CHAPTER 968: CHAPTER 37: KILL ORDER FROM THE WORLDLY SOCIETY (PART 2)

Upon thinking of this, Xiao Jie suddenly felt like laughing. Unfortunately, the system overlooked one detail: these "old acquaintances" are all characters within the game, and their names are titles within the game. Their appearance in this world not only failed to confuse Xiao Jie but instead served as glaring tags, allowing him to distinguish more clearly between illusion and reality!

Especially when the names of those long-deceased teammates reappeared in the world, it only strengthened his resolve to keep silent.

Xiao Jie was about to turn and leave when suddenly someone in the crowd cried out in alarm, pointing directly at him:

"Look quickly! It’s Jiu Jianxian!"

Xiao Jie was startled, thinking to himself how coincidental this was. He turned his head to look and saw a well-built man leaning on a long spear excitedly pointing at him.

Xiao Jie was momentarily stunned, then immediately realized—damn, this bastard is referring to him.

He couldn’t help but curse inwardly: What kind of eyesight do you have!

He opened his mouth, but could not distinguish at all—he couldn’t speak!

The people nearby all turned their eyes toward Xiao Jie.

"Yes, he does look a bit like him."

"Hey, kid, are you Jiu Jianxian?"

"Not speaking, surely guilty!"

"Quick, report to the officials!"

"Report what officials, kill him for a reward!"

Seeing the crowd getting noisy, with many dressed like Jianghu people even brandishing icy blades.

Xiao Jie’s heart suddenly sank—not good—damn, is this mischievous system not playing fair? Is it necessary to dig traps so blatantly?

The painting was extraordinarily abstract; apart from having a nose and two eyes, there was no resemblance to Jiu Jianxian, not to mention they used different weapons. This was clearly the system acting as a ghost!

Xiao Jie dared not hesitate, turned on his heel and walked away. If he were truly caught by the authorities, he couldn’t speak and wouldn’t be able to explain clearly.

"Everyone quick look, this person is fleeing, surely guilty as we said. He is indeed the great thief, Jiu Jianxian!"

"Quick, quick, quick! Don’t let him escape!"

Xiao Jie felt bitter, exerted force in his steps, his figure shot forward into the alleys like an arrow leaving the string. Shouts and footsteps pursued him relentlessly, several Jianghu fellows evidently saw him as a chance for fame and fortune. He specifically chose narrow and winding alleys, using hanging clothes and piled junk to obstruct the pursuers.

Behind him came angry curses: "Jiu Jianxian, stop!"

"Cease running! Leave your head and earn the reward!"

Xiao Jie turned a deaf ear, feeling only the wind whistling past his ears, sweat soaked his back. He suddenly slammed open a slightly ajar back door, rolling into an even darker alleyway, temporarily eluding sight, but the footsteps of the pursuers still echoed like maggots clinging to bones in the alleys.

Damn! This system isn’t even pretending! Xiao Jie cursed inwardly. Just after rushing out of the alley entrance, he collided with a person heading towards the sound, with a horizontal steel knife blocking his path. A sharp look flashed in Xiao Jie’s eyes, killing intent arose—being cornered like this, he might as well make a desperate fight! The long knife in his hand slashed down rapidly and without frills!

Thud!

The person’s long sword didn’t even have time to leave its scabbard before blood spurted from his neck, and he fell to the ground without a sound. Xiao Jie hardened his heart, thinking that he was already a fugitive. Seeing a merchant leading a horse standing in shock nearby, he reversed his grip and cut him down effortlessly. Grabbing the reins, he leaped onto the horse, spurred its belly fiercely, and galloped wildly towards the wilderness outside the city...

The sun was setting in the west, and both man and horse were exhausted. Looking at the desolate wilderness and the endless mountains and forests around him, Xiao Jie pulled the horse to a stop and sighed deeply. "Forget it, it’s not safe to stay here; it’s better to find another place to lay low," he thought.

However, after this incident, he had gained a better understanding of the mechanisms in this Taixu Illusion Realm and even got a horse out of it, so it wasn’t a wasted trip after all.

A feeling of hunger hit him, and Xiao Jie dismounted and tied the horse to a tree. His sharp gaze scanned the bushes. In no time, two plump wild chickens appeared in sight, pecking at grass seeds.

Xiao Jie held his breath and focused, flipping his wrist to grip two flying knives between his fingers. He slightly lifted his arm and flicked his wrist sharply! "Swish, swish" — two faint sounds broke the air, barely audible. The two wild chickens fell instantly, unable to even struggle, as their skulls were accurately shattered. He walked over to pick up his prey, feeling the weight in his hands.

