The road is vague

Chapter 16 Fourteen Heads
night.

After Li Mo inquired around in the mountain stronghold, he came to the door of the little arhat Han Kui.

Seeing Li Mo coming to visit, Han Kui was stunned for a moment, then opened the door and welcomed him with a smile. After Li Mo entered the house, he had a long chat with him.

"It's like this. The village sent Heiwa to be my apprentice assistant. His mother is seriously ill and needs some dried dates to nurse her back. I saw some in the Zhang brothers' shady shop before. I wonder if Brother Han brought some back that day. Can you give some to Heiwa's mother?"

"So that's what happened."

When Han Kui learned the purpose of Li Mo's visit, he immediately sent someone to the warehouse to get some dried dates.

For him, the leader of a mountain band, although this was against the rules, if it was just some dried dates and they were for medical treatment, no one would say anything.

"Then I will thank Brother Han on behalf of Heiwa."

Seeing Li Mo like this, Han Kui held the rosary and chanted "Amitabha".

"Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Don't worry, brother Li Mo. When the boss's injury heals, I will definitely appoint you as the fourteenth leader of the stronghold. Not only will you receive some silver every month, but we may even build a hall for you. If you need anything, just tell the people below."

Although each leader of the mountain stronghold has his own duties, they are just bandits who rule the mountain. They live together every day, so there are no gangs with clear division of labor.

"I'll follow the boss's instructions."

After Li Mo got a little familiar with him, he planned to try to ask him about the monks.

"Oh, Brother Han, there's one more thing I want to ask you. How do people in the martial arts world distinguish between high and low martial arts skills? What is internal strength? Who is more powerful, those top masters or cultivators?"

Han Kui laughed when he heard this.

In his opinion, being able to ask such a question was more suitable for Li Mo's current age, rather than being able to kill the Zhang brothers and sisters alone.

"Haha, as long as you practice martial arts, kill people, and become infected with evil spirits, you have entered the martial arts world. Even if you don't think of yourself as a member of the martial arts world, others will still think you are. And as a member of the martial arts world, many things are beyond your control."

Having said this, he paused for a moment.

"As for the level of martial arts, as long as the difference in strength is not too big, I can sense it to some extent. For example, little brother, if my guess is correct, you must have reached the minor success level in martial arts, right?"

"indeed so."

Li Mo nodded in acknowledgment, but he was a little confused as he didn't seem to have a similar feeling.

Han Kui smiled and said, "So, little brother, you are already a second-rate master in the martial arts world. When your martial arts are fully developed, you will be a top-level second-rate master. You have such strength at such a young age. In the future, as long as the opportunity comes, you will definitely soar to the sky. If you can go beyond that, you will become a first-rate master who has cultivated internal strength. However, such masters usually go to the distant Xia Kingdom, which is a martial arts holy land for mortals. There, they have mastered countless acquired and innate martial arts. Those who have achieved success are even strong enough to fight against the cultivators in the sacred lands of the immortal mountains. This is the only way out for those of us who practice martial arts."

"this?"

Li Mo was surprised, as he had never heard of this before.

Han Kui continued, "As for the so-called internal force, I once heard an old Zen master from Chanyu Temple say that it is the result of reaching a certain level of martial arts cultivation. Because the body is tempered by countless trials and tribulations, the spiritual perception is constantly improved, which in turn causes some potential changes. With the help of mental methods, in the future practice, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth will be slowly transformed and gradually transformed into internal force, allowing one to perform methods similar to sword energy, sword energy, and fist wind, breaking through the limits of human power."

Li Mo couldn't help but feel excited when he heard this.

"So, can martial artists really fight against cultivators?"

"This……"

Han Kui smiled awkwardly.

"This is just wishful thinking on the part of us martial artists. Cultivators are born with spiritual roots, able to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They actively cultivate and condense it into pure mana. With this, they can cast five-element spells and control weapons to kill enemies. This is the true method of immortals. We martial artists are ultimately mortals. How can we fight against them..."

Han Kui sighed and shook his head silently.

"It's just too difficult."

Upon hearing this, Li Mo was first surprised by the other party's internal strength and magic power, and then he thought of the mysterious mist in the ethereal dream, which was invisible and intangible, flowing slowly, with uneven density, and everywhere.

Could this be the so-called spiritual energy of heaven and earth?

Seeing that Li Mo looked dazed, Han Kui thought that Li Mo was worried about his future, so he tried to comfort him a little.

"But there's no need to belittle yourself, little brother. Although we martial artists face a bumpy road ahead, we're not completely useless. I've heard that whether warriors or cultivators, the ultimate pursuit is the so-called 'Taoism'. Every major nation in the Central Plains has its own Taoism. Once one attains enlightenment, one can be reborn."

"Taoism?"

Li Mo looked puzzled.

Han Kui continued, "Also, I've heard that many cultivators also practice basic martial arts. It's said that after mastering basic martial arts, the human body will be stimulated to develop some special potential, which will also benefit cultivators immensely."

