Chapter 103 The Dragon Appreciation Banquet, the Lady's Secret

There is a huge gap between the grades of martial arts. The Azure Palm is an advanced martial art, and even its lower-grade version is far superior to basic martial arts.

"It is said that powerful martial arts have all sorts of strange effects and can do things that ordinary people cannot."

"Combined with the body of a martial artist undergoing a complete transformation... its power is considerable."

Li Xian didn't feel tired, but he knew he should balance work and rest. He had been traveling back and forth yesterday and had stayed up all night practicing martial arts.

He is strong and vigorous, and can handle the exertion, but pushing him too hard might hinder his progress in martial arts. It would be better to relax for a moment and cook the wild boar meat.

"Let's treat ourselves! Today we'll have wild boar back!"

Li Xian dug out the skinned and cleaned wild boar from the snowdrift.

Make a gentle cut along the spine. And there you have it, a beautiful piece of meat with a perfect balance of fat and lean.

Wild boar meat has a strong, unpleasant smell.

Especially male wild boars, whose pungent odor is impossible to remove. Only the back area has tender, chewy meat with very little of that odor.

Li Xian didn't know about wild boars elsewhere. But most of the wild boars around Qingning County were like this. This type of wild boar had another name: "arched-backed boar."

It often arches its back against the tree. The constant impact and beating have made its back flesh delicious, like finding gold in dung.

"Some are pan-fried, some are grilled, and there's no need to make soup."

Even if it's pork loin, it will still have a fishy or gamey smell if used to make soup.

...

...

January 13th, winter turns warm.

Heihe Village seemed to have returned to peace, and there were no more attacks from external enemies.

[You split snow and cut through wind, skill level +2]

[Your movements are well-controlled; proficiency +3]

Li Xian, wielding a narrow guard's knife, slashed horizontally and vertically, the blade flashing. He unleashed over ten strikes in quick succession, his movements fluid and swift. With the final strike, the blade's light flashed past, carving a furrow in the snow half a zhang away.

[Great Luo Sword]

[Proficiency: 148/2000 Minor Mastery]

Li Xian sheathed his sword and placed it on his left hip. Seeing that the roof was covered in snow that hadn't been cleared for several days, he immediately struck out with a light palm strike, the wind from which dispersed the snow.

[Azure Palm]

[Proficiency: 2168/6000 Minor Mastery]

Time flies by in the mountains and fields.

After temporarily pacifying Shanfeng Village, there were no major troubles on ordinary days. Perhaps because it was still winter, people, like hibernating bears, stayed in their dens and didn't come out.

Without even realizing it, a lot of trouble was reduced.

A few days ago, Li Xian went hunting in the mountains and caught another bear. Determined to enjoy it properly, he took the time to go to the black market in Blackwater Port and buy a cookbook.

I studied the book to learn how to cook "bear paws".

[Skill: Culinary Arts]

[Proficiency: 152/500 (Beginner)]

[Description: Food is the most important thing for people, and the quality of food depends on the cooking.]

Bear paws taste wonderful; once you've had them, you can't forget them and often think about their flavor.

"That's fine."

This day, after finishing martial arts practice.

Li Xian relaxed his mind, lay on a tree branch, and enjoyed the gentle breeze.

"During this time, I was free from trivial matters, so I focused on improving my martial arts skills little by little."

"Build up your strength properly."

“Such a situation is very rare. Everyone else in the village says that I have come here to suffer, but they don’t know that I am very relaxed and at ease.”

Heihe Village... is the perfect place to build up strength!

...

...

In Yihezhuang.

Today is a turbulent time, and a guest has come to visit the manor.

"Sir, who are you looking for?" The handyman sweeping snow at the gate asked as he approached.

The newcomer was named Meng Long. He was middle-aged, with a square face, thin eyebrows, and a mouth so large it seemed capable of swallowing a person. His throat was unusually thick, and he wore a long black robe embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns.

"What is that? Get out of here."

