Nine Transformations of the True Spirit

The autumn wind is warm, the sky is blue, white clouds are floating, and wild geese are traveling south.

The gentle sunshine passed through the increasingly sparse branches and leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard and fell on a young man.

The young man is tall, wearing a linen short coat, and is practicing boxing and martial arts.

Bang bang bang!

He moved very fast, his eyes were sharp, and wherever his fists and feet passed, there was an afterimage, and he made a continuous sound of breaking wind, which was extremely terrifying.

"call……"

After practicing for a full hour, the young man stopped with his fists closed, closed his eyes slightly, opened his mouth and exhaled a foot-long white air, shaped like a long arrow, which lingered for a long time.

He slowly opened his eyes, his face looked a little ugly, and he murmured:

"It's been seven months and I still can't break through. It seems I have to change to a better technique..."

The young man's eyes flashed, and after a moment, he returned to calm.

He walked to the weapons rack under the locust tree in two steps, slowly pulled out a four-foot-long sword from the scabbard on the rack, and gently stroked the blade with his fingers.

Suddenly, the young man flicked his wrist and flashed the blade, and a piece of withered yellow leaf was silently split into two halves and fell down.

Swish, swish, swish!

The long knife, which weighed thirty kilograms, was as light as nothing in his hand. The blade shone with a cold light that was dazzling.

What's even more shocking is that after the young man finished performing a set of sword techniques, he took a long breath, his face remained unchanged, and he showed no sign of exhaustion. He continued to practice the sword techniques without stopping.

The long sword is heavy and unbearable. It is a weapon in the army. Even the strongest soldiers can only swing it with all their strength a dozen times. There are few warriors in the world who use it.

But after the young man finished practicing a set of sword skills, he acted as if nothing had happened, and even continued to practice. After an hour, he sheathed the sword.

Until then, the young man's face turned slightly red, but his breathing was still steady and long.

He raised his head and glanced at the sky. It was almost noon, so he walked into the main room, put on a yellow cloth jacket, tied a wooden belt around his waist, picked up a food box, and walked out of the small courtyard.

The young man walked through the alleys and came to a yard with three chimneys and walked in.

There were more than a dozen apprentices in gray clothes gathered in the courtyard, queuing up to serve their meals. When the young man walked in, seven or eight of them greeted him:

"Senior Brother Chen, you are here!"

"Brother Chen!"

A naive smile appeared on the young man's face:

"Haha, Junior Brother Zhang and Junior Brother Wei, you guys came quite early..."

He greeted everyone one by one, then handed the food box to a handyman and said with a naive smile:

"Brother Xiao Liu, we still follow the old rules, twenty white flour pancakes, three large bowls of stewed meat, and one bowl of vegetables!"

"okay!"

Xiao Liu took the food box, turned around and walked into the house.

A long-faced apprentice clicked his tongue when he heard the young man's words:

"This guy has a huge appetite!"

After hearing this, the short and fat apprentice in front of him turned around and said in surprise:

"Are you too ignorant? Even Senior Brother Chen doesn't know."

The long-faced apprentice asked curiously:

"Brother, is Senior Brother Chen famous? Let's hear it! I just passed the test three days ago and became an apprentice. I don't know anything..."

The short and fat apprentice became interested:

"Then I will tell you carefully. Senior Brother Chen is a good man with a kind heart and no pretensions at all. He often helps us apprentices in gray clothes. He is also very skilled in martial arts. I heard that he will soon become the fourth member of the escort team. Commander!"

The long-faced apprentice said with envy:

"The Guards are a great job. You don't have to work and you can eat meat every day. It would be great if I could join the Guards... Senior Brother Chen is in the Guards now?"

"Of course! Senior Brother Chen joined the escort a year ago. He used a long sword weighing thirty kilograms and I heard he killed several bandits!"

"A thirty kilogram long knife?!" The long-faced apprentice's eyes widened, "I have trouble lifting thirty kilograms of iron!"

The pudgy apprentice showed pride on his face:

"Hehe, Senior Brother Chen is a martial arts prodigy. He passed the apprenticeship test three years ago and was accepted as a disciple by Manager Li on the same day. He broke through the Skin Refining Realm in one year and stayed with Manager Li for a year. Then he joined the guard team. He is extremely brave. , made a lot of achievements, and broke through to the bone refining realm a month and a half ago. The three leading senior brothers of the escort team are only at this level!"

"Senior Brother Chen is Guanshi Li's apprentice? No wonder he is so powerful. Before I came to the hall, I had heard of Guanshi Li's reputation. He is a master at the peak of marrow refining. It has spread throughout Leping County!"

"Then do you know that Manager Li has two more powerful apprentices?"

"Which two apprentices?"

"That's a long story..."

The young man stood in the distance, listening to the whispers of the two people, with a smile on his lips.

Although the two men deliberately lowered their voices, they could not hide their increasingly sensitive five senses.

The young man was Chen Yuan. Three years had passed since he entered the Hundred Soldiers Hall and became a disciple of Guanshi Li.

Hearing about his experiences in the past three years from an apprentice made Chen Yuan feel a sense of nostalgia.

In the past three years, he has indeed experienced a lot.

Not long after, Xiao Liu came over with a full food box and carefully handed it to Chen Yuan:

"Brother Chen, take it."

"Thanks."

Chen Yuan took the food box very politely and turned to leave.

Behind him, a group of gray-clothed apprentices spoke out one after another:

"Senior Brother Chen, walk slowly!"

"Brother Chen, do you still want to take only one day off?"

