Chapter 481: The Young Master of Iron Gut Faction
The Iron Gut Faction.
Their headquarters was located at the north of Mountain w.a.n.gfeng, a peak which shares the same vein of Qi Pulse with Mountain Wolong. While there was a dozen of other factions who were based within that area, their influence was comparable to the Hundred Beasts Faction.
It was eleven at night when Chen Xiaobei arrived outside the building. However, every single light of the faction was turned on and every member seemed animated despite the time – it appeared that something interesting was happening inside.
Xiaoyao and a rather plump person were already waiting for him at the entrance when he arrived.
“Let me introduce you two. This is Chen Xiaobei who I mentioned earlier, and this is Uncle Jinliu – my father’s best friend. Let’s head inside right now!” Xiaoyao threw a hasty introduction before entering the building – Chen Xiaobei could see a tear mark on her face. He and Uncle Jinliu simply nodded at each other before following her inside.
Most of the faction members seemed to have gathered around the building’s arena, which was why there was no one else around the other parts building.
“Tell me. What happened?” Chen Xiaobei asked Xiaoyao as they hurried ahead.
“My dad wanted to join the Iron Gut Faction once we landed in Dragon City,” she replied. “Everything was fine in the beginning, although we were told that we have to wait for the faction leader to return before we can join the faction. However, everything changed when he did come back…”
“What happened? Did the faction leader changed his mind?” Chen Xiaobei frowned in disgust, while Jinliu suddenly looked rather guilty.
“No, but the faction leader returned with his son – the young master of the Iron Gut Faction. He wanted me to become his wife once he saw me, and told my father to agree before we can join the faction… I just met him once! It’s impossible for me to say yes!”
“So, my father decided not to join the faction and we prepared to leave,” she continued. “However, they wouldn’t let us, and said that we can’t just simply run away after we came. They then challenged my dad to a fight, and we can’t leave if he loses!”
“What the h.e.l.l?!” Chen Xiaobei said angrily. “They don’t allow you to join or leave?! They are totally messing with you guys; their faces are thicker than concrete walls!”
“It’s my fault actually!” Jinliu replied guiltily. “I was boasting about Xiaoyao being the most beautiful girl in Green Vine City… If not, Hu Gaoyi definitely wouldn’t have messed with them…”
“Uncle Jinliu, it’s not your fault!” Xiaoyao pursed her lips. “That degenerate would have met me even if you didn’t say that – and it isn’t possible to control his decision either. I’m to be blamed for all this – nothing would have happened if I just stayed with Wenyuan. I really shouldn’t have clung on my father!”
“No.” Chen Xiaobei cut her self-accusation short. “You are separated from your father for such a long time, it’s only right that you spend time him! If there’s anyone to be blame, it’s that f.u.c.king pervert – he shouldn’t force you to marry him. I’ll deal with him later, don’t worry!”
“Xiaobei… You are so nice…” Xiaoyao was touched.
Jinliu thought it was a bad idea, however. “Young man, don’t risk your life!” he exclaimed. “Hu Gaoyi is extremely powerful, and they have around two followers… It won’t end well for you!”
Clearly, Jinliu thought that he was just another young man. He was not very happy with Chen Xiaobei making such absurd claims, and could not figure out why Xiaoyao would insist on asking him to help them either.
“Uncle Jinliu, don’t worry,” Xiaoyao said seriously. “Xiaobei is really powerful – he has at least six thousand combat power!”
“What?” The plump man called out in shock. “Six thousand combat power at his age? That… That is unbelievable… I really shouldn’t judge the book by its cover.”
He was almost fifty years old, and had only reached six thousand combat power recently. He blushed, never expecting that the young man who stood in front of him possessed the same strength. It was fortunate that he did not mock Chen Xiaobei – how embarra.s.sed he would be otherwise!
However, he and Xiaoyao remained unaware that six thousand combat power was just half his real combat power! Xiaoyao also believed that Chen Xiaobei’s combat power had not increased since he left Green Vine City; she had no idea that his strength had increased tremendously after some intensive training at Golden Dragon Temple.
“I admit that you can be considered as a prodigy when you achieve six thousand combat power at your age,” Jinliu suddenly said. “However, it’s still not enough to defeat Hu Gaoyi, who has around seven thousand combat power. He would walk all over you!”
“Xiaobei, I also think you shouldn’t risk your life,” Xiaoyao quickly turned on her panic mode too. “I didn’t know Hu Gaoyi was that powerful… And then there’s his father and two hundred faction members!”
“Don’t worry. I could handle it!” Chen Xiaobei said confidently; he fought back his urge to laugh.
“But…” Xiaoyao and Jinliu were really worried for him, but could not offer any further protest.
The trio finally arrived at the arena, where the battle between Murong Tian and Hu Goayi had already begun. There were two hundred faction members watching the show, all keenly antic.i.p.ating the moment Murong Tian become joke of the night.
There was a throne-like chair in front of the arena where the faction leader Hu Haifeng sat.
He was fiddling with two little jade b.a.l.l.s in his hands, and judging from his lazy expression, the whole fight was a farce.
“Murong Tian!” Hu Gaoyi yelled darkly. “Are you sure you won’t lose to me? I’m marrying your daughter sooner or later anyway. I’m helping you save face, so please don’t embarra.s.s yourself here!”
The man was around thirty plus years old, with black teeth and a contorted mouth that does not sit well together with his other facial features. He would never be a match for a beauty like Xiaoyao.
Not that a legendary hero of Jianghu like Murong Tian would simply cave to his whims.
“If the price of surrendering to you is a happy life for my daughter, I would rather be killed.” Murong Tian replied gravely.
“s.h.i.+t, now I’m offended!” Hu Gaoyi screamed in fury. “I’m the young master of Iron Gut Faction and would soon be qualified enough to join the Xuanjian Faction. My future is brighter than the stars – you should be honored that I want to marry your daughter!”
“What? The Xuanjian Faction!” Murong Tian exclaimed shock.
“Why? Afraid of me so much now you’ll let me marry your daughter? Hahaha…” Hu Gaoyi laughed arrogantly. “Xuanjuan faction is the most powerful faction in Jianghu. Soon, you can’t even kiss my a.s.s if you don’t let me marry your daughter now!”
“Cut the c.r.a.p, I’m not surrendering! Let’s fight!” Murong Tian shouted.
“Hold on!” Chen Xiaobei suddenly shouted.
Chapter 482: Time To Win
“Who do you think you are? You have no right to interfere when there is a duel in the Iron Gut Faction!” Hu Gaoyi glared at Chen Xiaobei sn.o.bbishly.
The rest of the faction members, too, glared at him hostilely – any fight, even within a faction was serious business. They would never allow any outsider to interrupt.
Meanwhile, the faction leader, Hu Haifeng squinted and continued with his meditation. Chen Xiaobei’s appearance did not bother him in the least.
“I’m Uncle Murong’s friend,” Chen Xiaobei said. “I’ll fight you instead!”
“F*cking r.e.t.a.r.d!” Hu Gaoyi rolled his eyes and mocked him. “Do you even know what you’re saying? Taking his place – do you have a death wish?”
“That brat is insane. Challenging our young master… he doesn’t want to live!”
“I think he’s here to die for Murong Tian!”
“I’ve seen many idiots during my time… But I couldn’t believe how fast they popped up. Just when I thought Murong Tian was an idiot dumb enough to fight our young master, there’s another dumber one here to ask for his death!”
Every faction member began to laugh and mock Chen Xiaobei.
“Xiaobei, don’t get involved!” Murong Tian frowned.
He glowered at his own daughter, clearly blaming her for dragging the young man into this mess. Meanwhile, she and Jinliu were whispering to Chen Xiaobei in a last-ditch effort to pull him away. Naturally, he ignored them.
“Do you have the b.a.l.l.s?” He asked Hu Gaoyi flatly. “Yes or no?”
“Just die. However, I can only fight one opponent at a time, it’s faction rules! No one can interrupt this battle. I’ll crush Murong Tian first, and trample you like an ant!”
“That’s…” Chen Xiaobei was suddenly frowning after a glance at Hu Haifeng.
Ding!
[Cultivation: Later phase of Qi refining stage. Health: 15000. Combat power: 15000!]
‘Hmmm. That old b.a.s.t.a.r.d is too powerful… I don’t think I can defeat him even if I use my Blood Chaos Sword Essence – not that I can pull my treasures out as I like!’ Chen Xiaobei thought, and started formulated plans to weasel out of this one.
“Uncle Murong,” he called out to Murong Tian. “Hang in there, I’ll think of something!”
“Sure!” Murong Tian nodded, although he was not really feeling hopeful give their current circ.u.mstance. No one could interrupt his fight against Hu Gaoyi – and he was already prepared for the worst-case scenario.
“Murong Tian, I’m giving you one last chance to surrender!” Hu Gaoyi grinned and clenched his fist.
