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

When Fang Yu came out of Widow Li's courtyard, the night breeze was cool.

He fastened his belt, straightened his collar, and a satisfied smile still lingered on his lips.

The lanterns at the alley entrance went out, leaving only the moonlight to illuminate the bluestone slabs with a thin layer of white.

The town was unusually quiet.

At this hour on ordinary days, there would usually be at least two patrol teams from the Sky Patrol Bureau patrolling the streets. Tonight, there are none. Most of the town's manpower has been drawn away to suppress the cult, and the remaining patrol guards are overwhelmed.

Fang Yu walked on the empty street, his boots hitting the stone slabs, the echoes bouncing between the courtyard walls on both sides.

He didn't pay attention.

After walking about a hundred steps and turning past Old Zhou's tofu shop, Fang Yu slowed down.

wrong.

I think I can hear footsteps behind me.

It was very light, almost drowned out by the sound of the wind, but Fang Yu was, after all, a martial artist at the peak of the first level of Qi and Blood, and his hearing was much better than that of ordinary people.

The sound could be faintly heard, intermittent and uneven, as if someone was deliberately slowing down and following him.

Fang Yu felt a chill run down his spine and felt a little flustered. Despite his cold and ruthless nature, he was still somewhat afraid in this nighttime environment.

He didn't turn around.

The first thought that popped into my head was—the Nine Evil Cult.

Fang Yu wondered to himself, "Has news of the encirclement and suppression operation leaked out?"

"Do those sorcerers have any spies in town?"

"With most of the Sky Patrol Division deployed, the forces left behind are weak. If cult spies were to sneak in at this time..."

Fang Yu's Adam's apple bobbed as he thought about these things.

He quickened his pace to leave, as long as he could get back to the Sky Patrol Division.

The frequency with which the soles of the boots brushed against the stone slabs changed; it went from walking to jogging.

There's a dark alley ahead. It's narrow with high walls on both sides. Go through it and you'll reach the back street of the Sky Patrol Bureau, where people on night duty are stationed.

Fang Yu practically rushed into the alleyway.

The alley was pitch black. The courtyard walls on both sides completely blocked the moonlight, with only a faint glimmer of light shining through at the far end of the alley.

Fang Yu ran seven or eight steps, then suddenly stopped.

wrong.

The footsteps stopped.

It was quiet behind me; even the wind had stopped.

Fang Yu stood in the alley, his chest heaving, his hand on the hilt of his sword. He looked back at the alley entrance, where the moonlight cast a white glow, but there was no one there.

Am I just overthinking things?

Fang Yu breathed a sigh of relief, cursed "Damn it," and turned to continue walking.

At that very moment.

An arm emerged from the darkness and lodged in his throat.

His rough forearm skin clung to the side of his neck, and his other hand came in from the opposite side, the two arms crossed and tightly intertwined, not unlike iron clamps.

Fang Yu's pupils contracted sharply.

He wanted to shout.

I can't shout it out.

His throat was pressed tightly shut, his trachea was mostly flattened, and only a sliver of air squeezed into his lungs through the gap. Fang Yu's face flushed red within two breaths, and veins bulged from his forehead to his temples.

He struggled.

Her hands frantically grabbed at the arm that was locking her neck. Her nails dug in, she pulled downwards, and pried outwards. With all her might, she broke two nails, and blood seeped from between her fingers, trickling down the arm.

Useless.

The arm remained completely still.

Beneath the skin and flesh lay a skeleton at the Bone Forging Realm, infused with the power of the fourth level of Qi and Blood. Fang Yu's scratches couldn't even break through the skin. It was no different from trying to dig through an iron pillar with your fingers.

Fang Yu began kicking. His boots struck the wall, the ground, and the shin of the person behind him. He used all his strength with each kick, but all he got in return was a slight sway, like a mosquito bite.

The arms tightened more and more.

Fang Yu's eyes began to bulge out, his mouth opened wide, his tongue was forced out, and saliva dripped down his chin. His hands went from scratching to slapping, from slapping to groping weakly, until finally he didn't even have the strength to lift them.

A dozen or so breaths.

Click.

The sound of a neck bone breaking echoed in the dark alley, crisp and short.

Fang Yu's body went limp, like a sack whose bones had been removed.

Yi Yang loosened his arms.

The body slid to the ground, its neck crooked, its eyes still wide open, its mouth agape, a truly gruesome sight.

Yi Yang glanced down at him.

His face was expressionless.

No anger, no joy, no disgust, no pleasure—it's like stepping on a cockroach that crawled onto the dining table—just step on it when you should, no need to overthink it.

That day in the courtyard, Tang Hao brought Mu Fenghai and the dog to test him.

Mu Fenghai's Thunderous Mantra nearly shattered his internal organs. Fang Yu watched from the side, his eyes filled with schadenfreude and an undisguised malice.

From that moment on, this record was kept.

Yi Yang had already learned about Fang Yu through Zhao Gang and knew that he was entangled with that widow Li.

Just after the departure of the Sky Patrol Division yesterday, the atmosphere within the division was relatively relaxed today. People in various halls didn't have to be on duty and left early, so Yi Yang guessed that he would definitely go to Widow Li's place to pass the time.

Tonight, while hiding outside Widow Li's door, Yi Yang overheard every word Fang Yu said.

"It looks so fresh and delicate, like a flower bud that hasn't bloomed yet."

When Yi Yang remembered those words, his fingers twitched, and he wanted to rush in and kill him.

Jiang Yuexin was one of the few people he cared about in this world. Anyone who dared to set their sights on that girl would never see the sun rise again, but he still held back.

