Turbid World: Martial Arts Master of the Republic of China Era, I Cultivate Immortality!

Chapter 115 Four Fierce Soldiers, Three Imperial Soldiers—I'm Only Eight Years Old This Year! (Please Subscribe!)

Time flies. September 16th is auspicious for: offering sacrifices, traveling, construction, and making vehicles. Visit the meditation hall, inner courtyard, main hall, and quiet room.

It's more accurate to say that Zhao Zheng made a one-to-one replica of the original ritual room of the Taoist Master of Destiny and moved the contents of the room over.

"A strange formation—"

Zhao Zheng sat on the futon, looking at the ancient mirror array plate of "Qingzuo Mirror Realm - Steal My Substitute Array", which he couldn't understand with his current knowledge of array formations.

"No big problem, as long as it works—"

Although Zhao Zheng couldn't understand how the ancient mirror array plate was made, he could tell how to activate it.

"Master, please bless me so that everything goes well. I am your only disciple. If I die, your legacy will end—"

Zhao Zheng whispered and gestured to his master's memorial tablet on the offering table. He muttered to himself for a while, and he felt that his master's memorial tablet was moving. Only then did he stop and mutter to himself.

"Here comes the picture!"

A Portrait of Life

[Photo by: Zhao Zheng]

Age: 18

[Sect: Maoshan Seventy-Two Temples - Zuowang Temple]

[Record: The True Text Record of the Primordial Chaos Ancestral Qi]

[Rank/Class Status: Pending Trigger]

[Constitution: Innate Yin-Yang Five Elements Daoist Body, Sacred Embryo]

[Talent: Adversity]

[Status: Rising above the mud, yet remaining unstained]

[Dao Realm: Refining Essence into Qi (Late Stage)]

[Martial Realm: Early Stage of Rank Six (Early Stage of Dirt Refining)]

[Cultivation Technique: Xuanji Heavenly Net Calamity-Stabilizing Technique]

[Supernatural Power: Unending Sword of Despair - Remnant (Perfect)]

[Sword Intent: Supreme Forgetfulness]

Skill Points: 10

The four new skill points were gained from handling four more ghostly incidents in the three days following the resolution of the Pear Garden ghost incident.

This brought his skill points to an all-time high. In fact, Zhao Zheng wanted to accumulate 100 points before activating the Ancient Mirror Array, but he felt that there wasn't enough time.

His intuition told him that if he continued grinding, he might miss something very important, so he stopped grinding for skill points.

However, he did not use all ten skill points immediately because he felt that saving them would be very useful.

"I hope I can truly find what I'm looking for—"

Zhao Zheng muttered to himself, looked at the ancient mirror array plate he had placed on his lap, and silently said "Start," then formed hand seals and chanted an incantation.

"The Mysterious Mirror reveals the depths, the Eight Trigrams establish the boundaries—the Dao opens the realm, the divine soul transcends the heavens—the body is seized and restored to its original state—the One True Man determines destiny, all laws are impartial—I obey the decrees of the Three Pure Ones, so be it!"

Although the spells and incantations he used were not the original spells of the "Qingzuo Mirror Realm - Steal My Substitute Array" array plate, he still successfully activated the array plate.

This is what he meant by "as long as it works!"

As he pinched his sword fingers together and pointed at the ancient mirror array plate floating in mid-air, the ancient mirror array plate flew up and hovered in the air, and the array patterns engraved on the mirror body lit up instantly.

The bronze base glowed with a purple-gold light, and the coiled dragon patterns on the mirror seemed to move as if they were alive. Some of the talisman-like patterns on it began to resonate, emitting a dazzling silver glow.

brush-

Suddenly, a solid black light burst forth from the mirror, shining on the ceiling and making it appear as if it were a flowing, inverted galaxy.

Zhao Zheng watched curiously as ripples spread across the ancient mirror, and within those ripples, a hazy, illusory figure quietly emerged.

As the phantom became increasingly realistic, Zhao Zheng saw an ancient world.

His consciousness suddenly went black!

Immediately afterwards, Zhao Zheng's primordial spirit evolved into a true spirit and was absorbed by the ancient mirror array plate. Then, together with the ancient mirror array plate, it suddenly twisted and disappeared into the ritual room.

