Chapter 35
The Soft Persimmon
Huang Family, within the inner city of Huangshe County.
Snapped!
The exquisite ceramic teacup was smashed to the ground, breaking into eight pieces.
The man, dressed in an expensive thin long robe, with a wildly flying beard and eyes filled with anger, said: "In the entire Huangshe County and surrounding counties, who doesn't know that the Flower Snake Gang is a force cultivated by my Huang family?"
Yet, despite all this, their entire family was brutally murdered a month ago, and the killer has still not been caught. What are you all doing?
Several ceramic bowls shattered on the floor, creating a tense atmosphere in the room. The Huang family's martial artists lowered their heads and remained silent, not daring to respond directly.
"Seventh Master, that guy went too far, leaving not a single trace. The brothers have no way to proceed!"
"Moreover, the man did it at night, and none of the villagers in the surrounding area had ever seen what he looked like."
Huang Qi was too lazy to listen to these guys' explanations; he just wanted to know who had slaughtered the entire Huang family.
This force was the first and crucial step in the Huang family's expansion into other counties, using gangs to gather influence and gain control of the local area.
As long as you're willing to spend money, you can incorporate more gangs into it and gradually merge them into a behemoth!
Just as they had painstakingly eliminated the Qingshe Gang, which was controlled by other families, the Huashe Gang suffered an unprecedented blow.
At that moment, a man dressed in a red constable's uniform walked in.
Huang Qi's expression changed, and he quickly went to greet him: "Officer Li, we've been waiting for you! Have you found any clues?"
Officer Li sat down without any ceremony. With a glance from Huang Qi, the pretty oval-faced maidservant promptly served fragrant tea.
"Finding the culprit is difficult, but narrowing down the scope step by step is not difficult."
These days, I have conducted a detailed investigation into the grudges and feuds of the Flower Snake Gang. The fact that he rarely offends martial arts schools proves that it was not a case of any martial arts school attacking him out of momentary anger.
Among the women from the common people who were violated, there was one family where the perpetrators had not yet succeeded, yet Hua Hai and his son were retaliated against.
"Oh? Which family... Do ordinary people really have this ability?" Huang Qi was slightly dissatisfied with this investigation.
Officer Li shook his head, his eyes full of disdain for an outsider: "The relationships among ordinary people are actually the most complicated; they have some trump cards up their sleeves."
These are what are called distant relatives, and they may not even know it themselves.
But once the truth comes out, those relatives will come forward. The one I investigated is the Duan family.
"The Duan family? Never heard of them!"
"He was just an ordinary person who ran a small shop."
However, there are two martial artists in their family, one of whom has already reached the level of internal strength and has been accepted as a personal disciple by the master of the Scale Python Martial Arts School.
The other person wasn't very good. As far as I know, his physical constitution was only at the second-tier level, and his qi and blood were severely depleted. He was almost turned away when he entered the Poshan Martial Arts School.
Although he managed to break through to the Ming Jin level a few months ago, the Duan family will not allocate resources to him, and the Po Shan Martial Arts School will do the same.
Besides, they don't have the financial resources!
Even if Huang Qi was stupid, he could tell that there were two layers of meaning in Officer Li's words.
The first floor is inhabited by a master of internal strength from the Duan family; you can't afford to offend them.
Another implication is that if one truly cannot swallow this insult, one can take revenge on another descendant of the Duan family; perhaps there is still a chance.
"Hmph! My Huang family is a prominent family in Nei County."
If we can swallow this insult, won't we be the ones getting shitted on our necks in the future?
I can't afford to offend those martial artists with hidden strength and those from the Scaled Python Martial Arts School. As for this minor martial artist with visible strength, I'll cripple his bones and sever his tendons.
Presumably, all of this is within the acceptable range for all parties.
"You have to pick the softest persimmons to squeeze." Huang Qi waved his hand, and the three Ming Jin martial artists understood and left with the reward money.
"But I'll need to trouble Officer Li to clean up the mess afterward." Huang Qi handed over a silver note.
"Of course, of course!"
……
Duan Xuan tried his luck at the martial arts school for two or three days, but he didn't get to see Master Chen Feng or the two senior sisters with hidden strength learn new moves of the Breaking Mountain Fist.
Helpless, I could only try again and again to stabilize my Qi and blood and solidify my foundation.
After packing his things, Duan Xuan decided to go to the herb garden for a while.
