《Legend of the Great Saint》


 Chapter 1

    Under the pitch black curtain of the night, the unbroken chains of mountain peaks crouched like giant beasts, quietly waiting for dawn.Under a small hill shaped like a crouching bull sat a small small village.


    ¡°Li the Second, wake up and hurry up to get to work!¡± A scold broke the silence. A middle-aged peasant woman with a waist like a barrel cursed at the bullpen.


    On a stack of hay in the bullpen, a thin young man woke up with a start from his dreams, blankly thinking: ¡°Where am I?¡±


    He had that dream again. In the dream he lived in a city with high-rising buildings, and he played all day on the magical treasure known as a computer. On the streets strange monsters made of steel pushed and shoved and bumped into each others.


    Then finally on a certain day, he was run over by a strange beast called ¡°BMW.¡±


    Then he suddenly awoke. Oh right, he crossed to another world.


    More than a dozen years had gone by, and the things that happened in his previous world were almost like a dream. S~?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    He felt the itch of mosquito bites as he surveyed his surroundings. Obviously this wasn¡¯t any kind of grand place. There was probably no world-crosser as miserable as him in the whole universe.


    Counting the time, it¡¯d been probably fifteen years already!


    His parents in this world were the most ordinary of farmers in this Crouching Bull Village, and they both passed away years ago when he was still a child, leaving him to be raised by his older brother. His brother was Li the Eldest, so he was Li the Second.


    The village wasn¡¯t very sophisticated and many villagers went all their lives without a decent name. Thanks to the knowledge from his previous world, he had chosen a formal name for himself, called ¡°Li Qingshan,¡± meaning Li Green Hill.


    ¡°Why be bones buried in the birthland, when life is high and low a green hill?¡±1 Even if he crossed to another world, he still had to survive. No, he had to lead a better life than in his previous world, or it would be a waste of this second life the heavens had given him.


    Remembering his childhood back when he had just crossed over, his mood quieted down from dread and confusion, and the grand ambition of a world-crossed ignited in his chest. But then he found out his belly was hungry, and he had no food to eat.


    Those brother and sister-in-law of his saw him like a burden. They threw all the dirty and tiring chores at him, and they always left him the worst food. There was no shred of any family affection.


    His age was small and he had nowhere to go. The only thing he could do was to try and display the attitude of a child prodigy, but people thought he was possessed by ghosts, and the village witch forcefully poured his belly full of blessed water. He hadn¡¯t dared to act rashly since then.


    Consequently the villagers still called him Li the Second. Li Qingshan was only a joke.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s sister-in-law cursed him for a while, and when he showed no reaction, she broke inside and brandished a bamboo strip in her hand, mercilessly whipping it on his body. ¡°Lazy bones, play dead will you, play dead!¡±


    Li Qingshan was thinking of his former life and his mind was distracted by his anxiety right then. He abruptly stood up and snatched the bamboo strip away, glaring at the peasant woman.


    Big Wife Li saw that the child from back then was already half a head taller than her, and she felt some fear, but her momentum didn¡¯t diminish in the least: ¡°What a good Li the Second. We raised you painstakingly for so long, but you still dare to act wild with me. Wait til your brother wakes up and sorts you out. You¡¯re not getting anything to eat!¡± She turned and left as soon as she was done talking.


    After Big Wife Li left, Li Qingshan threw away the bamboo strip and sighed heavily. He went beside the manger and told an old green bull: ¡°Elder brother bull, Elder brother bull, I already grew up and became a man. I don¡¯t want to endure this anymore, I just don¡¯t want to part with you.¡±


    His parents had split the family properties on their deathbed, but the house and farm fields had all been forcibly seized by his brother and sister-in-law. The only property he had left now was this green bull.


    Thanks to this bull he could usually find work with his landowner, and he could still tag along and get enough to eat. He didn¡¯t know how thin he be if he had to stay at home and only eat rice peels or wild grasses. So he never treated the bull like livestock, and instead respectfully called it ¡°elder brother bull.¡±


    Everyone in the village knew that Li the Second could do without Big Brother Li, but he couldn¡¯t do without big brother bull.


    The green bull had a shiny hide and was plump and strong. It was obvious how much time and energy Li Qingshan spent everyday on taking care of it, but it already showed signs of aging, and one of his horns was broken. That break was very smooth, like the cut of a blade.


    The green bull opened its moist eyes and watched Li Qingshan as if it could understand human emotions. When it pulled itself together and stood up, Li Qingshan hefted himself on it with practiced ease before it leisurely walked toward the Crouching Bull Hill.


    Li Qingshan raised his head and watched the sky as he rode on the green bull. The stars were incomparably bright; it was a brilliance that didn¡¯t exist in that other world. Like an ordinary cowboy, he blew a crisp and clear tune on his flute.


    The flute¡¯s sound reverberated in the early fog. Behind him the village woke up gradually.


    Trees were sparse on the Crouching Bull Hill and the green grass was laid like a mattress.


    Li Qingshan borrowed the faint light from the east and gazed to the west. The mountains linked themselves in uninterrupted ranges, and deeper in were the hundred thousand great mountains. Rumors had it that not only wild beasts but even spirits and ghosts haunted them, so hunters didn¡¯t dare go deep inside.


    Li Qingshan had never seen a decent map in the village, and he couldn¡¯t figure out this world¡¯s geography. He only knew the mountains were incomparably tall, and the rivers incomparably vast. Even if they contained all kinds of perils, it was still a whole new world waiting for him to explore.


    Li Qingshan had already made his decision to leave, and in the end he patted the green bull¡¯s back a few times.


    ¡°Elder brother bull, elder brother bull, you¡¯re already so old, if I sold you others would certainly cut you up and eat your meat. These skies are broad and the lands are vast, so wander forth. There are many savage beasts in the mountains, you be careful.¡±


    At this time, the smartest thing to do was to sell the green bull and gather some travel expenses. He¡¯d also have some guarantees in Suncheer City, or else he might fall down in hunger and die in the streets. But he refused to do such.


    Any farmer would laugh if they heard of such childish practices, but this was his resolve.


    ¡°You already call me big brother, how can I bear to part ways?¡±


    ¡°One may send off a guest for a thousand miles, but the time will still come to say good¡­bye¡­¡± Li Qingshan answered instinctively, but his voice became lower bit by bit. He stared at the green bull with round eyes and felt like all the hairs on his body had stood up. He retreated a step: ¡°Evil spirit!¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, I won¡¯t harm you.¡±


    Anyway they¡¯d gotten along for so many years so Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t actually very afraid, but he just couldn¡¯t accept this surreal scene for a while. But after thinking about all he had gone through, he also calmed down and tentatively probed with a frown: ¡°Are you really elder brother bull?¡±


    The green bull saw him calm down so fast and nodded its bullhead in praise: ¡°Worthy of someone with innate wisdom.¡±


    ¡°What innate wisdom?¡± Li Qingshan immediately became wary. He absolutely didn¡¯t want others to discover his status of a world-crosser. He remembered that while he could usually still pretend in front of the villagers, he wasn¡¯t so guarded in front of this green bull, and his attitude didn¡¯t match his status and age. He never thought that the bull had already seen it clearly.


    ¡°Occasionally some people will retain memories of their former life through the six paths of reincarnation, this is precisely called innate wisdom.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± Li Qingshan relaxed slightly. He had also heard about this kind of things, but at least his world-crosser identity wasn¡¯t yet exposed: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that this world would really have monsters and evil spirits. I even fed and took care of you for a dozen years, why didn¡¯t you speak before?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much to say. I don¡¯t ask you where you come from, you don¡¯t ask me where I come from. It¡¯s enough for you to know what I can give you.¡±


    ¡°Give me¡­what?¡±


    ¡°Have you heard about supernatural powers?¡±


    The green bull didn¡¯t wait for Li Qingshan¡¯s questions and continued to say: ¡°The so-called ¡®supernatural powers¡¯ are the means of demon and gods who know all under heaven. Down below you can shift mountains and fill up the sea, up above you can gather the stars and hold the moon. You can live long if you desire a long life, and if you wish for immortality you can obtain immortality. Let alone glory and wealth, gold and women, those you can obtain in passing. Are you tempted?¡±


    This ¡°supernatural¡± word simply contained all the longings of every living person. Li Qingshan was also but one in the crowd, how could he not be tempted?


    The deeper feeling was incredulity, like a person blind for a more than a dozen years suddenly opening his eyes. Everything in front of his eyes was so dazzling and fascinating, and he was filled with an unreal sensation.


    Li Qingshan restrained his heart¡¯s excitement: ¡°Elder brother bull, you want to teach me supernatural powers?¡±


    The green bull shook its head: ¡°You¡¯re not qualified right now.¡± Then it changed the topic: ¡°If you want to cultivate supernatural powers, first you have to eat meat!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Li Qingshan wondered if he had heard wrong. He felt a burst of absurdity, supernatural skills that could move mountains, fill the sea, gather the stars and the moon, how did they get tangled together with these ordinary matters?


    ¡°The first step to cultivation is to ¡°refine vitality and produce qi,¡± refine the yuan essence in the body and transform it into true qi. With your yellow face and emaciated body, where would you find yuan essence to refine?¡±


    Li Qingshan smiled bitterly. No one who grew up and matured like him could have become robust. And for a man who struggled to carry a bucket of water to talk about shifting mountains and filling the sea, wasn¡¯t that ridiculous?


    ¡°I dare ask, where does the meat comes from?¡± How would Li Qingshan not want to eat meat? Compared to illusory immortal pills and spirit herbs, the taste of meat was truly engraved in his brain, making him dream of it at midnight and endlessly cherish the memories.


    But where would a kid who couldn¡¯t even eat his fill of coarse grains find meat to eat? He couldn¡¯t stop himself from staring at elder brother bull¡¯s plump bull body, subconsciously cutting it in his head in tenderloin, ribs, t-bone and many other parts. His eyes shone green with envy.


    The green bull hit his head: ¡°Don¡¯t get any idea about me.¡± It boldly lifted its hoof and pointed to the hundred thousand great mountains in the west: ¡°The meat is right there.¡±


    Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t happy but rather afraid instead. Was it so easy to be a hunter in this world? The mountain beasts weren¡¯t mere trifles. Moreover there was the living example of the green bull standing in front of him. Those legends about ghosts and demons weren¡¯t empty words it seemed. If he randomly crossed the path of one of those, he would have to hand over his poor life.


    But the green bull only told him not to worry and go home, then wind rose under its hooves and it left without a trace.


    Li Qingshan went alone down the hill, the excitement in his heart still hard to quiet down. This world was unexpectedly filled with so much bedazzling strange things and colorful beauty. If he could really cultivate the dao of the immortals and tread across the green hills, then it wouldn¡¯t be a waste of this name he gave himself.


    Li Qingshan returned back to his house. His Big Brother Li had already gone to the fields, and only his sister-in-law was there, leaning on the door and eating melon seeds. She rolled her eyes when she saw him. Usually when men went to work in the fields, womenfolk would do chores in the house or weave clothes to earn some pocket money, but she was famous in the village for being a lazy wench. She threw all the chores to Li Qingshan, and as to the loom, she¡¯d never even touched one.


    Li Qingshan only pretended to turn a blind eye. He went straight inside and opened the lid of the cooking pot. Don¡¯t mention hot dishes or warm rice, there wasn¡¯t even cold leftovers.


    Li Eldest¡¯s wife said eccentrically: ¡°Our family doesn¡¯t raise idle people, why don¡¯t you quickly take the bull and go work at Steward Liu¡¯s place?¡± Then she suddenly remembered: ¡°The bull?¡±


    1. Excerpt from a poem by Japanese general Saigo Takamori. Later the line was ¡°borrowed¡± by Mao Zedong in a poem of his own, making it famous in China.


    Green hill here means somewhere seen as a good place to die. The line literally means: Why should you be buried where you were born, when anywhere¡¯s a good place to die? The deeper meaning is: men shouldn¡¯t be restricted to the place they were born, but follow their aspirations throughout the whole world.


    By the way, Takamori¡¯s stand against the Meiji government is the basis of the movie The Last Samurai. Katsumoto from the movie is also based on him.

 Chapter 2

    ¡°Lost it.¡± Li Qingshan answered with a hard voice, like someone pulled back to the cruel reality from a fascinating daydream.¡°Go find it quickly, you dare to lose our family¡¯s bull. Let¡¯s see if your brother won¡¯t beat you to death, you spendthrift thing. If the bull¡¯s lost, you can also get lost!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my bull!¡± Li Qingshan walked out of the door in great strides. He was afraid he¡¯d beat up this wench if he still didn¡¯t leave, but if he really did this then he couldn¡¯t stay in the house anymore. He couldn¡¯t find another shelter to stay in either. Beggars couldn¡¯t be choosers.


    He went back to the bullpen only after sunset, utterly exhausted. His bright eyes swept around the empty bullpen, then dimmed again.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s everyday work, apart from chores and taking care of the bull, was to take the bull and help the work at the landlord¡¯s house, so he could make a little money for his family.


    Today he had no bull for the whole day, so he could only do the same work as the other hired hands. This was work that even adults found exhausting, not to mention a teenager like him, and he didn¡¯t even eat any breakfast.


    Compared to the body¡¯s fatigue, the insults and curses of the farm¡¯s steward were trivial ordinary things. He fell head first on the stack of hay and didn¡¯t want to think about anything anymore, but his belly started gurgling.


    You could imagine, in this kind of environment, even if you had lofty aspirations they would be worn away beyond recognition, leaving only the body¡¯s most basic instincts behind.


    While Li Qingshan was half-asleep, he heard the ¡°bang¡± of something heavy falling. He opened his eyes and saw a strange face, with a row of fangs both long and white. He jumped in fright, and only after waking up completely did he notice it was a wild boar dead not long ago, still radiating warmth.


    The green bull was crouching in front of the trough, watching him with a ¡°laugh.¡± He could already faintly distinguish the expressions on the green bull¡¯s face.


    The curtain of the night fell. In a village house Big Wife Li was complaining to Big Brother Li: ¡°This small bastard, he really doesn¡¯t look like anything, he unexpectedly lost such a big bull, no, he must have secretly sold it. Impossible, he must go live by himself, or he¡¯ll surely harm us if he continues like this.¡±


    Big brother Li was over thirty years old, built tall and strong, and was a famous bully in the village. But he was very humble with his young wife: ¡°He can leave, but those several mus1of good land have been distributed to him in front of the village elders.¡± They had used the pretext of Li Qingshan being too young and unable to work the farm to occupy this piece of land. Now they still hadn¡¯t given it back, but if Li Qingshan officially left they would be forced to.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t steward Liu always after this piece of land? Just sell it to him, if this little bastard has guts he can go ask it back from him.¡±


    ¡°But what if he doesn¡¯t agree to sell?¡±


    ¡°Starve him for three days, do you worry he¡¯ll still refuse?¡±


    Big Wife Li suddenly sniffed while the two were in the middle of their discussion: ¡°Do you smell something?¡±


    ¡°Smells really good, looks like someone¡¯s cooking meat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the new year or a festival, what cooking meat. Looks like, looks like, it¡¯s very close.¡±


    The two people followed the smell and came to the bullpen. Inside they saw a pot hanging over a fire, and a thick soup boiling in the pot, scattering a fragrant smell around. S?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The light of the fire swayed in the darkness, casting Li Qingshan¡¯s shadow on the walls.


    Sister-in-law Li swallowed her saliva: ¡°You little brat, where did you steal the meat?¡± She wasn¡¯t only lazy but also greedy. Looking at this meat soup she even forgot about Li Qingshan offending her, and she went up, stirring the pot with the ladle.


    Big brother Li on the other hand had sharp eyes and saw with one glance the thing Li Qingshan was sitting on, exclaiming: ¡°Wild boar!¡±


    Wild boars could be said to be extremely dangerous things in the mountains. They had tough skin, thick muscles and they were hard to wound with blades. Ordinary hunters would give way and retreat if they met one, to say nothing of catching them.


    ¡°I picked it up at the foot of the mountains when I was looking for the bull. It was injured, it was probably forced in a tight spot by hunters.¡±


    Li Qingshan told them the pretext he had prepared beforehand. He absolutely had to keep the green bull¡¯s existence a secret, otherwise if the rumor of a monster bull spread out, more likely than not some celestial temple would come knocking at his door.


    Big Brother Li was half-believing and half-dubious. He also smiled: ¡°Brother you really have the dumb luck of a dumb person, wait until I drag this boar to the market, I can sell it for a good price for sure. We¡¯ll store the money to find a wife for you.¡± At the same time he also saw the green bull inside the bullpen, thinking in his heart that now they weren¡¯t in a rush to kick him out. Wasn¡¯t this bull still able to do some farm work?


    Li Qingshan watchd Big Sister-in-law Li stir the pot looking like she couldn¡¯t wait to grab a piece and have a taste, and his good mood at boiling meet was suddenly entirely ruined. He slapped Big Wife Li¡¯s hand away: ¡°Don¡¯t randomly touch it.¡±


    Big sister Li covered her hand and retreated, howling in grief: ¡°Look at your little brother, you still didn¡¯t believe me when I said he takes advantage when you¡¯re not at home to bully me womenfolk. Now it¡¯s right in front of you, you can see yourself.¡±


    Bully you? Li Qingshan only felt a burst of nausea. At least if you were named Pan, I wouldn¡¯t suffer a loss.2


    Big brother Li¡¯s expression became abruptly gloomy: ¡°Is this how you treat your sister-in-law?¡±


    Li Qingshan lowered his head and said: ¡°I already have plans for this meat. Now I¡¯m not so young anymore, it¡¯s time I go live on my own.¡± This was something he was thinking about already while boiling the meat. He already had no desire to keep bowing his head under those eaves.


    Big Brother Li hadn¡¯t expected Li Qingshan to raise this matter first before he could open his mouth. He was startled then became greatly angry. He was a simple-minded village fellow and wasn¡¯t someone who could keep his rage inside. He clenched his fist as he went forward, about to give Li Qingshan a beating. He¡¯d drag this wild boar off first and see later.


    Li Qingshan could see that something was amiss as he approached. He stood up, grimness written over his face, but feeling some weakness in his heart. His body and bones weren¡¯t mature yet and he¡¯d exhausted himself the whole day without eating anything, how could he resist a burly adult fellow. The corner of his eyes flickered toward the green bull, but the green bull was watching this scene as if watching a play, and didn¡¯t manifest any desire to help.


    Right when Li Qingshan was crying bitterness in his heart and ready to get beaten, big brother Li stopped his steps, his vision falling on Li Qingshan¡¯s right hand.


    This coarse big hand was holding a similarly coarse short knife with a rough blade edge that was still dull even after polishing.


    This was the short knife Li Qingshan had bought at the market with the savings from living frugally for all these years. It was useful in many places, right now he used it to cut the meat.


    Li Qingshan suddenly understood that his brother was afraid, not afraid of himself but afraid of this knife. Before this moment he had never realized the shoddy short knife in his hand actually had the power to deter other people.


    Li Qingshan was only an ordinary student even in his former life, and although he¡¯d fought a few times they were only conflicts between students. Even adding his two lives together he didn¡¯t have the experience of facing people with weapons.


    Understanding this, Li Qingshan clenched the short knife in his hand. He deliberately raised it like a wild beast baring its fangs, even if he radically didn¡¯t dare use this thing.


    Big Brother Li immediately took a step back, Big Wife Li also didn¡¯t dare to howl so wildly anymore, and the two people unexpectedly retreated out of the bullpen, showing a very disappointed expression. They cursed outside then went back inside the house to discuss their ¡°great plan¡±.


    Li Qingshan turned a deaf ear, and put even the meat¡¯s fragrant smell in the back of his mind. He only stared at the short knife, his face vaguely reflected within. This cheap product worth a few silvers had protected him just then, sparing him from suffering physical pain, sparing him from insults, and also preserving his spoils of war.


    Although it was a matter of course, but at that moment it seemed like his mind had broadened and everything had become clear.


    The green bull crouched in front of the trough and watched at him with a smile.


    The light of the fire swayed and the giant black man on the wall stood holding a knife. At this precise moment, a young man understood the exact value of power.


    After a long time, Li Qingshan sat down once more, tweaking his ear and scratching his cheek as he looked anxiously at the pot: ¡°How much longer do I need to cook this meat?¡± Originally he was already someone who couldn¡¯t be happy without meat. Those dozen years had really been a bitter hardship for him. When his parents were still there he could still eat a few mouthfuls during new year or holidays, but now even without mentioning his parents passing away, those few slices of meat weren¡¯t enough for Big Wife Li by herself.


    At this moment even immortal pills placed in front of him wouldn¡¯t make him as impatient as this pot of meat.


    The boar was a big fat boar and this pot of meat actually cooked for no less than half the night.


    The soaring flame, the floating aroma, the crackling sounds, the young man concentrating all his attention, all of this condensed into a picture that wasn¡¯t lacking in sentiment and poetry, as rustic and primitive as it was.


    Finally, even without sprinkling any salt, not to mention other condiments, Li Qingshan ate until he almost swallowed his tongue. No matter fat or meat, several pounds of flesh went inside his belly, and finally he even drank the meat broth clean.


    If someone asked at this moment what happiness was, he would definitely answer that happiness was a pot of meat.


    1. A mu is a Chinese surface unit equivalent to a 1/15th of an acre.


    2. Reference to Pan Jinlian, a fictional character and a famous villainess in Chinese culture. She¡¯s an archetypical femme fatale, described as beautiful. She appears in Water Margin among others.

 Chapter 3

    Li Qingshan contentedly lay on the pile of hay, stretched his four limbs, and unconsciously passed out into sleep.This night, he didn¡¯t dream of his past life.


    In the house not far away from the bullpen, Big Wife Li tossed back and forth on her bed, tormented by the smell of meat and unable to fall asleep until well into the night.


    The next morning, shortly after the roosters¡¯ three crows, a short fatty wearing emerald green silk garments came to the farm. He was none other than the greatest landowner of this tiny Crouching Bull Village, master Liu. He was the one Big Wife Li called Steward Liu, because he was once a steward in a great house back in the city. Now he became a minister of the main family, and returned to his home village covered in glory.


    But he still insisted people call him Steward Liu, to highlight his different status from those peasants, and to distinguish him from the ordinary country bumpkin landowners. Because he had already annexed more than half of the village¡¯s land by various means, he also had the nickname ¡°Half Village Liu .¡±


    If you had to say what kind of ambition Half Village Liu had, then it was naturally to become Full Village Liu, but this couldn¡¯t be rushed. To borrow the words of those sirs from the city, slow and steady won the race. He was confident he could realize his wish during his lifetime, and by that time everyone in the village would be his hired workers. He would be the emperor of this Crouching Bull Village and whatever he wanted would be.


    But Steward Liu was a little unhappy right now. Not many workers were working on his residence. He waved a fat hand: ¡°Only those few people? Where are the rest?¡±


    A hired hand said with a smiling face: ¡°Steward Liu, they all went to help build a house for Li the Second.¡±


    ¡°Li the Second? Which Li the Second?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that cowherd boy!¡±


    ¡°This daddy naturally knows, where did he get the money?¡±


    ¡°That kid¡¯s a lucky bastard and picked up a great wild boar, anyone in the village who agrees to help him build the house will get a big chunk of boar meat. It¡¯s at the foot of the Crouching Bull Hill, it¡¯s bustling right now.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go?¡± S~?a??h the ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°I fell out with him.¡± The worker said a little embarrassed, his heart extremely sad. This was meat, meat! How could he afford to eat it in ordinary times?


    Steward Liu pinched his brow and said: ¡°Go, let¡¯s see what¡¯s going on.¡±


    As soon as he had woken up, Li Qingshan began planning about the matter of separating from his family. The top priority was to build a decent house for himself. He couldn¡¯t rely on someone else¡¯s charity.


    He didn¡¯t have the capacity before, but with this fat boar many things were easily solved. With a little greeting many people came to help. It could be said that he finally experienced the magic of pig meat in this world.


    Under the Crouching Bull Hill, willow trees offered shade and flowers were bright; the scenery was beautiful. Put in his previous world, this kind of place would be a tourist attraction or a wealthy man¡¯s mansion, when would it be his turn to occupy it? Moreover this place was away from the village and it was easier to conceal his secrets. He could be at ease when he communicated with the green bull.


    Li Qingshan was standing in the crowd and giving commands back and forth, an unspeakable pleasure in his heart. He understood a little the hidden meaning when the green bull said to eat meat. It wasn¡¯t only to strengthen his body.


    Someone with no food nor clothes had to run hither and fro like a headless chicken to eat his full, where would he have the focus to do other things? To say nothing about what comprehending his own heart.


    Steward Liu stood in the distance and swept his glance around, mumbling to himself: ¡°So this means them brothers are going to separate.¡± But he happened to see Big Wife Li also watching in the distance, not only not happy to see her family¡¯s brother emancipating to his own house but gnashing her teeth in rage instead. A scheme hatched in his mind and he went forward with a smile.


    Not much more than ten days later, a new house was built and many people received boar meat as they dispersed.


    Li Qingshan watched his new residence with satisfaction as he stood in the small courtyard. Although it was only an ordinary house made of mud bricks and a thatched roof, this still was his new home. It was the first step he took in this world to settle down and pursue his ambitions.


    Those few days he¡¯d continued to eat meat and his face had regained its rosiness. Standing there he also looked more confident. Although it was only a dozen days of work, his body had grown a few inches out of nowhere.


    Right when Li Qingshan was being happy, an old woman with white hair and coarse skin paced into the courtyard, appearing to jump in fright: ¡°Li the Second, this house of yours is built wrong, it¡¯s very ominous!¡±


    Li Qingshan frowned. This was the witch who force-fed him blessed water when he was a child. She acted mystical all day long and scammed people, fooling those ignorant villagers. He didn¡¯t have any goodwill toward her, but her prestige was high in the village. Any funeral or marriage in the village would invite her to cast a divination, and of course her divinations naturally required offerings to the gods.


    Li Qingshan also didn¡¯t dare slighting her, and paid her a ceremonial greeting: ¡°Why did your honored self come?¡±


    The witch didn¡¯t even look at him and glanced left right in the house: ¡°There¡¯s a shady air here, there¡¯s evil spirits, fortunately I was ready.¡± She held a jar in one hand and a willow twig in the other. She dipped the willow twig in the water inside the jar, and randomly sprinkled it inside the house and in the yard while shouting chaotically: ¡°Quickly go away, quickly go away¡­¡±


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t block her and could only allow her nonsense. Although he already believed in ghosts and gods now, by no mean he believed there was what gloomy air evil spirit inside. He had a bona fide evil spirit following at his side, and if there was really something wrong the green bull would naturally tell him, when would it be her turn?


    After the witch sprinkled her water, she acted like she gave some big help to Li Qingshan and rambled on and on, what Li Qingshan¡¯s luck was entirely bestowed by the gods, so now was the time to pay the gods back. The best offering to the gods was naturally the wild boar.


    Li Qingshan finally understood why she came and said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s not the gods who want to eat it, but it¡¯s you who want to eat it, right?¡±


    Facing Li Qingshan¡¯s small disrespect, the witch went into a great anger. She stood upright and used another kind of voice to say: ¡°Li Qingshan, if you don¡¯t listen to this god¡¯s advice, you¡¯ll face disaster.¡±


    Li Qingshan knew this was her divine possession trick. Usually when villagers saw it, even those with big guts were scared witless. They would kneel down and prostrate themselves. Even the original Li Qingshan didn¡¯t dare to completely ignore it, but now was different from the past. He crossed his arms like he was watching a comedy: ¡°There¡¯s no door to luck or misfortune, man brings them upon himself. What relation does it have with gods? Your honored self please leave!¡±


    The witch saw that this trick unexpectedly had no effect, and awkwardly restored her former appearance, saying in a sinister tone: ¡°You just wait!¡±


    Not long after the witch left, disaster really came.


    A villager invited Li Qingshan to go to the ancestral hall. Although the village was small, the rules were many. The matter of him separating from his brother ought to require his attendance in the ancestral hall, and make a clear separation in front of the village elders. But it should have been at his request, did his brother go ahead first?


    Li Qingshan faintly felt uneasy. The green bull had gone off who knew where, so he had to bite the bullet.


    The so-called ancestral hall was merely a small house with a deep archway, but it was one of the rare stone buildings in the village, and the inside was consecrated to the memorial tablets of the ancestors of the Li and Liu clans.


    Inside the pitch-black room, several old people were separated on the left and right sides. The one acting as the leader was the village chief of the Crouching Bull Village, his age over sixty, his body crooked to an unsightly degree. He was also from the Li clan and according to seniority Li Qingshan even had to call him grandfather.


    Big Wife Li was already waiting inside and she fiercely glared at Li Qingshan when she saw him, like Li Qingshan somehow harmed them. She faintly carried an expression of taking pleasure in revenge.


    Li Qingshan paid her no heed and offered a ceremonial greeting to the elders, then under the presiding of the village chief he started the ceremony to separate from his family.


    Li Qingshan originally thought the only thing he had was the green bull and a few mus of farmland, so he didn¡¯t expect that reality was much more complicated than he¡¯d imagined.


    The village chief¡¯s face looked stern and fair as he distributed random items to Li Qingyan, meticulous to the point of attributing him a spoon or a pair of chopsticks.


    Every time he mentioned something, Big Wife Li twitched painfully, and her vision became more vicious whenever it fell Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan remained unmoved, his face calm and collected. Those random living items were all useful, sparing him the effort of purchasing them again.


    The village chief only stopped after the distribution had gone on for over an hour. He glanced left and right with his muddy eyes: ¡°Do you have anything you don¡¯t agree with?¡±


    Even big sister-in-law Li was convinced, but Li Qingshan felt something was wrong: ¡°Grandfather, what about the farmland?¡±


    ¡°What farmland?¡±


    Li Qingshan was stunned. Back when his parents passed away, they made things very clear in front of this very man. They were precisely afraid his elder brother would bully him, so they wanted this person of high prestige in the village to establish fairness.


    Big Wife Li already said things in the open: ¡°You¡¯re small and ignorant of some matters, those two old things didn¡¯t payback the silver they borrowed, and the land has long been given as compensation.¡±


    Li Qingshan was greatly agitated and furious: ¡°What did you call my parents, say it again?¡± Although he didn¡¯t have very deep feelings for them, they still were his parents in this world, how could he tolerate someone wantonly insulting them in front of the crowd?


    Big Brother Li put his body in front of Big Wife Li. Several burly men also came in from outside the ancestral hall, obviously well prepared in advance.


    Li Qingshan noticed that those people were all scoundrels of the village. Usually they went around stealing chickens and dogs, oppressing the people. They wouldn¡¯t care about friendly sentiments between people of the same village and wouldn¡¯t show any mercy when they acted.


    The village chief silently cursed ¡°stupid wench¡± and sighed: ¡°I¡¯ve already examined the contract.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the contract?¡±


    Big Brother Li said: ¡°We already burned it when we took it back.¡±


    ¡°Who was the one owed money?¡±


    Big Wife Li proudly said: ¡°The village¡¯s Steward Liu, if you dare just go find him, let¡¯s see if Steward Liu won¡¯t peel off your skin. This old mother is precisely bullying you little ungrateful bastard, what about it?¡± That farmland was all fertile fields, and they sold for a lot of silver, so it could count as compensation for not being able to eat the boar meat. She decided to buy a chicken and eat it as soon as she went home.


    Li Qingshan was furious to the point he was trembling all over, and his fingernails stabbed into his palms.


    With his experience from two worlds, how could he not know the inside story? Farmers regarded their soil as their lifeblood, how could they casually it give to others as compensation? His parents had also spent a lifetime in the fields, how could they borrow silver?


    They clearly banded together to bully him. Without the land, if he wanted to keep eating and survive, he could only go to Steward Liu¡¯s residence and become a hired hand, so even if he had a sky-vast anger he still had to repress it. It was really a good plan.


    Li Qingshan was treated coldly at home by his brother and sister-in-law, but it was at most eating and dressing badly. He could accept it, but how was it inverting black and white like this? In his former life he had gone through the internet and believed that he had seen the darkest shades of society. He had even joined in the indignant cursing.


    But only now he realized how difficult it was to bear when this kind of things fell over his own head.


    If he complied he would have no more chance to appeal, even if he was only obeying the village¡¯s arrangement.

 Chapter 4

    The atmosphere in the ancestral hall stiffened up. The village chief¡¯s face sank like cold water: ¡°What, Li the Second, you¡¯re not satisfied with my arrangement?¡± Those several scoundrels already started to rub their fists and roll up their sleeves. The bald leader even drew out a chopper.The other elder people either closed their eyes, or urged him: ¡°Little Second, don¡¯t sulk and act rashly.¡± ¡°The arm can¡¯t twist the thigh, David can¡¯t fight against Goliath.¡± ¡°Steward Liu even promised to hire you as a worker in his mansion and give you a bit more money, whatever happens you won¡¯t starve.¡±


    Li Qingshan vaguely replied something. He had no idea how he got out of the ancestral hall. When he came out that baldy even tripped him and he almost fell, leaving behind him bouts of great laughter.


    On the way he met the witch. She was laughing proudly: ¡°Disaster, disaster, it¡¯s still not too late to pay your respects to the gods.¡±


    Li Qingshan returned back to the new house at the foot of the Crouching Bull Hill and lay down face first, not half a bit of happiness inside his heart.


    The sun fell below the western mountains, the color of the sky fell to dusk, the chicken clucks and the dog barks also gradually quieted, and the village restored its calm.


    The green bull strolled in from outside. Li Qingshan raised his body, about to speak, but the green bull actually said: ¡°I saw everything, but I didn¡¯t help you.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on asking for your help, I also don¡¯t care about those few pieces of land, I only¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t swallow this anger?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Not distinguishing black from white, overturning right and wrong, these kind of things are many under the sky. At times even immortal Buddhas and great saints with powers that pierce through the heavens suffer grievances and humiliation, not to mention you tiny mortal. What does your small anger count as?¡±


    Li Qingshan stared: ¡°But I don¡¯t want to bear and suffer in silence.¡± He suddenly remembered the short knife again.


    The green bull watched him in silence for a long time, then suddenly laughed: ¡°Good good good, not wanting to bear and suffer is the right way. A man of character frankly avenges grief and grudges. The benevolence of a single meal must be repaid, the enmity of a single angry stare requires reprisal. I originally saw your willpower wearing down these years, but surprisingly you still have some of the vigor of a young man in your chest. Only this way is worthy of my teaching.¡±


    Li Qingshan stared blankly: ¡°You were testing me?¡±


    The green bull sniffed through its nose and said: ¡°This also count as a test? Isn¡¯t it only asking you kid which road you want to walk?¡±


    ¡°Which road?¡± Li Qingshan didn¡¯t understand the meaning.


    ¡°The daos of the world are countless many, there¡¯s the dao of swallowing insults and putting your life before principles, there¡¯s also the dao of raising one¡¯s weapon and die fighting. Men have human dao, monsters have monster dao, gods have divine dao, ghosts have ghost dao, each dao has its own scenery, each dao has its own choices.¡±


    Li Qingshan heard his incessant ¡°dao¡± and directly felt his head spin, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re going to sing me ¡°Dao Dao Dao¡±1next? After listening for a while, he flatly interrupted: ¡°I seek my own dao!¡±


    The green bull first stared then became happy: ¡°You actually understand, that¡¯s right, great daos are countless many, you seek your own dao.¡± He took out a big gourd from who knew where. The gourd flew on its own to Li Qingshan¡¯s hand: ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to bear in silence and swallow this anger, I¡¯ll teach you how.¡±


    Li Qingshan felt a heavy weight in his hand and some kind of liquid sloshed inside. He pulled out the gourd¡¯s cork and a waft of alcohol assaulted him.


    Li Qingshan smiled wrily. After eating meat, did he actually need to drink booze? It looked very reasonable, but who depended on these two things to cultivate? If eating meat and drinking alcohol was enough to become an immortal then every rich man under the sky would be an immortal. Could it be that immortals were all good-for-nothing gluttons?


    The green bull only said eight words: ¡°Meat reinforces the body, alcohol strengthens your courage.¡±


    Li Qingshan clenched his teeth, lifted his head, then gulp gulp poured the booze down. It was merely the village¡¯s rice wine, but when this gourd of wine rushed in his belly he also felt the sky spin and the earth go round. His eyes stared straight at the green bull. Was this to drink his worries away?


    ¡°Go kill someone and I¡¯ll teach you cultivation.¡± The green bull spoke very calmly like he was talking about some insignificant thing, then crouched down.


    Li Qingshan felt a chill course through his back. He suddenly realized that in front of him wasn¡¯t an industrious old farm bull that had accompanied him for over a dozen years, but a genuine evil bull spirit monster. The so-called teaching was definitely not the modest and gentle dao of immortal Buddhas, but the vicious and tyrannical dao of monsters and demons.


    It still hadn¡¯t taught him any supernatural skill and only told him to eat meat, drink booze, and now he had to kill someone.


    Was he really going to kill someone? Many faces floated in front of his eyes. He hated those people, and wished he could kill them, but he knew he didn¡¯t dare to do so. The green bull also knew that, that¡¯s why it gave him wine to fortify his guts.


    Was this a blood pledge or the rite to become an apprentice?


    Remembering today¡¯s tribulations, the wine went to his head and his anger overflowed. Li Qingshan lifted his head and deeply breathed in, then lowered his head back: ¡°Kill who?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your problem, let¡¯s agree first, I¡¯m not going to help you, I won¡¯t rescue you either, I¡¯m just an ordinary bull.¡±


    The present night¡¯s moonlight was bright and cheerful, throwing a layer of frosty white on the ground. Li Qingshan walked alone on the white frost, and seeing the round moon¡¯s dazzling shine overhead, he couldn¡¯t wait for a patch of gloomy clouds to cover it.


    Stillness reigned inside the village. Li Qingshan¡¯s footsteps wobbled in the village as he walked randomly, his heart blank.


    The clamor of human voices came from inside a broken house as he went near. Li Qingshan could hear them clearly, it was precisely the scoundrels from the ancestral hall today. He hurriedly squatted at the foot of the wall and listened to what they were talking about.


    ¡°This wine came really easy today, we only had to go stand in the ancestral for a bit, but steward Liu gave us so much rewards.¡±


    Li Qingshan immediately recognized this voice. Baldy Liu, a famous rogue in the village, idling all day and stealing chickens and dogs. His temperament was perverse and cruel, and he always carried a chopper knife with him. Everyone in the village was a little afraid of him, and even if he was caught stealing they didn¡¯t dare do anything to him. The other scoundrels also considered him their boss.


    ¡°It¡¯s all big brother¡¯s power and prestige, didn¡¯t you see the kid¡¯s face, he was scared white.¡± There was a burst of laughter in the house.


    Li Qingshan had no idea how his face looked back then, but right now it was definitely bright red. The alcohol mixed with his anger and directly rushed to his head.


    ¡°Too bad that wimp didn¡¯t do anything. I haven¡¯t exercised my fists and legs for a while, originally I was ready to use him for some practice. This damn boy never took me seriously.¡±


    Li Qingshan was a man of two worlds and was merely not as afraid of him as ordinary villagers. He didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d attract this kind of animosity.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it easy if big brother wants to beat him up? This dumbass built his house outside the village, it¡¯ll be simple to cover our heads and have us bros beat him good. We¡¯ll take his bull too, drag it to the market and sell it, we can still get some wine money in exchange.¡±


    The other scoundrels all agreed.


    Li Qingshan spit out an inebriated breath and gripped tightly the short knife in his bosom.


    Baldy Liu drank a bellyful of wine and came outside the house for a piss, but he didn¡¯t go back to the house and instead walked on a small path toward the south of the village.


    Li Qingshan felt curious and stood up to follow. He came to the famous Widow Liu¡¯s door and shouted at her to open the door. Li Qingshan realized then what he wanted to do.


    The door was tightly shut and there wasn¡¯t even light inside. She was obviously afraid of him. There were also several hovels not far away, but surprisingly no one paid any attention.


    Baldy Liu borrowed the drunken mood to say a bunch of obscenities, violently kicking the door a few times. He threw curses and insults for a while, attracting loud barks from the village dogs, and only then turned around and left.


    Widow Liu calmed down inside the door and secretly looked outside through the door¡¯s seams. She saw that Baldy Liu had indeed gone far away and became relieved, but then a shadow swayed in her eyes and a silhouette followed tightly behind Baldy Liu. The night was dark and she couldn¡¯t clearly see the clothes or appearance, so she took him as a follower, although she faintly felt something wrong.


    Li Qingshan followed Baldy Liu to a deserted place. Violence suddenly emerged in his heart and he shouted loudly, fiercely throwing himself forward.


    Baldy Liu turned his head back in great surprise and saw a dark and dull knife piercing straight at him. He suddenly half-woke from his drunken stupor, trying to escape and counterattack, but his hands and feet were without strength. Usually he just held a knife and intimidated ordinary people. He also fought a few fistfights, but when did he experience a genuine battle for life and death? Although the opponent was a youngster, the decisiveness and murderous aura assaulted him like it was a fierce beast from the mountains.


    Without any resistance a knife went into a body. Li Qingshan also didn¡¯t expect the usually swaggering Baldy Liu to be so useless. Seeing Baldy Liu¡¯s frightened and imploring face, he seemed to be even drunker and his eyes faintly radiated a red light. His head seemed to stop spinning and only the movement of his hand didn¡¯t stop.


    The glint of the knife and the light of blood danced wildly in the darkness. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    When Li Qingshan calmed down, Baldy Liu was already in a pool of blood, dead til he couldn¡¯t die again. A thick odor of blood floated in this moonlit night, also exposing a little the flavor of coldness.


    Li Qingshan forcefully calmed himself, then turned around and went away, running in one breath to the stream at the foot of the Crouching Bull Hill. He borrowed the reflection of the water flow and couldn¡¯t help but be frightened: ¡°Is this still me?¡±


    The water reflected a young man covered by traces of blood all over his body, pursing his lips. His eyes were round, and he still carried a murderous aura that hadn¡¯t entirely dissipated, looking very terrifying.


    Li Qingshan cupped icy water and washed off the blood from his body, only then returning back to his mud house. Without caring about the green bull crouching to one side, he fell face down on the bed.


    At this moment his hands started to tremble and cold sweat fiercely poured out from all of his body, soaking his clothes through. He was entirely awakened from the wine.


    The green bull asked with a laugh: ¡°You¡¯re not escaping?¡± as if it wasn¡¯t the one that made Li Qingshan kill someone.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Killing this kind of things, do I still need to escape?¡± Choosing Baldy Liu wasn¡¯t only an impulse on the spur of the moment. The wretch was bad to the bone and no one in the village would stick his head out for him. If the people didn¡¯t raise the matter the government wouldn¡¯t investigate, and as long as he didn¡¯t leave too compromising evidences, the murder of this kind of person would most likely end up unsolved.


    The praise in the green bull¡¯s eyes was deeper. It was easy to find a man who killed in anger, but to know who to kill, who not to kill, how to preserve himself while killing someone, this was very much not so easy. Even if he was faking his calm and composure, it was still easy to see this child¡¯s resolve.


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t hide his trembling hands from its eyes, but in its eyes it was not only not shameful. Vicious people who thought nothing about murder could be found everywhere, but to be able to repress the anxiousness and fear until now was really something.


    After a long while, the green bull said: ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Really frightened, really satisfied!¡± Those were true words coming from Li Qingshan¡¯s heart. After the fear went away there was an unspeakable contentment, and the anger stagnating in his chest evaporated at least half. Remembering back when he read ¡°Water Margin,¡± Panther Head Lin hiding from the snowstorm in the temple2, Wu the Second splashing blood on Mandarin Ducks Tower3, it was this kind of feeling.


    The green bull laughed: ¡°You quickly sleep, we have many things to do tomorrow!¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s heart jumped and he let through an expression of joy: ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­¡±


    1. Possibly this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyKZQn1UWIU


    2. Lin Chong was taking shelter in a broken temple when he heard people talking outside. He secretly listened and realized they tried to kill him by burning the depot he was supposed to be in. He rushed out and killed them.


    3. Wu Song was framed and arrested for theft. Those who framed him had bribed the guards to kill him on the way to the prison, but Wu Song killed them, then returned to kill the framers in front of the Mandarin Ducks Tower. He then wrote ¡°Wu Song is the killer¡± on the wall with their blood.

 Chapter 5

    The green bull didn¡¯t answer and closed its eyes.Li Qingshan lay on the bed, and although he kept his face calm, he couldn¡¯t control the wild surges of his emotions. He couldn¡¯t fall asleep until half the night was past, but when the tightness in his heart finally relaxed down, he suddenly felt even more exhausted than after a whole day of farm work, and immediately sank into sleep.


    That night, he dreamed he was facing ten thousand enemies and killing through them until their corpses piled into a mountain that covered the sun, the sea of blood submerging the stars.


    The dream receded like a tide when he woke up. The sunlight brightly shone inside, already well into the morning.


    Baldy Liu¡¯s death was like a drop of cold water in a pan of frying oil. It stirred great waves in the village. This wretch did many evils in the village and finally died. Ordinary people all clapped their hands and offered praises, talking about retribution.


    But next was guessing who did it? Those who had hatred with Baldy Liu were many, but those who dared to take revenge were few. There was no secret in a small village, and after one turn in their mind the villagers thought about what happened the previous day in the ancestral hall. As it happened, that person hadn¡¯t come to see the ruckus yet, confirming the guesses of those people even more.


    ¡°Li the Second killed someone.¡±


    ¡°Look at him not making a sound usually, he actually had this kind of courage.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably fled by now already.¡±


    In the midst of the quiet conversation voices, there was the pale white face of Big Wife Li. Steward Liu and Village Chief Li had faces sinking like cold water, and the other scoundrels were even more scared until their feet became soft. If the previous night they had been the one to go out, could they be the one lying there now?


    A voice exclaimed in alarm: ¡°Li the Second came!¡± The crowd voluntarily opened a way. Li Qingshan walked in great strides under the public stare and came beside Baldy Liu¡¯s corpse. Last night was dark and he didn¡¯t feel it, but today with a single glance he felt that the appearance of death was terrifying. But he didn¡¯t expose anything on his face in the slightest and only said : ¡°Good thing he died.¡± His eyes gazed left and right, sweeping across the crowd.


    Everybody felt that Li Qingshan seemed to have become another person in the space of a single night, become a little fearsome. Everyone he looked at felt a chill on their back, even more so for those involved who jumped in fright.


    Village Chief Li said: ¡°Tie up Li the Second and carry him to the ancestral hall.¡±


    The Crouching Bull Village was really far from the city, and they were more or less in a state of autonomy. Anything that happened in the village was decided by the village elders after discussion. Even in a murder case, they had to first arrest the person and send him to the government offices. It was no use hoping that the great lords of the government office would travel mountains and wade through water for several dozens of miles to come take someone from this broken place. Therefore they had almost no contact with the government and directly dealt punishment in the village.


    There was a disturbance among the crowd of villagers. Li Qingshan frowned and shouted: ¡°Who dares?¡± Even though he didn¡¯t have a weapon in his hand, he exposed the prestige and might of murder like a sword coming out of its sheathe, baring its sharp edge.


    None of the villagers came forward, but it was more than fear of Li Qingshan. There was a balance inside everyone¡¯s mind, even more so for the rustic villagers: village chief you collude with tyrants in such a manner and bully honest people, what right do you have to order us? Everyone in the village saw the Second son grow up, he even calls you grandfather, you¡¯re really something to act against him. This Baldy Liu committed crimes that couldn¡¯t be erased even after death, the Second son got rid of harm for every villager.


    ¡°This Baldy Liu drank himself drunk and tripped to death, what does it have to with the Second son?¡± The one who spoke was Fifth Brother Zhang who had big grievances with Baldy Liu. Baldy Liu had taken advantage when he went to the fields and intentionally bullied his wife. At that time he¡¯d wished nothing better than to fight to death with this wretch, but his wife painstakingly persuaded him not to. Today seeing his body lying down dead, there was an unspeakable satisfaction in his heart.


    Someone immediately echoed: ¡°Right, right, he tripped to death, it¡¯s retribution from the heavens.¡±


    At once voices rose up confusedly, all saying that Baldy Liu died accidentally, completely ignoring the small holes on Baldy Liu¡¯s body. Their gaze when looking at Liu Qingshan carried a little more respect.


    Li Qingshan was suddenly moved, so this was the so-called public opinion.


    Village Chief Li knew that if he continued like this, his prestige in the village would be greatly disturbed, and he was also truly a little afraid of Li Qingshan¡¯s revenge. If he had known before this kid was so vicious, he certainly wouldn¡¯t have crooked his mouth just for the sake of some silver. The villagers didn¡¯t listen to his commands, while the other scoundrels were even worse than ordinary people and had already sneaked off secretly.


    He only glanced once at Steward Liu. He should have been able to command his servants and workers, but Steward Liu only turned a blind eye. Anyway it was originally because Li the Eldest absolutely wanted to sell him the land. He¡¯d never stuck his face out, he had a great house and great industries, so why would he clash with this kind of powerful man over such a trivial thing? Moreover a slight carelessness could arouse public anger, it was even more harm than good.


    Unconsciously he¡¯d already started to treat Li Qingshan as a powerful man.


    ¡°Possessed by evil spirits, possessed by evil spirits, I warned beforehand, I warned beforehand.¡± The witch suddenly pointed at Li Qingshan and howled.


    The expression of every villager greatly changed, and they subconsciously retreated farther away from Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan went forward and kicked her down: ¡°You old thief, until when are you going to falsely accuse me. I¡¯ll tear your mouth off if you dare to say one more word.¡±


    The witch uttered ¡°aiyo¡± and didn¡¯t dare talk any longer, only staring him with bitter eyes.


    Li Qingshan was calm and fearless: ¡°If you really have supernatural powers, let your gods and demons come find me, let¡¯s see if I¡¯m afraid of them.¡± His words done, he walked out of the crowd with his head held high. He directly went somewhere with no on around, and dispersed the momentum he carried just now. He could sense his heart beating fiercely, but he knew he made the right decision.


    If he¡¯d hidden inside his house out of fear and given Village Chief Li time to gather the villagers, he would probably have been captured before nightfall. With his current physique, he couldn¡¯t resist against a few burly fellows. He could only be genuinely safe and sounds by taking risks and pressuring the people with his momentum, then obtain the public opinion.


    The green bull was already waiting for a long time when he went back to the mud house. It looked


    up and down at Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan also felt the strange atmosphere. He went forward and deferentially gave his respects, then raised his head and asked with a smile: ¡°Elder brother bull, do I still need to arrange a feast to formally become your apprentice?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°Your wine and meat, didn¡¯t I give them all to you? You¡¯re still talking about a feast for becoming master and apprentice.¡±


    Li Qingshan spread his hands and said: ¡°I¡¯ll help you get some tender grass, won¡¯t that do?¡±


    The green bull¡¯s eyes became heavy: ¡°Not joking with you, I only taught you this art of murder because you had already stored a heart of murder. In the future you won¡¯t be lacking in struggles, and you won¡¯t see another peaceful day. The day your abilities are lacking, and you find yourself killed, you can only die with no complaints.¡± s?a??h th? N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°The strong prey on the weak, it¡¯s the same anywhere you go. I don¡¯t dare to say no complaints, just no regrets.¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°No regrets, well said. Since you¡¯ve made up your mind, I¡¯ll pass on to you a set of [Bull Demon Strong Fist]. When you can train to the strength of one bull and establish your foundations, I¡¯ll give you the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist]. When you cultivate the two techniques together, you can learn a daoist supernatural skill ¡®Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers¡¯, by that time you¡¯ll be able to run rampant in the human world.¡±


    ¡°Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers?¡± Li Qingshan felt it was too ordinary when he heard. Nine tigers and two bulls, what¡¯s extraordinary with that, those were the most ordinary of domestic animals or wild beasts. Could they also be worthy of being called a supernatural skill and run riot across the human world?


    But thinking carefully, he was shocked. He had taken care of the bull for more than a dozen years, and had a deep knowledge of how great the strength of a bull was. One bull¡¯s strength could resist ten strong men, if he could only obtain one bull¡¯s strength, he could don armor and hold a spear, kill through a battlefield, and be worthy of the name of a fierce general.


    Nine bulls and two tigers weren¡¯t anything exceptional, but if that strength all combined inside a man¡¯s body, he would have a power of tens of thousand pounds with the lift of his hand, who would be able to stop him? Even if Lu Bu1were to be reborn and Li Yuanba2to come to this world, they couldn¡¯t block a light punch of his.


    ¡°But since it¡¯s a daoist skill, why are they called bull demons tiger demons?¡±


    ¡°This technique was originally a technique from ancient times, it¡¯s already lost nowadays.¡±


    Li Qingshan was excited when he heard the two words ¡°ancient times.¡± To his knowledge, any spiritual pills or herbs, secret books or treasures, as long as they had some relationship with those two words, they would all be powerful beyond compare.


    But the green bull¡¯s following explanation made him greatly disappointed, because the reason this technique had been lost was because it was too difficult to use, and it was replaced by divine skills created by later generations geniuses. In short it had been eliminated by natural selection.


    Although sages of ancient times were admittedly strong, there was no reason later generations couldn¡¯t measure up to previous generations, even more so as they stood on the shoulders of the previous generations.


    ¡°The cultivators back then attached more importance to training qi and less importance on training the body to the point of considering it mortal flesh, so they would naturally not pay any attention anymore to this kind of technique pursuing brute force.¡±


    ¡°Heh, don¡¯t be too disappointed, the supernatural skill I¡¯m teaching you is already not the same as the original. It was improved by an almighty member of the monster clan, that¡¯s the reason it¡¯s called bull demon tiger demon. Bull demon to train the body, tiger demon to train the bones, follow the demons to enter the dao. As they say, ¡°as the daoist rises one foot, the demon rises ten.¡± The might is a lot stronger.¡±


    ¡°I have a human body, if I cultivate this technique will I suffer any side effect?¡±


    ¡°No idea, because no human tried, maybe you could really deviate from the right way and transform into a monster.¡±


    The bull green said it with ease. Li Qingshan only smiled wrily. It would be one thing to cultivate a technique passed on from ancient times, he would become at most a ¡°strange person¡± and be mocked by other cultivators. Cultivating a technique that¡¯d gone through revision at the hands of monsters and demons, he could become a ¡°freak¡± and maybe get killed in the name of great justice.


    But now wasn¡¯t a time when he could pick meat from the fat. Li Qingshan considered carefully for a while and took a deep breath: ¡°Then please elder brother bull teach me this supernatural skill.¡± If someone could understand his hunger to change his fate at this moment, they¡¯d realize that he¡¯d accept the assistance from even the devil.


    The green bull explained to him in details the essence of this [Bull Demon Strong Fist]. Li Qingshan immediately practiced, starting to imitate one move and one form at a time, exercising his muscles and bones, operating his four limbs.


    Under the dazzling sunlight, there were an old bull and a young man between the dancing shades of the trees. The old bull reclined leisurely and gave instructions while the young man listened respectfully with rapt attention.


    Although the green bull couldn¡¯t demonstrate himself, he hit the nail on the head each time he spoke, making Li Qingshan suddenly see the light, increasing his understanding of the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], and making him even more motivated to train.


    The green bull spoke carelessly, but in his heart he was also satisfied by the comprehension of this ¡°disciple.¡± Worthy of someone with inborn wisdom, this kind of people would certainly not live long among wild grasses. Unfortunately he was born in this village deep in the mountains. His fate was really unfavorable, like a dragon in shallow waters and a tiger fallen from the mountain to the plains.


    Otherwise in any flourishing city, whether learning martial arts or scholarly arts, he would have long ago risen above others and become an elite, and he wouldn¡¯t have to suffer anger from some stupid villagers.


    But it was only thanks to this that this excellent material could fall into its hooves. What it wanted to teach was more than a mere elite.


    1. Character from the Three Kingdoms era. Seen in modern culture as the strongest fighter in that era due to the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.


    2. Fictional character said to be the greatest out of the 18 (fictional) great warriors of the Sui-Tang period, first mentioned in the novel Shuo Tang. Li Yuanba wields two 200kg hammers and is said to be extreme strong and extremely dumb, almost like a berserker. Some novels even mention him as a warrior that can only be matched by Xiang Yu, said to be the greatest fighter in Chinese history.

 Chapter 6

    How many so-called geniuses with astonishing talents had the green bull seen? One and all endowed with rare gifts and luck like that of a god, but those who attained any real achievement were only a few. On the contrary, many who were originally obscure and unknown nobodies became in one go renowned under the heavens and walked to the highest peaks on this road of cultivation.These years, he had deliberately observed with cool eyes on the sidelines no matter what hardship tempered Li Qingshan, and had only spoken at a critical moment. Like a master craftsman, he slowly polished the material in his hands, casting an exceptional divine weapon.


    What ordinary people cared about were natural endowments and destiny, those external things, but what it regarded as important was a man¡¯s resolve. If you don¡¯t have a strong will, then even if I gave you an opportunity vast as the sky, would you be able to shoulder it?


    Thus, one was willing to teach, and one was willing to learn, then naturally the speed of progress was divine. In less than two hours of effort, Li Qingshan had a broad understanding about the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], faintly grasping the outline within.


    Although the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] was a fist scripture, it focused on training tendons, bones, skin and muscles, on strengthening the body, while the fist techniques were instead secondary. There were only three styles in total, separated as ¡°Bull Demon¡¯s Horn Gore,¡± ¡°Bull Demon¡¯s Hoof Stamp,¡± ¡°Demon Bull Skin Shift,¡± all the most basic of styles among fist techniques, but they could reach the complex from the simple, giving rise to countless transformations.


    Of course, to grasp was one thing, to practice was another thing. To obtain achievements, one couldn¡¯t skimp on the polishing through days and months. Li Qingshan had already experienced the two most basic things need to train in this supernatural skill. They were precisely wine and meat.


    Whether supernatural skills or dao techniques, they still couldn¡¯t create something out of nothing, transform for no reason an ordinary man into possessing the strength of ox. Even if the technique¡¯s power overflowed the heavens, it still couldn¡¯t avoid the process of gathering and transformation, of massing the essence of the sun and moon, breathing in the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. When the dao reached to the farther depths, you could eat the wind and drink the dew, abstain from eating grains, and use the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to replace mortal food.


    Li Qingshan only had a mortal body, where would he find the ability to communicate with the spiritual qi of heaven and earth. He also couldn¡¯t find immortal pills and spiritual medicine, so he had to start with those most ordinary things, constantly replenishing and transforming qi essence.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s body still wasn¡¯t tough enough even though he ate meat for a few days. He could barely practice those three styles once, his sweat dripping like rain while he panted and puffed, his belly wildly growling.


    Enduring to noon, he seemed to have been starving for three days, and ate the rest of his wild boar meat in one breath without a morsel left. Unexpectedly he ate even more than the first time.


    He couldn¡¯t lie down and rest in the afternoon either, but had to meditate and nourish his qi and experience the feeling of qi circulating through his body. When his body recovered more or less, he practiced another set of fist techniques, then repeated the same cycle several times, until nightfall. Li Qingshan was already utterly drained and he didn¡¯t even want to move a single finger.


    Three silhouettes sneakily groped their way to the front of Li Qingshan¡¯s thatched house. Li Qingshan heard the sound of their movements and walked out of the house. He saw it was the three scoundrels who used to mix up with Baldy Liu. He feared they were there to avenge their big brother, and he couldn¡¯t help crying bitterness in his heart. At this moment he was bone-weary, how could he be their opponent? Even in normal conditions he couldn¡¯t fight alone against three men.


    But he couldn¡¯t imagine that when the three scoundrels saw him, they were like mice that saw a cat. They bowed their heads and paid their respect, shouting: ¡°Spare our lives.¡±


    Li Qingshan froze a moment and asked: ¡°Why did you come here?¡±


    How could he know that when the three scoundrels saw Baldy Liu¡¯s dead corpse, they were scared until their guts split open. They were afraid Li Qingshan wouldn¡¯t let matters rest after killing Baldy Liu and would come find trouble for them this night, so they braced themselves and came to his door to explain, only saying that they were also under orders. Every sin rested on Baldy Liu, and the one behind his back, Steward Liu.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything, I¡¯m already aware of these matters.¡± That night he¡¯d heard clearly, but of course he couldn¡¯t answer that he was the one who killed Baldy Liu.


    The three scoundrels trembled in their heart. Remembering that this fiend was just outside the window that night, they became even more frightened.


    Li Qingshan vaguely understood why those three people were so afraid. He remembered that in his previous world, something like a murderer on the run happened to the small city he lived in. All kinds of rumors had flown and filled the sky, frightening people to the point no one dared step outside at night. Now he¡¯d put on such a layer of a murderer¡¯s aura.


    Wicked people were also separated in different levels. The three scoundrels were only chicken stealing ¡°small wicked wretches,¡± and facing his kind of ¡°great sinister fiend¡± they could only bow their heads and be obedient. His face didn¡¯t show any change but he felt some weirdness inside. He didn¡¯t even manage to successfully practice any kind of supernatural skill, and only with a little change in his state of mind, his status in the village already went through an earthshaking change.


    Those changes were all caused by the green bull, maybe this also counted as turning the rotten into something magical!


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t pay them heed, and exerted himself to practice the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] one more time. This time there were three people present and he trained with special diligence. He knew that the present him was merely false bravado, and the results would be too terrible to imagine if people found out he¡¯d already used up all his meager abilities.


    The three scoundrel cautiously looked on the sideline. They¡¯d been in the village so many years and had never heard that Li Qingshan understood fist techniques. In the darkness Li Qingshan¡¯s moves were awe-inspiring and full of strength. He obviously wasn¡¯t trying to fool them. They couldn¡¯t help think back to what the witch said, it could really be that Li Qingshan was possessed by some monster demon.


    The color of the sky was becoming darker. They became scared until their legs and belly cramped up. They wanted to leave but couldn¡¯t open their mouth either, afraid Li Qingshan would suddenly reveal his original demon body and devour them in one bite.


    When Li Qingshan finished his exercise, he ordered: ¡°Follow me.¡± He walked outside the door on his own, not caring about them anymore. The three scoundrels glanced at each other and could only follow behind.


    By this time, many villagers were eating in front of their door. Those familiar with Li Qingshan cautiously greeted him, those unfamiliar hurried to hide back inside their house. Even if during the day they¡¯d protected Li Qingshan out of moral indignation, there was no one who didn¡¯t feel some fear coming face to face with this murderer.


    The three scoundrels usually followed Baldy Liu and fooled around. Baldy Liu still had some face in the village depending on his viciousness, but they were loathed by people and disliked by dogs. How could they have this kind of prestige? They immediately forgot their fear and started to feel proud instead. If they could follow Second Son Li, it would be a lot more lofty and stylish than in the past.


    Some elderly people sighed. Although the evil wretch Baldy Liu was punished, they were afraid it gave birth to a bigger scourge. At least Baldy Liu never took a man¡¯s life with his hands, and people weren¡¯t all that much afraid of him.


    Li Qingshan also had a kind of intimately novel sensation as he walked on this road he¡¯d walked countless times before. He clearly recognized that he already wasn¡¯t the Li Qingshan from the past anymore. He directly came in front of a thatched house, and was immediately filled with a thousand emotions when he remembered that he was still moping here not so long ago.


    Inside the door Big Couple Li pressed against the door trembling in fright. Big Brother Li held a stick in his hand while Big Wife Li held a kitchen knife. Something that the scoundrels feared, how could they not fear either? But they weren¡¯t the same as the scoundrels, they had the silver from selling the land in their hands, and if they gave in to Li Qingshan they couldn¡¯t hold onto that money anymore.


    So today they didn¡¯t even do any farm work and stayed at home, discussing for the whole day. Finally it was Big Brother Li who made the decision: ¡°He¡¯s only one person, do we still have to fear him? If he dares to come, I¡¯ll get rid of this evil creature on behalf of the Li clan.¡± But only a little time after he said those hard words, he saw Li Qingshan come find them with three persons in tow, and was suddenly scared into hiding inside the house.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Drag them all out.¡±


    The three scoundrels were intimidated by his prestige and didn¡¯t dare refuse. They had a lot of experience bullying this kind of common people after all, and with a shout they broke into the door. Big Couple Li immediately disarmed and surrendered, not daring to put up any resistance. They were terrified until their face was the color of dirt, trembling nonstop.


    ¡°Second brother, second brother, what¡¯s this you¡¯re doing?¡± Big Brother Li squeezed out a smile that was even uglier than crying.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°I¡¯m not looking for you.¡± He said to Big Wife Li: ¡°Thieving wench, it doesn¡¯t matter if you usually insult me, but yesterday you insulted my parents. Today I definitely won¡¯t spare you.¡±


    Big Wife Li was scared until her legs became soft when he stared at her, not having her usual arrogant appearance anymore: ¡°Little Second, that was me talking without thinking. I took care of you for a dozen years, we¡¯re all family.¡±


    Li Qingshan smiled coldly: ¡°All a family? It wouldn¡¯t have mattered if you didn¡¯t mention it, but now that you did I still got accounts to settle. First let¡¯s talk about those stinky words from yesterday, what should we do?¡±


    A small and thin scoundrel that looked like a monkey fawned and said: ¡°How does this need big brother to act, junior brother knows the rules.¡± So saying he rolled up his sleeves and slapped toward Big Wife Li¡¯s face.


    Li Qingshan caught the scoundrel¡¯s hand. Yesterday in the ancestral hall he would have liked nothing better than doing this, but today looking at their trembling appearance he somewhat couldn¡¯t bear to. He remembered that those two were still his brother and sister-in-law no matter what, how could he let them suffer such humiliation at the hand of a hoodlum?


    But he couldn¡¯t let this pass. Something flashed in his mind and he said to Big Brother Li: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me those she insulted weren¡¯t your own father and mother? Don¡¯t you know how to discipline her?¡±


    Big Brother Li realized the truth: ¡°Right right right!¡± As if he was nervous Li Qingshan wouldn¡¯t be satisfied, he put in strength and violently slapped Big Wife Li¡¯s face several times. Big Wife Li¡¯s face immediately became swollen.


    Li Qingshan felt that this big brother of his looked very satisfied as he hit his wife. He wondered if he wasn¡¯t using this occasion to take revenge. Anyway his own anger dissipated more than half, and he asked: ¡°You said we¡¯re all a family. Let me ask you, where¡¯s the money from selling the land?¡±


    Big Wife Li¡¯s face that had been hit swollen red became pale white at once. Big Brother Li also closed up tight and didn¡¯t utter a word. This money was their flesh and blood, Li Qingshan was trying to cut off their flesh this time! Compared to this money, they¡¯d rather get beaten instead.


    Big Wife Li suddenly became unreasonable: ¡°Kill me then, kill your own sister-in-law, let¡¯s see if there¡¯s no official coming to arrest you, I don¡¯t know what money you¡¯re talking about, if you want it you can go ask for it to Steward Liu!¡±


    Li Qingshan said sternly: ¡°You really think I won¡¯t dare?¡± This was already not a bluff. The murderous aura from killing Baldy Liu the previous night seemed to borrow the night¡¯s darkness to come back around him. That young man in the stream¡¯s reflection, with his body covered in blood and his two eyes staring round, had already merged with him into one.


    The three scoundrels on the sideline felt their body go cold and couldn¡¯t resist taking a step back, looking terrified at Li Qingshan.


    The Big Couple Li who took the blunt of it were even more scared stiff. When did they see such a terrifying person in their whole life? It was hard to imagine this was the same Li the Second who had lived together with them for more than a dozen years.


    In the end, a bag of silver was paid into Li Qingshsan¡¯s hand. Li Qingshan weighed it. Looking at the colorless faces of Big Couple Li, he sighed in his heart. Just for the sake of this little silver, they had to coerce their own brother to such a degree. He turned around and walked away, the three scoundrels scurrying after him.


    Right when Big Couple Li was ready to hold their heads and cry in anguish, the silver bag drew a curve and landed in front of them with a ¡°pa.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s words came from very far away: ¡°Although you treated me as a servant, throwing insults and contempt at me, it¡¯s also thanks to you that I could survive to this day. From today on, gratitude and grudge are settled, there¡¯s no more relationship between us.¡±


    S~?a??h the N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 7

    Silver was lost and recovered. Big Couple Li exposed expressions of pleasant surprise and big Wife Li didn¡¯t even care about her face¡¯s pain anymore, hurriedly hugging the bag of silver in her arms.The three scoundrels were all left speechless, admiration exposed on their faces. This wasn¡¯t a small amount of silver, it was enough to freely spend for a while, but he actually threw it so easily on the ground. Originally they only felt fear, but now watching Li Qingshan¡¯s back, they faintly felt much more respect for him.


    They actually believed that those good men who made clear distinction between grudge and gratitude were only random nonsense cooked up by storytellers, but they didn¡¯t think they would see one with their own eyes. If he could be like this at such a young age, he would certainly be a character of note in the future. The contempt they felt because of Li Qingshan¡¯s age was now also completely eliminated. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan walked in great strides in front of them. As the day fell below the western mountains and the green hills quieted, he felt incomparably calm and relaxed, as if he¡¯d been unloaded from an invisible burden. New vigor came to his body out of nowhere and even his fatigue entirely vanished. He faintly felt that if he were to practice the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] right now, it would be much smoother than earlier during the day.


    This wasn¡¯t an illusion of his. Whether daoist supernatural skills or mortal martial arts, they all paid attention to the suitability of the practitioner¡¯s mood. The [Bull Demon Strong Fist] was originally an unrestrained technique requiring a clear mind and the courage to forge ahead.


    Li Qingshan forthrightly threw his resentment away and there was no more gloom in his heart, hence it naturally suited the quintessence within.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s vision fell brightly on the three scoundrels when they went back to the thatched house: ¡°I have to offer you many thanks for just now.¡± Without the pressure of those three, those brother and sister-in-law of his would certainly not have caved in so easily. If they started playing rough with their sticks and knives, he truly had no real way, and maybe he would even have suffered.


    His mind was moved. He didn¡¯t think that he could handle this matter so smoothly and now understood the advantages of numbers. Even the bull demon king also needed six sworn brothers1, to say nothing about him! Of course, those three scoundrels weren¡¯t worthy of being his brothers.


    The three hurriedly said: ¡°What is big brother talking about? We already can¡¯t thank you enough for being a great man with a broad mind and not bicker with us over small matters. Baldy Liu didn¡¯t know good from evil and even death can¡¯t wipe his crimes away, we followed him and greatly offended in the past¡­¡±


    Li Qingshan interrupted with a wave of the hand: ¡°The past is in the past.¡±


    The three scoundrels all felt relaxed when they obtained this promise. They started to get other ideas and fawned around him one and all, becoming excited and emotional as they spoke, almost as if they were about to burn a few blades of grass as incense and become his sworn brothers.


    Even in his past life Li Qingshan had never been praised and flattered this much. Although it came from the mouths of three rascals he looked down upon, it was still difficult to avoid the pride and hilarity in his heart. But becoming sworn brothers was impossible, so he said a few random things and sent the three away.


    The green bull crouching at the side said: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you promise them? They were willing to gang up and to make you their leader, you¡¯d have been safer in the village, and you would also have had people inform you about any news.¡±


    What the villagers struggled about was precisely manpower. Often times a family with many brothers and many sons wouldn¡¯t be easily bullied, they might even go bully others.


    Li Qingshan proudly said: ¡°The people this Li Qingshan wants to associate with, even if they aren¡¯t heroes unmatched under the sky, still must be men with bones of iron who value feelings and righteousness. How could I wallow in the mire together with these three.¡± His voice was awe-inspiring, and a few crows flew up in surprise, roaming among the treetops.


    The green bull became quiet and didn¡¯t speak anymore. It sank into deep contemplation as it looked at Li Qingshan¡¯s high-spirited and heroic appearance.


    Li Qingshan felt a little embarrassed and rubbed the back of his head: ¡°Brother bull, you must be laughing at me for saying big words, but it¡¯s just what I¡¯m thinking. You¡¯re the only one I can tell these things to.¡±


    Once again the green bull took out a wine gourd out of nowhere and threw it to Li Qingshan: ¡°It¡¯s better to go back and plow the land if you don¡¯t even dare to say a few words. What other big words do you have, say them all out and let me listen.¡±


    Li Qingshan pulled the cork with practiced ease. He lifted his head and gulp gulp drank a few mouthfuls of wine, casually wiping his mouth, his smiling showing his teeth: ¡°I want to wander everywhere in those five lakes and four seas, through the nine provinces under the heavens2, taste every fine delicacies on this world, drink every fine liquor under the sky, cultivate the fiercest divine skills, battle the strongest enemies, bed the most beautiful women. Only this could be considered not a waste of this life! Brother bull, do you think I can realize this dream?¡±


    ¡°You certainly can!¡±


    ¡°Very well, I hope your words come true!¡±


    The great dreams of the young man echoed in this small courtyard. Perhaps at this very moment, even he himself didn¡¯t take them seriously, but a spark had already fallen into his innermost being, about to light up a burning prairie.


    Li Qingshan took advantage of his heart of wine and practiced the three styles of the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] another time. Half-drunk and half-lucid, he also had no idea whether his moves were correct or not. He was just waving his fist and kicking his feet as his heart wished, while the green bull merely drank wine at the side and didn¡¯t say anything.


    Li Qingshan fell drunk on the ground.


    The next day, the matter about Li Qingshan returning the money to his brother and sister-in-law very quickly spread around the whole village through the mouths of the three scoundrels. Concerning his choice, some people were full of admiration and praised his extraordinary mettle. Some people also laughed mockingly, what are you going to eat without the land? Aren¡¯t you still going to be a hired worker for Steward Liu, let¡¯s see what kind of mettle you¡¯ll have by then.


    But they still didn¡¯t really dare say it brazenly in the open. The Second Son Li¡¯s prestige in the Crouching Bull Village was already faintly rising.


    Steward Liu was half and half happy and worried about this thing. Happy naturally that Li the Second wouldn¡¯t come haggling over this piece of land, but worried that Li the Second distinguished grudges and gratitude so clearly. Maybe right now he was merely containing his hatred and was waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. After all that Baldy Liu was acting under his orders back then.


    It would actually be better if Li the Second came charging in now. He had a thousand ways to deal with him. But you couldn¡¯t ask him to be on his guard day after day, night after night. It was indeed ¡°rather bully the old than a poor young man.¡±


    While Steward Liu was thinking in the hall, a crooked old man supported by a young man came to his door. He was stopped by the gatekeeping servants.


    Steward Liu immediately went out and greeted them, his fat face smiling: ¡°Great Village Chief Li, which wind blew you this way?¡±


    Village Chief Li said with a stern face: ¡°I don¡¯t know when you put a guard here, what are you guarding against?¡±


    Steward Liu smiled, a little embarrassed. Although he was a landowner, it was merely a small mountain village after all, and his gate couldn¡¯t be as rich as the great wealthy city families. It only had an old concierge, what gatekeeper was there usually?


    Although he exhausted all means to take over the village¡¯s lands, most of it was still from honest business, and even if he bullied he bullied negligible people, so he didn¡¯t have many personal enemies. Now the one he guarded against was naturally Li Qingshan. In his eyes, this kid also used to be someone negligible, but lately his reactions really surpassed his expectations.


    The two men went inside the house to chat. Village chief Li didn¡¯t beat around the bush and said: ¡°Steward Liu, you¡¯re someone who¡¯s seen the world. Tell me, how should we tidy up this Li the Second?¡±


    His eyes were fully bloodshot. The villagers were afraid of Li Qingshan, and likewise he was also afraid. The older they became the more people feared death. Last night he had lain on the bed tossing and turning, find it difficult to sleep. He had hurriedly sat up anytime there was some motion, afraid it was Li Qingshan secretly coming in to take this old life of his. He almost couldn¡¯t fall asleep the whole night.


    He¡¯d gotten up at the very dawn, making a firm resolution. If he couldn¡¯t get rid of this anxiety, he had no way to live anymore, so he came to Steward Liu.


    Steward Liu spread his hands and said: ¡°How to tidy him up, the villagers all respect him as a hero, and besides there¡¯s no evidence it was him who killed Baldy Liu.¡±


    ¡°How isn¡¯t he the one who killed him, it was almost written on his face.¡± Said the young man beside Village Chief Li. He was Village Chief Li¡¯s son Tiger Li. He was also a tyrant in the village, and nowadays Li Qingshan had stolen a lot of his thunder so he felt very unhappy.


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s written on his face you still couldn¡¯t read.¡± Steward Liu glared at him. Even an ignorant kid like you dares to act wild in front of me? He looked at Village Chief Li and spoke in a slow tone: ¡°Do you know what he did last night?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know, everyone thinks he¡¯s a hero, this way I¡¯m even more unable of commanding them, that¡¯s why I came to find you.¡±


    As the one with the greatest power in the village, Village Chief was already used to have things the way he ordered, but suddenly a kid jumped out and offended his dignity, so he also felt very angry and very hurt. He resolved he absolutely had to retrieve this face. He gave no thought as to who actually was the first one to overturn right and wrong, reverse black and white.


    1. The demon bull king is a character that appears in Journey to the West.


    2. The five lakes and four seas, the nine provinces, those are ancient Chinese ways of calling the (civilized) world.

 Chapter 8

    Steward Liu said: ¡°He still has to eat.¡±Tiger Li said: ¡°Who doesn¡¯t have to eat?¡±


    As they say, people become shrewder when they become old. Village Chief Li wasn¡¯t silly yet and his eyes brightened: ¡°You¡¯re saying?¡±


    ¡°If he wants to eat he has to work. Who can still afford to hire him in this village? If he works under me, won¡¯t he be at our mercy?¡±


    Steward Liu looked at the admiring expression on Village Chief Li¡¯s face and his son¡¯s and felt a burst of pride. Food was the common people¡¯s god, but it didn¡¯t fall from the sky and grew from the land instead. To control the land was the same as grasping the people¡¯s lifeblood. If he couldn¡¯t eat for three days, even a hero would become a chicken.


    Steward Liu had already planned his countermeasures. I don¡¯t need to be ruthless and eradicate him, just beat him and see his attitude. It won¡¯t be too bad if he can be useful to me.


    Li Qingshan had no idea about those schemes and calculations when he woke up from his dreams. He only saw a musk deer lying in his courtyard. He laughed a ¡°hehe¡± and without even thanking the green bull he skinned the deer and cut the meat. This time he¡¯d already prepared salt and he could pickle the meat, so it wouldn¡¯t decay if he couldn¡¯t eat it all.


    Done with those preparations, he went besides the brook and briefly washed himself, then started the day¡¯s training.


    During those several days of efforts, he always got up from bed before daylight and only went to sleep when the sky was entirely black. He almost didn¡¯t put one step outside of his house, completely cutting off contact with the outside world. He trained every day until exhaustion, but he didn¡¯t feel it difficult or boring.


    He was striving hard toward his own dreams. With every step forward, every little bit of progress, it was as if a brand new world was opening in front of him.


    After more than ten days, at the same moment when Li Qingshan had just finished the last of the deer meat, Village Chief was already on the verge of breaking. These days he didn¡¯t have a single peaceful sleep, and had to make his two sons stand guard besides his bed every night to barely sleep a little. At such an advanced age, how could he endure this way? He looked like he was going to suffer a serious illness at any moment, and he hurriedly went to consult with Steward Liu.


    Steward Liu was also anxious with this wait. Everyday he sent servants to observe outside Li Qingshan¡¯s house. The first servant came back and said that right now Li Qingshan was eating meat and drinking wine day in and day out, and he was even practicing martial arts. He still didn¡¯t believe at first, but after several servants came back and all said the same things, no one dared to go observe anymore.


    The demon possession the witch talked about floated in their minds. Li Qingshan¡¯s courtyard was majestically shrouded in a mysterious and frightful atmosphere. Moreover Li Qingshan diligently practiced martial arts, and in some people¡¯s opinion it was precisely in preparation for revenge.


    Watching Village Chief Li who seemed almost ready to cry, Steward Liu frowned and made a decision: ¡°Invite him to attend a banquet. If he dares to come then he¡¯s a hero, if he doesn¡¯t dare then he¡¯s a wimp who¡¯s putting up airs.¡±


    An invitation card was delivered to Li Qingshan¡¯s hand. He fiddled around with the crimson invitation. In this small village, whether weddings or funerals, most of the time people came to invite you orally. This kind of formal invite was extremely rare, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of novelty.


    He pondered a while. This was like a Red Wedding, and if he went he could well be walking head-first into a trap. He¡¯d only practiced his technique for a dozen days, and although he obtained quite a lot of results, you still couldn¡¯t ask him to fight a crowd with only his two fists.


    But if he didn¡¯t go, the prestige he¡¯d established with much pains would be thrown to the waters. When people mentioned him they would certainly say he didn¡¯t even dare to go to a banquet, and his reputation would be ruined.


    The blows would come incessantly if he showed any weakness at this time. This hand of Steward Liu¡¯s contained very deep calculations, forcing him between a rock and a hard place.


    The green bull said: ¡°Are you going?¡±


    ¡°It just happens I don¡¯t have anything to eat anymore, why wouldn¡¯t I go if someone invites me? Guan Yunchang went to the meeting with nothing but his blade1, don¡¯t tell me I have to be afraid of eating a village meal.¡± Li Qingshan laughed loudly, a heroic spirit emerging in his chest.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Gun Yunchang?¡±


    ¡°A hero I heard about.¡± Li Qingshan stood up, put strength in his two arms and demonstrated the Bull Demon Horn Gore. At once he breathed loudly and spit out his breath. Sounds of moos faintly came from inside his lungs, like a big buffalo waving its two horns and ready to fight.


    The green bull nodded with satisfaction. Li Qingshan¡¯s [Bull Demon Strong Fist] was already touching the door of the dao. The progress was really amazingly fast. It wouldn¡¯t be beneficial to his cultivation if he were to go into hiding now because of this small danger.


    ¡°By chance I still have grudges with some people that I haven¡¯t been able to cleanly settle yet. It¡¯s not a pleasant feeling in my chest, now¡¯s just the right opportunity.¡± Since the day he cut off grievances and grudges with Big Couple Li, Li Qingshan¡¯s [Bull Demon Strong Fist] had indeed made a lot of progress, proving that his conjecture wasn¡¯t just an illusion.


    The summer was about to pass but the sun was still as bright as before. Inside Steward Liu¡¯s great courtyard, under the shades of several elm trees, the banquet tables had already been arranged in place.


    A group of burly men filled several square tables and swallowed their saliva as they looked at the dishes and wines on the tables. There was only Steward Liu¡¯s home that could afford this kind of feast! But with the craftiness of farmers, they also knew they weren¡¯t gratuitously invited to this feast, and Steward Liu had already explained many things to them. S~?a??h the N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    He said¡­ said that he¡¯d hurl his cup in what signal? Anyway they didn¡¯t really understand, they only knew that once Steward Liu showed hostility they had to wave their fists.


    They weren¡¯t too keen on becoming enemy with Li Qingshan, but they were all hired workers on Steward Liu¡¯s farms and they didn¡¯t dare offend this person who their livelihood depended on. Anyway that Li the Second was only fifteen years old, how could he fight against so many people? So every worker who could come already came and filled several tables to the brim.


    Even if they somewhat couldn¡¯t bear, they could only use a lighter hand and just pretend, let the Second son kneel and apologize to Steward Liu so he could suffer a little less hardships.


    Cicadas lazily screeched overhead, and everyone was a little impatient. It wasn¡¯t a little ordeal for them to see good food and good wine but not being able to taste them. The sound of their conversation drowned the cicadas:


    ¡°It¡¯s about time, he¡¯s scared and didn¡¯t dare to come, let¡¯s hurry to eat!¡±


    ¡°So in his place you wouldn¡¯t be afraid? Not coming is the right choice, only a dumbass would come.¡±


    Steward Liu only smiled faintly as if he didn¡¯t hear, thinking: it¡¯s best if he knows fear, it¡¯s only a little kid after all .


    ¡°He¡¯s coming he¡¯s coming!¡± A young worker trotted into the yard with a face full of sweat: ¡°Li the Second came!¡±


    The people in the yard looked like their necks were being strangled all at the same time. No one made a sound. The cries of cicadas suddenly become louder and clearer.


    Li Qingshang stood in front of the Liu house¡¯s gate, his heart likewise fiercely anxious. Things were always easy to say and harder to do. This great Liu house¡¯s courtyard with green bricks and white walls in front of him was just like a small dragon pond or tiger cave. If he were a little careless he could well throw his life away inside.


    The idea of turning tails came to him as he remembered that ¡°revenge was a dish best served cold.¡± With the current speed of his progress, he just needed time, a year, no, half a year, even three months. He could whip his [Bull Demon Strong Fist] into shape, then he wouldn¡¯t need to fear anyone inside the yard anymore.


    His spirit suddenly shook, and he asked his own conscience: ¡°Li Qingshan, Li Qingshan, don¡¯t tell me the words you said back then were only farts? In this life you only dare to bare your fangs to people weaker than you? In that case even if you cultivated unrivaled divine powers, you would still merely be nothing more than a coward to your very bones.¡±


    These various shifting moods and thoughts actually only took a few moments. Li Qingshan deeply breathed in, clenched his fists, his expression becoming firm and unwavering as he crossed inside the gate without any hesitation.


    1. Guan Yunchang is Guan Yu, a famous character of the Three Kingdoms era and a general under Liu Bei. This particular meeting was between him and Lu Su, a vassal of Sun Quan, to settle a territorial dispute between Liu Bei and Sun Quan over the Jing province. I believe it is the Book of Wu that mentions that Lu Su came with hundreds of soldiers, while Guan Yu went with nothing but his blade.

 Chapter 9

    The gate closed behind him. Li Qingshan looked around, seemingly not noticing the tense atmosphere inside the yard at all, and headed toward the table Steward Liu sat at. That place faced the hall and was arranged under the tallest old elm tree in the yard. It was were the main seats were, and those sitting there were all people with fame and prestige within the village.On the right and left of Steward Liu were Village Chief Li and the witch. Those were precisely the three peoples with the greatest power and influence in the Crouching Bull Village. There were also some village elders, and the only young people were Village Chief Li¡¯s two sons, Tiger Li and Panther Li. They were both born tall and burly, and glared at Li Qingshan like beasts watching their preys.


    Steward Liu¡¯s eyes slightly contracted. It¡¯d only been a dozen days since he last saw him, but Li Qingshan seemed like he had become another person. He couldn¡¯t say concretely what changed, but anyway it was greatly different compared to the past. There was a momentum that wasn¡¯t there before.


    Village Chief Li had an august expression, and a bad light in his eyes. The witch was straight out naked poison.


    If ordinary villagers offended any of those three, they couldn¡¯t even live in the village anymore. They could only bow their heads and apologize. Not to mention offending the three of them together, but Li Qingshan would certainly not apologize or bow his head down.


    There were actually many rules in the village for eating at a feast, from the position of your seat to the sitting posture, all were pretty complex. Li Qingshan noticed that the other tables were all squeezed full, and only this table was comparatively less crowded. He boldly sat down, saying: ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating yet, is everyone waiting for me?¡±


    No one answered him. Tiger Li and Panther Li pressed closer on both sides and separately gripped his two shoulders, squeezing down forcefully.


    Although Li Qingshan was young, his stature was tall and wasn¡¯t inferior to the two of them, but his build was slim and far from their beefy physique. If it were in the past, only one of them would have been enough to subdue Li Qingshan. Even now Li Qingshan could only cope with one, two was hard to say.


    Li Qingshan frowned. He grabbed the two¡¯s wrists and pulled down, resorting at the same time to the ¡°Bull Demon Skin Shift¡± transformation, looking like a buffalo stretching its muscles and bones as he leaned left and right.


    Panther Lid and Tiger Li only felt a burst of pain from their wrists. Li Qingshan bumped again into them and they suddenly couldn¡¯t control their bodies, falling down from their chairs.


    The two felt humiliated and flew into a rage. They sprang up without caring about the dust and dirt covering their bodies.


    Steward Liu originally planned on saying a few words for the scene and probe Li Qingshan¡¯s intentions, see if he had any thoughts about giving in. But unexpectedly Tiger Li and Panther Li acted so impulsively. He didn¡¯t have time to curse them as he was about to throw the cup in his hand and order his workers to act.


    ¡°Clang!¡± A short knife nailed into the surface of the table, and the movements of the other people were also nailed stiff. The blade radiated a hazy glint under the mottled sunlight.


    Tiger Li and Panther Li suddenly didn¡¯t dare to go forward anymore. They were both sons of the village chief and were pampered. They could still bully honest people with their robust bodies, but they weren¡¯t ready to struggled to the death with someone.


    Li Qingshan held the short knife with one hand, stamped one foot on the bench, bent his body forward and looked at Steward Liu as he smiled taciturnly: ¡°Steward Liu, that¡¯s no way to treat your guests. Even if you have life and death grudges to settle, there¡¯s still no harm in waiting until we eat and drink our fill before talking about it. Don¡¯t waste these tables full of food and wine.¡± He didn¡¯t feel anxiety anymore as he said this.


    Before Steward Liu opened his mouth, the workers around the tables actually applauded one after another. What was the most important thing for them, of course it was to eat! If they started to fight they didn¡¯t know how much food they¡¯d spill and knock down. They would absolute not believe the stingy Steward Liu would prepare another table for them.


    ¡°Right right, steward Liu, we didn¡¯t even eat this morning? We¡¯re so hungry our back is touching our chest, where would we have any strength to fight.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even eat last night, I¡¯m going to die if I don¡¯t have a bite now.¡± The one saying this harshly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.


    The hostile atmosphere at daggers drawn suddenly became weird. Even Li Qingshan didn¡¯t know whether to cry or laugh, silently wondering why he had been so afraid of this group of people.


    Steward Liu¡¯s face swelled bright right. The reason he set up this feast was one to subdue Li Qingshan, and two to give his hired hands some benefits, because he was worried they wouldn¡¯t work hard enough.


    He wholeheartedly wanted to imitate the books, hide five hundred axemen, and have them rush out at the signal at a thrown cup to arrest Li Qingshan1. But he had forgotten that the people under him weren¡¯t a death squad or some retired generals, but a group of genuine farmers.


    Liu Qingshan smiled happily at Steward Liu: ¡°What a coincidence, I also didn¡¯t eat anything last night, now I¡¯ll have to be impolite.¡± He grabbed a roasted chicken and started to eat.


    Since he began cultivating the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], his food consumption became very astonishing. A hundred pounds of deer meat unexpectedly only lasted him a dozen days before he finished it clean. The green bull didn¡¯t have time yet to catch new prey.


    A roast chicken disappeared in a flash inside his mouth. He stretched his head and looked around. The workers didn¡¯t care anymore, and they lifted their chopsticks one after another, engrossing themselves in the food. In a moment there was only the loud sounds of eating and gnawing in the yard.


    Village Chief Li was angry and afraid at the same time. His whole body trembled and he stared at Steward Liu. Aren¡¯t you very smart, quickly think of something.


    What something could Steward Liu think of? He stared back. If I told the workers to act, and they don¡¯t want to abandon the food, what am I going to do when Li Qingshan rushes first on me and give me the knife? Your two sons usually look so tough, why did they become so soft at this time?


    At this table, just relying on Steward Liu and the group of old people, all of them added up weren¡¯t even enough for a kick from Li Qingshan. It seemed like they had suddenly been cast off on a desert island and they had to face this vicious Li Qingshan alone. They were all trembling in their hearts and scared witless.


    Once a coarse person rages, blood splashes five feet away.


    Li Qingshan acted as if there was no one else beside him. He lifted a wine gourd, poured it himself and nursed the cup by himself. This village wine was already weak and drinking it like this was simply tasteless, so he shouted: ¡°Give me a big bowl!¡±


    But no one answered him. Li Qingshan made an annoyed ¡°hmm?¡± sound, then Steward Liu hurriedly ordered someone to get a big bowl. Li Qingshan filled the bowl, lifted his head and drank it clean in one mouthful: ¡°Delightful!¡±


    The workers saw him drink so refreshingly and again admired his courage. Quite a few cries of ¡°good!¡± even came from them.


    Li Qingshan had eaten a lot of greasy food these days, and he felt incomparably refreshed when this hot spicy drink washed down. He didn¡¯t stop in the least and drank three bowls in succession.


    When the third bowl went into his belly, the yard was already rumbling with praising shouts, the noise like the gurgle of boiling water. It was like the workers didn¡¯t come because Steward Liu invited them, but to lend their fists to assist Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan let out a drunken belch and cupped his hands to all four directions in salutation: ¡°Everyone eat their fill and drink their fill, don¡¯t forget Steward Liu¡¯s generosity. What grudge and quarrels can be settled after the meal. Anyway even if you have to walk on the road to the netherworld, you still can¡¯t be a hungry ghost.¡±


    After that his eyebrows straightened and he looked at the people at the main table: ¡°Why aren¡¯t you eating?¡± His killing intent rushed up with the rush of alcohol. If these people kept making trouble for him, then this Crouching Bull village wouldn¡¯t be safe, and maybe one day he¡¯d fall to a sinister plot of theirs. He might as well kill some of them, snatch some properties and go somewhere else. He expected none of those villagers would dare stop him.


    At first Li Qingshan merely came to risk the banquet, and there was even some false bravado in that, but as a result he saw the false bravado of Steward Liu and the rest instead. In a short moment, the guest became the host, he went from passive to active and his thoughts also became greatly different. He couldn¡¯t help remembering the words of uncle Lei Feng2: Trouble is like a spring, if you¡¯re weak it becomes strong. Then he also remembered the great ancestor Mao¡¯s words: imperialists are all paper tigers, hmm, land owners are also paper tigers.


    Although Steward Liu¡¯s scheme was a little botched, he was still experienced in reading people. Looking at Li Qingshan¡¯s expression, he realized with one glance that he was thinking about murder. He couldn¡¯t keep the facade of sophistication anymore and a layer of cold sweat drenched his forehead.


    The several village elders were even more scared, they didn¡¯t want to become well-fed ghosts either! They hurriedly explained to Li Qingshan that at the family separation ceremony they were also coping with the situation, and were absolutely not in the know. Some people stood up trembling, wanting to take their leaves.


    Li Qingshan coldly shouted: ¡°Everyone be still. Everyone¡¯s seen the things that happened in the past few days with their own eyes. Don¡¯t be in a hurry to leave, eat your fill and drink to your content, stay afterwards and be my witness. You must have a guilty conscience if you still insist on not listening, in that case you can¡¯t blame a certain knife¡¯s ruthless.¡±


    1. The plot to invite someone to a banquet then throw a cup as signal for the hidden soldiers is often used in Chinese fiction. I¡¯m not sure if the five hundred soldiers in this case is a reference to anything specific, sorry. S~?a??h the ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    2. Lei Feng was a solider who became famous in Chinese culture after his death thanks to a propaganda campaign launched by the communist party. They advertised him as a model citizen, selfless and modest, and devoted to Mao and the party.

 Chapter 10

    The old folks sat back falteringly on their chair. Li Qingshan buried his head in the dishes, eating and drinking in great mouthfuls. These days he only ate deer meat and it became annoying. It just happened that he wanted a change of taste, and he swept clean the table brimming with dishes by himself, rubbing his swelling belly.¡°Normally the people in this yard are all my elder generations, it¡¯s not an exaggeration to say you saw me grow up. But there are some people who don¡¯t care about this affection and pushed me around for a little land. If today you don¡¯t give me an explanation, then I¡¯ll give you an explanation. Even if I lose my life today I won¡¯t have any regret.¡±


    Li Qingshan pulled his knife out as he said: ¡°Steward Liu, Village Chief Li, don¡¯t you agree?¡±


    Steward Liu was determined not to eat this bitterness in front of his eyes, and said in defeat: ¡°Second son, this land, if you want to grow it you can just take it back!¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°I don¡¯t need this little piece of land. You spent money to buy it, I¡¯m not going to take unfair advantage. I just want to obtain justice. You people do whatever you please in the village, but don¡¯t forget there are gods above. Justice is in the heart of men.¡± His voice became more stern as he spoke on.


    Steward Liu was embarrassed and couldn¡¯t say anything, while Village Chief Li answered: ¡°We were wrong in this matter, we believed your brother¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not my brother.¡± Li Qingshan coldly interrupted.


    ¡°Li the Eldest babbled nonsense, they were blinded by lard and money, that¡¯s why they could do such a silly thing. These day I couldn¡¯t sleep, I was afraid I¡¯d die someday and wouldn¡¯t have any face in front of your father and mother.¡± Village Chief Li spoke through moist eyes as he went on, his old tears flowing unrestrained. He was really remembering the suffering he¡¯d gone through these past days.


    Li Qingshan said to the other elder people: ¡°Then according to you, should that piece of land be given to me?¡±


    ¡°It should, it should!¡± At this moment, who dared to say the word no?


    Li Qingshan obtained what he desired, and raised his head, laughing loudly: ¡°Justice actually still exists in this world!¡± He suddenly took back his laughter and lowered his head back. The expression on his face shifted, sometimes heavy and sometimes relieved, with an unspeakable sorrow mixed inside. He looked at the short knife in his hand: ¡°Justice was actually here.¡±


    He frowned and muttered: ¡°There are no gods above, justice is merely inside the blade. There are no gods above, justice is merely inside the blade¡­¡± Unconsciously his voice became louder and louder, shocking the residence. S?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    He was originally indignant and set on releasing this foul resentment. He wouldn¡¯t have been concerned even if he had to kill people. But at this moment he only felt it was flavorless. He took his knife back and turned around, leaving without acknowledging the various people in the yard. In a blink he disappeared without a trace.


    The workers ate a free banquet and watched a good show, so they dispersed contentedly. Li Qingshan was on every tongue, and their faces were filled with admiration.


    Steward Liu wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He already knew that it would be harder than hard if he wanted to organize a party against Li Qingshan now. Admittedly he controlled the land, but the workers weren¡¯t his slaves, and they wouldn¡¯t follow his orders. Even slaves could rise up in riot. It would be an extreme disaster if he roused every worker into rebelling against him.


    But fortunately Li the Second clearly distinguished gratitude and grudges. Since he¡¯d already said so much this day, he wouldn¡¯t be scheming revenge anymore. Now he could sleep easy. Although this banquet wasn¡¯t a success, it could still barely count as achieving his purposes. He saw Village Chief Li helped by his two sons, and although there was still some shame left on his face, his expression was also relieved, seemingly thinking the same thing as himself.


    The two of them looked at each other, both feeling awkward.


    Tiger Li wasn¡¯t convinced and said: ¡°Dad, we could wait until my big brother comes back. With his martial arts, I don¡¯t believe he can¡¯t punish this Li the Second.¡±


    Panther Li also said: ¡°Uncle Liu, isn¡¯t elder brother Liu also in Suncheer City?¡±


    It just happened that Village Chief Li had a bellyful of anger he needed to release, and he said ferociously: ¡°You all shut the hell up, how did I give birth to useless things like you!¡±


    Steward Liu didn¡¯t reply either. They were both people who had experienced winds and snow, and very clearly understood that the wise man looked after his own hide. They were absolutely not willing to provoke danger for the sake of a little anger.


    ¡°You bunch of useless people. The gods are already angry, he won¡¯t be able to live long.¡± The witch who had been entirely silent so far suddenly spoke mystically, her voice full of poison.


    Under the great sun, many people couldn¡¯t help shivering. People of this era all venerated ghosts and gods, while the witch was precisely someone who could communicate with the gods. They thought back to earlier when Li Qingshan said ¡°there are no gods above,¡± maybe he really stirred the gods¡¯ anger.


    Some people even remembered that there was once in the village a family who had invited the witch to cure their sick child. The witch also said that the child was possessed by ghosts. She used fire to burn and water to drown, then finally smothered him in a quilt, saying that they had to force the ghost out. In the end that child was smothered to death.


    The witch only said that it was as the King of Hell decided, then no one said anything, but the adults in that family didn¡¯t yield. Especially the child¡¯s mother who went everyday in front of the witch¡¯s door and threw curses and insults. This thing caused an extremely great harm to the witch¡¯s prestige in the village, but a few days later the child¡¯s mother suddenly died of sickness, her death inexplicable.


    The witch only said that the child missed his mother in the underworld. No one dared to disrespect her since then. But Li Qingshan had kicked her in front of the crowd and cursed her, he¡¯d already thoroughly offended her.


    ¡°Steward Liu, this child is your fate¡¯s disaster, now the gods will help you avoid calamities and solve your troubles¡­¡±


    Steward Liu hurriedly ordered someone to wrap some incense, wine, and meat for the witch. The witch looked again at Village Chief Li. Village Chief Li also clenched his teeth and groped out a piece of broken silver, sending the witch away.


    A worker hugged those things and followed after the witch, not daring to say much. They came in front of a house made of green bricks. Apart from Steward Liu and Village Chief Li, she was the only one in the village who could afford to live in a house of tiles and bricks.


    Incense tables and incense burners were set in the hall, the smoke drifting inside all day long. It was a residence, and also a temple.


    ¡°Little An, Little An, grandmother is back.¡± The witch suddenly spoke hoarsely, a secretive smile emerging on her face filled with wrinkles. There was no way one could call it benevolent.


    The worker knew that the witch had no grandchildren whatsoever, and trembled in fear. He hastily put the things down, but suddenly he felt someone pull on his trouser leg. When he turned his head back he didn¡¯t see anyone. He shouted loudly: ¡°Mum!¡± and frantically stumbled out. A burst of shrill laughter came behind him.


    ¡°Little An, let grandmother tell you, someone bullied grandmother.¡±


    In the empty hall, no one answered.


    ¡°What, you actually dare to disobey grandmother¡­¡± The witch¡¯s expression abruptly became malevolent. She let out a burst of insults and shook a bronze bell in her hand.


    An evil wind suddenly rose inside the house.


    After a long while, the witch restored her mildness: ¡°Right, now that¡¯s right. Grandmother doesn¡¯t want to hit you either, my obedient grandchild.¡±


    From beginning to end, there was only her talking to herself.


    The green bull had ran off to who knew where by the time Li Qingshan returned to his house. It was probably off to hunt beasts for his sake again.


    He took advantage of his drunkenness and practiced the [Bull Demon Strong Fist]. He couldn¡¯t have been any more familiar with the three basic styles already, and his body started to move on its own. His mind was still reminiscing all that had happened today. The thing that had looked so fearsome to him actually couldn¡¯t even withstand a single blow. If he had turned tail in front of Steward Liu¡¯s house and made his escape, how would he have been able to see through this secret?


    In this matter, his genuine enemy wasn¡¯t Steward Liu or Village Chief Li, but the fear deep inside himself. What was a genuinely mighty man? The Tao Te Ching1had given the answer long ago already, ¡°one who overcomes others is strong, one who overcomes himself is mighty.¡±


    ¡°The brave is fearless!¡± Li Qingshan roared those four words as if he¡¯d broken through an invisible barrier, and there suddenly was a kind of momentum pressing fearlessly forward in his fist technique. Whatever the difficulties and dangers lying in front of him, he had to straighten his back and strike through, never bowing his head and never retreating.


    There are no gods above, I am a god. Justice isn¡¯t in the heart of men, it is in my hands.


    In his four limbs and torso, every muscles seemed to connect under this determination, and his punch could link together strength from the whole body. He had the feeling that if he had to contend face to face with the two brothers Tiger Li and Panther Li together right now, he was fully confident he could defeat them even without a weapon.


    1. The Tao Te Ching is a classic Chinese daoist text.

 Chapter 11

    His courage lifted his strength, while his strength lifted his courage, both complementing each other.He became hungry again when he finished his training at sunset. He was still very thin, entirely unlike the sturdy bodies of Tiger or Panther Li. Only he knew very clearly that he didn¡¯t waste a shred of the blood and flesh essence from the deer meat, and had absorbed all of it inside his body.


    His body was like a bottomless hole, greedily digesting all wine and meat, transforming them into traces of power.


    After the fist training, Li Qingshan sat on the ground and closed his eyes. He quieted his mind and sensed every change inside himself. Overly pulling muscles and tendons was a very painful thing. He still remembered the second day he¡¯d practiced the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], the pain was so great he almost couldn¡¯t get up.


    The green bull didn¡¯t try to persuade him, so he still persisted and trained through the pain. Now through the continuous effort of a dozen days of practice, it finally became a little better. No, it should be his ability to endure that became a little stronger. According to reason, his body should have been able to acclimate itself after the first few days, but the pain on didn¡¯t diminish in the least, as if every day was the first day he started training.


    Every change of his body was vividly mirrored in his mind, but unfortunately he couldn¡¯t sense any so-called qi. According to the green bull, no matter what type of supernatural skill, you needed to sense the flow of qi and cultivate a trace of true qi before you could said be have genuine set foot inside the dao. But after all, the time he¡¯d cultivated was too short. S~?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    At this time, he suddenly felt a trace of chill flowing behind his neck, like a sudden breeze.


    But there was absolutely no wind right now, so there couldn¡¯t have been any breeze.


    ¡°Could it be this so-called qi?¡±


    Li Qingshan felt delighted and focused all of his attention on that chill, but he gradually felt that the chill slowly penetrated inside his skin, going deeper and deeper, sinking inside his bones and even his soul, becoming extremely gloomy and cold. It made him very uncomfortable.


    Li Qingshan shook his head. He stood up and punched a few times. The gloomy cold dissipated a little,but it coiled around him once more when he sat back.


    He had no idea where the problem was. He simply went to the creek beside the house and cleaned his body. The night¡¯s moonlight was clear and bright, and when he looked into the water, he saw a child with a pale face clinging expressionlessly on his body.


    Although his courage wasn¡¯t weak already, he was still shocked into cold sweat. The current scene reminded him of a movie he¡¯d seen in his previous world, ¡°The Grudge.¡±


    If he were an ordinary person, he would certainly have been scared silly, but good and bad Li Qingshan had also been in contact with a monster bull for so long, so he looked straight at the child in the water: ¡°What kind of thing are you? Why did you climb on me?¡±


    The child only moved his head, and at the same time a burst of ripples appeared on the water¡¯s surface. The child¡¯s reflection vanished, but that gloomy and cold air still clearly stayed on him.


    Li Qingshan strove to steady his mind: ¡°I¡¯ve run into a ghost. I have no idea why this little ghost is pestering me. I can only wait until brother bull comes back and discuss it with him. Fortunately it¡¯s not going to claim my life in the short run.¡±


    He had no great assurance in his heart, and he felt fear arise in him. The erosion of the gloomy chilly air sped up, and he hurried to practice the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] once more. Only during this time would the gloomy chill disappear. But after all he wasn¡¯t a tireless robot and still had to sit down and rest, and during that time he would find the chill especially hard to endure.


    As he reached further into the depths of the night, the gloomy air was at its strongest.


    The gloomy chill had already invaded more than half of Li Qingshan¡¯s body. There was no greatly obvious pain, it was only his hands and feet gradually becoming numb, and his five senses gradually blurring.


    The sensation of extreme danger made his brain run at full speed.


    He had heard people say that inside everyone¡¯s body there was yang qi that could restrain yin ghosts. He thought at the way his blood veins gushed with energy while he trained his fist technique, so the little ghost didn¡¯t dare come close. Hence while he was sitting he strove to imitate the same feeling as when he trained. He closed his eyes, manipulated his thoughts, contracted his muscles, and indeed it was somewhat useful, reluctantly withstanding the gloomy air¡¯s onslaught.


    He endured this way through the whole night, his consciousness sometimes murky and sometimes clear, fiercely training his mental and willpower, until his will was almost defeated.


    The roosters sang and the day brightened. Li Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes. Sunlight fell from the branch tips over his face, a little harsh on his eyes. The gloomy chill vanished from his body. The green bull happened to be looking at him from not too far away, its face filled with interest.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Brother bull, where did you go? Do you know what happened to me last night?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been back for a while. Aren¡¯t you talking about the little ghost on your body?¡±


    ¡°So you just watched like that?¡±


    ¡°What else do you want me to do?¡±


    Li Qingshan grinned and didn¡¯t say anything. The green bull had told him long ago, if you meet some danger don¡¯t expect me to assist you. It never gave him the opportunity to rely on it from the beginning. Looking at the gazelle at its feet, he was even more unable to say anything. The green bull had already provided him with the most important help, and he couldn¡¯t rely on it for every single thing.


    Basking under the warm sun, Li Qingshan stood up and stretched his body: ¡°Fortunately the little ghost doesn¡¯t dare to come out during the day, otherwise I really couldn¡¯t hold on anymore. Brother bull, good or bad I¡¯m still cultivating a daoist technique, don¡¯t tell me I can¡¯t handle a small phantom.¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t train a supernatural technique you wouldn¡¯t have been able to endure last night. Wait until you cultivate the strength of one bull, your body will be filled with exuberant blood and you naturally won¡¯t need to fear a tiny trivial ghost.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s in who knows how long.¡±


    ¡°Apart from that, I still have another way.¡±


    ¡°What way?¡±


    ¡°Things like yin ghosts are most afraid of killing auras. If you have the blood of a hundred lives or so on your hands, I guarantee you¡¯ll easily ward off all kinds of evils. This little ghost won¡¯t dare to come within ten steps of you.¡±


    Li Qingshan rolled his eyes: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you want me to slaughter this whole Crouching Bull Village?¡±


    ¡°That might not be unfeasible actually. How about it, want to try? Hehe¡± The green bull laughed.


    ¡°I might as well cut you first and make steak!¡± Li Qingshan ignored him, processed the gazelle, and ate breakfast. He first shoved this thing to the back of his mind, enduring the fatigue of mind and body as he wholeheartedly started the day¡¯s training.


    But as soon as he started cultivating he felt that today wasn¡¯t the same as usual. There was a thin and weak gossamer of ¡°qi¡± flowing inside his body, and if he didn¡¯t concentrate he absolutely couldn¡¯t sense it.


    This qi wasn¡¯t like the true qi described inside wuxia novels that was stored inside the dantian and flowed through the meridians1, but scattered everywhere like wandering fishes, traveling through his four limbs and hundred bones. When he waved his fist fiercely, the thread of qi flowed into his arms and his fists, but this was also the matter of an instant.


    Once he relaxed his focus, the thread of qi ran off who knew where like an urchin, hardly under his control at all. He told this situation to the green bull.


    The green bull wasn¡¯t surprised, saying meaningfully instead: ¡°You have to thank that little ghost for being able to sense qi so fast. It was a blessing in disguise.¡±


    In the critical juncture between life and death, Li Qingshan had mobilized all of his focus and willpower to resist the invasion of the gloomy chill. The little ghost had left, but the focus and willpower stayed behind, becoming a shred of true qi.


    ¡°So it turns out to be true qi?¡± Li Qingshan looked at his own palms: ¡°What¡¯s the actual use of this true qi?¡±


    ¡°Refine vitality and produce qi, refine vitality and produce qi, isn¡¯t it all for the sake of this whiff of qi? What use do you think it has? If you can¡¯t sense qi, even if you cultivated a lifetime you¡¯d only be a country peasant with some ability at most, and wouldn¡¯t amount to anything. If I had to say the benefits, I can¡¯t even count them all, just slowly experience it on your own.¡±


    1. If you¡¯re not familiar with Chinese novels, those are all elements of traditional taoist medicine and staples of Chinese fantasy. Qi is the invisible vital energy that flows around the body through qi channels called meridians. The dantian, literally elixir field, is a place in the lower abdomen where qi is usually stored.

 Chapter 12

    Li Qingshan thought that the green bull¡¯s words weren¡¯t entirely honest and seemed to conceal something, but he was too busy with his delight to think too much about it. He immediately trained his fist technique and tried to sense this true qi¡¯s uses.Sure enough, he put his finger on something not long later. When he cultivated his [Bull Demon Strong Fist] today, it was smoother and more relaxed than at any time before, like an old rusty machinery that¡¯s been smeared in lubricants. It felt unspeakably satisfying.


    It was also much faster to regain his breath. It seemed like a triviality, but when ordinary people fought they had to spare some energy and they didn¡¯t dare to attack with all their strength. Because if the blow with the whole of their strength were to be dodged, it was difficult to avoid a momentary body stiffness and leave a most important opening.


    He wouldn¡¯t have to worry about that. In the time it took others to hit one punch, he could fire out three fists with the whole of his energy. Even if his opponent had equivalent strength, he still wouldn¡¯t be his match.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s dozen days of painstaking training finally obtained this ¡°shred¡± of result, and he couldn¡¯t restrain his great joy, feeling that he was another step closer to his goals.


    But remembering the last night¡¯s exhausting danger, his expression became cold: ¡°However, I¡¯d like to know who sent this blessing my way.¡±


    The green bull said as if it wasn¡¯t paying attention: ¡°There¡¯s no door to luck or misfortune, man brings them upon himself.¡±


    Light flashed in Li Qingshan¡¯s mind. Those were words he said when the witch came to his door to ask for boar meat. The little ghost certainly didn¡¯t cling on his body for no reason at all. After careful considerations, he immediately came to some conclusions.


    He was born on the earth of the small mountain village and grew up on this earth. He had a rough idea about all the major matters that had happened inside the village. Things that could be called major weren¡¯t many to begin with in this small village. Among them was precisely when a household became ruined after a child fell ill, a several years ago. S?a??h the N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan was also a child back then, and he had known this kid called Little Hair. He had never expected in a thousand years that this kid would die just like that.


    It was also precisely because of this example that Li Qingshan obediently restored to his previous state after drinking blessed water, and never dared to reveal anything extraordinary afterwards, while loathing the witch to the extreme at the same time.


    Little Hair¡¯s mother death was very fishy. It had happened in the space of a single night without any clear reason.


    Li Qingshan originally thought that she couldn¡¯t bear the sorrow of her loss, but thinking now it was clear she had been invaded by the gloomy chill. He suddenly stood up, cold light flashing in his yes: ¡°So it was like this, she can¡¯t be spared!¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°Just go kill her then!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡± Li Qingshan sat back cross-legged and bowed his head as he sank deep into his thoughts.


    The witch wasn¡¯t the same as Liu Baldy that lousy wretch. Not only her influence was extremely great inside the village, she also had some fame in all the countryside nearby. People from other places often came to ask for her divinations.


    He¡¯d have no choice but to leave far away if he killed her. It was even possible he¡¯d be reported to the government offices and listed as a criminal. Moreover he had no evidence right now and couldn¡¯t definitely accuse her. The most important thing was, since she could order a small ghost about, did she also have other means? He had no way to know.


    The green bull stayed on the side and didn¡¯t interrupt, his heart full of approval. If blood had rushed to Li Qingshan¡¯s head because of his prestige from the previous day, and he had gone straight to the witch to cause a scene and kill her, it would have been a waste of his painstaking efforts.


    It was difficult to obtain perfection in this world. It was hard for a brave man not to be impetuous and thoughtless, while a smart man was often hesitant and lacked some decisiveness and staunchness. The words ¡°sword valor and zither heart¡±1were the rarest of them all.


    Li Qingshan made up his mind and dragged his legs to the village.


    ¡°Oh it¡¯s the Second Son, did you eat? If you haven¡¯t yet come eat at my house.¡±At the village entrance, an old burly man held a hoe and was digging the soil in his vegetable garden. He greeted Li Qingshan warmly when he saw him.


    The things that happened in the great yard of the Liu residence had already spread to the village¡¯s four corners. The originally obscure and unknown Second Son of the Li family was now already someone famous in the village. Whether old or small, they all had more respect for this young man.


    Li Qingshan answered each of them as he crossed through half the village, coming to a small yard with several willow trees planted in front. A small old man with ruined clothes leaned on a tree, already dead drunk so early in the morning. He had a little the posture of a lofty hermit.


    Li Qingshan clearly knew that this was no lofty hermit but only an ordinary farmer. He was also Little Hair¡¯s father, called Wealthy Li. He actually wasn¡¯t even forty, but he looked fifty to sixty. After the death of his wife and child, he¡¯d neglected his farm work, and drowned his sorrow in alcohol everyday, acting a little deranged.


    Seeing Li Qingshan come close, Wealthy Li mumbled vaguely: ¡°Come, drink, drink,¡± his intoxicated breath rushing out.


    Li Qingshan frowned. He grabbed Wealthy Li and dragged him inside the house, then without saying two words he scooped water with a ladle and shoved it in Wealthy Li¡¯s mouth, choking him into coughing and puking on the doorsteps.


    Li Qingshan glanced around at this thatched house. Everything was worn-out and broken. Spider webs covered the window frames. It could really be called ¡°four bare walls at home.¡± He remembered that Wealthy Li¡¯s house used to be a famously well-off house in the village, and the lands he owned were second only to Steward Liu. He was worthy of this name his parents gave him and his whole family lived prosperously.


    Who could bear to think that there was no permanence for men in the world, and that a suddenly disaster would bring such an outcome. Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. The little joys of mortals were really too fragile. But his temperament was firm and he carried great ambitions in his chest. He most despised those who let themselves go and wallowed in their dejection, so his actions weren¡¯t too polite either.


    Wealthy Li angrily said: ¡°What¡­What.. What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Big uncle Li, are you drunk?¡±


    Wealthy Li saw that Li Qingshan¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t so well-disposed, and he quivered. He wasn¡¯t deaf and blind yet, and he was keenly aware of what Li Qingshan had done in the village those few days; this was really an evil star. ¡°What¡­What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how Little Hair¡¯s mother died?¡± Li Qingshan went straight to the point.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t know anything.¡± Wealthy Li was scared until his face became white when he heard, and he tried to go outside without caring about anything else.


    Li Qingshan grabbed his thin dry wrist: ¡°Aren¡¯t you letting down your wife and son like this?¡±


    Wealthy Li¡¯s body froze: ¡°Second Son, it¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to tell you. It¡¯s not trouble you can stir up, don¡¯t throw your life away in vain.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking for trouble, but trouble already came knocking at my door. If I had to live like you, I might as well throw my life away. You only need to tell me what happened back then.¡±


    Wealthy Li was alarmed when he heard: ¡°What, already came to your door?¡± He hesitated a long while, and started talking after taking a long breath in.


    ¡°After Little Hair¡¯s mom shouted abuses in front of the witch¡¯s door, she came back and went to sleep. The next morning she couldn¡¯t wake up anymore. Her body became cold and blueish. Many creepy things happened that night, and also¡­ I also saw¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you see?¡±


    ¡°A child!¡±


    Li Qingshan was finally certain that the assassin was indeed that witch.


    Moreover the witch had even eerily told Wealthy Li that Little Hair not only missed his mother in the underworld, he also missed his father. It had scared Wealthy Li into a great offering.


    Li Qingshan slapped the wall. ¡°It¡¯s truly intolerable bullying. Don¡¯t tell me you never thought about taking revenge for your wife and son?¡±


    Wealthy Li¡¯s face wholly flushed red at the contempt in Li Qingshan¡¯s words and suddenly ran inside the house. He took out a long bundle from the bottom of the bed.


    He untied the bundle. Inside was a blade2, a top-notch steel blade.


    Li Qingshan pulled the blade out of the scabbard. A cold and threatening chill assaulted him. It reflected his face, his hair and beard clearly visible.


    This blade¡¯s handle was approximatively one foot long and faintly curved, with black silk wrapped around it. It felt very comfortable when held in the hand. The blade itself was two feet long and five inches wide. It was so much more powerful than Li Qinshan¡¯s short knife that was only one inch long and of poor make.


    The back of this blade was very thick and it felt heavy in his hand. The edge was extremely sharp. He randomly waved it around and heard the sound of air being broken. He couldn¡¯t hold in his praise: ¡°What a good blade!¡± He¡¯d never seen such a good blade in the market. If he really had to buy it, he was afraid he¡¯d need to exchange several mu3 of fertile land in exchange.


    1. A zither heart means a gentle and refined heart


    2. Presumably a dao, a single-edged curved sword akin to a saber. Culturally it¡¯s seen as less noble and refined than the straight sword.


    3. A mu is 1/15th of an acre.

 Chapter 13

    Wealthy Li said: ¡°This is the hundred-folded blade I bought in the Golden Spear Shop in Suncheer City.¡± He wasn¡¯t a dimwit, how could he not be moved by the death of his wife and child? He was filled with hatred for the witch. This blade was the proof, the proof he was still a hot-blooded man.But in the end he was still an ordinary farmer. On one side was wine and on another side was a blade, but from beginning to end he never had the resolve to pick up the blade, and he fell day after day in the depression of intoxication, ultimately discovering that he didn¡¯t even have the strength to hold the blade anymore. But he still had kept this blade all along and never used it to exchange for wine.


    Wealthy Li tears wildly flowed on his face as he reminisced past events. ¡°I didn¡¯t dare sell this blade. I also can¡¯t sell this blade. If I sold it I would have nothing left.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s thoughts surged but he didn¡¯t bat an eye outwardly. He quietly slid the blade back into its sheath: ¡°If you believe me, then let me take care of this blade. I will certainly give you an accounting.¡±


    Wealthy Li turned around and wave his hand. Li Qingshan strode out, hurrying on the way, itching to cut the witch with one slash of the blade. He only calmed down after returning to his house and training a set of his fist technique.


    ¡°Being able to order ghosts, what level of supernatural power is that? How is it compared to my Nine Bulls and Two Tigers?¡±


    ¡°The powerful can commend ten thousand ancestral ghosts, be called ghost emperors, and be friends with gods and demons. The weak can only bully ordinary people, and their cultivation will not only not be beneficial but instead be harmful. The gloomy chill will invade their bodies, ruining their sanity and perverting their temperament.¡±


    ¡°This witch is naturally the latter type.¡± Li Qingshan became relieved. He also expected this, otherwise the witch wouldn¡¯t have eaten a kick of his without doing anything back, only taking revenge after waiting for so long.


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate her. You can¡¯t see the ghost, so you¡¯re unable to guard against many of her methods.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s thoughts made a turn inside his mind: ¡°Elder brother bull, I heard that when people smear bull tears on their eyes, they can see ghosts, is that true?1¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get any idea about me, this old bull never shed a tear in its life.¡±


    ¡°When men have tears but don¡¯t shed them out, it is merely because they never met with heart-breaking grief2. Elder brother bull, have you never been heard-broken?¡±


    The green bull turned its bullhead away and ignored him.


    Li Qingshan knew that elder brother bull was genuinely bullheaded, so he didn¡¯t try to persuade it any further.


    These days the two of them talked often, and he had faintly observed the green bull¡¯s mood. It didn¡¯t want Li Qingshan to rely on itself. Your own road had to be traveled by yourself, and the things you did had to be seen to the end by yourself.


    When dusk came, the green bull suddenly gave Li Qingshan a small porcelain bottle. It didn¡¯t explain anything and just walked out. It climbed on the Crouching Bull Hill, and watched the sun set over the hundred thousand mountains.


    Li Qingshan opened the bottle. Inside was a transparent light blue liquid. His thoughts jumped and he beamed brightly. He said thanks to the shadow of the green bull¡¯s back. He dipped a blade of wild grass inside the liquid, and very carefully dripped it into his eyes.


    At first he didn¡¯t feel anything, but as time went on he felt his eyes become warmer and warmer, warm enough to boiling hot. Without these days¡¯ arduous cultivation, he would have been about to scream in pain.


    Inside the house of green bricks and tiles submerged in smoke, a group of outsiders that came to request a divination watched with wide eyes and open mouths as a charm paper fluttered up in the air. Then it suddenly ignited itself, and the flame was even blue.


    They couldn¡¯t see a pale-faced child exerting the utmost of his strength to hold the charm paper up. They only bowed their heads, and with reverence and trepidation they gifted all their silver to the witch, then retreated out backwards.


    The witch carefully collected the money, her face suddenly becoming ferocious: ¡°What happened, that Li the Second isn¡¯t dead yet? Did you do things half-heartedly? Do you really need me to sort you out?¡±


    The child¡¯s wooden face exposed fear, desperately shaking his head.


    The witch suddenly shook the little bell in her hand, and the child randomly knocked around inside the room in pain, carrying bursts of gloomy wind around that blew the smoke away.


    After a long while, the witched stopped in the bell: ¡°Be obedient, listen to grandmother, grandmother wont treat you unfairly.¡± She gave an embroidery needle as thin as a bull hair to the child: ¡°Take it and go stab his eyes blind.¡±


    The child held the needle with great difficulty and rode the night wind as he flew toward the Crouching Bull Hill.


    In the darkness of the night, Li Qingshan was actually sitting inside his courtyard with his eyes closed.


    The child went toward him. He raised the embroidery needle and slowly stabbed toward Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes.


    In ordinary people¡¯s eyes, there would only be a needle floating on its own in the air, not to mention this needle was extremely thin. Even during the day it would be difficult to see clearly, to say nothing about the dark night.


    Li Qingshan seemed to feel something and suddenly opened his eyes. He disregarded the embroidery needle almost within his reach, and fixated the child¡¯s pitch-black eyes with a gaze sharp as a sword: ¡°What are you doing?¡± His eyes were lively, as if two flames burned within.


    At dusk, just when Li Qingshan was hurting until he couldn¡¯t bear anymore, the shred of almost indiscernible breath inside his body had suddenly moved. It traveled to his eyes, and the sensation of pain had immediately reduced by quite a bit.


    When the painful sensation of heat vanished, a refreshing feeling moved inside his eyes, filling him with happiness. It was precisely at that moment that the omen of danger emerged in his heart, and he opened his eyes all of a sudden, seeing just in time the little ghost from the previous night holding an embroidery needle and standing in front of him.


    He was surprised, and felt a little lingering fear. He originally thought that the witch only had some little tricks with ghosts and would absolutely not assault him frontally. In any case the little ghost¡¯s gloomy chill couldn¡¯t injure him, so he carelessly underestimated the enemy. If it weren¡¯t for his sudden ability to see ghosts, it would have been difficult to avoid this sinister plot and have his eyes ruined. This way it would have instead been better to act and kill first.


    This child was even more surprised and trembled all over from Li Qingshan¡¯s angry stare. The embroidery needle slipped and fell on the ground, while the child floated back, retreating far away.


    Li Qingshan carefully examined this little ghost, discovering that he was only six or seven years old, looking very pretty. If not for the pale face, he could really have been like those golden boys and jade maidens who attended the immortals. He wore a gown made from silky gauze, probably his attire before death. He didn¡¯t look like a little enslaved ghost but like a little prince from a great family. S~?a??h the N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The child realized that Li Qingshan could see him and suddenly didn¡¯t dare move forward. But he was also afraid that he would be punished if he went back without completing the mission, so he didn¡¯t dare leave either, staying rigidly in place.


    There was already no fear left in Li Qingshan. It was always the things that couldn¡¯t be seen that were the most terrifying. He could see clearly now and discovered that the child was even more afraid than him. He opened his mouth to ask: ¡°What¡¯s your name, where do you come from?¡±


    No matter what he asked, this child only stayed wooden and didn¡¯t answer. An idea came to Li Qingshan: ¡°You can¡¯t talk?¡±


    The child hesitated a moment then nodded his head.


    Li Qingshan thought about how it was only being controlled by the witch. He met misfortune and died at such a young age, and he was maybe even killed by the witch. So Li Qingshan also felt some compassion and his attitude became a little gentler.


    ¡°Yesterday you were glued so close, what are you afraid of now? Come a little closer, I have things to ask you.¡±


    The child saw that his expression had changed and wasn¡¯t so fearsome anymore. He approached a few steps closer with the appearance of an little insecure animal.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Since you don¡¯t want to talk, just answer by nodding or shaking your head. Do you understand me when I talk like this?¡±


    The child nodded.


    This was how a man and a ghost started to communicate.


    1. I believe this is a Chinese superstition.


    2. Line from an opera piece based on the novel Water Margin

 Chapter 14

    Li Qingshan asked many things, and the child answered them one by one as if he didn¡¯t know how to lie, either nodding or shaking his head. But he could only answer simple questions, and he would only stare blankly if faced with complex questions.When asked what his name was, where he came from, he only shook his head strongly, and when asked what other fancy tricks the witch had, he only vacantly stood there.


    Even so, Li Qingshan also understood many things. This child had indeed been harmed to death by the witch and been refined into a little ghost at her orders. Originally he could talk, but after the witch poured him a bowl of medicine he couldn¡¯t anymore.


    Li Qingshan guessed that the witched had kidnapped this child and was afraid he¡¯d randomly say things on the way, so she poisoned him into a mute. Whenever he mentioned the witch, the child would show a face full of terror.


    Li Qingshan softly said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t harm you, I¡¯ll kill that witch and release you.¡±


    Unconsciously, the child went closer to Li Qingshan, and when he lifted his head, his small face had now an intimate expression.


    Li Qingshan showed an appeasing smile and tried to rub his head, but his hand went through his body. He immediately froze.


    The child¡¯s expression suddenly dimmed. He lowered his head, tears silently flowing out.


    Li Qingshan suddenly felt sadness arise from within and hissed at the sky all of a sudden for a long while. Why were there always so many injustices in the world? Humans harmed each other, how was it any less cruel than any evil spirit, demon, or ghostly monsters?


    The child stared and looked with surprise at Li Qingshan.


    Under the moonlight, there were actually crystal drops at the eye corners on this young man of unwavering will.


    Li Qingshan said in self-ridicule: ¡°Indeed the reason men don¡¯t easily let out their tears is because they haven¡¯t been met with grief yet. I¡¯m making you laugh.¡± S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The child stood on tiptoes. He touched Li Qingshan¡¯s cheek and collected a drop of tear, carefully grasping it in his palm as if it was very heavy.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it!¡± Li Qingshan blushed red and suddenly somewhat understood the green bull¡¯s awkwardness. How could a man¡¯s tears be so easily given to someone else?


    Then he remembered that the green bull also said that small weak ghosts had no substance. They could only turn the illusory into reality and manipulate material objects after cultivating to a certain level. This child was weak and small. In all likelihood he could only hold extremely light things.


    The child was merely watching the transparent liquid inside his palm.


    Li Qingshan was helpless and could only look around, feeling a little weird. Why did the sky darken so late today? Although the scenery around the little house was a little dim, everything was still clearly visible.


    But when he raised his head and saw the moon, he understood that it wasn¡¯t the sky that had darkened late, but his vision that had become brighter. It didn¡¯t fear the night, like the incomparable clarity when a window was wiped off from the layer of dust and dirt covering it.


    Li Qingshan murmured to himself: ¡°Brother bull is indeed a spirit monster, his tears even have such wonderful uses.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little late, I have to sleep. I couldn¡¯t get a good rest yesterday because of you, and I still have things to do tomorrow. I have to refill my mind and energy.¡±


    Li Qingshan went back to his room to sleep. The child crouched in front of his door, the silhouette seeming half-transparent under the beams of moonlight, just like the teardrop in his hand.


    Li Qingshan sank into very deep sleep and only woke up when the sky was fully bright, feeling comfortable all over. The child had already left. He probably didn¡¯t dare to stay active during the day.


    He washed himself, and casually practiced the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] once. He took the thick-backed steel blade he got from Wealthy Li, then after a little more consideration, he picked up a few pieces of gazelle meat before going out.


    The three scoundrels were sitting facing each other with a miserable look. After Baldy Liu¡¯s death, their small band lost their main core and their life inside the village was even more difficult. It was really a case of ¡°when mice cross the street, everyone curses and hits them1¡±


    How could they learn Baldy Liu¡¯s viciousness, or Li Qingshan¡¯s fierceness. Suddenly even being able to eat had become a problem, not even mentioning eating meat and drinking wine. They could only get some work at Steward Liu¡¯s house and barely obtain some food, how could they keep their previous easy style.


    At this time, Li Qingshan suddenly tread inside the door. The three scoundrels hurriedly greet him. They noticed his expression was grave, a blade in one hand and meat in the other, automatically radiating power and prestige. No one dared to underestimate him because of his young age.


    The three scoundrels¡¯ voices also became more gentle as they exaggeratedly praised Li Qingshan¡¯s good deeds from the previous day. Li Qingshan ignored those flattering words and put the meat down. ¡°I still need to trouble you for something. This meat is a reward, including for the last time.¡±


    ¡°How would we have the nerve. Second Son you just say a word and us brothers will cut down mountains and set fire to the seas.¡± The three scoundrels said it like this, while their hands couldn¡¯t be more hurried in grabbing the gazelle meat.


    Just like the last time, Li Qingshan said: ¡°Follow me!¡± and turned around, walking away. However this time wasn¡¯t false bravado, but an unquestionable order.


    The three scoundrels didn¡¯t dare hesitate and obediently fell in step behind him.


    Li Qingshan borrowed hoes and shovels from farmer families nearby and returned to Wealthy Li¡¯s house.


    The time was already noon. The villagers were done busying themselves with the morning farm work, and it was the time they went back home for lunch. They saw the recently famous Li Second Son carrying tools and leading three scoundrels. They had no idea what he wanted to do and followed curiously behind. This time almost the whole village was affected.


    They saw him go to the front of Wealthy Li¡¯s house and thought, is he going to teach a lesson to this drunken ghost this time? I don¡¯t know how this drunken ghost offended him? They felt a little discomfort. Relying on numbers to bully a pitiable broken household was the opposite behavior compared to shouting at the steward and village chief inside the Liu house¡¯s great yard. One was unflinching in the face of threats and force, one was relying on strength to bully the weak.


    But the three scoundrels were very happy: ¡°I knew long ago that this old drunken ghost was a good-for-nothing.¡± They even slapped their chests and volunteered: ¡°I¡¯ll drag him out right now.¡± They hadn¡¯t been so happy for a long time. They wanted to display their prestige on this Wealthy Li and beat him up in front of everyone.


    Li Qingshan glared at them and shouted loudly: ¡°Are you coming?¡±


    Just as everyone was a little baffled, Wealthy Li ran out of the house and said clenching his teeth: ¡°I¡¯m coming!¡±


    His expression was surprisingly sober, making all the villagers feel strange. Usually this Wealthy Li always had an intoxicated appearance. They didn¡¯t know that after Li Qingshan had left, Wealthy Li didn¡¯t drink a single drop of alcohol, living in expectant hope day and night. He didn¡¯t think that Li Qingshan would already come find him the next day.


    This time, the villagers were even more unable to make head or tail of it, and their interested was even more hooked.


    Li Qingshan nodded, and with his head held high he walked in front, leading this group of people to the front of the witch¡¯s green-bricked residence. The gate was shut tightly. It looked like she¡¯d already been alarmed, so he ordered the three scoundrels: ¡°Break it open!¡±


    The three scoundrels suddenly became afraid. There was no one who wasn¡¯t afraid when facing this witch. Even when Baldy Liu was still there he didn¡¯t dare offend her either. This green-bricked residence combining living quarters and temple exuded even more a mysterious and sacred breath. They had been hearing about the many strange things happening inside this house since a long time ago.


    The other village farmers also became agitated when they saw he wanted to find trouble for the witch.


    Someone urged him: ¡°Second Son, don¡¯t act rashly!¡±


    Someone people also said terrified: ¡°You¡¯ll attract retribution if you disrespect the gods.¡± This was someone who firmly believed in the witch. If not for his fear of the blade in Li Qingshan¡¯s hand, he might even have approached and argued with him.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t say a word, and with a ¡°Bang¡± kicked the wooden door open. The bar locking the door broke with a loud noise, shocking the villagers into silence.


    Li Qingshan turned his head back and ordered the three scoundrels: ¡°Keep guard outside, no one else is allowed in.¡±


    The three scoundrels braced themselves and agreed. At least they didn¡¯t need to go inside.


    Li Qingshan crossed the threshold and walked to the yard in great strides. He came to the house¡¯s door, about to kick it down.


    The door opened on its own. It was clearly noon and the sun¡¯s glare was bright, but inside the house was a patch of pitch darkness. A gust of gloomy chill rushed out.


    The witch wore a brightly colored witch robe and was sitting on the god¡¯s altar, saying in an odd voice: ¡°Li the Second, do you know your sins?¡±


    ¡°Zing!¡± Li Qingshan drew out the thick-backed blade and shouted in a loud voice: ¡°Hand over your life!¡±


    1. Another saying from comrade Mao.

 Chapter 15

    The witch pointed a finger and a cloud of dark haze flew in front of him. There were many faces struggling in pain faintly visible inside the haze.This was the witch¡¯s killing card, called ¡°Ghost Haze.¡± It gathered thick gloom and resentment. She usually kept it in an earthen jar filled with the ashes of the dead, and buried it underground to absorb the gloomy chill. It would only be used at critical moments. In any case, this ghost haze had no awareness and only possessed hatred, so it was very hard to control. It could turn on her instead at the slightest carelessness.


    Today she saw Li Qingshan come with such a threatening momentum and had hurriedly opened the jar. This ghost haze¡¯s might was also extraordinary. Ordinary beings would immediately fall down and lose consciousness as soon as they¡¯re shrouded by the ghostly haze. The most insidious thing was that this ghost fog was the same as ghosts and stood between reality and illusion, entirely invisible to ordinary people.


    If Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t been unusually clear, he would have been fooled this time. Those days¡¯ of painstaking training manifested their results. He slanted his body, dodged the ghost haze, and directly charged at the witch.


    The witch didn¡¯t expect Li Qingshan to be able to see the haze and suddenly panicked. She quickly shook a bronze bell: ¡°Little An Little An! Come out for your grandmother, kill him!¡±


    This child called ¡°Little An¡± squatted in a corner, his face full of suffering, but he hugged his head and didn¡¯t move one bit.


    During the time she spoke, Li Qingshan resorted to the ¡°Bull Demon Ground Stamp.¡± His foot heavily stepped on the ground, leaving a very deep footprint behind as he flew forward and slashed his blade down.


    Cold light flashed and fresh blood splashed in the four directions. The witch¡¯s hand that clutched the bronze bell was thin like chicken claws, and it was cut off by Li Qingshan together with the wrist.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t even have time to examine the results of his slash when he felt gloomy air pour forth behind his back. This ghost haze sensed the breath of a living person, and like a wild beast smelling the scent of fresh blood, it attacked driven by its hatred.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t dare to stop and sprinted forward. He sensed that the ghost haze didn¡¯t catch up, and instead he heard a burst of shrill screams behind his back. He turned around and saw the cloud of ghost haze enveloping the witch silhouette, the many faces within biting and gnawing at her body.


    Even Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t expected this turnaround.


    The witch actually lost control of the ghost haze under the pain, and was immediately bitten back instead.


    For every grievance there was someone responsible, every debt had a debtor. The witch was the one to initiate evil and ultimately reaped what she had sown. Her body twisted from head to toes, and her flesh withered at a pace visible to the naked eye.


    Li Qingshan watched with a very carefree and content feeling in his chest. He laughed loudly.


    He originally had a shred of compassion and sympathy in him, but he repressed it down, because he felt it was shameful. Facing an innocent child who had suffered injustices, he was wiling to sing in grief and shed his tears. When faced with this kind of person that was even lower than beasts, he wanted to obliterate all sympathy and heartily laugh to the sky.


    Many people had originally climbed over the outer yard¡¯s walls and were looking toward the house. The villagers were really curious and the three scoundrels were entirely unable to stop all of them, so they could only allow them to do so. They merely occupied the best seats in front of the main door.


    They saw Li Qingshan step inside the door, fly up and hack down the witch¡¯s hand with his blade, then the witch just fell on the ground and wailed in pain. Amidst this painful wailing, Li Qingshan¡¯s laughter seemed like a crazed demon, alarming the crowd and making them tremble in fear.


    Many people were so afraid that they fell off the walls. The three scoundrels¡¯ legs also went soft and they fell sitting on the ground. They felt incomparable regrets when they remembered that back then they had even mocked and insulted him. Was this kind of person someone they could afford to provoke?


    Li Qingshan saw the ghost haze gradually dissipate, and the hatred within set free in a short moment. The witch laid prone on the ground, breathing her last breaths. She was surprisingly not dead yet, but obviously not far from death either. He guessed that she had cultivated some kind of technique, and it was why she could still hang on.


    The witch stretched her one chicken claw left and called the child in the corner, seemingly begging and resenting at the same time: ¡°Little An, Little An!¡± s?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Little An watched her both blankly and fearfully. Li Qingshan said: ¡°I¡¯ll send you off!¡± The thick-backed blade in his hand stabbed down.


    Steward Liu and Village Chief had gotten the news and rushed over. They just happened to see this scene, and before they even had time to shout ¡°Spare her life from your blade¡± or this kind of words, the witch had already given up the ghost. They both looked at each other and they both sweat cold sweats. They remembered that a few days ago the witch was still running her mouth and saying Li Qingshan didn¡¯t have long to live, now today she¡¯d handed her life over.


    It was fortunate they didn¡¯t drive Li Qingshan into a corner that day, otherwise no one could know the results.


    This was already the second time Li Qingshan killed someone. Compared to his panic in the darkness the first time, this time he seemed very unperturbed in broad daylight. He made great progress and even he himself was surprised, wondering: ¡°Could it be that the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] stirred the demon nature inside my heart, or could this be my true face?¡±


    In the blurry and deranged modern society of his former world, there were so many people who couldn¡¯t unfold their true character. They could only drift along with the current, living while conforming to society¡¯s trends. Not mentioning adults thirty or forty years old, even young men and women didn¡¯t have any hot blood or great ambitions. He had also been but another face in the crowd, not any different from the next person.


    After experiencing the changes of life and death through the wheel of reincarnation, it had stirred the noble aspirations in his chest, and he refused to spend this life in mediocrity. But he¡¯d still been crushed by the bitter life of this small mountain village for fifteen years. Now he finally got his chance, and once his heroic spirit was set free, it was really like a crazy demon as he refused to restrain himself any longer.


    Li Qingshan restrained his laughter and said as he turned his head back: ¡°The two of you don¡¯t panic, this old scamming wench has only herself to blame and deserved punishment. I still need you two to uphold justice.¡±


    You charge into someone¡¯s house in broad daylight and murder people, now you still want us to uphold justice. Those words only spun inside the two¡¯s mind and they naturally didn¡¯t dare say them out loud.


    Suddenly someone rushed out of the crowd and came in front of Li Qingshan. Bang bang bang, he kowtowed three times then lifted his head: ¡°I¡±m the murderer, it has nothing to do with the Second Son! This old monster wench ruined my household and killed my family. Little Hair, dad took revenge for you!¡± When he was done talking he was both laughing and in tears at the same time. It was precisely Wealthy Li. This great boulder pressing upon his chest for many years had suddenly been pushed away, and he felt that he would be at peace even if he had to die.


    There was no one in the village who didn¡¯t know of Wealthy Li¡¯s bitter experience, and all fell silent.


    There was only Steward Liu who exposed some fear and embarrassment. It was precisely because Wealthy Li had met with this disaster, drowning his sorry in alcohol and selling his fertile lands, that he could obtain the ¡°Half Village Liu¡± nickname. If Li Qingshan suspected he had colluded with the witch, wouldn¡¯t that be a disaster?


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°The things I do I take responsibility for, what do I need you to act as the scapegoat? Please follow me!¡± He called the three scoundrels and some elder folks with prestige inside the village, then together they went to the witch¡¯s backyard.


    Li Qingshan turned his head back and nodded towards the eaves. Others followed his gaze but there was only a patch of emptiness there. Little An hid inside the shadows and pointed at an empty spot.


    Li Qingshan issued an order and the three scoundrels started digging. Under Li Qingshan¡¯s supervision, they one and all exerted their full effort and didn¡¯t dare slack off in the slightest. After a short moment of effort, they dug out a great pit and excavated a pile of bones.


    Li Qingshan went down and collected the remains. He turned his head back and watched the eaves, then ordered: ¡°Keep digging!¡± Those weren¡¯t Little An¡¯s remains.


    Under Little An¡¯s directions, Li Qingshan made them dig several times more, and they again excavated several white bony skeletons. The surrounding people all exposed horror on their faces. How could so many skeletons been buried in the witch¡¯s backyard? Moreover, they all were children¡¯s skeletons.


    Li Qingshan was also a little aghast, and his face became heavier. He knew that those were the sacrifices to the evil arts the witch cultivated. The cloud of ghost haze filled with resentment that he had seen should certainly have come from this. He only hated that he let the old traitor witch die too easily.


    At this time, a ¡°Ding¡± came, as if they¡¯d hit something. They carefully dug it out. It was a porcelain jar, tightly sealed.


    Not waiting for Li Qingshan to stop them, the three scoundrels scrambled to open the jar. A small cloud of black air rushed out, and as if it was afraid of sunlight it directly drilled itself into a scoundrel¡¯s mouth and nose.


    This scoundrel¡¯s body trembled all over then fell to the ground and passed out. In not long of a time no more sound came from him.

 Chapter 16

    The other two scoundrels were scared stiff. Their faces became white, and they couldn¡¯t move. The thing inside the porcelain jar shone in their eyes. The porcelain jar was filled with sparkling white silver. It was such an amount that they¡¯d never seen in their whole life, and even Steward Liu and those old folks who had a foot inside the grave also showed an expression of temptation.Li Qingshan pushed them away. They were about to get immediately angry. Even the most cowardly person would get red eyes and a hammering heart for the sake of wealth, becoming more vicious. But then they looked at Li Qingshan and didn¡¯t dare to move again.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t care about their thoughts. He pulled the jar out and put it at the side. A very small skeleton emerged under the porcelain jar. This skeleton had long ago lost all flesh and blood, appearing grayish white. It was unknown how many years it¡¯d been buried.


    Little An finally nodded. Li Qingshan let out a sigh, watched left and right, then poured out all the silver from the jar and filled it with the white bones instead.


    The silver tumbled on the ground and piled into a small hill.


    This time, everyone around stared straight at it, not even caring about those few skeletons anymore.


    Steward Liu was someone who¡¯d seen the world, and made a rough estimation. This silver was worth at least several hundred taels1, and even he was about to have red eyes, let alone others.


    In this kind of small mountain village, it could really be called a vast fortune.


    Li Qingshan also didn¡¯t expect the witch¡¯s scamming to have plundered so much silver during those years. As they said: ¡°Wealth moves man¡¯s heart.¡± He wasn¡¯t an immortal who didn¡¯t eat the food of the common people either. He was also tempted by this fortune, after all in the future there were many things to spend money on!


    Just talking about meat, he didn¡¯t want to always rely on the green bull. The green bull wanted him to be independent, so he was going to show it some independence. Moreover he also wanted a change of taste, maybe he could go to the market and buy a few jars of good wine.


    But he also understood that ¡°men die for wealth while birds die for food.¡± If he took all of this white silver away, right now those people wouldn¡¯t dare say much because of his prestige, but they would still bear anger in their hearts. It would leave behind quite the root for disaster, and maybe even the witch¡¯s death wouldn¡¯t be settled peacefully.


    ¡°Village Chief Li, you¡¯re the person with the highest virtue and standing, so first tell us what we should do with this silver.¡± Li Qingshan wiped off the blood from the steel blade¡¯s back, and sheathed it back into the scabbard. It sounded like he wanted Village Chief Li to make the decision, but when he said the four words ¡°highest virtue and standing,¡± his tone was noticeable heavier.


    ¡°How could I how could I, this is you Second Son¡¯s credit. You cut off this great scourge for the village, so you should handle this silver.¡± Village Chief had just played a disgraceful role a few days ago, and he always felt that Li Qingshan¡¯s words carried a strong taste of intimidation, so how would he dare agree to this request.


    Li Qingshan looked left and right, and those he looked at all hurriedly nodded: ¡°Second Son you just handle it!¡± He then nodded. He didn¡¯t mind splitting the silver and exchanging that for peace, but if there really was someone who couldn¡¯t see clearly and wanted to take the lion¡¯s share of his spoils, then they¡¯d have to first ask the blade in his hand if it agreed or not.


    In this group of people, who wasn¡¯t much older than Li Qingshan, but no one felt indignant at listening to the arrangements of a fifteen years old young man. The present Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t the Li Qingshan from the past; that unwavering and cruel blade that murdered someone had already awed them all.


    Li Qingshan sat on the ground and partitioned the money. He held the porcelain jar filled with white bones in one hand, the other hand holding his short knife, while a group of mighty people and elder people lowered their heads as they listened to his words.


    But everyone was surprised at the first person he distributed silver to.


    ¡°Uncle Wealthy, the witch ruined your household and killed your family, by reason you should have compensation. Take this silver. In the future don¡¯t spend your life drunk, only then can you comfort the spirit of the departed.¡± Li Qingshan used the blade¡¯s scabbard and poked at the silver piled into a small hill, pushing out some silver. S?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°How¡­how could I accept this!¡± Wealthy Li also didn¡¯t expect Li Qingshan to say this, and he was at a loss as what to do.


    ¡°Take it away!¡± Li Qingshan actually wanted to praise and reward him for his courage at standing out right now and shouldering the burden for the murder.


    Wealthy Li put the silver away with unspeakable gratitude.


    Li Qingshan looked again at the two scoundrels: ¡°Those are for you.¡± He glanced at that scoundrel lying dead on the ground: ¡°And it¡¯s also for him. Give him a good burial when you go back. In the future earn a honest living, don¡¯t do those lowlife chicken stealing dog stealing things anymore, or I fear you could meet the same kind of disaster.¡±


    The two scoundrels were both surprised and happy as they gathered the silver. When Li Qingshan had mentioned this companion of theirs, their faces were both pale white, but they didn¡¯t look too saddened. Whether they would actually spend the money and give this companion a burial, only the heavens could know.


    Finally Li Qingshan cupped his hands at Steward Liu, Village Chief Li, and the group of village elders: ¡°In the past few days, I¡¯ve greatly offended you all, this silver can be said to be an apology. I still hope you¡¯ll forgive this boy for not understanding things. However, if I still hear about old people not respecting themselves and bullying the weak with the strong in the village¡­¡± His mouth said apology, but his face didn¡¯t express the slightest regret. His voice was even sterner and harsher when he said the last few words.


    Those people repeatedly said: ¡°We won¡¯t we won¡¯t!¡±


    Li Qingshan nodded his ascent and pushed out a pile of silver for themselves to divide.


    ¡°What about the rest of the villagers?¡± Village Chief Li saw that there was still a great pile left after he got his own share of the silver. Since even Wealthy Li this kind of victim could get compensation, then the village wasn¡¯t lacking in people suffering from injustice. It could be said that every family and every household had made offerings to the witch.


    Li Qingshan sent him a glance: ¡°The several of you still have objections?¡± Although he sympathized with the villagers, he wasn¡¯t planning on footing the bill for someone else¡¯s silliness. If it weren¡¯t for him killing the witch with a swift and decisive blade, those people could very well have tried to block him at the threats and urges of the witch.


    Moreover, how to split the silver, which family got more and which family got less, there could absolutely not be any perfect fairness. In the end he would not only not get any advantage, but instead become the object of everyone¡¯s hatred.


    Village Chief Li had also seen through this point, and he wanted to trip this young man who had all this momentum with him. To speak frankly, what did the interest of the villagers have to do with him? He was merely afraid of the ever increasing threat to his authority in the village posed by this man in front of him. It could very well be that in a few years, when he became a genuinely mature adult, he wouldn¡¯t even able to hang onto this status of village chief.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that with Li Qingshan¡¯s thoughts would be so meticulous at such a young age, as if he had seen through his plot with one glance. It made him even more terrified and he didn¡¯t dare to speak any longer.


    Li Qingshan wrapped up the rest of the silver: ¡°Then I¡¯ll have to invite all of you to give an explanation to the village. If someone ran his tongue off and talked nonsense, and it fell into my ears, hmph!¡±


    A group of person obediently promised. The blade was in front of them, and they also got benefits, who would dare speak nonsense.


    Led out by Village Chief Li, they explained to the village people. They greatly praised Li Qingshan¡¯s virtues at removing this scourge for sake of the people. At first there were some die-hard believers of the witch who couldn¡¯t accept it, but when remains were carried out one by one, everyone shut their mouths. Someone who had so many bones of the dead buried inside their backyard, could they be a good person?


    Also, who wanted to offend Li Qingshan this kind of fierce and powerful man for the sake of a dead person. There was even this group of elders with ¡°high virtue and standing.¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t appear himself. Instead he took the bronze bell from the witch¡¯s severed hand. He could vaguely feel the spirituality inside, different from ordinary tools. He asked Little An: ¡°She was using this stuff to control you?¡±


    Little An nodded and looked with terror at this bronze bell.


    Li Qingshan held the bell and strongly twisted it, twisting the bell until it deformed. That spirituality suddenly vanished. Afterwards he went outside the door and threw away the bell with all his strength. He turned his head back and smiled: ¡°You¡¯re free!¡±


    1. A tael¡¯s a Chinese monetary unit equivalent to 50 grams (1 3/4th of an oz) of standard silver. Alternatively, it¡¯s a weight unit equivalent to 50 grams (1 3/4th of an oz).

 Chapter 17

    Little An¡¯s expression was both greatly happy and a little vacant at the same time.Li Qingshan made another search of the witch¡¯s house. Little An followed behind him like a little sycophant. He suddenly pulled on his trouser legs and pointed to a place.


    There Li Qingshan found a hidden spot in the wall. There was a stack of papers inside, all of them silver notes. He¡¯d already vaguely heard that this world also had money presses, but it was the first time he saw genuine silver notes in his life.


    The witch had probably buried the silver during the prime of her life, but then she became old and couldn¡¯t possibly go dig the soil again, so she exchanged those years¡¯ plunders into light silver notes and kept them in this hidden box. There were probably also several hundred taels. She was already so wealthy, but unexpectedly she still went head to head with him for the sake of a mere boar, then ended up dead.


    In the hidden box¡¯s bottom, Li Qingshan finally found the thing he wanted to find. This was a page, and it was filled with tiny handwritten characters. At a rough glance, it was precisely the technique to refine souls and control ghosts. This page¡¯s edges were jagged and uneven, as if it had been torn off from a book.


    Li Qingshan had caught his first glimpses of the road to cultivation from the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], and he was filled with curiosity for other techniques. He didn¡¯t expect the witch¡¯s strange methods to actually come from a book page. If she had the entire book, then he would probably have kicked the bucket in this place today.


    But if the witch had the whole book in hand, she probably wouldn¡¯t have holed herself in this Crouching Bull Village for half her life. The witch wasn¡¯t originally someone from the Crouching Bull Village, she had suddenly come and settled here several decades ago. No one knew her origins, and Li Qingshan also had no way to know where she obtained this book page.


    However, there was still a silver note under this page, unexpectedly worth a huge thousand taels. This silver note was extremely old and yellowed. You could see at a glance it was aged and was absolutely not something she earned after coming to the Crouching Bull Village. The witch¡¯s antecedents became even more impossible to unravel.


    Li Qingshan asked Little An: ¡°Do you recognize this thing?¡± He felt that this might have some relation with Little An¡¯s past history.


    Little An didn¡¯t say anything, not shaking nor nodding his head.


    Li Qingshan knew that this exceeded the scope of what he could answer. He naturally accepted everything in this box without any reservation, but when he was about to go out, he felt again Little An tug on his trouser leg.


    Li Qingshan turned his head back. He saw the kid look at him with a face full of confusion, like a child who¡¯d lost his way, looking unspeakably pitiful. His heart became soft and he squatted down, saying in a gentle voice: ¡°You don¡¯t have anywhere to go?¡±


    Little An nodded. Li Qingshan said: ¡°Then you can keep me company first!¡± So saying he opened the porcelain jar, knowing that the ghost didn¡¯t dare to move under the sunlight.


    Little An exposed a shy smile and flew inside the porcelain jar. s?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan took the jar and went back home. He buried the porcelain jar behind the thatched house, then piled up a tiny tomb.


    The green bull came back and asked: ¡°Success?¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°What¡¯s difficult about a trivial old witchy wench !¡± Then he displayed to it this time¡¯s spoils of war. He showed the bull that book page and asked: ¡°Does this count as a supernatural technique? Can I cultivate it?¡±


    ¡°This broken page naturally doesn¡¯t amount to anything, but this page comes from a supernatural skill called [Dark Shade Ghost Control Technique]. I don¡¯t know how it fell into her hand. There¡¯s mostly no benefit in cultivating this kind of incomplete things. Have you never heard about not eating more than you can chew? First cultivate the Nine Bulls and Two Tiger to some success, we¡¯ll talk about the rest later!¡± The green bull glanced at him and immediately revealed the origin of this page.


    ¡°Then out of the [Dark Shade Ghost Control Technique] and the [Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers], which one is the strongest?¡±


    ¡°It would have been difficult to say if it were the original version of the [Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers]. Although the [Dark Shade Ghost Control Technique] doesn¡¯t put emphasis on training the body, it can gather a great group of ghost types and submerge the enemy with numbers. It¡¯s a good battle skill. If you can¡¯t defeat someone who cultivates this technique in one move , it¡¯s very easy to be drowned in a sea of ghosts.¡±


    ¡°Then what about the strength of demon bulls and demon tigers I¡¯m cultivating?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s much better.¡±


    Li Qingshan calmed his mind and no longer hesitated. He put this book page away.


    The rest of the spoils were merely silver and money. Li Qingshan originally believed the green bull wouldn¡¯t care about those mortal things, but he didn¡¯t expect the green bull to say heavily when he heard: ¡°Very good, this is truly the most important thing compared to that broken page!¡±


    Faced with a supernatural skill it showed contempt, but it put such heavy emphasis on silver. Although Li Qingshan had already experienced the bull¡¯s teaching about ¡°eating meat and drinking wine,¡± he still couldn¡¯t help be surprised. This brother bull was really profane enough.


    The green bull saw what he was thinking about: ¡°Have you never heard the four words ¡°Law Companion Wealth Land1¡±? Those are all indispensable conditions for cultivation. The money is even ranked first.¡±


    Li Qingshan nodded: ¡°You need financial foundations for anything.¡± If he didn¡¯t have the green bull providing the most important food, he¡¯d have no way to cultivate even if he was pregnant with miraculous scriptures: ¡°However, it doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s a lot of things I can spend money on!¡± This pile of more than a thousand taels of silver was a huge fortune. He could survive for a long time if he only needed to buy wine and meat to eat.


    The green bull said: ¡°You¡¯re always asking me how long it¡¯ll be before you can cultivate the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] into shape.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, but you never want to answer.¡±


    ¡°I can answer you now. With your current cultivation speed, without any incident I¡¯m afraid it¡¯d take you ten years to reach the first layer of the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] and cultivate to the strength of one bull!¡±


    ¡°Ten years!¡± Li Qingshan was stunned into opening his mouth wide.


    ¡°This is only an optimistic evaluation. If you meet with a bottleneck then it¡¯s even more difficult to say, the more powerful the technique the more difficult it is to cultivate. Do you take daoist techniques for your peasant martial arts, like you can randomly practice it and succeed like just like that, and afterwards you¡¯ll become unmatched under the sky? Wake up!¡±


    It was as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over Li Qingshan, and his joy at killing the witch was cleanly swept aside: ¡°In that case, if I want to cultivate the [Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers] to perfection, I¡¯d need at least a hundred years?¡± He couldn¡¯t imagine what he would look like in a hundred years.


    ¡°Wrong, supernatural techniques are more difficult the higher you go. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if you can¡¯t succeed after three or five hundred years. But you don¡¯t need to worry too much, every time you reach another layer, your body¡¯s primordial essence will be reinforced and your life will naturally be extended.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s this any good!¡± Li Qingshan recognized that his perseverance was out of the ordinary, and he persevered every day training without interruption, but if he had to persist for several hundred years, he¡¯d become crazy just thinking about it.


    The green bull saw that its psychological attack had more or less reached its goal, and made an expression of ¡°kid, now you know how hard it is¡± then said: ¡°If you want to shorten the time, the simplest way falls on the word ¡°Wealth.¡±¡±


    Not caring about Li Qingshan¡¯s expression, a list flew into Li Qingshan¡¯s hand. Several dozen kinds of herbal ingredients were written on the list: ¡°This is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s to boil soup and make wine. Even mortals understand this trick. It doesn¡¯t matter if some ingredients are there or not, there¡¯s only one critical component that can absolute not be missing.¡±


    ¡°Ginseng!¡± Li Qingshan already saw the ingredient at the top of the list.


    This was probably the spiritual herb most commonly seen and easiest to obtain in the world. It was nicknamed ¡°King of a hundred grasses¡± and it was able to greatly nourish the original qi. In Chinese medicine, there was a soup to wake up the dead, and when you poured it at the moment of death it could make someone recover enough to pass on his testament. In reality it was merely ginseng soup.


    ¡°It¡¯s precisely ginseng.¡±


    1. Taoist saying: the four things needed for cultivation, namely a technique/law/scripture, companions to cultivate with, wealth for resources, and an environment to cultivate in.

 Chapter 18

    ¡°Then I¡¯m not very different from ordinary martial artists?¡±¡°Of course there are differences. Ordinary people have bodies that easily become weak and are hard to restore. If they eat too much ginseng, it will not only not be beneficial but will be harmful instead. I didn¡¯t tell you before because your body was still too weak. Even if I told you it would have been useless.¡±


    ¡°Those days slowly nursed you, you also cultivated a shred of true qi, only this can be considered as meeting the requirements. I was just about to ask you to find a way to make money, now we can save some trouble. However I¡¯m afraid this much money won¡¯t be able to support for too long.¡±


    Li Qingshan also understood where the difference was. He could eat more ginseng than ordinary people and didn¡¯t have to worry about suffering from internal heat and bleeding noses. His body was like a furnace, and with the support of the supernatural skill it could refine and absorb all the essence and energy entering his body, not wasting a single bit.


    This also meant that Li Qingshan had to buy many many ginsengs. And ginseng this stuff, no matter the era, was a considerably costly precious ingredient.


    He had to eat ginseng like radish, so his money probably wouldn¡¯t be enough no matter how much of it he had.


    With his thousand taels of silver, how much ginseng could he buy? He couldn¡¯t refrain from considering this question!


    After lamenting, Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but admit that this wasn¡¯t bad news. His strength progress¡¯s speed would reach a new level.


    In order to make a breakthrough in their strength, ordinary people had to search for rare spiritual pills and herbs, and when they ate them they weren¡¯t even guaranteed to have any result. While he only needed to eat those common and most easily obtained things to make continuous progress in his strength. If he spread this out he had no idea how many persons would envy him, what was he still dissatisfied for.


    As to genuine gold and white silver, he¡¯d always manage to find a way. With a sufficiently powerful strength, was he still worried he couldn¡¯t make money?


    ¡°This little ghost is interesting.¡± The green bull circled behind Li Qingshan¡¯s body and stared with its round bullseyes at Little An who was hiding behind Li Qingshan¡¯s body. From beginning to end, Little An had always been hiding behind Li Qingshan, quietly leaning out as he observed the green bull with great curiosity.


    Little An became scared and hid himself on the other side. He didn¡¯t dare directly face this talking bull. Although the green bull didn¡¯t have any frightful stuff like a killing aura or an angry aura on its body, he was still almost instinctively reluctant to get close.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Little An, he has no where to go. I¡¯ll first take care of him, you won¡¯t mind right!¡± Li Qingshan casually said that. If the green bull actually had reservations it naturally wouldn¡¯t say them in front of Little An.


    ¡°With only a broken page, she actually managed to cultivate to the point of ordering ghosts, and even a ghost that can manipulate objects. This is really incredible, either that old woman was a genius in the dao of ghost refining, or else there¡¯s something exceptional about the spiritual nature of this little ghost. However that old woman cultivated for so many years and sacrificed so many test products, but she only refined this one ghost, so it¡¯s definitely the latter.¡±


    Li Qingshan looked at little An. He had no idea what¡¯s exceptional about him? But anyway a little ghost was a very strange thing to begin with.


    The green bull said: ¡°Maybe it¡¯s your best spoil. Why aren¡¯t you still quickly making him your slave ghost, it¡¯ll be greatly useful to you in the future.¡±


    ¡°What slave ghost, he¡¯s only a child, I already promised him to set him free.¡± Li Qingshan was someone who wouldn¡¯t go against his conscience even in the most difficult of times. He didn¡¯t sell off the green bull for travel money, and now he naturally wouldn¡¯t do so.


    The green bull felt itself that it had said too much and yawned: ¡°That¡¯s up to you, but it lost its master, and if there¡¯s no one to rear it, the spiritual aura will disperse in not too much time. Then the soul will scatter away.¡±


    Scattered soul! Little An confusedly blinked his eyes.


    ¡°Yin ghosts aren¡¯t poultry or livestock, they still need to be reared?¡±


    ¡°The dead aren¡¯t tolerated by the living world. Even extremely strong ghosts can¡¯t withstand a trivial exposure to sunlight. They might even disappear and die if blown away by a fierce gale. If anyone who died left a ghost behind, then after ten thousand years, the human world would have stocked up on who knows how many ghosts.¡±


    ¡°Then what can I do?¡±


    At dusk, Li Qingshan walked in great strides to the mountain woods carrying an ax on his shoulder. A little ghost both real and unreal hovered back and forth around him.


    Sometimes it ran far away to the river shore and watched a fish with great curiosity, and sometimes it flew to the treetops and touched a flying bird. But without waiting for Li Qingshan¡¯s call, it came back beside Li Qingshan swift as the wind, anxiously watching him.


    Li Qingshan shook his head and returned a smile. He faintly felt a little responsible for this child.


    But behind his body, the flying bird stiffly dropped from the treetops while the fish floated on the water surface flipped on its belly. It was proof this wasn¡¯t an ordinary child, but a dangerous ghost.


    Li Qingshan carefully searched within the forest. He finally stopped in front of a great locust tree whose trunk could only be circled around by more than ten men. He lifted his ax, wildly chopping and hacking.


    Although he didn¡¯t know any ax technique, the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] contained the most basic and the most profound of operating techniques. No matter what weapon came to his hand, he could smoothly command them all.


    Every chop of the ax sank with great force at the same spot.


    Sawdust swirled in the air, a tremendous tree topped over.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t pay attention to the rest and only cut out a little wooden core from the center. He handed it in front of Little An.


    Little An reached his hand out and touched this small wooden core, his small face revealing an expression of pleasant comfort. Finally he altogether transformed into a burst of cool breeze and drilled inside.


    Li Qingshan smiled. This was a method taught by the green bull, to find an ancient locust tree more than a hundred years old. Locust trees had a natural effect in gathering gloomy spirits, and they were greatly beneficial to gloomy ghost types. Trying now, it was indeed the case.


    This way, he didn¡¯t have to worry about Little An¡¯s soul scattering away. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Back to the thatched house, he sat on the big boulder in front of the door, and carved the wooden core into the shape of a wooden plate. After careful polishing, he engraved the character ¡°An¡± on it, then he wore it on his waist. His body¡¯s inborn yang qi would slowly nourish Little An¡¯s soul.


    He could also borrow the yin qi1 on Little An¡¯s body, and practice the manipulation of qi.


    ¡­¡­


    Inside the small yard, Li Qingshan sat upright on the ground while his mouth shouted nonstop: ¡°Little An, the neck!¡±


    Little An hugged his neck. The shred of true qi inside Li Qingshan¡¯s body was stimulated by the yin qi and flowed to the neck.


    ¡°Right arm!¡±


    Little An hurried to shift the direction and hugged his arm. Although his handsome little face was still pale white, it was filled with an innocent childish smile, as if he found this an extremely funny game.


    Until the moon reached the branch tips, Li Qingshan finally stood up and Little An reluctantly pulled away.


    With Little An¡¯s help, the shred of true qi inside Li Qingshan¡¯s body became a lot tamer, and Little An¡¯s eyes also became a little more alert, not as wooden as they were at first.


    Li Qingshan thought that the reason wasn¡¯t only because of the nourishment from the yang qi. Even the cleverest and most quick-witted of children would probably look this wooden and inarticulate if they were to be taken away from their parent¡¯s knees, being mistreated and beaten at will.


    When they recovered their freedom and life restored a little normality, the cleverness inside them would begin to sprout anew.


    Little An looked hopefully at Li Qingshan. He still couldn¡¯t speak, but in his eyes was clearly written: ¡°Let¡¯s play again!¡±


    ¡°Alright, this isn¡¯t a game. Let¡¯s stop for today, we¡¯ll talk about it tomorrow!¡±


    Little An obediently nodded his head. He absolutely wouldn¡¯t act shamelessly spoiled like a normal child, but it was hard to conceal his disappointment.


    Li Qingshan was the most helpless faced with this appearance: ¡°Fine, let¡¯s play again!¡±


    Little An smiled shyly, but his ears immediately pricked up.


    ¡°Left leg! The back!¡±


    1. You¡¯ve probably heard about Yin and Yang already. Yin and Yang are two opposites that form together the Oneness, the Dao. Yin is associated with cold, gloom, shady things, the dead, negative energy, the moon and femininity, while Yang is related to the sun, virility, positive energy, heat, life, activity, etc.


    By the way, ¡°true qi¡± doesn¡¯t mean that the rest is false. ¡°True¡± in this case is just a Chinese qualifier to signify something is on a higher level, a more primordial level.

 Chapter 19

    Time went by without notice, and fall came in the blink of an eye. The maple leaves in the mountains gradually turned to red, and the bright golden rice ears also filled out.A bull cart leisurely traveled on a small road between farm fields. No one drove the green bull pulling the cart. Thick animal skin was draped inside the cart, and a young man lay on top of them. He held a rice straw in his mouth, leisurely pillowed on his arms while he gazed at the sky. At his waist a short knife was tied at one side, while a wooden plaque hung on the other. It was none other than Li Qingshan.


    He carried more than a thousand taels of silver and traveled to the Cedar Creek Town more than ten miles away. In a little remote village mountain, even wanting to spend money wasn¡¯t easily accomplished.


    If he wanted to buy things, he could only go to big towns or cities. Although there were a great variety of goods in Suncheer City, it was too far away, and it certainly wouldn¡¯t be cheap either. S?a?ch* Th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    He could only settle for the second best and go to the town. Every month at a preset time, the town would organize a large-scale market gathering, and at that time all the villagers in the surroundings would go to the town and visit the market, conducting all kinds of buying or selling. It was precisely the best opportunity to buy ginseng. Moreover, he had gathered quite a bit of animal skins and could also take the opportunity to get rid of them.


    Originally Li Qingshan didn¡¯t want to let the green bull pull the cart, but the green bull didn¡¯t mind in the least to continue acting as an ordinary bull.


    Sunlight had only just been released over Cedar Creek Town when he reached it. There was an endless stream of horses and carriages in the small town while men bustled back and forth. Many a small merchant promoted their goods in great voices. It was an extremely lively scene.


    Li Qingshan found an empty spot and laid the animal skins on a sackcloth he prepared beforehand. He didn¡¯t imitate the others in yelling but merely sat on the side in meditation. He didn¡¯t waste the slightest opportunity to cultivate.


    Inside his body, that weak shred of qi flow already became a little more robust. He was like a child who only wanted to play and kept urging the shred of true qi to flow all around inside his body.


    Although he didn¡¯t move, doing such was also extremely taxing on the mind and spirit. Li Qingshan often opened his eyes and answered the customers who came to inquire about prices.


    He had a huge amount of money and wasn¡¯t counting on those animal skins to make a fortune. He only wanted to sell them and get rid of them as fast as possible and buy a lot of ginseng, so the prices he¡¯d set were extremely cheap.


    So although he refused to bargain, his business was still excellent. Winter was coming. Li Qingshan was someone who¡¯d suffered through the pain of winter wind biting into his bones. Who among the common folk didn¡¯t want to make a leather coat or a pair of leather boots, and in not much time a big group gathered around him.


    ¡°Out of the way, out of the way!¡± Several young people carrying bows and hunting knives split the crowd with unkind faces. They circled around the little stall, the shadows of their heads falling on Li Qingshan¡¯s body.


    Li Qingshan opened his eyes: ¡°What brings all of you here?¡± His present vision was already very different than in the past, and he could see at a glance that those people weren¡¯t good to deal with.


    Although they were all young and didn¡¯t have any especially fierce or vicious expression, their bodies carried a vigorous killing aura. If Baldy Liu could have been said to be a randomly barking balding dog, then they would be violent mountain guard dogs. Any one between them could easily cut off Baldy Liu.


    A sharp-looking young man with a short stature and a small beard inquired: ¡°Where did you get those beast skins?¡±


    His companions hovered their hands over the skins and discovered that they were like the rumors said. Those beast skins had no arrow holes on them, or any kind of trace of damage. They were all of first-class quality, but the price they sold at was even cheaper than ordinary skins.


    ¡°Buy it if you want to buy, go away if you¡¯re not buying, don¡¯t block the sunlight.¡± Li Qingshan was too lazy to make up some excuse and explain to some strangers, and he closed his eyes to cultivate.


    The people around had already moved away a little, but they didn¡¯t leave. On the contrary, there were more and more people crowding around. Their various discussion all clearly fell into his ears.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they hunters from Horse Rein Village?¡± ¡°He actually dares to disregard people from Horse ReinVillage, I don¡¯t know how many lives he¡¯s got?¡±


    ¡°Horse Rein Village!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s heart flashed. Although he was ignorant and inexperienced, this place was still like thunder in his ears. This was one of the villages surrounding Cedar Creek Town, sitting very deep inside the hundred thousand mountains. Those who lived there were all hunters and born hunters for many generations, so it was no wonder they carried this kind of temperament with them.


    Compared with Crouching Bull Village this kind of village that mainly relied on agriculture, Horse Rein Village had much swifter and fiercer customs. They fought everyday with the wild beasts in the mountains, and they also practiced some martial arts handed down from generation to generation. They never agreed to abide by Suncheer City¡¯s rules, not even talking about paying taxes.


    Some people in Suncheer City had once tried to send troops on a punitive expedition there, but before even reaching the village, they encountered countless traps and hidden arrows. They rushed to the village with great difficulty, having lost half their men and horses. The great army¡¯s moral was at the bottom, and the general leading the troops merely reined his horse in front of the village and dejectedly fled back to to Suncheer City.


    Since then people forgot the village¡¯s original name and changed it to ¡°Horse Rein Village.¡±


    It was obvious to imagine what kind of pride and arrogance the villagers had, living in a village who could make a great punitive army return back with its tail between its legs,. For a young man not yet an adult to contend against them was like striking stones with an egg.


    The short-statured young man said full of anger: ¡°You can¡¯t sell those skins here!¡±


    ¡°Based on what?¡± Li Qingshan opened his eyes, a flash seeming to pass in his eyes.


    It made the young man think of the glowing light in the mountain¡¯s wild beasts¡¯ eyes inside the darkness, and he instantly became vigilant. But he wasn¡¯t afraid. They were hunters who fought and killed wild beasts, and looking at the peasant attire on Li Qingshan he became even more disdainful: ¡°Based on this daddy not letting you sell!¡± So saying he reached his hands to tear off Li Qingshan¡¯s stall.


    A coarse big hand grabbed this young man¡¯s hand like an iron lock. There was unexpectedly some stabbing pain.


    The young man was surprised: ¡°This guy is really strong.¡± But his reaction wasn¡¯t slow in the least, and his left fist directly fired at Li Qingshan¡¯s face.


    His companions didn¡¯t have any notion of lending a hand. They merely watched on the side with a detached air, seeming extremely confident. Some even carried a disdainful smile on their face.


    To be honest, this was the first time Li Qingshan genuinely fought hand to hand with someone. Baldy Liu in all his drunkenness didn¡¯t have the slightest strength to resist, while the witch was even bitten back by the ghost haze.


    The fist broke the air and came very fast, not giving any time for reflection. But those many days of training had born results. Li Qingshan subconsciously slanted his head and avoided the blow. His right foot stamped on the ground and his body leaned forward.


    With the spine as the center, every muscle in his body shook and combined into one whole. He fired off a shoulder strike1, and heavily knocked against that young man with a powerful force.


    The shoulder strike was a very common style among fist techniques. The [Bull Demon Strong Fist] also had such a move that merged its three main styles at the same time.


    Bull Demon Ground Stamp, set the heel firmly down and gather strength from the ground. Bull Demon Skin Shift, make the body tough and tenacious, unmovable and unshakable. Bull Demon Horn Gore, use the body as bull horns and ram out. The three moves were all executed smoothly.


    The green bull crouched behind and nodded in satisfaction.


    The young man turned pale with fright. It was like a raging bull coming to ram him, and with a pain in his chest he flew out from the bump, landing inside the crowd. It felt as if his whole body¡¯s muscles and bones were about to scatter apart.


    The discussion voices of the surrounding people came to an abrupt end. The young man¡¯s companions also stared blankly, then furiously charged over.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s expression became all the more cautious. One versus one and one versus many were two entirely different things. Except if the difference in strength was too great, it was difficult to contend with a crowd with a mere pair of fists. When a sturdy bull was surrounded by a group of vengeful hunting dogs, it could only end up with its flesh torn apart piece by piece until it died.


    At this critical moment of danger, the shred of true qi livened up and flowed to Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes that were exerting all of their focus. He only felt their movements suddenly slow down, slowed to a point where even the furious expression on their faces could be clearly distinguished.


    1. Ìúɽ¿¿ in the original text, literally ¡°Lean of the Iron Mountain.¡± It¡¯s a shoulder strike move of the bajiquan, a Chinese martial art.

 Chapter 20

    This was probably not just the power from the shred of qi, but even more so a wonderful effect from the green bull¡¯s tears.He lowered his body and flashed past a punch. The Bull Demon Horn Gored, two fists flew out, and he knocked down another young hunter.


    But at the same time, a hunter had already circled behind him, and violently punched at the middle of Li Qingshan¡¯s back, while the other two hunters clung to Li Qingshan¡¯s waist one from the left and one from the right, fiercely trying to tackle him to the ground.


    They hunted all day in the mountains and they were proficient in encircling the enemy. They were absolutely no street-fighting boors. Even if Li Qingshan could defeat any one among them, he could only fall downwind at this moment.


    Seeing that he had no time to block, Li Qingshan¡¯s mind entirely focused on the middle of his back, and the shred of true qi followed his thoughts to also flow there. The muscles of his back fiercely bunched together, faintly swelling up.


    A heavy heavy fist hit Li Qingshan¡¯s back, but it was like it hit the tough hide of a bull, and all of its strength was absorbed and disintegrated by the bunch of muscles. Except from a shudder, Li Qingshan¡¯s body suffered no other effect.


    At the same time, the two hunters who were hugging Li Qingshan¡¯s waist felt as if Li Qingshan¡¯s body had taken roots on the ground, and they had absolutely no way of moving it. The three men had used up their strength, and their vigor suddenly weakened.


    In the meantime, Li Qingshan who had endured three layers of attacks had already regained his breath, and with an explosive shout, his two elbows fell down.


    With the Bull Demon Horn Gore of the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], apart from the fists and feet, every part of the body could become bull horns, and even more so for the elbows that were the mightiest of bull horns.


    Two hunters only felt pain in the center of their backs and felt the urge to puke blood. They couldn¡¯t stop their bodies from dropping flat on the ground.


    Li Qingshan fiercely turned around and pounced on the hunter who had sneak attacked him behind his back. With a fist on his chest, he hit him down on the ground.


    The crowd watching around was bedazzled. They witnessed the young man seemingly in a vulnerable spot quickly and efficiently knock down five valiant and burly men from the Horse Rein Village, and they were all indescribably flabbergast.


    Li Qingshan watched the five hunters groan in pain on the ground, then looked at his own two hands, seemingly not daring to imagine this was something he did. Without him being aware of it, his strength had already reached such a level.


    But he didn¡¯t have time yet to be happy that a large group of hunters charged forward, pulling their bows and drawing their hunting knives, circling Li Qingshan and glaring at him like tigers watching their preys.


    The Horse Rein Village hadn¡¯t sent only a few persons to the Cedar Creek Town¡¯s market this time, but a full twenty persons. They had carried with them the beast skins accumulated by the whole village. The few young hunters just now were just younger generations following their elder generations to broaden their outlook.


    They had trouble selling their own stuff and heard there was someone selling cheap animal skins, so they charged out together to bring bad luck to Li Qingshan. But they didn¡¯t expect that they couldn¡¯t find Li Qingshan¡¯s bad luck and were taught a lesson instead.


    The adults naturally wouldn¡¯t sit there idle and not do anything. They reacted quickly, surrounding Li Qingshan. Those more than a dozen of pulled bows, the explosion of their auras, all of this made him feel like a cornered beast who fell into a hunting trap, the fate of his life or death taken out of his hands. It even gave birth to a sensation of despair.


    In comparison, the ¡°Feast at Hong Gate1¡± at Steward Liu¡¯s house couldn¡¯t have been more ordinary. His state of mind was stretched taunt just like the bowstrings. All of a sudden, he realized the opposite party¡¯s status. Those were men who made a living out of hunting, and their expertise didn¡¯t lie in fighting with the fist, but with the bows in their hands. His Bull Demon Skin Refining could resist punches but it could never resist sharp arrows.


    At this critical moment, he coldly drew the thick backed steel blade from his waist. His vision searched all around, looking for a plan of escape. He never expected that selling animal skins would also provoke such a disaster. Although he would rather not, he might well have to kill people in this downtown area and forge out a bloody path out.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who did it?¡± A man in the prime of his years with a sickly face and a great bow on his back stood among the hunters, while asking in a voice resembling a great bell.


    Li Qingshan smiled: ¡°I did it!¡±


    The man closely examined Li Qingshan with some surprise. An ordinary person would be scared into soft hands and feet faced with such a scene, while this kid was young but surprisingly so calm. Simply this state of mind was already far above any younger generation of his village.


    He asked the short hunter that had been sent flying out by Li Qingshan¡¯s shoulder strike: ¡°Little Black, what¡¯s this thing about?¡±


    ¡°Chief hunter, I reckon this kid is ruining our business on purpose!¡± Little Black forced his body to stand up.


    The crowd was in an uproar: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the chief hunter of Horse Rein Village?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sick Yellow Tiger!¡±


    The so called chief hunter was equivalent to a village chief, but his power was different from the likes of the old people in the Crouching Bull Village. Those who could become chief hunters in Horse Rein Village were all the strongest of heroes and they commanded all matters concerning hunting in the village.


    This Sick Yellow Tiger was the present chief hunter of Horse Rein Village. He was a famous and celebrated character. Li Qingshan had also heard of his renown since a long time ago, but he didn¡¯t expect him to be the sick-looking man in front of him. He finally understood where the ¡°Sick Tiger¡± words came from.


    Men¡¯s renown were a powerful influence, and Li Qingshan naturally felt a heavy pressure in his heart. But he already wasn¡¯t the Li Qingshan from the past, so he laughed coldly: ¡°You didn¡¯t say two words and came to tear off my stall, now you spit venomous slanders on me, overturning it into me ruining your business. The Horse Rein Village is indeed really overbearing.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s face sank down as he shouted: ¡°You¡¯re still not quickly crawling up? A group of men can¡¯t even win against a single person, you even have the face to crawl on the ground and shout in pain, do you still deserve to be called men of Horse Rein Village?¡±


    Li Qingshan knew that those few strikes of his weren¡¯t light, but once Sick Yellow Tiger issued the command, those five young hunters unexpectedly supported themselves and stood up. In addition to the robustness of their bodies, it was even more due to their deep reverence for Sick Yellow Tiger.


    Sick Yellow Tiger lifted his hand and all the hunters took back their knives and bows: ¡°This this was our fault first, but kid you shouldn¡¯t have used such a heavy hand either!¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t use a heavy hand, the one lying on the ground here right now would be me.¡±


    ¡°We rarely come down from the mountains to come sell our furs and clothes. The whole village¡¯s rice, salt and everyday necessities all rely on it. It wouldn¡¯t matter if you sold at market price, but this way of selling disrupts the pricing, it¡¯s of great harm to us.¡±


    Li Qingshan fell silent, this wasn¡¯t something he had expected at first. Of course he could say that it was his own business how he wanted to sell. But a man with Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s reputation acknowledged his own faults in front of everyone, discussing calmly and reasonably with him, not oppressing him with the power of numbers. So he didn¡¯t want to waggle his tongue and argue, making an endless annoyance of himself.


    If the other side had truly wanted to fight and kill, he wouldn¡¯t have sat and waited for death either.


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°I¡¯ll buy all of those skins!¡± So saying some hunters came forward to pay the money and take the skins away.


    The surrounding people all acclaimed Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s uprightness with clucks of their tongues. Li Qingshan was a little surprised. He looked at the bags of money handed in front of him: ¡°No need!¡± He turned around and packed the bull cart. He wasn¡¯t planning to rely on those animal skins to eat to begin with, and since the other party was being so forthright, others would despise him if he haggled over small amounts of silver.


    The admiration in Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s eyes became even heavier. As he watched Li Qingshan disappear in the sea of men, he told the people beside him: ¡°I took a fancy to this kid, does anyone know where he comes from?¡± s?a??h th? N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    A farmer cautiously said: ¡°It looks like it was the Crouching Bull Village¡¯s Li the Second!¡±


    Many people around heard, and they all said: ¡°No wonder!¡±


    Although the roads were difficult of access between the villages, those stories that carried the flavor of legendary sagas would always spread very fast. Li Qingshan didn¡¯t know that in the surrounding areas, he had already acquired a little fame.


    1. A famous cultural reference in China, a feast organized by Xiang Yu to entertain Liu Bang. Those two were the two biggest rivals for the reunification of China during the Chu-Han contention. Xiang Yu and especially his adviser Fan Zeng plotted to have Liu Bang killed at the feast, but Liu Bang managed to escape in the end.


    He went on to defeat Xiang Yu. He became emperor of China and founded the Han dynasty that lasted around 400 years and ended with the era of the Three Kingdoms.

 Chapter 21

    Li Qingshan came to the town¡¯s best wine shop. He bought more than ten jars of good alcohol and filled the cart with them, then following the green bull¡¯s list he bought most of the ingredients from medicine shops. But the most important of all, the ginseng, couldn¡¯t be bought in herb stores.Inside the biggest inn of Cedar Creek Town, a group of men wearing bamboo hats and carrying herb baskets were silently drinking tea. Even inside the hotel, they refused to remove the hat on their heads or the baskets on their backs.


    Now and then a shopkeeper from a great herbal store came into the inn. They would open the baskets and look at what was inside, then they would bargain with them, hands inside their sleeves. If the bargaining were to be successful they would take a bag of ginseng big and small from the baskets. s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Those were ginseng gatherers of the Ginseng King Village. Just like Horse Rein Village they were


    settled deep inside the mountains, but they primarily made their living from picking mountain ginseng. If you wanted to buy ginseng, then it was naturally cheapest to buy from them.


    Li Qingshan parked the cart in front of the inn. He looked around and walked in great strides to the corner and told the ginseng gatherers: ¡°I want to buy ginseng!¡±


    The ginseng gatherers noticed he was very young and dressed in broken clothes. They all exposed a contemptuous look and no one actually answered him.


    Li Qingshan frowned. He took out the silver notes he had left totaling over a thousand taels and put them on the table: ¡°I want to buy ginseng!¡±


    This time every ginseng gatherer lifted their heads, exposing a stupefied expression. They didn¡¯t expect Li Qingshan to actually be able to get out so much silver. They looked at each other, then finally someone said: ¡°How much do you want to buy?¡±


    Li Qingshan had already informed himself about the pricing of ginseng. He reached an agreement with them and left with a big bag of ginseng.


    The ginseng gatherers whispered in low voices: ¡°Should we do this kid in?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more important to find the spiritual ginseng, that¡¯s a treasure worth thousands of gold. Mortals can extend their longevity when they eat it. If a martial artist eats it, he can immediately become a first-class master. It¡¯s even not impossible to break through obstacles and rank up to innate level1.¡±


    ¡°The spiritual ginseng is good, but there¡¯s only one of it. We still have to face that sick ghost from Horse Rein Village. I admit myself I don¡¯t have the good fortune to obtain it. A hundred birds in the forest aren¡¯t as good as a single bird in your hand. Those who are willing to do this, come with me.¡±


    Seven or eight persons stood up. They grabbed their waist saber2 at their waists and wandered away.


    Not far from the door outside, a man was hidden behind a column. He quietly left after seeing this scene.


    Li Qingshan drove the bull cart, traveling by his lone self on the mountain path, idly chatting with the green bull. Little An also stuck his head out from the locust tree plaque and sat on the cart¡¯s ridge, listening to them talk.


