CHAPTER 92: CHAPTER 90: UGLINESS

"Junior Brother Qi, what’s wrong?"

"Junior Brother, do you need our help?"

The fellow disciples who had just dined together all rushed down from the second floor of Zhihai Tower, concerned about the young man surnamed Qi.

"I saw the enemy who slaughtered my entire family!" The young man surnamed Qi said with hatred, biting his lip until it bled.

"Where is he? Let’s go capture him together!" someone patted his chest, full of heroic spirit.

"I appreciate the good intentions of all my senior brothers, but this person I must kill with my own hands, absolutely not by someone else’s!" The young man surnamed Qi said resolutely.

The hatred in his eyes was so immense that even the waters of the Three Rivers and Five Oceans could not wash it away.

Several dozen yards away from him, in a certain alley, Lou Yi stood quietly, wearing a straw hat.

Even though the surrounding was bustling with noise, his five senses far surpassed ordinary people, having heard all the words of those who had been pursuing him just now.

’The rumored genius of the Heavy Sword Sect is indeed Qi Bao.’ Lou Yi thought to himself, ’Qi Bao, you want to kill me, and I want to kill you too...’

Judging from Qi Bao’s speed just now, one could discern that his current strength was stronger than ordinary martial artists, but clearly had not reached the level of Circulation Martial Artists.

Killing him would not be difficult, but it would require finding the right opportunity.

Lou Yi tightened the straw hat on his head and disappeared from the spot.

...

Returning to the rented house, he found Liu Yuan and Lu Yang drinking in the courtyard, and they had bought a large roasted chicken.

"Come have a drink with us, Brother Yi?" Liu Yuan called out, his face flushed with a bit of drunkenness.

Lou Yi sat down beside them, and Lu Yang immediately got up, fetched an empty bowl, and filled it with yellow wine for him.

"How’s business lately?" Lou Yi asked Lu Yang, who had recently joined a butcher’s shop, returning to his old trade.

"Business is not going well," Lu Yang shook his head, "and being under someone else’s wing feels quite uncomfortable."

"I told him, why not join the River Gang, given Brother Lu’s ability, he could at least become a small leader. It would also make it much easier for us to pass on messages later," Liu Yuan said.

"Any difficulties?" Lou Yi saw Brother Lu’s expression was a bit uncomfortable, and he already understood roughly.

"Hey, Brother Yi, it’s not easy to get into the River Gang now.

But, I’ve recently made friends with a Hall Master, and I’m confident I can get Brother Lu in, just that..." Liu Yuan couldn’t help rubbing his fingers together.

"How much silver is needed?"

"A hundred taels would be enough."

"Weren’t the silver notes I gave you more than enough?" Lou Yi asked curiously.

"That’s also Brother Yi’s silver, and I need your consent to use it," Liu Yuan laughed.

"Since I’ve given it to you, just use it as you please."

"Thank you, Master!" Lu Yang heard this and thanked happily.

"Alright, since I brought you here, I naturally have to arrange things properly," Lou Yi waved his hand casually.

Lu Yang joining a large gang like the River Gang was not without benefits for him.

The River Gang’s informants were spread throughout Tai City, so they would certainly know better than the average person where someone died.

Lou Yi constantly remembered that his foundation was energy, and energy came from those who died unnaturally.

"In the past few days, I’ve been to Qingfeng Temple..." Liu Yuan began to report his progress to Lou Yi, while Lu Yang tactfully returned to his own room.

Liu Yuan was indeed resourceful; in just a few days, he had made connections with a young Daoist from Qingfeng Temple, and they had even visited Red Mansion together, almost becoming sworn brothers.

"I heard that tomorrow they will be performing a ritual at the house of Landlord Wang in the east of the city," Liu Yuan provided this piece of information.

"Good." Lou Yi’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he patted Liu Yuan on the shoulder to show encouragement, "If you lack silver, let me know."

The next day.

Lou Yi spent half the day at the Extreme Fist Sect, then left at noon, heading to the east of the city.

Landlord Wang was a major figure in Tai City; his mansion was quite grand, taking up half a street alley, with walls two yards high covered in moss, revealing years of wealth.

However, the atmosphere in the mansion was somewhat eerie now.

