Cultivating for Immorality: I Evolved Martial Arts into the Immortal Path – Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Autumn Blade

Black Sword Martial Arts Hall.

Main Hall.

Sandalwood incense curls, calming the mind.

Qi Yue sat cross-legged on a straw mat in the main hall, her beautiful face cold, her eyes slightly closed, a long sword placed horizontally on her lap, silently regulating her breath.

The martial arts hall’s 《Sinking Water Technique》 emphasized cultivating the mind and nurturing one’s nature; an impatient person could not practice this technique.

Suddenly, a voice sounded, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere of the main hall.

“Young Miss, Qi Xiuliang and I have something to report.” Wang Luo stood outside the main hall, his voice calm.

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

The two exchanged glances and stepped into the main hall simultaneously.

Wang Luo spoke first: “Young Miss, the person you just rejected was Chu Liang, a martial artist from Qing Shi Village, the one who killed the Tiger Demon.”

“I know,” Qi Yue opened her eyes, her voice cold.

“You know?” Wang Luo was stunned.

“This person’s character is poor; I don’t want to accept him into the martial arts hall.”

“Poor character?”

Qi Xiuliang frowned, stepped forward, and asked, “Young Miss, you have no interaction with Chu Liang, how do you know his character is poor?”

Qi Yue didn’t answer directly but asked, “Do you know why Chu Liang was able to kill the Tiger Demon?”

“Because he has the strength!” Qi Xiuliang answered decisively. He had personally witnessed Chu Liang killing the Wolf Demon and had confidence in Chu Liang’s strength.

But Qi Yue refuted, “Wrong!”

“What’s wrong?”

Qi Xiuliang couldn’t help but ask.

He was just a martial arts hall apprentice; in principle, he shouldn’t argue with the Hall Master’s daughter, or he might be targeted in the future.

But Qi Yue said Chu Liang’s character was poor, which made him have to speak up.

Chu Liang had saved their lives; it was a life-saving grace.

If he didn’t speak up for Chu Liang, how was he different from a beast?

Qi Yue said coldly, “That Chu Liang only cultivated the most mediocre 《Blood Nourishing Technique》, barely condensing one strand of Qi and Blood, and hasn’t even learned any martial skills. How could he possibly kill that Tiger Demon?”

“One strand of Qi and Blood? Impossible!” Qi Xiuliang argued, “He is at least a Three Strands of Qi and Blood expert, maybe even Four Strands of Qi and Blood!”

“Qi Xiuliang!”

Qi Yue’s gaze was cold as she looked at him and asked, “I started practicing martial arts at sixteen, and even now, I’ve only condensed one strand of Qi and Blood, still some distance from the second strand! That Chu Liang is around my age; do you think he could be a Three or Four Strands of Qi and Blood expert?”

“He…”

Qi Xiuliang’s words caught in his throat. He wanted to continue arguing, but Qi Yue’s words did have some merit.

Chu Liang was indeed too young.

The martial arts resources in his small mountain village were no match for a large martial arts hall like the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall.

Logically, his strength should be below Qi Yue’s.

Unless he was a once-in-a-century martial arts prodigy.

“Young Miss, even if Chu Liang only has one strand of Qi and Blood, he must have killed the Tiger Demon himself.”

Qi Xiuliang changed his approach, not arguing about the Qi and Blood.

He directly mentioned the previous incident where Chu Liang shot and killed the Wolf Demon.

“At the third watch, when we were returning to the county town, we encountered a pack of wild wolves. At that time…”

He slowly recounted, telling everything that happened in the forest at that time.

When he mentioned Chu Liang’s arrows, Wang Luo’s eyes widened.

“Nine arrows to kill a Wolf Demon?!”

No wonder Qi Xiuliang and the others thought Chu Liang was a Three or even Four Strands of Qi and Blood expert.

There had never been such a sharpshooter in the county town.

Demon beasts are very difficult to kill.

They are cunning, ferocious, and have strong vitality.

In the complex mountain forest, even a demon beast comparable to a One Strand of Qi and Blood martial artist could mostly escape from Two or even Three Strands of Qi and Blood martial artists.

But Chu Liang had killed a Wolf Demon, known for its speed and cunning, in just a few breaths.

“Young Miss, with such superb archery skills, it’s normal for Chu Liang to kill the Tiger Demon,” Wang Luo immediately spoke.

“No, he didn’t use archery to kill the Tiger Demon,” Qi Yue said coldly.

