Li Xian pulled out the martial art "Tiger Gate Claw."

In the recent fight, Lu Xuefeng used several martial arts. "Extreme Iron Palm," "Hard Qi Skill" were similar to Pang the Fox.

Only the Tiger Gate Claw was kept as his trump card. Hidden for a long time, he was forced to reveal it.

"Martial arts of Jianghu are so precious, this martial art might be worth hundreds of silver pieces. Even as mountain bandits, it would take them a long, long time to gather such wealth."

Li Xian knew how hard it was to acquire martial arts.

The master passes to the disciple, the disciple to the grand-disciple, step by step, mostly by word of mouth. Bit by bit, like squeezing toothpaste. Sometimes, to make the disciple truly devoted, they would even deliberately create problems, causing the disciple to make mistakes in martial arts practice.

So they would seek answers.

Then the master shows his skill, completely winning them over.

There were quite a few such behaviors in the manor. Pang Long did not pass on martial arts, but the four levels of Nursing Homes, totaling over a hundred people, many shared martial arts knowledge.

Even if there were martial arts books to learn from, they were only enough for beginners, and to make faster and deeper progress, they would need to seek a master for guidance.

It was a miniature Jianghu.

"Ma Daozi taught martial arts likely using oral transmission. But this Tiger Gate Claw did not come from Ma Daozi. It was obtained privately by Lu Xuefeng."

"Lu Xuefeng, with his great talent, and gradually showing [Tiger and Leopard Appearance], was not an ordinary person, secretly learning martial arts."

"Though they are sworn brothers, it is hard to tell if there is true affection. Instead, there might be a lot of vigilance, suspicion, and jealousy."

Li Xian sat on the rooftop, pinching his chin, frowning slightly.

This conclusion was reached by common reasoning. Since he had come from another world, the people he had seen were all profit-driven.

Those with genuine emotions…

Pang Long barely counts as half. But all his affection was given to his wife, with loyalty and sincerity that even heaven and earth could witness. Yet, his wife ignored him.

"If they hold no affection for each other, Ma Daozi, being the elder brother, should have some apprehension towards the fifth leader."

I killed the third, fourth, and fifth leaders consecutively, first eliminating his fears, and second demonstrating my strength."

With solid strength, if I bring up the banner of the wife, it would make Ma Daozi think twice…"

"Making him feel it's not easy to kill, he should then consider and reconsider."

Li Xian's eyes were bright.

Regardless of whether they have any affection, Ma Daozi must hate him. But on this level, giving Ma Daozi more concern is only beneficial.

Immediately, he went back to his room to get pen and paper.

He wrote:

"Mountain Wind Stronghold, taken."

Musing while writing:

"I have long heard of Mountain Wind Stronghold's tyrannical acts, plundering villagers. They have disturbed our Black River Village for years, cutting off our water source, and plundering countless grains."

"Today, I killed your three men, as a punishment."

"If you offend again, I will overrun the mountain and eradicate your nest."

Li Xian imitated the wife's tone.

At the end, he pondered for a moment and wrote the four characters [Lady Zhe Jian].

Ma Daozi might not have heard of the wife's famous name.

"I don't know if this plan will succeed, but a trap must be set in advance, just in case."

Li Xian prepared the bow and arrow and went to the Mountain Wind Stronghold.

He saw the stronghold was already empty. The remaining mountain bandits, after Lu Xuefeng's rampage, were either dead or fled.

It seemed the stronghold was heavily damaged, but in reality, as long as Ma Daozi was alive and returned to the stronghold, personally overseeing it, those small fry would naturally come back to him.

He placed the letter in the most conspicuous spot.

Li Xian turned and left.

...

...

A day later.

At the Mountain Wind Pass, the black cauldron was boiling, and a pot of Essence Soup was about to be done.

"Boss, we are almost out of charcoal. After this burning, we'll need to buy more charcoal."

