Merit Just Arrived

Qi Daqu looked down at Wu Jiu's reluctant, resentful face, the blood continuously flowing from his back reflected in his pupils.

His body couldn't help but tremble.

Wu Jiu, the fifth chieftain of the Flying Cloud Stronghold.

He was an expert among Houtian Warriors, someone who had stepped into Houtian Grand Accomplishment, yet he was killed just like that by Zhao Zhi.

When did this guy Zhao Zhi get this kind of strength?

Qi Daqu raised his head, meeting Zhao Zhi's distinct black-and-white pupils, and his heart inexplicably chilled.

His throat bulged, he swallowed hard, and stammered, "The magistrate... the magistrate told you to capture Wu Jiu, not kill Wu Jiu. Wu Jiu is the fifth chieftain of the Flying Cloud Stronghold after all, and killing him will inevitably provoke the fury of the Flying Cloud Stronghold, bringing great trouble to Qingfeng County."

Zhao Zhi slowly pulled the constable's waist saber out of Wu Jiu's body, drops of fresh blood dripping from the tip of the blade, his voice indifferent: "Provoke the Flying Cloud Stronghold? Qingfeng County was already at irreconcilable odds with the Flying Cloud Stronghold anyway, what is there to fear about provoking the Flying Cloud Stronghold?"

His eyes narrowed slightly: "Could it be that you are colluding with the Flying Cloud Stronghold?"

Qi Daqu immediately said loudly, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could I possibly collude with the Flying Cloud Stronghold?"

"That's good."

Zhao Zhi's wrist shook, scattering all the blood on the saber to return it to a bright, sharp state, and he casually sheathed it, stepping past Qi Daqu to walk forward.

"I'm leaving, you can deal with Wu Jiu's corpse."

"You?!"

Qi Daqu opened his mouth, but didn't continue.

He watched Zhao Zhi leave, then looked back at Wu Jiu's corpse, a trace of gloom rising from the depths of his eyes.

There was big trouble now.

Not only had they failed to eliminate Zhao Zhi, but they had also lost the life of the fifth chieftain of the Flying Cloud Stronghold.

He would report this matter to the magistrate first and let the magistrate make the decision.

The yamen's backyard.

The potbellied magistrate Lu Guangyi stared at Wu Jiu's corpse in the courtyard, his gaze gloomy and his facial flesh trembling.

He clenched his fists, struck the stone table heavily, and roared in anger: "What is going on? Why is the one who died Wu Jiu?"

Qi Daqu hurriedly replied, "My lord, I don't know either. When I got there, Wu Jiu had already been killed by Zhao Zhi."

"Zhao Zhi?" Lu Guangyi was startled upon hearing this, raised his chin, and looked at Qi Daqu, "He was able to kill Wu Jiu?"

Lu Guangyi only knew that Zhao Zhi was a lowly constable and had no idea what Zhao Zhi's strength was like.

But he knew Wu Jiu.

That was the fifth chieftain of the Flying Cloud Stronghold.

The reason the Flying Cloud Stronghold could run amok and act tyrannically near Qingfeng County for several years lay in the formidable strength of its six chieftains. The first chieftain in particular was an expert who had stepped into the realm of the Xiantian Warrior.

Such strength was rare even in the vicinity of Qingfeng County.

Of course.

The reason the Flying Cloud Stronghold could remain safe and sound for so many years was not just because of the existence of the six warrior chieftains, but also because the successive magistrates of Qingfeng County had been on good terms with them.

As one of the chieftains, Wu Jiu's strength was not something an ordinary constable could kill.

Qi Daqu explained, "I cannot be certain. When I got there, I just saw Wu Jiu fleeing, and Zhao Zhi threw a saber and killed Wu Jiu. On the way back, I inspected Wu Jiu's corpse and discovered that the hand joints of one of his hands had been shattered by formidable force—at least Postnatal Perfection could accomplish that."

"Postnatal Perfection?"

Lu Guangyi's face sank. Postnatal Perfection was something only two people among the many constables in the county yamen could achieve.

How could mere Zhao Zhi possibly do it?

"My lord." Qi Daqu observed Lu Guangyi's expression, "What should we do now?"

Lu Guangyi extended his fat, stubby fingers, tapped gently on the stone table, and his mung-bean-sized pupils flashed slightly with light: "Zhao Zhi killed my brother-in-law, he deserves to die."

