Chapter 21: Earth Dragon Body

"Why aren't you talking? I'm telling you, don't think about lying to us! We've been observing in secret for the past few days! We saw it clearly! You definitely know that kid!"

The short, fat grave robber held a dagger to his mouth and stuck out his tongue to lick the blade, a wisp of fresh blood sliding down the edge.

*Hiss~* He hurriedly put away the dagger and took a packet of medicinal powder from his pocket and poured it into his mouth.

"Did you hear me? Kid, *pfft pfft*... are you going to talk? If you don't talk, *pfft pfft*... I'm going to do some things I love to do! Heh, heh, heh."

While questioning, he kept spitting out medicinal powder from his mouth.

Qin Jiang's eyes shifted, his gaze constantly changing between the two.

Suddenly, the corners of his eyes curved, a smile appeared, and his palm stroked the hilt of Black Water.

"Are the two brothers looking for Qin Jiang?" he asked with a smile.

The short, fat grave robber tilted his head and raised his chin. "That's right! Heh heh, I knew you definitely knew him!"

Qin Jiang laughed when he heard this. "Yes, I know him. That guy is a lecherous ghost.

If nothing goes wrong, he should be at Yinanyuan looking for women right now. Are you his friends? How about I take you there?"

As he spoke, he walked toward the short, fat grave robber, secretly sighing with regret; he had originally planned to rely on himself to master the first layer.

In his vision, the Potential Panel appeared.

【Current Martial Arts】

Longevity Five Qi Technique (First Layer) (4/250)

Iron Arm Fist (Not Yet Entered) (32/100)

【Potential Points: 7.7】

The potential points increased by 0.1, absorbed from that strange beast jade pendant.

Shaking his head, *'Potential, add points, Iron Arm Fist.'*

【Iron Arm Fist (Not Yet Entered) (32/100), Experience Points +70】

【Iron Arm Fist (Not Yet Entered) advanced to Iron Arm Fist (First Layer)】

【Iron Arm Fist (First Layer) (2/200)】

【Potential Points: 7.0】

In an instant, a stream of internal Qi as thick as a chopstick surged in his body, a series of subtle crackling sounds came from all over his body, the damage from the day's training was completely recovered, and his arms were covered with a faint gray-white layer under the moonlight.

Feeling the strength of his body and the surging internal Qi, he couldn't help but sigh; it was worthy of being a true martial art. It was only the first layer, yet it had already produced internal Qi.

He looked at the experience points required for the advancement behind the Iron Arm Fist; it was only two hundred, less than the Longevity Five Qi Technique.

Looking at it this way, perhaps the quality of the Longevity Five Qi Technique was even better than the Iron Arm Fist.

But if comparing power, the Iron Arm Fist far exceeded the Longevity Five Qi Technique.

After all, the Longevity Five Qi Technique was a nourishing technique; compared to combat, it was more inclined toward recovery and endurance.

Opposite, the short, fat grave robber nodded with satisfaction. He knew that this kid had already apprenticed to a real martial artist; if possible, he didn't want to provoke a local martial artist.

"You're sensible. Once we find Qin Jiang and finish our business, there will be a heavy reward!"

The smile on Qin Jiang's face grew wider, and the internal Qi of the Iron Arm Fist gathered toward his right arm.

"Then many thanks."

*Swish! * In the night, the blade light was like electricity, tearing through the darkness, instantly slashing across the short, fat grave robber's neck; he didn't even have time to react! *Chhh~* Fresh blood sprayed, splattering onto Qin Jiang and the alley wall behind him.

The short, fat grave robber stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the scattered bloodstains in front of him.

It was as if a blood blade had slashed across the person in front of him, staining half of the other's cheek red, looking like a soul-reaping demon in the moonlight.

"Urgh...!"

He wanted to shout loudly, but his leaking windpipe and severed vocal cords made it impossible for him to say a single word.

A feeling of dizziness surged up, his vision began to dim, and his body clearly hadn't moved, yet he felt a sense of swaying.

*Chhh~*

Qin Jiang slashed again, stabbing the blade into the short, fat grave robber's heart, while simultaneously wrapping his arm around the other's neck, saying with a light laugh, "Don't be nervous, take a deep breath, dizziness is normal." The short, fat grave robber's head leaned against Qin Jiang's chest, blood continuously gushing from his mouth and neck, but his body was firmly restrained and couldn't move.

