Starting from his vigorous old age, he began to conquer Liaozhai.

Fang Zheng leaped into the air, using his claws to block the Evil-Sniffing Blade; the expected impact did not occur.

The Evil-Smelling Blade easily severed Fang Zheng's hands, his fingers falling to the ground and twitching eerily.

"Uh~"

The long sword continued its strike, slashing into Fang Zheng's chest, with half of the blade embedded in his body.

In the blink of an eye, Fang Zheng's body rapidly withered.

Fang Zheng looked down at the long sword, a hoarse, ambiguous sound emanating from his throat, as if someone had grabbed his throat.

He bent his body slightly and with a sudden burst of strength, squeezed the Evil-Sniffing Blade out of his body.

Cao Xiong took a step back, feeling the faint internal energy within his body, and sighed inwardly.

This guy is really strange. Fortunately, although we failed to kill him, we did manage to seriously injure him.

"I want you dead."

Fang Zheng's face was ferocious, his arms like two iron rods, and he attacked Cao Xiong with both hands.

The wound on his chest could not heal, and a large amount of blood mixed with red and black gushed out.

Cao Xiong dodged while simultaneously recovering his internal energy.

Fang Zheng's offensive did not last long; like a deflated balloon, its momentum waned.

Cao Xiong saw that Fang Zheng was at his last gasp and seized the opportunity to strike again.

Fang Zheng was beheaded with a single blow.

[Kill a mid-stage Bone Forging Realm martial artist, 0.5 fragments]

"I've said it before, I've met many geniuses, but none of them have lived as long as I have."

Cao Xiong sheathed his Evil-Sniffing Blade and looked at Fang Zheng, whose face still showed resentment, and muttered to himself.

Fang Zheng still died at his hands. According to the laws of the Ming Dynasty, Fang Zheng was a seventh-rank military officer and should have been tried and sentenced by the Zhenfu Division.

Since Fang Zheng refused to be arrested in public, Cao Xiong could not be blamed for acting first and reporting later. Even the Zhenfu Division could not hold him accountable.

Cao Xiong grabbed Fang Zheng's hair, lifted his head, and returned to the Hundred Household Office.

After Cao Xiong left, a wisp of black smoke drifted out from Fang Zheng's mutilated body.

"That good-for-nothing Fang Zheng has forced me to find a new host."

"Damn Cao Xiong, Fang Zheng was just one step away from becoming an Iron Corpse, and I was able to take over his body."

"hateful!"

……

the next day.

Cao Xiong arrived at the county government office in the inner city and met with the county magistrate.

"Bang!"

Cao Xiong threw Fang Zheng's shriveled head directly onto the table.

"This is?"

The magistrate was so frightened that he quickly got up.

"What, didn't the magistrate recognize him? Fang Zheng was practicing evil arts. Last night, he sneaked into the Cheng family residence in the western district with the intention of wiping out the entire family. I caught him on the spot, but unfortunately, Commander Fang resisted arrest and fled. For the safety of the people, I had no choice but to kill him."

Looking at the county magistrate, Cao Xiong spoke with a mocking tone.

The magistrate took two deep breaths to calm himself down. "On behalf of the people of Guobei County, I thank Commander Cao."

"Thank you, Commander Cao, for putting aside your own family ties for the greater good."

Cao Xiong waved his hand, "No need for thanks. I'll have to trouble the magistrate to quickly prepare a county government file and finalize the case so I can submit it to the Thousand Household Office."

"Of course, of course."

The magistrate smiled.

Having achieved his purpose in coming to the county government office, Cao Xiong left the inner city. Today was the day for recruiting soldiers, and although arrangements had been made, he was still needed to go and oversee the work.

After all, he was the only remaining commander of the entire Guobei County Hundred-Household Office.

When Cao Xiong arrived at the Hundred Households Training Ground, recruitment had already begun.

Three or four hundred people gathered together, lined up in ten rows, and went forward one by one to have their bodies checked, their origins reported, and their strength tested.

"Greetings, Commander!"

As soon as Cao Xiong sat down in the main seat, Qiu Ming came to his side.

"What is it?"

Qiu Ming smiled and said, "Commander, a late-stage Skin Tempering Realm martial artist has arrived and wants to join the army."

