Chapter 6 - Causing the Dispute

Proofread by Nie Qiao

In the mountain behind Mukden County is a stretch of tranquil forest which is close to babbling creeks and rolling hills. When the sun rises, the whole woodland is shrouded in hazy mist and fog, attractive and alluring.

Now, facing the rising sun, a youngster is tirelessly brandishing fists, practicing martial skills with wind whistling around him. The young boy has a calm face, and his movements are like the most sophisticated manipulation of machines. Even those who do not know martial arts can see that the young boy’s boxing style is simply to bring the martial arts to the top without any flaws.

“The seventh pattern of Jingang Fist: Breaking the rock and frightening the heaven!”

Instantly, the young boy transforms his footwork, and swiftly approaches the tree which is as wide as a bowl. Following a deep shout, he lands his punch on the stem with his fist.

“Crack!”

Because of his punch, the green pine as wide as a bowl directly snaps off, with its falling crown raising a cloud of dust. As dust settles, the young figure slowly appears, yet without any dust touching his body.

“Hehe, well done! With the perfect mastery of the seventh pattern of Jingang Fist and achievement of the fourth level of NingYuan Realm, I, now, should also be counted as an expert!”

Taking a look at the snapped pine, Yuan Feng beams a satisfied smile.

Three days ago, he acquired the one millennial ginseng. Within the past three days, he has only eaten less than half part of it, which has enhanced him to the fourth level of NingYuan Realm. And the Qi of this level can sufficiently support his acquisition of the seventh pattern of Jingang Fist.

The seventh pattern of Jingang Fist can only be mastered by the second generation of Yuan clan. Nevertheless, he can actually master it at the fourth level of NingYuan Realm and even do better in terms of mental state and inspiration.

Of course, it is his meridians, another significant factor, that enable him to conduct this pattern on such a cultivation basis. As everyone knows, strong meridians of a body are the most crucial part of performing powerful martial skills. As a rule, a warrior of the fourth-level NingYuan Realm still has very weak meridians which will break if powerful martial skills are conducted. Consequently, even if a warrior has got strong skills by chance, he will be unlikely to carry them out.

However, Yuan Feng is different.

After he has eaten plenty of spiritual plants, especially the millennial ginseng, the tenacity of his meridians has probably surpassed that of most people, even the experts of the eighth or ninth level of NingYuan Realm. As for this advantage, no one can match.

“Then try the swordsmanship. Extremely fierce as Jingang Fist is, it cannot rival with a sharp blade when it comes to lethality.”

Flexing his wrist, he lightly stamps the earth, then carries out The Footwork of Flying Dragon. Immediately, his figure arrives at the adjacent open area where erects a prepared long sword. When Yuan Feng waves his hand, the sword automatically flies to him.

“Clang!”

As the sword is drawn out of its sheath, his whole being and the sharp weapon instantly become one. In his mind, the former nine patterns of Fufeng Swordsmanship flash across one by one. Fufeng Swordsmanship is composed of 12 patterns. Each pattern has 36 varieties. All the information comes across his mind fleetingly. He slightly moves his steps, brandishing his sword so quickly that it has become invisible and glimmers with a grim light in this small clearing.

He has practiced this swordsmanship for countless times with the help of his martial spirit. The former eight patterns and the nearly three hundred changes have been stamped in his brain. And these days he has practiced the swordsmanship in his brain without a moment’s pause, which makes his understanding of sword ascend to an indescribable realm.

“The fifth pattern: Just like the breeze; the sixth pattern: light breeze passing people’s face; the seventh pattern: a whirlwind scattering wisps of clouds…”

A stroke after a stroke, his eyes are gleaming with light. With his waves of the long sword, the leaves shower down and are chopped into pieces before touching the earth. Thus, with Yuan Feng as its center, the area, which is a dozen meters wide, becomes a no man’s land.

“The eighth pattern of Fufeng Swordsmanship: Willow branches trembling in the wind!”

With a deep shout in his heart he fiercely stabs a sword. With a “Puff”an old tree has been pierced. With a quake of the sword, the pierced tree sways violently, meanwhile he has drawn out the sword.

“The ninth pattern of Fufeng Swordsmanship: ‘Winds slaying the world!'”

Drawing out his long sword, he transforms his footsteps, then loops the loop backwards, directly chopping at the crown of an old tree.

“Puff, puff, puff!”

With loud sounds, the crown of the tree becomes bare in the blink of an eye. Within the short time, Yuan Feng doesn’t know how many blows he has given so that the crown has been dismembered.

“Ah, the power of the swordsmanship is truly out of ordinary. However, it consumes too much Qi which, what’s worse, is deficient in my body. If I obstinately perform the ninth pattern of the swordsmanship now, I can be said to quench a thirst with poison.”

After he finishes the pattern, he stands with the sword buckled on and his chest undulating. Obviously, based on his cultivation realm—the fourth level of NingYuan Realm, he cannot wantonly carry out this pattern more or less.

Surely, it is only he who can do this. If another warrior of fourth-level NingYuan Realm performs the ninth pattern of Fufeng Swordsmanship instead, his meridians will probably break and his Qi be exhausted in a flash.

“Tsk, tsk, my father didn’t finish the ninth pattern of Fufeng Swordsmanship until his thirties. However, I can make it at the age of sixteen. I don’t know how he would react if he were informed.”

With his sword put back into the sheath, he is relatively content with his cultivation realm. Now, he, a warrior of fourth-level NingYuan Realm, can be regarded as an expert with the mastery of the seventh pattern of Jingang Fist and the ninth pattern of Fufeng Swordsmanship. It is known that in the second generation of Yuan clan involving the lineal and the collateral only few can cultivate Jingang Fist to the seventh pattern and Fufeng Swordsmanship to the ninth one.

