Free Web NovelChapter 7: Chapter 7: Spirit Fish
For the next ten days, Liang Cheng’s life fell into a simple routine.
He practiced and sparred in the morning, learned to read in the afternoon, and snuck out at night to a reef cave on the deserted beach to practice the Stone Armor Skill. Day after day, he endured the burning pain of the ointment and the muffled thuds of a wooden stick.
[Mixed Element Stance: Minor Success (14/500)]
[Fierce Bull Force: Beginner Level (84/200)]
[Stone Armor Skill (Fragment): Beginner Level (28/200)]
Tonight, it was just past Midnight.
Liang Cheng was in the reef cave applying ointment when he suddenly heard the sound of footsteps on sand outside. Two dark figures rushed over, stopping amidst the reefs to catch their breath.
In the moonlight, Liang Cheng got a clear look at the face of the man in the lead. It was none other than Liu Biao, the notorious brigand from the wanted posters. Beside him was a skinny man, tightly clutching a dripping oilskin bundle to his chest.
"Brother Biao, should we just hide it here?" Skinny’s voice was faint. "My legs have turned to jelly."
Liu Biao spat, looking left and right to confirm they were safe. "Fuck, those two hounds were relentless. Let’s check the goods first."
The two squatted and opened the bundle. Inside was a strange, silver-scaled fish, a little over a foot long, with a fleshy growth on its head. Though dead, it emitted a faint, fishy yet fragrant aroma.
"Is it really a Silver-headed Shark?" Skinny’s eyes lit up. "Will eating it really give a massive boost to our Qi Blood?"
"No doubt about it," Liu Biao said, licking his lips. "Once the heat is off, we’ll split it. Our power will rise by a whole level, at least."
"Brother Biao, you’re a true man of your word. I, Skinny, swear to follow you until death."
Skinny’s face was flushed with excitement.
Liang Cheng held his breath in the shadows. ’Both of these men are desperate fugitives. Judging by their auras, only Brother Biao has barely broken through to the Bright Force level; he’s just fiercer than an ordinary man.’
Right now, he only wanted to build his strength and avoid trouble. He decided to wait quietly for them to leave.
But to his dismay, Skinny suddenly stood up, clutching his stomach. "Brother Biao, I can’t hold it anymore. I’m going to the side to relieve myself."
And with that, he started walking right toward the reef cave.
Liang Cheng’s heart clenched.
Skinny reached the mouth of the cave and was about to unfasten his pants when he felt his foot step on something. It was the medicine bowl Liang Cheng had casually placed there moments before.
"Hmm?" Skinny glanced down. In that split second, Liang Cheng struck. ’I’ve been exposed. The best option is to strike first!’
He sprang from the shadows like a cheetah, his right hand balled into a fist. Unleashing his Fierce Bull Force, he struck directly at Skinny’s throat. Alarmed, Skinny frantically jerked back, the edge of the fist grazing his neck.
He let out a strange squawk, and the cloth bundle he was holding went flying.
"Who’s there?!"
Not far away, Liu Biao shot to his feet with a roar.
Liang Cheng didn’t answer. His mind raced, instantly grasping the situation. As his feet hit the ground, he snatched up the bundle, spun around, and bolted away from the beach.
"Courting death!" Liu Biao flew into a rage, seeing the Spiritual Object he had just obtained stolen from under his nose. He gave chase, his speed explosive. He closed the distance in just a few steps, aiming a palm strike at the center of Liang Cheng’s back.
Liang Cheng pinpointed the attack’s direction by the sound of the air moving and sidestepped to evade it. In the same motion, he tossed the bundle into a distant pile of rocks. Just as he’d predicted, Liu Biao hesitated for a split second.
That single moment was all Liang Cheng needed. He had already spun around and assumed a fighting stance.
"Kid, hand it over, and I’ll leave your corpse in one piece."
Liu Biao sneered, flexing his wrists. He could tell Liang Cheng was just an ordinary boy from some fisherman’s family. With his unremarkable aura, Liu Biao didn’t see him as a threat.
Liang Cheng remained silent, slowly regulating his breath. He discreetly activated his Stone Armor Skill, his skin tightening slightly as he instantly fell into his Mixed Element Stance.
Seeing that Liang Cheng wasn’t responding, Liu Biao lost his patience. He dashed forward, throwing a right fist straight at Liang Cheng’s face, the punch whistling through the air.
This time, Liang Cheng didn’t dodge or evade. He crossed his arms to block the blow head-on.
THUD!
A muffled impact echoed. Liu Biao felt as if his fist had struck a slab of thick leather; the recoil sent a numbing shock up his wrist.
His face changed. "A Hard Skill?"
Liang Cheng seized the moment of hesitation, dipping his shoulder and ramming into Liu Biao’s torso—Fierce Bull Force·Mountain-Pressing Strike!
