Chapter 40: 40
The black ox said, “Do you want to continue? Don’t blame me for not warning you . You really might become a demon or daemon . ”
“As long as I have a clear conscience and do whatever I want, I will have no objections or regrets even if I become a daemon or demon,” Li Qingshan said with his head held high . The black ox’s words had instead consolidated his willpower, plucking him out of confusion .
The black ox could not help but reevaluate him once again . Even cultivators with great willpower and determination would feel fear and repulsion when they heard that they had descended into demonic practises and would turn into daemons .
Originally, it was prepared to exhort him patiently, but Li Qingshan was largely unaffected, still persevering with his choice without any sign of wavering . It was truly rare . However, this was good too . If he were the type of person to be troubled by something like this, he was not worth worrying over .
In his former life, Li Qingshan lived in an age of information explosion . As a nerd, he mentally fed off various movies and novels day and night . He understood numerous ideologies and had witnessed the most terrifying and grandest of sights .
Barraged by all of this information, his ability to accept and understand was probably unmatched in this day and age . He would not be trapped by any traditional ideologies . This advantage and edge he possessed was slowly showing itself, playing a role that could not be replaced by any ability or treasure .
No matter how great Li Qingshan’s talent for cultivation was, it would be difficult to pique the black ox’s interest . However, his unique character was completely different . The black ox placed great importance on it . “Come with me!”
An ox and a man advanced through the bends of the pathless mountains .
The black ox did not say where they were going, and Li Qingshan did not ask either . After learning about the Black Wind stronghold’s strength from the third boss, he immediately knew that he was not the Black Wind stronghold’s opponent right now . He had to become even stronger .
After walking for who knows how long, something suddenly sounded out from the forest . As they travelled further, the rumbling sound grew closer and closer, eventually becoming thunderous in the end .
It was an enchanting sight . The space in front of them suddenly opened up . Off a cliff several dozen meters tall flowed a waterfall . It landed in the pool like a jade dragon, kicking up snowflake-like spray . A large whirlpool revolved at the center of the pool constantly; there were many smaller whirlpools around it .
Li Qingshan stood before the waterfall . Even with his mental fortitude, he felt like the wonders of nature had taken his breath away . “Brother ox, what’s this?”
“A waterfall . ”
“Of course, I know it’s a waterfall . Why have you brought me here?”
“To cultivate, obviously!”
Li Qingshan gasped . “In there?”
The black ox said, “This is the fastest shortcut to attaining the strength of an ox . Whether you want to take it will be completely up to you . ”
As soon as it had finished talking, Li Qingshan leapt into the deep pool below the waterfall resolutely . As he fell through the air, he thought about the information that the third boss had told him . The Black Wind stronghold had around three hundred people overall and a total of seven bosses . Of course, this number was six now . Five of them were third-rate masters, while the first boss, who was known as the Black Bear among the people of jianghu, was a true second-rate master . His name was Xiong Xiangwu, and he could easily take on all the other bosses together .
Li Qingshan’s current martial arts was only at the peak of the third-rate . If he did not use any ambushes or sneak attacks, he could probably take on two bosses at the same time at most . His defeat would be certain if there were three . In such a scenario, he could only flee, so facing the master of the Black Wind stronghold was obviously impossible . He was a colossal figure that Li Qingshan could not defeat right now .
The only good news was that once winter arrived, snow would seal the mountain . If the Black Wind stronghold wanted to engage in any large scale operations, they would have to wait till spring at the very least, which gave him time . He needed to become even stronger in order to stop the Black Wind stronghold and save the Crouching Ox village . He wanted to complete his promise .
Many thoughts flashed through his head . As the water grew closer and closer, Li Qingshan’s valiance was demonstrated . All of his nervousness and fear was immediately pushed aside, and his mind cleared out . He quickly adjusted his falling posture, took in a deep breath, and smashed into the water .