“No. I’ll never sacrifice my daughter!” Murong Tian replied determinedly.
“Dad…” Xiaoyao was so emotional she could not hold back her tears.
“s.h.i.+t… s.h.i.+t…” Jinliu was really nervous.
Through it all, Chen Xiaobei was trying to get someone with his cellphone.
“Mountain Splitting Hammer!” Murong Tian roared, his fists poised at Hu Gaoyi’s head as he leapt into the air. He had mustered all five thousand combat power of his – it looked powerful enough to split a mountain!
“Garbage! You should have surrender to me since your combat is so much lower than me!” Hu Gaoyi shrugged arrogantly and raised his right fist. It appeared that he was not going to dodge, but would counter Murong Tian’s offense with brute strength.
*Pow!*
Hu Gaoyi broke Murong Tian’s attack with all his might.
*Crack*
The sound of something breaking followed, and Murong Tian’s left arm was dislocated. He screamed in agony
“Dad!”
“Brother Murong!”
Xiaoyao and Jinliu screamed.
Infuriated, Chen Xiaobei glared at Hu Gaoyi with eyes that could kill. However, he did not put away his cellphone.
“Pick up the call! Pick up the call…” he muttered.
“That’s the price for not surrendering to me!” Hu Gaoyi laughed.
Although Murong Tian was essentially out of the fight, he maintained his offense, charging towards his opponent and landing a kick on his rib cage.
*Crack*
*Crack*
*Crack*
Murong Tian had at least three ribs broken – the sound of his bones breaking echoed in everyone’s ears. He stumbled a few steps back as blood started to gush out from his mouth; he barely had the strength to keep himself aloft.
“Dad!!!” Xiaoyao screamed hysterically, her eyes even more puffy as she was forced to watch the brutal a.s.sault on her father. She would have ran on stage and tore Hu Gaoyi apart if Jinliu did not hold her back.
“Haha! Our young master is the best! Our young master is the best!”
“This is the underworld king of Green Vine City? He’s just a garbage in front of our young master! Hahaha…”
“I’m so proud of our young master! In the future, he will become Liu Hengyi’s s.h.i.+di after he joins the Xianjian Faction… And we will profit too!”
“That’s a fact! Our young master’s future is bright!”
The faction members of Iron Gut were excited, and were already taking turns groveling at their future leader. Their almost overwhelming bootlicking made Hu Gaoyi felt like he was in cloud nine.
“Old w.a.n.g! Have you reached your limit on cursing others?”
The mortal deity finally answered Chen Xiaobei’s phone call after some time. The others were too busy watching the battle to paying attention to him.
“I have one last curse left for today… My fans are getting bored of me because I’ve been using my ability for too many times recently… What should I do?” Old w.a.n.g asked nervously.
“Now’s the chance to get more fans, then!” Chen Xiaobei exclaimed. “I’m going to video call you right now, so connect our video call to your stream. Just curse that ugly man in front of all your viewers!”
Within seconds, Old w.a.n.g did as he was told – he had become rather tech savvy after streaming for just a few days. Meanwhile, the general chat section of Old w.a.n.g’s stream was flooded with baffled messages.
[Master w.a.n.g! What the h.e.l.l are you going to do? Are you stopping your Mobile Legends stream?]
[What the f*ck! Are you live streaming some kind of compet.i.tion? Is that an underground fighting club? That old man over there looks like he is vomiting blood…]
[That other guy looks so d.a.m.n ugly. Punch that f.u.c.king face – I hope the old man wins his face!]
[Impossible, he’s already vomiting blood… How could he win – wait, I know! Master Wong can curse that f.u.c.kface with his ability!]
[Master w.a.n.g! Do it!]
“Sure, but I need all of you to bring others to my stream frist. I need the right timing to use my ability!” Old w.a.n.g glued his eyes to the screen, prepared to unleash his ability at a moment’s notice.
The stream now resembled a scene out of a martial arts movie.
“Murong Tian, I’ve only broke few of your ribs,” Hu Gaoyi laughed arrogantly. “You can get a doctor to fix that in a second, but if you insist I’ll hurt you so bad you’ll spend the rest of your life on a wheelchair!”
“Dad, just surrender! Don’t get hurt because of me… Sob…” Xiaoyao was bawling in despair now, her face full of tear marks and her body was trembling. There was simply no hope in sight.
“No! I will never surrender!”
[Who is Murong Tian?]
[He is that legendary hero!]’
[Well, he’s no longer a hero if he surrenders to that ugly b.a.s.t.a.r.d!]
“Don’t blame me for killing you!” Hu Gaoyi shouted and charged towards Murong Tian like a lion pouncing at its prey.
“Uncle Murong, don’t be afraid. You can win now!” Chen Xiaobei suddenly shouted.
Chapter 483: Something Unexpected Happened
Murong Tian can win now?
Everyone around the arena was left dumbfounded, and stared at Chen Xiaobei as if he was an idiot. Murong Tian’s situation could not be worse – he was badly hurt and his opponent outcla.s.sed him in every way. It was nothing but a pipe dream for him to win.
Even Xiaoyao and Jinliu stared with their mouths hanging open at Chen Xiaobei as well.
“I’m not asking you to come here to give us nonsense!” Jinliu said angrily. “You’re supposed to help us!”
He never intended to vent at the young man, but right now Murong Tian was about to be killed. It was natural for him to get angry too – not even Murong Tian believed Chen Xiaobei entirely.
Against Hu Gaoyi, he could not do nothing but let out a quiet sigh.
Suddenly!
The crowd looked on in shock as Hu Gaoyi – the seven thousand combat power Jianghu elite, the young master of Iron Gut, future apprentice of Xuanwu Faction, and the one everyone in the Iron Gut Faction admired fell mid-charge! He skidded for a distance, and finally stopped in front of Murong Tian’s feet.
“Uncle Murong! Don’t hesitate! Now’s your chance” Chen Xiaobei was the only one who stayed calm. Like a director of a movie who had everything under his control, he acted as if everything would go his way as long his actors would follow his word.
Murong Tian was shocked too, but quickly moved according to his script.
“Death!” He cried, and grabbed Hu Gaoyi’s throat with his right hand, choking it with the vice grip of a wild beast.
“Guuurk…” Hu Gaoyi suffocated as soon as he noted groggily that he failed to nullify Murong Tian’s attack. His face soon flushed a crimson, and no amount of combat power could free himself. The outcome of the battle was crystal clear when the most vulnerable part of his body was caught.
“Hu Gaoyi! Will you surrender?!” Murong Tian was a true Jianghu boss again – the way he glared at Hu Gaoyi now was like that of a tiger glaring at its prey.
“I… Will never surrender… It’s an accident… We need to have a rematch…” The heir of the Iron Gut faction could barely mouth the words, but he stubbornly refused to yield. Still, it was a far cry from the tough-guy expression he showed when he kept taunting Murong Tian.
Indeed, Hu Gaoyi would be completely humiliated if he decided to give up. He would not be able to hold his head upright in Jianghu once news of such embarra.s.sment traveled to other factions.
“No? Don’t blame me for being merciless!” Murong Tian finally showed his reputation as one not to be messed with. He choked Hu Gaoyi even harder.
“Urgh….” The ugly man garbled in agony; he could feel his windpipe giving way soon.
“He yields!” Hu Haifeng roared sternly.
Finally, Hu Haifeng had opened his eyes and stopped meditating. Although he stood grandly, he was voluntarily surrendering to Murong Tian.
All the disciples of Iron Gut Faction were stunned. They could not believe what they just heard – their leader was pleading mercy for his child, and from an opponent who was far too inferior!
It was incomprehensible!
“By the G.o.ds… Is… Is that real?” Murong Tian and Jinliu were left dumbfounded too, quite doubtful of what was happening right in front of their eyes.
“Motherf*cker! Die!” Hu Gaoyi refused to join the pity party. He struggled, hoping to land a lethal hit on Murong Tian.
“Stop!” Hu Haifeng shouted, his dominating aura spilling and stuffing the atmosphere.
“Yes…” Hu Gaoyi’s body trembled involuntarily. He would never dare to disobey his father, and so he gritted his teeth and calmed himself.
“This… What the h.e.l.l is going on?” Everyone around the arena still had a hard time to returning to reality. Hu Gaoyi was not winning – he had already won, which made it even harder for them to accept that he simply fell to the ground and let things slip so dramatically. It was utterly moronic!
“Dad!”
“Brother Murong!”
Xiaoyao and Jinliu cried out as they quickly ran to Murong Tian to help him up.
“Dad! What just happened? I almost can’t believe Hu Gaoyi was such an idiot!” Xiaoyao asked with tears of joy all over her face.
“I’m not too sure… But I think it has everything to do with Xiaobei… I would have died here if it wasn’t for him!” Murong Tian said with a husky voice.
