Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

The people on the street parted to clear a path, letting the three of them leave.

"Brother Xu, what are we going to do at the Cyan Snake Gang?" Qiu Wenjie asked curiously.

’Yan Qingqiu and Zhang Xu are already dead. Are we really going to slaughter everyone in the Cyan Snake Gang?’

"To wipe them out, root and stem. And to seize their assets!"

Xu Yang said, "Haven’t you considered what would happen if you succeed in your Dragon Ascension? If you don’t kill the ones who are left, what’s to stop them from getting revenge on Uncle Qiu and my own uncle?

If it simply didn’t occur to you, that’s one thing. But if it’s because you can’t bring yourself to do it, then I’d advise you to give up on Dragon Ascension altogether.

The Purple Sun Sect is ten, even a hundred times more brutal than this. Mercy will only get you killed there."

Hearing this, Qiu Wenjie’s mind was in turmoil.

He took a deep breath. "I understand."

The trio headed straight for the Cyan Snake Gang’s den. On Xu Yang’s orders, Xu Qing and Qiu Wenjie killed everyone they saw.

Xu Yang strolled through the Cyan Snake Gang’s den, his senses fully extended. He killed every Martial Artist he detected with a single, precise strike from afar.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the Cyan Snake Gang’s den was littered with corpses, and the metallic tang of blood filled the air.

The young woman immediately threw up. Qiu Wenjie’s face was ashen as he fought to suppress his own nausea.

Killing so many people for the first time was, admittedly, an intense experience.

Xu Yang nodded to himself. Neither of them had handled it well, but their auras had changed. There was now a faint, savage edge to them.

"I’ll go find some friends to help deal with the bodies!" Qiu Wenjie said.

Xu Yang shook his head. "Don’t bother. You two can dig a pit in the courtyard and bury them. Disposing of bodies is something every Martial Artist must learn to do."

The young woman grimaced. "You never said practicing martial arts involved dealing with disgusting things like this."

For the first time, she regretted taking up martial arts—and not because she was afraid of danger or hardship.

Xu Yang shook his head. "You call this disgusting? Your Cultivation is still weak, so the bodies are relatively intact. It’s just the smell of blood. Wait until you reach the level of Qi Cultivation Gang. Your Force will be so much stronger, and that’s when killing gets truly disgusting. We’re talking about disembowelment, bodies torn to shreds, and organs spilling all over the ground."

The young woman screamed, "Stop talking!"

She felt another wave of nausea wash over her.

Xu Yang shook his head inwardly. ’The young woman isn’t cut out to be a true Martial Artist. She probably only started practicing so she could stay with me. I’ll just have to keep protecting her. It’s not like I ever expected her to become famous through her martial arts anyway.’

The two of them used their True Qi to blast a large pit in the courtyard. After moving and burying all the bodies, Xu Yang led them as they began to ransack the gang’s headquarters.

In total, they found nearly seven hundred taels of silver, a vial of Qi Gathering Pills, and two Martial Arts Secret Manuals.

At the sight of such a great haul, all their earlier discomfort vanished. Their eyes lit up as they stared at the two Secret Manuals.

Xu Yang glanced through them and, seeing they were both True Qi Martial Arts, immediately lost interest. He tossed one to Xu Qing and the other to Qiu Wenjie.

"Thank you, Brother Xu!" Qiu Wenjie was so excited he trembled from head to toe.

Now that they had a Secret Manual, the Qiu Family would have its own Secret Martial Arts. In a few decades, they might even develop into a Noble Family.

How had the Noble Families of Qingyuan County managed to flourish for so long? It was because they had their own Secret Manuals, wasn’t it?

"It’s nothing," Xu Yang said, shaking his head. "Once you achieve your Dragon Ascension, you’ll realize things like this are trivial."

Back when the Huang Family had favored Lu Ren and refused him any resources, it was Qiu Wenjie who had told Qiu Yongqiang of his plight. Only then did the Qiu Family begin to sponsor him. Xu Yang had not forgotten this kindness.

A Secret Manual that was useless to him was a priceless heirloom for the Qiu Family, one that would bless future generations. Since the Qiu Family aspired to become a Noble Family, he was happy to help them along.

Qiu Wenjie thanked him profusely once more.

What was nothing to Xu Yang was a priceless treasure to the Qiu Family.

From the seven hundred taels of silver, Xu Yang took out one hundred. "This is for my uncle to help with his recovery. You two can split the rest. Once you’ve mastered these martial arts, you can trade and learn from each other."

"This Secret Manual is more than enough for me. Give the silver and the Elixirs to Junior Sister Xu. If my dad found out I took a share of the money from her, he’d probably whip me."

When it came to dividing the money and Elixirs, Qiu Wenjie adamantly refused his share, pushing it all toward Xu Qing.

Seeing this, Xu Yang didn’t press the issue. The Qiu Family wasn’t fabulously wealthy, but they weren’t short on money either. There was no need to waste breath over a few silver coins. He soon departed with the other two.

