Chapter 10

At night, by a riverbank somewhere in Huatong, there stood a simple, run-down house with dim lighting inside.

"Brother, the meal today is so abundant, and there's meat too."

The boy, Ade, had just returned and his eyes sparkled at the sight of the food on the table, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth.

Although they often ate fish and shrimp, meat was a rare treat.

"Come, let's eat."

Qiu Cai's mood was good, his face shining brightly in the dim light.

"Yeah, let's eat meat."

Qiu De quickly sat at the table, picked up a piece of meat, lifted it to his mouth, and his young face was filled with enjoyment.

Seeing his younger brother enjoying the meal, Qiu Cai couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy, but it quickly dissipated, replaced by hope for the future.

"Ade, our days will only get better from now on."

"Brother, why?"

"Do you remember the benefactor who saved me during the day?"

"I remember, he's a good person."

"Yes, he is a good person. Today, I sent two big fish over, and Leon Wei said I would supply the fish and shrimp for the martial arts hall in the future."

Every time he thought about this, he felt excited.

"Brother, does that mean no one will dare to bully us in the future?" Qiu De was excited.

Qiu Cai patted his brother's head lightly, smiling, "What are you thinking? I'm just supplying fish and shrimp to Leon Wei. We'll just have slightly better days ahead, that's all."

"No, no, I think by supplying goods to Leon Wei, we'll be associated with him, and no one will dare to bully us."

Listening to his brother's words, Qiu Cai smiled and shook his head, not saying much.

He just felt that this was his chance, and he must do what Leon Wei had entrusted him to do.

...

"I've reached the eighth level of Qi and blood. The lottery is indeed powerful, providing rapid advancement."

Leon Wei clenched his fists tightly, feeling the surging Qi and blood in his body. A smile appeared on his face, even a slight upward curve at the corners of his mouth.

All six heart's desires were spent.

His martial arts proficiency increased rapidly, and his Qi and blood surged along with it.

Checking the panel:

[Realm: Eighth Level of Qi and Blood]

[Martial Arts: Wind Thunder Palm (Perfected), Fiery Leg (Great Achievement 0/400)]

[Skills: Art of Talismans - Vajra Talisman (Not Initiated 83/100)]

The only regret was that he had not initiated the Vajra Talisman yet.

He now had five Vajra Talismans in his hand.

For dealing with tomorrow's matters, there should be no problem.

"Red Fist Martial Hall's Xiang Shuang, if you really want to challenge me, I won't stop you."

Leon Wei's eyes showed a fierce look. Since he had crossed over and gotten involved in fights and killings, he was prepared for it.

Thinking about the power of his palm techniques now, a single strike might cause an explosion.

To adapt in advance, he hurried to the kitchen. Jin Ray had been busy during the day, hiring two kitchen maids.

When he found out that Jin Ray had hired kitchen maids, he thought Jin Ray seemed simple-minded, but it turned out he had some hidden thoughts.

However, when he saw it with his own eyes, he was completely stunned.

You're telling me these are kitchen maids?

Well, they were indeed kitchen maids, just older ones.

Jin Ray on the side said, "Master, their skills are excellent. The shredded potatoes are delicious." He shrugged it off; as long as they could cook, it didn't matter. It's not like he was looking for a wife.

In a wooden cage in the kitchen, there were several chickens. He grabbed a chicken by the neck and pulled it out directly.

In the courtyard, he threw the chicken into the air. As the chicken flapped its wings, a palm strike came, and with two bangs, the chicken was smashed into pieces, feathers and blood falling to the ground.

Looking at the fresh blood on his palms, he said, "I have bathed in blood, my mind is calm, and I feel no discomfort. Tomorrow will definitely be fine."

After calming his mind, he went to wash his hands and rested early. As for the blood and remains scattered in the courtyard, Jin Ray would clean them up tomorrow.

...

The next day.

Leon Wei arrived early at the entrance of the Changying Martial Hall.

As he arrived, the people who had been waiting all turned to look at him.

It was obvious they knew that this operation involved a subsidiary hall's hall master.

"Good morning, everyone."

Leon Wei greeted them with a smile.

Courtesy was a way to bridge relationships.

It never hurts to be polite, whether you know them or not.

The waiting people nodded in response to Leon Wei.

Leon Wei habitually observed their heart's desires and found that most of them had desires he couldn't fulfill. It just showed that everyone had their own thoughts; were those really heart's desires?

"Leon Wei," greeted Zhang Shan warmly.

"Brother Zhang."

Leon Wei greeted Zhang Shan with a smile.

