Shameless

"That Zheng Estate steward, Wei Zhong, is spreading rumors and turning black and white upside down. He says that because of the difference in your former status, you bore a grudge against him, and so when he kindly asked whether you wanted to go work, you took the initiative to injure him in order to show off your martial strength—a petty man intoxicated by success."

In Li Chengfeng's courtyard, Zhao Lie, who had come over, was invited inside by him. No sooner had he sat down than he immediately spoke to Li Chengfeng at high speed.

"That old dog is actually this shameless!"

When he finished, Li Chengfeng's brows could not help furrowing. He could not resist asking Zhao Lie, "Will this matter cause great trouble?"

"If the old events had been clear, that would have been one thing. But now this old dog has actually reversed right and wrong, black and white, and slandered you as a petty man. When Zheng Pandao returns, I fear there will be some trouble."

Zhao Lie spoke to Li Chengfeng with a conflicted expression, then tentatively asked, "How about Brother Chengfeng first move to my villa and hide for some days? Once your strength has been cultivated up, you can come back and explain the matter clearly. Otherwise, with the difference in strength, I fear Zheng Pandao may lose his temper for a moment and not give you the chance to explain or argue."

His expression was persuasive, and there was an unspeakable meaning in his eyes. "This time, Zheng Pandao took people to Shuiyang Prefecture to discuss the important matter of transporting treasure fish with the Qinghe Gang. There seems to have been some delay. I'm afraid he'll be back in another two months or so."

"When a man is outside negotiating major business, the thing he dreads most is something happening at home at such a time. With that old dog Wei turning right and wrong upside down like this, I fear Zheng Pandao will be worried enough to let anger rush to his head, and without asking the reason, strike first."

Zhao Lie repeatedly advised Li Chengfeng. After he finished, hidden worry showed on his face again. "Besides, there is another concern in this matter. Sun Qing, the Great Strength Blade and gang leader of the Shuiyang Prefecture Qinghe Gang, is the leader of a large gang that controls the prefecture's water transport, and he is an expert at the half-step Xiantian realm!"

"This time Zheng Pandao went to the Qinghe Gang to discuss a big business deal. When he comes back, it's possible he may bring back a branch-hall master. This hall master's strength definitely won't be weak. If, for the sake of cooperation, he hears of this matter and wants to deal with some trouble for Zheng Pandao one step ahead, sending subordinates to deal with you to draw their relationship closer and show sincerity, I fear it will be even more troublesome."

"After all, Zheng Pandao controls large stretches of water around Green Mountain City, places that can raise treasure fish. He has a natural foundation for cooperation with this Qinghe Gang. If he really does negotiate a partnership, then when they return, the Qinghe Gang's people will definitely take this to heart."

As Zhao Lie spoke, he said to Li Chengfeng with a sincere expression, "So Brother Chengfeng may as well avoid them for a while. My villa is far from Green Mountain City. If you hide inside it and make it so they can't find you, after some time, this matter will have passed."

The Qinghe Gang leader, half-step Xiantian expert Sun Qing; Zheng Pandao...

Hearing Zhao Lie speak one thing after another, Li Chengfeng's expression tightened, and anger faintly showed on his face. "That old dog actually dares bully me like this. Damn him!"

He gritted his teeth. Thinking of the attitude of that group who had rushed over this morning, when he linked the two together, he could guess that what Zhao Lie said was eighty percent true. At once, he could not help speaking angrily.

After he finished, he quickly calmed down again. Considering the various things Zhao Lie had said, he could not help furrowing his brows and tentatively asked Zhao Lie, "May I ask Brother Zhao, if Zheng Pandao returns, what chance is there that he, and the Qinghe Gang branch-hall master he may bring back, will personally make a move against me?"

"A Qinghe Gang branch-hall master is at the very least at the Meridian Opening realm. Against someone like you, who has only just stepped into the martial artist level, the chance he personally takes action is very small. Most likely, he would send subordinates."

Zhao Lie shook his head, furrowing his brows, and could not help advising Li Chengfeng by implication, "But among their subordinates, there is no lack of martial artists at the Body Tempering realm. They are not foes Brother Chengfeng can contend with right now."

