Heart-Severing Gut-Breaking Powder

"Bold of you to barge onto the Huang Family's turf!" Li Qing shouted, striking the stance of the Wild Ox Fist.

As a man of humble means, ever since he'd obtained the Wild Ox Fist, Li Qing had never let up for even a single day, training himself relentlessly.

Though he hadn't yet entered a realm, his every move already looked quite convincing.

Now that he'd taken his stance, he truly resembled a mighty wild ox, brimming with a force both rugged and domineering.

The two underlings saw this and immediately joined in. Together, the three charged at Er Gou.

In the next instant, all three were sent flying.

Li Qing crashed down at Lu Li's feet.

A long gash had appeared across his chest. Blood poured from it, his flesh gaping open—the wound was severe.

He sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, his face turning deathly pale.

"Lu Li, quick, run! He's a martial artist!" he said to Lu Li, his voice weak and trembling, as if he'd used up every ounce of strength.

"Run? We've got this place surrounded so tightly, you couldn't squeeze through. Where do you think you're going?" Er Gou wiped the blood from his blade with a look of disgust, then turned his gaze to Lu Li.

"Wait..." Lu Li looked familiar to him, but for a moment he couldn't remember why.

"Brother Gou, that's Lu Li. He saved the Zhao Family last time. We were scared of him, so we went back to apologize and wasted quite a bit of silver," one of his trusted men quickly reminded him.

Er Gou glared at him. "Shut your mouth! You're always running it!"

Then he turned his attention back to Lu Li and theatrically slapped his forehead. "Oh, now I remember. It's you."

"Last time, you saved the Zhao Family and damaged my reputation. I even came crawling over like a grandson to apologize."

"Did you ever imagine this day would come?"

Er Gou rocked his head from side to side, his tone mocking and arrogant—begging for a beating.

Now that he was a martial artist, he was full of himself, like a petty man who'd finally gotten his way.

His pride had been wounded before, and of course he wanted to get even several times over.

He spread his legs. "Come on, come on. Crawl between your grandpa's legs, and I'll spare your life."

"Not only that, your grandpa's in a good mood today. I'll spare these people too!"

He swept his gaze over the three men and waved a hand with grand generosity.

The underlings at his side immediately chimed in. "There was once a man who endured the humiliation of crawling between another's legs and went on to become a great general!"

"Lu Li, what are you waiting for? This is your big chance!"

"Li Qing, hurry up and persuade Lu Li. Otherwise, none of you are getting out of here!"

Then the whole pack of underlings started hollering. They were just like wild monkeys hooting in the mountains.

Seeing how brazen and overbearing they were, Lu Li's mouth twitched. He stepped forward, but Zhang Qing grabbed him by the trouser leg.

"Lu Li, a real man would rather die than submit. If you do it, I, Zhang Qing, will look down on you!"

"Don't crawl. I, Zhang Qing, would rather die!"

Zhang Qing was grinding his teeth in fury as he spoke, each word deliberate.

"Damn it, you refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!" one of Er Gou's trusted men cursed, stepping forward with his blade raised to hack at Zhang Qing's hand.

Just then, Lu Li casually kicked him in the chest.

Crack.

The sound of breaking bones rang out as the man flew backward and crashed down at Er Gou's feet.

His body convulsed. He spat blood foam, jerked a few times, then died.

Er Gou's pupils shrank. He stared at Lu Li in disbelief.

Even he found Lu Li's kick terrifying.

It had never occurred to him that Lu Li had become a martial artist too!

"Lu Li, you..." Li Qing was stunned as well, shock written all over his face.

He was happy, jealous, and embarrassed all at once.

His expression was so complicated it was almost comical.

Lu Li pulled his trouser leg free, closed in, and used a move of the Wild Ox Charge Fist.

He'd never trained in the Wild Ox Fist, but the technique was precise, without a single flaw.

Compared to the likes of Li Qing, his execution was nothing short of exquisite!

He was, after all, a master who'd slain an Organ-Refining expert. The mere Wild Ox Fist might be unfamiliar to him, but he still picked it up effortlessly!

Revealing the strength of a Muscle-Training martial artist, he punched Er Gou in the head, leaving him dazed and seeing stars.

