All the gods began by cultivating the Iron Shirt technique.

The brick wall collapsed, and dust rose everywhere. What was almost a certain death for Yang Pan was instantly flattened by Hong Qigong, one of the Five Great Masters, with a single palm strike.

Among all the martial arts masters in the world, Hong Qigong is the one with the best temperament and the most carefree personality. Even though he hates evil as much as he hates it, he rarely takes lives when he strikes. At least in Yang Pan's memory, the Five Ugly Men of the Tibetan Border were extremely wicked. Hong Qigong chased them for months, but in the end, he only crippled their martial arts on Mount Hua and did not kill them.

Now, Hong Qigong showed no mercy to the Bai family members with his Dragon Subduing Palm, indicating that he had zero tolerance for the Mongols and the disciples within his gang who harmed the common people.

"Hehe, how does Old Beggar Yang's palm strike compare to Bai Yan's?"

As Hong Qigong withdrew his hand, the terrifying aura that had been like a raging sea vanished, and he instantly transformed from a resurrected dragon back into the disheveled old beggar.

Hearing Hong Qigong compare himself to Bai Yan again, Yang Pan's heart stirred. This old gang leader seemed carefree and easygoing, but he appeared to care a great deal about the gang's inherited martial arts. He probably saw that he had beheaded Bai Yan, who was using the Dragon Subduing Palm, with just a few strikes, and was afraid that Yang Pan might underestimate this palm technique, which was why he kept asking questions.

But in Yang Pan's heart, all he could say was, "Old Boss, you're overthinking it."

Just as different people are born from the same grain of rice, a hundred people will produce different results from practicing the same martial art. The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, as one of the most powerful and forceful palm techniques in the martial arts world today, cannot be ignored for its formidable power.

Bai Yan was beheaded by Yang Pan in just a few blows, which only shows that the opponent was not strong enough, and Yang Pan's sudden attack caught Bai Yan off guard. Otherwise, in a real one-on-one fight, Yang Pan knew that it would have taken him quite a bit of effort to defeat him.

"The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms are extremely powerful and yang. The old gang leader's display of just now was only the tip of the iceberg, which has already shocked me." With a hundred thoughts running through his mind, Yang Pan flattered Hong Qigong.

Seeing Yang Pan's serious expression, with a hint of shock still lingering on his face, Hong Qigong chuckled and nodded inwardly. His two comparisons earlier weren't out of genuine fear that Yang Pan would underestimate the power of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

As the Beggars' Sect's signature martial art, Hong Qigong never needed to boast about it. He simply had high hopes for Yang Pan, this five-bag disciple, and feared that the latter might become arrogant after killing a hall master with a few strikes, and suffer the consequences of arrogance and complacency in the future.

However, it seems that I was worrying too much.

Thinking of this, Hong Qigong swallowed the chicken leg in a few bites, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

"Young Yang, now that Bai Yan is dead, the Bai family will also disappear from Jiuyuan County after this. But even though the Bai family is gone, our Beggars' Sect branch in Jiuyuan County still needs someone to oversee it."

Hong Qigong spoke leisurely, his gaze fixed on the collapsed Bai Mansion site with a profound meaning.

Yang Pan wasn't stupid; he understood the meaning behind Hong Qigong's words in just a few sentences. As the local tyrant of Jiuyuan County, once the Bai family fell, countless demons and monsters would want to feast on their blood.

Moreover, although the Beggars' Sect branch was established in a single county, its influence often extended to several surrounding counties and villages. With the Bai family down, it's conceivable that other martial arts sects suppressed by Bai Yan will rise up in the near future.

If no one stepped forward to take charge at this time, the martial arts factions in several counties would have fought tooth and nail to the bone. And since Bai Yan, who caused this situation, was a member of the Beggars' Clan, it was only natural that the Beggars' Clan would have to deal with the mess he left behind after his death.

In Yang Pan's view, Hong Qigong's words probably meant that he wanted him to stay and oversee the area.

After all, he originally intended to use the merit of killing Bai Yan to advance to the position of hall master, and with his strength, once the battle of today is publicized, no one would dare to question his appointment as hall master.

Yang Pan did not intend to refuse.

