Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

A cry of an eagle pierced the thin clouds in the sky, then slowly sank into the distant horizon.

A gentle breeze swept across the crumbling walls, leaving only the town in silence.

The girl's black hair fluttered in the wind, she flipped her wrist, sheathed her long sword, and looked at Ye Ci with her eyes, as if she was thinking about something.

Ye Ci lay down in a "big" shape and took a few deep breaths.

He felt he had given the president a good way out, and the other party indeed left.

Of course, a cautious commander will not linger when an unknown enemy appears. He will also worry about being surrounded, so he will probably retreat further away this time.

"They're gone...they survived!"

Jiang Ding'an, who was in the shop, let out a heavy sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.

Shen Wanzhou hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "You survived?"

"Yes, you stink," Huangguoshu said.

Shen Wanzhou said, "I'm going to take a bath in the backyard. There's a well there."

"Why didn't you wash just now?" Huang Guoshu asked.

Shen Wanzhou pondered for a moment, then said, "I want to smear their hands."

Then, Huangguoshu was the first to run out from inside.

He bowed deeply, a fawning smile on his face:

"Thank you so much for saving my life, heroine! Your sword strike just now was truly swift as a startled swan and sharp as a thunderbolt! The moment the sword flashed, the move was completely obscured; all that was seen was a flash of cold light, and the barbarian general was sent flying!"

Not only is your swordsmanship superb, but your movements are also graceful and elegant, like a fairy descending to earth, your demeanor dignified and awe-inspiring. Your swordsmanship, movement, and bearing are all top-notch. I have truly broadened my horizons today and am utterly impressed!

The girl paused for a moment, carefully examining the boy before her, only to see him still talking incessantly:

"My lady, you may not know this! I've heard the name of the Seven Great Swordsmen from storytellers. They say that the leader is a beautiful woman with a sword as beautiful as a fairy. Her skills are amazing and her beauty is unparalleled. Ordinary people rarely get to see her in their entire lives!"

The girl's voice was clear and crisp: "If you've heard of it, don't you know that all seven masters are men?"

Huang Guoshu was stunned for a moment, then said, "Seeing you in action today, I realize even the storytellers didn't dare to tell the whole story! Your swordsmanship is even more formidable than the legendary Seven Wonders. What are the Seven Wonders compared to you? I've lived for over a decade, and only today have I truly seen the light! To be saved by you is truly a blessing I've accumulated over eight lifetimes!"

"What's your name?"

"Huangguoshu Waterfall".

"???"

This time, a ripple finally appeared in the girl's eyes, and she turned to look at Ye Ci.

Ye Ci lay on the ground, his limbs throbbing with pain. He looked up at the sky and said:

"Didn't you also lie and claim to have some kind of seven-character quatrain?"

"Jian Jue is my master."

The girl's eyes were fixed on Ye Ci: "My master is the leader of the Heavenly Punishment Alliance. The world is unjust, and the justice of Heaven is hard to uphold, so our alliance takes up the sword. We will slay the wicked above and bring peace to the common people below. We do not worship kings or nobles, nor do we respect ghosts or gods. We only uphold the righteous path in our hearts. All who join our alliance are concerned for the common people. Where Heavenly Punishment goes, all evil will be punished. Where Heaven's justice lies, we will be there."

"I want to join!" Huang Guoshu shouted.

"Get out of here."

Jiang Ding'an came out from inside, pulled his brother-in-law aside, and muttered, "You've never even been to the martial world, what do you know! I've heard that the Heavenly Punishment Alliance is full of wanted criminals by the imperial court. You, a mere Ming Jin, wouldn't even be a match for their breath."

He then bowed to the girl and said, "Thank you for saving my life, heroine. He's just a child and doesn't know any better, please don't take it to heart."

"I would never have accepted him in the first place."

The girl answered as a matter of course.

Ye Ci didn't even lift his eyelids, and said, "You're not going to take me in, are you?"

"Do you want to join?"

