Crisis Escalates

The Fox Demon's expression slowly began to change.

"This is my father's scent. I need to go back. We'll speak again later!"

The Cat Demon searched the area, but aside from the broken spear shaft, it found nothing.

"Don't rush. Once you live forever, your father will still die before you. Early or late, it's all the same. Business comes first."

The Fox Demon had no way to refute it.

"You!"

"The stench here is too strong. Let's meet up with the Weasel first. The inspectors clearing out the neighboring county should be gone by now. Have all the Minor Monsters prepare. Drive the Dog Demons to surround the city and test them."

The Fox Demon brought the "stone" beneath its nose again and sniffed it. There was another human scent on it—the same scent that had been present where the Cat Demon's son had just died.

"Come on. Let's go back and support the Weasel first, lest it gets its head chopped off by that Xue fellow. That human can't get away. I've remembered its scent."

Gao Fei stopped after escorting the Tao Hua Village villagers to within thirty li of the city.

This trip outside the city had earned him quite a few Merit Points, but not much remained.

He still did not want to return.

After telling them to carry the Spirit-Absorption Realm Dog Demon corpse into the city and find Gao Linyue, he turned and continued searching the surrounding villages.

While slaying demons, he also looked after the common people, warning them of the danger and urging them to move near the city walls or into the city itself.

Gao Fei visited every village bordering the Dog Demons' territory, following the traces and pursuing them all the way.

When the villagers saw Gao Fei arrive, there was no welcome and no hope. They remained numb from beginning to end.

Many villages had no young people or children, only elderly folk.

The young had either fled or been eaten by demons. Even people picked the tastier things to eat first...

Seeing this, Gao Fei could do nothing. His strength did not allow it. All he could do was clear out the demons in the surrounding area.

He killed more than a dozen Blood-Qi Realm and Skin Tempering Realm Dog Demons, then carried their corpses back.

Only after seeing the demon corpses did the villagers slowly come back to their senses. Expressions finally returned to their faces, and they began packing their belongings.

Faced with this situation, Gao Fei became even less eager to return. He lingered among the border villages, clearing the area around Yueyang County City.

As he made his way around, he even encountered Cat Demons living in the villages.

The Rat Demon and Fox Demon territories were much better, but the villagers there no longer recognized the Great Wu Kingdom's government.

They had begun building temples and worshipping Yellow Great Immortal and the Fox Demon.

Gao Fei did not tear down their altars or demolish their temples. At the very least, their lives could be guaranteed for now, which was far better than in the other two directions.

By the time he returned to the county city, night had fallen.

Merit Points gained: 243

Now that he had reached Organ Tempering Perfection Realm, he had not the slightest clue about Spirit-Absorption Realm cultivation techniques.

A huge mass of raggedly dressed villagers had begun gathering at Yueyang County City's gates. Forget staying at an inn—they might not even have the entry fee.

The streets inside the city were also filled with beggars asking for money, along with groups upon groups of villagers.

On the way home from the city gate, he witnessed two armed brawls.

Gao Fei had no appetite even for food. He dragged Gao Linyue into the courtyard.

"Second Uncle, do you have any better weapons? Mine is completely inadequate now."

Gao Fei's saber was covered in chips and nicks, bent and warped. After fighting that peak Body Tempering Cat Demon, he had practically used it like an iron rod to strike with.

Gao Linyue took the saber and examined it in his hand.

"It was forged with some Black Iron mixed in. It's fine for the Skin Tempering Realm. What realm are you in, to have used it until it looks like this?"

Gao Fei was not in a good mood and did not want to discuss anything else. He only wanted to solve the problem.

"I asked one question. Why are you asking me so many?"

Gao Linyue was not angered. He merely shook his head.

"Yueyang County does not produce Black Iron Ore. Every martial artist requires a different weapon. If we need weapons, we have to go to Qing Province to have them custom-made. There's no way around it. But I have a spear and a saber at the pawnshop. They should suit you well."

