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

Yi Yang didn't move from a distance, just looked down at Han Yan.

After a while, seeing the extremely awkward atmosphere and knowing she couldn't hold on much longer, Han Yan spoke first:

"Yi...Yi, the deputy director."

Her voice was hoarse at this moment, probably because she had lost too much blood and was almost exhausted. So every word she uttered was very difficult and full of pain, but she still had to rely on Yi Yang to survive.

"I thought you..."

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes began to redden, her eyelashes pressed down, and her pupils shifted downwards slightly, giving the impression that she was overjoyed and relieved that Yi Yang had survived.

However, she didn't mention the cloth bag that ambushed Yi Yang.

She especially hoped that Yi Yang would never think of the words "go die for me" now.

Yi Yang took all of this in, his face expressionless. He casually touched the scabbard of Tiger Roar's Blade with his right hand, then crouched down to her eye level and said:

"I can save you without holding a grudge, but what's your price?"

Yi Yang stated the problem directly, skipping all formalities, seemingly someone who only cares about profit.

Hearing this, Han Yan was taken aback, probably not expecting him to be so straightforward and direct, while at the same time, she felt a surge of joy as she thought:

"This allowed me to survive? No wonder you're such an ignorant fool."

But then Han Yan coughed softly, swallowing the bloody taste in her mouth. Her voice became softer, but she stated her conditions more clearly:

"Three thousand taels of silver, a handwritten copy of a superior lightness technique that my Han family has kept privately, and I can also attribute this achievement to you—"

"Given the Han family's connections in the prefectural city, your position won't just be that of deputy inspector general."

The conditions were laid out, and the attitude was humble enough, showing none of the arrogance that had shown when Yi Yang was left behind. The price was also reasonable; as long as Yi Yang agreed to put aside past grievances, he could obtain these resources and connections.

But Yi Yang didn't answer. He stopped stroking the scabbard and asked Han Yan a question she hadn't expected:

"The Manager Huang I killed was also the Zhao Hu that the other two directors mentioned. Who is he? Why were you so shocked at the time?"

The severely injured Han Yan was clearly not expected Yi Yang to ask this question. She paused for a moment, but then, remembering that her life was still in his hands and that she needed his help, she pursed her lips and said:

"Zhao Hu was the one who killed the six bandits."

"This gang specifically targets major forces. There are six powerful members in total. Apart from Zhao Hu, who is at the first level of Inner Qi, the weakest among the others is at least at the second level of Inner Qi, and each of them possesses a unique skill."

"They didn't care whether their targets were government officials or sects; they just targeted whoever offered them something profitable, repeatedly robbing and stealing from various powerful groups in the prefectural city."

"But several encirclement and suppression efforts failed to bring them down."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "Because the leader of the Six Bandits, codenamed 'Killer,' has strength beyond internal energy."

"He is a True Qi Realm expert."

After hearing this, Yi Yang remained silent; he was deep in thought.

He lingered the words "above internal energy" in his mind, his gaze fixed on the jumbled rocks, as if he were just spacing out, or as if he wasn't listening at all.

Finally, Yi Yang stood up, but did not immediately express his opinion or say anything like "Okay, I'll take you back." He just stood there for a while, his gaze lingering on Han Yan's rounded chest for three breaths.

These three breaths were a bit long, and Yi Yang's gaze gave Han Yan goosebumps. She subconsciously moved one hand toward the short sword at her waist, but her left arm was gone. What could she do with a broken sword in one hand?

She never expected that this old man was a pervert, wanting to do *that* kind of thing even at a time like this.

Yi Yang glanced at the gesture but didn't move.

Finally, he spoke, his tone neither warm nor cold, as if he were talking to himself or threatening:

"Director Han is injured and alone in these mountains... I don't know if there's anyone who can take care of him."

Just this one sentence, without beginning or end, with an elusive tone, like an old man muttering something in a daze, or as if there was something hidden in the words that was hard to grasp.