"My beliefs differ from yours. What do I care about the fate of the world? Besides, I will not be a rebel..."

What can a group of wanted people accomplish?

A look of surprise flashed in the girl's eyes; she clearly couldn't understand it, as it didn't match her expectations.

She felt that after hearing what Ye Ci said, he should be filled with enthusiasm, given his personality.

"We are not rebels."

"You cannot define who is a traitor."

"You...you...you're no good either! I saw you set fire before!"

The girl seemed to be bad at arguing; her tone was hurried, like a child in a hurry pointing out that someone else used to urinate while jumping as a child.

Upon hearing this, Ye Ci considered it for a moment:

Which fire?

"Is that a lot?"

The girl was surprised, and then said, "I followed you all night. You said you wouldn't be a rebel, so why were you afraid of being caught by the court? I saw with my own eyes you beat the pursuers into plaster casts."

What is a plaster figure?

Huangguoshu looked left and right, then right again.

Jiang Ding'an couldn't understand it either.

Ye Ci understood. This woman must have witnessed the murder at the Black Tiger Gang's stronghold in the west of the city that day.

This is a troublesome matter, related to the Demonic Sect.

"The Heavenly Punishment Alliance would never accept a martial artist with only internal strength. Originally, I only admired your character, but today, by chance, I saw you stand up for your brothers and single-handedly deal with a group of commanders. I think you are a responsible person. Moreover, I heard everything you said to Green Snake..."

Ye Ci frowned slightly: "Will you force me to join?"

"No, that won't happen."

"I won't join."

The young woman pondered for a moment, her beautiful eyes sweeping over the crowd, and said calmly, "Then we shall meet again if fate allows. If you have come to your senses, you may take this item to the Wanbao Merchant Guild to find me..."

After saying that, the girl tossed out a token and turned to leave.

Ye Ci took the token. The token was smaller than the palm of his hand, made of bronze, with a sword engraved on the front and the words "Black Moon" on the back.

Is Black Moon her name?

He looked up.

Her dark cloak billowed in the wind, and her fitted outfit accentuated her slender waist with a graceful curve, her rounded hips gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.

"That sounds really impressive. Why don't you join? I've never heard of the Wanbao Chamber of Commerce either, but it seems pretty awesome too."

Huang Guoshu came over and shook Ye Ci's arm.

Ye Ci put the token in her pocket, closed her eyes, and said, "Don't move me, let me lie down for a while, it really hurts..."

Huang Guoshu looked in the direction the girl had left and said, "Judging from her voice, she was very beautiful."

Jiang Ding'an scoffed, "Would someone so pretty wear a mask? These kinds of people usually just have good figures and nice voices, but their faces are incredibly ugly..."

He was quite knowledgeable when it came to women, and said to Ye Ci, "It was the right thing not to join. We can't go against the imperial court. I've never heard of the Seven Absolutes, but I know about the Heavenly Punishment Alliance. I saw their wanted posters outside the city before, and people said back then that their heads were very valuable..."

"She has a great figure," Huang Guoshu said.

Jiang Ding'an glanced at him and continued to say to Ye Ci, "Don't be fooled by her good figure, she's utterly useless."

"What do you mean by that?" Huang Guoshu retorted.

Jiang Ding'an: "She has small breasts, so she won't produce much breast milk later."

"..."

Huang Guoshu thought that small breasts could also be a sign of refinement, so he felt contempt for his brother-in-law and turned to talk to Ye Ci.

"Brother Ye, are you truly invincible?"

He was filled with curiosity about this older brother and also very interested in his previous conversation with the Green Snake.

Ye Ci, with her eyes closed, said, "You're just bragging."

"You've fought so many battles, why are you still just a soldier?"

"I was just an ordinary person back then, but a sergeant needed to have superb skills."

"Can't an ordinary person be a squad leader?"

"It requires spending money and kneeling; neither can be omitted."

"Chief镖师 Ye, shall we go?"

