Chapter 28 Severing Ties and Participating in the Grand Competition (Please Read On!)
"Madam is a master of the martial arts world, with extensive experience. She has participated in all kinds of heroic events and gatherings of chivalrous heroes."
"What I saw and heard... was truly as vast as the sea. If it weren't for Madam's account, I would never have known that such things existed in the world."
Pang Long's heartfelt respect.
He would ring a bell every mile he walked. The clanging sound evoked a feeling that was hard to describe.
"The lady said... this creature is called the Snow Demon Monkey. It is a kind of demon in the world."
"And this bell of mine is a treasure called the Demon-Exorcising Bell. Demons like this will flee as soon as they hear it from afar. They will never dare to come any closer."
Pang Long explained.
It was around 9:00 AM, when the yang energy was abundant. Li Xian led the way, and following his memory, they turned into a side road.
After walking about three or four miles, they saw a patch of blood on the ground.
Feng Huo's body lay in a pool of blood, his belly ripped open, his internal organs spilling out.
Because of the draining of blood, the skin turned a horrifying pale white, and the facial features were frozen in the last moment before death, filled with resentment, unwillingness, and fear... like a lifelike ice sculpture.
"It seems that what you predicted is true."
Pang Long frowned and bent down to observe for a moment. The spilled internal organs had all solidified and were mixed with frost.
He said, "That thing is very picky about food. It likes to eat human gallbladders and livers. Feng Huo's gallbladder and liver have already been removed and eaten while they were still hot."
"Therefore, when killing someone, it likes to tease and frighten them, scaring them out of their courage and making them feel like their liver and gallbladder are about to burst. In this way, it is even more delicious to it."
"What a vicious demon!" Li Xian recalled his experience last night, a true escape from death.
Upon seeing Feng Huo's tragic state, Li Xian realized the world was in danger. Together with Pang Long, they buried Feng Huo by the roadside and erected a small wooden monument.
When burying Feng Huo, Li Xian reached into the lining of his clothes and, after searching, found seventy copper coins.
"This money... you are not worthy of it, so I will gladly accept it."
"The greatest tragedy in the world is to die before you've spent all your money. Don't worry, I... will spend it all for you."
They leisurely stuffed it into their own pockets.
Pang Long was aware of this, but he didn't care.
"Find the rent quickly and complete the lady's task."
The rent was originally on Feng Huo's person, but he fled in a panic last night, and Li Xian witnessed him throwing the rent money away.
They searched along the road for another seven or eight li and finally found something on a tree. The rent of over a hundred taels was all in the bag. The bag was tied tightly, and the money hadn't fallen out.
Upon careful counting, the amounts all matched.
Pang Long said, "Now that we're here, let's bury the bodies of the others together."
"Okay!" Li Xian nodded, thinking to himself, "Those travel money... should still be there."
As the two continued walking, they successively discovered the bodies of Zhao Dachun, Ye Xiaoluo, Qiao Dashou, and others.
Before he died, his pupils were wide open, and he urinated and defecated all over the ground.
All seven corpses were buried.
Feng Huo had seventy coins, Ye Xiaoluo had forty coins, Qiao Dashou had sixty coins, and although Zhao Dachun had not received any money for the journey, he already had more than one hundred coins in savings.
The seven people together had a total of about five hundred coins.
All of it flowed into Li Xian's pocket.
"Commander Pang, if you don't want it, we can split it equally." Li Xian rubbed his nose, ultimately feeling too embarrassed to keep it all to himself.
"Keep it," Pang Long said, waving his hand dismissively.
...
Back at the manor, Pang Long left Li Xian behind and headed straight for the inner courtyard.
"Madam, just as you predicted, it really is that Snow Demon Monkey."
Pang Long walked to a pavilion, knelt on one knee, and reported the truth.
The pavilion has seven stories, each floor being three zhang (approximately 10 meters) high, standing tall. The plaque in front of the pavilion reads "Jingsi Pavilion" (meaning "Pavilion of Quiet Contemplation").
This building is the lady's private quarters; no one is allowed to enter. After Pang Long finished speaking, he didn't wait for a response, nor did he dare leave without permission. He remained kneeling there.
for a long time.