    When they came to a narrow mountain ravine, the green bull suddenly stopped its steps and turned its head back to look at Li Qingshan: ¡°Your troubles are coming.¡±


    As soon as its voice fell, seven or eight silhouettes appeared from the two extremities of the ravine.


    Li Qingshan relied on his eyesight: ¡°You are¡­ people from the Ginseng King Village?¡±


    This group of people held waist sabers in their hands, obviously ready to murder and snatch his properties.


    ¡°I still underestimated the fiendishness of human hearts!¡± He could only sigh with emotion in his heart. He understood that one didn¡¯t expose one¡¯s wealth, so after buying the ginseng he had immediately driven the cart off to return back to the village, not staying for another night. But he didn¡¯t imagine that this group of people would be so bold, actually daring to kill him in broad daylight.


    Rumors said that those people who daily climbed steep cliffs to gather ginseng and spiritual herbs were extremely intrepid, and they were all pregnant with martial arts. Their bodies were light as birds and nimble as monkeys.


    ¡°Kid, we have some words to discuss with you!¡± The leader said calmly, his eyes reveling the a faint contempt, as if he was looking at a cow or sheep waiting to be killed in its cage: ¡°Leave everything behind and you can leave.¡±


    This kind of calm wasn¡¯t pretense. They wandered all year long inside the mountains, and when they met lone travelers, they¡¯d kill them in one blade and take away their possessions. It was merely a common occurrence, and when those things were done it was of impossible to leave a living witness behind.


    The ginseng gatherers all snickered and came forward to encircle him.


    Seeing the crisis draw near, Li Qingshan suddenly shook the reins. The green bull gave him a look, but it actually cooperated, and drew the bull cart along as it charged forward.


    ¡°Since you refuse to drink a toast you¡¯ll have to drink bitter wine!¡± The ginseng gatherers shouted curses and hurriedly scattered to both sides. Two beams of saber lights flew up from their hands, cross-slashing at Li Qingshan who was sitting on the cart.


    The green bull¡¯s bullhead swung, and its one bullhorn left drew out a strange curve. The leader of the ginseng gatherers saw the horn stab at him, but he surprisingly couldn¡¯t dodge and was cruelly ran through the stomach, nailed dead to the mountain wall.


    This ginseng picker still had his eyes wide open as fresh blood gushed out from his mouth. He couldn¡¯t believe that with his martial arts he¡¯d die under a plowing bull¡¯s horn.


    At the same time, Li Qingshan rolled down and landed on the ground, dodging past two flashing sabers as he put his hand on the the thick-backed blade.


    The green bull freed out his angled bull horn and thought: ¡°From the angle of a bull, this should be a super level display already. The rest will depend on yourself.¡±


    The ginseng pickers cried in alarm: ¡°Big brother Geng!¡± This ¡°big brother Geng¡± was the one with the best skills among them, and they didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d die in such a bizzare way. They couldn¡¯t possibly imagine the green bull was actually a spirit monster.


    They cruelly said to Li Qingshan: ¡°Kid, do you know what you¡¯ve done? We originally wanted to let you die a painless death, but now you can just wait until we cut off your flesh piece by piece and feed it to the wolves!¡±


    Li Qingshan sneered: ¡°Merely counting on you!¡± But his face was incomparably grave as he slowly pulled out the blade.


    He hadn¡¯t expected that he¡¯d encounter two battles in a single day, one more dangerous than the last.


    It was indeed that when one obtained some martial skills, one also attracted trouble so much more easily. If he were only a farm boy without the strength to truss up a chicken, he would naturally not butt heads with the Horse Rein villagers, nor would he have had so much money to buy ginseng with.


    This was the most dangerous battle he¡¯d ever met since he was born. Although he possessed a supernatural skill, he didn¡¯t dare say he could walk unopposed everywhere as if treading on flat land. The green bull¡¯s words still floated in his ears.


    Thoughts revolved in the blink of an eye, and a great war was about to happen at any moment.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    A strong gale rose and four waist sabers wove a saber net that covered toward Li Qingshan. The Bull Demon Skin Refining could definitely not block this kind of saber edges. Li Qingshan made a quick assessment of the situation. He didn¡¯t even look behind him and instead went forward in great strides, pouncing on the three ginseng gatherers in front of him. His heart wasn¡¯t entirely on the present battle to the death, but he kept reminiscing about the green bull¡¯s horn gore right then.


    The green bull would definitely not help him meet his enemies, otherwise with its strength, killing this group of ginseng gatherers would be as easy as flipping a hand. But there was a very deep meaning inside that horn.


    In this crisis of life and death, his intelligence and comprehension were all forcibly squeezed out. His eyes suddenly flashed bright. The Bull Demon Horn Gore was about using every part of the body as bull horns. Weapons were merely extensions of the body.


    The thick-backed steel blade in his hand seemed to suddenly possess spirituality and bypassed a parrying waist saber.


    Amidst sounds of ¡°puff puff,¡± a haze of blood filling the sky suddenly sprinkled from a ginseng gatherer¡¯s neck, and he fell to the ground.


    ¡°Old Cheng!¡± ¡°This kid knows martial arts!¡± With a series of curses, the gatherers looked at Li Qingshan, no longer looking as easygoing as just before.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s two arms also obtained two bruises. It wasn¡¯t split by the cuts thanks to the toughness of the Bull Demon Skin Refining. Instead it aroused the fierceness in his heart, and it seemed his eyes were burning: ¡°Come then!¡±


    In a lush forest on the side of the mountain ravine, a group of people were hidden. They were separated only by hundred feet or so between them, but under this bright daylight, no one inside the ravine had discovered them.


    Only the green bull had taken a glance in that direction.


    Their leader was precisely Sick Yellow Tiger, who said with a smile to someone beside him: ¡°Little Black, are you convinced now?¡±


    1. Originally Xiantian. You might have seen this term in other Chinese fantasy novels. It is a taoist concept, literally meaning something like ¡°natural, inborn.¡± The idea here is that being close to nature is being close to the origin and hence close to the dao. Although like daoism in general it¡¯s as mystical and vague as possible, so it can be argued one way or another.


    2. A weapon made to be worn at the waist, single edged and curved, around 3 feet long, it¡¯s usually thinner than the dao with a shorter handle.

 Chapter 22

    At this moment Li Qingshan¡¯s steel blade had taken another man¡¯s life. Although he had also taken a saber strike on his back, it hadn¡¯t cut deep in his flesh. Moreover the wound contracted and didn¡¯t let out much blood.At the same moment, a waist saber pierced with an oblique angle at his belly. He clutched the saber¡¯s edge tightly, then his hand lifted the blade and cut off a head filled with horror in one slash.


    This kind of aggressive aura made people intimidated when they saw it.


    Little Black wasn¡¯t very convinced originally, only saying that the reason Li Qingshan beat them was merely because he had mounted a sudden sneak attack on them. He was set on finding an occasion to return the favor, but at this moment cold sweat emerged on his forehead. Li Qingshan¡¯s blade technique was exquisite and his slaughtering was vicious, making him alarmed.


    This kind of wild beast wasn¡¯t something a half-baked hunter like him could kill. It was fortunate that they hadn¡¯t genuinely faced Li Qingshan with blades drawn earlier in the downtown area.


    In a short period of time, seven men fell as corpses. Li Qingshan rested on the ground on one knee, supporting himself on an utterly broken steel blade. There were more than ten wounds on his body, and his clothes were dyed through and through by fresh blood. Some was from other people, some was his own.


    The only ginseng gatherer left had a terrified and deranged look on his face. He¡¯d often done things like killing people to rob their belongings, but it had always been bullying honest people. When had he seen this kind of desperate killing in all of his life: ¡°You¡­ you madman!¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s expression was like a hardened limestone. In this fight for life and death, every one of his styles and moves displayed a level exceeding his usual, stimulating the potential inside his body. But this way was also very exhausting for the body, and in a short moment he was spent.


    Is this originally the dao I chose? It¡¯s really filled with bloodstains!


    The green bull stood leisurely at one said, as if asking him: Are you regretting now?


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± The ginseng gatherer roared crazily and charged on.


    His body had no strength left. The edge of a saber fell on his neck, and the chilliness of it aroused the fine hair on his body to stand up straight. Li Qingshan madly roared ¡°I have no regrets!¡± All the breath and energy in his body flowed to his hands. He clenched the steel blade tight and brandished it up to meet the enemy.


    ¡°Beng¡± ¡°Sou!¡± A bowstring tore the air, a feather arrow shot out, nailing the last of the ginseng gatherers on the ground, dead.


    Li Qingshan raised his head stunned. Several vigorous silhouettes slipped down from the mountain wall. They were precisely the Horse Rein Village¡¯s hunters. They approached Li Qingshan cautiously, then suddenly rushed forward and grabbed his four limbs.


    Li Qingshan had exhausted all the energy in his body in the moment just now. They carried him on top of the ravine.


    ¡°Kid, you did well!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger put away his big bow. After this praise he didn¡¯t continue to talk. He waved his hand, and the hunters once again concealed themselves on both hides of the ravine.


    In not too much of a time, the other ginseng gatherers had chased to this place. They examined the corpses of their companions with dignified faces. When they saw the gatherer nailed dead on the ground, their faces suddenly changed greatly, shouting: ¡°Quickly escape!¡±


    ¡°Release!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger yelled his order, and a rain of arrows fell from both sides.


    The ginseng gatherers suddenly waved their waist sabers. But how could they block arrows without a great difference in their martial arts. Blood curling screams echoed one after another.


    Sick Yellow Tiger held his great bow, standing on a great protruding boulder, and targeted the ginseng gatherers attempting to flee. In the sea of arrows, none missed their marks, as if he were a god of death.


    Li Qingshan propped his body up and watched, feeling also shocked. On one side he was shocked at how easily this battle to the bitter death between two great villages had come, and on the other side was shock at the power of bows and arrows.


    He cultivated the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], and what grew fastest was precisely his strength. If he could pull a great bow, could he also kill people as if slaughtering dogs like this?


    When Sick Yellow Tiger fired his fifth arrow, the miserable shrieks had already stopped, and there was only the elusive sounds of weak groans that came and went.


    ¡°Sick Yellow Tiger!¡± A ginseng gatherer that had his thigh pierced by an arrow issued a shrill roar.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger leaped down from the tall cliff and asked: ¡°Where¡¯s the spirit ginseng? If you say it out cleanly, I¡¯ll give you a clean death!¡±


    ¡°How¡­how could you know?¡±


    ¡°The things going on around the hundred thousand mountains, I still know a little about them. The spirit ginseng appeared in the vicinity of the Horse Rein Village¡¯s mountain. When you take it it can eliminate a hundred diseases and prolong your life, isn¡¯t that right? Before I thought it was false, but now looking at your expression I believe it a little. You really overestimate your abilities a little too much if you¡¯re thinking about snatching it from the tiger¡¯s mouth.¡±


    ¡°You want to use the spirit ginseng to cure your disease, but it¡¯s mere wishful thinking. You have absolutely no idea how to capture the spirit ginseng. You just wait, the Ginseng King Village won¡¯t take things lying down.¡±


    ¡°You want to contend with Horse Rein Village with only your disunified village?¡±


    ¡°Heh heh heh heh, when the news spreads out, I don¡¯t now how many strong masters will hurry to converge to Horse Rein Village.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s face changed slightly: ¡°Will you bear to?¡± He waved his hand as he saw that he couldn¡¯t obtain much information. Hunters came up one by one, filling the gatherer that still wasn¡¯t dead with their blades. Then they collected his belongings, lifted the body and threw it down in the ravine.


    In the blink of an eye, the ground filled with corpses was cleanly tidied up. Only the remnant of blood was witness to the desperate battle right now. By the time the next mountain rain fell, nothing would be left anymore.


    A man¡¯s life, at certain moments, was really as light and cheap as crickets or moles.


    The hunters¡¯ gazes fell once more on Li Qingshan. Appreciation and admiration existed inside, but even more so there was a barely concealed murderous aura.


    Li Qingshan had heard a big secret, and the people of Horse Rein Village would definitely not let him leave. The simplest way was naturally to kill him and throw him down down the ravine after the ginseng gatherers.


    The hateful green bull refused to help, no matter he hovered at the edge of death. This time going out of the mountains, he had already understood that his own strength had greatly changed, and he also recognized how small and weak he still was. Perhaps this was precisely where the green bull¡¯s goal lay.


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°Is little brother willing to follow me and come sit in our Horse Rein Village?¡±


    ¡°What if I said I don¡¯t want to?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t appreciate kindness!¡± ¡°Kill him!¡± The hunters were greatly angry.


    Sick Yellow Tiger waved his hand and said: ¡°I don¡¯t kill innocent people. If you¡¯re not willing, then just leave by yourself! I trust you¡¯re not someone to open his mouth and waggle his tongue.¡±


    Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t someone so unreasonable. Based on the other party¡¯s formidable demeanor, he wouldn¡¯t have a soft hand when it came to killing people. He might not kill himself, but his subordinate hunters all looked ferocious and murderous. S?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Moreover, he himself also had some interest in taking a look at Horse Rein Village. Maybe he could learn some hunter archery. Then he would be able to survive independently without needing the green bull¡¯s help, and his own power might also greatly increase. As to the spirit ginseng, he didn¡¯t dare think too much about it.


    ¡°Then I will, if you insist.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger showed his smile and ordered someone to bring ointments. When they smeared it on Li Qingshan, they found out that his wounds had contracted and hadn¡¯t continued to bleed. They clucked their tongues in wonder.


    Li Qingshan resisted his pain and went to the bull cart. He took out the newly-bought ginseng, put some in his mouth and chewed slowly. He also swatted off a wine jar¡¯s seal and poured himself a bellyful of wine in big gulps.


    The wine infused the ginseng and a gust of warm energy diffused from his belly. He felt immediately reinvigorated, making the crowd endlessly astonished.


    Li Qingshan climbed on the bull cart and ignored the others around him. He closed his eyes in meditation, restoring the exhaustion and pain that still lingered inside his body. He wanted to take this opportunity to sum up this battle¡¯s successes and failures.


    First of all, he couldn¡¯t leave things to luck again. He¡¯d always heard people say that the martial world1 was vicious and sinister. Today could count as the first time he experienced this himself. One careless step could possibly cost him his life. A man¡¯s life in this world was really too light and cheap. He couldn¡¯t possibly always obtain assistance from others every time, and he couldn¡¯t depend on impromptu outbursts from himself either. To be brave but lack planning was to seek the road to one¡¯s own death. He had better treasure this fortunate life of his instead.


    But this time, amidst the struggle for life and death, his comprehension of the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] had deepened yet another level, and even his whole body¡¯s essence and energy became a little different, like a treasure blade that had been polished on a grindstone.


    1. Jiang Hu in the original text, literally rivers and lakes. Also called Wulin (Martial forests) it¡¯s a term from classic wuxia novels indicating the world martial artists live in. In those novels martial artists mainly interact with each others, with their own rules, structures, upholding justice by themselves with little contact and little interference from the mundane world.

 Chapter 23

    Following the warm current diffusing inside his abdomen, the shred of qi also livened up and flowed to his body¡¯s open wounds. An itchy numb sensation came to him.Sick Yellow Tiger sent out a few skilled and nimble hunters as scouts, and the group of people surrounded the bull cart as they rushed toward the depths of the great mountains.


    This journey took them all the way to nightfall, sinking deep inside the tall mountains, no trace of human habitations all around them.


    At the foot of a mountain, Li Qingshan saw the Horse Rein Village from the legends.


    A tall wooden wall was tied together all around the village, with watchtowers at the four corners. It didn¡¯t look like a village but more like a military camp. The sluice gate opened after the group neared and transmitted words. It was entirely different from Crouching Bull Village¡¯s casualness.


    Li Qingshan attracted everyone¡¯s attention as the only outsider. He didn¡¯t bat an eye outwardly, but he was tense inside. This was the dragon pond and tiger cave from the legends that had made a great army rein in their horses.


    Sick Yellow Tiger didn¡¯t look like he had any evil intention, but he still needed to proceed with caution, else he might lose his life muddleheadedly. That thick-backed steel blade had already been taken away, but even if it were still there, it was already so broken that it couldn¡¯t be of use anymore after that battle.


    Sick Yellow Tiger settled him inside an unoccupied small courtyard. Although he didn¡¯t dispatch anyone to keep an eye on him, he exhorted Li Qingshan not to randomly walk around, before leaving hurriedly.


    In the village¡¯s most central building, under the light shining from several lanterns, the hunters with the most prestige in Horse Rein Village were discussing around a round table:


    ¡°The Ginseng King Village has had grievances with us since a long time ago because of the matter of ginseng picking. We often lose people in the mountains for inexplicable reasons, I fear it¡¯s precisely their doings. This time they even dare to have ideas about the spirit ginseng, it¡¯s the right opportunity to send them a blade.¡±


    The two villages were separated by merely a few mountains with no clear boundaries between them. The ginseng gatherers made a living from picking the ginseng, while the hunters wandered through the mountains all year long, so they could still recognize ginseng and would naturally not leave it behind if they saw some.


    Hence it gave birth to many disputes. The mountain folk¡¯s disputes were often settled with a knife. It was only because the distance was far enough that no large-scale confrontation had happened yet.


    Until not very long ago, between the two villages, on the Old White Peak near the Horse Rein Village, the two enemies met face to face again, and they discovered a spirit ginseng from the legends. It had already taken human shape and could even leave the soil and walk away.


    This kind of rare heavenly treasure led to close-quarter fighting, but after the massacre the spirit ginseng was already gone without leaving trace or shadow. Even so, reasonably speaking it should still be on Old White Peak. No one from the two villages dared to act rashly and conduct a large-scale search on the mountain, but both sides were making their preparations.


    ¡°Chief Hunter, this thing can absolutely not be leaked out, it¡¯s better to take care of that kid!¡±


    ¡°That kid¡¯s talent is pretty good and his character also suits my tastes, it¡¯d be a pity to kill him. I want to make him stay in the village, and add another blade for us.¡± S?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°But he¡¯s an outsider when all¡¯s said and done.¡±


    ¡°No need to say any further, I will carefully test him. If he¡¯s not qualified enough, a certain Yellow will certainly not show a soft hand.¡± Sick Yellow Tiger said resolutely and decisively, but it was followed by a burst of coughs.


    Inside a small pitch-dark room, Little An drilled out from the locust wood plaque and looked with concern at Li Qingshan, reaching his hand out and touching the wounds that had already scabbed on his body.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡±m fine, I¡¯m fine for now!¡± Though he could see that Sick Yellow Tiger appreciated him, this feeling of not having his life in his own hands was really uncomfortable. If he wanted to pull his fate back into his hands, the only way was to become stronger.


    He immediately followed the green bull¡¯s instructions and soaked the ginseng with good wine to make medicinal wine. Then he stopped for a moment and looked at the result with a burst of happy gratification.


    Early morning the next day, Li Qingshan woke up very early and practiced the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], but he suddenly felt a strong wind assault him from behind, as if a violent tiger was pouncing on him.


    Li Qingshan turned around and sent out a punch, but it fell into empty air. Sick Yellow Tiger rubbed his arm, his right hand grasping empty air as if it were a claw that clawed toward his throat.


    ¡°He wants to kill me and shut me up?!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s thoughts revolved in his mind. He surprisingly didn¡¯t try to dodge or block but welcomed it instead, as if he was going to deliver himself to the other party¡¯s hand. At the same time he gathered his arms like an old bear hugging a tree, exerting the strength from his entire body.


    What he cultivated was a supernatural skill based on strength, not an ordinary martial art. Although he hadn¡¯t trained to the strength of a bull yet, the power of his hug wasn¡¯t something a body of flesh and blood could bear either.


    Sick Yellow Tiger suddenly pulled his claws back, withdrew his body and circled around to his back.


    Li Qingshan immediately said ¡°not good,¡± and was just about to change his posture, but he sensed that Sick Yellow Tiger wasn¡¯t moving anymore, merely watching him with approval.


    If he had pulled his body back right now, this claw would have smoothly manifested all of its power, certainly tearing his throat apart with ease. But he didn¡¯t retreat and advanced instead. This had contained the power of that move, while he used used a trick born from struggles of life and death. Not only he could act according to the situation, he was also considerably brave.


    ¡°It¡¯s my loss.¡± Li Qingshan rubbed his neck. On it were five traces of bloodstains. Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s skills were truly outstanding. Even if he wasn¡¯t injured, he was definitely not his match.


    ¡°Where did you learn your martial arts?¡± Sick Yellow Tiger asked. Apart from his courage and adaptability, Li Qingshan¡¯s martial art was also very out of the ordinary. Usually, no matter how fast the reaction they still couldn¡¯t regain their breath in time. Also, just now when his five fingers touched Li Qingshan¡¯s nape it was as if they were stabbing the tenacious hide of a bull, and not a soft vital spot.


    Li Qingshan natually couldn¡¯t say that it was a bull who taught him, or else he¡¯d probably be seen as a lunatic, so he directly said that several years ago he met a person of high skill. This man saw his simple and honest nature, then taught him a few moves, but he¡¯d exhorted him not to divulge his identity or appearance.


    ¡°A few years ago?!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger was stupefied. Li Qingshan not wanting to say his teacher¡¯s identity didn¡¯t make him too surprised, but he originally thought that Li Qingshan had practiced martial skills since his childhood. The most important reason to make him stay in Horse Rein Village was to find out who is master was.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Qingshan was a little confused.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t practice martial arts since childhood?¡±


    ¡°In a trivial few years, he taught you to such a level. It¡¯s really hard to imagine, it looks like that master is truly a master.¡±


    Li Qingshan was sweating big drops in his mind. Fortunately he casually said several years ago, and not a month ago, otherwise this Sick Yellow Tiger might well die of fright.


    At the same time he understood all the more that supernatural skills and mortal martial arts were things at two entirely different levels. Right now he wasn¡¯t Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s match, but it was only because he¡¯d cultivated for not even two months, while the other side underwent twenty or thirty years of hard labor.


    ¡°Does the chief hunter have any matter, coming this time?¡±


    ¡°Kid, do you have any interest in settling down in Horse Rein Village?¡± Although he casually asked, it carried a flavor that make it difficult to refuse.


    ¡°Ok!¡± Li Qingshan straightforwardly agreed, and it was Sick Yellow Tiger who stared blankly instead: ¡°You don¡¯t have any attachment for your home village?¡±


    ¡°Will the chief hunter promise to let me leave peacefully if I don¡¯t agree?¡± Li Qingshan calmly said: ¡°Moreover, I once heard a saying.¡±


    ¡°What saying?¡±


    ¡°In this life everywhere is one¡¯s hometown1. Whether Crouching Bull Village or Horse Rein Village, it¡¯s of no difference to me. Here I might even learn some hunting archery. If I say it like this, does the chief hunter understand? My ambition doesn¡¯t lie amidst this piece of mountain forest.¡±


    ¡°Just relying on your low grade martial arts, trying to mix in the roads of the martial world will be but a road toward death for you. You¡¯ll merely be a small fish and a small fry for the disciples of those great famous sects, how does it compare to living free and unrestrained in the mountain forests?¡±


    ¡°Eh? Could it be that it¡¯s not enough even with the chief hunter¡¯s abilities?¡± Li Qingshan was somewhat surprised. Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s fame in the surrounding areas could be said to be loud and dazzling.


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of making you laugh. My archery still counts as decent and it once reached some fame, but experts are innumerable in the martial world. You train for several decades, then a teenage little baby comes along and kills you as easily as killing a dog. I ate a big loss, and being able to come back alive is already a blessing.¡±


    Li Qingshan pursed his lips. Not only did he feel no dread, but on the contrary he felt a rising fascination.


    1. Although it¡¯s a little similar to the poem stanza from chapter 1, Google tells me this exact Chinese quote comes from a picture book from 2010 I¡¯ve never heard of. I have no idea if this is correct or not

 Chapter 24

    Sick Yellow Tiger knew that his psychological blow wasn¡¯t strong enough, and he said some more: ¡°Seeing as your blade art and fist art are free and uninhibited, you must be walking the road of external martial arts. This kind of martial arts can be learned relatively fast, but without the support of a top-rank inner martial art, reaching the center from the outer, by the time you attain the realm of outer and inner dual cultivation, it¡¯ll probably be difficult to become a first-grade master. Being an innate master is even more hopeless.¡±¡°First-grade master? Then what grade am I? Also what¡¯s an innate master?¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s series of questions made Sick Yellow Tiger believe the words about the person of high skills transmitting his techniques to him. How would he not know about this if he had a proper master: ¡°Qingshan, your skill isn¡¯t sufficient yet to be third grade.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s low grade!¡±


    ¡°You can be called ¡®proficient¡¯ since you could overthrow those ginseng gatherers. You¡¯re still young, you don¡¯t need to be too discouraged, as long as you train properly you¡¯ll be able to become a third-grade master, then you¡¯ll be able to run rampant. Qingshan, this will absolutely not be a problem with your natural aptitudes.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger feared his psychological attack was too strong and had dampened his drive, so he kindly comforted him. But how could he know that the goal the green bull had given Li Qingshan from the start was to run rampant in the whole human world. As to the so-called inner martial art, it was even more of a joke.


    ¡°Innate masters dwell in even more profound mysteries. First they have to open their whole body¡¯s meridians, break through the door of life and death, transforming their inner strength into true qi. They are able to circulate it at will inside their bodies, not suffering from any hindrance anymore. Once the true qi is strong to a certain level, they can even radiate it at will out of their bodies and injure people.¡±


    Wait a little, it seems like I can already circulate the qi inside my body at will, I just can¡¯t release it outside. It must be because the amount is still too small.


    Li Qingshan suddenly understood that from the beginning he never stood on the same starting line compared to other ordinary persons. The road he walked on was something common martial artists had no way to imagine.


    ¡°Chief hunter, I will certainly become an innate master.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger praised him with a ¡°good ambition,¡± but his expression was noncommittal. Innate master? Back when he first heard about those things, wasn¡¯t he also filled with the same kind of lofty ambitions and magnificent aspirations? How could it be so easy.


    It was as if he saw a younger version of himself from back then: ¡°If you really become an innate master, I¡¯ll give you this chief hunter title of mine.¡± This actually wasn¡¯t a casual commitment. The way he thought about it, even if Li Qingshan became an innate master, it would be several decades later. How could he know that the one in front of his eyes was already his so-called ¡°innate master.¡±


    Li Qingshan thought of something: ¡°Chief hunter, it looks like your body isn¡¯t in a great shape?¡±


    ¡°I was born frail and weak. The doctors originally said I couldn¡¯t survive, but my mother didn¡¯t believe them and stubbornly brought me up. I also didn¡¯t believe I couldn¡¯t match the other kids in the village, so I stubbornly trained my martial arts. But my foundation remains frail, and over the years I¡¯ve accumulated painful wounds. I fear I don¡¯t have much more time left to live.¡±


    Li Qingshan actually felt some admiration for this man in front of him. Even without great supernatural skills or great techniques, the perseverance and determination was enough to set an example for him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry chief hunter, you just need to find the spirit ginseng, it¡¯ll surely be able to cure you.¡±


    ¡°En, although it¡¯s as elusive as floating mist, there¡¯s always a lifeline left. We¡¯ll take the opportunity of the Ginseng King Village¡¯s current upheaval and start searching the mountains today. Do you want to come along?¡±


    ¡°My body¡¯s condition isn¡¯t yet fully recovered, I probably won¡¯t be able to lend a hand to the chief hunter.¡± Of course Li Qingshan wouldn¡¯t agree. The other party was merely saying but they wouldn¡¯t really trust him.


    ¡°Alright, then let¡¯s wait until your body¡¯s wounds heal, we¡¯ll fight again then. I¡¯ll arrange someone to teach you archery.¡± Sick Yellow Tiger patted his shoulder.


    After Sick Yellow Tiger left, Li Qingshan immediately inquired the green bull. s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The green bull said as if it was beneath his contempt: ¡°What first grade second grade, do we also need to rank ants by strength? But this spirit ginseng will actually be of great help to your cultivation if you could obtain it.¡±


    Li Qingshan could only watch it with meaningful eyes.


    ¡°Now you can learn hunting and not rely on me anymore, I¡¯m very gratified. I¡¯ll finally be able to get some rest. From today on, take good care of yourself!¡±


    It was as expected. The green bull had always followed the same line, and it would absolutely not act to help him. Li Qingshan also didn¡¯t truly plan on depending on it. As to play the two villages and snatch the food from the tiger¡¯s mouth, he had even less this kind of self-confidence. Most probably it would be throwing his life away in vain. He just sighed a few time with emotion, and erase this matter from his mind. He chewed a ginseng, sat in meditation and circulated his qi, only falling asleep in the depths of the night.


    A ghost rose from the locust wood plaque like a strand of green smoke, shaping into a handsome child. He took a look at Li Qingshan and seemed to make a decision. He rode the night wind and flew toward the mountains, his bloodless lips moving open and closed.


    If someone proficient in lips-reading could see, they would know that the words repeated in his mouth were ¡°spirit ginseng.¡±


    The green bull opened its eyes and took a look, then closed them back and returned to sleep.


    Little An flew out of Horse Rein Village, flying into the undulating ranges of mountains. He freely went through layer after layer of forest trees, but from time to time he had to avoid the incoming fierce mountain winds. He saw in the far distance a dot of fire light, and when he flew close he discovered it was the Horse Rein Village hunters carrying weapons while resting beside a bonfire. Sick Yellow Tiger was discussing in a low voice with several hunters about battle techniques. Little An circled a few laps around and listened for a while, then rode the wind as he flew toward Old White Peak.


    He carefully examined each river stream, each piece of rock. Of course, his attention would occasionally be attracted by small animals he met on the way, and he would forget his original goal, but he would always be able to return to his senses very quickly and continue searching. There was only one thought left in his mind: I must, I must find the spirit ginseng, this way I¡¯ll be able to help him.


    During the fourth night watch period1, the ginseng gatherers launched a night raid, but they were killed and beaten back by Sick Yellow Tiger who was long ago prepared. However neither side had found the spirit ginseng. It was the same for Little An.


    Using the time left before sunrise he returned to the village, his face full of exhaustion, almost fed up. It wasn¡¯t easy for a child¡¯s thoughts to persist for so long. Moreover, this work was too lonely for him, he¡¯d already had enough of the taste of loneliness. But looking at the face of Li Qingshan who was still asleep, his heart suddenly bubbled anew with motivation. He shook his fists and drilled inside the locust wood plaque to sleep.


    In the early morning, a grim looking old hunter called for Li Qingshan: ¡°The chief hunter told me to teach you archery!¡±


    Li Qingshan noticed that his left foot was a little lame, but he only quickly glanced over it once to stay polite. Unexpectedly the old hunter already noticed and calmly said: ¡°It was bitten by a wolf. Follow me!¡±


    To the west of the village was an open space where a group of teenagers already stood waiting. The oldest ones were about the same age as Li Qingshan, while the youngest ones still had snot hanging from their noses. But everyone was carrying a hunting bow on their backs, and their gazes when looking at Li Qingshan were a little guarded and unkind.


    ¡°Grandpa Cang, he¡¯s also with us?¡±


    Grandpa lightly nodded and didn¡¯t explain too much, directly saying: ¡°Pull your bows!¡±


    This group of kids suddenly stopped talking. They pulled their hunting bows and aimed at the distant target. Grandpa Cang corrected their postures one by one and explained the main aspects of archery, tossing Li Qingshan to the side.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t feel bored, but instead listened carefully on the sideline. Thus an hour went by. Grandpa Cang ordered a rest and finally said to Li Qingshan: ¡°Better first train your strength!¡± before pointing at a row of stone locks on the side.


    Li Qingshan went and snatched the stone locks. Compared to the green bull, this kind of teacher who didn¡¯t even take your life seriously, this level of cold shoulder was still within his acceptable range.


    Grandpa Cang exposed some surprised expression. He pretty disliked Li Qingshan, but he still couldn¡¯t defy Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s instruction, so he gave him a cold reception on purpose. It could also count as polishing his temperament. But he didn¡¯t think that he wouldn¡¯t get angry at all, which was completely different from what he imagined, so he thought: ¡°No wonder the chief hunter took a fancy to him!¡±


    ¡°Kid, where do you come from?¡± That group of children couldn¡¯t resist any longer and came forward, their faces full of provocation.


    ¡°Crouching Bull Village.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, a mere farm worker, you actually have some bull strength. We heard you even took a bull along. We don¡¯t need bulls here, just kill it and eat the meat!¡±


    You couldn¡¯t ask Li Qingshan to lower himself to their level and scream nonsense, but he wouldn¡¯t let them throw insults as they pleased either. His put strength in his two arms and flung two stone locks of several dozen pounds in the air.


    ¡°Mom!¡± This group of kids scattered in all directions with panic-stricken faces. When a stone lock several dozen pounds heavy smashed down, it couldn¡¯t but smash your brain open.


    The stone locks heavily dropped down. Li Qingshan didn¡¯t dodge or hide, instead focusing all his attention and observing the timing. He grabbed the stone locks in one try, then his body spun on itself to diffuse the force of impact. He smiled as he looked at them.


    This group of kids stared dumbstruck and swallowed their saliva. How much strength was that. Most of them could lift those two stone locks, but it was impossible to throw them so high, not even mentioning catching the stone locks back.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t pay them any mind anymore and merely said with a smile: ¡°Grandpa Cang, do I still need to train my strength?¡±


    1. 1 am to 3 am

 Chapter 25

    Grandpa Cang was finally shocked: ¡°Inborn divine strength?¡± Then he repeatedly shook his head: ¡°I forgot, you cultivate a strength-based outer martial art, it¡¯s not very surprising if you have some strength!¡±¡°Archery isn¡¯t something you succeed at just by strength alone. Hold it properly!¡± Grandpa Cang removed the hunting bow from his back and tossed it to Li Qingshan.


    ¡°It¡¯s Grandpa Cang¡¯s bullhorn bow, it¡¯s one stone heavy!¡± ¡°Grandpa Cang deliberately wants to embarrass this kid. It¡¯s not the same thing pulling a bow and throwing stone locks.¡±


    A stone was a hundred and twenty pounds. Ordinary hunting bows didn¡¯t pursue might but precision and deftness instead. There were very few bows that were so hard. When bows were too hard, the power was no doubt enhanced, but the precision and firing speed would be very poor if the hunter couldn¡¯t operate it.


    If you met a wild beast in the mountains and your first arrow missed, then there was no time to fire a second arrow before the fierce beast pounced on you, and it was a sure road to death. Those who could master this kind of hard bows were all divine archers who had no troubles felling tigers and panthers under their arrows inside the mountains.


    Li Qingshan weighed the hunting bow. This was a top-notch oaken bow wrapped in animal hide, with natural silk twining around it, and a bowstring made from bull tendon. It was lithe and graceful but possessed great strength.


    Following Grandpa Cang¡¯s teachings from earlier, he promptly lowered his waist and pulled the bow open in one motion, the muscles on his body also following suit and pulling open.


    Grandpa Cang discovered with surprise that his posture was unexpectedly very in line with the standard. He remembered that he was watching and listening on the sideline just now, so he somewhat pointed the critical points again. Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t lacking in intuitive understanding, and after a moment of effort, it actually seemed as if he had gone through three months of hard labor.


    It wasn¡¯t easy to start with a bow that was too hard when one wished to learn archery. It was better to train first with a soft bow and practice firing many arrows, slowly correcting the posture. Only then was it possible to move on to stronger bows.


    Grandpa Cang had directly given Li Qingshan his own bullhorn bow precisely with the intent of knocking him a down a notch. Even if your strength was great and you managed to pull it open, it didn¡¯t count for fart if you couldn¡¯t properly aim with it. But Li Qingshan¡¯s performance was beyond his anticipation.


    It wasn¡¯t truly that Li Qingshan¡¯s comprehension far surpassed others. What the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] taught him was the most basic technique to control energy and manipulate strength. Whether blade spear sword or halberd, as long as he grasped the essential points, he could master them very fast.


    Sweat seeped from Li Qingshan¡¯s forehead. The posture to maintain the bow pulled open indeed required a lot more strength than the lifting of stone locks, and there was a dull ache in every muscle and tendon in his body.


    ¡°This is actually a good way to train strength. Practicing my fist technique is also very exhausting, but the punches all land in the air. In the future I need to buy a strong bow especially for practicing strength, it will certainly be of great benefits.¡±


    ¡°Alright, aim at the target and let me see you fire an arrow!¡± Grandpa Cang instructed him.


    Li Qingshan put down the hunting bow and took a slight rest. He twirled a feather arrow in his hand and once again drew the bow open, facing a target fifty steps away.


    Grandpa Cang instructed beside him: ¡°Calm your heart, don¡¯t rush to fire the arrow, watch the target!¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes stared straight at the target. Suddenly they lit up, but no one noticed because of the bright sunlight. Under his single-minded focus, it was almost as this target became bigger and not so far away.


    In the legends, when divine archers trained their achery in ancient times, they would tie a tick to a wire string then watch them days after nights. They would see the tick slowly become bigger, first as big as a cartwheel, later as big as a mountain peak blocking their sights. Then with one arrow they would run the tick¡¯s body through.


    At present Li Qingshan had this kind of sensation. He knew in his heart that most of it came from the bull tears¡¯ effects. It made the fast appear slow, the far appear near, the clarity piercing through like the moonlight.


    ¡°Go in!¡± Inspiration came to Li Qingshan¡¯s heart. A feather arrow left the bowstring and flew toward the target.


    ¡°Du!¡± The arrow sank deeply in the wooden target, but it didn¡¯t hit the bullseye, merely falling at the target¡¯s fringes, barely avoiding hitting empty air.


    Li Qingshan felt slightly embarrassed: ¡°It didn¡¯t hit the inner bullseye, but it should also count as hitting in.¡±


    The crowd around were all rendered speechless from surprise. Firing the first arrow in his whole life, pulling a bow a stone heavy, hitting a target fifty steps away, such a person was unheard of even among those people who lived their lives as bow hunters,.


    ¡°Where does this guy really come from?!¡±


    Grandpa struggled to keep his face calm: ¡°It¡¯ll be alright if you properly practice in the future.¡± As an old archer hand, he understood the most clearly that Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t estimate the influence of gravity or the effect from the mountain winds with the first arrow of his.


    ¡°I feel this bow still isn¡¯t strong enough!¡± As they said ¡°to draw a bow ought to draw the strongest1.¡± Li Qingshan wanted to pursue the kind of hard bow that would require one to exhaust one¡¯s entire strength to pull open.


    Grandpa Cang didn¡¯t say much when he heard. He took the bow from Li Qingshan¡¯s hands, and bent his bow toward the target, his muddy eyes suddenly becoming piercing sharp like an eagle.


    His right hand moved repeatedly. There was only Li Qingshan at the scene who could clearly see that he pulled out three arrows in succession.


    ¡°Du!¡± Three feather arrows formed a straight line that sank in the bullseye, but it merely made a single sound to the ears.


    The field was first a great quiet, then a series of cheers and applause burst out.


    ¡°Pearl String Arrows!¡± How would Li Qingshan not know this archery technique¡¯s name. He¡¯d read of it from books in his previous world2, only he had taken it as a mere toy.


    But seeing it with his own eyes, he only realized then it was a genuinely supreme killing skill. He estimated in his mind that unless he could cling to the opponent in close combat, it would certainly be greatly difficult to escape this kind of archery technique. Moreover if Grandpa Cang mounted an ambush and sneak attacked him, he would certainly die with no doubts left.


    Grandpa Cang saw that Li Qingshan didn¡¯t talk too much. Li Qingshan had already understood his meaning; what was he talking about ¡°to draw a bow ought to draw the strongest¡± if he couldn¡¯t apply this kind of archery skill. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t pull open a heavier bow either, he merely chose the most appropriate one. Li Qingshan came forward and offered his respectful greeting and sincerely said: ¡°Please Grandpa Cang teach me the art of the bow!¡±


    ¡°In the future you¡¯re also part of my Horse Rein Village. I don¡¯t need you to say as much, I will wholeheartedly teach you in any case. As to how much you can learn, it¡¯ll depend on your ability. But I have faith your archery will certainly exceed mine in the future.¡± Grandpa Cang felt comfortable in his heart and also became more amicable.


    He originally didn¡¯t like Li Qingshan, but he was shocked when Li Qingshan displayed his natural talent and strength. Then when the latter lowered his attitude, his own mood went through a turnaround, not only immediately recognizing Li Qingshan¡¯s status but also starting to feel great appreciation for him.


    This evaluation made everyone shocked. Grandpa Cang had the strongest archery in Horse Rein Village, this was something publicly recognized. Even the chief hunter Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s archery had been personally taught by him. The whole village would probably be shocked that he gave someone such an evaluation.


    This group of later generation kids who were unkind to Li Qingshan at first also surrounded him, lively discussing with everyone around, faintly revealing a more intimate intent. This wasn¡¯t actually currying favor or social climbing, but it was merely that what they most respected at their age were precisely strong people.


    Perhaps there were some people who felt jealousy and wanted to exclude him, but none had the courage to deride or provoke. The atmosphere in the field indeed became more harmonious. Li Qingshan understood all the more that the recognition and approval of others didn¡¯t go through what flowery words or graceful speech, but through the display of sufficient strength.


    If he didn¡¯t have this strength and wanted to achieve the same results through social intercourse, it would not only have required a very long time and shameless flattery, it would also twist his own state of mind. S?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Practicing until dusk, Li Qingshan was already able to land each arrow in the bullseye, but firing this kind of arrow always needed preparation. It was far from Grandpa¡¯s firing on the go, and he was even farther away from the Pearl String Arrows. But in the eyes of the observers, it was already something hard enough to imagine.


    For the next several days, Li Qingshan submerged himself in the art of the bow, dedicating himself to progress day by day. Although he didn¡¯t give up on the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], the pace of progress became extremely slow.


    Enduring until several days later, Li Qingshan returned back to his house and carefully opened the wine jar. A thick medicine flavored liquor smell assaulted his nostrils. He directly picked the wine jar and drank a big mouthful.


    1. From a poem by Tang poet Du Fu, culturally considered the greatest Chinese poet along Li Bai.


    2. I believe the name might first come from Water Margin

 Chapter 26

    A thick warm current started to boil inside his belly. He immediately stood up and practiced his punches in the yard until the warmth inside his stomach entirely dispersed. Only then did he breathe in relief and stop.Usually he would feel tired after training his fist technique for so long, but today he was in great spirits. The effects of this medicinal liquor made from soaked ginseng were much better than simply eating meat.


    Moreover the shred of true qi inside his body also seemed to grow a little. Although it was minute, it was nevertheless genuine progress.


    ¡°A medicinal liquor soaked from ordinary ginseng is already like this. I don¡¯t know what effect it would have if it were soaked with that spirit ginseng?¡± He also once had this kind of thoughts, but thinking about the difficulty, then thinking again about the aftermaths of obtaining the spirit ginseng, he could only drop it.


    In a mere few days, there were already several hunters carried down the mountains, the dead dead and the wounded wounded. It was obvious that the group of ginseng gatherers weren¡¯t an easy bunch to deal with either. Although Li Qingshan had agreed to join the Horse Rein Village, it was a mere temporary arrangement, and he had no actual plan to insert himself in the dispute between the two villages.


    In the turn of an eye, it was already the fifteenth of the eighth month, the season for the mid-autumn festival1. Inside the mountain forest, Sick Yellow Tiger looked at the tired faces around him. During these days, he¡¯d led the hunters through the mountains. They had to keep their vigilance up at all time, even if they held the upper hand and had almost killed the ginseng gatherers to an utter rout.


    But it was also difficult to prevent losses on his side, and they likewise weren¡¯t in good shape, while the spirit ginseng stayed a thing from the legends that no one had seen with their own eyes. This kind of meaningless sacrifice was indeed already meaningless.


    Sick Yellow Tiger let out a long sigh and issued the order to return to the village. Little Black hurriedly said: ¡°Chief hunter, you can¡¯t give up, your health.¡± Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°The village comes first!¡± Not only they had to reunite with their families for the mid-autumn festival, winter was also coming, and the village had to make preparations to live through it.


    In a corner of Horse Rein Village, in Grandpa Cang¡¯s yard, Sick Yellow Tiger was grinning:


    ¡°Grandpa Cang, how¡¯s that kid?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an innate divine archer, in the future his archery will certainly be above yours or mine. Only¡­¡±


    ¡°Only what?¡±


    ¡°His heart isn¡¯t in Horse Rein Village. Even if we let him join Horse Rein Village it would also be for nothing. We¡¯re hunters guarding the mountains, while he¡¯s a wolf, moreover he¡¯s a lone wolf. He will definitely travel far away from here!¡±


    ¡°Lone wolf? That¡¯s because he¡¯s never experienced ¡®lone wolves die easily while wolf herds are hard to contend with¡¯. I¡¯ll go see him, I don¡¯t believe that he¡¯s not temped by the Horse Rein Village¡¯s ¡®chief hunter¡¯ position.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re truly determined to make him chief hunter.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger laughed: ¡°That¡¯s still going to depend on his abilities.¡±


    ¡°Qingshan, was the living conditions to your satisfaction during this time?¡± As soon as Sick Yellow Tiger set foot in the courtyard, he sent his greetings outspokenly and forthrightly.


    ¡°Many thanks for the chief hunter¡¯s concerns, I¡¯ve lived very well.¡± Since the matter about Li Qingshan killing seven ginseng gatherers spread out in the village, everyone became friendlier with him. But it was also because this insinuated that he had forged a sworn enmity with the Ginseng King Village, and since that group of ginseng gatherers weren¡¯t an amicable bunch, he could only depend on the Horse Rein Village to survive.


    But was this kind of arrangements really the only choice he had?


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Chief hunter, I want to try exchanging a few blows with you again!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s surprised vision met Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes filled with self-confidence.


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°Alright, then let me see your achievements during those days.¡±


    ¡°Hah!¡± Li Qingshan didn¡¯t wait for Sick Yellow Tiger to adopt his posture and suddenly fought over, directly sending a fist without any fancy, violently punching toward Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s chest. It faintly made the sound of air being broken through.


    ¡°What a fierce kid!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger used his arms to block. With a resounding ¡°pa¡±, he retreated three steps deng deng deng, only stopping then. He swung his painful arms a few times and there was some astonishment on his face: ¡°What a powerful strength!¡± Last time they fought, he could estimate that his strength wasn¡¯t so great back then even if they hadn¡¯t clashed head to head.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Watch this move again!¡± He rushed over and attacked continuously, his punches successively attacking his opponent¡¯s face and chest. His offensive was like a violent hurricane, displaying his free and unrestrained fists to the apex, his momentum fierce to the utter limit.


    Sick Yellow Tiger had been temporarily too confident and lost the decisive opportunity. He fell downwind, but it also stimulated the pride in his chest, ¡°I won¡¯t believe you¡¯re really superior to me in strength and energy.¡± His inner strength circulated and flowed inside his meridians to his arms. Swelling with the inner strength, his arms almost doubled in thickness as he met Li Qingshan¡¯s fists face on.


    For martial artists, the whole of their martial art resided in this inner strength. Fighting like this, he was already using his genuine power.


    ¡°Bang bang bang bang!¡± The two men¡¯s arms intersected each other. Each of them met force with force, and each strike created giant sounds of collision with flesh and bones, like two wild beasts biting and tearing at each other. It was very crude and brutal.


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s experience was after all rich. He calculated the right timing and smashed his fist toward Li Qingshan¡¯s chest.


    Li Qingshan unexpectedly didn¡¯t try to hide or dodge, but instead launched his own fist toward Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s face.


    Sick Yellow Tiger thought: ¡°I painstakingly cultivated my inner martial art for so many years. Even a calf would collapse under the strength of my punch. Even if you cultivate a hard outer martial art, you¡¯ll still be injured.¡± As to Li Qingshan¡¯s fist, he didn¡¯t put much mind into it. When his fist struck Li Qingshan first, Li Qingshan¡¯s body would necessarily go stiff for a moment.


    With a ¡°bang,¡± the punch hit Li Qingshan¡¯s chest. Li Qingshan¡¯s body indeed paused an instant, but instantly restored its condition and wasn¡¯t affected. Sick Yellow Tiger was greatly surprised, and hurriedly rolled away awkwardly. The fist scratched past his cheek, causing vague pain.


    Li Qingshan smiled ¡°hehe.¡± He stood still and no longer pursued to attack.


    Sick Yellow Tiger stood up: ¡°You¡¯re actually fine?!¡± He had the clearest understanding about the power of his own punch. Even if Li Qingshan could block the fist¡¯s strength with his external martial art, he still couldn¡¯t block the true qi contained inside his fist, but it actually wasn¡¯t effective.


    Li Qingshan rubbed his chest: ¡°It¡¯s very painful!¡± Right now there had been a breath of qi penetrating through his skin and hitting inside his body, but it¡¯d been instantly dispelled by the true qi inside and didn¡¯t cause the slightest harm. Afterward he¡¯d caught his breath back right away and almost struck Sick Yellow Tiger.


    If he had to borrow Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s words to explain it, it¡¯d be the difference in quality between acquired inner strength and innate true qi.


    Sick Yellow Tiger didn¡¯t know whether to cry or laugh. This punch he was fully confident in only obtained this kind of evaluation. But any martial artist had an ambitious and competitive heart, so he shouted: ¡°Then take some more punches from me!¡±


    The two of then started fighting again. This time, Sick Yellow Tiger no longer had any reservation and exhausted all of his skills and power. His figure became even much faster and more violent, making Li Qingshan unable to block. His fists fell on Li Qingshan¡¯s body like unceasing raindrops.


    In the eyes of observers, it was Sick Yellow Tiger who was pressuring Li Qingshan and occupied the upper hand.


    But the two men¡¯s feelings were each different. Li Qingshan merely felt almost as if Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s movements had become slower, becoming not so much unpredictable anymore. Even if the fists landed on his body, it was a little pain at most and he might as well not pay attention to them. He resembled a reef in the middle of a tempest under this blind assault, standing mighty and motionless.


    Meanwhile, Sick Yellow Tiger became more astonished the longer he fought. Li Qingshan¡¯s speed, reaction, and strength were all a lot stronger than the last time they exchanged hands. It was simply like it was another person. He already couldn¡¯t easily hit Li Qingshan¡¯s vital spots, but hitting other places was also completely useless. S?a??h the ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    In the middle of the battle, Li Qingshan¡¯s attacks became all the more sophisticated. From time to time he fired out one or two extremely exquisite punches, making him fall into danger, and it was only thanks to his experience from facing enemies for many years that he could dispel it. The violence of the wind blown up by Li Qingshan¡¯s fists told him that he would be finished as long as he ate a single one. The distance between the two neared at flying speed.


    So such a strange scene emerged. One man kept getting hit while his momentum became more victorious as the fight went on, while another man didn¡¯t suffer the slightest harm but his momentum instead became weaker and weaker.


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s forehead began to sweat. When he started feeling tired, Li Qingshan still had the same expression and his heart beat at the same speed.


    Bulls were originally animals with great endurance, and the higher the cultivation, the more the difference between martial arts and supernatural skills would manifest itself.


    Sick Yellow Tiger suddenly opened the distance with a leap and shouted: ¡°Stop!¡±


    1. Lunar calendar. The mid-autumn festival is held on the 15th of the eighth lunar month

 Chapter 27

    Li Qingshan let out a long breath: ¡°So much fun!¡±Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s arms trembled. This was the result from colliding with Li Qingshan¡¯s hands. He looked Li Qingshan up and down from the distance, queerness filling his face: ¡°How do you really train?¡± This kind of progress speed was simply like a monster.


    At first he had taken a fancy to Li Qingshan¡¯s will and martial arts. He thought he¡¯d found an unpolished diamond among a pile of rubble and was determined to temper it, see if he had the qualification to inherit the position of chief hunter. But in the end he discovered that he still had underestimated Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan thought for a moment: ¡°I recently drank medicinal liquor soaked with ginseng, it¡¯s a prescription left behind by my master.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger hesitated a moment: ¡°Can you let me see?¡±


    Originally, following the martial world¡¯s rules he couldn¡¯t carelessly inquire about those things, but he really wanted to know too much what was going on.


    Li Qingshan straightforwardly said: ¡°No problem!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger asked about the prescription and Li Qingshan told him the truth of it. Sick Yellow Tiger nodded: ¡°This prescription is indeed exquisite, but this kind of medicinal power is really too great. It also uses too much ginseng, you can¡¯t drink too much of it. A small cup a day is enough.¡±


    Apart from that, there wasn¡¯t too much of a difference with ordinary medicinal wines. He especially went into Li Qingshan¡¯s room and tasted it, coming to the same conclusion. He didn¡¯t believe that just drinking medicinal liquor soaked in ginseng could make someone¡¯s strength progress so fast, otherwise wouldn¡¯t people from Ginseng King Village all be masters peerless in the world?


    But it wasn¡¯t appropriate to ask any further, so he could only hold back his bellyful of doubts. He didn¡¯t think that the reason lay in the martial art cultivated by Li Qingshan, because there were no extraordinary divine arts among outer martial arts.


    Of course Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t tell him that he drank this kind of medicinal wine by the bowl, at least several big bowls of it going down his belly every day. During this time he¡¯d about drank all of it.


    ¡°Right, what grade is my current martial ability?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s barely enough for third-grade.¡± Sick Yellow Tiger still remembered that some days ago he gave the evaluation that Li Qingshan would have absolutely no problem becoming a third-grade master. Now it became true in the turn of an eye, it was simply like a dream.


    Li Qingshan greedily said: ¡°Merely third-grade?¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s eyes stared ahead for a moment. Those who could train their martial skills to third-grade could already be called masters, but this guy was actually not satisfied. Wasn¡¯t that the same as saying that his own martial ability was also ¡°merely third-grade.¡±


    He was someone who had been chief hunter of the Horse Rein Village for many years and wasn¡¯t resigned to lose to this kid in momentum: ¡°What I excel at isn¡¯t martial arts but archery. Merely on martial arts, the Ginseng King Village is a bit stronger than us, but only we dare to call ourselves the Horse Rein Village. We have strong bows and powerful crossbows, even first-grade masters won¡¯t dare fight us head on.¡±


    Moreover another reason was that his disease was already nearing his heart, but despite being called Sick Tiger, the word ¡°sick¡± was his most taboo one, and no matter what he wouldn¡¯t use it as a pretext.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been practicing the Pearl String Arrows recently. I can already fire out three arrows in succession, but unfortunately the precision is still a little lacking, please chief hunter give me a few pointers.¡± Li Qingshan had seen Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s archery with his own eyes and naturally wouldn¡¯t underestimate it.


    Pearl String Arrows, can fire out three arrows?! You only trained the art of the bow for a month. Sick Yellow Tiger felt that the psychological attacks he suffered today were a little too much. He waved his hand: ¡°Better go ask Grandpa Cang to guide you tomorrow! I need to go home and have my family reunion meal.¡±


    In his heart he understood that this kid might really have the qualifications to wander the martial world, so he put aside the matter about the chief hunter. If he could have had this kind of progress speed back then, he would certainly not have returned to Horse Rein Village either.


    ¡°Right, it¡¯s mid-autumn festival again!¡± Li Qingshan watched the full moon just risen in the sky. He had no family he could reunite with, but at least he had a monster and a ghost beside him so they could also eat a meal together. He went to prepare.


    He laid green grass for the green bull, took meat and wine for himself, and he also prepared incense and ritual paper money for Little An.


    All things were properly in place, but he couldn¡¯t see trace of Little An¡¯s shadow. ¡°Brother bull, where did Little An go.¡±


    ¡°No idea!¡±


    Li Qingshan mumbled to himself: ¡°This little ghost has been playing wild lately, he¡¯s not clinging to me anymore. It¡¯s really weird, let us wait him for a bit!¡±


    A full moon rising, silence reigning over the Old White Peak.


    The bright moon sprinkled its pure splendor through the gaps between the clouds. S~?a??h the N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Several people wearing bamboo hats lay prone on the lush grass, watching the highest cliff on Old White Peak, as if waiting for something.


    ¡°So much effort and blood spent, so many people dead, a hatred of life and death forged with Horse Rein Village, but we haven¡¯t seen even one single hair of the spirit ginseng. Now even the people from Horse Rein Village have already gone down the mountain to reunite with their families, but we still need to keep watch, what¡¯s the village master¡¯s brain thinking about.¡±


    ¡°What do you understand, the spirit ginseng is something that possesses spirituality. After being alarmed like this it¡¯ll naturally conceal itself out of sight, but today is the night of the full moon. The spirit ginseng will certainly appear and receive the moonlight. The village master has made plans long ago, as long as we can obtain the spirit ginseng, the village master¡¯s power will greatly increase. By that time what we would need to fear a Horse Rein Village. When the time comes we¡¯ll flatten Horse Rein Village, rob all their food and wealth, thoroughly play with their women. Only this could count as taking revenge for our hatred.¡±


    Someone chided in a low repressed voice beside: ¡°Be quiet, don¡¯t ruin the village master¡¯s grand matter!¡±


    The human voices immediately fell down, leaving only the soon to be dead autumn bugs quietly singing. The full moon rose to its peak.


    A small man a foot tall suddenly drilled out from the ground. It hesitatingly walked toward the high cliff where the moonlight was brightest. Looking carefully, how was it a small man. It was a ginseng, it was just that it had a vaguely humanoid shape, and in the dimness of the night it looked like a small man. It walked light as a feather, as if it were floating.


    The ginseng gatherers hiding among the grasses suddenly held their breaths, not daring to make a single sound. They had never seen such a miraculous spirit herb in a lifetime of gathering ginseng.


    The spirit ginseng looked left and right for a while, apparently making sure there was no one, then floated to the highest point of the mountain cliff. The silks of moonlight intertwined around its body when it settled down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± With this order the ginseng gatherers acted together. A net dropped from the sky, rushing toward the spirit ginseng.


    The spirit ginseng was in the middle of immersing itself in the moonlight, and it was captured in the net before it could react in time, then lifted from the ground. This net was woven from bull muscles and tendons, so no matter how it struggled it couldn¡¯t break free.


    Four ginseng gatherers raised their brows in delight and beamed in joy. They crowded in and carefully observed it.


    ¡°There are many cliffs on this Old White Peak, and we have people ambushing all of them. This ginseng actually bumped into our hands, it¡¯s really the heavens assisting us. When we go back we¡¯ll surely have some soup to drink, and maybe we can even become masters.¡±


    ¡°And maybe we could eat the whole root and become divine immortals!¡± The several men laughed loudly.


    A ginseng gather¡¯s laughter suddenly froze. A sword point bright as snow emerged from his throat. It would have been a challenge to turn his head back.


    The sword point shrank back and he immediately flopped on the ground. He only saw a vague black shadow as he fell.


    The other ginseng gatherers reacted with angry roars and drew out their waist sabers, slashing toward the black shadow. The edge of a sword flitted across their necks like a spirit snake, and several bloody blooms splashed around.


    In an instant, four ginseng gatherers died a violent death without the time to even use one move. It was obvious how high the martial arts of the newly arrived was.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that the rumors were true. Hmph, even this bunch of wild mountain laborers dare to enjoy this kind of spirit treasure.¡± A young man in luxurious clothes stylishly recovered his long sword, stretching his hand to catch the spirit ginseng falling to the ground at the same time. He couldn¡¯t repress the excitement in his heart either. As long as he obtained this treasure, it would certainly help greatly increase his martial power.


    But at this moment something strange suddenly happened. The spirit ginseng that was falling down suddenly moved aside, making the man clutch empty air.

 Chapter 28

    The man stared. He saw the spirit ginseng move up and down in the air and he felt great anxiety. He operated his movement technique and tried to grab the spirit ginseng. But the spirit ginseng directly flew down the cliff, so he could only stare with big eyes and watch it disappear inside the darkness, feeling depressed enough to puke blood.¡°Impossible, I have to snatch this spirit ginseng in my hand. When I go back I¡¯ll let father dispatch men and horses to search the mountain.¡±


    The man thought that it was the ginseng itself that showed some wondrous ability, but if he could have opened his spirit eyes, he¡¯d have seen that the spirit ginseng was tightly grasped inside a pair of small pale white hands. He was like the mantis that stalked the cicada, but unaware of the oriole behind. A ghost shadow he couldn¡¯t see had been hiding in the dark from the start.


    Under the cliff, Little An exhausted the whole of his strength as he held onto the spirit ginseng, riding the night wind toward Horse Rein Village, the joy inside his heart threatening to burst out. It was also thanks to him nourishing his spiritual body inside the locust wood plaque during these days that he had the strength to seize such a heavy thing.


    Inside the courtyard, Li Qingshan yawned, but suddenly his eyes lit up and he saw Little An float in from afar: ¡°Little ghost, where did you run off to!¡±


    Little An bit his lips in a reserved and modest way, repressed his inner joy, and held the spirit ginseng in front of him.


    ¡°Eh, what¡¯s that? Ginseng?¡± Li Qingshan held the spirit ginseng and lightly sniffed it. A waft of a strange clear fragrance gushed into his nostrils, and he immediately felt his mind vibrate, while the true qi inside his body became much more lively.


    Li Qingshan suddenly thought of a certain something: ¡°This is¡­the spirit ginseng!¡± He had a little trouble believing that he was presently holding this spiritual herb that two village strove over to the point of spending many dozens of lives as they killed each other into a hatred of blood.


    The green bull lazily chewed on green grasses: ¡°What else did you think the little ghost ran out to do every night?¡±


    Li Qingshan found out that Little An¡¯s face was indeed fill with fatigue, but also boundless happiness, even pointing his little hand to his mouth, as if telling him to eat it.


    Those few days, Little An had gone out every dusk and returned close to dawn. He had communicated much less with him, so he was still thinking Little An was yearning for freedom and was of a mind to let him go away. He only realized at this moment that all of this was originally for his own sake.


    ¡°You little guy!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s nose stung: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say it earlier!¡±


    Little An smiled bashfully, again pointing at his mouth.


    Even if Li Qingshan had a heart made of iron or stone, he still couldn¡¯t help but be moved when faced with those clear pure eyes that didn¡¯t contain a shred of selfishness. He asked the green bull: ¡°Little An can also use this spirit ginseng right?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°This spirit ginseng is a rare treasure of nature, the spiritual qi contained within has great advantages even for yin ghost types. However, if you used it you could effortlessly train to the strength of one bull, can you really bear to?¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°What would I be reluctant about, the spirit ginseng was something Little An obtained to begin with, let¡¯s just have Little An use it. I can just slowly cultivate the supernatural skill.¡± His line of conduct wasn¡¯t changed by the temptation from this spirit ginseng.


    Little An immediately retreated and waved his hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯ll remember your kind feelings.¡±


    Little An just invariably shook his head, and finally simply turned into a green smoke that drilled inside the locust wood plaque.


    ¡°Hey, come out, if you don¡¯t want it I¡¯ll just throw it away.¡±


    The green bull suddenly shouted: ¡°Since he¡¯s determined, why are you still so stubborn and acting like a little girl. Don¡¯t tell me that in the future you won¡¯t be able to find and give him things a hundred times or a thousand times better than this spirit ginseng?¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s heart trembled and he nodded: ¡°What elder brother bull said is reason itself, it¡¯s me who was bashing my head on a brick wall. Alright, come out, I¡¯ll eat this spirit ginseng.¡± Little An immediately flew out.


    ¡°However by reason you should have a part of this thing, I can¡¯t swallow it by myself. If you still refuse I¡¯ll become angry.¡±


    Only then did Little An agree.


    Li Qingshan waved around the spirit ginseng in his hand and said: ¡°Brother bull, how do we use this thing.¡± Little An had the body of a ghost and had no way of eating things.


    The green bull said: ¡°Go find a needle and prick out a drop of ginseng liquid.¡±


    Li Qingshan followed his words and found a steel needle, then stabbed it inside the spirit ginseng. The spirit ginseng quivered in his hand, but he wasn¡¯t going to have any reluctance when it came to some plant. The spirit ginseng oozed a drop of ginseng liquid that hung onto the tip of the needle.


    The green bull said: ¡°Good, drop it on his forehead.¡±


    ¡°Forehead? Little An, raise your head!¡±


    Little An hurried lifted his head. The ginseng liquid fell from the needle¡¯s tip and dropped between Little An¡¯s eyebrows. His body vibrated like water ripples, and the ginseng liquid suddenly released resplendent beams of light inside his body.


    Little An shut his eyes tight, his face sometimes expressing pain and sometimes expressing joy. When the light finally vanished and everything subsided, he slowly opened his eyes, and there was something different inside them. Two teardrops slid down.


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°He most likely remembered something.¡±


    ¡°Is it like this? Little An, you remember who you are, where your family is?¡± Li Qingshan hurriedly half-knelt down and looked into his eyes.


    Little An hesitated a long moment and pointed to a direction, the south.


    Li Qingshan quickly asked: ¡°Your family is to the south? What city is it in, how far away is it?¡±


    But Little An couldn¡¯t answer those questions and only shook his head blankly.


    Li Qingshan suddenly pulled out a hunting knife and started to engrave the locust wood plaque. Sawdust flew up, and a ¡°South¡± character appeared in the turn of an eye on the side that had originally no word on it. He lifted it in front of Little An¡¯s eyes.


    Under the moonlight, a young man knelt on the ground on one knee and gravely pledged to a child: ¡°No matter if I have to cross a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers, no matter the untold difficulties and dangers, sooner or later there will come a day when I see you back home.¡±


    The child docilely watched his silhouette, a sight forever difficult to forget, just like the red dot left between his eyebrows where the ginseng liquid had fallen.


    Li Qingshan hung the wooden plaque back on his waist, and asked Little An if he felt anything different. He had no idea if this spirit ginseng had been useful.


    Little An jumped in the air and flew a lap inside the yard like a whirlwind. He took the hunting knife from Li Qingshan¡¯s hand and moved in a flurry inside the courtyard.


    Ordinary people would only be able to see a knife dancing on its own, as if it had its own spirituality.


    Not only was Little An even faster, he could also control heavier things, possessing more strength. If he wanted to mount a sneak assassination, even masters from the martial world would have trouble escaping with their lives.


    ¡°Brother bull, do I also have to use it like that?¡±


    ¡°That would be too wasteful. The best way to use this ginseng is to fit it with other spiritual herbs and refine it into a dan pill1, but you don¡¯t have this kind of luxury. You can treat this spirit ginseng the same as any other ginseng and soak it inside liquor. This way the spirit ginseng won¡¯t wither and the spiritual qi inside will diffuse into the liquor, transforming it into spiritual wine. You¡¯ll be able to slowly sip in the medicinal power inside. Oh right, also don¡¯t mix it with any other ingredient.¡± S?a?ch* Th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good way!¡± Li Qingshan knew that it was certainly impossible to digest this spirit ginseng in one go, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be great progress in strength but self-implosion and death: ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ll be worried if I don¡¯t carry this kind of treasure on myself.¡±


    A wine gourd flew toward Li Qingshan as soon as his voice fell. Li Qingshan grabbed it: ¡°Then many thanks elder brother bull!¡± He put the spirit ginseng into the gourd and filled it with strong liquor, then hung it at his hip.


    He crossed his arms. Despite his young age, with his vigorous body and such a great wine gourd hanging on him, he was filled with an expansive and uninhibited aura.


    ¡°Little An, don¡¯t you think I¡¯m looking more and more like someone of the martial world.¡±


    Little An also smiled, then his face at once changed and exposed some concern. But he couldn¡¯t speak, so he was a little anxious. Suddenly an idea flashed in his mind and he squatted on the ground, brushing away.


    Li Qingshan walked forward to take a look. Little An actually wrote out a row of pretty characters. Although he didn¡¯t understand calligraphy, he could still see that Little An¡¯s writing was dignified and beautiful, much better than himself.


    1. If you¡¯re not familiar with Chinese novels, in xianxia novels a dan is a magical pellet made by immortals from ¡°spiritual herbs¡±, usually by chanting mystical mantras and/or using magical techniques, with immortal fires, magical furnaces, etc.

 Chapter 29

    Li Qingshan hurriedly asked: ¡°You know how to write, did you remember how to just now?¡±Little An nodded and let Li Qingshan see the words he wrote.


    Li Qingshan only learned then that another person had inserted himself in and attempted to snatch the spirit ginseng away, that his martial arts were very powerful. Since he had seen this treasure, he was bound not to give up and would certainly look for a way to find it.


    ¡°Looks like I still need to be a little cautious. I can¡¯t let any rumor leak out. But when my supernatural skill goes forward another step and cultivates to the strength of one bull, I won¡¯t need to fear anyone.¡±


    This spirit ginseng and spiritual wine wouldn¡¯t be better the longer it soaked anyway. Li Qingshan wouldn¡¯t be able able to digest it if it became too concentrated. So Li Qingshan drank his first mouthful of the spiritual wine after waiting merely three to five days.


    A strange fragrance spread out inside his mouth. The taste wasn¡¯t very strong but a little faint instead. An extremely spiritual energy slowly expanded inside his body.


    He didn¡¯t dare to show any neglect and operated his supernatural skill to digest this spiritual qi. He discovered with pleasant surprise that the effect from this mouthful of spiritual wine was simply much better than drinking a whole jar of wine soaked in ordinary ginseng.


    The true qi inside his body even grew to double the amount. Although ordinary ginseng could nourish the vital essence, they were merely mortal things and couldn¡¯t be of much assistance to true qi. Meanwhile, the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] put emphasis on cultivating the body and less on cultivating qi, so the speed this true qi had been growing at had never been very fast.


    But this spirit ginseng was a genuine innate treasure of nature, and it was the most nourishing for spiritual qi, so it could have this kind of effect. If things continued like this, in not too long of a time he could achieve the effect of releasing the true qi outside. By that time he could claim himself an ¡°innate master.¡±


    ¡°Brother bull, I once swore to drink every fine wine in the world, I suppose that¡¯s almost accomplished!¡± After drinking this spiritual wine, other ordinary liquors wouldn¡¯t have much taste any longer.


    The green bull only returned a mocking laugh.


    At this time, a racket sounded outside the door accompanied by the barks of many dogs. Sick Yellow Tiger led the village hunters and came to Li Qingshan¡¯s door to invite him up the mountain with them and participate in the autumn hunt.


    Autumn was an excellent season for hunting. It wasn¡¯t only men who had to prepare food in order to pass through the winter, animals were also the same. Each of them had eaten themselves to a plump body. It was an important gathering for the Horse Rein Village.


    Many great families and clans would organize major hunting during this season, not to capture preys but only to train their disciples and descendants, matching the fall¡¯s austere and desolate nature.


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°You already learned the art of the bow, but you haven¡¯t learned yet the genuine dao of the hunter. You just follow beside me this time into the mountains!¡± Since exchanging blows with Li Qingshan last time, he wouldn¡¯t see Li Qingshan as an ordinary later generation kid any longer.


    Li Qingshan thought a little and refused in the end: ¡°Many thanks for the chief hunter¡¯s good intentions, but I want to hunt by myself.¡±


    The other hunters started to argue before Sick Yellow Tiger said anything.


    ¡°What, by yourself, not only you never hunted but you don¡¯t even have a decent hunting hound.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really not afraid of the fierce beasts in the mountains?¡±


    Although they admired Li Qingshan¡¯s talent that had killed seven ginseng gatherers, they still couldn¡¯t tolerate any slight when it came to the area they were most expert in.


    Sick Yellow Tiger urged him: ¡°Hunting doesn¡¯t rely merely on good archery and good talent.¡± He suddenly remembered Grandpa Cang¡¯s appraisal, a lone wolf!


    Li Qingshan was still shaking his head. He only wanted to learn archery so he could kill his enemies and protect himself. As for hunting, it wasn¡¯t so necessary.


    ¡°Since he wants to go by himself then let him go by himself, we¡¯ll see what he ends up catching.¡±


    ¡°I bet he won¡¯t even be able to capture a rabbit.¡±


    Li Qingshan smiled and stayed noncommittal.


    Suddenly someone said in a cold elusive voice: ¡°You¡¯ve already eaten the village¡¯s food for so long, now you don¡¯t even agree to comply with the arrangements, are you really planning on continuing to gratuitously eat our food like that?¡±


    Those day Li Qingshan¡¯s every food and drink were all sent by someone under Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s orders. It also used up resources from the village. He took the food and still played around, so it would naturally lead to some dissatisfaction.


    Sick Yellow Tiger immediately berated that man, ¡°Qingshan is also someone from our village, how can you haggle over some food.¡±


    Li Qingshan expression quickly became stern. He cupped his hands and said: ¡°Chief hunter, you don¡¯t need to feel awkward. I, Li Qingshan, clearly distinguish grudges and gratitude. I will absolutely not take the slightest advantage from others in vain. I will certainly return double the food I consumed from the village during these days.¡±


    ¡°Qingshan, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± Sick Yellow Tiger was dead angry at the man who had spoken. I¡¯m wholeheartedly trying to entice him to integrate in the village, but you bunch push him out instead for the sake of a few pounds of meat.


    Li Qingshan had no plan of blending in anywhere. He didn¡¯t have the need, and he also didn¡¯t have the mood: ¡°I heard there¡¯s a competition each fall to see which hunter will hunt the most game, and the winner will even have some good luck. This year I might as well participate.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger couldn¡¯t convince him. Li Qingshan made some light preparations, and he went into the mountains with an ordinary hunting bow on his back under the mocking gazes of the crowd.


    The hunters went to the northern mountains, but Li Qingshan didn¡¯t want to mix in with them. To the west were the hundred thousand mountains. He already understood the mysteriousness of this world and was even more reluctant to take risks, but to the south was the Old White Peak, that land of dispute. Therefore he could only go east.


    On the Old White Peak, a group of men wearing long swords and identical apparels had converged together.


    The one leading them was precisely the young man who¡¯d kill the ginseng gatherers that day and almost obtained the spirit ginseng.


    ¡°Look for it, no matter what you have to find this spirit ginseng, even if you have to turn this Old White Peak upside down!¡±


    ¡°Yes, young master!¡± The crowd agreed in one voice. They displayed their masterly movement techniques and forcibly swept through every corner of the Old White Peak.


    Li Qingshan went deep inside the mountain forests. He didn¡¯t know how to distinguish the trails of birds and beasts, didn¡¯t know how to conceal his own tracks. He also didn¡¯t understand how to lay traps, and neither was he collaborating with other hunters. There wasn¡¯t even have a hunting hound with him.


    If you said that this kind of person wanted to hunt, any hunter would laugh at you.


    However he was calm and collected. He sat in meditation on a pile of wood in the middle of the mountain and only opened his eyes when dusk finally fell. He said with a smile: ¡°Little An!¡±


    A chilly wind swept across the forest, then after a moment it blew back to him.


    Li Qingshan stood up and walked inside the forest. In a short while he found a deer fallen dead with no trace of scar on its body.


    After Little An¡¯s strength had become more powerful, the gloomy chill in his body also became heavier. When he had discovered this deer he merely pounced on its body, and the deer immediately fell unconscious without knowing who from what, dropping dead on the ground.


    Li Qingshan smiled: ¡°Little An, with you here, I naturally don¡¯t need to waste time learning what art of the hunt. Since they look down on me, let us catch some preys and have them take a look at it.¡±


    Ever since the mid-autumn festival, Li Qingshan didn¡¯t let Little An so free and loose anymore, but instead exercised a little more control. At present he used him without the slightest modesty. One naturally didn¡¯t need so much courtesy with people one was intimate with.


    Little An nodded excitedly and once again hurled himself inside the forest like a gust of wind.


    Although the wild beasts of the mountain were alert, they had no way to be on the alert against this little ghost with no shape or shadow. They fell dead one after another, waiting for Li Qingshan to come collect them soon after.


    Li Qingshan felt bored and started practicing his archery, firing arrows at the alarmed birds of the forest. Shooting moving targets was indeed much more difficult, and out of three arrows two fell into thin air. But once he slowly started adapting, the number of arrows meeting air became increasingly fewer.


    At dawn, in Horse Rein Village, some hunters came down the mountains carrying game, while a big group still jointly hunted on the mountains.


    In an empty spot at the center of the village, the Grandpa Cang of high standing and reputation was responsible for inventorying the preys. His grim face also exposed a faint smile: ¡°It¡¯s not a bad yield, that¡¯s a good omen.¡± Then he let the women and children left behind to guard the village to handle the game, tan the leather and salt the meat.


    ¡°That Li Qingshan didn¡¯t come back yet?¡± Some people already couldn¡¯t wait anymore to have a laugh at Li Qingshan¡¯s expense.


    ¡°He went alone in the mountains to hunt, how could he come back so fast.¡±


    His voice hadn¡¯t even fallen when they heard someone call out: ¡°Li Qingshan came back.¡±


    ¡°What, what¡¯s that?¡± The several people looked at the direction the voice came from. What they first saw wasn¡¯t a man, but monster covered in a pile of shaggy hair, just like the savages from the legends.


    Li Qingshan had his waist bent as he carried on his shoulders deer, elks and several other big quarries that were heavy enough to be worth several hundred pounds, while his hips were filled with wild rabbits and wild pheasants hanging on them. This hurried travel down the mountains had given even him a body soaked with sweat. His mouth said with difficulty: ¡°Hey, Little An, isn¡¯t that too much, it¡¯s so heavy I¡¯m going to die!¡±


    Little An sat on top of the quarries and covered his mouth in a secret laugh. He took a look back. The east was faintly illuminated. Without waiting for the first beams of sunlight to sprinkle down, he drilled himself into the locust wood plaque. S?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 30

    With a ¡°boom¡± Li Qingshan put down all his preys in front of Grandpa Cang: ¡°This much should be enough to make up for the food I ate from the village, right!¡±The serial sound of saliva being gulped down came from all around. Those hunters who had just come down from the mountain were even more stunned as they stared with big eyes and open mouths. They had a big group of men cooperating together with meticulous planning, but the game they captured unexpectedly wasn¡¯t even as much as Li Qingshan got by himself.


    Grandpa Cang discovered that many corpse didn¡¯t show even a trace of injury: ¡°How did you hunt them?¡±


    This was the question everyone on the scene wanted to ask. Li Qingshan thought for a moment and answered with a smile: ¡°I grabbed them with my hands!¡±


    Everyone was about to fall and faint. They were even unable to continue asking their questions.


    Li Qingshan took a glance at the game carried down by the hunters: ¡°You also hunted so much, you almost caught up to me. No way, I have to try harder, otherwise won¡¯t I be unable to win.¡±


    Grandpa Cang had no way to explain to him that those preys had to be divided among every single hunter. Each hunter didn¡¯t even reach a single prey hunted on average. On the first day of the hunt, Li Qingshan¡¯s victory was already almost set in stone.


    Li Qingshan ate a meal and immediately went back up the mountains.


    Those hunters went back up the northern mountains with perturbed moods and explained what had happened inside the village.


    ¡°How¡¯s that possible?¡±


    ¡°You bunch must have gotten drunk in the village!¡±


    They hurriedly defended themselves: ¡°It¡¯s real, there really was this much game.¡±


    ¡°This kid!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger sighed out a long breath and shouted: ¡°Everyone try harder, don¡¯t fall behind him. If all of us added together can¡¯t even match him by his lone self, we might as well all go slash our wrists!¡±


    The hunters rumbled a loud pledge, their morale upsurging.


    Sick Yellow Tiger secretly repressed a burst of coughs. When he looked at his palm there was a bright red patch of fresh blood.


    A group of men and horses slowly traveled on a mountain path. In the middle was a small palanquin lifted by four porters, crowded around by a dozen family servants and guards.


    A fat hand lifted the palanquin¡¯s curtain open, revealing a fat face that asked: ¡°Adviser, how far is this place from Suncheer City?¡± It was clearly fall, yet he was dripping with sweat sitting inside the palanquin.


    A man who looked like a butler said: ¡°My lord, it¡¯s still far away. It¡¯d be already nice if we could arrive tonight.¡±


    Lord Fatty let the curtain drop and mumbled to himself: ¡°I devoted myself to great learning and statecraft, but they actually sent me to serve as the county magistrate in such a remote place. The lord prefect is really confused.¡± S?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°My lord, we dare not say such nonsense, it would be bad if it spread to the prefect¡¯s ears.¡±


    Lord Fatty made two hmph hmph sounds and didn¡¯t talk any further.


    At this time, the mountain wind suddenly rose and countless forest birds flew up in alarm.


    ¡°Awooo!¡± A roar spread from the dense forest beside the mountain road.


    The palanquin dropped to the ground with a ¡°dong.¡± Lord Fatty¡¯s eyes and mouth became crooked from the fall. ¡°Wha, what¡¯s the matter? Is someone plotting to murder this official?¡±


    ¡°My¡­ my lord, it¡¯s a ti¡­ a tiger!¡± The adviser had fallen to the ground and his trembling finger pointed in front of him.


    A gorgeous fierce tiger jumped down from the slope and dropped on the mountain road, glaring covetously at the palanquin. There was a ¡°Íõ¡±character on its forehead as it stood majestic and awe-inspiring.


    ¡°Huh, tiger, what, it¡¯s a tiger! Some, someone quickly come, seize this animal!¡±


    The adviser was almost about to cry: ¡°They¡­ they all ran away.¡±


    Lord Fatty lifted the curtains and took a look. Indeed, the porters, servants, and guards around them had all cleanly scampered off double-quick. They had reacted as soon as the tiger roar had come. The bottom level working classes were still filled with vigilance and quick-wittedness.


    Ancient people had such an idiom: ¡°to turn pale at the mention of a tiger1.¡± For commoners of this era, there was no one who didn¡¯t fear tigers. Fierce tigers eating people was also something that couldn¡¯t be more common.


    Lord Fatty said with emotion: ¡°Adviser you¡¯re really loyal, you didn¡¯t betray this official¡¯s thick affections!¡±


    The adviser instinctively said: ¡°Many thanks for the lord¡¯s praise, even if this lowly self had to die with his body torn and his bones crushed, it still wouldn¡¯t repay a thousandth of my lord¡¯s grace.¡± while cursing in his heart: Fuck it, I¡­ I don¡¯t have the strength to move and leave!


    ¡°You first brace yourself, I¡¯ll go save the soldiers!¡± Lord Fatty drilled out of the palanquin extremely quickly, planning on forcing his way through the road and escape.


    The adviser quickly clung to Lord Fatty¡¯s leg: ¡°My lord, don¡¯t leave this lowly self behind!¡±


    The wild tiger¡¯s eyes almost lit up when it saw this bunch of fat meat, and it was about to pounce when its ears suddenly pricked up. It shrank its body and faced the mountain forest.


    The forest grasses and trees swayed, the rustles echoing closer and closer, the momentum even much greater than the wild tiger that had just appeared.


    The adviser mumbled: ¡°What, what¡¯s this now?¡±


    A silhouette leaped out from the mountain forest. This was a young man. His young face couldn¡¯t be called handsome, but it was filled with a soaring spirit as he deftly landed on the mountain path. He faced the ferocious tiger and grinned while baring his teeth: ¡°That¡¯s a rare good prey!¡±


    The fierce tiger seemed to know that the newcomer wasn¡¯t someone good to deal with. It made a threatening pose, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, but it proved entirely useless. Its body quivered, and with a cry it fiercely pounced forward.


    Li Qingshan set a foot firmly down and caught the two tiger claws with his hands. A tiger mouth filled to the brim with fangs neared him with a fishy gust of wind that rushed to his face. He shouted in a heavy voice. His true qi surged madly, filling his arms with explosive strength, and in one go he flipped the several hundred pounds tiger on the ground. Then he threw himself on the tiger and rode its back.


    He never faced a tiger and had only read about Wu Song fighting a tiger in , so he learned by example. He held on tight to the tiger¡¯s back and threw random punches down.


    The tiger suffered pain and roared madly. It fiercely bent his back as if it were bowing and sent Li Qingshan bouncing out in the air. Li Qingshan thought: ¡°The reality is indeed different from what¡¯s written inside books.¡± The true qi inside his body sank downward and he dropped steadily on the ground, about to contend cautiously with the tiger.


    But that tiger took a look at him, made an ¡°Awoo,¡± then turned around and fled.


    Lord Fatty and the adviser had both been staring blankly at the scene, and only returned to their senses at this time, overjoyed at this unexpected turn.


    ¡°Young hero, brave warrior, this official is Suncheer City¡¯s county magistrate. You drove away this tiger, this official will heavily reward you!¡±


    But Li Qingshan didn¡¯t even look at them and yelled loudly: ¡°Where are you running off to!¡± He pursued in great strides like a meteor and grabbed the mace-like tail of the tiger. However the tiger tail was slippery and it wasn¡¯t easy to get a hold of it.


    How would Li Qingshan be willing to let go of this great prey in front of his eyes. He chased away after it.


    Lord Fatty and the adviser only reacted to this astonishing turn of the situation after a long while. They looked at each other in dismay.


    The autumn hunt concluded, and the Horse Rein Village was full of jubilant joy.


    Li Qingshan also returned to the village. There were many additional scars on his body to the point of cutting a somewhat sorry figure, but everyone who looked at him exposed a reverent expression. It wasn¡¯t because of his scars, but because of the prey on his shoulder.


    His body was shouldering a ferocious adult tiger.


    He had pursued this violent tiger for one day and one night inside the mountain forests, only persisting thanks to the endurance bestowed by the [Bull Demon Strong Fist]. He would have lost sight of the tiger¡¯s trail several times during the night if it weren¡¯t for Little An¡¯s help in tracking and chasing the beast.


    Facing this king of the mountains, Little An couldn¡¯t go near it either. Ferocious tigers had an innate majesty that scared ghosts into submission, so much so that that the elite tigers that had become tiger spirits could transform the men it had eaten into ghost followers.


    The village¡¯s kids rushed around Li Qingshan. Their eyes were all filled with worship.


    Sick Yellow Tiger came out himself to welcome him outside the gates, then decreed him first in the hunt. No one in the village dared to object. It wasn¡¯t only the case for ordinary people, tigers were also frightening wild beasts even for hunters. Ordinary hunting bows had absolutely no way to kill a tiger. It would merely excite the vicious nature of the tiger instead. And it was even more of a straight road to death if one expected to use a hunting knife to fight in close combat with a tiger.


    Li Qingshan killed a tiger, and it was as if he had gained the tiger¡¯s prestige.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much worth any money, so this Stone Rending Bow will serve as the prize for this autumn hunt!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger took down the great bow from his back.


    ¡°Stone Rending Bow!¡±


    1. Chinese idiom figuratively meaning to be frightened at the mere mention of.

 Chapter 31

    ¡°Chief hunter, you absolutely can¡¯t do this.¡± The other hunters hurriedly tried to discourage him.Li Qingshan was also surprised inside. He actually wanted to give his own personal bow to him. The implication within didn¡¯t stop at a mere bow, so he refused: ¡°Chief hunter, a gentleman doesn¡¯t seize someone else¡¯s prized possession. I don¡¯t dare accept this good fortune, just treat what I said as a joke!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger lightly stroked the bow, as if talking to himself: ¡°This Stone Rending Bow followed me for many years. It¡¯s pretty easy to use, and it also helped me make a name for myself in the martial world. Now my time is limited, and I have to find a good owner for him.¡±


    ¡°I heard that you found Grandpa Cang¡¯s bow too light. This is a steel bow, its strength is a full three stones, even ordinary martial artists can¡¯t use it. Accept it, don¡¯t dilly-dally.¡± Sick Yellow Tiger pushed the Stone Rending Bow toward Li Qingshan.


    There was a heavy sensation in Li Qingshan¡¯s palm when he held the Stone Rending Bow. He reminisced back to the day Sick Yellow Tiger stood on the boulder, and his elegant bearing as he killed men as if slaughtering dogs.


    Indeed, this bow wasn¡¯t really suitable for hunting, but more suitable for killing on the battlefield. It was a genuine weapon made to kill people.


    His fingers fiddled with the bowstring. Metallic threads were mixed within and it was extremely sharp. Ordinary men could only use it if they wore finger rings, but with the Demon Bull Skin Refining, it wasn¡¯t an issue for him.


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s gesture carried the faint meaning of entrusting his orphan behind. Although he didn¡¯t say it clearly, it was something everyone present at the scene could see. But no one spoke up to oppose his decision. This wasn¡¯t only Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s power and prestige; Li Qingshan had also proven his strength in front of everyone.


    They needn¡¯t ask whether Li Qingshan had the ability to become their commander. Perhaps, whether the villagers were convinced or not, it was human instinct to submit to the mighty, just like for a herd of wolves. Horse Rein Village was precisely a wolf herd, and Sick Yellow Tiger wanted Li Qingshan to take over as the wolf king.


    This was also a decision he came to after much thoughts and consideration. The feudal authorities usually didn¡¯t show any goodwill to Horse Rein Village, and on top of that they had a blood feud with the Ginseng King Village. They seemed majestic and awe-inspiring, but in truth danger lurked on every side. Although the village had outstanding talents, no one could seize control of the scene just by his presence. Only Li Qingshan was capable of this.


    Li Qingshan felt as if in a dream as he held the Stone Rending Bow. A few months ago, he was still the most ordinary of villagers in Crouching Bull Village, the most humble cowherd boy.


    A few months later, he had the opportunity to become the dazzling and renowned chief hunter of the Horse Rein Village. However, he didn¡¯t accept: ¡°Chief hunter, I will take this bow and thank you for your deep affections, but in fact today I came to say my farewells to you.¡± S?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    An uproar rose at those words. Everyone felt that Li Qingshan was too unappreciative of other¡¯s kindness. And even if Sick Yellow Tiger understood Li Qingshan¡¯s strength and potential, his expression was also a little ugly at being rejected in front of so many people.


    ¡°However, I won¡¯t take it free of charge.¡± Li Qingshan returned to his house and took out a small wine bottle. He handed it over to Sick Yellow Tiger: ¡°This is the medicinal wine my master left behind back then, perhaps it can cure your disease.¡±


    ¡°You¡­are you saying the truth?¡± As it concerned the great matter of life and death, Sick Yellow Tiger was also a little excited. The others were in even more of an effervescence.


    Li Qingshan faintly smiled as he said: ¡°There¡¯s no harm in trying.¡± This was precisely the spiritual wine soaked with the spirit ginseng. Although he didn¡¯t know the art of medicine, he still understood a little about Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s illness. The latter was born with a weak body, and had exhausted all of his natural energy after many years of martial practice. He supported himself entirely through his inner strength.


    This kind of disease was a terminal illness that any sage doctor of the dao of medicine would find difficult to treat. This was an innate injury, and no ginseng or lingzhi mushroom could be of remedy. But the spirit ginseng carried a little innate qi of nature within and could save his life.


    Sick Yellow Tiger drank the spiritual wine down in one mouthful, then sat in meditation and operated his inner strength. In but a moment, shreds of white gas leaked out from the top of his head. His originally waxy yellow face also recovered a rosy ruddiness. He opened his eyes after a long moment.


    ¡°Chief hunter, how are you feeling?¡± The hunters inquired one after another.


    Sick Yellow Tiger rubbed his chest with disbelief: ¡°I feel much better.¡± Not only much better, it was simply unprecedentedly better, as if he had returned back to the time of his youth.


    A burst of cheers echoed, and many hunters let out tears. Those who originally felt exclusion and some enmity toward Li Qingshan all changed their attitude. They held his hands and expressed a thousand thanks, unable to show all of their gratitude.


    Li Qingshan lifted the Stone Rending Bow: ¡°In that case, it¡¯d be impolite of me to refuse this bow.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s expression became slightly awkward: ¡°About that¡­ Qingshan¡­ Could we change the prize¡­¡± Now that he¡¯d escaped from death, he suddenly couldn¡¯t bear to part with this ¡°old partner.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it!¡± Li Qingshan interrupted him and refused: ¡°For men of the mountains, the words they speak are also like mountains, how could they be so easily taken back.¡±


    ¡°Fine then!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s bitter face attracted a burst of guffaw from the others. It was extremely rare they could see their chief hunter with such an expression.


    ¡°Qingshan, after going away this time, will you come back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only going to Crouching Bull Village to take a look. I still have things there I need to properly pack up. I also have to find a secluded location and train my martial arts, see if I can achieve some breakthrough.¡±


    After drinking the spiritual wine during these days, Li Qingshan felt that he had already reached a critical stage of the . He was preparing to train alone and cultivate to the ¡°strength of one bull.¡± At that time, he wouldn¡¯t need be restrained to the mountain forests no longer, and could go take a look at the outside world.


    He remembered that the fatty he saved yesterday seemed to call himself some Suncheer county magistrate. He wanted to achieve the pledge he made with Little An. Although he had no real idea how far away in the south was the place pointed by Little An, he still had to cross the first step.


    ¡°Going to breakthrough again?¡± Sick Yellow Tiger had long felt already that today¡¯s Li Qingshan was again a little different compared to a few days ago. There was a great change in the appearance of his spirit, energy and essence. This pace of progress simply shocked the world and offended conventions.


    But in the blink of an eye, he yet again said he wanted to break through once more. He couldn¡¯t help remembering that Li Qingshan had once said he wanted to become an ¡°innate master.¡± At that time he¡¯d only smiled, but now he felt that maybe he could really do it.


    ¡°What about the game you hunted?¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s yield during these few days could almost compare to the yield of the entire village.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want any else, I just need this tiger¡¯s tiger bones. Also, I¡¯d like you to help me gather some tiger bones. I need to soak some medicinal wine, I¡¯ll buy it at market price.¡±


    The reason he chased that tiger without letting go wasn¡¯t merely to look good in the village. The green bull had told him that when his reached the strength of one bull, he could start training the . He needed another kind of medicinal wine, and the most important core ingredient was the same as ginseng, precious but commonly seen. It was precisely tiger bones.


    Hunters and tigers were mutually mortal enemies. Of course lone hunters feared ferocious tigers, but when a tiger stirred too much noise, it would inevitably lead to a large-scale mountain search. They would set up many traps. Although wild beasts were ferocious, they eventually couldn¡¯t win against humans. The tiger bones accumulated inside Horse Rein Village shouldn¡¯t be few.


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°It¡¯s also a recipe left behind by your master?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Since you¡¯re generous, how could we men of Horse Rein Village be stingy? I can help you soak the medicinal wine, but is it possible to let us use the two recipes also?¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger had secretly used Li Qingshan¡¯s drug recipe, and the medicinal wine he made was indeed a lot better than the medicinal wine originally used in the village. Moreover there was absolutely no need to buy the ingredients from foreigners, their village could already gather them all. If they could use it to train their children, then in not too long, Horse Rein Village¡¯s strength could go up another level.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t see why not, those two recipes were merely temporary things and there wasn¡¯t anything especially precious about them. There was no harm handing it to others, and it could save him the trouble of making the medicinal wine himself. This should also count as getting the best of both worlds.


    He gave the prescription to Sick Yellow Tiger. Afterwards he carried the Stone Rending Bow, sat across the green bull, and leisurely left.


    When Li Qingshan¡¯s silhouette vanished behind the turn of the mountain road, Grandpa Cang quietly whispered to Sick Yellow Tiger: ¡°Chief hunter, why didn¡¯t you keep him behind just now. There¡¯s eight chances out of ten that the spirit ginseng is on him. The wine you drank is most likely soaked from the spirit ginseng. The spirit ginseng is also most likely inside the gourd at his hip.¡±


    Li Qingshan never raised the matter of the spirit ginseng, but he¡¯d exposed too many traces and clues in the eyes of this old hunter with a rich experience. Morever, those things would only be even clearer for Sick Yellow Tiger who¡¯d once journeyed across the martial world.


    Sick Yellow Tiger looked at the mountain path Li Qingshan had disappeared from and stayed silent a long moment, before turning his head back: ¡°When all¡¯s said and done, we¡¯re not the same as those ginseng gatherers, are we?¡±


    ¡°Yes, chief hunter!¡±

 Chapter 32

    Grandpa Cang also exposed a little reverent expression. Many mountain villages were the same as the Ginseng King Village. The hunter villages were even more so. After all, hunting people was a lot easier than hunting beasts, and when they encountered lone travelers, they could kill them in one arrow and take their things, it was really too easy.Ever since Sick Yellow Tiger took the helm of the Horse Rein Village, he¡¯d imposed harsh restrictions, and this kind of things never happened.


    On the mountain path, the green bull said to Li Qingshan: ¡°You gave away that bottle of spiritual wine, there¡¯s at least two people who saw through the matter about the spirit ginseng.¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°I know!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s was very possible they¡¯d suddenly act and make you stay forever in Horse Rein Village.¡±


    ¡°I also know.¡± Li Qingshan was someone of two worlds and wasn¡¯t a genuinely ignorant young man in his teens. He was already aware of the many dark sides of human nature.


    ¡°But I¡¯m willing to take this risk. I have to live in this world. If I have to be always cautious, never trusting others, not trusting myself, then where would be the fun even if I cultivated peerless supernatural skills?¡±


    He already had some estimation about his own strength. He was confident he could kill his way out even in the worst case scenario. Moreover he had faith that his own strength could intimidate others.


    ¡°Warmly greeting each other in one hand, while secretly holding a sword in the other, does this count as becoming mature?¡± S?a??h the ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan sighed a little in his heart. He gently stroked the locust wood plaque at his waist with the ¡°South An¡± words engraved on it. In this world, there were however still people you could wholeheartedly trust, um, or rather ghosts.


    They slowly traveled on the craggy mountain road. All along the way the mountain maples were as fire,


    red yellow blue and green. It was very beautiful.


    Li Qingshan took out a bamboo flute and started blowing it. The sound of the flute revolved loud and clear around the autumn mountains.


    ¡°Still can¡¯t find it?¡± The young man called ¡°young master¡± by the swordsmen asked with some restlessness. He¡¯d already led men and searched the Old White Peak for many days. They even expanded the range of their searches, but they never saw the spirit ginseng¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Young master, we already led men and flattened the Ginseng King Village. The spirit ginseng is definitely not in Ginseng King Village. They said that it¡¯s certainly the Horse Rein Village that obtained it, should we flatten Horse Rein Village in passing.¡± A swordsman said.


    ¡°Hmph, they have big hatred with Horse Rein Village, of course they¡¯d say that. They think I don¡¯t know that the Horse Rein Village already went down the mountain the day of the mid-autumn festival, and later they went to the northern mountains to hunt. Horse Rein Village isn¡¯t like this gang of bumpkins in Ginseng King Village. Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s archery was also famous back in the days in the martial world. Before arriving at the last resort, don¡¯t go provoke him.¡±


    Strong bows and powerful crossbows were things anyone in the martial worlds wouldn¡¯t dare look down on. In the confusion of arrow volleys, even first-grade masters would suffer.


    ¡°The young master is wise. It looks like we can only wait until the next night of full moon.¡±


    The young master felt a little proud, but suddenly his ears pricked, ¡°What¡¯s that sound?¡±


    ¡°Seems like a flute.¡±


    ¡°Flute? There¡¯s only Ginseng King and Horse Rein those two villages around here. Let¡¯s go take a look.¡±


    The green bull suddenly stopped its steps. Li Qingshan could also see with his sharp vision more than ten human silhouettes stepping light as feather on treetops and rocks as they forced their way toward him. Each of them carried a treasure sword, their attitude incomparably confident and stylish.


    ¡°Is this a movement technique?¡± Li Qingshan exclaimed in admiration. He immediately thought about the man Little An told him about, and vigilance rose in his heart. But they were still some distance away from Old White Peak.


    That young master was the first to arrive in front of Li Qingshan. The men under his command loudly praised him from behind: ¡°Young master¡¯s movement technique is marvelous!¡±


    Li Qingshan saw that this young master had elegant facial features with red lips and white teeth. His face was filled with a haughty smile after being praised by his men. Apart from some calluses on the hand that used the sword, he had the look of a pampered son of noble descent.


    He sized up this young master, but this young master never observed him and only gave him a light look: ¡°Do you come from Horse Rein Village?¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Exactly. Your excellency is?¡±


    ¡°Are you also fit to ask our young master¡¯s name?¡± A tall and lean swordsman with a green face saw Li Qingshan casually sitting on the bull, and the glint of a sword came out of its hole. An ¡°Immortal Points the Way1¡± move pierced toward his face: ¡°Come down for me!¡± He was of a mind to scare him down the bull and shame him.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s countenance chilled down. His stature slightly leaned to the side, waiting for the sword move to go past and finish. His eyes flashed with a spiritual light as he stretched his hand out at lightning speed and pinched the sword blade.


    The tall and thin swordsman sneered in his heart: ¡°You actually dare to hold my sword. This is a treasure sword made from fine steel by the sect, I only need to twist the sword blade to cut off this hand of yours.¡±


    He used his strength to twist it, and not only he didn¡¯t accomplish his desired outcome, but instead he wrung a fine steel treasure sword into something resembling a fried dough twist. The sword blade was pinched in Li Qingshan¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t move a single inch. The strength of his arm unexpectedly couldn¡¯t match the strength from Li Qingshan¡¯s few fingers.


    Li Qingshan was greatly furious. They had no grudge and no hatred with each other, but without a sentence he actually tried to disable him for life. Those people of the martial world were simply too malicious.


    The treasure sword broke in two with a ¡°Beng.¡± The thin and tall swordsman¡¯s face became pale green. His sword was unexpected broken by a nobody kid, how could he endure this anger, so he was about to storm forward with his broken sword.


    The young master chided him: ¡°Chi Da, step back. Your skills are lacking, don¡¯t lose any more face for our Dragon Sword Sect.¡±


    ¡°Yes, subordinate deserves to die, when we go back I¡¯ll confess my sins to the punishment hall.¡± The tall and thin swordsman named Chi Da did not dare disobey and retreated back. He threw an incomparably poisonous stare at Li Qingshan.


    The young master said with considerable interest: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect I could meet a master in those deep mountains. You actually have the qualifications to know this young master¡¯s name. Listen carefully, I am Yang Jun of the Dragon Sword Sect.¡±


    Li Qingshan shook his head: ¡°Never heard of.¡±


    ¡°Savage country villagers are ignorant and inexperienced. Our Dragon Sword Sect¡¯s swords can¡¯t be casually broken by others. I won¡¯t embarrass you, just leave a hand behind!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure which hand you want?¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s anger boiled in his chest. He itched to kill Yang Jun in one slash. Originally in his imagination, martial practitioners would still have some upbringing even if they couldn¡¯t be chivalrous. Now it looked like he was greatly mistaken.


    There was but a thin line between the virtues and evils of the human nature. When a man held the power to toy with the lives of others inside his palms, how many could maintain the so-called humanity and refuse to seize things by force or do whatever they pleased.


    However, this group of people wasn¡¯t something the group of ginseng gatherers could be compared to, with their shallow martial arts. These were genuine martial practitioners. The Bull Demon Skin Refining could resist fists, but it couldn¡¯t block fine steel treasure swords filled with inner strength. Moreover, they were all pregnant with movement techniques, and even fleeing wouldn¡¯t be easy.


    Yang Jun said: ¡°I see that you¡¯re young but you already managed to cultivate your external martial art to such a degree. Your natural talents are satisfactory, it would be a pity if you were crippled just like this. How about you become my retainer instead!¡±


    This was his genuine goal, because most of those who trained in external martial arts had straightforward and honest natures. They didn¡¯t have so many complex thoughts like those who cultivated inner strength. It was the so-called muscles growing into the brain. Therefore the retainers of many persons of high skill in the martial world were all external martial masters.


    He¡¯d always wanted to pose as a cultured man and recruit this kind of person. He was delighted when he saw Li Qingshan, wasn¡¯t this precisely what he was looking for? Now he was beating him down a little, and in the future he only needed to give him some sweet benefits to groom him into a loyal dog.


    ¡°Young master, you can¡¯t!¡± Chi Da hurriedly tried to dissuade him. If this kid truly became the young master¡¯s retainer, his status would rise like a boat lifted by the tide.


    Yang Jun glared at him. He immediately did not dare say anything any longer.


    Another swordsman said: ¡°Why are you still not quickly agreeing. Suncheer City trembles before the might of our Dragon Sword Sect. It¡¯s not easy to become even a servant disciple, but now the young master is promoting you and letting you ascend to the sky in one step.¡±


    ¡°My Li Qingshan won¡¯t be anyone¡¯s lackey!¡± Li Qingshan said with heavy emphasis on every word. He came from another world. He felt love hatred passion and animosity the same as people from this world, but there was one thing different about him. He had no devotion. He wouldn¡¯t be devoted to any person, no matter if that person were a grand benevolent noble or a frighteningly mighty man.


    Perhaps he would pursue that person, would befriend that person, but he would absolutely not devote himself to him. Not even mentioning Yang Jun, this kind of hedonistic second generation. Although he had no experience journeying the martial world, he could still see that Yang Jun¡¯s martial skills weren¡¯t outstanding among this group of people. It was only because of his status as a young master that people fawned at him


    1. Name of a move mentioned in the novel ¡°Journey to the West,¡± one of the four great Chinese classic novels along with ¡°Water Margin,¡± ¡°Romance of the Three Kingdoms,¡± and ¡°Dreams of the Red Chamber¡±. Its main character, Sun Wukong the Monkey King, is a loose inspiration for Sangoku of DBZ¡¯s fame, whose name is written the same.

 Chapter 33

    If it were a one versus one, Li Qingshan was confident that he could defeat Yang Jun within ten moves, or even kill him.¡°Hmph, since you don¡¯t want to drink a toast you¡¯ll have to drink bitter wine!¡± Yang Jun was about to pass down the order to have Li Qingshan seized. Even if the Horse Rein Village wasn¡¯t good to provoke, there was no fearing any news would leak out from those deep mountains after they destroyed the corpse and erased the evidence.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s whole body was taut. He planned to first take out their ringleader. Even at the risk of taking a sword, he¡¯d capture Yang Jun first and see the rest later.


    Suddenly someone said: ¡°Little Master, it looks like that¡¯s the Stone Rending Bow on his back.¡±


    ¡°What, Stone Rending Bow!¡± Yang Jun stopped his actions and took the measure of the great bow carried on Li Qingshan¡¯s back. He had some understanding about this famous weapon of a famous character in Suncheer City¡¯s surroundings: ¡°Where did you get this bow?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s a gift from the chief hunter.¡± Li Qingshan said.


    There was a burst of uncertainty on Yang Jun¡¯s face. He could hear and see things inside the sect. He knew everything he had to know. The one who could get this weapon was most likely Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s successor, the next generation chief hunter of the Horse Rein Village.


    If such a person died, the Horse Rein Village would certainly not take things lying down. It wouldn¡¯t take much effort to learn of their activity in this region. If they wanted to risk all their strength in revenge, those hidden arrows and pit snares weren¡¯t good to deal with either. He couldn¡¯t stir up this kind of trouble just for the anger of a moment. He flung his hand: ¡°Kid, don¡¯t let me run into you again.¡±


    In the blink of an eye, they were gone without a trace, and there was only Li Qingshan left by himself on the mountain path. Although he couldn¡¯t read minds, he could still guess that the other party was afraid of the Horse Rein Village¡¯s power.


    When strangers saw you, what they saw was never your person itself, but your influence, your strength, your wealth. Though Li Qingshan achieved the level of a third-grad master, what he had relied on to escape from danger was the bow on his back.


    He was filled with anger abreast as he silently said: ¡°I¡¯m not a man anymore if I can¡¯t take revenge for this hatred. I, Li Qingshan am absolutely not controlled by anyone, and absolutely don¡¯t survive thanks to someone else¡¯s reputation.¡±


    He originally didn¡¯t very much approve of the green bull¡¯s saying about ¡°even trivial animosity must be taken revenge for.¡± He felt that a real man should be a little bit more broad-minded. Now he realized that many great blood feuds were born from such trivialities, transforming into enmities that couldn¡¯t rest until death.


    Li Qingshan returned to Crouching Bull Village after an absence of more than a month. He heard sounds of activity inside his house before he even set foot in the door. ¡°Could it be a thief? The place I live at is a little remote. I actually want to see which petty thief dares to come steal from me.¡± The rage in his chest hadn¡¯t dissipated yet. He went inside in fast strides and grabbed that man. The man ate some pain and turned his head toward him.


    Four eyes faced each others. The two men were both startled.


    ¡°Wealthy Li!¡±


    ¡°Second Son.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing in my house?¡±


    ¡°Second Son, you¡¯re not dead?¡±


    Li Qingshan watched the room. Although he went away for a month, it was still untainted by dust. He knew Wealthy Li didn¡¯t come to steal things but to help him tidy the house.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not dead, why do you say that?¡±


    He only found things out after some inquiry. Originally, there wasn¡¯t any news about Li Qingshan after he came back from Cedar Creek Town. Some people from the village saw him get into a conflict with villagers from Horse Rein Village in the market, so they all said that every sign pointed to disaster.


    Wealthy Li even burned some paper money for him and cried for a while.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t know whether to cry or laugh: ¡°Am I not still alive and kicking. The Horse Rein Village¡¯s chief hunter Yellow invited me to be a guest in their village, so I stayed a few days there.¡±


    Wealthy Li didn¡¯t think that he could survive even after going into the Horse Rein Village, this kind of dragon pond and tiger cave. As to those kind of words about chief hunter Yellow inviting him to be a guest, he didn¡¯t put too much faith in them. In his eyes, Li Qingshan was very fierce, but he was still far away if he were to compared with a character like Sick Yellow Tiger. He didn¡¯t know what he should be saying and only repeated over and over: ¡°That¡¯s good then! That¡¯s good then!¡± It made Li Qingshan a little moved. Back then he didn¡¯t help the wrong person.


    But Wealthy Li¡¯s face suddenly became anxious: ¡°You better quickly leave, don¡¯t let the people in the village know.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡±


    ¡°The eldest kid from the village chief¡¯s family came back, he said he was going to make trouble for you!¡±


    ¡°Dragon Li!¡±


    Village Chief Li¡¯s eldest son, also the elder brother of Panther Li and Tiger Li. Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t be said to be unfamiliar with his name. On the contrary, the villagers talked on and on so much about him that he almost got ear calluses just listening about him. s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Dragon Li wasn¡¯t much older than him, but rumors had it that a noble took a fancy to him when he was a kid and playing outside, then took him to Suncheer City to learn martial arts. He only came back at the new year or during festivals. He¡¯d met face to face with the cowherd boy Li Qingshan a few times, but they never even exchanged a word.


    In the eyes of the villagers, this was a great person who went out of Crouching Bull Village to Suncheer City and made something of himself. If there was an unmarried maiden in any family, she would hope to be his fiancee. Together with Steward Liu¡¯s son Little Steward Liu, they were named the ¡°hero pair of Crouching Bull.¡±


    Of course, now with Li Qingshan¡¯s emergence, perhaps they should be called the ¡°three heroes of Crouching Bull,¡± but Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t seen the world, hadn¡¯t gone to Suncheer City, so this ¡°third hero¡± was a bit stretching it.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Am I afraid of him!¡± Not only not afraid, but on the contrary he had to go experience it for himself. He disregarded Wealthy Li¡¯s dissuasion and pulled his legs toward Village Chief Li¡¯s house.


    Inside Village Chief Li¡¯s house, a young man with short one-inch long hair was lecturing Village Chief Li at this exact moment: ¡°Anyone dares to bully over our heads, you¡¯re really more immature the longer you live.¡± Then he pointed to Tiger Li and Panther Li: ¡°You two great lordlings actually allow someone to bully to our door.¡±


    He had grown up almost entirely in Suncheer City, and the range of his experience was extremely rich. He also considered himself a Suncheer man, and at this moment he used the vision of a ¡°city man¡± to look at the matters of the village. There was a kind of natural involuntary contempt, not only for Li Qingshan but for everything about the Crouching Bull Village.


    He wasn¡¯t so young anymore but never took a wife. His family was also once anxious and search around to find him a partner, but there was only refusal hanging on his mouth. The present him was already not someone that a village girl could be matched to.


    The Village Chief Li who was full of majesty inside the village was merely submissive at this time: ¡°Don¡¯t be angry my son, anyway this kid is already dead.¡±


    ¡°He provoked the Horse Rein Village, that¡¯s courting the road to his own death, it actually spares me the trouble of teaching him a lesson.¡±


    Tiger Li shrank his neck and had become a yes-man, but Panther Li actually said: ¡°Big brother, you didn¡¯t let us enter the Iron Fist Gate to learn martial arts, so of course we¡¯ll be bullied in the village.¡±


    Dragon Li glared at him: ¡°That¡¯s because your qualifications aren¡¯t enough!¡±


    At this time someone suddenly shouted outside: ¡°Li Qingshan didn¡¯t die, Li Qingshan came back!¡±


    Dragon Li fiercely stood up.


    If one said this news set off great waves in the tranquil village, then what ¡°Li Qingshan went off to Village Chief Li¡¯s house!¡± set off would be mad crazy swelling billows. It caused everyone in the village to move out and go watch this showdown at the pinnacle between the Crouching Bull Village¡¯s first hero and third hero.


    Under the blazing sun, Li Qingshan and Dragon Li faced off four eyes looking into each others, while the villagers all held their breaths as if afraid of disturbing them.


    Tiger Li and Panther Li stood beside Dragon Li to foster his momentum. Dragon Li waved his hand and made those two step back, ¡°Li the Second, it¡¯s been a long while, you¡¯ve already grown so big.¡±


    This was entirely the tone used by seniors toward later generations, but every villager thought he had this kind of qualifications. They whispered among themselves:


    ¡°This time the Second Son ran into big troubles.¡±


    ¡°Right, Dragon Li isn¡¯t someone those Baldy Liu this kind of scoundrels and muckers can compare to.¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t answer this tone of voice. He observed that Dragon Li was tall and muscular with swelling arm muscles and bright eyes full of spirit. He radiated power just standing there. But his intuition told him that this man wasn¡¯t as strong as Sick Yellow Tiger.

 Chapter 34

    Even if Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s body carried a disease, the sensation he gave off was that of a tiger whose bones were standing even if the body was dying. His might and aura didn¡¯t diminish and he was exceedingly dangerous. Moreover, the last time they exchanged blows, Sick Yellow Tiger had made a strategic mistake as he tried to meet force with force, using his weakest to face Li Qingshan¡¯s strongest, so of course he couldn¡¯t fish any advantage from it. Otherwise, even if he didn¡¯t use archery, as long as he had a weapon in hand he wouldn¡¯t have been defeated.Dragon Li said: ¡°I heard you were looking for me?¡±


    Dragon Li also had a sharp vision and thought: ¡°This Li the Second¡¯s posture is steady and unflustered. You can tell at first glance he practices martial arts. He doesn¡¯t look like an ordinary boor. Moreover the momentum on his body seems a bit similar to master¡¯s.¡±


    He immediately shook his head and found this association of his funny. What kind of character was his master, how could he put him on par with a small kid like this.


    ¡°You take advantage of me not being at home and actually dare to bully my family. You really don¡¯t know how the word death is written!¡±


    ¡°Oh, then I actually have to learn.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s voice didn¡¯t fall yet that Dragon Li had rushed toward him with a great shout. With a ¡°Iron Tree Pierces Through the Clouds¡± move, he bombed toward Li Qingshan¡¯s chest.


    A burst of alarm rose from the surrounding crowd. Wealthy Li yelled: ¡°Second Son be careful.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s stature didn¡¯t move. Maybe he couldn¡¯t dodge or he was frightened stiff. There was scorn in Dragon Li¡¯s mind. Originally you were just putting on airs, I actually saw wrong just now.


    There was a muffled ¡°bang.¡± The fist fell on Li Qingshan¡¯s chest. Li Qingshan relied on the Bull Demon Ground Stamp, and it was as if his feet had taken root inside the ground. He didn¡¯t move in the slightest: ¡°Since we share the affection of people from the same village, I¡¯ll let have you throw three fists!¡±


    Dragon Li was stunned silly. Although he only put three tenths of his strength in this punch, there was still no one among his apprentice brothers inside the sect who dared to take it straight on. Now it was taken face on by a no-name later generation kid. He heard Li Qingshan¡¯s words amidst his consternation and became even angrier. He actually dared to be so overconfident.


    In the space of a wink, the second fist fired off with seven tenths of his power. He thought: this time you can¡¯t blame me for not showing mercy! The punch carried the ardent wind arisen from his fist and exploded on Li Qingshan¡¯s body.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s stature quivered. He said: ¡°You still haven¡¯t used all your strength right. Hurry up, last move.¡±


    Dragon Li looked at Li Qingshan as if he¡¯d seen a ghost. But he didn¡¯t believe in those evils. He suddenly shouted explosively and operated the full strength of his whole body. The muscles of his arms bunched up as he abruptly sent out a straight fist that faintly seeped a greenish black color. It was indeed similar to black iron. He usually didn¡¯t dare to do this during fights, even if it were a struggle to the death, for fear of going overboard and exposing weaknesses. But now he couldn¡¯t care about anything else and gave all the strength he had as he fired this most powerful and most ferocious fist.


    Li Qingshan stiffly received this fist, his stature swaying. He finally retreated a step, and his face also became red, his qi and blood rolling and rolling from head to toes: ¡°This punch actually has some power. Three moves are gone, now it should be my turn.¡± He raised his hand that became a fist.


    ¡°Iron Locks Across the River1!¡± The biting cold wind from the punch hit Dragon Li¡¯s face and he turned pale with fright. He crossed his arms and used the strongest defensive move of the Iron Fist Gate. Closely after, it seemed like a madly rushing bison had knocked into him, and the iron bridges were broken through by a torrential flood. He couldn¡¯t help his body being sent out flying. He was still in disbelief when he landed on the ground: ¡°I actually lost in one move! How could he possibly have such a great strength!¡±


    ¡°The second fist!¡± A black shadow suddenly blocked the sunlight and hovered in front of his eyes. Li Qingshan had already come in front of him. S?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Dragon Li wanted to block, but his arms were so painful he couldn¡¯t lift them anymore.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s fist traveled down and bombed on Dragon Li¡¯s stomach like a pile driver. Dragon Li¡¯s body bent like a bow as if he were a shrimp, and he puked a mouthful of sour water.


    ¡°The third fist!¡± He charged straight at Dragon Li¡¯s face.


    The villagers cried in surprise, stupefied by this sudden and unforeseen turn of the events. The village¡¯s first hero Dragon Li they had talked about on and on for many years had unexpectedly been defeated in a short moment. Moreover he had lost so thoroughly.


    The two brothers Tiger Li and Panther Li were even more in disbelief. The big brother they had always worshiped had actually collapsed at the first blow.


    Village Chief Li shouted himself hoarse: ¡°Show mercy!¡±


    The wind from the punch hit his face, but there was no pain. Dragon Li slowly opened his eyes and discovered that Li Qingshan¡¯s fist had steadily stopped on his head. Only then did he realize that his whole body was covered in cold sweat.


    At that instant right then, he felt as if he was facing his own master that he couldn¡¯t possibly match, while his lot was to merely close his eyes and wait for death.


    Village Chief Li rushed to Li Qingshan¡¯s body, his thin and dried hands tightly gripping his arms: ¡°Second Son, Second Son, for the sake of your departed father and mother, spare my little Dragon!¡±


    ¡°Dad, you go away, let him come at me!¡± Dragon Li struggled to stand up.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Since you have some filial piety, we¡¯ll note this fist down for the time being.¡± He felt very satisfied with himself right now, not because he was proud of his strength, but because of his tactics.


    Dragon Li had trained his martial arts for more than a dozen years, and it hadn¡¯t be in vain. His fighting experience was even more above Li Qingshan¡¯s. If they had really started to duel, the opposite side wouldn¡¯t fight force with force, so he would have needed to expend much efforts in order to obtain victory.


    Hence he simply left him three punches. Defending this kind of punches happened to be what he most excelled at. Wherever Dragon Li¡¯s fist fell, he focused his mind to that spot and the true qi inside his body also ran to that place.


    After firing three fists, not only Dragon Li¡¯s morale had taken a hit, his endurance was also at his lowest, so he couldn¡¯t dodge Li Qingshan¡¯s fist in time and had no choice but to block it head on. The result of facing force with force was the sort of scene that happened just now.


    Dragon Li stood up with the support from Tiger Li and Panther Li: ¡°Are you really Li the Second? That¡¯s impossible!¡± He only had a very vague impression of Li Qingshan, apart from a somewhat reclusive nature. He wasn¡¯t any kind of important figure. And even in his father¡¯s descriptions, Li Qingshan was also merely a hot-blooded young man that been suddenly compelled into bursting out with all of his efforts. He had seen this kind things quite a few times. He never knew that he unexpectedly possessed this kind of martial arts.


    This was like a mountain kid going out of his village. He works hard for many years, and finally earns some family properties, wins success and recognition. Then he returns to his village covered in glory and enjoys the worship of everyone there, but suddenly emerges an unremarkable country boy wealthier than he. The frustration and disappointment in his heart couldn¡¯t be any higher, and after the frustration came anger.


    ¡°I¡¯m not Li the Second, I¡¯m Li Qingshan!¡± Since he already refused to recognize that eldest brother of his, he didn¡¯t want to be any kind of what second son.


    Dragon Li fiercely said: ¡°Do you know who I am?¡±


    ¡°Of course I know!¡±


    ¡°Then do you know who my master is?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s naturally the gate master of Suncheer City¡¯s Iron Fist Gate. The Old Hero Liu, called Iron Lion by men of the martial world!¡± Said Steward Liu who suddenly stood out from within the crowd, speaking in an incomparably respectful and exalted tone.


    Li Qingshan frowned: ¡°Never heard of.¡± What Iron Fist Gate, Old Hero Liu, from the sounds of it it was all third-grade goods. He actually forgot that he was third-grade himself.


    Dragon Li shouted: ¡°Ignorant and inexperienced. You actually haven¡¯t even heard of my master¡¯s name, it looks like you haven¡¯t heard either about the fame of the ¡®Dragon Tiger Lion Bear¡¯ four great Suncheer masters!¡±


    ¡°This ¡®Dragon¡¯ couldn¡¯t be you right!¡± Li Qingshan stared. It was already the second time he¡¯d been accused of being ignorant and inexperienced in the same day. He only knew that in the wuxia novels he¡¯d read in his previous world, those who used animals as nicknames were all riff-raffs. All of them jackal wolf tiger panther were entirely useless.


    Only those who used directions as nicknames were genuine masters, such as the Evil of the East, the Poison of the West, the Emperor of the South, or the Beggar of the North2.


    ¡°Of course not.¡± Dragon Li was about to laugh in anger.


    In Suncheer City, inside the county governmental offices, the adviser held a little booklet and followed behind Lord Fatty as he introduced one by one:


    ¡°My lord, apart from those few local gentry landowners, there are also four people from four places who can¡¯t be offended.¡±


    Lord Fatty irritably said: ¡°Might as well say that I can¡¯t afford to offend any single person in this Suncheer City!¡±


    The adviser had no time to deal with his mood: ¡°Those four places are one gate one sect one village one camp.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s called one gate one sect one village one camp?¡±


    ¡°Gate is for Iron Fist Gate, sect is for Dragon Gate Sect3, village is for Horse Rein Village, camp is for Black Wind Camp. Those ¡°Dragon Tiger Lion Bear¡± four persons are the masters and leaders of those places. My lord, if you offend those country gentries you¡¯ll be chased out of Suncheer City at most and won¡¯t be able to keep your county magistrate seat. But if you offend those people, maybe you will inexplicably lose your life.¡±


    Lord Fatty trembled all over: ¡°Why¡¯s this post so fearful to hold. Right, we never found the young man we met that day. This official can only sleep easy with that kind of bodyguard.¡±


    1. Dragon Li uses it as a technique¡¯s name, but it originally comes from the last stages of the Three Kingdoms era, when general Wu Yan from the country of Wu built iron ropes across the Yangtze river after noticing pieces of wood floating down the river and guessing the country of Jin was building ships upriver to invade them. Later it became a Chinese idiom denoting a difficult if not desperate situation.


    2. Reference to the Five Absolutes Under Heaven, five great masters in the classic wuxia Condor trilogy by Jin Yong. The fifth one is called the ¡°Divine of the Center.¡±


    3. This is the same Dragon Sword Sect of young master Yang Jun¡¯s fame seen before. The author decided to change the name or maybe he just forgot, happens often in those long serials.

 Chapter 35

    Originally that group of men on the mountain road were people from the Dragon Gate Sect, and that guy with his nostrils looking up at the sky was actually the Dragon Gate¡¯s young master. No wonder he was so arrogant and despotic.Dragon Li said in surprise: ¡°You know ¡®Sick Tiger¡¯?¡± Then he inevitably also saw the bow on Li Qingshan¡¯s back. He couldn¡¯t conclude that this was the ¡°Stone Rending Bow¡± because Sick Yellow Tiger very rarely went to Suncheer City.


    Li Qingshan nodded and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Dragon Li said: ¡°Could it be that this martial art of yours also was taught by hi¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not, you don¡¯t need to care about that. If you want revenge just come at me!¡± Li Qingshan didn¡¯t plan on pulling Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s tiger hide to make a banner for himself, doing things like ¡°the fox exploiting the tiger¡¯s might1.¡±


    Dragon Li¡¯s facial expression changed and he thought: ¡°This Li Qingshan¡¯s martial art is already at the third-grade level, what kind of figure could his master be. On top of that he also has some relation with Sick Yellow Tiger. I only have a small dispute with him, what kind of benefit could I get be even if I were to kill him. It¡¯s better to squash this enmity rather than keep it alive.¡±


    Dragon Li made up his mind. His countenance suddenly changed as a little smile appeared on his face, even if the smile was a little forced: ¡°Second Son, we¡¯re fellow countrymen of the same village, what great blood grievance do we have that requires revenge.¡±


    Li Qingshan was actually a little stunned. He originally thought that the following development would be: hit the small fry and provoke the old master, then they swarm him and force him into a desperate impasse. After that he suddenly makes a breakthrough in his supernatural skill and explodes them all.


    He didn¡¯t expect that Dragon Li would look so impulsive but was actually so fickle. Moreover his facial skin wasn¡¯t thin and he could unexpectedly turn his mouth around. This should also be regarded as experiencing the practical and greasy side of men from the martial world.


    Dragon Li smiled and said: ¡°Also, I exchanged three fists for two fists, that¡¯s a profit for me.¡±


    ¡°I can still make you earn some more profit.¡± Li Qingshan could see that the other side originally longed for retaliation, and only turned his thoughts around when he heard Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s name. Thinking about it, it was already the second time today he got rid of troubles thanks to this. The mood in his inner heart was very complex.


    He hoped that there would come a day when he himself could be like this, could be the same as Sick Yellow Tiger. No, stronger than Sick Yellow Tiger. When someone heard his name, even if it were a thousand miles away, they would still feel deep awe and wouldn¡¯t dare take any rash arbitrary action.


    Dragon Li smiled awkwardly: ¡°That won¡¯t be needed. Don¡¯t just stand here, please come inside the house to talk. Since my Crouching Bull Village gave birth to such a young hero, I have to get a little closer to him.¡± Then he hugged his fist to all four directions: ¡°Fellow country elders, please go first. When there¡¯s time Dragon Li will come pay a call on each of you.¡±


    The villagers looked at each others. The conclusion of this matter really went beyond their expectations, but they didn¡¯t dare not obey since Dragon Li issued the notice to leave. They just silently gave the title of Crouching Bull Village¡¯s first hero to Li Qingshan inside their hearts.


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t refuse the invitation since the opposite side had lowered his stance to such a degree. It was just as he said, they didn¡¯t have any extraordinary great death feud with each other. Moreover he also wanted to understand the situation in Suncheer City, especially about that Dragon Gate Sect.


    Li Qingshan was invited inside Village Chief Li¡¯s house under the many reverent gazes. His mood was spry and relaxed, far away from the anxiety of going to the banquet at Steward Liu¡¯s. Seen by other people, he had a kind of arrogant and self-important aura. This was only a change in his state of mind and manners bought by his own power.


    ¡°Qinshan, your skills are so outstandig, do you have any thoughts about taking a commission in Suncheer City? Our Iron Fist Gate sincerely invites every hero under the sky to our doors. With your martial art, my master will certainly take a liking when he sees you.¡±


    ¡°I indeed have some martial learning, can I just be casually admitted inside the Iron Fist Gate?¡± Li Qingshan actually felt some admiration for this man¡¯s broad-mindedness, but how could he know that Dragon Li also struggled inside. Although Li Qingshan hit him with two punches, they didn¡¯t have any deep grudge or great hatred. If he could pull him into his faction, joining forces for mutual help and protection between people of the same village, it would be beneficial to his standing inside the sect.


    ¡°Of course you need a recommendation. Don¡¯t worry, I can be your guarantor! My Iron Fist Gate is a big family with big industries, our influence isn¡¯t limited to just Suncheer City. Our headquarters is set in Clear River prefecture. As long as your fist is hard enough and your merits high enough, you won¡¯t have to worry about having enough space to develop. Women and silver will be even easier to get¡­¡±


    Tiger Li and Panther Li all revealed an extremely envious expression. They blamed their big brother for not recommending them, so they couldn¡¯t enjoy the city¡¯s women and silver.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right, my family¡¯s Able Liu occupies the post of steward at Old Hero Liu¡¯s mansion, when the time comes he can look after you.¡± Steward Liu had also followed them inside. He rejoiced he didn¡¯t offend Li Qingshan too bitterly at that time. Who could have thought that the cowherd boy from back then would become so powerful in a few trivial months.


    As Dragon Li went on, Li Qingshan gradually understood that although the Iron Fist Gate opened shops and received disciples, they were closer to an influential faction entrenched in Suncheer City. That Iron Lion Old Hero Liu should be a faction leader or a branch gate master.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°I¡¯ll take the liberty to ask, in the martial world, which grade should Old Hero Liu¡¯s martial arts count as?¡± s?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Others might not be able to answer if you had asked them. My master has brought his iron fist to the point of perfection, he can be rated as a second-grade master.¡±


    ¡°Then how am I compared to him?¡±


    ¡°This¡­¡± Dragon Li hadn¡¯t thought that Li Qingshan would compare himself to figures sitting at the top of Suncheer City as soon as he opened his mouth. Moreover it was with his master, so he felt some displeasure: ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m boasting, but Qingshan, although your martial skills are outstanding, you¡¯re still only a peak character among third-grades. You¡¯re still far away from being my master¡¯s match.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the difference between grades?¡±


    ¡°My master once said, a martial artist who¡¯s only begun to touch the door to martial arts can face three to five burly fellows, while a proficient fighter of the martial world can face three to five such beginner martial artists, and so on. Although it¡¯s not absolutely accurate, the rough outline is such. Once past this number, it¡¯ll be difficult to face the crowd with only your two fists.¡±


    ¡°However, this is only talking about hard frontal assaults. If using guerilla ambush tactics, a first-grade master expert in movement skills can kill several dozen second-grade masters to the point of making them lose gall at the whisper of the news. But several dozen ordinary trained archers can also kill a first-grade master.¡±


    Li Qingshan roughly understood his own strength then. Those ginseng gatherers were precisely men who¡¯d trained in martial arts, so at that time he was comparable to a proficient fighter of the martial world. That was why although he won, it had still been a miserable victory.


    Afterwards, he barely reached the level of a third-grade master after some cultivation, and he only became a genuine third-grade master after drinking the spiritual wine. Dragon Li¡¯s martial skills were enough to be called a proficient fighter but not yet a master, that was why he absolutely wasn¡¯t a match for him.


    ¡°Apologies, I already promised Horse Rein Village¡¯s chief hunter Yellow to join the Horse Rein Village, so I¡¯m afraid it won¡¯t be possible to comply with your invitation.¡± He couldn¡¯t help thinking that a few months ago he couldn¡¯t even rest easy sleeping in the bullpen. He was viewed as a thorn to the sides of his brother and sister-in-law, and they had thought up every possible way to chase him out. But now everyone tried to invite him.


    Dragon Li thought ¡°indeed¡± to himself, and said in regret: ¡°Horse Rein Village, there¡¯s not much profit to be gotten at that place. To speak of the four places of Suncheer City, it¡¯s still more comfortable to join our Iron Fist Gate. They¡¯re all nested inside the mountains, how could it compare to our nearness to this bustling world. Alright then, whenever you change your mind, come to Suncheer City and find me in the Iron Fist Gate as far as possible. Just tell them my name.¡±


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t refrain his smile. Indeed, not many journeyed the martial world for the sake of chivalry. He asked again about other information, and Dragon Li answered whatever he knew. Li Qingshan saw that the other side was so straightforward and not someone lacking in tact, so he became a little more respectful: ¡°Brother Li, today¡¯s neither the new year or a festival, why would you come back to the village?¡±


    Dragon Li suddenly lowered his voice: ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t ask I would have told you. I came back this time for a great matter threatening Crouching Bull Village. It¡¯s possible the Black Wind Camp will target Crouching Bull Village as the goal for their looting.¡±


    Apart from Li Qingshan, the expression of everyone inside the room changed in a split second.


    1. Chinese idiom, meaning to rely on connections to intimidate people. The author is doing his best to pull out all the tiger-related idioms¡­

 Chapter 36

    Steward Liu stammered as he said: ¡°Impo¡­ssible, the Black Wind Camp is very far from us, they never came here before¡­¡± His was the greatest household inside the village, the first door the Black Wind Camp would be knocking at would be precisely his.¡°I heard that those villages close to the Black Wind Camp all strengthened their defenses and built perimeter walls. That¡¯s why they gave up looking near them and searched farther away. Now that winter¡¯s coming, they also need to stock up on food to live through the winter. Steward Liu, those few grain depots of yours are all full right!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me the government will just turn a blind eye?¡± Li Qingshan only learned then that even mountain bandits had a saying about ¡°autumn hunt.¡± For hunters, fall was the season the wild beasts were at their plumpest, while for mountain bandits, the ordinary people who¡¯d just harvest the fruits of their toils during fall were also at their plumpest.


    ¡°Hmph, the government office collects their money year after year, then they say they¡¯ll send armed forces to suppress the bandits, but they end up doing nothing year after year.¡±


    Steward Liu said: ¡°Then¡­ then what should we do? Worthy nephew, why didn¡¯t you take back some men with you?¡±


    Dragon Li flicked a bad-tempered glance his way. How was he unwilling to take people back to the village. However he was but one disciple among many in the sect, not the Iron Fist Gate¡¯s master. His apprentice brothers were good when it came to eating and drinking together, but it was absolutely impossible to have them go face to face with the mountain bandits of Black Wind Camp.


    That said, back in the days it was thanks to Steward Liu that he¡¯d managed to become the Iron Lion¡¯s disciple, so he couldn¡¯t lash out and reprimand him on the face of this old affection. He only said:


    ¡°I alone will be amply sufficient. This time the Black Wind camp master will certainly not come himself, most likely it¡¯ll be one of the bandit bosses. As long as I report my master¡¯s name, they¡¯ll also need to give some face. However, we also need some people to put up a front. Qingshan¡­¡± Dragon Li looked hopefully at Li Qingshan. He would feel a little more confident with such a master at his side.


    Li Qingshan was a little doubtful about his words. The others came from so far way, would they really retreat after merely hearing a name. But either way he wouldn¡¯t let someone trample over this little village that¡¯d birthed him and raised him. He cupped his fist and said: ¡°Justice doesn¡¯t allow for refusal.¡±


    Dragon Li felt reassured as he obtained his commitment. With the help of a third-grade master, he had a much greater grasp about this matter. This was also an exceedingly crucial reason why he had accommodated Li Qingshan to such a degree.


    Village Chief Li and Steward Liu organized some workers and servants to make preparations, also gathering some weapons. Although the news had yet to leak out, the atmosphere tensed up nevertheless.


    Steward Liu said falteringly: ¡°Worthy nephew, do we need to run away?¡±


    Dragon Li said: ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, they came to loot, they won¡¯t commit murder or arson for no reason. Only, Steward Liu, you probably will have to bleed a little this time.¡±


    Steward Liu let out a long sigh. What must be must be. He could leave, but his family properties couldn¡¯t leave.


    Those few people waited quietly inside the house. The two brothers Tiger Li and Panther Li held sword and spear yet were so afraid their sweat couldn¡¯t stop flowing down. They kept reminiscing about such and such fearful rumor about the Black Wind mountain.


    Dragon Li looked at his own two brothers, then looked at Li Qingshan who was resting with his eyes closed without a single change in his demeanor. He sighed in his heart. If you had half his guts, I¡¯d be willing to take you to Suncheer City.


    ¡°Clang clang clang clang!¡± S?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The sky wasn¡¯t yet dark when the sound of a gong suddenly echoed outside the village. This was a sentry arranged outside, a nimble young man with keen eyes and sharp ears picked by Steward Liu.


    Dragon Li said: ¡°They came!¡±


    Li Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes. This group of mountain bandits had big guts, they actually dared to plunder in broad daylight.


    The sound of the gong suddenly stopped.


    The few men hurried to the entrance of the village. They saw a cloud of dust heading their way from afar, and in the wink of an eye it was in front of them. There were several dozen people, whether tall, short, fat or thin, and each of them had a face filled with evil countenance. Their leader rode a short horse that could travel the mountain roads, and his hand unexpectedly carried a human head dripping with blood.


    ¡°Little Six!¡± Steward Liu cried out. This human head was precisely from the young man he had sent out as a scout. He was unexpectedly killed just like this. Steward Liu was so scared his calves became soft as he looked at Dragon Li. Didn¡¯t you say they wouldn¡¯t murder for no reason?


    Dragon Li¡¯s eyebrows knotted together at the middle and he said in a low voice: ¡°They¡¯re trying to establish their might by killing someone!¡± Then he hugged his fist and said in a clear voice: ¡°This one is Iron Fist Gate¡¯s Dragon Li, which boss from Black Wind Camp has presently come?¡±


    ¡°This is our third boss. Tactfully pay out your money and food, spare your grandfathers some efforts, otherwise we¡¯ll burn this broken village of yours!¡± A mountain bandit yelled those words, then other mountain bandits followed suit and shouted while fiddling with the weapons in their hands. Their faces all had a contemptuous smile, as if they were merely looking at a herd of lambs waiting to be slaughtered.


    The third leader had grown a full beard on his ferocious-looking face. He threw the human head on the ground, and it rolled at Dragon Li¡¯s feet: ¡°Iron Fist Gate. If the Iron Lion were here, I¡¯d immediately leave without saying a word, but what kind of thing are you?¡±


    Tiger Li and Panther Li had been scared until their faces became the color of dirt and their legs were trembling when they saw the dusty cloud come to them. Their legs became even softer at this time and they fell sitting on the ground.


    The mountain bandits laughed loudly: ¡°The third leader is really awe-inspiring!¡±


    Dragon Li¡¯s expression had suddenly changed. He gasped a mouthful of cool air in alarm. Rumors had it that among the bosses of the Black Wind Camp, the one numbered third had the most cruel and most savage nature. He was moody and temperamental, and when looting there was nothing he wouldn¡¯t do. In the eyes of the villagers around the Black Wind Camp, he was a figure even more frightening than the Black Wind Camp¡¯s master.


    But since the opposite side had asked him what kind of thing he was, it proved that he was still somewhat afraid of the Iron Fist Gate, hence asking his relation with the Iron Lion. Circumstances were stronger than men, so he could only endure the anger in his chest: ¡°I am my old master¡¯s last disciple. I knew that the third boss was coming and didn¡¯t dare let you return empty handed, so I prepared a humble gift. I¡¯d like your honored self to spare Crouching Bull Village for my master¡¯s sake.¡±


    Steward Liu trembled when he presented an embroidered box. The third boss¡¯ horsewhip pulled and rolled, then the embroidered box flew into his hand, showing that his martial arts weren¡¯t weak.


    He opened the box. Inside was shining white silver, but his expression gradually sank down instead: ¡°One hundred taels, are you a beggar?¡±


    ¡°Great..great king, we¡¯ve already done our best.¡±


    ¡°Before the sky darkens, I want to see one thousand taels of silver and one thousand pounds of grains. Otherwise, hmph hmph!¡± Saying there, the third leader suddenly licked his lips and smiled obscenely: ¡°My brothers also need to borrow a few women to use for a bit. Don¡¯t worry, this isn¡¯t robbing, just borrowing. When we¡¯re done using them we¡¯ll return them to you as soon as next spring comes.¡±


    The mountain bandits laughed lewdly together, ¡°If some women can become our third boss¡¯ wives, it¡¯ll be their good fortunes.¡± ¡°When spring comes, maybe the women won¡¯t want to go back anymore!¡±


    Dragon Li understood the most clearly that no women returned from the Black Wind mountain camp. They were all insulted and raped to death. He said in a loud voice: ¡°Does the third leader truly not give any consideration for the Iron Fist Gate?¡±


    Steward Liu was even more stunned by the numbers, and he stared blankly, unable to say a word.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me wait too long!¡± The third leader didn¡¯t even look at Dragon Li. He whipped his head around and ordered: ¡°You guys go hurry them up!¡±


    More than twenty men giggled as they passed by Dragon Li and the others. They went into the village and knocked from door to door. If they didn¡¯t dare open the door, the door would just be broken before the bandits went in. Over a hundred villagers were herded out, just like how sheep were herded, assembling together with faces filled with fright. The barks of dogs and howling sounds of women and children crying rose in an instant.


    The third boss watched this scene with a great laugh: ¡°We¡¯ll just rest in this village tonight!¡±


    ¡°This kid was only fourteen. He¡¯d never done a single bad thing growing to this age.¡±


    An extremely quiet voice suddenly sounded, so calm it seemed a little out of place in the present situation. But within that quiet was repressed a seemingly uncontrollable urge to kill.


    Li Qingshan held Little Six¡¯s head up from the ground and hugged it, gently stroking the eyes closed.


    The third boss narrowed his eyes: ¡°Who are you?¡± He hadn¡¯t taken notice of Li Qingshan, because from the start when he¡¯d tossed the head down, Li Qingshan had his head down and kept quivering from head to toes. He had thought it was from fear.


    But the present Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t trembling anymore, and spoke slowly: ¡°This was a very good and a very clever child, his father and mother both cherished him very much.¡±


    The third boss yawned: ¡°What do you want to say?¡±


    Li Qingshan suddenly lifted his head: ¡°Today, you all have to die!¡±

 Chapter 37

    The mountain bandits laughed out loud, as if they had heard an extremely funny joke. But the third boss sensed something fearsome from Li Qingshan¡¯s body and didn¡¯t make any laughing sound.A human head falling down, a fully pulled bowstring.


    ¡°Die!¡± Li Qingshan acted in the space of an instant. The bellow coming from his mouth couldn¡¯t cover the metallic cry of the quivering bowstring. The arrow carried his sky-vast fury as it fired toward the third boss.


    A beam of dark light pierced through. A gigantic strength carried the third boss with it and lifted him to some height before heavily falling down.


    A bow with the strength of three stones had astonishing power. Li Qingshan movements had flowed smoothly. Within such a short distance, only a second-grade master or higher could possibly dodge the arrow, which the third boss obviously wasn¡¯t.


    The noisy village quieted down in a flash. The mountain bandits opened their eyes wide one and all, unable to believe the scene in front of them. The glorified third boss had unexpectedly been killed by a half-grown little kid.


    The villagers looked at him as if they were watching a god. For them, these mountain bandits were fearsome evil demons, even more so for the third boss who was the evil demon commander. Now Li Qingshan who¡¯d killed the third boss in one hit was truly like a god.


    The situation had reverted itself, but there was no joy on Dragon Li¡¯s face, only alarm.


    ¡°Third boss! Third boss!¡± Several mountain bandits circled around the third boss. The third boss coughed a mouthful of fresh blood, and pointed at Li Qingshan with a face full of fierceness: ¡°Kill him!¡±


    He could also amount to a third-grade master, and he had reacted in a split second. Although he couldn¡¯t dodge that arrow, he¡¯d avoided being hit in a vital spot. The arrow had pierced through his right armpit, the surrounding bones all ground into dust; his right hand could be said to be wasted. His eyes were bloodshot, and he wished nothing better than to swallow Li Qingshan raw.


    The mountain bandits started to react, holding their various weapons as they charged roaring toward Li Qingshan.


    A strong wind came from behind his head. A short javelin stabbed toward the back of his head. He didn¡¯t turn his head and merely leaned it slightly to the side. He clutched the javelin in his hand, then turned around and threw it. The javelin flew back with a fierce speed ten times faster than before, and nailed the bandit who¡¯d sneak-attacked him to a door.


    A double-crescent halberd, a goose-feather saber, and a red-tasseled spear all stabbed at him at the same time.


    Li Qingshan grasped the spear and halberd. He forcefully pulled on them, and the two mountain bandits lost balance, falling to the ground full of fear. A pair of steel arms were waiting for them. The steel fists hit their chests. Two muffled sounds could be heard, then the two bandits flew out at the same time while puking blood.


    Taking advantage of this opportunity, the goose-tail saber stabbed into Li Qingshan¡¯s bosom. The freezing cold saber blade came into contact with his lower abomen. It looked as if Li Qingshan was soon going to be run through, but it couldn¡¯t move an inch deeper.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s two iron palms slapped together on the head of the bandit holding the saber, with the power of an ear-piercing gale. When he let his hands fall, the mountain bandit dropped to the ground as if he had lost his soul, fresh blood slowly seeping out of all his facial orifices.


    He walked in great strides toward the third boss. The sound of his man-killing power was already deafening to the ears. He poked with his tiptoe, hooked the great halberd up, and grasped it in his hand.


    There was no style, there was no qualms, there was only one sweep.


    A mad gale lifted a half-circular smoke of dust that rushed toward the mountain bandits.


    The halberd tip broke apart, spun in the air, and stabbed into the ground.


    Several weapons flew up, followed by a series of blood-curling shrieks. Some people attempted to parry, but they couldn¡¯t block the halberd¡¯s strength that could sweep through a thousand soldiers.


    The cloud of dust dispersed. Four mountain bandits were sprawled on the ground. A short bandit had been swept through the face and died on the spot. The other three mountain bandits all had their chests split open and suddenly gained a new-found hobby for screaming miserably on the ground. Fresh blood splashed on the ground as if it were free of charge, the garish color overflowing everywhere.


    Li Qingshan took a glance at the cracked halberd, and thought what a poor weapon as he threw it away. He wasn¡¯t aware of just how many steels and bones he¡¯d forcibly swept through just then. How could ordinary weapons withstand such use.


    In the turn of an eye, eight mountain bandits had fallen dead or been grievously injured. The bandits behind them cried out in fear and stopped their steps, holding their weapons but not daring to move forward. They were stupefied by the bitter scene of this instant outburst. This originally ordinary young man had seemingly transformed into a fearful god of death within the space of an instant.


    Li Qingshan continued to walk toward the third boss without any expression on his face. His eyes twinkled with a red light that he hadn¡¯t yet discovered himself.


    His brain was analyzing and judging at high speed. He hadn¡¯t let his anger rush to his head. There was only the third boss among them who could count as a third-grade master, so he damaged him first as soon as he started acting, as to remove the greatest threat.


    There were a few proficient fighters among the other bandits, but most of them were at the ginseng gatherers¡¯ level. They¡¯d trained some martial arts that were largely enough to bully the common people with, but they were absolutely no match for him.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m going die here!¡± The third boss supported his body as he shifted backward, watching the incoming Li Qingshan with a face full of dread, as if he were one of those monster demons in human form from the legends who suddenly transformed back with one shake of the body and exposed their malevolent fangs. No matter how many people he had around him, it couldn¡¯t insure his security.


    ¡°If I die, this whole Crouching Bull Village will be buried. Do you know who my big brother is?¡±


    Dragon Li¡¯s face was even uglier as he went forward and grabbed Li Qingshan: ¡°Qingshan, don¡¯t be reckless!¡±


    The third boss took advantage of this opportunity to climb on the horse, take command of the reins, and spur the horse to speed out as fast as possible. The other bandits didn¡¯t need him to say anything and swarmed behind as they followed, not even caring about the wounded bandits. s?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan freed himself from the hold and tightly clutched Dragon Li¡¯s throat, lifting him up: ¡°Do you also want to die?¡±


    Dragon Li said with difficulty: ¡°Can¡¯t¡­ can¡¯t kill the Black Wind Camp¡¯s bosses, have you heard of Elmunder Village?¡±


    ¡°Elmunder Village!¡± Steward Liu was flopped to the ground, half-frightened to death, and he suddenly cried in fear involuntarily as he heard.


    ¡°What Elmunder Village!¡± Li Qingshan eased the strength of his hand.


    ¡°Elmunder Village also had the custom of learning martial arts. Theirs folks were swift and fierce, and they once killed a boss from the Black Wind Camp. But not long after, the Black Wind camp master personally led five bosses and cleanly killed the hundred or so villagers, no matter men or women, elders or children. The Black Wind camp master personally took each of the bosses and used the corpses piled into a hill as sacrifices for their departed brother. Do you want this kind of devastation to happen to Crouching Bull Village?¡±


    Li Qingshan thundered in a low voice: ¡°Then we have to allow them to trample and humiliate us?¡±


    ¡°Qingshan, I know what you¡¯re feeling, but circumstances are stronger than men.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be even stronger!¡±


    The expression of every villager had changed. At this time, they heard incomparably poisonous words left far away by the third boss: ¡°You Crouching Bull Village just wait for your whole village to be massacred!¡± Some people were so scared they fell sitting on the ground, and wailing cries of fear echoed once again, without the slightest joy at repelling the mountain bandits.


    A wounded bandit clutched his chest while exposing a cruel smile: ¡°You¡¯ll all be buried together with me!¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Are you done talking?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Li Qingshan let go of Dragon Li and kicked the goose-feather saber beside his feet. The saber¡¯s blade pierced the bandit¡¯s throat, immediately extracting his last breath. ¡°The words I speak, I won¡¯t go back on them.¡± Li Qingshan took the lives of the other mountain bandits one by one, then turned back to the villagers and said: ¡°Nothing will happen, I swear!¡± Then without turning his head back he pursued in great strides in the direction the mountain bandits had escaped to.


    The setting sun fell to the west. The last of the twilight faded away below the horizon. Darkness descended over the mountains and the earth.


    Beside a raging bonfire, two bandits were helping to extract the arrow from the third boss. The third boss cried in pain and hit a bandit down with one slap: ¡°Can¡¯t you motherfucking do it a little gentler?¡±


    That bandit had a mouthful of fresh blood from the blow. He falteringly mumbled something and didn¡¯t dare talk back.


    The other mountain bandits were all crestfallen. With the fame and glory of the Black Wind Camp, how long had it been since they last experienced such a failure. They were already used to gazes filled with dread and flattery, used to take women and silver whenever they pleased.


    ¡°You all fucking chin up for this father. We¡¯ll definitely take revenge for this hatred, wait until we catch that kid¡­¡± The third boss exposed a cruel smile.


    A mountain bandit immediately echoed him: ¡°We¡¯ll hack him into a thousand pieces!¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll boil him alive, we¡¯ll all get a share of his meat, the taste must surely¡­¡± The bandit who wished to eat Li Qingshan¡¯s flesh didn¡¯t even finish talking when a bloody mark appeared on his throat. Fresh blood spurted out, interrupting the mountain bandits¡¯ discussion about torture

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38¡°Who, who did this?¡± The third boss roared loudly. Although he was injured, he still had his martial arts. Who was it who could kill someone under the numerous staring eyes.


    ¡°Puff.¡± Another mountain bandit fell down with his throat cut open. It was the first one to echo the third boss earlier, the one who said to cut Li Qingshan in a thousand pieces.


    The dark forest seemed to be hiding a fearsome devil. A terrifying shadow shrouded around the mountain bandits in an instant. No one had clearly seen who it was that did it? How did they do it? They were even more ignorant whether the next one to die would be themselves. This kind of unknown fear was the most terrible kind.


    The third and fourth bandits fell down amidst this panic, as if Death¡¯s sickle was silently reaping their lives.


    The night wind was chilly. A delicate hunting knife traveled among the tall grasses like a poisonous snake, its blade covered in dark grass juices and not reflecting any light.


    Tonight, there was no moon.


    Li Qingshan stood on a mountain slope inside the dark dense forest and watched all of this. Only he could see Little An hold the hunting knife and linger among the mountain bandits, his expression filled with incomparable anger.


    The words of those bandits had already thoroughly infuriated him. His mind that had been numb and withered for a long time emitted such intense emotions for the first time. He wanted to kill all those people.


    Li Qingshan saw Little An try several times to go near the third boss, but he was blocked each and every time. The blood and energy of a third-grade master were already extremely exuberant, exercising restraint on ghosts. The reason Little An could go near him at all was because he had used his body¡¯s life energy to nourish him every day.


    ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Two screams, then two mountain bandits losing their lives. The third boss wasn¡¯t a waste and bellowed: ¡°Everyone gather here, lean against each others!¡± Every mountain bandits tightly gathered beside him, safeguarding his safety first.


    Many lifebloods and life energies gathered together like a gigantic blaze. Little An couldn¡¯t approach anymore.


    Li Qingshan drank a mouthful of spiritual wine from the gourd. Speed wasn¡¯t the ¡¯s forte, and there wasn¡¯t any so-called movement technique therein either. He had relied on his bull-like tenacity and the replenishment from the spiritual wine to forcibly catch up.


    He refilled his yuan qi, lifted the Stone Rending Bow. Now, it¡¯s my turn!


    A ¡°peng¡± shook the pitch darkness of the night. One could tell just from the sound that this was the explosion from an extremely powerful bowstring. It was clear and fleeting, carrying with it a keen strength that cut through the air.


    The feather arrow attacked from the faraway darkness with a shrill whistle, perforating a bandit¡¯s chest, then burrowed itself into the body of another bandit behind the first one. Two birds one arrow!


    The bandits had already been pierced through when they heard the sound of the bowstring. The group of mountain bandits had also gone through quite a few battles, but not one of them could actually react in time. The third boss understood that the arrow had traveled even faster than sound. The archer was an expert in this field. In the whole of Suncheer, there was almost only one man and one bow who could fire out such arrows.


    No, it wasn¡¯t that man, otherwise he¡¯d be dead already! The third boss glanced at his injured right shoulder and remembered the kid who¡¯d forced him into such a situation. He originally believed that it was because of his own carelessness that he fell prey to a surprise attack, but he didn¡¯t expect this kid¡¯s archery would be so fearful.


    In fact, Li Qingshan¡¯s archery still couldn¡¯t be said to be particularly accurate. Moreover he was suddenly using such a heavy bow like the Stone Rending Bow, and the distance between them was also so far away. But the mountain bandits were bunched together, so he had absolute no need to take the trouble to aim. He just needed to fire at the center, there was no reason it wouldn¡¯t hit something.


    ¡°Third boss, it¡¯s the kid from earlier, he caught up to us.¡± S~?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°He¡­ he wants to kill us to the last one!¡±


    ¡°From what direction did the arrow come, we¡¯ll go all out with him!¡±


    ¡°No, we can¡¯t, once we¡¯re separated¡­¡±


    The second arrow pierced through a bandit¡¯s chest while they were debating. Every bandit¡¯s face was twisted by dread, panicking like a herd of lambs waiting for slaughter.


    The third boss ordered: ¡°It¡¯s that kid¡¯s little tricks. Let¡¯s rush together and kill him!¡± He led the mountain bandits and charged up the mountain while shouting murder.


    Li Qingshan stood in his original spot without any apprehension as he fired arrow after arrow.


    A feather arrow was catapulted out by a taut bowstring and spun inside the darkness, plunging into a bandit¡¯s body, once again piercing through layers and layers of flesh. It only reluctantly stopped its spin after being stuck between bones.


    The feather arrow¡¯s giant pounding power didn¡¯t even leave any time for the bandit to scream. Another bandit stopped his footsteps beside and watched with horror. His stricken look hadn¡¯t vanished yet that he felt a sharp pain in his head, and then he didn¡¯t know anything after that.


    The interval between each arrow was unexpectedly short to such an extent. The power of the bandits¡¯ dash was suddenly broken as they hurriedly searched for cover to hide behind. But they didn¡¯t have time yet to sigh in relief that those weird blood marks once again befell upon their throats. It was far more accurate and terrifying than the sharp arrows.


    Someone died every time. The morale that had been boosted by their terror suddenly leaked empty. They only discovered after coming back to their senses that the third boss had already ridden on the horse and was fast galloping toward the Black Wind Camp. They immediately scattered like birds and beasts.


    Li Qingshan put the Stone Rending Bow on his back, feeling a faint ache in his arms. The strength of this Stone Rending Bow was indeed no small matter. He already had trouble enduring after firing a dozen arrows. He deeply inspired a mouthful of air and drank another mouthful of wine.


    ¡°Little An, we¡¯re chasing them!¡±


    Inside the Crouching Bull Village, the villagers were still restless with anxiety. Dragon Li was in the middle of commanding people to gather the corpses.


    ¡°Little Dragon, how did things become this way?¡± And old and august voice came from the darkness.


    Dragon Li¡¯s body shook: ¡°Master, how did you come!¡± It was precisely the Iron Fist gate master renowned over all of Suncheer City, Iron Lion Liu Hong.


    ¡°I was afraid you couldn¡¯t subjugate that group of bandits, so I came to take a look.¡± Liu Hong walked out of the darkness. His eyes were like rings, full of majesty. He wore a large flowery robe, and his presence was awe-inspiring like a mighty lion. He glanced at the bandits¡¯ corpses: ¡°We fell out with the Black Wind Camp¡­ Eh, you¡¯re not the one who did this, what a heavy strength. Do tell, what¡¯s this about?¡±


    Dragon Li had no choice but to narrate things in details. Liu Hong snorted when he heard about the third boss¡¯ actions and conduct: ¡°They actually dare not to put the Iron Fist Gate and this old fellow in their eyes. If this old fellow were here, I would certainly execute him in person and see if that bear dares to make faces at me.¡±


    When he heard the process of Li Qingshan¡¯s actions, he gave out a praise: ¡°How daring, what good means. How old did you say this Li Qingshan was?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s probably fifteen years old.¡± Dragon Li was a little surprised himself. He only remembered that Li Qingshan was merely a youngster when those words left his mouth.


    ¡°What, only fifteen years old!¡± Liu Hong was astonished. He was an old hand of the martial world. Don¡¯t mention a fifteen or sixteen years old third-grade master, he¡¯d seen even first-grade masters. But behind the backs of those young heroes, weren¡¯t there the shadows of great clans or great sects. There would be a master with unmatched martial arts at the very least.


    Without a good master¡¯s teachings, even with a genius piercing through the heavens you still wouldn¡¯t go anywhere, ¡°You were right to reconcile with him. This Li Qingshan could be a disciple raised by someone extraordinary from the martial world. Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll follow them and take a look.¡±

 Chapter 39

    Dragon Li pointed the direction and Liu Hong traveled in great strides. The Iron Fist Gate didn¡¯t put emphasis on movement techniques, but each of his steps could cross the distance of seven to eight steps from ordinary people. His sleeves floated and his speed wasn¡¯t slow in the least. In not of a long time they came to the place where the Black Wind bandits had halted and built a bonfire. There were only some corpses left there. Wild wolves were gnawing on the food. They raised their heads and made threatening howls when they heard noises.Liu Hong snorted, and it was as if a thunderclap had exploded. It startled the wild wolves who fled wailing in anguish. Liu Hong examined the corpses: ¡°This is indeed the Stone Rending Bow¡¯s power. Sick Yellow Tiger actually gifted away his own famed weapon, could he be a disciple trained by Sick Yellow Tiger? No, with this old sick tiger¡¯s martial arts, he couldn¡¯t teach this kind of disciple.¡±


    ¡°However he even gave him the Stone Rending Bow. Sick Yellow Tiger is probably of a mind to have him take over the position of chief hunter. No wonder he¡¯s not afraid of the Black Wind Camp. He only needs to return to Horse Rein Village, then the Black Wind Camp will have no way of doing anything to him. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re able to destroy Horse Rein Village.¡±


    ¡°Does Li Qingshan really plan on killing every last of them?¡± The pungent smell of blood assaulted his nose. Dragon Li was trembling a little. He¡¯d trained martial arts for more than ten years. For him brawls and scuffles were merely everyday meals. But with the Iron Fist Gate¡¯s prestige inside Suncheer City, there was absolutely no opponent who¡¯d struggle with them to the death. At most he gave a correction to short-sighted hooligans or guests from the martial world passing by. Where had he seen so many dead people. S?a??h the ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Liu Hong actually felt it was obvious and lectured his disciple: ¡°Since you contracted a blood feud, of course you need to kill them to the last. Little Dragon, Suncheer City is really too comfortable. With your talents, your skills should originally have been much higher.¡±


    Dragon Li mumbled something and was unable of answering.


    Liu Hong continued to examine the corpses: ¡°Eh, this wound is really peculiar!¡± He found a bandit that had died with his throat slit.


    ¡°What¡¯s strange about it?¡±


    ¡°This bandit died inside the crowd. Look at his expression and posture when he died, it looks like he had no way to react.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Then he found many similar traces on the bandit corpses. Dragon Li imagined the strange picture at that time, and bursts of cold went through his heart and mind. He couldn¡¯t resist looking left and right. The forest¡¯s darkness seemed to conceal ghosts and monsters. He only felt much more at ease when he looked at Liu Hong.


    ¡°It¡¯s achievable as long as your movement technique is powerful enough. But this kind of movement technique, there¡¯s only the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s master who can compare to it in the whole of Suncheer City. This Li Qingshan has a helper, and moreover a very strong one.¡± No matter how rich Liu Hong¡¯s experience was walking the martial world, he still couldn¡¯t guess that the reason the bandits couldn¡¯t react was because they had entirely no way of seeing the enemy.


    Following the trails left on the ground, they searched toward the depths of the mountain. Corpse after bandit corpse laid there, as obvious as road signs.


    Some had taken an arrow and fallen. Some had died with a slit throat.


    Dragon Li¡¯s nerves were already numb. He remembered Li Qingshan¡¯s words: ¡°Today you all have to die.¡± He originally thought those were but words spoken in anger, but looking at it now they were actually a death sentence. He hadn¡¯t been very afraid back then when Li Qingshan had clutched his neck, but now he felt bursts and bursts of lingering fear.


    Dragon Li said after discovering another bandit corpse: ¡°The mountain bandits are all dead, there¡¯s only the third boss left.¡± Afterwards they found a horse fallen to the ground, its mouth frothing with spit.


    Not long later, Liu Hong stopped his steps and looked at the foot of a great tree. Even this old hand from the martial world let out an extremely astonished expression. The blood had spread far away, and the scent of blood was even stronger than at the vicinity of the bonfire, where the mountain bandits had died in greatest numbers.


    Dragon Li could only take one glance at it. He couldn¡¯t resist retching, as if he wanted to vomit out every horror witnessed this night.


    All night long, the third boss had seemingly sunken into a nightmare he couldn¡¯t wake up from. The men beside him died one by one, while the god of death pressed on behind step by step.


    The third boss used his movement technique, desperately fleeing toward the Black Wind mountain camp. Although he couldn¡¯t compare to the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s elegance, his speed wasn¡¯t any slower, maybe because his potential had been stimulated by the crisis.


    A chilly wind revolved all around, tightly chasing after him, making him not dare to pause any second. It was only until the inner strength in his whole body had been entirely exhausted that he stopped under a great tree, panting in big mouthfuls.


    Looking down toward the slope, he could already see the Black Wind mountain camp¡¯s outline. He smiled then.


    ¡°Du!¡±


    A feather arrow whistled as it broke through the air and pierced his thigh, nailing it deeply into the tree. The dead leaves were as rain, drizzling down.


    The third boss had no time to pay attention to the sharp pain. He watched the horrifying silhouette walk out from between the trees, his face carrying a faint smile, like a hunter finally catching up to a prey after a long pursuit. The bowstring of the great bow in his hands was still quivering.


    ¡°It ends here, third boss!¡±


    ¡°I admit defeat today. The rivers and lakes are only a small world, there¡¯s no harm in making friends. Ah!¡± At this desperate juncture, the third boss actually took out the attitude of a gangster, mentioning some cliched lines about the martial world, but a feather arrow had already pierced him through before he could finish.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say this word, you don¡¯t deserve it. Come, tell me, tell me everything about the Black Wind Camp¡¯s situation, how many men you have, how many bosses, what kind of martial arts does the big boss train in?¡±


    ¡°If I told you, will you not kill me?¡± The third boss¡¯ body was drenched in sweat, both from pain and from fear.


    Li Qingshan thought for a moment, ¡°Impossible, I already said that you needed to die today. I¡¯ll give you a clean death!¡± Even deception wasn¡¯t needed, just clearly tell him, I precisely have to kill you. You can talk, or you can not talk.


    The third boss said: ¡°Go fuck yourself, don¡¯t hesitate to come at if you want to kill or peel, see if this old father will frown or not.¡±


    Li Qingshan laughed coldly, ¡°That suits my intentions!¡± In the depths of his eyes flowed a crimson light even he wasn¡¯t conscious of.


    Dragon Li forcefully restored his calm, his eyes avoiding the corpse under the tree as best as he could: ¡°Master, do we still need to continue the pursuit?¡±


    Liu Hong waved his hand: ¡°No need. With the emergence of such a fiendish star, the rivers and lakes will henceforth become more eventful.¡±


    He¡¯d seen many men of the martial world with savage means. Merely this third boss by himself wouldn¡¯t fall downwind. But to be able to show such a merciless hand from the beginning was truly rarely seen. Who wouldn¡¯t need to vomit a few times, go through many life and death experiences, before they were able to gradually harden their hearts.


    Dragon Li said: ¡°He¡¯s still only a third-grade talent, he relied on sneak attacks to damage the third boss, why does master put such heavy value on him?¡±


    Liu Hong said: ¡°I¡¯ll only tell you that this kind of character breeds like flies among the rivers and lakes. There is no one among them that isn¡¯t a powerful man, and any martial art will manifest a formidable power in the hands of this kind of person. You must absolutely not randomly make an enemy out of them.¡±


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Dragon Li didn¡¯t understand. Would your strength become powerful as long as you had a spicy hand and a vicious heart?


    ¡°The essence of the martial dao lies within killing.¡±


    However, the Li Qingshan highly praised as a fiendish star was at this moment kneeling and vomiting beside a small rivulet, vomiting until tears filled his face.


    In the end, the third boss¡¯ bones hadn¡¯t prove as hard as he¡¯d claimed, and he¡¯d told Li Qingshan any information he wanted to know in minute details, only begging for death.


    After cutting off the third boss with a slash, the crimson light inside his eyes had dimmed down, and it seemed that he¡¯d only realized then what he had done ¨C he¡¯d tormented a living man with incomparably cruel methods. Not only that, the most frightening was that he¡¯d derived the greatest elation from it.


    What¡¯s really happening to me?


    A bovine hoof stamped into the rivulet¡¯s water. Li Qingshan lifted his head. The green bull watched him, saying in a tone that seemed to both praise him and at the same time tease him: ¡°You¡¯re looking more and more like a demon!¡±


    ¡°And what, about it?¡± Li Qingshan replied with willful obstinacy. He understood that as he gradually followed deeper into the path of his cultivation, this supernatural skill also deepened its influence over his nature day by day. Since if was a supernatural skill from the dao of monsters and demons, then it couldn¡¯t possibly be humane leniency and devoted love.

 Chapter 40

    The green bull said: ¡°Do you still want to keep going? Don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you, there¡¯s no telling whether you¡¯d really turn into a demon or not.¡±¡°As long as there¡¯s no shame when I look inside my heart and I am able to free the feelings deep inside my chest, then even if I turned into a demon I would have no complaints and no regrets.¡± Li Qingshan stood up and said upright and unafraid. His confused mind had been stimulated into staunchness by the green bull¡¯s provocation.


    The green bull had no choice but to once again feel a new level of respect for him. Even if a cultivator¡¯s will were resolute, he¡¯d still feel fear and repulsion when he heard he¡¯d degenerate into the dao of demons and become a monster.


    It was originally prepared to patiently convince him, but Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t too much affected and was still able to keep to his own choice without any hint of indecisiveness. This was truly rare. But it was also fine like this. If he were the kind of person to be invariably confused about this kind of matters, it would also not have been worth its efforts.


    The era Li Qingshan had lived in in his former world was an era where information had exploded. As a nerd, he¡¯d absorbed day and night every kind of movies and novels as food for the mind. He came to understand the most diverse schools of thoughts, and also saw the most fearsome and grandest of scenes.


    His tolerance had become stronger under the impact of every kind of information. Few people could probably compare in this era. He wouldn¡¯t be slave to the bindings of any conventional thinking. This kind superiority and boldness was slowly manifesting a strength that couldn¡¯t be replaced by any divine skill or treasure.


    However strong the aptitude for cultivation displayed by Li Qingshan, it would still hardly enter the green bull¡¯s eyes. But it was utterly different for the uniqueness of his nature; the green bull placed extreme value on it: ¡°Follow me!¡±


    A bull and a man traveled forward through twists and turns on this savage mountain where no road existed. S?a??h th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The green bull didn¡¯t say where it was headed, and neither did Li Qingshan ask. After he had obtained an understanding of the Black Wind Camp¡¯s strength from the third boss¡¯ mouth, he¡¯d immediately known that his present self was definitely not the Black Wind Camp¡¯s match. He could only become stronger.


    After walking for who knew how long, a noise suddenly spread over from the forest. The rumble neared following their steps forward, finally becoming like thunder.


    Just like light at the end of the tunnel, the view before their eyes suddenly opened to a wide panorama. A waterfall flew down a cliff a hundred feet tall, falling into the deep pond like a jade dragon, splashing snowflake-like sprays. A great whirlpool revolved ceaselessly in the center of the deep pool, with many small whirlpools all around.


    Li Qingshan stood in front of the waterfall. Although his will was unwavering, he still shook a little facing this creation of nature: ¡°Brother bull, this is?¡±


    ¡°A waterfall.¡±


    ¡°Of course I know it¡¯s a waterfall, why did you bring me here?¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s for cultivation!¡±


    At this time, a piece of broken tree dropped down from the top of the waterfall and was swept inside the whirlpool in a flash. It violently crashed into a rock standing inside the water and broke into many wooden fragments. If a man were to be swept inside, it could only end up with a torn body and broken bones.


    Li Qingshan drew in cold air: ¡°In here?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°This is the fastest shortcut if you want to cultivate the strength of one bull. To do it or not, it¡¯s all up to you.¡±


    Li Qingshan firmly jumped toward the deep pool as soon as its voice fell. The information he obtained from the third boss appeared in his mind while still in mid-air


    The Black Wind Camp had about three hundred men with a total of seven bosses. Of course, they were six at present. Among them, five bosses were third-grade masters. The big boss was named Black Bear Xiong Xiangwu by men of the martial world. He was a genuine second-grade master, and he could comfortably beat all the other bosses put together.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s present strength was also merely at the peak of third grade. Without using stealth and ambushes, he could probably only confront two bosses. He would doubtlessly lose if he were to fight three, and would be forced to run. Don¡¯t even mention facing the Black Wind camp master, this was a colossus he couldn¡¯t prevail against right now.


    The only good news was that great snow would seal off the mountains once winter came. If the Black Wind Camp wanted to carry out large scale operations, they¡¯d wait at least until the beginning of spring. This was the time left to him. He had to become stronger. Only then could he block the Black Wind Camp, save the Crouching Bull Village, and complete the pledge he undertook.


    All those thoughts went past in a flash. He saw the water rush closer and closer to him. Li Qingshan¡¯s valiance manifested itself, and in a an instant he repressed down all his fear and anxiety. His mind regained its serenity and quickly adjusted the posture of his body. He took a deep breath in and hit the water with a loud crash.


    The green bull kept talking at the top of the pool: ¡°I was going to say to take things step by step, start with sitting under the waterfall.¡± It immediately sensed a resentful aura assaulting his way. Little An was giving it a deathly stare. The green bull was feeling faintly uncomfortable: ¡°Little An, don¡¯t look at me like that!¡±


    The torrential currents battered Li Qingshan¡¯s body. He was like a small boat inside a rainy storm, his movements not under his control. He could crash into the reefs at any moment and sink.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s decent swimming skills couldn¡¯t be displayed a single bit at this very moment. He operated the Bull Demon Skin Refining, eliminating the pain from the torrent lashing at his skin. A black shadow pressed toward him without even leaving him the time to breath and relax.


    The currents pushed him bumping toward a rock. The great tree earlier was a good forewarning. Even with the Bull Demon Skin Refining protecting his body, his bones would still be entirely broken until he died under the collision. It was too difficult trying to resist the power of nature with a human body.


    ¡°Bull Demon Hoof Stamp!¡± A gust of true qi sank into his dantian. Li Qingshan¡¯s body seemed to become heavier out of nowhere and suddenly sank downward. He stamped on the hard bottom of the pond. The rocks cracked, and two deep footprints were left engraved into them.


    The currents shifted once again at the bottom and pulled him toward the greatest whirlpool. He spared no effort to nail himself in place and resist the currents.


    One mouthful of air was quickly exhausted, and the sensation of suffocation tightly gripped at him. In this kind of torrential momentum, it was entirely impossible to swim and break out of the water surface. He would be drawn by the current inside the whirlpool as soon as his feet left the bottom.


    His consciousness dimmed very quickly, and even the deafening rumbles seemed to be coming from far away.


    Suddenly, there was a coolness on his chest, and his true qi reacted by itself.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s consciousness regained its clarity. He saw Little An¡¯s little hands pushing against his chest, anxiety filling across the whole of his face. His yin qi had aroused a reaction from the true qi.


    The true qi abruptly revolved faster at this juncture between life and death. It rushed to his nose and mouth, and the feeling of suffocation vanished. Breathing was replaced with innate true qi. Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t expected true qi to have even this kind of marvelous use. He hurriedly nodded at Little An to signify his thanks, then he clenched his teeth, loosened his feet, and allowed the currents to draw him inside the great whirlpool.


    Little An hovered all around the vortex for a while, then suddenly resolved himself and returned ashore. He respectfully knelt on the ground and paid homage to the green bull.


    The green bull said: ¡°You want to help him?¡±


    Little An nodded fiercely.


    Liu Hong and Dragon Li returned to Crouching Bull Village. They appeased the villagers, then returned to Suncheer City.


    The little village seemingly restored its quiet, but the feeling of restless anxiety couldn¡¯t be rid of. The Black Wind Camp pressed upon their heads like a great mountain, and many people wanted to run away from this village.


    But the pledge Li Qingshan had left behind before leaving gave hope to everyone. At the critical juncture, the village hero Dragon Li wasn¡¯t able to protect them, and the great character from the city Liu Hong had come only after the events. There had only been Li Qingshan who stood in front of everyone and protected them with his own power.


    Later, the government soldiers from the legends actually appeared. They carried away the third boss¡¯ head as well as the heads of the several dozen mountain bandits. Suncheer City was astonished. There was actually someone who dared to offend the Black Wind Camp. Officials and criminals alike all came to know of a name ¨C Li Qingshan.


    Inside the county government offices, County Magistrate Fatty ordered the adviser: ¡°Hurry, hurry to request commendation from the lord prefect. This official eliminated a band of bandits as soon as he came to Suncheer City. Who still dares to say that this official has no ability. Hang all those heads on the city¡¯s gates, let the city populace know of this official¡¯s fierceness. Also, find this Li Qingshan for me, this official has to thank him face to face for his life-saving grace. There¡¯s also great riches and honor to give him!¡±


    The adviser said: ¡°My lord, to ask the lord prefect for commendation is a matter of course, but let¡¯s just not hang the heads. That Black Wind Camp isn¡¯t good to provoke. As to that Li Qingshan, I fear it¡¯ll be difficult to escape from death for him.¡±


    Correct, in many people¡¯s eyes, Li Qingshan was already a dead man. Although they praised and admired Li Qingshan¡¯s fierceness and martial arts, no one felt that he was a match for the Black Wind Camp. The Black Bear Xiong Xiangwu was a figure that could make children cry at night inside Suncheer City. He had already been older than Li Qingshan back when he became famous. The two of them were entirely on two different levels.


    County Magistrate Fatty hesitated. It¡¯d be too regretful if he couldn¡¯t show off a little this great merit fallen from the sky. His small eyes spun in circle, then he violently slapped the table: ¡°I am an official, he is a bandit, do I still have to fear him. Transmit my orders, take all the bandit heads and hang them over the city gates. Let¡¯s see if those local country tyrants still dare not to pay the bandit repression taxes.¡±

 Chapter 41

    The adviser could only comply. The lord county magistrate¡¯s lust for silver had already repressed his fear of the Black Wind Camp. This wasn¡¯t something that could be changed with mere dissuasion. Moreover the Black Wind Camp would presumably not dare to brazenly kill officials in revolt.County Magistrate Fatty¡¯s momentum disappeared all of a sudden as he said in a small voice: ¡°Anyway I¡¯m not the one who killed them, so the Black Wind camp master won¡¯t go as far as making trouble for me right!¡±


    The adviser twirled his pointy beard: ¡°They shouldn¡¯t, but just in case, you could ask your sister for help and let the lord prefect send over reinforcements.¡±


    County Magistrate Fatty said: ¡°That¡¯s right, although he¡¯s the lord prefect, he¡¯s still my brother-in-law. We¡¯re all one family. We won¡¯t have to fear anyone as long as he sends the Eagle Wolf guard over.¡± Although he¡¯d grown thick and fat, he could still rely on a younger sister prettier than flowers. The prefect had taken a fancy to her and took her in as a concubine, heavily favoring her. He¡¯d also followed the boat and risen with the tide, pleading to his sister to blow some wind into his sails on the pillows and get him a posting.


    The lord prefect didn¡¯t like him, so he casually sent him as a county magistrate to remote Suncheer City, not letting him the opportunity to run rampant by exploiting his connections, and also removing him away from his sister. It could be described as hitting two birds with one stone.


    The adviser thought: how could the Eagle Wolf guard be dispatched so easily, it¡¯ll already be fine if they sent a bodyguard from the prefect¡¯s mansion. ¡°Then what about Li Qingshan?¡±


    County Magistrate Fatty thought for a little: ¡°No matter what he¡¯s this official¡¯s life-saving benefactor, when we see him we¡¯ll give him some taels of silver, then make him leave somewhere else. The Clear River prefecture is so big, where couldn¡¯t he go.¡±


    Inside Horse Rein Village, Sick Yellow Tiger was first greatly surprised when he heard the news, then laughed out loud afterwards: ¡°Well done!¡± His disease had disappeared after drinking the spiritual wine, and he became ruddy and full of vitality. Not only his martial ability was restored, it had even made great strides forward.


    ¡°Chief hunter, now that he offended the Black Wind Camp so thoroughly, isn¡¯t it stirring trouble for Horse Rein Village? What he carries is your Stone Rending Bow after all. You shouldn¡¯t have given it to him to begin with. He¡¯s probably already made his getaway without leaving a trace.¡±


    Little Black was dissatisfied inside. He¡¯d eaten Li Qingshan¡¯s fist that day in the market, and although he didn¡¯t dare take revenge, he was still a little resentful. He was originally a prominent figure among the younger generation in the village, but Li Qingshan had completely overshadowed him as soon as he came. Now he was in the spotlight once again, so his heart was full of jealousy.


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°If the Black Wind Camp comes knocking to our door, we¡¯ll just take them on whatever they do. But he¡¯s not going to flee, and he¡¯s even less likely to come to us to seek refuge. I¡¯m only a sick tiger while he¡¯s a genuine fierce tiger descending from the mountains¡±


    Henceforth, the ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains¡± name became Li Qingshan¡¯s first title.


    And when several dozen bandit heads were hung over the city gates, Li Qingshan¡¯s title was spread even further to the four winds.


    Great patches and great patches of snowflakes floated down from the sky. In the middle of the night, a black shadow scuttled to the gates and removed the third boss¡¯ head. Then it spurred the horse and sped back to Black Wind Camp, presenting it to camp master Xiong Xiangwu.


    Xiong Xiangwu was just like his nickname. Not only was he unusually tall, his body hair was also thick and black, and seen from afar he looked just like a bear. One could tell with one glance that this man was born with divine strength. He stood up and glanced in a circle around him. Whether the bosses divided at either side, or the bandits all around, no one dared to utter a single sound.


    ¡°Boom!¡± His huge bear-like paw violently slapped down. The human head and the long table made of pear wood were both slapped to pieces together. ¡°This is how incompetents end up! This is also how those who dare provoke me end up!¡±


    Wooden chips fired off in all directions. Several bandits far and near were all pierced on their faces, but no one dared to make any sound or movement.


    The second boss stood up waving a folding fan. It was actually a middle-aged man dressed like a scholar. He still wore a long robe in this season, so one could see the profoundness of his inner strength.


    ¡°Camp master, the third boss was heavily injured by a sneak attack from someone using the Stone Rending Bow. That¡¯s the only reason he couldn¡¯t resist that kid.¡±


    ¡°Stone Rending Bow? Sick Yellow Tiger!¡± There was some vigilance in Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s eyes, ¡°Wasn¡¯t he heavily sick?¡±


    ¡°I heard his illness was cured!¡±


    Xiong Xiangu¡¯s brows bunched into a river as he muttered irresolutely to himself.


    On the Old White Peak, Yang Jun said: ¡°Still haven¡¯t found it?¡± Ire twisted his handsome face. He originally had a hedonistic nature and didn¡¯t have that much patience.


    ¡°Little master, I heard some news recently!¡± Chi Da said.


    ¡°The Horse Rein Village¡¯s Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s disease is cured!¡±


    ¡°And what about it?¡± Yang Jun said impatiently.


    Chi Da secretly cursed idiot: ¡°I heard his disease was a chronic disease, only the spirit ginseng can cure it!¡±


    Yang Jun¡¯s eyes shone. He wished he could immediately go to Horse Rein Village and interrogate them thoroughly, but he wasn¡¯t mad yet. He steadied his face and said: ¡°Go invite my father. The spirit ginseng isn¡¯t so easy to digest, even if he ate it he still has to spit it out!¡±


    Amidst so much clamor, not many people paid attention to the fact that there was a pit dug behind Li Qingshan¡¯s house, while that porcelain jar with a skeleton buried inside had vanished.


    Great snow fell, and the pool¡¯s icy cold cut increasingly deeper into the bones, without any hint of freezing. Li Qingshan climbed out from the water, and laid on a patch of dried grass, his lips blue. He gazed at the gray sky over the white waterfall, the air transforming into white mist as it left his lungs. S~?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    This kind of cultivation was simply seeking death, but Li Qingshan was only willing to climb up to the shore for a slight rest after exhausting all the strength and true qi in his body.


    He drank a mouthful of spiritual wine. His body restored some warmth only then, and the dried up true qi once again started rushing forth.


    A wild animal roasted over the bonfire, emitting a strong aroma. Little An squatted at the side like a professional roasting master, turning the wooden pick on one hand while sprinkling condiments brought from home on the other, showing single-hearted devotion.


    The hunting knife danced and cut off a big piece of meat when he saw Li Qingshan come out. He held it in both hands and brought in front of his mouth. He only exposed a smile after seeing Li Qingshan wolf it down.


    Li Qingshan ate until his mouth was entirely covered in grease, then suddenly said: ¡°Weren¡¯t you afraid of fire?¡± Little An was afraid of light and was also afraid of fire. There were many restrictions on his actions. Originally it was impossible for him to squat so carefree beside the flames. Although today was a cloudy day, Little An would still usually hide inside the locust wood plaque and refuse to come out.


    Little An hesitated and couldn¡¯t answer.


    Li Qingshan smiled: ¡°You learned some supernatural skill from brother bull right? It¡¯s not easy to fish something from its hands, why are you hiding it from me?¡±


    Little An hesitated and held up a porcelain jar from the grass with great difficulty. Li Qingshan opened the lid and took a look. The reek of blood assaulted him. The tiny small white skeleton inside was dripping with bright red blood.


    The two colors white and red formed an extremely harsh contrast to the eyes. It was filled with a bloody and sinister feeling.


    Li Qingshan frowned: ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    Little An was like a child who¡¯d done something wrong. He lowered his head and didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°Dao of the Beautiful Bones!¡± The green bull appeared suddenly and said out five words.


    ¡°Is this also a supernatural skill?¡±


    ¡°Ghosts don¡¯t have flesh. They seem free and easy, and can even avoid ordinary people¡¯s senses, but they are innately damaged when it comes to cultivation. Moreover they¡¯re afraid of fire and afraid of light, while also restrained by many techniques.¡±


    ¡°But this isn¡¯t impossible to solve. Slowly absorbing yang qi is but the crudest way. There¡¯s a saying in the vastness of the Dharma: beauty to bones, white bones and flesh1, the material is emptiness, the invisible is material. Within the space of a single thought, a beauty can turn into a skeleton, white bones can also give birth to flesh and blood. There¡¯s a senior Buddhist monk who yearned to reach the realm of Bodhisattvas and failed, devoured by a heavenly calamity. He wasn¡¯t resigned and suddenly gave birth to demon thoughts. From Buddhism he fell into the way of the demons, inverting his daoist power and creating the . He refined bones sariras2, cultivated into a skeleton demon god, and called himself the Skeleton Bodhisattva.¡±


    1. While I¡¯m no expert on Buddhism, I think those lines originally meant that one should look beneath the surface and see the bones inside the flesh and skin, since even beauty can turn into ashes in a fleeting instant


    2. A sarira is a Buddhist relic. Often specifically denoting round beads supposedly found within the ashes of cremated Buddhist masters.

 Chapter 42

    Li Qingshan sucked in a deep breath: ¡°Skeleton Bodhisattva, while still using a demon dao!¡± Although he didn¡¯t know yet what kind of level this senior Buddhist monk on the verge of reaching the realm of Bodhisattvas had reached, he still realized that this was probably a supernatural skill far surpassing his imagination.Li Qingshan¡¯s expression became heavy as he said: ¡°I¡¯m afraid this divine skill is probably not very easy to cultivate!¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°That¡¯s right, this kind of supernatural skill manipulates the creation of life and death. Not only it requires the cultivator¡¯s soul to have outstanding aptitude, it also needs to use the fresh blood of creatures at the moment of their death as sacrificial refining, to also endure the burning heat of blood and vital breath to acquire large amount of qi essence. But right now we¡¯re only using animal blood as a temporary stopgap. The best material for sacrificial refining is naturally human blood, especially from martial artists who possess rich blood and vitality.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s heart trembled. No matter who heard about this way of cultivation, they could only think of evil arts and demon dao. And no matter the legend or story, those who used as many human lives as they could to stuff up their cultivation were all villains, and all ended with a wretched death.


    He couldn¡¯t help asking: ¡°Why cultivate this?¡±


    Little An was scared until his face was pale white. His wisdom had gradually recovered and he also knew that this was an extremely evil demon dao.


    The green bull said: ¡°Of course it¡¯s to help you. Heh, could only this be considered a superior ghost enslaving heart technique?¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s whole body shook, and he couldn¡¯t speak out any word of condemnation anymore. He lowered his head and only smiled bitterly: ¡°Looks like we both followed the wrong master, we¡¯re doomed to walk into the abyss on this demon road.¡±


    Only then did Little An feel relieved and smile shyly.


    A sika deer scuttled inside the woods, dodging the evil wind that followed it like a shadow, but in the end a hunting knife slit its throat. The splash of fresh blood hadn¡¯t had time yet to fall to the ground that


    it was caught by a porcelain jar. As soon as it inside, the evil wind swirled up a skeleton dripping with fresh blood.


    The skeleton sat cross-legged, unexpectedly seated just like an old monk. There was unexpectedly a secretive feeling of holiness and evil mixed together. If a senior monk were present at this time, maybe he could have understood the Buddhist truth about the cycle of desolation and glory, or the back and forth between life and death.


    Li Qingshan could only watch Little An attach himself on the skeleton and refine the blood energy. The blood energy leaped like flames of blood. Little An¡¯s brows creased tightly and his soul trembled, enduring the greatest of pains.


