Chapter 28

Translator: Larbre Studio  Editor: Larbre Studio

In fact, Xu Yi had never imagined that such a strange object would exist in this world.

Yesterday night, he had tried out that metal ball. Holding it in his palm and channelling his qi into it, the piece of metal could transform into any kind of tool, shapeshifting based on the image in his mind. The more power he put into it, the quicker the transformation. The longest it could reach was almost ten meters, transforming into a sharp, thin spear.

What was even more extraordinary was that it could achieve all that without any sound or warning. Its speed was extremely fast. In just a flash, it could transform into the desired shape.

With such a divine treasure, if he used it for close range surprise attacks, there would be no stopping him.

But Xu Yi knew one thing clearly: although the treasure was good, he would have to put his life on the line to keep it.

The most crucial step right now was for him to increase his level of cultivation. Having the means to keep his own life was his key goal.

Right now, after suddenly finding himself in Guang’an City, everything was foreign and unclear to him. He had to find someone he knew to better understand the situation here.

Naturally, Master Zhou, who was ever so greedy for a drink and had left him his address, was the top choice.

Iron Cat Ear Alley was really hard to find, mainly because of the narrow alleyways. At every turn, the seven to eight families whose doors were facing each other made it so that only two people could squeeze through at a time.

If one were not observant, one would definitely miss it. There were quite a number of times when Xu Yi had simply passed by the alley without even noticing it.

Finally, after asking a pair of elderly men sitting by a threshold and playing chess, Xu Yi entered the alley. In a small little tiled hut in the alley, he found Master Zhou.

It was early in the afternoon, but the weather was incredibly chilly. A cold wind was blowing, but the old man was actually sleeping soundly at his doorstep on a bamboo chair covered by a thick woollen blanket. The sound of his snoring could be heard from afar.

When Xu Yi was close, he did not even bother trying to call him. Instead, he lifted one corner on the seal of the wine jar, and immediately, the sleeping old man’s nose crinkled, and like an old cat whose tail got stepped on, he jumped out of his chair.

Seeing the jar of wine in Xu Yi’s hand, the old man clapped and laughed out loud. “Exactly what I was thinking about. I haven’t had a taste of wine for three days. With no wine, I have no energy, and I have been lying in my chair waiting for my death, thinking that I would definitely head to Furong Town to collect my debt from you if I ever died and became a ghost. I was just dreaming of coming after you as a ghost, and now you’ve surrendered yourself to me in person.”

With that, he dove into his nearby shed and came out with a scoop. He tore open the seal, plunged the scoop in, threw his head back, and drank. Clear wine flowed down his throat.

*lip smacking sounds*

“Good wine, good wine. Ten years aged wine from The Drunkard’s Winery. You really know how to give this old man a treat!”

With that, the scoop went into the wine jar again, and after one more scoop of wine, he placed the scoop on a small stool, then carefully sealed the jar shut again. He then laboriously carried the large jar of wine into the shed before coming out again. Leaning back against his bamboo chair, he picked up the scoop and began to leisurely sip his wine. “Start talking; what information do you want out of this old man again? That jar of wine was way more than two gourds. This old man owes you again, and I shall answer anything you ask. Now hurry up, don’t take your time and get in the way of an old man’s beauty nap. Anyways, even if you take your time, those hooligans from the Black Dragon Hall definitely won’t take their time.”

Xu Yi was greatly surprised. “Old man, how do you know about the feud between me and the Black Dragon Hall?”

Master Zhou said, “How is that anything strange? Brat, did you think that what you did yesterday at Furong Town was a small matter? Hehe, who knows how many years it has been since someone has killed out in the open in the name of the Dayue Imperial Laws! Don’t forget, I’m still somewhat a public servant!”

Xu Yi said, “So that means that the Guang’an Prefecture Authorities should be aware of what I did yesterday. Since that is the case, would the Black Dragon Hall still dare to come to me for trouble?”