July 1st, 12th year of Tiangong in the Dayong Dynasty, outside Heifeng County, Heifeng Mountain, on Heifeng Mountain, Heifeng Village, by the campfire in Heifeng Village.

"Three hundred years ago, the Gongshu family was unparalleled in the world with their domineering mechanical arts. Gongshu Xuanye, a genius who appeared once every thousand years in the family, even gathered rare iron from the nine provinces and used his domineering mechanical arts to forge four peerless and deadly weapons."

Black Dog sat on a small stool, drinking as he began to speak, glancing at the admiring looks of his brothers around him.

Bowing with eyes.

He chuckled and continued, "Back then, the Gongshu clan relied on the four peerless weapons they forged to sweep across the martial arts world, slaughtering all factions. At this time, the Mo family descendants saw that the Gongshu clan was bloodthirsty and wanted to kill everyone in the world. The Mo family descendants finally took action to save the world from the catastrophe."

"—The Mohist school, with its philosophy of universal love and non-aggression, and with defensive and restraining mechanical arts as its core, exhausted over a thousand years of Mohist heritage to forge three divine weapons specifically designed to counter domineering mechanical arts, known in the martial arts world as the Three Imperial Weapons—"

"From then on, Gongshu and the Mohists engaged in an unprecedented battle. The flames of war spread across the land, and in the end, both clans perished together. The seven divine weapons were also lost in the chaos of war, scattered throughout the land, and never to be seen again."

The black dog paused here, then raised an eyebrow at the little child who was barely taller than a car wheel.

"Xiao Zhao, are we done washing the clothes? You're just listening here, get up and go wash the clothes now, or I'll kill you! And send you down to see your parents!"

"What happens next?"

Xiao Zhao didn't answer, but asked curiously. The others also spoke up, and the black dog continued to speak helplessly.

"You all know what happened next, right? It was what the all-knowing Jianghu scholar said—he said that as long as you gather the four peerless weapons forged by the Gongshu family, you can open the secret realm left behind by the Gongshu family, learn the complete domineering mechanical arts, and at the same time, use the murderous aura of the four weapons to break through the royal dragon aura, reverse the fate of the world, re-establish the country, and thus change the dynasty!"

"What about collecting all three of the Mohist weapons?"

The speaker was Xiao Zhao, who was only eight years old. The black dog looked at Xiao Zhao strangely, who seemed to have suddenly grown taller than a car wheel. He rubbed his eyes, pretending that he had drunk too much, and continued to speak.

"Gathering all three of the Mohist Imperial Weapons would be incredible! Legend has it that by collecting all three, one can find the very foundation of the Mohist lineage, which is the legendary Mo City. And by relying on that—well, once you find Mo City, you can sweep through the martial arts world and ascend to the position of martial arts leader!"

"What if we collected all seven divine weapons?"

"Yeah, Black Dog, what if I'm lucky enough to collect all four Fierce Weapons and three Imperial Weapons? What would happen then?"

"Could I become a god?"

Everyone started talking at once, and the black dog looked at Xiao Zhao, who seemed to be about one and a half times the height of a cartwheel, with a strange expression.

"According to Bai Xiaosheng, if someone is lucky enough to gather all seven divine weapons, then the four fierce generals of Gongshu and the three imperial ministers of Mo will resonate and merge, triggering the Heavenly Craftsmanship Calamity. At that time, they can control both the country and the martial world at will."

After the black dog finished speaking, he rubbed his eyes blankly and looked at Xiao Zhao, who seemed to have grown to almost the height of two car wheels.

"Xiao Zhao, you seem to have grown taller?"

"Holy crap, how the hell did you suddenly grow taller?!"

"Damn it, what the hell did you eat?!"

Everyone chimed in with their own words, staring wide-eyed at Xiao Zhao, whose clothes were now tattered from growing taller.

"I'm only eight years old. Isn't it inappropriate for you to swear at me?" Xiao Zhao, who is nearly two meters tall, frowned.

