Itching for a Fight

After patting Dong Linger on the head and telling her to go play by herself, Lu Shaolin casually chatted with Feng Tie and the others.

An hour later, the sound of hoofbeats approached. Li Cai had returned.

Li Cai entered the hall carrying two jars of wine in his right hand and several oil-paper parcels in his left. He set everything on the table.

"Boss, besides the candied hawthorns, I bought some osmanthus cakes, malt candy, and other things. Here's the remaining silver."

Li Cai took out the silver as he spoke.

"You've worked hard. Just put it on the table."

Lu Shaolin smiled.

"Yes!"

Li Cai placed the silver on the table and sat back down in his previous chair.

Dong Linger was peeking in from outside the door again.

Lu Shaolin shook his head with a smile. "Take the candied hawthorns and pastries."

"Okay! Young Master, I'll bring some for Sister to try."

Dong Linger spoke as she ran.

Reaching the table, she gathered the candied hawthorns and the oil-paper parcels of pastries into her arms, then turned and ran toward the kitchen.

"By the way, do you know Wang Xiaofeng, the Broken Gate Saber?"

Lu Shaolin looked at them.

"Boss, Wang Xiaofeng, the Broken Gate Saber, has been famous for many years. His Five Tigers Broken Gate Saber Technique has reached perfection, and he's in the prime of his life. I've heard he's also highly skilled in lightness arts!"

Feng Tie considered before answering.

"How is his strength?"

Lu Shaolin asked.

"Very strong. He uses a Golden-Silk Great-Ring Saber that weighs thirty-eight jin. He once cleaved a Walking Corpse in two with a single strike!"

"Boss, you must be careful if you fight him. He's somewhat stronger than Ouyang Zheng!"

Feng Tie replied.

"Mm, I understand."

Lu Shaolin nodded, though he did not take it to heart at all. Even he himself did not know how strong he had become. In any case, no one at the Tendon Tempering stage could possibly be his match. Even if there was such a person, they certainly would not be in a small county like Ping County.

After chatting for a while longer, Dong Jia finished preparing lunch.

Li Cai, Feng Tie, and the others hurriedly helped carry the dishes over.

Soon, more than a dozen dishes were laid out on the table, and everyone gathered around it.

"Come, this is your first time eating at my home. I'll drink first as a toast to you all!"

Lu Shaolin raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.

Feng Tie and the others quickly raised their cups and emptied them as well.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Lu Shaolin told them to head back. He had nothing else for them to do.

After discussing it among themselves, they decided that one person should always remain here so Lu Shaolin could send someone to summon them at any time.

Lu Shaolin let them do as they pleased.

Ma San said that he would stay today. The others nodded and left first.

After they left, Lu Shaolin had Ma San move out a recliner to rest in the courtyard, while he returned to his bedroom.

Sitting on the bed, Lu Shaolin summoned the system panel:

Name: Lu Shaolin

Source Points: 4.8

Martial Realm: Perfected Muscle Tempering

Cultivation Methods: Yellow Grade High Rank—Reckless Bull Force (max level), Golden Body Art (max level)

Yellow Grade Mid Rank—Savage Bear Skill (max level)

Martial Skills: Yellow Grade Mid Rank—Mad Demon Staff Technique (mastered), Fire Venom Palm (mastered)

Unranked—Three Absolutes Spear (mastered), Eight Extremes Fist (minor mastery).

Looking at the mere 4.8 Source Points he had left, it was nowhere near enough to raise the Stonewall Art to its maximum level.

There had been no news of any large-scale outbreaks of Black Calamity or Yellow Calamity either. It seemed he would have to set his sights on River Demons.

With that thought, Lu Shaolin lay down and went to sleep, planning to take Ma San out to fish for River Demons after waking up.

After sleeping for an hour, Lu Shaolin woke up and roused Ma San, who was snoring like thunder. The two mounted their horses and raced toward Blackwater River.

They found a new shallow bank by the river. Lu Shaolin sent Ma San into the county town to buy live chickens and food while he waited there.

Ma San truly had no idea what Lu Shaolin intended to do, but he could only obey and ride toward the county town.

Leaning on his spear, Lu Shaolin stared out at the river, watching the boats passing by.

An hour later, Ma San returned carrying meat pies and a large sack.

Inside the sack were seven or eight live chickens.

By then, dusk had fallen. Lu Shaolin had Ma San unwrap the oil paper, and the two sat on the sand and ate.

"Boss, what are we doing here? It's already dark. Aren't we heading back?"

Ma San asked as he gnawed on a meat pie.

"We're not going back. Tonight, we're fishing for River Demons by the river!"

Lu Shaolin said, swallowing half a pie in one bite.

"Cough, cough, cough! Boss? We're fishing for River Demons?"

Ma San was so startled that he nearly choked to death.

"Mm, don't worry. With me here, however many River Demons come, they'll all die!"

Lu Shaolin said indifferently.

"But Boss, there's absolutely no need for us to do this!"

Ma San simply could not understand Lu Shaolin's thinking.

"How should I put it? I cannot coexist with demons, monsters, and the strange. If I don't kill a few wicked creatures every day, my hands itch terribly!"

Lu Shaolin spouted nonsense with a solemn expression.

"This... Boss truly is different from ordinary people."

Ma San was speechless.

By the time they finished eating, the sky had gone completely dark.

Lu Shaolin directed Ma San to kill a chicken and toss it into the river.

The two waited quietly.

They waited for a full hour, but there was no response from the river.

"Boss, could this method not work?"

Ma San could not help asking.

"That makes no sense. This is a new spot!"

Lu Shaolin said, stroking his chin.

"What did you say, Boss?"

Ma San had not heard him clearly.

"Nothing. Throw another chicken in. Maybe the River Demons are sleeping deeply today and didn't smell the blood."

Lu Shaolin waved his hand.

Ma San was speechless.

After another chicken was tossed in and they waited another half hour, there was finally movement.

A River Demon poked its head out of the water.

"It's here, Boss!"

Ma San said nervously.

"Hmm? It finally came!"

Lu Shaolin rose to his feet, gripped his spear, and walked toward the riverbank.

Seeing a living person approach, the River Demon immediately charged at Lu Shaolin.

Lu Shaolin explosively exerted strength through both arms. With a howl, the Black Iron Spear swept out horizontally.

With a sharp crack, the River Demon's head exploded, and its headless corpse collapsed onto the shore.

"That's one done! Ma San, clean up the corpse and keep throwing chickens in!"

Lu Shaolin said with a smile as one Source Point entered his account.

"O-Okay, Boss."

Ma San nodded blankly.

Over the entire night, the two only managed to fish up three River Demons.

"Ahh... mm." Lu Shaolin yawned as he stared at the river. Had he killed every River Demon in the stretches upstream and downstream of the docks? These River Demons were far too easy to run out of!

"Ma San, pack up and let's go. Take the remaining chickens home and stew them into soup."

Lu Shaolin instructed.

"Okay, th-thank you, Boss!"

Ma San was speechless again. Hadn't he been the one who spent silver to buy those chickens?

"Let's go. Go back and get some proper rest."

Lu Shaolin swung onto his horse, dug his heels into its flanks, and sped away in a cloud of dust.

After returning home, Lu Shaolin fell asleep immediately and did not wake until noon.

Over the next four or five days, Lu Shaolin took one subordinate with him every night to fish for River Demons.

His reason was that if he did not kill a few wicked creatures a day, his hands itched terribly!

After several days, he had only killed thirteen River Demons.

Including the Source Points from before, he now had only 17.8 Source Points on the panel.

It was still not enough to raise the Stonewall Art to its maximum level.