From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

"Dragon and Tiger Duo? Do these bastards have eyes in the back of their heads?"

As Xiao Fengxiao left a county town, she still muttered to herself, filled with resentment.

Although the Chang Le Gang was a menace to the region, it still claimed more than two hundred lives, and the deaths were so gruesome that the government could not possibly ignore it.

Reward notices are now being posted throughout Wuxing Prefecture to apprehend the murderer.

The bounty included portraits of a man and a woman, but their features were vastly different from Chen Shi and Xiao Fengxiao, almost as if they were deliberately drawn backwards. Their physical forms were even more absurd: Chen Shi resembled a crocodile, while Xiao Fengxiao had transformed from a red fox into a tiger.

The government even gave the two a nickname: "Dragon and Tiger Duo".

It's one thing for her to be a double shrew, but how could Xiao Fengxiao not be angry that she, a dignified lady of a marquis's mansion and a lady of a respectable family, had inexplicably turned into a tigress?

"Justice resides in the hearts of the people. Don't the people call you the Dragon and Tiger Heroes?"

Yun'er covered her mouth and chuckled, offering a word of comfort.

A large crowd of people gathered beneath the bounty notice, clapping and cheering upon hearing of the annihilation of the Chang Le Gang. They held Chen Shi and Xiao Fengxiao, who had destroyed the gang, in the highest esteem, calling them heroes and even declaring their intention to erect memorial tablets for them in their homes.

The storyteller on the street had already turned the two into a play, and although their past and background were all made up, it still attracted a large audience and drew cheers from everyone.

"Who cares?"

Xiao Fengxiao snorted coldly and glared at the hornless black sheep following beside her.

Killing a few more people to vent his anger would be one thing, but to wipe out the entire family is another, and now she's the one taking the blame.

baa~

The hornless black sheep glanced at Xiao Fengxiao and imitated a sheep's bleat in a high-pitched voice.

I'm just a goat, what business is it of mine?

"One is influenced by one's company."

Looking at the hornless black sheep pretending to be innocent, Xiao Fengxiao was so angry that her teeth itched, and she glared at Chen Shi again.

"How did this get dragged into this?"

Chen Shi shrugged, looking completely innocent. What did this have to do with him? He was a victim too.

The three people and the sheep chatted and laughed as they leisurely made their way to Wuxing Prefecture.

Unable to find any towns or villages at night, they had no choice but to spend the night in the wilderness.

In the sheltered spot on the earthen slope, Xiao Fengxiao and Yun'er sat leaning against each other, already fast asleep. The hornless black sheep lay on the slope, not in a deep sleep, occasionally opening its eyes to look around.

Chen Shi sat cross-legged on the other side, meditating as usual, using the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to nourish his soul.

"There are more..."

As soon as I entered a meditative state, I noticed that there were more tiny specks of light in the world.

During the suppression of the rebellion, Chen Shi discovered these points of light, and by the time the rebellion ended, there were already several hundred. Although the number increased afterward, it was extremely slow.

In the last two days, the number has started to increase rapidly again, and now there are more than a thousand.

What exactly are these specks of light?

Although it didn't affect him much, he was still somewhat concerned.

Chen Shi hesitated for a moment, then tried to use his mind to contact these points of light.

"what?"

I just tried it casually, and I didn't expect it to actually work.

These points of light did not repel Chen Shi's thoughts; on the contrary, they responded to Chen Shi's ideas very actively, as if they were conscious.

Are these points of light conscious?

Thinking of this, a flash of white light suddenly appeared in my mind.

After a moment, Chen Shi took a deep breath and silently circulated the magic.

"A wisp of intention connects to the Dharma realm; ten thousand devout thoughts gather the spirit. Borrowing the illusory to cultivate the true, condensing true Qi; refining the heart in the mortal world to attain Bodhi..."

As the Dharma was activated, these points of light, like streams finding their way out, surged forth and flowed directly into Chen Shi's soul.

"This is!"

Simultaneously, the soul began to absorb these points of light, rapidly becoming stronger!

Sensing the enhancement of his soul, Chen Shi was once again greatly surprised.

No, it's not nourishment. Compared to the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, these points of light have a much greater and faster effect on the soul! It's more like irrigation than nourishment!

One method is to subtly and gradually improve the plant, while the other is to directly provide a large amount of nutrients, enabling it to grow rapidly and vigorously.

To give an example, if we compare the soul to a seedling, the nourishment of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is like spring rain, and these specks of light are like rich fertilizer.

"Phew!"

A moment later, after absorbing all the light spots, Chen Shi opened his eyes, let out a long sigh, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Absorbing the prestige of others to temper one's soul has indeed led to rapid progress!

The method Chen Shi just used was one of the two pages of magic formulas he found on Yang Youzhi, the leader of the rebel army, after killing him.

By absorbing the prestige of others, one can rapidly elevate their spiritual realm.

It goes without saying that those points of light are none other than human hope.

"The little nun was right after all."

Having figured this out, Chen Shi nodded secretly again.

He once asked the young nun Ruru how to absorb people's influence. The young nun told him that people are alive and their thoughts are alive. Only when people actively give themselves to him can he absorb them.

How to get someone to give him "thoughts" was something Chen Shi had only vaguely understood. Because his main focus was on breaking through the Elephant King Stance, he hadn't delved into it deeply.

Now I understand, I really should have given it to him first.

Those points of light, which represent people's gazes, weren't they actively seeking him out?

"them……"

As for where these people came from, Chen Shi already had a general idea.

It must be the person he saved!

These people's hopes began with the suppression of the rebellion, or more accurately, with the first civilians Chen Shi saved from Feng Ji's butcher's knife.

Later, in order to get help from the little nun Ruru, Chen Shi helped many more people, and his reputation continued to rise.

Once the rebellion was quelled, the rescue mission ended, so his popularity didn't increase much anymore.

Until a few days ago, after the annihilation of the Chang Le Gang and the rescue of many people, his popularity has increased significantly again.

It turns out that saving lives is the only way to gain respect.

No, it's not that simple.

"Worship, faith".

Recalling the explanation given by the little nun Ruru, Chen Shi probably already understood.

The so-called "respect" is just a thought, but it must be extremely strong and accompanied by a sense of reverence.

This is why, despite saving thousands of people, Chen Shi's popularity has only just surpassed a thousand.

It is not that those who are saved can develop such a strong sense of worship, which then translates into popularity.

"In that case..."

Thinking about this, Chen Shi pondered for a moment.

Although he cannot be like Yang Youzhi, he may be able to gather popularity through other means.

On the earthen slope, the hornless black sheep glanced at Chen Shi, who was frowning in thought, then turned back and closed its eyes again.

"Perhaps."

After a long pause, Chen Shi smiled.

He took a deep breath, temporarily stopping his thoughts, and entered a state of tranquility to continue his cultivation. Having absorbed the human's power, he could now only rely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to slowly nourish his soul, a process that slowed considerably.

However, Chen Shi didn't care.

As the night passed and dawn broke, the group continued their journey.

Two days passed in this way, and they were not far from Wuxing City.

Let's part ways here.

At an intersection, Xiao Fengxiao said something.

"snort."

Yun'er glanced at Chen Shi, then at Xiao Fengxiao, and gave a reluctant hum.

Then he mounted the hornless black sheep and rode off in one direction.

Chen Shi and Xiao Fengxiao took another route and continued towards Wuxing City.

"At least nothing's in the way anymore."

Watching Yun'er's figure gradually disappear into the wilderness, Xiao Fengxiao smiled and turned to Chen Shi, her alluring eyes like two pools of spring water.