Chapter 37

Everyone's support is greatly needed; only then will the cavalry have more motivation.

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Li Wenjun almost wanted to let out a loud cry to vent his excitement, but he held back. After all, this was the town of Fengshou, with many people around. Sun Baicao and his son were still sleeping like the other townsfolk. If he disturbed them, it would not be good.

Li Wenjun quickened his pace and walked out of the town. He didn't choose a specific direction but picked one at random and soon left Fengshou Town. In front of him was a wide road extending westward.

There was no moon in the sky, only a few stars emitting a faint light.

Li Wenjun looked down the road and found that the distance he could see, his field of vision, had improved significantly. He could now see clearly within about forty zhang, whereas before it was only about thirty zhang.

He looked up at the tall poplar trees by the roadside, a strong desire to try rising in his heart. He walked about ten zhang away from Fengshou Town to ensure he wouldn't disturb the townsfolk, then stood by the roadside. He looked up at the treetops, took a deep breath, and leaped, his body soaring through the air toward the treetops.

Li Wenjun drew a beautiful arc in the air and landed on the treetop. However, when he tried to stand, his feet slipped, and he fell down.

With a thud, Li Wenjun landed heavily on the tree. The fall left him disoriented, his bones feeling as if they were about to fall apart.

Li Wenjun rubbed his chest and climbed back up. He looked at the treetop and saw that there were no branches strong enough to support his weight. To stand there, he would have to step on the tender and fragile twigs or leaves, which required a high level of skill.

Li Wenjun tried again, determined not to give up. After several failures, he finally stood steadily on the treetop. Looking around, he felt a sense of triumph, as if he were looking down on all the mountains. It was an exhilarating feeling.

Li Wenjun looked at the row of poplar trees by the roadside, and a surge of excitement rose in his heart. He tapped his foot on a leaf and leaped to another poplar tree. He continued jumping from treetop to treetop, heading west without stopping, moving so fast it felt like flying.

Listening to the wind rushing past his ears, Li Wenjun called out excitedly. This feeling was truly exhilarating. If not for his cultivation, he might never have experienced this. He might have thought it was just a storyteller's imagination.

Li Wenjun was usually calm and composed, but the sudden joy made him unable to contain his excitement. He continued running on the treetops. After about half an hour, he reached a place about ten li away from Fengshou Town, which was already quite remote, with no villages within at least five or six li.

Suddenly, Li Wenjun noticed a large stone by the roadside, about the size of a millstone. He had an idea. Jumping from treetop to treetop only proved that his speed had improved, but he didn't know if his strength had also increased.

With this thought, he leaped from the tree and walked to the stone. He first examined it to ensure there were no cracks and that it was a solid piece. Then, he stood beside the stone, took a deep breath, and raised his palm high.

"Hey!"

Li Wenjun's voice echoed like a thunderclap, and his palm struck the stone with great force.

The stone did not move.

Li Wenjun was not discouraged. He raised his palm again and struck the stone two more times.

"Crack!"

On the third strike, a crisp sound was heard. The middle of the stone caved in, and several fine cracks appeared. Under his heavy blows, the stone could not withstand the force and cracked.

Li Wenjun nodded in satisfaction. The stone was about seven or eight inches thick and the size of a millstone. In the past, he would have needed an octagonal hammer to break it. Now, with three strikes, he could shatter it, showing that his palm strikes were as powerful as an octagonal hammer. In a fight, such a palm strike on a person would likely result in broken bones and torn tendons if the person had no special means to defend themselves.

After testing his strength, Li Wenjun stood in the middle of the road and practiced a set of boxing. At the end, he gathered his strength and struck a poplar tree by the roadside. The tree shook violently, and a large piece of bark and part of the trunk were knocked off, leaving a large scar. This was something Li Wenjun could not do before.

Li Wenjun was increasingly satisfied. If he could continue to use the bathwater for cultivation, his abilities would surely continue to grow. Unfortunately, he could not yet form a complete cycle to control the spiritual energy within his body. Otherwise, he could cast fireballs, which would be even more impressive.

