activa-t Chapter 43 Blackie's Visit
Chapter 43 Blackie's Visit
Two days later.
Outside Dendrobium Village, an old bamboo grove.
A figure moved swiftly through the bamboo forest, its steps light and its movements elusive.
Feng Xiu moved with the rhythm of the Chasing Wind Step, traversing through the dense bamboo grove. With each step, his figure floated a full ten feet away.
He tapped his toes again, changing direction once more.
The wind howled, and bamboo leaves fluttered in the air.
After running a few laps, Feng Xiu returned to the open space deep in the bamboo forest.
On the open ground, there were two stone locks in each of the five directions, each weighing at least several hundred kilograms.
A rope was tied to the stone lock, and ten rings were attached to the other end of the rope.
Feng Xiu walked over and slipped each of his ten fingers into one of the five rings.
Take a deep breath, clench your ten fingers tightly, forming a downward claw shape.
The muscles in his arms tensed, veins bulged, and the ten ropes tightened instantly.
Even if there are many weeds, pebbles, and withered bamboo stakes blocking the open space, the five stone locks can still roll over the obstacles.
A thick layer of dirt and debris was piled up in front of the stone lock. Feng Xiu exerted force with his fingers spread wide, and with a surge of blood and qi in his arms, the stone lock was pulled closer with each bit of force he exerted.
The force on his ten fingers increased, and his knuckles cracked.
"Young Master, your finger strength is even stronger than it was a few days ago."
Xiang Geng stood to the side, adding firewood to the stove while watching Feng Xiu practice his martial arts.
Feng Xiu did not answer, and continued to pull on the stone lock with his fingers.
After ten stone locks formed a circle around him on the ground, he rubbed his fingers, which had become somewhat numb.
He then walked to the iron pot and plunged his hands into the scalding hot iron sand.
Stir-fry it again and again.
"Xiang Geng."
"Your subordinate is here."
"Have you noticed anything unusual during your patrols these past few days?"
Xiang Geng shook his head, "No, the brothers patrol every day, they have nothing to do, they're all a bit tired."
Feng Xiu felt relieved and continued practicing his skills.
Each time I stir-fried it, the slight tearing sensation in my finger bones deepened.
Xiang Geng hesitated and said, "Young Master, why don't we just fill in that culvert and save ourselves the trouble of guarding it every day?"
"How do you balance this?" Feng Xiu glanced at him casually.
Feng Xiu's power is now evident, and even Xiang Geng is somewhat intimidated. He gave a dry laugh and said, "Well, it's just filled in."
shuh~
Feng Xiu withdrew his gaze and continued to turn over the iron sand.
"What if we make too much noise and the strange fish monster finds out?"
Xiang Geng was silent for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Then... what about that thing in the pond?"
Immediately, Feng Xiu stopped what he was doing.
"This is none of your business."
Feng Xiu paused, his expression remaining quite normal.
"It's just a hairless, scaly beast."
Xiang Geng was stunned.
Immediately, I felt a shiver run through my body. This!
He had pondered this question deeply after killing the mother fish.
In our imagination, the female fish certainly wouldn't appear alone.
Xiang Geng opened his mouth, hesitated several times as if he wanted to say something, but then swallowed it back.
After a while, Xiang Geng came to his senses and silently added some firewood to the stove.
Feng Xiu's words kept replaying in his mind.
Scales, or a beast?
A hairless, scaly beast?
A few sparks from the crackling, hard firewood in the stove landed on the back of my hand.
Xiang Geng was momentarily dazed. What did the eldest young master already know?
His face alternated between pale and flushed, his brows furrowing at times, and occasionally glancing at the resolute-looking Feng Xiu.
In the Yudaitang Reservoir...
There's a dragon!
Suddenly, a sharp pain on the back of his hand brought him back to his senses. He quickly ripped it off, and something seemed to come to mind.
The True Dragon, the Yellow Dragon Immortal, praying for rain—is the Yellow Dragon Immortal the reincarnation of the True Dragon?!
Do dragons really exist in this world?
Could it be that he created a rift with the eldest son while praying for rain?
