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 came from outside. Li Cai had returned.
Li Cai entered the main hall carrying two jars of wine in his right hand and several oil-paper packages in his left. He set everything on the table.
"Boss, besides candied hawthorn skewers, I bought some osmanthus cakes, malt candy, and the like. Here's the remaining silver."
Li Cai took out the silver as he spoke.
"Thanks for your hard work. Just put it on the table."
Lu Shaolin said with a smile.
"Yes!"
Li Cai placed the silver on the table and sat back down in his previous chair.
Dong Linger was peeking in from outside again.
Lu Shaolin shook his head and smiled. "Take the candied hawthorn skewers and pastries."
"Okay! Young Master, I'll take them for Sister to try."
Dong Linger called as she ran.
When she reached the table, she gathered the oil-paper packages of candied hawthorn and pastries into her arms, then turned and ran toward the kitchen.
"By the way, do you know Wang Xiaofeng, the Gate-Breaking Saber?"
Lu Shaolin looked at the others.
"Boss, Wang Xiaofeng of the Gate-Breaking Saber has been famous for many years. His Five Tigers Broken Gate Saber Technique is practiced to perfection, and he is in the prime of life. I've heard he is also highly skilled in lightness arts!"
Feng Tie thought for a moment before answering.
"How about his strength?"
Lu Shaolin asked further.
"His strength is formidable. He uses a Golden-Silk Great-Ring Saber weighing thirty-eight jin. He once cleaved a Walking Corpse in two with a single slash!"
"Boss, you must be cautious if you fight him. Compared with Ouyang Zheng, he is somewhat stronger!"
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 was. In any case, no one at the Tendon Tempering level could possibly be his match. And even if there were such a person, they certainly would not be in a small county like Ping County.
After chatting for a while longer, Dong Jia finished making lunch.
Li Cai, Feng Tie, and the others hurriedly helped bring out the dishes.
Before long, more than ten dishes were laid out on the table, and everyone gathered around it.
"Come, it's your first time eating at my home. I'll drink first as a toast!"
Lu Shaolin raised his cup and drained it in one gulp.
Feng Tie and the others hurriedly raised their cups and emptied them in one swallow.
After eating and drinking their fill, Lu Shaolin told them to return. He had nothing else to instruct them to do.
After discussing it, they decided that one person should always remain here, so Lu Shaolin could have someone summon them over at any time.
Lu Shaolin let them have their way.
Ma San said that he would stay here today. The others nodded and left first.
After the others departed, Lu Shaolin had Ma San move out a reclining chair 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 Arts Realm: Perfected Muscle Tempering Cultivation Arts: Yellow Grade High-Tier—Reckless Bull Force (Full Level), Golden Body Art (Full Level) Yellow Grade Mid-Tier—Savage Bear Skill (Full Level) Martial Skills: Yellow Grade Mid-Tier—Mad Demon Staff Technique (Perfected), Fire Venom Palm (Perfected) Unranked—Three Absolutes Spear (Perfected), Eight Extremes Fist (Minor Mastery).
Looking at the mere 4.8 Source Points remaining, it was nowhere near enough to raise the Stonewall Art to full level.
There had also been no news of a large-scale Black Calamity or Yellow Calamity breaking out anywhere. It seemed he would have to set his sights on River Demons instead.
With that thought, Lu Shaolin lay down and went to sleep, planning to take Ma San to fish for River Demons after waking up.
After sleeping for an hour, Lu Shaolin woke up and roused Ma San, who had been snoring like thunder. The two mounted their horses and charged toward the 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. He spurred his horse toward the county town.
Leaning on his spear, Lu Shaolin watched the river's surface and observed the boats passing back and forth.
An hour later, Ma San returned carrying meat pies and a large burlap sack.
The sack held 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? 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'll fish 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 will 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 am irreconcilable with demons, monsters, and evil spirits. If I don't kill a few fiends a day, my hands itch terribly!"
Lu Shaolin spouted nonsense with a straight face.
"This... Boss truly is different from ordinary people."
Ma San was completely speechless.
After they finished eating, the sky had turned completely dark.
Lu Shaolin directed Ma San to slaughter a chicken and toss it into the river.
The two waited quietly.
They waited for a full hour, but there was no reaction from the river.
"Boss, could it be that this method doesn't work?"
Ma San could not help asking.
"There's no reason for that. This is a new spot!"
Lu Shaolin said, stroking his chin.
"What did you say, Boss?"
Ma San had not heard him clearly for a moment.
"Nothing. Throw another chicken in. Maybe the River Demons are sleeping too deeply today and haven't smelled the blood."
Lu Shaolin waved his hand.
Ma San: "..."
After another chicken was thrown in, they waited another half hour. Finally, there was movement.
A River Demon emerged from the water.
"It's here, Boss!"
Ma San said nervously.
"Mm? It's finally here!"
Lu Shaolin stood up, spear in hand, and strode toward the riverbank.
Seeing a living human approach, the River Demon immediately charged at Lu Shaolin.
Lu Shaolin explosively exerted force with both arms, and the Black Iron Spear swept out with a whoosh.
With a bang, the River Demon's head exploded, and its headless corpse collapsed onto the shore.
"That's it! Ma San, clean up the corpse and keep throwing chickens in!"
Lu Shaolin said with a smile as he watched one Source Point enter 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 all the River Demons in the stretches upstream and downstream from the docks? These River Demons were far too flimsy to kill!
"Ma San, pack up and let's go. Take the remaining chickens back and stew them into soup."
Lu Shaolin instructed.
"Okay, th-thank you, Boss!"
Ma San was speechless again. It seemed he had 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, squeezed its flanks, and sped away in a cloud of dust.
After returning home, Lu Shaolin fell asleep with his head hitting the pillow, not waking until noon.
Over the next four or five days, Lu Shaolin took one subordinate each night to fish for River Demons.
His reason was that if he did not kill a few fiends each day, his hands would itch terribly!
After several days, he had only killed thirteen River Demons.
Adding in the Source Points from before, the panel now held only 17.8 Source Points in total.
It was still not enough to raise the Stonewall Art to full level.
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