Two days later.
South of Bluestone County, a trail of dust rose.
A saber-wielding man in a conical hat rode in on horseback. He wore a black fitted outfit, with an ancient, unadorned saber at his waist. Countless passersby stopped to stare, while the beggars at the gate widened their curious eyes.
It had taken Zhao Kuangfeng ten days on horseback to travel from Jade Dragon Commandery to Bluestone County. His face was weathered by wind and frost, and he looked somewhat weary.
He had now reached the place where he was to complete his mission. All that remained was to kill a few people, obtain the formula, seize some craftsmen, and return to the main family to report completion.
"This time, I can trade for another month of spirit food from the Ge Family. With spiritual energy nourishing my body, I may even be able to attempt a breakthrough into the Innate Grandmaster Realm."
Every martial artist had only one ultimate goal: the Innate Grandmaster Realm.
Upon reaching that realm, one stood at the pinnacle of martial artists, a legend of the martial world!
Even an Immortal Clan of spiritual planters like the Ge Family would have to treat him with courtesy. Perhaps an Innate Grandmaster could not contend against mighty Qi Refining cultivators, but slaughtering juniors in the Fetal Breath Realm would be as easy as turning over one's hand.
Thus, unless they had no attachments at home, even immortals of the Qi Refining Realm were unwilling to easily make an enemy of an Innate Grandmaster.
He had served as a retainer of the Ge Family for many years, all to borrow the Ge Family's resources and break through into this supreme realm of martial artists.
"This should be the last time I carry out a mission for the Ge Family."
As Zhao Kuangfeng paused, a beggar below him knelt on the ground and cried, "Hero, please give me two copper coins! I haven't eaten in three days. I'm about to starve to death. I beg you, Hero!"
A skinny little beggar knelt beneath Zhao Kuangfeng's horse, begging for alms.
Zhao Kuangfeng glanced at him, took out an ounce of silver, and asked with a smile,
"Do you know where the Treasured Goods Pavilion is?"
At the sight of the gleaming silver, the little beggar's eyes went straight. He nodded like a pecking chicken. "I do, I do! Please follow me, Hero!"
The little beggar led Zhao Kuangfeng toward the Treasured Goods Pavilion.
After arriving, he looked eagerly at Zhao Kuangfeng and rubbed his hands together.
"Hero, this is the place you were looking for. The silver..."
His face was full of fawning smiles.
"You really dare ask for it?"
Smack!
Zhao Kuangfeng kicked the little beggar flying, flicked his sleeve, and walked into the Treasured Goods Pavilion.
Outside, a crowd of beggars emerged from a street corner and gathered around the little beggar, whose mouth and nose were spurting blood. They glared furiously at the saber-wielder inside.
The little beggar spat out several more mouthfuls of blood, then used his final breath to say tremblingly,
"Xiao Liu... repaid Benefactor Yang's meal..."
A relieved smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. His head tilted aside, and he completely ceased breathing.
"Where is Shopkeeper Liao of the Treasured Goods Pavilion?"
Liao Cao came out from within and pretended to be puzzled. "Who might you be, sir? What business do you have with me?"
"I am a retainer of the Ge Family of the Jade Dragon Immortal Clan. I bear a token from your Treasured Goods Pavilion headquarters and have come to claim someone."
He tossed out a green token. After comparing it several times, Liao Cao nodded.
"This is indeed a token from my Treasured Goods Pavilion headquarters. Whom do you seek, sir? Liao will certainly provide all possible assistance."
Smack!
Zhao Kuangfeng threw out a bag of Compressed Biscuits with its packaging intact.
"Take me to the person who makes these Fasting Cakes."
Liao Cao looked astonished. "Ah, this... My Treasured Goods Pavilion has always accepted rare goods without asking their origins. I'm afraid that would violate the rules."
"Your Treasured Goods Pavilion headquarters does not even dare say the word 'rules' to my Ge Family. What right does a mere shopkeeper like you have?"
Zhao Kuangfeng looked arrogantly defiant as he lightly stamped his foot upon the ground.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The bluestone slabs shattered, chunks of stone shooting out and directly destroying several displayed goods in the Treasured Goods Pavilion.
"A Half-Step Innate Realm expert!" Liao Cao cried out in shock.
"Do you still have rules now?"
Liao Cao fell silent for a moment, then nodded resignedly.
"Since you have a headquarters token, sir, please follow me. The man is named Yang Hu. He moved to Bluestone County from elsewhere two years ago and truly possesses strange and marvelous skills. His family has a workshop capable of producing these Fasting Cakes."
Liao Cao led Zhao Kuangfeng toward the edge of the county town, carefully advising him along the way, "My Treasured Goods Pavilion has some standing in the martial world. If you act later, sir, please be discreet. Do not make things too difficult for me."
Zhao Kuangfeng waved a hand. "No matter. We are all people of the martial world. I will give your Treasured Goods Pavilion some face."
He had also conducted many transactions and made many purchases at the Treasured Goods Pavilion before. He knew there were forces behind it as well, so there was no need to make enemies beyond repair.
"Then thank you. I have yet to ask your esteemed name, sir."
"Zhao Kuangfeng."
"Hiss—could it be Zhao Kuangfeng, who once used Eighth-Rank Great Gale to force back an Innate Grandmaster?"
"Hmph. You have some discernment." The corners of Zhao Kuangfeng's mouth lifted slightly.