Xu Yi came to Master Zhou precisely because he needed the old man’s experience.

Master Zhou took another sip of wine. He smiled and said, “That’s right, with what you did yesterday was a great boost for the reputation of everyone within the Guang’an Prefecture Authorities, especially so for the Patrol Division’s Director Gao. According to sources, he has tried to request the Prefecture Governor to protect you at all costs. However the Governor replied, ‘without our rules, how would we get things done?'”

“F***!”

Xu Yi had not thought that his convincing acting would still succumb to the power of money.

Master Zhou smiled. “You’re still young, after all. Let me tell you this: in this world, the things you can influence and achieve with money are just that numerous. Breaking the duelling rules in Guang’an City just for you would be equal to breaking the rice bowls of each and every constable of every rank all across Guang’an Prefecture. The Guang’an Prefecture Governor is no fool; How would he ever do something so silly? Which is why you better not think you’re that lucky, brat. Get down to earth and prepare for a duel.”

Naturally, Xu Yi was not stupid enough to leave the fate of his own life in the hands of others. He said, “Master, there is one thing that I still do not understand, and I hope that you can enlighten me. Gu Jianming said this of the duelling rules in Guang’an City: the one who requests a duel need only pay a fee of ten gold coins to the Guang’an Prefecture Authorities, and the duel would automatically be in effect. If the other party does not duel, he would be expelled from Guang’an City. But the problem now is, if someone were to be at the Qi Ocean stage, couldn’t he simply oppress anyone below his stage? If the other party does not submit, all he has to do is to pay the authorities ten gold coins, and the other party would be left with no choice but death?”

Master Zhou stroked his beard and gave a gentle smile. “Those bloodsuckers at the Prefecture Authorities are no fools. How could they leave such a loophole when designing their rules? You have to know that the fees collected from the duels every year accumulate up to about a third of Guang’an City’s revenue. Naturally, the Prefecture Authorities hope to enjoy this cash cow for as long as possible. How could they let it destroy itself? With such a loophole, Guang’an City would be forced to become a ghost town.

“Based on the rules set by the authorities for duelling, the challenger is not allowed to bully the weak. In other words, a Qi Ocean stage practitioner is not allowed to challenge a Body Forging stage practitioner. A practitioner at the peak of Body Forging is also not allowed to challenge one at the lower stages of Body Forging. In other words, the cultivation stage of the challenger must not be higher than the cultivation stage of the one being challenged. Hence, your worries are absolutely unnecessary.”

Hearing those words felt like a weight off his chest. As long as he was fighting someone at the same level, he was not afraid.

Seeing Xu Yi’s expression, Master Zhou laughed. “Brat, don’t think that you have nothing to fear just because the strength of your soul is greater than average. There is always another higher mountain. If the Black Dragon Hall truly wants you dead, it is not that difficult a task. After all, money is power, and there are countless experts at the peak of Body Forging. If you want to keep your life, brat, you have to reign as king amongst all those at the peak of Body Forging.”

As Master Zhou said those words, Xu Yi looked as though he were struck by lightning. He was not worried about the experts that Black Dragon Hall would hire; it was just that he never expected that the secret he had kept for so long was actually easily seen through by Master Zhou.

Master Zhou scoffed, “Don’t give me that stupid face! You should know that from the moment you so easily slaughtered the young master of the Black Dragon Hall’s White Horse Branch Hall, the stage of you cultivation was no longer a secret. As for how I know that the strength of your soul is better than average, the reason is simple. Firstly, you chased after me all that long way just to ask me about the soul. You must know that below the Qi Ocean stage. Practically no practitioner would ever think of asking such questions.

“For you to ask something like that, you must evidently have had some personal experience. Either your soul is incredibly weak, or you soul is incredibly strong, more so than the average person. And right now, after knowing that you are at the peak of Boy Forging, the answer is clear as crystal. The strength of your soul must be astonishing. If not, there is no way that you could reach the peak of Body Forging at such a young age!”