Chapter 97: Mutual Complement of Forms, Fourth-Order Command of Troops

Before the year-end, Gao Liu County was hit by a heavy snowfall; the north wind howled, and all mountains and rivers turned white.

Rustle~

In the heavy snow, a middle-aged swordsman wearing coarse inner clothes and a wolf-skin cloak stepped through the snow into the mountains, passed through dense forests, and arrived at a extremely secluded mountain hollow.

Inside the hollow stood simple wooden huts, half-exposed to the outside, while the other half clung tightly to the mountain wall.

"Changyuan Escort Agency, Weapon Forge..."

Gazing at the collapsed wooden huts, Brother Qiao Hu's face twitched; this was the most secret stronghold of the Viper Gang, and now the last one remaining.

That Cao Yan had fought like a madman, destroying half a lifetime of his hard work.

"Second Master!"

"Second Master..."

As Brother Qiao Hu entered the hollow, many bandits in tattered clothes, yet unable to hide their sharpness, surged out.

"Where is the Big Brother? Has he not yet emerged from seclusion?"

Brother Qiao Hu swept his gaze over them, his face turning black.

Of the Viper Gang's thousand members, now only a hundred or so remained; the only consolation was that these were all elites.

"I must thank Cao Yan; without his pressure, I would not have settled my mind to close myself in for over half a year, perfecting the Broken Gate Blade to completion..."

A strong wind burst from the cave, and a very burly old man pressed his hand on his sword and emerged, his eyes fierce and cruel:

"Second Brother, how is it?"

The old man was named Shan Shan Xuan, the leader of the Viper Gang, originally a hunter, who had roamed the mountains and forests for years with his Broken Gate Blade.

"Cao Yan must be dead! I led men to raid two of their cargo shipments, yet saw no sign of him; instead, people from the Yuan family were accompanying them..."

"Death does not cancel debts! Cao Yan destroyed my family's estate, so I shall seize his family's estate! The Yuan family shall not dare to stop me..."

Shan Shan Xuan's face sank like water; he strode into the hollow, glanced around at the bandits, was about to speak, then suddenly looked up.

He saw a pillar of fire shoot into the sky and explode.

"Second Brother, you are being followed!"

Shan Shan Xuan's expression changed drastically.

Brother Qiao Hu was stunned, incredulous: "Impossible; even Cao Yan couldn't catch me, so who could follow me?"

"Run!"

Every bandit's face changed color; without seeing the enemy, they each turned and rushed toward the wooden huts.

The caves behind the huts were interconnected; once they escaped inside, even if more enemies came, they could still flee.

Their reaction was not slow, but it was not faster than arrows!

"Release the arrows!"

In the dense forest, Zhou Zhou Jinzhong waved his hand, and the city guards lying in wait within loosened their bowstrings.

Only the sound of "whoosh-whoosh" filled the air; arrows fell like rain, raising vast sheets of blood and screams.

"Gao Liu City Guards!"

Wielding his horizontal blade to cut down arrow after arrow, Brother Qiao Hu's eyes nearly burst; he turned to flee, but heard a "rumble-rumble" roar; on both sides of the hollow, huge boulders rolled down, crushing the wooden huts.

"Ah!"

"Big Master..."

"Rats, only daring to ambush?!"

In the forest, screams echoed everywhere; Shan Shan Xuan roared as he cleaved a large boulder, his qi and blood powerful, his blade technique fierce, cutting through stones and arrows.

Cursing angrily, he turned and charged toward the cave.

"Still trying to escape?"

In the dense forest, Zhou Zhou Jinzhong raised his hand indifferently; cold crossbow bolts shot out in a continuous stream, the sound of breaking the air piercingly loud, blocking him completely outside the cave.

Then, from the dense forest and above the hollow, over a hundred city guards descended in a file, forming groups of three or five, their blade light like a ribbon, slaughtering all the remaining bandits.

Shan Shan Xuan's roars gradually weakened as he was crushed to death by squads of city guards; on the other side, Brother Qiao Hu let out a reluctant low growl, a blade pressed to his neck, pinned firmly to the ground.

"A mob; even with an Inner Strength martial artist leading them, they cannot match an army of equal numbers."