A voice came from upstairs.
"I already know."
Pang Long then stood up, bowed respectfully to the pavilion, and turned to leave.
On the other hand...
Li Xian returned to the manor, thinking about the sudden windfall and the free time he had to rest for a day, so he treated Zhao Han and the others to a good meal.
Pushing open the door of the house, they found all three people there.
Li Xian was about to speak.
But it was interrupted by the gloomy atmosphere.
Zhao Han rubbed his cheeks and said, "Li Xian...it's just the three of us. I have something to discuss with you."
"Okay, you can talk now." Li Xian closed the door.
Wang Chun's eyes were bloodshot. "Were Feng Huo, Zhao Dachun, and Ye Xiaolu really dead yesterday?"
“That’s right.” Li Xian nodded.
Zhuo Yilie glanced at Li Xian's face without leaving a trace, muttering to himself, "Why aren't you dead?" A hint of hatred was hidden in his eyes.
Zhao Han said, "It's like this. According to the rules of the manor, your bed shouldn't be here. You were just staying here temporarily. I didn't make that clear to you, I..."
"No need to explain," Li Xian said calmly. "Just tell me where I'm moving to."
How could they not understand that the gap between them was too deep, and the three of them were no longer willing to live under the same roof as Li Xian?
“Number 147,” Zhao Han said.
“Since our friendship is over, a real man should be more carefree and not be so coy.” Li Xian bowed to the three of them and said, “I know what you’re thinking. Hate me or curse me if you want.”
"From now on, we will be strangers, but I will still keep my promise. There's no point in saying more, farewell."
Li Xian didn't have much to pack. A quilt, a bucket, a towel, and a set of clothes. After a quick tidying up, she pushed open the door and went out.
The three of them were left staring at each other in bewilderment.
"Pooh!"
"He's living a carefree life, but he's the one suffering!"
Wang Chun slammed his fist on the bed.
"We shouldn't have let him in in the first place," Zhuo Yilie said.
Zhao Han remained silent. Reason told him that the real culprit was the domineering Jiang Yun.
But he couldn't stay rational and would still take his anger out on Li Xian, so he simply decided to ignore her and not worry about her.
"My three brothers and I are so sorry, we'll probably have these palm lines for the rest of our lives."
Zhao Han sighed softly.
...
The next day.
[Four Directions Fist]
[Proficiency: 816/1500 Minor Mastery]
After an hour of diligent practice, Sifangquan made steady progress.
Li Xian considered his boxing skills to be quite good, and with the guard competition approaching, he thought:
"I should participate in this guard competition as soon as possible. If I can be promoted to a third-class guard soon, I will have more time to practice martial arts."
"I now have one tael and five hundred coins. How should I use them?"
At noon, Li Xian took advantage of his break to find Pang Long, wanting to sign up for the guard competition and also to buy some pills.
But Pang Long was immediately surprised when he heard that he wanted to participate in the guard competition.
Pang Long confirmed again, "You've only been a guard for less than a month, and you've only learned one martial art, yet you want to participate in the guard competition?"
“Yes.” Li Xian nodded emphatically. “At least give it a try. Even if it doesn’t work out, you can still gain experience.”
"I advise you not to think that way." Pang Long said solemnly, "In a martial arts match, it's inevitable to hurt someone. If the difference in strength is too great, it's not impossible to lose your life in the match."
"Although the competition between Class D and Class C guards isn't too fierce, some veteran Class D guards have been practicing martial arts for over seven or eight years. How can you compare?"
"If I were you, I would calm down and master a particular boxing style to a minor level. Then I would learn other martial arts, drawing inferences from one instance to another, and then try my hand at guarding the courtyard."
"By then, while victory won't be a sure thing, the difference in strength won't be too great. Even if we lose, we'll be able to protect ourselves and won't leave any hidden dangers."
“But…” Li Xian said, “Commander Pang, my Four Directions Fist has already reached a minor level of mastery.”
"Only at the minor completion stage? You're still far from it... What... What? You... You've already reached the minor completion stage?!" Pang Long's jaw dropped in astonishment.
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(End of this chapter)
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