Chapter 63 Supreme Yin
Chapter 63 Supreme Yin
Chapter 63 Supreme Yin
"That felt so good, so good!"
As Mo Zheng rode his horse along the official road, he couldn't help but relive the memory of that sword strike.
It wasn't that his swordsmanship was particularly exquisite, but rather that killing the old man named Luo Zheng brought him a sense of peace and satisfaction.
He wasn't even a martial artist himself, but relying on the power of the Luo family, he wanted to force Senior Sister Xiuxiu to marry him.
He didn't even see what he looked like. At his age, he had married seven concubines, and even bystanders on the street knew of his lecherous reputation.
Mo Zheng didn't act just now because he hadn't figured out the situation.
Since we've already met him on the road, how could we possibly spare his life?
As for revealing his name, that was something Mo Zheng did intentionally.
Otherwise, if the Luo family made a little inquiry and connected it to the previous incident at the roadside inn, it wouldn't be difficult to pin the murder suspicion on Zhao Xiuxiu. Given the current situation where the Luo family is powerful and the Zhao family is weak, and considering the nature of large families, they might hand Zhao Xiuxiu over in order to quell the matter.
That would mean doing something good but ending up with bad results.
As for the current conflict between the Luo and Zhao families, he is not too worried. Firstly, he is only grateful to Zhao Feng and does not have much feeling towards the Zhao family. Secondly, the Luo, Zhao and Liu families have been in a tripartite balance for many years, and there must have been deaths of martial artists in the Bone and Tendon Realm during that time. Eventually, there will be a way to deal with it.
The simplest method is to spend a lot of money to buy treasures to help a martial artist who has cultivated to the peak of the Stone Skin level forcibly break through to the Bone and Tendon Realm. Although this will eliminate the potential for further advancement, it will be enough to protect the family's safety for decades.
This kind of Bone and Tendon Realm is also the only option for the vast majority of martial artists entering the realm to break through to the Bone and Tendon Realm.
Rather than spending a lifetime trying to comprehend the mysteries of the Unity of External Skills, it's better to break through to the next level first, at least increasing one's strength.
Even more tragically, many martial artists break through to the Skin and Flesh Realm without ever comprehending the subtlety of external skills, resulting in insufficient foundation. They can only cultivate to the Stone Skin level at most in their entire lives, and they don't even have the chance to become the weakest Tendon and Bone Realm.
The path of martial arts is difficult, as difficult as ascending to heaven. Lineage, resources, innate talent, comprehension, luck, and so on are all indispensable.
This is also the main reason why, despite the population of over 100 million in the eighteen prefectures of Liangzhou, the number of true disciples of the Liangzhou Martial Arts Hall has remained at around twenty.
The state of achieving unity of external and internal martial arts is very difficult; it can only be achieved through one's own comprehension.
As for the number of teachers at the Visceral Realm, it's all accumulated over time. Visceral Realm martial artists can live up to 150 years old, and their condition won't decline until the last few years of their lives.
Unlike other martial artists, whose vital energy gradually weakens and combat power slowly declines after the age of forty, although they can live to be a hundred years old, they may not live to that age if they have old injuries.
As the sun gradually rose higher, it soon reached its zenith, and Shangyin County came into view.
The closer they got to the county town, the more people there were on the official road. Mo Zheng slowed down his horse and headed towards the city gate.
Many scenes flashed through his mind.
Before mastering martial arts, he diligently practiced swordsmanship in the martial arts school; as a constable, he patrolled the streets and alleys; he felt fear when he was assassinated in the middle of the night; and he felt lost when he got involved with the Black Sand Gang.
Especially that night when he was assassinated, if he hadn't had a sudden realization, he would have probably lost his life on the spot, which was the most dangerous time.
But two months later, looking back, neither Yu Yang nor the Black Sand Gang were anything but chickens and dogs; they were nothing at all.
"Hey, it's your turn. Pay the entrance fee."
The guards on duty shouted and yelled.
Mo Zheng snapped out of his reverie, saw that it was his turn in line, smiled at the constable, and reached out to take out a copper coin.
"Hey, it's you, Officer Mo!"
At this moment, another constable seemed to recognize Mo Zheng's identity and exclaimed in surprise.
Mo Zheng didn't find anything strange about it. He had worked as a constable in Shangyin County for a period of time, so it was normal for him to have acquaintances there.
Upon closer inspection, he saw a familiar middle-aged man with wide, staring eyes, clearly surprised to see him.
"Who do we have here? It's Brother Ren." Mo Zheng nodded and said with a smile.
This constable was Ren Ding, his former partner on patrol.
Unfortunately, because of the Black Sand Gang incident, they quickly severed ties with him, which was also the first time Mo Zheng experienced the coldness of human relationships in the workplace.
"Oh dear, look at my memory, I have to call you Lord Mo now."
