Chapter 183 Another Year Has Come
"No matter who killed Elder Long, at Elder Long's level, there will naturally be stronger people at a higher level to investigate, so we don't have to worry about it. The biggest problem now is that Tian Peng is in trouble. Once this news gets out, it will definitely be a big blow to our reputation.
Recently, the rebels in Chenglin County have been growing stronger, and someone in the state capital has impeached my elder brother, saying that he was not good at suppressing the rebellion. Also because of this incident, my elder brother's recommendation of Lord Lin as the county lieutenant was suppressed. There is also news that someone in the state capital recommended Xiao Wenchen as the county lieutenant, but it was suppressed by the governor.
Therefore, the most urgent task now is to put down the rebellion as soon as possible and take back Chenglin County. Otherwise, if the Yu family is allowed to grow in Chenglin County, even if my uncle suppresses it, I am afraid that it will be difficult for my brother to keep his position as the county governor, and for you, Lord Lin, to keep your position. "Pang Qifeng said solemnly.
The uncle that Pang Qifeng mentioned and the governor are the same person, Pang Zhiyuan, the head of the Pang family in the state capital, who is in charge of the military and political affairs of Xiyun State.
The governor was the highest administrative officer in Xiyun Prefecture.
"Who is Xiao Wenchen? There are actually people in the state capital who are thinking about him?" Lin Jinghan frowned.
Compared with suppressing the rebellion in Chenglin County, Lin Jinghan was more concerned about his position as county lieutenant.
"Xiao Wenchen is nothing, but Xiao Qing, the genius daughter of the Xiao family, is a figure. There is news that Xiao Qing also entered the dragon vein area this time, and it is very likely that she has joined forces with the Cui family.
The Cui family had a harvest from the dragon vein this time, so they can still hold on for a while. The Xiao family originally had some relationship with the Cui family, but the Xiao family declined in recent years, and no one who could really carry the banner of the Xiao family appeared. The Cui family was also busy with their own affairs, so they did not ask about the Xiao family's affairs.
But now Xiao Qing suddenly recovered his strength and appeared out of nowhere, giving the Cui family some buffer time. The situation in Fangliao County is now unfavorable to us, so the Cui family will naturally come forward to speak for the Xiao family.
Although the Cui family has been declining over the years, it still has some influence in the state capital, and the governor certainly doesn't want to see the Pang family continue to grow, so he recommended Xiao Wenchen as the county lieutenant. "Pang Qifeng explained.
"I see. But Chenglin County now has the help of the Corpse Demon Sect's zombie army. They send the zombie army to the front, and if they die, they can just refine a new batch. But our soldiers can't withstand such casualties! Even after our soldiers are killed, their corpses will be snatched away by them and refined into zombies. This is a big blow to our morale." Lin Jinghan frowned.
In Fangliao County now, Pang Qifeng is in charge of the military affairs of the inner city, while Lin Jinghan, with the support of the county magistrate, temporarily holds the seal of the county lieutenant, and is mainly in charge of the garrisons of the four outer cities.
Originally, the captains of the garrisons at the four gates of the outer city were from the Yu, Xiao, Lu, and Lin families respectively.
However, the people of the Xiao and Lu families basically did not listen to orders, and even if they did, they would not put in any effort. The people of the Yu family became rebels, so every time they attacked Chenglin County, the ones with the most casualties were actually the soldiers and horses that the Lin family had trained with great effort. Lin Jinghan was naturally heartbroken.
"The zombie army is really a headache, and every time we fight it, not only does its number not decrease, but it tends to increase. Lord Magistrate, do you think it is possible to ask the Governor to send more troops?" Lin Tianrui bowed.
"The duty of a county's troops is to quell rebellions of bandits and maintain peace in the county! If my uncle sends troops here, what use will you be? Besides, do you think the troops in the Governor's Office are sufficient? Can they be mobilized just by saying so?" Pang Qiwei said with a gloomy face.
The hall fell silent again.
"To capture a thief, we must first capture the leader. As long as we kill old man Yu and the masters sent by the Corpse Demon Sect to assist, the rebels will be leaderless and will naturally be easy to defeat. So, Lord Youhu, could you please report and send some more masters over..." After a long time, Lin Jinghan bowed to the woman in the gauze hat sitting in the dark corner and said.
