Elderly Martial Saint: Sixty Times the Cultivation Speed ​​at the Start

The road to Qingmu Mountain is quite winding. The group of six walked up the old path at the foot of the mountain. The ground was covered with soft, rotten leaves. When they stepped on them, they made a squelching sound, and the damp smell went straight into their nostrils.

The summer sun was high overhead, but little heat could penetrate into the woods.

The tree canopies intertwine, vines hang haphazardly, birds occasionally flutter a few times, then quickly fall silent again, leaving only the chirping of insects crawling along the grass roots, a sound that sends chills down one's spine.

Wang Yue walked at the front.

He was dressed in a dark blue robe, with a knife hanging on his left side. His right hand would occasionally rest on the hilt of the knife. His steps were steady, and he didn't even flinch when his boots stepped over fallen leaves.

Three henchmen followed on either side.

The bearded man was named Liu Biao. He had broad shoulders and thick arms, and carried a short axe. He looked fierce, but his eyes were always darting around.

The thin-faced young man was named Chen Liu. He was not old, had a short knife at his waist, and his lips were pursed thinly.

The other silent, burly man was named Han Zhu. He held an iron fork in his hand, spoke little, and walked with minimal movement.

Hunter Yang Dongxi carried his hunting bow on his back, and sweat was already beading on his forehead.

He knew the mountain paths well, but no matter how familiar he was with them, the word "big snake" weighed heavily on his mind, making it difficult for anyone to relax.

Yi Yang walked last.

With a firewood basket on his back and a wood-chopping knife in hand, his face wrinkled and full of bitterness, he looked exactly like an unlucky old man who had been forcibly dragged up the mountain by officials.

He would catch his breath after taking two steps, and occasionally look up at the shadows of the trees, his eyes filled with the timidity of an elderly man from the countryside.

They acted very convincingly.

Even he himself wanted to give himself a round of applause.

He's a veteran actor.

In reality, Yi Yang's ears had already clearly distinguished the sounds coming from the woods.

A few feet ahead, there was the sound of someone stepping on a dry branch.

Wang Yue noticed a moment later than Yi Yang.

When he reached a bend in the mountainside, he suddenly stopped, lowered his eyelids, and pressed his right hand on the hilt of his knife.

"Who's there?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Biao and the others tensed up.

The short axe was raised.

The iron fork is held horizontally.

Chen Liu took half a step back, his sword already half an inch out of its sheath.

Yang Dongxi even took out his hunting bow, nocked an arrow, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Yi Yang quickly stopped, leaned to the side, and gripped the machete in his hand trembling.

"Officer Wang, is it a snake?"

He deliberately lowered his voice, making it sound old and panicked.

Wang Yue didn't turn around, but kept staring at the shadows of the trees in front of him.

"people."

Liu Biao cursed, "Damn it, hiding in the woods in broad daylight, trying to scare your grandpa like a ghost?"

The bushes ahead swayed a few times.

A middle-aged man in a tight-fitting outfit emerged from behind a tree.

The man was around forty years old, with a strong build, his skin tanned to a wheat color by the sun, high brow bones, a straight nose, wearing a gray short jacket with tightly tied cuffs, a knife hanging at his waist, and mud on his boots.

He did not approach rashly, but stood a dozen steps away, clasping his hands in a fist salute.

Please don't misunderstand.

"My name is Li Shun. I was invited by several families in Heishui Village to go into the mountains to retrieve that giant snake."

"I heard footsteps just now, and I was afraid they were bandits or thieves, so I hid for a while."

This was said frankly and with a humble attitude.

When Liu Biao and the others saw that what came out were living people, not the giant snake, their tense shoulders relaxed a little.

Wang Yue, however, did not believe it entirely.

Those who make a living in the county government are most afraid not of enemies wielding knives, but of enemies claiming to be good people.

"Wang Yue, Constable of Yunlin County."

He gave his name, his hand still pressing on the hilt of his knife.

"Where are you from?"

Li Shun nodded and explained, "I am Li Shun, a martial artist from Yunwen Town."

"I spent a few years working at a martial arts school in town in my early years. Later, I made a living by protecting goods and escorting people. Someone died in Blackwater Village, and several families pooled some money and asked me to come and take a look."

At this point, he glanced at Wang Yue's waist tag and then looked at the crowd.

"Are you all here to get rid of snakes too?"

Wang Yue said, "I am following the orders of Chief Yang. There are snakes robbing Qingmu Mountain, and we cannot delay."

Li Shun grinned, revealing a few white teeth.

"That's perfect."

