45: Chapter 45 A Minor Mastery of the Flowing Cloud Sword Technique, The Jade-Faced Scholar
"This... Uncle Yushan, it's fine if you don't acknowledge it. To show my sincerity, let me kowtow to you.‑ Chen Yichuan was speechless.
Where else could one find such an uncle?
Thump, thump.
He knocked his head against the ground twice before Tian Yushan.
Otherwise, Chen Yichuan wouldn't feel at ease holding those two purple flower jade dew pills after defeating the bandits.
At this moment.
Chen Yichuan felt a heartfelt sigh of relief at how 'powerful' his identity in the Profound Domain was.
Uncle-no-jutsu.
The reason he could progress so quickly was entirely due to the help of these uncles along the way.
"Haha, Yichuan, you're just too cautious. This is a poison refined by Pharmacist Huang. Just throw it in the enemy's face, but remember to wear gloves."
Tian Yushan shook his head helplessly.
However, he quickly got to the point and handed a fist-sized package of powder to Chen Yichuan.
Poison?
Chen Yichuan took it carefully and opened it to look.
Inside the small white bag was a clump of black and purple mixed powder, which had a rather pungent smell.
He didn't delve deeper; it was enough to know that this stuff was poison.
"Also... don't worry about running out of arrows. Fire the armor-piercing arrows as much as you like. I'll have Fang Qing assist you. He's waiting for you down below."
Speaking of this, Tian Yushan pondered for a moment before continuing:
"Right, Ling Qingfeng, whom you asked me to keep, is also down there... Whether he lives or dies is entirely up to you."
"I'm off." After finishing his instructions, Tian Yushan patted his shoulder, turned around, and leaped down.
...
After slurping down the last bite of beef noodles, Chen Yichuan didn't plan to linger here either.
Pharmacist Huang had sprinkled medicinal powder on the purple flower fruit tree to mask its fragrance.
Within five hours.
The scent wouldn't drift away, so he naturally didn't need to guard it here. Most importantly, there were no wild beasts here, so he couldn't gain any martial arts experience at all.
...
At the foot of the mountain.
Looking from afar, Chen Yichuan saw two figures.
However, their positions were somewhat peculiar.
He saw.
Fang Qing was stepping on Ling Qingfeng's forehead with one foot, dangling a foxtail grass in his mouth, with a smirk on his face—this guy looked incredibly arrogant.
When Fang Qing saw Chen Yichuan.
His expression changed instantly, becoming one of flattery: "Hehe, Brother, Brother Chen, you've finally come down."
Hmm?
Seeing Fang Qing again, Chen Yichuan was slightly surprised: "Fang Qing, we haven't seen each other for just a few days... and you've broken through to become a Quasi-Martial Artist?"
Hearing this, Fang Qing scratched his head and gave a sheepish smile.
"Hehe, it was just luck, just luck. Compared to you, Brother, I'm far behind."
"Right, this is Ling Qingfeng. The Captain told me to hand him over to you. Brother Chen, what should we do... should we..." Fang Qing made a gesture.
However, before he could say that last word.
Swoosh.
At some point, a green longsword had appeared in Chen Yichuan's hand.
Immediately following.
Chen Yichuan was seen moving at high speed, leaving afterimages as he moved in a trajectory similar to drifting clouds in the sky.
While the movement appeared slow, by the time all the afterimages overlapped, Chen Yichuan had reached Ling Qingfeng in the blink of an eye.
Before Ling Qingfeng could say anything.
The green light flickered.
Slash.
A splash of crimson blood splattered on the ground. Ling Qingfeng was dead! A single strike to the throat.
'Ding'
'System Notification: Killed a Quasi-Martial Artist, Flowing Cloud Sword Technique experience +10.'
'Flowing Cloud Sword Technique has improved from Beginner to "Minor Achievement", rewarding 1 Strength, and unlocking the martial arts move — Clouds Rise, Sword Moves.'
'Next realm: skillful. Effect: Temporarily increases Attack by 40 points and Speed by 20 points.'
'Ding, detected that the Strength attribute significantly exceeds the Spirit attribute, Talent: Attribute Involution activated!!'
Whoa.
Chen Yichuan was wild with joy.
To think that killing a Ling Qingfeng whose martial arts had been crippled could still yield 10 points of martial arts experience was truly an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Following the series of system notifications, Chen Yichuan hurriedly opened his status panel.
