The sky was pitch black.

On the way back, the seven or eight men traveling with him hid their swords, spears, and clubs under their garments, anxiously looking around, deeply fearing to encounter the mountain bandits again on the road.

Li Xian led the way, and the remaining ten or so miles passed without incident.

Reaching an open area outside the village, Li Xian said, "Dig a pit here and bury the weapons."

"Sir, why not bury these weapons with those bandit corpses?"

A villager asked.

"That place is too far. Although these weapons are buried in the ground, they are not completely useless." Li Xian said flatly, "If our deeds are exposed in the future, we need to have swords and guns to grab and resist at any time."

"Ah!"

The crowd was filled with dread.

Now that their blood had cooled, they thought about fighting with the bandits and couldn't remain calm.

Li Xian said, "Life is your own."

"The only ones who can truly save you are yourselves. No one else can be relied upon, including me. I'm telling you, if the situation doesn't look right, I'll return to the village. No matter how formidable the Mountain Wind Stronghold is, they wouldn't dare to collect debts in the village."

"But you all cannot leave. So if you hold onto any luck, you won't leave a complete corpse. This principle you must ponder on your own."

The crowd fell silent. Uncle Fu, being the oldest, saw things most clearly and said, "The sir is right; we've been bullied by the Mountain Wind Stronghold for decades."

"We've swallowed our anger time and again, but we still get bullied. They don't kill us, not out of compassion, but because if they kill us, they'd have no one left to bully."

"This time someone died from the Mountain Wind Stronghold. If the matter is uncovered, we would definitely face village extermination..."

"So what should we do? We ask for your guidance, sir."

Li Xian said, "It's good to be mentally prepared, but there's no need to be overly tense. Just act as usual, divide the rice when you return, and use the silver to buy more rice and grains."

"Eat and drink well and sleep warm; that way, the Mountain Wind Stronghold may not suspect us."

"If anyone asks, just deny knowing anything."

...

...

Returning to the wooden cabin.

The bright moon hung high.

Li Xian exhaled stale air; the courtyard was devoid of prey, making it seem empty. He calculated the silver, totaling "nine taels" in all from previous and current gains.

The harvest was plentiful.

"The Mountain Wind Stronghold has lost people, so they'll definitely come down to investigate."

"I'll keep a low profile recently and avoid hunting in the mountains to not stumble upon them."

Li Xian glanced toward the village. He saw a noticeable lamp light, clearly signaling that the village chief, Uncle Fu, was convening a meeting in response to this incident.

"No matter what, only by enhancing strength can we escape this crisis."

Though the night was deep, Li Xian, having touched blood, felt invigorated and was nowhere near sleepy.

[Silver moon reflects frost and snow, the young man diligently practices his skills, Skill Level +3]

...

The following day.

The sky grew bright, when suddenly the sound of hoofbeats came from the east. Li Xian had risen early, practicing his fists, and upon hearing the commotion, he immediately leaped onto the roof and looked out.

Faintly, he saw eight people arriving at the village entrance. The leader wore plain clothing, had a rugged face, and carried a large knife on his shoulder.

It should undoubtedly be the Mountain Wind Stronghold.

The fourth leader, Lu Heng, shouted loudly, "Get up, all of you get up!"

A subordinate beside him immediately took out a copper gong and began to beat it vigorously, "Boom, boom, boom," shattering the tranquility.

Over a hundred households in Black River Village, with the men coming out, locking their wives and children inside, gathered at the village entrance.

Uncle Fu, hobbling with his cane, arrived late, smiled, and said, "Ah, it's Fourth Lord, hello, hello." He cupped his hands in obeisance, fawningly approached the horse.

Lu Heng cocked his thick eyebrow, looking down from above, and said, "Little Fu, do you know why I'm here?"

"Fourth Lord, our village has given everything we could!" Uncle Fu said.

"Hmph!" Lu Heng, irritated, said, "Still pretending to be dumb!" His words carried qi, pressuring the mind and intimidating even the faintest heart.

