Chapter 68: Smashing Through an Entire Street
Although dragon coins were small, three thousand six hundred of them were quite a lot, weighing over ten jin in total. Qin Mu casually hung the money pouch behind him on the handle of his butcher knife, silently praising: "This chubby Seventh Young Master is indeed generous."
The Seventh Young Master's eyes lit up as they fell on the butcher knife strapped to Qin Mu's back. He laughed, "If you're willing to sell that knife of yours, I can give you an even better price!"
Qin Mu shook his head. "This knife of mine is far better than that clay jar. It's not for sale."
"True enough. Your knife's material alone surpasses that clay jar by some margin."
The Seventh Young Master handed the clay jar to his attendant beside him and chuckled, "This clay jar was refined by a cultivator at the Six Harmonies Realm. It contains thirty-six spiritual weapons called the Thirty-Six Heavenly Star Jars, which can form the Heavenly Net Demon-Refining Formation. Though a bit worn, its power remains. I have no use for them either—I just planned to take them out of the Great Wasteland and sell them to nobles and aristocrats for a tidy profit. I've seen the Thirty-Six Heavenly Star Jars before, so I recognized them. Your eyesight is exceptional—have you seen them before as well?"
Behind him, one of the attendants coughed and said, "Young Master, traveling incognito like this isn't safe."
The Seventh Young Master said displeasedly, "You all meddle too much. There's no fun in going out like this!" With that, he shook his head and walked away.
Qin Mu knew that this young master was staying close to Qin Feiyue, who treated him with great respect. He must be someone of high status, so it was only natural that these attendants wouldn't let him take risks.
Just as he was about to leave, the stall owner who had sold him the clay jar suddenly grabbed his clothes and shouted, "Don't go! Those clay jars of mine were worth over three thousand dragon coins, and you bought them for just one coin! You have to compensate me!" He then reached for the money pouch behind Qin Mu.
Qin Mu frowned. Suddenly, his hairs stood on end as he sensed danger approaching. A figure in the alley swiftly closed in on him. The man flipped his sleeve, and a strange weapon slid out from the cuff—it looked like two curved blades joined together, both ends sharp and extremely dangerous.
The man's palm faced downward, but the strange weapon didn't fall. Instead, it spun with a whistling sound and shot toward Qin Mu's neck!
Qin Mu's primal energy surged into his feet, and his body instantly shifted backward. The stall owner was about to grab his money pouch when Qin Mu had already retreated ten feet away.
The blade flashed as the man followed closely, sticking to Qin Mu like a shadow. His palm hovered over the strange weapon as it flew up and down. Qin Mu quickly noticed a thin line connecting the man's palm to the weapon. The weapon had curved blades on both sides with a handle in the middle, and the thin line was tied to that handle.
"Condensing qi into threads, using qi to control the blade? He's a martial artist!"
This martial artist's blade technique was extremely bizarre. His footwork was as slippery as an eel's, weaving back and forth. The blade technique focused on slicing, and in this narrow alley, it was incredibly sharp. The gleaming blade came down in an arc from above, carrying no small amount of force.
At the same time, Qin Mu saw others in the alley stirring, getting to their feet one after another.
Clearly, this pouch of dragon coins had stirred up greed!
Over three thousand dragon coins was an absolute fortune, enough to ignite greed and murderous intent!
"Finish this quickly!"
Qin Mu suddenly stopped, and his primal energy surged into his fists.
His feet shifted, his primal energy flowed through his arms, gathered at his fingertips, and formed fists. Just as his fists were about to collide with the martial artist's strange blade, his fingers suddenly shot out from his fists like arrows from a powerful crossbow!
The second form of the Thunderclap Eight Forms: Flicking Fingers, Startling Thunder, Pipa Hands!
Clang—
His first finger flicked out, and the force of his finger broke through the air with a sharp whistle, sending the spinning blade flying. His second finger flicked out, snapping the martial artist's qi thread.
Qin Mu's third finger flicked out, striking the martial artist's palm. The martial artist grunted, his palm torn and bloody, a large hole blasted through it.
Each of Qin Mu's fingers contained immense primal energy. Though his primal energy couldn't unleash power like the White Tiger's primal energy, it was incredibly dense, granting him astonishing physical strength. Three finger flicks broke the martial artist's attack, and then he retracted his fingers into a fist and punched the martial artist square in the chest.
The force of the punch bent the martial artist's body backward, sending him flying off his feet.
Alone, Carrying Spring Thunder Across the Eastern Sea!
Qin Mu's feet pushed off the ground, and before the martial artist had even landed, he was already upon him. The martial artist's eyes filled with terror, but he was midair and couldn't defend himself.
Just then, two martial artists on either side of the alley saw Qin Mu closing in on their companion. Their eyes lit up, and without hesitation, they lunged at him from both sides!
Bang!
Bang! Bang!
Before the two martial artists could even launch their first attack, they saw Qin Mu's fist growing larger and larger. It was as if they had been struck in the face by a savage dragon. Their heads snapped back, crashing through the wall, with their bodies hanging from the wall below their necks!
The wall cracked like a spiderweb from the impact.
As for the martial artist who had been punched in the chest, he was struck again. This punch was even more vicious than the last, sending him flying backward even faster, his feet never touching the ground!