[Chen Yichuan: Male; Life Profession: Jailer
Talent: Attribute Involution (Unique Talent)
Realm: Martial Artist
Strength: 36
Agility: 33
Stamina: 30
Spirit: 26 (+) Involuting... (Not activated)
Martial Arts Techniques: Basic Fist Technique (skillful 68/500); Basic Saber Technique (adept 254/1000); First-Rank Auxiliary Martial Art "Grass-Gliding Technique" (skillful 1211/500); "Broken Feather Archery" (adept 35/1000); "Great Mercy Palm" (skillful 2/500); "Flowing Cloud Sword Technique (Supreme)" (Minor Achievement 3/300)
Free Attribute Points: 0
Current Location: Taoyuan Village, Back Mountain]
36 points of Strength.
Chen Yichuan clenched both fists, his eyes burning as they landed on the martial arts move — Clouds Rise, Sword Moves.
Clouds Rise, Sword Moves:
Step lightly with the left foot, raise the sword tip slightly, circulate the internal Astral Qi, drawing it in without releasing, allowing the Astral Qi to surround the body like a thin mist.
A starting stance for sword moves; it can be used to test the opponent's reality when advancing, and to counterattack quickly when retreating.
Attack doubled, Defense doubled.
Seeing the description of the move, Chen Yichuan shouted "awesome" in his heart.
Clouds Rise, Sword Moves; this martial arts move was simply too comprehensive.
He didn't perform it on the spot.
After all, he didn't know how much Astral Qi was required for the "thin mist surrounding the body" described in the sword move.
Preparing for a fight while consuming a large amount of Astral Qi and wasting stamina was not a wise move.
"Don't just stand there, let's go," Chen Yichuan beckoned.
"Oh, oh, coming right now." After a brief daze, Fang Qing shouldered two quivers filled with armor-piercing arrows and quickly followed.
...
A hillside half a mile away from Taoyuan Village.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The dense sound of horse hooves rang out from all directions as several hundred people gathered together.
The three leaders were riding tall horses.
One of them, a scholar with a feminine appearance and a paper fan in his hand, was the most eye-catching.
Beside the scholar was a muscular man with a scruffy beard and a rough face.
The burly man wore a vest, and even so, his bulging muscles seemed ready to burst through the fabric.
Just one look gave a shocking sense of violent aesthetics.
"Jade-faced Scholar, what are we waiting here for? If you ask me... Zuo Shan Diao's mole was probably killed long ago." The burly man said with an angry expression and a deep voice.
"Since when has Black Tiger Hall been so timid? Isn't it just one First-Rank Martial Artist? I'll handle him."
The burly man had been waiting here for over an hour and had long since lost his patience.
The agreed-upon mole was nowhere to be seen.
Hearing this, Zuo Shan Diao, who was beside the two, shrunk his neck and remained silent, honestly playing the part of a quail.
Although more than a hundred of the two hundred-plus people were from Qingfeng Stronghold.
However... the two in front of him, the scholar and the burly man, were both First-Rank Martial Artists.
Not to mention there were several other Martial Artists and over a dozen Quasi-Martial Artists who had followed along.
"Zhao Da, the Hall Master told you to listen to me. Has it been less than two days, and my words no longer carry weight??" The Jade-faced Scholar folded his fan, his cold gaze sweeping toward the burly man.
"Hmph." Zhao Da snorted coldly and stopped speaking.
Jade-faced Scholar, Zhao Da.
Both were Vice Hall Masters of Black Tiger Hall.
After receiving Zuo Shan Diao's report that Taoyuan Village had purple flower fruits, the two had rushed over without stopping.
"Zuo Shan Diao? Are you sure this is the location the mole agreed upon with you??"
After reprimanding Zhao Da, the Jade-faced Scholar's frigid gaze instantly landed on Zuo Shan Diao.
"This... this, my two lords. The agreed location and time are both correct." Zuo Shan Diao cupped his hands tremblingly, and after thinking for a moment, he added:
"Since the mole hasn't arrived for so long, what Lord Zhao said is likely true. The mole might have been discovered and killed."
Zhao Da was delighted to hear this.
He lashed the reins hard against the horse's rump: "Brothers, follow me and charge! Flatten Taoyuan Village!!"