Chapter 48

"Although this journey is definitely dangerous," Hao Qi affirmed without hesitation.

Since the battle underground, about five days had passed, and the situation had largely stabilized, leaving only the final cleanup work, which was, of course, the most important and troublesome part.

In the underground battle, Hao Qi killed Scholar Sid on the spot, almost crippled Scholar Tian Shuwen, and left Scholar Li Yu almost terrified. If he were to fight Hao Qi again, he might not even be able to use half of his strength. It was almost certain that Li Yu and Tian Shuwen would not make any further progress in the future. The entire Bai Cao Kingdom had only eight Inner Strength Realm practitioners, and with three of them out of commission, the enmity between Hao Qi and the Bai Cao Kingdom had deepened.

Therefore, according to Zhang Heng's suggestion, Hao Qi should quickly escape from the Bai Cao Kingdom. However, Hao Qi remained in the small village without worry, not only recuperating but also leisurely strolling around the village every day, seemingly not taking the remaining five Inner Strength Realm practitioners of the Bai Cao Kingdom seriously.

Five days later, Hao Qi's injuries had healed, and he told Zhang Heng that he wanted to go to the capital of the Bai Cao Kingdom, which shocked Zhang Heng.

"Although it is dangerous, I believe I will be safe," Hao Qi responded to Zhang Heng's doubts. "First, I know the extent of Tian Shuwen's injuries; he hasn't recovered yet, so we can rule him out. Then there's Li Yu; I don't believe he has the courage to fight me, so that's one less. Of the remaining five Inner Strength Realm practitioners, although I can't boast, I can at least guarantee that I can escape. They will also be aware of this, as they will consult Li Yu and Tian Shuwen about the details of the battle. Once they understand the details, they will make an assessment. If they can't catch me, and five people kill me on the spot, that's one thing. But if they really surround me and I escape, it will be a matter of life and death for them, their families, their descendants, and their disciples. None of them will be able to escape. Either they stay together all the time, or they won't be able to live the rest of their lives. So I have a 70% confidence that they won't make a move."

"The battle underground was just a prelude. I need to go to the capital to handle the specifics, whether it's to clear your father's name or to secure our interests. This trip is necessary."

Zhang Heng, moved and saddened, immediately said to Hao Qi, "No, I don't want any benefits. Honestly, you have already avenged me by killing Sid. The rest... it's fine."

Hao Qi laughed and shook his head, "How can that be? Not to mention the value of planting the crimson blue grass, the historical records of the Bai Cao Kingdom must be changed. I still have a grudge to settle. I won't let the Bai Cao Kingdom lose face, or I won't be able to get over this. So even if it's not for you, I must go. But there's something I need to tell you first."

Zhang Heng immediately nodded, "Just say it. Any request, even if it means death, I will do it for you."

Hao Qi shook his head, "No need to be so serious. Simply put, I need a large sum of money to do some things. I will definitely take a big chunk of the benefits from the crimson blue grass from the Bai Cao Kingdom. I will take one-third..."

Zhang Heng interrupted, "No, Hao Qi, take all the money. Honestly, without you, I might still be living in a daze. So this money..."

Hao Qi shook his head again, interrupting Zhang Heng, "Let's be clear. This money is yours. I will take one-third as a loan, and I will definitely pay it back. Of course, I understand your thoughts. If you don't want me to pay it back, I will accept it, but if you want me to take it all, do you think I will agree?"

Zhang Heng hesitated for a moment and then nodded. However, he had one request: he wanted to go to the capital of the Bai Cao Kingdom with Hao Qi. Even if the five people surrounded Hao Qi, he didn't need to worry about him and could escape directly, as long as he avenged him later.

Hao Qi thought about it and agreed. They immediately set off for the capital of the Bai Cao Kingdom.

Actually, Hao Qi had one more thing he didn't tell Zhang Heng. Since Zhang Heng was not an Inner Strength Realm practitioner, he probably didn't know about some matters related to the Inner Strength Realm and above. In the Inner Strength Realm circle of the eastern Blue Sea region, it was rumored that there was a hidden Inner Qi Realm expert in the capital of the Bai Cao Kingdom, possibly the hero who founded the kingdom. Hao Qi didn't know if this was true, as he was only an Inner Strength Realm practitioner, far from reaching the Inner Qi Realm. He was unclear about the strength, abilities, and lifespan of Inner Qi Realm experts. What if that Inner Qi Realm expert was still alive?

Hao Qi's actions this time had thoroughly offended the Bai Cao Kingdom government, and he was somewhat worried that the Inner Qi Realm expert might intervene. Regardless of whether the person was a hero, the Bai Cao Kingdom was their life's work. If the person was still alive, there was a 50% chance they would intervene. If they did, Hao Qi believed he wouldn't be able to escape, just like how non-Inner Strength Realm people couldn't escape from Inner Strength Realm practitioners.