As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent. After a burst of laughter, even more offensive words rang out: "Hahaha, this is a mountain stronghold, we are mountain bandits—"

"Xiao Zhao, aren't you making things difficult for us by telling us not to swear?"

"Seriously, Zhao, what the hell did you eat? How did you suddenly grow so tall?"

As the crowd began to chatter, their language grew increasingly vulgar. Xiao Zhao frowned and sighed.

"I'm still a child—"

Clang—swish—

A blinding glint of cold light appeared with the sword's flash. About fifteen minutes later, Xiao Zhao, or rather, Zhao Zheng who had transmigrated, stood beside the corpse of Black Bear, the leader of Black Wind Stronghold, looking down at his own underwear.

"These underwear are really sturdy—"

Zhao Zheng muttered to himself, "Could it be the Hulk's underwear?" He then began searching for clothes and looting the corpse, and another ten minutes or so passed.

He successfully acquired a considerable amount of silver, martial arts techniques, and weapons; in short, he amassed a huge fortune.

Having changed into a scholar's robe, Zhao Zheng sat in the main hall of the mountain stronghold, curiously examining a weapon in his hand.

A three-foot-long, green-edged sword!

Unlike the longsword in his memory, this sword had a small bronze gear protruding from the bottom of the hilt, where the tassel used to hang.

Hidden on the edge of the blade, slightly below the tip, are two small iron pieces that are so close to the blade that they are barely noticeable unless you look closely.

"Mechanical arts?"

Domineering mechanical arts?

Zhao Zheng muttered to himself, then swung his sword at the decorative sword hanging on the wall to the side. As he swung his sword...

The small gear at the bottom of the hilt of the mechanical longsword in his hand clicked, and the two small iron blades on the blade snapped open, not only scraping two notches on the decorative sword's scabbard, but also cracking the scabbard.

"A rudimentary application of domineering mechanical techniques?"

Mechanical arts + martial arts + divine weapons and demonic blades, am I about to slay a dragon? Where are my subjects? Where is my elixir of immortality? Zhao Zheng's mind was filled with a jumble of chaotic thoughts.

He patted his head and continued looking at the weapons he had acquired. Finally, his gaze lingered on another sword for a moment.

This is a sword with exquisite craftsmanship. There are no nails on the whole body; it is all assembled with mortise and tenon joints.

Moreover, it looked quite tight and sturdy. Zhao Zheng, who had just drawn his sword, looked at the small automatic latch at the entrance of the scabbard and put the sword back in.

Click—

With a crisp click, Zhao Zheng raised an eyebrow at the scabbard that automatically locked the sword, preventing it from slipping out. He pressed a small hidden latch on the hilt, and watching the easily drawn sword, he raised an eyebrow and said, "A rudimentary application of Mohist mechanical arts?"

So, where is my Shoushan copper?

And where exactly is the danger?

Zhao Zheng fell into thought, but soon he frowned as he looked at the magical power within his body that had not yet been generated.

"Is it because of the different power systems?"

Zhao Zheng thought about the distinction between third-rate and second-rate masters that the bandits usually talked about, and looked at the various cultivation techniques he had acquired.

A few minutes later, Zhao Zheng realized one thing: the power system of this world was indeed different from that of his original world.

First, there is no magic power in this world. Second, there is no martial arts or qi cultivation in this world; there is only internal energy and true qi.

The internal energy in this world is not ordinary internal energy, but the internal force in martial arts novels, a kind of internal energy that pays more attention to conditioning, even more so than the internal energy in the Tianjin world.

The levels of mastery, from lowest to highest, are: unranked master, third-rate master, second-rate master, first-rate master, acquired master, and innate master.

As for what happened next, Zhao Zheng didn't know, because it wasn't written in the book, which made him feel that the killings were a bit too swift.

"I should have killed you all later—"

Zhao Zheng glanced at Black Bear, the leader of Black Wind Stronghold, and began to ponder what level of expert he was now.

"Alright, we'll only know after a fight."

There's no way around it; the systems are different, making it difficult to distinguish between them. Just like how the Dao Realm and Martial Realm in the original world couldn't be converted, this one is separated by a whole world, so it's even more impossible to convert.