Since Yi Yang had already made up his mind that Fang Yu would not be able to return to the Sky Patrol Division tonight no matter what, he would let him live a little longer.

Yesterday, most of the Sky Patrol Division's personnel went out, leaving behind the Deputy Chief Patrol Officer, who was at the fourth level of Qi and Blood, to oversee the overall situation, not just the life or death of a small patrol guard.

Even if they knew Fang Yu had been killed, for the sake of overall stability and to prevent people from having wild thoughts, they probably wouldn't make a big fuss over someone as insignificant as Fang Yu.

So tonight's timing is perfect.

Yi Yang squatted down and began to rummage through Fang Yu's clothes.

He pulled a cloth bag from his inner shirt pocket, opened it, and found a few pieces of silver and about ten copper coins. He weighed them in his hand and figured they were worth at most three taels of silver.

Yi Yang's lips twitched.

Three ounces.

Think back to when they killed Luneng, it was eighty taels of silver plus some loose silver; when they killed Yang Shuqing, it was over forty taels plus a Yi Jin Ba Gu Dan (a traditional Chinese medicine) and a sheepskin scroll; when they killed Wang Yue, it was a Chi Yuan Guo (another traditional Chinese medicine) plus the Jiu Feng Dao Fa (a traditional Chinese martial arts technique). Every time, they made a fortune.

Today, things turned out really bad; I killed a poor wretch.

"It takes skill for a patrolman of the Martial Law Hall to end up like this." Yi Yang stuffed the silver coins into his pocket, too lazy to even take out the copper coins.

Three taels of silver wasn't even enough for his daily medicinal bath.

loss.

Yi Yang stood up and dragged Fang Yu's body to the abandoned ditch deep in the alley. The ditch was piled high with half-dried silt and rotten grass. He stuffed the body in, covered it with withered grass, and stomped on it a couple of times.

Their movements were so practiced it was heartbreaking.

After all, this wasn't the first time I'd done this job.

After cleaning up the scene, Yi Yang checked his sleeves. The bloodstains left by Fang Yu's scratching fingers were on his forearm, but Yi Yang's skin was completely intact, without even a red mark.

With the defensive power of the Bone Forging Realm, dealing with someone at the first level of Qi and Blood is no different from teasing a child.

Yi Yang went around to the other end of the dark alley and walked back along the shadows of the back street.

The night wind blew by, carrying away the lingering smell of blood from the alley.

When they returned to the courtyard, Jiang Yuexin's room was dark, and she was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly.

Yi Yang took off his night clothes and burned them, changed into old clothes, washed his hands, and lay down on the bed.

Before closing his eyes, he thought about what he had gained that night.

Three taels of silver.

"Before committing murder next time, will I have to check the victim's bank account first?"

With a hint of a joke, Yi Yang turned over and quickly fell asleep.

The next day at noon.

The inner courtyard of the Sky Patrol Office suddenly erupted in chaos.

Fang Yu's body was discovered by an old man who got up early to empty the chamber pot. Upon seeing the man's clothes, the old man was so frightened that he wet his pants and scrambled to the entrance of the Heavenly Patrol Office to report the news.

When the news spread, Yi Yang was flipping through files on the second floor of the archives.

Sun Hao rushed upstairs, his face pale. "Sir! Fang Yu is dead! He was strangled in the dark alley to the south! His neck was broken!"

Yi Yang raised his eyelids and turned a page of the file in his hand.

"Oh?"

Sun Hao stamped his feet anxiously, "Why aren't you worried at all! Could it be that the Nine Evil Cult members have sneaked into the town?"

Upon hearing the other person's words, Yi Yang put down the file, stood up, and said with a perfectly measured expression, "Let's go take a look."

A crowd had already gathered in the front yard of the Sky Patrol Office.

Qian Hu, the deputy inspector who remained behind, stood on the steps. He was in his early forties, with a broad back and a powerful presence that commanded attention.

He glanced at the panicked faces below and spoke in a deep voice.

"Quiet down, all of you."

The guards in the courtyard immediately fell silent.

Qian Hu stood with his hands behind his back, speaking calmly and unhurriedly: "I already know about Fang Yu's matter. The evidence at the scene is being examined, and there is currently no evidence to suggest that it was done by the Nine Evils."

Someone asked in a low voice, "Who did that?"

Qian Hu frowned: "Investigate. But before the investigation is complete, no one is allowed to spread rumors."

"It's a disgrace for everyone if word gets out that someone from the Sky Patrol died on their own territory, so don't spread this around, or you'll be in big trouble if I find out."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

"Starting tonight, night patrols will be doubled. Patrols will be conducted in pairs, and no one may leave alone. All buildings and halls must be locked, and no one may leave after dark except for official business."

The guards below exchanged glances, their faces tense.

Yi Yang stood at the very back of the crowd, bent over, his hands tucked into his sleeves, looking as nervous as everyone else around him.

Li Tong leaned closer and whispered, "Sir, do you think they might really be members of a cult?"

Yi Yang frowned, his tone carrying the worry typical of an elderly person: "It's hard to say. Everyone should be careful during this time, and don't get separated from others."

Li Tong nodded vigorously.

Yi Yang turned and walked towards the museum, his steps still slow.

Just as he expected, although Qian Hu seemed to take it seriously, judging from the way he arranged the men, these actions were just to reassure the remaining guards and tell them not to worry unnecessarily, and he did not seem to care much about Fang Yu's death.

The other guards were only worried that this might be the work of the Nine Deadly Cult; no one cared about Fang Yu's death.