If it came to that, Hao Qi had already made up his mind. He would use the resurrection system and consume all three attributes, even if it meant using his last bit of strength to kill the Inner Qi Realm expert. He vowed not to compromise his principles, and this was his resolve now!

Thus, Hao Qi and Zhang Heng went to the capital of the Bai Cao Kingdom and directly went to the government offices, which shocked the entire capital. At least those with power and high-level martial artists knew that the Inner Strength Realm practitioner who had killed Sid, crippled Tian Shuwen, and defeated Li Yu, and who had fought three and won, had arrived!

During these five days, Hao Qi had been comfortable, but the Bai Cao Kingdom government had been in chaos.

When Tian Shuwen and Li Yu returned to the capital, the news they brought was almost unbelievable. First, Zhang Heng, the son of the criminal who "stole" Sid's research notebook, had actually found the method to plant the crimson blue grass. This was a great surprise, even if the discoverer would be Sid, the benefits of planting the crimson blue grass would be distributed among the eight Inner Strength Realm practitioners and the nobles of the Bai Cao Kingdom.

However, the next news was even more unbelievable. According to Tian Shuwen and Li Yu, the Inner Strength Realm practitioner who accompanied Zhang Heng, the young Inner Strength Realm practitioner from the Blue Shadow Republic, who had undergone the second-level baptism and passed, Hao Qi, had fought three against one underground, killed Sid, almost crippled Tian Shuwen, and "defeated" Li Yu.

Li Yu wouldn't admit he was scared, so he claimed he was defeated and exaggerated Hao Qi's strength. Fortunately, Tian Shuwen was still alive and gave a relatively fair assessment of Hao Qi's strength. Otherwise, the Bai Cao Kingdom officials might have thought they were facing an Inner Qi Realm expert.

Even so, the results were hard to believe. First, they couldn't believe that Sid was dead. An Inner Strength Realm practitioner being killed was something that hadn't happened in years. Second, they couldn't believe that an Inner Strength Realm practitioner would help an orphan with nothing to offer, especially the son of a criminal. Such an orphan couldn't provide any benefits to the Inner Strength Realm practitioner!

Third, they couldn't believe Hao Qi's strength. He had achieved Inner Strength in less than a year and had fought three and won, killing one, crippling one, and defeating one. Was this even fair to the veteran Inner Strength Realm practitioners?

Because of the news brought back by Li Yu and Tian Shuwen, the Bai Cao Kingdom government spent a huge amount of effort and resources over the five days to gather all the information about Hao Qi since he achieved Inner Strength, even before that. After hundreds of people's intensive research, they finally summarized several key points.

First, from the available information, Hao Qi was likely a legendary innate Dao body, someone who could instantly achieve Inner Strength by mastering a martial art to its peak. Such a person's strength could not be measured by conventional standards.

Second, Hao Qi likely possessed Inner Qi Realm martial arts or had an Inner Qi Realm master behind him. This was evident from his ability to use Inner Qi to form shapes in battle. According to the records, he could use two Inner Qi Realm martial arts: a golden ten-thousand-character handprint and a black-and-white intersecting circle punch, with the latter being more powerful.

Third, Hao Qi had a chivalrous spirit. He was an orphan who had trained for ten years with great determination and perseverance to achieve Inner Strength. He had a conflict with the nobles of the Blue Shadow Republic, making him different from the veteran Inner Strength Realm practitioners. From his past battle records, he was a person who dared to fight to the death.

These points made the quasi-Inner Strength Realm practitioners who were calling for a united effort to kill Hao Qi shut up, and the five Inner Strength Realm experts who were eager to act became completely calm, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over their heads.

They couldn't afford to provoke Hao Qi...

Indeed, if they gathered the remaining six Inner Strength Realm practitioners, excluding the dead Sid and the almost crippled Tian Shuwen, and perhaps recruited a couple more martial arts group leaders, they could definitely defeat Hao Qi and kill Zhang Heng. However, whether they could kill Hao Qi was another matter. They might even be killed by Hao Qi in a desperate fight. If that happened, it would be a matter of life and death for them, their families, their descendants, and their disciples. If Hao Qi escaped, he would likely kill all those involved in the attack, as his past records showed he was not a merciful person and had no fear or admiration for the nobles or the government.

So, when Hao Qi arrived in the capital of the Bai Cao Kingdom five days later, he received...

A warm welcome from the government leaders and the remaining six Inner Strength Realm experts, as if he were a distinguished guest of the Bai Cao Kingdom...