A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

Chapter 143 The Return Journey

The jade slip was warm to the touch, and the characters on it were carved with an extremely fine knife, with neat and precise strokes.

He leaned closer to the firelight and examined it carefully.

"The Golden Bell Cover".

His heart skipped a beat.

He quickly flipped through the pages to check.

Sure enough, as expected.

It's actually the complete version of the Golden Bell Cover.

The Twelve Gates of the Golden Bell Shield.

If one can master up to the twelfth level, it can be considered a divine skill.

It is still a superior skill among divine techniques.

This is exactly what he's missing.

Now, the opportunity has arrived.

He continued looking at the animal hide.

The animal hide contains a complete and superior sword technique: the Fire Kirin Sword Technique.

From beginner to expert, every step is clearly written out.

The writing is simple and archaic, but the meaning is clear; it is obviously the work of a master.

Su Bai was excited. Although this sword technique was not a divine skill, it far surpassed the Frost Sword Technique and belonged to a superior sword technique that had already touched the realm of divine skills.

He frowned, rolled up the animal hide, and put it away.

Finally, there was that thin booklet.

The cover was damaged. He carefully opened it and found handwritten words inside, which were more messy than those on the jade slip, like a casual note.

After reading a few pages, he gradually understood what it was.

This is a diary.

Or rather, it is the cultivation notes of a martial artist at the peak of the True Qi Realm.

The owner of the notebook must be the skeleton in front of us.

Judging from the notes, he was a rogue cultivator who was obsessed with martial arts and traveled around in search of opportunities.

Finally, they arrived at Qishan, discovered this cave, and secluded themselves there to cultivate their spiritual practice.

Unfortunately, he failed to break through and died, leaving behind only these things to await a destined person.

The last few pages of his notes recorded his insights into martial arts and some cultivation experiences.

The handwriting grew increasingly illegible and messy, with the last few lines barely written: "I have spent my life seeking the Dao, yet I have never found the gate. Now I am about to pass away, leaving behind this small item for posterity. If you receive my belongings, you will know my heart. The path of martial arts is long; I hope you will cherish it."

Su Bai closed the booklet and remained silent for a long time.

He looked up at the skeleton, which was still sitting cross-legged, in a peaceful posture, as if it were looking at him, or as if it were looking at the endless void.

He stood up, solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to the skeleton, and paid his respects.

Then he put the booklet into his pocket and turned to leave.

When we emerged from the cave, it was already dark.

Dusk was falling in the valley, and the wild grass rustled in the evening breeze. His horse was still grazing in the field, and when it saw him come out, it raised its head and snorted.

Su Bai walked over and mounted his horse.

He glanced back at the crack; the dark opening had disappeared into the night and was no longer visible.

He looked away and nudged the horse's belly.

The horses' hooves pounded the grass with a dull thud.

The valley was quiet, with only the sounds of the wind, the grass, and his horse's hooves.

When news of Deputy Chief Inspector Feng's death arrived, all the major and minor factions in Qingyuan County outwardly mourned, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Feng Zhenshan, who had wielded an iron fist to suppress Qingyuan County for three whole years, finally died.

The Golden Knife Alliance was destroyed, the Blood Knife Gang was destroyed, and Feng Zhenshan was also dead.

Two of the three mountains that were pressing down on us collapsed overnight.

The remaining Lord Su Bai, though ruthless, was ultimately just one person.

Late stage of True Qi Realm?

Remarkable, peak True Qi Realm.

He was indeed no match for the four major families in Qingyuan County, but he was alone and couldn't hold out on the situation.

Previously, everyone had been holding back and suppressing their anger simply because they were afraid that if Feng Zhenshan came back and joined Su Bai, it would be really difficult for them to withstand it.

Now that Feng Zhenshan is in his coffin, what is there to be afraid of?

However, before he could even catch his breath, an official document from the Fengshan County Garrison arrived.

Sealed with sealing wax, sent by express courier over 800 li.

The newly appointed Inspector of the Annam Trade Routes, Zhou Muyun, will take up his post in Qingyuan County immediately to assist Lord Su Bai in managing local affairs. Cao Yiheng, the former Deputy Chief Inspector of the Fengshan County Garrison, will replace Feng Zhenshan in his post immediately.

These two lines were unremarkable; what truly terrified people was the brief resume attached to them.

Zhou Muyun, Great Perfection of True Qi Realm. Ranked fifth on the Fengshan County Qi Realm Ranking.

Cao Yiheng, late stage of True Qi Realm.

The five words "True Qi Realm Great Perfection" were like five nails, firmly pinning down all the restless forces in Qingyuan County, keeping them firmly in place.

The heads of the four major families met overnight, but parted without even having a sip of tea.

Before the meeting adjourned, he left only one sentence: From today onwards, no member of the clan may leave the house unless necessary, and even if there is a problem, they must endure it.