“Xiaobei?” Xiaoyao quickly turned and looked around to him. “That a.s.shole was still playing with his phone just now! How would my dad’s victory have anything to do with him?”
Jinliu stared at Chen Xiaobei, baffled. “However, Mr. Chen did predict that Brother Murong Tian is going to win in this battle!” He exclaimed, suddenly remembering. “Is that a coincidence? Or, did he do something secretly in the dark?”
The trio looked at the youth in question, who was still playing with his cellphone.
“It increased! It increased again, and tremendously too. It’s like my first day seeing fans pouring in – they are complimenting that my Mouth of Curses is awesome! Also, they said that my stream is really exciting… Hahaha! So many presents, I just received a ton of Dried Fis.h.!.+ And another filthy rich dude just rewarded me with a Rocket… Xiaobei! I’m so happy right now!”
Old w.a.n.g exclaimed as he danced in front of his computer like one of those infamous man-child.
“I’m glad for you too. Anyway, let me settle my problem here first, I’ll chat more when I get back. I’m hanging up now!” Chen Xiaobei said as he hung and walked towards Murong Tian.
“Uncle Murong, let me take a look at your injuries!”
Chen Xiaobei, who was well-versed at medicine, set Murong Tian’s broken bone in seconds, before feeding the man a bottle of Hundred Herbs Potion.
*Phew*
Murong Tian was quickly relieved of any pain. “Xiaobei!” He exclaimed in pleasant surprise. “What did you just give me? I feel like all my injuries have recovered!”
“It’s a secret potion that my master pa.s.sed to me. It works wonder on recent injuries.” Chen Xiaobei quickly made up something to stop them from asking any more awkward questions.
“Master? I knew it!” Murong Tian smiled knowingly, growing ever fonder of the youth. “You’re no ordinary boy…. However, I’m really grateful that you helped me win this fight!”
“a.s.shole Xiaobei! Thank you so much for healing my father…” Xiaoyao thanked him too, despite being the unreasonable one from time to time.
Jinliu, meanwhile, quickly apologized. “Mr. Chen… I offended you earlier… I hope you can forgive me…”
“None taken. It’s fine, I understand that you were worried about Murong Tian. Anyway, it’s all over now. Let’s go-”
“Hold on! Did I ever mentioned that you can leave?” Hu Haifeng called out darkly.
“Leader Hu…” Murong Tian frowned. “You are still a reputable leader in Jianghu, you can’t just break your promise!”
“Hehe… I always stick to my promise,” the older Hu chuckled, narrowing his eyes and staring at them with an air of arrogance. “And like we agreed, your daughter can leave since you’ve won! However, you, that traitor Jinliu and that b.a.s.t.a.r.d who came out of nowhere aren’t allowed one step out!”
Hu Gaoyi was breathed new life after he heard his father. “Brothers, surround them!” He flailed his arms and shouted. “Don’t let them leave!”
All two hundred members of the Iron Gut Faction surrounded Chen Xiaobei and the others immediately.
Chapter 484: It Hurts To Look At It
“Old f*ck! You’re despicable!” Infuriated, Murong Xiaoyao pointed and screamed at Hu Haifeng.
However, Hu Haifeng himself was a hateful but experience Jianghu elite. He would not care about the words of a young girl like Xiaoyao.
“It’s useless to keep spewing nonsense.” He replied flatly, fiddling with the two jade b.a.l.l.s in his hand once more. “According to our rules, I will let one more person leave if one of you can win the next fight. Naturally, all of you could just stay here if you’re afraid of taking the challenge. If so, don’t blame me for not giving you a second chance!”
“Hmph! For you weaklings, I alone am more than enough!” Hu Gaoyi strutted forward, and grinned while cracking his fists. “No mercy this time! I will cripple any who come against me!”
Murong Tian and Jinliu were upset Hu Haifeng’s words. His son, Hu Gaoyi was much more powerful than both of them – it was impossible for them to defeat him, much less fight three more rounds against him so that all four of them could leave.
“It’s ridiculous! How are we supposed to do that?!” Xiaoyao retorted tempestuously.
“Lady, you’re too naïve. This is Jianghu, not a kindergarten! Combat power is the only thing that matters here. So just try and beat me, and you could leave – or just kneel like a good doggy! Understood?” Hu Gaoyi mocked haughtily.
“Young master is right! Combat power is the only rule of Jianghu!”
“Those with the highest combat power are the only ones fit to rule. That’s the single iron rule of Jianghu!”
“Our young master’s combat power is extraordinary; his fist alone can scare them to death! He’s so great… And cool!”
The other Iron Gut members were excited once more, and they started to refill the air with their chorus of groveling and boot-licking. To them, Murong Tian and his party would never have the courage challenge their young master once more. His victory was a.s.sured.
“I…” Xiaoyao was speechless but visibly livid. It was the same for Murong Tian and Jinliu as well – the three of them thought the entire situation was hopeless.
“I’m going to count to three now. Face me, or stay here! Hahaha…” Hu Gaoyi started to laugh as if a winner who stood at the top of the world. There was no question that he brimmed with arrogance.
Meanwhile, Hu Haifeng had closed his eyes and continued his meditation while fiddling with the jade b.a.l.l.s in his palm again.
That was when Chen Xiaobei stepped up.
“I shall grant your wish since you insist on being defeated by one of us!” He declared calmly.
“What?!” The crowd, including Murong Tian and Xiaoyao, gaped at the young man. They could not believe that he would have the guts to volunteer himself and challenge Hu Gaoyi.
Unbeknownst to them, Chen Xiaobei did not go through the Labyrinth of Wooden Dummies, which led to his own allies to believe that he was still very much a weakling.
That, of course, includes Jinliu.
“Mr. Chen, don’t risk your life!” He squeaked nervously. “This time, Hu Gaoyi will unleash his true combat power, and you will be crippled even if you manage to survive-”
Before he could finish, Chen Xiaobei had already dashed into the arena.
“I just want to make sure that I hear the rules right. Is there a line drawn for our battle? Or, there is no line drawn at all?” Chen asked calmly.
“Bahahaha… I think there is something wrong with this kid. How could he ask such a stupid question?” Hu Gaoyi laughed coldly. “Boy! There’s no line drawn in the Iron Gut Faction. As the saying goes: ‘weapons have no eyes, while fists and legs are out of our control sometimes!’ Death and injuries are extremely common in Jianghu, get lost if you don’t have the b.a.l.l.s to fight!”
“Haha! Young master, you’re right! The disciples of Iron Gut Faction are real men. We never draw a line in our fights!”
“That’s right! Injuries are so common during our daily practice, only wimps draw a line in battle!”
“Brat, run home and ask your mom to breast feed you! Don’t embarra.s.s yourself here! Hahaha…”
The disciples of Iron Gut Faction were taking turns to mock Chen Xiaobei, keenly antic.i.p.ating his surrender like a piece of garbage.
“Fine, I agree with your terms.” He stared at all of them coldly in return. “No line should be drawn in the fight, but I just hope each one of you can remember that!”
“Hahaha… Of course we can remember that! Soon, you will be crippled. Look, the wheelchair and walking stick are waving at you!”
The crowd did their best to belittle and mock Chen Xiaobei, their waves of jibes and taunt surging at the young man mercilessly. Hu Haifeng, too, narrowed his eyes and threw his own snide.
“You arrogant b.a.s.t.a.r.d! You’re being real stupid right now!”
“Xiaobei! Be careful! He… He is really powerful…” Murong Tian frowned, beside himself with worry for Chen Xiaobei.
“a.s.shole Xiaobei! Just take a step back if you can’t defeat him…” Xiaoyao, too, was so worried she kept tugging at her own s.h.i.+rt unconsciously.
“Save your breath. Five moves, I will cripple this b.a.s.t.a.r.d within five moves!” Hu Gaoyi declared pompously.
“Hahaha… Young master, I think you overestimated him! You’ll beat his b.u.t.t in less than five moves!” The crowd laughed at Chen Xiaobei again.
“Exactly! I don’t think I need five moves to defeat him as well – one move is all I need!” Chen Xiaobei roared, and charged towards Hu Gaoyi.
“Hehe! You don’t even know the basic martial arts… You are unworthy!” Hu Gaoyi guffawed and was prepared to simply ignore his attack.
However, everything changed in a split second.
Chen Xiaobei was moving at a demonic speed that was impossible for ordinary people to even catch his shadow. He had caught Hu Gaoyi’s throat before the ugly man even realized it, and his fingers kept digging into flesh.
“How… How is it possible that his movement is getting faster and faster?!! So fast!!!” Some who were fast enough to catch his movements exclaimed.
“What the h.e.l.l just happened… What kind of speed was that… It’s scary…” Hu Gaoyi was already gasping for air while he was still trying to figure out what the deal was with Chen Xiaobei’s speed.
He did not realize the other, more immediate, major threat that was about to devour him.
