This was Han Zheng's first time truly fighting someone.
For a newcomer like him who had only just come into contact with martial arts, he should have been nervous. Yet Han Zheng was incomparably calm.
He assumed the stance of Vajra Fist. The muscles, sinews, and bones in his arms surged as both arms crossed before him, forcibly blocking Brother Xiong's chopping hand.
Bang!
A dull thud rang out.
Han Zheng retreated half a step, and Brother Xiong's expression immediately changed.
That single exchange gave Han Zheng a clear measure of things.
They were evenly matched in strength, with the other man slightly stronger. He had likely opened around seventy Acupoints, but had not opened a second set of meridians.
This fight could be fought!
His blood and qi roiled. The knotted muscles on Han Zheng's arms erupted, and his two arms were like a pair of heavy Vajra Pestles smashing down on Brother Xiong at once.
What Brother Xiong had learned was rather jumbled—fist techniques, palm techniques, and grappling techniques.
But faced with Han Zheng's counterattack, he could only passively defend against that dense, rain-like barrage.
The longer they fought, the more Brother Xiong felt that something was wrong.
His blood and qi were being shaken into turmoil by every one of Han Zheng's punches, but why did Han Zheng seem utterly unaffected?
Force was mutual. By rights, Han Zheng should not have been feeling any better either.
Han Zheng indeed felt his blood and qi churning from the recoil of those impacts.
But he had sacrificed his sense of pain. It simply could not affect his combat ability at all; instead, it made Han Zheng grow fiercer the longer he fought.
A flash of ruthlessness passed through Brother Xiong's eyes.
His palms curled around Han Zheng's arms like nimble snakes.
He was a large man, yet he suddenly crouched and contracted his body, shrinking himself into an extremely compact shape.
Borrowing force through his arms, he somehow exerted strength in midair and kicked at Han Zheng's groin!
This move was exceedingly ugly, like a yellow dog pissing, but it was a genuine killing move.
Han Zheng planted his feet like roots, twisted his waist, and sharply tilted to one side, narrowly avoiding Brother Xiong's kick.
His blood and qi surged. Han Zheng's right arm broke free from Brother Xiong's grapple, his fist turning into a pestle as it thunderously smashed down from midair!
Vajra Demon Subduing!
This was the result of cultivating against the Martial Intent of Vajra Fist within the Gluttonous Crucible.
The punch Han Zheng had unleashed amid that life-and-death struggle had truly aligned with the Martial Intent of Vajra Fist.
Even if Li Jingzhong himself had come, though his realm far surpassed Han Zheng's, he might not have been able to throw a punch containing such essence.
"Bang!"
With a dull impact, Brother Xiong had nowhere to borrow force after exerting himself in midair and could not dodge at all. That punch struck his head and slammed him viciously into the ground.
His forehead was even caved in by Han Zheng's punch. Blood instantly gushed forth like a spring, and after twitching once on the ground, he never moved again.
Han Zheng went over and checked his breathing. Brother Xiong was dead beyond all doubt.
In martial combat, it was better to advance in a single thought than hesitate in a single thought.
Han Zheng had perfectly carried out Li Jingzhong's teachings. The moment he struck, it was to kill, without the slightest hesitation or restraint.
Whether in his previous life or this one, this was Han Zheng's first time killing someone.
Yet for some reason, he did not feel the slightest discomfort.
In a life-and-death battle, either you died or I perished.
All he felt now was relief that the person lying there was not him.
Killed an early Houtian Realm martial artist. Obtained 1 Vitality Essence, which may be used for sacrifice.
Han Zheng was slightly stunned.
But there was no time to think about that. Han Zheng walked over to Ma Gui, who was nearly frightened witless, seized his neck, and said calmly, "Now, can you talk?"
Ma Gui truly had been scared stupid.
He had originally thought that once Brother Xiong arrived, Han Zheng would surely be dealt with in no time at all.
Who would have thought that after only a few exchanges, Brother Xiong would be beaten to death alive by him?
The moment Brother Xiong died, it was already too late for Ma Gui to run.
