Old Wang risked his life hunting demonic beasts and collecting herbs on the mountain, earning at most ten spirit stones in a month.
As he grew older, lazy and slippery, with mediocre skills, no one was willing to take him along.
These past two years had been tough for him.
He had developed a liking for the seductive female cultivators in the taverns, squandering the few spirit stones he had saved up over the years on them.
Today, after drinking a bit too much at the tavern, he got into a conflict over selling Deer Antler Powder and ended up being severely beaten by someone more skilled, almost losing his life.
Old Wang came to find Gao Xian, originally intending to vent his frustrations, play the victim, and pressure Gao Xian into giving him more Deer Antler Powder.
However, he discovered that Gao Xian was actually quite formidable, which made him chuckle.
This timid fellow was best to be kept in check!
He realized he had been foolish before, allowing this young man to intimidate him!
Old Wang also noticed a pile of Solid Yuan Pills on Gao Xian's table, realizing how profitable this young man was!
With a tempting opportunity right in front of him, how could Old Wang be polite!
"Young man, I got beaten up because of selling Deer Antler Powder!"
Old Wang pointed to his swollen and bruised cheek, "My eye almost went blind, take a good look!"
Under the dim charcoal fire, Old Wang's swollen and distorted face looked exceptionally fierce, especially with the greed and ferocity gleaming in his eyes, making Gao Xian feel uneasy: "Is this old lecher trying to rob me? Or is he planning a robbery and murder!"
"All of this is because of you!"
Old Wang walked up to the table, casually picked up a still warm Solid Yuan Pill, and swallowed it.
A pure heat surged straight to Old Wang's brow, invigorating him and clearing his mind a bit.
Even the throbbing pain in his cheek felt much more comfortable.
Solid Yuan Pills were meant to strengthen bones, muscles, and refine qi and blood, specifically nourishing the body to consolidate its foundation.
Although they couldn't heal injuries, they were perfect for Old Wang's current situation.
Satisfied with the efficacy of the Solid Yuan Pill, Old Wang stored them all in the medicine box on the table.
He sneered at Gao Xian, "These pills are for covering my medical expenses."
Seeing Old Wang's fierce demeanor, Gao Xian dared not speak.
The other party's emotions were unstable at the moment, refusing him could lead to uncontrollable danger.
Old Wang was at the fifth or sixth level of Qi cultivation, experienced in battles, and Gao Xian had little chance of winning if it came to a fight.
Moreover, these Solid Yuan Pills belonged to Zhu, the shopkeeper.
If the old man snatched them, Zhu would surely hold him accountable.
There was no need for him to intervene!
He had the Book of Wind and Moon, and he would soon grow stronger.
He could always seek revenge on Old Wang once he became powerful enough!
As the saying goes, retreat a step for a broader view, endure for a calm sea.
Gao Xian consoled himself in his heart, but the pent-up frustration was hard to ease with these clichés.
Old Wang was initially pleased that Gao Xian had made a few spirit stones off him, but now he noticed Gao Xian's sullen expression, clearly not accepting the situation!
Suddenly, Old Wang thought of something.
This lad had a partnership with Zhu from the pharmacy, and these Solid Yuan Pills must belong to the pharmacy.
Zhu was a member of the Cloud Sect, and the entire Feima Town was under the Cloud Sect's influence.
It was fine to bully Gao Xian, but if he offended Zhu, he might end up dead on the street the next day.
Old Wang was taken aback, realizing that the box of Solid Yuan Pills in his hands had suddenly become a hot potato.
He swallowed hard, hesitating whether to put down the pills, placate Gao Xian with a few words, and brush this incident aside.
"I've lived for fifty years like a dog, and now I have to bow down to a brat? Damn it, screw him!"
Old Wang, who had spent years hunting demonic beasts in the mountains, often engaged in some shady dealings, now in a fit of rage, drew his sword without hesitation.
