Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

After taking inventory, Xu Yang was all smiles.

In total, there were fourteen packets of Qi-Replenishing Powder, worth a combined forty-two taels. The silver and silver banknotes added up to nearly one hundred taels.

There were too many copper coins in the chest for him to bother counting, but they should add up to more than ten taels.

Finally, there was the Cultivation Technique called the Flying Swallow Skill, its value immeasurable.

Once he finished organizing, Xu Yang placed the chest of copper coins under his bed, took some out for Xu Qing to use as needed, and then eagerly opened the Flying Swallow Skill manual.

"The Flying Swallow Skill is a Light Body Technique created from the long-term observation of swallows. It emphasizes lightness, agility, dexterity, and adaptability. Upon reaching Great Success, one can become as light as a swallow, leap several yards into the air, and move without a sound, as if riding the wind..."

This was a Lightweight Skill that involved extremely refined use of True Qi. Once mastered, it would be far faster than accelerating with brute force. If he had to climb walls and enter rooms again, he wouldn’t be discovered so easily like he was tonight.

’Thank goodness I didn’t try to kill Zhang Sishui in a direct confrontation,’ Xu Yang thought, feeling a wave of relief.

In a direct confrontation, had Zhang Sishui realized he was outmatched and decided to flee, Xu Yang would have been completely unable to stop him. Thanks to the Flying Swallow Skill, Zhang Sishui would have easily escaped, and Xu Yang could only have watched.

’To master the Flying Swallow Skill, I first need to open some hidden meridians...’

[Flying Swallow Skill: Not Yet at Entry Level (0/10)]

After one read-through, the Flying Swallow Skill appeared on his status panel.

Xu Yang read it over once more, memorized the circulation path, and began to channel his Vajra True Qi along it.

The moment he began, he felt his body become lighter.

’A Lightweight Skill is really something else. The effect is immediate.’

Suppressing his excitement, he began to focus completely, forcing open the hidden meridians one by one.

「The next day」

By dawn, the whole of Bai Shi Workshop was in an uproar.

The previous night, the Sishui Gang had been wiped out!

At first, the news was only that Zhang Tong and his men had been killed, spread by two women. Later, word got out that Zhang Sishui was also dead, that several Sishui Gang leaders had been killed at the Main Altar, and that dozens of people had died in total, their blood staining the Sishui Gang’s Main Altar red.

The news had fermented throughout the night, and by dawn, every village in the Sishui Gang’s territory knew of the gang’s demise.

Families with members who had joined the Sishui Gang rushed over first thing in the morning to identify the bodies.

"Third Uncle, Third Aunt, what are you doing?"

Early in the morning, Xu Qing opened her door, planning to fetch some water, only to see her third uncle, Xu Daxin, and his wife kowtowing at the door of Uncle Yang’s house across the way. A crowd of onlookers from Bai Shi Workshop had gathered around them.

Her uncle and aunt were crying as they kowtowed, and no one stepped forward to help them up.

Curious, she hurried over to ask what was happening.

Li Yao swayed over and took Xu Qing’s arm. "Xiaqing, you haven’t heard? Last night, Zhang Tong and his gang were killed. Your third uncle’s son, Xu Zheng, was one of them. They want to bring Xu Zheng’s body back to the workshop, but no one wants that scumbag back here."

Xu Zheng had joined the Sishui Gang, helping them oppress and exploit the villagers. The people of Bai Shi Workshop naturally despised him. Now that he was dead, they absolutely refused to allow his body to be brought back.

"Zhang Tong and Xu Zheng are both dead?" Xu Qing was stunned.

’Who would be so bold as to kill the Young Master of the Sishui Gang?’

Li Yao nodded. "That’s right. And not just them. Zhang Sishui is dead too. The entire Sishui Gang is finished."

Xu Qing’s eyes widened. ’So even Zhang Sishui is dead. No wonder the people of Bai Shi Workshop dare to refuse Xu Zheng’s body.’

"Serves him right for going bad. He trained for a few days and then joined a gang to bully people. Now look at him, he’s followed in the footsteps of He the Third. It’s just a pity for Third Uncle and Third Aunt," Xu Qing sighed.

Xu Zheng’s death didn’t stir any emotion in her, but she couldn’t bear to see her uncle and aunt going door to door, begging on their knees.

"They didn’t raise their son right. They deserve this!"

"Don’t feel sorry for them. Let the young people in the workshop see the consequences of joining a gang."

...

No one around felt any sympathy for Xu Daxin and his wife, not even many from the Xu Family.

When Xu Zheng joined the Sishui Gang, he didn’t look out for anyone. On the contrary, he brought gang members around to collect money door to door.

If anyone refused to pay, he showed them no mercy, not even his own clansmen.

Now that he was dead, everyone except his parents was celebrating.

"Brother, the Sishui Gang was wiped out, and Xu Zheng is dead too. Third Uncle and Third Aunt are crying so hard. I heard they brought his body back last night, but it’s still outside the workshop. The villagers won’t let it in."

