Chapter 6 – Settling a Small Grievance (1/2)

Who knows how many so-called prodigies of startling talent the black ox had seen before. Every single one of them would be naturally endowed with talent and divine fortune, but only a handful would actually achieve something in the end. Instead, many ordinary, nameless folk would spring into prominence overnight, making themselves known through the world as they reached the pinnacle of this path of cultivation.

Throughout these years, it had purposefully stood aside and watched on coldly, letting Li Qingshan be strengthened through hardships. It had only spoken out at the most crucial moment. It was like a blacksmith, slowly refining and tempering its material. Only then could a supreme weapon be forged.

Ordinary people cared about foreign aspects like talent, fortuitous encounter, and so on, but the ox looked at a person’s willpower. If you were someone with a weak will, even if you were given a colossal fortune, could you bear the weight that came with it?

So and so, one was willing to teach and the other was willing to learn, so they obviously made rapid progress. In under two hours, Li Qingshan gained a rough understanding of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength. He had vaguely grasped its essentials.

Although the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength was a set of punching moves, it focused on forging the muscle and the bones, the skin and the flesh, strengthening the body. The actual way of punching was secondary. There were only three forms, which were ‘The Ox Demon Butts its Horns’, ‘The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves”, “The Ox Demon Forges its Hide”. They were all the foundational forms of the fist style, able to unleash complexity with its simplicity and lead into countless moves.

Of course, grasping it was one matter, while practising it was something else. If he wanted to achieve something with it, he would need an accumulation of practice over time. As for the two basic items required to practise this ability, Li Qingshan had already seen them. They were meat and alcohol.

Regardless of the ability or technique, it was impossible to create something from nothing. It could not grant people with tremendous strength and might for no reason. There had to be a process of absorption and conversion, whether it be through gathering the essence of the sun and moon or by absorbing spiritual qi of the world. Once a profound level was attained, they would be able to feed off the wind and dew and stop eating. It would be replacing normal food with the spiritual qi of the world.

Li Qingshan was just a mortal, so how was he supposed to connect with the spiritual qi of the world? He could not find immortal pills or medicines either, so he could only start with the most ordinary of items to rapidly replenish and refine his vitality.

Enduring until midday, he felt like he had been starved for three days. He wolfed down all of the remaining wild boar meat in a single stroke. His appetite was actually even greater than when he ate the boar meat for the first time.

He was not allowed to lie down and rest at midday either. Instead, he had to meditate and nurture his vitality, sensing for some feeling of qi that was supposed to exist. He did this until his body had mostly recovered. After that, he would practise the fist style again. He repeated this several times. By dusk, Li Qingshan was utterly exhausted. He did not even have the willpower to lift another finger.

Three figures secretly stumbled their way to the outside of Li Qingshan’s house. Li Qingshan heard the activity and made his way out, only to see the three scoundrels who frequently messed around with patch-haired Liu. He was afraid that they had come to avenge their brother, so he could not help but groan inside. Currently, he was completely spent, so how could he take them on? Even if it were some other time, he would not be able to match three people working together.

However, he never expected the three of them to react like rats to a cat as soon as they saw him. They all lowered their heads and exclaimed, “Spare us!”

This surprised Li Qingshan. It made him ask, “Why have you come here?”

He had never imagined that the three rascals would be utterly frightened after witnessing patch-haired Liu’s corpse. They were afraid that Li Qingshan was still not satisfied after killing patch-haired Liu and wanted to come for them tonight, which was why they had reluctantly come to explain themselves. They said that all of their actions had been urged and impelled on by patch-haired Liu, so it was all his fault as the leader. They also added that caretaker Liu was behind it all.

Li Qingshan said, “Say no more. I already know all about this.” That night, he had heard it loud and clear, but of course, he could not admit he was patch-haired Liu’s murderer.

The three scoundrels shivered inside. Thinking of how this fiend was right outside the window that night, they felt more and more afraid.

Li Qingshan could understand why these three were so afraid to a certain degree. In his past life, there had once been an escaped murderer on the loose in the small city he lived in. Various rumors sprang up everywhere, scaring everyone from staying out at night. He had now gained the influence of a murderer.

There were different levels to bad people too. The three scoundrels were just ‘small evils’ who committed theft. Against a ‘great evil’ like him, they could only follow him around obediently and submissively. His expression remained the same, but he felt rather strange inside. He had yet to gain any supernatural abilities. However, from a few mental changes, his status in the village had undergone an overwhelming upheaval.

These changes had all been caused by the black ox. Perhaps this was changing the bad for good as well!

Li Qingshan ignored them. He barely managed to go through the entirety of the Ox Demon’s Fist of Great Strength once more. This time, the three of them were present, so he practised especially diligently. He knew that he was only putting on a bravado right now. Once people discovered that he was at the end of his rope, the consequences would be inconceivable.

The three scoundrels watched on from the side carefully. In all the years they had spent in the village, they had never heard that Li Qingshan knew martial arts. In the setting sun, Li Qingshan’s movements were valiant and filled with force, so he clearly was not fooling with them. They could not help but think about what the local witch had said. Perhaps a demon had truly possessed Li Qingshan.

They watched the sky grow darker and darker, becoming so frightened that their calves twitched from fear. They wanted to leave, yet they were unable to bring themselves to mention it. They were afraid Li Qingshan would suddenly reveal his true form and swallow them all in a single gulp.

Li Qingshan finished practising and ordered, “Come with me.” He made his way out of the courtyard by himself. The three scoundrels looked at each other and had no other choice but to follow him.

Right now, there were many villagers eating at the entrance of their houses. Those who were familiar with Li Qingshan greeted him carefully, while those who were not fled back into their houses in a hurry to hide. Even though they had protected Li Qingshan during the day out of righteous anger, there was not a single person who did not feel fear when they faced this murderer.