Old Wang's swordsmanship was proficient, coupled with his cultivation at the fifth level of Qi, his muscles and bones strong, and his heart and lungs channels opened.
At this moment, his spiritual energy circulated throughout his body, his blood boiling.
Even the wrinkles on his skin were filled out by blood, making him look rejuvenated by thirty years.
Gao Xian also sensed something amiss, but before he could react, Old Wang's sword was already upon him.
In a critical moment, Gao Xian, extremely nervous, found his mind blank, but Lan Jie, deep within his mind, naturally emerged, establishing a close connection with his spirit.
In Gao Xian's eyes, Old Wang's movements seemed to slow down tenfold.
Old Wang, leveraging the force of drawing his sword from its sheath, slashed diagonally from bottom to top towards Gao Xian's abdomen and chest.
Due to the speed, the chilling blade was still trembling in the air.
Gao Xian saw Old Wang's movements clearly but was too stiff and slow to react.
Instinctively holding his breath, his heart pounding wildly as if it might explode.
The sharp blade cut from Gao Xian's lower abdomen to his chest, leaving a long scratch on his green Daoist robe.
Fortunately, the protective Golden Body Talisman emitted a faint yellow light, resilient enough to block the blade from penetrating deeply.
Gao Xian breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was doomed a moment ago, but thankfully, the Golden Body Talisman was effective.
"Golden Body Talisman!"
Old Wang, experienced as he was, immediately realized that Gao Xian had used a talisman to protect himself.
He was somewhat surprised, unsure when this lad had activated the talisman.
However, such a low-level talisman wouldn't withstand his attacks for long!
A hint of a smirk appeared on Old Wang's face as he changed his sword's slashing motion to a stabbing one, fiercely thrusting towards Gao Xian's chest.
Once again, the Golden Body Talisman came into play, blocking the blade.
Due to the excessive force, the sword blade bent slightly.
Old Wang paid no heed, as the yellow light on Gao Xian's body had dimmed considerably.
As long as he kept exerting force, he could pierce through Gao Xian!
Empowered by Lan Jie, Gao Xian saw Old Wang as if in slow motion, his thought process synchronizing to become faster.
Having faced a near-death experience, Gao Xian calmed down.
Clearly, waiting any longer would mean certain death.
He had to make a move!
With little time to activate his spells, Gao Xian instinctively reached out, grabbing the bent sword blade and pushing it away.
Protected by the Golden Body Talisman, Gao Xian's palm was unscathed by the blade.
The agility of the Lightning Dragon Hand was fully unleashed.
Old Wang was momentarily stunned, not expecting Gao Xian to dare grab his sword, let alone succeed.
But with his vast combat experience, he instinctively twisted his wrist to retrieve the sword.
With one holding the blade and the other the hilt, even if Gao Xian was ten times stronger, he wouldn't be able to wrest the sword away.
Let alone Gao Xian's strength was far inferior to his.
Realizing this, Gao Xian pushed the blade away with his left hand and simultaneously uttered, "Swift!"
The inner mechanism of his wrist guard contained rune formations that, when activated, propelled the protruding white plum needle out.
Gao Xian was only six feet away from Old Wang, and with his hand raised, the distance was reduced to just over three feet.
Realizing something was amiss, Old Wang hurriedly tried to evade backward, but the distance was too close for him to escape.
Four cold rays shone and struck Old Wang's chest, but failed to penetrate his body.
Gao Xian observed closely as the three-inch-long white plum needle only pierced about an inch into Old Wang's body, with the two-inch-long needle tail wobbling outside his Daoist robe.
He was quite surprised that even the potent white plum needle couldn't penetrate Old Wang's body?
Such a fine needle, piercing an inch, would only break the skin.
Gao Xian had thought he could resolve the situation with one strike, but it turned out to be a big surprise.
In his mind, he angrily exclaimed, "Damn it, this swindler is deceiving me..."
(End of the chapter)