Asa now had in his bosom the appointment of the Duke.

  He didn't know why the Duke would entrust him with the task of rescuing his daughter as if he were the only savior. With the Duke's power and wealth, a group of big-eared monsters wouldn't dare to mess with it. Those green-skinned insects wouldn't have dared to kidnap her if they had known in advance that she was the Duke's daughter, which was a dangerous commodity that could bring an entire army to raze their village to the ground. They usually only ambushed passing travelers or small merchant teams and generally didn't dare hurt anyone. Moreover, no matter who it was, as long as they brought ransom money, this matter could be resolved.

  But no matter what the duke thinks, this is absolutely a good thing. He also hopes that he can solve this matter very independently and secretly. The duke not only sincerely asked him to rescue his daughter, but also specially gave him an appointment letter, saying it was convenient for him to do things locally, just like Bishop said.

  Of course, the duke did not have the direct right to appoint officials, and this document was only proof that he was a special envoy appointed by the duke, indicating that he was a person of the duke and could change horses at various post stations along the way. Moreover, the duke's reputation and power had been rising rapidly in recent years, and even in remote areas, this certificate would have great deterrent power.

  He had originally intended to decline this thing, but as the document was handed over with ten glittering gold coins, which were just what he needed, he could only accept it.

  The sky had already darkened a bit, he returned to Sandru's big house and prepared to set off again tomorrow.

  A Sa has been remembering the meditation technique, and as soon as he enters the house, he finds Sandru and asks in a bad tone: "Why didn't you tell me what that meditation technique in the book was? If I had known earlier, I wouldn't have practiced it."

  "Why don't you practice?" Shandru glared at him.

  "Isn't that black magic? The bishop said everyone who practiced it is dead. Do you want me to die?"

  Shan Deru spat on the ground and said, "Those who died were all idiots who didn't have the qualifications but still forced themselves to practice. There's nothing evil or righteous about things themselves, it's just a matter of using them properly. Even water can kill you if you drink too much. I used to practice too, but I stopped when I reached my physical limit, and nothing happened to me all these years."

  When he heard that the bishop had told him to destroy the book, Shandru was taken aback and asked, "Did he really say that?" Then he furrowed his brow, ran into the inner room, and came out with something in his hand, which he handed to Asa, saying, "You eat it." Asa took it in his hand and examined it carefully - they were two black pills.

  "Come on, eat up," Shandru said, patting Asa's back as if he were a little kid.

  "I don't know what this thing is, how can I dare eat it? It won't be poison, will it?"

  "This is good medicine." Sandru made an innocent and angry expression. "This is a good thing that I have refined with dozens of precious medicinal materials and magical powers. After eating, it can strengthen the body, be physically fit, and be mentally refreshed. I'm looking at you tomorrow to complete a difficult task, so I'll supplement your physical strength."

  "Really?" Ah Sa sniffed carefully, didn't smell anything, and swallowed it down.

  "Here's another glass of water, it'll help with digestion." Sandru handed him another glass.

  He gulped down the Asa, and found Sandru watching him very closely beside. Feeling quite uncomfortable, he asked: "What are you up to?"

  Shan Drew looked into his mouth, confirmed that he had swallowed the medicine and couldn't spit it out anymore, then suddenly panicked and shouted: "Oh no, I forgot! The medicinal properties of this medicine are too violent, another medicine must be used to neutralize it. Otherwise, you will die a painful death with your intestines bursting."

  "What do you mean?" Ah Sa glared at him.

  "There's another medicine, my prescription, I forgot it too, but it's recorded in that book. You must find that book back for me as soon as possible." He patted Asa on the shoulder and said innocently "Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't do it on purpose. But don't worry, the effect of this medicine isn't that fast, it will take a long time to take effect. I believe you can definitely bring the book back to me before the poison takes effect. You must remember not to let others see the book, and only I can understand the prescription written on it..."

  Then he seemed to think of something else and, with the familiar tone of an elder, instructed Asa: "That's right, and I'm not very good at remembering things. If you tell this to Bishop Ronis, I'll be so shocked that I won't remember anything."

  Asa let out a long sigh, nodded and patted Sandru's shoulder, saying: "Don't worry, I'll give you the book and then tell Bishop that it has been destroyed. He really didn't believe that someone who played these little tricks would have anything to do with the legendary Death Spirit Association."

