Born Set in Stone

Niu Mancang had never learned qinggong, so he simply could not shake off Ouyang Rujing. And Ouyang Rujing? She could not cut down Niu Mancang either. Stubborn by nature, she followed him all the way toward Boundless City.

Along the way, the two fought, then stopped, then fought again.

When they were tired of fighting, they rested for a day before fighting again.

That day, they passed through a small mountain village. Billowing smoke rose from within it, accompanied by faint cries and screams.

Niu Mancang was kindhearted. Thinking of what had happened to him in the past, he strode toward the nameless mountain village.

More than twenty soldiers were burning, killing, looting, and pillaging in the village. Every man in the village had been slaughtered, while the women had become tools for their amusement.

Niu Mancang turned and glanced at Ouyang Rujing behind him. "What happened to the Great Chu laws you keep talking about? These are Great Chu soldiers, aren't they? Look at what they're doing. Hmph!"

That single snort filled Ouyang Rujing's face with shame.

"Stop!"

Ouyang Rujing shouted.

The soldiers stopped their beastly acts and turned toward Ouyang Rujing. When they saw the black flying-eagle uniform she wore, their hearts skipped a beat.

A black-clad constable of the Punitive Justice Bureau.

The Punitive Justice Bureau was responsible for supervising officials, enforcing military discipline, and apprehending fugitive martial artists.

A company commander pulled up his trousers and hurried over.

"My lord!"

"Where are you soldiers from? Whose subordinates are you?" Ouyang Rujing asked with a dark expression.

"Reporting to you, my lord, we are soldiers from Commander Jiang's Hemp County garrison."

"What crimes did they commit?" Ouyang Rujing continued asking.

"These mountain folk rebelled and killed the village chief. We are acting under orders to suppress the rebellion." The company commander's answer was watertight.

Ouyang Rujing's expression darkened. Her hand gripping the saber hilt tightened, loosened, then tightened again.

She was not stupid. Naturally, she knew there had to be something fishy going on, but she had no evidence.

"Hahaha..."

At that moment, Niu Mancang burst into laughter beside her.

"Rebellion? Suppressing a rebellion? With trash like you? If they really were rebels, you'd have been dead long ago." Niu Mancang roared, "This female constable may be an idiot, but I'm not. Go die!"

"Whoosh..."

Splurt!

Niu Mancang slapped the company commander's head apart.

Then Niu Mancang charged toward the remaining soldiers in great strides. "Massacring civilians, violating women—you all deserve to die."

Splurt, splurt...

"Run!"

"Help!"

"We're soldiers! You can't kill us!"

"Ah..."

The cries quickly vanished. Niu Mancang killed them all.

Ouyang Rujing stood to one side and did not stop him. She was not stupid, and she knew perfectly well what sort of people these soldiers were.

After killing those beasts, Niu Mancang glanced at Ouyang Rujing and said, "Stop following me. Your so-called Great Chu laws are nothing but fart. They do not stand up for the poor."

Niu Mancang left.

Ouyang Rujing continued following him, but this time, she never attacked him again or mentioned taking him back.

"Hey, why are you still following me?" Niu Mancang was irritated beyond measure.

Ouyang Rujing said nothing and did not leave.

After coming out this time, she had suffered an enormous shock. Her worldview and faith had both collapsed.

She did not know what to do or where to go. All she could do was mechanically follow Niu Mancang.

Boundless City!

The Black Tiger Gang and the Ghost Alliance now split the demonic beast meat, medicinal herbs, and herb gatherers equally.

Zhang Yu had only one request for Wen Hua.

"Wen Hua, from now on, you only need to do one thing: ensure that thirty thousand herb gatherers have food to eat. Make sure they have enough to eat and can eat their fill." Zhang Yu stared at Wen Hua with a solemn expression.

"Yes, Master!"

"And the term 'herb slave' can no longer be used. No one is allowed to call these herb gatherers that."

"Yes!" Wen Hua nodded, then said timidly, "Master, if we do that, our income will decrease drastically."

