Chapter 89: The Last Rain Before Winter

Crack!

Muted thunder rolled, lightning serpents split the sky, gale winds swept through, and driving rain poured like a waterfall.

In the torrential downpour, Li Yuan stepped forward as he walked, the fine rain streaming down from his bamboo hat.

"A third-tier heavy hammer!"

The heavy autumn rain carried a biting chill, yet he felt none of it; within his body, it was as though flames were surging.

Among the five mastery effects of the six-edged hammer, the hammer-type talent and the weight of a hundred jun overlapped with those of the Gale-Breaking Hammer, and the Jade Essence Copper Hammer also carried the augmentation of breaking horizontal-trained armor.

Therefore, before leaving the forging room, he had already mastered this third-tier heavy hammer, swapping out the relatively overlapping Hundred-Refined Gale-Breaking Hammer, and as he strode along, he was also feeling out the new mastery augmentations.

【Momentum Like Wind and Thunder: One who wields a heavy hammer is heaven-gifted, with a powerful physique; the heavy hammer sweeps, swift as gale wind, its momentum like startling thunder.】

【Assault-Breaking Armor: The heavy is naturally unyielding; the heavy hammer dances wildly through the wind, naturally able to be solid, able to break armor…】

【Fierce and Fearless: One skilled with heavy hammers moves with bold, sweeping strokes, his heart knowing no fear; even a line of fierce tigers before him, he would not be afraid…】

"One third-tier heavy hammer is far stronger than two second-tier ones; truly worthy of being a grand master's swansong piece!"

As he strode, Li Yuan felt an incomparable exhilaration in his heart.

Every weapon he mastered brought him a violent, metamorphosis-like surge of improvement, and this third-tier heavy hammer was especially so.

His speed and strength had risen further, and Momentum Like Wind and Thunder seemed to have some effect on his body as well.

Boom!

He took a step, sending accumulated water flying; a tremendous burst of explosive force erupted in an instant, and even the waterfall-like rain was sent splashing by his charge.

One step, two steps, three steps…

The faster Li Yuan ran, with the nine masteries upon him, even without a hammer in hand, every move he made carried tremendous augmentation.

Boom!

As he ran, internal force exploded beneath his feet; both feet left the ground, and in a single bound he covered some forty meters, the wind and rain lashing his face so hard it stung.

"Under three seconds for a hundred meters! Tang Tong and Yu Zhen's speed can't compare to mine now! If I master the Six Union Boots too, my speed could be far greater still!"

Li Yuan's heart surged with excitement, but he also knew where his shortcomings lay.

His physique couldn't compare to Qin Xiong, who had achieved minor completion in the Seven Star Horizontal-Training Body, and probably couldn't compare to body-tempering martial artists who had honed themselves for decades either; his internal force was also thin, unable to withstand many bursts.

Therefore…

"One strike, certain kill; if it misses, retreat!"

Striding through the heavy rain, Li Yuan had a clear understanding of himself, defining his own combat style.

Hoo~

Without opening the door, Li Yuan barely exerted any force with his feet, and had already vaulted back into the small courtyard; he took off his bamboo hat and hung it by the door, then went inside and changed clothes.

It was still that common-style coarse hemp garment; the difference was, this time he didn't need to wrap his face in rags, but instead took out a human-skin mask and put it on.

"Squeak squeak squeak~"

The little mouse hid under the bed, squeaking in terror.

In the bronze mirror, what looked back was a middle-aged man with a long body, long arms, and a sallow complexion; he shouldered the nearly two-meter-long Gale-Breaking heavy hammer, looking fierce and dangerous.

"Pack the Six Union Boots, and at the critical moment, swap out the Jade Essence Copper Hammer; clear out the things in the incense burner too—if things go wrong, a whole burner of incense ash can have miraculous effects…"

Adjusting himself before the mirror, Li Yuan kept checking for gaps and shoring up weaknesses in his mind, preparing every measure he had.

On any rainy night he went out, he dared not be careless; he was there to sweep away the threats against himself, not to fight someone to the death.

After thinking it over, he still wrapped the rags around his face, and took out a Zeng Xue Dan to swallow, making his qi and blood surge full.