*Slap*
A loud and powerful slap landed on Hu Gaoyi’s face. The echo from the slapping sound was deafening.
“Argh!!” Hu Gaoyi squealed like a pig. Three teeth coated with blood flew out of his mouth in perfect arches, and landed a few meters away.
*Gasp*
The crowd inhaled sharply and rubbed their faces unconsciously, as if the slaps landed on their own faces. It hurts to look at it.
*Slap!*
Chen Xiaobei landed another slap on Hu Gaoyi with his backhand before the crowd and Hu Gaoyi could gather themselves.
“Ouch!!!”
Another few more teeth escaped from Hu Gaoyi’s mouth. His cheeks were already swollen while the corners inside his mouth were dripping with blood. Somehow, the bleeding was also neatly arranged!
Chapter 485: How Many Unborn Have You Killed?
The two powerful slaps left Hu Gaoyi and the crowd dumbstruck.
They were just mocking Chen Xiaobei a few seconds ago, and were also quite keen on witnessing the moment Hu Gaoyi crushed Chen Xiaobei like an ant.
None of them expected that he turned the tables with his combat power alone! His two slaps were so loud that it threatened to split the sky, and all those Iron Gut faction members who were all sarcastic moments ago could feel his slaps on their faces.
In that very moment, all of them were petrified – even their leader, Hu Haifeng, was staring with gaping eyes. He was humiliated by how by the fight between his son and Chen Xiaobei had ended up.
Earlier, he was musing how the young man was stupid enough to challenge his son. How wrong he was!
“I’m arrogant. But I can be arrogant because I’m powerful!” Chen Xiaobei roared defiantly.
Murong Tian and Chen Xiaobei’s own allies were stunned too. They never dreamt that he could trample all over a formidable foe like Hu Gaoyi.
“a.s.shole Xiaobei! You’re awesome!” Xiaoyao stared in awe and admiration of him with her soulful eyes.
“Xiaobei is so powerful! His speed and strength had surpa.s.sed us greatly!”
Murong Tian and Jinliu, too, were extremely shocked and excited at the same time. They were mad at how arrogant and unreasonable Hu Gaoyi acted was acting, but could do nothing to him – which was why Chen Xiaobei’s powerful slaps were elixir to their hearts and minds. Feeling relieved, they cheered him on excitedly.
“Son of a b.i.t.c.h… I am going to kill you…” Never one to be humiliated, Hu Gaoyi seethed through his remaining teeth while spitting blood.
“Idiot.” Chen Xiaobei’s eyes glinted with murder, and quickly raised his hand to land a chain of slaps on Hu Gaoyi’s face.
“Ouch!! Ouch!! Ouch!!”
Gu Gaoyi squealed like a pig again – which was oddly appropriate since his ugly face now resembled one. All his teeth fell out one by one as blood gushed out from his mouth like a fountain. Soon, he looked like he was expiring.
“d.a.m.n! He’s going to die soon!” The Iron Gut Faction watched, aghast as their jaws dropped to the ground.
“b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Stop right there!”
Hu Haifeng could not simply watch anymore, and was already standing up and glaring at Chen Xiaobei. However, Chen Xiaobei ignored him and merely kept glaring at Hu Gaoyi with his reaper-like stare.
“Do you still want to kill me?” He asked icily.
“I don’t want to kill you anymore… Sob… Sob… Please let me go… I beg you…”
There was almost no teeth left in Hu Gaoyi’s mouth, and he should already be hospitalized for his sheer loss of blood. He did not dare to threaten Chen Xiaobei anymore, and started to act like a scared little puppy.
“Hehe…” Chen Xiaobei giggled condescendingly. He turned around and looked at Hu Haifeng “What say you? Are we allowed to leave now?”
“Leave? Do you really think you can leave this place after you beat up my son?” Hu Haifeng threatened viciously. “You better let me son go before I ask my disciples to make you four suffer!”
“I don’t like threats! Have you forgotten that your son’s life is still in my hands?” Chen Xiaobei narrowed his eyes at him and asked darkly.
“Don’t try to put up an act! I am threatening you and there is nothing you can do about it! My son’s life is in your hands, but you and your allies’ lives are in mine! I dare you to hurt my son again!”
“That’s right! My dad is right!” Suddenly, even the dying Hu Gaoyi mustered enough strength to shout. “Son of a b.i.t.c.h, let me go now! You look smart, but I’m going to chop you all into pieces to feed the dogs! Murong Xiaoyao, you b.i.t.c.h! Go and warm my bed now! Hahaha…”
Xiaoyao, Murong Tian and Jinliu despaired. This was the end for them – there was a faction leader and two hundred disciples surrounding them after all, and there was no way Chen Xiaobei could handle all of them despite his power.
However, Chen Xiaobei kept his calm. “Are you sure I have only one life in my hand?” He asked with an evil grin.
“What do you mean?” For once, Hu Haifeng was puzzled.
“Nutbuster Kick!” Chen Xiaobei shouted.
He arched his back. Stretching his right leg far behind like a bow string that was being drawn, he swung it with full strength the moment his leg could not pull back any further, just like shooting an arrow.
It was fast!
It was accurate!
It was brutal!
Hu Gaoyi’s crotch exploded as he was sent streaking through the air.
“Ouch!! Argh!!”
A blood-curdling scream echoed while the blood that was bursting out of Hu Gaoyi’s crotch painted the sky red. It was quite the scene before he finally landed right in front of Hu Haifeng, and rolled around in excruciating pain. There was no way he could pick himself up.
“d.a.m.n! That kid is so brutal… I think… Our young master is finished…”
The disciples of Iron Gut Faction inhaled sharply as they crossed their thighs unconsciously.
Murong Tian and Jinliu were so shocked gooseb.u.mps were raised all over their body. They did not expect Chen Xiaobei would hurt Hu Gaoyi under such critical circ.u.mstances, and how utterly brutal that ‘Nutbuster Kick’ was!
It was a joy and surprise for Xiaoyao, too. She was rejoicing that Hu Gaoyi has finally joined the eunuch squad and could not take advantage of women anymore. She was also completely in awe of how utterly fearless and charismatic Chen Xiaobei was despite Hu Haifeng’s threat.
“Son of a b.i.t.c.h! How dare… How dare you kick my son’s….” Hu Haifeng was so angry that his eyes spat fire!
“I did tell you that I don’t like to threats. You have four lives in your hand, right? Now, count how many future grandchildren you’ve killed!”
“I…” Hu Haifeng was livid. There was no way his son could spread his seeds anymore – that Nutbuster Kick had just destroyed his family!
“Hear me, Iron Gut Faction! Slaughter them! Chop the men to pieces to feed the dogs and strip the girl! You guys can enjoy her however you like!”
“Yes master!”
The two hundred members rallied and prepared to face Chen Xiaobei head-on. These people have started to train themselves in the martial arts at a meager age; they were a force equal to thousands of low-life thugs once they combine their combat power!
There was a saying, one could never fight against numbers no matter how powerful they were. Chen Xiaobei’s combat was a lot higher than theirs, but things could get hairy even for him if they all came at him at once.
And there’s Hu Haifeng’s watchful eye to take into account.
“Xiaobei… What do we do now?” Murong Tian and the rest were panicking. There was no way they could handle the entire Iron Gut faction.
Chen Xiaobei ignored him, and simply shrugged at the goons who were inching forward. “So, you guys like gang fight, right? Well, I can summon my allies as well!”
Then, a shout suddenly rang across the arena, stunning everyone.
“Six Doors Organization in action! Everyone, lower your weapons and stand by the wall!”
Chapter 486: I am Little Luo
“Six… Six Doors Organization?”
All two hundred disciples of Iron Gut Faction cowered in fear, and quickly dropped their weapons before retreating to the side of the arena and line up properly.
Around ten men with black suits marched into the arena and stood in front of the disciples of Iron Gut Faction. All of them looked to be in their thirties, and appeared both powerful as well as vibrant. They were all undoubtedly super elites from the law enforcer wing of the Six Doors Organization!
The relations.h.i.+p between the innumerable factions in Jianghu and Six Doors Organization was akin to that of street thugs and policemen. Any ordinary faction would never dare to ignore the arrival of Six Doors Organization.
“Inspector Luo! Brother Luo! Fancy meeting you here… To what do I owe the pleasure?” Seconds ago, Hu Haifeng was filled with murderous intent; now, he was all smiles the moment he saw the Six Doors Organization inspector step foot inside his own headquarters.
The leader of the law enforcer team was an intermediate inspector of Six Door Organization. He was two meters tall, and possessed bulky muscle that resembled a strong bull.
His name was Luo Han!
“Wipe that smirk off your face. I’m here on business!” He replied Hu Haifeng curtly.
“Yes… Yes… Yes…” The faction leader nodded immediately and repeatedly. “I have a favor to ask actually!” He suddenly added.