Under the veil, the woman in the gauze hat twitched her face, and her cold eyes fell on Lin Jinghan through the veil, and she said in a cold voice: "Master Lin said it lightly, do you think the masters of our Netherworld Sect are so easy to mobilize? Can they move around at will? Or do you really think that the people in the Sitianjian are blind, and they will remain indifferent when the real masters of our Netherworld Sect are dispatched?
Therefore, there are some things that should be solved by people at our level. Don't put your hopes on those above you. Those above you have their own concerns and things to do. They can't possibly manage us. Otherwise, what's the point of having us?"
"I know this, but refining zombies requires a Yinsha land. The Yu family can gather a zombie army, and they are constantly replenished, so there must be a Yinsha land in Chenglin County. The Yinsha land is of great significance to your Netherworld Sect..." Lin Jinghan's face under his eye bags trembled, and he took over the conversation.
"Hmph, you still have the nerve to talk about a dark and evil place?" The woman in the gauze hat said coldly. A cold aura emanated from her body, making the temperature in the entire hall seem to drop all of a sudden.
"Lord Youhu, it was an accident, and the Lin family also lost a talented young man because of it." Pang Qiwei said.
After all, Pang Qiwei was the county magistrate and a great bone-refining martial artist. When the woman in the gauze hat saw him speak, she restrained her breath.
“In fact, the reason why Chenglin County has not been taken over for a long time, in addition to the help from the Corpse Demon Sect, is also related to our failure to truly integrate the forces of all parties in Fangqiao County.
Your Excellency should consider activating the Senluo Gang as a chess piece and let the Red-haired Ghost Che Li make some big noise. The West City area is under the responsibility of the Xiao family, and your Excellency can order the Xiao family to send troops to wipe out the Senluo Gang.
If the Xiao family does not send troops, you can take the opportunity to seize Xiao Wenyi's position as the West City Captain and gather the West City garrison. If the Xiao family sends troops, the terrain of Yunluo Lake is complicated. At that time, I will trouble you, Lord Youhu, to help. Xiao Wenyi and some of the main generals of the Xiao family will definitely be defeated. If the Xiao family sends out Xiao Qing who has been lying in wait, it would be the best, and she can be killed as well.
As long as the Xiao family is completely weakened, the remaining Lu family will not be a threat, and the others are even more scattered. If the Lu family dares to talk nonsense again, things have come to this point, and the adults will have to risk it and send troops to suppress the Lu family directly. At most, it will shake the foundation of Fangqiao City! "Mr. Ji said, his eyes flashing with sinister and fierceness.
"This is a good plan. As long as Lord Pang can take Chenglin County and find a dangerous place, our Youhu Hall will be happy to help." said the woman in the gauze hat who was called Lord Youhu.
Pang Qiwei frowned upon hearing this and said, "This plan is good, but it is also a double-edged sword! Because we have not been able to suppress the rebellion, if Xiao Wenyi leads his troops to die in Yunluo Lake again, it means that I, as the county governor, have failed in my duty. I am afraid that before I can pacify Chenglin County, a transfer order will be issued. So we will wait until the weather gets warmer next year and it is not conducive to fighting zombies, and then see the situation. If there is no improvement, we will use this plan."
…
Time flies, and it is almost the end of the year.
On this day, early in the morning, Qin Ziling gave some instructions to Liu Xiaoqiang and Shao E, then happily headed towards Xisheng Mountain in the cold wind.
Just yesterday, Zheng Xinghan had a blessing from his mind and broke through the realm of using energy to become a martial artist of transforming energy. He truly lived up to the saying that great things come late in life and is now considered a truly independent figure in Fangqiao City.
In addition to Zheng Xinghan, Bao Yingjun and others at Shuiyue Villa have made rapid progress.
On the Qin family's side, Shao E has shown increasingly amazing talent in martial arts since she broke through to become a Hua Jin martial artist, and is getting closer and closer to touching the threshold of bone refining.
This is normal. If Shao E didn't have an extraordinary talent in martial arts, would Xu Pengkun be willing to spend a lot of money and resources to cultivate her?