    For supernatural skills from the ways of demons, most of them looked for shortcuts, but shortcuts were also dangerous roads that required one to pay extremely great costs and take extreme risks. The pain of the blood energy burning the soul surpassed even the pain of the body being set ablaze. He still had to maintain his consciousness with great perseverance and cultivate the supernatural skill. It was truly something ordinary people couldn¡¯t cultivate.


    Li Qingshan clenched his fists and felt as if a flame was also burning inside his heart, so hot he couldn¡¯t resist. The misery Little An had suffered with the witch was probably not even one percent of this present moment. He reached his hand out and wanted to stop it.


    The green bull said: ¡°This isn¡¯t only for you. You have things you want to do, dreams you wish to realize. He is also the same, this his his freedom.¡±


    ¡°His dream?¡±


    ¡°Correct, his dream is precisely to be able to help you.¡± The green bull couldn¡¯t resist crack up at his wisecrack rhetoric, but it saw that Li Qingshan showed no sign of laughing, so it took its smile back. ¡°Do you know? I have no idea just how happy he was when I agreed to this little ghost¡¯s request. Moreover he¡¯s very happy even now. As long as I can free the feelings deep inside my chest, whatever happens I will have no regrets and no complaints, isn¡¯t this something you said?¡±


    It took a long while to refine the blood energy. It merged with the skeleton, and there was a faint layer of dark red attached to the bones.


    Li Qingshan took out the spirit ginseng, and pricked out another drop of ginseng liquid, then dropped it between Little An¡¯s eyebrows. Little An closed his eyes and fell deeply asleep.


    Li Qingshan turned around and once again leaped into the icy cold pond. It was the only way to cool down his heart and mind.


    The days went by all of a sudden. The hundred thousand mountains were all draped in adornments made of silvery silk. Li Qingshan went inside the water to train every day, and almost everyday he¡¯d only come out with his body full of injuries. Without a physique surpassing ordinary men and without the constant nourishment of the spiritual wine, his body would have collapsed long ago.


    Little An followed suit, continuously hunting and killing wild beasts. At first he only used the blood from small vegetarian animals like wild hares or gazelles, then later he refined carnivores full of heavy blood energy and balefulness like tigers and panthers.


    It was as if the two of them were competing against each other as they desperately trained their supernatural skills. The taste of the wine soaked with spirit ginseng was fainter and fainter.


    The Bull Demon Ground Stamp steadied the body, the Bull Demon Skin Refining resisted the currents, while the Bull Demon Horn Gore struck at the whirlpool.


    The true qi also revolved like a whirlpool, becoming a very small cyclone. The true qi flowed to his four limbs and hundred bones, its speed increasingly higher.


    The deep pool¡¯s surges were ten times more violent than usual.


    Li Qingshan fired out a fist.


    ¡°Boom.¡± Like the sound of muffled thunder exploding in the water, a fearsome aura radiated from within the pool, alarming countless birds and beasts.


    Little An¡¯s heart jumped. It was as if some fearful wild beast had been released, far surpassing ordinary predators. He stared tightly at the water¡¯s surface. The pool¡¯s surface had restored its calm, and that great ceaselessly rotating whirlpool had surprisingly disappeared.


    A smile floated from the green bull¡¯s eyes.


    A tall silhouette leaped out form the deep pool and landed on the rocks. Li Qingshan¡¯s bronze-colored body was robust as a bull, as if carved from rocks, and every muscle was filled with explosive strength.


    He smashed a punch on the rocks at his feet. There was a loud ¡°bang.¡± It didn¡¯t seem like flesh hitting stone, but more like stone meeting stone.


    After a moment of quiet, ¡°crack crack!¡± These huge rocks polished by the pool¡¯s water for countless years split open in multiple crevices, then finally exploded into pieces.


    Li Qingshan had already jumped to the side before the rocks had broken into pieces. He watched his own two hands, muttering: ¡°Is this the strength of one bull?¡± He felt that his body contained almost boundless strength, as if he¡¯d shed his mortal body and exchanged his bones. If he met the kind of third-grade masters like the third boss, he could squeeze them to death with only one hand, without any hope for the opponent to injured a single hair on his body.


    The green bull said: ¡°You finally entered the door of the dao.¡±


    Li Qingshan took the Stone Rending Bow and pulled it like the moon. The originally hard steel bow was now as soft as ordinary wooden bows.


    ¡°Beng Beng Beng,¡± Li Qingshan again and again pulled the bowstring, actually displaying the Pearl String Arrows technique with a three stones bow. Exploding sounds came from the bowstrings with this series of continuous arrows, as if the shaking sounds of the plucking string were cutting the air open.


    Li Qingshan felt he still had strength to spare and didn¡¯t stop. With a great roar, he fired arrows up and down, left and right, shooting once in every direction.


    Power, an unending stream of power, as if he could do anything as long as he wanted to, beat every enemies. This was finally the feeling of a supernatural power not belonging to any mortal martial art.


    Little An watched on the side with unlimited adoration. S?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Little An, time to go out of the mountains!¡± Li Qingshan grabbed up the porcelain jar and walked out of the mountains, not toward the Black Wind Camp, but to Suncheer City.


    The noises from the waterfall fell far away. The pool¡¯s waters surged once more, spinning again into whirlpools.


    The two words ¡°Suncheer City¡± were engraved over the tall gates. Li Qingshan looked up at them for a while. He had heard of this city ever since he was a child, but today was merely the first time he had come here.

 Chapter 43

    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t return to Crouching Bull Village. The small village was safe and sound at least for now. Neither did he go to Horse Rein Village. He didn¡¯t want to bring his own troubles to someone else. He didn¡¯t head to the Black Wind Camp either, even more so, even if he had a blood feud with the Black Wind Camp, and even if those Black Wind mountain bandits would probably move out once spring came and raze the small village that had birthed him.He laughed coldly in his heart. You see as an enemy, why wouldn¡¯t I treat you bunch as enemies. He was bound to kill his way inside the Black Mountain Camp, and take the head off from the Black Wind camp master of far-reaching fame. He couldn¡¯t give a clean death to this creature replete with vice. Only then could he feel happiness in his chest.


    He cultivated the supernatural skill so bitterly. Why, it was precisely to entirely kill off those hated bandits. But he still had to make some preparations before that.


    He didn¡¯t even have any casual weapon in his hands. It was too much of a disadvantage to fight empty-handed. Even lions used all their strength to capture rabbits, not to mention that the Black Wind¡¯s two hundred bandits weren¡¯t two hundred rabbits. Each and every of them had human blood on their hands and they were all extremely violent.


    Once he charged inside, it wouldn¡¯t be a fight between martial artists, but almost a battlefield melee. If he still carelessly underestimated them, then there would be a problem with his head.


    Suncheer City¡¯s ¡°Golden Spear Shop¡± was an extremely famous weapon shop. He planned on going there and have a look, but one had to spend money in order to buy weapons. Not only he was penniless right now, he didn¡¯t even have any decent clothes on him.


    His shabby and ragged garments exposed his chest, attracting sidelong glances from passersby. Clothing yourself like this in this kind of weather, aren¡¯t you afraid of freezing to death?


    Li Qingshan trained every day inside the deep pool, how would he feel this little chill.


    But no one treated him as a beggar, because on his face there was none of the self-abasement and vulgar spirit seen on penniless people. Instead, it was brimming with strong self-confidence, as if no matter what difficulty he encountered, he could solve them with his two hands.


    He watched all around as he walked on the streets, admiring this city filled with a classical flavor. He didn¡¯t try to conceal his own village hick status.


    A carriage suddenly sped along his way. The coachman brandished a whip and shouted loudly: ¡°Get lost! Get lost!¡± He proudly laughed out loud as he saw the pedestrians scramble out of the way.


    They were one and all filled with indignation as they watched the carriage move away, but no one dared to say anything. This was a carriage from the Zhang mansion, a great noble house in Suncheer City. Not mentioning driving pedestrians away, even if they ran over someone and killed them, it would still only be a matter of spending some money at most.


    The coachman suddenly saw a figure clothed in rags in front who didn¡¯t seem to be able to hear his voice, and didn¡¯t know to dodge. He cursed loudly: ¡°Scram away stinky beggar!¡± He didn¡¯t try to rein the horses in and just allowed the carriage to collide past.


    The passersby also shouted loudly ¡°careful.¡± They saw the carriage about to hit the beggar¡¯s body when the beggar suddenly flashed sideways and evaded it by a hair.


    The coachman didn¡¯t have any time to react yet when the carriage under him stopped abruptly. He flew out as if carried on a magic cloud like an immortal.


    The carriage¡¯s inside was even more of a mess. Sharp womanly screams rose.


    The two horses dragging the carriage rose on their rear hooves and let out long neighs. The carriage seemed to have been struck by magic and was nailed to the same place, unable to advance one bit despite its creaks and groans. The coachman rose up with a ¡°carp skip-up.¡± He was unexpectedly an expert, and he was about to open his mouth and throw out great curses, but then he saw the onlookers on both sides watch the rear of the carriage with big eyes and open mouths.


    Li Qingshan was grabbing the carriage frame in a single hand, his two feet stamping deep into the ground, not moving one step. He didn¡¯t move, so the horse carriage could naturally not move either.


    The coachman swallowed a mouthful of spit. What kind of power was this?


    A young man clothed in luxurious brocades and filled with the breath of alcohol from head to toes jumped out of the carriage: ¡°Lai Fu, what the hell are you doing!¡± He saw Lai Fu point at Li Qingshan and cursed: ¡°Stinky beggar, stay a bit farther from my carriage, if you touch it I¡¯ll have your hand cut off!¡± He was intoxicated and didn¡¯t see that Li Qingshan¡¯s hand was clutching his carriage right now.


    ¡°I¡¯m no beggar, I¡¯m called Li Qingshan.¡± Li Qingshan informed him of his name, about to teach a lesson to this skirt-chasing second generation and that grand domineering slave.


    ¡°What Li¡­Qingshan!¡± The young man¡¯s eyes were confused and filled with contempt. But after some thoughts, his tone suddenly changed, as if someone had squeezed his neck. He also woke up from his drunken stupor: ¡°It¡¯s¡­it¡¯s¡­that Li Qingshan¡­.¡±


    Li Qingshan felt weird and said: ¡°You know me!¡±


    The coachman howled in anguish: ¡°Noble son, it¡¯s¡­it¡¯s the Tiger Descending the Mountains!¡± His originally bright red face had suddenly turned pale white.


    ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains? What thing is that?¡± While Li Qingshan was frowning, brother noble son knelt down with a ¡°putong.¡± ¡°This noble son, no no no, this lowly self has caused much offenses, please young hero spare a life!¡± Then he untied the purse from his waist and proffered it in both hands: ¡°This money is the humble self¡¯s compensation to the young hero as an apology!¡±


    When had the onlookers seen the noble son of the Zhang family with such a servile attitude. They raised their eyebrows one and all, but when they heard the four words ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains,¡± the crowd¡¯s gaze on Li Qingshan immediately changed, admiration mixed with fear within.


    Li Qingshan weighed the purse. There was truly quite a bit of money inside, enough to buy him some decent clothes, eat his fill in the best restaurant and have a good sleep at the inn.


    However he couldn¡¯t make head nor tail of it. I wasn¡¯t even going to kill anyone, at most I¡¯d hit you with two punches real light. I don¡¯t even dare use too much strength, why are you so scared like this.


    He could instinctively feel that the reason the other side was so afraid of him wasn¡¯t because of his skills at stopping the horse carriage with one hand. But seeing the other¡¯s terrified attitude as if pee was going to flow on his ass, he also didn¡¯t have any interest in teaching them a lesson anymore. He took the purse and walked away.


    Seeing Li Qingshan leave in the distance, this brother noble son climbed up from the ground with soft feet, glancing at the mouth of the street while trembling in fear. That Li Qingshan was actually just in front of his eyes. This was indeed a frightening character who¡¯d killed several dozens of people. No matter how arrogant and despotic he was, he still didn¡¯t dare to stir up any trouble in front of this kind of man.


    His face flushed red at the onlookers¡¯ mocking smiles. He turned his face around and saw the coachman hiding at one side. His anger was big enough to give him big guts, and he kicked madly as he went forward. ¡°Eh, you still dare to hide, let¡¯s see you hide! Let¡¯s see you not drive the carriage carefully!¡± Although the coachman was pregnant with martial learning, he didn¡¯t dare even slant his body, and only begged for forgiveness in a low voice.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s heart was steadier as he carried the purse, although it had come a bit inexplicably. He suddenly remembered his top priorities, he had to inquire about the news and understand the changes in the Black Wind Camp. And there just happened to be an old fellow villager in Suncheer City, someone from the martial world to boot. He asked many people and arrived in front of the Iron Fist Gate.


    There were two big bald fellows in front of the gates, standing like two iron towers, their arms as thick as ordinary people¡¯s thighs crossed together, their bright eyes sweeping through the pedestrians passing by. Before even coming near the gate entrance, the passersby were already detouring far away, walking on the other side of the street. The Iron Fist Gate¡¯s prestige was obvious to see.


    Seeing a ¡°beggar¡± in ragged clothes come to the gate, one of the burly fellows rudely said: ¡°Get lost, this isn¡¯t the place for you to beg.¡±


    The other burly man stopped his companion. He examined Li Qingshan from head to toes and said with a mocking smile: ¡°Looks like you kid are also an expert, how did you degenerate into such an appearance!¡± He could see that Li Qingshan¡¯s physique was sturdy and he didn¡¯t fear the cold.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone. The two sirs please pass on the message, he¡¯s called Dragon Li, tell him I¡¯m an old fellow villager of his, called Li Qingshan!¡± S?a??h th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The two tall burly men were originally indifferent. They only became careful when they heard the two words ¡°Dragon Li,¡± after all this was the gate master¡¯s disciple. But their expressions greatly changed when they heard the two words ¡°Li Qingshan.¡±


    ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains Li Qingshan!¡±


    Li Qingshan understood only then that ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains¡± indicated himself. He complained in his heart: ¡°What kind of lame nickname is that!¡± Men of the martial world lacked culture, but he had no desire to be bunched together with those jackals wolves tigers and panthers.


    ¡°Atchoo!¡± Inside Horse Rein Village, Sick Yellow Tiger let out a giant sneeze.

 Chapter 44

    Little Black said: ¡°Chief hunter, your body!¡±¡°My body¡¯s cured, did the men from Black Wind Camp and Dragon Gate Sect leave yet?¡±


    ¡°They still refuse to retreat, they insist on meeting the village master.¡±


    ¡°Just tell them I¡¯m heavily sick and it¡¯s inconvenient for me to see them. If someone dares to charge in by force, no need to be polite, just shoot them dead!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger had his two hands over the stove. This cold really wasn¡¯t a weather to let out a cool cat.


    ¡°Chief Hunter Yellow has a big tone, will you also shoot this certain Yang to death?¡± A voice suddenly sounded from outside the door. The door broke into pieces and a fierce gale rushed inside. A middle-aged man with refined features and a longsword at his hips stood inside the doorway. His sharp eyes twinkled like shiny swords, not as mild as he looked on the surface.


    Sick Yellow Tiger didn¡¯t dare neglect him. He jumped up, hugged his fist and said ¡°Suzerain Yang, long time no see!¡±


    Inside a hundred miles, there was only one person who could be called a suzerain. The newcomer was precisely the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s suzerain, Yang Anzhi. His Dragon Gate Sword Art was renowned far and wide, while his movement technique was even more masterly. Based on merely martial arts, he could be called Suncheer¡¯s first.


    As long as sons from great families and clans in the vicinity wanted to learn martial arts, they¡¯d all send them to the Dragon Gate Sect. Those sons of gentry were all gathered together, so it was hard to avoid giving rise to arrogance and despotism. But at the same time it was an enormous influence. If one had to assess it, it would be the prime power of the righteous dao in Suncheer.


    Yang Anzhi observed Sick Yellow Tiger up and down: ¡°Your disease is indeed cured, no wonder you refused to meet even the elders from my sect. I¡¯m not going to waste any time, where¡¯s the spirit ginseng?¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any what spirit ginseng, is the suzerain bullying us humble men of Horse Rein Village?¡± Several dozen bows pointed at Yang Anzhi. All of the village¡¯s hunters had already reacted.


    Yang Anzhi said: ¡°If we added a Stone Rending Bow on top, perhaps you could truly make me stay behind forever. Why doesn¡¯t chief hunter Yellow give it a try.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger squinted his eyes: ¡°What¡¯s your meaning?¡±


    Yang Anzhi said: ¡°Camp master Xiong is just outside the door. Your Stone Rending Bow already killed his third boss, do you also want to provoke my sect at the same time?¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger laughed out loud in ridicule: ¡°The dignified leader of Suncheer¡¯s righteous way is unexpectedly mixing up together with the cruelest bandit gang leader, do you really not want any face anymore? Oh right, I forgot, there¡¯s not much differences between you, you both rely on strength to bully the weak and push honest folks around. If I were to evaluate things, it¡¯s still suzerain Yang who¡¯s better at making money!¡±


    Anger appeared on Yang Anzhi¡¯s face and his hand fell on his sword hilt, but the noise of bowstrings pulled taut all around stopped his movements. He threatened coldly: ¡°Perhaps chief hunter Yellow isn¡¯t afraid, but I wonder how many people of this village can survive if we were to truly go to war?¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten the spirit ginseng. No matter how ruthless suzerain Yang¡¯s words are, you still won¡¯t be able to take it back.¡±


    Yang Anzhi said: ¡°So the spirit ginseng is indeed in your hands. Cease your lies, the spirit ginseng isn¡¯t something that can be digested overnight. It¡¯s also not something you can hog to yourself, you¡¯ve already used it for so long, now hand it out. I¡¯ll remember your friendship, perhaps I can help you withstand the Black Wind Camp.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°If I say I ate it then I ate it. If you don¡¯t believe this chief hunter, don¡¯t hesitate to come and try to snatch it by force.¡±


    Bows were fully pulled, longswords were draw from their scabbards, and a great battle was on the verge of breaking out.


    Little Black suddenly said from the side: ¡°We haven¡¯t seen any what spirit ginseng. Our chief hunter¡¯s disease got better after drinking wine given by Li Qingshan, if you want to look for someone then go look for him!¡±


    Yang Anzhi¡¯s eyes brightened. Sick Yellow Tiger became infuriated and shouted: ¡°Shut your mouth!¡±


    Little Black said with a straight back: ¡°Chief hunter, he¡¯s only an outsider. He gave you spirit wine and also took the Stone Rending Bow away. We don¡¯t owe him anything, why should we protect him at the risk of our lives. I¡¯m also thinking of the village!¡±


    Yang Anzhi smiled: ¡°So it was like this. A certain Yang erroneously blamed brother Yellow. No wonder that kid¡¯s martial arts flew up by leaps and bounds like this. Then I¡¯ll leave it at that and say my goodbyes.¡± He operated his movement technique and fluttered away. If Li Qingshan were there at this moment, he would know that this man¡¯s movement technique was ten times more profound compared to his son Yang Jun or that group of disciples. S?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The hunters didn¡¯t receive any order and didn¡¯t dare casually let out their arrows. Yang Anzhi left a sentence from far away: ¡°Chief hunter Yellow¡¯s management indeed follows the right path, the children of the village already show concern for the larger picture.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s expression was even uglier. Any powerful leader needed absolute authority. As long as he made a decision, no matter right or wrong, he couldn¡¯t allow his subordinates to easily go against it.


    ¡°Li Qingshan is my life-saving benefactor. He took out the spiritual wine in spite of the dangers because he could have faith in me, otherwise no one would know he carries the spirit ginseng. What you did trapped me in injustice.¡±


    Little Black knelt down: ¡°Little Black is willing to receive death!¡±


    A group of hunters gathered around them and tried to persuade him: ¡°Chief hunter, Little Black was also doing it for the village!¡± ¡°So many days have gone by, who knows where Qingshan has escaped to, there¡¯s absolutely no need for us to resist so stiffly.¡±


    Li Qingshan watched the big burly man frantically scrambling away to report his presence, then his eyes fell on the sturdy man left in front of the gates who was trembling in trepidation. He mumbled to himself: ¡°Am I so frightening?¡±


    The tall fellow left behind only hated himself for being too slow and let his companion rush out first. As to the question about frightening or not, he didn¡¯t dare answer. He only knew that the young man in front of him had killed several dozen bandits with his own hands. Even more, he¡¯d obtained inside information and knew that he¡¯d tortured to death the third boss who had great fame in Suncheer. If this kind of man wasn¡¯t frightening, who was frightening?


    One was a hero of the martial world over thirty and a face full of viciousness. Any ordinary person would feel fear when they saw him. The other was a young man aged fifteen with a face that hadn¡¯t yet shed off all of its childishness, and not a single shred of ferociousness.But the former seeing the latter was like a mouse seeing a cat. It was really a little strange.


    Li Qingshan suddenly understood that his fame had already been established. Although it had started with this ¡°Tiger Descending the Montains¡± nickname that didn¡¯t sound really too great, it was still already enough to awe villains.


    In a short moment, Dragon Li came to welcome him outside the gates. His heart jumped without warning when he saw Li Qingshan, and his gaze didn¡¯t dare face Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes. He once again remembered the bloody scenes he¡¯d seen in the mountains some days ago, and a fear impossible to repress rose from his heart.


    He said with his face full of an unnatural smile: ¡°So it¡¯s.. it¡¯s Qingshan, our gate master sends you an invitation!¡±


    Li Qingshan followed him and crossed inside the gates, bypassing a screen wall with the word ¡°Martial¡± written on it. They went through the courtyard and came to the martial training field. He saw able-bodied fellows with their chests bared split into two rows as they lined up in welcome, but their expressions were all unkind.


    The Iron Fist gate master Liu Hong sat with a heroic posture on the great lion chair and said in a heavy tone: ¡°You are Tiger Descending the Mountains Li Qingshan?¡±


    Li Qingshan frowned, because of this attitude making an initial show of strength, and even more because of this Tiger Descending the Mountains nickname. If someone told him at this moment that he only needed to do in a certain someone to change to a better sounding nickname, he would definitely charge out and do that guy in with no hesitation.


    ¡°The gate master asked you something!¡± The fellow closest to Liu Hong shouted with a voice resembling a great bell. His body was covered in vigorous muscles and filled with tattoos, his temples slightly protruding out. He was obviously a master practicing both internal and outer martial arts in tandem.


    Li Qingshan estimated that this man¡¯s strength was above the third boss. No wonder he dared to talk to him like this. Since the Iron Fist Gate could proclaim itself heroes and tyrants inside Suncheer City, they also had some tricks to show off with.


    Dragon Li hurriedly said: ¡°Eldest brother quell your anger. Qingshan comes from the village and hasn¡¯t experienced the world.¡± Then he pulled on Li Qingshan¡¯s sleeve: ¡°Why aren¡¯t you greeting my master yet.¡±


    Li Qingshan casually arched his hands and said: ¡°Greetings to Old Hero Liu!¡± without much deference. Liu Hong frowned, while the Iron Fist Gate disciples on both sides all exposed angry expressions.


    Dragon Li silently blamed him for being insensible. You already offended the Black Wind Camp, the only way to settle things down is to invite master to take the lead and also have Horse Rein Village¡¯s Sick Yellow Tiger step in. Master is a grand second-grade master, isn¡¯t he worth showing some respect to?


    ¡°This is my sect¡¯s head apprentice brother, men of the rivers and lakes call him¡­¡± Li Qingshan waved his hand and interrupted: ¡°There¡¯s no need to remember the nicknames of small fries.¡± He wasn¡¯t one to be rude, but he would definitely not be polite if someone else showed him rudeness first.


    There was a delay in Dragon Li¡¯s voice. Eldest brother¡¯s face flushed bright red in an instant. The bones on his body exploded in crackling rumbles, aggressively threatening Li Qingshan.

 Chapter 45

    ¡°Eldest brother quell your anger, eldest brother quell your anger!¡± Dragon Li tried to stop his elder brother. The eldest apprentice brother grabbed his shoulders and threw him to the side like a little chicken, then waved his fist in a punch toward Li Qingshan.¡°Wang Lei stop!¡± At Liu Hong¡¯s shout, the eldest brother¡¯s fist steadily stopped in front of Li Qingshan¡¯s face. He said: ¡°Master, let me give a lesson to this kid who doesn¡¯t know the immensity of heaven and earth!¡±


    Li Qingshan was annoyed by this show: ¡°I originally came to ask you some things, but since you¡¯re all so busy I¡¯ll say goodbye first.¡± If you have words to say just say them, what¡¯s with all this posturing and showboating


    ¡°Kid, your little life won¡¯t last you long.¡±


    Li Qingshan indeed stopped his steps: ¡°Oh, what do you mean?¡±


    Liu Hong said: ¡°Men of the Black Wind Camp are all over the place looking for you. It wouldn¡¯t matter if you just hide carefully, but you still dare to expose your face in public, you¡¯ll die without a doubt.¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Then I ask your honored self for guidance. If we followed normal developments, how could I escape this calamity?¡±


    ¡°As long as you agree to join the Iron Fist Gate, this old man has ways of safeguarding your little life.¡± This was precisely Liu Hong¡¯s goal. The Iron Fist Gate was a faction and not a sect, it didn¡¯t require everyone in the faction to be a sect disciple. The strength and natural talent Li Qingshan displayed at such a young age were enough to tempt anyone from the martial world.


    But as an old hand of the rivers and lakes who¡¯d been famous for a long time already, Liu Hong would naturally not request Li Qingshan to join in earnest. So perhaps he needed to first make an initial show of strength and weaken Li Qingshan¡¯s aura and prestige, let him know the vastness of heaven and earth. After that he could persuade him with kind words and make him understand the bright prospects of joining the Iron Fist Gate, ultimately making him most willing to request his adhesion to the gate.


    But Li Qingshan¡¯s rudeness had also annoyed him: ¡°However, this old man has changed his mind now.¡± You really think that you¡¯re a grand figure now that you¡¯ve killed a few dozen trivial robbers and a Black Wind Camp boss?


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Then that¡¯s really for the best! If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    ¡°Stand still!¡± Liu Hong finally moved. He seemed ordinary when still, but once he moved he was like a wild lion hissing in anger. He crossed one step forward, and the next step already carried him in front of Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s hair stood up straight all over his body, as if he was being stared at by a ferocious wild beast. Instinctive vigilance rose inside him as he smiled lightly: ¡°A man of the rivers and lakes when all is said and done, just use violence when words don¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°Eat a fist from this old man!¡± Liu Hong originally wished to enlist Li Qingshan and didn¡¯t want to make an enemy out of him, but it was impossible not to give him a little lesson since a later generation dared to be so insolent with him. Maybe he believed that the Black Wind Camp¡¯s big boss Xiong Xiangwu and the third boss were the same grade of goods, and it was the only reason he dared to be so arrogant. In that case he could only let him experience the absolute difference between a second-grade master and a third-grade master.


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Liu Hong asked in a heavy voice: ¡°What, are you afraid now?¡±


    ¡°Master¡¯s power is divine!¡± The head apprentice Wang Lei shouted while lifting his fist. He watched Li Qingshan with a gaze filled with derision.


    The other sect members also followed suit and shouted loudly: ¡°The gate master¡¯s might is divine!¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°I once let Dragon Li throw three punches first!¡±


    Liu Hong squinted his eyes and revealed a dangerous killing aura: ¡°This is due to the lowly disciple¡¯s meager martial arts. What, you also want to let the old man send you three fists?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Before Liu Hong¡¯s expression could ease off, Li Qingshan already said on: ¡°Since you¡¯re an old man, I¡¯m thinking about letting you throw ten punches!¡±


    Utter shame and humiliation! Those were the only four words inside Liu Hong¡¯s heart. At this moment he seriously had killing in mind: ¡°Then let me come!¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°Old Hero Liu, you¡¯re also a character with longstanding fame in the martial world, I can¡¯t let you punch me for nothing!¡± Li Qingshan thought a little: ¡°Ten taels of silver for one punch, it¡¯s not too expensive right!¡± I have no grudge or hatred with you. If I fought with you, there wouldn¡¯t be any benefits for me even if I won, not even a single copper coin. It¡¯d only start a weird and inexplicable feud instead. It just happens I have no money for a weapon, so I have to think of ways to earn some in any case. Thinking back and forth about it, the only craft I have is still the supernatural skill.


    Those words thoroughly angered Liu Hong. This was simply mixing him together with the sideshow performers of the martial world. His anger was extreme but he laughed instead: ¡°Good good good, I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t have a life left to spend it!¡± S~?a??h the N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Dragon Li went forward to block in great hurry. He¡¯d seen with his own eyes Liu Hong crack open a stone stele with his pair of fists. If they fell on a human body, wouldn¡¯t they hit someone into flesh paste. ¡°Ma¡­¡±


    But it was already too late. ¡°Bang bang bang bang bang!¡± The punches were both fast and heavy like the gallop of an iron horse. Five punches landed upon Li Qingshan¡¯s body in the space of a moment. Dragon Li¡¯s ¡°ster¡± didn¡¯t have time to leave his mouth yet when the biting cold wind from the punches blew so near he could no longer keep his eyes open, to say nothing about going forward.


    The momentum of the fists came very fast and left just as fast. Everyone was still immersed inthe might of the five punches when Liu Hong dropped his hands down. He stood straight, sighing softly: ¡°Alas, today I once again broke my killing abstention.¡±


    Dragon Li stared with big eyes and an open mouth. The words ¡°please show mercy¡± couldn¡¯t leave his mouth anymore either. The eldest brother Wang Lei was the first one to react as he yelled: ¡°Master¡¯s might is divine!¡±


    ¡°Fifty taels!¡± Li Qingshan suddenly said. Liu Hong stared with full round eyes. He heard Li Qingshan utter a praise: ¡°Those are indeed heavy punches, I almost couldn¡¯t endure!¡±


    His expression was as usual, how was it like the face of someone who couldn¡¯t endure. It was more like an unscrupulous businessman trying to swindle his customers into spending more so he could earn more.


    The facts were also precisely like this. After cultivating to the strength of one bull, the ¡°Bull Demon Skin Refining¡± had also gone through an earthshaking change. The sensation the original ¡°Bull Demon Skin Refining¡± gave off was merely that of a strong outer martial art bitterly trained. Only now could it be said to manifest the genuine might of a supernatural skill.


    A layer of a tough and tenacious membrane had formed between his skin and flesh. When those punches heavy enough to crack a stone stele open had fallen upon his body, it was as if they were hitting rubber. The strength had been entirely defused, while the unsophisticated inner strength contained within the fists had been dispelled by the true qi when it penetrated inside his body. A second-grade master¡¯s fist was already unable to injure him.


    Without any effort he¡¯d earned fifty taels in one second. Even robbing the rich to help the poor wasn¡¯t so time-efficient! Moreover, before it came to the very last resort, he had no desire to do that kind of shady wall hugging and door climbing business.


    However, did this also count as flesh trade?


    The Iron Lion pounced with an explosive shout without leaving him much time to think. How many years had it been. He hadn¡¯t lost such an amount of face ever since returning to Suncheer City and enjoying his retirement. Moreover it was even in front of so many sect disciples.


    Heavy punches drowned Li Qingshan like stormy showers.


    ¡°Eighty taels, ninety taels, one hundred taels, eh, you still want to keep hitting! Three hundred taels, five hundred taels!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s voice went clearly through the storm, continuously provoking Liu Hong¡¯s nerves. The sect members had long ago been stunned into hanging their mouths open.


    At first Liu Hong was as vigorous as a dragon and as ferocious as a tiger, but he was at an advanced age after all and his physique had fallen . In not too much of a time he was grasping for breath, his sweat dripping like rain.


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t bear to watch and wanted to say: ¡°Grandpa, you can¡¯t break my defenses!¡± But thinking about his grand money-making plan, he could only resist those benevolent thoughts and allow him to keep hitting on.


    Liu Hong was being firmly repressed by Li Qingshan by just relying on the three words Iron Fist Gate. This wasn¡¯t to say that fists had entirely no way to match up to weapons. When it came to this kind of masters of the martial world, it was even easier to exploit internal strength through fists and break the enemy¡¯s internal organs in one blow.


    Combined with the concussive effects, it was very easy to send the enemy to the land of the dead as long as one occupied the upper hand in a battle of flesh against flesh. But unfortunately he had met with a freak like Li Qingshan. Liu Hong wasn¡¯t losing because his skills couldn¡¯t measure up, but losing because he trained in martial arts while the other side cultivated a divine skill.


    Liu Hong roughly gasped for air. Fist after fist pounded without strength on Li Qingshan¡¯s chest.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Should be enough now!¡± He gave Dragon Li a look.


    Dragon Li hurriedly supported Liu Hong to sit on the great lion chair. Liu Hong was still staring at Li Qingshan in disbelief: ¡°What¡­what martial art do you train in? Even for a second-grade master, no, it¡¯s impossible even for a first-grade master, impossible!¡±

 Chapter 46

    I¡¯m training a supernatural power that I just reached the beginner stage of. Of course Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t speak like that. He said respectfully: ¡°It¡¯s just a hard martial art made to take a beating. Right¡­ Just now Old Hero Liu you hit more than a hundred punches. I¡¯ll only charge a thousand taels and we¡¯ll call it quit.¡±His tone and words were much more polite than earlier, just as polite as a salesman who knew that the customer was king.


    The others were still sunken inside their amazement and were wondering whether they were dreaming, ¡°You¡­¡± The eldest brother was about to angrily rebuke Li Qingshan, but Li Qingshan¡¯s gaze swept his way and he instantly didn¡¯t dare to talk too much anymore. Instead he stared fiercely at Dragon Li, didn¡¯t you say he was a third-grade master?


    Dragon Li likewise felt wronged and couldn¡¯t speak. Back then Li Qingshan was truly a third-grade master, could he have concealed his strength? There was only this explanation left now. There was no way he¡¯d believe that Li Qingshan had stepped up to such a level thanks to his efforts during this period of time.


    Liu Hong waved his big hand, ¡°Go fetch the silver!¡±


    ¡°Master!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste time with your nonsense!¡±


    Liu Hong handed silver notes worth a thousand taels into Li Qingshan¡¯s hands: ¡°Earlier it was the old man who was rude, Li.. young hero Li please do not take offense, regard this money as the old man¡¯s apology.¡±


    Li Qingshan was stumped, he never thought that Liu Hong would change so fast. He was indeed worthy of being Dragon Li¡¯s master. He originally thought that he would fly into a rage out of shame.


    ¡°The young hero¡¯s outstanding disposition is truly excellent, your martial arts are exceptional. You¡¯ve been buried among wild weeds so far, isn¡¯t it a waste of talent. You might as well join my Iron Fist Gate, you absolutely won¡¯t be disappointed. As to that Black Wind Camp, it¡¯ll be enough if the old man helps you say a few words, I think that black bear will also give me some face. Since when did no one die walking through the martial world, could it be that only your bosses are allowed to kill people? As the saying goes, porcelain jars don¡¯t bump with earthen jars¡­¡±


    Liu Hong prattled on and on, his aggressive and domineering momentum swept away clean, instead resembling a doting elder worried about a later generation.


    The disciples never saw Liu Hong with such an attitude even if they thought hard about it. They all stared with big round eyes.


    Li Qingshan suddenly realized that his present status was equal to Liu Hong, maybe even a little higher. It was unlike earlier when he¡¯d just stepped inside the sect, with Liu Hong¡¯s eyes looking down on him. All of this was because he¡¯d displayed outstanding ¡°martial learning.¡±


    The other side became polite, so he returned the politeness, ¡°Just now it was this kid who was rude and offended Old Hero Liu. This money was only for jokes, please take it back!¡± He only took it inside his bosom after both went through a few rounds of concessions and politeness, finally relieved inside. s?a??h th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Many thanks for Old Hero Liu¡¯s good intentions. For the time being I have no plan of joining any faction. During this time I wasn¡¯t hiding but training my martial arts. I will excise this Black Wind Camp tumor with my own hands! This time I merely came to inquire about some information.¡±


    Liu Hong said: ¡°The Black Wind Camp has stood for so many years, how could it be so easy to uproot. The old man is confident he isn¡¯t that much weaker than that black bear, but I would only be rushing on the road to death if I tried to shake the Black Wind Camp by my lone self. Guerilla fighting isn¡¯t the same as martial contests where one faces another. It¡¯s impossible to keep up even if one possesses great vigor.¡±


    The struggles among the rivers and lakes weren¡¯t merely about comparing martial arts. They were also about influence. He acknowledged Li Qingshan¡¯s martial arts, but he was still a man without influence who¡¯d chosen to travel a solitary path.


    Li Qingshan lightly shook his head, ¡°I have my plans.¡±


    Liu Hong had no way to persuade him any further. He told him in details the changes happening in the martial world in Suncheer¡¯s vicinity during those few days, one by one.


    Li Qingshan heard about the Black Wind Camp going to make trouble for Horse Rein Village. ¡°Old Hero Liu, this one has a matter he wishes to request. Please spread the news as much as possible that this Li Qingshan is already inside Suncheer City and hasn¡¯t fled. He is absolutely not the type to weigh down others. He did things by himself and will shoulder them by himself.¡±


    ¡°Good, heroism indeed belongs to youth. The old man has faith that you fear no one in Suncheer City.¡± Liu Hong said: ¡°Also, the Dragon Gate Sect sent many people to Horse Rein Village to meet chief hunter Yellow face to face, I don¡¯t know what they want to do?¡±


    Li Qingshan thoughts revolved, then he realized it was about the spirit ginseng. But he couldn¡¯t repress a cold smile when he remembered that he still had some old debts to settle with that young master of the Dragon Gate Sect: ¡°Many thanks to the Old Hero for mentioning this point. This one still has some matters waiting for him and will be taking his leaves first.¡±


    Liu Hong sent Dragon Li to accompany Li Qingshan out of the gates. His expression suddenly changed, and he broke a wooden pile inside the martial training field into pieces with one punch, ¡°Don¡¯t blame the old man¡¯s fist for lacking in sentiments if anyone dares to spread out today¡¯s matter!¡±


    Eldest brother Wang Lei shouted a ¡°Master!¡± but didn¡¯t say anything further.


    Liu Hong saw that the other disciples also had faces filled with grievance and indignation. Liu Hong had switched from arrogance to deference, and the sect disciples all felt they had no face left.


    Liu Hong sighed: ¡°Are you thinking that this master showed an excessive attitude of flattering the mighty? This thing indeed started with our own rudeness first.¡±


    ¡°But¡­ Those weren¡¯t your own personal disciples¡­¡±


    ¡°If he were a mere third-grade master, then right then he would have been arrogant and rude, and this old man wouldn¡¯t have been in the wrong even if I killed him But he isn¡¯t. It is us who judged him wrong. Facing a second-grade master or even higher, it was our rudeness and offense to adopt such an attitude. The fights to the death that have been caused by such things in the martial world are too many too count.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this kind of struggle to the death very stupid. In the martial world, the strong ones are supreme. The old man couldn¡¯t have survived until now without understanding this principle. You stayed too comfortable inside Suncheer City. Even if there¡¯s a master passing by, this old man would come out to put things in order and protect you. Hence you don¡¯t even understand such simple reasoning.¡±


    If Li Qingshan were present at this moment, he would surely raise his head to the sky and laugh out loud. So it turned out that weakness was the same as lacking courtesy. Not only lacking courtesy, but also lacking reason, lacking power. Compared with clearly dividing everything in the world in rights and wrongs, it was still this criteria that was much more simple and practical.


    But this was precisely the logic of an old hand from the martial world who never despised others because of his seniority and admitted defeat when one needed to admit defeat. And it was precisely this set of logic that ensured he could spend his later years in peace.


    The disciples lowered their heads one and all, receiving the lecture. They once again thought about the reason Li Qingshan had become famous. With such powerful martial arts and such ruthless methods, no one would dare say they could walk out of this yard if they¡¯d truly fallen out and become hostile.


    Liu Hong nodded in satisfaction. He¡¯d preserved his dignity among the sect members. Finally he concluded: ¡°Among the rivers and lakes, no matter how high one¡¯s martial arts, one can¡¯t walk far by running blindly rampant relying only on strength. Someone¡¯s out of luck this time.¡± His words were very deep, but no one knew if he was talking about the Black Wind Camp or Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan ran directly to the Golden Spear Shop with Dragon Li¡¯s guidance. With silver in hand, he was also full of confidence as he crossed inside the doors: ¡°Boss, I want to see your weapons!¡±


    The shopkeeper was plump and white, about forty years old and a face full of shrewdness. He took a look at Li Qingshan, then saw Dragon Li, and his expression immediately became much more welcoming. He put down the ledger and cupped his hands, saying: ¡°So it turns to be the Iron Fist Gate¡¯s young hero Li bringing a friend to look at some weapons. There¡¯s only substandard goods outside, come come come, please come inside!¡±


    When one opened shop to do business, it was impossible not to go along and have any dealings with a local tyrant like the Iron Fist Gate. Dragon Li could also amount to a little fame in the streets of Suncheer City, and any shopkeeper would show some courtesy when they saw him.


    All kinds of weapons fell into their eyes when they stepped into the hall. What sabers swords spears halberds hatchets battle axes hooks or pitchforks, everything one could think of was there. It was indeed worthy of a great weapon shop.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know which weapon this young hero is expert with, is it the saber or the sword? Here we have top-notch hundred folded blades and hundred folded swords available in every size. If you¡¯re still not satisfied, you can have one especially custom-made.¡± The shopkeeper introduced them to his wares while ordering someone to take out the first-rate blades and swords at the same time. Each of them were unusually exquisite and twinkled with radiant rays.


    There was no male who wasn¡¯t fond of weapons. Li Qingshan was likewise delighted and eager to give them a try. Those weren¡¯t decorations but genuine polished sharp weapons made to kill men. He weighed this and held that, shaking his head in the end: ¡°Do you have a weapon that¡¯s a bit heavier?¡±

 Chapter 47

    The shopkeeper was surprised for a second. Looks like you¡¯re also a warrior from the martial world, why don¡¯t you pick a weapon you¡¯re proficient at instead of looking for something heavy. But he immediately smiled: ¡°I have I have I have!¡± Whatever your requirements, it¡¯s all good as long as I can make a sale.This was something Li Qingshan had carefully planned out. It would really become a close-quarter battlefield melee if he wanted to break the Black Wind Camp. If he wanted to unleash his own strength to the limit, he could only use the heaviest weapon with the greatest reach, then use that weapon to suppress the enemy¡¯s superior numbers.


    A shop assistant full of robust vitality carried out a great ghost-headed saber1. The shopkeeper said: ¡°This blade weighs thirty five pounds, it¡¯s five feet four inches long. You could cut off a hair by blowing it on the blade. Is the young hero satisfied?¡±


    Li Qingshan grabbed the handle. He tried a couple moves, the blade glinting with cold light as it flashed by. The great ghost-headed blade was light as a goose feather in his hand: ¡°Too light, a bit heavier.¡±


    The shop assistant looked on speechless. Just how much strength was that.


    Two assistants carried out a great green dragon halberd. The shopkeeper said: ¡°This halberd weighs in at sixty two pounds. It¡¯s eight feet and eight inches long. Look at this crescent tooth blade, no one but an experienced blacksmith with consummate craftsmanship could hammer it out.¡±


    Li Qingshan flicked the halberd tip: ¡°This isn¡¯t bad, only it¡¯s too easy to break. Also, do you really not have any heavier weapons?¡± He still remembered the scene were the tip had broken and flown out as soon as he¡¯d waved the halberd around.


    Of course, the reason was mostly because he didn¡¯t understand the art of the halberd and had been using it recklessly, but what he was going to face wasn¡¯t a mere enemy or two.


    The shopkeeper stared. He looked at Dragon Li¡¯s face, and didn¡¯t refute the three words ¡°easy to break,¡± while thinking: ¡°Just how do you use your weapons?¡± He was of a mind to embarrass Li Qingshan as he waved his hand and said: ¡°Then please come with me to the weapon storehouse, there¡¯s a weapon you¡¯ll certainly be satisfied with.¡±


    Li Qingshan also became curious and followed the shopkeeper to the rear yard. They went past the weapon tryout martial field and came to the warehouse. The myriad of weapons inside delighted the eyes like glittering jewels, but the most eye-catching among them was a great black iron spear.


    The spear seemed to have been forged out of pure iron, the spear tip and the spear¡¯s body seamlessly merging into one. There wasn¡¯t even a spear tassel2 on it, only a tiger head swallowing the spear tip engraved where the shaft joined the blade, radiating a wild and bold domineering aura.


    ¡°This spear is called the Tyrant Spear. It¡¯s twelve feet long and weighs a hundred and forty two pounds. It¡¯s this shop¡¯s heaviest weapon. If the young hero wants to buy it, it also comes with a set of Tyrant Spear Art.¡±


    ¡°Good, it¡¯ll be this one!¡± Li Qingshan walked forward and lifted the Tyrant Spear. A heavy and icy cold sensation pressed down on his palms. With a shake, the spear produced a humming cry like a soaring jiao3.


    The shopkeeper and his assistants were all rendered speechless. It was one thing to be able to lift it and another thing to be able to use it. It would have merely attracted a few mocking laughs if he couldn¡¯t even walk one step after lifting the weapon, but to be able to make the great spear quiver meant that the user¡¯s strength could subdue this spear. How great of a strength was that!


    This was precisely the most fitting weapon in Li Qingshan¡¯s mind. With this weapon he could give the Black Wind mountain bandits a pleasant surprise and let them experience what was called ¡°an inch longer is an inch stronger4.¡±


    However he knew nothing about the art of the spear, so he asked: ¡°Where¡¯s the spear technique?¡±


    The shopkeeper said: ¡°Is the young hero determined to buy it, this weapon isn¡¯t cheap. Not even mentioning about the artisan¡¯s efforts, just talking about this much iron¡­¡±


    Dragon Li said: ¡°Don¡¯t tell us so much nonsense, how much is it. Spit it out, how much do you dare ask for it?¡±


    The shopkeeper extended five fingers: ¡°Since young hero Li says this, I¡¯ll only earn back my capital, five hundred taels.¡±


    Dragon Li immediately berated him: ¡°What, five hundred taels, you¡¯ve gone money-mad. Apart from my brother, who else can carry and use this black iron stick. It can only stay here and gather dust. The way I see it, it¡¯s not even worth a hundred taels.¡±


    Li Qingshan searched around the the weapon storehouse while the two of them bargained back and forth through a battle of tongue swords. A point of light attracted his attention. Inside the dark storehouse, that faint glitter of light was very striking, as if it was unwilling to be buried under the dust.


    Li Qingshan looked around left and right. He noticed that no one else seemed to have seen this little light and realized that it was because his own eyes were different from those of ordinary people. He pretended to he casually go forward to a weapon rack, then held up a wooden box.


    He opened the wooden box and saw a small dainty knife lying inside. It was only four inches long and shrouded in a layer of pale blue light. He asked: ¡°Shopkeeper, how are you selling this?¡±


    The shopkeeper froze an instant: ¡°Young hero, you really have sharp eyes, this is my shop¡¯s most treasured item. A famous family¡¯s descendant fallen on hard times left this knife here. It¡¯s extremely sharp. I only bought it after spending one, two hundred taels of silver.¡±


    Li Qingshan ¡°carelessly¡± put the little knife back into the box, saying to no on in particular: ¡°Too bad it¡¯s so small.¡±


    ¡°Those words are mistaken. It¡¯s precisely because this small knife is small and light that it can be hidden and left for self-defense at a critical moment!¡±


    Dragon Li said: ¡°You¡¯re still making up random things. Whatever we pick up ends up being your shop¡¯s treasure. We¡¯ll just take the little knife as extra and I won¡¯t haggle with you over this bit of silver.¡±


    ¡°How could this be!¡± The shopkeeper cried in alarm as if someone had stabbed him through with a knife.


    In the end, the knife was sold off together with the spear, one big and one small. The price was set to four hundred taels.


    The shopkeeper handed them the items with an expression of suffering. But he was delighted in his heart, he finally sold out those two waste items. Not need to talk about that Tyrant Spear, no one could use it after it was forged and it ended up being wasted iron, but it would still have been too much of a pity to recast it. He¡¯d cursed the blacksmith until his spit flew out because of this spear.


    As to that small knife, its origin was actually just as he said. A young man in dire straits had come to his door and was sent off with ten taels of silver. But he¡¯d regretted it very fast. The knife was indeed a good knife that could cut through metal as if it were butter, but it was really too short. Would people actually buy it for several dozen taels and use it as a throwing knife?


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t understand the art of the spear, and that was quickly sent into his hands. As expected, it was the most ordinary and the most generic of spear techniques in the martial world, but they actually gave very domineering names to the moves inside, what Sweep Through Thousand Soldiers or Tyrannical Barrier.


    Dragon Li only took a glance at it before he stopped reading.


    Li Qingshan actually read it once from beginning to end and carefully pondered it over. He went to the martial practice field and started to practice it, move after form.


    The art of the spear was originally harder to train in than blade techniques. But cultivating to the strength of one bull hadn¡¯t been merely a simple matter of increasing his strength. He¡¯d also gained a deeper comprehension about the control of strength and even the theories between martial arts.


    Weapons were but an extension of the limbs!


    Li Qingshan¡¯s weapon dance was very slow at first, but it became faster and faster soon after. A great spear danced like the wild rush of a black dragon, weaving around Li Qingshan¡¯s body as it overflowed wantonly all over the martial field.


    Dragon Li kept retreating back, fully moving several dozen steps away. He was so astonished by the power of this spear that he was unable to say anything. It was truly as if a brave unrivaled general were resisting a thousand men and horses on the battlefield with his own strength.


    The spearhead pointed forward, a cold light shot out in every direction. The scent of blood splattered all around amidst the cries of ghosts and the howls of gods. He hadn¡¯t heard the words Liu Hong had said after they left, but he could still understand why his master had become respectful with Li Qingshan. He already had this stunning martial learning at such a young age, able to grasp a comprehensive mastery after looking over the spear manual once. Together with his incomparably ruthless methods, this kind of person would certainly become a figure with resounding fame through the rivers and lakes in the future, as long as he didn¡¯t prematurely die mid-way. His prospects lay far over a second-grade master. Perhaps he could truly comprehend the innate level and reach a realm he couldn¡¯t begin to imagine.


    He¡¯d only heard about that kind of characters from his master and he¡¯d never seen one. This Suncheer City wasn¡¯t a place worth stopping over for this kind of figure. But dimly, it was as if he were witnessing the rise of such a person.


    1. A heavy blade/saber/dao with traditionally a ghost head engraved in the hilt or handle.


    2. Usually a red tassel often found on Chinese spears where the blade joins the shaft, presumable to distract and confuse the enemy¡¯s vision when it waves around.


    3. A creature from Chinese mythology. Mostly a hornless aquatic (Chinese) dragon. But sometimes it can even mean a alligator-like creature or a human with a serpent tail.


    4. Saying from martial arts, meaning that range is power.


    S?a?ch* Th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 48

    Li Qingshan would surely boast about his great insight if he knew what he was thinking inside. He was precisely a bona fide innate master. It was only that this didn¡¯t put emphasis on cultivating qi, and the time he¡¯d trained in it was short, so he had absolutely no way of showing it off.His thoughts were entirely submerged into the art of the spear. As his spirit rose, his wrists shook, shaking seven spear patterns as if fresh flowers were in full bloom, bedazzling with their glitter as they surged through the air with ¡°peng peng¡± sounds.


    Li Qingshan suddenly took the spear back, the wild winds following thereafter, stretching the muscles all over his body: ¡°So delightful!¡±


    He still couldn¡¯t amount to a master of the dao of the spear. After all, no matter how great his comprehension and how profound his supernatural skill, it was still hard to compare to genuine masters who¡¯d been immersed for decades or even a lifetime in the ways of the spear.


    But no master of the spear would be his opponent. As soon as weapons collided, with the hundred and forty two pounds of the Tyrant Spear added to his strength of one bull, any weapon would be struck flying out. It would be a slight injury if it resulted in some mere torn skin between the thumb and the index. Broken hand bones or even broken arm bones were possible.


    This was the reason he had to find a heavy weapon. It was the so called ¡°one strongman could subdue ten martial artists1.¡± s?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan was still not satisfied after testing out the spear: ¡°Shopkeeper, I still need two things. One¡¯s a batch of feather arrows, the other¡¯s a suit of armor. It looks like you don¡¯t have either of those here.¡±


    He was already determined to exploit his advantages to the utter limit. Although his Bull Demon Skin Refining could block a second-grade master¡¯s fist, and even an ordinary man¡¯s sword, it was probably still not enough to stop a third-grade master with his internal strength poured into his weapon. Blunt devices and sharp weapons were two quite different things to begin with.


    With his strength, he wouldn¡¯t be much burdened even if he put on an armor several dozen pounds heavy, but his defensive power would be greatly increased. He would be even less afraid of the opposite side¡¯s superior numbers when the time came to charge into the bandit lair.


    The shopkeeper said with some difficulty: ¡°Those are all military appliances and not ordinary weapons, they usually don¡¯t allow those to be sold off casually. You can probably only find them inside the city¡¯s arsenal.¡±


    Actually this wasn¡¯t the main reason. The majority of his customers were men of the martial world. When did you ever see someone walk through the rivers and lakes wearing a bulky armor. And even fewer men of the martial world used a bow as their weapon. Otherwise, with a merchant¡¯s unscrupulousness and the Golden Spear Shop¡¯s strong backing, what would he be afraid of selling as long as there was profit to be made.


    Li Qingshan nodded: ¡°Well then, let¡¯s leave it at that.¡±


    The shopkeeper said: ¡°Wait, I still don¡¯t know the young hero¡¯s famed name? How did we never meet before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m called Li Qingshan. It¡¯s the first time I come to Suncheer, so of course you¡¯ve never seen me.¡±


    ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains Li Qingshan!¡± The shopkeeper was astonished. How would he be unaware of the figure who¡¯d recently stirred up things abuzz.


    Li Qingshan raised his eyebrows, determined it absolutely wouldn¡¯t do if he couldn¡¯t change this nickname. He went to a silk shop and purchased a set of good clothes for himself, then ordered a room in the city¡¯s best inn.


    Li Qingshan washed his face and rinsed his mouth, then changed into his new clothes. By the time he came out, Dragon Li also said a ¡°good!¡± in praise.


    He¡¯d changed into navy blue warrior garments, outlining the outstanding shape of his body with its thick back and fine waist. He had an extraordinary martial appearance, which wasn¡¯t only due to the clothing. He was imposing and high-spirited after experiencing slaughter and painstaking training, like the sharp cutting edge slowly sharpened out of a treasure sword.


    His tanned face still couldn¡¯t be called very handsome, but its sharp edges were distinct just as carved stone, and when he looked around there really was a little of his nickname¡¯s flavor, a tiger descending from the mountains. He had an awe-inspiring presence that wasn¡¯t easily scorned by others.


    Two bailiffs suddenly came in front of the door at this time. They hurriedly saluted when they saw Li Qingshan, their eyes not daring to look straight at him, entirely unlike their usual arrogant demeanor when facing ordinary people: ¡°Pardon us, may we ask whether you are young hero Li. Our lord county magistrate requests the pleasure of meeting you. Horses and carriage have already been prepared.¡±


    Li Qingshan blinked, unsure why the county magistrate was calling for him. Could it be they wanted to reward him for the merit of killing bandits. He immediately agreed. The county magistrate had the duty of providing security for the populace and remove the bandits. If he could send a few men, Li Qingshan would be even more confident.


    Li Qingshan left Dragon Li in charge of the Tyrant Spear and followed the bailiffs to the county government offices. A fat silhouette came out and welcomed him. He grasped Li Qingshan¡¯s hand while observing up and down, peeking left and right, his face full of admiration and fondness.


    Li Qingshan pulled his hand away with a wary face: ¡°For what reason is my lord looking for me?¡±


    ¡°Little benefactor, did you forget about me? That day on the mountains, the tiger!¡±


    Li Qingshan suddenly remembered: ¡°So it turns out to be you!¡±


    ¡°This official is Ye Dachuan. I¡¯ve looked for little benefactor for a long while, please quickly come in!¡± Ye Dachuan welcomed Li Qingshan to the hall on the back of the government office, then his expression suddenly changed, ¡°Why are you still idly strolling in this city, hurry to escape!¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Why would I escape?¡±


    The adviser said: ¡°Do you really not know good from bad? The men from the Black Wind Camp are searching through the whole world for you. You don¡¯t conceal your tracks and still publicly expose your face in Suncheer City. People will come as soon as tomorrow to take away your life.¡±


    So saying he stuffed a bundle filled with silver and goods inside his hands: ¡°We¡¯ve already prepared a post horse outside, you immediately hurry to the Clear River capital, don¡¯t tarry on the way. There¡¯s a letter inside, go to the prefectorial government offices and hand it to my lord county magistrate¡¯s¡­ ouch!¡±


    Ye Dachuan kicked the adviser: ¡°That¡¯s something I was going to say ¨C I¡¯ll let my sister blow into the lord prefect¡¯s ear and guarantee riches and future prospects for you. No matter how fierce the men from the Black Wind Camp, they won¡¯t be able to chase you there.¡± Then he heaved a deep sigh: ¡°Originally I wanted to make you stay here and become a constable, so you could lend a hand to this official and earn us some more silver for suppressing bandits. Cough cough. The reinforcements this official requested still haven¡¯t come, were they delayed on the way? This place is really too remote.¡±


    The adviser thought: The lord prefect is itching to see you die a clean death, how would he send over men to you!


    Li Qingshan originally felt that the situation was funny. Ye Dachuan wore a great crimson official robe over his short and fat body, his appearance just like one of those wretched officials from novels and operas. When it came to this kind of role, they were at best mediocre, and if a bit worse they¡¯d be bullying the honest folks.


    But he felt moved seeing him arrange future prospects for himself with a face filled with such earnestness. No matter how many petty villains and sycophants there were in this world, there were still men who planned on repaying favors bestowed upon them.


    When he¡¯d first come down from the mountains, his head was filled with thoughts about how pull out the Black Wind Camp down to their roots and exterminate them to the last one. Then he wanted to settle the hatred from the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s young master¡¯s insults. His thoughts took shape on his face and his whole person radiated bloodthirstiness. After so long, the cruel and murderous side of his nature had inevitably occupied the higher grounds.


    But Dragon Li had constantly tried to help him based on the friendship of fellows from the same village, while Ye Dachuan sincerely tried to repay his life-saving grace. None of those two could be said to be righteous gentlemen. They were both commonplace members of the mass of people. But it was precisely those people who let him see that human nature wasn¡¯t limited to its sole vile side.


    Li Qingshan arched his hands and said: ¡°Many thanks to lord Ye¡¯s affections. There¡¯s no need to call me benefactor or anything, calling me Qingshan will suffice. However, I didn¡¯t come back this time to flee!¡±


    ¡°Not fleeing?¡± Ye Dachuan angrily said: ¡°Kid, you don¡¯t know the immensity of heaven and earth. Do you know much danger this daddy is risking by letting you come into the government office?¡±


    The adviser also tried to persuade him: ¡°That¡¯s right, you quickly escape!¡±


    Li Qingshan said with a smile: ¡°I can run, but Crouching Bull Village can¡¯t run. Moreover, isn¡¯t Lord Ye also also unable to run? This one naturally has some self-confidence since he dares to stay here.¡± He opened the bundle. He saw some silver ingots inside and casually squeezed them.


    Ye Dachuan and the adviser stared with round eyes as they watched the silver spill out from the Li Qingshan¡¯s hand like mud. They weren¡¯t men of the martial world, so where would they have seen such martial arts. Their evaluation of Li Qingshan immediately rose another level.


    Ye Dachuan said with some hesitation: ¡°With this kind of martial arts, maybe you can truly be safe and sound as long as you stay within Suncheer City. I¡¯ll introduce you to some people, let those Black Wind mountain bandits not dare to fight their way inside the city.¡± He was very willing to have Li Qingshan stay behind. When the time comes, he¡¯d send Li Qingshan to spank whichever noble dared to disregard him, and he¡¯d be able to conscript any silver he wanted.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°My lord said to let me be a constable?¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes!¡± Ye Dachuan brows raised in a delighted beam. He¡¯d already begun to fantasize about the imposing prestige of his tyrannical imperiousness as he led Li Qingshan around.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Then I humbly request the lord to summon soldiers and open the arsenal. I wish to attack and seize the Black Wind Camp, kill off the greatest scourge of Suncheer for my lord¡¯s sake.¡±


    1. Meaning any trick is useless in front of raw powe

 Chapter 49

    Ye Dachuan was stupefied by his ambition. He¡¯d only been thinking about how to preserve Li Qingshan¡¯s life under the Black Wind Camp¡¯s threat. It would have been best if he could make use of him. But he never thought about going on the offensive and provoke the Black Wind Camp. He wanted to urge him not to get carried away with his wishful thinking. I¡¯m not taking the money to suppress bandits, it¡¯s to stuff up my pockets. When the times comes we¡¯ll scare off those nobles a bit and collect their money. Everyone will get their share, how nice is that.But he saw the firmness of Li Qingshan¡¯s gaze. Even though his face still hadn¡¯t shed off all of its childishness, it was filled with self-confident and high-spirited vigor. His words of exhortation died in his mouth. There was a power about this young man that could move human hearts.


    There was a long struggle and hesitation on Ye Dachuan¡¯s face, then he suddenly slapped the table and said: ¡°Good! If you truly have this self-confidence, this official will accompany you in this gamble!¡±


    The adviser rushed forward. ¡°My lord, you can¡¯t! Those peoples from those places can¡¯t be provoked.¡±


    Ye Dachuan said: ¡°Move aside. This lord also has bravery in his heart. What can¡¯t be provoked, I just happen to want to provoke them!¡± Hot blood had rushed to his face, but his brain was operating at high speed. Li Qingshan had killed twenty or thirty Black Wind Camp people by himself on top of a boss. The Black Wind Camp still had probably around two hundred men, meaning ten times more. Could it be that I¡¯m unable of gathering a hundred and sixty or seventy soldiers?


    One had to say, the calculations of the great lord Ye who¡¯d never mixed with the martial world and never waged war were considerably naive, but once someone started fantasizing they truly didn¡¯t take much else into consideration.


    If he could exterminate the Black Wind Camp, he wanted to see who would still dare to say he was an idiot who rose to position networking through skirts. See who still dared not to pay him their money. And if he let his sister blow some wind into his sails on the pillows, who knew if he couldn¡¯t even get a promotion and leave this damned place. Moreover, the most important thing was, the Black Wind Camp should certainly have had quite a bit of treasury after looting the local area for so many years. Could be as much as five thousand, no, ten thousand taels of silver.


    Lord Ye couldn¡¯t even maintain his hot-blooded appearance as he thought of the shining white silver piled into mountains. Drool almost flowed out of his mouth.


    At dusk, the most luxurious restaurant in Suncheer City, Suncheer House, was resplendent with light. A dozen banquet tables were set, so luxurious it was painful for Ye Dachuan. Each and every of the wealthy and noble characters of Suncheer City were invited.


    Ye Dachuan acted in line with the principle of nothing ventured, nothing gained. He¡¯d painfully shed off capital painstakingly earned with his blood and tears. Of course, the most important reason was that the restaurant¡¯s owner¡¯s smile wouldn¡¯t change no matter how he tried to persuade him, but no matter what he wouldn¡¯t let lord Ye buy on credit.


    That was why his expression wasn¡¯t too great as he sat down on the main seat. Li Qingshan stood at his side just like a bodyguard, willingly acting as a foil. He saw lord Ye¡¯s ugly expression and smiled as he said: ¡°There¡¯s no need for my lord to be distressed about silver, didn¡¯t I pay it off already?¡±


    It turned out that lord Ye couldn¡¯t take out so much silver in the end, and it was still Li Qingshan who¡¯d paid the money. He wasn¡¯t a narrow-minded person. He was far much easier to talk to than ordinary people as long as one was willing to treat him with respect in good faith. He had a heroic spirit that esteemed feelings and was indifferent to wealth.


    But if someone adopted a high and mighty posture, trying to establish any initial show of strength to beat him into submission, then please humbly forgive him for not being so good-tempered.


    Ye Dachuan muttered: ¡°Waiting until I collect silver, I¡¯ll certainly pay you back!¡± This county magistracy of his had such a lack of face, this powerful subordinate was probably mocking him.


    Li Qingshan waved his hand and said: ¡°The lord is also doing it to help me. No need to raise the matter of the silver again.¡±


    The adviser welcomed noble personages one after another downstairs. The wooden stairs sounded with incessant ¡°dong dong dong.¡± Everyone offered salutations to Ye Dachuan when the walked up, greeting as him if very respectful: ¡°Lord Ye.¡± Then they took a deep glance at Li Qingshan and said with arched hands: ¡°This one must be the Tiger Descending the Mountains who felled numerous bandits with his own hands. Your fame is like thunder in my ears, like thunder in my ears!¡±


    They were all well-informed people and clearly knew who was today¡¯s genuine protagonist. It was certainly not this Ye Dachuan without any foundation or means, but this young man who¡¯d killed off several dozen mountain bandits.


    They didn¡¯t fear Ye Dachuan. They were even unafraid of Li Qingshan, but the combined strength and fame of those two people made them feel ill at ease. They probably couldn¡¯t continue to gloss over the county magistrate like before.


    Heavy footsteps stamped upstairs. They didn¡¯t have time to react yet that they heard the adviser downstairs yell at the top of his lungs: ¡°Iron Fist Gate¡¯s Old Hero Liu has arrived.¡± Everyone¡¯s eyes were concentrated at the mouth of the stairs, and many people even stood up. This level of respect was far from what an empty shell of a county magistrate like Ye Dachuan could match.


    The Iron Lion Liu Hong walked upstairs as he led his two disciples Dragon Li and Wang Lei, looking indeed inordinately proud. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The gentry surrounded them one after another. They kept calling out ¡°Old Hero Liu,¡± ¡°Old brother Liu¡± depending on their respective age and status. Even the two disciples beside him obtained countless words of praise.


    Quite a few nobles glanced over at Li Qingshan while talking, as if to say: ¡°We know the Iron Fist gate master. Even if you¡¯re tough and fierce you still can¡¯t act recklessly!¡± In their eyes, even if Li Qingshan was strong, there was still a great difference compared with a character of the martial world with a long-established fame like Liu Hong. This was precisely what they were counting on.


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t expected Liu Hong to be also included in the figures Ye Dachuan wanted to introduce him to. But thinking about it, he realized that the leading characters of Suncheer City would have organized a greeting ceremony for Ye Dachuan, even if they didn¡¯t take this county magistrate seriously. Otherwise, wouldn¡¯t it amount to not putting the lord prefect into their eyes. Hence the greatest local tyrants of Suncheer would certainly not be missing at such a venue.


    Li Qingshan saw Ye Dachuan expose an awkward expression and hesitate about whether he should stand up, so he put his hand on his shoulder and let him stay seated.


    A scene that made the crowd astonished emerged at this moment. Liu Hong left the crowd and walked in front of Li Qingshan, saying with a smile: ¡°Young hero Li, we meet again.¡± The mild attitude made them doubt whether this was the Iron Lion Liu Hong they knew.


    Wang Lei also offered an awkward greeting, not daring anymore to be rash with this young man


    many years younger than him.


    Ye Dachuan was about to help Li Qingshan make the introductions, and was also shocked when he saw this scene: ¡°You know each other?¡±


    Liu Hong patted Dragon Li¡¯s shoulder: ¡°He¡¯s from the same village as my youngest disciple and they¡¯ve been familiar with each other since they were young. It¡¯s also Dragon Li who led him to purchase clothes today when he came to Suncheer.¡± He¡¯d seen Li Qingshan at first glance as soon as he stepped upstairs and seen him wearing navy blue warrior garments. He stood beside the windows with his hands behind his back, lofty as a lone pine on a cliff, looking like a crane amidst a flock of chicken that attracted everyone¡¯s attention.


    Although he felt some animosity toward Li Qingshan in his inner self, he still couldn¡¯t refrain his eyes from shining bright as he praised: ¡°What a valiant young man.¡± Heroes of the rivers and lakes weren¡¯t extremely fond of men with excessively handsome features. On the contrary, this appearance of Li Qingshan¡¯s could count as a gold standard in his eyes.


    Dragon Li could already be said to be someone with outstanding aptitude. He¡¯d taken a fancy to him and received him as his adored last disciple. But compared with this Li Qingshan, it was like a weed facing a pine tree. I don¡¯t know who had this insight for recognizing talent and discovered this fine jade. Why couldn¡¯t I see it back then when I went to Crouching Bull Village?


    How could he imagine that Li Qingshan was still in his infancy back when he¡¯d taken Dragon Li as a disciple. Of course there were the many changes brought upon Li Qingshan by the supernatural skill, but one could still see that Li Qingshan¡¯s original aptitude wasn¡¯t lacking. With the wisdom of a man from two worlds added on top of that, someone would have taken a fancy to him long ago if it weren¡¯t for his unfortunate reincarnation that saw him be born in a desolate place like the Crouching Bull Village, and he¡¯d have reached some achievements already.


    It was said that heroes weren¡¯t afraid of lowly origins, but still no could deny the importance of one¡¯s class origin.


    The nobles¡¯ mood immediately tumbled into a deep ravine. They originally wanted to rely on Liu Hong¡¯s might to resist Li Qingshan, but how could they imagine that Li Qingshan was even more familiar with Liu Hong than themselves. The two of them had the faint attitude of friends of equal status. They watched Li Qingshan once again with much more cautiousness in their eyes.


    Ye Dachuan¡¯s heart was so happy that it bloomed like a flower. ¡°So it turns out that the bailiffs had invited him away from you. Qingshan once rescued this official from the mouth of a tiger. This official only found him today and invited him to act as a constable.¡±


    Liu Hong had also been curious at first why Li Qingshan had joined county magistrate Ye as soon as he came to Suncheer City. He only understood now: ¡°So it turns out that Qingshan is that stream-crossing tiger-chasing young hero the county magistrate was talking about. Since lord Ye invites talents and call on the valorous no matter their age or origins, it¡¯s only a matter of time before you can establish your foundations in this Suncheer City.¡±


    Li Qingshan said neither servile nor overbearing: ¡°I don¡¯t deserve so much praise from Old Hero Liu, I¡¯m also merely trying to borrow lord Ye¡¯s power, trying to do something for the people of Suncheer and get rid of a malignant tumor.¡±


    The corner of Liu Hong¡¯s eye twitched. He chuckled and declined to comment.

 Chapter 50

    The time was right and the guests had all arrived. Ye Dachuan stood up and offered a toast, first saying a bunch of words like ¡°This official is greatly honored everyone could come¡± that one said at such occasions. Then he went straight to the main topic, his face revealing an expression of indignation and grievance:¡°I invited everyone to come today regarding a great matter of life and death concerning my Suncheer City. Correct, it¡¯s indeed about the Black Wind Camp, this great tumor. The Black Wind bandits are extremely vicious and utterly evil, guilty of monstrous crimes. They snatched a lot of silver¡­cough, killed who knows how many honest folks.¡±


    He felt extremely angry toward that group of mountain bandits who had unexpectedly even more money than himself. He hurried changed what he was saying after the adviser kicked him under the table.


    ¡°And now they even want to massacre the Crouching Bull Village. In my identity of the patriarch official of Suncheer City, what else would I have to tolerate if I had to tolerate this? Everyone must have heard of the one beside me. Tiger Descending the Mountains! Li Qingshan!¡±


    He especially put heavy emphasis on the nickname of resounding fame ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains,¡± making Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes twitch. S?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°This official has presently named this young hero constable of the whole of Suncheer City. He not only killed the Black Wind Camp¡¯s third boss and several dozen bandits with his own hands, now he also wants to exterminate the whole Black Wind Camp. I invite everyone to pay out money and efforts to facilitate this matter. Only then it wouldn¡¯t be a waste of those kind intentions, only then would it not let down the conscience of heaven and earth.¡± So saying he drained his cup of wine in one gulp.


    Suncheer had no soldiers the county magistrate could dispatch. Even bailiffs were old, weak or disabled people idling their days away. But those great houses and great families had high walls and big yards one and all, with many servants and guards. As a result, Suncheer City¡¯s public security was maintained in large part by this great Iron Fist Gate faction. To deploy an army, one could only borrow men from those noble families. Each family only needed to send four or five men to reach county magistrate Ye¡¯s expectations.


    The noblemen couldn¡¯t keep drinking anymore. They looked at each others. Was this county magistrate for real this time?


    To want money was normal, which county magistrate didn¡¯t want money when they took office. But to want men wasn¡¯t normal.


    The first few county magistrates had made a show of leading a group of men for a trip around the mountains after receiving the money, but the magistrates coming after them didn¡¯t even put on any pretense and only said that the timing wasn¡¯t right. As to when the timing would be right, only the heavens knew.


    There was an uproar upstairs the restaurant. The nobles didn¡¯t even want to fork out the money, not even mentioning men. In case of injuries or death they¡¯d need to spend more money to appease the families, and they¡¯d even offend this group of disciples in exile at the Black Wind Camp.


    Who even knew where the Crouching Bull Village was. Destroyed or not, what was it any of their goddamn business. The Black Wind Camp wouldn¡¯t come to kill them anyway. As to children from other families, well there was no shortage of them.


    A nobleman around forty to fifty years old possessing a virtuous and prestigious appearance said: ¡°Lord Ye, we all understand your solicitude for the common people. We also can¡¯t watch and not do anything, we have to at least make some contribution. However, it¡¯s impossible if you want us to send out men. And even if we agreed, the guards wouldn¡¯t agree, don¡¯t you think so?¡±


    He clearly indicated his position in a subtle manner. Since you have some strength right now, we can collect a little money for you as a gesture. You just take this money and keep honest, don¡¯t come make trouble for us.


    I actually collected some money! Ye Dachuan felt a little incredulous, he really wanted to pinch his thigh and check whether he was dreaming. He¡¯d been fishing left and right ever since he became the county magistrate, but no one ever took him to heart and they hadn¡¯t paid out even a single tael of silver.


    Success always came too suddenly. Ye Dachuan calmed down his mood and exchanged a look with Li Qingshan as he started to think whether he should quit while still ahead.


    Li Qingshan frowned. He didn¡¯t blame those country nobles for regarding nothing but themselves. The heart of ordinary men were like this for the most part. Added to the way the previous county magistrates had conducted themselves, it was already unusual for them to willingly pay out money. There was no need to force them if it wasn¡¯t possible to borrow this strength. He said: ¡°Then we offer many thanks to all of you¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad, you can¡¯t give him money!¡± Thump thump thump. A young man walked upstairs and ferociously stared at Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan immediately remembered. This was the young man he¡¯d met racing through the streets today, who¡¯d knelt down and given him the purse. How did he suddenly become so bold, was it because he relied on the adults present?


    The middle-aged nobleman chided: ¡°Don¡¯t play the fool, this isn¡¯t a place for you, go downstairs!¡±


    But the young man didn¡¯t retreat, haughty self-satisfaction written on his face: ¡°My apprentice brothers came!¡±


    ¡°People from the Dragon Gate Sect came!¡± Some noble shouted, their voice filled with joy.


    ¡°My family¡¯s kid is learning martial arts there!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, mine too!¡±


    The nobles whispered to each others with happy expressions. Someone was fortunately sticking out for them so they wouldn¡¯t need to pay out this silver.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s face suddenly became chilly. The insult he suffered that day on the mountain path rose again to his brain.


    A group of people winded upstairs. Some were young and some were old, each and every one of them clothed in white and wearing a sword. Gathered together, they were seriously awe-imposing and stuck fear in the heart of men, acting as if they were alone in the world.


    Their leader was precisely the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s young master, Yang Jun.


    ¡°My lord magistrate, you entertain every party to a banquet. Only the Dragon Gate sect was left out, could it be that you don¡¯t take us seriously.¡± Yang Jun¡¯s glance swept around. He slightly nodded when he saw Liu Hong, barely amounting to a greeting. His eyes lit up when he saw Li Qingshan, then an incomparable hatred exploded on his face: ¡°You were indeed here, it¡¯s made it easier for us to find you!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for me?¡± Li Qingshan felt a little curious. Looking at the opposite side¡¯s expression, it seemed as if he himself were the one who¡¯d deeply offended the other party instead. But in any case he wouldn¡¯t let them go lightly since they sent themselves to his door right now. It was only unfortunate he didn¡¯t have the great spear with him, otherwise he¡¯d have liked to see how many people would die once he swept the spear their way.


    ¡°I only regret not killing you with one strike of the sword the first time. Today I¡¯ll make you spit out everything you¡¯ve eaten.¡± Yang Jun looked at Li Qingshan as if watching his most hated personal foe. He¡¯d immediately flown into a rage as soon as he learned that Li Qingshan had taken the spirit ginseng away.


    He¡¯d narrowly let the spirit ginseng slip away, and it ultimately fell into this country hick¡¯s hands. It was said that the spirit ginseng couldn¡¯t be so easily digested, but a great amount of medicinal quality would inevitably have been wasted away after so much time. Otherwise, how could a country bumpkin possibly have the strength to kill the third boss of the Black Wind Camp. This all should have been his originally.


    In his eyes, Li Qingshan was an extremely despicable and hateful thief who¡¯d stolen away his belongings. How could he not gnash his teeth in hate. He definitely had to make mincemeat of Li Qingshan.


    Ye Dachuan stood up hurriedly: ¡°Young hero Yang, let¡¯s talk amicably if you have things to say. Qingshan is this county¡¯s constable, how can you threaten him and scream murder.¡± He saw the Dragon Gate Sect come in all aggressive, everyone holding a sword, and had become timid at once. As the saying went, it was difficult for two fists to face a crowd. No matter how high Li Qingshan¡¯s martial learning, how could he block everything in the confusion of sword stabs.


    Yang Jun said with a somber face: ¡°Lord magistrate, this man stole something extremely important from my Dragon Gate Sect. Today we¡¯ve come to arrest him and bring him to justice, so please don¡¯t stop us. Otherwise you should be careful, swords are blind.¡± Then he ordered without waiting for an answer: ¡°Get him!¡± His arrogance and despotism had reached the peak as he smiled insidiously: ¡°Don¡¯t kill him, I¡¯m going to slowly interrogate him about the thing¡¯s whereabouts.¡±


    More than a dozen people pressed forward. The nobles split into two sides as they crashed out of the way, while the magistrate and adviser ran off. At the great round table, there was only Liu Hong left sitting at ease as he leisurely nursed his wine.


    There was only Liu Hong who knew best about Li Qingshan¡¯s strength. One could have somewhat outlined the relation between the Iron Fist Gate and the Dragon Gate Sect from Yang Jun¡¯s attitude right now. The Iron Fist Gate walked the way of the lower classes, widely accepting disciples from the streets, while the Dragon Gate Sect walked the way of the upper classes, its sect disciples children from wealthy families for the most part.


    Although it couldn¡¯t be said that they were incompatible like fire and water, they¡¯d still never seen eye to eye. So he definitely wouldn¡¯t say any word to warn them, he was more than willing to see some people from Dragon Gate Sect die off, especially that arrogant and despotic Yang Jun who had no respect for him. At the same time, he was also guessing at what that ¡°important thing¡± could be? It seemed he had heard some rumors.


    The one standing in front of the Dragon Gate Sect group was a tall and thin swordsman with a greenish face. His eyes were also filled with vicious enmity as he looked at Li Qingshan. It was precisely Chi Da. He¡¯d greatly lost face in the sect after Li Qingshan broke up his sword tip on the mountain path, and then he¡¯d been punished by the suzerain after going back. The hatred for Li Qingshan had also reached the very limit inside his heart and he was in a hurry to cut off a hand of his.

 Chapter 51

    Qinshan was merely standing at the windows like a lone pine, as if he hadn¡¯t seen the Dragon Gate Sect disciples pressing on him.The Dragon Gate Sect knows I have the spirit ginseng. Who told them? Sick Yellow Tiger? Fancy that I saved your life.


    The hot anger of betrayal soared up, but the corner of his mouth drew a small curve instead, exposing teeth eerie white. Liu Hong¡¯s heart lurched as he watched from the side. What a heavy murderous aura!


    ¡°Bang!¡± He lifted a foot and kicked it on the thick square table in front of him. The table was big and wide. It weighted over two hundred pounds, was built from jujube wood, and was easily able to accommodate a meal for ten persons. His kick sent it up flying and crashing toward the Dragon Gate disciples with an extremely fierce momentum.


    Chi Da bore the blunt of it. He never imagined such a martial move and watched with terror the square table rush toward his face. But he also reacted quickly. He discarded his sword and brandished his fists, operated his internal strength, and slapped the table.


    Li Qingshan sneered. A mantis trying to stop a chariot!


    Chi Da¡¯s two arms broke at the same time, and his chest sagged inward from the collision with the table. He abruptly spurted out fresh blood while a burst of crunchy noises from bones shattering into pieces rose at the same time.


    The square table didn¡¯t stop after neutering one man and carried seven or eight Dragon Gate disciples with it as it whistled through the air. It broke through the railings and dropped downstairs with a huge rumbling sound. S~?a??h the ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    There were also guests downstairs. They were originally wondering who was going to meet with bad luck when they saw the Dragon Gate Sect disciples go upstairs looking awe-inspiring and murderous. They one and all stuck their heads out to watch the show, but they suddenly saw a table drop down along with seven or eight Dragon Gate Sect disciples. They ran away shrieking in fright.


    They only encircled forth with fear and doubts after the table hit the floor. Chi Da had already breathed his last. As for the other Dragon Gate disciples, good or bad they had Chi Da as a barrier so they¡¯d avoided dying on the spot, but they still incessantly groaned in pain as they suffered from broken muscles and fractured bones.


    The guests watched with stupefaction one and all. When¡¯d they seen the Dragon Gate disciples with such an appearance. Just who exactly was it upstairs?


    Li Qingshan remembered bowling out of nowhere. Those Dragon Gate disciples were clothed in white from head to toes, weren¡¯t they just like bowling pins. Too bad it wasn¡¯t strike.


    The remaining five or six Dragon Gate disciples weren¡¯t struck out by the table, but they were all drenched in cold sweat from the scare. They stayed blankly where they stood and had actually no idea how they should react. Those disciples from wealthy family trained in martial arts, but when¡¯d they experience genuine battles.


    All of this happened in the blink of an eye. Almost no one had time to react yet that the situation had already reversed itself in this split moment. The originally overbearing disciples of the Dragon Gate sect had been swept in half in the turn of an eye.


    There was only Liu Hong who¡¯d clearly seen Li Qingshan¡¯s movements. His expression was solemn as he thought about whether he could have blocked it himself, or dodged it himself. The verdict was bleak, and his eyebrows bunched even tighter, but the derision on his face also became heavier. It seemed as if he¡¯d been mostly compensated for the face he¡¯d lost to Li Qingshan today.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t care about other people and walked with great strides toward Yang Jun.


    Yang Jun was sprawled on the floor at this moment. Li Qingshan had kicked the square table crashing his way just then, but there were Dragon Gate disciples in-between who served as meatshields and gave him time to react. He¡¯d sprawled on the floor at the critical juncture and escaped a disaster.


    At this time he still couldn¡¯t believe this was real. Those he brought with him were all experts of the sect. There were three third-grade masters among them, while the others were also proficient fighters hard to come by, but half of them had been killed or injured in the space of one move. He¡¯d led a punitive force to chastise offenses, but it¡¯d become an extremely ironic joke.


    Watching Li Qingshan walk his way, he suddenly remembered the several dozen bandits who¡¯d died under Li Qingshan¡¯s hands, remembered this person¡¯s fearsome ominous fame, remembered that his own martial arts were still far from enough. He frantically pulled his sword out: ¡°Kill him!¡±


    A sword pierced toward Li Qingshan, and at the same time five treasure swords stabbed toward Li Qingshan from the left right front and back, flickering with cold glint. Those Dragon Gate disciples who¡¯d been staring blankly had also recovered. They were elder and junior brothers who trained together all year round, and their cooperation wasn¡¯t bad even if they had little experience with genuine battles.


    The speed of this offensive wasn¡¯t lacking in the slightest. It caged Li Qingshan in a net of swords.


    ¡°Careful of the sword formation!¡± Dragon Li warned loudly, but it was already too late. Six longswords stabbed at the same time into Li Qingshan¡¯s body.


    Pleasant surprise floated on every swordsman¡¯s face. It seemed none of them had thought they could obtain results in such a simple manner. My Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s sword formation is indeed extraordinary!


    No one could know whether the expression that appeared on Liu Hong¡¯s face was mockery or regrets. Too tender, too little experience fighting in the martial world. In a situation where victory was certain, he unexpectedly gave his enemies an exceptional opportunity to besiege him, sending himself to the land of the dead.


    However, apart from regrets, there would always be some relief every time an old hand of the rivers and lakes like him witnessed the downfall of a young prodigy. He very much wanted to say proudly, look, it¡¯s still old ginger that¡¯s the spiciest. The strongest ones weren¡¯t necessarily the ones who survived to the end.


    The sword tips pierced an inch inside the skin and couldn¡¯t move forward any further. The swordsmen¡¯s pleased expressions became consternation. They madly poured their strength into the swords, but only managed to bend the tough longswords into arches.


    Liu Hong was greatly alarmed: ¡°Could it be that he already trained his enduring martial arts to the realm of being impenetrable by sword and spear.¡± Not to mention, fine steel treasure swords with internal strength focused inside were on a whole different level compared to ordinary weapons. This young man had given him too much amazement.


    Li Qingshan slowly said: ¡°No wonder people say that it¡¯s hard for two fists to contend with a crowd. This kind of combined offense is on par with an all out attack from an exceptional master.¡± An evil and alien red light difficult to distinguish with the naked eye flowed inside his gaze. ¡°However, how could such weak and powerless swords injure me!¡±


    The true qi in his body spewed madly. Inch after inch of longswords fractured. Every swordsman toppled over and flew out together while spitting blood. There were only faint white traces left on Li Qingshan¡¯s skin.


    Yang Jun felt an extremely turbulent true qi rush into his body. The internal strength he¡¯d painstakingly cultivated for so many years actually couldn¡¯t block a single shred of it as it bashed sideways and collided head on inside his body, tearing his innards.


    He was just about to fall downstairs as well when the shadow of a man flashed and came behind Yang Jun¡¯s body. He flapped his sleeves and steadily dropped Yang Jun on the floor.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s face exposed a little solemn vigilance. He saw the newcomer¡¯s actions but he wasn¡¯t capable of following this kind of movement technique. His defensive ability was high enough to astonish people, but speed was his greatest weakness.


    Yang Anzhi clasped Yang Jun¡¯s wrist. His face was cold. Yang Jun¡¯s meridians were in a total mess. His martial arts could be said to have been abolished.


    Yang Jun called ¡°father¡± before passing out. Yang Anzhi watched Li Qingshan, fearsome murderous intent bursting from his eyes. There wasn¡¯t any shred of his refined appearance left. His heart was fully flooded by remorse and hatred. He¡¯d come to the restaurant for a while already, but presumed that Yang Jun and the group of disciples he led were enough to capture Li Qingshan.


    It would have been a little awkward if he met with Liu Hong, so he directly hid on top of the restaurant to deal with any situation should they arise.


    But how could he have foreseen that things would change so fast. He¡¯d intended to act when Li Qingshan had kicked the square table over and cleared half the Dragon Gate disciples from the field, but then Li Qingshan had been ensnared in the sword formation immediately afterwards, his death certain.


    Even one who¡¯d seen Li Qingshan¡¯s fierce ¡°enduring martial arts¡± like Liu Hong also believed that Li Qingshan was dying with no doubt, let alone he. Hence he¡¯d stopped his actions, but this delay caused him to be too late.


    Liu Hong chuckled and said: ¡°Brother Yang, long time no see. How¡¯d it suddenly become such a great disturbance, what¡¯s the real reason?¡± Li Qingshan noticed that Yang Anzhi¡¯s face was half similar to Yang Jun¡¯s. Added to Liu Hong¡¯s words, he knew that the one in front of him was the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s suzerain, the first person of Suncheer¡¯s martial world.


    Yang Anzhi was afterall one who¡¯d traveled the rivers and lakes for many years, and his will was firm and unwavering unlike this group of aristocratic disciples. He put his son down, didn¡¯t even look at Liu Hong, saying to Li Qingshan instead: ¡°I originally intended on persuading you to honestly take the thing out and wasn¡¯t planning on injuring you. But now I¡¯ve changed my mind. My son has no grievance and no hatred with you, why did you use such a cruel hand?¡± He couldn¡¯t restrain his sky-vast fury as he spoke on, his appearance fierce and sinister.


    Li Qingshan laughed instead when he heard those words: ¡°Didn¡¯t intend to injure me? No grievance and no hatred?¡± There was no telling how much humiliation and torment he¡¯d have suffered if his martial arts were a little weaker and he¡¯d fallen into Yang Jun¡¯s hands. It was also almost certain he wouldn¡¯t have been able to preserve this life.


    On the mountain path, that high and aloof attitude of threat and humiliation, perhaps it couldn¡¯t be counted as grievance and hatred! Perhaps Yang Jun also felt very much wronged. That¡¯s right, I just said a few words, it¡¯s not like I really cut your hand off.


    ¡°I only want to ask you, who told you about this thing? No matter, I¡¯ll ask him face to face! With a dad like you who can¡¯t distinguish between rights and wrongs, it¡¯s no wonder you¡¯d teach this kind of son and disciples. Today I¡¯ll just kill you and remove the root of troubles from now on! Before stamping out the Black Wind Camp, I¡¯ll first use you as a sacrifice to victory!¡± The crimson light within Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes was even deeper.

 Chapter 52

    The Dragon Gate Sect was arrogant and overbearing, but Li Qingshan was ten times more arrogant and overbearing than the Dragon Gate Sect in the eyes of this crowd. In the space of a sentence, he¡¯d decided the fate of two great influences of the martial world long entrenched in Suncheer.There wasn¡¯t the slightest expression of anger on Yang Anzhi¡¯s face. He¡¯d restored the cool-headed rationality required of a swordsman. He could instinctively judge that Li Qingshan was a powerful enemy rarely seen in all of his life.


    But he also had absolute confidence in himself. His agile and graceful movement technique was the most suited to restrain Li Qingshan¡¯s enduring martial ability, just as Li Qingshan restrained Liu Hong¡¯s iron fist. No matter how great your strength, it was all a waste of your power if you couldn¡¯t hit the enemy. Li Qingshan could block swords from ordinary Dragon Gate disciples, but he couldn¡¯t block the sword of a grand second-grade master.


    Li Qingshan likewise understood this point very clearly. And the main thing he was keenly aware of was that the sword Yang Anzhi wore wasn¡¯t the same as the fine steel longswords worn by ordinary disciples. But even escape was impossible when one faced this kind of opponent. There was only standing tall and facing them straight on.


    The two men stood opposite each other. The upstairs of the restaurant suddenly quieted down, the murderous atmosphere pressing down on everyone until they couldn¡¯t even breathe.


    ¡°Qiang!¡±


    Yang Anzhi pulled his sword out from the sheathe. The eerie cold glint of the sword engulfed Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s pupils shrank. There was a faint layer of spiritual light shrouding the sword blade, just like the small knife he obtained today.


    Men had fame, and swords also had fame. This was a famed sword no one inside Suncheer City was unaware of.


    Soaring Dragon Sword, a treasured sword of the Dragon Gate Sect passed down for many generations that only the suzerain was qualified to wear. If men with fame were strong, then swords with fame were sharp! Even an ordinary person could shave iron as if it were butter with this sword in hand. In the hands of a genuine swordsman, it was a true tool for murder.


    ¡°This is a spiritual weapon!¡± The green bull had said this when he saw the small knife in Li Qingshan¡¯s hand, going back in time before the banquet.


    ¡°What¡¯s a spiritual weapon?¡± Li Qingshan fiddled with the small knife in his left hand: ¡°Did I really pick up a treasure?¡± He¡¯d often seen it written like this inside novels in his previous world. Just randomly stroll inside a miscellaneous goods store, and you¡¯ll pick up a godly weapon unmatched in the world. From that moment on you¡¯d kill gods if gods stopped your way, and kill Buddhas if Buddhas blocked your way.


    The green bull laughed in contempt and broke his fantasy: ¡°This thing barely attracted a layer of spiritual aura. It can¡¯t even amount to a low grade spiritual weapon. It was most likely used as a training tool by a beginner apprentice practicing weapons. But at your level, it can probably barely count as a treasure!¡± Only, the mocking taste in the bull¡¯s eyes was increasingly thicker.


    This thing could only be used like a throwing knife. Whether for cultivators or for ordinary martial artists, it was merely a waste item that couldn¡¯t even amount to chicken ribs.


    Li Qingshan had carefully collected the small knife like a cherished item. This was after all his first, hmm, spiritual weapon, it had major commemorative value. Wasn¡¯t it after all a rare item still.


    But he didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d see another one in the turn of an eye. Moreover, it was even in his enemy¡¯s hand.


    The Golden Spear Shop¡¯s shopkeeper was also mixed in with the gentry. When the other nobles were busy taking cover in alarm, he was watching the Soaring Dragon Sword with infatuation.


    If this sword were in the Golden Spear Shop, he wouldn¡¯t have sold it off even if Li Qingshan had taken out all of his silver and begged him on his knees.


    The sword qi assailed forth. Just when everyone present thought that Li Qingshan would barge forward and fight force with force just like earlier, he rolled his body to dodge the tip of the sword qi, and reached the corner of the restaurant.


    The change in Yang Anzhi¡¯s strokes came even faster. He flicked his wrist, and the glint of the sword pressed toward Li Qingshan as it followed him like a shadow, separated only by a mere few inches. The cold air stung close enough to chill Li Qingshan¡¯s skin. s?a??h th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The nobles scattered in disarray while crying in fear wherever the two of them went, imagining they wanted to use them as meat shields.


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t reached this level of shamelessness yet. He stretched his hand out and grabbed a square table, then swung it around like a weapon.


    Such a big table seemed as light as air in his hands. A crazy wind sprung in all directions. The candle lamps swayed and flickered.


    Yang Anzhi took no notice at all of this power. The glint of his sword reached forward and cut the table in pieces as if it was made of tofu. In the blink of an eye, only a table foot was left clutched inside Li Qingshan¡¯s hand.


    It seemed Li Qingshan had exhausted his limited abilities as he fiercely hurled out the table foot. There was no telling whether it was because of panic and confusion, but the toss was unexpectedly off the mark and flew past Yang Anzhi¡¯s head.


    Yang Anzhi¡¯s sword¡¯s momentum was as a rainbow. Li Qingshan¡¯s back pasted itself to the wall, unable to retreat and unable to dodge.


    The restaurant suddenly became pitch dark. The table foot that¡¯d flown from Li Qingshan¡¯s hand had struck and dropped the last of the lamp light.


    ¡°Want to run! Too late!¡± Yang Anzhi shouted sternly, he but hadn¡¯t noticed that right before the darkness had fallen, the expression that had emerged on Li Qingshan¡¯s face wasn¡¯t fear strong enough to lose his mind, but a smile instead.


    ¡°Bang!¡± Li Qingshan two palms slapped together and caught the Soaring Dragon Sword in space of a hairbreadth


    Yang Anzhi smiled coldly. With the soaring power of the forward thrust, it was wishful thinking to try to catch the sword with mere strength! The sword tip pierced through. The friction between palm and sword actually produced the harsh ear-piercing ring of metal grinding against metal.


    There was only three inches left between the tip of the sword and Li Qingshan¡¯s throat.


    Yang Anzhi¡¯s expression suddenly changed. The cold air of an evil wind attacked from behind the back of his head, making him sense a crisis of life and death he hadn¡¯t felt for many long years.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡± This was the first thought he had.


    Although his eyes couldn¡¯t see, his other senses were still there. How could he be unable to sense someone come so near. How powerful of a movement technique was that, could it be a concealed weapon?


    If the lamps were still lit inside the restaurant, the crowd would have been able to see a small knife flying toward the back of Yang Anzhi¡¯s head, truly like a concealed weapon. But if there was someone who had opened their spiritual eyes like Li Qingshan, they would have seen that this small knife was held inside Little An¡¯s fair little hands. It turned out to be a suitable fit.


    Little An cultivated the , soaked every day in fresh blood. He was already unaffected by this level of blood energy and was able to genuinely press close to a master¡¯s body, yet a suitable weapon had still been lacking.


    If he were still using an ordinary hunting knife, then with Yang Anzhi¡¯s strength, the internal strength protecting his body would made the knife bounce and fly out even if he didn¡¯t practice any hard external martial art. It would have been difficult to cause lethal injuries.


    But now was another story. The spiritual weapon in Little An¡¯s hand was not only not a waste item, it was a divine sharp weapon made for assassination.


    Li Qingshan used his body as bait precisely to draw Yang Anzhi into this situation. He didn¡¯t have any prior arrangement with Little An, and there had been even less of a communication between them. There was only extreme trust, and Little An indeed hadn¡¯t let him down. Their cooperation was extremely fine and wonderful.


    Yang Anzhi was also powerful. He lowered his head and dodged past in the space of a hairbreadth. The edge of the knife almost scraped on his scalp as it glided past. He was startled but didn¡¯t panic. He only needed to continue using his strength and strike Li Qingshan dead, then he¡¯d be able to calmly confront the concealed weapon master behind him.


    The little knife suddenly turned around and stabbed downward.


    It wasn¡¯t a concealed weapon!


    Yang Anzhi¡¯s brain was instantly thrown into chaos, because he still hadn¡¯t sensed any living breath behind his back even now. Coldness rose in his heart, and he tried to take his sword back and defend himself regardless of anything else.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s palms pressed tightly on the sword¡¯s blade. He laughed coldly. ¡°Heh heh.¡± It¡¯s easy to stab, but the first thing to be skewered is certainly your skull. Want to pull it away? Don¡¯t even think about it!


    A sword was a man¡¯s life. Every swordsman had probably been taught such a lesson, not to mention this sword was a treasure sword passed down from generation to generation.


    The sword stayed between Li Qingshan¡¯s hands. The man flew out with a an extremely graceful flip, but the man himself couldn¡¯t stay graceful any longer, cutting an extremely sorry figure with his dishevelled hair.


    All of this happened in the blink of an eye. From the moment Yang Anzhi had wielded his sword forward and forced Li Qingshan against the wall, to his retreat from the assassination, only the time of a few breaths had gone by.


    The nobles were all in a panic and unable to react. There was only Liu Hong who sniffed and smelled the scent of blood. His heart was full of shock. Yang Anzhi was injured? How did this kid injure him?


    Yang Anzhi had decisively abandoned his sword at the very last moment, but he¡¯d still paid a heavy price. Little And had used the small spiritual knife to lacerate open a wound over a foot long on his back. Fresh blood gushed down.


    Li Qingshan felt some admiration in his heart for his decision. He experienced for the first time this sentiment described inside books. Even if it were an enemy of life and death, even if he would spare no effort to send the other side to the land of the dead, he could still be shaken by the skill exhibited by his opponent during the confrontation.


    But he would naturally not become tangled in those feelings in the middle of a battle, or tangled about the rights and wrongs of everything. Since they had a grudge set in blood, it was the proper way to kill the opponent regardless of anything else.


    There was a patch of darkness upstairs the restaurant, with faint lamp light filtering in from the windows. Yang Anzhi opened his eyes wide, doing his best to adapt to this darkness. A black shadow appeared, and a fierce gale hit his face as it pounced his way, seemingly carrying a faint fishy smell with it.

 Chapter 53

    A fierce tiger descending the mountains!Yang Anzhi suddenly remembered this nickname he originally saw beneath his contempt, Tiger Descending the Mountains Li Qingshan. What was pouncing on him right now wasn¡¯t human, but a fierce beast baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.


    He was just like a young child after losing his treasured sword. He had no way to resist and hurriedly retreated backward.


    The evil wind once again hovered from behind, hooking his soul and demanding his life.


    Li Qingshan had no misgivings as he sprinkled the at will, his style unrestrained, his fists blowing an awe-inspiring wind as they forced Yang Anzhi to dodge and hide this way and that. But there was no hole Little An couldn¡¯t drill into as he danced in the darkness, fiery and sinister.


    One hard and one soft, one yang and one yin, the cooperation between the two of them was incredibly wonderful.


    Yang Anzhi was also outstanding. Although he was wounded, he could still rely on his exceptional movement technique as he shuttled back and forth in evasion. But his body showed a few additional wounds, and the flow of fresh blood on his back became increasingly difficult to endure.


    The scent of blood was heavy. Even ordinary people could smell it.


    ¡°Is Li Qingshan here?¡± A shout suddenly came from downstairs, powerful internal strength contained within, just like the clap of thunder on a quiet plain.


    A dozen torches burned up and shone a bright patch of brightness upstairs.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s heart froze a moment. He hinted to Little An. The little knife immediately flew back into his sleeve. He didn¡¯t want anyone to know of this secret for now.


    Only now did the crowd see Yang Anzhi¡¯s appearance, and they were all stunned speechless. Yang Anzhi¡¯s momentum was as a rainbow before the lamp lights had been extinguished, and he was almost about to kill Li Qingshan. This was also consistent with his status as their publicly recognized first figure of Suncheer¡¯s martial world, no matter how strong Li Qingshan was.


    But Yang Anzhi had unexpectedly been defeated in the turn of an eye, and defeated so miserably to boot.


    Yang Anzhi had also recovered his vision. He retreated beside Yang Jun. His face was pale white and his expression malevolent, looking like he wished to swallow Li Qingshan whole. He grabbed Yang Jun and went out, broking through the windows.


    Li Qingshan said ¡°pity,¡± but he didn¡¯t mind it too much. He put a foot on the windowsill and looked downward: ¡°Li Qingshan is right here!¡±


    He saw at a glance a silhouette tall and burly like a black bear, while that black bear also saw him. Two pairs of eyes faced each other, and lightning sparkles flew.


    ¡°Xiong Xiangwu!¡± Liu Hong said in surprise. Although he¡¯d established his foundation within Suncheer City, he¡¯d still shared karma with this ominous man.


    ¡°The Black Wind Bandits came into the city!¡± There was no telling who was the first to cry it out. First the group of nobles upstairs the restaurant grew panicked and disorderly, then immediately came yells echoing from far away.


    Li Qingshan stood on the tall building and watched as almost the whole of Suncheer City became frenetic.


    Xiong Xiangwu also watched Yang Anzhi with consternation. The two of them had obtained the news at the same time and had hurried to Suncheer City, one for revenge, one to seek the spirit ginseng.


    The Dragon Gate Sect relied on their masterly movement technique and had arrived first to grab the spirit ginseng and avoid any mishap. They had to silence Li Qingshan before the Black Wind Camp got to him, so it was obvious that what Yang Anzhi had said about ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning on injuring you¡± was merely bullshit.


    But Li Qingshan¡¯s might had exceeded everyone¡¯s anticipation.


    Yang Anzhi said: ¡°This kid¡¯s martial arts isn¡¯t inferior to yours or mine, and he also has hidden moves. Camp master be careful.¡± He originally didn¡¯t want to associate himself too closely with the Black Wind Camp, but now, every enemy of Li Qingshan¡¯s was a friend of his.


    ¡°The Dragon Gate Sect colludes with the Black Wind Camp to raid Suncheer City, everyone can be witness!¡± Li Qingshan used his true qi to spread his voice far away.


    Yang Anzhi shook and gnashed his teeth: ¡°Li Qingshan, you and me can¡¯t live under the same sky!¡±


    That sentence of his had removed the halo of a famed righteous sect from the Dragon Gate Sect, and bashed them down to the status of evil bandits accomplices.


    ¡°If you dare to do it then don¡¯t be afraid of people saying it! Good good good, camp master Xiong sent himself to my door, it saves me some troubles.¡± Li Qingshan five fingers spread open and caged Xiong Xiangwu in their shadow. He rode the momentum of routing the Dragon Gate Sect, and those words of his soared to the sky with their heroic spirit.


    ¡°What a big tone!¡± Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s expression changed. He pushed on his feet and flew up as he attacked Li Qingshan. His movement technique was unexpectedly not lacking in the slightest, even with such a big body like his. s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan was just about to act when a silhouette flashed beside him. Liu Hong used a ¡°Iron Knight Charging Out1¡± move and clashed with Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s move in mid-air.


    Xiong Xiangwu fell heavily back on the ground, while Liu Hong borrowed the strength of the collision and returned back to the building. Qi and blood were gushing on both men¡¯s face.


    Xiong Xiangwu was furious: ¡°You!¡±


    Liu Hong said: ¡°Camp master Xiong comes to run wild inside Suncheer City, you¡¯re really not giving the old man any face!¡± Every wild beast had its own territory, while men of the martial world put even more emphasis on this matter than wild beasts. They would absolute not let others casually encroach on their domain. The Black Wind Camp¡¯s attitude had already made a local tyrant like him feel unhappy.


    Of course, Liu Hong might not have been willing to stick his head out for an ordinary person, even with Xiong Xiangwu mustering so many men. But right now, Li Qingshan had already displayed a strength sufficient to let people help him.


    The second boss dressed up as a scholar said in a dark tone: ¡°The Iron Fist Gate doesn¡¯t fear attracting the disaster of wholesale extermination, making an enemy of my Black Wind Camp?¡±


    Liu Hong shouted: ¡°Where are the Iron Fist Gate disciples?¡±


    As soon as his voice fell, silhouette after silhouette poured forth from the top of the streets and the bottom of the alleys, surrounding the restaurant. They were all Iron Fist Gate disciples without exception who¡¯d rushed over when they received the news. A hundred answers to a single call, the momentum was even above Li Qingshan¡¯s.


    Heroes of the rivers and lakes could run unbridled over their own territory, certainly not only because of their own martial arts, but also thanks to the powerful influence behind their backs. Even if Xiong Xiangwu and Yang Anzhi joined hands, they¡¯d still need to weigh the pros and cons.


    Yang Anzhi suddenly said in a loud voice: ¡°Sect leader Liu, don¡¯t you want to know what¡¯s the thing I came here for this time?¡±


    Liu Hong lifted his eyebrows and exposed an interested appearance.


    Li Qingshan frowned, but he had no way to stop him from speaking on.


    ¡°It¡¯s for a spirit ginseng that appeared in the area around the Old White Peak. Martial artists need only absorb a little of its medicinal nature to make great progress in their martial arts. There¡¯s even a great opportunity to rise to the innate realm. At present this object is within his hands, that¡¯s why his martial arts progressed so fast.¡± Yang Anzhi pointed at Li Qingshan, his face filled with malicious venom.


    An innocent common man was still guilty if possessing a treasured item. He spoke out the spirit ginseng¡¯s existence in front of hundreds of people. The news would definitely spread like wildfire, and when the time came, countless men of the martial world longing to obtain the spirit ginseng would be like wild beasts smelling the scent of fresh blood. They would gather together, and no matter how strong Li Qingshan was he would still be torn into pieces.


    Everyone¡¯s gaze couldn¡¯t help but involuntarily turn toward Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan lowered his eyebrows and drooped his eyelids, staying noncommittal. He knew that trying to defend himself would be in vain. His martial arts undoubtedly bore witness to Yang Anzhi¡¯s words.


    The worst case scenerio he was worried about had happened, but his mind didn¡¯t become panicked or confused. There was a quietness beyond expectations instead.


    ¡°The old man is already at such an advanced age, I already have no desire to make what great progress in my martial arts and be praised as a mighty hero of the rivers and lakes!¡± Liu Hong spoke thus, but his eyes were roaming over Li Qingshan¡¯s body. His words obviously didn¡¯t follow his heart and mind. There was no one from the martial world who didn¡¯t want to achieve great progress in their martial arts.


    ¡°Furthermore, the spirit ginseng is also effective in extending one¡¯s lifespan, could sect leader Liu not care about it either? You only need to pass down the order and seize this kid, then the spirit ginseng would be readily obtainable. At that time I and camp master Xiong will only demand vengeance, we¡¯ll certainly not struggle with you over the spirit ginseng. Even if we wanted to struggle for it we wouldn¡¯t be able to anyway.¡± Yang Anzhi exposed the fearsomeness of a sect leader that went beyond his own martial arts. Liu Hong was indeed very tempted, while Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s eyes were also shining bright. No one could know what he was secretly thinking about.


    In the turn of an eye, it once again became Li Qingshan facing everyone else. His eyes were peaceful, while his mind was urgently considering his plans of escape. He wasn¡¯t counting on any loyalty Liu Hong would have toward him. Wasn¡¯t it already because he had faith in loyalty that he¡¯d been trapped into such a corner to begin with?


    Of course, this wasn¡¯t yet a desperate lethal impasse. He could naturally make an easy escape as long as he was willing to give up the spirit ginseng, but he wouldn¡¯t do that unless as a very last resort. The supernatural skill Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers didn¡¯t put emphasis on cultivating qi, so the spirit ginseng was the best guarantee for his promotion to a so-called ¡°innate master.¡±


    The stalemate at the scene was quickly broken. Xiong Xiangwu gave out a great shout and once again flew up to the building.


    Liu Hong¡¯s head was hanging down, as if pondering something, and he didn¡¯t move. He¡¯d decided to at least watch from the side, and it wasn¡¯t impossible he¡¯d kick him while he was down.


    Yang Anzhi also seized the opportunity to smear some golden skin ointment2. He contained his injuries and was about to act.


    The muscles over his whole body stretched taut, waiting to unleash their accumulated power as he saw Li Qingshan about to be trapped into a siege from two great Suncheer masters,


    Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s expression suddenly made a turnaround. He forcefully twisted his body around in the air and fell back once again on the ground. A feather arrow brushed past his body as it carried a strong gale with it. On then did the sound of broken air spread over.


    1. From a poem by Tang poet Bai Juyi, the Song of the Pipa Player, one of his defining poems. The whole line translates to something like ¡°Suddenly there was water bursting out from a silver jar, iron knights charged out with spears and swords clashing from afar.¡± It expresses something like a sudden shift in the tone of the song described in the poem.


    2. Golden skin ointment: traditional Chinese medicine used for weapon wounds and bruises, often mentioned in Hong Kong wuxia movies, novels and such.

 Chapter 54

    Xiong Xiangwu cut an awkward figure as he half-knelt on the ground. He fiercely raised his head toward the top of the restaurant building. A tall and robust figure stood there, the bowstring of the great bow in his hand still quivering. Although it wasn¡¯t as good as the Stone Rending Bow, it was also a rare hard iron bow.Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s pupils shrank: ¡°Sick Yellow Tiger!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°Camp master Xiong, this arrow was merely a greeting. I¡¯m still hoping you¡¯ll weigh your options and retreat to avoid defeat. Don¡¯t blame my arrows for lacking in feelings otherwise!¡±


    Xiong Xiangwu was shocked into sweating cold sweats all over his body. He knew that Sick Yellow Tiger was absolutely not boasting. If Sick Yellow Tiger had acted with all his ability right now with the determination to kill, it was very possible he¡¯d have been killed on the spot by the arrow if he hadn¡¯t done his utmost to turn around in the middle of the air,. A divine marksman in hidden ambush and occupying a favorable position was really too fearsome.


    Yang Anzhi said: ¡°You really want to stick your head out for this kid!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°Li Qingshan indeed found the spirit ginseng, but it¡¯s already been eaten by this one present and cured his chronic diseases of many years. Suzerain Yang has been looking for the wrong person.¡± Behind him also stood over a dozen hunters, over a dozen strong bows.


    The four leading figures of Suncheer¡¯s martial world had appeared together for the sake of Li Qingshan alone, either friends or enemies.


    The Iron Fist Gate disciples¡¯ face were all filled with admiration, while the residents nearby grew big guts and slightly opened their windows ajar, secretly observing a scene hard to come by.


    The torches danced wildly in the cold wind. Yang Anzhi, Xiong Xiangwu, Liu Hong, Sick Yellow Tiger , Li Qingshan, everyone¡¯s face flickered, sometimes bright and suddenly dark. Everyone seemed frozen stiff as they stood still without movements. Each of them had their own considerations and qualms. No one dared to act rashly when it involved all of them.


    Li Qingshan suddenly laughed out loud. His laughter rode the wind and spread over far away: ¡°Camp master Xiong, this is your one opportunity to kill me, why aren¡¯t you acting yet? When I slaughter you with my own hands, those macaques under you still have the opportunity to flee. If you let today¡¯s opportunity slip by, I¡¯ll come for a visit to your door to ask for advice in the next few days, and pull out your Black Wind Camp down to the roots. I won¡¯t spare a single one of you!¡±


    Delirious ravings! Everyone at the scene felt those were ear-piercing ravings when they heard.


    The Black Wind Camp had caused great turmoil in Suncheer for many years. Apart from the Horse Rein Village who¡¯d comparatively stood aloof from worldly affairs, both the Dragon Gate Sect and the Iron Fist Gate had very much wanted to exterminate them. But Yang Anzhi and Liu Hong had both made calculations in their mind. They would only have had an opportunity to succeed if they joined hands, but even if they won they¡¯d also needed to pay a heavy price.


    Now Li Qingshan actually said he was going to exterminate the Black Wind Camp relying on his own strength. Even if their evaluations of his martial arts weren¡¯t low, they still felt he was too arrogant and ignorant.


    Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s face was even closer to exploding in fury. He looked increasingly like a black bear: ¡°Then I¡¯ll wait for you. If you don¡¯t come, I¡¯ll make sure not a single person from the Crouching Bull Village can survive.¡± Finally, he left some ruthless words behind: ¡°No matter who dares to help you, I¡¯ll search their houses and exterminate their whole clan!¡± He led his men and left in haste. The Iron Fist Gate disciples went to the sides out of their way and didn¡¯t block them. A group of bandits actually regarded Suncheer City as it were nothing, they were truly lawless and out of control.


    Yang Anzhi also operated his movement technique and vanished in veil of the night, his voice coming from far away: ¡°You just wait, Li Qingshan, your enemies will become more and more. The time of your death isn¡¯t far away.¡±


    Liu Hong arched his hands toward Li Qingshan and also took his men with him as he left. The noblemen were willing to donate ten times the bandit suppressing silver. They only begged him to let off those Dragon Gate Sect disciples, and also not to let them be caught in the middle.


    The messy upstairs of the restaurant had already become complete emptiness. There was only Li Qingshan standing at the windows, his hand holding the the Soaring Dragon Sword he seized from Yang Anzhi.


    Sick Yellow Tiger led his men and came upstairs. Li Qingshan turned his head and said: ¡°Chief hunter Yellow, I want an explanation!¡±


    Two hunters brought up a Little Black solidly bound in a bundle. Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°Kneel down, tell!¡±


    Little Black told the ins and outs of the whole story, finally saying: ¡°Just kill me, I have no regret!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger said with difficulty: ¡°I watched Little Black grow up. This thing can only be blamed on my insufficient discipline. I invite you to spare him this time.¡± He pulled out the hunting knife at his waist, flipped it around and stuck it inside his own shoulder.


    ¡°Chief hunter!¡± Little Black said anxiously.


    ¡°Little Black, some things just can¡¯t be done. This Sick Yellow Tiger has killed countless men during his life, but he¡¯s never forgotten favors and violated loyalty, and he¡¯s even less bitten the hand that fed him!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger stretched his hand. The hunter behind him delivered another hunting knife into his hand with a sorrowful expression. Sick Yellow Tiger stuck it inside his left shoulder with a backhand.


    Sobs and tears wildly streaked on Little Black¡¯s face, shame and regret intersecting on it. From childhood to adulthood, he had respected and adored this man even more than his own father, and now he had to watch him suffer from knives for his own sake.


    Sick Yellow Tiger merely inserted a hunting knife toward the pit of his stomach.


    Three knives and six holes, mortgaging a life with another life, this was an explanation a man of the rivers and lakes could give.


    A hand steadily caught Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s wrist, and that knife couldn¡¯t stick down any further.


    Li Qingshan had first been stunned, then relieved afterwards: ¡°The chief hunter wants to focus this matter all on himself and sort it with his death? It¡¯s no use, even if they¡¯re half believing and half doubting, they¡¯d still come find me.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger sighed heavily. One who¡¯d traveled the martial world like him deeply understood how frightful this matter was. A rare book or a treasured sword were enough to stir up a sea of blood over the rivers and lakes. The lives of first-grade, or even masters above first grade, were burned therein as if they were free of charges.


    The red light vanished from within Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes. He actually let out a laugh, not a wild belly laugh to one¡¯s heart content. It was instead candid like an ordinary young man: ¡°But I¡¯m not afraid of them!¡± Those words were said straightforwardly and with self-confidence. He didn¡¯t wait for Sick Yellow Tiger to speak and warn him, and continued to say: ¡°Is my tiger bone wine ready?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone send it tomorrow!¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t say much further. He went down the building and came out of the restaurant. There was suddenly a burst of cold on his face. He lifted his head; snowflakes floated in the dark sky.


    A green shadow flew out from the locust wood plaque and danced randomly around him.


    Li Qingshan said all to himself: ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of enemies, I¡¯m afraid of betrayal.¡± He saw Little An watch him with a face full of confusion and couldn¡¯t resist laughing as he said: ¡°You can¡¯t understand even if I told you. Anyway you won¡¯t betray me, right!¡±


    Perhaps Little An didn¡¯t understand the meaning of this ¡°betrayal¡± from Li Qingshan¡¯s mouth, but he understood the expectation in his eyes, and nodded hastily.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, this night isn¡¯t over yet!¡± A raging blaze had ignited within Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes, as if it could melt this whole frozen world.


    Old man pants drank a mouthful of old wine and poked the charcoal fire inside the furnace, trying to withstand the chill of the winter that could drill inside any hole.


    He¡¯d had no wife for all of his life as he stood guard over the arsenal for several decades. Colleagues left and right had all forgotten his name and only remembered that his family name was Zhang. They all called him old man Zhang, or old man Arsenal. Later on, no one knew why the children around started to call him old man pants1 man. The old man pants name spread around and polluted with some vulgar flavor this old fellow who never had a wife, for no reason at all.


    It was already very deep into the night, but he hadn¡¯t fallen asleep. He was reminiscing his life as usual, seeming to ruminate as he extracted those most brilliant parts from within his memories, thinking them over and over as he borrowed the drunken mood. As to whether those memories were true or false, it was just like his name. No mentioning others, even he himself had no way of distinguishing them.


    ¡°Thump thump thump!¡± A few loud noises interrupted his reminiscing. He unhurriedly opened the door, ¡°Who is it? At such a late hour?¡± Then he saw a teenager stand in front of the door exposing a rueful smile his way.


    ¡°The lord county magistrate Ye let me take some things from the arsenal, this is the official document!¡±


    Old man pants shivered from head to toes. Although there were many illusory parts inside his memories, there were still a part of them that was real. He had truly been a soldier and waged wars, he had seen scenes with genuine swords and genuine spears killing men. The young man in front of his eyes was very young and very polite, but he¡¯d let him smell a familiar breath ¨C a killing breath.


    A killing aura that lingered on without dispersing, this was a feeling that could only be felt on vicious soldiers and fierce generals who had taken the lives of several dozen men with their own hands. If one met such an enemy on the battlefield, it was truly the better the farther away one kept at. S?a?ch* Th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    He didn¡¯t even look carefully at the document before shakingly taking the key. He lifted the lantern and opened the arsenal¡¯s great gate.


    The arsenal¡¯s gate was more than ten feet tall, built from pig iron, thirty six iron nails arranged in neat rows, with a pair of tiger heads biting an iron ring.


    Old man pants used his strength to push a few times, but the gate didn¡¯t move a single shred. He mumbled: ¡°Looks like it¡¯s frozen.¡± But then he saw the young man put his hand on the freezing cold iron gate and push it lightly. The iron gate opened with a rumble as he crossed alone inside.


    Old man pants shrank his body and waited outside. In the past few years, it was the first time someone had come to take something from the arsenal. What was he going to take? What was he going to do with it?


    While he was turning those thoughts around his head, he heard a ¡°Keng Qiang¡± noise come his way. A figure stepped out of the warehouse, a black armor wrapped around his well-built body, filled with a sense of icy cold desolateness. The armor skirt2 swayed in the wind following his movements.


    Old man pants¡¯ breathing stagnated as he fell butt first on the ground. He once again recalled the terror of the battlefield, recalled those grim and violent figures. It seemed the man in front of him would brandish a blade and cut him down in the next moment.


    1. Pants sounds the same as the arsenal in his other nickname


    2. A cloth layer under the mobile armor covering the legs, like this:

 Chapter 55

    Li Qingshan patted the three quivers of arrows at his hips. He put the Soaring Dragon Sword and the Stone Rending Bow on his back, and carried that Tyrant Spear with exceptional length and frightening weight on his shoulder. He vanished inside the snowy darkness, only leaving behind a series of deep footprints on the snowy ground.Inside the government offices, the adviser said to Ye Dachuan: ¡°My lord, Li Qingshan didn¡¯t listen to your advice, there¡¯s nothing we can do!¡±


    Originally Ye Dachuan had seen that the nobles were all intimidated by the Black Wind Camp¡¯s threats and none of them wanted to help. Then he calculated that one versus two hundred was really a certain defeat. So he advised Li Qingshan to stay behind and take his time making his decision. How would Li Qingshan listen to him, he just forcibly demanded the official documents and left.


    Ye Dachuan kept circling inside the room when he suddenly stopped. He hopped on his feet and said: ¡°Gather some soldiers for me?¡±


    The adviser said awkwardly: ¡°Where do we have any soldier?¡±


    Ye Dachuan said impatiently: ¡°Those nobles actually dare to let their sons kill government employees in front of this official. The Dragon Gate Sect is even more of a great bandit lair. Tell them, any family that doesn¡¯t send out men is a thieving rebel.¡± He realized clearly that there was no need for him to continue acting as the county magistrate if Li Qingshan were to die. It was even possible for the Black Wind Camp and the Dragon Gate Sect to pour their anger over his head.


    The adviser said: ¡°My lord please think twice!¡± This way they¡¯d bitterly offend every noble inside Suncheer.


    Ye Dachuan¡¯s foot landed on his ass, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you left yet!¡± S?a?ch* Th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The adviser could only listen to his orders. He just went outside the hall¡¯s door when he was blocked by a dozen pitch-black figures. No one knew when they had come inside the government offices. The adviser jumped in shock and looked their way as he borrowed the faint light from the lanterns inside the hall. He saw that the dozen of them each carried bows and arrows on their backs: ¡°It¡­it turns out to be the Horse Rein Village¡¯s, heroes, I¡­I don¡¯t know what noble errand brings you here so deep into the night?¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s shoulders were wrapped in white clothes, but his bearing was as calm and steady as before as he patted the adviser¡¯s shoulder, saying: ¡°Lord Ye, Horse Rein Village¡¯s Sick Yellow Tiger is willing to lend a hand.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger and the others had searched for a tavern to stay for the night after Li Qingshan left. But before they fell asleep they got news that Li Qingshan had left the city armed to the teeth.


    Sick Yellow Tiger would naturally not think that he¡¯d made his escape. He suddenly rose: ¡°I¡¯m going out for a while. Little Black will be in charge while I¡¯m gone!¡±


    Everyone knew where he was going. Little Black said: ¡°Chief hunter, we¡¯ll go together with you!¡± After going through this matter, there was already a lot less of the frivolous childishness left on his face, and a lot more of an adult¡¯s steadiness.


    ¡°The village comes first!¡±


    Little Black: ¡°The Horse Rein Village¡¯s fame hasn¡¯t been gained through compromise either. We now have a great feud with the Black Wind Camp, things won¡¯t be peaceful for long. We can only stake our gambles on that man. If you let me be the one in charge, then this is my decision.¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°Good, I haven¡¯t suffered those two knives in vain today!¡±


    The Suncheer City that had just regained its quiet became noisy once again.


    Inside the Iron Fist Gate, Iron Lion Liu Hong likewise hadn¡¯t gone to sleep. He was mulling over everything that had happened today when Dragon Li entered inside the room, kneeling down with a ¡°dong.¡± ¡°Master!¡±


    Liu Hong frowned and said: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Dragon Li said: ¡°I request the master to save the Crouching Bull Village!¡± The Black Wind Camp hadn¡¯t razed the village yet, first because they wanted to first catch Li Qingshan this ¡°chief criminal,¡± and secondly they didn¡¯t act casually out of consideration for the Iron Fist Gate¡¯s implication. But both sides had fallen out after tonight. The Black Wind Camp was certainly going to retaliate in a frenzy, and they were certain to wield the butcher¡¯s knife.


    Liu Hong said: ¡°Go take everyone from your father¡¯s house, and also everyone from Steward Liu¡¯s house!¡±


    But Dragon Li stayed on his knees and didn¡¯t get up, ¡°Please master save the Crouching Bull Village!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you dislike that place?¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the disciple¡¯s home village!¡±


    Liu Hong mumbled irresolutely to himself for a while, seemingly thinking about the gains and losses of


    every facet. He suddenly stood up, ¡°Go, gather the disciples!¡± He¡¯d already taken into consideration the spirit ginseng carried by Li Qingshan and the Black Wind Camp¡¯s wealth.


    Dragon Li was delighted: ¡°Thank you teacher!¡±


    Ye Dachuan relied on his position as county magistrate, borrowed Li Qingshan¡¯s prestige together with the Horse Rein Village¡¯s might to command those nobles to send out their men. But there were still some nobles who meant to resist and didn¡¯t want to send anyone.


    Just as Sick Yellow Tiger was frowning and wondering whether he should kill someone to make an example, Liu Hong walked in in great strides. He said arching his hands: ¡°Chief hunter Yellow, I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting your famed self for a long time.¡± Then he said to those nobles still resisting: ¡°Today Liu Hong pledges to remove a great evil from Suncheer City. If you all are ready to help, this Liu Hong will certainly not forget.¡± The implication underneath was, if you¡¯re not willing to help, I won¡¯t forget that either.


    The nobles finally didn¡¯t dare to resist any further since circumstances had already reached this point. They reluctantly sent out their men. Although they were unwilling inside their hearts, they still gave out all their efforts when the time came to send out their men. Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s words still floated in their ears. If they couldn¡¯t kill the snake this time, they could only wait for their revenge, so they could only give it their all!


    Moreover, with two mighty men like Sick Yellow Tiger and Liu Hong overseeing things, they truly felt that there was an opportunity to level the Black Wind Camp. The Black Wind Camp bringing disaster to the region didn¡¯t truly have nothing to do with them. Just like Steward Liu¡¯s nickname ¡°Half Village Liu,¡± most of the lands around Suncheer City had been annexed by those local tyrants, and the villages looted by the Black Wind Camp were often part of their assets. Even more so about the kidnapping and ransom requests, those were too many to count. Otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have been willing to let the first few county magistrates gather their bandit suppressing taxes to begin with.


    Xiong Xiangwu would never had thought that his threats had instead forced the nobles into becoming his blood enemies.


    Ye Dachuan watched with disbelief the stream of people converging together. It had far exceeded his original expectations, there were actually four to five hundred people. He oversaw them in the center, relying on his status as a county venerable while Sick Yellow Tiger and Liu Hong restricted and ordered the men about. He¡¯d never done such a heroic thing in all of his life, and the heart that had been shaded by fame and fortune unexpectedly also burned up with bravery.


    The adviser stared blankly with round eyes and an open mouth. He thought about the words written inside books and originally far remote from him: The mighty issues a call, followers gather as clouds, and the world turns upside down.


    The things in this world, maybe they merely needed a brave warrior, a hero to stand out, to transform the impossible into the possible, to guide the masses, to accomplish the so-called miracles.


    However, this hero leading the way didn¡¯t often have a good ending.


    Old man pants opened the arsenal¡¯s gate with two shaking arms. Piece after piece of armor and weapon were taken out, arming this bandit-suppressing troop. They set foot on their journey amidst resounding metallic clangs.


    Sick Yellow Tiger thought: ¡°I hope we¡¯re not too late!¡± This gathering of men had already wasted too much time.


    Liu Hong thought: ¡°Kid, you have to hold on for a while. However, if you were to die, the old man will take revenge for you!¡±


    Li Qingshan traveled in fast strides inside the darkness. The whole of his equipment weighed a hundred pounds or two. Not only he didn¡¯t feel it was laborious, it gave him a kind of thrill at setting his strength free instead.


    The iron armor was cold, but his blood burned increasingly hotter, and his steps became increasingly faster as he walked on. In the end he was simply galloping on the mountains and fields, his heavy footsteps echoing ¡°dong dong¡± like war drums.


    He had no idea how long he walked through deep mountains and old forests when his steps suddenly halted. His gaze pierced the wind and snow like swords as it fired toward the mountain valley. A camp creeped inside the darkness, faintly illuminated by the light of a few lanterns.


    The Black Wind Camp was already in front of his eyes.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t rush hastily forward. He untied the wine gourd and drained it in one gulp. The stamina spent was restored in the space of a moment, and there was a scorching hot breath bumping wild inside his body like a wild horse.


    He suddenly remembered a song from the Beijing Opera, and said at the top of his lungs: ¡°Look in front, a pitch black hole, it must be that den of thieves, wait until I catch up forward and kill it clean and neat!1¡±


    1. From Beijing Opera¡¯s piece

 Chapter 56

    Lanterns were brightly lit in the Black Wind Camp¡¯s meeting hall. The most important figures of the camp were gathered together, in the middle of discussing Li Qingshan.¡°What should we do now big boss. This kid is hiding inside Suncheer City, there¡¯s even Sick Yellow Tiger protecting him.¡±


    ¡°Hmph, Yang Anzhi spread around the news about the spirit ginseng. Who can protect him? He¡¯ll die a violent death sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t take our prestige back anymore if he died in someone else¡¯s hands. And that spirit ginseng will also fall into someone else¡¯s hand.¡± Said the second boss with the appearance of a scholar.


    Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s eyelids twitched indeed. His longing for that spirit ginseng wasn¡¯t inferior to anyone else¡¯s.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he say he¡¯d come to us on his own? At that time I¡¯ll crush him into meat sauce.¡± The seventh boss was a bald fatty who wielded a big hammer, his face full of wild viciousness.


    The various bosses looked at each others and mocked him one after another: ¡°Old seventh, you¡¯re the only one who¡¯d believe he¡¯s coming.¡± As long as one had a little brain, no one would believe someone would dare to break into the Black Wind Camp single-handedly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll force him to come if he doesn¡¯t want to. Although the mountains are sealed by the great snow and it¡¯s not suitable for large-scale maneuvers, we only need to send out a smaller group of men, it¡¯ll be largely enough to massacre the Crouching Bull Village and redeem the Black Wind Camp¡¯s fame. When the time comes we¡¯ll look for a close intimate friend of his and cut their body into small slices, then send them over piece by piece. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be able to sit still then.¡± The second boss told them his poisonous plan.


    The group of bosses all shouted ¡°good¡± and praised him greatly. The second boss also flaunted himself with a laugh.


    A huge ¡°Boom¡± echoed, seemingly shaking the whole of the Black Wind Camp. A mountain bandit rushed inside and said: ¡°Bad, bosses, there¡¯s, there¡¯s someone smashing the camp gates!¡±


    In front of the Black Wind Camp, a dozen bandits standing guard over the gates watched those very camp gates, scared witless. The great gates nailed from great thick logs couldn¡¯t give them any sense of security right now.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Another huge noise echoed. The logs trembled and sawdust flew up. It seemed there was a giant beast trying to break inside that kept ramming the camp gates, caving them in and cracking them bit by bit.


    ¡°Bang!¡± The huge logs broke apart, bits and pieces dispersing everywhere. A piece of broken wood struck a mountain bandit on the chest. He threw up blood at once and fell on the ground, unable to stand up ever again.


    The bandits were too occupied to attend to their comrades. They stared blankly at the mouth of the gates instead. A tall and burly figure stepped inside the black Wind Camp amidst the windy snow and the smoky dust.


    ¡°S¡­stop, here is the Black¡­¡± A bandit who seemed like a small gang leader said out some words as he resisted the terror in his heart. A feather arrow shot out from within the cloud of dust before he could finish, ending his words as well as his life.


    Li Qingshan held the Stone Rending Bow, saying quietly: ¡°I know!¡±


    The dusty smoke dispersed. The mountain bandits found out that there was no army or giant beast standing in front of the camp, but merely a young man wearing armor and holding a great bow. The terror in their hearts suddenly quieted down a lot. Someone brandished his blade and yelled: ¡°He¡¯s only one man. Let¡¯s go together and kill him, the camp master will reward us heavily!¡±


    More than a dozen bandits grasped all kinds of weapons and threw themselves forward with a scream.


    Li Qingshan calmly pulled out three arrows from a quiver and fitted them against the bowstring. He fully pulled the bowstring in a split second. The bowstring cried like the clang of metal, and the sharp arrows ran through the three bandits charging in front with a stone-rending cloud-piercing might. They fell dead on the ground like wooden puppets with their strings cut off.


    Li Qingshan drew on the bow like a spring, sharply firing his arrows, killing twelve bandits in succession.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± There were still four bandits left who charged forward, hacking toward Li Qingshan¡¯s head with a roar. Li Qingshan put the bow back and continued to walk forward as if he hadn¡¯t seen them.


    A whirlwind spun around him, sweeping along a sharp knife point. The four bandits¡¯ throats spurted out blood at the same time as they fell down. One of the bandits had uncommon agility. He¡¯d seen a small knife and wanted to brandish his blade to parry it, but the small knife had cut his blade off as if cutting tofu. S?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan stepped over the dozen bandit corpses and continued forward, coming to a still when he reached the mountain camp¡¯s central open area. He saw brigands rush out from each and every barracks as they received the news, each of them holding a torch in their hands. It was very eye-catching inside the darkness.


    He pulled the great bow, successively firing his arrows like linked pearls, each arrow faster than the last.


    The spiritual wine¡¯s effect was gradually becoming more volatile. He also became a little tipsy, but it unexpectedly seemed that there was a god helping his arrows, and not one of them fell into empty air.


    The meeting hall was set on the highest point of the Black Wind Camp. The Black Wind Camp bosses hurried out of the meeting hall and looked down from the terrace. Several bosses mouthed in shock at the same time: ¡°He actually really dares to come?¡± Moreover he¡¯d come so fast.


    Li Qingshan suddenly saw the bandits stop their charge and retreat in an orderly manner. He lifted his head and saw Xiong Xiangwu at the first glance. He laughed out loud: ¡°Camp master Xiong, a host like you is really slow to receive his guests! I couldn¡¯t wait any longer, I went ahead and killed a few dozen bandits to relieve my boredom, you won¡¯t blame me right!¡±


    A gust of true qi bubbled out and carried this laughter over ten miles. It echoed among the mountains, covering the sound of the windy snow, seeming to echo into the ears of the bandits like the roll of thunder. Some who stood close and had insufficient martial arts immediately dropped to the ground, fresh blood flowing out of their ears.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t careful, I butchered a few again.¡± Li Qingshan covered his mouth and let out a drunken hiccup.


    The group of brigands trembled in terror. Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s eye sockets were going to crack open. The power of Li Qingshan¡¯s internal strength far surpassed his imagination, and it seemed even more exquisite compared to ordinary internal strength. It wasn¡¯t at all like the rumors that said he was merely a master training in an enduring external martial art. This was surely the spirit ginseng¡¯s effect.


    ¡°This day next year will be the anniversary of your death. No, I have to capture you alive and torture you for seven days and seven nights!¡±


    Li Qingshan laughed: ¡°Haha, I don¡¯t have such idle elegant passion to deal with you, just quickly come down to die!¡± He lifted his hands and pulled the bow open. The smile on his face vanished suddenly. His right hand became like a blur, operating like a machine the motion of pulling an arrow and firing an arrow.


    Seven arrows fired successively and formed a line as they shot toward the terrace. It was precisely the Pearl Link Arrows technique he¡¯d learned in the Horse Rein Village.


    ¡°Hurry to dodge!¡± Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s warning came too late. A man was hit by the arrows and fell head first from the terrace, three arrows stuck into his body. He¡¯d only dodged the first four.


    ¡°Sixth boss!¡± The bandits cried out in alarm.


    Li Qingshan groped once more, but the three quivers were already all exhausted. He flung off the great bow to the side together with the quivers.


    ¡°He¡¯s out of arrows! Everybody, no need to be afraid, kill him!¡± The bandits yelled as the heartening news boosted their morale. They crowded forward like a black mass, surrounding him so tight not even a drop of water could trickle through. There were only layers after layers of silhouettes and weapons flocking forward and drowning Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan hooked up the Tyrant Spear beside his foot. He threw it on his shoulder with a ¡°Clang,¡± and spun around like a whirlwind. The Tyrant Spear a hundred forty two pounds heavy and twelve feet long danced like a black dragon with the gloomy humming buzz of air being split open.


    Five bandits tumbled and flew out at the same time. If they didn¡¯t have their head cracked open then it was their chest that¡¯d been crushed to pieces, dead enough that they couldn¡¯t die again. With this lethal weapon in Li Qingshan¡¯s hands, one would truly die at a touch and perish at a bump. There would certainly be no witness left alive.


    The bandits behind were likewise smashed, and a patch of blood-curling screams mixed together with groans and moans. Li Qingshan looked at the terrace: ¡°Don¡¯t let those thieves throw away their lives in vain, hurry and come fight with me.¡±


    Xiong Xiangwu didn¡¯t have the slightest intent of acting despite seeing the casualty among his men. He sneered instead: ¡°Fight with you?¡± He could see clear, looking down from above.


    A dozen bandits specially dressed as servants had mixed inside the crowd and were nearing toward Li Qingshan. They didn¡¯t brandish their weapons like their comrades, but stooped low instead.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s heart shivered. There was a fearful murderous aura like a poisonous snake exposing its venomous fangs. But the masters worth his notice were clearly all on the terrace.


    Not leaving him any time to think carefully, more than a dozen bandits lifted their hands together and shouted: ¡°Everyone get out of the way!¡±


    Li Qingshan immediately saw that they held a dozen black crossbows in their hands. They pulled the triggers at the same time.

 Chapter 57

    The crossbow bolts broke through the air as they fired toward him, their might not much inferior compared to the Stone Rending Bow. ¡°Dang Dang Dang Dang.¡± They pierced the iron armor and stabbed into Li Qingshan¡¯s body. Li Qingshan¡¯s figure immediately froze.Xiong Xiangwu smirked coldly: ¡°Are you fit to fight a battle with me with just by yourself. I¡¯m already letting you off easy with this death!¡± He¡¯d spent quite a bit of effort before he managed to procure those dozen crossbows. He¡¯d also spent a great amount of time to train those crossbowmen. They were the Black Wind Camp¡¯s true trump card.


    He did the greatest of evils and the other influences in Suncheer City saw him as a thorn in their sides. He wouldn¡¯t even be able to fall asleep without some safeguards. When those strong crossbows mounted an ambush, even a first grade master would have trouble escaping from death.


    ¡°And then?¡± The Li Qingshan who should have definitely died suddenly lifted his head and asked this. The crossbow bolts were nailed into the iron armor but couldn¡¯t penetrate through to his muscles. But he was also drenched in cold sweat. If he didn¡¯t have this iron armor to protect his body and dispel the bolts¡¯ power, his ¡°Bull Demon Skin Refining¡± would definitely not have blocked the violent shots from the strong crossbows. Even so, he only survived after spending his efforts. Strong bows and powerful crossbows were truly a killing master¡¯s divine weapons.


    ¡°Protect the crossbowmen, fire again!¡± The second boss issued his order in a loud voice. The bandits rushed up while the crossbowmen hurried to reload their bolts. The crossbows were strong and easy to use, but their speed was far from bows, hence it was easy to be injured using them. However, such an order could make them display their greatest lethality as it commanded a group of mountain brigands just like a trained army.


    ¡°Sweep Across a Thousand Soldiers!¡± How would Li Qingshan willingly be a sitting duck. He identified the place with the greatest amount of bandits and operated the Tyrant Spear Art, charging forward like a chariot. The might of the spear surged on, drawing a dozen bandits inside just like a black dragon swallowing its preys. When the time came to spit them back out, they had directly become a dozen dead corpses.


    How could they block him with just those few men.


    A crossbowmen hadn¡¯t had time yet to pull the string open that his chest had been pierced through by the great spear. The body around a hundred pounds was lifted up and sent flying, crashing into another crossbowman in the distance.


    Li Qingshan and his spear merged into one as he charged left and dashed right amidst the crowd of men. There was only attacking and no defending. Swords spears and halberds fell on his body but immediately bounced on his armor, not injuring him a single hair, while his great spear pierced through chests and broke skulls each time it waved, leaving no injured behind, only the dead.


    In a short moment he¡¯d already killed several dozen bandits, and half the crossbowmen had also been killed. He stood among the group of brigands, more than ten bolts nailed into his armor, soaked in fresh blood from head to toes. A fright strong enough to break their guts sprung unbidden inside the bandits.


    A bandit wanted to sneak attack him behind his back. Li Qingshan turned his head around, red light flashing inside his eyes. Before he had time to act, that bandit¡¯s face suddenly became ashen, actually scared into death.


    Xiong Xiangwu watched with a raging heartache. His foundations would still be greatly damaged even if he won this time. The other bosses also had ugly expressions. The height of this Li Qingshan¡¯s martial arts could be said to surpass their imagination.


    The second boss said: ¡°Bosses don¡¯t worry. This Li Qingshan wields a great spear and wears an iron armor, he looks invulnerable and his power boundless. But he needs to carry a weight of several hundred pounds, he can¡¯t possibly last long no matter how high his martial arts. There¡¯s no harm in waiting until he gets tired before acting. The loss of subordinates can be recruited back.¡±


    There was little of what great war of three days and three nights when it came to a contest between masters. There were even very few such contest that lasted longer than the time of a cup of tea, because weapons were vicious and battles dangerous. A single careless move would be a death sentence. Martial artists had to burst out with their strength and will in the space of a moment, overwhelming the enemy in a burst of energy.


    Xiong Xiangwu made the decision. He thought that even himself wouldn¡¯t last long after pulling the Stone Rending Bow several dozen times and rushing into melee with such weapon and equipment. A man would only be trampled down once his stamina ran out, even if his skills were vast as the sky. This was the frightfulness of war. A horde of ants biting an elephant to death wasn¡¯t a mere saying.


    But how could they imagine that Li Qingshan not only didn¡¯t manifest any exhaustion, he became more valiant as the fight went on instead. The gourd of spiritual wine he drank down had stunning medicinal effects indeed as it combusted inside his body like a raging flame. His strength continued to gush out, and the Tyrant Spear danced like a blur in his hands. The spear followed the man¡¯s movements and killed to his heart¡¯s content, soaking him in blood from head to toes. The he cultivated wasn¡¯t something common martial arts could compare to either. What men most praised about a bull wasn¡¯t its strength, but usually its endurance.


    Sweat ran on the second boss¡¯ forehead as he saw the bandits almost defeated, dying more and more, their corpses piling onto the ground: ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    The snow became stronger, the snowflakes big as goose feathers. They fell onto the earth and covered a thousand mountains.


    They fell on Li Qingshan, but were immediately swept out by the ferocious wind of the spear. A bandit was pricked up and sent flying, falling onto the ground, dyeing a patch of snowy land into a patch of blood red. There wasn¡¯t a single shred of ferocious aura left on the remaining bandits as they retreated back in panic. Li Qingshan stilled the great spear in his hands: ¡°What a great snow!¡± s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Xiong Xiangwu ordered decisively: ¡°Begin!¡± He flew down together with the other bosses. The bandits¡¯ morale immediately soared up.


    The seventh boss smashed his hammer1 downward as it whistled through the air. It had already created a hurricane of astonishing might before it even collided down, shocking men¡¯s guts and livers. He was born with great strength and could kill tigers and bears.


    The second boss said: ¡°Don¡¯t face him head on!¡±


    ¡°All the better if you come!¡±


    Li Qingshan used a ¡°Tyrant Lifting a Cauldron¡± move, the Tyrant Spear oppressively propping upwards


    A huge ¡°Clang¡± echoed as spear and hammer collided. The hammer flew back and smashed on the seventh boss¡¯ head, his brain bursting out.


    Taking this opportunity, the fourth boss¡¯ three-segmented baton2whipped at Li Qingshan¡¯s hips, the fifth boss chopped powerfully at Li Qingshan¡¯s back with a ghost-headed saber, while the second boss concealed himself among their momentum, insidiously pointing at the unguarded back of Li Qingshan¡¯s head with an iron-ribbed fan3.


    But the most dangerous was still Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s palm clutching towards his face.


    Even if Li Qingshan could withstand those attacks thanks to his iron armor and the Bull Demon Skin Refining, the strength of their charge would still make him suffer incomparable pain, and then his body would stiffen. He could be fooled at the slightest carelessness.


    He finally understood why even an old hand of the martial world like Liu Hong had changed his expression when he heard him talk about leveling the Black Wind Camp. He¡¯d refused to believe that the danger within was so unimaginably great.


    ¡°Bull Demon Ground Stamp!¡± He was suddenly hit by an idea. All of the true qi poured into his right foot as it stamped heavily into the ground. It triggered a small earthquake inside a radius of ten feet. The ground¡¯s surface cracked and sank down, the shockwaves rolling in every direction.


    Martial arts paid special attention to drawing strength from the ground, rooting your foot down. No one could leave the soil under their feet as long as they hadn¡¯t cultivated to a divine immortal who could command the wind and soar with the clouds. The several bosses¡¯ hands attacked like the wind, but their feet were stepped tightly on the ground.


    Their figures immediately became unbalanced when Li Qingshan stamped his foot down. They felt shockwaves assault them following alongside their feet, their heads spinning dizzy until they wanted to vomit blood. Their offensives also became messy and powerless when they fell on Li Qingshan¡¯s body, not showing any result. There was only Xiong Xiangwu with the highest martial arts among them who could preserve the strength of his clutching palm.


    Li Qingshan laughed out loud and retreated back, dodging Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s claws to his face. He knocked violently into the fourth boss behind his back, while his spear stabbed straight at Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s chest at the same time.


    The fourth boss screamed miserably, the bones of his whole body fracturing into pieces as he flew back out. Xiong Xiangwu pulled his palm back and twisted his body, temporarily avoiding Li Qingshan¡¯s dragon-like spear.


    The fifth boss had the weakest martial arts and he hadn¡¯t come back to his senses yet at this time. Li Qingshan let go of the spear and stretched his hand out to grab his skull, then threw it to the ground. With a ¡°Peng,¡± white and red all flowed out just like a broken watermelon. He recovered the Tyrant Spear with a backhand and held it horizontally in front of his body, displaying the posture of the ¡°Tyrannical Barrier.¡±


    He¡¯d broken the Black Wind Camp offensive in the blink of an eye, and even killed four bosses. Third-grade masters were like young children in front of him, so weak they couldn¡¯t withstand a single blow.


    The rest of the bandits stood dumbfounded as if they had been struck by a paralysis spell. They hadn¡¯t thought that their own mountain camp was actually so fragile, fragile just like the villages they had devastated.


    The snow fell increasingly stronger. The snowy ground was dyed blood red by the flowing blood, then once again covered and frozen by the great snow, congealing into a desperate sight mixing red and white.


    The pledge to level the Black Wind Camp was being achieved bit by bit!


    1. Chinese hammer/mace, with usually a rounded blunt head instead of flanged or protruding heads like occidental maces and hammers.

 Chapter 58

    Li Qingshan kicked away the corpses beside him, saying while baring his teeth: ¡°It¡¯s much quieter this way. Come, camp master Xiong, I¡¯ll give you a clean death!¡± He faintly frowned: ¡°And the one behind, you come up together!¡±The second boss dressed as a scholar didn¡¯t have any of his elegant manners left. His head turban had fallen down and he was soaked in cold sweat all over. He was lucky to escape unharmed from Li Qingshan thanks to his decent movement technique, but his guts had already been scared broken. He retreated a step as if struck by a thunderbolt when Li Qingshan threw him a glance sidelong.


    ¡°Camp master, I don¡¯t want to die here yet, my resourcefulness can¡¯t be wasted!¡± The second boss turned around and escaped as he finished saying those words, his light body leaping up, reaching the front of the camp gates with only a few jumps. The other bandits also broke from the ranks as they followed behind and fled toward the gates.


    ¡°Trash you¡¯re all trash!¡± Xiong Xiangwu yelled out great curses. He¡¯d have liked nothing better than to kill those traitors with his own hands if not for Li Qingshan blocking his way.


    There was a dark green blade edge that slipped quietly through the second boss¡¯ neck just when he was on the verge of escaping out of the Black Mountain Camp.


    On the one hand, he didn¡¯t the same kind of skill as Yang Anzhi, and on the other hand his courage had already died. He cared only about fleeing with his life. How could he guard against the small knife coming from within the darkness. Fresh blood splashed out and his pupils spread open, unaware of whose hands he¡¯d fallen to even until the moment of death.


    The other bandits trying to escape also stepped on his trail toward death. The pitch black camp gates seemed to have become death¡¯s boundary. S~?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Xiong Xiangwu wasn¡¯t sure what had happened in front of the camp gates. He could only faintly hear the sounds of heavy objects ¡°peng peng¡± falling to the ground, and knew that everything pointed to disaster for those men. His heart went cold: ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Li Qingshan smiled flamboyantly: ¡°Of course it¡¯s killing you bunch!¡± Little An didn¡¯t fear blood energy anymore after he cultivated the , but the murderous atmosphere had pierced through the sky just like a war during the fight to the death right now, and Little An could only hover at the periphery, unable to come near. However this way he had been able to stay hidden and mount an ambush just at the right occasion.


    Those bandits bumping blindly in the darkness were simply the best of preys. They had no way to retaliate in front of him and could only stretch out their necks, waiting to be executed one by one.


    Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s eye sockets cracked open. The foundation he¡¯d prepared for so many years was destroyed just like that, ruined in the hands of such a kid. Every bandit was guilty of evil crimes, and now there was only him left all by his lonely self. Such a great Black Wind Camp had been killed in a mere moment into a land of ghosts. There was only the whistle wind and snow left.


    Li Qingshan swiftly sank his spear down. ¡°Come then!¡±


    Xiong Xiangwu stared deathly tight at Li Qingshan as he slipped his trembling hand inside his bosom. He took out a yellow paper talisman whose color had become faint, as if it were the most precious of items. He¡¯d obtained this talisman by chance, and it hadn¡¯t been easy. It was a genuine life-saving straw. He hadn¡¯t expected he¡¯d come to this point so he hadn¡¯t had time to use it yet. Now he couldn¡¯t care about much else.


    Li Qingshan clearly saw the bright spiritual light on the paper talisman. His heart shivered. The spearpoint flickered, the true qi gushed out as he displayed the last move of the Tyrant Spear Art, also the one with the greatest might, ¡°Tyrant Dominates The World.¡± He pressed forward bravely, splitting through the air with a stab.


    Xiong Xiangwu bit on the tip of his tongue and sprayed the blood on the paper talisman. His hand printed back on his own chest. A bunch of spiritual light burst out, enveloping him inside as he shouted crazily: ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡±


    ¡°Clank!¡± The cry of intersecting metal sounded. The Tyrant Spear that nothing could stop was blocked by the layer of golden spiritual light, unable to penetrate an inch inside. Little An originally wanted to go forward and lend Li Qingshan a hand, but he couldn¡¯t go one step nearer under the shine of that golden spiritual light.


    Xiong Xiangwu grasped the tip of the spear. Li Qingshan felt a giant force transmit forth, unexpectedly not inferior to his. He almost couldn¡¯t control the spear and immediately used the ¡°Bull Demon Hoof Stamp.¡± His feet bit into ground, his gaze unwavering as a dragon, absolutely not retreating a single step.


    The two men wrestled, and the iron spear thick as a bowl was twisted into an exaggerated curve.


    The distance gradually closed. Five steps, three steps, one step.


    Xiong Xiangwu fiercely raised his hand and slapped it down toward Li Qingshan¡¯s skull. This hand of his was stunningly big, like the fan of a bear palm, not in line with his body¡¯s proportions. It seemed even bigger right now, shrouded as it was in a layer of spiritual light.


    The palm hadn¡¯t landed yet that the mad whistling wind was already pressing on Li Qingshan until he couldn¡¯t catch his breath. He let go of the Tyrant Spear and hurriedly retreated back. The palm scraped him, and the thick heavy iron armor broke into pieces like a paper stick. There was a burst of fierce pain on his chest, even stronger than the chop of blades and swords.


    ¡°Bang!¡± Xiong Xiangwu slapped the ground as if he couldn¡¯t control his own strength, creating a loud noise. The surface of the ground collapsed down deeply, the momentum even higher than Li Qingshan¡¯s Bull Demon Hoof Stamp right then.


    Li Qingshan finally couldn¡¯t refrain his surprise and said: ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    How would Xiong Xiangwu explain. He shouted explosively: ¡°It¡¯s the time of your death!¡±


    ¡°Strong Diamond Talisman, when used it¡¯s as if the body is protected by diamond, while giving the strength of an ox!¡± No one knew from where the green bull had drilled out from as he calmly explained.


    A bull that could speak. Xiong Xiangwu was stunned in a flash.


    ¡°Brother bull, why are you here?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°Hurry to kill him, there¡¯s still important things to do!¡±


    ¡°Alright!¡±


    Li Qingshan grabbed the remnant of the iron armor on his body and pulled it off, then walked in great strides toward Xiong Xiangwu: ¡°What diamond protecting the body, watch me break your turtle shell!¡±


    Xiong Xiangwu fan-like palm slapped down, thinking you¡¯re looking for the road to death on your own. Li Qingshan¡¯s true qi inside his body churned violently and the Bull Demon Strong Fist fired from the bottom up, exploding with all of his strength.


    Palm and fist collided. A great sound echoed. Li Qingshan¡¯s foot sank down and the ground caved in, the rocks shattering in pieces. The bones all over his body groaned in pain, his muscles felt sore and numb, but he actually didn¡¯t care in the least and shouted: ¡°Come again!¡± Another fist fired out.


    ¡°Boom.¡± A huge palm slapped down, and Li Qingshan sank a little more into the ground.


    Xiong Xiangwu wanted to flatten Li Qingshan and slap him into pieces, but Li Qingshan was like a piece of raw iron. No matter how hard you tried, he was braver the more he fought.


    Palm and fist intersected more than ten times. Li Qingshan¡¯s calf had already sunken entirely into the soil, while his nose and mouth oozed with traces of fresh blood, but his expression was increasingly firm.


    Xiong Xiangwu was drawing from external forces when all was said and done. Although his strength was endless, he couldn¡¯t catch his breath fast enough, and he finally exposed his flaws. How would Li Qingshan let go of it. A punch bombed out, but it was once again dispelled by that spiritual light.


    Xiong Xiangwu laughed madly: ¡°It¡¯s useless, you can¡¯t injure me!¡±


    ¡°I want to see how many punches you can block!¡± Li Qingshan didn¡¯t give his enemy any opportunity to rest. His true qi burst out entirely and strengthened the might of his fists as he fired out ten punches in quick succession.


    The spiritual light shuddered again and again under the blows, becoming increasingly fainter. Xiong Xiangwu retreated back again and again, a trace of fresh blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. The spiritual light obviously couldn¡¯t dispel the entire might of the blows, and his heart and lungs were wounded by the shock.


    Xiong Xiangwu knelt on a single knee under the blows, saying furious and unwilling: ¡°You!¡±


    ¡°Die!¡± Li Qingshan pulled the Soaring Dragon Sword from his back and infused all of his true qi inside. The sword shivered and sang, radiating a sword beam over a foot long. He hacked down with all his strength, cutting into the spiritual light. It flowed down unhindered after a slight delay. A human head fell down. ¡°Gu Lu Lu.¡± It rolled around a few laps, stupefaction and dread still left on its face.


    Li Qingshan lifted the sword high and said, ¡°The Black Wind camp master is hereupon killed, the Black Wind Camp is extinguished!¡± Then he flicked the sword: ¡°It¡¯s really a good sword!¡± He hadn¡¯t use the sword from the start but consumed the talisman¡¯s spiritual light first. Otherwise, while the spiritual light was at its most abundant, he would not only be unable to kill Xiong Xiangwu in one strike, he¡¯d only ruin this treasured sword instead.


    Although this was also an imitation spiritual weapon that couldn¡¯t even be graded according to the green bull, it was at least a lot more practical than using his hands. ¡°Brother bull, what was the important thing you said?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°It¡¯s to help the little ghost cultivate the into some shape. Hurry and drag all the corpses over here, don¡¯t waste so many good materials.¡±


    End of Book 1

 Chapter 59

    Li Qingshan only remembered then. The green bull had said that using the blood of beasts was merely a temporary stopgap when cultivating the . You still needed human blood to genuinely cultivate, moreover blood still warm from people dead not long ago. It was also better the richer the blood energy.Those bandits were precisely the great materials the green bull spoke about. Although he didn¡¯t agree with it, he didn¡¯t mind it too much either. He dragged over the mass of bandit corpses, piling them into a small hill on the open ground. The scene was very cruel and dreadful. The thick scent of blood assaulted his nose. Even Li Qingshan himself felt somewhat disturbed. He couldn¡¯t resist searching his heart, did I do that?


    But he immediately calmed down. Only this was called just retribution. The laws of Heaven would have been unfair instead if this group of bandits didn¡¯t meet such an end. One could do anything without being tangled in regrets as long as one had a clear conscience. Then he fastened the porcelain jar containing Little An¡¯s skeleton upside down on the hill of corpses, following the green bull¡¯s instructions.


    Little An flew around randomly, a little anxious, until he heard Li Qingshan say: ¡°Go then!¡± He turned into a clear breeze and entered inside the porcelain jar. S?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The corpse hill quivered. The blood that originally flowed down suddenly reverted itself and flowed to the porcelain jar. The porcelain jar followed suit and trembled as the reek of blood became increasingly fainter.


    There was a ¡°kacha kacha¡± after a long time. Crack after crack appeared on the porcelain jar, leaking beams of red light like blood clots.


    Li Qingshan frowned and held his breath. The scene in front of him was really too much like some terrifying evil ritual, and this present development was even more like some demon about to be born into the world.


    The porcelain jar exploded into pieces with a bang. A small blood-red skeleton sat upright on the hill of corpses, two blood flames fiercely burning inside its eye sockets. It was clearly an extremely strange and frightening scene, but the small skeleton had unexpectedly its two hands held together just like an old monk sitting in meditation. It actually gave off a holy sensation of one who¡¯d reached nirvana and comprehended the truth of life and death. That cruel and dreadful hill of corpses vaguely resembled the lotus throne the Buddha quietly meditated on. Those pale arms extended out just like pure white lotus petals. It was utterly weird.


    Li Qingshan probed with a call: ¡°Little An?¡±


    The little skeleton lifted its head. The blood flames swayed, then it transformed into a bloody shadow that flew his way, so fast even Li Qingshan was stunned. This was simply even faster than Yang Anzhi¡¯s movement technique. He instinctively wanted to raise his hands and block or even counterattack, but then he stopped and allowed it to charge into his bosom. It bumped on his chest with a ¡°dong,¡± and slid down.


    Li Qingshan suddenly didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry. He saw Little An tumble and sit on the ground, shaking his head, totally looking like he didn¡¯t control his speed.


    Little An stood up, looked up at Li Qingshan, and saw from within his eyes his own present appearance. He seemed to suddenly realize that he wasn¡¯t an incorporeal ghost anymore. He lowered his head and watched his hands that were comprised of only tiny bones, then looked again at his body. After that he shuddered violently, and after that he squatted on the ground, his two hands covering his face.


    Although there wasn¡¯t a single sound coming out, Li Qingshan could still clearly feel that he was weeping. At least he still had a human form as a ghost. Anyone who changed into this frightening inhuman appearance would be unable to keep their calm. What¡¯s more, he was only a child.


    Li Qingshan felt a heartache. His heart that had been hardened like iron admist the massacre suddenly softened down. He kneaded his sour nose and squatted down with a smile. He rubbed Little An¡¯s head: ¡°Why are you like this, this isn¡¯t very cute. You were the only one who could touch me before, I couldn¡¯t touch you. Now we¡¯re even.¡±


    Little An lifted his head, the blood flames in his eye sockets brightening a little. He stretched his arms and lightly hugged Li Qingshan, pasting his head against his chest. Li Qingshan spread his arms open and hugged him tightly.


    Amidst the wind and snow, under the mountain of corpses, a teenager and a tiny skeleton embraced and hugged each other, cuddling together as if they could feel warmth from their icy-cold bodies.


    The green bull watched silently at the side, and there was none of the usual teasing expression in its eyes.


    Little An had after all the temperament of a child, and his mood quickly became better. He inquisitively experimented with his new body, randomly walking on the ground a moment, getting a simple blade dropped by a bandit and randomly waving it around the next moment. Or he¡¯d jump up, reaching several dozen feet in the air in a single leap, but he couldn¡¯t help dropping back down with a ¡°pa¡± and ended up sprawled on the ground.


    Li Qingshan went forward with great alarm, afraid he¡¯d shatter his slender bones in the fall, but he saw him turn over and stand up just like that, scratching his head as he remembered he wasn¡¯t a ghost and couldn¡¯t fly anymore. But he wasn¡¯t disappointed and started to crazily dash amidst the wind and snow once again.


    Only then did Li Qingshan become relieved and expose a faint smile. Perhaps he was watching through affection-tinted glasses, but he truly didn¡¯t feel that Little An was all that frightening. The little skeleton had a sort of strange cuteness instead as its figure made various childish motions. However, others would certainly not think so.


    He turned his head toward the green bull and asked: ¡°Will Little An really spend his whole life looking like this?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with this appearance. How many men beseech gods and worship Buddha to become like this, and they can¡¯t even succeed! But ordinary people don¡¯t even need to think about making a yin spirit cultivate into a substantial body. Although it¡¯s a supernatural skill from the way of demons, it doesn¡¯t suffer restriction from any Buddhist law or Taoist technique. Moreover he will progress at lightning speed and possess formidable strength. If this supernatural skill were to spread out, I guarantee it¡¯ll have ten thousand times the effect of the spirit ginseng in your hands. No matter monsters demons buddhas or daoists, they¡¯d all come to snatch it.¡±


    If someone offered you a great banquet, could you really blame them because the tableware wasn¡¯t good enough? Li Qingshan could only smile wryly as he said: ¡°I already knew that the was much more powerful than the just by the sounds of it.¡±


    Not only the speed was so fast that even he couldn¡¯t react, almost. When he turned his head around he saw Little An grab the seventh boss¡¯s great iron hammer a hundred pounds heavy and randomly wave it around. Afterwards his hands slipped on the hammer handle because they were too small, and the iron hammer flew out several dozen feet away, smashing into a wall with a loud rumble before knocking it down. The present Little An could definitely massacre the whole Black Wind Camp by himself more effortlessly than himself.


    Moreover, the Black Wind camp master found this paper talisman from who knew where and was able to contend against his strength of one bull just like that. Something that could be obtained by this head bandit would certainly not be any extraordinary high level stuff. He couldn¡¯t help but start to feel a sliver of doubt about this Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers.


    ¡°He absorbed the blood essence from a hundred persons, of course his strength won¡¯t be weak. It¡¯s actually not that difficult either if he wants to restore a human form.¡± The green bull laughed mischievously and changed the topic, brushing off Li Qingshan¡¯s doubts.


    Li Qingshan indeed left his own affairs behind: ¡°Is it true? What¡¯s the way?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°One way is to cultivate the to a certain degree, then he¡¯ll be able to transform into a thousand shapes. He can become whatever he wants to become.¡±


    Li Qingshan nodded: ¡°Since the Buddhists speak of turning beauty into bones1, they originally fully grasped the meaning of truth and illusion already. But this is probably not something that can be done overnight. Moreover that¡¯s only illusory transformation when all¡¯s said and done.¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°There¡¯s another shortcut. Take human hearts and pour the blood on him. It won¡¯t take long before the skeleton gives birth to muscles and restores flesh, remodeling a corporeal body.¡±


    Li Qingshan said in shock: ¡°This way, won¡¯t it just be like reviving Little An?¡±


    The green bull shook its head and said: ¡°Not alive nor dead, not dead nor alive, but from the point of view of ordinary people, there¡¯s not much difference with a revival.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± Li Qingshan felt a burst of excitement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be happy so early. You¡¯re the one who still need to do this troublesome matter. We can definitely not let him be exposed in front of everyone and leave too many traces behind, otherwise people will come to wipe out the devil and defend righteousness. Don¡¯t blame me for not reminding you.¡±


    Li Qingshan said resolutely: ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t hesitate even if my body were polluted with bloodstains and had to bear this sin. Not to mention, the people in this world who ought to be killed and can be killed are too many to count.¡±


    Author notes: A new volume, a new section. Li Qingshan will come into contact with this xianxia world different from others, and understand this world¡¯s vast magnificence.


    Translator notes: I am going to change the chapter numbering. This is originally book 2 chapter 1, but since my coding-fu is lacking I can¡¯t seem to find a way to make the script that does next chapter/prev chapter work without the numbering going dumbly up. Apologies.


    1. As a reminder, the saying originally means to look beyond the superficial.

 Chapter 60

    The green bull didn¡¯t talk much further. He only said after Li Qingshan turned around: ¡°You can cultivate the when you go back. Cultivating the bull and not cultivating the tiger doesn¡¯t count as a supernatural skill yet.¡±Li Qingshan¡¯s body stiffened but his steps didn¡¯t stop. He would courageously press on no matter where this road led to. For himself, and also for the child in front of his eyes.


    The green bull¡¯s entire attention was focused on Li Qingshan. It was also for Li Qingshan that he had conveniently taught the to Little An. Would the he taught Li Qingshan truly be a mere clumsy and crude supernatural skill?


    Li Qingshan searched for spoils of war inside the Black Wind Camp. Little An dragged his steps, ¡°pa pa,¡± and followed behind him. It didn¡¯t take him long to find the grain depot. The granary filled with food rations had been entirely pillaged from various villages in preparation for winter. No one would know how many common folks they¡¯d caused to die of cold and hunger.


    Later on he found a warehouse filled with various goods as well as a weapon depot. The warehouse was mostly filled with wine, meat, salt, this kind of things, while the weapon depot was filled with merely ordinary weapons. They couldn¡¯t match the edge of the Soaring Dragon Sword in his hands put together, so he didn¡¯t pay notice to them any further. But searching to and fro he couldn¡¯t find the most important treasury. Instead, he found quite a bit of silver and silver notes in the various bosses¡¯ rooms.


    The Black Wind Camp had been entrenched for many years in Suncheer and had accumulated who knew how much wealth and treasures. Maybe there were even magical talismans among them. It was still meticulous Little An who found an extremely well hidden mechanism in Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s room. A hidden door emerged when they triggered the mechanism.


    Pearly rays of light and an atmosphere of precious treasures radiated from the money and items inside when they opened the secret door, almost dazzling the human eye. A wooden box was filled with a pile of silver notes, enough for at least ten thousand taels. But the most precious items were probably those antiques and paintings he couldn¡¯t name. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Even Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes felt a little dizzy. He could casually pick up something at random and appreciate it for half a day, magnifying the nature of a country bumpkin. He¡¯d never seen so much wealth and treasures even adding his two lives together. However, he unfortunately didn¡¯t find any other talisman after searching around for a lap. Then he reflected that even if Xiong Xiangwu really had this kind of good things, he would also leave them on himself as trump cards instead of putting them in this kind of place to gather mold. But he couldn¡¯t help feeling some regrets.


    Little An ignored those shiny gold and treasures. It seemed like he¡¯d already had enough after playing with those weapons earlier. Instead he took out scrolls one by one from a great porcelain bottle containing paintings and observed them. He didn¡¯t seem like he was amusing himself, but more like he was earnestly watching them. Some paintings he only took a glance at before throwing on the floor, disregarding them as if he¡¯d recognized them as fakes.


    Li Qingshan moved closer forward. He saw that those paintings were either landscapes of mountains and rivers, or flower and birds drawn with human figures. Or they were written from some weird calligraphy, and out of ten characters there were nine he couldn¡¯t distinguish. Anyway they were full of antique atmosphere and he couldn¡¯t see any difference.


    He suddenly remembered that he could almost be counted as an illiterate in this world. There was neither the opportunity to study nor the necessity to study in the village, and he probably couldn¡¯t even recognize all the characters. He had to carefully make up for this deficiency when an opportunity arose. But still, he felt very amazed in his heart: ¡°You understand them?¡±


    Little An nodded. Although his mouth couldn¡¯t speak out words, he made a few gestures to Li Qingshan and Li Qingshan understood very quickly. Little An had originally remembered many things once again after reaching the beginning completion of the and transforming into a skeleton.


    Li Qingshan clicked his tongue: ¡°Looks like you might quickly be able to remember where your home is. You can appreciate paintings and calligraphy at such a young age, there¡¯s certainly a deep relation with your studies at home. It could well be that they¡¯re more than an ordinary wealthy family.¡±


    Little An became confused instead when he heard Li Qingshan say this. Even if he was innocent and naive, he still knew that this appearance of his couldn¡¯t be shown to other people. Would he be able to see his family even if he returned to his hometown?


    Li Qingshan said comfortingly: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have my ways, you¡¯ll soon be able to become alright. I guarantee you won¡¯t be much different from other kids.¡±


    Little An rejoiced immediately. It just came from his instinctive trust, even if he had entirely no idea what Li Qingshan¡¯s method was.


    The green bull heard them outside the door and sneered in its heart. Not only not an ordinary wealthy family, this little ghost¡¯s soul had clearly been purified and strengthened by learned people using great powers. It was the only reason it was so tough and could endure the witch¡¯s chaotic ghost refining without the soul scattering off, gaining the ability to manipulate objects instead.


    Maybe Li Qingshan didn¡¯t know, but the green bull understood very clearly what a high level of innate talent was required by the . Even it was a little surprised that Little An could cultivate it so smoothly. This was probably not due to mere intelligence and natural talent, but a spiritual wisdom that¡¯d been opened thanks to some spiritual medicines or daoist technique.


    Little An opened another painting. A patch of spiritual light suddenly rose inside the room and overshadowed all the glitter from the treasures and gold.


    Li Qingshan felt a patch of cold in his heart, he felt an extremely sharp sword aura pierce his way. It was ten times more terrible even compared to that sure-kill sword strike from Yang Anzhi back in the restaurant. He instinctively grabbed Little An and covered him behind his body.


    The painting dropped on the floor, but it didn¡¯t emit the terrible attack he¡¯d imagined. Li Qingshan picked up the painting very carefully after a brief lull. He saw that it wasn¡¯t a painting that was drawn on the painting scroll, but handwritten calligraphy instead. It was flamboyant and extremely disheveled. He really couldn¡¯t recognize a single character.


    It didn¡¯t look too much like cursive scrip1 either. The entire roll of characters didn¡¯t have any character shape at all, it was just random brushes and strokes. But the scroll was unexpectedly soaked through with power and had an extremely imposing aura. Every stroke resembled sword scars left on stone walls by a swordsman unrivaled in the world. There was a profoundness that couldn¡¯t be worn down even passing through the great changes of time.


    The green bull said: ¡°Kid, your luck isn¡¯t bad, you actually found a genuine spiritual weapon!¡±


    ¡°Spiritual weapon!¡± Li Qingshan felt delighted. He played with the scroll in his hands, his heart filled with happiness. He rubbed Little An¡¯s bony head: ¡°What a really good boy Little An!¡±


    Little An saw him happy and lowered his head, also extremely joyous.


    ¡°How do you use this thing?¡±


    The green bull said: ¡°Inject true qi inside and give it a try.¡±


    Li Qingshan had mainly relied on his body¡¯s strength during the great battle at the Black Wind Camp. The true qi in his body hadn¡¯t been much consumed on the contrary, and there was more than half left. But it started to pour crazily like a torrent once he tried to inject it inside the painting scroll. The entire true qi left his body and was sucked inside the scroll.


    A brush stroke brightened on the scroll only after the whole of his true qi had been sucked dry. A brilliant light flashed, and an ¡°oblique stroke¡± flew out, passing by a treasure box containing silver and gold before falling on the secret room¡¯s stone wall. There wasn¡¯t any astonishing noise whatsoever. After a moment, the treasure box split into two sides.


    Only then did Li Qingshan recover his mind and go forward for a look. The gold and silver ingots had all been split in two as long that ¡°oblique stroke¡± had scratched past, the cross-cutting section neat and polished as a mirror. He went to examine the stone wall and discovered an extremely fine and deep scar on the thick stone wall.


    ¡°So this is a spiritual weapon¡¯s power!¡± Li Qingshan swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Don¡¯t mention the Bull Demon Skin Refining he was so proud of, even Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s Strong Diamond Talisman could absolutely not block this strike. Moreover, he felt that this spiritual weapon hadn¡¯t even displayed a tenth of its power because the true qi in his body was insufficient. If he could rouse ten strokes at the same time out of the several dozen strokes on this scroll, what kind of might would that be!

 Chapter 61

    Li Qingshan finally understood why the green bull only showed contempt for that little knife firing off spiritual light in every direction, and was even dismissive of the Soaring Dragon Sword ordinary people saw as a divine weapon. They were indeed bottom level goods compared to genuine spiritual weapons.If Xiong Xiangwu had used this spiritual weapon, then the one to die here today would have been him. But how could ordinary martial artists see the spiritual light. The antiques and paintings here hadn¡¯t been gathered by an uncouth fellow like Xiong Xiangwu anyway. It had been that second master dressed up as a scholar who¡¯d noticed that this calligraphy was a little out of the ordinary. But where precisely it was out of the ordinary, he couldn¡¯t have said.


    Even if they could see it was unusual, an martial artist¡¯s internal strength was entirely unable of using spiritual weapons. Xiong Xiangwu had to bite his tongue to use the talisman, only prompting it with his blood. Moreover, once rolled this scroll didn¡¯t leak out the slightest shred of spiritual light. Only then did Li Qingshan obtain this benefit at their expense.


    The green bull said: ¡°This spiritual weapon doesn¡¯t seem complete, it¡¯s just a part of it.¡±


    Li Qingshan took a look. Indeed, many strokes were interrupted at the edge, as if the scroll had been cut off by someone.


    The green bull¡¯s vision was out of the ordinary: ¡°This spiritual weapon doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s been refined intentionally, but more like conveniently drawn on the spot, blending sword qi and sword might on the tip of the brush to rouse the sword qi. If you are of a mind to, it might even be possible to comprehend a set of sword art from it. Also, ordinary spiritual weapons would all be ruined once they¡¯re cut off. The one who penned this calligraphy really has some abilities.¡±


    Li Qingshan knew well the green bull¡¯s temperament. Its bullishness and arrogance was always soaring to the sky. Saying ¡°has some abilities¡± was already an extraordinary assessment, so he closely examined this calligraphy even more carefully, trying to comprehend a sword technique from within.


    He originally thought that since Shi Potian, with his illiterate status, could comprehend the that even the crowd of heroes from the martial world couldn¡¯t figure out1, then it was only right for a semi-illiterate like him to have some advantages. But he looked back and forth and came up empty-handed, only feeling that the scroll was more imposing the more he looked at it. He could only give up.


    Little An stared at the scroll, his blood flames flickering without pause. He suddenly picked up a painting scroll from the ground and started moving as if dancing. A sudden gale rose in the treasure room, the rolled scroll carrying a blur with it as it emitted the ¡°sou sou¡± sound of breaking through the air. It seemed that what Little An held in his hand wasn¡¯t a painting scroll, but a genuine treasured sword.


    The appearance of a small skeleton holding a scroll and randomly moving about should originally have been strange and funny. But in Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes, he could faintly see an elegant sword knight dancing with his sword, drawing to the four sides. He couldn¡¯t help mumbling to himself: ¡°Children¡¯s fairy tales are all lies.¡±


    What illiterates can learn martial arts faster, it¡¯s all nonsense!


    The green bull threw a sidelong glance to Li Qingshan and said clicking its tongue: ¡°Perception!¡±


    Li Qingshan thought that his own perception wasn¡¯t that bad. He also progressed at a divine pace in the cultivation of his , and he¡¯d even been praised by the green bull. If the problem wasn¡¯t with him, then he could only say that Little An¡¯s comprehension was high enough to go against the heavens. Of course, maybe it was also because he understood the calligraphy.


    Little An finished dancing the last move and firmly took his sword back. The scroll disintegrated inch by inch, becoming fine powder. Then he looked in Li Qingshan¡¯s direction. Although he couldn¡¯t even make any expression, the blood flames clearly twinkled with a ¡°hurry up and praise me¡± mood.


    Li Qingshan rubbed his skeleton head: ¡°Really smart!¡±


    Little An rejoiced immediately. He saw that Li Qingshan had suffered a bit of a psychological blow, and wrote in his palm: ¡°I¡¯ll teach you!¡±


    Li Qingshan smiled: ¡°Alright then, looks like there¡¯s a lot of things I have to learn. However let¡¯s find a new home for you first!¡± He found a thick porcelain jar among those antique vases. He weighed it: ¡°It seems too small.¡±


    Little An split into separate bones and flew inside with a ¡°Hua La La.¡± Li Qingshan jumped in fright. He looked inside the jar. A small skeleton, a bunch of blood flames happened to be watching him, full of expression.


    Alright then, he originally thought that bringing up a small ghost was already weird enough, now it looked stranger and stranger. He said a ¡°Good night!¡± and sealed the porcelain jar. s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan lifted the jar and stuffed the silver notes into his bosom. He only brought this painting scroll outside. Then he closed this secret chamber once again. Finally he found some oil and sprinkled it on every building except the granary and the warehouse, then released a great fire.


    Since ancient times, murder and arson were originally two peas in a pod already.


    The fire spread fast even under the windy snow, and a great patch of fire soared in the space of a moment, shining Li Qingshan¡¯s cheeks flush red.


    Then Li Qingshan splashed oil and wine on the mountain of corpses. He couldn¡¯t know if someone else would be able to see some clues on those corpses whose blood essence had been absorbed by Little An, so he might as well set them on fire.


    On the mountain path, the bandit-punishing troops finally neared the Black Wind Camp after a difficult journey through the night.


    The horizon suddenly shone with a crimson red light just when Sick Yellow Tiger was thinking they were too late. His heart jumped: ¡°Could it be?¡± He ordered immediately: ¡°Speed up the march!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger stared blankly as they crossed over a mountain ridge. Liu Hong also stared blankly, and even everyone who¡¯d rushed over the mountain ridge together with them were speechless.


    The insufferably arrogant and famously vicious Black Wind Camp was burning in raging flames at this moment, burning into a sea of fire.


    ¡°Could it be that all of this was done by that man alone?¡± This question rose in everyone¡¯s mind.


    After the astonishment, the troops rushed with the fastest speed down the mountain ridge and reached the front of the Black Wind Camp. They crossed hesitatingly through the broken gates, then they saw a scene they would definitely be unable to forget their whole lives.


    Amidst a sea of fire, the great snow on the open area had been dyed bright red by the blood and the flames, with every kind of broken weapons stuck within. Li Qingshan sat recuperating in the center. Behind him was a burning mountain of corpses.


    Four or five hundred men halted their steps. Sick Yellow Tiger and Liu Hong were no exception. This young man¡¯s body radiated a lofty aura that made people no dare to approach, just like a demon god.


    Li Qingshan opened his eyes: ¡°You came!¡± Two raging blazes reflected into his clear eyes, but it gave off the feeling that the raging blaze was burning forth from the bottom of his heart.


    No one answered him!


    Li Qingshan killed people and also released fires, and he also experimented with supernatural weapons. He¡¯d cleanly exhausted his body¡¯s mental energy, stamina, and true qi, and he¡¯d felt a burst of deep fatigue as soon as he¡¯d sat down, so he simply sat and rested. Inside this sea of fire, this empty spot was precisely the best place to let him rest. Even he himself never expected that he¡¯d give other people such a shock.


    As an ordinary person, Ye Dachuan actually didn¡¯t sense as many things as Sick Yellow Tiger and Liu Hong. He went forward and said, ¡°You¡­ you did all this?¡± From beginning to end, his gaze didn¡¯t dare to stop on the mountain of corpses behind Li Qingshan. The blazing hot sensation, the smell of grilled flesh, all of it made his head spin and his eyes dizzy.


    Li Qingshan nodded and bounced up with a leap. ¡°Li Qingshan leveled the Black Wind Camp herein. He didn¡¯t betray his commitment to the ordinary people of Crouching Bull Village, to my lord, and to himself!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger and Liu Hong noticed those many crossbows among the weapons scattered on the ground. They had the best understanding of those things¡¯ fearfulness.


    What¡¯s this martial arts that gave him this kind of energy in the end! Liu Hong searched his heart and knew he couldn¡¯t do the same as Li Qingshan. Even if those mountain bandits didn¡¯t move an iota and were neatly arranged in line to let him hit, he would still be worn out. Not even mentioning that the bandits were holding every kind of weapons, and there were also many masters standing guard to boot.


    Liu Hong¡¯s gaze fell on the gourd at Li Qingshan¡¯s hips, believing he had guessed something, but he quickly moved his eyes away after crossing Li Qingshan¡¯s gaze.


    1. Reference to the wuxia novel Ode to Gallantry by Jin Yong. Shi Potian is the main character, while the Ode to Gallantry is a set of martial arts in this story. No one could decipher the manual because the secret was in the brush strokes and not the words, until Shi Potian the illiterate came along.

 Chapter 62

    ¡°Many thanks to all of you for rushing to my rescue!¡± Li Qingshan gave his thanks to Ye Dachuan, Sick Yellow Tiger, and Liu Hong, one by one. Help was help no matter what kind of thoughts and goals they had. Their payback was the granary, warehouse, and weapon depot left by the Black Wind Camp.As to that treasure chamber, it was originally extremely well hidden. After the burning of the great fire, even the secret door would also have burned down. If one wanted to go back inside, one could only move the debris away, find the exact location, and forcefully dig one¡¯s way in.


    Everyone sighed in relief and was all smiles among the great bandit-punishing army. They were originally deeply worried at heart, and thought they¡¯d have to struggle desperately against the Black Wind brigands. Now they didn¡¯t need to bloody their blades, and just had to transport the spoils of war without injuring a single hair. It was really great. They could still go brag to other people when they went back. S~?a??h the ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Ye Dachuan, Sick Yellow Tiger, Liu Hong, and Li Qingshan stood together as they watched the men transport the goods. They vaguely deferred to Li Qingshan as the leader.


    Apart from the small wine gourd at Li Qingshan¡¯s waist and the Soaring Dragon Sword on his back, there was an additional porcelain jar at his hips, and an additional painting scroll on his back.


    What was packed inside the porcelain jar was naturally Little An. He¡¯d sucked in so much blood essence from the bandits in one go and also needed some time to absorb and digest it. As to the painting scroll, it was the spiritual weapon he¡¯d obtained. Because it was calligraphy and could also issue sword qi, he gave it the name of .


    .


    Those two things attracted the three persons¡¯ attention, but he didn¡¯t explain and no one breached discretion to ask. No matter what those were, they were already his spoils of war and he wouldn¡¯t tolerate others trying to get their share of it.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°The chief hunter¡¯s wounds aren¡¯t too important I hope!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my knives are precise, they won¡¯t leave any disability.¡±


    Li Qingshan froze an instant, then laughed loudly: ¡°Indeed an old hand of the rivers and lakes.¡± Man¡¯s heart was complex, it was moved by emotions and changed for profits. There was falsehood in truth and truth in falsehood. Rights and wrongs, grudges and gratitude, those were hard to distinguish clearly, and also didn¡¯t need to be distinguished clearly. Graces and grudges vanished entirely with a smile at a chance meeting.


    Sick Yellow Tiger also laughed loudly, but he suddenly took his laughter back: ¡°The difficulties still lay ahead.¡±


    Little Black came up and offered a ceremonial greeting to this man whose age wasn¡¯t greatly different from his. ¡°I have let you down.¡± This scene today had thoroughly shocked him. How terribly would it be if this kind of man were to become the Horse Rein Village¡¯s enemy.


    Li Qingshan patted his shoulder and walked out of the Black Wind Camp: ¡°The sky will soon brighten!¡±


    Apart from the layers and layers of red clouds, there was a gleam of light emerging from the east. The great fire gradually went out.


    Li Qingshan suddenly stopped his footsteps. ¡°That¡¯s right, chief hunter, did this Tiger Descending the Mountains nickname spread out from you?¡±


    ¡°Could be?¡± Sick Yellow Tiger didn¡¯t think he was going to talk about this.


    ¡°Can I change it?¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger froze, then smile wryly. Those nicknames were all passed down from the mouths of men of the martial world. He just chanced on the right opportunity at the right time, how did he have any qualification to change it.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t know yet that he would very quickly gain a new nickname.


    Black Tiger, Black Tiger Li Qingshan.


    Ye Dachuan felt deep deep regrets for being ultimately unable to find the Black Wind Camp¡¯s treasury, but he didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid outwardly. Once in a while his gaze would meet the adviser¡¯s, and it was all rapt excitement. ¡°A great merit a great merit!¡±


    Although it was all Li Qingshan¡¯s doings, Li Qingshan was still a constable he¡¯d found, so this county magistracy of his wouldn¡¯t be short of contribution. He could already imagine the expression of that cheap brother-in-law who looked down on himself when he obtained those news.


    ¡°Hahahaha, the Black Wind Camp that countless magistrates were unable to pacify, this father leveled it as soon as he took office.¡± Ye Dachuan laughed madly as he fiercely tapped Li Qingshan¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Of course this is all constable Li¡¯s merit. I¡¯ll certainly make it known to the lord prefect, who happens to be also my brother-in-law. I¡¯ll commend your meritorious service, then get you promotions and riches, hahahaha.¡±


    Constable Li? Only then did Li Qingshan remember that he still had this title. He said with a smile, ¡°Then I¡¯ll give many thanks for lord Ye¡¯s high praises.¡±


    ¡°With pleasure, with pleasure!¡±


    The great army set out and went back to the city. Li Qingshan had nothing to do and simply followed the troops as they slowly journeyed forward. Along the way, everyone found out that he wasn¡¯t as terrible as they¡¯d imagined, and they gradually gathered around him, a bunch of them starting to call him young hero constable.


    Li Qingshan had never experienced this sort of hero treatment and it also made him feel extremely good. Compared to the mediocrity of his previous life or the frustration of Crouching Bull Village, this was how a real man should live. He certainly didn¡¯t feign aloofness. What would he pretend to be indifferent to fame or fortune for. Not only he loved fame, he also loved wine and meat, loved beautiful women. Wine, lust, avarice and temper, he had all of the various sins and desires of the common masses.


    Sick Yellow Tiger said his goodbyes in order to return to Horse Rein Village and get the tiger bone wine Li Qingshan wanted. Li Qingshan said: ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to send ginseng over if you have some, I¡¯m willing to buy at high prices.¡±


    He could genuinely start to cultivate the after settling matters here. Although the green bull didn¡¯t breathe a word of it, Li Qingshan still felt that there was some mystery he failed to grasp inside this seemingly ordinary supernatural skill.


    Moreover, even if it were only an ordinary supernatural skill, it was still something that no martial arts could compare to, and it was extremely important to him. He loved fame, but his eyes weren¡¯t blinded by fame yet, and he wouldn¡¯t drunkenly forget where he was. The present bustle was only the calm before the storm. More and greater challenges still lay ahead of him, and he would collapse in defeat if he didn¡¯t prepare himself in advance.


    But not only he didn¡¯t feel fear, he became vaguely excited instead. He almost yelled, let the storm come a little fiercer then. This was the life he¡¯d chosen.


    Although the road was easy to walk on during daytime, they still couldn¡¯t go fast because they carried a great pile of heavy wagons. The contingent only reached the front of Suncheer City¡¯s gates at nightfall. They heard gongs and drums clamoring to the sky inside the city while firecrackers sang all together.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°What festival is it today?¡±


    Liu Hong said: ¡°No, it¡¯s to welcome you in all likelihood. The lord magistrate sent out men in advance to notify them.¡±


    Indeed, a warm enthusiastic atmosphere assailed them when they entered inside the city. In this winter season, the great streets were actually crammed full of people.


