Chapter 45 - 34: Purple Velvet Treasure Medicine
HUUUH!
A jet of hot air spewed from his lips. Lin Yan raised his hands—Mountain-Splitting Fist.
He threw the first punch, which cracked through the air, leaving behind a faint white vapor trail.
The second punch followed, faster than the first, its Fist Momentum more ferocious.
The third punch, the fourth...
His speed grew, and his Fist Momentum swelled.
Fueled by this Fist Momentum, the Medicinal Power from the Purple Furred Beast’s ears was absorbed at an incredible rate, while the Qi Blood in Lin Yan’s body surged wildly.
Each punch was like tossing firewood onto a blazing fire, making it burn hotter and more intensely.
Qi Blood surged from his Dantian, rushing into his muscles and meridians.
His meridians expanded and contracted with the flow of Qi Blood, each contraction propelling more of it throughout his body.
After the time it takes an incense stick to burn, the boiling Qi Blood in his body finally subsided, and Lin Yan came to a stop.
...
He lowered his fists and stood still.
Steam billowed from Lin Yan’s entire body, as if he had just emerged from a steamer basket.
He looked down at his hands. The veins under his skin had subsided, but he could clearly feel that something was different.
His Power, speed, and Qi Blood had all risen to a new level.
Through Introspection, he saw that the Martial Arts Tree in his mind had actually grown to a height of two feet and six inches. ’And to think, in the two months since I achieved Second-Time Skin Smoothing, the Martial Arts Tree had only grown by two inches.’
’Treasure Medicine... no wonder it drives Martial Artists to madness. The effects are simply undeniable.’
’Last time, I destroyed the bait Li Guiyi left. But this time, the Purple Furred Beast ate a good portion of the bait meat. With so much of it gone, Li Guiyi will definitely suspect that someone beat him to it. And the prime suspects will be us Martial Artists stationed in Qingtian Town.’
’When that happens, as a Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, I’ll be his number one suspect. When a Treasure Medicine like the Purple Furred Beast is on the line, I doubt Li Guiyi will hold back just because I’m a Martial Arts Academy Disciple.’
’With my current strength, I have more than a fighting chance against Li Guiyi.’
’If I have the strength to face him, there’s no reason to let a venomous snake stalk me from the shadows.’
A decisive glint appeared in Lin Yan’s eyes, and he headed back the way he came.
When he reached the baited area, he confirmed that Li Guiyi and his men had not yet arrived. Lin Yan’s gaze fell upon an old locust tree nearby. ’With such dense leaves and branches, it’s perfect for hiding.’
With a push of his feet, he silently scaled the trunk and vanished into the crown of the tree.
The seconds and minutes ticked by.
After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the sound of footsteps echoed through the forest.
Four figures emerged from the woods, led by none other than Li Guiyi.
Three men followed Li Guiyi. They were all Single-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists, with sabers at their waists, their vigilant eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Housekeeper Li, the clearing is just ahead," one of them said in a low voice.
Li Guiyi nodded and quickened his pace.
As he neared the bushes, Li Guiyi grew increasingly tense, his eyes filled with anticipation.
When he spotted a patch of brown fur through a gap in the foliage, he was instantly overjoyed.
"It really is the Purple Furred Beast! The Patriarch’s Third-Time of Skin Smoothing is within reach!"
Li Guiyi’s voice cracked, his eyes full of excitement. Just as he was about to part the bushes and seize the Purple Furred Beast, a fierce gust of wind assailed him from above.
As a Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, Li Guiyi instantly sensed something was wrong. He jerked his head up just as a cloud of white powder rained down on him!
"Lime powder!"
Li Guiyi’s reflexes were sharp. He instantly snapped his eyes shut, held his breath, and shot backward.
But in that same instant, the bones in Lin Yan’s waist jolted. His spine tensed like a great bow. Stone Waist Barbarian Ridge—full power!
His body shot down like an arrow loosed from its string, crossing twenty feet in an instant as he fell from above.
He threw his first punch.
The Fist Momentum was a surging tide; the wind from the blow, a clap of thunder.
Li Guiyi blocked instinctively, raising his arm. The moment fist met forearm, his expression changed drastically.