The sound came from inside the shop; it was Shen Wanzhou, who had taken a bath sometime earlier and changed into a coarse linen outfit.

As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse," and at this moment he looked like an old coachman, asking cautiously.

Ye Ci nodded: "We shouldn't stay here any longer! The Commander-in-Chief isn't joking; the secret guards might really come."

Everyone hurriedly went to look for the horses, only to find that there was only one horse left, which was left by Jiang Ding'an outside the town.

So they found a carriage to put on, and Jiang Ding'an drove the horses, and the group returned home.

There was still a lingering stench in the carriage.

Ye Ci was in a lot of pain in her limbs, but she couldn't care less about that. She closed her eyes, regulated her breathing, and fell into a deep sleep.

The same applies to Huangguoshu.

On the way back, Huang Guoshu repeatedly instructed that no one should tell anyone about this.

They had never encountered any Grand Commander, nor did they know anything about the Green Snake.

Master Shen encountered barbarian soldiers by chance, and later Chen Sanshou abandoned him. He was rescued by Ye Ci and his group while hiding by the roadside.

Huang Guoshu threatened, "Master Shen, you're not exactly honorable either. If word gets out that you hid in a cesspool, it will damage the family's reputation."

"I wouldn't dare!" Shen Wanzhou said with a mournful face. "I'm also afraid of the barbarian's secret guards. I hope they won't come looking for you by your name... By the way, young man, have you ever considered moving back to Lingshan County?"

"Impossible! I'd rather die in your house!" Huang Guoshu gritted his teeth. "Once I get back to Songjiang County, I'll change my name!"

******

As the carriage entered the Yizhou Prefecture, and more and more pedestrians appeared on the road, everyone's mood relaxed considerably.

Upon arriving at the inner city of the county, the smelly carriage first took Ye Ci to the martial arts school.

The reason for returning to the martial arts school first was that Ye Ci was injured by the Grand Commander, and his whole body would be in pain whenever he exerted his strength. He wanted to ask Master Yang to check on him.

It was almost noon, the time when people should be eating.

Ye Ci entered the room alone, feeling somewhat puzzled.

The martial arts school should have been bustling with activity, but the front yard was deserted, not even a student could be seen.

Where did everyone go?

Upon entering the second gate, they encountered their second senior brother, Fang Cheng, and Meng Zhaoting walking towards them.

Meng Zhaoting's face was slightly pale as he spoke to his second senior brother, Fang Cheng, while carrying his backpack.

"Second Brother, where are we going? Why is the courtyard deserted?"

Ye Ci greeted him.

Fang Cheng smiled and asked with concern, "You were away on this escort mission for almost two months, right... Has Senior Brother Jiang returned?"

"He's back. He's taking his brother-in-law home for a family reunion, so I came to the martial arts gym first."

"Going back to the martial arts gym before even going home?"

Seeing his travel-worn appearance, Meng Zhaoting half-jokingly asked, "Planning to seize the time to cultivate again?"

"No, I'm injured. I feel a stinging pain all over my body whenever I exert my strength."

Ye Ci said in detail, "I wonder if my master is here? I would like to ask him to take a look at me."

"Are you injured?"

Fang Cheng was surprised, then said, "Master isn't here. Have Senior Brother Meng take a look at him. His family is a renowned family of doctors in the county, and they know a lot about medicine."

Meng Zhaoting nodded: "Give me your hand, I'll take your pulse."

"Thank you for your trouble, senior brother."

After a moment, Meng Zhaoting's facial expression became extremely dramatic, showing confusion, surprise, and a hint of something else in his eyes.

"Your body is fine, but you suffered a severe injury while circulating your energy. The injury was too sudden, causing damage to your meridians. Fortunately, your meridians are extremely resilient now, and your recovery ability far exceeds that of ordinary people. However... due to this injury, your cultivation must be stopped for a period of time. You can only gradually resume your training once the pain in your meridians turns into soreness."

