NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: Worse Condition
The assassins escaped, though this retreat cost them disastrous losses.
Meanwhile, back at the eastern streets, within an alley just beside a closed pub, Spark's figure could be seen.
And he was not in good shape, to say the least…
His body convulsed helplessly on the hard, rocky floor, his eyes rolled to the back, leaving only the whites. His face was contorted to the extreme, expressing the pain he was passing through.
There are about 600+ muscles and approximately 4000 tendons in the human body, and in this battle Spark could only utilize about 230 muscle tissues and about 1888 tendons. The strain that was meant to be shared among the whole was concentrated on this few.
The stunts he pulled in this battle were too much for his injured self to bear. Right now, his muscles were undergoing spasms, his chest was tightened so much that he could barely take in enough oxygen to keep himself lucid.
And adding salt to the injury, his energy reserves were dangerously low, so his little barrier isolating his pain receptors had long fallen apart. Right now, it was as though the floodgates were open, letting in an unbearable torrent of pain.
Truthfully, if the Godslayers had taken the odds and pushed further for attack, they would have won eventually. Instead, they let their fear get the better of them.
But one couldn't judge them. Spark masked his condition perfectly. Even when they began retreating, his breakdown had already started, but he had to grit his teeth and continue besieging them lest they sense something wrong.
"Aargh!" He let out a slight cry before biting down on his lips to keep himself quiet.
Who knew if some scouts were nearby? What if they learned of his current condition?
He couldn't take chances. He had learned a lesson today—the residents of this world were not to be underestimated. Cultivator or not, he had to always be on guard.
Thankfully, this lesson came before he embarked on the mission to vanquish Slade and his crew. After all, if guards of a dying empire could put him in this state, he couldn't imagine what he would go through when facing a whole crew of unruly bandits that practiced martial arts.
In reality, Spark was overthinking it. He didn't know that the squad he faced wasn't an ordinary squad. If anything was to blame, he had to blame his misfortune for encountering a Godslayer squad unit.
And so, Spark remained in this state—drifting in and out of consciousness repeatedly—and a severe soul-tearing pain. It was as though his brain was registering every nickel of pain down to the smallest of cells.
Minutes passed, and they turned to hours…
And finally, after about three hours, his body was salvageable. First thing he did the moment he came to was mobilize the slightest bit of energy left in his system and reconstruct the barrier in his brain, isolating his pain receptors once more.
After this, he mustered the strength to pick himself up. After a few attempts, he was up on his feet, albeit using the wall for support.
And slowly but surely, he limped towards his residence. He was careful not to catch the attention of patrolling guards. When he noticed them, he couldn't help but feel annoyed—seriously, where were they when he was besieged?
Anyways, after about forty minutes, he was finally standing before the inn. A sudden wave of exhaustion and relief washed over him, as he was back in a safe space.
He dragged himself in. Nobody was sitting at the receptionist desk—this was a given, as it was already about midnight.
But looking to his right, he was surprised to see Hai along with a very old man sitting at the diner. The fireplace was still lit, and they were having a conversation which paused the moment he walked in, as they both turned their gaze to him.
If he didn't know any better, he might have believed they were waiting for him. Who is the elder? he wondered, pondering the possibility of him being another guest.
'Ah, whatever. I don't care—I need a nice soak right now.' Not bothering to greet, he continued his limp, scampering his way to the stairs. It was not that he didn't want to greet, but his muscles were so sore that he was almost completely paralyzed from head to toe. Him walking was courtesy of his technique The Greed of Force and the Deception of Path.
Seeing Spark's battered and bleeding figure struggling to make his way up the stairs, Hai was shocked and concerned. He hurriedly got to his feet, wanting to rush to help.
But before he could even move, the old man who was sitting before Hai had unknowingly appeared by his side. Putting his hand on Hai's shoulder, he forced him back down into his seat.
It was strange—how could such a frail and hunched elder move so fast and have such strength?
"Father, he is a customer. I have to help…" Hai frowned as he explained.
The elder turned his gaze away from Spark's now receding figure and back to Hai. The yellow glow of the fireplace illuminated his face, showing wrinkled, saggy skin and a pair of cloudy pupils—not the type a blind man would have. It was more like that of a person who had seen the divine and lost the glow of his eyes.
"It is mainly because he is a customer—that's why I didn't kick him out…" the elder said gently while patting Hai's head.
Glancing back in the direction of Spark's room, he added, "That lad reeks too much of slaughter."
…
Back in his room, Spark made his way to the washroom, where a wooden bathtub stood. Luckily, it was filled with water. Though cold, he couldn't care less. Right now, his body was so numb he couldn't feel anything even if he tried.
Stripping himself out of his ragged and bloodied clothes, followed by the bandages, he made his way into the tub.
The moment his body met the water, all the dried flakes of blood all over his body gradually softened, then dissolved. And the still-fresh blood—which was his—directly mixed with the water, turning the once-clear surface crimson.
A satisfying smile crept onto Spark's face as he immediately drifted into sleep…
Morning came quickly, and Spark would have still been fully asleep if it were up to him.
But unfortunately, life had other plans. A loud voice boomed from the front of the building, causing him to jolt up in disarray and confusion.
"BLOODIED SHADOW, WE KNOW YOU ARE HERE. GET OUT NOW AND FACE JUDGMENT!!!"