Chapter Nine, A Distant Journey

"What? I am offering you 150,000 taels, which is already quite generous. You better not overstep your bounds. I am Li Si from Pingdingshan, and I have three hundred brothers under me. You should be careful with your words." Upon hearing that I wanted all his possessions, Li Si went mad with rage, thinking to himself: I have worked hard for nearly twenty years to earn this, how could I possibly just give it to you? Hmph!

"Esteemed hero, I am Li Si from Pingdingshan. Friends in the jianghu give me some face, so I kindly ask you not to interfere in this matter. Afterward, I, Li Si, will acknowledge you as a friend. In the future, if there are any matters in the jianghu that cannot be resolved, just mention my name, Li Si, and it will still hold some weight." The middle-aged man said, shaking his fan again and speaking in a loud voice

Hmph, if they do not stop, my ears will soon be deafened.

Five of us are seated in two carriages. I and Wolf Feng are in the front carriage, while Brother Wang and Sister Yu (that is, Chunyu; since she is with Brother Wang, we shall refer to her this way) are in the back carriage with Auntie. They can take good care of Auntie as well.

I have known all along; my intuition has already sensed it. Ha, I was just lamenting that my body was about to go soft, and immediately a group of robbers came to give me a little adjustment.

Li Si looked at the fluctuating sword light before him, drenched in cold sweat. He knew that what lay before him was not an ordinary sword, but rather the manifestation of the ultimate swordsmanship. Just a single touch would spell his doom

I jumped out of the car and looked at the group of robbers. Remarkably, they had not made a sound up to this point; their discipline was quite strict, which I greatly admired. Wolf Fang was eager to try his hand, his eyes emitting a terrifying glare as he fixed his gaze on the group of robbers. Since entering the innate realm, he had yet to engage in combat with anyone!

"Let’s go" I led the way out.

The First Brigade consists of a total of one hundred and twenty individuals, divided into twelve small groups, positioned in twelve directions. The leaders of the two groups responsible for the "Extinguish" and "Death" gates are two bald youths who look almost identical, yet they are exceptionally fierce. The most crucial aspect of the Twelve Heavenly Gate Formation is indeed the "Extinguish" and "Death" gates. With these two youngsters, the power of this formation has doubled. It seems that Brother Wolf Peak is in for a tough time. It would be good for him to experience this.

Zhang Yu, take action

I can no longer bear it. I calmed myself through meditation, but I truly cannot understand how someone like him could become the king of the mountain, along with that young man in purple and the two bald boys who are equally talented.

Zhang Tiande silently watched his son leave, quietly walking towards the hall, where the court meeting was about to commence. "By unanimous decision of the Elder Council: from today onwards, Zhang Xingfeng has no relation to the Zhang family, and all individuals associated with His Excellency Xingfeng are to be dismissed with compensation, and this shall be announced to the world," announced Chief Steward Zhang, standing upright and speaking clearly. The first and second madams of the Zhang residence wore victorious smiles, while Zhang Tiande remained silent; today, the third madam was absent once again.

These days have been too comfortable, and my entire body feels like it's going to go soft

Upon witnessing my exceptional lightness of skill, the middle-aged man immediately retreated swiftly. Judging by his speed, he must be at least a skilled practitioner; indeed, a true expert does not reveal his prowess. Ah! It seems I was mistaken; a mere soldier's broadsword unexpectedly tripped him. Alas, what a pity for that snow-white garment.

Hahaha, did I hear that correctly? A little brat, just because he has a loud voice, is so arrogant and even demands 150,000 taels of silver from me. Am I going deaf? Someone actually dares to ask me, Li Si of Pingding Mountain, for money. You must understand that I am not someone to be trifled with. Boys, take that loud-mouthed brat down. " That Li Si was so furious that he even threw his fan.

Haha, Young Master Zhang, oh, you are no longer Young Master Zhang now. Zhang Xiaodi, I know you currently possess one hundred thousand taels of silver, and I assume your mother has given you quite a bit as well. I won't ask for much; just pay me one hundred fifty thousand taels of silver, and I will let you go. What do you say? I know your skills are quite good, but after all, you are just a child. My three hundred brothers from the entire camp are right here, so you might as well hand over the money obediently. Ah, hahahaha. That middle-aged man laughed wildly, and it is no wonder; who wouldn't laugh at the prospect of obtaining one hundred fifty thousand taels of silver so easily? Moreover, he still had three generals with him, and even if there were experts at the innate level, it would be of no use.

I moved with a phantom-like grace, instantly appearing before the bandit. I spoke in a calm, cold voice: "Stop right there"

Wolf Feng, sensing a threat like a blind man, immediately struck out with his fists. The consumption of his vital energy was severe, and Wolf Feng was on the verge of madness. Up to this point, he had not seen the enemy and could only continue to attack incessantly.

Looking at the spring rain, I want to laugh. Today, I was driven out of my home, with only one strong man left, and the rest are women and children, and the old lady is also ill. I am in a very awkward situation, yes, I am very awkward. But one day, I will stand proudly before the entire Zhang family. I swear in my heart.

Wang and the others also got out of the car. Rain Sister and Aunt seemed a bit panicked, which is understandable, as they have no knowledge of martial arts. Wang's martial arts skills are quite impressive, nearing the innate realm. However, it is common for an average person to spend over a decade at this threshold. Yet, upon encountering me, Wang will quickly enter the innate realm.

I raised my index and middle fingers together, and a sword light nearly one meter long flashed between them. With a casual wave, without any specific technique, that group of loyal soldiers, for the sake of their leader, resolutely extended their extremely hard weapons. In an instant, as if cutting through tofu, the sword light passed through these weapons and books, treating them as if they were air, and the sword light reached Li Si before me as if it had sliced through space.