The concubines who usually liked to roam in the garden within the mansion were nowhere to be seen today.

The servants walked with their heads down, hurrying along, seemingly burdened with concerns.

In a certain courtyard deep within the mansion, the Daoists from Qingfeng Temple had already set up incense burners, candlesticks, and offerings.

Four young Daoists stood on either side, their expressions solemn, reciting scriptures quietly.

In the middle, an elder Daoist wielded a Peach Wood Sword with his right hand, slashing in the air, while shaking a copper bell with his left hand, stepping on the Seven Stars, and roaming continuously in the courtyard.

Outside the courtyard stood a wealthy, well-dressed man of about fifty, wearing a yellow landlord’s hat and clad in a red satin riding jacket.

His hands were behind his back, with an unpleasant expression, muttering ’unlucky’ repeatedly.

Several hours later, when the Daoists finished the ritual, someone politely saw them out.

The courtyard where the ritual had been just performed was then sealed tightly with a large iron lock, forbidding any entry or exit.

But this obviously didn’t pose a problem for Lou Yi.

He simply bent his knees slightly and easily vaulted over the wall into the courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, less than a hundred square meters. A glance from Lou Yi revealed that the area on the east side near the wall had freshly filled soil, clearly newly refilled.

Lou Yi took an iron shovel from behind him and began digging.

As time passed, Lou Yi’s face grew increasingly grim, his heart colder.

A young female corpse, two, three... eventually, he unearthed five in total!

Some were clothed but disheveled, while others were completely naked.

The commonality was that their bodies were covered with wounds, blood, bruises, and their expressions twisted, indicating they had suffered inhuman torture before dying.

Energy +5, yet Lou Yi felt not the slightest joy.

"Ladies, if the opportunity arises, I will surely avenge you in the future."

From other parts of Landlord Wang’s mansion, Lou Yi took some garments and covered the corpses of the women, then refilled the earth.

He etched the heartless Landlord Wang into his memory and turned to leave.

In the following days.

During the day, Lou Yi showed up at the Extreme Fist Sect to practice fist techniques, at night heading to three cemeteries to try his luck.

In between, he waited for Liu Yuan’s news and seized quite a lot of energy by mingling with the Daoists from Qingfeng Temple.

In just over two weeks, he had accumulated more than fifty points of energy, just several points away from breaking through the entry-level breathing technique.

At the same time, he deeply witnessed some wealthy houses’ ugliness, understanding why many grand households ended up with graves.

Of course, his observations of Qi Bao were relentless.

Lou Yi hid in the shadows, gaining a certain mastery over his routes and favorite restaurants.

Unfortunately, Qi Bao seldom acted alone, making it challenging for Lou Yi to find an opportunity to strike.

Thus, Lou Yi did not dwell on it, instead focusing his efforts on enhancing his strength.

Currently, Zhou Yang and Huang Longgang in the sect bore no good intentions toward him, who knows when they might scheme something, maintaining a crisis awareness was necessary.

Lou Yi looked at the attribute panel:

[Name: Lou Yi]

[Age: 19/56]

[Realm: Quasi-Martial Artist (64/600)]

[Cultivation Technique: Yellow Extreme Breathing Technique (Segment One, Entry 0/60 + One Heart-Eroding Grass), Hu Family Breathing Technique (Uninitiated 0/10)]

[Skill: Lou’s Axe Skill (Mastered 0/100), Extreme Fist (Proficient 0/30), Stone Throwing (Mastered 0/30), Light Body Technique (Mastered 0/60), Basic Spear Technique (Entry 0/6), Secret Skill: Dragon Piercing Technique - Fragment (One)]

[Talent: Petrification (Proficient 0/60 + 3 Stone Spirits + 1 Phoenix Blood Stone)]

[Energy: 55]

Energy was unprecedentedly abundant, enough to improve fist techniques, stone throwing, and other skills, but only a fool would do so.

Breathing technique was the foundation of everything, also directly related to whether Lou Yi’s lifespan could increase.

Unless encountering special circumstances, future energy supplies would always prioritize the breathing technique.

Two days later, the energy surpassed sixty, the Heart-Eroding Grass having previously been given by Zhan Weida.

Lou Yi sat on the bed, prepared to make the breakthrough.

...