"The Gale Saber Technique is a superior martial art of the martial world. Countless Martial Cultivators throughout the jianghu wish to enter the Zhao family's tutelage. To think that I would have the fortune to meet Hero Zhao in this small county town—it has truly fulfilled Liao's wish. Once this matter is settled, would you honor me by having a few drinks at my home?"
"They are merely empty reputations. A trivial matter." Zhao Kuangfeng's lips curved even higher.
Amid the pleasant atmosphere, Liao Cao brought Zhao Kuangfeng to an imposing mansion.
"This is Yang Hu's home. His workshop is hidden inside. I once saw them transport Fasting Cakes out from the basement. Let me open the door, and you can deal with matters inside."
"Very good. Shopkeeper Liao, you understand the times."
Liao Cao knocked on the door, and two servants came out.
"Shopkeeper Liao? Why have you come?"
Liao Cao put on airs. "Your master asked me to come today to discuss selling Fasting Cakes in neighboring counties. Where is Yang Hu?"
"Oh! Master and the craftsmen are processing goods in the workshop. Please wait outside the gate, and I'll go call him."
"No need."
Zhao Kuangfeng kicked both servants flying. They crashed into a corner of the wall and fainted dead away.
Liao Cao hurriedly and carefully shut the main gate.
"Follow me. The basement is inside."
The two entered the rear courtyard. From beside the artificial mountain, they lifted a stone slab, revealing the passage to the basement.
A thick biscuit fragrance rushed into their nostrils.
Zhao Kuangfeng smiled faintly. "This is the smell."
He no longer had any doubts and walked straight down.
Behind him, Shopkeeper Liao called out, "This underground workshop is Yang Hu's lifeblood. It is filled with mechanisms and extremely secretive. I have never gone inside either. Hero Zhao, please be careful."
"Hmph. Only an Innate Grandmaster is worthy of making Zhao Kuangfeng cautious."
The Gale Saber Technique emphasized one thing above all else: madness.
Zhao Kuangfeng walked directly down the passage. Inside was an outer chamber, where only a single lamp was lit. Dozens of bags of Fasting Cakes and some other strange foods were stacked on the shelves.
But aside from that, there were no other passages. It seemed to be a dead end.
"Hehe. Such a petty mechanism thinks it can deceive Zhao Kuangfeng?"
He looked toward an eastern wall. There was a row of small holes in it, and behind them came the irrepressible sound of a nervous heartbeat—clear as insect chirping to a Half-Step Innate Realm martial artist.
I heard your heartbeat.
Zhao Kuangfeng put his eye to one of the holes.
He saw a transparent lens, and then—
Smack!
The tactical flashlight turned on.
A beam of intense light brighter than the sun shot into his eye!
His mind instantly went blank, and his eyeball erupted with searing pain.
"Ah! My eyes!"
Zhao Kuangfeng leapt back a step and fiercely rubbed his eyes. Yet when he opened them again, all he saw was a vast expanse of white. He could see nothing.
Thud!
Behind him, a Stone Gate suddenly dropped, sealing off his retreat.
At that moment, his ears caught the sounds of people moving in hidden chambers on all sides.
"You think crippling my eyes is enough to subdue Zhao Kuangfeng? You rats! I'll kill every last one of you!"
He drew his saber, perked up his ears, and located his enemies by sound!
Even without his eyes, a Half-Step Innate Realm expert could still unleash immense combat strength.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle—
The holes left in the surrounding walls sprayed out a vivid red liquid.
Zhao Kuangfeng darted and shifted around the hidden chamber, but the space was too small. His face and body were soon covered in red liquid.
After the red liquid entered his eyes, it felt as though tens of thousands of needles were stabbing into his eyeballs!
The pain on his face was unbearable. Most fatal of all, he breathed in a thick odor.
"Cough, cough, cough! Poison! Cough, cough, cough!"
He tried to hold his breath, but the first two breaths he had inhaled made him cough uncontrollably. The flow of energy within his body became disordered, and he could not gather his inner energy at all.
"Ah!!!"
His five senses were directly destroyed by the high-density capsaicin. His mind went blank, and he could sense nothing. All he felt was that he could not breathe at all.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
He wildly swung his saber, blasting the walls apart.
Just then, a Stone Gate slowly lifted.
Wearing a gas mask, Huzi rolled out through the gap and jabbed an electric baton into Zhao Kuangfeng's body.
"AAAAAAAH—"
The high-powered electric baton, capable of subduing an adult elephant in a second, instantly made Zhao Kuangfeng lose control of his body. He collapsed to the ground convulsing. Only after the struck area had been charred black, foam spilled from his mouth, and his eyes rolled back did Huzi lower the baton.
Yang Shi emerged from another Stone Gate, holding a nail gun against Zhao Kuangfeng's chest.
"Your fate has run out."
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Three shots. Three thick, long nails buried themselves in Zhao Kuangfeng's heart. This Half-Step Innate saber-wielder, renowned throughout the martial world, instantly lost all breath.
Yang Shi and Huzi finally let out a complete sigh of relief.
This arrangement had been fraught with danger at every turn. The slightest misstep would have made such caution seem insufficient.
"The Interlocking Stratagem of the Thirty-Six Stratagems."
As the two sat on the ground catching their breath, the Stone Gate leading outside suddenly opened.
Clap, clap, clap—
An old man walked in, applauding.
"To possess such scheming methods and means... this old man was right not to underestimate you."
Before you continue