Chapter 61

"Already outstretched, what are you going to do about it?"

"Well, there are three ways."

"Which ones?"

"First, we use this opportunity to kill that guy and then report it to the Martial Alliance. Second, we leave him as he is and wait for him to wake up. Third, we move him to a better inn and show our goodwill."

"Hmm, then let's try the first one first, and if it seems impossible, we'll use the third one, okay?"

"That sounds good. Do you have the Baguang Zhangtianbi (Eight Desolate Long Sky Dagger)?"

"Brother, don't you have a good sword too?"

Then the man said, a bit embarrassed,

"No matter how good mine is, can it compare to one of the Ten Generation Wonders? I don't have the confidence with mine..."

"Alright. Here it is. It's a sensitive one, so handle it gently."

The woman took out a luxurious dagger, about a foot long, from her bosom and handed it to the man. The blade was about 21 centimeters long, and the handle was about 10.5 centimeters. This slightly longer dagger, called the Baguang Zhangtianbi, was renowned for its ability to destroy protective energy and held a place among the Ten Generation Wonders. Her father had obtained it after great effort and presented it to her on her thirty-fifth birthday. Impressed by its sharpness, she always carried it with her.

The man hid the dagger in his left hand and entered the restaurant with his subordinates. When they entered, they saw a waiter trying to lift up the unconscious Moxiang. No matter how much the waiter shook him, Moxiang suddenly sprang up, causing the waiter behind him to fall backward and hit a table. The group, who had harbored murderous intent, felt cold sweat run down their backs but pretended to be indifferent and sat at a nearby table. Moxiang, looking at them with a dazed expression, spoke in a slurred voice.

"Huh? That's strange... I felt some murderous intent, was it from you guys?"

They felt their hearts sink but tried to remain calm and responded as if they didn't understand.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You guys, did you dare to harbor murderous intent against me?"

"No, no, you must have been mistaken..."

"Is that so..."

Thud.

Moxiang lay back on the table again.

'Sigh, even though I suppressed the murderous intent as much as possible, it still came to this. I must have been too tense. I need to calm down a bit...'

"Hey, bring some alcohol and snacks."

"Yes."

The waiter, who had fallen backward, left Moxiang as he was and started bringing the ordered food. The man drank a few glasses of alcohol without any snacks, loosening his tense body and mind a bit, then slowly stood up. As he did, he kept repeating in his mind,

'It's just a log. It's just a log. It's just a log...'

If he felt even a little bit of the urge to kill, it would be over. With such a sensitive person, he had to maintain his composure until the very last moment. Ideally, even after the strike, there should be no murderous intent. The man approached Moxiang's back stealthily and slowly lowered the dagger in his left hand. He used all his skills, holding the Baguang Zhangtianbi in his left hand and gently grasping the handle with his right, slowly bringing it close to Moxiang's back.

Since he could detect even the slightest murderous intent, he couldn't draw the Baguang Zhangtianbi, which emitted intense sharpness, and bring it close to his back. He had to draw and swing it simultaneously at the last moment. He tried to calm his heart, which was pounding, but once the prey was in front of him, he focused entirely on his goal. He stared intently at the part where the log's heart would be, slowly gathering a little power and tensing his muscles so that the opponent wouldn't notice.

'Just a little more...'

Just as he was about to use the Baguang Zhangtianbi to cut the log in half, a strong aura erupted from the log's body. At the same time, the shabby restaurant was filled with a strong smell of alcohol, making it hard to breathe. In the next moment, the log-like Moxiang transformed into a living person, radiating a strong aura.

'Oh no!'

The man instinctively felt that something was wrong and hastily pushed the Baguang Zhangtianbi back into his left hand. As he quickly destroyed all evidence with practiced movements and pretended to be unaware, Moxiang, who had instantly expelled all the alcohol from his body, slowly stood up with a clear complexion and muttered,

"Something's off..."

He then approached the table where his subordinates and the woman were sitting.

"I keep feeling a continuous murderous intent here."