“What kind of favor?” Luo Han frowned.
“I want to sue Murong Tian!” Hu Haifeng cried pitifully. “He worked with some outsiders to hurt my son! He came to me, asking to join my faction a few days ago. I agreed, and took him and his daughter in out of kindness. Then, he suddenly asked for a fight with my son because of some small misunderstanding! So, I told them to hold back, but he ignored it and hurt my son badly! Brother Luo, you must make sure that justice will be served!”
Luo Han took a look at Hu Gaoyi’s crotch and was taken aback instantly. “Who the h.e.l.l did this?!” He asked. “That’s too brutal!”
“That b.a.s.t.a.r.d did it!” Hu Haifeng pointed at Chen Xiaobei. “He is just an outsider, but came to my place and made a mess while breaking every rule of my faction… In other words, he just slapped the face of Iron Gut Faction and the whole Jianghu in Dragon City! Brother Luo, don’t let him get off the hook!”
“You old f*ck! You’re lying!” Xiaoyao shot back albeit nervously. “Inspector, don’t listen to him. That a.s.shole is accusing the victim! And don’t try to bend facts, old fart – your ancient face is thicker than the Great Wall of China!”
There was no question that Chen Xiaobei would become the criminal here if the inspector bought Hu Haifeng’s words. If he was not jailed, he would be punished by the rule of an eye for an eye – in short, Hu Haifeng would have the chance to castrate him.
“Are you Chen Xiaobei?”
Luo Han narrowed his eyes as he surveyed him carefully. All the other Six Doors Organization Law Enforcers had tuned around and looked at him too.
“Inspector Luo! Do not believe in Luo Haifeng, let me tell you the truth!” Murong Tian and Jinliu were also panicking.
Normally, law enforcers would regard citizens as their priority. Things were different in Dragon City, however.
A case in point is for outfits such as the Six Doors Organization, whose members tend to side with the factions around Dragon City before all else. Things could get really bad indeed if Chen Xiaobei’s faction could not explain the whole thing properly.
“I’m not asking you!” Luo Han glared at Murong Tian to cut him short.
“Yes, I’m Chen Xiaobei.” Chen Xiaobei nodded calmly, untroubled despite Luo Han’s dominating presence.
Luo Han’s expression changed immediately after Chen Xiaobei acknowledged his own ident.i.ty. He strode towards the youth with the other elites following closely behind him. Hu Haifeng quickly guessed that the inspectors would be bringing the pain on the young man.
“Hehe! Son of a b.i.t.c.h. Die!”
“Haha… That kid is so dead!”
The disciples of Iron Gut Faction were laughing and mocking Chen Xiaobei too. All of them were waiting to see what manner of punishment the inspector had in store for him.
“s.h.i.+t…” Murong Tian, Xiaoyao, and Jinliu were beside themselves with worry.
And then came the plot twist that shocked everyone to the core – the moment Luo Han was closed enough to Chen Xiaobei, he took his hand and shook it enthusiastically!
“Bro Bei, greetings! I’m Little Luo. I’ve always longed to meet you – you are a legendary young hero!”
Bro Bei?
Little Luo?
Hu Haifeng and the rest of the Iron Gut Faction were giggling when they heard that, and almost choked themselves to death by their own spit.
Meanwhile, Xiaoyao, Murong Tian and Jinliu just gaped at them, their brains having short circuited. The well-respected intermediate inspector of the Six Doors Organization just introduced himself as Little Luo in front of Chen Xiaobei, and called him Bro Bei!
It did not make sense at all – and yet, that was just the beginning, for every other enforcer started taking turns to shake his hand and thank him.
“I am Little Zhang…”
“I am Little Lee…”
“I am Little w.a.n.g…”
It was almost too terrific to watch. Some of the Iron Gut members started pinching themselves or each other in the face to make sure that they were not dreaming.
Chen Xiaobei himself was baffled too.
“Why are you calling me bro?” He asked the officers.
Luo Han quickly whispered to him. “We all know about the Poseidon incident! You’re the one who cracked the case, eliminating Huangfu Lengshan while destroying j.a.pan’s intelligence network. However, it’s still a national secret that we aren’t allowed to tell anyone so we’re keeping it low-key. By the way, s.h.i.+xiong Wu told us everything about you… As the husband of Chief Inspector Luo, it’s only right that we call you bro!”
“I see!” Chen Xiaobei nodded and grinned – so that was how he earned the ‘bro’ t.i.tle amongst an ent.i.ty as influential as the Six Doors Organization!
On the other hand, Xiaoyao and the rest could not catch a single word from Luo Han’s soft voice despite stretching their ears the best they could.
Meanwhile, Hu Haifeng gritted his teeth. “Brother Luo!” He exclaimed. “It is not right for you to side with that kid even if you have special relations.h.i.+p with him!”
“Hu Haifeng, think of this as a favor. Let it go, or don’t call me brother anymore!” Luo Han said coldly. Clearly, he was siding with Chen Xiaobei.
Hu Haifeng was stunned. Normally, he would have simply obeyed, but, his son’s most precious treasure was completely wrecked by the arrogant brat. It was not possible for him to reproduce now, and he decided to avenge his son whatever happens!
“Inspector Luo, I’m not giving in this time. I have to avenge my son, and it shall be eye for an eye! I won’t give up until justice is served – I’m prepared to tell everyone that you’re a corrupt inspector who took sides with that a.s.shole!”
“Hmmm…” Luo Han frowned; he was suddenly at a loss. It would be really bad for both Chen Xiaobei and the Six Doors Organization if the news spread out that an officer of Six Doors Organization was being partial to others.
“Inspector Luo, I have a question,” Chen Xiaobei suddenly asked. “Telling lies to an officer of Six Doors Organization and interfering with your investigation should be a big offense, right? What are the consequences?”
“If that’s the case, the person will be whipped for three hundred times and remanded for seven days and seven nights!” Luo Han said gravely.
“Alright! Then take that old f.u.c.k into custody right now!” Chen Xiaobei shrugged and took his cellphone out.
“Who do you think you are? Do you really think they will take me away? Dream on!” Hu Haifeng laughed mockingly. “That’s right, they will listen to me only!”
Chen Xiaobei ignored the old fart’s taunts, and simply clicked a b.u.t.ton to play a voice clip he recorded before his fight against Hu Gaoyi started.
[No line shall be drawn…]
Chapter 487: 10 Days Limit
The recording was proof that made things clear as day. What more, the words came straight out of Hu Gaoyi’s very own mouth!
The truth never takes sides save for the one called ‘justice’. And nothing could be done to stop it!
Meanwhile, the disciples of the Iron Gut Factions squirmed, somehow starting to feel actual physical pains all over. Some of them knew it was one almighty and fatal blow against their faction – it was, after all, too common a scene that was too often used in tv dramas and soap operas.
Either way, the truth was out in the open now.
“Hmph! Hu Haifeng, of everything you spouted, even the punctuations were all fake! Did you really think that you could fool us that easily?” Luo Han bellowed, flailing his arms and shooting a glare that could decapitate the faction leader. “Seize that man and throw him into prison! 500 whips and 10 days of jailtime for that conniving b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
“Understood!”
Two men from the law enforcer team quickly grabbed Hu Haifeng and handcuffed him with both his hands behind his back.
“Urgh… I…” Hu Haifeng was speechless; his face was as white as sheet paper.
How clever he was, thinking that he could push the blame and have Chen Xiaobei dance between his fingers. Little did he know that the youth was one step ahead of him all the time by secretly recording all their conversations!
And now, there was nothing he could do after the truth was revealed. As the Six Doors officers came at him, Hu Haifeng did not dare to even flinch.
Now, he faces 500 whippings that were more than enough to have his flesh striped from his bones. If he had tried anything funny, he would be resisting arrest – another crime that would only make his punishment more severe. If that really happened, he might lose half of his remaining lifespan.
“a.s.shole Xiaobei! That’s so smart of you!” cried Xiaoyao. “I thought you were only playing with your phone like you always do. I never thought you were actually using your phone to record the conversation!”
“We’re so lucky to have that recorded…” Murong Tian muttered. “How else could the four of us counter the testimony of all 200 mouths of the Iron Gut Faction…”
Jinliu put his hands together and bowed at Chen Xiaobei with utmost respect. “Mr. Chen is a young hero, with both brains and brawns!” He exclaimed. “It’s an honor!”
Chen Xiaobei did nothing but smile lightly in return. He was still calm as a cuc.u.mber – everything went as planned for him, which meant that there was nothing to be excited about.
“Hmph. Seems like it’s my loss,” Hu Haifeng snarled. “However! You may have won this battle, but you’ve not won the war just yet. In 10 days… 10 days, I will come for you! All things Jianghu will be settled within Jianghu. An eye for on eye, a tooth for a tooth! I will come for you, mark my words!”
“What are you still babbling about? Officers! Take him away!” Luo Han growled.
