Having studied for a hundred years, why do you call me the Martial Saint?

When that big blade came crashing down on his head.

Gu Shuxian's pupils contracted sharply, and his heart skipped a beat.

Having lived two lives, this is the first time I've been hacked to pieces!

In an instant, all thoughts of internal strength, realm, calmness, and rationality were thrown to the winds!

My mind went blank; only instinct remained.

Gu Shuxian unleashed all his inner strength, grabbed the big man's wrist with one hand, and slammed out with the other!

Hulaogong is in full operation!

The cage is wide open, unleash the beast within!

The fist cleaved through the air with tremendous force!

boom!

With a crisp cracking sound, the big man was sent flying backward, crashing heavily against the bluestone wall before sliding to the ground, where he lay motionless!

dead!

The sinister grin on his face hadn't faded yet; only his wide-open eyes betrayed his terror.

"Boss!"

A terrified scream came from behind.

Gu Shuxian looked at him coldly, like a ferocious tiger ready to devour its prey.

"No, don't kill me..."

The tall, thin man trembled with fear, turned and stumbled away, dropping his knife with a clang.

How could Gu Shuxian let him escape?

A tiger unleashed from its cage, its ferocity is hard to suppress!

He lightly touched the ground with his toes, took three steps in two, and quickly caught up with the tall, thin man, grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall!

boom!

The wall is cracked.

Blood splattered everywhere.

The tall, thin man's face was blurred into a mass, making it difficult to distinguish his features. His body twitched twice, and then he fell silent.

The alleyway quieted down.

All that remained was Gu Shuxian's heavy breathing.

Once the adrenaline subsided and his hands stopped trembling, a sense of regret welled up inside him.

They went too far.

No survivors were left for questioning.

Now I have no idea why these two people ambushed me.

Was it a spur-of-the-moment decision? Or was it planned?

The target is a book worth five taels of silver?

Or is it a certificate worth at least twenty taels?

He could no longer tell.

As for whether he felt any discomfort during his first murder?

Gu Shuxian looked at the two corpses.

In this world, you can see all sorts of dead people: those who starved to death, those who died of disease, those who were stabbed, those who were beheaded...

After seeing it so many times, you become numb to it.

Composing himself, Gu Shuxian began to examine the corpse.

He searched his clothes thoroughly, looking inside every pocket.

Unfortunately, no martial arts manuals were found. Well, it's hard to say whether these two blocking the way have even trained their muscles; they just look intimidating because of the power of their weapons.

However, he did find the money.

One tael and thirteen coins!

Gu Shuxian thought to himself, "Holy crap!"

Indeed, those who commit murder and arson wear golden belts, while those who repair bridges and roads leave no trace of their bodies!

He chopped wood himself, a grueling task, for which he only earned five coins each time.

Qian Le went to great lengths, stockpiling mountain goods every two or three days and sneaking down the mountain to sell them, but he couldn't even earn half an ounce per trip.

So, killing and robbing really is the way to make money!

Gu Shuxian gradually developed a bold idea.

Should we...?

Pretend to be easy prey, continue to lure in some criminals, and then kill and rob them?

Gu Shuxian's mind wandered, already imagining the scenario of getting rich and buying a pile of books, but he quickly shook his head.

If you walk by the river often enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.

These two who blocked the road were arrogant and domineering, outrageous beyond measure. They must have been doing this kind of thing for a long time, but they never expected to be caught by their own hands today.

If I were to start using entrapment tactics myself...

If something comes along that I can't handle, then I'm doomed.

There's no need to take actions that are too risky and have a stable path to growth.

Thinking about this, Gu Shuxian began to reflect again.

Sigh, I shouldn't have taken the shortcut; I wasn't careful enough.

If I hadn't already reached the Meridian Opening Realm and been considered a third-rate expert in the martial arts world, I would have been in trouble today.

Gu Shuxian looked up and surveyed his surroundings.

The alley is secluded, but it's still in the city, and people might come by at any time.

I swept the empty alleyway.