"Oh? Body Tempering realm?" Li Chengfeng raised his brows and pondered for a moment before he could not resist asking Zhao Lie, "May I ask Brother Zhao, what is the Body Tempering realm?"

"Haha, so Brother Chengfeng truly has no master's inheritance. You actually don't even know what the Body Tempering realm is."

When Zhao Lie heard this, he laughed aloud, then said, "The so-called Body Tempering realm is when, after you have accumulated your qi and blood to a sufficiently vigorous level, you mobilize that qi and blood and temper your entire physique with a unique method. By relying on the power of qi and blood to temper the whole body until, with brute strength alone and without needing to mobilize qi-and-blood force, you can drag an ox backward, you have reached the Body Tempering realm."

"This realm, besides requiring relatively abundant qi and blood, more importantly requires a sufficiently profound cultivation method. Otherwise, even if you have qi and blood, without a method, it is still difficult to cultivate."

"After Body Tempering is complete, a cultivator's strength will surge sharply. With pure physical brute force paired with the power of qi and blood, every move and stance contains tremendous might. It is absolutely not something a Qi and Blood realm martial artist can withstand."

Zhao Lie smiled and said to Li Chengfeng, "If Brother Chengfeng has no method to break through to Body Tempering, I could teach Brother Chengfeng some cultivation-method tricks. All it requires is for Brother Chengfeng to join my Black River Gang and become the second gang leader!"

"So that is how it is. Many thanks, Brother Zhao, for clearing up my confusion. However, with Chengfeng's current inconvenient situation, it would still be inappropriate to drag Brother Zhao into the water."

When Li Chengfeng heard this, he raised his brows and involuntarily cupped his fists toward Zhao Lie. In his heart, he immediately had a grasp of this Body Tempering realm. Then a grave look appeared in his eyes. "Many thanks for Brother Zhao's kind intentions, but I have a beloved wife at home, so hiding in the villa would be inconvenient in many ways. I ask Brother Zhao to forgive me."

"However, there is one matter in which I would like to trouble Brother Zhao a little."

As Li Chengfeng spoke, he sincerely cupped his fists toward Zhao Lie. "That old dog Wei is turning right and wrong, black and white upside down like this, but I cannot let him keep spraying shit from his mouth. I want to ask Brother Zhao to likewise spread word on my behalf and state the truth, so that after Master Zheng returns to the estate, he will not need to hear only that man's one-sided words, and can also know the truth of the matter."

"Brother Chengfeng, how can you be so muddleheaded?"

Hearing Li Chengfeng's words, Zhao Lie furrowed his brows and could not help speaking. "Although reason is on your side in this matter, what's frightening is precisely that someone like Zheng Pandao may be stirred to anger for a moment, feel he has lost face, and still order his subordinates to make a move against you. How can a little trouble compare with the safety of your life?"

"Brother Zhao is right. So if Zheng Pandao, Master Zheng, returns to Green Mountain City ahead of time, I hope Brother Zhao can inform me in advance."

Li Chengfeng smiled and cupped his fists toward Zhao Lie. As he spoke, his expression stirred, and he could not resist asking again, "I wonder, to what level must qi and blood reach before one can temper the body?"

"Could it be Brother Chengfeng wants to break through again within two months and reach the Body Tempering realm?"

When Zhao Lie heard this, he was slightly startled and looked at him in astonishment. But seeing his sincere expression, he could not help saying, "It only requires accumulating enough qi and blood to fill one arm."

Enough to fill one arm?

"Many thanks, Brother Zhao, for clearing up my confusion." Li Chengfeng's eyes shone, and he involuntarily cupped his fists toward Zhao Lie, his expression shifting slightly. "As for breaking through, Chengfeng wants to give it a try!"

"Brother Chengfeng, what fine ambition!"

Zhao Lie was stunned again, but then he thought about it. The person before him had gone from a short-term laborer to a martial artist in a short time, and he could not help hesitating a little again.

"Since that is the case, I will keep an eye out for Brother Chengfeng, and help you spread those words while I'm at it. If Zheng Pandao returns to the estate early, I will first notify you to hide. It won't be too late then to go back to the mountain village and take refuge."

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