When Xu Qing got home, she saw that Xu Yang was already up and quickly told him what was happening.

"Is that so? He joined a gang, so this was bound to happen sooner or later. Go give some condolence money to Third Uncle and Third Aunt later and offer your sympathies," Xu Yang said.

’I left Xu Zheng’s body intact, and his parents are still this devastated. If I hadn’t, they’d probably have cried themselves to death.’

Xu Qing shook her head. "That jerk was always ordering me around and bringing Zhang Tong over to scare me. I’m not going."

She hated Xu Zheng even more than she hated Zhang Tong.

"Be good. No matter what he did, we are still family. Death extinguishes all, and the past is gone. Don’t give people a reason to gossip about us."

Xu Yang counseled her patiently.

As her older brother, he not only had to provide for Xu Qing but also had to teach her about the ways of the world and guide her moral compass.

"Fine..."

Xu Qing finally, reluctantly agreed. But then her tone shifted. "But if the villagers won’t let the body in, they probably won’t let him be buried in the ancestral graveyard either. I doubt they can even hold a funeral. How can we give condolence money?"

"Just play it by ear. If no one else is giving money, then we won’t either."

After eating and taking a Qi-Replenishing Powder, Xu Yang set off for the Liu Family estate.

Outside Bai Shi Workshop, he saw Xu Zheng’s body, wrapped in a straw mat and not yet in a coffin. Only Xu Zheng’s older sister was there keeping watch; not a single one of the Xu Clan Members had come.

From the looks of it, not only would Xu Zheng be barred from the ancestral graveyard, but he might not even get a proper burial at all.

’What a tragic end!’

He traveled into town and soon arrived at the Liu Family estate.

As Xu Yang stepped into the Sacrificial Hall, he saw Wu Yongfeng, Wang Yun, and others talking over a piece of paper.

"This bounty won’t be easy to claim. To kill Zhang Sishui and his son, this ’great hero’ must be at least at Qi Gathering Great Success, maybe even a Bone Marrow Cleansing Strong Person."

"Let’s not even think about it. What I’m curious about is when the Cao Family got involved with the Sishui Gang. For them to step forward like this is strange."

"It is strange. The Government Office has also gotten involved. I wonder if they’ll be able to catch the person."

...

"What are you all talking about?"

Xu Yang’s brow furrowed as he listened, and he walked over quickly.

Seeing it was Xu Yang, Wu Yongfeng smiled and said, "You haven’t heard? A great vigilante has appeared in Qingyuan. First, he wiped out the Sanhe Gang, and last night he destroyed the Sishui Gang. Now he’s wanted by both the Government Office and the Cao Family."

With that, he handed the paper to Xu Yang.

"Vigilante my ass. There are no heroes in this world. It’s probably just a fight over profits. The Sanhe Gang was destroyed a long time ago. I have no idea what they’re thinking, connecting that incident with the person who destroyed the Sishui Gang."

Wang Yun spat, clearly not believing it was some hero eliminating evil for the people.

Xu Yang’s expression remained neutral. He saw it was a wanted poster with a drawing of a masked face, showing only the eyes.

’It’s supposed to be me, but I can’t even recognize the person in this sketch. Nothing to worry about.’

He scanned the poster. He wasn’t concerned about the bounty details. What concerned him was why the Government Office hadn’t gotten involved when the Sanhe Gang was wiped out, but was now joining forces with the Cao Family to issue a warrant for the person who destroyed the Sishui Gang.

’Could it be that the Cao Family and the Government Office were backing the Sishui Gang?’

"What’s the deal with this Cao Family?" Xu Yang asked.

Wang Yun said in a low voice, "The Cao Family is known as one of the Four Great Clans of Qingyuan. Even our own Liu Family is a step below them.

This whole situation is a bit strange. Logically, a major clan like the Cao Family wouldn’t bother supporting a minor gang like Sishui. They wouldn’t care about the few coppers scraped from the peasants. For them to step forward now is... thought-provoking."

Indeed, it was thought-provoking.

’One could argue that the Cao Family was secretly backing the Sishui Gang, which is why they stepped in. But what about the Sanhe Gang?’

’They didn’t get involved before, but now they’re linking the two incidents. Are they just being thorough, or is there another reason?’

Xu Yang casually asked a few more questions but didn’t get any particularly useful information, other than the fact that the Cao Family was not to be provoked.

’Looks like I’ll have to keep a low profile for a while.’

Although the two women he’d spared had only seen him masked, he wasn’t without vulnerabilities.

First, as a Martial Artist living in the territory of the Sanhe Gang and the Sishui Gang, he was a prime suspect for anyone who might have a grudge against them. If they investigated, he could easily draw attention.

Also, he had spent a large amount of money last month buying Qi-Replenishing Powder. If that drew attention and someone checked the records at Weiyuan Hall, he would be exposed immediately.

In the afternoon, Xu Yang decided against going to Weiyuan Hall and went straight home instead.

When night fell and all was quiet, he secretly took out the chest he had brought back, dug a hole, and buried it. Only then did he breathe a silent sigh of relief.