“Big Bro, he’s just a punk.
Why waste words on him?
I’ll go break his legs so we can get our money and leave.” Without waiting for the others to object, the tall, skinny man leaped up, swinging the steel fork in his hands in a wide arc toward Huang Yulang’s legs.
“You want to cripple this young master?
You’re not worthy.” Huang Yulang drew the Spirit Wood Sword from his shoulder and slashed out.
With a muffled CLANG, Huang Yulang didn’t move an inch, but the steel fork was sent flying from the tall, skinny man’s hands.
His hands trembled uncontrollably from the impact.
Huang Yulang was very satisfied with his current power.
He could easily unleash nearly a thousand pounds of force, something no ordinary martial arts master could withstand.
It was safe to say that as long as he didn’t run into a Cultivator, he could do as he pleased in the secular martial world.
“You…” The tall, skinny man’s face turned pale as he stared at Huang Yulang in utter disbelief.
A boy of only fifteen or sixteen had sent his steel fork flying with ease.
‘What terrifying strength!’
The other three men’s expressions also changed drastically.
Each gripping their own weapon, they took a step forward in unison, fixing their gazes on Huang Yulang.
“Impressive, kid.
It seems we, the Meishan Four Ghosts, underestimated you.
I never thought someone so young could possess such strength.
But we brothers are no pushovers either.
Now that we’re enemies, don’t blame us for being merciless.
Let’s attack together and kill him!”
The ferocious-looking man stepped forward with his iron hammer, and the other three surrounded Huang Yulang as if facing a formidable foe.
‘The Meishan Four Ghosts?’ Huang Yulang muttered to himself, suddenly recalling some of the stories Lin had told him about the martial world of Yun Country.
The Meishan Four Ghosts were a vicious bunch.
Relying on their considerable martial skills, the four had dominated the Meishan County area, committing countless heinous deeds.
They were even wanted criminals by the local Government Office.
But Meishan was vast.
With their superior martial arts, they would simply vanish into the depths of Meishan whenever government soldiers tried to surround them, leaving the local Government Office helpless.
The Meishan Four Ghosts were also smart enough to almost never provoke the major aristocratic families, so they had managed to live quite freely.
“So you’re the infamous Meishan Four Ghosts?” A cold glint appeared in Huang Yulang’s eyes.
“You’ve all committed endless evil.
Instead of hiding away in Meishan, you’ve come looking for trouble with me.
In that case, this young master will enact justice on heaven’s behalf and turn you into actual ghosts.”
“You’re courting death!
Kill him!” the One-Eyed Ghost roared in fury.
Without hesitation, he swung his Big Ring Saber straight at Huang Yulang’s face.
At the same time, the boss, Big Hammer Ghost, the second brother, Steel Fork Ghost, and the fourth brother, Green-faced Ghost, all charged.
Huang Yulang snorted coldly and stomped his feet hard.
His body shot up like a cannonball, breaking out of the four-man encirclement.
The four ghosts turned and gave chase.
Huang Yulang swept his Spirit Wood Sword horizontally, and a massive iron hammer met it directly.
BOOM!
With a muffled thud, Huang Yulang felt an immense force assail him, nearly knocking the Spirit Wood Sword from its path.
He gave the Big Hammer Ghost a surprised glance.
‘This guy’s strength is at least half of mine.’
With no time to think, he unleashed the full power of his body.
A tremendous force was instantly channeled into the Spirit Wood Sword.
With a fierce sweep, he sent the Big Hammer Ghost stumbling backward, hammer and all.
“Aargh!
The kid’s got incredible strength!” the Big Hammer Ghost exclaimed in renewed shock, quickly warning his brothers.
The One-Eyed Ghost paid him no mind, swinging his Big Ring Saber in a mad frenzy.
However, Huang Yulang possessed more than just brute strength—he also cultivated the One Qi Primordial Skill.
This skill included not only unarmed combat techniques but also a corresponding Step Technique and methods for wielding various weapons.