Qin Jiang's arm moved slightly, and the internal Qi followed the blade of Black Water to shred the internal organs. After a few breaths, the short, fat grave robber finally gave up struggling, and his body gradually went limp.

*Step, step, step. *

The tall, thin grave robber on the other side of the alley walked over, looking somewhat dull at the two people hugging each other.

Because Qin Jiang's body was broader and thicker than the short, fat grave robber's, it just happened to block the view, so the tall, thin grave robber couldn't see what had happened.

"Are you kissing?" he asked naively.

After saying this, he suddenly saw the wall shining slightly, and looking closely, he was stunned for a moment before realizing it was blood.

*Oh~* Not good.

He stood in place, seemingly pondering something. The master had died again and again; according to common sense, he should run away.

Immediately, he turned around and ran wildly toward the distance.

*Swish! * In the night, a cold light illuminated the alley for a moment, and a fierce blade light slashed toward the tall, thin grave robber.

The tall, thin grave robber tilted his head, causing his body to slide to the right like a water ripple.

The next moment, his body rapidly shrank, turning into a fist-sized hamster, its fur yellow and white, oily and smooth.

*Whoosh! * Its speed suddenly increased by a large margin, turning into a yellow light and shooting out, rushing more than ten meters in the blink of an eye! *A monster! A shapeshifted monster! * Qin Jiang's heart tightened, then he mobilized his internal Qi to gather in his right arm, gripped the hilt of Black Water, and made a throwing motion.

*Whoosh! * Black Water was violently thrown out, turning into a black line, tearing through the air with a sharp whistle, its speed much faster than the hamster demon! Just as the blade was about to stab into the hamster demon's head, the hamster demon squeaked, its body exploded into a mist of blood, and its speed increased again.

*Chhh! * The sound of tearing fur rang out, and Black Water plunged into the ground, sinking all the way to the hilt.

The hamster demon's figure rolled on the ground, split into two halves from the belly down, but not a drop of blood flowed out.

Qin Jiang's figure moved at high speed, scooped up Black Water, and without the slightest delay, threw it with great force. The hamster demon only had time to shake its head and hadn't fully regained consciousness before it was firmly nailed to the ground.

It opened its mouth, spat out a string of blood beads, and immediately stopped breathing.

Qin Jiang walked up, didn't pull out Black Water, but twisted the hilt a few times, confirming the hamster demon was dead before pulling it out.

He shook his head slightly; this hamster demon's true body was too weak, even weaker than the two fox demons he encountered in Daheishan before.

It seems that shapeshifting or not has little to do with strength; perhaps there is some special method.

Looking at the scattered blood beads, the blood beads fell to the ground and were stained with dust, but they didn't disperse; instead, they became small red balls with a strong gelatinous texture.

Picking up one and squeezing it with his hand, it was very elastic.

Not blood?

He looked at the dozen or so blood beads at his feet, thought about it, and decided not to collect them, taking out a fire starter to ignite them.

Carrying the hamster demon's corpse, he returned to the short, fat grave robber's corpse and threw it down.

Crouching down to search the short, fat grave robber's corpse, he found a secret manual titled "Earth Dragon Body," as well as some silver notes and broken silver, about forty or fifty taels.

And what caught his attention most was a token; the material looked like copper but was very light. On the front, it read "Jinyu Pavilion," and on the back, a withered locust tree was embossed.

Jinyu Pavilion? Never heard of it.

He tried to bend the token, but even with all his strength, it didn't deform in the slightest.

He put the token on the ground and drew Black Water.

*Clang! * He slashed at the token, but it didn't cause any damage, not even a scratch.

He picked up the token and gently brushed off the dust.

Good treasure; if used to forge a blade, it would definitely be a divine weapon! *Pfft! * Black Water plunged into the ground, and after a few strokes, it formed a palm-sized, two-foot-deep pit, into which he threw the token and buried it.

Although it was a good thing, who knew if there was any trap on it.

Jinyu Pavilion, one could tell it wasn't easy to provoke just by the name. If he were exposed because of a token, it would really be a loss that outweighed the gain.

Glancing at the corpses on the ground, he took a porcelain bottle from his pocket.

Corpse Dissolving Water, enough for two people.

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 22 =====