Chapter 49

"Hmm."

Reminded by Doctor Zhou, the manager of the Hundred Herbs Shop looked at Yang Ji a few more times and suddenly seemed to recall something. He whispered a few words into Li Chen's ear.

"I see."

Li Chen nodded, and the way he looked at Yang Ji suddenly changed, carrying a different meaning:

"Yang Ji, although the relationship between our Li and Yang clans is not good, if you can't get along in the Yang clan, you can come to me. I can take you in."

"No need!"

Yang Ji waved his hand, knowing that the manager of the Hundred Herbs Shop had probably guessed his identity from various clues and wanted to use it to strike against the Yang clan, not out of any good intentions:

"Whenever you can't get along in the Li clan, you can also come to me."

Li Chen and the manager of the Hundred Herbs Shop immediately changed their expressions, looking somewhat displeased. They hadn't expected Yang Ji to dare say such things to their faces.

"Farewell."

Yang Ji said this and walked out boldly, not at all afraid that Li Chen would make a move against him here.

After all, this was an area controlled by the Yang clan. Although the Li and Yang clans had a strained relationship, they were generally restrained. Yang Ji was certain that Li Chen wouldn't dare to start a conflict here.

The night wind outside was cool and refreshing. Yang Ji didn't care what the master and servant of the Li family would think. He determined the direction and headed towards the Yang clan.

"Master, should I teach him a lesson? This kid is too disrespectful."

In the room, the manager of the Hundred Herbs Shop said.

"Forget it, it's a trivial matter, not worth getting angry over. The martial examination is approaching, and I will soon have to leave to take the exam. I need to quickly finish the tasks assigned by the clan. — Doctor Zhou..."

Li Chen waved his hand and looked at the old doctor opposite him.

...

The news of the Li clan's Hundred Herbs Shop being attacked quickly spread throughout Jin'an City, causing a huge stir.

This was the first time that bandits had entered the city and attacked a major clan. With this attack, more details emerged.

Some people said that the Li clan had been extremely bold, killing many bandits when passing through the bandit-controlled area a few days ago, which enraged the bandits.

Meanwhile, on a mountain outside the city, several fierce-looking men stood in front of the bodies of Zhao Wu and Huang Lu.

"Who did this!"

Ice chips seemed to fly from their teeth. Zhao Wu and the others didn't appear at the agreed location last night, so they knew something had happened. They followed the trail and indeed found the bodies of Zhao Wu and the others.

"It must be the Li clan."

A bandit said with hatred.

"The Li clan didn't pursue them. And in the dark, unless it was the third young master of the Li clan, how could Zhao Wu and the others not deal with a few pursuers?"

The leader of the bandits said.

Zhao Wu's death was too strange. If he was going to die, he should have died in the Hundred Herbs Shop. It didn't make sense that he escaped the city, reached the mountain, and then died.

It was like not dying in a forest of swords and spears but choking to death while drinking water, too bizarre.

"Second Brother, most of the footprints here are Zhao Wu's and Huang Lu's, not like they were surrounded."

A bandit said. He had been sent to support them but arrived just in time for this major incident.

"Strange. The footprints here, besides Zhao Wu's and Huang Lu's, seem to belong to only one person."

Another bandit said in surprise.

With this, everyone started to pay attention. One bandit even pulled up a piece of grass and measured the length of each footprint. Everyone was stunned.

All the footprints, big and small, belonged to one person.

"Could... Zhao Wu and Huang Lu have been killed by one person?"

Everyone thought incredulously.

In such a short time last night, who else besides the third young master of the Li clan could have killed Zhao Wu and Huang Lu?

"Second Brother, this is... a bit eerie."

A bandit who had participated in the operation last night said.

When they were fleeing last night, they clearly heard the third young master of the Li clan say, "Don't chase." If it wasn't him, who was the second "person"?

Thinking about last night, when they attacked the Hundred Herbs Shop and another "person" was following them, even though he had killed many people and was used to it, he couldn't help but feel a chill.

This was too eerie!

"Second Brother! Look at these footprints, they seem to match our 'Seven Killing Blade Technique'!"

Another bandit pointed to the ground.

At first, he hadn't noticed, thinking they were Zhao Wu's footprints, but once the third "person" was identified, everything changed.

The size of the footprints clearly belonged to the third "person." They were opposite to Zhao Wu's, clearly not his.

"Wait! Yuan Wu, draw your blade and perform the third move of the Seven Killing Blade Technique!"

"Yes, Second Brother!"

...

A bandit stepped forward, said nothing, gathered his energy, and with a flash of his blade, his feet pounded the ground with each step, making a loud sound. After a few steps, he stopped and exhaled. The footprints left behind were identical to the ones on the ground.

"Whoa!"

In that instant, everyone on the scene shivered, feeling a chill from their feet to their heads.

It was really the "Seven Killing Blade Technique"!

This was too eerie!

Not everyone in the bandits used knives. This ruthless and deadly technique was taught only to selected elites by the leaders of the bandit camps.