"You didn't bring a knife?" Zhang Shan noticed that Leon Wei was empty-handed, with no knife at his waist.

"No."

"Ah, when going out on a mission, you should bring a knife. No matter how powerful your martial arts skills are, a knife is still needed for a clean cut. Here, take this knife, it's for self-defense."

Zhang Shan handed his knife to Leon Wei.

"Thank you."

Leon Wei didn't refuse; after all, what the other said made sense, and he couldn't refuse.

"If you give me your knife, what will you use later?" Leon Wei asked.

"I'm not going. I'm an elite disciple, and these small tasks don't require me. I know you're here, so I waited for you on purpose."

Well, he was underestimated invisibly.

Elite disciples weren't needed for small tasks, but a hall master was. It was really pitiful to have such a low status.

The group wasn't large this time, only ten people in total, including him. The other nine were disciples of the martial hall, all skilled individuals.

If he had thought before, he might have wondered if this group was enough to deal with the mountain bandits of Heiming Mountain. But he had already learned from Han Wei.

It was just a formality.

...

Heiming Mountain wasn't too far from Ankang County, but the mountain was vast and extensive, making it hard to find people hiding inside.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, the team stopped.

"Leon Wei, you wait here. Leave the rest to us," said a burly man who seemed to be the leader.

"I'm not going?"

Leon Wei knew what was coming.

Of course, he knew that these nine individuals wouldn't harm him; they were just creating opportunities for certain people.

"No need. We are familiar with this place. We'll soon launch a fierce attack inside. You stay here to prevent any stragglers from escaping. Deal with them when they come out."

"This won't do. It's definitely dangerous up there. I've just joined the Changying Martial Hall and need to perform well. Let someone else take my place," Leon Wei showed a determined look, wanting to prove himself.

The burly man was getting anxious. Why was this guy so disobedient?

"Leon Wei, this is the strategic arrangement set by Steward You. I hope you can follow the orders; otherwise, it will be hard for me to explain."

The burly man felt this guy was like a stubborn mule, so he had to bring up Steward You.

Yesterday, Steward You had found him and told him some things. Although he didn't know the specifics, he had a brain and knew there must be a plan, such as the retaliation from the Hongquan Martial Hall, and so on.

He didn't want to get involved, but he couldn't disobey Steward You's orders. Even if something really happened in the end, he would be safe. He had left the safest place for the other party, and who could have expected such a situation to occur?

"This won't do. Even if it's Steward You's plan, I can't watch you take risks. No, let someone else take my place. I'll go up with you to kill the mountain bandits," Leon Wei insisted.

Damn it!

The burly man was really getting anxious, so much so that heart's desires were popping up on his head.

[Please, stay here (0/1), reward: white heart's desire point *1]

"Alright, I'll stay and follow the orders. You all take care of yourselves."

Seeing the heart's desire appearing, Leon Wei said decisively.

He knew how to compromise.

Close enough.

The burly man, who was racking his brains for a solution, was stunned when he heard this, but then a smile appeared on his face.

It seemed the other party had figured it out.

Would you dare not listen to Steward You's orders?

[White heart's desire point +1]

The burly man and his men hurriedly headed up the mountain, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Leon Wei stood still, waiting quietly.

Creak!

Footsteps came from behind.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Xiang Shuang had long set up some skilled ambushes here.

Everything went as he had anticipated.

The people from the Changying Martial Arts Hall went up the mountain to eliminate bandits, leaving Leon Wei alone.

And his opportunity had arrived.

To ensure success this time, he brought along apprentices from the Red Fist Martial Arts Hall who had real strength and experience in killing. He truly didn't believe that with so many people, they couldn't kill this guy.

"Do you know we were coming?"

Xiang Shuang's voice was dark as he covered his face, feeling doubtful. Not many people knew about this, so could they have been betrayed? But looking around, there was no one else besides them, so there shouldn't be any ambush.

"Know? I'm not deaf. Your footsteps were quite obvious. It seems like you mountain bandits were well prepared, knowing we were coming."

Leon Wei pretended not to know that the masked man was Xiang Shuang.

Well, I'm just playing around, just causing a scene.

Hearing this, Xiang Shuang also relaxed a bit, realizing they mistook them for mountain bandits.

In that case...

"Despicable Changying Martial Arts Hall, daring to cause trouble in our Heiming Mountain. Brothers, kill him."

Xiang Shuang roared, waving his hand and leading the group towards Leon Wei. There was no time for idle talk; they had to finish this quickly, leave the scene early, and not leave any loopholes.

He wanted Leon Wei dead to seize the opportunity to become an affiliated martial arts hall.