Ren Ding smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Please come in. It's an honor for our county that you've returned. There's no need for you to pay for entry into the city."
"Then thank you very much, Brother Ren."
Mo Zheng did not refuse. He cupped his hands in greeting, took the horse, and headed home.
Watching the boy lead his horse away into the distance, another, younger constable couldn't help but ask, "Brother Ren, who was that kid? I've never heard of any official in the city surnamed Mo?"
"You've heard of his name, it's Mo Zheng," Ren Ding said with a half-smile.
Don't fight—don't fight!
The constable frowned slightly, still wondering who it was, when suddenly a flash of inspiration struck him, and he remembered the person's identity and deeds. His eyes widened immediately.
"Mo Zheng—he's Mo Zheng, the martial arts prodigy who got into the Liangzhou Martial Arts Academy?!"
"It was him. He was my partner back then, and I was the one who led him on patrols."
Ren Ding boasted, "See that horse he's riding? That's no ordinary horse, it's a Black-Scaled Horse with demonic beast blood. There isn't a single one in the entire Shangyin County. It's exclusively for powerful martial artists. I heard one can sell for thousands of taels of silver, it's incredibly precious!"
"So it's a Blackscale Horse. No wonder I've never seen such a tall horse. Impressive." The constable nodded, a hint of envy on his face. He asked curiously, "Brother Ren, given your relationship with Lord Mo, how come you were assigned to guard the city gate?"
Compared to the constables who patrolled the streets, the guards at the city gates didn't receive any bribes from the merchants, so there was hardly any money to be made; it was definitely a tough job.
"this----"
Upon hearing this, Ren Ding, who had been smug and boastful just moments before, now wore a wry smile.
What else could it be? It's all because of the Black Sand Gang incident. He chose to stand by and watch, and although the boy didn't blame him, the officials in the county took it upon themselves to send him here.
Compared to those martial artists, the fate of these insignificant people is truly negligible.
"Just focus on watching the city gate. What's the point of knowing so much?" Ren Ding said irritably.
Seeing that he seemed to have hit a nerve, the constable immediately smiled and said nothing more, continuing to collect the entrance fee.
Only Ren Ding, absentmindedly glancing in the direction where the boy's horse had disappeared, had a very complicated expression on his face.
If you hadn't thought about protecting yourself back then, and hadn't been in a hurry to draw a clear line, what would you be doing now?
Got home.
Leading his horse into the alley in the east of the city, Mo Zheng could see his own small courtyard in the distance.
The closer I get to home, the more timid I become!
Mo Zheng looked at the small courtyard, and his pace quickened.
However, before he even reached the door, he heard his younger brother Mo Xiaotian's voice.
"Let me go! Let me go now!" It was Mo Xiaotian speaking.
"We won't let go! You always brag about how amazing your second brother is, but you still can't beat us!"
"Yeah, yeah, a braggart, he just loves to brag!"
"You can't even beat San Heizi, and you say you'll become a martial artist someday!"
Mo Zheng listened to the commotion and went over, soon seeing the situation in detail.
Mo Xiaotian was playing with several children when he was pinned down by a boy who was a little bigger than him, and he couldn't get up at all.
"Who's bragging? My older brother said I'll definitely become a martial artist someday!"
Mo Xiaotian's face flushed red as he shouted at the top of his lungs, "You wait! When my second brother comes back, he'll beat you all to a pulp!"
"Shame on you, you braggart!" "We'll beat you up first!" "Hahaha, get up and talk!"
The children mocked Mo Xiaotian, making his chest heave with anger. He pouted, on the verge of tears, when suddenly his eyes lit up and he saw Mo Zheng's figure right in front of him.
"Second Brother?"
He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and looked again.
The smiling boy standing there leading the horse, who else could it be but his second brother?
"Second Brother, you're finally back! Quickly beat them up for me!" Mo Xiaotian shouted with joy.
When the other children heard him speak like that, they couldn't help but turn their heads to look.
"Pah, trying to scare us again!"
Sanheizi, who was holding Mo Xiaotian down, didn't believe it at all and slapped Mo Xiaotian's buttocks.
When the other children saw Mo Zheng, they saw a tall, strong black horse and the weapons on it, and they were all too frightened to speak.
Sanhei slapped his companions twice. When he heard that his companions were silent, he felt that something was wrong. He looked up and immediately saw the boy and horse standing not far in front of them.
They were all children from ordinary families in the area, and they rarely had the opportunity to ride horses, let alone see a different kind of beast like the Black-Scaled Horse with demonic blood.
Sanheizi was completely terrified.
"Run!"
Someone shouted, and a large group of children immediately scattered in all directions, hiding behind corners and doors, cautiously observing Mo Zheng with curiosity, fear, and trepidation in their eyes.
The three black-clad men tried to run away, but Mo Zheng grabbed them.
