Daily News: You promised yourself to be a fisherman, but you've become a martial arts god?

Li Nian left the back hall intending to spar with Xia Qingwei, but upon hearing that Xia Qingwei had left, she practiced alone in the inner courtyard.

noon.

Li Nian washed the sweat off her face with water and sat on a bench in the corridor.

After a morning of intensive training, he had gained a general understanding of his current cultivation level.

To avoid others finding out, he did not use any of the martial arts techniques he had learned, except for the Sky Eagle Stance and the Deadly Frost Eagle Claw, here.

However, because of the ability to "deduce" and comprehend the cultivation method, as long as one understands their physical condition, it is not a problem to exert their full strength.

Another incredible aspect of "deduction" is that it eliminates the need for the process of mastering the techniques.

What we'll see next is an individual's practical skills!

"I already understand my current level of cultivation; further practice won't lead to much improvement."

"The sun is shining brightly today, and the weather is nice. Yuan Guangbo is holed up in Songfeng Manor. I don't know much about the terrain of Songfeng Manor, so it's necessary to go there in order to deal with Yuan Guangbo in the future."

"Yuan Guangbo is cautious in his actions; he shouldn't dare to act recklessly in broad daylight on Zhang's turf!"

Li Nian thought to himself.

He had never been to Songfeng Village, but had only heard that the village was backed by Songshan Mountain.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he got up and left.

When he arrived at the outer courtyard, he intended to get two meat pies for Wu Hong to fill his stomach, but he didn't find the kid. He heard from others that he had gone to take up his post, so he left the martial arts school.

To avoid passing through the east of the city and attracting trouble from Tang Zhengxiong, he rowed out of the inner city from the south.

After docking the boat at Songshan Wharf, we went ashore.

Songshan Wharf is only about a kilometer away from Songfeng Village.

Yuan Guangbo's old dog was hidden in Songfeng Village so that it could easily escape by water.

As the sun rises, the snow gradually melts.

Outside the dock, the roads were muddy, and dock garbage was everywhere, with a strong fishy stench permeating the air.

Along both sides of the road, there were many villagers looking for work, mostly families who had no food to last through the winter.

Some people have no work and can only beg here, while others starve to death on the roadside, lying there like rotten flesh, ignored by everyone.

Such scenes of starving corpses on the roads are common every year, so Li Nian is not surprised.

He pulled the collar of his outfit up high, covering most of his face.

Li Nian glanced around and her gaze fell on the old man under the withered tree.

He walked over and tossed two copper coins into the broken bowl.

The old man looked at the copper coins in the bowl, and his unfocused eyes suddenly lit up with intense light. He kowtowed repeatedly in gratitude and recited the blessings he had learned throughout his life:

"Thank you, sir! May you live a long and prosperous life, with many wives and concubines, numerous children, and a son born in your old age..."

"Shut up!"

Li Nian frowned, her tone indifferent.

"I have something to ask you."

"Please ask me anything, sir. I'll answer to the best of my knowledge!"

"Are there any wild animals roaming in this Songshan Mountain?"

Li Nian looked up at the pine forest covered in snow not far away.

"Is the old man going into Songshan to hunt for wild game?"

The old man asked curiously.

Li Nian remained silent.

Seeing that Li Nian remained silent, the old man dared not ask any further questions and truthfully replied:

"Sir, Songshan has been quite unsafe lately. The ferocious beasts in the mountains have emerged from hibernation ahead of schedule, and no one who goes into the mountains to find food has come out alive."

"Sir, you absolutely mustn't go into this mountain!"

A ferocious beast?

Li Nian narrowed her eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

The wild animals in Songshan are mostly common beasts like jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, which pose a great threat to ordinary people, but to martial artists who have entered the Ming Jin realm, they are like pheasants.

As for the ferocious beasts emerging from hibernation ahead of schedule.

Li Nian had doubts.

Normally, there have never been any signs of wild animals emerging from hibernation early in Songshan.

