Chapter 36: Returning Home And Ambush
Blessed Land Dao Master | Hong Yuan
Root Bone: 5/100
Comprehension: 6/100
Talent: Qi Flows Through the Hundred Skeletons, Clear Eyes and Penetrating Insight
Hong Yuan raised an eyebrow and immediately noticed the change in the information panel, but his attention first fell on ‘Qi Flows Through the Hundred Skeletons’.
‘One of the effects of ‘Qi Flows Through the Hundred Skeletons’ is to accelerate the recovery of bodily injuries. Even if I accidentally damage my internal organs while attempting microscopic level force, I can recover with this talent.’
Coupled with his own tough root bone, which benefited his limbs, bones, and internal organs, there was no reason not to conduct some experiments.
Hong Yuan wasn’t trying to be reckless and achieve it all at once; he would proceed gradually and try slowly.
Even if there was a bit of backlash at the start, let alone whether it could injure him, even if it did, ‘Qi Flows Through the Hundred Skeletons’ would be his backup.
It doesn’t matter if there’s no secret technique.
All microscopic level force transformations are merely derivatives of hardness and softness.
Hardness and softness force is the nascent form.
Martial arts didn’t exist from the beginning either; some predecessors always paved the way.
If others can do it, so can he.
It wasn’t that Hong Yuan was blindly confident.
After all, he was a legitimate university student. His comprehension wasn’t top-tier, but at least it could be considered above average.
On top of this, he gained an additional six strands of comprehension, making his mind even clearer and more lucid, especially regarding martial arts, as if he had awakened a spiritual aperture.
Combined with the manuscript left by True Man Li, many ingenious ideas about the usage of force flooded his mind.
He even thought about the whirlpool he encountered underwater earlier, and there were already some directions for developing Spiral Force.
No rush for now.
Hong Yuan suppressed this thought and moved his mind.
Swish!
His consciousness instantly entered that grey and white space.
A vast white square, surrounded by dense white mist that acted as a barrier, as if layers of shackles sealed off this heaven and earth.
The grey and white stone door stood imposing and unmoving directly ahead.
Nine steps stretched downwards.
The reason Hong Yuan re-entered this space was because he discovered that the original suffix of ‘Blessed Land Dao Master’, ‘Outside the Gateway’, had now changed to ‘Stage Ascent First Step’.
Without much thought, Hong Yuan strode towards the steps.
Each step was as tall as a person. Hong Yuan’s toes touched down, and he leaped up lightly, already standing on the first step.
He checked the changes to his information.
There were no changes.
Hong Yuan had initially expected some reward after ascending the stage, but it seemed he had overthought it.
He reached out to touch the second step and vaguely felt some resistance. Remembering how he was repelled the first time, and since it didn’t hurt, he immediately charged forward.
Bang!
By the riverbank, Hong Yuan murmured softly, “As expected, forcing my way up won’t work. I still need to be heartfelt, reaching the peak in both power and martial strength.”
Turning around, Hong Yuan’s foot force erupted, and he shot out like an arrow, covering several zhang in an instant, rushing towards Qingxu County Town once more.
After the Imperial Court abolished the Imperial Examination, Hong Yuan lost his status as a scholar of Qingxu Academy, and yamen runners and local ruffians began to pressure him.
Leaving the yamen runners aside, Hong Yuan knew that the local ruffians were instigated by several Great Families, targeting his fields and house.
Possibly even targeting him.
Later, his second uncle secretly intervened. Although Hong Yuan handed over all his family fortune, he was still left with two tiled houses on Stone Slab Alley to survive.
Hong Yuan didn’t have the time to settle accounts with each of these people; there were too many of them, and it would take considerable time to identify them all.
Therefore, his second request to County Lieutenant Zhang was to resolve these people for him.
Hong Yuan’s father was merely a Scholar. His family fortune was substantial only to ordinary people. The ‘Great Families’ that coveted his family’s assets were, in County Lieutenant Zhang’s eyes, mere ants that could be crushed at any time.
Before Hong Yuan posed a threat, he believed Zhang wouldn’t mind using these people to vent his anger.
As for Hong Yuan’s true identity, he hadn’t even concealed his face this time. How could County Lieutenant Zhang not investigate?
However, there was nothing to fear. The more he understood the Great Yin Dynasty as a makeshift regime, the more speechless Hong Yuan became, and his actions became somewhat unrestrained.