Most of those who practiced this technique were at the Martial Dao realm or at least showed potential and were recognized by the leaders.

But all the practitioners of this technique, except Zhao Wu and the others, had solid alibis.

How did Zhao Wu and the others die?

If it wasn't one of their own, who killed Zhao Wu and the others, and where did they learn the "Seven Killing Blade Technique"?

"Could they have learned it from Zhao Wu?"

When this thought arose, no one could describe the eerie feeling. The bandits, who never flinched or hesitated when killing, were speechless, standing there in silence, feeling their scalps tingle.

The initial anger was gone, replaced by a strong sense of eeriness.

The mountain wind blew over their backs, making everyone feel a chill.

"Take these footprints and report the events of last night to the Sixth Leader. Let the Leader decide."

"Yes, Second Brother!"

...

As they left, the bandit called "Second Brother" couldn't help but look back at the row of "footprints." There was something he didn't say in front of his brothers.

From the depth of the footprints, he could almost determine that the person who killed Zhao Wu and Huang Lu might not have reached the Martial Dao realm. Bandits had extensive experience in tracking and killing, and they wouldn't make such a mistake.

A powerful Zhao Wu and Huang Lu being killed by someone with astonishing insight, young, and not yet at the Martial Dao realm—this was too eerie to say out loud, as it would only make the brothers more uneasy. It was better to keep it to himself.

The group carried the two bodies, their steps uneven, and left the place.

...

Time passed quickly, and ten days went by in the blink of an eye.

Boom!

Yang Ji sat cross-legged in the woodshed, continuously contemplating the "Fist and Intent Unity Diagram." Suddenly, with a loud boom, Yang Ji's body trembled, and the "Fist and Intent Unity Diagram" before him changed.

The giant fist suddenly disappeared, and a powerful intent surged into Yang Ji's mind. In the next moment, Yang Ji saw a huge three-dimensional image.

It was a network of blood vessels, and Yang Ji could see countless blood cells and cells moving through the red, web-like veins. He could even hear a rumbling sound, like a river flowing.

From top to bottom, from left to right, all these blood vessels formed a huge three-dimensional human figure.

"Is this the network of blood vessels inside my body!"

Yang Ji had a realization.

The image on the "Fist and Intent Unity Diagram" had always been static, impossible to have such a three-dimensional feel or hear the sound of blood flowing.

In this room, only Yang Ji's blood was flowing!

"Originally, this is the secret of the unity of fist and intent. The predecessor who drew this diagram infused his thoughts into it, continuously pressing on the practitioner's spirit. Step by step, it disperses and then merges into the practitioner's blood. The spirit and the body become one, and with a thought, one can see the inside of the body. — This human meridian diagram is actually my own."

Yang Ji thought to himself.

After continuous practice for nearly ten days, Yang Ji's spirit had been continuously dispersed and merged into various parts of his body. Now, it had finally undergone a qualitative change, reaching the level of internal vision of the blood vessels.

"Practicing at the Martial Dao realm is about blood and qi. To practice blood and qi, one must first understand their flow. When one reaches this level, one naturally possesses the realm of 'fist and intent in unison, thought and action in harmony.' This is the secret of the Fist and Intent Unity Diagram!"

Yang Ji thought to himself.

Reaching this level, the foundation was basically laid. The rest was the practice of the Martial Dao realm.

Yang Ji felt the "blood vessel flow diagram" before him. Indeed, his spirit was no longer being continuously consumed. Yang Ji understood that the "Fist and Intent Unity Diagram" had been successfully practiced.

"Boom!"

Yang Ji stood up and, without hesitation, punched out. With each step, he punched again, and again... His body moved in the room, leaving afterimages, creating a storm of energy, and his speed was so fast that the eyes couldn't keep up.

Bang! Bang!

The windows were moved by the strong airflow in the woodshed, making a banging sound, moving up and down. In the blink of an eye, the entire room was filled with Yang Ji's afterimages.

Wherever Yang Ji's fist landed, there was a loud explosion, a sign of his speed.

In nearly a month, Yang Ji's strength hadn't increased much, but after achieving "Fist and Intent Unity," his power had doubled.

Buzz!

After a long time, Yang Ji gradually stopped.

"Intent and fist in unison, thought and action in harmony, like moving a limb, this is the feeling."

Yang Ji moved his limbs, feeling an unprecedented smoothness and naturalness. A thought would arise in his mind, and before he could react, his fist would be there, moving freely like water.

This is the unity of fist and intent!

"Finally succeeded."

Yang Ji smiled, feeling his body and thoughts blend perfectly, an incredibly wonderful feeling.

"There is still over a month until the literary examination. According to the rules, one must register in advance. After I pass, I will still have enough time to reach the Martial Dao realm."

Yang Ji estimated, feeling relieved.

"Training for a thousand days, using it in one moment," the long-awaited day had finally arrived!

[Finally, the martial examination is about to begin. Take this opportunity to request your support, favorites, and recommendations! Roar!]