"Let's study the cultivation technique first. As for the corpses of these thirty-odd bandits—" Zhao Zheng thought about the massacre of the village where his original body lived.

He got up and left the main hall of the mountain stronghold. After releasing the horses and animals in the stronghold, he opened the simple gate of the stronghold.

He then used the Five-Colored Divine Light Pearl space to bring his gains to the quiet room where the black bear was in seclusion to begin his research.

As for the corpses, he believed the wild animals in the mountains would take care of them for him. As for setting a fire, he was in a mountain stronghold after all.

Setting fire to a mountain can land you in jail for life!

In the quiet room, Zhao Zheng listened to the white noise of wild beasts roaring outside and began to concentrate on studying the martial arts system of this world.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, at six o'clock, it was still a quiet room.

"Who will be the first to dream the greatest dream?"

Zhao Zheng, who hadn't slept, stopped reciting poetry and silently chanted "Tu Lai" in his heart. The next second, a familiar dark red blood light suddenly appeared.

A Portrait of Life

[Photo by: Zhao Zheng]

Age: Eight years old

[Constitution: Innate Five Elements Dao Body (20%)]

[Talents: Adversity, versatility, greed, selflessness, insightful vision]

[Status: Unwavering in demonic intent, unwavering in Buddhist intent, unwavering in Taoist intent, severing the three corpses (1/3), passing on the torch]

[Realm: None]

[Techniques: Sun and Moon Everlasting Observation Method (Breaking Limits), Xuanji Heavenly Net Calamity-Stabilizing Technique - Part Two (Breaking Limits)]

[Supernatural Power: Minor Five Elements Creation Divine Light (20%)]

Skill Points: 10

It wasn't that Zhao Zheng simplified the panel, but rather that he ignored some states that were grayed out or invalid due to the different worlds.

For example, a talisman that sometimes turns gray and only lights up occasionally due to the different world is like a device with poor signal in a mountainous area.

He also gained states such as "emerging from the mud unsullied" and so on. Of course, some of these still have effects, such as his talents and the "passing on the torch" state given to him by Suirenshi, as well as the passive skill "Xuanji Tiangang Dingjie Jue".

"Strange, shouldn't it be giving birth to the Great Five Elements Destruction Divine Light? How come it suddenly turned into the Lesser Five Elements Creation Divine Light? Hmm, the divine power of the Great Five Elements Destruction Divine Light is still there—one divine power for one world?" Zhao Zheng pondered.

His gaze flickered with curiosity again when he saw the Innate Five Elements Dao Body. He was puzzled because he had discovered it the night before, but he didn't dwell on it for long, attributing it to the difference in the world.

Just like how he wouldn't develop at the same rapid pace in his original world when he cultivated the limit-breaking version of the Sun and Moon Everlasting Observation Technique.

Yes, the reason he grew from the height of one car wheel to the height of two car wheels after just a few words last night was because he practiced the limit-breaking version of the Sun and Moon Everlasting Observation Mind Method.

There was nothing he could do; he hadn't brought his physical constitution with him when he transmigrated, so he had to repair and use it on the fly.

As a result, his height began to increase dramatically after he started cultivating, causing him to grow to nearly two meters tall at the age of eight.

However, these are minor issues. What Zhao Zheng is more concerned about is whether the Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture, after his modifications, which incorporate the martial arts system of this world, can still be used.

"Let's give it a try. Anyway, I still have ten skill points to use for assistance. It shouldn't be a big problem. If it doesn't work, I can just restart."

Zhao Zheng closed his eyes and began to cultivate the modified Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture, which not only incorporated the martial arts system of this world but also the martial arts system of his original world.

A dozen minutes later, after spending four skill points to advance the Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture from minor to major mastery, Zhao Zheng successfully cultivated the modified version of the Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture.

Although his cultivation level was still zero and he had not yet cultivated any magical power, he directly cultivated true qi, which only martial artists at the innate level could cultivate.

"What level of skill do I possess?"

Zhao Zheng felt a kind of true energy within his body that was similar to magic power, but fundamentally different from it.

"I feel like I've practiced it wrong, but I don't think I've gone mad—what's going on? Have I invented a new martial art?"