"Hahaha, I already told you my second brother is back, and you still say I scared you!"
Mo Xiaotian was smug and stood up proudly, showing no trace of his previous disheveled and helpless state.
He said, "Second brother, quickly help me beat him up, so he won't keep saying I'm lying to him!"
"Let's see if you dare bully me again!"
The little guy spoke exceptionally loudly for the last sentence, and even looked specifically at the dolls hiding in the dark corner, clearly intending to show off.
"You brat, you're trying to intimidate me by taking advantage of my position."
Mo Zheng couldn't help but laugh, pinched his fair little face, and put the three black pieces down.
He deliberately tried to scare the children, saying, "You're not allowed to bully Xiaotian anymore, or I'll have my black-scaled horse eat you all! My horse eats people!"
"Whoosh!"
The black-scaled horse, with keen insight, snorted and pawed the ground with its large hooves.
Sanheizi was so frightened that he lowered his head, trembling all over, and dared not respond.
"Go."
Mo Zheng patted his little head and waved for him to leave.
The child immediately dashed off into the distance, shouting in fear as he ran, "Run! Mo Xiaotian's second brother's horse eats people! Run! Mo Xiaotian's second brother's horse eats people!"
"Second Brother!"
Seeing this, Mo Xiaotian clenched his little fists in anger and said, "You're not even going to help me beat them up!"
"Hahaha, solve your own problems. Aren't you going to be a martial artist in the future? You need my help with such a small matter?"
Mo Zheng smiled and took Mo Xiaotian's hand as they walked towards his home.
He happily pushed open the door and called out, "Big brother, sister-in-law, Xiao Qiu'er, I'm back!"
In the back hall of the county government office in Shangyin County.
County Magistrate Fang Daquan is drinking tea.
"My lord, the Third Madam has come again to urge us to have our meal."
A servant came in and said respectfully, "They say it's almost noon and the dishes are getting cold. Please come over as soon as possible, sir."
"Didn't I tell her I don't have time right now? Let her eat first."
Fang Daquan said nonchalantly that this third wife was his most beloved concubine, and he would usually drop his official duties to have dinner with her, but today was different.
Thinking of the news I had just received—
"But the Third Madam said that if you don't go, you shouldn't come tonight," the servant said somewhat awkwardly.
"Don't you want me to go there?"
Fang Daquan frowned and shouted, "You insolent brat, how dare you delay my business! Go, have someone guard her courtyard and confine her for a month; she's not allowed to leave!"
"Yes, yes, sir."
When the servant saw Fang Daquan's anger, he trembled with fear and hurriedly went out to report the news.
Fang Daquan said irritably, "You eat my food and drink my water, and you dare to tell me what to do? You really don't know your place."
.
"Haha, who do you think is so arrogant?!"
Suddenly a male voice came from outside. Fang Daquan looked closely and saw that three middle-aged men in official robes had walked into the courtyard. They were the clerk, the county lieutenant, and the head constable.
The speaker was Liu Dianshi, who said with a smile, "Are you referring to the three of us? If so, we must apologize."
"It's just some business in the inner quarters. Please excuse the commotion. Please sit down and have some tea."
Upon seeing the three, Fang Daquan immediately arranged for them to sit down.
Constable He asked, "May I ask why you have summoned us, sir?"
"It's all because of these letters, just look at them."
Fang Daquan took out several letters from his pocket and handed them to the three men.
The three of them were taken aback when they saw the signature at the top of the page, even before reading the contents.
"Lord Fang, the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, the Northern Liang Caravan, the Black Fiend Sect, the Luo Family of Silver City—"
County Magistrate Cao exclaimed in surprise, "These are all top-tier forces in Liangzhou, forces with experts at the Internal Organ Realm level. They're writing to us?!"
Don't be fooled by the fact that these few are local tyrants in Shangyin County; there are at least two or three hundred counties like Shangyin County in the entire Liangzhou.
These powerful forces, with experts at the Visceral Realm in charge, could shake the entire Liangzhou with a stomp of their feet. To kill them would be as simple as blowing a breath. Why would they write a letter to them?
The three looked at Fang Daquan with trepidation, unsure whether it was a blessing or a curse.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
Fang Daquan laughed and said, "Read the letter, and you'll understand!"
The three of them immediately opened and read the letter.
"Oh, so they've come to visit Mo Zheng?"
"The messenger is already on his way. Let us keep an eye on him and keep an eye on Mo Zheng's whereabouts."
"Mo Zheng has now—become a disciple of a master of the Visceral Realm?!"
After reading the letter, the three looked at each other in disbelief.
"Is that Mo Zheng, who came from our Shangyin County to the Liangzhou Martial Arts Arena two months ago?" Liu Dianshi said incredulously, "He has now become the disciple of a master of the Visceral Realm?!"
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