Qi

Trish Walker excitedly shouted at Jessica Jones, "Jessica, did you see that? That old lady knows Qigong! I'm going to ask her to take me as her master! I told you Kung Fu was real!"

"You saw wrong. You could take on ten of that old lady by yourself!"

Jessica, with dark circles beneath her eyes, had no interest in any of this. She said listlessly, "There's a bar up ahead. Let's go get a drink!"

"You're drinking before noon?"

Trish asked, confused and dissatisfied, "Jessica, what exactly happened a few days ago? You disappeared for an entire night, and when you came back, you'd turned into an alcoholic?"

At Trish's words, Jessica immediately remembered what had happened days ago, and deep fear flashed through her eyes. Whether it was Purple Man, who could control others, or Yellow Man, who had effortlessly knocked her out and held her captive for more than ten hours, both filled her with genuine dread.

Jessica stormed off. "If you're not going, I'll go by myself!"

"Jessica!"

Trish hurried after her. Halfway there, she looked back at the café and memorized its name. When she had time, she would come back and ask that old lady to teach her! She loved Kung Fu! Leaving aside what happened outside, after Madame Gao and Giyohachiro forced their way into the café, they found Mercury waiting for them with a Samurai Sword. Mercury said coldly, "Blood God is waiting for you in the martial arts hall downstairs!"

"It seems Blood God is in quite the mood!"

Madame Gao smiled and led Giyohachiro toward the underground martial arts hall. Mercury stopped Natasha, who wanted to follow, and whispered in her ear, "Natalie, Blood God says Matt Murdock is lost in the back alley. Go take him away and keep him off this street."

Natasha froze for a moment, wanting to ask what that meant, but Mercury had already followed Madame Gao and the others.

Is she trying to send me away, or is there really something wrong with Matt Murdock?

Natasha frowned and turned to look for Matt Murdock. She found him lurking suspiciously in the back alley, listening intently. Clearly, there really was something wrong with him! Natasha smiled. "Looks like I'm going to have a date with him!"

In the underground martial arts hall, Wang Bert sized up Madame Gao as she entered and said coldly, "Madame Gao, you injured my man without cause. Are you provoking me?"

"Blood God!"

Madame Gao turned slightly and gave him a respectful bow. Then she said, "I did not injure your man. I merely pushed him aside!"

"Is that so?"

Wang Bert snorted and gestured for Mercury to close the door. Then he asked, "Madame Gao, what do you want with me?"

"I am willing to pay twice what you paid for the building your Blood God Group acquired!"

Madame Gao said, "In addition, we can give your Blood Clan one hundred living humans for free!"

Madame Gao was indeed quite sincere. Mercury could not help glancing at her. What was so special about that building that so many people were fighting over it?

Wang Bert neither confirmed nor denied it. He said slowly, "Madame Gao, I'm Chinese, and I'm very interested in your Qigong. Could you introduce it to me?"

Madame Gao said, "This is K'un-Lun Qi Gong. Only people of K'un-Lun can practice it! Forgive this old woman for being unable to say more!"

"Even a K'un-Lun traitor like you can practice it. Why can't I?"

Wang Bert sneered. The Five Fingers of The Hand were all traitors of K'un-Lun. In pursuit of immortality, they had stolen the Dragon Bone and fled K'un-Lun! "What do you know?"

Madame Gao's expression darkened as she shouted. Very few people knew she was a K'un-Lun traitor!

"Looks like we'll have to fight first!"

Wang Bert shook his head and said, "Madame Gao, if you defeat me, the building is yours! But if you lose, your fate will be miserable!"

Madame Gao said, "This old woman does not particularly wish to fight you, but if Blood God is interested, this old woman can play along!"

"Then let's play! Mercury, entertain that ninja over there!"

Wang Bert waved a hand. Mercury nodded, then walked to the side with her Samurai Sword alongside Giyohachiro! Mercury asked Giyohachiro, "I hear you ninjas are fast?"

Giyohachiro said proudly, "Faster than your Blood Clan!"

"Let's see!"

When she spoke the first word, Mercury was still over ten meters away. By the final word, she was already in front of Giyohachiro, unleashing an iaijutsu slash that streaked across his waist with a blade-light like a shining ribbon!

That was right, Mercury had learned swordsmanship from the Island Nation! Though Giyohachiro was somewhat surprised, his reaction was incredibly swift. With a Cicada Shedding Its Shell maneuver, he appeared behind her, leaving only an outer garment to be cut apart by the blade-light! Dressed in red ninja garb, Giyohachiro flung three throwing knives at Mercury. As she blocked them, he appeared behind her like a ghost and slashed his hooked sickle spear, connected to a chain, at her back!

