Chapter 81

Chu Li observed with the Great Mirror Wisdom, noting that Ding Weisong's blood and qi were as weak as those of a seventy-year-old man, the aftereffects of the secret technique being quite severe.

He silently appeared in the woodshed, standing quietly in front of Ding Weisong.

Ding Weisong did not sense anything unusual and continued to practice to restore his blood and qi, his body and mind exhausted, his reactions much slower.

Chu Li reached out to seal his acupoints but stopped, knowing that the acupoints of a body cultivator were different from those of a martial artist, and a single palm might not be effective, causing him to struggle violently.

"Ahem!" Chu Li coughed lightly.

Ding Weisong's eyes snapped open, his face changing drastically as he got up, ready to run.

Chu Li pressed him back down: "You are at the end of your rope, why waste your effort? Let's chat!"

"What's there to chat about?" Ding Weisong secretly urged the secret technique, planning to strike when Chu Li relaxed.

Chu Li said, "Where is the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Diagram hidden?"

"What White Tiger diagram?" Ding Weisong was taken aback, showing a puzzled look: "What are you talking about? What White Tiger diagram?"

Chu Li smiled, finding his performance quite convincing: "Then let's change the question. You've made a lot of money over the years, right? Where did you hide it?"

"What do you want?" Ding Weisong said coldly.

Chu Li smiled: "I'm sure the silver bills are hidden in a secret place, with traps set so only you can retrieve them, right?... Making so much money, not spending it quickly, and saving it for old age, isn't that ridiculous?... Brother Ding, do you really think you'll live to be old?"

"Don't worry about it!" Ding Weisong snorted: "Do you want those silver bills?"

Chu Li said, "Use the silver bills to buy your life."

"How much do you want?" Ding Weisong sneered.

Chu Li smiled: "A beauty at the Inviting Moon Tower costs 100,000 taels for redemption, and you, a famous expert, shouldn't be lower than a woman from the Inviting Moon Tower, right?"

"Speak up, how much?" Ding Weisong snorted.

Chu Li pondered for a moment and held out his left palm: "500,000 taels!"

"... Alright, deal!" Ding Weisong said solemnly.

Chu Li smiled: "Brother Ding, you're a straightforward man!"

Ding Weisong reached into his robe, took out a stack of silver bills, and handed them to Chu Li: "Here are 100,000 taels, take them first, the rest will be paid later!"

Just as Chu Li reached out, Ding Weisong's left hand struck out like lightning.

Chu Li dodged.

Ding Weisong retracted his fist and shook his head: "Impressive!"

He sighed inwardly, the best opportunity had failed, and this Chu fellow was also a cunning person!

Chu Li smiled: "Brother Ding, you're not being fair!"

"Alright, I admit defeat!" Ding Weisong sighed: "Here are the silver bills, the remaining 400,000 taels, I will get them soon."

"When will you get them?" Chu Li didn't take the silver bills, smiling: "Give them to me all at once!"

"Not now." Ding Weisong shook his head: "I can't move now, others can't retrieve them!"

His face was now even more sallow, as if coated with a layer of ginger juice.

The consequences of using the secret technique again were blood and qi depletion, and at this moment, he felt even speaking was an effort.

Chu Li looked at the silver bills in his hand and smiled: "These silver bills are contaminated with something nasty, I'd better not touch them."

Ding Weisong forced a smile: "Joke!"

"The silver bills are coated with a deadly poison, causing death within seven steps... Brother Ding, where did you get the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Diagram?"

"What White Tiger Yang Cultivation Diagram?" Ding Weisong asked, puzzled: "Is it a martial arts secret manual?"

Chu Li sighed: "Brother Ding, I can't be blamed, goodbye!"

With that, he flashed behind Ding Weisong, and a sword flash pierced his neck, killing him instantly.

Under normal circumstances, with his body cultivation, Ding Weisong wouldn't have been so easily pierced, but Chu Li had lured him to use the secret technique twice, leaving him weak and powerless against the sword.