  "I didn't know you were so clever, I never discovered it before." Sandru nodded slightly with some embarrassment, then said with a very serious expression. "But that's really a very potent poison. You have to feel the pressure in order to concentrate your attention, otherwise as soon as you see a woman you'll faint. If that woman again rolls around in your arms and coquettishly asks you to destroy that book, won't you also lose your life?"

  "Alright, alright, I know, I'll give you the book."

  With a loud crash, the two wooden doors were kicked open. A group of people rushed in, almost all of them burly men holding weapons.

  The only one who was the first to speak was a thin man with a pointed mouth and chin, he stared at Asa for a moment before saying to the others: "It's this guy. The young master has ordered that he be taken alive. However, it's okay if a few hands and feet are broken off, whoever knocks him down first will get five gold coins."

  As soon as the words fell, everyone rushed towards the five gold coins standing in front of them.

  "It seems like someone is looking for you." "I'm busy," Sandru said, turning his head and walking away.

  Asa didn't understand how these unfamiliar people had found him, but he knew exactly what to do when faced with someone charging towards him with a weapon. He advanced instead of retreating and threw a fireball at the first person who rushed towards him, almost using all his strength.

  Asa understands the trick of using fewer to beat more. The side with more people often has an advantage in terms of morale, and their mentality is generally very relaxed. As long as you show them unexpected strength and knock down a few, their morale will be greatly disrupted, and then it's easy to deal with them.

  Although this fireball didn't have the exaggerated power of those in the Forest of Low Voices, it was still a significant improvement from before. It hit that person right in the chest and sent him flying backward. The people next to him were also knocked down by the shockwave.

  "Oh?" Sandru walked over to watch the commotion, his eyes wide with surprise at the power of this fireball.

  Others did not stop but instead rushed over more fiercely during the interval of his spell. Asa knew at a glance that this group was all seasoned veterans. He drew his sword from behind his back.

  He only drew the two swords of the people who came from the front, and Asa pulled out a fireball with his hand to blast down the two people who pounced on him from the side. He now feels that his magical power is flowing smoothly and endlessly in his body.

  This was his first time fighting someone after escaping from the Forest of Whispering, and it felt like he had improved even more than before. The power of meditation and the Sun's Spring were gradually merging in his body, not just magical strength, but also physical effects that were amazing.

  Asa swung his sword and knocked two people down. He didn't want to kill anyone, so he used the back of his blade. Naturally, his movements weren't light, and every time he struck, there was a cracking sound as bones broke. But unexpectedly, this group of people were extremely ferocious, and just as Asa turned around, one of the men he had knocked down struggled to get up despite the pain and stabbed at his back with a sword. However, the blade only grazed his long robe before bouncing off.

  A Sa turned his head and didn't look back, took a step back and knocked him out with an elbow strike. The sound of the shattered cheekbone and a muffled cry rang out at the same time. This time he will never get up again.

  A figure emerged from the side, brandishing a long sword and charging forward. Asa met him head-on, using his arm to block the sword, then struck the hilt of the sword against the attacker's jaw, shattering it. With a swift counterattack, another fireball sent a sneaky attacker flying into a shelf filled with glass jars containing various organs, sending entrails and medicine splashing everywhere. Sandru cursed loudly beside him.

  Seeing him fight like this, the few remaining ones finally felt a sense of fear and stood on the other side, only daring to put up a posture but not coming over again.

  "Halt!" a loud shout. The skinny leader had somehow snuck up and was now holding a knife to Sandru's throat.

  "Don't move, or I'll cut off this old man's head." The thin man shouted with great majesty, clearly feeling that he had already gained the upper hand.

  The thin man was very pleased. He wasn't very good at fighting, although he was basically a strategic role, but under the master who liked to watch fights and killings, he generally didn't have much chance of being reused. This time, because the master was called away by the old master when he was about to leave, and only he had seen the person who injured his master last time, so he was asked to bring people over. He thought this was an opportunity given by heaven, so he must grasp it well and perform well.

  "Don't move, you. If you move, this old man's neck will be cut open and blood will gush out, think about the scene. Have you ever heard the sound of someone with their throat slit? It doesn't sound good, especially when it comes from your own family and friends. Look at this old gentleman, at his age, he can't have much blood left." The thin man described vividly, increasing the intimidation.