Mercury spun around and raised her blade to block Giyohachiro's spear. Then she twisted the Samurai Sword, knocking his weapon aside before sliding her blade along the shaft toward his wrist!

Giyohachiro used the chain to block Mercury's Samurai Sword, then rapidly retreated to widen the distance. Mercury immediately pursued him, her blade-light attacking him in an unbroken torrent! As Giyohachiro retreated and defended, he suddenly flung out his hooked sickle spear without warning. Mercury was startled and hurriedly twisted aside. The spear narrowly grazed past her waist before Giyohachiro pulled it back with a flick of his hand! Both stopped and watched each other warily. Clearly, neither was weak!

A moment later, they charged at each other simultaneously, fighting speed with speed in an incomparably intense battle. Both moved far faster than ordinary people, as if they had acceleration turned on! "The Hand is stronger than I expected!"

Wang Bert said frankly to Madame Gao, "This ninja is merely a subordinate of one of your Five Fingers, yet he can match my captain of the Guardians. It seems I need to reassess your strength!"

"Shin is Murakami's top subordinate. Your captain of the Guardians is already quite impressive if she can fight him to a draw!"

Madame Gao said. Clearly, she believed herself to be on the same level as Blood God. That was why she had dared come alone.

Hearing Wang Bert and Madame Gao's conversation, both Mercury and Giyohachiro grew furious, and their battle became even fiercer. They wanted to prove that they were stronger than the other!

"Let me see your Qigong, Madame Gao!"

Wang Bert raised a hand toward Madame Gao. His five fingers first turned into blood, then shot out at high speed like five spears! Madame Gao looked frail, but her speed was shockingly fast. The instant Wang Bert's blood spears fired, she had already shifted a step to the right, easily avoiding his attack!

Wang Bert gave a cold smile. The blood spears curved through the air and attacked Madame Gao from behind. Madame Gao did not dodge again. Instead, she slapped backward with one palm. With a bang, all five blood spears exploded at their turns, and the broken spears turned directly into blood that splashed onto the floor.

"What an excellent Palm Strike!"

Wang Bert became even more interested. Both hands turned into blood at once, then transformed into countless blood spears that shot densely toward Madame Gao! "You've read too many martial arts novels!"

Madame Gao mocked him as she moved. Her movements looked slow and stiff, like those of a truly elderly person, yet for some reason, she precisely evaded every blood spear and even reached Wang Bert's front! Then she stomped hard on the ground. Power rose from the earth, ran through her entire body, and exploded from her palm toward Wang Bert's chest! The strike was as violent as a mountain collapse. Thunder even boomed through the air, making it impossible to imagine that it had come from an old woman!

Wang Bert's expression turned solemn. His body suddenly became blood and split into two, narrowly avoiding Madame Gao's palm. Then his body merged again, and the blood surged toward Madame Gao's arm to corrode it!

Madame Gao was somewhat surprised. She shouted, and powerful qi erupted from her arm, blasting Wang Bert's blood away.

Seeing this, Wang Bert simply controlled the blood to form two giant hands that wrapped around Madame Gao. Madame Gao tried to retreat, only to discover that her feet had been bound by a pool of blood that had somehow moved beneath them—the blood that had fallen to the floor earlier!

Madame Gao erupted with qi again and blasted away the blood, but the delay prevented her from dodging Wang Bert's giant bloody hands. She was wrapped inside them.

Wang Bert's blood immediately entered Madame Gao's limbs through her skin and merged with her blood! Madame Gao's expression changed drastically. She hurriedly condensed her qi into spikes and tried to break out from the front, but to her shock, her hands and feet no longer obeyed her!

The reason was simple: Wang Bert had used his blood to control the muscles in Madame Gao's hands and feet!

"It was that blood!"

Madame Gao immediately tried to use qi to force the blood out of her body, but it had long since merged with her own blood and could not be expelled. She could only use qi to seal it within her limbs, preventing it from corroding the rest of her body!

"Madame Gao, what do you think of my Blood Shadow Magic Skill?"

Wang Bert's laughter rang out from within the blood. Madame Gao could not help complaining, "I told you, read fewer martial arts novels. This is a Vampire ability, not martial arts."

Wang Bert said, "If I say it's Blood Shadow Magic Skill, then it's Blood Shadow Magic Skill. Surrender. You've lost!"

"I have indeed lost, but don't think I'll surrender. At worst, we'll meet in Mutual Destruction!"