Uncle Fu, though trembling, had been frightened by this fierce demeanor countless times, and had become somewhat numb. He steeled himself and said, "R-really don't know."

Lu Heng thought to himself, "These lowly peasants, they may have the will of thieves, but not the courage. A bunch of old, weak, sick, and disabled, how could they possibly defy Fang Yaozi?"

"Fang Yaozi's disappearance should not be related to this place."

But since he was already here, he might as well ask, "Have you seen Fang Yaozi?"

"No, no," Uncle Fu shook his head vigorously.

"All right, wasting my time." Lu Heng kicked Uncle Fu out of the way and rode off.

Uncle Fu and the others breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"Indeed, they've come down from the mountains." Hidden in the shadows, Li Xian observed the entire scene.

If exposed, he would have only two choices: fight with the villagers to resist or flee to a distant place.

"Just now, Uncle Fu showed major flaws. Lu Heng didn't even mention Fang Yaozi's appearance, yet he shook his head hastily, clearly revealing there's no three hundred taels of silver here."

"But this fourth in command is just a brute, completely oblivious."

Li Xian analyzed quietly in his heart.

For now, the situation was generally favorable.

"I don't know how long they will pursue this."

"Whatever it is..."

"Each day gained is a day bought; I must quickly enhance my strength!"

...

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Wind and snow day, freezing cold weather.

Snowflakes filled the sky, but near the wooden house on the west side of the village, Li Xian diligently practiced the [Clear Wind Leg], his leg technique nearing perfection. With each kick, the intent was rich, carrying an indescribable aura.

The Clear Wind Leg was a martial art created by an ordinary martial artist who, while resting by the lake on a whim, watched green willows gently caress the water.

Due to the foundational nature of the technique, it was easy to learn and quickly spread. Through various martial artists' continual improvements over generations, it became a common leg technique.

"The breeze caresses the green willow, lightly touches the lakeside face."

This leg technique emphasizes the word "light."

In early practice, "light" remains on the surface, implying that kicks should retain power, not exhaust force, achieving continuity and smoothness like the wind.

In mid-level practice, "light" goes deeper, indicating "light legs," with force penetrating the body surface. Further practice in later stages, refers to "light body."

While practicing the leg technique, Li Xian suddenly felt as if walking on wind and snow, rising several feet off the ground, filled with a sense of grace and ease.

[Clear Wind Leg]

[Skill Level: 4999/5000 Great Success]

Li Xian performed a sweeping kick, the leg wind swirling the snowflakes upwards, finally letting them fall.

[Skill Level +1]

[Clear Wind Leg upgraded to Perfection]

[Skill Level: 1/10000 Perfection]

His second "Perfected" martial art was completed today. The qi between bones and flesh rapidly grew, converging in the dantian, vigorous and refined, like a lake or the sea.

Li Xian rolled up his trouser leg, seeing the muscles in his calf twitching, a feeling of soreness and pain, tendons like being stretched, straightened, and repeatedly struck.

[Description: You have tirelessly honed your skills, and your leg technique has gradually elongated, reaching perfection. Able to step on snow without a trace, sprint like the wind, legs light as air, grasping the mystery of the word 'light.']

Suddenly spotting a frozen fruit on a tree, he leapt, pinched it lightly with his fingers, plucked it, and gently floated down.

His body felt like a feather.

Exercising the Clear Wind Leg in the air, he could almost hover for several breaths.

Truly miraculous!

After completing a qi circulation, Li Xian exerted all his qi to jump and could leap more than a yard high. After grasping the mystery of "light," he could reach another half-yard higher on this basis.

Moreover, his leg strength significantly increased.

"For someone like me who has perfected two basic martial arts, there are surely very few."

The qi in his dantian grew ever more substantial.

Li Xian channeled his internal qi, his blood flow firm, his breathing long and deep. As qi spread throughout his body, tiny pores opened and closed...

"After 'Blood Solidification,' one naturally and gradually touches the 'Closed Pores' level."

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