98 Seven Years
Two days later, a few swifts flew out of the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest and silently streaked across the night sky, heading north.
Half a month later, in Qinglin Village, in the inner court of the Flying Dragon Sect, a young man ran in,
“Master, I made a terrible mistake and killed a man from the Pei family. He scolded my lover!”
The young man seemed panicked as he continued, “But it was in a back alley. No one would have seen it.”
In front of him, a grey-haired old man with muscular arms shouted angrily, “Don’t spout nonsense. The Pei family is a first-class force. If they find out, not only will you die, but I will also be in big trouble. Think about it carefully, are there any clues pointing to you?”
“Definitely not. As long as Yu’er keeps her mouth shut, she’ll be fine!” The young man shook his head.
The old man was silent, but a hint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
The young man quickly begged for mercy. “Yu’er and I are truly in love. She will never betray me. Please, Master, let her go.”
“Keep her mouth shut and hide her in a small village outside to avoid suspicion. If there’s anything strange, kill her immediately!” The old man glanced at his beloved disciple, but he could not bear to kill him.
“Thank you, Master! Thank you!” The young man was overjoyed and quickly ran out.
The grey-haired old man looked left and right, then left with a sullen face.
On a treetop in the garden, a little swift flew up, quietly following the young man.
With Jiang Ming’s army of beasts, he was kept up to date at all times.
* * *
Three months passed.
“In this world, there is no lack of evil. I can use this to my advantage.”
Jiang Ming glanced at the thin book in his hand. It recorded many things that would make people’s faces change.
He casually tore a piece of paper and wrote a few words on the back. He then rolled up the paper and hid it in a small hollow branch. He then summoned a swift.
“Xiao Yu, you’ve been to Luo City with me before. I’ll leave the first mission to you!”
The swift picked up the branch with its mouth and shot out like a bolt of lightning.
This was the first swift that Jiang Ming had fed. It was the most intelligent and agile. Even a Dao Master could not hit it down from the sky.
After all, a martial artist was just a martial artist. He could not fly.
In Luo City, Miss Wang skillfully started a fire to cook and then washed her clothes. She was no different from a farmer’s wife who had lived in poverty for many years.
She had been waiting here quietly for several months, and no one had contacted her. However, she was not in a hurry and continued to practice various farming techniques.
After finishing the farm work, she turned around and went into the house, ready to rest for a while. However, her eyes suddenly focused on a branch on the table.
With her photographic memory, she knew it had not been there before.
A hint of excitement flashed in her eyes. She quickly walked over, picked up the branch, and immediately saw the paper in it.
“You and I are both nameless people. We’re sneaking in the shadows.”
The handwriting on the back of the page was exactly the same as the one in the letter.
When she saw the information recorded on the front page, her expression changed slightly. Her respect for the mysterious martial artist who had saved her life deepened.
“This information can’t be collected by one person alone. Who is he?” Miss Wang was shocked, but she was also happy.
“With this information, it will be much easier to start. Perhaps my family will rise again one day.”
That night, she packed up her luggage and continued to head north.
* * *
Back in Peace County, Jiang Ming was playing with Yu Yan, who had already returned, while flipping through the Four Harmonies Scripture that he had read several times.
Outside the window, the sun was shining brightly. Zhou Wenxiu was sweating profusely as she steamed some bread. Tian Anan giggled as she rode on Black Bean, galloping back and forth in and out of the courtyard.
A graceful figure packed up her breakfast stall. Just as she reached the door of her house, she was almost knocked over by Black Bean who was speeding.
Tian Anan put her hands on her waist and said proudly, “Mama, you’re back. Ming said I’m a dark knight.”
“This stupid Tian Anan betrayed me again!” Jiang Ming jumped into bed, covered himself with the quilt, and pretended to be asleep.
The next morning, Jiang Ming put all the mutated herbs into the medicine basket. He also carried some steamed buns and dried vegetables. He walked into the mountains and returned to his abode there.
The Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest was thousands of miles deep, and the place where the immortal encounter occurred was far away from here, so his house was not affected.
An excited roar was heard. Jiang Ming looked up and saw Master Si and the fat tiger coming from a distance.
“It’s time to train you guys!” Jiang Ming thought of the beast-taming prescription, which allowed beasts to practice martial arts. He suddenly narrowed his eyes and smiled.
* * *
Time gradually passed, and Jiang Ming’s life was peaceful. Most of the time, he was immersed in practicing martial arts in the mountains. He used mutated herbs to temper his body and studied the Four Harmonies Scripture to condense his own blood Qi, trying to break through to the Dao Master realm.
In his spare time, he would train Master Si and the fat tiger.
Time flew by.
Two years later, the emperor passed away, and the country of Yan fell into chaos.
Three years later, a mysterious force emerged in Qinglin Village, which was now Qinglin City. They called themselves the Nameless and walked among various forces and aristocratic families. Their main business was selling intelligence and information. They gained popularity after they caught a murderer who had killed a disciple of the Pei family three years ago. They were in the limelight for a while and gradually extended their claws to the other cities in the country of Yan.
* * *
It had been seven years since the immortal encounter, and almost no one talked about it anymore.
In just a few years, more than a dozen rebel armies had raised their flags, and the country of Yan had been plunged into chaos. The imperial court had even given up the Imperial City, and the imperial family had retreated to the southern border with a group of old generals and ministers, leaving only two prefectures of land.
Marquis Zhou, who had once shocked the world, had disappeared without a trace. There were rumors that he had been injured in the immortal encounter and had died.
Some people said that Marquis Zhou had spoken to the immortal during the encounter, and he had broken through the Grandmaster realm and left this world in search of a higher level of martial arts.
* * *
In the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest, Jiang Ming stood on a broken cliff. In the frosty weather, he was practicing a set of extremely fierce fist techniques. His blood was hot and exuberant, and the snow at his feet showed signs of melting.
He let out a soft cry and suddenly pointed his fingers like a sword, sweeping them toward a huge green rock.
His blood Qi was like a rainbow, and it suddenly spread out from his fingertips. It was three feet long, and when it cut the stone, it was like cutting a soft fruit.
After seven years, he had reached the peak of the Dao Master Realm.
Jiang Ming withdrew his blood Qi.
A few years ago, he had condensed his blood Qi and entered the Dao Master realm. With the help of the Vitality-Snatching Technique, his skills had improved by leaps and bounds, and he was now at the peak of the realm.
“My comprehension of martial arts can’t make any progress. It’s hard to break through if I just cultivate.”
Jiang Ming shook his head, packed his things, and went down the mountain.
In the past seven years, other than the various rebel armies fighting, there were no other special major events. Jiang Ming had kept a low profile and lived in peace.
“Perhaps, it’s time to collect the debts that I’ve recorded in my small notebook.”
Jiang Ming’s eyes were misty.
Now that he had reached the peak of the Dao Master realm, coupled with the support of his immortality, the Blood-Burning Saber Technique, and his body that had been tempered by mutated herbs, his strength had long exceeded the scope of the Dao Master. Even if a Grandmaster were to come, he had the confidence to take them on.
Jiang Ming suddenly thought of something and sighed, “Let’s celebrate the new year first.”