Then he straddled him and pummeled him left and right, every punch landing solidly.

Before long, Er Gou's face had swollen into a pig's head.

"Master Lu, Master Lu, stop hitting me! I was wrong!"

"This worthless one deserves to die. Please spare my miserable life!"

Er Gou's words came out thick and garbled.

Lu Li snorted coldly and kept swinging until blood sprayed across his face. Only then did Er Gou stop moving for good.

He'd beaten a martial artist to death with nothing but his bare fists!

Not only were Li Qing and the other two shocked by the sight.

The men who'd followed Er Gou were even more terrified. They threw down their weapons and fled at full speed.

"It's not over yet?" Lu Li stepped outside the courtyard. Hearing the sounds of fighting still coming from afar, he frowned.

But this wasn't the time to switch identities, so Lu Li simply closed the door and let the apothecary's physician treat Li Qing and the others.

"Lu Li, when did you enter a realm? What realm are you at now? How did you manage to enter one?" Zhang Qing lay on a stretcher, chattering nonstop.

"Lu Li, you've broken through, but I still won't admit you're better than me. I'll catch up with you sooner or later!"

"But I, Li Qing, will remember this life you saved. One day, I'll repay you."

"Just shut up," Lu Li said, too lazy to deal with him.

A moment ago, even talking had taken effort. Now he was rattling on like a rapid-fire cannon. Where had he even gotten the strength?

He went to the medicinal garden and immediately began practicing the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist.

[Life Lord: Lu Li]

[Destiny: Heaven Rewards Diligence]

[Attributes: A slow horse may travel a thousand miles with ten drives; success lies in perseverance]

[Martial Arts: Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist (Tendon-Refining Realm 720/900), practice once a day; seventy years to master. Wild Ox Fist (not yet initiated), practice once a day; six years to master. Flying Swallow Step (mastered)...]

The Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist's power rose by another twenty points. His insights surged, and his strength improved a little more.

Lu Li felt somewhat drained and wasn't in good condition, so he didn't force himself to keep training.

He picked up Hundred Solutions to Poisons and began poring over it, his gaze settling on the poison capable of bringing down an Inner-Qi Realm martial artist.

This poison was called Heartless Gut-Severing Powder. Its main ingredient was an herb called Gut-Severing Grass.

It was made with Ice Heart Flower, Black Blood Fruit, and twenty other poisonous ingredients. Its toxicity was formidable.

Anyone below the Organ-Refining Realm would die on contact.

Even someone in the Blood-Exchange Realm wouldn't fare well. Before long, they'd vomit blood and lose all their fighting strength.

Even an Inner-Qi Realm expert couldn't hold out for long. Their strength would gradually drain away, and without treatment, they'd be dead within days.

"Yikes, twenty-one poisonous ingredients. The recipe for this Heart-Severing Gut-Breaking Powder is far too costly!"

"But there isn't even one Inner-Qi Realm expert among the million people in Changfeng County. A poison that can kill one really is something else."

"But as martial artists grow stronger, their bodies become more and more powerful. They also develop what's called qi, which circulates through the body and dilutes the poison."

"Poisons capable of harming Houtian Realm experts are rare."

"I've never even heard of one that can harm Xiantian Realm experts."

"That makes it difficult to catch an enemy off guard. With my peerless talent, could I create a poison art that can bring down Houtian and Xiantian experts?"

Holding Hundred Solutions to Poisons, Lu Li fell into thought.

It wasn't until after noon that the shouts of battle gradually died away.

Only then did Huang Rongyue and Huang He come down from the loft. They entered Huang Mansion, gathered with the other senior members in the main hall, and prepared to hear the damage report.

"Damn it, how did so many experts suddenly show up? We've taken a terrible hit this time!"

"Exactly. Could the Wang Family have gotten the county magistrate's support?"

"The county magistrate really does want to swallow us whole!"

"We never expected them to have an ambush waiting. They attacked in broad daylight, and so many people were caught off guard. That's what cost us the most!"

"Our brothers fought until noon. We did all we could."

Everyone was overcome with grief.

Huang He's brow was furrowed too, weighed down by a sorrow that wouldn't lift.