The black ox muttered, “I wanted to tell you to progress gradually and start by meditating under the waterfall . ” It immediately experienced a sense of resentment . Xiao An glared at him . The black ox felt slightly unnatural . “Little ghost, don’t look at me like that!”
The violent flow of water battered Li Qingshan . He felt like a tiny boat within a storm, with no control over himself . He could collide into rocks at any time and sink .
Li Qingshan’s reasonable ability to swim was completely useless right now . He used the Ox Demon Forges its Hide to alleviate the pain from the rapids . However, before he could catch his breath, a black mass pressed over .
The raging water pushed him towards a boulder . The huge branch from earlier served as a warning for his potential fate . Even with the Ox Demon Forges its Hide as a means of protection, he could die from all of his bones shattering . Using the body of a human to contend against the forces of nature was simply too difficult . “The Ox Demon Stamps its Hooves!” True qi sank into his dantian, and Li Qingshan’s body seemed to grow heavier, suddenly sinking down . Stamping the tough bottom of the pool, he left behind two deep footprints in the rock .
However, at the bottom, the direction of the flow changed once more, pulling him towards the largest whirlpool . He used everything he had to anchor himself firmly to his location, resisting the flow .
He used up his air very quickly . A feeling of suffocation grasped him firmly . In such rapids, it was impossible for him to swim out . As long as his feet left the bottom, the flow would take him away .
His mind blurred very quickly . Even the deafening rumbling seemed to grow distant . Suddenly, he felt a cold sensation on his chest, and his true qi reacted automatically .
Li Qingshan’s mind cleared up . He saw Xiao An pressing his hands against his chest anxiously, using his yin qi to stimulate the true qi .
In the face of death, the true qi suddenly revolved much faster, rushing to his mouth and nose . The feeling of asphyxiation vanished as the innate true qi replaced his air . Li Qingshan had never expected true qi to have such a wondrous use . He nodded at Xiao An in gratitude before gritting his teeth and unrooting himself, letting the rapid flow take him towards the large whirlpool .
Xiao An circled around the whirlpools for a while before suddenly making up his mind and making his way back up the edge of the pool . He knelt down on the ground and lowered his head at the black ox .
The black ox asked, “You want to help him?”
The hamlet seemed to recover its peace, but the atmosphere of fear and unease lingered . The Black Wind stronghold weighed on their heads like a terrifying mountain . Many of them wanted to flee from the village .
However, the promise Li Qingshan made before he left gave them all hope . At such an important time, the talent of the village, Li Long, was unable to protect him . The important figure from the city, Liu Hong, had only arrived afterwards as well . Only Li Qingshan stood in front of all of them and protected them alone .
Afterwards, the government soldiers of the legends appeared . They took away the heads of the third boss and the several dozen bandits before returning . Qingyang city was shocked . There was actually someone bold enough to anger the Black Wind stronghold . People on both sides of the jianghu, the righteous and the unrighteous, all learnt a name—Li Qingshan .
In the government office, the fat district magistrate ordered the advisor, “Quick, report these meritorious deeds to the prefect . A group of bandits and ruffians have been destroyed the moment I set foot in Qingyang city . Will there still be anyone bold enough to call me useless? Hang the heads of the bandits on the city walls . Let the citizens of the city understand my power . And, go find that Li Qingshan . I want to thank him in person for saving my life . Also, give him a great piece of wealth!”
The advisor said, “Sir, we definitely should report back to the prefect, but there’s no need to hang up the heads . The Black Wind stronghold should not be trifled with . As for that Li Qingshan, he’s probably done for . ”
Indeed, in the eyes of many, Li Qingshan was already a dead man .
Although they praised and admired Li Qingshan’s viciousness and martial arts, no one believed he was the Black Wind stronghold’s opponent . In Qingyang city, Black Bear Xiong Xiangwu was a figure used to scare children so that they would stop crying . He had been infamous for longer than Li Qingshan had been alive . They were on two completely different levels .