“He didn’t?”

“Of course not!”

“Then how did he kill it?”

“He didn’t use any weapons, he beat the Tiger Demon to death with his bare hands.”

“Ah?”

Wang Luo was surprised. He had been in the martial arts hall and hadn’t seen the Tiger Demon’s corpse.

To beat a Tiger Demon to death with bare hands, how much strength would that require?

“Young Miss, are you serious?” Wang Luo knew Qi Yue wouldn’t lie to him, but he still asked.

“You are also a member of the Martial Alliance; if you don’t believe it, you can go to the Martial Alliance and examine the tiger’s corpse.”

Hearing this, Wang Luo fell silent.

He gave Qi Xiuliang a look, indicating that he couldn’t help anymore.

Qi Xiuliang continued to argue, “Young Miss, do you mean that Chu Liang couldn’t have killed the Tiger Demon alone?”

“Yes, the matter is already concluded,” Qi Yue responded indifferently. “Before Chu Liang killed the Tiger Demon, Wu Neng and his friend had already severely injured it. They contributed the most to this matter, but Chu Liang took all the credit and silver.”

“Impossible, absolutely impossible!” Qi Xiuliang maintained his stance and immediately said, “Chu Liang is broad-minded and upright; how could he do such a thing?”

“Qi Xiuliang, how long have you known that Chu Liang? One day?” Qi Yue suddenly asked him.

“I…”

Qi Xiuliang opened his mouth, his momentum suddenly weakening.

He and Chu Liang had indeed only known each other for a day.

To be precise, not even a full day, at most half a day.

Qi Yue continued, “This news was sent to me by Master Qi Hai from the martial arts hall. Master Qi Hai is a veteran of the martial arts hall and has known you for many years. Do you believe him, or do you believe that Chu Liang, whom you’ve only known for a day?”

“Young Miss, perhaps this matter still needs further discussion,” Qi Xiuliang gritted his teeth and spoke with difficulty.

“Qi Xiuliang, if you are dissatisfied with my Black Sword Martial Arts Hall, you can take back your silver and go to another one. I won’t stop you,” Qi Yue said coldly, directly warning him.

Hearing this, Wang Luo hurriedly tried to smooth things over, saying, “Young Miss, after all, Chu Liang saved Qi Xiuliang’s life, please understand.”

“Hmm, take him away, let him think about it.”

◈◈◈

“Yes!”

Wang Luo responded and then forcefully pulled Qi Xiuliang’s sleeve, pulling him out of the main hall.

If they continued, he was afraid that this young miss would get angry and expel Qi Xiuliang from the martial arts hall.

Qi Xiuliang had been practicing martial arts at the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall since he started on the martial path, and he was proficient in using a long sword, even buying a treasure sword for this purpose.

If he switched to another martial arts hall, he might not be able to adapt.

Soon, the two returned to the outside of the martial arts hall with unpleasant expressions.

Chu Liang looked calm, having expected this.

Qi Lin hurriedly asked, “Brother Wang, Brother Liang, how did it go? What did the Young Miss say?”

Qi Xiuliang was in a complicated mood, Qi Yue’s words echoing in his mind, and he didn’t respond for a moment.

Wang Luo shook his head helplessly.

He said, “The Young Miss is not in a good mood today and is unwilling to accept anyone into the martial arts hall, not even Brother Chu.”

“Not in a good mood?”

Qi Lin’s eyes widened. Such a perfunctory reason?

He vaguely guessed that there was more to it.

After all, the two had been inside for a long time, and such a long time could not be explained by a simple “not in a good mood.”

“It seems I am not fated to be with the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall,” Chu Liang smiled easily. “Fortunately, there are many martial arts halls in the county town. I’ll go check out the others.”

“Wait!”

Qi Xiuliang suddenly spoke, his expression resolute, as if he had made some kind of decision. He said to Chu Liang, “Your Excellency, can you wait a little longer?”

Chu Liang smiled, “There’s no need to call me Your Excellency, it sounds awkward. You can address me as brothers, just like Brother Wang, call me Brother Chu.”

“Alright! Brother Chu, can you wait until the Hall Master returns before making a decision?”

“Hall Master?”

“Yes, the Martial Alliance issued a summons, apparently to deal with the changes in the deep mountains. The Hall Master went to the Martial Alliance early this morning and should return before sunset.”

The Hall Master of the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall was a Five Strands of Qi and Blood expert.