These past days, he had never stopped taking pills; though his internal force had improved considerably, the pills he had obtained from Yu Zhen were truly running low.

"Squeak~"

Suddenly, the little mouse let out another shriek.

Hush!

Outside the house came the sound of someone landing through the wind.

"Here again!"

Li Yuan's eyelids drooped.

This was the third uninvited intrusion; this mysterious blade guest had already seriously affected him.

A few days ago, he didn't even dare—

—take off his clothes when sleeping, keeping a hammer by his hand.

"Li Yuan, come out. the Incense Master wants to see you!"

In the wind and rain, Feng Gang wore a bamboo hat, his expression very ugly.

Worshipping the god was naturally a great thing—martial arts strength could advance by leaps and bounds—but before and after the worship, there would be at least several months of struggle, which would certainly affect cut into the forging of the Autumn Water Sword.

And several months from now, once the others also learned of Li Yuan, whether the sword he forged could end up in his hands was another matter entirely.

He was deeply unwilling, and his tone was very aggressive, but inside the house, apart from the mouse squeaking wildly, there was no response at all!

"Li Yuan!"

Feng Gang's face darkened:

"The Incense Master still has important matters to attend to tonight; if you delay him, neither of us can bear the blame! Come out at once…"

The house was deathly silent; even the mouse had stopped squeaking.

'Red gold will have to be sought through another channel…

Li Yuan stood gripping his hammer; beneath the hemp garment, his whole body flushed crimson, internal force circulating between his shoulders and arms, his heart turning slightly cold.

He naturally could not go to meet that Incense Master of the Xieshen Sect.

"What gall! I call you, and you dare not make a sound?"

Feng Gang's face darkened; as he strode forward, he gave a flick of his sleeve, and the gust of force mixed with rain slammed the wooden door open:

"You… huh?!"

The angry rebuke had not yet left his mouth before it turned into a startled exclamation—a black shadow drifted soundlessly, hammering toward his chest at extreme speed.

"Reckless fool…"

Startled for a moment, Liu Liu Jingshan sneered coldly in his heart.

A mere apprentice who hasn't even achieved internal force, dares to strike at him?

So what if his hammer technique is at minor completion? Look how light and floaty that hammer is…

Liu Liu Jingshan flicked his sleeve, preparing to teach this brat a lesson, but the next instant, his eyes went wide and a bone-chilling cold surged into his heart.

"Boom!"

As if a thunderbolt had fallen upon Li Li Yuanzhong.

"Me?!!"

Liu Liu Jingshan felt as if he'd been struck by a siege ram—in an instant he couldn't feel his arm at all, and his chest ached at the same time.

He flew backward faster than he'd come, 'Boom—' crashing through the courtyard's earthen wall, feeling as if his whole body were a punctured waterskin, blood spraying wildly.

How could this be possible?!

Amid the flying mud, Liu Liu Jingshan was completely stunned—his arm along with his chest cavity had been smashed to pieces in a single blow!

"You?!"

A gust of fierce wind rose amid the heavy rain.

Li Li Yuanzhong suddenly erupted, his successful hammer once again swung in a full arc and smashed down.

Force like wind and thunder, weight as heavy as a hundred jun!

Bang!

Flesh and bone became mud!

With this hammer strike, Li Li Yuanzhong didn't even sense any resistance—the hammer smashed into the bluestone ground as if swinging through air, splashing up large swathes of mud and blood.

"Body Tempering or Internal Strength? Surviving the first hammer without dying, must be Internal Strength? Internal Strength, and even an ambush only takes two hammers—face to face…

Not as good as an ambush!"

Li Li Yuanzhong swept a cold glance over the corpse that looked like a puddle of mud.

The hammer he'd been gathering momentum for inside the house was actually even more violent than the second one—lifting weight as if it were light was the full-force eruption including internal force.

He was confident he could collapse a stone wall with it; a body taking one hammer head-on had surprised even him.

At the very least, he reckoned he absolutely couldn't withstand his own hammer—no, not even half a hammer…

"Is an Internal Strength martial artist's physique really this astonishing? Or is it internal force…"

Thoughts turning in his heart didn't delay his movements.