In fact, the boss had successfully concealed his murderous intent with superhuman effort, but the problem was that his subordinates were prepared to support him in case of an emergency. Moxiang had sensed the murderous intent of the subordinates, not the boss. Realizing that things were taking a strange turn, the woman smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and greeted him first.

"Hello, Vice Leader Moxiang. It's nice to see you again."

"Hmm? Who are you?"

"I was the one at the slaughterhouse..."

"Oh, the boss's representative. What are you doing here?"

"I have a great proposal, so I brought the boss here."

"Boss?"

At that moment, the man bowed respectfully from behind Moxiang and introduced himself.

"Hello, I am Hong Jin."

"Hello, I am Moxiang. Your pursuit skills are impressive."

"Thank you. I followed you because I agreed with the proposal."

"But what about that murderous intent earlier?"

"That... my subordinates, who witnessed your amazing martial arts, were thinking of our safety and prepared for it. Don't worry too much. Hehe..."

"Alright. I appreciate your help."

"Since we met like this, how about having a drink with us?"

"Sure."

"By the way, this is my younger brother, Hong Qing. His martial arts are not great, but he is very wise and manages the household."

Initially, they were almost at the point of murder, but strangely, a friendly drinking session ensued. Whether this union would bring disaster or fortune, no one could predict, but it marked the merger of the two organizations.

After toasting and chatting, the slaughterhouse people left, and Moxiang remained in the restaurant, drinking alone. After drinking for a while, Moxiang noticed something strange. If he had been in a normal state, he would have noticed it as soon as he entered, but he was preoccupied with his master's affairs at the time. Now that his mind was somewhat calm, he couldn't help but notice.

'Amazing.'

Moxiang started staring intently at the table, or rather, the top of the table. The thoughts of his master's death and the joy of the slaughterhouse merger had vanished from his mind. All that remained was a sense of amazement. After examining the table for a while, he started checking the chairs and then the other tables.

'Really amazing...'

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, Moxiang called the waiter.

"Hey."

"Yes, sir."

"Where did you get this table?"

"Yes, it was made by a carpenter named Zhen Ba who lives in the forest. It's not very fancy, but it's very sturdy."

"It's sturdy enough. Tell me where he lives in detail."

As he handed over five silver coins, the waiter's mouth dropped open and he started chattering.

After paying for the food, Moxiang set off to meet the carpenter named Zhen Ba. Zhen Ba's house was a small thatched cottage located halfway up a mountain. In front of the cottage, a young carpenter, presumably Zhen Ba, was digging with a hoe, probably to plant new vegetables after harvesting all the crops.

As Moxiang approached, the rhythm of the hoe hitting the ground strangely synchronized with his steps. The carpenter was silently looking at the ground, digging with the hoe, while Moxiang was slowly approaching him. Moxiang sensed a condensed and hidden murderous intent emanating from the hoe as he got closer to the carpenter. The closer Moxiang got, the stronger the murderous intent felt. His hand instinctively reached for the handle of the Muyingbi (Ink Shadow Dagger) hidden in his bosom.

Moxiang had a strange feeling that the carpenter, who was looking at the ground, was actually scanning his entire body. He also felt that the downward swing of the hoe was targeting his entire body. For the first time in his life, Moxiang had a fleeting thought that he might die. But in the next moment, he felt all the cells in his body reacting explosively to the situation, giving him an incredible thrill. In the next moment, Moxiang was approaching the carpenter like a hawk hunting its prey.

When Moxiang was about 6 meters away from the carpenter, the hoe, which had been filled with a massive amount of energy, suddenly fell from above. At that moment, Moxiang instinctively sensed the danger and quickly retreated. However, the carpenter's hoe hit the ground slightly faster. The moment the hoe hit the ground, an astonishing phenomenon occurred. A whirlwind of terrifying energy was generated and spread out in a spherical shape from that point.

As the powerful energy spread, Moxiang instantly drew the Muyingbi from his bosom and slashed downward. A whirlwind of sword energy formed in a crescent shape from his dagger, colliding with the spherical energy wave emitted by the opponent.

