My Divine Art Has Reached Great Completion?

Perhaps because of what had happened before, even when Yang Yi came back empty-handed these days, his aunt no longer scolded him so harshly, at most saying a few harmless words.

It had been ten days since he obtained the old mountain ginseng and began cultivating.

In those ten days, Yang Yi felt that he had changed beyond recognition. His physique had not changed much, but his strength had grown tremendously.

He was not the only one that had changed. The Source Crystal had changed as well; one of its cracks had vanished completely.

With his muscles and bones stretched, he exhaled and shouted. After completing a round of the Body Tempering Technique, Yang Yi was about to finish when a sudden feeling struck him. Maintaining his closing stance, he continued driving his blood and qi.

The next instant, a dense series of explosions rang out from within his body. A flash of red light burst from his skin, then vanished in an instant.

At the same time, his blood and qi began flowing even faster, as though some obstruction had been shattered.

The change came swiftly and went swiftly, but Yang Yi could clearly feel that he was somewhat different from before.

Turning around, he suddenly threw a punch at a large tree beside him.

As his fist landed, the bowl-thick tree snapped in response.

"This..." Yang Yi stared at his fist in shock. He was certain that before today, one punch of his could never have carried such power.

And that was with him holding back.

A thought passed through his mind: Has my divine art reached great completion?

Yang Yi quickly shook his head again. He had cultivated the Body Tempering Technique for barely over ten days. Even with Golden Light assisting him, it could not possibly have reached great completion so quickly.

The change just now was probably a sign that he had broken through some bottleneck and entered a new stage of strength.

The increase in strength thrilled him. The scene of facing that mountain bandit remained vivid in his mind. In these harsh times, a man ought to possess some means to protect himself and his loved ones.

Either power or fists!

For the next half hour, he continuously adapted to the changes in his strength. Before long, he discovered that if he used his full strength, he could even hear his own blood flowing through his body, rushing like a babbling brook.

The changes were not limited to strength alone. His speed had become much swifter, and even his eyesight had improved.

After resting for a while, he continued cultivating until it was about time to return.

His luck was good today. He caught a rabbit and a squirrel in his traps, and his aunt even gave him a rare smile.

After dinner, Yang Yi was about to rest when Yang Yong pushed open the door and entered.

The wounds on his face had mostly healed, though scars remained, stretching from his left eye socket to his chin and making him look somewhat ferocious.

Big Brother's recovery was still as good as ever... In the past, if Yang Yong scraped his skin or bled somewhere, he would basically recover within two or three days. If it were Yang Yi, the recovery time would probably be doubled.

However, Yang Yong was not in good condition now. The fright from ten days ago had kept him shut in his room for a full five days before he slowly recovered.

His condition was especially poor today...

"Big Brother, did something happen?" Yang Yi ushered him into the room.

Yang Yong sat at the edge of the bed. After a moment of silence, he said, "The Huang family called off the engagement."

The family they had originally arranged the marriage with had learned that Yang Yong had been disfigured by mountain bandits. Today, they sent someone to their door to break off the engagement.

At first, his aunt tried to persuade them gently. Once she realized their attitude was firm, she began cursing furiously. In the end, they parted on bad terms.

Yang Yi had spent the whole day on the mountain and knew nothing about it.

Patting Yang Yong on the shoulder, he consoled him, "Big Brother, do not lose heart. As they say, thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—do not bully the poor young man!"

Yang Yong gaped at Yang Yi. Only after a long while did he come back to himself. "Second Brother, that was very well said."

Yang Yi tugged at the corner of his mouth. "I did not say it. Some old senior did."

"I did not come mainly to talk to you about that..." As Yang Yong spoke, he glanced toward the door.

Yang Yi understood at once and lowered his voice. "Do not be afraid. Ten days have already passed. If you do not say anything and I do not say anything, no one will know."

"I just keep having nightmares at night..."

"What you keep thinking about will surely echo back. Do not let your thoughts run wild during the day."

After much persuasion, Yang Yi finally managed to calm Yang Yong down.

Just as he was about to see him out, a burst of commotion came from next door, accompanied by what sounded like a door being kicked open.

Yang Yi hurriedly ran outside.