In the county town, besides the four Skin Tempering Realm experts, these Five Strands of Qi and Blood experts were the most powerful.

They were important members of the Martial Alliance, and they were summoned whenever there was a major event.

“When the Hall Master returns, I will go and request an audience with him and ask him to make a decision,” Qi Xiuliang said solemnly, asking Chu Liang to stay.

“There’s no need. After all, there is no fate, no need to force it.”

Chu Liang smiled, looking relaxed and carefree.

Seeing his demeanor, Wang Luo couldn’t help but doubt whether he was really the kind of greedy and selfish person Qi Hai described.

Looking at his face and his words and actions, Chu Liang simply didn’t seem like that kind of person!

“Brother Chu, where are you planning to go now?” Wang Luo asked.

“To the Autumn Blade Martial Arts Hall.”

Chu Liang recalled what Song Zhong had told him earlier.

Song Zhong himself came from the Mountain Fist Martial Arts Hall, but he didn’t recommend Chu Liang to join it because the style of that martial arts hall was not quite the same as Chu Liang’s.

Among the three major martial arts halls, the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall was the most suitable for Chu Liang, followed by the Autumn Blade Martial Arts Hall, and finally the Mountain Fist Martial Arts Hall.

“The signature martial skill of the Autumn Blade Martial Arts Hall is the 《Autumn Blade》. Does Brother Chu know saber techniques?” Wang Luo asked again.

“No, I’m a hunter. I like to hunt with a longbow. I only know some crude archery; I don’t know anything else.”

“Crude archery…”

Wang Luo’s mouth twitched. Hearing these five words, he didn’t know how to respond.

He suspected that Chu Liang might very well be the number one sharpshooter in the county town.

If Chu Liang’s archery was “crude,” then no one in the county town would be qualified to use a bow and arrow.

“Brother Chu, do you have an archery master?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Yes,” Chu Liang nodded.

“Oh?” Wang Luo’s eyes lit up and he hurriedly asked, “Is that archery master still around?”

“No, he’s dead.”

With these simple words, Chu Liang was reminded of the Old Hunter.

He hadn’t visited the Old Hunter’s grave for a long time.

After learning martial skills this time, he would buy some good wine and cooked meat and go visit his grave.

“It’s getting late; I have to go elsewhere. Farewell.”

After chatting for a while, Chu Liang said goodbye to them.

They wanted to see him off.

But Chu Liang said that they were from the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall, and it would be inconvenient to take them to the Autumn Blade Martial Arts Hall, as it might be mistaken for a challenge.

They had no choice but to give up and watch Chu Liang leave.

Chu Liang led the donkey and leisurely walked towards the Autumn Blade Martial Arts Hall.

It was almost noon, and the sun had climbed to the top of the sky. The life in the county town became heavier, and the flow of people on the roads gradually became denser. Although it was not as busy as the market day, it was still quite lively.

“Master, that Wu Neng is still secretly observing you from behind,” Rat One suddenly sent a message.

“Let him watch. I’m not something that can’t be seen.”

“That guy named Qi Hai is smiling, full of smugness, it’s disgusting. I’m so angry I want to go up and bite him to death.”

“Don’t get angry; anger hurts the liver.”

Chu Liang was very calm, his emotions particularly stable.

He reached into his bag and patted Rat One’s head.

Rat One was currently only comparable to a Three Strands of Qi and Blood expert and was not good at direct combat. He couldn’t bite Qi Hai, a Four Strands of Qi and Blood martial artist, to death for the time being, unless he caught him by surprise.

“Master, that Qi Hai also said that the Autumn Blade Martial Arts Hall is far inferior to the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall, and the 《Autumn Blade》 is not as good as the 《Sinking Water Sword》. If you go to the Autumn Blade Martial Arts Hall, your future achievements will definitely not be as good as the outstanding disciples of the Black Sword Martial Arts Hall.”

Rat One contacted Rat Two and continued to relay the message to Chu Liang.

On the second floor of the teahouse, the fragrance of tea curled.

Qi Hai picked up his teacup and said with a light smile, “Brother Wu, that Chu Liang’s future achievements are limited. You don’t need to keep staring at him. Time will give you justice.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Wu Neng withdrew his gaze and responded with a few words, but he didn’t think so in his heart.

He couldn’t wait for the future.

In a few days, after the Martial Alliance finished investigating the Tiger Demon, he would immediately find a way to capture Chu Liang and make him disappear from this world forever.