Since the Wolf Village was wiped out, the Golden Leopard Gang has taken control of the medicinal gardens of Snakehead Gully and Renhetang, and is now completely safe.
Therefore, Duan Xuan doesn't need to go every day; he can just go every few days to take care of things.
Duan Xuan went there today mainly because he wanted to hone his hunting skills.
As you travel along the sandy streets of the outer county out of town, the local atmosphere becomes increasingly thin, and the vendors, exhausted from a long day, stand on either side, waiting for customers.
Suddenly, Duan Xuan felt three pairs of eyes staring at him with ill intent from both sides of the street.
Once a martial artist reaches the Dark Realm, they can conceal their internal energy and also hide their senses.
Duan Xuan detected their presence, indicating that they were not Dark Realm warriors!
Thinking of this, Duan Xuan turned directly into a deserted alley.
Just as he was about to walk quickly forward, a figure suddenly darted out from around the corner ahead and delivered a series of whip kicks without saying a word.
The narrow space was only large enough for one person to attack. The enemy had planned this all along; they were just waiting for Duan Xuan to sneak into the space so they could take him down in one fell swoop.
Duan Xuan sensed the people lurking in the shadows early on, and ran all the way, secretly gathering strength in his hands.
The moment he saw the enemy approaching, he threw a punch.
"That's hilarious! There's not a single fluctuation of energy. So you're not a Ming Jin martial artist at all!" the thug mocked.
But in the instant their fists and feet clashed, Duan Xuan caught up with his opponent and pulled away, performing a backflip in mid-air to avoid the long sword thrust from behind.
The thugs, having lost their footing, hurriedly fled to their companions, knowing that a Ming Jin martial artist would be crippled if touched on the back.
"Hey bro, how's it going? This guy's punches don't seem to have any power at all, bro?"
The man glanced back and saw the thug who had been kicking frozen in the kicking position, his mouth wide open and his eyes wide, but he couldn't make a sound or move.
He gently reached out and poked the man, and the next moment, a series of crisp cracking sounds, like thunder, erupted from the man's body.
He's dead!
Only then did the thug, who had missed his target, realize: "Dark, hidden force... He, he's a master of hidden force!"
Hidden strength is not on the surface, but hidden within the force, attacking from within the lungs and internal organs.
The shattering method can be observed with the naked eye or sensed from within the body.
He turned around and was about to kneel down and beg for mercy, but before his knees even touched the ground, Duan Xuan grabbed his skull.
The Mountain-Breaking Fist transforms the fist into a cone, smashing downwards with a loud thud, instantly smashing the thug's head to pieces.
"What's he babbling about, you second brother?" the last thug roared, leaping down from the wall.
Sparks flew from the friction of the two curved blades in his hands as he slashed fiercely at the back of Duan Xuan's head.
Duan Xuan moved nimbly, unleashing the Cold Wolf Concealment Step in an instant.
With the enhancement of his cultivation level, his speed increased even further, and both scimitars missed their mark at the same time, crashing to the ground with a clang.
"You've got some skill!" the swordsman sneered, then lunged forward again with his swords in both hands. In this narrow passage, the two swords slashed horizontally to the left and right, each capable of cutting through the entire area. No matter whether the enemy dodged or jumped away, they had no chance at all.
Under normal circumstances, a martial artist who has just entered the realm of internal strength has an unstable foundation and has not yet mastered the art of boxing.
It is indeed something to be wary of when facing a Ming Jin master who is armed.
Duan Xuan's Mountain-Breaking Fist has already reached a minor level of mastery, and is less than 300 points away from perfection. When facing other Dark Force martial artists of the same period, he is stronger than Duan Xuan!
Furthermore, Duan Xuan himself grew up through battles.
Would he be afraid of swords?
Seeing the man's blade flashing and his ferocity, he merely narrowed his eyes.
Gathering the strength of the whole body.
Just as the man thought Duan Xuan was frozen in place because he was terrified, he unleashed his strongest attack.
Duan Xuan also moved, flicking his wrist to send out a hidden arrow.
Aiming at the person's head...
"you……"
call out!
The hidden dart slipped through an opening and struck the man between the eyebrows, piercing him through the head.
"No martial ethics!"
With a thud, the three assassins fell to the ground one after another.
"My lord, times have changed..." Duan Xuan patted the three men and was pleasantly surprised to find three small packets of silver.