Above the hollow, Li Yuan, who had led the boulder-rolling and crushing, brushed the accumulated snow from his hands.

He had discovered this hollow several days ago; Brother Qiao Hu's lightness skill was nothing in front of him, who had mastered the Six Harmonies Boots.

But he did not choose to act himself,

Instead, he informed the City Guard Commander, Zhou Zhou Jinzhong.

The outcome would be the same either way.

"The Viper Gang is finished."

Yuan Yuan Pingjun put down the large stone in his hands.

Inside the hollow, over a hundred mountain bandits lay dead in various places; blood melted the accumulated snow, with only a few held down.

The city guard army was skilled at bandit suppression: first bows, then crossbows, then forming formations to charge and kill; one wave completely annihilated the Viper Gang's elites, with only a dozen or so injured.

"One versus one, many versus many, one versus many, many versus one... combat and slaughter are also a technical skill!"

Li Yuan, seeing such a large-scale scene for the first time, gained much knowledge: "Ambush... the first move is very important."

He felt that if it were himself now, suddenly ambushed and surrounded, he would probably only be able to use the Six Harmonies Boots to run away.

First bows, then crossbows, then forming formations; simple three moves, but very effective.

Even an Inner Strength martial artist could not hold out for long; once the internal energy was exhausted, they would easily be slaughtered; moreover, there were Vice Commanders like Zhou Zhou Jinzhong holding the line.

"If it were me, I would definitely flee first, seek an opportunity to assassinate Vice Commanders like Zhou Zhou Jinzhong, then plan gradually... hmm, the Six Harmonies Boots are important, lightness skill is also important..."

Li Yuan summarized gains and losses in his heart, then bowed his hands to thank Zhou Zhou Jinzhong; this current acting leader of the city guards had once been a menial disciple of the Divine Weapon Valley.

"Suppressing bandits is simply the city guards' duty; there is no need for thanks."

Zhou Zhou Jinzhong squeezed a faint smile onto his face.

Anyone else asking, he would never have brought the city guards on this trip, but he knew all too well the weight an inner disciple of Divine Weapon Valley carried.

"Public matters are public, private matters are private. Senior Brother Zhou, this favor — this junior brother will keep it firmly in mind."

Li Yuan cupped his hands, deeply grateful.

To play the hands-off boss, he had put in plenty of thought. The favor owed by the city guards wasn't something just anyone could claim, but once the connection was made, the benefits would surely be enormous.

Han Han Chuijun's connection was the door-opener, but once the door was open, what to do and how to do it still depended on himself.

"You're too courteous, junior brother."

Zhou Zhou Jinzhong's smile grew much more natural, making Yuan Yuan Pingjun beside him click his tongue in wonder.

This Shopkeeper Li was far too different from those geniuses he had met before…

Qiu Da stood far away, expressionless.

"I've set a banquet tonight at Spring Breeze Tower. Elder brother and all the brothers here must honor me with your presence!"

Li Yuan's etiquette was impeccable — not only Zhou Zhou Jinzhong, but every other vice commander was invited one by one, and of course, Qiu Da as well.

During this period, he had already gotten his hands on several root diagrams confiscated by the county office and the Yuan family, but the best ones were all kept within the city guards.

"Easy to say, easy to say!"

The vice commanders all smiled and agreed.

A banquet from the Weapon Forging Shop's shopkeeper might not have drawn their interest, but a banquet from Gao Liu's number-one talent, a future inner disciple of Divine Weapon Valley — that was different.

In the mountain hollow, the blood had not yet dried; outside the dense forest, several people chatted merrily.

Li Yuan finally settled his mind completely:

"The last hidden danger has been swept away. After the New Year, I can head to Dormant Dragon Prefecture with peace of mind!"

……

……

Night fell. After the banquet, Li Yuan returned to the Weapon Forging Shop.

The night wind was cold, carrying snowflakes with it.

Whooosh~

Inside the courtyard, a sudden gust of fierce wind rose.

Li Yuan stepped on the snowy ground, wearing only his inner armor, hands and feet bare, and began to dance with his hammer — wielding the long hammer, he performed the Venomous Spear Art.

Hush!

The long hammer broke the wind, weaving a dense curtain of hammer shadows.