  He saw that his opponent was indeed motionless, as if he had really been caught off guard, and became even more complacent. He was very confident in the effectiveness of this habitual method of his. He had always looked down on those who used brute force to fight head-on with their opponents, and took pride in his own superior intelligence.

  As long as one is human, they have loved ones, friends and people they care about. Rather than exhausting oneself in a fierce battle, it's better to lightly grasp these weak points and instantly make others surrender without shedding blood.

  He smiled triumphantly. This was a typical example of his wisdom prevailing over brute force, and in this situation where the army was defeated, he had controlled the situation with his wisdom. He could already imagine how his master would look at him differently and entrust him with important tasks when he returned, and then he would be the number one subordinate, a military strategist. With great ambition in his heart, he commanded the few companions standing there with great majesty: "You go up and cut off his hands and feet first. Remember to cut off the tendons on the meat, so that he can't move anymore, but don't hurt the important blood vessels, the young master said to keep him alive." He looked at Asa and said: "Don't move, my knife is very fast."

  Two big men walked up and swung their weapons down at Asa's feet. They were old hands, directly chopping at the position of his heel.

  A loud shout rose, and the two big men fell to the ground. Asa didn't stop moving, but instead moved even more fiercely. He suddenly jumped out, stretched out his hand, pulled the two big men over, their weapons chopping at each other's bodies, then the two men's heads were violently knocked together, a dull thud sounded, and they collapsed to the ground motionless.

  The skinny man was both shocked and enraged, deciding to show off his power. He told the old man who ignored his threats that he wasn't just all talk, but actually ruthless, and with a knife in hand, he slashed at the old man's face. He had encountered such situations before, but as long as he took action, cutting off the hostage's ears or nose, or slashing a few knives on their body, the other side would immediately dare not resist again after seeing the tragic situation of their friends and family and hearing their cries.

  He had just raised his hand when he suddenly found himself unable to move. The old man's white, wrinkled hand merely touched his other hand and his body seemed to stiffen like wood.

  The old man turned around, somewhat nostalgically sighing: "It's been a long time since I've had someone hold a knife to my throat." Looking at the knife in his hand, "A knife isn't held like that..." Then he stretched out his hand and one by one pried open his fingers, changing the grip on the knife and then again one by one pried back his fingers, grasping his wrist and bringing the knife towards his face.

  His thin body felt perfectly normal and clear everywhere, his joints were also flexible, only all the muscles were stiff. He stared wide-eyed as the knife cut into his left cheek, the muscle was cut open under the severe pain of the blade, blood gushed out from the incision, then gathered on the skin to form a small river, flowing straight down along the chin. His eyes didn't even blink, only tears flowed out from his widely opened eye sockets, then mixed with blood and dripped down.

  The knife sliced out from the thin man's ear, almost cutting off half his face. His pants were completely soaked through, yet he still maintained the pose of holding up the knife, with an evil expression on what was left of his face. Sandru continued to speak to him in a tone as if teaching a child: "Look, this cut is so smooth, that's how you're supposed to hold a knife... oh wait, I forgot you can't see... next time when you go kill someone with a knife, make sure to hold it like this... oh, sorry, I forgot again, you probably won't have a next time..."

  Those big men over there have already started to retreat towards the door. Sandru said to the thin man with a sense of emotion: "How come your companions don't care about you and want to escape on their own? This won't do, hurry up and stop them." The pale, dry hand effortlessly grasped into the thin man's body. Under that hand, it seemed like there was no skin or muscle, only a pile of rotten mud.

  The thin man suddenly discovered a very strange feeling spreading rapidly throughout his body. To be precise, this was not a feeling, but the feeling of losing sensation. Centered on that hand, all sensations inside his body were rapidly disappearing. He hadn't even had time to think about what was happening before he lost the sensation of thinking itself.

  Shandoru casually threw the thin man's body, which weighed over a hundred pounds, and it flew straight out, colliding with several people who were trying to escape. Then, it burst open, making a sound similar to a fart, "Puuu". Such a small explosion wouldn't have any killing power, it just splattered the contents of the thin man's body.

  What splattered out wasn't red blood and guts, but a foul-smelling paste like the kind of muck that's been accumulating in a sewer for decades. This person who was still alive just moments before had a body that looked like it had rotted away for dozens of years in the blink of an eye.