The other officers nodded and quickly moved Hu Haifeng out of sight, while Chen Xiaobei and the rest followed the other officers and descended the mountain.
Along the way, over 200 members of the Iron Gut Factions stood idly by. Without a leader, they were mere sheep roaming without proper directions; they would not dare to dissolve the faction by leaving the mountain either.
Still, for Chen Xiaobei and his allies, their problems were solved.
After leaving the mountain and bringing everyone back to the Wolong Mansion, Chen Xiaobei told his parents that Murong Tian and Jinliu were hired as gardeners, and that Murong Xiaoyao – Murong Tian’s daughter was also staying with them.
His parent never suspected a thing, and even welcomed them to the house by preparing their rooms.
During their stay, Xiaoyao was completely respectful, and helped Mrs Chen around the house all day. Mrs Chen quickly grew fond of the her, showering incessant praises on her for being such a fine young lady.
After the ordeal, everyone rested and slept soundly until the next day.
Both Murong Tian and Jinliu were up early to make their debut as gardener. Murong Tian did exceptionally well, too; he was a veteran when it came to botany. Watching him tending to the flowers was almost zen – it did not look like he was working at all.
Xiaoyao woke not too long after her own father, and started helping Chen Xiaobei’s mother to prepare breakfast. Her beauty notwithstanding, Xiaoyao had brains to compensate her chest size. She quickly learned that Mrs Chen was the “commander” of the household, and that as long as she was on her good side she could “tame” Chen. She could even make Chen Xiaobei her young brother and report his misdeeds to his mother!
Sometime after breakfast, Murong Tian and Jinliu called for Chen Xiaobei for a private chat at the garden.
“Xiaobei, Hu Haifeng will be released in only 10 days. What do you think?” Murong Tian asked earnestly. “That man is known for his vengefulness!”
“What do I think? Honestly, I have no plans for him,” Chen Xiaobei shrugged the question off with a straight face. “However, if he does come to make a fuss here… Let’s just say he won’t be walk away – or walk, for that matter.”
“Mr. Chen, I beg you to reconsider. You mustn’t be reckless,” Jinliu raised his voice in slight panic. “Hu Haifeng’s combat power is fifteen thousand, and is well versed in various martial arts. He isn’t the same as Hu Gaoyi!”
“Don’t worry, I have everything accounted for,” Chen Xiaobei replied flatly. “I have something in mind to raise my own combat power in ten days.”
“Can you become strong enough to stand against Hu Haifeng in just 10 days?” Jinliu frowned worriedly.
“With enough Spiritual Qi, I can.” Chen Xiaobei muttered to himself. He also had the manual for brewing a Bone Burning Pill in his treasure chese, which was his second option to raise his strength within 10 days.
Even that was overdoing things. He still had Cangjing Gu, the j.a.panese combat prodigy who was at the Half-Step True Nirvana stage! There was virtually nothing to be afraid of.
However, Cangjing Gu’s existence in China was somewhat complicated – as a martial arts prodigy in the land of the rising sun, his appearance in Jianghu could cause ripples that spell nothing but trouble.
In short, Chen Xiaobei had to be careful, and only ask for his help when the situation calls for it. Before he heads to j.a.pan himself, Chen Xiaobei would have him stand by his parents as their bodyguard – their very safety mattered if he were to fight with a calm mind.
“Is 10 days really enough?” Jinliu asked. “If needed, I can tell you the location of a Spiritual Cave located deep within the Iron Gut Faction’s territory. It has been gathering 20 years’ worth of Spiritual Qi.”
“What?! I need it! I absolutely need it!” Chen Xiaobei cried, his eyes glinting with joy. “Don’t you know that taking enemies’ stuff is one of my favorite hobbies?”
How could he not be excited when he powered-up whilst trampling on the face of his enemies? What else could be more fulfilling?!
“In that case, have a look at this. This is the location,” Jinliu pulled out his cellphone and displayed a series of images. “It’s a forbidden land for Iron Gut Faction members. It was only by coincidence that I managed to snap these images. The entrance to the cave is also blocked by a special iron door, I don’t think it’ll be easy to open it…”
“Hoho. Opening locked doors had never been a qualm.” Chen Xiaobei smirked. “Although I have a question: which would be better, the Spiritual Vein in the Golden Dragon Temple, or the one in the Iron Gut Faction?”
“Hmmm… I think the one in the Golden Dragon Temple is better.” Murong Tian quickly replied, to which Chen Xiaobei nodded.
“Hmph. Alright. Change of plans. With the Spiritual Qi in the Iron Gut Faction, I can be stronger within 5 days!”
“H-How?!” Both Murong Tian and Jinliu gaped at the young man.
How could one consume 20 years’ worth of Spiritual Qi in 5 days?! Both believed it to be impossible, but little did they know that Chen Xiaobei had once consumed 10 years’ worth of Spiritual Qi in the Golden Dragon Temple in less than 5 days! It was not remotely a challenge for the young man.
“5 days to train and 5 days to plan.” Chen Xiaobei was silent for a few moments as he considered and made mental calculations. Soon, he grinned. “If I am to play, might as well go big!”
Murong Tian and Jinliu were speechless. Though Chen Xiaobei was standing right there, they felt that his words was of another realm. How could anyone understand him when they could not even believe him?
Nonetheless, ‘go big or go home’ was precisely what Chen Xiaobei was thinking. To him, Hu Haifeng’s threat was nothing but child’s play, and he would go all in to crush the leader of the Iron Gut Faction once and for all. What else could he possibly think?
“I’ll head out in a while, just stay at this place for the moment. You’ll be safe here,” Chen Xiaobei left the two men in the garden, his face stretched in a broad grin.
Chapter 488: The Plan
The old headquarters of the Hundred Beast Factions.
“Master?! Are you going to deploy the mountain defense formation?”
Chen Xiaobei had brought Feng Qingyang along to the mountain – the old man was surprised when he was told to employ the spell in question.
To deploy the mountain defensive was pretty straightforward – it was nothing other than employing a huge protective magic circle that will cover the entire mountain range and prevent against interlopers.
Feng Qingyang was a man of knowledge, and there were many occasions that he could simply say “been there, done that”. However, he had never heard of making such a large protection circle – he had never heard of such a spell in the mult.i.tude of ancient scrolls and tomes he had went through.
“That’s right. In 10 days’ time, I’ll build my own faction right here!” Chen Xiaobei snorted proudly. “When the time comes, I’ll organize an auction. Many enemies would come for their revenge, or perhaps there would be some in attendants who would cause trouble. That’s just one of the many reasons to have the protection circle.”
Feng Qingyang stared at Chen Xiaobei in awe. “My apologies, but such a spell would require a huge amount of resource. Not even the Xuanjian Faction, China’s most powerful martial arts faction, built such a protection circle.”
Chen Xiaobei kept calm. “I have my own means to create the protection circle,” he scoffed. “Even if I could not protect the entire Hundred Beast Mountain, I could still protect my own faction. Without my permission, no one could even stick a pinky toe in my territory!”
“Praise to the master! Nothing is impossible!” cried Feng Qingyang in wonder. However powerful the Xuanjian Faction was, they could never do the things his master, Chen Xiaobei, did! Like so many others, the old man saw Chen Xiaobei not as a human, but a deity.
An omnipotent G.o.d, to be exact!
If Chen Xiaobei decreed his fart smells like the flowers of May, Feng Qingyang would inhale it deeply without hesitation!
“I’m a little preoccupied at the moment. I require your help with the calculations of the Five Attributes, the Eight Doors, the Nine Hymns, the Thirty-Six Divine Nirvana, and the Seventy-Two Abyss Purgatory [1]. Once you’re done with that, I need you to dig out a deep hole in these positions. You can do it, right?” Chen Xiaobei asked.
“Hmmm… I do apologize again, my master. This young disciple could predict the positions, but I’m afraid that in my current health, it would be difficult for me to complete the second task…” Feng Qingyang lowered his head reverently.
Feng Qingyang was skilled in both Spiritual and Martial arts, and possessed vast knowledge regarding Taoist magics. However, his cultivation was destroyed, which meant that it was hard for him to even do the simplest of daily ch.o.r.es.
“Worry not. I’m not demanding you to physical dig them.” Chen Xiaobei smiled and took out a Spirit Cage and the Great Priest Bean from his treasure chest.
“What in the… Is that the legendary spatial chest?!” Feng Qingyang almost gouged out his own eyes when he saw those objects materialize out of thin air.
“Huh, I guess so.” Chen Xiaobei nodded. The old man had been completely honest to him the moment he called himself his disciple – he should probably not hide anything form him.
“Ha!” Chen Xiaobei tossed the Great Priest Beans into the air. They glimmered as they streaked through the air, briefly forming a starry sky.
Within moments, strange winds blew from all directions and out came hundreds of Evil Spirits from the Spirit Cage, which gathered around and entered the special yellow-golden beans.