Iron Palm Gang leader Tie Lingshan locked himself in the training room for a whole night. The next morning, all the peripheral members of the Iron Palm Gang withdrew, shops closed, and docks stopped work, adopting a cowardly posture.

The Chamber of Commerce Alliance took an even more decisive approach, with the president personally drafting a notice: From this day forward, all merchants belonging to the alliance are strictly prohibited from engaging in any conflict with the government, and those who violate this rule will be expelled from the Chamber of Commerce.

The slight smugness that came with Feng Zhenshan's death has now turned into lingering fear.

The Fengshan County Garrison Command is serious about this.

What is the concept of the Great Perfection of True Qi Realm?

There are none in the entire Qingyuan County.

Moreover, it's the kind of place that ranks in the top five in Fengshan County, which is far more prestigious than a small place like Qingyuan County.

Not to mention that Cao Yiheng, who is in the late stage of the True Qi Realm, is also part of the team.

Even before these two arrived, their names were already branded like a hot iron on the hearts of all forces in Qingyuan County.

Two days later, Su Bai returned to Qingyuan County.

A man and a horse entered the city silently.

The spies squatting at the city gate glanced at him lazily, without even bothering to get up.

When the news reached back, the reactions of the various officials were remarkably consistent: Oh, Lord Su is back.

Then there is no more.

Nobody cares about him.

All attention was focused on Lord Zhou, who was about to take office.

Su Bai rode his horse through the somewhat deserted streets, hearing a lot of news around him, but he remained expressionless and unmoved.

He understood what these people were thinking.

In their eyes, Su Bai was nothing more than a master in the late stage of the True Qi Realm.

Now that Feng Zhenshan is dead and the real person has arrived, he should naturally step aside.

fair enough.

He desperately wants no one to pay attention to him.

Su Bai walked straight to the public housing in the backyard.

Pushing open the door, Wang Muzhi was engrossed in organizing case files.

"My lord." Wang Muzhi stood up and bowed.

Su Bai waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, and then sat down behind the desk himself.

Then he learned about Feng Zhenshan's situation.

"What's going on with the funeral arrangements for Deputy Chief Inspector Feng?" Su Bai asked.

Wang Muzhi rallied his spirits: "The body has been transported to Fengshan County. News has come from the county's garrison that the mourning ceremony will be decided after the new inspector takes office."

Su Bai nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Wang Muzhi hesitated for a moment, but couldn't help but ask, "My lord, that Inspector Zhou—"

"I know," Su Bai interrupted him. "He's at the Great Perfection of the True Qi Realm, ranked fifth on the Qi Realm Ranking in the county. He's here to assist me in managing Qingyuan County."

Wang Muzhi opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

assist?

Those two words sound nice, but who knows who will actually be helping whom in the end?

With Deputy Chief Inspector Feng dead, fearing that Lord Su wouldn't be able to handle the situation alone, the county town sent an even more ruthless one.

After this, will Lord Su still have a say in Qingyuan County?

He felt aggrieved for Su Bai, but dared not say it.

Su Bai glanced at him, then suddenly smiled: "Alright, don't think too much about it. Go and organize all the files left by Deputy Chief Inspector Feng. When the new Deputy Chief Inspector Cao takes office, he'll need to hand them over."

Wang Muzhi responded and turned to leave, but was stopped again.

"By the way," Su Bai tapped his fingers on the table, "do you know Long Boyuan?"

Wang Mu was taken aback: "Long Boyuan? That name seems... familiar?"

As the head of the Ministry of Personnel, Wang Muzhi's memory was naturally excellent.

He was certain he had heard the name Long Boyuan before, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it.

"You've heard of him? Think about it, has he ever appeared in our Fengshan County? Or perhaps he's been on some kind of list?" Su Bai pondered.

"I remember now, it all seems to have happened thirty years ago!"

Long Boyuan is a very famous person. He is the 125th ranked master on the Great Qian Grandmaster List. However, I remember that he was a rogue cultivator who did a lot of things later.

"Yes, he seems to have been near Fengshan County before," Wang Muzhi suddenly remembered and said.

"Oh? The Grandmaster Ranking?" Ye Wen asked in surprise.

"It's a list of experts above the True Qi Realm in our Great Qian Dynasty," Wang Muzhi replied simply.

He didn't know much about it either, and he just occasionally treated it as an amusing anecdote.

After all, such beings were too far removed from him and from Fengshan County.

"Find out all his files, whether they're there or not. The more detailed the better," Su Bai asked.

"Yes."

Wang Muzhi wanted to ask something, but seeing that Su Bai didn't seem inclined to explain, he had no choice but to swallow his doubts and go to the archives to search for information.

The public housing fell silent.

Separated by several walls, the whispered conversations of the front yard guards drifted intermittently into Su Bai's ears.

"—True Qi Realm Great Perfection, ranked in the top five in the county! When has Qingyuan County ever had someone like that before?"