Xiang Geng froze, stunned for a long time, unable to recover, his mind still a jumbled mess.
"Oh, I've finally found you!"
Just as Geng was trying to connect these things in his mind, a sudden sound broke the silence in the bamboo forest.
The two turned around to look.
At the entrance to the bamboo forest clearing stood a man dressed in drab gray clothes with a slick smile; it was none other than Blackie.
Xiang Geng frowned, about to reprimand him, when Feng Xiu waved his hand.
Blackie walked over quickly and immediately saw the ten stone locks on the ground that had been violently pulled, as well as Feng Xiu's hands that were being soaked in the medicinal liquid again.
"Young Master Feng, you're really diligent in your training!"
Old Hei exclaimed in admiration, "Your skills are so impressive, even I'm envious! Tell me, how did you train?"
"What, you want to learn?" After Feng Xiu finished nurturing his hands, he inserted them into the iron sand and flipped them up.
Blackie's eyes narrowed. "Then forget it."
"Speak, what do you want from me?"
"Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong? We're practically family." Blackie chuckled.
Then, he revealed a large gold tooth and began to talk incessantly.
"Young Master Feng, you have no idea how busy I've been these past two days."
"The Tiger Might Hall of the East family and the Torch Gang of the West family got into a fight. There were over a hundred people on both sides. If it weren't for me, Old Black, stepping in, it would have resulted in a death."
"Then, before I could even catch my breath, the Qingpeng Gang of the Nan family started fighting with the Honghuatang in the south. Ugh, I was almost exhausted."
Blackie's voice was incredibly infectious, and a hint of smugness appeared on his face.
He accompanied his speech with famous hand gestures, speaking fluently and animatedly.
Feng Xiu didn't even raise his head; with a thought, he brought up the panel attributes.
【Life: 17】
【Spirit: 7】
【Strength: 14】
[Agility: 9]
[Technique Record: None]
[Already included: Bone Refining Claw (Slightly improved, Strength +2)]
【Wind Chaser Step (Slightly Proficient, Agility +2)】
[Synthesis: Not yet at the pinnacle (unavailable)]
【Ultimate Skill: Vajra Finger Blade】
On the panel, the martial arts of the Ultimate series are displayed in a separate column, and my Agility and Strength have increased by 2 points.
Having gained a deeper understanding of the power generation techniques of the Bone Refining Claw in my mind, I now have a more profound grasp of how to unleash overall power, and my arms are also more powerful.
"With the Five Strengths Fist, Bone-Refining Claw, and Vajra Finger Blade, the framework of my martial arts system is largely complete."
"The rest is about continuing to increase health and defense."
Feng Xiu pondered deeply, and silently thought to himself that he was quite satisfied.
The only thing that bothered him was that even if he wanted to find someone to spar with and hone his skills, it wouldn't work.
However, he discovered that there were hardly any body-refining martial artists of the same level around him.
"Young Master Feng, do you know how hard it is for me, Lao Hei? I finally got a break and wanted to have a drink with my brother Liu, but who knew he would die?"
In my ear, Blackie's voice continued to chatter on, his brows furrowed with worry, and he sighed deeply.
"Stop talking nonsense, what exactly do you want from here?" Feng Xiu remained silent, and Xiang Geng grew impatient.
They're always talking about the Dong family or the Li family.
One minute he's knocking on the widow's door, the next he's saying that Old Man Xia's roast duck is delicious.
His words lacked any focus, and he frowned coldly as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, Blackie didn't go along with him this time. He spread his hands, looking quite innocent.
"Nothing much, just came to catch up."
"Then stop talking nonsense." Xiang Geng interrupted Hei Ye rudely, his face showing some disgust.
The smile on Blackie's face slowly faded, and his gaze returned to Feng Xiu.
"Young Master Feng, you be the judge. Are you saying everything I'm saying is nonsense?"
Feng Xiu then immersed his hands in the medicinal liquid, and after pulling them out, wiped his hands with a towel.
His gaze returned to the past, a faint smile playing on his lips.
nonsense?