  The black sludge that burst out of the corpse splattered onto the bodies of those big men who wanted to run, and they immediately let out a scream as if scalded by boiling iron water, collapsing to the ground and rolling around. However, after just a few cries, their voices became hoarse, and then they lay there motionless, their skin turning gray like pork that had been left out for several days.

  Asa stared at the scene in front of him with his mouth agape. He had known since morning that Sandru wouldn't need his help, but he hadn't expected it to be like this.

  Shandru casually patted his hands. His hands were still as pale as ever, and the deaths of those people just now had left no trace on him. He seemed to have simply gone to the bathroom and drunk a glass of water, turning his head to look at Asa and saying: "Do you know how many times you should have died just now?"

  Shandru's tone was unusually serious. "I know killing isn't as simple as those tavern braggarts who've never even gotten their hands dirty make it out to be. The first time I killed someone, I threw up for a whole day and didn't eat for three days." He spoke like a responsible teacher instructing his students. "But if you don't want to get killed, you need to get used to the feeling of killing. When someone's clearly trying to take your life, showing mercy with the back of a knife is just asking for trouble. Let me ask you, if I really hadn't been able to resist earlier, would you have had any qualms?"

  "Probably... I guess so..." Asa said honestly.

  "So you're waiting for others to cut off your hands and feet, then drag you away like a dead pig? You're not threatening, so how will others treat those who threaten you?" Only when Sandru was serious did Asa discover that he was actually a very majestic, dignified, and even murderous old man.

  A Sa didn't make a sound. These things are clear at a thought.

  Shandru shook his head, as if he wanted to say something but didn't, and only threw out a sentence: "You'll understand slowly." Then he walked over to a big man lying on the ground. The big man had been hit by Asa with the back of a knife and had his collarbone broken, and was curled up there groaning. Shandru bent down and stroked his face with his hand, and the big man let out a sigh that seemed very relieved after he stopped groaning, and his originally curled-up hands and feet and body also relaxed and went limp. Everyone could see that he had completely relaxed.

  Xander walked towards another giant on the ground, Asa hurried forward to stop him: "Forget it, they've all lost their resistance..."

  "Do you still remember that butcher who loved to brag?" Shandru asked. Asalan paused, he didn't know what Shandru meant by bringing this up at this time.

  "One of his daughters was raped last month, he went to seek justice, but was slashed in the face and is now half-dead at home." Sandru made a slashing motion on his own cheek, exactly where he had cut the bacon earlier, then pointed at the large pool of blackened blood. There were still visible fragments of bone dissolving in it, completely unrecognizable as having once been human. "It was him who did it. These guys seem to be household slaves raised by some high-ranking official's family. I'm telling you, every single one of them does this kind of thing all the time, and there are few people on the street who don't know them and fear them. Do you think they're pitiful or the ones they bully?"

  Asa silently watched as Shandru went forward and touched each of the robust men who were groaning on the ground, one by one. These sturdy men seemed to be no match for this old man, almost silently they all died.

  Xander walked back in with that lecturing tone and said: "I'm telling you, even if none of them deserved to die I'd still do it."

  "If we let them go, they'll just go back and tell their masters, and then more people will come, even the King's Guard, the Church's priests. Am I supposed to kill all of them? And if it gets out that there's someone in the Magic Academy who uses Death Cult black magic, and the Archbishop is acquainted with this person, what kind of trouble would that be? What do you think we should do?"

  Asa nodded silently, indeed it's not easy to handle. Asked: "Then how to deal with it now?"

  "What's going on now? What's happening? I don't know anything, I was discussing things with the bishop all afternoon, the bishop can be my witness. I don't know how these people died here, and they've smashed up my stuff, I don't even know who to ask for compensation."

  A Sa was taken aback, then nodded. He was speechless.

  "Don't be swayed by simple emotions, think about the consequences of what's to come and do what you should. Remember that thing on your neck isn't just for growing hair. You're leaving tomorrow to retrieve that book, and in your current state, it's unclear if you'll even make it back alive."

  Shandru's scolding tone gradually leveled out. "Many things feel uncomfortable at first, but to survive in this world, you must learn to get used to them. This world doesn't revolve around your feelings."

  A Sa sighed, wanting to nod his head, and also wanting to shake it.