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

After Shandong Luneng fell, only the smell of blood filled the alley.

Yi Yang didn't look at the body for long; the worst thing you can do after killing someone is to space out. Space out isn't the mark of a master; it's a sign of wanting to die.

He crouched down and first searched Lu Neng's place. The deerskin purse was tucked tightly into his inner shirt, and felt bulging to the touch. Yi Yang used the tip of his knife to pry it open, revealing four neatly folded silver notes inside, each worth twenty taels.

Eighty taels.

There were also more than ten taels of loose silver, heavy in the hand, a pleasing amount.

"The county magistrate's men are all lucrative."

Yi Yang muttered something under his breath and picked up Luneng's goose feather knife again.

The blade is narrow and long, with an excellently maintained edge. It is smoother to hold than blades made by the Sky Patrol Bureau, and the back of the blade also bears the hidden patterns of official craftsmen.

nice one.

It's a pity to sell this thing, but keeping it can be used to gain favor with officials or even to commit murder.

As for the three-inch poisoned dagger, Yi Yang didn't touch it with his hands. Instead, he tore off a piece of Lu Neng's clothes, wrapped it in three layers, and hid it close to his body.

This thing is insidious, but insidious things have their uses.

On Zhou Ping's body, which was covered in fleshy flesh, were eight taels of broken silver and a pair of iron rulers.

The iron ruler was heavy and its design was too conspicuous; carrying it was like carrying trouble on one's shoulders. Yi Yang weighed it in his hand, then tossed it against the wall with disdain.

The narrow-faced Du Sheng was the poorest; after searching for a long time, he only had three taels of silver and a packet of liniment.

"Poor in a very unique way."

Yi Yang accepted the medicine packet as well. Even a fly's leg is meat; the old man, when it comes to making a living, believes in keeping every grain count.

After searching, he dragged the body away.

At the end of the deep alley lies an abandoned waterway, once used for sewage disposal in the town. Later, the river channel was changed, and the area was left desolate. The silt at the bottom of the waterway is half dry and half wet, and the weeds grow up to a person's knees. Even stray dogs are too lazy to go there at night.

The fabric rustled softly as it brushed against the flagstones. His arms remained steady, his steps unwavering, as he tossed the three corpses into the ditch one by one.

Cover the mud with withered grass, smooth it out, and stomp on it a couple of times. I don't expect it to be flawless, I just hope no one's bored enough to disturb the stinking ditch tonight.

They then turned back into the alley.

The blood on the stone slab was still warm, and the fishy smell lingered on the back of my tongue, making me nauseous.

Yi Yang stomped away the bloodstains with his feet, then grabbed a handful of dry soil from the corner of the wall and sprinkled it on. He also picked up the broken tiles that the narrow-faced man had knocked down earlier and threw them far into the ditch.

pat.

The tiles were buried in the haystack.

Everything was tidied up in less than fifteen minutes.

The Sky Patrol Office is about two hundred paces away, and the night patrol team will not pass through this area for another half an hour.

Yi Yang stood at the alley entrance and listened, but no footsteps came this way.

He wiped the blood off his official sword on the moss in the corner, sheathed it, straightened his old blue robe, and slowly left.

The figure in the background still resembles an old man hurrying along a dark road.

Aside from the silver notes, knife, and dagger that had appeared in his pocket, the night offered no testimony for anyone, nor did it speak out for anyone's injustice.

Back in the courtyard, the lights inside the house were already off.

A bowl of warm porridge was placed upside down by the kitchen door.

Yi Yang stood for a while, then picked up the bowl and took two sips.

The aroma of rice is subtle, yet it warms the stomach more than the meat flavor found in restaurants.

He went back into the house, closed the door, and carefully hid the banknotes, loose silver, goose-feather knife, and short blade.

Then he sat on the edge of the bed and began to ponder. The county magistrate sent Lu Neng and the other two not for Yang Shuqing's sake, but mainly for the "Internal Refinement of the Five Organs".

This shows that the martial arts technique was of dubious origin. Even the county magistrate himself was afraid of being exposed.

If it were truly obtained honestly and fairly, why send someone to smuggle it out at night? Why let shady characters like Shandong Luneng do it in secret?