"That's right. I heard that the four major families are terrified. That old bastard Guo Tieshan sealed off the mountain gates and even stopped business at the docks."

"

"How could we not be terrified? We thought things would finally be easier after Vice President Feng left, but then something even more formidable came along."

"Hey, what about Lord Su—"

"Shh, keep your voice down."

"What are you afraid of? The backyard is far away. Lord Su is powerful, but even if he is powerful, he is only at the late stage of True Qi Realm."

Why did those family heads tolerate it before? Were they afraid of Lord Su? No, they were afraid that Deputy Chief Constable Feng would come back and settle accounts!

Now that Deputy Chief Inspector Feng is gone, the new Inspector Zhou is supposed to be assisting, but who doesn't know he's here to take charge? From now on, Inspector Zhou will be the one calling the shots in Qingyuan County.

"That's true—Lord Su alone can't keep those old guys in check."

"Alright, alright, stop talking and get to work."

The murmurs gradually faded into the distance.

Su Bai sat in the office, his perfected True Qi Realm hearing taking in every word and then transmitting it back verbatim.

He smiled and shook his head.

Late stage of True Qi Realm?

What these people didn't know was that he was no longer in the late stage of the True Qi Realm.

Of course, they don't need to know.

He picked up the file that Wang Muzhi had just found on the table and opened it to the first page.

The ink on the yellowed paper had faded somewhat, but the writing was still clearly legible.

Long Boyuan was from Qingyuan County, Fengshan Commandery, Nanyue Prefecture.

He practiced martial arts from a young age, displaying exceptional talent. At twenty, he entered the True Qi Realm; at thirty, he reached the Great Perfection of the True Qi Realm; and at thirty-three, he broke through to the True Qi Realm.

As you continue flipping through the file, you find page after page of densely packed records:

After gaining fame, Long Boyuan traveled the world, made friends with heroes, and performed chivalrous deeds. He once single-handedly wiped out the Black Wind Stronghold, which had plagued the southwest for thirteen years. He also once went alone into Miao territory and fought a three-day and three-night battle with the leader of the Five Poisons Sect, who was at the peak of the True Qi Realm, before finally escaping unscathed.

At the age of forty, for some unknown reason, he incurred the wrath of the imperial court and was listed as a "bandit," and was wanted by the Zhenfu Division.

For the next twenty years, he clashed with the imperial court across the land, killing officials, robbing grain transport, breaking prisons, committing countless shocking crimes, but also saving countless innocent people.

At the age of sixty, he suddenly disappeared without a trace, and no one knew his whereabouts anymore.

At the end of the file, there was a line of small, vermilion annotation: This person's martial arts are divine, reaching the peak of True Qi. If you encounter him, do not attempt to defeat him by force; report this immediately.

Su Bai closed the file and fell into deep thought.

He has already inherited Long Boyuan's martial arts legacy.

But this inheritance is not just a gift; it could also be a death sentence.

The Golden Bell Cover technique is relatively easy to master; many powerful forces possess it, but no one has ever fully mastered it.

Therefore, it doesn't circulate much and isn't highly valued.

But the Fire Kirin Sword Technique was Long Boyuan's signature skill.

Long Boyuan had enemies everywhere back then.

On the imperial side, the Zhenfu Division had been wanted for him for twenty years, and they hated him to the bone.

But the imperial court was actually in a better position, since he was an official himself, and his discovery of the wanted criminal's grave was hardly a fault.

But in the martial arts world, those he killed, offended, or had grudges against, were all powerful figures in their own right.

Which one isn't a powerful force that has been passed down through generations?

If people knew that he had inherited Long Boyuan's mantle—

Su Bai opened his eyes and his gaze fell on the dossier.

Could someone who could command the Zhenfu Division to leave behind the eight words "Cannot be defeated by force, report immediately" be an ordinary person?

He needs to know everything about Long Boyuan's past.

They know who his friends are, who his enemies are, who is dead and who is still alive, and how many open and hidden attacks will come from all directions once this legacy is exposed.

The chatter outside the window had long since ceased.

Su Bai opened the file again and read it carefully, page by page, word by word.

After you finish watching.

His expression was somewhat strange.

The people Long Boyuan offended were either very far away from Zhangzhou.

They would all be dead by now.

I basically have no enemies left.

"Alright, let's focus on cultivation for now."

Three days have passed since the memorial service for Feng Zhenshan.

It was drizzling that day. The gray raindrops drifted in the courtyard outside the mourning hall, making the bluestone slabs wet and giving them a dull, somber look.

In the mourning hall, elegiac couplets hung down, white curtains fluttered, and candlelight flickered in the wind, casting the figures of those dressed in mourning clothes onto the wall, sometimes long, sometimes short.

The Feng family's relatives knelt on both sides, their low sobs mingling with the sound of rain, making one's heart feel heavy.

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