Not to let the Changying Martial Arts Hall know that he was the one who killed their people.

Eleven people, including Xiang Shuang, rushed forward in unison, wielding knives with fierce momentum that would make anyone panic.

Indeed, although they practiced fist and foot techniques, they all carried knives. Obviously, they understood that punches and kicks might not guarantee a kill, but a knife was different. A single strike with a knife would draw blood for sure.

This group that followed Xiang Shuang was also gambling for wealth and prosperity.

Leon Wei stepped back, flicking his wrist to draw his sword, which gleamed coldly.

Without choosing to directly confront the enemy, even with five diamond charms on him, there was no need to be so arrogant.

Now that his Fiery Leg technique had reached its peak, his steps were light and agile.

A young man charged towards him, roaring, and swung his knife fiercely at Leon Wei.

Leon Wei swung his sword.

Pfft!

The young man's face was mangled, his weapon fell to the ground, his hands turned into claws in front of him, grimacing in pain and agony before falling to the ground.

Seeing this scene, Leon Wei suddenly thought of the tragic deaths in those old martial arts films. It seemed like it was just like that.

His first time killing someone didn't bring any discomfort.

He had some pre-training last night.

Even when he tore a live chicken into pieces, his heart didn't waver, so he wasn't afraid of these small scenes.

"Kill him."

Seeing someone die tragically, Xiang Shuang roared in anger. He hadn't expected this guy to be so agile, always keeping a distance from them. Whenever a comrade was isolated or an opportunity arose, they would suffer at the hands of the opponent.

Leon Wei wasn't skilled in swordsmanship, only in basic slashes, but with his strength and agility, each strike carried great force. He also saw through their weaknesses, aiming to kill with every blow.

In a moment, most of the helpers Xiang Shuang brought had already died, with only a few left showing signs of retreat, not daring to continue their charge.

"Die for me."

Xiang Shuang swung his blade, but Leon Wei dodged, striking at the helpers who were hesitating to retreat. He avoided direct confrontation with Xiang Shuang, much to the latter's extreme frustration.

"Don't kill me, don't kill me."

Facing Leon Wei's fierce attacks, the remaining helpers were truly scared. In their eyes, Leon Wei was like a fierce beast, overwhelming them with his aura.

"Too late."

Leon Wei's sword strikes were fierce and decisive. When his life was threatened, there was no room for hesitation.

Pfft!

Pfft!

One strike slit a man's throat, another took a life.

As he stabbed a man in the chest and tried to pull out the sword, the man unexpectedly grabbed onto it, full of blood, and shouted, "Kill him, I've got the knife."

Seeing this opportunity, Xiang Shuang's eyes lit up. He felt the chance had come, leaping forward and swinging his blade.

Leon Wei kicked the man in front of him away, pulled out his sword, and swiftly turned to strike. The clash of blades, the eruption of two forces, a crack, and both swords shattered simultaneously.

Xiang Shuang and Leon Wei both threw punches and strikes at each other.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the two sides exchanged dozens of moves, with neither gaining the upper hand in their fist and palm clashes.

Leon Wei understood that Xiang Shuang was no pushover; his fist strength was immense, truly living up to the name Red Fist. On the other hand, Xiang Shuang was equally surprised by Leon Wei's skill. He managed to block every punch, and Leon Wei's palm techniques were agile and versatile, seemingly light but containing a strong force.

Damn, this guy has been hiding his skills all this time. No wonder he kept challenging one after another.

If Leon Wei knew what Xiang Shuang was thinking, he would definitely protest, claiming he wasn't hiding anything, he just suddenly improved in the past few days.

"Dragon Elephant!"

Xiang Shuang roared, his muscles tensed, and his whole body's strength concentrated into his fists, unleashing a powerful force like a collapsing mountain.

"Gale Palm."

Leon Wei shouted as well, striking with one palm while holding a diamond charm in his other hand, tearing it apart to envelop his body with protective energy.

Boom!

Xiang Shuang's fists slammed into Leon Wei's chest, emitting a dull metallic roar.

"What?"

Eyes widened in surprise, as if hitting a block of iron.

Seizing the opportunity, Leon Wei's hand darted out like a nimble snake, his fingers striking towards Xiang Shuang's eyeballs.

Pfft!

The fingers pierced through the eyeballs and pushed inward.

"Ah!"

Xiang Shuang's eye sockets sprayed blood, screaming in agony, "My eyes, my eyes..."

He had clearly hit the man's chest, so why was the man unaffected, even rebounding with a force that made his fists tremble?