However, after Shao E reached the Yun Jin realm, Xu Jia Bao's background could no longer provide much help. Of course, if there were really such excellent resources, Xu Jia Bao would definitely give priority to cultivating its own core disciples, and there was no way they would give them to Shao E.
On the contrary, they would only let Shao E continue to run around and work hard for Xujiabao and make continuous sacrifices.
Therefore, after Shao E reached the Yun Jin realm, she was unable to break through until she was thirty years old.
But Shao E became completely different after she followed Qin Ziling.
Not only does she no longer have to work hard outside every day, but a huge amount of resources are invested in it. Those resources are all good things. Not to mention Xujiabao, even the core descendants of the Pang family in Fangqiao City cannot have such treatment. Only the core descendants of the real big families in Xiyunzhou can have such treatment.
Therefore, after Shao E broke through and became a Hua Jin martial artist, her cultivation speed not only did not slow down, but became even faster.
"It turns out that practicing Buddhism still requires resources!" Qin Ziling thought all the way, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the foot of the cliff and climbed up along the vines.
"Brother, my legs are made of iron!" Qin Ziling had just crawled into the cave when Xiao Qing stood in front of him with her two long white legs exposed, looking excited and happy.
"What?" Qin Ziling couldn't help but be shocked.
When he was not around, his spirit would just hide in an ancient tree on the top of the cliff. He would never peek into the cave, nor would he eavesdrop on their private conversations.
So he didn't know that Xiao Qing had made a breakthrough early in the morning.
"Look!" As Xiao Qing spoke, the two white thighs were quickly covered with a layer of green leather armor that emitted a cold metallic glow and looked like dragon scales.
Qin Ziling's eyes widened and he secretly groaned in his heart.
After these legs, it’s the upper body!
"Are you surprised? Are you surprised?" Xiao Qing asked happily with a smug look on her face when she saw Qin Ziling's eyes staring blankly.
"Yeah, yeah!" Qin Ziling nodded repeatedly, his mind quickly thinking about how to deal with the next erotic scene.
Should I endure it or not?
It must be very hard to endure, and it won’t take just one or two days!
It would be better to ask Shao E to come and help.
But if I really ask Shao E to come over, what will Xiao Qing think?
Why do you look down on me? Do I have a bad figure?
"Next I can start training my upper body!" Xiao Qing said happily, lifting her clothes while speaking, revealing a white waist without a trace of fat.
"Yeah!" Qin Ziling continued to nod, gritting his teeth in his heart. After living with him in a cave for a long time, this little girl has become more and more open!
This is the feudal era, how can the scale be so large?
"Xia Yan's cultivation has improved rapidly recently, and I have just started to train my upper body, so there is no need to hammer it very hard. Xia Yan should have no problem controlling the strength, so she can help me with the hammering now." Xiao Qing said quickly.
"Yes, yes!" Qin Ziling nodded again and again after hearing that, and he felt greatly relieved.
Fortunately, there is a buffer period!
During this period of time, we have to increase our efforts on Xia Yan.
In the next few days, the peace returned to its former state.
However, during the following daytime training, Qin Ziling would hide obediently behind the screen, quietly concentrating his strength and true power, and would never stick his head out to look around!
In a blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.
This is the second New Year's Eve since Qin Ziling came to this world. After the New Year, he will be twenty-one years old.
On this day, together with the meat of the Huachi he ate in the Dragon Vein Land, Qin Ziling just happened to eat a whole Huachi.
His energy, blood and strength have stagnated, and seem to have reached their limit and saturation.
Different paths lead to the same destination, all streams converge!
The Cold Iron Strength was originally a popular martial art, but after reaching its limit, it returned to its original state and returned to the origin of all metal and iron attributes. The strength cultivated was no different from that of other martial arts with metal and iron attributes when it reached its limit.
A whole Hua Chi can help at least five Hua Jin martial artists to successfully refine their bones.
Qin Ziling ate a whole Hua Chi, but it only allowed his blood and strength to reach their limit. If it were anyone else, he would definitely think this was a huge waste.
But Qin Ziling was a little disappointed. He was still thinking about eating more Huachi meat to further improve his qi, blood and strength to an even more terrifying level.
There was no other way, there were still several transformed Chi in his corpse-raising ring!
It would be such a waste if such a good thing could not be used to improve one's strength!