Nevertheless, he will never use the ninth pattern of Fufeng Swordsmanship casually unless there is no other way. And he is very confident that fewer than five people are able to handle it when he performs that.

“The fall hunt is coming in about twenty days. Fall hunt, it is a chance for me!”

These days, he has heard from the servants that only in a few days is the annual fall hunt in Mukden County. He is not qualified for the hunt with the base of the second-leave NingYuan realm. But now he has broken through the third level of NingYuan Realm, and according to the rules, the people beyond the third level of NingYuan Realm are eligible for the hunt.

“About twenty days is completely enough for me to make a breakthrough to the fifth level of NingYuan Realm. At that time, it will be a piece of cake for me to fight against magical beasts below the fifth level. If I can acquire a magical gemstone…”   Not mention the magical beast meat, only getting a magical gemstone by luck can save a lot of time for his cultivation.

Magical gemstones are the essence of some gifted magical beasts’energy, just like the martial spirits of warriors. Without exception, every magical beast with magical gemstones will make a greater achievement than those without magical gemstones. The value of magical gemstones is well-known to people in the continent, but the beasts with magical gemstones are quite rare. Much as they are not so uncommon as martial spirits, but it is not a child’s play to acquire magical gemstones. Shaking his head, he doesn’t contemplate more. It is still a long time before the advent of the fall hunt, so at present he should improve his strength as much as possible. Only with a mighty strength, he could reap a greater harvest.

He hides the long sword in an old tree,then he walks straightly towards the mansion of Yuan clan. He doesn’t want to be noticed easily and swaggering through the streets with a sword is not his style.

It was so early when he went out in the morning that the business was very slack in the streets. However, it is late in the morning now. The streams of pedestrians are busily coming and going, while the vendor’s hawking is clamoring. What a boisterous scene!

“Take a look! The fang of the second-level Shape Fang Dog just for five bars of gold. Do not miss!”

“The coat made of the first-level red fox just for one bar gold. Warm and beautiful! What a pity to miss it!”

“Made by Lao Lu Smithy, black iron saber and sword are your valuable and formidable weapons. Price is negotiable. First come, first served!”

Rambling in the streets, Yuan Feng feels very calm and peaceful with peddler’s hawkings. There is neither heavy traffic nor vehicle exhaust in this world. Instead, everything is so natural and pure. Although he is not wearied of the cultivation these days, he thinks proper relaxation is more beneficial to cultivation. Alternating work with rest is exclusively the mainstream of cultivation!

Wandering in the street, he is suddenly attracted by the throng in front of him. With a tinge of curiosity, he directly squeezes through the crowd, only to see a ragged old man bending down with a little wild red ginseng in front of of him. Obviously, this is a common street peddler.

In small counties like Mukden County, not everyone can stuff themselves adequately. It is beyond question that the people of aristocratic families like the Largest Three Clans don’t need to worry about food and clothing, but for those without any expertise nor skills, setting up a stall is undoubtedly a means of livelihood. In this market, it is hard to say how many people on earth will make a living by digging wild ginseng, gathering wild herbs and setting up stalls!

“Hey-hey, old geezer, the red ginsengs do not have enough growth time, which is easily judged by their appearance. How are they worth twenty bars of gold? One bar gold, I’ll take them.”

On the opposite of the old man, a well-dressed youngster crosses his arms, looking at the red ginseng with curled lips. He is flanked by two servants whose faces are so cunning as to make people think of the word—“lackeys”!

“Fang Li Childe, these are literally time-honored red ginsengs. In order to dig them, my only son has become the food for the magical beasts. My wife and I have nothing to rely on but them for the rest of our lives. Fang Li Childe, please show your mercy on us!”

The old man has told this in a sobbing tone. In his opposite is the third childe of the Fang clan, who has a high status, and the humble old guy like him cannot afford to offend him. Nevertheless, the red ginsengs are the foundation of his remaining years. Consequently, he cannot take care of offending the childe.

“Tsk, tsk. You geezer. Our childe likes your goods, which is your honor. If you are tactful, you should present them respectfully with both hands. If you provoke our young lord, you will get nothing.”

“Precisely. You old guy. Don’t say we bully you. These junks are worth one bar gold at most. Now, here you are, and the red ginsengs belong to our childe now.”

The youngster called Fang Li tips his two escorts the wink. Immediately they take the hint, standing up one after another while still talking. One of them casually throws one bar gold to the old man, then wraps the red ginsengs by force to hide them in his clothes.

“Fang Li Childe, Fang Li Childe, please show mercy!”

With the tears trickling down his face, the old man kneels down on the ground with a bump and grabs the package at once. At home his ill wife expects to heal her chronic disease by selling the red ginsengs. Today, he must fight for his goods, even at the cost of his life.

“Hum, old geezer, do you want to die? It is very rare that I have a high spirit. If you have my spirits dampened, I’m afraid you cannot afford it.”

In Mukden County, he, Fang Li, the third childe of Fang clan, always means what he says. Nobody dares to haggle with him. Reasons? If he reasons with others, he would not be the third childe of Fang Clan.

“Old geezer! Let go of me!”

Noticing that their childe is not delighted, the two servants do not hesitate any longer, directly starting to rob the senior of his parcel together.

“Tsk, tsk. The dignified third childe of Fang Clan actually buys something by force in broad daylight! What a shame on Fang Clan!”

Just as the two servants of Fang Li are robbing the senior’s parcel, a young figure is going out of the crowd into the scene, giving a little chuckle.