Chapter 65
Li Qingshan had dashed madly across the mountain forests after killing those three Yao clan killers, nothing hindering him any longer. He crossed rivers when he met them and he climbed mountains when he came across them, operating the [Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist] with increasing ingeniousness. He’d reached the foot of the precipice on the eastern side of the Dragon Gate mountain in less than two hours, the tall mountain stuck erect like a sharp sword. His mind thought it over for an ephemeral moment, then his body and mind skimmed toward the cliff at increased speed.
The strong winds whistled against his ears a thousand feet over the ground, but he turned a deaf ear to them. His eyes were like needle points as they roamed tensely over the cliff, searching for a protruding rock he could grasp. Even an extremely small protrusion was enough for him to exert his strength, and when he found none, he just clawed fiercely into the cliff.
If we consider the precipice as a flat land, then Li Qingshan would be a great tiger with his waist bent like a bow and his four limbs touching the ground. He would then seem to be treading free and unobstructed on land. Only he was aware that he was walking on thin ice and putting his body in much danger. Even a tiny mistake would make him drop from a thousand feet above, then his bones would be shattered to pieces even if he had muscles of steel and bones of iron. The danger wasn’t the least inferior compared to charging into the Black Wind Camp.
But there was no fear in his heart; it was hot-blooded and impassioned instead. The extreme level of danger squeezed out the whole of his potential out of his body. His spirit, determination, and vigor, all attained a peak never reached before.
He finally understood where those mountain climbers who braved tall peaks at the risk of their lives derived their pleasure from, why some people liked extreme sports. To challenge untold dangers and difficulties, to achieve undertakings others couldn’t achieve, it was precisely the instinct and nature of hot-blooded men.
He ignored the signals of exhaustion that came continuously from his organism, and also disregarded the groans of his bones about to be unable to endure. His body operating at overload brought a kind of pleasure instead. It was as if his soul had been set free, and he was soaring in the air.
A valley surrounded by cliffs suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. He leaped up and saw halls one after another. He suddenly realized then this wasn’t a valley but the summit. The world once again shifted back in place in his brain. He half-knelt above the overhanging cliff, then stood up and looked back. The ranges of mountains were like beasts.
The tiny Suncheer City sat inside the ring of this group of beasts, almost as if in danger of being torn to shred by them at any moment. This wasn’t a world that could leave people to live in peace; it was flooded with unimaginable dangers.
He’d grumbled countless times, living for more than a dozen years inside Crouching Bull Village. He’d missed those rooms that were comfortable to live in from his former world, all the various foods one could eat, the easy life where you could just spend a whole day in front of a computer. Even after the appearance of the green bull that had given him a power that could be called formidable, he was still hesitating as to which life was truly better out of those two in comparison.
He only obtained the answer tonight, all of a sudden. He severed the last thread of hesitation and opened his arms wide, as if he wanted to embrace this world. “This is truly the life I want, this place is an adventurer’s paradise!”
His clothes made flapping sounds under the blowing of the austere cold wind. He broke off with the past of his previous world above this precipice, with those dreams he had been tangled into for fifteen years.
I am Li Qingshan, Li writte L and I, Qingshan meaning Green Hill1.
Little An also climbed up from the porcelain jar and looked meekly at Li Qingshan. He didn’t know Li Qingshan’s inner thoughts, but he seemed to have sensed the determination inside his chest, and silently said within his heart: “No matter where you go, I will walk together with you to the end!”
Li Qingshan turned back resolutely and walked towards those buildings and halls. Those were precisely the Dragon Gate Sect’s location.
The time was already late, but the Dragon Gate Sect’s Soaring Dragon Hall was still brightly lit.
The Dragon Gate Sect’s suzerain Yang Anzhi sat on the main seat. Beside him was a pale-white faced Yang Jun with an expression full of bitter rancor. The sect’s elders and core disciples were separated in two sides, their faces all heavy. Not one of them spoke.
Even the flush red fires from the stoves couldn’t warm their hearts.
Li Qingshan had destroyed the Black Wind Camp. The news were like a huge boulder that pressed down on everyone’s chests. The Dragon Gate Sect was also out of the ordinary. Li Qingshan had returned to Suncheer City at nightfall, and the news had already reached the Dragon Gate Sect the same night; one could say it had been fast.
