"That Zheng Xuezhang is quite a character, a martial artist who has transformed."

Pang Long glanced into the distance and slowly continued, "Speaking of which, there are some grudges between him and our manor."

"You've been working at the Nursing Home for a while now. If you've been observant, you should know that the lady has many enterprises, including farming and mulberry raising."

"Engaging in farming and mulberry requires water sources, and there was a plot of land where the upstream water source was once cut off by Zheng Xuezhang, causing that piece of land to lay waste for a period."

"Oh?" Li Xian asked, "In that case, why doesn't the lady take action against him?"

He was quick-witted. Although he did not know what kind of power the 'Black Water Gang' held, he knew the lady was not simple and could easily deal with Zheng Xuezhang from the Black Water Gang.

"What kind of person is the lady, how could she involve herself in such disputes?" Pang Long said proudly.

In truth, he had similar questions.

At this moment, the two walked a while, exiting the forest, entering Huangyu County, and finding a restaurant to order two meals.

While waiting for the food, Pang Long said uncertainly, "The lady seldom interacts with surrounding forces. I personally speculate... there are two reasons."

"Commander Pang, please speak."

Li Xian handed over a cup of hot tea, filled it for Pang Long, and presented it with both hands. Pang Long took it, drank to moisten his mouth, savoring the tea's fragrance, and said:

"Firstly, it's disdain. These local gangs may be local tyrants, but the lady, what kind of person is she? Naturally, she disdains to take action."

"Moreover, the lady leads a reclusive life. To go out of her way for them would be too much recognition for them."

"Secondly... the lady has seen the world, and such matters are as light as a feather to her."

"Thirdly... perhaps it relates to her past grievances in the Jianghu."

Pang Long finished a cup of tea, and the random guesses stopped.

The lady's thoughts remain unfathomable to anyone.

"Let me treat you to this meal."

"It's been a long time since I've had grilled fish, braised pork, or vinegary lamb. Hahaha, you're in for a treat."

Pang Long ordered a table full of dishes. This time, he didn't bury himself in the soup, gulping it down whole. Instead, he picked up tender fish, tasting it.

Savoring its fresh and delicious flavor.

Li Xian gazed into the distance, worried about his younger brother. But he quickly reminded himself that his brother was clever, having now picked flowers and carrying enough money.

With his wits, reaching the Prefecture City and successfully enrolling shouldn't be difficult.

Li Xian drank the tea as if it were wine, downing it in one go, and his worries dissipated. Instead came a sense of carefree openness.

His brother already has a path laid out.

As the elder brother, he must also find a way to make something of himself!

"The taste is excellent!"

Li Xian ate heartily, savoring the flavors. Amidst the ambiance, his strength gradually recovered.

After eating and drinking to contentment,

he prepared to return to the manor.

...

...

[Four Directions Fist]

[Skill Level: 256/10000 Perfection]

During this period, Li Xian had not deliberately practiced the Four Directions Fist. But after a fight with someone last night, the fist technique's proficiency clearly improved, much to his delight.

[Clear Wind Leg]

[Skill Level: 319/5000 Great Success]

[Jade Palm]

[Skill Level: 169/2000 Mastery]

There have been some slight improvements in martial arts.

"Commander Pang has achieved great success in two techniques, minor achievement in three, mastery in five, plus ten years of diligent practice, only then barely achieving Qi Circulation."

"I have one at perfection, one at great success, and one at mastery, and I'm very close now."

Martial arts do not rely on quantity but on quality.

If the quality is ensured, having more would naturally be better.

Li Xian sat cross-legged in the snow. Once again, he tried circulating his Qi; condensing it like silk, moving through all the acupoints, breaking through three hundred major points, getting close to three hundred and fifty...

"I just need to follow the steps, and achieving Qi Circulation is just a matter of these ten days or so!"

Li Xian steadied his mind, neither anxious nor impatient.

Step by step, he must proceed steadily.

Consistently practicing palms and legs, the Body Lake slightly ripples, then undulates, until at last the waves rise.

With each practice, an additional thread of inner Qi silently accumulates.

Qi comes from martial arts, and understanding comes from fist practice.

On this day,

he suddenly felt inspired, executing the seventh move of the "Jade Palm": Green Waves Beating the Sand. This palm technique emphasizes grandeur and power, aiming to defeat the enemy with one strike. Therefore, it consumes a great deal of Qi. With one strike, inner Qi surged out of the body, like a tidal wave, sweeping up a pile of accumulated snow.

[Skill Level +2]

He shuddered, and his inner Qi condensed even more.

Li Xian chewed on jerky, replenishing his strength. After resting well, with inner Qi full, he immediately sat cross-legged, Qi silk running through all acupoints, passing through three hundred and sixty-one major acupoints.

Finally, the heavens did not fail a determined person; he completed the "Qi Circulation."

At the moment the Qi silk connected head to tail, Li Xian opened his eyes, indescribable feelings washed over him.

He only felt his senses sharper, vaguely aware of the subtle aspects of his body. A feeling emerged:

"Ah..."