Chen Yuan smiled as he walked:

"Yes, I will return to the escort team tomorrow..."

After another round of greetings, he walked out of the kitchen, quickened his pace, and walked along the way he came. The smile on his face slowly disappeared and calm returned.

…

After lunch, Chen Yuan came to Manager Li's house.

Chen came very early, and Wang Cong and Zhao Shan were not here yet.

Chen Yuan came to the main hall and bowed respectfully to Manager Li:

"Er Niu pays homage to Master!"

Manager Li stroked his beard and said with a smile:

"Er Niu is here. Today is your monthly rest. Why don't you go to Goulan House and listen to music?"

Chen Yuan scratched his head and said with a naive smile:

"Er Niu doesn't know anything about that. He only knows how to practice martial arts. I have nothing to do during the month off. I have to serve my master."

The smile on Manager Li’s face grew stronger:

"You are very filial. How are you doing with Fu Hu Jin? Are there any problems?"

Chen Yuan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked:

"Master, when I circulate my true energy through the Chongmai, there are always signs of restlessness..."

He asked a few questions, and Manager Li gave guidance one by one.

During this period, Wang Cong and Zhao Shan arrived at the scene one after another. They did not dare to disturb them, but stood aside and listened carefully.

They are only in the bone refining realm now, but their accumulation is deeper than Chen Yuan's. Manager Li's guidance is equally effective for them.

A quarter of an hour later, Manager Li's smile faded and he said seriously:

"Okay, let's come here first. Your two senior brothers are also here. There is something I need to tell you."

"Master, please give me instructions!"

Wang Cong responded, and Chen Yuan and Zhao Shan also looked solemn and listened attentively.

Manager Li gently stroked his beard and spoke slowly:

"Tomorrow morning, the hall will transport a batch of iron tools to the Chimang Mountains. I will also go with the convoy. The three of you should also go with me."

"Yes, Master!"

The three of them responded in unison.

"This time we are doing business with a new village. It is a big deal worth several thousand taels of silver. We have to deliver the goods deep into the Chimang Mountains. The journey is difficult and dangerous, and there are bandits running around. You must be prepared. Don’t take it lightly.”

Wang Cong asked:

"Master, didn't the gang buy the flags of those villages? There shouldn't be anyone who is blind and wants to rob us, right?"

Manager Li narrowed his eyes and said solemnly:

"Today is different from the past. Lanzhou and Xingzhou in the north and west were hit by drought and locust plagues last year. The victims fled in all directions. More and more new villages were built in the Chimang Mountains, and they became less and less ignorant of the rules. In the past, people bought Those flags are becoming less and less effective, so we must proceed with caution.”

Wang Cong's expression changed:

"Yes, Master, disciple, don't dare be careless!"

Manager Li nodded and his expression softened slightly:

"You don't have to worry too much. After all, our Fuhu Gang is not those small businessmen and hawkers, and we will not be easily provoked by others. Moreover, Shopkeeper Sun attaches great importance to this transaction and sent me and Zhang Jinkui to go together. He will definitely bring his apprentice with him. Including you, there are six bone-refining warriors, which is more secure."

The three of them nodded in unison, but Wang Cong and Zhao Shan looked extremely solemn.

Chen Yuan still looked innocent on his face, but he was also shuddering in his heart and secretly became vigilant.

On the surface, Baibingtang is a lawful blacksmith shop, but secretly it has been doing business with bandits.

It is difficult to do business in the garrison in the county. You have to go through the county government office workshop and barracks, and you have to share the profit with other shops. There are many people handling it in the middle, the cost is too high, and the oil and water are not so sufficient.

Powerful landowners often have their own blacksmiths, and the iron tools they buy from Baibingtang are few and unstable.

The bandit villages in the Chimang Mountains are willing to spend money to buy weapons and iron weapons, and the demand is huge. Doing business with them does not have to pay taxes to the county, and the profits are the most generous.

Baibingtang relies on the Fuhu Gang and bribes the garrison in the county. Both the black and white factions take advantage of it. Of course, they will not let go of this piece of fat.

This is also the reason why the hall has a large number of guards. If it is only doing law-abiding business in the county, there is no need for so many guards.

However, Baibingtang used to make deals with bandits on the edge of the Chimang Mountains. This time, they wanted to enter the middle of the mountains or make deals with Xinzhaizi. Without knowing the details, the risk increased greatly.

Even the two chief stewards were dispatched, so Chen Yuan and the others needed to be even more careful.

Afterwards, Manager Li gave a few more instructions, leaving Wang Cong, Zhao Shan and Chen Yuan to leave the Li Mansion.

Zhao Shan was not resting today and had to go to the escort team. When he parted with Chen Yuan, he warned:

"You also heard that going into the mountains this time is no small matter. We can't act recklessly anymore."

Chen Yuan nodded heavily:

"I listen to my master and senior brother in everything!"

Zhao Shan is still worried:

"You said the same thing last time. What's the result? Then Zheng Jun is Zhang Jinkui's apprentice. He has evil intentions. He asked you to rush up, and you really did it? In other words, you were lucky and didn't fall into the siege. I killed a bandit, but if I am still so reckless in the future, I won’t even know how he died!”

Chen Yuan scratched his head and said embarrassedly:

"Senior Brother Zheng is the commander of the escort team. I have to obey his instructions. Who knew he would harm me..."

Zhao Shan shook his head and said helplessly:

"You are just too honest! This time when we go into the mountains, you will stay with me the whole time and you are not allowed to do anything without authorization!"

Chen Yuan grinned:

"Yes, senior brother!"