But when Han Yan understood what Yi Yang meant, her breath hitched.

She looked up at him, her face already pale, and now even her ears were stiff. A blush, whether from anger or embarrassment, flickered in her eyes.

Old geezer.

She cursed inwardly, her lowered eyes revealing a fierce glint. She forcefully suppressed the surging emotions, her eyelashes drooping, and she sobbed softly:

"...Deputy Director Yi, please speak frankly."

Yi Yang simply continued to scan the mutilated body without uttering her request.

Han Yan, who thought Yi Yang was lustful, closed her eyes and gritted her teeth.

She made up her mind: to survive, she would "endure!"

"...As long as you take me back to the prefectural city."

She spoke again, her voice strained, each word laced with barely concealed hatred: "The rest is up to you."

Seeing that the other party had agreed to his request, Yi Yang nodded slightly, as if confirming an ordinary transaction, his expression completely calm.

Han Yan lowered her eyes, her mouth filled with a metallic taste, and something deep in her chest had formed a tight knot that tightened more and more.

Once she's healed, once she steps through the gates of the city. Once she's caught her breath—

She wanted to settle this score from the beginning, and she wanted this old man to pay a price worse than death for humiliating her today.

That old bastard with only one level of internal energy dared to take advantage of me when I was seriously injured.

In fact, Yi Yang's gaze remained clear throughout.

He could clearly see the thin layer of coldness in Han Yan's eyes; the resentment hidden beneath that "submissive" facade could not be concealed from him.

He used this reason only to make a smaller commotion when he took action, as he hadn't forgotten that there was still someone above the Inner Qi level in this mountain range.

If they had attacked Han Yan from the start, who knows what other powerful methods she might have up her sleeve? Even if she didn't pose a threat, she might have attracted the powerful figure who was likely the leader of the "Six Bandits."

He leaned down, his right hand seemingly about to caress Han Yan's voluptuous body.

Han Yan didn't move when the old man put his arm around her shoulder, but her back stiffened slightly. She could vaguely hear her heart pounding, but she told herself, "Just bear with it."

In the next instant, the five fingers slid from the shoulder to the side of the neck.

Warm palms pressed against the neck bone, the dual power of internal energy silently condensed in Yi Yang's palms.

Then came a very faint sound of bone breaking.

"Click"

Clean and efficient.

Then Han Yan's body went limp, she didn't struggle, and she died at Yi Yang's hands before she could even blink.

Yi Yang stared blankly at Han Yan's corpse, then straightened up, wiped his hands on the hem of his clothes, and clapped them, seemingly extremely disgusted by his previous actions.

The mountain wind whistled through the rocks, making a low, mournful sound.

No one was around, but he still spoke a few words, lightly, as if speaking to himself:

"I can't rest easy if you're alive."

Yi Yang remained conscious throughout.

People who hold grudges and seek revenge should not be allowed to live.

The offer of three thousand taels of silver, a martial arts manual, and a share of credit shows that she treated this matter as a business transaction from beginning to end, with no sentimentality, only bargaining chips.

The chill and resentment in her eyes hadn't disappeared since she made her promise; it hadn't dissipated in the slightest.

Keeping this kind of person around is like keeping a knife that could be used to open a window behind your back at any moment.

Yi Yang lowered his head and began searching him.

Han Yan carried two stacks of silver notes, totaling over four thousand taels, tucked inside the lining. She also had a jade bead bracelet, each bead perfectly round, strung with silver thread, the craftsmanship of which was not something one would find in an ordinary market. She also had a ring, set with tourmaline, the color of which was perfect and the cut clean, making it easy to exchange money.

Finally, there were three precious pills in the inner pocket. When I held them in my palm, I saw that their color was a shade deeper than the two pills that came with my monthly salary. They were of medium quality and suitable for those at the second level of internal energy cultivation.

Yi Yang packed everything into his personal pouch and stood up to stretch his wrists.

The three broken ribs haven't healed yet, and even a slight twist causes a dull pain to drill into my body, so I have to walk with a slight curve to accommodate them.