Meng Long casually flicked his wrist, slapping the servant across the face with such force that he was sent flying several feet away, crashing into a large tree and dying instantly.

"Murder! Murder!"

The rest of us servants cried out in surprise.

Pang Long reacted quickly, immediately leading a group of guards to rush out of the gate and surround the man in black.

This is……

Pang Long's legs suddenly went weak, and he thought, "It's the Demonic Voice Throat!?"

More than a decade ago, in the impoverished area of ​​Sichuan, among several counties, there emerged a ruthless man. This man had an unusually loud roar, capable of emitting eerie and demonic sounds, earning him the nickname "Demon Voice Throat" in the martial arts world.

Then suddenly they disappeared without a trace.

Legend has it that he was appreciated by a master and went to learn his skills from him.

Meng Long was surrounded, but he remained completely calm. He grinned, stood firm on his feet, and his chest swelled up.

"Oh no, plug your ears!" Pang Long shouted in alarm.

Meng Long asked, "Where is Lady Zhejian?"

The sound pierced the ears and shook the mind. The peculiar thing about this demonic sound was its unique vibrational power.

Those with weaker constitutions were directly shaken, their bones and flesh shattered, leaving them paralyzed on the ground. In just one exchange, many guards and servants were already in a sorry state, unable to defend themselves.

Some fainted, others were paralyzed. Some even had their eyes rolled back, foaming at the mouth, limbs convulsing, and faces turning blue. They were clearly terrified by the shouting!

Pang Long covered his ears and used his internal energy to tough it out. Although he did not faint, he was severely injured, and blood flowed from between his fingers.

The sound continued to spread, seemingly about to reach the entire village.

Madam Wen said, "You rude scoundrel, so arrogant." But her voice was very soft.

With a hint of reprimand, the others remained unperturbed, but Meng Long alone paled upon hearing it, taking three steps back. His face flushed crimson, and the next second, with a "pfft," two streams of blood spurted from his ears.

"Master!"

"Help me!"

Then, with another "bang," Meng Long's eyes shattered, becoming bloody holes. Blood gushed from his nose, and his teeth fell out.

His bones were dislocated, and he was no longer human. He collapsed on the ground, rolling around and howling in pain. He mumbled incoherently, calling out "Master" and "Save me."

Laymen watch the spectacle, experts watch the details.

This seemingly simple exchange contains profound principles of martial arts.

Even if Madam Wen was formidable, she couldn't have killed so many enemies with just a few words. Meng Long's fate was entirely his own doing.

Meng Long's shout just now was loud and extremely powerful, and he used the "Demon Sound Piercing the Heart" technique from the "Demon Sound Sect".

This martial art aims to use Qi to generate sound, sound to generate vibration, and vibration to injure the enemy.

If this martial art is mastered to perfection, it is extremely powerful, capable of killing with its sound. However, before it is mastered to perfection, there is a fatal flaw: when using "Demonic Sound Piercing the Heart," the demonic sound will be the first to penetrate one's own body.

Therefore, while performing a move, the internal organs must also vibrate at a certain frequency.

This is to dispel the influence of the "demonic sound penetrating the heart".

Madam Wen's six words, "rude and arrogant," secretly contained her inner energy, disrupting the vibrations in his internal organs.

As a result, the backlash from the "Heart-Piercing Demonic Sound" was inevitable, and he could not escape his fate.

"Those who lack skill deserve this calamity."

Just then, an elderly man with white hair came along, leaning on a cane, walking very fast.

He tapped Meng Long's chest with his cane and flicked his wrist slightly.

This resolved the issue.

But Menglong was crippled; his internal organs were in complete disarray, his eyeballs had burst, and all his teeth had fallen out.

"Madam Broken Sword, your methods are indeed ruthless, living up to your reputation." The old man called out towards the manor, "But I never imagined that someone like you would be living in such a humble place."

"Heh heh, could it be... you're afraid of someone? Are you hiding here from your debts?"

Madam Wen's voice came, "Old man with the white staff, you don't need to provoke me. You've come here seeking revenge, or something else, just say it. I don't have time to chat with you."

