Chapter 9

Jiang Anping changed his clothes, with unkempt hair and a dirty face, his long hair covering half of his face, standing at the city gate.

"Pay the tax to enter the city, five copper coins!" A soldier stopped Jiang Anping.

Jiang Anping, with a pained expression, carefully took out five copper coins from his bag and reluctantly handed them over.

He wasn't short of money, but he had to act as if he was, otherwise these guys would be greedy and ask for more.

After receiving the money, the soldier put his weapon away.

Jiang Anping actually didn't want to come to the county town; he didn't believe that the most dangerous place was the safest.

The reason he came to the county town was to figure out some things.

What is the "Blood Qi Decree"? What is the Blood Qi Pill? How strong are these soldiers? What is his current level of strength?

He knew nothing.

Knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles; it was unwise to rashly engage in conflict.

For example, in the previous battle, he didn't know that cultivators shouldn't easily engage in close combat with martial artists, so he almost got killed.

This time, he came to gather information.

This was his second visit to Ping Shui County.

He had come once before with his father, and the first time he was shocked by the prosperity here.

His childhood wish was to leave the village and live here.

In the past, people on the streets had smiles on their faces, but now they were almost gone.

Passing by a teahouse, he heard the lively conversations inside and went in to order a cup of tea, sitting quietly in a corner.

"The front line has suffered another defeat."

"These guys are really out of their minds. Our Lingtai Kingdom is clearly not strong, yet they were incited to start a war, and it's the common people who suffer!" an old man said angrily.

"Shh, you can't say that!" someone quickly reminded him.

"What can't be said? Look at the Great Xia Kingdom, how well they treat the people. During the war, they exempt various taxes, and the people help the country. Look at our Lingtai Kingdom, it's nothing but trouble!"

"Don't talk about this. Have you heard? Someone in Dahexiang killed a lot of soldiers."

A well-informed middle-aged man spoke up.

"Is that true? Who is so bold?"

"The details are unclear, but a lot of soldiers died, and many more were sent there."

"Serve them right! They deserved it!"

Many people in the teahouse smiled.

Jiang Anping said nothing, sitting quietly in the corner, listening to the conversations around him.

Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces, he knew he was on the right path.

He also learned that not all countries oppressed the lower classes like Ping Shui County; for example, the Great Xia Kingdom was not as harsh.

Above the teahouse was a place to stay, and Jiang Anping stayed there. Over the next few days, besides practicing, he would go downstairs to listen to people's conversations and various stories.

Living in the village, he heard many things he had never known before.

When the topic turned to cultivators and soldiers, he would intentionally or unintentionally say a few words to better gather information.

After five or six days, he got the information he wanted.

Ping Shui County had four thousand cavalry, with three thousand stationed near the border with the Great Xia Kingdom.

The soldiers in Ping Shui County were divided into five ranks: General, Battalion Commander, Company Commander, Platoon Commander, and ordinary soldiers.

These people practiced martial arts, specifically the "Blood Qi Decree," which increased their strength after cultivation.

His current strength was equivalent to that of a low-level Company Commander, far below a Battalion Commander, and even less than some powerful Company Commanders.

He heard that the strength of a Battalion Commander was equivalent to the 6th to 9th layers of the Qi Cultivation stage of a cultivator.

The General was even stronger, at the 10th layer of Qi Cultivation, and there were rumors that the General had reached the Martial Artist level, equivalent to the Foundation Establishment stage of a cultivator.

Another book he obtained was called "Illusory Blade," a martial skill with three levels, commonly used in Ping Shui County.

Learning the first level could produce one illusory blade image, the second level could produce two, and the third level could produce three.

The higher the level of cultivation, the more powerful it was.

When he learned this information, Jiang Anping was secretly frightened.

His opponent, Cui Xiao, had only learned the first level of "Illusory Blade" and was just a low-level Company Commander.

If the opponent had been stronger, he would definitely be dead now.

He also gained some understanding of the cultivation stages of cultivators. It turned out that cultivation didn't mean becoming an immortal, just being stronger than ordinary people.

To become powerful, cultivators needed to learn techniques, but he had none, only a breathing and qi circulation method.

"The wanted notice is posted at the city gate! It's the notice for the one who killed Company Commander Cui Xiao! The culprit is a child!"

A person walked into the teahouse and loudly shared the news he had just received.

"A child? Is that true? How could a teenager kill a Company Commander?"

The guests in the teahouse were shocked.

They had been discussing this matter for days, but they didn't know the culprit was a teenager.

"Of course it's true! I saw the portrait with my own eyes!"

"I heard that the soldiers have been searching for him for many days but haven't found him. They suspect he might have run into a town, so they made the wanted notice..."

The person sharing the news suddenly saw something, his pupils constricted, and he quickly turned his head away.

"The wanted notice is being posted outside the city gate, and in other towns as well. If I were that teenager, I would run east. The mountains there are steep, and horses can't go up, but be careful of bandits; there are many there."

Jiang Anping pressed his hat down and walked out of the teahouse as if nothing had happened, heading quickly toward the east city gate.

After Jiang Anping walked away, the person sharing the news looked up and muttered, "Boy, stay alive."

Soon, many people saw Jiang Anping's portrait.

Regulars at the teahouse were shocked when they saw the portrait.

Isn't this the boy who often sat in the corner?

He actually dared to come to Ping Shui County!

Jiang Anping arrived at the east city gate, wearing a straw hat, and walked out at a steady pace.

Everyone was looking at the portrait at the gate, and their attention wasn't on him.

"Stop!"

A soldier suddenly shouted.

Jiang Anping's heart sank, and he was ready to run.

"Open your bag, let me see what good things you have." The soldier said greedily.

Seeing that Jiang Anping was alone and his side profile was that of a child, but his bag was bulging, the soldier thought there might be something valuable inside that he could take.

Jiang Anping pressed his hat down and handed over the bag.

It was full of clothes and a few copper coins.

The soldier threw the clothes on the ground and unceremoniously put the copper coins in his pocket.

"Get lost... Wait! You are..."

"Whoosh~"

Jiang Anping pulled out the soldier's knife and quickly cut off his leg.

Focusing on robbing you, why did you have to look more?

These soldiers didn't have the same protection as those in the Great Xia Kingdom. If they were injured in battle, they were abandoned.

Killing this scoundrel would be too easy; it was better to cripple him, let him be abandoned, and eventually starve to death, which was more painful.

"Ahhh~"

A piercing scream echoed throughout the east city gate.

Jiang Anping didn't want to act, but the other party forced him to.

He stole a horse and rode out of the city.

"The culprit! That boy is the one who killed the Company Commander!!"

Hearing this, the soldiers who were originally planning to stop him instantly scattered.

This guy could kill a Company Commander; facing them, these trash soldiers, it would be one cut and they'd be dead. Anyone who tried to stop him would die.

"Report to the higher-ups immediately! Say the person who killed the Company Commander fled from the east gate!"

"Damn! This kid is really bold, daring to run into the city!"

"Quickly chase him, don't let him get away!"