I can increase my power through breathing.

Chapter 24 Cold Moon Manor Auction: Blood-Handed Butcher Unleashes His Ferocious Power!

Clearwater Town.

A teahouse called 'Tingyunju'.

A number of martial arts practitioners gathered there, sitting and drinking tea, listening to the storyteller in the teahouse talk endlessly, recounting the latest hot events in the martial arts world.

Among them, the most eye-catching news is the news that the Eagle Wolf Guard has offered a large reward for Zhou Qing. Even though half a month has passed, this matter is still being discussed by many people and has become a hot topic of conversation.

The storytellers in each teahouse would tell the story once a day, and each storyteller would embellish the tale, making it sound incredibly fantastical.

In the mouths of these storytellers, Zhou Qing became a demon with three heads and six arms, a height of three zhang (approximately 10 meters), and a gaping maw.

The group of martial arts practitioners and the surrounding common people were still engrossed in listening.

Today, the name of Zhou Qing, the swift-knife madman, is renowned throughout the martial arts world, especially in Wanzhou, where he has become the focus of countless discussions.

The bounty offered by the Eagle Wolf Guard for Zhou Qing has made countless martial artists envious, all wanting to find Zhou Qing, kill him, and claim the hefty reward.

However, Zhou Qing's whereabouts were extremely mysterious, as if he had vanished into thin air, leaving the Eagle Wolf Guards helpless.

"This Zhou Qing was originally just an ordinary doctor at the Zhou Family Medical Clinic in Chang Le Fang, Heishi County. I heard he's only sixteen years old this year. He hadn't shown anything special before, but after entering the Heishi County dungeon, he became a martial artist in less than a month and then escaped from the dungeon." A martial arts traveler said, "After escaping from Heishi County, Zhou Qing made a move three times. There was only a little over half a month between his first and third moves, but the strength he displayed each time was more terrifying than the last, as if he had taken some kind of elixir and been reborn."

"Zhou Qing was able to kill a first-rate martial artist in such a short time, so he may have some hidden opportunity."

One of the wandering swordsmen speculated.

"It's not just a possibility. Zhou Qing must have some unknown opportunities. The reason why those sword-wielders in the martial arts world want to find Zhou Qing and kill him is partly due to the bounty offered by the Eagle Wolf Guard, but more likely, they want to obtain the opportunities that Zhou Qing possesses."

"Indeed, for an ordinary person to have the opportunity to kill a first-rate martial artist in such a short period of time, it must be at least at the level of a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm."

"That is why there are many top-tier martial artists in the martial arts world who want to obtain this opportunity from Zhou Qing and get a glimpse of the realm of the Innate Grandmaster."

"Zhou Qing's whereabouts are unpredictable, and it will be difficult to find him. Moreover, given Zhou Qing's strength, it would be suicide for ordinary martial artists to even dream of such an opportunity."

Several martial arts practitioners discussed the matter animatedly.

Some people's eyes gleamed with fervor when they mentioned the opportunities Zhou Qing had encountered.

However, these people could only dream about it. If they actually encountered Zhou Qing, he could kill them with a single finger.

In this bustling teahouse, Zhou Qing, wearing a bamboo hat, sat in an inconspicuous corner, quietly listening to the discussions of the martial arts practitioners around him.

Even though he was the subject of the discussion, Zhou Qing remained expressionless, silently sipping his tea as if it had nothing to do with him.

"By the way, do you guys still remember Cold Moon Manor?"

"Of course I remember. The master of Lengyue Manor is known for his chivalry and goodwill, but somehow he offended the Blood-Handed Butcher Li Laomo. His entire family was slaughtered, and only his daughter Shen Qingyue, who joined the Shen Canghai Sect, escaped. Shen Qingyue offered a bounty on the head of the Blood-Handed Butcher Li Laomo in exchange for the top-notch internal energy cultivation technique passed down in her family!"

"This bounty has been posted for over a month, but no one has claimed it."

"What? Did someone kill Old Demon Li?"

"No, not at all. Old Demon Li has a fearsome reputation and is incredibly powerful. He's not someone you can kill easily. Even if someone with that kind of skill were to write this, they wouldn't risk their life for a top-tier internal skill manual. However, Shen Qingyue has released the latest news through Feng Manlou: an auction will be held at Lengyue Manor in five days."