Zhao Zheng was puzzled. His realm was showing no signs of improvement because he was preparing for a major breakthrough. He planned to combine the acquired realm of internal energy martial arts in this world with the four realms of skin refining, tendon forging, bone tempering, and viscera refining in his original world to achieve a leap forward.

Because he felt that the ninth to sixth realms of the original world were originally one, all aimed at making the body better and stronger. In addition, in his view, the skin, flesh, tendons, bones and genitals were originally a whole.

However, he hadn't achieved the required cultivation level, but he had already cultivated his true qi, which made him feel that there was something wrong with his modified Shangqing Great Cave True Scripture.

"Hmm? The realm has finally emerged. It's time to give it a name. The combination of acquired and sixth-grade martial arts—in that case—let's call it the Mortal Transformation Realm!" Zhao Zheng muttered to himself.

[Realm: Mortal Transformation Realm (Early Stage)]

"Perfect! Hmm? Sword intent has also emerged—is it because I've cultivated the martial arts of this world, and this world also has sword intent or something like that?"

Zhao Zheng looked at the Supreme Forgetfulness Sword Intent, which was no longer gray, and then at the talisman that was brighter than before and began to glow slightly, its state of being untainted by the mud.

Having roughly understood something, Zhao Zheng looked at the true energy within his body that had inexplicably approached the attribute of magic power, and then took out the copper coins of this world from the Five-Colored Divine Light Pearl space to begin divination.

"To collect the seven divine weapons—"

Looking at the divination results and sensing his intuition, Zhao Zheng knew how to find the Gongshu family and the copper from Shoushan.

Instead of leaving the quiet room immediately, he tentatively took out the items from the original world within the Five-Colored Divine Light Pearl space.

Somewhat strangely, he could take out things from his original world, whether they were gold, silver, treasures, or magical artifacts, although the magical artifacts seemed to have lost most of their effects.

"That can't be right. Didn't my master say there was no way we could bring them all? How come I not only brought them, but they're even usable?"

Zhao Zheng was a little confused, but he didn't delve into the matter. Instead, he looked at the four primordial spirit artifacts in his Purple Mansion.

The first item is the Tai'a Sword, which still maintains its original powerful effect; the second is the Azure Sky Gloves; and the third is the Shattered Calamity Sword, which he lost when he was a child and only recently obtained from Lang Jingzhou.

And the fourth item, which is the Five-Colored Divine Light Pearl that came with him when he successfully forged his innate Yin-Yang Five Elements Dao Body Holy Embryo.

There's also the ancient mirror array plate that, after bringing him here, went to stay obediently in his Purple Mansion and lost most of its original charm.

"Let's study this first and recover our strength before going out!"

Zhao Zheng thought for a moment and continued his seclusion. Time passed quickly, and seven days went by in the blink of an eye. It was the ninth day of the seventh month of the twelfth year of Tiangong.

Zhao Zheng walked out of the quiet room and blinked as he looked at the main hall of the mountain stronghold, which had been occupied by wild beasts from the mountains.

I'm a little hungry!

Watching the wild animals begin to flee after he had been watching them, Zhao Zheng muttered something to himself. A short while later, he randomly selected two pairs of wild rabbits and began to roast and eat them.

After finishing the roasted rabbit, Zhao Zheng dismantled the mountain stronghold to prevent a second wave of bandits from occupying the area. After the dismantling, he followed his intuition and headed towards the second nearest prefecture city.

"Set off!"

Dressed as a scholar, Zhao Zheng walked along the mountain path towards the state capital in the northwest. After walking for a while, he began to frown, realizing that he shouldn't have released the three horses from the mountain stronghold.

He should have kept one for himself. Now look what happened. Others travel the world on horseback, but he travels on his own two legs.

"They're still too young—"

Zhao Zheng thought to himself that he was only eight years old, and then began to let his mind wander as he traveled, thinking things like how fortunate there were no women imprisoned in this Black Wind Stronghold.

Otherwise, what if those women, after he saves them, are attracted to his good looks and want to repay him with their bodies?

After all, he's only eight years old!