"These things in the mountains are not easy to deal with; more people mean more knives. Why don't we go together? If we encounter snakes, we can look out for each other."

Wang Yue did not answer immediately.

Liu Biao leaned closer and whispered, "Boss, this guy's background is unknown."

Chen Liu also lowered his voice: "What if they're highwaymen from the mountains? That would be troublesome."

Li Shun had good hearing, and when he heard it, he wasn't annoyed; he simply spread his hands.

"It's understandable that you have doubts. These days, you'd be afraid someone would poison a bowl of water if you were offered one by the roadside."

"But if I were really a highway robber, I wouldn't have gone down to the mountainside of Qingmu Mountain alone to wait for you six with knives. That's not about robbing money, it's about finding a feast for myself."

Upon hearing this, Liu Biao couldn't help but chuckle. "Hey, you've got a sharp tongue, you lad."

Wang Yue sized up Li Shun.

The opponent had abundant energy and blood, a steady gait, and calluses on the base of his thumb and index finger.

He's a trained martial artist, but judging from his stance, he's probably only at the Qi and Blood level.

In other places, Wang Yue might not have been willing to bring along such a strange martial artist.

But right now, getting rid of the snakes in the mountains is the priority, and we also need to deal with this old man, Yiyang.

Having one more person with higher Qi and Blood is useful if they are willing to help deal with the giant snake. Having more people is not necessarily a bad thing.

After thinking for a moment, Wang Yue finally agreed and said, "Okay."

"But let me make this clear beforehand. Once we're in the mountains, follow my instructions and don't act on your own. If things go wrong, my blade won't be ruthless."

Li Shun clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Understood. Constable Wang will lead the team; I'll just come along for a bite to eat."

Yi Yang stood behind with his head down, but he made a mental note of Li Shun.

This man claimed to be a wandering martial artist from Yunwen Town, but he had a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry) air about him.

That's not something an apprentice from a martial arts school in town can train.

The way you're holding the knife is also incorrect.

Too stable.

He was so composed that he didn't seem like a snake catcher who had been temporarily hired by the villagers.

interesting.

Yi Yang bent over even more, making himself look even older.

The group grew to seven people and continued walking into the mountains.

The higher you go up the mountain road, the more difficult it becomes.

Vines lay across your feet, thorns scraped your trouser legs, and talcum stones were hidden under the rotten leaves. If an ordinary person stepped on one wrong step, their ankle would swell for half a month.

Liu Biao used to be able to grumble a few words, but later he shut up.

The woods were so dense that it was quiet, and the quieter it was, the more people would overthink.

Yi Yang followed at the back, and the more he walked, the more certain he became that this path was similar to the route he had taken to discover the purple wood last winter.

That year it was cold, the forest was thick with dead leaves, and the shady slopes were shrouded in heavy fog.

He found the purple wood near that hillside in front of him.

At that time, the drag marks next to the purple wood were frighteningly rough and had a fishy smell.

Looking back now, it wasn't luck.

He picked up a mouthful of rice from the snake's mouth.

If that giant snake hadn't hibernated that day, or hadn't gone far, there would probably be the bones of an old woodcutter outside Sanmu Village by now.

They walked for about half an hour.

The flavor has changed ahead.

The smell of decaying leaves was mixed with a fishy sweetness that lingered deep in the nasal cavity and couldn't be shaken off.

Wang Yue raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

He crouched down and parted the weeds on the ground.

There was a wide drag mark on the wet mud.

The grass blades were flattened, and the scratches from the scales were still visible on both sides.

Yang Dongxi's face tightened.

"It's this one."

"The marks are even newer than they were a few days ago."

Liu Biao licked his dry, cracked lips.

"How thick is this thing? Even a large bowl would be too small."

Li Shun stopped joking, squatted down and looked at it for a while, then reached out and touched the tree trunk next to him where the bark had been rubbed off.

The bark was sticky with sap, and when the sunlight shone on it, it had an unsettling wet sheen.

"Don't be careless."

"This snake is no ordinary mountain product."

Wang Yue glanced at him. "What did you see?"

Li Shun wiped the sticky substance off his fingertips and then rubbed them on the mud.

"Snakes are yin in nature and prefer damp and cold conditions. Even in the scorching summer sun, they dare to roam on the mountainside and even eat dogs and people."

"And look at this fishy smell, it's so strong it's almost sweet. If we keep raising it any longer, it might start turning into a monster."

Liu Biao's face twitched.