"It does not matter. Do as I say."

"Yes!"

Of Boundless City's profits, the Ye, Cui, and Sima lineages took eighty percent. Zhang Yu did not want to squeeze money out of the herb gatherers' mouths, because they were already miserable enough.

Sooner or later, he would recover the profits the three great lineages had taken.

That day was not too far away.

System Panel.

[Name: Zhang Yu]

[Martial Arts: Clearwind Stance Art (Mastery 362/10000), Clearwind Palm (Great Accomplishment 320/1000)]

[Master-Disciple Points: 560]

Three days ago, Li Yue had cultivated the Clearwind Stance Art to the Minor Accomplishment realm and become a Bright Force martial artist. Her research and understanding of the Clear Wind Stance had deepened by the day, and her cultivation speed had grown ever faster. She was now providing Zhang Yu with twenty proficiency points every day.

As time passed, the Forged Through a Thousand Trials fate had become increasingly terrifying in its effects.

Zhang Yu had a feeling that although Li Yue's cultivation aptitude was mediocre, with the Forged Through a Thousand Trials fate, she could absolutely cultivate a martial art to produce Martial Dao True Intent—perhaps even reach an even more terrifying realm.

It was simply that Li Yue's growth period was too long.

Boundless City's slums had been split into two. Thirty thousand herb-gatherer households belonged to the Black Tiger Gang, while another thirty thousand belonged to the Ghost Alliance.

That day, Wen Hua had someone post a medicinal herb price list, while more than a dozen people beat gongs through the slums to make the announcement.

Clang, clang, clang...

"Attention, herb gatherers! Our Gang Leader Zhang Yu is benevolent and understands your hardships. Starting today, the purchase price of all medicinal herbs will double."

Clang, clang, clang...

Crimsonflame Grass: twenty copper coins for one year, one hundred copper coins for three years, two hundred copper coins for five years, and one tael of silver for ten years.

Greenwind Vine...

After the herb gatherers in the slums saw the Black Tiger Gang's price list, they erupted into an uproar. The prices were directly double what they had received before.

"Is this real?"

"It should be real. The Black Tiger Gang posted it themselves, so it can't be fake."

"That's wonderful! Our family was assigned to the Black Tiger Gang. If the prices really are like this, we'll be able to eat our fill from now on."

"Our family is under the Black Tiger Gang's jurisdiction too."

"Ours too."

The herb gatherers assigned to the Black Tiger Gang were moved to tears and spread the news everywhere, while those assigned to the Ghost Alliance were dumbfounded.

"What do we do?"

"Heavens, why weren't we assigned to the Black Tiger Gang?"

"It's unfair, utterly unfair! We want to be assigned to the Black Tiger Gang too."

The world was strange like that. When everyone was starving alike, they only blamed their own bad fate. But when they saw people just like themselves suddenly able to eat their fill, envy, jealousy, and hatred began to arise. They became dissatisfied with the Ghost Alliance and secretly began making all kinds of small moves.

Some gathered herbs and secretly kept a portion to sell to Black Tiger Gang herb gatherers they knew. Although they could not get double the price, it was still higher than selling to the Ghost Alliance.

As a result, although the Ghost Alliance had half the herb gatherers, the herbs they gathered each day were far fewer than the Black Tiger Gang's.

As for the herb gatherers assigned to the Black Tiger Gang, if there had only been themselves, perhaps they would not have felt grateful. But with a comparison came a gap. Thus, they were deeply grateful to Zhang Yu. Many even set up longevity tablets for him at home and offered incense day and night.

Zhang Yu did not actually care much about these matters. His main focus was now on teaching Li Yue and Wen Hua how to cultivate.

During this period, Wen Hua had wasted all his energy on the Black Tiger Gang and neglected his cultivation. Li Yue had caught up to his dual outstanding aptitude and comprehension.