*Crack!*
*Crack!*
Metallic sounds rang, reminiscent of the sound effects when a Transformer s.h.i.+fts its form.
The little beans broke apart, expanded, and gradually solidified into humanoids one after the other. An army of soldiers wearing heavy metal armor came crawling out of the earth; they were loyal to no one else but Chen Xiaobei!
“Beans turning to soldiers?!” Feng Qingyang’s voice gradually turned into awed whisper. “Oh G.o.d… It’s real. It’s really happening… Praise the master! Master Chen the Almighty!”
“Enough,” Chen Xiaobei waved him off. “Go do as you’re ordered, and you will have what I own in the future.”
“This disciple hears and obey!” cried Feng Qingyang like a child, his eyes sparkling with genuine hopes of becoming someone like his master.
Once Feng Qingyang left and Chen Xiaobei was alone, the soldiers that had sp.a.w.ned out from the dirt came to him. He quickly pulled out his phone and opened his own brotherhood chat group to ask about the deployment of the protection circle.
Yanw.a.n.g: Hmm… Truth be told, deploying a spell of such enormous scale would be difficult. Usually, it will require hundreds or even thousands of magical items to power the core of the protection circle, just like the protection circle that is in h.e.l.l, River Styx.
Chen Xiaobei: I don’t need it to be that big; I just need it to be around five miles radius.
Xiao Tianquan: Since the radius of the circle isn’t too big, you won’t be needing any magical items since there aren’t many strong ent.i.ties on earth. You can use certain special materials instead!
Chen Xiaobei: Ah! Will the Wind Thunder Divine Stone be sufficient?
Chang’e: Yes! And it makes things simple too – all you need is to use a Talisman Marker to convert the Wind Thunder Divine Stone into a Talisman Glyph. After that, just place the Glyph in the Formation Core and you’re done!
NeZha: Hey, don’t forget that a large protection area requires a strong magical item to work!
Chen Xiaobei: Thanks! Hmmm… I have a Tesseract Thunder Pool with me, but I don’t have a Talisman Marker…
Monkey King: Here I am, Bro Bei! Take this!
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have s.n.a.t.c.hed a Red Envelop from Monkey King. You have received a blueprint of Tesseract Thunder Pool. It has been stored in your treasure chest!]
“A blue print!” Chen Xiaobei’s eyes sparkled.
He had once deployed the Hundred Ghost Formation, which was how he learned to use a blue print. As long as he follows its instruction, it would be easy for him to deploy the protection circle.
Monkey King: Last time, I only manged to explained a tiny bit about the Tesseract Thunder Pool since I was caught up with some business. So, I’m giving you he blue print as compensation. As for the Talisman Marker… You did s.n.a.t.c.h the Bull Demon King’s Red Envelope, which contains the best material to craft one!
Chen Xiaobei: Thanks, monkey bro! Yeah… I did s.n.a.t.c.h that dude’s Red Envelope, but it only had some kind of feather of a Spiritual Beast?
Monkey King: Yeah, that’s the one! I can help you craft it if you don’t know how, but it might take up some time!
Xiao Tianquan: There’s no need for that much trouble. G.o.d Chen could craft it by himself! In fact, it would be faster!
Chen Xiaobei: Huh? I can do it myself? Really… How am I not aware of that? (Sweat)
Xiao Tianquan: You can just upgrade the Ma Liang Divine Pen with the Feather of the Spiritual Pen. That way, you can utilize the Talisman Marker’s effect!
Chen Xiaobei: Hmm… Wait! How did you know that I had a Ma Liang Divine Pen?
Xiao Tianquan: G.o.d Chen, your perversion knows no bounds! Tales of your lecherous quirks will be pa.s.sed on to thousands of generations! Together with us, you will reign over the realm of perverts!
Chen Xiaobei: d.a.m.n it! I never thought that you’re one of the experience players… But please keep those kinds of conversations out of this chat group. There’s girls in here!
Chang’e: Was G.o.d Chen such a degenerate? I never knew… Hmph! I’m ignoring you! (Hmph)
Chen Xiaobei: Oof… Please don’t… (Crying)
Chang’e: Fufu. I’m just playing with you! Who’s not a little perverted? Those who deny it, supply it!
Chen Xiaobei: Hahahaha… Well said! Alright, back to the main topic. how do I enhance the Ma Liang Divine Pen?
Yanw.a.n.g: Simple. Use the Sanmei True Fire and burn it for a day. It’s the fastest way!
Chen Xiaobei: The Sanmei True Fire? Oh right, I just remembered. Hong Haier would soon be come looking for me! In that case, I won’t be troubling Monkey Bro – I have everything ready, and the only thing I’m waiting for is for Hong Haier to drop in!
“Haha! I’d always thought that the Sanmei True Fire was a ticking time bomb… I’d never thought that it could help me out like this! No matter how well Jiang Ziya schemed, he could never tell that I would require the Sanmei True Fire!”
The thought of p.i.s.sing off Jiang Ziya once more made Chen Xiaobei a little happy.
Chen Xiaobei then bid farewell to the people in the chat group. But before he could pocket his phone, he received a phone call.
“Xiang Xiang? Why are you calling me at this hour?”
Translator Note:
[1]: It is also known as fengshui position.
Chapter 489: Awesome Alchemist
“There’s an auction tomorrow night. I want you to come with me. Is that alright?” Lin Xiang asked softly, but Chen Xiaobei could tell she really wanted him to go with her.
At the same time, she sounded a little hesitant – perhaps she was worried that he might be busy?
Nonetheless, Chen Xiaobei agreed to it happily. “Sure! I’ll go pick you up tomorrow night.”
“Don’t you want to know about the auction?” Lin Xiang asked.
“I don’t really care about the auction. I just want to spend some time with you!” Chen Xiaobei said affectionately.
“Eeeek… Did you apply honey to your lips? Your words are so sweet…”
“Hehe… My lips is coated with chocolate too. Care to have a try?” Chen Xiaobei grinned evilly and licked his lips.
“No way, you meanie… My body became soft as jelly after each pa.s.sionate kiss we shared…” Lin Xiang purred. “Did you know that I felt so empty after you left? I don’t want to go through that anymore…”
“Are you trying to seduce me right now?” Chen Xiaobei asked mischievously, narrowing his eyes.
“You’re such a meanie! Don’t act innocent and follow me home after the auction ends tomorrow night. You aren’t allowed to leave my house whatever happens!” Lin Xiang squealed, finally finding the strength to express her thoughts thanks to her… libido.
“Holy c.r.a.p! Are you going to take my virginity?” Chen Xiaobei feigned anxiety although he was really excited.
“You’re right… You’re the man that I want, and I can’t wait any longer. I shall take your virginity, and I will offer my own body in return!” Lin Xiang said determinedly, finally overcoming her own timid personality to throw sparks into their relations.h.i.+p.
“Don’t worry! I’m going to have a chat with the Moonlord; I’ll make sure both of us can lose our virginity to each other successfully!” Chen Xiaobei said determinedly too.
“Stop talking nonsense! I don’t believe you know Moonlord… I’m hanging up – I need to put on a beauty mask and make myself look as pretty as I can when I see you!”
“Okay! See you tomorrow then!” Chen Xiaobei’s smile lasted long after the call was finished.
“Well… I do know Moonlord personally,” he mused to himself. “It’s just that he never really crosses my mind… Whatever. This time, I must lose my virginity!”
However, Moonlord did not reply to his text.
“Hmmm. I can’t just sit here and wait. I’ll deal with some important stuff then, time is precious after all… Since Hong Haier isn’t here yet, I can’t activate the Tesseract Thunder Pool. Maybe I should deploy the Puzzling Formation first!”
Chen Xiaobei took out the yellow palm-sized Puzzle Flag from his treasure chest that resembled more of a mini toy than a magical item. Still, its Spiritual Attribute was similar to the Great Priest Bean, and it connected to Chen Xiaobei’s consciousness once he held it in his palm to transfer the know-how of deploying its formation.
“Such ingenious formation!” Chen Xiaobei’s Scholar Heart allowed him to be fused with the new knowledge within seconds.
“The mountain will be filled with mist once I activate this formation, and the combination between that and the peak’s vegetation will form a complicated maze in the mountain. It’s impossible for normal human beings to locate my newly purchased land once I activate it!” Chen Xiaobei uttered in surprise.
“Now, I have to be worried about the Thirty-Six Talisman Glyphs that I need to support the core of the formation! It does not require rare materials like the Tesseract Thunder Pool, but it still needs some top-quality jade stone… And better jade quality means more effective formations…”
“But I’m so poor right now! I can’t even afford a normal jade stone. I need to figure out something to earn some quick cas.h.!.+”
Initially, Chen Xiaobei thought he could earn some quick cash by auctioning several martial art manuals, but that only came ten days later!