Quickly searching the corpse, tossing that longsword along with the waist pouch into the incense burner within the Soldier Palm space, Li Li Yuanzhong carried the corpse in one hand and the hammer in the other,

And strode swiftly into the wind and rain.

"Huff!"

Crossing several streets, Li Li Yuanzhong casually tossed the unknown swordsman's corpse into a stinking ditch, turned, and headed toward the Weapon Forging Shop.

Killing this suspected Internal Strength swordsman with two hammers had boosted his confidence further; recalling that day's battle on the training ground, he reckoned that even in a face-to-face fight, he

Had an extremely high chance of victory.

If it were an ambush…

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Li Li Yuanzhong halted his steps and looked sharply toward the inner city—vaguely, he seemed to have heard screams, and more than one.

"…Those people from the Xieshen Sect? That Incense Master has made his move? Who are they going to act against—Fang the Heroine, or that Ghost-Faced Prajna?"

Remembering what that unknown swordsman had said, Li Li Yuanzhong frowned, then slowed his pace and gradually circled toward the Weapon Forging Shop.

If that Incense Master really is making a move, Cao Yan will probably have to act too…

……

"Ah!"

Screams came through the wind and rain. In the rear courtyard of the Lu residence, Fang Fang Yunxiu, who had not yet gone to sleep, keenly noticed that these screams seemed to be very close to the Lu residence?

Swish!

She moved quickly, snatching up her sword and darting into the curtain of rain. Just as she flipped onto the rooftop, she felt a weight on her shoulder as Yu Yu Xuanji's voice drifted in:

"Back in the day, Junior Sister Kuyue was called the Cold-Faced Rakshasa, her name paired with mine—how did she end up teaching a soft-hearted thing like you?"

"Elder Han…"

Fang Fang Yunxiu's face went pale; she dared not retort.

"Sect disciples, compared to the underlings who spend all day scheming against each other, are somewhat lacking in experience. Therefore, I've always taught you—compete in strength, not in cunning."

On the rooftop, Yu Yu Xuanji stood with his hands behind his back.

Apart from his bamboo hat, his clothes were dry and neat, untouched by a single drop—wind and rain howled toward him but seemed unable to approach his body, already disintegrating into clumps of mist.

"Cao Yan, Lu Lu Yunqing and their ilk—clever minds, adept at navigating human affairs, exploiting the local-snake advantage to the hilt."

Beneath the bamboo hat, the ghost face glowed red. Yu Yu Xuanji gazed into the distance beyond the residence, seemingly able to see squads of city guards scattering everywhere like ants—wherever they passed, there was only blade-light and blood:

"To break the deadlock—only killing will do!"

Human affairs, ways of handling things—these can't be taught in the mountains. No matter how talented a martial artist, solitary training alone cannot make one worldly and shrewd.

He'd understood this principle several decades ago already.

When it comes to scheming, he didn't even feel certain of winning against these local snakes—but why bother?

A bunch of chickens and clay dogs—just crush them.

Who doesn't have some advantage?

"Disciple… will keep it in mind!"

Fang Fang Yunxiu lowered her head, rainwater soaking her clothes and hair.

She did not agree with Han Han Chuijun's words. If everyone in the Divine Armament Valley acted as he did, they would long since have been stripped of their fief and branded as heretical fiends.

"The Lihe Martial Hall, the Sanhe Gang, the Chai Gang, the Fishermen's Gang, the Weapon-Forging Shop, the Yizi Inn… sixteen factions, inner and outer city alike. Go pay each one a visit!"

Han Han Chuijun glanced at the Lu residence where candlelight had flared, then paused slightly:

"Here, let this old man handle it for you!"

"Elder Han!"

Fang Fang Yunxiu's face changed abruptly; the very thing she feared most in her heart had been spoken aloud.

Bang!

She still wanted to say something, but felt a sharp pain in her back, and her whole body was sent flying through the air.

"Elder Han, leave the Lu residence to me. This disciple will surely give you a satisfactory answer!"

Looking back through the rain, Fang Fang Yunxiu's heart was alarmed and worried, yet she did not dare stop. With a touch on the eaves, she had already raised her sword and charged into the curtain of rain.