Chu Li sighed, pulled out the sword, wiped it on Ding Weisong's body, cut a piece of his clothing, wrapped the silver bills, and put them in his pocket, then silently left the residence and left the city.

The moonlight was like water, the night misty.

Chu Li flashed through the depths of the forest, like a shadow, heading to where Ding Weisong had hidden the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Diagram.

The one who had commissioned Ding Weisong to assassinate him was Feng Shicai, Feng Wen's father, a famous martial arts hero.

Chu Li didn't rush to find Feng Shicai.

He estimated that the disciples of the Great Thunderclap Temple were waiting for him, so he let Feng Shicai live a bit longer. Once he found the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Diagram and cultivated the Vajra Deliverance Divine Skill, he could challenge the disciples of the Great Thunderclap Temple and kill Feng Shicai.

The technique of "reaching the horizon in a step" was extremely draining of inner strength but incredibly fast. By midnight, he had traveled over a thousand miles to a large mountain.

The morning sunlight was particularly bright. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, one could only see the snow-covered waist of the mountain, the peak hidden by clouds.

Chu Li used the "reaching the horizon in a step" technique and quickly arrived at a cave halfway up the mountain.

The surroundings were all ice, hard as stone, with no softness of snow.

A cave was sealed by ice, indistinguishable from the surrounding ice walls. If he hadn't known beforehand, he wouldn't have noticed it.

He used his palm to break through the ice, entered the cave, avoided the traps, and then saw a simple stone bed, a stone table, and white porcelain teacups and plates, with dried meat and grain piled up beside them.

This was where Ding Weisong had hidden, only occasionally descending the mountain for missions or to vent, so no one could find him.

On the stone table was a wooden box. He picked up a piece of ice outside, shaped it into a stick, and gently pried open the box, revealing a yellowed, thin book, identical to the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Diagram manual he had seen before.

Chu Li tapped the box with the ice stick, shattering it into pieces.

He drew his sword, used the tip to lift the thin book, and placed it in front of him.

The cover read "White Tiger Yang Cultivation Diagram" in large characters, the strokes golden and silver, the handwriting the same as the one he had seen before, clearly from the same person, but it didn't specify upper or lower volumes.

Chu Li knew that Ding Weisong had never realized he was only practicing the lower volume, thinking the White Tiger Yang Cultivation Diagram only had six diagrams. Even so, he had only visualized one diagram, the other five being unclear, causing headaches when he tried to visualize them.

This was due to insufficient mental strength, being injured by the tiger's momentum, unable to suppress the White Tiger's malevolent aura and power, making it impossible to visualize and cultivate.

Chu Li quickly finished the six diagrams, deep in thought, standing in place and visualizing. The twelve diagrams flashed one by one, eventually speeding up and suddenly disappearing, leaving his mind pitch black.

Chu Li remained calm, the Great Mirror Wisdom making him composed. He visualized quietly, even with his mind pitch black, remaining calm and composed.

"Roar..." a vast, long roar echoed.

His entire body trembled with the sound, a surging force coming from the void. Previously, his cultivation was like a thin thread, but now it had become a torrent, forcefully and dominantly entering his body, as if tearing his flesh and shattering his bones.

Pain like a tidal wave surged, and he couldn't help but tremble uncontrollably.

The long, vast tiger roar shattered the darkness, and his mind was filled with light, revealing a massive White Tiger, ten times larger, its claws stepping on the void, its fur moving as if a strong wind was blowing.

Clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger—this was the true White Tiger!

The massive White Tiger performed twelve movements in the void, each with a formidable aura.

The pain that felt like being cut by a thousand knives suddenly disappeared, and his body felt warm, the force from the void transforming into a warm spring, soothing his body.

Chu Li opened his eyes, looked down, and saw his clothes drenched, emitting a pungent smell, making him want to vomit.

He quickly took off his clothes and rolled in the snow outside, leaving black marks, as if a layer of black oil had been applied to the snow.

Chu Li changed into a set of clothes from the cave, shattered the manual into powder, wrapped the silver bills, and floated down the snowy mountain.