Li Wenjun shook his head. All the tests were done, and it was time to return to Fengshou Town. When it was light, he would continue to prepare the bathwater and cultivate.

On the way back, he didn't need to rush as he had when he left. However, Li Wenjun, still excited, leaped onto the treetops to experience the flying sensation again.

After running back for several li, a streak of light suddenly appeared in his field of vision. About four or five li away from the main road, there was a place where the lights were bright.

It was deep into the night, and even the roosters were still sleeping on the treetops. Normally, no one would be up and busy at this time.

Additionally, Li Wenjun had seen the map of the entire San County and remembered that there were no villages or individual estates where the lights were shining.

At such a time and place, the presence of lights seemed highly suspicious.

When something unusual happens, there must be a reason. Li Wenjun, having just verified his abilities and feeling confident, and with the curiosity of a young man, decided to go and take a look without much hesitation.

So, he changed direction on the treetops and ran toward the place with the lights.

After about half a stick of incense, Li Wenjun could clearly see the situation at the place with the lights. It was dark, and he was hidden in the shadows, so he could see clearly, but the people there could not see him.

The scene before him made Li Wenjun's eyes widen in shock. It was a yard that was not large but also not small. The walls and houses were made of straw or branches, with no bricks or tiles. Inside the yard, there were about a dozen wooden stakes, each about the height of a person, and several of them had people tied to them.

If it were just people tied up, Li Wenjun would not have been so shocked. The problem was that most of these people were dead, all of them with their chests and abdomens cut open, the scene so bloody and nauseating.

The only person who had not been cut open yet was hanging his head weakly, and it was unclear whether he was sleeping or had been scared to death, showing no signs of movement.

Before Li Wenjun could observe more details, a voice came from inside the house.

"My mouth is almost tasteless. Third Brother, go get some meat for your brother."

A moment later, someone with a shiny knife came out of the house and walked straight to the person with the hanging head. The latter lifted his head and pleaded in fear, "Grandpa, don't kill me. My family will definitely gather the ransom."

"Sorry, but while silver is nice, the stomach is more important." The man quickly stabbed the knife into the person's chest, and in a few swift movements, he dug out the heart. Then, he cut open the person's abdomen and dug out the liver.

"Brother, wait a moment, I'll go cook you some dishes." He held the freshly dug-out, still beating heart to his nose and took a deep sniff. "Mm, it's fresh. It will definitely be fragrant when cooked."

The scene made Li Wenjun's eyes bulge with anger. He had heard from the elders at home that during times of chaos or famine, there were incidents of cannibalism, but he never thought he would witness such a vivid and bloody scene.

What made him even angrier was that the area around Fengshou Town, like the rest of San County, had no famine. The weather was always favorable, and the harvests were abundant. Meat from pigs, cows, and sheep was easily obtainable. These people could have easily gotten meat, but they chose to eat humans.

Li Wenjun gritted his teeth. These people must not be allowed to live. He was not one to take the initiative to act righteously, but since he had encountered this, he could not just walk away. Additionally, Li Wenjun wanted to use this opportunity to test his abilities in a real fight.

Li Wenjun did not rush into the yard. He continued to observe the situation inside.

Soon, he figured out that there were three people in the yard. Two were sitting in the main hall with the door open, drinking at a table. The third was in the east wing, which was the kitchen, where the man who had dug out the heart and liver was now slicing the meat.

Li Wenjun had already come down from the treetops as he approached the yard. He picked up a few fist-sized stones from the ground and circled around to the east side of the yard, looking through the window of the east wing to find the position of the man who had dug out the heart and liver.

The man quickly finished slicing the meat, put it in a wooden basin, and walked to the window to scoop some water from the water jar to wash it.

The opportunity had come!

Li Wenjun held his breath, aimed at the man, and threw the stone with all his might.

The first throw missed, and the stone hit the ground with a thud.

The man shivered, quickly ducking behind the wall below the window.

There was no movement inside the east wing, and Li Wenjun waited patiently. He had enough time to wait them out.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a voice came from the main hall. "Third Brother, what are you doing? Why haven't you brought the dishes yet?"