This news was so important to Li Mo that he immediately showed a look of surprise.

It seems that no matter what, there is definitely no harm in practicing the "Three-in-One Sword Technique" to perfection first.

"Then, Brother Han, do you know how to test whether you have the aptitude to join the Immortal Mountain Holy Land?"

"I have been a monk since childhood, so I don't know about this. However, I think I heard Wang Ying mention this matter. You can ask her about it. After all, she was the top performer of the Misty Rain House in the county city. She has seen a lot of things and knows a lot of things that we don't know."

The matter returns to Wang Ying.

When Li Mo was about to leave, Han Kui handed him a bag of dried dates.

After Li Mo expressed his gratitude, he sent it to Heiwa's home overnight. Heiwa immediately knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude.

"Get up quickly."

After comforting Heiwa, Li Mo returned to his wooden house. When he was about to go in to rest, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a man standing in front of the door of the Jade Fox Wang Ying in the distance.

Because it was too dark, he couldn't see who the person was.

After the Jade Fox Wang Ying's door opened, she said in a coquettish tone, "Your injury hasn't healed yet, and you're still not behaving yourself. Aren't you afraid of losing an arm in the future?"

"Hmph, if he can't be cured, then he's just a freeloader. He dares to play tricks on us two brothers. I'll chop him up tomorrow!"

After uttering these harsh words, he couldn't wait to say, "Let me in quickly. I've missed you so much these past few days."

"Hehe, Li Mo is the person I brought here, how dare you."

Following the coquettish voice of Jade Fox Wang Ying, the two of them entered the room in a sweet and affectionate manner.

Li Mo's face was a little gloomy. He had naturally guessed who that person was, so he took a deep look at the wooden house where the Jade Fox Wang Ying was, and then returned to his room.

the next day.

Li Mo came to Green-faced Tiger Gao Zhen's cave for a follow-up visit.

Seeing that the other party was able to raise his arm, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Congratulations, Boss. The poison in this arm has been basically removed. It only needs a little recuperation to fully recover."

"OK!"

Gao Zhen couldn't stop smiling and kept praising Doctor Li, saying that his medicine cured all the diseases.

After this incident, Li Mo immediately accumulated considerable prestige in the mountain village. Every afternoon after he returned from collecting herbs, there would be patients coming to his door for medical treatment. Li Mo relied on his own experience to cure these people as much as possible and accumulate his own network and prestige.

half a month later.

Heiwa's mother's health had recovered somewhat, and her complexion quickly improved after taking a powerful medicine from Li Mo.

Heiwa was immediately filled with gratitude towards Li Mo and followed him wholeheartedly. The attitudes of the uncles who were related to him changed significantly, and they would greet him respectfully every time they met. As Li Mo cured more and more patients, his prestige in the village also increased. In addition, he became a good friend of many group leaders, and gradually became a person that no one in the village wanted to offend.

This way.

It was natural for him to become the head of the 14th group of the Pingshan Society.

this day.

The Pingshan Society held a Hundred Chickens Banquet. Not only did all the gang leaders attend, but even the friendly gangs from the two neighboring mountains sent people to celebrate.

The Pingshan meeting was extremely lively.

Until a group of people came from outside the village, the original laughter and joy suddenly disappeared, and everyone in the Pingshan Society looked grim.

"Lishan Gang, the formless ghost Zhao Liyin."

The leader wore a bronze mask and looked quite mysterious. After hearing Han Kui's explanation, Li Mo learned that it was this formless ghost Zhao Liyin who launched a sneak attack and injured the Green-faced Tiger Gao Zhen during the previous fight between the Pingshan Society and the Lishan Gang.

"I heard that a genius doctor named Li came to the Pingshan Gang and cured the injuries of the leader of the Gao Clan. He was appointed the head of the 14th Regiment. I am here on the orders of the Lishan Gang's leader, Zhenjiang Long Kechen'e, to present this tiger-skin cloak as a gift. In addition, the gang leader has asked me to tell the genius doctor that the Lishan Gang always respects those with ability. If the genius doctor is neglected in the future, he can always come to visit the Lishan Gang!"

Green-faced Tiger Gao Zhen tried hard to suppress his anger, but he couldn't take action at this time. This was the rule of the underworld.

The Blood-Faced Lion Gao Po snorted coldly, waved his hand, signaling the brothers holding swords to disperse, and then sent another person to take the gift.

Seeing this, Li Mo smiled and responded, "Thank you, Boss Ke, for your kindness."

With a bearskin cloak, a tigerskin cloak, a small plate of silver coins, and a few copper coins, Li Mo had made a small fortune. Unfortunately, he was no longer the traveling doctor who looked forward to the thirty taels of silver every day. These silver coins could no longer bring him any happiness.