Furthermore, he was still an outsider without any connections in Dragon City. No one would respect him if he came up with a new faction out of nowhere – and it would crumble soon enough. Therefore, it was vital he unveil his faction on the day of the auction so that he could grab the attention of Dragon City’s Jianghu. Such a fearsome reputation they would gain that way!
“Now I guess I have to figure out some other way to earn money…”
Chen Xiaobei knew what he had to do, and soon came up with an idea. He called Yap Liangchen to meet up with him.
“Bro Bei, how can I help you?” Yap Liangchen asked over the phone. “You seem to be in quite a rus.h.!.+”
“I want to ask about the enhancement pill markets. Do they worth much in Dragon City?”
“Of course!” Being born and bred in Dragon City, Yap Liangchen knew quite a lot about life in the metropolis. “Good alchemists are extremely rare in Dragon City, so most of those pills can make a killing. As for pills with special effect, they can earn you a fortune!”
Chen Xiaobei was shocked. “So… How much does the Fire Pill of the Hundred Beasts Faction cost?”
“The Fire Pill that allows users to increase their combat power by twenty percent, right? If I’m not mistaken, they cost around three million each!”
“Three million! Hmmm. What a coincidence, I have the recipe of the Bone Burning Pill that is even more superior than the Fire Pill… Either way, it seems like the pill making business is pretty lucrative!”
“Bro Bei, you really know how to concoct a pill? Then you should know that alchemists are the rarest occupation in Jianghu – they number even less than shamans. An ordinary alchemist would already be getting special treatment from powerful factions. Experts, on the other hand, are wors.h.i.+pped by all elite factions, and even serve as consultants in special government outfits!”
That caught Chen Xiaobei’s full attention.
“Wow! I cannot believe being an alchemist is so awesome… By the way, who is the best alchemist in our country right now?”
“It’s Huangfu Muming, and it goes without saying that he’s affiliated with the Xuanjian Faction now. There were other groups who tried to recruit him by offering all that they have, but he refused! One way or the other, he stands at the pinnacle of China’s alchemy scene, and it’s extremely expensive to buy his pills. Even the most powerful people in Jianghu has to tip-toe around him!”
Chen Xiaobei became visibly excited at that.
“Seems like concocting pills is the way to get rich fast. Let’s do it now!” He exclaimed. “Bring to me buy some medicine now, I want to start concocting pills immediately!”
“Bro Bei… Are you serious?” Yap Liangchen was left in disbelief.
“I have the Green Jade Tripod, and the recipe for several special pills. I will become the greatest alchemist in no time! Bahahaha…” Chen Xiaobei laughed, his eyebrows dancing.
Chapter 490: Is that Real Or Fake Chinese Knotweed?
Chen Xiaobei arrived at their meeting place before Yap Liangchen, and so decided to start reading on two recipes of special pills while waiting for him.
It was then that he found out that most of the ingredients could not be found on Earth, but his scholar heart allowed him to modify them and come up with two recipes.
With those two manuals, he could use concoct those special pills with mundane Chinese medicinal ingredients – although they would not be as effective as described by the original manuals.
Still, Chen Xiaobei’s target market were ordinary human beings. It was not necessary for them to acquire the effect of true Spiritual Pills!
Yap Liangchen led Chen Xiaobei to the traditional Chinese market in Dragon City after they met. The area had much more choices and varieties of products compared to every other town in China, and Traditional Chinese medicine was no exception. In short, all sorts of rare ingredients and even oddities could be found in Dragon City.
Nevertheless, only experts could determine the authenticity of some of the rare medicinal ingredients since there were a lot of unethical traders in Dragon City. Most of the time, victims could only consider themselves unlucky if they bought the fake one – they could expect no recompense.
“Bro Bei… Are you interested in all these weirdness?” Yap Liangchen asked, eyebrows raised.
“Nope, almost all of them are fake c.r.a.p!”
Chen Xiaobei shrugged. With the help of Compendium of Materia Medica, Golden Gaze Fiery Eyes, and the Eight Diagram Qi Observing Skill, he could examine the authenticity of those items with his naked eyes.
“Bro Bei, you’re a genius! Nine out of ten people take huge loses when they come here to look for treasure.”
“Huh. So it’s possible for that ten percent to find real stuff here?”
“It is! Only the luckiest would get the real stuff. There was a student from a Chinese medical school who spent a thousand Yuan to buy a real Ganoderma, and then then sold it to the Chinese herbal shop for 800,000 Yuan. That lucky b.a.s.t.a.r.d!”
“Well, I guess you need to be really lucky to acquire the authentic ingredient from this market. Not that I would miss out… Still, I have some stuff I want right now. Let’s look for those first!”
“Understood. Wu Family Chinese Herbal Shop has the most complete store of Chinese medicine, and they are of premium quality as well. Follow me!”
Soon, the pair arrived at a traditional Chinese building with an old sandalwood signboard hanging over the entrance. The words ‘Wu Family Chinese Herbal Shop’ was carved upon it, giving the premise a grand sense of antiquity.
“Bro Bei, this is it!” Yap Liangchen spread his arms and gestured for Chen Xiaobei to enter first. He could smell the aroma of traditional herbs once he stepped inside, and the first thing he saw was a wide a.s.sortment medicine being displayed on shelves as far as the eyes could see.
A salesperson quickly approached them to offer his a.s.sistance.
“How can I help?” He asked. “Well, if it Isn’t Master Yap? To what do we owe the pleasure?”
“Please call for Niu the mixologist to meet us right now.” Yap Liangchen said, his tone offering no s.p.a.ce for argument. While his family was far away from the pinnacle Dagon City, they were still quite the reputable clan – middle and lower-cla.s.s citizens would never take them lightly.
“Niu is mixing some medicine. Please wait for a moment,” the salesperson said politely, and went off.
“Okay.” Yap Liangchen was not at all pleased, but he did not complain. Niu had a special status that even someone as powerful as him had to show him some respect.
Mixologist, like Niu, are greatly respected traditional Chinese medicinal pract.i.tioner, and are knowledgeable in treatment as well as traditional medicine. People like him were a treasure for Chinese herbal shops.
Since whether politicians or Kung Fu masters would become ill one way or the other, it was unwise to mess with a doctor who would one day hold his scalpel over you. Countless elites would beg for treatment from treatments from legendary healers like Elder Luo, and half of Jianghu would be incensed if someone tried to mess with him.
In other words, one would feel the wrath of the Wu Family if someone offended Niu.
“Bro Bei, shall we sit down and drink a cup of tea first?” Yap Liangchen asked politely.
“Well, since there is nothing we can do now… We could just go watch Niu work!”
Yap Liangchen only needed to give the salesperson a stare, and he quickly led both of them to Niu. They stood behind a counter to observe Niu, who turns out to be a white-haired man and happened to be throwing a fit at a young man.
“I’ve told you. This Chinese Knotwood is planted, not from the wild! I can see it clearly, you used a mold to form a human shape on this Chinese Knotwood!”
“Sir, please take a good look again!” The young man pleaded. “This Chinese Knotwood is from the wild! I swear to you – I got it from deep inside a jungle! How could it come from a plantation?”
“I have seen plenty of fake Chinese Knotwood – its fair color and soft texture is telling. Look at mine! Its skin is dried, like tree bark! The human shape of the real deal is different from yours as well!”
Human shape?
Chen Xiaobei narrowed his eyes at the ‘real’ Chinese Knotwood placed on the counter, which was around twenty centimeters. Its skin was similar to the skin of a tree, bore a human shape and looked rather old.
“This is wild Chinese Knotwood! It’s around five hundred years old, and extremely scarce!”
Chen Xiaobei kept quiet, although he was really excited. That Chinese Knotwood was the one the main ingredients of concocting the Bone Burning Pill, and its very age determined the effectiveness of the pills!
Initially, Chen Xiaobei thought that it would be lucky for him if he could buy one that was a hundred years old. He never expected to see one that was five-hundred-year-old! He wanted it badly, but he did not say a thing. There were unspoken ethics in business – Niu was dealing with the young man now, and they were not to be interrupted. It was basic manners too!
“It’s pointless to discuss anymore,” Niu was saying impatiently. Show me proof. I won’t argue if you can show me proof!”
“Sir, I’m not lying! I swear, I will be hit by a truck if I’m lying!” The young man said nervously. It was clear that he was an amateur – he could not show any proof other than repeatedly telling Niu that he acquired the Chinese Knotwood from the jungle.
“Fine, fine! I can see that you are in need of money… I’m willing to pay five hundred Yuan for it. What do you think? I’ll pay you immediately too, you don’t have to swear or anything.” Niu shrugged. He looked generous, but it was clear that he had something vile in mind.
“Huh?” Chen Xiaobei suddenly knew that kind of person that old man was when he saw the glint in his eyes.
‘He’s a hustler!’ He thought.