After destroying the evidence, he climbed over the wall and left through another alley!
Snapped!
The exquisite ceramic teacup was smashed to the ground, breaking into eight pieces.
The man, dressed in an expensive thin long robe, with a wildly flying beard and eyes filled with anger, said: "In the entire Huangshe County and surrounding counties, who doesn't know that the Flower Snake Gang is a force cultivated by my Huang family?"
Yet, despite all this, their entire family was brutally murdered a month ago, and the killer has still not been caught. What are you all doing?
Several ceramic bowls shattered on the floor, creating a tense atmosphere in the room. The Huang family's martial artists lowered their heads and remained silent, not daring to respond directly.
"Seventh Master, that guy went too far, leaving not a single trace. The brothers have no way to proceed!"
"Moreover, the man did it at night, and none of the villagers in the surrounding area had ever seen what he looked like."
Huang Qi was too lazy to listen to these guys' explanations; he just wanted to know who had slaughtered the entire Huang family.
This force was the first and crucial step in the Huang family's expansion into other counties, using gangs to gather influence and gain control of the local area.
As long as you're willing to spend money, you can incorporate more gangs into it and gradually merge them into a behemoth!
Just as they had painstakingly eliminated the Qingshe Gang, which was controlled by other families, the Huashe Gang suffered an unprecedented blow.
At that moment, a man dressed in a red constable's uniform walked in.
Huang Qi's expression changed, and he quickly went to greet him: "Officer Li, we've been waiting for you! Have you found any clues?"
Officer Li sat down without any ceremony. With a glance from Huang Qi, the pretty oval-faced maidservant promptly served fragrant tea.
"Finding the culprit is difficult, but narrowing down the scope step by step is not difficult."
These days, I have conducted a detailed investigation into the grudges and feuds of the Flower Snake Gang. The fact that he rarely offends martial arts schools proves that it was not a case of any martial arts school attacking him out of momentary anger.
Among the women from the common people who were violated, there was one family where the perpetrators had not yet succeeded, yet Hua Hai and his son were retaliated against.
"Oh? Which family... Do ordinary people really have this ability?" Huang Qi was slightly dissatisfied with this investigation.
Officer Li shook his head, his eyes full of disdain for an outsider: "The relationships among ordinary people are actually the most complicated; they have some trump cards up their sleeves."
These are what are called distant relatives, and they may not even know it themselves.
But once the truth comes out, those relatives will come forward. The one I investigated is the Duan family.
"The Duan family? Never heard of them!"
"He was just an ordinary person who ran a small shop."
However, there are two martial artists in their family, one of whom has already reached the level of internal strength and has been accepted as a personal disciple by the master of the Scale Python Martial Arts School.
The other person wasn't very good. As far as I know, his physical constitution was only at the second-tier level, and his qi and blood were severely depleted. He was almost turned away when he entered the Poshan Martial Arts School.
Although he managed to break through to the Ming Jin level a few months ago, the Duan family will not allocate resources to him, and the Po Shan Martial Arts School will do the same.
Besides, they don't have the financial resources!
Even if Huang Qi was stupid, he could tell that there were two layers of meaning in Officer Li's words.
The first floor is inhabited by a master of internal strength from the Duan family; you can't afford to offend them.
Another implication is that if one truly cannot swallow this insult, one can take revenge on another descendant of the Duan family; perhaps there is still a chance.
"Hmph! My Huang family is a prominent family in Nei County."
If we can swallow this insult, won't we be the ones getting shitted on our necks in the future?
I can't afford to offend those martial artists with hidden strength and those from the Scaled Python Martial Arts School. As for this minor martial artist with visible strength, I'll cripple his bones and sever his tendons.
Presumably, all of this is within the acceptable range for all parties.
"You have to pick the softest persimmons to squeeze." Huang Qi waved his hand, and the three Ming Jin martial artists understood and left with the reward money.
"But I'll need to trouble Officer Li to clean up the mess afterward." Huang Qi handed over a silver note.
"Of course, of course!"
……
Duan Xuan tried his luck at the martial arts school for two or three days, but he didn't get to see Master Chen Feng or the two senior sisters with hidden strength learn new moves of the Breaking Mountain Fist.
Helpless, I could only try again and again to stabilize my Qi and blood and solidify my foundation.
After packing his things, Duan Xuan decided to go to the herb garden for a while.
