Chapter Seventy: Undercurrents Stir

After signing the pact of life and death, the three great leaders of the Pill Hall departed with Qin Feiyang, leaving the Ling family behind. Ling Yunfei followed the four, but even now he was still bewildered, unable to grasp the situation. As for the pact, it was kept personally by the City Lord. Although he had past grievances with Qin Feiyang, he dared not meddle, given that all the major figures were present.

It was already deep into the night. The streets were silent, not a sound to be heard. Luo Xiong and the others walked in silence. Only the sound of footsteps echoed beneath the night sky, lending a heavy atmosphere.

“Ling Yunfei, since Jiang Haotian has chosen to help you, you will return to the Pill Hall with us,” Luo Xiong finally broke the silence as they arrived at the grand entrance of the Pill Hall.

“Thank you, Hall Master,” Ling Yunfei said, bowing respectfully.

Luo Xiong glanced at him and then turned to Qin Feiyang. “I won’t ask about anything else, just one thing: are you confident?”

“I am,” Qin Feiyang replied with a nod.

Luo Xiong looked at him intently, then said nothing further and entered the Pill Hall.

“Idiot!”
“Bastard!”
“Fool!”

Feng Cheng cursed furiously and then left in a huff.

Elder Mo, expressionless, spoke, “Jiang Haotian, I’ll say only this: now you are tied to the Pill Hall. If we prosper, you prosper; if we suffer, you suffer. Do you understand?”

“I understand, Elder,” Qin Feiyang nodded.

“That’s good,” Elder Mo cast a glance at the two of them, then turned and departed.

Qin Feiyang took a deep breath and looked over at Ling Yunfei, who kept his head bowed, silent. “Come with me,” Qin Feiyang said.

“Where to?” Ling Yunfei asked, confused.

“Outside the city,” Qin Feiyang replied, heading toward the east gate.

“What are we going outside for?” Ling Yunfei hurried after him, filled with questions.

“Why so quiet? Are you upset with me for making decisions on your behalf?” Qin Feiyang asked.

“No,” Ling Yunfei shook his head. “Did you really sign that pact just now?”

Still not recovered from the shock? Qin Feiyang’s face twitched; this temperament clearly needed some sharpening. “Are you afraid?” he asked.

Ling Yunfei sighed. “I’m all alone; what is there to be afraid of? I only fear dragging you down.”

In truth, he lacked confidence. Ling Sheng was a five-star Martial Master and possessed two advanced martial arts, with the strength of eight wild elephants. As for himself, he was only a four-star Martial Master with not a single martial technique, no hope of victory at all. Unless he could find a perfect martial art—but there were none in Black Bear City. Where could he possibly find one?

“I have a perfect martial art,” Qin Feiyang said.

“Eh?” Ling Yunfei was startled.

Qin Feiyang spoke calmly, “To be honest, the Crystal Ice Finger, Wind and Thunder Palm, and Smoke Step are all perfect martial arts.”

“What!” Ling Yunfei was shocked, his eyes wide with disbelief. Black Bear City had none, yet this man possessed three perfect martial arts! Was he dreaming?

“Since there are only three days, I’ll give you two perfect martial arts for now. One is an auxiliary technique, Origin Step. The other is a killing technique, Heartlock Fist.”

“Thank you,” Ling Yunfei said gratefully.

But the next moment, his body stiffened and his face was filled with astonishment. He had thought Qin Feiyang would teach him one of the three he mentioned, but instead, it was two others.

This meant that Qin Feiyang not only mastered three perfect martial arts, but five!

Heavens! Who was this man, truly?

“The cultivation method—I’ll say it only once. Heartlock Fist is a strange and deadly punch technique. Lock onto the opponent’s heart, then shatter it with one blow. No external wounds will appear; it looks as if nothing happened, but the heart is destroyed. That is the peculiarity of the Heartlock Fist…” Qin Feiyang explained.

Ling Yunfei quickly cleared his mind, listened closely, and etched every word deep into his memory.

Unnoticed, the city gate came into view.

Qin Feiyang stopped speaking. “Have you memorized it?”

Ling Yunfei nodded.

Qin Feiyang said, “The best and fastest way to master martial arts is through combat. For the next three days, I want you to enter Black Bear Mountain and fight the wild beasts without respite.”

Of course, he had another motive: to temper Ling Yunfei’s spirit through real battle.

“I’ll give it my all!” Ling Yunfei took a deep breath and spoke solemnly.

Qin Feiyang smiled faintly. “Both your mother’s and my fate are in your hands. You have no choice but to give it your all.”

With that, the two left the city gate and entered a dense forest.

Qin Feiyang smiled, “This is as far as I’ll escort you. One last thing: don’t die in Black Bear Mountain.”

“Don’t worry—I’ll come back alive,” Ling Yunfei replied with confidence, then turned and strode into Black Bear Mountain.

Once Ling Yunfei disappeared completely, Qin Feiyang waved his hand, and the Wolf King appeared out of thin air.

Wolf King said, “Kid Qin, you really mean to train him?”

Qin Feiyang sighed, “My future enemies are too powerful. I alone cannot stand against them.”

“Even you lack confidence?”
“Looks like I need to reconsider.”