"An auction, not the Demon Slaughtering Assembly?" "It is an auction. Cold Moon Manor was destroyed, but it still has many properties. Since no one is managing these properties, Shen Qingyue has no choice but to auction them off. This includes the martial arts manuals owned by Cold Moon Manor, including the first-class internal energy Xuanbing Heart Method."

"It seems that Shen Qingyue has given up on revenge."

"On the contrary, no one in the martial arts world dares to accept the bounty for killing Li Laomo. Shen Qingyue can auction off the properties of Lengyue Manor, martial arts manuals, etc., in exchange for real money to invite experts from Canghai Sect to kill Li Laomo."

"I see. The Canghai Sect is a top-tier power. Even if they can't invite a Grandmaster at the Innate Realm, they still have quite a few top-tier martial artists within the sect."

"We still have five days. Why don't we head to Cold Moon Manor together and see if there's anything good at this auction?"

"..."

A group of martial arts practitioners were discussing it.

"Cold Moon Manor, Auction!"

Zhou Qing listened from the side, pondering to himself.

Normally, large auctions are held in the state capital, where the Eagle Wolf Guard Commander is stationed. This commander is a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm, while he is the 80th most wanted criminal on the imperial court's wanted list. Stepping into the state capital would be tantamount to courting death.

Therefore, the auction at Lengyue Manor was an opportunity for him. He had tens of thousands of taels of silver notes in his hands, and participating in the auction would give him a chance to compete for a first-class internal skill.

Thinking of this, Zhou Qing took out a tael of silver and placed it on the table. Then, with a flash, his figure disappeared from the teahouse. No one noticed how he left.

Five days later.

Zhou Qing arrived in Taining Prefecture.

Lengyue Mountain Villa is located in a majestic mountain range more than 50 miles north of Taining Prefecture. The scenery here is picturesque, with clouds and mist, like a paradise on earth.

On the main road at the foot of the mountain, a large number of martial arts figures and local wealthy merchants gathered to attend the auction. They were in small groups, discussing the matter animatedly.

But whether they were wealthy merchants dressed in gorgeous clothes or martial arts practitioners carrying long swords or wielding sharp blades, they all stayed at the foot of the mountain and dared not go up, as if they had some kind of fear.

"Brother, we've all come to Cold Moon Manor for the auction, so why are we staying at the foot of the mountain instead of going up? Is there something you're worried about?"

Zhou Qing walked into the crowd and randomly asked a man in a gray outfit.

"You just arrived, right?" The man in the gray outfit glanced at Zhou Qing and then whispered, "A quarter of an hour ago, Blood Hand Butcher Li Baichuan used his internal force to transmit a message to everyone, saying that anyone who dares to go up the mountain to participate in the Cold Moon Manor auction will be wiped out. Many wealthy merchants and gentry have already left, not daring to get involved in this mess."

Those who remained were observing; if Miss Shen didn't make a move, the auction would have to proceed.

"Is Bloodhand Butcher Li Baichuan nearby?" Zhou Qing frowned slightly, then said, "If that's the case, why doesn't Old Demon Li just kill Shen Qingyue directly, nip it in the bud, and end it all once and for all?"

"This is naturally out of fear of Shen Qingyue's identity." The man in gray tight-fitting clothes said, "Shen Qingyue is a disciple of the Canghai Sect, and she has become a disciple of an elder. Although she is just an ordinary elder, she is still a first-class martial artist. She was a close friend of the late Master Shen and they had a very close relationship. This elder of the Canghai Sect is currently in Lengyue Manor."

This elder of the Canghai Sect was roughly equal in strength to Old Demon Li; neither could defeat the other. Therefore, Old Demon Li couldn't kill Shen Qingyue and could only threaten the wealthy merchants and gentry attending the auction to stop it from proceeding.

"I see!" Zhou Qing nodded, then cupped his hands in thanks to the man in the gray outfit and said, "Thank you for clearing up my doubts, brother."

After saying that, Zhou Qing walked out of the crowd and headed up the mountain.

(End of this chapter)