The hundred-jin Wind-Breaking Hammer felt like nothing in Li Yuan's hands — lightning-fast. Great swathes of accumulated snow were whipped up by the fierce wind, then shattered by the hammer shadows.

His hammer technique was forceful and heavy, but when the strikes landed, it was like a venomous snake gliding, transforming into a gentle breeze that stirred the patches of snow.

His body moved like a nimble ape; his two arms swung, sometimes like a python — leaping tens of meters at a bound, weaving through the great courtyard, kicking up vast gusts of wind and snow.

The Great Completion-level Cloak Hammer

technique gradually took on the flavor of the Green Snake Spear, the masculine and the feminine seeming to slowly overlap.

"Ugh!"

At a certain moment, Li Yuan let out a muffled grunt, the veins on his forehead bulging. The aching-itching that seeped into his sinews and bones was nearly unbearable, but he still gritted his teeth and danced the hammer, forcing himself to endure.

"Just a little more…"

The heavy hammer hit the ground. Li Yuan let go, took out a top-grade Origin-Supplementing Pill and swallowed it. A warm current flowed into his belly, quickly spreading to his waist and abdomen, then running along the great sinews of his whole body until it reached every part of him.

Buzz buzz buzz~

Stretching his arms, Li Yuan could even hear a sound like a crossbow being strung — that was his whole body's great sinews stretching and tightening.

A feeling of swelling, from his Achilles tendons all the way up to his shoulders, arms, and palms — the blood across his entire body was boiling.

Li Yuan felt himself expanding.

It wasn't just a feeling!

He stretched out his hands; the great sinews on his arms tensed, the muscles were pushed up, swollen to more than double their normal size.

Not just his hands — his waist, abdomen, spine, thighs, even his calves and feet had all swollen from the stretching of his great sinews.

The whole person seemed to have grown a full size in an instant!

Crack!

After the great sinews tightened to their limit, Li Yuan lifted his hammer and danced. Every ounce of strength in his body was unleashed, producing a muffled roar like a sudden thunderclap.

Within several meters, fierce wind howled, and great swathes of snow were pushed outward in all directions.

Boom!

Li Yuan leapt up in a single bound, jumping into a vat full of coarse iron sand, took up the Soldier Body stance, and stirred it frantically.

The increasingly intense tingling gradually turned into searing pain. Accompanied by a sharp crack, another great vat was ruined, iron sand spilling across the ground.

"Now that's got some bite!"

Li Yuan's whole body was trembling, his hands and feet no longer obeyed him, but he lay face-up to the sky — after the agony came an immense, exhilarating relief.

Snake Waist, Python Sinews — achieved!

"That was close. Lucky the swelling was only temporary, or things would've gone badly…"

Gently patting his hands and feet, which hadn't actually changed, Li Yuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief inside.

When his great sinews swelled, even his inner armor had nearly been torn apart. His whole body had ballooned to nearly two meters, his palms as large as cattail fans…

Hush!

After lying in the icy snowy ground for a long while, Li Yuan sprang up with a carp-kip, flung out both arms, and whipped them like steel whips, producing an explosive crack.

"An inch of sinew grown, three parts of strength gained! Even the Leopard-Fetus Sinew-Changing Pill doesn't give such a direct boost…"

Li Yuan swung his fists and kicked his legs, feeling his strength greatly increased, his power more agile; any random punch could engage his major tendons, erupting with faster, stronger force.

He tapped his foot, and his body shot out like a python for over ten meters, swerving mid-way, then swerving again, his agility skyrocketing.

"My blood qi is more condensed, internal force…"

Li Yuan darted forward, clenched his fists and struck; the bluestone erected beneath the great tree shattered at the blow:

"Body Tempering, achieved!"

His whole body still ached, yet Li Yuan was extremely exhilarated.

The pill obtained from Cao Yan, worth several hundred taels, once consumed, not only altered his bone structure but also cultivated the White Ape Strength, letting him step into Body Tempering!

"Pills truly are wonderful things. My great qi-blood circulation is complete; if I keep taking pills and keep practicing martial arts, Body Tempering can reach Great Completion!"