"Right, the Weapon-Forging Shop you needn't visit. This old man must go take a look at that hammer-technique seedling you mentioned. I hope you won't disappoint me…"

Hearing Han Han Chuijun's voice, Fang Fang Yunxiu's heart tightened slightly, but she did not look back. She moved across the rooftops along the street, feeling screams and cries of battle coming from every direction.

In the pouring rain, she could even smell the scent of blood.

Sha Sha Pingying's wild howl—she heard it from several streets away. This junior brother of hers, Liu Liu Jingshan, was skilled in horizontal training, wielding a fine-iron long staff like the wind, his methods vicious and ruthless, bearing much of Han Han Chuijun's old style.

"Elder Han means to wipe out every gang in Gao Liu…"

Fang Fang Yunxiu's heart ran cold, yet she could only raise her sword and charge in. At the very least, she had to protect Lu Lu Bailing—the only blood of her elder sister,

her only kin…

……

Whooosh~

The wind and rain grew fiercer.

Han Han Chuijun lightly tapped the eaves, and his body swooped toward the city walls like a hawk.

"Lei Lei Chaozong, tsk, a mere minnow. I'll make do and eat him."

Striding through the rain, Han Han Chuijun spread both arms wide, his speed extreme.

His qi and blood were vigorous, his whole body like a blazing furnace of Xiong Xiong fire. Wind and rain could not draw near; the moment they did, the rainwater turned to mist.

"Mm, they've gathered together. At least I didn't spare you for nothing earlier…"

Half a city district away, Han Han Chuijun had already caught that reeking scent of incense and candles that sickened him.

In Mount Fajiu Mountain, he had only struck once with his hammer. It wasn't that he couldn't kill them, but that killing the bigger fish would scatter the smaller fry, and hunting them down would take a hundred times the effort.

He had fished for many years—when had a fish ever slipped off his hook?

……

"There's the smell of blood!"

Approaching the inner city, in a courtyard, Lei Lei Chaozong tossed down a half-torn lamb leg. Without any visible movement, he had already flipped onto the roof.

"Incense Master, it's the City Guards!"

At that moment, someone came rushing through the rainy night in panic:

"Over a thousand City Guards are massacring through the city—it's Han Han Chuijun, Han Han Chuijun is here!"

One figure after another darted out of the alley; at this moment, the expressions of all present changed.

"Over a thousand City Guards? Have the City Guards from the nearby counties all come?"

Through the curtain of rain, Lei Lei Chaozong heard the cries of battle, and the smell of blood grew thick beyond measure, as if they had already been completely surrounded.

"He mobilized the nearby City Guards not to search for Nian Jiu, but to deal with me!"

Lei Lei Chaozong's heart sank. He was minded to charge up and fight, but seeing the fear on his subordinates' faces, and the dull ache in his own chest, he could only grit his teeth:

"Go find Cao Yan, get the weapons, and leave the city!"

……

……

"Huff!"

The Weapon-Forging Shop in the rainy night was very quiet, with only a few scattered lights glowing in the back courtyard.

Li Yuan moved with practiced ease, slipping past the guards and entering without effort. Along the way, he even glanced at Zhang Ben—old Zhang was snoring away in deep sleep.

"These dozen-plus factions inside and outside Gao Liu County are surely all connected to the Xieshen Sect. If that so-called Incense Master wants to act, it can only be against the people of the Divine Armament Valley…"

Hidden in a corner, Li Yuan did not rush to the back courtyard, but lay low on the side, waiting.

As one of the only two Internal Strength martial artists in Gao Liu, the moment the Incense Master moved, Cao Yan would surely move as well…

……

"Something's off in the inner city. Did Lei Lei Chaozong make his move early? No, he just sent someone to summon me. If he were going to act, it should be in a few days?

Could it be that Han Han Chuijun…"

In the back courtyard, on the roof, Cao Yan held up his umbrella, feeling an uneasy premonition in his heart.

"That letter just now… never mind. Since Lei Lei Chaozong wants to see me, I'll go meet him first. If it really is Han Han Chuijun making a move…"