Han Zheng had kicked one of his legs broken. Where could he possibly run to?
"Don't kill me! I'll talk! I'll tell you everything!"
Ma Gui had just been about to say something when he pulled a long face and cried, "I want to tell you, but I don't know anything!"
"You don't know anything? Are you playing me for a fool?"
Han Zheng's expression immediately darkened.
Having just killed someone, his Killing Intent was at its peak. The strength in his hand steadily tightened, and Ma Gui's face instantly turned red.
Ma Gui hurriedly said, "I'm really not playing you! I'm not even an official member of the Three Harmonies Gang. How could I know that much?
"The man you beat to death was Wang Xiong, a leader of the Three Harmonies Gang. I did a few jobs for him, and I wanted to join the Three Harmonies Gang too.
"But Wang Xiong said I wasn't qualified yet and had to accomplish one more task.
"He told me to find him some young, strong youths with vigorous blood and qi. Whether I tricked them or coaxed them, any method would do.
"That day, I happened to meet you. You'd trained at the Martial Arts Academy for so long, so you definitely qualified.
"I took out ten taels of silver and tricked you, saying I needed help moving some prohibited goods for a merchant caravan at night, and that we had to leave the city after dark.
"When night came, I handed you over to Wang Xiong. Then you left the city with him. As for what happened afterward, I truly don't know anything."
After saying that, Ma Gui carefully glanced at Han Zheng.
I didn't follow after you left the city. You should know that yourself, so why are you still asking me?
"You don't know? Then why were you so shocked to see me alive?"
"Because Wang Xiong himself said so.
"You weren't the only one Wang Xiong took out of the city. There was another young man and two young girls under twenty.
"I asked Wang Xiong what he was taking you out of the city for so late at night, and he even slapped me, telling me not to ask what I shouldn't ask.
"After that, Wang Xiong told me not to run my mouth. He said you definitely wouldn't be coming back, which meant you were dead."
Han Zheng frowned slightly.
There really had been something wrong with his appearance outside the city.
Who knew what Wang Xiong had taken him and those others out of the city for? Was it simply to kill them?
Probably not. Wang Xiong had told Ma Gui to find people entirely at random.
Han Zheng had merely been unlucky enough to encounter Ma Gui, and happened to be short of money, so he had been deceived by him.
Unfortunately, Wang Xiong, who knew everything, had already been beaten to death by Han Zheng.
"Do the Three Harmonies Gang people know I'm still alive?"
What Han Zheng was uncertain about now was whether what Wang Xiong had done had anything to do with the Three Harmonies Gang. If they knew he had not died, would they also come to kill him?
Ma Gui shook his head. "I don't know either.
"After running into you yesterday, I struggled with it all day before telling Wang Xiong this morning.
"Wang Xiong's expression changed right then. He told me not to go out and spread the word.
"He said that if anyone else heard it—especially the Second Gang Leader—it would all be over.
"He was going to come find me tonight and discuss what to do."
Hearing Ma Gui say this, Han Zheng relaxed slightly.
From Wang Xiong's reaction, Han Zheng being alive had apparently meant that Wang Xiong had botched the job, so the upper ranks of the Three Harmonies Gang had not yet been alerted.
"You don't know anything else?"
"Really, that's all! I'm just a runner. I failed to recognize Mount Tai before my eyes. Please spare me!"
Ma Gui begged with a tearful face.
But he felt the hand around his neck tightening and tightening. He wanted to beg and scream, yet he could no longer make a sound.
Watching Ma Gui in his hand completely lose his breath, Han Zheng tossed his corpse onto the ground like a dead dog.
"Since you don't know anything, you have no value in staying alive."
Han Zheng had not felt much when he killed the first person.
Now that he had killed a second, his state of mind was even calmer.
He looked at the two corpses on the ground and had just begun considering how to dispose of them.
Then a series of footsteps sounded from outside the alley.
The commotion from his fight with Wang Xiong had been rather loud and must have awakened some nearby residents.
But in these times, less trouble was better than more. Those ordinary people certainly would not dare come investigate.