In less than fifteen minutes, Hong Yuan, again not using the main entrance and without alerting the city wall guards, flipped inside.
At Turtle Longevity Manor, perhaps County Lieutenant Zhang was still tidying up the aftermath and suppressing the guests, so the Huang family’s turmoil had not yet spread.
As noon approached, the county town was still bustling.
Hong Yuan headed towards Stone Slab Alley.
The reason for returning ‘home’ was that he had been missing for half a month. If his second uncle had returned during this time, he might have left some information for him.
His second uncle was quite mysterious and did not own a house within Qingxu County.
However, his second uncle was married and even had a pair of children, a few years younger than Hong Yuan.
Several years ago, when Hong Yuan’s father was still alive, his second uncle had brought these two younger siblings home once. He had only met them that once, and his memories were already blurry.
Compared to Rongqing Alley, where the gentry and Great Families clustered, Stone Slab Alley had muddy roads, a pervasive stench of decay, and dark corners filled with the smell of excrement and urine.
Low, dilapidated houses stood closely packed together, yet they housed many people.
Hong Yuan’s arrival attracted many gazes.
The original owner was handsome and refined, once a promising scholar of Qingxu Academy, and had also beaten and injured many hooligans with his second uncle backing him.
Therefore, he was well-known in Stone Slab Alley.
In just half a month, he had undergone a complete transformation, shedding his former effeminate scholarly air. His muscles and bones were strong, and he walked with the bearing of a dragon, exuding an imposing aura.
Even if some people found him familiar, they were timid and dared not look directly at him.
It wasn’t until he reached his home at the end of Stone Slab Alley, two tiled houses under an old elm tree, that some people looked at his back with surprise and uncertainty.
But no one stepped forward to speak to him. Firstly, Hong Yuan had been engaged in frequent killings recently. He himself didn’t feel it, but these common folk who lived their lives cautiously were easily startled by the slightest disturbance, and they vaguely sensed a trace of dread.
Secondly—
As Hong Yuan walked under the old elm tree, his steps paused slightly, and his brow furrowed gently.
Immediately, the sound of ‘creaking’ echoed, and over twenty fierce-looking men rushed out from Hong Yuan’s two tiled houses and several surrounding houses, quickly separating and blocking Hong Yuan’s escape routes from all directions.
These men were all robust, clad in grey-black shirts, and carried weapons such as clubs and blades. They grinned and closed in.
With their appearance, scattered footsteps also sounded from within Stone Slab Alley. The residents quickly hid in their houses, closing doors and windows, not daring to exhale.
“Is it this kid?” The scarred man at the head stared at Hong Yuan, suspecting, “Didn’t they say he was a scholar?”
“It’s him!” another man with triangular eyes chimed in, “He’s a scholar, but he’s also a practitioner of martial arts. Otherwise, how could he have injured the Mistress’s people and let him escape? Be careful, don’t let him escape again, or it will be difficult to explain to the Mistress.”
The scarred man heard this, tightened his grip on the steel saber he was holding, and looked at Hong Yuan, sneering, “Kid, are you going to surrender yourself, or should we knock you out and carry you away? I advise you not to ask for trouble!”
From these few words, Hong Yuan knew the background of these men; they were naturally Wei Zhenzhu’s subordinates.
Only Wei Zhenzhu could arrange subordinates in advance and ambush them at his ‘home’ entrance.
This was also why Hong Yuan hadn’t sensed any danger, or he wouldn’t have walked right into it.
Without answering, Hong Yuan glanced at the group of men and stepped forward.
The scarred man waved his hand, “Grab him!”
Hong Yuan’s body flickered, and in an instant, he was in front of the scarred man. He suddenly kicked out, and with a crisp ‘crack’, the scarred man’s left leg instantly broke, and he fell to the ground.
He let out a yelp of pain. As he fell, his long saber flew out, and Hong Yuan skillfully caught it. With a flick of his wrist, he slit the throats of two men who had lunged forward with clubs!
Hong Yuan recognized the scarred man as the leader and decided not to kill him for the moment. With the saber in hand, his body moved like the wind, darting into the group of men who were pouncing on him. Saber light spun, and threads of cold light flickered.
The sound of ‘ouch, ouch’ cries of pain was continuous. Men fell to the ground with thuds. In just about ten breaths, they were all defeated.
The scarred man was still screaming, with one foot already on the back of his head.
“Where is that fat pig?”