“Ah, kid Qin, Wolf Brother has to make this hard choice. Don’t blame me for lacking loyalty—let’s part ways from now on!” Wolf King sighed deeply.

Qin Feiyang’s face twitched.

“Kid Qin, all feasts must end. Farewell!”
“Take care of yourself. If one day you’re about to kick the bucket, let me know—I’ll come collect your corpse.” Wolf King’s eyes brimmed with tears, looking back every few steps, reluctant to leave.

Seeing this, Qin Feiyang’s face darkened, veins bulging.

“Heh, fool!”
“Wolf Brother promises to keep an eye on Ling Yunfei for you.” Wolf King cackled, then darted into the forest without another glance.

“Uh…” Qin Feiyang was dumbfounded.

Had he just been teased by that good-for-nothing wolf again?

“Wolf cub, when you return, I’ll deal with you properly,” Qin Feiyang cursed with a smile, then turned toward the city gate.

He already felt a deep bond with Wolf King; if Wolf King truly left, he would surely feel lost.

“Jiang Haotian, why did you go to Black Bear Mountain?”
“Why are you alone? Where’s Ling Yunfei?”

As he reached the gate, the two guards stationed there looked at him with curiosity.

“How should I know?” Qin Feiyang shrugged.

“Jiang Haotian, you’re not being honest!”
“Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone else,” the two smiled warmly.

“I really don’t know. If you want answers, ask him yourself,” Qin Feiyang replied, heading into the city.

One of the guards said quickly, “Wait, don’t go! Just give us a hint—do you have any confidence?”

“None,” Qin Feiyang replied with a smile, not looking back.

“No confidence, and he still manages to smile?”
The guard was stunned.

“Maybe he’s just pretending to be calm,” the other said disdainfully, his eyes shifting. He whispered, “Zhao Six, want to make a little profit?”

“Who wouldn’t want profit? But you need the opportunity,” Zhao Six replied.

“This is our chance. Here’s what we do…” The guard leaned in to whisper in Zhao Six’s ear.

Ling Family!

After sending off the City Lord, Pill Hall Master, and Treasure Pavilion Master, the head of the Ling family had servants carry Ling Sheng back from the tavern.

Ling Sheng was dead drunk, sprawled in the hall, snoring loudly—no one could wake him.

The Ling family head was furious. “Bring me a basin of water!”

Just then, a house servant rushed in. “Master, Zhao Six from the east gate wants to see you. He’s right outside.”

“What’s he here for?” the Ling family head asked, puzzled.

“He says he has news for you, concerning Ling Yunfei.”

“Why are you standing around? Bring him in quickly!” The Ling family head’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, sir,” the servant hurried out again.

“Take that fool away, don’t let him embarrass us here.” The Ling family head glared at Ling Sheng and ordered the nearby servants.

A few servants quickly carried Ling Sheng away.

Soon after, Zhao Six followed the servant into the hall and bowed. “Greetings, Master Ling.”

The Ling family head turned to the servant. “You may leave.”

The servant bowed and withdrew.

The Ling family head rose to greet Zhao Six warmly, “Brother Zhao, no need for such formality. Come, have some tea.”

Zhao Six smiled, “I’m still on duty, so let’s skip the tea and get to business. But before we talk, shouldn’t you make a gesture, Master Ling?”

“Scoundrel!” The Ling family head cursed silently, then barked, “Steward, prepare five hundred gold coins.”

“Five hundred gold coins for news? That’s hardly enough,” Zhao Six sneered inwardly, then smiled, “To be honest, this news is worth far more than five hundred coins!”

The Ling family head’s expression remained calm. “How much, then?”

“At least this much,” Zhao Six said, holding up one finger.

“Fine, a thousand it is,” the Ling family head agreed.

Zhao Six shook his head, “No, no, no. It’s ten thousand gold coins—and for both me and Li Seven, ten thousand each.”

A cold glint flashed deep in the Ling family head’s eyes. “Steward, prepare twenty thousand gold coins.”

“Yes, sir,” the steward bowed.

Soon, he returned carrying a pouch and handed it to Zhao Six.

After checking, Zhao Six’s face lit up with a smile. “Ling Yunfei has gone to Black Bear Mountain. If he dies there, your son wins for sure. Then you’ll decide what to do with Jiang Haotian, won’t you?”

“Hahaha…” The Ling family head laughed, clasping his hands. “Thank you for the tip, Brother Zhao.”

“No need for thanks; we both get what we want. I’ll take my leave,” Zhao Six replied.

“Take care,” the Ling family head said with a smile.

Zhao Six turned to go, but as he did, the Ling family head’s eyes flashed coldly and he struck Zhao Six hard in the back.

“Pfft!” Zhao Six spat blood and collapsed, dead.

“Hmph! A mere guard dares to profit off the Ling family? Foolish,” the Ling family head scoffed. “Steward, go kill Li Seven, then bury both bodies near the Pill Hall to frame Jiang Haotian. Be sure no one sees you. Afterward, go to Black Bear Mountain yourself and kill that brat!”

“Master, brilliant!” The steward gave a cold laugh and a thumbs-up, then carried Zhao Six’s corpse out of the Ling family estate, silently heading toward the east gate.