After the Hundred Chickens Banquet, Li Mo immediately said that he would use the money to build a clinic for the village as a reward for the village and to win over the hearts of the people.

He was prepared for the worst.

If Jade Fox Wang Ying refuses to give in, then he will use force!
Upon hearing this, Green-faced Tiger Gao Zhen immediately went with the flow and said that this would become the Miracle Doctor's Hall of the mountain stronghold in the future. He not only marked out a medicinal field for Li Mo, but also assigned several clever children to be Li Mo's apprentices, and Heiwa was naturally one of them.

In this way, Li Mo doesn't have to do everything himself and can free up time to continue practicing martial arts.

As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers, the Miracle Doctor Hall was quickly completed.

During this period, Li Mo also accumulated enough daily herbs, adapted to life in the village, and learned the underworld jargon and horseback riding.

In addition, through his constant martial arts training, he gained a concrete understanding of the basic strength of the two gang leaders and the other thirteen group leaders of the Pingshan Society.

In the Pingshan Society, apart from the two leaders, among the thirteen hall masters, only two are clearly stronger than Li Mo, seven are on par with him, and four are weaker than him.

And according to what the Jade Fox Wang Ying said.

Among the many gangs in the Eighteen Mountains, the Pingshan Gang is one of the largest gangs. There are only two other gangs nearby that can rival it, including its mortal enemy, the Lishan Gang.

Besides.

Li Mo also has his own daily leisure activity in the mountain village, which is horse riding.

No one knows where Pingshan got these two horses from, but because this place is in the mountains and is not suitable for riding horses, these two horses usually only move around near the mountain stronghold. When Li Mo has nothing to do, he will ride horses to relax and hone his skills.

this day.

Li Mo rode his horse to the cliff to relax as usual, but suddenly noticed a few ragged people walking out of the mountains. These people looked really weird. He was stunned for a moment and then retreated without saying a word.

Just a moment later.

Dozens of people rushed out of the stronghold and surrounded these ragged men.

"Master, please spare my life, Master, please spare my life..."

These people kept begging for mercy. Seeing this, the team leader Wu She immediately signaled his men to take these people back to the mountain stronghold.

"Thank you, Doctor Li."

The two of them communicated a lot on a daily basis. Li Mo smiled and nodded, then rode away.

That night.

The Gao brothers of the Pingshan Society gathered together and invited the fourteen leaders to the Juyi Hall for a meeting.

"Haha, God is really helping me!"

Gao Po laughed loudly.

"Those who fled during the day were actually the caravan from Songjiang Town that the Lishan Gang robbed. Because of this incident, we've fallen out with the three escort agencies in Songjiang Town. They've cut off their tribute and no longer use our waterway. Now, the caravan has actually escaped from the Lishan Gang!"

He raised his glass to everyone.

Those who escaped from the caravan were all submissive.

"All we have to do now is get these merchants out safely and destroy the Lishan Gang. Then we'll gain the support of these gods of wealth. Then those escort agencies will have to come back and pay tribute obediently, right? Hahahaha!"

When everyone heard this, they all looked happy.

The last time the two gangs clashed, it was mostly a test.

After all, the Pingshan Society also knew that even if they defeated the Lishan Gang, the three escort agencies would most likely not cooperate with them anymore, because in their view, the Pingshan Society was a small gang that could not control the situation, so the fight between the two sides was just to vent their anger.

But the situation is different now.

The caravans escorted by these escort agencies have to pay tribute of at least seven or eight hundred taels of silver every year, which is not a small amount.

As long as they completely defeat the Lishan Gang, they can catch these big fish again. With the interests at stake, the members of the Pingshan Society are naturally eager to try and are in high spirits.

Otherwise, I'll just have to drink more vegetable soup next year.

"Dry!"

"Kill them..."

The members of the Pingshan Society were full of murderous intent.

Li Mo sat in the crowd, silently picking up vegetables and eating meat. In order to entertain these businessmen today, the food standard of the mountain village has been significantly improved. He wanted to eat a few more bites, and after eating, he had to hurry up to practice martial arts.

His nature of not competing for fame and fortune also made him feel at home in the mountain village.

Many group leaders have taken the initiative to make friends with Li Mo.

Next.

After some discussion, everyone decided to send a few group leaders tomorrow to personally escort these merchants back to Songjiang Town, purchase some supplies along the way, and then attack the Lishan Gang with all their strength.

For this purpose, the Pingshan Society also took out its savings and planned to spend 500 taels of silver to purchase a batch of medicinal materials and other supplies from outside the mountain.

This was a very lucrative job, and the thirteen group leaders were fighting for it. In such a smoky, rude and violent environment, these merchants seemed to be treated with courtesy, but in fact they were trembling with fear and walking on thin ice.

Li Mo watched all this calmly.

He was constantly warning himself in his heart that he must not really regard these people as good people just because he had made friends with them. He was just a passer-by here, enduring humiliation for a greater goal.

(End of this chapter)