The large troop did not return until evening, bringing back the seven bandit corpses they had found to Clearwind Manor.
After carefully examining them several times, Bai Wuji said, “Judging from the degree of decomposition, they all died within the past few days. And judging from the sword wounds, they were clearly inflicted by the same person. Moreover, the attacker’s sword techniques are becoming increasingly proficient.”
He furrowed his brows and looked at Niu Qingyang. “To make such utterly astonishing progress in a mere few days, Brother Niu, your Qingshui County has produced such a peerless genius, yet you have not heard even the slightest news?”
Niu Qingyang glanced at Wang Yuanjia, who was standing beside him, and thought, “As far as talent goes, I am afraid no one in all of Qingshui County can surpass Yuan Jia. But he definitely did not do this. He has only practiced martial arts for three months and does not possess such ability. Then who could it be? Could there truly be someone in Qingshui County even more gifted than Yuan Jia? No, even if such a person existed, who taught him martial arts? In Qingshui County, no one has the ability to train a disciple like that!”
After pondering for a moment, he said, “Brother Bai, are you certain you did not misjudge? Even if the attacker is a newcomer who has only just entered the martial world and has little reputation, anyone capable of training such a disciple could not possibly be an unknown nobody. Setting aside Qingshui County, even throughout Yulong Commandery, have any of you heard of such a formidable figure?”
The several Sect Masters pondered for a moment, then shook their heads one after another.
A disciple in the crowd whispered to the person beside him, “Could it be the world’s number one martial artist, Liu Fengliu, who has come to our territory?”
Meng Chenggang overheard him. Regardless of whose disciple he was, he scolded, “Nonsense! Use your brain before you speak. With Liu Fengliu’s cultivation, how could he be so hesitant and clumsy? Given his temperament, he would probably find killing them one by one with a single sword insufficiently satisfying!”
The disciples fell silent under his glare, and no one dared to speak carelessly again.
The several Sect Masters discussed the matter for a while longer, but still found no leads, so they could only let it go.
After everyone dispersed to rest, Wang Yuanjia observed that Niu Qingyang seemed to be in a decent mood and asked, “Master, is Liu Fengliu truly the world’s number one martial artist? Are there really no one in the Three Mountains, Five Sacred Mountains, and Twelve Grotto Heavens—the martial world’s holy lands—who can surpass him?”
Niu Qingyang had always been extremely kind when dealing with his disciples. Toward this disciple in whom he placed great hopes, he was even more affectionate. Smiling gently, he said, “In terms of martial cultivation, Liu Fengliu is certainly not the number one in the world. It is said that the martial world’s holy lands contain many Immortal-level figures who have lived for over a hundred years and possess extremely senior standing. They devote themselves to cultivation and rarely show themselves in the mortal world. Compared to them, Liu Fengliu’s cultivation is probably still far inferior.”
Seeing the doubt in Wang Yuanjia’s eyes, Niu Qingyang continued, “The main reason Liu Fengliu has acquired the reputation of being the world’s number one is that, at the age of just over thirty, he had already broken through to the Qiankun Realm. Such a person is truly rare in a hundred years. Given enough time, he may genuinely reach the pinnacle of martial arts.”
Wang Yuanjia clenched his fists and silently calculated whether, judging by his own cultivation progress, he had any chance of surpassing this number one martial artist in the world.
Niu Qingyang patted him on the shoulder and smiled. “Haste makes waste. Adjust your state of mind, and never be anxious to achieve success. With your aptitude, as long as you are willing to work hard and cultivate steadily, taking one step at a time, you may not be without a chance of surpassing Liu Fengliu.”
Wang Yuanjia’s heart surged with excitement.
Over the next few days, the five Sect Masters did not relax. They continued leading people into Guidang Mountain to search carefully for traces of Zhao Fenghu. Yet after another five days, they still failed to find a single living person, while bringing back another twenty or so corpses.
After examining the last corpse, Bai Wuji furrowed his brows and pondered for a long while before suddenly saying, “Our earlier deduction was probably wrong.”
He pointed at the corpses before him. “Look at the sword wounds on these bodies. The attacker’s strikes are more seasoned and ruthless each time. If the attacker truly is a novice who has only just set foot on the martial path, then this speed of progress is so astonishing that even the word ‘terrifying’ falls far short of describing it. I absolutely do not believe that such a person could exist in this world!”
The others nodded one after another. According to their earlier deduction, this mysterious newcomer who had only just entered the martial world had advanced in martial arts at a simply horrifying rate. They were all veterans who had roamed the Jianghu for many years and possessed broad experience. Even the most outstanding genius in the Three Mountains, Five Sacred Mountains, and Twelve Grotto Heavens could never possess such talent!
Niu Qingyang asked, “Then what is your view now, Brother Bai?”