Since the Wolf Village was wiped out, the Golden Leopard Gang has taken control of the medicinal gardens of Snakehead Gully and Renhetang, and is now completely safe.
Therefore, Duan Xuan doesn't need to go every day; he can just go every few days to take care of things.
Duan Xuan went there today mainly because he wanted to hone his hunting skills.
As you travel along the sandy streets of the outer county out of town, the local atmosphere becomes increasingly thin, and the vendors, exhausted from a long day, stand on either side, waiting for customers.
Suddenly, Duan Xuan felt three pairs of eyes staring at him with ill intent from both sides of the street.
Once a martial artist reaches the Dark Realm, they can conceal their internal energy and also hide their senses.
Duan Xuan detected their presence, indicating that they were not Dark Realm warriors!
Thinking of this, Duan Xuan turned directly into a deserted alley.
Just as he was about to walk quickly forward, a figure suddenly darted out from around the corner ahead and delivered a series of whip kicks without saying a word.
The narrow space was only large enough for one person to attack. The enemy had planned this all along; they were just waiting for Duan Xuan to sneak into the space so they could take him down in one fell swoop.
Duan Xuan sensed the people lurking in the shadows early on, and ran all the way, secretly gathering strength in his hands.
The moment he saw the enemy approaching, he threw a punch.
"That's hilarious! There's not a single fluctuation of energy. So you're not a Ming Jin martial artist at all!" the thug mocked.
But in the instant their fists and feet clashed, Duan Xuan caught up with his opponent and pulled away, performing a backflip in mid-air to avoid the long sword thrust from behind.
The thugs, having lost their footing, hurriedly fled to their companions, knowing that a Ming Jin martial artist would be crippled if touched on the back.
"Hey bro, how's it going? This guy's punches don't seem to have any power at all, bro?"
The man glanced back and saw the thug who had been kicking frozen in the kicking position, his mouth wide open and his eyes wide, but he couldn't make a sound or move.
He gently reached out and poked the man, and the next moment, a series of crisp cracking sounds, like thunder, erupted from the man's body.
He's dead!
Only then did the thug, who had missed his target, realize: "Dark, hidden force... He, he's a master of hidden force!"
Hidden strength is not on the surface, but hidden within the force, attacking from within the lungs and internal organs.
The shattering method can be observed with the naked eye or sensed from within the body.
He turned around and was about to kneel down and beg for mercy, but before his knees even touched the ground, Duan Xuan grabbed his skull.
The Mountain-Breaking Fist transforms the fist into a cone, smashing downwards with a loud thud, instantly smashing the thug's head to pieces.
"What's he babbling about, you second brother?" the last thug roared, leaping down from the wall.
Sparks flew from the friction of the two curved blades in his hands as he slashed fiercely at the back of Duan Xuan's head.
Duan Xuan moved nimbly, unleashing the Cold Wolf Concealment Step in an instant.
With the enhancement of his cultivation level, his speed increased even further, and both scimitars missed their mark at the same time, crashing to the ground with a clang.
"You've got some skill!" the swordsman sneered, then lunged forward again with his swords in both hands. In this narrow passage, the two swords slashed horizontally to the left and right, each capable of cutting through the entire area. No matter whether the enemy dodged or jumped away, they had no chance at all.
Under normal circumstances, a martial artist who has just entered the realm of internal strength has an unstable foundation and has not yet mastered the art of boxing.
It is indeed something to be wary of when facing a Ming Jin master who is armed.
Duan Xuan's Mountain-Breaking Fist has already reached a minor level of mastery, and is less than 300 points away from perfection. When facing other Dark Force martial artists of the same period, he is stronger than Duan Xuan!
Furthermore, Duan Xuan himself grew up through battles.
Would he be afraid of swords?
Seeing the man's blade flashing and his ferocity, he merely narrowed his eyes.
Gathering the strength of the whole body.
Just as the man thought Duan Xuan was frozen in place because he was terrified, he unleashed his strongest attack.
Duan Xuan also moved, flicking his wrist to send out a hidden arrow.
Aiming at the person's head...
"you……"
call out!
The hidden dart slipped through an opening and struck the man between the eyebrows, piercing him through the head.
"No martial ethics!"
With a thud, the three assassins fell to the ground one after another.
"My lord, times have changed..." Duan Xuan patted the three men and was pleasantly surprised to find three small packets of silver.
After destroying the evidence, he climbed over the wall and left through another alley!