Moreover, he used the blood and flesh of Hua Chi as a secret medicine to refine his strength, so the next step of refining his bones must start with a fifth-grade exotic beast.
"A fifth-grade exotic beast is equivalent to a master-level warrior, and is born with magical powers and spells. With my current strength, I can never defeat a fifth-grade exotic beast. Even if I add the Great Ape and the Second Ape, who broke through to the middle level of the Silver Corpse yesterday, and the Four Heads, who are even stronger, it is still not enough, let alone hunting and killing them!
To hunt and kill the fifth-grade exotic beast, my Four-Head, Ape-Big, and Ape-Two realms have to be raised to a higher level, and my personal overall strength also has to be raised to a higher level.
But the three silver corpses had just broken through not long ago, and at the silver corpse level, breaking through at each stage was not so easy. If they wanted to break through, not only more resources were needed, but they would also definitely need to endure for some time.
As for my personal overall strength in the martial arts, I have already reached the ceiling in the realm of strength. I can only think of more ways to refine my qi and spirit.
There should be a lot of room for improvement in Qi Refining, but I have to collect all the Five Elements Kung Fu, and then practice them all to the late stage of True Power and achieve a balance, which will definitely take a long time.
It is not realistic to make rapid progress in the art of spirit cultivation at the moment.
It seems that there is a long way to go to hunt down the fifth-grade exotic beast! If I can't hunt down the fifth-grade exotic beast, won't I be stuck at the stage of bone refining in martial arts? It seems that having a solid foundation is also a problem! "Qin Ziling thought that martial arts had reached the ceiling in the realm of transformation. Not only could the Chi meat not play a greater value, but hunting down the fifth-grade exotic beast seemed to have become very far away all of a sudden, and he couldn't help but have a headache.
He also wanted to have the strength to truly rival or even kill a Grandmaster as soon as possible, so that he could gain a firm foothold in Xiyun Province and realize his great ambitions!
But now it seems that this goal is still a long way to go.
"Forget it, why think so much! One must walk one step at a time and eat one bite at a time. I'm already very fast now, do I really want to become a master by practicing for one or two years? Since my martial arts has reached its limit temporarily, I will focus on refining my qi and spirit. I'll go to the Golden Sword Sect early after the New Year and learn the 'Golden Snake Gengjin Jue'." Qin Ziling quickly got rid of the reluctance in his mind, sat cross-legged, and began to practice the "Green Wood Evergreen Technique" and the "Black Snake Mysterious Water Technique" at the same time.
However, Qin Ziling had just started practicing for a short time when he suddenly opened his eyes with a hint of excitement on his face.
Then, Qin Ziling took out the "Vajra Flame Palm" that he had learned from Long Xiaotian from the storage ring.
"I am so stupid! The blood and energy cannot be further condensed and transformed into cold iron energy because my body can no longer accommodate more cold iron energy. It has reached saturation.
But why condense my blood and qi into cold iron strength? Why not transform it into strength of other attributes? I have strong blood and qi and the Chi meat that can replenish it!
This is the same as when a certain component of a solute in a glass of water reaches saturation and can no longer dissolve, but if you change the solute, it can still continue to dissolve!
My brain seems to be increasingly influenced by the fixed thinking of this world. I even forgot that I have knowledge from another world in my brain. This is also my unique advantage! How can I not use it? A stone from another mountain can be used to polish jade. Although much of that knowledge is not useful, it can be used for reference and to draw inferences from other things!"
The more Qin Ziling thought about it, the more excited he became. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that his brain was a little rusty. He slapped his head several times before suppressing his fluctuating emotions and began to carefully read the "Vajra Flame Palm Technique".
Soon Qin Ziling discovered that the essential attribute of "Vajra Flame Palm" lies in the word "flame", just like "Cold Iron Palm", the essence of which lies in the word "iron".
Therefore, the power condensed by the Vajra Flame Palm is actually mainly of fire attribute.
"'Iron Palm' is of metal and iron attributes, 'Vajra Flame Palm' is of fire attributes, and the 'Blue Dragon Mysterious Wood Art' that Xiao Qing practices is mainly of wood attributes, but it has derived some water attributes through the mutual generation of water and wood. The 'Layer Power' obtained from Xujiabao is of water attributes.