If Yang Pan hadn't encountered Hong Qigong in Jiuyuan County, he might have returned to Xiangyang after dealing with Bai Yan, since his main purpose in becoming a hall master was to practice the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms. But now, with Hong Qigong, a master of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, by his side, Yang Pan saw no need to return.

However, while Yang Pan agreed, he wondered if he could use the condition of having Qi Gong oversee the branch hall to make some deals with him, such as extending Qi Gong's stay in Jiuyuan County. After all, he had finally met such a peerless martial arts master, and Yang Pan really didn't want to let him leave so soon.

Besides, a month seems like a long time, but Yang Pan isn't someone with extraordinary talent like Yang Guo or Huang Rong. Even if Hong Qigong starts teaching him palm techniques tomorrow, Yang Pan isn't sure how well he'll learn them after a month. He remembers that it took him a full seven days to learn the stance for the first time.

However, he didn't intend to explain it to the other party now; it wouldn't be too late to talk about it after he officially started practicing the palm technique.

"Don't worry, old leader. Since I killed Bai Yan, I will not leave behind a mess. If necessary, I can stay in Jiuyuan County for a while until the situation is completely stable before leaving."

Seeing that Yang Pan understood immediately, Hong Qigong's eyes showed even greater satisfaction.

"Good! Young Yang, you're indeed clever. The old beggar will be in the county these days. He'll come to find you and teach you the palm technique after the storm has passed in a couple of days. Don't reveal my whereabouts in the meantime."

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Pan saw Hong Qigong take a step forward. His body immediately stirred up a gust of wind like a snake emerging from its hole, and then he swept more than ten zhang away and disappeared into the residential buildings near the market.

Just a few breaths after Hong Qigong left, a hurried footstep came from Fugui Lane, where the Bai family lived.

"Senior Brother Yang! Senior Brother Yang, are you alright...?"

Nian Jiu's figure rushed over from the street corner, his expression urgent. He had initially thought that Yang Pan had infiltrated the Mongolian caravan to infiltrate the Bai residence and assassinate Bai Yan, until he saw many residents fleeing from Fugui Lane. He then grabbed one of them to find out what was going on.

Only then did they realize that Yang Pan had actually made his move right at the entrance of the Bai residence. As a spy who had been lurking in Jiuyuan County for years, Nian Jiu knew all too well the strength of the Bai family. Putting aside Bai Yan's own strength, just those crossbows that couldn't be seen in the open—how could Yang Pan possibly survive a barrage of arrows?

So he hurriedly rushed to the Bai residence, hoping to see if there was any chance to save Senior Brother Yang's life.

When Nian Jiu arrived at the Bai residence, he found it collapsed into ruins, and Ang Zhang's figure standing in front of the gate amidst a pool of blood.

This scene instantly overturned his expectations, and he was somewhat stunned when he arrived in front of Yang Pan.

"I'm fine. Brother Nian, Bai Yan is dead, and most of the elites in the manor are also dead. The remaining people are no threat. You can notify the residents who just escaped and ask them to come back."

After giving the order, Yang Pan turned and went to the caravan's goods parked outside the mansion gate. These goods were used by the Mongols to exchange intelligence with Bai Yan, and they were likely quite valuable.

However, Yang Pan is not lacking in gold and silver these days. It's just that he knew beforehand that Bai Yan was obsessed with martial arts, so his cultivation was extremely costly. Even in his trade with the Mongols, besides some gold and silver, most of the remaining items were auxiliary medicinal herbs for cultivation.

Since Yang Pan had agreed to stay in Jiuyuan County for a while, the medicinal herbs needed to replenish his cultivation essence would have to be sourced from the Bai residence.

Following the scent, Yang Pan arrived at a carriage at the back of the caravan. Gently lifting a corner of the cloth cover, a strong aroma of traditional Chinese medicine immediately wafted into Yang Pan's nostrils.

Continuing towards the next few carriages, Yang Pan discovered that of the twelve carriages parked there, five were loaded with medicinal herbs.

"With so many medicinal herbs, Bai Yan must really be a martial arts fanatic. But now I'm going to benefit from them."

Yang Pan was overjoyed as he covered the cloth again. These things were a windfall for him; even if he stayed in Jiuyuan County for a while, his internal energy cultivation would not only not slow down, but might even improve more rapidly.

In this way, even if it is not as effective as taking the Bodhi Snake Pill, it will definitely be much faster than ordinary cultivation.