Surviving in the chaos of war begins in the wilderness.

Chapter 114 Breaking Through the Gate of Ming Jin

When Zhou Ye left the Fenglei Martial Arts School, his mood became much happier.

The recent deaths or passing of familiar elders and friends have indeed weighed heavily on his mind. However, a lively chat with his junior sister has already dispelled much of his bad mood.

After all, humans are social beings. Having a cheerful companion like the cuckoo is a kind of good fortune, isn't it?

Of course, the main reason for looking for azaleas today is for that important matter.

Therefore, the two had just agreed that Zhou Ye would not leave the county town for extended periods for the next six months. Du Juan would also introduce some disciples who had broken through to the next level, and the two sides would cooperate on this business.

After leaving the martial arts school, Zhou Ye planned to take a stroll around his home in the outer city. Few familiar faces remained there, and he intended to go into seclusion at his home near the docks. He would only be able to show himself occasionally from now on.

Besides, after Gao Xiaoyi assassinated Xiong Ge and the leader of the Flower Snake Gang, wouldn't he want to find out what happened next?

However, as soon as Zhou Ye reached the street corner, he ran into some familiar faces: Da Jin and his men. Strangely, one of the men was Hei Liu.

I didn't expect Black Six to escape being shot that night. That kid is really lucky.

What was even more surprising was that upon seeing Zhou Ye, Da Jin warmly greeted him, saying, "Ah Ye, long time no see. Did you come back from your mountain run?"

"Yes, yes! Just got home." After his initial surprise, Zhou Ye also smiled. He bowed and said, "Da Jin, what's this—"

Have we become prosperous?

"No, no," Da Jin said modestly, waving his hand, but a smug smile was on his face.

Hei Liu, who was standing nearby, quickly said, "Ah Ye, now Brother Da Jin is the leader of our Hao Yi Gang. He's also the godson of an elder from the Qiao Gang."

"Oh. Congratulations." Zhou Ye quickly took out a small five-tael silver ingot from his pocket. "It's just a small token of my appreciation, a belated congratulatory gift."

"You're welcome, you're welcome." Da Jin gestured for Hei Liu to accept the money. "Ah Ye, actually I didn't have any particular intentions at first. In the end, I had no choice but to do it for the sake of the villagers. A bunch of brothers forced me to do this. Look at the Flower Snake Gang and the Black Clothes Gang from before, they made this area a mess. The old neighbors didn't have an easy time. Do you know that? Later, those brothers who were captured by the Flower Snake Gang, I was the one who stepped in to bail them out."

"Wow! You, Da Jin, still have the most influence."

"Ah Ye, we've known each other for a long time and have a good relationship. If I ever need anything in the future, I hope you'll lend me a hand."

"Definitely, definitely. Hehe."

'

""

When saying goodbye, Zhou Ye felt incredibly tired. He was still very unaccustomed to this kind of job, where he had to speak to different people in different ways.

However, after Zhou Ye left, Hei Liu asked Da Jin in a low voice: "Brother Da Jin, it seems there were two archers that night?"

One is Gao Xiaoyi, and the other couldn't be—? Isn't Aye always carrying that bow?

Da Jin scoffed, "Impossible. The Woodcutter's Gang has already sent people to inquire, and the other one is a Ming Jin martial arts master. How could it be A Ye? Isn't everyone speculating that Gao Xiaoyi's archery skills suddenly became so superb that he must have a Ming Jin master who is skilled in archery?"

"Then—should we tell Jiao Xiangzhu? Hasn't he been investigating Xiong Ge's matter? At least A Ye's information is a clue, right?"

"Hmm? Black Six, don't meddle." Da Jin's face darkened. "Master Jiao and Brother Xiong are brothers, their bond is stronger than gold, what does it have to do with me, Da Jin? I'm Elder Li's man. Besides, your Flower Snake Gang's reputation was really bad before, I'm busy winning people over. Why should we deal with a cowardly good-natured guy like A Ye? Do we want to end up like Brother Xiong did with Old Gao, getting ourselves killed for no reason?"

"Huh? Really? Isn't he supposed to be a coward?"

"Are you out of your mind? Being a coward doesn't mean you have no friends. Who can guarantee that A-Ye doesn't have a few ruthless mountain bandits among his friends? Besides, A-Ye helped your sister-in-law back then, and all the neighbors know about it. If we mess with him now, wouldn't that be considered ungrateful? Where would I put my face? What would my brothers think of me then?"

"Yes, yes."

"Listen up. Let Xiong Ge die if he wants! If he didn't die, how would I take over? Dead men don't deserve respect, who cares who killed him?"

"Understood. I'll listen to Brother Da Jin."

"Uh-huh""

'

,

Zhou Ye had no idea that there was actually a follow-up to this matter involving Jiao Xiangzhu. The Jin dynasty simply didn't want any further complications, so they temporarily glossed over it.

However, this situation is quite normal. An assassination like this can't be flawless; there will always be some clues. Zhou Ye is a mountain hermit who carries a bow and arrows every day. And his relationship with Gao Xiaoyi's family is so good. It's inevitable that some people will have suspicions.

