67 Rising in Waves
Jiang Ming sat in the bar and listened for a moment. He also vaguely heard that the Liang family seemed to be an old family in the capital, known as one of the six big families in the country of Yan.
“It’s rumored that there are Grandmasters in charge, and their legacy has been passed down for hundreds of years.”
Jiang Ming secretly nodded.
“No wonder Young Master Liang was so powerful that day. He actually beat Shi Quannian into submission. The Liang family’s foundation might be even more terrifying than the royal family.”
The royal family of the country of Yan had only been in power for a mere two hundred years.
“After I break through to first class, I might have to leave Great Cloud City and explore. Perhaps the capital is a good place,” Jiang Ming thought.
He had already seized the Old Snake Gang’s first-class technique. With the aid of various secret medicines, it would not be a problem for him to cultivate step by step to become a first-class martial artist.
However, Jiang Ming still had no idea how to break through to become a Dao Master. There was no one in Great Cloud City who could guide him.
If he wanted to improve, he could only leave this place and look for opportunities outside.
Moreover, as the center of power in Great Yan, there might be more information about the cultivation world in the capital.
This was what Jiang Ming needed.
“Hey, big news! Big news!” Suddenly, someone walked into the bar, his eyes filled with excitement. “It’s said that someone saw the King of Medicine and was about to pick it.”
The man was panting heavily as he gulped down the tea.
“Go on!” the others immediately said anxiously.
The man put down the teacup and chuckled. “The King of Medicine’s roots were pulled out of the ground. It was as if it had grown a pair of legs. It ran away in a flash.”
“What? How is that possible?”
“Who saw it? Are you sure you’re not on drugs?”
“It’s true. The people who entered the mountain have gone crazy. They all asked for help from the forces behind them.”
“AI, this mess is getting bigger. Those poor herb gatherers who were caught in the middle… I heard that several of them have already died.”
“The world is so cruel.”
The bar was in a mess, and Jiang Ming was slightly surprised. If this was true, then the King of Medicine was very mysterious.
He then thought of the fire mayfly and could not help but become more curious about the secret in the depths of the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest.
However, curiosity killed the cat.
“I’m afraid many people will die this time.”
Jiang Ming’s eyes were calm. He suspected that once the news spread, it would attract more than just first-class martial artists.
He was a second-class weakling, so he should just stay put.
After drinking, Jiang Ming left quietly. He went around the town to buy some groceries before he went back to his small broken-down courtyard.
When he passed by his house from a distance, Jiang Ming glanced at it without leaving a trace. In the courtyard, a girl was practicing her fist technique. The courtyard was clean and tidy, and there was a lot of smoked meat and dried vegetables hanging under the eaves. It was probably a gift from his friends in Tiger Hunting Village.
“There shouldn’t be any trouble. She’s living a better life than me.”
Jiang Ming smiled and left quietly.
* * *
Time passed quickly, fall left and winter came. The snow continued to fall, and the world was a vast expanse of white.
Under the roof, Jiang Ming was wrapped in a thick leather coat and huddled close to the stove. He sipped his hot tea slowly.
Yu Asheng was only a small carpenter, so he naturally could not be like martial artists, who could go naked in the cold weather.
Although he did not move, he secretly circulated the inner breathing technique of the Leather Tiger Bone Technique to quietly temper his body.
The path of martial arts was difficult and dangerous. Even if Jiang Ming was an immortal, he still needed to practice diligently in order to go further.
Half a year had passed, and he had been cultivating for a few hours every day. Now, there were some results. His tendons and vessels were much tougher than usual, and even his skin and flesh had strengthened a lot.
Although he was still some distance away from the peak of the second class, any martial artist below the second class would not be able to hurt him even if they had a blade.
“A few months have passed. The commotion with the King of Medicine has finally died down.”
Jiang Ming’s eyes flickered. Ever since the fire cloud grass had appeared more and more frequently a few months ago, the forces that had entered the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest had also come in waves.
After the news of the King of Medicine’s escape spread, the entire martial arts world was stirred up, and countless experts came.
There was even news that a Dao Master had really broken out in the mountains and destroyed a large area of the forest as if a meteorite had hit it.
“However, since the beginning of fall, the amount of fire cloud grass has rapidly decreased. It seems that no one has been able to find it for half a month now. However, there’s still no news of the King of Medicine being captured. Did the King of Medicine really escape? Or were they secretly captured by some big force? No matter what. It seems that it’s time for Chief Jiang to return from the city,” Jiang Ming suddenly muttered to himself.
Ever since the number of fire cloud grass had been reduced, those forces had retreated like the tide. Even the herb gatherers in the town had been released, but some people had disappeared forever in the mountains.
The carpenter, Yu Asheng, existed to avoid the King of Medicine’s trouble. Now that the trouble was gone, there was no need to continue maintaining this identity.
In addition, if everything was calm, it did not matter if Jiang Ming’s real self continued to live happily in the city.
But now that the Green Mountain Army was at a disadvantage in the war, and the city was gradually becoming less peaceful, it would not be good to stay any longer.
That night, Yu Asheng picked up his luggage and tools and quietly left Peace Town.
As for whether he would be noticed by someone, Jiang Ming was not worried at all.
In the past six months, the town had been in a mess. There were too many people coming and going. Even the site where Uncle Ba had been burned to death had been set up with tents. The departure of a little carpenter was nothing.
Ever since the weather turned cold, Yu Asheng’s workload had been reduced. He stayed at home all day and appeared less and less in town.
When he disappeared one day, probably only the old neighbors around him would ask, and no one else would care.
Zhang Zhushi might be even happier. This courtyard had been tidied up well and could be sold to others at a high price again.
* * *
A few days after Yu Asheng disappeared, it was almost the end of the year. Jiang Ming carried bags of New Year’s goods and took a trip to the Tiger Hunting Village’s carriage to return to Peace Town.
“You came back at such a good time. Something happened at the front line of the Green Mountain Army!” Guan Feng said in a deep voice.
Jiang Ming glanced at him. This guy had been acting strange for more than a year, hanging out with Wei Yan and the other mysterious guys. It seemed that the Green Mountain Army was in big trouble.
“Is Lord Cangshan dead?” Jiang Ming guessed.
“It’s not that bad.” Guan Feng was speechless. “The Green Mountain Army bragged at the beginning of the year that they would enter the capital before the winter snow. But until now, they haven’t even managed to enter Jiangnan City! Just yesterday, the Green Mountain Army’s granary suddenly caught on fire. The food that was enough to feed a hundred thousand soldiers for a month was burned to the ground.”