The looks and figure of that ninth concubine were simply incomparable to those of the other women.

Especially her skills in bed, which left Lu Guangyi lingering with fond memories, wishing he could stuff his entire self inside.

Therefore, Lu Guangyi had been so indulgent toward Li Qingchang.

With Li Qingchang dead, the ninth concubine's skills felt inferior, and her tricks were no longer as varied as before.

Furthermore.

Zhao Zhi had killed Li Qingchang, which was slapping Lu Guangyi right across the face.

Lu Guangyi stopped his fingers and turned his gaze to Qi Daqu: "Ge Zhou is coming to the city tonight, right?"

"Yes."

Qi Daqu nodded.

Ge Zhou, the fourth chieftain of the Flying Cloud Stronghold, was an extremely lustful man. He kept a few women in the city and would come to town every few days.

"Then tell Ge Zhou to go and kill Zhao Zhi." Lu Guangyi gave the order, paused for a moment, and muttered to himself, "Once Zhao Zhi is dead, we can collect money from the commoners under the guise of a constable being killed to suppress the bandits, achieving two things at once."

"Yes, this subordinate will go arrange it right away."

Qi Daqu nodded.

Inside the room.

Zhao Zhi looked at the Innate Unity Qi Technique in his hand, his brows tightly furrowed and his face showing a troubled expression.

He could be certain this was a martial art at the Xiantian Warrior level, and it was the optimal choice for his current tier. With the existence of the Innate Unity Qi Technique, one could step into the world of Xiantian Warriors and become an expert.

Yet.

The obscure parts of it were difficult to understand; to cultivate it by force would only damage one's martial foundation.

No wonder martial artists had a separate heaven for every realm, with low-level martial artists as numerous as the hairs on an ox and high-level martial artists as scarce as morning stars.

It seemed he could only rely on his heaven-shaking talent.

Zhao Zhi raised his head slightly, his thoughts stirred, and a panel appeared before him.

[Martial Arts: Seizing Hand (Completion), Grand Ancestor Saber Art (Completion), Innate Unity Qi Technique (Uninitiated)]

[Merit: 61]

Sixty-one points of merit could be considered acceptable after all.

Zhao Zhi ruthlessly poured the merit into the Innate Unity Qi Technique.

[Consumed 50 Merit, Innate Unity Qi Technique initiated.]

Instantly.

A massive amount of cultivation memories regarding the Innate Unity Qi Technique surged into Zhao Zhi's mind—practicing tirelessly through sun and moon, enduring the cold of winter and the heat of summer, cultivating bitterly until he finally brought this Xiantian martial art to the initiated level.

The moment he stepped into the initiated realm, a profound and wondrous force surged from the depths of his body, nourishing his internal organs and scattering into his four limbs and bones.

It gradually solidified and condensed, transforming into wisps of peculiar and perceptible power.

Inner Qi.

In martial cultivation, the acquired stage trains strength, while the Xiantian stage trains qi. When strength reaches a certain degree, one can wash the marrow and cleanse the tendons, transforming physical strength into qi.

However, the qi in the realm of the Xiantian Warrior was merely inner qi, limited in quantity, limited in quality, and limited in power.

True qi of martial artists in higher martial realms possessed higher quality, boundless quantity, and the explosive power it unleashed was far beyond what ordinary strength could compare to.

The Innate Unity Qi Technique was merely a Xiantian martial art and could not cultivate true qi.

However, in Zhao Zhi's perception, the inner qi cultivated by the Innate Unity Qi Technique was by no means comparable to the inner qi of ordinary martial arts.

The Innate Unity Qi Technique was not simple.

He wondered how Wu Jiu, the fifth chieftain of the Flying Cloud Stronghold, had obtained this Xiantian martial art, or if there were even better treasures like this within the Flying Cloud Stronghold.

Zhao Zhi looked at the panel once more.

[Merit: 11]

Xiantian martial arts consumed too much merit; he could only bring the Innate Unity Qi Technique to the initiated level and could not continue upgrading it.

He still needed to find ways and means to acquire merit.

Suddenly.

Zhao Zhi raised his eyes to look out, the corners of his lips curving into a faint arc.

Merit just arrived.