Volume 4 Chapter 10: The Reason Why Humans are Human

Liu Rou was filled with a mysterious feeling of stimulation and excitement, making her entire body tremble slightly.

When she initially discovered that the Green Luan Academy opponent she drew in was actually from Yuhua Family, she really did feel fear.

However, at the same time, she also understood extremely clearly that a Thunder Academy student like her without any exceptional background, in the struggles between the emperor, Green Luan Academy and those seated behind layers of curtains, only had a chance of survival in the empire by being completely loyal to one side.

That was why she still decisively carried out this assassination.

Because the other party's powerful background and connections, and because this might be related to her future prospects, Liu Rou felt as if this dagger nailed down her own fate as well.

Even though the instant the dagger penetrated deeply into the other party's flesh, she could already tell that the other party's cultivation already reached initial stage Soul Expert level from the resistance, a level higher than her own late stage Soul Knight cultivation. Liu Rou also understood that this strike would inflict tremendous damage on the other party extremely clearly. She knew that the other party's soul force wouldn't be able to react in time, that as long as he wasn't given a chance to stop the bleeding, it would be hard for him to leave this ice and snow wasteland.

...

Yuhua Tianji's eyes looked at Liu Rou in a somewhat empty manner, looking like he never expected Liu Rou's prisoner act to be that realistic. The blood on Liu Rou's face had long formed scars, these were clearly old wounds that had long been prepared beforehand. This meant that this competition wasn't fair to begin with, even if the emperor didn't say anything, Thunder Academy's people were still fully aware that he would adopt this type of method.

Hot blood splashed across the ice and snow, releasing sizzling noises.

Liu Rou's legs were extremely strong. She heard the sounds of bones cracking from Yuhua Tianji's chest.

Her mind was extremely clear, by borrowing the force of this stomp, she would flip out seven to eight steps of distance. Meanwhile, the dagger in her hands would separate from Yuhua Tianji's body, thus making even more hot blood pour out.

However, when her dagger was already halfway from separating from his body, it didn't leave Yuhua Tianji's body.

Right at this time, the pale face of this skinny blonde youngster with somewhat empty eyes became scarlet red. One hand grabbed the dagger that was in the middle of leaving his body, the other hand gripping her wrist.

Blood flowed out from his hand, but his body didn't completely separate from Liu Rou's, instead rushing at her. His forehead smashed fiercely into Liu Rou's face.

Since there was no way of retreating, then he would advance!

Her body that had been tempered through many real life and death situations produced direct reactions, making Liu Rou once again forcefully stab the dagger in her hands inwards, penetrating from Yuhua Tianji's shoulder into his chest, and then she twisted the blade. At the same time, her left hand quickly extended two fingers, stabbing towards Yuhua Tianji's eyes.

However, right at this time, a feeling of disbelief and panic immediately overwhelmed everything, surging from her mind.

When faced with this knife that was twisting in his flesh, when faced with these two fingers aimed at his eyes, the expression in Yuhua Tianji's eyes was still empty, actually not much fear to be seen from his face. Meanwhile, he instead slightly straightened his left shoulder, the dagger in her hands actually momentarily held in place by his bones. At the same time, he only opened his mouth, revealing his snow-white teeth. Like an ordinary small town ruffian, he bit down towards Liu Rou's fingers.

Liu Rou retracted her hand.

Bang!

Yuhua Tianji's knee smashed fiercely into her abdomen.

The instant she pulled back her hand, her left elbow also struck Yuhua Tianji's forehead. However, following a muffled groan, Yuhua Tianji's mouthful of blood shot out like an arrow, spraying over her face.

Her eyes immediately felt a sharp pain, everything before her eyes red, mouth and nose blocked by blood, momentarily unable to breathe.

Bang!

Her knee also smashed into Yuhua Tianji's abdomen, while Yuhua Tianji's fist also smashed heavily into her, landing on her shoulder.

The two of them, from start to finish, never left one or two feet of distance. Right now, it was completely exchanging blow for blow, not like a battle of skill between cultivators at all.

There was dripping blood between both of them, but most of it was Yuhua Tianji's blood. After losing large amounts of blood, Liu Rou could sense that Yuhua Tianji's strength clearly also decreased substantially, or else that strike might have shattered her shoulder bone. She knew that this situation was still extremely advantageous for her, but her originally clear brain instead became more and more unclear.

Could it be that the other party didn't care about his own life or death at all, that he didn't want to live?

Could it be that the other party didn't feel pain at all?

Towards normal cultivators, just a bit of pain might make one lose their fighting strength for a moment, but Yuhua Tianji's movements actually didn't become sluggish in the slightest!

Her eyes were blurry from blood, unable to see clearly, her heart also flustered.

However, the expression on Yuhua Tianji's face still didn't show any changes. After blocking the fist the other party subconsciously threw out, as if he was going in for a kiss, he suddenly lowered his head, this forehead finally smashing down fiercely on Liu Rou's face.

Ah!

This Thunder Academy young lady released a miserable cry, her entire body immediately going rigid.