The moment their energies collided, Moxiang realized that the energy wave coming at him was incredibly strong. It was probably a fatal attack prepared with vast power, utilizing the opponent's lifetime of enlightenment. He abandoned any futile attacks and used the 4th section of the 4th chapter, Wanggang (Net of Steel: a chain of energy), to protect himself externally, and the 4th section of the 1st chapter, Fang (Defense), the strongest defensive technique, internally. At the same time, the energy wave emitted by the opponent enveloped Moxiang.

The intense energy wave shattered the Wanggang in an instant and delivered a powerful impact to the Fang, shaking it. Soon, the Fang, which had never been broken before, collapsed, and the energy wave collided with Moxiang's protective energy with great force.

"Ugh!"

'Really amazing...!'

Moxiang swallowed something rising in his throat and began a counterattack with all his might. He had lost the initiative, but he was not the type to be easily defeated.

As the whirlwind passed, Moxiang used the 4th section of the 4th chapter, Tonggang (Passing Steel), and the 5th section of the 4th chapter, Duogang (Multiple Steel), to unleash a powerful force. Moxiang had rarely used Duogang, which involved emitting several to hundreds of energy beams simultaneously. Duogang alone could not exert any power and was typically used in conjunction with Juegang or Tonggang.

From the Muyingbi, which was aimed at the opponent, hundreds of sword energy beams shot out instantly. At this moment, the opponent, who had landed a blow on Moxiang and was now approaching him at an incredible speed to finish him off, was hit directly by Moxiang's attack. The opponent ended up taking the full brunt of Moxiang's attack with his entire body.

When the opponent saw hundreds of energy beams from Moxiang, his eyes widened slightly. He then dropped the hoe, lowered his head, and raised his feet as high as possible, forming a '二' (two) shape with his hands in front of his body. At the same time, a blue energy shield spread from his arms, forming a thick barrier in front of his body.

Bang!

A deafening explosion echoed, and the opponent was sent flying backward by the recoil. As he flew backward, he shot out ten Zhi Gang (Finger Steel) from his fingers. The best defense is an attack, after all.

'So you're trying to buy time.'

Moxiang instantly used the 4th section of the 1st chapter, Fang, to protect his body and pursued the opponent to prevent him from having time to prepare.

Peng!

The moment the ten Zhi Gang hit the Fang, Moxiang was surprised by their unexpected strength. If he had been slightly less cautious, the Fang would have broken, and the attack would have affected his protective energy.

As he was pushed back by the powerful recoil from the Zhi Gang hitting the Fang, Moxiang caught a glimpse of the result of the opponent's initial attack. Astonishingly, the spherical energy wave emitted by the opponent had turned a 150-meter radius area into almost flat ground, starting from where the hoe had hit. Moxiang realized that the opponent's power might be even greater than his own. Abandoning the idea of engaging in close combat, his forte, Moxiang immediately pulled back and increased the distance between them. He put the Muyingbi back in his bosom and, in a hurry, used his power to burn a box and a piece of cloth with Sanmeizhenhuo (Three Pure Fires) and took out the Muhun (Ink Soul). Gripping the handle of the Muhun with both hands, Moxiang began to muster his fighting spirit again.

Another expert of the Xianjing realm

After drawing the Muhun, Moxiang, burning with new determination, lunged at the carpenter. The distance between them closed instantly, and Moxiang immediately unleashed his sword technique, swinging the Muhun at the opponent's neck. However, the opponent remained still, making no counterattack. Moxiang found this strange.

With the power he had invested, any defensive action would have been expected. He would have dodged or responded with another action... Moxiang himself would not have dared to take such an attack with his protective energy.

The Muhun stopped half an inch from the opponent's neck. A firm voice came from Moxiang's mouth.

"Do you want to die?"

The carpenter smiled and said,

"I've been waiting for this day. You are truly remarkable. You have the qualifications to strike my neck. Go ahead, don't hesitate."

"Well, it's not difficult to grant your request, but I'd like to know the reason."

As Moxiang sheathed the Muhun and placed it at his waist, a strange light appeared on the