He summoned Hu Xiao and had him dig a pit in the decaying leaves behind Han Yan.

Using the 72-pound heavy sword as a shovel, the efficiency was unexpectedly high. In no time, a deep enough pit was dug. The corpse, the charred pieces of clothing, the broken sword, and the few blood-stained rocks on the ground were all cleared into the pit, and the soil was covered and compacted.

Finally, he gathered a handful of red boar bristles and bone fragments from the side and spread them on the fresh soil. The pungent smell was covered up, and the earthy smell from the turned soil dissipated.

It took less than 15 minutes.

All that remains on the rocky slope is the charred carcass of a red porpoise. Wild animals could clean it up in a day or two, leaving not a single hair behind.

After doing all this, Yi Yang stood there for two breaths, looked around and found nothing missing, then turned and left.

Instead of heading directly to the mountain pass, he took a large detour through the mountainside, venturing deeper into the Beast Ridge, and found a secluded crevice in the cliff face where no one had ever set foot.

All the items collected today—the ten precious pills engraved with the mark of the Heavenly Patrol, the jade box containing three precious herbs, and Han Yan's silver notes and jewelry—were rolled up in oilcloth, pressed into the deepest part of the stone crevice, and sealed with gravel and soil.

The reason was simple: the precious pill bore the mark of the Sky Patrol Division and was stolen goods taken from Zhao Hu; taking it back would be difficult to explain. The jewelry and silver notes were equally hard to explain. They would leave it for now and retrieve it after things calmed down.

Yi Yang patted the mud off his palms and looked down at his clothes: his outer robe was missing, and his black iron soft armor was still stained with the blood of the red porpoise, which smelled quite strong. He would have to deal with it briefly when he got back before reporting back.

Finally, he went down the mountain.

When we entered the city at night, the night watchman's drum had just sounded three times.

The main street was nearly deserted, with only a few lanterns swaying in the wind, casting an orange glow on the stone pavement.

The night watch guards let him pass after seeing his token at the city gate.

The small black lacquered door of Youquan Division remains unchanged, without a plaque or sign, blending into the gray wall next to it.

Yi Yang knocked on the door three times, with even force.

Not long after, the door opened from the inside, and it was Liu Qing.

She glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his ribs for a moment before moving to the bloodstains on his face that hadn't fully scabbed over. Her brow twitched, but she said nothing and stepped aside to let him pass.

"Come with me."

The lights in the back hall were still on.

Yan Wuyuan sat behind a long rosewood table, holding a pen in her hand. There was a thick stack of documents on the table. When she saw Yi Yang come in, she finished writing on the paper and put it down, but did not speak.

Yi Yang stopped, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said the most important thing:

"The target, Manager Huang, has been killed. His head is on the scene. Director Han Yan and her two companions from the Evil Extermination Division can serve as witnesses."

He paused for a moment, then continued:

"During the pursuit, we encountered the Po Xie Si garrison. Subsequently, three adult red boars and an unidentified powerful figure appeared in the mountains. Their auras were extremely strong, and my subordinates judged that they were at least at the level of internal energy. So we withdrew first and did not entangle ourselves."

Yan Wuyuan listened, tapping her finger twice on the table, her tone flat: "Where is Han Yan?"

"We didn't see it, so we scattered and fled."

That was a perfectly watertight statement.

Yan Wuyuan's gaze lingered on his face for a moment, but nothing could be seen in his eyes; they were as deep as the water in a cave.

"Manager Huang's capabilities."

"The mission file states that it indicates the sixth level of Qi and Blood cultivation is complete."

Yi Yang said directly, "But after my subordinate launched a full-scale sneak attack, the opponent did not die on the spot. The aura he exuded was far more than the sixth level of cultivation; it was the Inner Qi Realm."

"Furthermore, several of his colleagues from the Evil-Slaying Division called him 'Zhao Hu' after seeing Steward Huang's true appearance."