Leon Wei's gaze was sharp and focused. Until he had absolute superiority, he wouldn't waste a single word on his opponent.

Strike while the iron is hot.

With a forceful push off the ground, causing the earth to form footprints, he pounced towards Xiang Shuang like a cheetah, striking with his palms like a storm, relentlessly hitting Xiang Shuang's chest.

Boom... The Gale Palm was ferocious and merciless. How many blows could a human body withstand?

With his legs tensed, he kicked Xiang Shuang in the crotch, and in an instant, it was all over.

In the battle between warriors, there were no fancy moves. As long as you could kill your opponent, that was elegance, that was effectiveness.

Boom!

Xiang Shuang coughed up blood and fell to the ground, trembling all over, his hands contorted in pain, his body wracked with intense agony, as if he didn't know where to reach for.

The diamond charm's effect ended.

Another diamond charm was torn apart.

Approaching Xiang Shuang's body, Leon Wei raised his foot and stomped on Xiang Shuang's throat. With a crisp, shattering sound, Xiang Shuang breathed his last.

At that moment, Leon Wei's body trembled slightly. It wasn't fear or nervousness, but the adrenaline rush from the life-and-death struggle, causing his body to be in a state of excitement.

Glancing at Xiang Shuang, he walked to the side, picked up a knife, and plunged it into the chests of the seemingly lifeless helpers.

Pfft!

Pfft!

"Ah..."

One of them arched his body like a shrimp, grabbing the knife, his eyes wide with a desperate desire to survive. He hadn't expected the other party to make a finishing blow.

"Don't blame me; blame your choices."

He naturally saw the strong desire to survive in the man's eyes.

But he didn't want that wish to come true.

Perhaps the horrific scream was too terrifying. Another helper who wasn't completely dead got up, dragging his injuries and fleeing in a sorry state.

Leon Wei threw the knife, hitting the fleeing man's back, piercing through him and causing him to collapse with a thud.

Approaching Xiang Shuang's body, the next step was a favorite pastime for everyone - the corpse search.

Searching a corpse was like opening a blind box, full of unknown surprises.

Ignoring Xiang Shuang's tragic state, he deftly searched his body, finding no silver coins or any martial arts manuals, but he did find two pieces of paper.

'Yong'an Pawnshop'

One thousand taels of silver.

"I see. He exchanged the silver for the martial arts hall and inn after becoming an affiliate. He must have given the silver to Steward You. Heh..."

He tucked the papers into his clothes.

Looking at the bodies scattered around, he clasped his hands together.

'Amitabha, I have committed a great sin.'

"The effect of the Vajra Talisman for beginners is strong, but not quite strong enough."

"Even a punch to the chest feels painful. If someone like Xiang Shuang, a skilled expert, were to strike with a knife, it would definitely cause serious injuries. I need to find a way to enhance the Vajra Talisman to increase its power."

This was his lifesaving method, something he had to take seriously.

Just as he was contemplating these thoughts, the team sent to eliminate bandits returned.

They brought back two trucks loaded with goods.

The leader, a burly man, looked into the distance. Uncertain of the situation there, when he saw Leon Wei standing there, he was slightly surprised but showed no reaction, behaving as usual.

As they approached, they smelled blood in the air and saw bodies strewn on the ground.

"What... what's going on?" The burly man was shocked, hurriedly approaching Leon Wei. "Leon Wei, this is..."

Leon Wei, wiping the blood off his hands with a handkerchief he seemingly conjured from nowhere, calmly said, "These guys were all mountain bandits. They appeared when you went up, and we had no choice but to eliminate them."

Ah...

The burly man looked at the bodies on the ground, then at Leon Wei, who remained composed and unperturbed, a look of horror in his eyes.

A ruthless person, that's what he saw.

At that moment, he felt a deep sense of awe towards Leon Wei, the previous feeling of superiority completely gone.

The other disciples felt the same way.

"Don't look. They're all dead, each one met my blade," Leon Wei said.

One disciple who was examining the bodies suddenly realized why each body had a stab wound in the chest.

"Ah, this is Xiang Shuang, the owner of the Red Fist Martial Arts Hall," a disciple exclaimed, uncovering the face of the fallen man.

Leon Wei remarked, "The owner of the Red Fist Martial Arts Hall? So they colluded with the mountain bandits. I knew something was off when they appeared here. They must have received advance notice."

The burly man and the disciples were speechless.

"Have the bandits been dealt with?" Leon Wei detected the smell of alcohol on the burly man. Had they been drinking in the mountains, then used others as scapegoats before returning with the goods?

No need to think too much; it was likely the case.