With three Luneng players dead, the county constable won't be coming to the Heavenly Court to demand their return anytime soon.

He dared not. But secretly, his hand would still reach out to test the waters.

Yi Yang kept this matter to himself.

Not urgent.

It's best to strike the snake at its vital point when it comes out of its hole.

..............................

The next morning.

Yi Yang changed into his usual official robes from the Sky Patrol Bureau, hung a sword at his waist, ate half a bowl of porridge, and went out to report for duty.

As soon as I reached the entrance of the inspection warehouse, I sensed that something was off about the atmosphere.

In the front yard, the guards, who usually go about their patrols after morning classes, are gathered in groups of three or five today.

Someone was trying to suppress their voice, but couldn't hide their animated expression.

Some people slapped their thighs, while others clicked their tongues in amazement.

The lively atmosphere could be smelled even through the courtyard gate.

When the gatekeeper saw Yi Yang approaching, he quickly clasped his hands in greeting and then took two steps closer, his eyes gleaming with gossip.

"Lord Yi, have you heard? Something terrible has happened to the Yi family in Yunwen Town!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Yang didn't stop walking but asked, "Which one?"

"Which other family could it be? The Yi family, the one that runs the cloth and rice shops in town!"

The gatekeeper looked around and blurted out, "Yi Zhanzhi, the prodigy of the Yi family, the seventeen-year-old, has officially become a disciple of the Lei Yun Martial Arts School in Yunlin County! Master Mu Fenghai has personally accepted him as his last disciple!"

Another guard chimed in excitedly, "That's not all! I heard he's already broken through the third level of Qi and Blood, and reached the Yi Jin Realm!"

"Seventeen years old and already practicing the Yi Jin Jing? Damn it, is this even fair?"

"The news that came back from the county town this morning is that the apprenticeship ceremony was extremely lavish. Lei Yun Martial Arts School held a banquet, and several families in the inner city sent gifts. Even the Red Tiger Gang sent a congratulatory invitation."

As Yi Yang listened, his noodles remained calm. He entered the front yard, where discussions drifted in from all directions, fragmented yet enough to piece together the whole picture.

Lei Yun Martial Arts School has strict divisions among its disciples.

Without mastering the essence of Qi and blood, one is merely an apprentice, holding a nominal position. It's embarrassing to show one's name when going out, and even if one did, no one would recognize them.

Only when one reaches the first level of Qi and Blood can one be considered a registered disciple, allowed to stay at the school to learn martial arts, and to report any incidents outside to the Lei Yun Martial Arts School, which will be of some use.

But closed-door disciples are different; they are the ones that the martial arts master truly hones and refines.

Passing on the mantle, passing on connections, passing on family wealth.

To put it bluntly, even a biological son sometimes has to be chosen based on his aptitude. If a closed-door disciple can uphold the family's reputation, the master would be more than willing to pave the way for him.

Who is Mu Fenghai?

Qi and blood are in six stages, undergoing marrow cleansing and blood replacement.

In Yunlin County, this level is beyond the reach of ordinary martial artists who can stage an accident.

The Zhang, Wang, and Li families should give them face.

Even the Sanyuan Society, the Red Tiger Gang, and the Black Knife Gang had to be polite.

Yi Zhanzhi's bow was tantamount to stepping directly from the eaves of a small, wealthy household in the town onto the steps of a big shot in the county.

A meteoric rise.

Many people are so envious they feel a toothache.

"That's what you call genius."

"A seventeen-year-old undergoing the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing) technique, Master Mu has a

"The Yi family is about to rise to power this time; they might be able to enter the inner city."

As Yi Yang passed by them, his eyelashes lowered and his face expressionless, he thought to himself: "At seventeen, with three levels of Qi and Blood, he is naturally a genius in the eyes of ordinary people."

But geniuses can be either koi in a pond or old dragons in the ocean.

Yi Yang is now at the fourth level of Qi and Blood Bone Forging Realm, and his Nine Peaks Blade is just one step away from the next minor success. His Five Internal Organs Refining Method is also about to cross the threshold.

If you only look at Yi Zhanzhi, there's nothing wrong with him.

Young people are sharp-tongued and love to hold their chins up, but they'll learn their place when a knife is at their throat.

The real problem is Mu Fenghai.