"Where?"

Cao Xiong looked up in surprise. A late-stage tempering realm martial artist was like a godsend for the current centurion's office.

"I'll go and bring him here right away."

Not long after, Qiu Ming returned, followed by a burly man.

He was around forty years old, with a dark face and short beard. He was sturdy and his muscles and bones were like iron. When he stood, he looked like a black stone iron tower.

Cao Xiong took a closer look and noticed that the man had thick fingers and eyes like copper bells.

"Practitioners of hard qigong."

Cao Xiong added a sentence in his mind.

"This humble commoner, Sha Huizi, greets Your Excellency!"

"Sha Huizi?"

Upon hearing this person's name, Cao Xiong's mind raced. If he remembered correctly, there was such a character in the Liaozhai stories of his previous life.

"Yes, my surname is quite uncommon."

"It's alright. I recruit soldiers based solely on their abilities. Judging from your steady gait and bulging temples, you must be practicing some kind of hard qigong?"

Sha Huizi quickly replied, "Your Excellency has discerning eyes; this humble one practices Iron Shirt."

Cao Xiong nodded. That makes sense. The story was called "Iron Shirt Technique." Unexpectedly, this time, during the recruitment, a protagonist with a name and surname from a previous life's Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio came to join.

"Qiu Ming, why don't you exchange a few blows with Sha Huizi?"

"Yes, sir!"

After saying that, Qiu Ming and Sha Huizi found an open space. Neither of them used any weapons, and they fought bare-handed.

The sparring between the two also attracted the attention of others on the training ground.

It's just that no one gathered around because of the rules.

"Bang bang bang~"

In the blink of an eye, the two were engaged in combat.

Both were late-stage tempering realm martial artists, with the same level of cultivation. For a time, they went back and forth, unable to determine who was superior.

Only Cao Xiong quickly realized that Qiu Ming was no match for Sha Huizi.

Qiu Ming had already used all his strength, while Sha Huizi had held back.

Moreover, it was clear that Qiu Ming's arm was trembling slightly and his expression had changed slightly, obviously the continuous physical collisions were taking their toll on him.

In contrast, Sha Huizi remained calm and composed, demonstrating composure in both his advance and retreat.

"Watch the punch."

Qiu Ming stood like a fierce tiger, holding his breath and rapidly circulating his inner energy.

The speed of his punches is getting faster and faster.

After being knocked back several steps, Sha Huizi stood still, assumed a horse stance, and let Qiu Ming's fists rain down on him.

When Qiu Ming was exhausted, Sha Huizi switched from defense to offense, landing a punch on Qiu Ming's chest and knocking him back two steps.

"That's enough!"

Cao Xiong spoke up and stopped the two from competing.

Qiu Ming clasped his hands in a fist salute to Sha Huizi, his face showing admiration. "Brother Sha's martial arts are superb; I am no match for him."

Sha Huizi quickly waved his hand, looking somewhat flustered, "Qiu Xiaoqi is joking. I only practice martial arts."

"It's just that he has a slight physical advantage. Qiu Xiaoqi is a soldier and is more skilled with weapons. If he were wielding a knife, I'm afraid I wouldn't last two rounds."

"Haha, you two don't need to be modest. Starting today, Sha Huizi will serve as the fifth junior officer of the first general banner."

With a decisive blow, Cao Xiong had gained a general understanding of Sha Huizi's strength.

After the excitement ended, the recruitment would continue for a long time. Cao Xiong encouraged everyone before returning to his barracks.

Everything is proceeding in an orderly manner, and Cao Xiong should still focus on improving his own level of understanding.

Cao Xiong resumed his arduous daily practice.

During this period, Cao Xiong discovered that as his cultivation intensified, the medicinal baths could no longer meet his needs.

Cao Xiong could only send people to purchase medicinal herbs that were older.

After adjustments, the drug's effectiveness improved significantly, barely keeping up with Cao Xiong's progress.

……

[Tiger Stance - Bone Forging Chapter (Minor Success) 200/200]

"Phew~ It's two days later than expected, but I've finally broken through."

Cao Xiong put away his stance training, looked at the progress of the training displayed on the panel, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.