It was precisely at this time that Yuhua Tianji was sure she couldn't bring further harm to his body, and thus grabbed the short spear from his back that he previously put away to not 'scare this young female prisoner'.

Then, right when this Thunder Academy young lady staggered backwards, subconsciously rolling, he gathered all of his strength, a spear fiercely stabbing into this young lady's abdomen.

Scalding blood poured out from the young lady's body. Yuhua Tianji also sat down out of a momentary powerlessness. The young lady's dagger was still impaled in his left shoulder, if it went in even a few inches more, it would have pierced his heart.

The young lady clutched her own wound in disbelief, sitting down. Her face and body were covered in blood, her appearance that was originally quite good even when covered in bloody scars, now looked like that of an evil spirit that crawled out from hell.

Ha ha ha...

Suddenly, this Thunder Academy young lady whose age was about the same as Lin XI's began to laugh crazily, coughing blood while crazily screaming, "Are you even a human... you don't care about your life at all, don't know what pain is... even when plotted against by me, you could actually still drag me down with you!"

"According to the competition's results, we cannot bring any clothing in, but you are wearing the clothes of a prisoner." Yuhua Tianji's body was a bit cold, shaking a bit, but his expression still remained extremely calm. He looked at this Thunder Academy young lady whose entire body was covered in blood, asking, "Where is the prisoner you discovered?"

Liu Rou stared blankly for a moment, and then she became even more crazy, laughing in an incomprehensible manner. "Our mission is to kill the prisoners. The one that I found, you tell me if he can still live? ... you've suffered such heavy injuries, yet you still aren't thinking about yourself, still worried about some prisoner... are you even human?"

"I am merely a human different from you."

Yuhua Tianji stood up. Half of his body was already completely dyed red by blood, from his skinny body and extremely pale face, it was clear that there was no way he had the strength to withstand his injuries, yet he just inconceivably stood back up just like that.

"Why do you think we humans live? Is it just so we can eat a bit more tasty food, or perhaps wear some pretty clothes?" While looking at Liu Rou who could no longer speak because he stood up, Yuhua Tianji said this softly, as if he was muttering in his sleep, "The reason a human lives, isn't to satisfy our physical needs, but rather to satisfy our spiritual needs... I am different from you, because I have more faith than you."

"Faith?" Liu Rou suddenly became angry, coughing while screaming, "Someone like you who was born out of a prestigious house, someone who is naturally set up on high, of course you can pursue this so-called faith. If you were the illegitimate daughter born under a butcher in the slums, would you still be able to arrogantly spout these things?"

"Then what is it that you want?" Yuhua Tianji frowned. The feeling he gave off right now was that of a true priest, and not that of an exceptionally pale-faced youngster. It was because on the battlefield, a war priest who didn't care about their own serious wounds, but rather consoled other seriously injured individuals, was even more astonishing. "What you want is an identity and status that others think highly of?" Yuhua Tianji looked at this indescribably furious, malicious spirit like Thunder Academy young lady, saying with a frown, "Just for this, you can give up anything else, even do things you originally weren't willing to do?"

Liu Rou's body trembled slightly, momentarily unable to reply.

"Without faith and your own persistence, even if you have an identity and status others think highly of, so what? When facing those who you have to curry favor with... you will still be like a plaything, toyed with at will. Would those people think much of you? Would you think much of yourself? At that time, you might feel that you are even lower than a butcher's illegitimate daughter."

"Only by treating other humans as humans, even the most lowly refugees and prisoners... only by treating yourself as a human, will a human be human. Even though my Yuhua Family and Green Luan Academy have our divergent opinions on some matters, we share the exact same beliefs on this point. Moreover, my Yuhua Family also highly praises the humanity of Principal Zhang and Vice Principal Xia, and that is why everyone from my Yuhua Family attends Green Luan Academy for our studies." Yuhua Tianji slowly walked up to Liu Rou's side, first tearing off a strip of her prisoner clothes, forcefully pressing and binding his own wounds, and then he began to treat Liu Rou's injuries.

"You aren't going to kill me?"

Liu Rou's body suddenly went rigid, but her eyes instead began to shed tears.

Treat humans as humans... treat oneself as human... Liu Rou continuously repeated these words in her heart. Suddenly, she remembered something, forcefully pushing away Yuhua Tianji who was helping her with her injuries. "Hurry and leave! You need to hurry and leave! My armor is to the east, there is some food that I hunted, if you head east... you should stay as far away as possible!"

Yuhua Tianji was momentarily startled. "Why?"

Liu Rou's voice became even more urgent and cold. "Senior Helan's area of search isn't far from this place, the blood from our bodies... he might very well..."

Yuhua Tianji's back suddenly went cold, as if he had been targeted by a wild vicious beast.

"Liu Rou, you really are a good Thunder Academy student." Right at this time, an ice-cold sneer sounded. Then, the light sounds of stepping on ice and snow could be heard. A voice full of indescribable coldness and mockery sounded, "You really know how to make considerations for your opponent."