Bai Wuji pondered and said, “It now seems that the attacker most likely already possessed extremely high cultivation, but lacked experience fighting opponents. That would explain everything. As the number of battles increased, he became increasingly skilled at killing enemies!”
The other Sect Masters thought that, if this were the case, then everything would make perfect sense.
Niu Qingyang thought for a moment and said, “There is no such person in Qingshui County. Do any of you Brothers know whether someone like this exists anywhere in our Yulong Commandery?”
The others furrowed their brows and pondered deeply, then shook their heads one after another.
Bai Wuji’s eyes suddenly lit up. He slapped his palm and said, “I know! The attacker is most likely Young Master Qin of White Jade Manor in Jingzhou City! I heard that he has been cultivating behind closed doors for years and has never fought anyone before, which matches the circumstances here perfectly. Besides, throughout all of Jingzhou, there is no one other than him who could possess such ability.”
The several Sect Masters exchanged glances, their faces revealing looks of sudden realization.
In Jingzhou, whether martial world practitioners or ordinary common people, no one was unaware of White Jade Manor’s reputation, because White Jade Manor was the largest martial sect in all of Jingzhou.
And Young Master Qin of the manor was a martial arts prodigy who had not appeared in Jingzhou for hundreds of years. Before reaching the age of twenty, he had already opened seventy-one major acupoints. In other words, despite not yet being of age, he was only one step away from the Hongmeng Realm!
However, Jingzhou City was not close to Qingshui County. Even traveling day and night, the timing did not seem to fit.
Bai Wuji said, “There is something you do not know. I heard that because Young Master Qin has never managed to open his final major acupoint, he left the manor about a month ago to travel and seek an opportunity for a breakthrough. As things stand, he happened to come to Qingshui County.”
The riddle that had troubled them for many days was finally solved.
Meng Chenggang said, “With Young Master Qin here, the likes of Zhao Fenghu are no longer worth worrying about. I say we should disperse now. Continuing to search would only waste our effort.”
“No, we must continue entering the mountains!” Despite his advanced age, Bai Wuji’s face was faintly flushed with excitement as he said, “This is an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years. If we are fortunate enough to encounter Young Master Qin, we will have a chance to establish ties with White Jade Manor!”
The other four were stunned for a moment, then their eyes lit up one after another. Clearly, they were deeply tempted.
The next day, everyone set out for Guidang Mountain as usual.
Wang Yuanjia said, “Master, now that there is no longer any danger, may I call the villagers back? It has not been easy for them to hide in the mountains.”
Seeing how concerned he remained for his fellow villagers, Niu Qingyang was very pleased. He said, “Go ahead, and be careful.”
Wang Yuanjia left the group and hurried toward Liuyun Mountain. When he was young, his Third Uncle had taken him to several caves where, according to legend, their ancestors had hidden to escape disaster. Now he searched for the route while recalling his memories.
His memory was quite good. Although many years had passed, he found the villagers’ hiding place without spending much time.
The villagers were extremely surprised to see him and hurriedly asked how things were outside and whether Baitou Village had been destroyed.
Wang Yuanjia thought that they could not possibly know the truth anyway and said, “That day, after I returned to Clearwind Manor, I immediately risked being expelled from the sect and repeatedly begged my Master. Fortunately, my Master values me highly. That very night, he gathered my martial brothers and entered the mountains to suppress the bandits. By today, we have killed more than thirty of them. The rest were scared out of their wits and are hiding in the mountains, afraid to come out. My Master is still leading people in search of them. Everyone, you do not need to hide here anymore. You can go down the mountain and return home!”
“Th-then, you mean Baitou Village is still fine? The bandits did not destroy it?”
Wang Yuanjia smiled. “Everything is completely unharmed. Not even a single chicken, duck, or livestock animal died.”
The villagers erupted in cheers and praised him repeatedly. Amid the wave of acclaim, he had already become the pride of the entire village.
Li Gouzi watched coldly from the side. Brother Stone had begged Old Immortal Niu that day, yet Old Immortal Niu had clearly been somewhat afraid of those Brutal Bandits as well. How could he have suddenly changed his mind? He said, “What a load of boasting. You really have no shame!”
Wang Yuanjia raised his brows and looked at him. “If anyone does not believe me, they can go down the mountain and see for themselves. Later today, when my Master and my martial brothers return from searching the mountains, they will pass through Baitou Village. Everyone will naturally be able to see them then.”
Seeing how utterly confident he sounded, Li Gouzi was genuinely unsure.
He had been worried about Li Qingshi all these days and had originally wanted to ask Wang Yuanjia whether he had seen him. But now he did not want to say another word to Wang Yuanjia. He packed his things with his mother and hurried down the mountain.
When the people returned to Baitou Village, they saw that everything was indeed almost exactly as it had been when they left. Overjoyed, they each returned home to settle in.
Baitou Village became lively once more.
Amid the commotion, a woman’s voice suddenly pierced the noise as she shrieked, “Where are my chickens?!”