Martial Saint with Passives

Hu Biao was only in the Stone Skin Realm, and a weak one at that—the kind who relied on elixirs to force his advancement.

To Jiang Che, he was pathetically weak, hardly different from a chicken.

Jiang Che then patted down the corpse, only to find the man wasn’t carrying anything of value.

’That makes sense,’ Jiang Che thought. ’Who would bring valuables to a den of Horse Bandits? It would be like handing them a gift.’

’But to realize that and still dare to come here to report someone... he must have been truly blinded by greed.’

’Even if he hadn’t run into me, Hu Biao’s fate would have been sealed. He was a dead man either way.’

’And he actually thought he could get silver from the Horse Bandits. What a pipe dream.’

Kicking the corpse into the river and briefly cleaning up the signs of struggle on the ground, Jiang Che departed.

He did not return to Black Wind Mountain, instead choosing to wander around the area for a while.

This served two purposes: first, to kill time, and second, to see if he could locate any other Horse Bandit units.

Unfortunately, he found none.

’Then again,’ he thought, ’that’s to be expected. If the Horse Bandits were so easy to find, would Lin Yuan City have suffered so many defeats at their hands?’

’No matter how amateurish Lin Yuan City’s army might be, they still have professional Scouts. I certainly don’t think I’m a better tracker than them.’

Once he felt enough time had passed, he returned to the stronghold.

When he saw Master Wu, Jiang Che explained that Hu Biao was a gambler who, after racking up tens of thousands of silver in debt, had decided to try his luck with them, hoping to swindle some reward money.

As for the matter concerning Jiang Che, he had just fabricated the story without any proof.

Master Wu was somewhat disappointed, but this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, so it was understandable.

After assigning Jiang Che a few routine tasks, he took his leave.

He carefully reviewed the Hu Biao situation in his mind. ’There shouldn’t be any lingering problems.’

’As for the other Hunters, from what Hu Biao said, they have brains. They wouldn’t be stupid enough to come looking for the Horse Bandits to demand money.’

’Besides, they’ll eventually notice Hu Biao has gone missing.’

’When they connect his gambling debts with the records of him leaving the city, they’ll surely deduce he went looking for the Horse Bandits.’

’He never came back, which means he was either captured or killed by the bandits. His fate will serve as a cautionary tale; no one else will be foolish enough to repeat his mistake.’

’Besides, seeking out the Horse Bandits is tantamount to treason right now. It’s a highly sensitive issue, so they won’t dare make a scene.’

After running through the calculations, Jiang Che felt reassured.

「Three months passed in the blink of an eye.」

The war between the Horse Bandits and Lin Yuan City had ground to a stalemate.

During this time, Jiang Che had successfully investigated all six of the bandit divisions.

The result: he still hadn’t found them.

What’s more, none of the artisans had ever heard of anyone named Jiang Dawu.

’If he were an artisan attached to the army, there would be a record of him on a roster, even if he had died in battle. Someone would have known him.’

But with absolutely no trace of him, Jiang Che was completely out of leads.

It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

The war was growing more intense by the day.

The Horse Bandits weren’t guaranteed to win, but Jiang Che didn’t want to wait until the outcome was decided before making his move.

He decided it was time to take Jiang Ling and leave this place, to find somewhere safe where they could live in peace.

...

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...

「Lin Yuan City, outside the northern suburbs.」

Outside a massive Earth Castle.

Men in black martial attire, their bodies radiating vigorous Qi and Blood, patrolled the perimeter.

Though not wearing armor, their every move betrayed the discipline of men with military backgrounds.

The entire Earth Castle was enclosed by a ten-meter-high stone wall, completely obscuring the view within.

The plaque above the Earth Castle’s main gate bore the two words: ”Zhao Family.”

This was the Earth Castle of the Zhao Family, currently the number one Noble Family in Lin Yuan City.

Beyond the stone walls, the interior of the Earth Castle was not a residential compound, but a collection of well-organized Arsenals!

In each workshop, scores of people dressed in sackcloth were hunched over their work.

Some were forging close-range weapons like Long Spears and Broadsabers.

Others were crafting ranged weapons such as Crossbows and Arrows.

Still others were forging and assembling Armor, including Iron Armor, Chain Armor, Helmets, and Shields.

In addition, there was even large-scale equipment like Catapults, Wooden Ladders, and Siege Hammers.

Supervising the artisans were numerous Martial Artists dressed in black, patrolling with leather whips in hand.

If they caught anyone moving too slowly, a lash from the whip would quickly follow.

A single strike from the whip would instantly leave a bloody, mangled gash.

In one particular workshop.