Huang Yulang sidestepped the Big Ring Saber’s slash, and his Spirit Wood Sword shot out like a venomous snake, stabbing straight for the One-Eyed Ghost’s throat.
Not daring to be careless, the One-Eyed Ghost pulled his saber back to block the sword.
CLANG!
The One-Eyed Ghost had underestimated Huang Yulang’s strength.
The Spirit Wood Sword merely tapped the Big Ring Saber, but the force sent the saber’s own blade smashing into his forehead.
“Aargh—” With a piercing scream, the One-Eyed Ghost was thrown backward, crashing heavily to the ground.
His forehead was a bloody mess, his nose was crushed, and he began to writhe in agony.
“Third Brother!”
“Third Bro!”
The other three were horrified and enraged.
The Steel Fork Ghost and Green-faced Ghost attacked in unison.
A steel fork thrust toward Huang Yulang’s heart, while the Green-faced Ghost swung his Familiar Copper Rod at Huang Yulang’s legs.
“Hmph.” Huang Yulang swept his Spirit Wood Sword again, sending the Steel Fork Ghost stumbling back.
At the same time, his left hand shot down and grabbed the Familiar Copper Rod.
With a sudden yank, he snatched the rod right out of the Green-faced Ghost’s hands.
The two ghosts’ expressions changed drastically.
Before the Steel Fork Ghost could charge again, Huang Yulang swung the Familiar Copper Rod and smashed it toward the Green-faced Ghost’s head.
“Fourth Brother, watch out!” The Big Hammer Ghost and Steel Fork Ghost charged forward desperately.
The Green-faced Ghost instinctively raised his arms to block.
In the nick of time, a large hammer and a steel fork appeared simultaneously above the Green-faced Ghost’s head to intercept the blow.
BOOM.
The Familiar Copper Rod came crashing down.
The hammer and fork simply couldn’t withstand the force of Huang Yulang’s strike.
No matter how hard the two ghosts tried to block, the large hammer was smashed directly onto the Green-faced Ghost’s arms.
The Green-faced Ghost’s arms snapped on impact.
Before he could even scream, the terrifying hammer, carrying an unparalleled force, crashed down on his head.
With a sickening SPLAT, the poor Green-faced Ghost’s upper body was reduced to a meat paste.
It was a gruesome sight.
“No…” Seeing this, the other two felt their eyes would split with rage.
They desperately tried to pull their weapons back for a final stand, but the Familiar Copper Rod held them fast.
With a backhand motion, Huang Yulang swept his sword.
The Spirit Wood Sword struck the tall, skinny man hard in the waist.
He let out a terrified scream as his body was sent flying, smashing against a large boulder.
He was reduced to a bloody pulp, his life extinguished.
The Big Hammer Ghost saw Huang Yulang standing there like a Killing God and the gruesome deaths of his two younger brothers.
The fiend was utterly terrified.
Abandoning his hammer, he turned and ran for his life.
The One-Eyed Ghost, still writhing in pain nearby, had just recovered enough to witness the bloody, cruel scene.
His single remaining eye filled with utter terror.
He scrambled to his feet and tried to flee.
“Thinking of leaving now?
A little late for that, don’t you think?” Huang Yulang dashed forward, instantly catching up to the Big Hammer Ghost.
Before the ghost could react, the Spirit Wood Sword pierced through his heart.
“No…” The Big Hammer Ghost collapsed limply to the ground.
Huang Yulang casually hurled the Familiar Copper Rod he was holding.
It flew through the air like a javelin with a WHOOSH.
THUNK!
The One-Eyed Ghost, who hadn’t gotten far, was impaled through the back by the Familiar Copper Rod, pinning him dead to a large tree.
Huang Yulang stood there quietly.
A bloody light once again emerged from the Jade Pendant on his chest.
A moment later, his blood began to boil, and an even greater power started to well up inside him.
‘Tsk, tsk.
