Chapter 15: The Foundation_1

"What?"

"Damn it!"

"Who gave him the courage of a bear and a leopard?"

In the Hundred Broken Mountains, atop Heavenly King Peak, inside the Hall of Righteous Gathering, a series of table-slapping sounds erupted as leaders sitting to the left and right stared angrily, eyes wide and round.

Only the middle-aged man in the central seat, the master of the main seat, remained composed, his cold eyes fixed on the middle-aged scholar reporting below: "Did he really say that?"

"Indeed!"

The middle-aged scholar nodded and said, "Heavenly King, this Li Qing Shan is truly unbridled and audacious to the extreme!"

"Hmph!"

From the main seat, one of the five chief leaders of the sixty-three provinces north of the Seven South, Heavenly King Liang Sanjiang of the Hundred Broken Mountains, let out a cold snort: "This man indeed has some skills, but to provoke my Hundred Broken Mountains is far too audacious."

"Big brother is right!"

"This kid doesn't know how high the sky is or how deep the earth is!"

"If he doesn't drink a toast, then let him drink a penalty wine!"

"Tomorrow, we'll obliterate his Qingfeng Stronghold!"

"Big brother, give me two hundred brothers, and I will pluck his head for you right away!"

"There's no need to trouble third brother with such a trifle; the two of us are enough to handle a small Qingfeng Stronghold."

Seeing Liang Sanjiang's stance, the leaders on either side were even more eager to fight.

"No rush!"

Seeing his subordinates vying to fight, Liang Sanjiang was very satisfied internally, but shook his head on the surface: "Although this man is arrogant, he has some skills, and is not to be underestimated. He must be approached with caution. Strategist, what do you think?"

"Heavenly King's words are very true!"

Realizing Liang Sanjiang was asking for his input, the middle-aged scholar didn't dare to delay and quickly responded: "Although Li Qing Shan is arrogant, he's not one to shoot without aim. I heard that he was once just a small mountain resident of Little Yellow Village, orphaned early and often bullied, almost driven to extinction by his clan members."

"Yet, with great daring, he sold himself to the Lu Family to confront the Li Family, driving away wolves and devouring tigers and took advantage of the situation to rise in power within the Lu Family in just a few years, becoming very influential. He also mastered archery well enough to 'hit a willow branch at 100 yards'."

"Later, when the Li Family encountered a patron, and the Lu Family wanted to make peace, intending to sacrifice him, he struck first and eradicated both Li and Lu Families overnight. He then fled into the forest with his siblings, where his prowess grew uncontrollably, like a dragon entering the sea."

"In just five years, he destroyed Qingfeng Stronghold, took over Little Yellow Mountain, recruited refugees from the mountains, expanded the stronghold's power, and even widely taught martial arts without reservation in food, clothing, gold, and silver. Not just the mountain refugees but also people from nearby villages and even towns and Mansion City know of his righteousness and extraordinary magnanimity. He is considered a hero by many."

"Moreover, he's adept in various unique techniques, not only in making refined snowflake salt but also in creating strange items like soap and colored glaze. With these, he opened up trade routes, spreading across counties and prefectures, and collaborated with wealthy families and big merchants. He could be said to make a fortune every day."

"Despite making a fortune daily, he is not at all stingy, offering high bounties to acquire famous martial arts from all over and purchasing Iron Armor Blade Soldiers, provisions, and meat. Now, not only are his martial prowess and True Qi profound and immeasurable, his subordinates are also fierce and fearless, competing to devote their lives..."

"Hmph!"

The speech was interrupted before it could be finished. The middle-aged scholar was startled, then quickly came to his senses and looked up to see that Liang Sanjiang's expression was icy cold, and the expressions on the other leaders' faces were none too friendly.

Talking too much can backfire!

The middle-aged scholar was alarmed inside and quickly lowered his head to rectify: "In any case, Li Qing Shan is no ordinary villain. Although our Hundred Broken Mountains are ten times stronger than him, and with a peerless hero like the Heavenly King and such valiant and powerful leaders, we must still not underestimate him. We should proceed cautiously and plan our moves deliberately..."

With such diplomatically cautious flattery, Liang Sanjiang's expression softened slightly.

However, the other leaders were still displeased.

"Humph, Strategist, do not empower others at the expense of our own prestige!"

"That Li Qing Shan, a mere greenhorn, dares to be so insolent?"

"If he doesn't drink a toast, let him drink a penalty wine. Tomorrow we will obliterate his Qingfeng Stronghold!"

"His Qingfeng Stronghold has only been established for a few years, and he dares to challenge my Hundred Broken Mountains?"

"We'll flatten the stronghold and capture him alive to give him a good beating. Then the salt business and those soaps and glazes will all belong to us!"

"Third brother speaks well!"

The leaders were all volunteering to fight, and Liang Sanjiang nodded in approval, laughing out loud: "No matter how crafty he is, he cannot withstand the combined strength of me and my brothers. Relay my orders; gather the troops. Tomorrow we march on Little Yellow Mountain, crush Qingfeng Stronghold, and capture him alive to raise our..."

"Swoosh!"

Mid-sentence, an arrow suddenly slashed through the air, shooting straight towards them.

"Hmm!!!"

Liang Sanjiang's pupils shrank, and he instinctively reacted, narrowly evading the deadly arrow.

As one of the chief leaders of the seven provinces in the south and sixty-three provinces in the north, and the reigning Heavenly King of the Hundred Broken Mountains, Liang Sanjiang was obviously no slouch. More than a decade earlier, he had achieved True Qi, and his Ghost Head Gold Blade was renowned in both the southern and northern thirteen provinces. He was considered a grandmaster-level expert similar to the heads of various sects and renowned figures in the Martial World.

Even with such abilities, faced with this completely unexpected arrow, he was still shocked and appalled. His True Qi instinctively surged as he instinctively moved, barely managing to dodge the frightening arrow.

However...

After one arrow came another, aimed in advance and calculated to lock onto the very spot where Liang Sanjiang was dodging for his life, leaving him no chance to evade or retreat, and not even enough time to react.

"Puh!!!"

The forceful arrow pierced through him, and with a dull thud, even though it only struck his shoulder blade and was not a fatal hit, it still forced Liang Sanjiang into painful retreat, tumbling back onto the golden chair.