Wind-Thunder Saber, Golden Bell Shield = Scrubbing My Own Back?

"Golden Saber Sect?"

Hearing this, Lin Changsheng sneered and struck out with his palm. A series of cracks rang out as the Iron Sand Palm smashed Zhao Qinhu's skull to pieces!

"Run!"

"..."

Seeing their gang leader slain, the more than fifty Black Tiger Gang disciples were filled with terror and fled for their lives!

Long sabers lay scattered all over the ground.

"Where do you think you're going!"

Lin Changsheng bellowed, smashing a huge stone lock beneath his feet. He grabbed a handful of gravel and flicked his hand!

Nine Stars Linked!

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Amid a burst of miserable screams, stones lodged in the throats of all fifty-plus Black Tiger Gang disciples, and they fell dead to the ground!

Lin Changsheng walked toward Liu Zhuang. He needed to find Zhao Qinhu's silver, so he would keep one man alive and save himself the trouble of searching.

At that moment, the burly Liu Zhuang watched the seemingly harmless Lin Changsheng kill more than fifty gang members in the blink of an eye. Terror filled his eyes as he staggered backward again and again, soaking his pants!

"Where is Zhao Qinhu's silver?"

Lin Changsheng went to shut the manor gates, then turned to Liu Zhuang and asked in a deep voice.

"Ah... Brother Lin, no, Master Lin! The gang leader's valuables are all in his bedroom! I'll take you there right away! Please spare this worthless dog's life..."

As Liu Zhuang led the way, even the look in his eyes had changed.

"Lead on!"

Lin Changsheng shouted coldly.

Before long.

Under Liu Zhuang's guidance, Lin Changsheng found Zhao Qinhu's bedroom. Behind it was a hidden chamber, its door locked tight.

"Brother Lin, the key is... is on the gang leader! I... I'll go get it right away..."

Liu Zhuang said shakily.

Bang!

Lin Changsheng could not be bothered to fetch it. With a chopping strike of his Perfect Stage Iron Sand Palm, he gouged a huge hole through the lock and the wall, and the door swung open.

Inside stood a cabinet containing more than three hundred taels of loose silver, ten banknotes worth two thousand taels, and a booklet bearing four large regular-script characters.

[Wind-Thunder Saber Technique]

"Hmm? A saber technique manual?"

Lin Changsheng's eyes lit up when he saw the booklet. To be honest, he had loved sabers ever since he was young!

He had not expected to obtain a saber technique from Zhao Qinhu!

"You can go."

Lin Changsheng tucked the banknotes and saber technique manual into his clothes, packed up the more than three hundred taels of loose silver, and spoke to Liu Zhuang.

"Thank you, Brother Lin, for sparing my life! Thank you!"

Liu Zhuang kowtowed to Lin Changsheng, then turned and left.

Whoosh!

Lin Changsheng raised his palm and swept it out. A half-zhang blade of sharp force blasted Liu Zhuang flying into the wall!

"Ah... you..."

Liu Zhuang looked at Lin Changsheng, opened his mouth, then tilted his head and breathed his last.

After killing Liu Zhuang, Lin Changsheng searched his corpse again and obtained more than thirty taels of silver. Then he set a fire, picked up his bundle, and left the manor. Towering flames swallowed the Black Tiger Gang's estate whole.

Late at night.

Lin Changsheng returned home.

He hid most of the silver in the bamboo grove outside, keeping only the banknotes with him.

"Changsheng, why did you come back so late today?"

To Lin Changsheng's surprise, Yu Wenjing was still awake. She came out from another room, clearly worried about him.

"Oh, I refined some Qi-Replenishing Pills today. Alchemist Li asked me to go to his house and keep him company for a chat, so I got back a little late."

Lin Changsheng brushed it off.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go heat something up for you."

Yu Wenjing added.

"Alright."

Lin Changsheng nodded. That afternoon, he had only bought a flatbread. After wiping out the Black Tiger Gang, he had immediately gone to Chen Ling's manor and collected one thousand taels in banknotes, then visited the Golden Bell Martial School and the Flowing Cloud Martial School.

