Chapter 45

Fan Yibo was also a cautious and ruthless person. He had held the position of head constable for many years without being overthrown, which was not only due to his connection with the county magistrate Wu Qi but also largely due to his own character.

Although he coveted Li Wenjun's wealth, when the situation threatened his personal interests, his first choice was still to protect himself.

However, perhaps driven by greed, when Fan Yibo swung his knife at Li Wenjun, he did not aim at vital parts of Li Wenjun's body. Instead, he intended to give Li Wenjun a severe blow to make him realize the gap between them, force him to hand over his wealth, and then kill him.

Li Wenjun smiled coldly. He took a deep breath, leaped, and used his light body technique. In an instant, he appeared behind Fan Yibo, whose raised knife had not yet fully descended.

With one palm, Li Wenjun struck heavily at Fan Yibo's back.

Puff!

Fan Yibo's vision went dark, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

The blood rained down, creating a tragic and beautiful scene under the winter sunlight.

Fan Yibo, unable to maintain his balance, fell to the ground with a thud. He looked at Li Wenjun in shock, unable to understand why Li Wenjun was so powerful. He had personally investigated Li Wenjun's martial arts skills at the martial arts hall, and according to the hall master, Li Wenjun's abilities were slightly weaker than his own.

Li Wenjun looked at the severely injured Fan Yibo indifferently and said coldly, "Constable Fan, do you still want the silver?"

Fan Yibo lay on the ground, turned his head to look at Li Wenjun, and pointed at him. Just as he was about to speak, he spat out another mouthful of blood. After this, Fan Yibo was already on his last breath, close to death.

Before Li Wenjun reached the first level of the Qi Cultivation stage, he could split a stone as big as a millstone with three palms. Now, his strength was more than doubled.

With one palm, Li Wenjun shattered Fan Yibo's ribs and heart.

Li Wenjun shook his head. He had no intention of toying with his prey. If he had that time, he would rather go back and practice more. He raised his palm and silently cast a Fireball spell.

A moment later, a walnut-sized flame formed in his palm.

The dying Fan Yibo looked as if he had seen a ghost, his eyes filled with extreme fear. Unfortunately, it was too late to regret. Even if he wanted to call for help, he could not make a sound.

Li Wenjun flicked his wrist, and the fireball landed on Fan Yibo's body.

In no time, Fan Yibo was burned to ashes, and even the large knife and chain he carried were reduced to a lump of iron slag, making it impossible to recognize their original forms.

Li Wenjun leaped onto the treetops of a small forest, quickly circled around to ensure no one had seen him kill Fan Yibo, and then returned to the scene.

By this time, the cold north wind had already blown away part of Fan Yibo's ashes.

Li Wenjun found a branch, dug a hole in the ground, and pushed the remaining bones and other items into the hole, burying them. He picked up the iron slag formed from the melted knife and chain, planning to throw it away far away.

After everything was tidied up, Li Wenjun left with a sense of relief. He felt no guilt at all. Just like killing the two cannibal bandits, in his eyes, Fan Yibo was a person who deserved to die. He did not think there was anything wrong with killing such a person. As for the law, let it go to hell.

Li Wenjun took a roundabout route and entered the county through another city gate. He first went to the teahouse where he often drank tea, had a pot of tea, and listened to a story for a while before heading to Sun Baicao's herbal shop.

Sun Baicao briefly reported the recent business status of the shop to Li Wenjun and then handed him a wooden box containing some herbs that the shop had helped Li Wenjun collect.

Li Wenjun also asked about the search for the person, but Sun Baicao shook his head, indicating that there were still no clues.

As Li Wenjun was about to leave, Sun Baicao told him another piece of news. Sun Baicao said he had heard a rumor that the 300-year-old wild ginseng that had appeared in the precious goods market had been obtained by the county magistrate. Kong Yishi had already left the county with his people, heading for the provincial capital.

Li Wenjun could not help but feel puzzled. The 300-year-old wild ginseng was definitely valuable, and there were several cultivators in the precious goods market. Why did they not want it, but let Wu Xuemei and Kong Yishi buy it? Could they also be planning to make a profit without any cost, like he did?

Li Wenjun shook his head, said goodbye to Sun Baicao and Sun Jianing, and went home.

At home, Li Wenjun opened the wooden box, took out the herbs, and also took out the remaining herbs. He sorted them according to the formula for Qi Gathering Powder.

