Chapter 62
“Many thanks to all of you for rushing to my rescue!” Li Qingshan gave his thanks to Ye Dachuan, Sick Yellow Tiger, and Liu Hong, one by one. Help was help no matter what kind of thoughts and goals they had. Their payback was the granary, warehouse, and weapon depot left by the Black Wind Camp.
As to that treasure chamber, it was originally extremely well hidden. After the burning of the great fire, even the secret door would also have burned down. If one wanted to go back inside, one could only move the debris away, find the exact location, and forcefully dig one’s way in.
Everyone sighed in relief and was all smiles among the great bandit-punishing army. They were originally deeply worried at heart, and thought they’d have to struggle desperately against the Black Wind brigands. Now they didn’t need to bloody their blades, and just had to transport the spoils of war without injuring a single hair. It was really great. They could still go brag to other people when they went back.
Ye Dachuan, Sick Yellow Tiger, Liu Hong, and Li Qingshan stood together as they watched the men transport the goods. They vaguely deferred to Li Qingshan as the leader.
Apart from the small wine gourd at Li Qingshan’s waist and the Soaring Dragon Sword on his back, there was an additional porcelain jar at his hips, and an additional painting scroll on his back.
What was packed inside the porcelain jar was naturally Little An. He’d sucked in so much blood essence from the bandits in one go and also needed some time to absorb and digest it. As to the painting scroll, it was the spiritual weapon he’d obtained. Because it was calligraphy and could also issue sword qi, he gave it the name of .
.
Those two things attracted the three persons’ attention, but he didn’t explain and no one breached discretion to ask. No matter what those were, they were already his spoils of war and he wouldn’t tolerate others trying to get their share of it.
Li Qingshan said: “The chief hunter’s wounds aren’t too important I hope!”
Sick Yellow Tiger said: “Don’t worry, my knives are precise, they won’t leave any disability.”
Li Qingshan froze an instant, then laughed loudly: “Indeed an old hand of the rivers and lakes.” Man’s heart was complex, it was moved by emotions and changed for profits. There was falsehood in truth and truth in falsehood. Rights and wrongs, grudges and gratitude, those were hard to distinguish clearly, and also didn’t need to be distinguished clearly. Graces and grudges vanished entirely with a smile at a chance meeting.
Sick Yellow Tiger also laughed loudly, but he suddenly took his laughter back: “The difficulties still lay ahead.”
Little Black came up and offered a ceremonial greeting to this man whose age wasn’t greatly different from his. “I have let you down.” This scene today had thoroughly shocked him. How terribly would it be if this kind of man were to become the Horse Rein Village’s enemy.
Li Qingshan patted his shoulder and walked out of the Black Wind Camp: “The sky will soon brighten!”
Apart from the layers and layers of red clouds, there was a gleam of light emerging from the east. The great fire gradually went out.
Li Qingshan suddenly stopped his footsteps. “That’s right, chief hunter, did this Tiger Descending the Mountains nickname spread out from you?”
“Could be?” Sick Yellow Tiger didn’t think he was going to talk about this.
“Can I change it?”
Sick Yellow Tiger froze, then smile wryly. Those nicknames were all passed down from the mouths of men of the martial world. He just chanced on the right opportunity at the right time, how did he have any qualification to change it.
Li Qingshan didn’t know yet that he would very quickly gain a new nickname.
Black Tiger, Black Tiger Li Qingshan.
Ye Dachuan felt deep deep regrets for being ultimately unable to find the Black Wind Camp’s treasury, but he didn’t even bat an eyelid outwardly. Once in a while his gaze would meet the adviser’s, and it was all rapt excitement. “A great merit a great merit!”
Although it was all Li Qingshan’s doings, Li Qingshan was still a constable he’d found, so this county magistracy of his wouldn’t be short of contribution. He could already imagine the expression of that cheap brother-in-law who looked down on himself when he obtained those news.
“Hahahaha, the Black Wind Camp that countless magistrates were unable to pacify, this father leveled it as soon as he took office.” Ye Dachuan laughed madly as he fiercely tapped Li Qingshan’s shoulder, “Of course this is all constable Li’s merit. I’ll certainly make it known to the lord prefect, who happens to be also my brother-in-law. I’ll commend your meritorious service, then get you promotions and riches, hahahaha.”
