Chapter 4

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

After an hour, Xu Yi’s figure appeared at the foot of Huiyin Mountain, and he had an additional wild boar on his shoulders that was as large as a bull calf.

After reaching the peak of the Body Forging stage, Xu Yi enjoyed the feeling of having a strong body even more. It was the kind of feeling of having everything under one’s control that brought a spring to his step.

In the past, although he was still capable of going up into the mountains to hunt, he would definitely not have done it in such an easy and carefree manner.

He looked up into the sky. It had just passed seven in the morning, and the sun was rising higher in the sky. In the distance, scores of farmers worked among the fields of crops, some using their hoes, others using their plows, and some working their oxen. All of this was interspersed with the lush greenery.

With such a beautiful scene that would belong in a painting, Xu Yi’s heart was plenty eased. As he was looking at the beautiful scene before him, a tower of smoke rose in the northwest.

Xu Yi shifted his glance over, then tossed away the wild boar on his shoulders. Like lightning, he sped towards the direction of the smoke.

When he reached the source of the smoke, he found that the burning object was actually Xu Yi’s own tiny wooden hut which had housed him and two generations of his family. Surrounding it were many farmers from the village.

Seeing Xu Yi return, they surrounded him and began speaking all at once. Most of what they said revolved around complaints that he should not have offended Young Master Zhou.

Xu Yi was already fuming mad when a man covered in mud wormed his way through the crowd. While panting for breath, he shouted, “Xu, Xu… Ancestors… Ancestral… grave…”

The hairs on Xu Yi’s body stood on end when he heard this. Immediately, he rushed towards the back of the mountain. When he reached his destination, he saw over a dozen graves that had been violently dug open, with corpses and bones scattered all across the ground.

“AHHHH!”

Xu Yi screamed in agony, falling to his knees. His brain felt like it was being stabbed by tens of thousands of needles, and his temples felt as though a grasshopper had crept in and was hopping around madly.

The emotions of the body’s original owner had run amok again. Xu Yi felt excruciating pain.

He spent an hour without moving in front of the graves before he could catch his breath. He then spent another four hours picking up all the bones and shifting them deeper into the mountains. He erected a large tomb, burnt some incense as an offering, then prayed for a bit before leaving.

By the time he got back, his house had already burnt down to the ground. The crowd of villagers watching the spectacle had already left. Xu Yi’s heart was filled with indignation, but his stomach was empty. He walked over to the stream in front of his house, bent over, and brought his face to the water. After a good drink, he whittled a wooden stick into a spear. With a dozen continuous stabs into the water, he had managed to spear a dozen plump red carp, a specialty of the local stream.

After removing the scales, scooping out the innards, and washing the fish in the stream, Xu Yi began to wolf down the fish raw.

Upon reaching the peak of the Body Forging stage, Xu Yi’s physical abilities greatly increased. His strength was greater than a bull’s, and his appetite was comparable to a tiger’s. A dozen large red carp, no less than fifty kilograms in total, all went to his stomach, skin and bone included!

After eating his fill, Xu Yi did not immediately get on the move. He sat cross-legged by the stream, circulating his energy and recovering his strength.

At this moment, there was a storm raging in his chest, but he looked completely calm on the outside. He was just waiting for the right moment to turn the world upside down.

The sun was setting in the west as the mountain wind blew down through the village. From the valley to the west came the tinkling sound of metal. Xu Yi did not open his eyes, but he could hear that it was the metallic sound of metal buckles on boots colliding with the saddle of a horse.

Indeed, after a short while, the neighing of horses and the shouts of their riders reached his ears. From the noise they made, there were no less than ten riders.

Suddenly, Xu Yi shot to his feet. With only a few steps, he had quickly leapt towards the mountain pass in the west.

The mountain wind was blowing, displaying the flags on the horses. Young Master Zhou’s hunting troupe had once more returned from Huiyin Mountain with a bountiful catch. Each and every horse was carrying the heavy load of a wild beast.