Yang Jun snarled with a twisted expression: “This is impossible, it’s certainly rumors. There’s only been one day, and the Black Wind Camp isn’t made of paper, how could it be destroyed?!”
“Jun’er, no need to say any further. It’s Suncheer City who gathered a large army, and there was also Liu Hong and Sick Yellow Tiger who joined hands. There’s nothing surprising about the Black Wind Camp being destroyed, I just didn’t expect it to be so fast!” Yang Anzhi was worthy of being a sect leader. He could still maintain some calm after hearing about those big changes.
An elder said: “I didn’t think Liu Hong and Sick Yellow Tiger would join hands to help this kid. Brother sect leader, what should we do now? Many nobles have recalled back their children.”
“What helping that kid, it’s just for the Black Wind Camp’s wealth and treasures. They won’t leave the Dragon Gate Sect alone, this is simply an unprecedentedly huge calamity for my Dragon Gate Sect!”
The Dragon Fist Sect had been established many years ago. Although it couldn’t amount to any great sect within the martial world, it could still be considered to have deep foundations inside Suncheer City. The collusion of martial arts with influence was an absolute ruling power. This moment resembled a comfortable local tyrant who’d suddenly heard that the whole world had turned upside down. It was almost the feeling of the end of days creeping near.
“Brother suzerain, I’ve said long ago we should restrain the sect disciples and not let them commit outrages. This kind of running amok will provoke a strong enemy sooner or later, and cause a great calamity for our Dragon Gate Sect.” The punishment hall elder spoke to Yang Anzhi, but his eyes were watching Yang Jun’s face. There was also much blame on other people’s faces.
“Old thing, what nonsense are you sprouting. When that stupid son of yours raped someone else’s wife, and those people came knocking at our door, who stuck out their head for you then!” Yang Jun flew into a rage. He wouldn’t have possibly talked to an elder like this either in ordinary times, but he’d suddenly lost his martial abilities, and even the Dragon Gate Sect that protected him was possibly facing an imminent crisis, so his state of mind wasn’t normal and he didn’t have any scruple left.
“You!” The punishment hall elder’s face turned red.
“Everyone shut the hell up!” Yang Anzhi’s voice echoed in the great palace with a buzzing hum. One couldn’t underestimate his internal strength. “Is now the time for infighting? No matter what happened in the past, the top priority now is to answer the crisis in front of us. I’ve already sent disciples to guard the mountain paths and transmit news with torches. Absolutely no one could hide from us if they mounted a large scale attack on the mountain. If we really can’t resist, we can only take our savings with us and retreat through the Ancestor Hall’s secret path in advance. We’ll give up the Dragon Gate mountain but preserve our power.”
The Dragon Gate Sect was a sect with an inheritance going back several generations when all was said and done. Apart from those pampered sons from the noble families, it still had quite a few loyal disciples in exercise. But those disciples couldn’t expect that their sect leader was already planning on giving them up.
Give up the Dragon Gate mountain! Everyone inside the hall was stunned. They’d thought of this worst possibility, but they still couldn’t accept it when they suddenly heard.
“I’m only talking about the worst possible eventuality, and it’s also merely a temporary plan. I’ve already sent letters to every righteous sect and evil sect of the martial world. The news about the spirit ginseng are already known by all. Suncheer City will be crammed full of people from the martial world in not long of a time. Not only is that kid on the road to his death, it’s possible even Liu Hong and Sick Yellow Tiger will die a violent death. As long as we preserve our strength, it won’t take long for us to come back even stronger.”
“What a good plan by suzerain Yang!” Li Qingshan pushed open the thick door screens and stepped inside the hall, carrying wind and snowflakes with him. His gaze pierced Yang Anzhi like a sword: “I was originally afraid you’d run, but now I’m relieved. Whether I’m on the road to death remains to be seen, but you’re dead for certain.” It seemed as if the people filling the hall were all lambs to the slaughter.
1. The original text says I am Li Qingshan, Li (李) character written from wood (木) and seed (子), Qingshan (green hill) from “when life is up and down a green hill” (please refer back to the notes in chapter 1 for more info about the poem from which Li Qingshan chose his name).