But Liu Biao was a veteran of life-or-death battles. He took a quick half-step back, deflecting the blow with a downward press of his left hand. What he didn’t expect was that Liang Cheng’s charge was a feint. The real killing blow was a handful of lime powder thrown in his face. Liu Biao let out a piercing scream, his hands clawing at his face.
He hadn’t used up all the lime powder from the last encounter and had kept it on him ever since.
Liang Cheng followed up with a direct kick to his shin. It was only thanks to achieving Minor Success in his Mixed Element Stance that he could move so quickly.
CRACK!
The distinct crack of bone echoed. Liu Biao howled in pain, his body stumbling. Liang Cheng seized the opening, closing the distance and ramming his right elbow into the man’s solar plexus!
"URGH!" Liu Biao coughed up a mouthful of blood, his eyes bulging from their sockets.
But his ferocious nature erupted. Ignoring his injuries, he locked his arms around Liang Cheng in a death grip and lunged forward to bite his neck.
Liang Cheng snapped his head back, smashing his forehead into the bridge of Liu Biao’s nose.
PFFT!
Blood sprayed from his nose.
Yelping in pain, Liu Biao instinctively loosened his grip. In the instant Liang Cheng broke free, he drew the short knife from his belt. A cold glint flashed as the blade sliced cleanly across Liu Biao’s neck.
Liu Biao clutched his throat with both hands, letting out a few gurgles before collapsing to the ground. He twitched a few times, then fell still.
Panting heavily, Liang Cheng found the hand holding the knife was trembling slightly.
This was his first life-or-death battle against a fellow practitioner. He had managed to overcome and kill a higher-level opponent purely through his extraordinarily solid foundation.
"Brother Biao!"
Skinny’s horrified shriek echoed from nearby. He had been stunned by Liang Cheng’s punch and had only just recovered. The sight of Liu Biao’s dead body terrified him so completely that he turned and ran for his life.
But how could Liang Cheng possibly let him escape?
He immediately gave chase, and with a single stab from behind, drove the knife straight into Skinny’s heart. The man collapsed face-first to the ground, dead.
Liang Cheng gasped for air, taking a long moment to calm his surging Qi Blood. He quickly scanned the area; no one was around.
He first retrieved the bundle, then searched the bodies. He found a money pouch on Liu Biao containing, by his estimation, over twenty taels of broken silver. Skinny only had a few pieces of loose silver on him.
Liang Cheng pocketed all the silver and also took Liu Biao’s well-made dagger. He left everything else untouched and had no intention of reporting the deaths to the authorities for the reward silver.
’Thirty taels of reward silver is a tempting sum,’ he thought, ’but the trouble it would bring is far greater.’
He dragged both corpses to a deep section of the water, tied them to rocks, and sank them. The waves quickly erased any trace of blood. Only after doing all this did Liang Cheng’s racing heart finally begin to calm.
Liang Cheng tucked the money pouch securely inside his clothes. He looked at the strange fish, the Silver-headed Shark, and grew excited at the thought of how it could increase his Qi Blood.
Liang Cheng found another reef cave and, after ensuring it was secure, used the dagger to slice off pieces of the fish, which he swallowed raw.
A Quarter Hour later, he had eaten the entire fish. A warm current spread from his stomach, causing his Qi Blood to surge. He immediately assumed the Mixed Element Stance, guiding the warmth through his body with the stance’s technique to nourish his muscles and bones.
An hour later, the warm current persisted. The Spirit Fish’s effects were not yet fully absorbed; its energy was still stored within Liang Cheng’s body.
[Mixed Element Stance: Minor Success (33/500)]
[Fierce Bull Force: Beginner Level (122/200)]
[Stone Armor Skill (Fragment): Beginner Level (68/200)]
’No wonder they say cultivation requires wealth, companionship, methods, and location,’ he mused. ’A single hour after consuming the Silver-headed Shark was worth several days of arduous training.’
Tonight had been perilous, but the rewards were immense.
As dawn broke, Liang Cheng hurried back to the Martial Arts Hall. He acted as if nothing had happened, returning to his training as usual.
However, he decided to avoid the reef shore for a while, just in case. He would wait until this blew over before making any other plans.
Liang Cheng’s routine continued uninterrupted.
「Five days later, on the eve of the minor examination.」
The effects of the exotic fish had been fully absorbed. Liang Cheng’s Qi Blood was flourishing, his skin had become tougher, and as he practiced his forms in the courtyard, his presence felt calm and solid.
[Mixed Element Stance: Minor Success (73/500)]
[Fierce Bull Force: Beginner Level (199/200)]
[Stone Armor Skill (Fragment): Beginner Level (140/200)]
A breakthrough to the Bright Force realm was within his grasp!