    The unfortunate events in Suncheer City last night had shocked everyone in the city, to the point that each of them was a little absent-minded during the day, until the news had come back. The city was boiling.


    Li Qingshan smiled faintly and greeted the crowd. At the same time, he acutely felt a few unkind gazes coming from a teahouse at the streetside. He thought: ¡°They came really fast!¡±


    ¡°Hmph, a frog at the bottom of the well. He¡¯s merely destroyed a mountain camp, that¡¯s all. Apprentice brothers, when are we acting?¡± Said a woman clothed in blue in the teahouse. Her appearance was mediocre, but her haughtiness soared to the heavens.


    ¡°No hurry, let¡¯s wait a little more!¡± The apprentice brother sitting facing her was a man over thirty years old with a long slim-shaped horse face. There wasn¡¯t any surplus fat on his body, and his fingers were lanky. A bulging purse hung at his waist, and a radiant light flashed in his eyes. An old hand of the martial world would know at first glance that this was a concealed weapon master with exquisite internal strength.


    ¡°We caught up by chance. If we wait until the news spread out, I don¡¯t know how many people would come to snatch. We might as well strike first and gain the upper hand.¡±


    ¡°He exterminated two hundred bandits with his own strength. If I ask myself honestly, then I couldn¡¯t do it. The prestige of this tiger descending the mountains is blooming, he¡¯s not easy to deal with.¡± The horse-faced man shook his head vigorously. It was a chance opportunity that they found themselves in this Suncheer City, and they were of a mind to pick up some benefits.


    ¡°You even believe this kind of outrageous rumors. I see he walks with heavy and cumbersome steps, while his temples are flat1. He¡¯s nothing but an enduring external practitioner, he¡¯s a peak second-grade master at most, he can definitely not resist a first-grade. Let¡¯s join hands and greet him with concealed weapons, we¡¯ll take his little life in one go.¡±


    1. Swollen temples are supposedly signs of abundant internal strength in some wuxia novels.

 Chapter 63

    ¡°One has to be cautious walking through the martial world. It¡¯s preferable not to obtain the spirit ginseng rather than put yourself in danger. There are still other people here, let them feel him out first!¡± The horse-faced man¡¯s assiduous teaching only met with a burst of contempt from the blue-clothed woman.¡°The master said you have to listen to me about everything while we¡¯re outside!¡± The horse-faced man also became angry. Don¡¯t hesitate to go by yourself if you want to throw your life away, but don¡¯t drag this daddy along with you. I¡¯d have washed my hands off you long ago if you weren¡¯t the master¡¯s daughter.


    He deeply felt the treacherousness of the martial world. They¡¯d probably attract a fatal disaster even if they managed to snatch the spirit ginseng with a single moment of carelessness. This Li Qingshan should have offered this spirit ginseng out immediately if he were a smart man, otherwise he was dead for certain. No, even if he offered it out respectfully, the one who took it over would still certainly silence him for good to avoid the news leaking out and being chased by everyone.


    The horse-faced man watched Li Qingshan among the group of people as if watching a dead man. He drank a mouthful of tea. Even if he couldn¡¯t obtain the spirit ginseng, it would still be a beautiful thing to watch this kind of extremely lucky young heroic genius die inside this ruthless martial world.


    Once again upstairs the restaurant where a fierce battle had been waged the previous night, Li Qingshan sat in the seat of honor and received the nobles¡¯ terrified gazes, as well as cup after cup of fine wine. Suddenly, he stopped and watched the rippling liquid inside his cup when he was about to drink the wine.


    The restaurant also quieted down following his actions. A nobleman asked cautiously, ¡°Constable Li, is something the matter?¡±


    Li Qingshan faintly said: ¡°This wine is poisoned!¡± He casually splashed the wine on the floor, and a cloud of white smoke rose immediately. The violence of the poison was obvious to see. Moreover, this poison was colorless and tasteless, and he would have been poisoned already if he hadn¡¯t noticed the oddness of the wine thanks to his cautiousness and his opened spiritual eyes.


    That nobleman¡¯s expression became pallid. It was him who¡¯d filled Li Qingshan¡¯s cup of wine just now. He hurriedly waved his hands and said, ¡°It¡¯s not me!¡±


    Li Qingshan quickly stood up. The nobleman was about to yell out loud for someone to save his life when he saw Li Qingshan look at a waiter to the side: ¡°You¡¯re the one who the poison right?¡± This was almost the sensitive reaction of a bestial intuition facing a murderous hostility.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen him before, he¡¯s not a waiter here,¡± said a nobleman.


    The waiter¡¯s facial expression became panicked. He cried injustice in a loud voice, but suddenly saw a fist hit his way. The fist¡¯s wind assaulted his face first before the fist even landed, oppressing him until he couldn¡¯t breathe. He couldn¡¯t hide anymore and slipped out a short knife from within his sleeve, ruthlessly stabbing toward Li Qingshan¡¯s underbelly.


    A muffled bang echoed, accompanied by the sound of fractured bones. The waiter¡¯s chest caved in as his corpse flew out of the building and landed on the street, his hand still tightly gripping the knife. The knife tip was bent.


    Li Qingshan turned around and said as if nothing had happened: ¡°Everyone keep drinking!¡± as if this couldn¡¯t even count as an aperitif.


    But who could still keep drinking!


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Lord Ye, Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s suzerain Yang Anzhi openly assaulted and tried to kill a government representative. Now he¡¯s fled without leaving a trace, should we list him as a criminal and issue a call for his arrest?¡±


    Ye Dachuan said: ¡°Right right right, I¡¯ll certainly mention this matter in the official documents to the lord prefect.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave a den of brigands like the Dragon Gate Sect alone for long either. In the capacity of a constable, this one is willing to raze the Dragon Gate Sect and seize back Yang Anzhi. What does my lord think?¡±


    The many nobles became terrified. The Dragon Gate Sect was probably going to follow in the Black Wind Camp¡¯s footsteps. It was fortunate they had immediately summoned back their families¡¯ disciples for the most part.


    Ye Dachuan looked at the dark sky: ¡°Isn¡¯t it too late?¡±


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Many thanks for the lord¡¯s solicitude. I¡¯ll go for a bit and come back shortly!¡± He might as well find something to do since the drinking was ruined. He would certainly not let off the main culprit behind all of this, the Dragon Gate Sect, and give the enemy the opportunity to recover.


    Comrade Lei Feng1 once instructed us: treat comrades with the warmth of spring, treat the enemy like the cruel and unfeeling winter.


    The Dragon Gate Sect was located on the Dragon Gate mountain ten miles away from the city. Li Qingshan left out of the city gates. He didn¡¯t travel on the main avenues, but identified the Dragon Gate¡¯s position and quickly walked in that direction in a straight line. Two black shadows followed behind as soon as he left the city gates. They weren¡¯t that pair of apprentice brother and sister.


    They were martial world people who¡¯d found themselves in Suncheer City¡¯s vicinity by coincidence and had accidentally heard the news about the spirit ginseng. That waiter who¡¯d poured the poison was precisely their companion. They¡¯d stood watch below the restaurant all along, waiting for Li Qingshan to be poisoned to death and seize the spirit ginseng before running immediately far away. If that failed, the three of them would have acted together.


    They¡¯d waited until the waiter¡¯s dead body was thrown out, closely followed by Li Qingshan leaping out of the windows as he went straight outside the city. They¡¯d shared a glance. ¡°He wants to escape!¡± They couldn¡¯t help but follow behind.


    The distance was ten miles in a straight line, but he needed to cross over mountain ridges all along the way, so it wasn¡¯t merely ten miles. Li Qingshan traveled in great steps, each step leaving a deep footprint behind. But he still had to slow down or stop a little when he came across gullies and ravines.


    It seemed like it wasn¡¯t for no reason that people assessed his figure as heavy and clumsy, because the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] cultivated the body and didn¡¯t cultivate qi, so it had absolutely no ability to lighten the body and carry it with the wind. He was merely circulating his true qi to his feet out of instinct while he sped forward, to increase his speed a little.


    But there was something a little special about him at this very moment. His spine twisted strangely and kept adjusting his posture as he ran, as if it was stretching his waist. His neck also twisted and turned without ceasing. He was even gasping for air in big mouthfuls and his heart beat like a drum while white mist rose from his body. It was actually the his sweat¡¯s vapor hanging in the air.


    He originally ought to be able to run without the slightest effort, but he unexpectedly seemed to be bearing the greatest of burdens. His steps were increasingly faster however. There was an increasingly lithe feeling with each step that fell down. His body bent forward and his two arms sagged down, looking like a wild humanoid beast as he ran faster and faster through the forest.


    The trees neared at flying speed inside the pitch-black forest, and were left behind him just as quickly.


    There was suddenly a precipitous mountain slope forty to fifty feet tall in front of him. The him from before would certainly have stopped his steps and thought about how to wind around it, or perhaps climb up.


    But at this moment, he not only didn¡¯t stop, he accelerated and charged toward the slope instead. His body lowered as soon as he reached the foot of the mountain slope, then he stamped his feet down and soared upward. His hands stretched out and grabbed two protruding rocks, then he leaped up the slow with another burst of strength.


    The entire movement had flowed smoothly in one go, just like a fierce tiger climbing the mountain and crossing ridges. This style was precisely the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist]¡¯s ¡°Tiger Demon Mountain Climb.¡±


    The green bull had already passed the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] onto Li Qingshan. He had been mulling over the methods and techniques within all during the way back to Suncheer. It was indeed much easier with the accumulation from the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], and he¡¯d quickly grasped the methods within. What he had been using and experimenting with as he ran were the three most basic styles within the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist], ¡°Tiger Demon Spine Shift,¡± ¡°Tiger Demon Waist Stretch,¡± and ¡°Tiger Demon Head Bump.¡± Those were the basis of the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist]¡¯s strength refining and energy flow, and the other techniques all had their foundations within.


    He only understood now why the green bull had him train to a strength of one bull before he let him cultivate the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist], because its burden on the body was simply too great. If he¡¯d cultivated the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] from the start, he¡¯d probably have cultivated his body into collapsing.


    1. A famous figure in modern Chinese culture, he¡¯s a communist soldier erected as a role model citizen after his death by a propaganda campaign from the communist party. Said to be unselfish,loyal etc and devoted to Mao and the party. s?a??h th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 64

    But the body¡¯s burden becoming greater wasn¡¯t only not a bad thing, it was instead a great thing. Although the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] bestowed strength, endurance, and defensive abilities that were out of the ordinary, he still often felt it was a little wasteful.If your speed wasn¡¯t fast enough, even a great strength would be in vain if you couldn¡¯t land your hits. Hence he had to put his body in danger when facing Yang Anzhi.


    Of course a powerful endurance could support you for longer, but what was important during fights to the death were the myriad of changes happening within an instant short like the fleeting flash of lightning sparks. If one strike didn¡¯t land, evade a thousand miles away. How many opportunities for great wars of three days and three days would you get.


    A tough defense could bully masters who used their fists, but if they used the sharp edges of treasured swords, then it would be the so called ¡°needle piercing through a bull¡¯s hide¡± and he wouldn¡¯t be able to block then. It was always better to hit people than to be hit anyway.


    The [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] solved those problems in a fundamental way. It could let him burst out his power and physical strength in the space of an instant. It greatly increased his speed.


    Apart of the ¡°Tiger Demon Mountain Climb¡±, there were another two forceful movement techniques in the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist, ¡°Tiger Demon Stream Leap¡± and ¡°Tiger Demon Mountain Descent.¡± It included every style from jumps upward to leaps downward, from rushes forward to retreats backward. It was truly like a fierce tiger crossing through the forest, coming and going like the wind.


    Li Qingshan stopped his steps and allowed his madly beating heart to slowly calm down. He closed his eyes to comprehend the sensations just now. At the same time, he was also waiting.


    The two shadows¡¯ movement techniques were actually decent, and they walked out of the woods after just a moment. They saw Li Qingshan on the mountain slope at one glance with the help from the reflection of the bright snow. They felt a violent and dangerous atmosphere at the same time.


    Li Qingshan crossed his hands in greeting and stood up straight: ¡°Two third-grade masters also dare to chase me. You really have brave guts. Since you came, leave your lives behind!¡± From stillness, he turned around in a flash without waiting for the two to answer, his whole person pouncing down.


    ¡°Tiger Demon Mountain Descent!¡¯


    ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains Li Qingshan.¡± Those two persons remembered Li Qingshan¡¯s nickname at the same time. It wasn¡¯t only Li Qingshan who thought this nickname didn¡¯t sound great to the ears, even they had felt it was laughably crude the first time they¡¯d heard it. But no one could laugh when the black shadow befell on them.


    They only hated themselves for listening to the rumors and deluding themselves because of their greed. They hadn¡¯t thought that a greenhorn kid like Li Qingshan would be unexpectedly so strong. Yang Anzhi spread out the matter about the spirit ginseng, but he¡¯d never talk about the ugly affair of him being beaten. Meanwhile, Li Qingshan¡¯s achievement of leveling the Black Wind Camp by himself was too excessively odd, so they hadn¡¯t any faith in it. They only saw Li Qingshan return to the city together with two famous masters and several hundred men.


    It was already too late to think about fleeing.


    ¡°Tiger Demon Heart Scoop!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s hands spread open like claws and thrust into the two men¡¯s chests. With a grab and a pull, he scooped out two blood-red hearts. The hearts were still throbbing bang bang.


    There were the three basic strength refining and strength handling moves ¡°Tiger Demon Spine Shift,¡± ¡°Tiger Demon Waist Stretch,¡± and ¡°Tiger Demon Head Bump,¡± as well as the three forceful motion techniques ¡°Tiger Demon Stream Jump,¡± ¡°Tiger Demon Mountain Climb,¡± and ¡°Tiger Demon Mountain Descent.¡± Apart from those, the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] also had three moves purely made to injure and kill, distinguished as ¡°Tiger Demon Heart Scoop,¡± ¡°Tiger Demon Sheep Tear,¡± and ¡°Tiger Demon Wild Hiss.¡± It was many times more savage than the [Bull Demon Strong Fist].


    ¡°Little An, come!¡±


    The porcelain jar opened and Little An flew out from within. The red color on his body had become fainter, and there was only a layer of pale red left. He¡¯d almost recovered the appearance of a white skeleton. Li Qingshan used strength and squeezed. Fresh blood dripped down, dropped on the skeleton bones, and penetrated inside in the space of an instant.


    This was the so-called heart blood of living men. Such a way of cultivating had reached an extreme level of evil and terror.


    But Li Qingshan actually didn¡¯t feel the slightest shred of discomfort, and not only because there was no wrong in killing those two men who wished to plot against his life. A merciless elation welled up from the bottom of his heart as he smelled the thick scent of blood. The red light in the depths of his eyes also shone more dazzlingly.


    In the eyes of ordinary men, a bull had always been a comparatively honest and docile creature. Admittedly it also had its irascible moments, but it still couldn¡¯t be compared to the tiger that killed as a way of life. It was the same when it came to fist techniques named after those two wild animals.


    If the [Bull Demon Strong Fist] merely increased the body¡¯s bravery, then the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] thoroughly aroused the vicious and murderous facets within his heart. Good fighters liked to fight and good killers liked to kill, nothing else would be more of a common sense in the world.


    Li Qingshan rubbed Little An ¡®s head with a hand still covered in fresh blood, saying gently: ¡°Come out breathe some fresh air!¡± He didn¡¯t know how a skeleton would really breathe fresh air, but Little An still climbed happily on Li Qingshan¡¯s shoulders.


    Li Qingshan rushed away, unaware of the two other persons that caught up not long after. They were the horse-faced man and the blue-clothed woman from the teahouse. The two were people who often traveled the rivers and lakes when all was said and done, and those pampered sons of the Dragon Gate Sect couldn¡¯t compare to them. Even the blue-clothed woman only blanched slightly when she saw the scene.


    ¡°Hmph, the three killers of the Yao clan, even those three trashes dare to have ideas about the spirit ginseng. Brother, he went out of the city to break into the Dragon Gate Sect, this is a good opportunity for us. After both sided suffer from the fight, we¡¯ll be like the oriole lurking behind 1. We¡¯ll leave as soon as we take the spirit ginseng, no one will¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± The horse-faced man was crouched down and examining the corpses. He interrupted with an ashen face when he heard the woman¡¯s stratagem. ¡°Let¡¯s leave, we¡¯re leaving right now, the farther away we leave the better!¡±


    The blue-clothed woman shouted: ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Although the three killers of the Yao clan can¡¯t amount to any extraordinary figure, they still have some firm skills. Leaving aside the third killer who¡¯s expert in poisons, the first killer and the second killer both have decent martial arts. Even I would need to exert some effort if the two of them joined hands. But now, while they were on their guards, they couldn¡¯t even go through a single ¡°Black Tiger Heart Scoop2¡± move and died with their hearts dug out. This Li Qingshan isn¡¯t someone we can deal with. The rumors about the Black Wind Camp may be true.¡± The horse-faced man spoke calmly, but his voice was faintly shaking. He could imagine what would be the outcome be if he were to be instigated into acting.


    ¡°We¡¯re originally hidden weapon stealth attackers, don¡¯t tell me we¡¯ll exchange moves with him face to face? There¡¯s no obstacle as long as we can pull away with our movement techniques. Elder brother, your guts are really too small. There¡¯s no fortune without danger, if we obtained that spirit ginseng¡­¡± The blue-clothed woman chattered on and on. Her eyes shone especially bright when mentioning the spirit ginseng.


    ¡°Pa.¡± A crisp and clear slap on the face. The blue-clothed woman covered her face with disbelief: ¡°You actually dare to hit me?¡± S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The horse-faced man said: ¡°Go by yourself if you want to throw your life away, don¡¯t drag this father along. Even if you tell master when we go back, we¡¯ll see whether master punishes me or praises me!¡± He flung his arms after saying his words and went away.


    The blue-clothed woman froze a moment, but still caught up to him: ¡°Elder brother, how can you be like this!¡±


    The Dragon Gate mountain towered unwavering on the earth. It had a steep topography, and was surrounded on three sides by precipices, especially the precipice of several thousand feet straight from top to bottom on the eastern side. It looked like the hack of a blade or the chop of an ax. Even apes or monkeys would have trouble climbing it.


    But at this moment, a patch of darkness on the eastern cliff twinkled with a star-like fire light that flew up at high speed.


    Watching carefully, it was unexpectedly a shadow climbing the cliff, its ten bent fingers fastened on the rocks like iron claws, sputtering spark after spark. It was precisely Li Qingshan.


    1. The oriole lurking behind is part of the Chinese idiom ¡°The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind,¡± meaning pursuing something while unaware of the greater danger lurking behind.


    2. The Black Tiger Heart Scoop is a move of the Heihuquan, or ¡°Black Tiger Fist,¡± a Chinese martial arts descended from northern Shaolin kung fu.

 Chapter 65

    Li Qingshan had dashed madly across the mountain forests after killing those three Yao clan killers, nothing hindering him any longer. He crossed rivers when he met them and he climbed mountains when he came across them, operating the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] with increasing ingeniousness. He¡¯d reached the foot of the precipice on the eastern side of the Dragon Gate mountain in less than two hours, the tall mountain stuck erect like a sharp sword. His mind thought it over for an ephemeral moment, then his body and mind skimmed toward the cliff at increased speed.The strong winds whistled against his ears a thousand feet over the ground, but he turned a deaf ear to them. His eyes were like needle points as they roamed tensely over the cliff, searching for a protruding rock he could grasp. Even an extremely small protrusion was enough for him to exert his strength, and when he found none, he just clawed fiercely into the cliff.


    If we consider the precipice as a flat land, then Li Qingshan would be a great tiger with his waist bent like a bow and his four limbs touching the ground. He would then seem to be treading free and unobstructed on land. Only he was aware that he was walking on thin ice and putting his body in much danger. Even a tiny mistake would make him drop from a thousand feet above, then his bones would be shattered to pieces even if he had muscles of steel and bones of iron. The danger wasn¡¯t the least inferior compared to charging into the Black Wind Camp.


    But there was no fear in his heart; it was hot-blooded and impassioned instead. The extreme level of danger squeezed out the whole of his potential out of his body. His spirit, determination, and vigor, all attained a peak never reached before.


    He finally understood where those mountain climbers who braved tall peaks at the risk of their lives derived their pleasure from, why some people liked extreme sports. To challenge untold dangers and difficulties, to achieve undertakings others couldn¡¯t achieve, it was precisely the instinct and nature of hot-blooded men.


    He ignored the signals of exhaustion that came continuously from his organism, and also disregarded the groans of his bones about to be unable to endure. His body operating at overload brought a kind of pleasure instead. It was as if his soul had been set free, and he was soaring in the air.


    A valley surrounded by cliffs suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. He leaped up and saw halls one after another. He suddenly realized then this wasn¡¯t a valley but the summit. The world once again shifted back in place in his brain. He half-knelt above the overhanging cliff, then stood up and looked back. The ranges of mountains were like beasts.


    The tiny Suncheer City sat inside the ring of this group of beasts, almost as if in danger of being torn to shred by them at any moment. This wasn¡¯t a world that could leave people to live in peace; it was flooded with unimaginable dangers.


    He¡¯d grumbled countless times, living for more than a dozen years inside Crouching Bull Village. He¡¯d missed those rooms that were comfortable to live in from his former world, all the various foods one could eat, the easy life where you could just spend a whole day in front of a computer. Even after the appearance of the green bull that had given him a power that could be called formidable, he was still hesitating as to which life was truly better out of those two in comparison.


    He only obtained the answer tonight, all of a sudden. He severed the last thread of hesitation and opened his arms wide, as if he wanted to embrace this world. ¡°This is truly the life I want, this place is an adventurer¡¯s paradise!¡±


    His clothes made flapping sounds under the blowing of the austere cold wind. He broke off with the past of his previous world above this precipice, with those dreams he had been tangled into for fifteen years.


    I am Li Qingshan, Li writte L and I, Qingshan meaning Green Hill1.


    Little An also climbed up from the porcelain jar and looked meekly at Li Qingshan. He didn¡¯t know Li Qingshan¡¯s inner thoughts, but he seemed to have sensed the determination inside his chest, and silently said within his heart: ¡°No matter where you go, I will walk together with you to the end!¡±


    Li Qingshan turned back resolutely and walked towards those buildings and halls. Those were precisely the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s location.


    The time was already late, but the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s Soaring Dragon Hall was still brightly lit.


    The Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s suzerain Yang Anzhi sat on the main seat. Beside him was a pale-white faced Yang Jun with an expression full of bitter rancor. The sect¡¯s elders and core disciples were separated in two sides, their faces all heavy. Not one of them spoke.


    Even the flush red fires from the stoves couldn¡¯t warm their hearts.


    Li Qingshan had destroyed the Black Wind Camp. The news were like a huge boulder that pressed down on everyone¡¯s chests. The Dragon Gate Sect was also out of the ordinary. Li Qingshan had returned to Suncheer City at nightfall, and the news had already reached the Dragon Gate Sect the same night; one could say it had been fast.


    Yang Jun snarled with a twisted expression: ¡°This is impossible, it¡¯s certainly rumors. There¡¯s only been one day, and the Black Wind Camp isn¡¯t made of paper, how could it be destroyed?!¡±


    ¡°Jun¡¯er, no need to say any further. It¡¯s Suncheer City who gathered a large army, and there was also Liu Hong and Sick Yellow Tiger who joined hands. There¡¯s nothing surprising about the Black Wind Camp being destroyed, I just didn¡¯t expect it to be so fast!¡± Yang Anzhi was worthy of being a sect leader. He could still maintain some calm after hearing about those big changes.


    An elder said: ¡°I didn¡¯t think Liu Hong and Sick Yellow Tiger would join hands to help this kid. Brother sect leader, what should we do now? Many nobles have recalled back their children.¡±


    ¡°What helping that kid, it¡¯s just for the Black Wind Camp¡¯s wealth and treasures. They won¡¯t leave the Dragon Gate Sect alone, this is simply an unprecedentedly huge calamity for my Dragon Gate Sect!¡±


    The Dragon Fist Sect had been established many years ago. Although it couldn¡¯t amount to any great sect within the martial world, it could still be considered to have deep foundations inside Suncheer City. The collusion of martial arts with influence was an absolute ruling power. This moment resembled a comfortable local tyrant who¡¯d suddenly heard that the whole world had turned upside down. It was almost the feeling of the end of days creeping near.


    ¡°Brother suzerain, I¡¯ve said long ago we should restrain the sect disciples and not let them commit outrages. This kind of running amok will provoke a strong enemy sooner or later, and cause a great calamity for our Dragon Gate Sect.¡± The punishment hall elder spoke to Yang Anzhi, but his eyes were watching Yang Jun¡¯s face. There was also much blame on other people¡¯s faces.


    ¡°Old thing, what nonsense are you sprouting. When that stupid son of yours raped someone else¡¯s wife, and those people came knocking at our door, who stuck out their head for you then!¡± Yang Jun flew into a rage. He wouldn¡¯t have possibly talked to an elder like this either in ordinary times, but he¡¯d suddenly lost his martial abilities, and even the Dragon Gate Sect that protected him was possibly facing an imminent crisis, so his state of mind wasn¡¯t normal and he didn¡¯t have any scruple left.


    ¡°You!¡± The punishment hall elder¡¯s face turned red.


    ¡°Everyone shut the hell up!¡± Yang Anzhi¡¯s voice echoed in the great palace with a buzzing hum. One couldn¡¯t underestimate his internal strength. ¡°Is now the time for infighting? No matter what happened in the past, the top priority now is to answer the crisis in front of us. I¡¯ve already sent disciples to guard the mountain paths and transmit news with torches. Absolutely no one could hide from us if they mounted a large scale attack on the mountain. If we really can¡¯t resist, we can only take our savings with us and retreat through the Ancestor Hall¡¯s secret path in advance. We¡¯ll give up the Dragon Gate mountain but preserve our power.¡± S?a??h the ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The Dragon Gate Sect was a sect with an inheritance going back several generations when all was said and done. Apart from those pampered sons from the noble families, it still had quite a few loyal disciples in exercise. But those disciples couldn¡¯t expect that their sect leader was already planning on giving them up.


    Give up the Dragon Gate mountain! Everyone inside the hall was stunned. They¡¯d thought of this worst possibility, but they still couldn¡¯t accept it when they suddenly heard.


    ¡°I¡¯m only talking about the worst possible eventuality, and it¡¯s also merely a temporary plan. I¡¯ve already sent letters to every righteous sect and evil sect of the martial world. The news about the spirit ginseng are already known by all. Suncheer City will be crammed full of people from the martial world in not long of a time. Not only is that kid on the road to his death, it¡¯s possible even Liu Hong and Sick Yellow Tiger will die a violent death. As long as we preserve our strength, it won¡¯t take long for us to come back even stronger.¡±


    ¡°What a good plan by suzerain Yang!¡± Li Qingshan pushed open the thick door screens and stepped inside the hall, carrying wind and snowflakes with him. His gaze pierced Yang Anzhi like a sword: ¡°I was originally afraid you¡¯d run, but now I¡¯m relieved. Whether I¡¯m on the road to death remains to be seen, but you¡¯re dead for certain.¡± It seemed as if the people filling the hall were all lambs to the slaughter.


    1. The original text says I am Li Qingshan, Li (Àî) character written from wood (ľ) and seed (×Ó), Qingshan (green hill) from ¡°when life is up and down a green hill¡± (please refer back to the notes in chapter 1 for more info about the poem from which Li Qingshan chose his name).

 Chapter 66

    Yang Anzhi¡¯s face greatly changed. He actually hadn¡¯t noticed Li Qingshan¡¯s arrival in the slightest. Li Qingshan¡¯s footsteps were already not heavy and clumsy in the least, they were now lithe and silent like a feline instead.The other elders and disciples were still wondering, who was this! Yang Jun roared, ¡°Li Qingshan!¡±


    The crowd filling the hall stood up and put their hands on their swords all together without prior consultation. Everyone started talking at once in a burst of noisy disarray: ¡°What the bloody hell are those disciples guarding the mountain doing.¡± ¡°How did you come up?¡± ¡°Who else are there? All of you come out!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to care about how I came up. Today there¡¯s only the one of me who came!¡± Li Qingshan looked around and saw many people present he didn¡¯t know. He said, ¡°I came today merely to put the chief evil to death. Other people all exit the hall if possible, I¡¯ll give you the time of a cup of tea1.¡± He moved his body and stepped away from the the hall¡¯s doors behind him, but what answered him was the ¡°shua shua shua¡± of drawn swords. The awe-inspiring sword glints flickered without pause.


    The punishment hall elder said: ¡°Truly, the heavens gave you a road but you don¡¯t walk on it. Truly, there¡¯s no door to hell but you break inside. You actually dare to sneak up the mountain all by yourself, do you really think my Dragon Gate Sect is so good to provoke?¡± He was in charge of punishments and was well-known even inside the Dragon Gate Sect for his callousness. He looked at Li Qingshan as if he were looking at a sinning disciple he was in charge of.


    ¡°Kill him, he¡¯s my Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s great foe!¡± ¡°The Dragon Gate Sect wouldn¡¯t be here today if it weren¡¯t for him. He actually dares to send himself to our doors.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let him off easy, I have to cut off his hands and feet!¡±


    The crowd that was originally on the verge of infighting united with a common goal facing the emergence of this ¡°main criminal¡± Li Qingshan. They wanted to pour all the anger inside their chests over his body. They hated they couldn¡¯t slice him into mincemeat or dismember his body into ten thousand pieces.


    In their imagination, the Li Qingshan who¡¯d come alone was already meat on the chopping block, waiting for their slaughter.


    There was only Yang Anzhi who didn¡¯t breathe out a word as he held his sword hilt tight. He¡¯d sensed the changes inside Li Qingshan. The Li Qingshan from before was like a confused iron rod, and he was still short of variations and sharpness even if his strength was deep. But the present Li Qingshan seemed to have had an edge polished out of him. The exposed edge made people sit up and take notice.


    Li Qingshan said with a calm expression, ¡°Then the Dragon Gate Sect will be the next Black Wind Camp!¡± A murderous intent rose inside his heart and an aura of death gushed out of his entire person, pressuring every man of the Dragon Gate Sect.


    What a heavy murderous aura!


    Everyone felt a chill in their heart. They felt as if the temperature in the hall had lowered by a few degrees. It was even more so for Yang Jun who¡¯d lost his martial abilities; he almost went soft and dropped on the floor.


    Li Qingshan took this opportunity and used a ¡°Tiger Demon Stream Leap¡± to pounce on the Dragon Gate disciple closest to him, reaching the distance of a dozen steps in one pounce. He clawed with a ¡°Tiger Demon Heart Scoop.¡± His five fingers broke through the air with a fierce hiss, scaring men¡¯s galls.


    A lion used all its strength to seize a rabbit, never relying on its superiority, never speaking nonsense with the enemy.


    That disciple didn¡¯t expect Li Qingshan to act so abruptly. He couldn¡¯t even display half his body¡¯s power amidst his terror. He helplessly watched Li Qingshan¡¯s hand-claws enter his chest, dig out a heart dripped with blood, and toss it away casually.


    Little An climbed out and caught the heart in his hands before absorbing the blood within. Ever since he¡¯d learned from Li Qingshan there was an opportunity to restore a body of flesh and blood, he¡¯d done this thing with the attitude of completing a divine ritual.


    Little An¡¯s flames inside his eye sockets flashed as they swept past the men inside the great hall. He merely needed to kill this group of men to be one step closer to his goal! No matter the price he had to pay, he wanted to appear in front of him with a body of flesh and blood anew.


    The men of the Dragon Gate Sect had originally already reacted by the time Li Qingshan had killed that disciple, but their steps once again came to a sudden halt. They watched this strange scene with fright. A skeleton stood besides the light of the stoves¡¯ fire and held a human heart in its hands in order to swallow it. A word bubbled forth from their hearts: ¡°De¡­ demon!¡±


    Since Little An didn¡¯t possess the ability to conceal his form anymore, then there was no need to hide. Li Qingshan pulled out the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s ancestral legacy, the Soaring Dragon Sword, and stuck it inside the ground: ¡°I¡¯ve long heard that the Dragon Gate Sect became famous thanks to its sword arts. Little An, come ask them for advice!¡±


    Little An threw the heart down and grabbed the Soaring Dragon Sword. This sword was a little too big and too long for him, but his entire momentum changed as soon as he held the sword hilt, the sharp point of the sword pointing obliquely like a matchless fencer. Each and every one of the Dragon Gate Sect felt they had already been shrouded inside the sword¡¯s momentum.


    The punishment hall elder¡¯s face became pallid. He no longer had his self-confidence from before. As a sword sect, they were still knowledgeable when it came to sword techniques, no matter their conduct.


    The man who¡¯d left behind the aura and meaning of the sword on the painting scroll was a man who could draw a spiritual weapon and obtain the green bull¡¯s praise. Even if Little An had merely comprehended a part of the sword technique within, it was still superior to every sword technique from a second-grade sect like the Dragon Gate Sect.


    The marble tiles under Li Qingshan¡¯s feet suddenly broke, his person already vanished from where he had stood. He once again used the ¡°Tiger Demon Stream Leap¡± and aimed directly at the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s suzerain Yang Anzhi, without paying attention to anyone else in the great hall.


    Yang Anzhi said with a great shout, ¡°Kill him!¡± His voice shook awake everyone in the hall. They were also swordsmen who¡¯d studied the sword for many years, they wouldn¡¯t truly be intimidated. They knew they¡¯d arrived at a moment that would decide life or death, and their eyes became red as they gave all the strength they had. More than ten beams of sword qi stabbed like rainbows toward the Li Qingshan who was still in mid-air and who couldn¡¯t borrow strength from anywhere.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t dodge nor hide. He didn¡¯t even spare a glance for those sword lights. His eyes shrank into needle points as he stared straight at Yang Anzhi, just like a ruthless beast.


    Yang Anzhi¡¯s sword finally left its sheathe. It was actually yet another treasured sword flashing with spiritual light, and although it was slightly inferior to the Soaring Dragon Sword, it could still slice metal and cut jade. It transformed into seven sword shadows, drawing seven sword flowers as it attacked Li Qingshan. Even if the other swords couldn¡¯t pierce Li Qingshan¡¯s skin, this sword was certainly capable of settling Li Qingshan¡¯s life.


    Little An leaped up when Li Qingshan was about to act. The Soaring Dragon Sword likewise transformed into seven sword shadows and drew seven sword flowers as it clashed together with Yang Anzhi¡¯s sword, producing a series of acute ¡°ding dang.¡±


    The crowd of Dragon Gate elders and disciples were frozen stiff like sculptures behind Little An. They were still in the middle of their stabbing motion in Li Qingshan¡¯s direction when fresh blood madly sprayed out at the same time from terrible lines of injury on their necks, chests, or between their eyebrows. They fell to the ground.


    When Li Qingshan had acted, Little An had grabbed the Soaring Dragon Sword and acted at the same time. He had actually pressed close to the floor as he went through the great hall. He¡¯d taken advantage of the wide open opportunity of everyone pouring their whole strength into attacking Li Qingshan and instantly killed every elder and disciple before meeting Yang Anzhi¡¯s sword. S?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    He wasn¡¯t a little child, but a demon cultivator who cultivated a supernatural skill from the way of the demon. The Soaring Dragon Sword wasn¡¯t a toy either, but a fearsome lethal weapon that could take away human lives.


    Li Qingshan had once said back when Little An had reached the beginning completion of the [Dao of the Beautiful Bones] that he probably could raze the Black Wind Camp by himself. He only saw today what kind of strength he¡¯d reached after comprehending the sword art on the spiritual weapon and using a sharp weapon like the Soaring Dragon Sword. ¡°This kid!¡±


    The two men¡¯s martial ability had both gradually transcended the realm of second-grade masters. This was after all the martial world, and the layering of numbers had almost no effect at all under the oppression of absolute martial skills.


    A treasured sword flew up with a ¡°clang¡± and nailed itself into a crossbeam inside the great hall. Yang Anzhi¡¯s covered with his hand the broken skin between his thumb and index as he hurriedly retreated back, his pale face without any trace of blood. He didn¡¯t have the might of a sect suzerain anymore: ¡°What kind of thing are you!¡± How would he be able to match Little An¡¯s strength


    1. This has been mentioned before but I forgot to make a note about it. The ¡°time for a cup of tea¡± is a measure of time in ancient China you¡¯ll often find in Chinese novels. It¡¯s around 10 to 15 minutes.

 Chapter 67

    Yang Anzhi watched the hall full of corpses. The Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s inheritance had actually been severed under his hands within the turn of an eye. S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.All because Li Qingshan had been a weakling in his eyes back then. To deal with a weakling wasn¡¯t called provocation, it was called grasping. Only today, he had become the object of grasping instead.


    Yang Anzhi had actually escaped from death by clashing swords with Little An. He¡¯d avoided Li Qingshan¡¯s full-powered charge at the right time, otherwise Li Qingshan had some confidence he could have seen what color his heart was painted with, relying on the wide range of his moves. Meanwhile, Little An had first killed a dozen persons on his way before sending Yang Anzhi¡¯s treasured sword flying. He had been an arrow at the end of its flight and hadn¡¯t been able to recover in such a short time.


    ¡°Dad, save me!¡± Yang Jun didn¡¯t have a single shred of his arrogant and threatening attitude left as he watched the two ¡°monsteres¡± almost within reach. He stretched out his hands toward Yang Anzhi and begged for help with a face full of fear.


    Yang Anzhi didn¡¯t manifest the slightest intent of stopping his steps as he skimmed like smoke toward the rear of the hall. He could birth another son, but there was only one of his life. It was indeed like a warrior severing his wrist to save his life, truly ruthless.


    Yang Jun became instantly desperate. He closed his eyes and felt a strong gale rush his way, but there wasn¡¯t any sense of pain. He opened his eyes and saw Li Qingshan and Little An brush past his body and chase straight after Yang Anzhi, not even sparing him a glance.


    Yang Anzhi¡¯s movement technique was outstanding. It would be difficult to catch up to him once he fled far away.


    Yang Jun disregarded his heavy clothes soaked through with cold sweat and immediately moved his legs after escaping from the great catastrophe, dashing madly outside, repeatedly harping inside his heart: I will definitely take revenge! I will definitely take revenge!


    ¡°Puff!¡± A bone hand inserted itself into his back and ran him through. Yang Jun watched his chest with disbelief, still going forward a few steps before falling onto the floor with a ¡°bang.¡±


    It was originally Little An who saw he wanted to escape. He¡¯d swung his left arm, the bony arm flying out like a concealed weapon and killing him.


    The bone arm flew toward the rear of the hall as if under the influence of an invisible traction.


    Behind the great hall was precisely the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s Ancestor Hall that enshrined the portraits of the successive suzerains of the Dragon Gate Sect. The first suzerain¡¯s portrait was the biggest one, close to 10 feet, a tall swordsman painted on it holding the Soaring Dragon Sword and overlooking the entire Ancestor Hall with an indifferent expression.


    Legends said he saw bandits running rampant and massacring the innocent when he came to Suncheer. He¡¯d killed his way inside the den of brigands all by himself and killed them to the last. He had been nicknamed ¡°Soaring Dragon Swordsman.¡± His rise to fame shared a little similar tune with Li Qingshan. The common folks and the nobles of Suncheer were all deeply grateful and invited him to stay, thus he established a sect on the Dragon Gate mountain and passed down his martial learning, founding this ¡°Dragon Gate Sect.¡±


    But he¡¯d probably never envisioned the present scene. No, perhaps he¡¯d imagined it. The Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s secret passage was built precisely behind the offering table under his portrait. One only needed to drill inside to pass through the belly of the mountain and escape from lethal danger to an exit known to no one. This was Yang Anzhi¡¯s goal.


    Yang Anzhi self-confidence in his movement technique was under continuous assault from the sound of the wind coming increasingly nearer behind him. In the next moment, he would share the same outcome as those disciples and elders in the great hall.


    There was no telling if his state of mind had become chaotic due to his fear, but he actually yelled out loud, ¡°Ancestral master save my life!¡±


    Li Qingshan immediately took back the hand turned into claws he had probed toward the center of Yang Anzhi¡¯s back. He worried Yang Anzhi had a trump card exceeding ordinary martial artists just like Xiong Xiangwu. The way he saw it with his present experience, goods belonging to the category of spiritual devices or means resembling daoist magic weren¡¯t uncommon in this world.


    Those means may be very weak, or they may also be very strong. There was no way to be certain in advance.


    Indeed, a small consecrated sword on the offering table suddenly lit up with bright light and stabbed through the air toward Li Qingshan before Yang Anzhi¡¯s voice had even fallen.


    Even if this small sword radiated with glorious light, one could still see at a glance it was a wooden sword under the golden lacquer. But it radiated astonishing sword light at this moment, brightly lighting the whole of the pitch black Ancestor Hall under its shine as it turned into a golden beam of rainbow.


    The sword was still several dozen feet away but Li Qingshan already felt a little stabbing pain between his eyebrows. Another feeling rose inside him, as if he would be unable to avoid the pierce of this sword no matter how he tried to dodge.


    Yang Anzhi relaxed somewhat. This was an untold secret only known by the successive Dragon Gate Sect suzerains. When their first ancestor had passed away, he hadn¡¯t left a corpse behind but just this small sword. This was absolutely what the taoists called ¡°weapon remains1.¡± The then head disciple, also Yang Anzhi¡¯s ancestor, had once been exhorted to worship this sword every day without slack. They could summon its help in case of invasion by a strong enemy and turn peril into safety, but it could only be used once.


    Although Yang Anzhi had also followed suit and worshiped it for several decades, he originally didn¡¯t believe this rumor. He¡¯d also examined this small sword; it was but the most ordinary of wooden swords, and any iron sword would cleave it into two halves.


    But at the same time he didn¡¯t dare not believe either. He¡¯d already thought about how to put it to use. But then he thought about the Iron Fist Gate and Horse Rein Village joining force together with those soldiers commanded by the county; they would inevitably launch a large scale attack on the mountain. What kind of decisive role a sword that could only be used once could play when a thousand men were rushing up. It had to come to this crisis of life and death before he finally gave it a desperate try. It actually truly succeeded.


    Li Qingshan also knew he couldn¡¯t meet it frontally. His body flipped around high in the air. That small sword seemed to be possessed of spiritual intelligence and twisted itself in the middle of its flight, producing the fierce hiss of breaking through air. With a ¡°sou,¡± it once again flung itself like lightning toward Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan felt the sensation become fiercer on the spot between his eyebrows as the cold air blew on his face.


    A sword suddenly swept over, stabbing on the small sword¡¯s blade. Little An had acted to rescue Li Qingshan. This sword strike of his was fully sufficient to pierce metal and stab through stone, but not only it couldn¡¯t break this small wooden sword, he instead felt a tremendous power transmit his way along with the sword blade. The Soaring Dragon Sword that could shave iron as if butter disintegrated into countless pieces that fired out in every direction, while Little An was also sent out bombing, crashing into a column.


    The small sword merely suffered a slight dimming of its sword light. After a slight pause it once again stabbed toward Li Qingshan, vowing not to rest before taking his life.


    Li Qingshan had already retreated to the corner of the hall. He took advantage of the additional timing Little An had earned for him and opened the [Cursive Sword Script] after pulling it out. He poured his true qi inside without regard for anything else.


    A ¡°brush stroke¡± lit up at this moment when life and death hung by a thread. It fired out a swift sword light that clashed together with the small sword resplendent with golden light.


    No sound that could be called gigantic came, there was only a ring of spiritual light spreading out inside the hall, like a small sun suddenly risen.


    But Li Qingshan felt as if the hum of thunder was ringing against his ears. A trace of fresh blood flowed out from his ears.


    The rays of light vanished very fast. The portraits of the Dragon Gate Sect suzerains turned into dust one after another and scattered in the air, likewise for the clothes on Li Qingshan¡¯s body. On closer examination, there were thousands and ten thousands of sword scars fine as oxen hairs left on the walls and the floor.


    The small broken sword had released sword qi fragments shaped like sword tips, soundlessly piercing through everything in the great hall.


    Even Li Qingshan stayed dumbstruck witnessing this level of power. The flying sword¡¯s might had left a deep impression in his mind.


    Yang Anzhi had originally been keeping guard at the mouth of the secret passageway already. He immediately turned around and drilled inside the secret passage after seeing the assassination¡¯s failure. Then he triggered the mechanism and lowered a huge rock of several hundred thousand pounds, sealing the mouth of the secret passage. There was no need to even think about chasing behind him.


    Li Qingshan had been forced into a corner of the hall while Little An had crashed into a column, so no one could attend to him during this short time. It looked like he was about to make his escape.


    1. The author is probably twisting/doing a wordplay on Chinese legends as usual. From my understanding, ¡°weapon remains¡± can be a generic term for when a taoist dies from a weapon. Some legends call ¡°weapon remains¡± when a taoist is beheaded so he can discard his mortal flesh and ascend to the heavens, or when a taoist kills himself after failing a heavenly tribulation for example so he can return to his primordial soul and seek another body.

 Chapter 68

    Yang Anzhi fell on the ground as if struck by lighting as soon as he took a step forward. He trembled from head to toes, fresh blood pouring out from each of his pores. In not long of a time, he had turned into a bloody bottle gourd.Those sword-tip shaped sword qi didn¡¯t distinguish between friends and foes. The only reason Li Qingshan had avoided suffering harm was because of his true qi protecting his body, but what Yang Anzhi had cultivated was merely internal strength. There was a substantial difference with true qi, and it hadn¡¯t been enough to block the sword rays.


    The whole of the Ancestor Hall began to produce creaking and groaning sounds. Much dust and sawdust fluttered down. It¡¯s entire structure had been broken by the sword rays and it looked soon to collapse.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t dare to be careless facing a building of several hundred thousand pounds about to press down. ¡°Little An hurry to leave!¡± But his own person directly charged toward Yang Anzhi.


    The sound of the Ancestor Hall¡¯s sudden collapse spread out more then ten miles outward. The smoke and dust diffused toward the whole of Dragon Gate mountain, immediately alarming the Dragon Gate Sect disciples guarding the mountain. They hurried up one after another.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s figure emerged from within the drifting smoke of dust in front of the main hall, a human heart within his hand.


    Little An lowered his head, feeling ashamed and guilty. If it hadn¡¯t been for him showing off and clashing swords with Yang Anzhi right then, the latter would certainly have had no opportunity to escape from the Ancestor Hall, and Li Qingshan wouldn¡¯t have needed to brave such great dangers either.


    Li Qingshan rubbed Little An¡¯s head. ¡°No matter!¡± Just like a father facing the child he doted upon, an elder brother facing his dearly beloved younger brother.


    Two sharply opposite traits of cruelty and gentleness appeared on him at the same time. It was extremely contradictory yet rational at the same time.


    He¡¯d taken the heart from more than a dozen masters of the Dragon Gate Sect with his ¡°Tiger Demon Heart Scoop¡± hand technique. The flame in Little An¡¯s eye sockets were much brighter after he absorbed from them. Whether power or speed, they¡¯d both been increased by quite a bit. The rapid pace of progress was indeed worthy of the name of a supernatural skill.


    Li Qingshan took that spiritual treasured sword from the crossbeam inside the hall. It was somewhat inferior to the Soaring Dragon Sword, but it was much smaller and shorter, hence it was more suitable for Little An to use and display the might of his sword arts with. S?a?ch* Th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan once again made a search around the Dragon Gate Sect. He found clothes to wear, but he didn¡¯t find the kind of treasure chamber like inside the Black Wind Camp. After all the Dragon Gate Sect wouldn¡¯t have purchased so much silver and tools without good cause. Moreover, the Black Wind Camp was a den of bandits and it wasn¡¯t convenient for them to pawn off their goods, so they had to deposit them inside a treasure-house.


    But he found a dozen bottles of medicine with ¡°Nine Ginseng Autumn Dew Pellet,¡± ¡°Deer Litter Bone Replacing Pellet¡± and other such names marked on them. Although they weren¡¯t spiritual pills and wonder herbs from immortals, the Dragon Gate Sect had still paid much money and much efforts in order to refine them and nurture its disciples. Their effectiveness couldn¡¯t match the spirit ginseng¡¯s spiritual wine, but it was still much above wine soaked from ordinary ginseng. It could also count as an abundant gain.


    But the greatest gain was on the body of that Dragon Gate young master Yang Jun: a stack of silver banknotes, enough for several dozen thousand taels. Yang Anzhi had already made preparations for retreat and taken out all their savings. He¡¯d let this beloved only son of his take care of them as insurance in case anything happened. But he hadn¡¯t expected Li Qingshan to come so suddenly, and so fiercely.


    The Dragon Gate Sect disciples guarding the mountain arrived one by one. They looked at each other, dumbstruck when they took in the sight of the collapsed Ancestor Hall: ¡°What.. What happened?¡±


    They charged into the great hall and were immediately stunned by the tragic scene in front of their eyes. Bodies lay at sixes and sevens, each of them with a hole in their chests. There was only a single figure standing inside with its back to them.


    A disciple strengthened his guts and shouted, ¡°Who are you!¡±


    Li Qingshan patted the porcelain jar and pacified the somewhat restless Little An inside. He turned around and said: ¡°I am Li Qingshan. The Dragon Gate Sect is already destroyed, all of you just scatter away!¡± He then walked out of the hall in great strides when he was done talking.


    The Black Wind Camp¡¯s bandits were all replete with evil, they absolutely needed to be killed to the last. Meanwhile, the men of the Dragon Gate Sect inside this hall had already forged a mortal enmity with him and meant to take away his life, hence they also couldn¡¯t be let off. But those ordinary Dragon Gate Sect disciples had been used like cast-offs. Even if he wanted to help Little An recover a body as soon as possible, he still certainly had no wish to kill indiscriminately.


    Of course, he would certainly not show mercy either if those disciples dared to pull their swords and try to kill him. Those who lived by the sword died by the sword, and those who killed also certainly understood they could be killed in turn.


    Li Qingshan went past several dozen Dragon Gate disciples. They all happened to step away from his path.


    Someone pulled his sword with a ¡°shua¡± when Li Qingshan was soon about to reach the front of the hall¡¯s gates, and roared ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± as he charged toward Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan turned his eyes back and threw him a mild glance. That disciple¡¯s stature froze at once. This glance full of murderous spirit seemed like a sharp sword, piercing straight inside his heart. The sword in his hand fell down with a clang and he knelt on the floor, saying: ¡°You¡¯re not human, monster, demon!¡±


    Li Qingshan naturally wouldn¡¯t take it to heart. He walked outside the hall easy and confident. He deeply breathed in a mouthful of cold air. Another grudge debt settled.


    A group of Dragon Gate disciples followed behind Li Qingshan, trembling in fear on the lonely peak. Li Qingshan reached the edge of a precipice and threw himself down with a leap, vanishing inside the darkness of the windy snow.


    As the saying went, ¡°going uphill was easy, going downhill was difficult.¡± The road down the mountains Li Qingshan walked on was more treacherous than climbing the peak back time he¡¯d come. He used the ¡°Tiger Demon Mountain Descent¡± and controlled his posture with all his strength. He had to be cautious in his use of every parcel of power. A little more or a little less would both end up with a broken body and fractured bones.


    But he managed to descend the mountain safe and sound thanks to his previous experience. He was increasingly proficient with the use of this [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist]. A burst of great gurgling shouts came from his stomach just when he was feeling full of spirit, and he felt the attack of an intense pan of hunger. Last night he¡¯d ran far to raid the Black Wind Camp and fought a great war for such a long time, yet he still hadn¡¯t been so fiercely hungry like right now.


    He dashed madly all the way back and returned to Suncheer City. The gates were already closed. He leaped and climbed, and with a flip and tumble he went back to the restaurant.


    The restaurant was filled with brilliant lights upstairs, the banquet yet to disperse. Everyone sipped their wine without tasting the savor, chatted a few words without any interest. They were merely waiting for Li Qingshan¡¯s news.


    Li Qingshan suddenly appeared in front of the crowd. Everyone was in doubt as to whether he actually went to the Dragon Gate Sect, because he¡¯d only used two hours going there and back. It wasn¡¯t enough for ordinary people to even ascend the Dragon Gate mountain.


    However, even though Li Qingshan had used the snow to wash off the bloodstains on his body, that reek of blood was still so thick it hadn¡¯t melted away.


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°Qingshan!¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°My lord please sit at ease. The Dragon Gate Sect is destroyed. Yang Anzhi, Yang Jun, as well as the group of brigands have all been cleanly eliminated. I let the other disciples go away and scatter on their own.¡±


    The people filling the building sucked in a cold breath at the same time. If they hadn¡¯t been intimidated by Li Qingshan¡¯s awe-inspiring might, they would almost be doubting whether he was telling the truth or a lie. What kind of speed was this. He¡¯d spend a day and a night going there and back when he¡¯d gone to destroy the Black Wind Camp.


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°So fast!¡±


    Li Qingshan nodded. Although it had been only a day, he¡¯d already become stronger. First of all, Little An had become a powerful aid after cultivating the [Dao of the Beautiful Bones], and secondly he¡¯d begun to practice the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] and transformed his body¡¯s power into lethal force.


    Out of those present, there was only the Iron Fist Gate master Liu Hong alone who was entirely aware of these kind of changes. He deeply lowered his head. He could only conceal the shock on his own face this way. He presently felt that Li Qingshan was just like a divine sharp weapon with an edge ground out of it, releasing an unprecedentedly dazzling cutting edge.

 Chapter 69

    Originally Liu Hong wasn¡¯t very convinced inside his heart after losing to Li Qingshan. He knew weapon techniques as well, and he felt Li Qingshan had bullied him because he wasn¡¯t using any weapon. He¡¯d only been genuinely convinced in his heart and on his mouth when Li Qingshan had single-handedly destroyed the Black Wind Camp, but he¡¯d still perceived him as a figure endowed with surprising talent standing a little higher than himself. After all, Li Qingshan had still another master helping him.But he had a kind of feeling that Li Qingshan could take his life within the space of one move as long as he wished to at present. Don¡¯t mention fighting back, he wouldn¡¯t even have the opportunity to run away. This was the intuition of an old hand of the martial world, an intuition that had helped him avoid many disasters. It would definitely not be wrong.


    Could he be a first grade master already?! This was impossible, it had only been one day. But the reality in front of his eyes wouldn¡¯t let him refute it. He was deeply doubtful whether it had been the right thing to do when he¡¯d reported the matter of the spirit ginseng back to the Iron Fist Gate headquarters in the Clear River capital. The master of the headquarters would surely send men over. There was no one who wasn¡¯t aware of the spirit ginseng¡¯s value.


    But the Clear River capital would have obtained the news very fast thanks to Yang Anzhi¡¯s deliberate actions anyway even if he hadn¡¯t done so. This place was very quickly going to become a place where men of the martial world swarmed to.


    Dragon Li also took part in the celebration feast. He watched the reverent appearance of the crowd of nobles toward the high spirit of the young man who¡¯d walked out of Crouching Bull Village together with him. He couldn¡¯t tell whether it was admiration or envy that was in his heart, and his mood was likewise in a complete mess.


    But he¡¯d keenly noticed the changes in Liu Hong¡¯s expression, and asked, ¡°Master, are you still alright!¡±


    Li Qingshan also heard those words and offered a toast: ¡°Old Hero Liu, I left too hurriedly earlier and disturbed the mood for wine. This cup will be my apology.¡±


    Liu Hong hurriedly stood up and said: ¡°Cough, Qingshan, you shame me if you call me this way. What hero, only the old part is true. Those rivers and lakes belong to young people like you. Little Dragon, quickly stand up. You¡¯re people of the same village, you should drink a few more cups together. I have to trouble Qingshan to take care of this unworthy disciple in the future.¡±


    Everyone exposed some curiosity. The Iron Fist Gate had influence over the whole of the Clear River prefecture. They were truly a great family with great industries, why would they need an outsider to take care of their own disciples. s?a??h th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan also froze a moment, then he smiled: ¡°With pleasure!¡± He drained the cup of wine in one gulp. It was clearly but an extremely ordinary thing, but it attracted a burst of boisterous cheers from the crowd nonetheless.


    Li Qingshan had barely coped with them that his belly once again cried out ¡°Gu Gu.¡± Quite a few people exposed a smile, but then quickly took their smile back.


    Ye Dachuan said: ¡°Quickly make some things to eat, go, tell the kitchen to bring some more wines and dishes.¡± He liked Li Qingshan more the more he looked at him. As long as this ¡°constable Li¡± was here, he could easy oppress both righteous sects and criminals of Suncheer City, and he could be truly worthy of this title of county magistrate. Moreover, apart from being bold and powerful, he still understood etiquette and knew appropriate behavior. He wasn¡¯t the kind of frivolous young person who disregarded everyone else but themselves. Sometimes he had a mature experience that belied his young age.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t know what Ye Dachuan was thinking. His eyes were presently only filled with the table full of wines and dishes, and he was indeed disregarding everyone else. At first he maintained basic table manners, but he couldn¡¯t care about much else after a few mouthfuls of rice and dishes went down his belly, and he simply spread his mouth wide open, eating and drinking free and unrestrained, truly swallowing like a wolf and devouring like a tiger.


    A plate of dish was emptied with a wave of the chopsticks. That was still due to his ingenuous control of his movements, ordinary people couldn¡¯t even do that. At the same time he was eating very meticulously. Any dish that went inside his mouth was crushed to pieces with one bite and one grind, it was even more efficient than others¡¯ slow chewing and meticulous swallowing.


    He bit down a small half off a roasted chicken in one mouthful. He didn¡¯t even spit out the bones and likewise ground them to pieces before swallowing them down his belly. In not much effort the roasted chicken had been cleanly eaten with nothing left.


    Everyone watched dumbstruck with open mouth and round eyes. When had they ever seen in all of their lives someone eat like this.


    In not long of a time, Li Qingshan had swallowed half the dishes and wines on the table, but he still didn¡¯t have the slightest sensation of fullness. His stomach was like a great furnace that couldn¡¯t be fully filled as it digested and absorbed the food at extreme speed, transforming it into energy, and transporting it to every part of his body.


    Cheers even gradually echoed upstairs the restaurant. ¡°Young hero Li is indeed heroic!¡± ¡°What young hero, it¡¯s constable. With a hero like constable Li protecting us, what mountain bandits and brigands will we still need to fear.¡±


    One man ate while a group of men cheered around. Even Li Qingshan himself felt that a little weird. He knew the appearance of his eating could definitely not be said to be graceful. For this group of nobles who lived like princes and paid much attention to outward manners, he could definitely be stuck with ¡°Country Bumpkin¡± and ¡°Hungry Ghost¡± tags.


    But those exaggerated praises were actually sincere for the most part. An ordinary man eating like this would have been drowned in contemptuous gazes long ago. He wasn¡¯t an ordinary man however, but a mighty man who¡¯d leveled two great influences of Suncheer City, so everyone¡¯s evaluation of this thing immediately made a one-eighty, and it¡¯d immediately become heroic and domineering.


    Li Qingshan ate and drank free and unrestrained while the wine and dishes were sent up as if they flowed like water. He only gave up after eating three tables worth of wine and dishes.


    Time was late and everyone dispersed. There was naturally someone who arranged living quarters for him, a courtyard inside Suncheer City whose area wasn¡¯t small.


    He had no idea how many cups of wine he¡¯d drunk. There was some intoxication even with his body¡¯s capacity for alcohol. He fell on the bed as soon as he came into the room and muttered, ¡°Little An.¡± Then he immediately fell deeply asleep, feeling very much at ease in his mind. Without Little An there, he would absolutely not dare to become drunk and then fall asleep so carelessly, he¡¯d have to stay vigilantly on his guards at all time instead.


    That was the frightfulness of falling target to the public eye. No matter how high your martial arts, your focus and energy would still tire and weaken if things went on this way, and you would have even less the inclination to practice supernatural skills and martial studies.


    Little An carefully helped him take off his clothes and shoes, positioned him on the bed and carefully covered him with a quilt, just like he were completing a sacred ritual. Then like a bodyguard, he put his hand on his treasured sword and stood guard at the head of the bed.


    No one could know if it was because Li Qingshan had shocked too many people last night, or if those gazes in the darkness wanted to continue their observation, but Li Qingshan passed the night in peace without suffering disturbance from anyone lacking discretion.


    He slept all the way until the sky shone with bright light. The continuous fighting and slaughter brought the exhaustion of spirit and mind with it. Only now did he truly find relief as he stayed blankly on the bed for a while, thinking back to last night¡¯s dream. It hadn¡¯t been a dream that went back to his former life anymore, but a new dream. What was it concretely however? He couldn¡¯t remember one bit.


    Little An carried a basin full of water in front of him while he lay blankly on the bed. Li Qingshan uttered a thanks and lowered his head, watching the basin: ¡°Eh, why does it look like I¡¯ve become thinner!¡± He touched his face. It seemed indeed like it had thinned a bit. He¡¯d continuously eaten meat every day in the mountains, and his physique had clearly become stronger and more muscular after cultivating to the strength of one bull. His face had also become fleshier, not as thin as in the past. The spirited appearance of his whole person had seemed to be extremely well-fed and healthy like a bull.


    Was it because he¡¯d worked two hard those past two days? He muttered to himself inside his mind and stuck his head in the water all at once, then pulled it back out, his whole person already completely awake: ¡°Let¡¯s go, time to train!¡±


    The courtyard¡¯s location was somewhat remote and it was very quiet, while the area was also vast. It was suitable to train martial arts and it suited Li Qingshan¡¯s tastes. But when he went outside, he found out the great snow had already stopped who knew when. The light of the winter sun fell on the snowy ground, bright enough to bedazzle the eyes.


    Li Qingshan stepped on the snow and came under the sunlight. He stretched his waist. When he turned his head back he saw Little An still standing inside the shadows, not daring to come out of the doors.


    Li Qingshan smiled faintly and stretched his hand out: ¡°Come!¡±

 Chapter 70

    Little An looked at Li Qingshan. His entire person seemed to have been gilded with a halo of light amidst the sunlight and snow, his faint smile so brilliant it made people not dare to look at it directly. It simply had the flavor of glory and splendor, and that hand was just like an invitation from a radiant world.The pain from the burn of sunlight was still engraved into his heart, but he was unable to repress the stretching out of his hand even so. That white bony hand without flesh or blood was like moth to the flame. He couldn¡¯t refuse the invitation from that hand even if he were to be entirely burned by the sunlight.


    His index was the first to cross the boundary between the worlds of light and darkness. The sunlight didn¡¯t ignite him. It gave him an extremely warm feeling instead, sparkling from the depths of his soul. He was unable to wait and put his hand inside Li Qingshan¡¯s palm.


    Li Qingshan clenched that pale-white bony hand. That bone hand could possible be somewhat terrifying for ordinary people.


    Little An crossed through the door and out of the room, passing through the boundary between the worlds of darkness and light, immersing himself under the sunlight.


    Li Qingshan laughed out loud and lifted Little An: ¡°How do you feel?¡±


    Little An nodded happily, showing he felt really good, he¡¯d never felt so good.


    The sunlight was not only harmful to shady ghosts, it also had a restraining effect on every evil spirit in the world. The green bull hadn¡¯t duped Li Qingshan. Little An was able not to fear sunlight in the slightest, not because he was strong enough, but because he inherently didn¡¯t belong to the same category as evil spirits and demons, even to the point of carrying the holy and solemn atmosphere of a Buddhist. This was precisely the might of a demonic supernatural skill created by a senior Buddhist monk like the [Dao of the Beautiful Bones]. It was hard to classify between the lands of the living or the dead, and it originated from Buddha and demons at the same time.


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t think of a way to celebrate such a great happy day for Little An. Little An couldn¡¯t eat and couldn¡¯t drink either, don¡¯t tell him he had to go out and scoop back two hearts?


    Hence he waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll stack up a snowman for you!¡±


    Little An was indeed as happy as an ordinary child.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°I haven¡¯t told you right, my skill at building snowmen is even above my supernatural skill.¡±


    Little An immediately manifested an admiring appearance. Li Qingshan laughed loudly, fully proud of himself. He crouched down and piled the thick snow mantle into a great ball, then rolled out another small ball and put it over the great ball. He gave it a look, very satisfied with the perfect form of those two snowballs, and was about to go back to the room and find some things to build the eyes and nose with.


    Suddenly a white figure stood in front of him. He observed it carefully and found out this white figure was unexpectedly himself, a Li Qingshan carved from snow. Although the facial features were a little fuzzy, the form of that figure, that aura, it was simply true to life. Little An was in the middle of patiently carving the outlines of the clothes.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°You¡­ you did this?¡± This was already not a snowman anymore, but more like a snow sculpture!


    Little An nodded, throwing a greatly curious glance behind Li Qingshan.


    ¡°Hah!¡± Li Qingshan spit out his voice and turned back, flying up with a kick and breaking to pieces those two snowballs that could have been called perfect. It made Little An jump in fright. ¡°Haha, that was just practice, now I¡¯m serious.¡±


    When Little An finished the big Li Qingshan, the medium Li Qingshan, and the small Li Qingshan, as well as snow sculptures of every kind of birds and beasts.


    ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± ¡°Hah!¡± Li Qingshan also destroyed his great ¡°masterpieces¡± one by one, dropping exhausted on the snowy ground. ¡°Fine, my snowman-making skill is still this little bit inferior to my supernatural skill.¡±


    But seeing Little An looking so extremely happy as he played, it could probably also count as achieving his goal!


    ¡°Someone came over!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s mind flashed as he heard the sound of footsteps. Little An immediately hid back inside the room. ¡°Dong dong dong.¡± Several knocks sounded on the door. Li Qingshan opened the door. It was the adviser.


    The adviser was full of smiles: ¡°Constable Li, how did you sleep last night. My lord invites you to go by the government offices, we open court1 today.¡± S?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan told Little An to hide carefully, and came to the government offices after slight tidying. Ye Dachuan invited him personally to the rear hall, then ordered someone to bring a set of clothes. It was the constable¡¯s apparels, together with a standardized wind sewing blade2.


    He could naturally not decline someone else¡¯s good intentions. Moreover this status of constable also had some use for Li Qingshan. The feudal authorities in this world didn¡¯t seem very powerful, but they certainly had their own peculiarities since they could occupy the status of orthodox power under the heavens. He still needed this status for the moment.


    Li Qingshan changed his clothes in the side room, and also fitted the wind sewing blade. His temperament seemed to have changed once again when he came back out. The black color of the constable clothes had a style that wasn¡¯t as ugly as Li Qingshan had first imagined. It very much had the style of an uniform instead, and when worn on his body, he looked a little less like the free and bold men of the martial world and a little more like a dignified upright hero.


    Ye Dachuan said: ¡°I was originally saying whether it was a little too small, I didn¡¯t expect it to fit just right. Although it can¡¯t match up to proper dark wolves garments, you¡¯re even more awe-inspiring than those real Eagle Wolves guards when it¡¯s put on your body.¡±


    Li Qingshan thought that it indeed wasn¡¯t his own illusions, he really became thinner. That wasn¡¯t because of his excessive activities these days, it was probably a side effect from cultivating the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist].


    ¡°Dark wolf uniform? Eagle Wolf guards?¡±


    Ye Dachuan said: ¡°Hmph, a bunch of wolf cubs who walk with their noses in the air and don¡¯t even spit out bones when they eat someone. Don¡¯t worry, their influence can¡¯t reach all the way here. Inside this Suncheer City, it¡¯s just you and me who are number ones!¡±


    Li Qingshan was originally only asking casually, but at this moment he cared about this issue. The meaning inside Ye Dachuan¡¯s words was that they wouldn¡¯t be the number ones instead if the Eagle Wolf guards¡¯ influence reached this place. Ye Dachuan had already seen his own martial strength. It looked like the court and government in this world weren¡¯t actually as weak as in his imagination. The weak one was only this Ye Dachuan in front of him in all likelihood.


    He¡¯d been closed up inside a mountain village for more than a dozen years, and he¡¯d fought east and west as soon as he¡¯d come out. He had absolutely not spared any time to carefully gain an understanding of this world. It was likewise even now, he wanted to cultivate the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] as fast as possible to answer the changes and dangers that would possibly appear next.


    ¡°Lord Ye, Constable Li, we ought to open court.¡±


    Li Qingshan stood there and showed off his positions a bit, then took his leave and returned to his yard. He discovered the door slightly open ajar. His heart jumped and he rushed inside, but he found Sick Yellow Tiger standing in the courtyard, in the middle of examining those snow sculptures: ¡°Qingshan is really refined!¡±


    Li Qingshan smiled bitterly, unable to refute. ¡°Chief hunter came really fast, could those be?¡± There were eight great wine jars in the yard together with two bamboo baskets, looking very eye-catching.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s the tiger bone wine you wanted!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger opened a wine jar, and a thick medicinal wine fragrance pervaded the entire courtyard.


    ¡°So much!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve dug out all our properties.¡± Sick Yellow Tiger smiled and looked at Li Qingshan: ¡°This dressing style is really dashing. You won¡¯t need to fear other plotting to seize your things if you can really join the Eagle Wolf Guard.¡±


    The Eagle Wolf Guard again? Li Qingshan said, ¡°Chief hunter, how fierce is the Eagle Wolf Guard really?¡± Sick Yellow Tiger had once gone out of Suncheer City to great places like the Clear River capital, so Li Qingshan naturally had to ask him for a little guidance.


    Sick Yellow Tiger¡¯s expression also became solemn: ¡°More than fierce. One of their duties is to arrest those people of the martial world ordinary bailiffs can¡¯t control. There¡¯s no one who isn¡¯t afraid of them in the martial world, they all call them the hunting dogs of the imperial court. But the Eagle Wolf Guard only recruits innate masters, they won¡¯t act for no reason. I¡¯ve walked through the martial world for half my life and I¡¯ve only seen them a few times from afar.¡±


    1. Court opening, where the magistrate receives the population and hears their cases.


    2. Probably a kind of saber/dao out of many from the Qing dynasty.

 Chapter 71

    Li Qingshan thought it over. Perhaps it was the court¡¯s genuine power. But only this made any sense. Where was there any basis for the weak to rule the strong in this world. Anyone would try to pursue greater privileges after obtaining great strength, then how would ordinary people govern men of the martial world who possessed powerful martial abilities.This Eagle Wolf Guard was sure to be an important strength of the imperial court. As they said, it was easier to cultivate inside the governmental special police. He could get rid of quite a few troubles if he could join. ¡°It¡¯s not impossible there¡¯ll be an opportunity!¡±


    ¡°I have faith you can do it!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger still thought Li Qingshan was pondering the matter of joining the Eagle Wolf Guard. He¡¯d already learned the matter of last night about Li Qingshan destroying the Dragon Gate in two hours. But he wasn¡¯t like the others. Apart from his surprise when he heard the news, there was also a feeling of ¡°I thought as much.¡±


    Li Qingshan had grown at a rapid pace that was difficult to imagine ever since he¡¯d met him. He couldn¡¯t help but remember the words Li Qingshan had said back then, ¡°I will certainly become an innate master!¡± Originally he¡¯d listened to those words like the words of a child, but now he believed. As long as Li Qingshan didn¡¯t die mid-way, he would definitely become this kind of master.


    Li Qingshan decided not to think about such distant things for now: ¡°Apart from the tiger bone wine, could those bamboo baskets be?¡±


    ¡°Correct! It¡¯s ginseng!¡± Sick Yellow Tiger opened the bamboo baskets. They were unexpectedly filled to the brim with ginseng.


    Li Qingshan had spent the huge fortune of a thousand taels of silver back then, and the ginseng he¡¯d brought was probably not even enough to fill one tenth of those bamboo baskets. Tiger bones were still easy to handle, but Horse Rein Village wasn¡¯t a village famous for gathering ginseng. He acutely smelled the scent of blood on them. It was very faint, but very fresh. He would simply have wondered whether it was his own mistaken illusion if not for this this scent of blood being so distinct. Could it be that his nose also became spiritual after cultivating the supernatural skill? S?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Sick Yellow Tiger said: ¡°We just got rid of troubles for the Horse Rein Village, those ginsengs were an unexpected gain.¡± After he had taken the spiritual wine, he¡¯d not only recovered, but his martial arts had also made progresses once again. Because of the bloody excitement from Li Qingshan destroying the Black Wind Camp, he¡¯d immediately led men to attack the Ginseng King Village after he¡¯d gone back to the Horse Rein Village.


    The Ginseng King Village¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t as high as Horse Rein Village¡¯s to begin with. Then Yang Jun had messed up everything inside the Ginseng King Village as he led a group of masters in search for the spirit ginseng, and they had precisely been at their weakest. Sick Yellow Tiger succeeded in one battle and greatly ruined the Ginseng King Village.


    Li Qingshan stayed silent a moment. Although the Ginseng King had once had grudges with him, they were still a village when all was said and done, not a den of bandits like the Black Wind Camp. But he was also clearly aware that the Ginseng King Village would have done the same if they¡¯d had the strength.


    It was almost impossible to dissolve a hatred of life and death once it was forged. There was only defeating the opponent with all of your strength. If you wished to protect your relatives and friends, then you had to go kill someone else¡¯s relatives and friends. There was only different standpoints, there was no good and evil. There was no road of retreat once one entered the martial world. No shortage of wine cups to drink, no shortage of enemies to behead.


    ¡°I just happen to need these things, many thanks to the chief hunter. The value of those ginsengs is considerable, I also can¡¯t take them free of charge. Chief hunter, name your price!¡±


    Sick Yellow Tiger wasn¡¯t too courteous either: ¡°I just knew you kid didn¡¯t take a trip to the Black Wind Camp in vain this time. As to the silver, you see how much you want to give!¡±


    Li Qingshan gave all of the silver he obtained from the Black Wind Camp to Sick Yellow Tiger, more than ten thousand taels. The value of those ginsengs was quite a bit higher than this sum, but since it was a bulk purchase, there certainly would be a bulk discount as well. This act of Li Qingshan¡¯s didn¡¯t take advantage of anyone, and didn¡¯t suffer any loss either.


    Sick Yellow Tiger also felt happy. He was sure to raise Horse Rein Village¡¯s strength to another level as long as he had this silver, together with the medicinal formulas Li Qingshan had given him. ¡°You have to be very very careful during this time and guard against hidden plots in your back. Give us a sign if there¡¯s need, but I have a feeling you¡¯re not going to lose.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Many thanks for the chief hunter¡¯s auspicious words!¡±


    Li Qingshan pondered a long while after Sick Yellow Tiger left. He suddenly saw Little An stick his head out from the door, watching him with a ¡°burning¡± gaze. He couldn¡¯t help smiling. He had to protect this child, this was an unquestionable determination.


    There wasn¡¯t necessarily no confusion and suffering for him, with an abrupt change in his living environment, in the midst of continuous bloody killing. The him of the previous world would certainly have sunken into depression, but now he wanted to straighten his spine, not exposing a single shred of weakness, because this child was watching him. If one said that the supernatural power and his strength had given him self-confidence, then protection and responsibility had strengthened his heart, transforming him into a real man.


    Those medicinal wines and ginsengs had been sent at the right time. There was no need to talk about the tiger bone wine, it was extremely helpful for the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist]. The ginseng was even more of a necessity. The spirit ginseng now needed several days before it could soak one gourd worth of spiritual wine, and the wine¡¯s taste was also not as thick as it had been at the very start.


    Li Qingshan discarded his thoughts and formally started to cultivate the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist].


    There were also nine layers in total to the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist]. Li Qingshan¡¯s present goal was still to cultivate to the first layer. According to the green bull¡¯s words, as long as he cultivated to the first layer, it could link with the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], tiger and bull assisting each other and displaying this supernatural skill¡¯s genuine strength.


    Li Qingshan first hugged up a jar of tiger bone wine and drank down several mouthfuls, then he moved and tossed inside the yard, practicing the fist moves one by one. The steps under his feet became increasingly faster, and within the space of a short time there was only a blur left inside the yard, blowing bursts and bursts of wild wind with it.


    He quickly absorbed the medicinal wine. He stopped and went to drink it again. Such cycles went on until noon when he unexpectedly felt hunger hard to tolerate once gain. There was even a kind of faint feeling that he¡¯d overtaxed his spirit and that his primordial energy would soon be injured.


    But the results were also very obvious. He was already able to clearly sense his own movements speeding up somewhat yet again in just the space of a morning. His explosiveness was more powerful than ever before, and the bones in his entire body had also become tougher, able to bear more violent motions and actions from him. There wouldn¡¯t be any more of that feeling they would be soon about to break, like back when he¡¯d climbed the Dragon Gate mountain the previous night.


    Li Qingshan felt very uplifted. He came to a nearby restaurant. The owner hurriedly came out to greet him when he saw him walk inside. ¡°Constable Li, how did your honored self come. You honor us with your presence, please quickly come inside.¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t fake too much courtesy either and ordered a table full of wine and dishes. He ate and chewed free and unrestrained, as if there was nobody else present, but he was already keenly aware that there were several additional men of the martial world carrying sabers or swords inside the restaurant. Those persons were likewise carefully examining him, but since the opposite parties didn¡¯t act, Li Qingshan was also too lazy to stir additional trouble. After the meal he went to settle the bill.


    ¡°Shop owner, in the future send meals to my place according to the same amount, no need stick to the same dishes, three meals everyday, no, four meals, better if there¡¯s more meat with bones.¡± He had presently no energy to go hunting, and he¡¯d also long been fed up with the same taste of grilled meat anyway. Now he had money so he naturally had to eat fine dishes and drink fine wines. The restaurant chef¡¯s craft was far above that of an amateur like him.


    The owner was just being distressed at all the money he was losing today. He almost fell down when he heard Li Qingshan¡¯s words. ¡°Constable Li, this shop is small and doesn¡¯t make much money!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    The owner felt his heartbeat almost stop with a ¡°hm?¡± of no consequences from Li Qingshan. He silently cursed himself for being blinded by profit. Why did he provoke this evil star for the sake of food money, did he really find life too long?


    ¡°Will I eat from you for free? This is advance payment.¡± Li Qingshan fished out a thousand taels silver note and put it on the counter.

 Chapter 72

    ¡°Yesyesyes, Constable Li is great hero and a great good man, he¡¯ll naturally not try to get this small benefit at this small shop¡¯s expense. It¡¯s this petty self who¡¯s lowered others to his standards with his narrow mind.¡± The owner was delighted and immediately took the silver as he spoke extremely deferentially.Li Qingshan turned around and went out. Those men of the martial world discussed among themselves in low voices.


    ¡°So that was Tiger Descending the Mountains Li Qingshan? It turns out he¡¯s only a little kid.¡±


    ¡°What kid, he¡¯s someone who exterminated the Black Wind Camp and the Dragon Gate Sect, and I also heard he was expert with the ¡°Black Tiger Heart Scoop¡±¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s surprising about the Black Tiger Heart Scoop? I can use it too, who can¡¯t use it in the martial world.¡± This was the most standard of techniques for men of the martial world. S~?a??h the ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Shut up, don¡¯t interrupt me. Everyone he¡¯s killed has had their heart scooped out, can you do that?¡±


    Everyone at the table sucked in a cold breath. ¡°What savage methods!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to be careful this time, and be careful some more.¡±


    Several days went past, and there were more and more men of the martial world inside Suncheer City. The surprise attacks Li Qingshan was on guard against unexpectedly hadn¡¯t happened yet. Everyone was still quietly observing. The savage fame of scooping hearts after murder indeed exerted an extremely great effect. Moreover, the more people of the martial world there were, the more cautious they were. They feared becoming the mantis stalking the cicadas, unaware of the oriole behind.


    Li Qingshan was happy no one came to disturb him so he could train with single-hearted focus. He could become a little stronger again with each day you gave him. But his figure was slimming down very fast. It was almost back to his original appearance.


    It was different with that kind of weak thinness from back then however. The present him was just like a piece of steel being unceasingly hammered, its volume increasingly smaller but also increasingly tighter and harder. He was just like a javelin standing there, carrying with him an intimidating edge.


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t expected either at the beginning that the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] could actually reach such a level in body tempering. But such tempering also brought extremely great burdens to the body.


    At present, outside of eating his meals, he also ate ginseng. Correct, not drinking medicinal wine soaked with ginseng, but directly eating them. Each time he trained himself to exhaustion, he would eat ginsengs several decades old as if they were snacks.


    Dried ginseng was hard as wood, but his teeth were even sharper than steel knives. He would grind them to pieces with a few chews and swallow them in his belly, not worried at all about nosebleeds. The yuan essence transformed from the ginseng in his belly didn¡¯t even have to run a lap inside his body before being cleanly absorbed by a physique eager and thirsty for energy. It was also thanks to those ginsengs that he hadn¡¯t become even thinner.


    The great snow sometimes stopped and sometimes fell. Another half-month went by.


    Li Qingshan was sitting in meditation when a flurry of wind attacked the back of his head. He didn¡¯t even turn his head back. His body suddenly bounced up and collided backward, just like a great human-shaped spring.


    His head hammered the one who¡¯d sneaked up on him and sent him flying out from the collision, pasting him on the stone wall.


    The eleventh. This was already the eleventh person to sneak up on him during these days. Although most chose to observe from afar, those who wanted to try their luck weren¡¯t few either. It was unfortunate said luck wasn¡¯t that good.


    Li Qingshan stood up. He sensed seven or eight peeping gazes in the surrounding and shouted in a low voice: ¡°You can all get lost!¡± The shock from his voice containing true qi caused the tiles to tremble. Those whose skills were a bit lacking out of those observers immediately felt something heavily boring into their head. They vanished without delay.


    Li Qingshan took the heart after killing someone as usual, then threw the corpse outside the walls. He felt that the true qi inside his body that had initially been like a gossamer thread had already become very abundant and powerful at present, flowing wantonly inside his body like a river.


    He¡¯d drunken the eight great jars of tiger bone wine clean, and the two baskets of ginseng had already been chewed until not a single one was left, as well as the several bottles of medicinal pellets he¡¯d captured from the Dragon Gate Sect.


    He¡¯d cultivated the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] to some small success, but there was still some gap with the first layer. He didn¡¯t know whether it was his accumulation that wasn¡¯t enough or if the opportunity hadn¡¯t come yet.


    He stood up and found out his fingernails had once again grown longer. The sound produced by the friction as they crisscrossed together was like the ring of metal. He lightly clawed on the stone table beside him, clawing four deep scars on the table as if it were made out of butter. It was easy to imagine the kind of savage martial move produced when he used the ¡°Tiger Demon Heart Scoop¡± with this kind of hands.


    He had confidence he could entirely kill off those observers, but he hadn¡¯t done so. He didn¡¯t want to employ a killing hand as long as they didn¡¯t directly act against him. But this kind of patience was fading away bit by bit. The deeper he gradually followed through the cultivation of the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist], the stronger the vicious nature and evil tendencies in his heart became.


    He was like just like a fierce tiger twitching inside its cage, itching to brandish its teeth and claws. He¡¯d also become aware of those changes.


    ¡°If a master of the rivers and lakes were to be spied on so unscrupulously, he¡¯d probably have started a great massacre already. Is it that I¡¯m a little too good to bully?¡± This kind of thoughts continuously turned inside his mind, and the voice was already becoming louder and louder. But he still tried his best to restrain himself.


    Little An held Li Qingshan¡¯s wrist with some worry. Out of the eleven persons Li Qingshan had killed these days, apart from the first two, no one out of the nine after that wasn¡¯t a second-grade master. Their blood energy was much stronger compared to ordinary people, and Little An¡¯s strength was growing as if it had no limit and suffered no bottleneck.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go out and relieve some boredom!¡± He put on the dark wolf garments, and fitted the wind stitching blade, then walked outside, walked toward the largest restaurant in Suncheer City. People of the martial world would all be gathered there for the most part. He had to talk clearly about this matter today.


    News spread out throughout the entire city as soon as he walked out of the yard gates. ¡°The Black Tiger came out of its cave!¡±


    Inside the Iron Fist Gate, the Iron Lion Liu Hong was in the middle of saying respectfully to a middle-aged man over thirty years old with a white face and a miniature beard: ¡°Hall master Wu, things are just like so. Li Qingshan isn¡¯t to be trifled with, it won¡¯t be easy to snatch the spirit ginseng. Moreover masters have gathered like clouds inside this Suncheer City, there are already first-grade masters who¡¯ve shown themselves. They all want to use the spirit ginseng to break toward the innate realm. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to swallow the spirit ginseng even if we seized it.¡±


    Hall master Wu chided him: ¡°Liu Hong, you¡¯ve been enjoying retirement for too long in Suncheer, your courage is becoming increasingly smaller. When has my Iron Fist Gate ever been afraid of any master. If Li Qingshan truly has good natural talents, let him proffer the spirit ginseng out and we¡¯ll have him join the Iron Fist Gate, it won¡¯t be a loss for him.¡±


    Dragon Li waited on the side and heard him address his own master directly by name in a very rude manner. He was very indignant in his heart: with this conduct of yours, you might not be able to beat Qingshan. Wait until he scoops your heart out, you¡¯ll know what¡¯s fierceness then.


    How would Liu Hong not understand his own disciple. He feared he would say some improper words, so he grabbed his shoulder and said to hall master Wu, ¡°Hall master Wu, this disciple of mine has decent aptitudes, it¡¯s a pity to have him stay inside this Suncheer City. Would it be possible for your honored self to take him with you this time, let him follow you and experience the world.¡±


    Hall master Wu looked at Dragon Li: ¡°About this, division leader Liu you¡¯ve gained merit this time providing news, so there¡¯s nothing impossible about taking a person or two away.¡± Anyway searching for talent was also one of the great goals when the Iron Fist Gate had established a division in this kind of desolate area. This kind of doing someone a favor at little cost was also worth it.


    Liu Hong was delighted: ¡°Many thanks hall master Wu. Little Dragon, what are you doing staring blankly there, hurry to thank hall master Wu for his grace.¡±


    Dragon Li couldn¡¯t fail to live up to his master¡¯s painstaking efforts. Although his heart wasn¡¯t willing, he didn¡¯t expose any of it on his expression as he honestly gave his thanks.


    A light ¡°pa¡± sounded.


    Apart from the three men inside the room, there was another man admiring the paintings and calligraphy on the wall as if no one else were present. He didn¡¯t communicate with anyone else. He was the one who¡¯d caused that sound; it seemed he had very little patience left.

 Chapter 73

    The sky was presently dusky. That man¡¯s black clothes seemed to melt into the darkness as he stood in the corner. Liu Hong had paid much attention to him from the start, because he¡¯d discovered that when he wasn¡¯t looking at him, he actually couldn¡¯t sense his existence in the slightest.Hall master Wu said: ¡°Division master Liu, let me introduce you to a great man.¡± He arrogantly addressed Liu Hong by his own name when the latter was many years older than him, but his expression immediately became a little flattering when mentioning the black-clothed man, a little proud of himself, happy he could have built a relationship with this kind of grand character: ¡°This sir is lord Feng of the Eagle Wolf Guard.¡±


    ¡°Eagle Wolf Guard!¡± Liu Hong¡¯s heart jumped and he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. How could he not have heard of those famous hunting dogs of the imperial court. No wonder hall master Wu had such an attitude, even the Iron Fist Gate headquarters¡¯ master Tie Buyi would also have to carefully attend to him. No wonder hall master Wu had so much confidence. With the Eagle Wolf Guard stepping in, who would still dare to make him spit out something he ate down.


    Lord Feng said faintly without even turning his head back, ¡°I don¡¯t deserve so much praise from hall master Wu. Our Eagle leader only promised you once because he shared a few cups of wine with your Iron Gate master in Blessed Peace City. I still have things waiting for me in Blessed Peace, I can¡¯t tarry too long.¡±


    Blessed Peace was a great city hundred miles away from Suncheer. It not only had a great river flowing through that made it an extremely important waterway hub, it also had mines and quarries. It was far more flourishing than a small city like Suncheer. Hall master Wu¡¯s Iron Locks Hall was precisely established there, and its domain encompassed seven divisions, including Suncheer. There was also an Eagle Wolf Guard office there.


    Hall master Wu said: ¡°Right right right, we¡¯ll certainly not trouble lord Feng overly. Division master Liu, why aren¡¯t you still quickly telling that Li Qingshan to come.¡±


    Liu Hong didn¡¯t even dare use his sect disciples to run this errand. He went to find Li Qingshan himself after exhorting Dragon Li to carefully wait upon them.


    Dragon Li had also vaguely heard Liu Hong mention the Eagle Wolf Guard before, but that world had been too far removed from him, so he hadn¡¯t paid much mind to it. He hadn¡¯t expected he would see one with his own eyes today, and he couldn¡¯t help but worry about Li Qingshan: Qingshan probably won¡¯t be able to hold onto the spirit ginseng this time. I still have to persuade him if he tries to be brave.


    He hadn¡¯t had much dealings with Li Qingshan. This was only the plain and primitive affection of fellows from the same village. Moreover Li Qingshan¡¯s martial arts were much greater than his, and he would be able to look after him if he were to join the Iron Fist Gate. He suddenly remembered the words Liu Hong had said back then in the restaurant, about making Li Qingshan take many cares of himself; it had probably in anticipation of this present day. He felt ever more emotions for Liu Hong¡¯s grace.


    There was no one who could obtain news faster and more efficiently than Liu Hong inside the city. He found Li Qingshan very fast, and told him: ¡°Qingshan, my gate¡¯s Iron Locks Hall¡¯s hall master Wu came over, he wants to meet you, he has some matters he wants to discuss with you.¡± His brain was revolving at high speed as he thought about how to tell this matter to Li Qingshan as smoothly as possible. But at the same time he didn¡¯t dare reveal too much either, fearing it might scare Li Qingshan into running away.


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°Even so, there was no need for sect master Liu to run this errand in person.¡±


    Liu Hong was a little embarrassed. The ranks were clearly distinguished inside their order. A hall master was one level higher compared to division masters and sub-gate masters. Those who could become hall masters were all first-grade experts, so they could naturally order about a division master like him.


    ¡°That pain in the ass hall master of yours also came for the spirit ginseng right? I was just about to go to Suncheer House1 and make things clear about this matter, you let the hall master go there and have a listen!¡± Li Qingshan didn¡¯t stop his steps as he forged ahead toward his goal, walking through streets and past alleys.


    Liu Hong quickly followed beside him: ¡°This is absolutely unacceptable. I¡¯m also doing this for your own good.¡±


    The two of them walked through a narrow alley. Suddenly there was a big monk blocking the mouth of the alley, holding a black steel Buddhist staff2. He laughed mischievously as he looked at Li Qingshan. His face was already fierce-looking to begin with, and there was even a sinister scar cutting across. The laugh made it seem even more ferocious.


    Liu Hong was greatly alarmed: ¡°The Mad Monk Empty Slaughter!¡±


    Li Qingshan looked at the brilliantly twinkling staff. It was yet another spiritual weapon. Indeed, so-called spiritual devices weren¡¯t especially rare in this world.


    Liu Hong didn¡¯t dare to look at Empty Slaughter as he said in a quiet voice: ¡°This man was once of the Baoling temple of outstanding fame inside the rivers and lakes, and served as a monk. Because of his heavy drinking and fondness for killing, he violated the rules of the temple and was expelled out from the temple gates. His mad nature exploded and he killed the crowd of monks inside the temple with the one hundred eight moves of his Mad Demon Staff Arts. He then changed his name to Empty Slaughter and murdered for money unhindered across the lands. There aren¡¯t even any chicken or dog are left behind anywhere he goes. It¡¯s said that he¡¯d long ago reached the peak of the first-grade master realm, only a step away from an innate master.¡±


    There were also quite a few men of the martial world observing this scene from the dark. They whispered: ¡°It¡¯s really Empty Slaughter, never thought he¡¯d actually come.¡± ¡°Alas, looks like there won¡¯t be any opportunity left for us.¡± ¡°Stop talking, hurry to leave, we won¡¯t be able to keep living if he finds us.¡± His ominous fame was truly resounding.


    Empty Slaughter said: ¡°Kid, take out the spirit ginseng and I¡¯ll leave your corpse whole. I¡¯ll perform ceremonies for your soul to find peace, and afterwards I¡¯ll even burn ritual money every year for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk about the matter of the spiritual ginseng in the restaurant. If you want it then come listen!¡± Li Qingshan sniffed, keenly smelling the flavor of alcohol on the monk¡¯s body, the flavor of grease, as well as the scent of blood. His steps continued forward.


    The Buddhist staff wave fiercely down, its iron rings bursting out with urgent cries. S?a?ch* Th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan finally stopped his feet. The staff stopped only a hairbreadth away from the tip of his nose, the wild wind blowing up his hair.


    ¡°Sect leader Liu, you better first go back!¡± His voice appeared very serene on the surface, yet it also seemed like a volcano on the verge of exploding. The blood that had been still and silent for a long time finally boiled up.


    Empty Slaughter became thoroughly enraged by Li Qingshan¡¯s disregard. He displayed the full might of the Hundred And Eight Moves Mad Demon Staff Art. The black staff broke through the air with a pointed hiss and transformed into layers upon layers of staff blurs, madly gushing forth like the tide.


    The small alley was narrow and there was absolutely no place to hide. Li Qingshan clenched his fists, the bones of his hands making explosive crackling sounds as he faced the layers of staff blurs head on, not retreating but advancing instead.


    How would Liu Hong dare to be caught in the middle of a battle between those two. He turned around and fled out of the alley. He heard rumbles booming behind him together with the screams of strong winds. The fierce battle between the two was in full swing.


    Li Qingshan shifted and toss about among the staff blurs. It was the first time he was witnessing the frightfulness of a first-grade master. The moves were not only strong and heavy, they were also meticulous and exquisite, not exposing any shred of opening. They firmly blocked Li Qingshan three steps away, not giving him any opportunity to close in.


    ¡°Clang Clang Clang Clang!¡±


    The space available for Li Qingshan to dodge to was after all limited inside the small alley. His fists collided with the staff and produced a succession of loud cries, like the clashes of metal against metal.


    Empty Slaughter was a little aghast inside. What martial arts did this kid practice, he could actually frontally block his Mad Demon Staff with flesh and blood. But that aroused his vicious nature all the more. He strung together the strength of his entire body and smashed his staff down straight to the head. The momentum was dreadful to the extreme.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes shone bright all of a sudden. He¡¯d spied the trace of an opening. He dashed forward and turned his fists into claws, trying to seize Empty Slaughter¡¯s middle dantian3, but he suddenly saw Empty Slaughter¡¯s face expose a smirk not matching with his crude and forthright image. A great sense of foreboding rose in his heart. ¡°Not good!¡±


    Empty Slaughter suddenly changed his move. The staff switched from a chop to a horizontal sweep. That strike just then was unexpectedly a feint. The narrow alley restricted the display of this move, but rubble collapsed from the tall walls when the staff waved around, entirely unable to obstruct it.


    Boom!


    The staff struck Li Qingshan and sent him flying and crashing into the wall. The wall collapsed, and he tumbled into a courtyard, sweeping up a cloud of dust. Li Qingshan rolled several times on the ground. His insufficient battle experience had acost him this loss.


    1. In case you missed it or forgot, Suncheer House is Suncheer¡¯s biggest restaurant, first seen when Ye Dachuan held a banquet there together with Li Qingshan to gather money and men to fight the Black Wind Camp.


    2. A staff with an ornamental head at one end, with often rings looped inside.


    3. The ¡°middle dantian¡± is a Chinese medicine spot in the middle of the chest. The ¡°dantian¡± referred to in most xianxia stories would technically be the ¡°lower dantian,¡± while the ¡°upper dantian¡± is located in the head/brain. The words can also mean castration though, I almost went with that¡­

 Chapter 74

    Empty Slaughter¡¯s expression exposed pride at the success of his trick, but then it changed instantly. Li Qingshan¡¯s left hand was tightly clutching the staff as he knelt on one knee in the heap of rubble, and Empty Slaughter couldn¡¯t budge it a jot no matter how much strength he used.Li Qingshan had looked like he had been thrashed away by the staff. In fact, he¡¯d stretched his hand out and grabbed the staff at the critical moment, then he¡¯d conveniently bumped on the wall. Ordinary second-grade masters would be injured even if they had displayed this reaction, but he seemed not to have a single of his hair harmed thanks to his bronze skin and iron bones.


    His battle experience was insufficient, but he had a genuine gift for actual combat. His tactics and reactions when facing the enemy were all top among tops.


    ¡°Hehe, you court death.¡± Empty Slaughter laughed with incomparable malevolence.


    Li Qingshan felt a gust of powerful internal strength transmit along the staff and rush crazily inside his own body.


    A contest of internal strength was the most ruthless trial of strength for martial artists. Whichever side took back his internal strength first after being unable to resist would be assaulted by internal strength inside his body, the dantian broken and the meridians torn apart. It was truly a struggle to the death.


    Empty Slaughter was confident the internal strength he¡¯d painstakingly cultivated for decades was absolutely not something Li Qingshan could block. In his eyes, Li Qingshan was an idiot who thought himself clever. It made him a little surprised when Li Qingshan didn¡¯t spit out blood and die on the spot, so he increased the output of his internal strength.


    If one simply considered strength and weakness, then Empty Slaughter¡¯s internal strength was indeed above Li Qingshan¡¯s. Li Qingshan felt a gust of energy rush into his body and flow inside. This flow of energy was much more dense and turbid than his true qi, and he knew this was the so-called internal strength. Moreover, there was shred of spirituality among the turbidity. Empty Slaughter had almost cultivated to the innate realm, and he was only one step away from turning his internal strength into true qi.


    But the problem was that Li Qingshan¡¯s true qi wasn¡¯t stored inside the dantian. Even more so for the meridians, he¡¯d never even cultivated a single one of them. This flow of internal strength was quickly swallowed by the true qi inside Li Qingshan, and transformed into energy for his own body. It not only didn¡¯t cause any harm but benefited him instead. Li Qingshan actually didn¡¯t have any idea about counterattacking immediately and allowed Empty Slaughter to deliver his internal strength over.


    Cold sweat poured on Empty Slaughter¡¯s forehead. Why was this kid so strange, was this the spirit ginseng¡¯s effect? He dared even less to relax his hands. S~?a??h the ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    At this moment, a black shadow pounced down from the roof and directly took Li Qingshan¡¯s gourd at his waist. There was actually someone who saw the right opportunity to ¡°seek wealth from danger¡± and ¡°fish out advantage from others¡¯ conflicts.¡±


    A green light flashed. The black shadow¡¯s entire person flapped down, falling on the ground, already transformed into two halves. Little An emerged and stabbed his sword over through the air, after conveniently cutting off that thief.


    Empty Slaughter was startled when he suddenly saw this extremely strange skeleton. The revolution of his internal strength slowed down by a third. He had already been scared by that sword strike that wasn¡¯t inferior to a wholehearted attack from a first grade master, so much so that his soul was about to fly out of his body.


    Li Qingshan sensed that Empty Slaughter had taken his internal strength back and was about to give up his staff to escape. How would he miss such a great opportunity. The true qi in his entire body overflowed like a tide breaking through a dam and seize the opportunity to drill into Empty Slaughter¡¯s body.


    The true qi wasn¡¯t strong, but it was extremely sharp. Empty Slaughter¡¯s internal strength tried to block it but it cut through like a knife cutting through butter, charging and rampaging through the meridians, dantian, and internal organs.


    Empty Slaughter suddenly sprayed out a mouthful of fresh blood as he was sent flying out backward, hitting the walls on both sides in quick succession before he ended up buried among the rubble.


    Li Qingshan stood up, his eyes still staring straight at that pile of rubble as he exhorted: ¡°Little An, silence them!¡±


    Little An immediately concealed himself inside the darkness. Three miserable screams sounded from three different spots, each separated by but a breath. Apart from this dear friend just now, there were other people who had wanted to try fishing as well. They had seen Little An¡¯s appearance.


    Boom!


    The world exploded in chaos. Empty Slaughter once again stood up, his body tottering about as he watched Li Qingshan with incomparable savagery. He stretched his hand and fished out a porcelain bottle from his bosom.


    Speak of the devil and the devil doth truly appear! Li Qingshan clearly saw the spiritual light inside the bottle after the cork was pulled out. Since even a second-grade master like Xiong Xiangwu could take out a ¡°Strong Diamond Divine Talisman,¡± then wouldn¡¯t those first-grade masters with even stronger martial abilities and a wider circle of friends also have a trump card or two that didn¡¯t belong to the category of martial arts.


    Empty Slaughter took out a fiery red dan pill and threw it inside his mouth, biting it to pieces. His stature immediately inflated as if it were filling with air. His arms became twice as thick, and his muscles bunched together, exposing blue veins.


    Sudden Qi Body Breaking Pellet!


    Empty Slaughter had bankrupted all his properties in order to obtain this pill bottle back then, and he¡¯d even looted thirteen rich households in succession, murdering over a hundred men, before he was able to exchange three pills in return. This pill couldn¡¯t be used to train martial arts with, and it couldn¡¯t heal injuries either. Not only it wasn¡¯t beneficial, it was harmful instead to take it. But it could stimulate the body¡¯s potential in the space of an instant, allowing one to erupt with a strength resembling that of monsters, demons, ghosts and gods.


    Empty Slaughter issued a wild roar and charged toward Li Qingshan like a war chariot.


    Li Qingshan took in a mouthful of air. He didn¡¯t choose to face it head on but took out the [Cursive Sword Script] from his back instead.


    Sword qi brushed out.


    Li Qingshan walked out from the small alley that had become ruins, brushing away dust and dirt from his body. ¡°It¡¯s unfortunate I couldn¡¯t leave your corpse whole, and can¡¯t pray for your soul to find peace, and I have even less time to burn sacrificial money for you.¡± Behind him, the small alley had already become crumbled fences and dilapidated walls. Empty Slaughter¡¯s body, the body of an ominous mad monk, had been obliquely split into two halves. His eyes were still wide open as he died full of grievances.


    It hadn¡¯t only been to conceal Little An that he¡¯d told him to silence people, it had also been to conceal this spiritual device in his own hands. He had a feeling that this calligraphy scroll would blow up a storm even bigger than the spirit ginseng if it were to be seen by someone observant.


    Li Qingshan lifted the Buddhist staff in his hand. According to the green bull, this kind of spiritual weapons with simply a layer of spiritual light attached over were all bottom level trash spiritual devices, but it was still a spiritual weapon when all was said and done. He wasn¡¯t willing to throw it away. His other hand was holding that porcelain bottle with a pill inside. It was precisely the same kind Empty Slaughter had used.


    ¡°So it turns out first-grade masters were only so-so. But I¡¯m probably not an innate master either!¡± Li Qingshan thought about it with some curiosity. He had confidence he could defeat Empty Slaughter using his martial abilities only, without relying on any external item. And his trump card wasn¡¯t any weaker than others¡¯ either when the time came to use them.


    Li Qingshan carried the staff and continued toward the restaurant. Those martial artists who¡¯d observed this battle from inside the darkness were all shocked into silence at this moment. In the battle between the Mad Monk and the Black Tiger, one was a peak first-grade master of outstanding fame, and one was a greenhorn later generation kid. No one had expected the Black Tiger would win, and win so easily to boot.


    Liu Hong hurried back to the Iron Fist Gate and reported back to hall master Wu and lord Feng.


    ¡°Mad Monk Empty Slaughter! He also came to take the spirit ginseng and break through to the innate realm. Things are really inauspicious for that kid, I guess he won¡¯t be able to live.¡± Hall master Wu frowned. It would be difficult to seize victory even if he were the one to face Mad Monk Empty Slaughter. Of course he wasn¡¯t worried whether Li Qingshan lived or died, he was only worried about the spirit ginseng. ¡°Lord Feng, what do you think?¡±


    Lord Feng said, ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look. I¡¯ll take care of this monk. He¡¯s made the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s list of names long ago already, it was only that my superiors haven¡¯t been able to spare a hand to tidy him up yet. Since we¡¯ve bumped into him today, then the time of his death has come.¡±


    The three of them obtained the news of Mad Monk Empty Slaughter¡¯s death as soon as they stepped out of the Iron Fist Gate.


    The expressions on the three¡¯s faces were each different. Liu Hong was the most surprised. In the eyes of a second-grade master like him, Mad Monk Empty Slaughter was fundamentally an unequaled existence, but he¡¯d unexpectedly died in such a short time.

 Chapter 75

    Hall master Wu felt glad he hadn¡¯t come alone. He had increasingly higher expectations for the spirit ginseng. As long as he could eat the spirit ginseng and break through to the innate realm, then there would be one more protector in the Iron Fist Gate, protector Wu. And he would have no need to lower his voice and stay humble like this when faced again with this lord Feng of the Eagle Wolf Guard.Lord Feng smiled: ¡°He actually has some skills. This kid is only fifteen years old?¡±


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯ll be sixteen past the new year. Now he¡¯s most likely gone to Suncheer House.¡± Liu Hong had also investigated a bit. He hadn¡¯t directly told them Li Qingshan refused to come, out of fear he would anger lord Feng.


    ¡°All the experts must be there at this time, it¡¯s somewhat interesting.¡±


    Li Qingshan had already climbed upstairs Suncheer House. There were already no ordinary customer left up and down the restaurant. The crowd was vaguely split into several rival camps.


    Even if everyone in the building had already heard the news about him executing Mad Monk Empty Slaughter, their hearts still filled with shock when they saw him carry Empty Slaughter¡¯s famous weapon Mad Demon Staff with their own eyes.


    Li Qingshan looked around left and right. There were only four persons who could make him take notice.


    One was a one-armed old man with a great saber on his back. One was a middle-aged lady with a cold and gloomy face. One was a wealthy man with a face filled with smiles. One was the pale-faced Wei Dandong fitted with a long sword.


    Someone who¡¯d long mixed within the rivers and lakes would have turned pale with fright at this moment if they had been standing there instead of Li Qingshan.


    That Wan Hao, could it really be the Mad Blade Gate¡¯s sect leader Wan Hao. Men of the rivers and lakes called him One-Armed Blade King. He¡¯d killed eighteen riders with one arm and one blade like a storm, his fame shaking Low Sand City. As to this Wei Dandong, he was most likely the Wei Dandong born from the Cold Marple Academy, called the Life Snatching Scholar. His Thirteen Life Snatching Swords possessed superb artistry and reached perfection.


    As to these Chu Xin and Lu Tingrui, they even more extraordinary. Smile-Faced Ghost Chu Xin, Wasp Sword Lu Tingrui, both of them were figures that would be a thorn in any first-grade master¡¯s side. Those fours were all currently first grade-masters without exception.


    There was no weapon in their hands that didn¡¯t glow with spiritual light. Since the weapons they used were uncommon, then would they also possess fearsome trump cards just like Empty Slaughter?


    On top of that, each of them had a large retinue except for Wei Dandong. Their sect members and disciples were innumerable. There was no one else of the martial world who could occupy a seat upstairs the restaurant apart from those parties.


    Of course, there was someone else now.


    Li Qingshan walked to the center of the restaurant as if there were no one else there. It was as if he¡¯d walked into a pack of beasts. His slim self didn¡¯t look very strong, but he seemed to exude the might of a king among beasts.


    Just like his nickname, the Black Tiger!


    Li Qingshan sat down firmly and stuck the Buddhist staff inside the floor. ¡°Bring food!¡±


    The waiter bought up a tray with shaking hands, the wine splashing all over the tray.


    ¡°Your wine is spilled. I¡¯ll offer you a cup!¡± Wei Dandong grabbed a cup of wine from his table and threw it over.


    The cup of wine whizzed through the air, but not a single drop spilled out.


    This was merely the more ordinary of probings, testing the depths of Li Qingshan¡¯s martial arts. Following a normal script, Li Qingshan ought to likewise expose the same kind of tour-de-force to shock the crowd. Everyone fixated their attention on him.


    Li Qingshan waved his hand. The cup of wine broke to pieces. Wei Dandong¡¯s face became even paler, while the others were secretly trying to guess whether Li Qingshan had been injured when exchanging blows with Empty Slaughter.


    ¡°I have my own wine!¡± Li Qingshan lifted his gourd and pulled out the cork. He lifted his head and drank up with loud gulps. He paused a little. ¡°It¡¯s even spiritual wine!¡±


    Everyone¡¯s eyes became red. They one and all reined in their energies and waited, itching to act. They weren¡¯t only taking the others into consideration, they were even more deterred by that pitch-black monk staff.


    Li Qingshan felt his true qi restore back to fullness. ¡°Correct, the spirit ginseng is precisely with me!¡± This attracted another uproar in the restaurant.


    Chu Xin said, ¡°What conditions are you asking to take it out, how much silver. You name a price, everything is open for discussion!¡±


    Li Qingshan lowered his head as if he were thinking it over.


    Lu Tingrui said urgently when she saw Li Qingshan being tempted, ¡°Kid, do you what what¡¯s this fatty¡¯s nickname in the martial world?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he called?¡±


    ¡°Smile-Faced Ghost. He looks amiable, but in fact he¡¯s the most ruthless and greediest, he won¡¯t even spit out bones when he eats someone. You can¡¯t believe him even if he promised you thousands or ten thousands of silver taels.¡±


    Chu Xiu was still chuckling. He dug out a pile of silver notes and put them on the table. ¡°Don¡¯t say nonsense, I¡¯ve never cheated young nor old in any business deal. Is this silver enough, if it¡¯s not enough just consider it a down payment.¡± This wasn¡¯t a spirit ginseng, it was an opportunity to promote to the realm of an innate master. You could earn back the silver no matter how much you spent as long as you could become an innate master.


    Wei Dandong coughed loudly a few times. ¡°I need this spirit ginseng to save my life. Whoever wants to snatch it from me wants my life, and I can only fight to the death!¡±


    Wan Hao said: ¡°There¡¯s not much left to this old man¡¯s life, I won¡¯t regret anything.¡± s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan fiddled with the wine gourd and said with a faint smile, ¡°There are four persons here, who should I give the spirit ginseng to? You people hurry to decide between yourselves!¡± It certainly wasn¡¯t to show off the bravery of a coarse man that he¡¯d come, but because he¡¯d expected this kind of scene. He¡¯d also thought of a way to settle this matter for good.


    Chu Xin laughed mildly and said: ¡°Don¡¯t fall prey to his dissension-sowing. Are we really going to go out all and kill each others here, this would really be a huge loss. Better to join hands and do this kid in, then split the spirit ginseng into four parts. No loss and steady profit for all, what do you think?¡±


    Wei Dandong said, ¡°It¡¯s still an old ghost like you who¡¯s best at thoroughly calculating the pros and cons. Three of us will have to die if we started to fight. Who dares to say they will be the last one standing?¡± He coughed several times in succession when his voice fell.


    Wan Hao and Liu Tingrui both exposed a thoughtful expression.


    Li Qingshan thought: really worthy of old hands of the martial world, they won¡¯t be led by the nose, their reaction is pretty fast. Seeing he was about to be attacked from all sides, he put his hand on the gourd and prepared himself to proceed with his plan.


    His plan was very simple. It was merely to eat the spirit ginseng in front of everyone. The spirit ginseng had been used to soak wine for so long and its spiritual energy had already become very faint, so he should be able to bear it.


    Of course, he might infuriate those first-grade masters this way and cause them to join hands in attacking him, but Li Qingshan believed escaping wouldn¡¯t be a problem. But a greater possibility was that those people wouldn¡¯t act at all. Without the temptation from the spirit ginseng, those old hands of the martial world would certainly not be willing to struggle to the death.


    If he¡¯d escaped, or if he¡¯d secretly eaten the spirit ginseng, then the troubles would endlessly nag at him, possibly even more and more as time went on. He could only spread out the news about the spirit ginseng being eaten under the gaze of those famous figures, and settle this matter for good.


    This idea did definitely not rely on mere wisdom, it relied even more on strength. If he were a second-grade master, then there was no use saying anything. But it was precisely because he was a first-grade master and had a strength tyrannical enough to kill Mad Monk Empty Slaughter that he could make people hesitate in front of the consequences.


    Some people walked inside this restaurant at this precise juncture. They drew everyone¡¯s gaze.


    The one in the lead was precisely lord Feng. He wore his black-colored dark wolves garments with a wolf embroidered on it using a dark pattern. One would need a certain angle to spot the wolf spreading its jaws open and float together with the clothes, looking as if it were a living creature.


    A scabbard made from green sharkskin hung at his hips, sheathing a wind-stitching blade with a green catseye inlaid on the golden hilt. His pair of triangular eyes were slightly upturned, as if he never paid attention to anyone else.


    Li Qingshan saw his body release a brilliance similar to a spiritual weapon. Two words rose inside his heart without needing anyone¡¯s introduction: ¡°Innate master!¡±

 Chapter 76

    Lu Tingrui shouted in shock, ¡°The Eagle Wolf Guard!¡± Chu Xin was finally unable to keep smiling. Wei Dandong¡¯s face became white until it resembled a piece of paper. Wan Hao¡¯s straight spine seemed to shrink somewhat.Li Qingshan noticed lord Feng¡¯s clothes then. It was indeed much more awe-inspiring than the mountain village clothes he was wearing. The most eye-catching of all was the iron wolf badge that hung at his waist, its appearance the same as the wolf on his clothes. The wolf badge wasn¡¯t big, but the spiritual light glowing from it was ten times more dazzling compared to the monk staff stuck in the floor.


    Liu Hong and hall master Wu followed behind, their hearts alarmed as they took in the figures filling the building. So many masters had already actually been attracted over in space of a short half-month. Suncheer hadn¡¯t been so lively for a long while.


    Liu Hong threw a deep look at the monk staff, confirming once again the news he¡¯d obtained weren¡¯t wrong. He thought, ¡°Li Qingshan, Li Qingshan, you¡¯re indeed outstanding, but unfortunately the Eagle Wolf Guard is here today. Even if you were a dragon you¡¯d still have to coil, even if you were a tiger you¡¯d still have to crouch.¡±


    Wan Hao said, ¡°Does the Eagle Wolf Guard also have to stick its head inside this kind of dispute between people of the rivers and lakes?¡±


    Chu Xin smiled bitterly and said, ¡°My lord, you¡¯re already an innate master, what need do you have to compete with us for it. How much money does this hall master Wu want. Your honored self please don¡¯t hesitate to say, I¡¯ll certainly not bargain.¡±


    Lord Feng opened his mouth before Lu Tingrui and Wei Dandong even had time to speak. His resounding voice was biting, but the words he said were ten times more biting: ¡°You all get the hell out of here!¡±


    The expression on every one of them changed. The feeling of a lull before the storm permeated upstairs because of those words.


    From the side, Hall master Wu added oil and vinegar to the fire, a fox exploiting the tiger¡¯s prestige: ¡°Lord Feng told you all to get lost, did none of you hear him?¡±


    Li Qingshan frowned. This guard had a really unbridled arrogance. With his spiritual eyes opened thanks to the green bull¡¯s tears, he could see that although lord Feng¡¯s strength was higher than anyone present, it wasn¡¯t high to the point it was wholly out of reach.


    If those first-grade masters joined hands together, they could be very assured of killing him right there by relying on the trump cards in their hands, with all those disciples as cannon fodders on top. Moreover, those first-grade masters were all figures who could shake their own domain with a stamp of their feet, and who wouldn¡¯t even blink at killing someone. They couldn¡¯t possibly tolerate someone humiliating them in front of so many sect members and disciples.


    ¡°Hua!¡± Four first-grade masters stood up together, then leaped out of the windows without saying a word. Unexpectedly, they¡¯d truly what ¡°gotten the hell out¡± of there. It was as if they¡¯d broken wind earlier instead of saying those ruthless words, as if they¡¯d raised their hands and violently slapped their own faces loud and crisp.


    They still didn¡¯t dare offend the Eagle Wolf Guard even if they ardently desired the spirit ginseng in order to save or extend their lives. As men of the martial world, they didn¡¯t lack the courage to struggle to the death, but even so what lord Feng represented wasn¡¯t a man alone.


    Sect members and disciples followed behind with dejected faces, cleanly crashing out. Such a big restaurant became entirely empty in the blink of an eye, leaving only Li Qingshan standing stunned in place.


    ¡°Lord Feng¡¯s formidable renown shakes the rivers and lakes!¡± Hall master Wu offered flattery in haste.


    Lord Feng¡¯s expression relaxed somewhat, exposing some pride, very satisfied with the effect he¡¯d produced. He didn¡¯t even move his feet and told Li Qingshan with a proud commanding tone: ¡°Present the spirit ginseng!¡±


    He¡¯d made four first-grade masters scram out with one sentence. There was even less of a need to be polite facing the one of Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan should be overawed by his prestige and would obediently take out the spirit ginseng out. As to how the Iron Fist Gate wanted to proceed from there, that was another matter.


    Li Qingshan lowered his head, some frustration actually showing on his face. Something known as the wuxia dream smashed to pieces with a loud rumble.


    Hall master Wu said with impatience: ¡°Hurry up hurry up!¡± It seemed he wasn¡¯t trying to obtain something from someone else but recovering something that belonged to himself instead.


    Liu Hong said: ¡°Qingshan, hurry up, hall master Wu promised to take you in into the Iron Locks Hall. You only need to nod your head and you¡¯ll immediately become a great figure of the Iron Gate Sect. You can go to great places like Blessed Peace or even Clear River. The old man really envies you.¡±


    Dragon Li also lowered his voice and said: ¡°Qingshan, you just agree!¡±


    ¡°Who is it, who dares to stir trouble in my great Suncheer!¡± Ye Dachuan led some bailiffs as he came over hurriedly.


    Hall master Wu said with displeasure: ¡°Who are you?¡± He completely disregarded the official robes on Ye Dachuan. He¡¯d seen at a glance there wasn¡¯t a single shred of internal strength or true qi on him, and thought, nowadays really everyone dares to butt in. s?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Ye Dachuan said with his nostrils up in the air, ¡°I am Suncheer¡¯s county magistrate, the lord prefect¡¯s little brother-in-law.¡± Then he looked again at lord Feng and observed the badge at his waist. ¡°Dark Wolf Guard! You must be the reinforcement sent by the lord prefect. You¡¯ve done well, I¡¯ll report your merits to the lord prefect.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t even dared to stick his head out when he heard about a group of martial world people there, but he¡¯d straighten his spine and hurried over as soon as he heard the Eagle Wolf Guard had arrived. He even went forward to pat lord Feng¡¯s shoulder while talking.


    Li Qingshan truly admired Ye Dachuan¡¯s courage at this moment.


    Lord Feng frowned. He moved his feet away and made Ye Dachuan pat the air. His right hand rested on his weapon, but in the end he was intimidated by the two words ¡°lord prefect¡± and didn¡¯t act: ¡°This official is on business for the government, may my lord move away.¡±


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°What business. Oh, you¡¯re talking about Qingshan, he¡¯s this county¡¯s constable, in theory he¡¯s even a level above you, hahaha!¡±


    The Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s structure was split between the Eagle Captains and Wolf Captains. Eagle as main leader and wolf as deputy, both commanding the pack of wolves. The Eagle captains would often temporarily fill in as a constable. That was why Li Qingshan¡¯s constable clothes was a simplified version of the the dark wolf uniform. Moreover, Blessed Peace and Suncheer both belonged to the county category in name, and the status of a constable like Li Qingshan was naturally a level higher than a bailiff.


    Lord Feng seemed to have suffered extraordinary shame and humiliation. He pulled out his wind-stitching blade with a ¡°shua¡± and fiercely lifted the two feet long blade edge, then drew a seven feet long blade scar on the floor.


    Ye Dachuan retreated back with great alarm and tripped down on the door sill, his plump and round body rolling far away. The bailiffs yelled ¡°My lord!¡± and tried to block him, but they were knocked down instead.


    No matter your privileges and status, without the support from strength, someone would very quickly trample you down to earth, flatten your privileges and break your status.


    But in the end the official robes on Ye Dachuan saved. If someone else dared to talk like that to lord Feng, he¡¯d cut you down even if you were a first-grade master.


    Lord Feng decided not to waste any word with Ye Dachuan and said directly to Li Qingshan: ¡°Take out the spirit ginseng, don¡¯t make me say it a third time.¡± Beams of light glinted on and off from the blade in his hand, the brilliant light shooting in all direction with an awe-inspiring killing aura.


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but sigh in lament. So this was an innate master. He thought a bit and said: ¡°Go fuck yourself!¡±


    Lord Feng wondered if he¡¯d heard wrong. He froze stunned for a full second. A burst of mocking laughter spread over from somewhere. Lord Feng said with explosive anger: ¡°You¡¯re courting death!¡± The wind-stitching blade sliced through the air, sweeping everything in its path. He was going to first kill Li Qingshan, then kill that person who¡¯d dared to mock him from within the darkness.


    The edge of the blade was several feet away from his face, but Li Qingshan already felt an eerie chilliness press his way, sealing off any path of escape. He quickly grabbed the monk staff beside him and brandished it against the edged blade.


    A loud ¡°Clang¡± echoed. The chair Li Qingshan sat on broke to pieces with a loud rumble. A deep mark was left on the monk staff twinkling with spiritual light. Even the spiritual light had dimmed by a lot.

 Chapter 77

    ¡°Good good good!¡± Lord Feng said, ¡°I won¡¯t kill you today, I¡¯ll break the muscles and tendons on your hands and feet, then take you back to the Eagle Wolf prison so you can properly simmer there!¡±Eagle Wolf prison!


    Even hall master Wu who¡¯d come together with lord Feng trembled from head to toes when he heard those three words. The Eagle Wolf prison was a great prison the Eagle Wolf Guard had established themselves. The major criminals they apprehended were tossed inside. It had specially assigned torturers who carried the duty of extorting confessions by force. Rumors said that no one so far had been able to resist ten tortures out of the hundred and eight tortures. Even tough fellows from the martial world were squeezed into mud until they knelt on the ground, calling their tormentors grandfather and begging for a quick death.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s hand touched the [Cursive Sword Script] behind his back, already prepared to abscond like the wind. Things had happened too abruptly. With this lord Feng¡¯s egotistical arrogance, it would be no use even if he ate the spirit ginseng now.


    He might have an opportunity to kill this man first thing with the roll of [The Calligraphy and the Sword1] on his back. He¡¯d already seen several spiritual devices now, and none of them could compare to the one in his hands. But he had no absolute confidence. Since even first-grade masters had their own trump cards, then what kind of trump card an innate master would conceal, an innate master from a great organization to boot!


    ¡°Legalist Statecraft2 ¨C Sanction Wind Blade!¡±


    Lord Feng¡¯s aura changed entirely as he lifted his blade to the apex. The light of his blade solidified into a three feet long wind blade.


    The so-called sanction was also known as a killing sentence, that is, a death penalty.


    The blade hadn¡¯t moved yet that a harsh and imposing atmosphere surpassing ordinary martial arts was already brutally pounding Li Qingshan¡¯s consciousness. He felt as if he¡¯d committed crimes worthy of death and had come to the end of his road as he knelt on the stage, his eyes closed as he waited for death, waited for the wave of the executioner¡¯s blade to kill him, entirely unable to summon any will to resist.


    An ordinary first-grade master would have their martial arts greatly diminished even if they didn¡¯t forfeit their entire will, hard-pressed to escape from death. But what kind of temperament did Li Qingshan have. Red light exploded in his eyes, and his demonic and murderous nature cleanly drove off this influence at once. S?a??h the N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Tiger Demon Wild Hiss!¡± The true qi in his entire body gushed wildly, followed by an explosive shout. The wine jars in the restaurant exploded at the same time.


    The two men¡¯s aura reached their pinnacle in the space of an instant. When they were about to clash together with blade and staff until only one was left alive, two beams of red light pierced forth, sending the Mad Demon Staff and the wind-stitching blade flying off at the same time.


    Lord Feng said with shock and anger: ¡°Who is it?!¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t say anything. He was likewise shocked. He was even more speechless when his vision fell on the things that had sent their weapons flying out. It wasn¡¯t a divine sharp weapon but peanuts. They looked like the most ordinary of peanuts. Moreover, they still maintained their original shape intact even after colliding with the long blade and the monk staff.


    ¡°You, you¡¯re called Feng Zhang right? If you spent the time bullying kids on training instead, you wouldn¡¯t be stuck at the second level of qi refining still.¡±


    The voice drifted along, transmitting from every direction. There was absolutely no way to ascertain the whereabouts of the speaker. Li Qingshan suddenly lifted his head and looked toward the restaurant¡¯s crossbeams. His eyes had captured a shred of spiritual light.


    ¡°Come the hell down!¡± Feng Zhang followed the direction of Li Qingshan¡¯s gaze as he drew out a daoist talisman3 from within his sleeve and shot it toward the crossbeams.


    The daoist talisman broke in the air and transformed into a ball of fire, its power even fiercer.


    Li Qingshan could sense the astounding heat even standing there on the floor. There was no need to wonder about the outcome of being frontally hit by this fireball. So those were the means of an innate master. They had no need to awkwardly bite their own tongue like Xiong Xiangwu and could arouse the talisman¡¯s energy directly with their true qi. And looking at Feng Zhang¡¯s casual attitude, the talismans in his possession weren¡¯t limited to the present one.


    A shadow leaped down from the crossbeams. He stretched out his hand and grabbed the fireball before landing on the floor, then casually extinguished the fireball with a squeeze.


    It seemed he had merely done an insignificant thing as he looked at Li Qingshan. ¡°Strange, you were able to spot me with a trivial first level of qi refining?¡± He actually saw through at first glance that Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t possessed of internal strength, but replete with true qi instead.


    Li Qingshan only clearly saw the newcomer then. He was around twenty-five to twenty-six years old, his eyebrows like the crescent moon and his eyes like cold stars. His face was like a halo of jade, and he truly was handsome and stylish. Spiritual qi revolved around around his body like a flow of water. It shone like a torch inside the darkness, hence Li Qingshan had discovered his existence.


    The red clothes on his body had a style close to the dark wolf garments, but it was looser than the dark wolf garments, and the pattern embroidered on it was a red wolf laughing to the sky. A similar red copper badge hung at his hips.


    ¡°Red¡­Red Wolf Captain!¡± Hall master Wu could recognize him even if he never saw him face to face. Red copper was a level higher than dark iron inside the Eagle Wolf Guard. A Wolf Captain commanded the pack of wolves and his authority was below a mere few people inside the whole Clear River prefecture while above innumerable others. He was a character of great power who could decide a man¡¯s life or death in one word.


    ¡°Captain Hua!¡± The originally incomparably arrogant Feng Zhang immediately became like a mouse who¡¯d seen a cat. He was so regretful he¡¯d have liked nothing better than slap his own face.


    It was no wonder he was so impudent. He¡¯d already joined the Eagle Wolf Guard at a young age. It could be seen as the pride of youth. He¡¯d been accustomed to acting arrogant and overbearing in ordinary times, so he hadn¡¯t put anyone in his eyes when he¡¯d come to this small Suncheer City. Making four first-grade masters retreat with one sentence had made his haughtiness reach its peak, but he¡¯d been unexpectedly pushed off from that peak by Li Qingshan. So he¡¯d acted with indignant anger, but then things hadn¡¯t unfolded so smoothly.


    He had been about to display his consummate skills to take revenge and wipe off his humiliation, but he¡¯d been interrupted midway, his weapon tossed away from his hand. He naturally didn¡¯t think about too many things under the shock and anger. Could the opposite party match rampage tit for tat facing the Eagle Wolf Guard? But how could he imagine he¡¯d provoke a Red Wolf Captain. One had to know that even an ordinary Red Wolf wouldn¡¯t leave the Clear River capital without good reasons. It was the same feeling as suddenly seeing a big shark inside a small pond, a feeling filled with unimaginable horror.


    ¡°You actually recognize me, we¡¯ve only met once right?¡±


    ¡°This subordinate doesn¡¯t dare to forget captain Hua. It¡¯s a rare honor for captain Hua to remember this subordinate.¡± Feng Zhang lowered his head and bent his waist down, his attitude extremely deferential.


    Any newcomer joining the Eagle Wolf Guard in the Clear River prefecture had to report to the prefecture capital and meet the two captains. Feng Zhang had been no exception, and he naturally couldn¡¯t forget this superiors¡¯ superior, captain Hua, Hua Chengzan.


    Hua Chengzan said: ¡°Haven¡¯t you been dispatched to Blessed Peace under Zhuo Zhiba, why did you come here?¡±


    Feng Zhang¡¯s brain revolved at full speed. The degree of his single-minded nervousness was higher than when he was ready to exchange blows with Li Qingshan. He selected his words and was about to answer.


    Hua Chengzan waved his hand and said: ¡°No matter, old Wang is also here, come meet him!¡±


    Old Wang!


    Feng Zhang¡¯s heart shook dramatically. The one Hua Chengzan spoke about was naturally not any anonymous old Wang from the neighborhood, but the Clear River head constable, the Red Eagle Captain Wang Pushi. Because of this name, people gave him the title of ¡°old Wang,¡± meaning ¡°old king,¡± but not many dared to call him by this name. Men of the rivers and lake had a saying, ¡°Rather meet the king of hell rather than meet the old king 4. Once you meet the old king, you will also meet the king of hell.¡±


    Hall master Wu was keeping quiet to the side in fear. His brain rumbled loudly. He¡¯d merely wanted to snatch a spirit ginseng from the hands of a later generation kid, how did he attract such powerful figures. Don¡¯t mention a trivial hall master like him, even a protector, even the gate master would have to have to carefully accompany those two figures with a smile. Why did they appear together in this small Suncheer City.


    Hua Chengzan said to Li Qingshan, ¡°Kid, follow me, someone wants to meet you!¡±


    1. Reference to the wuxia novel The Book and The Sword by Jin Yong. In case you didn¡¯t know, Jin Yong is a household name in China, he¡¯s sold something like a record billion volumes in China in total IIRC and almost single-handedly popularized the wuxia genre.


    2. Legalist Statecraft is a direct reference to the Legalist school of thought developed during Warring States period (~475 BC to 221 BC), focusing on the philosophy of government. The leading founder is Han Fei whom you might have seen in the novel Step into the Past by Huang Yi, and then later led by the prime minister of the First Qin Emperor, Li Si (after he poisoned Han Fei) who adopted the school¡¯s principles in administrating the empire. Later the Han dynasty adopted the same administrative system almost without any change.


    3. You¡¯ve probably seen such talismans in animes or movies. Those are rectangular paper or wooden plaques with supposedly magical inscriptions on them. Here¡¯s a wooden example:


    4. This is also a quote from the wuxia novel The Book and the Sword by Jin Yong. It¡¯s a reference to Wang Weiyang, a character in the book famed to be invincible

 Chapter 78

    Li Qingshan could only follow behind. Refusing now would merely be courting his own humiliation. No one could say ¡°no¡± in front of absolute power. His brain went over everything he¡¯d seen and heard at high speed. What was the second level of qi refining, wasn¡¯t it the innate level? The one he was soon going to meet was also a great figure inside the Eagle Wolf Guard. Why did he want to see him, it couldn¡¯t also be for the spirit ginseng?His brain was full of interrogations he couldn¡¯t answer. The imperial court¡¯s strength was even far above his imagination. Rather than saying the imperial court used great wealth and high status to enlist those powerful men to its service, it was better to say that the powerful men had established the imperial court to rule all under the heavens. The greater the abilities, the greater the responsibilities, this was only a fantasy in American movies. The reality was, the greater the abilities, the greater the privileges.


    The three of them traveled out of the city as those thoughts turned inside his head. Hua Chengzan walked in the front and seemed to be floating forward. His pace became faster and faster but he left no trace behind when he stepped on the snow.


    Feng Zhang mobilized the true qi in his whole body and strove to follow behind. Although he was far away from Hua Chengzan¡¯s chic, one could still see he used the same kind of steps.


    There was no more such elegance when one looked at Li Qingshan beside them. He leaped up and fell down, every one of his steps crossing the distance of several dozen steps as he maneuvered every bone and every muscle in his body. There was a rough and primitive heroic air about it. He was actually able to follow them.


    Out of the three, Hua Chengzan and Feng Zhang operated their qi while Li Qingshan used his strength. The difference between them manifested itself immediately.


    Feng Zhang thought: I would truly be unable to follow if this kid used all his energy to flee. It looks like there¡¯s more to him than an ordinary first-grade master. Wait until I see captain Wang, I¡¯ll report it and waste his martial arts first thing.


    Hua Chengzan¡¯s vision was actually much more penetrating. He was also secretly assessing Li Qingshan. ¡°First level of qi refining. The true qi is still very weak, but his blood energy is very powerful. It must be the effect of the spirit ginseng, and he¡¯s also cultivated some kind of body tempering technique.¡±


    Feng Zhang boldly said: ¡°Captain Hua, what business brought you here together with captain Wang?¡± What could have dispatched those two captains.


    Hua Chengzan threw a smiling glance at the two of them and said, ¡°Boss Gu came. What for exactly, I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    Li Qingshan saw Feng Zhang freeze for a long while. Then it looked as if his reaction had suddenly settled in and his expression greatly changed. His true qi became chaotic from head to toes in an instant, while his steps staggered. He narrowly avoided slipping down and adjusted his posture with great difficulties before catching up once more, his head facing down as he was lost in thoughts.


    Li Qingshan became even more curious as to what kind of character that ¡°boss Gu¡± was. Hua Chengzan said earlier someone wanted to meet him, not that ¡°old Wang¡± wanted to meet him. Was it possible the one he was talking about was precisely this boss Gu.


    Outside Suncheer City, inside a snowy world wrapped in silver silk, under a Huangshan pine1 at the foot of the mountains, there was a long woven mat laid there who knew when, together with a small table made of red sandalwood. There were several extremely refined drinking vessels on the table. At the side, a small cauldron boiled above a small stove made of red clay.


    Two people sat face to face, drinking wine and admiring the snow, elegant and free of vulgarity as if they weren¡¯t of this world.


    One of them was precisely the one who possessed great authority over all criminal matters in Clear River prefecture, Wang Pushi. His real age was already above eighty, but he seemed merely around forty thanks of his qi refining. That famously grim face of his was presently brimming with a smile that resembled a spring breeze in May.


    An eagle had given him a piece of news and summoned him from the inexhaustible flourish of the Clear River capital to this remote and desolate small Suncheer City thousand miles away. But he was not only not angry, he felt greatly honored instead.


    ¡°Old Wang, your cultivation has made much progress again. This Clear River prefecture will soon be too small for you.¡±


    This nickname of Wang Pushi¡¯s wasn¡¯t something anyone could call him with. He gave even vice-captain Hua Chengzan the eye when he called him old Wang, but he felt even more honored when the one facing him called him like that. He leaned his body forward. ¡°I only wish to be a wolf at your excellency¡¯s orders.¡±


    ¡°I had my heart set on letting little Hua fill in your position. Only.¡± S?a?ch* Th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Little Hua couldn¡¯t make something of himself and has failed to live up to your excellency¡¯s expectations. Oh, they came.¡±


    ¡°Big boss Gu, I led the man here for you!¡± Hua Chengzan was all smiles, then he went forward and grasped the furnace lid as he said: ¡°Old Wang, is the wine still not ready?¡±


    Wang Pushi slapped Hua Chengzan¡¯s hand away and said as he stared him down, ¡°Stop using random names. Quietly sit down. This needs an hour and a half before the taste comes through.¡±


    Hua Chengzan sucked in a mouthful of cold air. He covered his hand and sat cross-legged to one side. ¡°Old Wang, you act really too heavily.¡± He said to boss Gu: ¡°Now you know how he bullies me in ordinary times!¡±


    Li Qingshan had already seen the two persons sitting under the Huangshan pine from far away thanks to his spiritual eyes. If the spiritual qi on Hua Chengzan could be described as flowing like water, then it was frozen into ice on this Wang Pushi, as if the essence within had been congealed. He attracted the spiritual qi between heaven and earth with a single raise of the hand or a single lift of the foot. It was filled with unspeakable mystery.


    But Li Qingshan¡¯s attention fell entirely on that ¡°boss Gu¡± when he came under the pine. His line of sight wouldn¡¯t budge an iota no matter how many profound mysteries were on Wang Pushi.


    Pure white clothes, loose and elegant, spread softly around on the bamboo mat as they seemed to merge into one with the vast expanses of whiteness between heaven and earth.


    A face that could overturn the world watched Li Qingshan with a smile yet not a smile, lucid and elegant just like the snow, but also concealing a once a generation glamour.


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t believed in any love at first sight before. He¡¯d hadn¡¯t believed he could still have his so-called breath taken away after undergoing the impact of countless beautiful women on the internet in his previous world.


    But at this moment he was willing to believe in love at first sight. He was even more willing to believe this world had beauty his previous world couldn¡¯t compare to. His heart slammed faster and faster; he was about to lose control of himself.


    He¡¯d once spoken conceited claptrap under the influence of alcohol, saying he wanted to ¡°bed the most beautiful women in the world.¡± This was originally a mere joke after wine for him, but now there was an intense and violent thought budding inside him. He wanted to take her as wife!


    Feng Zhang¡¯s attitude was diametrically opposed to his however. He only threw a glance over before lowering his face, as if the one in front of him wasn¡¯t a woman of absolute beauty, but a scourge like great floods and wild beasts.


    Hua Chengzan threw a contemptuous sidelong glance at Feng Zhang, then watched Li Qingshan with a smile. But lament also slid across his eyes. Only the most haughty and most egotistical person would dare to directly look into her eyes this way. Then they would be forever unable to extricate themselves once immersed within.


    ¡°Boss Gu¡± coughed lightly once and sniffed: ¡°When was the last time you took a bath?¡±


    The voice was as pleasant to hear as the flow of a chilly ice spring, but the words made Li Qingshan stiffen blankly on the spot. A certain image of perfection somewhat crumbled inside his heart. He very much wanted to roar, ¡°You can¡¯t say this kind of words.¡± In his mind, even if she couldn¡¯t make fresh flowers bloom as soon as she opened her mouth or drip out honeyed sweetness just like in fairy tales for children, she still should be a little more poetic, a little more aesthetic.


    Hua Chengzan couldn¡¯t resist laughing up loudly. ¡°Haha.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Li Qingshan had no idea how to answer for a moment. Even if he trained all day long, it still wasn¡¯t as bad as having any bad smell on his body! But thanks to this, he also woke up from the obsession he was wallowing in just then.


    Li Qingshan noticed then that a small silver eagle hung at her waist, just like on Wang Pushi¡¯s hips. A white eagle spreading its wing was also faintly visible when the snowy light shone upon her white clothes. The wings spread all the way to her sleeves, every feather painstakingly crafted down to the smallest detail, just like a feather dress from the legends2.


    She was a White Eagle Captain.


    1. The ¡°Huangshan Pine,¡± literally the ¡°Guest Greeting Pine,¡± is an evergreen tree unique to the mountains of eastern China. Here¡¯s a picture:


    2. The feather dress is said to be the dress of divine immortals. Also the dress worn by angel-like creatures in some variation of Buddhism.

 Chapter 79

    Li Qingshan opened his mouth and said: ¡°I¡¯m called Li Qingshan. May I ask the elder sister¡¯s honored and distinguished name?¡± He wanted to call her young lady, but although she was noble, she was absolutely not one of those young ladies from great families growing inside their boudoirs. Then he changed his mind and wanted to call her young girl, but although she was young, she didn¡¯t suit those two words, or rather those two words didn¡¯t deserve to be used in addressing her.Perhaps fairy 1 would have been the best choice, but even if he¡¯d never held any sensitivity toward that word before, it still would have felt somewhat like lowering his head. In the end he could only call her an awkward ¡°elder sister,¡± just like Xu Xian first meeting with the White Maiden over the Western Lake.2


    Hua Chengzan really held some admiration for Li Qingshan. Back then he hadn¡¯t even been able to string a coherent sentence together. This mountain boy¡¯s guts really weren¡¯t small.


    ¡°I¡¯m called Gu Yanying. Do you know why I have called you here, little brother Qingshan.¡± Gu Yanying lightly waved an elaborate jade-ribbed folding fan in her hand. Her smile carried a little witty amusement, but her eyes seemed very distant.


    Little brother Qingshan?! Li Qingshan would rather martial artists call him ¡°Tiger Descending the Mountains¡± for a lifetime instead. But then he thought that he was only fifteen to sixteen years old. Maybe he really was the little brother type in her eyes.


    The sorrow was even heavier in the depths of Hua Chengzan¡¯s eyes.


    Wang Pushi¡¯s eyebrows bunched tightly together. How was Li Qingshan deserving of her calling him little brother. But he¡¯d always known her temperament was free and she did as she wished, so there wasn¡¯t much he could say. Then again, on second thoughts, he wouldn¡¯t have had the qualification to sit face to face with her either if not for her temperament. s?a??h th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan pondered which things he had on him that people were aware of and were also worth taking out. There was only the spirit ginseng: ¡°You also came for the spirit ginseng?¡± If so he could only gift the spirit ginseng way. It wasn¡¯t because of lust controlling his mind, but because his strength wasn¡¯t good enough. Although he was possessed of an adoring passion, he still wasn¡¯t a love-struck fool that would casually discard away his own dignity and principles. If Gu Yanying had truly come to snatch the spirit ginseng like the others, then her image in his mind would have been greatly lowered.


    Wang Pushi laughed despite himself. Hua Chengzan laughed so much he¡¯d already fallen down.


    Gu Yanying was both quite angry and quite amused. She said with a pull at the corner of the lips: ¡°Who would want something wet with your saliva!¡± The spirit ginseng precious as lifeblood for those first-grade masters of the martial world was merely a thing tainted with saliva in her eyes.


    ¡°The drink is ready!¡± Wang Pushi had the timing down and lifted the small cauldron to the table. Li Qingshan saw ten thousand beams of spiritual light shoot out the instant the cauldron¡¯s lid was lifted. It reminded him of a certain anime from his former world.


    The rich fragrance of the wine permeated the air. The accumulated snow melted down all around, retreating back. The Huangshan pine beside them clearly stretched upward and became increasingly more verdant.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s bones and muscles all seemed to become a little lighter all over his body. His true qi suddenly became lively. It was easy to imagine what would happen if one drank this wine. Compared with spiritual wine simply soaked from the spirit ginseng, this drink was more than ten times better.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s face flushed red. He felt he truly seemed like an ignorant villager at this moment, guarding a piece of pickled pig meat as if it were a first-class delicacy. He felt so embarrassed he wanted to find a hole and hide in it. He actually wished she¡¯d really come to snatch the spirit ginseng instead.


    Gu Yanying sniffed gently and said with a smile: ¡°A hundred years old Bodhi3 brew! Old Wang you¡¯re considerate!¡±


    Wang Pushi said: ¡°I knew the captain likes alcohol, so I forcefully dug out some from old brother Tian. Among the multitude of people, farming families are still the most expert at brewing wine.¡±


    Then he personally poured the wine into the pot. He threw a glare at Hua Chengzan: ¡°Why aren¡¯t you pouring the wine yet?¡±


    Huang Chengzan stood up and poured two cups of wine. Wang Pushi said: ¡°What about yourself?¡± Hua Chengzan chuckled with a ¡°xi xi.¡± He also poured a cup for himself.


    Gu Yanying said with a faint smile: ¡°Seeing is sharing. Little brother Qingshan, you come have a taste too!¡± But she actually ignored Feng Zhang to the side.


    Feng Zhang¡¯s ears had stood up when he smelled the wine¡¯s fragrance. It was as if a hundred claws were scratching at his heart. One could say that the spirit ginseng wouldn¡¯t have much effect on him, but this was the Bodhi wine from the legends!


    He only needed one cup, one cup! Then he could break through the realm of second level qi refining and reach the third level. But no one actually mentioned him. He didn¡¯t dare blame Gu Yanying and the other two, and he could only hate on Li Qingshan until his teeth gnashed in anger.


    Li Qingshan bent his head down and didn¡¯t say a word, but Hua Chengzan had actually stuffed a cup of wine into his hands already: ¡°Come come come, count your lucky stars. Usually even I can¡¯t drink this kind of good stuff.¡±


    Li Qingshan looked face down at the golden liquid inside the cup. He realized that he would seem too petty if he still refused at this moment. So he lifted his head and drained the wine from the cup in one gulp.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Hua Chengzan was already too late to stop him, while Wang Pushi had never looked straight into Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes from beginning to end. He had merely been conjecturing as to why Gu Yanying had made him come, and even let him drink this precious Bodhi wine.


    Gu Yanying had absolute no interest in stopping him. She mere smiled lightly with the expression of watching a good play.


    Li Qingshan had no time at all to distinguish the savors inside the drink. A ball of scorching spiritual energy cracked open inside his stomach, crashing sideways and bashing straight on all over his four limbs and hundred bones. His own true qi was entirely unable to play any hindering role in the slightest.


    Not good. The spiritual energy contained within this drink was even above his imagination. The liquor¡¯s aura and spiritual light that had radiated outward turned out to be merely from the most superficial layer.


    Feng Zhang was very happy inside. Country hick! You could only slowly savor this Bodhi wine. If you drank it down too abruptly, the powerful spiritual strength would damage the dantian and the meridians, just like a flood wrecking the river¡¯s dikes.


    But Li Qingshan¡¯s body didn¡¯t explode and die, because he¡¯d never cultivated what dantian or meridian to begin with. Spiritual light glowed all over his body as he strove to mobilize his own true qi in order to gobble and transform the spiritual energy. Moreover, his body was also absorbing the spiritual energy like a sponge, gradually suppressing the riot it caused.


    Gu Yanying stared at Li Qingshan, her eyes like a falcon¡¯s. An ancient copper coin vibrated at high frequency on the fingertips of her left hand, coagulating in the wake of her vision. Li Qingshan felt a terrifying sensation, as if his own mind and soul had entirely been laid bare.


    Li Qingshan completely digested the spiritual energy inside his body after a moment. Gu Yanying¡¯s vision dispersed thereupon, and she slanted her head to the side, seeming to ponder about something.


    Hua Chengzan sighed in relief. It looked like body tempering wasn¡¯t entirely useless after all.


    Wang Pushi was a little curious. What degree of power did the spiritual qi contained inside the Bodhi brew possess? It wouldn¡¯t be strange even if it allowed someone to directly promote to the third level of qi refining, but there wasn¡¯t any shred of indication Li Qingshan was about to break through. He still stayed at the first level of qi refining, with merely a great strengthening of his true qi.


    If he hadn¡¯t also drunken a cup, he would have had suspicions whether this Bodhi brew was fake, or whether its age was insufficient.


    Li Qingshan sighed in relief. He cupped his hands in greeting toward the three of Gu Yanying¡¯s and said: ¡°Many thanks!¡± He hadn¡¯t expected he wouldn¡¯t lose the spirit ginseng, and would even get a cup of wine to drink instead. But he still somehow felt some nagging unhappiness in his heart.


    ¡°How about it, now you still feel I came to snatch your spirit ginseng? Little brother Qingshan?¡± Gu Yanying poked at his sore spot, her face carrying a trace of joking amusement. Li Qingshan was very young but he had a face full of a solemn appearance. It was truly very interesting.


    Li Qingshan straightened his back and said: ¡°I¡¯m only a mountain village kid, there¡¯s no helping my ignorance and lack of experience. But what I don¡¯t understand is, since the great figures of the Eagle Wolf Guard are so outstanding, why did you allow the Black Wind Camp to cause misfortune for so many years, why did no one sort it through?¡± There was a faint flavor of interrogation, interrogating them on why they held a sinecure, why they occupied their positions but didn¡¯t think about the duties that came with said positions.


    1. Fairy: ÏÉ×Ó, not the small winged fairy from occidental folklore, but a woman possesses the qualities an immortal: noble, wise, beautiful, elegant, refined, able, etc etc.


    2. Xu Xian and the White Maiden, or Madam White Snake, are central characters of the Legend of the White Snake, one of the most famous folklore stories in China.


    3. The Bodhi Tree is the sacred fig tree under which Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment and became Buddha in the legends. The name has come to apply to sacred fig trees in general. Often depicted as possessing some kind of magical power in Chinese fantasy/xianxia stories.

 Chapter 80

    Wang Pushi¡¯s expression presently became a little unbecoming. Suncheer was inside the range of his jurisdiction, but how would he know what kind of thing the Black Wind Camp was.Hua Chengzan thought for a little: ¡°It seems this place is on our list of names, but it¡¯s just ranked too low so we couldn¡¯t spare any time dealing with them for all these years.¡±


    A very long time later, Li Qingshan would come to learn that every Eagle Wolf Guard office from top to bottom had a list of names ranked by strength, the degree of evildoing, the magnitude of their disturbance, and the amount of benefits. The Eagle Wolf Guard would send masters to kill them one by one starting from the top. This was a blacklist that made men of the martial world terror-stricken as soon as they heard of it. If you could be ranked high enough on the blacklist, it was proof you were strong enough and rampant enough, but it also entailed you weren¡¯t far from death. However, because a variety of figures emerged one after another like flies, the Black Wind Camp more or less belonged to the sort that would never have their name come up.


    Wang Pushi said with a quiet shout, ¡°You talk too much!¡±


    Feng Zhang saw that Li Qingshan had gotten on captain Wang¡¯s bad side and saw his opportunity come. He said with rising courage, ¡°Captains, this kid stole the spirit ginseng, indiscriminately killed innocents, damaged my Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s authority¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to fool me?¡± Gu Yanying interrupted him. It wasn¡¯t a question but rather amazement, as if Feng Zhang had done something very difficult to believe.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not¡­¡± Feng Zhang wanted to quibble, but Wang Pushi¡¯s vision fell on him with an ashen expression, and it was as if his neck had suddenly been choked. He was unable to say out one more word.


    ¡°Although us Eagle Wolf guards aren¡¯t any sort of good and honest folks, we still haven¡¯t degenerated so low to be ordered about by men of the rivers and lakes, or fabricate these falsehoods with neither head nor tail.¡± Gu Yanying shook her head and didn¡¯t pay any further attention to Feng Zhang. She said to Wang Pushi instead, ¡°Old Wang, did you bring the map?¡±


    Feng Zhang¡¯s expression looked simply as if someone had struck him with a sword. His face was pallid without any shred of blood on it, and his body was covered by large amounts of sweat from head to toes. Anyone who¡¯d cultivated to his level would be able to freely control their body, so it was easy to tell from his behavior how low his state of mind had fallen.


    ¡°Brought it!¡± Wang Pushi took out a huge map from a pouch at his hips.


    Li Qingshan opened his eyes wide. A spatial pouch!


    There was no telling what animal leather the thick map was made from. It unexpectedly also glowed with spiritual light when it was unfolded on the small table. This wasn¡¯t an ordinary map.


    Gu Yanying said: ¡°You inject true qi inside and silently read the two words ¡®Suncheer City¡¯ in your mind.¡±


    Li Qingshan put his hand on the map and thought ¡°Suncheer City.¡± An extremely faint ray of light brightened on a corner of the map. His mind also naturally received many information on top of that, including Suncheer City¡¯s population, surface area, location, and so on.


    Gu Yanying said, ¡°Think again of the Clear River prefecture.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s thoughts revolved. Then he saw hundreds of light dots brighten up at the same time, as resplendent as a river of stars. Every bright spot was a city, and the ray shining from Suncheer City practically belonged to the weakest batch, while the brightest spot at the very center represented the Clear River capital city.


    Three hundred seventeen cities, a territory of three thousand miles from north to south and from east to west. This was precisely the Clear River prefecture.


    Li Qingshan had long know this world¡¯s mountains and rivers were boundless, but he didn¡¯t expect it¡¯d actually be big to such an extent. He¡¯d once heard the elders in the village talk about it, but he¡¯d merely taken them as exaggerated stories. He never thought it was unexpectedly true.


    He suddenly understood in an instant why the lord prefect would casually hand over the head county magistrate title to the unlearned and incompetent Ye Dachuan. It was because a small city was fundamentally of no consequence for the whole of the Clear River prefecture. And the Black Wind Camp was even more insignificant. Unless the Black Wind Camp had directly torn the flag in revolt, it would have been very difficult otherwise to transmit the news to the Clear River capital a thousand miles away.


    The imperial court of this world was not only not weak, it was frighteningly powerful instead. It was only due to the surface area being too big that it allowed local officials to act like autonomous lords. Autonomy didn¡¯t represent freedom however.


    Whether the Black Wind Camp or the Horse Rein Village, no matter how much they tossed about, they¡¯d merely be tossing around a small place. If you tossed about too fiercely, they¡¯d directly send one or two Eagle Wolf guards and squeeze you to death. You¡¯d never be able to rattle the foundations of the imperial rule. It was a regime that was simply firmer and more secure than any dynasty Li Qingshan knew of. S~?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°The Ruyi region I administer has nine prefectures. Half a year ago, in Joyful Triumph prefecture, the White Lotus cult sacrificed a whole city in order to refine a magical treasure. Maybe two hundred thousand people.¡± Gu Yanying lifted her head and drank a cup of wine. Hua Chengzan hurried to refill it for her.


    Two hundred thousand people! For Li Qingshan, the Black Wind Camp¡¯s massacring villages was already a hackles raising heinous behavior, but how could he imagine there were people a thousand times more evil.


    Li Qingshan subconsciously searched for the Ruyi region on the map. He saw almost ten times more dots of light brighten up. Just looking at the map, a dot of light going out seemed to be a mere trifle.


    The Ruyi Region was ten thousand miles across.


    Although Li Qingshan didn¡¯t have a precise concept about geography, he was still very aware this was already much greater than the entire surface area of the China from his former world. At this moment, Gu Yanying was clearly right in front of his eyes, but also appeared to be far away beyond the furthest clouds, in a realm so distant he had no way to touch.


    Just like a frog at the bottom of the well seeing the stance of the eagle in the sky. It could only have the strength to look up.


    The eagle circled in the sky, searching for even greater preys. How would its vision fall inside the well and pay attention to the disputes between some insects and flies. This time it had also merely stopped beside the well by chance, and noticed an unusual frog.


    Wang Pushi said very cautiously, ¡°Captain, did you come here this time for the matter of the White Lotus cult still?¡±


    The Holy Mother of the White Lotus cult was a Golden Core stage demonic cultivator, she was a frightful character he couldn¡¯t afford to provoke. It wouldn¡¯t be good thing if he were to be mixed inside this kind of conflict. Captain Gu had led men to encircle and annihilate the White Lotus cult five times, and although she¡¯d seized an overwhelming victory every time, she¡¯d still lost more than a dozen men just counting the White Wolf Guard. Meanwhile, the strength of a Red Wolf captain like him was merely equivalent to a first level White Wolf guard.


    Gu Yanying smiled and said, ¡°Why would I come alone then? The White Lotus Holy Mother is wounded, she¡¯s already gone into hiding. I¡¯ve only learned a superficial knowledge of my Six Lines Divination and can¡¯t find her. Besides, a Golden Core cultivator is indeed not that easy to kill.¡± So saying, she looked again at Li Qingshan and lamented the inadequacy of her Six Lines Divination. She couldn¡¯t clearly figure out even this person.


    Since it wasn¡¯t for the White Lotus cult, then there truly weren¡¯t many people left in the Ruyi region worth her acting personally. Everyone watched her with curiosity. Gu Yanying put down the cup of wine from her hand and paused a moment, the expression of a headache floating on her face. ¡°It¡¯s her lady concubine Serenity¡¯s cat that¡¯s gotten lost, she let me come find it.¡±


    ¡°Find a cat!¡± Li Qingshan was stunned. He originally thought she¡¯d have some very important matter, that she was going to capture what terrifying figure. He didn¡¯t think she actually hurried from thousand miles away all the way to this small Suncheer City just to find a cat.


    Gu Yanying let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯d rather go fight a decisive battle with the White Lotus Holy Mother.¡±


    Wang Pushi and Hua Chengzan knew what the two words ¡°concubine Serenity¡± meant. Their expression became entirely prudent, and they didn¡¯t dare butt in or ask too much. This probably involved a conflict at the highest level of the Verdant province; it wasn¡¯t something they could intervene in.


    Gu Yanying¡¯s mouth hadn¡¯t stopped while talking, and one cup of wine after another went down her gullet. When she stopped talking she¡¯d already emptied a cauldron¡¯s worth of wine. A trace of blush floated on her face, as if the world had returned to spring. Her allure was unparalleled.


    Gu Yanying stood up free and easy. ¡°Alright, there¡¯s no more wine, I¡¯m done talking.¡± She took out a bag from a jade ring on her hand and put it on the table. ¡°You take those spirit stones, it¡¯s my thanks for the wine. Properly cultivate and hurry to break through!¡±

 Chapter 81

    Wang Pushi looked at this bag of spirit stones. ¡°Captain, this¡­ this is too precious.¡± His Bodhi brew didn¡¯t even have one-tenth of its value. Gu Yanying had clearly summoned him in order to give him these spirit stones. His heart was filled was gratitude he couldn¡¯t express with words.Gu Yanying said, ¡°I let you take it, so take it. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m lacking this little spirit stones!¡± Then she told Hua Chengzan, ¡°Little Hua, what you¡¯re missing right now isn¡¯t spirit stone. Don¡¯t only tell other people to use the time they spend on bullying kids on training instead. You also go easy on sowing your wild oats around and spend more time on cultivation. Out of my eighteen subordinate captains, you¡¯re the only one with a cultivation still at the qi refining stage. You have to know that you¡¯ll end up as a mortal if you can¡¯t pass through a heavenly tribulation and establish your dao¡¯s foundation.¡±


    Li Qingshan thought that it was no wonder Gu Yanying had known Feng Zhang was lying. Sitting here, she¡¯d actually clearly heard their dialogues inside the city. For an ordinary person, this would truly be a figure that resembled a god.


    Hua Chengzan said smilingly: ¡°Yes, boss Gu, I¡¯ll certainly cultivate even if I have to risk my life and limbs.¡±


    Gu Yanying said to Li Qingshan last, ¡°Little brother Qingshan, I¡¯ll give you this map. I¡¯ll also gift you with a few words, ¡®Thirty thousand miles across the Verdant province, a mere corner of the rivers and lakes.¡¯¡±


    Her words done, she went away through the air, her wide sleeves like an eagle spreading its wings in the wind.


    That figure with white clothes brighter than snow had already vanished beyond the horizon before Li Qingshan could return to his senses.


    It turned out you could really fly!


    His mouth repeated the words Gu Yanying had left behind. He clearly understood in his heart there would be no more opportunity to meet in this life if he still stayed inside Suncheer City.


    In this winter season, Feng Zhang was soaked from head to toes with sweat as if he¡¯d been just fished out from the water. It looked he¡¯d gotten away from a great catastrophe at this moment. He took a deep breath in.


    Wang Pushi¡¯s expression recovered its grimness as he immediately emitted the intense pressure of his power.


    It was as if Li Qingshan suddenly discovered that this person in front of him was also an extraordinarily fearsome figure. He¡¯d seemed ordinary like an uncle next door under Gu Yanying¡¯s radiance that was similar to that of the stars and the moon, but as soon as Gu Yanying left, that dreadful momentum that resembled a wildfire pressed down as if it hid the sky and covered the land.


    Li Qingshan instinctively felt dread and danger, as if there was an ax above his head, about to drop down the next moment. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. He didn¡¯t move a single bit no matter how the aura oppressed him. The iron bones in his entire body seemed to grind with metal clangs under the gigantic pressure.


    Feng Zhang knelt on the ground with a ¡°putong.¡±


    Wang Pushi turned his head away. He simply had no desire to look one more time at this disgraceful appearance of Feng Zhang¡¯s. Compared to Li Qingshan, the distance was as far as between the heavens and the earth.


    ¡°Leave your wolf badge behind, get lost!¡±


    He¡¯d have punished Feng Zhang at most if he¡¯d come in advance and met with the same kind of situation. But he could really not lose this face in front of Gu Yanying. The rage in his heart really reached the utter limit. This dog was actually unable to know what was good for him and dared to speak deceitful words.


    Gu Yanying hadn¡¯t said anything directly, she hadn¡¯t seemed angry either, but she¡¯d decided Feng Zhang¡¯s fate with a few casual words.


    ¡°Captain!¡± Feng Zhang shouted in grief, as if struck by lightning.


    There was a kind of feeling like ¡°When birds are about to die, their cries are mournful1¡± when the voice fell in Li Qingshan¡¯s ear. He thought: he¡¯s just making you resign, why do you look like your parents just died, that¡¯s not the behavior of a man.


    How could he understand the meaning it had for Feng Zhang. He understood even less the difficulty of joining the Eagle Wolf Guard. Various techniques hard to spot in the martial world could be casually consulted inside the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s library pavilion. Even people stronger than him would be courteous to him wherever he went. His entire family clan had gained glory thanks to this status of his. Once deprived of this status, he would merely be what men of the martial world called an ¡°innate master.¡±


    Wang Pushi was famous for having a heart of iron and stone however. Words he spoke were certainly impossible to change. Feng Zhang put his wolf badge on the table with a feeling of disaster that maybe even his life might be in danger. He turned his head back threw a look at Li Qingshan.


    His eyes were filled with a venomous expression that said he wanted to peel his skin and sleep on it, cut his flesh and eat it. This kind of look would be enough to make an ordinary person feel ill at ease for several months. But what kind of person was Li Qingshan; he glared back with no fear and no qualms. The firmness of his will could already not be compared to how it used to be after going through so many things.


    Feng Zhang was the first one to move his eyes away. He moved his feet and left in a flurry. S~?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Wang Pushi said, ¡°Collect it!¡±


    Li Qingshan went forward and gathered that Verdant province map like a cherished possession. He couldn¡¯t use this item to cultivate or kill his enemies, but it broadened the manly emotions in his chest. It let him know how vast the world was, how tiny his own existence.


    But no matter how tiny his existence, there would certainly come a day he would prove a frog wouldn¡¯t stay a frog forever. He would definitely leap out of this deep well, stretch his two wings and fly to the highest skies, to chase that silhouette too distant to reach.


    This experience not only hadn¡¯t broken his confidence, it strengthened his ambition instead, made his heart grander, set down an even loftier goal for him.


    Hua Chengzan smiled to the side without breathing a word. There were only the three words ¡°ignorance is fearlessness¡± in his heart. There will certainly be a day when you understand just how far the distance between you and her is, so far that no amount of fortuitous adventure, innate talent, or painstaking efforts can make up for it. You won¡¯t be able to go one step nearer no matter how you chase her.


    ¡°There¡¯s also this.¡± Wang Pushi threw a look at the wolf badge.


    Li Qingshan froze blankly a moment. He took up the wolf badge. A gust of cool air penetrated inside his palm, and he felt a pleasurable comfort all over his body.


    This item was forged from dark icy iron. It was able to calm the mind, and allowed the wearer to train with half the effort for twice the effect, also helping them to prevent any deviation from the rightful path of their cultivation. Other than that, it also had many wonderful secondary functions.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t know about this, but he still knew this item was very extraordinary. Everything had changed so fast however, it couldn¡¯t help but make somone stand confused between laughter and tears. An hour hadn¡¯t even gone by that he¡¯d already become one of those Eagle Wolf guard those men of the rivers and lakes were incomparably afraid of. This was also merely due to Gu Yanying¡¯s attitude.


    Wang Pushi collected the table, furnace, and small cauldron, putting them back inside the pouch at his hips before standing up. ¡°You¡¯re not an Eagle Wolf guard yet, go report at Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s place in Blessed Peace!¡± He took out an iron ruler and tossed it in the air. The iron ruler swelled in the wind, turning ten feet long as it floated in the sky. Wang Pushi trod on it in one step.


    Hua Chengzan patted Li Qingshan¡¯s shoulder and gave him an expression of ¡°you¡¯re on your own now.¡± He told him three words: ¡°Run for it!¡±


    The iron ruler broke through the air as it went away, dragging a beam of spiritual light behind.


    ¡°Hey, old Wang, wait for me!¡± Hua Chengzan stamped into the empty air and crossed a distance of several hundred feet in one stride, stepping on the ruler. He also disappeared in the blink of an eye into the night¡¯s sky.


    Li Qingshan had no time to marvel at those immortal means. He felt a violent burst of killing aura assault him. He recognized Feng Zhang¡¯s twisted face at first glance as the latter charged his way like a mad dog. He decided to listen to Hua Chengzan¡¯s suggestion for now instead of facing Feng Zhang¡¯s frenzy head on. He used the ¡°Tiger Demon Mountain Climb¡± body technique and leaped up the mountain.


    A wind blade slipped through where he¡¯d stood as soon as he jumped up. The upper half of the tall pine slowly slid down and fell on the ground with a rumble.


    Li Qingshan saw this scene when he turned his head back. He was shocked inside. This was probably not only Feng Zhang¡¯s power, but also the effect from the wind-stitching blade. The Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s welfare program was indeed pretty good, that wasn¡¯t something those second or first grade masters¡¯ miscellaneous spiritual weapons could compare to.


    According to the green bull, those were simply weapons with strengthened firmness and sharpness. They could fundamentally not count as genuine spiritual devices. Every spiritual device would have a special effect. This wind-stitching blade that could send out wind blades could at least amount to a low rank spiritual weapon.


    1. quote from the Analects of Confucius.

 Chapter 82

    Li Qingshan grabbed the [Cursive Sword Script] on his back. His true qi had not only recovered to fullness after drinking the Bodhi brew, it even reached the highest apex it¡¯d ever reached. It was fully sufficient to operate this spiritual weapon once more, and it was certain to be much fiercer than the wind-stitching blade.But he had no absolute confidence he could do Feng Zhang in in one killing strike. This spiritual device of his was probably more than a rank higher compared the wind-stitching blade, it was a genuine treasure. If he couldn¡¯t kill the enemy and the rumors spread out with the wind, then those it would attract wouldn¡¯t only be first-grade masters but innate masters. Or maybe he should say qi refining masters.


    On top of that, he couldn¡¯t yet manipulate this spiritual device very well. It would suck in the entirety of the true qi from his body once stirred. If it failed, then his stamina or speed or strength would all decline by more than a level. He¡¯d only be able to sit still and wait for death.


    Heavy dark clouds once again covered the sky. There were two men in the pitch-black curtain of the night, one chasing and one fleeing. Li Qingshan kept leaping among the mountains thanks to his extraordinary vision, focusing his search on rugged spots that were hard to pass. He climbed cliffs and jumped across mountain streams, the scenery constantly flying backward.


    Feng Zhang madly chased behind with bloodshot eyes. It seemed he was also able to see through the night, but his vision was still far from matching Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes that had been dripped with the green bull¡¯s tears.


    Perhaps he would have been able to catch up if they were on flat land. But in the mountains, the effects of Li Qingshan¡¯s three tiger demon body techniques simply stacked on top of each other. He was unbelievably fast. The lay of the mountains also undulated up and down, and after several twists and turns around mountain peaks, he could no longer find Li Qingshan¡¯s whereabouts.


    Li Qingshan pulled away just like a hunting tiger. He concealed himself in a snow pit within the shades of the mountain rocks, his hands squeezing the [Cursive Sword Script]. He even called out Little An. As long as Feng Zhang caught up, then it was in for a penny, in for a pound. He would act with his entire strength, and even if he couldn¡¯t kill him he would give him some injuries. This place was already deep inside the mountains and it gave him enough room for maneuver. He would be able to chase Feng Zhang all the way until he killed him. His plan couldn¡¯t be said to be shallow.


    A long whistle sounded up. Feng Zhang¡¯s venomous voice reverberated among the mountains: ¡°Li Qingshan, I¡¯ll definitely peel off your skin and mince you into ten thousand slices, I won¡¯t rest until you die!¡± It shook the snow cover on the mountain top into sliding down pell-mell.


    Li Qingshan realized he wouldn¡¯t be catching up for now. He sighed in regret. As to those threats, he would naturally not take them to heart. He stayed in ambush for another while, making sure that Feng Zhang indeed wasn¡¯t catching up. Only then did he drill out of the snow pit. He shook off the snow from his body then walked toward the depths of the Boundless Mountains.


    He¡¯d finally discovered after obtaining the map that what those hundred thousand great mountains he¡¯d gazed at from afar for a dozen years were called ¡°Boundless Mountains.¡±


    No borders and no limits because they were boundless. A broad-minded heart and chest, because they were boundless.


    A good name!


    He ascended a tall peak and once again gazed at the ranges of mountains from afar. There was no more confusion in his heart. He saw buildings in the distance. He hurried there to have a look and only found out then it wasn¡¯t a village, but a dilapidated mountain temple. Apart from the front hall, the surrounding walls and buildings were all half-collapsed. But it still was shelter from the wind in any case.


    He didn¡¯t fear the cold, but it was still extremely taxing on his stamina and true qi to stand amidst these patches of frozen skies and snowy lands.


    He found a bear¡¯s lair with Little An¡¯s help. That wild bear was still in the middle of hibernation. It couldn¡¯t even wake up before Li Qingshan killed it with an explosive punch and carried it back to the mountain temple.


    Because they cultivated different supernatural skills, Little An¡¯s five senses weren¡¯t as keen as Li Qingshan¡¯s but he seemed to have an extreme sensitivity toward the vitality of the living. Even Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t discovered the bear¡¯s lair under the snow cover at first.


    The great hall was a great patch of emptiness. There wasn¡¯t even an offering table or an inscription wall board. Those had probably been taken away by nearby villagers to use as firewood. But Li Qingshan saw a ten feet tall awe-inspiring mountain deity with a ferocious-looking face actually carved out from solid wood. It stood intact on the divine table, with only vestiges from the erosion of the years gone by on its body. Those villagers probably didn¡¯t dare to be excessive in their blasphemy.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t have the same considerations however. Now he was already hanging out with monsters. Little An and himself were both cultivating supernatural skills from the ways of monsters and demons, so he had no need to venerate any damned god. He went up and crushed the deity¡¯s figure into pieces with kicks and punches. He built a fire inside the great hall, then skinned a great bear and tore its bones. He had no need for any cutting tool. He would merely scratch lightly with his fingers, and the thick bear fur and bear meat were slit apart like paper.


    The bear¡¯s heart became Little An¡¯s dinner, the bear skin was spread on the ground like a rug, and the bear meat was hooked over the fire.


    Speak of the devil and the devil will show its horns. Li Qingshan was just reminiscing about the green bull for a little bit that it appeared in front of Li Qingshan, very unable to endure reminiscence.


    Li Qingshan slandered him groundlessly inside. It was simply like those policemen in the movies, it always only showed itself when whatever it was had already ended. s?a??h th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The green bull threw a glance at the god¡¯s figure inside the blazing fire. It nodded as if very satisfied, and asked, ¡°How did you feel today?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I felt like I don¡¯t understand anything and made a joke of myself for no reason. You still don¡¯t explain things clearly. Even if I truly cultivated the Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers to completion, would I really be able to beat them? Those qi refining golden cores, what¡¯s it all about?¡±


    The green bull said, ¡°Isn¡¯t your present understanding much deeper than what I¡¯ve explained to you? Whether this supernatural skill of mine is useful or not, you¡¯ll understand very quickly. As to those qi refining or golden cores, those are human cultivation levels.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Am I not human?¡±


    The green bull laughed and said nothing. It made Li Qingshan feel a burst of evil chilliness. He grabbed the bear meat and ate it with big mouthfuls and big chews. A lot of it was still half-raw and half-cooked, still carrying traces of blood, but it unexpectedly didn¡¯t feel unpleasant to him. It felt like another kind of flavor instead. A great bear was gnawed clean in not long of a time.


    He also felt that he was a little unlike a human. But there wasn¡¯t anything bad about being able to eat and drink different things in any case. Afterwards he practiced some after-dinner exercises. He stood up and trained his skills. He found out there was only a small gap left until his [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] could reach the first layer realm after he drank the Bodhi brew, but it still wasn¡¯t enough to break through.


    He questioned the green bull about the reason why, and the outcome indeed wasn¡¯t outside of his expectations. The [Bull Demon Strong Fist] was steady and required painstaking training, while the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] required one to progress amidst slaughter.


    Slaughter! Li Qingshan lowered his head in deep thoughts.


    A dot of light could spread to places very far away inside the pitch darkness of the range of mountains. Li Qingshan lay on the bear fur, his hand holding the [Cursive Sword Script], and told Little An to hide. He quietly waited for his prey to take the bait.


    He suddenly opened his eyes when heard the sound of footsteps. He trod outside the mountain temple. What he saw wasn¡¯t Feng Zhang alone. There were five other persons beside him. Hall master Wu, Wei Dandong, Chu Xin, Lu Tingrui, and Wan Hao, the five first-class masters stealthily surrounded the mountain temple, sealing Li Qingshan¡¯s escape.


    There were other countless figures coming and going, all of them their sect members and disciples. There was no lack of second-grade masters among them, and even the weakest ones were third-grade masters.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t think that his bait for Feng Zhang would actually attract so many people over. It seemed that even if Feng Zhang¡¯s heart was inhabited by extreme anger, he still wasn¡¯t an idiot and knew to borrow strength from others.


    Feng Zhang¡¯s face exposed an ecstatic expression when he saw Li Qingshan, but his anger burst out as if he were mad when he saw the wolf badge at Li Qingshan¡¯s hips. It was precisely this man who¡¯d taken everything away from him. Li Qingshan spoke before he had time to say anything: ¡°I don¡¯t know the nicknames of your four, but you¡¯re still figures with status and reputation. You¡¯ve just been scolded into scramming the hell away, and now he¡¯s now ordering you about in the blink of an eye, don¡¯t you feel ashamed?¡±

 Chapter 83

    Wan Hao and Wei Dandong both looked a little uncomfortable. Chu Xin said with a chuckle: ¡°What¡¯s shameful or not shameful about doing business.¡± He fiddled with the iron abacus in his hands, producing crashing sounds.Lu Tingrui pulled out a thin sword sparkling with spiritual light and said, ¡°Take out the spirit ginseng and we¡¯ll leave at once!¡±


    Feng Zhang had promised each of them would have their equal share of the spirit ginseng when he¡¯d made them come. Hall master Wu wasn¡¯t very satisfied with this result, but how could he say any nonsense after seeing Feng Zhang¡¯s ashen face.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t say a word. He fished out the spirit ginseng from the gourd, threw it inside his mouth, chewed it to pieces and swallowed it down. He patted his hands: ¡°No more!¡±


    The masters¡¯ eyes had brightened up but then immediately dimmed down in a heartbeat. They showed different expressions on their faces, perhaps despair, perhaps wrath, perhaps disappointment, but they indeed lost the desire to act.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s move of pulling the rug from under their feet was truly sharp and resolute.


    Feng Zhang said, ¡°I have spirit pills even more useful than the spirit ginseng. They will definitely accomplish your desires as long as you act, but whoever doesn¡¯t act will be this Feng Zhang¡¯s mortal enemy starting today. I¡¯ll take my revenge on your families and sect members one by one.¡±


    The expressions on the several masters¡¯ faces all changed greatly. Li Qingshan laughed coldly and said, ¡°Are you just going to believe those words that threaten your families at the slightest pretext? Better we band together and destroy him, see if there are spiritual pills on him. We¡¯ll just split them. Now he¡¯s not an Eagle Wolf guard anymore in any case, no need to worry about retaliation.¡±


    The several masters were all tempted. Feng Zhang drew out his wind-stitching blade with a whoosh. ¡°Who dares!¡± He saw his blind threat of strength had caused the opposite result than intended and added, ¡°The spirit pills aren¡¯t on my person anyway.¡±


    Li Qingshan might truly have succeeded in inciting their desertion if his strength were a little higher, but the masters could obviously distinguish who was easier to kill out of the two, so they made their decision.


    Li Qingshan thought as he saw the crowd press forward step by step, after splashing blood on Suncheer House like Wu Song, was he going to be taking shelter from the snowstorm in the mountain temple like Lin Chong1? S?a?ch* Th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    No one could know whether the heavens had followed mortal will, but snowflakes truly floated down from the sky once more.


    He didn¡¯t plan on escaping! This battle would be very difficult, but it was precisely an opportunity to make a breakthrough in the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist]. There wasn¡¯t only wealth to be found amidst danger, divine skills and martial abilities were also to be found amidst danger. There were only masters forged from battles, there was no master forged from escapes.


    ¡°Great Sanction Wind Blade!¡± Feng Zhang lifted his wind-stitching blade high and attacked at the same time.


    Li Qingshan widened the stance of his legs and spread his arms open as he sent a long hiss at the sky. It wasn¡¯t a human voice, but the roar of a fierce tiger. ¡°Awoo!¡±


    The entire spirit ginseng started to produce its effects in his belly. The true qi madly bubbled forth like a tide as it poured into the hiss. He was using a move from the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] he¡¯d never genuinely used previously.


    Tiger Demon Wild Hiss!


    All the falling snow was swept away until there was only emptiness left within three hundred feet. From high above, one could have seen a half-sphere rise from the ground.


    Feng Zhang bore the blunt of it, and the Great Sanction Wind Blade was immediately scattered off. The five great masters stopped their steps and retreated back all at the same time. They felt as if there was an iron hammer knocking on their brain.


    They looked at Li Qingshan with disbelief, intimidated by the violent energy covering his entire body. Was he truly a mere first-grade master?


    The rest of the second or third-grade masters were even less able to endure. They clutched their ears and rolled on the ground, two threads of blood flowing out as their eardrums were directly shattered. A few of them whose martial arts were among the weakest even directly died on the spot from the roar.


    The tiger hisses in the mountain forest, and the packs of beasts withdraw. Li Qingshan faced a hundred enemies by himself, but he stood upwind instead.


    The sound of the hiss extended uninterrupted forever in the distance, shaking even the mountain temple into a slight tremble. No more snowflake was able to fall down.


    Feng Zhang pushed back against the hiss as he roared loudly, ¡°What are you still waiting for?¡± The blade rotated in his hand and once again fired out a wind blade.


    Li Qingshan stopped the hiss. H didn¡¯t retreat nor did he dodge. He mobilized his true qi and moved it toward his palm. His five fingers spit out tip-shaped qi resembling a tiger¡¯s claws as he ruthlessly grabbed the wind blade.


    The wind blade broke and set off a wild gale. Li Qingshan threw a glance at his palm. A faint bloody trace was left behind. He stuck out his tongue and licked it, exposing a sinister smile. He bent his body like a bow, looking very much like a fierce humanoid tiger.


    Killing intent blazed wildly. Demonic nature surged forth.


    The five great masters¡¯ killing moves all landed at the same time.


    Wei Dandong¡¯s longsword, Lu Tingrui¡¯s thin sword, Wan Hao¡¯s steel blade, hall master Wu¡¯s iron fist, every weapon overflowed with spiritual light. Even hall master Wu was wearing a spiritual fist glove. Front back left and right, they sealed off every path of retreat from Li Qingshan.


    Eighteen abacus beads shot forth fiercely like crossbow bolts, thoroughly severing Li Qingshan¡¯s final lifeline. Chu Xin was no longer smiling.


    Five great masters banded up and dealt a certain-kill blow. They didn¡¯t even need Feng Zhang to act.


    Li Qingshan simply disregarded anything else. He moved one step forward and clawed toward Wei Dandong¡¯s shoulder, fighting a life for a life.


    The hiss of the claws pierced the ears before the claws even landed. Wei Dandong cherished his life so much, how would he be willing to be buried here. He immediately withdrew his sword and retreated backward.


    But Li Qingshan inched even closer even after his retreat, causing Wei Dandong to lose all his guts. The sword in his hand danced and created an air-tight barrier as he merely sought a short delay to let the others kill Li Qingshan.


    A spiritual sword broke through the air and assaulted forth. Little An who¡¯d been hiding so far finally showed himself. He saw Li Qingshan in a deeply perilous situation so he used his strongest sword aura as soon as he acted, shrouding the three persons inside.


    A blade cut off the sword aura against all expectations. Feng Zhang brandished the wind-stitching blade and blocked Little An.


    The blood flames burned violently in Little An¡¯s eyes. He stared on helplessly as a blade and a sword fell on Li Qingshan¡¯s body. Blood splashed in blooms. He wished nothing better than to tear Feng Zhang to pieces in his heart.


    Wan Hao¡¯s long blade hacked on Li Qingshan¡¯s shoulder, and Lu Tingrui¡¯s thin sword pierced into Li Qingshan¡¯s body. They¡¯d been scared by Little An¡¯s appearance, but all of them were still first-grade masters. Their resolutions were incomparably firm and they weren¡¯t perturbed in the least.


    Li Qingshan had long mobilized the true qi in his entire body already. The two treasured spiritual weapons that nothing could stop were unexpectedly unable to run Li Qingshan through or cut him off. But he was also immediately injured, even if his skin were made of copper and his bones of iron. He paid absolutely no attention to that however and went forward invariably, as if he¡¯d bitten into Wei Dandong and wouldn¡¯t let go of him.


    Eighteen iron abacus beads landed on his body. Li Qingshan¡¯s stature merely stiffened a brief moment, not disturbed in the least. Chu Xin widened his eyes round in disbelief.


    Hall master Wu was the most cautious of them all. He attacked Li Qingshan from the back. He saw him wide open and was delighted inside. He sent a punch with all his strength, bombing it in the middle of his back.


    Li Qingshan thought many thanks. The one I¡¯m least afraid of here is you. He borrowed the strength from the blow and charged forward, his arms rising explosively and clasping down in one move, capturing Wei Dandong¡¯s shoulders. He focused his strength left and right, tearing while roaring in a low voice, ¡°Tiger Demon Sheep Tear!¡±


    Wei Dandong hadn¡¯t even used his unique abilities or his many secret skills that he¡¯d already been torn apart into two halves, his blood and viscera splashing on the ground. One truly didn¡¯t fear a tiger-like opponent, one only feared pig-like teammates.


    Li Qingshan had forcibly struck one master dead while facing a pincer attack from five great masters. It was truly incomparably violent, making everyone terrified.


    Li Qingshan grabbed the two incomplete corpse parts and flung them toward Wang Hao and Lu Tingrui. The two of them were afraid of being injured by Li Qingshan¡¯s counterattack as the latter stood at death¡¯s door. They didn¡¯t want to follow in Wei Dandong¡¯s steps on his last journey, so they immediately withdrew backward.


    Martial abilities were only one part of a confrontation between masters. The most important thing was their momentum.


    As soon as his enemies¡¯ momentum weakened, Li Qingshan¡¯s momentum burst out in turn like the great Yangtze river bursting through its dikes. It couldn¡¯t be reined in once it exploded out. He completely ignored those few people behind his back and charged forward, his atmosphere like a mad tiger as he killed his way toward those second or third-grade masters.


    Brandished fists, probing claws, headbutts, none of them could resist one move of his. Someone would be injured or dead every time he moved as he killed his way until corpses lay everywhere across the ground.


    1. This is the same Water Margin reference that cropped earlier in the story already. Blood slashing refers to Wu Song taking revenge on those who plotted against him and splashing their blood on Mandarin Ducks Tower, while taking refuge from the snowstorm in the temple refers to Lin Chong charging out after hearing people talking about their plot to kill him, and then killing them.

 Chapter 84

    Those first-grade masters had eye sockets about to crack open. They had painstakingly nurtured those disciples and sect members. Many of them were their descendants or heirs. They charged recklessly forward.Wan Hao hacked another fierce blade down while Li Qingshan was in the middle of his joyous and carefree killing. Li Qingshan didn¡¯t even turn his head back. He clutched a third-grade master and held him behind his back, using him as a shield.


    ¡°Puff.¡± Wan Hao didn¡¯t even frown as he cleaved the man in front of him in two, continuing his chop toward Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan took advantage of the momentary slow-down of the blade and used the Tiger Demon Stream Leap, pouncing on another second-grade master. There was a faint blade trace left in the middle of his back. He thought, ¡°This old guy is really ruthless.¡±


    ¡°One-Armed Blade, why are you killing our men?!¡± Lu Tingrui stopped what she was doing. She ignored Li Qingshan and stabbed her sword toward Wan Hao. The one he¡¯d killed was a beloved disciple of hers. He was very charming, and she¡¯d always liked him.


    Wan Hao brandished his blade and parried her thin sword: ¡°He was already a dead man after he got caught. I merely gave him a clean death. Woman, stop being so noisy.¡±


    ¡°Fighting among yourselves, do you you all want to die here?¡± Feng Zhang roared loudly. The light of his blade waved magnificently and forced Little An back. ¡°What kind of monster are you?¡± His right hand trembled slightly. Little An not only possessed an exquisite sword art, his strength was also very heavy. He was extremely hard to deal with.


    ¡°Little An, kill!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s hands didn¡¯t slow in the slightest while his mouth was talking. His claws brought the intense sound of the wind as he clutched toward a second-grade master¡¯s sternum, his hand covered with fresh blood. A desperate atmosphere sprung up unbidden. That second-grade master was frightened stiff before his hand even landed, unable to manifest even half his martial prowess.


    Several abacus beads shot out. Chu Xin had acted once again. He didn¡¯t aim at Li Qingshan¡¯s major acupuncture points however, but at vital spots like the eyes or the perineum instead.


    Hall master Wu followed suit and fired another punch at the center of Li Qingshan¡¯s back. He had been like the Liu Hong from back then, filled with disbelief when that fist earlier hadn¡¯t shown any result. Even so, he tried again without any hesitation.


    Li Qingshan abruptly stopped his steps, making those abacus beads hit empty air. His feet forcefully twisted around, like a tiger turning its head back. His body revolved back while he sent hit a fist breaking through the air: ¡°Have you had enough yet!¡±


    Fist and fist clashed together. A faint shattering sound came from hall master Wu¡¯s arm as he flew over a dozen feet away. A beam of sword light dropped down from the sky before he had time to stand up, dizzying his vision.


    It turned out Little An had immediately understood Li Qingshan¡¯s meaning after hearing his words. He¡¯d leaped up and soared a hundred feet high in the air. His body and sword merged into one as he flew down and stabbed toward hall master Wu.


    Hall master Wu was horrified inside. He displayed the quick reactions of a first-grade master, his pair of fists waved wildly as he used a ¡°Thousand Troops and Horses¡± move. Every fist landed accurately on the sword¡¯s edge.


    It made a burst of crisp tinkling sounds. It was only thanks to his fist gloves also being spiritual devices that his arms weren¡¯t broken by the sword.


    Little An borrowed the strength of the impact to soar back in the air. A wind blade slipped past under his body. Feng Zhang brandished the wind-stitching blade and chased after him. Little An didn¡¯t want to tangle with him any further however. He flew out like an arrow toward a group of men, thanks to his nimble figure, and started a great slaughter among those second and third-grade masters.


    Hall master Wu lay on the ground and panted in big mouthfuls, having escaped a great disaster. There was a splitting pain in his arms, especially in the right arm that had bumped fists with Li Qingshan. It felt soft like mud, its bones entirely broken to pieces. His right arm was already wasted.


    Li Qingshan was just thinking of going forward and help him with another kick, but Feng Zhang had already pounced in front of him. Wan Hao and Lu Tingrui ceased their dispute and flanked him from the left and the right.


    Hall master Wu took out a medicine pellet flashing with spiritual light from his bosom and swallowed it down during this moment short as a breath. He suddenly stood up once more. Not only his arms had recovered from their injuries, even his internal strength had been replenished to fullness.


    Doping? I have that too!


    Li Qingshan broke the porcelain bottle in his bosom and threw the ¡°Sudden Qi Body Breaking Pellet¡± he¡¯d gotten from Empty Slaughter into his mouth. Who cares what side effects it has, let¡¯s talk about it after solving the present crisis first!


    Boom! Boom Boom! Boom Boom Boom!


    His heartbeats suddenly accelerated like an engine rotating at high speed. Li Qingshan¡¯s thin body inflated in the space of an instant, turning him into a burly fellow. The true qi inside him was ten times more stimulated and broke out of his body.


    The long blade and the thin sword seemed to strike into a quagmire and were both entirely blocked by the true qi guarding him. Wan Hao and Lu Tingrui were greatly shocked. This was clearly innate true qi. He wasn¡¯t a first-grade master, but an innate master.


