21 Chapter 18: Still Too Weak

The neighbors dispersed quickly,

Village head, Wang Dachui, who was desperately trying to suppress the pain of being whipped, carried Wang Xiaochui— whose arm was severed and was on the brink of losing consciousness— and left the village to find a doctor. They never returned to West Lake Village.

That day, Chen Yi stayed by the sides of his mother and Chen Ran, not even indulging in his usual martial arts practice in the spiritual energy world.

By evening, he was restless, risking to insist that his mother and sister spend the night on the boat.

Chen Yi's mother was worried, wondering if Chen Yi had got himself into some trouble.

Having no choice, Chen Yi brought his mother to the kitchen outside where he effortlessly moved a 200 kg stone slab, as big as a millstone, to reveal his strength.

"Mother, see? I have mastered my martial arts and I am now a Jin-entering Martial Artist!"

His mother looked on in awe, her face lit up in surprise.

She wiped the corners of her eyes, holding on to Chen Yi's arm, she couldn't stop saying:

"Chen Yi, when did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? No wonder you were eating so much! Are you hungry? Should I steam another pot of buns for you?

Oh dear, my son has finally made something of himself. From now on you are in charge of the household. Your sister and I will depend on you."

Chen Yi's Mother heaved a sigh of relief. Ever since the death of Chen Yi's Father, she had been carrying the burden of the family. She had spent nights awake in fear after the leper, Liu, had shown interest in her daughter. She gave all their savings to Chen Yi for his martial arts training out of desperation. She hadn't expected that Chen Yi, who was frail, would have advanced so far in his martial arts skills and become a master of Mingjin.

She was finally at ease and could pass on the responsibilities of the household to her son. This brought on tears of joy.

Chen Yi nodded in agreement. "Mother, don't worry. I have a plan. Speaking of the fact that I have become a Mingjin Martial Artist, please don't tell anyone,

We should cause as less trouble as possible."

"Don't worry son. I won't say anything. You are right, even with power, it's essential to keep a low profile and avoid unnecessary trouble."

With Chen Yi repeatedly reassuring his mother, she took Chen Ran and climbed aboard the tattered thatch boat they owned.

Watching the small boat moving into Reed Marsh, Chen Yi felt a pang of sympathy.

The boat was tiny, and the conditions were not great. It couldn't even keep out the mosquitos. It seemed like mother and his sister were in for a rough night.

Emmh, lately, the Fish and Dragon Gang's internal conflicts have been escalating. Hu Ye had just resumed the reigns of the gang when Wang Dachui was eliminated by Li Ye, essentially crippling Hu Ye's power.

With the unpredictable nature of the conflicts that might occur later on,

Chen Yi needed to act quickly. He needed a larger boat to move all the household items aboard. If the situation worsened, he could hide his family there for a month. That would be the safest option.

...

The night was setting in, the moon hung high, and the croaking of the frogs echoed outside.

A stout silhouette, light on its feet, quietly approached the window of Chen Yi's house. He gently inserted a tube through the paper window, blowing a smoky substance into the room.

After dispersing the sleeping gas, Fatty Li waited outside the window, once the gas took effect, he listened carefully, making sure there wasn't a sound inside. Feeling confident, he took out a dagger to pry open the door.

"Hehe, you brought this upon yourself, lad! If you weren't literate and able to keep track of accounts... I have the account books, but how can I be sure you didn't keep a copy? I can't sleep with you alive!"

With a creak, the latch on the door was lifted, and Fatty Li pushed the door open.

Thump!

A flour sack about the size of a fist flew towards him!

Li, in his younger years, was a martial artist who touched upon mastering the vitality and blood. Although he had grown older and greasier, his basic reflexes and strength remained intact.

"Parlor tricks!"

He scoffed, lunging a fist at the flour sack,

With a thump, the flour sack dispersed into a fog.

Li narrowed his eyes and tried to rush past the fog,

Suddenly, a flame came flying from within the fog.

"What kind of trick is this, a fire stick? Can such a thing really hurt me?"