This technique with hidden weapons was something he had practiced arduously every day for over a decade, replicating the Meteor Soul Chasing Dart technique from his memory. Though ineffective against masters without the support of Inner Strength, it was perfect for a rabbit or wild chicken.

Finding a clear stream, Xiao Jie efficiently plucked the wild chickens, cleaned them, and removed their entrails. He looked around, picked a few large, fragrant, green wild lotus leaves, and dug up some moist yellow clay.

He wrapped the wild chickens, which he’d rubbed a bit of coarse salt onto, tightly in layers of lotus leaves, ensuring no juices would leak out. Then, Xiao Jie skillfully spread the moist yellow clay evenly over the lotus leaf bundles, forming two solid clay balls. He chose a flat, dry spot by the stream, dug a shallow pit, and buried the clay balls, then lit a bonfire over them. The fire crackled and popped as he occasionally turned the wood to control the heat. As the moisture in the clay slowly dried, the fragrance of the lotus leaves mixed with the scent of chicken fat began to waft through the air.

After half an hour, judging the time to be about right, Xiao Jie raked away the fire and ashes carefully and unearthed the two clay balls, hardened by the fire.

He gently tapped the hot clay shell with the back of his knife, peeled back the now-brown lotus leaves. Suddenly, a burst of steam carrying the fragrance of lotus leaves and rich meat scent rose dramatically! The chicken inside was golden in color, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, dripping with fat. Ignoring the heat, Xiao Jie tore off a chicken leg, blew on it, and devoured it eagerly, feeling some relief from the weariness of his recent travels.

This Grandmaster Level cooking skill was indeed not wasted. Although everything in the Taixu Illusion Realm felt as real as reality, and he could no longer effortlessly create food like in the game, yet as soon as he got to work, the next step would pop into his mind automatically, making the cooking process quite smooth.

Just as he was eating heartily, enjoying the oil dripping from his mouth, a light yet abrupt "splash" of water unexpectedly broke the tranquility of the wilderness. Instantly alert, Xiao Jie tensed his muscles and looked up sharply in the direction of the sound. Upstream, a figure was wading through the water towards him. The person was dressed in coarse clothing, with a large, worn straw hat covering most of his face, carrying a large yellow-skinned gourd slung over his shoulder with an inconspicuous stick. His steps seemed slow, yet there was an indescribable steadiness to them.

Xiao Jie chuckled to himself. "Oh great, here comes another one," he thought.

"Let me guess, is this a worldly expert asking me to request tutelage, or—"

"What a delightful aroma! Young man, this old man is hungry. Would you mind sharing some of that chicken?" The straw-hatted old man stood by the stream, sniffing greedily, although a gleam seemed to flash across his murky eyes unexpectedly.

Xiao Jie’s mind blared with alarms, but since the stranger hadn’t shown any hostility yet, he couldn’t just outright rebuff him. Silently, he tore off a glossy chicken leg and deftly tossed it towards the old man. The old man chuckled, caught it effortlessly with his bony hand, didn’t mind the heat, and started chomping down, eating with delight, his face glistening with oil.

"Delicious, delicious! Give me some more!" The old man licked his fingers and unabashedly asked for more.

With a slight frown, Xiao Jie tossed the remaining half chicken over. The old man beamed and was about to feast when—

"Thud, thud, thud, thud..."

The rapid and concentrated sound of hooves came closer, like a sudden rainstorm breaking the mountain wilderness’s silence! Xiao Jie stood up sharply, and amidst the swirling dust, a dozen Jianghu people had already arrived on horseback, quickly spreading out with their swords drawn, blocking the paths to and from the stream with a cold shimmer.

Xiao Jie’s heart sank, and he sighed inwardly! Without hesitation, he picked up the steel knife beside him and held it horizontally in front of him.

It seemed he would have to carve a bloody path out today! Fortunately, after the morning’s battle, he had become more adept at using the Saber Skill, even managing to awkwardly execute the forms of some exquisite moves from the Phantom Annihilation Blade Technique. However, the lack of Inner Strength greatly diminished their power.

Dealing with a dozen ordinary Jianghu people shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

As for the old man, it was hard to gauge his depth. He had the aura of a worldly expert, unknown if he was friend or foe.

But there was one thing he could roughly be certain of; the purpose of these people’s appearance was undoubtedly to force him to speak.

Sure enough, the next second, the chicken leg-chewing old man slowly spoke: "Young man, I see no evil or vicious aura between your brows, so why resort to violence? There must be some misunderstanding here; why not explain a bit? If you aren’t Jiu Jianxian, just say so."