    ¡°Great Sanction Wind Blade!¡±


    ¡°Break into pieces!¡± Li Qingshan bombarded a fist out. The iron fist condensed from true qi violently bombed on the wind blade.


    Li Qingshan had bewildering strength to begin with. After he¡¯d eaten the ¡°Sudden Qi Body Breaking Pellet,¡± his strength was even more inexhaustible. He broke the wind blade to pieces with one punch. Feng Zhang flew up high. He roared anxiously in the air, ¡°Everyone is going to die here today if you still don¡¯t resort to your trump cards!¡±


    Wan Hao, Lu Tingrui, hall master Wu, Chu Xin, those four first-grade masters exchanged a glance between themselves. They all had life-saving trump cards, but the values of those things weren¡¯t to be outdone by a fourth of a spirit ginseng. None of them could bear to use them unless as a last resort at a critical moment of life and death. But seeing Li Qingshan¡¯s fearsome appearance, they could no longer afford to lament the loss of their valuables.


    ¡°Alas alas alas, today I¡¯ll have to do business at a loss!¡± Chu Xin sighed in sorrow as he took out a talisman. The movements of the three others were actually exactly the same.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes suddenly shrunk. He couldn¡¯t casually let them use these. But a frightful gale rushed his way from behind his back as soon as he lifted up a foot. He suddenly turned his gaze back, and saw that the second-grade master he¡¯d almost done in in one strike had also taken out a talisman who knew when. He¡¯d pasted it on the blade in his hand, and the blade was immediately shrouded in a layer of keen light resembling an astral wind blade. He chopped the blade down.


    Li Qingshan could sense he¡¯d be cleaved into two halves by this blade even with a skin of copper and bones of iron.


    Li Qingshan had overly underestimated this second-grade master, because he wasn¡¯t holding a spiritual weapon, and ordinary weapons had entirely no way of breaking through his ¡°Bull Demon Skin Refining.¡± But how could he expect he still had such a move.


    It was already too late to dodge. This second-grade master saw his blade about to earn him merit and avenge his sect members, and an ecstatic expression floated on his face. But a beam of blade light streaked across his neck out of nowhere; a human head was sent flying high in the sky by a geyser of fresh blood.


    The corpse fell forward under its inertia, uncovering Little An¡¯s figure behind it. His white bones had already been entirely soaked red by blood. Several dozen second and third-grade masters lay dead behind him. His killing efficiency was much higher compared to Li Qingshan with a longsword in hand.


    Li Qingshan said with a smile, ¡°Many thanks!¡± He took that great blade augmented by the talisman while he was at it. The two of them stood back to back, facing all their enemies.


    The sky was pitch-black as ink. The night of slaughter was still underway.


    Four first-grade masters took advantage of this interval and all bit the tip of their tongues, putting the talismans in their hands to use.


    ¡°Clear Wind Talisman!¡± Lu Tiingrui pasted her talisman on her leg. A stream of airflow twined around her legs. Her movement technique was exquisite to begin with, far superior to the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s Yang Anzhi. She was even more like a ghost after using the Clear Wind Talisman, floating to Li Qingshan¡¯s side in an instant. ¡°It should be your blessing to be able to die under so many precious talismans, and also that monster with you!¡±


    She pierced her sword forward. Little An was about to parry with his sword, but she¡¯d already floated to another side.


    Chu Xin pasted his talisman on his arm. A layer of light enveloped both his arms. He flung off the abacus and tossed his flowery gown aside. All kinds and sorts of concealed weapons hung inside, piercing bone nails1, iron caltraps 2 , golden coin darts 3 too many to counts. His hands waved and transformed into a blur. Thousand concealed weapons fired out from inside that blur, just like a storm of metal.


    1. Google tells me those come from a video game and look just like ordinary nails


    2. Caltraps are trap weapons made of several nails so that one always points upward when put on the ground. Here¡¯s an S?a??h the ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    3. Just heavy metal money coins that serve as projectiles¡­ Often with a square hole in the middle in China.

 Chapter 85

    ¡°Keen Metal Talisman.¡± Wan Hao pasted the talisman on his blade and condensed a three feet long astral blade, cleaving his way forth. If Li Qingshan was thinking of taking a strike from him again and still survive, well, that would be impossible.Meanwhile, hall master Wu simply pasted his talisman on his chest. His body glowed into a golden shape just like the Black Wind Camp¡¯s Xiong Xiangwu. It was also a ¡°Diamond Talisman,¡± but the color was much brighter. He charged forward straight on and violently struck with a heavy fist.


    Feng Zhang merely stopped his steps and returned the wind-stitching blade to its sheathe, watching Li Qingshan as if he were watching a dead man. Don¡¯t mention Li Qingshan, even he would certainly walk on the road to his death if he fell into such a siege.


    It wouldn¡¯t have been easy for Li Qingshan to deal with even one of them. He stamped a heavy foot down, and the ground sank down into a great pit. The shockwaves of the ¡°Bull Demon Hoof Stamp¡± went through every direction. The figures of the four first-grade masters all stiffened for an instant.


    But he certainly didn¡¯t dare to use this opportunity to attack. He used all his strength and jumped into the air together with Little An instead.


    Everyone looked upward, different expressions on their faces. Li Qingshan might still have had a lifeline left if he¡¯d charged straight on, but he was cutting off his own survival by jumping into the air. A man had nowhere to dodge and nowhere to take support from while in the air. The moment he fell down would be the moment of his death.


    Just when Li Qingshan had reached the apex and was about to fall back down, he suddenly unfolded the [Cursive Sword Script]. On it lit up a leftward oblique stroke, a downward concave stroke, a horizontal stroke, a vertical stroke, and a hook stroke. Li Qingshan had already been holding the [Cursive Sword Script] secretly in his hands and poured all of his true qi inside long before being encircled by the three enemies.


    His true qi had risen continuously after obtaining the Cursive Sword Script. And today he¡¯d not only drunk the Bodhi brew, he¡¯d also swallowed the whole spirit ginseng down. He¡¯d even swallowed the Sudden Qi Fierce Body Pill on top of that; the true qi inside his body had reached an unprecedented degree, allowing him to bring out an unprecedented might from the spiritual device.


    Feng Zhang¡¯s eyes brightened the instant the [Cursive Sword Script] opened. ¡°Middle rank spiritual device! No, it¡¯s an upper rank spiritual device, hurry up and run!¡± But he wasn¡¯t alarmed, he was wild with joy instead. Even being fired from the Eagle Wolf Guard would be worth it if he could obtain it.


    Li Qingshan mobilized his entire focus to try and control this upper rank spiritual device. There was no telling if his determination played a role or if all of it was fundamentally due to the spiritual device itself, but it automatically latched onto those several hostile auras.


    An oblique stroke, a concave stroke, a vertical stroke, a horizontal stroke, a hook stroke, they each separately flew toward Feng Zhang and the other four.


    Those first-grade masters of the martial world had keen perception and had sensed an extremely fearful killing intent the moment Li Qingshan had unfolded the [Cursive Sword Script] without needing Feng Zhang¡¯s reminder at all. They reacted instinctively.


    Wan Hao waved his blade toward the sky, defending himself by attacking. He exquisitely sealed off the direction the killing intent struck from. But any technique was useless in front of absolute power. A ¡°vertical stroke¡± fell straight down and disintegrated the astral blade inch by inch, including the body of the blade. It pierced through the top of his head in an instant. He froze, and his whole person fell to the ground with a rumble.


    Hall master Wu blocked with his two arms, using an ¡°Iron Locks Across the River1¡± move. With the Diamond Talisman protecting his body on top of that, he¡¯d formed strongest of defenses. But against all expectations, a hook hooked his head away.


    Two first-grade masters using their trump cards had been instantly killed in one hit, exhibiting the fearfulness of an upper rank spiritual device.


    Lu Tingrui floated away and escaped with all her might thanks to her outstanding movement techniques. Chu Xin had been standing the furthest from the beginning, and his reflexes were also the quickest. His round and plump figure instantly rolled to the side.


    A concave stroke and a horizontal stroke slipped past. Two traces of blood light suddenly appeared. Two persons fell on the ground with miserable cries, leaving a foot and a hand behind, suffering heavy injuries.


    As to the fiercest and brightest oblique stroke, it flew toward Feng Zhang¡¯s direction.


    Feng Zhang immediately lowered his waist and separately pasted two spiritual talismans on his blade and his body in quick succession.


    The wind-stitching blade released an astral blade five feet long, and a golden bell solidified around his body to protect it. If one said the Diamond Talisman could still be used to kill the enemy, then the Golden Bell Talisman was entirely made to safeguard the body.


    As a second level qi refining master who also came from the Eagle Wolf Guard, he had even more valuables on him than those first-grade masters added together. But he¡¯d deliberately held out on using them and let those first-grade masters risk their lives. It would have been best if they could all die at the same time; he wouldn¡¯t have needed to give them their promised spiritual pills then. There was no way not to call his thoughts venomous.


    He¡¯d immediately lost all his reservations when he saw the upper rank spiritual weapon in Li Qingshan¡¯s hands however.


    Spiritual light raged forth in the space of an instant, bedazzling the eyes. Even the thick snow cover in front of the mountain temple was entirely swept off clean.


    The blade shattered, the bell broke, but the man didn¡¯t die.


    The scene Li Qingshan was most worried of had happened. There was only a handle left out of the wind-stitching blade in Feng Zhang¡¯s hand, his clothes had been shredded into a mess, countless small fine wounds were left on him, but his face carried a proud smile as he watched Li Qingshan still in mid-air. s?a??h th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s heart sank to the bottom of the abyss. A stern hiss broke through the air behind him.


    Lu Tingrui waved a storm of metal with her one hand left, her eyes bloodshot.


    Li Qingshan pushed little An away from his side and barely blocked it with his weapon. The true qi had been sucked away from his body until not a shred was left however, and the side effects from the Sudden Qi Fierce Body Pill also broke out at the same time. His entire body felt as if it was about to crack.


    Little An stretched out a hand in vain, helplessly watching as he was sent flying out by the tide of metal. Countless concealed weapons instantly struck his body as he crashed through the temple¡¯s roof and fell onto the bonfire.


    The bust of the mountain god rolled to one side, its face carrying an evil scorched grin with it, as if mocking Li Qingshan for overestimating himself.


    Little An directly rushed toward the temple after landing. A thin sword stabbed obliquely. Lu Tingrui stood on one foot, her face full of rancor: ¡°I¡¯ll kill you monster!¡±


    Feng Zhang didn¡¯t chase after Li Qingshan. He took out another spiritual talisman and shot it inside the temple.


    A great flame burst in the temple. It was already close to ruins to begin with and it collapsed in a flash. The light of the fire soared to the sky, visible from ten miles away.


    Feng Zhang felt there were too many mysteries on Li Qingshan and feared Li Qingshan still had a killing move left. He had no desire to take any risk and directly used a talisman to patch his blade. An upper spiritual device wouldn¡¯t be destroyed in such a fire anyway. He only had to take it from Li Qingshan¡¯s ashes when the time was ripe.


    The fire raged. The fire inside Little An¡¯s eye sockets blazed like blood as he crazily pounced toward Lu Tingrui, as if trying to take her down at the cost of his life.


    Lu Tingrui flashed out of the way. She saw Little An charge straight toward the mountain temple, trying to snatch Li Qingshan away from within the sea of fire. She couldn¡¯t help muttering to herself, ¡°Monster!¡±


    Chu Xin struck once again. Hidden weapons hit his body with clinks and clangs. Little An¡¯s stature staggered then fell on the ground, but immediately climbed back up.


    Feng Zhang sneered and waved his sleeves. His true qi gushed madly forth and slapped Little An, sending him flying out. Feng Zhang stood in front of the great fire like a lofty mountain, separating him from Li Qingshan.


    He shouted in a low voice, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you two idiots hurrying to kill it. Don¡¯t let it escape.¡± But inside he was searching for a way to kill and silence them. He could definitely not let anyone become aware of the upper rank spiritual device.


    Lu Tingrui and Chu Xin hesitated instead when they heard Feng Zhang¡¯s words. They didn¡¯t know whether they ought to fight or flee. They¡¯d originally accepted Feng Zhang¡¯s transaction because they had been confident they wouldn¡¯t need to fear Feng Zhang reneging on his promises with the five of them joining together. Anyway he wasn¡¯t an Eagle Wolf guard anymore. Even if he wasn¡¯t afraid, would each and every member of his family be an innate master?


    1. Dragon Li already used this technique back in chapter 34. Please refer back to its notes if you¡¯re interested in where this name comes from.

 Chapter 86

    But now the dead were dead and the disabled were disabled. They didn¡¯t have any ability left to face Feng Zhang and both were afraid he¡¯d ruthlessly turn on them.Little An didn¡¯t flee. The bones all over his body showed faint traces of cracks as he knelt on the ground and watched the sea of fire, two trails of bloody tears flowing down from his eyes sockets. He opened his mouth. No sound came from it, but everyone could feel he was crying.


    Feng Zhang turned around, his face full of a gloomy smile. ¡°In the end, I still need to act personally!¡±


    His smile suddenly froze. A fearsome feeling came from behind his back, like a terrifying ominous beast awakening within the blaze.


    A wild scream soared to the heavens.


    That wasn¡¯t a sound that a human could make. Feng Zhang turned his head back. He saw a black shadow stand up from within the fire and shake off the flames off his body. It was a full ten feet tall with a pair of pointy horns that pierced the dome of the sky.


    Two dots of red light suddenly lit up!


    Li Qingshan had been lying inside the flames, not moving an iota. Just as he expected from the beginning, his [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] finally broke through to the first layer in this crisis of life and death!


    No mighty strength gushed forth like in his imagination. He felt his body undergo an extremely strange change. Everything was being torn, altered, and remodeled. The flames gradually became not so scorching hot and difficult to endure. He still didn¡¯t dare to open his eyes.


    The words the green bull once said echoed once more in his ears: ¡°You can only be said to have genuinely learned this supernatural skill after you cultivate both sets of fist arts to the realm of the first layer.¡±


    His eyes were tightly closed, but seemed as if he could feel that small skeleton charge his way through the heavy blaze, hear the cries of his heart.


    Little An!


    A feeling he couldn¡¯t put into words rose from inside his heart, turning into a wild scream to the sky.


    Li Qingshan stood up inside the flames. His eyes suddenly opened. The burning red light wasn¡¯t hiding in the depths of his eyes anymore but thoroughly exposed itself. He lifted a step forward, and an iron hoof stamped the mountain god¡¯s head to pieces.


    The flames seemed like a lotus flower blooming to the four sides under the pressure of an invisible momentum. He walked step by step out of the sea of fire.


    Everyone still left alive on the mountain peak held their breaths and widened their eyes.


    A huge stature majestic as an iron tower. Pitch-black skin that seemed cast from black iron. Secretive bestial patterns extending from the head all the way to the four limbs. Two feet turned into hooves, two hands transformed into sharp claws.


    A pair of bull horns so incisive it seemed they were about to pierce through the sky. Fire-red hair, or one might say mane, wildly draped loose behind as it danced blindly along with the light of the fire.


    The monster aura soared to the heavens. The legend begins here.


    Feng Zhang stretched his hand inside his bosom. A wild wind flitted past his body, the red hair even gliding across his face. His body stiffened, his jaws clacked together, and his body trembled. S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    There wasn¡¯t any more idea about resistance his mind whatsoever. There was only one thought left: ¡°Run!¡± A monstrous demon, even a low level monstrous beast, wasn¡¯t something someone like him at the realm of qi refining second layer could withstand. Apart from the wind-stitching blade distributed by the Eagle Wolf Guard, there wasn¡¯t any decent spiritual weapon on him that would allow him to battle an evil monster.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t Feng Zhang. Lu Tingrui turned around without the slightest hesitation and ran away when she saw Li Qingshan walk out of the sea of fire. The effect of the talisman was still there and her speed was indeed extremely fast.


    She soared in the air. Giant claws grabbed her head from behind. Li Qingshan said, ¡°Tell me, who¡¯s a monster!¡± The voice was hoarse and deep like the vibrating grind of metal, filled with a grim desire for murder.


    The fierce teeth were eerie white, and the red light inside the eyes flickered without shape or form!


    Lu Tingrui opened her mouth but only made involuntary gurgling sounds. She amounted to a first-grade master who could run rampant for a while inside the martial world, but when had she ever seen a genuine monstrous demon. She felt like a mouse who¡¯d fallen in the palms of a cat, having met its natural enemy. A boundless terror weight down heavily on her. This sensation was more terrible than death.


    Clink clink clang clang! Countless hidden weapons hit Li Qingshan¡¯s body, arousing a cloud of sparks. Li Qingshan turned his head around and said, ¡°Get lost!¡±


    The sound waves fused with the monster aura and struck like a heavy hammer. Chu Xin flew out seventy or eighty feet, his head crooked. He was dead enough that he couldn¡¯t die again.


    A second-grade master lying on the ground suddenly leaped up high and pasted a talisman on his sword, attaching a layer of astral aura on the sword. It turned out he¡¯d been playing dead all along, and now wanted to use the present opportunity to sneak on Li Qingshan from the back.


    Li Qingshan was about to turn his head around when a tiger tail lashed out through the air like a steel whip, almost whipping the second-grade master into two halves across the middle. Li Qingshan looked back and watched his own tail with amazement, suddenly realizing his body had a new function. His body¡¯s reflexes had come before even his consciousness.


    Li Qingshan casually squeezed. The head shattered like a watermelon. The next moment, his figure disappeared from where he stood.


    One by one, he appeared beside those second or third-grade disciples still remaining and started a great slaughter. There wasn¡¯t anyone alive left on the mountain peak after a few breaths. The only one left was Feng Zhang as he crazily escaped down the mountain.


    Li Qingshan slightly bent his knees. The ground fissured with a loud rumble as his person was already soaring in the air.


    Feng Zhang was in the middle of running for his life when a black shadow dropped from the sky and stepped on his body with the momentum of a hundred thousand pounds.


    Feng Zhang¡¯s cultivation could also be said to be extraordinary, but he unexpectedly couldn¡¯t muster the slightest ability to resist in front of Li Qingshan¡¯s absolute speed and strength. Fresh blood sprayed wildly from his mouth: ¡°Monster, you¡¯re a monster!¡± His two hands gripped the ground. He couldn¡¯t match Li Qingshan¡¯s present strength, but even if Li Qingshan were to loosen his foot, his viscera and spine had already been stamped to pieces. He was only surviving thanks to his innate true qi.


    Li Qingshan stooped down and said in a deep tone, ¡°I am going to tear off your limbs one by one.¡± The red light in his eyes was as blood. One who had human hatred and wrath like him was ten times more cruel and brutal than ordinary monsters and demons.


    Little An pulled Li Qingshan¡¯s hand. Li Qingshan impetuously slapped a casual palm his way: ¡°Get lost!¡±


    A spark appeared in his mind when he saw Little An. Li Qingshan abruptly stopped his hand. Little An almost fell down from the blow of the wild wind he¡¯d set off. He watched Li Qingshan with alarm, not sure what to do.


    ¡°Little An, sorry, I¡­¡± Li Qingshan clutched his head. The red light went out from between the seams of his fingers.


    Little An approached once more and grabbed Li Qingshan¡¯s hand, or one might say claws.


    Li Qingshan forcibly resisted all kinds of savage thoughts and killed Feng Zhang in one stamp, giving him a quick death. He watched his own hands turned into beast claws, all kinds of hysterical thoughts pushing and shoving inside his mind. He knelt on the ground and issued a wild howl to the sky.


    The curtain of the sky was pitch dark. Thick black clouds hid the stars and covered the moon.


    Above the clouds¡¯ curtain however was a sea of clouds drifting up and down under the splendor of the stars and the light of the moon, boundless and endless. It was tranquil like the realm of immortals.


    A white figure stood eminent and alone above the sea of clouds like an immortal removed from earthly dirt, the jade on her clothes fluttering around. Gu Yanying¡¯s head was lowered when her black eyes suddenly shrank, glowing with golden light, sharp like an eagle¡¯s as they pierced the clouds¡¯ veil to land upon Li Qingshan.


    Her feeling hadn¡¯t been wrong. The breath she¡¯d smelled on Li Qingshan¡¯s body when she¡¯d seen him under the Huangshan pine wasn¡¯t from his lack of washing, but was a genuine monster breath. It was only because it had been too faint that she hadn¡¯t dared be certain, so she¡¯d let Li Qingshan drink a cup of Bodhi brew to make him lose control of his true qi in an instant and make it increase greatly. Only then did she make certain of her own judgment.


    Not only the monster breath appeared more distinctive, he also didn¡¯t break through to the second layer of qi refining, because the physique of monsters were different from humans and things were different for them.

 Chapter 87

    Facing monsters and demons, the first thing ordinary cultivators would think of would be to chop off the monsters and wipe out the demons. Gu Yanying definitely had the power to do so. Although Li Qingshan¡¯s strength and speed had substantially increased after transforming into a demon, it would still be entirely impossible for him to match up with a golden core master.But there was no murderous intent on her face at this very moment. Her usually free and easy smile had also vanished, a faint compassion emerging instead. She seemed like a stone sculpture or a jade carving under the shine of the moonlight.


    She immediately broke away from this kind of mood. She gently heaved a sigh, an easy smile appearing at once.


    ¡°Little brother Qingshan, there¡¯s only the mountain forests you¡¯ll be able to call home from today on. I fear we will have no opportunity to meet again in this life, unless you cultivate to a monster general or even a monster marshal. But by then we will probably be enemies. May favorable winds guide your path!¡±


    She spoke softly, and even waved her hand, not caring the least that Li Qingshan had absolute no way of hearing or seeing her from the ground. Her sleeves rose up and she flew out like a white eagle. Only after she¡¯d flown ten miles away did the wild wind she lifted plow a deep gully in the sea of clouds.


    A white eagle had stopped at the edge of a well and seen what she¡¯d wanted to see. A peculiar frog had added an interesting experience to her life on earth.


    But a frog was still a frog no matter how interesting it was. At most it could become a little stronger. There were things a hundred times more important waiting for her, a thousand times more important. If she couldn¡¯t find that wretched cat, it could very possibly lead two great sects of the Verdant province to go to war, the Hidden Sword Palace and the Dark Shade Sect. A great fire would rise in the province¡¯s prefectures¡¯ backyard by then.


    But she hadn¡¯t noticed a green bull on the ground also watching her from the darkness while she was watching Li Qingshan. This was simply something unimaginable for a golden core master. How deep was her spiritual perception? She even knew some divination spells.


    But if she were able to genuinely forecast the future, she would have known that the frog wouldn¡¯t stay a frog forever.


    Li Qingshan howled crazily for a while before barely forcing his state of mind to restore its calm. Little An still stood at the side and did his hardest to comfort him.


    He looked at Little An. Only now did he understand Little An¡¯s feelings after transforming into a skeleton, how much of a psychological blow it was for a human to transform into an alien species.


    The green bull walked out from the darkness. It watched Li Qingshan, its bull face entirely filled with smiles, its mouth clucking in wonder just like an artist looking at an artwork he was extremely satisfied with.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°You knew long ago I would turn out like this? This is definitely not any Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers right?¡± His present strength absolutely exceeded the strength of one bull, or one might say that the strength of one bull wasn¡¯t referring to a bull¡¯s strength to begin with, but to a bull demon or a bull monster.


    The green bull said, ¡°Looks like things turned out pretty good!¡±


    Li Qingshan abruptly pounced toward the green bull, his right claws ruthlessly wiping down. His sharp claws were like curved blades, glinting with rays of light in the darkness.


    The green bull didn¡¯t dodge nor hide, its smile unchanging. Little An rushed forward and shoved Li Qingshan away.


    Li Qingshan quivered from head to toes, his hands gripping the ground. ¡°Sorry, brother bull, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening to me?¡± His heart seemed to be filled with explosive powders. Any anger and dissatisfaction would ignite and trigger a field of slaughter.


    There were suspicions the green bull had been duping him, but he¡¯d been aware of that since long ago. It was just like in the legends, those people who made a deal with the devil would need to pay a price at the same time they obtained their strength. It was cruel but fair, and there shouldn¡¯t be any complaint.


    Moreover, the green bull had also proved the supernatural skill it¡¯d taught him was indeed not common stall goods. This supernatural skill had truly reached an unimaginable degree just speaking of the body tempering¡¯s results. It¡¯d let his body reach an imaginable power in the space of a few trivial months.


    The green bull said, ¡°Your temperament isn¡¯t yet sufficient to master your demonic nature. However, I¡¯m already very surprised you¡¯ve been able to reach this step. What you said is correct. It was born from the daoist body tempering supernatural skill Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers, but in reality this is already not ¡®Nine Bulls and Two Tigers¡¯ anymore.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t that many supernatural skills that would make a human transform into a demon! What should I do now? How can I restore my human shape?¡± Li Qingshan had no desire to spend a lifetime in the depths of the mountain forests.


    ¡°Very simple, you can change your shape as long as you pass through a heavenly tribulation and become a monster general, the same as the realm of foundation building for humankind.¡±


    ¡°How long do I need!¡±


    ¡°If quick, a hundred years!¡±


    ¡°What!¡± The red light flashed like a storm in Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes. ¡°Can I live for a hundred years?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, after transforming into a demon, your lifespan will also be greatly increased!¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s teeth ground loudly together. Just as he was almost unable to resist the turbulent desire for killing inside his heart, the green bull said, ¡°But it¡¯s not that there aren¡¯t other ways!¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°What ways?¡± S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The green bull said, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you another supernatural skill. Oh right, actually you still can¡¯t be regarded as a complete demon right now.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Then after cultivating this supernatural skill I¡¯ll be able to transform into a complete demon?¡±


    The green bull smiled and said nothing. Li Qingshan knew he could only walk forward without turning back.


    The great fire was still burning. Li Qingshan and Little An¡¯s four eyes met each others. He said, ¡°Alright, now we¡¯re both not human anymore, there¡¯s only you who won¡¯t be repulsed by me!¡± It was truly mutual sympathy between fellow sufferers, big brother unable to mock the second bother.


    Little An desperately nodded, indicating he didn¡¯t find Li Qingshan repulsive at all.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about it anymore. Let¡¯s hurry to train!¡± He let Little An use all the corpses on the mountain peak to cultivate and heal his body¡¯s injuries. Li Qingshan also searched the corpses meanwhile.


    He found a bottle of spirit pills not entirely consumed on hall master Wu¡¯s body. He raised his head and ate them down, immediately restoring his body¡¯s wounds. He found a talisman on Sick Scholar Wei Dandong¡¯s body. From the patterns, it seemed exactly identical to Lu Tingrui¡¯s. It ought to be also the speed-increasing Clear Wind Talisman. Then he found another divine talisman on Chu Xin¡¯s body like the one the latter had used. It seemed he¡¯d indeed been wealthy.


    That thin sword of Lu Tingrui¡¯s could still be regarded as intact, its spiritual light still very bright. Little An¡¯s sword¡¯s spiritual light was already very dim after the battle and wasn¡¯t suitable for use anymore. It just happened there was a ready substitute.


    Finally he found a full four talisman on Feng Zhang¡¯s body. They were all the same kind that could release a fire. There was also a bottle of healing spiritual pills that he carefully collected after he saw its spiritual light was much better than that bottle on hall master Wu.


    Li Qingshan threw all the corpses into the sea of fire. He noticed the intensity of the fire wasn¡¯t vigorous enough and tossed a Fire Talisman without any hesitation. The Fire Talisman floated from the air back to the ground. He didn¡¯t manage to trigger it.


    The green bull said, ¡°Monster qi can¡¯t rouse daoist talismans and spiritual devices, except if you¡¯re able to refine them.¡±


    Li Qingshan tried that scroll of [Cursive Sword Script] once more. It indeed didn¡¯t show the slightest reaction to the monster qi he poured inside, unwilling to accept it. There was no need to say he did absolutely not have any refining ability at present. He could only put them away first.


    Little An had restored the traces of injuries all over his body at this time, his bones restored to their whiteness. They weren¡¯t pale white anymore however, but a little lush and green like jade. His supernatural skill had gone up yet another layer.


    Seeing the fire became smaller, Little An suddenly opened his mouth and spewed out surging flames the color of blood. The blood on those carcasses seemed to become fuel for the flames, lifting a bloody blaze several dozen feet high. It even overshadowed the orange fire and thoroughly exterminated any vestige of corpses.


    It was precisely a technique from the [Dao of the Beautiful Bones], the ¡°Cremation Blood Flames.¡± It could draw and ignite flesh and blood. A body would die without any doubt if it came into contact with it, then turn into a corpse before scattering to ashes and dispersing like smoke. Hence it was called ¡°Cremation.¡± Its fearfulness even surpassed ordinary Fire Talismans.

 Chapter 88

    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Now an ordinary first-grade master was definitely not his match anymore. It was truly progressing at divine speed without any bottleneck. No one could know just how strong he could become as long as he was given enough time and sacrifices.The blood flame burned the corpses and bones until nothing was left, then spun in the air before returning back to Little An¡¯s mouth. The flames inside his eye sockets shone even brighter, as if he¡¯d absorbed the blood vitality on all those people¡¯s corpses through the blood flame.


    Li Qingshan called out and Little An leaped on his shoulders once everything was properly tidied. The two of them vanished on the mountain peak.


    Li Qingshan bumped sideways and crashed head-on inside the mountain forests. The originally tall trees now all seemed to be undersized, and sometimes he just simply knocked past instead of making a detour when he met trees blocking his way, crushing the tree trunks into pieces as he forcibly opened a path through the forests.


    Not only his strength and speed had changed, his five senses had also reached an unprecedented peak, and every scene inside the forest seemed to be so clear and bright. There was a different kind of touching colorfulness even inside the winter forest on a deep night.


    Every sound was also so sharp. Even a wild hare¡¯s breathing under the heavy snow and mud came clearly to his ears. A living vitality filled this land between heaven and earth.


    He was like a savage returned to his primitive state, feeling jubilation at everything from nature. It seemed like honey was irrigating the fields of his inner self, as if this was the proper world he belonged to, his paradise.


    His heart and mind had seemingly also changed along with the changes of his body. He suddenly felt that living and breathing amidst the mountain wilderness wasn¡¯t a bad thing after all.


    But then he immediately regained his soberness when he watched Little An on his shoulders. There were still many unfulfilled promises he had to fulfill. He had to help him regain a human body, he had to send him back home.


    Little An also curiously watched Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan smiled faintly and silently told him thanks inside his heart.


    The green bull had once again vanished from sight after passing on the supernatural skill to Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s steps didn¡¯t stop, but he was silently comprehending the mysteries within.


    The second supernatural skill¡¯s name was [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. It was diametrically opposed to the [Nine Bulls and Two Tigers], a purely qi refining supernatural skill. It also had nine layers, and he only needed to cultivate to the first layer to be able to regain human shape, or even curb and conceal the monster qi on his body so he could once again return to the human world.


    It also happened that Li Qingshan could only cultivate this supernatural skill after establishing a certain foundation in his monster qi. It gave him the feeling that those supernatural skills the green bull had taught him superposed themselves layer atop another layer, closely interlinked with one another. As if every step had already been planned, and everything was for the sake of laying foundations for the future.


    He didn¡¯t understand what the green bull¡¯s ultimate goal was, but in short there didn¡¯t seem to be any maliciousness. This didn¡¯t merely originate from trust, but also from his understanding of his own humble status. He probably had nothing worth eliciting the green bull¡¯s maliciousness to begin with.


    Li Qingshan stopped and sat in mediation once he gained some comprehension of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. The chaotic monster qi gradually gathered together and revolved following a certain pattern. Even the uneasy and restless sea of his heart seemed to become a patch of tranquility during the cultivation process. It was much different from the frantic wildness when cultivating the Bull Demon and Tiger Demon Fist.


    He suddenly came to a certain understanding. A certain supernatural skill could influence a certain facet of his nature, and the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] was precisely made to counteract the influences of the tiger demon and the bull demon.


    The spirit turtle was a divine beast from the legends. Four huge feet stamped into the sea like four pillars supporting the heavens. It seemed as if the four divine needles nailing the sea could pacify the sea waves within ten thousand miles, forbidding the great billows. The spirit turtle possessed great might, but its nature was very gentle like a senior monk sitting in meditation in extreme patience, not showing off any ostentatious display in the least.


    As long as he cultivated to the first layer, he could learn the Spirit Turtle Aura Control and restrain the body¡¯s monster qi, repress the bull demon and the tiger demon, then he could once again restore a human form. The cultivation speed of this supernatural skill was the same as the spirit turtle¡¯s nature however; progress was extremely slow. After some estimation, the time needed to cultivate the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] to the first layer was measured in years. He would need to cultivate eight or ten years hidden inside the mountains at best, and two or three decades weren¡¯t impossible either if slow.


    It still truly made people depressed, even if it saved quite a bit of time compared to crossing a tribulation to become a monster general. You counted time in centuries however when dealing with demon cultivation. Without several hundred years of practice, you didn¡¯t even have the face to say hello to other people. He could only prepare himself to wage a prolonged war of attrition since matters had already reach such a stage.


    The sound of water cried like the rumble of thunder. Li Qingshan and Little An once again came to the place they¡¯d previously cultivated at, in front of the great waterfall dropping several hundred feet. They prepared themselves to cultivate quietly there for a while. Since it was called [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets], there could naturally not be any lack of water. S?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s ears twitched. Faint and distant, he heard a singing voice.


    He narrowed his eyes. He could faintly discern a pretty woman¡¯s body inside the white water mist, her back facing him, seemingly in the middle of her bath.


    I can also have this kind of lucky encounter with a beautiful woman?


    Li Qingshan felt that things were incomparably strange as soon as this thought came to him. How loud was the sound of the waterfall? No matter how loudly an ordinary person yelled or roared, it would be drowned by the water¡¯s noise, but the singing voice unexpectedly seemed like a needle, incomparably clear as it pierced through every miscellaneous noise.


    Moreover, the charge of the waterfall¡¯s flow was so gigantic that even the former him couldn¡¯t stand directly below the waterfall, but that dainty silhouette seemed to be taking an easy relaxing shower. The soft and tender stature sometimes hid and sometimes emerged within the water mist, extreme in its allure.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t care about any see no evil. He had to take a clear look at such a strange thing in any case. It was foreordained however that he didn¡¯t have such good luck with women. As soon as he went forward a step.


    The song halted abruptly. The young woman turned her vision back, revealing a pair of eyes dark green, then vanished inside the waterfall.


    A great warning omen rose inside Li Qingshan¡¯s heart. He bounced forward without paying attention to anything else, but then he felt a strong gale attack from behind him. There were several traces of acute pain on his back. His skin that blades and spears couldn¡¯t penetrate had unexpectedly been sliced open by empty air. ¡°So fast!¡±


    His stature had just reached the middle of the air and seemed about to fly inside the waterfall when a green lily hand caught his tiger tail and forcibly pulled on it. ¡°Come back!¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s huge body was instantly pulled back. It seemed there were times an additional function could be a bad thing as well.


    He couldn¡¯t help but stare blankly a while despite the firmness of his will after he¡¯d turned his head and taken a look at who the newcomer was. The one who¡¯d grabbed his tail with a strange power was unexpectedly a young girl clothed in jade green clothes around fourteen to fifteen years old. She had put clothes on, but from her great pair of astonishing dark green eyes, it was unmistakably the young girl who was bathing inside the waterfall just now.


    His surprise wasn¡¯t for her strength or age however. There was a pair of living cat ears on top of the young girl¡¯s head. A black cat tail swung behind her body.


    That otaku soul that had been silent for so many years seemed about to break its seal and awaken once again. He probably wouldn¡¯t have become the way he was now if he¡¯d encountered such a ¡°thing¡± as soon as he¡¯d crossed through worlds.


    If one said that the feeling Gu Yanying gave him was of a fantasy-like beauty, then hers would be of a dream-like cuteness.


    Li Qingshan looked at her and felt that he¡¯d fallen in love at first sight once more. There were really a great many beautiful things in this world! But then he became alert in the blink of an eye. A monster that could change into humanoid shape would be at the monster general level at the very least. Compared to marveling at the first sight of beauty or obsessing with novelties, it was still better to first take care of his little life!

 Chapter 89

    The cat girl was also looking at Li Qingshan. ¡°What kind of meowster are you? Really strange!¡±Little An soared up and landed behind the cat girl, then opened his mouth and sprayed out the ¡°Cremation Blood Flames.¡± The white crescent moon mark on the cat girl¡¯s forehead shot out a beam of light and dispelled the blood flames. ¡°You too, what kind of meowster are you?¡±


    The cat girl added another hand as she gripped Li Qingshan¡¯s tail and swung him in half a circle with herself as the axis, throwing him out crashing against Little An.


    Li Qingshan pushed Little An along as they crashed toward the cliff. He adjusted his posture and stamped on the cliff, then landed together with Little An on the ground. The beautiful fantasy had entirely vanished as he looked at that cat girl, all his guards up.


    She was very strong, at least as strong as that Red Wolf captain Wang Pushi! Thinking of Wang Pushi, he also thought back to Gu Yanying.


    Could the cat she was looking for be precisely this one? How was this any sort of pet, this was clearly an extremely fearsome cat monster!


    The cat girl didn¡¯t attack again, she didn¡¯t even seem angry at Li Qingshan¡¯s peeping. All that flashed inside her jade green eyes was curiosity. ¡°You two are both really strange!¡±


    Li Qingshan calmly said, ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡±


    The cat girl said, ¡°You have a humeownoid shape too, you should clearly have gone through a heavenly tribulation, but your strength is so meowsly! Really strange! Never heard of a skeleton who can spit out fire, really strange!¡± Li Qingshan had turned into a monstrous demon, his voice and physique had both gone through great changes, but the basic appearance of his body was still of a humanoid shape.


    Li Qingshan shook off the dust and dirt from his body. ¡°We are merely passing by, please continue what you were doing!¡± He turned around and walked away without the slightest hesitation! He was a little reluctant inside. The cute creature that originally only appeared in his imagination had showed herself in front of his eyes just like that. But he instantly killed his inner otaku¡¯s heart thanks to his great wisdom and great perseverance. He made up his mind to stay definitely as far away from this cat as possible. This wasn¡¯t an area he was capable of meddling in for the time being.


    But he would come to realized very quickly just how fearsome was the curiosity of a cat, a cat monster to boot.


    The cat girl roared, ¡°Stand still, you still want to walk away after watching this old mother bathe?¡±


    Li Qingshan went away instantly, went fast as the wind as he dashed out at full throttle. However he forgot the police warning about not to running when encountering wild beasts, otherwise they would certainly chase you.


    The forest trees flashed backward at flying speed, as if they¡¯d become a blur. Li Qingshan didn¡¯t dare stop the motion of his steps in the slightest, but the sudden sound of bells rang in his ears. He turned his head and saw the cat girl follow beside him neither slow nor hurried, the bells at her waist ringing ding ding.


    ¡°Meowhahaha, you keep running?¡±


    There was no need to run since he couldn¡¯t outrun her. Li Qingshan halted his steps with a quick brake and calmly said, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The cat girl also stopped. Her jade green eyes turned in a circle, as if she were planning some mischief. She walked a lap around Li Qingshan. ¡°You be meow pet!¡± She beamed extremely proudly.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Qingshan wondered whether he¡¯d heard wrong or not. Could she have become tired of being a pet, so she turned it around and wanted to catch a pet herself?


    ¡°Big Black, how about this nameow?¡± The cat girl leaped lightly and landed on top of Li Qingshan¡¯s head. She grabbed a horn of his and rubbed Little An¡¯s head. ¡°You¡¯ll be called Little White!¡± Her movements were extremely quick, only leaving a series of shadows behind. The changes in her thoughts were also quick to the extreme.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it!¡± A solemn world-crosser like him becoming a pet, a pet¡¯s pet even, that would lose face for every world-crosser under the heavens if it were to spread out.


    The weight on top of his head intensified abruptly. The cat girl¡¯s lithe stature seemed to suddenly become as heavy as Mt. Tai. Li Qingshan knelt down on one knee under the pressure and lowered his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not bargaining with you Big Black.¡± The cat girl said, ¡°You¡¯ll naturally get countless benefits if you agree, I won¡¯t treat you unfairly. If you don¡¯t agree, heehee, I don¡¯t mind trying your taste.¡±


    The savage nature of a demonic monster leaped out at first glance. She was definitely not as cute as she seemed on the surface.


    Li Qingshan bared his teeth in a cold smile and said, ¡°What benefits? Cat food?¡± But the sound of his voice hadn¡¯t even fallen that a spirit pill flashing with spiritual light went into his mouth, transforming in the blink of an eye into a surge of spiritual qi that overflowed from his body, almost about to break its way out.


    He unexpectedly had the sensation he couldn¡¯t rein this spiritual qi inside even with his current monster body countless times stronger than before. Li Qingshan hurriedly operated the heart technique of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] to absorb and circulate this gust of spiritual qi. The slow-moving progress of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] actually sprinted forward a small segment just like this. This spirit pill¡¯s medicinal power was many times stronger than even the spiritual wine soaked in the spirit ginseng.


    ¡°Did you steal those from your owner?¡±


    ¡°What, I wouldn¡¯t steal meow owner¡¯s things. The owner gave all those to meow, I still have meowny of them left. How about it, are you tempted?¡±


    Li Qingshan only understood then what was called ¡°wine and food are wasting behind wealthy doors1.¡± He had no idea what status that concubine Serenity had that she could feed her pets with this kind of spiritual pill. It was simply extravagance to the utter limit. But he could certainly succeed very quickly in the cultivation of his [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] if he could truly have the assistance from so many spirit pills. Then he could restore a human shape and return to the human world.


    The combination of might with favor, of the carrot and the stick. One had to say that the effects wouldn¡¯t be bad no matter who used it, no matter who it was used upon. The most important thing was that he had no right to choose to begin with.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°What do you want me to do?¡±


    The cat girl did a somersault and nimbly landed in front of Li Qingshan. ¡°That¡¯s better. You¡¯re meow pet, so of course you¡¯ll do whatever I tell you to do. Now, I want you to take meow out of the Verdant province!¡±


    A frog at the bottom of the well like Li Qingshan who¡¯d never left the Suncheer City area all of his life was immediately stupefied by this far-reaching ambition. ¡°Where do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Dragon province!¡±


    ¡°How do we go there?¡± Li Qingshan was a bit lost. Where was the Dragon province again?


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know that? Follow along the Boundless Meowtains, stick north and cross meowbe a few thousand meowtains.¡± The cat girl lifted her gaze and looked in the far distance, the expression of her eyes suddenly becoming infinitely remote. Her tender and adorable face took on a romantic aura that only one who¡¯d lived through great changes and traveled far away could have.


    She didn¡¯t want to be anyone¡¯s pet anymore. She wanted to be free like the wind.


    Li Qingshan unexpectedly felt thoroughly shocked. He took in a deep breath. ¡°You¡¯re pointing south though.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, this mistress knows!¡± The cat girl flew into a rage and threw a flying kick his way.


    Li Qingshan lifted his hands to block, but he still felt a scorching pain on his hands. He thought a while and said as he looked at the cat girl, ¡°I can help you go to the Dragon province as long as you pay me with spirit pills.¡± He was worried about Gu Yanying¡¯s pursuit, but at present he had absolutely no leeway for refusing, hence he could only search for wealth amidst danger.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll feed you. That¡¯s right, what does Little White eat?¡± The cat girl very conscientiously took on the role of a mistress, then she looked again at Little An with a very curious gaze, as if trying to guess what a skeleton¡¯s diet consisted of.


    Feed? Li Qingshan decided not to bicker about the wording. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not your servant.¡±


    ¡°Not a servant, you¡¯re a pet!¡± The cat girl rubbed Li Qingshan¡¯s cheeks, all smiles. s?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s body stiffened all over. He took in a deep breath: ¡°In brief, this is our agreement. What are you called?¡±


    ¡°My name is Halfmoon. You just call me mistress!¡± Halfmoon crossed her arms in front of her chest that didn¡¯t have a lot of chest and proudly introduced herself.


    Little An suddenly shook from head to toes when he heard this name for some reason. The flames in his eyes flashed constantly, billows reaching the skies rising inside his mind.


    1. Wine and food are wasting behind wealthy doors: An excerpt from a poem by Du Fu, From Chang¡¯An To Feng Xian. The actual line is closer to something like: ¡°Wine and food rot behind crimson doors¡± meaning that wealthy families (crimson doors) are very wasteful.

 Chapter 90

    Li Qingshan keenly perceived his strange appearance. He asked, ¡°Little An, what¡¯s wrong?¡±Little An only shook his head in confusion.


    Li Qingshan became relieved then. ¡°Alright, Halfmoon, now tell me why you won¡¯t go to the Dragon province by yourself. I¡¯ll just be a burden if you drag me along!¡±


    ¡°Call meow mistress! I¡¯m being chased, I have to pull wool over their eyes.¡±


    ¡°You also have no sense of direction.¡± Of course Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t say that. This answer wasn¡¯t outside of his expectations. As someone who could order Gu Yanying to find her cat, Halfmoon¡¯s mistress concubine Serenity¡¯s influence was certainly extremely great. The manpower she¡¯d mobilized was definitely not limited to Gu Yanying alone. But since it was about finding a pet and not catching a criminal, this task looked rather safe, and even failure wouldn¡¯t lead him on the road toward death. Also, it was impossible this cat didn¡¯t have some confidence since she dared to escape to begin with. It was worth a gamble in short.


    Li Qingshan said straightforwardly, ¡°No problem, Halfmoon. However I feel we still better temporarily cultivate first, and decide on a surefire plan before setting out.¡± He had a rather deep impression of Gu Yanying¡¯s fearsome senses. There was no telling if she would look down from the sky at any moment, and she may well just eradicate demons in the name of righteousness since his appearance had presently become like this.


    The veins on Halfmoon¡¯s forehead bulged. ¡°I said it¡¯s mistress!¡±


    ¡°Is that right, Halfmoon?¡±


    ¡°Meow!!!¡± Halfmoon¡¯s tail stood up straight as she finally erupted.


    Li Qingshan grabbed Little An who was about to retaliate, and just allowed her to kick and hit him. He merely clenched his teeth without ever loosening them. He found out that her strength wasn¡¯t very great even if her speed was fast without compare. He could still endure those fists and feet.


    Halfmoon vented recklessly for a while, but she didn¡¯t bear to use a heavy hand either. There were still many things she had to rely on Li Qingshan for after all. She made a cold face and said, ¡°Follow me!¡± She led Li Qingshan back to the front of that great waterfall, then she pulled Li Qingshan and charged inside.


    She went through the water curtains and crashed toward the mountain wall. That thick wall of rocks proved to be merely a layer of illusion right when Li Qingshan was about to collide with the mountain. They directly went through.


    Inside was a completely different world, a great and wide immortal cave. It¡¯d been dug out only recently judging by the chiseling traces on the stone. It seemed she had been hiding there during this time.


    The place the green bull had selected for Li Qingshan¡¯s cultivation was indeed a scenic spot.


    Halfmoon took out a small flag from inside her little bell. Her cat bell actually turned out to be a storage bag.


    Are you Doraemon? Li Qingshan stared. Spiritual light also flowed around the little flag with understated magnificence. It was clearly an exceedingly rare spiritual device.


    Halfmoon inserted the flag in the doorway with a tinkle, tightly sealing the cave abode at once. Not one shred of spiritual qi or monster qi could flow out and be exposed.


    Then she also took out miscellaneous items of every color from the bell. First she spread out a thick carpet weaved from some unknown animal¡¯s fur, then she set up a small table, and then she put delicate tableware on it, made from either ivory or jade.


    They were clearly all creatures with the ability to see in the dark, but she still took out a lampstand. There wasn¡¯t a flame at the top of the lampstand, but a precious pearl big as a fist radiating a misty light. It shone a clear brightness inside the cave, but it was unexpectedly not the least harsh on the eye.


    She finally took out an incense burner shaped like a red-crowned crane that slowly released a strange fragrance.


    None of those things didn¡¯t glow with spiritual light. The spiritual qi inside his body even sped up a little when the light of that treasure pearl shone on it, while his whole person felt refreshed when smelling the strange fragrance. Even his soul and spirit were much calmer and clearer. S~?a??h the n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    None of those things could be measured with thousand or ten thousand pounds of gold. How was she a pet, she was simply a princess. Fancy that a runaway like her could actually have reached such a degree of preparation. It was truly too extravagant.


    Halfmoon sat on the thick carpet and fished out a thick piece of fish meat white as snow. ¡°Meal¡¯s ready!¡± She didn¡¯t even use the exquisite tableware but directly used her hands, burying her head in the food and eating in big mouthfuls.


    Li Qingshan was dumbfounded as he watched. Even that fish meat glowed with spiritual light.


    Halfmoon threw him a glance. She thought that she was also very willful in front of her own mistress, but the mistress would always be very tolerant. She felt that she should learn from it as one who¡¯d already risen to the status of a mistress herself. She reservedly said, ¡°Big Black, you can eat that!¡± She felt another burst of self-satisfaction inside at her magnanimous forgiving of Li Qingshan¡¯s willfulness.


    Big Black? Will I ever have a decent name? This was what Li Qingshan was thinking, but he didn¡¯t want to expose his real name either with his present appearance. Big Black it was then! He caught a piece of meat and also started to eat.


    He couldn¡¯t stop anymore as soon as he started eating. This fish meat¡¯s taste was utterly delicious even though it hadn¡¯t gone through any cooking, melting in the mouth. It absolutely exceeded any delicacy he¡¯d ever eaten. Moreover, his monster qi also slowly grew when he ate it down into his belly. It had the same effects as spiritual medicines.


    He hadn¡¯t felt very full before even after swallowing a deer down, but his belly felt swollen after eating a mere piece of fish meat. ¡°What kind of person is that lady concubine Serenity in the end, was she not good to you?¡±


    Halfmoon first looked at him with scornful eyes, then said with an incomparably respectful expression, ¡°There¡¯s no one in this world who treats Meownie better than lady concubine Serenity. She¡¯s beautiful noble and powerful. I couldn¡¯t even be regarded as a meowster when I first came to her side. She¡¯s the one who gave me meowny meowny spiritual pills to eat.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re still running away?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt me!¡± Halfmoon glared at Li Qingshan in annoyance, her increasingly big eyes enough to scare people. She propped her cheeks in her palms and said, ¡°Ah but, that person is too clingy. She has to hug me all day long. She doesn¡¯t even let go when sleeping. You tell me, could you bear that?¡±


    Li Qingshan thought: If that concubine is really as noble and beautiful as she said, he would simply be too happy to oblige. Then he gave Halfmoon another once-over. I could accept it even with your looks.


    ¡°Whatever, you won¡¯t understand even if I tell you. I see you have a bit of intelligence and you¡¯re not as silly as those ordinary monster beasts, but you still can¡¯t empathize with such deep and complex feelings. Freedom, do you understand the meaning of this word?¡±


    Halfmoon talked as if to herself without paying attention to anything else, seemingly not waiting for any answer from Li Qingshan to begin with. Her two cat ears twitched and twitched.


    Li Qingshan still ended up obtaining the information he was looking for amidst a bunch laments brimming with narcissism. In the whole of the Verdant province, the only ones with the qualifications of being called concubine were the Verdant province governor¡¯s wives, the concubines of king Chu Lie.


    The Verdant governor¡¯s power covered those thirty thousand miles across the Verdant province. Halfmoon had run away from the province capital so she could only flee to other provinces.


    Li Qingshan thought back to the Verdant province¡¯s map. ¡°The province capital is on the southern part. Why didn¡¯t you head south but came north instead?¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°What do you know, the Foggy province to the south is a desolate land, do you want me to go there and starve with only the northwest wind to drink? The Dragon province, now that¡¯s a good place, that¡¯s where the imperial court is. There¡¯s halls and pavilions a country bumpkin meowster like you can¡¯t even imagine, brocade garments and jade meals.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°They won¡¯t give them to you even if they have those things there.¡± Do you think you¡¯re a panda and can survive in the world just by acting cute?


    Halfmoon said, ¡°What the meow do you understand. I¡¯m going to seek shelter with the nine-tailed fox empress. She¡¯s the leader of meowster kings everywhere, beautiful noble and strong¡­¡±

 Chapter 91

    Li Qingshan pursed his lips. She¡¯d almost cheated him. What pursuit of freedom, she was clearly seeking a life of comfort without work, trying to get an even more extravagant life. He wanted to ask about the nine-tailed fox empress and the demon kings, but she¡¯d already changed the topic back to how adorable she was to have the nine-tailed empress take a fancy to her and invite her to the Dragon province. She absolutely didn¡¯t let Li Qingshan interrupt.She talked until she became tired. ¡°It¡¯s late, time to sleep!¡± She took out a giant cat basket from the small bell with a thick of layer of swan¡¯s down laid inside. She comfortably lay down and curled in it.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°It¡¯s still daytime right now!¡±


    Halfmoon waved her hand and extinguished the treasure pearl. ¡°Daytime is made for sleep, we set out at night.¡±


    Li Qingshan watched her sleeping posture. Long overlapping eyelashes, a slightly tilted jasper nose, lip petals folded close. Her curled stature seemed all the more dainty and nimble, with much less of her usual headstrong unruliness. She seemed so weak and tender that people couldn¡¯t help but give rise to a protective impulse from the bottom of their hearts.


    He suddenly shook his head. Now wasn¡¯t the time to appreciate beauties. She wasn¡¯t a romantic interest who required his protection and whom he could pursue either.


    They were still in a hostile state to a certain extent. How could he be confused by her, better raise his vigilance!


    Li Qingshan breathed out and exchanged a glance with Little An. He felt that today¡¯s experience was really too strange. He glanced at the young girl inside the cat basket then sat down in a corner of the cave abode in meditation, continuing his painstaking cultivation of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. Little An also sat down beside him in meditation.


    Halfmoon tossed a few times inside the cat basket and said suddenly, ¡°Big Black, sing a song for me.¡±


    Li Qingshan said categorically, ¡°Don¡¯t know how!¡±


    ¡°What use are you in that case?!¡± Halfmoon opened her eyes.


    ¡°Better let me leave then!¡±


    ¡°Whatever, let meow teach you.¡±


    Li Qingshan put his hand on his forehead. He didn¡¯t have any time to speak yet that Halfmoon had already started singing, minding her own business. ¡°Little Meowmeow, Clever Meowmeow, Go to sleep somehow¡­¡±


    The graceful singing voice drifted inside the cave, but Li Qingshan pulled a face even if it was pleasant to hear. It was clearly a lullaby made to coax children. He thought that concubine Serenity was probably the type of person who raised her cats like her children. But it was indeed very pleasant to the ears when spitted out from her mouth, with a lazy and lovable flavor.


    Blood fire surged in Little An¡¯s eyes when he heard, endless turbulences raging in his heart. But there was a film separating him from his memories no matter how he tried, and he couldn¡¯t understand where this feeling came from.


    ¡°Done singing, you sing!¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t learned it yet, you sing again!¡± Li Qingshan thought, ¡°I¡¯m a solemn ten feet tall male walking on a road of violence, how can I sing this kind of song?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so simple but you still can¡¯t learn?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I¡¯m a monster from the countryside, both naive and dumb. Of course I don¡¯t understand, I can¡¯t remember no matter how I try.¡±


    Halfmoon resigned herself and sang once again, but the result was still the same and Li Qingshan still couldn¡¯t remember. Halfmoon wanted to get angry, but her thoughts waved in circle inside her mind and she said with a smile, fiddling with a spirit pill, ¡°There are spirit pills to eat if you sing!¡±


    ¡°Little Meowmeow, Clever Meowmeow, Go to sleep somehow!¡± Li Qingshan released his voice and sang out loud. Why not sing if there were benefits, he was selling his art and not selling his body anyway. The great leader chairman Mao said that the working people were the most glorious. His voice was deep and hoarse however, like the hum of metal, and he was shouting with at the top of his lungs on top of that. The perfectly nice lullaby seemed to be a rock¡¯n roll song when he sang it.


    ¡°Stop singing, so noisy!¡± Halfmoon threw the spirit pill inside Li Qingshan¡¯s mouth.


    Li Qingshan laughed mischievously and swallowed the spirit pill down, then continued to sit in meditation and cultivation. He didn¡¯t know the spirit pill¡¯s name, but the effects of each spill seemed to make him shed his mortal body and be reborn. The effectiveness was unimaginable. These spirit pills were probably treasures hard to obtain for ordinary people or even cultivators, but now he only had to make a few roars to obtain it. It was simply a heaven-sent opportunity.


    Halfmoon had been disturbed by his noise and her sleepiness had gone away. She said with great curiosity, ¡°What¡¯s it about this appearance of yours? Let me guess, your mother is a tigress, your father is a bull?¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t answer. It sounded just like swearing to him no matter how he listened to it. But he thought again that she was an animal as well, and could only bear with it patiently.


    ¡°Or else your father is a tiger, your mother is a cow?¡±


    Li Qingshan barely forced out an ¡°En.¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°I was saying. No wonder you can transform when still so weak. Turns out your parents are both monsters, they shouldn¡¯t have been weak monsters either. That¡¯s right, where did they go?¡±


    Li Qingshan calmly said, ¡°Dead.¡± Those he thought of were his parents in this present life.


    Halfmoon stayed silent a moment. ¡°Sorry.¡± She stayed quiet another while. ¡°Mine too.¡±


    Li Qingshan watched her with surprise. Halfmoon said a ¡°Goodnight!¡± and turned her back to him, no breathing a word anymore.


    Li Qingshan sighed gently, suddenly singing in a soft voice, ¡°Little Meowmeow, Clever Meowmeow, Go to sleep somehow¡­¡±


    Halfmoon¡¯s ears twitched. Little An also listened quietly. No other sound came from inside the cave in the space of a moment.


    Hundred miles away, an old man dropped down from the sky and landed on the Dragon Gate mountain. He frowned as he took in the collapsed buildings all toppled over.


    His gray-white hair was worn in a bun, with the wisp of a beard left behind, trimmed without a hair loose. His pair of eyes were full of understated liveliness, not letting their radiance through.


    His style was unexpectedly greatly similar to the portrait of the Soaring Dragon Swordsman 1, but it¡¯d been a long time already since he¡¯d last been a down and out swordsman of the martial world. Now he was the Soaring Dragon Elder of the Hidden Sword Palace instead.


    He closed his eyes and induced his senses, his brows wrinkling tighter. Did the Peach Wood Prayer Divine Sword left behind fail to kill the incoming enemy?


    The Peach Wood Prayer Divine Sword was a secret art of the [Hidden Sword Palace]. It required a peach wood sword to be worshiped by burning incense day and night. It couldn¡¯t be interrupted a single day. It would collect enormous power from thoughts and wishes as days turned into months, and its might was unstoppable once used.


    Soaring Dragon Elder decided after some thoughts to temporarily leave this matter aside. The Dragon Gate Sect was but a small incense fire he¡¯d left burning behind during his travels in the secular world. Hundred years had gone by in the wink of an eye, and he didn¡¯t take it to heart very much. Better to sort out proper business first before searching for that person and just killing him in one strike of the sword.


    He was about to leave when the pupils of his eyes suddenly shrank. He fiercely looked up. A white figure dropped from the sky.


    Gu Yanying said with a smile, ¡°Soaring Dragon Elder, long time no see.¡± There was no shred of smile inside her mind however. The Hidden Sword Palace had actually sent out a golden core elder, it was truly a little thorny. The two concubines of Verdant province, concubine Serenity and concubine Brightness, had an enmity of life and death between them. Concubine Brightness came from the Hidden Sword Sect, and she wouldn¡¯t let the other party stay at ease as long as there was any opportunity.


    Soaring Dragon Elder said, ¡°So it turns out to be famous constable Gu. Why did you come to such a remote place?¡± He was likewise vigilant inside. She was the most difficult one to handle out of all the White Eagle captains in the Verdant province. Moreover, she was usually very intimate with that damn woman concubine Serenity. Even her backing was tough, and he couldn¡¯t easily make an enemy out of her. S?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Gu Yanying said, ¡°I was entrusted with a mission by the lady concubine Serenity and came to do a little thing. Then I unexpectedly met with Soaring Dragon Elder and thought to invite you to drink a cup.¡± Her thoughts circled inside her mind and she made a decision. As long as she held this old man behind, she might as well allow that cat to run to the Dragon province. That cat had already caused a lot of troubles for herself during all these years, she really didn¡¯t want to see her again.


    But she couldn¡¯t help heaving a heavy sigh when she considered concubine Serenity¡¯s feelings. She could only let her father negotiate with the nine-tailed fox empress in due time.


    1. The Soaring Dragon Sword is the legacy sword passed down to the leader of the Dragon Gate Sect in case you forgot. The Soaring Dragon Swordsman presumably refers to the founder of the sect.

 Chapter 92

    ¡°I don¡¯t have this leisure. I shall take my leave, captain Gu!¡± Soaring Dragon Elder was about to fly away on his sword.Gu Yanying¡¯s stature flashed. She blocked his front, her smile already gone. ¡°Soaring Dragon Elder, you¡¯re already at such an advanced age, why do you insist on plotting against a cat. This cat is the only source of comfort for lady concubine Serenity after her child passed away. Does the Hidden Sword Palace truly want to wage war with the Dark Shade Sect?¡±


    ¡°Our Hidden Sword Palace has always followed our goal of defending righteousness by wiping out demons from generation to generation. Demons and ghosts, each and every one of them has to be put to death!¡±


    Soaring Dragon Elder spoke resolutely. This time he precisely needed to kill that cat monster and crush that damn woman¡¯s will. Moreover, there should be a large amount of spirit pills on that cat monster, perhaps even magic devices. It was a huge fortune he wouldn¡¯t let go of no matter what.


    He¡¯d asked for a divination at the Heavenly Fate Elder¡¯s place before he¡¯d departed. The divination diagrams had shown this journey would inevitably end in victory, and he could even settle a grudge while he was at it. Hence he was confident he would almost certainly succeed.


    In the end the lord governor would come out to mediate, and the Dark Shade Sect would certainly not have the resolve to start a war with the Hidden Sword Palace. How could two human sects go to war for the sake of a cat monster.


    Gu Yanying¡¯s expression immediately changed. Golden light flashed within her eyes as she said with a cold smile, ¡°Since the Hidden Sword Palace is so outstanding, why don¡¯t you go to the Ink Sea and slaughter dragons, kill the first monster king of the Verdant province? You¡¯ve always been a bunch who bully the weak and fear the strong.¡±


    Soaring Sword Elder said, ¡°Our palace master has his own plans about this matter.¡± Man and sword merged as one as soon as his voice fell, then they drew a long beam of rainbow that streaked through the vast sky fast as lightning.


    The golden light inside Gu Yanying¡¯s eyes went out. She hesitated a moment but finally didn¡¯t do anything. She sighed gently. The sword arts of the Hidden Sword Palace pursued the pinnacle of the dao of the sword, and their killing power was already exceedingly outstanding even without borrowing from any external item. They were far from being a match ordinary golden core cultivators could rival.


    She had no desire to exchange blows with him either unless as a last resort. Now she could only find that cat before he did. She could only hope her Six Lines Divination could be a little more effective, and that that Mo Yu guy could be of some help as well.


    She would know with the fastest speed if any of the monsters inside the Boundless Mountains saw that cat. Then she would be one flight ahead of Soaring Dragon Elder. There should be no problem.


    Li Qingshan opened his eyes an unknown amount of time later. The cave was a patch of darkness; there was no trace of gorgeous carpets or delicate incense burners. It was entirely empty, as if none of what he¡¯d gone through during the day had been real.


    The gurgling splashes of the waterfall were so close they seemed within reach, deafening the ears. It let through moist vapor and dazzling light, but it seemed peculiarly tranquil at the same time.


    He called out to Little An and walked outside the cave, passing through the screen of water hammering down from the waterfall. A bright round moon hung in the sky. Halfmoon was sitting on a great boulder and looking up at the moonlit night, her whole body bathed in a layer of moonlight. The crescent moon on her forehead was sometimes bright and sometimes dark. She suddenly turned her eyes back and smiled. ¡°Big Black you¡¯re awake, time to head off!¡±


    Li Qingshan blinked then nodded. Her stature suddenly appeared on top of Li Qingshan¡¯s head immediately after. Her afterimage still stayed where she originally had been, not dissipating even after a long time.


    ¡°This is?¡± This was definitely not something that could be done with mere speed.


    ¡°Shadow Blink you idiot!¡±


    The voice came from the top of his head, but Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t see the reflection of her shadow when he looked at the water. ¡°What¡¯s this now?¡±


    ¡°Moon Concealment you idiot!¡±


    Li Qingshan suddenly understood. No wonder she¡¯d run so far despite the surrounding chases and blockades. Blink and Concealment, just how many people would be able to follow closely behind her just because of those two techniques? ¡°Can¡¯t you just conceal yourself and go north on your own?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be found once I use monster qi. Or else why would I take you with me. Are you going or not?¡± Halfmoon was losing patience.


    Li Qingshan leaped out of the deep waters. He chose his direction and advanced toward the north.


    The Boundless Mountain Ranges were like a huge dragon spanning a territory ten thousand miles across from southwest to northeast. Deep mountains and secret forests, harsh precipices and dangerous cliffs; it was a region forbidden to man.


    Li Qingshan had watched these mountain ranges for a decade, but it was still the first time he¡¯d gone so deep inside. Dense vegetation, ancient trees stretching up filling the eye as far as it could see, treetops reaching high and tightly covering the sky. Moonlight fell down, only because it was winter and the tree leaves had withered. Everything seemed increasing more serene and hidden.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t walk very fast, because he feared they would be discovered if his activity became too noisy, and that would disturb their escape plans. But each of his steps easily crossed a distance of several dozen feet after the great changes of his body, so it didn¡¯t appear slow either.


    Although he¡¯d been an otaku who didn¡¯t put a foot outside in his previous world, he¡¯d still often yearned for the life of a backpack traveler. He was finally realizing this dream in the present life, even if the way of realizing it was a little bizarre. He admired the landscapes of the deep mountains all along the way, not feeling bored at all.


    He wasn¡¯t bored, but Halfmoon was bored to death. She kept muttering, ¡°Meowving too slow, meowving too slow!¡± She jumped from the top of his head to his left shoulder, then leaped from his left shoulder to his right shoulder and squeezed together with Little An, fooling around with him.


    Little An looked like he disliked her very much, so he also jumped here and there on Li Qingshan¡¯s body. The two of them were very light, but Li Qingshan still felt just as if there were two monkeys on his body. He was at the end of his patience after just a moment. ¡°You both quiet the hell down!¡±


    ¡°You dare to talk like that to your mistress?¡± Halfmoon fiercely hammered Li Qingshan¡¯s head.


    Li Qingshan shouted out loud and suddenly dashed crazily, charging forward with terrifying momentum.


    ¡°Silly Big Black, whatever whatever, I won¡¯t bully you.¡± Halfmoon rubbed Li Qingshan¡¯s head and laughed straight, ¡°Hee hee.¡± The bronze bell-like laughter sprinkled across the forest.


    Halfmoon just rummaged up and down on Li Qingshan when bored. She very soon found the [Cursive Sword Script] Li Qingshan had hidden inside his thick mane.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t even have the time to stop her, or maybe one could say even trying to stop her was useless. She brushed the painting scroll open, and spiritual light suddenly emerged. Halfmoon also started in fright from the sword momentum and the sword aura emitting from it. She patted her chest, then turned the [Cursive Sword Script] over and over as she observed it. She was exactly the same as Li Qingshan back then, her face also filled with an illiterate appearance. ¡°You also have this kind of stuff! This should be a spirit device only humans can use right? I feel you¡¯re pretty meowsterious.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°This is mine.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s yours is mine. Besides, who cares about this lousy toy of yours. This mistress has seen who knows how many magic treasures and devices, it¡¯s a trivial spiritual weapon.¡± Halfmoon swung her hand and tossed it back to Li Qingshan. After that she played with the locust wood plaque. The plaque¡¯s edges had already been scorched and looked very shoddy. ¡°What¡¯s this one for this time, there¡¯s not even a bit of spiritual qi? The carving craftsmanship is also so bad. South An, what does this mean?¡±


    ¡°When!¡± Li Qingshan groped around his waist; sure enough, completely empty. He hadn¡¯t had time to say anything yet that Little An had already stretched his hand to snatch the wood plaque away. How would Halfmoon let him succeed though. She dodged him with a gentle shake. Little An refused to give up, and Halfmoon dodged several attacks from Little An in the blink of an eye.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t so worried even for the spirit device. Tell meow what this is for and I¡¯ll return it back to you.¡±


    Li Qingshan blocked Little An. ¡°This is a pledge.¡±


    ¡°What pledge?¡±


    Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t willing to tell, but he knew she would definitely not stop as long as she didn¡¯t reach her goal when her curiosity was stirred. ¡°I promised to accompany him back home. His home is to the south.¡± S~?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Halfmoon stared. ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you treat your pet also pretty good.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not my pet!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it back to you!¡± Halfmoon returned the wooden plaque to Little An who carefully put it away. She jumped again on his head. Sharp claws sprang from the tip of her fingers as she started to carve on his horns.

 Chapter 93

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s pair of bull horns were even harder than fine steel. He felt as if the bones all over his body were vibrating when they were being carved. It felt both numb and itchy.Halfmoon said, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    So Li Qingshan moved as much as he could. He even stretched his arm and grabbed the top of his head, but she was nimble to the extreme and would absolutely not let Li Qingshan catch her. After a while: ¡°Done!¡± Then she took out a bronze mirror and let Li Qingshan have a look.


    Li Qingshan saw carved on his pair of horns the two words ¡°North Moon,¡± one left and one right.


    ¡°I¡¯ll paint some color on it, to meowke it look meowre striking. This way it¡¯ll be our pledge!¡± Halfmoon laughed mischievously.


    ¡°You just go die!¡± Li Qingshan stamped with rage.


    They found a natural cave to rest in when daylight neared close.


    Li Qingshan stretched out his hand with a cold face. ¡°Spirit pill!¡±


    Halfmoon said with a smile, ¡°Be obedient, don¡¯t be angry. Come, open your mouth!¡± She grasped the spirit pill and refused to put it in Li Qingshan¡¯s palm.


    Two pairs of eyes faced each other. Li Qingshan opened his mouth after a while and abruptly bit toward her hand. His long eerie white teeth were like blades. Don¡¯t mention her slender wrist, even a steel frame would be bitten off. S?a??h th? ??v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Halfmoon immediately pulled her hand back, making Li Qingshan merely eat the spirit pill. Then she rubbed Li Qingshan¡¯s head. ¡°Really ferocious!¡±


    Li Qingshan ate the spirit pill down and went to sit by himself to cultivate, continue to cultivate. Apart from cultivating, he also held the mirror and touched the two words on his bull horns. He sighed in lament. Could he still wipe them off?


    He didn¡¯t know yet at this very instant. Those two engraved words weren¡¯t merely a pledge, they would also be a monster king¡¯s title.


    Hence three people hid by day and went out by night for several days in succession. Halfmoon would bully Li Qingshan for fun when bored. Li Qingshan put up a vigorous resistance but it was still no use, so in the end he could only let it flow by him.


    Anyway, as long as he could eat spirit pills down his belly, and his cultivation could grow day by day, would he still need to fear there wouldn¡¯t be a day when he would turn things around and be the master instead?


    Moreover, Li Qingshan had obtained much knowledge pertaining to monsters from Halfmoon during these days. Monsters who couldn¡¯t cultivate a monster core were usually of low intellect, and they could only be regarded as powerful wild beasts, hence they were called monster beasts. Only those who formed an inner core could be called a monster.


    Monsters were likewise separated in different levels, using the heavenly tribulations they¡¯d gone through as the criterion, just like humans. Those who¡¯d gone past one heavenly tribulation were called monster generals, those who went through two tribulations were called monster marshals. Only those who¡¯d undergone three heavenly tribulations could be called monster kings, reaching the same level as the monster kings of the ten sides.


    The monster kings of the ten sides occupied an area each and had countless monster marshal and monster general subordinates. The partition of territory was a little different from the human administrative divisions, but there were also similarities. The monster king of the Verdant Province was the Ink Sea¡¯s dragon king.


    Halfmoon was a monster general level monster, having just stepped into the field of this world¡¯s powerhouses, but her strength was already so high. Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of realm the monster marshals and monster kings above her had reached. A fire ignited inside his heart. Whether he was a monster or a human, he had to be the strongest powerhouse in any case. There was no way he could let people step over his head.


    Halfmoon was humming a song at this moment, standing on Li Qingshan¡¯s head, grabbing Li Qingshan¡¯s horns, standing high and overlooking the scene from above.


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but imagine the scene of squeezing her inside his palm and listening to her soft voice call him master. Another blaze welled up in his lower abdomen, and it wasn¡¯t merely fighting spirit.


    Li Qingshan carried this sort of bottomless ambition with him, the fire of his desires overflowing the sky. A fishy wind rushed forth from between the trees just at the same moment he was inside his fantasies. A bloody mouth swallowed wide open in his direction. Halfmoon whose body was invisible actually bore the brunt of it. She casually swept her hand away. ¡°Reaction¡¯s too slow!¡± She drew a silver arching light in the air.


    A snake head big as a water jar dropped down, and fresh blood spewed forth. It was actually a python with flowery patterns on its body hidden inside the forest.


    Li Qingshan dodged the blood. He raised his head and saw the snake¡¯s body twisting around the tree trunk. It was fully several dozen feet long, its color the same as the tree trunk. It was entirely invisible if one didn¡¯t look carefully, simply a living ¡°Annaconda1.¡± He¡¯d already seen quite a few strange things already, but he still couldn¡¯t help but sigh with feeling. This world actually had such creepy and fearsome creatures. It could have casually exterminated everyone if it¡¯d gone to a human village.


    Li Qingshan sniffed the monster qi on the snake¡¯s body, realizing this was a so-called monster beast. The wuxia novels he¡¯d read hadn¡¯t been few in numbers, so he immediately went up the tree to take the snake gall2. Only then did he find out that the snake skin was tough to the extreme. Even if it wasn¡¯t infused with monster power anymore, he still had to spend some time and efforts to cut it open. It was easy to imagine how fearsome this monster beast would be if still alive. It¡¯d merely picked the wrong target to attack and been instantly killed by Halfmoon.


    Li Qingshan grabbed the black stinky snake gall. Thanks to his spirit that didn¡¯t fear pain and labor during practice, Li Qingshan closed his eyes and swallowed it down in one go under Little An¡¯s shocked eyes.


    Halfmoon said curiously, ¡°Why did you swallow the poison sack?¡±


    ¡°What, poison sack!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s expression changed at once. His originally greenish black face became even more ashen. His heartbeat sped up, the toxicity attacking the heart. To speak bluntly, Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t done anything like fetching snake gall even adding his two lives together. How could he become a countryside survival expert just because he¡¯d traveled to another world.


    ¡°Meowhahahaha!¡± Halfmoon rolled on the floor in laughter. She took out another round ball from inside the snake body when she saw Li Qingshan had fallen on the ground from the poison. She stuffed it inside Li Qingshan¡¯s mouth. ¡°Yes, this one is the snake gall.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s whole body had already started to stiffen. He barely managed to swallow the snake gall down. The poison only alleviated somewhat. Halfmoon then took out another spirit pill from her little bell. ¡°This is a Poison Dispelling Pellet!¡±


    Li Qingshan lay down for a while. He waited for the medicine to exert its effects, only sitting up after that. He said to the worried Little An, ¡°I¡¯m fine!¡±


    Halfmoon groped out another spirit pill with a backhand and gave it to him. ¡°This is a reward!¡±


    ¡°What reward?¡±


    ¡°It was really too funny. You have to keep working hard in the future, and provide happy amusements for this mistress.¡±


    And so did Li Qingshan collect a medicine pill with an ashen face.


    Little An spit out the ¡°Cremation Blood Fire¡± and very quickly incinerated the python monster beast. It could be regarded as taking revenge for Li Qingshan.


    The blood fire cleanly burned the python to ashes, leaving only a snake skeleton behind. It then spun in the air before returning inside his mouth. These monster beasts had abundant and powerful blood energies that even a hundred persons added together couldn¡¯t match. It was greatly beneficial for him.


    Halfmoon stared in a daze. ¡°Turns out this is what Little White eats.¡±


    Li Qingshan took note of it and thought he should help him find some blood food more often.


    The trees grew increasingly taller as they went along the depths of the Boundless Mountains. Li Qingshan would unexpectedly feel himself negligible even with a body more than ten feet tall.


    They also encountered more and more monster beasts along the way. Various kinds of creatures only existing inside imaginations and legends appeared in front of them.


    A great bird with wind and thunder curling around its body and wings over a hundred feet when spread out flew in the sky. A spider as big as a table with a ghost face imprinted on its back had woven a spider web as big as a soccer field between a dozen antique trees reaching to the sky.


    But it was fortunate not every one of them would charge and attack them. For example a leopard as tall as a man chose to turn around and leave after observing a while in the surroundings. Although they didn¡¯t have very high intellect, those monster beasts still had keener senses when it came to judging strength and weakness. They were extremely prudent and would definitely not attack casually. They weren¡¯t monsters in video games, but real living creatures.


    1. Reference to the movie series of the same name.


    2. The snake gall/snake bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine, often described as having all kinds of magical uses, a little like ginseng.

 Chapter 94

    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t try to make trouble for himself either at such a time. Meanwhile, the monster beasts who dared to attack Li Qingshan all possessed astounding strength. Even Halfmoon became increasingly cautious, carefully curbing her monster qi and not casually acting any longer. Li Qingshan could often only resume his way after going through a bitter battle.He became more proficient in fighting through one killing after another. He didn¡¯t use all that many techniques or tricks to deal with those fearsome monster beasts. He had to use strength to break strength most of the time, meeting hard with hard as he fought his way through.


    But they also met many monster beasts extremely difficult to deal with, and then Little An¡¯s Cremation Blood Fire took much of the credit as it burned many monster beasts to death. It was even fiercer and more powerful than Li Qingshan. This supernatural skill hadn¡¯t seemed like much at first, but it increasingly displayed its might as time went on.


    The Cremation Blood Fire also became more ferocious along with the burning of those many monster beasts. It swept everything before it wherever they went, again and again allowing the weaker side to prevail against the strong. It even attracted frequent sidelong glances from Halfmoon. She had no idea what supernatural skill or magical technique he had cultivated to actually have a restraining effect on every living creature of flesh and blood.


    But Little An couldn¡¯t speak so she couldn¡¯t find out. Li Qingshan merely made some excuses about him knowing it from the start. Little An was still unable to reshape a body of flesh after that though; he actually needed human sacrifices. There wasn¡¯t anything he could do, he could only wait to restore a human shape himself before worrying about it.


    They never met any monster beast at the monster general level all along the way however, and not even a monster with a monster core. It wasn¡¯t that Li Qingshan¡¯s luck was good enough. Halfmoon would often order Li Qingshan to halt or turn around all of a sudden when Li Qingshan was in the middle of walking forward.


    Monsters and demons had their own hunting territories just the same as wild beasts, but it wasn¡¯t something ordinary people could perceive. Halfmoon could keenly distinguish the changes in monster qi and its strength or weakness, then make them detour around some dangerous areas. Many times they traveled along the edges of invisible territories. Li Qingshan was responsible for managing their general direction in the meantime.


    All along the way they went and stopped then went. Their relationship with each other became much more harmonious, or one might say that Li Qingshan¡¯s tolerance became much stronger. He could feel his irritable inner heart gradually quieting down along the cultivation of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. This was mostly thanks to those spirit pills, and together with Halfmoon¡¯s extremely adorable appearance they greatly increased Li Qingshan¡¯s tolerance level, or one might say that there was nothing he could do even if he weren¡¯t tolerant.


    Of course, now what motivated his cultivation was already not simply a matter of transforming into a human shape anymore. He also wanted to see the scene of a certain cat shouting master. His idea of making Gu Yanying his wife naturally took a rear seat following the reasoning that white swans in the distance weren¡¯t as good as nearby red braised pork. Moreover, Halfmoon was far more than red braised pork, she was simply a ravenous feast for the glutton. He would truly have a hard time if the two of them were to stand before him and make him choose. He compared them over and over again many times inside his mind and still couldn¡¯t reach an answer.


    The frog was still hoping and hopping on the ground that he was already tangled about which swan to eat, even considering the twelve ways he could eat a swan. Li Qingshan brimmed with hope for the future without knowing his place, filled as he was with such sexual fantasies.


    Many days went by in a blur. Halfmoon suddenly said against Li Qingshan¡¯s ears that day, ¡°Stop!¡±


    Li Qingshan hurriedly halted his steps and restrained his aura following the techniques taught by the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. The sounds from a series of heavy steps came their way from the distance. A giant lizard looking like a dinosaur walked past in front of them.


    Li Qingshan wouldn¡¯t have been very afraid if it had been a genuine dinosaur instead, but this giant lizard breathed cold air in and out of its mouth, and the vegetation transformed into ice sculptures wherever it went.


    ¡°What a heavy monster qi.¡± Li Qingshan had learned quite a few things already, for instance how to judge whether an opponent was strong and weak from their monster qi.


    Halfmoon said curiously after the giant ice lizard had gone past. ¡°How do you do it? You can unexpectedly restrain your aura so thoroughly? Is that your innate supernatural skill? However aren¡¯t you yet to form your meowster dan? Could you actually be a spirit beast?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either, I just need to hold my breath in!¡± Li Qingshan had already learned that monsters didn¡¯t chase after magical techniques with innumerable changes and forms like humans. They continuously unearthed their own body¡¯s strength instead, cultivating their innate supernatural skills. It lacked flexibility and changes, but the power was usually extremely great.


    Innate divine skills weren¡¯t actually innate from birth, they could only be awakened after forming a monster core. Furthermore, their power followed along the wake of the body¡¯s own power, and one could possibly awaken even more innate supernatural skills.


    Shadow Blink and Moon Concealment were precisely Halfmoon¡¯s innate supernatural skills, extremely rarely seen concealment and movement supernatural skills. She was probably not an ordinary cat monster to begin with, but possibly some sort of spirit cat!


    ¡°Tch!¡± Halfmoon showed disdain for Li Qingshan¡¯s tongue in cheek way of talking, but she actually didn¡¯t pry any deeper. Monsters were usually reluctant to tell others about their own lifelong supernatural skills. Li Qingshan was becoming increasingly mysterious in her eyes however. S?a??h th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Suddenly a beam of rainbow light glided across the horizon, and a sword-like gaze swept back and forth on the ground.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s vision was sharp and he saw the human figure inside the rainbow light with one glance.


    The Soaring Dragon Elder also saw Li Qingshan on the ground. ¡°Monster general? However the monster qi is too weak!¡± A simple monster with a humanoid shape was a rarely seen sight. ¡°What¡¯s that thing?¡± He also saw Little An beside Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s vision met with that sword-like gaze. He was suddenly terrified inside, as if there was a divine sword suspended on top of his head that could cut his head off the next moment.


    This was a sword immortal!


    He¡¯d admittedly already seen Gu Yanying¡¯s graceful figure, but his heart still brimmed with shock when he genuinely saw a sword immortal from the legends. Who¡¯d never dreamed about the stylish chic of flying on a sword and streaking across the horizon?


    Then he suddenly remembered his current status and appearance, that of a monstrous demon. How should he deal with that sword immortal if he were to drop down from the sky?


    Li Qingshan only sighed in relief after the long rainbow skimmed by without pausing in the slightest. The Soaring Dragon Elder was conscious he had an important matter to deal with and wouldn¡¯t spend his efforts on this kind of ¡°little monster.¡±


    As to Halfmoon, she¡¯d even held her breath in right then. She opened her mouth at this time, ¡°Disaster, it¡¯s someowone from the Hidden Sword Palace! Fortunately my Moon Concealment is fierce, or otherwise I¡¯d be done for. Of course, there¡¯s also a tiny little bit of your meowrit, wait a bit and I¡¯ll give you a spirit pill to eat.¡± She rubbed Li Qingshan¡¯s head. She would have been found out already if she¡¯d traveled alone.


    ¡°What Hidden Sword Palace? Did that man rush after you?¡± Li Qingshan felt that things weren¡¯t good. This task was more dangerous than what he¡¯d imagined.


    Halfmoon didn¡¯t conceal anything either. She roughly talked about the conflict between concubine Serenity and concubine Brightness. Li Qingshan¡¯s expression became even uglier, and even the spirit pill felt like it was burning inside his hand. Those were great characters who shook the Verdant province. Even several lives weren¡¯t enough if a small figure like him were to be involved in such a vortex.


    Halfmoon tried to boost his morale and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be so worried sick. As long as we flee to the Dragon province, that old guy won¡¯t dare to chase after us even if you gave him another gut. At that that time cats will fly free in the sky and leap free in the seas, meowhahahaha!¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t share her optimism. The arrow was already fired however. He could only gamble, no matter what danger awaited on the way.


    Halfmoon suddenly took her laughter back, exposing an unprecedentedly solemn expression. ¡°Big Black, if, I¡¯m saying if, we¡¯re truly found out, you have to charge up and bite him tight. You can¡¯t let go no matter how he kills you and hacks you. I will seize the opportunity to flee. In the future I¡¯ll painstakingly cultivate my supernatural skills and take revenge for you!¡±

 Chapter 95

    ¡°Good grief, are your words still human? Could you please have a little more conscience? Aren¡¯t owners supposed to protect their pets?¡±¡°I¡¯m not human to begin with. What¡¯s a conscience? Hee hee, you finally admit I¡¯m your mistress!¡± Halfmoon beamed. She lightly coughed twice: ¡°As long as you shout out loud mistress save meow, I¡¯ll definitely come protect you.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I¡¯d rather die!¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°This isn¡¯t cute, you¡¯ll be abandoned by your owner.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I beg you to abandon me as fast as you can!¡±


    They started again on their way as they bickered. But it seemed a layer of shadows had wrapped around their hearts and minds. Li Qingshan¡¯s following actions became much more cautious, walking as much as possible inside the dense forests in the depths of the mountains, and he dodged past those monster beasts as much as he could when they encountered them, definitely abandoning any zeal for fighting.


    His technique for restraining his qi also became increasingly stronger as he progressed deeper into the cultivation of his [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. Those keenly perceptive monster beasts would often walk past just beside him, and they wouldn¡¯t find the slightest thing different about him.


    Haflmoon admired her own correct choice. She wasn¡¯t the slightest bit stingy with the spirit pills on hand as she ¡°fed¡± them to Li Qingshan, but this was mostly because she was used to throwing wealth away by the handful. Li Qingshan also had the constant nagging feeling she wanted to fatten him up so she could use him as a meat shield.


    At long last they traveled in peace for many days. Halfmoon said, ¡°This place is already not far from the Dragon province.¡±


    The three of them once again rested inside a natural cave when daylight drew near. The cave wasn¡¯t sealed off. Rather, there was a cold and gloomy wind blowing from the endless quiet and dark depths of the cave, connecting it somewhere unknown.


    Halfmoon lay on the cat basket and rested in it. Li Qingshan and Little An sat at one side in cultivation.


    A rustling sound came from below the ground, getting denser and denser, closer and closer.


    Li Qingshan opened his eyes and saw that Halfmoon had already stood up, her two cat ears standing erect. Obviously she¡¯d also heard the movements?


    ¡°There¡¯s monster qi!¡±


    Countless eyes lit up inside the darkness, densely dotted together, even issuing the crack crack sounds of shattered stones, sending cold shivers to the bottom of one¡¯s hearts. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    There were monster beasts coming from underground, more than one at that!


    Li Qingshan had already been accustomed to such a life long ago. He stood high on alert together with Little An while Halfmoon conscientiously concealed her figure.


    Mice drilled from the the depths of the cave like a tide. Li Qingshan frowned tight when he took in this scene, even if he was already used to seeing all sorts of monster beasts. But this was only the beginning. The mice drilling out from the cave became increasingly bigger, the small ones like dogs, the big ones like bears.


    The cave was instantly submerged in a sea of mice. All sorts of mice crowded together up and down, all of them staring at Li Qingshan. The sounds made by the grind of their teeth joined together in a single chorus reverberating inside the cave, sending chills and disgust to one¡¯s heart.


    Li Qingshan was calm and fearless. There was a nemesis of theirs here. But then he felt Halfmoon actually slightly trembling as she stood on his body. He lowered his voice and mocked: ¡°Are you actually afraid of mice?¡±


    ¡°Too¡­ Too disgusting. What lousy place did you pick! Hurry¡­ hurry up and kill them!¡± When had Halfmoon ever seen such things inside the province capital!


    Li Qingshan said brimming with malice, ¡°Isn¡¯t that your favorite food? They came just in time, you can catch them and use them as dinner, you hurry up and start your meal!¡± Take revenge if you have enmity, settle your scores if you have complaints. As to the place, there was probably no choice. Those mice monsters had a body strength far exceeding that of ordinary mice, and they¡¯d probably already dug this entire area into a rathole. It would be hard to avoid falling onto their doorstep no matter where one chose to stop over.


    ¡°I¡¯ll eat you first!¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s voice had hardly fallen when he felt pain on his ear. Halfmoon had bitten his ear all of a sudden, but apart from the sharp pain brought by the teeth, he also felt soft lips and a moist tongue. It was actually a somewhat ecstatic experience.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have this kind of fetish!¡± Li Qingshan shook his head. ¡°Little An, release fire!¡±


    Little An had been waiting for this moment already. He immediately jumped up and sprayed out rolling blood flames roasting toward the group of mice.


    The group of mice shrieked and screeched. The small and weak ordinary mice turned into ashes in the space of an instant, their blood and flesh nourishing the fire¡¯s momentum. But those big mice unexpectedly pounced toward Li Qingshan and tried to bite him even with their bodies on fire from head to toes. The strength of their vitality was for all to see.


    But the stronger the vitality, the more exuberant the Cremation Blood Fire. The blood fire soared to the sky with the countless mice monsters as fuel, transforming into a fire snake inside the cave opening its maws wide as it bit toward those big mice.


    Little An had simply taught himself without any teacher, and he was increasingly free in his use of the technique. The alarmed mice monsters ran away in panic as they saw the emergence of a natural predator.


    There was lingering fear in Li Qingshan¡¯s heart. It was all thanks to the great power of Little An¡¯s technique, otherwise it would have been difficult to avoid suffering losses once drowned by so many mice. Especially those mice monsters¡¯ steel teeth, they obviously hadn¡¯t been made to eat peanuts. He¡¯d have been nauseated to death even if they¡¯d won.


    ¡°Careful!¡± Halfmoon whispered softly in Li Qingshan¡¯s ear, having already let go of it. Li Qingshan felt a warm gentle breeze enter his ear, but he didn¡¯t have time yet to savor this feeling when he also felt a gust of mighty monster qi come from the depths of the cave.


    ¡°Woosh!¡±


    A beam of yellow light fired out and went through the fire snake, hitting Little An and sending him flying out.


    ¡°Little An!¡± Li Qingshan hurriedly caught Little An. He saw thin threads of fissures on his body. One had to know his body was even harder than steel after cultivation. It was obvious to see how fearsome the might of this strike had been!


    The yellow light was like a living creature. It turned in the air and shot toward Li Qingshan, its speed reaching the utter limit and not giving him any time to react.


    Halmoon casually grabbed forth, and unexpectedly caught the yellow light in her hand. A round yellow bead spinning on itself appeared when she opened her hand and took a look. ¡°Monster core!¡±


    The newcomer was a monster who¡¯d formed a monster core. A mouse resembling an elephant charged out from within the cave with a huge rumble. Its mice eyes flickered with sharp light; it clearly possessed wisdom already. It fixated at the empty air with staring eyes, uncertain what it was that had restricted its ¡°monster core,¡± then it charged at Li Qingshan with a shrill scream.


    This was the first time Li Qingshan exchanged blows with a monster who¡¯d cultivated a monster core. He immediately sensed his opponent¡¯s frightfulness, and his body continuously sent off instinctive warnings, also reminding him that he wasn¡¯t this thing¡¯s match.


    Yellow light flashed inside the the mouse monster¡¯s eyes. An earth spike suddenly stabbed upward under Li Qingshan¡¯s feet. Troubles brewed close at feet. The earth spike was both sharp and fast. Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t react in time.


    Halfmoon lifted Li Qingshan and soared in the air. The earth spike finally exhausted its power after piercing up ten feet. There was cold sweat all over Li Qingshan¡¯s body as he looked down.


    Little An once again sent layer after layer of blood flames burning after the mouse monster, but they were unexpectedly blocked by layers of yellow light and couldn¡¯t inch inside.


    The mouse shrieked. That monster core shook increasingly stronger in mid-air, anxious to return to its body.


    ¡°Hold tight on it!¡± Halfmoon casually threw the monster core to Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan hurriedly squeezed it, but he hadn¡¯t imagined that this monster core was so powerful, almost escaping from his hold despite him exhausting all his body¡¯s strength. This mouse monster¡¯s power was presently so fierce and sinister already, wouldn¡¯t he have no leg left to stand on if it were to recover its inner core.


    The Spirit Turtle Guards the Sea and quells the evil spirits!


    Li Qingshan suddenly operated his entire monster qi and revolved it inside his body, deathly suppressing the monster core in his hand. The mouse monster saw it and wouldn¡¯t let him get away with it. It charged forward with a shriek, its enormous body resembling an elephant actually as fast as lightning and not sluggish in the slightest.


    A fishy gust of wind rushed to his face. Li Qingshan stooped down and lowered his head, using the true form of the ¡°Bull Demon Horn Gore.¡± His pair of horns viciously collided with eerie white mouse teeth.

 Chapter 96

    Clang. Horns knocked together with teeth like a clash of metal.A huge boom rocked the cave.


    The mouse monster pushed Li Qingshan back and crashed him on the stony wall. Li Qingshan¡¯s two feet plowed two deep trails on the ground. The strength he was most proud of was unexpectedly not a match at all for the mouse monster. Monsters with an inner core and monsters without were two entirely different things. His heart abruptly banged in ominous warning. He saw a cunning light shine inside the mouse monster¡¯s eyes, then another earth spike pierced from the rocky wall behind his back while he was unable able to move an iota.


    Little An held his sword in both hands and slashed it down instantly at the mouse monster¡¯s neck. A long mouse tail swept him like a steel whip and sent him flying away.


    Halfmoon acted once again, releasing four sharp rays from the tips of her claws. Fear floated inside the mouse monster¡¯s eyes. The sharp rays easily ripped open that layer of monster qi protecting the mouse monster. The previously irresistible mouse monster was cut open in many chunks and died on the spot.


    No matter how powerful and intrepid it¡¯d seemed to be, it was unable to stop even one hit all the same when meeting a monster level general monster like Halfmoon who¡¯d gone through one heavenly tribulation.


    Li Qingshan kicked off the mouse monster¡¯s corpse. The monster core inside his hand wasn¡¯t vibrating anymore. He groped behind him. There was already a bulge on the stone wall. He¡¯d have been heavily injured just a fraction later, if not dead.


    ¡°Too dumb!¡± evaluated Halfmoon.


    ¡°Would I have come to this place to begin with if not because of you?¡± Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t even cultivated half a year even adding it all together, while that mouse monster¡¯s life had exceeded a hundred years at the lowest. How could it be so easy for the weak to defeat the strong when there was an absolute disparity in strength.


    Halfmoon was about to speak but she suddenly seemed to feel something and her expression changed at once. ¡°Hurry up, we have to leave this place!¡±


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t sensed anything, but he immediately carried Little An then turned around and walked away when he saw her with such a grave face.


    A burst of tremors rocked through the cave. The originally several dozen feet wide cave mouth seemed to come alive as it bit down and closed off, thoroughly sealing the cave. Not even a thread of light could shine inside.


    Halfmoon said in a quiet voice, ¡°Restrict your monster qi.¡± Then she once again concealed her body.


    Li Qingshan suppressed his monster qi down then bent his ears and listened. Noises once again came from the depths of the cave.


    A big mouse drilled out, actually standing on its two feet. It didn¡¯t even look at Li Qingshan but yelled at the top of its lungs in a strange tone, ¡°The Great Mouse King has arrived!¡±


    Li Qingshan opened his eyes and mouth wide as he stood dumbstruck. He wasn¡¯t only surprised that a mouse could speak, he was even more surprised a group of monsters would actually put on such ostentatious airs.


    Sixteen mice standing like men walked out from the depths of the cave shortly after, carrying a throne on a great sedan chair.


    A big fatty sat on the sedan chair; it even wore a glittering royal crown on its head, just the same as a king. It had shifty brows and ratty eyes on its face, exposing long mouse teeth, and even dragged a mouse tail behind it.


    Two female mice, possibly maids, lifted two great fans behind him.


    Halfmoon grinned from ear to ear when she saw, but Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t squeeze a smile out. Those who¡¯d already changed into a humanoid shape were at least monster general level monsters. As to the mice monsters carrying the sedan chair, the monster qi radiating from them was even above that of the big mouse from earlier.


    The Great Mouse King lazily said, ¡°Who broke into my Black Rat Mountain and killed my Great White Teeth general!¡± It completely ignored the more than ten feet tall Li Qingshan standing in front of him. It not for a voice too shrill, it would truly have some of a king¡¯s manners.


    That mouse who was probably an eunuch yelled, ¡°Great King, it¡¯s this guy!¡± The crowd of mice spoke in one voice, ¡°The Great King is wise.¡±


    The Great Mouse King sized Li Qingshan from head to toes as if it¡¯d only noticed Li Qingshan just now. ¡°What kind of monster are you?¡± He felt fear inside when he saw Li Qingshan had transformed into a humanoid appearance. Only monster generals having gone through one heavenly tribulation would be able to do so usually.


    But he couldn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of monster qi from Li Qingshan, so he couldn¡¯t help but become increasingly prudent. The mouse monster¡¯s body cut into several parts on the ground also seemed to bear witness.


    Li Qingshan keenly discovered the changes in the expression on the Great Mouse King¡¯s face. He suddenly understood why Halfmoon had made him restrain his monster qi and couldn¡¯t help but admire the sharpness of her mind. He said unafraid, ¡°I be the Black Mountain Old Monster. This Great White Teeth general of yours was really too reckless and actually dared to sneak on me. I¡¯ve already killed him. Now you¡¯re blocking the way, do you also want to decide life and death in a battle with me?¡± So said he even went a step forward.


    One couldn¡¯t but admit this monster body of Li Qingshan¡¯s was exceedingly formidable, with bull horns as spears and sharp claws as blades.


    The Great Mouse King shrank back a little, worthy of the famous shyness of a mouse. It would definitely have pounced on Li Qingshan and gnawed him clean it he had been an ordinary monster, but it suspected Li Qingshan of being a monster general and had immediately shrunk back. It didn¡¯t even have any thought about taking revenge for his subordinate. ¡°Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! May I know which monster marshal are your honorable self under?¡±


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t known that the hierarchy was also so strict in the world of monsters and he still had to mix with a ¡°big brother.¡± Halfmoon quietly pronounced a name against Li Qingshan¡¯s ear.


    Li Qingshan immediately said, ¡°I am a subordinate of Lord Ink Feather 1. He personally sent me to the Boundless Mountains to handle something.¡±


    The Great Mouse King fell into great awe. It even jumped down from its throne. ¡°So it turns out you came from the Ink Sea and are lord Ink Feather¡¯s messenger. Could it be about that cat demon still?¡±


    Li Qingshan stiffened for a second inside, but he nodded outwardly. ¡°Precisely!¡±


    The Great Mouse King said, ¡°Haven¡¯t things been made clear already? We¡¯ll certainly catch that cat monster as long as we see her, we¡¯ll definitely not disappoint lord Ink Feather.¡± It thought, no wonder he sent out this person. Being able to conceal his monster qi was indeed suitable for tracking and pursuit.


    The corners of Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes twitched. No wonder Halfmoon had been so cautious even in the depths of the mountains and had maintained her Moon Concealment at all times. It turned out that not only humans but even monsters and demons were investigating the traces of her presence. She indeed had no foothold inside this Verdant province. The degree of this present task¡¯s dangers far exceeded what he¡¯d originally imagined.


    There would be a messy battle if she were to appear at this moment, and it would alert every monster in these Boundless Mountains even if she were to win. They would come together to seize her and make this whole flight end in utter failure.


    Li Qingshan became increasingly careful inside. He said some casual perfunctory words: ¡°This turns out to be a conflict between people on the same side. However you¡¯re a mouse and she¡¯s a cat, aren¡¯t you afraid you¡¯ll be eaten.¡±


    Halfmoon¡¯s hand severely pinched Li Qingshan¡¯s back. Am I going to eat these dirty things!


    The Great Mouse King faced that eunuch mouse in charge of heralding duties, ¡°You say, what¡¯s this great king¡¯s title?¡±


    The eunuch mouse said, ¡°Cat-Eating Mouse!¡± The crowd of mice said, ¡°The Great King is wise!¡± s?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Halfmoon gnashed her teeth in rancor. Her fingers circled a full turn as they pinched Li Qingshan¡¯s skin on his back.


    The Great Demon King proudly laughed out loud. He said when he saw Li Qingshan¡¯s face twitch, ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    Li Qingshan gnashed his teeth and said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong! You stay on your guard. I still have things waiting for me, I¡¯ll leave first.¡±


    The Great Mouse King waved its hand. The cave restored its original state and daylight came back inside.


    Li Qingshan turned around and walked away. The Great Mouse King twirled its mouse whiskers under its nose. ¡°I feel there¡¯s something fishy. This here is my Black Mouse Mountain, normally I should be the one called Black Mountain Old Monster.¡±


    The crowd of mice said, ¡°The Great King is wise!¡±


    Li Qingshan left Black Mouse Mountain and traveled for several dozen miles.


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Sooner or later I¡¯ll put all these wretched mice to the pan and deep-fry them.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°You get down from me!¡±


    1. nk Feather is Mo Yu, the one mentioned by Gu Yanying in chapter 92. I changed my mind and decided to translate his name.

 Chapter 97

    Halfmoon said with her eyes wide open, ¡°You actually dare to be so rude with this mistress!¡± Her eyes seemed increasingly wider.Li Qingshan glared at Halfmoon and said, ¡°You never talked about this, you were obviously intentionally hiding it.¡±


    Halfmoon felt inexplicable panic in her heart under his intense stare. She looked left and right and tried to divert the topic: ¡°Haha, did I? You never asked either!¡±


    Li Qingshan sat down cross-legged. ¡°Here is the end of the road for me.¡±


    Halfmoon exposed her sharp claws and said threateningly, ¡°What? You say that again?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Your supernatural skills are vast, and even if you encounter danger you can use Shadow Blink and walk off, but there¡¯s eight chances out of ten it¡¯s a road to death for us. If you want to kill me then kill, I don¡¯t want to be made use of any longer. It¡¯s fine as long as you let Little An go.¡±


    Little An caught Li Qingshan¡¯s sleeve and desperately shook his head.


    Halfmoon said, ¡°You think I won¡¯t dare!¡± She waved her claws down fast as wind and thunder. It was impossible for Li Qingshan to dodge, and his skin and flesh weren¡¯t all that much tougher than that mouse monster.


    The claws stopped only a hairbreadth away from Li Qingshan¡¯s nape. Halfmoon¡¯s chest rose and fell. She turned around and said, ¡°Hmph, I¡¯m too lazy to kill you. Go if you want to go, suit yourself.¡±


    Li Qingshan looked deeply at her. He turned around and was just about to stride away.


    Halfmoon caught Li Qingshan¡¯s little finger and said in a gentle voice, ¡°The Dragon province isn¡¯t far from here anymore, we had a promise!¡± s?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan turned his head back and saw that her eyes were pointed elsewhere, not looking at him. Sunlight fell on her eyelashes and cast a shade on her eyes that resembled pools of water, seeming to exude a thread of sorrow and weakness that stirred his heartstrings.


    Li Qingshan said after a long silence, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll accompany you for a little longer, it ought to complete the promise.¡±


    The clouds instantly parted from Halfmoon¡¯s face. She stuck her tongue out and let out a crafty smile. ¡°Really easy to coax.¡± Where was there any half shred of sorrow or weakness left.


    Li Qingshan hung his head down, his expression instantly black. Little An watched Li Qingshan with some pity.


    ¡°It¡¯s a promise! A promise!¡± Halfmoon danced proudly hither and yon around Li Qingshan, then finally leaped on top of his head and urged, ¡°Let¡¯s hurry to set out!¡±


    Li Qingshan sent her a fierce glare. He continued forth on the journey.


    It had been a long time since he last walked under the sunlight. The sunlight from the winter sun was soft and warm. A long time had already gone by in a blur, and he¡¯d already fully adapted to this monster body.


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Don¡¯t feel embarrassed. There¡¯s nothing shameful about losing to my ultimeowte skill.¡±


    ¡°Ultimate skill?¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been wanting to leave a long time ago already, but I¡¯m always powerless as soon as queen concubine Serenity exposes this kind of expression.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°But you still left in the end.¡±


    Halfmoon said proudly, ¡°Because I¡¯m relatively heartless meow!¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°That¡¯s not something to show off about! Those heartless to others, others will also be heartless to you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Inside the Black Mouse Mountain, the Great Mouse King had jumped down on the ground and fully buried its head inside the soil. Every little sound within ten miles or even a hundred miles spread to its ears along with the earth. The back and forth between Li Qingshan and Halfmoon did naturally not escape its hearing.


    The innate supernatural skills awakened by monsters were mainly offensive or defensive in nature. However, it was actually proficient in an extremely rarely seen ¡°Earth Listening Art¡± that happened to fit its nature overcautious to a fault and timid as a mouse.


    It suddenly lifted its head covered in dust and said with a face full of a dirt, ¡°Indeed fishy!¡±


    The crowd of mice said, ¡°The Great King is wise!¡±


    ¡°Stop talking, hurry up and chase them!¡±


    Halfmoon¡¯s ears suddenly stood up. ¡°Disaster, they¡¯re pursuing us, hurry up and leave!¡±


    Li Qingshan lifted his feet and dashed madly forward. Every step left a deep footprint behind when it trod on the ground, then the next step would fall already several hundred feet away.


    ¡°Too slow!¡± Halfmoon felt it was still too slow.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Let¡¯s see you try to run while carrying me!¡±


    Halfmoon groped out a spirit pill and tossed it inside Li Qingshan¡¯s mouth, then she also grasped out a spiritual talisman. The color of the talisman wasn¡¯t the usual yellow, but a crimson red.


    A gust of nimble qi rose as the spiritual medicine melted, and Li Qingshan felt as if his body became twice lighter. The talisman broke and a hurricane wrapped around Li Qingshan. It seemed his body had become weightless.


    Li Qingshan stamped down and directly soared in the sky. The sky was dazzlingly blue. The forest of tall ancient trees was under his feet, and it seemed the curve of the chains of peaks undulating up and down in the distance was about to fly up.


    He turned his gaze back and took a look. A rolling cloud of smoke and dust was sure enough rushing their way. He¡¯d already adjusted his stature when he landed back on the ground. His body leaned forward and directly charged forth. Each stride crossed over thousand feet, and those small hills weren¡¯t obstacles any longer as he crossed past them in one jump.


    Halfmoon stood on his shoulder and laughed out loud. ¡°Charge! Meowhahaha!¡±


    A rolling smoke of dust swept their way at an alarming speed. The one in the lead inside the smoke was precisely that Great Mouse King. Its feet trampled on waves formed by countless mice. It saw Li Qingshan at one glance and said, ¡°You hurry up to stop.¡±


    Halfmoon knew she¡¯d been exposed and no longer hid. She scowled: ¡°Only idiots would stop, dumb-ass dumb-ass!¡±


    Yellow light flashed in the Great Mouse King¡¯s eyes and one earth spike pierced up after another. Whether speed or power, they were ten times more ferocious compared to that great mice general, often stabbing at the places Li Qingshan¡¯s strides fell on.


    Li Qingshan barged left and charged right, changing his direction nonstop. He¡¯d just moved sideways and dodged past a spike that there was movement again under his feet. He shouted ¡°Bull Demon Hoof Stamp¡± explosively and stepped on the spike that¡¯d only begun to emerge, then borrowed the force to soar into the sky. The pain from the stab under his foot was hard to endure, but fortunately the sole of his feet had already become tough bull hooves, otherwise he would have been crippled this time.


    He flew up thousand feet in the air. The patch of blue light on the horizon blurred his eyes, distracting him from the pain on his foot.


    Halfmoon pointed at the horizon and said, ¡°Big Black, Little White, did you see? The Ice Sword Cliff is right in front of us!¡±


    An ice cliff rising forever to the sky for thousands of miles stretched across the Boundless Mountain Range, as if a god had struck an ice sword down and cut the massive dragon-like Boundless Mountain Range into two sections.


    This here was the dividing line between the two Verdant and Dragon provinces.


    A spark of hope suddenly ignited inside Li Qingshan¡¯s heart, like a traveler who¡¯d seen the end of his journey. He understood that one could watch a mountain but kill a horse trying to reach it, and also knew that the ice cliff should still be very far from where they were.


    But he had the constant feeling with him that they could reach an unprecedented situation if they could step across that ice cliff.


    When he lowered his head down, he saw that the originally hard rocks he was about to land his feet on had become quicksand thousand feet across. His entire person heavily plunged into the quicksand.


    The quicksand revolved like a whirlpool and produced a mighty suction, as if countless pairs of hands were pulling Li Qingshan down toward the earth. It was just the same as a tiger fallen from the mountains to the bright plains; he couldn¡¯t display his power even if he had a strength of ten thousand pounds. The more he struggled the deeper he sank.


    The Great Mouse King seized the occasion and caught up in a spurt of energy. It said with a great laugh, ¡°Trapped right? You actually dared to underestimate this great king, you all obediently stay here for me!¡±


    ¡°The Great King is wise!¡±


    ¡°Meooow!¡± A cat cry sounded, even more tyrannical than the snarl of a fierce tiger. Halfmoon stood on Li Qingshan¡¯s shoulder, emitting powerful monster qi from head to toes as she stared straight at the Great Mouse King. ¡°Cat-Eating Mouse was it? Although it¡¯s very disgusting, today I¡¯m still going to taste the flavor of mice.¡±

 Chapter 98

    ¡°Great king, it¡¯s a cat!¡± The crowd of mice was greatly startled, one and all about to immediately drill into the ground in panic and flee in disarray.The Great Mouse King Cat-Eating Mouse finally found the cat it was looking for. Elaborate thoughts went through its mind. An ordinary cat could eat ordinary mice, then a monster general level cat monster could naturally eat monster general level mice monsters. After that its two legs went soft and it coolly said, ¡°Ev¡­evacuate!¡±


    ¡°The Great King is wise!¡± said the crowd of mice who dug holes in the ground and drilled inside on the spot.


    Therefore, a great herd of mice monsters had come with overbearing momentum, then immediately ran off in a flurry when they saw the cat Halfmoon.


    Halfmoon went through a burst of loud meowhahahaha laughters.


    Li Qingshan said in amazement, ¡°Truly shy as a mouse.¡± The fearsome suction of the quicksand suddenly vanished. He stood up and leaped out of the sand pit.


    Halfmoon¡¯s expression changed at once. ¡°Our whereabouts have been exposed already, hurry up and go!¡±


    Li Qingshan suddenly turned his head back. A beam of rainbow light broke through the air on the faraway horizon to the south. The fierce and sharp aura seemed to rip his eyes open even with a single glance from far away. How would he dare to stand still and stay behind. He charged toward the Ice Sword Cliff.


    Mountain rivers and vegetation flew back at mad speed. Li Qingshan originally felt he was fast like the wind, but that beam of rainbow light would come even closer every time he turned his head back. It caught up within a distance of a hundred miles in the space of a moment.


    Li Qingshan said to Halfmoon, ¡°We can¡¯t go on like this, you leave first!¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°What are you saying, we¡¯re already close to our goal.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°We¡¯ll be caught up if it goes on like this. You go to the Dragon province by yourself!¡±


    Halfmoon looked at Li Qingshan. She nodded heavily. ¡°Then, Big Black, you take care of yourself. Don¡¯t get yourself actually killed!¡± She vanished from sight the next moment, having blinked somewhere unknown.


    Li Qingshan immediately suppressed the aura of his entire body and switched directions. He dashed to the east.


    It wasn¡¯t that he was thinking of giving up his life for the cause or sacrificing himself for others. This sword immortal was mighty, and they couldn¡¯t offer any resistance. If he¡¯d caught up to them, it¡¯d have been most likely the sword immortal wouldn¡¯t have let go of him either after butchering Halfmoon. Then he¡¯d also been lumped together with her and killed in the name of slashing demons for the sake of righteousness. There was no way he could have told them he was actually a human when such a moment came.


    So he could only let Halfmoon run first. It was very possible this sword immortal would choose to first chase after Halfmoon in order to kill her, and then he could use the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] to suppress his aura. Maybe he could escape from a calamity, and Halfmoon wouldn¡¯t be weighed down by him either. It was the best choice for the both of them.


    ¡°Husbands and wives are birds of a flock, but they fly off on their own when disaster strikes. As to whether it results in life or death, one can only seek to help oneself and leave the rest to fate.¡± Such thoughts inexplicably emerged in Li Qingshan¡¯s mind.


    Soaring Dragon Elder had been patrolling in the sky when he¡¯d been suddenly disturbed by the activity on Black Mouse Mountain. However it wasn¡¯t rare either for monster beasts to kill each others inside the Boundless Mountains, so he hadn¡¯t paid any special mind to it.


    ¡°Monster general!¡± He only paid attention after a powerful monster qi had surged that only a monster general could have. He¡¯d induced his senses with all his focus, and then an even stronger monster qi had soared to the sky a moment later. He¡¯d immediately responded and chased their way on his sword.


    Struggles to the death between monster beasts could still be said to be common, but battles between monster generals were extremely rare, because every monster general who¡¯d gone through one heavenly tribulation would have gained a certain amount of intelligence. They all nominally belonged under the order of the same monster king and were each commanded by their respective monster marshals, so they wouldn¡¯t fight casually.


    If everything went as anticipated, then the monster cat he was looking for would be right there.


    Indeed, he¡¯d latched onto that monster qi when he was still several hundred miles away. On its side was actually that strange monster he¡¯d seen once. He couldn¡¯t help but give rise to an anger at having been almost fooled. He¡¯d originally believed this cat monster would have acted alone out of caution, but he hadn¡¯t expected she would still have helpers. No wonder he couldn¡¯t find her at all for so many days.


    The sword light was approaching at high speed when the cat monster suddenly vanished from that little monster¡¯s shoulder. That little monster rushed toward the east meanwhile.


    Soaring Dragon Elder hesitated a moment. He ignored Li Qingshan and continued to fly toward the Ice Sword Cliff. He was bound to block that cat monster¡¯s way out of the Verdant province. It would be trouble once she stepped onto the Dragon province¡¯s soil.


    Li Qingshan felt as if the flow of his blood was about to come to a halt when that sword-like gaze swept over him. He only let out a sigh of relief when that sword light swiftly rushed toward the north. He ran for another ten miles and reached a quiet and hidden ravine. He drilled inside and hid under a mountain precipice, then tightly repressed all of his monster qi.


    He heaved a deep breath. He finally escaped from disaster!


    Li Qingshan inwardly assessed this journey¡¯s gains. He¡¯d obtained several dozen spiritual pills from Halfmoon, each of them with an even greater effect than the spirit ginseng. It¡¯d made his [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] progress by leaps and bounds. Right now he still had a dozen spirit pills he hadn¡¯t had time to eat. He¡¯d carefully stashed them inside a porcelain bottle. He probably wouldn¡¯t be too far from the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]¡¯s first layer once he ate all these spirit pills. Then he could recover a human shape after some painstaking cultivation and once again return to human society. Moreover he¡¯d even gotten rid of that hateful cat monster who proclaimed herself his mistress. It was truly hitting two birds with one stone.


    Li Qingshan rubbed Little An¡¯s head with a smile. It won¡¯t be long until I complete our promise.


    Li Qingshan stayed entirely still and allowed the sands of time to drip by, grain by grain. He suddenly felt a burst of tremors going through the earth, but it then quickly vanished, followed by another burst of tremors.


    The sky slowly darkened, and dark clouds once again draped across the sky. Great snow fell down, even accompanied by the whistle of sharp winds as it spread through the sky and covered the land.


    Li Qingshan was even more at peace inside his mind. It was even more impossible to find him in such weather, and it was probably also comparatively easier for Halfmoon to escape! He was unexpectedly still somewhat reluctant to part with her, but she presumably had reached the Dragon province by now and would probably very soon be able to live the life of freedom she wanted! Green hills stood unchanging and blue rivers flowed eternal. Everyone would meet again if such was their fate.


    ¡°Secret of Ten Thousand Swords!¡±


    A stern shout burst inside the snowstorm like a clap of thunder. It pulverized the wind and the snow, interrupted thoughts and feelings.


    A boundless murderous intent shrouded down.


    ¡°Not good!¡± Li Qingshan hugged Little An as he stood up and immediately jumped. He turned his head back in mid-air and saw thousands upon thousands of sword rays crisscrossing amidst the wind and snow, shattering the precipice he¡¯d relied on to hide himself until it crumbled down with rolling rumbles. S?a??h th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan threw himself on a small dried stream. He¡¯d merely raised his head that he saw three feet of greenish blade point directly between his eyebrows, only three inches away.


    Soaring Dragon Elder held his sword in his right hand and stood on a boulder as he watched Li Qingshan with freezing coldness. ¡°Say, where did that cat monster run off to?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the Soaring Dragon Swordsman?¡± Li Qingshan was shocked the instant he saw the sword immortal¡¯s appearance. The portrait inside the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s Ancestor Hall once again floated in his vision. The inheritance of the Dragon Gate Sect went back for multiple generations to hundred years in the past at least, but the Soaring Dragon Swordsman seemed only a little older compared to the portrait. If one then considered that the Dragon Gate Sect might have intentionally drawn him a little younger out of veneration for his august person, then there was simply no change at all. There was no word other than ¡°immortal¡± with which to describe him.


    However, this fearsome immortal was presently pointing at his head.


    ¡°You know me?¡± How sharp would Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s mind be, since he was able to form his golden core? ¡°The matter of the Dragon Gate Sect was your doing?¡± The karma from olden days the Heavenly Fate Elder had spoken of should be precisely here.

 Chapter 99

    ¡°You know me?¡± How sharp would Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s mind be, since he was able to form his golden core? ¡°The matter of the Dragon Gate Sect was your doing?¡± The karma from olden days the Heavenly Fate Elder had spoken of should be precisely here.Li Qingshan secretly thought, what a wicked fate. He felt the mysteries of heaven were hard to fathom. Inexplicably and inexorably, there seemed to be a pair of hands weaving every thread of chance and destiny. It brought on karma¡¯s retribution; he destroyed the Dragon Gate Sect, and then unexpectedly came across the Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s founding ancestor in such a place, in such a manner. His heart inexplicably relaxed however when he heard that the Soaring Dragon Elder couldn¡¯t find Halfmoon. At least they hadn¡¯t been cleanly swept off.


    Hence he said unperturbed, ¡°The Dragon Gate Sect¡¯s matter is indeed my doing. The Dragon Gate Sect ran amok in my homeland and acted rashly at will. They tried to harm me and kill me in order to snatch my spirit ginseng. My destroying them is heavenly justice and earthly morality.¡±


    Soaring Dragon Elder faintly startled. Li Qingshan was articulate of mouth and nimble of mind, not looking as ignorant and uneducated as ordinary monsters and demons. It was somewhat out of his expectations, but then he picked his eyebrows as he heard the latter part.


    The sword ray flashed and dazzled Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes blind. He only realized he¡¯d already been wounded by the sword when fresh blood wildly spurted out from his shoulder. There was a terrible wound left on him from his shoulder all the way to his chest.


    ¡°A trivial monster still dares to speak of heavenly justice and earthly morality! Even more so, the spirituality of heaven and earth isn¡¯t something for a monstrous demon like you to have. To cut off monsters and eradicate demons, that is precisely justice.¡±


    Little An opened his mouth and spewed out the ¡°Cremation Blood Fire,¡± but it couldn¡¯t even reach within three feet of Soaring Dragon Elder before being thrown rolling back by the spiritual qi.


    Soaring Dragon Elder threw him a glance. ¡°Unfortunate, good innate roots, but you¡¯ve also sunk into the way of demons. I¡¯ll see you off to the underworld.¡± He once again coldly said to Li Qingshan, ¡°Cut out the nonsense and quickly tell me where that cat monster went. I¡¯ll give you a clean death and allow you to enter the wheel of reincarnation. Don¡¯t be a monster in your next life. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯ll certainly wholly extinguish your soul.¡±


    He¡¯d pursued toward the north, but he¡¯d lost ¡°Halfmoon¡¯s¡± aura. He¡¯d broken several dozen mountain peaks with the Secret of Ten Thousand Swords and stirred the Boundless Mountains until not even chickens or dogs were left undisturbed. But who could stop him outside of great monsters at the marshal level.


    In the end he still couldn¡¯t force her out however. Halfmoon¡¯s two supernatural powers were really too suited for stealth.


    Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s mood was really bad. Since Heavenly Fate Elder said this journey would certainly be successful and he could also settle old karma, then the answers he was looking for were on this little monster in all likelihood.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Fresh blood spurted madly from his right shoulder as soon as his voice fell. He lowered his head and clenched his fists, clenching a handful of pebbles into pieces. s?a??h th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Monsters have no feelings and no loyalty. You¡¯re also but a discard it abandoned after making use of you. I¡¯m actually wasting time trying to interrogate you.¡± An expression of pity and derision emerged on Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s face.


    The sword light intensified dramatically and glided by horizontally, slicing toward Li Qingshan¡¯s neck. Li Qingshan didn¡¯t have any time to react just as before, unable to display the slightest move even if he were to possess a thousand tricks.


    Never speaking unceasing nonsense, acting with incomparably neat efficiency without allowing for the slightest emotion, such was precisely a sword immortal.


    Silver light fell down from the sky and shot toward the top of Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s head. That ray of light had such a tranquil holiness that an illusion emerged inside Li Qingshan¡¯s mind, as if a crack had opened among the dark clouds in the sky and was letting the moonlight fall. But it was merely an illusion. The black clouds weren¡¯t melting away yet, but still thick and heavy just as before. The great snow was increasingly violent.


    A smile of pleasant surprise actually floated on the Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s face. He abandoned Li Qingshan, and the sword charged directly toward the horizon to clash with that silver light with a turn of his wrist. The fierce soaring sword light was shattered by the tranquil silver light, which directly shot down and left a deep crescent-shaped hole on the ground.


    Soaring Dragon Elder had transformed into a beam of light and evaded. Li Qingshan lifted his head. He saw a small figure at the top of the mountain ravine amidst the boundless wind and snow. The silver light had precisely been released from the crescent moon on her forehead.


    ¡°Meowhahahaha!¡± A familiar laughter pierced through the snowstorm, boring straight to the bottom of his heart.


    Something that he couldn¡¯t put into words instantly bubbled within Li Qingshan¡¯s chest. But the words that came out when he opened his mouth were: ¡°Fool, why did you come back? Go to your Dragon province!¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to talk like this to your meowstress!¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I¡¯ve already said you¡¯re not my mistress.¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Just now I clearly heard you yell like mad mistress come save me!¡±


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Halfmoon laughed out loud. ¡°Maybe I heard wrong, or maybe you were shouting it inside your heart!¡±


    Li Qingshan froze. Right, he had been shouting loud in his heart for someone to come save his life, begging for help from a certain someone. But not this cat monster, because it would be useless even if she came!


    ¡°Cat monster, the heavens gave you a road but you don¡¯t walk on it!¡± Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s words came from the sky.


    Halfmoon stuck out her tongue toward Soaring Dragon Elder and pulled her eyelid down, making a grimace. ¡°Stinky old stuff, come chase after me!¡± Her stature turned around and vanished from sight. The cliff she was standing on was already shattered by sword light. Her monster qi once again disappeared.


    Soaring Dragon Elder said, ¡°One sword becomes ten thousand, Ten Thousand Sword Rain!¡± The sword in his hand became two from one, became three from two, and in the end transformed into thousand and ten thousand swords arrayed in the sky.


    Whoosh whoosh whoosh. Countless beams of sword light dropped from the sky like torrential rain, shrouding the entire mountain ravine inside.


    This was a fearsome immortal punishment! Under such a fearsome move, monsters and demons were as pigs and dogs, mortals were as ants and crickets.


    Any deception was useless, any resourcefulness was falseness. Li Qingshan raised his head and watched the sword lights twinkling like countless stars. They couldn¡¯t be withstood, and one could only wait for death.


    The rain of swords pierced through everything and pulverized them, but Li Qingshan didn¡¯t die. A petite figure blinked through the shadows and barred his front. The curved moon on her forehead released silver light that blocked the sword rain dripping down.


    Silver light and sword rain fiercely collided amidst the roars of the snowstorm, illuminating the dark and quiet ravine as if it were daytime.


    Soaring Dragon Elder said, ¡°This should be the life-saving move that damn woman concubine Serenity left you! I want to see how long you can resist!¡± He pinched the hand seals of his sword secrets then pointed downward.


    The rain of swords seemed endless. The silver light retreated inch by inch. Halfmoon resisted with clenched teeth.


    Li Qingshan watched that small delicate figure and shouted, ¡°You hurry to leave. Hide yourself, it¡¯s useless this way!¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Shut your mouth, how can a mistress not protect her pet!¡±


    ¡°Who thinks you¡¯re his mistress!¡±


    ¡°Meow! I¡¯m not negotiating with you!¡±


    The silver light was pressed down to within a foot of her body in the wink of an eye, obviously soon to break.


    A giant dragon reaching a length thousand feet long twisted its body on an even higher skyline. It dived down from the dome of the sky with an angry roar.


    One would require careful examination to discover that this wasn¡¯t a giant dragon but a dragon-shaped hurricane. It wrung the great snow to pieces and struck toward Soaring Dragon Elder.


    On the other end of the dragon twister, the jade-ribbed folding fan was already entirely spread open inside Gu Yanying¡¯s hand, glowing with resplendent spiritual light. ¡°Soaring Dragon Elder, better restrain your hand!¡±


    Soaring Dragon Elder set down a harsh resolve and disregarded the dragon twister behind him. He performed a hand seal. The sword rain filling the sky receded at once and suddenly condensed back into a dazzling spiritual light harsh on the eyes in a vaguely spherical shape, just like an extremely dazzling star lighting up in the pitch-black sky.


    ¡°Ten thousand swords return to one, Meteor Fall.¡±


    Gu Yanying said, ¡°Careful!¡± But her voice couldn¡¯t catch up to the giant sword¡¯s diving speed either.


    The silver light broke. Time seemed to slow to a crawl in Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes. The drifting snow fluttered slowly. He stretched his hand out, but he could only watch on helplessly as the ray of light pierced through her chest.

 Chapter 100

    Li Qingshan caught her within his arms. He opened his mouth but no word would come out.The dragon twister roared in rage and bombarded Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s body, pounding him down to earth and tightly pressing him down. It spun at high speed and bore down like a drill, wrecking the firmly frozen grounds to pieces. Dust splattered everywhere.


    The dragon twister transformed from a white snow dragon to a black earth dragon.


    Great boulders rolled inside the mountain ravine and gravel scattered to all sides.


    Gu Yanying¡¯s face sank down like water. She¡¯d rushed up as soon as she¡¯d obtained the news from Black Mouse Mountain¡¯s Great Mouse King, but she hadn¡¯t thought she¡¯d still be one step too late. Her gaze fixated tightly on the ground the dragon twister had broken. ¡°Take her away!¡±


    A golden core master would definitely not be so easily killed. She had enough self-confidence she could display her skills with ease and not fall downwind in a one versus one duel, but it would be almost impossible if she had to protect two people.


    Rays of light shot out from the deep hole dug by the dragon twister. Several dozen beams of sword light shattered the dragon hurricane in an instant. Soaring Dragon Elder rose, his body enveloped in a globe-shaped aegis made of spiritual light.


    ¡°Gu Yanying, you can¡¯t stop me!¡± A trail of fresh blood oozed from the corner of his mouth. It seemed that forcibly withstanding that attack hadn¡¯t been pleasant for him either, but the resolve exuding from his eyes was invulnerable like a godly weapon smelted a hundred times.


    ¡°Cut the boasting!¡± Gu Yanying had also been stirred into true anger. ¡°Heavenly Dance of a Hundred Dragons!¡± With a flourish of the jade-ribbed folding fan, a hundred dragon twisters charged sideways and knocked straight-on, twisting murderously toward Soaring Dragon Elder from different directions and different angles.


    Everything standing in the paths of the dragon hurricanes were torn into shreds. Deep gullies were left one after another on the ground and the walls of the precipices. Great trees that would require many men to wrap around were one and all pulled out down to the roots, sucked into the dragon tornadoes, then wrung into pieces.


    Death and chaos had descended in the space of an instant, causing cracked earth and landslides; it seemed like the end of days.


    Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s expression became increasingly determined. He bit open the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood on the Soaring Dragon Sword.


    The Black Wind camp master Xiong Xiangwu had been able to use his fresh blood to trigger a spiritual talisman even with a mortal¡¯s body, then display a power far exceeding his real strength. Just what kind of fearsome technique would be launched when a golden core master used this move?


    The longsword immediately twisted like a living creature as soon as it was tainted with fresh blood. It transformed into a golden dragon more than a hundred feet long amidst dazzling rays of light. It wasn¡¯t that it resembled a dragon, it was a genuine complete dragon possessing scales and claws, shaking its head and swaying its tail. It didn¡¯t fall downwind in the slightest as it tangled together with these dragon hurricanes, even if it fought a hundred by itself.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡± Gu Yanying¡¯s face exposed shock. It wasn¡¯t as simple as spitting some blood like mortals when it came to golden core masters. Rather, it would damage his cultivation; no one would casually use it for ordinary reasons.


    The golden dragon defeated the dragon twisters one by one. Its own spiritual light also gradually dimmed down.


    Soaring Dragon Elder took out a daoist talisman from inside his Sumeru finger ring1. ¡°Heavenly Fate Elder had long ago calculated there would be some hindrances on this journey.¡±


    ¡°Purple talisman!¡± Gu Yanying¡¯s face became even graver. Among the dao of talismans, yellow talismans were bottom, crimson talisman were medium, and purple talisman were upper. The differences between their respective might were as far as the distance between heaven and earth. Purple talismans could only be manufactured by nascent soul cultivators, and furthermore they were one-off things. They were extremely rare even for golden core cultivators and were treated as life-saving talismans. He was actually willing to take it out.


    ¡°Shackles of Heaven and Earth, seal!¡±


    Li Qingshan had picked up Halfmoon and leaped up the ravine, rushing toward that stretch of ice precipice to the north.


    Little An followed tightly behind. Li Qingshan told him with a roar, ¡°Go away, don¡¯t follow me!¡± If Gu Yanying couldn¡¯t stop Soaring Dragon Elder and they were to be pursued, then following him was a road straight to death.


    Little An still followed, unwilling to leave. Li Qingshan said, ¡°Are you deaf?¡± He waved his hand and slapped him away, sending him flying out several dozen feet. S?a??h the N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Little An stared blankly at him. Li Qingshan turned his head. ¡°Find a place to hide, don¡¯t come out no matter what!¡± He left without any hesitation.


    Li Qingshan carried Halfmoon and traveled forward toward the Ice Sword Cliff. He could still sense the spiritual light soaring to the sky behind him even after leaving ten miles away. The squall surged. There was a patch of wetness on his hands, a thick and strong color of blood.


    Halfmoon¡¯s face was pale white as she said wanly, ¡°You¡¯re a good owner!¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Shut your mouth, don¡¯t talk!¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Good or bad I¡¯m still your mistress hey, can¡¯t you be a bit more polite. You get angry and start arguing at the slightest thing, you¡¯re simply even unrulier than me.¡±


    He didn¡¯t know how long he¡¯d been sprinting inside the snowstorm, an instant or maybe a year. He suddenly lifted his head. An ice cliff barred his way. They finally arrived.


    The sight from far away was already stunning. He was nearly terrified by this creation of heaven and earth crafted by the gods when he stood at the foot of the Ice Sword Cliff. He couldn¡¯t see the top of the cliff when he raised his head. It went on for who knew how many dozen thousand feet, and seemed about to topple over.


    Li Qingshan gritted his teeth. He stretched his hand and touched the ice cliff. A gloomy chilliness penetrated directly inside down to his marrow. His claws that could cut metal and break jade only left slight faint traces on the ice. It was definitely not an ordinary block of ice.


    Halfmoon opened her eyes. ¡°Finally here. The legends have it this Ice Sword Cliff is a divine sword a god dropped down. Not a single bit or piece of it ever melted since the day it appeared, and on the contrary it keeps freezing and growing. It¡¯s very hard to climb, we can¡¯t go up relying on you.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°You just shut your trap. Hug me tight!¡± He carried Halfmoon on his back and let her hug his neck, then he stretched out his sharp claws and fastened them on the ice rampart. But he remembered as soon as he was about to lift his feet that his feet weren¡¯t human feet anymore, but a pair of iron hooves.


    The wall of ice was hard as steel, perfectly straight and smooth. It was harder to climb than any other precipice, and it was absolutely impossible to climb without the leverage from a pair of feet.


    ¡°Meowhahaha!¡± Halfmoon laughed up heartlessly just like when she used to bully Li Qingshan in days gone by. It was only that her laughter became increasingly weak and powerless, easily covered by the wind and the snow.


    Boom!


    Li Qingshan punched a heavy fist on the ice cliff, then knelt on the ground.


    They¡¯d come here after thousand trials and hardships, but they couldn¡¯t go one step further. The Ice Sword Cliff was truly like a giant sword that severed all of his hopes.


    I¡¯m not resigned!


    The [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] revolved crazily inside him. Almost like a miracle, his pair of feet actually recovered. They were much bigger than ordinary feet, and the nails were also sharp claws, but it was still a true genuine pair of feet and not hooves.


    One could only restore human shape after cultivating to the first layer, but he¡¯d forcibly restored his pair of feet by relying on his mind and spirit.


    Halfmoon said in astonishment, ¡°Really powerful!¡±


    Li Qingshan had no time to focus on his surprise and delight. He leaped on the ice cliff. ¡°We¡¯re setting off!¡±


    Li Qingshan carried Halfmoon on his back and climbed up step by step inside the blizzard, his sharp claws deeply spiking into the chilly ice.


    The chilliness continuously permeated inside his skin and froze the marrow of his bones. He couldn¡¯t see the sky and couldn¡¯t see the ground; it seemed there were only the two of them left in the world as they advanced through extraordinarily arduous efforts.


    ¡°What good stuff does the Dragon province have? Is that nine-tailed fox empress beautiful? More beautiful than concubine Serenity?¡± Li Qingshan prattled on endlessly. He who kept telling Halfmoon to shut her mouth actually chattered and jabbered on and on at this moment, because he could only maintain his consciousness through his utmost efforts, not letting the frigid cold capture his mind, not letting despair wear him down.


    Because Halfmoon¡¯s body became gradually cold as ice, gradually silent. Her eyes were closed as she leaned against Li Qingshan¡¯s back, answering perfunctorily, ¡°Of course¡­ beautiful¡­¡±


    There was no telling whether it was because her voice was too feeble, but it was engulfed by the noise of the wind.


    Li Qingshan kept saying, ¡°Persevere on, I¡¯ll definitely take you, take you to the Dragon province.¡±


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t heard you call me mistress?¡±


    1. A Sumeru ring is presumably a ring shaped to be symbol of Sumeru, also known as Mt. Meru, a mountain supposed to be the center of all the universes physical or metaphysical in Buddhist cosmology (among others).

 Chapter 101

    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t even have the strength to reply anymore. The way forward was pervaded by the wind and the snow, going on seemingly forever without end. He kept on climbing upward, supporting himself with a single-minded thought.Halfmoon suddenly said in a soft voice against his ear, ¡°Sorry, mistress implicated you.¡± Her two arms feebly let go of him. She dropped into the abyss of wind and snow with her eyes tightly shut and a peacefulness on her face that even actually containing the trace of a smile.


    Li Qingshan subconsciously stretched his right hand and tightly caught her frozen hand.


    He couldn¡¯t let go. But he couldn¡¯t advance another step on the ice wall either with his right hand missing. The cold wantonly invaded his body along with the halting of his motions. His blood gradually stopped flowing.


    This place was already ten thousand feet above the ground. Even he could only die with a torn body and crushed bones if he were to fall.


    He finally let out a crazed hysterical howl inside the blizzard, just like a surrounded beast trapped in a desperate impasse.


    Two dots of red lights approached inside the windy snow. A figure was quickly climbing up.


    Little An sprang up and carried Halfmoon then put her on Li Qingshan¡¯s back.


    There was no need to exchange any word. Li Qingshan¡¯s lips were already frozen in any case. His right hand soared up as he continued his climb upward.


    He suddenly saw the end of that seemingly endless ice cliff. It turned out he had been only a few hundred feet away from the clifftop.


    A great hand fiercely grabbed the edge of the cliff. Li Qingshan climbed up with all his strength, not a single shred of strength left inside him. He forcibly propped up his body up, his trembling pair of hands gently stroking Halfmoon¡¯s cheeks. They were ice-cold.


    There was no beating in her chest.


    She was already dead.


    Li Qingshan wept bitterly all of a sudden. A beam of rainbow pierced the windy snow. Soaring Dragon Elder emerged on the clifftop, his face pale-white and his clothes broken to shreds. He cast a glance at Halfmoon on the ground and let out an I-thought-as-much expression. How could an ordinary monster general be able to withstand his Meteor Sword.


    But he¡¯d still caught up without sparing any price or effort in order to guard again all eventualities. Moreover there was Halfmoon¡¯s little bell, the things stored inside were fully enough to make up for his losses. A monster general¡¯s monster core was also very precious on top of that.


    Li Qingshan wanted to fight to the bitter end, but he didn¡¯t even have the strength left to fight to the bitter end. He asked, ¡°Why? What did she do?¡±


    ¡°Because she¡¯s a monster, you¡¯re also the same? This is your sin.¡± Soaring Dragon Elder lifted the Soaring Dragon Sword, not even looking at Little An blocking the way in front of Li Qingshan as he waved it down.


    ¡°I kill you, but not because you¡¯re human.¡± A man stood in front of Li Qingshan. No one knew when he¡¯d appeared, Soaring Dragon Elder included. It was as if he¡¯d stood there since a long long time ago already, seeming like an expert coming from ancient times to the future, immutable and everlasting.


    His stature could only be said to be tall at most, and there wasn¡¯t any fearsome aura coming from him either, but the silhouette of his back was even more imposing than the Ice Sword Cliff under his feet in Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes.


    A layer of green-blue enveloped his skin. His clearly bulging sturdy physique didn¡¯t appear fat in the slightest, but seemed more like the mountain peak undulating on a great mountain gone through the blow of a thousand winds and the batter of ten thousand rains. Every part of it was natural and harmonious, carrying the accumulation of boundless power.


    Then Li Qingshan saw the pair of horns on his head, one of them broken. He couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Elder brother bull!¡±


    Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s eyes shrank and a warning came from every place inside the depths of his soul. He¡¯d crossed over countless battlefields during his life, experienced countless dangers, but even adding them all together they still couldn¡¯t match the present danger.


    He wanted to roar in anger, wanted to wave his sword. Wanted to use every supernatural skill and technique he¡¯d ever learned in his life, take out every ounce of power and all of his trump cards. But he couldn¡¯t even lift a single finger against all expectations. He could only watch that man with eyes wide open and say in an off-key timbre, ¡°Who¡­who are you?¡± How did such a terrifying character become the backing of these two little monsters. Heavenly Fate Elder never said anything about it, nothing of the sort had appeared in the divination trigrams either. Impossible, I¡¯m not going to die here.


    The green bull didn¡¯t answer his question however, but continued to say instead, ¡°I kill you, because I want to kill!¡± He stretched out his right hand. Soaring Dragon Elder then vanished from this world.


    That¡¯s right, vanished. There hadn¡¯t been any sign, there hadn¡¯t been any powerful technique either, or any dread or monster qi. An elder of the Hidden Sword Palace with a fame shaking the Verdant province, a golden core cultivator, had simply been blotted out like this.


    ¡°Brother bull¡­¡± Li Qingshan opened his mouth but didn¡¯t know what to say. He¡¯d thought before the green bull was probably very strong, but he¡¯d certainly never expected he¡¯d be terrifying to such a degree.


    The green bull turned his head back and stretched his hand in front of Li Qingshan, a jade ring quietly lying inside. It was precisely Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s Sumeru finger ring. ¡°I¡¯ve turned you into such an appearance without your consent, this probably can be regarded as my apology! I left you something inside.¡±


    A golden core cultivator¡¯s lifelong collection of valuables had a value high enough to make the eyes of a great many cultivators redden in envy, even cultivators pure of heart and free of desire. Ordinary people couldn¡¯t even exchange a single thing inside with the whole of their possessions.


    ¡°I know you have many questions, but believe me, the answers you find by yourself are far more valuable and extraordinary than what I could give you. Just as I could have given you the power to sweep unopposed through this world, but I didn¡¯t, because the power you are able to find for yourself is also far above what I could give you, a hundred times stronger. Now, the time of parting has come.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°My presence has already been discovered by certain someones in the skies above. Your future roads, you¡¯ll to walk on them on your own. These days have been short but very happy. Remember, don¡¯t lower your head to anyone or anything; you once rode on my back.¡±


    The green bull¡¯s shape faded gradually away as he spoke. His voice was like a resounding bell, like the crumbling of mountains and the jolt of thunder, shaking Li Qingshan¡¯s heart and spirit.


    ¡°Wait¡­¡± Li Qingshan stretched his hand out, but he only caught that ring.


    The green bull disappeared from between the heaven and earth as if he¡¯d never existed, as if these years, these days had all been a mere dream. Only his last sentence was left continuously echoing inside Li Qingshan¡¯s heart.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you on the nine skies, wait for the day you and me will stand side by side.¡± S?a??h th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Above the Ice Sword Cliff was a patch of emptiness. There wasn¡¯t any stalk of vegetation, only ice and snow. The low layer of clouds pressed above his head. A great snow fell that didn¡¯t have enough time to shape into beautiful forms. The wind whistled ¡°woo woo,¡± seeming to weep.


    There were times on this dividing line between the Dragon and Verdant provinces when a man would feel he had nothing at all, except for those utterly distant and unattainable dreams, a body with only icy coldness in its bosom, frozen tears, a numbed heart and spirit inside the bitter winter. The loneliness of the entire world rushed into his heart.


    There was something lightly touching him. He turned his gaze back and saw Little An. Those two dots of blood flames combusted even inside the limitless snowstorm, trying to impart some warmth onto him, to tell him, you¡¯re not alone by yourself.


    Gu Yanying trod out from the windy snow and said in astonishment, ¡°What happened?¡± She¡¯d also taken out a purple talisman and forcibly broken Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s ¡°Shackles of Heaven and Earth,¡± then hurried to the ice cliff. But Soaring Dragon Elder¡¯s aura had entirely vanished at that moment right now, vanished cleanly and thoroughly.


    Li Qingshan hugged Halfmoon¡¯s icy-cold body in his arms and didn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t even know how to answer.


    Gu Yanying even felt a sliver of dread after another. A golden core elder had inexplicably vanished just like this. This was probably going to create an earthquake across the entire Verdant province.


    Could it have been the doing of that person from the Dark Shade Sect? Wrong, even if a nascent soul cultivator had the ability to kill a golden core master, they still couldn¡¯t possibly do it so quietly and noiselessly. Even a cricket knew to struggle, not to mention a golden core master.


    Could it have something to do with him? Gu Yanying looked at Li Qingshan then shook her head soon after, because Li Qingshan¡¯s was truly too puny. How could he have such a level of cultivation still if he were to have such fearful backing? A monster beast who hadn¡¯t formed a monster core had merely a cultivation around the fourth to fifth level even put among qi refining cultivators.


    Her mind was in chaos despite an intelligence far exceeding ordinary people. The things tonight were truly too strange.


    ¡°Better give her to me!¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I promised to take her to the Dragon province.¡±


    Gu Yanying said, ¡°That¡¯s no great place to go, better to let her go back to her mistress¡¯ side!¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°This is her last wish.¡±


    ¡°Last wish? She¡¯s not dead yet though?¡± The corner of Gu Yanying¡¯s mouth tugged a little.


    ¡°What!¡± Li Qingshan was shocked. He hurriedly probed Halfmoon¡¯s pulse, but it was truly not beating any longer. He looked questioningly at Gu Yanying.


    Gu Yanying waved the folding fan in her hand toward the sky. A dragon tornado soared straight to the skyline and pierced a great hole in the thick layer of clouds originally pressing low atop their heads. The silver blue moonlight seemed like a waterfall, or perhaps a searchlight shooting down from the sky.


    It shone above the Ice Sword Cliff and fell on Halfmoon¡¯s body. The roaring blizzard surrounded all around them as before, but there was such quietness and serenity in this small area.


    Her body glowed with silver blue brilliance, gradually brighter and brighter. Her eyelashes seemed to quiver a little.


    Halfmoon opened her eyes bit by bit under Li Qingshan¡¯s dismayed face. ¡°Where is this place?¡± She blinked her eyes and looked all around. ¡°This here is¡­ the Ice Sword Cliff!¡±


    Li Qingshan sensed the body in his arms gradually recovering its temperature. He said in astonishment, ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡±


    Gu Yanying said, ¡°The trashy innate supernatural skill of nine-lived cat monsters.¡±


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Surnamed Gu, you¡¯re the trashy one!¡±


    Gu Yanying said, ¡°You can simply not resist at all once in a dead state. People will usually open your chest and break your tripe to take out the monster core probably, what is it if not trash? This time it¡¯s all thanks to¡­ this guy.¡± For a moment she had no idea how to call Li Qingshan. He most likely didn¡¯t want other people to know his human name either after becoming like this!


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Big Black, you really carried me up here?¡±


    Big Black? The corner of Gu Yanying¡¯s mouth hooked up!


    Li Qingshan stayed silent a moment, then thundered, ¡°Bastard, why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier!¡± She made him so broken-hearted for so long all for nothing!


    Halfmoon said, ¡°Meowhahahaha, didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯m not going to die.¡±


    Li Qingshan heaved a heavy sigh. He didn¡¯t want to pay attention to her anymore, but there was a happiness he couldn¡¯t express inside him.


    Halfmoon noticed at this time two trails of sparkling and translucent frozen tears on Li Qingshan¡¯s face. The deepest strings of her heart seemed to be moved as she stretched her hands and stroked his cheeks. ¡°Big Black, you cried?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Don¡¯t go imagining your love¡¯s reciprocal, it¡¯s nothing but snow water.¡±


    Halfmoon moved close in front of Li Qingshan¡¯s face. ¡°Hee hee, don¡¯t be embarrassed, it¡¯s very normal for pets to shed tears for their meowstress. That¡¯s right, you promised you would call me mistress, hurry up and say it, hurry up and say it!¡±


    ¡°Pet?¡± Gu Yanying exposed a strange smile. To be taken as pet by a pet, she had no idea if it was good fortune or bad fortune.

 Chapter 102

    Li Qingshan itched to pinch Halfmoon¡¯s delicate neck and make her die another time.Gu Yanying said, ¡°Little Moon, we should go.¡± Since she didn¡¯t know how Soaring Dragon Elder had vanished, she could only tacitly believe that he¡¯d curbed his aura on his own and fled away, no matter the reason. It would probably really provoke a war if he¡¯d truly died a violent death. This wasn¡¯t something she wanted to see.


    Halfmoon had come back to life, but she was still extremely weak. She had simply no way to use even a single Shadow Blink, had simply no way of escaping right from under her eyes. ¡°Fine, fine, let¡¯s say you won, I¡¯ll just go along with you.¡±


    Halfmoon helplessly walked toward Gu Yanying. She suddenly said to Li Qingshan, ¡°Lower your head!¡±


    Li Qingshan lowered his head, having no idea why. Halfmoon suddenly stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed his cheek, stuffing an item inside his hand at the same time.


    The gentle and moist feeling came and immediately went away with the touch.


    Halfmoon jumped beside Gu Yanying before Li Qingshan even had time to bask in the aftertaste. ¡°This is a reward! If you¡¯re free then come find me in Southern Pivot City.¡± She wanted to take him along, but it was impossible for random unrelated people to enter the province capital.


    Li Qingshan looked at the center of his palm. It was a bottle of spirit medicine.


    Gu Yanying merely pretended she didn¡¯t see anything. She waved her sleeves and rolled up a whirlwind, carrying herself and Halfmoon as they flew toward the sky along the trail left by that moonlight.


    Halfmoon turned her head back and looked at Li Qingshan. She twisted her head back away; her smile disappeared. From her eyes resembling fresh lake water spilled out tears.


    ¡°Wait for me, I¡¯ll definitely go there.¡± Li Qingshan roared to the sky with his loudest voice.


    Halfmoon suddenly turned around and loudly said something. The snowy wind actually swallowed her voice, but by spying the motions of her mouth, one could read the five words ¡°I will wait for you.¡±


    Gu Yanying also exposed amazement. The clouds closed up under their feet.


    The last of the moonlight vanished atop the Ice Sword Cliff.


    Li Qingshan still maintained his posture of roaring to the sky. That roar was a promise for the green bull, for Halfmoon, and even more so, for himself.


    I¡¯ll certainly go to the nine skies, I¡¯ll certainly take you to the Dragon province.


    I¡¯ll certain find answers, I¡¯ll certainly obtain power.


    The waterfall gushed downward. Li Qingshan once again stood in front of this waterfall. There wasn¡¯t a bull with a bullishness soaring to the sky beside him anymore, and there wasn¡¯t any young woman bathing inside the waterfall in front of him either.


    He rubbed Little An¡¯s head. At least you¡¯re still by my side.


    Without Halfmoon showing the way, he¡¯d relied on his strong memories and followed the way they¡¯d come to once again return to this place. He had the spirit turtle to restrain his aura, but he still met untold amount of dangers along the way before finally returning to this waterfall.


    Winter had gone already. The earth began to return to spring.


    It seemed like a lifetime ago.


    Within these three short months, someone had told him, the Verdant province was thirty thousand miles across. Someone had told him, my goal is to leave the Verdant province. And finally someone had told him, I¡¯m waiting for you on the nine skies.


    Li Qingshan lowered his head and smiled as he said to Little An, ¡°For now let¡¯s see how far I can go!¡± Then he leaped down inside the deep pond.


    The first thing Li Qingshan did once inside the water wasn¡¯t to cultivate, but to sum up the lessons of his experience, to weigh the pros and cons, the successes and failures.


    It was difficult for a small shrimp to obtain good results when drawn into a war between sharks. The shreds of meat exposed between the sharks¡¯ teeth could make the small shrimp greatly increase in strength, but most likely it would also lead it to a definite death.


    The reason he had been able to survive was entirely thanks to the protection of a monster from the depths like the green bull, but this monster from the depths had already left him, leaving him with the goal of becoming the same kind of monster from the depths.


    If he wanted to achieve this goal, then he couldn¡¯t rely on luck to survive, he couldn¡¯t risk dangers he had absolutely no way to control. No one possessed an undying halo, and he would still be easily ground to pieces under an absolute power even if he had one.


    A man didn¡¯t only need the bull¡¯s unwavering will and the tiger¡¯s fierce courage, he also needed the spirit turtle¡¯s profound patient endurance. This kind of endurance wasn¡¯t about enduring anger and swallowing insults, being timid and gutless. It was about setting one¡¯s aspiration high above, enduring what others couldn¡¯t endure, achieving what others couldn¡¯t achieve.


    The reason the green bull hadn¡¯t acted from the beginning to eradicate Soaring Dragon Elder was perhaps to make him understand these principles. Anyone could talk about great principles, but only those who¡¯d experienced them could truly understand them and engrave them upon their heart and mind.


    Without the roaring despair above the precipice, how would he have understood the value of power, the significance of friends.


    He longed for a stronger power.


    There were no months nor years inside the mountains. Soft shoots turned into green leaves. Flower buds blossomed into luxuriant flowers.


    The flow of the waterfall became stronger than in winter, the noise also more deafening.


    Li Qingshan sat under the waterfall. All these every noises, all these every changes, they fell into his ears but didn¡¯t cause the slightest turmoil to his mind.


    He was already not only cultivating in the space between extreme quiet and extreme motion. He was even more experiencing nature¡¯s whispers of changes. Or perhaps these two matters were the same thing for him to begin with.


    The spirit medicine was eaten pill by pill, transforming into spiritual power surging like seas and rivers. But their use wasn¡¯t only limited to this for him.


    Amidst the absolute meditation, he dimly sensed the existence of that incomparably vast spiritual power between heaven and earth. There was no place it wasn¡¯t present, ruling every whisper of change in the whole world.


    When he became like a spirit turtle hiding inside the deep seas, forgetting his own existence, then these spiritual powers no longer rejected him, naturally melting inside his body on their own.


    Just as the Daoist scriptures said, ¡°Strengthen their bones, weaken their wills, empty their hearts, fill their bellies1.¡± It was also like what the green bull had taught him at the beginning, only eating to a full stomach and strengthening oneself to a healthy body was the foundation of everything. And only with a weak will and empty mind would one not be perplexed by distracting thoughts, achieving the genuine oneness of man and nature, sensing the existence of the spiritual qi between heaven and earth.


    For humans, this was only something that could be easily achieved after passing through one heavenly tribulation and achieving the foundation building stage from the qi refining stage. Otherwise one would require the greatest of opportunities and perceptions.


    But this was an innate instinct for monsters. The birds and beasts in the wildness of the mountains were undoubtedly unthinking in the eyes of men, only able to follow their instincts to copulate and hunt, to reproduce and survive. It followed they were nevertheless a part of the great nature, and could innately sense things many humans couldn¡¯t sense, spiritual qi but one thing among them.


    Humans had also lost the ability to merge in harmony with nature at the same time it obtained wisdom and intelligence. They needed various kinds of methods to cultivate in their desire to prolong their own lives. Meanwhile, the life span of any random monster was much higher than any human whose strength was close to it.


    You gained some and lost some. Perhaps this was precisely the fairness of nature. S?a??h the N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The green bull had once said that Li Qingshan could only be regarded as half a monster, because although his body had transformed into a monstrous demon, his spirit was still the spirit of a human. That was why he hadn¡¯t been able to perceive the spiritual qi of heaven and earth yet.


    There were boundless amounts of magical powers in the world. There were countless techniques that could make a human transform into odd creatures, but that was only odd creatures and not monsters. The green bull¡¯s plans would also not have been that much extraordinary either if it hadn¡¯t been so. However it seemed he¡¯d actually prepared everything for Li Qingshan a long time ago already.


    Along the cultivation of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets], Li Qingshan was able to temporarily put aside the wisdom of a human as well as those random thoughts coming along such wisdom, then start to genuinely transform into a monster, using the eyes of a monster to look upon the world, using the soul of a monster to sense this world.


    There no telling how much time went by once more. When the flourishing flowers started to wither one by one.


    A great amount of spiritual qi gathered around Li Qingshan. This place the green bull had chosen was a land with thick spiritual qi to begin with.


    Every spiritual pill had been eaten. The entirety of the monster qi inside Li Qingshan rushed like sea waves to be then suppressed by the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] and continuously compressed and condensed.


    Little An who was amusing himself alone suddenly lifted his head and watched the deep pool in front of the waterfall. He¡¯d been quietly waiting all these days, playing by himself, never leaving far away.


    Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding!


    An invisible power calmed the turbulent pond; it became a flawless water mirror. The waterfall flying down no longer stirred any splash either.


    Li Qingshan had finally cultivated the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] to the first layer. A huge rumble echoed in his soul at the same time. His body once again grew taller and bigger, close to twenty feet, exuding an aura that caused even the waterfall hammering down to surge open.


    All the monster qi inside his body had condensed into a small round bead big as the pad of a small finger!


    He¡¯d finally achieved the most important step in becoming a monster, the cultivation of a monster core.


    Li Qingshan lowered his head and watched the mirror-like water surface. He lightly stroked the pair of horns on top of his head. The two words ¡°North Moon¡± on them appeared not as obvious as before, but they appeared to have integrated with the pattern lines of the bull horns, seemingly indelible.


    He once again remembered Halfmoon, remembered that pledge never completed. He lightly closed his eyes. Wait for me, I will definitely free you from this bird cage and accompany you to the Dragon province.


    He suddenly opened his mouth. The monster core flew out and circled around his body, as if it were under the traction of a certain invisible force. His thoughts revolved and the monster core shot out sharply, piercing through countless huge boulders inside the water pond in an instant. It was simply unstoppable, more frightening than any hidden weapon.


    Monsters and demons didn¡¯t understand how to cultivate a core, therefore they knew from birth how to absorb spiritual qi. Monsters and demons didn¡¯t know how to refine weapons either. A monster core was the strongest weapon.


    Although there was the danger of the monster core being snatched away once it was released, that could only be done with an absolute disparity in strength. So this kind of danger couldn¡¯t be really said to be any great danger either, because they would be done in all the same even if they didn¡¯t use their monster core, then have their monster core taken out. It was just the same as when human cultivators fought each others. There would simply be no more use in fighting if even your flying sword could be easily caught by the opponent.


    Li Qingshan looked at the monster core floating in front of him and thought, now there wouldn¡¯t be anyone who¡¯d believe him even if he said he was human.


    He observed carefully and found out the monster core wasn¡¯t wholly round. It was assembled by countless hexagonal fragments instead, seemingly a little different from ordinary monster cores. It was probably an effect of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets], but he¡¯d also only seen a single monster core and didn¡¯t dare be certain.


    Li Qingshan stretched his right hand. One transparent wave after another gathered inside his hand, condensing into a water ball, then transforming into various shapes. If one were to theorize it from the point of view of the five elements philosophy2, then he should belong to the category of water monsters, with the power of manipulating water spirits.


    He casually tossed the water ball aside, swallowed the monster core down, and shouted, ¡°Spirit Turtle Dark Armor!¡±


    No turtle shell actually appeared behind his back. A ball-shaped shield of spiritual light filled up instead. This spherical shape was the same as the monster core under closer examination, also formed by countless countless hexagons joined together.


    The flow of the waterfall flying down fell on the Spirit Turtle Dark Armor. There was not a single drip of water bead that could fall on Li Qingshan¡¯s body.


    This was an innate supernatural skill he¡¯d comprehended after forming his monster core, but it didn¡¯t stop there.


    Li Qingshan straightened his body and sucked in a deep mouthful of air. He lifted his head and issued a wild howl. His monster qi triggered sound waves and set off a fierce gale soaring straight to the sky. The waterfall was split open by the surge. There were even deep fan-shaped marks left behind on the rocky wall.


    The ¡°Tiger Demon Wild Howl¡± seemed awe-inspiring, but it could only cause oscillations to be used when bullying weaklings. It had almost no use against an opponent at the same level. Now this howl of his had a reduced area of influence, but it could split water apart and crack stone, causing genuine killing wounds.


    This was the second supernatural skill he¡¯d comprehended. He gave it the name of ¡°Tiger Demon Killing Howl.¡±


    ¡°Bull Demon Hoof Stamp!¡±


    Li Qingshan jumped into the water and heavily stamped on the bottom of the pond. The rocks that had gone through an untold amount of impacts from the flow of water suddenly shattered to pieces, the circular shockwaves raging to all sides. Reefs broke loudly wherever they went.


    It seemed ten thousand tons of explosives had detonated at the bottom of the pool, pushing the entire pond of water flying up the sky, exposing the completely shattered bottom.


    Bull, Tiger, Turtle, three types of creatures, three types of innate supernatural skills that had been comprehended at the same time the moment Li Qingshan had formed his monster core.


    Afterwards was precisely the moment to ¡°become a man again.¡±


    End of Book 2


    TN: A little explanation about the term ¡°monster.¡± Most of the time it refers to the term Ñý (yao) or Ñý¹Ö (yaoguai). The best translation would probably be ¡°yokai,¡± the evil monsters/spirits from Japanese lore, but I was reluctant to use a Japanese term in a CN novel, not because I have anything against Japanese people or culture but because it might have broken immersion in a CN novel themed after Chinese mythology.


    So the ¡°monsters,¡± for lack of a better term, refer to intelligent creatures of mostly animal origin who are often said to be man-eating, to be often disguised in a (mostly) human shape, and so on, but not exactly embodying evil like ¡°demons¡± even if they are seen as evil.


    There is also the term Ñýħ (yao mo), which technically means yokai and demon, and commonly just refers to evil creatures in general. It¡¯s usually translated as just demons, and here I¡¯ve translated it as monsters and demons, monstrous demons, or simply demons, since there¡¯s no distinction between them in the story so far.


    1. ¡°Strengthen their bones, weaken their wills, empty their hearts, and fill their bellies¡± is a twist on a passage from the Tao Te Ching: ¡°Hence the sage, in the exercise of government, empties their minds, fills their bellies, weakens their wills, and strengthens their bones.¡±


    2. The five elements philosophy is more accurately called the five phase philosophy: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

 Chapter 103

    The pond water became a stormy rain as it fell. A rainbow ring formed under the sunlight¡¯s shine.Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes were tightly shut, his expression solemn. The monster core restrained its entire aura and continuously sank down inside his body, resembling a spirit turtle shrinking back into its shell, submerging into the abysses of a sea trench, entering a hibernation extending to thousands of years, unperceived by anyone, its existence becoming legend.


    Li Qingshan once again opened his eyes and jumped to the lake shore. By the time he¡¯d come in front of Little An, he¡¯d turned once again into that Li Qingshan from before. Saying it like this was perhaps inaccurate.


    Because he currently didn¡¯t have bulging muscles with clear outlines anymore. He didn¡¯t have the hard-edged temperament either, anything outstanding about his person entirely hidden and understated. He was just like an ordinary mountain villager at first glance, without anything exceptional or peculiar about him any longer. There was merely a tranquil profoundness in the depths of his eyes.


    He looked at his own pair of human hands and suddenly remembered that he was already sixteen years old.


    His concept of time became blurred when he led the existence of a monster. It only became distinct once more all of a sudden after the recovery of his human form.


    He¡¯d come to this world for sixteen years. The experience he¡¯d gone through during this half-year was more spectacular than even the fifteen years and a half before that all added together. From a human to a monster, and from a monster again to a human.


    His entire monster qi had been curbed inside that monster core, not leaking out in the slightest. Even other cultivators would have no way to find out he was actually a monster. It was funny and ironic that he¡¯d recovered everything of a human after comprehending the genuine dao of monsters and demons.


    There were untold multitudes of creatures in the world. Why were humans unable to cultivate into monsters against all expectations? Then again, a cat who cultivated into a monster was called a cat monster, a tiger cultivating into a monster was called a tiger monster. What would a man cultivating into a monster be called? A manster1?


    A burst of evil chills burst through Li Qingshan. He decided not to think about this issue anymore. He called Little An, ¡°I¡¯ve made you wait. We can depart!¡±


    A happy brilliance ignited inside Little An¡¯s eye sockets. He snuggled against Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan then took out that Sumeru ring the green bull had left for him. He had no idea what material it was made of. It was limpid and translucent, but it didn¡¯t expose any spiritual light. Now his entire true qi had melted into monster qi and been repressed, so he simply couldn¡¯t open this item. Although he was very curious what the green bull had truly left for him, he could only endure for now and slowly think of a way in the future. He tied the finger ring and treated it like a necklace, hanging it on his neck and hiding it beneath his clothes.


    He touched in passing that locust wooden plaque charred black. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Rather than those far distant goals, let¡¯s first help you recover a human body. However now you have to hide again.¡± Li Qingshan remembered at all times the duties he¡¯d taken responsibility for toward this child. It was Little An who would do his best to lend him a hand at every critical juncture. He didn¡¯t leave and didn¡¯t give up even in the most dangerous of times.


    Li Qingshan wouldn¡¯t say grateful words, he would merely store these emotions in the bottom of his heart. Moreover the ties and the feelings between them had long ago gone beyond trivial gratitude.


    He lifted his head and watched the rainbow. One silhouette after another emerged in his mind. The green bull, Little An, Gu Yanying, Halfmoon. These expectations, these pledges, these wild hopes, he would achieve them one by one.


    The mountain forest once again recovered its quietness. The deep pool no longer swirled into whirlpools; it had been thoroughly pacified by Li Qingshan¡¯s monster power.


    This sixteen years old youngster combining the better aspects from the two monster and human races once again stepped into the world of humans. How many dangers would he be able to brave past once more, how many stormy waves would he pacify?


    Li Qingshan carried Little An and came to the destroyed ruins of the Black Wind Camp. He couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    Since he was going to return to the world of mankind, he naturally couldn¡¯t do without yellow gold and white silver paving the way for him. Moreover, those silver notes he had on him had been destroyed by the blaze during the mountain temple battle and could no longer be used.


    He had then remembered that wealth left inside the Black Wind Camp and rejoiced at his own foresight back then. But he¡¯d then come to have a look and discovered traces of excavation everywhere. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The secret room under Xiong Xiangwu¡¯s bedroom had also been dug open as expected. The things inside had naturally been cleaned out.


    Li Qingshan took a deep breath in. ¡°What¡¯s this about, Tomb Raider2?¡±


    Inside Suncheer City, a wildly happy Ye Dachuan was madly kissing a transfer order. ¡°Haha, I can finally leave this damned place!¡±


    Leveling Black Wind Camp. Also putting down the Dragon Gate Sect as one of the local evil forces, treating it as his merit. The report went to the Clear River capital, and after layer upon layer of thorough audits, it was sent to the lord prefect¡¯s desk.


    Even the lord prefect was a little astonished that Ye Dachuan could achieve things like these. Moreover he couldn¡¯t resist his beloved concubine¡¯s bout of pillow talks either. Finally he approved a transfer order, moving Ye Dachuan away from Suncheer City.


    Of course, it was impossible if he were to think about going back and stir troubles in the Clear River capital, but he still managed to be transferred to the most prosperous place inside a radius of several hundred miles, Blessed Peace City. How could Ye Dachuan not be wild with joy.


    The adviser said, ¡°Congratulation master, congratulations master!¡±


    Ye Dachuan rejoiced for a while, then said sadly, ¡°My poor brother Qingshan!¡± He could still be said to be someone who didn¡¯t forgot those who dug the well when he drank from it.


    The adviser said with a sigh, ¡°My lord please restrain your sorrow. All of this is fate, no one can go against it!¡±


    Ye Dachuan thought a while and very quickly walked out from these shadows. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to burn a lot of paper money before departure and let my brother Qingshan properly bribe the ghost messengers, so that he can live a good life in the netherworld and be sent into a good family in his next life.¡±


    ¡°Sent into what good family?¡± Li Qingshan climbed past the wall with a strange complexion, falling inside the yard.


    ¡°Of course a great wealthy¡­ Great ghost!¡± Ye Dachuan had casually replied. His voiced had gradually slowed down and he¡¯d looked at the newcomer¡¯s face, then finally cried in alarm. Like a whisper of smoke, he hid behind the adviser¡¯s chair.


    The adviser said, ¡°My lord, calm down, calm down, what ghost would there be in broad daylight. It¡¯s constable Li who came back!¡±


    Ye Dachuan threw a glance at Li Qingshan. He saw the glorious summertime sun drag a long long shadow under Li Qingshan¡¯s feet. Only then did he sigh in relief and drill out from behind the adviser¡¯s chair. He grabbed Li Qingshan¡¯s hand: ¡°Brother Qingshan, you actually came back. Where have you gone during all this time?¡± His eyes brimmed with tears as he spoke on.


    Li Qingshan pulled his hand out and said, ¡°I suffered a little injury and went into closed door cultivation in the mountains for a while. Did you think me dead?¡±


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°It¡¯s all good if you¡¯re alive, all good if alive!¡± Then he told him the full story soon after. It turned out the news about Feng Zhang taking a bunch of first-grade masters to besiege Li Qingshan had spread out like wildfire. In the end everyone had disappeared from inside the mountains.


    There had been quite a few people searching in the mountains during these few months, but they all merely found a mountain temple burned to ashes. There had been simply no way to tell who the broken bones left behind belonged to, hence rumors sprang up in every corner.


    Some said Feng Zhang had killed people and silenced them for good after snatching the spirit ginseng, then gone into hiding. There were also some who said that another master had acted and killed everyone.


    But Li Qingshan was a dead man no matter which rumor it was. No one believed he could survive in such circumstances, therefore everyone regarded him as dead. But they hadn¡¯t thought that Li Qingshan would actually truly walk out from inside the mountains, and the only one to walk out of the mountains at that.


    ¡°It¡¯s all the better since you came back. It just happens you can follow me to Blessed Peace. Look, what do you think this?¡± Ye Dachua proudly patted the transfer order, his fat face smiling until his eyes were about to disappear. He was happy from the bottom of his heart that Li Qingshan was able to return. Li Qingshan was his lucky star general.


    Li Qingshan said in an odd tone as soon as he saw the transfer order, ¡°County commissioner? Isn¡¯t that even half a grade lower.¡±


    Usually a small county city didn¡¯t have a county commissioner. Only the big ones did, some even had two or three of them. They stood under the county magistrate, and naturally couldn¡¯t compare to the power of a county magistrate who was the one who monopolized the final say.


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°That¡¯s something you don¡¯t know. It¡¯s better to beg for food in a golden lair rather than be called king in a doghouse. What profit is there in a lousy place like Suncheer City? And if you earn money, you can¡¯t find any pleasure house to drink with women in even if you wanted to¡­¡±


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but laugh despite himself when he heard county magistrate Ye yak about wining, whoring, and gambling. But inside it actually gave him a little more of the feeling he¡¯d genuinely returned to the human world. Perhaps it could be said to be vulgar, but weren¡¯t these things precisely what mankind pursued?


    The three words Blessed Peace City actually stirred his heart. He touched the iron wolf badge in his bosom. That Red Eagle captain ¡°Old Wang¡± once said to go to Blessed Peace City and report to Zhuo Zhibo if he could live on, and then he could become an Eagle Wolf guard. But he hadn¡¯t entirely thought this matter through and couldn¡¯t make a decision for the moment.


    No one could be sure that the Feng Zhang he¡¯d done in wouldn¡¯t have some colleagues and old friends in Blessed Peace City. The Zhuo Zhibo who¡¯d sent Feng Zhang to Suncheer City wouldn¡¯t necessarily have a good opinion of him either.


    The adviser was indeed worthy of being the adviser. Although he wasn¡¯t aware of that much inside information, he still thought of this and warned Ye Dachuan, ¡°That Feng Zhang who didn¡¯t put anyone in his eyes came precisely from Blessed Peace City. Moreover we haven¡¯t found his whereabouts yet, even now. It¡¯s hard to guarantee the Eagle Wolf Guard won¡¯t investigate.¡±


    Ye Dachuan¡¯s expression also changed. ¡°That¡¯s right, brother Qingshan you have to be even more careful. Or else you better flee and we¡¯ll pretend none of us saw you come back.¡± With his status, he still didn¡¯t know the news about Feng Zhang being fired by Wang Pushi face to face. The disappearance of an Eagle Wolf guard, that was a matter of major concern.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Many thanks for my lord¡¯s care. But there¡¯s actually no need to worry about this matter. I have something I wish to consult for advice?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Who dug the Black Wind Camp?¡± It was impossible such a great amount of work hadn¡¯t stirred any news about its activity. He couldn¡¯t lack money no matter where he went. One had to pay some price for plucking hair from the tiger¡¯s ass.


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°It¡¯s, it¡¯s the Iron Fist Gate who took people there. Qingshan don¡¯t be impulsive.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s actually nothing to be impulsive about. I¡¯ll just ask my money back, would they dare refuse?¡± Li Qingshan was a little curious about Ye Dachuan¡¯s attitude. He was the one who¡¯d leveled the Black Wind Camp and the Dragon Gate Sect, would the Iron Fist Gate still dare to make things difficult for him?


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°I heard a protector recently came to the Iron Fist Gate, apparently it¡¯s to investigate hall master Wu¡¯s whereabouts. Liu Hong excavated these things precisely to show respect and give him presents. I heard it¡¯s also an innate master, maybe not so good to deal with.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± He disappeared outside the walls as soon as his voice fell. He crossed over roof tiles after roof tiles and arrived inside the Iron Fist Gate. He wasn¡¯t in a rush to make an appearance however, but bent his ears and listened carefully.


    After he¡¯d repressed his monster qi and transformed into a human shape, his five senses and six consciousnesses3 all couldn¡¯t compare to when he was in a demon state, but they were still far superior compared to ordinary people. Within a thousand feet, even the sounds of mosquitoes clearly came to his ears. He immediately found Liu Hong¡¯s location.


    Hundreds of children stood tidily and neatly in the the martial training field lighted by a dazzling sun hanging high above. They stepped forward one by one.


    1. A joke totally lost in translation I couldn¡¯t find an equivalent of. A ¡°man monster,¡± ÈËÑý, is slang for a crossdresser, an effeminate homosexual, a ladyboy, a transsexual, something like that.


    2. The original text says Gold Stealing Officers instead of Tomb Raider. The ¡°Gold Stealing Officers¡± was a sect of grave robbers toward the end of the Han dynasty, allegedly established by Cao Cao to fund his armies during the era of the Three Kingdoms.


    3. ¡°Five senses and six consciousnesses¡± can be understood as merely an expression that means ¡°all the senses,¡± but if you¡¯re curious the six consciousnesses, or six vi??¨¡?a (yes I had to google the term :P), are Buddhist concepts derived from the six base senses recognized in Buddhism: eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind.

 Chapter 104

    An old man with a goatee and wearing a long ocher gown took their pulse one by one. He shook his head from time to time, nodded from time to time, or raised and lowered their hands from time to time. On his left was Liu Hong, and behind him stood Dragon Li, ready to replenish his tea at any time.A crowd of Iron Fist Gate disciples formed a human wall, keeping many people outside the human wall, whether male or female, young or old. They were seemingly these children¡¯s relatives, all anxiously watching their own children. They beamed from ear to ear if they could obtain the old man¡¯s nod. They hung their heads crestfallen when the old man shook his head.


    This was a great figure come thousand miles away from Clear River City, a solemn protector of the Iron Fist Gate with exceedingly wonderful martial arts. Their children could truly reach the sky in a single step if they could obtain his approval.


    Li Qingshan had seen the old man with a single glance. This old man had a dense aura all around him, a tad stronger than Feng Zhang. He was indeed an innate master, but he wasn¡¯t any dangerous character. He was confident he could kill this old man in a single move if he were to transform into monster form. It wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble even if he were to maintain his human form either, he would merely need to spend some effort.


    He was only curious about what they were doing.


    Liu Hong sat beside the old man. The two of them were all elderly people, but even insensible children could tell the disparity in momentum between them. Liu Hong sighed inside. There had truly been quite a few extraordinary characters who¡¯d come to this Suncheer City of late.


    Ever since he¡¯d come to this Suncheer City in retirement, he hadn¡¯t seen for a great many years this protector Yan, Yan Song. But then again, with his second-grade talent, he hadn¡¯t seen him more than a few times even back in the days. The last time had been at the headquarters¡¯ master¡¯s birthday feast more than ten years ago. At that time he was still in the prime of his life, while protector Yan already had this same appearance. Now he¡¯d already become an old man, but this protector Yan actually hadn¡¯t changed in the slightest.


    Liu Hong said, ¡°Protector Yan, better take a little rest!¡±


    ¡°Please have tea!¡± Dragon Li hurriedly added tea from the side. Hall master Wu had died a violent death, canceling his plans of leaving Suncheer City, but his heart was happy instead. He hadn¡¯t liked hall master Wu to begin with, being so rude toward his master. Served him right to die. In the turn of an eye came a protector Yan again, but not only his martial ability was even higher, his manners were also much steadier. He was arrogant but didn¡¯t expose it, and he could even directly take him to Clear River City.


    Yan Song stopped. He leisurely drank a mouthful of tea. ¡°I¡¯m old, my bones and body are no longer any good.¡± He let these children stand under the sun.


    Liu Hong said, ¡°Where is the headquarters¡¯ master?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can also be regarded as an elderly of the sect. How would we blame the one named Wu¡¯s own uselessness on you. I will make things clear to the headquarters¡¯ master.¡± Yan Song¡¯s mood wasn¡¯t bad. It was of course because he¡¯d gotten quite a few benefits from Liu Hong. He didn¡¯t actually care much about the silver, but one of the ancient paintings was from the hand of a famous master. It could even be said to be hard to obtain even with thousand golds, and just happened to match his taste.


    Liu Hong said in great delight, ¡°Then I have to give many thanks to the protector. How do your honored self find these children?¡±


    Yan Song said, ¡°There are a few good seedlings among these children. I don¡¯t know whether they can refine qi, but at least it¡¯s enough to train in martial arts. Children with decent aptitude would have been cleanly rounded up a long ago if we were in the Clean River capital city. You have to struggle and scramble in order to obtain a good seedling when one appears. How could there be such a casual selection.¡±


    Liu Hong said, ¡°It¡¯s all due to the headquarters¡¯ master¡¯s wisdom.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    Yan Song lifted his head at this time. He saw a crack open in the human wall built from Iron Fist Gate disciples. A young man walked in. But he ordered after throwing one glance, ¡°Let him go out. He¡¯s too old.¡± Moreover he was also too ordinary; there was fundamentally nothing about him worth his attention.


    But the Iron Fist Gate disciples actually didn¡¯t obey his words and stop this young man. They split on both sides instead in alarm. Yan Song was somewhat curious. He saw Dragon Li beside him, and even Liu Hong, open their eyes wide: ¡°Li Qingshan!¡±


    The crowd of people was even noisier as they separately discussed, ¡°Isn¡¯t this Li Qingshan?¡± ¡°Black Tiger Li Qingshan!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t they say he died? How did he come back?¡± Li Qingshan could also be regarded as a personage of fame inside Suncheer City now.


    Li Qingshan walked forward and waved with a smile in greeting. ¡°Gate master Liu, long time no see. This one must be some protector right, it¡¯s my honor it¡¯s my honor.¡±


    Yan Song frowned. He remembered another goal of his current journey, wasn¡¯t it precisely for the sake of this young man?


    Liu Hong said awkwardly, ¡°You¡­ You came back!¡±


    Li Qingshan went straight to the point and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. This time I have to act like an unwelcome guest and invite gate master Liu to give me a few things. Or else change them into silver notes, I would rather get a little less. After all, it wasn¡¯t easy for you to dig it out either.¡± The current Li Qingshan seemed very placid, without any awe-inspiring might or baleful aura.


    Liu Hong looked at Yan Song. Yan Song tasted the tea and faintly said, ¡°You¡¯re that Li Qingshan? You still dare to come back? Now I¡¯ll ask you questions, and you¡¯ll give me answers. One less answer will result in one more slap. How did hall master Wu die?¡±


    He didn¡¯t even stand up. This wasn¡¯t at all someone worth him standing up, and Li Qingshan¡¯s ¡°disrespect¡± had also made him somewhat angry. He must have eaten panther guts and actually dared to ask things from him. Moreover there were a good many signs hall master Wu¡¯s death had a great relation with this person, so he naturally wouldn¡¯t be polite with an enemy.


    Li Qingshan was hiding his strength? Perhaps! But even if Li Qingshan were a first-grade master, or even an innate master who¡¯d reached the realm of qi refining, then what about it? With his strength at the second layer of qi refining, how many people were able to enter his eyes.


    Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t a stranger to such behavior. This was someone who had absolute confidence in his own strength and believed he could subdue the scene. Everyone had to listen to his arrangements and follow his orders.


    After Li Qingshan had seen these characters soaring to the horizon however, he now felt it extremely amusing looking at this appearance of Yan Song¡¯s. It was just like a toad shouting in great croaks, gesticulating to and ordering about a bunch of insects and flies, believing itself a king.


    Therefore Li Qingshan laughed. At least I can be regarded as a frog, and a very strong one at that.


    The corner of Liu Hong¡¯s eyes twitched. He hadn¡¯t seen this kid as he went out for a stroll for a few months. He originally thought he¡¯d become a little more subdued, but he hadn¡¯t expected he was still the same after coming back. Mild on the surface, but utterly arrogant in his bones.


    Yan Song¡¯s face became suddenly chilly. ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I saw something laughable, so of course I¡¯ll laugh.¡±


    Yan Song slowly stood up and said, ¡°You try laughing again.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Cut the nonsense. You must have swallowed all my things right, now hurry up and spit them all out.¡±


    Yan Song crossed a distance of several feet in one step and came in front of Li Qingshan without any warning. He lifted his hand and fiercely slapped his palm down. He wanted to slap Li Qingshan¡¯s face so he would never be able to laugh again in this life, so he would know the price to be paid for provoking the Iron Fist Gate.


    ¡°Pa.¡± A crisp and loud slap.


    Yan Song¡¯s head was slanted to one side, a burst of fleshy waves surging on his old face. His eyes were open wide and round. A tooth flew out. His mind was fully in disbelief. He clearly hadn¡¯t sensed the slightest bit of internal strength or true qi on Li Qingshan, but his speed was quick and violent beyond compare against all expectations. Was it possible that he was a body refining master? But looking at him, he didn¡¯t have any of the particular momentum of a body refining master.


    Li Qingshan had seen Yan Song trying to give him a face slap. He didn¡¯t have much anger in his heart, mostly lamenting instead. The originally quick and violent movement was now actually so slow in his eyes, so slow he simply was doubtful whether his own assessment was mistaken or not.


    As to Yan Song, he¡¯d exposed quite a few openings because he¡¯d underestimated the enemy. Li Qingshan would naturally not let them slip by. He hit a slap on Yan Song¡¯s face, his smile unchanging. ¡°If you don¡¯t spit it out, I¡¯ll just hit you until you spit it out.¡±


    ¡°Protector Yan!¡± Liu Hong was dumbfounded. The protector Yan of invincible might had unexpectedly suffered a slap in front of so many people. He was even more surprised Li Qingshan had actually beome so strong and fierce. Such a rate of growth was simply too fearsome.


    A burst of astonishment also went through the crowd of people. They were willing to come with their families¡¯ sons and heirs because Yan Song had exposed genuine skills. He¡¯d exploded a wooden stake more than ten feet thick in one punch. For them it was simply the power of divine immortals.


    Dragon Li couldn¡¯t resist wiping his eyes clean. Was this really that bull baby from Crouching Bull Village? He felt he was becoming less and less familiar with this fellow villager.


    Yan Song¡¯s heart was furious. He retreated a step back and adjusted his body. The true qi in his entire body rushed into his pair of fists.


    Pa!


    How would Li Qingshan give him the opportunity to make a move. He went forward a step as soon as he saw Yan Song¡¯s posture and once again hit him with a slap.


    How great was Li Qingshan¡¯s strength? Yan Song was hit dizzy, and it routed the true qi he¡¯d just assembled. But he wasn¡¯t resigned and once again revolved it inside, about to strike at Li Qingshan. S?a??h the N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Pa.¡± The third slap landed down. Empty-handed close combat was just like this; it was very difficult to recover once struck downwind.


    ¡°Pa Pa Pa.¡± The slapping sounds were incomparably crisp and clear, shocking the martial training field. There was no longer any other sound other than the slapping.


    Li Qingshan hit Yan Song without the slightest courtesy every single time the latter showed signs of striking back. The reason he chose slaps wasn¡¯t simply to pay back a tooth for a tooth, but because he didn¡¯t have the intent to kill, hence he couldn¡¯t use strong attacks either. Hitting the head was actually the best choice to repress Yan Song downwind. Slaps weren¡¯t strong enough to be lethal, while they could also produce dizzying shakes and ruin Yan Song¡¯s movements. It was truly the optimal way.


    Yan Song retreated back step by step. Li Qingshan advanced step by step.


    With a crashing bang, Yan Song sat again on his great lion chair1. He shielded his head and face as he shouted, ¡°Stop hitting!¡± He¡¯d actually woken up from his rage after suffering several slaps and become afraid instead. Li Qingshan could kill him. The older men grew, the more they cherished life.


    Li Qingshan indeed took his hand back. ¡°Hand over my things!¡±


    Yan Song¡¯s face was sometimes pale white and sometimes flush red. He roared, ¡°Liu Hong! What are you still doing standing there!¡± But he secretly slipped his hand inside his bosom at the same time. He likewise had talismans he used as trump cards. Losing so much face in front of so many people, he couldn¡¯t be a man anymore if he didn¡¯t take revenge for this hatred.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I urge you not to use it!¡±


    Yan Song¡¯s hand trembled.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°You wanted to hit my face, so I hit your face. If you want to kill me, then I can only kill you.¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s words were tranquil and unperturbed. He didn¡¯t even stop Yan Song from taking his talisman. Yan Song squeezed the corner of the talisman, his expression going through an even stronger change. He couldn¡¯t take it out anymore for the moment.


    Yan Song said, ¡°Is it really¡­ really you who killed hall master Wu, killed those people?¡± Although there was no way to identify the skeletons, quite a few ruined weapons had seen been found. Hall master Wu¡¯s iron gloves were among them.


    1. I previously translated the chair as great lion chair because it¡¯s the literal translation and because it fits with Liu Hong¡¯s Iron Lion title. It¡¯s actually a wooden chair that also symbolized power in ancient China. Often found in palaces, government offices, or as the chair of the head of the family, etc. An example among several styles:

 Chapter 105

    Li Qingshan faintly smiled in silence, neither admitting nor denying.Yan Song said, ¡°Dark Wolf guard Feng Zhang also died by your hands?¡± He would never have believed such a ridiculous thing before, that one Dark Wolf guard, five first-grade masters, together with a great crowd of second-grade and third-grade masters would actually die by the hands of an unknown nobody kid. But now he believed somewhat.


    Li Qingshan still didn¡¯t answer.


    Yan Song pulled his hand out. There wasn¡¯t any talisman in it.


    Li Qingshan said smiling, ¡°Not fighting?¡±


    Yan Song said, ¡°You¡¯re dead for certain, there¡¯s no need for me to waste my things on a dead man.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Oh? How do you mean?¡±


    Yan Song said, ¡°Do you believe you can continue to live after killing a Dark Wolf guard?¡±


    Li Qingshan said noncommittal, ¡°This matter doesn¡¯t require your honored elderly self to worry about it. Please hand my things over!¡±


    A fit of pallor crossed over Yan Song¡¯s face. Liu Hong went forward and pulled Li Qingshan to one side, pleading, ¡°Qingshan, I only dug those things out because I didn¡¯t know you were still alive. If you want silver I¡¯ll just give it to you, alright?¡±


    Li Qingshan spread his hands in a shrug and said, ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted from the start.¡± He wanted to be reasonable with others, however others always had to be unreasonable instead and insisted on talking with fists. S?a??h th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Iron Fist Gate disciples dispersed everyone after a meaningful look from Liu Hong, emptying such a big martial training field.


    Ye Dachuan had caught up at this time, riding on a sedan chair. He obtained a rough understanding of the situation after watching each and everyone¡¯s expression, then again seeing the red mark not yet faded from Yan Song¡¯s face. He silently thought, delightful. They¡¯d arranged a feast to entertain Yan Song some days ago, but this bird stool protector had acted like he considered everyone else beneath him. Now you¡¯ve seen our ferociousness right?


    He pretended to cough twice. ¡°Does protector Yan have some misunderstanding with constable Li? As the saying goes, it¡¯s better to quell enmity rather than keeping it alive. I¡¯ll act the host at noon, and be the mediator for the both of you.¡±


    Yan Song flatly interrupted, ¡°No need, there¡¯s nothing I have to say to a dead man!¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°You say that again!¡± A loser still dared to be so rampant, do you truly believe I won¡¯t dare to be merciless?


    Yan Song snorted coldly but indeed didn¡¯t dare speak any further. It was precisely the so-called circumstances being stronger than men.


    Ye Dachuan said with curiosity, ¡°What dead man?¡± After understanding the entirety of the matter, he was also indeed starting to worry for Li Qingshan.