Yet he had not expected that, because the masters of the Two Martial Academies had disappeared, all their disciples were out searching everywhere. Lin Changsheng only found a Golden Bell Shield manual in the Golden Bell Martial School master's bedroom in the inner courtyard.

Yu Wenjing went to the kitchen. Before long, waves of fragrance drifted out, and soon after, she brought the food out.

A small plate of stir-fried pork, a vegetable dish, and twice-cooked pork.

Ever since entering Hundred Herbs Hall, Lin Changsheng's life had improved greatly. He had discovered that as long as he ate well, his cultivation experience would increase a little faster.

Though the difference was not obvious, eating better could never be wrong.

Over time, it would add up to quite a lot.

As Lin Changsheng ate, Yu Wenjing sat beside him and watched. He immediately said, "It's late. You should get some rest first!"

"I'm not sleepy."

Thinking of the divine eagle she had seen during the day, Yu Wenjing sighed inwardly. These peaceful days are about to end.

After Lin Changsheng finished eating, he chatted with Yu Wenjing for a while before they each returned to their rooms.

"Wind-Thunder Saber Technique, Golden Bell Shield!"

"Not bad!"

"I wonder whether, once the Golden Bell Shield reaches the Perfect Stage, my Yin Energy Invasion will disappear?"

Sitting on his bed, Lin Changsheng looked at the two manuals in his hands and pondered inwardly.

The three thousand taels in banknotes and some loose silver he had gained today were placed beside him.

Lin Changsheng opened the Golden Bell Shield manual.

"This Golden Bell Shield only has the first five levels?"

Lin Changsheng's gaze flickered as he looked at the Golden Bell Shield manual in his hands.

The Golden Bell Shield manual explained.

[Golden Bell Shield] is a cultivation technique that cultivates both internal and external aspects. It is divided into twelve levels, each more difficult to practice than the last.

After reaching the Perfect Stage of the twelfth level, one would not only become [invulnerable to swords and spears], but also fear neither [water, fire, nor poison]. One could even [go without sleep or rest], with one's inner power [flowing without end], truly miraculous beyond measure.

Even before reaching the Perfect Stage, the Golden Bell Shield possessed the ability to rebound attacks. The higher the level, the stronger the same level of protective power, and the stronger the rebounding force against an enemy's attacks.

However, this was a damaged copy from the Golden Bell Martial School, containing only the first five levels.

First level: Practice breathing and circulating qi, allowing all the meridians throughout the body to flow freely and cultivating the circulation of true qi within. When struck, pain could be reduced by half.

Second level: Inner force and protective qi gradually took shape, while the true qi within the body grew increasingly profound, protecting the internal organs from injury.

Third level: Use whips, staffs, and other weapons to strike the practitioner. The harder the blows, the faster the training progressed, causing the muscles to develop powerful resistance and feel no pain at all.

Fourth level: First use blunt-edged swords and sabers to chop and slash, then gradually move on to sharper blades. Only when sharp weapons could cut the skin without damaging the muscles could one be considered successful.

Fifth level: Focus on cultivating the rebounding force of inner strength. The greater the force behind incoming staffs and clubs, the stronger the practitioner's rebounding force, even to the point of forcefully shattering the opponent's weapon.

"Looks like Liao Jinzhong hadn't even perfected the fifth level."

After reading the Golden Bell Shield, Lin Changsheng thought to himself.

[Detected cultivation technique: Golden Bell Shield. Damaged copy. Consume 10 taels of silver to simplify?]

Following the diagrams in the Golden Bell Shield manual, Lin Changsheng studied it carefully. Before long, a red prompt appeared on the panel before him.

"Simplify!"

Lin Changsheng immediately confirmed it in his mind.

He had enough silver for simplification now.

Not long after Lin Changsheng selected the "Yes" button, another red prompt appeared on the panel.

"Hmm?"

"The Golden Bell Shield has been simplified into scrubbing?"

"Then if I don't bathe, can I just scrub myself?"

Lin Changsheng immediately looked toward the panel.

[Golden Bell Shield. Damaged copy (First Level 0/100)]