Tapping lightly with his foot, Li Yuan lifted his hammer and moved; Xu Tui's Soldier Body Posture restored his blood qi, eased the pain on his body, and let him feel the subtle changes after his bone structure altered once more.

His qi and blood recovery speed increased even further, his body became more agile, the strength of his waist and abdomen surged dramatically, and he possessed incredible resilience.

Previously, some moves in the Soldier Body Posture that he had struggled with slightly now became very easy, and the whole became more fluid.

"Wasp Waist, Ape Arms, Snake Waist, Python Tendons—four forms complete! Add Tiger Back and Bear Waist, that's six forms. Push a little harder; by next March, maybe I can gather nine forms!"

Striking through the Soldier Body Posture again and again, Li Yuan immersed himself in it, forgetting his fatigue, feeling so exhilarated he was unwilling to waste any time.

Only when the medicinal power of the Supplement Yuan Pill was exhausted did he stop, washed up, shut the room door tightly, blew out the candle, and lay down in his clothes.

……

【Fourth-Tier Soldier Control Register】

【Controllable Weapons: Four】

Inside the Soldier Control Space, on the gray stone platform sat one large and two small incense burners; the remaining space was still enough to hold several hammer weapons.

The day after trading with Yuan Yuan Pingjun, Li Yuan drew on the silver in the Weapon Forging Shop to upgrade his Soldier Control Register.

The gray stone platform grew again, widening; the number of controllable weapons increased by one, the swap time for control dropped further to six hours—one could swap four times a day—greatly satisfying his needs.

At this moment, in the starry sky formed by the Soldier Control Register, four great stars shone brilliantly, upon which flickered the shadows of a spear, a fundamental diagram, and a hammer weapon.

"The Weapon Forging Shop is truly my treasure land!"

Taking stock of the many weapons and items in the incense burners, Li Yuan felt quite satisfied.

Third-tier sharp weapons were rare and hard to come by, but second-tier and first-tier weapons, the Weapon Forging Shop had hundreds and thousands, naturally including some fine pieces among them.

Swords, spears, halberds, axes, battle-axes, hooks, forks, whips—every kind of weapon, as long as its control effect had something unique, he took it into his hands.

For this, not only did he spend all his silver, he also drew his monthly stipend for the coming year in advance.

"Too bad there are no third-tier weapons in the shop, and custom orders are rarely placed…"

Third-tier weapons—Li Yuan currently had only three: the Six-Sided Hammer, the Cold Iron Saber, and the Autumn Water Sword.

Cao Yan's secret chamber was hidden too well; before the heavy snow, he had dug the inner courtyard three feet deep and still hadn't found it.

"Once the heavy snow stops, keep digging!"

Li Yuan had not given up. With his current stamina, one man and one iron shovel—no matter how hard the soil, he could dig it. He refused to believe he couldn't dig it out.

"Hoo!"

Before falling asleep, Li Yuan swapped out the Green Snake Spear Art fundamental diagram and those two spears, replacing them with two Tiger-Head Sabers and the Tiger Roar Saber fundamental diagram:

"Pills aren't enough—how about drawing my monthly stipend for the year after next and the year after that as well?"

……

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sounds of firecrackers rose one after another.

"Third Brother, come, keep Second Brother company for a couple of drinks!"

"Don't drink too much, eat something…"

On New Year's Eve, Li Yuan returned to the ancestral home; the family shared a meal. Knowing he was leaving, his brother and sister-in-law were both reluctant—one kept clinking cups, the other kept serving dishes.

Li Yuan refused nothing, drinking the wine, eating the dishes, chatting with his brother and sister-in-law, giving instructions, and going to hold the two little babies.

Several months had passed; the two little ones had grown quite a bit, chubby and plump, and now had names.

Ping'an, Yunxue.

……

Once the New Year passed, the heavy snow had not yet stopped; several families in the inner and outer cities were already preparing to head to Dragon Hibernation Prefecture. Liu Zheng and Wang Wang Peiyao also came to invite him to travel together.

The few agreed on a time, and Li Yuan sped up his digging in the back courtyard. By the eighth day of the month, when Liu Zheng and the others were ready to leave,

he brought his shovel down once more, and at last a light surged before his eyes:

【Gold Thread Snake-Coiling Hand (Fourth-Tier)】