    Dragon Li said in a small voice, ¡°Qingshan, you better hurry and leave!¡± Yan Song gave him a cold look.


    Li Qingshan laughed coldly inside. You really believe I don¡¯t have long to live? He mildly said, ¡°I was actually about to go to Blessed Peace City and join the Eagle Wolf Guard.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Everyone was stunned.


    ¡°What a joke! With just, hmph!¡± Yan Song started to laugh coldly. He¡¯d wanted to say ¡°With just your skills,¡± but then he remembered Li Qingshan truly had this strength, so he could only coldly hump in disdain.


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Red Eagle Captain old Wang let me go to Blessed City and report to Zhuo Zhibo.¡±


    Yan Song cried out in alarm, ¡°How¡¯s that possible? You killed Feng Zhang, you¡¯re the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s mortal enemy.¡±


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°Is¡­is that true?¡±


    Li Qingshan took out that dark wolf waist badge and waved it. ¡°Feng Zhang has already been fired from the Eagle Wolf Guard, they¡¯re probably letting me take over his position!¡± Keeping a low-profile was for a stalking beast to hunt and kill its prey at a critical moment, not for being despised and looked down upon by even some beam-hopping clown who¡¯d then ultimately make a lot of trouble for him. That wasn¡¯t low-key anymore, but stupid. If you yourself lower yourself down to the ground, then don¡¯t blame others for stepping on you. Only displaying sufficient strength and influence was the proper way to reduce your troubles.


    Liu Hong and Dragon Li shared a look, both rendered speechless. What kind of luck was that. Li Qingshan had been but a young country man half a year ago that could set himself against rascals and scoundrels at best, but now he could already join the Eagle Wolf Guard whose mere mention sent terror to the hearts of men from the martial world. It was simply a meteoric rise.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s expression was undisturbed. Yan Song didn¡¯t want to believe, but he couldn¡¯t not believe. He¡¯d made some inquiries after coming to Suncheer and also knew that the one who¡¯d led Li Qingshan away from the restaurant that day was the Red Wolf Captain Hua Chengzan. He¡¯d taken Feng Zhang and Li Qingshan to go meet with Wang Pushi.


    He couldn¡¯t understand how these two would come to a lousy place like this, but the result was very clear. Li Qingshan had ultimately come back while Feng Zhang had died a violent death. Those two people hadn¡¯t helped one of their own like Feng Zhang; the implications therein had truly provided food for thought. Now all had been made clear.


    Wang Pushi had actually fired Feng Zhang on the spot. Li Qingshan also actually dared to call Wang Pushi ¡°old Wang.¡± Was it possible that he had some kind of relationship with Wang Pushi? The expression in his eyes had already changed when he rested them again on Li Qingshan.


    He originally thought that Li Qingshan would have had to find ways of protecting himself even if the Eagle Wolf Guard didn¡¯t actively look for him, but now he had no way but to quell this thought. Only the Eagle Wolf Guard retaliated against other, such were the ways of the world. Was there anyone who dared to retaliate against the Eagle Wolf Guard.


    Then he regretted being too impetuous as he thought a little deeper. The other side had such a powerful strength at such a young age, and he was also able to escape from death¡¯s clutches in such dangerous circumstances. It was very possible some figure stood behind him. How could he really treat him like an ordinary kid?


    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Ye Dachuan was delighted. ¡°Before I was still worried you couldn¡¯t go to Blessed Peace, it just happens we can go together this time.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I¡¯m still thinking whether I¡¯m going or not.¡±


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°Why not go, it¡¯s really cool joining the Eagle Wolf Guard, you don¡¯t even need to pay when you go to brothels and gambling dens.¡±


    Li Qingshan sweat a little. So that was the advantage of joining the Eagle Wolf Guard? If ¡°old Wang¡± were here, I can¡¯t say for sure he wouldn¡¯t slap you to death with his greatsword.


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°It¡¯s late already, let¡¯s go let¡¯s go let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll chat while we eat.¡±


    How would Liu Hong let Ye Dachuan make the arrangements. He¡¯d long ago let the sect disciples make appropriate arrangements. Yan Song unexpectedly also sat down after his expression went through a burst of fluctuations. He didn¡¯t talk anymore about what ¡°there¡¯s nothing I need to say to a dead man.¡±


    Afterwards Ye Dachuan and Liu Hong played the mediators. After downing several cups of wine down his belly, Yan Song borrowed the tipsiness and searched for himself a way out of the embarrassing situation. He clinked cups with Li Qingshan and said awkwardly, ¡°Li¡­ Young hero Li¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t pursue the matter about hall master Wu anymore. Even their headquarters¡¯ master would blame him if he were to offend an Eagle Wolf guard for the sake of a hall master.


    Li Qingshan faintly smiled, ¡°Protector Yan, I have sinned against you earlier. Now I¡¯ll drink three cups in punishment and offer you an apology.¡± He cleanly drained his wine from the cup in one gulp, then followed it with another three cups. He had no reason and no desire either to feud with people. It was of course all for the best if he could resolve the contradictions.


    A burst of cheers rose from the table. Yan Song¡¯s expression also became much better.


    Liu Hong said, ¡°Everyone¡¯s a man of the rivers and lakes, everyone¡¯s got a big temper. There¡¯s nothing more normal than bumping and clashing together. But don¡¯t they say that it¡¯s better to squash enmity rather than to let it endure, or that you can¡¯t make friends if you don¡¯t fight first? One more friend is one more road, one more enemy is one more wall blocking your way. I¡¯ve lived so long. My martial skills are mediocre, but it¡¯s thanks to this principle that I can foster my later years.¡±


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°Right right right, it¡¯s reason itself.¡± He was in a hurry to praise Li Qingshan in his mind. He knew when to advance and when to retreat, relied on strength but didn¡¯t scare the weak. His conduct and behavior simply didn¡¯t resemble that of a sixteen years old young man.


    The both of them had experienced through many battlefields. Their level at enlivening the atmosphere was top rate. Now with Li Qingshan¡¯s attitude, one said a remark and the other added a word; soon the atmosphere became friendlier and more harmonious. Yan Song thickened his facial skin and made discreet inquiries. Li Qingshan¡¯s relationship with Wang Pushi was something everyone was curious about. No one spoke anymore in the space of a moment, only watching Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan had no desire to be the fox borrowing the tiger¡¯s might. ¡°This ¡°old Wang¡± is actually called Wang Pushi, I¡¯m not familiar with him.¡±


    Everyone exposed a disappointed expression, but Yan Song didn¡¯t actually believe him. If Wang Pushi didn¡¯t know you, would he take so much care of you and fire Feng Zhang for your sake?


    Then he asked again, ¡°Those two sirs are divine dragons that wouldn¡¯t show their tails in ordinary times inside Suncheer, why would they come to Suncheer City?¡±


    Li Qingshan had no intention of hiding things either. He talked in broad strokes about Gu Yanying¡¯s matter, but concealed the topics about ¡°concubine Serenity¡± and ¡°cat monsters.¡±


    ¡°White Eagle Captain! Bodhi brew!¡± Yan Song swallowed his spittle. This was a character from the legends for him, with power and privileges so great he couldn¡¯t even imagine. There was also the Bodhi brew of resounding fame,something only their headquarters¡¯s master had had the good fortune of drinking a cup of once. These little doubts originally still in his mind were hence definitely squashed. He could completely imagine how furious he would feel inside if an indiscreet subordinate were to drag his legs while he tried to curry favors with the headquarters¡¯ master.


    ¡°Being fancied by captain Gu, Qingshan, your future prospects are immeasurable!¡± The indignation and rancor arisen from having his face slapped by Li Qingshan earlier were immediately swept away. The expression in his eyes when looking at Li Qingshan now was even a little more respectful.


    It was just like a small-time bureaucrat hearing a certain colleague having an interview with national leader, and they¡¯d even amiably conversed. They would feel deep veneration despite themselves. Why would he still bicker about these tiny grudges.


    ¡°Perhaps!¡± Li Qingshan discovered that the Iron Fist Gate was very amenable to circumstances from top to bottom. The taste in his heart was a little complicated however. That free and extraordinary woman with clothes whiter than snow had merely invited him to drink a cup of alcohol, but it was enough to thoroughly change the way an innate master looked at himself. It made him also even more cognizant of the gap between them.


    Ye Dachuan took a deep breath in. ¡°The three great heavyweights of the Ruyi region!¡± He¡¯d mixed in Clear River City for many years. He had no scholarly successes and no martial achievement, but he was indeed very familiar with these street gossips and marketplace rumors.


    Li Qingshan said with curiosity, ¡°What are the three great heavyweights of the Ruyi region?¡±


    Yan Song said, ¡°The marquis of Ruyi Jiang Fu, White Eagle Captain Gu Yanying, Great General Han Anguo, belonging respectively to the three Mohist, Legalist, and Military schools of thought1 Jiang Fu manages government affairs and commands the nine prefectures. Gu Yanying manages the Eagle Wolf Guard and holds the supervision of the law in her hands. Han Anguo leads the Han clan¡¯s army and is in charge of military power. Each of them is a character with influence filling the sky, hence the streets call them the three great heavyweights of the Ruyi region. I heard it¡¯s even this captain Gu who has the greatest influence among them.¡±


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°Without even comparing influence, the Eagle Wolf Guard has the responsibility of supervising the armed troops and the hundreds of officials. This captain Gu is the one people dare provoke the least. Qingshan, you¡¯re bound to immediately soar straight to the sky since you were able to casually obtain a promotion from her.¡±


    Li Qingshan silently noted these information down. It turned out the Eagle Wolf Guard belonged to the Legalist school. Then those who came from Mohist and Military schools were probably not scholars and soldiers either. How could people as equally famous as Gu Yanying be mere mortals? The waters of this world were simply immeasurably deep. But of course, the great majority of people would never have any opportunity in their whole lives to come into contact with any on among the three.


    He also felt at the same time that reconciling with Yan Song was an incomparably correct decision. One more friend didn¡¯t necessarily open one more road, but he came from Clear River City and certainly knew many information he himself was unaware of. These information were extremely important for him, even relating to whether he would go to Blessed Peace or not.


    Afterwards he also learned from Ye Dachuan that other than these three big heavyweights of the Ruyi region, Clear River prefecture also had three little heavyweights. Those were the Clear River prefect, the Red Eagle captain, and the Clear River general.


    1. The three schools are part of the Hundred Schools of Thoughts during the Warring States Period (475 ¨C 221 BC) in China.


    The Mohist school was founded by Mozi and emphasized impartial and pragmatic policies. The Legal school has already been mentioned earlier in the story. Founded by Han Fei, it¡¯s said that it took inspiration for the Mohist school and emphasized law and order. It was adopted by the Qin and later the Han dynasties as model for their governments. The Military school of thought studied warfare and strategy. One of its leaders was Sunzi, the author of the The Art of War.

 Chapter 106

    Li Qingshan gained some more understanding of the imperial court¡¯s structure. This probably could also be regarded as the separation of powers into three branches! It seemed very primitive, but it was fundamentally impossible to use meticulous ways of government because the surface area was too big. Therein, the Eagle Wolf Guard rather resembled the Ming Dynasty¡¯s two Depots and one Guard1. Its influence was comparatively even a little greater. He couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°So the Eagle Wolf Guard turns out to be so extraordinary.¡± S?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.Ye Dachuan said, ¡°That¡¯s right, so don¡¯t hesitate, a great future is waiting for you.¡±


    Yan Song said, ¡°Not spending money for wining and gambling is only a small thing. Would you still lack this little money as an Eagle Wolf guard? Qingshan you don¡¯t look to me like someone who adores power and influence, but the Eagle Wolf Guard also has many spiritual devices, spiritual stones, spiritual medicine, and techniques. There¡¯s probably no qi refining warrior that wouldn¡¯t be tempted.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Qi refining warrior? Then what¡¯s an innate master?¡±


    Li Qingshan was modestly asking for guidance, and Yan Song¡¯s state of mind was increasingly milder and gentler. He was willing to be the light that guided the way. Moreover these things were nothing more than common knowledge.


    It turned out that there were an extremely low amount of people who were able to refine true qi from the beginning. They were the so-called qi refining warriors. But to become a qi refining warrior required extremely high natural talents; the great majority of people couldn¡¯t walk on this road. There was another road they could travel however, which was to train internal strength. Internal strength almost didn¡¯t have any harsh requirements on natural talent. Almost everyone could develop internal strength as long as you weren¡¯t not foolish or stupid and were willing to persevere,.


    The internal arts trained by ordinary martial artists were equivalent to simplified and weaker qi refining techniques, with lowered requirements for natural talent. They were easier of entry and allowed almost everyone to learn them. But the internal strength trained this way was far from matching the effects of true qi, because they didn¡¯t genuinely unblock the meridians but were still restricted by the meridians. They were unable to nourish the five internal organs2, and even less able to radiate outside the body.


    However, as long as one could train internal strength to the pinnacle and once again achieve a breakthrough, then they could transform it into true qi and become a qi refining warrior. Such people were precisely the commonly called innate masters.


    The path of qi refining was divided into ten levels.


    Moreover it wasn¡¯t as primitive as the kind of division in first-grade or second-grade masters inside the martial world. Sometimes it was very difficult to ascertain whether a certain person was a first-grade or second-grade master, because there the martial skills they trained in were each different, with a thousandfold diversity in effect, and their approaches were also greatly different.


    But when it came to the way of qi refining, no matter the cultivation or the technique, they were all for the sake of unblocking the eight extraordinary meridians3. Those were the Yang Heel meridian, Yin Heel meridian, Yang Linking meridian, Yin Linking meridian, Belt meridian, Penetrating meridian, Conception meridian, and Governing meridian.


    These eight meridians were neither subordinate to the heart and lungs nor did they coordinate the relationship between the interior and the exterior. The reason they were known as extraordinary was because each of them went through the entire body and linked many major acupuncture points together. Each extraordinary meridian that was thoroughly unblocked strengthened true qi by a little, constituting another realm. One who¡¯d completely unblocked the eight extraordinary meridians would have reached the ninth level of qi refining.


    It was even more difficult if one wished to attain the realm of the tenth level. One had to entirely unblock the twelve standard meridians, divided respectively into the three yin hand meridians, three yang hand meridians, three yin feet meridian, and three yang feet meridians. These twelve meridians intersected with each others, connecting hands and feet with heart and lungs, joining the five elements together. It was extremely easy to suffer deviations and bring harm to the heart and lungs, but if one could breath through this juncture, one could reach the great perfection realm of the tenth qi refining level and walk to the pinnacle of qi refining warriors.


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t even unblocked a single meridian, because there was absolute no talk of meridian whatsoever on the way of the demons he walked on. There were multitudes of strange types among monsters, very few of them with a body-type similar to humans. Would you actually ask of a snake or a bamboo to have eight extraordinary meridians?


    An idea rose inside his mind however when his thoughts reached this place. He was actually a real and genuine human after repressing the bull demon and tiger demon with the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. He¡¯d recovered his former state, so was he truly unable of refining qi? It seemed he also had to to find a qi refining technique and give it a little try. This impulsive thought of little importance embarked him on an even stranger and more unique road.


    Yan Song complained after his explanations had reached thus far. The status of people like them who came from a martial arts background was really too low. He wasn¡¯t young anymore by the time he¡¯d cultivated to the innate realm and was able to refine qi. He¡¯d unblocked the Yang Heel meridian with the help of his profound internal strength turned into true qi, thus breaking through to the second level of qi refining, but no matter how he tried he couldn¡¯t progress any further, couldn¡¯t unblock the Yin Heel meridian and break through to the third level of qi refining.


    Everyone comforted him a little. Yan Song said, ¡°Body tempering is fierce and powerful, but after all it¡¯s not the genuine way. Qingshan you¡¯re young and you¡¯ll certainly be able to reach the third level, even the fourth or fifth level. If you can unblock the Belt meridian and reach the realm of the sixth level by cultivating a sea of qi, then you will be eligible for a promotion to the Red Wolf Guard holding office in Clear River City. Then this life will have been worth it.¡±


    Yan Song¡¯s vision was sinister. He could see that Li Qingshan¡¯s true qi couldn¡¯t have been at the second level of qi refining, but he could easily defeat himself. That meant he was walking on the road of body tempering. In a certain sense, the hard external martial arts of the martial world were also simplified versions of body tempering arts. However body tempering was the same as training in hard external skills in the martial world. The might was formidable in the early stages, but they offered no future prospects. It was very difficult to cultivate to an even higher realm, hence they didn¡¯t receive much attention.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Many thanks for protector Yan¡¯s reminder, I¡¯ll pay attention in the future.¡± As a monster however, it was simply impossible not to cultivate the body.


    But his understanding was much clearer after hearing these words. Some conjectures ran through his mind. Which level of qi refining warrior could he rival in his monster state? As a Dark Eagle Captain, Blessed Peace¡¯s Zhuo Zhibo was probably at the level of a low-ranked Red Wolf Guard. He would probably have cultivated a sea of qi, his strength roughly around the sixth level of qi refining.


    He didn¡¯t know which one was stronger out of a human forming a sea of qi or a monster forming a monster core, but there was presumable not much of a gap. He could escape even if the situation made a turn for the worse. The thought of going to Blessed Peace and experiencing the so-called ¡°It¡¯s easier to cultivate in the six ministries4¡± was a tempting thought for him.


    Li Qingshan asked again, ¡°May I know which qi refining technique protector Yan has?¡±


    Yan Song said embarrassed, ¡°Qi refining techniques are secrets that can¡¯t be spread out of any gate and any sect.¡±


    Li Qingshan also knew his question was a little rude. It was somewhat inappropriate to ask for qi refining techniques after just reconciling with someone. He said smiling, ¡°I have been rude.¡± He downed a cup and didn¡¯t speak any further.


    An embarrassed Yan Song thought for a moment. ¡°However Qingshan, if you really want, this old man can also only bite the bullet.¡±


    Li Qingshan was delighted. He offered another few toasts to Yan Song. Ye Dachuan and Liu Hong also burst in congratulations. Dragon Li exposed an incomparably envious expression, thinking that the strong was truly revered in this world. Li Qingshan hit this old stuff with a few slaps and earned a set of qi refining techniques instead.


    After the meal, Yan Song passed on a set of qi refining secret techniques to Li Qingshan inside a quite training room.


    The name of this set of techniques was [Innate Qi Refining Secrets]. It was also divided into nine layers, but one would merely be able to reach the third level of qi refining after cultivating to the ninth layer. It was easy to see this wasn¡¯t any sort of extraordinary divine skill.


    Yan Son also frankly explained this point. ¡°This [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] is merely used to build your basics. With Qingshan¡¯s talents, you can certainly use a better technique to cultivate in the future.¡±


    When it came to qi refining techniques, if one said they were precious then they were very precious and could cause many people to shed their bloods and risk their lives. But if one said they weren¡¯t precious then they weren¡¯t precious either, especially this [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] that was known by almost each and every person among qi refining warriors. The reason most of those who didn¡¯t know it was because they had come into contact with better and stronger qi refining techniques from the start.


    The most precious things weren¡¯t the techniques but the people who could cultivate the techniques. On the whole, you merely had to possess a natural talent for qi refining and there would be countless people under the sky willing to teach you this set of basic qi refining techniques. Li Qingshan would naturally have obtained it as long as he reached the Eagle Wolf Guard. Yan Song saw that Li Qingshan¡¯s future was immeasurable, so there was no harm doing such a favor that didn¡¯t cost him anything.


    ¡°Many thanks protector Yan!¡± Li Qingshan¡¯s greatest goal was to try whether he could refine qi or not. The relative level of this set of techniques was actually a small matter. On the contrary, this kind of basic technique most often had the particularity of being easier to start in even if their might and margin for progress weren¡¯t great. They were actually the most suitable for him to cultivate.


    He had some other guesses in his mind. Was every supernatural skill and technique always divided in nine layers? Every supernatural skill and technique he was cultivating now was separated in the standard nine layers. He¡¯d asked Little An, and it was so even with his [Dao of the Beautiful Bones].


    Yan Song took his leave and went away to continue his selection of disciples, leaving Li Qingshan to cultivate inside the quiet room.


    Incense helping to focus the mind and quieten the mood burned inside the room. Li Qingshan sat cross-legged, his eyes faintly shut as he silently comprehended the subtleties of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets].


    He¡¯d once experienced the refining of qi, and had even cultivated a considerably strong true qi. But the result had been that all of it was for the purpose of turning the true qi into monster qi, ultimately allowing for his transformation into a monster. It was simply not a genuine qi refining method.


    Only now could he be said to come into contact for the first time with a human qi refining technique. After a moment of comprehension, he discovered it was much simpler than those several supernatural skills the green bull had taught him. Especially the first three layers that didn¡¯t involve any meridian yet and merely taught how to perceive and gather true qi.


    It could be compared to a mid-school student studying primary school textbooks and completing physical programs designed for primary school students. It was extremely simple. Li Qingshan had condensed another thread of true qi before two hours went by. It was yet another proof his natural talents were out of the ordinary; he even had the innate talent for qi refining. If he¡¯d been born inside Clear River City, he would probably have been taken in as a disciple and started on his journey on the road of a qi refining warrior long ago.


    But then his monster core sucked in that thread of true qi before he any had time to feel happy, transforming it into monster qi.


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but be dumbfounded. Was his way of thinking actually wrong? After some thoughts he once again started to cultivate the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. He stilled his state of mind and absorbed that spiritual qi between heaven and earth. A full six hours went by. The monster qi inside the monster core approached a state of saturation. Of course, he couldn¡¯t truly saturate the monster core with monster qi even if he were to cultivate for another sixty hours.


    Li Qingshan once again cultivated the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets]. The true qi he coagulated was again swallowed by the monster core and turned into monster qi, but at least it left a little of it behind. He felt wild joy in his mind however. This proved his guess and choice were correct. He truly could refine qi like ordinary people.


    The color of the sky gradually turned dusky. Li Qingshan cultivated with unremitting efforts, gathering true qi bit by bit with great difficulties, just like the working class laboring under the cruel exploitation of great shareholders, the major part of the fruit of their painstaking labors striped away from them.


    Of course, this great shareholder was still Li Qingshan himself. It couldn¡¯t actually be said to be a waste.


    Dragon Li came to knock on the door after a time and invited him to eat, but Li Qingshan was entirely submerged in this kind of self-abusing cultivation. There was but a single thought in his mind occupying his undivided attention, disregarding anything else.


    1. Two Depots and one Guard probably refers to the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the Ming Dynasty. All of them were imperial secret services/spy agencies.


    2. I believe the five internal organs have already been mentioned in the story. It¡¯s traditional taoist/chinese medicinal speak, just like the ¡°four limbs and hundred bones¡± etc. The five organs are the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.


    3. The eight extraordinary meridians represent the deepest level of energy connection inside the body in traditional taoist/Chinese medicine.


    4. ¡°It¡¯s easier to cultivate in the six ministries¡± is a saying found in wuxia novels afaik. ¡°Six ministries¡± refers to the ancient Chinese imperial governments often split into six ministries under the supervision of two prime ministers.

 Chapter 107

    Liu Hong said, ¡°Qingshan is cultivating, don¡¯t disturb him!¡±Yan Song said, ¡°Little Dragon, you also have to cultivate very carefully. You don¡¯t have the talent to directly refine qi, but as long as you break through to the innate realm by transforming internal strength into true qi, then it ¡®s very easy to break through to the second level of qi refining. It¡¯ s not certain you¡¯ll be worse than others.¡±


    Li Qingshan had done in that hall master Wu, so Liu Hong had again humbly requested Yan Song to take Dragon Li with him to Clear River City so he could go study martial arts in the Iron Fist Gate¡¯s headquarters. Liu Hong wouldn¡¯t have spent such a big price in order to curry favor with Yan Song otherwise.


    Dragon Li said in solemn respect, ¡°Yes, protector!¡±


    The three of them looked at door of the cultivation room, different thoughts going through their minds.


    Roosters sang and daylight shone upon the world. An entire night had gone by before Li Qingshan opened his eyes. He silently sensed the true qi flowing inside his body with a burst of happiness. He finally cultivated to the first layer of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets].


    This didn¡¯t actually mean that he could easily complete this technique. It was harder the higher you went no matter the skill. The time and effort needed also presented a geometric increase.


    It was unfortunate he¡¯d entirely eaten the spiritual pills whose names he didn¡¯t know that Halfmoon had given him. Otherwise he was confident he could have completed the first three layers of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] with a single pill, and even unblock the Yang Heel meridian then breaking through to the second layer of qi refining.


    The road of cultivation was still inseparable from the four words ¡°Wealth Companion Law Place1.¡± Wealth was first, but this wealth wasn¡¯t silver or gold but spiritual pills and immortal herbs. No matter the supernatural skill, the essence always consisted of gathering spiritual qi in the process. One had to eat one¡¯s fill to train in martial arts. One had to feed one¡¯s belly with qi to cultivate. External pills were an absolutely essential help.


    Natural talent and comprehension ability were also very important, but it was entirely impossible to immediately achieve great progress in skills and power after mere enlightenment, except for a very deep accumulation already stored beforehand.


    Even a weak true qi was crucial for him however. He took out the [Cursive Sword Script] and injected true qi inside. The [Cursive Sword Script] indeed accepted the true qi. Although it didn¡¯t end up shooting out even a single brush stroke, it was still a great encouragement for him.


    That meant he could trigger and use the several talismans he had on him. The greatest difference between humans and animals was the ability to use tools and build things. Monsters and demons strengthened their own bodies, whereas humans drew support from external tools. They couldn¡¯t directly attract the spiritual qi between heaven and earth, but they could refine pills and medicines. They didn¡¯t have a powerful body, so they manufactured spiritual devices and talismans.


    This was humankind¡¯s power. Li Qingshan had to use such advantages the best he could. Moreover he couldn¡¯t do without such power if he ever wanted to open that Sumeru ring from Soaring Dragon Elder. He again sat in mediation for a spell and recovered the formerly consumed true qi.


    He groped out that finger ring and put it on his middle finger. He injected true qi inside. He knew he probably couldn¡¯t open it yet, but good or bad he still had to give it a try.


    The true qi sank like flowing water into the ring and revolved inside, then flowed back to Li Qingshan¡¯s body. The ring naturally didn¡¯t show the slightest sign of opening, but what made him dumbstruck was that the innate true qi he¡¯d painstakingly managed to cultivate had been cut down to less than a half in the turn of an eye. That wasn¡¯t the same as being consumed by the [Cursive Sword Script], which could be restored. This was a loss of strength.


    He¡¯d been forcibly kicked down from the first layer of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. But the true qi left over had become very pure, like a great muddy river turning into a limpid stream. The quantity had lessened but the quality had greatly improved. The speed at which it circulated had also suddenly gone up a notch.


    Moreover the more turbid the true qi was, the harder it was to break through to a new realm. It was very easy then to be struck at a bottleneck. Many qi refining warriors had to harden their wills and temper their true qi bit by bit just like the tempering of iron, in order to break through. But this Sumeru ring had directly helped him temper the impure iron into fine steel without requiring an ounce of energy from his part. Countless qi refining warriors and even cultivators of a higher realm would yearn for such a treasure inside their dreams.


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t expect the Sumeru ring would even have such a function apart from storage.


    This should be a good thing probably! But Li Qingshan¡¯s face was actually filled with a bitter smile. Was it easy for him to painstakingly cultivate this little bit of true qi? Not only he had to be exploited by the monster core, he also had to go through the ring¡¯s honing. It would simply be the death of him. It was much the same feeling as struggling for several decades and then returning overnight to the same situation before liberation2.


    Li Qingshan heaved a heavy sigh. He knew this was actually the correct choice. He would waste some time now, but then save a lot of time in the future. For the great majority of people, their time wasn¡¯t wasted on cultivation but when stuck in a bottleneck, unable to advance an inch further.


    Just like protector Yan. He¡¯d already reached the second layer of qi refining long long ago, but no matter how he couldn¡¯t break through to the third level. He was stuck at this juncture. He¡¯d wanted for so many years to temper and purify his true qi, but he didn¡¯t have this ability even if he had the will. The true qi transformed from internal strength was truly too impure.


    Li Qingshan closed his eyes and once against started to cultivate. However he didn¡¯t take the ring off this time.


    Yan Song was already done selecting the disciples and was ready to set off, but he couldn¡¯t catch sight of Li Qingshan even until deep into the night. He knocked several times on the door, but there was no answer.


    Liu Hong said, ¡°Could something have happened?¡± But he was actually thinking, could protector Yan have deliberately given him a problematic set of qi refining secrets to set a trap and lead Li Qingshan into suffering deviations.


    Yan Song frowned tight, also unaware of the reason. If he hadn¡¯t heard Li Qingshan¡¯s extremely mild and long breathing, he would simply have suspected Li Qingshan of suffering from deviations and dying already.


    Refining qi was the same as doing other things. One had to pay attention and strike a balance between work and rest all the same, keep control of the right measure of tension and relaxation. It wasn¡¯t just better the longer you kept at it. Otherwise it would not only be useless but even harmful instead.


    He didn¡¯t remind Li Qingshan of this point because one would be aware of it even more keenly during the process of cultivation. The results from refining qi would increasingly worsen along with the passage of time. The spirit would also become increasingly exhausted and burned out. Moreover true qi was also extracted from the body¡¯s primordial source. It needed the replenishment from food and drinks, otherwise it would be like a river without a source, a tree without roots.


    Li Qingshan had indeed encountered such a problem, but he¡¯d instead turned to the the cultivation of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. The spirit turtle sank into the abysses of the seas and slept for thousand years, but actually swallowed the spiritual qi of the world at all time. Sitting in meditation wasn¡¯t something that exhausted Li Qingshan; it was the same as cultivating while sleeping instead.


    His thoughts flashed. He once again revolved the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets]. It was very difficult at the beginning, and the slightest carelessness would break him away from his state of meditation, screeching the cultivation of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] to a halt. But he gradually mastered the knack of it and turned the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] into a sort of instinct. It was the same as someone being still able to continuously breathing even when they slept. This wasn¡¯t because of any cleverness on Li Qingshan¡¯s part, but because this supernatural skill was truly too profound, far surpassing his imagination.


    Afterward he felt himself in a kind of state both asleep and awake. He circulated the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets]; it was equivalent to two supernatural skills from both demons and humans revolving inside his body at the same time.


    Li Qingshan discovered that the monster core wasn¡¯t so greedy for true qi in such a state. It would leave behind a greater part of the fruits of his labor for him.


    The cultivation speed of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] also reached an unprecedented peak in such a state. How formidable was the primordial source of his body? Not eating nor drinking for several days was simply not a great problem for him at all.


    For a full three days and three nights, Li Qingshan didn¡¯t rest and didn¡¯t sleep, didn¡¯t eat and didn¡¯t drink, fully submerged inside his cultivation. Finally he once again opened his eyes after forcibly cultivating the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] back to the first layer.


    He heaved a long sigh and felt the fiercely hunger in his belly. He once again took out the [Cursive Sword Script] and injected an incomparably pure true qi inside. A stroke had already lit up even before the true qi became fully exhausted, then a beam of sword qi shot out.


    Earlier he¡¯d seemed to be tossing damp logs inside the stove; it had been very difficult to ignite a fire. But now what he was using was high level charcoal. It burned easily and provided a great amount of heat.


    Two Iron Fist Gate disciples stood guard outside the door. They suddenly felt a chill behind their backs. They looked each other said said, ¡°Are you feeling a little cold?¡± ¡°Really a bit cold. It¡¯s a sunny summer day though.¡±


    Li Qingshan took back the [Cursive Sword Script] and took off the Sumeru ring, once again hanging it in front of his chest. Then he stood up and opened the door. The sunlight was harsh on his eyes.


    ¡°Young hero Li, you finally came out!¡± said an Iron Fist Gate disciple. The other rushed out to transmit the news.


    Yan Song and Liu Hong rushed over in not long of a time.


    Liu Hong said, ¡°Qingshan, you came out? I even thought something had happened to you, and was almost going to break inside several times.¡± s?a??h th? N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan said with a laugh, ¡°My apologies, this technique protector Yan gave me is truly too profound. I was absorbed in trying to comprehend it and forgot the time.¡±


    Yan Song said, ¡°Were you really refining qi? How many layers have you cultivated to?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I just cultivated to the first layer.¡±


    Yan Song said, ¡°This can¡¯t be said to be slow.¡± But it could definitely not be said to be fast either. The first layer of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] was the simplest one. He¡¯d seen with his own eyes children with special talents cultivate to the first layer in only four hours. Of course Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t be regarded as slow, but it was really unheard of to use three days the first time one refined qi.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I¡¯ve made you all wait for a long time. Now we can depart!¡±


    Liu Hong fished out a stack of silver bills and handed them to Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan had came knocking at their doors to demand repayment to begin with.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Gate master Liu is looking down on me now. Protector Yan has been so generous, how can I be a petty man. There¡¯s no need to mention the matter of money again.¡± He¡¯d never been willing to owe anyone in the slightest in his whole life. His heart and mind could only be at ease if no debt were owed. That set of [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] wasn¡¯t any extraordinary secret collection of supernatural skills, but it was extremely important for him. It was worth it obtaining it even one day earlier.


    Liu Hong was happy inside. Of course he couldn¡¯t make Yan Song hand over the money he¡¯d gifted to him. These were all actually from his retirement fund.


    Yan Song was also admirative. He could disregard ten thousand taels of silver with a faint smile. It wouldn¡¯t be much if he were a noble son of a wealthy family, but it was truly too rare for a young man like him who¡¯d come from the mountains. This kid had an innate spirited boldness that was out of the ordinary. It was no wonder someone would recognize his worth and take a fancy to him.


    Li Qingshan finally gathered two thousand taels worth of silver notes as travel expenses after declining several times.


    When Li Qingshan came out of the Iron Gate Sect, he saw the previously always cold and cheerless Iron Fist Gate filled with gongs and rums clamoring to the skies, along with firecrackers crying in chorus. There were even teams of dragon and lion dancers3 surrounding the Iron Fist Gate so tight even water wouldn¡¯t leak through. Of course it wasn¡¯t for the sake of seeing Li Qingshan off.


    Four children with reddened eyes were sent in front of Yan Song. They were the chosen children who had the opportunity to leave this tiny Suncheer City and reach a vaster world. But at the same time they were leaving the land of their births, leaving their loved ones far behind.


    Li Qingshan crossed his arms and watched on the sidelines. He suddenly heard someone call his name. He turned his head and saw Village Chief Li and Steward Liu also inside the crowd, with the two brothers Tiger Li and Panther Li beside them. There were even several villagers from Crouching Bull Village behind them.


    1. As a reminder this is a Daoist saying about the things needed for cultivation. Namely wealth for resources, companions to cultivate with, techniques/scriptures to follow after and a place to cultivate in.


    2. ¡°Struggling for several decades and then returning overnight to the same situation before liberation¡±: A sentence which references the household-responsibility system introduced by Deng Xiaoping starting from 1978, which held individuals responsible for profits and losses and was seen as a quasi private ownership system, instead of the egalitarian system where the state assumed all profits and losses. Google tells me this is a sentence written by a journalist at the time. Some communists felt they¡¯d struggled for decades to finally see communism¡¯s victory, but then things returned to the same (as in the return of ¡°private ownership¡±) as before the communist liberation in a single night.


    3. Dragon and lion dances are those people you see dancing while wearing dragon and lion costumes during Chinese festivals, especially the new lunar year.

 Chapter 108

    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Did you come to see off Dragon Li?¡±Steward Liu said, ¡°We¡­. We also came to see you off, Second¡­ Qingshan. You¡¯ve really grown, don¡¯t take the matters from back then to heart.¡± The current Li Qingshan had already become an eminently formidable personage in his eyes. He felt awkward just talking to him.


    The other villagers also came forward and offered their congratulations one by one. They each even carried local products that they stuffed in Li Qingshan¡¯s hands. S?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan looked at these familiar faces, his heart at once filled with myriads of deep emotions. For a while he didn¡¯t know what to say, where to start. The Crouching Bull Village he¡¯d wished to leave day and night all the way since his childhood suddenly emerged in front of his eyes with incomparable clarity. Every house, every stalk of vegetation, all of it was vivid in his eyes.


    That deep well that had stranded him for more than a dozen years and that he¡¯d always wished to jump out of, these muds and mosses he¡¯d been fed up with, all became intimate and dear at this moment. Village Chief Li hugged Dragon Li, wildly streaking old tears. The present scene¡¯s chaos and clamor suddenly became silence when they came to Li Qingshan¡¯s ears.


    He even saw Big Brother Li and Big Wife Li inside the crowd. They cowered and hid from the city nobles. They looked at Li Qingshan, looking as if they wanted to go forward but didn¡¯t dare to either. They were incomparably regretful at this moment. There was no telling how much glory they could shared in if they hadn¡¯t fallen out with Li the Second. Their eyes shone with a luster of hope when they saw Li Qingshan look at them.


    But Li Qingshan¡¯s line of sight immediately turned away. That which must be severed had been severed long ago. Water splashed on the ground couldn¡¯t be taken back any longer. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t let go of these feelings, but they were already in completely different worlds now. They also didn¡¯t understand that rather than obtaining great riches, it was easier for them to die a violent death if they were to be his close relatives.


    Yan Song passed down the order and everyone retreated to the sides. A carriage dragged by two horses drove over. Each horse was an especially divine spirited horse.


    Li Qingshan, protector Yan, and Dragon Li all boarded on the carriage together with those four children. The carriage traveled slowly and stopped in front of the county government offices. Ye Dachuan and the adviser happily came up and sat down. There would certainly be no danger with the protection of these masters.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes immediately brightened when he saw the thing in Ye Dachuan¡¯s hands. ¡°Stone Rending Bow!¡± He¡¯d left this bow behind in his yard inside Suncheer. That courtyard had already been tidied up when he¡¯d gone and taken a look after he¡¯d come back. New residents had settled in, and of course no one knew where the Stone Rending Bow had gone. He hadn¡¯t gone on a diligent search either, and hadn¡¯t expected it to be with Ye Dachuan. He lightly pulled the bowstring with his forefinger; it was easy to the extreme. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem to fire even a hundred arrows in succession with his current strength.


    Li Qingshan once again saw the owner of this Stone Rending Bow in a long pavilion ten miles outside the city. Sick Yellow Tiger said, ¡°Congratulations Qingshan for once again making progress.¡± He discovered he could no longer see the depths of this young man, but he was indeed well informed. Only an innate master could defeat another innate master face to face. He¡¯d truly achieved the words he¡¯d once spoken, and in a mere few months¡¯ time at that.


    Li Qingshan said smiling, ¡°Chief hunter, you haven¡¯t wasted your time.¡± He could see that the current Sick Yellow Tiger was already infinitely close to the level of a first-grade master. They once again set on their journey after a few farewell cups. Finally they left Suncheer City behind them as it definitely disappeared from their sights.


    Li Qingshan quietly said inside his heart, ¡°Farewell forever, my homeland.¡±


    He¡¯d understood long ago already that he wouldn¡¯t be coming back, no matter if if he died and became dust on this journey or soared to the skies. Homeland would be wherever he went from this day onward.


    They traveled by day and rested by night, journeying for three days inside the mountains. The horizon widened all of a sudden; a vast plain spread out in front of Li Qingshan.


    Golden fields of wheat as far as the eye could see surged in waves and waves of wheat in the summer wind. Ribbons and ribbons of chimney smokes rose from one hamlet after another therein. It was a greatly different sight from Crouching Bull Village.


    Yan Song said, ¡°We¡¯ve come out of Suncheer¡¯s area. We can reach the ferry crossing downriver in another three to five days. Then we can switch to a boat and directly sail to Blessed Peace and even Clear River City.¡±


    Li Qingshan took out that map Gu Yanying and gifted him. A dot of light brightened with a flash of his thoughts. The ferry crossing downriver was but several dozen miles away from them. Yan Song said in astonishment, ¡°A Mind Map, and even a Mind Map of the Verdant province. The value of this thing is considerable. Qingshang, where did you get it?¡±


    In general, the greater the area a map covered, the rougher it would be, while the smaller it was the more detailed it would be. But a Mind Map was detailed to the extreme even when including ten thousands of miles, solidifying ten thousand miles inside the mind. Although it was a mere low rank spiritual device, it was still very precious, let alone this sort of Mind Map covering the entirety of the Verdant Province.


    Li Qingshan suddenly said, ¡°Protector Yan, Lord Ye, let us part ways here!¡± During these days, he¡¯d already gotten from these two people a rough understanding of these rivers and lakes, of this world, at least what they knew of them. He wouldn¡¯t be confused any longer when he went out.


    Ye Dachuan said, ¡°What, you¡¯re not going together with us?¡±


    Li Qingshan faintly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m planning on taking a walk and travel alone on the road. I¡¯m truly sorry for making you wait three days for me.¡± In essence, the reason why he¡¯d chosen to journey together with them had perhaps merely stemmed from a certain kind of fear. For a man who¡¯d never left his village for over a dozen years suddenly trying to reach the world outside, to reach the so-called great cities, he would have some faint timidity inside him no matter what, even to the point of relying on those two people who weren¡¯t even as strong as him, merely so they could look after each others on the road.


    Everyone thirsted for adventure and longed for freedom, but everyone would feel fright and be at a loss of what to do when a genuinely free world of incomparable vastness was put in front of them. Li Qingshan was also the same.


    But now was the time to put these feelings aside. When he¡¯d left these overlapping ranges of mountains behind, this vast plain, these resplendent golden fields, these limpid streams and rivers, these faint handwriting on the map, all of it reflected inside his eyes. It was so beautiful and vivid. His footprints hadn¡¯t stamped on even one ten thousandth part of the map.


    The few people looked at each others and didn¡¯t know how to persuade him. They suddenly heard Li Qingshan spread open his arms and say to the vast plains, ¡°I am going to wander everywhere in those five lakes and four seas, through the nine provinces under the heavens, taste every fine delicacies on this world, drink every fine liquor under the sky, cultivate the fiercest divine skills, battle the strongest enemies, bed the most beautiful women. World, I am coming, hahahaha!¡±


    His voice began soft and ended loud. The sound of his laughter was like the jolt of thunder. The words he said were a declaration foolish enough to make one smack one¡¯s lips. Was it stupid? Perhaps it was. That bull that had listened to him say these stupid words was here no longer, but he no longer needed to ask of anyone, ¡°Can I realize my dreams?¡±


    He didn¡¯t need someone else¡¯s answer and didn¡¯t need someone else¡¯s approval, so of course he didn¡¯t mind someone else¡¯s gaze either. The answer had long been inside his heart.


    Those people followed the departure of this tall figure with their eyes on the hillside, after they agreed to meet again inside Blessed Peace. They saw him merge into that golden plain and roll about inside the wheat fields like a big child. He vanished from sight very quickly.


    Those were originally funny childish actions, but they all recalled the same few words at the same time inside their hearts. ¡°A dragon returning to the sea,¡± ¡°A tiger entering the deep mountains1¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t follow the main roads. He dashed all along the way in the wilderness and very quickly caught up to a small dot on the map. That was a county city much more prosperous than Suncheer. He didn¡¯t bother remembering its name but directly rushed to the biggest restaurant in the city and ordered the seat with the best scenery. He chose a table filled with the best wines and food. Every dish was a local specialty. Not only he¡¯d never eaten many of them, he hadn¡¯t even heard of some of them. Every jar of wine had been aged for twenty years. They couldn¡¯t be compared spiritual wines, but even so they had their own peculiar tastes.


    The owner came to entertain him personally when he saw a great customer had come. He suddenly smiled and said after drinking a few cups with him, ¡°Widowed wine is tasteless. This noble son certainly has to be accompanied by a few beautiful women!¡± He took Li Qingshan for a later generation indulging in pleasures who¡¯d managed to escape from his family with great difficulty.


    Li Qingshan first stayed blank, then smiled. ¡°I must! Why wouldn¡¯t I be, I have a bunch of money!¡± He was just like the most vulgar of upstarts.


    He wanted to cultivate painstakingly and go toward the nine skies, but he didn¡¯t plan on being a suffering monk. He¡¯d vowed to marry a woman like Gu Yanying, but before genuinely making the vow to spend their days and grow white hairs together with a certain woman, he wasn¡¯t planning on being an ascetic monk either.


    Man certainly didn¡¯t live in the world for only the sake of pain and suffering, otherwise it would be better to just die and be done with it. These distant dreams of his were seeds of hope planted inside his heart rather than self-torment.


    Therefore, more than a dozen lovely dressed women wearing makeup sat beside him and joked with him, beaming with smiles. Their mouth continuously shouted ¡°my lord¡± or ¡°noble son,¡± and those with bigger guts even stretched their hands inside his clothes against his chest.


    Li Qingshan was at first a little uneasy and was teased by a few women of pleasure. But he relaxed very quickly, embracing left and hugging right without the slightest care. His face with filled with laughter, but his eyes were clear and limpid like water from beginning to end. He was like a child playing a very novel game.


    Children were also easily bored however. He wasn¡¯t planning on really doing anything. It wasn¡¯t that he had some dislike for these brothel women, but he¡¯d seen the almost ultimate beauty of Gu Yanying or even Halfmoon, so it was especially easy for him to be fed up with such a game.


    He didn¡¯t understand before. Only now did he know the meaning of ¡°She turned her gaze and smiled a smile of a hundred graces, outshining the fairest faces of the six palaces2.¡±


    Bang!


    Someone suddenly slapped the doors open and shouted, ¡°Be quiet!¡± The berating came from a young noble son wearing splendid clothes and a sword, a precious crown atop his head. As the saying went, three women were enough for a drama. It was difficult for a table drinking with women of pleasure not to be extremely raucous.


    An elegant women stood behind this noble son and looked at Li Qingshan with a face full of disgust.


    Li Qingshan put his index against his lips and made a long ¡°shhhh.¡± Then he stood up with a yawn and casually groped out some silver notes that he put on the table. That group of brothel women no longer cared about him and went to fight for the silver notes instead.


    Li Qingshan walked beside the noble son and observed him. This noble son put his hand on the handle of his sword. He was arrogant but he had the capital for arrogance. Li Qingshan could tell that he was already an innate master. No, he should be one with the natural endowments to be a qi refining warrior. The woman behind him was also the same. Two qi refining warriors naturally had the qualifications to consider everyone else beneath them. Li Qingshan was merely a hedonistic son for them, and killing him in one strike of the sword wasn¡¯t necessarily anything extraordinary for them.


    1. ¡°A dragon returning to the sea, a tiger entering the deep mountains¡± is a quote from the classic Chinese novel Water Margin. It means someone returning to or finding the environment he was made for.


    2. ¡°She turned her gaze and smiled a smile of a hundred graces, outshining the fairest faces of the six palaces¡± is a stanza from the poem Song of an Everlasting Regret from Tang poet Bai Juyi.

 Chapter 109

    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Please make way!¡¯ Then he squeezed past that noble son and gave a deep look at that woman who seemed like a scholar. He shook his head. She was beautiful. It would have been hard for him to earn a smile from the siren even if he it gave his all in his former life. Ah but now, his goals were much higher. He carried the small happiness of his secret dreams and casually smelled her sweet fragrance as he passed by her. Dreams were things that brought happiness.The woman¡¯s brows wrinkled tighter. She didn¡¯t know what it was that made her the angriest: the smell of rouge on Li Qingshan, his absolutely unrestrained gaze, or perhaps it might well be that head shake at the end.


    The noble son nearly pull his sword out, but the woman shook her head and allowed Li Qingshan to go downstairs and then leave, contempt showing in her eyes.


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t leaped up and immediately counterattacked like a cat with its tail stepped on, even if he had the strength to do so. He found that he could avoid quite a lot of trouble if he could but resist a little momentary anger. Of course, he wasn¡¯t all that angry either.


    However this person who avoided trouble was now going to find trouble for other people on his own initiative. He came at the foot of the restaurant and shook off the smell of rouge from his body. He¡¯d wanted to experience it for himself, and he¡¯d experienced it. He didn¡¯t take it to heart in the least. He knocked on the porcelain jar at his hips. ¡°Little An, let¡¯s go kill some bad guys!¡± The reason he chose to part ways with protector Yan and the others wasn¡¯t simply for the sake of enjoying a cup of wine with beautiful women.


    A ¡°Dong Dong¡± noise answered from inside the porcelain jar. Li Qingshan laughed mischievously and left in great strides toward a dark little alley. He only felt the gazes behind him thoroughly vanish after he plunged inside the darkness.


    ¡°Rong Zhi, is there any problem?¡±


    The scholar called ¡°Rong Zhi¡± said, ¡°His gait is calm and steady. He looks to me like someone who¡¯s practiced martial arts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s some external martial arts at most. I¡¯d have taught him a lesson if you didn¡¯t stop me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only an insignificant person. Even killing him would merely be dirtying our hands, what need is there for that? We still better hurry with our meal. Tomorrow we have to hasten our journey and hurry a little faster to Blessed Peace City.¡±


    ¡°Yes, the Eagle Wolf Guard rarely recruits new guards, we can¡¯t let this opportunity slip by.¡± A feverish fire ignited in the man¡¯s eyes. As long as he could join the Eagle Wolf Guard, he would step beyond the boundaries of these rivers and lakes, becoming a man above men. He was determined to obtain this status.


    ¡°I fear it won¡¯t be so easy. Every master within a thousand miles will be attracted to Blessed Peace this time around. Even masters at the third or fourth level of qi refining might appear. Available spots are limited, there¡¯s bound to be a battle to the death.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we have these talismans as trump card. We can turn the tide even if we were to encounter powerhouses.¡± The man was full of confidence and very quickly pushed Li Qingshan out of his mind. Indeed, he was but a mere insignificant character.


    They didn¡¯t know however that their dialogue had clearly gone into Li Qingshan¡¯s ears. His hearing had long ago entered the level of monsters. He could listen clearly to sounds even ten miles away with a little focus. S~?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The Eagle Wolf Guard actually began to recruit people. It might well be that Feng Zhang¡¯s death had left a spot open. Even Wang Pushi probably didn¡¯t think that he could have escaped from that disaster and fill in that spot! As to whether his own appearance would blot the hope of these people from the sky, that was something he naturally wouldn¡¯t care about. He didn¡¯t have too much time to think about it at this time either.


    Because several black shadows had already blocked his way inside the small alley, crowding forward with unpleasant faces. The small city was somewhat flourishing, but there weren¡¯t many outsiders, and even less outsiders as high-profile as Li Qingshan. The news about a young man in his teens with a great amount of money on him had spread out very quickly. He actually even dared to walk on his own into this world of darkness. It would be too unreasonable if they didn¡¯t mug him a little.


    Li Qingshan quietly said, ¡°Our luck¡¯s pretty good!¡± He knocked the jar. ¡°Time for dinner!¡±


    ¡°Hand over your money!¡± A man pulled out a shiny dagger, but what answered him was an even brighter Cremation Blood Fire. The flames swallowed several people almost without any sound. Their fleshes and blood became pure energy that merged inside the flames.


    A dot of lantern fire burned inside the darkness, illuminating a wonton booth manned by an old man. It didn¡¯t have business but only moth hovering around. It still barely managed to survive however.


    A young man came in in great strides and loudly said, ¡°Boss, a bowl of wonton!¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± The old man moved deftly. Wontons very quickly floated up and down inside clear water.


    ¡°It¡¯s so late, why aren¡¯t you resting yet. You should be quietly enjoying your later years at your age.¡± Li Qingshan started to chat and talk without much thought. The old man sighed and complained. It was nothing else than lack of piety from his children. He and his old companion lacked a reliable source of income for their livelihood; the most ordinary of pains in this world.


    Li Qingshan sat beside the small booth, smiling and comforting at the same time he ate the wontons. As he sat alone in a dark corner and ate the simplest of foods facing such an old man with hardship written all over his face, he actually felt even much better than enjoying drinks with beautiful women. It was truly odd and uncanny.


    ¡°Little brother, you don¡¯t seem like a local to me. I¡¯ll shoot my mouth off and advise you with a few words. Hurry up and go back to the inn after you¡¯re done eating, this place isn¡¯t very peaceful at night.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Could there be some bad guys?¡± Then he heard even more grumbling and complaints. Female brothel owners who forced honest girls into prostitution, unscrupulous profiteers who acted as loan sharks, gangs from the martial world terrorizing the weak with their strength. No place would be lacking in such things.


    Li Qingshan listened in silence and noted them down in silence. He casually made some discreet inquiries about where those people lived. He ate four or five bowls of wonton in succession, then tossed down the silver he¡¯d obtained from these robbers just earlier. Li Qingshan stood up and said his farewells.


    ¡°This¡­ this is too much!¡± The old man cried in alarm and raised his head, looking at the shadows of a Li Qingshan already vanished from sight. A gust of nightly wind started to blow. Remembering those creepy stories he¡¯d heard about ghosts and demons, he decided to immediately close his booth.


    A monster came knocking at the door that night, like a chivalrous knight helping the weak, rooting out the strong and bringing peace to honest people.


    There was no evil supernatural skills or spells in the world, only evil people. It would be great humane benevolence if one were to thoroughly kill off all the evil crafty men in this world.


    Daylight wasn¡¯t lit yet when Li Qingshan left the small city. He found a patch of wilderness and practiced the [Bull Demon Strong Fist]. His heart felt carefree after killing more than a dozen people the previous night. His fists fired out like drums, breaking through the air with loud bangs.


    Little An refined the blood essence from these dozen people at the side. The Cremation Blood Fire rolled in circles around his body, transforming into every sorts of shapes, perhaps ferocious beasts or perhaps venomous snakes. In the end it actually formed into a lotus flower that carried him up as it soared in the sky and flew over the wilderness. Now it rose, now it dropped, its might outstanding. Thickets of wild weeds withered and died wherever it went, leaving a track of death on the ground behind it.


    It would be as easy as pie for Little An if he wanted to kill a master at the second level of qi refining like Yan Song. Li Qingshan was both envious and admirative. His current strength wouldn¡¯t lose to Little An in the slightest, but he couldn¡¯t soar and fly. However, Little An was still far away from achieving the degree necessary to again form flesh and blood. The [Dao of the Beautiful Bones] was frightfully powerful, but it was difficult to cultivate. He needed even more bloody sacrifices.


    Li Qingshan hadn¡¯t gathered money and valuables with any great care during the massacre last night, but his wealth still had easily reached several dozen thousand taels. If those people had been sheep-eating wolves, then he was a wolf-eating tiger. He suddenly discovered that mundane money didn¡¯t have much meaning anymore for qi refining warriors, because they had the strength to stand absolutely above ordinary people. Even using the lowest level of methods like robbing, they would still easily obtain a huge wealth that would be difficult for ordinary people to even hope to amass in their entire lives.


    True wealth for qi refining warriors lay with those spiritual pills and spirit stones that could raise the level of cultivation. But one could imagine that these resources were certainly hoarded by powerful influences. Ordinary people would probably never hear of them during all their lives. Joining the Eagle Wolf Guard was the best choice if one wanted to come into contact with these things.


    He called Little An and once again started on his way. He cared nothing about day or night on the road. He traveled when he wanted to travel and stopped when he wanted to stop. He exterminated two or three dens of bandits in passing and finally caught up to a great river three days later. He halted his steps.


    This river was precisely the Clear River. It originated from Clear River City and stretched continuously for thousands of miles. One could directly reach the Clear River capital city along with it. The surface of this great river spanned across ten to twenty miles. He¡¯d never seen such a river even adding his two lives together. His chest and mind seemed to widen when he beheld these vast gleaming waves reflecting in the sunlight.


    Li Qingshan reached a great town on the riverside, called Downriver Town, which had grown from the downriver ferry crossing. It was merely a town, but it was much more bustling than even Suncheer City. Riding atop a horse, he only saw the squeeze of people moving back and fro, their boiling noises filling the sky. An idea suddenly struck his mind. Could Little An immediately refine a body of fresh and blood anew if they killed all these people? He immediately shook his head. Wouldn¡¯t he become a homicidal manic then?


    There were countless boat oars on the river banks, and people walked hither and thither on the docks. It was extraordinarily bustling, and naturally there wouldn¡¯t be a lack of passenger ships going down to the south. Li Qingshan even saw a great dragon boat as tall as a multistoried building1. There were carved verandas and painted pavilions on the boat, just like a luxurious restaurant traveling over water.


    He immediately discarded the idea of renting a small boat and boarded a great dragon boat.


    The scenery was best in the rooms at the top floor of the dragon boat. They were also the most expensive and actually required several thousands of taels. Li Qingshan naturally wasn¡¯t lacking silver. He took out a few silver notes and saw a smile immediately hang on the face of the boat steward. He assigned a maid to guide Li Qingshan to a room on the top floor, and even left rather ambiguous suggestions before leaving. He could summon her no matter what needs he had.


    The room was extremely expansive, it could even accommodate several dozen persons without them feeling cramped. The decorations were even more luxurious than the best hotels he¡¯d lived in along the way. He opened the windows and looked down upon the harbor and Downriver Town, guessing at when Yan Song and the others would arrive. He saw two familiar faces on the docks however. They were precisely that pair of man and woman he¡¯d met three days ago in the restaurant.


    The man said in annoyance, ¡°What, the rooms on the top floor are all full already, we have to live downstairs?¡±


    The steward said embarrassed, ¡°There¡¯s really no way. Noble son, the second floor is also very luxurious, please just make do!¡± Who would lack money if they could afford several thousand taels of silver to board a ship. They wouldn¡¯t be willing to lose face even if you were to give them several dozen thousands of taels.


    The woman said, ¡°We¡¯ve never had the custom of making do once in our lives. May the steward please think of a way, money isn¡¯t an issue.¡±


    The man frowned. He raised his head and just happened to see Li Qingshan. Then man calmly smiled and said, ¡°I¡¯ll personally go up and discuss it with him.¡± The woman hesitated faintly, then nodded. She didn¡¯t want to create trouble, but she was even less willing to live in a low level ship hold, to live under someone else¡¯s feet. She hoped that young man would be a little tactful. If he didn¡¯t know tact, then it¡¯d serve him right to suffer a little so he could understand the viciousness of the human world.


    1. Picture the dragon boat as something like this:

 Chapter 110

    Hence, the two of them once again appeared in front of Li Qingshan. The man didn¡¯t waste any time with nonsense and tossed a pile of silver notes in front of Li Qingshan. ¡°Take up the money and go downstairs!¡±Li Qingshan slapped the silver notes in the man¡¯s hand. ¡°You better ask someone else!¡±


    The woman stopped the angry man and introduced themselves with a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m called Qian Rongzhi, this is my elder brother Qian Rongming.¡±


    The steward interrupted in alarm, ¡°Could the two guests be from Ancient Wind City¡¯s Qian clan?¡± Ancient Wind City was a considerably great city. He was a man who¡¯d sailed to the four directions. How could he not have heard of great clans who could groom qi refining warriors.


    Qian Rongming snorted proudly. Qian Rongzhi merely nodded in indifference and continued to say to Li Qingshan, ¡°My advice for you is better to accept it. My brother is capable of killing people once he becomes angry.¡± Since they came from a great clan, then she had to pay attention to the appearance of a great clan, not losing her bearing at any time. She liked best to achieve victory without resorting to arms.


    Li Qingshan crossed his arms. ¡°Is that right? I¡¯d actually like to experience it for myself.¡± Having someone come bully to his door for the second time, there were still limits to his tolerance.


    Qin Rongzhi¡¯s expression changed faintly. She came from a great clan and was born with the natural talent to refine qi. Together with a beautiful appearance that earned her the title of first beauty in Ancient Wind City, she was worthy of being called a woman beloved by the gods. From her childhood to now, nothing was impossible to her as long as she opened her mouth, especially those stinky men who were ready to slave away for her like horse and cattle. When had she ever been refused. Compared her self-possessed appearance, the pride deep in her bones was much greater than even her brother Qian Rongming. She coldly said, ¡°It seems you¡¯d rather drink bitter wine rather than a toast.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been picky in my whole life. Toast or bitter wine, I can give everything a try!¡± Li Qingshan earnestly observed her face. He watched the changes on the face of a young miss from a great clan as if he were watching a certain miraculous exhibition.


    Qian Rongzhi took a deep breath in and walked back a step. She faintly said, ¡°A man of the martial world with some external martial arts actually dares to act wild in front of qi refining warriors, you simply can¡¯t tell life from death. Such a stupid thing is surplus in this world even if alive, there¡¯s no harm in killing him.¡±


    Qian Rongming came forward with a nasty grin. The steward sighed and was already preparing to call people and gather the corpse. It was truly too unwise to go head to head with the Qian clan.


    A sudden sound came right at this moment. Everyone turned their heads around and took a look. They saw a man over thirty coming out of a room. His stature wasn¡¯t tall, and a pair of droopy eyes sat on his black face as he contemptuously looked at them.


    ¡°What thing are you?¡± Qian Rongming went forward in great anger, but Qian Rongzhi actully pulled him back and watched the man with vigilance, ¡°I dare ask, who is your excellency? What is your meaning?¡±


    Li Qingshan realized it was yet another qi refining warrior, a master at the third level at that. No wonder he dared to disregard this pair of brother and sister at the second level of qi refining.


    The black-faced man said in derision, ¡°Just relying on your two¡¯s talent, you¡¯re far too lacking to join the Eagle Wolf Guard. Why waste your time to go to Blessed Peace City, hurry up to leave the boat and go back home!¡±


    Only then did Li Qingshan understand that this man wasn¡¯t sticking out for his sake, but because the Eagle Wolf Guard spots were limited, hence he acted in advance to strike a psychological blow to his rivals when he realized Qian Rongming and his sister¡¯s purpose.


    Qian Rongming and Qian Rongzhi exchanged a look. Their strength was one level lower, but there might be some opportunities if the both of them joined hands. However they were bound to use those precious talismans and lose the opportunity to join the Eagle Wolf Guard in that case.


    ¡°You just wait.¡± The two of them hesitated a little, then left some vicious words before leaving hurriedly. The words weren¡¯t only meant for that man, but even more so for Li Qingshan; they threw a vicious headlong glance at Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Many thanks for helping me out of trouble. May I venture to ask this brother¡¯s honorable name?¡±


    ¡°Kid, don¡¯t think you can act as you please just because you¡¯ve got some money. There are too many people in this world you can¡¯t afford to provoke, I advise you to disembark in a hurry!¡± The man slammed shut his room after speaking in a cold indifferent tone.


    Li Qingshan shrugged. This was the treatment reserved for the weak.


    The great boat moved slowly, breaking waves after waves on the gentle river. It followed the flow and sailed toward Blessed Peace.


    There were only a few rooms on the dragon boat¡¯s top layer, the doors to them all tightly shut. There was only Li Qingshan walking here and there on the deck, admiring the wide landscapes on both shores of the river. The sight was almost too much for his eyes to take, immediately pushing the matter earlier to the back of his mind.


    The boat sailed into the night. Li Qingshan sat in meditation inside his room and cultivated. He was in the possession of four techniques right now, the [Bull Demon Strong Fist], the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist], the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets], and the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets]. All of them were separated in nine layers. His cultivation was at the first layer in each of them. The former ones belonged to the category of supernatural skills from the way of monsters and demons. They became the harder the deeper one went, and the time required also increased geometrically.


    When it came to the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] however, the speed of progress was much faster because it was a human technique, a bottom-level one on top of that. Li Qingshan invested much energy in it in order to obtain the things inside the Sumeru ring. The rate he refined his vitality and turned it into qi was astonishing thanks to his formidable physique. He wasn¡¯t far from the second layer after several days¡¯ worth of effort.


    Little An had no way of cultivating though. Instead he squatted in a corner of the room and read a book. There were two bookcases inside the room, containing many leisure books containing verses, poetic songs, and the likes. There were also some commonly seen Daoist scriptures and Buddhist texts. The book Little An was reading was precisely a Buddhist scripture.


    That senior monk who¡¯d striven for the realm of the Bodhisattvas had entered the way of the demons, and the [Dao of the Beautiful Bones] was also a supernatural skill from the way of the demons. But in essence it¡¯d still been evolved from the Dharma, so of course he had to carefully comprehend it. The bloody flames inside his eye sockets illuminated the words on the book. The scene was rather strange.


    He suddenly raised his head. Li Qingshan also opened his eyes and looked at the door. They both sensed it, one thanks to his keen perception toward the vitality of the living, one thanks to his six consciousnesses as powerful as a monster.


    The silhouette of a man secretly climbed to the top floor of the dragon boat and came in front of Li Qingshan¡¯s door, the desire for murder overflowing from his eyes.


    Qian Rongming was actually convinced he didn¡¯t make the slightest sound and didn¡¯t expose the slightest aura. Of course he wasn¡¯t worried about Li Qingshan, but about that qi refining warrior next door. He only wanted to butcher Li Qingshan tonight. He viciously thought in his mind he ought to have killed him the first time they met.


    As to the qi refining warrior next door, he¡¯d also made his plans. He would definitely take out his trump cards and make him suffer during the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s martial contest. Or maybe it wouldn¡¯t be too late for revenge after becoming an Eagle Wolf guard.


    In the room next door to Li Qingshan, a sensation likewise flashed in that black-faced man¡¯s mind. But he didn¡¯t plan on acting. Li Qingshan was merely a small insignificant character for him. Moreover he also ignorantly antagonized qi refining warriors and didn¡¯t listen to his advice either, so it would be well deserved even if he were to die.


    He was considering whether he should make something out of this matter, take advantage of Qian Rongming being alone to kill him. Someone from Ancient Wind City¡¯s Qian clan would certainly have some good stuff on him. Then he could go below and kill Qian Rongzhi. He would be more confident about this journey after that. His lips curved up slightly; he quietly stood up.


    The door opened slightly ajar and Qian Rongming flashed inside. He lifted his right hand when he saw Li Qingshan on the bed. He maneuvered his true qi and shot his hand down in a slap. A stuffy bang sounded. Qian Rongming exposed a happy smile.


    ¡°What are you smiling for?¡± Li Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes, a red light suddenly emerging inside them.


    Qian Rongming was suddenly greatly startled inside. Muscles all over his body stretched taut as he was about to launch a series of attacks, but then his body loosened again. He looked with disbelief at his chest. The tip of a sword had pierced through his heart.


    He couldn¡¯t believe that he had been sneak-attacked. What was even more fearful was that he couldn¡¯t sense the existence of that person behind him even now. It was only possible not to leak out the slightest aura if that person didn¡¯t breathe and his heart didn¡¯t beat. In the end he struggled to turn his head back and witness the last scene of his entire life, a skeleton with flames burning inside its eyes. The Cremation Blood Fire spread to his whole body, melting him into a part of the bloody fire.


    It wasn¡¯t that Qian Rongming was too weak or too careless. Little An¡¯s present strength was simply at least equivalent to a qi warrior of the third or fourth level. Under the suppression of absolute strength, together to the sneak attack, it would have been strange instead if he weren¡¯t killed in a single strike.


    Li Qingshan sighed softly and said, ¡°Why go as far as killing for the sake of a few unpleasant words? Are you too arrogant, or am I too low-key?¡± Li Qingshan already had had the strength to kill him back then at the restaurant, but he hadn¡¯t done anything, not because he was afraid of trouble but because he didn¡¯t want to kill indiscriminately. Those who killed for the sake of a few unpleasing words were mere brutes. He wanted to kill with good reasons when he did kill. But perhaps others didn¡¯t think so. Perhaps he truly was a cricket among many in their eyes, someone that could naturally be stepped on whenever they wanted to step on him.


    He casually examined his spoils of war, but he didn¡¯t find the spiritual pills or talismans he¡¯d imagined. He found a black brocade sack instead that looked a little familiar. It was dim and worn to extreme shabbiness, with even many spots cracked open on its surface. It seemed really incongruous on a pampered noble son like Qian Rongming. S?a??h the N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    An idea struck Li Qingshan. He poured his meager spiritual qi inside the brocade sack. A wonderful space suddenly opened inside his awareness. He seemed to be looking at a small imaginary case filled with various kinds of things inside.


    There was naturally no lack of silver notes. There were also several small bottles as well as several talismans. The things inside appeared inside his hands with a thought.


    Li Qingshan was delighted. It turned out to be a Hundred Treasures Bag from the legends. He¡¯d inquired from Yan Song about quite a lot of common knowledge about qi refining warriors. He¡¯d learned that a Sumeru ring was something only truly mighty cultivators could possess, with an extremely vast space inside. As to exactly how vast, he¡¯d only heard about it and never seen it for himself. It would be rare for an ordinary qi refining warrior to have a Hundred Treasures Bag already.


    The reason why this embroidered bag seemed familiar to him was because he¡¯d already seen the like on the Red Eagle Captain Wang Pushi. However that Hundred Treasures Bag on Wang Pushi looked so much better than this one, and presumably its storage space was also much bigger. One didn¡¯t need to think to much to know that the one on Qian Rongming was a substandard product. It couldn¡¯t even store a somewhat longer spiritual weapon.


    But even a substandard Hundred Treasures Bag was extremely rare. At least a qi refining warrior at the second level like Yan Song didn¡¯t have one. Qian Rongming was indeed worthy of coming from a so-called great clan, he really had some stuff on him.


    Li Qingshan checked the things inside the Hundred Treasures Bag. Among these several bottles, one contained healing medicine and three contained qi condensing pills. These weren¡¯t knock-off medicine refined by ordinary men of the martial world. These were true spiritual pills. If one were to compare them to the ones Halfmoon had given him, then of course the difference between them would be as great as the distance between the sky and the earth, but they were still real and genuine spiritual pills used by qi refining warriors. They were what Li Qingshan most needed right now.

 Chapter 111

    The three yellow talismans with unknown effects were probably Qian Rongming¡¯s so-called trump cards. Li Qingshan had learned from Yan Song that talismans were also separated in different levels of quality. The three talismans were yellow ones, but the spiritual light on them was much more abundant compared to the ones in Li Qingshan¡¯s possession. They were at least low-quality or perhaps medium-quality. His perception and judgment in this domain was still very lacking.The talismans or spiritual devices ordinary people from the martial world could buy with money were mostly dreg level products that were manufactured by novices who¡¯d just learned how to refine weapons or inscribe talismans. Ordinary people wouldn¡¯t even be able to make use of genuine beginner level spiritual talismans or spiritual devices even if they managed to procure them. At the very least it was difficult triggering a low-quality spiritual talisman by biting one¡¯s tongue and spraying blood on it.


    At long long last he wouldn¡¯t need to carry all these random bits and pieces on his person anymore. Apart from the Sumeru ring that wouldn¡¯t go inside, Li Qingshan put all his belongings in the Hundred Treasures Bag. Examining his own properties added to Qian Rongming¡¯s silver, he had a total of seventy to eighty thousand taels of silver, several talismans, and three bottles of qi condensing pills. That was even discounting little things like healing pills.


    However the most precious thing he had on him apart from the Sumeru ring wasn¡¯t among these. It was the monster core he¡¯d gotten from the great mouse general inside the Boundless Mountains. Halfmoon naturally didn¡¯t care for it, hence she left it for Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan had no idea how he should take it. He didn¡¯t dare recklessly eat this thing, so he¡¯d kept it around inside a small bottle all this time. He took it and once again admired it for a while before putting it inside the Hundred Treasures Bag. Finally he put the Hundred Treasures Bag inside his clothes1.


    A great increase in the assets on hand was truly a great feeling. Li Qingshan¡¯s heart of murder had been stirred; he considered whether he should go all in, go look for that Qian Rongzhi to cut the weeds and pull the roots. One had to say one could become addicted to killing for wealth. Why was mankind always fighting endless wars? Because it was far much easier to snatch from others rather than to build with your own hands.


    He forcibly suppressed this idea as soon as it came however. It wasn¡¯t because of compassion and benevolence, but because he worried that the murderous facet of his nature would be greatly stirred in that case, to the point he would also get rid of that black-faced man at the same occasion in order to snatch his things.


    He absolutely had this strength. He wouldn¡¯t even need to release his monster power, it would be enough as long as he joined hands with Little An. If on one hand someone had something you wanted on them, and on the other you also had the strength to snatch it, and then you wouldn¡¯t even need to pay any price on top of that. In that case, how many people would be able to repress the voracious greed inside their hearts.


    Even with the repression of the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets], the primitive instinct at the bottom of his heart was still entirely like that of a demon, and it urged him to do so. But to allow free rein to his instinct truly wasn¡¯t the dao he searched for. He was continuously learning how to master his power at the same time this power constantly grew mightier, for the sake of preserving his own heart and mind.


    He realized something else at the same time, about how terrible a person would become after acquiring great power. Qian Rongming probably had had the same kinds of thoughts. He could casually kill Li Qingshan and not pay any price for it, effortlessly venting his anger. It was simply as easy as eating a meal or drinking a glass of water.


    The dangers awaiting on the road of cultivation in this human world were probably even above those inside the Boundless Mountains. Li Qingshan pushed these distracting thoughts away. If that Qian Rongming didn¡¯t come to provoke him then that was that. If she dared to come, then he¡¯d kill her as well. There was no particular need to bother looking for her himself at this time.


    He took the bones on the floor together with the clothes and carried them outside the room, ready to throw them into the river and erase all the traces. But as soon as he opened his door, he saw the black-faced man look at him with a face full of disbelief, look at the bones in his arms.


    ¡°What a coincidence!¡± Li Qingshan was slightly startled, then he sent a greeting with a smile and walked around the black-faced man. He tossed the bundle in his arms inside the pitch-black river, so easy and relaxed it seemed he wasn¡¯t tossing a corpse but enjoying the sight of the night instead. This wasn¡¯t actually because his mental fortitude far surpassed that of ordinary people, but because of the calmness of one secure in his own strength.


    The black-faced man¡¯s body stiffened all over. He clenched his fists then loosened them again. There was no longer any contempt in his eyes when he looked at Li Qingshan now. They were filled with vigilance instead, and even a trace of dread.


    He¡¯d stood in observation in a dark corner outside all along, ready to seize the opportunity to launch an ambush. But the one who¡¯d walked out of the room wasn¡¯t actually Qian Rongming but the Li Qingshan who was already dead for certain in his imagination. There was no need to ask the identity of the eerie white skeleton. Yet it would have been very difficult even for him to achieve a kill in a single strike, even with a sneak attack. This wasn¡¯t a duck or a chicken, but a qi refining warrior ten times more ferocious than even tigers or lions.


    He very wanted to ask how Li Qingshan did it, but then no word came out when he looked at Li Qingshan¡¯s smile. What was even more frightening was that he couldn¡¯t sense the existence of qi on Li Qingshan even now. It was precisely the so-called unknown that the most fearful.


    After successfully tossing the corpse away, Li Qingshan once again said to the black-faced man, ¡°What are you called?¡±


    There was no longer any trace of disdain in the black-faced man as he answered with caution, ¡°Diao Fei.¡± He had the nagging feeling the present Li Qingshan was a little different than during daytime. This young man seemed to be hiding something terrible about him. Of course, it was possible this was mere illusion.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°You¡¯re going to Blessed Peace City to be an Eagle Wolf guard?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°What a concidence, me too!¡±


    Diao Fei¡¯s mind braced taut, readying himself to deal with any attack.


    But Li Qingshan clearly didn¡¯t have such intent. He continued to chat, ¡°How many people will the Eagle Wolf Guard recruit this time?¡±


    ¡°Three!¡±


    ¡°So few.¡±


    Diao Fei stayed silent.


    Li Qingshan had wanted to inquire more information out of him at first, but he shrugged his shoulders and went back to his room when he saw the other side standing on full alert.


    Diao Fei suddenly said, ¡°May I ask your excellency¡¯s honored name?¡± This young man might be a rival once they arrived in Blessed Peace.


    ¡°Li Qingshan!¡±


    It seemed he¡¯d heard the name somewhere. Diao Fei thought for a while but from beginning to end he couldn¡¯t remember where he¡¯d heard this name from. He also returned to his room, then he didn¡¯t sleep for the entire night, staying on his guard at all times.


    A feeling came to Li Qingshan as soon as he returned to his room. He opened the windows and looked in the distance. He saw a silhouette leap down from the boat when the boat sailed close to the shore, then fall on a patch of sandbank and quickly disappear inside a dense forest. Judging from its stature, it was precisely Qian Rongzhi.


    Li Qingshan sighed with emotion. This woman¡¯s decisive thinking was truly good. In all likelihood she¡¯d realized something was wrong when Qian Rongming didn¡¯t go back, hence she directly jumped ship and made her escape without even making inquiries or investigations.


    He shook his head and put this matter aside. Li Qingshan took out a bottle of qi condensing pills. He opened it and found out there were only three pills inside, each of them the size of a longan. He took one out and started cultivating.


    The speed of his cultivation indeed became a little faster with the external assistance of a pill. The medicinal power nourished the true qi. The true qi circulated a full turn inside the body in the space of a breathe in and a breathe out. Time passed fleeting. His body very quickly refined one qi condensing pill, then Li Qingshan took out another qi condensing pill and swallowed it down.


    Another qi refining warrior would certainly be dumbfounded if they saw this. How could one eat spiritual pills like beans and candies. Pills could greatly increase the speed of cultivation, but that didn¡¯t mean that someone could simply become a master just because they had spiritual pills and immortal herbs. Talent, efforts, the teachings of a master, and even luck were all indispensable.


    Moreover, there was a limit to how many pills one could eat. It wasn¡¯t as simple as eating as many pills as one had and then entirely transforming them into power, otherwise genuine pill refining masters would all be powerhouses unrivaled in the world. For example, Qian Rongming¡¯s nine qi condensing pills were originally his dose for three months. He¡¯d take one every ten days and slowly convert the medicinal power.


    Even this was for someone the clan put value on who ate them somewhat faster. The normal speed would be two pills a month to guarantee the medicinal power wouldn¡¯t be wasted in the slightest. Who would eat them the way Li Qingshan did.


    It was impossible for the medicinal power from a single trivial qi condensing pill to stay ten days inside his body. He had to fight for seconds and minutes, racing against time to transform it into true qi, or else it would be snatched by his monster core and forcibly turned into monster qi if he were to delay a little. He could be assured none of it would be wasted. S~?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan naturally didn¡¯t know all this. He was still happily thinking that eating pills indeed made his training go faster. He logically cultivated the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] to the second layer by the time he¡¯d eaten down his seventh qi condensing pill. He didn¡¯t feel any bottleneck whatsoever thanks to the Sumeru ring purifying his true qi.


    He stood up and felt a true qi pure to the extreme flow inside his body like a vast and mighty river. His entire body seemed to have become much lither.


    He collected the two qi condensing pills left. His acute hearing could hear noises and voices in the distance. The boat also became noisy, and he vaguely heard many people say, ¡°We¡¯ve reached Blessed Peace City!¡±


    Li Qingshan hurriedly went out to take a look. He saw the decks below already covered in people. A great mountain barred the way of the great river, forcing it to bend around.


    A grand city sitting between rivers and mountains emerged in Li Qingshan¡¯s vision when they went past the bend. To be accurate, it couldn¡¯t be called a city because there were simply no city walls around it. It was a little closer to a modern metropolis.


    Here was the confluence of two great rivers. The Yi river flowed into the Clear River in this place. Blessed Peace spread out on the shores of the two rivers. Row upon row of houses, buildings, high towers, monasteries, and Daoist temples extended without limit on the earth in each and every direction, with boundless golden fields beyond them. Great flocks of birds danced free in the blue sky above the city.


    Li Qingshan never saw ancient cities, but he was confident the metropolis in front of his eyes was vaster and more thriving than famous flourishing places in antiquity like Hangzhou and Yangzhou2. The lack of city walls was proof of the rulers¡¯ absolute confidence in not depending on earth and stone to defend themselves.


    Only small cities like Suncheer would have city walls to defend them against the attacks from bandits and mountain brigands. No genuine great city had built a city wall. These were metropolises ruled by qi refining warriors. If there were truly enemies that could pause a threat to such a city, then they wouldn¡¯t be stopped by mere walls of stone. A wall would only disturb the development of the city instead.


    Li Qingshan finally understood why Ye Dachuan was so delighted when he learned he could be a county commissioner here. Being a small official in this place was so much more powerful than being in Suncheer. Then just how flourishing would be the Clear River City that governed the entire Clear River province? He couldn¡¯t even imagine how the Ruyi region capital would look like, even more so.


    Everything in front of his eyes made him understand that here wasn¡¯t a simple ancient world. The existence of qi refining warriors deeply influenced everything in this world, shrouding it in a layer of mystical flavor, just like in the legends.


    The dragon boat berthed at the dock. Li Qingshan disembarked from the boat together with the flow of men. He thought before of asking Diao Fei or someone about the whereabouts of the Eagle Wolf Guard, but now he knew after arriving that wouldn¡¯t be necessary.


    1. The Hundred Treasures Bag is maybe more accurately called the Hundred Treasures Purse, but it sounded a little too feminine to me.


    2. Hangzhou and Yangzhou are two cities in southern China that both served as (short-lived in Yangzhou¡¯s case) capital of southern China.

 Chapter 112

    On a mountain peak at the northern side of the city, an iron eagle molded from black iron spread out its iron wings more than a hundred feet wide as it stamped on a stone platform several dozen feet tall, overlooking the whole of Blessed Peace City. It seemed to declare clear and loud that this city was monitored and defended by the Eagle Wolf Guard, filled with arrogance rather than any attempt at discretion. Whether you were a man of the rivers and lakes or a qi refining warrior, you had to act cautious and careful under the gaze of this eagle.Li Qingshan disembarked from the boat then directly dashed toward the mountain peak without saying anything. A building sat below that iron eagle spreading its wings. It was precisely the location of the Eagle Wolf Guard. Diao Fei tailed behind him as soon as he disembarked from the boat. His eyes had become firm again. No matter what strength Li Qingshan was hiding, it couldn¡¯t disturb his determination to become an Eagle Wolf guard.


    Li Qingshan advanced along the neatly arranged stone steps. The thick forest shades on both sides seemed to hide the sky above from prying eyes. The mountain peak wasn¡¯t very tall, a mere thousand feet. There was no way to compare it to those great mountains inside the Boundless Mountain Ranges, but his heart seemed to widen once again when he turned his head back and looked down on Blessed Peace City below his feet.


    A tall stone arch stood at the end of the stone steps. The calligraphy of three words ¡°Eagle Wolf Guard¡± were handwritten on it with wanton flamboyance. There was a vast plaza after crossing past this arch, and that eagle sat in the middle of it. He couldn¡¯t feel it from the distance, but he could sense the awe-inspiring aura of this iron eagle now that he was nearing, especially that pair of eagle eyes that seemed to be staring at people like a living creature. Eleven equally flamboyant words were inscribed on the stone platform under his feet: ¡°The eagle overlooks the world, the wolf watches the nine provinces.¡±


    Eagles observers didn¡¯t require too many explanations. They overlooked the earth like an eagle hovering in the sky. As to the observing wolf, it described an attitude. Ordinary people would certainly turn their bodies and look back if someone were to call their name behind them. To turn the head but not the body was called looking like a watchful wolf, and people who acted such were often deceitful or paranoid1.


    These eleven words were not only filled with a pride that overflowed from the sky. They also describe the role of the Eagle Wolf Guard in vivid strokes. Li Qingshan didn¡¯t understand calligraphy, but he still could immediately see that these eleven words were written by the same hand that¡¯d written the three words ¡°Eagle Wolf Guard.¡± There was an inimitable grand tyrannical aura and a loftiness that could swallow the world, sweeping away everything under the sun. They brought even more shock to the heart and soul of men than that huge iron eagle sculpture.


    A young man clothed in green came up before Li Qingshan had had time to carefully examine them. ¡°You must also have come to apply to the Eagle Wolf Guard!¡±


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t sense any sign of martial arts or qi refining on him. He was presumably a mere attendant or perhaps the kind of small role here to receive guests, but his person actually carried an air of command about him. The gatekeeper of a prime minister was indeed like an official of the seventh rank2.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Indeed.¡±


    The green-clothed attendant observed Li Qingshan puzzedly. He saw Li Qingshan¡¯s calm and unperturbed appearance and softly said, ¡°Come with me then!¡± He led Li Qingshan in front of a great hall. ¡°Go in, everyone is inside. When you go in you have to first note down your name and cultivation level.¡±


    Li Qingshan trod inside the great hall. Many eyes immediately fell on him, every gaze sharp like swords and sabers.


    Li Qingshan saw more than twenty persons inside the great hall. Some were men and some were women, some were young and some were old. Some were in groups of three to five and some sat alone in meditation. Each and every one of them was a qi refining warrior. Most of their gazes were unfriendly when they looked at Li Qingshan. Some raised their eyebrows in ridicule, happily pointing at him and commenting to their companions, some exposed disdain and immediately turned their eyes away. There were also one or two persons who looked at him with a little suspicion.


    This was the first time Li Qingshan saw so many qi refining warriors, and there was an excitement he couldn¡¯t put into words inside his chest. He finally came into contact with the community of cultivators in this world.


    In truth, Halfmoon had already ferociously thrown him into it, but these people were all formidably strong like freaks. He could only look up at them with despair and hope. There was no sense of reality when the difference was too great. Only now could he look at these people as equal, or perhaps even look down at them from above.


    Li Qingshan saw several dozen wooden plaques hanging on the walls of the great hall with names written on them. He threw them a glance and came in front a long table at a corner of the hall. An emissary was writing bent over the desk. He said without even looking up, ¡°Name, origin, master, cultivation. Remember, you can¡¯t hide anything, otherwise if you¡¯re found out¡­¡±


    The emissary didn¡¯t continue further but the threat in his words were implicitly obvious. Li Qingshan only understood then why these people would stay in this place. They wanted to gather information about newly arrived rivals.


    Li Qingshan originally wanted to take out the dark wolf badge, go meet that dark wolf captain Zhuo Zhibo, and directly enter the Eagle Wolf Guard. But against all expectations he couldn¡¯t even see a single genuine Eagle Wolf guard around, only a few green-clothed attendants receiving guests. He temporarily put his original idea on hold. It just happened he wanted to properly observe the proceedings. Anyway he would meet with the real master sooner or later. He wouldn¡¯t believe Zhuo Zhibo wouldn¡¯t make an appearance at such an important event.


    ¡°Li Qingshan, first level of qi refining¡­¡± said Li Qingshan.


    Li Qingshan heard several sneers as soon as he said his cultivation level out loud.


    ¡°Coming to apply for the Eagle Wolf Guard at the first level of qi refining, this kid must be an idiot!¡±


    ¡°Go home and go suck on a teat for milk, this isn¡¯t the place for you.¡±


    ¡°Is he really at the first level of qi refining? It doesn¡¯t look like it to me, he couldn¡¯t be lying right?¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t be far from death if he¡¯s falsifying his cultivation level.¡±


    The people inside this great hall were all at least at the second level of qi refining. Most of those with innate talent for qi refining would cultivate with painstaking care and come out only after breaking through to the second level. As to those who reached the innate realm after training internal strength, they would also use the true qi transformed from their internal strength to forcibly break through to the second level. Hence there were very few qi warriors at the first level traveling in the world.


    Even the green-clothed emissary in charge of the records lifted his head. ¡°Is that true? You can¡¯t register if you¡¯re not a qi refining warrior.¡± He wasn¡¯t a qi refining warrior himself, but he¡¯d spend many years inside the Eagle Wolf Guard, so his vision was pretty decent. Li Qingshan simply didn¡¯t look like a qi refining warrior to him.


    Li Qingshan suddenly understood a malpractice of his. After he¡¯d gone through the sinister dangers inside the Boundless Mountains, repressing the entire aura of his person with the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets] had almost become an instinctual behavior. It was so even after he managed to cultivate true qi.


    Of course he had to repress his monster qi tight and could absolutely not let the slightest shred of it leak out. But there was no need to be so cautious about true qi. Displaying his identity as a qi refining warrior in due time ought to spare him quite a bit of trouble.


    Hence, the aura of his entire person immediately changed. He no longer restrained or repressed his true qi and automatically released it, displaying the strength of a qi refining warrior at the first level.


    What this lead to however was in fact roars of laughter across the entire room. Even these few suspicious eyes also finally withdrew their gazes and no longer regarded Li Qingshan as important. The unknown was frightening, that was the reason a donkey could scare away a tiger. But when the donkey exhausted all his moves, it could only submit to a wretched fate3.


    The green-clothed emissary also put down his pen and let out a smile. ¡°I see you¡¯re truly young. It¡¯s not easy having your talent. It would be better for you to go back home and cultivate for several years. Come out only after breaking through the second level. There will be dangers in this contest.¡±


    Li Qingshan ignored these mocking laughs. He expressed his thanks to this benevolent warning, then he confidently said, ¡°I have faith in myself.¡±


    The green-clothed emissary stayed noncommittal and proceeded to continue writing.


    No clan, no sect, no master, this was Li Qingshan curriculum vitae.


    The emissary noted it down in not much of a time. He raised his head and said, ¡°The contest starts three days later. If you go out there will naturally be someone who¡¯ll arrange a place to stay for you. You can also stay here if you want.¡± S?a?ch* Th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Another attendant lifted a wooden plaque and hung it at the end of that tall wall together with other names. Of course the information on it wasn¡¯t very detailed. There was only a name written on the front and the cultivation level written on the back.


    It made Li Qingshan sigh with lament. For a qi refining warrior, any origin or master was all falsehood. Your true strength was your only business card, the thing that people put value on.


    When he turned around, he looked at the group of qi refining warriors with the same gaze he would use to look at garbage. Then he shook his head and said especially to the few people who¡¯d loudly derided him, ¡°Garbage.¡± Haughtiness was his innate disposition, mocking the herd was his innate gift.


    A qi refining warrior said in anger, ¡°Who are you talking about?¡± He was the one who told Li Qingshan to go back and suck on a teat earlier.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I¡¯m talking about whoever replies.¡± Those who hadn¡¯t wagged their tongues at him would naturally not think they were the ones Li Qingshan was cursing at.


    The qi refining warrior¡¯s body flashed in front of Li Qingshan. He abruptly lifted his hand and amassed his true qi. The attendant in charge of the records said, ¡°Those who fight private battles on the mountain will be executed with no trial.¡±


    The hand of that qi refining warrior trembled a few times. In the end he let his arm fall down.


    The rules of the Eagle Wolf Guard were no joke. There was no mention of lodging during the Eagle Wolf Guard earliest bouts of recruitment. You only had to show up the day of the contest, but afterwards there were many people who couldn¡¯t show up.


    The qi refining warriors lived inside Blessed Peace city. It could be said that they showed no scruple and stopped at no crime in order to get rid of their opposition, whether by poison, ganging on someone, or through assassination. The results were often decided before it even officially began. That was why the rules had been changed. Everyone who came to apply lived on the mountain, and no one was allowed to use any mean to attack anyone else. They would be extinguished without trial if they were to act in any way.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Come bite me, moron!¡± There was a saying, what was it again. This bro¡¯s low profile isn¡¯t open house for you to act the smartass4. A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye, that was the standard he lived his life by. You know how to swear, but my mouth isn¡¯t dim-witted either!


    That qi refining warriro was so angry he actually smiled instead. ¡°Three days later, you¡¯ll know what¡¯s called not knowing life from death.¡±


    There were several other qi refining warriors who also snickered repeatedly.


    Diao Fei walked into the great hall at this moment. He glanced at Li Qingshan then watched the tall walls, then sighed in relief. It seemed Li Qingshan¡¯s cultivation was indeed at the first level of qi refining. He¡¯d merely used some kind of method to hide his cultivation and make him frightened. But it was still a mystery to him what method Li Qingshan had used to kill Qian Rongming, so he didn¡¯t dare be careless.


    The other people inside the hall no longer paid attention to Li Qingshan after seeing Diao Fei. A master at the third level of qi refining was a formidable opponent in this contest, and they had to carefully observe him. Li Qingshan merely played the role of a clown in comparison. The time of his death was already near and he wasn¡¯t worth caring about.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t stay any longer in the hall. He went out of the gates. An attendant led him up the mountain, past foliage and vegetation, birdsong and fragrant flower, all having gone through the care of a great gardening master. There was a new scenery every three steps; the beauty surpassed the imagination.


    The green-clothed attendant pointed to a room when they came in front of a building and said, ¡°This is where you live. You must already know that no private fighting is allowed on the mountain. Three meals a day, you can come to the rear of the hall to eat. You can call for us if you have any request, and we¡¯ll do our utmost to satisfy you as long as it¡¯s not excessive.¡± The attitude was very average, but the service was definitely thoughtful.


    1. The ¡°appearance of a watchful wolf¡± is a Chinese saying based on the habit of wolves to always look left and right or behind when they travel. Ancient Chinese people very disliked wolves, so they came to associate this attitude with deceit etc.


    2. ¡°A prime minister¡¯s gatekeeper is equivalent to an official of the seventh rank¡± is a saying in ancient China. It shouldn¡¯t be too hard to understand, the gatekeeper has power over who can go in and who can¡¯t, etc. ¡°Seventh rank¡± refers to the nine ranks of officialdom, with rank one the highest.


    3. The story of the donkey and the tiger is a reference to the Chinese fable ¡°The Donkey of Qian.¡± There were no donkeys in Qian until a man let one loose there one day. A tiger saw it and thought it was a mighty beast because of its size, so it was terrified of it, until the day he finally dared to prod it. The donkey kicked the tiger, and then the tiger finally realized the donkey was nothing formidable and ended up eating it.


    4. Okay I spent two hours on this line and still couldn¡¯t come up with anything good. -_- It basically means ¡°It¡¯s not because I (this bro) act low key that it gives you the qualification to act pretentious/play the poser. Something something, except spewed out in slang by some Chinese rapper/techno MC thing. Sorry I have NFI.

 Chapter 113

    Li Qingshan ate the two qi condensing pills left once he went inside his room. However the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] was also harder the higher one cultivated, and the feeling of growth wasn¡¯t very obvious anymore this time even with the two pills. Of course, one couldn¡¯t not mention the snatching and tempering from the monster core and the Sumeru ring.He wasn¡¯t aware that Qian Rongzhi also had come to the great hall after his departure. She lowered her head when she saw Diao Fei and concealed the hatred in her eyes before also leaving her name behind. She thought Diao Fei had been the one to kill Qian Rongming; one who could kill a qi refining warrior was naturally another qi refining warrior. She didn¡¯t go ask however.


    Diao Fei was innocent but he didn¡¯t offer any explanation either. It would look as if he were afraid of her if he did.


    Li Qingshan went to the rear hall at noon. It was more or less fully filled with people sitting there. The exquisite pear wood tables were so smooth they could reflect a man¡¯s face. A faint flowery fragrance came from somewhere. Every window was open, and outside the windows were garden views resembling landscape paintings quiet and beautiful in their extreme elegance.


    Pleasing dishes were carried out one after another and laid on long tables. Everyone could help themselves to them, like the buffets of his former world. But the quality of the food was actually very good, comparable to the Manchu Han imperial feast of the legends1. Li Qingshan had eaten quite a few dishes made by so-called great chefs on his way out of Suncheer, but they were simply apprentices compared to this Eagle Wolf Guard chef. Many dishes made from rare and precious ingredients spread all over the long tables.


    Li Qingshan understood increasingly better why so many qi refining warriors waned to join the Eagle Wolf Guard. Not to mention anything else, just the food was an enjoyment fit for kings and emperors. He ate without restraint, once again attracting quite a few supercilious looks. Many qi refining warriors came from great clans or sects, so they naturally wouldn¡¯t be so inexperienced in the ways of the world like him. Even if Li Qingshan was already keeping a lid on the amount of food he took in order to make him appear like a human, others still secretly despised him as a hungry ghost.


    Li Qingshan was in the middle of eating a dish made from some unknown fish when a figure flashed in front of him. Diao Fei sat opposite him and organized his words. ¡°Your aura restraining technique is very brilliant. I couldn¡¯t tell anything at first.¡± He seemed to be much more relaxed now and not so much on his guards, perhaps because he was confident no one would dare violate the rules of the Eagle Wolf Guard.


    Li Qingshan said with a smile, ¡°It¡¯s mostly because I¡¯m too weak!¡±


    Diao Fei¡¯s mouth twitched. One who could kill a qi refning warrior of the second level with no sound or breath and leave only a frightful skeleton behind, could he truly be weak? He had suspicions Li Qingshan cultivated techniques from the way of the demons, hence he didn¡¯t want to expose himself to others. Pity that Qian Rongming who believed he was a genuine pushover and tossed his life away therein.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Looking at your appearance, it must not be the first time you¡¯re coming!¡±


    Diao Fei said, ¡°Keen vision, this is my second time.¡±


    Then he fell silent.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Right, do you have qi condensing pills?¡±


    Diao Fei said, ¡°Of course I do, why?¡± Qi refining pills were the most commonly used pills by qi refining warriors. If talking about precious of course they were very precious, but they were very commonly seen.


    Li Qingshan wiped his mouth and pushed the tableware to one side. ¡°How about you sell them to me?¡±


    Diao Fei said, ¡°If you¡¯re talking about silver, then I¡¯ll have to excuse myself.¡±


    It indeed wasn¡¯t outside of Li Qingshan¡¯s expectations. Mundane silver and gold were already mostly meaningless for qi refining warriors.


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Of course it¡¯s not silver, I¡¯m talking about talismans.¡±


    ¡°What!¡± Diao Fei was astounded. There wasn¡¯t any qi refining warrior who didn¡¯t carry a few talismans on them. Even more so for this contest for which he¡¯d made the most ample of preparations. These were qi refning warriors¡¯ trump cards, or even a second life for them. Selling talismans on the eve of the contest was the same as selling the weapons on one¡¯s hand before the start of the war, it was simply outrageously unimaginable.


    Li Qingshan immediately took out all the talismans from the Hundred Treasures Bag and spread them on the table one by one. He was also very confident in the security offered by the Eagle Wolf Guard. He asked, ¡°How about it?¡±


    This immediately attracted the eyes of everyone inside the hall, not only Diao Fei.


    Diao Fei¡¯s breathing marked a faint pause. Apart from two dreg-level talismans, the others were all low-quality, and the most surprising was that there was even a medium-quality Thunder Strike Talisman. This was a divine item that could overturn the tide and transform defeat into victory at a crucial moment! Even a qi refining warrior of the third level would sustain heavy injuries with a slight moment of carelessness, or even be directly killed.


    ¡°One talisman for one pill.¡± Diao Fei immediately stretched his hand to take the talismans. He could be guaranteed to obtain victory as long as he had these talismans.


    Li Qingshan took the talismans back and said with a faint smile, ¡°This price seems a little low.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m offering fifteen qi condensing pills to buy all your talismans.¡± A green-clothed qi refining warrior beside them suddenly opened his mouth. He was young but wore luxurious clothes. One could see at a glance he came from an influential clan.


    Li Qingshan spread out his hands at Diao Fei and said, ¡°Look, someone raised the price.¡± The reason he chose to do business in a public area with many people present was precisely because he was unaware of standard prices.


    Just as this qi refining warrior¡¯s voice fell, someone else said, ¡°I bid fifteen qi condensing pills for a single talisman of yours.¡±


    Li Qingshan was a little flabbergast. He looked at that talisman in his hands. He knew spiritual qi was richest on such a talisman, but he still didn¡¯t think it could be worth so many qi condensing pills.


    Many qi refining warriors surrounded them. Their eyes each glittered with bright light. Li Qingshan was confident he would already be under siege were it not for them being inside the Eagle Wolf Guard. Now no one even dared to say malicious words to his face. There were even two people among those who¡¯d mocked him earlier who thickened their facial skins and came forward as well.


    That qi refining warrior who¡¯d directly clashed with Li Qingshan cursed a ¡°moron¡± in a low voice, his face unsightly as his heart became all the more vicious. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you die without these talismans.¡± s?a??h th? ???el F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    How would he know Li Qingshan¡¯s intentions. He was simply not planning on participating in this contest at all. His brain would have to be flooded with water before he became ignorant of how to use the promise Wang Pushi made to him. Li Qingshan had enough trump cards in his hands in any case, hence these few talismans simply didn¡¯t amount to much at all. The most important thing was to exchange them with spiritual pills and quickly transform them into his own strength.


    Li Qingshan stood up and said in a loud voice, ¡°Everyone please be calm. I¡¯ll sell all these talismans, they will go to the highest bidder. We exchange pills in one hand and talismans in the other, fair trade for young and old alike. First is this Clear Breeze Talisman¡­¡± He separated the talismans on hand by levels following the amount of spiritual qi on them, from the weakest to the strongest. Then he actually started an impromptu auction on the spot.


    The green-clothed attendants in the hall raised their eyebrows one and all, but no one interfered. They¡¯d just really never seen talismans being sold in this place.


    Someone immediately answered, ¡°I bid one qi condensing pill.¡±


    ¡°Two.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Is there someone offering more?¡± Someone offered three only after he asked for a while, and no one offered another bid after that. It looked like dreg-level talismans weren¡¯t very valued by qi refining warriors. He collected three qi condensing pills and exchanged them for the talisman.


    In fact, the price of this talisman was already far superior to its normal value. It would be difficult to obtain even a single qi refining pill in ordinary times, because everyone clearly knew that spiritual pills that could raise one¡¯s fundamental strength were the way of kings compared to these external aids.


    But the situation was reversed at such times. You couldn¡¯t immediately enhance your strength no matter how many qi condensing pills you had. One more talisman, even a dreg-level one, could instantly lift your strength by a little and offer a little more guarantee in the contest to come. If you didn¡¯t buy them yourself, they could very possibly be obtained by your opponents and become tools to defeat or even kill you. Even the lowest-level dreg talisman could be the straw that breaks the camel¡¯s back.


    On one side was a beautiful future awaiting after joining the Eagle Wolf Guard, and on the other side was the wretched misery of death or defeat. They truly couldn¡¯t help but give it their all.


    The atmosphere gradually heated up when Li Qingshan started selling low-quality talismans. The amount of qi condensing pills started to surpass five. Li Qingshan obtained nearly fifty qi condensing pills by the time he sold all the talismans except for the medium-quality Thunder Strike Talisman. He found out that the size of qi condensing pills wasn¡¯t always identical. There were many that were only as big as peanuts, and one porcelain bottle could store more than a doze of them.


    It turned out that spiritual pills weren¡¯t perfectly round pills when they were refined, but paste-shaped. Then pill refining masters would process them into pills according to the norm. Pills coming from pill refining masters without enough ability would have a weaker medicinal quality, so they had to make them a little bigger in order to ensure consistency in medicinal quality and adhere to the standards for qi condensing pills.


    Many qi refining warriors hadn¡¯t offered a single bid from beginning to end. Their eyes suddenly lit up when Li Qingshan took out the last medium-quality talisman.


    ¡°Ten qi condensing pills.¡±


    ¡°Twenty.¡±


    ¡°Twenty five.¡±


    The price broke through all previous records in an instant. This talisman was a talisman that could genuinely influence the tide of battle. It was also what Qian Rongming had counted on to challenge qi refining warriors at the third level. Whoever obtained this talisman would see their odds of success rise by at least a third. Many of them were determined to obtain it.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s face beamed in delight. It would be very easy to break through to the third layer of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] with the help of these qi condensing pills. He suddenly turned his head around and saw Qian Rongzhi stand in front of the door, watching him with a face full of venom. She of course very clearly knew what talismans Qian Rongming had in his hands.


    Li Qingshan gave a faint cold smile. He didn¡¯t get his way by bullying, hence he just came to kill. There was nothing to pity about Qian Rongming¡¯s demise. If this woman didn¡¯t know discretion, then he didn¡¯t mind sending her to see Qian Rongming again and be his companion on the road to the netherworld.


    ¡°I bid one pill.¡± Diao Fei suddenly opened his mouth after staying silent for a long while. He was greatly regretful at this moment. It would have been so much better if he¡¯d traded with Li Qingshan back on the boat instead, why did he have to come to this step.


    The whole hall became quiet and everyone looked at Diao Fei. The one who¡¯d offered the highest bid right now coldly said, ¡°You can¡¯t be joking right?¡± He was likewise a qi refining warrior of the third level and saw Diao Fei as a rival.


    Diao Fei took out a porcelain bottle with extreme reluctance. ¡°I bid one Pearl Dew Pill.¡±


    ¡°What, Pearl Dew Pill!¡± The crowd of qi refining warriors went into an uproar. It seemed this Pearl Dew Pill had quite a renown. Li Qingshan exposed much curiosity. He wasn¡¯t aware that the value of a Pearl Dew Pill was truly too much above that of a medium-quality talisman.


    The qi condensing pill was definitely not a top-notch medicine pill. However the ingredients it required were relatively easy to gather, the refining process was also relatively easy, and the medicinal quality was more or less stable as well. Those were the reasons it became popular and widespread, turning into an essential cultivation product for the great majority of qi refining warriors. The goal it pursued was decent quality at a bargain price.


    There were in fact many better medicine pills. The only reason they were comparatively rare was perhaps because a certain ingredient was very difficult to collect, or perhaps because they required great skills from the pill refining master. However refining one of the them was comparable to several dozen qi condensing pills.


    1. The Manchu Han imperial feast was a grand feast during the Qing dynasty that occurred for three whole days and comprised of over 300 dishes. Held in honor of the Kangxi Emperor¡¯s 66th birthday, as a way to resolve tension between the Han and the Manchu people after the conquest of China by the Manchus.

 Chapter 114

    Diao Fei originally meant to save it in order to unblock the Yang Linking Meridian and break through to the fourth level of qi refining. But no matter what he couldn¡¯t allow this Thunder Strike Talisman to fall into the hands of a rival. He could only resign himself to part with his beloved treasure.Li Qingshan said to Diao Fei, ¡°Let me take a look!¡±


    Diao Fei poured the Pearl Dew Pill in his hand. A small medicine pill transparent like a drop of dew released dazzling luster. All the qi refining warriors around them struggled to hide the greed inside their eyes. A top-notch pill could help break through to a new realm at a critical time. It had indeed great uses and wasn¡¯t something qi condensing pills could compare to.


    Li Qingshan was suddenly very regretful. Why didn¡¯t he get rid of those two back on the boat. Temptation of the devil, temptation of the devil! He said with a faint smile, ¡°That¡¯s passable.¡±


    Passable? Diao Fei was very dissatisfied with this evaluation. This is a Pearl Dew Pill, you ever seen such a good pill? The other qi refining warriors also thought Li Qingshan was putting on an act.


    How could he know that Li Qingshan had not only seen but also eaten many. Only now did he realize increasingly clearer how good Halfmoon had been to him. He didn¡¯t know the names of those pills Halfmoon had given him, but any one among them was much better than this Pearl Dew Pill that sent this group of qi refining warriors into a frenzy of greed. Sigh, how was that gal doing by now?


    Atchoo


    A black spirit cat lying in a serene blue embrace sneezed ten thousand miles away. A jade hand gently caressed her fur glossy like flowing moonlight.


    A soft and gentle voice anxiously said, ¡°Little Moon, did you catch a cold?¡± She tightened her embrace at the same time and hugged Halfmoon close in her arms.


    ¡°I¡¯m a cat monster, can cat monsters catch a cold? Use your head a little, meowstress!¡± Halfmoon struggled with all her might but couldn¡¯t manage to get away.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re fine. Your body is too weak, come, better eat a pill!¡± Slender jade fingers took a spiritual pill and sent it to Halfmoon¡¯s mouth. A pure and limpid spiritual light sparkled within as if it were crystal. Compared to it, qi condensing pills were pills of mud, and Pearl Bead Pills were stones.


    ¡°Not eating not eating not eating!¡± Halfmoon shook her head left and right, struggling even more.


    ¡°Alright alright alright, not eating not eating.¡± She took back the spiritual pill, her pampering voice a little helpless. Just like a mother seeing her most beloved child, even her unruliness became a wonderful virtue in her eyes.


    Halfmoon raised her head. She suddenly felt sad when she looked at that beautiful mien that seemed still clotted with sorrow even when faintly smiling. She¡¯d caught her after escaping, but there hadn¡¯t been a single word of scolding coming from her mouth. Instead she showered her with even more heartfelt care, such as illuminating her with moonlight or using endless amounts of spiritual pills. She was the one allowed her to transform into a monster capable of changing into a human shape from a small trivial spiritual cat.


    Her heart suddenly remembered that tall figure carrying her on his back as he climbed that ice cliff in the middle of endless snow and wind, shedding two crystalline trails for her. I¡¯m probably not a good pet!


    Just like how a child could only understand the mind of a parent after having a child themselves, understand after investing time and effort how much it¡¯d taken for them to obtain everything they¡¯d obtained.


    ¡°Mistress, I¡¯ll tell you a story!¡±


    ¡°Alright, I most like listening to Halfmoon telling stories!¡±


    Mountains and clouds spread for ten thousand miles outside the windows. Two exotic beasts dragged the carriage, stamping over the sky.


    Back to Blessed Peace, Li Qingshan had already gone back to his own room. He leisurely lay on his bed and calculated the day¡¯s profits.


    More that fifty qi condensing pills, enough for his cultivation to break through to the third layer of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] during these three days, while that Pearl Bead Pill could be used to break through to the fourth level of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets]. That was precisely the boundary between the first and second levels of qi refining, the unblocking of the first meridian. S?a??h the N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Hence, Li Qingshan closed the door and once again began closed-door cultivation. This behavior of his was actually very commonly seen. Many qi refining warriors would use these three days on the eve of the battle to polish their spears and make their ultimate preparations, not stepping a single step outside the door.


    Fifty qi condensing pills big and small went down his belly one by one. More than half of it was transformed into monster power, and the rest became a true qi pure to the extreme. He couldn¡¯t expose his true form and take look at the result, but Li Qingshan was confident his monster incarnation had become even taller and more majestic. It would be very hard to attain the same speed even if he were to live in seclusion inside the mountains, breathing in and out that spiritual qi between heaven and earth. The cultivation speed of monsters and demons was indeed far from matching that of humans. This was nature¡¯s sorrow, but Li Qingshan strove his best to use the ways of mankind to make up for this shortcoming.


    Pills could be of assistance for cultivation, but they polluted true qi with dirt and made it lose its purity. Common qi refining warriors had to think of ways to temper their true qi in addition to refining medicinal power, hence the time they had to spend would naturally be much longer. Li Qingshan had the assistance from the Sumeru ring however, sparing him from this process, imperceptibly saving him who knew how much time. It actually increased the speed of his cultivation.


    Li Qingshan quietly sat in meditation inside his room. Three days went past all of a sudden. He¡¯d broken through the third layer of the [Innate Qi Refining Secrets] only after taking twenty four pills in one go, an amount that many a qi refining warrior would use during a whole year. He still wanted to continue cultivating at first, but the time of the contest had come and he had no choice but to stand up and go out. He noticed that a drizzle had unknowingly started to fall down from the sky.


    He came to the location of the contest with the guidance of a green-robed attendant, a limestone plaza. The rules were very simple: the qi refining warriors were to go up one by one and duel. The winner went on and the loser was eliminated, all the way until the last 3. Those would be Eagle Wolf guards.


    A crimson pavilion with cornices supported by interlocked beams stood at the end of the plaza, its color a little dimmed by the soak of the rain. Many silhouettes could be faintly discerned in that pavilion. The pitch black of the dark wolf uniform was a color Li Qingshan was familiar with. Li Qingshan finally had his first glimpse of this place¡¯s genuine masters after coming here for three days.


    Apart from the Eagle Wolf guards, there also a few persons wearing everyday clothes leaning on the railings, very relaxedly conversing and laughing among themselves, fruits and pastries were arranged to the side. They simply seemed to be watching a good show, or perhaps one could say a gambling party.


    Because Li Qingshan clearly heard them talk about the degree of strength or weakness of the qi refining warriors, talk about how much money they¡¯d gambled, so free and easy they seemed to be talking about racing horses or fighting dogs.


    A Dark Wolf guard with a brandy nose held a list of names with the cultivation levels and life information of each and every qi refining warriors on it. ¡°The two third level qi refining warriors are bound to be in the last three, the only thing worth betting on is which one out of the second level qi refining warriors can rise about others.¡±


    The Dark Wolf guard beside him said softly while leaning on a pillar, ¡°I bet it¡¯ll be that woman.¡±


    ¡°Brandy Nose¡± looked at the list of names. ¡°Qian Rongzhi? Why? Her strength can¡¯t be said to be formidable.¡±


    ¡°A feeling,¡± said this Dark Wolf guard with a smile. He didn¡¯t leak anything out, but his eyes were looking inside the pavilion.


    ¡°Brandy Nose¡± seemed to come to some sudden realization. He also started to smile in tacit understanding.


    That Eagle Wolf guard suddenly said, ¡°Hey, look at that kid, the one who¡¯s looking at us right now, the one at the first layer of qi refining. We might as well bet when he¡¯s going to die!¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bet on his first fight.¡±


    Two men sat face to face inside the pavilion. They could clearly see through the muslin curtains and observe the view of the field. A pot of green tea sat on the table, its clear fragrance permeating the entire room. Two beautiful maids stood beside.


    One of them had a slightly plump body and wore the Dark Eagle uniform on him. He was precisely the Dark Eagle captain of Blessed Peace, Zhuo Zhibo. His eyes were narrowed into slits as he said smiling, ¡°Lord Zhou, let us also have a small bet to cultivate our minds, how do you say?¡± He still seemed of middle age, but his real age was at least over sixty. The reason he looked much younger was because he¡¯d unblocked the four great Yin and Yang meridians and then broken through the Belt meridian, condensing a sea of qi.


    Lord Zhou seemed even younger, looking not even thirty yet. He was dressed from head to toes like a scholar. A few strands of a long beard added a little gravitas to his appearance. He seemed just like an elegant scholar having gone through the great upheavals of life. He smiled and waved his hand, saying, ¡°Not betting not betting. Wouldn¡¯t I be making a rod for my own back if I were to bet with you in your domain?¡± There was no smile inside him however. This guy was again showing off his martial strength, it was truly too repulsive.


    In Blessed Peace, there was naturally only the county magistrate Zhou Wenbin who could sit on equal footing with Zhuo Zhibo. There had never been any place in the world where two people with equivalent authority could become affectionate and intimate. The two of them both had things they feared however, hence they divided their labors as not to encroach on each other¡¯s territory for the sake of preserving a superficial peace. Nevertheless they would still seize every opportunity to show off their own strength to the other party.


    Zhou Wenbin ended up taking the register at Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s repeated requests. Then he saw a name and an idea flashed in his mind. ¡°Captain Zhuo, there¡¯s even a first level qi refining warrior this time?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s someone who doesn¡¯t know life from death every year.¡± Zhuo Zhibo had likewise noticed this strange type long ago, but he hadn¡¯t taken it to heart. Not to mention anything else, the difference in strength was really too great. Wang Pushi had reprimanded him because of Feng Zhang and told him someone was coming to report for duty, but he¡¯d simply not mentioned Li Qingshan¡¯s name at all. Or perhaps even Wang Pushi thought that Li Qingshan didn¡¯t have the ability to make off with his small life when faced with Feng Zhang. Moreover this was several months ago.


    Zhou Wenbin concealed his smile. He didn¡¯t have Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s influence in Blessed Peace, but he came from Clear River City and he¡¯d studied at the classic halls of the Hundred Schools of Thoughts. His connections and information network were much more efficient, and his memory was also very good. He faintly remembered a certain friend in Clear River City once mentioning an entertaining anecdote in a letter. There was a name mentioned on it, it seemed the surname was Li.


    White Eagle Captain Gu Yanying was the woman with the greatest power and the greatest authority in the Ruyi region, the dream lover of every man. There was no one who wasn¡¯t be tempted as long as they saw her. They could only drool about her however, unable to get any closer, but every information about her was a topic people discussed with enthusiasm, just like for the superstars in Li Qingshan¡¯s former world.


    Moreover, Clear River City¡¯s old Wang had even lashed out at this old friend Zhuo Zhibo because of this matter, hence it had been even worth for him remembering the aftertastes of this interesting affair.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bet ten spirit stones on this little lad. To dare come apply with a strength at the first level of qi refining, he certainly has something he can rely on to rise from obscurity and become an Eagle Wolf guard.¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s eyes shrank. He said smiling, ¡°And you were still saying you don¡¯t like gambling. Isn¡¯t this betting instinct of yours even greater than mine?¡±


    A group of people stood above, betting on the life and death of people below. A group of people stood below, becoming the gambling stakes of people above. Qi refining didn¡¯t change mankind¡¯s urge for gambles. Fighting with each others and vying for supremacy, these primitive instincts merely manifested themselves in a somewhat different manner when embodied by mankind.


    Li Qingshan stood beside the field, a group of qi refining warriors brimming with hostility against him. No one thanked him for selling them talismans and increasing their odds of victory; they merely hated him for seizing the opportunity for extorting them. Those who couldn¡¯t buy any also harbored a grudge against him because their opponents had increased in strength. There was even less of a need to mention those who¡¯d mocked him and then been mocked by him in turn.


    TN: WordPress updates seemed to have bugged the Table of Contents, so it can¡¯t be updated for now until my friend admin finds some time to take a look at it.

 Chapter 115

    The qi refning warrior who¡¯d antagonized Li Qingshan face to face snickered coldly. He walked past by him and said in a quiet voice, ¡°I¡¯m going to see how you die. You better use the time left to pray to the gods not to meet me.¡±Li Qingshan said with a faint smile, ¡°I¡¯m confident I won¡¯t meet you.¡± Then he crossed the plaza under the attention of every qi refining warrior and came at the foot of the pavilion. Two green-clothed attendants barred his way. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Li Qingshan ignored the attendants. He lifted his head and said in a loud voice, ¡°I dare ask, is Captain Zhuo Zhibo here?¡±


    ¡°What are you trying to do?¡± ¡°Are you tired of living?¡± The group of qi refining warriors was greatly astounded, and the Dark Wolf guards above also exposed looks of consternation.


    Brandy Nose mumbled, ¡°Looks like I guessed wrong, this kid is going to die before he even goes up on stage.¡±


    ¡°Drive him away!¡± Zhuo Zhibo frowned. Was his name something any little qi refining warrior could directly call?


    Swish!


    Two Eagle Wolf guards outside the veranda casually pulled out their blades. The other Eagle Wolf guards maintained their former attitude, drawing the picture of men looking at an interesting show.


    ¡°I bet he can stop at least three moves!¡± Brandy Nose¡¯s words immediately made his blade-wielding colleagues become a little more serious. One of them said, ¡°Then I¡¯ll take on that bet!¡±


    Zhou Wenbin suddenly said, ¡°Wait! Captain Zhuo, that¡¯s the man I bet on, if he dies like this I won¡¯t admit any debt. Maybe he has some issues, we might as well take a look at it!¡± The smile in his eyes became even deeper. He stood up and came down to the veranda. Zhuo Zhibo could only follow him, feeling a little disquieted.


    Zhuo Zhibo stood high and looked down at Li Qingshan. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Captain Wang Pushi made me come.¡± A dark light flashed in Li Qingshan¡¯s hand and shot upward toward the building.


    Zhuo Zhibo stretched out his hand and caught it. He saw it was a Dark Wolf badge. The matter from several months ago suddenly surfaced in his mind. He abruptly lifted his head and looked at Li Qingshan. ¡°So you¡¯re that person?¡± He didn¡¯t expect this kid who¡¯d caused Feng Zhang to lose his position and cause Wang Pushi to berate himself to be still alive. He even unexpectedly dared to show his face in front of him.


    Li Qingshan spread his hands open and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Replacement guaranteed if not authentic.¡±


    Zhou Wenbin faintly smiled at the success of his scheme. ¡°Captain Zhuo? What¡¯s this about?¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo said with a heavy face, ¡°Lord Zhou¡¯s foresight is deep and astute, there is no need to ask a question when you already know the answer.¡±


    He¡¯d always flaunted his wisdom and knowledge, but today Zhou Wenbin actually played a trick on him to his face, hence his mood was bad to the extreme. He looked at Li Qingshan, itching to give him a slap and kill him on the spot.


    ¡°Are captain Wang¡¯s words valid?¡± Li Qingshan entirely disregarded Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s anger. He felt relief after getting his first look at Zhuo Zhibo. According to his visual assessment, Zhuo Zhibo was merely at the level of a monster with a newly formed monster core; this was within the scope of what he could endure.


    A qi refining warrior of the sixth level who¡¯d shaped a sea of qi was roughly equivalent to a monster who¡¯d formed a monster core. Monsters cultivated for a very long time, but they weren¡¯t without their advantages. Their bodies of flesh were formidable, while their monster qi was dense and deep. They far exceeded humans at the same realm, holding an almost overwhelming advantage. Humans could barely stay level even using spiritual devices and talismans as weapons. In the end it was only thanks to wisdom and numbers that mankind managed to repress the monsters.


    Added with a helper cultivating the [Dao of the Beautiful Bones] like Little An, Li Qingshan was naturally secure in his own strength. He wasn¡¯t one to make compromises in order to win favor with somebody, and since he was already clearly aware it was impossible for Zhuo Zhibo to like him, then he might as well let things run their own course. It seemed a little arrogant and despotic when witnessed by others however.


    Who dared to say in Clear River prefecture that Wang Pushi¡¯s words weren¡¯t valid. At least Zhuo Zhibo didn¡¯t dare to. His expression changed a few times then returned to normal and even carried a little smile when he tossed the dark wolf badge back down the pavilion. ¡°Li Qingshan, you¡¯re an Eagle Wolf guard, you wait below!¡±


    ¡°Many thanks to captain Zhuo for the promotion!¡± Li Qingshan arched his hands in salute but he became even more vigilant instead. This kind of person who could control their own emotions were like poisonous snakes hiding among the grass. They were more dangerous than angry tigers and lions.


    The Eagle Wolf guards observing to the side couldn¡¯t help but be surprised when they heard these words, while the qi refining warriors who came to apply went in an even louder uproar. Spots were scarce to begin with, and now one spot was already spoken for. The little clown who was certain to die in their eyes actually directly passed the test in such a way. They immediately became indignant.


    The qi refining warrior who¡¯d gone head to head with Li Qingshan and who had his heart set on burying Li Qingshan to the land of the dead shouted out loud, ¡°That¡¯s not fair, why can he skip the contest!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s only a first level qi refining warrior, can even this kind of person be casually admitted in the Eagle Wolf Guard?¡±


    Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi watched Li Qingshan from afar, their shock and astonishment no less than other people beside them. Neither of them said anything. How could a group of small qi refining warriors change the decision of a Dark Eagle captain. They were pondering how powerful a backing he would need to make Zhuo Zhibo directly take him in. Wang Pushi? Who was that?


    Wang Pushi¡¯s nickname ¡°old Wang¡± spread out too far and wide, making his actual name fade away from people¡¯s memories. But both of them were quick of mind and well-informed. They immediately reacted, could it be that Red Eagle captain old Wang from the legends? Couldn¡¯t be, that was a figure overlooking every qi refining warrior in Clear River prefecture, one of the three persons ruling over a land three thousand miles across.


    But who else other than this man could pressure Zhuo Zhibo into lowering his head without even being present at the scene. They looked at Li Qingshan again, and felt this apparently ordinary sixteen years old young man seeming to gain an aura of unfathomable depth. If that man were truly the one standing behind him, then he was a figure that could definitely not be provoked.


    Diao Fei thought that if he were able strike a relationship with such a figure, then killing Qian Rongming without batting an eye would be a matter of course.


    Zhou Wenbin looked at the tumultuous field with a smile. He said to Zhuo Zhibo, ¡°Right then I was merely joking with you. I already said that gambling is the thing I dislike the most in my entire life. Captain Zhuo needs not take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°But there¡¯s no word I say that I won¡¯t keep. Is lord Zhou looking down on my sincerity as a gambler?¡± A somber smile sat on Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s face as he casually took a walnut from a fruit plate on the table and twisted it between his fingers.


    Li Qingshan suddenly felt a fearful murderous aura. There were no more than three persons in the entire field would could clearly see it, Li Qingshan one among them.


    That walnut broke through the air and penetrated the curtain of rain with a power to perforate through stone and pierce though clouds. It shattered countless raindrops, piercing a hole in the air then hitting the forehead of a qi refining warrior of the second level.


    ¡°Bang!¡± S?a??h th? N0v?lFir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The walnut broke to pieces and the forehead disintegrated. An angry expression was still left on that qi refining warrior¡¯s face when a gigantic strength broke his neck and flung his skull to the ground. His entire person fell down in a distorted posture.


    All the qi refining warriors closed their mouths, as if their necks were being strangled at the same time. Each and every one of them were children blessed by the gods back in their hometowns, standing over ten thousand others, holding the power of life and death over men of the rivers and lakes, to say nothing of the common folk.


    Now, a qi refining warrior as grand as themselves had had his life so simply stripped away, seemingly as easy as butchering chicken and killing dogs. Moreover the one to die could have been anyone among them. That guy merely had had the bad luck of being randomly chosen as a warning for others.


    They looked at the perpetrator, the Zhuo Zhibo standing on the tall pavilion. That silhouette a little short and plump seemed to have grown taller in an instant. They suddenly understood something. This place was Blessed Peace, the place with the most and the strongest qi refining warriors within several hundred miles, while they stood in the domain of the Eagle Wolf guard which had the strongest and most numerous qi refining warriors. Not mentioning talking about nonsense, even the dissatisfaction in their hearts vanished.


    Li Qingshan heaved a sigh. This was reality.


    There was a great difference between every level at the qi refining stage. If qi refining warriors at the second level wanted to defeat a qi refining warrior at the third level, then perhaps they could still find safety in numbers and achieve victory with a mighty talisman. But they could only hope for protection from the gods if they wanted to escape from a fourth level qi refining warrior. Death was ineluctable if faced with a fifth level qi refining warrior.


    On top of that, the difference between the fifth level and the sixth level was even higher than the differences between the previous levels all added together, just like a monster beast without a monster core would have no way to prevail against a monster who¡¯d formed one. Killing a small qi refining warrior of the second level was even easier than eating and drinking for a qi refining warrior of the sixth level who¡¯d established a sea of qi. They wouldn¡¯t even have the time to react, to say nothing of escaping.


    Zhuo Zhibo wouldn¡¯t have dealt with it so ferociously either in ordinary times. After all, every qi refining warrior had very great influences back in their own area, or they came from clans and sects. He had no wish to start random feuds. But now his heart was filled with anger and he stopped paying attention to these. A little qi refining warrior, if they died then so be it, who wold dare to come to him for revenge?


    Zhuo Zhibo faintly swept his glance over Li Qingshan. Li Qingshan could tell he would rather have thrown that walnut his way instead, but he merely gave him a smile. Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s brows wrinkled even tighter. Ordinary people would tremble in fear and alarm when they witnessed unrivaled power, and it would be even more of a psychological pressure if that person held animosity for you. You could even force someone into madness after some time.


    But he couldn¡¯t see the slightest fear on Li Qingshan, only extreme calm and tranquility. Either Li Qingshan was an idiot and didn¡¯t know fear at all, or else he was secure there was something he could fall back on. The answer was obviously the latter


    Zhuo Zhibo would of course not believe that Li Qingshan felt secure because of his own strength, which meant he had supporters behind him. However Wang Pushi hadn¡¯t expounded on his relationship with Li Qingshan and had only said a few words in passing. Seeing his manners seeming very indifferent, he couldn¡¯t help but look at Zhou Wenbin. This loser had many connections in Clear River City and was definitely aware of something.


    Zhou Wenbin cleared his throat: ¡°Captain Zhou, I heard the White Eagle of the Ruyi region also met with this kid and even invited him to drink a cup. She also made constable old Wang give him the Verdant province Mind Map he carried on him.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s heart shivered. A name rose in his mind, as well as that white figure he¡¯d glimpsed in a rush but was certain he would never forget. He could also be said to be well-informed. He knew that captain Gu had once appeared in that small border city, and knew even better that the reason why Feng Zhang had been directly fired was because he¡¯d been caught red-handed and caused old Wang to lose face in front of captain Gu.


    But he had absolutely no idea about the details, because none of those present at the scene were people he could interrogate. The reason Zhou Wenbin was able to know was because this friend of his had shared wine in the company of beautiful women together with Hua Chengzan.

 Chapter 116

    Zhou Zhibo¡¯s brows wrinkled tight. His eyes when he looked once more at Li Qingshan became more careful. Li Qingshan¡¯s casual attitude seemed to fit this conjecture.The carcass of the dead qi refining warrior had already been carried away at this time, and the sequence of the contest once again rearranged. A Dark Wolf guard personally came down and took charge.


    The qi refining warriors both envied and loathed Li Qingshan, but they didn¡¯t dare speak too much nonsense. This guy was an Eagle Wolf guard starting from now on, not an existence that could be casually provoked.


    The Dark Wolf guards on the pavilion also each harbored their own thoughts as they looked at Li Qingshan with contemptuous or perhaps inquisitive eyes. Arrogant newcomers weren¡¯t well liked no matter the community. Not to mention, it was tantamount to Li Qingshan taking the place of a former colleague of theirs, Feng Zhang, and he only had a strength at the first level of qi refining to begin with, hence it made them even more disdainful. Quite a few of them were considering how to teach a lesson to this kid from the mountains who didn¡¯t know the vastness of the sky and the depths of the land.


    Li Qingshan stood just like this under the pavilion, watching the field with an attitude even more relaxed than that of the gambling Eagle Wolf guards, as if the many gazes thrown his way were nothing at all. He found out that standing outside the field and watching them kill each others was indeed better than being on the field and seen as a gambling pawn.


    Two qi refining warriors walked to the centre of the field, separated by a distance of ten steps.


    The one on the left was aged above twenty, dressed in green casual clothes with a clean white beardless face. He stood empty-handed without any weapon on him. Li Qingshan remembered he¡¯d bought two talismans from him, one bottom-level and one lower-quality, hence he clearly had a little wealth. He probably came from an aristocratic family.


    The one on the right was much older, at least thirty to forty years old, dressed in gray close-fitting clothes with a very prominent red scar on his face. He brimmed with a swift and fierce aura from head to toes, a sword hanging at his waist. If he wasn¡¯t guessing wrong, this should be a former martial artist who¡¯d transformed his internal strength into true qi.


    Both of them were at the second level of qi refining. Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t judge on the spot which one was stronger and which one weaker. That green-clothed qi refining warrior certainly had a few talismans with decent power in his hands. He held the advantage when it came to assets, but his experience in real combat ought to be lacking, and even if he had some it would mostly be through bullying the weak from a position of strength.


    That gray-clothed qi refining warrior had killed his way out of wilderness of the martial world with genuine swords and spears. His fighting experience was certainly extremely rich. Moreover Yan Song once said that those who came from a martial art background were often stronger among lower level qi refining warriors.


    The two of them confronted each other inside the drizzle. A clang rang up. The first fight began.


    The gray-clothed qi refining warrior moved his body and became a beam of gray light rushing toward that green-clothed qi refining warrior. He pulled out his sword at the same time, the entire movement smooth and natural, flowing into one whole. One moment they ere still ten steps apart, the next moment a sword glinting with cold sharp light stabbed its way toward the green-clothed qi refining warrior¡¯s throat.


    Li Qingshan cried out in praise inside his mind. Indeed worthy of someone coming from a former martial artist.


    The green-clothed qi refining warrior stayed calm and collected. He unfolded his arms like a great bird gliding in the sky and stepped backwards. He revolved the true qi in his body and moved his hands. A ball of fire as big as a fist shot out.


    A spell! S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan immediately focused all of his attention. He¡¯d already learned from Yan Song that true qi wasn¡¯t a simple enhancement. Apart from increasing speed and reinforcing strength, it could also allow one to use many mystical spells. Those talismans consisted in essence of spells sealed into symbols that could be triggered at any time.


    The heat from the ball of fire vaporized the rain until even the ground became dry, sizzling a cloud of white steam. The might of the fireball was obvious for all to see. It would probably instantly ignite a body of flesh and bones into a torch at the first touch.


    The gray-clothed qi refining warrior seemed to fear it very much, but he didn¡¯t panic in the least. He used a profound footwork, his body shaking east and swaying west, and actually bypassed the ball of fire by a hundredth of a hair. His hair and eyebrows were singed into a mess, but his speed didn¡¯t slow down much.


    The green-clothed man exposed nervousness on his face. He¡¯d obviously underestimated the vigor of a former martial artist struggling with his life on the line. His chess opening to force the gray-clothed man back and open the distance between them came to nothing. The true qi inside his body hadn¡¯t recovered yet and he didn¡¯t have time to use the next spell. He clenched his teeth and took out a talisman then slapped it on his body. A breeze rose from under his feet, immediately increasing his speed by a great margin.


    Li Qingshan understood then that the might of a spell was high, but the speed of use wasn¡¯t. It would have been alright if he¡¯d met with a qi refining warrior the same as him, since their reaction speeds would both be limited, but it was more than he could handle now that he met a former martial artist.


    The green-clothed qi refining warrior pulled away, ball after ball of fire coming from his hands. Great patches of white mist soared from the field. Suddenly a fire ball flew in Li Qingshan¡¯s direction. A wind blade slashed through the air just as he was about to dodge and cut the ball of fire. Waves of heat assaulted forth and flapped Li Qingshan¡¯s clothes in jitters.


    Li Qingshan looked up. A Dark Wolf guard sheathed his blade back in its scabbard, coldly snorting in contempt when he saw Li Qingshan look his way.


    The gray-clothed qi refining warrior looked miserably battered from head to toes in the wide stretch of steam, traces of roasting singes all over his body, but none of them were lethal. He locked onto the green-clothed qi refining warrior with both viciousness and cautiousness, not letting him go away.


    Instead the green-clothed man became frenetic from the exhaustion of his true qi. The duration of bottom-level talismans was extremely limited and the breeze under his feet was gradually dissipating. He hurriedly took out a low-quality talisman.


    Li Qingshan faintly shook his head. The outcome was already set. The right way would have been to use a power to overwhelm the opponent right at the start. This kind of wishy-washy wouldn¡¯t do. He could also understand him however; one talisman used was one less talisman, and the chances for future victory would be be lower the more they were used at the beginning. It was very possible to come out empty-ended in the end, having only wasted talismans of considerable value instead.


    A stern light flashed inside the gray-clothed man¡¯s eyes. He¡¯d also imperceptibly taken out a talisman in his left hand.


    The talisman tore to shred and suddenly transformed into a patch of white light so dazzling one couldn¡¯t keep the eyes open. The qi refining warriors on the sides turned their heads away one and all.


    Li Qingshan actually clearly saw from outside the field that this talisman was a mere bottom-level on. It couldn¡¯t cause any injury apart from blinding the eyes.


    That green-clothed man¡¯s spirit became flustered however, and a slight stiffness appeared on his body because of the fear.


    In a fight between masters, one vied for but the slightest advantage.


    Light flashed then died down just as fast, flashing together with the glint of a sword. Senseless gurgling sounds came from mouth of the green-clothed qi refining warrior. An iron sword flashing with spiritual light was impaled in his throat. His eyes were filled with unwillingness. He still had many talismans he didn¡¯t use, and the one to win would definitely have been him if he¡¯d used these talismans right at the start. Two trails of tears spilled from the corner of his eyes, drowned by remorse and death.


    The Dark Wolf guard proclaimed in a loud voice, ¡°Single Feat Liu wins!¡± He didn¡¯t even mention the name of green-clothed man. You might amaze the world with a single feat, or you might die in nameless obscurity.


    Rich fighting experience and decision-making became the keys to victory.


    Li Qingshan understood even better that whether talismans or spells, they were used by men. A sheep was a sheep even if it had the fangs of a wolf.


    It was unfortunate however that Single Feat Liu ultimately failed to amaze the world with a single feat. He encountered a third level master in the second round already, but fortunately he took an early opportunity to admit defeat and avoided throwing his life away in vain.


    Thin stands of rain fell from a hazy sky. The contest progressed match by match. Not every match saw someone dead; you could admit defeat if you weren¡¯t a match and the opposite side couldn¡¯t pressure you too aggressively. At last that could be seen as a little attempt by the Eagle Wolf Guard to reduce casualties.


    What qi refining warriors employed were too formidable however, whether talismans or spells. Almost everyone had a strong offense and a weak defense, and often times the possibility for admitting defeat simply didn¡¯t exist. Being hit by a single move was a straight road to death. One walked but a thin line between victory and defeat, between life and death.


    Four corpses already lay at the sidelines by the end of the second round. Noble qi refining warriors lay on mud without the slightest living breath just like this. Li Qingshan suddenly felt it was very stupid. They had everything before already, everything ordinary people couldn¡¯t obtain in an entire lifetime, but they came to a risk for the sake of obtaining even more and thereby threw away their lives.


    Then he suddenly remembered, wasn¡¯t he also the same? He couldn¡¯t very well say he followed his grand dreams and the others merely their stupid ambitions. He couldn¡¯t help but shake his head in self-derision.


    He still had no plan to change his mind however. The so-called to be satisfied with what one already had was merely self-consolation for the weak, the creed of life for those who lost their vital drive and the energy to forget head. Men should have the ambition to conquer the world. What use was there to talk about contentment when one¡¯s aspirations weren¡¯t achieved yet. Only the struggle to forge ahead was the root of happiness. It wouldn¡¯t be a waste of one¡¯s life even if it were to end in failure and death.


    He cleanly swept the pretentious thoughts away from his mind. He looked at the field, his eyes no longer containing any derision or self-ridicule, but admiration instead, admiration at the qi refining warriors mobilizing their entire wisdom and power.


    Fighting for supremacy against their opponents, beseeching victory from the jaws of defeat, seeking survival under the shades of death, the vibrant vitality revealed therein made even death seem insignificant. Fighting spirit and desire for battle flowed inside him.


    Zhuo Zhibo was keeping an eye on Li Qingshan from the beginning and acutely sensed the intense fighting spirit on Li Qingshan. He noticed him watching the competition in the field with an expression close to praise and admiration. This was very unusual. The Dark Eagle guards on the pavilion didn¡¯t dare to jeer in loud hubbubs as they usually did because of his own wrath, but they still maintained an arrogant attitude of looking down from high above as if they were appreciating a fight between beasts, even if they also had come from within the field of fighting beasts. Only Li Qingshan admired the battles and longed for killing.


    Zhou Wenbin was also observing Li Qingshan. This young man, no, this man had a very different temperament from ordinary people. He restrained it in ordinary times and seemed ordinary, but it would break out of him at the slightest opportunity and reveal itself.


    No matter how special however, everything was in vain without enough strength and a sufficient realm. A teenager at the first level of qi refining could be said to have some innate talent inside Blessed Peace, but he would be merely average if he were to be put in the entire Clear River province. He would only have the strength of a Dark Wolf guard for his entire life probably; his fate could be considered great already if he were able to form a sea of qi.


    He threw a sidelong glance at Zhuo Zhibo and faintly shook his head. Under this man¡¯s banner, even such a desire would probably be very difficulty to realize.


    Li Qingshan had had very few genuine fights with qi refining warriors. He felt he benefited greatly from watching these matches. Odd and novel spells and moves appeared in his eyes one after another. He not only watched but also silently thought up countermeasures in his mind, so he could be guarded against them if he were to encounter them in the future.

 Chapter 117

    Diao Fei and the other third level qi refining warrior were undoubtedly the strongest ones in this contest, but the most eye-catching was actually Qian Rongzhi. There were many female qi refining warriors, several of them among the ones who came to apply this time, but few could have her innate beauty. Beautiful women were eye-catching no matter where they went. There were three spots however, and Li Qingshan occupied one already. The last two firmly belonged to the two third level qi refining warriors, while the others had practically no chance left as long as they didn¡¯t meet each other.The contest progressed very quickly. Many times victory and defeat were divided in an instant as fleeting as a spark. The fourth round came in less than four hours. Only four persons were left in the field. It seemed the two third level qi refining warriors were about to defeat the two second level ones and seize victory, but the situation then suddenly changed. A green-clothed messenger read from the list; the two second level qi refining warriors faced each other, the third levels faced each other.


    The expressions faintly changed on the faces of both Diao Fei and the other third level qi refining warrior, while hope suddenly burst out from the two second level ones, Qian Rongzhi among them. Her attitude was calm, as if she¡¯d expected it long ago.


    Li Qingshan drooped his eyes when Qian Rongzhi walked into the field. Victory and defeat were already decided. Qian Rongming had a medium-quality talisman as a trump card, and Qian Rongzhi was faintly above him no matter in cultivation or in status, hence how would she be lacking one of her own.


    Qian Rongzhi grasped a talisman in her hand as soon as she went on stage just as he expected. But what exceeded Li Qingshan¡¯s expectations was that she didn¡¯t immediately trigger it. Instead she mildly said to the opposite qi refining warrior, ¡°Noble son Zhang, you should be able to see that the might of my medium-quality talisman is extremely great. I have no desire to cause harm however. Please admit defeat!¡±


    ¡°Noble son Zhang¡± couldn¡¯t help but hesitate. He indeed had knowledge and experience of Qian Rongzhi¡¯s strength, and added to this medium-quality talisman, his odds of victory didn¡¯t reach even one third.


    Qian Rongzhi made full use her advantages as a woman. The drizzle dampened her clothes, drawing the outlines of her beautiful body. Her eyes were misty as rain, not appearing the least threatening as she seemed to be simply beseeching his consent, ¡°I am truly unwilling to become your foe unless as a very last resort. If one day your esteemed self were to visit Ancient Wind City, Rongzhi will entertain you properly without fail.¡±


    Zhou Wenbin laughed on the pavilion and said, ¡°Captain Zhuo, is it fine even this way?¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo said, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be. The contest isn¡¯t only about cultivation to begin with, but even more about wisdom.¡±


    Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but respect this woman¡¯s schemes. As he expected, that qi refining warrior called ¡°Noble son Zhang¡± chose to admit defeat under the soft pleading words of a beautiful woman and the coercion of a talisman.


    Qian Rongzhi also walked across the plaza and came under the pavilion, coming to a stand beside Li Qingshan. She even gave Li Qingshan a honeyed smile. ¡°There have been some people who previously underestimated the noble son. If I have given offense, then please do not take it to heart.¡± She¡¯d started indistinctly to display her body¡¯s beauty worthy of pride, as if Li Qingshan weren¡¯t a murderer related to Qian Rongming¡¯s death but a heroic young man for whom her heart raced.


    It was actually the first time Li Qingshan heard someone call him noble son, but it only gave birth to a secret chill. He gave an imperceptible grunt and no longer paid attention to her. She was a belle poisonous as snake or scorpion, whether she genuinely didn¡¯t put Qian Rongming¡¯s death to heart or was pressing her hatred down to the bottom of her heart. Such a heart probably came from the education of a great clan. It was impossible for him to be tempted by such a woman, no matter how beautiful. S?a??h the N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Qian Rongzhi not only paid no mind to Li Qingshan¡¯s indifference, she even continuously searched for topics of conversation. ¡°Who do you think will win out of those two?¡±


    Li Qingshan frowned and focused his vision entirely on the field. The exchange of blows between the two third level qi refining warriors would be the climax of this contest, but it wasn¡¯t to be the intense crossing of swords and the anxious confrontation he¡¯d imagined.


    After a few probes, Diao Fei triggered that Thunder Strike Talisman he bought from Li Qingshan. A flash of thunder thick as a water bucket fell from the sky in a burning white radiance and easily broke through the protective true qi, frying his opponent to a chunk of coal.


    The vestiges of that lightning strike disappeared from under the eyelids only a long time later. Its formidable might made even Li Qingshan astonished. He would have suffered injuries even turned back into a monster from this divine punishment in the form of thunder.


    Qian Rongzhi¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°This noble son Diao picked a good time.¡±


    The right timing and opportunity were things critical to every spell or technique. Dark thunders had been continuously rolling inside the layers of clouds today. This Thunder Strike Talisman had displayed a power closed to an upper-quality talisman in this summer storm weather. It was simply nothing a low-level qi refining warrior could withstand and became an absolute trump card.


    Diao Fei also walked beside Li Qingshan. He did his utmost to maintain his calm but it was difficult to hide the ecstasy on his face. He even said thanks to Li Qingshan in a low voice, seemingly not splitting hairs about that one Pearl Dew Pill any longer.


    Two medium-quality talismans became the keys the keys to victory. The three of them became the final winners, reconnecting their previous karma from the boat; the three of them could definitely not be called friends however.


    Zhuo Zhibo said on the pavilion, ¡°Come up!¡±


    ¡°I refuse!¡± Someone suddenly howled, his face distorted by jealousy. The psychological blow from the defeat made him somewhat insane, brimming with hatred as he watched Li Qingshan. ¡°With you trash¡¯s strength at the first level, what allows you to stand above me¡­¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo didn¡¯t act but merely said to Li Qingshan, ¡°You¡¯re already an Eagle Wolf guard, someone provoking you is the same as provoking the Eagle Wolf Guard, you know what you should do!¡± It was as if he didn¡¯t realize the difference between qi refining at the first level and the second level. The other Eagle Wolf guards also had expressions of partaking in the fun and waited for Li Qingshan to be defeated. See if you still have any face to stand here.


    Li Qingshan turned around free and easy. He walked toward that qi refining warrior whose name he¡¯d learned was Lu Hui from the contest right now. It was precisely the one who¡¯d provoked him from the very beginning and whom he¡¯d insulted as garbage in return. He said, ¡°Since you wish so strongly for death, then I¡¯ll help you accomplish your desire.¡±


    Such words sounded like delirious ravings when they fell into the others¡¯ ears.


    ¡°What do you want to do? You¡¯re only at the first level of qi refining!¡± Lu Hui unexpectedly felt a deep sense of fear for some unknown reason as he watched Li Qingshan slow approaching steps. He was much more clear-headed now and regretted his earlier words.


    Li Qingshan stopped his feet when they were still separated by a distance of twenty steps. He leaned his body forward and bent his knees like a tiger lying low in the forest as it readied itself to pounce on its prey. He leaped up, his strength breaking out after being compacted for a brief moment.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes were easy and unperturbed like a young king of beasts lithely leaping out from the woods without ruthlessness or wrath, merely a tranquil serenity born from self-confidence that sent palpitations to the hearts of men.


    Lu Hui watched that pair of emotionless eyes and felt an almost suffocating pressure. He¡¯d hastened the entire true qi inside his body when Li Qingshan had halted his steps, but he merely saw an afterimage glide beside him when Li Qingshan turned the extreme tranquility into extreme action. The speed of that shadow was too high, to the extent it gave birth to the illusion that the raging winds only rushed to him a long time later, hitting his face together with an ice-cold drizzle.


    The human silhouette in front of him disappeared from his eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his chest. He lowered his head; there was a hollow emptiness in his chest. He struggled to turn his head back and saw Li Qingshan grasp a heart dripping with fresh blood in his hand. He opened his mouth, but he fell down facing the sky before he had time to say anything.


    A moment of silence emerged in the entire plaza, the sound of the rain becoming suddenly clear and sharp. Everyone exposed shock, and even Zhou Wenbin or Zhuo Zhibo revealed some emotion. They said in unison, ¡°Body refining warrior!¡±


    A second level qi refining warrior killed in one hit, moreover not from an ambush, not by a talisman, but killed frontally; everyone felt a gust of deep chill. The qi refining warriors looked at Li Qingshan as if they were looking at a monstrosity. Was he really at the first level of qi refining?


    They no longer complained about Li Qingshan not going on stage, but felt rather incomparably fortunate. There would probably have been a few more corpses laying at the edge of the field if he¡¯d gone on stage, and maybe they would have been among those. No one was a fool indeed. To dare to peddle talismans before the battle was to have absolute confidence on one¡¯s own strength. Pity themselves for actually mocking him, but it was fortunately they hadn¡¯t truly stood out and made an enemy of him like that fool.


    Even the Eagle Wolf guards who¡¯d always maintained a flippant attitude toward the contest below all watched Li Qingshan with consternation. They were originally exceedingly contemptuous of this kid who¡¯d relied on his connections and joined through the backdoor in broad daylight as soon as he came, but they entirely changed their views at this moment. This kid was definitely not one that could be casually taught a lesson.


    The shock Li Qingshan brought to the crowd as soon as he acted was even above that of Zhuo Zhibo killing the qi refining warrior earlier. One had attacked the weak from a position of strength. Instantly killing the other side was merely to be expected. The other defeated the strong from the weaker side, but he likewise destroyed his enemy, this was too abnormal.


    Li Qingshan tossed the heart down and steadied his breath. He¡¯d instantly burst out his physical strength and true qi in the space of a flash, and the resulting effects were a little surprising even to himself, although he had had absolute confidence and certainty when he¡¯d attacked.


    Tiger Demon Steam Leap, Tiger Demon Heart Scoop, these moves seemed to have merged into his blood after he turned into a monster, becoming part of his instinct.


    He¡¯d taken advantage of an opening and defeated Feng Zhang with merely the strength of his body back when he didn¡¯t have a bit or shred of true qi. During these few days, he¡¯d cultivated every day and made his body become even more formidable thanks to the monster qi transformed from the several dozen qi condensing pills he¡¯d eaten. His true qi was also nearing the peak of the first level and was pure to the extreme on top of it. His power had gone through a change overturning the sky and the land.


    It had been the opposite for Lu Hui. He¡¯d just gone through three matches right then and his physical strength or true qi had both been at their weakest. Between one strong and one weak, the outcome had been very obvious.


    Li Qingshan had a new assessment about his own power. In a human state, it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to frontally kill a third level qi refining warrior. He hadn¡¯t seen a fourth level qi refining warrior yet, hence it was difficult to tell. Of course, all of this was based on the premise the opposite side didn¡¯t have too powerful a trump card. Even in a contest of trump cards however, how many people could compare to him?


    Li Qingshan went back beside Qian Rongzhi and Diao Fei. They both retreated slightly back despite themselves. The frightful destructive power he¡¯d exposed caused an extremely great pressure for them.


    Qian Ronzhi couldn¡¯t fake out a smile anymore. No one could force out a smile if they knew the one beside them had the ability to kill them at any time, and that person also just happened to be dissatisfied with themselves.

 Chapter 118

    Even the third level qi refining Diao Fei had palms oozing with cold sweat. You would simply not have the time to trigger any talisman at all when faced with such an enemy within a distance of three steps. He was incomparably glad he didn¡¯t fall out with Li Qingshan. The three of them climbed the stairs of the pavilion under the guidance of a green-clothed attendant, Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi conscientiously following behind Li Qingshan. Then they went through a long aisle where over a dozen Dark Wolf guards stepped aside of their way. Li Qingshan could clearly see men and women among them. There were twenty-something young men, but there was no lack of middle-aged people either, or even elderly ones.They were observing Li Qingshan. Their various expression muddled into one indistinct whole inside Li Qingshan¡¯s mind amidst the dusky weather and a gloomy rain. He couldn¡¯t remember them; he could merely estimate their powers in silence. The majority of them were at the third level of qi refining. Second level and fourth level ones were in the minority, while he didn¡¯t see any fifth level qi refining warrior. In conclusion, there was no one therein especially worth his attention.


    Power was a qi refining warrior¡¯s best calling card. Without noticing it, Li Qingshan also learned to use strength to assess a person. Zhuo Zhibo and Zhou Wenbin radiated a formidable aura when they finally came in front of them, making him unable to neglect their presence.


    Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s gaze swept across the three of them, stopping slightly on Li Qingshan¡¯s face. Then he said with a kind smile, ¡°Congratulations to all of you, you¡¯re a member of the Eagle Wolf Guard starting from today, you did very well¡­ The welcoming banquet will be held a little later. Little Ge, take them to get their things.¡±


    A short but plucky qi refining warrior answered, ¡°Yes captain!¡± He had a somewhat baby face, but he kept a mustache strip over his lip. It seemed a little funny but also very charming.


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°Captain Zhuo, I won¡¯t bother you any further then, I¡¯m leaving first.¡± He didn¡¯t even mention the matter of the spirit stones, because he knew that Zhuo Zhibo would naturally send him the spirit stones when he went back. It would be much too aggressive and too much of a slap in the face if he were to ask about it in front of the crowd of Dark Wolf guards.


    Zhuo Zhibo insincerely detained him for a while then politely accompanied Zhou Wenbin downstairs. Zhou Wenbin didn¡¯t forget to tell the three of Li Qingshan¡¯s before leaving, ¡°Right, don¡¯t forget to come report to the county offices.¡±


    The county magistrate was still nominally the highest authority in Blessed Peace with the right to dispatch the Eagle Wolf Guard and provide assistance, hence every newly joined Eagle Wolf guard had to report in the county magistrate¡¯s offices. The Eagle Wolf Guard had a supervising privilege but still couldn¡¯t directly ignore orders from the county magistrate, hence they formed a mutually restraining relationship. In practice, who was strong and who was weak still depended on each party¡¯s finesse and power.


    His words were directed to the three of them, but everyone could tell he was especially exhorting Li Qingshan. Magistrate Zhou was very interested in him.


    Li Qingshan was finally able to penetrate inside the interior of the Eagle Wolf Guard under the guidance of ¡°little Ge.¡± Lavish exquisite pavilions and kiosks appeared one after another, as if they were in a noble mansion or an imperial palace rather than a governmental office. The green-clothed attendants on the way didn¡¯t show any haughtiness any longer, acting reverend and deferential instead.


    Little Ge was quick with jokes. He introduced them to the names and functions of the the various buildings on the way, to various anecdotes and tales. He chatted away thoughtlessly, and he kept inquiring with much curiosity about how Li Qingshan trained.


    ¡°Mere coincidence,¡± said Li Qingshan with a smile. He already learned that ¡°little Ge¡¯s¡± name was Ge Jian. His actual age was already above thirty. That he could be so amiable had certainly something to do with the power Li Qingshan had manifested earlier. His guards were still left up, but it was a comfortable thing to be treated as an equal in any case.


    Ge Jian said, ¡°It¡¯s rare nowadays to see someone cultivate this. There are some body cultivation techniques inside the library but they¡¯re all about to get moldy. I didn¡¯t expect the might would be so great though, even I am tempted to try cultivating them. When the time comes you have to properly teach me.¡±


    He was merely chatting away. The title of body cultivator seemed equal to that of a qi refining warrior, but that was merely body cultivators pasting gold on their faces. It wasn¡¯t any sort of formidable hidden career path. Just like the daoist technique Strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers, the reason the ancient techniques were lost was in the greater part because they¡¯d fallen behind the times.


    Compared to the formidable might exhibited during battles, the drawbacks of body refining techniques were much more numerous. Every road was the sum of countless experiences from the men who came before. Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t a man however, and he didn¡¯t need to abide by the roads traced by these ¡°men¡± who came before him.


    They entered a stone building carved against the mountain as they reached the depths of the mountain peak. Ge Jian led the three of them through layers upon layers of stone gates, runes that couldn¡¯t be broken even by spiritual devices etched above every stone gate. Here was the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s treasury.


    No gold or wealth would be worth such defenses when it came to the Eagle Wolf Guard, apart from these things that possessed spirituality.


    Ge Jian first selected two sets of dark wolf uniforms from the treasury for each of them. Li Qingshan lightly stroked the smooth clothes. He¡¯d learned from Ge Jian¡¯s presentation they were manufactured from dark silk1. They could guard against fire and keep water away, impenetrable by strong crossbows. These were the best clothes he¡¯d ever worn adding his two lives together. He didn¡¯t care too much about them however; he didn¡¯t fear any crossbow to begin with thanks to his Bull Demon Skin Refining.


    It couldn¡¯t help but make one disappointed if this were the sole advantage of joining the Eagle Wolf Guard. There was no trace at all of any disappointment on Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi¡¯s faces however. They hugged the dark wolf uniforms like treasures, their imagination roaming free inside their minds.


    Qian Rongzhi¡¯s mind was filled with rancor and ecstasy. If she wore this set of clothes and went back to Ancient Wind City, those old guys would probably know to show a little respect. All those who offended her and looked down upon her would pay for it.


    The hatred she held for her close relatives was ten times, even a hundred times deeper than for someone who killed a relative of hers like Li Qingshan. S?a?ch* Th? ?ov?l?ir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    What Ge Jian took out shortly after attracted the entire attention of the three of them. Even Li Qingshan looked expectant. These were three exquisite Hundred Treasures Bags, definitely different from the tattered one he had in his possession.


    Ge Jian gave the Hundred Treasures Bags to the three of them. ¡°There are some things inside, those are all welcoming gifts when you join.¡±


    Li Qingshan poured his spiritual energy inside. He felt the space inside the Hundred Treasure Bag was as big as a chest, ten times larger than the old broken Hundred Treasures Bag he got from Qian Rongming. It could accommodate weapons like swords and sabers. He could finally stuff that [Cursive Sword Script] of his inside.


    There was also a bottle of medicine pills inside the Hundred Treasures bag. The tiny bottle was filled with at least thirty qi condensing pills, each of them only as big as a soybean, but each of them were perfectly round and translucent, filled with extraordinary spiritual qi, the medicinal power within superior to that of ordinary qi condensing pills. There were also three lower-quality talismans.


    Li Qingshan sigh with emotion. The Eagle Wolf Guard was indeed rich and overbearing, worthy of a national agency with first-class privileges. The material benefits were truly good enough. It wasn¡¯t for nothing that so many qi refining warriors tried to join in even at the risk of their lives.


    He looked at Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi beside him. Their faces also exposed delight as they held their own Hundred Treasures Bags.


    It didn¡¯t stop there however. Ge Jian took the three of them inside the arsenal after opening three stone gates in succession. A blinding light leaked through by the time he opened the last stone gate, blurring the scene in front of Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes.


    He saw every kinds of arms and weapons deposited in such a great weapon warehouse. Sabers spears swords or halberds, axes hatchets hooks or forks, everything that should be there was there, twinkling with spiritual light bright as a star. Every weapon was a spiritual device.


    ¡°There are so many spiritual devices here?¡± The spiritual devices Qian Rongzhi was seeing now were more numerous than even every spiritual devices she¡¯d seen in her life added together. She grew up in Ancient Wind City feeling the Qian clan was a great first class clan under the skies, a colossus that couldn¡¯t be toppled over, but she only realized after coming to the Eagle Wolf Guard she was viewing the sky from the bottom of a well.


    Ge Jian explained, ¡°We¡¯ve done in quite a few enemies during these years, quite a few qi refining warriors among them. We gave away the spiritual devices we snatched from them if we had no use for them and got contribution in exchange. They all ended up tossed in here.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°What¡¯s contribution?¡±


    Ge Jian offered a patient explanation. It turned the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s duties weren¡¯t so busy. As long as you solved a few cases every month, you could act freely the rest of time. You could refine qi in the mountains or play outside, everything was as you saw fit. It was very carefree and relaxed.


    Moreover, strength determined everything inside the Eagle Wolf Guard. You couldn¡¯t obtain a promotion no matter how hard you worked if your strength wasn¡¯t enough. Hence a contribution system was put in place to foster everyone¡¯s enthusiasm for work. You obtained corresponding contribution for every case you handled and could exchange it for spiritual pills, talismans, or spiritual devices.


    The Eagle Wolf Guard didn¡¯t pay any salary in silver, not a single tael of silver, but it distributed ten qi condensing pills every month to provide for cultivation.


    High wages, great welfare, much freedom, and work even brought you bonuses. You also received people¡¯s veneration wherever you went. Apart from the boss who seemed a little pissed off at him, it was an almost perfect job. But he can stay pissed off. You deserve to be pissed off, sending someone to snatch my thing. If this gave birth to malicious intentions, then he better watch out when walking the streets at night, lest he met with a monster¡¯s evil schemes.


    Li Qingshan laughed despite himself, making Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi both shiver all over.


    Ge Jian said, ¡°Everyone can take one and carry it along, whichever you fancy. If you have no confidence in your own judgment, I recommend the standard wind stitching blade. You guys hurry up a bit, we still have to go to your rooms after that.¡±


    The three of them immediately started to make their choices in a hurry. Li Qingshan originally intended to choose a heavy weapon, the heavier the better. He originally already had his eyes set on a great axe with a long handle. But then his thoughts revolved in his mind; he came straight in front of the weapon racks on the western side and picked a wind stitching blade. He pulled the blade out of the sheath. Thick cold light enveloped it, while cloud patterns packed densely together. One could tell at first glance it¡¯d never been used, flashing with a brand new glare. The hilt was engraved with runic patterns. You could release wind sabers and wind blades as long as you injected true qi inside. It was worthy of being called an excellently made lower-quality spiritual device.


    Ge Jian gave him a thumb up, praising his choice. Li Qingshan also smiled, extremely satisfied with his decision. It wasn¡¯t actually that he had no confidence in his judgment. There was a certain savoir faire about knowing which kind of weapon to use in which kind of situation. Now wasn¡¯t the same as back when he had to go level the Black Wind Camp.


    A weapon too long couldn¡¯t fit inside the Hundred Treasures Bag. It wouldn¡¯t be very suitable and convenient to carry it with him wherever he went. He¡¯d began his career back then with a blade2, now it just happened he could go back to the ways of the blade. Moreover right now he lacked means of attacking from a distance. He couldn¡¯t casually expose the Cursive Sword Script. The wind stitching blade also came with the Wind Saber art, and it fitted very well with his own plans.


    Diao Fei and Qian Rngzhi both picked their own weapons. Diao Fei also held a wind stitching blade, but Qian Rongzhi actually set her eyes on a water splitting thorn3.


    1. Dark silk is a reference to the Dark Silk Clothes made from the silk of dark silkworms from the classic Wuxia novel A Deadly Secret by Jin Yong.


    2. The blade or dao shares the same Chinese character as the knife, which was the very first weapon Li Qingshan started using back in chapter 2.


    3. A water splitting thorn is a weapon that appeared in a couple novels and games. It¡¯s described as something with a thin blade that can be easily used underwater. It can possibly look something like this:

 Chapter 119

    Many little two-story buildings sat hidden among the lush, rustling vegetation on the mountain, exuding a tranquil elegance. These were the residences assigned to the various Eagle Wolf guards, and now several of them had been tidied, waiting only for the three of them to choose one as they wished. It gave Li Qingshan an even clearer picture of the benefits about joining the Eagle Wolf Guard.Ge Jian said, ¡°Please bathe and change your clothes after making your choice. I¡¯ll come fetch you again at noon.¡±


    Li Qingshan chose the quietest and most remote little house. He went in after taking his leave of Ge Jian.


    Plants and flowers right in dazzling bloom grew in the front. Li Qingshan had no understanding of such matters and had no idea about their names. They glittered in every color under the sun, in a very pretty scene; bees and butterflies fluttered and lingered above, harvesting pollen during reprieves from the rain.


    Li Qingshan stood there and enjoyed the scenery for a spell. He opened the door to his house, an appealing room of ancient flavor partitioned into two sections by a hanging bamboo curtain. The front was a guest-receiving hall, and the rear was a tranquil tearoom.


    Li Qingshan shook the porcelain jar at his hips and said, ¡°You can come out now, Little An. You must be bored stiff!¡± He opened the jar and a skeleton flew out. Various bones assembled into a whole body standing in front of Li Qingshan. He shook his head at Li Qingshan, signifying that it was of no importance.


    Those who cultivated the [Dao of the Beautiful Bones] were neither dead nor alive, dead yet still alive. They lay in a fascinating state, coinciding by happenstance with the most abstruse and the deepest truths of Buddhism. If one had to talk about concealing one¡¯s aura, then even Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t compare despite cultivating the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets], because the dead had no aura.


    Little An ran in front of the wall and admired the several antique pantings, then nodded to Li Qingshan, indicating they were all genuine.


    Li Qingshan rested his hand on the stairs¡¯ railings and slowly walked up the flights of stairs. Little An hastened to follow behind him, pounding the stairs ¡°dong dong dong dongs¡± on his climb.


    An incense burner shaped like a red-crowned crane sat on a square table, its smoke curling up a mahogany screen. The decorations inside the house were all extremely lavish yet subtly arrayed. One could tell at a glance it had been designed by the most brilliant master craftsmen. Anything inside this room, if put on sale, would be something ordinary people couldn¡¯t afford for a lifetime.


    Li Qingshan pushed the windows open and looked in the distance. His sight crossed over the layers of treetops, taking in the panoramic view of Blessed Peace. Innumerable houses were spread out neat and tidy like matchboxes. A blue water ribbon flashing with light passed through the city; that was Clear River.


    If he were to compare it to the scene of living in a bullpen inside Crouching Bull Village, then one was hell and one was paradise. This was the free and easy life befitting qi refining warriors. Li Qingshan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if trying to breathe all the freedom and joy deep inside himself.


    The bloody killings under that gloomy rain seemed to become an instant, distant memory. Little An tilted his head and watched him, the flames flashing in his eye sockets, also feeling happy for his sake.


    Li Qingshan beckoned to Little An. He sat at the table and, just like a miser, poured out everything from the two Hundred Treasures Bags then once again carefully counted them. He beamed with delight and rubbed Little An¡¯s head, saying, ¡°Wait until I officially take up my nine to five, I¡¯ll definitely work hard and help you cultivate that supernatural skill, alright? When the time comes, maybe you¡¯ll also be able to cultivate qi, who knows? I have to try hard and earn back many qi condensing pills.¡±


    Little An nodded nonstop, expressing his agreement while guessing at the meaning of ¡°nine to five.¡±


    Hence a big monster and a little skeleton thus planned their lives in all seriousness. They seemed like the most ordinary of common folks on this matter. Strive hard to make money! Make money and marry a wife! Etc etc.


    In the end he gathered everything inside the new Hundred Treasures Bag, then gave the old one to Little An. ¡°One for each of us! You don¡¯t have much, so I¡¯ll use the big one, but don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll definitely arrange a better one for you in the future.¡± The one hanging at Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s waist seemed pretty good; Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t help but think, am I hoping for you to come mess with me? Or am I rather hoping for you not to make any trouble for me?


    Little An would naturally not have any objection. He obediently collected the bag, then put the locust wood plaque inside.


    Li Qingshan took a comfortable warm bath, then wore the dark wolf uniform and matched it with the wind stitching blade. He told Little An to look after the house then went outside.


    A banquet had been arranged inside the big hall.


    Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s main seat sat in the middle. More than a dozen tables were lined on either side, two people sitting at each, all arranged in order of cultivation.


    Ge Jian patted Li Qingshan¡¯s shoulder: ¡°Just put up with it!¡± He was at the first level of qi refining and his cultivation realm the lowest among all the Eagle Wolf guards, hence he could only sit at the very tail. Everyone knew however that his strength was probably not any worse than a third level if it came to a real fight.


    Li Qingshan expressed he didn¡¯t care about this and just sat down when a whiff of fragrance came beside him. Qian Rongzhi actually sat beside him and said charmingly, ¡°I should be the weakest, you¡¯re truly being wronged.¡±


    Li Qingshan thought: is it really like they said, the colder you act with beautiful women the hornier they would latch onto you? However this thought lasted but a moment. He couldn¡¯t forget the look of this woman when she accomplished her ambition. If he truly could forget her prior conduct, then that wouldn¡¯t be magnanimity but a problem with his head instead. It was too late now to put on an hypocritical act.


    But since she greeted him with a smile, he wasn¡¯t willing to lose in manners either. He lightly said, ¡°It seems that everywhere in the world, people are separated into seniors and juniors according to strength. There¡¯s no difference no matter where you go.¡±


    Qian Rongzhi was still all smiles, seemingly not having heard the sarcasm in his words. It looked like her mood was most excellent after joining the Eagle Wolf Guard.


    Zhuo Zhibo arrived late. He said a few clich¨¦s and expressed his welcome to Li Qingshan and the other two, then with a chuckle, he introduced one by one the Eagle Wolf guards to the three of them. The Eagle Wolf guards inside the Blessed Peace area numbered thirty one in total, Li Qingshan and the other two included. Apart from a few who were cultivating behind closed doors, or off to a mission and not yet back, all of them were in attendance.


    Under Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s lead, the crowd offered a toast together, congratulating the three for joining the Eagle Wolf Guard. No matter how cold and arrogant they had been before, they all became colleagues at present and would of course not argue or make a ruckus. At least they couldn¡¯t expose their contradictions out in the open, striving to stay warm and affable instead. Of course, Li Qingshan¡¯s obscure backstage supporter played a considerable role. s?a??h th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Someone would have come and provoked him by now already, otherwise. It was outstanding of Li Qingshan to kill a second level qi refining warrior in one strike, and it¡¯d brought much shock to everyone. But on second thought, that dead guy had merely been a frightened bird easily startled by a mere twang of a bow, and Li Qingshan was in the end but at first layer of qi refining, the lowest level of qi refining warriors. Most of those present were third or fourth level and didn¡¯t fear him.


    If an ordinary newcomer were to be so ¡°arrogant,¡± someone would certainly have stepped forth to give him a lesson. But everyone followed Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s example at this moment, and none dared to act recklessly. Their attitudes were merely cold and thoughtful.


    Hence, Li Qingshan didn¡¯t feel Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s hostility. On the contrary, this great commander of Blessed Peace personally came to him once mellow with wine.


    Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi stood up in a hurry, but Li Qingshan calmly stayed seated still, making for a striking contrast. He was extremely versed in the ways of the world. He could take the initiative to ease tensions with opponents who suffered defeat at his hand, like Yan Song or Liu Hong.


    But he had to straighten his back on the contrary when faced with a strong opponent like Zhuo Zhibo. He didn¡¯t think that he could change the other party¡¯s impression of himself by merely giving in now. He also was keenly aware of the these qi refining warriors¡¯ twisted sense of honor: they considered it mere bad luck to have one¡¯s face slapped by the mighty, it only served them right; to be provoked by the weak called for certain killing.


    He recalled that he¡¯d merely refused Qian Rongming¡¯s unreasonable request back on the boat, then Qian Rongming tried to kill him in the dead of the night just for that. Would Zhuo Zhibo possess better tolerance? He had absolutely no confidence of this. One with authority like Zhuo Zhibo would probably be even more twisted.


    The present superficial peace was merely an illusion maintained thanks to Gu Yanying¡¯s reputation, and this illusion would certainly disappear very quickly. He wasn¡¯t one of Gu Yanying¡¯s own, even if he very much desired, one day in the future, to turn Gu Yanying into his own.


    Thanks to the experience from two lives, Li Qingshan could see with great clarity where he stood, the mutual relation between them, hence he selected what he believed to be the most appropriate method, not leaving anything to chance.


    In the story about the Donkey of Qian1, the only reason the tiger dared not do anything was because of donkey¡¯s incomparably unperturbed attitude. He didn¡¯t mind taking example from the Donkey of Qian and scare this superior of his. At least it could buy him some peaceful days, and when the day of reckoning came, he truly wanted to have a good look as to which one of them was the tiger, which one the donkey.


    The smile on Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s face didn¡¯t diminish in the least; the desire for murder deepened in his heart. He took the initiative to clink cups with Li Qingshan and exchanged many intimate words with him.


    ¡°Qingshan, it must be the first time you leave your family right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just treat the Eagle Wolf Guard like a family. Don¡¯t hesitate to ask if you have any question, everyone here is your brother and sister, I¡¯m the big brother to you all, I ought to take care of you.¡±


    Li Qingshan chuckled coldly inside at Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s words. He could hear the words within Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s words, inquiring about his relation with Gu Yanying.


    Li Qingshan said straight out it was a chance meeting, but that only made Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s suspicions stronger. This was precisely Li Qingshan¡¯s goal: those with abundant intellect inevitably had abundant mistrust. He was most happy to let Zhuo Zhibo bask in his suspicions. He had the clearest picture of the speed his strength grew. How strong would he be by the time Zhuo Zhibo untangled the truth of the matter?


    Diao Fei stood at the side, extremely envious of the treatment reserved for Li Qingshan. Zhuo Zhibo almost hadn¡¯t looked him in the eyes at all. How could he be aware of the twists and turns therein.


    Zhuo Zhibo made eye-contact with Qian Rongzhi then returned to his seat. Qian Rongzhi became all the more ardent toward Li Qingshan, seemingly intent on easing her relationship with him. She even personally poured wine for Li Qingshan without waiting for the maid. The charm of her face was so thick seemed to almost take solid shape, attracting quite a few glances from Eagle Wolf guards. They revealed their envy, but they glanced at Zhuo Zhibo and all turned their sights away.


    Li Qingshan truly showed no reserve either. The wine dried up as soon as it came as he enjoyed her attending with equanimity. With the sharpness of his senses, he¡¯d long sensed a somewhat unclean relation between Qian Rongzhi and Zhuo Zhibo.


    He¡¯d cultivated behind closed doors these three days, and it seemed that someone else hadn¡¯t been idle either. Unspoken rules were indeed present everywhere; he felt even more unscrupulous when it came to her. He was too lazy to care about someone else¡¯s business however. If you have something to sell then good for you if you sell it. The only thing he considered was, would these two potential enemies of his league together to deal with him?


    1. Please refer to the notes in chapter 112 for a summary of that fable.

 Chapter 120

    He had absolute confidence in his own strength, but he didn¡¯t want to be a fool with fists and no brain. He kept Qian Rongzhi¡¯s subtle inquiries at bay with nonsensical chatter. The crowd dispersed once the banquet ended.The highest reaches of the mountain peak, inside the Dark Wolf captain¡¯s private pavilion.


    Zhuo Zhibo asked, ¡°Did you fish out some news? What¡¯s the real relation between this kid and captain Gu?¡±


    Qian Rongzhi sat on Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s thighs, and said fuming, ¡°That kid kept running in circles and refused to tell the truth.¡± Just as Li Qingshan expected, Qian Rongzhi had indeed ingratiated herself with Zhuo Zhibo during the three days on the mountain.


    Zhuo Zhibo said, ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see then, I¡¯ll figure it out. If that person really is really paying attention to him, then there¡¯s no longer need for you to think about taking revenge for your enmity.¡±


    Qian Rongzhi pressed down her hatred. She stretched out her forefinger and poked at Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s face, saying with an enchanting smile, ¡°My enmity is a small thing, anyway my sisters and brothers are so many one dead won¡¯t make a difference. The most important thing is great captain Zhuo¡¯s face, you only have one of it. You saw that kid¡¯s attitude today.¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo said, ¡°If that person truly stood behind him, then it¡¯s no matter even if I have to let him step on my face. If not, hmph!¡± He sent a strong slap on Qian Rongzhi¡¯s buttocks. ¡°You don¡¯t need to incite me. Even if that person truly valued him, I still have ways to deal with him right now. Even if he were a heroic genius, I can still turn him into a good-for-nothing. Let¡¯s see when I¡¯m done if there¡¯s still someone who takes him seriously.¡±


    Qian Rongzhi made a coquettish protest and twisted inside Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s embrace, fanning the flames of his lust. He asked once more with curiosity, ¡°Since you don¡¯t mind him killing your brother, then why do you cling to vengeance?¡±


    Qian Rongzhi said, ¡°Because he looks down on me. Anyone who looks down on me has to pay the price for it.¡±


    Li Qingshan would surely be dumbstruck if he were there. Not only his attitude didn¡¯t make the beautiful woman fall in love in him like in folklore tales, it instead caused hatred ingrained deep into the bones. It seemed like tales were merely tales after all.


    Zhuo Zhibo looked deeply at Qian Rongzhi and didn¡¯t comment. He¡¯d played with quite a few women already at his age, but female qi refining warriors were hard to come by. There were some, but they weren¡¯t necessarily good-looking, hence he¡¯d felt desire the first time he saw Qian Rongzhi. Qian Rongzhi also happened to wish for an opportunity to rise in status, hence lust soared like blazing fire on dry wood and gradually turned into a so-called dalliance. His body had already begun to weaken; it was no longer possible his qi refining to make any headway, hence his priority went to all kinds of pleasures.


    Qian Rongzhi said, ¡°I heard that body cultivators were all pretty strong.¡± Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s bestial instincts erupted with this one sentence. He pounced on Qian Rongzhi. ¡°Today I¡¯ll let you taste this old man¡¯s power.¡± Qian Rongzhi laughed tenderly again and again; decadence descended inside the room.


    Li Qingshan was deeply engrossed in a sea of books right at this moment. Martial arts and secret techniques filled the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s library. Everything one could think of was there for the reading, everything from punching to kicking to blade to sword techniques. Many of them could start a battle if thrown into the martial world, but here they were like garbage and casually laid out, with only an old man standing guard.


    Li Qingshan didn¡¯t find the series of techniques for qi refining warriors however. He was about to climb to the second floor when that old man stopped him: ¡°Ten contribution points for one double-hour, no credit allowed.¡±


    Li Qingshan could only let it drop. Even martial techniques gave him quite some enlightenment. He stayed and read for two hours, and only went back for fear of making Little An worried.


    Then he once again became the somewhat dull cultivation, pill eating, qi refining.


    But Ge Jian knocked on Li Qingshan¡¯s door as soon as the gathering darkness descended, and said with a secretive air, ¡°I¡¯ll take to you to a good place.¡± He even too special care in exhorting him to change his clothes and put his blade away.


    He can¡¯t be trying to harm me right? Li Qingshan had such a thought but agreed nevertheless. What had to come would come in any case, he only had to raise his vigilance, and if push came to shove he could just go on a killing spree. He made Ge Jian wait a little, went back to the house, brought Little An.


    He found Diao Fei already waiting when they came under the memorial arch at the foot of the mountain.


    Li Qingshan said, curious, ¡°Where are we going?¡± They wouldn¡¯t go as far as killing Diao Fei as well, right?


    Diao Fei said, ¡°Brother Ge said he¡¯ll take us stroll around Blessed Peace¡¯s night scenery. Right, why not bring Qian Rongzhi as well?¡±


    ¡°This kind of place doesn¡¯t suit women.¡± Ge Jian let out a smile every man understood.


    Li Qingshan exchanged a glance with Diao Fei. Neither of them said anything. Something like this was difficult to refuse to begin with, to say nothing of a colleague¡¯s good intentions. Li Qingshan admitted he was a man who¡¯d ¡°drunk wine with beautiful flowers¡± and didn¡¯t put it too much to heart.


    Ge Jian couldn¡¯t help but smile faintly when he saw the attitudes from the two. He recalled Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s exhortations: don¡¯t look at the expenses, take Li Qingshan out and let him have fun, make him enjoy himself to the fullest, the more fun the better. It would be for the best if he put everything aside, what cultivation and training.


    Li Qingshan wasn¡¯t aware yet that Zhuo Zhibo had already acted against him, using another way. There was simply no need to fight and kill to ruin a man. Sugarcoated weapons were oftentimes more frightful than torture, extravagance and decadence could easily obliterate a man¡¯s ambition, drowning him in the most instinctive pleasures.


    In Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s mind, Li Qingshan was merely a crude wild kid from the mountains, how could he resist such temptations. Even if Li Qingshan were someone Gu Yanying valued, no one could blame Zhuo Zhibo, only Li Qingshan could be blamed for being rotten mud that couldn¡¯t climb the wall. This was an insidious method he¡¯d thought of with his deep grasp on human nature, a bite that left no sound nor traces but sank deep to the bones.


    Countless houses were lit in Blessed Peace, gloriously alight even at night. It was greatly different from a small city like Suncheer, and it once again reminded Li Qingshan of these great metropolises of his former life. The three of them merged into this patch of light under Ge Jian¡¯s enthusiastic calls, entering the most dazzling and prosperous place.


    Pavilion of Cloud and Rain. S~?a??h the N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    This didn¡¯t sound at all like the name of a pleasure house, yet it was not only a pleasure house, but even the biggest and most luxurious one within several hundred miles.


    In all kinds of ways, this was the greatest construction Li Qingshan had seen in this world: a high building shaped like a pagoda, high and low over seven stories tall, resplendent with light as if ignited with raging flames.


    Great human flows streamed in and out the great gates where big red lanterns hung, even livelier than a marketplace.


    Piping hot perfume assaulted them before even entering inside. Li Qingshan shrugged and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a brothel.¡± It was a bit more luxurious, but in the end it still couldn¡¯t compare to the skyscrapers and rainbow neon lights of his former world.


    Ge Jian said in a very mysterious tone, ¡°You¡¯ll know when you go in. This isn¡¯t an ordinary brothel.¡±


    One man came out before the three went in, tossed out from the third floor, falling on the ground like a broken burlap bag.


    A murder case? Li Qingshan felt a chill in his heart. From a certain point of view, the Eagle Wolf Guard was an equivalent to the police in this world. He hadn¡¯t expected to meet with a case as soon as he took up the job. But the he looking at the passersby around. They all went busying themselves with their own affairs after a momentary surprise, as if nothing had happened.


    He looked back to that spot on the ground. The man actually stood up with a groan and shouted round abuses while rubbing his back. Curses returned back in even louder voices from upstairs: ¡°Whatever gang leader sect leader, scram far away if you have no fiver, we¡¯ll waste your martial arts if you still don¡¯t get lost, and keep you around as an errand boy to recover the cost.¡±


    The man tossed down from upstairs was actually a first-grade master, that was why he could stay unharmed, but then what kind of skill was it that could casually throw out a first-grade master?


    The man seemed to be scared by that voice. He muttered a few more insults then blended inside the flow of people, as if nothing happened.


    Ge Jian said, ¡°To have fun here, even Eagle Wolf guards have to pay, it¡¯s best if you don¡¯t stir trouble.¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°How can a mere brothel afford such arrogance?¡±


    Diao Fei said, ¡°The Gate of Cloud and Rain is a famous sect in Clear River prefecture, skilled in the ways of dual cultivation. They established Pavilions of Cloud and Rain in every big city, this is only one of them. It¡¯s also the first time I come here though.¡±


    Ge Jian said with a smile, ¡°Dai Fei¡¯s experienced and knowledgeable after all. Qingshan, you must probably know what dual cultivation is!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just doing that thing!¡± Li Qingshan felt his horizons broaden wide. It was one thing if qi refining warriors formed violent organizations or feudal authorities, but there were even whorehouses. He couldn¡¯t help but lower his evaluation once more for the three words ¡°qi refining warrior.¡±


    Ge Jian said, ¡°Dual cultivation is the same as taking spirit pills, both are ancient daos. It pays particular attention to the harmony of yin and yang. But you¡¯re not wrong either, it¡¯s just doing that thing, it¡¯s also bedchamber art. Just think about it, a sect specializing in the study of bedchamber techniques, the girls they raise¡­¡±


    Li Qingshan grinned, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be plucking the yang to nourish the yin1, right?¡±


    Ge Jian laughed despite himself and said, ¡°How could it be, how would so many people come here if it were so. Anyway, just give it a try and you¡¯ll know.¡±


    Li Qingshan shook his head and said, ¡°Let¡¯s just drop it.¡± He didn¡¯t feel this here was any sort of good place.


    Diao Fei also beat the drums of retreat. Ordinary brothels were one thing, but he¡¯d heard of the many rumors about the Pavilion of Cloud and Rain. A life of dissipation was never befitting the cultivation of a qi refining warrior.


    Ge Jian moved tongue and lips in an unceasing torrent of instigation, ¡°Refining qi is so hard and exhausting, should you deprive yourself of a little reward?¡± ¡°Only the right balance between work and rest is the way forward for cultivation, it¡¯s of no matter if it¡¯s once or twice here and there.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so coy and shy if you¡¯re men, properly enjoy yourselves, why would real men still fear a few girls?¡±


    He assiduously played the most commonly seen role in the world, that of a petty villain with a honeyed tongue and vile intent. A malicious friend was more fearsome than an outstanding enemy.


    Coaxing, encouraging, half-pulling and half-dragging them, he brought the two inside the building. The rumble of a boiling brouhaha filling the ears, many men and women holding and hugging each others with their clothes in disarray; a scene of bliss and merriment. Everyone left their qualms and scruples behind in this bizarre atmosphere, setting free their own desires to their hearts¡¯ content, like the Roman orgies from the legends. It made one a little dumbstruck, even one who came from the modern world like Li Qingshan.


    ¡°Master Ge, you made the girls wait a long while. The room your honored self reserved is the Heaven room number one, please come upstairs!¡± A fat woman with thick makeup came to welcome them. She said when she saw Diao Fei and Li Qingshan, ¡°Eh, these two little brothers look very unfamiliar.¡±


    Li Qingshan actually saw true qi circulating around this lady boss¡¯ body. She was a qi refining warrior.


    Ge Jian introduced the two of them. The old brothel keeper said, ¡°So you two turn out to be young and handsome heroes newly joined in the Eagle Wolf Guard, in the future you patronize sister¡¯s business.¡± She stretched her hand and rubbed Li Qingshan¡¯s chest. ¡°Oh my, so strong and well-built, you must cultivate the body!¡± Her gaze simply seemed eager to swallow Li Qingshan whole.


    1. Pluck the yang to nourish the yin means to take energy from the man (males being associated with yang) to feed the woman (females being associated with yin)

 Chapter 121

    Li Qingshan unceremoniously slapped her hand away, but Ge Jian said, ¡°If you want our patronage, that¡¯ll depend on your assets!¡±¡°Don¡¯t you worry, I only have the best. Miss Cotton Rose has already been waiting for a long while, today she¡¯s not receiving any guest and is waiting just for the three of you, I don¡¯t know how many people are offended.¡±


    A thin man came wailing at this moment, as if to confirm her words. He caught the madam¡¯s arm. ¡°Madam, tonight I absolute have to see Cotton Rose, I¡¯ll give you whatever you want.¡± But then two strong and sturdy body guards, at least second-grade masters, immediately gagged him and chased him out.


    Every man exposed envy and yearning when they heard the three of them were to be accompanied by Cotton Rose. Even the Diao Fei who¡¯d previously stayed cold and indifferent became curious.


    The madam chattered in a grating voice while flirting with Ge Jian, her eyes casting amorous glances. Diao Fei sometimes listened to her and sometimes watched the men and women inside the great hall, the view a little overwhelming for him. He¡¯d cultivated painstakingly for many years inside his sect, and such a scene was equally difficult to come by.


    Li Qingshan was actually looking upward. The Pavilion of Cloud and Rain was built in an atrium style, with the very summit difficult to spot at a quick glimpse. Paintings of fairy maiden and flying Asparas1adorned the walls. The hallway spiraled round and round from top to bottom; the sound of music and dancing was everywhere. The customers were most numerous at the bottom, hugging the lowest grade flirtatious women. The waft of ardent desire seemed about to shatter through the ceiling of the building.


    Li Qingshan dimly saw the jade maiden in the paintings seemingly move, their roaming, flowing eyes enticing the living. But then on a closer look, they once again became ordinary paintings? Was it mere illusion?


    Heaven room number one was at the highest floor of the Pavilion of Cloud and Rain, reserved for noble guests. Three qi refining warriors from the Eagle Wolf Guard could naturally be called noble guests.


    The madam took them up the building, story by story, past one room after another. Li Qingshan could clearly hear, even more so thanks to his extraordinary hearing, sounds of passionate lovemaking that sent heat to the heart and blush to the face.


    They sat on sumptuous and ethereal cushions made of golden silk. The sound of strings and pipes rose from behind the curtain screen, faintly pulling at heartstrings. Suddenly, a crowd of female dancers fresh as flowers came forward and presented their dance, covered in only a sheer gauze that betrayed glimpses of soft beautiful bodies of swaying breasts and rippling rears.


    They tasted the fine wine in their cups, appreciated the song and dance in their eyes. An extremely mild exotic scent mingled inside the numerous cosmetic fragrances, wafting into Li Qingshan¡¯s nostrils. His mind seemed to become even more infatuated, wishing only to drown in love and beauty, no matter the rise and fall of the world.


    The figure of a woman seemed to emerge then hide amidst the dancers, just like stars cupping around the moon in the nimble yet disheveled dancing; merely emerging and disappearing, the glimpse of elusive grace. Hers was a face covered by a veil, who was she? Could it be that Cotton Rose?


    The voices of strings and pipes abruptly rose to the horizon. The dancers suddenly spread out, and that woman materialized into everyone¡¯s sight. There was only her ardent, solitary dance now. Li Qingshan and Diao Fei watched with rapt attention, not even noticing Ge Jian¡¯s departure.