At a glance, he saw seven or eight figures armed with sharp weapons standing outside his uncle's house. The first two filed inside, and his uncle and aunt's panicked voices rang out from within.

Mountain bandits!

The thought had barely crossed Yang Yi's mind when the bandits still outside turned to look over.

One of them raised his brows upon seeing Yang Yi and Yang Yong. "What luck. Found them as soon as we arrived."

Yang Yi's heart sank.

Because the one who said that was the saber-wielding mountain bandit they had encountered on the official road that day.

Why was he here?

And judging by what he meant, he seemed to have come specifically looking for him.

Had what happened that day been exposed?

Iron Eagle rested his broadsword on his shoulder and strode toward Yang Yi. Seeing his fiendish appearance, Yang Yong, standing behind Yang Yi, began trembling in both legs again.

The two houses stood side by side. In just a few steps, Iron Eagle arrived before the two brothers, with several men following behind him.

He pointed the long blade in his hand forward, almost pressing it against Yang Yi's nose, and asked viciously, "Did you kill Black Bear?"

It really had been exposed!

No, this guy was trying to bluff him.

That day, he had mentioned that he came from Yang Family Hollow. It was not strange for the other party to find this place afterward, but ten days had already passed. If they had any solid evidence, they would have come long ago.

Perhaps because he had cultivated the Body Tempering Technique, Yang Yi's thoughts were much clearer than before. In a flash of lightning and spark of flint, he had already made his judgment.

He said nothing, only tensing his body as though he had been frightened.

Iron Eagle's gaze was cold. He took in Yang Yi's terror, then looked at Yang Yong behind him, who was shaking like a sieve and seemed ready to collapse at any moment. He sneered inwardly.

How could two ordinary villagers have the guts to kill someone?

Black Bear's strength might not have been much, but his size was there. How could two skinny village youths possibly deal with him?

That day, when he discovered Black Bear dead and the treasure stolen, he immediately returned to the stronghold to report it, enraging several of the stronghold chiefs.

The hundreds of people in Black Wind Stronghold had gone mad searching everywhere these past days, causing no small number of conflicts.

After examining Black Bear's death that day, Iron Eagle concluded that there had been two killers. One had attacked Black Bear from behind while he was off guard and restrained him, while the other had used a stone to smash him to death.

He had never suspected the Yang brothers. He only thought that some hostile force had set its sights on them, causing them to suffer this undeserved calamity.

Black Wind Stronghold had plenty of enemies.

Finding this place today was purely a coincidence. Passing nearby, he happened to recall the two Yang Household boys they had robbed that day and simply came to take a look.

Otherwise, he would not have come here only after ten days had passed.

Yang Yi did not know these twists and turns. All sorts of thoughts raced through his mind as he considered a response.

For some reason, he felt a powerful confidence that if they fought, these people should not be his match.

He could not act rashly... Even if he defeated these people, what then? Black Wind Stronghold had hundreds of men. If he truly acted, it would only leave endless trouble behind.

"Father! Mother!" Cries rang out from the neighboring house.

A mountain bandit dragged Yang Ya out of the house. Uncle Yang and Aunt Yang wailed and begged, only to be knocked to the ground.

The bandit pulling Yang Ya grinned at Iron Eagle. "Boss, this little virgin is not bad. I'll take her back and let the brothers have a taste of fresh meat."

"Do as you please!" Iron Eagle neither approved nor objected, clearly unwilling to concern himself with such a trivial matter.

"Let go of my sister!" Yang Yong, who had been trembling without pause, suddenly darted out from behind Yang Yi. He had taken only two steps when Iron Eagle kicked him flying. He fell to the side and curled into a ball.

Yang Yi, whose expression had remained taut, clenched his fists.

He had to act... He could not stand by and watch Yang Ya be taken away.

"Ah!" A scream suddenly rang out.

The mountain bandit dragging Yang Ya clutched his throat and fell down with a face full of terror. A throwing knife was lodged in his throat, with only the handle protruding outside.

Iron Eagle suddenly turned toward the darkness. "Qiao Wuwang!"

A burst of laughter came from that direction. "Iron Eagle, what skill is there in bullying the old and young? If you have the guts, come kill your grandpa!"

The voice gradually faded into the distance.

Iron Eagle flew into a rage and raised an arm. "Chase!"