"Hehe." The old man with the white staff, Cang Qiongsheng, chuckled and took a step back, saying, "My unworthy disciple is ignorant and has caused you to misunderstand. Hehe, I'm not here for revenge."

"I came here first to take a look. Do you, Lady Broken Sword, still have the same charm as before?"

"After all... we're on the same side."

Madam Wen said, "You're so boring. You've been training this disciple for years, just for this?"

"Hahaha." The old man with the white staff laughed, "My disciples are notoriously cheap and quick to die. I'm happy with that."

Having said that, he kicked Meng Long, clearly not caring whether he lived or died.

It was regarded only as a probing piece.

“Very well, for the sake of the Dragon Appreciation Banquet, you can take him away. I won’t make things difficult for you,” Madam Wen said again.

"What, Lady Broken Sword, have you recently become a Buddhist? And learned to be compassionate?" The old man with the white staff asked in surprise, "If it were you in your old ways, you would have said, 'If you want to leave, then leave your two arms behind first.' Why are you being so agreeable today?"

“Then leave behind your two arms.” Wen Caitang’s voice suddenly turned cold.

"I cannot keep you company any longer. See you at the Dragon Banquet." The old man with the white staff quickly departed, his figure disappearing into the distance.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.

A leaf, seemingly from nowhere, shot out and killed the dying Meng Long.

The old man with the white cane laughed heartily and vanished completely.

Pang Long, filled with apprehension, walked to Meng Long's corpse.

Killing someone with a flying leaf is not difficult.

But what's rare is that... this leaf is a "withered leaf." It turns to dust the moment it's touched.

Inside the Tower of Tranquility.

Wen Caitang spat, "If it were any other time, I would not only want your hands, but also your legs."

With a soft sigh, Qiu Yue, in the distance, was stunned into unconsciousness.

"This woman is very weak."

...

...

On February 7th, the ice and snow gradually melted, and the cold wind no longer bit.

Fresh green shoots sprout from the snow, a sign that life is about to revive.

At the west entrance of the village, in the wooden house.

[Proficiency +1]

[Azure Palm]

[Proficiency: 5992/6000 Minor Mastery]

As Li Xian unleashed his palm strike, more than ten subtle gusts of wind intertwined.

[You have mastered the art of condensing Qi like silk threads, weaving them into a rope.]

[Proficiency +13]

[The Azure Palm technique has reached its maximum proficiency level and has been upgraded to Mastery!]

[Through your diligent practice, you have finally mastered the Azure Palm technique, glimpsing the initial realm of martial arts.]

Li Xian was secretly pleased; his wish had come true, and things had progressed smoothly.

The initial stage of the Azure Palm martial arts unfolded before his eyes.

Li Xian's vision blurred.

A winding, meandering river comes into view first. The river water is emerald green, the river flows mightily, and towering green mountains rise on both sides, with a light white mist swirling around the surface.

Looking into the distance, one sees thousands of rivers converging, forming a dense and complex river network.

It's poetic and picturesque, incredibly beautiful, and utterly captivating.

The beauty of this land is all contained within.

"I have never seen such a beautiful sight!"

"The rivers of this world are wider, the mountains are higher, and the vegetation is more robust. Everything is more magnificent!"

Upon seeing the beautiful scenery, Li Xian was filled with heroic spirit.

It felt like being there, incredibly real.

Just as I was about to savor the feeling of the surging river, the scene suddenly changed, and I found myself on a boat in the middle of the river.

The boat was about three stories high, ornately decorated, and drifted quietly on the river.

Qiuyue was also on the boat, sitting at the bow enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Li Xian was in the initial scene, moving freely as he headed towards the boat.

Upon entering the lady's bedroom, he lifted a light gauze curtain.

I witnessed an unbelievable scene.

"this…"

In his heart, the lady was mysterious, powerful, dignified and elegant, but today... he saw a completely different scene.

Their gazes couldn't help but turn teasing.

(End of this chapter)