“It’s no problem; it’s no problem at all!”
The army set off once again to return to the city. Li Qingshan had nothing to attend to, so he just travelled slowly with the army. Along the way, everyone discovered that he was not as terrifying as they had imagined him to be. They gradually gathered around him, calling him all sorts of names, such as sheriff or young hero.
Li Qingshan felt extremely delighted by this treatment as a hero he had never experienced before. Compared to the mediocrity of his previous life and the frustration he experienced in the Crouching Ox village, this was how a real man was supposed to be treated like. He would never fake some reservedness, acting like fame and wealth meant nothing. Not only did he like fame and wealth, but he also liked alcohol and meat and beautiful women. He liked drinking. He had lust. He liked wealth. He had pride. He had all of the various desires that everyone else had.
Huang Binghu bid Li Qingshan farewell, returning to the Drawn Reins village to retrieve the tiger bone alcohol the latter wanted. Li Qingshan said, “If you have ginseng as well, feel free to bring it too. I’m willing to purchase it at good prices.”
After settling this matter, he could truly begin practising the Tiger Demon’s Fist of Bone Forging. Although the black ox never mentioned a word of it, Li Qingshan felt this ordinary-looking ability hid secrets he had yet to touch upon.
And, even if it were just an ordinary ability, there were not any martial arts that could rival it. It would still be extremely important to him. He liked fame and wealth, but he had not been blinded by them. He did not forget his circumstances. The luxury right now was only just the calm before the storm. Even more, greater challenges laid ahead. If he did not make preparations beforehand, he would be defeated and broken.
However, not only did he feel no fear, but he even felt slightly excited. He was just a shout away from asking the storm to come fiercer. This was the life he had chosen.
Although it was easier to travel on the path during the day, they transported a large number of items with them, so they were unable to speed up either. Only when dusk came did the group arrive before the city gates, and they heard the roaring gongs and firecrackers.
Li Qingshan asked, “What’s the festival today?”
Liu Hong said, “No, they must be welcoming you. The district magistrate had sent people back first and passed on the news.”
As expected, a wave of warmth flooded over as soon as they entered the city. Despite it being winter, the streets were filled with people.
Everything that happened last night had shocked everyone in the city. Even after the night was over, every single person was still absent-minded, taken away by their thoughts. The entire city fell into an uproar when they received the news.
Li Qingshan smiled and received everyone, but at the same time, he could sharply sense a few hostile gazes from the tea house on the side of the street. He thought, They’ve come so quickly!
“Hmph, he’s a frog in a well. He has just destroyed a bandit’s stronghold. Senior brother, when do we get him?” In the tea house, a lady in blue with surging arrogance despite her ordinary appearance asked.
“There’s no hurry. Let’s keep waiting!” Before her sat her senior brother. He was a horse-faced man in his thirties. He carried almost nothing on him, but his hands were slender. Something bulged from his waist as his eyes shone. An experienced member of the jianghu could tell with a single glance that he was a master of hidden weapons with powerful internal force.
“We’ve been fortunate. If the news spread even further, who knows how many people would come to steal it. Why don’t we strike first?”
“He slaughtered two hundred bandits alone. I personally believe that even I cannot achieve that. The might of this Descended Tiger just happens to be flourishing. He’s difficult to deal with.” The horse-faced man shook his head. It was a pure coincidence that they were in Qingyang city, so they wanted to take advantage of these easy pickings.
“You would believe such a preposterous rumour? Look at how heavy and clumsy his steps are and how his temples are flat. He’s just a practitioner of external martial arts. At most, he’s a peak second-rate master. He can’t be at the first-rate. If we work together and greet him with our hidden weapons, we’ll take his life almost instantly.”
Chapter 63: The Tiger Demon Forges its Bones | Legend of the Great Sage
“We still have to be careful when we roam the jianghu. You would rather go without the spiritual ginseng than place yourself in danger. There are other people here, so let’s have them probe him first!” The horse-faced man instructed earnestly, but it only made the lady in blue scorn him.
“Master said that you have to listen to me when outside!” The horse-faced man became furious as well. If you’re looking to die, you’re more than welcome to, but don’t drag me into it as well. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re master’s daughter, I would have abandoned you a long time ago.
He had experienced the many dangers of the jianghu. Even if he managed to get the spiritual ginseng, the slightest of carelessness would lead him to his death. If this Li Qingshan was a clever person, he would immediately offer it to someone, or he would be dead for sure. No, even if he did offer it up, the person on the receiving end would definitely silence him with death in order to avoid the news spreading, stopping others from hunting them down.
The horse-faced man looked at Li Qingshan in the crowd like he was a dead man. He sipped his tea. Even if he could not obtain the spiritual ginseng, watching this lucky, young talent die to the dangers of the jianghu was a wonderful matter as well.
In the same restaurant he had fought the night before, Li Qingshan sat down and received the terrified gazes of the aristocrats and cups of wonderful wine. Just when he was about to drink the alcohol, he suddenly stopped and looked at the rippling liquid.
With his halt, the restaurant quietened down as well. An aristocrat asked carefully, “Sheriff Li, what’s wrong?”
Li Qingshan said nonchalantly, “The wine is poisoned!” He casually splashed the alcohol onto the ground, and a white mist immediately rose up. It only demonstrated the toxicity of the alcohol. The poison was odourless and traceless as well. If it were not for his awakened eyes and his caution, which allowed him to see the peculiarity of the wine, he probably would have been poisoned already.
The aristocrat became sheet-white. He had passed this cup of wine to Li Qingshan earlier, so he waved his hands frantically. “It’s not me!”
Li Qingshan leapt to his feat. Just when the aristocrat wanted to cry for help, he saw Li Qingshan look at a waiter on the side. “You’re the one who poisoned it!” This was his almost beastial instincts, his sharp senses towards killing intent and hostility.
“I don’t think I’ve seen him before. He’s not a waiter of this establishment,” said an aristocrat.
The waiter panicked and cried out for the injustice. Suddenly, he saw a fist hurling towards him. Before the punch had even arrived, the gust of wind had sucked his breath away. He could not afford to hide any longer, so he slid a knife out from his sleeve and stabbed it viciously at Li Qingshan’s abdomen.
With a bang and the shattering of bone, the waiter’s chest collapsed. His corpse flew out the building, landing in the streets below. He still grasped the knife firmly in his hand, but the blade was now bent.
Li Qingshan treated it like nothing before turning around. “Let’s keep drinking!” He knew that this could not even be considered as an appetizer for what would be coming next.
Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 1-Chapter 100)
Dream Teller's books
- Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 101-Chapter 200)
- Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 201-Chapter 300)
- Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 301-Chapter 400)
- Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 401-Chapter 500)
- Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 501-Chapter 600)
- Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 601-Chapter 700)
- Legend of the Great Sage (Chapter 701-Chapter 833)