Just as Fatty Li was preparing to dodge the fire,

Boom!!

The firestarter collided with the falling dough, resulting in an instantaneous explosion!

A ball of fire, the size of a basin, blasted into Fatty Li's face and chest at high speed,

He immediately felt intense pain. His face was scorched to the point that his eyebrows, hair, and the front of his shirt were instantly burned away, leaving a large patch of charred skin.

Burns, black ash, and blisters covered his face.

Fatty Li was horrified by the intense pain. He wasn't sure what kind of trick Chen Yi had used, but he felt like he'd been hit by a massive firecracker,

His face was numb on one side and throbbing with pain on the other. He knew he'd suffered severe injuries,

At the same time, he was filled with hatred: "Shameless brat, daring to set a trap for me. I won't let you off today!!!"

Enduring the intense pain, Fatty Li grabbed his dagger, gnashing his teeth as he charged towards Chen Yi's position. He wished he could tear Chen Yi apart.

However, after the smoke from the explosion cleared,

Fatty Li was suddenly struck dumb by a scene unfolding before his eyes.

Just a few meters in front of him, Chen Yi was lifting a huge stone overhead, stretching his arms and legs back while his waist pushed forward.

He was forming a human crossbow, a crossbow that had been fully drawn.

In that instant,

Fatty Li felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. His whole body shuddered.

Having been part of the gang for many years, he knew that anyone who could easily lift such a huge two or three hundred pounds stone must be a Jin-entering Martial Artist.

You, a Jin-entering Martial Artist, could easily kill me, yet you still resort to a sneak attack?

This was the second-to-last thought Fatty Li had before regaining his senses,

At the next moment,

He saw the massive stone flying towards him at an unimaginable speed,

This brought him to his last thought:

Such a high speed?!

He must be a top-tier expert in the Mid Stage of Mingjin, right?!

And you're still sneak-attacking an old man like me? You're not respectful of martial ethics!

Bang!

Then, Fatty Li, who was holding a dagger, flew backward as if he had been hit by a train. He fell on the ground and started convulsing, blood staining the ground bright red.

Chen Yi was panting slightly as he cautiously approached Fatty Li, who was several steps away. After confirming that Fatty Li was unconscious and unable to counterattack,

He walked over, picked up Fatty Li's dagger, and stabbed it into his heart. Soon, Fatty Li stopped convulsing and lay motionless.

Afterward, Chen Yi found a rag, dragged Fatty Li's body into the water, swam far away underwater, and casually wrapped it around some underwater weed.

Once he finished this, Chen Yi returned to land, cleaned up the bloodstained ground and threw it into the lake. He repaired the gate, restored the millstone's position, and opened a window for ventilation,

Then he stopped to rest and reflect:

One, I was too hasty in my preparations. Without a crossbow, hidden weapons, poison arrows, etc., I have limited means to deal with danger and directly face my enemy, which almost caused me to face a crisis.

Two, despite having some strength, I lack any lethal moves. Whether it's the Vajra Fist or the Iron Wire Fist, I haven't fully mastered either.

If Fatty Li had just dodged the stone attack, I would've had to engage in close combat. He had a dagger and if he were also a Jin-entering Martial Artist, I would've had to run.

Three, I was too careless during the day. I didn't think much and presented the "account book" directly to Fatty Li, which made me targeted and put me in a dangerous situation.

I handed over the "account book" as a compromise, but he still tried to assassinate me. I must have misjudged him.

If I could do it again, I should've given a "fine" first and then found an opportunity to kill him and retrieve my items at night.

Four, this village is unsafe. Compared to the treacherous humans, the Endless Marsh is safer. I need to hurry and build a large boat, plan a way out. As I'm only at the stage of Mingjin now, if I encounter a top-tier Anjin expert from the gang, I will have less than a 50% chance of escaping.

In conclusion: I am still too weak...

I must enhance my strength, try to avoid trouble, and be prepared with methods to deal with strong enemies.

...

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