That day, Zhang Yu called Wen Hua to the back courtyard. "Hand the Black Tiger Gang's affairs over to Yan Dao for now. Set aside at least five hours every day for cultivation and break through to Dark Force as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Master!" Wen Hua replied with a bow.

Resources began to be concentrated on Wen Hua and Li Yue.

The two of them received one Blood-Nourishing Pill each day, with no limit on Body-Tempering Paste. Zhang Yu personally taught them the Clearwind Stance Art for half an hour every day. He also used Shattering Intent to break apart the medicinal effects of the Blood-Nourishing Pill and Body-Tempering Paste, allowing them to seep into their flesh, blood, tendons, and bones.

With his dual outstanding aptitude and comprehension, abundant resources, and Zhang Yu's Martial Dao True Intent helping him, Wen Hua's cultivation speed soon surpassed Li Yue's.

He could provide Zhang Yu with thirty proficiency points every day, and the number was still steadily increasing.

The proficiency points Li Yue provided Zhang Yu were also increasing, rising from twenty to twenty-three a day as she advanced steadily.

Zhang Yu used Martial Dao True Intent every day to temper their bodies. This was an exceedingly extravagant cultivation method.

Ordinary martial lineages and disciples of regular sects did not receive such treatment. Even peerless prodigies from ancient millennia-old lineages and sects could not enjoy it.

That was because those capable of cultivating Martial Dao True Intent were geniuses found only one in ten thousand. Even if such people took disciples, they could not possibly spend time every day using Martial Dao True Intent to help their disciples cultivate.

That day, Zhang Yu was in the back courtyard, using Shattering Intent to help Wen Hua refine the medicinal power of a Blood-Nourishing Pill.

Wen Hua felt his tendons and bones tear apart inch by inch. A great amount of the Blood-Nourishing Pill's medicinal power seeped in to repair them, then they tore again, then repaired again. Within this cycle, his flesh, skin, tendons, and bones visibly grew stronger.

Bright Force was, in truth, the power of flesh and skin. What it broke through was the flesh-and-skin barrier.

Dark Force was the power of tendons and bones. What it broke through was the tendon-and-bone barrier.

Force Transformation was the power of the internal organs. What it broke through was the internal-organ barrier.

To put it plainly, the lower three realms were about tempering one's body and five viscera.

"Master, I'm back!" Niu Mancang's delighted voice came from the front courtyard.

He truly was delighted. He had finally returned to Boundless City, and he missed his master, senior sister, junior brother, and the others terribly.

Thud, thud...

Niu Mancang ran into the back courtyard at high speed.

Zhang Yu was using Martial Dao True Intent to help Wen Hua cultivate. He glanced at Niu Mancang and signaled with his eyes for him to wait.

But in that brief glance, he saw a beautiful woman in palace robes following Niu Mancang into the back courtyard, staring at him with curiosity.

Ouyang Rujing had grown up in the Great Chu capital. After following Niu Mancang and witnessing the lives and suffering of common people at the bottom, her entire outlook on life had shattered. Thus, in a daze, she had followed him to Boundless City.

Along the way, Ouyang Rujing had heard Niu Mancang mention his master Zhang Yu hundreds of times. She had imagined Zhang Yu as a kind, elderly man, but never in her wildest dreams had she expected him to be a youth.

"This..." Ouyang Rujing froze.

Then she saw the Martial Dao True Intent emanating from Zhang Yu's body, and she was even more shocked.

"Is that Martial Dao True Intent?"

"My heavens!"

"What is he doing? Using Martial Dao True Intent to assist cultivation."

"Ah! Am I dreaming?"

Ouyang Rujing stood dumbstruck.

She had once seen someone use Martial Dao True Intent to assist cultivation, but that person had been the current dynasty's Sixth Prince—and he had paid the price of one hundred spirit crystals before the other party agreed to help him.

After a while, Zhang Yu withdrew his Martial Dao True Intent and told Wen Hua to continue cultivating on his own to the side. Then he looked toward Niu Mancang and glanced at Ouyang Rujing.