"A strange beast? Don't scare me. Even if it really is a strange beast, it would take a martial artist at the second level of Qi and Blood to deal with it. We wouldn't even bother fighting, we'd just go home, wash up, and go to sleep."

Li Shun shook his head.

"Unsuccessful."

"It's really done. Your village should have lost all its pigs and cattle long ago, and you couldn't even keep the chicken coops at night. The fact that it's still only eating live prey in the mountains means it's not ready yet."

"But poor cooking time doesn't mean easy to kill."

Wang Yue did not refute.

He also noticed that something was wrong with the marks.

But the person has already been brought here; there's no turning back. If the county constables go up the mountain to get rid of the snake, and then run back without even seeing a glimpse of it, how will they save face?

Moreover, another matter that Yang Ban Tou had entrusted to him had not yet been completed.

Wang Yue lowered his voice.

"Take quiet steps."

"Follow the trail."

"Don't shout when you see anything, wait for my command."

Everyone nodded.

Further on, the woods suddenly opened up a bit.

Behind the bushes, there is a clearing in the woods.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the tree canopy, illuminating the center of the open space.

There stood a half-broken tree stump.

The tree stump was thick at the waist, with an uneven break, as if it had been smashed open by some enormous object.

Even more bizarrely, the broken surface revealed a deep purple texture.

Beneath the tree stump, a large snake was coiled up.

It has a stout body, grayish-blue scales, dark stripes on its back, coiled in several circles, its head resting on its body, its eyes closed, and its tongue occasionally flicking in and out.

The grass around the open space was yellowish.

It was the height of summer, yet the surrounding area seemed to have been drained of all life; even the wildflowers were wilting and drooping.

Everyone crouched behind the bushes.

No one spoke.

Even a rough man like Liu Biao lowered his breathing.

Wang Yue's three men, seeing that the giant snake was not in its cave but instead coiled up under a tree to rest, felt greed and urgency in their eyes.

The snake is in the open.

The person is hiding in the shadows.

Isn't this a golden opportunity?

Liu Biao gripped his short axe tightly, his voice barely audible.

"Boss, should we give it a good beating while it's asleep?"

Chen Liu leaned closer. "Seven men, three knives, an axe, a pitchfork, and Yang the hunter's bow. As long as we injure its eyes first, then cut off its seven-inch mark, it'll work."

Han Zhu didn't say anything, but simply changed how he held the fork.

Yi Yang squatted at the back, his eyelids drooping.

Purple wood.

Was it really this giant snake that broke it?

Wang Yue stared at the giant snake for a moment, then began to make arrangements.

"Yang Dongxi, you have the best bow. When I give the order, shoot its left eye first."

Yang Dongxi's throat was dry, but he nodded.

"become."

Wang Yue then looked at Liu Biao.

"You and Han Zhu go around from the right side, don't get too close. When the snake raises its head, Han Zhu will use the iron fork to press down its neck, and Liu Biao will cut the soft flesh under its belly."

Liu Biao grinned.

"Understood. If I miss, I'll eat the axe."

Li Shun added a comment from the side.

"Don't be so full, the axe can't digest it all."

Liu Biao glared at him.

"What time is it? You still have the mind to joke around?"

Li Shun stared at the snake's body, his playful expression completely gone.

"I'm just being sarcastic because I'm afraid your hand will tremble."

Liu Biao choked.

Wang Yue ignored the two of them.

"Chen Liu, you come with me and we'll attack from the front."

"Li Shun, you go to the left. If it turns around and lunges at Yang Dongxi, you stop it."

Li Shun nodded.

"Can."

Wang Yue finally looked at Yi Yang. "Old man, you stay here and don't move."

"When the snake becomes agitated, back away. Don't shout or run too fast, so as not to startle it."

That sounds like you're being considerate of the elderly.

But Yi Yang could tell that this guy definitely had ill intentions and was probably trying to get back at him.

Yi Yang forced a look of fear onto his face and nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, Officer Wang, the old man's legs are weak, and he can't run fast."

Li Shun glanced at Yi Yang and saw that his face was full of anxiety, so he took half a step back and whispered to comfort him.

"Grandpa, don't be afraid."

"You're older, it's already a great favor that you led the way here. If things get really chaotic later, stick close to that crooked tree and back away; the grass there is shallow, so you won't slip and fall."

Yi Yang looked up at him; his old eyes were cloudy.

"Thank you, brave Li."

Li Shun waved his hand.

"I wouldn't call myself a hero; I'm just a poor, struggling man trying to make a living."

Wang Yue glanced at the two of them and said in a low voice, "Speak less."

The group dispersed.