Hong Kai, the second in command of Mountain Wind Stronghold, guarded a box of "Smokeless Charcoal," seeing the bottom of the stockpile, he shook his head and sighed.

Recalling the early days without firewood or rice, worrying about charcoal. Later, after becoming mountain bandits and practicing martial arts, but…

Still worrying about charcoal.

"Out of charcoal again?"

Ma Daozi frowned, "The smokeless charcoal lacks power; burning more than a hundred pounds, and yet the Essence Food is still not cooked."

"Boss, shall we switch to another type of charcoal next time?" Hong Kai said.

"Switch charcoal?" Ma Daozi cursed: "It's not that easy. Our stronghold's annual loot barely suffices to buy a hundred pounds of smokeless charcoal."

"Just enough for one boiling."

"Even if we want something better, regardless of whether I have the authority. Even my wallet… can't afford it."

The two exchanged a glance.

As the formidable stronghold chief, he naturally appeared glamorous and feared by others.

But if he were a reborn martial artist, looking a bit further…

Unbearable embarrassment, just mentioning "charcoal" was enough to weigh him down.

Even so, this "smokeless charcoal" was the lowest quality.

Its power is insufficient.

An entire pot of Essence Food takes nearly ten days to cook. If it were something better like "Essence Treasure," it would take even longer.

The charcoal consumption, naturally, would be greater.

Common wood doesn't even penetrate the cauldron wall with its heat.

With no outsiders present, Hong Kai said, "Boss, how about we stop practicing martial arts. Be a proper stronghold chief, this wealth is enough for us to live well."

"Nonsense."

Ma Daozi's eyes flashed with light, "In the end, you're a lifelong rustic farmer, and your vision is only this small."

"You speak of not practicing martial arts because you haven't seen the world above. If you had witnessed it, even a tiny bit, you certainly wouldn't want to roll in this mire."

"If I enter the Second Realm, I must return!"

"What good is it being a small stronghold chief, stationed in this godforsaken wilderness?"

Hong Kai looked at the streak of white hair on the back of Ma Daozi's head, remaining silent.

The five leaders of Mountain Wind Stronghold.

Only Hong Kai had followed Ma Daozi the longest, over ten years…

If there's anyone Mad Knife trusts most, it's undoubtedly him. But it's not because the two have similar interests or personalities, rather...

When Hong Kai joined Mountain Wind Stronghold, he was already quite aged, and his Qi-Blood began to decline.

His methods are ruthless; in his early years, he even killed and skinned people. In truth, his martial arts are not particularly impressive, barely managing "Qi Circulation" to this day. But since his Qi-Blood has mostly weakened, he has no chance in this life of reaching the "Food Essence" realm.

Thus, he alone can talk with Mad Knife about this matter.

He only knows a little about the world of those reborn Great Martial Artists from Mad Knife's fragmented words.

"Second brother, it seems fifth brother won't be coming back."

Mad Knife looked into the distance, seeing the sky had turned dark, several days after Lu Xuefeng's departure, suddenly speaking.

"Big brother, the enemy this time..." Hong Kai's face changed.

"The one who can kill fifth brother may also be a 'Food Essence' realm figure." Mad Knife said seriously, touching the double sabers beneath his armpit.

"Big brother, will there be revenge?" Hong Kai asked.

As soon as the words came out, he already had the answer in his heart.

"Let's watch it for now." Mad Knife did not respond, "Without fifth brother here, his share of [Essence Food], I plan to keep for myself."

"Since the charcoal is used up, I'll offer it to Uncle Chai to establish connections, to ask him to give us thirty percent off next year, saving a lot of silver."

"If I can hook Uncle Chai by his toes, heh, the burden of the village chief might just fall on you. I would be extremely willing if Uncle Chai gives me any errand."

The eyes held not a trace of hatred, but were filled with vague anticipation for the future.

So another day was spent in cooking.

The Essence Soup was fully prepared, its aroma wafting everywhere. Mad Knife ate a large portion, sensing the Essence of Heaven and Earth flowing through his body, yet only absorbing a thin strand.

