Chapter 112: Slaying Monsters, Demons, and Even “Humans”

The Martial World is Xu Xi’s third simulation.

The people here.

The mortals here.

Are the most miserable among the three simulation worlds.

In the Cultivation World, mortals and cultivators are separated, ruled by ordinary mortal dynasties, and only occasionally do cultivators come to pick children with spiritual roots.

And from time to time, kind-hearted cultivators show mercy, saving and protecting the local people.

In the Magic World, steam and magic run through the entire civilization. Mages have their place, and mortals have their necessity, like tightly interlocking gears moving forward together.

But the situation in the Martial World is terrible.

The ordinary people here don’t even have the right to decide their own life or death.

Xu Xi has asked the townsfolk of Qingniu Town, or traveled to other towns, talking to different people to understand their past.

Surprisingly.

Most of them once lived in the Thirteen Provinces of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Only because of their low status or offending the powerful, they were exiled to the border of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

Young people like Zhang Tieniu, born at the border, know nothing about life inside the Great Qian.

The Ten Thousand Mountains are dangerous, filled with bloodthirsty demons and monsters.

The endless Demon Tide mercilessly wipes out everyone at the border, devouring them completely, and then a new batch of “criminals” is sent by the Great Qian.

Starting a new, endless cycle.

“Brother Xu, what do people in the city eat? Is it demon meat too?”

“A Niu, why are you suddenly asking this?”

“Hehehe, my mom said there are lots of delicious things in the city, even the white rice tastes better than ours.”

“…Compared to what we eat, it’s indeed much better, the rice is finer.”

“Wow~~~ That’s great, I also want to eat sweet white rice.”

The sky is gloomy, the cold wind biting.

Trees sway in the wind, the ground frozen hard. In such conditions, even strong men shiver from the cold.

The simple and honest A Niu, wrapped in a slightly tattered robe.

His tone full of longing.

When he hears Xu Xi’s description of white rice, he can’t help but swallow, though he’s never tasted it, his mind conjures the most wonderful flavor, making his mouth water.

“Brother Xu.”

The sun-tanned man asks again.

“Are the lords in the city really descended from the stars of literature and martial arts?”

“My mom said, the lords are born to enjoy life, eating ten big cakes in one meal, changing robes five times a day, different from us mud-legged folks.”

A Niu rubs his hands, blowing warm air on them.

The back of his hands slightly purple.

A minor side effect from long-term consumption of demon meat, harmless but unsightly.

Martial artists can resolve it with Qi and Blood, but mortals are left with the marks for life.

“No, A Niu.”

After a moment of silence, Xu Xi reaches out, gently patting the honest man’s shoulder, brushing off the snow.

“People from the Thirteen Provinces of the Great Qian, people from the Imperial Capital, people living in Qingniu Town, there’s no difference.”

“They also get hungry, also get thirsty, also bleed and die.”

“They are not nobler than you, and you are not inferior to them.”

Is… is that so…

The man seems to understand, yet not quite, his face flashing with confusion, unable to fully grasp Xu Xi’s words.

He interprets it in his own logic.

The lords can eat white rice.

Brother Xu says, we are the same as the lords.

Which means…

“I can also eat white rice in the future!?”, A Niu lets out a hearty laugh, laughing for a long time, until after a while, he suddenly hands Xu Xi a basket.

“Brother Xu, these are vegetable balls my mom made for you, still warm!”

The bamboo-woven basket, sturdy and durable, with clear textures.

Covered with a piece of cloth, gently blocking the snowflakes, preventing them from falling on the dark green vegetable balls.

Xu Xi doesn’t refuse, taking the basket:

“I’ll take it, thank Aunt Zhang for me, A Niu.”

“Alright!”

A Niu scratches his head, turning away with inexplicable excitement, while Xu Xi stands still, watching the figure gradually disappear into the distant snowstorm.

His right hand reaches into the basket, casually grabbing a vegetable ball, taking a bite.

The taste is bitter and astringent.

Neither crisp nor tasty.

Having lived in Qingniu Town for seven years, Xu Xi knows why, because the vegetable balls are made from wind grass, a plant with a rough and sour taste.

Very poor, very nauseating, very unpalatable.

But this is the best the people of Qingniu Town can usually eat.

They can only express their gratitude to Xu Xi in this way, thanking him for always sharing demon meat, allowing them to survive.

“What a messed up world…”

Xu Xi looks up at the cold sky, then slowly closes his eyes.

The weather is cold, but his chest is warm.

It’s not just the surge of Qi and Blood, but also an indescribable emotion, whether sympathy or anger.

…

[Time always passes quickly]

[In the blink of an eye, Wu Yingxue has been gone for a long time, and the cold winter has once again descended upon Qingniu Town]

[The Demon Tide arrives as scheduled, as you predicted, this year’s Demon Tide is more ferocious and terrifying than ever]

[Demons comparable to Marrow Transformation and Blood Replacement frequently appear, causing heavy casualties in Qingniu Town]

[Qingniu Town still exists]

[But in the seemingly endless Demon Tide, some familiar faces have passed away forever, including the old woman who once talked about finding you a wife, and the child who once received your martial arts guidance]

[The demons’ slaughter knows no gender or age, anyone can be attacked]

[Death is inevitable]

[Casualties are normal]

[You have initially repelled the first wave of the winter Demon Tide, and the survivors, as in previous years, express their gratitude to you with fewer voices, thanking you for protecting them]

[Half the town, deeply grateful]

In the first year after arriving in Qingniu Town, upon learning of the existence of the Thirteen Provinces of the Great Qian.

Xu Xi had made a plan to enter the heart of the Great Qian, like in traditional fantasy and martial arts novels, to see a more exciting world.

Later, Xu Xi gave up.

Firstly, the checkpoints leading to the heart of the Great Qian are heavily guarded, making it difficult for Xu Xi, a blacklisted person, to pass.

Secondly, Xu Xi found that the life-and-death battles in the Ten Thousand Mountains brought no less improvement to his Qi and Blood Martial Arts than the so-called resources inside the Great Qian.

Since then, Xu Xi settled in Qingniu Town, persistently honing himself.

Only.

Xu Xi never knew what he should do.

In the first simulation, his sister’s Heaven’s Calamity came suddenly, leaving him little free time, always searching for a way to save her.

In the second simulation, Xu Xi possessed the Wisdom of Mortals, spending his life unraveling the mysteries of magic, showing the witch the beauty of the mortal world.

Then, in this life?

Should he keep training hard, relying on the Perseverance trait, becoming a max-level Sword God of Ten Mile Slope.

Or, like in passionate web novels, become a battle-focused protagonist who stands alone through the ages.

In the snowstorm now.

In the withering Qingniu Town.

Facing the poor people thanking him, Xu Xi can’t help but recall, years ago, a glimpse of the Great Qian army, filled with killing intent, yet only willing to guard the checkpoint.

At this moment, Xu Xi finally understands what he wants to do in this simulation.

He wants to kill.

Kill demons, kill monsters, and kill “people”.