Life and Death

His heart had been pierced through by the longsword. His breastbone and internal organs were also instantly crushed. The moment his body was sent flying by the man in black with a kick, Yan Liqiang could feel his body turning weightless. Before he knew it, he was suddenly floating in midair. The most intense pain he felt just now vanished without a trace...

What's going on? Just what is going on? Why am I floating in midair…?

At this moment, everything was jumbled up in Yan Liqiang's head.

In the midst of this confusion, he 'saw' a familiar figure flying across a distance of more than ten meters before it landed heavily on the ground. After rolling two times, the figure laid there motionlessly.

The unmoving body that landed hard on the ground was no one but Yan Liqiang himself.

"M-MY HAND… MY HAND… ARGHH!!"

The man in black cradled his right hand which was bleeding profusely and he screamed in agony beside Yan Liqiang...

In his recklessness, Yan Liqiang had bitten off the entire thumb of the man in black's right hand. When Yan Liqiang was sent flying into the air from his kick, the flesh and bone of his thumb that had been bitten off fell to the ground. It was so mangled that it didn't remotely resemble anything like a thumb anymore. Perhaps not even God could restore it back now. The terrifying strength Yan Liqiang gained over the countless days of practicing Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing could similarly be observed in the strength of his jaws. With just that, Yan Liqiang managed to inflict a serious injury on the man in black.

Losing a thumb meant that the hand was half-crippled. This was especially true for a sword user. Therefore, it was nearly impossible for the man in black to wield his sword with his right hand again from now on.

The man in black picked up his horribly mangled thumb from the floor and yelled like mad. He picked up the longsword with his left hand from the floor and ran towards Yan Liqiang's body. He stabbed Yan Liqiang's chest and neck with his sword as if he had lost his mind, then he chopped off his limbs. "HOW DARE YOU BITE ME? HOW DARE YOU!?"

Flesh and blood splattered everywhere throughout the entire process. In the blink of an eye, Yan Liqiang's body was mutilated beyond recognition. Blood flowed from his body, staining the snow crimson which covered the ground beneath him.

Yan Liqiang was floating in the air during the entire process as he watched the man in black vent out his anger on his body like a spectator.

Watching your own body be wrecked by someone else with your own eyes was an extremely bizarre feeling.

Yan Liqiang lowered his head to look at his own hands...

The outlines of his hands were still very distinct, even though they had lost their physical form and appeared to be nothing but a layer of translucent white light. He extended out his hand. The snowflake that fluttered down from the sky passed right through his palm and continued falling...

Am I dead...? Is this… what happens when someone dies? Those people in the surroundings… can't or sense me… Is this what they call a spirit or ghost in folklore…?

Countless thoughts ran through Yan Liqiang's head. He lowered his head and spotted Yan Dechang's corpse not too far away. His heart was suddenly overwhelmed by grief.

Countless soldiers and law enforcers came up from both sides and started to clean up the scene. He could no longer see Yan Dechang's figure anywhere on the main street.

"FATHER, WHERE ARE YOU…? FATHER, WHERE ARE YOU…?" Yan Liqiang yelled loudly. Everyone in the surroundings didn't seem to notice him as they carried on with their own tasks.

Yan Liqiang realized that he was as fast as lightning. He floated gently in the sky, his feet not touching the ground. It felt as if there was a powerful buoyancy on the ground which lifted him up. Just a single thought alone could propel him over a distance of hundred meters.

He shouted everywhere. In just a flash, he had already flown around a huge area and saw nothing but emptiness around him. Apart from the snowflakes that filled the skies and the intensely burning torches burning, there was no sight of Yan Dechang anywhere anymore.

Didn't everyone have a soul after dying? Wouldn't they become ghosts, just like him in his current state…? Why was he all alone here…? Why...? Father, where are you…?

"Where are you…? Where are you…?"

Heart-wrenching sobs wracked his body. Soft, glowing white tears fell from his eyes and disappeared into the void.

"I'LL KILL YOU…!" When Yan Liqiang saw the man in black still mutilating his corpse with a longsword nearby, he pounced on him with bitterness.

Yan Liqiang's fists and body passed through the man in black. His opponent didn't seem to sense him either. He tried another few attempts in a row and realized that nothing had changed. His current body was like a transparent shadow, unable to interact with any object.

"There are so many people watching. That's enough!" The Prefectural Governor came over and whispered softly, "As the saying goes, a lion should also hunt a rabbit at full strength. You are a Martial Master who might advance to become a Martial Grandmaster in just a few years time. Yet you got one of your hands crippled during a battle with a youth who wasn't even a Martial Warrior. To put it simply, you underestimated your opponent and you have no one to blame for that. You could have ended the battle with your second slash, yet you gave the youth an opening…"

The man in black instantly stopped and panted heavily.

　　...

The Prefectural Governor then came before Ye Xiao who had been finished off by Yan Liqiang. He looked at Ye Xiao's pale face which was contorted in terror and his eyes which remained open even in his death, staring up at the heavens. He crouched down and placed his hand over them. He tried to shut Ye Xiao's eyes with a gentle brush downwards, but Ye Xiao's eyes still remained open when the Prefectural Governor lifted his hand. He tried two more times and realized that he couldn't shut Ye Xiao's eyes no matter what so he gave up in the end and stood up. He glanced at those guards who trembled with fear in the surroundings and let out a small sigh. "I'll leave the Young Master to you…"

"Understood!"

　　...

Yan Liqiang drifted along the main street as if he had lost his soul. By the time he snapped back to reality, he didn't know how long he had been standing there. The main street which was bustling with activity earlier was now left with only a few people. All the corpses had been carried away. The blood trails on the ground had been covered by stove ashes and then cleaned. Snow was still falling from the sky, concealing every single remaining trace, as if nothing had ever happened.

The fire at the boutique in the distance had been extinguished. The flames were gone, only a pile of ruins remained along with the remains of brick walls and the broken roof tiles were still emitting smoke. The soldiers that came out just now had all withdrawn from the place, leaving only a few law enforcers guarding the ruins, preventing anyone from coming any closer.

Only the entrance of the lavish manor before him was still wide open. The honor guards of the Prefectural Governor were still standing next to the entrance outside. Officials who seemed to be in a hurry and nervous-looking law enforcers were passing through the entrance…

Yan Liqiang lifted his hands which were glowing white and observed them. Right at this moment, he wasn't sure if he was dead or still alive. Was he a human or a ghost?

Everything before his eyes was no different than what he had seen and heard back when he was still alive. Except for the fact that he had become a strange being which couldn't be sensed by others, he was just like a transparent shadow.

Yet the hatred and agony ingrained deep in his bones were still surging in his heart.

Yan Dechang's dying words which he struggled to say still lingered in Yan Liqiang's ears.

He shut his eyes in agony...

When a person was still alive, all they could see was darkness when they shut their eyes. However, Yan Liqiang saw an odd-looking huge rock instead when he shut his eyes.

The huge rock assumed the form of a mountain in one minute, and turned into a meteor the next minute, as well as various flying birds, fishes, or bugs. There were also various silhouettes of mythological beasts which Yan Liqiang had never seen before. The myriads of changes were an enigma to behold…

The huge rock drifted in the sea of consciousness within his mind as it kept changing its shape endlessly. A soft, milky white ray of light emitted from the huge rock then gently and warmly enveloped Yan Liqiang's entire consciousness. At the same time, it also formed this incorporeal body which was visible only to Yan Liqiang himself.

　　...