"Man Cang, this lady is..." Zhang Yu wore a gossiping expression.

"Master, her name is Ouyang Rujing. She is a black-clad constable of the Great Chu Empire's Punitive Justice Bureau," Niu Mancang introduced.

"Oh! You two..."

"Master, I found Hu the Landlord..." Niu Mancang told Zhang Yu in detail about taking his revenge. Finally, he said, "When I killed the county magistrate, she saw it and wanted to arrest me. But she could not do anything to me, so in the end she followed me back."

"Master, I tried to drive her away, but I couldn't. Her movement technique is very powerful, and I can't shake her off," Niu Mancang explained.

"A Punitive Justice Bureau constable from Great Chu." Zhang Yu murmured the words as he looked toward Ouyang Rujing.

"May I ask whether you were using Martial Dao True Intent to assist his cultivation just now?" Ouyang Rujing stared at Zhang Yu as she asked.

"Yes." Zhang Yu nodded.

"Are you some old monster? No, I mean, are you really this young?" Ouyang Rujing was somewhat incoherent. Seeing Martial Dao True Intent on a youth was simply too world-shattering.

Zhang Yu did not want to answer that question. He said blandly, "Constable Ouyang, this is Boundless City. It does not belong to the Great Chu Empire. Even as a constable, you have no right to barge in here as you please."

An old monster?

You're the old monster.

"I'm sorry, I..." Ouyang Rujing froze.

"Master, I'll drive her away right now," Niu Mancang immediately said.

Zhang Yu said nothing. He used the Eye of Truth-Piercing to inspect Ouyang Rujing's information.

[Name: Ouyang Rujing]

[Age: 21]

[Realm: Force Transformation]

[Martial Arts: First-rate martial art, Thirteen Suppression Forms]

[Cultivation Aptitude: Outstanding]

[Comprehension: Outstanding]

[Fate: Impartial as Iron]

Tsk, tsk. Like Wen Hua, she had dual outstanding aptitude and comprehension, and she even possessed a fate. No wonder she had cultivated to Force Transformation at only twenty-one.

Impartial as Iron—this fate was truly excellent. She was a natural candidate for the Enforcement Hall. Being a constable was a waste of her talent.

Zhang Yu became somewhat interested in Ouyang Rujing.

For now, the Impartial as Iron fate seemed useless to him, but his ambition was not limited to a small Black Tiger Gang. He wanted to establish a great sect and spread martial arts throughout the world.

Once his sphere grew larger and there were more people, all kinds of troublesome matters would certainly arise. Even if his disciples were loyal to him, they would each have their own people and personal ties. At that point, he would need someone impartial as iron to serve as an Enforcement Hall elder.

Only then could the sect develop healthily.

A talent!

Moreover, Zhang Yu had set his sights on the other party's first-rate cultivation art, the Thirteen Suppression Forms.

His Force Transformation had already reached its peak. He now faced the task of opening his dantian, nurturing true qi, and entering the True Qi Realm of the Middle Three Realms.

Only after entering the True Qi Realm would he dare to tear all pretense apart with the three great families controlling Boundless City.

Otherwise, he could only bow to the ground and make himself small.

The method of opening one's dantian was not something that could be comprehended by pushing the second-rate cultivation art, the Clear Wind Stance, beyond its limits.

Breaking past the limit could only allow one to comprehend the Martial Dao True Intent of the Clearwind Art.

First-rate cultivation arts contained methods for opening the dantian. During this time, Zhang Yu had been using the Chu Family to inquire everywhere about first-rate cultivation arts.

Unfortunately, the three great empires and powerful clans of the Western Desolate Continent had thoroughly severed the path of advancement for ordinary people.

First-rate cultivation arts simply did not circulate among the common folk.

In other words, ordinary people could forget about breaking through to the True Qi Realm for their entire lives.

As long as you were an ordinary person, even if you were a genius, you could only cultivate to the peak of Force Transformation. The road ahead was gone; it had been decided from the very moment of your birth.