Having confirmed that there was no suitable place to hide the body, Gu Shuxian intended to leave quietly and quickly.

But when he took half a step...

Another bold idea arose in my mind.

"I've been searching for the sequel to 'The Legend of the Archer' for so long, but I can't find it... But why should I search for it? Why can't it come to me?"

Yes, why can't we let books come to us?

As for how to do it?

That's definitely going to be a big news story!

Trying to find a sequel in the vast sea of ​​people is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

But if the whole city is talking about this book, someone will naturally start looking for a sequel.

Moreover, if the legend of the Divine Halberd Hero were circulating in Wancheng, Gu Shuxian didn't believe that Wenshan Shuhaige would give up this opportunity to promote the sequel!

A thought struck Gu Shuxian, and he returned to the corpse.

They tore several pieces of cloth from the corpse, dipped them in the still-wet blood, and wrote on the bluestone bricks in a flamboyant style:

The killer is none other than the Divine Halberd Hero!

After finishing writing, he was still not satisfied, so he took out a dozen or so coins and stuffed them back into the pockets of the two corpses.

If people think that the Divine Halberd Hero is a robber, that would be too beneath him!

We must maintain the prestige of the Divine Halberd Hero!

After finishing all this, Gu Shuxian examined his masterpiece with satisfaction.

The story of the Divine Halberd Hero is widely circulated in Wancheng, and many people know him.

The emergence of a killer claiming to be the Divine Halberd Hero might cause a huge uproar.

When that time comes, everyone on the streets will be talking about "The Legend of the Swordsman", and maybe the people from Wenshan Shuhai Pavilion will come after hearing the news!

Hey!

Gu Shuxian chuckled twice, took one last look at the corpse and the blood-written words, then turned and strode away.

Reaching the alley entrance, I looked around, but there was no one there.

After checking himself for blood, he stepped outside.

Then, following the road, they walked onto the main street, blended into the crowd, and quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

……

At the city gate, Qian Le and Deng Shifan were somewhat anxious. Seeing him walking quickly towards them, they couldn't help but say:

"Why are you so late? It's almost dark. What book were you looking for?"

"Senior brother, please don't be offended. I was actually looking for martial arts manuals on the street. As you know, our sect only teaches us menial disciples internal skills, and I'm really itching to learn them."

Originally, it wouldn't have mattered if he said he wanted to find a sequel to "The Legend of the Condor Heroes," but after killing someone and leaving a note, it would be better to distance himself from the story.

On the other hand, he did want to find some martial arts manuals.

In today's battle, I only had the advantage of higher cultivation level and the ambush. If I encounter someone of the same cultivation level in the future, without any moves, I won't even know how to fight back when I'm being beaten.

You can't exactly throw wild punches and expect them to be powerful, can you?

Are you trying to make the other side laugh to death?

Qian Le said speechlessly:

"What martial arts manuals are there to find outside? They're all junk. If you're so interested, you should cultivate your inner energy and enter the outer sect as soon as possible. Even the worst martial arts in our sect are far superior to these common ones outside."

"Yes, yes, what Boss Qian said is right. The secret manuals outside are both bad and expensive. Even the cheapest ones cost more than ten taels of silver," Deng Shifan chimed in.

"What my senior brothers said makes sense, but those abandoned disciples might be nearby. Just thinking about it makes me uneasy if I don't learn a few punches and kicks."

Gu Shuxian was speaking from the heart when he said that.

Qian Le smiled and shook his head:

"Alright then, once we've made a fortune, we won't care about these ten or twenty taels anymore. Your senior brother will find some connections to help you buy martial arts manuals!"

"Then thank you very much, Senior Brother." Gu Shuxian smiled as well.

The three of them left the city and embarked on their journey back to the mountain.

Speechless all the way.

Back on the mountain, I ate, read, and washed up.

By candlelight, Gu Shuxian finished reading the Hundred Herbs Record, but since there was a learning curve involved, he didn't read it carefully, only skimmed through it.

After going around in circles, it's midnight again.