"I've heard that Brother Li Hao's lightness skill is second to none. I've dabbled in it myself, so why don't we have a little contest?" After a few cups of wine, Qiao Feng was already slurring his words.
"No problem. I remember Big Brother Li's lightness skill is famous throughout the world, too. How about the three of us race together?" Li Hao had had a little to drink, and he was getting excited.
"I could ask for nothing more. I wouldn't dare make such a request myself." Li Xunhuan swayed to his feet and cupped his hands.
Damn, this liquor was strong. He'd traveled far and wide without ever getting drunk, only to be brought down in this little tavern.
"Yi Lin, Zhongze, Yan Shun, wait here for a moment. I'll be back soon with my two big brothers." Li Hao swayed as he spoke, his eyes already going a little blurry.
"You get turned around after just a little wine. Be careful on the way, and come back soon." Ning Zhongze rose and straightened Li Hao's clothes, reminding him gently.
She had been a sect leader's wife for many years, so she had naturally heard of Qiao Feng and Li Xunhuan. Since Li Hao could call them brothers, she had no objections.
They were two powerful allies, each every bit as formidable as Invincible East.
"Brother Li, there's a ferry crossing thirty li ahead. There's a hundred-year-old tree there. Let's use it as our turnaround point and see who gets back first," Qiao Feng said heartily.
"That's an excellent idea." Li Xunhuan immediately clapped his hands in agreement.
"I have no objections. Zhongze, you can call the start." Li Hao was speechless.
Before he'd transmigrated, the most he'd ever done was a fifty-meter shuttle run. Now, apparently, thirty li one way was no big deal.
"Very well, Great Heroes. We'll take the bowl hitting the ground as the signal." Ning Zhongze picked up a porcelain bowl, held it out, then let go.
The bowl hit the ground with a crack. Before Ning Zhongze could react, a gust of wind swept past, and the three men standing at the tavern entrance had vanished.
Ning Zhongze held down her billowing skirt, staring dumbfounded at the three wisps of dust on the main road.
She had long known that Li Hao was skilled in lightness techniques, but she had never imagined he was this good. He could actually keep pace with two renowned martial arts masters at the peak of the Grandmaster realm.
No wonder she hadn't noticed him when he'd slipped into her room in Hengshan back then—and ended up letting him have his way with her.
At the thought, Ning Zhongze felt herself [poem]ing.
Ning Zhongze, in white: Where's your sense of decency? He's just a lecherous thief who climbed in through the window.
Ning Zhongze, in black: Decency? I've already lost my chastity, so what do I need decency for?
Ning Zhongze, in white: ...
"Haha, exhilarating! Brother Li's lightness skill truly lives up to its reputation." Qiao Feng's hearty voice rang out across the sandy plain.
"Big Brother Qiao, I can't talk much. If I do, I'll lose my breath," Li Hao said helplessly.
"Exactly, I can't talk either."
On the main road, three figures raced like lightning. Li Hao's figure flitted along like a startled swan, graceful and unrestrained, two or three paces ahead.
Li Xunhuan's signature skill, Three Skims Across the Water, made it look as though he were simply running swiftly along the ground. But each stride covered an incredible distance—more than ten meters!
As for Qiao Feng, who ran shoulder to shoulder with Li Xunhuan, he really was charging along the ground, his feet spinning like wheels as he sped forward with a whoosh.
Before long, the three completed their thirty-li out-and-back run and returned to the tavern.
As they neared the tavern, Li Hao deliberately slowed down and entered through the door at the same time as Qiao Feng and Li Xunhuan.
"Boss, the young master and the others just ran thirty li." A black-armored guard asked Yan Shun in a trembling voice.
"Thirty li? That was thirty li one way, and possibly more. I know this road well. The round trip must have been at least seventy li." Yan Shun was dumbfounded, too.
So that demon Li Hao was this powerful! He'd covered seventy li in less than half an hour. Even a famed steed couldn't run that fast!
And from the looks on their faces, they weren't even tired.
"Haha, exhilarating! This is the most exhilarating day of my life!" Qiao Feng entered and immediately downed a cup of wine.
"Great Hero Qiao, since the three of you hit it off at first sight, why not become sworn brothers? It would be a fine story for the martial world," Ning Zhongze suddenly suggested.
Her idea was simple: she wanted to help Li Hao build his reputation. No one could guarantee they'd never fall on hard times while roaming the martial world. With two peerless experts backing him, Li Hao could go anywhere.
"That suits me perfectly. I wholeheartedly agree," Qiao Feng said heartily.
"I have no objections either. What does Little Brother Li think?" Li Xunhuan turned to Li Hao.
They shared the surname Li, so perhaps they'd been family five hundred years ago. Li Xunhuan certainly had no objections to becoming sworn brothers with Li Hao. In truth, he'd already wanted to suggest it, but hadn't felt comfortable bringing it up.
"If neither of you has any objections, then I could hardly wish for anything more." Innkeeper, prepare the offerings at once. Today I'm swearing brotherhood with my two elder brothers, with heaven and earth as our witnesses.
"Right away, Great Heroes. Please wait a moment; I'll get everything ready." The tavern keeper was a clever fellow. Out here in the wilderness, he managed to gather everything they needed in less than a quarter of an hour.
The inn had plenty of chicken and fish. There were no pig heads, but the mountains were full of wild boars.
Soon, the three had completed their oath. Qiao Feng was the eldest, making him the big brother. Li Xunhuan ranked second, and was the second brother.
As for Li Hao, he was the youngest, so he was the third brother.
As for his age, Li Hao wasn't sure how to count it. He'd been twenty-two when he transmigrated, while Yin Zhiping had been in his twenties.
But after he'd transmigrated, Zhen Zhibing's body had been altered, turning him into the fair-skinned, rosy-lipped young man he was now.
Whatever. He'd been Li Hao before, and he'd be Li Hao from now on. As for Zhen Zhibing, let him disappear into the river of history!
After the oath, the three drank again, and in the end Li Hao collapsed under the table.
"Little Sister-in-law, what's going on?" At dawn, after sobering up, Qiao Feng and Li Xunhuan came to say goodbye to Li Hao, only to find that the man was still dead drunk.
But it wasn't just that he'd gotten drunk. He'd been restless in his sleep, too. The night before, he'd insisted that Yi Lin and I join him.
Taking advantage of his drunken state, he'd made me try more than a dozen different [positions]. It was mortifying.
Still, the benefits were plain to see. Yi Lin and I had both made some progress in our cultivation.
Yi Lin in particular had already reached the Postnatal Mid-stage. As for Li Hao, after all that drinking and all that exertion, he still hadn't woken up.
"Big Brother, Second Brother, my husband specifically told me to prepare these for you before he went to bed last night. Some good wine, and something unique to our Li family: White Snow Sugar. My husband is still sleeping off his drunkenness, so he can't see you off. I hope you won't hold it against him," Ning Zhongze said with a rueful smile.
Before you continue