One portion was stored away in a special treasure box.

As for the soup and other items, they were handed over to Hong Kai for consumption.

It's not that Mad Knife didn't want to consume it all.

It's because "Food Essence" martial artists are already capable of absorbing and digesting the Essence of Heaven and Earth. But their digestion capacity is limited; eating too much cannot be fully digested, and the excess will still be scattered away by the wind.

To store it, one needs specially made treasure boxes.

But this item is even pricier than the "Essence Treasure" in Mad Knife's hands.

Once the two returned to the stronghold.

Finding the stronghold had been emptied, Mad Knife directly entered the Brotherhood Hall, finding a note on the table.

"Lady Zhe Jian?"

After reading the note, Mad Knife felt neither fear nor joy, only filled with confusion.

Lady Zhe Jian?

Who is this person?

Mad Knife thought:

"The letter writer is quite arrogant, as if they have me figured out. Hmph, Mad Knife is not a cowardly bear! If it comes to a real fight, how could I be fearful of them?"

"Third brother had intelligence, fourth brother had strength, fifth brother had skill. All fell under that person's hands, leaving Mountain Wind Stronghold deserted, truly bleak. The losses are immense."

But…

Mad Knife's heart was uneasy.

"If I ignore everything and fight to the death with them, if the opponent is also a 'Food Essence' expert, it could be very risky."

"It seems that although the losses appear great, it is not that significant. Third brother had strategies, but they are not irreplaceable. And since the stronghold survives by looting, one doesn't need too clever strategies.

Fourth brother had courage, but was mostly brainless, often spoiling things. Fifth brother had extraordinary talent, scoff, if he also reached Food Essence, I fear I wouldn't be able to compete with him; I would also need to find a way to kill him early."

There was no true friendship, it was mutual exploitation. Calculating the interests in this moment, such thoughts turned into letting go of the intention for revenge.

But to just accept this significant loss for nothing, how could it be treated as if nothing happened.

He kept the matter in mind, planning to ask Uncle Chai in the future who Lady Zhe Jian was.

Then make other plans.

...

...

"Master, as you expected, recently, bandits have reappeared in that stronghold."

Uncle Fu rushed over.

Li Xian was very composed; it seemed the village chief had returned.

"Master, why don't we attack them directly?" Uncle Fu asked.

"No need."

Li Xian shook his head, "You all keep a close watch, if they do not attack, you need not to act."

"Alright." Uncle Fu leaned on his cane, transmitting the words into the village.

Though Black River Village faced a great enemy ahead.

But in recent days, everyone could eat and dress warmly, and the villagers' complexion got better instead.

Li Xian already knew the outcome.

Mountain Wind Stronghold is unlikely to attack.

If there were true camaraderie, they should have come to kill by now. But Mountain Wind Stronghold still remains a hidden threat.

"If they do not attack, my traps are useless."

Li Xian would not say he is completely prepared. But he had exhausted his mind and calculations to have a counter-strategy.

"It's good... to have a period of peace ahead, so I can have fewer distractions that disturb my mind."

"Good for a person to quietly practice martial arts!"

Li Xian channeled his Inner Qi. The Inner Qi surged, a hot stream flowing along his meridians, invigorating his whole body.

Practicing martial arts practicing martial arts...

Most of the time, it's just for cultivating this Inner Qi.

"In another two days, once the situation is stable, I will gather the crab treasure as planned!"

"Before that, focus on enhancing martial arts!"

Li Xian, recalling from memory, unleashed two palms in mid-air.

A wave of energy swept across with great momentum.

A martial artist's Inner Qi is sufficient, only then can they truly exert the prowess of martial arts.

"[Four Directions Fist] can be set aside for now."

"Next, it's time to practice [Jade Palm] and [Daluo Saber]!"

"[Jade Palm], what is the peculiar aspect of this martial art? Making Qiuyue's expression so strange."

"Could it be... related to the lady?"

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