With the increasingly chaotic situation in the imperial capital, street fights and killings occurred frequently, and the court seemed unwilling to see such a situation persist.
A few days later, a significant piece of news spread throughout the Sheng Tian.
The Wuli Army is returning to the capital!
With the release of this news, the martial artists in the capital who had relied on their strength to break the law suddenly became much more subdued.
Some districts that had experienced daily battles quickly stabilized, and at least during the day, no cultivator dared to fight openly on the streets.
Upon hearing this news, Li Qing couldn't help but chuckle.
It was only natural, as the Wuli Army had several captains, each a top-tier inner strength expert!
Although only seven or eight of them could take action due to the previous war with the Liang Kingdom, this was undoubtedly an extremely powerful deterrent.
Moreover, the commander of the Wuli Army, Lu Guanghong, was most likely a master of the Transformation of Qi!
Currently, there were hardly any martial arts masters to be found in the entire martial world, which showed how formidable they were.
On Chiming Street, ever since a few heroes from Liangzhou took over the Qingshan Martial Hall, there had been no significant movements.
Aside from announcing that the monthly protection fee would only be two taels of silver, the merchants on the street rarely saw them.
However, since the protection fee had been reduced and daily life remained unchanged, it was merely a change of enforcers from the Qingshan Martial Hall to a few brutes, and there wasn't much difference. The neighbors quickly accepted them.
One day, in Boss Zhang's wonton shop.
Fang Long, with his left arm bandaged, brought his seven brothers to check on the business again. Initially, the sight frightened Boss Zhang, causing him to sweat profusely, but upon realizing that these people were only there to eat wontons, he sighed in relief.
"Several brothers, your wontons are ready!"
Boss Zhang served the wontons, all in large bowls, steaming hot and mouthwatering.
"Hahaha, Boss Zhang, don’t be nervous. We brothers really love your wontons," Fang Long said with a smile. "As we mentioned before, you only need to charge us one tael of silver for the protection fee from now on, no need for two!"
Upon hearing this, Boss Zhang immediately became flustered and said, "How can that be!"
The other men laughed, "We Liangzhou men keep our word. We said we would only take one tael, and that’s all we’ll take, not a single extra!"
"Then thank you, brothers. This bowl of wontons is on me today!" Boss Zhang said with a joyful smile.
Fang Long did not refuse Boss Zhang's kindness, and the others happily dug into the fragrant wontons.
All eight present were martial artists, so their appetites were naturally large. Before long, even the oil and chili sauce bottles on the table were empty, and the soup in the bowls was completely finished.
After eating their fill, Fang Long glanced at the youngest among them.
At this moment, Yang Xing also raised his head, exchanged a glance with Fang Long, and then nodded.
Seeing this gesture, Fang Long's expression turned slightly serious, and he stood up, saying, "You all continue eating. I’ll go pay a visit to the blacksmith next door with Brother Yang."
The remaining six were slightly taken aback but said nothing more.
"It’s nothing serious, just a visit. You all can sit comfortably," Yang Xing also stood up and followed Fang Long into the blacksmith's shop.
Inside the shop, Li Qing was focused on polishing a nail the size of a finger.
Hearing footsteps at the door, he did not lift his head and asked, "Are you here to buy weapons or for blacksmithing?"
Fang Long glanced at Yang Xing again, received an affirmative answer, and then smiled broadly, raising his bandaged arm to clasp his fists and say:
"Truly worthy of Sheng Tian, it’s indeed a place of hidden talents. I didn’t expect to find an external strength expert hidden here in such a blacksmith shop!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qing paused slightly in his actions, then continued polishing the nail while calmly saying:
"Impressive. That Xu Qingshan couldn’t see through my martial arts cultivation for so long, yet you all figured it out in just a few days. No wonder you were able to drive him away."
"Hahaha, you flatter us. It’s not that we have keen eyesight, but my brother here has a unique inner strength technique that allows him to sense the vitality and blood of a person, which can roughly determine their martial arts level."
As he spoke, Fang Long patted Yang Xing beside him.
Only then did Li Qing set down the polished nail and look at the quietly composed youth with a curious expression.
"Such a miraculous martial art exists in the world, it truly broadens my horizons."
Yang Xing replied, "I only obtained it by chance. Besides sensing vitality, it doesn’t have any other special features."
Not delving deeper into this topic, Li Qing asked, "Did you two come to my shop today for a specific purpose?"
Fang Long boldly said, "It’s nothing much, just a visit!"
"Now that Chiming Street is under our protection, for someone of your caliber, the protection fee can be waived in the future. We are not like that old fool Xu who lacks vision."
Li Qing smiled and replied, "I have never been fond of competing for fame and fortune in my life. Practicing martial arts is merely a temporary hobby. Perhaps in the future, I may need to trouble you brothers, and I can still afford the two taels of silver for the protection fee."
However, Fang Long waved his hand dismissively, saying, "If you need our help, Li Master, just say the word. But please don’t mention the protection fee. If this gets out, I won’t have a place to put my face!"
Collecting protection fees from martial arts experts of the same level is something that ordinary people wouldn’t dare to do; only someone like Xu Qingshan, who was unaware, would act that way.
With this goodwill from the Liangzhou brothers, Li Qing no longer declined and clasped his fists in respect.
Watching the two leave, Li Qing finally let out a slight sigh of relief, then furrowed his brows.
"An inner strength martial art that can sense the vitality of the human body is indeed formidable. I fear that this Yang Xing is also an external strength expert."
Li Qing's tone was somewhat serious as he looked at the trees on the street that were sprouting new leaves, slightly pursing his lips.
"Spring has long arrived; it’s time to set off for Xiao Cuiling."
To hunt the fierce tiger in Xiao Cuiling, he had prepared for a long time, not only refining a set of armor with barbs but also crafting thirteen bone-piercing nails the size of fingers!
In addition, he had also prepared a wide-bladed hunting knife, extremely sharp!
"Just in time to leave the city and avoid the Wuli Army's attention, lest I be recognized."
Li Qing touched his cheek; in fact, his appearance had changed significantly, and his demeanor had matured compared to when he was in the border military camp.
Seeking support for continued reading! Come back tomorrow for more updates! Over a hundred thousand words and still no recommendations, it’s too tragic!
(End of Chapter)