There's only one purpose behind all the things that Blackie has said here.
This indirectly proves that he is well-informed, has connections everywhere, and has already found out something.
Zhou Gang's amnesia was a closely guarded secret within the Feng family, but the incident at Xianghualou caused quite a stir.
Su Wantang had no way to erase the memories of these people she had heard of or seen, but had never had direct contact with.
This includes him.
In addition, the martial prowess he had previously displayed was too astonishing.
Therefore, his purpose in coming here is quite clear.
"Of course not. Master Hei is incredibly powerful. Not to mention Qingyan City, even the entire Yunzhou would be in disarray without you."
Feng Xiu shook his head, smiled, and casually uttered a sentence.
Upon hearing this, Xiang Geng was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Feng Xiu to flatter him so much.
Blackie immediately beamed with delight, thoroughly enjoying himself. His fat face was full of wrinkles as he smiled, and his big gold teeth gleamed.
"Of course, Young Master Feng has excellent taste."
Hei Ye smiled and continued, following Feng Xiu's train of thought.
"By the way, yesterday I heard Young Master Feng mention that woman, Su Wantang. Old Hei, I've been thinking about it carefully, and it seems she mentioned that her husband's surname is Li?"
"Sigh, it's been so long, I can't quite remember anymore. What was her name, Li Xuanshuang?"
Blackie slapped his forehead, letting out a sound of annoyance, as if he had just remembered something.
Feng Xiu's smile remained unchanged. "Brother Hei, your memory is really terrible."
"Sigh, as people get older, a woman's belly takes a toll on her back, and her memory really does suffer," Blackie sighed.
"That's right, it's time to replenish it."
Feng Xiu nodded, revealing a look of deep agreement, then turned his gaze to Xiang Geng and nodded.
Xiang Geng felt helpless, but he knew it was time to pay up.
He took out a hundred-tael silver note from his pocket and handed it to Master Hei.
Blackie's face remained expressionless as he reached out, took the item, and casually tucked it into his chest.
"By the way, Mr. Blackie, do me a small favor." Feng Xiu said with a smile when he saw this.
"Young Master Feng, please speak," Blackie said magnanimously.
"My claw technique is still in its early stages, and I tend to overexert myself, making it difficult to control my strength. Could you please find me a pair of fine leather gloves?"
Feng Xiu thought for a moment and then said.
"Hey, what's the big deal?" Blackie looked at me with an expression that said, "Don't worry about it."
With narrowed eyes, he met Feng Xiu's gaze, and Feng Xiu nodded and smiled.
Blackie laughed too; it's so comfortable dealing with smart people.
"Young Master Feng is generous and unpretentious. If I, Old Hei, were to keep anything from him, that would be too dishonest."
"Sigh, what was I going to say? Yesterday I was drinking with Old Liu's dad, and he said something... let me think... oh, right."
Blackie's smile widened as he spoke, racking his brains for a moment before suddenly realizing the truth.
"He said that in a few days, it seems that a big shot is coming to Qingyan City. I heard that his name is the Commander of the Garrison Cavalry of the Eastern Army Governor's Office."
"He has over five hundred iron crutch men under his command, and he is a legitimate official appointed by the imperial court."
"Hey, if you ask me, the Eastern Army people are just bored. What are they doing running around on our territory? Humph, all these officials in the court know is fighting for power all day long."
Blackie snorted coldly and cursed under his breath.
Feng Xiu's expression remained unchanged as he nodded in agreement, "What Master Hei says is true. The court is full of vermin who only know how to line their own pockets."
At this moment, Blackie waved his hand.
"Alright, alright, Young Master Feng, I won't say any more. I'm going to Widow Wang's house." A knowing smile, the kind only men would understand, appeared on his lips.
He had only taken a few steps after turning around, and before he had even left the bamboo forest, he suddenly turned his head back.
"Old Hei, my memory isn't good, I almost forgot. I ran into the Wu family's young master before I came here, and he told me to let you know not to forget about the lamb feast tomorrow."
Blackie slapped his forehead, finally remembering the important matter, and gave another forced smile.