Stopping his jumbled thoughts, Zhao Zheng, who had already reached the official road at the foot of the mountain, paused his modified Wave-Treading Without Trace lightness skill and curiously turned his head to look at the man and woman riding along the official road in the distance.

The man's appearance is too ordinary, and he's also quite old, so it's best not to mention him. The woman, however, is worth mentioning.

The woman was only in her early teens, with a pretty and lively appearance, an oval face, and slightly upturned eyes that gave her a childlike look.

She has shallow dimples when she smiles, fair skin, a petite figure, and her eyes are full of innocence.

The woman was dressed in a standard light blue dress with cloud patterns embroidered in silver thread on the hem. A short sword hung at her waist, a matching ribbon was tied around her head, and she wore soft-soled cloud shoes.

Hmm, not bad looking!

The perfect girl who's easy to please—the innocent junior sister!

Just as Zhao Zheng was thinking of his junior sister, the older man on horseback spoke up.

He said, "Junior Sister, let's hurry, we can't let that Pavilion Master Li get there first—I heard his son is almost at the city gate."

"Hmm...we can't let that shorty's sect get there first!"

Because the wind was too strong, Zhao Zheng couldn't hear clearly until the two rode past him and his junior sister stared at him for a while, at which point he had a sense of déjà vu.

"A heavily modified version of Swordsman?"

The next day, in the city, there was an inn.

"Have you heard? The Pingdu Escort Agency has really had a run of bad luck this time!" a martial arts figure drinking said in a low voice.

"What happened? The Lin family has run a stable business in the city for decades, always making money through peaceful means. How could they have run into such bad luck?"

"Alas, doting fathers often spoil their sons. It was that young master Lin Ping who accidentally stabbed Li Shaofeng, the only son of Li Canglan, the leader of the Liefeng Blade Pavilion, to death yesterday in a tavern on the official road!"

Everyone gasped upon hearing this, some even asking incredulously, "You mean the Gale Blade Pavilion, one of the Nine Righteous Sects?"

"Is there another Gale Blade Pavilion in this world?"

The man who spoke first asked a question in return, and everyone gasped in shock. Then someone else spoke up.

"No wonder, no wonder! I was wondering why some people said that the four gates of Pingdu Escort Agency were nailed with some kind of sword gate token that forbade anyone to step out of the agency. So that's it, so that's it!"

"You've only heard about it, but I saw it with my own eyes. One of the lowly servants from the Pingdu Escort Agency tried to escape by climbing over the wall, but he was killed instantly by a disciple of the Sword Pavilion as soon as he landed. He didn't even have time to groan before he went to meet the King of Hell."

"What a tragedy! I never imagined that the Gale Blade Pavilion, which prides itself on being the leader of the righteous path, would resort to such ruthless extermination for personal revenge, sparing even ordinary people. They are even more vicious than the disciples of the Demonic Sect among the Four Demonic Sects!"

"Shh! Quiet! Quiet! Li Canglan's henchman is lurking nearby. If he hears us, we won't be leaving the city alive!"

The assembled martial arts practitioners dared not speak out in anger, only gazing in the direction of the Pingdu Escort Agency. However, some did speak up for Li Canglan.

They say this is the pain of losing a child!

These words left Zhao Zheng, who was sitting by the window, bewildered. He thought to himself, "It really is a heavily modified version of The Smiling, Proud Wanderer!"

'

Just then, someone spoke up again. Zhao Zheng heard a man drink a bowl of wine and say, "Have you heard? Black Wind Village in Black Wind County was completely wiped out overnight. I heard even the earthworms were chopped in half!!"

"Wow, that's ruthless. But word has already spread! I heard from the brothers in the underworld that more than thirty bandits in that stronghold are all dead, not a single one was left alive."

"What? More than thirty bandits? Weren't they supposed to wipe out all three hundred bandits in one fell swoop? How come it's thirty now?!"

"What?! Three hundred bandits were killed?! Who on earth did this? How could they possess such extraordinary martial arts skills?!"

"I know that. I heard that person was only eight years old, and he killed them one by one with a single sword strike, very swiftly!"