    In the hall outside, Ge Jian was conversing with that brothel keeper. ¡°This is something our boss Zhuo arranged, don¡¯t you neglect anything.¡±


    The brothel keeper said smiling, ¡°How would I dare? Our Pavilion of Cloud and Rain still wishes do business in Blessed Peace. Passion bewildering spice, bewitching dance, enticing music, I used a three-pronged attack. I guarantee it¡¯ll make these two kids obsessed until they won¡¯t be able to tell father from mother.¡± She threw a glance at Ge Jian¡¯s lower body. ¡°Master Ge, didn¡¯t you also come out because you couldn¡¯t endure anymore? Do you need our Cotton Rose¡­¡±


    Ge Jian said, ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± There clearly was a little unnatural flush on his face, and his emotions were somewhat out of control. Those three things were obviously not without their effects on him either. But Zhuo Zhibo had specifically told him that that woman was definitely not one he could touch. Qi refining warriors ruined on her body weren¡¯t only limited to one or two, and as to ordinary people from the martial world, they were too many to count. What was even more fearsome was that these people had no regret even to the very end, still willingly handing over all of themselves to her.


    At this moment, inside the room, a veil landed on the floor, seemingly a tiny mishap amidst the intense dancing. Cotton Rose stood there in distress. The sound of strings and pipes timely ceased.


    The two men stared blankly at the same time. Li Qingshan once again felt intense stupefaction, but he couldn¡¯t accurately describe that woman¡¯s appearance. It was hazy and obscure as if they were separated by a fog. Inside it, he faintly saw Halfmoon, Gu Yanying, and even tracing back to an even more distant past, that ignorant first love of his former life. His mind was captivated, his heart was intoxicated.


    Diao Fei stared fixedly at Cotton Rose, his mouth mumbling, ¡°A¡¯Ning!¡± He entirely disregarded the wine in his hand already splashed all over the floor, many many memories surfacing into his mind, those intertwined joys and pains carved in his bones and engraved in his heart. He wanted to protect her. Possess her.


    Cotton Rose snickered sly and proud inside. Doing something like this was just like a casual fiddle of the fingers for her, incomparably effortless. The target this time was a mere teenage kid, that was even easier. She¡¯d already begun to think about how to make use of him, earn some more spirit pills. They said the pay of an Eagle Wolf guard was very good, she should be able to squeeze out quite some gain. However he was at a mere trivial first level of qi refining and shouldn¡¯t be able to withstand her squeezing for too long. The other one actually, maybe he could allow her cultivation to break through once more and reach the third level.


    ¡°Dong Dong Dong.¡± A few slight sounds came from the porcelain jar at Li Qingshan¡¯s hips, sobering his mind. Little An was extremely well-behaved and hadn¡¯t been willing so far to embarrass Li Qingshan, staying extremely quiet inside the jar all along. Such an action actually happened for the first time.


    Li Qingshan immediately felt something wrong with himself. He operated the [Spirit Turtle Sea Guarding Secrets]. The monster core inside him shaped like a turtle shell began to spin and release light, quelling everything. Whether the restless true qi, or his messy fluttering thoughts, everything was thoroughly repressed.


    His mind suddenly became clear. The spiritual qi revolved to his eyes and he once again look at the woman called Cotton Rose. The layer of dense fog covering her face dispersed at once, and that face that drew the soul and twined the dreams suddenly became commonplace. It wasn¡¯t as beautiful as her dancing partners to the side, or even as the attending maids. Even the expression on her face appeared extremely fake and phony, no longer as touching as before.


    This feeling was just the same as seeing beautiful women without makeup on the internet in his previous life, it was simply too appalling a sight. But this was much more brilliant, she could actually influence the senses, bring out the most beautiful women inside your heart, making you swayed by yourself.


    Those people, they didn¡¯t come to meet this woman, they clearly wished to see those women inside their hearts. This female thus so shamefully used the most beautiful place inside someone.


    Was this the bewitching art from the tales and legends? Li Qingshan twisted his brows. He wasn¡¯t a fool, he immediately understood the deep malice therein. He originally thought that with his strength, even if he couldn¡¯t run rampant inside Blessed Peace, there still weren¡¯t any opponent he couldn¡¯t handle. That was why he was able to come inside the Pavilion of Cloud and Rain without the slightest worry, confident no one needed even think about harming him as long as he controlled himself. But there was a much greater variety of treacherous ploys in this mortal world than what he imagined.


    Reportedly, cultivators would encounter all sorts of outer devils in the process of cultivation, confusing one¡¯s mind and ruining one¡¯s cultivation. Wouldn¡¯t that be precisely the creature in front of him?


    He look at Diao Fei beside him. He looked simply infatuated, watching Cotton Rose. But Cotton Rose was watching Li Qingshan instead, stunned. She hadn¡¯t thought someone could escape from her bewitching technique. She couldn¡¯t help but retreat a step under the intense stare of those eyes. S?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Pa.¡± A resounding slap.


    Ge Jian and the brothel keeper exchanged a glance then hurriedly went into the room. They saw Li Qingshan standing there, sending Diao Fei down to the floor with a slap, the clear imprint of his five fingers left on his face, a trail of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. One could easily tell how harsh that slap had been.


    The furious Diao Fei wanted to fight back, but a hand clutched his neck like a pair of metal pincers, and a fearsome killing aura checked his movements back. He felt that his neck would be squeezed broken if he dared make the slightest motion.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Li Qingshan lifted him in front of Cotton Rose. ¡°You have a good look!¡±


    Diao Fei was already subconsciously operating his true qi, anger and fear breaking his earlier state, while Cotton Rose seemed to have forgotten to employ her bewitching art because of her alarm. Then, just like Li Qingshan earlier, Diao Fei saw that astonishing change and immediately became stunned. This wasn¡¯t his A¡¯Ning, A¡¯Ning was now already gone.


    The madam cried in alarm, ¡°Whawhawhat are you doing?¡±


    Ge Jian said in a righteous tone, ¡°Stop!¡±


    Li Qingshan let go of Diao Fei. ¡°He looked too ugly just now, I couldn¡¯t help myself from hitting him.¡±


    Diao Fei landed softly on the ground, saying only after a long while, ¡°Thanks!¡± One who¡¯d come from a sect like him knew much more about bewitching arts than Li Qingshan, knew how he would end if he were to succumb to them. Once the poison sank deep, even parents or children couldn¡¯t awaken one from their obsession.


    Li Qingshan pointed at Cotton Rose and said to the brothel keeper, ¡°Tell this ugly woman to get lost, otherwise I soon likewise won¡¯t be able to help myself.¡±


    Cotton Rose said in a shrill voice, ¡°How dare you!¡± This was even a duck voice. She was already used to toying with men in the palm of her hand thanks her bewitching art, when had she ever been treated like this? She was especially furious about the words ¡°ugly woman,¡± but that actually made her face seem even more twisted, uglier.


    The brothel keeper said, ¡°Master Ge, this newcomer of yours, isn¡¯t he really a little too ignorant of rules and customs?¡± A small qi refining warrior at the first level, where did he get the gall to be so rude to her. She¡¯d have acted already were it not for his status as an Eagle Wolf guard.


    Li Qingshan¡¯s figure suddenly disappeared from where he stood , reappeared in front of Cotton Rose. He lifted his right arm and ruthlessly swung it.


    Within ten steps, one man was more fearsome than a remote enemy country.


    Li Qingshan perfectly put this saying into practice thanks to a formidable physique. Cotton Rose¡¯s cultivation was at the second level of qi refining, but she specialized in bewitching arts and didn¡¯t excel in battle. Neither, it seemed, did she expect Li Qingshan to do something as cruddy as hitting a woman in front of so many people.


    You effing got me counterfeit goods, use a fake belle to scam me, you¡¯re even bold enough to say I don¡¯t understand rules and customs. You¡¯re in a bad mood, this father¡¯s in an even worse mood. The wrath at having his feelings deceived, the shame at nearly falling into the trap, all of this made his mood poor to the extreme.


    The reaction reached his hand, made his arm blur into a curve, stiffly lash out and produce the sound of a whip splitting the air. The blow made Cotton Rose spin round and round where she stood like a spinning top, half her face swelling up, two teeth flying out. She sat down on the floor, dull and giddy!


    The maids and dancers were all stupefied. This missus Cotton Rose was the queen courtesan of the Pavilion of Cloud and Rain. She¡¯d always acted high and mighty. Any servant would taste the whip if the tea they brought were but a little too warm or a little too cold. If one spoke offensive words and called her appearance into question, that was a road straight to the land of the dead.


    1. An Aspara is a female spirit of the wind or water in Buddhist mythology. Here¡¯s an example of a flying Aspara painting

 Chapter 122

    Chapter 122May 3, 2016


    The men were as subservient as loyal dogs to Fu Rong(Previously translated as Cotton Rose), never dreaming of the possibility that she would ever get slapped by a man!


    The madam angrily retaliated towards Li Qing Shan, with her pair of fat arms full of True Qi. Fu Rong was not only the Pavillion of Cloud and Rain''s most beautiful flower, but also her disciple. Unexpectedly, Ge Jian blocked her way and only then did the madam forcefully stay her hands. "How dare you!"


    Ge Jian coldly retorted : " Do you wish to attack the Eagle Wolf Guard?" He was also at lost for words. As long as Li Qing Shan was a member of the Guard, he could not ignore this situation as it concerned the Guard''s honor. Most importantly, he suspected that with just the madam''s strength, it was difficult to defeat Li Qing Shan.


    The Pavillion of Cloud and Rain gave Zhuo Zhi Buo a huge amount of medicinal pills annually, as well as various women for him to enjoy. This helper of his of course got his fair share as well and was not willing to see the Pavillion lose out.


    The madam took a few deep breaths and said "Very well!", dragging the shocked Fu Rong outside.


    Li Qing Shan then sat back down and replied : "Quickly, I am still waiting for the next show! Surely your Pavillion must have more than just that right? Brother Ge, I am still waiting!"


    Listening in to this from the outside, Fu Rong loudly howled : " I want to kill him! I want to kill him!"


    Ge Jian turned back, the gloominess in his face all gone, smiling helplessly : "Qing Shan, if you don''t like her then so be it, why hit her? Women skilled in the art of bewitchment are rare. Occasionally enjoying such arts would not be of any hindrance to yourself." This confused even Diao Fei who suspected whether Ge Jian was intentionally trying to harm them.


    "It was only just a bitch! So what if I hit her!" Li Qing Shan rested on the soft sofa, propping his chin before the servants beside him plucked a grape and fed it to him gently.


    This Pavillion actually dared to collaborate with Zhuo Zhi Buo to harm him. He wanted to learn from Lu Ti Xia(Character from Water Margin), first demanding for 10 pounds of lean meat, cut cleanly and without fat. Then he wanted 10 pounds of fat, without a trace of meat on it. Lastly, he wanted 10 pounds of bone, chopped into strips, without any meat on it. (Symbolises how Qing Shan wishes to extort them mercilessly)


    For the next few ladies that came, if they were skinny, he wanted plump ones, smacking the madam''s face. If they were fat, he wanted the leaner ones, also smacking the madam''s face. This wasn''t like Lu Ti Xia, but more of a certain theatric performance.


    "I''ll go have a look!" Ge Jian walked outside, anger visibly on his face. He didn''t expect that with the Pavillion''s means, they were still unable to conquer a mere hillbilly. But he could not fall out with him now, as long as Zhuo Zhi Buo had not clarified his relationship with Gu Yan Ying, Zhuo Zhi Buo would not dare to fall out with Qing Shan. And if Zhuo Zhi Buo did not dare to, so would Ge Jian.


    Most importantly, he was worried that if he fell out with Qing Shan, he would still not be this kid''s match. The slap just now astonished Ge Jian. Within 10 steps, if Li Qing Shan suddenly attacked, it would be as quick as a tiger, even he did not dare guarantee if he would win. Was body refinement truly this strong?


    After 15 minutes, Ge Jian returned with the madam behind him, smiling as if nothing happened. It was unknown what Ge Jian did, but he brought along 7 to 8 young girls, whether lean or plump, each of them had proper bearings, aging from 14 to 17 years old.


    "This young man doesn''t seem to like matured women. These are all the newly trained escorts, guaranteed to be pure. Why not you try picking one or two as a servant back home. Prices are negotiable." The madam pinched the cheeks of one of the girls and introduced her to Qing Shan.


    Those escorts leaked out their stares of expectation when looking at Qing Shan. Being able to leave this place would be their greatest wish. Not withstanding the fact that the man himself was a young and strong lad, and not those fat merchants or old men.


    Ge Jian remarked: " I believe that you should have a person or two to serve you at home. With such a big bed, you surely cannot take up all of it." After seeing that he could not finish the task that Zhuo Zhi Bo entrusted him with, Ge Jian came up with another scheme. Seeing that the kid was loyal to his friends, as long as he had another burden alongside him, he could have something to threaten him with.


    Seeing these girls rounded up like cattle, Qing Shan felt a fleet of sadness. Upon looking at the madam, he even felt disgusted and could not help but feel an urge to stab her with his knife. But he knew, that in this day and age, the Pavillion was a proper establishment and plenty of girls, due to the age''s preference of boys over girls, were sent here due to their family''s inability or reluctance to raise them.


    Qing Shan asked : "Are all of you willing?"


    The girls looked at each other, and finally nodded, acknowledging his question.


    Qing Shan only felt that he was doused with cold water: " It''ll be up to here today, I''m going back to sleep!" he walked outside and when he passed a young girl she stuffed a piece of paper in his hands.


    Qing Xiu looked at his majestic back hopefully. It had been many years since she was kidnapped. Originally, she was in despair, but Qing Shan''s slap reinvigorated her hope. Doing this kind of daring thing, he was obviously different from the rest. If it was him, maybe she could request for help to save herself and her friends. This noble seemed to be a good man and may even help them.


    However, she saw Qing Shan suddenly stop and open the paper before asking her " Is this what you gave me?"


    All the eyes in the room focused on Qing Xiu, especially the madam''s. Seeing the words on the paper, she instantly looked murderous.


    Qing Xiu lowered her head and felt as if a knife was at her back. Recalling those who tried to escape or betrayed the Pavillion, she despaired and regretted while complaining in her heart about Qing Shan. Are you a fool? Did you know how deep this Pavillion runs? Now I am dead because of you!


    Qing Shan kept the paper and patted her shoulders: " Just now when I asked you, why didn;t you say so? If you said it earlier then it would be way easier." This honourable one sharpened my blade for 10 years with a heroic spirit, only to encounter such unfair acts!


    Qing Shan felt he was very friendly, but Qing Xiu was becoming paler and paler.


    The madam saw that Qing Shan was here to pick a fight, so she dragged Qing Xiu behind her: " She''s gone crazy. Don''t take her words to heart." Qing Xiu was always obedient, never resisting her orders. The madam thought her training was sufficient before releasing her to meet the clientele but unexpectedly at such an important timing, she chose to do this. When they got back, she would torture her to death to set an example for the rest.


    Qing Shan replied : " Didn''t you lot want me to pick? I choose her! "


    The madam said: " Take her away!" while smiling at Qing Shan: " Our Pavillion has plenty of girls, letting you choose this crazy one was truly bad luck!"


    Immediately, two strong bodyguards took Qing Xiu outside.


    "Stop right there!" Qing Shan took as step forward as he was about to chase but the madam''s fat body nimbly moved to block him. Qing Shan wanted to go around her, but Ge Jian held onto his hand : "Qing Shan, where are you going? It''s just another bitch!"


    This was what Qing Shan just said, but Qing SHan immediately replied : "You are the bitch! Let go of me!" WIth a tremble of his arm, Qing Shan broke free from Ge Jian''s hold with brute strength. Ge Jian immediately raged : "What did you say?" As a prim and proper Eagle Wolf Guard member, Ge Jian was scolded as a bitch and could not endure his anger any longer.


    The 2 bodyguards were clearly martial artists and moved quickly, instantly leaving the room and blending in with the crowd.


    Qing Shan didn''t bother with him, colliding with the meat wall in front of him. THe madam felt like she crashed against a stampeding elephant, breaking the window and the corridor railings as she fell from the seventh floor.


    She screamed in mid-air: " Stop him!" Her fat hand reached out with True Qi as she grasped her way back to the corridor of the 3rd floor.


    Qing Shan followed the hole that the madam created, only to see that Qing Xiu was missing. But he sniffed the air and caught onto her scent.


    Among the 6 senses, the one sense he surpassed other humans was in the sense of smell. Normal Qi Practictioners, upon opening their meridians, would have enhanced sense of sight and hearing, able to hear a fly mid-flight as well as an ant walking within a hundred Zhang but their sense of smell would not have greatly increased. It would not even match up to a wild dog. This was the limitations of Xian Tian.


    But Qing Shan''s sense of smell was already way stronger than that of a dog''s, as he followed the trail of the scent.


    "Where does this young man wish to go to?" A few exquisite lady performers rushed out from nowhere, filling up the corridors as they grabbed his limbs.


    "Scram!" Qing Shan did not bother to appreciate their beauty as he exhaled with True Qi, causing the girls to fly away.


    Deng deng deng. A yellow shirted bodyguard came down from the 6th floor as he heard the madam''s scream. Coming out from the room next door, he recognised Qing Shan and blocked his way, clearly a First Rate Warrior.


    He had just thrown out another First Rate Warrior from the Pavillion and was feeling proud as ever. Seeing Qing Shan walk over, even though he was a Qi Refining Practitioner, but he was only of the First Level, hence he believed he could be a match for him, winning him even. This kind of brat that relied on his natural talent to refine Qi was clearly not within his eyes as he shouted at him : " Stop right there!"


    "If it were just weak women then never mind them, most likely they are just being forced to follow orders. A big man as yourself that dares to help the wicked to kidnap and abuse others deserves to die!" Qing Shan remarked as he kept walking. Some time or another, he already had the Severing Wing Blade in his hands and the glistening blade shined as it left its sheath.


    The bodyguard had wanted to make a move, but suddenly felt his neck grow cold before flying up in the sky. In mid-air, he saw his own body. A few bodyguards wanted to come help and they conveniently saw his head fly up with a pillar of blood gushing out of his neck. Their legs were nailed to the ground, not daring to take another step forward. s?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.

 Chapter 123

    Chapter 123January 20, 2018


    Li Qingshan lifted his foot and kicked the headless corpse downstairs.


    The men and women downstairs were still confused upon hearing the madam¡¯s scream when the a bloody headless corpse suddenly fell in front of them. After a moment of silence, someone amongst the crowd screamed: "Murder!¡±


    Downstairs, it was like an explosion took place. Li Qing Shan laughed, as he glanced aside, he caught a glimpse of Qing Xiu¡¯s clothes as she was brought to the opposite fourth floor.


    Li Qingshan plunged from the sky, akin to a tiger preying on its food or an eagle catching a rabbit, as he leapt across to the next patio.


    Qing Xiu was filled with despair, when the wind suddenly blew into her. She then looked in front, seeing Qing Shan who returned his blade to his sheathe. The bodyguards holding onto Qing Xiu spat out blood fervently, before falling backwards. S?a??h th? ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    "You ... ..." Qing Xiu was speechless for a while. Daring to kill in the pavillion, Qing Shan was a bold and overblown figure she had never expected to see in her lifetime. This was totally different from her idea of him at the start.


    Li Qing Shan said: "What injustice have you suffered. Feel free to give me all your complaints now!"


    Amidst the chaos in the building, the bodyguards surrounded the area in all directions.


    Qing XIu show hurriedly said: "I ... ... I was caught by them, and not voluntarily. If I did not want to, then I would be beaten and not given food to eat! I also have to practice their strange skills, and if I do not practice then I will also be beaten, and not allowed to eat "


    "Bitch, shut up!" The madam roared as she directly hit the floor of the fourth floor. However, all she could see was Li Qing Shan¡¯s murderous eyes.


    "You came at the right time!" Li Qing Shan exclaimed loudly, as his knife released a wind blade towards her face.


    The madam had never seen such a ferocious person. With only a few words to say, he gave the killing blow immediately. She often played the role of the usher and had long forgotten when she last directly took part in combat. In the midst of her shock, she could not even exert half of her strength and fell back to the 3rd floor while screaming.


    Looking up, she saw Li Qingshan at the top of the hole. Both hands holding his knife and plunging straight down. She did not even manage to take out her treasure pouch to retrieve her talisman. Maybe she was scared stuff, but she instinctively rolled across the floor like a ball.


    A good combatant, a poor combatant. One who relied on his strong tough body to directly conquer a 2nd level Qi Practitioner. Yet the other spent her time and effort on dual cultivation, the art of bedding. Even though she was a 3rd level Qi Practitioner, she only had a 2nd level Qi Practitioner level of strength.


    There was a burst of blood. His knife cut a large piece of meat from her ass and the madam screamed a pig-like scream, no longer having the heart to retaliate.


    Li Qing Shan, stepped off a wall, stomping on the back of the madam. He revealed a cruel smile: "You old hag, let¡¯s see where you escape off to this time!"


    When the madam tried to struggle, she felt like an iron pile was pressing down and that her bones were breaking. A sharp blade then flashed in front of her face so that she does not dare to move.


    A sword stabbed from behind. While the blade has not yet reached, it spat out a three feet long green light. Fu Rong viciously gripped her sword as she pierced Li Qing Shan from behind.


    "Great!" Li Qing Shan was not shock in the least. He shifted his body so that the blade would slide pass him. Even the 3rd level Qi Practitioner madam lost, not to mention this 2nd level Qi Practitioner Fu Rong. With a flick of his wrist, he grabbed Fu Rong¡¯s neck in an instance and pulled her before him.


    Stepping on an enemy with his foot while grabbing another in his hands, it was truly a ¡°one stone kills two bird¡± scenario.


    Li Qingshan pointed his knife at the madam: "You as a Qi Practitioner are above tens of thousands of others, with a secure way of life, yet you still want to commit such a heavenly sin. You truly deserve death.¡±


    The madam exclaimed loudly: "Hero, please spare my life!"


    "You? I cannot forgive!" Li Qing Shan then stabbed down with his knife.


    "Stop!" Two voices sounded at the same time, one was Cui Jian, the other was not Diao Fei, but rather a middle-aged man dressed in a sapphire blue gown. A non-existent figure appeared on the third floor, a 5th level Qi Practitioner, born with a feminine face, coldly stating: "This guest seems to be very unsatisfied with our service.¡±


    He was the real owner of the Pavillion, Zhao Liang Qing. He usually only let the old woman outside greet guests, hiding behind the scenes, and using the women in the pavilion as Qi furnaces.


    Zhuo Zhi Bo¡¯s plan to take down the new kid, of course, was brought up to Liang Qing so as to set up the trap in the pavilion. Liang Qing did not mind as he foresaw Zhi Bo as an eagle swooping down on his prey, clearly with no good end for Qing Shan. However, he could never have predicted that Fu Rong would not only be taken away, but also cause such a disturbance to the surroundings.


    Li Qing Shan estimated that with his demon form, he could completely defeat 2nd Level Qi Practitioners and win 3rd Level Qi Practitioners with great probability. 4th Level Qi Practitioners would be tough but 5th Level Qi Practitioners would be impossible.


    He shouted: "Ge Jian, please invite brother Zhuo, I found a forced prostitutes nest! As a dignified Eagle Wolves Guard, why would I fear these bastards!" His cry, full of True Qi, shattered a few glasses and caused many people''s ears to buzz.


    Brother Zhuo! Ge Jian almost lost his footing. He personally saw Li Qing Shan¡¯s arrogance when facing Zhuo Zhi Bo. But now he insisted on calling him brother Zhuo, clearly pulling Zhua Zhi Bo and the Eagle Wolf Guard to becoming his shield.


    Zhao Liang Qing also frowned. Although Li Qing Shan demonstrated extraordinary strength for a Qi Practitioner, he was confident of killing him, but he did not dare to.


    Not only because of the two hostages in the hands of Li Qing Shan, but also because of the identity of the Eagle Wolf Guard. The Eagle Wolf Guard is not immortal, on the contrary, because of the various dangerous tasks, the casualty rate is not low. If a guard died in his task or assassination, and the murderer could not be identified then it would be left as an unresolved investigation.


    However, if a Eagle Wolf Guard was to be killed in a crowd, that is to challenge the authority of the Eagle Wolf Guard and would be wanted by the heavens. Even Zhuo Zhi Bo could not let him go but instead have to kill him and clear off any and all relations to him. If he was a lone cultivator, perhaps there he would have the guts to kill him, but he has such a large enterprise under him, which made him even more afraid of doing so.


    Li Qing Shan smiled, as expected, this layer of wolf skin plays quite a big role. Being a dog of the law and order and not being able to use that identity would be plain foolish. Since Zhuo Zhi Bo wanted to be his big brother, then let him be.


    Zhao Liang Qing said: "Please release my people!"


    "They all forced girls into prostitution. Criminals that harm innocent young girls, must not be released. Also, I need you to stay put as well. As a representative of the Eagle Wolf Guard, I need to investigate the case. You can remain silent, but everything and anything you say may be held against you." Li Qing Shan did not know what to say, so he used the common line from his previous life, totally ignoring the fact that Zhao Liang Qing was a 5th Level Qi Practitioner.


    Zhao Liang Qing face blushed: "Forced prostitution? Where is your evidence?"


    Li Qing Shan replied: "I have a witness!"


    Zhao Liang Qing coldly questioned: "Then where is that proof?"


    Li Qing Sha¡¯s pupils constricted, as he saw the two bodyguards holding onto a dejected Qing Xiu.


    Zhao Liang Qing held onto her chin, "Not bad, she does look quite pretty. No wonder she attracted such a lovely busybody. I guess you can release my women now!"


    Qing Xiu eyes teared as she stared at Li Qing Shan. Now I am really doomed!


    Li Qing Shan replied: "That is the girl in your pavilion, what relationship does she have with me!"


    Zhao Liang Qing said: "Oh, is that so? Then I guess this root of troubles should be removed!" Liang Qing¡¯s hand was placed on her shoulders, and while he was about to slowly exert force, Qing Xiu let out a scream.


    However that was immediately overshadowed by a more mournful screams, scaring Qing Xiu till her mouth shut. Li Qing Shan cut down on the madam¡¯s arm, threatening Liang Qing with reddish eyes: "You dare to try harming her? "


    Only stupid heroes would surrender when the enemies used hostages as threats. Qing Shan would do no such thing, if you were harsh then he would only be harsher.


    Ge Jian finally gave up on trying to deal with this matter on his own. Qing Shan was ferocious as if he was born out of the wild, repaying an eye for an eye. This all happened today because of his retaliation towards Zhuo Zhi Bo¡¯s trap. And all that had transpired from there was clearly not in his control. He crushed a spiritual talisman, which was an Eagle Wolf Guard aid request talisman to relay that there was an urgent crisis ongoing.


    Zhao Liangqing looked at Li Qingshan, but he did not start, but did not dare to act. He clearly saw that from the eyes of Li Qing Shan, if he dared to kill Qing Xie, Li Qing Shan would decapitate his two trusted subordinates. That was a loss that could not be tolerated. On one hand was one of his many prostitutes and the other was his two important subordinates. Whichever was of higher priority, he could clearly distinguish.


    His eyes flashed, practising his cultivation technique, in the eyes of the public, the somewhat feminine Zhao Liang Qing suddenly changed, becoming as fearsome as a legendary devil. A fierce atmosphere pressured itself on the hearts of the people, as a few bodyguards fell down weakly.


    Almost roaring: "As I ordered, release them!" In the pavilion, other than charming others, their technique could also take on the other end of the spectrum. They could simulate demonic figures and intimidate people by directly influencing the human mind. The moment Liang Qing cast it out the whole Pavillion quietened down. Everyone felt a terrifying existence emerge, and did not dare to even breathe out loud, let alone shout and run. Even Ge Jian Zhao did not dare to look at Liang Qing¡¯s face. As the one being stared at directly, how would Qing Shan bear the pressure?


    But Li Qing Shan only smiled and said: "I order you to let her go!" He was originally a demon, with a cultivation greater than that of Zhao Liang Qing. The charm was effective against him, because his body was filled with great vitality and stronger than the average man. He could only run the Spiritual Turtle Dominates The Seas Scripture to suppress the charm. However, intimidating him was another matter altogether. Liang Qing was merely showing off to a true master. Even without using the scripture, he would not be scared. Believe it or not, how about I show you my true form to really scare you!


    Zhao Liang Qing saw that his threat was useless and could only give up, staring at Qing Shan. If stares could take the form of swords, Qing Shan would be pierced already.


    "What are you looking at? Look some more and see what I do to your eyes, no, watch how I pluck her eyes out." Li Qing Shan¡¯s knife gestured at the foot of the madam.


    "What do you want?"


    Li Qing Shan pointed at Qing Xiu: "Give me back my witness!"


    "Forget about it!" Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s voice barely made it out of his mouth before Li Qing Shan began cutting onto the madam¡¯s other arm. ¡°Anyways I have two. After killing one I still have another to play with!¡±

 Chapter 124

    Chapter 124January 29, 2018


    |


    Edited by my lovely editor Namoyo


    The madam cried out: "Oh great Sir, please save me!" As expected of a Qi Practitioner, she has not passed out from the pain yet.


    Upon looking at the bloody scene and hearing that she would be next, Fu Rong shouted out in alarm ¡°Help ¡­¡± However she was choked out mid-sentence.


    "Stop, let go of Fu Rong!" The pavilion got rowdy once again.


    Crowds had gathered along the railings of the entire building. Looking upon this rare commotion, they burst into chatter and discussion.


    "Isn¡¯t the Eagle Wolf Guard the backer of the pavilion? Why are they going against each other today!?" Walls have ears, and given the pavilion¡¯s dirty dealings in town, the pavilion would have closed down ages ago without the protection and cover provided by the Eagle Wolf Guard. After all, people with discerning eyes are everywhere.


    "That punk hit Fu Rong!"


    "What? How dare he!" Many seethed with rage. To them, Fu Rong was the goddess of their dreams. Even if she was miles out of their reach, they would not let others bully her.


    "Look at this! Fu Rong is currently being strangled by that punk!" This caused a burst of outrage. Fu Rong¡¯s grimaced. Pain and suffering filled her beautiful face. The scene was heart-broking, and onlookers couldn¡¯t help but feel a stinging pain within their chests.


    "Ah Ning!" Even though Diao Fei had been smacked awake by Qing Shan and saw Fu Rong¡¯s true appearance, he still felt somewhat confused and seduced. He fiercely bit down on his own tongue to clear his mind.


    Fu Rong¡¯s cry for help spurred into action several martial artists. Even the non-martial artists started cursing and scolding Qing Shan. A tsunami of voices raged throughout the pavilion, issuing a call to arms against Qing Shan: ¡°Put down Miss Fu Rong, else I will not let you die a pleasant death!¡±


    "Hmph, nothing but a group of fools!" Li Qingshan coldly harrumphed. His voice was not loud but it easily overwhelmed the raging tsunami, and echoed within the heads of all around him.


    He only looked at Zhao Liang Qing: "Are you going to release her now?" The sabre (it¡¯s more like an Odachi¡­ but its Chinese. Should be called a long sabre but that¡¯s quite a mouthful.) in his hand already placed horizontally against the Madam¡¯s neck.


    Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s hands quivered as he released Qing Xiu. She rubbed her sore shoulders and quickly trotted over to Li Qing Shan¡¯s side, carefully avoiding pools of blood on the ground. Qing Xiu glanced over at the Madam¡¯s predicament. Despite knowing that the Madam had done many evil deeds and had caused the death of many of her sisters, she felt a pang of pity in her heart.


    Looking back at Qing Shan, he showed no sign of emotional fluctuation. His lips slowly curled into a cruel grin. Since he was going to become a hero, of course he would need to have greater determination than that of normal people. Punishing criminals and purging evil was after all one of the world¡¯s most satisfying things to do.


    "Li Qing Shan, what are you doing!?" Zhuo Zhi Bo angrily rushed in, followed by Qian Rong Zhi and a handful of other Eagle Wolf Guard members. Seeing the scene at the pavilion, they were taken aback.


    Zhuo Zhi Bo thought to himself that his scheme¡¯s perfection lied in the fact that even if Qing Shan did not take the bait, he would not be blamed. He had so kindly instructed for his men to bring Qing Shan to a brothel for enjoyment. How can anyone possibly accuse him of ill-treatment? Even if Qing Shan really had some relation with Gu Yan Ying, there is no way that he could tell her that he was tricked, or something bad happened when he was visiting a brothel. Li Qing Shan would only end up walking a path to death if he fell for the trap, and even if he did not he would still have to suffer in silence. Taking all this into account, this plan could be considered airtight and nothing short of perfection.


    In actuality, if not for Qing Xiu, besides slapping Fu Rong in the face, Li Qing Shan could only endure his anger and seek revenge another day. However with Qing Xiu as an excuse, he is determined to stir up a storm for Zhuo Zhi Bo. Qing Shan wanted to show Zhi Bo - since you dared to set a trap, I will tear this place down.


    Zhao Liang Qing said: "Commander Zhuo, is this the way your Eagle Wolf Guard does things? If you do not pay for our services then so be it! You lot still dare to meddle into our business and seek trouble!"


    "Is that so? That is simply overly bullying people!"


    ¡°Pavilion leaders, what are you going to do?"


    "Quickly release Fu Rong! If you harm a single hair on Fu Rong¡¯s head, I¡¯ll cut you into a thousand pieces! "


    Not paying for escort services? That is a lot of dirt on someone¡¯s name. If he had to bear such a bad reputation, Qing Shan would not be able to continue living in Jia Ping City. Acting as if he was not the one who ordered Ge Jian to bring Qing Shan here in the first place. Zhuo Zhi Bo also gave a solemn look: "Qing Shan, is that true?"


    "No it¡¯s not true! They ¡­¡± Qing Xiu raised her voice and tried explaining the truth while behind Qing Shan, but was slowly covered by the sea of voices.


    Li Qing Shan didn¡¯t bother spouting nonsense. With a pop, he inserted the long sabre into the Madam¡¯s heart and then pulled it back out without a single bloodstain on it.


    You scold me, I hit the madam. You hit me, I also hit the madam. You falsely ruin my reputation, then I¡¯ll simply kill the Madam.


    "You ... ..." Zhao Liang Qing became furious. Li Qing Shan then casually placed the knife on Fu Rong¡¯s neck, and said to himself: "One down, one to go!" He then kicked the huge body down the stairs. A kill is a kill, take it while he can.


    The entire pavilion knew of the madam. Who did not know of this ruthless and cunning fat woman? She operated in the city of Jia Ping for many years, from ushering to entertaining guests, she has always been in charge of operations in the pavilion, a famous person to say the least. Yet now she was just killed in one swift thrust of a sabre, becoming another corpse.


    The surrounding instantly turned quiet. Everyone wanted to ask, who is this youth? Why was he so ruthless? S~?a??h the Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Zhuo Zhi Bo did not think that Li Qing Shan would dare to be so daring in front of him. He was anger filled his chest, if not considering a certain person, he would not let this be. Qian Rong Zheng grew a shred of fear in her heart. That youth that just killed whilst chatting with a smile on his face was not like the other men she met in her life, and was definitely not that easy to deal with.


    When Li Qing Shan pulled Fu Rong up, Zhao Liang Qing finally could not help but cry out: "You dare?" That was his cash cow. The foundation of the entire pavilion practically lied on her body. If the madam died, a replacement could be sought. If Fu Rong died, the entire pavilion might as well close down.


    Li Qing Shan turned to Zhuo Zhi Bo and said: " Commander Zhuo, this pavilion is filled with plenty of filth. Forcing young girls to become escorts! The young girl beside me is a witness, please take charge and administer justice accordingly!¡±


    Zhao Liang Qing also looked over at Zhi Bo, seemingly to say, ¡°Remember the volumes of medicine that I gift you every year.¡±


    This situation gave Zhuo Zhi Bo a great headache. Amongst everyone, he was the one that dabbled into the most matters, yet afraid to harm his own interests no matter what action he took. He was originally planning on using his authority and power to peacefully enjoy his golden years. Asking him to take the risk to kill Li Qing Shan was something he would never dare to do. But if he agreed with Li Qing Shan¡¯s views, then he would only be slapping himself in his own face and cutting off a source of wealth.


    Li Qing Shan saw through his mentality, savagely giving him a check. Needless to say, The reason he dared to take such a gamble under the threat of two strong Qi Practitioners had a direct relation to his own indomitable personal strength.


    Even in the worst case scenario, he could just escape with his own hidden strength. Just releasing a bit of Demonic Qi would enable him to easily escape from this place. However evidently, it seemed his concerns were excessive.


    Zhuo Zhi Bo said earnestly: "Qing Shan, you are too impulsive, this case is up to the magistrate level. It¡¯s not up to me to decide!¡±


    Zhao Liang Qing looked at Zhuo Zhi Bo incredulously, thinking, ¡°because of your scheme, I have lost so many, yet you brush it off as impulsive?¡±


    Zhuo Zhi Bo immediately stared back fiercely, reminding Zhao Liang Qing that there was a difference in strength and authority between them. This left Liang Qing to swallow his own broken teeth ( idiom to represent the unwilling acceptance of one¡¯s injuries). ¡°What a great move by Zhuo Zhi Bo!¡±, thought Liang Qing sarcastically.


    "This judge is here! Whatever cases you may have, feel free to speak up!¡±


    At this moment, Zhou Wen Bin stepped into the pavilion in his bright red ceremonial clothes.


    "Lord Zhou!" "Lord Zhou has arrived!"


    In the pavilion, no matter the civilians or the noble guests, all kneeled before the man. They kneeled wholeheartedly. In their eyes, there was not only fear due to his power, but also passionate respect due to his conduct.


    Li Qing Shan realised only then, that Zhou Wen Bin commanded such respect from the citizens of the city. He deduced that the piece of paper that Qing Xiu had stuffed into his hand could possibly be requesting him to approach this Zhou Wen Bin for help.


    Zhou Wen Bin alone earned more respect than that of Zhuo Zhi Bo and his group. He gently said: ¡°Everyone please rise.¡±


    Zhou Wen Bin glanced at Zhuo Zhi Bo, then looked at Qing Shan. He knew about the huge mess that occured in the pavilion at the very first moment. Not only did he know, but he even deduced clearly the sequence of events that occurred as well as the scheme that Zhuo Zhi Bo had devised. Looking at Li Qing Shan, he thought to himself: "This kid is really a genius at stirring trouble, throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel, he managed to put Zhuo Zhi Bo in a spot.¡±


    Zhuo Zhi Bo coldly said: "Lord Zhou sure came in at the right time!"


    Zhou Wen Bin laughed: "That is true, that is true!" Waving his sleeves, he seemingly floated to Qing Shan and asked despite knowing: ¡°Qing Shan, what may you be doing?¡±


    "She had some grievances. I wanted to take her to the county hall to meet you my lord, but I did not think there would be villains blocking the road. I thought to myself, since I am an Eagle Wolf Guard, I should be honourable, awe-inspiring and just. Purging evil, punishing these villains and serving the people should be my responsibility, so why should I be scared of these second rate thugs? Hence, I accidentally killed a few. My lord, please be the judge to this situation¡± Li Qing Shan then pulled Qing Xiu from behind him and passed the note in his hand to Zhou Wen Bin.


    Those idioms instantly triggered Zhuo Zhi Bo. His eyebrows twitched incessantly and he cursed and swore in his mind, wanting to do nothing but cut down Qing Shan.


    "This one originated from the town of Yu Er Gou. I was playing at a riverside seven years ago when I was kidnapped and brought here¡­¡± Qing Xiu bowed respectfully and her speech became more fluent, she had obviously been rehearsing this speech numerous times in her heart.


    Zhao Liang Qing said: "My lord, this is slander! We bought this girl for 20 silver, we even have a receipt as proof. She only wants to escape which is why she came up with such lies to deceive you.¡±


    Qing Xiu retorted: "No that¡¯s not true, I am not, you are the one lying¡­¡±


    Zhou Wen Bin raised his hand to quell the dispute, "This lord will certainly investigate this case thoroughly and will neither wrong an innocent man nor let a guilty man off.¡±


    Under his orders, 20 over men filed in orderly. Even though they were not Qi Practitioners, they were highly skilled at martial arts. Under Qing Xiu¡¯s supervision, they went off to rescue the other girls, but after a while of searching, they returned empty handed. Clearly, the girls had long been moved away.


    "My lord please oversee this matter!" Zhao Liang Qing then took a receipt from a lackey which clearly showed that Qing Xiu was bought for 20 silver by the pavilion.


    On the verge of tears, Qing Xiu cried out desperately, "My lord, I did not lie!"


    Zhou Wen Bin gently said: "Do not worry, I will send someone to your hometown to investigate." In his mind, he was clear that these kind places that sheltered filth and bred evil were definitely not clean. It was evident who was speaking the truth.

 Chapter 125

    Chapter 125February 4, 2018


    Over the years, Zhou Wen Bin invested over 2 million Silver in Jia Ping City, reducing the common taxes which then led to the bustling state of Jia Ping City today. As a county magistrate, he not only refused to take any bribes, but also raised the funds by himself and handled the state affairs so well that there was not even have a beggar in the streets of Jia Ping City.


    Because of this, he was welcomed with such a strong reception the moment he came to the Pavilion. Of course, he did so not just because of his education by the saints and his ambition to become a good official for the people, but also because he had greater considerations as a Qi Refining practitioner.


    However, under such governance, very few people would want to sell their daughters to this horrible establishment. For this brothel, there would thus be not enough fresh "supply". Therefore, the Pavilion would have to make do, even with unscrupulous means.


    The Pavilion relied on its relationship with Zhuo Zhi Bo, and the background of the Pavilion in and of itself. Usually, the Pavilion never gave this magistrate much consideration, only giving perfunctory greetings in festivals. Wen Bin did indeed fear the Pavilion somewhat, and was not really willing to cause trouble there, usually disregarding the extremely infamous Pavilion. However, now that there was a person taking on the role of the vanguard, he would be willing to take the opportunity to do something beneficial for himself by exerting some pressure on the Pavilion. Of course, he would only be pressing down on them slightly. To remove the Pavilion in one swoop would be impossible. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qing Shan knitted his eyebrows, long expecting the result deep down inside. If the Pavilion was so easy to destroy, they would not be able to remain in business till now. Even if he personally went down to the fishing village to check, it would be all for naught.


    All in all, every man counts, whether he saved a person or killed a thief, at least someone was saved or punished. He did not believe that he could eradicate the Pavilion in a single moment as well. For these evil organisations, even if they could not be removed in a moment, they should still be punished cruelly, and quite clearly the impact of the punishment was still not enough even now.


    Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s face showed a creepily smug smile: "Lord Zhou, since there is nothing, please judge Li Qing Shan for his murder of the innocent as well as get him to release Fu Rong.¡±


    The last sentence actually attracted a response from the whole Pavilion.


    Li Qing Shan said: "This is my Eagle Wolf Guard business. This should not be a matter that an outsider like you should interrupt in. Those few security guards were blocking my Guard from handling our cases. Their deaths do not deserve pity. That old hag also directly attacked me, many people here witnessed it. Big brother Zhuo personally taught me what I should do in these situations, and I simply followed his teachings. "


    Zhuo Zhi Bo squeezed out a sentence while baring his teeth: "Landlord Zhao, this is a trivial matter. You should leave it as it is." He has to endure, until he is able to identify the background of Li Qing Shan. One can only imagine, once he knows that Li Qing Shan and Gu Yan Ying have nothing between them, what kind of outburst will occur.


    How could Li Qing Shan waste this golden opportunity? Of course he has to prank him while he can, taking advantage of him as much as possible.


    Zhou Wen Bin then told Li Qingshan: "Firstly, release this woman!"


    Li Qing Shan replied: "My lord, we cannot release here. This is our evidence. Also, this lowly one has something to complain about, and wishes to sue the Pavilion!¡±


    Zhao Liang Qing had blue veins popping up on his forehead. Zhou Wenbin almost laughed out loud. You have already killed and caused chaos in the Pavilion and even the madam has been ridded off by you, yet you still have grievances you wish to use to sue the Pavilion!¡±


    Lightly coughing twice, he suppressed his smile: "You want to sue the Pavilion on what account?"


    Li Qing Shan lifted the hands of Fu Rong, "I sue the Pavilion for inferior counterfeit products, scamming prices, lying to the civilians and harming my feelings!¡±


    Zhao Liang Qing had to endure the urge to shout. Li Qing Shan palm emitted a gust of True Qi, causing Fu Rong to immediately faint Upon losing consciousness, she could no longer cast her seduction techniques. Even ordinary people could see her true face. Li Qing Shan then lifted her up high.


    "Everyone, please have a look, this is what the Queen Fu Rong looks like. Ask your own conscience and see if what I scolded just now was appropriate."


    Almost everyone spontaneously rubbed their eyes, and became dumbfounded. Their hopes and dreams crushed. Was this really Fu Rong? Who was the woman in their dreams? What was the point of going bankrupt just to see get a glimpse of her? They questioned their own conscience and found themselves to be really stupid.


    Many people immediately vomited. The gap in mental expectations was so strong that it was worse than eating a hundred flies. The dirty vomit flowed on the glamorous flooring of the Pavilion, as if this was its original appearance.


    Some people could not believe it, possibly due to being infected by the seductive poison for too long, falling to their knees, crying: "This is impossible. This is not Fu Rong, this must be a fake! This must all be a conspiracy!¡±


    Zhao Liang Qing was infuriated. He moved forward, exerting True Qi pressure causing the floor boards to crash. However, two more powerful atmospheres instantly locked onto him, one belonging to Zhuo Jibo, another belonging to Zhou Wenbin, two Qi Refining Practitioners.


    No matter the reason or the purpose, they cannot just watch Zhao Liang Qing take action on Li Qing Shan. The two of them are symbols of the rules and discipline of Jia Ping City. They were also representatives of the authority of the court. Such rules and authority must not be threatened or disregarded. Li Qing Shan seemed arrogant and domineering, but he was actually acting steadily and with reason.


    Li Qing Shan simply did not look at Zhao Liang Qing and only loudly said: "I spent a great price, just to see this clown in action. Wouldn¡¯t you say that I am suffering from great injustice?" Then, he readily threw Fu Rong to Zhao Liang Qing: " You do not need to beg from me. Even if you gave them to me, I would not want these goods!¡±


    After Fu Rong¡¯s transformation, the looks from the surroundings changed. She instinctively casted her seduction techniques, but after suffering from great mental impact, unless the crowd had very weak wills, they would not be so easily seduced.


    She cried hysterically: "What¡¯s wrong with all of you? Don¡¯t you all love me? I am Fu Rong!" She was seized by Zhao Liang Qing when he then ordered his subordinates: "Take her to her room.¡±


    Of course, with the passing of time, the memories of many would gradually diminish. Her seduction technique may regain the high ground, but who knows how long this would take. This mental technique works on more than just the practitioner itself. It also relies on the environment, requiring the influence of sound and smell, as well as the power of word of mouth. Once everyone thinks you are an absolute beauty, you would become an absolute beauty, resulting in a greater result with half the work done.


    Lee Qing Shan¡¯s move was equal to letting the flower Fu Rong as well as the Pavilion¡¯s years of delicate management become obliterated. It was no wonder that Zhao Liang Qing was so dismembered.


    Zhou Wen Bin smiled, stroking his long beard: "This matter concerns one¡¯s willingness to fight as well as one¡¯s willingness to endure. This official cannot judge this easily." If he should adhere to Li Qing Shan¡¯s words, then half the men in Jia Ping City would most likely begin to sue for their own respective grievances.


    And facing Chen Xiu, he said: "This miss, please go with me to court. There will be a result for your case tomorrow!" There was already a runner heading overnight to the fishing village to investigate. Although there may be no results, but there should at least be an attempt to find out the truth.


    Finally, he turned to Li Qing Shan and said: "You also have involvements with the case. You have to go to the county office tomorrow." There was obviously something he wanted to convey to Qing Shan, but in front of everyone, it was inconvenient to say.


    Li Qing Shan said: "This one should be able to attend."


    Chen Xiu bowed to thank him, but Li Qingshan said: "No need for thanks. I should be the one to say thank you." This caused Chen Xiu to widen her eyes in puzzlement, not knowing what he meant. However, to be able to get out of suffering was simply too great. Lord Zhou seemed to be as the rumours made him out to be, a great official. She was determined to reveal the dark dealings of the Pavilion, and rescue her fellow suffering sisters.


    Zhou Wen Bin took his guards with him as well as Chen Xiu. Zhuo Zhi Bo also took the crowd of Eagle Wolf Guards away. Li Qing Shan followed behind them eagerly, and did not forget to say: "Thank you Commander Zhuo for taking action for this subordinate!"


    The guests also dispersed. Many people distraught, or grieving, vowing never to return.


    But such is life, when some people are not happy, some people would be happy. In Jia Ping City, many of the complaining housewives were surprised to find that their own men actually came back, no longer indulging in the prostitution. They were actually grateful to Li Qing Shan for smashing the Pavilion¡¯s reputation. Men also found out that compared with Fu Rong, their own wives and concubines were actually first-class beauties. Thus, this incident resulted in much more harmonious couple relationships.


    Li Qingshan mood was not bad. On the contrary, Zhao Liang Qing looked at the deserted Pavilion and roared in his heart: "I will make sure you suffer a fate worse than death."


    Coincidentally, Li Qing Shan was thinking the same thing. If he could not eradicate this evil when meeting it, then their conflict would not end here. Even if you hate me, I also never forgot about you!


    However, he could not reveal his original demon form to kill this Zhao Liang Qing, who had just formed a great enmity with him. If he died on the next day, it would only arouse suspicion from others. He would still like to leave this ¡°valuable opportunity¡± to Zhuo Zhi Bo.


    Hidden cards can only display their greatest power when hidden in the dark. Until he could not help it, he did not want to easily employ these measures. For now, it was more important to strengthen himself. As of now, he could fight even a 4th Level Qi Practitioner, and he believed that if he broke through to the second level, then he could fight this battle under public eyes.


    Along the way, Zhuo Zhi Bo and the remaining guards were silent. their stares at Li Qing Shan becoming more and more antagonistic.


    Li Qing Shan was also happy that his ears could remain clean(basically he¡¯s saying that they talk nothing but bullshit). He returned back to the small building, and facing Little An, he said: "Thanks for your reminder. If not I might have fallen for their plot. How did you know I fell for the seduction?¡±


    Little An used his finger tips to write on Li Qing Shan¡¯s hands.


    Turns out that he relied on his pair of Fiery Eyes to see beyond the thin illusions and saw Fu Rong¡¯s true looks. For the Dao of the Beautiful Bones, its essence lied in breaking past all illusions and obstacles, to enable the heart to become like a Buddhist Bone Relic, to not be deceived by illusions. Disregarding that weak seduction technique, even the highest grade of illusions would not be able to evade his eyes.


    The Dao of Beautiful Bones is far beyond the power of the Pavilion, and is far above most of the Cultivation techniques in this world. The remaining few techniques cannot be considered alongside it, but can only be said to be not too far off.


    Li Qing Shan stayed in the storage for a whole afternoon, not just to see those secret martial arts techniques, but also for a rough understanding of the cultivation techniques of this world. These types of information books were commonly found on the first floor and did not require him to go to the second floor.


    For the prim and proper Qi Practitioners from large traditional families, these things can only be considered common sense. But for him, this was like opening a door to a whole new world. Every increase in understanding was enlightening for him.

 Chapter 126

    Chapter 126February 11, 2018


    |


    Edited by my lovely editor Namoyo


    First of all, cultivation techniques do not have grades as specific as that of spiritual talismans and items. However, its grading system is more easily defined than that of spiritual goods. The level of cultivation one can reach with this technique decides the grade of the technique.


    For example, even if Li Qing Shan practises the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Technique¡± to the 9th realm, he would only be a 3rd level Qi Refining warrior. This goes to show that the technique is not very sophisticated and can be considered as the weakest entry level cultivation technique. He would need to search for a new technique to cultivate if he wished to further progress.


    There are many more cultivation techniques that can help the cultivator reach the 9th Qi Refining stage, even to experience a Heavenly Tribulation to reach the legendary Foundation Establishment stage. As to whether there are stronger techniques out there, the book he read only ambiguously discussed about it. It only stated that there definitely would be, but was unable to list any of them out; clearly showing the author¡¯s lack of knowledge in this department.


    But it was true. "Face of the Undead" is one such technique. When the highest level was achieved, one could attain the status of Bodhisattva, as mentioned by the Green Bull to Qing Shan from the start.


    The so-called Bodhisattva, is to have the heart of Bodhicitta and to make the four great vows - vow to convert all sentient beings, vow to cut off all vexations, vow to learn all the Buddha¡¯s teachings and vow to attain Buddhahood. Finally proving worthy of the position of Bodhisattva


    This was the saying in the sutras, which Little An read about on the boat and wrote word by word on Li Qing Shan¡¯s palm. However, the Face of the Undead also had four different goals.


    Endless extermination of the living ; endless pain and trouble ; endless destruction of Buddhist beliefs and institutions ; endless severing of the Buddhist Dao promises.


    Although he was expressionless( obviously *SKULL JOKE YOHOHOHOHO* ), Qing Shan could clearly feel his extreme seriousness when Little An wrote these two opposing desires onto his palm.


    Needless to say, these two opposing wishes were things that Li Qing Shan did not quite understand. Obviously, he would not admit that he was an illiterate, but he felt that that that Buddhist Practitioner must have experienced a great provocation to have had such a huge change in mentality.


    After thinking about it, Li Qing Shan obtained his own direct ¡°understanding¡±, that the guy was probably quite awesome. As to how awesome he was, he did not know. This world most probably had no one that understood how awesome he was. S~?a??h the N?v?l(F)ire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Even here, where there existed plenty of practitioners that could shift the mountains and calm the seas, the Bodhisattva still quietly sits on top of his Lotus Seat, looking at life with either a kind or distant gaze.


    Practitioners only dare to call themselves practitioners and not immortals or buddhas. That is not something that exists in the world, perhaps only when reaching above the Nine Heavens that the Green Bull mentioned would one be able to see them. As to Li Qing Shan¡¯s thoughts on them, they were stronger practitioners, and one could not even fathom their power.


    Thus, the conclusion was simple. A godly technique that could allow one to cultivate till they became a Bodhisattva did not need a grade to be termed with. If this news were leaked, then it would not be as simple as exterminating demons, but would incite a chaotic battle to ensue in the Nine Provinces.


    Little An, by practising the "Face of the Undead", could be said to have an overwhelming absolute superiority over other practitioners of the same cultivation level. However, Little An only just started to cultivate over these past few months and could only be considered to be a beginner who has not even reached the first level yet. As his cultivation grows, this superiority would grow stronger and reveal Little An¡¯s true power.


    These were all but thoughts running through Li Qing Shan¡¯s mind. At these moments, Little An would just quietly stare at the side of his face and feel satisfied. He did not think so deeply. He just wanted to stay by his side, that¡¯s all. Looking to grow a body of flesh and blood was only so that he could publicly stay by his side. Becoming stronger was only to become his aide, rather than a burden.


    With his genius intellect, he was able to understand more of the Face of the Undead, and feel the terror within. What great despair must a great Buddhist Practitioner must have felt, for him to create such a technique. For him to so unreluctantly throw himself into the depths of hell, to construct a Lotus Seat out of skeletons, feasting on flesh and blood. To feel happiness from despair, and as such creating his own Elysium.


    For his purpose, even if Little An had to kill the masses, bring upon material troubles for himself, destroy temples and ruin the way of the Buddha, he would not find it troublesome.


    Li Qing Shan took out a colourful Treasure Pouch and laughed: "See what¡¯s this?"


    The treasure pouch was from the Madam¡¯s body. How could he forget to loot the corpse once he killed her? Conducting heroic duties and stealing from the rich to gift the poor are intricately linked. As such, he robbed the Madam of her wealth to remunerate his poor self. Unfortunately, that Fu Rong did not carry a Treasure Pouch, if not he would have another in his hands. But as a person, one should never be too greedy.


    "How? I did what I promised, right!"


    The blood flames in Little An¡¯s eyes flickered cheerfully.


    Li Qing Shan said: "Let¡¯s take a look at our harvest this time." Inserting his spiritual Qi into the Treasure Pouch, a whole new space was opened before his very eyes, the size of which was comparable to his body.


    There were many things inside, but the things like make-up, handkerchiefs and other miscellaneous items were thrown away by him. What he wanted to see were only pills, spiritual talismans, cultivation techniques and anything else related to cultivation.


    However, there were no spiritual items in the Treasure Pouch. It seemed that the madam did not participate in any battles after handling social escorts for so many years and hence did not have any prepared.


    There were a few bottles of pills, but two of them were aphrodisiac in nature, named ¡°Spring Inducing Pills¡±. After Li Qing Shan took a whiff, he felt that there was a fire going up within his abdomen region. He was unaware of the ingredients used to concoct such pills, which were surprisingly able to have such a strong effect even against Qi practitioners.


    The other two bottles were of the opposite nature, named ¡°Calming Heart Pills¡±. With a gentle whiff, his thoughts became clearer but the fire in his abdomen did not subside. It was truly a weird situation where he was aroused like wildfire, yet had a heart still as water.


    As for cultivation techniques, there was a book called ¡°Little Techniques¡±. Li Qing Shan browsed through it once and discovered that it would allow one¡¯s cultivation to reach the 6th level of Qi Refining to activate his Qi Sea upon fully practising the technique. In comparison to the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Technique¡±, it was much stronger. Unfortunately, the book detailed a technique that requires a partner and for one to cultivate in the midst of sexual pleasure, treating the partner as a ¡°cultivation furnace¡±. The ¡°Spring Inducing Pills¡± and the ¡°Calming Heart Pills¡± were meant to be used during such cultivation. By letting the ¡°cultivation furnace¡± consume the ¡°Spring Inducing Pills¡±, one could wantonly extract the Ying Yang Qi from it. By consuming the ¡°Calming Heart Pill¡± one could manage and soothe the balance of Ying Yang to cultivate this ¡°Little Techniques¡±.


    It was no wonder that the Pavilion was opened so publicly. This was the only way they could publicly search for ¡°cultivation furnaces¡±. Earning money was merely a secondary task for them. Refining Qi was their main job. If not, simply abducting women for prostitution would have gotten them exterminated by the Eagle Wolf Guard long ago.


    With such a troublesome cultivation process, Li Qing Shan would obviously not practise it. Although the ¡°Xian Tian Refining Qi Technique¡± was lower in grade, but it was simple to cultivate and was the ideal technique to build up one¡¯s foundations. Unless one was a miraculously gifted talent, one¡¯s foundation usually started off with this technique.


    Putting all these aside, Qing Shan finally found two bottles of Condensing Qi Pills. It seemed that no matter what sect one belonged to, these fundamental pills were things one could not lack. Although her possession was merely that of ten over pills, it was enough to be satisfied with. Thus, the number of Qi Condensing Pills Qing Shan possessed reached over seventy over pills. A small fortune, one could consider him to have.


    Other things that Li Qing Shan paid more attention to included a stack of accounting books. He looked through them but his mind fogged up and he decided to hand them over to Zhou Wen Bin the next day.


    Lastly, there was money, lots and lots of money. Li Qing Shan had never seen so much money in his life. In total, it was worth several hundred thousand silver pieces. Although each note was worth a thousand, there were thick stacks all over the place. Even though the Pavilion earned money as a side objective, once they started earning, they were as ruthless as robbers. And since there was no place safer than that of one¡¯s Treasure Pouch, Li Qing Shan heavily benefited from this.


    If it were the old Qing Shan that acquired so much money, he would be ecstatic to the point of going crazy. How much meat could he buy? How much Ginseng could he acquire? Now, he was dressed prim and properly, feasted on the best, and had more than enough pills to require Ginsengs. There was no place for him to spend money anymore.


    However, if he really wanted to cultivate the ¡°Little Techniques¡±, the several hundred thousand worth of silver would be enough to purchase a few girls. He entertained these dirty thoughts in his head for a while before keeping the silver and Qi Condensing Pills into his Treasure Pouch.


    Passing that colourful Treasure Pouch to Little An, he said: ¡° As promised, this is yours.¡±


    Little An then put the wooden plate into the new Treasure Pouch, and returned the old Treasure Pouch to Li Qing Shan. Overjoyed, Little An played with the things inside happily. He seemed more like a child than ever.


    As Li Qing Shan looked at him, he smiled slightly and felt his bundled up nerves slowly easing up. He slowly started to feel a sense of peace that he could only get from being home. No matter what, he was not alone.


    A Qi Condensing Pill was thrown into the air and dropped into Li Qing Shan¡¯s mouth as he once again started to meditate.


    At this moment, Zhuo Zhi Bo was fuming. ¡°Li Qing Shan! How dare you play around with this old man.¡± Ge Jian and Qian Rong Zheng, both as silent as cicadas in winter, did not dare to respond.


    ¡°Commander, should we go all the way?¡± An Eagle Wolf Guard made a ¡°kill¡± gesture and the surrounding guards all revealed cruel expressions. They were all Zhuo Zhi Bo¡¯s trusted men, and times like this call for them to help their master and lessen his burden. In their opinion, no matter how powerful Li Qing Shan is with his Body Refining Technique, if he got surrounded by five 3rd and 4th Level Qi Refining Practitioners, there would be no way for him to survive.


    "If I could kill him, I would personally kill him long ago!" replied Zhuo Zhi Bo as he forcefully suppressed his rage. ¡° I¡¯ve already asked the people in the Clear River Magistrate to investigate. It will not take long before something comes out. Only after then shall we discuss about this again. Now, all of you are not to get in touch with him. Ge Jian, you are not to see him anymore. I will send others instead. Rong Zheng, like him, you are new guard member. You guys spend substantial time together. You need to find out whether his background is authentic or not.¡±


    Ge Jian sighed in relief. Qian Rong Zheng however slightly paled. She was venomous in means and thoughts but she was thoroughly shocked by the cruel and decisive means of Li Qing Shan.


    Ge Jian also worriedly mentioned: "If you really want to take action, Zhou Wen Bin seems to value this kid. The vice leader too..."


    Zhuo Zhi Bo replied: "If I really wanted to take action, this Jia Ping City has no one that can protect him."


    Li Qing Shan did not know of these hidden conspiracies. Even if he did know he would not mind. He was eating Qi Condensing Pills like candy and increasing his strength. Once his fist was strong enough, he would first get rid of that asshole Zhao Liang Qing and then Zhuo Zhi Bo.


    In a short 2 hours, he had already consumed 3 Qi Condensing Pills, which dissolved to form True Qi and Demonic Qi. Although he could rely on the ¡°Spiritual Turtle Calms the Seas Scripture¡± to ensure that his mental state never tires, his digestion of the Condensing Qi Pills was not much more superior to that of his peer Refining Qi Practitioners.


    T/L note: Yo guys, end of the chapter already. I would like to know how you like the site so far and what else you guys would like on this site and how to improve the site to make it better. So please do comment down below or drop me an email to tell me what you think I should change to make your novel reading experience better! Also, my editor and I decided on changing Little An¡¯s cultivation technique from Dao of Beautiful Bones to Face of the Undead. This is because we felt the current name would be more suited for it. This technique is after all a technique meant for slaughter and extermination, not one of seduction. It also fits the translation better in this context. Chinese phrases generally have multiple meanings to them so it¡¯s less of a right/wrong scenario and more of a bias towards which in whatever circumstances. Hope you lot take up to it well!

 Chapter 127

    Chapter 127February 19, 2018


    As the Qi Condensation pill entered his body, half of its medicinal power was directly converted into Demonic Qi by his Demon Core. The remaining half of it was then processed by the Purification Ring. What was finally left behind for him was not even a tenth of its prowess. This was equivalent to him consuming 10 pills just to match others eating one pill and was why he could consume so many pills so rapidly.


    If regular Qi Condensation Practitioners were willing to, they could also consume one pill every 3 days, even eating up to one a day. However, the medicinal powers inside would be greatly wasted and be unable to be converted to True Qi in the body, which would eventually harm the body if left within it for a long period of time.


    Li Qing Shan was not being wasteful, and neither was he afraid of there being any harm. He suddenly thought to himself, was he being too selfish with his Demon Core?


    In the beginning, Refining Qi was too difficult, thus he had to suppress his Demon Core to allow his Qi refinement to speed up. However, now that there were so many Qi Condensing Pills, he could consider changing his mindset on cultivation.


    His foundation ultimately relied on his Demonic path, and were based heavily on the 3 types of abilities. After knowing that the ¡°Nine Oxen and Two Tiger Strength¡± was not the real technique that the Green Bull was planning on teaching him, he automatically distinguished his prowess in the ¡°Great Ox Demon Fist¡± and ¡°Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist¡± for his cultivation.


    This was the path that the Green Bull laid out for him, one that would lead beyond the Nine Heavens. If he fully focussed all his heart on Qi Refining matters, wouldn¡¯t he be giving up on his long term goals for short term gains? His reason for returning to the civilisation was after all to acquire resources that could not be found in the wild.


    Now, with the resource in his hands, which was the Condensing Qi Pills, it was time to return back to his original track of thought.


    Once he clarified his thoughts on this matter, his heart trembled and he immediately grabbed Little An and left during the night. In the midst of the trees, he flew like the birds as he exited the radius of the Eagle Wolf Guard area. He came to the other side of the mountain peak, which was unseen by Jia Ping City and had cliffs a hundred Zhang in height. All that could be seen below was the rumbling churning clear river waters.


    When he first came to Jia Ping City, he saw that this cliff blocked the river flow. The currents in here were turbulent and over the span of a long time, it dug out a deep cave underneath the cave which was suitable for training.


    Li Qing Shan jumped off the cliff and entered the clear river water, causing splashes of several Zhang in height. The surrounding black water swallowed his body, while a small ripple appeared beside him as Little An jumped down beside him.


    He swam in the water for a while before finally finding a water cave in extreme depths of the river. Pitch dark and akin to a large beast opening its mouth, the cave did not scare him, instead, it surprised him greatly, causing him to dive down deeper to the very depths of the cave.


    He took a deep breath, released his Demonic energy and revealed his original appearance.


    Crimson red eyes, skin as dark as steel, fangs as sharp as knives were all displaying their characteristics in the depths of the water.


    In a sense, this was the real Li Qing Shan.


    With his two Zhang(3.3 metres equivalent) and two feet tall body, the river water was forcibly split but yet did not stir any subcurrents. The water flowed around the sides of his body and had a sticky texture to it. The depths of the water made it great for hiding and concealing Demonic Qi. He was merely controlling the surrounding currents, working on enhancing this effect as much as he could.


    Little An then took up a silent posture at a side, ensuring that Li Qing Shan would be able to cultivate in greater safety.


    Although the Demonic Qi was overwhelmingly advantageous, but that strand of pure and extreme True Qi was akin to a stream in the midst of the surging Yellow River. Although weak and small, it would never cease, and neither would it be consumed and converted by the Demonic Qi.


    Li Qing Shan waved his hand, causing the water to split to two sides. He then conjured up all the Qi Condensation Pills he had and after a thought, left behind 10 pills for his daily cultivation.


    Then he grabbed the remaining 60 over pills and threw them all inside his big mouth which he swallowed.


    Not cultivating the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Technique¡±, but the ¡°Great Ox Demon Fist¡±. S?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Under the deep dark water, his crimson hair Coreced, stomping his hooves, rearing his horns, flexing his skin. Each and every one of his actions were clearly practises that he was familiar with. This was the Technique that started off his cultivation path, and everything was clearly extremely familiar to him.


    As the Qi Condensation Pills entered his body, they were like tens of mines exploding in the water. The surging Demonic Qi that was akin to the Yellow River began to circulate at over ten times its original aped, screaming and shouting as if it were going to rip his body to shreds.


    Although Qi Condensation Pills were the most peaceful and suitable pills for cultivation, consuming so many at once would be destructive for most ordinary Qi Refining Practitioners. However, at this moment, he was not a Qi Refining Practitioner, but a demon, a demon with a Demonic Core.


    ¡°SUPPRESS!¡± Li Qing Shan shouted in a low voice, akin to an explosion in the bottom of the water body.


    With the Demonic Core¡¯s suppression, there was a vague holographic image of a Spiritual Turtle that appeared around the Core. It raised its head and let out a noiseless roar as its 4 pillar-like limbs stepped on the rampaging Demonic Qi.


    The Demonic Qi that almost lost control instantaneously calmed down and the demonic Qi became much easier to control. At Li Qing Shan¡¯s guidance, the flow of Demonic Qi was integrated to every part of his body.


    With the medicinal powers being converted by the ¡°Spiritual Turtle Suppresses the Seas Scripture¡± into Demonic Qi, which was in turn being converted to much stronger power by the ¡°Great Ox Demon Fist¡±. His heart was in a state of joy. Yes. This was where he foundations truly lay at.


    He did not stop his movements as his body made noises akin to the sounds of steel bars being ripped apart. His steel like muscles were as if they were being blown up with air, expanding and intersecting while sounding off a series of ¡°peng peng¡± noises.


    His body grew bigger bit by bit!


    Two Zhang three feet! Two Zhang four feet! Two Zhang five feet!


    In a moment, his size expanded by three feet, a strong force grew in his body. As he swung his fist casually, the water was compressed and seemed like a cannonball as it blasted out a hole in the muddy flooring at the bottom of the water.


    Although he was not able to cultivate to the second level of the ¡°Great Ox Demon Fist¡±, but his strength had a visible increase. Obviously, the ¡°Great Ox Demon Fist¡± lived up to its name, where the two Oxen worth of strength was not that of normal Oxen, but rather the strength of two Demon Oxen.


    As his body changed, his heart slowly changed, losing some of the cautiousness of his humanity while gaining the rampaging confidence of a demon.


    With such strength, who could kill him! Even if he met Zhuo Zhi Bo, he could win him in a match, let alone a Zhao Liang Qing. Why not take advantage of the night to return to the pavilion to kill him and grab more medicinal pills to cultivate with!


    Li Qing Shan then circulated the ¡°Spiritual Turtle Suppresses the Seas Scripture¡± before turning back to his human form, regaining composure after his rampage. However, the thought lingered on in his head as he seriously considered the pros and cons from his actions.


    His greatest concern was being exposed for being a demon. However, he was also aware of the difference between the 6th Level of Qi Refining and the 5th Level of Qi Refining. As for his demonic form, it was at least equal to that of a 6th Level Qi Refiner or even 7th Level Qi Refiner in terms of strength. As long as he grasped the opportunity, he could even possibly kill him in a single blow without getting anyone¡¯s attention.


    AS long as he cleaned up well, it could even let others think that this person fled to escape. Although he might be suspected at the end of matters but his surface level strength was clearly that of a 1st Level Qi Refiner. Who could imagine him killing a 5th Level Qi Refiner?


    The more he thought about it, the more he thought it was worth a bet. If he had such secret cards that he never used, it would be such a waste. Also, if those that saw his secrets died, then his secret cards would remain secret cards!


    Li Qing Shan revealed to Little An of his plans, to which Little An would naturally not reject. Afterwards, the two of them began to discuss in the depths of the water how they would assassinate a 5th Level Qi Refining Practitioner, Zhao Liang Qing.


    This was both to remove an enemy as well as to obtain more resources, such that Qing Shan could cultivate the ¡°Great Demon Ox Fist¡± to the second level earlier.


    Li Qing Shan swam out of the cave and followed the clear river water downwards to go to Jia Ping City. From an empty corner, he sneaked up ashore, without a single drop of water on him as he sneaked into the dark alleys quickly.


    Sneaking though the the maze-like alleys, the 7 floor tall building gave him the most obvious navigation reference point.


    The moonlight that night was bright, and he walked amongst the shadows and darkness, concealing all of his presence, whether it was his Demonic Qi or his True Qi. He was like a tiger walking in the forest, letting out no sound under his feet.


    When he walked pass a fellow pedestrian, that man did not even notice his existence. He only felt a gust of wind by his side and in this humid summer night, it brought a close shiver to his bones. The man sneezed, unable to distinguish that it was the smell of murderous intent.


    Li Qing Shan stood at the alley behind the pavilion. Outside the two Zhang tall wall was the pavilions rear courtyard, where the guards were patrolling the vicinity. Unlike a brothel, the place seemed more like a castle.


    This naturally did not stop Li Qing Shan. The so-called martial artists were no longer within his sights as he flipped over the high wall and hid in a dense garden within the courtyard. Raising his head slightly, his nose slowly sucked in a large volume of air, collecting various information from the smells in the air.


    He did not have a clear memory of Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s smell, but as for the scent of Fu Rong, he had a very clear impression. That was a special sort of seductive incense.


    In order to strengthen his sense of smell, he released a strand of Demonic Qi. As the black colour covered his entire body, his hair grew crimson and his forehead grew two horns. His body increased in size and became a black iron tower like muscle man.


    However, before waiting for even greater changes, he found who he wanted. Not eager to revert back to his human form, he headed to the pavilion. Tonight¡¯s bad business in the pavilion brought him loads of benefits. (He chased them all away and now he¡¯s going for the big boss. Talk about bad customers)


    However, he quickly realised that the scent of Fu Rong did not come from above but rather below. He went down the basement to discover hundreds of vats of wine, but no sight of Fu Rong. Her smell indicated she was even further below. The pavilion hid a deeper court underneath this basement, which explained why the kidnapped girls were not found when the investigation took place earlier that day.


    At last, it was under Little An¡¯s keen inspection that they found a vat of wine stuck to the floor which was the mechanism to open the door. However, Qing Shan was aware that this was not a matter of being detailed and focussed but rather having a strong understanding of the infrastructure which allowed him to grasp the critical points in the building.


    Turning the vats, the wall revealed a door to a passage. As the two entered, the wall closed behind them. In front of them lied an eerie staircase that led downwards which Qing Shan walked down unhesitatingly.


    Moaning noises overlapped as two bodies vigorously collided. Zhao Liang Qing angrily exclaimed : ¡°I must kill him!¡± Fu Rong could only randomly and confusedly respond.


    The two of them were not using the Heart Suppressing Pill to dual cultivate but rather were using this primitive method to vent the anger in their hearts.


    Zhao Liang Qing released a large gush, before looking away from Fu Rong in disgust. If not for the need to cultivate daily, he would never be willing to engage in such ¡°happy times¡± with this woman. He ordered: ¡°Bring over those girls!¡±


    T/n: Apologies for the late release! But there will be a fight scene coming up next chapter soon! Hope you all look forward to it! Happy dog year ahead everyone!

 Chapter 128

    Chapter 128February 19, 2018


    Here''s the Red Packet for all my readers! Wishing you all a great year ahead! Happy Chinese New Year!!!


    Fu Rong asked in shock : "You wish to¡­?¡±


    Zhao Liang Qing said: "I want to use them. From today on, these people will no longer appear."


    Use! What an extremely cold way to describe his treatment of them. As if he were treating them like objects. Yet, the reality was even more cruel, for he did not only treat them as objects but also as consumables. S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t the sect rules disapprove of such craft?¡± Fu Rong¡¯s body trembled. She knew that what he wanted to use was one of the sect¡¯s most cruel techniques where he would suck the young girls dry of their origin Ying Qi. This was akin to killing the chicken to acquiring the eggs, which was inadvertently the way of the demons. Thus, it was forbidden by the sect and if one was discovered to be doing so, then they would be the enemy of all below the heavens and be left with nothing a road to extermination.


    Dual cultivation sects. Ever since ancient times, they were always a prim and proper branch of the Daoist Family. The ¡°Little Tactics¡± was not some evil cultivation technique as well. However, to cultivate such a path, one needed to have greater determination than when cultivating that of other techniques. Or else, one might end up being consumed by their lust and sink to the path of the demons, which would lead to their cultivation becoming that of a demon¡¯s.


    Zhao Liang Qing said: "Without this approach, how would I quickly breakthrough? If you don¡¯t reveal it and neither do I, who would know? Do you not hate that kid? Wait for me to clear my meridian paths and break through to the 6th Level of Qi Refining, then I can completely manipulate my equipment and kill him with a flying sword! This can be considered as taking revenge for you!¡±


    Upon mentioning Li Qing Shan, Fu Rong steeled her heart and walked out the door without any clothes. Zhao Liang Qing remained lying on the bed and closed his eyes in an attempt to rest his spirits.


    Fu Rong only just walked out the door when a big hand with sharp claws strangled her neck, letting out a crisp noise, before she fell to the ground. The Refining Corpse Blood Fire then crept up quietly and took only an instant to completely engulf her, leaving nothing but a skeleton behind.


    Fu Rong¡¯s presence instantly vanished!


    Zhao Liang Qing opened his eyes and shouted out: ¡°Who¡¯s there!?¡± His voice then echoed in the court.


    Zhao Liang Qing became extremely vigilant, but then saw Li Qing Shan push the door to enter, a smirk on his young face. ¡°It was me!¡± He had already recovered his human form and his aura was that of a 1st Level Qi Refining Practitioner, exactly the same as it was before when he caused such a commotion in the pavilion earlier that day.


    When enemies met, their eyes easily reddened. Zhao Liang Qing glared red-eyed at Li Qing Shan and shouted: ¡°You killed her?¡±


    "Yes, I killed her. Apologies for ruining your good business, I¡¯ll make a move first.¡± Li Qing Shan replied as he suddenly exited the room.


    "You still wish to escape?!" Zhao Liang Qing bounced from the bed and pounced towards the door. He even refused to take the his treasure pouch at his side. His hatred for Li Qing Shan was now at an extreme and he wanted to eradicate him as soon as possible. A mere 1st Level Qi Refining Practitioner would never be a match for him. Even bare-handed, he could easily kill Qing Shan.


    It truly was the situation where one saw the path to heaven yet ignored it and rushed into hell even when one could not distinguish a gate for it.


    Zhao Liang Qing just rushed out the door when he suddenly turned his head to see a skeleton constructed of bloodied flames rush to bite him from his left side. There was no sense of heat, yet he instinctively felt that the blood flames were terrifying.


    Recklessly releasing his True Qi, a strong gust of wind stirred in the dark corridors. Zhao Liang Qing then raised his right fist and condensed a hand seal of True Qi, crushing the blood flame skeleton with a single strike. As he was about to continue his assault on his assailant, he suddenly stood still, as if he were nailed in place.


    A murderous killing Demonic Qi, ten times more terrifying than the Skeleton, surged out like great waves from behind him. He felt that if he moved even a little, he would be swallowed and ripped to shreds by the beast behind him. He leaked out cold sweat from his back at the very thought.


    What could be behind him?


    He was gripped by a tremendous fear he had never felt before, but he growled in his heart. He felt so grieved. He was a Qi Refining Expert, with a jaded future. As long as he broke through the 6th Level of Qi Refining, the pavilion would have a great position waiting for him. He regretted. He regretted over why he did not slow down even a little, to pick up his treasure pouch, resulting in him having to face this horror with nothing but his naked body.


    He slowly turned around and finally came face to face with the true face of the horror.


    As if cast out of iron, that huge body was barely able to fit in the narrow corridor. It could only squat in the darkness. Yet, it was darker than dark, with crimson hair flowing behind it, as if it were a burning flame. However, it was also like a flowing blood river. A pair of bronze bell like crimson eyes stunned him, causing him to be unable to move.


    He was dead!


    This idea, for the very first time in his life, was ever so clearly imprinted into Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s mind. However, his thirst to live encouraged his rebellious will as he turned around in the fastest speed he ever could in his life and used every strand of True Qi to strike this horrifying monster.


    He did not really want to fight the monster to the death. Instead, he intended on using his True Qi strike to create a rebounding force for himself to escape to the other end of the tunnel. Although the skeleton was creepy, he still believed that he could manage it. As for the monster ahead of him, with its enormous size, it would not be able to move easily in the tunnel which would allow him to escape from the hidden door in the tunnel and get away.


    There was still an opportunity! There was still hope!


    Zhao Liang Qing''s movements suddenly stopped, before he began to spit out blood and pieces of his internal organs. He looked down unbelievably. A huge claw had grabbed him and had done so in a speed that he could not react against, before raising him above ¡°his¡± eye-level.


    It was like a cat who had just learned to hunt which was studying the first rat he had caught.


    The pain almost completely halted his thought processes. How could he meet such an incident? Wasn¡¯t he merely chasing a 1st Level Qi Refining Practitioner? How did he meet such a monster?


    As he thought further, he coughed out in difficulty: "You, you are ... ... Li Qing Shan?"


    "It is I!" The voice was like metal whirring around or akin to the flow of lava under the volcano before it erupted. He announced the truth with a low voice, the truth that Zhao Liang Qing found difficult to believe.


    Li Qing Shan was really surprised. Because he was too weak! Zhao Liang Qing was simply too weak! The strong sense of suppression he felt coming from Zhao Liang Qing when he was in his human form disappeared. Now, with just a little bit more force, he could squish this 5th Level Qi Refining Practitioner like a bug.


    It seems that I have always not had much confidence in myself? Li Qing Shan mused in his thoughts.


    "Please¡­Forgive me!" Zhao Liang Qing said in difficulty as more blood flowed out from his mouth.


    "Dream on!" Li Qing Shan used a bit more strength in his arms, and with a ¡°peng¡± noise, a blood mist exploded in his palms and meat was squished into paste.


    The Refining Corpse Blood Fire rushed up, converting every drop of blood into a part of it, perfectly cleaning up the crime scene that Li Qing Shan created.


    Li Qing Shan reverted to his human form, stood up to stretch his muscles and said: "And to think that I took you to be such a big deal originally. Looks like you weren¡¯t much in the end."


    Little An then pointed out his finger and the crushed bones scattered across the floor suddenly trembled before flying back into his Treasure Pouch, finishing up the crime scene clean up.


    As if he were walking into his own home, Li Qing Shan ambled into the centre of the luxurious bedroom, or rather, ¡°cultivation¡± room. He stuffed two Treasure Pouches from the head of the bed into his arms and then studied the ten over large erotic portraits before making an evaluation: ¡°The drawing really sucks!¡±


    Little An kept Zhao Liang Qing and Fu Rong¡¯s clothes and deliberated for a while before deciding to not keep the bedsheets. Being detailed enough to remove many small pieces of evidence to make the scene look more like the two of them escaped secretly rather than being killed.


    These matters were not things that Li Qing Shan could do and after confirming that there was nothing else to appreciate in the area, he asked: "Is it alright now?"


    Little An nodded and the two of them returned from the route they came by.


    As he was going back up the mountains, as it passed 2am, Li Qing Shan used the moonlight to examine the loot he acquired in this adventure.


    One hundred and twenty thousand pieces of silver, as well as a pile of gold and silver items which were Fu Rong¡¯s years of collection as well as Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s earnings from his many years in managing the pavilion.


    A few spiritual talismans, none of which were trash grade and were at least of bottom grade. There were even two pieces of mid-grade talismans.


    There was also over 50 Qi Condensation Pills which instantly replenished the amount that Li Qing Shan consumed.


    A few pebbles which contained pure Spiritual Qi were present as well, which were most likely the legendary Spiritual Stones.


    However, this was not the biggest gain this trip. The biggest gain was from Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s Treasure Pouch, from which he found a crystal sword, which was about a foot long, had no hilt, was crystal clear, and had light circulating inside it. It was clearly gold, yet it had the properties of jade.


    Li Qing Shan held the small sword in his palm and looked at it in detail, feeling that it was very light. However, there was a strong Spiritual Qi flowing inside it, which was greater than that of his Wind Severing Knife, and it was clearly a mid-grade Spiritual Weapon.


    But if it did not have a hilt, how could it be used? Li Qing Shan then remembered that Flying Dragon Elder and thought back to Wang Pu Shi¡¯s black metal ruler. Could it be that this sword was meant to be manipulated? Without a clear idea, he could only first keep it.


    Li Qing Shan felt greatly satisfied in his heart. It seemed that it was always the those taking the path of evil that could earn money quickly. Civilisation was truly a great place. If he stayed in the jungle, where would he get all these pills to eat? His cultivation speed would definitely be much slower.


    Although demonic cultivation was slow and generally took hundreds of years, he believed that at his current pace, he could greatly reduce the amount of time it took.


    Tonight¡¯s battle gave him a lot more confidence. Regardless of the fact that Zhuo Zhi Bo was a 6th Level Qi Refining Practitioner and opened up his own Ocean Qi, Qing Shan believed that he was able to stand his ground against him.


    "Zhuo Zhi Bo ah Zhuo Zhi Bo, I wonder what good things your Treasure Pouch will contain?" Li Qing Shan licked his lips, as he smiled maliciously.


    It truly fitted the saying, just as man has the heart to harm the tiger, the tiger also has the will to harm man. (Basically, one who plots against another would get plotted against as well)


    ...


    A long time ago, a teenager stepped out of the mountains. An eagle soared in the sky, a wolf rushed in front of them. They were the pets and companions of the youth ever since he was young, helping him catch prey and disperse his loneliness while helping him bide some of the toughest times in his life.


    When the youth decided to take up the will of heaven, he took up his treasured sword, while the eagle and wolf transformed into demons as they followed him to battle throughout the Nine Provinces, aiding him in defeating countless strong foes and overcoming many calamities.


    Only until the youth swept across all of the land and set the Cauldrons upon the Nine Provinces, was he called the True Dragon Heavenly Child. The number of officials under him rivalled that of raindrops in the rain. His ferocious generals were as many as the clouds. His rear palace(Harem equivalent) numbered three thousand and he owned everything under the heavens.


    But no one, none of his own kind, could possess greater trust from him than what he had in his two most loyal friends, and he made them kings and gave them authority over hundreds of millions of people. Until the dragon returned to the heavens, he ordered them to protect the empire.


    This was the origin of the Eagle Wolf Guard.


    And yes, this dynasty, was named the Great Xia Dynasty.

 Chapter 129

    Chapter 129February 25, 2018


    When the dawn of the next day came, layers of mist floated around the mountains. Upon opening the window, one could see that the city of Jia Ping was submerged in a sea of fog. There were only a few tall buildings like the pavilion, which were akin to islands in the sea, floating and sinking in this sea of fog itself.


    No one really realized what happened last night, besides Li Qing Shan. He looked down on his own right hand. It was a thick hand full of calluses. The mark from many years of hard work did not simply disappear as he cultivated. It was this very hand that crushed his opponent last night. That feeling of causing him to explode still very clearly remained on his palm, engraved into his memory.


    If it was an an ordinary person, one would probably lament his/her hands being stained with blood, and be sad for a period of time. However, Qing Shan felt fantastic and relieved. It was not that his demonic nature had influenced him to cause his heart to become cruel and emotionless. He could still cry for Little An, as well as wail for Xuan Yue(The cat demon with nine-lives). As for trash like Zhao Liang Qing, he did not even deserve a sigh.


    You can choose not to accept the dark side of your heart and pretend that you are still an ordinary human. Or you could calmly accept it, so that you could continue searching for these pieces of trash and enjoy the feeling of crushing them.


    Between the two, Li Qing Shan did not hesitate to choose the latter. Using the words that he said in the beginning, why the need to suppress your own interests? There are definitely a lot of people that deserved to be killed in this world.


    The first day of joining the Eagle Wolves Guard, until now, was to give the newbies rest and time to familiarise themselves with their new environment. From today onwards would be the real training for the Eagle Wolf Guard under the leadership of a senior.


    Originally, this person would be Ge Jian, but the one who came was the one who used Li Qing Shan as a bet, ¡°Rosacea¡± (Rosacea is a skin condition, the author chooses to use this guy¡¯s condition to nickname him.). He patted the shoulder of Li Qing Shan and laughed: "Boy, last night, you were really amazing, even I do not dare to bully others like such. "


    Just by this sentence, Li Qing Shan knew that he probably was not Zhuo ZhI Bo¡¯s trusted confidantes. Even if Qing Shan wanted to start gathering confidantes, he would not accept such an improper person.


    Diao Fei and Qian Rongzhi sat beside Li Qing Shan, each having their own thoughts, without saying a word.


    "Rosacea" cleared his throat and began the first lesson of Eagle Wolf Guard: The history of the Eagle Wolf Guard.


    Li Qing Shan gathered his attention and listened, for the first time, he knew exactly where he was and was shocked by the magnificent stories in the midst of the rich history. He murmured: "The Great Xia Dynasty?"


    What would a dynasty established by a practitioner be like? Even more surprising, one of the most powerful groups under the rule of the human dynasty was actually commanded by a member of the demon race. This was simply unbelievable!


    However, he could understand the feelings of the emperor. His wives would fight for his affection, and his children would fight for the throne. Even loyal officers would clash with him for the sake of their own ideologies and beliefs. The hearts of people were too complicated. Only their(the demons) loyalty was eternal and unchanging.


    Although he refused to admit that Little An was his pet, Li Qing Shan found it hard to find other more appropriate titles for him. He trusted him so much because of his pure mind and his unreserved reliance on himself.


    "Rosacea" was like the most prominent storyteller, with his spittle flying all over the air, as he recounted that period of history magnificently. But as he spoke to this point, he suddenly stopped talking and smiled towards Li Qing Shan: "Speaking of the President of our Eagle Wolf Guard, the Great Nation Protector Eagle God, we cannot fail to mention his daughter ... ..."


    The currently pensive Li Qing Shan suddenly looked up, just to listen to the ¡°Rosacea¡± slowly say that name, "Gu Yan Ying!"


    Li Qing Shan slowly closed his eyes, as if he was once again caught in meditation. That white clothed unrestrained figure once again emerged in his mind. Yan Song did mention upon bringing up Gu Yan Ying that she had a terrifying background. But Li Qing Shan did not expect that it was terrifying to this extent.


    "Rosacea" then said: "Of course, this information cannot be spread to outsiders. Although this is the open secret of the Eagle Wolf Guard internal matters, but it is also a taboo topic. The White Wolf Command even specifically ordered that whoever dared to waggle his tongue on these matters then he would see to it that that person¡¯s tongue be crushed. You lot better not think that this is just a mere saying. This can be considered to be our Ru Yi Province Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s First Sin. If you guys want to pretend that you did not hear of this the it¡¯s fine. Anyways, your generation will probably have no chance to make any connections with such great people.¡± Talking up to this point, he took a look at Li Qing Shan.


    Li Qing Shan did not make any response. After a slight shock, he recovered his composure immediately. The goal the Green Ox gave him was simply too far away. This caused his vision to never stay at this simple world.


    When your ultimate goal is to fly to the sky, yet others tell you how tall Mount Everest is, how hard it is to climb, you may agree, but you will not feel too much pressure. You may even feel that this goal is much simpler and easier to achieve.


    As for whether he could make any connections, that would depend on fate. But if he could get closer to her then he would definitely do it. He was not afraid of others saying that he was perverted, because he admitted that he loved beautiful woman, great alcohol, tasty food, crushing opponents as well as great medicinal pills and spiritual artifacts.


    ...


    Across the bustling street, Li Qing Shan came up to the Magistrate Court. In front of the door, there was a pair of stone lions. In Li Qing Shan¡¯s view, these were not merely to scare off the common folk. These were equipment that emitted authority and from the Spiritual Qi they emitted, even if someone invaded, with these pair of stone lions, they would quickly enliven and rip the enemy apart.


    Compared with them, the two guards were more like decorations. Seeing that Li Qing Shan was wearing his uniform, naturally no one dared to stop him. After he reported his name, he was brought in immediately.


    The court was in a busy state. Many people of various kinds were moving around under the guidance of the runners. They all seemed to be busy settling their own matters which were not limited to complaining and suing cases.


    Zhou Wen Bin met Li Qing Shan in the garden of the Magistrate. Under a patch of bright sunshine, Zhou Wen Bin dressed in green, sitting cross-legged on the mat, under a big willow tree near a pond, appreciating the scenery. He was unlike a governer, and more like a reclusive cultivator, free as he could be, painting a huge contrast with the bustling state of the Magistrate.


    Li Qing Shan paid a saulte: "My lord seems so stylish!¡± (Ok in this he uses a phrase äìÈ÷, which generally means free and unrestrained. This can also be thought of as stylish in some sense as well. In this context, stylish seemed more appropriate.)


    Zhou Wen Bin waved his hand another sitting mat appeared, along with a set of exquisite tea drinking equipment.


    Li Qing Shan sat down and saw with a wave of Zhou Wen Bin¡¯s hand, the steam from the pond rise and gather into his palms before being converted into a stream of water that flowed into the teapot which then began to steam. A strong smell of tea wafted as the two tea pots filled up.


    Zhou Wen Bin then said in a carefree manner: "Us practitioners, should originally not be bogged down by such worldly matters!"


    Li Qing Shan then asked curiously: "Then why does my lord stay in this county? Why not search for a more natural spot and cultivate properly?"


    ¡°This is something you do not know. This is a cultivation technique of scholars. Gathering the willpower and beliefs of the masses can also be used to cultivate, which is why I am the Lord of Jia Ping City.¡±


    Only when Zhou Wen Bin revealed it then did Li Qing Shan know that there was actually such a method. Also, this was an extremely efficient way of cultivating which did not require too much thought into it. Zhou Wen Bin had a bunch of officials under him to take care of the majority of the governmental work. Normally, he just needed to stay at the backyard and drink tea while appreciating the scenery. There were truly numerous paths in the way of cultivation.


    Li Qing Shan then turned back to the official business: "I do not know why my lord chooses to summon me, and the purpose of this summoning.¡±


    Zhou Wen Bin replied: "You know you''re going to die soon?"


    Li Qing Shan then said: "This, I have no idea."


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "You have deeply offended Zhuo Zhi Bo. He has very little guts, thus, he chooses to endure. But you and I are very clear that you do not have any particular background at all. Old Wang of the Clear River Prefecture doesn¡¯t really like you. Zhuo Zhi Bo would know of this sooner or later."


    Li Qing Shan¡¯s face remained unchanged: "What does my lord wish to reveal to me to answer this situation? Unless you wish for me to convert to become your subordinate?"


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "I would like to have such a subordinate such as yourself. What you have done in Qing Yang County, I have heard about it. But for me to hire another official would waste another portion of resources.¡±


    Li Qing Shan only just remembered that Ye Da Chuan. Counting the time, they are supposed to arrive around today.


    "However, since you entered the Eagle Wolf Guard, you can no longer get away easily."


    Li Qing Shan said: "Then I can only run away and hide?"


    Zhou Wen Bin shook his head: "Defection from the Eagle Wolf Guard is an even greater sin. It is enough for there to be posters put out for you. With the size of all under the heavens, where can you even run off to? Do you think you can run off to the forests and mountains and coexist with those demons?¡±


    Li Qing Shan wondered, this was not a difficult task.


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "Now, if you want to avoid Zhuo Zhi Bo¡¯s threat, you only have one place you can go to."


    Li Qing Shan asked: "Where?"


    "100 School Courtyard!"


    "Where is this 100 School Courtyard?"


    "Naturally, in the Clear River Prefecture."


    "What kind of place is this 100 School Courtyard?"


    "It is a place for ordinary people to cultivate. It is also the foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty. As a magistrate, besides being a guardian, I have the responsibility of selecting candidates for the country. I can recommend talented practitioners to the 100 School Courtyard. Even the responsibilities of the Eagle Wolf Guard can be put aside temporarily. Naturally you will no longer need to worry about Zhuo Zhi Bo once you are there. To tell you the truth, I was from the 100 School Courtyard, and to be frank, you will experience greater benefits there as compared to being an Eagle Wolf Guard."


    Li Qing Shan said: "I do not know why my lord shows me such preferential treatment?¡±


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "Although your talent is mediocre, but I really like your temperament. I cannot bear to see you destroyed by the hands of a crafty fox. Perhaps in the future when you have to return to the Eagle Wolf Guard, I will not mind you coming over to Jia Ping City and maybe we can even work together."


    Some people will dislike your personality, but naturally some people will also like your personality. When receiving malicious intent, you may also receive some good will. This was quite fair. s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qing Shan thought for a moment and replied: "Thank you for your kindness. In the future I would definitely go there to take a look. But for now, I won''t. I still have things to do in Jia Ping City."


    He speculated that the 100 School Courtyard should be similar to a school for practitioners. This would cultivate talents for the Great Xia Dynasty and suppress those who cultivated in sects outside. However, since it is a school, it is inevitable that a tuition fee will be imposed and there would be plenty of inconveniences when taking action. At least, he was unable to go on a killing spree in the name of justice as a student.


    He now needs flesh and blood to help Little An condense his physical body. Also, he needed to acquire more Qi Condensation Pills to cultivate during these missions. These two goals could be achieved simultaneously and were very suitable to accomplish in Jia Ping City. And most importantly, he was not afraid of Zhuo Zhi Bo, not even a single bit.


    Zhou Wen Bin frowned: "It seems that you do not understand the strength of 6th Level Qi Refining Practitioners.¡±


    T/n: Hi guys, hope you all had a great week! At the same time, if you are free, do check out the new novel being hosted on this site! The world building(or rather universe building) will be slightly similar, so do support it if you are interested! If not, thanks!

 Chapter 130

    Chapter 130: Equipment Drive TechniquesMarch 4, 2018


    Of course, Li Qing Shan understood the strength of the 6th level Qi Refining. For opening the Sea of Qi has been often compared to condensing a Demon Core. He has often understood how much his strength has actually increased ever since he condensed his own Demon Core. It was simply a qualitative change.


    However, as for information on the enemy, there was never such a thing as knowing too much. He wanted to also know how humans managed to compete against demons. 5th Level Qi Refining Practitioners such as Zhao Liang Qing, were far too lacklustre. Qing Shan then humbly asked: ¡°Then I humbly request for my lord¡¯s advice!¡±


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "The power of mankind lies not in the strength of merely one¡¯s body. Or else, no matter in terms of True Qi or body tenacity, we would be unable to resist against even the simplest of demons. This much you should know!"


    Li Qing Shan nodded: ¡°The strength of humans lies in using tools." He clearly remembered in his previous life during his lessons on politics that his teacher mentioned about how the greatest difference between humans and animals lied in the invention and usage of tools. Even in this world of cultivation, this point remained the same.


    Zhou Wen Bin¡¯s eyes shined as he said: "Well said. But do you truly feel the importance of tools? Such as the Wind Severing Blade at your waist, do you feel that it has truly increased your strength?¡±


    Li Qing Shan subconsciously touched the Wind Severing Blade, and then slowly shook his head. Although the Wind Severing Blade was a good weapon, but for him, it was not essential, nor did it cause him to have a qualitative increase in strength.


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "Because you have not really learned how to use tools? Now this knife, to you, is merely like a beast¡¯s claw and you are only able to use it instinctively. Those who are able to use their weapons to conduct artistic swordplay in the outside world are actually only merely stronger than wild beasts. "


    Li Qing Shan leaned forward, picked up the teapot and filled a cup of tea for Zhou Wen Bin: "Then please don¡¯t mind me asking, what can be regarded as true usage of tools?


    "Like this!" Zhou Wen Bin¡¯s eyes shined and a blade flew out from his sleeves. It rapidly swam around him, sometimes low and sometimes high, drawing a never-ending arc of light. s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Under the afternoon sun, the blade reflected light frequently, causing the sides of the two to shine constantly.


    The blade then rushed into the sky, piercing through the willow branches, causing the willow leaves to fall like rain. However, before this ¡°rain¡± could fall, the blade then shimmered before it stabbed and caused the hundred willow leaves to be pinned to the bark of the tree.


    Zhou Wen Bin then pointed in another direction, before the blade moved off again, skimming across the surface of the pool, just like a sharp pair of scissors, cutting the surface of the lake before disappearing into the water. In the next instant, the blade appeared from the duckweed on the shore and returned to the sleeves of Zhou Wen Bin.


    Li Qing Shan stared at this scene until he became dizzy. If he did not turn into his demonic form, he would not have any way to resist this sword. He once saw at the Dragon Gate Sect Ancestral hall how fearsome a Flying Sword could be. However, that flying sword had no one manipulating it and only knew to go in a straightforward direction, enabling him to recognise that he had insufficient knowledge of the true power of Flying Swords.


    Now, he could be considered to have finally understood that upon encountering a true Flying Sword, he did not have any chance at blocking this kind of attack. Because without the restrictions of the human body, the agility of the Flying Sword surpassed even the nimblest of swordsmen.


    It could only be imagined that, if one met this kind of Flying Sword as a form of assassination and was unable to ward it off in one strike, then it would be like a spirited snake as it snuck its way to piercing one¡¯s heart. One could end up not even seeing the enemy and lose the chance to fight the enemy to the death.


    Unless you could resist the sharpness of the Flying Sword, or be faster than the Flying Sword, did you stand a chance against it. However, how many people could truly do such a thing? This was the true usage of tools. Humans were able to supress the demons through this aspect.


    He had seen this way of using tools in the hands of the Sword Palace Fei Long Elder. Zhou Wen Bin¡¯s sword in comparison to Elder Fei Long¡¯s sword was far worse. But because the gap in their strength was too large, he could only see the sword slashes as rain and the sword Qi as rainbows, resulting in destruction on the level of natural calamities.


    Back then, his mind was filled with thoughts on that fearful overwhelming power and he had not really thought much on the exquisiteness and fearfulness of the Flying Sword, and was not as shocked as he was now. A reason that he was more shocked with regards to the Flying Sword now was the fact that he himself could also use tools in such a way.


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "The so-called usage of tools, can be regarded to be more of a common saying. A more accurate phrasing would be ¡°Equipment Drive¡±. " Sword device are more common spiritual devices. In the world, there are thousands of spiritual devices, some can be used to kill enemies, some can be used to resist enemy attacks, and some can even be used to confuse the minds of others. To sum it up, there are thousands of ways to use items, but as long as you have enough True Qi, then you would no longer be limited by your limbs and can use multiple spiritual devices at once and killing people will be like taking candy from a baby.


    ¡°And all this, requires you to open up the 4 meridians of ying and yang, balancing the path of ying yang. Then, you need to clear the paths to your meridians and open up the Ying Yang Qi Sea. There¡¯s even a saying that only Qi Refining Practitioners that have opened up their Sea of Qi are considered true Qi Refining Practitioners that have entered the path of cultivation. Anyways, for a 6th Level Qi Refining Practitioner to kill a 5th Level Qi Refining Practitioner is extremely simple.


    The implication was that, for a 1st Level Qi Refining Practitioner such as Qing Shan, he should not even consider his chances at winning. Even with body refining techniques at the side, he would not be a match for Zhuo Zhi Bo.


    Li Qing Shan sincerely said: "No wonder. Thank you, my lord, for your advice, but the reason I so choose to stay behind is not because I do not know my limits."


    The two then silently stared at one another, one firm and one in suspicion.


    Zhou Wen Bin then said: "Since you insist, then I will not say much. If you need any help, you can go to the county office to find me, but you are Zhuo Zhi Bo¡¯s subordinate after all, and I cannot flip on Zhuo Zhi Bo for you, so you should know your limits.¡±


    Li Qing Shan laughed: "Of course."


    Li Qing Shan¡¯s relaxed casual attitude made Zhou Wen Bin feel as if he had simply made a mistake. Could it be that this kid had some powerful background?


    "I now have one thing that I wish to ask of my lord. May I know where one can learn the Equipment Drive technique?" Li Qing Shan was greatly moved by Zhou Wen Bin''s show. He instantly recalled how he had found the small handle-less sword in Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s Hundred Treasure Pouch and that it was Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s preparation for attaining the 6th Level of Qi Refining. Now that it fell into his hands, he would definitely have to put it to good use.


    Zhou Wen Bin looked at him intensely: "Do you really think that the 6th Level of Qi Refining is so easy to breakthrough?¡±


    Li Qing Shan said: "I will try my best." His eyes full of strong self-confidence, at least from a demons point of view, he has already reached this level.


    Zhou Wen Bin did not doubt him, but rather, said: "Ordinary Equipment Drive techniques are well-known in the cultivation world. Teaching you this in advance is no issue."


    Li Qing Shan curiously asked: "There are special Equipment Drive techniques?"


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "The Hidden Sword Palace has its own unique Sword Drive techniques, not Equipment Drive, but Sword Drive. The Mysterious Ying Sect has its Ghost Manipulating Techniques, using ghosts as equipment. There are also Devilish paths that refine corpses to manipulate zombies. Every sect has its own Equipment Drive technique. I cannot know everything.¡±


    Mysterious Ying Sect, Ghost Manipulation Technique! Li Qing Shan was moved. Thinking back to the book that he got from the hands of the Witch Doctor back then, wasn¡¯t it the ¡°Mysterious Ying Ghost Manipulation Technique¡±? These two definitely had some links between them. Perhaps clarifying the origin of the Witch Doctor would make Little An¡¯s past clearer. He immediately asked: ¡°Where is the Mysterious Ying Sect?¡±


    This was common knowledge that everyone had to know in the Qing Province. Zhou Wen Bin casually answered in a few sentences and did not notice the strange face of Li Qing Shan.


    Li Qing Shan wrote down eight characters, "Extremely Southern Land, Valley of Ten Thousand Ghosts," and for the first time learned about this superpower sect in Qing Province. However, without anymore information from Zhou Wen Bin, he did not ask any more questions regarding it.


    His own strength was insufficient and was unable to travel to such a faraway place. Little An was unable to recall much and had not recovered his body of flesh. Underlying these numerous reasons, was Qing Shan¡¯s selfish desire to never let Little An leave his side! He did not want to be alone again!


    Although it was ridiculous, but this man that could transform into an over two Zhang tall monster that could easily crush humans like ants, had a heart like that of ordinary folks in the sense that he hated being lonely.


    So, for the first time, when he had the chance to find out more about Little An¡¯s circumstances, he lost his motivation to do so.


    The sunlight was cut into pieces by the blade-like leaves of the willow tree, which sprinkled all over the body of the youth. He was not particularly handsome, but on his bronze chiselled face, there appeared a rare trace of doubt, but that was immediately resolved and he looked determined as ever to fulfil his promise and go with the flow.


    Zhou Wen Bin then quickly taught him the techniques of Equipment Drive. The concept was not complicated, but it had strict requirements for one¡¯s cultivation. After opening the Sea of QI, Qi Refining Practitioners still could not communicate with the Natural Spiritual Qi that easily. However, it was moving towards this direction as the practitioners began to be able to sense various types of items with spirits in them.


    Of course, all things are spiritual. Even a flower or a blade of grass were of no exception. However, with greater spiritual Qi, the response would be stronger. Also, it¡¯s not like one could manipulate the flora to hurt the enemy. Qi Refining Practitioners would choose a type of spiritual device and use their own body¡¯s True Qi to refine it over time. This would be done until one developed a connection with the spiritual device and could manipulate it without contact, as if converting one self to become a magnet to move steel.


    Li Qing Shan expressed his gratitude. The more common-sense things were, the more they were of help to him. Because this was common knowledge to Qi Refining Practitioners, it would be an essential foundation to their knowledge. He was but of common birth. Without a teacher, nor a sect, he had no chance to undergo such systematic education.


    Zhou Wen Bin caressed his beard and laughed: "Is this going to be just empty talk?"


    Li Qing Shan was shocked, could it be that this person wanted to be bribed?


    Zhou Wen Bin hinted: "You should have had a lot of harvest last night. Such as some silver?" Li Qing Shan¡¯s ¡°borrowing¡± of the madam¡¯s treasure pouch did not miss the eyes of Zhou Wen Bin.


    Li Qing Shan was stunned: "But you, a dignified magistrate, a 6th Level Qi Refining Practitioner, governing the lives of hundreds of thousands, actually want money from a poor boy like me?¡±


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "Why are you so loud? I didn¡¯t even say I would take it off from you for free? Just because there are a lot of people, there are a lot of areas to spend money on. Those silver are useless in the hands of you. How about you give them to me and I exchange them with Qi Condensation Pills.¡±


    Li Qing Shan was surprised: "What for?" Letting him use silver to buy Qi Condensation Pills. He would definitely be willing to. Unless he was planning on spending the money to purchase a ¡°little sister¡± to accompany him, silver was mainly useless to him.


    However, for a 6th Level Qi Refining Expert like Zhou Wen Bin, it was him who needed silver?

 Chapter 131

    Chapter 131: A spot in the darkness - March 07, 2018


    Zhou Wen Bin explained to Li Qing Shan that being the magistrate was not as easy as he thought. In order to obtain enough ¡°support,¡± and let the people of Jia Ping City feel that he was a generous man of nobility, there were plenty of costs for him to cover, namely: the construction of general utility facilities, the implementation of public welfare facilities, the need to raise public wages as well as providing the wages for his group of aides who handle general affairs for him. This often leads to him spending more money than he receives.


    Zhou Wen Bin gestured with both hands and bitterly laughed: ¡°What a pitiful official I am. Not only do I not have any money for myself, I still have to think of ways to accumulate money.¡±


    Li Qing Shan also felt that it was quite funny. In this era, although the ¡°income disparity¡± was incredibly large, but for the common people, it was not necessarily a bad thing. S?a??h th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The Great Xia dynasty, from top to bottom, no matter how high-level officials are, they did not require tribunal silver from the people. However, they did not have to pay taxes to the main state as well. Even if they discovered gold, silver or iron ores, they would be left to the charge of the people on site.


    This was not possible in any of the dynasties known to Li Qing Shan, yet, in here, this was happening. The perspectives of practitioners were different from ordinary people from the very beginning. If Zhou Wen Bin was willing to, he could squeeze the City of Jia Ping for tens of millions of silver, but that was meaningless.


    Only one kind of mining vein belonged to the state, which was the Spirit Stone vein. Officials like Zhou Wen Bin and Zhuo Zhi Bo received their pay in terms of Spirit Stones.


    Li Qing Shan took out hundreds of thousands of silvers from the treasure pouch of the madam and gave it to Zhou Wen Bin.


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "Aren¡¯t you going to ask me, how many Qi Condensation Pills can be exchanged for this?"


    Li Qing Shan said: "I''ve always not been stingy. Of course, I also hope that others will be slightly more generous towards me."


    Zhou Wen Bin handed over a small porcelain bottle, containing a total of twelve Qi Condensation Pills, to Li Qing Shan and said: ¡°This is the first time, so it¡¯s at a discounted price. If you still have silver, you can continue to find me, but then it will be a hundred thousand silver for 2 pills. "


    Li Qing Shan said: "That¡¯s fair." Thinking about how a Qi Condensation Pill was worth millions, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh. However, if they were sold to the rest of the world, there would definitely be plenty of people who were willing to spend a hundred thousand silver to purchase a single Qi Condensation Pill.


    Li Qing Shan also handed over the account book from the madam to Zhou Wen Bin: "I wonder if there is any evidence of the dirty deeds of the pavilion in this?"


    Li Qing Shan did not want to make his actions seem suspicious, thus he did not take it out on the first time they met. However, he thought back to the numerous girls still trapped in the basement of the pavilion and thought of a way to let Zhou Wen Bin check the building. As such, he would be able to save the girls in an outright manner, if not, they would simply starve to death during their confinement.


    Zhou Wen Bin did not even look at it before he clapped his hands. Immediately, a servant came running over and brought the book to the office where it would be scrutinised over by the experts.


    After a while, a man with an appearance of an expert appeared, who glanced at Li Qing Shan with surprise. Although the Eagle Wolf Guard was very good, an ordinary member did not qualify for a meeting with his lord. He then bowed to Li Qing Shan before reporting to Zhou Wen Bin: "My lord, there seems to be many problems..."


    Li Qing Shan looked at the pond and thought about wondered about how he should start. When Zhou Wen Bin and the ¡°expert¡± finished speaking, he asked: ¡°My lord, is this evidence enough to take down the pavilion?¡±


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "Do you really think that with a single book, you can tear down the pavilion? You seem to be severely underestimating the power of their sect. The people I sent to the Fishing Village have returned. Qing Xiu¡¯s family are all dead. They cleaned up thoroughly after their misdeeds."


    Li Qing Shan burst out: "These savages! With my lord as the official overseeing this, is there still a need to fear this sect?"


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "I am not afraid, but helpless. These sects have their own roots and inheritance. Some large-scale sects have existed for even longer than the Great Xia Dynasty. When the Emperor was around, he could only pacify and promise to not harm their profits such that everyone could coexist peacefully. Afterwards, he established the Hundred School Courtyard so as to develop greater human talent to resist their power.¡±


    In short, they will not come to provoke Zhou Wen Bin on their own initiative while Zhou Wen Bin also does not want to provoke them. He was here mainly for his own cultivation, and not to really become a fair and just official who served at the beck and call of the people. No one could really task him to do any more than what he had already done.


    Li Qing Shan thought to himself about how fortunate it was that he had already squished Zhao Liang Qing, or else it would be impossible for him to punish him through official channels.


    "Thus, you should also be prepared to guard against the hidden plans of their sect. Sometimes, they may be even more terrible than Zhuo Zhi Bo. Zhuo Zhi Bo is an Eagle Wolf Guard, so he has to consider your background, but the sect does not have such problems to consider. Most of the losses of the Eagle Wolf Guard is through disputes with these schools, and they are silently terminated. Even if it is an Eagle Wolf Guard Commander such as Zhuo Zhi Bo, or a magistrate like me, there are deaths that are left unclarified up till today.


    Li Qing Shan was not too surprised. He witnessed such an instance early on. What status did Gu Yan Ying have? Yet, she was still not able to kill the Saint Mother of the White Lotus. Although she forced her to hide, she also lost a lot of men.


    As for the White Wolf Guard under her command, they had at least undergone one round of Heavenly Tribulation and reached the realm of Foundation Establishment. In this Jia Ping City, even in the Clear River Prefecture, they were people that could get away with anything. The Hidden Sword Sect¡¯s Elder Fei Long did not even fear the authority of the Eagle Wolf Guard and even dared to kill the beloved pet of Lady You in front of Gu Yan Ying, fighting her even. It must be noted that Gu Yan Ying even had the Eagle God backing her. As such, the tenacity of these practitioner sects could be seen to be extraordinary.


    He could not help but sigh: "No matter the times, it is strength that determines everything. Identity and authority will never be as practical as having the strength to backing it up."


    Zhou Wen Bin said: "You have a map of the Qing Province. Let''s have a look at it."


    Li Qing Shan took out the map of the Qing Province to examine it.


    Zhou Wen Bin stroked the map: "This really is good stuff." Countless lights appeared on the top, as if they were the stars in the night sky.


    ¡°On the top of this bright spot, there is the existence of the royal court officials. Even 5th Level Qi Refining Practitioners will not dare to kill you under the watchful eyes of the public here. However, outside of these bright spots, there will be no such thing. There will only be strength. This, you must remember. As long as they have the chance, there will be always be people who dare to kill you for the items inside your Treasure Pouch. Your identity as an Eagle Wolf Guard may not only fail to serve as a deterrent, but also end up attracting more people to come and kill you. "


    Li Qing Shan looked at the map of the Qing Province which he had seen many times. He now had a new understanding. Although the stars are bright and dense, they are far smaller than the vastness and darkness of the night sky. In those mountains and valleys, they are lawless lands. It becomes a stage where the demons dance wildly, and a battleground that practitioners kill on.


    This kind of hint was more helpful than giving him a few more Qi Condensation Pills. This gave him a new understanding of his position. However, he did not feel any fear, rather, he felt enlightened.


    He was still worried about if Zhuo Zhi Bo troubled him, how he could eradicate him so as to reduce the suspicion towards himself. But now, the land of darkness was extremely convenient for him. He could go on a killing spree there and then blame it on a strong practitioner or terrifying demon that walked on by.


    Zhou Wen Bin saw that there was not a shred of fear on Li Qing Shan''s face. That was an emotion that would definitely appear on the face of the orthodox practitioners. Even Zhou Wen Bin himself was no exception, thus he decided to stay in the light, to protect himself and keep a distance from the world of darkness.


    He had to admit, that this young man was indeed different from ordinary people. He seemed to have a keen interest in fighting and chaos. However, he also seemed to not be a brainless brawling maniac, but rather a brave yet meticulous person in nature.


    Maybe he was better suited to go to a major sect, and not the path of the Eagle Wolf Guard or the Hundred School Courtyard. Almost all the major sects would love this kind of disciple, whether it be a sect that defended the devilish path and fought against the just or a sect that maintained law and order. These all required a good fighter to be a great practitioner in their path.


    In the eyes of ordinary people, practitioners seem to have transcended and not be plagued with world issues, with no need to stained by the fumes and blood of fighting. They seemed to only need to chant their sutras daily, with no need to consume food at all, which would allow them to extend their longevity until they were forever young.


    If one followed one¡¯s heart, who would be willing to risk fighting with others? Who did not want to carefully walk down the path of living forever? Taking the time used to develop Spiritual Devices and Spiritual Talismans to consume Medicinal Pills; taking the time spent learning techniques to focus on cultivating and seeking the Dao. However, this path was too difficult and very rushed.


    Everyone needs Spiritual Pills and miracle medicine, but Spiritual Herbs are limited. Everyone needs a good cultivating cave, but they are also limited. Either one moves to the side and watches others enjoy these medicine, caves and a quick cultivating speed while one slowly grows old, ending up as an old pile of bones at home. Either that, or one had to go out and fight, compete and struggle for the resources one needed.


    Not only does one have to fight with the heavens, one also has to fight with others.


    Although the world is mainly fair and everyone is harmonious. How could those demons and ghosts hidden in the dark not want to recover their superiority and govern the Nine Provinces. In that piece of lawless wilderness, how many sects disappeared? Just following the most simple and primitive law, the strong would survive, the weak would perish.


    Hidden Sword Palace and Mysterious Ying Sect, one rode swords, one manipulated ghosts. They may not be sects that are the most adept at cultivating, but they have their own advantages, and going by this law, they survived.


    Li Qing Shan kept the Qing Province map and said, "Since I have already offended people, it doesn¡¯t really matter if I make them suffer a bit more, does it? Anyways, wouldn¡¯t it be such a pity to not use my identity to offend them when I could?"


    Zhou Wen Bin knew that Li Qing Shan''s public execution of the pavilion¡¯s personnel would make it nigh impossible for him to reconcile with them. Thinking about his young, brash nature, and how his hatred had probably not subsided yet, he said ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll give you more than a dozen runners. Although this book can''t topple them, it should be enough to get them to spit out some silver when you pressure them."


    At this time, a manager came to report: "My lord, a fat man has appeared by the court doors requesting to meet you. He said he is a lieutenant in Jia Ping City. These are his documents."


    Zhou Wen Bin smiled and said: "It seems that your old boss has arrived."


    Li Qing Shan also laughed: "In the city, the law and order of the country is the magistrate¡¯s official duty. Is it not better for Lord Ye to bring people there as compared to myself?"


    Zhou Wen Bin waved his hand and said, "You go and tell him. I want to start cultivating. Let him see me tomorrow." Obviously, he did not pay much heed to Ye Da Chuan, a normal person. This was simply a means of giving the prefect some face. Just giving him some silver would suffice.


    Li Qing Shan came to the front door and saw Ye Dachuan with his expert, pointing around: "Look, this is the big city! It is not the same! Although it is worse than the Clear River Prefecture, it is better than Qing Yang that shitty place!¡± The expert was also showing a face of surprise and happiness at the side, for he had at least finally felt like he earned something from following this fatty for so long.


    "Lord Ye, I haven''t seen you for quite a few days. How have you been doing?¡±


    Ye Da Chuan turned around and saw Li Qing Shan in the Eagle Wolf Guard clothing. Although he knew Qing Shan had taken up such a position, he still could not help but be surprised: "You ... you really ... ..."


    Li Qing Shan smiled slightly: "I have a great amount of wealth to share with you! Are you in or what?"

 Chapter 132

    Chapter 132: The clouds disperse and the rain stops - March 10, 2018


    Hi all, just an announcement to make. Another website(lightnovelgate.com) has been ripping off my translation for free and hosting it on their website. Please inform your friends not to support them and to note that the original translation is hosted here instead! Thanks!


    How could Ye Da Chuan refuse to do so? He couldn''t help but agree! Taking Li Qing Shan''s hand, he said: "You are my lucky star! No, my benefactor!", while remembering that Li Qing Shan had a completely different identity as of now.


    Li Qing Shan said: "How about Protector Yan and the rest of them?"


    Ye Da Chuan said: ¡°They returned to the Iron Fist Gate to rest. Jia Ping¡¯s City Iron Fist Gate mentioned that they would come to visit you at night. I did not expect to be the one that met you first instead.¡±


    More than a dozen elite soldiers came behind Li Qing Shan: "Lord Li!"


    Li Qing Shan laughed: "This is your Lord Ye!"


    "Lord Ye!"


    Standing in front of the pavilion, Ye Da Chuan was thrilled. On the first day of arriving in Jia Ping City, he was visiting the largest and most luxurious brothel?


    Li Qing Shan said: " Lord Ye, do not forget, today we are looking for trouble."


    Ye Da Chuan said: "I can''t forget, I can''t forget! Squeezing them of their money is the business we are here for!" He then righteously ordered: "Rush in and clean up this lewd place!"


    "Nuo!" A crowd of elite soldiers rushed in like wolves, shocking the group of people in the pavilion. When the guards came out and saw Li Qing Shan, their ¡°unlucky star¡±, who dared to go up ahead!


    Ye Da Chuan feigned his authority as he condescendingly asked: "Where¡¯s your boss? Huh?"


    A girl worriedly replied, "We also don''t know!"


    Ye Da Chuan: "Search all of them for me!"


    Li Qing Shan stood by and watched the soldiers as they turned the building inside out. He then whispered in Ye Da Chuan''s ear: ¡°It seems that the ones involved have already run away. Will there be any hidden treasure storage just like in the Black Wind Valleys?"


    When the treasure storage was mentioned, Ye Da Chuan¡¯s eyes lighted up at once. ¡°Search for their basements!¡± With a keen intuition for money, without waiting for Li Qing Shan¡¯s reminder, he found the switch a moment later and opened the door to the underground palace.


    Ye Da Chuan looked at the black hole-like entrance of the underground palace and felt partially afraid. However, he could not hold back his desire for treasure. He first ordered the soldiers to enter, before dragging Li Qing Shan to come along with him.


    Original Translation @https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Sure enough, they quickly found the detained women, clear proof of the pavilion¡¯s crimes. However, Zhao Liang Qing and Fu Rong had disappeared, clearly fleeing from their crimes.


    Ye Da Chuan did not disappoint. Although Li Qing Shan took the treasure pouch, there were still many gold and silver accessories in the underground palace. Such jewellery were also quite a fortune.


    "Congratulations to Lord Ye! You just arrived in Jia Ping City and made such a great contribution!" Li Qing Shan smiled and looked up at the statue of the Angelic Woman at the roof, before he casually tossed his Wind Severing Knife, scraping against the nose of one of the pavilion¡¯s guard before it stuck to the door. S?a??h the N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    "As long as we don¡¯t clarify things today, no one is allowed to leave. Or else, they¡¯ll be executed without mercy" Zhao Liang Qing certainly would not personally commit himself to matters like kidnapping women. All the guard in the pavilion definitely had a hand in these matters.


    "What, Zhao Liang Qing is gone?" Zhuo Zhi Bo got up and looked at Ge Jian who had come to report.


    Ge Jian said: "Yes, today Li Qing Shan took out several accounting books and asked for a permit from Zhou Wen Bin before he brought soldiers to the pavilion. As a result, not only did they not find Zhao Liang Qing and Fu Rong, they also found those women who were kidnapped in the underground palace. After being questioned by Zhou Wen Bin, Zhao Liang Qing has been judged as guilty. Zhou Wen Bin has also issued a wanted poster for Zhao Liang Qing and has seized all property under the pavilion for investigation.


    Zhuo Zhi Bo slowly sat down. There was something weird about this matter. As long as Zhao Liang Qing stays put, there would always be a time when he could rise up again, and no one would be able to catch any evidence of his crimes. Was it possible that he returned to his sect to report as well as discuss about future strategies, resulting in Li Qing Shan having the opportunity to take advantage of the weakness of the pavilion without him?


    He did not understand and for a moment, he also suspected that Zhao Liang Qing was dead, but he immediately dismissed this idea. Who could kill Zhao Liang Qing? Zhao Liang Qing was already at the pinnacle of the 5th Level of Qi Refining and was just a step away from the 6th Level. The only people that were able to kill him in the entire Jia Ping City was Zhou Wen Bin and himself. However, Zhou Wen Bin would definitely not take such a risk to become enemies with the pavilion.


    Unless it was Li Qing Shan, then he would dare to take such daring actions. But even if one kept thinking about it, Li Qing Shan was only at the First Level of Qi Refining. He was not Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s opponent of.


    Qian Rong was deep in thought. Li Qing Shan was simple a catastrophe in disguise. It was only last night that a trap was set for him in the pavilion and today, the pavilion collapsed.


    Zhou Wen Bin also did not expect that him randomly sending someone to harass him would cause such a result. The pavilion was an empty shell of itself. Those women were crying as they recalled their experiences, exposing the barbaric actions of the pavilion, pointing towards many of the guards as the ones responsible, with Zhao Liang Qing and Fu Rong as the leader of the these criminal acts.


    There was no need to report to the Clear River Prefecture. Zhou Wen Bin¡¯s power in Jia Ping was almost on the level of princes. With a single order, more than a dozen heads were chopped, clean and swift. Dozens of people were sent down to the big prison, and wanted posters were sent out. Finally, he wrote a report to send up to the Clear River Prefecture, which allowed the higher ups to question their sect, ¡°Your disciples dared to do these kinds of things, you should at least explain yourself.¡±


    Since it was under the rule of the Great Xia Dynasty, this had to be subject to the jurisdiction of the law. Even at this time, even the sect could only excommunicate Zhao Liang Qing and the rest to clear them of any relations with them.


    Zhou Wen Bin was very quick and sharp. He spent only one afternoon, causing Li Qing Shan to be nothing short of awe: ¡°My lord has great means!¡±


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Zhou Wen Bin cleared the surroundings and whispered: "You tell me honestly, is this your deed?"


    Li Qing Shan said: "If I really had this strength then that would be great."


    Zhou Wen Bin watched for a while and saw that Li Qing Shan had no discrepancies from the usual on his face. It was originally just a spark of a thought, but he felt that this matter was definitely related to Li Qing Shan. Patting his shoulder, he said ¡°Well, your luck isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    At this time, Qian Rong and Diao Fei also came to the county to report to Zhou Wen Bin.


    Qian Rong Zheng resumed her laughter: "Last night, you were awe-inspiring. You guys are truly bad. Since we came together, why didn¡¯t you call me?"


    Diao Fei began to understand the conflict between Li Qing Shan and Zhuo Zhi Bo, and he did not dare to offend Li Qing Shan nor did he dare to applaud him. He simply gave a perfunctory salute.


    Li Qing Shan smiled, too lazy to deal with them. He said his goodbyes to Zhou Wen Bin and left with Ye Da Chuan by his side, dragging him to find Yan Song to celebrate with a drink.


    Diao Fei cried behind him: "Qing Shan, wait."


    Li Qing Shan turned his head and said: "What?"


    Yu Fei actually felt a jump in his heart. This young boy actually made him faintly afraid. But after all, he had been through experiences of various troubles, so he took a deep breath, and immediately adjusted his emotions. He was not a trash that did not undergo actual combat like the madam. He did not believe that with his 3rd Level of Qi Refining that he would not be Li Qing Shan¡¯s match if they actually fought.


    "From tomorrow onwards, we will carry out the trial tasks together. Shall we sit down and discuss this evening?"


    Li Qing Shan said: "We''re together? Trial tasks?" He was not interested in being with the two.


    Zhou Wen Bin explained: "This is the rule of the Eagle Wolf Guard. After joining the Eagle Wolf Guard, there are several trial missions to complete to be considered as truly qualified. Then, you will go to the Clear River Prefecture and meet with the two leaders. You are really only just getting started. There are very few people that get kicked out during the trials. Often, they just go through the procedures, but if you do not accept it, Zhuo Zhi Bo has reason to fire you."


    Li Qing Shan understood that there were institutional rules within the system and stood firm and said, "Well, discussing it seems ok." He was curious about what kind of tasks Zhuo Zhi Bo would give them.


    Routinely inquiring of their origin: "Ancient Wind City, Qian family." This kind of small would naturally not meet Zhou Wen Bin¡¯s eyes, but when asking about the origin of Diao Fei, he was just a little surprised : "Qing Teng Shan? Your master is Qing Teng Shan?"


    "Yes!"


    "You joined the Eagle Wolf Guard. Did your master agree?" The reason why Zhou Wen Bin asked this question is because families and schools were different. Families were in cities, under the rule of the Dynasty, and they were generally willing to let their people join the court. The sects were mostly set in the mountains, and they have a set of rules. Most of them were not willing to let their disciples become imperial dogs.


    Diao Fei''s face became dark, and his eyes looked high up ahead.


    Zhou Wen Bin no longer asked any more questions as he continued to write: "You can go!"


    Out of the gates of the county, Ye Da Chuan said: ¡°You are all young heroes of the Eagle Wolf Guard, and as the official Ye Da Chuan, who is the county magistrate of the county, I would like to invite you all to have a few drinks together?¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng and Diao Fei both looked to Li Qing Shan and Li Qing Shan said: "Let''s go!" The duo nodded.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    The four walked on the street. Even in the evening, the streets are still crowded with people. However, when they saw that Li Qing Shan and the other two in their attire, they evaded them. Even those in horse carriages would stop and give way, not wanting to disturb them.


    Li Qing Shan only now knew the prestige his Eagle Wolf Guard uniform had. He arrived at the restaurant that Ye Da Chuan and Yan Song agreed meet at and entered the upper floors. Yan Song and Li Long had already waited there to meet Li Qing Shan. Seeing that he arrived, they bothstood up: "Qing Shan, you arrived so quickly!"


    Li Qing Shan made a brief introduction for both parties. Yan Song said: ¡°Turns out they are all the disciples of prestigious sects. It is nice to meet you all.¡± However, he was faintly surprised. Amongst the three, Li Qing Shan had the weakest cultivation and the shallowest origin, yet it seemed that he was the leader amongst them and they had no qualms with that.


    Diao Fei and Qian Rong Zheng said a few perfunctory lines. Based on their cultivation and identity, they did not need to take Yan Song too seriously.


    After several cups of wine, Yan Song asked how Li Qing Shan¡¯s ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡± went.


    Li Qing Shan said: "I just arrived at the 3rd stage. If I want to break through to the 4th stage, I believe I will need more time."


    Yan Song was taken aback. ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡± was more difficult the more one cultivated it. Li Qing Shan quickly comprehending the first stage and breaking through to the second was of no surprise to him. However, after not seeing him for only a few days, he had broken through to the 3rd stage already. This speed was indeed shocking: ¡°Looking back, it only took you about 7 or 8 days. I thought that Qing Shan your cultivation speed was just normal. However, I can¡¯t be more wrong.¡±


    ¡°What! Seven or eight days?¡± Diao Fei and Qian Rong Zhen were both shocked. They only just learned that Li Qing Shan¡¯s official time since he began to refine qi was not even 10 days. He actually cultivataed the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡± to the third stage, which was almost like a legendary cultivating genius.


    Li Qing Shan smiled slightly and did not explain. Only the heavens knew how many Qi Condensation Pills he had eaten, and there was even a sacred ring left behind by a golden core expert for him to refine his true qi. If he had not achieved this level of result, then his innate qualities would surely be too trashy.


    Done Done note: I''ll be inserting random stuff into my chapters to assert that this was personally translated by me. So pay no heed to those and enjoy the story. If not, have a great week ahead! If you are able to, do drop a donation at the sidebar and send me a message you want to leave in the next chapter if you wish! Thanks!

 Chapter 133

    Chapter 133: Break through to the second level! - March 18, 2018


    When Yan Song heard of what Li Qing Shan did during these past two days, he was beyond shocked. The sect behind the pavilion was an enormous organisation and was top in the ranks of sects even in the entire Clear River Prefecture. Families and martial groups such as the Qing Teng Mountain or the Qian family could not compare with it, let alone the Iron Fist Sect.


    The pavilion sect¡¯s main building was in the Clear River Prefecture, which was where the nobility of the Clear River area resided in. The connections that it had were vast and great. Even the Vice-leader of the Eagle Wolf Guard was noted to frequently visit that establishment and was found to be very familiar with the sect master.


    Li Qing Shan was simply fearless for not just offending, but also destroying the pavilion the moment he arrived in Jia Ping City.


    Li Qing Shan said: "I just wanted to mete out justice." He subconsciously pressed the handle of his wind severing knife at his waist, as he already knew where the ¡°justice¡± was truly at.


    ......


    There was no moon that night, and in the dead of night, in a dark house, Li Qing Shan sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/ S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    True Qi was circulating in his body endlessly, following the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡± 3rd level instructions as it flowed rounds in his body. Even if there were Qi Condensation Pills to help him, the increase seemed marginal.


    The jade ring was on his fingers. In the darkness, it had no strange appearances, but it remained unresponsive to the True Qi that Li Qing Shan infused into it.


    He seemed to be guarding a vast treasure vault, but he was not allowed to enter. He could only walk around outside, wondering what it contained inside.


    He could hold on to it, but the treasures and collection of a golden core expert gave him temptations that he could not resist. Before he parted, the Green Ox even said: "I left you something inside."


    The Green Ox was a being that could casually teach Little An a terrifying technique like the ¡°Face of the Undead¡±. What kind of treasure could he have left behind for him to mention it so importantly to Qing Shan?


    A legendary artifact? A technique that could overturn the oceans? A miraculous pill that could allow on to soar beyond the Nine Heavens upon consumption?


    He did not dare to think of it much during his everyday life, but once he thought about it he felt increasingly curious. He sighed in his heart: ¡°Brother Ox oh Brother Ox, what did you want to give me? Why not just pass it to me directly? Why do you have to trouble me so? Also, for you to keep it in such a manner that I have to use human methods to open this jade ring¡­ In the beginning, when you wanted me to demonify, then you should continue to use such demonic means no?¡±


    In spite of how he felt, he also felt that this move by the Green Ox must have its own profound meaning. The Green Ox certainly expected that he would return to the human world as a human being. The reason he gave him such a test was that he wanted him to make achievements as a human in his cultivation?


    Since he didn''t understand it, then he didn¡¯t plan to think too much about it. He needed his identity as a human. For the two days since he arrived in Jia Ping City, he easily obtained up to a hundred Qi Condensation Pills. With his own cultivation strengthening, he would be able to get medicinal pills more easily and he would have more assurances for his own safety.


    After all, he cannot transform himself before other people. Most of the time, he has to rely on his Qi Refining Cultivation. However, the first level of Qi Refining was simply too weak.


    Suddenly he stopped cultivating. He was slowly grasping the essence of the fourth level of the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡±, with each and every sentence becoming clearer and clearer.


    He was trying to open the "Yang Heel Vessel"* of the Eight Wonder Meridians to break through the first level of Qi Refining to reach the second level of Qi Refining. This is the first meridian he will attempt to open, and it could be said that this would be his first step into the path of Qi Refining. It should be noted that what he was about to do had a very different meaning than that of the first 3 levels of the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡±.


    True Qi was flowing into his left leg and sinking to the ankle where the ¡°Shen Acupoint¡± was at, where the entrance of the ¡°Yang Heel Vessel¡± was positioned on. To open up the ¡°Yang Heel Vessel, he needed to first enter through this point.


    He no longer sat cross-legged on the bed and changed to a strange posture instead. He leaned forward and stretched his left leg, like he was in some kind of a yoga pose.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Little An had been kneeling beside the bed and concentrated on reading the large pile of sutras that Li Qing Shan brought back to him. At this time, he put down his books and looked at Li Qing Shan with concern.


    What Li Qing Shan wanted to do was knock on the entrance!


    True Qi rushed to the Shen Acupoint like water. However, the door remained tightly shut, with no intention of opening for even the slightest moment, let alone to allow him to open the Vessel path.


    He knew that the accumulation of his own True Qi was too little and that his own reserves of True Qi had not even reached the peak of a 1st level Qi Refining Warrior. Normally, one would continuously accumulate True Qi until there was an excess, which would require months of work. Once one¡¯s True Qi was able to form a large river, it would be able to run down and squash any obstacles to his cultivation.


    Yet, what he was trying to do now was using his little stream to take down the dam in the way. The difficulty was an extreme high. However, ¡°Ten Thousand Years are too long, and one only seeks one night¡± (basically means, Seize the moment!) He wanted to give it a try and do his best before he was willing to give up. He crushed a Qi Condensation pill in his mouth to replenish his True Qi in the meantime.


    After trying many times, there was still no gain. He finally stopped but not because he wanted to give up. Instead, he became more and more conscientious in his manipulation of True Qi. He continued to condense his True Qi, condensing the stream into ice, before converting it into spears. By then, it had already shrunk in size by over a hundred times, yet at the same time, it was also denser by over a hundred times.


    Then, when it was no longer able to condense any more, the ice spears charged forth towards the dam with an unstoppable momentum.


    Feeling a sudden pain in the soles of his feet, Li Qing Shan disregarded the pain. Instead, he revealed a color of surprise on his face. This time, the True Qi was no longer blocked and it had managed to deeply pierce into the Shen Acupoint. Under his stimulation, it began to slowly inch in difficultly.


    His body made a sound akin to that of a light knock, as the dam that blocked the stream before had now been penetrated and True Qi began to flow in endlessly into the ¡°Yang Heel Vessel¡±.


    In his body, there was a light that appeared, which was akin to the first star that lit up in the boundless universe.


    However, before Li Qing Shan could be happy, his True Qi had hit another obstacle. It was the Bo Shen Acupoint also located near his heel.


    The True Qi was smashed to smithereens and could no longer condense. Under the pressure of the Yang Heel Vessel, it was slowly being squeezed out.


    His opening of vessels failed!


    Even the perforated Shen Acupoint began to close up.


    Li Qing Shan sucked in a deep breath. On that night he was praised to be a true cultivating genius by Yan Song for who knew how many times. However, he could not even open up the first Vessel he required. Ascending to the second level of Qi Refining was already so difficult. He now knew that the path of Qi Refining was not so easy as well.


    Comparatively speaking, the cultivation of demons was much more brainless. All they had to do was swallow the Spiritual Qi of the Heaven and Earth, or eat spiritual plants and medicine, so as to strengthen their Demonic Qi. Once it hit a certain level, it would naturally condense to form a Demon Core. Following which their cultivation would be the same as before, where they would just endlessly guide Demonic Qi into their Demon Core. Once it hit a certain level, the heavenly thunder would descend and if one managed to survive it, once would become a Demon General whereas if one did not, one would just become a pile of ash. Simple and clean.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Most of the demons started off as beasts, even as plants. They all relied on their instincts to cultivate. If they required intelligence and ideas, then there would not be any demons in this world.


    However, although it was simple, it required a lot of time. Not to mention plants, even a normal beast in the wild needed at least a hundred years to become a Demon General. And that was provided it had been able to eat spiritual plants such as the Spiritual Ginseng often, then it had a bit of a chance to do so. If not, usual beasts would require at least 3 to 5 hundred years to do so, and these were plenty all around.


    The meridian acupuncture points, which are gifted by the heavens to the humans, are also short-cuts discovered by humans. However, no matter how good a shortcut that it, it must be taken step by step.


    For people like Li Qing Shan that only started refining qi for a few days and yet wanted to open up his meridians, yet, sighing and feeling that refining qi was not easy after failure would simply appear unreasonable to other practitioners if they knew about it.


    However, Li Qing Shan was not discouraged. He grabbed a Qi Condensation Pill and put it into his mouth. He did not swallow it, and then attempted to break through again.


    With his first experience, when he broke through the Shen Acupoint again, it was much easier. After breaking through the Shen Acupoint, he did not dare to be distracted. Biting downwards, he crushed the pill in his mouth to replenish his True Qi as he attempted to break through the next barrier.


    Four hours later, he had consumed 25 Qi Condensation Pills and attempted to break through 13 times. His highest achievement was breaking through 3 of the acupoints on his leg, the Shen, Bo Shen and Fu Yang acupoints. However, when the True Qi flowed up his left leg, the flowing stream stopped at the Ji Liao acupoint at his crotch.


    Once it is blocked, the True Qi would flow backwards just like a boat in reverse currents. The acupoints that were broken through before would then close up again. Along the Yang Heel Vessel, there were a total of 12 acupoints. If it were an ordinary Qi Refining Practitioner, he could probably only give up now.


    Li Qing Shan was evidently indifferent to this. Anyways, the medicinal power that he had not been able to digest were all taken advantaged of by the demon core. The demon core was not wasteful or picky and he did not have to worry about wastage or the possibilities of dangers from the accumulation of medicinal power. This let Li Qing Shan experiment in a more reckless fashion for if he succeeded it would be a good thing, but if he did not there would be nothing bad about it.


    And he felt that as long as the acupoints were perforated through before, even if they closed up again, it would be slightly easier to open them up next time. Along this process, Li Qing Shan had also accumulated quite a bit of experience and had greater understanding of the 4th level of the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡±.


    Li Qing Shan considered for a moment before taking out another medicinal pill. It was as if it had just hit dawn and the pill resembled the clear dewdrops stuck on the flower petals. Rather than a Qi Condensation Pill, it was the Dewdrop Pill he had acquired from Diao Fei. This was what Diao Fei was keeping for himself to reach the 4th level of Qi Refining. To use it to break through to the second level of Qi Refining was wasteful, but for a person with no reserves like Li Qing Shan, it was somehow appropriate.


    However, if he failed to break through upon eating it, he would have wasted a pill of great quality.


    Without too much hesitation, Li Qing Shan decided to take a gamble.


    When the Dewdrop pill slid into his abdomen from the throat, Li Qing Shan clearly felt its cool and rounded texture. Yet, as soon as it entered his abdomen, it turned into a stirring flood.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    When the torrents merged into his True Qi, it immediately merged with the stream in his body, which caused it to become a rampaging river which broke past his Shen, Bo Shen and Fu Yang acupoints with almost no obstruction. Only after breaking through the Ju Liao acupoint and reaching his shoulder to reach the Yu Shu acupoint did it meet slight resistance.


    However, Li Qing Shan had already gathered all his focus, how could he be stopped here? The three acupoints on his shoulders were all broken through subsequently as well.


    At this time, there appeared to be some insufficiencies in his True Qi, but he had already made preparations long ago. Consuming one Qi Condensation Pill after another, he managed to take this momentum to push his True Qi to break through another 4 acupoints on his face: Di Cang, Ju Liao, Cheng Qi and Qing Ming acupoints respectively.


    The True Qi had already come very close to the brain and now required extreme caution when handling it. Plenty of Qi Refining experts lost control of their True Qi at this moment and caused it to rush towards the brain which resulted in them becoming retarded. Li Qing Shan obviously did not want such a result.


    Up till now, there was no danger as he broke through the acupoints, and within his body, 11 points lit up, like the stars in a dark universe. A dim line connected these points as if it were a constellation.


    The last point on the constellation was located at the Feng Chi acupoint behind his brain. As long as he managed to open up this acupoint, then he would have succeeded in opening up his Yang Heel Vessel and would have opened up a path for True Qi to circulate in his body, which was the so called 2nd Level Qi Refining level.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    However, he had almost no True Qi left, and the medicinal powers from Qi Condensation Pills were not able to replenish his True Qi from such a distance. It was like an army that was broken off from its supply troops, which would soon fall into chaos and doom.


    He only felt extreme exhaustion, as if he had undergone a very difficult journey up till now. He could clearly see the end point, yet he was unable to take another step. As long as the True Qi struck the Feng Chi acupoint, then that would be the moment that his previous efforts would go to waste. However, he was not able to stop the True Qi from going onwards.


    Was he going to fail?


    Done done note: Attached below is a picture of the Yang Heel Vessel path. It actually does exist and is based off Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge of the human body. The Yang Heel Vessel Path is one of 8 miraculous meridian paths in our body. When there is an excess of Yang Qi in our body, it is difficult for us to fall asleep and we experience insomnia. If there is an issue in the Yang Heel Vessel Path, there will be a condition in which the muscles inside the body relax whereas the muscles outside the body end up paralysed. A main symptom of your Yang Heel Vessel having issues is when you start having headaches and insomnia when you attempt to sleep!


    If you guys like these extra tidbits of info do let me know. I¡¯ll try to keep them up for future chapters!

 Chapter 134

    Chapter 134: Second Level Of Qi Refining- April 02, 2018


    The book ¡°Jin Gang Classic¡± was thrown to the floor. Little An then jumped up on Li Qing Shan¡¯s back and pointed his finger at the back of Qing Shan¡¯s head at the Wind Pool Acupoint.


    Instantly, he heard a bell-like noise at his ears.


    True Qi rushed towards his final goal, past the insurmountable obstacle, and finally slipped in easily, as if that wasn¡¯t an indestructible wall but a soft sponge.


    The last spiritual light lit up and spread to its surroundings. It was like a Jiang River that returned to the great seas, where the True Qi endlessly flowed in the Yang Heel Vessel, without any more obstructions.


    Li Qing Shan finally opened up his first meridian and trained until he reached the 2nd Level of Qi Refining.


    The Yang Heel Vessel was like a great street, from his head to his feet, born within his body and connecting his entire entity. These acupoints would never close again and each and every lit acupoint represented the birth of a difference within his body.


    Li Qing Shan opened both his eyes and discovered how the scenery in his room became ever more clearer, as if everything had a layer of dust wiped off of it. The songs and sounds of the crickets and birds outside became ever more resonant and he even felt that he himself could count how many creatures were making noises. The occasional leaf that fell from a gust of wind could even create a tremor-like noise in his ears when it landed on the roof tiles.


    His sense of smell was in fact the one that improved the least. He could smell the blossoming of a wild flower outside as well as the dew that was emitted by grass that evaporated due to the night heat. Even his sense of taste improved without a need for testing.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    This was due to the opening of the Earth Cang, Ju Liao, Cheng Qi and Qing Ming acupoints (all of which are on the face) which led to the strengthening of his 5 senses.


    When he got up and off the bed and stepped on the floor, it was as if there was an extra air cushion under his feet that enabled his whole body to feel lighter. He felt like if he used even the slightest bit of strength, then he would be able to fly. This was the change that was brought about by the opening of the 3 acupoints on his leg, which were the Shen Mai, Pu Can and Fu Yang acupoints respectively.


    He then casually lifted his hand and lighted up the Nao Yu, Jian Yu and Ju Gu acupoints, causing True Qi to naturally flow to his palm, breaking out of the palm and hitting the wall, leaving a palm imprint in the meantime.


    All his moves seemed ever so natural and fluid. He felt as If his whole body was linked as a single entity and his manipulation of True Qi was quicker by multiple times.


    It was like the *Emperor Yang¡¯s opening of the Beijing ¨C Hangzhou Grand Canal which linked the North to the South, allowing the movement of goods to be more fluid and improving the entire country¡¯s economic movement. These acupoints were comparatively speaking, the traffic control points in his body.


    However, all these points were insignificant compared to the Wind Pool Acupoint because what it controlled was not just the body¡¯s Qi flow.


    The Wind Pool Acupoint is where the Negative Wind in the body ends up accumulating in. According to the ¡°Bone Gap Theory¡± (actually exists!) where there are clouds, wind will gather and will be the source and origin of diseases. When negative wind enters the brain, a hundred diseases can be borne from it and as such it is an essential acupoint on the body.


    At the moment he opened up the Wind Pool Acupoint, there was a strand of Qi that rushed through, as if there was a new facial organ that appeared just outside the mouth and nose that could breathe, however, it did not breathe in air but rather the Qi of Heaven and Earth.


    Of course, this could not be considered as communicating and linking with the Qi of Heaven and Earth but this would be the first time that one could feel the existence of Spiritual Qi naturally. It was like the wind, flowing endlessly in the surroundings.


    When he recited the 4th level sutras of the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡±, there would be an occasional ¡°wind¡± that would enter the body from the back of his brain which would flow to the bottom of the feet. This would cause him to tremble uncontrollably and feel nothing but comfort throughout his whole body.


    The back of the brains of vicious beasts had Transverse bones which would grant them sentience when refined. The back of the brains of humans had the Wind Pool acupoint instead, which would allow them to communicate with the natural world once it had been opened up.


    Li Qing Shan let out a breath softly. This method of Qi Refining techniques by the humans was simply impressive. Also, he felt that Qi refining was beneficial to demon cultivators as well. It was like how his body grew stronger when his demonic form grew bigger.


    The two were complimentary and were beneficial to the other.


    ¡°Could it be that the things left to me within the jade ring by Brother Ox was to motivate me to continue Qi Refining, so that I can continue on to merge these two different styles of cultivation so as to search for my own path?¡± Li Qing Shan guessed as such, but with his small accomplishments in both cultivations so far, he was far from achieving such feats.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    There was a saying ¡°The stones on other hills can be used to refine my jades¡± Now that he had two jade hills, with the collisions between the two, what kind of achievements could he attain? (The saying is basically going on about how borrowing other styles/people/things to basically perfect/refine one¡¯s own things.)


    Li Qing Shan had to supress the anticipation and joy in his heart before he asked Little An: ¡°Just now it was you who helped me out?¡± For him to so easily open up the Wind Pool Acupoint was definitely not a coincidence.


    Little An;s blood flames in his eye sockets were dimming. It seemed that that one point had wasted quite a fair bit of his mental effort.


    During Li Qing Shan¡¯s cultivation, he was staring closely at him until his sights could see through Li Qing Shan¡¯s skin and muscles just like the X-rays of modern medicinal equipment. However, his stare was able to obtain clearer images of Qing Shan¡¯s body than any of such equipment.


    He saw the existence of a meridian as well as the rising of Li Qing Shan¡¯s True Qi rising till the very top yet not having enough energy to open up the acupoint at the very peak behind his brain.


    Thus, at this critical juncture, he pointed towards the Wind Pool Acupoint.


    The so-called human body was merely the fusion of skeleton and meat. Even the most miraculous meridians and the most mysterious of acupoints still had to have blood and flesh as its foundation. And clearly the ¡°Face of the Undead¡± scripture was the best at manipulating both.


    Little An still had a very weak cultivation, and had not even finished working up to the first level of the ¡°Face of the Undead¡±, if not with only a finger, he would be able to crush bones and strip meat from bone. Although he did not have such strength currently, but he was still able to help Li Qing Shan out in his crucial moment.


    The finger of his required extreme diligence and care because the back of the brain was originally a weak point of humans. If he messed up, it could possibly end up with Qing Shan dying. If not for the strength of Qing Shan¡¯s body, Little An would not dare to try to assist him. The amount of mental effort that he put in was more so than that he usually used when fighting horrifying demons and creatures in battle.


    Little An grabbed a pen and wrote his last word before Li Qing Shan understood the reason behind Little An being able to help him. He couldn¡¯t help but gasp: ¡° This ¡°Face of the Undead¡± is simply too strong. If I had your help, then wouldn¡¯t my Qi Refining be much easier?¡±


    Little An shook his head and wrote down 5 words with the leftover ink from before ¡°More haste is still insufficient¡±


    Li Qing Shan replied: ¡°Is that so? I just want to quickly finish cultivating the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡± and then switch cultivation techniques.¡±


    Little An then wrote on paper and asked Li Qing Shan some questions on the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡±


    Li Qing Shan was surprisingly unable to answer them and realised that he had clearly not finished understanding the scripture. He asked in shock: ¡°Did you cultivate in this scripture before?¡±


    Little An shook his head and then nodded his head before going back to writing.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Turns out that when Yan Song taught Qing Shan, Little An was quietly listening and he felt that there were some points of familiarity. When he witnessed Li Qing Shan breaking through to the second level of Qi Refining, this sense of familiarity grew stronger and he naturally understood many key points of the scripture and felt that Qing Shan¡¯s method of cultivation was somewhat different. Hence, he could not hold back his urge to ask these questions.


    Originally, Qing Shan did not think the scripture to be that complicated, but after listening to the perspective of Little An, he felt enlightened. In the path of Qi Refining, he was like an elementary school student that was diligently calculating the multiplication table when the 9x9 multiplication list fell from the sky.


    He touched Little An¡¯s head and laughed bitterly: ¡°Turns out that my comprehension is so bad!¡±


    Actually, it wasn¡¯t that Qing Shan was not comprehensive enough, but rather that he lacked guidance from anyone else during his path on Qi Refining.


    Cultivation focussed on 4 key factors ¡°Resources, Comprehension, Skills and Land¡±. Comprehension was second in place and referred to mostly things like master-disciple relations. Any person required a senior to guide them. Only by standing on the shoulder of giants could one save effort in seeking further knowledge.


    Little An relied not really on his comprehension but rather the memories he had deep down inside.


    Little An did not know how to comfort him in this point of time and Li Qing Shan merely laughed: ¡°Then in the future, I am going to have to rely on your guidance! However, you not being able to speak is quite inconvenient. Once you condense a body of flesh then it will be easier. Don¡¯t worry, that won¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Qing Shan then continued meditating and followed Little An¡¯s guidance as he restarted his cultivation from the first level to the 4th level to slowly stabilise his cultivation.


    After eating so many Qi Condensation Pills, he realised that the number of Qi Condensation Pills he had left were not more than 30. Instantly, from a rich man he fell back to being a poor one. This was the price of walking both paths. For the following period of time, he would likely not have any more ¡°earnings¡± and the rest of his pills would require detailed rationing.


    When dawn broke out, his door was knocked upon. Li Qing Shan went downstairs to open the door and only saw Diao Fei and Qian Rong Zheng at the door before he asked: ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Diao Fei and Rong Zheng were about to open their mouths before they forgot what they wanted to say as they stared at Qing Shan in shock. ¡°You broke through to the second level already?¡± Last night, they were still in awe over Qing Shan¡¯s cultivation speed and yet today it was like they were hit in the head with a large club. Just as Qing Shan felt bad about his comprehension in the face of Little An, Diao Fei and Rong Zheng could only be jealous of his genius.


    Qing Shan slowly nodded: ¡°Yep, just needed to put in a little effort. If there¡¯s nothing, I am going back to train.¡± As he said so, he was about to close the door.


    ¡°Wait, didn¡¯t we say it already last night? The trial!¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot.¡± Qing Shan said in realisation.


    The two congratulated him half-heartedly for his breakthrough before Qing Shan kept his stuff and brought Little An to go collect his task with the other two.


    On the way when he met the Wolf Guard members, they were all shocked and congratulated Qing Shan with a weird face on. After all, for cultivators, there was nothing better than breaking through to the next level. No matter how one thought, they would not lack the basic courtesy.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    This was also a respect towards one¡¯s strength. The second level of Qi Refining was a base in the Eagle Wolf Guard. However, when Li Qing Shan was merely the first level he could easily defeat one from the second level, even sparring evenly against those of the third level. With today¡¯s breakthrough, his strength in Jia Ping¡¯s Wolf Guard could be considered to be in the upper tier.


    Coming to the main building of the Wolf Guard, Zhuo Zhi Bo personally waited there. For the newbies to receive their first trial, it would usually be the leader personally tasking them with it. When he saw Qing Shan, he was shocked, and then he smiled: ¡°Another breakthrough? It seems that the youths with potential have an unlimited future.¡±


    Qing Shan replied him casually: ¡°It was but my luck leader Zhuo, may we know our task this time?¡±


    Zhuo Zhi Bo waved his hand and a green shirted servant brought up a document for them to see. Qing Shan opened it up and even with his usual composure, he couldn¡¯t help but be shocked.


    Done Done note: Yo guys! Apologies for the delay, had some work to do in China and all. Will post some pics from my journey there that you guys might be able to link to the wuxia that you all have read! Look forward to it!


    Now time to delve into the Wind Pool Acupoint:


    Wind: Refers to the natural flow of air in the environment


    Pool: Refers to a storage of water as well as the water content in humans


    The naming of Wind Pool refers to how the Blood Qi in our body can be converted to Yang Wind Qi. Other acupoints can transmit Moist Qi in our bodies and when they enter this acupoint, because it receives heating from the outside, the humid Qi will disperse and spread to all over the head as Yang Wing Qi, hence the name, Wind Pool Acupoint. S?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Imbalance of heat in this acupoint tends to lead to headaches, insomnia and eye fatigue so do take care of the back of your neck! Attached below is a diagram of it!

 Chapter 135

    Chapter 135: A thousand Qi Condensation Pills! - April 08, 2018


    If Zhuo Zhi Bo had the intent to harm him and sent him to any dangerous lands, he would not be so shocked.


    However, in the documents he gave out, it used a clear red ink to state ¡°Ancient Wind City, Qian Family!¡±


    Diao Fei and Li Qing Shan both looked at Qian Rong Zheng. Her face had not a single look of surprise and she remained smiling.


    Zhuo Zhi Bo said: ¡°You lot don¡¯t need to look anymore. Rong Zheng has chosen to uphold justice and vanquish her relatives. Reporting the illegal acts of her Qian Family which are clear signs of treason against the Great Xia¡¯s laws, it has already been stated in the above.¡±


    Diao Fei also looked at his copy of the documents. On the above, it wrote the various crimes of the Qian family. There were even a few families who because of making a little fuss over the rent being too high and thus being erased within a night by the Qian family. There was also an instance when Qian Ting Nian took fancy to a lady he saw on the city streets and upon knowing that she was married, he insisted on taking her away from her family. He ordered his subordinates to kill her husband and kidnap the wife, forcibly making her one of his own concubines. There was even an official that was deployed there that because of his unwillingness to be a puppet of theirs that ended up being killed. There were tens of crimes all listed in detail and written down in black and white, all of which deserved the death sentence easily.


    His upbringing was that from a sect, and there were few people there. Even though there were spots of darkness here and there, but it was not as filthy as this. He could not help but ask: ¡°Is this real?¡±


    Li Qing Shan did not suspect the authenticity of these crimes. The Qian family monopolised the Ancient Wind City. It was to the point where even the law enforcers had no power. Absolute power led to absolute corruption. It was not strange for them to act as they pleased. He was only curious as to why Qian Rong Zheng would do things as such.


    Lightly muttering: ¡°Uphold justice? Vanquish relatives?¡± Could it be that Qian Rong Zheng wanted to lead him back to her turf and then harm him there? This was the most logical explanation. But bringing a disaster back home just to harm him didn¡¯t make sense. What was Qian Rong Zheng planning? For the Qian family to enter the list of names on the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s list would surely not have any good results?¡±


    Li Qing Shan decided to continue reading. Below were the cultivation levels of famous people in the Qian family. The first was the head of the Qian family, Qian Ting Nian, 5th Level of Qi Refining. There were none at the 4th level of Qi Refining, 2 at the 3rd Level, 5 at the 2nd level and 13 at the 1st level.


    Li Qing Shan lifted his head: ¡°Leader Zhuo, isn¡¯t our first task a little too difficult?¡± At least on the surface, just the 3 of them were clearly unable to shake the very foundations of the Qian family.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhuo Zhi Bo looked at Li Qing Shan, seemingly wanting to discover from his face any trace of evidence that he had anything to do with Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s death. However, he was ultimately disappointed. ¡°I also cannot just depend on rumours and news from a single source, so this mission is not for you lot to kill them, but to investigate. If Rong Zheng¡¯s words are without error, then you lot will have to return to report. I will personally head on over to clean up. A few days later will be Qian Ting Nian¡¯s longevity banquet(basically birthday celebration for really old people). You guys will head over in the name of wishing him greater longevity and with Rong Zheng as an inside agent, then it will be too simple.¡±


    Li Qing Shan then replied: ¡°I am just afraid that it won¡¯t be that simple.¡±


    Zhuo Zhi Bo remained smiling as he said: ¡°All of the missions of the Eagle Wolf Guard carry risks. However, the greater the risks, the greater the rewards. Flip to the second page to see.¡±


    Li Qing Shan flipped to the second page of the document. This was apparently a piece of ¡°Asset analysis chart¡±, it was a prediction of the amount of medicinal pills, spiritual tools and other benefits. There were even comments that stated that after the longevity banquet, the rewards would be even greater. Unless it was a person from the Qian family, one would not know such details of their treasury to such an extent.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Zhuo Zhi Bo continued to tempt them as he said: ¡°If the facts are discovered to be true after the investigation, I hope that you lot will directly ¡°finish¡± this matter, reducing the amount of work on my part. Although Qian Ting Nian is of the 5th level of Qi Refining, he is already very old and is not as strong as his reputation calls of it. According to the rules, the rewards from your mission will all belong to you. Originally, the trial mission does not have Work Points, but if you lot manage to do it, then I will award each of you 500 Work Points.¡±


    Li Qing Shan said: ¡°It seems tough to reject ah. Ok, I am taking it, when do we set off?¡± Rejecting this mission would be meaningless anyway. Since Zhuo Zhi Bo still seemed to maintain a peaceful appearance, then he would maintain it for now. No matter how many traps and conspiracies there were, he would break through them all with his strength righteously. He would like to see what traps there were that would trap this demonic being.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    --


    On the clear river waters, a 2 storey high boat floated along, with a bold eagle sewn onto its sails. This was the personal boat of the Eagle Wolf Guard, made with exquisite design and meticulous craftsmanship. The decorations on the inside of the boat were even more luxurious, and it had functions that were extraordinary, as it was able to sail upstream on its own on an even faster speed than that Great Dragon Boat that Li Qing Shan sat on when he sailed downstream. All boats that encountered theirs only avoided, even the Great Dragon Boat.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    A youth was sitting on the boat, seemingly admiring the sights and sounds of the two cliffs he saw ahead. There would be the occasional wave that hit that drenched his shirt as he played with a couple of Spirit Stones in his hands, which he paid no heed to.


    Qing Shan was thinking about the plans for this mission. However, he was clearly not a thinker and had no way to guess what would happen and could only adapt as he went along. There was only one point he could confirm, and that was it would not be appropriate to transform into his demon form to take action. Otherwise, he could only avoid the masses to take action, which would also cause him to become a point of suspicion, However, he believed in his own strength and that it was enough to handle a majority of situations.


    ¡°My lord, the other two lords are asking you to go inside the cabin!¡± A worker on the boat said respectfully.


    Qing Shan went inside and Diao Fei courteously asked: ¡°Qing Shan, let¡¯s discuss our tactics for later on!¡±


    Qing Shan answered: ¡°How about we ask her instead! Qian Rong Zheng, what are you intending on doing? Trying to lure me to Ancient Wind City to kill me? Trying to avenge your unlucky older brother?¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng seductively smiled: ¡°Are you that easy to kill? You finally admitted to killing Qian Rong Ming! I was originally suspecting Diao Fei, but it was actually you! However, he is not my older brother!¡±


    Qing Shan said: ¡°So what if I admit to it. He isn¡¯t your older brother? Then isn¡¯t he just your younger brother?¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng replied: ¡°Neither. We don¡¯t have a shred of blood relation. It was only because I had the talent for Qi Refining that I was adopted by Qian Ting Nian. We are barely considered siblings. If he died then so be it, I don¡¯t have any intent on taking revenge for him. So, you don¡¯t have to be so warry of me. The three of us took the same boat over and left on the same boat. We can be considered to have some affinity with each other and we should work together to overcome any obstacles.¡± S~?a??h the N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Qing Shan was shocked as he said: ¡°So it turns out you weren¡¯t biological siblings. Can this even be considered a family?¡± [Qing Shan is referring to how it seemed that people from their Qian family aren¡¯t biologically related yet claim to be a family group]


    Qian Rong Zheng coldly laughed: ¡°What family! At most they can only bully ordinary people. I heard that true big families are able to refine medicine and allow children without talents to become Qi Refiners as well. Families like that of the Qian don¡¯t even have people of their own bloodline protecting their own family and don¡¯t deserve to be considered to be anything good!¡±


    Qing Shan only then knew that there was such a thing. Listening to her tone, he strangely asked: ¡°Are you really intent on making enemies with the Qian Family this time? Aren¡¯t you indebted to the Qian family?¡± To allow a normal person to become a Qi Refiner could easily be considered an act of kindness, but Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s attitude was too strange.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    She touched her face as she laughed: ¡°Yes, I owe them a lot, so isn¡¯t my returning to pay back my gratitude?¡±


    The coldness on her face let even Diao Fei and Qing Shan, who had witnessed many life and death affairs, feel a slight shiver.


    Qian Rong Zheng replied: ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that. I have acted for long enough, and endured for long enough. As long as you all help me out this one time, I am at your command.¡±


    Towards such a suggestion, not only Qing Shan, even Diao Fei felt no tugs at his heartstrings. As long as one was matured enough, then one would not be tempted by merely the beauty of others, to the point where they could lose their lives. Unless, one had practised the art of seduction like Fu Rong did.


    Diao Fei carefully answered: ¡°I do not wish to be enemies with a 5th Level Qi Refiner. Our job is merely to investigate. You are part of the Qian family so you must know where the Pill Refinery is at. We don¡¯t have to completely antagonise Qian Ting Nian on the surface.¡±


    Rong Zheng lashed out at him: ¡°Coward, once the pills are refined, they would be immediately sent to the hands of Qian Ting Nian and stored in his Hundred Treasure Pouch. Can you not be so scared by his reputation when you have not even seen his face?¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Diao Fei angrily stood up. Qing Shan raised him arm and blocked him before telling Rong Zheng: ¡°I have no interest in fighting someone who has a cultivation base 3 levels higher than me. If this is your plan then I suggest you quit it. After our investigations, we will leave immediately. It can¡¯t be that that Qian Ting Nian dares to offend the Eagle Wolf Guard?¡±


    Rong Zheng finally settled down: ¡°Do you know why there aren¡¯t any 4th Level Qi Refiners in the Qian Family? It¡¯s because that old fart is already weak beyond belief and does not even have to confidence to suppress anyone at the level of the 4th level. From his fear of losing his power as the head of the family, he would cut off their supply of medicinal pills for anyone that is about to breakthrough to the 4th level of Qi Refining.¡±


    Both Qing Shan and Diao Fei were shocked. Sacrificing the development of the family so as to protect one¡¯s rotting power and control. This type of family head was simply too scary.


    Rong Zheng said: ¡°At that time, I will first attack him secretly, then we will kill him together in one hit. The rest, I believe will not fall into the eyes of you two!¡±


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Qing Shan and Diao Fei both looked at each other. Not only Qing Shan did not even consider 3rd level Qi Refiners as a threat, even Diao Fei had confidence in his own battle experience and believed that a trash that was raised by a family that did not even fight to the death before would not be a match for him.


    Lastly, Rong Zheng dealt the heaviest blow: ¡°Qian Ting Nian¡¯s Hundred Treasure Pouch contains at least over 300 Qi Condensation Pills as well as many other valuable spiritual medicines which will not be worse than that Dewdrop Pill. Although the spiritual tools cannot be compared with those from the Eagle Wolf Guard, but there will at least be quite a few, which are worth at least a few hundred Qi Condensation Pills. Along with the items in the hands of other Qi Refiners, the total value will most likely hit at least a thousand Qi Condensation Pills.¡±


    Qing Shan and Diao Fei were both shocked by this number. The Qian Family was clearly like its name(Qian in Chinese stands for money). It was clearly a living treasury. Although it was a family that did not deserve to be in the ranks of top families, it was at least a family that existed for up to a hundred years and had reserves that were beyond small. There was a saying that ¡°Taels of gold could move even a human heart¡±. The greed that Qi Refiners had for Spiritual Medicine and Tools were clearly not below that of normal people¡¯s greed for Pure Gold and Silver, and even surpassed it to some extent.


    Rong Zheng stretched out her hand and Diao Fei hesitated before putting his hand on top. Then, Qing Shan stretched out his hand as well to stack the three of them together.


    And this, to achieve a common goal, the three of them decided to ally together as they headed towards the Ancient Wind City despite their suspicions towards one another as well as their antagonistic relations with one another.


    First, they took a boat, then they switched to horses and after rushing down the road, they reached their destination after 5 days.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Immediately, a person from the city saw Rong Zheng and shouted: ¡°The lady has returned, quickly report to the Family Head!¡±


    Qing Shan then noticed Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s expression change without any prior notice, returning to the same as it was when he had first met her. Prideful with a few traces of reservations, as if she was proud to return to her family with her status. However, no one could imagine how terrifying was the hatred she had harboured in her heart as she stepped forth into Ancient Wind City.


    Done Done Note:


    Recently it¡¯s ÇåÃ÷½Ú£¬Clear Ming Festival, where one goes to their relatives tombs and cleans them up! Hence my late post! What one does during this period of time is that one will go back and clean the tomb and burn paper offerings to their relatives for them to have wealth in the underworld. Generally, it is commemorated within ten days before and after the festival so it takes place over 20 days! Don¡¯t be surprised to note the Chinese families burning stuff more than usual during this period of time because it is meant for their ancestors! People generally burn paper money, paper cars, and even paper airplanes and such to offer their relatives! Even if you don¡¯t commemorate this festival, maybe it¡¯s good to take this time to think about and pray for the happiness of your deceased relatives so as to have a peaceful and happy afterlife/reincarnation/whatever belief you have! Thank you for the support!


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/

 Chapter 136

    Chapter 136: Everything as per normal - April 22, 2018


    Ancient Wind City is a mountain city, located on the other side of the Cang Wu Mountain. The entire city was built on the mountain and the roads in the city were all sloped.


    Through the deep city gates, a bustling avenue appeared, spread diagonally upwards. At the end of it, there was a palace-like courtyard, which oversaw the entirety of the Ancient Wind City, which was even more domineering than that of the Eagle Wolf Guard in Jia Ping City.


    On both sides of the road, all of the households were lighting up lanterns and decorations, as if to welcome a grand festival, but on the pedestrian''s face, there was not the slice trace of slightest happiness.


    The news of Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s return with an identity of that of an Eagle Wolf Guard quickly spread to the magnificent official building in the courtyard. It was as if a certain machination was triggered as a hundred armed men rushed out to the street. Their rush caused the people on the street to be split and pushed to the edges of the alley. For every 10 steps there was a man situated, standing on the two sides of the road without ever crossing sights with anyone else.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    When the three horses passed, the men shouted with all their might, "Welcome back to the manor my lady!" Although the noises of the horseshoe clopping on the ground transmitted themselves loudly and clearly to the door of the manor ahead.


    Qian Rong Zheng held her head high and led the horse to the front. Li Qing Shan and Diao Fei trailed half a horse behind and followed her, as if they were here bodyguards.


    This was the result of their discussion these few days, where they would give face to Qian Rong Zheng, so as to dispel the wary heart of the Qian family. For that thousand Qi Condensation Pills, of course, this little matter is of no problem. However, Li Qing Shan felt that the state of Qian Rong Zheng at that very moment was not one of pretense. There was indeed a certain degree of contentment and pride within her appearance in returning home.


    The gates of the manor are as high as a few Zhang, and there were dozens of steps in front of them, which made them seem even more important. A pair of stone lions looked down majestically from which Li Qing Shan seemed to feel a few traces of cruelty.


    The red door opened with a boom. A skinny old man dressed in formal attire walked out from the door. It was actually the present head of the Qian Family, Qian Ting Nian, who personally came over to welcome the three people.


    "Family head, Rong Zheng was beyond fortunate as she managed to join the Eagle Wolf Guard." Qian Rong Zheng got down her horse and almost got to bow. However, before she had time to bow down, she was held by the arm by a pair of skinny hands: "Didn''t I say before? Just call me Grandpa. You are now an official! How can you bow to this old man?"


    Li Qing Shan and Diao Fei took a look at each other. Qian Ting Nian¡¯s swift action was shockingly fast. He did not have the slowness of an old man at all. Although he was gentle and eloquent, he had a domineering aura to him. This was the natural pressure a powerful Qi Refiner exuded towards weaker ones.


    Qian Ting Nian said: "These two must be the peers of Zheng Er!" (Er is commonly attached to a single word of one¡¯s name to indicate familiarity, whether as a lover, family member or close friend)


    Diao Fei clasped his hands together: "It is precisely in the name of Leader Zhuo that we accompany Rong Zheng to return to her hometown and congratulate Elder Qian for his 132 year longevity celebration."


    Li Qing Shan followed with the gesture and smiled. He was only concerned with looking at the biggest goal of this trip. Qian Ting Nian¡¯s hair was sparsely white, his face was covered with faint old aged spots, and his nose was soft, like a rubber that was about to melt down and fall off. His skinny body was dressed in traditional clothing, seeming like an old monkey dressed in human clothes. It was half comical and half disgusting.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    If not for the twinkle in his eyes, and the swift rabbit-like action from before, Li Qing Shan would have almost doubted whether this old man who was about to die would be the greatest enemy that they would face in this trip.


    In the absence of dark injuries, a first-rate martial artist could only live to about a hundred years. A Fifth Level Qi Refining practitioner can only have a few more decades than that. At this age, Qian Ting Nian¡¯s cultivation had indeed started to decline. The information that Qian Rong Zheng released was indeed not false.


    After looking at the treasure pouches on Qian Ting Nian¡¯s waist, he wondered if there were a few hundred Qi Condensation Pills in there. His gaze was now over his shoulders, staring at the group of people behind the gate. Or more precisely, a group of Qi Refiners. There were men and women, young and old, and even scholars and monks that were not of the Qian family that came for the longevity festival. Those that came over to offer their congratulations were not as enthusiastic when looking at the trio. There were even gazes of contempt and coldness.


    Li Qing Shan remembered Zhou Wen Bin''s remarks. Their group of government hunting animals were very repelled in the entire cultivation world, especially those of sects. Everyone liked to be free and unsupervised, and the Eagle Wolf Guard just had to be the policing body of all under the heavens, being the representative maintaining the law and order in the world.


    Qian Ting Nian waved his hand: "Please!"


    ......


    In a secret chamber, Qian Ting Nian¡¯s face lost his magnanimity that he displayed in front of everyone. Instead, he looked at Qian Rong Zheng with his eyes red. ¡°What about Qian Rong Ming?¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng mourned and cried: "Rong Ming, Rong Ming was killed!¡±


    "What!" Qian Ting Nian firmly grasped the shoulders of Qian Rong Zheng: "Who is it, who did it? Why are you okay?" Qian Rong Ming was not adopted into the family, but had in actual fact possessed the authentic blood of his Qian family. He had married many without much regard and amongst his hundred over grandchildren, he was one of those that possessed sufficient talent.


    Qian Rong Zheng replied: "It was Li Qing Shan. It is the boy who came with me today. He is the murderer of Rong Ming!" She actually recounted the story of the matter to him, with its exact details.


    Qian Ting Nian can only accept this fact, and wickedly said: "If he is not an Eagle Wolf Guard, I will surely cut him to pieces." Then with a thin hand, he stroked Rong Zheng¡¯s delicate cheek: "At least there is still you.¡± His eyes then flashed with obscene light.


    Qian Rong Zheng said: "Grandpa, you are willing to let them off, but they will not let you off!"


    "What did you say?" Qian Ting Nian was shocked.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    ¡°We have come here on a secret mission under the Eagle Wolf Guard to investigate the Qian family!¡±


    "How is this possible? I have managed the Ancient Wind City strictly! What I should have paid I have not been stingy about, why would the Eagle Wolf Guard come looking for me!" The lusty light in Qian Ting Nian¡¯s eyes disappeared, and some hint of panic appeared. For small families such as themselves, the thing they fear most is the Eagle Wolf Guard. Once in the sight of the Eagle Wolf Guard, they would be hunted by the Eagles and devoured by the wolves.


    Qian Rong Zheng explained: ¡°It is all that Li Qing Shan¡¯s fault! He took brother Rong Ming¡¯s treasure pouch, became greedy, envied my fortunes, and even told Leader Zhuo bad things about the Qian family.¡±


    Qian Ting Nian said: "And you didn¡¯t bother explaining for the Qian Family? What is your use for? Bitch, did you think about rebelling against the Qian Family?"


    Qian Rong Zheng replied: ¡°How could I not try to appease the situation? But Li Qing Shan has a background in the Clear River Prefecture. He didn¡¯t even need to take part in the trials to enter the Eagle Wolf Guard and Zhuo Zhi Bo does not even dare to offend him. Thus, he ordered us to come and investigate. Rong Zheng has a huge debt of gratitude towards the Qian Family, thus she can have today¡¯s achievements. Without the Qian Family, without Grandfather, then there would not be today¡¯s Rong Zheng, so how could I betray the Qian Family?¡± Talking, and as if utterly wanting to cry, she seemed as if she wanted to die.


    Qian Ting Nian thought of her past obedient behaviour and his face calmed down slightly: ¡°What should we do now? Do we give him some bribes, or not, you will have to sacrifice for the Qian family.¡±


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Qian Rong Zheng said: ¡°Grandpa, he is a hungry wolf who eats people without spewing bones. As long as the entire Qian family is swallowed, how can it be compared to trying to ward him off with a bone? If you don¡¯t believe it, look carefully at the reaction of both of them.¡±


    Qian Ting Nian said: "How can this be done? If I did not listen to you, and let you join the Eagle Wolf Guard, how could we attract such a calamity?"


    Qian Rong Zheng revealed a cruel expression: "You must not let them, especially Li Qing Shan, live when he leaves Ancient Wind City."


    Qian Ting Nian said: "You are asking me to murder an Eagle Wolf Guard!?"


    "As long as Li Qing Shan is not eliminated, the Qian Family will have no peace. I will reason their deaths to be due to something else. Grandpa, this is all for the Qian family."


    After a long time, Qian Rong Zheng walked out of the secret chamber, and the bright sunshine seemed to dispel the darkness in her heart as she walked out of the courtyard. A middle-aged man stood in front of her.


    "Brother!" Qian Rong Zheng respectfully greeted.


    A middle-aged man touched her cheek, and Qian Rong Zheng leaned her head away. "Brother, don''t!" (The whole Qian family is so damned horny man.)


    This old man is Qian Ting Nian¡¯s eldest grandson, Qian Xing Wei. Although he does not have the qualifications to refine Qi, he was still a martial artist. He was a major caretaker of the entire Qian family.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Qian Xing Wei was furious and pinched Qian Rong¡¯s chin: ¡°Stop being arrogant and acting up. Don¡¯t think that once you become an Eagle Wolf Guard, you can just shake your tail to reach the heavens. As long as you are a member of the Qian Family, you have to listen to me. Don¡¯t forget about your debt to the Qian Family."


    Qian Rong Zheng said: "Yes, big brother, Rong Zheng doesn¡¯t dare." Suddenly a few people came from afar and Qian Xing Wei let go of her and ordered: "Come to my room at night." As he watched her walk away, he even spit: "So what if you are a Qi Refiner?"


    He could not see the dark smile on her face.


    Everyone has to pay a price.


    ......


    As the night fell, the lights came on.


    In the hall, there are many people who have gathered and greeted each other. They are all important guests who have come to give their congratulations during the longevity festival. Although it is only the day after that the longevity festival would take place, in order to show respect, the guests would gather a day before. Amongst them, the most respected are definitely the ten or so Qi Refiners. Li Qing Shan and Diao Fei relied on their identities as Eagle Wolf Guards to sit on the upper seats.


    When Qian Ting Nian introduced them to the audience, he said, "This is the young hero of the Eagle Wolf Guard, Li Qing Shan!"


    Regardless of what the people thought in their minds, they all gave their respective salutations.


    "You called Li Qing Shan?" a sharp voice sounded, Li Qing Shan looked for a voice and only saw a scholar that was seated, his hair scattered, a wild aura about him. He was also a 3rd level Qi Refiner and looked over with unkind intentions.


    Li Qing Shan said: "I am, may I know what are you?"


    ¡°This one is called ¡°Eccentric Life¡± Gong Liang Bai, from Han Feng Academy.¡± Qian Ting Nian introduced the two people, and then asked Gong Liang Bai: ¡°What, you seem to know Lord Li?¡±


    In this world where the magistrates are all powerful Qi Refiners, academies are not just for reading. Like Buddhism and Taoism, the practice of martial arts is commonplace in such institutions.


    Gong Liang Bai did not look at Qian Ting Nian, and only stared at Li Qing Shan: "Do you know Wei Dan Dong?"


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Li Qing Shan said: "I don''t know."


    Gong Liang Bai said: "He knows you, if my guess is good, you come from Qing Yang City? My younger martial brother went there a few months ago for a trip. He had bad bone structure ever since he was young and he was looking for a way to cure that. Yet, he never returned"


    Li Qing Shan suddenly remembered that when he was in Qing Yang City, the sick scholar who had tried to seize the spiritual ginseng was the first to die in his hands in front of the Snow Wing Temple. The other top masters were all middle-aged and only he was about twenty years old. As such, his impression of him was much deeper.


    "It seems that I have seen him before!"


    Gong Liang Bai raised himself: "And then?" S?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qing Shan replied: "I killed him."


    (DOWNRIGHT SAVAGE)


    Done done note: Apologies for the inconsistent uploads recently, been caught up with some IRL stuff. Hope you lot have a great day ahead! Also, this arc is going to get real bloody, hope y¡¯all can guess where Rong Zheng¡¯s true allegiance lies soon HAHAHA!

 Chapter 137

    Chapter 137: A light gift with heavy feelings - May 08, 2018


    Gong Liang Bai got up, eyes widened, and pointed his finger at Li Qing Shan. At that moment, he was speechless. It seemed that he did not expect Qing Shan to be so honest and upfront regarding his confession.


    Li Qing Shan calmly drank and said lightly, "You are all scholars and have read books written by the saints of the past, but you actually trained robbers who killed others simply to wrest away their goods. To actually need me to clean up after the mess your sect has made, you should take this time and go back to reflect!"


    He also did not expect to encounter his enemies here. Come to think about it, this place was clearly not too far away from Qing Yang City. To be more specific, he had just come out of the mountain and had already bumped into Qian Rong Zheng. The news of the spiritual ginseng would surely bring in the experts in the nearby regions. This region clearly had a few hundred Qi Refining Warriors. To say it was a lot was inappropriate. For a few to be pulled out of the region to conduct their respective search was not surprising, let alone for them to end up in the Ancient Wind City area.


    Original Translation at https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    But for such a thieving scholar, why did he have to react as such to his death? What was killed was killed. Nothing would change from that.


    (Done Done note: This guy is from our world yet acts even more barbaric than them LOL)


    The guests immediately began talking about him. ¡°Turns out there was such an enmity between them!¡± ¡°This wolf guard is simply too arrogant. To kill people and in the end make it sound like he was doing a favour for their sect by clearing their trash.¡± ¡°Yeah, how gutsy must he be to dare to speak to a 3rd Level Qi Refiner when he is only of the 2nd level!" "Be quieter, don''t get us embroiled in their mess."


    Although they did not understand the origin of the matter, most of the crowd instinctively stood on the side of Han Feng College. Both scholar and legalist families are arguably one of the hundred strongest families, and they are part of the forces of the Great Xia Dynasty. But for most of the Qi Refiners, a scholar would indubitably look better to them as compared to one from the local authority.


    Meanwhile, Qian Rong Zheng and Diao Fei, were in contrast more accustomed to this attitude of Li Qing Shan. As long as he believed himself on the side of reason, he would never back down. Even towards Zhao Liang Qing and Zhuo Zhi Bo he had already taken up such an attitude, let alone a mere scholar.


    A gust of invisible True Qi broke out from his body and straightened out Gong Liang Bai¡¯s robes while flipping over the thick table in front of him, creating quite a fair bit of a ruckus.


    "My younger martial brother, was only one step away from breakthrough, and was supposed to soon be able to advance to the second stage of Qi Refining¡­, yet because of you¡­!"


    Original Translation at https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Li Qing Shan remained seated: "Then it¡¯s great that I took action early. He was just a first-rate martial artist and yet dared to be such a bully. If he broke through, he would be an even bigger problem."


    A white light flashed by. Gong Liang Bai pulled out his long sword from his waist and pointed it towards Li Qing Shan: ¡°Other people are afraid of the harsh punishments of the Eagle Wolf Guard, however, our scholar sect disciples are not!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of whether one has or does not have fear, but rather a matter of who is right and wrong. If I were wrong, I don¡¯t mind kneeling down in apology. But you¡¯re a scholar, you don¡¯t follow the rules, only caring about your private feelings. Did all those books you read end up in a dog¡¯s belly?"


    "You simply wish to anger me to death!" Gong Liang Bai''s was simply unable to refute him under these circumstances. When he stepped forward, his sword headed for Li Qing Shan¡¯s head swiftly.


    Diao Fei¡¯s face had a change of colour as he held onto to his wind severing knife, and shifted his seating posture from a kneeling position to a half kneel position.


    Li Qing Shan remained composed and unmoving. He lowered his head to taste his wine and indifferently said: "Do you dare to harm a single hair of mine? You would surely be able to witness as the entire world under the heavens gives up on sheltering you. Even your Han Feng Academy?"


    The sword stopped at the top of Li Qing Shan''s head, trembling slightly, but it was unable to cut down any further. The look on Gong Liang Bai''s face changed. Looking at Li Qing Shan, he realised the youngster did not show any intimidating aura right from the start. There was a kind of spirit to him, through his actions, that warranted others to not lightly take him on.


    Qian Thing Nian, the owner of the place, left things to develop as they were, and did not attempt to stop them. It was Qian Rong¡¯s remark which caused him to want to let Li Qing Shan take a big loss in the hands of others. However, he did not expect that things would eventually turn out this way. It was necessary to re-examine Li Qing Shan. For this youth who can kill Qian Rong Ji seemed to really not be as easy to handle as the others in his generation.


    Original Translation at https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    At this time, if he still did not come forward, it would simply make the atmosphere awkward: "You two are my guests. What are you doing? If you have any disputes, you should give this old man face."


    Li Qing Shan put down his glass and raised his head: "Do you understand? If you understood then get lost. Don¡¯t be such an eyesore in this place."


    A swiping noise was made as a sword swung down and cut off a corner of the table. Gong Liang Bai looked around, only to feel that everyone was looking at himself, as if they were ridiculing him for not daring to even hurt Li Qing Shan''s hair, and he proceeded to rush out of the hall.


    Qian Ting Nian hurriedly sent out his people to follow him. With a roll of his eyes, he formulated a plan in his heart. He glanced at Li Qing Shan, ¡°Boy, you shan¡¯t remain cocky for much longer.¡±


    The banquet resumed. The protagonist of the banquet was actually Qian Rong Zheng, the Missy who brought back honour for the Qian Family. As she laughed, the atmosphere was gradually warming up again, as if nothing had happened.


    Many young Qi Refiners had their eyes glued to her and their hearts were greatly moved.


    Qian Rong Zheng signalled to Li Qing Shan and Diao Fei when they were toasting each other, indicating that the plan was going smoothly. Then with a turn of her glance towards Qian Ting Nian, the meaning within those eyes seemed to change again. s?a??h th? n0v?l(?)ire.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qing Shan only smiled and looked up to drink from the glass.


    With the moon on top, Li Qing Shan and Diao Fei, with their drunken spirits, returned to their residences.


    Diao Fei said: "I thought I was cocky, but you are at least ten times that."


    Li Qing Shan said: "That was not cockiness. It was merely telling the truth, what is wrong with telling the truth?"


    Diao Fei said: "Yes, yes, the Eagle Wolf Guard is not something that they should step on." Thinking about the upcoming large sums of money, his heart seemed to become even a little more intoxicated.


    Li Qing Shan said: "I have something to discuss with you."


    Original Translation at https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    Diao Fei suddenly found that Li Qing Shan''s eyes were brighter than the moonlight, and carried a touch of murderous aura, to the point where it seemed to even shine red.


    It was supposedly a discussion, but after Li Qing Shan left his own words, he turned and returned to rest in his room. Diao Fei remained standing still.


    This is not the same as the plan!


    Someone was deconstructing the plan and someone was making new plans.


    "I have already encouraged Gong Liang Bai to let him stay for a few days and will introduce you to him. Now that there are a lot of people, we will wait until after the banquet, and then we will simulate that they had a fight to the death. As long as this goes well, you would have made great contributions to the Qian family." Qian Ting Nian said to Qian Rong.


    Qian Rong said: "Rong Zheng is willing to go through flames and blades for the Qian Family."


    ......


    In the dead of night, Little An fiddled with the several Qi condensation pills in Li Qing Shan''s palm. Looking up, he seemed to say, ¡°Is there only so much left?¡±


    Li Qing Shan touched Little An¡¯s head: "Yes, these are our savings! But rest assured, there will soon be a lot of it, a thousand or so at least!" Then he put another Qi condensation pill into the mouth and began to cultivate. He needed some time to stabilize his current cultivation.