The joy of a successful hunt shone across each of their faces. Even the normally reserved Young Master Zhou could not help but whistle a tune on his way back.

The shallow Mutton Chops was even happily singing an off-tune melody. The lyrics were obscene, but they drew cheers from his fellow riders.

While he was happily singing, the middle-aged, hawk-nosed man to the immediate left of Young Master Zhou suddenly barked, “There’s killing intent!”

Hawk Nose was one of the top retainers that Young Master Zhou’s family managed to hire. His skill was unbeatable, and he held a considerable position. With his few words, everyone was suddenly on alert. Immediately, swords were drawn and arrows were notched as they surveyed the surroundings.

“Look no more, the source is straight ahead!” Hawk Nose said coldly.

“Hehe, I want to see who could be this daring. Within these hundred miles, who would dare bare his teeth at my Zhou family!”

Young Master Zhou cracked his whip, and his red stallion picked up speed, rushing ahead.

The row of riders cracked their whips as well, rushing forward to keep up.

Rushing into a small hill, the lone figure of Xu Yi in the middle of the road was plain for all to see.

Seeing that it was Xu Yi, Mutton Chops’ spirits rose. He too was one of the Zhou family’s retainers, but because his progress in the Martial Way had stopped at the later part of the Body Forging stage, his position was much lower than that of Hawk Nose.

But this man loved to fight for credit.

In the morning, when the hunting troupe had passed by Xu Yi’s home, Young Master Zhou did not manage to encounter Xu Yi. He frowned and had his men torch Xu Yi’s hut, then they rode to the back mountains and desecrated Xu Yi’s ancestral graves.

At this moment, seeing Xu Yi giving off the killing intent was like seeing an ant trying to block an entire road. This was a great opportunity for him to put himself in his employer’s good books.

With the intent of stealing the credit for himself, Mutton Chops cracked his whip. Feeling the pain of the whip, his black horse ran faster, even overtaking Young Master Zhou in front. When he reached the front, he laughed wildly and said, “How dare a stray dog like you learn to bare your teeth! I will skin you alive!”

Before even finishing his words, Mutton Chops had tugged on his reigns. The horse raised its front hooves, threatening to smash them into Xu Yi’s skull.

When it seemed as though the hooves were about to stomp on Xu Yi, Xu Yi who had remained still all this while, sprang into action.

He was as fast as lightning, dodging the horse’s hooves by a hair’s width. His muscles contracted to the extreme, and he reappeared by the side of the horses neck. His sturdy body was like an extremely powerful spring. Making use of “Crashing Heaven’s Gate,” which he had performed over a thousand times, his back, which was as tough as steel, slammed against the horse’s neck. The galloping stallion’s neck suddenly snapped, and its huge body flew horizontally, crashing into the crowd behind.

Atop the horse, before Mutton Chops could realize what had happened, an impossible turn of events had occurred!

Amongst the Zhou family’s lackeys, Mutton Chops had insulted Xu Yi the most deeply and most often.

Earlier, in the moment Mutton Chops had mentioned skinning him alive, Xu Yi’s heart pounded as his murderous intent began to center around Mutton Chops.

With the horse sent flying, before Mutton Chops could come to his senses, Xu Yi had reached out and grabbed him by the neck, dragging him off the horse.

At that moment, Hawk Nose had swooped down on him like an eagle, throwing a fist in mid-air. The blow was aimed straight at Xu Yi’s spine. The force of the punch exploded through the air.

It was just a distance of three meters, which could be covered in one breath. It looked as though this punch that had come out of nowhere was about to land. But it was as though there were eyes on Xu Yi’s back. With Mutton Chops still in his grasp, he sent a kick that shattered the back of one of the riders. The impact shifted him horizontally a few inches, narrowly avoiding the incoming punch. The rider in front of him, however, was not so lucky. With this shattering punch landing on his back, he uttered a strange cry before his body exploded, creating a fountain of blood.