The main focus of Qi Refining is the Qi of the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth. The martial arts techniques also contain the Five Elements attributes, and the composition of all things in the world is inseparable from Yin Yang and the Five Elements...
The Qi Refining technique absorbs the Qi of the Five Elements of Heaven and Earth, then refines and stores them in a small space in the body such as the meridians and Dantian that are invisible to the naked eye, and releases them when needed.
The martial arts is to constantly condense one's own blood and qi into strength, and integrate it into the blood and qi of the body. The biggest difference between the two should be that one cultivates the qi of the five elements of heaven and earth, and the other cultivates the blood and qi from one's own body.
There is also the way of the spirit and soul, which has no theory of the five elements and is even more illusory. What is that? What are the essential differences between these three paths, and what are their internal connections? Where will they eventually lead to in the future? "Qin Ziling fell into deep thought. It seemed that there was some mysterious truth of heaven and earth hidden deep in his mind that wanted to break through the clouds, but it just couldn't.
“Brother, brother!”
"Master Qin! Master Qin!"
Two voices that seemed to come from far away sounded in Qin Ziling's mind, waking Qin Ziling suddenly up.
After waking up in shock, Qin Ziling saw Xiao Qing and Xia Yan looking at him with concern and nervousness.
"What's wrong?" Qin Ziling shook his dizzy head.
He hasn't had this feeling for a long time since he started practicing.
Every day is refreshing!
"Isn't today New Year's Eve? It's getting dark. Shouldn't you go back early?" Xiao Qing said.
"It's getting dark?" Qin Ziling was shocked to realize that he had been sitting there for most of the day.
"Time flies so fast!" Qin Ziling smiled quickly as if nothing had happened, but he was secretly scared in his heart. He had just fallen into endless speculation and guessing, and had consumed a lot of mental and brain energy without realizing it. If Xiao Qing and Xia Yan hadn't woken him up in time, the consequences would have been disastrous.
“It seems that my cultivation level is not high enough, so I should not make in-depth and random guesses. Otherwise, the more I think about it, the more I will get stuck in it, and I may even go insane and be unable to get out!
But since everything in the world is made up of Yin Yang and the Five Elements, and I practice the Five Elements through Qi Refining, then in martial arts, I should also be able to condense the five kinds of strength.”
After a moment of fear, Qin Ziling quickly made a decision. His mind suddenly became clear, he felt refreshed, his eyes were bright, and his soul seemed to become more condensed and stronger.
"Yes, time flies so fast. Another year has passed in the blink of an eye!" Xiao Qing sighed.
"Yes, after the New Year, I will be twenty-one years old!" Qin Ziling said with great emotion.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qing and Xia Yan glanced at Qin Ziling with their beautiful eyes.
Twenty-one years old, these words really hit home!
Qin Ziling almost couldn't help slapping himself in the face after being glanced at by the two beauties.
This emotional intelligence must have been lowered by that old devil who could only fiddle with corpses and his immature predecessor.
"How are you planning to celebrate the New Year?" Qin Ziling quickly changed the subject to make amends.
"Let's just live here." Xiao Qing said calmly.
"It's New Year's Day, it's so lonely for the two of you to be here. Why don't you come with me to my house?" Qin Ziling said.
"Go to your house?" Xiao Qing and Xia Yan's eyes lit up slightly, but Xiao Qing soon shook her head and said, "Forget it. Pang Qiwei must have sent people to look for me everywhere. If they find out about my relationship with the Qin family, it will probably disrupt the old lady's peaceful life."
"It doesn't matter. I'm here. Pang Qiwei is nothing! If it weren't for the fact that he is involved with the Pang family in the state capital and has some relationship with the Netherworld Cult, it would be in vain for me to kill him even if he is heavily guarded!" Qin Ziling said very domineeringly.
"It's just that, if Xia Yan and I go there, how are we going to introduce ourselves to the old lady? Besides, it's New Year's Day, and given the current situation, Xia Yan and I can't buy suitable gifts for the old lady." Xiao Qing originally wanted to celebrate the New Year with Qin Ziling. She knew that he was very capable and resourceful. Since he said so, there was nothing to worry about, so she started to worry about meeting Cui.