Ordinary beasts just can’t compare to people with abundant Blood Qi.
The Essence of Blood and Qi from four first-rate masters is worth as much as that of seven or eight large black bears.’
Huang Yulang clicked his tongue, but he understood.
While the Blood Qi of beasts was vigorous, this vigor was a natural function of their bodies.
The Blood Qi of a martial arts master, on the other hand, was cultivated day after day.
Its essence was exceptionally pure, far beyond what an ordinary beast could compare to.
Huang Yulang glanced at the corpses of the Meishan Four Ghosts.
Although this was his first time killing, he felt no burden in his heart.
They were monstrously evil men whose deaths were not to be mourned.
‘In the future, when I enter the Immortal Realm, killing and plundering will be common.
A Saintly Heart is a liability.
He who hesitates is lost.’ Huang Yulang’s mental fortitude was strong.
He merely glanced at the four corpses before turning to descend the mountain.
Before dawn the next day, Huang Yulang changed into a plain gray robe and slipped out of the Huang Mansion.
His father didn’t object to him venturing into the martial world, but his mother was very reluctant to see him go.
After much persuasion, and after he proved he now had the strength to protect himself, his mother couldn’t hold out any longer and tearfully agreed.
As for the matter with that dandy from the Xu Family, Huang Yulang couldn’t be bothered to deal with him personally.
He’d just have his father pay the Xu Family a visit later to give them a warning.
There was no need to get into a bitter struggle with the Xu Family; it would be very disadvantageous for the Huang Mansion at present.
He was now a master in his own right.
The provocations of an ant were naturally beneath his notice.
Huang Yulang had two goals upon leaving the Huang Mansion.
The first was to continue increasing his strength, and the second was to eliminate the River Bandits.
For the past few months, that band of scourges had continued to target the Huang Mansion’s businesses.
The waterway system of the Huai River was complex, and the bandits used it to appear and disappear like ghosts.
His father had been unable to do anything about them for a time, and they had caused considerable losses for the Huang Mansion.
Huang Yulang was now what could be called a master at the peak of the first-rate.
Once he increased his strength a little more, he would go settle the score with those River Bandits.
Meishan County was vast and sparsely populated, naturally because Meishan itself was so large, covering almost the entire county.
The mountains were also teeming with tigers, leopards, jackals, and wolves, so few people lived there.
Dressed as an ordinary youth, Huang Yulang ventured deep into Meishan.
He found a small, scenic valley and planted the Array Banners his master had given him in specific positions.
Soon, thin streams of Spiritual Qi began to gather from all directions.
Huang Yulang was very satisfied.
He sat down cross-legged and began his cultivation.
A few miles southwest of Huang Yulang’s valley, a Black-Spotted Python over ten meters long lay perfectly still amidst the dead leaves on the ground, waiting for an opportunity.
A small monkey came swinging from branch to branch, and as luck would have it, ended up right above the Black-Spotted Python.
It turned out to be a chestnut tree, but only the topmost branches had a few scattered chestnuts left.
The monkey, relying on its light and agile body, leaped up and grabbed the very tip of a branch.
However, the branch couldn’t bear its weight and broke with a SNAP.
The little monkey lost its balance and fell with the broken branch.
Fortunately, it was exceptionally agile.
Just before hitting the forest floor, it managed to grab hold of another branch, saving itself from the fall.
Relieved, the little monkey let its guard down.
But unexpectedly, the python on the ground below shot up, opened its massive maw, and bit down hard on the little monkey’s rear.
SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK—
The little monkey struggled and shrieked desperately.
Startled, the nearby birds flapped their wings and fled.
The poor little monkey was no match for the giant python.
The venom quickly took effect, and it lost all signs of life before being swallowed into the python’s belly.
But a single small monkey was not enough to satisfy the giant python’s appetite.
This spot was no longer suitable for an ambush, so the Black-Spotted Python slithered away, making its way toward the valley where Huang Yulang was.