Only now that the sounds had stopped did they come out to see what had happened.
With no time to dispose of the bodies, Han Zheng went directly around to the rear courtyard.
After making sure no one was in the alley behind it, he climbed over the wall and fled.
After returning home, Han Zheng immediately took a bath to wash away the bloody smell on his body while thinking through this string of events.
The Three Harmonies Gang held immense power in Black Stone County. Deaths were common in its conflicts with other gangs, and killing was even more ordinary.
With the Three Harmonies Gang's influence, even if they openly killed several people in the streets, the County Yamen would not interfere.
Yet Wang Xiong, as a leader, had secretly found two men and two women to take out of the city, and had been certain they would die outside and never return. There was absolutely something more serious behind this, something far beyond simply killing a few people.
Moreover, upon learning that Han Zheng had not died, Wang Xiong had been even more afraid of the Second Gang Leader, Gao Kaiyuan, finding out. That also proved this matter was certainly connected to the upper ranks of the Three Harmonies Gang.
But once the clues reached the level of the Three Rivers Gang's Second Gang Leader, it was no longer something Han Zheng could continue investigating.
The only good news now was that both Ma Gui and Wang Xiong were dead.
Ma Gui had found him at random. Other than Ma Gui and Wang Xiong, no one knew his identity. For the short term, he should be safe.
Setting those matters aside for now, Han Zheng summoned the Gluttonous Crucible.
A row of small compartments appeared beneath the Gluttonous Crucible, like an inventory in a game.
There was only one item inside. It looked like a Blood Pearl, with a line of description above it.
Vitality Essence: Condensed from a martial artist's blood and qi. Sacrificing it grants 10 points of Satiety.
This was the first thing Han Zheng had obtained that could be sacrificed, aside from parts of his own body.
But the problem was that it could only be obtained by killing martial artists.
He had killed two people today, but Ma Gui did not count as a martial artist at all, so he had not obtained any Vitality Essence.
Did the Gluttonous Crucible mean that he needed to keep killing in order to grow stronger?
Han Zheng had already felt that this thing was somewhat sinister before. Now he could be certain of it.
The activation condition of the Gluttonous Crucible was for Han Zheng to continuously kill, obtain Satiety, or sacrifice himself in exchange for power.
As for whether he could resist that temptation, that depended on Han Zheng's own character and willpower.
Han Zheng did not waste these 10 points of Satiety. He immediately sacrificed them to the Gluttonous Crucible and entered it to cultivate.
The Three Harmonies Gang remained a hidden danger. To protect himself, Han Zheng had to accumulate strength.
Ten points of Satiety allowed him to cultivate within the Gluttonous Crucible for ten days.
Moreover, Han Zheng discovered that his cultivation progress seemed to have quickened this time.
In ten days, Han Zheng opened ten Acupoints and also opened another set of meridians.
As his proficiency in the Iron Elephant Skill grew higher and higher, his cultivation speed would also increase.
Han Zheng summoned the Attribute Panel and took a look at his current status.
Name: Han Zheng Cultivation: Houtian Meridian Opening Realm (70 Acupoints opened, 2 sets of meridians opened) Martial Arts and Cultivation Methods: Houtian Realm "Iron Elephant Skill" Proficiency (35%), Houtian Realm "Vajra Fist" Proficiency 50% Current Status: Pain Loss, Healthy Blood and Qi
Han Zheng gave a soft cry of surprise.
This time, he had not cultivated Vajra Fist within the Gluttonous Crucible, yet Vajra Fist's proficiency had soared from 30% to 50%.
It was likely because he had fought Wang Xiong to the death with Vajra Fist before, even throwing a punch that contained Vajra Fist's true essence. That was what caused the tremendous rise in proficiency.
Han Zheng had more or less figured out the rules governing proficiency.
The proficiency of internal cultivation methods naturally increased through constant cultivation.
But for martial techniques, proficiency increased fastest in life-and-death combat.
Thanks to reader Jiangbei Little Red Star for the 10,000 Qidian Coins tip (^ω^)