A couple, appearing to be in their forties or fifties, were building a wooden cart for transporting supplies.

Although their faces were haggard with exhaustion, their bodies bore no marks from the whip.

This was none other than Jiang Dawu and his wife.

After being abducted by the Horse Bandits outside the city, they had been immediately sold to the Zhao Family.

Because of their exquisite carpentry skills and meticulous work, the couple had been spared punishment, and their daily meals were guaranteed.

However, they remained trapped within this Earth Castle, stripped of their freedom.

Moreover, the private manufacturing of military equipment was a capital offense.

Knowing the Zhao Family’s earth-shattering secret, they knew they would likely never leave this place alive.

After finishing a cart, they were granted a short break.

The two sat on the hay-strewn ground and took out flatbreads to eat.

”I wonder how Che’er and Ling’er are doing...” Mrs. Zhou sighed.

”Don’t worry,” Jiang Dawu said reassuringly. ”Che’er has had Martial Arts Training. Even if he doesn’t end up becoming a Martial Artist, he can find work at a Nursing Home. If all else fails, he can work as a laborer at the docks. He won’t have a problem making a living.”

”Mmm...”

...

...

...

Seeing no further reason to remain with the Horse Bandits, Jiang Che found an excuse to head out and promptly fled Black Wind Mountain.

Once he was off the mountain, Jiang Che removed his mask and became himself once more.

Before returning to the city, however, Jiang Che first went to harvest a batch of Black Crystals.

Leaving Lin Yuan City would require a significant sum of money, so every bit he could save now would help.

When he reached the city gate, the guards checked his travel permit. While the record was in order, his long absence from Lin Yuan City raised their suspicions.

Jiang Che discreetly handed over a large silver ingot. The guard’s hesitation vanished, and he immediately waved him through.

Once inside Lin Yuan City, Jiang Che went home to check on the place.

He found it covered in a thick layer of dust, but otherwise untouched. No one had broken in.

’Of course, there wasn’t much to steal anyway,’ he thought. ’I have most of my valuables with me.’

That was to be expected, though. This was a relatively safe part of the Outer City. The Government Office was located here, and with numerous Martial Arts Halls nearby, most vagrants wouldn’t dare cause trouble in the area.

Next, Jiang Che went to the Martial Arts Hall.

He found even fewer people there than before and quietly pulled an apprentice aside to chat.

He learned that some had left because they could no longer afford Martial Arts Training, while others had sensed the coming chaos in Lin Yuan City and departed for other cities ahead of time.

When he saw his master and Jiang Ling, he was relieved to find them both in good spirits.

Before leaving last time, Jiang Che had told them he would be gone for a while, though he wasn’t sure when he’d return.

Since Jiang Che’s current strength made him unrivaled below the Force Integration realm, his master hadn’t been overly concerned.

He also hadn’t asked what, specifically, Jiang Che had been doing.

After some small talk, Jiang Che hesitated for a moment before voicing his plan to leave with Jiang Ling.

But Luo Kun said,

”I think you should wait and see. I’ve heard that the Piracy Eradication Alliance has joined forces with the Seven Stars Gang and most of the city’s Martial Arts Halls and Gangs. Together with the Lin Yuan City garrison, they’re about to launch an all-out assault on the Black Wind Mountain Horse Bandits! It’s happening very soon. I feel there’s a strong chance they’ll succeed!”

”I see. In that case, I will wait a few more days,” Jiang Che said with a nod.

Jiang Che felt hesitant. No one wants to abandon their home. If Lin Yuan City could truly defeat the Horse Bandits, then staying here wouldn’t be so bad.

On one hand, he could continue his search for his parents. On the other, he was already considered a minor expert in Lin Yuan City.

Unless he ran into a top-tier master above the Force Integration realm, like Li Hanchuan, an ordinary Force Integration expert wouldn’t be able to kill him.

But in Cangzhou, who knew how many masters there were? If he were to get caught up in some unforeseen disaster, it would be a terrible stroke of luck.

”Mmm. And there’s one more thing! You’ve been gone for a while, so you probably haven’t heard,” Luo Kun added.

”Oh? What is it?”

”The Young Master of the Inner City’s Zhao Family, Zhao Kang—who is also their next Patriarch—is rumored to have broken through to a realm above Force Integration a few days ago! Not long ago, he sparred with Li Hanchuan, and they supposedly fought to a draw! This time, the Zhao Family’s experts will be led by him! With two masters above Force Integration, Zhao Kang and Li Hanchuan, I don’t think that Bandit Leader Tuoba Lie stands a chance, no matter how strong he is!” Luo Kun said.