Madame Gao knew she had lost. She had underestimated Blood God, but she had no intention of giving up. She said, "You should know that members of The Hand can return to life even after death!"

"Then don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Wang Bert snorted and released the Purple Man Virus, Kilgrave's virus, to invade Madame Gao. Sensing that something was wrong, Madame Gao hurriedly used qi to protect and strengthen her brain. Her instincts told her that her opponent's target was her mind! Wang Bert's Purple Man Virus was blocked and could not control Madame Gao. Though Wang Bert was somewhat disappointed, he could accept it!

Jessica had been able to resist the Purple Man Virus later on, so naturally, others could have the same possibility!

If Kilgrave had encountered Madame Gao, he would have been doomed. But Wang Bert was not Kilgrave. His Purple Man Virus was controllable and far stronger than Kilgrave's. He continuously generated more viruses to invade Madame Gao, while her qi was consumed at an astonishing rate! Madame Gao began to panic and shouted, "Blood God, let me go, or we'll die together!"

"Then we'll die together!"

Wang Bert was utterly fearless. He had over a thousand lives; what did dying once or twice matter? Besides, Madame Gao might not even be able to blow him up. He was not so easy to kill!

Madame Gao had only been trying to frighten Wang Bert. She was no longer capable of Mutual Destruction, because all her qi was being used to resist the virus. She held on desperately for a while, but her qi was completely exhausted. The Purple Man Virus seized the opportunity to invade her brain and take control of her! "Madame Gao, stand there obediently. Don't move, and don't resist!"

Wang Bert laughed loudly as blood gathered beside her and returned to human form—his clothes returned as well. Whenever he turned into blood, his clothes hid within it.

Madame Gao wanted to escape, but her body would not obey her at all. She could only stand there obediently and await Wang Bert's judgment!

"Blood God! I've completed my mission!"

After Wang Bert returned to human form, Mercury, her clothes in tatters, threw the blood-covered and unconscious Giyohachiro at his feet. She had won that battle for a simple reason: she could heal herself, while Giyohachiro could not!

Furthermore, Giyohachiro had not been using a silver blade!

"Mercury, your strength disappoints me somewhat!"

Wang Bert glanced at Mercury and said, "You are my foremost general!"

Blade was stronger than Mercury, but he was not Wang Bert's general. He was Wang Bert's friend!

Mercury felt somewhat aggrieved. For Vampires to increase their strength, they had to drink living human blood. The problem was that Wang Bert no longer allowed them to drink living human blood and had even demanded the abolition of voluntary blood servants!

How could he manage the Blood Clan if he did not set an example himself? Under these circumstances, Mercury had not drunk living human blood for a long time. Her strength had not only failed to increase but had even declined somewhat. Otherwise, she would not have fought so hard in this battle!

Wang Bert knew what Mercury was thinking and said, "Drinking blood is not the only way to grow stronger in this world!"

Mercury said, "Our Blood Clan can only grow stronger by drinking blood, and it must be living human blood!"

"I will change all that. There's a good opportunity right in front of us!"

Wang Bert looked at Madame Gao and asked bluntly, "Madame Gao, how do you cultivate the Qigong of K'un-Lun?"

Madame Gao did not want to say anything at all, but she still introduced it against her will. "To cultivate K'un-Lun Qi Gong, one must first temper the body and mind. Once the requirements are met, the Council of Elders performs a ritual that allows the practitioner to merge with Dragon Bone Fragments! With Dragon Bone Fragments, one can convert one's own energy into qi and store it within the body. In the early stages, qi can only be used to strengthen oneself. Only after reaching an advanced realm can it be released from the body to attack others!"

After a pause, Madame Gao said proudly, "I do not know K'un-Lun's current situation, but in The Hand, I am the only one who can release qi externally!"

"So you need to merge with Dragon Bone Fragments to cultivate qi?" Wang Bert frowned. This was somewhat different from what he had expected! "Yes, everything is because of the Dragon Bone!"

Madame Gao nodded and said, "The more fragments one merges with, the more qi one can hold. However, one does not reach the limit immediately after merging. One must cultivate slowly and allow the body to gradually absorb the fragments. Back then, it took me an entire year to completely merge with my first fragment! According to K'un-Lun's rules, after completely absorbing it, one can apply to merge with a second fragment, and so on! There is a limit to how many Dragon Bone Fragments a human can merge with, roughly five to nine. However, most people simply do not have enough time to cultivate to the limit they can contain.

Time has always been humanity's greatest enemy! Yet those K'un-Lun elders are stubborn fools. They refuse to allow warriors to use the Dragon Bone to extend their lives. That is why I betrayed K'un-Lun!"