Chapter 41: So Brazen

"Heh, so you're one of Han Mo's men? That makes things even more interesting. Boy, I'll make you an offer. Submit to me and become a private soldier of the Xing Family. Do you agree?" asked Xing Penghai from atop his horse, looking down at Lin Zheyu.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Lin Zheyu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "My lord, a melon forced from the vine is never sweet. Even if I agreed, I fear you would never truly trust me."

"Don't worry. I have my own way of making sure I can trust you. As long as you swallow this pill, you will be one of the Xing Family. Do that, and nothing will happen to you today." As he spoke, Xing Penghai took out a dark pill from his chest.

It was obvious that the pill was a kind of poison, meant to control him. Lin Zheyu feigned hesitation and struggle, all the while watching the movement at the city gate from the corner of his eye.

After a moment of apparent inner conflict, he spoke as though conceding. "

Hu

... Very well. I will join the Xing Family and serve you, my lord."

"

Haha

, a wise man submits to the times. Serve me well from now on. Do things properly, and I will personally release you from... Damn it, stop him!" Xing Penghai shouted angrily as the smile on his face froze.

Bracing himself on the saddle with his left hand, he leapt into the air, lunging toward Lin Zheyu. At the very instant his opponent relaxed while speaking, Lin Zheyu seized the chance to escape. At once, he poured all his strength into the Golden Goose Technique and shot toward the city gate like an arrow.

"What incredible speed! How can a mere youngster at the Bone Forging Realm move so fast?" muttered Xing Penghai.

He ran with all of his might, yet the distance between them only grew wider. An expression of disbelief flickered in his eyes. He was a peak Organ Forging Realm expert, yet he could not catch up to a mere youth at the Bone Forging Realm!

"

Ha!

"

Seeing that he could not catch up, Xing Penghai made a snap decision. While still in midair, he exerted all his strength and hurled the halberd with a violent motion.

Whoosh.

The halberd whistled through the air, hurtling toward Lin Zheyu's back with terrifying force. Sensing a razor-sharp aura of danger at his back, Lin Zheyu tapped his foot against the ground, twisted his body, and narrowly dodged aside.

By then, the soldiers at the city gate had also reacted, raising their weapons in an attempt to block Lin Zheyu. But Lin Zheyu suddenly leapt high, springing off a soldier's spear to vault over the man's head, and dashed into the city, vanishing from sight.

"He got away!" shouted Xing Jinglong. His eyes grew dark as he watched Lin Zheyu's retreating figure, fury welling up inside him.

That a mere youth at the Bone Forging Realm had managed to escape from his grasp left his expression grim. The boy's agility and movement techniques were extraordinarily refined, clearly the product of deep training in leg techniques.

"Brother!" Xing Jinglong caught up on his horse. "Brother, he escaped! What should we do next?"

"What else can we do? So what if the Feihong Gang learns we made a move? He's just a fledgling who only joined them recently. At worst, we'll pay a little compensation. Would Xu Jingwu really turn hostile against the Xing Family over a mere Bone Forging Realm brat?" Xing Penghai sneered. Born of the Xing Family, he had no fear of Xu Jingwu, the leader of the Feihong Gang.

"Still, this boy's martial aptitude is truly extraordinary. He has reached this level in such a short time. With talent like his, he might very well meet the requirements for cultivating the secret medicine."

After a moment's thought, Xing Penghai said, "When we return, report this at once."

He swung himself back onto his horse, clamped his legs, and galloped into the distance. His voice echoed from afar, saying, "Follow me. I'll take you somewhere."

Hearing this, Xing Jinglong swiftly mounted his horse and followed.

***

"They dared to be so brazen?" muttered Lin Zheyu. His gaze grew grave as he looked toward the city gate. From the way things had just unfolded, had he not immediately fled into the city, the consequences of being captured would have been dire.

He had not expected Xing Penghai to strike at him, especially when he was under the protection of the Feihong Gang. Fortunately, they only dared to act outside the city walls. If they behaved with such lawlessness within the city, it would mean the order of Songyi City no longer existed, and staying there would become impossible.

A strong sense of urgency welled up within him.

I must grow stronger, and quickly!

If he hadn't advanced the Golden Goose Technique to the third stage and stepped into the Organ Forging Realm, with his breath far steadier than before, he likely would have fallen just now. If he had swallowed that black pill, his life and death would no longer be his own, and he would have been reduced to another man's hound.

"I'll have to be more cautious from now on. I need to live more carefully," muttered Lin Zheyu to himself. Although he had already been extremely careful and had hardly revealed his strength, he had still drawn Xing Jinglong's attention.

***

Three days later.

In the morning, sounds of banging and clashing could be heard. From the courtyard came the sound of Lin Zheyu's full-force strikes, his whipping legs thudding against the wooden post.

The cold wind howled, the weather bitterly frigid. Yet he was drenched in sweat, his muscles defined and taut. He had been training continuously for over an hour and was nearing his limit. His face was flushed red, and his breath came in rough, heavy gasps.

Half an hour later...

At the very moment Lin Zheyu reached his physical limit, his essence, qi, and spirit converged into one, propelling him into a mysterious state. The state was fleeting, and it vanished in an instant.

He exhaled heavily, leaning against the wooden post as he gasped for breath. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, and his entire body ached with pain. Even with several experiences of breaking past his limits before, Lin Zheyu still felt it unbearably difficult. Every breakthrough of his body's limits was a test of both his flesh and his spirit.

After resting for a moment, Lin Zheyu turned his gaze toward the data within his consciousness.

"

Hm?

"

A look of delight spread across Lin Zheyu's face. Just a moment ago, his Origin Force had been at 4, but now it had suddenly risen to 6. After breaking through his limit just now, his Origin Force had increased by two units at once!

Could the growth of my essence, qi, and spirit be the reason why each breakthrough grants more Origin Force?

Lin Zheyu speculated.

He wasn't sure if every breakthrough would grant him two units of Origin Force. Or perhaps, only after breaking through several times in succession would the next breakthrough yield two units of Origin Force. He felt it was most likely the latter.

As his strength grew, the Origin Force gained with each breakthrough seemed to increase ever so slightly, almost as if there was an invisible decimal digit behind the number[1].

The decimal digit seemed to accumulate until the number became whole, which was then displayed. But this was only his speculation. Lin Zheyu would need to test it further to know for sure.

He rested for a while, and after stretching his muscles for half an hour, he regained some strength. He walked back into the house and took out the medicinal herbs he had purchased earlier for brewing the Blood-Nourishing Bone-Fortifying Decoction.

After his previous consumption, only six sets of herbs remained. Recently, with some money he had earned, Lin Zheyu bought more, bringing the total back to eight sets. Brewing the decoction was a meticulous task, requiring careful control of the fire so that the medicinal power of the herbs could be fully extracted over time.

"These herbs are getting more and more expensive. When will this kind of life ever end?" muttered Lin Zheyu under his breath.

That morning, when he went to buy the herbs, he found that each set cost nearly an extra tael of silver compared to before. The shopkeeper had explained it was because bandits now roamed the mountains, often robbing the herb gatherers, so their harvests had become scarce. With the cost of herbs rising, the store naturally increased its prices as well.

1. It means something like 1.1, 1.2 etc. ☜