Constable Li? Only then did Li Qingshan remember that he still had this title. He said with a smile, “Then I’ll give many thanks for lord Ye’s high praises.”
“With pleasure, with pleasure!”
The great army set out and went back to the city. Li Qingshan had nothing to do and simply followed the troops as they slowly journeyed forward. Along the way, everyone found out that he wasn’t as terrible as they’d imagined, and they gradually gathered around him, a bunch of them starting to call him young hero constable.
Li Qingshan had never experienced this sort of hero treatment and it also made him feel extremely good. Compared to the mediocrity of his previous life or the frustration of Crouching Bull Village, this was how a real man should live. He certainly didn’t feign aloofness. What would he pretend to be indifferent to fame or fortune for. Not only he loved fame, he also loved wine and meat, loved beautiful women. Wine, lust, avarice and temper, he had all of the various sins and desires of the common masses.
Sick Yellow Tiger said his goodbyes in order to return to Horse Rein Village and get the tiger bone wine Li Qingshan wanted. Li Qingshan said: “Don’t hesitate to send ginseng over if you have some, I’m willing to buy at high prices.”
He could genuinely start to cultivate the after settling matters here. Although the green bull didn’t breathe a word of it, Li Qingshan still felt that there was some mystery he failed to grasp inside this seemingly ordinary supernatural skill.
Moreover, even if it were only an ordinary supernatural skill, it was still something that no martial arts could compare to, and it was extremely important to him. He loved fame, but his eyes weren’t blinded by fame yet, and he wouldn’t drunkenly forget where he was. The present bustle was only the calm before the storm. More and greater challenges still lay ahead of him, and he would collapse in defeat if he didn’t prepare himself in advance.
But not only he didn’t feel fear, he became vaguely excited instead. He almost yelled, let the storm come a little fiercer then. This was the life he’d chosen.
Although the road was easy to walk on during daytime, they still couldn’t go fast because they carried a great pile of heavy wagons. The contingent only reached the front of Suncheer City’s gates at nightfall. They heard gongs and drums clamoring to the sky inside the city while firecrackers sang all together.
Li Qingshan said: “What festival is it today?”
Liu Hong said: “No, it’s to welcome you in all likelihood. The lord magistrate sent out men in advance to notify them.”
Indeed, a warm enthusiastic atmosphere assailed them when they entered inside the city. In this winter season, the great streets were actually crammed full of people.
The unfortunate events in Suncheer City last night had shocked everyone in the city, to the point that each of them was a little absent-minded during the day, until the news had come back. The city was boiling.
Li Qingshan smiled faintly and greeted the crowd. At the same time, he acutely felt a few unkind gazes coming from a teahouse at the streetside. He thought: “They came really fast!”
“Hmph, a frog at the bottom of the well. He’s merely destroyed a mountain camp, that’s all. Apprentice brothers, when are we acting?” Said a woman clothed in blue in the teahouse. Her appearance was mediocre, but her haughtiness soared to the heavens.
“No hurry, let’s wait a little more!” The apprentice brother sitting facing her was a man over thirty years old with a long slim-shaped horse face. There wasn’t any surplus fat on his body, and his fingers were lanky. A bulging purse hung at his waist, and a radiant light flashed in his eyes. An old hand of the martial world would know at first glance that this was a concealed weapon master with exquisite internal strength.
“We caught up by chance. If we wait until the news spread out, I don’t know how many people would come to snatch. We might as well strike first and gain the upper hand.”
“He exterminated two hundred bandits with his own strength. If I ask myself honestly, then I couldn’t do it. The prestige of this tiger descending the mountains is blooming, he’s not easy to deal with.” The horse-faced man shook his head vigorously. It was a chance opportunity that they found themselves in this Suncheer City, and they were of a mind to pick up some benefits.
“You even believe this kind of outrageous rumors. I see he walks with heavy and cumbersome steps, while his temples are flat1. He’s nothing but an enduring external practitioner, he’s a peak second-grade master at most, he can definitely not resist a first-grade. Let’s join hands and greet him with concealed weapons, we’ll take his little life in one go.”
1. Swollen temples are supposedly signs of abundant internal strength in some wuxia novels.