Let's return to Zhou Ye's side. When he arrived at the teahouse at the street corner, he obtained a lot of follow-up information from the tea drinkers he knew.

After that night, Xiong Ge was shot dead. The entire leadership of the Flower Snake Gang, including the gang leader, was almost wiped out.

By this time, both the Flower Snake Gang and the Black-Clad Gang had collapsed, and a vacuum suddenly appeared in this area.

But no one expected that after Da Jin escaped with Xing Hua, he used some connections to gain the appreciation of Elder Li of the Woodcutter Gang and was taken in as his godson.

After Xiong Ge's death, under Elder Li's arrangement, Da Jin was immediately replaced by Xiong Ge and became a minor leader of the Woodcutter's Gang in this area.

Da Jin then began recruiting, absorbing most of the members of the Hao Yi Brotherhood to form his own core group. He also integrated and incorporated the remnants of the Flower Snake Gang and the Black Clothes Gang, including Hei Liu, merging them all into the new Hao Yi Gang and simultaneously assuming the position of gang leader.

Ultimately, most people aren't really that loyal; they're usually opportunistic. Not to mention, Da Jin is now a powerful and influential gang leader, so most of those hot-blooded young men have sided with him.

To be honest, Da Jin only really wronged Xiao Jie; the other brothers didn't really feel anything personally. Besides, Da Jin handled things very well; he bailed out those Brotherhood members who were captured and even waived all the ransom. He even used the money already paid to repay the old neighbors.

Then there's Xinghua, who's already married to Dajin. Actually, the two of them had been having an affair for a while. That's why Xiaojie was sent to the martial arts school to train earlier, right?

However, now, thanks to Da Jin and Xing Hua's twisted version of events, it has become that Xiao Jie gave his woman away back then so that he could practice martial arts ahead of time? In fact, Da Jin and Xing Hua were in love with each other, and it was because they were too ashamed to face anyone after this was exposed that Xiao Jie disappeared without a trace.

So it's quite interesting that, in the recent comments from the neighbors, Xiao Jie's reputation has become utterly awful.

After hearing Da Jin's story, Zhou Ye found it quite interesting. It was essentially a story of a young man who slays dragons growing into a dragon himself!

However, by this point, Zhou Ye was no longer willing to interfere. After all, Gao Xiaoyi and Xiao Jie were both there. These people were also a consequence of their actions. As for those past grievances, let them resolve them themselves!

After finishing all the trivial matters, Zhou Ye immediately returned to his home at the dock.

Now it's time for the final sprint. First, add 1 point to Constitution: Constitution +2 → Constitution +3

Then he checked all the cultivation aids again. Among them were two bottles of mid-grade Qi and Blood Pills, over a hundred pounds of the heart and flesh of a late-stage Qi Refining demon beast, and less than 300 pounds of the heart and flesh of a mid-stage Qi Refining demon beast.

There's also the Body Tempering Bath Powder. He specifically went to Wang's Pharmacy to get all of this after returning to the county town. During this period of seclusion, Zhou Ye also wants to max out the Wild Bull Body Tempering Technique.

And so, the days passed. Apart from Du Juan occasionally introducing a few disciples who broke through to the next level, Zhou Ye remained in seclusion, cultivating.

In fact, helping those disciples break through their barriers and enter the realm of internal strength is also a form of cultivation.

Zhou Ye discovered that he often experienced a mysterious feeling while helping these disciples.

So Zhou Ye boldly guessed that whether it was treating patients, fighting, breaking down monster materials, or helping people break through barriers and enter the realm of strength, it was all about the flow of qi and blood in the meridians. By observing the details of this qi and blood, one could gain a more thorough understanding of that mysterious feeling.

One month, two months, three months later —

That day, after taking one mid-grade Qi and Blood Pill, Zhou Ye felt as if his Qi and blood were boiling.

He immediately began practicing the Minor Wind and Thunder Stance. His movements became faster and faster, even creating small whirlwinds in the courtyard.

Suddenly, all the acupoints in the body became one, and it seemed as if there was a "crack" in the body. The muscles and bones in the body began to crack and pop, and a powerful surge of blood and qi rose into the sky. The whole person entered a higher realm in an instant.

Slowly finishing his practice and adjusting his breathing, Zhou Ye joyfully experienced this new realm. So this is Ming Jin!

Sure enough, once proven, it's permanent, with no bottlenecks. I've already broken through to the Ming Jin level without any surprises!

The panel has been fully refreshed and a new Mingjin panel will soon appear.

The most important thing is to max out the Small Wind and Thunder Stake. The reward for maxing out the skill is a whopping 10 natural attribute points.

In addition, all basic attributes have been doubled. This is almost a world of difference from the original Entry-level skill.

Experiencing this new body, Zhou Ye couldn't stop smiling.

It was indeed not easy. Almost three years have passed since I transmigrated, and I've finally become a Ming Jin martial artist. By the standards of the martial arts world, one who hasn't reached Ming Jin isn't a martial artist!

I have finally stepped into the door of martial arts!