Figures flashed through the alley, followed by a series of loud bangs. The Seventh Young Master and his cultivator attendants hadn't yet left the alley when they heard the noise behind them. They stopped and turned around, their faces showing shock.
The martial artist was sent flying for the third time, hurtling toward the Seventh Young Master. The cultivators frowned slightly and were about to intervene, but the Seventh Young Master laughed and said, "No need. Let's just get out of the way."
They stepped aside, and they saw Qin Mu sticking close to the martial artist like a whirlwind, his fists and palms striking like lightning—combining hardness and softness, close and long-range attacks. With his final punch, the martial artist was blasted out of the alley and slammed into the wall across the street with a loud crash.
The martial artist's buttocks broke through the wall, his body stuck in the hole. His legs and arms hung limply, unable to move.
Behind Qin Mu, over a dozen martial artists had their heads stuck in the wall, their bodies dangling on the wall's surface, flailing helplessly.
"Impressive skills!"
The cultivators couldn't help but praise. One of them said in a low voice, "Young Master, this person moves like surging waves crashing against the sky. He's using an extremely powerful combat technique. His punches and kicks just now—if he could break through their limits, they would become divine abilities!"
The Seventh Young Master asked in surprise, "He's using combat techniques?"
"Top-tier combat techniques!"
The Seventh Young Master nodded slightly and said, "I've heard of stories from the past. The Imperial Preceptor once debated with masters of the combat technique lineage and killed countless giants of that path. Since then, combat techniques have been unable to rival divine abilities and were labeled heretical. Many heretics fled into the Great Wasteland. Could he be a disciple of one of them..."
Another attendant said in a low voice, "Xianglong City isn't Yancheng. It's a mixed bag, full of desperate and vicious people. We must be careful. This young man likely has ties to remnants of the past. Young Master, let's go see the general as soon as possible."
Qin Mu hadn't killed anyone. He had held back most of his strength during the fight, but knocking over a dozen martial artists into the wall was still terrifying enough. Of course, this was nothing to him. In the village, he had fought against Uncle Ma and the others, and outside the village, he had fought the demon ape and Fox Linger, going all out every time.
"Carrying so many dragon coins isn't safe. I'd better buy some things and take the rest back to the inn to give to Granny."
The young man didn't take the incident to heart. On the way, he bought some silk and satin and had them delivered to the inn. He planned to prepare several sets of clothes for Uncle Ma, the village chief, and the others.
Qin Mu also bought some novelty items to give to Uncle Ma, Cripple, and the others before returning to the inn. To his surprise, Granny Si wasn't in her room. She had apparently gone out at some point.
Blind was also nowhere to be seen.
"It's rare to come here. I should take the chance to see the world."
Qin Mu took out a hundred or so dragon coins, hid the rest, and then left the inn to explore. The night in Xianglong City was bustling and lively, truly opening his eyes. There were martial arts competitions, arena fights, opera performances, lion dances, and even people seeking revenge.
He was amazed by it all. Without realizing it, he had wandered to the center of Xianglong City. The buildings here were even more grand and majestic, many of them ancient structures left behind by people before darkness had shrouded the Great Wasteland. Temples and shrines stood tall, extraordinary in their design.
Qin Mu activated his Divine Firmament Heavenly Eye and examined the ancient buildings, marveling at them. To others, the statues here were just ordinary idols, but to him, they were radiant deities radiating boundless light!
He observed them one by one, feeling no fear toward these deities, nor did he desecrate them. He simply appreciated the divine craftsmanship of the sculptors.
Xianglong City was built atop a massive ruin. The stone statues here were the work of gods and demons from a distant era. From the carving techniques, Qin Mu could see a masterful, flowing artistry that made him feel as if he were witnessing breathtaking divine abilities.
"It seems I can glean quite a few techniques from these statues."
Qin Mu sighed in admiration. Just then, a middle-aged man approached and said with a smile, "Young man from the countryside, want to make some money? I have a way for you. The city lord's mansion is recruiting people for arena fights. Win one match, and they'll give you a hundred dragon coins!"
Qin Mu shook his head.
The middle-aged man went to find someone else, eventually recruiting a young man who excitedly followed him into the city lord's mansion.
"Arena fights at the city lord's mansion? What is the lord of Xianglong City planning?" Qin Mu wondered.
Just then, a loud voice boomed with laughter: "Ever since the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader Li Tianxing died, the Sect Leader's Wife has been elusive and vanished without a trace. I never expected the Wife to grace my Xianglong City with her presence! Your arrival from afar brings glory to my city!"
The voice was thunderously loud, clearly belonging to someone with immense cultivation. Qin Mu's eardrums buzzed from the sound, and many pedestrians on the street were even knocked unconscious by the shockwave!
Qin Mu was astonished. "Sect Leader's Wife? Could it be Granny?"
"You flatter me, City Lord." A remarkably enchanting voice replied, dripping with allure.
Hearing this voice, Qin Mu felt his mouth go dry, as if countless inner demons were springing up from the depths of his heart, dancing and singing.
Countless pedestrians on the street suddenly seemed drunk, waving their arms, laughing wildly, their faces twisted in madness.
After a while, they returned to normal, looking at each other in confusion, unsure of what had just happened.