’This power... it’s immense!’
It wasn’t just the raw power; the punch also carried a unique Fist Force that made his Qi Blood roil.
BANG!
A violent tremor ran through Li Guiyi’s arm, and the impact sent him stumbling back three steps.
Before he could regain his footing, the second punch arrived.
This punch was faster and heavier, its Fist Momentum even more potent than before. It felt as if an entire mountain were crashing down on him.
Ice-cold terror gripped Li Guiyi’s heart. He couldn’t track the punch’s path, but the overwhelming Fist Momentum froze him in place, stealing the very breath from his lungs.
BANG!
The second punch slammed into his hastily raised forearm, accompanied by the sickening CRACK of bone.
The third punch followed immediately after.
This time, Li Guiyi was powerless to block it.
The fist broke through his crumbling defense and struck him square in the chest.
SPURT!
Li Guiyi sprayed a mouthful of blood as his body was sent flying backward like a broken doll. He slammed hard against a tree and slid to the ground, his gaze already vacant.
Even in death, he couldn’t understand: if his opponent was this powerful, why resort to such a dirty trick like using lime powder?
As the dull thud of Li Guiyi’s body hitting the ground echoed through the woods, the three Single-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artists froze in place, their scalps tingling with fear.
What had they just witnessed?
Housekeeper Li, one of the finest Second-Time Skin Smoothing experts, had been beaten to death in... in just a few punches?
The fight was over in the space of two breaths, so fast they didn’t even have time to react, let alone help.
The three men’s legs went weak.
They wanted to run, but their legs wouldn’t obey.
They wanted to scream, but their throats felt like they were being strangled.
They could only watch in horror as the green-clad figure turned to look at them, his eyes as calm as if he had just swatted a fly.
"Run!"
One of them finally managed a hoarse cry, spinning around to flee.
But he had only taken a single step before a fist found him.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Three dull thuds rang out in succession. Three bodies flew backward, crashing into the bushes and falling silent.
After dealing with the three men, Lin Yan began to loot their bodies, reflecting on the fight as he did so.
’Killing Li Guiyi this time has given me a good measure of my own strength. It’s also proven that lime powder isn’t very effective against a Second-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist. I won’t need to carry it around anymore.’
’Furthermore, while my own strength was a factor, the main reason I could kill Li Guiyi in a few punches was that he was caught unprepared and could only block passively against my continuous assault. If I had let him make the first move, it wouldn’t have been nearly as easy.’
By the time he finished his reflections, Lin Yan had also finished looting the bodies. In total, he had only found a little over fifty taels of silver.
A look of regret crossed his face. Li Guiyi and his three men surely had more money than this; they just weren’t carrying it on their persons.
This was normal. Aside from gang members, most established Martial Artists kept their wealth hidden at home, carrying only a small amount of money with them.
’Fifty taels of silver, plus fifteen years’ worth of cultivation time from the Martial Arts Fruit.’
’I suppose the haul is barely acceptable.’
Lin Yan scanned the area. The miasma on Great Mist Mountain kept most beasts away, so it was unrealistic to expect the bodies to be eaten anytime soon. He would have to bury them himself.
After spending half an hour burying Li Guiyi and his three men, Lin Yan returned to where he had hidden his clothes. He stripped off the green garments, burned them to ash, then changed back into his original attire and left Great Mist Mountain.
Back in his courtyard, Lin Yan skinned and washed the Purple Furred Beast, chopped it into chunks, and threw them into a pot with some water before lighting a fire.
The greatest value of the Purple Furred Beast lay in its two ears, but that didn’t mean the rest of the meat was useless. Eating it could also nourish his Qi Blood.
Half an hour later, the fragrant aroma of cooked meat filled the air.
Lin Yan lifted the lid. The broth had turned a milky white, the chunks of meat were stewed until they were fall-apart tender, and a pale golden sheen of oil floated on the surface.
He picked up a piece with his chopsticks, blew on it, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed a few times and swallowed.
Before long, a warmth rose from his stomach and began to spread through his limbs like a gentle stream.
Lin Yan’s eyes lit up, and he began to eat with gusto.
One piece, two pieces, three pieces.
Eat, then practice his fists...