the erratic pounding of her heart slowed as she searched his expression.
"Relax your legs; this will help you maintain the Rising Gale for a long time," Ji Wuye said, his deep voice holding no hint of inflection.
Before Song Jia could protest, she felt his calloused thumb press into the soft area four finger-widths below her kneecap on the outer edge of her shinbone. He applied a firm circular pressure there for thirty measured seconds.
Song Jia's breath caught in her throat as Ji Wuye's hand worked its subtle tricks on her leg. Her grip tightened on her jian hilt until her knuckles turned white, torn between wariness of his intimate touch and curiosity over his intent. Heart hammering in her chest, she glared at him through narrowed eyes, scrutinizing his every movement with bated breath.
Then, just as suddenly as the tension mounted, it dissipated in a wave of rejuvenating energy that seemed to course through her limbs. The constricting muscles in her legs loosened and tensed with renewed vitality, as if she had just completed an invigorating training regimen rather than nearly succumbed to panic.
"W-what's happening—" Song Jia began in a breathless whisper, only to fall silent as she witnessed the intense focus etched on Ji Wuye's features. After several heartbeats, the tight strain in her calves melted away, leaving behind a peculiar sense of energized readiness that had her flexing her feet experimentally.
"Thirty minutes. It will only last for thirty minutes, so master your second movement and save the villagers within that time."
Rising to his feet in one fluid motion, his crimson eyes flickered over Song Jia, who seemed to hesitate as if wishing to express her gratitude. However, his frown deepened, and he cut off her attempt with a curt, "Go, you don't have much time."
...
Watching as Song Jia gathered herself and set off at a brisk stride towards the villagers, Ji Wuye allowed himself a small sigh of relief. "Finally, the mission is complete," he murmured under his breath.
This trip would likely be the catalyst for Song Jia to become proficient with the second movement of her Master's sword art.
With that elevated level of skill, she would undoubtedly attract attention and rise to prominence much sooner than in the previous timeline
"Not only that, but the Rising Gale will also surely come in handy for her survival in that attack," he mused, stretching his back with a series of satisfying pops and cracks. His gaze strayed to the discarded jian he had dropped momentarily to administer the acupressure technique.
Stooping to retrieve the elegantly curved blade, but then...Ji Wuye's piercing crimson eyes seemed to shine with an ethereal light as several translucent screens flashed into existence before him in rapid succession.
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/n6FQDZv/Notif-1.webp]
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/xzhnv7X/Notif-1.webp]
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/44Z9K1K/Notif-3.webp]
At the same time, a low thrum of energy vibrated through Ji Wuye's very being as his three Dantians were catalyzed into action. The jian in his grip became wreathed in a pulsing crimson aura.
image [https://i.ibb.co.com/BcxY44n/Notif-1.webp]