Qi and Blood are in six stages.

That's not someone he can confront head-on right now.

If the Yi family climbs this tree, and there are any future disagreements, things will not be as easy to handle as before.

Yi Yang walked past the training ground.

Several guards recognized his surname and exchanged knowing glances, but some still couldn't resist coming closer.

"Lord Yi, you also have the surname Yi. Are you related to the Yi family in town?"

"Is that Yi Zhanzhi your junior?"

"Your connections are quite strong, sir. You've kept it well hidden."

Yi Yang waved his hand, but did not stop walking.

"It's just a shared surname. There are plenty of people in the world with the surname Yi."

His hoarse voice drifted in the morning breeze, thin and weak.

The guards looked at each other in bewilderment.

Someone muttered under their breath, "That's true. Lord Yi is from Sanmu Village. The Yi family in town is a wealthy household. They're probably not even remotely related."

"But this surname is too coincidental."

"What a coincidence! Your surname is Wang, does that mean the Wang family in the inner city is also giving you money?"

People around them laughed and cursed.

Yi Yang has already gone far away.

His back remained hunched, his official sword hanging at his waist; he neither argued nor explained.

As I approached the entrance of the museum and touched the door knocker, I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

"My lord! My lord, wait a minute!"

Sun Hao came running from around the corner, his round face flushed red, his waist knife jingling.

Yi Yang turned around.

"The case file is on fire?"

"no."

Sun Hao, hunched over and catching his breath, pointed towards the courtyard gate. "There's someone waiting for you outside. He says he's the steward of the Yi family, surnamed Liu. He's been waiting outside our patrol station's gate for almost half an hour."

Yi Yang's eyelids twitched.

Liu Fu.

The old dog that can read the wind direction next to the patrolman.

They arrived quickly.

Yi Yang put the key back into his sleeve and turned to walk towards the gate.

Outside the gate of the Heavenly Patrol Office, Liu Fu was dressed in a respectable blue cloth robe, with a copper badge of the steward of the Yi Mansion tied around his waist and a food box in his hand.

Upon seeing Yi Yang emerge, he hurriedly went to greet him, bowing much lower than he had last time in Sanmu Village.

"My lord, I pay my respects to you."

Yi Yang looked at him without saying a word.

Liu Fu's forehead was sweating, and he laughed even more frequently.

"The Second Master is hosting a banquet at his residence today to celebrate Young Master Zhanzhi's becoming an apprentice. The Second Master said that the whole family should celebrate together, and specially sent me to invite the First Master to grace us with his presence."

He handed the food box forward.

"This is osmanthus cake that we made this morning. The second master said you like sweet things."

Yi Yang looked at the food box.

The fragrance of osmanthus wafted out from the cracks, sweet and pleasant.

It's just funny.

When did Yi Xun remember whether he liked sweets or not?

Sixty years of brotherhood, that person probably doesn't even know which month he was born in.

Now they even send pastries.

Human kindness, if it comes too late, easily goes bad.

Yi Yang remained silent for a moment.

"What time?"

Liu Fu was overjoyed and lowered his waist by half an inch.

"This afternoon around 3 PM, the banquet is ready at the manor, and many distinguished guests from the town will be there. The Second Master said that the First Master is now also a member of the Astronomical Bureau, so it would be a good opportunity for him to get to know him."

Want to get to know each other?

Yi Yang sneered inwardly.

Yi Zhanzhi successfully became an apprentice, and the Yi family was at the height of its power.

The anger that Izumi felt when he was rebuffed in Miki Village a few days ago is probably still lingering in my heart.

The reason for inviting him over now is simply to show him what a closed-door disciple of Lei Yun Martial Arts School is like, and what a powerful backer with the sixth level of Qi and Blood is like.

And tell him by the way, you old man who's just inspecting files at the archives, don't think you're something special.

Liu Fu was still forcing a smile, holding the food box in his hand until his arm was almost sore.

Yi Yang finally accepted the food box.

"understood."

Liu Fu breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "Then I'll go back and inform the Second Master that the First Master will definitely arrive this afternoon?"

Yi Yang, carrying the food box, turned and went inside.

"See if I'm free."

Liu Fu's smile froze on his face, and he couldn't say anything for a long time.