Chapter 340: Strange Person

North of Yong Province, there is a vast expanse of desert and grassland.

Even in such a desolate landscape, the New Jianghu has built roads. Although they are dirt roads, they were created by True Realm martial artists who flattened the terrain with their power.

True Realm martial artists are incredibly efficient at road construction!

Of course, Lan Feixue viewed this differently.

He believed those True Realm martial artists should be recruited and used as the foundation for his rule, forming a dynasty with them as the cornerstone.

These martial artists would be his people, his scholar-officials!

He would disregard the principle of “punishments not reaching scholar-officials” and the notion of “the ruler being light and the people being valued.” He would implement them all.

Once he ascended the throne, he would consolidate power, centralize authority, and gradually weaken them.

He would eliminate those who disobeyed and train the obedient ones like dogs!

Isn’t the purpose of life to seek pleasure and freedom?

Only with absolute power in hand would one’s life be truly worthwhile!

With these thoughts in mind, Lan Feixue planned to settle in a small town near the grassland and start recruiting followers （cannon fodder） for the Heaven’s Path.

He knew these areas were mostly populated by remnants of the Old Jianghu. Decent folks had all moved within the Nine Provinces; who would stay here?

He had also observed that the towns on the grassland were sparsely populated, with only a few dozen people in each, resembling villages.

Many of those who came to town to trade were nomadic herders from the surrounding areas. They only came to buy necessities like salt and tea.

They were not familiar with each other.

He could simply kill a herder and assume their identity, living here undetected.

After all, who would suspect a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy?

Lan Feixue chose a dull-witted, overweight man as his target.

He appeared to be around thirty or forty years old, with a vacant expression and the same indifferent look for everyone.

He was missing an eye, and one of his legs seemed to be injured, causing him to limp. He looked like an oddball.

Such a strange person in the small town would both attract attention and be easily forgotten.

No one would notice if he disappeared for a long time.

So Lan Feixue stealthily circled around and approached the strange man’s herding camp, pretending to be a passerby.

“Hero, I am passing through this area. Could you please offer me a bowl of water?” Lan Feixue said, arriving in front of the overweight man’s yurt.

The overweight man, dressed in wool clothing, was forking hay. It was snowing, and the cattle and sheep could only eat dry grass.

His clothes were covered in wool balls, looking dirty. He looked at Lan Feixue with his vacant expression, then looked at him again, remaining silent.

???

Lan Feixue was puzzled. Could this man be a fool?

“Hero, I am passing through this area. Could you please offer me a bowl of water?” Lan Feixue repeated.

The overweight man seemed to finally understand what Lan Feixue was saying. He pointed his finger towards the distance.

There was a river in the distance.

Go there for water.

Lan Feixue instantly understood the overweight man’s gesture.

This was a blatant disregard for him!

Lan Feixue felt annoyed.

“It’s freezing cold. I would like some hot water! Hero, please do me a favor!” Lan Feixue said, suppressing his annoyance and taking two steps forward.

He planned to get closer to the overweight man and kill him with a single blow.

The one-eyed man continued to stare at Lan Feixue, making him feel as if he had needles pricking his back.

Lan Feixue stopped in his tracks.

Could this overweight man be a martial arts expert?

Lan Feixue was both surprised and delighted.

A martial arts expert living in seclusion here, willingly being a herder? This implied the man had a story.

People with stories usually harbored resentment towards the New Jianghu.

“I mean no harm. Hero, have you heard of the Heaven’s Path?” Lan Feixue asked.

The overweight man glanced at him but didn’t speak.

✿✿✿

Lan Feixue proceeded to explain his “survival of the fittest” philosophy and looked at the overweight man expectantly.

This was a carefully crafted argument he used to target individuals from the Old Jianghu.

Many from the Old Jianghu held grudges against the New Jianghu, but their dissatisfaction lacked a clear ideology or direction.

Lan Feixue’s arguments effectively framed their greed and selfishness as righteous and reasonable.

It resonated with their desires.

Therefore, people from the Old Jianghu, upon hearing this line of reasoning, would inevitably react, to some extent.

Of course, there were exceptions.

The overweight man in front of him was an exception.

After listening, he neither reacted like someone from the New Jianghu, jumping up and denouncing Lan Feixue as an idiot, nor did he applaud like someone from the Old Jianghu.

He simply continued staring blankly at Lan Feixue.

This left Lan Feixue baffled.

What was going on? Could he truly be a fool?

Lan Feixue took a step forward. The overweight man didn’t move but kept his gaze fixed on him.

Lan Feixue continued walking forward. The overweight man still didn’t move, his eyes unwavering.

Step by step, Lan Feixue reached the overweight man.

The overweight man still didn’t move, only watching him.

“Are you truly a fool?” Lan Feixue waved his hand in front of the overweight man’s face.

The overweight man remained motionless, staring at him.

Lan Feixue patted the overweight man’s face and said, “Fool?”

The overweight man didn’t react.

People truly become more cowardly as they age. I was so wary of a fool!

Lan Feixue lamented his own cautiousness, then placed his hand on the overweight man’s shoulder, preparing to absorb his True Qi.

According to his deductions, the 《Northern Darkness Divine Technique《 should allow him to absorb True Qi from martial artists stronger than himself.

However, the martial arts in this Jianghu were too idealistic, and True Qi often carried the will of its owner. Rashly absorbing True Qi from a stronger martial artist could lead to indigestion at best, and madness or insanity at worst.

Therefore, the 《Northern Darkness Divine Technique《 in his hands could only absorb True Qi from martial artists of the same level. In the hands of others in the Freedom Heaven Path, it could only absorb True Qi from weaker martial artists.

But as soon as his hand touched the overweight man’s shoulder and he activated the 《Northern Darkness Divine Technique《, Lan Feixue felt a surge of True Qi as vast as mountains and oceans.

It was powerful True Qi that surpassed that of a Zhoutian martial artist!

This is bad!

This overweight man is a True Realm martial artist!

Lured by the 《Northern Darkness Divine Technique《, the overweight man’s True Qi surged towards him like a tsunami! If he was hit, he would either die or be severely injured!

Lan Feixue was about to withdraw his hand and stop the 《Northern Darkness Divine Technique《 when he saw a bright light flash before him.

The bright light, like a luminous thread, effortlessly sliced him into several pieces.

It was the 《Eleven Cuts《, a technique only one person in the world could perform.

The 《Eleven Cuts《 could sever anything, except the past and emotions!

The past, like a giant cocoon, had trapped him, forcing him to escape.

Lan Feixue’s eyes widened in disbelief. He never imagined his journey in the Jianghu would end at the hands of a fool.

I can’t die!

I must become the Emperor of the Jianghu!

I want to live freely and become a ruler!

He screamed in his heart.

Oh, at this moment, his severed head was a few dozen centimeters away from his shattered body.

He no longer had a heart!

The book is nearing its end; this is the final volume. You must have guessed it. （I’ve been sick these past few days, and I’m not feeling well.）