"So this is what my body truly feels like."

A marvelous sensation.

"No matter how hard one trains the mortal flesh, movements will always have deviations."

"With Qi Circulation... the most apparent feeling is my enhanced control over my body. The Qi envelops my entire being, making it seem lighter."

The clay embryo in the mundane world is a rough, unsculpted thing, leaking air and water, incapable of holding the essence of heaven and earth, unable to retain Qi-Blood.

Therefore, it is always leaking.

Qi Circulation initially locks down Qi-Blood.

At this moment, it's considered the very first step into Martial Arts.

Li Xian suddenly heard a gentle chirping from the treetop. He leaped up, much higher than usual, reaching a height of several feet, and quickly grasped with his hand.

The bird was already in his hand.

"Haha, good bird, go on."

Li Xian gently stroked the bird's head and released it. He still wanted to find something to test his Martial Arts.

He grabbed a handful of snow from the ground, squeezed it with Qi, turning it into ice crystals, and tossed it into the sky, sending it flying dozens of feet away.

The improvements in all aspects were quite balanced.

"Among the Nursing Home, those who can achieve Qi Circulation are probably very few, right?"

So far, within the Nursing Home circle, only Hua Hanying is explicitly known to have achieved Qi Circulation.

"Not enough, not enough!"

Li Xian clenched his fists.

The next step is "Blood Solidification and Aperture Closure"!

...

...

Three days after Zheng Caiqi's death, the news finally reached Zheng Xuezhang's ears.

"My son!"

Zheng Xuezhang was furious and ordered a thorough investigation, capturing Yang Cheng, who was one of the thirteen Banner Bearers of the Black Water Gang, to find out what happened.

The reason why the gang is called the "Black Water Gang."

Is because there is a Black River near the gang's domain.

This river flows through several places, irrigating many areas. The Black Water Gang acts dominantly, claiming the river as their own.

And the Mountain Wind Stronghold is also affected, having much resentment toward the Black Water Gang. Conflicts arise frequently over water sources.

Yang Cheng thought to himself, all his life's accumulation of power, prestige, and status is here. If he fled far away, he would have to start over, which would likely mean reaching the end of his Martial Arts path.

Upon weighing his options, it seemed better to defect to the Mountain Wind Stronghold.

However, fate was not on his side. Normally, the Village Chief Madaozi would gladly accept him. But right now, it was a critical period for the stronghold, and they didn't want a conflict with the Black Water Gang.

So they agreed on the surface but secretly tied him up the very same day.

They used him as a bargaining chip for negotiation with the Black Water Gang.

Little did Yang Cheng realize that his cleverness backfired. If he had fled elsewhere, he might not have been caught amid the vast crowd.

In the end, his petty schemes and greed for status left him with no time for regrets.

After several days of negotiations, Yang Cheng was tied and sent back to the Black Water Gang.

His knees were shattered, and he was made to kneel in the hall of the Black Water Gang.

Gang leader Zheng Xuezhang, burly and bearded, looked coldly at Yang Cheng, "Banner Bearer Yang, I have treated you well, why did you kill my son!"

"Gang leader, the young master was not killed by me, but... by a young man!" Yang Cheng trembled with fear, cold sweat pouring from his head.

"Who?" Zheng Xuezhang asked.

"I... I don't know who he is... Ah! I know, it was... Li Xiaofan's brother."

Yang Cheng's thoughts raced as he desperately wanted to name the killer to appease the gang leader's anger. He didn't know who Li Xian was but knew the flower-picking scholar Li Xiaofan, and the young man who saved Li Xiaofan was a few years older.

So he fabricated a story, claiming it was his brother.

Not realizing it hit upon the truth.

"Who is Li Xiaofan?" Zheng Xuezhang asked.

"He... he's the flower-picking scholar from Qingning County," Yang Cheng replied.

"The flower-picking scholar?" Zheng Xuezhang was astonished, then snorted coldly, "Even if you pick flowers, before you gain profound Qi fortune, offending me will still make you pay!"

"Go investigate whether this Li Xiaofan has a brother."

"As for you... Yang Cheng, you failed to protect your master and even tried to defect to the Mountain Wind Stronghold. According to the gang's rules, your hands and feet shall be cut off and hung on the ship's sail as a warning."

Yang Cheng's face turned deathly pale with fear, kowtowing, "Please spare me, gang leader, spare me."

"Spare you?" Zheng Xuezhang said, "Haha." As he spoke, he suddenly drew his sword and, with a few swift strokes, severed Yang Cheng's limbs.

The speed of the sword technique...

Yang Cheng's limbs were severed, yet he felt no pain. After three breaths, he let out a horrific scream.

Another three breaths later, the force in the wound dissipated, and blood began to pour out.

Several people walked out of the hall, bringing some iron pins to pierce Yang Cheng's bones, hoisting him out.

Down by the Black River.

On the big ship of the Black Water Gang, in the place for the sails, hung limbless people.

They were woven into human "sails," with their cries of pain creating a terrifying scene.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.