Qiu Wenjie returned home, while the two siblings went to Zhou Shunchang’s house.

"How did the negotiations go?" Zhou Shunchang asked, having been waiting anxiously.

Xu Yang smiled. "Uncle, the Cyan Snake Gang are very reasonable people. After a little chat, they agreed to pay you one hundred taels of silver for your recovery and guaranteed they won’t trouble you again."

As he spoke, he handed the one hundred taels of silver to Zhou Shunchang.

"They were that reasonable?" Zhou Shunchang’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Xu Yang said, "Well, your nephew is a Dragon Ascending Genius. They had to show me some respect."

Zhou Shunchang sighed. "Ah Yang, you’ve really made something of yourself. To think that even the Cyan Snake Gang has to show you respect."

Xu Yang managed to gloss over the details. After dinner, he pulled Zhou Shunchang into a private room and took out several Secret Manuals.

"Ah Yang, what are these...?" Zhou Shunchang asked, confused.

Xu Yang said, "These are Martial Arts Secret Manuals. I’m giving them to you, Uncle, to be your family heirlooms. Keep them safe and don’t show them to any outsiders. When my cousins’ children are old enough, you can have them practice these. In a few decades, the Zhou Family might just become a Noble Family."

These were the True Qi Martial Arts manuals he had seized from Qingfeng Stronghold. They were useless to him, but for Zhou Shunchang, they were the key to his family’s future prosperity.

The Zhou Family had a bit of money now; what they lacked was a foundation.

His uncle had poured his heart out for him, a debt of gratitude as heavy as a mountain. Xu Yang was no ingrate.

"A Noble Family..."

The two words "Noble Family" exploded in Zhou Shunchang’s mind, shaking him to his very core. He couldn’t believe Xu Yang had given him such an incredible gift.

’This nephew... I didn’t dote on him for nothing!’

"Ah Yang, this is too valuable. I can’t take advantage of you like this. You’ll have a wife and children of your own one day. It would be better to save these for your own descendants."

Once the shock wore off, Zhou Shunchang tried to refuse, not wanting to take advantage of his nephew.

Xu Yang had already helped him so much; he was perfectly content with the life he had now.

Xu Yang laughed. "Just take them, Uncle. The fact that I’m giving these to you proves I have others. You didn’t really think I’d give you my very best things, did you? Your nephew isn’t that foolish."

Zhou Shunchang was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Well, if you have even better things, then I won’t be polite! From now on, whatever the Zhou Family has, you’ll always have a share.

And when you have descendants of your own, I can just have a copy made for them."

Xu Yang wasn’t concerned. If he ever had descendants, they would only practice far superior techniques.

"Now that the family has some money, Uncle, you need to consider hiring Martial Artists. Or, if there are suitable candidates within the Zhou Family itself, spend the money to send them to Weiyuan Hall for training..."

Xu Yang began to advise Zhou Shunchang on how to develop the family. Now that they had money, martial strength was essential.

His recent slaughter would serve as a deterrent for a few years, but what would happen after that?

He couldn’t guarantee he would be able to return for another massacre in a few years. Besides, only with its own martial power could the family truly continue to grow.

He had considered sending Blood Coagulation Pills back for Zhou Shunchang or the Qiu Family to sell, but neither family had the influence or power. They were in no position to run an elixir business.

Giving them Blood Coagulation Pills to sell would have been a death sentence.

He and Zhou Shunchang spoke at length in the room until nightfall, when Qiu Wenjie arrived with Qiu Yongqiang in tow.

It turned out that upon learning of Xu Yang’s return and his gift of a priceless, heirloom-quality Secret Manual, Qiu Yongqiang had rushed over with lavish gifts to thank him in person.

Meanwhile, word that Xu Yang, along with Xu Qing and Qiu Wenjie, had wiped out the Cyan Snake Gang began to spread like wildfire through the city. Many people now knew that Xu Yang had returned.

Those who had been envious of Qiu Yongqiang’s medicinal herb business immediately abandoned any schemes they might have had upon hearing that even an expert of Yan Qingqiu’s caliber—a master of Qi Cultivation Gang—had been slain.

They knew Xu Yang was making a statement, establishing dominance on behalf of the Qiu Family and his uncle, Zhou Shunchang. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to kill so many people at the Cyan Snake Gang.

"He should have been the pillar of our Huang Family!" Huang Jin slapped his thigh in frustration upon hearing that Xu Yang had annihilated the Cyan Snake Gang.

"I have failed my family!"

Huang Ping was sick with regret. If only he hadn’t been so stingy, hadn’t insisted on a marriage alliance as a condition for sponsoring Xu Yang. If he had just helped him, it would be the Huang Family basking in glory right now.

But alas, not only had Xu Yang failed to become the pride of the Huang Family, he had turned them into a laughingstock. The businesses of the Qiu Family and Zhou Shunchang were already on the verge of overtaking their own.

Once their medicinal herb businesses were fully established, it was only a matter of time before those two families surpassed the Huang Family.