A middle-aged man dressed in white stepped forward, looking somewhat presentable; however, the fan he held, which was incongruous with his appearance, revealed that he was a pretentious fool.

Suddenly, a surge of overwhelming momentum surged towards Wolf Peak. With a swift turn, Wolf Peak launched a direct assault with both fists, channeling his true energy towards the point of contact. The momentum paused for a moment, only to strike back with even greater force. The target of Wolf Peak's attack was the extermination squad, led by Li Er, who, with merely an eighth-grade cultivation level, unleashed tremendous power through the formation and the assistance of the other eleven members.

The sound emitted by the true essence force echoed continuously throughout the mountains, "Stop, stop." Strangely, the sound grew louder and louder, directly targeting the group of bandits, while Rain Sister and her companions felt no discomfort whatsoever

Wang Ge and Yu Jie stared at me with wide eyes. Seeing me like this, they were both stunned. I had no choice; I couldn't let them think of me as a monster.

Wolf Peak, upon first using innate true energy, was unable to effectively unleash its power and was defeated. The two small groups of people engaged in mutual attacks, resulting in a significant depletion of true energy, which had already begun to show signs of defeat

As Wolf Peak entered the formation, he felt a tremor in his heart. What was happening? He could no longer see the people outside, only those who were arranging the formation.

It truly resonates with me; to actually describe the unique skills of my Heavenly Heart Sect as merely loud is quite foolish

"Idiot, loud voice, hum" the young man in purple muttered from the side

I walked to the back of the carriage, channeling my true energy, and my body made crackling sounds. Gradually, I grew taller, reaching about 1.8 meters before I stopped. It was time to change my appearance. I focused my true energy on my face; I couldn't alter my eyes, but I only needed to emit some true energy from them. There was no need to change my sword-like eyebrows, and I preferred a hawk-like nose, which looked quite cool. My lips should be slightly thicker. Overall, my appearance transformed into a very cold and aloof demeanor.

I sighed helplessly. Li Si, such a common name, and the person is even more ordinary. With a single wave of my hand, I activated my cloud-dispelling sleeves. Although I didn't exert much strength, they were still far from ordinary; everyone except for those two bald boys fell down. The boy in purple still wore a cold expression, but the shock that flashed in his eyes did not escape my keen observation.

"Hero, if you release me, Li Si from Pingding Mountain, I will give you 150,000 taels of silver. What do you think? Moreover, you will be my boss from now on, the boss of Li Si from Pingding Mountain. That sounds quite impressive, doesn’t it?" The foolish and narcissistic Li Si looked at me with an expectant gaze.

The familiar voice of "idiot" rang out again. I turned to look at the young man in purple, smiled at him, and thought to myself that this kid really is just as I imagined. This Li Si, sigh! Truly quite an idiot.

"Choose one: your life or your possessions!" I looked at this guy, casually tossed out a line, and walked towards the young man in purple, who had piqued my interest greatly

Father, it is indeed Father. I trembled inexplicably all over. I wanted to turn back and go to the courtyard gate to see him, but I could not bring myself to forgive him. Why does he only hide outside and not come in to see me? Ha ha, Father, you still insist on your family interests. Ha ha, "Young Master, are we ready? Can we leave now?" Chunyu stood at my door, holding some things, and said to me.

We departed from Suzhou City in Yangzhou Prefecture, one of the nine provinces, heading towards Shizhou Prefecture, which is also one of the nine provinces and the very center of the Ming Dynasty, where the capital of the entire Ming Dynasty is located. Our aim is to showcase our talents in the most prosperous capital city.

A young man dressed in purple stood on a stone at the back, casting a faint glance at the shameless librarian of Zhonghe, and indifferently shouted: "One up, two surround"

At that moment, Li Si was shaking his head and muttering to himself: "All the silver, no, my life, no, the silver I have toiled for all my life, no, my life, ah, no"

"I was late. Just now I wanted 150,000 taels, and now it's all your possessions. Hurry up and take me to get the money. Ah, are you listening?" I couldn't help but shout at this guy as I looked at him. Seeing his disheveled appearance made me angry. How can there be such a person!

I glanced around; it was time for me to take action. How could I conceal the profundity of my martial arts from others? I had an idea: I would employ the unique skill of the Golden Core stage—altering my physique and appearance.

With a misstep, I soared over the fallen shrimp soldiers and crab generals. To my astonishment, I noticed that the two bald youths showed no reaction to my charge towards the middle-aged man. It seems that this middle-aged man is not very well-liked.

"Idiot," the voice of the young man in purple clearly reached my ears. I gave him a faint smile; it truly is a case of heroes seeing eye to eye. No way, this idiot seemed not to have heard and was about to speak again. No, I must speak first.

I quietly said: "Wait a moment, I will tell you the reason after we rescue Brother Wolf Feng." I further used my mental power to make them subconsciously agree with me. Seeing that they had calmed down, albeit with curious expressions, I smiled. It was time to deal with that group of ignorant bandits.

"You with the fan, listen carefully. Release this group of people and hand over 150,000 taels of silver, and I will let you bandits go free." I said loudly, looking at this fellow.

Oh, the Twelve Heavenly Gates Formation, I looked at the young man in purple with astonishment, truly impressive, and now it has become even more interesting. At this moment, Wolf Blade looked at me anxiously, I nodded, and Wolf Blade excitedly rushed in.

"Young master, it's terrible, it's terrible, there are robbers, there are robbers!" The old man who drives my carriage shouted to me, trembling.