"An eight-year-old child? Don't be ridiculous! I clearly heard it was a burly man over two meters tall, wielding a two-meter-tall broadsword, killing one person with a single blow!"

"No, no, I heard he was a man six feet tall and six feet wide, whose swordsmanship was so fast he was invisible!"

"Wait a minute, I heard someone say that the all-knowing scholar of the martial arts world called this master 'The Deadly Scholar Sword.' If he's a scholar, how could he be six feet tall and six feet wide?"

The martial arts figures chimed in with their own opinions, leaving Zhao Zheng, the scholar by the window, speechless and his lips twitching.

When someone suddenly let out a soft exclamation and looked at Zhao Zheng, the other martial arts figures also turned to look at him.

Zhao Zheng scanned the crowd expressionlessly.

"The clothes were just a coincidence!"

Zhao Zheng spoke up, casually mentioning that the height difference was just a coincidence, but he didn't care what he said.

In a flash, except for a few who considered themselves highly skilled, most of the martial arts practitioners in the inn disappeared.

Zhao Zheng's lips twitched as he listened to the martial arts figures outside whispering, "Run! The Deadly Scholar's Sword is here!"

To be honest, he felt that these people were trying to skip out on their bill!

Zhao Zheng glanced at the innkeeper, who looked completely unfazed, and thought to himself that he absolutely couldn't run an inn in the martial arts world. He reached out and grabbed the chopsticks from the chopstick holder on the table and scattered them.

Whoosh! Whoosh! The chopsticks that flew out of the window struck each of the street urchins who tried to skip out on their bill with precision and just the right amount of force.

"Come back and pay the bill before you leave!"

Zhao Zheng said that since he had come to this martial arts world, he felt he should do as the Romans do.

For example, the chivalrous heroes of today!

Zhao Zheng's actions startled the innkeeper, who stared wide-eyed and dropped his abacus with a thud.

In an instant, a middle-aged man burst into tears!

I was so moved I cried!

This scene instantly dispelled any resentment that had arisen in the hearts of the martial arts practitioners who had returned to settle their accounts.

This also made some江湖人士 (jianghu figures) who tried to skip out on their bills look embarrassed, their faces slightly red as they lowered their heads and obediently went into the inn to settle their accounts.

These sights drew curiosity from a young girl on the inn's staircase who had witnessed Zhao Zheng's actions, and also from someone next to her who frowned and whispered to the girl.

"It's him! So he's the Deadly Scholar Swordsman!"

"No wonder she's so good-looking—"

The young girl, or rather, Ling Qingyao, the daughter of the Lord of Lingxiao Sword Mansion, looked at Zhao Zheng with curiosity in her beautiful eyes.

After the martial arts figures paid their bills and left, the innkeeper thanked Zhao Zheng gratefully and served him several more dishes. Only then did Ling Qingyao approach Zhao Zheng under Lao Xuancheng's helpless gaze.

"Young hero, your martial arts are truly impressive. May I ask which school or sect of hidden weapon techniques you just used? I've never seen them before?"

Have you ever heard of the Tang Family Overlord Spear?

Zhao Zheng asked in return, and Ling Qingyao and Lao Xuancheng were taken aback. They shook their heads thoughtfully and said, "Never heard of it!"

'

"No Overlord Spear? That's fine then. Waiter, keep the change." Zhao Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought to himself, "This is a good deal!"—cough cough—he left behind a sum of copper coins roughly equivalent to the cost of his meal, then said goodbye to Ling Qingyao and the other person, and left the inn.

"???" x2

I wasn't disguised, was I?

Why is he so cold?

Ling Qingyao, who considered herself to be quite attractive and had never been treated so coldly by a man before, felt a mix of displeasure and curiosity about Zhao Zheng's attitude.

She wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by Lao Xuancheng and had to stay. She had no choice but to stay, since Lin Ping of Pingdu Escort Agency had killed Li Shaofeng, Li Canglan's son, because of her.

Zhao Zheng was unaware of Ling Qingyao's thoughts. He simply asked a commoner for directions and headed towards the Pingdu Escort Agency, intending to join the plot, as his intuition told him that there were divine weapons in this place.