Gao Fei froze at once. A martial artist had pawned his weapons—just how poor had he been?

No wonder Second Uncle's saber, when he killed the Fox Demon last time, had been little better than the iron bar in Gao Fei's hand.

"Your weapons are really compatible with me?"

"Rubbish. I taught you your martial arts and cultivation techniques. You learned the same things I did. How could they not suit you?"

Gao Linyue picked up the iron bar in his hand and went into the room. When he returned, he held out a remarkably well-preserved pawn ticket.

"Be more forceful when you go. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't have enough silver."

Gao Fei took it and looked. The redemption price listed on the pawn ticket was fifteen hundred taels. Where could he possibly get that much now?

"Second Uncle, how much did the Spirit-Absorption Realm Dog Demon the Tao Hua Village villagers brought back sell for? Shouldn't you hand it over now?"

Only then did Gao Linyue reluctantly take out four hundred taels' worth of silver notes from his robes.

"You're about to reach the Organ Tempering Realm too, so spend sparingly. Even if Five-Viscera Stabilizing Pills are available for sale, they'll be extremely expensive. Oh, right—how did you punch that Fox Demon to death last time?"

Gao Fei accepted the silver notes. He had thought Gao Linyue was reluctant to part with the money, but it turned out he was thinking of him.

To be honest, Gao Fei was a little moved.

He noticed that Gao Linyue had long since reached the peak of Bright Force when exerting himself.

"I'll throw a punch for you to see."

As he spoke, he found a wooden board nearby and placed it atop the wooden post usually used for practicing fists and kicks.

This time, Gao Fei did not suppress the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Roar in his abdomen and organs. He struck the board with one punch.

The board remained intact, but the wooden post behind it flew more than a zhang away.

The commotion instantly alerted Second Aunt inside the house.

"Gao Linyue, that wooden post is for your son Xiao Yan! If your hands are itching, go to the martial hall yourself..."

Even as she spoke, the sound of rapid footsteps drew close.

"Remember this: Dark Force lies in the tendons. Sink your force inward, let your internal organs move with that force, and when you can use the strength of your heart, you will have mastered it."

As Gao Fei spoke, he was already prepared to run outside.

Second Uncle had been the one who wanted to learn it. Let him take the blame.

The moment he finished speaking, he slipped away at speed.

The instant he stepped out of the courtyard, he heard Second Aunt shout.

"Gao Linyue, what are you trying to do? Tear the house down?! Were the stone slabs paving this courtyard not bought with silver or what..."

Retrieving the weapons from the pawnshop went very smoothly.

With his past petty conduct and his current status, no one wanted to provoke someone like Gao Fei as long as the transaction was legitimate.

When he brought the two weapons back, Second Aunt had already disappeared, and the blasted-away wooden post had been returned to its original place.

Only Gao Linyue remained, pacing back and forth in the courtyard.

When he saw Gao Fei return, he hurriedly snatched the spear from his hands.

He performed a set of the Six Harmonies Spear Technique.

He spoke as he practiced.

"The spear is eight chi long and weighs fifty-eight jin. Its spearhead is forged from Black Iron, while the shaft is Hundred-Forged Steel."

"The spearhead and shaft were forged as one piece, without a single joint. The entire spear is pitch-black, with patterns running from the spearhead to the base to improve one's grip."

"The shaft is hollow and has a certain flexibility. So long as the force is sufficient, the spearhead can pierce armor without issue."

He flicked the spear into a flourish, gently set it aside, and picked up the Tang Saber in Gao Fei's hand.

"This saber was forged from Black Iron mixed with Hundred-Forged Steel. It uses even more Black Iron than the spear."

"The whole saber weighs sixty-nine jin. The hilt and blade were forged as one piece. It is three chi and six cun long in total, with a blade length of two chi and seven cun and a hilt length of nine cun. Its center of gravity is toward the front, and it can be gripped with both hands."

"When these two weapons were forged, they used up all my military merit. Use them well. Don't let them be buried in obscurity."