"Then it seems there's no doubt that Junior Brother Ye must have fought with someone while escorting goods."

Fang Cheng smiled gently: "Meng Zhaoting's pulse diagnosis skills are extremely accurate. Even his master praised him. He will definitely become a famous medical master in the county in the future."

"Senior brother, you flatter me."

Meng Zhaoting gave a wry smile and said to Ye Ci, "With your internal strength, you don't need special treatment. Just nourish yourself with Qi and Blood Powder on a regular basis, changing it from once every three days to once every seven days, and let the medicine dissipate on its own. If you have time, Senior Brother Ye, you can go to Baozhitang and ask my father to give you a massage; that will speed up your recovery."

"Senior Brother Ye...hidden strength?"

Fang Cheng keenly noticed Meng Zhaoting's choice of words.

Ye Ci gleaned something from his expression, and noticing the bundle on his back, shook his head and chuckled, "Senior Brother Meng, you're too kind. You joined the sect earlier, so please call me Junior Brother Ye. But where are you headed, Senior Brother Meng?"

"Ye...Junior Brother..."

Meng Zhaoting paused for a moment, a hint of sadness suddenly appearing in his eyes. He thought of Xiao Hua's recent changes, and thus forced a smile:

"Having failed to break through to the internal energy level, I won't waste any more time at the martial arts school. My father also wants me to go back and inherit the family business. Since the school is empty today, I've come to collect some old items and say goodbye to my second senior brother."

When Ye Ci saw his attire and pale face, she already guessed the outcome.

After failing to advance, there is no chance to go any further, and many disciples leave in despair after failing.

He offered a few words of comfort, and Meng Zhaoting smiled and shook his head, then took out a small packet of maltose from his pocket:

"Thinking back to when you first entered the Inner Court, the first time you drank the Qi and Blood Soup, I deliberately coaxed you to drink it in big gulps. Time flies so fast. Now you've reached the Dark Strength level. This maltose will be used when you drink the Qi and Blood Soup again, so you can reminisce about those days..."

Ye Ci took the bag of candy: "I remembered my senior brother's name back then, it was an interesting thing."

"Hahaha……"

Meng Zhaoting laughed a few times, feeling that meeting Ye Ci was the happiest thing that had happened to her during this period, relieving her depression.

He strode out, waving goodbye without turning back.

Seeing his carefree demeanor at the end, Fang Cheng, the second senior brother, breathed a sigh of relief and watched him leave.

After he left, Ye Ci asked, "Senior Brother Fang, where are Master and the others?"

Fang Cheng responded, "After the Ming Jin competition a while ago, Commander Qin held an An Jin competition. There aren't many An Jin practitioners in the county, and even fewer young An Jin practitioners. The competition was over in about a morning, so it didn't take up much time. Therefore, all the fellow disciples in the academy went to the competition arena to watch the competition."

He glanced in the direction Meng Zhaoting had left and said, "Junior Brother Xiao Hua's performance was extremely impressive. His words were somewhat provocative to Junior Brother Meng Zhaoting, which is why Junior Brother Meng forced his way through the challenge. Who would have thought he would fail... If Junior Brother Meng had persevered for a few more days and waited until his qi and blood were abundant before attempting the challenge, his chances of success would have been much greater."

People's joys and sorrows are not shared.

Ye Ci sighed. Suddenly, he thought of Huang Guoshu. If he were to become a disciple of Master Yang and receive proper training, he might be no worse than Xiao Hua.

------

PS: Just to explain, these past few days' chapters have been combined, and each chapter is over 4000 words, the same as the previous two chapters.

The reality is that I'm out of drafts. Because the data isn't good, I'm posting what I already had. After reaching 100,000 words, I did get a few dozen more favorites, so I think I should write some more. Therefore, it's not good to break up the chapters once I start writing.

My 120,000-word book hasn't even received a single round of recommendations. I hope you guys can help me out. I need your help to see if I can make it through.

Finally, I sincerely thank the brothers who voted for me.