"Is the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique gone?"

Zhao Zheng was puzzled. He thought this way mainly because of his intuition. Strangely enough, his intuition seemed to be particularly active in this world.

"First—listen to the wall!"

Zhao Zheng muttered to himself, and an hour later, he was found with a strange expression on the roof of an inn near the Pingdu Escort Agency.

Good news, the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique is gone!

Good news! The Lin family really does possess a divine weapon!

Moreover, the Lin family's divine weapon is the foremost of the three imperial weapons of the Mo family, and the first of the seven divine weapons, the Imperial Weapon Dingcang Sword.

The bad news is that the Lin family possesses the divine weapon, the Dingcang Sword, which has the side effect of causing the wielder's desires to surge, so the sword still needs to be cut off.

"A sword with side effects? Was this thing really made by the Mohists? And—the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique has become a divine weapon, what about the Sunflower Manual? Has it also become a divine weapon?"

Zhao Zheng, who was on the rooftop, listened to Li Canglan and his four disciples' conversation. He muttered to himself, sensing that Li Canglan's strength didn't seem very strong. After thinking for a while, he left the rooftop.

A moment later, Zhao Zheng appeared outside the gate of Pingdu Escort Agency. Before he even entered, a disciple of the Fierce Wind Blade Pavilion stepped forward with a smile and said, "May I ask if you are Senior Swordsman, the Deadly Scholar?"

"----right!"

Also, I'm not a senior, I'm only eight years old!

Zhao Zheng's lips twitched twice. Although he didn't particularly like the title "Deadly Scholar," he still nodded in response.

The disciples of the Gale Blade Pavilion didn't say anything threatening. Instead, they politely mentioned the grudges between the Lin family and their Gale Blade Pavilion, and took the opportunity to probe the relationship between Zhao Zheng and the Lin family.

Zhao Zheng listened to the disciples of the Fierce Wind Blade Pavilion whispering about how he had killed three thousand mountain bandits, and his lips twitched as he spoke.

"I have no connection with the Lin family. I'm only looking for them to retrieve something I lost in my past life!" Zhao Zheng said.

Yes, he suddenly remembered that the Dingcang Sword was lost when he was a child, so he decided to go and ask for it back.

Let's also test our skills in the martial world!

"I see. Then I won't disturb you any longer as you go to ask for your things." The disciple of the Gale Blade Pavilion breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

But soon he was stunned, because he discovered that Zhao Zheng, who was asking for his lost childhood belongings, was in cahoots with the Lin family.

No, how could a hero like you lie!

The disciple of the Fierce Wind Blade Pavilion stared wide-eyed at Zhao Zheng, who stood with his sword at the entrance of the escort agency, protecting Lin Zhenting behind him.

"Let's get this straight first: I'll settle this matter for you, and you can choose whatever you want from your old house. But if you try to deny it later, don't blame me for throwing my token on your front door!"

Zhao Zheng first spoke politely to Lin Zhenting behind him, then replied with a wry smile, "No, even if it really is some kind of divine weapon, I will gladly hand it over to Young Master Zhao!"

"It's not just 'even if,' it's a genuine divine weapon!"

"what?"

Lin Zhenting was taken aback upon hearing this, a conflicted look appearing in his eyes. Zhao Zheng raised an eyebrow and placed the Tai'a sword directly against the other's neck.

"Are you trying to go back on your word?"

"???" × 1 + N

The situation changed so quickly that Li Canglan and the others, who had just arrived after hearing the news and initially thought Zhao Zheng was an enemy, immediately swallowed their words, and their angry expressions instantly turned into smiles.

"No, no, no, I won't go back on my word!"

Lin Zhenting panicked as soon as he saw Li Canglan and the others appear. Zhao Zheng, sensing Lin Zhenting's emotions with the Limitless Version of the Sun and Moon Everlasting Observation Technique, chuckled.

I hate liars!

After saying this, Zhao Zheng sheathed his sword and left, no longer standing in front of Lin Zhenting. Instead, he said to Li Canglan, "You two continue!"

"???" × 1 + N

The situation changed too fast!

Li Canglan is almost there and doesn't know what to do!

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