    The bright moon disappeared. Once again, it rose up and fell on the hill. The Qian manor was full of lanterns which made it seem like a blazing mountain fire.


    Guests gathered and made their well wishes. From the inside of the hall, to the outside of the hall, many seats were placed. Also, from the top of the hill to the foot of the hill, the voices of people reverberated under the heavens.


    The entire Ancient Wind City was in action!


    Original Translation at https://ohdamndone.blogspot.sg/


    In the main hall of the Qian House, only a dozen tables were set up to receive the guests. The eldest grandson Qian Xing Wei took the gift list and went outside to welcome guests. He reported: ¡°The Tian He faction. A pair of blood crystal stones."


    "Han Feng College. Gong Liang Bai, sent ten pieces of Yu Xiang fruit."


    Most of them were unfamiliar to Li Qing Shan. When he and Diao Fei stood in front of Qian Xing Wei, he thought over it for a while and took his last Qi condensation pill and placed it in his palm.


    Qian Xing Wei was stunned. He only sent a condensate pill?


    Li Qing Shan said: "Report it!"


    "Eagle Wolf Guard, Li Qing Shan, Diao Fei, two lords, sent ... sent a Qi Condensation Pill."


    The guests were amazed to see who was so stingy, and they saw Li Qing Shan eagerly awaiting while Diao Fei lowered his head. Others only thought that he was ashamed, but they could not detect the complicated look on his face and sweat on his forehead. They continued their discussion of the two softly afterwards.


    ¡°Going a Thousand Miles to deliver a goose feather, the gift may be little but the intention behind it is heavy!¡± A gray-haired man in a gray-haired coat smiled as he came on over to check things out. His body gave off the aura of a 3rd stage Qi Refiner.


    Li Qing Shan said: "You must be one of the two elders of the Qian family, and whatever it is? Salutations!" The Qian family has only two 3rd stage Qi Refiners, known as the Qian family dual elders. They were both godsons of Qian Ting Nian and were there to receive important guests.


    The gray-shirted old man''s eyes were drawn and he suppressed his anger: "I am addressed as such. May my lord please follow me!" Last night, the core personnel of Qian Ting Nian were called over in an emergency to discuss how to deal with Li Qing Shan. He had learned about Qian Ting Nian¡¯s plan and knew that after this night, Li Qing Shan would be dead. Of course, it was not necessary for him to argue with the dead.


    Li Qing Shan said: "I do not know where is the other elder?" Then he followed the old man¡¯s line of sight to find the other elder before he lightly told Diao Fei: "My brother, are you still not willing to come on closer?"


    The gray-clad elders felt a bit strange. Li Qing Shan could actually instruct a 3rd stage Qi Refiner Eagle Wolf Guard, and why should he be close? But he didn''t have time to think about it. Li Qing Shan took his hand and walked toward the seat as he enquired, "Is it there?"


    Leaving Diao Fei standing in the flow of people, with a pair of slumping eyes with a slight sense of desperation to look around, just like a lost child. He looked at Li Qing Shan, and finally moved to the other old man.


    The murmurs in his mouth were slightly loud, and a maid passed by him heard this Eagle Wolf Guard lord say: ¡°Too damn cocky!¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng stood beside Qian Ting Nian and felt something wrong. Suddenly as if seeming to realize something, his face suddenly changed color.


    The old man in the grey-shirt took Li Qing Shan to his place and Li Qing Shan suddenly stopped and looked at him with his pair of dark pupils. He said, ¡°You guys wish to harm me, right?¡±


    "You sure can crack a joke!" The gray-shirted old man smiled, but soon he couldn''t smile. He felt Li Qing Shan''s hand holding his wrist slowly becoming like a pair of iron pliers. He gradually tightened them and suddenly changed his face.


    Boom! Boom! Boom!


    Three bursts of sound, resounded through the hall, ringing through the Qian manor.


    The air was raging and the crowds were dispersed in horror. When they saw only an open space, a dark man pointed at Diao Fei and wanted to say something, but he couldn''t say anything and he let off a charred smell.


    Qian Ting Nian scowled: "What did you do?!"


    Diao Fei just took advantage of the opportunity while chatting to put three red fire talismans on the other Qian Family elder and he didn¡¯t even look at it. He didn¡¯t even see the furious Qian Ting Nian as he jumped over the crowd and stared at Li Qing Shan who was not very far away.


    At first, Diao Fei had thought that even within ten steps of Li Qing Shan, even he would be in danger.


    How far was the distance between the old man in the grey shirt and Li Qing Shan? Half a step?


    At first, Li Qing Shan was only a 1st stage Qi Refiner. Now, he was at his 2nd stage.


    In a midst of screams, Li Qing Shan grabbed the old man''s neck with one hand and lifted it high. His face was filled with a murderous mad smile.


    After a ¡°Ka-Beng¡± noise, Li Qing Shan broke the old man''s neck and threw it to Qian Ting Nian.


    "Here are another 2 corpses as gifts. The gift may be insignificant but it¡¯s the thought that counts.


    Please excuse me.¡±


    Done Done note: Hi all, apologies for the late release this time. Celebrated my birthday last week and then had work after so I didn¡¯t have the time to translate. Will be in Italy from tomorrow onwards for internship work but I will try my best to at least provide a chapter on Mondays then. If not, enjoy!


    Done Done note 2.0: Becoming a scholar in China was a big thing back then. Last time, villagers would hold feasts and celebrations for multiple days if anyone succeeded in becoming a scholar as it meant that that person would take hold of an official job in the future and would have a solid iron rice bowl! Studying for the tests could be extremely rigorous as they tested a lot on history and political literature. Famous exams were known for being held over a few days with the examinees staying over at designated isolated areas throughout the duration. Doesn¡¯t seem like much now perhaps what with all the exams in our own education system, but it was truly a matter of life or death for some villagers back then as they could possibly be investing their entire future on sending their child for these exams. Life is always tough no matter the period I guess?

 Chapter 138

    Chapter 138: Preemptive Strike - May 14, 2018


    The two elders of the Qian family, 3rd Level of Qi Refining, were clearly men with high calibre, that is if they were taken on directly. Diao Fei could definitely not so easily kill either of them.


    However, they did not expect that there would actually be people that dared to take action against them during the longevity banquet itself in front of public eye. Hence, they simply ended up dead without any retaliation.


    And as such, the Qian family no longer had anymore 3rd Level Qi warriors.


    In the midst of the experts of the Qian family, as well as the guests, there were over tens of Qi Refining warriors that surrounded Diao Fei as he nervously approached Li Qing Shan¡¯s side. This was the first time that he realised that being nearer to some people could actually give him a sense of security.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Last night, Li Qing Shan only said three sentences to him. "Don''t tell Qian Rong Zheng. We take action during the banquet tomorrow night. Leave Qian Ting Nian to me!"


    With just those three sentences, Diao Fei was stuck considering his options for a day and night before he finally decided to fight.


    Li Qing Shan viewed the ten or so Qi Refining experts as if they were not there. He then took out a document and read it out loud: ¡°After a report by Qian Rong Zheng, the illegal acts of the Qian family are reported to be as follows: 1. Killing of the innocent. 2. Killing the imperial officials of the court...¡±


    A voice containing True Qi, even louder than that of the explosion before, reached the foothills of the mountain in the Ancient Wind City. Everyone stopped eating and looked up to listen.


    ¡°Qian Rong Zheng? That¡¯s impossible!¡± Qian Ting Nian wanted to strike out. When he heard the words ¡°Qian Rong Zheng,¡± he was stunned. The most intelligent and obedient of all children who brought him much happiness as a child. How could she betray him? But he was shocked to discover that upon looking back, Qian Rong Zheng was no longer at his side.


    Li Qing Shan continued to read unaffected: ¡°...were delegated by Jia Ping City, under the command of the Eagle Wold guard leader, Zhuo Zhi Bo, to head on over to investigate. The investigation has revealed the truth, and Qian Ting Nian and the other criminals are to be convicted on the spot!¡±


    Qian Ting Nian looked for Qian Rong Zheng in the crowd. Only to discover that she had, unbeknownst to him, slipped out from among the crows and arrived at the side of Li Qing Shan and Diao Fei. Looking at Qing Shan, her face was gloomy as Li Qing Shan completely disrupted her plan.


    The words "convicted on the spot" continue to echo, and all trickery and hidden plans were reduced to nothing in Li Qing Shan¡¯s eyes.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Li Qing Shan put down the document and said: "People who are uninvolved, may take their leave right now, and will not be implicated. If they dare to obstruct justice, they will be killed without mercy!"


    Qian Ting Nian eyes opened wide: "Was it really you? You bitch!"


    Gong Liang Bai asked: "Miss Qian, is this for real?"


    Qian Rong Zheng bit her lip and said: "All of this is true. You can ask any of the civilians of the Ancient Wind city. Our leader Zhuo is on the way. You all should hurry and leave!" Although she hated Li Qing Shan, she had no choice but to stand on his side at this moment, or she would be annihilated by the furious Qian Ting Nian.


    Near Jia Ping, who has not heard of Zhuo Zhi Bo''s prestige? Who is willing to defend the miserable and despicable Qian Family against the Eagle Wolf Guard. The Qi Refiners looked at each other and unknowingly, after the first leg was raised, everyone was rushing for to leave the hall. However, their looks towards Li Qing Shan and the others were that of looking at dead people.


    They did not plan to stay behind to help the Qian Family. An important reason for that was that the Qian family does not need their help. A 3rd level Qi Refiner and two 2nd level Qi Refiners would instantly perish under the anger of Qian Ting Nian.


    With this in mind, their speed while leaving increased. If Zhuo Zhi Bo really came and saw the corpses of three Eagle Wolf Guards, and they were regarded as the Qian Family¡¯s assistants, then they would surely be at the blunt end of his wrath.


    They left quickly, and the maids and servants also took the opportunity to leave quickly. In the blink of an eye, the lobby was empty, leaving only the Qian family and two dead bodies.


    Countless guests rushed down the hill and only the people of the Qian Family pushed against the crowd and rushed to the lobby.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Li Qing Shan said: "Qian Ting Nian, you have committed plenty of sins." Compared to sneaky assassinations, he still preferred this kind of scene. Weapons out, and straight to the point.


    Looking back at the two, he used a special method to unite his two colleagues who had separate ambitions and forced them to work together to face the enemy in front of them.


    Qian Ting Nian walked furiously step by step. The bricks shattered and cracked, and his eyes stared straight at Qian Rong Zheng: ¡°You are an ungrateful bitch!¡± Li Qing Shan read it so uprightly that there was no longer any turning point nor room for backing out. Even if they killed Li Qing Shan and the other 2, the Qian family was already on the black list of the Eagle Wolf Guard. And becoming the target of the Eagle Wolf Guard resulted in the Qian Family being on the verge of destruction.


    And all this was caused by the Qian Rong Zheng that he had raised up with all his efforts. He cried, "I gave you everything!"


    Instead, Qian Rong Zheng laughed sweetly: ¡°Grandpa, haven''t I come to repay you?¡± and then to the remaining two masters of the 2nd level Qi Refining: ¡°We only want to eradicate the bloodline of the Qian¡¯s. You have been oppressed by the Qian for so many years. Are you still going to follow the Qian family to the death?"


    Amongst the 5 masters of the 2nd level of Qi Refining, only one was considered to possess direct relations to Qian Ting Nian. Originally, they were all furious when they looked at Qian Rong Zheng, but after hearing this, they all looked at each other.


    The raging Qian Ting Nian was not likely to allow the three guards to leave. But what were the consequences of killing the Eagle Wold Guard in public? They were all very clear! If they stayed here, they might be suspected of being involved in this terrible crime and becoming a prisoner who would be chased by the world. There would be no place for them to hide.


    "Shut up!" Qian Ting Nian furiously shot out his hands, sending palm blasts of True Qi towards Qian Rong Zheng.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    There was a bright flash, as the long knife left the scabbard and sounded like the howl of a tiger.


    The wind severing knife was in front of the pale-faced Qian Rong Zheng, and cut the palm blast into two. A huge pit was left behind on the ground, and the door beam collapsed. Between the scenes of destruction was the pale white face of Qian Rong Zheng.


    Li Qing Shan held onto the wind severing knife and kept looking forward as he beckoned Qian Rong Zheng: "Continue speaking!" This woman truly had the gift of the gab and had just a bit of use.


    However, Qian Rong Zheng''s response was to turn and run!


    Li Qing Shan was stunned. He really overestimated this woman. However, he did not expect that the 2nd level Qi Refining warriors escaped through the broken windows simultaneously. Even the one who had blood relations with Ting Nian did so. It seemed that even his own son was of no exception.


    This was not only due to the words of Qian Rong Zheng, but also due to the rule of Qian Ting Nian in these years, which caused the entire family to have no heart nor soul, and had little to no cohesiveness. Normally, it could be sustained with the fear of his power as well as the attractiveness of the medicinal pills. However, in the event of a major crisis, it immediately collapsed into a mess.


    Qian Ting Nian did not regard Li Qing Shan and the others as he shot out another palm blast. A 2nd Level Qi Refining expert was smashed against the wall, with his innards crushed as he stared at Ting Nian: ¡°Father!¡± He was Ting Nian¡¯s biological son amongst these people.


    Qian Ting Nian¡¯s eyes went bloodshot: "Traitor! You deserve to die!"


    "I will leave things to you here. I will chase them!" Diao Fei said with a loud voice, and followed them out. He did not have the courage to face a 5th Level Qi Refiner.


    For different reasons, the lobby had become a land of calamity that no one could avoid. Only Li Qing Shan and Qian Ting Nian were left.


    Li Qing Shan said to himself: "This is just fine. All the benefits shall be mine!" Then he looked up at Qian Ting Nian: "Today is your birthday. The very next year, this day shall be your death anniversary.¡±


    Qian Ting Nian walked to the front of Li Qing Shan. His thin and frail monkey like body suddenly seemed like it grew much bigger, seeming to throw down a shadow that enveloped Li Qing Shan.


    "Die!"


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    One hundred and thirty-two years ago, when a child was born in Ancient Wind city, he had a poor life and he was bullied. Until one day, he was valued by a passing priest and brought to the mountain to cultivate.


    Thirty years later, when he returned, he was already a middle-aged man who was able to make clear judgements. He went to seek out those who bullied him 30 years ago and killed all of them before building up the Qian Family.


    He never had a woman, so he hurriedly married all the women he deemed fit for himself and they all became tools and toys to satisfy himself. He did not have a nice living place before, so he stole the property of the landlords and built his own manor. He wanted to have what he never had before, to replenish what he lacked in the past.


    Nearly a hundred years later, the Qian family became the one and only large family in the Ancient Wind City, with five generations and hundreds of children and grandchildren. He wanted to ensure his bloodline continued to extend on.


    Qian Rong Zheng rushed out of the hall and her mind was in a mess: she had to flee from here and find a place to hide. After Qian Ting Nian killed Li Qing Shan, the next one he would look for was her.


    "You slut, bitch, daring to betray my Qian Family, Grandpa will kill you!"


    When Qian Rong Zheng walked out for a small distance, she heard a shout towards her from behind. She turned her head, and discovered that it was Qian Xing Wei, eldest grandchild of the Qian Family. He did not dare to participate in the fight amongst the Qi Refiners. But being unwilling to leave, he hid in the corner, and waited for his grandfather Qian Ting Nian, to solve all the problems.


    Qian Rong Zheng stopped and turned to look down at the mountain. People with the surname Qian were rushing up. Among them were countless familiar faces. They all slowly appeared in her heart, obscene faces, contemptuous eyes, and threatening fists. All of these attitudes and demeanours merged to form a single face in her mind.


    She held onto her head and felt a sting in her mind. Two wills began to struggle.


    One was life, and the other was death.


    When Qian Xing Wei saw that Qian Rong Zheng was standing still, with her head lowered and her body constantly trembling, he thought she was scared and shouted, ¡°You slutty bitch! The Qian family should not take you in. I should have skinned you back then!"


    Qian Rong looked up and smiled. She even used her fine fingernails to tidy her hair as she walked towards Qian Xing Wei.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/ S?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Life was the longing for survival, and death would be to seek the evil fire of revenge!


    At this moment, life was no longer important. Death occupied her heart.


    "You ... What do you want to do?" Qian Xing Wei finally felt a trace of fear. He often had Qian Ting Nian to protect him. Whatever he did to her, she wouldn''t resist. It was also because he got used to her docility that he dared to jump out to berate her. It was only at this moment that he seemed to suddenly recall that Qian Rong Zheng is a powerful Qi refiner.


    ¡°Grandpa save me!¡± Qian Xing Wei mustered his strength and jumped away as he shouted out loud.


    Qian Rong Zheng extended her right hand and seized Qian Xing Wei¡¯s shoulder and pulled him in front of her. The index finger pointed towards Qian Xing Wei¡¯s forehead: ¡°Why do you flee?¡± The long nails punctured inwards and a stream of blood ran down.


    "Stop! I''m your brother!"


    Qian Rong Zheng smiled and softly said: "When you wanted to peel my skin, was it supposed to be like this?" Fingertips sharp as a paper knife slid down, and screams echoed out towards the halls ahead of them.


    Done done note: Hi all, apologies for the late post. I am in Italy now and I have no wifi access other than at my workplace so I couldn''t upload this post in time. I hope you lot enjoy the chapter and have a good day!

 Chapter 139

    Chapter 139: Your stuff is mine! Don''t use it! - May 20, 2018


    ¡°Xing Wei!¡± Qian Ting Nian heard the scream outside the hall and he could not help but step forward. How could Li Qing Shan let this opportunity pass? The wind severing knife cut across the waist of Qian Ting Nian.


    The knife was extremely fast and fierce. The colour of Qian Ting Nian''s face changed. He never expected that a 2nd level Qi Condensation Warrior would be able to make such a fierce strike.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Li Qing Shan being able to kill the gray-shirted old man who was one of the Qian family elders was in Qian Ting Nian''s view but the result of a shameful surprise attack. Therefore, Li Qing Shan was not regarded as a threat to his eyes at all and was only a bug that could be swatted to death at any point in time.


    The reason why he did not immediately attack was merely because he was still considering the consequences of killing an Eagle Wolf Guard, as well as thinking about whether there were still any means to turn the situation around.


    But Li Qing Shan clearly told Qian Ting Nian with this knife. Now the question is not merely as to whether you wish to kill me, but rather that I want to kill you!


    "Go and die, brat!" Qian Ting Nian shouted as he grabbed on to the blade of the knife with his chicken-claw like left hand.


    Looking closely, there was actually a tiny distance between the blade and his palm. The True Qi of Li Qing Shan and Qian Ting Nian were violently clashing in this miniscule space.


    It was like the battle between two armies on the frontlines. On one side was a platoon of elite soldiers, but yet they could not fend off the attack of the enemy army of over a hundred size greater.


    Li Qing Shan¡¯s veins were popping as he put all his strength on the knife. Yet, he was not able to let the blade advance even one inch further.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Ting Nian also was surprised, that with his strength, he was not able to take the knife away from Li Qing Shan. The strength of this brat was simply amazing.


    The sturdy wind severing knife began to emit a squeaky sound.


    A hundred thoughts flashed by in an instant, and the two people reacted almost at the same time. Qian Ting Nian punched Li Qing Shan''s chest. Li Qing Shan¡¯s hand reached for the head of Qian Ting Nian and completely ignored the palm. After exchanging but a single strike, both of them begun a life and death exchange with their lives on the line.


    Li Qing Shan did not have confidence in much things, but he was full of confidence in his own defence. This one had thick blood and strong defences, taking several strikes was nothing, but if you had to receive any of mine then you would have to die!


    Qian Ting Nian felt that if he received that claw, then his head would be crushed. He was old and treasured his life more than anything else. How could he fight against Li Qing Shan in such a dangerous exchange? Letting go of the wind severing knife, he retreated hastily and let loose over ten to twenty hits.


    Li Qing Shan was at the same time trying to take the opportunity to grasp the upper hand as he keenly watched the strikes that the old man released. Facing it directly, he wielded his Wind Severing Knife and released a glint of light as he protected his body from the attacks.


    ¡°Peng, Peng, Peng, Peng¡± A series of striking noises were released and the winds howled as the huge tables were all flipped and the lights in the hall were all extinguished.


    Li Qing Shan was pushed back and his feet ploughed two deep traces on the marble bricks.


    ¡°Ka Chan¡±, he used one of his feet to smash the high door thresholds(in olden days, the Chinese doors would have such planks on the floor of their doors so people had to raise their legs to enter) so as to stablise his body. He arched his brow and stared at Qian Ting Nian.


    ¡°You are a Body Refining Warrior!¡± Qian Ting Nian said in shock. If it were an ordinary 2nd Level Qi Refiner, he would have already had his lungs shattered by the True Qi or even possibly be completely smashed, unless he had strengthened his body with the arts of Body Refining.


    Li Qing Shan did not feel any discomfort throughout his whole body, but rather felt that there was a sort of comfort that came from stretching his tendons and stressing his bones. Staring at Qian Ting Nian, his eyes leeked out a strong bloodthirsty light.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Ting Nian looked at Li Qing Shan, no longer with any scorn in his eyes, but rather with more caution in his eyes, but it was only a bit more. Previously, he was just a little too conceited, which gave Li Qing Shan a chance to smack him with his sword. A 2nd level Qi Refiner can never be the opponent of a 5th level Qi Refiner. This was common understanding.


    "Just able to block a few strokes of mine, and you really believed that you could kill me ? Since you are looking to die, this old man will help you, then I will kill that bitch, Qian Rong Zheng."


    Outside the hall, Qian Xing Wei¡¯s screams became more and more shrill, but Qian Ting Nian was already turning a deaf ear to it. Although he liked this eldest grandson of his, he had numerous children and grandchildren, one or two dying was of no importance to him.


    During Qian Ting Nian¡¯s speech, Li Qing Shan was not idle. He held the knife in both hands and lifted it high. The True Qi in his body flowed from the Yang Heel meridian and into the Wind Severing Knife along the arm. The True Qi became a layer of shiny sparkles on the knife and as he moved his arms, a sharp wind blade was fired off towards Qian Ting Nian.


    Qian Ting Nian harrumphed and took a deep breath, A golden light was shot out from his nostrils and penetrated the Wind Knife as it flew towards Li Qing Shan, creating a golden streak in the air.


    Flying Sword? Wasn''t it only the 6th level of Qi Refiners that could use it?


    Li Qing Shan was a bit surprised but reacted instantly. This should not be a flying sword, but a certain kind of technique. However, it is much more powerful than ordinary techniques. It was most likely a technique that could let 5th Level Qi Refiners possess abilities close to that of a 6th Level Qi Refiner. The information given by Qian Rong Zheng mentioned that the strength of Qian Ting Nian, was only that of a 4th level Qi Refiner. It was simply false.


    As a 5th Level Qi Refiner, Qian Ting Nian did not only cultivate the ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Technique¡± which could only be used up to the 3rd Level of Qi Refining. He also cultivated in the stronger cultivation technique, ¡°Gold Murderous Qi Technique¡±.


    And this move was the ¡°Gold Qi Sword¡± of the ¡°Gold Murderous Qi Technique¡±. Metal attributed lungs, would condense Qi within them and would release them through the nose to form a Qi Sword. The sword, when piercing through air, would create a shrill noise. If it were an ordinary person, just listening to this shrill sound would lead to death.


    Li Qing Shan slightly bent his knees, and leapt high as the Qi Sword brushed past the bottom of his feet. He took advantage of the fact that this Qi Sword could not be recovered and jumped Qian Ting Nian, closing the distance he had between him and Qian Ting Nian.


    When Qian Ting Nian looked at Li Qing Shan, he harrumphed again as his eyes became hazy.


    Suddenly, there was another Qi Sword that was released from his nostrils and stabbed Li Qing Shan mid-air. At the same time, the other Qi sword turned in direction and stabbed Li Qing Shan''s back.


    There are two lungs in a body, left and right. The Golden Sword Qi also came in pairs, and would absolutely kill anyone in their way.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Li Qing Shan hooked his right foot on the beam, and flipped himself on top, narrowly dodging the QI Sword that passed him by. Then at the next moment, the Qi Sword went from bottom to top and penetrated the beam. He jerked backwards as the Qi Sword brushed past his face and caused his eyebrows to shine.


    Li Qing Shan had long been prepared as he waved his sword and stabbed the Qi Sword. s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    "Clang!"


    The weapons collided and the Wind Severing knife had a tiny gap chipped on it. At the same time, it also caused the Qi Sword to collapse. However, it was too early to be happy. The broken Qi Sword once again condensed, but now it lacked a tinge of the murderous spirit it had before.


    Li Qing Shan moved his body and leapt away instantaneously with the Qi Sword sticking to him closely. In the wide lobby, he continued to hop and turn, often dodging the sword by the difference by mere millimetres and was as dexterous as a monkey. When he was unable to dodge it, he would strike out with his Wind Severing Knife and hit the Qi Sword to temporarily block it.


    Although he found that the Qi Sword was almost similar to a flying sword, it was not as fast nor as smart as Zhou Wen Bin''s flying sword. Otherwise, it would be impossible to dodge physically. However, it must have also been due to the strength of Qian Ting Nian not being sufficient. If not, this Qi Sword would not be any worse than a flying sword.


    Qian Ting Nian¡¯s face paled, and he was constantly harrumphing. He began to put in greater efforts to manipulate the Gold Qi Swords to chase after Li Qing Shan, but he was cautious enough to leave a Qi Sword to surround him. Not only because he was worried about Li Qing Shan¡¯s surprise attack but also because he was too old and his mind was deteriorating. Splitting his attention to manipulate two Qi Swords was a tad difficult, but he believed that with only one Qi Sword, it would be enough to kill Li Qing Shan. In this way of both attacking and defending, he was undefeatable as he had no openings.


    Li Qing Shan was amazed at the fact that 5th Level Qi Refiners were actually so great. He wondered what technique did Qian Ting Nian cultivate in? Although he did not know the name of "Gold Murderous Qi Technique", he still knew that these two Qi Swords were surely the core ability of this technique which was why they could be manipulated in such a detailed manner. In contrast, the "Xian Tian Qi Refining Technique" is as its name implies, a technique that only allows one to refine Qi, without a single ability that this other technique had.


    When he killed Zhao Liang Qing, he directly crushed him with an absolute strength gap and killed him with a single stroke, so he did not realize the competencies of the 5th Level Qi Refiners.


    Now, although there was no one around, he was not in a hurry to change his form. It was easy for him to eradicate the old man in a single move. But this would let the whole word know that Zhao Liang Qing was killed by him. Therefore, he must think of a perfect solution. Now, he decided to play around with the old man, and hone his martial arts along the way. He wished to understand the abilities of the 2nd Level of Qi Refining better through direct combat.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Ting Nian thought that he had the upper hand. How could he know that Li Qing Shan only saw him as meat on the chopping board, and who was actually thinking about how he should go about cutting him up. Furthermore, before he even killed him, it seemed he wanted to entertain himself.


    Seeing that Li Qing Shan could not be simply eliminated, he feared that Qian Rong Zheng would escape, and he was worried about whether what Qian Rong Zheng said was true. If Zhuo Zhi Bo was really on the way, he had to get away quickly, and he took out a hundred treasure pouch.


    Li Qing Shan''s eyes lighted up as he finally saw the biggest goal of this trip. Then he saw that Qian Ting Nian took out a spiritual talisman and wanted to use it.


    Li Qing Shan shouted: "Stop you old thief!"


    Qian Ting Nian laughed: "Finally afraid?"


    Li Qing Shan coldly said: "What you have in your hundred treasure pouch, whether they are spiritual medicine or spiritual talisman, are all my property. You''d better not use them indiscriminately, otherwise, I¡¯ll make sure you will die soon!"


    Your stuff is mine! Don''t use it! This was a very arrogant statement.


    Qian Ting Nian also became extremely angry, and without any hesitation, the spiritual talisman in his hands burst in a ball of light.


    ......


    In front of the hall, there was a large platform and five paths leading to different parts of the entire capital. Yet, there was only one that led uphill and towards the large hall.


    Tonight, because of the longevity celebrations, everyone in the Qian family rushed out and all their forces were mobilized. They were alarmed by the situation on the mountains and gathered from all sides. Even many members of the Qian Family who did not understand martial arts wanted to find out what was going on.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Seeing a figure in the distance, standing in front of the platform, someone was sharp-eyed and shouted: "That''s Qian Rong Zheng!" "Kill her!"


    Li Qing Shan¡¯s words were heard by all the people in the Qian Family. Towards this traitor of the Qian Family, many people had extreme hatred for her. However, upon closer examination, they were all shocked.


    Qian Rong Zheng was covered in blood, but her face was full of psychedelic smiles. At her feet, a blood gourd of a man laid on the ground, still in constant trembling and moaning, and in her hands, she held onto a piece of something that floated with the wind.


    (Done Done note: His skin if you didn¡¯t catch the hint. Urgh.)

 Chapter 140

    Chapter 140: Hell of extreme paradise"Ah!" Many fearful screams could be heard, and some people even began to fall off the steps. As for behind the main hall, there were endless roars. The grand hall shook in the darkness and seemed about to collapse at any moment.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Rong Zheng looked back at the hall. It seemed that Li Qing Shan could be relied on at some moments and could give her enough time to do what she wants to do. Now, she really appreciated Li Qing Shan.


    Of course, if one thought that she had changed her personality, then one would be wrong. In her mind, the best result of this war would of course be Li Qing Shan and Qian Ting Nian killing each other off.


    "Hubby, Hubby, is that you?!" A middle-aged woman appeared amidst the hoarse screams as she heard the identity of the man on the ground, and cried: "Qian Rong Zheng, you crazy slut! What''s wrong with my family''s manager? How has my husband unfairly treated you? Even if we discount your seducing him, why did you have to kill him?"


    ¡°I seduced him?¡± Qian Rong Zheng licked the blood on her mouth. ¡°He said that he wanted to peel my skin off? I asked him was it supposed to be peeled in this manner, yet, he didn¡¯t answer me. Did you know?¡± She kicked the blood gourd down the platform and let it roll down the stairs.


    As if avoiding the plague, the crowd split in two. As everyone¡¯s attention was drawn by the bloody human body, a wind blade was sent towards the crowd, causing pillars of blood to rise into the sky.


    The woman who spoke just now was cut from the shoulders to the waist. She looked downwards in disbelief and thought to herself, this little bitch actually dared to hurt her? This was her last thought before she fell to the ground.


    "It seems that you don''t know as well." Qian Rong Zheng murmured.


    Dark clouds covered the moon and the skies were dark.


    Thousands of the Qian family members gathered around the platform, bringing along with them more and more swaying torches, brightening her beautiful blood-covered-face, which twisted with the flickering light.


    A well-dressed young man cried and said, "Father! Mother!" Then looking at Qian Rong Zheng with a hateful look: "Everyone follow me! Let¡¯s kill this crazy woman and help Grampa! The Qian family will surely survive this crisis!"


    With his orders, thousands of people climbed up and the momentum was enough to scare ordinary people''s galls. With enough ants, even an elephant can be killed. Qi Refining Experts also had moments of True Qi deprivation, furthermore, there were at least ten or so first level Qi Refiners in their midst.


    Qian Rong Zheng was definitely dead.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Yet, on her face, there was not the slightest trace of fear. With a psychedelic smile, she casually listed a string of names: "Qian Rong Hui, Qian Rong Cheng ..."


    The names of people who were named by her were of all shapes, sizes, and genders. What they had in common was that they were all Qi Refiners. They were not originally surnamed Qian. However, they were adopted by the Qian family because of their qualifications. When they heard their names, they stopped their movements.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you oppressed by the people of the Qian family? They already treat us like pigs and dogs, and yet you are still going to die for them now? The Qian family is already in jeopardy. All the Qian family members will be killed by the Eagle Wolf Guard.¡±


    The son of Qian Xing Wei, the young man with the rich clothes, shouted: ¡°Don¡¯t listen to her nonsense. Grandpa Grand will soon calm everything. All those who betray the Qian family will not die peacefully!¡±


    The people with the bloodline of the Qian family gathered around and the crowd began to inch closer and closer. The forest of blades and knives neared, but they would not be closer than ten steps from Qian Rong Zheng. It seemed that their fear of Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s martial prowess caused them to all slow down quite a fair bit.


    Those who were listed by Qian Rong Zheng were unknowingly isolated amidst the crowd, and were even watched with cautious gazes.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Rong Zheng said: "That old thief Qian Ting Nian, is currently at the main hall at the back. If he could come out, he would have done so earlier. Now, if you don¡¯t start thinking for yourselves, then you would be too late."


    The roar in the main hall continued and it clearly showed that they were in the midst of a fierce battle. It seemed that the person who oppressed everyone and ruled the Ancient Wind City as the Qian family ruler had met a truly strong opponent.


    If Qian Ting Nian were here, then all of such rebutting arguments would cease to exist, but now with Qian Ting Nian gone, many were indeed thinking in fear, is the Qian family truly going to be exterminated.


    Qian Rong Hui, who was the first to named, could not help but reply, "What do you want?"


    Qian Rong Zheng said: "If you leave the Qian family now, you will still make it! If not, when a hive gets exterminated, not even the eggs will be left alone!"


    Qian Rong Hui and many others hesitated. The young man near the church shouted: "Qian Rong Hui, do you dare to betray my Qian family?"


    Qian Rong Zheng used a bewitching voice to say, "Did you see this? This is the attitude of the Qian family, or do you want to die under the wind severing knife of the Eagle Wolf Guard?"


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Rong Hui finally took a look. The main hall in the darkness released a roar: "Okay, I withdraw from the Qian family and will never have anything to do with the Qian family ever again." He turned and walked down the hill, not intending to get involved in this mess. He did not have such a deep resentment against the Qian family. With his leaving, the others all displayed intentions of moving and were prepared to leave.


    The Qian family clamoured and many swords and knives were directed at Qian Rong Hui. Qian Rong Hui shouted: "Let me leave!"


    ¡°Did I say you can go?¡± Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s cold voice made Qian Rong Hui stop and turn back to reply, ¡°What else do you want!¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng said: "Go now and wait to be pursued by the world!" and then said to the rest: "I know all of you, and today no one else should think of leaving so simply. As long as you possess the direct bloodline of the Qian family, just offer the heads of those in the Qian family as a form of submission to the state. If not, you can only face death. "


    She was in such dire circumstances, yet, she is not only afraid or begging for mercy, but rather she is viciously threatening everyone.


    All the people were in a panic. Those who had the direct bloodline of the Qian family were a minority. Even if it was them, they still did not have the determination to fight to the ends with the Qian family. It was just that they were tied up on the chariot of the Qian family and could not help but act tough, let alone the others.


    Qian Rong Zheng felt the feelings of Li Qing Shan vaguely. This feeling was really wonderful.


    The atmosphere was filled with anxiety, and the air was full of bloody smells. On this hot summer night, under the light of the flames, all the people looked around with vigilance, trying to distinguish the faces of others in the midst of the flame and darkness in an attempt to identify who was their own kin, and who was a possible traitor.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    This hundred-year-old family, was densely intertwined in its relationships, and crossed with countless grievances and hatred.


    In the dark, it was unknown where the first strike was at, and where the first scream came from. But it was like igniting the spark on an explosive as with the first glint of blood rising up, it was like a spark raging on to become a huge fire in a dry field.


    Someone shouted: "Kill these traitors!" "Enclose the Qian family!" Some people shouted: "Revenge!" But more were screaming and mourning.


    Pairs of eyes became stained red and bloody, and it was too late to discern who was friend or foe. Everyone began to simply strike at anyone close to oneself.


    Spiritual talismans broke into thunder and flames and burst open in the crowd.


    The knives pierced into bodies, and knives broke bones, intertwining to form a soul suppressing tune. The Qian family became akin to a piece of the bloody Ashura hell.


    In the center of this purgatory, Qian Rong Zheng laughed wildly and there was a great joy pouring into her heart. All her memories were burning up. She forgot the potential threats of Qian Ting Nian and even forgot the difference between life and death. She even felt that she was in heaven at the moment due to her extreme bliss. Even if she died immediately, she felt that it was no matter.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    There were angry people who wanted to assassinate this traitor of the Qian family. There were also those who had killed till they had gone insane that were heading towards her.


    But here, who was able to kill a 2nd level Qi Refiner? They all died under the wind severing knife and became a corpse, forming a circle around her. Gradually, no one dared to approach her and this small circle of corpses became the only peaceful land in this purgatory.


    All the people of the Ancient Wind City could not forget this night. They looked up in the city and saw the ruling family who had stood for a century in the ancient city. As they collapsed in the raging fire, the civilians revealed a complex look of fear, exclamation, and joy.


    The majority of the Qi Refiners who came down the mountain did not leave. They watched in the dark, the fierce scenes in the fire, and were incomparably surprised and shocked. Who would have thought that things would develop like this.


    It was originally thought that Li Qing Shan''s declaration was an incompetent joke as well as one that would lead to his own destruction. They thought that Qian Ting Nian would kill the three Eagle Wolf Guards instantaneously and then escape with the core members of the Qian family.


    However, the development of the tonight¡¯s affair was out of their expectation. The Qian family was being destroyed! However, Qian Ting Nian still remained in the main hall. He did not come out to stop all of this, as he seemed to be blocked from doing so.


    This was impossible! A 3rd level Qi Refiner and two 2nd level Qi Refiners banded together were actually not killed in a single strike by Qian Ting Nian. Unless the Eagle Wolf Guard have hidden trump cards, or that Zhuo Zhi Bo had managed to make it to the Ancient Wind City already?


    This was the most logical reasoning and explained why Li Qing Shan dared to be so arrogant. The Qi Refiners were glad that they did not stay in the mountains. The Eagle Wolf Guard was not a reasonable institution by any means in their opinion. This resulted in no one going up the mountain to rescue the Qian family.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    When the flames finish burning up their fuel, then that would be when they would extinguish. As the fires of rebellion burned using people, when they were almost all dead, it would begin to extinguish on its own.


    In a very short period of time, more than a thousand people died of heavy injuries. On the mountain steps, blood flowed, and dead bodies were spread everywhere.


    In the canopy that nobody noticed, Little An¡¯s eyes shone with a bloody light. From the beginning to the end, he witnessed all these terrible scenes, but he did not reveal an expression of fear or shock like that of ordinary people. Instead, he appeared to be in deep thought and reflection.


    Li Qing Shan decided to take action tonight and decided not to bring him along, lest he be trapped in the porcelain bowl. This allowed him to be free to act. After all, he was still worried about Li Qing Shan, no matter how strong Li Qing Shan was. He took advantage of the night to come to the main hall on the hill, which caused him to witness this scene. Then, his eyes did not move away from the scene afterwards. Li Qing Shan''s aura was still very strong and he did not need to worry. S?a??h th? Nov?lF?re .??t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The "Face of the Undead" was originally created by a great Buddhist leader. The essence of the book was from the Buddhist family, so he read many Buddhist scriptures to appreciate the true meaning.


    However, the "Face of the Undead" was a complete reversal of the classics, inversing common sense and ideologies. Amidst the mysteriousness, even the green bull admitted that the creator of it was more gifted than he was and that he often was unable to understand the scripture.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    In Li Qing Shan''s view, he relaxingly devoured flesh and blood and as such was able to quickly develop his cultivation. He did not even need to consume medicinal pills. However, the hardships of his cultivation were only understood by him alone. When he was hiding in the dark porcelain jar, he never felt bored or even thought that he was bored for a moment. He was always thinking of the ¡°Face of the Undead¡± scripture, like a retreated ascetic monk.


    Today at this moment, he witnessed this scenery and felt enlightened within.


    Suddenly, a figure flew out of the main hall and fell heavily on the platform. His suit of the Eagle Wolf uniform was destroyed and damaged to no end, and the person even seemed ruffled. It was Li Qing Shan.


    Done Done Note: Yo guys, work was busy last week so I couldn¡¯t translate. I had to translate stuff from English to Chinese for my Chinese colleagues at my workplace for the whole of last week so I didn¡¯t have time. Hope you lot like the bloody chapter!

 Chapter 141

    Chapter 141: *Spoiler*The spiritual talisman converted into a thunderstorm, causing the dark hall to light up instantly.


    However, it did not outshine the two red dots that hovered in that space.


    The blazing lightning bolts struck the black iron skin without leaving a trace s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Qian Ting Nian stepped back and looked at the giant tower-like monster in front of him, revealing a panicked look: "Demon... Monster!"


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Although he did not feel even the slightest bit of demon Qi, that huge sense of oppression he felt on his chest made him almost have problems regulating his breathing.


    His mind was in complete chaos. Why that weak second level Qi Refining boy could have such a change was completely beyond his imagination.


    Li Qing Shan stretched himself a bit. The sharp horns on his head almost touched the beams on the ceiling as he looked down at Qian Ting Nian. With a voice that sounded like the screeching of metals, it looked down at him and said ¡°I said, stop! Why can¡¯t you be more obedient? Hmm?"


    Qian Ting Nian soon released a loud roar, as his two Qi Swords flashed off in a golden light and pierced towards Li Qing Shan. This huge body oh his made it seem as if it would be difficult to dodge such an attack, and Li Qing Shan also did not have the intent to dodge.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Before the Qi Swords touched Li Qing Shan''s skin, they struck upon shields in the shape of a turtle shell and were reflected by Demon Qi. This immediately disintegrated them, and caused them to be unable to be gathered ever again.


    Qian Ting Nian instinctively touched his hundred treasure pouch, which contained his life-saving spiritual talismans. There were also table-turning medicines that might allow him to win in dire situations. The hundred treasure pouch was a Qi Refiners second lifeline.


    A pillar-like index finger, ejected a claw as sharp as a machete which hummed as if in excitement, stopping in front of Qian Ting Nian¡¯s forehead. He froze instantly, and did not dare to move as the speed was so overwhelming that he could not react in time.


    If Li Qing Shan wanted to kill him, his claw could have run through his head and taken away his life.


    Qian Ting Nian shivered: "What do you want, I can give you anything! Don¡¯t kill me!"


    Li Qing Shan took away the hundred treasure pouch from the hands of Qian Ting Nian as he pinched it between his fingers and picked up the wind severing knife as if it were a small toy.


    Qian Ting Nian¡¯s face had a complex look that attempted to curry favour and appeal for help, yet seeming fearful at the same time. Shortly after, the expression on his face collapsed like a mask.


    Li Qing Shan did not hesitate to stab into the chest of Qian Ting Nian. This was not a fatal injury to a 5th level Qi Refiner, but it was enough to make him lose most of his combat effectiveness, especially for a hundred-year-old man.


    Qian Ting Nian opened his eyes and his mouth as if he wanted to say something.


    Li Qing Shan''s flicked his index finger in a snap, and like a catapult to the city walls, it broke the lower jaw of Qian Ting Nian.


    Then Li Qing Shan pulled out the wind severing knife and took a few steps back. His physique gradually narrowed and he reverted to his human form and said to Qian Ting Nian: ¡°Now, let''s continue! Pay attention, I''m coming over now!¡±


    He had his treasure pouch taken away, lost his Sword Qi and his chest was stabbed. Qian Ting Nian was like a seriously injured beast who had had his teeth plucked from him. He issued a meaningless roar from his mouth.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    As if he knew that it was impossible to escape, Qian Ting Nian forced the closure of his wound with his True Qi, and rushed to Li Qing Shan after stimulating the True Qi in his whole body.


    Before anyone could tell, the wind rushed forth. Qian Ting Nian¡¯s body began to emit a pale golden luster.


    Li Qing Shan put in all his strength to strike downwards, and Qian Ting Nian did not shy away as his hands condensed a pale gold blade, which smashed towards Li Qing Shan¡¯s ribs.


    "Dang," a sound of metal colliding echoed, caused by Li Qing Shan¡¯s monstrous strength as well as True Qi in his wind severing knife while it gradually broke apart the Murderous Gold True Qi technique that Qian Ting Nian used to protect his body. This left a bloody wound down Qing Shan¡¯s shoulder.


    Li Qing Shan disregarded this and twirled his wind severing knife to cut the neck of Qian Ting Nian. Another sound of metal clinging together ringed out which caused him to experience two bouts of piercing pain in his ribs.


    Qian Ting Nian''s hand knife easily penetrated the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s uniform and Li Qing Shan''s True Qi protection, but it could not penetrate the tough demonic bull skin of Li Qing Shan.


    A series of loud noises ringed out as densely as rain in a confined space. The two did not retreat nor avoid as they struck out at their opponent for tens of strikes.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Li Qing Shan''s Eagle Wolf uniform was devastated to the point of no return, and Qian Ting Nian was also covered with bloody wounds. His chest''s wounds continued to ooze blood.


    Qian Ting Nian¡¯s eyes reddened and in a desperate burst, without regard for any technique, pinned Li Qing Shan and charged towards the pillars.


    Dong Dong Dong Dong Dong, he knocked down five pillars in a row, and the dust in the lobby rose everywhere.


    Li Qing Shan was covered with dust, seeming to be in extremely dire states, but his eyes showed composure like that of still water. Such a wild attack would certainly not harm him, and such an earth-shattering combat effect was exactly what he wanted.


    A 5th level Qi Refiner that knew he would die and engaged in desperate beastlike battle had endurance far greater than Li Qing Shan¡¯s expectations. Even if he was seriously injured, he could still display an amazing combat strength.


    Li Qing Shan found that with the strength of the 2nd level of Qi Refining, even if he had a strong body, it would be difficult for him to win.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    In the explosion of thick True Qi, Li Qing Shan had almost no room to counter. Eventually, he was struck in the chest heavily and he did not control his body and allowed himself to fly outside and land heavily on the platform. He didn¡¯t forget to say, "How strong!"


    This was an act of course. He wanted to kill Qian Ting Nian publicly, but he must not resort to instant-kill techniques. He deliberately wanted to make a ruckus and clear his relationship with the death of Zhao Liang Qing and hide his identity of being a demon.


    Not only will this show weakness to potential enemies, so as to numb their wariness of him, this can also confuse other potential enemies. They would not hurry to take action against him and give him more time to grow. This ploy of his was not a shallow indeed.


    However, Li Qing Shan did not have time to take pride in the play he directed, as when he saw his surroundings, he was stunned.


    A thick bloody smell enveloped the entire platform. The wet blood darkened as it dried. There were thousands of corpses, men and women, adults and children, that paved the entire mountain road and the platform. Anyone who had not seen it themselves would be unable to imagine how cruel and devastating the scene was like.


    There was countless limbs and distorted faces, with enlarged eyes that seemed to not be able to find peace. Before, Li Qing Shan and Qian Ting Nian were engaged in a death battle in the hall and they paid no heed to the shouting outside the hall. At this time, when he saw it with his own eyes, even though he had killed many and thought he was used to witnessing blood and death, he still felt a strong shock from this.


    Who did this? What happened here?


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    The moon escaped the dark clouds, and the moon shined a layer of silver frost on everything. The surroundings were deathly silent. There was no sound of insect nor frogs singing, as if the natural world was also stunned and did not dare to disturb.


    And the instigator for all this, Qian Rong Zheng was carrying a pike, and was sending all those moaning and breathing survivors in the piles of corpses to hell, one by one.


    Qian Rong Hui struggled to retreat: "No, Rong Zheng, we have no grudge between us!" He was the first person to be involved in the bloody frenzy, but with his strength of the pinnacle of the 1st level of Qi Refining, he survived, but he had exhausted all of his True Qi. He had many injuries all over his body and did not have a strand of strength left.


    Qian Rong Zheng said: "Fourteen years ago in Fall, August 15, you called me a slut!" The pike stabbed Qian Rong Hui¡¯s head mercilessly.


    After Qian Ting Nian chased to the outside of the hall, he saw this scene, and was stuck momentarily. When his mind regained clarity, he thought was the Qian Family finished like this?


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Rong Zheng looked back at Qian Ting Nian. There was no fear in her face. Instead, she was very happy: "Haha, grandpa, have you seen it? Your children and grandchildren are dead!"


    With a deranged roar, Qian Ting Nian fell into deeper madness, as he ignored Li Qing Shan and threw himself at Qian Rong Zheng.


    Li Qing Shan clenched his wind severing knife that was ridden with holes, but did not rush out. The woman was cruel in her methods and was repeatedly causing trouble to him. How could he go and save her.


    Looking at the Qian Ting Nian fly in, and Qian Rong Zheng retrieved three fire talismans and turned them into fireballs which struck Qian Ting Nian.


    Hong Hong Hong! The three explosions caused hot flames to burst into the sky and the airwaves pushed off the dead bodies.


    However, before Qian Rong Zheng could be happy, she saw Qian Ting Nian rush through the flames. His scarce hair was being burnt and his whole body had burn wounds, but he still rushed towards her without any concern for the fire on his body.


    Qian Rong Zheng finally showed a trace of fear in her face, but she did not escape, as she held tightly the pike in her hands and pierced out a blue light which shot towards Qian Ting Nian.


    Suddenly, a green rattan grows out of the ground and like a snake, it wrapped up around Qian Ting Nian. Ting Nian stimulated the Murderous Metal True Qi and snapped off the rattan, but he was stopped for a while. A shining blue light pierced his chest, and the wound that had been pierced by Li Qing Shan began to gust out more and more blood which could not be stopped.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Ting Nian took a few steps forward again, as more vines growing under his feet winded him up. He was like a moth falling deeper into a cobweb and his struggles became weaker and weaker.


    Without anyone knowing, Diao Fei had returned, and his right hand was maintained in front of his chest as he stared concentratedly at Qian Ting Nian. Those green vines were the techniques that he had employed.


    Li Qing Shan learned that Diao Fei¡¯s cultivation technique was not ¡°Xian Tian Qi Condensation Scripture.¡± This was probably the martial moves of Green Vine Mountain!


    Qian Rong Zheng did not seem to think that this blow could have had such an effect. Her face floated with mad ecstasy but she did not rush to attack again. Instead, she cautiously stepped back a dozen steps: ¡°Grandpa, your wife and children, all of them are here. Do you see them? They are at your feet, Aiya, you kicked your beloved wife¡¯s head. Never mind, those traitors of the Qian family were also killed by me. How about it? The debt of gratitude I have towards the Qian family has been repaid right?"


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Qian Ting Nian roared, but in the fierce battle with Li Qing Shan, he was already almost burnt out. This rush was his last remaining strength. With his last breath of True Qi to maintain his life, he stared at Qian Rong Zheng, as if he wanted to bite off her meat.


    However, Qian Rong Zheng just said: "I remember you used to promise me to become the head of the Qian Family. Of course, I know that you lied to me. How could you make an outsider, or rather, a woman, become the family head? But now, there is no one else that can inherit this position, so it can only be done by me, I guess.¡±


    She also showed distressed expression: "But now the Qian family has no one. Becoming the family head also means nothing. I think I will return this position to you, the first and the last family head of the Qian Family."


    Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s every word struck like a knife, piercing Qian Ting Nian as he trembled. However, his lower jaw was crushed and he could not say a single sentence. Looking up, he spat a mouth of blood, and then got swallowed by the green vines.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Done Done note: Was in Chicago for the Neocon fair! 12 hour flights are a major no-go my friends. I will try to release chapters when I am free like today. Weekly chapters are hard to guarantee but I promise to try my best! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave a comment about how you like our crazy demoness?


    Chapter 141: The death of Qian Ting Nian!

 Chapter 142

    Chapter 142: Exacting Justice!The luscious green vines seemed to so outstanding in the midst of the world of blood and darkness. As it grew with overwhelming vitality, it formed a dense cocoon.


    Not long afterwards, there was only the sound of the green vine constricting.


    Qian Rong Zheng had unknowingly stopped talking and stared at the green cocoon.


    Upon confirming that Qian Ting Nian had died, Diao Fei impatiently rushed up ahead and got rid of the green vines. He frisked the body of Qian Ting Nian but was unable to detect the presence of any Hundred Treasure Pouches.


    This led him to immediately turning his head to face the strong 16-year-old. However, he saw that he was standing still amidst the mix of bloody corpses, watching the starry skies above devotedly. The moonlight that shined on his body made it as if the bloodshed around him had no relation to him whatsoever.


    The summer night¡¯s stars were ever so bright and dense, such that even the light of the moon could not reduce its importance whatsoever. Li Qing Shan then discovered that compared to the area of corpses, the starry skies were ever much more beautiful.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    This was not to say that he was pretending to be insightful about life at such a moment. It was just that he had a sudden feeling, as to what that feeling was, he was unable to pinpoint it. This led him to think about that dream he once had ¨C a sea of stars drowned by a sea of blood.


    Once he finished his enlightenment, Li Qing Shan lowered his head: ¡°How many have we caught?¡±


    ¡°3. 2 got away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good move.¡±


    ¡°You overpraise me.¡±


    Over the course of their discussion, Diao Fei would knowingly not bring up the question of where Qian Ting Nian¡¯s treasure pouch went, nor would he ask Qing Shan for his own share. He had his own plans, which was to chase those 2nd level Qi Refiners who posed no threat to him, before heading back to see how things developed. If Qing Shan died, then he would silently leave and report to Zhuo Zhi Bo so as to ensure that he would be safe.


    However, he never thought that Qing Shan was truly able to force Qian Ting Nian to such a step. Diao Fei was most clearest that his move of entangling his targets with green vines was definitely not able to catch a 5th level Qi Refiner. Qian Ting Nian was clearly at the very end of his life, and that was the sole result of Qing Shan¡¯s efforts.


    Although he looked extremely worn out, Li Qing Shan was truly able to defeat a 5th level Qi Refiner. For such strong men, it was better to leave a few points of respect for them.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    As for the Refiners at the bottom of the mountain, even though they were distanced considerably far, there were still many ways for them to see what happened at the top of the mountain. They were currently showing faces of disbelief. Up until this point, they had not seen any of the Eagle Wolf Guards hidden experts appear. It was just this one young man, who depended on his 2nd Level Qi Refining strength to fight with Qian Ting Nian for so long?


    In the end, he even won through some strange means. Could it be that Qian Ting Nian was really so old and weak that he was taken advantaged of? This was probably the only explanation.


    Gong Liang Bai quietly muttered: ¡°How could this be?!¡± This was probably the cries within the hearts of all the practitioners present.


    A drop of water hit the ground. Subsequently, sounds of sobbing could be heard.


    Upon seeing Qian Ting Nian¡¯s corpse, Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s body shivered and the smile on her face completely disappeared. After being stunned for a moment, warm fluid started flowing from her face, but now, rather than blood, it was tears.


    She did not know why she cried, but she just suddenly wailed.


    Qing Shan and Diao Fei turned to look at each other and said nothing.


    Qing Shan took a deep breath and said loudly: ¡°Today¡¯s Eagle Wolf Guards, Li Qing Shan, Diao Fei and Qian Rong Zheng, have carried out the law and executed Qian Ting Nian.¡± After a brief pause: ¡°And as such, we have exterminated the Qian Family as a warning to others. All practitioners are to take note, blessed as you are, those that violate the law and harm the natural law shall meet their end as such!¡±


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    This sonorous voice covered Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s sobbing sounds and was transmitted to the entire Ancient Wind City at the bottom of the mountain.


    The first sound of cheers came out from an alley in a dark corner. It was from a depressed scholar who could not suppress his compliments and cheers. 2 years ago, the Qian family opened a flower garden and forcefully cleared his ancestral home, causing him and his wife to have to stay in the streets. His anger caused him to fall extremely sick and he almost lost his life. He could only recover difficultly and rent a small room where he relied on selling his calligraphy to feed his family.


    However, the stone on his heart could never be removed. Originally, he thought this grudge would stay on in his heart forever, but now, he finally got to witness justice being meted out!


    This cheer was like a piece of rock being thrown into a calm pool of water, sparking off a ripple of effects. This caused a wave of shouts and cheers to resound, which reverberated back up the mountain, as if to respond to Qing Shan¡¯s announcement.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Li Qing Shan could see that the Ancient Wind City had lighted up bit by bit, and countless citizens walked out of their homes and cheered. Many embraced others and shed tears of joy. Some started going around congratulating others. This was like they were celebrating a festive event as the lanterns that the Qian family forced them to prepare had finally been put to use, but now to celebrate the Qian family¡¯s demise.


    Li Qing Shan slowly smiled. Amongst the pile of corpses, there were probably many that were innocent! However, he had no ideas of being some perfect moral justice freak. As a man with steel for backbones, who had not taken on the sin of taking a few lives? Having destroyed the Qian family meant he eliminated the Qian family, there was nothing he did not dare to admit to.


    How could the cries of a family equate to the cries of an entire street? (Hard to translate: Basically, one family suffers better than more families suffer)


    Only those refiners that hid in the darkness had a change in their expression. Li Qing Shan¡¯s threat was clearly towards them, which caused them to feel angry and ashamed. Yet, at the same time, there was an unspeakable pressure and fear that was sparked off within them that caused them to inspect themselves. Were they truly like the Qian family?


    Li Qing Shan¡¯s slaying of Qian Ting Nian and elimination of the Qian Family was accepted with a resounding applause by tens of thousands of people. He was like a god of justice that stood on the courts of justice and judged everything evil. No one dared to go against him directly, as they only dared to keep their heads to themselves and shiver in fear.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Li Qing Shan did not give these people any ¡°face¡±. They headed on over to wish Qian Ting Nian well and good health on his longevity festival, but this did not mean that they were as evil as Qian Ting Nian. Some probably would explain that they did not even know the evil deeds of the Qian family.


    However, towards this heaven-reaching voice that echoed out, who did not hear it? It could only be said that those who heard it did not bother listening. Protecting oneself was the most important principle. No one was willing to offend a Refining Practitioner family for a bunch of mere civilians. S?a??h the N0v?lFire(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    The refiners slowly gathered in the darkness and left the Ancient Wind City. They all remembered a name.


    Li Qing Shan asked: ¡°Are you done crying?¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng lifted her head slowly.


    Li Qing Shan said: ¡°If you¡¯ve cried enough then our mission is over!¡± The things he wanted, he had already acquired them.


    And as such, without caring about Diao Fei and Qian Rong Zheng, he looked towards a tree far from them and started walking down the mountain.


    Qian Rong Zheng said: ¡°Wait!¡±


    Li Qing Shan turned his head back suspiciously, and saw Qian Rong Zheng smiling sweetly as she wiped away her tears. ¡°I haven¡¯t taken anything!¡± She then started to search among the corpses and then said: ¡°You guys leave behind such a weak little girl, of course she will be scared.¡±


    Qing Shan¡¯s eyes widened. Originally, he thought that once she got to take her revenge, she would be able to release the stress in her heart. Not to say that she would put down the blade of a murderer and become a saint, but she should at least have more thoughts on life and be less evil and cunning.


    However, things proved otherwise as her revenge only made some things appear from the depths of her heart.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    However, what appeared was clearly not the beautiful good things in hear heart such as a repressed kindness or innocence. Rather, she finally did not need to pretend to be some noble little girl from the Qian family. The smiling girl amongst the corpses seemed to fuse that crazy air of hers into her bones and seemed to become more and more warped in personality.


    Now Qing Shan knew that all those stories about moments of enlightenments as well as giving up on evil to be good were all fabricated. The truth of the world is that a mountain of Jiang could change it¡¯s appearance but not its location. This world had both buddhas and demons. This meant to say that, this was normal?


    Qian Rong Zheng lightly gathered her composure: ¡°Thank you two for your help rendered today. This lowly one was only able to repay her debts because of you two. If you lot do not think lowly of me, I would be willing to marry either of you to repay this gratitude.¡± She had a face full of smiles, and looked extremely pretty with her good mood.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Li Qing Shan did not stop for a single step whereas Diao Fei moved off even quicker, as if to avoid a snake or a scorpion, throwing Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s crazed laughter behind him.


    Qian Rong Zheng moved among the pile of corpses, like a strand of black soul. At this point, she was already no longer looking for things but rather acting more like an artist who was admiring her most beloved work of art and walking along an extremely beautiful garden.


    She would stop walking every now and then and hold up a familiar face to speak a few words to it. Even if she did not get an answer, she was still able to giggle for a while. Compared to this hellish mountain of corpses, she was evidently much more terrifying.


    Little An did not leave immediately upon Qing Shan¡¯s indication. Rather, he hid in a corner and entered an agitated posture of reflection.


    A great monk who had both fortune and intellect saw that the world was like one submerged by flames and suffering, while the people of this world were sunk into it. Greedy and obnoxious, they were unable to pull themselves out. The monk then practiced the great buddhist way, but was unable to convert all lives in the world. He felt extreme grief for the unfortunate and extreme anger for the unjust.


    His grief gave birth to limitless grace while his anger gave birth to endless murderous intent.


    When facing a natural calamity, at a deadlock, he realized that he had obstructions within his heart upon revisiting his heart, As such, he followed his instincts and set for himself the four great wishes, and as such he was able to overcome the calamity.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    He was like a heavenly demon, with a naturally demonic nature. Recognizing his base nature, he engaged in endless slaughter and finally became one with himself, eventually ending up at the same level as the one true Buddha.


    ¡­


    ¡°Oh, I understand! That great monk was a super genius, but saw that everyone was so stubborn and stupid. No matter what he said, they wouldn¡¯t listen. No matter what he explained, they wouldn¡¯t understand. So his heart grew dark. At the same time, he was always suppressed by the four words ¡°My Buddha¡¯s Gracious Sympathy¡±, and his inner desires could not be released so he became even more stressed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually comparable to a, hmm no, compared to converting a bunch of stupid fools, it¡¯s much easier to kill them with a single knife. It¡¯s just like him being surrounded by a bunch of flies. He has to grab a fly and rip open it¡¯s stomach and use it¡¯s intestines to strangle it¡¯s neck. Hur, even the tongue has to be stretched out! However, he just has to use a knife to get rid of it. Huaaaaa ¨C the entire world is cleaner.¡±


    At a hostel near the bottom of the mountain, Little An told Li Qing Shan his learnings through his writings on a piece of paper. After Li Qing Shan thought about it for a while, he gave his own analogy.


    Original Translation @ https://ohdamndone.blogspot.it/


    Little An was shocked. He sort of felt that after Li Qing Shan said this, that great monk¡¯s prestige in his mind fell by not only one level. Originally, the White Bone Bodhisattva had great strength and intellect despite falling into the demonic path. However, now Little An felt that this Bodhisattva¡¯s experience of suffering and pain seemed to be no different from a common folk.


    Li Qing Shan said: ¡°Nah, Little An, I¡¯ll tell you the truth, as a person, the most important thing is to be happy. As a skeleton you should do the same. Don¡¯t go to the extreme, those that do go to the extreme are crazy. If you meet those that make sense, then you can talk it out. Those that don¡¯t, just give them a stab.¡±


    Done Done note: Apologies my friends, was settling my uni and US visa stuff. Couldn¡¯t translate due to these stuff. Will maintain once a week now. Thanks and hope y¡¯all enjoy.

 Chapter 143

    Chapter 143: Bountiful harvest!Li Qing Shan went on to say: "Well, a good person usually has to extend is right cheek when getting slapped in the left cheek. And if he ends up being unable to take it, he will go on to become a bad person. Then he has to kill whoever he sees and even disown his own relatives. If you can¡¯t convert others then you decide to go and eradicate them instead, isn¡¯t that just a sign of mental illness? This cultivation technique is something you should just cultivate as it is, don¡¯t think too much about it."


    As a result, the power of a certain being above the nine heavens was degraded to being on the level of someone with mental illness.


    If the green ox were here, it would definitely be in approval of what he just said. Not that what Qing Shan said was something extraordinary, or that it was some exceedingly intellectual matter. To the contrary, what he said was something that completely disregarded intellectual ability. However, matters of philosophy and the natural order were things that he never specialised in.


    He was not an intellectual. He had no great intellectual ability to speak of. Neither was he benevolent, as he was neither graceful nor merciful.


    He was a brave man, and he had an arrogant and unscrupulous spirit. With a spirit that had no regards for others, whatever he did not understand he would not think about. If not, how could he be relaxed and carefree.


    These words are easy to say, but even a cultivator who is thousands of times stronger than Li Qing Shan, when facing the ethereal Nine Heavens above him, as well as the abilities created by the immortals and buddhas, could only focus on carefully learning from these abilities. It would be impossible for them to say things like Li Qing Shan, ¡°Don¡¯t be too serious.¡±


    People can''t be without respect and fear, but the brave are fearless. Even if an ability you mentioned was earth shattering, it would merely be tool in my hands, to serve my free will. He would never let any strange thoughts overwhelm him and take over his base nature.


    Li Qing Shan¡¯s embarrassing teachings were, as usual, treated as the greatest of sayings by Little An. Little An respected these words of his even more than the essence of the ¡°Dao of Beautiful Bones¡±. Although he felt that there should be something wrong with what Li Qing Shan said, it would definitely not be Li Qing Shan¡¯s fault. Rather, it should be he himself that did not understand, or that the great monk had a problem. Somehow or another, this managed to relieve Little An from the stress and confusion of his own thoughts and not be too influenced by his own cultivation techniques.


    For there to be such a miraculous effect from a crappy teacher who met a blur student, was a situation no one expected.


    Li Qing Shan was quite self-conceited. No matter how talented and intelligent, Little An was still a child, and he needs to guide him like a bright light.


    In the midst of talking, Li Qing Shan¡¯s stomach started growling. After a big fight, it was inevitable that he would easily get hungry. After he went out for a nice meal, he returned and closed the room door.


    Li Qing Shan pressed down the excitement in his heart and took out the treasure pouch of Qian Ting Nian. "Let¡¯s see, what is the harvest from this trip!"


    He just injected the True Qi into it, and he couldn''t help but sigh. The space inside was the size of a utility room. This was the biggest treasure pouch that he had gotten, which was bigger than Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s.


    Qing Shan was afraid of using Zhao Liang Qing¡¯s treasure pouch because he was wary about whether his treasure pouch had his sect¡¯s marking on it. Hence, he did not dare to bring it on him. This could without a doubt replace the one that the Eagle Wolf Guard replaced.


    In the treasure pouch, there were all kinds of things, and they were quite exquisite.


    The first thing Li Qing Shan wanted to amass was the medicinal pills.


    There was one thing that Qian Rong Zheng didn''t lie about. He took out small porcelain bottles one after another and put them on the table. After a while, he filled the table. Although the Qian Family''s refining skills seem to be not good, each one of the Qi condensation pills are at least the size of a longan, and one bottle could only store 3 of such pills. s?a??h th? N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    But even so, there were more than four hundred. What was originally Qian Ting Nian¡¯s greatest tool to control the Qian family had now completely been taken advantage of by Li Qing Shan. With these medicinal herbs, it would be enough for him to take it to the next level.


    The "Great Ox Demon Fist" was probably able to reach the second level with this! Then he could start to cultivate in the "Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist". As for " Spiritual Turtle Suppresses the Seas Scripture", Li Qing Shan was cultivating in it every day. Basically whenever he was refining Qi, there was no exception, whether he was absorbing energy from his medicinal pills or from his surroundings, most of the Qi would be swallowed up by it. Although there was still a long way to go before he would encounter his first heavenly tribute and rise in the ranks to become a demon general, there was still a long road for him to walk. This didn¡¯t stop him from trying to power walk through this road in haste though.


    Hundreds of bottles of Qi Condensation pills were placed together. Li Qing Shan was in a momentary daze as he leaked out a smile as if he were a poor beggar that suddenly struck it rich. He stretched out his hand to grab a pill and he tossed it into the air. However, instead of swallowing it straight away, he kept it in his mouth like it was candy. The tens of different medicinal grasses that were refined into the Qi Condensation pill made it taste extremely bitter as it cruelly stimulated his mouth but Qing Shan acted as if he were appreciating tea of sorts, tasting a sort of bittersweet taste in the process.


    Little An saw Qing Shan frown, then smile absurdly before counting the number of pills on the table again. This reminded him of the scene of Qian Rong Zheng speaking to the corpses.


    The medicinal pills he obtained were not just Qi Condensation pills, but also a few bottles containing pills similar to the Dewdrop Pill. There were also more expensive medicinal pills like the Hundred Grass Pill, which could be considered an enhanced version of the Qi Condensation pill. Because it needed more valuable herbs, this led to a need for greater skill in alchemy. Hence, the number was very little, totalling to about just over 10 pills. Qing Shan was prepared to use them in important situations such as when he needed to break through.


    In addition, there were haemostasis pills and the like, which were used to strengthen the qi and blood. It was obvious that Qian Ting Nian knew that he had not much life left, and that he wanted to live for a few more years.


    27 Spiritual talismans. This was greater than the amount of spiritual talismans that Qing Shan had obtained in his whole life. Looking at the wavy lines on top of the talismans he acquired, Qing Shan was only able to recognise less than half of them. These included the medium grade Thunder Drawing talisman which had great power. If it were used in a rainy day, it would be able to draw natural thunder from the heavens which would be extremely destructive.


    Not to mention the other talismans, just these 5 Thunder Drawing talismans would be able to instantly kill anyone below a 6th level Qi Refiner if Qian Ting Nian was relentless enough to use all of them. Even a 6th level Qi Refiner would not dare to take it easy against this kind of formation.


    If Qing Shan did not have the toughness from his demonification and intended to cause trouble for Qian Ting Nian, he would simply be asking for death.


    However, what made Qing Shan feel regretful was that amongst his newly found ¡°treasures¡±, he was not able to find many spiritual artifacts. There were only 2 of such in the lower grade. It seemed that Qian Ting Nian did not specialise in artifact refining and neither could he be like an Eagle Wolf guard who went around killing Qi Refiners.


    As for these two lower grade equipment, one was a foot long sword with flowery patterns on it. After injecting true Qi into it, a 5 foot long sword light would be emitted from it and turn it into a lengthy sword. Qing Shan immediately gave it to Little An.


    The other lower grade equipment was more special. It was a wooden shield about the size of a washbasin. After injecting True Qi into it, it enlarged into the size of a milling board and became much heavier.


    Qing Shan knew that there were some spiritual equipment that could change their forms, such as the Iron Ruler in Wang Pu Shi¡¯s hands. However, this was the first time he obtained such an equipment, what more a defensive one.


    However, this seemed to fit his intentions as with this, he could hold it as a giant kite shield which he could rush around with. If he met any enemies, he could simply slap them with it. Who could resist such a heavy blow?


    Aside from these, there were other more secular items. First off was the money. 1.5 million silver notes. It was lesser than he expected. For Qian Ting Nian to rule over Ancient Wind City for so long, yet not have as much money as Zhao Liang Qing was simply weird. However, upon further reflection, the Qian Family was a large organisation and needed to feed many people. It seemed that most of the money would be in the control of managers under him.


    Besides, it was not just money. There were also many housing deeds as well. Just taking a casual look around, it appeared that the Qian Family controlled more than half of the real estate in Ancient Wind City as well as the plantations outside of it.


    According to the law, all the gains that an Eagle Wolf Guard has received during the mission will belong to that guard. For Li Qing Shan to become a big landlord overnight, he could not help but feel a myriad of emotions as he thought back to his days in the cowshed.


    Originally, Li Qing Shan also wanted to find the cultivation technique that allowed Qian Ting Nian to eject out Sword Qi from his nostrils. However, he was unable to find it. Yet, he did not feel regretful over it because he would be able to redeem his mission rewards in for other techniques in the Eagle Wolf Guard¡¯s hidden book collection. Also until he finished practising his ¡°Xian Tian Qi Refining Scripture¡± to the 9th level, he did not plan on switching techniques, so there was no rush for him as of now.


    The celebrations outside the window have not stopped, and the sound of the drums and the firecrackers seemed like they would go on for a whole night.


    Li Qing Shan smiled slightly, swallowed a Qi Condensation pill and began to cultivate.


    Little An also began to meditate in silence like an old monk, sitting cross-legged beside him.


    The next morning, a county magistrate with a bitter face that was full of smiles knocked on Qing Shan¡¯s door. Upon seeing Qing Shan¡¯s face, he was taken aback. He didn¡¯t expect the Eagle Wolf guard that shocked the Ancient Wind City yesterday to be so young. He was almost in doubt as to whether he was mistaken.


    Li Qing Shan said: "My lord, what are you here for?"


    The official found this voice that echoed throughout the night skies ever so familiar and was clear that the one before him was the correct person without a doubt and began to convey his intentions.


    Li Qing Shan couldn''t help but laugh. This county magistrate wanted to dress him up in red ribbons and take him to walk the streets. He even mentioned that the sedans were prepared below. Of course, he refused.


    The county magistrate did not dare to persuade him any further. For a figure who so much resembled a fierce god, who would dare to force him.


    Li Qing Shan said: "Compared to this matter, it would be better to quickly dispose of the corpses on the mountain. Now that the weather is hot, I don''t wish for there to be a plague."


    The county magistrate replied : "What my lord has mentioned is a great reminder. This one has already sent people to go and clear it. Not far from the Qian manor, at the bottom of the west mountain, there is a natural cavity. This official will gather some farmers to transport the corpses there. However, these farmers dislike the filth and blood, what more them being the corpses of the Qian Family. Hence, they are not willing to put in effort for this."


    Li Qing Shan thoughtfully answered: "In the middle of the Qian manor, there should be a lot of gold and silver tools remaining. You can send someone to search for it. Treat it as an incentive for the people. It must be handled properly by today, and there must be no mistakes."


    The magistrate was beaming, and was busy acknowledging his response. He was thinking in his heart that this lord was really compassionate! If Li Qing Shan does not mention it, who dared to move things in the Qian manor.


    Li Qing Shan had another plan in his heart. He sent the county magistrate off and returned to the room. He said to Little An: "Is it really possible to cultivate in such a manner?"


    Little An nodded.


    Li Qing Shan said: "Roughly how long would it take?"


    Little An shook his head.


    Li Qing Shan said: "Well, let''s stay for a while. Just nice, we can calm down and cultivate for a while before returning to Jia Ping City. I am afraid that it will not be so calm when we return."


    "Good for you, Li Qing Shan!"


    In the city of Jia Ping, at the Eagle Wolf Guard office, in a small garden, Zhuo Zhi Bo folded a letter as his eyes twitched. His anger surged and his palm smashed the stone table.


    The informant in Clear River Prefecture delivered a letter to him and he now finally knew what happened outside the Qing Yang city.


    Done Done Note: *Little An can now evolve. Press B to stop the evolution!*

 Chapter 144

    Chapter 144 Li Qing Shan did not have any background . Also, Wang Pu Shi did not like him to the point that he sent him to be employed under his own subordinates . If Gu Yan Ying truly took notice of this child, then Wang Pu Shi would definitely not neglect this little one . It was just like if Wang Pu Shi truly took notice of anyone, then he, Zhuo Zhi Bo would have to take care to please that person .


    This was the simplest logic . Zhuo Zhi Bo truly was too careful . He was just scared of the most extreme scenario . Somehow, the greatest factor towards his fear was the attitude of that brat . It was simply too pompous, which resulted in his false illusion that he had a strong background .


    When the cruel reality was unveiled, Zhuo Zhi Bo was only left with the feeling that he was played with cruelly . He first flushed red before turning green . His anger towards Li Qing Shan exploded in an instant .


    ¡°Leader Zhuo please rest at ease!¡± Ge Jian advised appropriately .


    Zhuo Zhi Bo coldly said: ¡°I, as a leader of a Eagle Wolf Branch, am above a million others and have taken the lives of many with my very hands . I don¡¯t know how many years have passed since a person has dared to play around with me like this . Li Qing Shan, oh Li Qing Shan, you are truly quite impressive . ¡±


    Ge Jian replied: ¡°However, that brat is at the Ancient Wind City and I don¡¯t think he will return . Why does leader have to be so angry about a dead man?¡±


    Zhuo Zhi Bo said: ¡°I hate that I cannot personally kill him with my own hands . As for that Zhou Wen Bin, he is also not anything good . ¡±


    Ge Jian answered: ¡°He is only acting as a County Magistrate here by himself and has not a single Refiner acting under him . Why does leader go to such lengths to tolerate him? Our Eagle Wolf Guard is in charge of supervising faults and transgressions . How about we find some evidence and sue him as well?¡±


    Zhuo Zhi Bo said: ¡°Shut up! What criminal evidence can you find about him? He comes from the Hundred Family Courtyard School and has many colleagues . Even the government officials appreciate him greatly . If I went against him, leader Wang will only be disappointed . ¡±


    Ge Jian quipped: ¡°Yes, my lord . This one was wrong!¡±


    Zhuo Zhi Bo said: ¡°Now, we should wait for the news of that brat dying on duty coming in any time soon!¡± Then he began heading towards Ancient Wind City to destroy the Qian Family so that he could take ¡°revenge¡± for Li Qing Shan so as to flaunt the power of the Eagle Wolf Guard . That old Qian head should have saved up quite a fair bit of things over these few years . It was time to take action .


    This was Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s original venomous plan . To kill two birds with one stone . Destroying the Qian Family and Li Qing Shan . Also, she could offer Zhuo Zhi Bo a share of the war prizes as tribute .


    ¡­


    At night, Li Qing Shan came to the natural cavity at the bottom of the West mountain . The cavity was not particularly big, but when it came down to holding a thousand corpses, it was more than necessary . S?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    A strong rancid smell was in the air and came over from the cavity . Li Qing Shan quickly held his breath . In merely a day¡¯s time, the rate that the corpses decomposed was even harder to accept than the strong bloody smell that lingered last night .


    Those villagers that were gathered were in the process of moving the corpses over . After stripping the corpses of their clothes, the clothes were thrown in a bonfire at a corner . Then, the clean white corpses were thrown into the natural cavity .


    Everyone was frowning and covering their mouths and noses with wet clothes . If not for the huge reward by the county officials, as well as the threat from the possible plague that would ensue . No one would be willing to come over . It was not only disgusting, but also extremely inauspicious .


    A strand of black smoke started to rise from the bonfire and head straight for the skies . There was not even a wisp of wind in the four directions and the setting sun still emitted a scorching heat, making the corrupted air twist slightly .


    Hundreds of crows circled overhead and cawed menacingly as they came down intermittently to scoop out the eyeballs of the corpses .


    All of this, compared to last night, had an even greater feeling of being inauspicious and deadly .


    And this world, probably did not have an existence as corrupt as this .


    The county magistrate was originally hiding himself far away from all this, but upon hearing that Li Qing Shan had arrived, he came up personally to say: ¡°My lord, please check to see if this lowly one had accomplished your assigned task well . ¡±


    Li Qing Shan nodded his head . But before he could even reply, the official looked at the cavity only once before he began to cover his mouth to prevent himself from barfing . Finally, he left dejectedly .


    Once all the corpses were thrown into the natural cavity, the villagers began to dig up the soil they had accumulated earlier and began to cover up the cavity . This work was done until the sun set fully and when night had arrived, they were almost done .


    Li Qing Shan hesitated for a while before throwing the vase in his hands into the center of the natural cavity . He let the villagers bury the vase along with the corpses .


    Li Qing Shan stood at the side of the natural cavity for a while . The smell that had been there still did not dissipate .


    ¡°Did you know? At the places where corpses are buried, flowers and trees grow particularly well . When I was young, I poisoned a dog and buried it at the flower garden . After that, the flowers that grew there every year were so colourful . ¡±


    Qing Shan turned his head and saw Diao Fei and Qian Rong Zheng standing not so far from him .


    Qian Rong Zheng came up ahead and stared at the cavity: ¡°This place will not need a year before it becomes the most boisterous of plantations . ¡±


    Qing Shan did not have the heart to answer her crazy talk . Diao Fei said: ¡°Our task is finished . Shall we go back?¡±


    Li Qing Shan replied: ¡°I still want to stay here for a while and settle the real estate and plantations . You guys can head back first!¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng sneered at him: ¡°You can¡¯t be thinking of escaping? You don¡¯t even know Gu Yan Ying, right? Seeing your down-to-earth appearance, how could you know a woman like her? Right now, Zhuo Zhi Bo has probably checked your identity thoroughly . If you return then it would be your death sentence . However, how can you escape? One with a reputation of betraying the Eagle Wolf Guard will ensure that you will have no place to hide under the heavens . ¡±


    Qing Shan used one hand to strangle Qian Rong Zheng as he calmly stated: ¡°Do you believe that I van kill you right now? Then bury you with these people right here?¡±


    ¡°Stop! Qing Shan!¡± Diao Fei wanted to go ahead to stop him but he stopped moving forward when Qing Shan lifted his left hand towards him .


    Qian Rong Zheng replied in difficulty: ¡°If you kill me, you will have to kill Diao Fei . Will you do so?¡±


    Diao Fei¡¯s face changed colour instantly . He couldn¡¯t help but take a few steps back and become cautious instantly . After what happened the previous night, he no longer believed that he was the opponent of Qing Shan .


    Qing Shan remained expressionless as his hands slowly tightened . Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s face flushed instantly and her eyes displayed a hint of fear . When she felt like her neck was going to be broken, it was suddenly loosened and she fell to her knees where she began gasping for air in large breaths .


    Li Qing Shan said: ¡°Don¡¯t piss me off . ¡± Looking at Qian Rong Zheng¡¯s hateful eyes, ¡±Return and tell Zhuo Zhi Bo that I will return to Jia Ping soon . If he can¡¯t afford to wait, he can come over to Ancient Wind City to find me . I will be willing to accompany as and when he does . ¡±


    He then bent down and said to Qian Rong Zheng: ¡°If you want to kill me, then you best be prepared with all your might . You will only have one chance . If you fail, then I will risk everything to kill you . Of course, you best better give up on this intention of ours . If not, whenever I feel slightly unwell, I might just come over to kill you to relieve myself . ¡±


    Hate was slowly replaced by fear as Qian Rong Zheng felt an enormous pressure under his calm words . That suffocating feeling was even greater than that when she was being strangled .


    ¡°What¡­ what good will I even get from harming you?¡± Qian Rong Zheng looked away from Qing Shan as her expression hardened .


    As one would say, ¡°The villains will naturally be tortured by other villains¡±, when her cunning ¡°evil¡± met the strong brutal ¡°evil¡± of Li Qing Shan, she naturally backed off .


    Li Qing Shan stood up and left to the Ancient Wind City .


    Qian Rong Zheng stood up and brushed the dirt off her clothes . After tidying her clothes, her face regained her smile as she stared at Li Qing Shan¡¯s back and said to herself: ¡°Just one¡­ one chance?¡±


    Diao Fei¡¯s heart froze over in an instant as he enquired: ¡°Are you returning?¡±


    Qian Rong Zheng answered as she laughed: ¡°I went through so much difficulty just to return home this one time . How can I leave so quickly?¡±


    Diao Fei sighed in relief deep down inside when he heard her answer as such . He was the one with the highest cultivation base amongst the three of them and was the eldest amongst them with the greatest experience in the outside world . Even his reputation was the most sonorous amongst them . He, the great lord Diao Fei, was quite famous and was not to be compared with the likes of ¡°Black Tiger¡± and such . It was to the point where he his fame made it difficult for him to deal with .


    However, when he was with the two of them . It was like he was situated between a poisonous snake and a ferocious tiger . He felt like he would die at any point in time whenever he was around them .


    This was not a wrong intuition of his . No matter if it was the poisonous schemes that Qian Rong Zheng set, or the strength that Li Qing Shan used, Diao Fei¡¯s personal safety was never insured at any point of time and the risk to his life was extremely large .


    Qian Rong Zheng letting Qian Ting Nian harm Li Qing Shan would result in him being eliminated . When Li Qing Shan faced Qian Ting Nian, if Qian Ting Nian pulled off any of his killing blows, such as his Sword Qi or the Thunder Gathering Talisman, it would also be very likely to kill him . Li Qing Shan may not just sit there and watch, but he would never reveal his demon identity for him .


    One had to admit that Diao Fei¡¯s experience in the outside world was not for naught as his instinct for danger was extremely keen .


    And just now, when that black tiger held down onto the colourful serpent and let out that roar, the innocent Diao Fei instantly became a bargaining chip of the serpent which made the tiger have to reconsider whether he should consider taking further cruel action .


    Diao Fei immediately left and took one last look at Qian Rong Zheng before disappearing into the darkness . He decided to never take up another mission with any of them . No . He would maintain his distance from them at all times from now on .


    That colourful poisonous serpent stood in front of the thousand corpse mound she created personally and silently brewed her new poison . She was even thankful for the threat of the black tiger . When she finally showed her poisonous fangs, it would be her death sentence . No matter if she succeeded, she would be crushed to death by the rampaging tiger .


    However, she was not too worried . Patience was one of the best traits of the poisonous serpent . She could endure in the Qian Family for more than ten over years . Enduring till everyone thought she was tamed completely and without a trace of hatred for the Qian Family . Even to the point that Qian Ting Nian let her go to the Jia Ping City to become an Eagle Wolf Guard .


    Because she was at the second level of Qi Refining three years ago, she could take this opportunity to leave the Qian Family . At that time, Qian Ting Nian completely trusted her, and gave her complete freedom . If she wanted to, she could completely escape the area of the Qian Family¡¯s influence and Qian Ting Nian would never be able to find her .


    If it were a normal person, they would long be unable to accept all of this and take the chance to flee . However, she did not . She would rather suffer an additional 3 years of embarrassment and show that she was more tamed than before so as to win greater trust . All for this opportunity to inject her venom into her enemy¡¯s throat .


    She decided to continue waiting silently . Waiting for a chance that might never even appear . However, she felt that she did not need to do anything . There was the shadow of a bald eagle hanging above the skies, which had covered the head of that tiger . That tiger might have been extremely vicious and powerful, but it was still so¡­ so young .


    Done Done Note: I personally think this villainess is one of the most fleshed out ones from most Chinese novels I have read . What do you guys think?

 Chapter 145

    Chapter 145 However, Qian Yannian thought the whole thing was pretty weird .


    She had known a little about what kind of person Li Qingshan was . He was very brave and clever . Although everyone knew one on the second level of Qi Refining would be defeated when fighting against another on the fifth level of Qi Refining, he didn¡¯t fear at all .


    And she had just tried to sound him out and it had been proved once again that he really had no formidable background . Then why was he so bold?


    When he came, Qian Rongming wanted to pick a fight with Li Qingshan on ship at that night . Qian Rongming was killed by Li Qingshan instead of Diao Fei . Li hid his strength in a special way at that time .


    Was his real cultivation more than the second level of Qi Refining?


    Qian Rongzhi was lost in thought . The inexplicable disappearance of Zhao Liangqing and Fu Rong might happen by accident . However, she knew Qian Yannian¡¯s strength so well that she had to wonder why so many powerful spiritual talismans in the treasure pouch did not work, even Li could escape from two wisps of Sword Qi


    She closed her eyes and tried to look back upon something . The bloody and crazy scene on that night came to her mind again .


    Qian Yannian glared at her but didn¡¯t speak any word, because his chin had been shattered . There were many wounds on his body and a fatal one in his chest, so he was easily penetrated by her pike .


    When Qian Yannian came out, he almost died . Because of being hit out, Li Qingshan seemed to cut a sorry figure, but there was no any serious injury on him . He ended Qian¡¯s life by the frontal attack .


    There must be a very strong trump card in the hand of LI Qingshan, so he could be so arrogant .


    Considering the wounds on Qian Yannian''s body, Li Qingshan''s Body Refining Skill might well be much stronger than what he showed . So Li could take Qian Yannian''s treasure pouch away in an instant, shatter Qian''s chin, penetrate through his chest, and then pretend to be hit away by him . If so, everything made sense, and what Li Qingshan said and did became reasonable .


    As the saying goes, "a thief is mean but wiser than a decent man . " It never came to Li what he did can be profiled so precisely .


    Qian Rongzhi saw another scene that a fierce tiger crouched in the thick forest, waiting for the bald eagle coming from the sky . No one knew exactly who should be the hunter or prey .


    Zhuo Zhibo was a fool, but had the word meaning "wisdom" in his name . He could not see the hidden crisis . Just like Qian Yannian, he might seem wise and crafty, but he was pedantic and stupid in fact . However, they shouldn¡¯t be blamed, because they had been able to suppress the others by their own strength for so long that they were naturally too lazy to use their brains .


    Of course, she would not be so nice to remind Zhuo Zhibo . Anyway, no matter who would die, she would be happy, and it was the best result that they died together .


    For the first time, she felt that Li Qingshan had a chance to win, for he was in the shadows . People in the shadows were terrible, which she knew well . If she threatened Li Qingshan with that matter immediately, she would surely be killed . But if she went back and reported it to Zhuo Zhibo, she would not get any benefits, either; if she lost in the gambling, she would die after Zhuo Zhibo . Li Qingshan''s warning was not a joke .


    So, if she bet on the Li Qingshan, would she get some benefits from the death of Zhuo Zhibo?


    She pondered over the possibilities . It was much more difficult to be a sly devil than a foolish decent man . At this point, she was absolutely calm and rational, even more open-minded than a decent man and mercenary, and completely put aside personal honor and disgrace .


    In the cavity, a sudden chilly wind blew to Qian Rongzhi, and she feel so cold . Before she knew it, the night grew late .


    She turned around and saw green ghosty fire were flying in the air above the cavity .


    Even normal people would be frightened, let alone she, the chief culprit, but she just laughed and cursed, "Devil!" Then she put aside all the things about Li Qingshan temporarily and left . There was more important thing waiting for her .


    Right now, it was really the time to go home .


    She looked up at the starlit sky, smiled and thought her father, mother, brother and sister should be anxious!


    After Qian Rongzhi left, amazing changes were happening under the thick soil in the cavity .


    The porcelain jar crackled with cracks like a spider''s web and then broke into pieces, and the Body-burning Bloody Fire came out and went around like waves, devouring all the corpses and the filthy flesh and turning them into a part of the bloody fire . Then the fire was burning more and more fiercely .


    The dark bottom of the cavity turned into bright sea of fire, and the stinking and filthy corpses were turned to clear and leaping flames .


    The ghosty fire above the cavity was gone .


    Hundreds of skeletons were scattered in the bottom of the cavity .


    Little An sat crossed-legged in the center of the searing bloody fire, manipulating the bloody fire and absorbing the energy of the bloody fire .


    The skulls in the bottom silently watched him with black and empty eyeholes .


    As Little An bent down his finger, the bloody fire turned into hundreds of fire snakes and got into the skulls .


    The black eyeholes were lighted up like the bloody fire, and all the skeletons were shaking fiercely, kept crashing into each other with rushed noise of bang bang bang and piled up . All pieces of bones came to be together .


    Thousands of large or small skeletons were jumping at the bottom of the cavity and dancing in the flames; the sound of bones crashing was like music, and the sound of teeth clashing was like singing . They moved around Little An, as if they were holding a grand memorial ceremony .


    The Body-burning Bloody Fire could be divided into parts, stay in different skulls, keep connection with Little An, and be drive by thought, which he already knew . However, those were meaningless, as the fragile bones could not defeat a warrior of the lowest level .


    A skull flew up and landed in Little An¡¯s hand .


    Eyeholes to eyeholes and bloody fire to bloody fire .


    There was a gleam of white light appearing in the bright red flames of Body-burning Bloody Fire gradually


    There was a touch of joy in Little An¡¯s eyes as he saw the improved fire described in Dao of Beautiful Bones - Bone-burning Ashy Fire .


    The fire, implied as the name, could burn up the bone .


    No matter how hot the normal flame was, it could only burn the bone into coke, but the skull would melt like sugar in Bone-burning Ashy Fire . Although the process of melting was extremely slow, it was very inconceivable .


    After a very long time, the skull melted completely, became a drop of white liquid and dropped into his forehead .


    Then he raised his hand, and a bone of arm flew into his hand . He continued to melt it .


    While Little An melted the bones, the Bone-burning Ashy Fire became stronger and stronger and melted his skeleton body .


    This process was much more painful than the practice with blood . It seemed that there were numerous needles, saws and whetstones working on his body .


    Normal people would be crazy in one second and even died because of the pain, so it was very hard to hold on, but the fire burned and there was no fear in his eyes .


    Whenever he felt that he almost could not bear it, it seemed that he was surrounded by the snow and wind and had come back once again to the foot of the Icy Sword Cliff on that night full of snow and wind .


    Li Qingshan hit him away by waving hand to let him go, and then disappeared in the snow and wind; Li climbed Icy Sword Cliff alone and walked on the way to death .


    He stood alone in the snow and wind for a long time and did not hide as what Li told him . With a stiff body, he felt freezing cold, anxiously wondering whether Li was going to die . Then he fell on his knees, and the pain was so strong that his body seemed to be torn apart .


    Finally, he caught up with Li Qingshan and gave a hand to Li in the critical moment, because he did not know where he should go besides that place .


    When everything was done, he witnessed Li Qingshan and shout to the sky and just kept silent, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists .


    On that night, the shock of his soul was no less than that of Li Qingshan¡¯s .


    Compared the pain on that night, the current one was nothing at all!


    The searing Bone-burning Ashy Fire surrounded his body, burned up impurities and blended more bone liquid in his body again and again .


    He needed to rebuild his skeleton before rebuilding the fresh and became stronger to catch up with Li Qingshan .


    ¡­


    Li Qingshan came to the country yamen (government) and handed over some title deeds of houses and lands to the magistrate to ask him to help sell own houses and lands .


    The magistrate was flattered, ¡°Your Excellency, I am afraid they cannot be sold out in a short time¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I understand . It is fine to sell them out at a lower price . You can regard it as a kind of benefit from me to Ancient Wind City¡¯s people . ¡± He got hundreds of Qi condensation pills, so he didn¡¯t care about the money . He had even tried to burn them all, but it might cause quite a stir in Ancient Wind City . Finally, he chose this method .


    The magistrate said, ¡°Your Excellency, it is real a good thing . I really appreciate your kindness on the behalf of people in the city . ¡±


    Kindness? Li Qingshen smiled, but he did not care about it, ¡°You can handle it within a month . ¡± He didn¡¯t give the magistrate any warning, because he did not believe the magistrate dared to fool him . The magistrate might make some money from it, which he deserved in somehow .


    The magistrate said, ¡°Your Excellency, is there anything else?¡± S?a??h the N?v?lF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan turned around and headed for the door, ¡°I will stay in the city for a few days . Just leave me alone . ¡±


    As the richest man in the city, Li Qingshan wouldn¡¯t lodge in an inn certainly . He picked a small house with a yard, which was not far from the Qian House and very quiet . The most important thing was that he could see the cavity, living here


    He stood in the yard with a grape trellis and a rocking chair under the grape trellis . Beside the trellis was a big water vat with several carps swimming freely in it . The dark water was rippling with the reflection of the crescent moon .


    Although Little An did not say, but he had a vague feeling that Dao of Beautiful Bones was a very great book, by which people could cultivate at a high speed and own amazing power without the help of any pill or medicine .


    However, you needed to pay for what you got . If someone wanted to practice it, he must have the talent and have to endure the pain that normal people could not bear .


    Although Little An was a child, he was very smart and tough . He didn¡¯t need to worry about Little An, except for the future, their future .


    Since so many years passed, Little An''s families might have been gone! Maybe, there were only some tombs left, so I could take in and bring up him .


    Li Qingshan scratched his head for a while, ¡°Ha-ha, it is very ridiculous, ridiculous¡±


    Finally, he decided not to think too much and sat on the ground . He threw a Qi condensation pill into his mouth and chewed it up with the thick bitter full of mouth, but his mind became clear, and then he began to practice .


    A ray of sunlight fell on his eyes, the eyelashes fluttered, and his eyes opened .


    On the horizon of the east, thousands of clouds were red, and the sun slowly and firmly rose in the sky, spreading endless light and heat and dispersing the fog; endless golden wheat waved in the morning breeze .

 Chapter 146

    Chapter 146


    Illusory Prosperity


    Looking down from here, Li Qingshan could saw the whole picture of this ancient mountain city where various houses and buildings in orderly rows were shrouded in the red sunglow .


    A great number of people, including vendors who sold groceries, breakfast and vegetables, as well as merchants who got up early to have a business trip, were passing through the interlaced alleys and streets . The hustle and bustle of large crowds showed the worldly prosperity .


    Enjoying the broad field of vision, Li had boundless ease of mind .


    "The view here should be so good?" Li was slightly surprised, took a deep breath, and began to practice boxing to exercise his hands and feet .


    Feeling the flow of Qi inside the body, he realized that with the help of nine Qi condensation pills taken last night, his power grew stronger and his cultivation on second level of Qi Refining was gradually stabilizing .


    Li Qingshan did not hurry to cultivate his demon core and demon body or swallow a lot of Qi condensation pills at a stroke, because he might stay here for some time and the next portion of Qi condensation pills needed to be gotten from Jia Ping City . Rather than run out of the pills and suffer temporary shortage of Qi condensation pills, he preferred to make it slow, since his body would naturally absorb the efficacy of pills .


    Li found a suit of original owner''s old clothes in the room to replace the Eagle Wolf uniform which he was wearing, then opened the door, went out, and had a special local snack in a restaurant with a Chinese character - "Tea" on the signboard .


    He felt that his great dream of eating delicious food all over the world had been fulfilled a little bit, and then he continued his walk contentedly . Li walked slowly on purpose, admiring the scenes along the street .


    Li didn''t know how long it had been since he lived such a life of ease . Since Li began to cultivate, his days had been tough and tense . Even he came back to the secular world, and to the ancient Jia Ping City, he still had to deal with all kinds of ceaseless accidents .


    He went to punish the wicked, assassinate strong enemies or guard against enemies . Even if he got some leisure time, he had to practice and dared not slack off at any moment .


    He had almost forgotten what it was like to be idle . Li remembered the days when he had been herding the cattle on the Crouching Cattle Hummock, looking at the mountains, playing a fife, and avoiding the oppression of his brother and sister-in-law . An afternoon passed before he knew it .


    It seems that he had experienced two opposite lives, and each had its interesting part . But he still liked the present life better, and would not miss the past too much .


    Now looking at the noisy crowd in the market, unconsciously, he felt kind of strange . Although Li was still one of the lowest and weakest practitioners of Qi refining, he had been on an irreversible way totally different from that of the common people .


    Common people could only walk on the ground, usually would get married and have children, enjoyed an ordinary life full of joys and sorrows, separations and reunions from birth to death . But the practitioners¡¯ life was just like climbing a mountain whose peak could never be reached . Each improvement would allow the practitioner to see new scenery and extend his lifespan, so lifespan wouldn¡¯t be a troublesome problem for practitioners .


    In front of the county yamen, a notice had been posted and a literate inferior official had been assigned to read the notice aloud, informing the public that all the lands and houses of Qian Family would be auctioned seven days later .


    Hundreds of people stood in front of the county yamen, pointing at the notice and talking about the matter .


    Li Qingshan stood in the crowd, looking at the notice for a while and thinking that the magistrate¡¯s reaction speed was quite fast .


    Then he walked out of the crowd and came into a small bookstore . He spent two liang (a unit of weight; 1 liang =50 grams) of silver on more than ten leisure books, including poetry anthologies, historical books and essays . Then he found a musical instrument shop and bought two music score books and a jade flute with 35 liang of silver .


    When he got home, he lay on the cane chair under the grape arbor, opened a book and read it carefully . It was nearly noon and the sun turned white from red . The sunshine passed through the dense grape leaves, and fell on the yellowing pages of the book and his face .


    At this time, he was like a young man, rather than a bold and fearless practitioner or a decisive and cruel Black Wolf Guard . On his stone-like face which was angular to some extent, the sharp eyes were deep and bright now .


    Spiritual Turtle Demon Core in his body, slowly rotating, became unprecedentedly clear, and the vapor it released naturally rushed out, wetting his clothes .


    He was lost in a great battle in the historical book, so he didn¡¯t perceive it .


    Adjusting mood was also a kind of cultivation .


    When the bow was not in use, bowstring should be dismounted for maintenance . He relaxed himself, recuperating from the strain for rising to a higher level based on accumulated strength in the future .


    Not everyone could enjoy such leisure . A small town named ¡°Shangguan Town¡± was dozens of miles away from Ancient Wind City, and it got the name because most of the people in the town had the surname - Shangguan .


    Although the surname was rare, people here were just the common ones who knew little about martial arts .


    There was a family in the town; because of a daughter whose surname was Qian, the ordinary family suddenly rose to a rich and noble one in the Shangguan Town . The family boasted a house with pink walls and glazed tiles, and numerous servants, and held feasts almost every day, becoming the envy of the whole town .


    On the official road from the Ancient Wind City to Shangguan Town, a man in black was riding a white horse, slowly marching .


    Qian Rongzhi looked at the Shangguan Town appearing on the horizon, and she suddenly got anxious, clenching the pike pinned on her waist . The cold weapon should made her feel warm .


    Under the burning sun, with a touch of lingering dismay in her eyes, she said with self-mockery, "I really overestimate myself .


    She was taken away from her home . When she got somewhere in cultivation, she was allowed to go back to visit relatives by Qian Yannian . Since then, she often came back, and gently treated each person in the family, since she wanted to let Qian Yannian believe that she really valued her family and could be easily controlled .


    But now, she had broken the shackles of Nian Family, so there was no point in maintaining the illusory intimacy . Her heart gradually turned cruel . It was time to end this .


    No one deserved happiness from her misfortune! No one!


    The vermillion door of the Shangguan House opened, and blood flowed out along the screen wall behind the outflow .


    Qian Rongzhi frowned, holding her pike and thinking, when she saw a dozen corpses, including guards, maids, servants and cleaning women, lying in disorder on the ground behind the screen wall .


    She could name them all, but now they were all dead .


    As she continued to walk towards the depths of the house, she saw more and more corpses . When entering the inner courtyard, Nian Rongzhi saw a dead noble woman, who was originally a village woman, but now wore expensive hair jewelry on the head and silk clothes brought back from the south by a guest . At this moment, the clothes were covered with blood .


    Nian Rongzhi could hardly remember the lady''s name, for she had called the woman mother for a long time .


    Nian felt relieved inexplicably, cast a deep glance at her mother, and then strode over her body .


    Then there were more corpses, most of which were her siblings .


    Even at noon, the ancestral temple, where were placed forefathers¡¯ memorial tablets of Shangguan Family, was still very dark .


    A grey-haired old man, was seizing a portly middle-aged man on both sides by the arms and cast a cold and resentful glance at Qian Rongzhi, shouting, "Shangguan Rongzhi, I know you will come back!"


    Qian Rongzhi said with a complex expression, "Third Uncle!"


    The old man was Qian Yannian''s nephew, who had studied martial arts for many years, finally broke through the Innate Realm, reached the second level of Qi Refining, and became one of the martial masters of Qian Family . That night, he fled from the Qian Family, but Diao Fei did not chase him, so he had a close shave .


    "You did all this?" Qian asked .


    The old man said, "Yes, I did . Shangguan Rongzhi, you are a traitor! All people of Qian Family died due to you . You destroyed the Qian Family and ruined everything I had, so I feel irreconcilable hatred for you and killed all your family members . "


    "Rongzhi, save me!" the middle-aged man trembled, and set his eyes and nose at flow with fear .


    That portly man was Qian Rongzhi¡¯s father . Qian Rongzhi got panic and angry, "Dad, I will save you . Qian Haode, let go of my father!"


    Qian Haode said, "Now do you know fear? You bitch! Drop your weapon and get down on your knees!" Qian Rongzhi hesitated . Qian Haode crushed the portly man''s shoulder, and the man screamed, "Kneel down, right now!"


    With a clanking, Qian Rongzhi dropped her pike and knelt down . She moved forward slowly, begging piteously, "Please let my father go!"


    Qian Haode put on a complacent, crazy smile . He was unwilling to just kill her at a stroke . He not only wanted to destroy her whole family, but also planned to torture her dad in front of her .


    Qian Rongzhi moved one more step forward, and then she snatched up the pike with right hand by Qi . She jumped up, and launched an attack at Qian Haode .


    Qian Haode used the portly man as a human shield to cover himself, and grasped the man¡¯s the other shoulder, trying to severely torture the man again and make the bitch regret what she did after forcing Qian Rongzhi to step back . S?a??h the N?velF?re.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    But suddenly Qian Haode felt cold on the chest and found Qian Rongzhi didn¡¯t mean to stop attacking . The pike pierced through the human shield, and its tip had reached Qian Haode¡¯s chest; her Qi turned into a blue light and penetrated through his body .


    "You . . . " Qian Haode and the portly man looked at Qian Rongzhi with shocked looks in their eyes, since they found the sad expression on her face had disappeared and she looked cruel and complacent at this moment .


    Qian Rongzhi laughed and said, "It is really not easy to kill you!"


    Qian Haode said, "Shangguan Rongzhi, you . . . You are so evil-minded . How can you even kill your relative?!"


    Qian Rongzhi corrected him, "My name is Qian Rongzhi instead of Shangguan Rongzhi . All my family members are dead, except you . From this day on, I have no family . " She jerked the pike out .


    At the same time, Qian Haode and portly man fell on the ground, dead . Qian Rongzhi did not even glance at the portly man . She took away Qian Haode¡¯s treasure pouch, and said in a sweet voice, "Thank you, Third Uncle . ¡± At this point, she was just like the docile girl at the beginning .


    Qian Haode barely raised his hand, trying to converge his Qi, while she pushed the pike into his head without hesitation, "You are welcome . "


    "Rongzhi, help . . . me!" the portly man reached out a hand and wanted to catch the lower hem of her gown .


    "Who are you?¡± she asked .

 Chapter 147

    Chapter 147


    Technique of Making Pills


    "I''m your father!" shouted the rich man, spitting blood .


    "Have you ever had a daughter?" Qian Rongzhi said strangely . Then she seriously thought for a while and said, "Oh, yes, you indeed ever had a daughter . But don''t you forget that you have exchanged her for several concubines?"


    The rich man said painfully, "All of those things I have done are for you . I hope you have¡­ a good future . You should¡­ thank me!"


    "It''s my hard work that helps me get everything I own now . Don''t take the credit to yourself!" Qian Rongzhi was suddenly furious, kicking him off .


    The rich man could not speak anything else, although he opened his mouth . Then with resentment and despair, he finally died .


    "It''s fair that my misfortune has leaded to your luck and vice versa, isn''t it?" saying to herself, Qian Rongzhi walked out of the mansion and left everything behind .


    All memories were eliminated .


    Qian Rongzhi held a grand funeral in Shangguan Town according to the noblest and most tedious ceremony . The paper money was sprinkled all over the sky .


    She knelt in front of the catafalque . She cried with her hands on the coffin . Although she nearly fainted, she was forced to thank everyone who came to mourn .


    "Ronzhi just worked for the government . I didn''t expect that she would get into such great trouble . "


    "Alas! How could such a good daughter as Rongzhi have suffered from such a terrible thing . The Qian Family is utterly devoid of conscience . "


    It was late at night, the crowd left and the door closed . A pair of white-paper lanterns were swaying in the wind .


    Rejecting the help of the neighbors who were willing to accompany her at wake, Qian Rongzhi in the white mourning apparel sat beside the coffins of her family members . Later on, Qian took out of a jar of wine from the treasure pouch of Qian Haode, her third uncle . Then she took a wineglass from the altar, poured out the wine in it and filled it again . After lifting the wineglass toward the memorial tablets, she emptied the wineglass .


    On the second day, the coffins were buried, and she had been a dutiful daughter who was so sad .


    She was at a wake which lasted for seven days . On the seventh night, a dozen of the wine jars scattered on the ground . Suddenly, she felt a bit cold . When she opened her eyes, she found that a dozen of figures stood in front of her, all of whom were very familiar to her . And they were looking at her coldly . The portly man was rebuking her in a loud voice .


    She laughed at the scene, pulling out the pike and waving it across the air . With the scattered chilly wind, the ghosts were screaming .


    As soon as she sobered up, she looked around to find where the ghosts were . However, there was no ghost . It was hard for her to figure out what was truth when she was drunk .


    Bang! She lifted the wine jar and threw it towards the memorial tablets, and then those tablets fell to the ground . And the wine spilled out of the jug onto the ground . Then she slowly released her hand which was holding the candlelight . The flame spread rapidly, swallowing up the names on those memorial tablets, and then covered the whole ancestral hall .


    She walked out of the ancestral hall which was like a hole full of fire, and left without looking back . Behind her, the fire was spreading towards the whole mansion .


    Who had made the vow of not going home anymore?


    . . .


    The sound of the flute reverberated in the dusk for a long time .


    Putting down the jade flute, Li Qingshan felt that this one was much better than the bamboo flute he made before .


    He lived a quiet life now . Every day, he practiced, read and played flute . In his spare time, he walked around the city for a while, eating something fresh, which was such a leisurely life .


    With a splash, the water splashed out of the water vat . And the carp was swinging its huge tail .


    "Be quiet!" Li Qingshan said, "I''ll give you another big pool in a few days!"


    The carp was quiet at once .


    A few days ago, he crushed a Qi condensation pill of poor quality into the vat . And the next day, the carp grew up a bit . On the third day, it grew up a bit more again . Until today, the jar had become narrow for it, which couldn''t swim around .


    Li Qingshan stood beside the vat . Looking at the oversized red carp, he said, "Why not stew you?"


    Hearing that, the carp sank to the bottom of the vat .


    "But I am not good at cooking!" Li Qingshan smiled and grabbed the vat across the air . Suddenly, as the demon core twirled, the water in the vat poured out and constantly changed its shape in the air . In the middle of the water, the carp was swimming .


    Li Qingshan took the carp to the house of Qian Family, where was a big pool that could accommodate this carp .


    Jumping across the wall, he found that the huge house was empty . From a busy place to a lonely one, the house looked weird and desolate . The house hadn''t been taken care of for just ten days; the paths had been surrounded by wild grass and the dodder had climbed up the columns . These wild plants added the desolation to the house . Besides, the dry blood on the stone steps made this place more inauspicious .


    After so many days, no one dared to approach here in the whole Ancient Wind City . Instead, they only looked at the place and sighed from the distance .


    Although the magistrate was designated to sell the house by auction, Li Qingshan knew that no one would buy it . So it would be completely abandoned and become a ghost house soon .


    In the lotus pond, the lotus leaves were still thick although the lotus had already withered .


    "No one would come here to eat you . So you are safe now . "


    Li Qingshan threw the carp into the lotus pond . Then the carp raised its head and swam up and down, as if it was thanking him . Later on, it opened its mouth .


    "Well, you are lucky," Li Qingshan smiled and put a Qi condensation pill into its mouth before it turned and swam into the depths of the lotus pond .


    When Li Qingshan intended to return home, he saw a little flare in the distance, which penetrated through the thick forest . With curiosity, he passed through the forest and walked towards the flare . A strong smell of medicine came .


    Opening the door, he saw a huge tripod furnace in the house, which was spraying white steam with some heavy smell of medicine .


    A slim figure was sitting on a cattail hassock in front of the tripod furnace, who stretched out her hands and sent a stream of pure Qi to the tripod furnace . Being controlled by the pure Qi, the steam went up and down .


    Li Qingshan recognized her at a glance, "Qian Rongzhi, what are you doing here?"


    Qian didn''t answer the question . After a while, she put down her hands, slowly adjusting her pure Qi . Suddenly, the cover of the furnace was opened and the room was filled with the steam .


    Li Qingshan was very familiar with this smell, "You are making pills!" Looking around, he found that this place should be the pill-making room of Qian Family and the source of the Qi condensation pills of more than 400 in his treasure pouch . S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    He ate a lot of the pills, but it was the first time to see the process of making them . As for the hug furnace full of verdigris, it was still sparkling though, which was actually an inferior spiritual tool .


    Li Qingshan thought that every decent thing in Qian Family would be stored in treasure pouch . However, it made him surprised that there was still a decent thing . The furnace was too large to be put into the treasure pouch unless the pouch was empty . The runes on the inferior spiritual tool were limited, and the huge furnace could spray water . Obviously, the size of it was fixed .


    "It''s my house," she said with smiling .


    Li Qingshan said, "It''s mine now . "


    "I''ve already bought it . According to the agreement, all the things here, including the furnace, are mine . What a great deal it is!" Qian Rongzhi smiled and took out the title deed for the house and the land .


    "You are lucky this time," Li Qingshan turned around, ready to leave . He didn''t feel pity . If it was not because of Qian Rongzhi, he would not bother to search the house of Qian Family .


    Qian Rongzhi asked, "Do you want to learn the technique of making pills ?"


    Li Qingshan stopped, turning back and saying, "What do you want?"


    Li Qingshan had learned that in addition to the most basic cultivation of Qi refining, there were several kinds of "sidelines", such as making runes, pills or weapons, and tactical deployment . Practitioners tended to master one or two of them, which was of great benefit to their cultivation .


    According to Qian Yannian''s treasure pouch, Qian had little research on the weapon refining and tactical deployment, but he was interested in making runes and pills .


    "I want you!" Qian Rongzhi hesitated . She bit her lips and looked at Li Qingshan very seriously, with a bit shyness, "You must think I am a slutty woman, but I have never had such a feeling for any other man . "


    She thought that she had known Li Qingshan quite well . So she made a plan . Although it was unexpected to meet him today, she wanted to try her plan . According to her plan, Li Qingshan would refuse her, and then she pretended to be extremely grieved . Meanwhile, she would tell him the tragic experience in her childhood, shedding tears at some key points, which must touch him . After having sex with him and making a solemn pledge of eternal love, she would definitely get something she wanted . After all, he was such a generous man .


    But just as she seriously schemed this, Li Qingshan spoiled the plan once again .


    He interrupted her thoughts with a smile, "Well, if you teach me the technique, I''ll manage to sleep with you . " Although he disdained her conduct, he was glad to accept this kind of deal . Would a man be afraid of being taken advantage of in this aspect?


    Qian Rongzhi was astonished . Although she thought of many possibilities, she did not expect that Li Qingshan was so shameless, which was completely different from her imagination . She couldn''t play the show now . It suddenly occurred to her that when she met him the first time, he was drinking in a brothel . How could she forget this?


    The vine wanted to twine around the big tree, absorbing its sap and getting more sunshine . It was best to kill the tree by the way . But it was unexpected that what the wine twined around was an iron pillar .


    Li Qingshan, as a time traveler, had experienced a lot . What Qian Rongzhi had done was such a normal thing that even the entertainment news didn''t care about it . She was just more ruthless and scheming than others .


    Qian Rongzhi smiled with embarrassment, "You must be kidding . "


    Li Qingshan said, "Well, get to the point . What do you want exactly? By the way, I can give you myself for free . And I''ll not give you the cold shoulder . "


    Qian Rongzhi knew that there was no use seducing him . Even if she could make it, it would let her get into trouble and sacrifice her chastity . So she stopped play tricks and went straight to the subject, "I want ''The Moon - Ferocious Qi Formula'' . "


    Li Qingshan said, "Do you mean what Qian Yannian has cultivated? I''ve looked for it but hasn''t found it . Anything else?"


    "The old man must have destroyed it," Qian Rongzhi said with anger .


    Li Qingshan said, "In the Eagle-Wolf Guard''s library, there are many books for cultivation . You can see them when you are back . "


    Qian Rongzhi said, "I have seen them . There are many trashy books helping practitioners to break through into the fifth or sixth level . But there is no book that can help practitioners reach the tenth level . "


    Li Qingshan said, "Where do you get so many exploits?"


    Qian Rongzhi smiled, not answering the question .


    Li Qingshan said, "Well, forget it . Where else can we get the formula of the tenth level?"


    Qian Rongzhi said, "Don''t you think it''s a shame?"


    "That is your freedom to make the choice . It''s not my business . "

 Chapter 148

    Chapter 148


    Making Pills and Weapons


    Qian Rongzhi felt that Li Qingshan was so weird that he was not like a young man . And the more she knew him, the more she thought he had a special mind different from common people . Considering for a while, she explained with a smile, ¡°There are five formulas for refining Qi up to the tenth level, which are the most famous . ¡±


    ¡°Which five?¡± hearing such important information, Li Qingshan raised his spirit and listened to her carefully . Qian Rongcheng was born in a small family, but Qian Yannian, well-informed, had ever practiced in a big sect according to some information Li had known .


    Qian Rongzhi said, ¡°Do you know that everyone has five elements in his body?¡±


    ¡°Do you mean five internal organs including heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney?¡±


    Qian Rongzhi said, ¡°It is not as simple as the five internal organs . The study of the five elements is very esoteric that I can¡¯t make it clear now . While, everyone can choose one of them to practice, specializing in one element . If so, the speed of refining Qi will be greatly increased . There are many ways to practice the true Qi of five elements . Among them, the most famous five formulas are Seventh Gold Ferocious Qi Formula, Second Wood Generating Qi Formula, Tenth Water Agglomerating Qi Formula, Third Fire Burning Qi Formula and Fifth Earth Fixing Qi Formula . ¡±


    Except some special sects, many of the big sects would advise their disciples to choose one of the five formulas to practice .


    Before, Li Qingshan wondered about what kind of formula he should choose to practice after ¡°Innate Refining Qi Tactic¡± . While, he had a vague direction now . He did not have blind faith in those legendary formulas, but he believed the survival of the fittest .


    A famous formula was usually one that had been verified by countless people and even improved by many generations . So it must be suitable for most people . What was more, there were much experience from the people had practiced the formula . As the saying went, the method suitable for most people was really great .


    Li Qingshan asked, ¡°Is it all right to practice any kind of true Qi?¡±


    Qian Rongzhi replied, ¡°Of course not . Everyone has a different preference of attributes . In the big sects, there is a method to test one¡¯s attribute . Then you can choose the most suitable method for your own practice . But it is heard that some unique talents can refine two or even three kinds of true Qi at the same time . Therefore, they have more true Qi than the same-level practitioners having only one true Qi, and it is easier for them to break through the realm . ¡±


    ¡°Why are you suddenly so kind?¡± Li Qingshan wondered why Qian Rongzhi didn¡¯t ask for anything .


    Qian Rongzhi smiled, ¡°I''m always a kind girl!¡± Li Qingshan was noncommittal on this .


    Qian Rongzhi said, ¡°Well, if you don''t believe me, I can teach you the method of making pills . ¡±


    Li Qingshan asked, ¡°Do you really ask for nothing?¡±


    Qian Rongzhi said, ¡°Yep . ¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± though he didn¡¯t seem so happy .


    Qian Rongzhi began to teach him, ¡°As for the method of making pills, there are three basic things . The first is the material . There are thousands of strange materials from the most common herbs to the most precious elixirs .


    The second is the method . Every kind of pills has a particular method of making it, with a very accurate requirement for materials and the time . The third is the tripod, or the flame . By refining the materials according to the method to produce pills, the process is so-called pill-making . ¡±


    Li Qingshan listened attentively . Unconsciously, with four hours passing, he finally had a basic understanding of pill-making . It was indeed broad and profound . Even spending a lifetime of hard work, he might not be able to master it . And now he just had a superficial knowledge of it, and hadn¡¯t learnt the rudiments of it .


    Qian Rong said, ¡°These are all I know about pill-making . If you want to continue to study it, you¡¯d better find some better person than me . ¡± Li Qingshan nodded slightly .


    Qian Rongzhi pointed to the tripod next to her, ¡°Do you wanna try it? There are still a lot of herbs . ¡± S?a??h the ?0velF?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan was slightly stunned, wondering whether she really had become good . After learning so much knowledge about pill-making, he was itching for a chance . So he sat in front of the tripod, personally manipulating it to make pills under the guidance of Qian Rongzhi . While . It was a pity that, because of the rampant fire, a tripod of Qi condensation pills were ruined .


    Qian Rongzhi, however, did not feel regret at all or blame him, but encourage him to try again .


    Li Qingshan said nothing, continuing to try . Due to his pure true Qi, he used it with ease as he wished . In the process of making pills, he used it more skillfully . After ruining two tripods of pills, he finally succeeded . Withdrawing his hands, he took a deep breath and smiled .


    Qian Rongzhi praised him .


    Looking up at the sky, Li Qingshan found that it was dawn . Unexpectedly, the night had been at its end . He stood up, took out a few bottles of Qi condensation pills and put them on the ground as the compensation for the wasted herbs and the tuition fees .


    Watching Li Qingshan leave, Qian Rongzhi picked up the bottles filled with Qi condensation pills . Just as Li Qingshan who didn¡¯t feel happy because of Qian¡¯s generosity, there was not much joy on Qian¡¯s face .


    The information about the formulas of refining Qi with five elements and the basic method of making pills was in fact not a secret . The Qi condensation pills Li Qingshan had left were more than those he had ruined . Even if it was she who manipulated the tripod, she couldn¡¯t succeed every time . So it was a good deal for her .


    For an ordinary person, he would probably feel happy . But she felt something cold and extremely indifferent in Li¡¯s behavior, which proved that he was unwilling to own her a favor . Whenever she dared to set a trap for him, he would not hesitate to kill her without mercy .


    Once again failing in her plan, she knew that this guy was not a man who could be manipulated by human feelings . Didn¡¯t he have a weakness which could be taken advantage of?


    While, Li Qingshan did not think so much, just happy that he had learned a new skill . This road of cultivation was so long and extensive, and there were many mysteries waiting for him to explore, so it was not a bad thing no matter who he learned from .


    In the cavity, the flame was still burning, in which Bone-burning Ashy Fire had accounted for about half .


    Little An''s bones became as bright and smooth as jade, more powerful than ever before .


    The process of smelting all the bones had come to an end . And there were still hundreds of white bones in the cavity .


    Little An did not stop smelting the white bones . Body-burning Bloody Fire and Bone-burning Ashy Fire were the basic spells in the book of Dao of Beautiful Bones, of which the biggest function was not to hurt or kill the enemy, but to cultivate . With Body-burning Bloody Fire, the essence of flesh and blood could be absorbed totally without any waste . While, Bone-burning Ashy Fire could refine bone fluid to strengthen the body .


    In addition, there was a function, that is, to make weapons .


    The practitioners practicing Dao of Beautiful Bones were different from others and the weapons they used were also very special . There was a part about refining weapons in the book, which recorded dozens of exclusive weapons .


    The blood flag, the human skin robe, the skull beads and so on .


    With hundreds of white bones, Little An intended to refine the skull beads, his first spiritual weapon made of bones!

 Chapter 149

    Chapter 149 Chapter 149 Thousands of Flesh and Blood


    Description:


    Among the demons, the supreme ones are called ¡°Great Saints . ¡±


    A young man leaves his mountain village and travels around the world . By unceasing efforts, he finally becomes a legend of the age .


    Ann reached out hands, then hundreds of white bones flew to his front and gathered into a tight ball .


    Quenched bone was gushing up swallowing the white bone ball and the surface of the white bones gradually melted .


    Ann put his hands together and his eyes and nose looked at the heart, but everything was empty, no eyes, no nose and no heart . He Recited the Buddhist Book Secrets, but couldn¡¯t make any sound .


    In this extremely bizarre and horrible scene, he had a whole system of solemnity and grandeur, and there was no evil spirit .


    The process of melting the bone ball was extremely slow, but under the drive of Ann, the quenched bone was getting stronger and stronger .


    Unconsciously, it was half a month later . After learning alchemy that night, Qian Rongqi visited the door several times, but after all, she couldn¡¯t get anything from Li Qingshan, and she hurried back to Jiaping City, leaving only one sentence, Waiting for you in Jiaping City .


    The peaceful life of Li Qingshan was finally broken .


    After the collapse of the rule of the ancient city by the Qian family, it was not allowed to turn the ancient city into a happy paradise for living and working . This world was not a fairy tale world where everyone lived happily together .


    When the cat is away,the mice will play, and the martial arts people who were originally suppressed by the refiners began to show up, and competed for the site . Every day, for each brothel, the battle on the street was repeated . The assassination of the dark was even more numerous .


    On this day, Li Qingshan went to a restaurant he often came to, and ordered a delicious dish . When he started eating, there were big groups of people coming in and expelling all the diners . It seems to be the head of the two major gangs in the west of the city, chosen to negotiate here .


    A strong man came to Li Qingshan¡¯s desk and said impatiently: ¡°Have you finished? Fuck off!¡±


    Li Qingshan looked at the brawny, and the dishes on the table . He shook his head firmly: ¡°Not yet . ¡±


    The strong man said: ¡± Don¡¯t pretend to be a hero, these days, I had killed many people . ¡±


    In the face of this threat of no nutrition and no deterrence, Li Qingshan couldn¡¯t even raise his anger, and lamented that it was too lazy recently .


    The brawny was angry and did not hesitate to shoot, just as the appearance show, his mind is simple and limbs are developed, no, his limbs are not well-developed .


    The strong man flew out of the store and collapsed a wall . But a strong man fell, dozens of strong men stood up, shouted a few tough words that were equally nourished, swarmed, and then flew out .


    The rest of the people, just like suddenly opened up, stood there in battle, watching Li Qingshan finish the meal, put the meal on the table, walked out of the store door and said to himself: ¡°What calm life, if without power, it¡¯s not a good meal to eat . ¡±


    The two gang leaders, at this time, surrounded by their own people, from the two sides of the long street, in order to express their contempt for the opponent, they chose to late, but just happened blocked Li Qingshan in the door, or, was blocked by Li Qingshan .


    Li Qingshan just walked down the steps of the store door, looked up to see the sky haze, the summer was about to pass .


    ¡°who are you!¡±


    Li Qingshan said in his heart, the boss was different, but at least he could ask the origin and name of the opponent . Of course, this was probably he overestimated the each other, dozens of strong men on the ground, but they could play a role .


    ¡°Eagle Wolf Wei Li Qingshan, you, as their boss, attacked the Eagle Wolf on the street, the sin is not tolerated, today you will be summarily executed¡­ forget it, my killing intention is not very vigorous recently, lucky dog . ¡±


    With the words of Li Qingshan and the rising momentum, the faces of the two bosses were pale, and the name, even if more than ten years passed, would not be forgotten by the people of the ancient city . How did I meet this man?


    When Li Qingshan said ¡°you will be summarily executed¡±, their knees fell softly to the ground, and even saying anything for mercy, closed their eyes to death . However, Li Qingshan¡¯s tone and momentum suddenly fell, like a singer can¡¯t sing high-pitched, but he chosen to give up .


    The two bosses, looking the figure disappeared, only under the help of their hands, face to face, it was all fortunate after the robbery . Finally, due to this experience, two people released their former suspicions, drank the wine, and jointly formed a new gang .


    Li Qingshan returned to the mansion and patted his cheek in the mirror: ¡°To cheer up, Li Qingshan!


    Suddenly he understood the master mentality, such as ¡°You are not worthy of me to shoot¡±, but immediately made up your mind to put this mentality away, you were still a low-level refiner, far from being able to do this . Well, who¡¯s going to mess with me in the future, I would go up and step on it .


    Li Qingshan turned his eyes to sinkholes, Ann, still not good?


    He had already missed Jiaping City and missed Zhuo Zhibo .


    There was pressure to be motivated . Compared to this dull and boring day, he would rather choose a strong enemy and try his best to kill a bloody road . But this time, should be able to give him a surprise .


    Although it was a little lazy, but in the past half of a month, he did not suspend practice . Nearly two hundred condensate pills swallowed his stomach . Not only did the demon gas rise, but the realm of the second layer of refining was also solid, and it was full and pure . In the Yangshuo vein, the stream was constantly flowing, and also touched the fifth edge of the ¡°Congenital Refining¡± .


    In the sinkholes, the huge white bone ball had been melted and melted into a pure white crystal ball, but it can be seen faintly, it was a very embarrassing gimmick .


    Hundreds of white bones were only made into the rosary of this one . Ann would swear at the fingertips, but to make a pair of skull beads, at least fourteen . The white bones are so difficult to refine .


    But this was also the reason why An chosen the ¡°sacral rosary¡± as the first piece of the sword . Everything recorded in ¡°Zhu Yan Bai Gu¡± had a great power of heaven and earth . It was not his realm that could be refined .


    The sacral rosary could be refining one by one, not one-time refining, and it could be gradual . S?a??h th? N?v?lFir?(.)n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Ann held the rosary in the palm of his hand, feeling with his heart, as if this rosary was not a spiritual device, but a part of his body . The truth was similar .


    The flame in the sinkholes was extinguished and returned to his head, the remaining two flames were burning . He walked through the soil and followed the breath of Li Qingshan, left the sinkholes .


    Without the support of the invisible force, the soil layer above the sinkholes collapsed . The next day, someone discovered that the bones of the Qian family were missing and became a mystery .


    In the darkness, Li Qingshan smiled and opened his eyes and said, ¡°Ann, okay?¡±


    A crystal-like skeleton, standing in front of him, the flame in the eye socket, red and white met .


    Li Qingshan touched his head: ¡°It¡¯s much prettier . ¡± From the perspective of skeleton .


    Ann opened his hand and offered a sacred rosary .


    Li Qingshan picked up the rosary: ¡°What is this?¡± Rosary suddenly took off his hand and flew in the house, drawing a white shadow, with a series of broken sounds, the speed was not slower than Zhou Wenbin¡¯s flying sword .


    Li Qingshan stunned: ¡°This is a ¡­ spirit?¡± And at least a medium level spirit .


    Ann smiled, the bone finger moved, the air of the rosary, suddenly rising in the wind, turned into a big skull smashing the jaws, liked a strange smile, saw the same red in the eye socket White two-color flame .


    The child got a good thing, of course, to show off to the closest person .


    When Li Qingshan learned about the cause and effect of the refiner, he couldn¡¯t help but sigh again . This ¡°Zhu Yan Bai Gu¡± was really good . The Bone Buddha was really thoughtful . If there were no weapons, the magical spells were strong, and they were still suffering from the enemy .


    These white bones spirit, were closely related to the body, and they are well-manipulated, such as the arm to manipulate the fingers, you can do anything you want, and the power is better than the ordinary spirit .


    It was not very accurate to use the term ¡°white bones spirit¡± . Even if it was a single rosary, it was not only a spiritual level, but because the realm of Ann was too low and the materials were insufficient, it could only be temporarily refining to this extent .


    Although the skull beads was the easiest to refine, it was not the weakest . A string of sacral rosary, the fourteen were the least, there were eighteen, twenty-one, up to 1,080, ten grades . It could be used to bind the Buddha and the magic was endless .


    Li Qingshan once again expressed his admiration, and then asked the most concerned thing: ¡°Do you have any feelings, how many sacrifices are needed in order to restore the flesh . ¡±


    Ann bowed and used his finger to calculate, then raised his head and extended a finger .


    Still need thousands of flesh and blood!


    Li Qingshan said: ¡°The task is very difficult, but finally there is a hope, then let¡¯s go to kill!¡±


    When he stretched out a finger, he was destined to have a thousand evil people disappeared in the world .


    At night, Li Qingshan went to the county, and asked the county to ask for the money to sell the house . Although it was an emergency sale, there were as many as two million . He could go to Zhou Wenbin to change ten gas pills .


    Didn¡¯t even wait until the next day, Li Qingshan took Ann, and went out of the city overnight . He didn¡¯t look back at the ancient city behind him, and he didn¡¯t plan to come back .


    In the lotus pond at the mountainside, a red dragonfly swam freely and rocked the blue lotus . Today¡¯s fate, I didn¡¯t know how to see you .


    In the night, Li Qingshan walked in the air and took a straight line . In the days of dawn, he rushed to Qinghedu, boarded the dragon boat, and once again flowed down the river and went straight to Jiaping City .


    In Jiaping City, Zhuo Zhibo said: ¡°Did he really defeat Qian Yannian?¡±


    Qian Rongzhi said: ¡°Yeah, I also think it is unbelievable . Qian Yannian are old and weak, and it is too useless . He does not expect that Li Qingshan was a refiner, and he only made a moment . It seems that only you have taken it yourself . ¡±


    When Qian Rongqi left the ancient wind city, in order to take away the spirit of the furnace, the car was slowly moved, and it was just returned to Jiaping City .


    Zhuo Zhibo immediately summoned her to confirm the news from Diao Fei . Li Qingshan not only did not die, but defeated a five-layer refiner .

 Chapter 150

    Chapter 150 Chapter 150 ¨C From Dawn till Dusk


    Not only did Qian Rongzhi give Zhuo Zhibo no warning that Li Qingshan might have been hiding his strength, but she even purposefully misled him, making it seem as if Li Qingshan had won out of pure luck . Even when there was no element of profit in the matter, she was tired of this old thing right in front of her . She hoped very much that he would be killed like that old bag of bones called Qian Yannian . These methods of just allowing matters to develop without making a sound would often be much more terrifying than those straightforward schemes .


    Zhuo Zhibo also sneered just like he would normally . ¡°It¡¯s good that he¡¯s alive . That¡¯ll save me a trip, and I¡¯ll be able to take his life personally . I¡¯ll be able to vent what I¡¯ve pent up . ¡±


    ¡°Are you going to kill him as soon as he returns?¡± Qian Rongzhi¡¯s smile was hidden deep within her pitch-black eyes . She was ready to watch a fascinating show .


    However, Zhuo Zhibo said instead, ¡°I¡¯ll need to put further thought into this matter . ¡± Despite being the commander, he was not bold enough to kill a Hawkwolf Guard in public . Afterwards, he sneered, ¡°But he¡¯s still under my command, so do you think he¡¯ll be well off? I¡¯ll show him just whose command this Hawkwolf Guard office is under . ¡±


    Qian Rongzhi said, ¡°Is there anything on this mountain, in Jiaping city, that doesn¡¯t belong to you? Even I¡¯m no different . ¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo let out a hearty laugh . He would continue watching over Jiaping city until the day he died; he was just like the iron hawk, watching over everything .


    When the Clear River twisted around the mountain once more, Li Qingshan directly leapt off the boat . Under a series of cries from the people on the boat, he climbed up the cliff face .


    He returned to his residence first and set Xiao An down before going to see Zhuo Zhibo . He wanted to see just how this commander Zhuo would treat him now .


    Li Qingshan clasped his hands . ¡°Subordinate Li Qingshan greets commander Zhuo . ¡± That was what he said, but he stood with his chest held high, standing as straight as an arrow . He showed no respect at all .


    Zhuo Zhibo no longer tried to act all polite either . He questioned coldly, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you return immediately after completing the mission?¡±


    Li Qingshan answered in a manner that was neither too humble or arrogant, ¡°I obviously had matters to attend to . ¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo became even more displeased . To think that someone who was about to die would still be bold enough to act so arrogantly . ¡°I¡¯m deducting half of your contribution . You can leave!¡±


    He had actually lost half of the contribution he had earned after so much difficulty . That was equivalent to several dozen Qi Gathering pills . Anyone would be irritated by that .


    Li Qingshan held back his anger . He did not try to dispute it . He just turned around and left . He also could not kill a Black Hawk commander on this mountain .


    Right now, they were targeting one another, but due to the same reason, they could not directly attack one another . However, they were already sharpening their knives .


    As soon as Li Qingshan left the office, he ran into Ge Jian .


    However, Ge Jian had been waiting for him . He sneered as he said, ¡°Li Qingshan, do you really think you¡¯re a big deal just because you killed an old man who had a foot in the grave? How dare you speak to the commander like that? Now you know the consequences, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°You really are a good dog raised by Zhuo Zhibo . ¡±


    He said that with confidence . Obviously, he did not need to worry that Zhou Zhibo, who was in the office, would miss it; the latter¡¯s face darkened .


    ¡°What did you say?!¡± Ge Jian lost his temper after being insulted right to his face . This was no longer the first time Li Qingshan had humiliated him . He had only endured it because he was worried about the latter¡¯s backing .


    Li Qingshan mocked, ¡°To think that you would be bold enough to bark at me here!¡±


    Ge Jian choked up . Originally, he wanted to infuriate Li Qingshan . As long as Li Qingshan attacked him first, there would be grounds for Zhuo Zhibo to interfere . But indeed, without Zhuo Zhibo, where would he get the courage to provoke Li Qingshan? This fellow was a monster who had killed a fifth layer Qi Practitioner .


    Li Qingshan waved his hand . ¡°Come, let¡¯s go to the front, and you can tell me clearly . I¡¯ll let your scheme succeed for once . Let¡¯s see whether Zhuo Zhibo comes to save you or not . ¡±


    Ge Jian would never follow him . Once that happened, even if Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s plan succeeded, he would be dead . He tried to put on a front . ¡°D- don¡¯t be cocky . I¡¯m looking forward to the fate that you¡¯ll suffer . ¡±


    Li Qingshan did not spare an additional glance at him . He made his way to the library . Just when he was about to climb up the stairs, he was stopped by the old man who guarded the library . ¡°Who let you up?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I have contribution, so of course I can go up!¡±


    ¡°Move . The library is currently under maintenance . Miscellaneous people are forbidden from entering . ¡±


    Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he frowned slightly .


    All the old man felt was an invisible pressure against his chest, so heavy that he struggled to breathe . He forcefully endured it . ¡°What, do you plan on forcing your way in?¡±


    Li Qingshan slowly raised his right hand . The old man gulped as all of his muscles tensed up . His measly amount of true qi that had been eaten away by the passage of time began to circulate furiously . He could feel that as long as Li Qingshan tried, he could launch a devastatingly terrifying attack . Under the tremendous pressure, he did not even have the confidence to receive a single attack from him .


    However, all Li Qingshan did was pat the old man¡¯s shoulder . ¡°Take care!¡± Afterwards, he turned around and left the library .


    The old man broke out into a cold sweat and breathed heavily as he leaned on his knees . He had wandered the jianghu for many years, but he had actually been frightened by a half-grown junior . He was utterly humiliated . He yelled at Li Qingshan, ¡°You¡¯re the one who should take care!¡±


    What Li Qingshan experienced afterwards was basically the same . There were no spiritual artifacts or pills . The contribution he had earned after great difficulty became a meaningless number .


    Li Qingshan wanted to exchange for a new Wind-entwining blade, but he was turned down . Originally, Hawkwolf guards could exchange their weapons destroyed in missions for free . However, none of these people said that he did not deserve to . They just came up with various reasons to shrug off his request, but unless he gave them a beating, there was no other way for them to yield to him .


    These important places that held items and wealth were obviously under the control of Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s trusted subordinates . As a matter of fact, there was not even a need for Zhuo Zhibo to say anything . All he needed was a signal and that would be enough to prevent Li Qingshan from accessing anything in the Hawkwolf Guard .


    In the end, Li Qingshan arrived before an extremely old building, with one, large word on it¡ªFalconry . This was where the Hawkwolf Guard issued missions . It was probably the only place on the mountain not under Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s control .


    It was not that he was unable to control . Instead, it was because there were no spiritual artifacts or pills here . There were just a pile of troublesome missions . However, exchanging the contribution from the missions for actual things required Zhuo Zhibo¡¯s permission .


    Li Qingshan smiled . As long as this place was still open to him, all was well . To him right now, whether it be spiritual artifacts or pills, none of them were urgent . What he required the most right now was in the falconry .


    There were a few Black Wolf guards accepting missions in the hall . When they saw Li Qingshan enter, they immediately fell quiet . Their mouths moved soundlessly as they communicated via true qi . They discussed between one another silently .


    Li Qingshan made his way over to the counter . The envoy in black stood up in a hurry and said politely, ¡°Sir, you¡¯ve just returned . Do you plan on going out again?¡± On this small mountain, there were not a lot of secrets . He had heard about the disagreements between Li Qingshan and Zhuo Zhibo, but he was afraid of disrespecting Li Qingshan as well .


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I want to see what missions there are . ¡±


    The envoy in black immediately took out a thick book . ¡°Please have a look, sir . ¡±


    The book was dark all over as if it was covered in countless layers of filth . It also seemed like the colour of congealed blood . It felt ominous just from a single sight of it . However, it shone with a gentle glow, and as he held it in his hand, it gave off a slight warmth .


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°This book is probably pretty old . ¡±


    The envoy explained obediently, ¡°It has existed since the office was established in Jiaping city . It¡¯s probably over a millennium old . ¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Then it really is quite old . Does this book have a name?¡±


    The envoy said, ¡°This is just a low grade spiritual artifact used to record missions . It does not have a formal name, but the people of the jianghu call it the blacklist!¡± Although he was just an envoy, he naturally revealed pride as the person in charge of the blacklist .


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°The blacklist? Why¡¯s that? What¡¯s the story behind it?¡±


    The envoy said, ¡°That¡¯s because names that make it onto the blacklist will definitely die . ¡±


    Li Qingshan smiled, ¡°Dearth, old age, illness, and death go hand in hand . Even if you don¡¯t make it onto the blacklist, you¡¯ll still die . ¡±


    According to his knowledge, the White Lotus Mother who had sacrificed two hundred thousand people should have made it onto the list as well . She even required a mighty White Hawk Commander like Gu Yanying, a Golden Core cultivator, to personally take action . However, Gu Yanying still seemed to have failed to bring her to justice . At the end of the day, it was still all about strength in this world . Nothing was definite .


    However, to the people of the jianghu, it basically was a list of death considering the fact that it was written by Qi Practitioners . Afterwards, Li Qingshan realised the things he was about to do next was quite similar to what the White Lotus Mother had done . However, he was on the side of law, moving as someone carrying out the law . He had the license to kill .


    Although the envoy was displeased by Li Qingshan¡¯s joke about the blacklist, he was afraid to rebuke him . He just told Li Qingshan about how to use it .


    Afterwards, Li Qingshan understood why it was called the blacklist . He would see a string of names with each page . There were normal names among them, as well as strange daoist or dharma names . It was used in a rather similar fashion to mental maps . All he needed was a thought and the list would be arranged according to different criteria .


    These criteria included the amount of contribution, the danger level, the strength of the opponent, the estimated gains, and so on . If he selected one of the names, he would receive a set of extremely detailed information, including their cultivation method, spiritual artifacts, area of activity¡­


    Li Qingshan sighed inside . The Hawkwolf Guard really was a major organisation that had existed for several millennia . There was rigour to the organisation, and they were fully-equipped . This information had basically simplified the steps of investigation, allocating all the work that could be completely by ordinary people to ordinary people . Afterwards, they would confirm the crimes and make the list so that the Hawkwolf Guard could hunt them down one by one .


    Every single Qi Practitioner was a powerful master who stood above many, with longevity as their greatest objective . Cultivating and practising qi was their greatest priority . There was not a single Qi Practitioner who would waste their time on these miscellaneous tasks, being ordered around by others like servants . Otherwise, no matter how great the benefits of the Hawkwolf Guard was, it would still not be an attractive occupation to Qi Practitioners .


    ¡°Once you¡¯ve chosen your mission, sir, there will be a file that you can read up on whenever you¡¯d like . The information in there is all the most detailed information our leads have obtained . However, we cannot ensure that it will be completely accurate . You¡¯ll need to adapt to circumstances,¡± the envoy gave a warning as a formality .


    ¡°Of course,¡± Li Qingshan replied . With a thought, the list was now ordered according to descending strength . He glanced at the name at the very top¡ªthe Zombie Daoist, sixth layer Qi Practitioner . He was on the list for capturing living people and turning them into zombies en masse . The danger level was extremely high, and the contribution that came with the completion of the mission was actually as much as twelve thousand points .


    But clearly, there was no one who could complete this mission apart from Zhuo Zhibo and the Black Wolf commander who had never shown himself . Of course, Li Qingshan possessed the strength to complete it, but he only paused on it slightly before flipping further until the last few pages .


    The last few pages of the blacklist mostly contained the names of gangs and sects, not the names of individuals . These were places like the Black Wind stronghold . They no longer possessed a single person that was worthy of being regarded as a single target by the Hawkwolf Guard .


    Afterwards, Li Qingshan chose his missions .


    The envoy was stunned . ¡°Sir, do you really plan on accepting these missions?¡±


    Li Qingshan nodded without any hesitation at all . ¡°Go retrieve the files . I¡¯ll be setting off right now . ¡±


    The envoy instructed some people in a hurry, and before long, other envoys brought over stacks of documents . Many of them seemed extremely old, with dust floating around in the air near them . Clearly, they had only just been wiped down . S?a?ch* Th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Li Qingshan placed all the files and documents into his hundred treasures pouch and left immediately . As soon as he made it out the door, a few Black Wolf guards hurried over . ¡°What mission did he choose?¡±


    Afterwards, they looked at one another, stupefied .


    ¡°What is the kid planning?¡±


    ¡°Carrying out justice and protecting the weak? Don¡¯t kid with me . ¡±


    ¡°No matter how many missions he completes, he won¡¯t get anything in exchange for it as long as he doesn¡¯t have commander Zhuo¡¯s permission . ¡±


    In the main office, Zhuo Zhibo drank tea leisurely . ¡°So what¡¯s the kid up to . ¡±


    Ge Jian smiled, ¡°The kid ran around, but he has nothing at all . ¡± His anger had finally eased up slightly .


    Zhuo Zhibo placed down the tea cup . ¡°Toying around with him before we take his life isn¡¯t necessarily bad . I¡¯d like to see just how much longer he can endure this for . ¡±


    Ge Jian said, ¡°I think he¡¯ll have to endure it no matter what . ¡±


    At this moment, a Black Wolf guard walked in hurriedly, ¡°Commander, that kid has found a reason to leave the mountain!¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo said, ¡°Oh, he wants to avoid me? What mission did he accept?¡±


    The Black Wolf guard said, ¡°More than one . ¡±


    ¡°How many?¡±


    The Black Wolf guard said in a strange manner, ¡°He accepted twenty-seven missions . ¡±


    ¡°What! Bring them over . ¡± Zhuo Zhibo took the mission document, which had a dense list of the missions that Li Qingshan had accepted . However, the contents of the missions surprised him very much, not because they were too difficult, but because they were too easy .


    The pirates of the Water Snake gang, the horse bandits of the Giant Deer valley, and so on . All of them were missions that the Hawkwolf Guard had accumulated over time but could not be bothered completing .


    That was because the targets in the mission were all just ordinary people of the jianghu . At most, these people would be carrying around some silver on them, while spiritual artifacts and pills went without saying . And because they were far too easy, the contribution they offered was as low as it could be . At most, new Black Wolf guards would just use it for practise before never looking at them again . They would much rather remain on the mountain and cultivate instead .


    As an office of the lowest tier within the Hawkwolf Guard, black iron, they were completely composed of Qi Practitioners, and they primarily targeted other Qi Practitioners . They mainly served as a deterrent force to martial arts practitioners .


    As a result, this led to the formation of a tiny vacuum of law in the system . This place was called the jianghu .


    Ge Jian said, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, he has managed to find another reason to leave Jiaping city . ¡±


    Zhuo Zhibo snorted . ¡°If he wants to do the manual labour, let him do so . ¡±


    By now, Li Qingshan had already left the mountain . He calculated in his mind that completing these missions should roughly amount to a thousand people .


    This was his main goal: to help Xiao An rebuild his body . For the sake of this goal, he could temporarily put aside everything else .


    Right now, his choice in joining the Hawkwolf Guard seemed to be more and more correct . Otherwise, where else was he supposed to ask about bad people? And, if he committed a massacre against ordinary people as a Qi Practitioner, even if they were all bad people, it would attract a great deal of attention . It might have even earned him a spot on the blacklist, which would force him to oppose the government .


    It was simple now . The information provided by the Hawkwolf Guard was extremely detailed . Every single person who could make it onto the blacklist of the Hawkwolf Guard through their cultivation method and martial arts alone were sinful, and they all occupied a single region for most of their lives, so they were very easy to find . All he needed to do right now was to go find them one by one with his license to kill, and then kill out a bloody path from dawn till dusk . 1


    Li Qingshan placed his hand on the porcelain jar on his waist and thought to himself, Don¡¯t worry, Xiao An . Very, very soon you¡¯ll be able to breathe air, taste delicious food, feel warmth, and smile just like the other children .


    Li Qingshan did not directly leave the city . Instead, he paid a visit to the government office first . He wanted to exchange the several million taels of silver on him for some Qi Gathering pills . He could feel that he would be gone for quite some time after this departure, and his enemies would not be carrying hundred treasure pouches . They would not be a ready source of Qi Gathering pills . He also gained a deeper understanding as to why the Hawkwolf guards were reluctant to hunt down these annoying insects .


    Zhou Wenbin saw Li Qingshan, and his eyes lit up, ¡°You¡¯re already at the second layer . You¡¯ve been progressing much faster than I expected . ¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Thank you for your concern, sir . With a powerful enemy right by my side, I obviously cannot tarry . ¡±


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°As long as you know . I heard you killed Qian Yannian in a direct confrontation?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°I just got lucky!¡±


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°Even if it were all luck, it¡¯s still an unbelievable achievement for a second layer Qi Practitioner to kill a fifth layer Qi Practitioner . Though, I must warn you again that sixth layer Qi Practitioners are completely different from those at the fifth layer . ¡±


    Li Qingshan nodded . Afterwards, he thought of the various things that Xiao An could do . If he was measured according to the standard of Qi Practitioners, he was at the sixth layer or even higher, and he was as swift as lightning with boundless strength . Even if a low grade spiritual artifact landed a blow on him, it would fail to injure him at all . He was much more powerful than regular sixth layer Qi Practitioners . If he really became involved in battle, and it was a Qi Practitioner¡¯s duel where he could not use the Skull Prayer Bead, all he had to do was rush over and forcefully pierce the protective true qi and dig out their hearts; he would win just like that .


    The Path of White Bone and Great Beauty had completely exceeded the powerful abilities of this world . The further Xiao An progressed, the more evident his terrifying strength would be .


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°Although the Sect of Clouds and Rain has expelled Zhao Liangqing, they¡¯ve sent people to investigate . You¡¯ve probably caught their attention . People from sects often don¡¯t have any qualms when they go about their business, so do be careful . ¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Thank you for the warning, sir . I will be careful . ¡± The Sect of Clouds and Rain had lost their business in Jiaping city, as well as a master who was about to break through to the sixth layer . A reaction like this was expected .


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°Nothing good will come out from striving for a moment of glory . Why don¡¯t you take my advice and go to the School of the Hundred Thoughts to cultivate for a while? You can avoid him temporarily, and once you¡¯re no longer a fledgling, would you still need to fear a measly Zhuo Zhibo?¡±

 Chapter 151

    Chapter 151 Chapter 151 ¨C The Auspicious Casino


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°Is the Academy of the Hundred Schools really that great? So much so that you think of it constantly, sir?¡±


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°That¡¯s the foundation of Great Xia, the place that gathers all the young talents across the fifteen hundred kilometers of the Clear River prefecture. Of course, it¡¯s a good place. What do you think of my talent for cultivation?¡±


    Li Qingshan praised, ¡°Sir, you are obviously outstanding to have reached the sixth layer of Qi Practitioner at your age and become the magistrate of an entire district, standing above millions.¡± He could not help but sigh inside. It spanned one thousand five hundred kilometers. That was the size of western Europe. Just what kind of sight would it be for all the talents in an area as large as that to gather in one place, cultivating and learning together?


    Zhou Wenbin shook his head with a bitter smile. ¡°How am I outstanding? I¡¯m just barely the average. As for my status as a district magistrate, true prodigies have no need for these additional factors for cultivation. They would never waste time on governing people. All they need to do is focus on cultivation, and they will make it further than me.¡±


    He was a sixth layer Qi Practitioner, yet he was barely the average?


    Li Qingshan was slightly surprised. ¡°There are many generations of people of talent in the world. There¡¯s no need to underestimate yourself, sir.¡± He was not surprised by the fact that there were many people better at practising qi than him, as he understood that his talent for practising qi was nothing special, and he had only just started. He did not have any guidance either, constantly relying on common pills like Qi Gathering pills.


    It was very likely for those from large Qi Practitioner clans to begin cultivating since young. They would be able to resolve their queries by asking powerful masters or seniors, and they would eat precious pills that he would not have even heard of. If their cultivation talent was just rather decent on top of all of this, they would be prodigies of cultivation.


    Whether it be time, resources, or talent, there were plenty of people that surpassed him. There was nothing unfair about having people at a higher cultivation than him. This was what a head start was. Regardless of the world or age, this would always happen. Compared to grumbling, he might as well put in some more effort instead. Were those kings and lords really just born more superior than everyone else?


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°Your commander Hua Chengzan is the same. Although he comes from a renowned clan, he has always remained in the Academy of the Hundred Schools to study. Even now, he has yet to completely leave it. When I see him, I even have to call him senior brother! There¡¯s a saying that that the talents of the world all emerge from the hundred schools. You really should consider it!¡±


    ¡°Then I must check it out in the future. When that time comes, I hope you can help me out, sir.¡±


    Li Qingshan had once heard from Gu Yanying that Hua Chengzan was a tenth layer Qi Practitioner. Gu Yanying had even lectured him to stop hanging out with women so much. Back then, he still did not really have a perspective on what a tenth layer Qi Practitioner was, but now, he understood just what that meant. He had opened all of his extraordinary meridians and was a single step away from the first heavenly tribulation. Even if Li Qinghan daemonified, there was no way he could defeat someone like that.


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°This falls within my duty, so you can¡¯t call it help. I¡¯m basically under no constraints in Jiaping city, and there¡¯s not really any work I¡¯m forced to do either. It¡¯s all up to me. However, there is something I must do, which is choose a hundred talented men and women every year to send them off to the Academy of the Hundred Schools to study.¡±


    The requirements were surprisingly lax. Li Qingshan asked, ¡°That simple? As long as you have the talent to cultivate?¡±


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°Entering is easy, but remaining is difficult. How long you can remain there for will be up to your own ability.¡±


    Li Qingshan pondered silently for a while. ¡°Oh right, do you still need money, sir?¡±


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°Ever since I became the district magistrate, there hasn¡¯t been a single time when I don¡¯t need money. Looks like you¡¯ve reaped quite the harvest this time!¡±


    Li Qingshan took out several million taels of silver notes and handed it all over, dismissing it as all from the Qian family. He obtained over fifty Qi Gathering pills from Zhou Wenbin, and as a result, the number of pills on him broke three hundred once again. It would be enough to last him a short while.


    Regular Qi Practitioners experienced a limited frequency of ingesting pills. However, to a daemon like him, he could never get enough of them. He would be forced to budget it carefully. If only there was a day when he could eat pills as he wished.


    Moreover, the Qi Gathering pills he obtained from Zhou Wenbin all had fantastic purity and quality. Every single one of them was tiny. Although their effects were the same, they were much smaller than Qian Yannian¡¯s Qi Gathering pills.


    ¡°Were these pills refined by you, sir?¡±


    Zhou Wenbin said, ¡°I once studied beneath a renowned master of the school of Medicine who specially focused on alchemy and apothecary. It¡¯s just Qi Gathering pills, so it obviously proves no difficulty to refine.¡± The materials for Qi Gathering pills were relatively easy to collect as well. As the magistrate of an entire district, a single order of his could prompt countless people to go searching for medicinal herbs.


    Li Qingshan thought about how if he had the opportunity, checking out the Academy of the Hundred Schools would be quite a good idea. It was impossible for him to seek guidance over refining pills, creating talismans, or formations from a person he just came across on the street. It would be best if he formally studied a little instead. Out of wealth, companionship, method, and environment, he could not go without companionship.


    But now was still not the time. There were many powerful Foundation Establishment cultivators in Clear River city. It would be very easy for Xiao An to be discovered if he just hid in the jar like this. He needed to rebuild the boy¡¯s body first.


    Li Qingshan stood up and bid farewell, leaving the government office. He did not travel in the direction of Clear river, but westward instead. He left the city along the main path.


    Thirty-five kilometers away from Jiaping city, within the Auspicious casino of Silver Mountain town.


    Although Silver Mountain town was just a town, it was more prosperous than most cities, as there really was a mountain of silver here. Who knows how many silver mines were hiding beneath the mountain, and who knows just how many people had struck it rich overnight and lost their lives on another night.


    Although the Auspicious casino was a casino in a town, it was no worse than those first-rate casinos. Moreover, it welcomed everyone, regardless of wealth, treating everyone the same. As long as you had silver, you could gamble and try your luck there.


    Whether it be the mine owners who had suddenly struck it rich or those miners who worked in precarious situations, they would all come here to try their luck.


    Under the brilliant lantern light, curses, laughter, and roars of anger poured into everyone¡¯s ears. The smell of sweat, smoke, and perfume mingled together.


    Everyone¡¯s gazes were firmly fixed on the gambling table. They clenched their hands as their eyes widened. Their expressions changed and twisted with the numbers on the dice. There was pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy.


    However, the expressions of the gamblers would often end in anger and sorrow. Only Shi Jixiang remained in pleasure and joy. He was the boss of this Auspicious casino. He held two large, golden spheres in his hands as he constantly looked around. His chubby face seemed like a smiling buddha¡¯s, always plastered with a smile. When he looked down from the second floor of the casino, there would be benevolence in his eyes as well. What a group of idiots!


    TL: Shi Jixiang¡¯s given name, so Jixiang or ¼ªÏé, can mean auspicious. This also means that the casino can be called the Auspicious casino, which is a name you would give to a casino considering the aspect of luck and good fortune, but the casino can also be called Jixiang¡¯s casino. Moreover, there¡¯s a Hong Kong movie from 1972 called The Casino, which shares the same chinese name as the name of the casino.


    Two large men carried up another man as he struggled. ¡°Boss, we¡¯ve caught him.¡±


    The man knelt on the ground and wept. ¡°Boss Shi, great hero Shi, grandfather Shi, please, I beg you. I¡¯ll give my mines, my property. I¡¯ll give it all to you. Please show some benevolence and spare my family!¡±


    ¡°If I spare you, who¡¯ll spare me?¡±


    ¡°Then, could you please extend the loan. I will definitely gather all the money for you.¡±


    Shi Jixiang said, ¡°If you are in debt, you gotta pay it. That¡¯s how the world works. Even your wife and daughter are busying themselves in the joyhouse. You¡¯re a man, so how can you just loaf around? Why don¡¯t you get into the mines and put some back into your work?!¡±


    ¡°Y- you actually¡­¡±


    Shi Jixiang sighed helplessly. ¡°People can die, but debts can¡¯t. If you vanish, what am I supposed to do?¡±


    ¡°Shi Jixiang you son of a bitch! The dice were rigged¡­ you cheated me¡­ Even if I die, I¡¯ll never spare you!¡± The man suddenly lost control of his emotions. He owed this usury a snowballing debt. He would never be able to pay it back in his lifetime. The only fate waiting for him was dying in the pitch-black depths of the mines.


    However, before he was even done, he was knocked out by a slap from a large man beside him.


    However, Shi Jixiang lost his temper at the man. ¡°Why did you hit him with so much force? What if you kill him you like? Are you supposed to replace him in the mines for me? Tsk tsk, look, what a pitiful person. I can¡¯t fall asleep whenever I see someone as pitiful as him, so don¡¯t let me see him again.¡±


    The burly man obliged and carried the man out.


    Only then did Shi Jixiang recover his smile. He liked to gamble a lot, and he knew how to gamble very well. With his gambling techniques, he had brought ruin to several mine owners already. He had already become the largest mine owner in all of Silver Mountain town. As for the mine owners who did not gamble, he had plenty of ways to deal with him, as not only was he good at gambling, but he also possessed first-rate martial arts. He could spend tremendous sums of money to gather a group of good men who could both fight and oppress.


    With those two things, he would become the only mine owner in all of Silver Mountain town, and he would continue smiling like that.


    ¡°It¡¯s right here!¡±


    Outside the main entrance, a young man held a piece of paper and confirmed the two words on the plaque above the entrance to be ¡®Auspicious casino¡¯. Afterwards, he strode in.


    The guards at the entrance studied him and welcomed him with smiles. They did not try to stop him at all. Only once the young man had entered did they discuss with smiles, ¡°Not a bad stature.¡± ¡°Heh, he probably could do a year or two in the mines.¡±


    Li Qingshan liked to eat and drink, and with his rather unsuccessful experiences of having women attend to him while dining, he had basically tried prostitutes already. However, this really was his first time gambling. He found novelty in everything, so he constantly looked around. He arrived before a gambling table. They were playing an extremely single game of Big or Small. As a result, he just casually tossed in one thousand taels of silver notes, betting it all on big.


    TL: If you¡¯re wondering why eating, drinking, visiting prostitutes, and gambling are listed together, there¡¯s a Chinese idiom that basically describes the four activities. Basically, they go hand-in-hand for indulging in worldly pleasures. Li Qingshan wants to try them all. S?a?ch* Th? N???lFire.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    TL: Big or Small is a rather common gambling game in China. Basically, you just roll one or several dice and see whether the sum of the dice forms a larger sum (¡®big¡¯), or a smaller sum (¡®small¡¯). There¡¯s more information here. (


    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sic_bo


    )


    This surprised the gamblers, but they had seen larger bets before. As a result, they just dismissed him as some ignorant young master who had managed to escape from his clan.


    ¡°The bets have been cast! Roll!¡± And just as expected, it was big.


    Li Qingshan accepted his silver cheerfully before betting it all on big again.


    A while later, the ruckus in the surroundings gradually vanished. The gamblers¡¯ mouths all hung agape with mixed expressions as they looked at the small hill of silver notes and silver pieces in front of Li Qingshan. He had already won sixteen rounds consecutively. The dealer had been changed twice as well, but that was not enough to stop his winning streak. He threw all of that into a bet once again.


    In the beginning, there were still some gamblers who gambled with him and managed to win some money, but now, there was no longer anyone bold enough to gamble the same as him.


    A boy servant arrived beside Li Qingshan. ¡°Brother, our boss has invited you to the second floor for a talk.¡±


    Li Qingshan glanced upstairs and said loudly, ¡°If you want to talk, then get down here and talk. What, you¡¯re afraid of people winning against you while you run a casino?¡± He slammed the marble table and left behind a faint print on the thick, heavy stone.


    Shi Jixiang finally could not smile any longer. Afterwards, he issued orders, Clear the casino and gather the people. A tough one has come this time, a second-rate master at the very least. He seems like he has come to make trouble. He can¡¯t just be appeased with money.


    Li Qingshan lowered his head and his lips curled into a smile. It would be for the best if you cleared the casino, and the more people the better. If you can gather a thousand people, I¡¯ll burn some incense on your grave, if you have a grave that is.

 Chapter 152

    Chapter 152 Chapter 152 ¨C Flaws in the Plan


    A while later, there was not a single gambler left beside him . Several dozen hostile men replaced them, armed with swords and blades; they either sneered or glared at Li Qingshan .


    All of the doors and windows were shut now; not even a fly would be able to escape from here .


    Only then did Shi Jixiang slowly make his way down from upstairs . He spoke like everything was under his control, ¡°May I ask who you are, brother? If you tell me about your identity, you might even make a new friend today . If you¡¯re lacking money to cover travelling expenses, feel free to mention it . I, Shi Jixiang, am not a stingy person . ¡±


    Li Qingshan looked around and said in a pity, ¡°Just this much?¡±


    Although he had originally come with the intention of purging evil, it was obviously impossible for him to scour every corner of Silver Mountain town after killing Shi Jixiang . He lacked both the time and energy for that . There were still another twenty-six missions and over nine hundred people waiting for him .


    However, when it came to something like teaching a lesson, basically everyone who should have been here was here! s?a??h th? N0??F?re.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Shi Jixiang was unsure about his motives, but he could tell that Li Qingshan had no plans to answer him . He was infuriated, and he took off his thin clothes, revealing a bulky upper body and the tattoo of a buddha . He sat down in front of Li Qingshan . ¡°I¡¯ll gamble with you this time . ¡±


    Li Qingshan saw him strip and was ready to fight, but when he heard that, he was slightly surprised . Then he said, ¡°That works . ¡±


    Rattle, rattle, rattle .


    Shi Jixiang rolled the dice viciously . He stared firmly at Li Qingshan with his small eyes . For some reason, he felt uneasy when he met those calm, unperturbed pupils that clearly divided the colours of the latter¡¯s eyes . However, he had fought and killed for many years now, so his mental fortitude was rather impressive . He forced back his uneasiness and slammed down the dice cup with a bang . He asked aggressively, ¡°Big or small?¡±


    Li Qingshan casually cast his bet . Just like before, he bet all the silver on the table and went with big once again .


    Shi Jixiang raised an eyebrow . He channeled inner force into the cup before immediately lifting it . He roared with laughter . ¡°One, two, and four . That¡¯s small . You lose?¡± At the same time, he circulated his true qi, and the men in the surroundings eyed Li Qingshan closely, ready to fight at any time . They were all wary of Li Qingshan flying into a rage from his loss and trying to hurt any of them .


    Li Qingshan laid out his hands . ¡°And then?¡±


    Shi Jixiang was stunned . Originally, he thought that Li Qingshan would furiously label him as a cheat . ¡°What and then? If you¡¯re willing to gamble, then you need to be ready to lose . ¡±


    ¡°Alright . I¡¯ve lost . All of the silver is yours . ¡± With that, Li Qingshan kicked the marble gambing table .


    Not a single person present had thought that the heavy, sturdy, still table could be launched with such terrifying speed and might in a single instant, whistling through the air .


    Shi Jixiang¡¯s eyes narrowed as he was shocked . Even masters of external martial arts do not possess such strength! At the same time, he reacted by leaping up . The extraordinary martial arts he took pride in seemed so slow now . He could only watch as the dice and dice cup was launched into the air while the marble table slammed into him .


    Boom!


    Dust was kicked up into the air as the marble table slammed Shi Jixiang into the wall . It firmly lodged the lower half of his body into the wall as his bones shattered under the collision of the table .


    The men in the surroundings still seemed to be lost . Didn¡¯t they win? How had their mighty boss Shi been reduced to such a horrible state in the blink of an eye?


    Li Qingshan ignored them . He walked over to the marble table .


    Shi Jixiang really was a first-rate master after all with how tenacious his vitality was . His lower body was crushed, but he still managed to remain conscious . ¡°W- w- who are you?¡±


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°A Hawkwolf guard on a mission . I find it annoying when people like you smile . This expression suits you better . ¡± He conveniently caught the falling dice on his side, ¡°And, you can¡¯t decide big or small through these . ¡± Without even looking back, he threw them backwards .


    The dice pierced a man who was just about to launch a sneak attack on him with his blade .


    ¡°Just what are you going to use for a gamble with me?¡±


    Everyone immediately understood their disparity in strength and the fact that death was near . They rushed for the entrance without any regard anymore . They wanted to open the main entrance that they had just shut firmly .


    A man looked back in fright . A stream of fire that seemed like a dragon rolled over from Li Qingshan¡¯s waist . Wherever it passed by, everyone was reduced to nothing, only leaving behind a set of clothes that fell to the ground slowly . This was basically even more terrifying than any bloody sight . He pushed against the entrance firmly before losing all consciousness .


    The fire snake opened its mouth and lunged towards Shi Jixiang before pausing again and looking at Li Qingshan .


    Li Qingshan waved his hand to express there was nothing more he wanted to say to him . However, Shi Jixiang opened his mouth . He was the one who had something to say, but his face was already lit up by the firelight .


    The fire snake immediately swallowed Shi Jixiang .


    The gamblers had not dispersed . Instead, they paced around outside the entrance . The night had just begun . They had yet to enjoy themselves fully!


    They believed that this ignorant kid from another place would suffer very soon, and the casino would reopen . However, there were other people who believed that only those with the ability would take a risk like this and that the kid would be a difficult opponent . As a result, they split into two sides and gambled on this matter .


    However, they waited for a very long time, and the casino still had not opened up again . However, none of them were bold enough to force their way in either . People of the government opened the entrance only after the next morning arrived . The large casino was completely devoid of people .


    There was a speck of light in a tiny inn in the middle of nowhere .


    Li Qingshan unfurled his mental map of the Green province and planned his destination for the next day . He used an invisible line to connect twenty-seven specks together .


    Twenty-seven specks, one thousand people .


    Xiao An sat to one side, looking at the mental map and Li Qingshan . He seemed to be in thought .


    Li Qingshan asked, ¡°Do you remember the number? How many was it?¡±


    Xiao An dipped his finger in a cup of tea and wrote on the table, ¡°Fifty-seven . ¡±


    Twenty-six specks, nine hundred and forty three people .


    Li Qingshan corrected the number in his mind . He did not deal with Shi Jixiang¡¯s property . Ever since Xiao An gave him a clear goal, that had become his greatest priority that he eagerly wanted to complete .


    If he could be a little faster, Xiao An would be able to recover his body a little faster .


    However, he did not go without any benefits . Shi Jixiang was swallowed by the flames, but he left behind a few talismans . Originally, this person had planned to use them as trump cards, but before absolute strength, he basically had no chance to use it .


    Li Qingshan raised his head and smiled . ¡°We¡¯ll be done very soon . Let¡¯s go to Giant Deer valley tomorrow and go find the horse bandits . What do you think? The route I planned is pretty good, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Xiao An then wrote on the table . ¡°But if this continues, we¡¯ll alarm the others very soon . They will go into hiding . ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true . We can only move a little faster then and travel day and night . If they end up hiding, that¡¯ll be troublesome . ¡± Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback . He rubbed his chin in thought and found that Xiao An really had a good point .


    These people were not mobs from games who would pace around in the same place, waiting to be slain . Though, once they were slain, new ones would definitely spawn, as there would never be an end to people like them .


    News always spread rapidly through the jianghu . As long as he repeated this a few more times, probably all the figures of the jianghu on the blacklist would realise that their end was coming, and then they would subsequently vanish into hiding . Just which Qi Practitioner would waste their precious time to scour the world for them? Li Qingshan did not want to waste this time either . This was also the reason why the Hawkwolf Guard could not eliminate them all!

 Chapter 153

    Chapter 153 Chapter 153 ¨C The West Gate Granny


    Xiao An was willing to search for them with him slowly, to advance slowly with him . If they found someone, they would kill them, but if they did not, there was no need to panic . However, seeing how impatient Li Qingshan was, Xiao An did not want him to trouble himself over his matters, so he came up with an idea .


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we find a way to gather them together?¡±


    Li Qingshan gasped in admiration . Compared to looking for them one by one, he could try inviting all of them to a certain place before taking them down in a single swoop . If he wanted to grind mobs, then he obviously had to lure mobs . Why hadn¡¯t he thought of such a simple principle?


    He rubbed Xiao An¡¯s head . ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell, but this little head of yours sure can scheme . ¡±


    Flattered, Xiao An lowered his head in embarrassment .


    After being inspired like that, Li Qingshan¡¯s thoughts immediately sprang to life . Afterwards, he searched through the files from the missions and finally found a name .


    Shen Xihua . He occupied an island on a large lake to the south . He called himself the Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers . He was a confident romantic and had a rather obscene nature . In the past, he had committed over a dozen acts of sexual assault . He was also the person with the highest cultivation in Li Qingshan¡¯s twenty-seven missions, at the first layer of Qi Practitioner . He was extremely renowned among criminals, and the files mentioned that he had vast connections .


    In the eyes of the Hawkwolf Guard, he thrived in a zone that no one had any interest in, yet he could also defeat all practitioners of martial arts . He could be described as a master who lived within the cracks of the system .


    Li Qingshan muttered to himself, ¡°Just from a single birthday celebration, Qian Yannian managed to invite so many people to congratulate him . You might be slightly weaker, but you shouldn¡¯t be much worse . Right now, all I need is quantity, not quality . ¡±


    Of course, there probably was not a coincidence like his birthday had just come up, but whether it was getting married or having children, there were plenty of excuses! If he did not have any excuses, he could create one for him, and then invite many masters on the blacklist over to celebrate .


    The corner of Li Qingshan¡¯s lips gradually curled up . Perhaps there would be many unexpected extras to it all!


    ¡­¡­


    Silver Mountain town, the third day after Li Qingshan had left .


    In the middle of the night .


    Amidst the thick mist .


    A magnificent carriage was pulled along slowly by a horse . As the wheels rolled over the cobblestone road, it did not produce any sound at all; it was as if a layer of foam separated it from the ground . It stopped silently in front of the Auspicious casino .


    A handsome teenager in red disembarked from the carriage and entered the casino with his head held high .


    Shi Jixiang was gone, but he had five leaders beneath him . Two of them died at Li Qingshan¡¯s hands that night . The other three had been watching over the mines and other property, which was why they managed to avoid it .


    Currently, they had gathered together with their subordinates and were locked in an intense discussion over how they were supposed to divide this chunk of meat . They went into so much detail that it even included Shi Jixiang¡¯s concubines . The three of them laughed obscenely together . The atmosphere was rather harmonious . They got along rather well .


    However, their faces changed as soon as they reached the topic of the profitable Auspicious casino . They argued so furiously that they almost drew their weapons .


    The young man in red walked into the casino at this very moment . He seemed alone and very frail, with no signs of martial arts or qi . However, he behaved in a very arrogant manner, so obviously he was not well-received .


    ¡°Where the hell did this kiddo come from? This isn¡¯t a place you should have come to . Hurry up and get out of here!¡± As soon as the person finished talking, his head fell from his shoulders . His expression was still one of shock . He had no idea why the world had suddenly flipped on him .


    Only at this moment did a cold snort ring out from the carriage outside the casino . A withered finger extended out from the curtained windows of the carriage .


    The teenager in red smiled . ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am . ¡±


    ¡°An innate master!¡± The three leaders immediately paled in fright . It was not just an innate master, but one that was unimaginably powerful . S?a?ch* Th? N?v?lFir?.n?t website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    Probably only Qi Practitioners who had split open a sea of qi like Zhuo Zhibo could witness the true gateway to practising qi . Even powerful sixth layer Qi Practitioners would have to rely on spiritual artifacts if they wanted to kill someone from several dozen meters away, yet she managed to do so with true qi alone .


    This was completely different from using techniques . If Li Qingshan used a suitable technique, he could launch such a long-ranged attack as well, but in terms of using his true qi alone, ten meters would have been his limit, and he would have only been able to knock people away, not behead them . As for regular second layer Qi Practitioners, being able to reach three meters away would already be an impressive feat .


    After all, if the power of techniques was the same as directly using true qi, why would Qi Practitioners put effort into creating techniques and condense true qi into techniques during battle?


    An old, screechy voice rang out, ¡°You¡¯ll answer whatever question he asks . If you don¡¯t know, then investigate . If he doesn¡¯t get his answer, all of you will die . ¡±


    Everyone in the casino trembled all over . The boy in red took out a portrait . ¡°Was he the person who came to the casino last night?¡±


    Depicted in a life-like fashion within the portrait was Li Qingshan .


    A while later, the boy reported back, ¡°Ma¡¯am, I¡¯ve confirmed that he¡¯s Li Qingshan . He has left Silver Mountain town now . I wonder where he has gone . ¡±


    ¡°He has probably gone to Giant Deer valley . ¡± She seemed to have grasped Li Qingshan¡¯s tracks completely .


    ¡°Then let¡¯s set off now!¡±


    ¡°How impatient . ¡±


    This time, an old hand extended out from the carriage curtains, except the long nails were painted bright red . It was a rather strange sight .


    A series of cries rang out in the casino . An ordinary blade suddenly began to dance and swing around as white streaks, killing everyone in the casino one by one .


    Compared to directly killing people with true qi, borrowing a ¡®tool¡¯ or ¡®artifact¡¯ was still much simpler . Of course, this would be even more simple if it was a spiritual artifact .


    Everyone in the casino knew martial arts, and the three leaders were all second-rate masters as well . However, against the nimble blade, they could not hold their ground at all .


    In just a few seconds, the casino became littered with corpses . Only then did the blade drop to the ground with a clang .


    The teenager in red was slightly surprised . All he heard was the old voice in the carriage . ¡°They¡¯ve insulted my Jie¡¯er, so how can they be left alive?¡±


    The teenager immediately showed great happiness . He entered the carriage and threw himself into the arms of an old woman .


    The old woman was dressed in red and had a head full of grey hair . Her face was shriveled, but as she held the handsome young man, they seemed like a pair of lovers . They were not the only two in the carriage . There were three more young men, all dressed in red and just as young and handsome .


    One of them grumbled, ¡°Granny is picking favourites . Granny only spoils Jie¡¯er . ¡±


    Jie¡¯er said, ¡°We¡¯ve all sworn that we would serve granny for the rest of our lives, so you¡¯re not allowed to be jealous . Granny, why must you personally look into this matter? Can¡¯t you just send disciples from the disciplinary hall?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very likely that what happened to the Parlour of Clouds and Rain in Jiaping city is related to this person . You¡¯ll need a sixth layer Qi Practitioner at the very least to kill Zhao Liangqing without raising any attention . If we send regular disciples, we¡¯ll just be sending them to their deaths . There¡¯s no point in staying in Clear River all the time either . We can relieve our boredom by going on a stroll . ¡±


    The granny¡¯s formal title was the West Gate Granny, not because her surname was Ximen, or West Gate, but because the Sect of Clouds and Rain had four gates and four grannies representing the four directions . Every single one of them were powerful ninth layer Qi Practitioners who had opened all eight extraordinary meridians .


    There was no longer anyone bold enough to refer to her by her actual name within the sect, while other people gradually forgot about her original name as well . Only the title of West Gate Granny that represented her status remained, replacing her name .

 Chapter 154

    Chapter 154 Chapter 154 ¨C The Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers


    The teenager who had just been grumbling said, ¡°It¡¯s all because granny became interested when she saw how well-built and tough Li Qingshan was, but granny already has us, so granny can¡¯t be so fickle . ¡± He spoke with a tone like he was in love . The teenagers all looked at the West Gate Granny with utter infatuation . It was not forced at all . They were just like when the men of Jiaping city saw courtesan Furong .


    As a second layer Qi Practitioner, Furong¡¯s arts of charm were already enough to drive regular people crazy and strike fear into the hearts of Qi Practitioners, so just how powerful would the arts of charm of this ninth layer Qi Practitioner, the West Gate Granny, be? It was not something that a few normal boys could resist . Even Qi Practitioners would always do whatever they could to fulfil their desires, let alone ordinary people .


    The West Gate Granny said in a spoilt manner, ¡°Alright, alright . I¡¯ll kill him as soon as I see him . ¡±


    ¡°As long as granny loves us, does it matter if granny has other men? We¡¯re all good brothers . ¡±


    As they spoke amorously, the carriage rolled slowly and silently over the cobblestone path . Upon closer inspection, a gap of around an inch remained between the carriage wheels and the path as if a cushion of air existed .


    The horse¡¯s hooves landed on the ground as normal . After a few inscriptions flashed, the treasured horse that usually pulled the carriage during the day could now take off effortlessly . It rushed off at an unbelievable speed .


    They left behind a casino full of corpses . Afterwards, the little caretakers under the little leaders gathered together and began a new discussion, just like the grass that never stopped sprouting on the plains . Perhaps, people originally unrelated to all of this would join in as well, which would be followed with further conflict and slaughter; this was the jianghu .


    Li Qingshan still ended up going to Giant Deer valley, as it was not very likely for these horse bandits to accept the invitation from the Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers . The files indicated that the horse bandits were composed of people with the bloodline of barbarians . Every single one of them had a great, brown beard .


    Even if the Island Lord of Cherishing Flowers invited them, it was probably unlikely for these barbarian horse bandits to visit the island on their horses, so he wanted to just finish them off conveniently .


    The horse bandits dwelled on the vast, grassy plains . They had no set place where they stayed . The Giant Deer valley was only one of their resting places .


    After Li Qingshan realised that it was all futile, he did not give up . Instead, he laid on the ground and used his nose before closely studying the traces there . He was like a wild beast with extremely sharp senses .


    As his daemon form gradually strengthened, the world in his eyes became richer and more colourful . There were many layers to it . His tracking ability had almost become part of his instincts .


    The smell and traces from the ground were still very fresh . They were not far, and from the traces on the ground, there were at least two hundred horse bandits, which made Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes light up .


    As a result, he immediately set off . True qi gathered in his feet, and he crossed through the grass that stood as tall as a man . He moved swiftly under the amber sky as night set in, and two hours later, he had covered fifty kilometers and finally found the horse bandits .


    Within the smoke, the horse bandits rushed at the travelling merchants, letting out war cries . The merchants did their best to stop them and raise their defenses, but the thrumming of horse hooves were unable to hide the fear in their eyes . The curved blades lit up the surroundings with dazzling, white light .


    Suddenly, someone said, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    A cloud of dust rushed over from the north-west direction, heading directly towards the group of horse bandits . A figure leapt high into the sky, through the dust and smoke, landing on the mount of the bandit leader .


    Li Qingshan stood on the horse¡¯s saddle and pressed one hand against the bandit leader¡¯s head while his other hand grasped the reins . He forcefully turned the horse around . The moment he brushed past the mercantile caravan, the merchants all raised their heads and saw a teenager in high spirits . His expression gave everyone a false impression; it was as if he was not holding the head of the bandit leader, but a huge chunk of gold .


    Someone murmured, ¡°That¡¯s a person!¡±


    The horse bandits rushed over as they cursed . They could not worry about the caravan anymore . They had to save their leader .


    After that, no one ever saw the infamous horse bandits of Giant Deer valley anymore .


    After arriving in the middle of the boundless wilderness, Li Qingshan swung down with his right hand and slammed the horse bandit¡¯s head into his chest . The tremendous force spread to the horse, and it collapsed onto the ground loudly .


    When the horse bandits arrived, Li Qingshan had already vanished . They raised their heads swiftly, and a sky of fire filled their gazes .


    The number changed to seven hundred and fifty five .


    Just a day after Li Qingshan had left Giant Deer valley, the carriage arrived .


    The same teenager in red disembarked to check . ¡°Granny, he¡¯s not here . ¡±


    ¡°This kid is pretty quick . ¡± The West Gate Granny unfurled a mental map and pointed at a location, ¡°Let¡¯s go to the next place . ¡± It was exactly the same as Li Qingshan¡¯s original route . She had a complete grasp over how Li Qingshan would go about his missions .


    However, the boys all refused . They all grumbled about how it was just too boring . They had grown accustomed to the joys and pleasures in Clear River city . They disliked all the travelling .


    The West Gate Granny said in a doting manner, ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll rest when we get to the next city . ¡±


    ¡­¡­


    It was a tiny puddle on the map, but when he saw it in person, it was a huge, misty swamp .


    ¡°This is the place . This bastard sure knows how to live . ¡± Li Qingshan stowed the mental map away and cast his gaze into the distance, piercing through the mist . He vaguely made out an island . The island was covered with green, shady willow trees, with some red walls and green tiles poking out .


    Next to the lake was a city . The scenery was wonderful, yet it was also highly convenient . This really was a good place for someone to settle down and live out the rest of their lives . However, when he thought about how someone like him could settle down and live out the rest of his life, Li Qingshan felt extremely discontent . Afterwards, he licked his lips as he imagined the smiles dropping from their expressions with the malevolence and pleasure of a daemon .


    Using the night, he tread across the water and stepped onto the island on the other side . Only then did he see the luxurious estate clearly .


    There were many armed guards patrolling outside the estate . The security was very tight, but to Li Qingshan¡¯s eyes, such a security system was basically non-existent .


    Li Qingshan gently kicked off the ground and landed on the eaves several dozen meters away before rushing towards the largest building .


    Behind a veiled curtain, the pale bodies of people moved around . Moans and verbal teasing constantly sounded out .


    ¡°Master, you¡¯re so good!¡±


    Li Qingshan rubbed his nose . He felt like he would always intrude at a time like this . At such a late time of the night, the bad people would be going at it in bed, while the good person could only watch the eroticism that was vividly presented before his eyes .


    A gentle cough drowned out all of the sounds within the obscenity . Someone sprang up from the bed and lifted the veiled curtain . ¡°Who is it?¡±


    Two pairs of eyes met . Both of them were rather stunned .


    Li Qingshan had never thought that Shen Xihua would actually be elderly . Most of his hair had greyed already . Only then did he suddenly remember that the files detailed that there had been an attempt to bring him to justice, but he discovered them and fled, which led to the case being placed aside . As a result, even a young boy would become an old man after all this time . s?a??h th? ??v?l_Fir?.?et website on G??gl? to access chapters of n?vels early and in the highest quality.


    On the other hand, Shen Xihua saw a young man in cloth robes sitting boldly on an armed chair, glaring right back at him . Although he did not give off any special aura, just his ability to appear in Shen Xihua¡¯s bedroom silently was enough to shock him .


    ¡°Put on your clothes . There are some things I want to discuss with you . ¡± Li Qingshan placed something on the table before standing up .


    Shen Xihua rushed to the table . He saw the item and stiffened . His face paled as he cradled it in his hands carefully . Coldness pierced his bones . He trembled once more, and he became even whiter .


    It was a black wolf baring its fangs and claws, forged out of black iron .


    In a small pavilion shaded by trees, Li Qingshan leaned on the railing and gazed at the scenery of the lake . Shen Xihua had put on clothes and rushed over while he cradled the Black Wolf tablet in his hands . ¡°Sir, may I know your name and why you¡¯ve come to my humble abode?¡±


    Li Qingshan took back the Black Wolf tablet . ¡°Don¡¯t you know what you¡¯ve done? You¡¯re the culprit, Shen Xihua!¡± He had seen quite a lot of detective television series in his past life, so he copied how they naturally exuded confidence .


    With a thud, Shen Xihua¡¯s knees crumbled to the ground . ¡°Sir, they were all deeds that I committed when I was young and muddle-headed . Sir, you are a great man, so please just spare me . If there¡¯s anything you require, I will do everything I can to ensure it is obtained or achieved . ¡±


    A powerful figure among the criminals of the jianghu, a first-layer innate master, had lost all of his bearing, kneeling on the ground and begging for his life . Li Qingshan had not even done anything to him yet; this was all just from seeing his Black Wolf tablet .


    Shen Xihua felt extremely helpless . Who would be willing to serve a kid who was several decades younger? As soon as he saw the Black Wolf tablet, he thought about running, but he was reluctant to abandon everything he had built up . And, if the Hawkwolf Guard really tried to find him, they would always find him . As for fighting, that was even more impossible . Let alone his fate if he lost, even if he somehow managed to win, his entire family would accompany him to the grave whether it be because of infuriating the Hawkwolf Guard or killing a Hawkwolf guard .


    When Li Qingshan stood before him, he was no longer just a lonely teenager, but a terrifying system of violence from the government . Anyone from the so-called jianghu could only act subserviently before this system . Of course, it was impossible for him to understand the hostile relationship between Li Qingshan and Zhuo Zhibo . That was something well beyond his reach .


    However, Shen Xihua was still hopeful . Since Li Qingshan had not attacked him right from the get-go, it meant that he still had a chance . As a result, he gathered his courage to come here so that he could hear what Li Qingshan wanted to say to him .


    As expected, Li Qingshan said, ¡°I have something I want you to do for me . ¡± He sat down on the stone bench in the pavilion and looked at Shen Xihua from above . He did not tell him to walk over and sit down with him .


    Li Qingshan could treat ordinary people with courtesy, but if he was supposed to dwell on this bit of courtesy with someone like this fellow, there would be something wrong with his head . Compared to murder or robbery, he found these acts to be even more disgraceful . If it were not for the sake of his plan, he would have wanted to kill Shen Xihua right now .


    Shen Xihua¡¯s face lit up . ¡°Please let me know, sir . ¡±


    Li Qingshan took out twenty-four files and tossed them before Shen Xihua . ¡°I want you to invite all the people mentioned in there to here, including their subordinates and disciples . The more the better . ¡±


    Shen Xihua¡¯s expression changed drastically . He immediately thought of what Li Qingshan was trying to do . He was such a young teenager, yet he was actually hiding such terrifying thoughts . He actually wanted to take out all the masters of the underworld within the surrounding region of several hundred kilometers in one fell swoop .


    Li Qingshan said, ¡°It can be a birthday, having children, or other reasons . You might have obtained a peerless cultivation method or divine weapon for everyone to come and appreciate . You can handle the exact details . ¡±


    Shen Xihua said, ¡°Sir¡­ t- that¡¯ll be unrighteous of me to do!¡±


    Li Qingshan broke into laughter . ¡°You¡¯re a rapist, yet you still mention the word ¡®righteousness¡¯?¡±


    Shen Xihua became bright red . He disputed groundlessly, ¡°Those are all matters of the past . I even left quite a lot of money for those women . T- they aren¡¯t necessarily unhappy with the outcome¡­¡±


    Before he was even done, a great force pushed his head down . With a bang, his head struck the ground heavily, drawing blood .