A moment later, Li Wenjun's face showed dissatisfaction. He could barely make two doses of Qi Gathering Powder. Even if he used one dose per day, it would only last two days. After two days, he would be back to the dilemma of having no herbs to use.

Li Wenjun put the herbs away and walked to the courtyard. He looked in the direction of Wufeng Mountain, considering the possibility of going up the mountain now.

What Li Wenjun felt most pressing was the lack of time. His cultivation realm was too low, and if he encountered other cultivators, he would be at a disadvantage if they were hostile.

Li Wenjun had long realized that to gain respect, he needed to have the corresponding strength. Without strength, everything was empty.

To quickly improve his strength, he had to continue using the bathwater for cultivation. To prepare the bathwater, herbs were essential. Relying solely on Sun Baicao's herbal shop to collect them was too slow. The small amount of herbs he brought back today was proof. He needed to find another way.

Wufeng Mountain definitely had the herbs he needed. On his last trip, he had collected over a dozen doses of herbs. If he could search the mountain thoroughly, he might find even more.

Of course, going up the mountain now was not the best choice. On one hand, heavy snow had blocked the mountain paths, making them slippery and dangerous. On the other hand, wild fruits and other food sources were scarce in winter, and once his provisions ran out, how to feed himself would be a problem.

Additionally, winter was not the best season for collecting herbs. Almost all herbs were withered, and even if he could collect them, their efficacy would not be as strong as during their peak. Another crucial point was that the notorious bandit Wang Yonggui had not been caught by the authorities or driven out of Sanshan County. If Wang Yonggui was hiding in Wufeng Mountain, he might encounter Li Wenjun, which was a significant concern.

In summary, going up the mountain now was not the best choice, but the problem was that Li Wenjun had no other options. If he wanted to continue cultivating at a relatively fast pace, he had to go up the mountain to collect herbs.

Going up the mountain to collect herbs was certainly risky. But would he not do it because of the risks? Since the drought in his hometown, he had faced many dangers. Riches come with risks, and without a bit of冒险精神, he should not cultivate at all. With his current abilities, he could easily be a wealthy man for life.

After pondering for a while, Li Wenjun made up his mind to go up the mountain.

Li Wenjun began preparing for the trip, ensuring he had enough provisions like braised meat, pickled vegetables, and steamed buns. He also packed tools like lanterns, ropes, a herb-digging hoe, and a mountain cleaver, as well as items like fire starters and blankets.

After everything was prepared, a day had passed. The next day, Li Wenjun said goodbye to Sun Baicao and entrusted him with taking care of his dog.

When Sun Baicao learned that Li Wenjun was going up the mountain to collect herbs, he urgently advised him against it.

Besides pointing out the great dangers of going up the mountain at this time, Sun Baicao also mentioned that it was almost the New Year, and it was not a good time to go up the mountain.

No matter how Sun Baicao tried to persuade him, Li Wenjun's decision did not waver. He was a person with strong will and would not easily be swayed by others. Of course, if someone's advice was more practical than his own, he would still listen.

After politely thanking Sun Baicao, Li Wenjun bid farewell to the Sun family and left the county, heading straight for Wufeng Mountain, which was five miles away.

After winter set in, Sanshan County had several snowfalls, and Wufeng Mountain was covered in snow. The paths leading up the mountain were blocked by the heavy snow. Li Wenjun found the path based on his memory and began his ascent.

The mountain paths were covered with thick snow, making it difficult to walk. Each step was deep and uneven. This was a minor difficulty compared to the more dangerous parts of the path, which were often near mountain ravines. One misstep could lead to a fall into the ravine. If the path was next to a cliff, a fall would be fatal even for Li Wenjun.

After several days of searching in the mountains, Li Wenjun found nothing. The snow was too thick, and the herbs were buried under the snow. He did not have the ability to see through the snow layer to find the herbs.

What Li Wenjun could do was to search in areas where the snow layer was thinner. He also had to lie on the edge of cliffs to check if there were any herbs growing on the steep cliffs.

Unconsciously, Li Wenjun gradually moved away from the edge of Wufeng Mountain and entered its deeper regions.

Perhaps the experience he had gained was effective. One day, after much effort, he managed to collect two herbs he needed from a cliff. To his surprise, these herbs, possibly due to growing in a sheltered area, were not completely withered and still had some green at the roots, indicating that their efficacy was much stronger than when they were completely withered.