Chapter 35: 35

As it turned out, the people on the mountain path earlier today were from the Dragon’s Gate sect, and the haughty person was the young sect master . No wonder he was so arrogant .

Li Long was surprised . “You know the ‘Sickly Tiger’?” Afterwards, he obviously saw the bow on Li Qingshan’s back . As Huang Binghu rarely ventured out to Qingyang city, he was unable to confirm if this was the Stone Splitter bow .

Li Qingshan nodded and said nothing else .

Li Long said, “Then your martial arts are probably from…”

“No, and you don’t need to worry about it . If you want revenge, just come at me . ”Li Qingshan did not want to use Huang Binghu’s tiger hide as a flag to scare away enemies . He did not want to assume the might of someone else as his own .

Li Long’s expression changed as he thought to himself, Li Qingshan’s martial arts already makes him a third-rate master, so what kind of person is his master supposed to be like? He has connections with Huang Binghu as well . I only had a small dispute with him, so even if I end up killing him, it’ll bring me no benefit . It is better to resolve this grievance peacefully instead of deepening it .

Li Long made up his mind, and his expression suddenly changed . He smiled slightly, even though the smile was slightly forced . “Erlang, we’re all from the same hometown, so are there any great grievances between us that have to be settled violently?”

Li Qingshan was surprised at this response . Originally, he thought the development of this matter would be angering the senior after beating up the junior, so the whole hornet’s nest would chase him to the end of his road . Subsequently, he would achieve something with his ability and slaughter them all .

He had never thought that although Li Long seemed rash, he was actually highly flexible and rather thick-skinned; he was actually able to change his attitude . Li Qingshan had basically witnessed the practical shrewdness of people of the jianghu .

Li Long smiled . “And I threw three punches in exchange for two from you . I’ve basically gotten the better end of the deal . ”

“You’re welcome to improve your end of the deal even further . ” Li Qingshan saw how he wanted revenge but only changed his mind after hearing Huang Binghu’s name . When he thought about how this was the second time he had relied on this to avoid trouble, his feelings became very mixed .

He hoped that one day, he could be just like that, just like Huang Binghu . No, we wanted to be better than Huang Binghu, where even from a thousand kilometres away, people would show deep respect when his name was mentioned, afraid of slandering him .

The villagers looked at one another . The outcome had truly exceeded their expectations, but since Li Long had dismissed them, they did not dare to stay . However, in their minds, Li Qingshan had quietly replaced Li Long as the greatest talent of Crouching Ox village .

Since Li Long had humbled himself, Li Qingshan could not reject him . It was just like what he had said . There were no particularly great grievances between them, and he wanted to learn about Qingyang city . In particular, he wanted to know more about the Dragon’s Gate sect . Under everyone’s fearful and admiring gazes, Li Qingshan was invited into village head Li’s home . Unlike the nervousness he experienced when he attended the banquet at caretaker Liu’s home, he was relaxed and completely at ease now . In the eyes of others, he seemed supercilious . This was a change in his mental state and aura as a result of his strength .

“Qingshan, you have such impressive martial arts, so have you ever thought about holding a position in Qingyang city? Our Iron Fist school welcomes all exceptional people from across the world . With your martial arts, my master would definitely take a liking to you . ” Li Long tried to rope him in right from the beginning .

“But I already have martial arts . Can I just join the Iron Fist school like this?” Li Qingshan admired Li Long’s tolerance, but he was clueless of Li Long’s internal conflict before he made this proposal . Although Li Qingshan had hit him with two punches, they did not have any particularly severe grievances . If Li Long could rope him onto his side, helping each other as fellow countrymen, it would benefit his status in the school .

“There obviously needs to be a guarantor, but don’t worry, I can be your guarantor! Our Iron Fist school is expansive, such that our influence and power is not limited to Qingyang city . The main branch is established in the Clear River prefecture . As long as your fists are hard enough and you have sufficient merit, your future development won’t be a problem . Women and money will be in easy reach too…”

Expressions of extreme jealousy were plastered across Li Hu and Li Bao’s faces . They could only blame their elder brother for not serving as a guarantor for them . As a result, they could not enjoy the women and money in the city .

“Yeah, yeah . My son, Liu Neng, serves as the caretaker of old hero Liu’s estate . He’ll be taken care of like that in the future as well . ” Caretaker Liu followed them in as well . Fortunately, he had not offended Li Qingshan too much in the past . Who would have thought that the mere cowherd from before would become so powerful in a mere few months . As Li Long continued, Li Qingshang gradually understood that although the Iron Fist school accepted disciples into its school, they were more like a gang or sect that resided in the city . That old hero Liu with the nickname of Iron Tiger should be the leader of a side branch or a side school .

Li Qingshan said, “Please pardon my question, but may I ask what rate old hero Liu’s martial arts would be within the jianghu?”

“If you had asked someone else, they might not be able to answer you . My master has trained his Iron Fist to great mastery . He’s a second-rate master . ”

“Then how does he compare with me?”

“That…” Li Long had never thought that Li Qingshan would compare himself to a figure who stood at the very peak of Qingyang, his master, as soon as he spoke . He felt rather displeased . “I’m not exaggerating, but while your martial arts are impressive, Qingshan, you’re only at the top of the third-rate . You’re nowhere close to being my master’s opponent . ”

“Then may I ask how these rates are determined?”

“My master has said that a practitioner of martial arts who has gained a basic grasp can take on three to five adult men, while a skilled adept of the jianghu can take on three to five pratitioners of martial arts . It’s determined like that . It’s not a measurement of absolute accuracy, but it gives a general idea . Once you go past that number, you’ll just end up being outnumbered . ”“However, that’s only for open confrontations . If it’s about maneuvering and sneak attacks, a first-rate master skilled in movement techniques can strike utter fear into the hearts of several dozen second-rate masters, but a few dozen trained archers or crossbowmen can also kill a first-rate master . ”

Li Qingshan gained a rough understanding of his strength . The ginseng foragers were practitioners trained in martial arts . As such, he was a skilled martial artist back then, which was why he had only managed to eke out a miserable victory .

After some training, he barely managed to make it to the level of third-rate masters . Only after drinking the spiritual alcohol did he truly become a third-rate master . Li Long could be considered to be adept at martial arts, but he was not a master . As a result, he was not Li Qingshan’s opponent .

“Apologies . I’ve already promised hunting chief Huang of the Drawn Reins village to join the Drawn Reins village, so I might not be able to accept your invitation . ” He could not help but think of the past . Back then, he could not even find peace when sleeping in the cowshed, treated as a thorn in the side by his elder brother’s family . They had wanted to find a way to chase him away . Now, there were people trying to invite him to places .

Li Long was not surprised, as he had been expecting this . He said in pity, “The Drawn Reins village cannot offer a lot of benefits . Out of the four places of Qingyang, our Iron Fist school still enjoys the most freedom . They’re cooped up in the mountains, so how can they be compared to the bustling world we’re right next to? Whatever . If you ever change your mind, come to Qingyang city, and you’re more than welcome to come to the Iron Fist school to look for me . You just need to state my name . ”

Li Qingshan could not help but smile . As expected, there were not a lot of people who roamed the jianghu to uphold justice and help the weak . He asked a lot more questions, and Li Long answered them with everything he knew . Li Qingshan saw how generous Li Long was and knew that he was a sensible person, so he showed some additional respect . “Brother Li, today is not a festival, so why have you returned?”

Li Long suddenly whispered, “Even if you didn’t ask me, I would have told you anyway . I’ve returned this time for a major matter that endangers the Crouching Ox village . The Crouching Ox village might have become a target to ransack for the Black Wind stronghold . ”