"They've all been taken care of, everything went smoothly, and we've retrieved all the goods," the burly man hastily replied.

"Then let's head back."

"Okay, okay..."

The burly man dared not be disrespectful to Leon Wei, his demeanor significantly subdued.

Back in the county town, at the Changying Martial Arts Hall, after completing the task, his martial hall score increased by ten points, and he received a reward of ten taels of silver. This was a small gain, with the real profits going to the martial hall, which would also have to send a portion to the county yamen.

In the meeting hall.

"Leon Wei, your safe return indicates that the crisis has passed."

Han Wei was pleased that Leon Wei had returned safely. His return signified the end of the crisis, especially with Xiang Shuang's demise, bringing closure to the matter.

"Extremely dangerous," Leon Wei sighed.

Han Wei knew this mission could bring trouble, but he didn't expect it to escalate into a massacre. If not for Leon Wei's strength, it would have been uncertain whether he could have returned at all.

"By the way, Leon Wei, there's something I don't understand. With your strength, why did you intentionally lose in the two challenge matches before?" Han Wei asked.

Facing this question, he was somewhat puzzled.

Intentionally lose?

That was because he truly couldn't win back then, feeling like a waste, barely surviving being challenged twice.

"Han Xiong, those were challenges from two different schools. If I had won, those two schools would never accept it, feeling humiliated. Given my situation at the time, there was no way I could have competed against both schools. Losing was a way to protect myself and ensure my safety."

Leon Wei thought for a moment and casually made up an explanation.

"Well... that makes sense," Han Wei pondered, nodding.

"Han Xiong, care to make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

"This." Leon Wei produced two pawn tickets from Yong'an Pawnshop and pushed them forward. "These are pawn tickets from Yong'an Pawnshop, belonging to live pawns. One is from a martial hall, the other from an inn. Their true value far exceeds a thousand taels."

Han Wei took the tickets, examining them carefully, his eyes gleaming with interest. He looked up, meeting Leon Wei's smiling gaze.

He suddenly understood.

"Leon Wei, you're quite cunning, but I like it. I'll handle this."

In this world, not many survive without being shrewd. Those who truly perish aren't the unintelligent ones but those whose strength isn't sufficient.

"No trouble, Han Xiong."

"Heh, no need to thank me. It's what brothers do for each other."

"This matter won't progress without you. Without Han Xiong, these two tickets are just worthless paper to me."

Leon Wei praised subtly, with no ulterior motive, just to bring a smile to Han Wei's face.

Look at how brightly he smiled.

At night.

Loulan Pavilion.

Steward You stood nervously at the door of a room, swallowing anxiously. Though no one was pressuring him, sweat dripped from his forehead.

He knew what this was about.

He just took some money, provided a little information, and if Xiang Shuang succeeded, great; if not, it wasn't his concern.

Creak!

The door opened.

"Miss wants you in." The maid's voice was cold.

"Ah, yes..."

Steward You quickly nodded, bowed, and entered the room, where he saw a woman drawing at a desk. He lowered his head, standing there obediently.

The lady said nothing.

He dared not speak.

Time passed by.

Luna Ming tossed her pen carelessly on the table, looked up at Steward You, and smiled, "Steward You, are you feeling hot?"

"Back to Miss, no... back to Madam, not hot."

"If you're not hot, why are you sweating so much?"

Luna Ming's voice was pleasant to hear, but to Steward You, it sounded like a death knell, making his legs tremble.

Plop!

Steward You knelt in a panic, bowing his head, "Please spare me, Madam. I didn't mean to, I truly didn't know. If I had known he was your man, even with ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare."

"No, you're a steward, with a high position, you dare," Luna Ming said.

"No, I don't dare."

Luna Ming paced with hands behind her back, each step adding pressure on Steward You. As she passed by him, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. Just as he was about to cry out, he bit his lip, watching as a cherry, stained with blood, rolled on the floor.

"Eat it."

"Thank you for the reward, Madam."

Steward You crawled to pick up the bloody cherry, savoring it with delight, his face showing enjoyment.

"Considering your years of dedicated service to the martial hall, I'll give you a chance today. It won't happen again," Luna Ming said softly.

"Thank you, Madam, thank you."

"Ah, I'm still young, but being called 'Madam' by you makes me feel old. It's really..."

Luna Ming sighed helplessly.

Steward You's heart, which had just relaxed, tensed up again. He truly feared this capricious and unpredictable lady, nearly wetting himself in fear.

"Never mind, you can leave. Don't dirty my place."

"Yes..."

Steward You didn't dare linger, holding his shoulder wound, he left in a hurry.