Based on his understanding of Yuan Guangbo through intelligence, the so-called early emergence of wild beasts from hibernation was most likely an outpost set up by Yuan Guangbo in Songshan.

Songfeng Manor is backed by Songshan Mountain, so any unusual activity within the manor can be clearly seen from the mountain.

It's not impossible that Yuan Guangbo, being cautious, made prior arrangements on the mountain.

His purpose in asking the old man about the situation in Songshan was to determine whether there was anything unusual in the mountain.

He needed to confirm whether Yuan Guangbo had any accomplices.

Now it seems that it's highly likely!

"The beast I'm hunting is a ferocious beast!"

Li Nian tossed down a few copper coins and walked straight into Songshan.

The old man's joyful voice came from behind:

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

...

Matsuyama.

Outside a simple tree hut, two burly men were eating flatbread, warming themselves by a fire, and looking down at the village.

"Zhu Duo, we've been hiding here for days, eating nothing but dry biscuits, not even a bite of meat or wine. I wonder what this gang leader is up to!"

A burly man with a mountain-shaped tattoo on the right side of his neck grumbled as he ate a flatbread.

"Since the gang leader isn't coming and we don't know what we're doing, why don't we go get some wine and meat to satisfy our cravings?"

"Shut up!"

The burly man called Zhu Duo snorted coldly.

"The gang leader has instructed us to stay here and keep an eye on Songfeng Manor; he must have his reasons."

"The Giant Whale Gang is at the height of its power. If we leave and get caught by them, we won't even know how we died."

"It's safer to stay here."

The man with the mountain-shaped tattoo shrugged and complained:

"Zhu Duo, we're safe here, and I can tolerate not having wine and meat, but we're all energetic men, and this is keeping me up at night!"

"I heard from Zhugan that you secretly went out last night. You didn't go to see some women, did you?"

"You're eating all by yourself, not letting your brothers have a turn. That's not fair!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Duo was furious.

"Fuck your eggs!"

"I'm delivering a message to the gang leader."

"If you like delivering, then you can do it next time!"

The burly man with the mountain-shaped tattoo asked curiously, "What kind of message are you sending?"

After Zhu Duo looked around to make sure no one was there, he said, "It was delivered to the Hanshan Camp."

"Mountain Shaking Camp!"

"That's right, the gang leader has connections with the Shaking Mountain Camp. Judging from the gang leader's intentions, he most likely plans to use the Shaking Mountain Camp to eliminate the Giant Whale Gang!"

"That's fucking great! Kill those bastards from the Whale Gang!"

"Shh!"

Zhu Duo raised his index finger to his lips and looked around warily.

"This matter is not settled yet. The matter of the Mountain-Shaking Camp is of great importance. If even the slightest word leaks out, no one can say for sure that they will survive!"

"Don't worry, Zhu Duo, I'm known for keeping my mouth shut, tighter than a woman's belt."

"That would be best."

Ten meters away, under a withered pine tree.

Li Nian looked at the two people outside the tree shed with a cold gaze.

I never imagined that Yuan Guangbo was connected to the Hanshan Camp!

Li Nian frowned, secretly making a plan.

"Since Zhou Hu is close to the Hai Sha Gang, Yuan Guangbo must know that Zhou Hu's elder brother, Zhou Long, is a member of the Han Shan Camp. It's not impossible for him to get to know Zhou Long by getting closer to Zhou Hu."

"The person who received this letter is most likely Zhou Long, no doubt about it."

"If Zhou Long returns and doesn't see Zhou Hu, he will surely know that something happened to Zhou Hu, and he will most likely vent his anger on me."

"We must enhance our achievements in the Yi family before Zhou Long returns."

"If Zhou Long tries to use his military power to intimidate me then, the government can at least protect me!"

With that thought in mind, Li Nian looked down at the manor below the mountain, memorized the terrain, and then quietly disappeared into the pine forest.

Let's spare these two's lives for now, so as not to alert the enemy!